I have no foundation of knowledge on which to base a meaningful opinion

It just seems an extreme comment from anyone without specific knowledge of his specific case...

If there is even a semblance of evidence that a MINOR injury is going to bring about paralyzation I am surprised that an organization that has a class action suit against them right now would open the door to another one...

"I am surprised that an organization that has a class action suit against them right now would open the door to another one..."

The NFL will not "get it" unitl they lose the class action law suit. Then it may be too late.

however, this is what his doctors said after his 2nd procedure

"This procedure is performed regularly throughout the country on persons from all walks of life, including professional football players. Two former Colts players had this same procedure last winter and have fully resumed their careers,"

Tyler would know more than I do .... since he has a medical background and my spinal surgery was low back and not cervical.. My oldest brother had a cervical fusion and it limited his ability to do some of the things he had always done..

An Article in the Chicago Sun-Times said this..

"Fans hear the words “neck fusion” and wonder why Peyton Manning is even considering playing again, fearful he’ll risk a career-ending injury — or worse — the next time he takes a hit.

But safety isn’t Manning’s issue, several spine specialists said. Arm strength is.

Manning’s surgically repaired neck will be able to take a hit just fine once the fusion is healed, with the bone actually stronger than others in his neck. Nerves are delicate, however, and only time will tell if they’ll recover enough for the 35-year-old four-time NFL MVP to be the quarterback he once was.

“His risk really is very low,” said Dr. Robert S. Bray Jr., who has worked with NHL star Sidney Crosby and whose DISC Sports & Spine Center provides medical services for the U.S. Olympic team"

so may be no big deal.. ???? it's his body and his life..

The big difference is those players had 1 surgery, this isn't normal territory. I imagine they kept grafting the same bone, theres also talk that he has had multiple discs removed.

At any rate, it's going to be on everyone's mind. It's going to be a factor, whether he survives or not.

1 graph is scary enough. One side of mine fused quickly the other was almost 18 months before complete

Latos with a good game and a win

Latos, now 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA, allowed two runs and five hits, with one walk and eight strikeouts. He threw 116 pitches with 79 strikes to get his first win since May 6 at Pittsburgh. What was missing from this outing was the laboriously long innings in which his pitch counts quickly ballooned.

"That was huge," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He stayed away from that big fourth, an inning that had been haunting him."

Latos rebounded from the Heyward double and retired 11 of his last 12 batters while still reaching velocities
of 95 mph in the seventh.

"I've thrown a lot of pitches just to get through five innings. Dusty stretched me out a little more than 100 pitches," Latos said. "I was ready to go. I was tired of going five innings or so. It was good to go seven for once."

Your guy Adrian apparently playing some RF to make room for Youk and Middlebrooks.

Adrian is the man.

that can't be pretty

Believe it o not he made a really pretty play while I was watching. Had to go to the foul line and he did a little pop up slide to stop himself from hitting the wall and made the catch!

Cool
But was it one of those plays that a good OF'er would have gotten to without having to do the pop-up slide

Here's something I saw on this

Manager Bobby Valentine remains leery about using Gonzalez out of position. It's less likely he will play right field in expansive outfields, such as Fenway Park. "Even in a small outfield, we'll have to appraise that situation as we see it more," Valentine said. "I would say probably (doing it) less is better than more. I don't think he'll mess up anything. There just might be a few (balls) that he doesn't get to. If it comes to the point that there's just outs that we're giving up then we'll probably scratch the idea."

the concept of moving you're 200 million dollar 1b out of position (to RF no less???) strikes me as very odd.

how long til valentine is given the boot? i wonder if boston misses francona?

The thing we fans don't know is how much influence the GM has on these decisions - If the GM wants to see Middlebrooks left up and with Youklis coming off the DL....

My memory of it is that Gonzo didn't want to do it in the past which may add fuel to the fire

Francona was loved while winning - when trouble cropped up they turned on him.... you know those wonderful Boston fans - the one's we should emulate...LOL

that's still silly. youklis and gonzo jst don't seem like very moveable objects. least not outside of 3rd, 1st and dh. why not put this middlebrooks kid in the outfield?

that or is boston looking to trade youklis?

Reading about it it would seem that it is because Middlebrooks has never played an inning of OF in his life and Gonzo has -
Additionally, Gonzo is accustomed to seeing the ball come off the bat from that side of the diamond... and Middlebrooks is not
They all recognize that it is not ideal but doing what needs to be done to have the bats in the line-up

"That being the case, it seems fair to wonder whether the physical demands of playing the outfield (as opposed to his customary residence at first base) might present any risks based on the increased physical demands associated with running around a much larger piece of real estate."

Yes, there is more running. (“That’s why outfielders are skinnier,” he noted.) But does that mean there is greater risk of injury?

“Over the course of a couple days, maybe a week, no,” he said.

Gonzalez has noted in the past, however, that part of the reason why he wants to be in the lineup everyday, and why he feels he is capable of playing 162 games is because it is easy to accomplish such a feat from first base. However, he suggested that there is a chicken-and-egg issue when it comes to the idea of playing a full slate of games as an outfielder.

“As a first baseman, you can play hurt, because you don’t need to run,” said Gonzalez. “You can’t play in the outfield because you’ve got to run. But first base, you don’t.”

That being the case, Gonzalez sees no reason to expect that he is putting himself at any greater risk of injury by playing right.

“I’m not hurt,” he said. “So there’s no demand.”

For now, it appears that the Red Sox will only consider Gonzalez in right field as a possible accommodation for both Will Middlebrooks and Kevin Youkilis in the lineup, even when they get home. Though there is less ground to cover in left field, Gonzalez has spent his entire baseball life learning to read the ball off the bat from the right side of the field. His sole outfield experience — in winter ball after the 2005 season and in the majors — has come as a right fielder. Manager Bobby Valentine sounded disinclined to mess with that formula.

“I mean, there has been some thought. There might be continuing conversation,” Gonzalez said of having Gonzalez play left at Fenway. “[But] for the most part, when you’re on one side of the diamond, and you see the ball off the bat, and get your reaction and then try to change that perspective, it becomes more challenging, from what I’ve experienced. Not only personally but talking to players. You know, I’ve even seen the infield transition difficult for some guys.”

No, I don't think so. He had to slide to avoid running into the wall. I thought it was pretty nifty. Pretty sure most OF would have either hit the wall or pulled up short, would have been an exceptional OF who could have gotten ther and slowed down to make the catch.

Makes sense to me. I would just do it for inter league games to keep him and Ortiz in the lineup.

It was an interleague move so Ortiz could play 1st base. It won't be permanent or even frequent. Valentine is fine.