Cubs Mention in Carroll's BP Under the Knife

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Link.

 

Does it make Cubs fans feel any better that Mark Prior has thrown? Sure, it was a soft-toss session from the mound this weekend, but it was from the mound, it was successful, and as we know, the only word that counts is from Dusty Baker. Dusty didn’t comment, though Larry Rothschild was kind enough to say that Prior is on track for a start sometime next week. We’ll want to continue watching him as he progresses for more signs on his health and effectiveness. Here’s a topic I’d love to see discussed on the front pages--Kerry Wood continues to impress with his throwing and looks to be on track or even ahead of optimistic projections. Given the normally gloomy returns from labrum surgery, Dr. Kremchek’s repair on Wood is going to be closely watched to see if things progress differently. Since the Chicago media all seems to be reading this column, I do want to make sure and say hi. The Tribune calls me a pain. Washington Post calls me an expert. That’s a push for the week, I think.

 

Apparently, now Wood is ahead of schedule. That's good news. I also like his sarcastic reference to the Chicago media. :lmao:

[Vinestal]

He makes it sound like he is rooting for Prior to go down to an injury so he can validate his secret source and make himself out to be the know-it-all that he thinks he is. I like Will less and less these days.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

Yeah, labrum surgery doesn't have the best success rate, although there are some pitchers who've come back just fine. I wouldn't put money on Wood being one of those guys, but supposedly he does look good.

 

I haven't heard anyone down in Mesa saying Wood is ahead of schedule. A setback or two and he's behind schedule.

[goonys evil twin]

He makes it sound like he is rooting for Prior to go down to an injury so he can validate his secret source and make himself out to be the know-it-all that he thinks he is.

 

I think that's a pretty weak interpretation of what he wrote. I didn't get anything of the sort out of that article.

[Vinestal]

Yeah, labrum surgery doesn't have the best success rate, although there are some pitchers who've come back just fine. I wouldn't put money on Wood being one of those guys, but supposedly he does look good.

 

I haven't heard anyone down in Mesa saying Wood is ahead of schedule. A setback or two and he's behind schedule.

 

Wood's surgery was not to repair anything, it was just to clean up some scar tissue, at least thats how I understood it. There was no tear or anything that had to be reattached. I remain optimistic that Wood can pitch most of the season once he gets started mid to late April is what Im hoping for.

[goonys evil twin]

I haven't heard anyone down in Mesa saying Wood is ahead of schedule. A setback or two and he's behind schedule.

 

I haven't even heard of a schedule. I've only seen that he might be back sometime in April or May, and possibly June.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

He makes it sound like he is rooting for Prior to go down to an injury so he can validate his secret source and make himself out to be the know-it-all that he thinks he is.

 

I think that's a pretty weak interpretation of what he wrote. I didn't get anything of the sort out of that article.

 

I didn't either. In fact, Will has made it known that he is a big Cubs fan and would like nothing more than to see the team do well and succeed.

 

I think what bothered him most is that the Cubs wouldn't speak to him or about his "rumor" until he printed it. Then, after it created such a hubabaloo, they commented.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

He makes it sound like he is rooting for Prior to go down to an injury so he can validate his secret source and make himself out to be the know-it-all that he thinks he is.

 

I think that's a pretty weak interpretation of what he wrote. I didn't get anything of the sort out of that article.

 

I didn't either. In fact, Will has made it known that he is a big Cubs fan and would like nothing more than to see the team do well and succeed.

 

I think what bothered him most is that the Cubs wouldn't speak to him or about his "rumor" until he printed it. Then, after it created such a hubabaloo, they commented.

 

The Cubs' media relations suck.

 

It kind of upsets me that he printed that rumor under the infamous unnamed source. That source should be slapped, either for passing on bs or not having the Planters to put his name out there. You'd think Carroll would know how touchy this subject is before he printed the rumor.

[Vinestal]

He makes it sound like he is rooting for Prior to go down to an injury so he can validate his secret source and make himself out to be the know-it-all that he thinks he is.

 

I think that's a pretty weak interpretation of what he wrote. I didn't get anything of the sort out of that article.

 

I guess some of that interpretation is because I just heard an interview w/ Carrol earlier today on MLB Homeplate, he just sounds determined that Prior has an injury. You would think if he had a shoulder injury he wouldn't be throwing at this point.

[SouthSideRyan]

Will Carroll should write for the Star-Ledger.

[radarluv1]

yeah, we keep hearing about priors "timetable" but when the heck did he get hurt and what type of injury? this surely isnt the flu thing he had over the winter.

[Guest]

I tend to like Will's work but he's been known to be dead wrong with this kind of "reliable source" report in the past. I remember a few years ago he swore up and down that MLB executives and Pete Rose had reached a deal to allow him back in baseball and make him eligible for the hall, all without Rose having to admit he bet on baseball or do anything wrong. This report was published based on the infamous anonymous inside source. As we all know, however, the exact opposite happened. Pete Rose is still banned from baseball despite admitting that he did place bets on the sport.

 

Moral of the story: So-called reliable, inside sometimes and often don't know what they are talking about.

[goonys evil twin]

He makes it sound like he is rooting for Prior to go down to an injury so he can validate his secret source and make himself out to be the know-it-all that he thinks he is.

 

I think that's a pretty weak interpretation of what he wrote. I didn't get anything of the sort out of that article.

 

I guess some of that interpretation is because I just heard an interview w/ Carrol earlier today on MLB Homeplate, he just sounds determined that Prior has an injury. You would think if he had a shoulder injury he wouldn't be throwing at this point.

 

You realize this is the Cubs we're talking about. They are capable of foolishly running a guy out there when he shouldn't be pitching.

[goonys evil twin]

I tend to like Will's work but he's been known to be dead wrong with this kind of "reliable source" report in the past. I remember a few years ago he swore up and down that MLB executives and Pete Rose had reached a deal to allow him back in baseball and make him eligible for the hall, all without Rose having to admit he bet on baseball or do anything wrong. This report was published based on the infamous anonymous inside source. As we all know, however, the exact opposite happened. Pete Rose is still banned from baseball despite admitting that he did place bets on the sport.

 

Moral of the story: So-called reliable, inside sometimes and often don't know what they are talking about.

 

Isn't he primarily a injury report kind of guy? I don't think the Pete Rose report really means a whole lot as it pertains to his ability/accuracy in talking about the health of pitchers.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Yeah, labrum surgery doesn't have the best success rate, although there are some pitchers who've come back just fine. I wouldn't put money on Wood being one of those guys, but supposedly he does look good.

 

I haven't heard anyone down in Mesa saying Wood is ahead of schedule. A setback or two and he's behind schedule.

 

The success rate for labrum surgery (complete tear) is around 95% over 20 years. That's a pretty darn good rate. Wood did not have a tear and he should have been at 100% in terms of healing for a month or two now. The problem with the surgery is that it requires you to not do anything for a long period of time, thus resulting in a need to build back a lot of strength after 5-6 months. Assuming there were no complications with his operation, there should be no "setbacks". Building his strength and endurance back up are really the only things to be concerned with at this point.

[goonys evil twin]

Yeah, labrum surgery doesn't have the best success rate, although there are some pitchers who've come back just fine. I wouldn't put money on Wood being one of those guys, but supposedly he does look good.

 

I haven't heard anyone down in Mesa saying Wood is ahead of schedule. A setback or two and he's behind schedule.

 

The success rate for labrum surgery (complete tear) is around 95% over 20 years. That's a pretty darn good rate. Wood did not have a tear and he should have been at 100% in terms of healing for a month or two now. The problem with the surgery is that it requires you to not do anything for a long period of time, thus resulting in a need to build back a lot of strength after 5-6 months. Assuming there were no complications with his operation, there should be no "setbacks". Building his strength and endurance back up are really the only things to be concerned with at this point.

 

Did we ever get a clear description of what procedure they did? I feel like I've heard a couple different things. The most common story was that it was the same procedure Matt Morris had the year before. Matty wasn't that good before the surgery, so his mediocre 2005 isn't a great comparison for what Wood could do in 2006. But is it even realistic to think best case scenario is Wood being even close to his peak from the past?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Did we ever get a clear description of what procedure they did? I feel like I've heard a couple different things. The most common story was that it was the same procedure Matt Morris had the year before. Matty wasn't that good before the surgery, so his mediocre 2005 isn't a great comparison for what Wood could do in 2006. But is it even realistic to think best case scenario is Wood being even close to his peak from the past?

 

I'm not entirely clear on Matty Mo's procedure, so I can't say whether or not they are comparable. I do know that the surgeon who performed my labrum repair is one of the best in the nation, and he was also a big baseball fan so we talked about it in good detail one day. In his description of events, and obviously he didn't have access to Wood's MRI results, but mine was much more serious as it was a complete tear. Wood's problem was that edge of the labrum over time may get frayed so that the edge is not smooth. It is an extremely similar procedure in that it is basically just stitched back up. Like I said, the hard part is that I was told not to lift anything at all for 2 months, nothing heavier than a gallon of milk from months 2-4, and while I could exercise, I could not lift anything heavier than 25 pounds from months 4-6. My shoulder is as weak as it has ever been, and I am slowly starting to get back to where I was. I had mine repaired on 9/12, and I am at about 95% health-wise. I am going to be starting to hit the weights quite a bit more over the next month or so, as right now I can't throw anything at all. The pain is gone for the most part, but the weakness is obvious. I don't remember the date Kerry had his done, but he should be 100% healed and in that strength-building process. I don't envision him being out until mid-May, but depending on how his conditioning goes, it may be mid-April until he's game ready.

[Vinestal]

Yeah, labrum surgery doesn't have the best success rate, although there are some pitchers who've come back just fine. I wouldn't put money on Wood being one of those guys, but supposedly he does look good.

 

I haven't heard anyone down in Mesa saying Wood is ahead of schedule. A setback or two and he's behind schedule.

 

The success rate for labrum surgery (complete tear) is around 95% over 20 years. That's a pretty darn good rate. Wood did not have a tear and he should have been at 100% in terms of healing for a month or two now. The problem with the surgery is that it requires you to not do anything for a long period of time, thus resulting in a need to build back a lot of strength after 5-6 months. Assuming there were no complications with his operation, there should be no "setbacks". Building his strength and endurance back up are really the only things to be concerned with at this point.

 

Did we ever get a clear description of what procedure they did? I feel like I've heard a couple different things. The most common story was that it was the same procedure Matt Morris had the year before. Matty wasn't that good before the surgery, so his mediocre 2005 isn't a great comparison for what Wood could do in 2006. But is it even realistic to think best case scenario is Wood being even close to his peak from the past?

 

 

Reports that were made right after the surgery on the tribune page said that the doctor found no tear and simply cleaned up the area. There was also a report that when he went to have it checked out before spring training the guy that performed the surgery was very happy with how things looked (Im guessing they did an MRI in Dec/Jan). I wish I could find links. All the reports on Kerry have been possitive that I can remember.

[goonys evil twin]

I don't remember the date Kerry had his done, but he should be 100% healed and in that strength-building process. I don't envision him being out until mid-May, but depending on how his conditioning goes, it may be mid-April until he's game ready.

 

I guess the next question is, what is a realistic expectation for 100% Kerry in 2006? Shouldn't we assume some sort of hangover effect this season? While he may be able to go 100% by May, I am assuming his effectiveness will not be at 100%.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I guess the next question is, what is a realistic expectation for 100% Kerry in 2006? Shouldn't we assume some sort of hangover effect this season? While he may be able to go 100% by May, I am assuming his effectiveness will not be at 100%.

 

My feeling is that if his conditioning goes according to schedule, we should definitely see Kerry by April 10-15, and he should be 100% by mid-May. Following this assumption, I see no reason he is not 100% effective when he first comes back. The hard part will be the stamina to throw 90-110 pitches vs the 65-80 we'll probably see when he first comes back.

[goonys evil twin]

I see no reason he is not 100% effective when he first comes back.

 

What about the simple fact that he would have gone 9-10 months between meaningful starts? Even if he is physically 100%, including stamina, the ability to harness the art of starting pitching might take a while to get back.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I see no reason he is not 100% effective when he first comes back.

 

What about the simple fact that he would have gone 9-10 months between meaningful starts? Even if he is physically 100%, including stamina, the ability to harness the art of starting pitching might take a while to get back.

 

I know what you're saying, but I think he'll be fine. His effectiveness should be right about where it's always been. He may have some hiccups coming out of the gate, but the good news is he'll already be on a strict pitch count. With our improved bullpen and having either Williams or Rusch to do some long relief when needed, I'm not extremely worried.

[goonys evil twin]

I see no reason he is not 100% effective when he first comes back.

 

What about the simple fact that he would have gone 9-10 months between meaningful starts? Even if he is physically 100%, including stamina, the ability to harness the art of starting pitching might take a while to get back.

 

I know what you're saying, but I think he'll be fine. His effectiveness should be right about where it's always been. He may have some hiccups coming out of the gate, but the good news is he'll already be on a strict pitch count. With our improved bullpen and having either Williams or Rusch to do some long relief when needed, I'm not extremely worried.

 

I think I'm going to reserve the right to remain cautious. I am going to assume he won't start a big league game until May, and he won't be all that good the first 4-5 times out. But I can live with it as long as he gets 25 starts and have a sub 4.00 ERA the rest of the way.

[Vinestal]

I see no reason he is not 100% effective when he first comes back.

 

What about the simple fact that he would have gone 9-10 months between meaningful starts? Even if he is physically 100%, including stamina, the ability to harness the art of starting pitching might take a while to get back.

 

I know what you're saying, but I think he'll be fine. His effectiveness should be right about where it's always been. He may have some hiccups coming out of the gate, but the good news is he'll already be on a strict pitch count. With our improved bullpen and having either Williams or Rusch to do some long relief when needed, I'm not extremely worried.

 

I think I'm going to reserve the right to remain cautious. I am going to assume he won't start a big league game until May, and he won't be all that good the first 4-5 times out. But I can live with it as long as he gets 25 starts and have a sub 4.00 ERA the rest of the way.

 

 

I think those are pretty good expectations to have, at least then you wont be dissapointed and maybe he will even suprise a bit and do better.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I think I'm going to reserve the right to remain cautious. I am going to assume he won't start a big league game until May, and he won't be all that good the first 4-5 times out. But I can live with it as long as he gets 25 starts and have a sub 4.00 ERA the rest of the way.

 

I don't blame you a bit. Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic based on the fact that I was in recovery mode along with him and I want so badly for him to succeed. If he can come back from this and be successful, he will easily become my favorite Cub because I know first had how excruciating the recovery and rehab can be.