This off season has been a disaster. Back in October 2012 I was in seventh heaven playing baseball in a tournament in Phoenix. Our team had won a couple of games and we were in contention to make the playoffs. As is typical in tournaments we were short on pitching. I usually pitch a couple of innings here and there but my focus is usually hitting, fielding and using my speed on the bases. But when the coach asked me to go nine innings I said, OK, sounds like fun, let's go for it. We were playing in a spring training stadium of the Oakland A's. What an awesome facility. I was pumped up! All night I was paying close attention to how my arm and shoulder were feeling. I kept telling myself, "pace yourself, don't over throw, if anything begins to hurt, put a call into the bullpen." But all was good and I pitched into the 9th inning. The game was close all night. The lead went back and forth. Very few runs were scored. I pitched good, but not quite good enough to win.
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| Look at the stress on the right knee |
After the game got over at about 9 PM I went back to the hotel and iced down my arm and shoulder. All is well. Hated to lose, but that was fun. That's why I play. Well the next morning when I woke up I was shocked to discover that my right knee had swollen to the size of a cantelope. What the heck? Since I am a lefty the right leg is my plant leg. I guess it just took way too much abuse over the course of the game. So I figured, OK, rest this stupid thing for a couple of weeks and get back to work. Wrong! This knee just wouldn't heal. All winter it was weak and would hurt like crazy if I tried to do anything. Running was out of the question. Skiing? Nope. Walking up a flight of stairs... do I have to? I had surgery on this same knee a couple of times back in the '90's. Maybe it is ugly in there. After weeks dragged on to months and physical therapy, yoga and chiropractic hadn't done the trick, I decided it was time to get an MRI. Let's just say that the radiologist write up used words athletes don't like to read: "cartilaginous defect," "cartilage appears to be absent down to the bone," "the edges of the defect are sharp and steep," etc, etc. On the bright side, he said that the ligaments appear to be in good shape.
So here I am in Las Vegas about to play in a spring baseball tournament. I haven't prepared at all. I haven't run a step since October. I haven't thrown, fielded or hit in the cage. I am staring at the assortment of knee braces I brought with me. Wear one of them? All of them? None of them? Other than weightlifting and stretching I've not been able to do a thing for almost five months. I am usually Mr. Prepared. I'm that nut out running in a blizzard. I'm usually the first guy in the gym and always bugging my buddies to go hit. This is uncharted territory for me. I am nervous. After this tournament the next stop is to see the orthopedic doc to see if another surgery is the answer or if this is the beginning of my athletic end. If I can get this fixed that would be awesome. If I need to hang up the cleats, well, it has been an amazing run. How many guys get to play competitive baseball into their 50's?
It's raining in Vegas and the temperatures are unseasonably cool. Matches my mood. Yes, Mr. TIPS FROM A MAN faces adversity just like everyone else. But I am going to take this challenge head on and make the best of it whatever the outcome!
Enjoy life!
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