It's All in Morneau's Head

Reports out of Minnesota indicate that former American League MVP Justin Morneau’s surgically repaired neck isn’t bothering him.  While he had surgery back on June 29 to repair a herniated disc in his neck, it looks like he’s already eyeballing a return to the Twins.  In fact, he’s set to begin a rehab assignment in AAA Rochester.  Hopefully this is the Rochester where the Mayo Clinic is located, because there’s more than just a neck injury to worry about with Morneau.  This is a player who just hasn’t been himself since suffering a concussion on July 7, 2010—an injury that forced him to miss the rest of the season.  Since returning, he’s hit just .225 with a .281 OBP and .338 SLG.  His limitations are the obvious result of post-concussion syndrome (PCS), an ailment that has ended many a professional athlete’s career before his time.  The general medical consensus is that symptoms that don’t dissipate after one year are likely to be permanent.  That’s right; Morneau could be forced to deal with this for the rest of his days on Earth.

That’s a prospect none of us would want to face.  Regardless of how post-concussion syndrome affects Morneau’s playing career, it’s likely to be an obstacle in his day-to-day life—something to which everyone can relate.  Imagine going through each day with severe headaches, dizziness, and even blurred vision, all without getting drunk the night before.  It’s like a hangover that never ceases—unrelenting in and painful.  There are also lasting psychological effects that have been linked to PCS, including anxiety, irritability, and depression.

Alas, this is what Justin Morneau now faces.  He assures his adoring fans that he’s feeling better and pledges to get back to doing what he loves most (playing baseball) in life as soon as he can.  However, Corey Koskie loved baseball too, and after being diagnosed with PCS in 2006, he had to walk away from the game just a year later.  Mike Matheny was best known for his four Gold Gloves behind the plate, but he too was driven from the game by PCS. 

In fact, as more and more becomes known about the lasting effects of concussions, the game of baseball will have to find a way to address the issue before it grows to epic proportions as we’ve seen in other sports, specifically football and hockey.  In those sports, concussions are an everyday occurrence, and as science tries to keep pace with the escalating financial commitment of sport, it’s important to pay attention to the way in which player’s lives are being affected.  Mind you, in a win at all costs society, and with a prevailing “rub some dirt on it” mentality in sports, generally, it won’t be easy to change the existing culture.