Brent Morel lost all of his major-league momentum thanks to a back injury he couldn't shake. He had a brief resurgence when he took a cortisone shot, but within the week, he had played his last game for the White Sox in 2012.
As fate might have it, Morel got his second (or third) chance to stick because Paul Konerko is following a similar, sad road. Six injections got him back into playing condition, but it didn't last long:
Konerko thought he was "95 percent" recovered from the back issue that had sidelined him for seven games when he returned to the lineup Tuesday, only to suffer a relapse that put him on the 15-day disabled list.
"Halfway through that game I was right back where I was. I didn’t expect that,’’ he said.
There is a mysterious element to a back injury that leaves Konerko wondering when he will play again.
"As I stand here there is no way I can [say when I’d be back],’’ he said. "It’s weird. It’s definitely a different one for me.’’
Terrerobytes
"I don't know if there is ever less emphasis on winning, but I get what you're saying as far as having younger guys and more of a teaching thing," Ventura, who is signed through 2014, said Thursday. "It's part of the job. We do that here."
"Plus, it's only for a year," he didn't say, but might've thought.
Jeff Sullivan saw Casper Wells hit 93 with a splitter-looking changeup and wondered if he could serve a dual role.
Gordon Beckham is feeling the power coming back, but I'll take fewer homers if he can keep up a .360ish OBP. At some point, he's going to have to hit higher in the order, right?
Grant Brisbee wants to Kickstarter his way to $1,000,001 so he can buy the Biogenesis documents before Major League Baseball can. I liked the suggestion in the comments about scattering them all over the planet, forcing Bud Selig to follow a series of clues on a crazy search around the world.
Word of Merkle's Boner still hasn't reached Venezuela.