Call me a pessimist, but did we know about this "slap" tear? Or is this Syd Thrift reprised?

That doesn't sound good at all... any chance the Astros knew he was damaged goods when they traded him?

Why in the world wasn't Patton given a complete exam ??? Now we know why the big exam hold-up over Jones !!! They already found out, Too Late, that Houston had sent them more DAMAGED GOODS, just like 1991 !!! How could they accept someone with a bad shoulder ?????

While I'm not a doctor, I must say it sounds ridiculous to have Patton continue to pitch this way. Even if he pitches well for a stretch, isn't it just a matter of time before it tears altogether, or at least in such a way as to make pitching impossible? What's the organizational thinking here? I simply don't get it.

There's no way he makes it through the whole season if he's already working through a torn labrum. Have the surgery now, rehab all year and come back strong next year.

Is anybody planning on finding out what's wrong with him?

Who has been more vocal in the last few months, Mike the Flan [ top executive for the O's ] or Anthony Brown our Lieutenant Governor ? Barry Bonds wants to play again this year. What a sad shame. Do we really need to watch this xxxxx again? SAD + 100.

A slap tear? Is that what you would get after a few hours with Gibby's wife? ... But seriously I hope they get a real answer on what is wrong with his shoulder. Why are they letting him throw when he could possibly have a torn labrum? He seems to be a promising young pitcher.

I know many of us will be asking this question about Patton, so....

"A specific type of labral tear is called a SLAP tear; this stands for Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior. The SLAP tear occurs at the point where the tendon of the biceps muscle inserts on the labrum.

How does a SLAP tear occur?
Common mechanisms of a SLAP tear include:

Fall onto an outstretched hand
Repetitive overhead actions (throwing)
Lifting a heavy object
The area of the labrum where the SLAP tear occurs is susceptible to injury because it is an area of relatively poor vascularity. Other area of the labrum often heal more easily because the blood supply delivers a healing capacity to the area of the tear. In the area of SLAP tears this is not the case, and chronic shoulder pain can result.
What are the symptoms of a SLAP tear?
Typical symptoms of a SLAP tear include a catching sensation and pain with movement, most typically overhead activities such as throwing. Patients usually complain of pain deep within the shoulder or in the back of the shoulder joint. It is often hard to pinpoint symptoms, unless the biceps tendon is also involved. In cases of SLAP tears with associated biceps tendonitis, patients may complain of pain over the front of the shoulder."

Ughh.

So basically before Patton arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, he hasn't thrown much since the Astros shut him down last season. It sounds like he's hurt a lot more than either he or the O's are ready to admit to. How did he pass his physical? Not good news at all.

Gee, what a surprise....an O's pitcher with arm problems.....

“Costanzo can’t get enough, can he?” Manager Dave Trembley said. “He loves it.”

And we can’t get enough of Costanzo.
Let’s face it. Every spring training there’s one guy who fascinates us. This spring, it’s Costanzo. From the Seinfeld allusions his acquisition inspired on day 1 with the Birds, Costanzo has captured our imagination.

Yesterday, Roch, you somehow made it through the day without posting any info on Costanzo. I have to admit that was rough for me. You, too?

Roch, along with others, I’m waiting to hear about a blast estimated at 525 feet (who cares about the wind? That ball was stroked!), illustrated in the Sun with an aerial photo of Ft. Lauderdale Stadium and an arced, dotted line indicating the resplendent flight.

Roch if Patton's labrum is torn why not shut him down and get him some surgery to repair it? Why work thru it?
All he is going to do is hurt himself and cut his future off. Get it taken care of now rather than later.

I looked up Patton's ailment and got this info for anyone else interested:

Most patients with SLAP tears will respond to conservative (meaning non-surgical) treatments. Any patient with a SLAP tear will be advised to rest after the injury to allow the injured tissue to cool down. A period of rest will allow inflammation to subside and may help to alleviate symptoms.

In patients who have continued symptoms despite these treatments, arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder may be recommended. There are several specific surgical procedures that may be performed, and it is important to understand that SLAP tears often occur in conjunction with other shoulder problems such as rotator cuff tears, and even shoulder arthritis. In these cases, surgical treatment will have to take into account these factors.

The primary treatment options for the SLAP tear are:

Debridement of the SLAP tear:
When a SLAP tear is debrided, the torn portion of the labrum is shaved away to leave a smooth edge. This option is only suitable for minor tears that do not involve the biceps tendon.

SLAP repair:
A SLAP repair is an arthroscopic procedure that uses sutures with anchors attached to resecure the torn labrum down to the shoulder socket. A SLAP repair is best suited to patients with an otherwise healthy shoulder who want to remain athletically active.

What is the rehab after a SLAP repair?
Rehabilitation varies depending on factors such as the strength of the SLAP repair, and the preference of the surgeon. Most often, a period of time of restricted motion is maintained for about six weeks following a SLAP repair. During this first phase of rehabilitation, some passive motion is allowed to prevent shoulder stiffness. In the first phase, the torn labrum is healing into its proper position.

Once healed, patients enter the second phase of rehabilitation and can begin more motion at about six weeks. Physical therapy continues to help maintain motion and regain strength of the shoulder. The final phase of rehabilitation involves more active strengthening of the muscles that surround the shoulder joint, and full recovery is expected between 3 to 4 months.

hey roch, i am heading down to miami tomorrow AM and will stop by ST over the weekend. hope to see you there.

Roch....let's fear the worst here and say it's a torn labrum. How serious would this be? Are there any examples of players with torn labrums that have came back and still been effective? This is starting to feel like Oriole trades of recent-old..(i.e....Luis Rivera, and Kurt Ainsworth). Geez, can we once try and acquire non-damaged goods

I hope this kid's shoulder is'nt a big problem for this year and later down the road. He's the biggest pitching hope the O's got. I'm not sure now who will take over the 5th rotation spot if this continues to slow him down.

Can anyone tell me if Rocky Cherry and Tike Redman have to go through the waiver process if they dont mke the opening day roster? Please get rid of Jon Leicester, he sucks and is going to hold up a roster spot on the 40.

Alex Cintron told a Trib reporter he was sixty minutes away from signing with Baltimore when the Cubs offered him a deal. He would rather sign with a winner. Here is the link-
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-20-cubs-bits-chicagofeb20,1,3118...
I hope the baby birds blow some people away. I am really getting tired of the loser label.

I can't believe how badly this situation is snowballing. Patton was supposed to be the star of the Tejada deal. It also seems like at least the Astros knew about the problem before the trade. I'll be surprised if this guy ever pitches a game for the Orioles, which sucks! He was supposed to impress us this year. This means Albers or Costanzo really needs to step up.

How's come no one has signed Sammy Sosa yet? Is it the money or what? He had a good year in Texas last year so he's still productive.

The more I hear the more it sounds like he was damaged goods when we got him.

I guess the question that has been asked several times is pretty apt - if Jones' and Sherrill’s physicals were such a big deal, how did we not catch this?

Or is it that it was caught and the O's went ahead with the deal anyway?

"They know there’s something going on in there, but they don’t know how serious it is yet or what it is.”

Are we sure you just didn't accidentally copy a blog from last spring and that really was Wright or Benson talking?

This is not the kind of thing a little rest will cure.

So, who will be our #5 starter now?

Jennifer - anything for you - well, almost anything.

Roch - How does Quiroz look?

I know he has a strong arm, but how is he at receiving the ball?

Not only couldn't Bako hit but he never seemed to be in a good position to throw down to 2B and he never moved his body on balls in the dirt - he would just ole' the ball.

Plus, the O's ERA seemed to be about a run higher with Bako catching.

I can live with the backup catcher not hitting if he can handle all the other parts of the position.

I was hoping Ben Davis might step up, being a #1 pick and all. I thought part of his problem early was his arrogance and poor approach to the game.

Maybe he and others might take a cue from Costanzo - here is a guy who probably is not going to get more than a cup of coffee in the Bigs but he is working his tail off.

Davis, being a former #1 pick (of course, they are all "former" as soon as the next draft occurs...), might have an edge over a guy like Quiroz, all things being equal, if he busted his but, too.

Roch - Not trying to pry, but you have not mentioned anything in a while - how is your Dad doing?

Roch ,
i just read your Patton bolg , Mr Patton's comments and yours regarding his left shoulder stiffness brought back memories of that 2000 B.J. Sufhoff trade , what was that pitcher's name ? Luis Rivera . i remember hoping this Rivera could be our pitching 'gem' . Instead ,Mr Rivera sat out the rest of that 2000 season , plus the whole 2001 and 2002 seasons as well . Roch , whatever happened to that guy since ?

Here's hoping our Patton is not another Rivera

Go O's !

Now we should all be thankful for the O's taking so long with the Bedard trade. The O's have the market cornered with pitchers who can not throw. The birds have yet again found another GEM with arm that is ready to fall off!!!

I think everyone is forgetting this trade happened the day before the Mitchell report. Torn Labrum, SLAP Tear or whatever it may be, the trade of Tejada to Houston was the most McPhail could have possibly gotten from anyone.

I hope Patton is healthy, but seriously if the Astros knew Tejada was going to be in the Mitchell report do you really think they would have given up 5 guys, healthy or not.

Olson will seize the moment and become a very good no. 5 pitcher in the rotation, watch and see.

Hey Allan, Luis Rivera went 7-8 with a 7.16 ERA in 20 starts for Chihuahua in the Mexican League last year. I think it's safe to assume his arm never came all the way back.

You are probably out two years with a torn labrum. Its much more serious than Tommy John surgery.

Looks like Patton may be AM's first mistake.

How may successful pitchers have come back from a slap tear, or labrum surgery? Anyone know?

Makes the Gallagher trade perhaps more necessary. We must get Ceda back though.

As someone who has gone through surgery for a SLAP tear, it is not all that bad. I lived with the discomfort and pain for almost 10 years before I took a direct hit to the area playing soccer.

It is fairly minor surgery to repair, but the rehab is a pain due to the location of the injury. If you can live through the pain and it does shoulder does not partially dislocated (which is why I had to finally have mine repaired), he could pitch,

I think it would be better just to fix. Why it was not done in the offseason and not diagnosed/disclosed earlier -- who knows.

ryan, if you're going to keep asking that damn question that you could just look up, at least pay attention when its been answered a couple of times already now. Redman = out of options, must clear waivers. Cherry = has options, can be sent down!

Scope Patton and get him rehabing. The O's don't need him this year. They finish last with him or without him.

Relax guys - it's not a horrible injury, and the guy has tons of potential. We traded Tejada the day before the Mitch report - what do you expect?

Still a good trade, and still a good pitcher, albeit with one issue here that needs to be worked out. Still we have stockpiled arms. Get it?

Baron , Rivera pitched last year ??? I thought he went to Witness Protection by now , LOL . Sorry i couldnt resist . One can only hope Patton's arm comes back further along than Rivera's arm . I recall reading MacPhail's comment ' thats why we asked for 5 players' . Can we assume he already knew Patton's damaged goods back then ?

Roch , what do you think of Randor Beird's odds making the Opening roster? Because it might be prudent to offer Beird back to the Tigers for 25 grand and save a spot for Gibbons and his 11 million yoke

Well, while I tend to agree with Flash, the biggest deal was to 86 Tejada, and this was what we could get.

They may have known Patton was hurt, but maybe they know it's a far from career affecting inury if treated properly from this point forward.

At least we got this kid Ryan from Seattle, he could possibly lessen the blow if Patton is done.

What if the Astro's didn't know he had any soreness? Team's don't know every injury for every player. There's many cases of players playing hurt for whatever their reason, and not telling the team.

Just the fact that he shut it down as soon the season ended does bother me though, and makes me at least want to investigate how he was handled toward the end of last year by the Astro's organization, did he throw alot innings til the season ended, or did they lighen his load near the end. How were his numbers..etc.