Will Carroll on CJ Wilson
by Brett Perryman on Aug 12, 2008 3:37 PM CDT
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PrintFairly optimistic take from him:
C.J. Wilson (60 DXL) Wilson elected to have surgery to remove chips from his pitching elbow, ending his season and leaving the closer's role during the tail end of the Rangers wild-card chase to Eddie Guardado. Wilson's second-half problems can likely be blamed on the elbow and his mechanical adjustments, so there's no reason to think he can't come back and continue in whatever role is needed. He's not a typical closer, but the Rangers understand that an elite closer comes with elite pricing. They're perfectly willing to go with cheap options like Wilson or Guardado until something better comes along, such as one of their power pitchers like Tommy Hunter or Blake Beavan (assuming his fastball returns) shifting to the pen. Even then, Wilson will be one of the better lefty relievers around, just as he was in 2007.
It's good to hear that he agrees that the injury can reasonably be blamed for Wilson's performance this season.
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Hunter
a power pitcher? I think he does end up in the pen but not as a closer.
"An effortless 98" - Scott Gardner after Neftali Feliz's first AA pitch
93 mph as a starter + a power curve
that’s not your typical mid-90s stuff, but that’s a power arsenal
his velocity is up a bit since being drafted
has touched 95 and sits at 90-93 – that’s not bad. whether he ends up in the bullpen depends very much on the development of the other young starters and any winter trade acquisitions but he pitched in a # of roles in college including closer.
I still can't believe
...that C.J. admitted he should have had this taken care of last winter.
This is far from a blameless debacle, because either (a) C.J. knew his elbow was bothering him and didn’t notify club medical personnel until very recently, which is stupid in that he was not only hurting the team with his injury-induced poor performance but also consciously risking his own long-term health, or (b) the team knew he was injured for some period of time and yet continued to allow him to fire sub-mediocre innings in high-leverage situations.
I appreciate that C.J. wants to help his team in any way possible and doesn’t make excuses. But I can’t appreciate the way this whole situation was handled.
CJ
If CJ was hurt since last summer the team had to know about it somehow. The problem is they can only go by what CJ tells them. If CJ doesn’t accurately describe what is wrong then the course of treatment can never be accurately planned.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
I don't think that is correct
If he would have complained of sharp and/or chronic elbow pain/stiffness then they would would have responed with rest, steroid shot, rehab, MRI and thn cat scan. I don’t recall any of that happening until now….
I don’t think he said anything at all until mid-season.
Thats what im saying
The Rangers probably knew he was hurt but CJ wasn’t telling them exactly how bad and where it hurt.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
How do you know?
The human body is a mysterious thing. Everyone’s body reacts differently to pain. Some guys can pitch through pain and still be just as effective.
Ceej could have been completely and totally honest with them about how bad and where it hurt and the team made the determination to go forward with it and see if he could pitch through it successfully. Perhaps the team listened to Ceej honestly describe his injury in full and thought that the best course of action was to give him every opportunity to see if he could pitch through it rather than give in and have him get the surgery right away.
But, No. This can not be assumed. Someone must be at fault. The plebes demand a scapegoat. And LSB firmly believes that when a man is down, he must be kicked.
Why everyone is so quick to turn on a player and assault not only his play but his character when he struggles absolutely confounds me.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Aug 12, 2008 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, perhaps that's true
And if so, then it’s the Rangers who screwed up majorly.
We’re not talking about a few bad appearances here. We’re talking about nearly three months of absolute incompetence from a pitcher that was, for most of that time, pitching for a playoff contender. That, in my eyes, is inexcusable.
Hey look
I love watching CJ pitch and have come to his defense numerous times. I have a hard time however believing a team would knowingly let a guy pitch if he has told them exactly what is going on and how much pain he is in and his results are what CJs were his last month. Its one thing to let a guy pitch through pain if he is doing well but the way CJ was going I just can’t believe they would knowingly let him go out there if they knew he was not just in pain but injured. And bone chips are something a simple xray can diagnose so its not some weird undetectable injury we are talking about
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
"Why everyone is so quick to turn on a player and assault not only his play but his character>"
You have a good point, Huntressa.
However, I might ask you to substitute “writer” for “player,” then ask you the same thing about Evan Grant.
Just saying…
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
by Brian Thomas on Aug 13, 2008 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions
I didn't like the way he handled douchebag-gate
then didn’t like the way he skewered Ceej when he was struggling as a closer.
Thought it was the one of the most biased articles I’d read in a long time, burbling with passive-aggressive vitriol.
He basically said Ceej didn’t have what it took to be a closer cause he didn’t care enough, then turned around in the next paragraph and said that he didn’t have what it took to be a closer cause he cared too much.
I don’t really think EG is a bad writer or a bad analyst, I just think he needs to admit he can’t objective when it comes to Ceej cause he hates him so much.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Aug 14, 2008 5:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Seriously?
You think he has some sort of personal grudge against him? Why would that be? That would be really, really petty, and while I wouldn’t put that past many sports columnists, I can’t recall any anecdotal evidence of that in EG’s modus operandi.
And FWIW, I was essentially referring to the mean-spirited comments you made about Evan’s weight. Obviously, I think you said those things in the heat of the moment; but still, I think that falls under the general everything but the kitchen sink phenomena that you described above.
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
by Brian Thomas on Aug 14, 2008 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Indeed
I tend to get a bit worked up a often say stupid things I later regret. It’s one my many, many personal flaws. Though I do think there’s a difference between mocking someone’s character flaws when they treat someone you like unfairly and attempt to vilify him in the media (like I did with EG) and what everyone is suddenly saying about Ceej now that he’s struggling. The guy everyone once loved is now a lying, cheating, no-good malingerer who acts only out of his own best interest. Team. Be. Damned.
I mean WTF?
As for your other question, I have no idea why EG dislikes Ceej. I’ve just seen a lot of evidence that leads me to think it’s a fact. It’s not that unfathomable, is it? I mean, some people just don’t like each other. It happens in all walks of life and surely journalism is not immune to such things.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Aug 14, 2008 11:00 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think
you should blame EG for the way many people on the blog here have turned against Wilson. Wilson’s gaffes played a part, but do you really think people here would be so up in arms if he was pitching like Mo Rivera?
Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.
I don't blame him for that
Not even one little bit.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Aug 15, 2008 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, some of these little scamps will turn on a guy in a cocaine heartbeat
Weak caca.
Perhaps Evan went a little over the top w/ a couple of his comments, but I really don’t get the impression that he has it out for him. And I especially don’t see him as the type to Marriotti anyone. I think he is classier than that.
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
by Brian Thomas on Aug 15, 2008 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions
Not objective about Wilson
as are many on this blog, we tend to give him the benefit if the doubt.
The fact is that he has always had command issues to some degree. I can not believe that bone spurs have created this problem unless they are bone spurs in his head.
I have nothing to say
How's about this:
He knew he was hurt at the end of last season, but hoped it might heal with rest. It was his first season as a closer.
His elbow hurt more & more throughout the year, eventually forcing his command and control to disappear. Between his ears? Hell ‘ya! When he couldn’t make his pitches, his confidence started to wane. He wanted to be there for the team, especially during this highly improbable season of semi-contention. But in the end, as his frustration boiled over, he subsequently had an MRI and realized his elbow was much worse than he thought.
Does it excuse some of his dumbass actions this season? No, but it may help explain them.
JMO
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
What's that supposed
to mean?
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
Notes via The DMN blog.
Stream of conciousness clubhouse notes (8/12): Vicente Padilla likely out of picture for Red Sox series
4:32 PM Tue, Aug 12, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Evan Grant E-mail News tipsRHP Vicente Padilla has inflammation in the joint that connects his clavicle and sternum (same issue that sent him to the DL in July). He went back to Texas Monday, received a cortisone injection and was headed back towards Boston Tuesday evening. Rangers won’t make a decision until after the game, but manager Ron Washington indicated it’s unlikely Padilla will take his turn Thursday, which throws the rotation into more chaos. RHP Tommy Hunter probably pitches Thursday. I’ll be back with more notes momentarily. ... Padilla’s situation probably means pushes him back to at least Sunday and means RHP Kevin Millwood probably returns to the active roster Friday though the Rangers saw some expected rust in his 74-pitch, four-inning rehab outing. The Rangers would like Millwood to have another rehab start, but if Padilla is unavailable until the weekend, it changes things around. ... 3B Hank Blalock, on the other hand, would like to return to the lineup without a rehab assignment, but that’s not going to happen. Washington told Blalock he’d be playing for Frisco over the weekend to get a better read on his shoulder. Blalock did get through a pretty strenuous workout without any issues Tuesday. Key is how he respondes on Wednesday. ... C Gerald Laird is getting over the same stomach virus that hit Blalock and DH Milton Bradley over the weekend, but Laird is still in the starting lineup for now. ... OF Brandon Boggs is going to get another day to rest his sore shoulder. He could be back in the lineup tomorrow.
And tonights lineup per FWST blog.
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Michael Young, SS
Josh Hamilton, CF
Milton Bradley, DH
Marlon Byrd, RF
Frank Catalanotto, LF
Gerald Laird, C
Chris Davis, 1B
Ramon Vazquez, 3B
Thank God Byrd is hitting 5th
He is the man now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Sooner or later, prospects kill you, because you hang onto them." - Greggo, 11/22/2005
more like
thank god MB is back hitting 4th. thats the glue that holds the rest of the lineup together.
When will Wash take Davis out of the GD 8th spot!
Pretty clearly the first time he has ever looked at a web site. "And there are readers' comments at the bottom! And advertisements for products! And best of all, I won a free iPod!"
-Ken Tremendous on Mike Downey.
how
do you have inflammation of the joint connecting the clavicle and sternum? i never pitched, but is that common? seems like a weird place to have inflammation.
I've never heard of it
"So you think the Celtics will beat Detroit? Hell will freeze over before that happens, mark my words." miles 5/20/08
by badradiorules on Aug 12, 2008 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Rangers in shambles
can anything else go wrong? How many days till the end of the season? can’t get here too soon, IMO.
¡yo soy Horsedooty!
I soloed in the Mile High Club!
can anything else go wrong?
Well, we could give up ten runs in the first inning to the Red Sox.
by uthornfan on Aug 12, 2008 6:45 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
How in the world will Beavan be in the majors next year
Feliz and Hurley. The 1-2 punch of the future
Future
I don’t think he meant next year. “Until something better comes along” probably means until one of them establishes themselves in the majors. The Rangers will use stopgap closers until that time.
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