Francisco Rodriguez collapses due to back spasms

From Bart Hubbuch's Twitter feed:

NYPost_Mets K-Rod is now sidelined indefinitely by back spasms.
NYPost_Mets K-Rod just collapsed from the spasms outside the clubhouse and is requiring medical attention.
NYPost_Mets A stretcher has just been called for K-Rod outside the clubhouse.
NYPost_Mets K-Rod is now crying from the spasms as the EMTs arrive.
NYPost_Mets Team officials have now shielded K-Rod from reporters, so no more live updates, unfortunately.

over 2 years ago Zwill 46 comments 0 recs |

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bad news

however, if these are JUST back spasms, apparently they aren’t that bad:

http://espn.go.com/trainingroom/s/1999/1215/235231.html

Jerry Manuel...stop being....stupid...

by MetsGeek on May 23, 2009 10:56 PM EDT reply actions

http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/mets/archives/2009/05/k-rod_collapses.html

Jerry Manuel...stop being....stupid...

by MetsGeek on May 23, 2009 10:59 PM EDT reply actions

Here’s a clickable link

by anonymous on May 23, 2009 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Ouch

That sounds painful. We’re all pullin for ya Frankie, get well soon.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 11:05 PM EDT reply actions

Burkhardt's feed

doesn’t add anything new at the moment but might be worth following:

http://twitter.com/KBurkhardtSNY

Also the indispensable Will Carroll:

http://twitter.com/injuryexpert

by Zwill on May 23, 2009 11:11 PM EDT reply actions

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on May 23, 2009 11:12 PM EDT reply actions

This injury bug is absurd.

Delgado, Reyes, Cora, Church, and now K-Rod…awful

Jerry Manuel...stop being....stupid...

by MetsGeek on May 23, 2009 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Make sure to also count

Schneider, and to a certain extent, Ollie and Putz. Yet we’re still doing well.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on May 23, 2009 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Voltron

Mets solution: get Tokuchi Toua (ace starting pitcher, 1B, cleanup hitter AND manager).

by Michkin on May 23, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Dude is in so much pain he's crying

yet reporters need team officials to close off the area K-Rod was being treated rather than having the respect to let the guy have some fucking peace.

by Sokojoe on May 23, 2009 11:15 PM EDT reply actions

It's not like they're spectating on his sex life or something.

His injuries are a legitimate part of their beat. They can’t make his back spasms any better by not reporting on them. In general I’m all for letting athletes have private lives, but this isn’t about his off-duty life, it’s an injury that will affect his play.

by anonymous on May 23, 2009 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions

If a guy is crying

I say back off, besides the paramedics aren’t going to answer their questions, Frankie is obviously not going to answer their questions and the reporters aren’t going to diagnose the problem by being there. Besides I’m from the Patriots line of thought, why let fans and, more importantly, your opponents know the health status of your players*? You’re just letting your opponents create strategies based on the information while also giving away your weaknesses to potential trade partners while gaining nothing.

*I know the NFL has a mandatory injury listing policy in order to prevent the mob from gaining inside information that can be used to make money on betting.

by Sokojoe on May 24, 2009 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions

God...at least we are proving resiliant in the face of all of these injuries.

If it’s one thing we are, it’s pretty deep in most areas. Putz and Parnell will be fine in the short term and hopefully Frankie gets well soon.

by AnthonyR on May 23, 2009 11:21 PM EDT reply actions

Also, with the emergence of Parnell...

Maybe this gives us a chance to showcase Putz for a deadline deal for a bat or SP. If Wagner can come back and be serviceable and Green can revert to being a fair reliever, he can be a major chip for us down the line if needed.

by AnthonyR on May 23, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Back spasms are no joke.

I get hit with them every few years, and unpredictably. 2 weeks ago I got them while bending over to pick up an (empty) washbasket. Makes no sense, especially since a few days earlier I had dug a big hole in the yard to plant a tree, with no ill effects. They’re not disabling in the long term, but extremely painful in the short term, as in knee-buckling agony pain. In my experience, the spasms never last more than a couple of hours (intermittent, not constant), but the residual soreness and stiffness lasts for up to a week. If I were Omar, I’d seriously consider putting K-Rod on the DL to make sure he’s OK before subjecting his back to the strain of a pitching motion.

by madisonmetsfan on May 23, 2009 11:35 PM EDT reply actions

think about how good the mets have been since last june

with all of the injuries and the ineptitude of the General manager who neglects to build any semblance of depth. With the exception of Fernando, none of our best prospects are within 3 years of the bigs

President of the Ramses Barden Fan Club

Fact on Villanova Sports

by Hoyadestroya85 on May 23, 2009 11:39 PM EDT reply actions

I think thats a bit of an overstatement about the prospects

I could see Thole being ready well inside three years, if his defense improves enough he could be a decent option as soon as next season, the bat doesn’t need much more polish. He won’t be a power hitter, but a OBP oriented catcher with good contact skills and a solid approach, that’s a very useful player.

Others who aren’t necessarily quite that far away: Gee, Niese, Holt, Havens. I know Holt and Havens are both just in HiA and that Havens has been miserably slumping, but physically speaking they’re both well on their way, and despite the slump Havens has flashed a solid combo of power and sound approach that could translate into a quick ascent once he masters the FSL. I don’t think he’s less than a year and a half away, and probably more like two years, but he’s hardly certain to spend the next three seasons in the minors.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think depth is the issue at all

How do you come up with a contingency plan for having Delgado, Reyes, Church, Schnieder, Perez, Beltran, Putz, K-rod, Redding, Pelfrey. and Cora all banged up at some point to start the season? The fact that they’re only 1/2 a game back is a testament to just how deep they are. When you sign guys with clear injury histories like Alou, Pedro, and El Duque you need to have a contingency plan in place for all of them, because you expect them to be hurt. The Mets finally stayed away from this type of signing, and half the roster has been hurt. Sometimes you just run into some bad luck, you can’t fault Omar for that.

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions

You don't think Carlos Delgado, K-Rod, Putz, Pelfrey, and Schneider are injury risks?

Just because Omar isn’t making total bonehead moves, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have a better back-up plan for Jose Reyes and Cora than Ramon Martinez. I mean it’s been rough, and I’m not going to just blame Omar, but our depth is not that great.

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on May 24, 2009 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't think they're all injury risks

Delgado played over 150 games last year, and has been durable his whole career. Pelf has never shown he’s anything but a workhorse, and K-rod hasn’t ever been injured. So no, I’d say they’re not injury risks. Reyes has been plenty durable, as has Alex Cora. To complain that we don’t have a starting caliber third string shortstop is just a stupid argument. The depth is good, that’s not the problem.

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Delgado played ove 150 games

But he’s 37, and the year before suffered from lingering injuries, and was awful in the first half. Pelfrey was a pitcher in his first year that had a huge work load increase. K-rod has never been injured but there’s always been MAJOR concern about his health because of his max effort delivery. And no ones complaining about not having a third string starting caliber short stop. It’s that our third string short stop isn’t even replacement level. He shouldn’t even be a 5th string short stop on a contending team.

by Gina on May 24, 2009 1:04 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't think many fans were complaining about Nick Evans

as the back-up plan for Delgado before the season. He proved last year he was a decent back-up plan, and I’m sure he’d have been called up right away if he hadn’t forgotten how to hit. Unfortunately he completely fell apart. Tatis as your number 3 1st baseman is fine. K-rod may have been a concern, but the Mets did bring in Putz as a setup man, back-up closer type. I think the bullpen depth was addressed. There is plenty of depth in the outfield, even after Murphy proved completely incapable of playing there. They still have Beltran, Church, Tatis, Reed, and Sheffield. If Perez was in the rotation, the spot starter types would be Livan, Niese, and Figgy, which I can definately live with. Omir Santos isn’t a great catcher, but he’s not a bad #3 guy to have hiding in AAA. So the big complaint seems to be the #3 SS. Wow…bad planning I guess.

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions

I wouldn't say Reed/Tatis

were very good contingency plans when you’re starting two huge question marks in your corner outfield spots. And the problem is Perez himself was a huge question mark so saying we’d be better if he was in the rotation doesn’t really say much. And I wouldn’t say plenty of fans were okay with Evans as a back up. I would say plenty of fans didn’t understand why we didn’t try to bring in a big bat to make us less reliant on Delgado and so it wouldn’t hurt as much if he was lost offensively.

by Gina on May 24, 2009 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Are you suggesting we should have signed Manny?

Adding another huge bat sounds like a great idea, but at some point it’s not Omar’s fault that the budget isn’t limitless. The popular names tossed around later in the off-season were Dunn, Manny, and Abreu. Manny wouldn’t be helping the current situation, and Bobby Abreu probably wouldn’t be all that useful (he’s 2 HR behind Omir Santos).

Dunn would be a nice fit, but would signing him have left the Mets any flexibility at the deadline? Personally, I like the fact that the Mets had a little money to play with, so they can asses their needs at mid-season. It really doesn’t sound like you’re complaining about the depth anymore. If Dunn’s the kind of guy you’re complaining about missing out on, it sounds like your complaint is that the Mets don’t follow the Brian Cashman roster building model.

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 1:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Are you assuming Manny Ramirez was the only available corner OFer with an OPS>850?

Evans still is a fine backup, and it’s stupid that he hasn’t been called up. The Mets still have terrible depth.
OF: None of Murphy, Reed, Church, or Tatis should have been expected to provide corner-OF levels of hitting production before the season. Right now, I’d say the Mets best corner OFers are Sheffield and Murphy, who I guess isn’t allowed to play there anymore.
IF: Alex Cora was the whole depth plan. Yea, having an absolutely terrible third backup-SS is a bad, when: A. your SS is one of the 3 most valuable players on your team, B. his backup is also sharing time with an already suspect secondbaseman, and C. There’s almost no SS prospect who’s worth calling up.
SP: Rotation depth isn’t just a problem with having 3 good spot-starters, there’s also the issue of having 4 total question marks filling out the rotation in the first place. With all of these positions, it’s not that our backups aren’t all-stars, it’s that often the starters weren’t that good to begin with.

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on May 24, 2009 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions

There were 4 corner outfielders available this off-season with OPS over .850

Dunn, Ramirez, A.Jones, and Ibanez. Ibanez, Ramirez, and Dunn all make 10 million plus per season…Andruw Jones was the same type of gamble as Sheff. It would be great if the Mets went 4 or 5 players deep at every position, but they don’t. I can’t think of a team that does. You honestly believe that a bench of Alex Cora, Sheffield, Tatis, Castro, and Jeremy Reed isn’t an adequate bench?

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions

As to the second paragraph

if the Mets are operating on a budget, I think it’s a good idea that they go into the season with some room left. If the Mets make a trade, they’re going to have to take on payroll. If they spend every available cent before the season starts, where do they go to replace injured players?

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions

The free agent market, before the season begins?

That really makes no sense. Wouldn’t you prefer to spend your money when that’s all it costs, and not prospects? Wouldn’t that result in better depth and not cost you as much, and you’d be much more prepared? And Dunn really makes below what he’s worth. I know Sheff has been good, but Adam Dunn would have been PERFECT here.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on May 24, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Also we didn't really come into the season with enough room left to make trad

As far as I understand we’re less than 9-7 million away from the lt threshold, there’s not n awful lot of options for tht little players. Plus like others have mentioned our farm system is just starting to show life again another trade will take back to square 1.

by Gina on May 24, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Um did you forgot about Pat Burrel?

by Gina on May 24, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Also Bobby Abreu opsed .843

And only cost like 5-6 million.

by Gina on May 24, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Bobby Abreu's OPS is .759

with 0 HR’s and terrible defense. Pat Burrell has a .664 OPS with 1 HR and even worse defense. Those guys are both playing worse than Sheffield, so I’d hardly call them upgrades. The only good solution would have been Dunn, but based on last season I think it was a wise move to at least give murph a shot.

As far as spending money before the season, you need to do that. You also have to leave some wiggle room in case someone is injured. What happens if we find out tommorow that reyes is done for the year? What if Pelf went down? To replace those guys, the mets would have to make a trade, so having some wiggle room makes sense.

"If I ever decide to do a book, I've already got the title...The bases were loaded and so was I."

-Jim Fregosi

by Stephen Schmidt on May 24, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions

It wasn't wise at all to just give Murphy a starting lineup spot. Especially with all the injury risks.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on May 24, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, you're second paragraph makes 0 sense to me.

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on May 24, 2009 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't think Perez was a huge question mark at all

even in our worst estimations, I think we assumed that he’d be about what he was last year, maybe a little worse. He wasn’t worth $12 million, and he definitely wasn’t worth not signing Lowe, but to suggest that anyone expected he’d have a complete and total meltdown like he’s had is disingenuous, IMO.

by cjmulrain on May 24, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions

I didn't think he'd be THIS bad

but I saw warning signs at the end of last year that he would maybe even decline more significantly than we all thought.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on May 24, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't think he'd have a meltdown like this

But I also didn’t think there was any chance he’d be better than a 4/5, MAYBE low end 3 pitcher, and when you couple that with maine coming off an injury and pelfrey coming off the increase in workload thats a lot of question marks.

by Gina on May 24, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions