Bollinger: Blackburn to Miss Start of Season after Wrist Surgery

[East Coast Twin]

Minnesota Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn to miss start of season after wrist surgery | MLB.com: News

[johnnydakota]

It doesnt answer how, when and why in the story , just next wensday ,he will have surgery.

[snepp]

Well that's just great, now we're down to just five #6 starters.

[70charger]

Somehow I don't feel a great sense of loss.

 

On the other hand, if he can come back healthy, Rochester will have a decent pitcher for our $5 million investment. So not all bad.

[edavis0308]

Well that's just great, now we're down to just five #6 starters.

 

Thank god for pitching depth.

[TheLeviathan]

So...did he do something stupid or is the medical team rearing its ugly head again?

[johnnydakota]

Minnesota Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn to miss start of season after wrist surgery | MLB.com: News

 

Thanks needed a laugh

[GCTF]

I suspect Vegas oddsmakers have already downgraded Rochester's chances of making the playoffs, as a result.

 

I'm sure you meant to say upgraded.

[GCTF]

So...did he do something stupid?

 

Threw a baseball?

[TheLeviathan]

Threw a baseball?

 

Well played sir.

[Kwak]

Did he injure himself the same way as Liriano?

[savvyspy]

My only disappointment is we had a shot to have the worst pitcher in the AL (Blackburn) AND the worst pitcher in the NL (Correia) in the same rotation.

[BrentMpls]

I have a sinking feeling about this

[Seth Stohs]

I have a sinking feeling about many of the blog commenters who are posting on this particular string. Blackburn's a good guy who started his career with two solid years. He hasn't been as good on the mound since then, but he/no one deserves some of these comments. It's ridiculous! Show some class!!

 

I hope the surgery goes well.

[glunn]

I have a sinking feeling about many of the blog commenters who are posting on this particular string. Blackburn's a good guy who started his career with two solid years. He hasn't been as good on the mound since then, but he/no one deserves some of these comments. It's ridiculous! Show some class!!

 

I hope the surgery goes well.

 

I agree. I have never read anything suggesting that Blackburn has ever given less than 100%. Yes, Blackburn's pitching has been terrible, but maybe the bone chips have been a factor.

[CDog]

I have a sinking feeling about many of the blog commenters who are posting on this particular string. Blackburn's a good guy who started his career with two solid years. He hasn't been as good on the mound since then, but he/no one deserves some of these comments. It's ridiculous! Show some class!!

 

I hope the surgery goes well.

 

You must not have heard from the baseball folks that we're supposed to hope he fails if we're smart fans. I think it was because he had a bad couple of years. I didn't quite get the logic, but then again, I'm not one of the cool kids...

[nicksaviking]

I wish the guy well, but the disdain for Blackburn can be laid at the feet of the front office and the managers on the field. Had the team not decided to give him a terrible contract, they would have not been trying to wedge him into the rotation the last two years and the fans wouldn't rue his previously forced inclusion on the 25-man roster.

 

A similar thing happened with Nick Punto. The team kept trying to make Punto a starting infielder because he was getting paid like one. This drew the ire of fans who were tired of his offensive inabilities. Had Punto been slotted yearly into the utility role as he should have, fans would have loved the scrappy, hard working guy who came off the bench three times a week just like they did with Denny Hocking and Al Newman.

 

Both guys got paid which should be medicine enough for the hate mail, but it was the teams stubborness in trying to save money by pounding a square peg into a round hole that is the reason for the angry fans.

[edavis0308]

I wish the guy well, but the disdain for Blackburn can be laid at the feet of the front office and the managers on the field. Had the team not decided to give him a terrible contract, they would have not been trying to wedge him into the rotation the last two years and the fans wouldn't rue his previously forced inclusion on the 25-man roster.

 

A similar thing happened with Nick Punto. The team kept trying to make Punto a starting infielder because he was getting paid like one. This drew the ire of fans who were tired of his offensive inabilities. Had Punto been slotted yearly into the utility role as he should have, fans would have loved the scrappy, hard working guy who came off the bench three times a week just like they did with Denny Hocking and Al Newman.

 

Both guys got paid which should be medicine enough for the hate mail, but it was the teams stubborness in trying to save money by pounding a square peg into a round hole that is the reason for the angry fans.

 

Agree. I think the root of it is the fact that people don't want him to do well so it doesnt reinforce the idea to the FO that he is the type of pitcher they should be signing, putting money into, etc. If he tanks hardcore, maybe the FO will get the idea a little faster they need to look at pitchers with different 'styles' instead of patting themselves on the back and signing more pitchers in the Blackburn/Correia type mold.

[Mike Sixel]

I feel had for Blackburn....no one should be happy someone gets hurt. I hope he recovers and pitches well again someday.

[PseudoSABR]

I have a sinking feeling about many of the blog commenters who are posting on this particular string. Blackburn's a good guy who started his career with two solid years. He hasn't been as good on the mound since then, but he/no one deserves some of these comments. It's ridiculous! Show some class!!

Intent surely matters. It should be clear to everyone, even Nick Blackburn's mother, that these comments are playful and not at all mean-spirited. While everyone wishes him health and happiness in his personal life, a little bit of guff from the peanut gallery is part of the price of being a public figure, a millionaire, and poor baseball player.

 

This is blunt,but not classless: I can be sad that Nick got hurt, but I can also find solace that he won't be pitching for my favorite baseball team and other, better players can be given a chance to play. That's not shameful. It's honest.

[CDog]

Intent surely matters. It should be clear to everyone, even Nick Blackburn's mother, that these comments are playful and not at all mean-spirited. While everyone wishes him health and happiness in his personal life, a little bit of guff from the peanut gallery is part of the price of being a public figure, a millionaire, and poor baseball player.

 

This is blunt,but not classless: I can be sad that Nick got hurt, but I can also find solace that he won't be pitching for my favorite baseball team and other, better players can be given a chance to play. That's not shameful. It's honest.

 

I think you're right that intent matters. I also think, however, that while some indeed are playful, that it is quite obvious that other comments are absolutely mean-spirited. Some have been deleted from this thread and there are many in other threads on this forum. And while this may be part of the price of being a public figure, that doesn't mean it should be, or that we all have to think that it's cool or even OK.

 

As for blunt vs. classless, I don't think those descriptions are defined objectively enough to be able to say definitively that one applies and the other does not. Beauty is often in the eye of the beholder, and so is ugliness.

 

Full disclosure: I am not Nick Blackburn's mother.

[Ultima Ratio]

 

Full disclosure: I am Joe Mauer's personal assistant and Twins publicist.

 

Fixed it.

[Riverbrian]

To add to Seth and Cdog's sentiment...

 

It may not matter to some... However... A majority of players probably read the comments posted on this site.

 

They have access to the internet like the rest of us and most people will gravitate to places that are talking about them. Baseball players are just like us... They breathe air and bleed blood just the same.

 

If you knew that Nick Blackburn was reading these words... Would it alter what you type. For some... obviously no... But it should be yes.

 

Each player isn't a collection of stats without human qualities.

[edavis0308]

To add to Seth and Cdog's sentiment...

 

It may not matter to some... However... A majority of players probably read the comments posted on this site.

 

They have access to the internet like the rest of us and most people will gravitate to places that are talking about them. Baseball players are just like us... They breathe air and bleed blood just the same.

 

If you knew that Nick Blackburn was reading these words... Would it alter what you type. For some... obviously no... But it should be yes.

 

Each player isn't a collection of stats without human qualities.

 

Good thing you only need thick skin for critcism if you play in New York or Boston. Errrr, wait, what?

 

While I agree that being mean spirited is a bit much, these are professional athletes. Every professional sports teams' fans are going to criticize their players, moreso when their team is in the toilet. Again, I'm not condoning such negative and abusive messages, but you are making it sound like the Twins are the only team in professional sports that this happens with.

[nicksaviking]

A majority of players probably read the comments posted on this site.

 

If that's the case, I want to give a shout out to Josh Willingham, Nice season buddy! Let's grab a beer sometime.

[twinsnorth49]

I make no secret of my disdain for Blackie but it's reserved for his lack of pitching ability. I'm guessing he knows that, being that we've never actually met and all.

[TwinVike61]

Wow...now I feel terrible...last year in a game thread (in a moment of frustration) I made a disparaging comment about Anthony Swarzak's neck beard. If you're reading this Anthony, I'm truly sorry.

[Riverbrian]

Good thing you only need thick skin for critcism if you play in New York or Boston. Errrr, wait, what?

 

While I agree that being mean spirited is a bit much, these are professional athletes. Every professional sports teams' fans are going to criticize their players, moreso when their team is in the toilet. Again, I'm not condoning such negative and abusive messages, but you are making it sound like the Twins are the only team in professional sports that this happens with.

 

Not at all... It isn't just Twins... It isn't just baseball... It isn't just sports... and it isn't just famous people. Internet chat can get quite nasty.

 

I'm doubtful that very few would say these same words to Nick Blackburn face to face. Anonymity brings out a whole different animal in people.

 

I see it so much online that I've stopped recogonizing from time to time when it happens. It's so commonplace that I'm becoming numb to it.

 

Am I counting on Nick Blackburn this year... nope... Do I want to see him do well... Yep.

 

If he takes the mound for us... I'll be saying to myself... "C'mon Blackie... Keep the ball down and you'll do fine".

[twinsnorth49]

 

I'm doubtful that very few would say these same words to Nick Blackburn face to face. Anonymity brings out a whole different animal in people.

 

 

I yelled a disparaging remark about his pitching from the stands once, he was facing my direction, does that count? http://www.websmileys.com/sm/happy/045.gif

[Riverbrian]

I yelled a disparaging remark about his pitching from the stands once, he was facing my direction, does that count? http://www.websmileys.com/sm/happy/045.gif

 

Yes it does in the anonymity of the stands... It's ok tho... because he probably didn't understand your Canada accent but Morneau was laughing his ass off.