The David Freese panic roundup, including a timeline of his ankle injury (Yes, he’s out of the season)

David Freese

I was not at Hammons Field Monday for the beginning — and possibly the end of David Freese’s rehab assignment — with the Springfield Cardinals. But when I got wind of it through a host of resources, the reaction was intense. It was as if you could feel a mix of the live reaction of Cardinal Nation slumping over from a gut punch, the media mobilizing to figure out what happened and everyone else trying to put the pieces together.

Update: Freese is out for the season, officially.

The morning reading looks like this:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Derrick Goold has info on Freese’s condition.
• Springfield News-Leader SGF Cards beat writer Kary Booher tells the grim story of Freese’s injury.
• TAGsgf.com’s Brett Johnston was on the scene and checks in.
• Springfield News-Leader sports editor Pam Clark recants the story, as well.
• FoxSportsMidwest.com’s B.J. Rains has some info, too.
• Update — St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bernie Miklasz opines on the Freese injury.

Also, retracing the steps is quite entertaining. Thus, here is a retracing of David Freese’s ankle explosion from Monday night here in SGF.

The realtime mix of Twitter feeds, text messages, brain waves and other mediums looked like this:

The Injury

• 8:45: @KaryBooherNL: Worriesome development: Freese pulled up halfway after rounding third and stopped, reached for right ankle. Walking gingerly.
• 8:46: @KaryBooherNL: Matt Carpenter singled to right and Warner waived around Freese from second base.
• 8:49: Text message from TAGsgf.com’s Scott Perket — Freese just pulled up limping for 3rd out on his lat at bat while rounding 3rd for home. Reinjured.
• 8:49: More Perket — BLAMO of the day. A sad, sad, sad one.
• 8:49: More Perket — Bad thing too, cuz he tattooed a ball in 2nd at bat.
• 8:50: @HighRoadBrett: Freese stops halfway to home, limping on right foot. #stlcards fans can hit pseudo panic button. How about that move for another bat now?

The reaction

• 8:51: @KaryBooherNL: On Freese: He made it to the clubhouse in right field on his own, but walked very slowly. Said pre-game he thought he broke it back in June.
• 8:55: @Kary BooherNL: I’ll have a Freese injury update as soon as I hear something. Team trainer took him to clubhouse

The rationalization

• 9:05: @KaryBooherNL: On Freese: For anybody thinking Allen Craig at 3B, Craig has not played there this season in Memphis. Lots of 1B. Lots of LF.
• 9:07: Inside my head after finding out – NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! (Especially after we had a guarantee he would come on my radio show, The High Road with Allen Vaughan on Jock 98.7 FM, M-F from 2-3 p.m. We are still “efforting.”)
• 9:21: My first call to TAGsgf.com’s Brett Johnston (also @HighRoadBrett) — What happened? How bad is it?
• 9:25: Driving home, listening to the KTXR 101.3 Cards-Astros broadcast. Mike Shannon: “Well, we just got word that David Freese has been pulled from his rehab start in Double-A Springfield after reinjuring his left ankle. My, oh my.

The realization

• 9:26: @KaryBooherNL: Will return to STL on Tuesday for an MRI, according to trainer. Thanks to sports editor Pam Clark for running to clubhouse
• 9:28: @HighRoadBrett: Adam Brown pinch hitting for Freese, could be that bad. Can’t help but wonder if David would be better off running bags in flippy floppys. about 12 hours ago via web
• 9:32: @HighRoadBrett: Ran down to the #sgf cards clubhouse, dude said Freese bolted from the stadium quick and was “basically carried out”

Needless to say, it was a grim moment in the season for St. Louis Cardinals fans. And it’s not over. I’m sure there is plenty more of the David Freese saga.