Skip to main content

Amaro refutes Biddle's concussion diagnosis again and again


Jesse Biddle, image- Jay Floyd
When a CSNPhilly piece by Jim Salisbury featured quotes from Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. discrediting prospect Jesse Biddle's assertion of suffering from a concussion last season, the uproar that should accompany such contradiction was missing.

The Phils' 2010 opening round draft choice (27th overall), Biddle, missed considerable time last year after the Phillies told the media that the German Town Friends School graduate needed a mental break.

Biddle struggled with his production after he was struck in the head with an ice pellet during a hail storm in May.  Prior to the ailment, which forced him to miss one start initially, the Philadelphia native posted a 3.18 ERA with 61 strike outs and 24 walks in 10 starts for Double-A Reading.  In the five starts that followed he had a 9.81 ERA with 15 strike outs and 16 walks issued.

At the time of the injury, Biddle was diagnosed by a doctor as having a concussion and, according to a piece by the Reading Eagle's Mike Drago last year, it was his the third of his life.

Biddle's high demands on himself drove him to push through the difficulties and things weren't getting better.  In June he would be shut down to visit a specialist and participate in physical therapy in Florida.

Biddle offered a declaration to me in August that the damage caused by being struck in the head was quite substantial, having an impact outside of baseball.

"I definitely was experiencing some symptoms and whether or not they were affecting me on the field, they just affected my day to day life," Biddle said.

The young left-hander also expressed that the concussion symptoms lasted for some time and any implications that he is delicate between the ears was of no great concern to him.

"I didn't really read anything about it," Biddle stated.  "One of the things I'm learning is to just try not to read stuff about yourself."

In Salisbury's article though, the man that should be expected to have some interest in the welfare for Phillies on-field personnel, Amaro, seemed to be resistant toward Biddle's diagnosis.

Amaro this week acknowledged that Biddle had “concussion symptoms,” but added, “I don’t know if it was a full-blown concussion.” He went on to say, “That wasn’t the reason we gave him the break.”

What is it that the guy in charge of the Phillies is trying to convey there? Why does he continue to question the 23-year-old's toughness?   Does the general manager aspire to be a brain trauma expert?

Amaro's doubtful critique of the scenario can't benefit, in any fashion, a player that should still be a prized prospect to his team. There's also no manner that ripping Biddle's fortitude can help to boost his value to a different team.

So, what good can this do?  None.  Could it have a negative result?  Maybe.  Biddle and other players could take notice of Amaro's resistance and opposition toward medical diagnosis and may develop resentment toward management.

While there have been plenty of reasons in recent years for fans to dislike the job Amaro has done and to call for his termination, perhaps there is no more appropriate reason to call for his removal from the team's front office than a complete and demonstrable disregard for a player's health.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mike McGuire Living a Dream With Favorite Team

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Every young ballplayer grows up wishing he could play for his favorite team. Mike McGuire has an opportunity to do just that after signing with the Phillies organization in July. McGuire was a 43rd round draft pick taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 2008 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. Early scouting reports liked McGuire's abilities, despite some arm trouble. He advanced as far as High A Level Kinston last season. While there, he posted an 0-3 record with a 5.46 ERA in 9 games, 8 of which were starts. The Indians weren't happy with McGuire's efforts this spring and released him. McGuire caught on with the Sussex Skyhawks of the independent Can-Am League, where he stayed in shape and pitched against other formerly affiliated minor leaguers. As a starter with the Skyhawks, McGuire went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 8 outings. From there, just as all players in those independent leagues hope for, the 24-year-old McGuire got noticed. The Phillies wer...

Harry's Plaque Has Misprint

At the ballpark today for the first time since Harry Kalas was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame on Friday, I noticed an error in the text on his plaque. Verbage on the plaque reads like this... Voice of Phillies baseball on radio and TV for 39 seasons. Teamed with Richie Ashburn from 1971 until 1997. Harry was on the air for all of Mike Schmidt's 548 home runs, five Phillies no-hitters, seven National League Championship Series, three World Series, the first and final games at Veterans Stadium and the Citizens Bank Park 2004 opener. Received the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award in 2002 for "Major Contributions to Baseball" and was inducted into the broadcasters' wing at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. His calls were legendary, especially his signature home run call, "Outta heeere." On October 29, 2008, he brought utmost joy to Phillies fans: "The 0-2 pitch, swing and miss , struck him out. The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 Worl...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...