Which is worse and more irresponsible, the current Red Sox medical staff or the Pirates medical staff from the '00s?

$142,000,000.00

Clownshow, indeed.

Remind me, does a left fielder use their arm more than a first baseman?

Dr. James Andrews has told him he eventually will need Tommy John elbow surgery

GM Ben Cherington has repeatedly stated the Red Sox disagree with the premise that surgery is an inevitability

Tough to decide who to depend on in this one.

Yeah, I'm really surprised Cherington would explicitly state that the team is ignoring a doctor's advice and asking a guy to play hurt. We know that happens, of course, but I'm not sure I've seen a front office admit to it before.

(And if a front office did do so, one would think it would be regarding a guy whom they didn't expect to retain much longer, not regarding one in the second year of a huge long-term contract.)

Curt Schilling would be laughing...if he wasn't broke.

ignoring a doctor's advice

Also, Andrews is a very big name in the field. Strange move by Cherington.

Yeah, I'm really surprised Cherington would explicitly state that the team is ignoring a doctor's advice and asking a guy to play hurt. We know that happens, of course, but I'm not sure I've seen a front office admit to it before.

Well, I've heard it said before, but it is usually--I'm think of Gary Sheffield in 2004, although I think it has happened other times--in a case where the team says that playing through won't do any more harm.

It is a little unclear--at least to me--if Andrews is implying that about Crawford or what, but I guess we'll see in a couple of years (or months).

Is there a reason why James Andrews is apparently the only doctor who can do Tommy John surgery? I get that he's good at what he does, or whatever, but his ubiquity seems strange to me.

I've had the same thought, Shock. I assume it's just a matter of deep-pocketed organizations being able to send their high-priced investments to the best in the business.

For example, the Mets send all their Tommy John cases to Dr. Nick Riviera.

I don't think disagreeing about whether someone will need an operation down the line is quite the same thing as admitting that you're asking a guy to play hurt. It doesn't seem that anyone is of the opinion that Crawford should definitely not be playing right now.

"Shock Posted: July 28, 2012 at 09:14 PM (#4194848)
Is there a reason why James Andrews is apparently the only doctor who can do Tommy John surgery? I get that he's good at what he does, or whatever, but his ubiquity seems strange to me.
"

He isn't the only one who does it. He is considered arguably the foremost medical expert on baseball pitching arm injuries. So it is hardly surprising that baseball players, being paid millions of dollars, would go to him if they blow out their UCLs. If you can afford it, why no go to the best?

"clownshow" is my favorite new Primer tag. It needs to be used more often. (Of course I would say that, being the guy who uses it the most.)

He isn't the only one who does it. He is considered arguably the foremost medical expert on baseball pitching arm injuries. So it is hardly surprising that baseball players, being paid millions of dollars, would go to him if they blow out their UCLs. If you can afford it, why no go to the best?

Andrews does a lot of them, but you also hear Lewis Yocum--who I believe is a Jobe protege and the Angels' team doctor doing the surgery (I think he did Strasburg's) and Tim Kremchek, the Reds' doctor, doing TJ surgeries sometimes.

Tough to decide who to depend on in this one.

Baby Andrews needs a new pair of shoes!

Carl Crawford really was a wonderful player, not too long ago. There was really no one else active like him. You wondered if he might make a run at the single-season triples record. Not so much now...

If I'm Crawford, I'm having the surgery tomorrow. Why?

1) The team is not going to the playoffs this year - less than 1-in-5 chance, at this point, right?
2) Between Ellsbury, Sweeney, Ross, Nava, and Kalish, the team has enough guys who can play LF for the next 61 games that it's not the end of the world if Crawford is out for the season.
3) Is there any evidence that he's ready to play right now, anyway? It's a small sample size, but he's hitting .222/.263/.306 in 38 PAs, one walk, 10 Ks. Are we really losing out if he doesn't play right now?

Finally, it is pretty clear that this guy is not mentally comfortable playing right now. He has mentioned his elbow multiple times recently, and I think he is somebody who needs to feel he is healthy in order to play his best. He is obviously better than he's shown so in the last 1.5 years, but this situation is not helping. He doesn't think he is healthy, and his play will suffer for it.

I can't stand Crawford, and did not like the signing at the time...but I feel bad for him in this specific predicament.

If he went and had surgery against the team's wishes, does that give the Red Sox cause to void his contract?

Perhaps that's their master plan, here.

Monday, Monday

If he went and had surgery against the team's wishes, does that give the Red Sox cause to void his contract?

Perhaps that's their master plan, here.

I hope so, for his sake; he needs to escape the Bosox ASAP. I doubt he'll ever again be the player he was in Tampa Bay, but once he recovers physically, he needs to find an environment where he can recover psychologically. Some players simply aren't cut out to play in the Boston pressure cooker, and Crawford's obviously one of them.

Monday, Monday

Wrong thread, but still funny.

If he went and had surgery against the team's wishes, does that give the Red Sox cause to void his contract?

If he keeps talking about needing surgery any minute now, does that keep other teams from trading for him?

For example, the Mets send all their Tommy John cases to Dr. Nick Riviera.

I thought the Mets had Tommy John doing Tommy John surgery?

No, you misunderstood... Mets pitchers go to Tommy Chong for their elbow surgeries.

No, you misunderstood... Mets pitchers go to Tommy Chong for their elbow surgeries.

Their elbows still hurt, but their glaucoma is MUCH better.

The team is not going to the playoffs this year - less than 1-in-5 chance, at this point, right?

Less than 1 in 20 in reality.

Andrews does a lot of them, but you also hear Lewis Yocum--who I believe is a Jobe protege and the Angels' team doctor doing the surgery (I think he did Strasburg's) and Tim Kremchek, the Reds' doctor, doing TJ surgeries sometimes.

So does Neal ElAttrache, another Jobe clinic guy who I think is also the Dodgers team physician.

I hope so, for his sake; he needs to escape the Bosox ASAP.

You hope, for his sake, that he bails on $142m? Somehow I don't think that would be in his self-interest.

GM Ben Cherington has repeatedly stated the Red Sox disagree with the premise that surgery is an inevitability

In all fairness, Cherington might be spending a lot of time in a Holiday Inn Express.

The team is not going to the playoffs this year - less than 1-in-5 chance, at this point, right?



Less than 1 in 20 in reality.

It's over.

For example, the Mets send all their Tommy John cases to Dr. Nick Riviera.

And they send all their dental cases to Dr. Nick Offerman

It's over.

That only works when RDP does it. And he has to mean it -- none of this fake reverse-jinx stuff.

And now Valetine has said he expressly went against management and played Crawford in 6 straight games when Valentine was told not to use him in more than 4 straight.

I am not normally in favor of firing a manager so soon into his tenure, but damn Valentine does and says some stupid ####.

And now Valetine has said he expressly went against management and played Crawford in 6 straight games when Valentine was told not to use him in more than 4 straight.

I find this comment extremely shocking, as it indicates that Carl Crawford has been playing in the majors this year. I thought he was halfway through a 36-month DL stint.

If he keeps talking about needing surgery any minute now, does that keep other teams from trading for him?

Ummmm....

Can we just replace every body part on Crawford at once, just get it over with?

This is embarrassing. Has there been a team this dysfunctional in recent history? If he's in the second year of a seven year deal, and he'll eventually need surgery, why would a team who, at best, has an outside shot at the second wild card spot keep running him out there? Especially seeing he's probably going to play marginally better than whoever they would likely put out there in his place (Nava/Ross/Sweeney)? Are they worried about their BS sell out streak? That some fans might jump off the bandwagon?

So does Neal ElAttrache, another Jobe clinic guy who I think is also the Dodgers team physician.

When considering Tommy John surgery, always use the guy whose surname is an anagram for "reattach."

The team is not going to the playoffs this year - less than 1-in-5 chance, at this point, right

Less than 1 in 20 in reality.

It's over.

This is all irrelevant anyway. Even if the Sox manage to squeeze their way into the wild card...and win it...they still won't do anything in the playoffs. They don't have 3 consistently decent starting pitchers.

The surgery should be proceeding on Monday, 30th July 2012..preferably early in the morning. This can't be done soon enough.