WINTER BALL IN VENEZUELA.
"A winter ball story in Venezuela about almost dying and
coming back"
Every winter,in Venezuela, they have there big
league season. It is a chance for aspiring prospects to continue playing during
the winter and to hone their skills in a near big league setting.
I had the chance to play their twice and the first time was with Davy
Concepcion. He was the player manager of the "Tigres de Aragua",
and former shortstop of the 'big red machine'. It was a thrill to play along
side him.
That first season playing in Venezuela
was exciting. I was a young kid and was able to go to the beach everyday and
enjoy the sun 8 hours a day. It was in the Carribean and the weather was
superb. It was very tropical with wild iguanas running everywhere. And I
was getting paid for it!
My first season, I did however, have a near fatal accident. We were
playing in Caracas, Venezuela and the sun was going
down. It was dusk and the visibility was hampered somewhat. The pitcher was a
sidearmer who threw about 92 mph or so. I never saw the pitch coming, and he
struck me with a fastball that landed half on my helmet and half on my
temple. They say I was spun completely around and face planted on the
ground. I was knocked out for 5 minutes.
The next thing I remember was waking up and trying to get up. Except I had no
bearings whatsoever and kept falling to the ground. I suffered a concussion and
was rushed to the hospital. I spent the next week recovering and then continued
playing in Venezuela.
That was close!
Although this sounds bad, that was not the worse experience I had in Venezuela.
The winter of 1986 I went back over there and played again only for a different
team. I will never forget this experience and the feeling I had of
hopelessness.
It began one night, once again in Caracas,
Venezuela. I
was catching, and the second pitch of the game was fouled off of my right
shoulder area. It knocked me to the ground. I remember being in intense pain.
The ball had deflected off my collarbone. The trainer at the time, rushed out
and asked me to stand up. Which I did. Only I wasn't prepared for what was to
follow.
and was trying to poke
through my skin.
The sound of my bone snapping I won't soon forget. I
was now in severe pain and sweating profusely. They assisted me off the field
and helped me to the clubhouse. I was seriously questioning my luck playing in Venezuela. In
the clubhouse they cut off my jersey and had me stand against the wall. My
shoulder was protruding forward and they were going to straighten it. Without
warning they pushed my shoulders back against the wall in an attempt to
straighten out the collarbone.
The pain was unbearable. Since they were not doctors, they could not give me
any pain killers. Instead they wrapped my arms and shoulders together and said
that the bone would heal itself and to remain in this position over the next
few weeks. I wasn't too thrilled over this but my options were limited. I then
had the clubhouse mananger go buy me a bottle of Venezuelan rum which I used
for pain relief.
The night and the following day were very painful. It was hard to get through
the night trying to sleep like this. Not only that, I awoke with a hangover
from the rum therapy. That was a mistake! Over the next few days, I couldn't
stand it any longer. The bone was moving every time I moved and would make a
squeaky noise. Not only that, it was moving further and further apart.
It
was time to make a decision. I called the trainer to set up an appointment
with a doctor for a possible operation.
I had my consultation with the doctor.
I had two options, get on a plane and
fly home to the states. Or stay and have an operation in a foreign country with
no family around. I chose option number two since I couldn't imagine trying
to fly on a plane in the condition I was in. You have to realize, at this point
I had not informed my wife in the states of my condition yet. It was near the
holidays and I didn't want her worrying about me.
I went to the hospital and prepped for the surgery. They informed me that they
would put a pin in my collarbone and the operation would take about 30 minutes.
I awoke 4 hours later screaming in pain. I had intense pain in my left
hip. I yelled for the doctor and wanted to know why my hip was hurting. They
informed me that they had to take a bone graft from my hip since the collarbone
was so messed up. The operation was approximately 4 hours long. I was not a
happy camper. Not only that, the day before my injury, I had been traded to the
Chicago Cubs.
I spent the next week rehabbing in the hospital and getting to the point where
I could walk again. The day of my release, I went to my apartment in Venezuela and
suddenly started feeling really bad.
It was a feeling of impending doom and
a feeling of knowing that something was not right and seriously wrong. I
called for the trainer to get me back to the hospital a.s.a.p.
I was taken back to the hospital and took a turn for the worse.
I started
bleeding internally and also became septic (severe infection). I developed a
fever of 105.5 and had ice packs everywhere in sensitive areas of my body.
I was not real coherant.They were trying desperately to get me well and I
really didn't think I would survive the night.
I finally placed a call to my wife and tried to explain what was happening. She
picked up on the main points and she was hysterical thinking I wouldn't make
it.
As for me, I thought I would never see my family again. I thought I
would not make it and that I would die in a foreign country with no family or
friends around. They had a minister next to my bed at night who was praying for
me. And I was praying for me also.
Through the night I had peaks and valleys but sometime in the morning I broke
the fever and pulled out of it. I will never forget how I felt after beating
it. And the feeling of being able to eventually go home to my family thanking
my lucky stars. A week passed as I got better and the team wanted me to stay
and coach. At which I declined, and was happy to demand a plane ticket home to
the good ole U.S.A.
To my family, to my friends, and to a new organization in which I would have to
prove myself once again.
