April 30, 200422 yr Fox worried about sore elbow By Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Friday, April 30, 2004 SAN FRANCISCO -- Marlins reliever Chad Fox already has undergone two Tommy John surgeries on his right elbow and a separate procedure to remove scar tissue. So when he came off the mound Tuesday and felt soreness again, he expected the worst. "I'm scared, to be honest with you,'' Fox said Thursday from his home in Houston. "When you go through it once, then twice, then a third time, anything that comes up with the elbow is a worry.'' Fox, 33, said the elbow didn't bother him until he came into the clubhouse after allowing three earned runs in the eighth inning against Colorado. He hit a batter, walked another and threw a wild pitch. "I was toweling off and drying and I felt something wrong. I looked down, it was swollen and my fingers were numb,'' he said. "The next day I came in, it was worse. My fingers were still completely numb, a lot of swelling.'' Fox, who was put on the 15-day disabled list, will be examined Monday by Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon who performed his previous surgeries. "I just want to let Dr. Andrews run tests. A nerve could be pinched, a ligament could be damaged. One of the screws (from the broken-bone repair) could be backing out,'' he said. "Do I think anything is wrong? No. But until Dr. Andrews says I have nothing to worry about, then mentally I will rest and be at ease.'' Still, Fox said he has thought about the possibility of a torn ligament, which could force him to retire. "It's crossed my mind,'' he said. "I'm trying to put it out of my mind.... I'll cross that bridge when I get there.'' Manager Jack McKeon knows the Marlins have persevered when key players were injured. Left-hander Franklyn Gracesqui will get a chance to be to the bullpen what Dontrelle Willis was to the rotation last year after right-hander Josh Beckett went on the disabled list with an inflamed elbow. Gracesqui got Michael Tucker to strike out to end Thursday's game and earn the save in Florida's 4-3 win. "We're not going to feel sorry for the situation,'' McKeon said. "Someone is going to have to step up and pick it up.' Another option for Florida is to trade for a reliever. Rookie outfielder Abraham Nunez could be dangled. Cincinnati is looking for outfield help after Austin Kearns broke his arm Monday and could offer reliever John Riedling for Nunez. Conine scratched: Left fielder Jeff Conine, who has been swinging a hot bat, was scratched from the lineup just before Thursday's game because of lower back stiffness. He is listed as day to day. Nunez replaced Conine and went 0-for-4. joe_capozzi@pbpost.com I've got my fingers crossed for Chad. He is such a classy guy. Had an opportunity to play in his home state of Texas but passed it up because of his sense of loyalty to the Marlins. We need him....he was a key part of our late season success. The one guy you could count on to get us out of a jam. The thought of losing him to injury is frightening.
April 30, 200422 yr eek.... 2 tommy john surgeries and the poor guy's still got to go through this. *crossing fingers*
April 30, 200422 yr I hope it all works out, for Fox's sake and ours. Hate to see it happen to such a good guy...
April 30, 200422 yr Hopefully its nothing too serious. Would hate to see something like this happen again to such a good guy. :confused
April 30, 200422 yr Author This is the part that is really scary: "I was toweling off and drying and I felt something wrong. I looked down, it was swollen and my fingers were numb,'' he said. "The next day I came in, it was worse. My fingers were still completely numb, a lot of swelling.''
April 30, 200422 yr Damn, this sucks. AJ needs to get back ASAP so we can move Oliver to the bullpen. I only have confidence in Benitez and Wayne in the bullpen right now. :banghead
April 30, 200422 yr you cant help but expect the worst after youve been through 3 surgeries. but hopefully this time around its not serious, hence hes a marlin this time :mischief
April 30, 200422 yr you cant help but expect the worst after youve been through 3 surgeries. but hopefully this time around its not serious, hence hes a marlin this time :mischief so were Spoony and AJ last year ... and we know what happened to those two ... is it now time to get on the phone?
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