ESPN: Glavine to undergo medical tests

by Max in NJ on Aug 20, 2006 3:46 AM EDT

I'm sure the Mets held back this info until last night's ceremonies were over. Anyway, here's a snippet:

Glavine, 40, has experienced coldness in a finger on his pitching hand, and the New York Mets left-hander is scheduled to undergo medical tests next week in hopes of finding the cause, sources told the New York Daily News.
Glavine, a 287-game winner, is scheduled to have a CT scan Monday and an angiogram on Wednesday, the newspaper reported. Doctors are unsure whether Glavine's problem is related to a blood clot or possibly a "knot" in an artery near his left shoulder.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2555246

This sounds ominous, but I'll be saying prayers for Tommy and hoping it's nothing serious -- and not just because the team needs him.

So, Glavine's next start was supposed to be Tuesday, right? If he's having an angiogram on Wednesday, I don't see how he can pitch on Tuesday. Anyway, get better Tom, and as far as the Mets go, I'm really really grateful we have a 14 game lead at the moment.

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forget pitching

lets just hope he going to be OK. This is serious.

its a ground ball...trickling... its a fair ball, its by Buckner, rounding third Knight, the Mets will win the ballgame, the Mets win

by DoctorK16 on Aug 20, 2006 12:06 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, I just read an update on this.

(I missed any news presented in the pre-game show.) Anyway, when I first saw the news, I had hoped the problem might not be vascular, but clearly it is. Hopefully Tom won't have to have surgery.

by Max in NJ on Aug 20, 2006 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

This could be bad

Glavine had been poor in the 2nd half (worse than Trax) but still, he was our #2 starter in the playoffs. Now, assuming Pedro comes back and is healthy for the playoffs, El Duque is 2nd, then who? Maine or Trax? That's kind of scary, especially in a 5 game series.

When asked why I was a Mets fan, I responded, "pain is my lifeblood."

by wrightHOF on Aug 20, 2006 1:15 PM EDT reply actions

this could be bad?

your saying that this could be bad!!!?? This could be terrible!!! this could be a disaster!!!! this could be a fan like myself's worst nightmare!!!! this could mean that the Mets would have to go into the postseason with only one proven starter in Pedro Martinez(not like Pedro has proven anything to us this year anyway)!! Who's going to be our number 2 starter? Trax? El Duque? The same El Duque who is more inconsistent with is outcome than a magic 8-ball? If the Mets only have a crippled Pedro to rely on, expect them to barely limp through the playoffs. And its not like the red hot dodgers and the Red Birds can't beat us then. If Tommy's injury is season ending there will be no point in Omar breaking his back to get Shawn Green because wihtout Glavine, i don't care if he uses a time machine to bring Strawberry back on the team to play right field in his prime, the mets won't go anywhere. And to top it all off, its not just pitching we as fans have to worry about, its Tommy's health too.

by CarlosBeltran4MVP on Aug 21, 2006 8:11 PM EDT reply actions

I can understand you being upset

but it is what it is, and if it's a season-ending thing, it would be very sad, but we'd have to accept it and move on. Nobody on this team is giving up.

I have a lot of faith in this team, even without Glavine. Look how John Maine has stepped up and shown he can handle the big leagues. We also have other options from within, like Bannister, Oliver Perez, and Pelfrey once he's healthy again.

(not like Pedro has proven anything to us this year anyway)

What? When healthy, Pedro remains one of the most dominant, unhittable pitchers around. Against the Padres recently, for example, Pedro was truly masterful, reinventing himself as a groundball pitcher. He has been unlucky this year in terms of having two ailments not caused by pitching/working (hip injury - caused by fall; food poisoning). The key for Pedro is being healthy. He also remains a dominant force in the clubhouse, i.e. someone who helps galvanize the team to perform their best. So, I don't understand your beef with Pedro.

As for Trachsel, he has a magic wand when it comes to run support. It's weird, but I'll take it. I like El Duque. He's a warrior. Yes, he's inconsistent, but he has the ability to pitch great, as we've seen.

But back to Glavine: Let's not panic until after we hear the test results. And let's all try to think positively here. Glavine is going through a hard time right now even just having the tests. As goofy as it may sound, let's send Tom some positive vibes and hope that the clot or whatever it is will clear on its own.

by Max in NJ on Aug 21, 2006 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice post, Max. I have to agree.

With or without Tommy (and I do wish him the best in any event), we need to come up with 11 win in the post-season. Those wins could come from starters, long relievers, or late inning relievers. It's all going to be a question of matchups at the time. Our rotation is not what we might hope for in an ideal world, but it's not like we're going to be throwing Lima-time out there ever again.

"The Mets with the bases loaded: Chavez, great speed, Reyes, great speed, Lo Duca, good guy."

by Mr. Met on Aug 21, 2006 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions

you guys are right on

I'm mostly worried about Glavine's health, and less so about how the team will fare. The Mets can win without him. If his career is over, that's really sad and I'd hate to see it end that way. But let's think positively and see what these doctors say.

Anyway, look at all the starters this team has thrown out there this year (I think it numbers around 12)--somehow they always have found a way to win. I'd bet that someone will step it up over the last month of the season.

[Citizens Bank Park] is a paradise of cheap homeruns. -Gary Cohen

by kingcritical on Aug 22, 2006 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions

off the ledge

http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/toms_terrific_mets_mark_hale.htm

its a ground ball...trickling... its a fair ball, its by Buckner, rounding third Knight, the Mets will win the ballgame, the Mets win

by DoctorK16 on Aug 22, 2006 8:41 AM EDT reply actions

big exhale

OK, it IS the Post, and they've been known to get things, er, wrong from time to time, but it's still great to read that.

Tommy has been pitching better of late, and so has Trachsel. Maine has been fantastic. If Pedro is healthy and Hernandez can be more consistent, I'd take the Mets rotation over any other NL rotation.

John Maine for Cy Young!

by Greenpoint Ian on Aug 22, 2006 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions

To prevent any revenue heading their way

Tom Glavine will be taking the mound again.
A source told The Post last night that the Mets' All-Star left-hander - feared done for the season, maybe even for his career with a possible blood clot in his pitching shoulder - underwent an angiogram yesterday and will not require surgery.
The source said Glavine could be pitching sometime next week.
Glavine, whom the source said is expected to be treated with medication, had been feeling a coldness in his left ring finger. The southpaw said on Sunday that if he needed surgery, he might not be on a mound again in 2006. If there were no operation, he said, he might be able to return quickly.
The source did not specify the cause of Glavine's problem.
Glavine's news indicates that the Mets could possibly have both him and Pedro Martinez slotted into the rotation next week. Martinez is on the DL with a strained right calf but is eligible to come off next Wednesday.
Sunday, Glavine addressed his situation, saying "everything feels great."
"Basically, what they are telling them is that there is something in my artery that concerns them. At this time, we don't know exactly what it is and we are not going to know until I get the angiogram done. Once that's done, we will have a much clearer understanding of what is going on," Glavine said.
Added the pitcher, "For me, personally, you get scared. You start worrying about the rest of your career and if there is going to be one."
Glavine's agent, Gregg Clifton, declined to comment on the news about Glavine's health last night.

by peeder on Aug 22, 2006 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions

heh.

Don't worry, my ad-blocker prevented that anyway. I'm still going to wait for official confirmation before getting too excited about this -- the unnamed-source routine has gotten a little bit tired. But this appears to be the best we could hope for going into the playoffs.

Honestly, it wouldn't be the worst idea to skip Glavine's next start or two and give some other guys a chance before the postseason roster needs to be fixed at the end of August. Bannister and Perez have both been hot at Norfolk recently, and Mota and Williams need to be evaluated to see if either one of them is worth burning a roster spot on (my vote is no on both). Why not use Glavine's clot-dissolving time to get his arm some rest and try out a few of the candidates?

by anonymous on Aug 22, 2006 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

On the one hand,

I agree with this:

Honestly, it wouldn't be the worst idea to skip Glavine's next start or two and give some other guys a chance before the postseason roster needs to be fixed at the end of August.

But on the other hand, after everything Glavine's been through recently, even contemplating the possible end to his career in a worst-case scenario, I think the best thing for him psychologically is to get back out there on the mound, once he's cleared to do so. If the doctors say he's healthy to pitch, but he's just sitting on the bench watching Bannister or Perez in his place, it could make him think too much, erode his confidence, etc. He has already said that he thought some of his recent struggles were partly mental. Prior to this health concern, he'd been pitching considerably better and seemed to have gotten over that mental hurdle. He may now need a couple of starts to work things out again.

by Max in NJ on Aug 22, 2006 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions