This recent article about Troy Tulowitzki, by Troy Renck of the Denver Post, is absolutely alarming. I could have picked any of about six different frightening quotes from this great piece. There are statements from Tulowitzki about how he is not physically capable of playing every day, how he still experiences shooting pain in his leg when lunging or overstriding, and that he must undergo two hours of pre- and postgame maintenance on his leg.
Perhaps the most hard-hitting line is from Renck,
“(Tulowitzki’s) career, if not the Rockies’ fortunes this season, hinge on how well Tulowitzki manages his surgically repaired left groin.”
If you havent’ already, I highly recommend reading the entire article at DenverPost.com.
My first thought after reading the piece was that of empathy for Tulowitzki. I’m not a close fan of the Rockies, but I got the sense that this the first time he’s shared this level of detail on the health of his leg/groin. You can tell it’s wearing on him. It’s terribly sad that a player so skilled and with such potential has to walk this dangerous line. And he’s only 28 years old!
My second thought, albeit very insensitive, was to apply the information to fantasy baseball. I think it’s likely that I may never own Tulowitzki in a fantasy league again. Or at least until there’s more concrete evidence that his groin and leg has fully healed to a pre-surgery level. But there’s no indication from Troy Tulowitzki or Troy Renck that this will ever happen.
If anyone can recover through hard work and preparation, Tulo sounds like the man.
I absolutely love playing baseball, and there’s no amount of work I won’t do to prepare to play this game and help my team win. ~ Tulowitzki
But the risk seems too great. And it’s a shame.
Be smart.
