What is going on?

I try to stay away from talking about coaching rumors and things like that, but since we have a lot of future coaches in our department, I feel like this is a topic worth discussing and learning from. The question is, what in the world is going on with Urban Meyer? On December 26, he announced that he is retiring from coaching due to "health reasons." We later learned that he had lost 20 pounds during the season, and had to be taken to the hospital after the SEC championship game due to chest pains. Most people know that college football coaches work very long hours, have poor diets, and do not get much sleep. The fact that he was stepping away due to his health and wanting to be there for his family seemed noble. But, the next day, he apparently changed his mind, deciding only to take an undefined "leave of absence" in order to take care of his health. Then, news came out this weekend that he apparently is not taking any time off. He said he tried to take a day and a half off, but that didn't work. So, the question becomes, does he really have health issues, more specifically, cardiac issues, that need addressing, or was he just tired at the end of the season and made a rash decision? I just don't understand how he can go from retiring one day because he is afraid of the consequences coaching has had and will have on his health, to now not taking any time off at all. I can only come to two conclusions based on these sequences of events. 1) His health is really not a problem, and he just overreacted initially, or 2) His ego is so big that he can't step away from coaching in order to take care of himself or his family. I just think that he owes some sort of explanation for all of this. Hopefully future coaches can learn from this situation, that they need to take care of themselves, and be honest with people, because the facts around Urban Meyer do not add up.

Incredible Streak

I know that most people are aware that UConn is one of the elite program's in women's college basketball, along with Tennessee. However, I'm not sure how many people are aware of the incredible streak that this team is on. After their win over Duke on Monday, UConn has now won 57 straight games. That by itself is very impressive. Any win streak over 10 games in any sport is difficult. But 57 wins in a row is almost impossible. However, that is not the most impressive thing about the streak. UConn has won each of these 57 games by at least 10 points, indicating that no team has even come close to challenging them. They recently defeated several top 10 teams by 30 points or more. They have an impressive collection of highly skilled athletes as well as a great coach. There is little doubt that they will shatter the previous top winning streak in women's basketball of 70, also held by UConn from 2001-2003. If you have a chance to watch them play on television, then take the time to do it. This is history in the making.

Mike Leach Firing

I promised to give my take on the Mike Leach firing at Texas Tech, so here it is. In case you aren't familiar with the details, one of Tech's players, Adam James, claimed that Leach locked him in a closet and made him stand for 3 hours during practice on two occasions because he had a concussion and could not practice. There is this release where Texas Tech head athletic trainer Steve Pincock stated that Leach instructed him to "lock" James in a dark place, and that he disagreed with Leach's treatment of the player. Team physician Dr. Michael Phy also stated he did not agree with this treatment. However, Leach says that he did not force James to stand in a closet, and has filed a lawsuit against Texas Tech over the firing. But other players have come out and publicly questioned Leach's handling of players. The fact of the matter is, we will never know the entire truth. As an athletic trainer, I can promise you that the protocol for handling a player with a concussion during practice is not locking them in a dark closet and having them stand for 3 hours. If Leach truly had the player do this, then he deserved to be fired. From all indications, Leach appears to be a "quirky guy", who did not exactly have the best people skills. Treating an injured player in this manner is just not acceptable. Some people may question the athletic trainer for following Leach's orders. In his defense, he was really in a tough position. The head coach is essentially your boss, and most of them make millions of dollars and have the power to fire the athletic trainer. It can be a tough relationship. As an athletic trainer, your job is to look out for the medical interests of the athletes and place their personal health above everything else. As a coach, your job and goal is to win, and sometimes these two areas collide. If this alleged abuse of an injured athlete was true, then hopefully this incident will shed light on the situation and prevent these circumstances from occurring again.

Mark McGwire Comes Clean

I don't think anybody will be surprised by Mark McGwire's admission (see link below) today that he used steroids during his playing career. Almost 9 years after he retired, he finally came clean about his use of steroids, beginning in 1989. Now, as most people know, I am a huge Cardinals fan, and was a huge McGwire fan after he was traded to the Cardinals in 1997. I remember going to St. Louis for the first time in 1999 and watching McGwire launch balls during batting practice into the 3rd deck at Busch stadium with little effort. It still remains one of the most amazing sporting spectacles I have ever seen. As we have learned lately, steriod usage during this time in baseball was rampant, with confirmed use by Jose Canseco, Ken Camminiti, Andy Pettite, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, and Rafael Palmerio, just to name a few, and it is highly likely that others such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa were also using steroids. As a baseball purist, I feel this drug use tainted the game, but so many players were using them, that it is hard to determine what to do with the statistics during this era. Although I do not condone the use of steroids, there is some good that can come out of these admissions. Hopefully McGwire will use his platform as a star athlete and current hitting coach of the Cardinals to educate young athletes on the many dangers of steroid use (see second link below) and how it is a shortcut to success. If he will continue to answer all questions about his past usage, and become a spokeperson against the use of sterioids, then I think he deserves our forgiveness and the right to continue his professional career now as a hitting coach. Hopefully others that have made this mistake will also come clean and speak out against steroids.

Mark McGwire comes clean

Dangerous effects of steroids

Keeping those New Year's Resolutions

With the new year comes many resolutions to start or increase the amount of exercise. However, many people struggle to maintain these exercise habits for a month, let along the entire year. Here are some tips to keep those resolutions and get into shape.

1. Start off small. If you haven't exercised regularly for a long period of time, don't begin by trying to run 5 miles a day. Start off walking 1-2 miles, and gradually build up to alternating between to jogging and walking, and eventually jogging if this is your goal.
2. Be realistic. Again, do not start off trying to exercise 6-7 days a week. Begin by exercising 2-3 days a week, for 30-45 minutes at a time, and gradually build up to 4-5 days a week.
3. Make exercise a priority. On the days you plan to exercise, make sure it is a priority. Schedule a time during the day to go to the gym or exercise outside, and stick with this schedule.
4. Try to alternate resistance training with aerobic exercise. You do not have to become a power lifter, but mixing some light weight training 2-3 days a week in with walking/jogging, etc. will not only help build/tone muscle but will also burn more calories.
5. Realize there are many ways to exercise. You do not have to run 3-5 miles a day to enjoy the benefits of exercise. If you like to walk, walk. If you want to swim, swim. If you like to cycle, ride a bike. Get on the elliptical machine. Alternate between different modes of exercise in order to avoid burnout.
6. Have fun. If you make exercise part of your routine, and view it as a way to become healthy and relieve stress, you will be much more successful at maintaining a regular exercise routine.

Wes Welker Knee Injury

If you watch the NFL or SportsCenter, you have probably heard/seen the injury to Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker yesterday. During the 1st quarter, after making a catch, Welker planted his left foot into the turf and attempted to cut to avoid a defender (see link below). When he did this, a large valgus and rotational force was applied to his knee, causing excessive stress on the medial and anterior side of his left knee, resulting in a tear of both the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He also likley injured his medial meniscus, which along with the MCL and ACL comprises the "unhappy triad" of the knee. He will need surgery to repair the damaged ligaments and likely damaged meniscus, and the rehabiliation from this type of injury will be lengthier than a typical ACL reconstruction due to the multiple structures involved. His return for next season will depend on many factors, such as how his body responds to the surgery, potential setbacks during rehabiliation, and getting back into playing condition. Hopefully he will be able to make a complete recovery but this will defnitley increase the debate about resting players for the playoffs.

Wes Welker Injury Video

Happy New Year

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!! I'll be back next week with a blog sharing my opinion on the Mike Leach-Adam James situation from a medical/athletic training perspective after more information has been released.