Comments on: That’s Amore, Through Sickness and Health

By: Bob Stover

Bob Stover — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 16:25:26 +0000

Amen Doc.

By: Bob Stover

Bob Stover — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 16:23:21 +0000

I most vehemently disagree with the sentiments expressed by Ron L. A player and a team enter into a good faith agreement on a contract. The player gets injured and the team gets to bail on its obligation? I don’t think so. Cervelli’s injuries were incurred in service of his employer. There is no worker’s compensation statute for professional athletes, but it is understood in the contract process that part of the compensation to be paid is an acceptance of the risk of injury by both sides. Teams often insure their contract obligations to protect them from the possibility that a player will never perform due to a career-ending injury, but cases like Cervelli, and that of many catchers in MLB just don’t fit that construct. Everybody is cheering for Ryan Shazier to overcome his devastating injury, but when it comes to a baseball player who is risking permanent brain injury by playing through multiple concussions, it seems like the fans just want to cast them on the scrap heap. It’s both cynical and hypocritical at the same time.

By: Doc

Doc — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 01:29:54 +0000

I remain VERY concerned about CTE in re Cervelli, and feel the Pirates owe it to him to move him off catching permanently ( 8 concussions is a HUGE number). I applaud you pointing it out.

There is plenty known about CTE and its risks without including a spurious debate in your article. There is NO evidence Gehrig had CTE. ALS is a devastating illness that largely remains clinically diagnosed. There is no blood test, or MRI that shows it. EMG may help. r. ehrig’s symptoms are classical for ALS and incongruent with the symptoms of CTE. To raise this in article about CTE takes away the strength of your very good article

By: wkkortas

wkkortas — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 16:14:01 +0000

Very well written stuff. I agree that his value would be greater to an AL team with the option to DH. For the Pirates–or any team– to let Cervelli go back behind the plate is the baseball equivalent of malpractice. His future looks to be, at best, as an upper-case John Jaso–that’s not without value, but not at $11 mil per year.

By: Ron L.

Ron L. — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 01:19:44 +0000

Sorry he has had the concussions and I agree is health should be number one issue. However, he is getting his salary because he is a catcher. He would be overpaid at any other position. I don’t know that any team would want him as a primary first baseman/dh or even third baseman (unless his glove turns out to be a plus). In his favor is that he has hit for power this season. In my view if he is with the Pirates in 2019 they need him to catch at least 50 games and then play 50 elsewhere and pinch hit a few other times. For the Pirates his salary is a lot to take on for a part time role.

By: Judi

Judi — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 14:57:06 +0000

Wow this kid can write. He is spot on. Way to go Jake.

By: Bob Stover

Bob Stover — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 18:35:18 +0000

I think you’re spot on with your analysis of Cervelli’s future at somewhere not called catcher. I think that his drop off in pitch framing is a byproduct of injury more so than age. Hamstring injuries makes it harder for Cervelli to get as low in his crouch as he used to. Concussions and headaches make it harder to concentrate mentally on the little things that elite pitch framers learn and do repetitively. Since his decline in this area was so rapid, injury makes more sense than age as a cause. He will soon be a full time first baseman or 1B/DH somewhere.