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August 24, 2006

Under The Knife

Sushi

by Will Carroll

I wish I could go the rest of my career without talking about steroids, amphetamines, groupies, divorces, cheaters, and jerks. I can't, but I notice one thing, over and over: it's all fair game until it's your guy. People ask how Giants fans can defend Barry Bonds, but I bet Red Sox fans would defend David Ortiz. Yankees fans would defend Derek Jeter. I'm just tossing names out there of beloved players, ones who have had logic pushed aside for devotion long ago. Just remember, you can love the game without loving the players and for every bad seed, there's someone like Torii Hunter raising money for youth baseball, or Jamie Moyer helping Seattle-area charities by the truckload. I've said it before and I'll say it again--we cannot expect more from our athletes than we do from ourselves.

Powered by the combination sushi bar and Starbucks at the Bristol Marriott--no, I'm serious--on to the injuries:

• Mere days after AGM Rick Hahn extolled the health and results of Jim Thome on BP Radio, Thome's had his first serious injury of the season. It wasn't his back this time, but his legs. Thome pulled up lame heading to second, leaving the game with a strained left hamstring. Expect Thome to miss at least a couple games, though we'll have more guidance Thursday afternoon. Losing Thome for any period of time could have a major impact on the Sox' playoff chances.

• Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated said it first, but let me pile on a bit. Gary Sheffield has, for the past couple weeks, been an absolute mystery. More than usual, I mean. I'm sure the Yankees have a pretty good handle on Sheffield, but speaking to team sources, I sometimes doubt whether it's any better of a handle than any of his other former employers had. Over the past two weeks, I've been hearing whispers, over and over from disparate and independent sources, that Sheffield was slowing his rehab deliberately, feeling no pressure to return. "He says he's not needed," one source told me, "and that he's got to worry more about next year than this year." Several people I spoke with that have knowledge of his rehab process claim that Sheffield shouldn't be behind Hideki Matsui. "[Matsui']s busted his [rear] and [Sheffield] is negotiating his contract. He talks more to his agents than he does the trainers." While none of this information can be independently confirmed, Heyman's report seems dead on. Sheffield has gotten a free pass on this and many other issues. He's behind schedule for a return and there needs to be an explanation.

• Meanwhile in Boston, Manny Ramirez is getting blasted for his annual hamstring strain. Just my phrasing there echoes the Boston media, assuming that Ramirez is taking a mid-summer sabbatical when his team needs him most. The fact is that hamstring strains are tough injuries and the description of Ramirez's cramping and tightness fits with a pre-strain symptomology. There's no way to confirm this. No tests or MRIs are going to give much guidance. If Ramirez says it's tight, we pretty much have to take his word for it. Maybe the medical staff would cover for him if they hadn't seen any evidence, but probably not behind closed doors. Many of us have taken a day off from work, claiming a "mental health day" or similar excuse to ourselves while sounding sick over the phone. I told you I'd say it again--we often expect more from our heroes than we do from ourselves. I have no evidence that Ramirez is injured, but those claiming he's faking it have no evidence to prove that he is. Late news comes in that Ramirez left Tuesday's game with knee soreness and will undergo an MRI.

• If the Cardinals were hoping that Mark Mulder was going to provide a spark with his return, well, the only spark might have been one over the flammable pile that the Cards' second half has become. Drilled. Hammered. Whatever word you want to use for getting soundly beaten applies to Mulder's first start since late June. He gave up nine runs in three innings against an admittedly solid Mets attack. He had no command, a near-complete lack of control, and nothing resembling an out pitch. In fact, in the limited video I saw of Mulder, he looked like the same pitcher that went on the DL two months ago. That's a very bad sign.

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