It was such a secular train, popping out to stroll via stretching traces Friday with energy coach Trey Wiedman and the remainder of the Orioles pitchers. To John Means, nevertheless, a return to the sector was candy. Even the mundane may be exhilarating after it has been taken away.
Means is with the crew in Kansas City, on the ballpark he grew up visiting from close by Olathe, Kansas. He can’t play, nevertheless, as he’s recovering from the Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure he underwent in April. To an unknowing bystander, there could be little indication that Means endured that main operation — which can possible preserve the 2019 All-Star sidelined into the 2023 season.
The giant metallic brace, as of Wednesday, is gone. The scar is skinny and quick, hidden beneath his elbow, a testomony to the talent of Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, who carried out the surgical procedure. “Meister is a master of the scar,” Means mentioned.
But with nearer inspection, it turns into noticeable Means isn’t but cleared to raise something together with his left arm. He’s perfected the one-armed scoop of his son, McCoy. He’s in week six of 12 with none strenuous train of his left arm, leaving him to work solely on his core and legs within the meantime.
And with a fair nearer inspection, it’s obvious how Means has channeled the frustration of a year-long restoration into motivation to be higher than ever as soon as he returns.
“It kind of gets you even hungrier than you ever were because you’re sitting on the couch, you’re watching guys perform, you’re watching other teams do what they’re doing and you want to be able to help your team out,” Means mentioned. “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and so I’m looking forward to getting back and earning it back.”
Being round Kauffman Stadium has additional which means for Means. When he was about 10, he had a celebration right here. After a summer season league match, he recalled visiting a recreation together with his father to look at St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire crush a house run ball Means almost caught past left discipline.
He was right here for the World Series, and shortly after he was drafted by the Orioles in eleventh spherical of the 2014 draft, he visited Kauffman Stadium for a matchup between his boyhood crew and what would grow to be the crew of his future — though his father wouldn’t let him put on any Royals gear to that recreation.
“I always love coming back here,” mentioned Means, whose father died in 2020 after a year-long battle with pancreatic most cancers at age 57. “I just like the park, I love the feel of it. So many memories here, and being able to play on this field, it’s crazy to be able to do that. Obviously, rooting for this team now. Different from the 10-year-old John.”
After the Orioles depart Kansas City, Means and his spouse, Caroline Stanley, will lease a U-Haul to hold their issues from his dad and mom’ home in Kansas to the couple’s new place in Texas. There’s a silver lining to this, at the same time as Means longs to be again on the mound. He may be round his 1-year-old extra and assist with a significant transfer.
“I try to look at the positives with every situation,” Means mentioned. “I’m a dad now. I have a family, and we can actually lay some roots down. Obviously, I’m very hungry to get back, and I keep looking and keep trying to figure things out with the game. Because you always have to be on top. If not looking to get an advantage, you’re kind of losing. So I enjoy that time with my family, but I also need to watch the games.”
Means has extra time to dissect video of himself than he usually would throughout a season. It’s a step again that provides a special dynamic, “but I think it’s going to be really useful when I come back.”
And as soon as he returns, Means plans to remain for some time. He needs McCoy to recollect what it was prefer to see his father pitch, so the 29-year-old hopes to pitch lengthy into the long run. The first steps towards doing that might be mundane, comparable to that stretching line at Kauffman Stadium on Friday.
But after Means misplaced the flexibility to take part in one thing so easy, he’ll by no means shrug off one thing so commonplace once more — not in terms of baseball.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com