After a number of devastating tornadoes occurred near his family’s home in Mississippi, Roy Oswalt took a brief leave of absence from the Phillies to make sure that his family was safe. Fortunately, they hadn’t been harmed, but a large portion of the town was destroyed by the storms.
There has to be a part of Oswalt, which wonders if he should be leaving his loved ones. What if the tornadoes return and something bad happens to the people he cares most about? Could he ever forgive and face himself and this decision?
After spending over a week working to clear the debris around his property, the 33-year old pitcher has rejoined the team and he threw a bullpen session yesterday. The proud southerner is currently scheduled to make a start on Saturday against Atlanta, and it will be the first time he’s been given the ball since rejoining the team.
Even though Oswalt has now rejoined the team, it’s fair to wonder about what his focus will be like after returning from such a troubling situation. Will he be distracted by the devastating events that took place near his home, or will the veteran righthander be able to settle back into the rotation and pick up where he left off?
I don’t believe Oswalt would have returned to the team if he wasn’t ready to put his focus back on to baseball. It might not be 24-hours a day, but he should be able to focus enough to do his job well.
The fourth ace of the staff made it clear that his family is his top priority, and nothing else comes before them. The Phillies had no problem with him 
leaving to attend to such an important matter, but they want his mind on baseball when it needs to be.
Fortunately, the team has found ways to win games while the three-time All-Star has been away. During that time, the rest of team has been strong. The starting pitching has continued to turn in strong performances, and has even gotten a pair of quality outings from Vance Worley in the last week.
More importantly, the offense has begun to wake up after struggling for several weeks to produce more than three runs in a game.
There hasn’t been any pressure on Oswalt to make to a quick return to the team. If he wasn’t ready to return, I don’t think he would have come back at this time.
I’m confident that with his family safe and sound, the former Astro should be free to pitch with a clear mind, focused only on the batters he is facing.
I believe this is Oswalt’s final year as a MLB Pitcher,
He has stated 3-4 times in the last few months that he’s not sure if he will return in 2012.. I believe he feels more compelled to be home with his family and be a Dad to his 2 young girls .. He’s made almost $100 Million in his carrer and is not driven by the $$$ or bright lights, but I do sense with him wrestling the time away from the Family when your a Professional Athlete versus being that Compeitive person who strives for success.. His days are winding down I believe
Paul, you overreact to every news story. Sure he said those things, but there are other factors. He said it in that speific context – the you took it and jumped to an extreme conclusion – just to get the prediction – you guess addict you
I am not overeacting, just telling it like it is Schiller
Oswalt stated this very same sentiments back in Training Camp before any of the storms ever occured and before the Season started.. When asked how it felt to be with such a strong Staff and could he see himself pitching with Halladay/Lee/Hamels the next couple of seasons is when he said, I am going to enjoy it this season as much as I can for I don’t know if I will be Pitching in 2012.. It wasn’t pulled out for him, He honestly answered a quation about whether he will be pitching period in 2012, and he said, he was not sure and would talk it about it after the Season with his Family (ala Andy Petite where family situations and kids getting older are more of a priority for them that playing baseball,which I support that decision 100% …
I will be very surprised to see Oswalt return like I stated and it’s not just because of this recent storm situation either, I understand his father is not in the best of health either and he is very close to his family..
Wow, for once, I actually AGREE with P(nis)man — *shutters*.
I think if we would have won the WS last year, Oswalt would have retired. I honestly think he’s ready to go. He’s still a top ten pitcher and still a monster on the mound, but I don’t think he has that “fire” anymore.
I just don’t see it in him, his interviews, or his body language that he wants to continue to be a professional baseball player. Win a ring and ride out into the sunset Big O.
Paul, I hear you. I really do. I just think that he said ‘dont know’ and ‘could’ – in the context of walking away from the game happy at any time now…. but you turned that into ‘know’ and ‘will’.
That’s the difference.
Hey, maybe he will walk away after this season. But I prefer to enjoy what’s going on tonight. You know me, I’m a ‘live in the moment’ kind of guy.
That’s great Schiller (being in the moment) and I could use some work doing more of that, but I am always looking ahead and around that big corner as far as managing a roster and keeping an eye on future events…
It’s what I do, for better or worse and which is why they call me Paulmandomis… ha