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COREY KOSKIE Wants to play again |
Baseball notes
Two weeks ago, he was able to walk through a crowded mall in the Minneapolis area for three or four hours without experiencing the excruciating symptoms he's endured for about a year and half.
Doesn't sound like much, does it? But for Corey Koskie, once a very good third baseman for the Twins, Blue Jays, and Brewers, this was a sign that he's on the road to living a normal life and may someday soon resume his baseball career.
Koskie has suffered from postconcussion syndrome since he was hurt on July 5, 2006, while backpedaling to catch a popup. Koskie said he never banged his head. He fell on his back and shoulder. But his life would never be the same.
All the medical tests indicated Koskie should be OK. Except he wasn't OK. He had constant headaches, severe neck pain, nausea. He felt his head was swimming and his thought process was cloudy.
The symptoms lasted for months, and the Milwaukee medical staff thought he was experiencing anxiety or that the problem was in part mental. Once he sought the expertise of Dr. Robert C. Cantu of Emerson Hospital in Concord and Dr. Michael W. Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Sports Medicine's Concussion Center, he was assured he wasn't going crazy, but that he had classic symptoms of the injury. He heard the postconcussion stories of former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson and pro wrestler Chris Nowitzki and realized the scope of what he was enduring.
"Before I saw Dr. Cantu and Dr. Collins, I kept being told that my brain had healed and what I felt was mental," Koskie said. "I felt I had to justify or explain how I was feeling to the trainers, and until recently, when I hired a personal trainer who understands concussions and postconcussion syndrome, nobody quite understood what I was feeling.
"Until someone says to you, 'You feel like your head is swimming or like the Earth is coming up from under you,' until you hear those descriptions that others understand and feel, all you think is that people think you're nuts."
Koskie, who estimates he'd had anywhere from 8-15 mild concussions in his professional career, remembers feeling so tired for so long.
"I would start feeling tired around noon and sleep until 3 p.m., and then by 7 p.m., I'd be so tired I'd sleep right through until the next morning," he said. "This had never happened to me. Doctors kept telling me, 'Well, it's because you're not doing anything. You're getting lazy.'
"All I knew was I was so tired. I couldn't even play with my kids and it got to the point where they knew that I wouldn't be able to take part in whatever activity they were planning that day."
He said he felt intense pressure all over his head. Little by little, the pressure localized to the side, and now it's just in certain spots in his head. Before he received the experts' advice, he'd try to work out but he'd feel so awful during and after that "it just reached the point where I couldn't do it anymore. As it turns out, the doctors told me that I shouldn't have been working out while I felt the symptoms, that it hurt me even more."
He tried to come back in spring training of '07. He showed up to Brewers camp early in the morning, but when the Arizona sun beat down on him, it made him feel worse. It reached the point where his teammates noticed he was different, and Koskie had no way to explain to them in terms they could understand what he was going through.
He never felt the Brewers grasped the magnitude of things because the X-rays and MRIs were clear. One day Koskie met with general manager Doug Melvin and told him he just couldn't do it anymore. He left the team.
Looking back, he said, he made a series of strange decisions in his personal life because his cognitive skills were so diminished.
"I look back and say to myself, 'I decided to do that?' " he said. "I wasn't thinking properly. You think at the time you're OK, but then when you get tested and your cognitive skills are so poor, you realize in what kind of shape you're in.
"I think now I'm back to normal with all of my testing. For the longest time, I'm thinking, 'I just want to live a normal life again.' I wasn't even thinking about baseball because that was so far off. I just wanted to be able to play with my kids again.
"In the last couple of weeks, I've started to feel well. I haven't worked out since Christmas because I was having some problems while trying to work out then. But now, I've got a program in place and I'm going to see what I can do. If I can get through it without feeling badly, then maybe I can try to play again.
"I know I've got a long way to go. I would certainly not want to lead any team on at this point. I've got to see if I can do it and see if I can play in a game and go through the everyday stuff that a major league ballplayer has to go through.
"I'm also 34 going on 35. There are a lot of players out there looking for jobs. I have no idea what I'd be like if I came back. I think I can still play. I think I can still hit. The last two weeks have been so encouraging that it's started to make me feel like I'd like to give this a go again."
A few questions for Trot Nixon:
What has the offseason been like for you?
TN: "What I've really, for the first time in my career, learned is how to play first base. I spent some time in Atlanta with an old friend of mine, Tim Hyers, who was a pretty good defensive first baseman at one time. I've been learning everything about the position, particularly how to make the throws from the infield and just needing to short-arm the ball more. There are coverage type things I've been working on, situations like cutoffs, relays. I think it's something I could offer a team in addition to playing the outfield."
Are you nervous about being an unsigned free agent at this juncture?
TN: "Well, it's not easy, but I know there are a lot of unsigned players out there. A lot of outfielders. I don't know what the reason is for that, but it's not something I can worry about. I just go about my work and preparation every day in hopes I'll get a call to help a team out. I know at this point I'm not going to be an everyday player unless someone gets hurt, and right now I'm willing to accept that. I'm willing to spend some time in the minors working on playing first base if that's what a team wants me to do. I know I can still play the outfield at a high level."
Do you think about the possibility you won't be signed?
TN: "I'm not ready to retire. I'm not interested in that. I've been injured for so long that now I finally feel like I'm completely healthy. I had the disk-ectomy last offseason. That was tough on me because the disk was so protruded it was pressing against a nerve. My left leg was numb at times for most of the season. I had to re-teach myself how to run. By September, I started feeling better and I could feel my power coming back because I started to generate power off that back leg. So the way I'm feeling now, I want to get back out there and show I can still help a team."
You obviously have leadership qualities, intangibles that you brought to the Red Sox for many years and that you brought to the Indians last season. That must be part of the package that comes with Trot Nixon.
TN: "No doubt. I've learned some things over the years about teams and players and team chemistry. That's part of what I bring. I think the Indians appreciated that from me. I know they have a lot of outfielders over there now and the need for me isn't there anymore. That's fine. I enjoyed the year there. At this point, I'd go anywhere just to play. Like I said, I'm feeling great for the first time in a while."
Did you ever think about trying to get back to the Red Sox?
TN: "Sure. I saw recently where they needed a lefthanded bat. Someone who can play first and maybe the outfield. That fits for me. I know my representative has contacted them, but I have no idea what their plans are and who they're considering. I would always love to come back and play in Boston. I still have so many friends there. But the important thing now is to play again, no matter where it is."
Etc.
Touching the bases
Apropos of nothing: 1. Naming rights for Wrigley Field? Say it ain't so; 2. For Reds skipper Dusty Baker, it's Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and . . . pray for kid righty Homer Bailey to be good; 3. It would not shock me if Roger Clemens recanted his denials of steroid use in the next couple of weeks; 4. The longest-tenured general manager in baseball? Kevin Towers, 15 years with the Padres; 5. While Mike Cameron is serving his 25-game suspension for a substance violation, could Gabe Kapler sneak into the Brewers' picture in center?
Show and tell
Manny Ramírez's 2009 option has to be exercised by Nov. 10 of this year. The Red Sox will not act in haste; much as they waited on Curt Schilling, they'll wait to see what type of year the 36-year-old Ramírez has before making a decision. The option is for $20 million, which the Sox don't mind paying if he shows he's still one of the game's elite hitters. His regular-season numbers dropped last season, but he was still a force in the postseason. The Sox don't have anyone knocking at the door in the farm system to replace Ramírez. Brandon Moss could be a fine player but is unlikely to have anything close to Ramírez's production.
Major move for Easler
Mike Easler, one of the best hitting coaches in baseball, was thrilled to get back into the majors with the Dodgers after Don Mattingly had to step down because of family issues. Easler, as a minor league coach in the system, developed many of the young Dodger hitters, including Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andy LaRoche. "My goal has always been to get back to the big leagues, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to stay with some of these kids," said Easler. "I think these kids are going to be great major league hitters. I'm really excited about working with them again." One player Easler could help is Nomar Garciaparra, who hasn't been the great hitter he was with Boston.
Deep-six that notion
While the Angels are strongly considering a six-man rotation, the Red Sox have pretty much decided to scrap the idea. Boston pitching coach John Farrell said he didn't feel it was practical, given the number of off days in the early part of the schedule and the desire to have Josh Beckett pitch on his normal days of rest, which worked so well last season. That might not bode well for Clay Buchholz breaking camp with the team, unless there's an injury to a starter or the Sox use him out of the bullpen, which appears unlikely.
Men for hire
A few agents seemed befuddled by the number of free agents still on the market. One called it a "mini-collusion" to limit the number of veterans filling out rosters. Not really buying that one. The Red Sox have many options for that lefthanded bat off the bench and corner infielder. In this market, that pretty much means a first baseman. The names most often mentioned are Brad Wilkerson, Sean Casey, Tony Clark, Doug Mientkiewicz, Greg Norton (switch hitter), Mark Sweeney, and Trot Nixon, who is learning the position. The market has really slowed for some decent pitchers, including Kyle Lohse, Livan Hernandez, and rehabbing Kris Benson. Things may change as teams head into spring training, assess their needs, and perhaps realize they're a fourth starter short.
All the fixin's?
On the surface, it seems the White Sox have rebuilt their bullpen with the signings of Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink to go with Matt Thornton, Bobby Jenks, and Mike MacDougal. But Linebrink's numbers declined last year in Milwaukee and Dotel, while passing all of the medical tests, has made only 62 appearances the last three years after undergoing reconstructive right elbow surgery. Even with some of the moves the White Sox have made - adding Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher to the top of the order - they have a tall order in the division against Detroit, Cleveland, and maybe even Minnesota (if it keeps Johan Santana). GM Kenny Williams is still tinkering and would love to move shortstop Juan Uribe, but overall, he said, "I think we have one of the most balanced teams in the league."
Trade secrets
There are a lot of denials out there, but major league sources are still indicating that the Cubs are listening to talk about a blockbuster deal that would send Baltimore ace Erik Bedard and second baseman Brian Roberts to Chicago for a truckload of younger players/prospects. The Cubs are also entertaining the thought of dealing former Sox farmhand Matt Murton to San Diego. Towers said, "We're trying to add another outfielder, a younger guy we can have under our control for a while."
Extra bases
A few quick things: The Rays, once penny-pinchers, will go from a $24 million payroll to more than $40 million in '08 . . . Arizona's Josh Byrnes is among those GMs who believe that playing overseas can have an adverse effect on a team at the start of the season. While Towers is diplomatic about the Padres playing the Dodgers in China, he said, "We'll definitely be smart about who makes the trip. And I think we'll have enough time afterward [the tournament will be over after March 16] to make the adjustments we need to make." . . . Happy 40th birthday, Eric Wedge, and happy 39th, Phil Plantier.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com
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