[舊聞]Glavine throwing without discomfort
http://0rz.tw/e55lX
Glavine throwing without discomfort
Veteran lefty hopes to begin pitching off a mound next week
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
ATLANTA -- While attempting to fight the anxiety created by uncertainty,
Tom Glavine is growing more confident about prolonging his storied pitching
career.
Thoughts of retirement have diminished while he's enjoyed multiple pain-free
throwing sessions over the past few weeks. But Glavine knows his true test
will likely arrive next week, when he hopes to begin throwing off a mound.
"So far everything has been good," Glavine said early Monday evening.
"I have certainly been encouraged with everything that I've done. But you
really never know until you get on the mound and really let it go.
Until then, I'm keeping my feelings in check."
When Glavine had his left elbow and left shoulder surgically repaired in
August, it was impossible for him to ignore the possibility that he may
never again have the opportunity to improve his career total of 305 wins
-- the fourth-most victories for a left-hander in Major League history.
But motivated by the desire to not end his career in the injury-marred
fashion that the 2008 season brought, the 42-year-old lefty dedicated
himself to a rehab program that began reaping benefits in mid-December,
when he began throwing without the discomfort that he'd experienced most
of this decade.
Glavine began throwing from a distance of 120 feet just before Christmas
and then took a few weeks off before resuming this exercise again on Monday.
He plans to do this again on Wednesday and Friday, with the hope that he'll
gain enough confidence to begin throwing off a mound early next week.
"My arm hasn't felt this good in a long time," Glavine said. "The day-to-day
stuff that bothered me at this time last year isn't bothering me. That is
obviously very encouraging."
Once Glavine begins exerting himself during these mound sessions, he'll
provide himself and the Braves a better indication of what he's capable of
doing during the upcoming season.
Barring the possibility that he's offended by a financial offer made by the
Braves, Glavine has no desire to pitch anywhere other than Atlanta. Nor does
he have the desire to go to Spring Training with a Minor League contract or
any sense of uncertainty about his health.
Knowing that it does him no good to attempt to accelerate the process just
to make sure he's ready by the start of Spring Training, Glavine will allow
his arm to provide his timetable.
In the event that he's still not proven to himself and the Braves that he
can pitch by the time camp opens, Glavine is prepared to remain in Atlanta
to continue throwing until he reaches a point where it's obvious whether
he's healthy or destined for immediate retirement.
"I don't have any interest in going to Spring Training to try to make the
team or attempt to prove that I'm healthy enough to pitch," Glavine said.
"I'll know before I go down there."
The pitching-hungry Braves remain interested in the possibility of
re-signing both Glavine and John Smoltz, who is attempting to return from
right shoulder surgery.
But for now, they can only monitor their progress and hope that these
organizational icons are able to enjoy at least one more season in Atlanta
together, minus the injuries that ruined last season's reunion.
Regarded as one of the most determined pitchers to stand on a mound, Glavine
made 672 starts and compiled 4,361 1/3 innings before making his first career
trip to the disabled list last season. A torn flexor tendon in his left elbow
would necessitate two more trips and lead to the August surgical procedure,
during which Dr. James Andrews also cleaned some tissue around the veteran
hurler's left labrum.
To provide himself a chance to pitch or even enjoy the game of touch football
that he shared with his sons on Monday afternoon, Glavine had to have his
elbow surgically repaired. The cleaning of his shoulder provided the
opportunity to avoid some of the discomfort that has been present for
most of the past two decades.
Many of the Braves have often talked about the shoulder pain that Glavine
regularly ignored when he religiously took the mound during the 1990s.
In fact, during his retirement address last month, Greg Maddux took time
to once again recognize this dedication.
"One of the biggest things I learned pitching with Glavine was to realize
you don't have to be 100 percent to win," Maddux said. "You have to take
the ball and you have to go out there. That's what he taught me.
"Sometimes it's really easy to say, 'I need another day or two.' But
in Atlanta, we pitched. Tommy led the way with that. He showed
everybody that if you go out there, if you could throw the ball over
the plate, you had a chance to win, no matter how bad you felt."
For the first time in his recent memory, Glavine is actually feeling good
and realizing that it's far too early for him to begin worrying about the
possibility that he's already thrown his final pitch.
"[Retirement] has crossed my mind," Glavine said. "I think I've prepared
myself to deal with that question. But in my mind I want to pitch, and
that's why I haven't retired."
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 61.224.43.142
推
01/14 02:49, , 1F
01/14 02:49, 1F
→
01/14 02:49, , 2F
01/14 02:49, 2F