Bobby Jenks

I have to first start off by saying that I wasn’t a fan the Bobby Jenks signing last off-season. For one, it didn’t make sense to me, since he was a closer. The Red Sox had their closer (Papelbon) and their closer-in-waiting (Bard). Second, he came from the White Sox, the team that’s at the bottom of my “likeness” totem pole. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m just not a fan of the White Sox (though, US Cellular Field has excellent food). When Jenks played in only twelve games last year, I silently shook my head (I’m not sure I made many verbal quips about my frustrations… I’m pretty sure most of those were saved for Lackey).

However, today, I can say that I will not talk ill about Bobby Jenks. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe interviewed Bobby Jenks about his numerous off-season surgeries and revealed some “harrowing” (in Abraham’s words) details. Basically, it will be next to a miracle if Jenks pitches this season, if again at all.

After recovering from a pulmonary embolism, Bobby Jenks had surgery on his spine in mid-December in Boston. He returned to his home in Arizona, and then had emergency surgery at the end of December due to complications from the first surgery. Per Abraham’s article and in Jenks’ words:

"I had four bone spurs on my spine. We talked about taking the top two out. The third one was started and not finished. So basically there was a serrated edge that sliced me open in two different spots and I was leaking spinal fluid."

Because of the leaking spinal fluid, Jenks formed an infection in his spine. He said the headaches he got “were far worse than any migraine headache.” After the surgery, Jenks was laid-up, as can be expected. Though he hasn’t said how much weight he has lost, Jenks is said to weigh 30 to 40 pounds less than what he weighed during the season last year. When Abraham asked Jenks if he was going to seek legal action, Jenks replied:

"That's why I got people… I let them worry about that. If there's something there I'll let them take care of it. My job is to get better. That's what I'm going to focus on."

If I was Jenks, I would be seeking legal action, immediately. Not only did someone(s) botch the surgery (how do you leave a serrated edge of a bone spur, especially on the spine?), but they sent him on his way, all the way back to Arizona! Knowing first hand how horrible migraines feel, I can only imagine the type of pain Jenks was in during this ordeal.

Tuesday, when the Epstein compensation decision came down that the Red Sox would get Chris Carpenter and Jenks was moved to the 60-day disabled list, I just figured that Jenks was taking longer to recover from his surgery. Since Jenks barely pitched last year, I knew it would take some time for him to build up his strength and endurance. I knew there were reports that Jenks had lost a significant amount of weight in the off-season, but there have been so many “best shape of their life” stories to really pay too much attention to weight loss on a guy like Bobby Jenks (who, for the record, is listed as 6’4” 275 lbs. per baseball-reference.com).

I wish Bobby Jenks the best of luck with his recovery, and I hope that he is able to pitch this year. Not because I think it would help the Red Sox (and if he does fully recover, it will most likely help them down the road), but because after everything Bobby Jenks has been through this offseason, he deserves to do something he loves.  If you would like to read Peter Abraham’s full article, please visit this site:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2012/02/
the_harrowing_t.html