Flores Reflects on Pain Of Season of Frustration

Tuesday afternoon, a clubhouse attendant stopped by the locker of Jesús Flores and handed the injured catcher a 2009 Washington Nationals team poster. Flores quickly penned his autograph in permanent marker. Then he continued talking about a season he wants to forget.

Calling 2009 "very frustrating," Flores said he was devastated by the news of his torn right labrum, the last and most serious injury from a year in which he played just 29 games. Flores underwent labrum surgery, performed by orthopedist James Andrews, on Sept. 16. The Nationals expect Flores to miss six months, putting him on target to return for spring training in mid-March.

The amiable Flores was reluctant at first to speak about his injury but later went into specifics about the first warning signs of a serious injury. Recalled from the disabled list on Sept. 4 after missing several months with a right shoulder contusion, Flores felt significant pain about a week later while trying to improve his arm strength.

"The pain that I felt during the [throwing] program, there was no way I could handle it," Flores said. "Not even with pills, painkillers or whatever. Bad -- it was bad. That's when I was saying, 'I don't think this is tendinitis.' "

Flores said he was uncertain if he'd been playing with a milder labrum injury during the season. The latest injury ruined his plans to play winter ball this offseason in Venezuela. Instead, the 24-year-old will remain in Washington for the winter, rehabbing with strength coach John Philbin and physical therapist Liz Wheeler.

Valentine's Future

New ESPN baseball analyst Bobby Valentine, speaking via conference call Tuesday from Japan, said he is "totally committed" to his new job as a Baseball Tonight panelist, beginning with the upcoming postseason. However, he acknowledged his interest in eventually returning to managing -- under the right circumstances.

"I've come far enough and done this thing often enough to understand the everyday grind of a major league season has got to be aided by the working relationship with the people you have around you," Valentine, 59, said.

The Nationals, currently being managed on an interim basis by Jim Riggleman, are believed to have at least mild interest in Valentine, who spent the past six years managing Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines.

Asked whether he would be willing to step into a rebuilding situation, such as that of the Nationals, who have lost 100-plus games in back-to-back seasons, Valentine said he was more interested in a team's future direction than its past mistakes.