Having been on the receiving end of a separated shoulder myself, I can definitely sympathize with Doug Mientkiewicz’s injury last night. It’s painful as hell.
You might wonder at him staying in the game for a while. When I had mine, I actually walked my bike for about a half-mile before succumbing to pain. Adrenaline and the body’s protective mechanisms kept me going for a little while, but as they faded — ouch. This seems to match up with Doug arguing to stay once they popped the shoulder back in. He definitely has my respect.
It does sound like his was of a more serious type than mine (see Wikipedia article), so how long he’s out will depend on the severity. Lots of difficult and painful physical therapy are in his immediate future, I’m afraid. Considering how important the shoulder is to pretty much every baseball activity, this is really tough.
I felt even sorrier for him after reading this:
“They popped it back in and it felt fine, actually, but I tested it by pushing down on my helmet and it popped back out again. I feel like I let [manager] Joe [Torre] down and I let my guys down.
“I’m just crushed. It’s like every time I play for Joe, something stupid happens. Every time I get a dream job, something happens.”
He said while playing for Torre in New York, he suffered a broken wrist, a concussion and a sprained neck. “The diagnosis doesn’t sound real pleasant. I’m devastated right now. Joe and everybody stuck their neck out for me and this is what I give back.”
Best of luck, Doug.