I went to a baseball game and a football game broke out?

Interesting article in today's NY Times about Mets'player Ryan Church, who has sustained two concussions this year, the most recent one 8 days ago. It appears he has been "cleared to play" by the trainers/medical staff, even though he is still experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, lethargy and headaches. Church has played since the concussion, going 1-4 as a pinch-hitter, but the manager and GM appear to have no idea how to manage a concussed player (citing CT and MRI results, which are negative in Mild TBI, and relying solely on subjective reports by the concussed player):

Minaya emphasized that a CT scan of Church the night of his injury showed no damage, and that a magnetic resonance imaging test Tuesday was also negative. Minaya and Manager Willie Randolph said the club had relied principally upon Church’s reports to trainers about how he felt before each game, and sometimes during it, in deciding if he was available to play.

“It’s his call,” Randolph said. He added: “He’s been feeling a little bit groggy, and most of what he feels is that uneasiness with his total, you know, mind. It’s kind of weird because he feels like he’s kind of foggy. He says he can hit, he can do that. But in the outfield, he’s unstable out there.” Randolph added: “When you’re talking about head injuries, I’m pretty lame on that. I don’t even know how to respond to, you know, when we can put him out there.”

Before almost every game, he has told reporters of symptoms. At one point he said, “I’m just sick of feeling like this.”

Further, The GM does not understand concussion testing, calling a 30-minute test "time consuming":

The Mets began having players take baseline neuropsychological tests in spring training so that they could be tested against them after an injury; however, Church did not take a test, Minaya said, because of time restrictions.

“My understanding is that it’s a long test,” he said. “If I’m not mistaken, it’s about a half-hour or more.”

Concussion experts commented on the case:

Dr. Mickey Collins: "That’s a situation that could be very dangerous... I haven’t examined this player personally, but if there were a second trauma to a person still experiencing symptoms, the risk could be much higher to a player’s health because he hasn’t healed from the first concussion."

Dr. Robert Cantu: "You’re playing roulette with your patient. You know the chances of him having another concussion are low, but you’re running the risk of exacerbating the symptoms that he does have. Now a person who would be asymptomatic in a week or two can have those symptoms go on for many months."

Perhaps most relevant is the comment of Corey Koskie of the Brewers who sustained a concussion in 2006, experienced prolonged symptoms, and eventually had to retire:

"That’s pretty much the reason I’m here today (retired) — thinking I could play through it... I think he’s nuts. He doesn’t want to get to the point where he’s not going to get better. Tell him to call me. It’s not worth it."

Back from Disney: Roller Coaster mania

Took a vacation with the family to Disney World, and went to Epcot, Magic Kingdom, MGM/Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

Rode lots of great high-speed rides, including Space Mountain, Everest, Tower of Terror, and Rock 'n' Roll Roller Coaster. My 8-year-old, Ben, was so excited about Everest and RnR Roller Coaster, that I decided to look their stats up online and also found many YouTube online videos. (Everest, RnR, ToT)

So, it turns out the RnR Coaster is "one of the most powerful coasters in North America" accelerating 0-57 in 2.7 seconds, generating G-forces of 4.5 to 5 depending on where you are seated (stats from here).

A long time ago, I was inteviewed on the dangers of roller coasters (with respect to head trauma, which there appears to be none), but I was naturally interested in the possible dangers of such a fast acceleration. Fortunately, UPenn researchers had answered this question back in 2002:

They acquired G force data from three of the most popular and powerful roller coasters in the country: the "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster" at the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida; "Speed -- The Ride" at the Nascar Café, in Las Vegas, Nevada; and "Face-Off" at Kings Island, Ohio. Using this data, they calculated peak head accelerations in three directions, assuming the head did not strike a surface. Even considering the worst-case scenario, the researchers found that the largest forces experienced on roller coasters were far below those that are known to cause injury.

I wish I could prove it was my line, but when I was interviewed by the Boston Globe I said "it is more dangerous to drive to the amusement park than to ride the roller coaster" but they didn't include that in the article. However, someone quoting the UPenn study, concluded:

It does not appear that roller coasters produce high enough forces to mechanically deform and injure the brain...

For healthy people who meet the size requirements for the ride, you are probably safer on the average roller coaster than driving to the amusement park,

Playoff Hockey

Last night's Dallas-San Jose game had a hit frighteningly reminiscent of the hit Eric Lindros took from Scott Stevens.. head down, both players moving fast, attacking player hits the opposing player in the head with his shoulder.

One day later, the video is displayed on "NHLFightClub.com", and the spin from the coach is soberingly realistic:

Michalek hit hard. Michalek had his head down tracking a puck, when Morrow crushed him with a shoulder check. Morrow did not hit Michalek’s head, but there was a whiplash effect that could have caused a concussion by jarring the brain against the inside of the skull.

"Obviously, when Milan got hurt at the end of regulation, we played the overtime without him," Wilson said. "A whole game with a short bench, and our guys just kept going."

When asked if he could update Michalek’s health, Wilson replied: "It’s irrelevant. It’s over, so we have to move on."