Kudos
to Jeff Horrigan for actually, like, doing
some reporting about Manny’s tendinitis and finding — surprise, surprise! —
that “medical experts say that his time off is normal and totally
understandable, depending on the degree of the condition.”
The degrees of patellar tendinitis are divided into four phases
on the Blazina classification scale, with Phase 1 being the least serious (pain
after activity) and Phase 4 being the most serious (tearing of the kneecap
tendon). The tight-lipped Sox have provided few details, other than the fact
that he is suffering from patellar tendinitis, but indications point to Ramirez
falling somewhere between Phase 2 (pain during activity but not affecting
performance) and Phase 3 (pain during activity due to minor tears that affect
performance).
The fact that the team sent him for an MRI during the last
homestand, which was described as “clean,” indicates that Ramirez’ symptoms may
be well beyond a Phase 1 injury. If that’s the case, being sidelined for the
better part of a month is normal. If it reaches Phase 3, however, the Sox might
want to ponder sending the 34-year-old for surgery as soon as possible.
Cincinnati Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek hasn’t
examined Ramirez, but he has treated several star players with Phase 3 patellar
tendinitis. Kremchek said surgery was the proper course of action for the likes
of Milton Bradley, J.D. Drew and Seth Etherton.
The
same article says that Manny might play tonight.
Let’s
just hope he doesn’t aggravate a Phase 3 injury and screw himself up big time
for the long haul. Getting himself hurt severely — thereby incapacitating
himself for next season or negating his trade value — would be a terrible way
to “quit on his teammates.”