Gibson Overcomes Shoulder Surgery, Becomes Staff Ace for Woodland Hills

Lance Gibson was warming up in the bullpen at College of the Canyons last spring when he says he half-heard, half-felt a “click.” Since it was a safe bet that he hadn’t stepped on a land mine, the problem was probably in his arm.

“It was the preseason and I was warming up in the pen waiting to go in,” Gibson recalled. “All of a sudden I felt a click--it felt like a pinched nerve. I stretched it out, and the next day I came out for some long toss, and I felt it clicking.”

Coaching cliche No. 243 states that when everything clicks, it is a good sign. However, when this noise emanates from your right shoulder and you are a right-handed pitcher, something is definitely wrong.

Time to consult the experts.

“I went in to a doctor and he told me what he thought was wrong with it,” Gibson said. “He said I could either keep playing and hope it fell off, or have them shave it off.”

Don’t feel queasy. Gibson is talking about neither amputation nor a really bad haircut. It was not his entire arm that needed repair, just a piece of frayed cartilage in his shoulder.

And don’t feel too sorry for him, either. A scant 10 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery, Gibson was pitching better than ever for Woodland Hills West (30-5), which opens play today in the American Legion Northwest regional tournament in Lewiston.

Throw the term posterior labrum at Lance Gibson a few months ago and it is a safe bet he would have thought that you were talking about wood shards where it smarts, the result of riding the pine. Anatomically, the term refers to cartilage at the rear of the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder. For a while, it looked like posterior labrum might be Gibson’s ball and chain.

Gibson, 18, was 3-1 with three saves at Canyons last season when he decided it was time to scope out the ‘scope.

“When he pitched for us he did real well, and it hurt us when he went down,” Canyons Coach Len Mohney said. “After he got hurt, we were real limited in how we could use him.”

Before the surgery, Gibson became the answer to a Canyons’ trivia question when he earned a victory in a defeat of Moorpark, running the Cougars’ record home-win streak to 41 games. The streak ended the next game. By then, Gibson (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) had made up his mind to have the surgery.

“The doctor said I could go ahead and try to finish the season, but pretty soon, it got to where I could hardly throw,” Gibson said.

On March 30, Dr. Steve Snyder of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Nuys shaved the frayed cartilage from Gibson’s shoulder joint.

“Each time he would throw, it would pinch,” Snyder said. “It’s like having a rock in your shoe.”

The surgery is considered to be rather simple in comparison to those needed to mend mangled rotator cuffs and blown-out elbows. In fact, Snyder, who specializes in shoulder and knee injuries, said the surgery took approximately 45 minutes.

Rehabilitation took slightly longer. After 2 1/2 months of exercises designed to isolate specific muscles and strengthen the area around the shoulder, Gibson was allowed to resume throwing--several weeks ahead of schedule.

“It’s been more than surprising, it’s been remarkable,” Snyder said. “He was ready to try (throwing) after a couple of weeks and we had to hold him back.”

Snyder, who termed Gibson’s rotator cuff “perfect,” said that Gibson’s work ethic hastened the recovery process.

“He recovered much, much faster than usual,” Snyder said. “So much depends on the kid. If the kid is motivated--they’re practically used to playing with pain, anyway--then they just go right after it.”

After a few rocky Legion outings in the first month of the comeback, Gibson started to regain his control. An unforeseen byproduct of the rehabilitative exercises was an increase in velocity and endurance.

“I think that’s because if there was any wear on my labrum before (the cartilage problem), it’s gone, and because my therapist made me very aware of how to treat my arm,” said Gibson, whose three-year Legion record is 23-4 and who is only the second District 20 pitcher this decade to win 20 games. “This year was the first time I’d ever been able to go nine innings before.”

Muscle mass is one thing, but regaining confidence is another. Yet once Gibson got a whiff of a few whiffs, he became downright menacing. West breezed through the District 20 regular season at 19-3, and in the playoffs, Gibson hit his stride. Entering today’s game against the Alaska state champion, Gibson is 10-2 with an earned-run average of 1.66. He will start either today or Thursday in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament, which concludes Sunday.

Gibson’s playoff accomplishments:

District 20 playoffs at Birmingham High (July 21): He threw a six-hitter, struck out nine and walked four in an 11-3 victory over second-seeded Panorama City.

Area 6 playoffs at Birmingham (July 27): In a 10-0 win over Westlake-Agoura, the District 16 champion that had entered the game with a record of 28-4-3, Gibson allowed four hits in eight innings, struck out six and walked three. He allowed only two hits after the first inning.

Area 6 playoffs at Birmingham (July 30): Pitching on two days’ rest, Gibson allowed one earned run, struck out 11 and walked one in a 9-2 win over Santa Monica in the championship game. West became only the second District 20 team since 1976 to advance to the state tournament.

State playoffs in Yountville, Calif. (Aug. 5): In a 13-4 loss to eventual state champion Fullerton, Gibson allowed two earned runs in six innings, struck out eight and walked one.

State playoffs in Yountville (Aug. 8): In a 21-12 victory over host Napa, Gibson pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn his 10th win and give West an automatic berth in the Northwest regional. It was Gibson’s third pitching appearance in four days.

If West wins the regional, it will advance to the World Series in Millington, Tenn., Aug. 23-27. The last Valley-area team to qualify for the World Series was Studio City-Sylmar, which made it to the quarterfinals in 1973. If West takes the next step, it stands to reason that the resurgent Gibson will be out front.

“He was a good pitcher, but he was never this good,” said West catcher Bobby Kim, who played with Gibson on the El Camino Real High and West teams last year. “Once the playoffs started, he’s been a different pitcher.

“He throws much harder than he did last year. He’s got that slider and the split-finger that really help him out. The one thing about him is that he has such good control I can go to any pitch at any time.”

Gibson, who now throws in the 80-85 m.p.h range, has walked 35 batters in 86 2/3 innings and struck out 98. He’s doing more than the little things right.

“He seems to be a little more confident,” said Mohney, who saw Gibson pitch twice during the Legion playoffs at Birmingham. “He’s always had good control, but it seemed like his breaking ball was a little more consistent and his split-finger might have had a little better movement.”

Gibson, who was used as a starter and in relief at Canyons, says he definitely wants to be in the starting rotation. Mohney says he might be able to accommodate him.

“Players always are given the benefit of a doubt at first,” Mohney said deadpan. “If a guy comes out and tells me he’s a third baseman, I always try him at third base before I convert him into an outfielder.”

The way things have progressed, Gibson could probably handle either role with relative ease. And this time, ideally, the timbre would change.

It will be a snap .