JETHAWKS' SCHULTZ ON THE SHELF FOR NOW.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - JetHawks pitcher Mike Schultz was scheduled to be the JetHawks' opening-day starter Thursday against San Jose. But the former Cleveland High of Reseda and Loyola Marymount standout has been experiencing pain in the biceps area of his (right) pitching arm, and as a result the team has had to reshuffle its rotation.

Andrew Good, who pitched two innings in an exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, pitched the opener on Thursday on two days' rest. He allowed six earned runs in three innings and took the loss in a 13-9 setback.

Schultz officially is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against San Jose, but it appears likely he will miss his spot in the rotation and instead pitch Friday night in San Bernardino.

JetHawks manager Scott Coolbaugh said the decision on whether Schultz will pitch Sunday will not be made until later today.

Schultz, who was experiencing ``dead-arm'' for most of spring training, is believed to be suffering from biceps tendinitis, a similar condition that also affected Allan Simpson, who pitched for the JetHawks last season.

JetHawks pitching coach Mike Parrott said the top portion of Schultz's biceps - where the muscle hooks into a tendon, is inflamed, causing pain throughout the upper arm. The tendon is connected to the rotator cuff.

The injury is not believed to be serious, and Parrott said Schultz is being shut down as a precautionary measure.

``We don't want to take any chances,'' Parrott said. ``Arms are a funny thing, you never know what might set them off.''

The reluctance to take a chance on Schultz's arm is understandable. The Diamondbacks' first overall selection in the second round of the June 2000 draft, Schultz is ranked among the top prospects in the organization by Baseball America.

Brandon Webb appears to be a leading candidate to take Schultz's spot in the rotation if he misses his start Sunday.

--!Post-ice age: Don't expect to see JetHawks pitchers icing their arms after games. The Diamondbacks organization shuns this procedure, which for many years has been protocol.

Instead, Diamondbacks pitchers do low-resistance aerobic workouts, known within the organization as a ``participatory flush.''

The low-resistance workout, in which players use dumbbells weighing no more than five pounds, blood containing high lactic-acid content, or ``bad blood,'' is flushed out of the inflamed area. When players ice their arms, the Diamondbacks believe lactic acid remains in the area, causing the arm to tighten when it heats up after treatment.

Ice still is used for injuries to reduce swelling, but not as a precautionary procedure, Parrott said.

``It makes sense,'' Parrott said. ``A lot of guys ice just because its always been done that way. It's a new idea, but it sounds good to me.''

JetHawks pitcher Doug Slaten said he was skeptical about the new treatment at first, but he's giving the Diamondbacks the benefit of the doubt.

``It's definitely a little different,'' he said. ``I've always iced in the past, but I've gone with what they've prescribed and I haven't I had any problems. I was actually curious about it, but they explained it all to me.''

--Guest coach: Native South Korean Seung An Yoo speaks little English, but he's the latest addition to the JetHawks coaching staff.

Yoo, a scout/manager for the Hanwha Eagles baseball team, was assigned as a guest coach for the purposes of observing American baseball.

The Diamondbacks and several other major-league teams, including the Seattle Mariners, have given Korean and Japanese teams similar access to learn more about the sport.

Yoo, who is living in Valencia during his stint with the JetHawks, will be with the team the entire season, going to all home games and some road games.

He helps the coaching staff by throwing batting practice, hitting fungoes and doing soft-toss work with hitters.

``He's starting to fit in now,'' Coolbaugh said. ``He's starting to feel more comfortable. It's just a daily process he's going through, warming up to the guys, and the guys are starting to warm up to him.'' Yoo began working with the team during the last week of spring training in Tucson.

Coolbaugh played professionally in South Korea for one season with the Hyundai Unicorns, but he didn't pick up much of the language.

``It's a tough language, you can't really pick it up in just 10 months,'' he said.

--Paez promoted: Torrey Paez, who worked for the JetHawks as a food server and concessions manager, was promoted to director of catering.

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(ran in SAC edition only) Mike Schultz

Schultz will likely come back to pitching Friday.