If you have ever experienced the misery of knee surgery, you know that sitting in one position for too long and the cold are your enemies. Sitting outside for say, seven innings, and then having to throw pitches that are expected to baffle Major League hitters is not the easiest feat in the world if you've had your knee cut into. Hence, Kevin Gregg's off-season knee surgery is affecting him in ways he didn't imagine when rehabilitating his leg. He didn't realize that his knee would stiffen up like a three-year-old at Toys'r'Us when sitting outside for long periods of time during the frigid Chicago "spring."
Through spring training, Gregg's knee posed no problems. However, that was in Arizona, where the temperatures were warm, and since the Cubs were trying out several pitchers, he usually didn't warm up, throw some pitches, sit down, and then have to pitch again.
When Gregg is on, he is top-notch. During spring training, he didn't give up a single earned run, and struck 13 batters out in ten innings pitched. What's needed at this point is patience for Gregg to work through keeping his knee limber. The good news is that his knee will continue to improve.
Not to mention that hopefully, Mother Nature will soon start to cooperate with baseball season. Granted, 35 degree games at Wrigley in April are more the rule than the exception, but as the weather improves, Gregg's leg should do the same.
Maggie Hendricks is a lifelong Chicagoan who has two screws in her left leg. She also writes for Cage Writer, Yahoo! Sports' MMA blog, and Fourth-Place Medal, Yahoo! Sports' Olympic blog.
