Cameron has post-concussion syndrome? Explains failed drug test?

[bork]

Cameron told USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale for Wednesday's editions that he had scheduled the extra tests. If they reveal post-concussion syndrome or other lingering damage from a nasty run-in with then-Mets teammate Carlos Beltran, Cameron could qualify for an exemption that allows certain substances for medical purposes.

 

"I'm fine physically," he told USA TODAY. "But mentally, I'm not so sure. It's just little things. Lapses here and there. I may be fine, but it can't hurt. I just want to find out for sure and whether I need anything to help me."

Don't like to hear that term again, but it sounds mild. It also could explain why he failed the drug tests, taking a supplment from GNC.

 

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080312&content_id=2422199&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil

[brewjihad]

Too bad to hear that. Hopefully it isn't a major issue, because as we learned with Koskie, Post-Concussion Syndrome can be a bad, long term problem.

 

Hopefully the 25 game "rest" will help him out a bit.

 

The article doesn't make it sound like too big of a deal, so I guess I shouldn't worry about it.

[Klements Bratwurst]

Tom Haudricourt has it on his blog now too, however, I am confused. If you read the first paragraph, is he saying that if Cameron gets to use banned stimulants for medical reasons, will it remove his suspension? Is that what this is about?

 

I don't think so, as what was done is done. The blog entry is a bit deceiving, possibly....

[bork]

From the Brewers.com article.

 

Even if he receives a T.U.E., Cameron's suspension will stand, Ash said.

[Big Reed]

but he could claim he's experiencing these post concussion syndrome so he could legally use steriods. right? or at least if was taking medication such as insulin or another drug, it could act as a masking agent for the other stimulants he's taking.

 

I'm sorry I'm so skeptical of pro athletes. but this sounds almost like D Young. Cameran could be lieing through his teeth about experiencing post concussion syndrome. and by lieing he could legally be taking the masking drug to hide the other drugs he's taking.

 

When ball players come forward and say they need drugs, or they need to qualify for an exemption to take drugs, it just leaves me with the perception that he is trying to get our attention on one thing and feel sorry for him, while he is actually doing something else.

 

I' m sorry. perhaps if athletes, GMs and owners were all a little more honest, I would believe them more. But the facts are, they are not. Eveerybody knows melvin lies through his teeth about trades. Selig was not a very truthful owner. And we've seen on capital hill hearing how truthful baseball players are.

 

So when a guy complains of post concussion syndrome from a collision that was not very hard to begin with, it makes me very skeptical especially when he uses it to get a drug exemption.

 

When the Governor of New York lies, who can you trust? a baseball player? when it comes to honesty, I'm not sure which one is lower, a baseball player or a used car salesman.

[monkeyman343434]

i understand your skepticism Big Reed, but that collision between Beltran and Cameron was not "not very hard" ... if my memory serves me right, that was a very very very brutal collision, and both were really shaken up, and one missed significant time i believe?

[twobrewers]

Not saying this is related to Cameron...

 

But I know one of the issues Congress had with the MLB drug policy was the ability of certain players to "bypass" the system for "medical" reasons. If you have attention deficit disorder you are able to take my stimulants that other players aren't.

 

That seems reasonable. The problem is that the percent of players in MLB with "attention deficit disorder" is significantly higher than the regular population. So some players may take advantage of the loophole.

 

My only concern with Cameron is that I am not away of any supplements that would help post-concussion syndrome. That sounds kinda odd.

[Big Reed]

I recall testimony about the attention deficit syndrome disorders among baseball players. not only was it significantly higher among baseball players than the general population, but among baseball players it rose exponentially in the past 5 years. That's a big red flag as t o baseball players being dishones t about their true health. I have to believe all baseball players are as honest as McGuire, Palmerio, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, gagne and Pettitt. Why should I expect Cameran, who's already been caught twice to be honest about wanting an exemption for drug use?

[TooLiveBrew]

It's "Cameron", and the insinuation that the collision wasn't anything but brutal is ridiculous.

 

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/pete_mcentegart/09/16/ten.spot/p1_cameron.jpg

 

 

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/mlb/2005/0811/photo/r_beltran_275.jpg

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2005/08/11/2PXRNroO.jpg

"Cameron broke his nose, had multiple fractures of both cheekbones and a concussion." -- MSNBC story

 

"Cameron was disabled because of multiple injuries and will need surgery to repair facial fractures. Beltran was diagnosed with a concussion and a minimally non-displaced fracture of a facial bone, which will not require surgery." -- Mets' website recap

 

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2005/08/11/lHTcF4Hu.jpg

 

That would be Cameron.

[Gopher74]

I' m sorry. perhaps if athletes, GMs and owners were all a little more honest, I would believe them more. But the facts are, they are not. Eveerybody knows melvin lies through his teeth about trades. Selig was not a very truthful owner. And we've seen on capital hill hearing how truthful baseball players are.

 

So when a guy complains of post concussion syndrome from a collision that was not very hard to begin with, it makes me very skeptical especially when he uses it to get a drug exemption.

 

When the Governor of New York lies, who can you trust? a baseball player? when it comes to honesty, I'm not sure which one is lower, a baseball player or a used car salesman.

First of all, that was the hardest collision between baseball players that I've ever seen, including the Pete Rose-Catcher collision. Or maybe the most violent would be a better description. Honestly, someone could have gotten killed in that collision had they hit right(though I suppose that's true in a lot of cases, just trying to articulate just how nasty that collision was).

 

Second, comparing Mike Cameron to lying about a health concern to Doug Melvin lying about potential trades is a absurd connection quite frankly. I'd RATHER he lie about them. I don't want the GM of my team to start discussing openly every inside talk he's having, something that could easily hamper his ability to make a move for any number of reasons.

Then to bring Elliot Spitzer(or however you spell his name) into the equation to further your point about all athletes lying after essentially demonizing an entire segment of people as being dishonest and untrustworthy because you can name a handful of players out of thousands is to put it mildly crazy.

And finally, let's just say that you're right, and that his collision wasn't a hard one.....neither was Corey Koskie's, so even if that was the case, which again, it absolutely is not, that really doesn't have any impact on getting Post Concussion Syndrome. You can obviously get it from a seemingly mild collision.

 

And unless I'm mistaken, all I've heard about Cameron is that he's exploring the situation further, not that he's saying he has to, but that he wants to further investigate.

 

So honestly, I don't see the outrage for Mike Cameron here. He's thought of in most circles as a honest guy who's had one single slip up. Not enough to eternally label him a liar and untrustworthy.

[naivin]

This is raising all sorts of red flags fro me. I'm not sure what they are exactly, but I just have a bad feeling about this.

[dlk9s]

a collision that was not very hard to begin with

Either you are thinking of a different collision, or you are the baddest-ass to ever walk the Earth.http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050811&content_id=1166603&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

Here it is.

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050811&content_id=1166603&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

[jwill535]

Well Reed that makes you 0-2 on your rants. First you think D. Young is faking a life threating disease and now you think Cameron is faking post concussion after a horrible collision, which by the way was worse then what happened to Koskie. To those who think you can fake it, it isnt something you can lie your way through. It is a neuralogical test where they ask questions and have you do tasks and monitor the brain to see if the right areas are firing. It is fine to be skeptical but at least pick the players that dont have medical and physical evidence to back up what they are saying and disprove everything you are saying.

 

I do agree about the red flags, he talks about losing concentration and train of thought. I hope that is the worst of his syndromes and that they will over time go away and not the begining of something worse.

[DrWood]

I've seen Wile E. Coyote take much harder hits than Cameron, and Wile E. kept getting up, so I agree with Reed. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[RightFieldCoder]

Here is the reason this won't negate the suspension. You need to get the exemption before you start taking the suppliments. He will have to serve the suspension but getting an exemption will allow him to take the suppliments. If he really does have PCS and these suppliments will help, I hope he gets the exemption. His health and well being is more important than following MLB drug rules.

[jwill535]

people also have to remember that there are random over the counter stuff that alot of you take, and that you think nothing of that is banned by MLB. Hell some cold medicines are on there.

[Tbadder]

Without taking sides, my instincts tell me that attention deficeit problems will be significantly higher among athletes than the general population.

 

I can't believe that Cameron is trying to pull a fast one given the climate in major league baseball today. Nobody's gonna take a chance publically without massive skepticism and derision.

[Big Reed]

I could have named a lot more baseball players who have lied and/or tried to deceive the public. This site would have crashed. Is Pettitt an honest person? the public used to think so. Baseball players called him one of the most honest in the game. A truly outstanding family man and very religous. He lied to the public at least three times in the past 6 months. if he is the most honest and best guy in baseball, what does that say about the rest of the players? I noticed nobody came to Bud's defense; and posters actually want Melvin to lie.

 

Ok, I was wrong about the collision. it was the worst ever.

 

But when a player who has basically never come forward before all of a sudden announces publically that he is looking into seeking an exemption, it makes you wonder why and what is the real reason he's seeking an exemption. There are a lot of players who have exemptions in baseball. before last week, how many of them went public and announced they are getting an exemption? 1? 2 ? 5? 0?

 

I am very leary when a society of players who in the past have never revealed anything about their personal lives and personal injuries and illnesses are now all of a sudden announcing publically they are looking into getting exemptions. Did Josh Hamilton ever come forward and publically admit what his problems were? or did he just say they are behind him now? What was the point of his public announcement? other than to draw attention to himself and raise speculation? You didn't hear Pie publically broadcasting his latst injury/surgery. Other sources revealed it. When you have a player who speaks openly who has never done so in the past, it leads people like me to speculate.

 

Did Gagne do steriods or HGH? You didn't hear him admitting to doing anything. So why is Cameron being so honest, candid and public? it seems very out of character.

[jwill535]

First off Reed, its baseball, you can settle down a bit. If you are this upset about players taking things then you should watch any proffesional sport, there are more steroids in the NFL, Pot in the NBA etc.

 

Second, i think you need to do some research before you go on rants, There were tons of articles about Josh Hamilton talking about his past and how is living beyond that time. Here is just one for you..

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070219&content_id=1807988&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnered=rss_mlb

[TooLiveBrew]

and posters actually want Melvin to lie.

 

Yes.. about trade negotiations, where you are supposed to do your best to conceal your hand.

[biedergb]

people also have to remember that there are random over the counter stuff that alot of you take, and that you think nothing of that is banned by MLB. Hell some cold medicines are on there.

A lot of over the counter stuff, that people think are mild or safe, are generally unregulated, and therefore can have all kinds of things in them, and many of these substances aren't required to list all ingredients. So a guy could honestly think he's taking something to give himself a leg up that's within the rules, only to find out it's not. That doesn't mean he;s dishonest (maybe naive/uninformed). And lots of people always try to find ways to help their productivity, as long as they think it's within the rules -- from the mundane coffee, to "herbal" remedies that promote energy, to the more borderline "supplements".

 

Now I'm not condoning all these behaviors. And it is hard to judge each case, as well as the industry of baseball as a whole, without all facts.

[twobrewers]

now you think Cameron is faking post concussion after a horrible collision, which by the way was worse then what happened to Koskie.

Watching a collision in no way indicative of the serious of a potential concussion. Koskie barely hit his head - but his brain got smacked around. Cameron smacked the head out of his head, but we have no way of knowing what his brain did. A hit on the head does not equal a concussion.

 

I am actually surprised by how many people are quickly jumping on Cameron's side. The facts are what they are. He missed significant time after his injury. He isn't on record of complaining about any post concussion syndrome (that I know of) until now. He test positive twice for a banned substance. Now he is looking for an exemption to take banned supplements. In addition, Ash was surprised by the notion that he was using his post concussion syndrome as his logic behind the exemption. (Not to mention, what supplement is going to fix post concussion syndrome?)

 

"I never heard of (the neurological test)," added Ash. "It has not come to my attention. I knew he was going to try to get the therapeutic use exemption but I didn't know he was using his possible post-concussion syndrome to get it."

 

Asked if the club had concerns that Cameron might be suffering post-concussion syndrome - a malady that appears to have ended the career of former Brewers third baseman Corey Koskie - Ash said, "None." (Since Ash was in charge of the medical program - if Cameron really has post-concussion syndrome...shouldn't Ash be at least somewhat concerned)

 

 

Plus, Cameron applied for the exemption - and now doesn't want to talk about it.

 

Cameron sounds like a great guy. I am legitimately excited about having him as a Brewer. But how does this not sound fishy?

[Gopher74]

You didn't hear Pie publically broadcasting his latst injury/surgery. Other sources revealed it. When you have a player who speaks openly who has never done so in the past, it leads people like me to speculate.

 

Did Gagne do steriods or HGH? You didn't hear him admitting to doing anything. So why is Cameron being so honest, candid and public? it seems very out of character.

I could have named a lot more baseball players who have lied and/or tried to deceive the public. This site would have crashed. Is Pettitt an honest person? the public used to think so.

First of all, what did Andy Pettite lie 3 times about in the last 6 months? I don't believe he lied a single time. I think when his name appeared on that report, he came out and said it was true and was very up front about it. Then when it came to his BEST FRIEND he told the truth and sank Clemens. To pick him, he may be the worst example, but he is thought of as the most honest person in the game, and actually comes out looking BETTER after this. He was totally up front about everything. He took them when they weren't banned, and took them once, which is what McNamara said. So again, he'd be a bad guy to pick.

 

However, I still think the premise is absurd. I could name lots of white people who have lied, but to all the sudden start deriding an entire group of people as all being liars because what ends up being a very small pct of them are liars is something that I just don't agree with. Being skeptical is one thing, but to essentially call a guy a liar outright because others in his chosen profession are? Hmm...

Ok, I was wrong about the collision. it was the worst ever.

It was. I may be wrong, but this comes off as a bit placating to me and honestly a bit sarcastic. I apologize if this is sincere however.

But when a player who has basically never come forward before all of a sudden announces publically that he is looking into seeking an exemption, it makes you wonder why and what is the real reason he's seeking an exemption.

I don't understand? So it'd be better if he did it under the radar? Why? What difference does this make in any way, shape or form?

There are a lot of players who have exemptions in baseball. before last week, how many of them went public and announced they are getting an exemption? 1? 2 ? 5? 0?

 

Again, I don't get what difference this makes, however, I don't know how many guys have "come forward". The fact that he does shows me he's being HONEST about it and up front. But since it's not a big deal, nobody talks about it, so when would we hear about this? I don't find this to be very important quite frankly other than you seemingly being pretty upset over it.

Did Josh Hamilton ever come forward and publically admit what his problems were?

 

I don't get what this has to do with anything, but yes, he's come out and talked about it publically. But again, so what? There is no correlation between the two. I honestly don't mean to sound rude, but this is a giant stretch here.

When you have a player who speaks openly who has never done so in the past, it leads people like me to speculate.

 

Pretty much every single players comes out and talks about his injury's. The suggestion that they don't is totally outrageous to me. But you've now transitioned from one issue to another. First it was questioning that he really needed it after a minor collision and now you're saying that because he was open about it, it makes you question it.

So why is Cameron being so honest, candid and public? it seems very out of character.

 

No it doesn't. Not at all. He was incredibly open about his suspension, and from all accounts he's always been thought of as a very honest person and a great clubhouse guy by his teammates. So if anything, it's exactly IN character for him.

Did Gagne do steriods or HGH? You didn't hear him admitting to doing anything.

 

Again, what on God's earth does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Honestly, one is talking about POSSIBLY seeking an exemption for medication IF it's shown that he needs it and you're talking about if someone named in the mitchell report has talked about it. I just think this connection is incredibly odd.

[Gopher74]

and posters actually want Melvin to lie.

 

Yes.. about trade negotiations, where you are supposed to do your best to conceal your hand.

Absolutely. There's no question I want Melvin to lie. But to cite Melvin as being somehow dishonest when every GM mis-leads or at the very least DOESN'T discuss what he's planning on doing is missing the point. You don't tell another team, which is what you're doing if you tell your fans, what you plan on doing unless you want them to come in and snatch up whatever player you're trying to acquire before you acquire them.

 

I sure don't want Ted Thompson to tell the fans who he wants to draft, so when he says that he has a lot of players on his board, even if he has a specific player in mind, that's not lying. That's being a good GM.

 

Man, this would be like wanting to know all of the Cia's operations around the world and calling the Director a liar for not telling you. Somethings are better if we DON'T know about them.

[TooLiveBrew]

The Doug Melvin-led CIA negotiates with Randy Choate, but not terrorists. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif