So Dontrelle Willis had a rehab start (he is on dl due to "anxiety") in Toledo and gave up 5 runs and more significantly 8 walks in 4 innings. In other words, no change.
Ok, obviously there is no hope for any help from him for the playoff push.
(Oh gosh no, I was not referring to the Tigers playoff push. I meant Toledo's)
(Don't much like that scribble either)
6 comments:
why is the word anxiety in quotes? i don't get "it".
Aren't we all a little anxious? Where is my disability?
I think for some unknown reason, he forgot how to pitch. Until he remembers, he is going to be in a holding pattern.
Life ain't always simple.
If you've been up close to or known someone with an anxiety disorder, it's completely different from someone who's just nervous or anxious. For some folks this is in every sense disabling. I teach at the university level, so I've seen my share of kids who are begging off due to all kinds of things, but I've also had students, in the middle of the semester and for no apparent reason, who ceased to function in every sense of the word. You talk with someone who's in that place and you realize that something has gone seriously, tragically askew with them.
All the best Dontrelle! Folks are pulling for you!
Yes, like he said, anxiety disorder is very serious, not a joking matter. Dontrelle did forget how to pitch because of it, some days he will forget how to eat or get out of bed. It is serious and shouldn't be left in quotes. I know he is a highly paid player and you want a return on that, but he is dealing with something far more serious than baseball right now...
CCC and CT, thanks for the insights.
One of the reasons I put the word "anxiety" in quotes is that Dontrelle himself has said that he doesn't believe that he has an anxiety disorder and that the Tigers used this as a pretext to get him to the DL. He has said this. Now it is possible that he does have this and his response is just a defense mechanism. I did follow this up with a short quip regarding an anxiety disability and now that I look at it, that may be a bit insensitive. If Dontrelle was a reader of this blog and took offense, I would apologize.
Again, Dontrelle says he does not have an anxiety isse. I don't know what is causing his problems. I do know that he has gained quite a bit of weight since his Marlins days and I suspect that this may have messed with his mechanics somewhat. It also seems undeniable that a lot of this would appear to be "between the ears" and something he just needs to figure out.
Like you, I am rooting for Dontrelle. In my 5-19-09 post on this site (I am sure there is a way to link but I am doing a few other things at once now), I expressed my genuine admiration and sympathy for him after seeing him pitch at the ballpark. I still feel that way.
No worries, CC.
Don't know if you caught the Yahoo article today on players who go through anxiety disorder, it's pretty good.
I hadn't heard Dontrelle say he didn't have an anxiety issue, but I can't imagine the Tigers would just throw that around. Like you, I also hope he gets past it. However, if he's maintaining that's not the problem, he might still have a long way to go.
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