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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Brewers News and Notes Column: Thompson Not Ready to Abandon Comeback

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 03:02 CST

By Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mar. 21--Phoenix -- Justin Thompson realizes that 99% of his peers would have quit now, had they suffered through the living nightmare that haunted him for the past six years.

But it's that 1% chance of resurrecting a once-promising career that keeps Thompson coming back for more.

"I'm going to make sure when the time comes that I'm not going to second-guess myself for not giving it one more try," said Thompson, a 33-year-old left-hander trying to make an impression in the Milwaukee Brewers' spring camp.

Thompson's ordeal began shortly after being part of one of the biggest trades of the '90s. On Nov. 2, 1999, the Detroit Tigers traded Thompson, infielder Frank Catalanotto, catcher Bill Hasselman, outfielder Gabe Kaplar and pitchers Francisco Cordero and Alan Webb to Texas for two-time American League most valuable player Juan Gonzalez, pitcher Danny Patterson and catcher Gregg Zaun.

Thompson, who made the AL all-star team in 1997, when he went 15-11 with a 3.02 earned run average, underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery two months before the trade but Rangers officials were told the procedure was a complete success. Ironically, the Texas general manager who pulled the trigger on the deal was none other than Doug Melvin, who now mans that post for the Brewers.

"We did all the research, got the medical reports," recalled Melvin. "Dr. (James) Andrews did the surgery. We were told there was a 5% chance that he wouldn't come back."

So much for those odds. When Thompson continued to experience discomfort in the shoulder, he was placed on the disabled list on May 1, 2000, and had another arthroscopic procedure to repair a rotator cuff tear in his shoulder 11 days later.

In layman's terms, that surgery didn't take, either. The pain persisted and Thompson underwent yet another scope job on Oct. 27 of that year to remove scar tissue.

For those scoring at home, that would be three shoulder surgeries in 14 months and no games pitched. And the madness wasn't over.

After spending the entire 2001 season undergoing physical rehabilitation -- a personal hell you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy -- Thompson was subjected to surgery No. 4, cleaning out even more scar tissue.

"Mentally, it was the toughest thing I've ever been through," said Thompson. "Once you get to a certain point, you've put so much time into rehab that you say, 'Man, I can't quit.'

"I just felt I got cheated. I wanted to see if I could make it back. The Rangers kept hanging with me and giving me a job every year."

Unfortunately, those jobs were not in the major leagues. After spending the first four months of the 2002 season rehabbing his shoulder, he made seven starts with the rookie-level Gulf Coast Rangers.

Thompson moved up one rung on the ladder in 2003 to Class A Spokane, then took another step up to Class AA Frisco in 2004. Don't forget, this was a pitcher who already had made 104 starts in the big leagues.

No chartered flights, no first-class hotels, no room service, no big-league meal money. Goodbye Ritz-Carlton, hello Holiday Inn Express.

"Going back to riding buses and doing that whole ordeal, it wasn't fun," said Thompson. "It was a reality check. It's a whole different lifestyle."

After yet more time with Frisco in 2005 as well as a stop at Class AAA Oklahoma City, the Rangers rewarded Thompson calling him up in August for a couple of relief appearances.

"I didn't show it on the field or in the clubhouse but when I got home that night, it was pretty emotional," said Thompson. "That was a lot of hours of rehab, a lot of time put in."

Seeing no future for Thompson, the Rangers finally cut the cord after the season. His agent, Alan Hendricks, bumped into Melvin at the winter meetings in Dallas in December and asked if he might have any interest in signing Thompson to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.

"I kind of rolled my eyes," Melvin said. "We did need left-handers. It was a very low-risk situation. I knew Justin would work hard and he'd be honest with us. After all he has been through, I have a fondness for his character."

Despite Thompson's commendable perseverance, the deck still remains stacked against him. . He no longer can reach back and blow his fastball past hitters.

As often happens when serious injuries rob pitchers of their velocity, Thompson has been forced to learn how to pitch, setting up hitters and locating his fastball.

"I don't have the life on my fastball that I used to," admitted Thompson, who has held his own in five relief outings this spring, allowing five hits and one run in six innings (1.50 ERA), with two walks and five strikeouts.

"When I was young, I just challenged hitters. Now I've got to execute. It actually makes you a better pitcher."

With few spots open on the pitching staff, Thompson is unlikely to make the Brewers' roster. Sometime soon, a joint decision will be made as to whether it makes sense for him to go to Class AAA Nashville and continue his comeback attempt.

"This is my last shot," he said. "I'm going to give it everything I've got. I've got the rest of my life to sit on the couch."

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Copyright (c) 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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