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OK, if you're the starting SS on the best team in the SEC and you got a full athletic scholarship to play ball, you're probably not going to lose your starting position if you beg out of a game or two because your arm is sore or rolled your ankle and you want to avoid playing with a barking wheel.

But, for the rest of college baseball players, how important is it to keep your mouth shut, stay out of the trainer's room, and play with nagging injuries in order to limit the chances of someone taking your position?

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Not good at all, neither is the question.

No player has to beg out of a game. The team doctor and trainer make that call. Athletes, ALL no matter what sport, what conference are encouraged to report issues. Players don't have to fake anything if they need a rest. Most coaches pick up on it anyway.

You should use your sons situation to understand what happens when you don't take care of injuries. The sooner it's addressed, the sooner the player is back on the field.

I am really surprised at you.

@Francis7 posted:

OK, if you're the starting SS on the best team in the SEC and you got a full athletic scholarship to play ball, you're probably not going to lose your starting position if you beg out of a game or two because your arm is sore or rolled your ankle and you want to avoid playing with a barking wheel.

But, for the rest of college baseball players, how important is it to keep your mouth shut, stay out of the trainer's room, and play with nagging injuries in order to limit the chances of someone taking your position?

Francis - I think it depends on the team, their successes, the talent depth, and how the HC operates.   Once a HC finds a lineup that works and wins, it is going to be hard to change it.   Roles are defined, and if a team finds that magic formula and keeps winning then I think only a serious injury can stop it.   With a team that hasn't discovered success then I think it gets murky, and the HC is open to anything that is going to get results including sidelining someone who is playing injured/struggling.

My son's experience is the HC was very hard set on the position players, but more willing to change pitching matchups, roles and rotations.   When he did change position players it was only on the corners, and it was for offensive reasons...those guys had to hit to stay in the lineup or else.   He did not mess with his C, SS, 2nd Base or CF.  My son's freshman year, our all conference CF hurt himself (ab strain) throwing a guy out at 3rd base against UVA in an early non-conference game.   He kept him in there.

I hope this answers your question.

Fenway gave you a kinder answer.

The question was, to my understanding, what do you do if you aren't the star short stop and you got hurt. Do you keep your mouth shut. NO!

Most competitive conference teams have players that can play multiple positions.

CUSA teams play 4 weekend games. It's been grueling, for the freshman to the 5th year senior but positions are being rotated and players have time off. We have 3 catchers who can hit so they DH. Line ups are made according to pitching matchups.  That's 32 innings in 4 days without a rainout.

Every single one of our guys wants to play every day. But they know not taking care of injuries isn't a good thing.

Just a reminder that in some of these big programs they have more bench guys sitting every weekend than playing. I mean who needs 48, 49, 50 plus players on their roster?

Last edited by TPM
@PABaseball posted:

What kind of question is this?

There's a difference between hurt and injured. I'm assuming a starter in the SEC would know the difference

Totally agree.  Injured means cannot play. Hurt has different levels. Personally, in season, I think it's rare to find a starting player who always feels 100% and most of them are dealing with something that is less than ideal.

@TPM posted:

Not good at all, neither is the question.

No player has to beg out of a game. The team doctor and trainer make that call. Athletes, ALL no matter what sport, what conference are encouraged to report issues. Players don't have to fake anything if they need a rest. Most coaches pick up on it anyway.

You should use your sons situation to understand what happens when you don't take care of injuries. The sooner it's addressed, the sooner the player is back on the field.

I am really surprised at you.

It's just a making conversation question. Totally agree that injuries need to be addressed and not ignored. That said, what it a player had a slight fever (99.7?) or had the runs or had a really bad sore throat? Something that a motrin or imodium could address? Yet, the player instead told the coach "I have to sit out today." Is that a mark against the player?

(BTW @GoingwiththePitch book made me think of the question because there was one time he was very sick with fever and stomach issues but he still played in the game.)

Most players are not going to ever ask to sit out, especially at the higher levels unless they are injured/hurt.  There is someone waiting to take their spot and some times all it takes is a chance for the next guy to step up and the starter to not get it back.  I've seen the ss on the best team get hurt and the fill-in go on a tear and the guy not get his spot back for the rest of the year.

@Francis7 posted:

It's just a making conversation question. Totally agree that injuries need to be addressed and not ignored. That said, what it a player had a slight fever (99.7?) or had the runs or had a really bad sore throat? Something that a motrin or imodium could address? Yet, the player instead told the coach "I have to sit out today." Is that a mark against the player?

(BTW @GoingwiththePitch book made me think of the question because there was one time he was very sick with fever and stomach issues but he still played in the game.)

My son and his roommate had food poisoning and showed up at the field. Players wanna play. No doubt. But sorry. if you are really sick you get your teammates sick. No one wins.

You went from injury to illness, two different things.

PF is correct, players will never ask to sit out. It's the staffs decision depending on situation, no matter what program you go to or how much your scholarship is or isn't.

Last edited by TPM
@PitchingFan posted:

Most players are not going to ever ask to sit out, especially at the higher levels unless they are injured/hurt.  There is someone waiting to take their spot and some times all it takes is a chance for the next guy to step up and the starter to not get it back.  I've seen the ss on the best team get hurt and the fill-in go on a tear and the guy not get his spot back for the rest of the year.

This of course is the biggest concern, and very true.

@2022NYC posted:

I was hoping to read examples of getting Wally Pipp'ed.  But post-lashing Franny was quite entertaining too. I clearly need something better to do on rainy Sundays

Okay, I have one for you. The best SS I ever was on the same field with was Robert Bonner, from Corpus Christi, Tx. Bonner was a D1 All American and made it to the big leagues with the Orioles. Was their starting SS until he got hurt, which opened the door for........... (wait for it) .... Cal Ripken!

Francis poked the bear one too many times in this one.  LOL

Not to be too much of a Baseball nerd, but the story involving Pipp & Gehrig has been greatly exaggerated, too.  Pipp had been suffering a ton of injuries that season and was really banged up.  He didn’t just ask for a random day off.  And Gehrig was a big time prospect.  One of many kids from the early 20’s who had grown up imitating Babe Ruth’s revolutionary approach to hitting.

@Francis7 posted:

It's just a making conversation question. Totally agree that injuries need to be addressed and not ignored. That said, what it a player had a slight fever (99.7?) or had the runs or had a really bad sore throat? Something that a motrin or imodium could address? Yet, the player instead told the coach "I have to sit out today." Is that a mark against the player?

(BTW @GoingwiththePitch book made me think of the question because there was one time he was very sick with fever and stomach issues but he still played in the game.)

It's an interesting question. To the original question of "How important is it to keep your mouth shut, stay out of the trainer's room, and play with nagging injuries" yeah that's in the back of players minds. Players want to play and they don't want to give up their opportunity to someone else.

I tell every athlete that comes into the athletic training room that if you play a full competitive season you're not going to be 100%. That's not an accurate expectation. But I'd like to know about something that is bothering them. They don't have to tell me everything, and I'm not exactly going to be telling the head coach every time so and so came in unless they ask or it's important. Example: an OF comes in, back is a little sore, not really painful or anything, and they heat it for 10 minutes and they're okay. Probably not going to text the coach that so and so came in for a heat pack.

The player, at the level, isn't going to just say, "Well I have to sit out today," they're going to say "Go see the athletic trainer and then we'll decide," if that makes sense?

As for the niggles/aches and soreness leading to injury down the line (which could be a logical thought process) we don't have that information for baseball players. We do for semi-professional soccer players: https://www.tandfonline.com/do...6?journalCode=rsmf20 and the infographic for it: https://twitter.com/FigtreePhy...197315842049/photo/1 which basically, the players that had a non-timeloss injury within 7 days or less were more likely to get hurt and experience a time loss injury in that 7 day window. But again, that data for baseball players isn't available.

I can name that Francis post in three notes. Do other people look at a title and think it’s a Francis post?

Francis, you sometimes overthink things. When your son gets to college it’s going to be very competitive to remain on the field. The best approach is “How do I stay on the field?” not “How do I avoid coming off?”

By the time players are seniors in high school they typically recognize dinged up versus banged up or injured. Dinged up you play through. Banged up might need a day off.

@RJM posted:

I can name that Francis post in three notes. Do other people look at a title and think it’s a Francis post?

Francis, you sometimes overthink things. When your son gets to college it’s going to be very competitive to remain on the field. The best approach is “How do I stay on the field?” not “How do I avoid coming off?”

By the time players are seniors in high school they typically recognize dinged up versus banged up or injured. Dinged up you play through. Banged up might need a day off.

Yes, I could be a millionaire if I could bet on those odds.

Good post. I hope he reads it

Last edited by TPM
@adbono posted:

Okay, I have one for you. The best SS I ever was on the same field with was Robert Bonner, from Corpus Christi, Tx. Bonner was a D1 All American and made it to the big leagues with the Orioles. Was their starting SS until he got hurt, which opened the door for........... (wait for it) .... Cal Ripken!

And lo and behold they were both featured on Ripken's regular set 1982 Rookie card.

1982 TOPPS #21 CAL RIPKEN JR ROOKIE CARD 21 PSA 9 MINT Baltimore Orioles

@adbono posted:

Okay, I have one for you. The best SS I ever was on the same field with was Robert Bonner, from Corpus Christi, Tx. Bonner was a D1 All American and made it to the big leagues with the Orioles. Was their starting SS until he got hurt, which opened the door for........... (wait for it) .... Cal Ripken!

So Adbono, if you had loaded up on those Robert Bonner Topps rookie cards in 1982, you would have a pretty hefty bit of change today.

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