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Reply to "John Smoltz's HOF speech on specialization"

Originally Posted by jp24:
Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Can you give examples of what their overuse was?  Obviously pitching 150+ pitches every Saturday for 10 months would be overuse, but can you be specific on what theirs was?

Pitcher 1: From 12 or 13 years old on, he was CONSTANTLY working on pitching. Lots of long-toss (don't know details), and played in Texas for select teams that were in a LOT of tournaments starting in February -- often VERY cold weather -- all the way through August at least. It wasn't consecutive-days pitching, or throwing 150 in a game (although I did see him at 14 throw 125) -- it was just obvious that this young man was over-pitching. He was out for brief spells with arm issues almost every year from 12-15. And he'd come back, healed and HURLING. I'm talking mid-80's at a very young age -- 90+ in HS. It all ended with the SNAP! His elite D1 offer included. 

 

Pitcher 2 is from the northeast. He worked his tail off. Long toss all the time. But guarded fiercely by his select coach. Unfortunately, as a senior this year, his HS team was heading to State -- and his HS coach pitched him with one or two days' rest (can't remember), and when the MLB teams that were looking at him as a 95+ very high draft pick had him take a physical, they diagnosed the tear.

 

Both are sickening.  

Why is it any more sickening than any other player that can no longer play?  Do you think player 1 would have had the same opportunity without all the work?  Do you really think player 2 had a partial tear because of one short rest?  If so the tear was going to happen at some point.       

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