A torn laburm is a hell of a thing.

In baseball, it can be something akin to a death sentence for pitchers. It's not a series of muscles like the rotator cuff. It's not a surgery that can make a pitcher better for it like the Tommy John. So what exactly is a labrum tear?

Go to the injury expert, Will Carroll...

The labrum is a thin matrix of collagen seated between the head of the humerus (bone of the upper arm) and the glenoid fossa (the shallow depression where the humerus fits). It functions both as a shock absorber, cushioning the blow when the bones in the shoulder collide, and as part of the joint's connective structure.

It cannot be strengthened. It takes 12-18 months for it to potentially heal itself. And it has meant the end for many potentially great pitchers. In fact? Gil Meche may be the only pitcher in the modern era who has come back with some semblance of his former self intact. So why are we talking shoulders here, right now?

Because the Brewers are interested in Chad Cordero. Who's been throwing. Less than 12 months after surgery. Re-read the article. He should be resting his shit.

Come back in summer. Throwing now hurts you.