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Veres to rejoin Rockies after hip surgery

Minor league deal gives pitcher shot at comeback

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 4, 2007 at midnight

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Dave Veres is hoping to restart his pitching career.

At age 40.

After having undergone hip-replacement surgery.

With the Rockies.

Veres has been out of baseball the past two seasons.

But after having the surgery in March, Veres felt so good while playing city-league baseball in Castle Rock that he contacted the Rockies.

Veres has agreed to a minor league contract with the Rockies, whom he pitched for in 1998 and 1999, with an invitation to major league spring training.

Veres hasn't pitched in the majors since 2003, having spent the 2004 season trying to rehabilitate from right shoulder surgery.

The right-hander said he assured Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd he is serious about resuming his career.

"Dan's big concern was making sure there was no residual effect (from pitching on the hip)," Veres said.

"I told him I'm not trying to eke out one more year. I want to pitch three, four more years. My whole career has been built around challenging the odds. That doesn't bother me."

The Rockies do not comment on players whose contracts are not finalized.

Veres said the hip problem is what kept him out of baseball.

He initially tried losing weight and started an exercise program to alleviate the pain. It didn't work.

Veres contacted Dr. Peter Lammens of the Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Clinic a year ago and underwent surgery in March.

Bo Jackson tried to resume his baseball career after undergoing hip-replacement surgery, but his failed comeback bid was in the early 1990s.

"There have been a lot of advancements since then," Veres said. "The doctor initially didn't know who I was. He asked me how I hurt my hip, and I told him about pitching. He said, 'There's a chance you can pitch again.' I wasn't even thinking about that. I was just hoping I'd be able to walk.

"As time has gone on, though, I have felt better and thought maybe I'd give it a shot."

Veres said the St. Louis Cardinals, whom he pitched for from 2000 to 2002, expressed interest in giving him a tryout, but "my family and I both felt the first choice would be the Rockies."

Veres has been examined by Rockies officials and has worked out at Coors Field to test the hip to see how it handled the demands of getting prepared for the season.

Veres has been throwing on a regular basis, twice a day three times a week, in an attempt to be in top shape by the beginning of spring training.

"Most times, you take two months off and get ready, but I had two years off, so I'm moving ahead," Veres said.

"The more I throw, the stronger I feel."

Veres would be considered a long shot, but the Rockies know he is a quality person in the clubhouse, and he was a quality pitcher when he previously was with them.

Veres' 31 saves in 1999 are tied for the third-best single-season total in franchise history. In two seasons with the Rockies, Veres was 7-9 with 39 saves and a 3.99 ERA.