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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.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ May 16, 2008 -> 09:41 AM) Bump (from the waaaaaaayback machine). Pistorius WILL be allowed to compete for a spot: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/sports/o...s/17runner.html It's an interesting precedent -- there must be strong evidence that a prosthetic gives someone an advantage, or he must be allowed to compete. It shifts the burden of proof from the athlete to the sport's governing committee. Still an interesting story, too, to me. There is very strong evidence that it gives him a large competitive advantage. 1. It makes the limbs much lighter thus he uses much less energy then other athletes , so he can run faster longer. 2. The prosthetic legs have a greater return of energy so he can move quicker (picture you runnig in sand and him running on cement) 3. There is no energy spent on lateral and vertical movement at the foot and ankle. Since his is solid all of the energy can be spent on forward motion. watch him run. Runners will have some up and down motion. He stays level saving alot of energy. Whether or not he should be allowed to run is a good discussion but he does have a significant advatage over other runners.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ May 15, 2008 -> 04:12 PM) The southeast side has a ton of corner stores with Mexican owners and I absolutely love Jarritos. The limon and mandarina ones are my favorite. Oh, and it's STILL pop. I agree. I love that stuff. I got hooked on it when I worked in the Mexican League. There is a place in Joliet where I get 2 liter bottles of it!!!!!!

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 15, 2008 -> 07:08 PM) Why don't people realize that a 5-6 mph difference between a pitcher's fastball and changeup is no good, especially if that pitcher has no out pitch? Location is a big part of Buehrle's game, but if you can't even get the hitters off balance by chaging speeds and such, only having perfect location is going to help you. That's right. It doesn't matter if your fastball is 85 if your change is 75. The greater the difference the more effective the pitches are.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ May 15, 2008 -> 11:00 AM) For Buerhle, its not about his velocity. The velocity police are too worried about radar gun readings. Its more about location, and working righties in. When Buerhle is on his A game, he drives his cutter in on the hands of righties. When he has problems, he pitches away from contact and goes away all the time. If he keeps the ball down, and pounds the ball in he will be fine. I am not overly worried with Buerhle. In his games, he has been dinked a lot, and has had a lot of bad defense and poor run support. That has skewed his line a bit more than we give it credit for. I think a key to watch will be the shoulder angle. If he's too far down he'll get under the ball and will not get that good tight rotation on the pitches, especially the cutter or in some cases the slider.

I still don't think he is healthy. there's something not quite right. I think he has dropped his arm angle a bit and it's messing with his control. I've looked and tape twice and it seems to vary. I can't pin it to fatigue it might be certain pitches but I can't tell.

I know I'll catch crap for this but I'll be the contrary opinion. Great player, big time jackass. One of the most arrogant people around. The White Sox did him a huge favor by keeping him on and playing him well past when he shouldhave been cut just so he could set the games played record. All that being said they should bring him back because he was ione of the best catchers of all time and was great to watch play.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ May 13, 2008 -> 02:32 PM) Nite our minors are completely devoid of any position prospects. Our number 1 pick must be a positional prospect. KW has said that good pitching prospects can always be traded for hitting (Swisher, Cabrera). So if it's close between a good pitcher and a good hitter when drafting, he will take the pitcher. I don't know how the Sox have players rated but at #8 I'll bet there is a pitcher he wants.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 7, 2008 -> 02:56 PM) not gonna read too much into that comment... it's an industry term

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ May 7, 2008 -> 01:03 AM) A note on Lucy's injury...he's f***ed. But then again, there are team doctors and this is modern medicine. But, with this injury, if it happens once, the likelihood of it happening again increases every time. I would know, it's happened to me 6 times since 2005. If it was a serious dislocation, as it seems to be with him being carted off, he'll be out for a month minimum (meaning he'll have trouble walking), and wont be back to 100% for quite a while. A dislocation of the kneecap will provide no damage to major ligaments, but with each time, it creates tons and tons of micro-tears on the patella ligament connecting it to the thigh and shin as well as some cartilage/meniscus damage, and with that, I find it hard to believe he'll be catching much more. It's a pretty gruesome injury from the outside, but underneath the kneecap sitting on the side of your leg, it isn't too terrible. It's a dull pain when it pops out, but when it snaps back in, often times when the leg is straightened, it is painful as s***. It's nothing compared to Livingston's injury. He literally BROKE his knee. All ligaments torn and kneecap dislocated. I don't recall if there was bones involved though. Lucy's injury is nothing like Livingston's. This is the same as what happened to Jason Campbell of the Redskins. If Lucy does play again, it'll be difficult for him to be a catcher, and he'll definitely need to wear a brace all the time to keep the patella in line as much as possible. Also BearSox, if it did pop back in right away (which I doubt since he got carted off), it could reduce the time to about 2-3 weeks. This is what happened to me the last time I dislocated it. I was playing basketball, got a rebound, then landed on my teammates foot and twisted awkwardly. Luckily, with my step, it popped back in, thus only making me "immobile" for about a week and a half to 2 weeks. This happened nearly a month ago, and I'm ok for physical activity now but I'm still not 100%. The patellar ligament (tendon) can get stretched but it's rare that the meniscal cartilage is damaged. Those tissues are between the femur and the tibia as cushions. The hyaline cartilage which covers the joint surfaces of bone can get damaged on the back of the patella. This is referred to as chondromalaicia or softening of the hyaline cartilage. His future as catcher will depend on the damage to each. Whenever this happens to someone they will cart him off in preparation for healing regardless if it pooped back to position or not so I wouldn't read too much into that.

Dislocating the patella (kneecap) is not as serious as it sounds. I didn't see the injury but generally all of the major ligaments are intact and the patella slides off the lateral (outside) of the knee. It can spontaneously pop right back in as someone mentioned earlier. I don't know if this is the case or not. It is worse if it stayed out. The major concern here is the rupturing of the medial structures that hold the patella in place including the muscles. Surgery tends not to help this problem as attempting to reattach these structures is like tying pieces of spaghetti together. The most common form of treatment is to brace it and hopefully the structures will heal tightly on thier own. He will most likely be out for the year. The immobilization period is a minimum of 6-8 weeks but probably longer. He will probably always wear a brace to hold the patella in line. The problem is that the patella needs to move up and down when you bend your knee, especially true for a catcher) so the braces aren't always very effect. His career as a catcher is in jeopardy but I wouldn't rule it out, especially if he has the work ethic that someone stated earlier.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 1, 2008 -> 10:54 AM) If Buehrle gets hit around, you leave him in there until he throws 110-120 pitches. And then you tell him to start throwing with his right hand. If the Sox are down by 9, they odds of them coming back are like 50:1; you may as well just throw Buehrle until he's fatigued and let him get through 5-6 innings, even if he gives up 12 runs. Past that, there will always be a starter who is on his throwing day - have him come in and get some work done in the game rather than on the side. Not really a huge deal if you ask me. They aren't going to risk an arm they just signed to a long term deal who hasn't been thorwing very well anyway. This scenario will not play out.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Apr 23, 2008 -> 09:58 PM) back problems are something that generally sticks with a person for most of their life. With the type of surgery he had and if he really follows the rehab, which by all indications he does, he probably has 4-6 good years with the back while playing baseball. He will have problems and will need some time off for inflammation but I wouldn't chance a 5 year deal with him, but I'm biased and don't think very many long term deals are a good idea. Edit: The next contract will not be with the White Sox.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 24, 2008 -> 07:37 PM) After seeing Floyd struggle with the Yankees due to their patience, I'm still baffled as to why we set our rotation so that Buehrle wouldn't face the Yankees. I think there is a little problem with MB's shoulder. They've been skipping him using the "keep his innings down" excuse. And I've noticed he lowers his arm angle a bit which is common with shoulder impairments. I don't know if it's serious but I wouldn't be surprised if we hear more about it this year.

QUOTE (DBAH0 @ Apr 23, 2008 -> 09:35 PM) Broadway simply got people's hopes up after his start at the end of last season. He wasn't a good pick at that spot, and that's been established. I think for an NL Team he could certainly be a back end starter in a rotation, but I don't think he's going to have that chance here unless something happens. I don't think that's been established. If he becomes an effective MLB starting pitcher is it a poor pick?

QUOTE (Gakman23 @ Apr 21, 2008 -> 03:32 PM) Fox power rankings Looks like people are starting to realize this is a good baseball team. This is good since most people on this board don't realize it.

QUOTE (WSoxMatt @ Apr 20, 2008 -> 05:45 PM) All these guys struggling and yet we are in 1st place...ths baseball season has started well!! Don't you know that wins and loses aren't important stats. There are many others that are more important.

Ivan Calderon (RIP) Dan Pasqua, Salome Barojas, Warren Newson, Wilson Alvarez, Dave Gallagher Some my favorites from times gone by Edit: forgot million dollar Floyd (Bannister)

QUOTE (Wedge @ Apr 9, 2008 -> 04:22 PM) dumb question: can I hear sox games on the Score website? I believe mlb has exclusive rights for broadcasts over the internet. Edit: Dang beat me by a few seconds

Thanks to everyone who updates the affiliates' performance each day. I enjoy reading the summaries and keeping up with the prospects.