Brad Bergesen, please, please, please don’t fall off of any pitching mounds again.

If we can all learn one thing from Bergesen’s most recent injury, it is to make sure that you are fully recovered from an injury before trying to film a commercial. It is a little known fact that camera crews and the intensity of a local TV commercial are the leading causes for injury to a baseball player. It’s written in the science books.

Back in the middle of February, Bergesen decided to help film an ad to promote the Orioles’ upcoming season. The goal was to attempt to make the Orioles an attractive team to watch by featuring the players that performed well last season. Bergesen, who went 7-5 with a 3.43 ERA last year, was one of those players to whom fans seemed to find a fast connection with. Whether it is his strikingly good looks, his ability to look like a winner while wearing an Orioles’ uniform, or the fact that there is literally no other pitcher on the team that anybody has any faith in, Bergesen wanted to do more for the team.

Little did he know, his biggest rival was the pitching mound.

While filming the commercial, Bergesen thought it would be the best idea to pitch at game speed in order to give the real effect. You can’t blame him; A 10 year old could go out there and throw as hard as possible a couple of times with the risk of injury about as high as winning the lottery. It would only make sense.

Unfortunately for Brad, that decision had a lot riding on it. He ended up hurting his shoulder, knocking him out of spring training until the middle of March. Bergesen, who could have used the extra work this spring in order to prepare to continue his major league success, has instead had to watch the games from the dugout. While his spot in the rotation is not at risk, his preparation for the upcoming season may very well be lacking.

Brad was injured last July when he was hit on the shin by a line drive. The hit ended his superb season, and left little hope for the Orioles’ fans, who had discovered that the Orioles may actually be good in a year or two. We’ve all been waiting for him to come back and show us what he is capable of, and to prove that last year was not a fluke.

But then there was that damn pitching mound.

The strangest part of the saga was that it took this incident for the Orioles to realize that maybe they should keep an eye on the operations of outside sources when dealing with the players. There was no Orioles’ medical personnel or trainers on the site of where the commercial was being filmed, and there was no policy regarding the use of players in commercial shoots.

Really?

Maybe it’s just me, but I think that if I’m spending money on these players-players who are supposed to be the bright future for the team- that maybe, just maybe, I’d make sure to have somebody to keep track of what is taking place outside of the Orioles’ facilities. Bergesen is a young guy coming off of an injury, and natural instinct is likely to be that of a stabled horse, ready to run free in pastures and meadows and, maybe, the Kentucky Derby. Without any guidance on set, there was nobody to let Brad know that it might have been to his benefit not to put 100% behind his throwing motion, especially since he was recovering from an injury.

It’s almost as if parental instincts have to kick in. Your young players shouldn’t be granted as much freedom, regardless of whether they push for it or not. You’re not going to let an 8 year old go play at a friend’s house if the parents are not there. Nolan Reimold should not be allowed to go play a charity flag football game without having the proper medical personnel on hand, making sure that he doesn’t do anything above and beyond what is smart and healthy.

However, the Orioles have since instated a policy regarding commercial shoots (and hopefully everything that could be considered similar). So if you’re concerned about Nick Markakis or Matt Wieters going out and tripping over a base, or being slapped in the face with a stray baseball glove, don’t worry. The Orioles now have the common sense not to let their million dollar, prized possessions into the hands of strangers without a little adult supervision.