Jeff Weaver is alive ....... barely.
Jul. 7th, 2008 05:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravensgurl211Weaver looking to rekindle his pitching career
Pitcher reunited with Radinsky
By David Briggs
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER - Updated: 07/07/08 9:34 AM
Jeff Weaver was a junior and the third starter for Simi Valley High in Southern California. Scott Radinsky was the team's iconic pitching coach, returning to his alma mater as he battled Hodgkin's Disease.
Working together every day, the 17-year-old and the Chicago White Sox reliever formed an unlikely friendship in 1994.
"I kind of got more personally attached to him than I did the other two guys [ahead of him] because they were always pitching," Radinsky said. "He was more like a project, and the coaches just said, 'Do whatever you want with him.'"
Now, 14 years later, the message is similar as the Indians have reunited the old friends at Triple-A Buffalo. At Weaver's lowest point in 11 professional seasons, the Tribe is counting on the partnership to revive the 31-year-old's tumbling career.
"It's kind of like a full circle," Weaver said.
"I feel like it's a great combination," Bisons manager Torey Lovullo said. "I think it's a great opportunity for Jeff, and he seems legitimately excited to be here."
Weaver, who joined the Bisons Sunday night at Dunn Tire Park after signing a minor league contract with Cleveland Sunday, will throw a bullpen session with Radinsky today and another one two days later.
But Weaver won't peer into the future. Right now, Weaver is just trying to somehow transition from power pitcher to location pitcher. And the Indians are simply focused on Weaver's attitude.
"Our conversation was pretty much, 'Where are you at right now and are you ready for this?' " Radinsky said.
There's no sure answer. The depth of his collapse has been stunning.
Weaver was riding high in the 2006 playoffs with the Cardinals, winning three games and the Game Five World Series clincher. But he fell apart last year in Seattle, going 7-13 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 starts.
Then came what Radinsky called a "culture shock." Weaver was signed by the Brewers and sent to Triple-A Nashville this season.
Weaver figured he'd pitch a few times in Triple-A before being called up to Milwaukee.
"I was thinking I'd get my pitch count up and get ready to move on," Weaver said. "I was not worried too much about results. Obviously, that was a problem. You take some things for granted at times."
It showed. He went 2-4 with a 6.22 ERA in nine starts at Nashville before asking for his release on June 12.
Searching for a team, he most of all needed a place where he could be happy. A call from Radinsky helped to sell him on the Indians.
"Now I'm coming in with a fresh mind and here to do some work and prove myself," Weaver said. "There's no doubt in my mind I can pitch in the big leagues."
He's lost some velocity, so Weaver will focus on improving his command.
"He's an easy bet, an easy guy to take chances with and we think it's going to project on the high side," Lovullo said.
Particularly with Radinsky calling the shots.
"I've made it clear [to Weaver] that I'm not your normal pitching coach," Radinsky said. "And whatever we got to do to get through this, we're going to do it."
dbriggs@buffnews.com
Anyone willing to drive to Scranton with me in August? Bueller, Bueller...?
Less humorously, Ryan Church is still suffering .... something with his head.
Worried Ryan Church is headed for more tests
BY ANDY MARTINO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, July 6th 2008, 10:20 PM
PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Church slumped on a stool in the Mets' clubhouse Sunday morning, his shoulders hunched and his eyes glassy. The tangle of emotions - anger, fear, relief - combined to make him feel exhausted.
Concussions have been the unwelcome theme of his season, and after Saturday's migraine, the subject isn't going away.
In fact, it will now intensify: the Daily News has learned that Church was likely headed to New York after Sunday's game to be examined. Church did not play in the 4-2 win over Philadelphia, and now he's poised to miss even more time - after spending much of June on the disabled list with post-concussion symptoms. His season seems in question.
This latest round of concern began when Church left Saturday night's game in the eighth inning with dizziness. He phoned Anita Wu, the neurologist at New York Hospital for Special Surgery who has been treating him. Wu told Church his symptoms were consistent with the migraines he has experienced since the ninth grade, and Church was relieved. "I called my wife (Saturday) night and told her I was glad it was only a migraine," he said early yesterday. "She started laughing, like, 'You used to hate migraines.'"
But relief had turned back to fear and frustration after Sunday's win, as Church, appearing distraught, quickly left Citizens Bank Park without speaking to the media.
Church has suffered two concussions on the field this year, the first on March 1 during spring training and the second on May 20 against Atlanta. After continuing to experience effects of the second injury, he went on the DL June 10. He returned last Sunday and started every game until Friday, when he complained of fatigue. Church also felt tired in San Francisco in early June, the week before the Mets shut him down.
At that time, the Mets were criticized for relying on Church to decide whether he could play after the second concussion. Jerry Manuel said yesterday that the team would no longer allow the patient to dictate treatment. "I'm just going to take it out of his hands," Manuel said.
"It's so frustrating," Church said, shaking his head while pointing to it. "I'm fine, except for this."
With Adam Rubin
Simi Valley's Jeff Weaver is hoping to get back to the majors
By Rhiannon Potkey
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/08/minor-setback/
Jeff Weaver's baseball future was teetering on the edge.
As a senior at Simi Valley High in 1994, Weaver decided to try out for the baseball team and was in danger of being the last player cut.
But pitching coach Scott Radinsky saw something in Weaver during their bullpen sessions, and convinced head coach Mike Scyphers to give Weaver a spot on the roster.
The mentoring helped place Weaver on a path to the major leagues, and the lanky right-hander hopes it can happen again.
Weaver signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians over the weekend and was sent to Triple-A Buffalo, where Radinsky is in his second season as the Bisons' pitching coach.
The Simi Valley High alums are staging a reunion 2,559 miles away from home.
"It's kind of all come full circle," Weaver said by phone from Buffalo. "Growing up, Scott was kind of the icon of baseball in Simi and has been kind of a personal hero to me since high school."
Weaver, 31, is trying to get back into the big leagues with his seventh club after enduring a rough stretch since capturing a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Last season, he finished 7-13 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 starts for the Seattle Mariners and was released by the Milwaukee Brewers organization in June after going 2-4 with a 6.22 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A Nashville.
After being let go by the Brewers, Weaver returned to California and took a few days to clear his head.
He realized he needed to change his approach to a minor league stint after treating his Nashville experience more like spring training.
"Once the pitch count was up, I thought the results didn't really matter and they would just make a move and call me up," Weaver said. "When that didn't happen, I started putting more pressure on myself rather than just playing. This time I am going to focus on each game as if it were a game pitched in the big leagues."
If his concentration ever wanes, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Weaver will have Radinsky by his side just like he did in high school 14 years ago.
During that 1994 season, Radinsky was taking the year off from his professional career while battling Hodgkin's Disease.
He offered to be Simi Valley's pitching coach, and juggled the obligations while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
"That always stuck in my mind and showed the type of character he has," Weaver said. "Not many guys would help a high school team while going through everything he was going through."
Radinsky became Weaver's biggest advocate when Scyphers was making Simi's final roster decisions.
"We almost cut Jeff, but we kept an open mind because Scott kept saying he had good stuff," Scyphers said. "I give Scott a lot of credit for foreseeing his potential."
Radinsky reconnected with Weaver a few days ago when he called to "talk to me a little bit about what I was thinking and let me know what kind of opportunity I might have there," Weaver said.
The Indians just traded ace CC Sabathia to the Brewers and were looking to sign Weaver for added starting pitching depth.
Weaver said he was debating between a few National League teams because "the National League is really what I enjoy most" and where he has experienced his most success.
But he opted for an American League organization with a familiar face included in the base package.
"Cleveland is definitely a team that is always in contention and that has kind of been my objective the last three or four years to find a team that has the ability to contend," Weaver said. "They are just having a rough go of it this year, but in past years they have done really well."
In many ways, Weaver can identify with their plight. But the Fresno State product said he never considered giving up baseball.
"My arm and body feels good and mentally I still know I can get people out in the big leagues," he said. "I think everybody at a certain time in their career has to go through things like this. It's just another challenge for me and I am going to take the challenge and try to roll with it."
Weaver arrived in Buffalo late Sunday with a different view on the 4:30 a.m. wake-up calls and Southwest flights with two layovers he will encounter in Triple-A.
"I think this break was kind of a blessing in disguise." Weaver said.
"It's time for me to go out there and prove myself again and not just kind of sit on my past nine years. It's time to worry about the future and get back to handling business the way I can."
Pitcher reunited with Radinsky
By David Briggs
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER - Updated: 07/07/08 9:34 AM
Jeff Weaver was a junior and the third starter for Simi Valley High in Southern California. Scott Radinsky was the team's iconic pitching coach, returning to his alma mater as he battled Hodgkin's Disease.
Working together every day, the 17-year-old and the Chicago White Sox reliever formed an unlikely friendship in 1994.
"I kind of got more personally attached to him than I did the other two guys [ahead of him] because they were always pitching," Radinsky said. "He was more like a project, and the coaches just said, 'Do whatever you want with him.'"
Now, 14 years later, the message is similar as the Indians have reunited the old friends at Triple-A Buffalo. At Weaver's lowest point in 11 professional seasons, the Tribe is counting on the partnership to revive the 31-year-old's tumbling career.
"It's kind of like a full circle," Weaver said.
"I feel like it's a great combination," Bisons manager Torey Lovullo said. "I think it's a great opportunity for Jeff, and he seems legitimately excited to be here."
Weaver, who joined the Bisons Sunday night at Dunn Tire Park after signing a minor league contract with Cleveland Sunday, will throw a bullpen session with Radinsky today and another one two days later.
But Weaver won't peer into the future. Right now, Weaver is just trying to somehow transition from power pitcher to location pitcher. And the Indians are simply focused on Weaver's attitude.
"Our conversation was pretty much, 'Where are you at right now and are you ready for this?' " Radinsky said.
There's no sure answer. The depth of his collapse has been stunning.
Weaver was riding high in the 2006 playoffs with the Cardinals, winning three games and the Game Five World Series clincher. But he fell apart last year in Seattle, going 7-13 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 starts.
Then came what Radinsky called a "culture shock." Weaver was signed by the Brewers and sent to Triple-A Nashville this season.
Weaver figured he'd pitch a few times in Triple-A before being called up to Milwaukee.
"I was thinking I'd get my pitch count up and get ready to move on," Weaver said. "I was not worried too much about results. Obviously, that was a problem. You take some things for granted at times."
It showed. He went 2-4 with a 6.22 ERA in nine starts at Nashville before asking for his release on June 12.
Searching for a team, he most of all needed a place where he could be happy. A call from Radinsky helped to sell him on the Indians.
"Now I'm coming in with a fresh mind and here to do some work and prove myself," Weaver said. "There's no doubt in my mind I can pitch in the big leagues."
He's lost some velocity, so Weaver will focus on improving his command.
"He's an easy bet, an easy guy to take chances with and we think it's going to project on the high side," Lovullo said.
Particularly with Radinsky calling the shots.
"I've made it clear [to Weaver] that I'm not your normal pitching coach," Radinsky said. "And whatever we got to do to get through this, we're going to do it."
dbriggs@buffnews.com
Anyone willing to drive to Scranton with me in August? Bueller, Bueller...?
Less humorously, Ryan Church is still suffering .... something with his head.
Worried Ryan Church is headed for more tests
BY ANDY MARTINO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, July 6th 2008, 10:20 PM
PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Church slumped on a stool in the Mets' clubhouse Sunday morning, his shoulders hunched and his eyes glassy. The tangle of emotions - anger, fear, relief - combined to make him feel exhausted.
Concussions have been the unwelcome theme of his season, and after Saturday's migraine, the subject isn't going away.
In fact, it will now intensify: the Daily News has learned that Church was likely headed to New York after Sunday's game to be examined. Church did not play in the 4-2 win over Philadelphia, and now he's poised to miss even more time - after spending much of June on the disabled list with post-concussion symptoms. His season seems in question.
This latest round of concern began when Church left Saturday night's game in the eighth inning with dizziness. He phoned Anita Wu, the neurologist at New York Hospital for Special Surgery who has been treating him. Wu told Church his symptoms were consistent with the migraines he has experienced since the ninth grade, and Church was relieved. "I called my wife (Saturday) night and told her I was glad it was only a migraine," he said early yesterday. "She started laughing, like, 'You used to hate migraines.'"
But relief had turned back to fear and frustration after Sunday's win, as Church, appearing distraught, quickly left Citizens Bank Park without speaking to the media.
Church has suffered two concussions on the field this year, the first on March 1 during spring training and the second on May 20 against Atlanta. After continuing to experience effects of the second injury, he went on the DL June 10. He returned last Sunday and started every game until Friday, when he complained of fatigue. Church also felt tired in San Francisco in early June, the week before the Mets shut him down.
At that time, the Mets were criticized for relying on Church to decide whether he could play after the second concussion. Jerry Manuel said yesterday that the team would no longer allow the patient to dictate treatment. "I'm just going to take it out of his hands," Manuel said.
"It's so frustrating," Church said, shaking his head while pointing to it. "I'm fine, except for this."
With Adam Rubin
Simi Valley's Jeff Weaver is hoping to get back to the majors
By Rhiannon Potkey
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/08/minor-setback/
Jeff Weaver's baseball future was teetering on the edge.
As a senior at Simi Valley High in 1994, Weaver decided to try out for the baseball team and was in danger of being the last player cut.
But pitching coach Scott Radinsky saw something in Weaver during their bullpen sessions, and convinced head coach Mike Scyphers to give Weaver a spot on the roster.
The mentoring helped place Weaver on a path to the major leagues, and the lanky right-hander hopes it can happen again.
Weaver signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians over the weekend and was sent to Triple-A Buffalo, where Radinsky is in his second season as the Bisons' pitching coach.
The Simi Valley High alums are staging a reunion 2,559 miles away from home.
"It's kind of all come full circle," Weaver said by phone from Buffalo. "Growing up, Scott was kind of the icon of baseball in Simi and has been kind of a personal hero to me since high school."
Weaver, 31, is trying to get back into the big leagues with his seventh club after enduring a rough stretch since capturing a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Last season, he finished 7-13 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 starts for the Seattle Mariners and was released by the Milwaukee Brewers organization in June after going 2-4 with a 6.22 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A Nashville.
After being let go by the Brewers, Weaver returned to California and took a few days to clear his head.
He realized he needed to change his approach to a minor league stint after treating his Nashville experience more like spring training.
"Once the pitch count was up, I thought the results didn't really matter and they would just make a move and call me up," Weaver said. "When that didn't happen, I started putting more pressure on myself rather than just playing. This time I am going to focus on each game as if it were a game pitched in the big leagues."
If his concentration ever wanes, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Weaver will have Radinsky by his side just like he did in high school 14 years ago.
During that 1994 season, Radinsky was taking the year off from his professional career while battling Hodgkin's Disease.
He offered to be Simi Valley's pitching coach, and juggled the obligations while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
"That always stuck in my mind and showed the type of character he has," Weaver said. "Not many guys would help a high school team while going through everything he was going through."
Radinsky became Weaver's biggest advocate when Scyphers was making Simi's final roster decisions.
"We almost cut Jeff, but we kept an open mind because Scott kept saying he had good stuff," Scyphers said. "I give Scott a lot of credit for foreseeing his potential."
Radinsky reconnected with Weaver a few days ago when he called to "talk to me a little bit about what I was thinking and let me know what kind of opportunity I might have there," Weaver said.
The Indians just traded ace CC Sabathia to the Brewers and were looking to sign Weaver for added starting pitching depth.
Weaver said he was debating between a few National League teams because "the National League is really what I enjoy most" and where he has experienced his most success.
But he opted for an American League organization with a familiar face included in the base package.
"Cleveland is definitely a team that is always in contention and that has kind of been my objective the last three or four years to find a team that has the ability to contend," Weaver said. "They are just having a rough go of it this year, but in past years they have done really well."
In many ways, Weaver can identify with their plight. But the Fresno State product said he never considered giving up baseball.
"My arm and body feels good and mentally I still know I can get people out in the big leagues," he said. "I think everybody at a certain time in their career has to go through things like this. It's just another challenge for me and I am going to take the challenge and try to roll with it."
Weaver arrived in Buffalo late Sunday with a different view on the 4:30 a.m. wake-up calls and Southwest flights with two layovers he will encounter in Triple-A.
"I think this break was kind of a blessing in disguise." Weaver said.
"It's time for me to go out there and prove myself again and not just kind of sit on my past nine years. It's time to worry about the future and get back to handling business the way I can."
