Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook, Philadelphia Phillies MLB Jerseys moving swiftly after taking over from the late Silicon Valley icon Steve Jobs, fulfilled a longstanding desire of investors by initiating a quarterly dividend and share buyback that will pay out $45 billion over three years.
The world’s most valuable technology company will start paying its first dividends since 1995 — a regular quarterly payout of $2.65 a share — in July, and buy back up to $10 billion of its stock beginning in the next fiscal year.
The $10 billion annual dividend program, which Cook said will be reviewed periodically, ranks among the largest current U.S. corporate cash payouts.
But he told analysts on Monday Texas Rangers MLB Jerseys that “making great products” remained Apple’s top priority, echoing the sentiments of his former boss, who died in October after a years-long battle with cancer.
Jobs’ former lieutenant has impressed Wall Street since taking the helm. He has made his mark by revealing Apple’s production partners and initiating investigations into allegations of labor abuse in its supply chain, among other things.
Now, the man once hailed as an able deputy and supply chain guru is reaching out to Wall Street.
“We have used some of our cash to make great investments in our business through increased research and development, acquisitions, new retail store openings, strategic prepayments and capital expenditures in our supply chain, and building out our infrastructure,” Cook said. “You’ll see more of all of these in the future.”
“Los Angeles Angels MLB Jerseys Innovation is the most important objective at Apple and we will not lose sight of that.”
When Cook was announced as CEO, many on Wall Street worried he lacked Jobs’ vision for devising groundbreaking consumer electronics. But Apple’s shares have gained more than 50 percent since Jobs’ death and set a record above $600 last week as investors noted the assurance with which Cook has taken the reins.
Cook oversaw the rollout of the iPhone 4S last year and presided over what he said on Monday was a “record weekend” of sales for the new, 4G-enabled iPad.
But many investors are still waiting to see an Apple TV or something similar: a gadget that will transform the industry the way the iPod and iPhone did. On a conference call, one of the first questions that cropped up regarded the company’s product pipeline. Cook declined to comment.
Apple shares were up 1.3 percent at $593.34 in morning trade on the Nasdaq.
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Apple expects the share buyback program to run over three years, with the primary objective to offset the impact of employee stock options and equity grants.
Its annual dividend yield will come in around 1.8 percent. That ranks above Oracle Corp and International Business Machines Corp but falls just short of the average of around 2.4 percent for companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, analysts say.
“The best thing about it is that we can go back to focusing on what Apple does best,” said Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst.
The company will still maintain a “war chest” for other strategic opportunities, Cook said. “These decisions will not close any doors for us.”
The maker of the iPhone, iPad and iPod has $98 billion in cash and securities, equal to about $104 a share, according to ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall.
The company said it anticipated using about $45 billion of domestic cash in the first three years of its buyback and dividend programs.
Asked about Apple’s substantial cash parked overseas, Chief Financial Official Peter Oppenheimer said the company had no plans to repatriate it at this time.
“The current tax laws provide a considerable economic disincentive to U.S. companies that might otherwise repatriate the substantial amount of foreign cash that they have,” he said. “That’s our view. And we’ve expressed it. ”
Apple last paid a dividend in 1995, according to Thomson Reuters data. In 1996, the company posted a net loss of $816 million. “Apple is an overcapitalized company, and it’s probably better to have the cash in the shareholders’ pockets than in Apple’s pockets,” said John Strand, CEO of Copenhagen-based Strand Consulting.
(CBS/AP) TOULOUSE,2009 All Star MLB JerseysFrance – The shooting deaths of four people, including three children, by a gunman outside a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse has been linked to two deadly attacks in the same region last week that killed three French paratroopers and left another seriously injured.
Investigators said Monday that forensic tests have shown the same weapon was used in all three attacks. The motive is unclear, but the targets all have been ethnic minorities.
A 30-year-old rabbi and his 3-year-old Boston Red Sox MLB Jerseys and 6-year-old sons were killed in Monday’s attack, just before classes started at the Ozar Hatorah school, a junior high and high school in a quiet residential neighborhood, Toulouse Prosecutor Michel Valet said. Witnesses said the man worked at the school.
Police identified the fourth victim as the 10-year-old daughter of the school director. A 17-year-old was critically injured.
“He shot at everything he had in front of him, children and adults,” Valet said. “The children were chased inside the school.”
Witnesses say shooter was not random but took aim at victims and chased some into schoolyard, reports CBS Radio News correspondent Elaine Cobbe. Investigators are examining footage from a surveillance camera in the school for any clues.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy denounced “the savagery” of Monday’s attack on a school, and vowed to find the killer or killers.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told The Associated Press that the suspect in Monday’s school shootings Cleveland Indians MLB Jerseys made his getaway on a dark-colored scooter — just as the assailant or assailants did in the two shootings last week.
The school targeted Monday, behind a high white wall with few external markings, was cordoned off by police, who then escorted other children out as forensics police combed the scene.
One officer held a distraught girl, her face in her hands. A mother and son wearing a yarmulke walked away from the site, their faces visibly pained. A video camera was visible at the school’s entrance.
“The drama occurred a bit before 8 a.m. A man arrived in front of the school on a motorcycle or scooter,” Valet said, adding that the man got off his scooter outside the school and opened fire.
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The prosecutor said the suspect probably used two weapons, including one of a large caliber.
On March 10, a gunman on a motorbike shot and killed a paratrooper in Toulouse. Last Thursday, a gunman on a motorbike opened fire on three uniformed paratroopers at a bank machine in Montauban, about 30 miles from Toulouse, killing two and critically wounding the other.
Forensic analysis showed the same weapon was used in the shootings in Montauban and Toulouse.
France has the largest Jewish community in western Europe, estimated at about 500,000. France also has the largest Muslim population in western Europe, about 5 million.
A man who lives near the school said he spoke with the father just before he was shot and killed.
“I said “Bonjour” to him like normal,” said the 29-year-old, asking to be identified only by his first name Baroukh.
“Then he went out into the school entrance. I heard the shots and I turned around and saw him on the ground. He looked dead. But I didn’t have much time to see who did it because I panicked and started running away.”
Sarkozy visited the school accompanied by Richard Prasquier, the president of CRIF, the umbrella group representing Jewish organizations.
“It’s a day of national tragedy,” Sarkozy said after arriving. “The barbary, the savagery, the cruelty cannot win. Hate cannot win. The nation is much stronger.”
In Jerusalem, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said “whether it was a terror attack or a hate crime, the loss of life is unacceptable.”
Einat Wilf, an Israeli legislator from the Independence Party, said legislators were being briefed on the shooting.
Special prayers were being offered Monday at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The 2012 offseason has been a rough one for the Miami Dolphins, as the team has lost out on free-agent quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn after failing to land coach Jeff Fisher. Now, even other NFL players are piling on.
Dolphins’ QB quandry
With Matt Flynn electing to sign with the Seahawks, the Dolphins’ quarterback options are dwindling. Steve Wyche looks where Miami might turn now. More …
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark took a shot at the Dolphins’ inability to land free agents on Twitter on Sunday, per ProFootballTalk.com. Responding to a previous tweet that claimed no one wants to sign with the team, Clark tweeted: “No one! To believe I almost went there but it was easy decision not to.”
Clark considered playing for the Dolphins in 2010, even paying Miami a visit, before re-signing with the Steelers.
Clark had an answer when someone wondered why the Dolphins had such poor results. “It’s my honest opinion. Not a good guy making decisions,” he tweeted, seemingly referring to general manager Jeff Ireland.
And, a few minutes later: “Done w talk of the Dolphins. Good luck to their team. Their are some good men working hard to win games ON the field.”
Even in the offseason, the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback carousel keeps spinning.
After being spurned by Peyton Manning, the Dolphins had a brief, unproductive courtship with Matt Flynn, then turned their attention Sunday to Alex Smith.
Smith, a longtime San Francisco 49ers quarterback, arrived at the Dolphins’ complex in a car driven by trainer Kevin O’Neill and later left after a 5½-hour meeting. Coach Joe Philbin, offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and general manager Jeff Ireland arrived at the complex before Smith and O’Neill did.
Dolphins officials declined to comment on any details about the visit. However, the meeting could affect the Manning sweepstakes, because the 49ers are among three finalists for the four-time NFL MVP, along with the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans.
Wyche: Dolphins face QB quandary
With Matt Flynn electing to sign with the Seahawks,
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“I never thought a year ago (Peyton) Manning would be a free agent, either,” Smith told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel upon arriving in Miami for his visit with the Dolphins. “I’m never surprised by anything.”
The 49ers had been working to re-sign Smith, reportedly offering him a three-year, $24 million contract, but they also went to North Carolina last Tuesday to watch Manning work out at Duke University.
Smith and Manning have the same agent, Tom Condon. However, Smith reportedly might sever ties with Condon.
A new starting quarterback would be the Dolphins’ 17th since Dan Marino retired following the 1999 season. But after all of their shopping, it’s possible Miami will stick with incumbent Matt Moore, who played well last season (2,497 passing yards and 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions), although there are doubts he’s a franchise quarterback.
“Looks like Miami (is) going with Moore again,” former Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson tweeted after Flynn’s three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks was announced.
Flynn has ties to Philbin, who was the quarterback’s offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers.
The Dolphins also have scheduled a meeting with free-agent quarterback David Garrard, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.
Garrard, a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2005 to 2010, didn’t play last season. He was released five days before the opener by the Jaguars, then underwent back surgery in October.
The Seattle Seahawks hope another Green Bay Packers backup turns into their franchise quarterback.
The Seahawks reached an agreement with Matt Flynn on a three-year contract Sunday, bringing one of the most wanted — yet unproven — free agents to the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks didn’t announce financial terms, but a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora the deal is worth a maximum of $26 million, with $10 million guaranteed.
“Matt Flynn’s the newest Seahawk… We’re fired up to bring him to Seattle! #AlwaysCompete,” coach Pete Carroll tweeted after the news broke.
Wyche: Dolphins face QB quandary
With Matt Flynn electing to sign with the Seahawks,
the Dolphins’ QB options are dwindling. Steve Wyche looks where Miami might
turn now. More …
Flynn was a career backup in Green Bay, stuck behind All-Pro Aaron Rodgers — much the way Matt Hasselbeck was stuck behind Brett Favre before being acquired by Seattle in 2001. Flynn also visited the Miami Dolphins, who are coached by former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, but picked the Seahawks instead.
When given an opportunity, Flynn has shined. His best performance was his last, throwing for 480 yards and six touchdowns in a victory over Detroit in Green Bay’s regular-season finale.
The Seahawks had inside knowledge of Flynn, thanks to Schneider. Before coming to Seattle, Schneider worked in Green Bay’s front office and was there when the team drafted Flynn in the seventh round out of LSU in 2008. Flynn quickly became Rodgers’ backup and played in parts of 34 games over four seasons.
Flynn’s deal answers one of the Seahawks’ biggest offseason questions. The only quarterback with experience on their roster is Tarvaris Jackson, who played through a difficult pectoral injury for more than half of last season, winning him admiration in the locker room. But he never took firm hold of the job.
Jackson threw for a career-high 3,091 yards last season, but he had just 14 touchdown passes versus 13 interceptions, and he struggled in the fourth quarter of four home games.
“We are really excited to bring Matt in here to compete with Tarvaris,” Carroll said.
BRADENTON, Fla. — Everyone knew it was going to happen eventually, including the player himself, so it was no shock when Starling Marte was in the group sent down in the latest round of cuts in Pirates camp on Sunday morning.
Marte joined fellow outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, right-handers Kyle McPherson and Bryan Morris and lefty Justin Wilson in being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. There are now 43 active players in Major League camp, including 13 non-roster players. Among the 43, there are 22 pitchers (seven non-roster), 5 catchers (three non-roster), 11 infielders (two non-roster) and five outfielders (one non-roster).
Marte, the No. 3 rated prospect on the Pirates’ Top 20 Prospects list and No. 40 overall among big league prospects, picked up one last base hit in Saturday’s game against the Rays, an eighth-inning bunt single. That brought his Grapefruit League average up to .520.
Marte’s solo homer00:00:263/8/12: Starling Marte lifts a solo home run to left field, tying the game at 4 in the eighth inningTags: Spring Training, Starling Marte, home run, Pittsburgh Pirates, Grapefruit League, More From This Game, hitting, highlightShare:
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Wilson’s three strikeouts
Morris’ scoreless appearance
Marte’s three hits”I wasn’t discouraged,” said Marte, with the assistance of translator and Bucs third baseman Pedro Alvarez, of the demotion. “I’m happy for the opportunity to show what I can do. I’ll keep working until I have a chance.”
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“I feel good. I learned from a lot of guys here [in camp].”
Overall, Marte went 13-for-25 with three homers.
“Obviously we love the guy and are really excited about his offensive upside,” general manager Neal Huntington said of Marte. “He has a chance to come up here and make an impact. He showed when he hits his pitch, he can hit just about anybody.”
“[Marte] continued to show a need to refine his strike-zone command. His ability to barrel balls that aren’t good pitches will be his biggest challenge in Triple-A.
Marte will split time with Hernandez in both left and center field in his first trip to Triple-A after struggling defensively at times in right this spring.
“Defensively, we were a little surprised,” said Huntington. “We’ve seen a much better defensive outfielder [in the past]. He struggled [defensively this spring], and some of it might have had to do with [playing] right field, but we’ve got some work to do there [offensively] as far as consistency pitch-to-pitch.”
Wilson, McPherson and Morris are all in the Pirates’ Top 20 as well. Wilson is at No. 10. The lefty appeared in four Spring Training games, finishing with a 3.18 ERA over 5 2/3 innings. He gave up four hits and walked seven while striking out six. McPherson (No. 11), the Pirates’ 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, didn’t find much mound time in official Grapefruit League action, tossing just one scoreless inning against the Phillies on March 16. Morris (No. 15) gave up two unearned runs over four one-inning outings, yielding four hits and one walk while striking out two.
Hernandez hit .150 over 12 games, going 3-for-20, though he did go 3-for-3 in stolen-base attempts. None of the optioned players made the trip to Fort Myers, Fla., for either the official game or the “B” game slated for Sunday morning.
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Clump by clump, the hair fell off of Reds reliever Bill Bray’s head into a pile on the floor. Within mere moments on Saturday afternoon, Bray was completely bald.
Seeing your hair disappear might be an anxious moment for some, but Bray only wore a big smile on his face throughout the experience, because his locks were shorn out of love for a family member. He announced a few weeks earlier that he would shave his head to raise money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity that funds research for childhood cancer cures.
Bray’s 10-year-old cousin, Trevor, has battled neuroblastoma cancer for several years and organized his own fundraisers for St. Baldrick’s, which gets its name from combining the word “bald” with “St. Patrick’s Day.”
Bray shaves head for charity00:01:34Reds pitcher Bill Bray shaves his head for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in hopes to raise money to find cures for childhood cancersTags: Bill Bray, Cincinnati RedsShare:
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Bray K’s Beltran
Bray’s shutout relief”The idea came when my cousin Trevor and his Dad called me and asked if I could donate a couple of baseballs and have some guys on the team sign them for a charity auction to go along with the St. Baldrick’s event,” Bray said. “I said maybe I can do one better and shave my head and maybe raise some good money for the foundation.”
Bray’s efforts have raised more than $3,600 for St. Baldrick’s, primarily through Twitter and Facebook. Donors who pledged $25 or more received an autographed photo from Bray. Since 2000, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has raised more than $117 million
“I would say it’s been extremely successful,” Bray said. “The fact that people who don’t know me have contributed so much, it’s incredibly … I don’t even know the word for how honored I am that people would take their hard-earned money and donate it to a cause. I want Trevor to know we’re always thinking of him, every single day.”
Bray, a Reds lefty reliever since 2006, did not put his head in the hands of a trained barber or stylist. Manning the clippers was 10-year-old Scottsdale, Ariz., resident Erin Bailey, herself two-years free and victorious from a two-year battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Smiling sheepishly as she stood behind her first-ever haircut client while parents Mike and Cindy watched. along with Bray’s family and representatives of St. Baldrick’s, Erin shaved away.
“I was a little nervous. It was my first time. It was exciting,” Bailey said afterwards.
Not quite sure what she was doing, Bailey moved the clippers up and down, side to side and whatever way it took to get Bray’s hair to come off of his head.
“Perfect, that’s it. You’re doing great,” Bray said, encouraging her. On occasion, he took Bailey’s hand and helped her guide the clippers across his head.
“Should I do the face?” Bailey asked.
“Nooooooo!” replied the cluster of people gathered in the Reds’ interview room. Bray took care of shaving off his goatee himself.
“I would have loved to have gotten Bronson up here,” Bray said, referring to long-haired teammate Bronson Arroyo.
Bray planned to take a razor to his head once he got home and to become skin-bald. He was excited to have helped Trevor and children with cancer in his own small way.
“He’s doing good. The kid is a heck of a fighter,” Bray said. “He’s had it for five years and just keeps battling. He’s always worried about somebody other than himself. I think that’s probably the most impressive part. With everything he’s been through, he’s more worried about the world around him and making it a better place.”
Pretty soon, the shearing was all done and Bray was much lighter on top. His 2 ½ year old daughter, Laurel, had witnessed the haircut, looked at the pile of hair and wasn’t sure what to think.
“You can put your hair back on,” Laurel told her father.
In due time, it will grow back. For now, Bray and his daughter will get used to the notion that bald is beautiful.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — He’s not quite ready for it at this point, but the thought has already crossed his mind: When his time is done as a starter, Jake Peavy might let it all hang out as a closer.
“If I can’t stay healthy for 200 innings, if somebody says something about closing or being a reliever, I can do that, I can be a reliever,” the White Sox pitcher said on Saturday. “How do I know that? I can be a reliever because I think I can. That’s the bottom line. I can do something because I believe I can do it. If it comes down to that, I’ll do it because I love this game.
“When I walk away, you guys will know it because it’s time.”
Peavy pleased with performance00:01:063/17/12: Jake Peavy talks about being pleased with his command and velocity in his start vs. the Mariners and how happy he is to be healthyTags: Chicago White Sox, Cactus League, interview, Spring Training, Jake Peavy, More From This GameShare:
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Peavy reflects on control issues
Sox welcome Wounded WarriorsIt isn’t time yet for him either to relieve or close based on his performance on Saturday. Peavy pitched five innings of scoreless, no-hit ball as the White Sox defeated the Mariners, 5-0, in Cactus League action at Camelback Ranch.
Peavy pitched to one batter over the minimum of 15, walking only Justin Smoak to open the second inning. He struck out five. The performance was in stark contrast to his previous outing on March 12, when he allowed six runs and eight hits against the A’s.
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After that outing, the sky was falling. The right-hander is less than two years away from experimental surgery that reattached the lat muscle to his shoulder by way of tiny eye screws and micro-fishing wire. Any failure to excel is tempered by all that. Saturday, the question was whether he or John Danks should be the Opening Day starter at Texas on April 6.
Peavy gave Danks his vote, for whatever that’s worth, because he’s the future of the franchise. For Peavy, the future is right now. Even though he’s only 30, he’s been to Spring Training every year since 2000 when he was coming up through the Padres’ organization, so he knows the score. The question shouldn’t be about good or bad this time a year. People should only begin to worry if his arm falls off.
“The only question you should be asking any of us this time of year is, ‘How do you feel?’” Peavy said. “Nothing else matters.”
Peavy also knows that the innings are beginning to pile up on his arm. Of the 1,581 1/3 he’s tossed in his nine-year big league career, only 238 2/3 of them have come since the 2009 midseason trade that sent him from the Padres to the White Sox. He arrived on the disabled list because of a foot injury, pitched on it and ultimately tore the muscle off his shoulder.
Right now, he says he’s feeling the best he has since coming to Chicago, but MRIs of his shoulder show the overall wear and tear. He confided that it’s never going to get any better. The last few years have just been a mental horror show.
“I dreaded start days for the last three years, wondering how I was going to get through them. What kind of medicine was it going to take?” he said. “It was just a bad frame of mind. That will take its toll on you.”
Peavy spoke about a relief appearance last year on June 25 at home against the Nationals as being the watershed of his season. He threw four innings on his throw day after Danks suffered an oblique strain and had to leave after two innings. Peavy remained in the rotation, made his next start and said he could never again catch up.
“I pushed it and pushed and I was OK,” he said. “But it was totally my fault. I volunteered and I got in that game in relief and let it all hang out. Adrenalin was flowing then. After that, I was behind the eight ball. I never got close to where I was pain free. But today, I didn’t take a Tylenol. My ankle didn’t hurt me.
“I can’t believe right now how I feel. I can’t promise you a month from now whether I’m going to be healthy. We’re going to do everything we can do to stay this way, but it’s so refreshing to be healthy.”
It would figure, though, his old associations with the Padres would stir new competitive juices. It was Trevor Hoffman, No. 2 all time with 601 saves, who recently began talking with Peavy about ultimately transitioning to the bullpen like Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz had done. Peavy spent the first seven full seasons of his career in San Diego while Hoffman was the closer, twirling his magic.
“We were just talking about it and he said, ‘Have you thought about being a reliever?’” Peavy said. “”I said, ‘I have thought about it because of the shape I’ve been in.’ Right now, I don’t want any part of that. I’m a starter and that’s what I want to be. If I’m healthy, I’m a starter at heart. But down the road? There’s no doubt I have thought about it and can do it.”
The White Sox have a hefty $22 million option on him for 2013 with a $4 million buyout. So for Peavy, that time may be sooner than he thinks.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Ryan Braun says he isn’t about to start counting outs, or boo birds.
Braun played his first spring road game on Saturday, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a slick sliding catch in foul ground during an 8-1 Brewers loss to the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Braun dropped to 1-for-15 so far this spring with a home run and three walks.
Is 15 at-bats enough to draw any conclusions?
“There’s never a quantity of at-bats in Spring Training that would concern me, ever,” Braun said. “Spring Training has never been result-oriented. It’s always process-oriented. The process is certainly a little different this year. It’s an adjustment I’ll have to make.”
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This spring is different because Braun, after appealing a suspension over the winter, is under a spotlight brighter than the Arizona sunshine. He played before supportive crowds at Maryvale Baseball Park, but Saturday received a harsher reception on the road, even as an L.A. guy playing in front of Angels fans.
“I don’t think anything of it,” Braun said. “That’s a story for you guys.”
Of Braun’s progression, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said, “He’s just a little bit off, but I think he’s seeing the ball better.”
Next week, Braun will gradually begin to increase his workload. He said he plans to start back-to-back games for the first time on Monday and Tuesday — both road games, including a Monday matchup with Yu Darvish and the Rangers in Surprise, Ariz.
It’s part of his process.
“If I go 0-for-50 in Spring Training, I’m 100 percent confident I’ll have success in the season. I’m serious,” Braun said. “It’s just a different intensity, different focus, energy, enthusiasm when you play regular-season games. It just is.
“Of course, I want to have success. You always want to have success. But it’s different.”
PEORIA, Ariz. — Padres cleanup hitter Carlos Quentin got the MRI results from a nagging knee issue Saturday, and as a result, he will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery in San Diego on Monday. The recovery is roughly four weeks, meaning he’ll miss the rest of Spring Training, but he could be ready to play about 10 days into the season.
“That’s a goal,” Quentin said Saturday. “I’d like to miss less obviously. I’ve talked to several people who have had scopes done, knock on wood, and it’s a procedure that’s more commonplace. Keep my fingers crossed — I’d like to be back as fast as possible.
“The MRI results came back with a couple options, and I decided to go with this for the best chance to have a good season, be back, be healthy and strong and be successful. Do the math — it gives me an enormous chunk of the season to be healthy for.”
Quentin on knee injury00:01:17Carlos Quentin speaks about the injury to his right knee that will require surgeryTags: San Diego Padres, Cactus League, interview, Spring Training, Carlos QuentinShare:
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Quentin’s RBI double
Quentin on playing for PadresPadres team physician Dr. Heinz Hoenecke will perform the surgery to repair some meniscus tearing and remove loose particles in Quentin’s knee.
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“Within the first week of camp, he was getting some discomfort, and we treated it daily,” manager Bud Black said. “He played some games, and we gave him a couple days off early on and he played some more. It was nagging him to the point that it just made sense to have it scoped. He was playing through some discomfort. It’s better to do this now than to have him continue to try and fight though this. If it gets worse, it might affect his play and you do it in-season. Knock it out now.”
Quentin was acquired in a Dec. 31 trade with the White Sox and was off to a great start in his first spring with the Padres. He was hitting .533 (8-for-15) in his first six games with two doubles, one homer and four RBIs.
Kyle Blanks and Jesus Guzman are prime candidates to see extra time in the outfield, along with Will Venable and Mark Kotsay.
Quentin started noticing inflammation a couple days into camp. He got treatment and felt better, but he aggravated it in Wednesday’s game against Arizona.
“I slid into second and took out the second baseman,” Quentin said. “I felt fine, finished the game. That night, I was a little sore. When I came in [Thursday], there was more inflammation in the knee. At that point, because of the inflammation in the knee for two or three weeks before that game, the training staff thought they should check it out, see what was going on in there. Had that decision not been made, it could have been lingering on me, battling on me.”
The alternative to arthroscopic surgery might have made sense during the regular season, but given the timing, Quentin had no qualms about surgery during Spring Training.
“The other option involved trying to manage it day to day for six months on a 162-game schedule, knowing that any type of slide or blunt-force trauma with the knee could reaggravate it and I’d have to miss an unforeseeable amount of games,” Quentin said. “I made this decision with the hope that no games will have to be missed once the knee is healthy.”
