Name That Injury
My drivel is not needed to express the silliness of Phil Rogers’ analysis of Chris Carpenter’s injury:
Funny thing about Carpenter’s injury. He said he first felt something in his side when he was batting and that the pain got worse when he went to the mound and tried to pitch.
I know this is the minority opinion but I’ve said for a long time that both leagues should have the designated hitter rule, and this is a prime example why. Teams invest too heavily in pitchers, who carry so much significance for their teams, to willingly risk that by having them bat or run the bases. It just doesn’t make sense.
I dare anyone out there to name 5 pitchers in the last 20 seasons of baseball that have injured themselves batting or running the bases.
Good luck with your Google searches.
And while my drivel is not needed, this is a blog so I’ll add it anyway. Carpenter is the most insane example for Rogers’ argument. Had he picked a player that played in more than 6 games over the last 2 seasons, then his argument might stand a bit of a chance. But when Carlos Zambrano is jacking homers and a 40+ year-old Greg Maddux is stealing bases, this argument holds no water. Not to mention that pitchers rarely if ever get hurt at bat and the team that Carpenter plays for routinely bats their pitchers 8th.
I can only name 3 and they all happened last year. NYY Wang, Bos Colon & Ari Owings (although Micah didn’t go on the DL, but I think he did miss a start due to a twisted ankle or knee.
Chris Carpenter could get hurt eating a sandwich. He’s not a strong example to use for anything injury-related.
Wow Pete– I did not remember any of those. But Tim’s comment reinforces my point.
Mark Prior
Again, not exactly the best example. But thanks for the comment.
Ichiro with an Ulcer, has to be the most bizarre injury in the last few years to put a player on the bench.
Carpenter has had his share of arm injuries, but he’s never had other nagging injuries like this one. To compare him to Prior is ridiculous.
I don’t think anyone compared him to Prior.
Okay, but Tim said he could get hurt eating a sandwich and that’s just an uninformed comment. But he’s probably a Cubs fan so I guess I should expect that.
Sorry, couldn’t resist a good rip going into the 4 game series this weekend.
Actually Tim is the most diehard Cards fan!
Uninformed comment? I thought it was a pretty funny and accurate comment. I don’t care whether the injuries are arm-related or not. The fact is that Carpenter is peanut brittle.
Tim, you sound like a pretty cynical Cards fan to me. How do you feel about Bill Dewitt?
As for Carp, he’s been hurt for the past two years for the Cards, but it’s not because he’s a whimp or he’s injury prone. He had MAJOR arm surgery and when he came back, the arm didn’t respond right away and the Cardinals decided to shut him down. Obviously he’s no Roy Halladay or Carlos Zambrano, but those two are a rarity in the modern days of pitching. By your standards, there’s a TON of pitchers in baseball who could be classified as “peanut brittle”.
I can name at least one: Carlos Zambrano and his hammy. Oops! FIRE FORD MANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111