Does the name Jim Lonborg come to mind? How about Ron Gant? Aaron Boone? All were well known ballplayers whose careers were derailed by injuries away from the diamond. Are we about to add Madison Bumgarner to that infamous list?
I was shocked to learn yesterday that the Giants ace lefthander -- seen here last October when he threw a complete game shutout over the Mets in the NL Wild Card Game -- will be out six to eight weeks after suffering a sprained joint in his left shoulder along with bruised ribs in a dirt bike crash in Colorado.
Hold it! One of the most durable and talented pitchers in baseball, someone who had never been on the disabled list in his eight year career, winds up on the DL because of a dirt bike accident on an off day. Read that last sentence again. What was he thinking? You've always read about what a mature, well grounded guy he is. So he does something risky and flat-out foolish that puts his and his team's season in jeopardy -- not to mention the rest of his career. The human arm is so fragile -- you don't need to land on it while falling off a motorcycle.
We all realize ballplayers are human; they need hobbies; we can't make them live in a bubble. But there's a difference between recreation and reckless.
The Giants say it will take "Mad Bum" six to eight weeks to get back into a game. But will he be 100% when he returns? Or, like Lonborg, Gant and Boone, never be quite the same.
I've got to admit, I'm still shaking my head at this one.
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