Batting Average Immune Deficiency Syndrome (BAIDS)

Twins catcher Joe Mauer is dying.  Or, maybe Mauer is just really, really sick.  It may even be a case of BAIDS: Batting Average Immune Deficiency Syndrome.  Whatever it is, things aren’t looking good for the three time American League batting champion.  MLB.com revealed that Twins senior vice president and general manager Bill Smith stated Mauer’s symptoms included a flu-like illness and general fatigue, prompting the All-Star to fly to Baltimore to see a specialist.  And, when your job (catching) requires non-stop use of your legs, and your legs simply stop working, well, you don’t have to be a doctor to know that things are in a bad way. 

As a catcher, it’s reasonable to suppose that the day-to-day grind of his employment might cause a few nagging injuries, perhaps even requiring the occasional visit to the team trainer.  However, Mauer’s career has been punctuated by a series of seemingly strange physical ailments.  He underwent a surgical procedure to remove a kidney obstruction that was causing back pain.  The procedure was seen as a success, although Mauer was required to limit his running due to complications in his legs.  It was later revealed that additional back problems existed, specifically inflammation of the sacroiliac joint (an area of the pelvis).   Now, there’s this presumably new series of problems afflicting the Twins franchise player.

It’s good to hear that doctors will be toiling away trying to find the true root cause of Mauer’s physical troubles.  At the same time, if Mauer needs to see a doctor at a place like Johns Hopkins, it begs the question whether this is a more serious issue than the team is reporting.  It also begs the question as to why he’s going to Baltimore when there’s a perfectly good hospital in Mauer’s home state of Minnesota.  Let’s be honest here; it’s not as though the Mayo Clinic wouldn’t be able to help.  Why Mauer and the Twins would pass on an opportunity to spend money locally doesn’t bode well for the state economy of Minnesota.  A dyed in the wool Minnesotan like Mauer should know better.