Illnesses Archives

Excellent news for Doug Davis.

Kip Wells again needs surgery to fix a blood clot. (Here's the post on the first surgery.) It's a tough break, but I'd rather hear that he needs surgery on a clot than he's died of a clot.

Red Sox outfielder Brandon Moss needed an emergency appendectomy Saturday night. Here's wishing him a quick recovery! He was off to a powerful start with the Red Sox, hitting two home runs in 21 at bats.

The Brewers-Cubs game was delayed for ten minutes as umpire Jerry Crawford suffered chest pain and was taken to the hospital. I hope he's okay.

Joba Chamberlain's father is home.

Daisuke Matsuzaka caught the flu bug and won't start tonight. Lester takes his place. Given the way the Red Sox are playing with the roster reduced due to illness, maybe they should get the flu more often. :-)

Josh Beckett is suffering from the same bug as Jason Varitek, and it's caused a stiff neck. He won't start tonight, and the Red Sox are sending Varitek home:

The other problem that the Red Sox have right now is that they are short a second catcher. Varitek is still under the weather and, though he did come to the ballpark this afternoon, he was supposed to be heading home before gametime. Had Beckett not come down with the stiff neck, the roster move would have been made for a catcher, which still might happen tomorrow (with the Sox sending Pauley back down to Triple A). So with the two players who have offered to be the emergency catcher both on the disabled list (Alex Cora and Lowell), Francona was in a bind.

Guess who offered?

That's right. Dustin Pedroia.

More scrappy player points for Pedrioa.

Doug Davis feels great. That's very good news.

Maury Brown's son was recently diagnosed with autism. He provides information on the condition and what to look for, since early intervention helps the child live a more normal life. Keep Maury and his family in your thoughts.

Joba Chamberlain issued a statement about his dad's situation.

River Ave. Blues has more on Joba Chamberlain's father. He's in critical condition. My best wishes go out to Joba and his family.

Joba Chamberlain's father is ill and the Yankees reliever returned to Nebraska to see him.

Doug Davis's surgery went well on Thursday:

"The surgery that was completed this evening by Dr. Bob Evani was very successful," team physician Dr. Michael Lee said. "Doug is awake and doing well. The only complaints he had was a mild sore throat, which is expected. He will likely be released (Friday) and will begin follow up treatments at that point."

That's good news.

The Diamondbacks confirmed Doug Davis's thyroid cancer, as reported here yesterday.

Davis is expected to make his next few starts, Hall said, before undergoing surgery sometime within the next three weeks.

"We're not sure about the timetable after that," Hall said. "We're deeply saddened and concerned for Doug but we're still in the process of collecting facts and applying that to timing."

My best wishes to Doug for a quick and complete recovery.

Peter Gammons writes that Doug Davis has thyroid cancer. I don't see a story yet. My best wishes to Doug for a complete recovery.

I have a cousin who had thyroid cancer when she was 18. Nearly forty year later, she's still with us.

Doctors diagnosed Rick Sutcliffe with colon cancer:

Sutcliffe, 51, was diagnosed after a routine test during a physical revealed that he has a treatable and curable form of colon cancer. Sutcliffe will undergo chemotherapy and surgery over the next few months and said he hopes to make a healthy comeback later this year.

"I deeply appreciate the support of the ESPN family and my family and friends around the country," Sutcliffe said in a statement.

I worked a bit with Sutcliffe on Baseball Tonight in 1999 and hope he makes a full and complete recovery.

Rocco Baldelli appears to be finished with baseball for the moment.

Rocco Baldelli will be sidelined indefinitely - but is not retiring - because of what he said are "some type of metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities,'' a condition that leaves him feeling extremely fatigued after just a brief workout.

"When I say "fatigued" my body is literally spent after a very short amount of time out on the field which makes it extremely frustrating and difficult, but it's kind of a reality right now,'' he said during a 13-minute session with reporters before Wednesday's game. "I feel like I've done a serious workout after a very short period of time, and it's a very odd feeling. ... I try not to be too dramatic when I explain what's going on, but it's not easy when you're out on the field for a very short period of time and you're done, and you're not really worth anything else out there. That's a tough thing to handle because you wonder why. You wonder why this is how your body feels.''

Mitochondira are one of my favorite organelles (the ribosomes are pretty cool, too). Not only are they the power plant of the cells, but they have their own DNA that one can use to trace female ancestry. The problem is, when they don't work right, you can't power your muscles. For Rocco's sake, I hope this is something doctors can correct.

However, this does give the Rays another reason to sign Barry Bonds.

Hat tip, Rays Anatomy.

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Bobby Murcer's biopsy showed scar tissue, not a return of cancer. Great news and best wishes for a continued recovery for the Yankees announcer!

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Davey Lopes has prostate cancer. I hope he makes a fast and complete recovery.

Julio Lugo's poor offensive performance in 2007 is now being blamed on parasites:

Stomaching portions of last season was even more difficult for Julio Lugo than most realized.

The Red Sox shortstop admitted yesterday he never regained his strength during his first year with the team due to a stomach parasite he picked up during a month-long vacation to Europe the previous offseason.

"I never got my strength back," Lugo said. "I started training in January and that only made it worse, and when I got to spring training, I wasn't right.

He should be careful in Japan. Jason Giambi and Kevin Brown picked up parasites during their trip there with the Yankees.

Doctors are concerned about Bobby Murcer's health again. They'll perform another biopsy of his brain. I wish him the best.

Mark DeRosa undergoes heart surgery today:

Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa is scheduled to undergo surgery this morning to correct the heart arrhythmia that sent him to a Mesa hospital over the weekend. And barring a setback, the club expects he'll be ready to take batting practice as soon as Monday and be ready for games by the end of next week.

The outpatient procedure is called radio frequency catheter ablation (RFCA), in which an electrode catheter is used to destroy a very small area of heart tissue that caused the irregular heartbeat.

According to team doctor Stephen Adams, who spoke to media Wednesday at the request of DeRosa, cardiologists begin the process with an electrophysiology study (EPS), using a catheter-based system to induce atrial arrhythmia so they can identify the trouble spot. At that point the RFCA is performed, and another EPS is done to confirm the problem has been corrected.

The entire process should take one to two hours, Adams said. The success rate is about 98 percent.

I find it amazing that a person can undergo heart surgery and be back on the job in less than a week. It probably wasn't that long ago that DeRosa's career would be over.

Another ballplayer suffers circulatory problems:

Left-hander John Rheinecker will miss at least the first half of the season, and it may leave the Rangers without a second left-handed reliever ahead of the closer.

Rheinecker was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a condition that limits blood flow to the extremities. It is the same condition that wrecked third baseman Hank Blalock's 2007 season. The Rangers expect Rheinecker to have surgery to remove the top rib, as Blalock did, in order to improve blood flow.

"Pretty much every symptom I described, the doctor said was on the list," Rheinecker said. "Hopefully once I get back from this, I'll be the pitcher the Rangers traded for."

It seems there are a number of players who suffer from blood flow problems. Oil Can Boyd, David Cone and Kip Wells immediately come to mind. I wonder how much this occurs in the general population.

WebMD saved Shelly Duncan.

(Hat tip, LoHud Yankees blog.)

Shelly Duncan landed in the hospital last week:

Shelley Duncan, the Yankees' hard-hitting rookie, was hospitalized last week with an unknown arm ailment. A source close to the team told the Daily News yesterday that Duncan was hospitalized for two days last week because of the ailment, but the 28-year-old player should not have any long-term problems. "It's nothing serious," the source said. "Everything is going to be fine."

The Tug McGraw Foundation honors Yankees broadcaster Bobby Murcer to raise money for brain cancer research.

Garret Anderson is out of the game for Reggie Willits. I have to assume the eye infection is too bad for Anderson to play.

Former major leaguer Brett Butler suffered a stroke:

Mobile BayBears manager Brett Butler suffered a mild stroke Friday night and was resting comfortably in a Montgomery hospital, a Diamondbacks statement said Sunday.

Brett always struck me as a very intense player, the kind that never relaxed. I wonder if that was true off the field? Let's hope for a speedy recovery.

Hank Blalock needs a rib removed:

Blalock missed Thursday's game against Tampa Bay, but the Rangers thought he would be available for their first interleague series this weekend against Houston.

Instead, team officials said Friday he had been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which affects the nerves that pass through the shoulder into the neck. The surgery will remove a rib on the right side of his upper chest.

I wonder how long this condition effected his hitting. Ron Washington is certainly facing a lot of adversity his first year managing.

Roy Halladay unexpectedly ended up in surgery Friday:

Former Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay is expected to miss four to six weeks after having an emergency appendectomy Friday, the latest bad break for the struggling Toronto Blue Jays.

Halladay arrived at Rogers Centre on Friday looking pale and complaining of pain in his lower right abdomen. Trainer George Poulis recognized the symptoms and took Halladay to a local hospital for surgery.

Halladay was placed on the 15-day disabled list. The Blue Jays did not immediately announce a roster move.

I'm glad they caught it in time. Unfortunately for the Jays, they've now lost their best starter, best reliever and best hitter. Murphy's Law is in full force in Canada right now.

Just saw this headline of FoxSports.com:

Griffey Sidelined by Colon Problem

He's 5 for 18 vs. Bartolo with a home run and four walks. Doesn't seem like much of a problem. :-)

Here's hoping Ron Santo makes a speedy recovery.

Another blood clot rears its ugly head:

Tigers left-handed starter Kenny Rogers is expected to miss the first half of the season after he underwent surgery on his pitching shoulder today to remove a blood clot and repair arteries.

Rogers underwent the surgery in Dallas. The surgery was performed by the same doctor who did a similar operation on Rogers six years ago, club president and general manger Dave Dombrowski said.

In making the announcement on Rogers' surgery and prognosis, Dombrowski said that Rogers would be able to begin throwing in six to eight weeks. "We anticipate he will be out three months," Dombrowski said.

Best wishes for a quick recovery. Originally it sounded like Kenny would just miss one start, but now the Tigers definitely need a replacement. For now, Chad Durbin takes over, who is frankly not very good. I expect we'll see Detroit's pitching depth fill in eventually.

Does it seem that there are lots of blood clots in pitchers lately? I don't remember this happening before Oil Can Boyd, but it could just be it was harder to detect back then and they were missed.

John Vukovich is suffering from inoperable brain cancer. My thoughts are with John and his family at this time.

John's family kept this quiet, announcing this only as his condition worsened. I hope his friends and colleagues get to visit him. We lost a good friend of the family to brain cancer a few years ago. She didn't like funerals, so she threw a party while she was still able. People came from all over the country to say good bye. It was a very sad day, but therapeutic for all involved. Her death still hit everyone hard, but for most of us, our last memory of her is a fun one.

Update: Vukovich died today.

Zack Greinke discusses his depression in an exclusive interview with the Kansas City Star:

So how bad did it get?

"I really don't know what it is or what it was," Greinke began. "Depression kind of runs in my family. Supposedly, it goes down through (genetically). But I don't know if that's what I was actually going through.

"The medicine I take is an antidepressant. So (depression) must have something to do with it. That and social anxiety. But I don't think it was a serious case. I mean, I never thought about killing myself.

"It was always, once I got away from baseball, I was fine. So I didn't think about it as (an emotional disorder). I just thought that, at the baseball field, I was unhappy."

That misery reached such depths that Greinke often contemplated quitting baseball while still in the minors. His inability to handle the down time between starts heightened his turmoil and made him yearn to be a hitter or at least a relief pitcher.

"I'd talk to my agent all the time and ask him: 'How can I tell the Royals that I don't want to pitch? That I want to try hitting?,' " said Greinke, who added he knew there was no chance of that happening, which increased his frustration. "I thought that was why I hated baseball. I thought it was because I wanted to hit.

"It would be at least once a month that I'd be crying to myself while I'm going to bed with a bat in my hand, just swinging it. It's stupid. That doesn't happen anymore."

It's better now:

"But as soon as that was over and they sent me down (officially), I was done talking about it. Now, I'm just playing baseball. Now, I'm just going to the field. It was better after that."

Greinke went 4-1 while allowing just 13 earned runs in 48 innings over his last seven starts. That helped Wichita reach the Texas League playoffs, and that success proved a tonic in itself.

He found it hard to believe that he enjoyed baseball so much. He kept wondering if the joy would dissipate. It didn't.

"Usually with me," he said, "a month or even two months before the season is over, I'd be counting days. More than counting days. I'd be begging for it to be over. As soon as the last game was over, I'd be showered and gone.

"Last year, it was like I'd like to stay a little longer."

That's good news. Now, the question is can he make the big league club? Zack reaching his potential would be a huge boost to the Royals.

According to Julian Tavarez, the Red Sox won't see Manny Ramirez until March 1.

Julian Tavarez told MLB.com and WBZ-TV in Boston on Sunday that his good friend Manny Ramirez would miss the start of the Red Sox's spring training because his mother recently had surgery for an undisclosed condition.

"He's been going through a tough time because of his mom; they told her that she had a tumor and it wasn't a tumor, but she had surgery between her ribs and she's home right now recovering and Manny's out there with his mom," Tavarez told MLB.com.

Tavarez told MLB.com that both Ramirez and his mother are both currently in Weston, Fla.

This was the first Terry Francona heard about it, so we'll see if the story is real. However, given that the Red Sox training facility is just two hours from where Manny's mother is recovering, it seems that Manny could make some practices. He has enough money to hire pretty good care for his mom, and a driver to take him back and forth. He might even be able to fly! I appreciate that he wants to be there for his mom, but he can do both.

Update: Looking a map of the area, there are airfields next to both locations.

Dan Johnson suffered from double vision during the 2006 season:

The A's potential everyday first baseman unknowingly played last season with double vision in his right eye, a problem that wasn't diagnosed until about two weeks ago.

That revelation may at least partially explain why Johnson got off to a horrendous start at the plate last season, eventually getting demoted to Triple-A Sacramento after starting the season as Oakland's first baseman.

Johnson thought he merely had blurred vision throughout 2006, and was taking eye drops to remedy the problem.

"It's hard to treat someone who doesn't know what bothers him," Johnson said. "I went to a few doctors last year, four or five, but it's like going to the doctor and telling him my arm hurts, and it's my leg or something."

It goes without saying how important eyesight is to a hitter trying to make contact with 90-plus mph fastballs. Eye doctors recently recommended Johnson see a specialist, and he has been undergoing "eye therapy" over the past two weeks and is now on a different medication to help correct the problem.

"They say that I'm progressing like I'm supposed to," he said. "What they're doing is taking a 10-month program and putting it into about two weeks."

Johnson regaining his batting eye would be a huge boost to the Athletics offense.

My Baseball Bias links to good news on Jon Lester. He's in Florida working out and cleared to resume baseball activities. Nice to see him doing so well.

Nolan Ryan went into the hospital yesterday. Details are very sketchy, but this report in the Dallas Morning News offers the most insight:

Nolan Ryan, 59, checked into Round Rock Medical Center for treatment of recurring symptoms of a pre-existing medical condition, Reid Ryan said. Reid Ryan declined to specify the condition but said it was discovered when his father had double-bypass heart surgery in 2000.

"He takes medication for it," Reid Ryan said. "From time to time, he has episodes that require him to get checked out when he has pain or something. He's feeling good. This is more about taking precautions."

Here's best wishes for a quick recovery.

Bobby Murcer learned that the tumor removed from his brain was malignant. My best wishes on his fight with cancer.

Bobby Murcer is home from the hospital after brain surgery. Here's best wishes for a continuing recovery.

Alex Belth rounds up news about Bobby Murcer and the Randy Johnson trade.

Doctors found a brain tumor in Bobby Murcer. He'll undergo surgery today.

I started watching baseball in 1969. In Bridgeport, we received the Yankees and Mets telecasts. Murcer was one of my early favorites. Here's best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry underwent an angioplasty yesterday.

Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry underwent an angioplasty at an Orlando-area hospital and was recovering Thursday. He closed the deal for left-hander Ted Lilly from the hospital Wednesday night while undergoing a procedure.

"Ted had no idea where (Hendry) was, or anything," said Gary Hughes, a special assistant to Hendry. "It was business as usual."

I don't think he was making the deal while he had a catheter in his heart. Still, it's pretty impressive that a blocked artery can't stop baseball business! Here's wishing Jim a complete recovery. I'm glad we can laugh about this.

The Boston Globe reports Jon Lester's cancer is in remission:

A source with direct knowledge of Jon Lester's medical condition said yesterday that Lester's latest CT scan was clean and his cancer seems to be in remission, so the 22-year-old lefthander expects to be in spring training with the Red Sox in 2007.

Wonderful news.

A reader sends in this story on Jon Lester. There's not much on his condition, but a lot on how he's receiving tons of support from his fans. He sounds like he's in good spirits as he faces his fifth round of chemotherapy, however.

Bill Reiter talks with Buddy Bell about his recovery from throat cancer surgery:

Bell told the doctor he wanted the feeding tube removed. Today. Now. He didn't want his grandkids to see him that way, didn't want them to worry. The doctor told Buddy that patients kept feeding tubes in for weeks, sometimes longer.

The next day, a deal was struck. Get food down your throat, his doctor said, and the tube can come out.

"Eating just didn't work," Bell said. It was painful beyond description. It was like forcing sandpaper over a wound. "So I had to just force it down."

For weeks, Bell ate his way back to normalcy, chewing through the pain along with the pudding and grits that became his diet. But he hadn't willed himself all the way back. He wanted cheeseburgers, too.

"He got a cheeseburger, and it hurt to eat," said Bell's wife, Gloria, shaking her head. "I said, 'Then don't eat it.' "

She paused, still incredulous, and looked over at Buddy as they sat in leather chairs in their den on a crisp weekday morning.

"He said, 'No, I want man food.' "

He's doing well, and will be attending the winter meeting this week. That's good news, and I hope his recovery continues.

The growth removed from Buddy Bell's throat contained cancer.

The biopsy revealed that tissue surrounding the growth, however, was free of cancer cells. The team made the announcement during Kansas City's game at Minnesota.

Bell was examined by Dr. Michael Hinni, at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., as a follow-up to the surgery he had last Friday. Hinni said the procedure was successful.

Bell, who is resting at his home in Chandler, Ariz., and won't manage again this season, will meet with doctors soon to determine any possible further treatment.

Here's wishing Buddy a complete and speedy recovery.

Doctors removed Buddy Bell's tonsils and are awaiting the results of a biopsy:

"We just spoke to Dr. Joyce, who's been in touch with the physician at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale (Ariz.) and the surgery went very well," said Dayton Moore, the Royals general manager.

"Buddy's expected to be released on Sunday and the final result of the biopsy will be Monday or Tuesday."

Again, my best wishes for a speedy recovery and a negative diagnosis.

Buddy Bell is likely out for the rest of the season:

Kansas City Royals manager Buddy Bell is taking a leave of absence to treat a growth discovered near his left tonsil.

The Royals announced the move during the ninth inning of their game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, a game Bell managed.

The 55-year-old Bell will seek a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona on Thursday at the direction of his doctor, who found the growth during a routine examination Tuesday.

Let's hope whatever the diagnosis Bell makes a speedy recovery.

Peter Gammon's column is back, and he uses it to thank everyone for their support. I think we should all thank the many people who worked together to bring Peter, and so many like him, back to us.

Derrek Lee will not play the rest of the season as he is going to spend time with his wife and ill daughter:

"My daughter's lost some vision in one eye and we'll find out more at a later time; we have to go through some more tests," Lee said in a statement. "Right now we just ask for everyone's prayers. We need a miracle, we need your prayers. We need everyone to believe she's going to be OK."

Jada is the only child for Lee and his wife, Christina. Lee fought back tears as he addressed the media and then spoke to the team in private in the clubhouse.

Here's best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery for Jada.

Doctors diagnosed Glendon Rusch with a blood clot in his lung:

Cubs reliever Glendon Rusch was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung and will miss the rest of the season. A team trainer said the condition was not life-threatening. Rusch was sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital during Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"He is out of danger," Cubs trainer Mark O'Neal said.

Both my mother and mother-in-law survived these. My mom had a genetic form of emphysema and could barely breathe anyway. We don't know how she pulled through that. My mother-in-law had pneumonia and developed a clot (or the other way around, we're not sure). She vomited after breakfast one morning, called her doctor, and he had her rushed to the hospital. She suffered no ill effects. Let's hope the same is true for Rusch.

David Ortiz walks in his first plate appearance tonight. He's working his way up to running. :-)

David Ortiz can play baseball again:

"The ongoing monitoring of David Ortiz has not identified any further problem," team medical director Dr. Thomas Gill said in a statement.

"As a result, the team of consultants caring for David has met and decided to allow him to return to play today," Gill said. "The Red Sox medical staff will continue to monitor David on a daily basis."

That's good news, although I wonder if they determined what caused the problem in the first place?

The Boston Globe provides more information on Jon Lester's cancer. It sounds similar to Andres Galaragga's condition:

The most recent case of a major league player with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was Andres Galarraga, who was playing for the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and, like Lester, went to doctors to determine the source of persistent back pain. Just as in Lester's case, enlarged lymph nodes were found and he was diagnosed with the cancer. Galarraga underwent five months of chemotherapy and a month of radiation, and recovered sufficiently to resume playing a year later, at age 38. On Opening Day 2000, Galarraga hit a home run.

Let's hope it works out as well for Jon.

Update: And here's the latest on Ortiz:

Ortiz told ESPNdeportes yesterday, ``I have a heart rate monitor connected to my body, and whenever I feel some irregular heartbeat, I'm supposed to press a button to alert doctors. Doctors will remove the instrument on Monday and, after checking the data produced, will decide whether I can start playing immediately, if I have to wait longer, or if I can't play again this season."

Jon Lester does indeed have cancer.

Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Jon Lester has a form of lymphoma and will begin treatment within the week, the team said Friday.

The 22-year-old left-hander was placed on the disabled list Monday with back pain, but tests revealed enlarged lymph nodes. The team said Lester has a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

There's more information on the disease here:

Systemic ALCL can involve lymph nodes and extranodal sites acting aggressively but responds to chemotherapy used to treat other large cell lymphomas. The systemic form is associated with a t(2;5) chromosomal abnormality, leading to the production of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein. This so-called "classic" ALCL is most common in children and adolescents.

Meanwhile, Brad Radke's career may be over:

Twins pitcher Brad Radke has a stress fracture in his right shoulder, an injury Minnesota doesn't necessarily think will end his season.

Radke's injury, to the glenoid area of the shoulder joint, is a rare condition and was not detected in previous exams, the Twins said Friday. Dr. Dan Buss recommended that he not throw for two to three weeks.

Radke is going to retire at the end of the season. If the Twins don't make the playoffs, he may not pitch again.

Update: Sorry to not have written this last night, but I hope both players make speedy and full recoveries.

David Ortiz is out of the hospital:

Ortiz, who was allowed to go home last night, according to the source, underwent additional tests, the results of which will not be known until today. "That's very good news," said Dr. D. Michael Farmer, a Mount Auburn Hospital cardiologist, who is not treating the 30-year-old Ortiz. "If he had a negative echocardiogram, then he has a normal heart function. He's got a perfectly normal heart." Four Boston cardiologists interviewed said a negative result on those benchmark tests means the Sox slugger's heart is structurally sound. If the tests showed he had heart disease, the team would have much more reason for concern, they said.

So no word on the cause of the irregular heartbeat, but he's okay? At least they're going to keep looking:

In the short term, Ortiz' condition will likely require him to occasionally wear a monitor after returning to the Red Sox.

If it happens again, they'll get data on the actual event. This is the best news the Sox have received all week.

There's a speculative report in the Boston Herald on the health of Jon Lester.

The tests have prompted serious concern within the organization. Other than citing Lester's ongoing back problems, Sox general manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona have declined to address any matters concerning the health of one of their brightest prospects. However, during the team's nine-game road trip that ended today with a 7-2 loss to the Oakland A's, Lester was diagnosed with enlarged lymph nodes, according to sources. Such a symptom can be caused by an array of issues, from infections to cancer.

There are two things fueling this speculation; a quote from Curt Schilling and the fact that Lester is spent time with his family. Now, Schilli