By Joe Strauss, St. Louis Post-Dispatch –
ST. LOUIS — Nine days ago Lance Berkman went to sleep knowing that he might awake without his right anterior cruciate ligament — actually part of a patellar tendon transplanted in a previous surgery.
Of the three possibilities he faced, two dictated that he be on crutches for up to six weeks and required a minimum six-month rehab.
Berkman instructed his orthopedic surgeon to transplant ligament from a cadaver rather than his own hamstring because he learned that cadaver tissue was tougher. When Berkman recovered, part of him would quite literally be a dead man walking.
He discussed the potential end of his career with his wife, Cara. The couple had shared the discussion previously as the Big Puma limped through the 2010 season with the Houston Astros and New York Yankees.
Fearing he would be laid up for a week post-surgery, Berkman moved the procedure from Vail, Colo., to his hometown, Houston. He told friends and media alike that he expected another ligament procedure necessary since he had not been able to straighten his knee since collapsing May 19 on the Dodger Stadium infield.
“Actually I was prepared for anything,” Berkman said Friday in his first public comments since surgery.
But in a season flecked with bad injury news — and certainly Berkman’s might have ranked among the worst — the Cardinals’ first baseman emerged to what he describes as “a best-case scenario.”
The ligament did not require transplantation. He did not need microfracture surgery to promote growth of cartilage thought sheared away from the tip of his thighbone. Crutches became fleeting tools discarded within a week of surgery.
The Cardinals, who never publicly brokered the idea that Berkman might be lost for the season, projected a rehab of 8-10 weeks immediately following the May 25 procedure. Berkman believes he’ll be back sooner.
“Basically, I’m assuming the first part of July,” he said. “If there’s a setback, then right after the (All-Star) break.”
For a fan base and a clubhouse accustomed to bad medical news, Berkman’s optimism offers a welcome contrast. Swelling in the knee is down dramatically, he says. Pain is less than expected and is easily managed.
“I don’t have to go through the ACL (rehab) again and I don’t need microfracture. That’s incredibly good news,” Berkman said. “I’ve felt significantly better since I had a couple days to get over the surgery itself. I’m looking to make an impact on the second part of the season. Physically, I think it’s going to be fine to play. In terms of what we were expecting, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Berkman feared that the cause of his collapse in Los Angeles was due to a stretched ligament that could not be repaired. Actually, pieces of meniscus lining the knee had folded into the joint, locking it. Its gradual erosion had led to a sliding sensation within the knee that also contributed to a dire sensation. An MRI couldn’t fully determine the damage, but shearing around the knee suggested a significant injury.
“I thought the joint was slipping back and forth,” Berkman said. “It felt like the joint was sliding and very unstable.”
Berkman, 36, learned of an issue with the right knee late last season. The meniscus was worn but did not pose an imminent problem. He had his left knee, not the right, drained during spring training. Still, the Puma hoped the knees would not represent “a limiting factor.” But that’s all it was: hope.
Publicly committed to extending his career year by year, Berkman held to that during September negotiations regarding a one-year, $12 million deal.
“I knew something like this could happen. I knew it was a possibility,” he said. “I didn’t want to put them in a bad position.”
Berkman described the sensation in his right knee as “weird, but it wasn’t swollen or painful,” reminding, “the left knee was the issue in spring training.”
A MRI of his knees confirmed what Berkman described as minor meniscus damage to his right knee. Sometime before last month’s injury the cartilage began to fray. When he extended for Rafael Furcal’s throw to end that night’s second inning, he hobbled from the base for a couple steps and fell into a sitting position as if resigned to something bad.
“A medium-sized tear became a big tear,” Berkman said. “It rolled into the joint and that was it.”
Knee issues and age long ago reduced Berkman’s camp routine. He endured four knee surgeries prior to signing with the Cardinals in December 2010, and old knees never become young. His exit physical last October raised no red flags and he adopted an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” view about joints that have been an issue for most of his major-league career.
“As far as spring training, my routine is certainly different than when I was 25. But compared to the last four or five years, it really wasn’t that different. The (right) knee wasn’t compromised to that degree.”
Berkman reiterated that the demands of first base are greater than right field, where he played the majority of last season. “Look at what first basemen have to do: the lateral movement, bending, stops and starts. That’s a lot more difficult than playing the outfield where you stand, catch a ball and run back in.”
Berkman’s season remains frozen at 42 at-bats in 13 games. He is one of three players, along with Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker, who have endured two stays on the disabled list within the season’s first two months. He has been sitting on a .333 average with a 1.000 on-base-plus-slugging percentage despite just one home run.
As recently as Thursday, Cardinals outfielder-second baseman Schumaker acknowledged Berkman’s absence as extending beyond the loss of his production. A team that endured a 13-16 May and suffered a no-hitter in its first game of June is ripe for Berkman’s sharp wit that often carries a salient message just below its surface. Even had the news been bad last month, Berkman insisted he would have returned to the team at home and on the road.
“You need a guy like Lance big time,” Schumaker said.
It’s a bit early for Berkman to contemplate the future beyond this season. Likewise, the club must look at its relationship with him in a context that also includes cost-controlled players Craig and Matt Adams.
“When I come back I’m going to let it eat,” said Berkman. “I’m not going to be thinking about it. I expect just the normal aches and pains from the wear and tear. There isn’t going to be any hangover.”
He spoke the words of a relieved man.
