Just shut him down now
Grady Sizemore’s gonna need surgery:
Indians All-Star center fielder Grady Sizemore will likely undergo postseason surgery on his inflamed left elbow, trainer Lonnie Soloff said Tuesday.
Soloff said “there’s a high index of suspicion” that Sizemore will need an operation at some point. Soloff, speaking before the last-place Indians hosted the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, said Sizemore will have to play with soreness in his elbow for the remainder of the season.
Sizemore would likely have an arthroscopic procedure on his elbow, which has bothered him since spring training. Sizemore has synovitis, an inflammation of the joint lining.
I’ll defer to Will Carroll or a doctor or something on this, but it strikes me that it’s best to avoid using inflamed body parts in most situations. In light of this, why not just perform the surgery now and (a) avoid any risk of aggravating the condition; and (b) ensure maximum effectiveness for games that actually matter?*
*This advice makes the safe assumption that nothing else that happens with the 2009 Indians matters.
But that wouldn’t work since it would require Indians to do something that actually make sense… like not bat Sizemore leadoff (or 2nd for that matter)
YX – Most lineup studies conclude that the 2nd spot in the batting order is actually the place to put your best hitter.
Couldn’t agree more Shyster. Rest up for a monster 2010, don’t waste your energy this year.
While I agree that Sizemore should be shut down, you also have to consider his effect on the Indians’ revenue and ticket sales. He’s probably the most popular player on the team (especially among the female fans), and with the terrible team on the field and the economy the way it is, ticket sales are suffering. Keeping him on the field will probably sell a couple hundred more tickets per game at least, and the Indians are frankly desperate for that cash inflow right now.
I’m a little torn on this one. On one hand he is on my fantasy team (not that he’s actually helping too much) and I have tickets to probably a half dozen more games or so. I’d much rather see him in the lineup for selfish reasons.
On the other hand it makes MUCH more sense to just get the surgery over with so he is 100% next spring. This has the added advantage of possibly fighting it out with the Nationals in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes for the right to pay a 17 year old kid a $75 mil signing bonus.
I’m leaning toward surgery now.
I’ve always wondered why the Cards didn’t have The Machine get surgery years ago to fix his shoulder. Maybe he would have gotten more time at third or the outfield and been even more valuable.
I like the line “high index of suspicion”. First time I’ve heard suspicion in a while without it being about steroids.
I don’t know what’s scarier, the fact that he’s putting up these absurd numbers with a bum shoulder, or if he had the surgery years ago he could have been even better?