The Trolley Dodger

As readers might recall from earlier in the summer, I injured my right knee in a fall on our back steps, spraining my MCL, getting a bone bruise on my femur, and partially tearing my medial meniscus. The first two items have healed in the interim, but I’ve been awaiting surgery for some months to repair the last item. Finally had that surgery yesterday, and it all went well — a partial meniscectomy removed the errant bits, and now I’m into the process of healing. It was all done arthroscopically, so that’ll make it much quicker to heal.

The doctor who performed the surgery was Dr. Christopher Jobe, a renown orthopedic surgeon in his own right, working at Loma Linda University Medical Center. But it turns out he is also the son of Dr. Frank Jobe, known to all Dodger and baseball fans as the inventor of Tommy John surgery!

This was a total coincidence, and since I was concentrating on my knee, it actually took a friend of mine (and a Rockies fan, unfortunately ;) to pose the question to me after my initial consultation with Dr. Jobe fils. Since I didn’t see the doctor while I was in a conscious state yesterday, I confirmed the relationship with one of the hospital staff — all of whom, by the way, were incredibly friendly folks, so thanks to them.

Also coincidentally, one of the other patients at the surgical center yesterday was a defensive back from (I believe) the University of Arizona. He had a torn ACL and was getting it repaired. I didn’t catch his name in my hazy state, and my Google-fu is still out of whack this morning, but I’ll keep looking and update this when I find out. I seem to remember it having gone well, if I wasn’t hallucinating in the recovery room when he was brought in.

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.

Gah! Looks like our potential starting 3rd baseman is down for the count. According to Tony Jackson:

[Andy LaRoche] has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and will need surgery, which Ned said will take place in the next couple of days, probably in Los Angeles.

8-10 weeks is the word at the moment. Nomar’s been playing well, so thank goodness for that. Just have to figure out who the backup is.

On a nicer note, catcher Lucas May is getting some positive attention thanks to his performance this spring. We used to watch him catch 66ers games, so it’s awesome to see him get recognition.

Check out “Minor League Report: Lucas May” on MLB.com:

This is Lucas May’s first Major League camp and second Spring Training as a catcher, but he’s already starting to draw comparisons to Russell Martin.

Like Martin, May is a former infielder. Drafted as a shortstop, he was sent to the outfield before being moved behind the plate last year. He’s quickly become one of the best catching prospects in the organization, in part because of the power he showed while slugging 25 homers for Class A Inland Empire.

Another former 66er doing well is Ivan DeJesus Jr.:

Ivan DeJesus Jr. was plucked out of early Minor League camp to play in two Major League exhibition games, and he even started a split-squad game at shortstop when Rafael Furcal was nursing a strained hamstring. DeJesus went 2-for-3 with a double. He was a second-round Draft pick and is the son of former Dodger Ivan DeJesus.

We have a rule: never ignore players with Russian first names and Latino surnames.