BASEBALL Astros' Bagwell too injured to play

Houston will try to recoup much of his $17 million salary through insurance.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jeff Bagwell acknowledged Saturday what the Houston Astros told their insurance company weeks ago: The star first baseman is too hurt to play.
The multimillion-dollar question now is whether he'll ever be able to return.
Bagwell said he will start the season on the disabled list and consult with a doctor to see if it would be beneficial to remove bone spurs from his shoulder.
"I may never play again," he said. "It's been 15 years with the Astros. I have to do what's best for me, what's best for the Astros and best for baseball."
The 37-year-old Bagwell, perhaps the most popular player in franchise history, spent the spring in a contentious battle with the team while he tried to prove he could still play despite a chronically injured right shoulder.
"I came down to spring training to see if I could still make it as a first baseman with the Astros," he said. "There were times in the offseason where I felt like I could do this. But with the condition of my shoulder, I'm not going to be able to start the season with the Astros."
Insurance
The Astros filed an insurance claim in January to recoup about $15.6 million of the $17 million Bagwell is guaranteed this season in the final year of his contract, arguing he is too hurt to play. For now he is on the 15-day disabled list. He must stay on the injured list all season for the Astros to collect their money.
Bagwell started several spring games at first base, but in two of those he left after two innings because of soreness in his shoulder. He hit .219 with two RBIs, but never had to make a tough throw.
"I'm going to be honest with myself," Bagwell said. "I'm going to be honest with the Astros. I'm out here in the condition where I can only play once every few days, and that's not what I'm out here to do."
Bagwell, who made the announcement at the Astros' spring training facility in Kissimmee, Fla., said he would only have the surgery if he received assurances it would help.
"There's a chance they could not do it," he said of the surgery. "You have to do everything you can to try and play. If not, you'll be kicking yourself."
Bagwell has dealt with the arthritic shoulder since 2001 and says the team never raised the issue until now. He batted no lower than .266 in the four years prior to 2005, when he missed 115 games following shoulder surgery. He has said he likely will need shoulder replacement surgery when his career is over.
Astros manager Phil Garner said he appreciated all Bagwell has done for the team.
"I can't imagine what the Houston Astros would have been the past 15 years without Jeff Bagwell on this ballclub," Garner said. "He made the Houston Astros what they are today."
Franchise leader
Bagwell, a four-time All-Star, is the franchise leader in home runs (449), RBIs (1,529) and runs (1,517). He returned late last season and could bat but couldn't throw. He went 1-for-8 with an RBI in the World Series.
He is the only first baseman with 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases in his career. Bagwell has been the Astros' first baseman on opening day the past 15 seasons.
Doctors hired by the Astros to examine Bagwell told the club that Bagwell's shoulder was still damaged and that the team could no longer expect him to be productive.
"I think this is just one of a whole bunch of sad days that have gone on since the World Series," Bagwell's longtime agent, Barry Axelrod, told the Houston Chronicle in a phone interview from Arizona. "It's been just one of several sad days."
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