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DEL.ICIO.USJames relieved shoulder’s treatable
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — For most pitchers, being diagnosed with a bum rotator cuff would come as the worst news possible. For Chuck James, it arrived as a tonic.
James started 30 games last season to indifferent returns. He wound up 11-10 with an ERA of 4.24, and on a team crying for a No. 3 starter those numbers weren’t good enough. He wasn’t nearly the pitcher he’d been as a rookie in 2006, and try as he might — and he tried hard — he couldn’t figure out why.
“It wasn’t a question of velocity,” James said Tuesday. “It was more the way the ball came out of my hand. Nothing was ever easy. I had to battle through every pitch every inning every time out.”
Knowing his team needed him to do better, James worked harder. His regular side sessions usually numbered 20 to 25 pitches, but by the end of last season he was throwing 75 pitches in the bullpen between starts. “I thought it was a mechanical thing,” he said, and if it was he was determined to fix it.
Turned out it wasn’t mechanical. The day after the season ended, he had an MRI exam. The film detected a tear in his rotator cuff. “It stinks to hear something like that,” he said. “But I was almost relieved.”
He’d known something was wrong, and now he had confirmation. And his doctors informed him that, in James’ words, “it was rehab-able” without surgery. He did some sort of rehab work five days a week over the offseason, and today he’s scheduled to throw off the mound for the first time. “I feel 100 percent,” he said. Then he smiled. “I’m saying 100 percent now, but I haven’t thrown off the mound yet.”
This is a huge spring for the wee lefty from Mableton. The Braves have augmented their skimpy rotation to the extent that general manager Frank Wren believes they’ll send three starters of major-league caliber to the minors before camp breaks, and James could be among that luckless number. “That’s the spot that’s open,” said James, speaking of the No. 5 slot. “There are a lot of young guys fighting for it.”
This isn’t to dismiss James, who’s 26 and who’s a fighter himself. Bobby Cox loves to tell the story about how Chuckie (as everyone calls him) was bitten by the same snake twice.
“It happened when I was in college,” Chuckie said, telling the tale yet again. “We were up at Lake Helen, and I thought I stepped on a pine cone. So I looked down to see what it was, and it bit me again. So I said, ‘I think I’m going to go inside.’ “
“It” was a copperhead, which is by definition a poisonous snake. Not until James’ leg swelled did he and a friend think to seek medical attention, but they couldn’t find a hospital. They wound up outside an emergency-care center, where a diagnosis was made by streetlight. Said James: “The guy told me if I wasn’t dead, I wasn’t going to die.”
The same James also suffered two broken wrists that same year when he tried to dive off a roof into a swimming pool and undershot. “There was water in the pool,” James has long insisted, not that any of his teammates are buying it.
This spring, there’s no guarantee Calamity James will be an Atlanta Brave come Opening Day. Assuming Mike Hampton is healthy — never the soundest assumption — the fifth starter figures to be James or Jair Jurrjens, the young import the Braves like very much.
“I’m not going to put pressure on myself,” James said. “If it happens [being sent to Richmond], it happens. Rehab was definitely a tough thing — I’m just thankful the offseason is over.”
Not that the winter was a total bummer. James’ number was retired by Pebblebrook High, his alma mater. (For the record, he wore both No. 3 and No. 6 as a Falcon, and he said: “They gave me the No. 3 [jersey], but they retired the No. 6.”)
As a Brave he wears a combination of the two, and he’s hoping No. 36 won’t be decommissioned anytime soon.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves / MLB, Mark Bradley
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By BigKuntry86
February 19, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this
Chuckie goodluck man on winning the spot. I’ve liked ya since your first outing. I know its tough but if you gotta go down to richmond just work your hardest to get back to the big leagues and winning the Bravos another World Series!
By jake
February 19, 2008 8:56 PM | Link to this
second
By TradeAndruw
February 19, 2008 10:44 PM | Link to this
Learn a third pitch, dumbass.
By Matt the Brave
February 19, 2008 11:41 PM | Link to this
Ok Chuck. First things first. Why are you jumping off a roof in the first place. Yes, you work on windows, but that doesn’t give you license to attempt something off of Jackass. Secondly, don’t push it this spring. If you end up in the minors, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll get more time to rehab that shoulder, and when someone does go down or someone is in need of a lefty in their rotation, you’ll be back in the bigs easy.
And stay away from empty pools or else you’ll get the nickname of Keith Moon.
By SpringTraining
February 20, 2008 6:56 AM | Link to this
We have four very very good young starters. James, Jurrjens, Bennett and Reyes. Our starting rotation behind Hudson is going to be solid for a long time.
By DD
February 20, 2008 7:43 AM | Link to this
TradeAndruw:
And what Pro-team do you play on? What an ignorant comment you made. If it’s so easy, jump on in there. OH, that’s right, you never got past High School Baseball.
By chris
February 20, 2008 7:45 AM | Link to this
So he gets bitten by a copperhead twice and doesn’t think about doing anything about it. He’s going to win a Darwin Award before he ever learns a third pitch.
By Jeff R
February 20, 2008 7:45 AM | Link to this
Hope his rehab works. If he regains his rookie form, he could be a solid contributor to an improved staff.
By Jim H.
February 20, 2008 8:04 AM | Link to this
At least he didn’t go camping with his dog —- and then forget to bring the dog home with him, like Adam LaRoach did when he was younger (according to his mother). The dog was never seen again.
I wish Chuck well, but if Hampton is healthy (I know…. a big IF), it would mean three lefthanded starters in the rotation….don’t know if that would be a desirable situation or not.
Man, I hope they don’t trade ANY of these young starters. We need them for depth this year and to replace the aging pitchers that will be leaving over the next couple of seasons. PLEASE KEEP THE PITCHING WREN!
By jeffc
February 20, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
Don’t look now, Chuck, but those footsteps you hear belong to JJ2, Jo-Jo, and Jair Jurrgens. You’re officially trade bait by mid-season. Glavine gets away with average stuff with the moxie you don’t have.
By suenah
February 20, 2008 8:36 AM | Link to this
here comes Jair!!!!!!!!!!
By TradeAndruw
February 20, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
Correction, I didn’t get past COLLEGE baseball. And even I had more than 2 pitches.
By dawgone
February 20, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
I do not understand why the Braves continue to place their hopes on Mike Hampton. He’s finished. Caaaput!
By Rain Delay
February 20, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
dawgone - with th money the Braves have in Hampton, they’ve got to place their hopes there until there isn’t any hope left…
By Hooter
February 20, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
Hampton is a real competitor. He can hit and run the bases. Injuries are a part of the game and I wish him the best this season.
By Bravos
February 20, 2008 7:37 PM | Link to this
TradeAndruw-And what are you doing now, by the way? Washing dishes?
Andruw’s gone, so be a REAL fan and support the team!