Cubs Upgrade Medical Facilities
A Wrigleyville23 Exclusive!
CHICAGO – Hours after the signing of Cliff Floyd on Wednesday, contractors arrived at Wrigley Field to begin expanding the old ballpark’s treatment room to better prepare the Chicago Cubs for the 2007 season.
Cubs officials declined to comment publicly on the Wrigley renovations, but a source said that the indoor batting cages were being removed to make room for a state-of-the-art treatment facility.
“We have to be ready,” the source said. “With Mark (Prior), Kerry (Wood), Derrek (Lee), Wade (Miller), Michael (Barrett), and Cliff coming off of injuries to their arms, legs, sides, shoulders and nuts, it only makes sense to dedicate our resources to the areas that will get the most use.”
The source said new manager Lou Piniella had signed off on removing the batting cages “because it will be more important to get these guys healthy than it will to let Henry Blanco take batting practice inside. No amount of practice is going to help Henry.”
The changes will allow the Cubs to significantly increase efficiencies in the way the team diagnoses, treats and rehabilitates injured players. For example, there will be state-of-the-art operating tables and ultrasound machines in the new facilities, in addition to x-ray machines.
“It’s going to be like a small hospital in there,” the source said. “If Mark feels something pop in a game in April, we won’t waste any time shipping him off to see Dr. Jobe or get second opinions. We’ll send him down the tunnel and cut him open right there, and the surgery should be done by the time the game ends.”
Prior and Wood were unavailable for comment, but staff ace Carlos Zambrano was excited about the changes.
“This will make everything easier,” said Zambrano, who was wearing his uniform even though Opening Day is more than two months away. “I used to have to go all the way to the hospital to visit those guys after surgery. Now, I can just go down the hall. I hope they add a flower shop, too, so I can bring them something nice.”
Cost estimates were not available on the project.
5 comments:
Nice job, WV. The flower shop bit was a great touch.
Haha That was amazing.
Carlos is a good teammate.
The part about Carlos already having his uni on...not bad dude. Actually it was damn funny. Although I have'nt seen the perm yet, I have a mental image of Z with his uni on, complete with curls grinding a ball in his glove. I laugh everytime I re-remember it. Good Stuff.
We’ll send him down the tunnel and cut him open right there, and the surgery should be done by the time the game ends.
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No way. If it's a close game, you're not going to find an orthopod who is willing to start the surgery until after the last out.
...and if they really want to start surgery earlier, they'd have to cut off Beer sales by the 3rd inning. Of course given enough postgame Beer it might save some $$ on anesthesia expenses.
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