The news that Jaime Garcia's injury rehab continues apace--that his postseason-ending shoulder stiffness didn't require surgery--should be comforting news to St. Louis Cardinals fans, but John Mozeliak's update to that effect this week didn't inspire a lot of confidence among the ones I know.
Given the fans I know, that probably isn't because of the mini-controversy over his concealed NLDS injury. It probably isn't over his ostensibly mediocre season, either, since his peripherals were fine. I don't doubt that there's a group of Cardinals fans out there who aren't comforted by Garcia's apparent recovery because they hate him, but you can count me among the group of people who aren't comforted because they liked watching him pitch.
That's what reading the words "shoulder injury" about a pitcher does to you. I'll believe Jaime Garcia is ready to pitch 200 innings in 2013 no sooner than the instant he records his 600th out. Until then, every chipper update from Mozeliak or Mike Matheny, every glowing report from Yadier Molina, is just another chance for me to remember that Jaime Garcia dealt with shoulder problems last year, and I can never trust his arm again.