What's with these guys? Pete Walker, Eric Hinske, and now Cliff Politte have all let their teammates down this season (and risked their own careers) in stupid displays of machismo. Playing banged up -- nasty-looking eye bruises, a split fingernail, everyday aches and pains due to muscle soreness -- is one thing; peers respect and admire that. Dragging yourself out there to hit with a broken hand or pitch with a rotator cuff injury is another.
From today's story by Mike Rutsey in the Sun:
"I was completely caught off guard on it," Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca said of Politte's shoulder problem. "He, at times, had a little treatment on his triceps but I had no idea anything was going on in his shoulder until the trainer came in this morning and said they were sending him to the doctor (for an MRI test)."
The skipper mentions Lopez, Miller, Acevedo (when he returns from bereavement leave) and Sturtze as his late inning "mix and match" combination. Mike Smith and Jason Kershner have been called up to provide additional bullpen depth.
As Gil Patterson told me about the difference between "normal" discomfort and an injury, "When it persists, and it begins to affect the way you're pitching, you have to realize you're not doing yourself -- or the team -- any good."
It's been obvious that Politte isn't right. As others have noted, he lost some zip on his fastball, and his facial expressions have changed. He was coming in from the 'pen looking like he was already in a jam. Confidence is such a huge part of sports, so in addition to the pain he was feeling and his relative lack of stuff, Politte pitched scared. This is not a recipe for success.
You know Tosca, Patterson, the trainers and everyone else he came in contact with have been asking Cliff for almost a month if he's OK, and until yesterday, he lied. He's still being evasive ("a week or so") about exactly how long he's had the shoulder pain. I'm sure he became even more concerned about losing his job when Acevedo arrived, but regardless of when it started, Politte's selfish refusal to admit his injury hurt his team.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030630085837999