Just saw this article on Robb Nen. Looks like that rotator cuff is pretty bad and it is doubtful he will ever pitch again. I feel bad for the guy, too bad he couldn't make a comeback. I know some of the people around here were interested in giving him a minor league deal if he was healthy.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb...s_mlb&fext=.jsp

 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Former Giants pitcher Robb Nen's comeback has again been aborted.

Suffering from a severely torn rotator cuff, the 35-year-old closer, San Francisco's all-time leader with 207 saves, hasn't pitched since the 2002 World Series, when he tried to help the Giants by throwing in pain.

 

"He's a real man's man," Giants trainer Stan Conte said of Nen's efforts. "He sacrificed his arm and his career by trying to win a World Series."

 

But after three operations on Nen's right shoulder prior to the 2003 campaign, recurrent pain kept him off the field. The right-hander has been rehabbing in San Francisco and near his Southern California home since then as well as taking considerable time off.

 

But Marcel Lachemann, a Colorado Rockies special front-office assistant who coached Nen while the latter was with the Florida Marlins, said on Friday the pitcher has stopped working out -- for now.

 

"He's had some setbacks. He's just shut it down, pretty much," said Lachemann. "He's just going to shut it down, let his arm see how it feels. He's tried everything. He's rested, done everything else. He was going along pretty good, then it started bothering him again."

 

The Rockies had expressed interest in signing Nen, but that's not the case now.

 

Conte, who has monitored Nen's progress -- and setbacks -- over the past two years, said he doubted Nen would ever pitch again, since Nen's rotator cuff is about 70 percent torn. Workouts were not under game conditions and never a true test.

 

Nen had been throwing off a mound recently, but problems resurfaced.

 

"I have so much respect for what he's done through his career that I want him to be happy at what he's doing," Lachemann told MLB.com. "I think what he wanted to do was leave the game on his own terms rather than on an injury. If he can, fine. If he can't, so be it. He's been an obviously great pitcher, but if you talk to players, he's been a great teammate. He's always been a very fine friend to me. He's just a great, classy person."

 

The 10-year veteran, whose Giants contract expired at the end of the 2004 season, has 314 lifetime saves, and had a superb season for San Francisco in 2002 with 43 saves -- fifth best in the National League -- and a 2.20 ERA.

 

Rich Draper is a reporter for MLB.com. Thomas Harding contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Too bad indeed. I heard a week or two ago that the Cubs were discussing Nen as a possible closer option. No chance of that now .

Too bad indeed. I heard a week or two ago that the Cubs were discussing Nen as a possible closer option. No chance of that now  .

 

I wouldn't say "no" chance.

Nen to retire

Dang that sucks that he's retiring, I always liked him.