There's some semi-disturbing news out there in Cardinal Nation. Troy Glaus had surgery to debride his shoulder, a non-worrisome procedure in and of itself. Debridement is basically done to remove dead tissue that may be preventing proper healing in an old surgical site. The disturbing part is that, because of the timing and the dubious explanation given, I can't help but wonder if any part of the story is true.
Let's examine this, shall we?
1. Neither Troy nor anyone affiliated with the team mentioned this "problem" at the WWU mere days ago. From this we can draw one of two conclusions:
(a) there was no problem at that point, or
(b) no one wanted fans to know at that point.
2. The surgery is taking place at such a time that Troy will almost certainly miss regular season playing time due to recovery or extended Spring Training. This begs the question: Why not have the "procedure" done earlier in the off-season? The answer to that question lies hidden in the reason for the secrecy.
If (a) there was no problem previous to, say, yesterday, then the explanation for the "procedure" is inaccurate. I can't think of one sound medical reason for "emergency debridement" in a case where there was no recent surgical wound that might need it. If Troy was having a "healthy winter" as he said, then there's something else going on we're not privy to. If this was in fact an emergency, chances are it wasn't a debridement, as they claim.
If it is what they say it is and no one mentioned it because (b) no one wanted fans to know at the WWU, then the secrecy becomes even more intriguing. If it is a case of a routine procedure, why wouldn't they mention it before now? Is this just another example of the CIA-like covertness of the Cardinals front office? Or is there something more serious going on?
Am I starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist? Maybe I should wait until more information is released before I start getting my foil hat ready. John Mozeliak is supposed to make some comments later today about the situation. Maybe he'll slip up and actually give us some solid information.
The good news (if you want to look for the silver lining) is that this could be a big break for some of the up-and-coming third base stars we have, kids who are just waiting for the chance to prove themselves.
