Beckett with Blisters again?

[YASS]

Beckett has been plagued by both blisters and 'avulsions.' Bos Globe reports that Beckett was DL'd for 24 days in 2004 for just such an 'avulsion.' He just has 'effed-up skin. It's entirely possible that treating his eczema has helped with his blisters, but not with the other problem.

In any event, this is where the Sox 8.5 game cushion allows them to take the big picture and give Beckett all the time he needs to heal.... whether it be missing one start or a half-dozen. Yankees don't have that luxury. Roger has about 15 innings of minor league pitching to get his legs under him or else his comeback may be a moot point.

Of course, long-term, his skin problems remain an issue for Beckett.... until they're completely resolved, it diminishes his potential worth to the Sox by about 20% or so.

Even if it looks to them now as though he'll need to go onto the DL (and I don't know that it does), it doesn't make sense to do it now, so long as there is enough roster flexibility to clear a space for Gabbard (if that's who it turns out to be). They can always make the DL stint retroactive to the date of the injury, so they're not losing any time.

There's one other reason they might not wait: If they're sure he'll have to miss as least two starts and they'd prefer to start a righthander in his place, they might opt to DL him and bring up Hansack to take his start. If nobody goes onto the DL, Hansack is stuck down there for .. what? 8 more days?

[ieddyi]

the more I read about it the more I feel he was using a ball that had an edge in a seam and using that edge, now I am not accusing him of doctoring the ball but of using a ball that was naturally scuffed somehow. which is a very good mechanism for creating a skin tear, because you would want the crease at the joint in the scuff so that you could roll your finger as the ball leaves your hand which would give you a much sharper break on the ball.

Given his skin history, it would be suicide for him to attempt something like that

[YASS]

Given his skin history, it would be suicide for him to attempt something like that

Let's not overstate the seriousness, here. I'm sure you meant to say "phalangicide" instead.

[Beast]

I think him making his start on Friday would be an extremely long shot ( cue the doctor to perform the unprecedented finger transplant surgury).

Nah they could do the Ronnie Lott solution. at the end of one of the 49ers superbowl seasons lott suffered a fracture to the 5th finger of his right hand, the doc's wanted to pin it and he'd be out 6 weeks and miss the playoffs. Ronnie was not happy and the story is that the doc joked that they could amputate the finger tip and be back in 2 weeks. Lott talked the doc's into it, he was back in two weeks, the 49ers won the superbowl that year and lott had the ring sized to fit the stubb.

pitching without all your fingers has worked well before

[Beast]

Given his skin history, it would be suicide for him to attempt something like that

nobody ever said he was smart

[koko]

Nah they could do the Ronnie Lott solution. at the end of one of the 49ers superbowl seasons lott suffered a fracture to the 5th finger of his right hand, the doc's wanted to pin it and he'd be out 6 weeks and miss the playoffs. Ronnie was not happy and the story is that the doc joked that they could amputate the finger tip and be back in 2 weeks. Lott talked the doc's into it, he was back in two weeks, the 49ers won the superbowl that year and lott had the ring sized to fit the stubb.

pitching without all your fingers has worked well before

I also remember reading that it was one of Lott's big regrets after he retired.

[Danny_Cater]

Nah they could do the Ronnie Lott solution. at the end of one of the 49ers superbowl seasons lott suffered a fracture to the 5th finger of his right hand, the doc's wanted to pin it and he'd be out 6 weeks and miss the playoffs. Ronnie was not happy and the story is that the doc joked that they could amputate the finger tip and be back in 2 weeks. Lott talked the doc's into it, he was back in two weeks, the 49ers won the superbowl that year and lott had the ring sized to fit the stubb.

pitching without all your fingers has worked well before

Beckett might consider it and then take lessons from Wakefield on how to throw a "true" knuckleball.

[Mel Marquis]

If he makes his start as scheduled and pitches a no-hitter, will the bloody band-aid end up in the hall of fame?

[flymick24]

i can't believe we have a thread about eczema

[Clive]

i can't believe we have a thread about eczema

I guess some people are itching to talk about it.

[YanksForLife]

I guess some people are itching to talk about it.

[4bronxbombers]

Is it me not knowing enough about pitching to wonder why Beckett needs to see a doctor about this blister he has???

[YASS]

Is it me not knowing enough about pitching to wonder why Beckett needs to see a doctor about this blister he has???

They're calling it an avulsion, but whether it's a blister or it's not, the aim is to get the skin regenerated and healed as quickly as possible so he can pitch again.

Apparently, doctors are good at this kind of stuff.

[yankeebot]

Is it me not knowing enough about pitching to wonder why Beckett needs to see a doctor about this blister he has???

IT'S NOT A BLISTER!!!!11!!!!!

[DrNick]

I think Josh just needs to start peeing on his hands to toughen them up...it works for others

[4bronxbombers]

IT'S NOT A BLISTER!!!!11!!!!!

Oh...I mean a skin flap or an avulsion. My bad.

[just-blaze]

Nah they could do the Ronnie Lott solution. at the end of one of the 49ers superbowl seasons lott suffered a fracture to the 5th finger of his right hand, the doc's wanted to pin it and he'd be out 6 weeks and miss the playoffs. Ronnie was not happy and the story is that the doc joked that they could amputate the finger tip and be back in 2 weeks. Lott talked the doc's into it, he was back in two weeks, the 49ers won the superbowl that year and lott had the ring sized to fit the stubb.

pitching without all your fingers has worked well before

What!?

There is heart......and then there is insanity.

[ballfour]

They're calling it an avulsion, but whether it's a blister or it's not, the aim is to get the skin regenerated and healed as quickly as possible so he can pitch again.

Apparently, doctors are good at this kind of stuff.

How good can they be? He keeps getting not blisters.

[YASS]

How good can they be? He keeps getting not blisters.

I can only go by what I hear about doctors. Hospitals are crawling with them.

[NYPenn]

I think Josh just needs to start peeing on his hands to toughen them up...it works for others

Beckett's blister problem was diagnosed last year as being spurred by exzema, for which he now takes regular medication. Since he has been doing so, he's not had blisters.

And as a side note, some of us have had blisters, and tend to look at them as minor problems, but Beckett's description (sorry, no link; can't recall exactly where I read this) was pretty gruesome. It's not that he'd have recurring blisters, it's that they would develop underneath the ordinary callusus that all pitchers develop. As you can imagine, that would make them extremely difficult to treat.

Beckett has also, as you can imagine, been offered every bit of advice on his skin from folk cures to the highest of high tech medicine. If I were him, I'd tend to listen to medical specialists rather than to someone telling me to utilitze pickle juice/cow pee/whatever.

[ieddyi]

Beckett's blister problem was diagnosed last year as being spurred by exzema, for which he now takes regular medication. Since he has been doing so, he's not had blisters.

And as a side note, some of us have had blisters, and tend to look at them as minor problems, but Beckett's description (sorry, no link; can't recall exactly where I read this) was pretty gruesome. It's not that he'd have recurring blisters, it's that they would develop underneath the ordinary callusus that all pitchers develop. As you can imagine, that would make them extremely difficult to treat.

Beckett has also, as you can imagine, been offered every bit of advice on his skin from folk cures to the highest of high tech medicine. If I were him, I'd tend to listen to medical specialists rather than to someone telling me to utilitze pickle juice/cow pee/whatever.

The diagnosis was made this year. The connection was made by a trainer, not the medical staff. Beckett himself has stated that his poor performance most of last year was due to concerns with blisters- so the problem was NOT solved last year.
He's not on "medication"- hes taking coenzyme Q10- a dietary supplement.
Whether the problem has been solved- in light of this recent "incident" remains to be seen

[MaineSoxFan]

The diagnosis was made this year. The connection was made by a trainer, not the medical staff. Beckett himself has stated that his poor performance most of last year was due to concerns with blisters- so the problem was NOT solved last year.

Did Beckett say his poor performance last year was due to concerns about blisters? I hadn't seen that.

[YASS]

Did Beckett say his poor performance last year was due to concerns about blisters? I hadn't seen that.

I've seen him say (I'll try to find a link) that he didn't throw the curveball at all except in games last year -- never in bullpens -- in an effort to avoid the recurring blister problem.

I've read that the eczema connection was made this spring. I've also read that it was first recognized last May ... so I don't know which is true.

[yep]

Did Beckett say his poor performance last year was due to concerns about blisters? I hadn't seen that.

It's been pretty widely reported that Beckett's style and normal routine were cramped last year due to blister concerns. He had to wear bandaids during bullpen sessions, and didn't throw curveballs as part of practice, and so on.

This year, most of those restrictions were lifted because they thought they had nailed down the cause.

I don't know that anyone's definitively drawn a straight-line causality, but it's pretty safe to say that the two most notable things about last year in the arc of Josh Beckett's MLB career were:

1. No blister problems
2. Discouragingly spotty performance

[Jasbro]

Whatever the Sox FO calls it in their damage control strategy, the bottom line is that there is a pitcher who seems to lose the skin on his fingertips when he pitches effectively.

Which is essentially the point I was trying to get across.

[MaineSoxFan]

I've seen him say (I'll try to find a link) that he didn't throw the curveball at all except in games last year -- never in bullpens -- in an effort to avoid the recurring blister problem.

I've read that the eczema connection was made this spring. I've also read that it was first recognized last May ... so I don't know which is true.

Thanks, I had read about the changes in his pitching but didn't realize it was due to blister concerns, I thought it was more to do with his unwillingness to throw the breaking balls.

[YASS]

Thanks, I had read about the changes in his pitching but didn't realize it was due to blister concerns, I thought it was more to do with his unwillingness to throw the breaking balls.

Here's the link I promised you. It's not much, but I've heard it repeated elsewhere, too.

[Reggie Smith]

Does anyone ever know if he's tried "Benzoine Tincture" to toughen his finger tips. It's commonly used by rock climbers and it works great. It does, slightly, affect your feel for things, but I do not believe it affects it too much for his feel for the curve.

Just curious......

[MaineSoxFan]

Here's the link I promised you. It's not much, but I've heard it repeated elsewhere, too.

Thanks

[yankeebot]

I love this thread. Check it out - Sox fans venture out of their self-imposed imprisonment and interact with Yankee fans on a specific topic of mutual interest. We really need to do this more often.

[YASS]

I love this thread. Check it out - Sox fans venture out of their self-imposed imprisonment and interact with Yankee fans on a specific topic of mutual interest. We really need to do this more often.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I certainly don't think of the RS thread as any kind of prison. I wander around all over, and I haven't gotten too many "What are you doing here?" cold stares. Some, but not too many. It's a good place, and there are a lot of interesting conversations going on.

I promise never to post by accident in a game thread again, though. I could sense the points of their daggers even if I couldn't see them.

[yankeebot]

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I certainly don't think of the RS thread as any kind of prison. I wander around all over, and I haven't gotten too many "What are you doing here?" cold stares. Some, but not too many. It's a good place, and there are a lot of interesting conversations going on.

I promise never to post by accident in a game thread again, though. I could sense the points of their daggers even if I couldn't see them.

You are living, breathing proof of what I've been pushing for months. Try and lure the rest of them out more often.

[Danny_Cater]

I think Josh just needs to start peeing on his hands to toughen them up...it works for others

I think only Posada's pee has those kind of toughening agents. Does Jorge sell it on e-Bay?

[4bronxbombers]

I think only Posada's pee has those kind of toughening agents. Does Jorge sell it on e-Bay?

[yep]

You are living, breathing proof of what I've been pushing for months. Try and lure the rest of them out more often.

I have to agree with the sentiment here.

It's one thing, as a red sox fan, to come to a Yankee message board for the lively and colorful discussion of baseball and your team's rivals, but to come to a yankee message board just to loiter in the red sox thread and talk sox does seem a bit silly...

[Reggie Smith]

C'Mon. How many times do we have to read "It's a Yankees thread, why are you even here?"

I venture out enough, and have the scars to prove it. A vast majority are pleasant, but there are those that are offended by the mere fact that we exist at all.....

[YASS]

C'Mon. How many times do we have to read "It's a Yankees thread, why are you even here?"

I venture out enough, and have the scars to prove it. A vast majority are pleasant, but there are those that are offended by the mere fact that we exist at all.....

That's going to happen some, but if you expect it, it needn't deter you. Some are either offended or confused by the presence of Red Sox fans. That's understandable; when I first started posting on a Sox board, I felt the same way about Yankee fans (although trolling was not at all regulated on that particular forum, so it was something of a different environment than this) -- but the majority of posters will treat you like any other and judge you not by the color of your socks but by the content of your character. Your skin has to be a little thick to post anywhere on teh intarwebs -- even on Red Sox boards.

[yep]

C'Mon. How many times do we have to read "It's a Yankees thread, why are you even here?"...

Well of course there's going to be some people like that, and that's a fair enough attitude for those that want to take it, I guess. It's certainly not like Red Sox fans are universally welcoming to Yankee fans who want to join baseball discussions.

But I guess that's kind of the point... if you just want a safe and comfortable place to discuss the red sox, why come to nyyfans.com? It seems like some people have almost created their own little mini red sox forum in the RS thread, which seems almost rude, certainly kind of weird.

Cheers.

(Not singling you out, Reggie, just shooting my mouth off in general)

[4bronxbombers]

Back to the Beckett blis....um...I mean avulsion thing......Jeremy Bonderman put on DL because of a blister on his middle finger. I'd like to see a comparison of what the 2 look like. Just out of curiosity.

[YASS]

Back to the Beckett blis....um...I mean avulsion thing......Jeremy Bonderman put on DL because of a blister on his middle finger. I'd like to see a comparison of what the 2 look like. Just out of curiosity.

Easily done!







Beckett is the one with the fuzzy chin.

[4bronxbombers]

Easily done!







Beckett is the one with the fuzzy chin.

Grrrr....you know what I meant.

[YASS]

Grrrr....you know what I meant.

No, ma'am. My mother always told me, "We don't know what you mean; we only know what you say."

[ballfour]

Peter GAmmons "reported" last night during the Yankee game that Beckett injured his finger on a defective baseball. That is really amazing stuff, even coming from Gammons. One day, I'd love to see the personal services contract he has with the Boston FO.

[YASS]

Peter GAmmons "reported" last night during the Yankee game that Beckett injured his finger on a defective baseball. That is really amazing stuff, even coming from Gammons. One day, I'd love to see the personal services contract he has with the Boston FO.

Sounds unlikely, but that's the version Beckett has put forth all along. Why shouldn't Gammons report it? And how do you know it's not true?

[jonnyc39]

Peter GAmmons "reported" last night during the Yankee game that Beckett injured his finger on a defective baseball. That is really amazing stuff, even coming from Gammons. One day, I'd love to see the personal services contract he has with the Boston FO.

That's not exactly news, Beckett has said that from the moment it happened.

[hardrain]

I think only Posada's pee has those kind of toughening agents. Does Jorge sell it on e-Bay?

Guidry says to the young pitchers:

With Posada, URINE good hands...

[YASS]

Guidry says to the young pitchers:

With Posada, URINE good hands...

*pages through CS to see if there's a prohibition on bad puns*

Nope. You're safe!

[hardrain]

*pages through CS to see if there's a prohibition on bad puns*

Nope. You're safe!

I suspect it was touch and go their for a second, eh?

[TheoShmeo]

Sounds unlikely, but that's the version Beckett has put forth all along. Why shouldn't Gammons report it? And how do you know it's not true?

Right, Beckett said, I believe, that there was something wrong with one of the laces during the post-game interviews after Sam Perlozzo's impersonation of Grady Little.

If Beckett ends up missing only two starts, this might not end up being such a bad thing in the long run from a Sox perspective. The Sox now know a bit more about Gabbard and Hansack, and the returns continue to be pretty good on the former.

Hopefully, Lester will come back one day soon, but having another serviceable lefty starter as part of the rotation would be good in the event that Lester needs more time and either Tavarez flames out or they have another injury to one of their starters.

[ballfour]

Sounds unlikely, but that's the version Beckett has put forth all along. Why shouldn't Gammons report it? And how do you know it's not true?

Why do I have to "know" it's not true in order to question it? Or do you believe Gary Sheffield when he says he didn't know the cream he was using was a steroid?