Like any medical procedure, doctors have made great advancements in ACL replacement. When my father tore the ACL in his left knee back in the 1960s, there was nothing that could be done. Back then, an ACL injury was basically a death sentence for any athletic career. To this day, my dad has problems with his unstable knee. On numerous occasions, his joint has slightly slipped out of socket. Apparently, this is very uncomfortable for him.

My oldest brother tore the ACL in his left knee back in the mid-90s. His knee was destroyed. They filleted it like a fish and replaced his ACL with a piece of his hamstring. He had problems with the bad joint for the rest of his football career.

I tore my left ACL — yes, I do think this is genetics and not coincidence — being an overzealous intramural athlete while in law school. When it happened, the pop was audible. For about a minute, it felt like someone stuck a knife through the middle of my knee and twisted it, but the pain quickly subsided and I was able to walk comfortably. Six hours later, my knee was the size of a cantaloupe.

The next morning, I limped like Hugh Laurie into the doctor’s office. He drained my knee with the same syringe that was used in the adrenaline injection scene in Pulp Fiction. As the doctor was doing this, I remember him telling me that blood in the fluid usually signifies a torn ligament, whereas clear fluid is indicative of a sprain. When it came out maroon, I knew I was screwed.

My surgery was quite a bit easier than my brother’s. It was done arthroscopically and my new ACL came from a cadaver. (I’ve since decided that my donor wasn’t a very good athlete.) I have one tiny scar just below my knee from where the doctor threaded a dead guy’s ACL through the top of my fibula. While the surgery was relatively easy, the rehab process was awful. My left leg shrunk to half the size of my right leg. For several months, I couldn’t extend it, bend it or stand on it alone. It took roughly eight months before I could participate in sports, but it was a good two years before I was somewhat myself again. Five years later, I still haven’t regained full range of motion and my knee gets sore whenever the weather changes.

Rockies top catching prospect, Wilin Rosario, tore his ACL in late July, but didn’t have surgery until the end of August. Right now, he can probably walk without the aid of crutches, but his leg is skinny, stiff and weak. He won’t be ready to crouch behind the plate until April at the earliest and may not be 100% healthy at all next season. Regardless of the advancements made in ACL repair, the injury is still a major setback. Even more so for a developing catcher — a position that takes a toll on the knees. It will be a long time before Wilin regains the form that has made him one of baseball’s top catching prospects.
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