After the events in the Premiership at the weekend, it’s difficult not to have injuries on your mind.

The Arsenal striker Eduardo suffered a fractured left fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle on Saturday after Birmingham’s Marin Taylor mistimed a tackle and went straight through the Croatian’s standing leg. I won’t provide links to photos or footage of the horrific event. You know an injury is bad when even Sky, not exactly famed for playing down controversial moments, makes an editorial decision not to show any replays of the incident during the game. The news today is that Eduardo could be back running in six months, which seems incredible when you consider the state his leg was left in (not to mention the excruciating pain the poor guy must have been suffering). Thank the wonders of medical science and expert surgeons. Twenty years ago and there’s little doubt that his career would be over. It’s easy to overlook the role physios and medical staff play in sport, but we shouldn’t take them for granted.

(On a side note: Martin Taylor was on loan at my club, Norwich City, for several months earlier this season and I’ve heard nothing but great things about the guy, from his fellow professionals to fans who met him. It was one badly timed tackle, with no malice involved. The fact that he’s allegedly received some death threats after this is beyond appalling. He’ll be feeling terrible about it and should be left alone to get on with his career.)

I’m re-reading Ball Four at the moment and one comment really stuck out today. Jim Bouton admitted that most pitchers are constantly worrying about their pitching arm, living with the fear that they may wake up one morning and find their career could be on the rocks. I guess that fear is the sort of thing that can make a sane person try anything to help them stay healthy (Andy Pettitte and his HGH use being a particularly pertinent example). Fortunately, Major League pitchers can at least benefit from expert medical care and, just like Eduardo’s situation, many a pitcher can recover from an injury today that would put an end to their career in years past.

The most obvious example is Tommy John surgery, which has rescued many a promising pitcher’s career from the list of ‘could have beens’. Francisco Liriano was an absolute revelation in 2006, dazzling hitters and fans alike. After sitting out the entire 2007 campaign recovering from TJ surgery, he will make his much anticipated return this season for the Twins. He’s only got to replace Johan Santana as the Twins’ ace, so no pressure there!

All baseball fans will be hoping that Liriano will now have an extended stay on the field rather than falling into the camp of potential ace pitchers who just can’t seem to shake the injury tag. Both Mark Prior and Rich Harden are fully paid up members of this club. As a new season rolls around, Padres and A’s fans will be praying that this will be the start of a new chapter in the careers of their respective pitchers. The San Francisco Chronicle is already reporting tales of Rich Harden hitting 98 MPH on the speed gun, leaving the likes of Dan Johnson, Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby shaking their heads. “If only he could stay healthy” all A’s fans say. We’ve been here too many times before to allow anyone to hold out too much hope just yet. But maybe, just maybe 2008 will be the year.

Pitchers must be an eternal conundrum for baseball trainers and their staff and their ability to find a way to keep the top twirlers on the mound can be crucial for a team’s success. The Red Sox have a certain amount of pitching depth to absorb the impact, but whether Curt Schilling can contribute in the closing months of the season (and more importantly be effective) could be the difference between keeping the trophy in New England or seeing it head elsewhere. Looking at the Tigers’ roster, it’s hard to see many weaknesses. Still, they would look even stronger if Joel Zumaya wasn’t recovering from yet another strange injury. Again, a successful mid-season return from the flame-throwing righty could be key for Detroit.

And even when you think everything is set, a pitching injury crops up out of the blue and puts your plans in jeopardy. The Phillies wanted a closer to allow Brett Myers to return to the rotation, so they picked up Brad Lidge from the Astros. One spring training pitch into his Phillies career and he tears the meniscus in his right knee. Lidge is having surgery today and while the early prognosis is that he should only be out for 3-6 weeks, it will undoubtedly cause disruptions to both the player and the team’s pre-season preparations.

Injuries are part of sport. That’s no comfort when you’re in a hospital bed with your leg in plaster, or going through another strenuous and demoralising rehabilitation programme. It doesn’t make you feel better if you’re a GM who thinks he’s found the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle before a pitcher yelps and crumples to the floor. It’s even not much fun for the trainers whose reputation can take a hit if too many guys go down on his watch. But we have to accept the fact that even the best-prepared player can fall victim to an unfortunate slip, a misdirected baseball (don’t get me started on Bobby Crosby’s injury record!), or even a piece of slapstick (thankfully his injuries were minor, so Hunter Pence’s fall through a glass door can be recalled with a smile – I’m sure his team mates are being very sympathetic about it anyway).

Let’s hope the inevitable injuries are kept to a minimum this year and the pennants are decided by the players on the field, rather than the players left on the treatment table.