Post 186 will need to win 2x's tomorrow to claim World Series Title.
Follow "LIVE" action at the following address :
Click here for American Legion World Series Site
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Aha, now we know your secret! (Thanks!)
I believe, now that 3 teams have one loss, that 186 plays the team from Lousiana at 1, with the winner getting Indiana at 7.
The local paper reports this morning that Matt Edwards' arm is sore. He would've at least had 3 off days to rest up, but apparently he's out for this final day. They intend to start Chris Duty, who threw 146 pitches only Saturday!
Duty has gone on short rest before, esp. for the HS state tourney, but this is ridiculous. The fact that he needed 146 pitches last time out tells me something, too, because he's typically a guy who only needs 75-85 pitches to get through 7 innings. In other words, he was probably working on heart Saturday as it was.
We talk a lot about pitch counts in high school, and there's another thread going now about Little League pitch counts, but who would ever think it would be OK to throw a guy 146 pitches and then bring him back only a couple of days later? I know we all want them to win, but if they're that short of pitching, they're going to need some other things to happen for them to pull this off anyway.
Let's just hope they don't hurt the kid. He's supposed to have a solid college baseball career ahead of him. Edwards, too.
I guess every team there is probably running on fumes -- or at least we have to hope the others are, too. To win two today, they'll need someone else to step up, like yesterday, to have a career day on the mound. Maybe 2 or 3 someones.
Maybe they can pull off a 12-10 win or two. Good luck!
Duty has gone on short rest before, esp. for the HS state tourney, but this is ridiculous. The fact that he needed 146 pitches last time out tells me something, too, because he's typically a guy who only needs 75-85 pitches to get through 7 innings. In other words, he was probably working on heart Saturday as it was.
We talk a lot about pitch counts in high school, and there's another thread going now about Little League pitch counts, but who would ever think it would be OK to throw a guy 146 pitches and then bring him back only a couple of days later? I know we all want them to win, but if they're that short of pitching, they're going to need some other things to happen for them to pull this off anyway.
Let's just hope they don't hurt the kid. He's supposed to have a solid college baseball career ahead of him. Edwards, too.
I guess every team there is probably running on fumes -- or at least we have to hope the others are, too. To win two today, they'll need someone else to step up, like yesterday, to have a career day on the mound. Maybe 2 or 3 someones.
Maybe they can pull off a 12-10 win or two. Good luck!
VMI may regret allowing him to go. Of course, college coaches have been known to do the same thing.
A kid who just threw 146 pitches on Saturday has no business pitching today. Baseball is a team game and you must win or lose as a team.
Someone else must step up for Virginia and win this thing. Good luck to Richmond.
Someone else must step up for Virginia and win this thing. Good luck to Richmond.
Duty started and only gave up one run in two innings but then was pulled. The web site doesn't say why but I can only imagine that he gave it all he had and simply had no more to give. Next they used Cerreto again, he had just gone most of the game on Sunday. He battled into the fifth before he had to come out. Next they went back to Edwards, even though he was not started in the first place because supposedly his arm was sore. That didn't last long, either. A younger kid was called on to finish but they were already down 6-2 by then.
You guessed it, the younger, fresher kid shut them out the rest of the way. 6-2 ended up being the final score.
Very sorry that they couldn't win in the end, but perhaps it was a godsend. Makes you wonder, if they had rallied to win, who would've been sent out there for tonight's finale.
At some point you just have to accept that you have to throw one of your healthy arms and hope the other guys hit some at'em balls. And this team did play 5 games per week for 5 weeks in the regular season, so it's not like they only have three pitchers with experience.
Overusing these guys like this (Duty and Cerreto are 18, Edwards 19) could have and might have hurt them. In the end it didn't win the game, either. So how do you justify it?
You guessed it, the younger, fresher kid shut them out the rest of the way. 6-2 ended up being the final score.
Very sorry that they couldn't win in the end, but perhaps it was a godsend. Makes you wonder, if they had rallied to win, who would've been sent out there for tonight's finale.
At some point you just have to accept that you have to throw one of your healthy arms and hope the other guys hit some at'em balls. And this team did play 5 games per week for 5 weeks in the regular season, so it's not like they only have three pitchers with experience.
Overusing these guys like this (Duty and Cerreto are 18, Edwards 19) could have and might have hurt them. In the end it didn't win the game, either. So how do you justify it?
Duty came out due to shoulder soreness and Edwards came out with elbow soreness....
"Elbow soreness"? You are too kind. This morning's paper has a photo of Edwards doubled over on the field in pain after he threw a slider that put him over the top.
This is a kid who's already survived the VMI Rat Line. For him to hit the ground in pain, you know it was not some minor deal.
This should have been the feel good story of the year for local baseball. Hopefully it has not ended in tragedy. If you read the full article, it is a stunning example of a coach overusing pitchers in an effort to win. The coach sounds like a nice guy but he had no business using any of the first three pitchers he threw in that game. The first two of them had to ask to be taken out. The third one is on his way to the doctor. Bear in mind it was his turn to start but he didn't because they already knew his arm was sore. If he wasn't healthy enough to start, he wasn't healthy enough to enter in the 4th inning, either.
You can't just ask the kids how they feel. They will always want to go, and they will always feel they must tough it out for the team. And they always think they are indestructable. But they aren't.
To read how much these kids had pitched and then to see that the coach knew they were in pain and still put them out there just makes my jaw scrape the floor.
I still haven't figured out how to copy links into this site, but you can go to www.timesdispatch.com and click on the sports section and find the full article.
The coach was quoted, "My God, I hope nothing serious is happening because nothing is worth his future." A fine sentiment expressed too late. I just pray there are no long term consequences for Matt Edwards, who is one heckuva pitcher, player, and young man.
This is a kid who's already survived the VMI Rat Line. For him to hit the ground in pain, you know it was not some minor deal.
This should have been the feel good story of the year for local baseball. Hopefully it has not ended in tragedy. If you read the full article, it is a stunning example of a coach overusing pitchers in an effort to win. The coach sounds like a nice guy but he had no business using any of the first three pitchers he threw in that game. The first two of them had to ask to be taken out. The third one is on his way to the doctor. Bear in mind it was his turn to start but he didn't because they already knew his arm was sore. If he wasn't healthy enough to start, he wasn't healthy enough to enter in the 4th inning, either.
You can't just ask the kids how they feel. They will always want to go, and they will always feel they must tough it out for the team. And they always think they are indestructable. But they aren't.
To read how much these kids had pitched and then to see that the coach knew they were in pain and still put them out there just makes my jaw scrape the floor.
I still haven't figured out how to copy links into this site, but you can go to www.timesdispatch.com and click on the sports section and find the full article.
The coach was quoted, "My God, I hope nothing serious is happening because nothing is worth his future." A fine sentiment expressed too late. I just pray there are no long term consequences for Matt Edwards, who is one heckuva pitcher, player, and young man.
Outstanding tournament in a great park. Too bad so many times it ends up with pitchers over doing it.
Watching Edwards and Duty COMPETE in the first couple games was very impressive. They got those two wins, but threw a lot of pitches doing it. Duty was definitely running on adrenelan the first game he pitched. He was mid 80s the whole way, but when he got in trouble in the 8th, he started throwing 87-88. He had to be tired because he was well over 100 pitches. So he was tired and throwing as hard as he could. This is how serious injuries happen in many cases.
It's great to watch kids compete like that and at the same time it's sort of sad. I hope both those kids recover without any long term problems.
At some point, young baseball pitchers need to be protected from the "winning is everything" mentality.
On a brighter note, these kids and the team from Virginia really opened some eyes. High class bunch of competitors who put on a good show. They appeared to be well coached too.
In the interest of a few pitchers and using hind sight, it might have been better had they lost one game earlier. I'm sure the coach is praying that no one is seriously injured.
Watching Edwards and Duty COMPETE in the first couple games was very impressive. They got those two wins, but threw a lot of pitches doing it. Duty was definitely running on adrenelan the first game he pitched. He was mid 80s the whole way, but when he got in trouble in the 8th, he started throwing 87-88. He had to be tired because he was well over 100 pitches. So he was tired and throwing as hard as he could. This is how serious injuries happen in many cases.
It's great to watch kids compete like that and at the same time it's sort of sad. I hope both those kids recover without any long term problems.
At some point, young baseball pitchers need to be protected from the "winning is everything" mentality.
On a brighter note, these kids and the team from Virginia really opened some eyes. High class bunch of competitors who put on a good show. They appeared to be well coached too.
In the interest of a few pitchers and using hind sight, it might have been better had they lost one game earlier. I'm sure the coach is praying that no one is seriously injured.
Duty was well managed during his high school regular season, but when Monacan got to the state tourney, they relied on him almost exclusively. He threw I think a complete game in the quarterfinal victory on a Tuesday, then came back and pitched again in the semifinal on Friday, then came on in relief on Saturday. (I saw that game; he dropped his arm angle because he just couldn't rotate his shoulder fully.)
All of this was with a separation in his left (non-throwing) shoulder suffered when he had a bad follow through on a swing back in May. (The boy can hit, too! But since the shoulder injury they have DH'ed for him.) Although this was the non-throwing shoulder you do have to worry about kids changing their motions to avoid movements that cause them pain. Apparently Duty was able to maintain his mechanics because although he throws reasonably hard, control and inducing ground balls are really his strengths, and he maintained that standard all summer.
I suppose the justification given for the way he was used for the HS state tourney was that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and yes they did win the state AAA championship. But here we are only 2 months later doing it all over again for another team, another championship run. Really three more times, in the state, regional and national Legion tourneys. It starts to look like regular abuse, doesn't it?
I would guess he was struggling (or battling) on Friday because needing 146 pitches is way out of the norm for him. I've seen him go 7 in HS games on 75-85 pitches, and staying under 100 for a complete (7-inning) game is more typical for him. Even with the extra 2 innings, 146 is unusually high for Duty. Also he is more typically in the 88-90 range so if he was down from that, that would've been another sign that not all was well.
It was Edwards who had acute pain on the field, but you have to wonder about Duty -- and Cerreto too, for that matter. All three of them came out of this game because they admitted they just couldn't do it any more. I can't remember ever seeing that happen anywhere ever before, and I hope I never see it anywhere ever again.
All of this was with a separation in his left (non-throwing) shoulder suffered when he had a bad follow through on a swing back in May. (The boy can hit, too! But since the shoulder injury they have DH'ed for him.) Although this was the non-throwing shoulder you do have to worry about kids changing their motions to avoid movements that cause them pain. Apparently Duty was able to maintain his mechanics because although he throws reasonably hard, control and inducing ground balls are really his strengths, and he maintained that standard all summer.
I suppose the justification given for the way he was used for the HS state tourney was that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and yes they did win the state AAA championship. But here we are only 2 months later doing it all over again for another team, another championship run. Really three more times, in the state, regional and national Legion tourneys. It starts to look like regular abuse, doesn't it?
I would guess he was struggling (or battling) on Friday because needing 146 pitches is way out of the norm for him. I've seen him go 7 in HS games on 75-85 pitches, and staying under 100 for a complete (7-inning) game is more typical for him. Even with the extra 2 innings, 146 is unusually high for Duty. Also he is more typically in the 88-90 range so if he was down from that, that would've been another sign that not all was well.
It was Edwards who had acute pain on the field, but you have to wonder about Duty -- and Cerreto too, for that matter. All three of them came out of this game because they admitted they just couldn't do it any more. I can't remember ever seeing that happen anywhere ever before, and I hope I never see it anywhere ever again.
Sure hope this young man will be ok. From these pics, I don't believe I have ever seen anything like it. Well, I take that back, I have, I witnessed a 34yr old break his arm while in deliver at Mickie Gordon Park in Middleburg 2yrs ago. It was the most horrible thing that I have ever witnessed.
Midlothian, Va. Post 186 coach Dave Jones, left, and manager Richard Worcester, right, rush to pitcher Matt Edwards during the elimination round against Post 175 from Metairie, La. at the 2006 American Legion World Series at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, August 22, 2006. Edwards crumpled to the ground after a throw in the sixth inning and was helped off the field.
Midlothian, Va. Post 186 coach Dave Jones, left, and manager Richard Worcester, right, tend to pitcher Matt Edwards during the elimination round against Post 175 from Metairie, LA at the 2006 American Legion World Series at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Monday, August 21, 2006. Edwards crumpled to the ground after a throw in the sixth inning and was helped off the field. (Gazette photo by Cliff Jette)
Midlothian, Va. Post 186 coach Dave Jones, left, and manager Richard Worcester, right, rush to pitcher Matt Edwards during the elimination round against Post 175 from Metairie, La. at the 2006 American Legion World Series at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, August 22, 2006. Edwards crumpled to the ground after a throw in the sixth inning and was helped off the field.
Midlothian, Va. Post 186 coach Dave Jones, left, and manager Richard Worcester, right, tend to pitcher Matt Edwards during the elimination round against Post 175 from Metairie, LA at the 2006 American Legion World Series at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Monday, August 21, 2006. Edwards crumpled to the ground after a throw in the sixth inning and was helped off the field. (Gazette photo by Cliff Jette)
I know what Matt Edwards has been through, he's my Brother Rat... He had an MRI today...
Keep us posted, we're hoping all turns out OK. Hopefully this turns out to be a cautionary lesson and not something he has to pay for.
BTW, Coach Milburn, in the adult league around here we had a couple of those 30+ arm breaks occur. In fact I understand they happen with some frequency around the country in "weekend warrior" leagues. The problem is the throwing muscles get strong but nobody works on the support muscles, and the arm gets torqued to death. But that's a topic for another day.
BTW, Coach Milburn, in the adult league around here we had a couple of those 30+ arm breaks occur. In fact I understand they happen with some frequency around the country in "weekend warrior" leagues. The problem is the throwing muscles get strong but nobody works on the support muscles, and the arm gets torqued to death. But that's a topic for another day.
Matt has a partially torn ligament in his elbow, with Tommy John surgery waiting... Can't throw for at least 4 months...
vabraves11,
That is not the greatest news.
I always hesitate to give advice in these cases, but it might be worth the time, money, and trouble to go visit Dr. Andrews in Alabama.
Only reason I say this is because timing can be very important in these things, especially if TJ surgery becomes a reality. If TJ is performed entering the fall of your sophomore year it's a lot better than in the spring of your sophomore year. That's taking into consideration rehab and recovery time before reaching full strength.
Don't mean to stick my nose into this, but have had some experience in this area. Felt it was best to say something. Suggest getting a second opinion from the very best people able to give one. Doesn't necessarily have to be Dr. Andrews, there are other very qualified people.
Best of luck to Matt, he's a warrior!
That is not the greatest news.
I always hesitate to give advice in these cases, but it might be worth the time, money, and trouble to go visit Dr. Andrews in Alabama.
Only reason I say this is because timing can be very important in these things, especially if TJ surgery becomes a reality. If TJ is performed entering the fall of your sophomore year it's a lot better than in the spring of your sophomore year. That's taking into consideration rehab and recovery time before reaching full strength.
Don't mean to stick my nose into this, but have had some experience in this area. Felt it was best to say something. Suggest getting a second opinion from the very best people able to give one. Doesn't necessarily have to be Dr. Andrews, there are other very qualified people.
Best of luck to Matt, he's a warrior!
Here's the article that "Midlo Dad" was reffering to ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Midlothian Post 186 coach Richard Worcester heard some rustling near the ice machine on his hotel floor about 1:15 a.m. yesterday. He opened the door to find pitchers Matt Edwards and Chris Duty filling ice bags to put on their weary arms.
"They said they were going for Round 3," Worcester said.
Try as they might, all the treatment didn't help.
A thin, less-than-full-strength pitching staff caught up with Midlothian in the American Legion World Series (15- to 19-year-olds) yesterday. With its three aces game on effort -- Edwards had to leave with a possible elbow injury -- but short on gas, Post 186's shot at a second World Series title ended in a 6-2 loss to Metairie, La.
Metairie (43-7) played Terre Haute, Ind., (38-6) late last night for the championship. Midlothian (36-5), trying to add to a crown it won in 1985, finished third.
Post 186 ran out of fresh arms in the double-elimination event. Edwards, Duty and Phil Cerreto -- its Big Three -- had pitched the bulk of the innings during the season.
Worcester was hoping to get three innings out of each yesterday. Duty, who threw 146 pitches in a complete-game win Saturday -- giving him 24 1/3 innings since the regional tournament started two weeks ago -- started but had to come out after two innings.
Cerreto, who threw eight innings Sunday, relieved Duty. He got one out in the fourth before motioning for a replacement.
Edwards, already battling a sore arm, came in and pitched into the sixth. After throwing a 2-2 slider to the fifth batter of the inning, Edwards clutched his right arm and fell to the ground in front of the mound. After being examined by a trainer, Edwards walked off with his arm held by the trainer.
Edwards later returned to the dugout with his elbow wrapped in ice.
"I just wanted to give it everything I had," Edwards. "I knew it was going to happen eventually. It's just the pain of the season.
"I think it will be fine. I think it just needs a lot of rest."
Edwards said he experienced similar pain in the state tournament. He felt a stinging sensation yesterday on the inside of the elbow, in the area where pitchers have "Tommy John" reconstruction surgery. He said he'll have the elbow examined by a doctor when he returns.
"What was going though my mind was, 'My God, I hope nothing serious is happening because nothing is worth his future,'" Worcester said. "He was looked at by medical people. [Yesterday] morning, what they told me is it's sore but there can be no further damage to it."
Said Cerreto: "To see one of your players get hurt in front of you like that, it kind of brings you down to reality. It kind of pulled my heart out of it a little bit. Matt's one of my best friends on the team. You see that, and it just kills the rest of the team."
Edwards left with the score 3-2, the bases loaded, one out and a 3-2 count. David Coleman came in, and Metairie attempted a bases-loaded squeeze bunt on his first pitch. Brett Palermo missed the bunt for a strikeout, but Brett Accardo, running from third, beat the tag at home. Mike Liberto followed with a two-run single.
Coleman didn't allow any runs in his 31/3 innings. But Midlothian couldn't solve Metairie ace Robby Broach, who had thrown only 13 innings coming in. Broach allowed only six hits in eight innings. His fastball was hitting 88-89 mph consistently in his final frame, when he got a strikeout to end the inning with bases loaded.
"I guess it's a lot better ending than last year [when Post 186 finished as the state runner-up]," Edwards said. "We played on the last day any Legion team can play. You've got to be happy with that. We played up to our potential. Louisiana and Indiana, we knew we had to play amazing to beat 'em. I have no regrets. I think we did a lot more than anyone expected."
Contact staff writer Tim Pearrell at tpearrell@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6965.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Midlothian Post 186 coach Richard Worcester heard some rustling near the ice machine on his hotel floor about 1:15 a.m. yesterday. He opened the door to find pitchers Matt Edwards and Chris Duty filling ice bags to put on their weary arms.
"They said they were going for Round 3," Worcester said.
Try as they might, all the treatment didn't help.
A thin, less-than-full-strength pitching staff caught up with Midlothian in the American Legion World Series (15- to 19-year-olds) yesterday. With its three aces game on effort -- Edwards had to leave with a possible elbow injury -- but short on gas, Post 186's shot at a second World Series title ended in a 6-2 loss to Metairie, La.
Metairie (43-7) played Terre Haute, Ind., (38-6) late last night for the championship. Midlothian (36-5), trying to add to a crown it won in 1985, finished third.
Post 186 ran out of fresh arms in the double-elimination event. Edwards, Duty and Phil Cerreto -- its Big Three -- had pitched the bulk of the innings during the season.
Worcester was hoping to get three innings out of each yesterday. Duty, who threw 146 pitches in a complete-game win Saturday -- giving him 24 1/3 innings since the regional tournament started two weeks ago -- started but had to come out after two innings.
Cerreto, who threw eight innings Sunday, relieved Duty. He got one out in the fourth before motioning for a replacement.
Edwards, already battling a sore arm, came in and pitched into the sixth. After throwing a 2-2 slider to the fifth batter of the inning, Edwards clutched his right arm and fell to the ground in front of the mound. After being examined by a trainer, Edwards walked off with his arm held by the trainer.
Edwards later returned to the dugout with his elbow wrapped in ice.
"I just wanted to give it everything I had," Edwards. "I knew it was going to happen eventually. It's just the pain of the season.
"I think it will be fine. I think it just needs a lot of rest."
Edwards said he experienced similar pain in the state tournament. He felt a stinging sensation yesterday on the inside of the elbow, in the area where pitchers have "Tommy John" reconstruction surgery. He said he'll have the elbow examined by a doctor when he returns.
"What was going though my mind was, 'My God, I hope nothing serious is happening because nothing is worth his future,'" Worcester said. "He was looked at by medical people. [Yesterday] morning, what they told me is it's sore but there can be no further damage to it."
Said Cerreto: "To see one of your players get hurt in front of you like that, it kind of brings you down to reality. It kind of pulled my heart out of it a little bit. Matt's one of my best friends on the team. You see that, and it just kills the rest of the team."
Edwards left with the score 3-2, the bases loaded, one out and a 3-2 count. David Coleman came in, and Metairie attempted a bases-loaded squeeze bunt on his first pitch. Brett Palermo missed the bunt for a strikeout, but Brett Accardo, running from third, beat the tag at home. Mike Liberto followed with a two-run single.
Coleman didn't allow any runs in his 31/3 innings. But Midlothian couldn't solve Metairie ace Robby Broach, who had thrown only 13 innings coming in. Broach allowed only six hits in eight innings. His fastball was hitting 88-89 mph consistently in his final frame, when he got a strikeout to end the inning with bases loaded.
"I guess it's a lot better ending than last year [when Post 186 finished as the state runner-up]," Edwards said. "We played on the last day any Legion team can play. You've got to be happy with that. We played up to our potential. Louisiana and Indiana, we knew we had to play amazing to beat 'em. I have no regrets. I think we did a lot more than anyone expected."
Contact staff writer Tim Pearrell at tpearrell@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6965.
Found an interesting video that I remember viewing a year or so ago, just wanted to pass along and see what other folks thoughts are about it ?
"The Law and Excessive Pitch Counts"
Members of Georgetown Law School join Coach Pinkman to discuss recent legal research on coaching liability in arm injuries due to excessive pitch counts.
"The Law and Excessive Pitch Counts"
Members of Georgetown Law School join Coach Pinkman to discuss recent legal research on coaching liability in arm injuries due to excessive pitch counts.
Fill me in here. As an old timer I played high school in the 60's played college in the early 70's along with adult amateur ball. coached high school from 75 - 99 and never experienced what others have reported on this site. What is going on? I like to believe in my coaching days I used common sense with my pitchers. Pitch counts came toward the end. I read the previous posts and it just seems the common sense variable is missing.
Don't know where you grew up, but to me this is same old, same old. We just never seem to learn.
Matt Edwards has had Tommy John surgery. The report in today's paper had him saying it was not a gradual injury but a sudden thing, according to what the surgeon told the family. The paper stopped short of indicting the coach by name but the implication is pretty clear to anyone who's been following the story.
Matt lost out last year (freshman year) after a bout of mono put him behind the eight ball in terms of earning playing time and innings. With a 6-to-9 month rehab ahead of him, now he will not get to pitch his sophomore year, either.
The surgery was deemed successful but it's a hard road ahead. This is a great kid with a lot of ability, and I only hope he can recover to where he can show that ability again. He has at least 2 years of eligibility remaining, maybe 3 if he redshirts. I hope he doesn't give up, and I hope this doesn't destroy any dreams he had of a pro career.
Awful, just awful.
Matt lost out last year (freshman year) after a bout of mono put him behind the eight ball in terms of earning playing time and innings. With a 6-to-9 month rehab ahead of him, now he will not get to pitch his sophomore year, either.
The surgery was deemed successful but it's a hard road ahead. This is a great kid with a lot of ability, and I only hope he can recover to where he can show that ability again. He has at least 2 years of eligibility remaining, maybe 3 if he redshirts. I hope he doesn't give up, and I hope this doesn't destroy any dreams he had of a pro career.
Awful, just awful.
Just wish him a "speedy" recovery.
Here's the article :
Post 186 pitcher has surgery
Richmond Times Dispatch August 29, 2006
Matt Edwards, the Midlothian Post 186 pitcher who injured his right arm in the American Legion World Series last week, underwent reconstructive elbow surgery yesterday, his father said.
Edwards had an ulnar collateral ligament transplant, Jon Edwards said. That procedure is known as "Tommy John" surgery after the major-league pitcher who first had it.
Edwards, battling a sore arm, pitched to 10 batters in relief in Post 186's final game, a 6-2 loss to eventual champ Metairie, La. After throwing a pitch in the sixth inning, he grabbed his elbow and fell to the ground.
"Everything went OK," Jon Edwards said. "I asked [Dr. Jody Smith] if it looked like it was wear and tear. He said it looked like it was more instantaneous."
Edwards, who will be a sophomore at Virginia Military Institute, will miss at least six to nine months. Jon Edwards said he is hoping his son will be able to hit and possibly play some first base during VMI's season. He was hampered by mononucleosis last year.
"It's a setback," Jon Edwards said. "But I told my wife, 'This is his freshman and sophomore years. When he's a junior and senior . . . he'll get VMI into the NCAA tournament.'"
-- Tim Pearrell
Here's the article :
Post 186 pitcher has surgery
Richmond Times Dispatch August 29, 2006
Matt Edwards, the Midlothian Post 186 pitcher who injured his right arm in the American Legion World Series last week, underwent reconstructive elbow surgery yesterday, his father said.
Edwards had an ulnar collateral ligament transplant, Jon Edwards said. That procedure is known as "Tommy John" surgery after the major-league pitcher who first had it.
Edwards, battling a sore arm, pitched to 10 batters in relief in Post 186's final game, a 6-2 loss to eventual champ Metairie, La. After throwing a pitch in the sixth inning, he grabbed his elbow and fell to the ground.
"Everything went OK," Jon Edwards said. "I asked [Dr. Jody Smith] if it looked like it was wear and tear. He said it looked like it was more instantaneous."
Edwards, who will be a sophomore at Virginia Military Institute, will miss at least six to nine months. Jon Edwards said he is hoping his son will be able to hit and possibly play some first base during VMI's season. He was hampered by mononucleosis last year.
"It's a setback," Jon Edwards said. "But I told my wife, 'This is his freshman and sophomore years. When he's a junior and senior . . . he'll get VMI into the NCAA tournament.'"
-- Tim Pearrell
Best of luck to the young man. His family seems to have things in perspective.
Wishing for the best for Matt Edwards. What a competitor! Hope he comes back better than ever.
Hopefully people will learn a lesson in what happened here. I feel sorry for the coach, he must feel terrible. But now he should go on a mission of teaching others through this bad experience. Seems like a class guy, who loves the kids. I doubt this will ever happen again (at least not this way) to another of his pitchers. I think he will tell others to be careful, too.
Hopefully people will learn a lesson in what happened here. I feel sorry for the coach, he must feel terrible. But now he should go on a mission of teaching others through this bad experience. Seems like a class guy, who loves the kids. I doubt this will ever happen again (at least not this way) to another of his pitchers. I think he will tell others to be careful, too.
http://uconnsportsmed.uchc.edu/patientinfo/lectures/presentations/ucl.html
I think a lot of what happens sometimes is based on the individual and his growth development. All the more reason for any coach to be careful. You just never know why it happens to some and not others.
I think a lot of what happens sometimes is based on the individual and his growth development. All the more reason for any coach to be careful. You just never know why it happens to some and not others.
A "DAYS REST" RULE needs to be in place based on # of pitches throw in a game which will control the number of innings pitched for a season.
Legion as well as high school needs to come up with some type of rule, nothing in NHFS in regards to pitching limits unless I missed it.
Legion has 12 innings max. in 3 consectitive days.
I came up with this model … just something to look at and modify.
2 days rest … pitch on Day 3 ... 30-50 pitches
3 days rest … pitch on Day 4 ... 51-75 pitches
4 days rest … pitch on Day 5 ... 76-100 pitches
5 days rest … pitch on Day 6 ... 101-120 pitches
Legion as well as high school needs to come up with some type of rule, nothing in NHFS in regards to pitching limits unless I missed it.
Legion has 12 innings max. in 3 consectitive days.
I came up with this model … just something to look at and modify.
2 days rest … pitch on Day 3 ... 30-50 pitches
3 days rest … pitch on Day 4 ... 51-75 pitches
4 days rest … pitch on Day 5 ... 76-100 pitches
5 days rest … pitch on Day 6 ... 101-120 pitches
For those of you who followed 186 but that don't know the Edwards' personally and are interested in how Matt is doing here's an update. He's been going through physical therepy in Lexington several times a week and is still VERY active with the team and in practices. He has almost all range of motion back and the strengthing/rehabilitation part has begun. He's in the weight room with the team on lift days and is doing what he can. Still a long road ahead but a lot of progress has been made in a short time. You can see he wants to throw now but hes being cautious and is on way to a full recovery.
Thanks for the update. Best of luck to him in the recovery. Good luck to the Keydets this year, too, as there are several players from our area on the squad.
VMIKeydets,
Not my place to say anything, as I sure don’t have any medical expertise. I hope he has a good rehab program and follows it closely.
However, I have been around several of these cases and often the biggest problem stems from rushing the recovery. Not trying to be a know-it-all, I just care about this tremendous competitor! Best of luck to him!
Please keep us up to date.
Not my place to say anything, as I sure don’t have any medical expertise. I hope he has a good rehab program and follows it closely.
However, I have been around several of these cases and often the biggest problem stems from rushing the recovery. Not trying to be a know-it-all, I just care about this tremendous competitor! Best of luck to him!
Please keep us up to date.
Update on Matt Edwards on the comeback trail:
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports/more.apx.-content-...2008-06-13-0003.html
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports/more.apx.-content-...2008-06-13-0003.html