Reassigning shortstop Rafael Furcal to the lower reaches of the lineup to buy him and his achy back a break from the grind of batting leadoff might not be as relaxing as the Cardinals initially had in mind.
Credit the needle a doctor plunged into his back.
Clearly refreshed and unencumbered as a result of the treatment he received last week, Furcal has been racing, not resting, the past two nights, helping to lift his team to two victories just days after he was unsure if he could pick up his bat.
...“Needed to take the edge off. It was something he was fighting nonstop,” manager Mike Matheny said of the back pain that hindered Furcal for several weeks. “It seems like the shot kicked in, then he gets some confidence going. He’s got a nice approach going at the plate and had some big hits for us.”
...Matheny traced the run of offense pack to the pain-alleviating shot Furcal received — “Those things help out, help loosen up,” he said — and knows that it doesn’t end the Save Raffy plan. Shots can wear off. And to keep Furcal the needed, vibrant presence in the offense that he was late in 2011 and early in 2012, the Cardinals still plan to be proactive with the rest so that this jolt of production doesn’t fade.
He’s got to be healthy to help.
Repoz
Posted: August 16, 2012 at 07:22 AM |
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1. Drew (Primakov, Gungho Iguanas) Posted: August 16, 2012 at 07:53 AM (#4209469)It's not like cortisone is a steroid, smarty pants.
As I have said numerous times, this is why each and every mention of PED's that are not given under care of a physician has to be prefaced with "illegal" or "banned" - and further detail as to whether they are "corticosteroids" or "anabolic steroids".
Gatorade, Five Hour Energy, nicotine, coffee and sugar are PED's.
Nobody actually thought this would make a difference did they?
"Doc, my back hurts when I do this."
"Then don't do that."
"But they pay me millions to do that."
"Really? How often do you do that?"
"4-5 times a day plus I gotta bend over for groundballs and sometimes jump over a guy sliding into second and run bases and sometimes slide into a base."
"OK ... that first thing you did ... do that 1 less time per day and you'll be fine."
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