Relax Folks - Its Just a Couple of Dinged Up Feet

If you listen to the defeatists on WEEI, you would think Curt Schilling and David Wells will be out until at least the all-star break. Where are these doom and gloom projections coming from? One guy has a sprained foot and the other has a bone bruise around the ankle. These are injuries that a general practitioner could handle, yet to hear some describe the situation, the two injured players should be seeking out the nation’s best orthopedic surgeons. These are not injuries that need corrective surgery and they are not injuries that require extensive rehab. More importantly, we are not talking about elbow, shoulder or back injuries here. We are talking about a couple of dinged up feet. Okay, I understand Nomar’s spring training injury last year was characterized in similar terms and he ended up missing 50 games, but that was an extraordinary situation. I am not saying the Sox are not going to be without the services Schilling and Wells for a period, but if one of these guys isn’t back by May 15th, I would be a bit surprised. After all, by the 15th, each of these guys would have had three full weeks or R&R and that seems like plenty of time for bruises and sprains to heal. Moreover, it now looks like Wade Miller will be ready on the 8th, so the need for these guys to return will be at least halved come next Sunday, provided Miller is ready to go. Listen, would I prefer having Curt performing at his 2004 best? Of course I would, but this is not the end of the world. There is a contingency plan and his name is Wade Miller. I may be a bit to optimistic on Wade, but this guy has the ability to step in and fill one of the holes. As for the other spot, we are talking about two or three unexpected starts from John Halama. While those starts will be torturous to watch, it won’t be the end of the world.