Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406260018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The numbers were up, opposing batters were going down.
Lawrence was starting to feel like the left-hander who impressed the Pittsburgh Pirates so much back in 1992 that they made him their sixth pick in the draft.
Despite repeated warnings to himself about not getting too high or too low (this is conventional baseball wisdom, a mantra chanted by all), he just couldn't help it.
Selection to the Carolina League all-star team?
Absolutely. Why not? With Lawrence's ranking of fifth in the Carolina League pitching standings with a 4-2 record and 2.63 earned run average, his candidacy for the Southern Division staff looked as good as a $100 bill lying on the sidewalk on a snowy afternoon in February.
How about a call-up to Class AA Carolina? Not out of the question. Maybe the Pirates' bush-league poobahs reckoned Lawrence had done all he could do at the Class A level.
The future looked bright, and Lawrence couldn't restrain a grin.
Grin turned to grimace with the suddenness of a fastball to the cheekbone.
One minute that June 11 night Lawrence is striding purposefully to first base to take a play from his first baseman, the next his right knee feels as though it is held together by means of overcooked pasta.
"It hurt, but I'd only been hurt two times previously in my athletic career," Lawrence said. "I dislocated my arm when I was in high school, and I sprained my ankle. When I hurt my knee, I could hear something pop. It scared me. That probably made it hurt worse."
Oddly, the pain subsided rather quickly, although his knee did feel as weird as an episode of "Northern Exposure."
Being a gamer, Lawrence kept right on pitching, 2 more innings that night. That was until he had to cover third base on a play and the look on his face told those in the dugout he should be given the rest of the night off.
He hasn't pitched since. Days are spent on the exercise bike, nights are spent in worry. Lawrence says the knee doesn't hurt much, but clearly, it isn't at all right. A magnetic resonance imaging examination Friday would reveal more. Neither possibility was attractive.
"Either my anterior cruciate ligament is torn and I'll have to have reconstructive surgery and be out nine months, or I'm going to have to have arthroscopic surgery to see what else is wrong and be out six to eight weeks," he said. "No matter what, the road to recovery is going to involve surgery."
Lawrence has tried to be a sport about this, but it's difficult.
"The situation is bothering him, you can tell that," said Jason Kendall, Lawrence's battery and housemate. "He's going to be in the big leagues. He'll get through this. I guarantee it."
\ NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO: A friend of ours coaches high school ball, and his team was in the state playoffs in far Southwest Virginia a couple of years ago.
Our buddy had never been to those parts before, but he'd heard tell of a particularly successful coach down that way. Thus, he was delighted to meet this famous fellow when their teams played.
The initial conversation went like this:
"How are you doing?" our guy said.
"Fine," said Mr. Success. "How much money do you make?"
"Excuse me?"
"How much money do you make?"
Our guy told him.
"Is that all?"
"That's all."
"My assistant coaches make more than that."
"I bet."
"I once had an offer to coach at [a nearby Division I college]. Turned 'em down. Couldn't afford to leave."
"I hear you."
\ LETTERS TO HOME: Kevin Alger of Ferrum is 3-1 with a 4.07 ERA for Class A Clearwater. . . . Also at Clearwater, Salem's Nelson Metheney is 3-5 with a 4.97 ERA, which is remarkably similar to the numbers of teammate Wayne Gomes (3-5, 4.87), Philadelphia's No. 1 draft choice last year. . . . Another No. 1 draft choice, Danville's Al Shirley, is not working out well for the New York Mets as a hitter for average (.215 in 61 games), but may yet turn out to be a power hitter, as his 10 homers suggest. . . . Dee Dalton of Roanoke and Class A Madison has worked up to seven homers and 45 RBI in 68 games. . . . Billy Wagner of Ferrum has struck out 100 in 76 innings and has given up more walks (58) than hits (43) at Class A Quad Cities. . . . Darren Hodges of Rocky Mount, another former Ferrum player, is 5-1 with a 3.62 ERA at Class AA Albany.
by CNB