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May 22nd
ST. LOUIS — the best-case scenario for Lance Berkman is that he returns to the St. Louis Cardinals‘ lineup after the All-Star break.
But the 36-year-old first baseman is prepared for news on his injured right knee that’s not so rosy.
General manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Berkman will be sidelined at least six to eight weeks with significant cartilage damage on both sides of the knee, but an MRI did not appear to show ligament damage. Because he was hurt making a routine play, Berkman suspects a ligament injury that would require more significant surgery and end his season — and perhaps his career.
Berkman will undergo an arthroscopic procedure later this week in Vail, Colo.
“At a minimum, it’s a scope to repair it,” Mozeliak said. “We’re hopeful, we’re optimistic that’s what it is. But we’ll need a few days before we determine anything. certainly, he knows there are uncertain times ahead of him.”
Berkman spoke with reporters after crossing the clubhouse on crutches.
“We can all agree you shouldn’t get hurt just stretching for a ball at first base,” he said. “Fearful is the wrong word, but I’m certainly concerned — not just what the injury is but why did it happen?
“It’s pretty simple: Best-case scenario, it’s probably after the All-Star break, worst-case scenario is I’m done for the year.”
Berkman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. the NL comeback player of the year in 2011 realizes he may have to make another comeback, or call it a career.
“You certainly think, if I have to get my ACL repaired, I might be done playing,” he said. “And the doctor kind of said that. He’s like, ‘Well, you’re not a young man anymore.’
“You just don’t know where you’re going to be mentally. am I willing to make the commitment? those are questions I’m trying not to speculate on too much.”
Even if the ligament is not torn, Berkman believes there’s damage given he felt a sliding sensation when he was injured.
“They could see it on the MRI — it’s not gone. But its effectiveness is debatable considering the way I got hurt. They’re not going to know about that until I go under the knife,” he said.
Berkman said he had the sensation of the joint slipping during the playoffs last season but had no pain.
“It never was to the point where I felt, oh man, I’m about to blow out here,” Berkman said. “It was just a weird little sensation that you could play with and it wasn’t a problem.”
The fact that the ligament appears to be intact, Berkman said, does give a “glimmer of hope.”
Berkman has played just 13 games this season, also missing significant time with a pulled left calf muscle. he said he’s had torn cartilage in the knee since spring training but it wasn’t enough to affect his play.
He was batting .333 with a home run and four RBIs.
Last season, Berkman hit .301 with 31 homers and 94 RBIs in 145 games to help the Cardinals win the World Series. he had a .412 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging percentage, both of which ranked among the NL leaders.
His injury is a major blow to the middle of the lineup for the slumping Cardinals, who had dropped four straight and eight of 10. St. Louis also lost longtime slugger Albert Pujols in the offseason when he signed a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Still, the Cardinals began the day with a half-game lead in the NL Central.
Rookie Matt Adams, the franchise’s minor league player of the year in 2011, and Matt Carpenter will see time at first base for now and utility man Allen Craig could also man that position when he returns from a hamstring injury sustained last week that landed him on the disabled list. Adams, recalled from Triple-A Memphis when Berkman was hurt, started for the second straight game Monday after getting two hits in his major league debut.
Carpenter was batting .280 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 37 games.
“We’ll be feeling our way through it. We brought Matt Adams here to play, so we’ll get a good look at him,” manager Mike Matheny said.
Copyright 2012 by the Associated Press
May 21st
Office of the Press Secretary
for Immediate Release May 21, 2012
at the Chicago Summit, President Obama and the 27 leaders of the other Allied nations acted to further strengthen and deepen NATO’s ties with partner nations. Enhancing NATO’s global network of partnerships is a top priority for the United States and NATO, and leaders made important progress on this front. In addition, NATO’s meeting with four partner nations aspiring to NATO membership sent the important signal that NATO’s door remains open to new members. with the presence of a large number of NATO’s valued partners, the Chicago Summit was the biggest in NATO’s 63-year history. the United States strongly supports NATO’s cooperation with partners as a means to more effectively share burdens and act worldwide to accomplish our common security goals. Following three important Chicago Summit meetings with Partners, the Alliance is poised to strengthen its cooperation with other members of the international community on common security challenges, and to further define its role as a hub for security around the world.
Chicago Partnership Meeting: In an unprecedented gathering at a NATO Summit, President Obama and his Allied counterparts met with leaders of 13 of our non-Allied partners making significant financial, operational, and political contributions to NATO operations. These nations were Australia, Austria, Finland, Georgia, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, new Zealand, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. at this meeting, the United States and NATO recognized the impressive contributions and sacrifices these partners have made – and are making – in NATO-led operations worldwide. from Kosovo to Afghanistan to our recent success in Libya, the Alliance’s work alongside partners in pursuit of mutual goals has strengthened our common security. These 13 nations have exemplified this cooperative spirit. Leaders at this meeting also drew on lessons from previous joint efforts to explore how NATO can further advance interoperability and cooperation with partners. Deepened partnerships allow NATO to extend its reach and better share burdens, in a manner beneficial to Allies and partners alike.
Meeting with Partners Aspiring to NATO Membership: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met in Chicago with NATO counterparts and Alliance membership aspirants – Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Georgia – to underscore NATO’s commitment to keeping an open door to future members. the four aspirant nations – each of which serves alongside NATO in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan – continue to work closely with Allies to meet NATO’s criteria for entering the Alliance. NATO recognizes these nations’ reform efforts and will continue to stand beside them as they move along this path. the United States is proud of NATO’s track record of encouraging and incentivizing democratization and stability through its open door to membership, and we look forward to working with aspirants as they progress toward joining the Alliance.
International Security assistance Force (ISAF) Meeting: In NATO’s International Security assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan – NATO’s highest priority operation – 22 partners stand strong alongside all 28 Allies. These critical partners are providing troops, trainers, and resources in our mission to ensure that al Qaeda can never return and again use Afghanistan as a haven for terrorism. In a strong demonstration of the truly global nature of this effort, representatives from Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan — important regional stakeholders — joined the meeting in Chicago with Afghanistan and the 50 nations contributing to ISAF. Finally, in recognition of the critical role that they play in terms of financial and civilian contributions to the Afghanistan effort, Japan, the United Nations and the European Union also took part in this meeting. this broad range of nations and organizations all play a critical role in pursuing our common goals with respect to Afghanistan, and we charted important progress in Chicago toward the transition to full Afghan security responsibility by the end of 2014 and an enduring partnership with Afghanistan to last beyond.
NATO’s Commitment to the Middle East and North Africa:In the course of Summit meetings President Obama and his Allied counterparts affirmed NATO’s willingness to strengthen existing partnerships with countries in the Middle East and North Africa through political dialogue and practical cooperation. NATO supports the aspirations of the people of the region for political and economic reform. the Alliance has longstanding partnerships with nations across the Middle East and North Africa and in Chicago, NATO underscored its willingness and ability to fulfill requests to deepen and strengthen these ties, particularly in the area of democratic security sector reform and capacity-building, as this region continues to evolve.
Fact Sheet: Chicago Summit – Strengthening NATO’s Partnerships