....<br><br>Most nightmares can't be traced to an
exact origin. Hollandsworth's, however, is a matter of
public record. When he strolled to the plate on Friday,
May 11, against the Montreal Expos, the Rockies led
comfortably. Hollandsworth had been inserted as a defensive
replacement, and he just happen to luck into an extra at-bat.
<br><br>As he dug in against then Montreal closer Ugueth
Urbina, Hollandsworth looked comfortable, confident. And
who could blame him? Six weeks into the 2001 season,
he was flirting with stardom, owning a .368 average
with six homers and 19 RBIs. <br><br>"He really seemed
to be blossoming," said Rockies assistant GM Josh
Byrnes. "You don't want to get carried away, but he was
playing as well as anybody in the league at that point."
<br><br>Then in a flash, the fairy-tale script fluttered into
the air like so much confetti. On an 0-1 count,
Hollandsworth, who has earned the nickname Hercules because of
his powerful swings, smacked a sinker into his leg.
As the ball hit, the 28-year-old collapsed as if a
sledgehammer had been thrust into his back. <br><br>Afterward,
Colorado Manager Buddy Bell, no stranger to the bumps and
bruises of foul balls, predicted that Holly would return
to the lineup shortly. The initial sting, he
correctly theorized based on years of experience, is
usually a lot worse than the subsequent pain.
<br><br>Unfortunately, he couldn't have been more wrong. Little did
Hollandsworth know at the time, his season was finished. His
injury would slowly morphed into a mystery, then
ultimately a source of misery. <br><br>"There's not a whole
lot of explanation or physical documentation on it. I
had it all," Hollandsworth said. "It was something
new every month." <br><br>Hollandsworth, a virtual
Ned Flanders in cleats, sees no benefit in looking
back. After all, what's to gain besides clearer
memories of anguish? But for the purposes of clarifying
his recovery, the outfielder reflected on the worst
season of his life. <br><br>The problem began with the
strange symptoms. Initially, Hollandsworth was told that
he was suffering from nerve damage and a deep bruise
from the ball's impact. The Rockies, of course, were
concerned, but not panicked. Initially, in fact, they
resisted placing him on the disabled list. <br><br>Then
something weird happened. Despite his intense rehab,
Hollandsworth wasn't getting better. Instead, he found himself
in a vicious cycle where every positive development
-- like running -- was canceled out by an equally
negative setback. <br><br>Continued...