THEY'RE RUINING BASEBALL

For years prior to his passing my dad always bitched that "they" were ruining baseball. For him, it started with pitch counts. Suddenly a starter couldn't throw more than 80 or 90 pitches before being replaced by a reliever. Old time pitchers threw complete games routinely and didn't even know how many pitches they threw. My dad hated that they had 12 or 13 pitchers on the roster and no one to pinch hit. I'd always smile and say, "That's just how they play the game now."

Well, four years after he died, I wish I could tell him he was absolutely right - they are ruining baseball. Now I hate the new trends in the age-old game as much as he did. Here are a few of the current issues that would have my dad turning over in his grave (if he was in a grave instead of scattered over Sea Ranch in northern California with my mom):

Designated hitters - the American League has had them for years but it has been adopted throughout Major League Baseball this year. It takes a lot of strategy out of the game. Pitchers are players, too, and need to have the occasional opportunity to shine at the plate. I'll bet Madison Bumgarner (a great power hitting pitcher) is really pissed off.

Defensive Shifts - it has become common for teams to study "analytics" and put 3 infielders on one side of the field if a batter rarely hits to the other side. Or move an infielder back as a shallow outfielder. It screws up scorekeepers and potential double plays when players are out of position. And it's just not right.

Bullpen games - for some reason even with an abundance of pitchers, most teams sometimes don't have enough starters so it becomes a bullpen game. They use one pitcher every inning or two regardless of how well they pitch. It stands to reason if you play 6 or 8 pitchers one or two of them will have a bad day. it's rare that a reliever pitches more than one inning in any situation anymore.

Extra innings - they now put a runner on second base at the beginning of each half inning in a tie game after the ninth to speed up the games. It's unfair to the pitchers who didn't give up a hit to put themselves that situation. The occasional marathon game loved by true fans is a thing of the past.

Pitch com - to prevent sign stealing an electronic device (pitch communicator) is strapped to the catcher's leg and he punches in the type of pitch to throw which is transmitted to the pitcher and middle infielders through a receiver in their caps which can be set to English or Spanish. In my opinion the jury is still out on this one. Might be a helpful tool if it works right.

Position players pitching - the current trend when a game is out of hand in late innings is to put in an outfielder or catcher or whoever wants to give it a shot to pitch. They lob it up there often giving up hits, homeruns, etc. I absolutely hate this one. It is especially egregious because it makes a mockery of America's Pastime. 

Stats and Analytics - baseball has always been notorious for too many statistics and it has only gotten worse. Who cares how fast the ball left the bat or how high the homerun was? A hit is a hit and a homerun is a homerun. Managers play the numbers without taking into consideration that human beings play the games.

In closing my dad was right, they are ruining baseball with all the above changes and many others. But there is hope on the horizon since MLB just voted to make the current shifts illegal next year. A team must have two infielders on each side of second base and all infielders must have at least one foot on the infield dirt. I'm one hundred percent in favor of that rule. 

They are also adding a pitch clock giving a pitcher so many seconds to start their wind up. Another good idea which will definitely speed up the games. Both are a step in the right direction but I'm afraid baseball as all of us old folks knew and loved it is gone forever. Thank goodness we have our memories of the good old days.

SURGERY AND REHAB

 Okay, I am 14 days post shoulder surgery now. This post might not be as long as most because, as you might expect, I am one finger typing this with my left hand AND using my mouse left-handed, too. I am right-handed and not at all ambidextrous. Before I get into what I can and can't do very well at all, let me give you a quick rundown on the actual surgery.

Everything went well at my 7:30 am surgery time on August 22, thank God! I have six little incisions, the longest about 1/2", across the front, top and back of my right shoulder. My surgeon said the damage was worse than the MRI indicated but he was able "to repair it routinely". 

I was out like a light and woke up in recovery about two hours later to a busy room with lots of people running around and a special needs kid yelling loudly. My first thought was 'what the hell am I dreaming about' only to realize shortly that it wasn't a dream at all. After some water and juice, I promptly threw up before being ushered out the door with a towel and vomit bag and into my car that Lou was driving to pick me up. We arrived home around 11 am. The Vicodin knocked me out for the first two days and I slept great in my recliner nest at the end of the couch surrounded by every pillow we owned in the house.

The pain hasn't been bad at all and I was off the Vicodin on day four. Now for the fun part. Have you ever had to do 'everything', let me repeat, 'everything', with only your nondominant hand? Use your imagination when I say 'everything'. It ain’t easy. Lou has been great about helping me with 'everything'. But who wants to have your partner dressing and undressing you and washing you (under these circumstances anyway)? Plus, it feels like I've accomplished a lot by doing these things myself.

Disclaimer: Some people seem to have taken my previous posts regarding the surgery as being really upset and depressed. Not at all. I am thrilled to have it repaired with minimal pain. However, I will admit to some good-natured, tongue-in-cheek complaining regarding my numerous limitations.

There are two things that I literally cannot do AND no one I’ve asked has come up with a solution. They are pulling my hair up with a scrunchi or clip and tying athletic shoes. Both are two handed jobs. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. One friend with really long hair said she twisted and twisted it over her shoulder then held it in her teeth to grab it with a clip and sort of pull it up. Mine wasn’t long enough for that. Lou can tie my shoes fine but he struggles with scrunchis. 

I have learned to eat fairly well left-handed, can cook simple meals only having to call for help occasionally and can do a basic job on showering and grooming after two weeks of practice. I have been skipping makeup since that is a real challenge. Still need help with hair washing but I’m planning to tackle that by myself tomorrow. Any writing looks like a toddler did it so I’m foregoing that until my right arm is functional. 

By far the worst is trying to sleep. Ideally, they want me in a reclined position on my back wearing my sling and my arm supported by pillows. I have never slept comfortably on my back and still don't. I've tried to graduate to sleeping in our bed a few times but usually end up kicking my pillows down the stairs (while I have a left-handed death grip in the banister) and getting a few hours of rest in my recliner nest. I will be really glad when I can get out of the sling and sleep on my side again.

I started PT a few days ago and have three simple exercises to do a few times a day. The complete rehab will be 4 to 6 months. Only 3-1/2 to 5-1/2 months to go! YAY!

Hmmm, seems that this isn't any shorter since I discovered how helpful autocorrect on my iPad has been in writing.

THE SAGA CONTINUES

 As expected, I need shoulder surgery. It is scheduled for August 22, just 11 days from now. My gynecologist (of all people) who I respect and trust recommended an orthopedic surgeon who she says is the "best in the Sacramento area" and he specializes in shoulder injuries. He is a team doctor for the Sacramento River Cats minor league baseball team as well. I was immediately onboard.

I had a Zoom appointment with Dr. Hirahara yesterday. He asked me what is going on with my shoulder. I replied, "From what I've heard it is pretty messed up." He answered, "I would totally agree with your assessment." The surgery will be done arthroscopically as an outpatient but will require several small incisions to reach all the tears. The doctor went on to shoot down my thought of waiting until after we move in October saying that it needs to be done sooner rather than later. Since the tendon is totally detached from the rotator cuff it needs to be done before it becomes too difficult to stretch and repair.

Today was a bit of a madhouse since it went from 'okay I need surgery" to full speed ahead with preparation for doing it in a week and a half! This afternoon I had an appointment with my primary care doctor to do an EKG and exam to clear me for surgery. I have a pre-op appointment with Dr. Hirahara tomorrow afternoon then blood work in a few days. Finally I need a Covid test 3 days prior.

AND my computer decided that it was on its last legs so I bought a new one this morning. In its defense my Dell was 7-1/2 years old and running Windows 7. It started making a whirring noise that would not stop for two days and I was afraid it would crap out on me. I am typing this on my brand new state-or-the-art HP with Windows 11. There is still a ton to learn and do but all my photos and documents are downloaded along with access to most websites I use often.

What I am still pondering and wondering how the hell I am going to manage this is the recovery and rehab. I woefully under estimated how involved that would be. I will be in a sling for four weeks and am not supposed to move my shoulder or upper arm away from my body. Physical therapy will start after one week with one of the doctors preferred PTs. I will be assessed each week for months by the PT and told what to do that next week. Then there will be NO LIFTING for 4 -6 months. 

You may recall that we are moving the middle of October - two months away. Packing and moving boxes will be pretty much not allowed. I'm going to have to recruit a couple friends and relatives to help me with that. Lou will have a ton of his own packing to do. At least by then the sling will be gone.

Throughout the day numerous questions have come to mind regarding NO use of my right arm beyond moving the fingers a bit. I am right handed in case you didn't know that. My dominate hand/arm will be useless. Some questions that popped into my head.

How will I wash/shower? Baths will be out of the question.

How will I cook or eat? Lou will be helping a lot.

How will I comb my hair? Or wash my hair? 

How will I get dressed? Or undressed?  

How will I type? Or write my blogs? Or use a mouse?

How will I open wine? May need screw tops.

How will I even do the simplest things with no use of my right arm? My left arm will get strong and likely be exhausted. But how many things can you do with one arm? Let alone your nondominate arm?

There are a ton of other "how will I's" and I think of new ones constantly. I guess it will be a real learning curve. I don't want to cheat and use the arm when I shouldn't be. If I am going through all the surgery, I will damn well do what they tell me since I don't want to go through all this again. 

Everyone, including me and my doctor, are amazed that such a simple thing as pushing back a chair could do this much damage. It still boggles my mind. And the pain and limitations are still fairly minimal. 

I'll keep you posted as my shoulder saga continues. Crazy and pretty unbelievable.

MRI RESULTS

As promised here are the results of my MRI last week. There is good news and bad news.

The good news:

I am in no real pain if I'm careful and am only somewhat limited in normal day to day activities. I'm grateful for that but surprised after reading the results.

The bad news:

According to the report I have a "Full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon". This is the tendon that attaches to the rotator cuff on the top of the shoulder. Full-thickness tear means complete tear.

It also shows a "Superior labral tear" which means your labrum (cartilage) is torn at the top in both the front (anterior) and back (posterior) of where it attaches to the biceps tendon. 

And finally there is a "High-grade partial longitudinal tear of the long head biceps tendon with associated tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon)".

It finished with a few references to mild and moderate osteoarthritis in various parts of my arm and shoulder which I know about already.

Now, I'm no doctor but it doesn't take a rocket scientist (or even an orthopedic surgeon) to surmise the meaning of the results - my arm is fucked up. After a bit of internet research and an email to my regular doctor, my above diagnosis was confirmed. I have been referred to an orthopedic surgeon but couldn't get an appointment until August 19th. Delay must be supply chain issues due to covid???

I'm expecting to hear that surgery will be needed if I want to do anything more than keep my arm fairly still and call Lou every time I need to lift something or pull something or reach something.

So, that is your shoulder anatomy lesson for the day - and what can go wrong when you do something crazy like push a chair back from the table.

BETTE DAVIS WAS RIGHT

It's a quote that most of us have heard for decades, "Old age ain't no place for sissies". It has been widely attributed to the legendary actress, Bette Davis, although it is not really known if she did indeed say it. I'm going to choose to believe that she did utter those prophetic words and that amazing old broad was one hundred percent right!

Pretty much everyone who passes the age of 65, especially women, has had occasion to recall that old age ain't no place for sissies. It is common place to go to bed feeling pretty good only to wake up with a myriad of aches and pains - a back, a shoulder, an arm or a neck. What the hell? How did I simply sleep and hurt myself? Hey, it happens all the time. And it only gets worse as you age. Not to mention that time speeds up exponentially with each passing year. What seemed like six months ago was actually two years. No way???

I've had a particularly rude awakening these past few weeks as this phenomenon jumped up and bit me big time. Just about a month ago we departed for a Caribbean cruise with my son and granddaughter. It had been cancelled twice due to the pandemic but we were finally on our way looking forward to a wonderful adventure. My "Travels Near & Far" blog has details and photos.

Lou and I met up with Darrin and Charley at the Denver airport where we all flew to Miami together. Our flight left Sacramento at 5:05 AM and we had a long layover before their flight arrived so we skipped breakfast at home knowing we'd have plenty of time to eat in Denver. Here's where it gets kind of stupid. I shoved a heavy chair back from the table to put our bags on it and was greeted with one of the worse pains I've ever experienced in my right upper arm. I almost screamed in the airport restaurant and it took several minutes to settle down. It hurt like hell but I had two strong guys and a pretty strong granddaughter to help schlep all the bags around.

The next day as we boarded the ship I notice a small bruise on my upper arm. Over the next couple days, it spread to a 3 inch around, nasty, purple, ugly ass bruise. It freaked everyone out. Fortunately, it no longer hurt like hell but sure looked awful.

By the time we got off the ship, it had faded substantially but I had this "Popeye muscle" (which I never had before) in its place. I saw my doctor who suspected a ruptured tendon or muscle and ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound didn't show enough detail but the report says "a probable torn tendon" and ordered an MRI (scheduled for next week) along with an orthopedic referral. What the fuck? All this from pushing a chair back from a table?

I've been favoring my right arm for a few weeks and now my left wrist is hurting so I'm wearing a brace on it. I need my arms to negotiate the stairs due to my severe neuropathy and total lack of balance.

And, just for the hell of it, I woke up a week ago with a pain in my upper left back muscle. My whole life I've had the occasional lower back issue but not the upper back. It was killing me for a few days then inexplicably moved from the left side to the right side. What? I've given up trying to figure it all out. Basically, something, somewhere usually seems to hurt anymore.

Now I am done complaining for awhile because even with all its problems, this old body has taken pretty good care of me these past 72 years. And contrary to the content of this post, I really do try NOT to complain too much. Just wanted to point out that Bette Davis was right on the money, "Old age ain't no place for sissies".

Besides, the aches and pains still beat the hell out of the alternative.

LOU'S DAD

Lou's dad, Louis Jacob Padgug, passed away early last Wednesday morning, October 27, 2021, after being in hospice care at home since August. He spent a little over 97 years on this earth. His only son, Louis John Padgug, was at his side holding his hand as he left this world.

The last Father's Day, June 2021, for father and son.

First, let me sing the praises of my partner of 20+ years. Lou stepped up managing his dad's care along with relieving caregivers and doing all the hands on care necessary for someone in the final months of their life. Remember this is a man who, having no children, never changed a diaper or sat up half the night with a sick kid. Yet he walked right into the trenches, learned what he needed to do and helped his father in every way. His strength and capable determination was commendable. I couldn't be prouder of his effort to make his dad's last weeks the best they could be. 

Lou was the only "father-in-law" I have ever known. My ex-husband's father passed away when he was a teenager. The family always referred to Lou's dad as "Lou" and my Lou as "Louis". My Lou was always just Lou to me and his dad went by Lou, also. Bruni and I spoke of "my Lou" and "your Lou" when we spent time together since they weren't junior and senior with different middle names. For the purpose of clarity, I'll say "Lou" for his dad and "my Lou" for, well, my Lou.

Being that my Lou was Lou's only son, it was always apparent that he adored his youngest child and my Lou was the light of his life. The feeling was mutual. There was a special bond between father and son that was obvious. As the years passed and Lou's condition began to worsen, my Lou provided more assistance to his father in all aspects of his life. 

Lou was a kind, caring and generous man. He led a long, varied life that was free from health issues for the most part. His ability to walk worsened over the years probably partially due to spinal stenosis but there was never a definitive diagnosis in spite of countless doctor visits.

For years, one of Lou's consistent replies to the question, "How are you?", was "As well as can be expected." A few weeks ago, I walked to his bedside and asked how he was doing expecting the usual reply when he surprised me by answering, "Pretty shitty." It brought a smile to my face.

Speaking of smiles, during Lou's last few months, he always had a genuine smile for those of us who stopped by to visit. We had numerous talks about mortality and eternity during his decline and I was grateful to share that with my father-in-law. I always felt his love and affection during my time with his son.

One day maybe a couple weeks prior to his passing, I was already over at Lou's house to confer with the hospice nurse when my Lou arrived. My Lou was wearing a t-shirt that I had no idea he owned or when he bought it. The shirt read:

"Son of a World War II Veteran. 

Most people never meet their heroes. 

I was raised by mine." 

We were all fighting back tears as my Lou read it to his dad and said, "You are my hero."

I am so thankful that my Lou was there with him at the end, sitting at his bedside, holding his hand as he passed from this world to the next. It's all any parent can ask for. Rest in peace, Lou. You will be greatly missed.

SOAPBOX TIME AGAIN

Every now and then I feel the need to hop up on my soapbox and get my two cents worth in. Well, now that I am 71, I don't hop anymore but rather carefully step up using the handrails. 

First of all, I am NOT a vaccine person. No, I am not an "anti-vaxxer". I've just never thought that routine vaccinations were a big deal.  Then my baby son had a bad reaction with a high fever to the first DPT vaccine. It was awful and they eliminated the "P" (pertussis) from the second dose that often caused the problems. He was okay but I was turned off. 

Flu shots are often ineffective. They guess as to which strains of influenza will be prevalent in the next year when they are formulating the vaccine. Being pretty healthy I've had one flu shot in the past 40 plus years. And, knock on wood, the last time I had the flu Darrin was six years old.....39 years ago. Being a pretty healthy person, I've never had a pneumonia or shingles vaccine. It's just not in my make up to run out and fill my body with all these things.

BUT....this one is different.......REALLY DIFFERENT! 

At first I was reluctant when they were rushing the covid vaccines into trials. Given my tendency to avoid vaccines, I needed to be convinced. But I trust Dr. Fauci and the other experts. Having lost two sister-in-laws to this horrible virus, I read everything I could find. In a very short time I decided that the way vaccines are made now, it was safe. They have been working on various covid vaccines for 6 or 7 years knowing that this was going to happen. Vaccines for the current strain, Covid-19, just needed to be plugged in and trials hurried along. I was totally onboard AND it was worth any minimal risk to protect myself and the rest of the people in our world. 

I want to encourage everyone to please, please, please get the covid vaccinations. That is the way that we will get our country and the world on the way back to "normal". The experts say that vaccinating 70 - 80% of the population will create a "herd immunity" for Covid-19. As I looked up facts to verify those numbers I discovered that herd immunity for measles was 95% but for polio it was only 70%.

Back when I was maybe ten years old, I recall going to the local junior high school for the Sabin polio vaccine. It was dropped onto a sugar cube and put in one of those tiny paper cups about one inch across. We all filed by the table and were handed our sugar cube in the cup. My dad dumped it into his other hand and as he was popping it into his mouth, the attendant about had a fit shouting, "Don't touch it! You aren't supposed touch it!" It was already in my dad's mouth and he never contracted polio so I guess it was okay.

I don't know if it was required or if it was just recommended or what. Being a kid I don't recall how we knew or what records were kept of who took the vaccine. I did know that polio was a terrible disease. According to the Mayo Clinic website, "Polio is a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death." The CDC website states that in the 1940s, 35,000 people a year were afflicted with polio. That is a drop in the bucket compared to Covid-19.

I bring all of this up to encourage everyone living in the U.S., and the world, to please get the covid vaccine. The polio number of 70% vaccinations have eradicated polio in our country. If we can get 70 or 80 or 90% of citizens vaccinated, we can kick this virus's ass. This is not political, this is not a hoax, this is not a conspiracy. This is real....and real science and real medicine can protect us. 

After more than a year of isolation, mask wearing, social distancing and fear, the feeling of finally getting that first vaccination was exhilarating and liberating. I felt I was helping myself and my granddaughter and every other citizen of the world by doing my part to put this horrendous virus into the history books. The fight continues and the fight is real.

I implore you to please get the facts, read all the information then step up and do the right thing by getting vaccinated. I love meeting with friends and saying, "I am fully vaccinated!" and hearing their replies, "I am, too!”