Tropical Diseases great minor league motivator!!
Wow, now it’s not uncommon to read about the rigors of minor league ball and all that goes into it. Mrs. Lisa over at http://gotmilb.mlblogs.com can tell you about it in her coverage of the minors. You can hear about low wages, second jobs, tough bus rides and such as players try to break into the majors but what I read today topped the cake.
Today I have crossed the knowledge threshold when I caught a story by mlb writer Thomas Harding at Colorado Rockies.com. I would link the story, but I’m not sure how to do it so I’ll just describe the THING that stuck out most to me. Dengue Fever. Recently acquired Rockies minor league prospect, Carlos Gonzalez, playing in the Venezuelan Winter Leauge play is recovering from DENGUE FEVER.
Harding writes:
Gonzalez had been out since Nov. 21 with Dengue fever, which has been something of an epidemic in Maracaibo, where the Zuila Aguilas play. The illness, which includes the sudden onset of headaches and muscle and joint pain, is known in some circles as bone crusher disease.
Bone crusher? Are you freaking kidding me? Dengue Fever?
Ok I have heard of Dengue Fever and I know it was transmitted by mosquitos but didn’t know more much about it so I consulted the folks over at www.webmd.com and read the following:
Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, usually Ae. aegy…Dengue, a rapidly expanding disease in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world, has become the most important arboviral disease of humans.pti.
Carlos can you hear me man? That sounds pretty serious bro! You are outside playing ball quite a bit. Let’s see what Webmd say is the best time to contract it:
There are two peak periods of biting activity, in the morning for several hours after daybreak
and in the late afternoon for several hours before dark.
Hey Carlos, we might have a problem here! I’m going to put out a collection for some serious repellent!
So without a doubt I would have to say to get to the confines of Coors Field would motivate any player suffering from Dengue fever. You may suffer from mile-hi lack of air or grass that’s grown higher to slow down balls in the rare air, but not Dengue fever. We have our fair share of mosquitos and even a rare case of West Nile now and again but definetely no outbreaks or anything the occasional spray of deet can’t protect you from.
I can just imagine it now as players might groan in the Pacific Coast League playing for the Sky Sox and long bus rides and scant meals but all they’ll have to do is look over at Carlos and say “well, at least I haven’t gotten the bone crusher disease.”
Wow! I hope that Carlos will be okay. My sister-in-law is in the Army reserves and is a nurse who commands a medical unit. Whenever they travel to Central & South America there are all sorts of shots & meds they have to take to protect themselves. I think Carlos will find the US done-right safe!
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
Julia, I can’t imagine the number of meds they take. The last time I went to Belize I nearly cried as the TSA said my 100% deet bottle was to big and took it. I had a smaller one too and I became very good at rationing!
tom
http://rockymountainway.mlblogs.com
This is some seriously scary stuff … Dengue Fever now, hopefully not malaria later!
BTW, Tommy, we need to compare Belize notes sometime … feel lucky I didn’t contract anything there, up in the San Antonio region staying in a place with treehouses and faulty mosquito nets (had more than 100 bug bites but no Dengue Fever as far as I can tell).
Lisa
http://gotmilb.mlblogs.com
Wow. Dengue Fever sounds like serious stuff. Even the name sounds serious. And I was worried about Joba Chamberlain during the 2007 ALDS when he was attacked by Lake Erie midges in Cleveland. This is way worse!
– http://janeheller.mlblogs.com
The funny thing about that ALDS was the bug expert who got through to the ball club and said whatever you do DON’T use mosquito repellant. Live and learn!
Tom
http://rockymountainway.mlblogs.com
That’s kind of scary! The guys better work hard to get to the Rockies quickly!
http://kaybee.mlblogs.com
That is very worrying. jane heller made a good point, “even the name of it sounds serious”
– http://gottahavemysox.mlblogs.com
Kaybee, For sure! I was telling my mom about this poor guy and what he went through and she just gave me this “oh that’s terrible” look!
Redsoxguy- Yeah I’m gonna have to look up where that name came from because it does sound very serious. Probably a serious doctor who diagnosed it.
tom
http://rockymountainway.mlblogs.com
It is always thus, impelled by a state of mind which is destined not to last, that we make our irrevocable decisions.
http://www.nicetick.com
– Jordan Shoe