Catching up with Luke Scott

From the Gone But Not Forgotten Dept: Luke Scott flew into Baltimore last night, and boy, is his right shoulder tired. Not really. The shoulder, which needed to be repaired on July 26, is feeling pretty good these days. "My progress is actually ahead of schedule," Scott told me earlier today during a 30-minute phone conversation, most of which had nothing to do with his shoulder. Scott underwent surgery in Pensacola, Fla., to repair his labrum, which ended his season and left his future with the Orioles in doubt. Dr. James Andrews handled the procedure for an injury that was "more posterior than SLAP," Scott told me in a text message the following day. "I'm feeling really good," said last year's Most Valuable Oriole. "I've been focused on healing and doing everything I can to increase and expedite the healing. I'm sleeping 10 to 14 hours a day, which is when body healing takes place usually. I went to the vitamin shop and loaded up on joint compounds and various supplements that I'm taking twice a day. All the stuff that goes into cartilage, joints, ligaments and tendons. I'm eating really healthy. I got a juicer. I've been using my juicer a lot - carrots, ginger, apples, celery and pineapple all together. I get a lot of fresh enzymes every day and all my vitamins. I've been leaning up a lot. I eat a lot of real clean organic foods - raw spinach with chicken, and giving my body exactly what it needs. No processed foods, no chemicals." It's nice to talk about a player being juiced and actually refer to vegetables and fruits. "I'm doing my rehab every day," Scott said. "I think what's really helped me is my personal trainer is one of the best physical therapists in the country. When I first had my surgery, he came up to my home. Most people get physical therapy three days a week. I was getting it every day, working on range of motion and all the things I need to get done. All of these things combined together is speeding up the healing process." Scott still needs to take it slow. "Dr Andrews said I'm limited in what I can do," Scott said. "I can't go past a certain range of motion. I'm only permitted to do certain things. "The shoulder is well, considering where I was. But this is very slow. If you talk to Richie (Bancells) or any therapist or surgeon, they'll tell you it's a very delicate process. You can't go on how you're feeling. If you feel good, you can't go past what your range of motion is allowed. The best thing you can do is diet and rest and do the therapy that you have in front of you." Scott remains convinced that he'll be full-go for spring training. "That's what they said," he said. "Four months of rehab will put me right at the beginning of December, and then from there I can start lightly building back up. It's going to be a process. I can't just jump into what I used to be doing. In December, I can do some light weightlifting. "The good thing is I can make up a little for it with lower-body work. I can hammer my lower body. I can do leg presses and leg extensions. Anything where I'm not holding weight with my right arm." Scott consulted with Angels outfielder Vernon Wells, who had the same procedure. "He came back and hit 30 home runs," Scott said. "Dr. Andrews did his surgery, too. The same thing - posterior. He said his operated shoulder feels better than his non-operated shoulder." Scott may be doing all this work to get ready for another team. The Orioles could non-tender him this winter rather than risk going to arbitration and having to cough up more than the $6.4 million he made in 2011. But Scott isn't focusing on anything except his rehab. Scott flew into Baltimore last night and will be at Camden Yards through this homestand. He wants the Orioles to check his progress. He also thought it would be a good idea to keep tabs on his Federal Hill home as Hurricane Irene passes through. "I wanted to be here to protect my fort," he said. In case you're wondering, Scott hasn't contacted Felix Pie since the Orioles outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk. "I've held off calling Felix. I'll probably do it later today or tomorrow," Scott said. "I'm sure he's taking it rough. I'll try to build him up." Scott also is considering LASIK eye surgery. He's scheduled an examination after consulting with teammates J.J. Hardy and Jim Johnson, who highly recommend the procedure. Otherwise, there isn't much happening with Scott.