Will Carroll's 2011 White Sox Team Health Report

Carroll @ SI:

I’ve heaped enough praise on Herm Schneider over the years that it’s bordering on the romantic. The interesting thing isn’t the results; those speak for themselves. To me, it’s that even as close as I watch this team and their medical staff, we don’t know much about them and their methods. Quick: Who’s the team doctor? While many can name their team’s doc off the top of their head, it’s not quite so easy here. Even few Sox die-hards will know Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph. Schneider is known for his rehab of Bo Jackson, but even after long time S&C coach Steve Odgers moved on to the Boras Institute, nothing seemed to change. (More interestingly, there’s little evidence that Boras clients are significantly more healthy than others.) There’s seemingly a black box instead of a training room in U.S. Cellular Field. Injuries go in and productive players go out. The Sox understand this and have been able to bring in high-risk players such as Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and now Jake Peavy. The alchemy that happens, turning risk into wins, continues on in 2011. There’s not a lot of red here, which means Schneider and his staff can focus on the high-leverage players. …

About these ads