Last Friday, I was leaving the subway station to return home for the evening when the turnstile hit me on the back of the knee. I did not expect it to hurt as much as it did, but the pain quickly subsided.
I sat for some time in my apartment, then I attempted to get up and felt the pain all over again. My knee had swollen and I limped noticeably everywhere I walked. Turning over in bed that night became extremely painful, so I didn’t sleep well.
The pain hasn’t completely left my knee since that night, but it is significantly less intense. There’s still a bruise that is tender to the touch and walking up or down stairs causes discomfort. This, hopefully, minor injury brought back memories of a much more serious one.
Near the end of my volunteer mission in July 2009, I suffered a serious head injury which included, among other things, a few small skull fractures and a major concussion. After returning from the hospital, I couldn’t do much work and was forced to rest for much of the next month. I often asked myself why, of all times, did this injury have to happen while I was engaged in something I felt was important.
Injuries are an ailment the Cyclones players share and the timing of their injuries, while related to the rigors of their profession, still hampers their progression during their first professional seasons when they are supposed to be showing higher classes their potential.
Gavin Cecchini sprained his ankle in late June on a slide to third base and subsequently missed much of the next month, finally rejoining the team in mid-to-late July. His drive to help the team succeed and further his own professional goals remained stagnant because of an outside influence. Cecchini was upset by the injury, but saw light at the end of the tunnel.
“It is frustrating whenever you’re hurt and you’re not getting to play,” Cecchini said. “There’s not really much you can do besides keep your teammates up, but everything happens for a reason.”
Jared King was also hurt on Aug. 6 and has not seen time on the field for the last week. He has an oblique injury, which is a strain to the muscles in the side. He is currently listed as day-to-day. Cecchini said having an injury makes you aware of other people’s ailments.
“(Jared) and I talked today, and he said ‘Man it sucks being hurt,’ and I said ‘Yeah, you’re not lying. Hang in there.’ He’s going to be fine.”
Since Cecchini has returned to the field, he has been one of the most consistent hitters on the team. He has recorded at least one hit in 11 straight games, including four multi-hit games, six RBIs, and four runs. He said the consistency has come from rehabbing mentally as well as physically.
“I have all the confidence in the world with myself,” he said. “Whenever I was hurt, I got my mind together and my head into the right direction and just paying attention to the game.”
I rehabbed my injury for about a month, then returned to missionary service and, to use a baseball term, went on a tear. The last six months of the mission were the most successful. A lot of it had to do with making up for lost time.
Scott Hansen, an intern from Brigham Young University, will be comparing his life to those of the Cyclones all season long.
