Justin Morneau has not been in the line-up for the Minnesota Twins in about a month and a half. This concerns Manager Ron Gardenhire, General Manager Bill Smith, and the rest of the organization’s hierarchy. Dealing with concussions is a continually evolving practice for physicians and specialists. According to Web MD – the symptoms can be devastating to not only one’s job performance, but also daily routines.
They include, but are not limited to: blurry vision, a loss of balance, nausea, headaches, slurred speech, and memory loss.
Obviously, these aforementioned sufferings can adversely affect Morneau’s production at the plate and in the field. Ron Gardenhire has consistently stated that there is no timetable for his return, but Morneau has recently started taking batting practice before games.
By: Patrick Herbert
Sometimes players rush back to their teams due to sense of duty or the need to earn money through production. Morneau should actually view the incident as an employee who suffered an on-the-job injury. If a concussion takes place in an office, usually management requires the worker to seek medical attention immediately and provide sound documentation before they return to normal employment activities. The situation should be no different in this incident, but the tricky thing with concussions is that the recovery is so personal and not always observable from those around the victim.
If Morneau comes back too early, it is a safety issue that could affect the rest of his life. It is often said that hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. Try hitting a ninety mile an hour fastball after recently concussed. It is not fathomable to do so if not one hundred percent no longer having the symptoms.
It is not as if this concussion has occurred in a vacuum. There are plenty of examples to look at in the sports world for further analysis. Troy Aikman, retired Dallas Cowboy quarterback and current NFL Fox commentator, has repeatedly stated that he suffered over ten concussions during his playing career. This is a scary thought for any individual, but especially one in his early forties who has half his life still ahead of him.
In 2007, the NFL spearheaded the initiative to test the athletes for concussions much more comprehensively to Aikman’s delight. To this day, Aikman does not feel that he has suffered any long term effects due to the repeated concussions. Fans of ESPN have also seen Merril Hoge at the anchor desk through the years. The former running back of the Pittsburgh Steelers has spoken of concussions on-air in the past. He remembers driving around his neighborhood with the inability to accurately locate his house. It was not as if he had recently moved in either. Both of these gentlemen are articulate and insightful in their work and hopefully their celebrity will bring more attention to this serious issue.
When Justin Morneau returns, it will be the decision made between himself and the appropriate medical experts. He should take his time and be certain that he is fully recovered before he does so because the ramifications of haste are dire.