Opinions???
A lot of pitchers nowadays seem to be in these upper body casts of ice for hours.
Lincecum never uses ice. His father once said that you only use ice for your drinks.
Coventional wisdom seems to be that ice is good because it reduces swelling. The other side believes that ice inhibits the bodys natural ability to flush lactic acid from the system. That icing merely locks in the lactic acid. Lactic acid is what causes much of the swelling in the first place.