Author Archive

Counting Down the Days

As I begin to sit down to type this entry, I look at the calendar and I cant help but notice how long I’ve come in this rehab process and how close i am to returning to game action! My rehab has gone as well as planned and i feel great about all the rehab and throwing. Im still on a similar schedule as i was when i began throwing bullpens but a little more intense and increase workload. Mondays and Fridays are my bullpen days with a day of long toss between them, but as we approach simulated games and real game i believe i will start to play catch everyday or most days of the week. 

A tentative date for return to game action looks like August 16th for a rehab inning of work. Everyone keeps asking me if i”m nervous? excited? how Im feeling physically? mentally? If there is one main thing that i have learned from my time away from the game, its controlling my emotions and not taking anything for granted. I’m very excited to return and put all the hard work I’ve done myself along with our training staff and strength coaches. Physically I feel really good my shoulder is strong and my elbow has recovered extremely well. I feel like my bullpens and throwing has gone extremely well, with all the throwing and focusing on mechanics i feel more in-tune and under control throwing my bullpens. I’ve also been working on a 2 seam fastball and it seems to be better than before surgery.
Other than throwing, conditioning and working out its been a great change of scenery to join the team here in Mobile. All these guys are great and its a good atmosphere with a ton of talent in the clubhouse. 

Mound Monday

When Fridays come around everyone is looking forward to some time off and a weekend away from things. This was the opposite for me this weekend, I’ve been looking forward to Monday for a long time now. This coming Monday will be my first time back on the mound throwing bullpens since surgery back in October. This weekend couldn’t have gone any slower than it has I’ve been watching tv, movies and playing xbox the time still seems to not move forward. 

All in all the it has been a pretty eventful and busy week leading up to getting back on the mound. Thursday night we went to Chase Field to watch the Dbacks Giants game, it was a great game and the dbacks were able to work Lincecum for a less than stellar outing and win late in that game. Like i said earlier the weekend has been filled with…. well filled with fillers like xbox, tv and movies. Although I did finally get Blindside on netflix and that movie was amazing. Id have to say an instant top 10 favorite movie. I’ve also actually been bored enough to clean up my apartment and do some laundry!! 
As I close this entry I cant help but be anxious to get back on the mound tomorrow and look forward to these coming months. Although my arm will probably feel good and emotions will be flowing, I have to remember to take it easy and hold back a little. 
Time to watch the Dbacks and some playoff hockey!
 

Well Played Mauer

Hey followers, readers and fans just wanted to blog a quick update on how my progression is coming along. With all my buddies and fellow teammates breaking camp to long season teams, I’ve found myself in unfamiliar territory. It was good to have all those guys around during spring training to take my mind off the grind of my current rehab. Things have been going real good in my current throwing program and have not had any complaints following my surgery!

I am currently throwing at 120 ft and starting to work in throwing change-ups at 60 ft as i finish my long toss. That is the main point to my throwing program, finishing up the long toss program and building endurance in my elbow and shoulder. Im really looking forward to my mound progression which begins in early May, as long as this rehab has been I am beginning to see the light at the end of tunnel. 
Please leave comments for future blogs. Im going to start blogging more and updating everyone on my progression as well as answer questions and blog on suggested topics.

Birmingham Airport/Update

Blogging from the Birmingham airport listening to music trying to fill time with 4 hours until boarding the flight! Normally i would enjoy people watching with my ipod in, but the problem is that the terminal we are in has 6 gates.  Theres only so much news i can watch when the news lady is referencing facebook as a source or pleading for followers on twitter and friends and facebook! I was thinking of what i wanted to blog about in this entry… I decided i would update readers about my future throwing and rehab program with some brief opinions on random stuff.

Today was my 4 month follow up with Dr. Andrews. Everything went awesome and as i had hoped! I was cleared to begin a throwing progression and program, so i couldnt be happier with today’s news. Also, listening to Eric Church couldnt be a better cd to listen to being in a good mood and fill time in the airport. Tomorrow will be my first day throwing a baseball and beginning the throwing program, last week i began throwing a tennis ball to begin the progression. “The idea behind throwing a tennis ball is to retrain nerves and coordinating the body in the throwing motion” as told to me by Jimmy Southard. When i first began throwing a tennis ball i expected it to be a little awkward but things felt good, Im extremely excited to begin throwing a real ball tomorrow! Im hoping to pitch somewhere this season which is the goal im working towards in the coming months and in this throwing program. 
Being away from the game for the months i have been, has really opened my eyes to the things that are taken for granted. Taking ground balls on the mound, going through bunt plays, shagging bp and just being a part of the clubhouse. Okay maybe i take that back about shagging bp, but i enjoy running around like a little kid shagging like an outfielder is fun to me! Also, during my rehab i have gotten in the best shape i have been in since being in professional baseball. I fill my down time with going to gym doing cardio, playing xbox and watching a lot of dvds and tv series. 
I was a little upset with the Colts loss but i can admit as a fan, we got outplayed and didnt make the adjustments we needed to make to win that game. As a devoted fan i still wear my jersey proud and look forward to the next season returning another great team! 
Any suggestions for future blogs are welcomed and encouraged. I will be blogging more if i have some topics to write about and hear what readers have to say.

It’s 2010

Sorry to my readers on the length of time between blogs. The holidays were very busy and I also had some computer problems. No reason to worry I purchased a new Macbook and love it! I’m watching the BCS National Championship game while I type so this could take some time. When i thought to myself what I would type about tonight i had no idea of a good topic… 

I’ve been counting down the days until I return to Dr. Andrews for my 4 month follow-up. The appointment will be my clearing to begin a throwing program. With the arrival of a new year, my focus has shifted to doing anything and everything to get in best shape and healthy. Not that this wasn’t already a main focus but now the level at which I’m working is much more intense and detailed. This means eating healthier, conditioning hard, baseball specific lifting and mentally preparing myself for big comeback!
I’ve been doing a lot of tweeting lately to keep followers updated on whats going on in my life.
Follow me at http://twitter.com/JarrodBParker
Please comment on what you would like me to blog about in the upcoming entries
GO COLTS!

What a week!

Finally some down time after a busy yet fun week. It’s been a really good week in terms of rehab and my progression is very good. My rehab days are pretty easy but they take some time, with myself and the rehab team being very detailed. I usually get up around 7:00 am get dressed, brush my teeth, get rid of my bedhead and grab a Gatorade or water as I walk out the door. Everyone that knows me or has seen me in the mornings knows I’m not a very pleasant person and usually not very personable. I have about a 15-20 min. drive to the complex depending on Tucson traffic which can be a toss up on any day.

Once I get to the complex I usually review my program and plans for the day. Usually the day starts with an ice treatment and catching up on whats on ESPN. Since my scar is healing well I’ve been able to use the whirlpools, what I do is usually 1 min. in cold and 2 min. in hot for about 4-5 rotations. Following the whirlpool treatment I start my wrist and elbow stretching and range of motioin exercises. These usually can be done on my own but when I’m finished our training staff wants to see my progression and they help me get more movement. An important thing that people quickly forget is how crucial it is keeping your shoulder strong throughtout all this. This week was the first week I was able to start moving my leg more freely, I was able to get on the bike and loosen my knee and hamstring up. We have been focusing a lot on the small stuff and there are some new things we add to my program daily, which I love cause I am always willing to try new exercises and get better.

This past week I was lucky enough to be invited to Torii Hunter’s celebrity golf classic in Chandler, Az. It was an amazing event with lots of familar faces and a great event for an even better cause. The charity that all the proceeds went to was Torri’s charity called the Torii Project. Tuesday night kicked the weeks events off with a banquet and performance by Briant Mcknight. Wednesday was the golf scramble, which I was a spectator riding around the course in a golf cart.  More information and news about the Chairty and event can be found at http://www.toriihunter.com/golfclassic/ 

Any suggestions on future blogs just leave me a comment. And I’m going to finish my blog with GO COLTS!

Let’s go Colts!

Just settling in to watch the Colts take on the 49ers here in Tucson. I’ve had a pretty busy weekend so far, a day to relax and watch football will be nice! I’m pretty pumped that I finally get to watch the Colts on a regional broadcast.

There has been some questions posted by readers that were wondering about the injury before the actual injury. The season for me was going great in 2009, couldnt have asked to be any healthier. Like every pitcher we have our ups and downs both physically and mentally. Not really sure if at any point in the season that a baseball player can say he is 100% healthy, but on July 30th while warming up in the bullpen I could feel I wasnt my normal self. At first, I thought it was something that would go away and I would loosen up after about 15 throws, but not this day. I proceeded to have my worst start of the year, not saying it was from my elbow but I was frustrated with my performance. Following my outing I went into the trainers room and said that something didn’t feel right, and by right I meant not what I usually feel following an outing. The most crazy thing about my injury was that the outing that I suffered my injury was the hardest I had thrown the entire season. My FB averages were up and my FB peak was also the highest of the season.

Tomorrow begins my first day of rehab at the Dbacks complex with our rehab guys. I’ve been doing some icing and flexibility stuff while sitting on couch and watching football the past few days. This has been tough for me to do, I’m usually a person that is on the go and doesn’t like to be lazy. I will blog next week more about the week in rehab and what I did and how my progression is.

Frank Gore just broke a huge run on our defense!! Thats a sign for me to settle in and start cheering on the Colts. 

The day after

Hello again readers and followers as I said these coming blogs may be a little short but I’ll do the best I can. Everything went well yesterday during and after the procedure! I struggled to get comfortable last night with a cast on my right arm and my left leg wrapped in a brace. The reason my leg was in a brace was because they used a graft from that leg to repair the ucl in my right arm. Dr. Andrews was extremely happy when I talked to him on the phone this morning before my 1st of 2 rehab appointments. He said that the graft he took from my leg was healthy and strong. Rehab this morning was not easy and just showed me that I have a big challenge in front of me, that I know I have the work ethic to conquer.

 

Sorry to cut this blog short but I have a second rehab appointment today here in Birmingham. Readers feel free to ask any specific questions or topics I should write about.

The day before

This is my first official blog of any sort, so please readers stay with me!  Feel free to ask or suggest things I should talk about or you may wonder. I’m planning on keeping this blog pretty open in terms of topics, but also I want to keep everyone updated on my surgery, rehab and progression following the procedure.

Right now is the first free time I’ve had today. My slumber was abrutly interrupted by the maid in my hotel banging on my door not once, not twice but three times!! So as I rolled out of bed to answer the door my long day began at 9:06 am. Usually I would be able to fall back asleep shortly after lying back down, but today wasnt an ordinary day by any means. My family was flying in today to be with me through this process and I couldn’t be more thankful! I called my dad to make sure that they got checked in and to the hotel safely.

So now to what this first post is mainly about, my appointment today with Dr. Andrews at 2:45. I got treated extremely well by everyone there as soon as I got there. I was put in a private lounge with a sweet tv and some comfortable couches which helped to relax myself let alone my Mom. About 15 minutes after being into the lounge in walks a very familar face as of recent on ESPN, Sam Bradford. Ironically enough the story about him was currently on the television. To make an extremely long story/short, I met with Dr. Andrews and we decided to schedule surgery for tomorrow. (Wednesday 28th) The surgery is scheduled to start at approximently 11:00.

I’ve been asked by many people if im nervous? scared? relieved? My best answer for all these questions about emoitions would be that this is all new to me and I can only control certain things and the rest are in the hands of God. Although I feel like proceeding with this surgery I will have no doubts mentally when I am completely healthy to attack hitters and pitch the way I used to.

The highlight of my day may have been the incredible dinner I enjoyed with my parents. We decided to go to Ruth Chris steakhouse and what a great decision that was! I ordered the ribeye and couldn’t be anymore satisfied with my decision. Following dinner I came back to my hotel where i began this blog.

I will try to blog as much as I can following surgery. The blogs following this one may be a little slim considering that typing with only a left hand is going to be frustrating and time consuming.

Thanks to everyone that is following me on twitter through this entire process (twitter.com/jarrodbparker) and all the readers that will be following me in this blog. Now I think I’m going to rent a movie and relax a little bit before this short speed bump in my career that is happening tomorrow.

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