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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.
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.
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!
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.
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…
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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