Schmidt Takes a Giant Leap Forward

Schmidt Takes a Giant Leap Forward
By Mike Takeuchi

Los Angeles-I don’t know why I have always liked Jason Schmidt. Maybe it was because not only was he a very good pitcher, he was probably one of the nicest guys in the sport. Win or lose, he was always a standup guy, whether it was at AT &T or Dodger Stadium he spoke long and thoughtfully until the last reporter has left.
One day five years ago, I caught him alone in the AT & T locker room about a year after his mother died from a brain tumor-the same thing that killed my mother in 2001 and we talked about our losses with each other. We spoke of the disease’s brutality and effect it had on not only mom, but the entire family. It was a nice conversation, one that he had not expected from a sportswriter, and one that I had not expected from a baseball player. (Just to prove that there are some thoughtful minds a similar conversation was had after the Phillies heartbreaking comeback win in Game 4 of the NLCS with manager Charlie Manuel last year).
Now he is trying for another comeback attempt with the Dodgers. Two years after signing a three-year $47 million contract, he is trying to avoid what some of my colleagues are saying is one of the worst busts in recent Dodgers history. The odds are stacked against him, but because the Dodgers are hurting for pitching at the bottom of the rotation, it may be a godsend for the right-hander to get a few starts to see if he has something left in his arm.
On Monday, with his velocity considerably lower than in his heyday and his control suspect in the first inning, he gave up three runs on four consecutive hits to make the Chavez faithful cry (an obscenity laced) call for a change. But then something happened. With the early jitters gone, Schmidt battled, got his control back, mixed pitches well, and got out of the inning. This was impressive for no other reason is that when things got worse, the right-hander got tougher.
Any pitcher will tell you that it is exponentially easier to pitch with a lead, because simply, it is. But without that luxury, he somehow bore down and got out of the inning. His hitters got him four back in the bottom of the inning and two more on Manny Ramirez’ Mickey Mantle passing two run bomb to left in the second for a 6-3 lead.
While that was occurring, Schmidt pitched like a wily veteran with a mere 86 mph fastball, an interminably slower curve, and the guts of a winner. He retired the side twice and pitched five innings of five hit ball while walking three and striking out two, not great numbers, but good enough to be in line for the win leading 6-3. The Dodgers eventually won the game 7-5, giving Schmidt just his second win with the team.
After the game, his manager Joe Torre was pleased for the latest addition to the pitching roster.
“Everybody was really happy for him, especially getting through five innings and coming out with a victory,” Torre said. “He controlled the game pretty much. In the first inning he didn’t look very comfortable at all, but he certainly looked comfortable after that.”
Schmidt was relatively pleased with his effort.
“I’d hoped just to get out there and make it look respectable and have the team win, really,” Schmidt said in the clubhouse after the game. “I was nervous driving in today getting the text messages… there was a lot of buildup to today. And the first inning definitely wasn’t what I had planned and finally we got out of it. And coming in scoring four runs after giving up three was probably the biggest thing. I’m happy with the outcome.”
His comeback is far from complete-there are more question marks than exclamation points. But if his surgically repaired shoulder holds up, he could be the fifth starter the Dodgers need. But whatever happens for the rest of his season, for the rest of his career, he’ll always have the knowledge that he made the journey back to a Major League mound. I wonder if he thought that as he walked off the mound after the fifth inning. And as he received congratulations when he entered his team’s dugout, there was no cheering in the press box. But there was one reporter whose eyes were misty.

For Trent

Gerke is ready to make his pitch

By TRENT GERKE

July 14, 2009 9:58 AM

Trent Gerke is a 13-year-old honors student at Goleta Valley Junior High School who was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in April. Since then, he and Wyatt Taylor have been designated by the Santa Barbara Foresters Hugs for Cubs Program as the youths the team is playing for. Today's 5 p.m. game against the California Wahoo at Uyesaka Stadium is dedicated to Trent, and he will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. According to Foresters general manager Pat Burns, all proceeds from the game will go towards assisting in his medical costs. Trent Gerke sat down with News-Press correspondent Mike Takeuchi and talked about his recovery and what being a part of the Foresters has meant to him.

Since I went to their camp five years ago, the Santa Barbara Foresters have been a big part of my life. And since I was diagnosed with AML, I feel more part of the team than ever.

I have always been a competitive person, whether it's basketball or trying to get perfect attendance at school. My dad (Jeffrey) who is my best friend and I have constant contests on who can eat faster. So when I got with the Foresters another competition was to get as many foul balls as I could for the free Cold Stone Creamery coupons.

Some of the kids would get mad, but I would enough balls where the guys in the press box were calling me "Foul Ball Trent". Foresters coach Bill Pintard would just laugh at me. Sometimes, when a player would hit his first home run for the team, we would try to retrieve their ball, like with Vinnie St. John last year.

I was ready to do the same thing, along with playing hoops and getting good grades in school this year, when I started feeling really tired and sore all of a sudden. My dad took me to the doctor and they said I had back pain. Dad took me back again and I was told to go to the emergency room.

After being diagnosed with AML I didn't know how serious it was. I was just bummed I was going to miss school for the first time in years. I didn't realize how serious it was until I started getting my first chemotherapy treatment. That was the worst and scariest time of my life.

In constant pain, I had to rely on a morphine drip to get me through each day. I couldn't eat because my gums were bleeding, I couldn't move my neck, and my hair started falling out. Luckily I couldn't remember those things and the 106-degree fevers that came.

The bad thing is I don't remember when the Lakers' Luke Walton called me and the decorations and cake that the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation did for me on my birthday. My dad remembers and said the cake was good. Jerk (haha)!

But I do remember one thing Coach's visit. Coach and (hitting coach Gary Woods) Woody came into my room the first day and told me to stay positive. It was here that I began realized that I have to have a good attitude if I want to get better. I also learned to appreciate Coach and all the things he's done for us that nobody else knows about.

Former and current players like (infielder) Ryan Goetz called or visited. They all said the same thing Coach did, that I was part of the team.

The next two rounds of chemo have been 100 times easier. There have been some complications, but we've gotten through them. It has been made easier because of guys like, Vinnie whose family gave me a bunch of USC stuff, and (relief pitcher) Matt Hutchison, who came by to hang out with us at the hospital for a few hours. Hutch is a great reliever, but he's not very good at (the board game) Uncle Wiggly. When he played us he came in last.

The Foresters aren't the only team that has been great. We had a Hugs for Cubs night at Angel Stadium, where Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero signed autographs and took pictures for the group. My favorite baseball team, the Dodgers, invited us down to a game. Laura Levinson and Polo Asencio were especially great in helping me meet Andre Ethier, who is my favorite player. Andre was really encouraging. Later Polo talked to Joe Barkett who asked me if I wanted to announce "It's time for Dodger baseball!" before the game. Heck yeah!

When I got up to the mike, I was really nervous. I would have rather have had to shoot a free throw in front of 40,000 people than talk. But I did OK and when I went off the field, the Dodgers were running on. As he went out, Andre pointed at me and gave me a thumb's up. That was pretty cool.

Although it kind of stinks being sick, I have had some incredible experiences and met some amazing people like my doctor, Daniel J. Greenfield and the nurses at Cottage Hospital. Some of the people who I have known all of my life, like my Grandma Barbara (Gerke) have been just amazing.

But the one person who has been the best is my dad. We have always been close, but through this whole ordeal, he's been unreal, staying up at the hospital every night, trying to get me to eat, talking trash with me to challenge me to get better. I can't put even into words how much he's meant to me. He's the most important thing in the world.

When I take the mound today, I will have all of them in my mind when I try to throw a strike for the first pitch. I have to throw a good one, because after throwing a strike the first time, I bounced it on the Fourth of July game. But I think with all the backing of family, friends, and the Foresters, I will be fired up to put one in there.

A Pretty Incredible Athlete

Jason Lester Has Been Nominated for an ESPN 2009 ESPY Award in the
Category of Best Male Athlete with a Disability.

Kona, Hawaii – July 3rd, 2009 – Ironman and Ultraman athlete Jason
Lester, whose right arm is paralyzed, has been nominated for an ESPY
Award in the category of Best Male Athlete with a Disability. The 2009
ESPYs, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, will be taped on July 15th at the
Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, and will air on July 19th at 9pm Eastern
time.

"I want all my fans to go check out nominees at www.ESPYS.tv,”; says
Jason. “Naturally, if you feel I deserve an ESPY then I’d appreciate
your vote.”

Jason Lester is an Ironman athlete who has the use of only one arm,
and his story of triumph over tragedy has become an inspirational
message for athletes and non-athletes around the world. He has
competed in a number of Ironman, Ultraman, marathon, and endurance
races, including the Hilo to Volcano Ultra Marathon in Hawaii, the
Hawaii Ironman, ULTRAMAN Canada and ULTRAMAN Hawaii.

About the ESPYs
The ESPYs gather top athletes and entertainers together to commemorate
the past year in sports by recognizing memorable sports achievements,
reliving unforgettable moments and saluting top performers and
performances. The ESPYs honor ESPN’s commitment to The V Foundation
for Cancer Research, a partnership launched with the late Jim Valvano
at the inaugural ESPYs in 1993.

About Jason Lester
Jason Lester is an Athlete | Author | Artist | Activist | Motivational
speaker - and founder of The NEVER STOP Foundation, and whom the movie
“A Painted Race” is based on, telling the story of his triumph over
tragedy, including losing the use of one arm. For more information
about Jason Lester, please visit www.paintedrace.com or
www.jasonplester.com.