AN ARM IS WORTH MORE THAN A WIN.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE Local

The kid was pitching a one-hitter in Chaminade High's season opener. It was the fifth inning, and he appeared just as strong now as he did to start the game.

The easy thing would have been to let him finish the game. He earned it, it was his game. Why shouldn't the sophomore close it out, maybe have a nice memory to look back on?

But a rule is a rule, and Jason Urquidez had reached his team-imposed maximum pitch count. Even if Urquidez was throwing a perfect game, it wouldn't have changed Eagles coach Scott Drootin's thinking.

It was time to take him out.

Of course Urquidez was upset when Drootin came to the mound and took the ball away.

But Drootin didn't budge. He has a pitch count to protect his pitchers, not stand in the way of their glory.

``You talk to the kid and hope he understands you're looking out for his best interest,'' Drootin said. ``I told him he was pitching a great game, but that it wasn't worth throwing any more pitches and risking injury. Maybe later in the year, when he's stronger and the weather is warmer, it would be different. But I've got to look out for the kid.''

It's nice to know somebody was. Three years ago, when Chicago Cubs phenom Kerry Wood was pitching for Grand Prairie High during the Texas State Playoffs, that wasn't the case.

On the day Grand Prairie won the state championship, Wood pitched all seven innings in the first game of a doubleheader and, after a 30-minute break, pitched two innings of the second game. More disturbing was Wood's pitch count - a staggering 175.

Sure, Grand Prairie won the title and Wood proved he was Superman, but at what cost? Less than four years later he's got an elbow ligament so mangy it might take all of this year and next until he's able to throw a ball again. Whether he regains that 97-mph fastball won't be known for awhile.

It's not certain if Wood's current troubles started in high school, but the Cubs were disturbed enough with his nine-inning performance that they practically shut him down after signing him. The Cubs limited Wood to 7-1/3 innings of professional ball that summer.

``That's how serious injuries occur,'' general manager Ed Lynch said at the time of coach Mike McGilvray's decision. ``I'm sure that, counting warm-ups, he threw over 300 pitches. It's beyond belief that the coach would risk his future. That's very short-termed thinking. We're very concerned with this.''

McGilvray defends his use of Wood, even the 175-pitch marathon in the playoffs. During 14 games that year, Wood pitched 72 innings, and rarely pitched more than five innings per start. In addition, he pitched just one game per week and was regularly monitored by a former college trainer.

As far as McGilvray is concerned, the Cubs are making him a scapegoat.

``Everybody wants to point to that one day,'' McGilvray said. ``But prior to that, we treated Kerry with kid gloves and took every imaginable precaution. I can see if we used him like that on a consistent basis, then we're talking about a problem. But it was one day.''

Perhaps, but 175 pitches for a 17-year-old in one day is simply too much. And is it a coincidence that that less than a year later while pitching at Single-A Daytona, Wood went on the disabled list with elbow soreness?

Risky decisions

What would you do if you desperately needed to win one game, but your best pitcher wasn't 100 percent or was showing signs of fatigue?

For Scott Muckey, it's a simple question with an equally uncomplicated answer. ``There isn't a championship out there worth a kid's arm,'' said Muckey, Crespi High's veteran coach.

What if you had a once-in-a-lifetime talent like Wood, so dominant it seemed unfair when he faced high school batters. Wouldn't you want to use him as much as possible, as much as the rules allowed?

Not if it meant even remotely jeopardizing Wood's future, according to Muckey.

``If the kid has a chance to make a lot of money, I'm not going to stand in the way of that,'' Muckey said.

For Muckey, and other area coaches, the thought of letting one pitcher throw a complete game, then two innings of another on the same day is so outrageous, it's not even worth considering. They understand a high school coach is burdened with two priorities, and how important it is to keep them in the proper order. The first is to develop and protect players. The second is to win games.

For pitchers, coaches use safeguards such as pitch counts, studying mechanics to easier determine fatigue levels, bullpen work on off-days and conditioning. They also get to know their players, because each pitcher is different, each arm unique.

``Some guys bounce back quicker than others, and guys have different pain thresholds,'' Muckey said. ``As a coach, you need to know that stuff.''

At Chatsworth, Tom Meusborn has a simple rule: If a pitcher is hurt, tired or just sore, he doesn't play.

Period.

``I don't get talked out of many things,'' Meusborn said. ``And in this case, it's pretty clear how I feel. Look, we appreciate your competitiveness and it's great that you want to play. But we also want to look out for you and always remember the big picture.''

California high schools operate under the 10-inning maximum rule, which means individual pitchers can't throw more than 10 innings per week. When Wood pitched in both games in 1995, he was still one-inning short of Texas' high school limit for one day. So, technically, McGilvray was within the rules. But to allow a pitcher to throw that many pitches on the same day is absurd.

``I certainly wouldn't think of doing that,'' Muckey said. ``You need to be careful, and we as coaches need to know better than to do that. I've always said that, when in doubt, less is always better.''