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October 27, 2007
By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer
DENVER -- The spotlight Sunday, and with good reason, will fall on Boston pitcher Jon Lester when he starts Game Four of the World Series.
Lester, as everyone who follows the Red Sox knows, is a cancer survivor. A year ago at this time he was being treated for anaplastic large cell lymphoma and baseball was on the back burner of his young life.
But Lester is not the only starting pitcher tonight who has been confronted with a life-threatening issue.
Colorado's starter is Aaron Cook, a left-hander who underwent surgery for blood clots on both lungs, which were discovered during the 2004 season. The left-hander bounced back, going 7-2 for the Rockies in 2005, returning to action about a year after the clots had been discovered.
Cook's comeback earned him the Boston baseball writers' Tony Conigliaro Award at their annual dinner in January, 2006, an award given to a "major league player who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage."
The Lester-Cook matchup goes beyond your basic pitcher-versus-pitcher matchup, said Colorado manager Clint Hurdle this afternoon. It's almost spiritual in its nature and timing.
''I think this game (of baseball) drips with irony at different times for different reasons,'' said Hurdle.
Cook agreed.
''It is kind of ironic, with him going through what he went through and what I went through, both of us working our way back up to the top level of professional baseball," Cook said Saturday afternoon.
''It's tough enough to get here and what we've been through, just to keep our focus, keep our faith . . . I'm sure he realizes, too, without me talking to him, that baseball is not the most important thing in the world. You're able to relax, put it in perspective, play it like a game and have fun, and I'm sure that's what he's been able to do, too,'' said Cook.
Hurdle, though, is not starting Cook because it's a feel-good story.
''Once we gave him the assignment, sentimentality didn't come into play. I had to stay removed from that. We want to do the right things for the right reason at the right time,'' said Hurdle.
The right reason, of course, is that Hurdle and his staff feel that starting Cook gives them their best chance to win Game Four. But to some degree, neither the Rockies nor Cook know what to expect from Cook when he takes the mound.
Cook hasn't made a start in the big leagues since Aug. 10, when a strained oblique sent him to the disabled list. He reinjured it during a rehab assignment, and has been trying to round back into form through Instructional League work and simulated games against the Rockies.
''Our lineup is pretty good, so I've been fortunate to face those guys,'' said Cook, who was 8-7 with a 4.12 earned-run average before the injury. ''I think I've had three simulated games. I feel pretty comfortable with where I'm at. (Game Four) will be the real test. It's the biggest stage.''
One Colorado concern is that Cook, a sinkerballer, might be too strong for the start. Traditionally, sinkerball pitchers are most effective when tired, which results in better sink on the ball instead of powering the ball through the strike zone, which might leave the ball up.
''It's true. I think sometimes a sinkerball pitcher can be too strong,'' said Cook. ''The way I'm going to try to guard against that is just go out there and try to be as calm as possible and just worry about executing pitches, which I was able to do up until the time I got hurt and not really worry about throwing the ball by guys because I know I'm going to feel strong. I have to throw it and let the 'sink' take over.''
That issue certainly pales in comparison to the life-scare he endured because of the blood clots. While he may be stronger than normal with his fastball, it is his inner strength that now fuels him even more than in the past, he said.
''A lot of my strength comes from my faith in God,'' said Cook. ''I grew up in church. I believe that God has a plan for us all. There's a verse in the Bible that says, 'Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because testing of your faith develops perseverence.' That's one verse I really held onto.
''You can't really become the person you're supposed to be until you deal with something, and you never know how you deal with it until you go through it,'' said Cook.
Cook clearly has persevered away from the field, surviving his serious health scare, and Sunday he'll be trying to help his teammates persevere against the difficult Red Sox' lineup.
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 6:02 PM | Permalink
