Career-Ending Injury May or May Not End Jamie Moyer’s Career
By Justin Klugh
“Retiring” is what Jamie Moyer does at the end of another long day of chucking baseballs, telling people to shove it, and casually mentioning that A-Rod had no right in Cooperstown. “Retiring,” despite being a word next to his name a lot since he becoming the oldest man in baseball, isn’t really anything besides much deserved rest.
We, outside of the truth and accuracy of beat reporters and inside scoops, are forced to rely on our own assumptions, and, as I’ve stated previously, I have chosen to believe that Jamie Moyer’s secret is that he is unkillable.
At least, it would be if he was at all secretive about it.
But no, Jamie just keeps on turning 46, 47, and 48, and still shows up for practice, for surgery, and for winter ball.
"“In October [2009], Moyer had surgery to repair two torn tendons in his groin. He twice was hospitalized for blood infections related to the surgery, and in November, he underwent a minor procedure to remove an abscess in his groin. Last month, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.”—CBS Sports"
A guy who could retire to an excusable forever-off season at any moment, and have the 21-gun salute of a wide collection of franchises, writers, and blogs to send him off; won’t. And he’s not just a limp, enfeebled old corpse getting dragged behind because of a poorly executed contract agreement by the GM, he was throwing complete games and a shutout not even a year ago.
And you’d like to think that he can take hit after hit like he has for years and still come up ready to scrap, but then you see this, and you just think, “Okay, this has got to be the one that does it.”
I genuinely hope it’s not over for Jamie. I’ve taken my share of blasts at the guy, but he shut me up with that stupendous quote last February (“Because my age is in front of my name, and because that’s all some people talk about — ‘He’s not supposed to be doing this’ — that kind of fuels the fire. Not to be disrespectful to people, but I want to show you that I can”) and has been nothing but awesome to watch.
If it is retirement for Jamie, then you can be sure, he was playing until exactly this–the physical inability to continue playing–happened. Because honestly, what else could have stopped him?