Dave Veres, who retired from baseball two years ago due to a degenerative condition in his hip, is attempting a comeback this season after undergoing hip replacement surgery.
Veres passes first test with artificial hip
(excerpt)
"On the eve of the 1-year anniversary of his operation, Veres threw well,
didn't favor his fake left hip, fielded a bunt cleanly and covered first
flawlessly twice in an inning of work during the Colorado Rockies' intrasquad
game.
"How about that?" general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "The very first play
he's got to cover a bunt. Then he's got to cover first on the next one."
Veres, who was Colorado's closer in 1998-99, made his last major league
appearance on Oct. 15, 2003, for Chicago in the NL championship series against
Florida.
"That old saying, you don't realize what you've got until it's gone? In my
case it was true, in my case, sitting at home, miserable, can't walk or move,"
Veres said. "It feels good just to jog out to the mound or do everyday stuff.
Pitching is a bonus."
Veres spent 2004 rehabilitating from right shoulder surgery but his hip that
had bothered him for four years grew so painful that he retired, finishing his
career with a 36-35 record, a 3.44 ERA and 95 saves in 10 major league seasons
with Houston, Montreal, Colorado, St. Louis and the Cubs.
"At first it was easy for me to accept," Veres said. "I just physically
couldn't do it. It's not like I wasn't good enough. My skills didn't
deteriorate. My hip did. So, it was pretty easy for me to take the first year I
was home."
Veres had just wanted to be able to chase his three young children around
the house when he opted for the operation. But he felt so good playing city
league baseball in Castle Rock, Colo., afterward that he contacted the Rockies,
who brought him into camp on a minor league contract.
He said he had no trepidation when he took the mound for his first test and
the "first bunt was like the scariest" only because he had tweaked his right
hamstring fielding bunts last week.
He moved free and easy, displaying the same deceptive, herky-jerky motion
and mean split-finger fastball that were his trademarks. But he's still trying
to break the habit of bending over straight-legged, which he did for years to
compensate for the pain in his degenerative hip.
"That's how I tied my shoes. That's how I did everything. It was a habit
for four years. I walked with a limp, I walked like this, I ran like this,"
Veres said, waddling a few steps. "So, it's just breaking the old habits I
had."
Veres, who isn't scheduled to throw again until a "B" game on Monday, will
cherish the 1-year anniversary of his operation Saturday.
"I know I can pitch, that's not the issue. It's if the durability's going
to be there," Veres said. "It's going to be a year tomorrow. I'd like to think
if I haven't had a setback yet, I'm not going to have one."
His surgeon told him after a year he'd be free to do whatever he wanted.
And what he wants is to go out on his own terms.
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You go Dave!!!! I'm rooting for ya'!
