Curt Schilling Officially Done for 2008

[Jayhawk Bill]

anybody with an ounce of intelligence knows that throwing at 50% doesnt mean they are throwing at 50% their velocity. It is 50% effort' date=' ie, you arent going all out.[/quote']

 

Then why didn't you say "50% effort" when you were alleging that Schilling was never close. "Half speed" were your chosen words.

 

Could it be that "half speed" would indicate a pitcher much farther from MLB readiness? Heck, I can throw a forty-something mph fastball, and I'm not facing surgery, and I'm not ready to throw to MLB batters next week--the injury potential they'd face from diaphragm spasms associated with falling down in laughter would be too great for any MLB trainer to allow it.

 

My point, Jacko, is that you're making assertions about Schilling's condition that vary widely from the many articles from many sources I've posted. If we're to believe your posts, we'd have to believe that both Gill and Altchek wanted to inflict needless injury aggravation on Schilling through pointless rehab for the express purpose of ruining his career. That's nonsensical.

 

Schilling had a chance of coming back through rehab. It looked to be on track as recently as a week ago. It didn't work. Lots of rehab on 40+ year old MLB pitchers doesn't work. It doesn't mean that it was a bad plan, nor that it never came close to success.

 

Hmmmm...

...unusual tear of the rotator cuff, small partial thickness, no separation from the bone. Small undersurface tear.

Guess we'll have to see if Schilling sues Dr. Altchek.

Einstein, it wasnt the rotator cuff that was the issue. It was the bicep tendon that I was commenting on. A frayed biceps tendon that had to be repaired is not something you can pitch at full speed with. Schilling proved that.

 

Live and learn. This post was with respect to the subtext with BudLight, and I was heading off what I saw as a likely attempt by BudLight to point to the minor rotator cuff involvement as proving his point, through use of sarcasm.

 

I debated use of an emoticon, but I thought that it lessened the quality of the dry humor. Clearly you thought that I somehow expected an actual malpractice suit: I should have used the emoticon.

 

Sheesh.

[TheKilo]

Here is how I see it:

 

Sox invested $8m in him. Schill comes up lame. They want to get some production outta him and the only possible way is by having him rehab the shoulder and hopefully competing towards year end. If it doesn't happen, the team is no worse off than if he'd gotten surgery to begin with. Schilling is only impacted by the 6 months gone by since the time he could have had surger, it's not like his arm needs to be amputated now because he threw a bit.

 

What some of you folks seem to be saying is that the Sox had an obligation to forego any return on their investment by handing him his $8m and shutting him down so that he could get surgery immediately and potentially sign elsewhere in the future.

 

What about the FO obligation to the Sox ownership group, it's players and it's fans to put the best possible team on the field?

 

If the Sox front office was manipulating him, Schill could have said FU and gone the surgery route anyway, and gave his $8m back.

 

PRAISE JEBUS SOMEONE GETS IT

[BudLight]

JHB

 

Good spirited discussion on this topic, we probably won't agree on the core issue here, rehab versus surgery. I just believe Schilling deserved the benefit of the doubt here. What is most perplexing to me is that Dr Altchek identified some sort of rotator cuff injury, not specific on if it was a tear or what. At Schilling's age I can't understand the course of treatment being rehab. The probability of a successful return through rehab, in my mind, had to be slim.

[rician blast]

JHB

I just believe Schilling deserved the benefit of the doubt here.

In what way was Schilling harmed? By giving him a chance to earn his $8m? With surgery there was less chance he'd pitch in 2008.

 

The probability of a successful return through rehab, in my mind, had to be slim.

 

Probably true. Meanwhile, the probability of a successful 2008 return after surgery was likely 0%.

 

IMO, the combination of minimal adverse impact to Schilling via the rehab route and the potential that rehab could allow him to contribute to the 2008 Red Sox made the chosen course of action appropriate.

 

Nicely done, FO.

[yeszir]

IMO, the combination of minimal adverse impact to Schilling via the rehab route and the potential that rehab could allow him to contribute to the 2008 Red Sox made the chosen course of action appropriate.

 

Nicely done, FO.

I agree with you. The chosen route gave him a shot to make an impact in the playoffs. Surgery would have nixed that and now he's in the same position that he would have been in had he had surgery at the beginning of the season.

[Jayhawk Bill]

JHB

At Schilling's age I can't understand the course of treatment being rehab. The probability of a successful return through rehab, in my mind, had to be slim.

 

OK, we can find common ground on that statement.

[BudLight]

In what way was Schilling harmed? By giving him a chance to earn his $8m? With surgery there was less chance he'd pitch in 2008.

 

 

 

Probably true. Meanwhile, the probability of a successful 2008 return after surgery was likely 0%.

 

IMO, the combination of minimal adverse impact to Schilling via the rehab route and the potential that rehab could allow him to contribute to the 2008 Red Sox made the chosen course of action appropriate.

 

Nicely done, FO.

 

RB

 

It was a combination of factors - his shoulder injury last year forcing him to miss 7 weeks, Dr Altchek's diagnosis of some type of rotator cuff injury and Dr Morgan's assessment in January that surgery was needed. Couple all of this with his age and the probability of his return in 2008 was very slim, either by rehab or surgery, so why not let him have the surgery and see where it goes from there. Schilling has thrown his last pitch in a Red Sox uniform and possibly his last pitch in the major leagues. The important issue here, IMO, was his long term health and quality of life post his baseball career.

[rician blast]

RB

Couple all of this with his age and the probability of his return in 2008 was very slim, either by rehab or surgery, so why not let him have the surgery and see where it goes from there.

 

Because when you're paying a guy $8m, you choose the path that is more likely to result in him playing for you this year...provided it doesn't adversely impact the player health-wise...and I'd submit that Schilling is no worse off than he was before the failed rehab attempt. The cost to Schilling, IMO, was simply delaying the surgery by 6 months, an event of little magnitude, given this would likely have been his last year anyway.

 

The important issue here, IMO, was his long term health and quality of life post his baseball career.

 

And I'd submit hsi long term health/quality of life has not been adversely impacted by delaying the surgery.

[YAZMAN]

And I'd submit his long term health/quality of life has not been adversely impacted by delating the surgery.

 

I'd like to say that for myself about this thread, but alas I can't.

 

 

Can I sue someone here or something?

[VA Sox Fan]

I'd like to say that for myself about this thread, but alas I can't.

 

 

Can I sue someone here or something?

 

 

[Jayhawk Bill]

The important issue here' date=' IMO, was his long term health and quality of life post his baseball career.[/quote']

 

I believe that most MLB pitchers destroy their arms earning their paychecks. Schilling was lucky that his arm lasted from Little League into his 40's. He was very well rewarded for the damage and pain he endured. Many pitchers blow their arms out without ever reaching arbitration, let alone free agency, and their arms and quality of life are just as ruined despite their earning far less money.

 

One could, I suppose, outlaw baseball as being too dangerous to its pitchers...:dunno:

 

...or, conversely, Tim Wakefield could become the next great pitching guru, and Boston could have a four-man knuckleball-pitcher starting rotation, two knuckleballers in long relief, a LOOGY, a ROOGY, a set-up guy, and Jonathan Papelbon. It would cut down on arm injuries, even if it allowed a few more runs and it increased the number of trees destroyed in printing crossword puzzles.