Wood having arthro leg surgery now

[Keener98]

Woods injury sucks, but I still would like to know what the hell is the point of him throwing on Monday, a day before the surgery, is. Completely idiotic, I really an thinking Baker and Hendry have no clue at all regarding a smart way to handle an injury is. Just because the doctors say he wont hurt his knee more by throwing doesnt mean you should have him out there throwing the day before the damn surgery. Seriously, what is the point. Arrgh this team can be so frustrating at times.

This is from Hendry:

"It's going to be a minor setback, but from a medical point of view, [team doctor Stephen Gryzlo] felt he could be throwing long toss even within a week after the surgery," Hendry said. "The 'pen today and the 'pen Monday will help build up his shoulder and try to minimize the setback as much as possible."

Without knowing anything about whether it could actually cause more damage or not, the logic seems about right (this time). If the surgery goes as planned, the real setback will be him losing arm strength. In theory, building it up before the surgery will mean that he has less ground to cover when he's able to get back on the mound. In theory.

 

In theory Communism works. In theory.

 

I acutally don't have any problem with what the Cubs are doing here.

Well that didn't take long.

 

Neither do I. Unlike August of last year, this isn't a significant delay in his surgery and there seems to be a good reason behind it. Only the Cubs know how strong Kerry's arm is right now, so it's hard to judge whether or not these two extra bullpen sessions are meaningless or not. And it's quite possible that the surgery couldn't be scheduled until around that time, anyways.

 

Call me skeptical, call me overly worried, but I just dont see the benefit in throwing on Monday. I mean if he doesnt throw its not like its going to set him back farther just by not throwing that one day. I would think with an injury like the knee, I would want him off of it and not overly exerting(sp?) himselft just for precautionary reasons. I understand this is a "minor" surgery, but this is also Kerry Wood we are talking about it, so I would think the thing to do is be overly cautious. With a sore knee it would be way to easy to alter his mechanics, or even twist it a little and do much more damage. Why not be safe in a case like this? I just think its too great a risk, for what little good that 1 little session is going to do in the long term outlook on Woods return.

[Drew Doughty]

Why are cubs fans so up in arms about this? Kerry's been an average and injury prone pitcher for awhile now. I think its time to stop with the sack cloth and ashes every time he has an boo boo.

 

Injury prone, yeah. Average, no. There's a difference between being bad, and just being injury prone. Kerry is injury prone, but not near "bad".

 

BTW, how's Ben Sheets' latest rehab going? :wink:

 

I'm genuinely curious since I don't know the answer, but wasn't most of Sheets' injuries last season non arm related?

 

And Sheets is better than Wood when both are healthy, anyway.

 

He had/has an issue with his ear and balance, however he ended the year walking off the mound with shoulder issues. It was certainly arm related.

 

Wasn't the end of his season due to some bad problem with his shoulder? It was something like a torn or severely pulled muscle in the shoulder. It was strange, I'd never heard of it before, I don't think. I can't remember now, though.

[Jon]

Call me skeptical, call me overly worried, but I just dont see the benefit in throwing on Monday. I mean if he doesnt throw its not like its going to set him back farther just by not throwing that one day. I would think with an injury like the knee, I would want him off of it and not overly exerting(sp?) himselft just for precautionary reasons. I understand this is a "minor" surgery, but this is also Kerry Wood we are talking about it, so I would think the thing to do is be overly cautious. With a sore knee it would be way to easy to alter his mechanics, or even twist it a little and do much more damage. Why not be safe in a case like this? I just think its too great a risk, for what little good that 1 little session is going to do in the long term outlook on Woods return.

I'm not going to claim to know how the arm builds up strength in pitchers, but he has only thrown off the mound a few times. Two more sessions out of the bullpen is a significant amount of throwing relative to what he has already done. The idea behind this seems to be that with these two extra sessions, his arm will be better able to respond to not throwing for over a week. Considering he's coming off of surgery, this may be best. You don't want to have to shut it down at all when you're rehabbing after surgery, but it seems like if you have to, you should try to do it when the shoulder is as strong as possible. That would probably create less stress on it when he starts to throw again.

 

Is it a risk? I suppose. But considering that he hasn't felt pain in his knee at all while pitching and based what the doctors have said, it doesn't appear that it's a very significant risk. And having him throw may not be that significant, either, but it appears more so than the risk to his knee.

[badger1679666666]

 

And Sheets is better than Wood when both are healthy, anyway.

 

Can you please list numbers that show this?

[Warpticon]

 

And Sheets is better than Wood when both are healthy, anyway.

 

Can you please list numbers that show this?

 

Sheets has had the best season between the two, and the most recent dominant season. Wood, on the other hand, has had many more good seasons than Sheets. I don't think it's conclusive in either's case who's better--just that both are dominant when healthy and neither has been that for quite some time.

[NCCubFan]

Last season he had the worst ERA of his career at 4.23,

Actually his worst was 4.80 in 2000 (his comeback year from TJS).

[Mark_R]

 

And Sheets is better than Wood when both are healthy, anyway.

 

Can you please list numbers that show this?

 

Woody only wishes he has posted numbers like Sheets has the last two years.

 

Wood 2003: 14-11, 3.2 ERA, 133 ERA+, 1.19 WHIP, 2.66:1 K/BB Ratio

 

Sheets 2004: 12-14, 2.7, 154 ERA +, .98 WHIP, over 8:1 K/BB Ratio

 

Sheets 2005 (Nearly as good as Wood's 03), 10-9, 3.33 ERA, 127 ERA +, 1.07 WHIP, near 6:1 K/BB ratio.

 

I'd take Sheets over Woody in half a heartbeat.

[RynoRules]

Guess that means he's an injury prone Nolan Ryan, and what an "average" pitcher he was!

 

Maybe Ryan's success had something to do with his lack of injuries? Injuries and surgeries take a toll on a pitchers stuff.

 

Agreed, but that wasn't what you argued above. You argued that Wood's nos. are "average" b/c whenever he has led the league in stat like "Ks", he's also led it in walks, plus his ERA has never been better than 8 or 9 in the league. That sounds a lot like Nolan Ryan. The difference is, as you pointed out, he has been hurt much more often.

 

But that does not mean that he is "average" when healthy, which is what you argued.

[Bull]

Why are cubs fans so up in arms about this? Kerry's been an average and injury prone pitcher for awhile now. I think its time to stop with the sack cloth and ashes every time he has an boo boo.

 

Injury prone, yeah. Average, no. There's a difference between being bad, and just being injury prone. Kerry is injury prone, but not near "bad".

 

BTW, how's Ben Sheets' latest rehab going? :wink:

 

Im not saying Kerry Wood is a bad pitcher i'm saying at this point he's average. Maybe that's due to all the injuries, but the last two years have been pretty average.

 

Even in his best years ('01 and '03) he was only 8th and 9th in the league in era. Every year he's been in the top ten in K's he's also been in the top ten in BB. I don't think after all his injuries he can ever return to that 03 form, therefore I think of his as an average pitcher.

 

Ben Sheet's rehab is going well, no set backs yet. He's on pace to start opening day for the 5th straight year. First ST game for him tomorrow.

 

Only 8th and 9th in the league, eh? Out of how many starters? And that's not even factoring in BAA, WHIP, K/9ip...

 

I'd say he's decidedly above average. Oh, for a bit of health!

 

Maybe he means he's an average #1 starter.

:)

[Roast]

So, Wanna hear a story?

 

Today I woke up, came downstairs, and went outside to get my newspaper. I flip through the front page real quick then grab the sports section. Very top of the page I see the headline "Knee Surgury In The Cards For Wood." I sent the newspaper flying across the room with a loud "FIDDLESTICKS" (or something). Then I went over, picked it up, and read the article.

 

I hate my life.

[Sheets4theHOF]

Guess that means he's an injury prone Nolan Ryan, and what an "average" pitcher he was!

 

Maybe Ryan's success had something to do with his lack of injuries? Injuries and surgeries take a toll on a pitchers stuff.

 

Agreed, but that wasn't what you argued above. You argued that Wood's nos. are "average" b/c whenever he has led the league in stat like "Ks", he's also led it in walks, plus his ERA has never been better than 8 or 9 in the league. That sounds a lot like Nolan Ryan. The difference is, as you pointed out, he has been hurt much more often.

 

But that does not mean that he is "average" when healthy, which is what you argued.

 

I'm arguing the current version and the kerry wood from the last two years or so is an average pitcher. I pointed out his great season to show that unless he's completely healthy we won't get away with walking so many guys. I think he'll never be completely healthy again and therefore he is average.

 

He had/has an issue with his ear and balance, however he ended the year walking off the mound with shoulder issues. It was certainly arm related.

 

Is was at that game against the braves, thought for sure he blew out is arm. It was a back muscle connected to a shoulder muscle. Very rare injury for a pitcher, but the brewers are confident this injury if rehabbed correctly will not pose any problems in the future.

[Roast]

but the brewers are confident this injury if rehabbed correctly will not pose any problems in the future.

 

 

Just so you know thats organization-speak for "Well, he's injured. But we are hoping like hell and praying to God, allah, buddah, and jahova that he's ok. Cause if he's not we're in a heap of trouble."

 

Or maybe thats just the cubs.

[Lakota_Warrior]

I'm not going to claim to know how the arm builds up strength in pitchers, but he has only thrown off the mound a few times. Two more sessions out of the bullpen is a significant amount of throwing relative to what he has already done. The idea behind this seems to be that with these two extra sessions, his arm will be better able to respond to not throwing for over a week. Considering he's coming off of surgery, this may be best. You don't want to have to shut it down at all when you're rehabbing after surgery, but it seems like if you have to, you should try to do it when the shoulder is as strong as possible. That would probably create less stress on it when he starts to throw again.

 

Is it a risk? I suppose. But considering that he hasn't felt pain in his knee at all while pitching and based what the doctors have said, it doesn't appear that it's a very significant risk. And having him throw may not be that significant, either, but it appears more so than the risk to his knee.

 

This is where concern should come in. I guarantee that if his knee needs arthro surgery, then he feels pain. I've had knee trouble ever since high school football, including 3 surgeries on my left one. I don't know whose spin this is that he feels no pain, but it is most definitely spin.

[FergieJ31]

I'm not going to claim to know how the arm builds up strength in pitchers, but he has only thrown off the mound a few times. Two more sessions out of the bullpen is a significant amount of throwing relative to what he has already done. The idea behind this seems to be that with these two extra sessions, his arm will be better able to respond to not throwing for over a week. Considering he's coming off of surgery, this may be best. You don't want to have to shut it down at all when you're rehabbing after surgery, but it seems like if you have to, you should try to do it when the shoulder is as strong as possible. That would probably create less stress on it when he starts to throw again.

 

Is it a risk? I suppose. But considering that he hasn't felt pain in his knee at all while pitching and based what the doctors have said, it doesn't appear that it's a very significant risk. And having him throw may not be that significant, either, but it appears more so than the risk to his knee.

 

This is where concern should come in. I guarantee that if his knee needs arthro surgery, then he feels pain. I've had knee trouble ever since high school football, including 3 surgeries on my left one. I don't know whose spin this is that he feels no pain, but it is most definitely spin.

 

I don't think it's necessarily spin. What the Cubs and Wood himself are saying are completely plausible. I've had knee problems for years now, and I've been told that arthro surgery would probably fix my problem. But the only time I feel pain is when I'm running -- not pitching.

 

Kerry said he could pitch pain-free, and I don't think there's reason to doubt he's telling the truth. Spring training puts stress on a body. A likely explanation is that Kerry discovered the running drills were bothering his knee more than anything.

[Warpticon]

I've had knee problems, and they only pop up every once in a while--my knees are loose and prone to popping or twisting out of joint, but it happens maybe once to twice a year, so I haven't done anything about it (expense and all), and every once in a while they'll swell for about a day and be hard to move. So we're talking 4-6 days per year of bother that could probably be fixed pretty quickly with some surgery, and I'm pretty sure if I were seriously active, I'd have had something done by now, but I haven't because it largely doesn't affect me.

 

The point of this rambling, by the way, was to point out that there doesn't have to be spin for him to have been feeling no pain.

[Soul]

I've had knee problems, and they only pop up every once in a while--my knees are loose and prone to popping or twisting out of joint, but it happens maybe once to twice a year, so I haven't done anything about it (expense and all), and every once in a while they'll swell for about a day and be hard to move. So we're talking 4-6 days per year of bother that could probably be fixed pretty quickly with some surgery, and I'm pretty sure if I were seriously active, I'd have had something done by now, but I haven't because it largely doesn't affect me.

 

The point of this rambling, by the way, was to point out that there doesn't have to be spin for him to have been feeling no pain.

 

It implies he wasn't running then. Which is also bad, because many have suspected part of Woody's problem is he doesn't perform his due diligence in the offseason.

[RynoHawk]

this is a joke why is he always hurt.

[jjgman21]

 

It implies he wasn't running then. Which is also bad, because many have suspected part of Woody's problem is he doesn't perform his due diligence in the offseason.

 

or, it implies he's worked out real hard, which is fanstastic, but sometimes has consequences, like a creeky knee.

 

"It's better now than later," Baker said. "He's been working out real hard on his lower half all winter, so fortunately this is the time of year when he shouldn't be set back too far."

[YearofDaCubs]

One of my friends brought up a good point last night. Why didn't Wood do this surgery sooner? He said he wouldn't be surprised if they held off on the surgery after the tickets went on sale.

[CubinNY]

This news does not really upset me all that much. I've thought that whatever the Cubs get out of Wood at this point was gravy.

 

What really worries me is Prior.

 

Meanwhile, that mean old bitter Steve Stone is laughing somewhere in Arizona.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

It appears the surgery is to repair a torn meniscus. The meniscus is the cartilidge that acts like a cushion within the joint. Many people and athletes no longer have meniscus in their knee.

 

It's not like ligament damage. It's likely that the tear is causing some swelling or discomfort, but probably not pain. It could be an injury they are just now discovering and the debate over whether or not to do surgery is common with this type of injury.

[jjgman21]

One of my friends brought up a good point last night. Why didn't Wood do this surgery sooner? He said he wouldn't be surprised if they held off on the surgery after the tickets went on sale.

 

it wouldn't surprise me at all. in fact, it's what I would expect them to do. I don't understand why there is some expectation of veracity. the Cubs are in the business of selling tickets and ad space. all corporations lie and hide the truth to keep selling as much of their product at the highest possible price, yet when it comes to sports teams, people have some unfounded belief that they are entitled to the truth. it's bs and it sucks, but that's the way it is. if you really have a problem with it, come on over to rants sometime and help me rail against corporate america.

 

as for why Wood didn't do the surgery earlier, maybe because it didn't start hurting until now?

[CubmanPi]

Well this should be up to 10 pages by 3 p.m.

why would you say a thing like that?

[CP_414]

One of my friends brought up a good point last night. Why didn't Wood do this surgery sooner? He said he wouldn't be surprised if they held off on the surgery after the tickets went on sale.

 

C'mon man. So if this surgery happened 2 weeks ago the Cubs wouldn't have sold 597,000 tickets? Cubs tickets will sell with or without Kerry.

 

Maybe, just maybe, they didn't do the surgery sooner because they didn't know he needed it at that point.

[Soul]

 

It implies he wasn't running then. Which is also bad, because many have suspected part of Woody's problem is he doesn't perform his due diligence in the offseason.

 

or, it implies he's worked out real hard, which is fanstastic, but sometimes has consequences, like a creeky knee.

 

"It's better now than later," Baker said. "He's been working out real hard on his lower half all winter, so fortunately this is the time of year when he shouldn't be set back too far."

 

Ok, then that implies that Hendry & Baker knew about this all along, it's not a minor thing, they deliberately held it back. We can't have it both ways. Either Hendry & Baker are liars, or Woody's not working out in the offseason. Which is preferable?

 

Does it make sense to you that Woody can't get through an offseason workout program without needing surgery? I mean come on, if that were the case for most people we would need surgery clinics the size of SuperMax prisons. Something is not right. Putting 2 and 2 together, it's not adding up.