Interesting feature on Montalbano


On baseball: Montalbano on the mend

By Art Davidson
Sunday, January 18, 2004

Just about everyone in New England would probably like to escape the arctic chill that's descended upon the region to spend time basking in the Florida sunshine. In two weeks, Greg Montalbano will head to Florida for reasons that aren't vacation related.

This will be a business trip for Montalbano funded by his employer -- the Boston Red Sox.

After having his baseball career hampered by injuries during the last two seasons, the 26-year-old left-hander from Westborough is attempting to get back on the road to the major leagues.

Montalbano entered spring training two years ago as one of Boston's best pitching prospects, slated to open the 2002 season at Triple-A Pawtucket. But he developed a shoulder injury during spring training, which eventually required surgery and sidelined him the entire year.

At the beginning of last season, it appeared Montalbano's injury woes were in the past after he won his first two starts for Boston's new Double A affiliate in Portland. Montalbano then developed tendinitis in his left shoulder, which limited him to pitching in just four more games for two teams the remainder of the season.

Montalbano is confident that he's made a complete recovery and will be pitching to opposing batters this season.

"I've been throwing for a couple of months and haven't had any problems," he said. "After the season ended, the Red Sox told me not to throw for 4-6 weeks. They wanted me to build up the strength in my shoulder. It feels great."

The former St. John's and Northeastern University standout works out regularly with friends at a warehouse in Holliston. Montalbano is supplementing his baseball income by working for an engineering firm in Ashland.

"The salary of a minor leaguer doesn't go that far," said Montalbano with a chuckle.

In late October, Montalbano underwent surgery to have five non-cancerous tumors removed from his groin. During his freshman year at Northeastern, Montalbano was diagnosed with testicular cancer, from which he made a complete recovery.

"It was something the doctors have been monitoring for five years," said Montalbano. "It finally came to the point where the doctors thought they should be removed, but it wasn't an emergency situation. I was fortunate that I was able to schedule the surgery for a time when it wouldn't impact the season."

After pitching so little during the last two seasons, Montalbano is understandably eager for spring training to start, but knows he must also be cautious.

"I'm very anxious to pitch again, but overtraining is just as bad as under-training," said Montalbano. "I have to be careful not to do more than I'm supposed to do."

Montalbano hasn't been told what team he'll be pitching for this season.

"I'm guessing that it will be Portland again, but if it's cold up there at the start of the season it might be at (Class A) Sarasota for awhile," he said. "Then again, it could be Pawtucket. It all depends on how things go in spring training. I really don't care where it is as long as I'm able to pitch."

Although he's endured two consecutive years of setbacks, Montalbano hasn't given up on his dream of pitching at Fenway Park.

"I'm still only 26. Players today are having longer careers," he said. "I'm still very optimistic. I'm looking forward to going down there and getting started."

Considering all that he's already overcome in his life, it wouldn't be surprising if Montalbano's stay in Fort Myers results in more than just a nice tan.

(Art Davidson is a Daily News sports writer. He can be contacted at 508-626-4403 or at adavidson@cnc.com.)

I saw a few of Montalbano's pitching performances for Orleans in the Cape League. I was hoping that SOX would sign him (MA, NU background). Unless I'm misremembering he had good command, nice "stuff" but not overpowering. A Redman/Lilly/Buehrle-type. If he progresses, that would be a very nice story.

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Montalbano still on the mend
By Michael Silverman
Monday, March 1, 2004

FORT MYERS - Not that he's counting or anything, but Greg Montalbano has had 11 surgeries since 1996 - nine for testicular cancer and two on his left throwing shoulder.

After surgery No. 2 on his shoulder last Thursday and surgery No. 9 on his groin last October, Montalbano, a Westboro resident and Northeastern product, is ready to stop tabulating hospital visits and resume producing baseball statistics.

Come July, the 26-year-old hopes to return to his still-promising road to the major leagues.

``With my shoulder being fixed up, hopefully I've closed the door on all that and can start going to the doctor once a year for a physical like everyone else,'' Montalbano said yesterday, three days removed from an arthroscopic procedure performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., to remove a bone-spur-like growth from the top of his shoulder.

Montalbano was the Red Sox [stats, schedule]' minor league pitcher of the year in 2001, when he went 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA for Single-A Sarasota before being promoted to Double-A Trenton, where he struck out 45 and walked 14 with a 4.50 ERA in 19 games.

In the spring of 2002, however, he was diagnosed with a fraying of the labrum, an injury that forced him to miss the entire season. He managed only 15 1/3 innings last season, a disappointing return that took an all-too-familiar turn for the worse when doctors discovered that five or six (he's not sure) tumors in his groin had grown in size since his last MRI. They were swiftly removed.

``That was a big weight lifted off my shoulders, even though I knew they were non-cancerous,'' said Montalbano, whose cancer was first diagnosed in February of 1996, when he was a freshman at NU.

Everything went fine during Montalbano's rehab after the surgery until he began throwing long toss, at which time his shoulder began to hurt again. According to Montalbano, Andrews believes this procedure may have been at the heart of the previous problem, and will, hopefully, solve everything. In two months' time, he hopes to resume throwing. If all goes well, he could be game ready by July.

``My last three and a half, four years, haven't been too good, but I'm trying to take it all with a positive note,'' Montalbano said. ``Hopefully, I can play and pitch for 12 more years and just have these past three or four years of garbage.''

Update on Montalbano from Art Davidson:

Art Davidson, MetroWest Daily News: On baseball: Montalbano looks to the future


"...If there's a bright side to what Montalbano has endured during the last three years, it's that he's thrown far fewer pitches than the average 27-year-old hurler.

"I'm left-handed and I'm still relatively young," said Montalbano. "My arm feels really good. I'm obviously not worn out.

"Despite everything I've gone through I still think I can pitch in the major leagues. I'm still hopeful." "

For everything that this guy has been through. I do truly hope he can make it to the majors. He has fought through cancer and injuries and still contiues to keep the dream alive. I wish him the best of luck.

Even though Greg was released by the Sox two years ago, I still follow his career.

I wanted to post this update on Greg, who's got more lousy luck with the recurrence of cancer.

Art Davidson, Metro West Daily News - Montalbano will miss season due to cancer


Greg Montalbano survived testicular cancer while at Northeastern University, overcoming the disease to put together a solid professional baseball career.

But the Westborough native will now have to win another battle with the dreaded disease, as Montalbano was recently diagnosed with a new cancer in the sciatic nerve in his lower back.

Montalbano, currently in his second season with the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League, was placed on the disabled list on August 17 and will not play again this year.

Another story on Greg from the Telegram & Gazette:

Jim Wilson - Pitcher faces cancer again; Tornadoes rally around No. 22


WORCESTER— There have been plenty of obstacles in Greg Montalbano’s path to the major leagues. The way the Worcester Tornadoes left-handed pitcher sees it, this latest one is just another to overcome.

After being in remission from testicular cancer for 10 years, Montalbano found out last month he has developed a cancerous tumor near his hip bone. Despite the latest news, the Westboro native, who turns 29 today, is optimistic he will make a full recovery.

“Hopefully, when I take my next round of treatments in two weeks, the doctors will look at the tumor and see that it’s down to nothing,” Montalbano said last night. “Sometimes people can think the worst, but this is no reason for people to come to games thinking that I’m going to be gone in a year.”


Montalbano’s season ended after his last start, Aug. 13, against the Brockton Rox.

From today's Telegram & Gazette:

Rich Garven - Pitcher has positive spin; Montalbano inspires Tornadoes

But Greg Montalbano, one of seven players with the Can-Am League team since its inception two years ago, can’t do the former and isn’t prepared to do the latter. The left-handed pitcher remains sidelined after having a cancerous tumor removed during a pair of lengthy surgeries in January.

The Tornadoes play their home opener at 7 tonight against New Haven. As of last night, tickets were still available.


There’s talk of a July return for Montalbano, who is currently on the inactive list, but there are too many variables right now to circle any date on a calendar.

“I’d love to be back by the end of the season, but I don’t know,” said Montalbano, who was incredibly candid with a first-time visitor during an interview Tuesday outside the Tornadoes locker room at Hanover Insurance Park.

“If I come back — and I’m hoping to — I want to come back to where I was,” he said a few minutes later. “I want to do what I’m capable of and what I think I’m capable of, but I can only go as fast as my body tells me.”

The talented Montalbano was on top of his game last July, going 3-1 with a 0.96 earned run average and coming within two outs of recording a no-hitter versus New Jersey. The former Red Sox farmhand was starting to draw the attention of major league scouts, which is, of course, the goal of just about anyone associated with an independent league.

Anni, thanks for the updates. I was in one of my "whatever happened to" moods and googled him and saw this forum on our very own site.

I went to the same high school as Greg (St. John's in Shrewsbury). He was a senior my freshman year. I remember watching him pitching in the MA State Championship game against Durfee...the game was in Milford. He had a great HS career (Ron Darling Sr was our pitching coach, and Ron Darling Jr went to SJ also). Unfortunately, SJ lost that game on a fluke pop up that got lost in the sun (resulting in a walk off win for Durfee--ouch) but I always hoped he would make the Sox. Obviously didn't happen, but...boy would it be nice for him to get a cup of coffee, at least. What a story it would be.

Stan Grossfeld has another great story on Greg.

Stan Grossfeld, Globe - A pitch for life; Former Sox prospect Montalbano is taking on cancer with a vengeance

The uplifting tale of Red Sox ace Jon Lester, who beat both cancer and the Colorado Rockies in the clinching game of the 2007 World Series, is already local lore. The continuing battle of Greg Montalbano is the untold story of a particularly cruel fight with cancer.

Jon Lester just faced the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Greg Montalbano is facing an experimental clinical-trial cancer treatment.

But this is not a sad story. Montalbano is a man without bitterness, the rare athlete who sees the big picture. He sees Lester's success as a big win for a lot of little people.

"I'm so happy for him," says Montalbano, "because I think it gives hope to every kid laying in a hospital bed with cancer."

Montalbano, 31, is tall and handsome, with big hands and long, nimble fingers that could make a baseball dance. He was first diagnosed with testicular cancer as a freshman at Northeastern in 1996. He missed a year, but his cancer went into remission and he pitched his way into the Northeastern University Hall of Fame.

Drafted by the Red Sox in 1999, he was chosen as the best pitcher in the system when he went 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA with Single A Sarasota before being promoted to Double A. He already had a baseball card issued by Topps for top prospects. He had already thrown off the mound at Fenway, looking over his shoulder at that big Green Monster.

Those were heady times. But his offseasons were spent getting tumors removed. Over and over.