Rogers’ apparent clot dampening fan enthusiasm
By The Heckler
Baseball Big Mouth baseball news
Word has it that Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Kenny Rogers – placed on the disabled list yesterday with what was being called a “fatigued arm” – has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his throwing arm. Let The Heckler be the first to steal a line from WDFN host Bob Wojonowski with a robust round of . . . ahem . . . hem . . . PANIC IN TIGERTOWN!!! PANIC IN TIGERTOWN!!!
Now, let me state right up front – for those not familiar with The Hecker, I have lived through two near-death battles with blood clots myself, one of which started in my left leg before traveling to my lungs; the other which appeared directly in the lungs about a year-and-a-half after the first instance. As a result, I now live with having to take a daily dose of rat poison to try and ensure they don’t come back (yes, I said rat poison: warfarin, the drug prescribed for clots, is the same thing with which you can off small vermin) and every blood clot is a serious situation. Truly, there is no such thing as a simple blood clot. All have the potential to be life-threatening. All it takes is for one small piece of that clot to break off and start traveling through one’s blood stream. And we all know where that goes - through the heart and the lungs. If it ever gets lodged in there, well, let’s not even ponder the possibilities . . .
That being said, let’s interject a word of reality here if we could: if they caught it early — and it appears they did — medication and rest should suffice. Blood “thinners” actually do nothing of the sort: this is a misnomer. What the medication does is simply prevent the body from adding to the clotting. From there, it naturally gets rid of the clot itself. Further, given that the clot appeared in his pitching arm, the likelihood of it occurring due to injury or trauma is high — and this is a good thing. This means the body is simply trying to heal itself. If it appeared in his leg or non-throwing arm, I would be VERY worried for him.
He is also not alone or unique in this regard. Apparently, New York Mets’ pitcher Tom Glavine had one last year and missed minimal time. My best guess is that maybe some scar tissue from an old surgery is simply causing it. Not that The Heckler is much of a medical professional. Then again, its my blog – and I can play doctor if I want to. As such, I would expect to see Kenny back out there in about a month or so. A few baby aspirin, some rest and relaxation – some fresh pine tar – and Rogers should be good as new. And if not? This is why many experts are picking the Tigers this year to win it all: they’re depth should carry them through. If one pitcher falling by the wayside is enough to derail this team, well, then they really weren’t contenders to begin with, no? Bonderman should excel this year; Robertson should win 17 games; Maroth should rebound nicely and Verlander – while probably taking a step back – should also finish well-above .500. That being said, the Tigers are also lucky enough to have some other arms ready to give them quality starts over the long haul as well – Chad Durbin and Zack Miner heading the list. And let’s not forget about Wil Ledezma who – while starting the year in the pen – could easily be plopped back in the rotation for a spell. Kyle Sleeth also rebounded nicely this year from Tommy John surgery, and Jair Jurrgens is also on the radar as well. Let’s face it, Tigers fans — we’re stacked with depth at this position. We’ll be okay. Breath deep. Think rationally. Kenny’ll be okay, and so will the Tigers. Let’s start the season thinking optimistically. Don’t get clot up in assuming the worst with every situation.