The Dodgers: Worse than cursed

[Ghoulish Delight]

Fine, maybe not the most, but as much. And that's where things like hamstring injuries come from, sudden movemnt from a dead stop. Or an awkward landing on a swing (a major league swing is a HUGE strain on the body, and will leave you in some vulnerable positions, never mind that you then have to immediately regain your balance and accelerate to full speed). Considering the amazing diving play Iszturis makes on a regular basis, mostly starting from a standstill and reacting in an instant, it's a testament to the shape he's in that he hasn't been injured in the past. On top of that, there's the danger of sliding into a base, or making a catch near a wall (either from contatcting the wall, or from the sudden stop and change of direction). The pace of the game makes people think baseball is not physically demanding. That's far from true.

I have coached highschool basketball for 16 years and have never had a player with a hamstring injury...And my players are nowhere near professional in abilities.

Exactly, your players don't go to the physical extremes that professional athletes go to. By your logic, you should be just as surprised at the number of professional basketball hamstring injuries as pro baseball. Afterall, your players don't have any.

These types of stress injuries are going to happen in pro sports. Put an average person in those games and have them attempt to put out the same effort as the pros do, you're pretty much guaranteed a pulled muscle or three. Pro athletes, in all sports, have to maintain top physical condition to avoid those injuries, but even then, it's going to happen. But for some reason, it's happening a lot more often than average for the Dodgers this season.

Normally, you can't blame the freak injuries on conditioning. But when you see a pile of injuries, some freak, some not, like this, you begin to wonder. Afterall, besides reducing the injury risk on "normal" plays in "normal" situations, a well conditioned athlete has better reactions and is better able to absorb impact to avoid injuries in the extraordinary circumstances. So a break down in effective training and conditioning could easily contribute to an increase of "freak" injuries as well.

Edit: Oh, and if you're on the sidelines in basketball or football and feel a little tight, you've got access to trainers to help you loosen up before getting back in the game. When your team's at bat, you're on the bench, but in those minutes between balls batted your way, you're on your own, standing out there. You can get some stretching done between pitches, but it's not exactly sitting on the bench with a massage and a heat pack.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

your players don't go to the physical extremes that professional athletes go to.

This is true, but they are not nearly as skilled. Less skill in a sport equates to a greater chance of injury. HS players do not have the medical attention or personal trainers that the pros do (with exception - we have a kid being recruited by many DI schools and he works with professional trainers). Also, skills levels vary from player to player far more at the highschool level than at the professional level, and that variance contributes to possible injury as well.

Baseball isn't that physically demanding. This is why they can play 162 games (or whatever it is) in six months. Football players play 16 in four months. This is because of the physical demands of the sport. Basketball you get 82 in 5 months. Playing 3 nights in a row is considered very extreme in professional basketball. Baseball teams go 9 or 10 in a row between days off? And in terms of starting and stopping - I'd say football is more extreme than any other sport. Dead stop to full speed in a few steps (for skill positions), often times coming to a dead stop instantly when running into a 300 lb lineman or a 260 lb linebacker.

Also, changes of direction at speed put far more stress on the muscles, joints, and bones than starting or stopping. There are not a lot of requirements for changes of direction in baseball at a high speed, but in football, basketball, and hockey, they happen all the time.

Now, the coordination and reflexes required in baseball are amazing - more so than any other sport with the exception of perhaps tennis. But the physical demands? I don't buy it.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

This is true, but they are not nearly as skilled. Less skill in a sport equates to a greater chance of injury. HS players do not have the medical attention or personal trainers that the pros do (with exception - we have a kid being recruited by many DI schools and he works with professional trainers). Also, skills levels vary from player to player far more at the highschool level than at the professional level, and that variance contributes to possible injury as well.

So let me get this straight, HS players have a higher chance of injury...but your players have never had a hamstring injury in 16 years while it's rare for a professional team to go through even a single season without at least one hamstring injury? Something doesn't add up.

Shall John Paul save your place in line to get cannonized with this miracle you seem to have achieved?