Roskos: Frightening injury is just ‘part of the game’

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, July 25, 2000 | 9:44 a.m.

Less than 24 hours after a 93-mph fastball shattered three bones in his nose, John Roskos was back in the Las Vegas Stars locker room on Monday afternoon.

However, don't expect the PCL All-Star back in the lineup for at least a week.

Roskos will remain in Las Vegas this week while the Stars go on a nine-game road trip to Salt Lake and Tacoma. Barring any complications caused by the three broken bones in his nasal area, Roskos will likely be back in the lineup when Las Vegas returns home to Cashman Field on Aug. 3 to host Edmonton.

And for anybody who saw the bloody mess that was Roskos' nose after he was plunked by a Ryan Franklin fastball on Sunday night, that is a happy ending to what could have been a career-ending play.

"It hit my nose straight-on," said Roskos, who was wearing a protective bandage to cover the injured nose. "I was in shock, especially from all the blood. It was just a bad situation."

Roskos said he didn't believe Franklin was intentionally throwing at his head.

"No way," Roskos said. "Not in that situation. ... I think it was just a complete accident and, from what I hear, he came up and was patting me on the butt and everything when I was walking away. I don't remember any of that, but it's good to know.

"It was a complete accident and I've just got to move on. It's not his fault. The kid is out there pitching a great game and doing his job. It was an accident and it's part of the game."

Roskos said his biggest fear at the time of the injury was that he might not be able to play baseball again.

"The worst thing is asking yourself if you're going to be able to play again," he said. "Did it hit my eye? Did it hit my head? Did it do something that is going to affect me being able to ever play again? Those are the things that go through your mind when you're lying on the ground and seeing all this blood coming out. Am I going to be able to do this again?"

Roskos said he realized he was going to be OK about 30 minutes after he got hit.

"That's when I started realizing what was happening," Roskos said. "I started feeling my face and my jaw and my teeth. The paramedics said I probably just cracked my nose a little bit. The main thing was I just wanted to know that I'd be able to play again."

Eberwein, a two-time All-American as a third baseman at UNLV, has been moved to his "natural" first base position and is hitting .268 with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs in 94 games with the Bay Bears.

Stars president and general manager Don Logan said he still expects Eberwein to finish the season in Las Vegas.

Thanks to Roskos' injury, Las Vegas has only 21 healthy players on its roster heading into an eight-game road trip. However, the club could add a catcher if San Diego activates starting catcher Carlos Hernandez (back strain) from the disabled list later this week as expected.

Ben Davis, promoted from Las Vegas to fill Hernandez's roster spot last month, entered Monday night's game batting just .128 for the Padres.

Stars manager Tony Franklin said he believes a middle infielder from Mobile will likely join the team on Wednesday in Salt Lake. Top candidates include ex-Stars Alex Palaez and John Powers.

The Dodgers will be asked to sign a 20-year lease to remain in Vero Beach if local government officials buy Dodgertown facility and lease it back to the club at $1 per year. If the Dodgers opt to remain in Vero Beach, it will all but kill Las Vegas' chances of becoming a third spring training site.

Snopek, who opened the game with his 10th home run of the season, had four of Tacoma's 18 hits in the contest.

The Stars now trail first-place Sacramento by six games with 44 games to go in the Pacific Coast League's Southern Division.