Left-handed starting pitcher Mike Hampton strode into the Braves' clubhouse Friday with the usual twinkle in his eye and one-liners at the ready. But it all melted away when he began to talk about his latest setback, a recurrence of the left groin injury he originally sustained in spring training.
He knows this isn't a full groin pull, but that's all he knows. Well, not quite. He also knows his arm is big-league ready, but he does not know whether the rest of his body is going to let him prove that again.
"I've had so many setbacks and so many obstacles to overcome," he says, "I basically just take it day to day. I don't know what the future holds. But I've prepared myself every day to get on a big league mound and help this team win. Whether that happens, I don't know."
Frustrated? You bet.
"I don't know what it's going to take," he says. "I stretch more than anybody I know. I work out more than anybody I know. Do cardio more than anybody I know. I've prepared myself as good as I possibly can to get back.
"I can honestly look myself in the mirror and know that I've done everything I possibly can to get back. Whether that happens or doesn't, it's not going to define who I am. I know I've done what it takes to get here and be successful.
"It's creeping up on three years. It's not rocket science. It's just frustrating because I know if I get back, I can be successful. Whether my body lets me do that is yet to be seen."
There is currently no timetable for when Hampton might test his groin by throwing, either on flat ground or on a mound.
BRAVES 7, NATIONALS 6: C Brian McCann's three-run double in the third inning broke a 2-2 tie Friday, and although the rust from the All-Star hiatus showed in RHP Tim Hudson's and LHP Mike Gonzalez's sometimes erratic locations, the Braves hung on to win a one-run game for a change.
