Schroeder limiting TV duty post-heart surgery

PHOENIX -- Longtime Brewers television analyst Bill Schroeder will work a partial schedule during Spring Training and early in the regular season following major offseason heart surgery, he announced on Thursday during the first FOX Sports Wisconsin telecast of the year.

Former Brewer Jeff Cirillo was on hand to pinch-hit for Schroeder during the second half of the debut broadcast, and other former players like Geoff Jenkins and Jerry Augustine will fill in as color analyst on days Schroeder works partial games or is off. Some of the details remain to be worked out, but one thing is sure: Schroeder, 61, intends to be at the mic for the start of his 26th season in the booth when the Brewers host the Cubs on Opening Day at Miller Park.

“No doubt. Yep,” he said. “It’s been a tough process, but it’s been a gratifying process. One of the doctors that came in and checked on me before surgery, he looked at me and he says, ‘You know, you should feel very lucky, because a lot of people come in here and we can’t fix them. We can fix what’s wrong with you. So, if you’re feeling sorry for yourself, don’t.’

“Those were good words of advice. Really good words of advice.”

Schroeder wants everyone to know that the care he received at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin was top notch. That starts with the Brewers team doctor, Dr. Craig Young, who identified the problem when Schroeder went in for a physical; cardiologist Dr. James Kleczka, who happens to be Bob Uecker’s doctor, too; and Dr. Paul Pearson, the surgeon who was on his feet for nearly 12 hours to repair a defective heart value and an aortic aneurysm, and to perform a double bypass.

Schroeder also wants everyone to know the importance of annual physicals, especially as people age. He has long participated in a program to promote prostate screening.

Bottom line, Schroeder said: Listen to your body.

“I never knew I actually had a problem with my heart,” he said.

He said he began noticing fatigue at midseason last year but chalked it up to the rigors of navigating a 162-game season when one isn’t 25 years old anymore. But once the offseason arrived and he was resting and getting lots of sleep, Schroeder still felt off. He experienced some chest tightness while moving garbage cans around Thanksgiving.

It was during his annual prostate exam and physical that Dr. Young found an irregular heartbeat and unusually high blood pressure. Schroeder underwent an electrocardiogram that revealed two of his three heart valves had been fused at birth. Over time, the valve had calcified, limiting blood flow to half of what it should be. His heart was enlarging as a result.

Three days later, he was on the operating table.

“Kate and I,” Schroeder said, referring to his wife, “neither one of us thought we would get down here this year the way things were going. When Dr. Kleczka told me that I needed a heart operation, my first comment was, ‘I can’t do that. I have fantasy camp coming up.’ He looked at me and he looked at Kate and he said, ‘You won’t be at fantasy camp. You’re going to miss this one, and because you miss this one, you’re going to go to many more.’”

Schroeder feels fortunate. His doctors say he should be back to full strength in about six months post-surgery. As of Thursday, he was about two months out.

He has something in common with Uecker now: They both have pig valves in their heart. Schroeder figured there’s a joke in there somewhere.

“I’ll defer to Ueck for that,” he said with a laugh.

Cain debuts
Because he reported earlier than usual to camp this year, it felt like a long wait for Lorenzo Cain before his first Cactus League action on Thursday. Cain went 1-for-3 and played five innings in center field against the Royals.

“First few at-bats, I felt good today with my timing,” Cain said. “Better than I thought I would. It wasn’t a great day, but overall, it felt good to get back out there and get back in game shape.”

Getting back into game shape is at the top of Cain’s list of priorities after an injury-plagued 2019 season. He dropped some weight over the winter and said he already feels the difference in his legs.

“I definitely feel lighter out there,” Cain said. “The body feels really good.”

Up next
It's a marquee pitching matchup -- if such a thing exists during the first week of Spring Training games -- at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Friday, as Brandon Woodruff takes the mound for what's scheduled for a two-inning start opposite Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers at 2:05 p.m. CT. Woodruff homered off Kershaw in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS, but it would be a surprise to see him get an at-bat on Friday in a game to be broadcast on MLB.TV and Gameday Audio.