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QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 11, 2008 -> 11:45 PM) I kind of agree. I mean these guys still do pre game workouts, still take a million hacks in the cage, they just don't play in the games when they get "rested." A baseball game isn't that taxing physically, especially batting. Ripken was an all star every year and never took a day off. I don't know about this rest thing. But I do think what you say about Fields makes sense sort of. It's more the travel and the schedule that wears on the player than the game itself. Flying every three days with packing, buses to hotels and getting everything ready is taxing. as the trainer I would be at the park at 11-12 for a 7 game to take care of injuries and stretch or help the players work out. Get the players ready and the game lasts until 10 or 10:30. Spend from 10:30-11:30 looking at various minor injuries. Then need to get the players who work out after ready, if we were staying in town. Get back to the hotel at 1-2 to be back at the park at 11-12. If we had a midnight or 1 am flight to the next city we had to pack everything up quickly and get to the next hotel around 6-7 am depending on the length of the flight and get back to the park in only 4-5 hours. A day game after a night game is murder. What I'm saying is that while it isn't physically taxing or rough as football, ask anyone who travels for a living it is mentally taxing and the focus you need to hit a baseball is not there all of the time due to the schedule. this is where the amphetamines or "greenies" were effective.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 12, 2008 -> 12:01 PM) I may be in the minorty, but I think Getz is ready. I'd like to see him on the bench instead of Pablo at this stage. It can be very difficult for a player with no MLB experience to play only once a week and be effective. I don't know if I would do that in a season where we may be able to contend for a playoff spot.

QUOTE (whitesoxmanager @ Jun 11, 2008 -> 06:15 PM) man this season is utterly rediculous. isnt it amazing how you dont have to be great to win championships anymore. as long as you are not worse than your opponent and you got a shot. the NBA championships are pure evidence of that. i am assuming that Jim Thome will be the MVP of the world series at this rate. They're fixed anyway

QUOTE (whitesoxmanager @ Jun 11, 2008 -> 06:15 PM) man this season is utterly rediculous. isnt it amazing how you dont have to be great to win championships anymore. as long as you are not worse than your opponent and you got a shot. the NBA championships are pure evidence of that. i am assuming that Jim Thome will be the MVP of the world series at this rate. I would ok with that.

I was sitting in the scout seats for Javy's last start. He couldn't get a breaking pitch over for a strike. This is looking like the same. Everyone sitting on and killing the fastball. He was lucky the offense scored 10 runs the last time. It doesn't look like he will be that lucky this time.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 11, 2008 -> 09:43 AM) On a bruise? I don't believe the injury is a bruise. If you look at another thread, I believe the injury is a tenosynovitis called DeQuervain's Syndrome which is an inflammation of the synovial membrane and tendons of the thumb and wrist. It is also a condition that does not require surgery but can take a substantial amount of rest to heal.

One thing to consider is the decrease in PED use especially amphetamines. The older players stats will be worth watching for a decrease in performance during August and Sept. The energy drinks that are now prevalent in the dugouts will only go so far. These factors may require a closer look at rest but closer to the end of July and August. The nagging injuries may take a greater toll on the players.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 9, 2008 -> 11:00 AM) The main person who questioned his mechanics was someone on baseballprospectus or something along those lines who discussed his mechanics and questioned them. I also recall Bureau mentioning briefly Poreda's mechanics and how they would get in the way of him developing any additional secondary stuff. However, I don't think his mechanics would prevent him from adding a changeup to his repetoire as well as finding out additional ways to gain movement on his FB (he has a pretty good slider already). The one thing that could concern people are his very pedestrian strikeout numbers. For a guy who throw in the upper 90's, that is quite puzzling, but I am at least thinking the Sox player development people told him something and he's working on that (pitching to contact) as opposed to trying to blow away guys. Bureau discussed that fact that he doesn't reach the "7" during his arm swing. This is one way to evaluate mechanics. Others (including me) believe that it is not necessary and may actually be harmful to stress this during the throwing motion.

It seems the major criticism about KW is the farm system. The farm system only exists to make the major league club better. Whether that's by calling up players or trading them to acquire talent. We have young players for the near future at most positions with Swisher, Fields, Ramierez, Richar Quentin and the picthers. What do we need a stocked farm system for if we have young MLB talent. Players will sit in the minors. They are there for trade bait. As long as the MLB club has the talent the minors becomes an after thought. This comes from someone who watches the prospects as much as the MLB team.

Had breakfast at a table next to Harold Baines at a place in New Lenox last week.

I like the major league comparison of Smoak. A switch-hitting Paul Konerko [insert your own joke here]

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jun 2, 2008 -> 05:16 PM) i sure hope the guy in your av is union. Yes, I work for a public university. EVERYBODY is union.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jun 2, 2008 -> 04:03 PM) if right now Walk is unlocking a lot of things Alexei has never seen before, firing him tomorrow and bringing someone in with a whole new set of principles could derail that work. And Alexei's growth could be stunted. This is what not doing anything (on that front) could accomplish. People are missing the entire basis of my argument, which is that Walker is doing some good to really good things. Alexei, Quentin. The fault lies in the vets who are already set in their ways. It doesnt sound all that well thought out to say, "Just do SOMETHING." It's as if you're admitting that exasperation is taking over reason. Wrong don't you realize it's the coach's fault. Players have no responsibility and fans always know more than coaches. Coaches never realize that players have problems and never under any circumstances give them good advice. This town more than any other really seems to blame the coaches/management. Maybe it's because Chicago is such a union dominated city. The players need to be held more accountable.

QUOTE (RME JICO @ May 29, 2008 -> 02:39 PM) It is utterly amazing how many White Sox pitchers end up flaming out, have surgery, or get hurt after leaving the organization. It is like a kiss of death. What can this be attributed to? Conditioning? Workload? The elbow issue usually comes down to mechanics. It is a ligament that becomes stretched to the point of being useless and needs to be tightened up and reinforced. The ulnar nerve which sits under the ligament also becomes stretched which causes the "funny bone" pain or tingling going down the forearm. It's not a muscle that can become fatigued. Although too much workload can fatigue the forearm flexors and pronators which will put excessive stress on the ligament. Fortunately with the advent of more efficient and effective surgical procedures most of the pitchers who get this come back healthy. The problem normally lies in can the pitcher be effective with different mechanics and that is a crapshoot.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 27, 2008 -> 01:58 PM) Outside of the mainstream ( drugs and surgery) there's another method to actually heal musculoskeletal injuries called prolotherapy. It's not a bad option. It might even be able to help with his chronic hip problem. It won't help the hip problem as hyaline cartilage doesn't regenerate. you never know with the tenosynovitis but that type of thing requires alot of rest and would probably be better suited to the off season.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 27, 2008 -> 01:53 PM) I don't think it's that at all. I've personally observed this, as have many others, and I think this is a mental and/or vision problem. It's become a regular thing that he will swing at a pitch 18 inches off the plate in the dirt and the very next pitch watch sail over the dead center...that's not hip issues, it's vision or mental issues as far as I'm concerned. Probably, just another thing to watch with him. Some of the poor swings are due to the wrist/thumb. If he begins a swing, it will really hurt to check it. I'm sure he just let's the swing go due to the pain. This may account for many awful looking swings.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 27, 2008 -> 01:44 PM) Yea, I think PK just needs a rest and to heal up...there is no way he's actually this bad all of a sudden... one thing to consider is his chronic hip problem. This was discussed when he signed a long term deal. Watch for his hip rotation. Is it decreasing? Is he using more upper extremity and causing wrist and maybe other problems? Hip rotation is a key to hitting and his will decrease with his hip problem. it's just a matter of when it begins to decrease.

QUOTE (29andPoplar @ May 27, 2008 -> 10:43 AM) Great stuff. So it's fair to expect this whole year to be a struggle for him, quite possibly very subpar numbers wise. Yes, it depends how it responds to interventions such as ultrasound and iontophoresis which are more conservative interventions to decrease inflammation. He may do well if these modalities keep the inflammation down with an occasional injections. However, the is the best case scenario.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 27, 2008 -> 10:45 AM) Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's on his left thumb? Wouldn't it also bother him when catching throws at first base? Also, is this injury different than the gamekeeper's thumb that some catchers get? Gamekeeper's thumb is a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the thumb. It's like any torn ligament the joint is unstable until surgery. You could brace it and play because it involves only the thumb. The problem with the one paulie has is that it involves the wrist as well because the tendons cross both joints. it doesn't really matter which thumb it is for hitting as it hurts to grip with either. He could brace it for the field but hitting is where it will bother him the most.

The problem he has is called DeQuervain's Syndrome. It's a tenosynovitis near the base of his thumb by the wrist. There is a synovial sheath which surrounds a couple of tendons and the function is to move your wrist toward the thumb side and grip with your thumb. This is why it hurts to grip the bat and swing. the tendons become inflammed andpush on the membrane which in turn produces more fluid and causes swelling in the area. this problem will not heal unless you rest it for around 8 weeks. the little rest and injections will improve the function and pain but it will be around for the rest of the season to some degree. He cannot have more than 3 injections to the area otherwise the tissues will start to degenerate. The question will be how much improvement is there with short period of rest. Bracing will not allow sufficient motion to hit properly.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 23, 2008 -> 11:13 AM) Good read on the future of steroid testing. If I was a MLB Player, I might seriously consider asking my agent if I could take part in this type of program. End all doubt. Longitudinal testing has long been thought to be the only way to catch the cheaters. The downside is that it is very time consuming, very labor intensive and assumes the athletes are clean when the baseline is taken. But most agree it's probably the best option right now.

The NFL surveys the players on a yearly basis about this very topic. Usually it has other conditions as well such as: would you use the PEDs if you knew they would take 10 years off your life. The response is overwhelmingly that they would use the PEDs. The most common reason is: where else can I make this type of money for my family. I have not worked in that area for awhile but I'm sure they still do it but the questions are different.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ May 16, 2008 -> 01:44 PM) Eh...I'm sceptical. Not that the research is good, just that it is as finely tuned as it would need to be to make the comparison. Measuring the individual parts is one thing, gauging from those the 'overall effect' is orders of magnitude more difficult. That is true of highly abstract, simplified, mathematical models -- it has to be much more difficult when dealing with the body. I know I'm not an expert, but I'm still doubtful from analogues. If we could measure overall effects so perfectly, it would seem possible to design the One Perfect Pitching Motion, proven mathematically to be better than all others. Which is something I at least never saw. (Mark Prior excepted, of course.) And by "controlled experiments", I meant something a little more grisly than that research. Actually there was a proposed pitching mechanics model that would be the abolute best to avoid injuries. There were a couple of problems with it however. 1. No ones lever arms (bones) are exctly the same length 2. It is difficult to repeat the perfect delevery all the time even if you can meet it in the first place. Remeber there are practical approaches coming from pitcher coasches in the field and there are biomechanical research models. The troubles is finding where they meet. For this case it is pruely biomechanics as we can run tests on the prothsis as nauseium. We know evy little thing about them and the materials. This is how we know how much of an advantage it is.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ May 16, 2008 -> 12:39 PM) I think the argument is that a prosthetic should be allowed if it restores the ability that the sprinter would have had, given normal development. Not that it should be allowed up to the point where he is equal to the best in the field. As for it being a gray area, that would be my argument against it. The body seems too intricate too allow anyone to calculate the net effect with any acceptable degree of confidence. What we really need is some sprinters to volunteer for a good, rigorous controlled experiment... There has been a great deal of research on runners motions, torques, velocity of each individual body segment, mostly on the lumbar spine and lower extremities. Through our motion analysis systems coupled to EMG units, we know when muscle activate and to what degree in the average runner and olympic caliber runners. Through Respiratory research (you may have seen these on the news where they run with the masks on) we know the amount of oxygen that is used and it's efficiency in the body and for individual muscles. The research is fairly reliable and valid. From the studies I've read and from experience with patients this is a subject that will not go away and needs to be addressed now because it will come around again.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ May 16, 2008 -> 12:01 PM) Well, I don't think he's denying that there are some advantages. He seems to be saying there is no net advantage. Which seems plausible to me (I don't know, I'm just saying it may be true). Wouldn't there also be some competing disadvantages (like the propulsion provided by your calf muscles)? In sprinters there is minimal propulsion from the calf muscles. They act as shock absorbers and energy return mechanisms because of the velocity of the motion. There are tremendous advantages, it doesn't matter that his legs aren't real. They've been proven to give significant advantages. There are no significant disadvantages. This particular case is somewhat moot due to the fact that he isn't very good and probably won't even make the semi-finals. However, it sets a dangerous precedent for future runners with higher level abilities.