Beckett pessimistic about back
Red Sox ace Josh Beckett, who spent the morning undergoing treatment for a strained lower back muscle, was considerably more pessimistic about his condition today than he was yesterday. He said he had difficulty sleeping last night because of the back, and said he did not know when he'll be able to resume baseball activity.
"I was a lot more optimistic yesterday than I am today," Beckett said.
He underwent an MRI and other tests that ruled out any issues with the disks in his lower back, but with the Sox just two weeks away from opening the season in Japan (March 24 against Oakland), it would seem improbable that he'll be able to pitch the opener. Beckett has appeared in just two spring games, one against Boston College and the other against the Twins in a B game.
Here is the transcript of Beckett's comments in the Sox clubhouse in Fort Myers this morning:
"Today wasn't as good as yesterday. We'll just have to wait and see I guess. Doctors told me yesterday that there was a possibility I'd come in and feel like I do today so as far as that goes, the doctors were right.''
Why was that, Josh?
"I'm not a doctor, I don't know.''
Did it happen because of looseness of mound dirt Saturday?
"I'm not going to get into the blame thing, Everybody's doing their job. Nobody's job is any easier than anybody else's. I'm not getting into that.''
Was there a mis-step on the mound Saturday?
"I'm not getting into that. It's nobody's fault. It's something that happens.''
It looks pretty doubtful for you to pitch in Japan.
"I don't know. We'll make those decisions as they come.''
Realistically, two weeks from today they open, you haven't faced big-league hitters yet, can you be ready by the 24th?
"I don't know. If I'd had as much progress from yesterday to today as I did from the first day to the second day, I wouldn't have ruled that out. Today I'm just holding up my obligation (to talk to media). It probably would have been better to talk to you guys yesterday because I was a little more optimistic. I'm in a pretty crappy mood as far as this thing goes because it was a pretty frustrating day because yesterday was good and today's kind of horse(bleep).''
Lower back?
''Yes."
Any discussion about an injection to reduce inflammation?
"No. I kicked around some of those ideas because it's a tough time in spring training, trying to get everything going. You don't really want setbacks this time of year. They basically told me that they couldn't find a spot to put the shot in there.''
Did they discuss that maybe putting you on a plane for 17 hours (to Japan) might not be wise because of your back?
"No. We haven't discussed any of that. We're just doing what we're saying, going day to day on how I feel. I pretty much have an interview with two or three doctors every day and report to the manager and pitching coach and my trainer."
Have you had an MRI?
"Yes. We've done a number of tests. There's nothing wrong with the disks, and I think that's what they wanted to make sure of. It's definitely a strained muscle or pulled muscle, whatever you want to call it. It heals when it heals.''
Have you had anything like this?
"No. Not like this.''
Back issues before?
''No.''
Any idea when you'll be healthy?
''No, I have no idea.''
Can you look far enough ahead to know the next time you can be on a mound?
''No. We're going to make sure it's completely pain free. I can't even really if laying in one position too long, or sitting in one position too long or standing in one position too long it kind of goes backwards. I've got to keep moving and stuff like that.''
What do you do tomorrow?
"Whatever they want me to do. Probably the same as what today was.''
Did it respond to treatment? As you're standing here right now, is it feeling better?
"It's kind of numb right now. I've had six or seven icepacks on it this morning.''
"I was a lot more optimistic yesterday than I am today. A lot of that has to do with being in a (expletive) mood because I didn't sleep well.''
Josh will be fine! Media needs to lay off and let him heal. He is our ACE, the best in he league, he is young and strong, no need to worry. He is a horse. Somebody tell the media to buzz off!
They better let him healk to 100%. There is absolutly NO reason to rush him. Backs can be a career ending thing if not taken care of.
Everybody relax...it's a strained muscle. As long as there is no disk problem, he'll heal in a few weeks and be fine. Hasn't anyone in Boston ever strained a muscle in their back?
I know all too well what Beckett is going through although his is a little different since it's not a disc injury.
After a few days his back should start to respond to the treatment and after that it's working on the strengthening of the core muscles and also the other muscles that support the lower back.
It's better to be safe than sorry at this point in the year.
I don't know about anyone else...but i'm scared about this. This is the one guy the Sox can't afford to lose for any extended period of time.
I know all too well what Beckett is going through although his is a little different since it's not a disc injury.
After a few days his back should start to respond to the treatment and after that it's working on the strengthening of the core muscles and also the other muscles that support the lower back.
It's better to be safe than sorry at this point in the year.
Beckett, Crisp, and Lugo hurt. Schilling out for...probably forever. This is starting to look like the Red Sox of 2006 again.
Let him rest, he'll be fine.
everytime one of these guys gets hurt....welp, your careers over.... just beat the tar out of the human body.....he'll be fine.
haha you gotta love beckett's emotion and truthfulness. He calls it like it is. He'll be fine.
Loose some weight Josh...... That Belly can't help the situation.
Let's not get carried away here. He'll be fine. If they hold him out of the Japan trip, he basically has a month to heal. You know they won't push him into going to Japan unless he's 100% healed.
You think maybe Josh should have been working on that "core muscle group" in the off-season? Maybe if the stomach muscles were there the back wouldn't be doing so much work, eh?
I guess Im the only one thats scared here. With Josh's history of injury problems this isn't want I wanted to see....I really hope this doesn't linger on and nag him all season. Schill out for the year...not good.
im not worried about this at all, i strained my upper back playing baseball last year, it felt a lot worse that it really was nd 2 weeks nd i was good 2 go
i think its all a ploy to keep beckett home and still look good to the media in japan... good move.
Don't be surprised if a few more Red Sox players come up with a nagging injury or two before the trip to Japan. I'm sure they'll be healed and ready to go after they return from that long trip though.
hehe, didn't anyone get the hint to stop asking the poor guy questions cause he wqas in alot of pain and didnt get any sleep?
Altho he gets paid millions to put up with bullshit that i only get paid thousands for... so i dont feel too bad.
Media questions are incredibly redundant and stupid. Did any of you guys get beyond elementary school?
It sounds a lot like what I've gone through in the past and I agree 100% with Ian. It may take 5-7 days for Beckett to really start to feel better but the key going forward is core training. I haven't strained my back in over 2 years thanks to a phenomenal trainer who stays on top of my back. Gotta have that strong core to support what he does on the mound!
I give him all the credit in the world for answering all those dumb-ass questions. " Did it happen because of looseness of mound dirt Saturday?" Are you for real? What the hell difference does it make how it got to be that way. His back hurts and you can safely assume that he'll back out there pitching as soon as he is able to.
Is it appropriate now to say WHAT IF? regarding Johan?
thats it - season is over , sox lose ! they should've gotten Carlos Santana even if it meant throwing in Ellajaberry.
I like turtles.
Back injuries suck, I pulled my lower back when I was sparring for a Kenpo test once. It takes about two weeks to heal, he's going to feel like shit for the next few days and then be able to work the muscles lightly. After a week or so he can go back into full motion, its not a major issue. If he had an MRI it would have shown if he had a ripped muscle, I think. If they didn't see that, then this is not a bad injury as long as he keeps icing and warming it and moving around a bit.
he is done. and a punk!
I would rather have these injuries now, at the beginning of the season, rather than in August, Sept., Oct. Luckily, Beckett's injury isn't disc related and will heal soon
I say to hell with the Japan trip. 17 hours sitting on a plane is no way to promote healing of a strained back. Slow steps - it's only March!
oh for heaven sake the season hasn't even started yet. he'll be fine, he's young and strong. just needs to take it easy for awhile and heal.
give the guy a break. you'd be cranky and pissy to!!!!!
It's a freaking back strain so everyone pull their skivvies out of their bum cheeks. A few days rest, pt stretching/core strength exercises and he will be fine. Gordon Edes' persistent questions are enough to transform it from a strain to a slipped disk. Lighten up Gordo - don't be a pain in the back.
Holy crap, lay off the guy... he pulled something... he'll be fine. Hell... I'd be in a crappy mood too if I got no sleep and a reporter kept asking me the same questions over and over in just different words.. Its all good.. no worries.
"Any idea when you'll be healthy?"
What kind of dumb question is that? It's easy to understand why these athletes hate (and somtimes refuse) to speak with the media after seeing some of the ridiculous questions asked of Beck. Give the guy a break; ask someting constructive, please.
Great news, now you know what the Yankees went through last years, suckers.
He showed up with some belly fat at camp - loose gut - bad back. Pray he gets better soon
get over it, its a minor back injury. we pay this guy millions to pitch not to listen to his rude press confrences
Turtles? Turtles? Does anyone have any chicken soup?
Can anyone recommend a good place to get a new pair of skivvies?
I've had the same problem in the past. Beckett needs to find a good chiropractor. Three treatments and he'll be fine.
To hell with Tokyo........keep the regulars home and send the PawSox.............we all look alike to them anyway.....
kinda pisses me off that he hurts his back in spring training, this guy was a beast last year for us because he was healthy for the wholeee season. I think he missed one or two starts cuz of that finger but that was totally a non issue
Hes gonna have to lead us again this year because theres a lot of talen on our rotation buts its all potential talent....
I'd be FAR more cranky if some group of morons kept asking me the SAME questions over and over and over. To put it another way:
I'd be FAR more cranky if some group of morons kept asking me the SAME questions over and over and over. Or:
I'd be FAR more cranky if some group of morons kept asking me the SAME questions over and over and over.
Josh Beckett will be fine. He said himself it's not a disk problem. As long as it's just a pulled muscle, everything will be fine. So he can't pitch on Opening Day. I think that making sure he recovers 100% is much more important that pitching on Opening Day. Let him rest up so that he can perform well when it REALLY counts.
This is the start of the curse of the Japan Trip. What a very bad idea when it was announced and the mis fortune for the Red Sox will continute well into the season. I predict the sox will never recover in 2008 from this It is very bad to the good people of Ft Myers who lost two weeks of Spring Training. Bad Bad Bad
Becket will be okay, I don't know how many times he has to tell the media that they will take it day by day. The media are mad dogs and go after players like fresh meat. The Red Socks will be back......
Jeeze, hold the paranoia until after the All Star Break (shades of Pre 2004!). If worse comes to worse, send Hansen out to pitch whatever exhibition games they have over there (just to punish him for sucking so much), and have Wake pitch 18 innings in the 2 games against Oakland. Save the rest of the arms till they get back to stateside sanity.
Beckett, Thanks for coming out and giving us fans 'something' on a day that sucked. Heal yourself. Red Sox Nation needs you.
DON'T THE RED SOX HAVE A TEAM CHIROPRACTOR??????? Back pain like he's describing often happens because of misaligned vertebrae and resultant reflex spasm of deep core back muscles. If this is the case, Beckett will re-injure his back time and time again until his spine is re-aligned. Not a happy thought for October 2008... A growing number of professional athletes (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods for two) and teams employ chiropractors, to ensure peak performance via optimized structural biomechanics. Hey, you wouldn't drive your car long-term with the wheels misaligned, why would you do it to your back?? SOMEONE TELL HIM TO GET HIS SPINAL ALIGNMENT CHECKED!!!
Having just recovered from something that sounds quite similar to what Josh is suffering, the only thing he can really do is ride it out and it should recover on its own. Painkillers will only take the edge off of it. Time is what he needs.
The games do count in Japan, knuckleheads.
peace and patience!
crisp may be hurt for the moment, but no fear! we have the magical jacoby ellsbury. he's a dreamboat and what a talent.
beckett: poor fella. he has every right to be grumpy. he'll be fine i bet in a few weeks, but he definitely shouldn't be shipped off to japan. hell, any of the sox traveling for a million hours would be suffering a bit, and to have a messed-up back, too? jeepers. let the poor boy rest.
Josh will be ok to pitch in a few weeks. I think we ought to start worrying about the rotation, though. To the guy who said Josh is a punk - stay off the Red Sox pages and go back to your spanking your Yanks!
I've had two microdiscectomies for herniated disc problems. The last one in Aug 2007. I'm maybe 5lbs over my ideal weight and regularly physically active. But the weekend warrior ways and neglect of my abs finally did me in. MRI's don't always tell the whole story. Josh's symptoms as stated, "can't sit for long periods, can't sleep....I've got to keep moving" match my own prior to surgery. I don't believe the docs who say it is muscle related- it is bulging disc issues! If Josh does not dedicate time to strengthening his stomach muscles he will indeed have recurring back issues that will prevent him from pitching. As for a sitting in a plane for twelve hours to Japan, forget it. It's next to impossible with bulging disc issues.
Maybe if Josh showed up to camp in better shape, he would not have injured his back. You could see his "gut" sticking out as he was pitching. Next year, Josh trains with Jacoby before spring training. Not more "fatys" at camp.
He will be perfect he has nothing to worry about.But maybe if he would stop complaining so much and thinking so negativily about his situation then maybe it would get better.
He will be perfect he has nothing to worry about.But maybe if he would stop complaining so much and thinking so negativily about his situation then maybe it would get better.
WHY DID HE NOT TRY CHIROPRACTIC CARE.MANY ATHLETES RESPOND TO TREATMENT. ie, and ADJUSTMENT. eg JOHNNY DAMOND, JARROD WEAVER AND TROY PERCIVAL.
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