The Natural Connection

When you are born in Martinez, California, which as everyone knows, was also the birthplace of Joe DiMaggio, and then your father’s mother’s brother Joe goes and marries Joltin’ Joe’s cousin Mae, everyone just assumes that you will grow up to play baseball. 

“But I don’t want to play baseball!”, I protested when my dad signed me up for Girl’s Softball when I was six. “I want a horse!”. My father was not sympathetic. 

“What do you mean you don’t like baseball? You’re related to Joe DiMaggio! His father Paolo and your grandfather fished together. Joe helped them clean the boats when he was a kid your size, before he knew what a baseball was. Your aunt Mae was invited to his apartment when he married Marilyn Monroe. They had coffee and everything, and even she will tell you that the divorce wasn’t Joe’s idea. Our family does not ride horses. Our family plays baseball. Now try on this mitt.” 

It quickly became apparent that when the genes for Baseball Aptitude were being handed out in my family, someone had passed me by. Distant cousin to Joe DiMaggio or not, I was a pathetic batter, knock-kneed runner, and the coach said I threw the ball like a girl. I ducked my head under my mitt and screamed whenever a softball came flying in my direction, certain that it was destined to smack me in the head. When I told the coach I wanted to wear the catcher’s face mask in the outfield, he just laughed. “A little clunk on the head never hurt anybody from Martinez. Just get out there and play like your cousin Joe DiMaggio.” 

It was a sad day for Yankee fans, but I have to admit I was a bit relieved to see Cousin Joe one day selling “Mr. Coffee” pots on TV. Hopefully he was now too busy to come back to Martinez and see me disgrace myself in center field. Of course, the Family predicted that one day Joe would forsake small appliances and go back to baseball, but I kept my fingers crossed. Eventually my father gave up his vision of raising the first female to play for the Yankees, and signed me up for tennis instead. I wasn’t much better with a racket than I was with a bat, but I figured at least the balls were softer and would do less damage when they bounced off my nose. 

Sports-related concussions are receiving a lot more attention than they used to these days. Once thought to be a minor inconvenience causing a few minutes delay in play, even mild traumatic brain injuries are increasingly suspected to cause long-term problems in up to as many as 15% of young athletes with head trauma, which can be disabling and persist into adult life. 

It is now recognized that even when an injured athlete does not lose consciousness, a mild concussion injury can be present. Symptoms of concussion in athletes can include persistent low- grade headaches, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, irritability, or mood changes. Some people may merely exhibit feelings of sadness, anxiety, or be listless. Still others may complain of nausea, or sensitivity to light or sound. Families may report that the athlete is having problems speaking, reading or thinking clearly. 

In an attempt to limit the long-term complications of sports-related concussions, the American Academy of Neurology along with the Brain Injury Association of America have developed guidelines for the medical evaluation of concussions in sports, along with guidelines for when to allow an athlete to return to play after an injury. For instance, it is recommended that an athlete demonstrating concussion symptoms such as confusion or loss of coordination for more than 15 minutes, even without loss of consciousness, not return to sports until they have rested for one full week without symptoms, and only after a full neurological examination by a physician. 

Players with repeated mild concussions may even require two weeks or longer of rest, depending on the severity of the symptoms. It is now recommended by the experts that all athletes experiencing even brief loss of consciousness receive a neurological evaluation by a physician on an emergent basis. You can tell the doctor that Joe DiMaggio’s cousin sent you. 

©2000-2003 Pauline M. Bellecci, MD