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from user Kimberly*
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by Fernando Gallo
After years of waiting and wishing that third baseman Eric Chavez would return, it appears that we’ve come to the end of the road. The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that Chavez is down to his last chance – literally. His back has become such a profound mess that if it goes out one more time, his career is almost certainly over. The linked story mentions a spinal fusion as the surgery Chavez would likely have to endure, but that was later corrected. It is actually a microdiscectomy. From the Chronicle's A's blog:
A microdiscectomy would still leave his spine too unstable to play baseball (he had the same procedure done on an adjacent hernited disk), so he would have to stop playing at that point... he plans to rehab and do therapy to strengthen his back with the aim of playing as long as he can, but the doctors told him the herniation can go at any time.
So there you have it. Chavez’ back has been so fragile that lately it seemed like the slightest movement would put him back on the disabled list: that has now become a reality. Chavez plans to come back as a third baseman, and his back will be a ticking time bomb. If it goes, there will be no more surgeries and no more rehab; just a spinal fusion and one very promising career left unfulfilled.
For baseball fans, this won’t register as much more than a small bleep on the radar. But for A’s fans (like me) this is a very sad day, although I can’t say it’s a major surprise. There was talk last year that Chavez might have to switch to first base to prolong his career, and we’ve come to expect that No. 3 wouldn’t be in the lineup – he’s been on the DL six times in the last three years. But Chavvy was supposed to be the player that was different than all the rest. Not only was he off to a stellar start as a young player, but he also was the one guy the A’s got to keep.
Not so long ago, the A’s were simply the farm team for larger-market clubs. They let Johnny Damon go, got outbid on Jason Giambi, and didn’t even make Miguel Tejada an offer. But when it came time for Chavvy to become a free agent, the A’s finally kept a budding superstar. He got the biggest deal in franchise history at $66 million for 6 years, and a cornerstone of the franchise had been established. In the famed book Moneyball, General Manager Billy Beane compared Chavez’ early numbers to those of more established stars, and proclaimed that he was on pace to be better than them all.
But since 2004, Chavez has spent more time on the bench than on the field. He’s averaged only 107 games a year since signing that big contract, and hasn’t hit 30+ home runs since 2002. The man who was supposed to be the face of the franchise is hardly around enough for new fans to recognize him.
A’s analyst F.P. Santangelo (who isn’t exactly what I’d call a role model, or a player with a great track record) said on San Francisco sports talk station KNBR yesterday that he personally told Chavez to just call it a career. His reasoning? If one more setback is going to call for a major back procedure, it’s time to think about life after baseball. Chavez does have two young children, and, at 31, a long life ahead of him. As much as it pains me to say it, I think Santangelo might be right.
Chavvy gave us A’s fans a lot to cheer about over the last several years, including six consecutive Gold Gloves and some very funny TV commercials, and helped lead the team to its first ALCS appearance in 18 years. I’ll never forget walking into the Coliseum for Game 3 of the 2006 ALDS in the second inning, just as Chavvy belted a home run into right field to give the A’s the lead. The feeling of finally advancing to the second round after years of futility must have been just as euphoric for him as it was for all of us in the stands - but it’s probably now offset by the pain of knowing that’s the farthest he’ll ever go as a pro ballplayer.
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