Dustin Pedroia Gets Advice From M.J.

We all know the story by now.  Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia broke his foot back in June and did everything he could to get back on the field as quickly as possible, including taking ground balls from his knees.  Nobody knows if the Red Sox medical staff cleared him prematurely or if he just tried to do too much too soon, but Pedroia apparently wasn’t ready to return when he came off the disabled list and ended up re-injuring the foot, ending his season.

Pedroia, who made our list of the top 30 franchise players in the MLB, now finds himself seeking a second opinion to determine if he’ll need to undergo surgery on the left foot.  Along with the second medical opinion, Terry Francona arranged for Michael Jordan to give Pedroia some advice.  Francona and M.J. have a history together, as Tito was his manager when he decided to leave basketball and join the Birmingham Barons in 1994.  Coincidentally, Jordan suffered the same injury on the same foot while playing with the Bulls during the 1985-1986 season.

I don’t call Michael very much just because I know how much people bug him” Francona told WEEI’s Dale and Holley Show. But because of Pedey, I knew that Michael would enjoy talking to him, and he did. He was almost fatherly in his advice. He was like, “I went through this, it’s tough, you got to listen.” Pedey was all ears and that was good. When guys like Michael Jordan talk, people are apt to listen more.”

Pedroia probably doesn’t need any added confidence considering he’s one of the cockiest players in the league, but it certainly can’t hurt to be able to relate to one of the greatest athletes of all time.  I think it’s safe to say M.J. was able to make a full recovery from the injury, so there’s no reason for Dustin to think he can’t do the same.

Source:
Pedroia seeks second opinion on foot; talks to Michael Jordan for advice [Hardball Talk]