The 2013 injury thread (Knees, thumbs, shoulders, ligaments: you dream it, a Brewer can injure it)

[Patrick425]

So the Brewers had 5 or 6 fewer guys stretching and running 15 minutes before the game. Big deal. If you're trying to say that they aren't sufficiently warmed up and that is leading to injuries, I'd say you're incorrect.

 

I'm not sure why you think this is such a far fetched idea. Why do you think athletes stretch and run before games?...because it's an enjoyable activity? because they are just trying to kill time? It wasn't 5 or 6 last Tuesday. It was 3, maybe 4 (I think one player came out after 3 had been stretching for a while). Also, You don't think it looks bad when one team has all of their players out there and the other has a fraction..every home game? If they are doing stretching inside somewhere, fine...I just don't get it. You certainly can not do the wind sprints inside that you can do outside.

 

It's something that has been happening for... oh... 40 years, give or take.

 

Uh..no. I'm 47. I have been going to games for 40 years. I have been a 20 game season ticket holder for 20 years (well 13 game when the Brewer were still at County stadium). I know that the Brewers use to pretty much have their entire starting lineup out there before every game (as little as 2 or 3 years ago) and they would also have 2 or 4 guys pairing up doing throws in front of the dugout just before the game as well.

[JohnBriggs12]

Here's the Brewer roster conundrum. The guys in the pen who aren't doing the job all are the guys with the biggest contacts/lack of options. The 2 everyday players at Nashville who are on the 40 man are Gindl who's 0 for 15, and Gennett who is raking but plays the one position the Brewers are healthy.

 

Still they sure could use Gennett's bat off the bench. I'd send down Fiers, insert Narveson in his spot and bring up Scooter. The other option is to try and get a guy like Manzanillo through waivers and off the 40 man and bring up either Halton or Morris.

[jerichoholicninja]

I'd give some credence to the stretching theory if stretching could have prevented Gamel from tearing ligaments after running into a wall, Ramirez from twice sliding awkwardly into second base, Weeks getting hit by a pitch, or Segura getting taken out on a double play. Maybe Braun could stretch more. He seems to have random muscle strains pop up, but stretching wouldn't have prevented anything for almost every major injury the Brewers have had the last few years.

[monty57]

Still they sure could use Gennett's bat off the bench. I'd send down Fiers, insert Narveson in his spot and bring up Scooter.

 

They're contemplating skipping Fiers' next start anyway, due to all the off days. It would probably help him to get sent down and get regular starts, and the Brewers could probably get by with a four-man staff until there aren't so many off days (maybe giving Narveson or someone one start).

 

The other option is to try and get a guy like Manzanillo through waivers and off the 40 man and bring up either Halton or Morris.

 

Whatever they need to do, they need to do it. Morris or Halton should be on the MLB team right now. If it's been 15 days, could they take Bianchi off the DL (even if he's not healthy) and DFA him? I'm willing to lose a mediocre player right now if it means bringing up an actual first baseman to take over first base.

[Outlander]

I don't know if it would be a huge loss even if somebody picked Gindl up as there are a number of young, cheap players blocking him at the major league level already(Davis/Prince/Schafer). With the injuries and losses piling up it is probably time to put Halton/Morris on the 40 man. The Brewers have had some bad luck with the injuries but I hope they realize that it is a major turnoff to the fans when they see Yuni and Gonzalez in the middle of the lineup every day. Playoff spots and divisions are not won in April but seasons can certainly be lost by the end of April. It will be nice when they get Braun/Ramirez/Hart back in the middle of the lineup but it might not matter if they are 10 games under .500.

[Patrick425]

I'd give some credence to the stretching theory if stretching could have prevented Gamel from tearing ligaments after running into a wall, Ramirez from twice sliding awkwardly into second base, Weeks getting hit by a pitch, or Segura getting taken out on a double play. Maybe Braun could stretch more. He seems to have random muscle strains pop up, but stretching wouldn't have prevented anything for almost every major injury the Brewers have had the last few years.

 

I understand. I know there are freak injuries that are going to happen regardless of the amount of stretching that is done. Gamel's injury from last year is a perfect example. However, my understanding is that he re-injured it on the first day of Spring Training this year because of stretches he was making at 1b during drills. I was a little bothered by that. Didn't he stretch and test his knee in the off season? Also, how did Ramirez initially injure his knee in ST this year and what has he been doing to take care of it since then? I didn't think the slide into 2nd base looked overly jarring last week and my thought was if he got injured by that slide, it was just a matter of time before he injured it some other way.

[TheCrew07]

From an athletic standpoint pre-activity static stretching is pretty much out, and has been for almost a decade.

 

Most warm-ups are now built around dynamic movements which properly warm/loosen up the body without the negative performance side affects of static stretching (5%-10% of power is lost depending on what study you want to believe), the time to be static stretching is post workout as flexibility and range of motion are keys to enhancing one's athleticism.

 

I saw the T-Rats doing the dynamic stuff pre-game, I would imagine the Brewers as organization have a set pre-game routine at all levels which includes a dynamic. However, I would also guess that the MLB version is not as rigid as the what the minor league clubs are doing, more of a do it when you want type of thing.

 

As far as the injuries go it's hard to tell because we don't know how many strains and pulls the players get during the season and are playing through, which tends to be a warm-up/stretching problem. In the case of Gamel since he was brought up an example, with a such an immediate re-occurrence either the surgery or rehab was terrible, maybe both. More than half of the ACL injuries I've witnessed have been non contact related but there's no way Mat should have blown out his knee again swinging a bat. Either the knee wasn't structurally sound post surgery or the rehab didn't build back enough stability, or some combination of the te 2, but it's a bad deal for Mat regardless.

[monty57]

Also, how did Ramirez initially injure his knee in ST this year and what has he been doing to take care of it since then?

 

Ramirez injured his knee in a similar fashion (sliding) this spring. My concern was that after this second injury, he said that he didn't think the knee ever fully healed. That, to me, is a problem. Why in the heck didn't they just let him rest/re-hab/whatever the knee this spring to make sure it was fully healthy instead of rushing him back so that he'd be on the opening day roster?

 

There really seems to be a mantra of "tickets sold is more important than anything" going on with the Brewers, and it's going to bite them hard pretty soon, if it hasn't already.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 1m

#Brewers LHP Chris Narveson has finger injury preventing him from pitching.

 

Here's yet another injury.

[Ennder]

These little injuries that Braun gets every year concern me more than the others. What's with this guy? Could it be PED's? It's injuries like this one that made me think Fielder was the MVP in 2011. Braun isn't helping his team when he sits out 10 games every year. Guys on his level need to be in there every day. He hurts himself swinging a bat in BP? Geesh!

 

The intercostal issue he generally has every year is probably something he will deal with his entire career.

[djoctagone]

kudos on the changing of the thread title. hopefully, it won't be edited again to include "phone book", "suitcase" and "salad tongs".

[hawing]

What this thread needs is a theme song.

 

[hawing]

Necks, fingers, knees and quads, knees and quads...

[AZBrewCrew]

I wonder if Narveson's finger issue will result in a DL stint.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I wonder if Narveson's finger issue will result in a DL stint.

 

Sounds like it. I think they'll add a bench player if Fiers is skipped, and a pitcher if he's not.

[Hammer]

At least none of the Brewers players have gotten hurt carrying a package of venison from Todd Helton...yet. I wouldn't rule it out with the luck of this team so far...

[xisxisxis]

How could the Brewers have so many injuries when they have the best trainers on the planet. Didn't they win an award to *prove* it....

[homer]

How could the Brewers have so many injuries when they have the best trainers on the planet. Didn't they win an award to *prove* it....

 

 

Bad luck. Oh wait, that would be an excuse. Can't have one of those.

[monty57]

How could the Brewers have so many injuries when they have the best trainers on the planet. Didn't they win an award to *prove* it....

 

Hart had the same injury he had the prior year. When he went in for a second opinion, the doctor said he should have a more invasive surgery, which would solve the problem, but would've cost him the whole season, so Hart went for the patchwork surgery he had the previous year. He's a timebomb waiting to explode, so whoever he plays for next year should expect him to miss a lot of time, and probably a full season at some point. I hope that team is not the Brewers.

 

Braun always has injuries that take him out for a few days at a time. I don't expect that to change, and just hope that as he ages the "few days at a time" doesn't turn into "few weeks/months at a time."

 

Ramirez was born on 6/25/1978. There are not many player in baseball that play into their mid-30's. The human body begins to wear down, so injuries become more likely. In the exact same situation, I highly doubt a 25-year-old Ramirez would've gotten injured on his slides. He's not 25 anymore.

 

Segura was a bad situation, but was made worse by the poor throw by Betancourt (who should never have been our starting 1B). The throw made him extend into a defenseless position and we're very lucky he's just got a bruise. I thought he was out for the season when he went down.

 

Rogers is wasting a 40-man space that should go to a useful player because they don't want to lose him, but didn't want to put him on the MLB team, so they put him on the DL with a "dead arm" when he couldn't throw a strike this spring.

 

Who the heck knows what's going on with Bianchi and Green, other than the reports that they're not getting better. It's sad, but either one would be an upgrade to what we're throwing out at the corner IF spots right now.

[endaround]

Thank god youth prevented JJ Hardy from ever sliding wrong and getting injured!

[ELCABALLO45]

Tonight's RAW was suppose to open up with a Brock-Rock segment to lead up to a match at WrestleMania I guess, but apparently Rock has took his ball on gone home without mentioning it to the WWE. WWE was panicking today I guess and they have had to re-write the entire start of the show. Kinda odd.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Tonight's RAW was suppose to open up with a Brock-Rock segment to lead up to a match at WrestleMania I guess, but apparently Rock has took his ball on gone home without mentioning it to the WWE. WWE was panicking today I guess and they have had to re-write the entire start of the show. Kinda odd.

 

Why is this in the injury thread? Lol.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Necks, fingers, knees and quads, knees and quads...

If this keeps up you may need to add second verse...if you can somehow get intercostal to rhyme you get a plaque on the wall.

 

I personally blame this on the trainers at fantasy camp...they jinxed it by saying that was the busiest week of the year!

[AZBrewCrew]

Christopher Narveson to the 15 day DL with a finger sprain

[danzig6767]

Thank god youth prevented JJ Hardy from ever sliding wrong and getting injured!

 

Or Geoff Jenkins and the numerous players in baseball who get hurt each year while sliding into a base or home plate.

 

Obviously as any athletes get in their say mid-30, it can increase the odds of getting injuries as all of the games over the years take a toll on there bodies, but that injury to Ramirez i thought had far more to do with just a fluke bad slide than age did. In fact, when they showed the replay in slow motion, i thought he tore his ACL.

 

Injuries outside the nagging strains and pulls types which can be more common in certain athletes who just seem more injury prone for whatever reason can often be flukey. We see it all of the time be it MLB, NFL, NBA, or the NHL where from year to year some teams suffer more significant injuries than other teams, but then the next year things are reversed.

 

While in general there isn't as much contact in baseball compared to other pro sports, there still are so many ways that baseball players can suffer injuries which can't be planned for. Hell, Ramirez played in 150 games each of the last two years while Gamel in what should be his prime years physically, he's tore his ACL in back to back seasons. Rickie Weeks has also struggled to stay healthy all through his 20's while say Robin Yount managed to play between 130-160 games all through his 30's.

 

There are many things professional sports teams can try to plan for in building a roster each year, but by far one of the biggest X-Factors in sports is injuries, especially to the better players. I remember Ted Thompson of the Packers once saying that the hardest factor he had in watching his team play was the dread he felt each time a player was laying on the field injured, even more so when it's happening regularly. That he almost wanted to rap his players up in bubble wrap.