I wrote a feature yesterday about George Kontos' return to the Thunder after undergoing Tommy John surgery and the mental anguish that come with that kind of major procedure. I didn't get to use all the quotes, however, so I figure I may as well give some of them to you guys.

On the young arms he saw in Tampa:

"It's unbelievable. You've got guys down there who are pitching at 92-93, touching 95-96. When I was there, Adam Warren was doing great, Graham Stoneburner was doing great. Shaeffer Hall, who's the soft-tossing lefty, is pitching awesome. I rehabbed quite a bit through this whole process with Dellin (Betances), and Dellin's just, he's a different animal. He came back and his delivery's cleaned up. He looks good. He looks real good. He's touching 98 almost every start, and the kid's going to be unstoppable. ... I think if he keeps pitching the way he's pitching they're going to have to move him (to Trenton). They can't keep leaving him there with a 0.50 ERA."

On the way his arm felt before he was diagnosed with the ligament tear:

"I had no pain. It was a very weird case. My ligament was completely torn. I felt it completely torn while I was pitching, but it wasn't like a pop where the ball goes somewhere and you hear a loud pop. I was starting in Gwinnett, and I threw a pitch in the third inning, and it felt like a string just tore. (It was like) part of a rope and it's starting to break and it just starts fraying. It felt part of the rope had just frayed. It's a little release.

I didn't think anything of it. Nothing hurt. Kept pitching. The same thing happened again in the fifth inning, and when it happened in the fifth inning, it was almost like my arm wouldn't stop. I'd throw a ball, and it just felt like my hand and my wrist would just keep going. There was nothing there to stop it. I didn't hurt, but the ball went from coming out 90-91 to 85-86."

"(After a few weeks of delays because of rain) When it finally came to be my start again, I was pitching in Syracuse, I pitched three innings and gave up few runs, and (pitching coach) Scotty (Aldred) He was like, 'What's going on?' (I said) There's something wrong, I can keep pitching, but something's not right. I was throwing 84-87, and it really only affected me on a fastball. I was still able to throw breaking balls, change-ups, but when I really reared back for a fastball, it just wasn't there."