Konerko weighs in on hip

[SoxxoS]

Konerko in the Daily Southtown (http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dssports/pro/011sd7.htm)

First baseman Paul Konerko has heard speculation that a degenerating hip problem caused his subpar performance in 2003.He put those concerns to rest over the weekend.

"If you took an X-ray of my hips, they would look different than yours," Konerko said. "But there's nothing wrong with them. They're not going to get any worse or any better. It's a structure thing. They're different now than they were when I was 18 or 19 years old, but the same as they were when I was 22.

"I basically don't have the range of motion because of the ball and socket. The ball hits the socket more than it does for the average person. It bothers me sometimes if we've been traveling a lot and I don't sleep well, but that's been going on since Triple-A.

"I know when my name comes up in trades, or when I got traded here, they wanted the X-rays to check it out. I'm 100 percent fine. Put it this way, I won't be going back to catching anytime soon."



Take it for what it is worth. All I know is the guy was fine mid-season, when he hit .320 or whatever.

The problems are all mental, call it the "Pat Burrell-Paul Konerko big contract syndrome"

[SEALgep]

He'll be fine. I believe he will produce this season well. Although, it's probably fair to assess that this may contribute to his slow speed that he often get's criticized for.

[Frater Perdurabo]

I'm glad to hear Paul address this issue. Assuming that he is telling the truth, I'm also glad that the condition is not degenerative; I don't wish the need for a hip replacement on anyone.

That being said, this certainly is a big part of why Konerko is such a slow runner, and why he grounds into so many double plays.

I hope that the condition does not affect his swing, and that instead he works even harder on his hitting. He has no value to the Sox or anyone else if he doesn't hit well (.300-ish) with respectable power numbers.

[sas1974]

Originally posted by Frater Perdurabo
I'm glad to hear Paul address this issue. Assuming that he is telling the truth, I'm also glad that the condition is not degenerative; I don't wish the need for a hip replacement on anyone.

That being said, this certainly is a big part of why Konerko is such a slow runner, and why he grounds into so many double plays.

I hope that the condition does not affect his swing, and that instead he works even harder on his hitting. He has no value to the Sox or anyone else if he doesn't hit well (.300-ish) with respectable power numbers.

Couldn't agree more. If he's not driving the ball, he's worthless

[WSox8404]

All players have a down year or two. Don't give up on Paulie. The second half last year was the true Paulie. I expect him to have great numbers next year, his best ever.

[PaleHoseGeorge]

Originally posted by WSox8404
All players have a down year or two. Don't give up on Paulie. The second half last year was the true Paulie. I expect him to have great numbers next year, his best ever.

I'm not giving up on Konerko. It would be stupid to give up on him now. His value has never been lower. Let him bat against lefties who he still hits in spite of what others here theorize are merely "mental problems."

When it's June 1 and he's playing tag with a .280 average against southpaws, some idiot GM will offer something (anything!) of value and KW ought to pull the trigger on the deal and shove his slow, overpaid ass out of here on the first jet leaving O'hare.

Even at peak value Paul Konerko is never more than a mediocre A.L. firstbasemen. He'll always be a drain on our payroll and our offense--in that order. It's too late to un-do his contract, but it's never too late to hope we can get rid of him and improve the ballclub, both out on the field and inside the accounting office.

[KingXerxes]

Originally posted by PaleHoseGeorge
When it's June 1 and he's playing tag with a .280 average against southpaws, some idiot GM will offer something (anything!) of value and KW ought to pull the trigger on the deal and shove his slow, overpaid ass out of here on the first jet leaving O'hare.

BINGO!