Ryan is Thy Name

Shoulder & Elbow Diagrams

2005-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a diagram of the shoulder to help better understand injuries more common with pitchers.

The Elbow

Here is an excellent article on the career-threatening torn labrum injury written by Will Carroll of BaseballProspectus.com.
Here is a good article on the now common Tommy John surgery where doctors repair the main ligament in your elbow with a piece of a tendon from another body part - sometimes the wrist or hip. This is written by Mike Dodd of USA Today.
Here is one of the best articles I've ever read. It's about San Francisco Giants pitcher Robb Nen, and how he pitched the entire second half of 2002 and the playoffs with a torn labrum, getting his team to the World Series, to never throw another pitch. This is written by ESPN Page 2 writer Eric Neel.

Knee Injury Information

2005-10-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Knee
There is no more prevalent injury in sports than a knee injury. Many knee injuries can be serious and hinder an athlete's career. But in recent years, knee injuries have just been a normal stepping stone in an athlete's career - no longer ending it.
Here is some information to help you better understand the structure of the knee and the type of injuries that can occur.

Four knee ligaments - strong cord-like tissues that connect the bones of the upper and lower legs.

Articular cartilage - a smooth coating for the ends of the bones.

Menisci - two crescent-shaped discs of shock-absorbing cartilage that sit between the thigh and shin bones.

Tendons - these are tough bands that join the muscles of the upper and lower leg, and also hold the patella (knee cap) in place.

In an injury to the knee, one or more of these structures can be damaged. The more common of these include spraining or tearing one or more ligaments, tearing the meniscus or straining a tendon or muscle.

Typical symptoms include pain, swelling or bruising. For more severe injuries, the joint can become stiff, unstable or "locked".

Knee pain and restricted movement can develop without there being a specific incident. Causes include over-use injuries and osteoarthritis.

Knee ligament injuries
Ligaments connect one bone to another within a joint and help to provide stability and flexibility. There are four main ligaments in the knee. Injury to each one has slightly different symptoms and treatment. It is possible to damage more than one ligament in the same incident.

MCL - The medial collateral ligament is located on the inside of the knee and is taut when the leg is straightened. It is a strong ligament but can be sprained or completely torn (ruptured) when the straightened leg is twisted at the same time as being knocked sidewards. This can be during a contact sport, as with a football tackle, or without contact, as can happen in a fall while skiing.

The injured knee is painful and swollen, especially on the medial (inner) side. By examining the knee and seeing how much the lower leg can be moved outwards, while the upper leg is held still, doctors can usually establish how badly the ligament is sprained. Grade I (a sprain) and grade II (partial tear) injuries of the ligament, are more painful than a complete (grade III) tear. Many grade I or II sprains will heal by themselves. A grade III tear usually requires surgery.

ACL - The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) joins the back of the inside of the thighbone to the outside front of the shinbone. Cruciate means in the form of a cross. The ACL is so called because it crosses the posterior cruciate ligament.

The ACL is about half the strength of the medial collateral ligament and is the most commonly injured ligament in sport. Players of football, and other sports that involve running, jumping and landing, are prone to ACL tears or ruptures.

When the ACL is completely ruptured, it is common to hear a distinct popping sound. You may also feel something snap inside the knee. If the knee appears loose, it is usually a sign of an ACL injury. Other symptoms include:

- pain and tenderness
- almost immediate swelling
- an unstable knee, making it difficult to walk
- the knee locking during movement
- A doctor tests for an ACL injury by pulling the lower leg forward while holding the thigh still.

Treatment depends on how badly the knee is affected by the loss of the ligament and whether this prevents you from doing sport. If you do not ask a lot of your knee, you may not need to have it repaired. Others may need a reconstruction operation, which usually involves taking a graft of tendon (usually from the kneecap) to replace the lost ligament. Intensive physiotherapy to strengthen the thigh muscles (quadriceps) is necessary as part of a programme of rehabilitation.

PCL - The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) joins the inside of the end of the thighbone to the back (posterior) of the shinbone. With the ACL, it forms a cross-shape. Also like the ACL, it helps to stabilise the front to back knee movements. The PCL is stronger than the ACL and therefore less prone to injury. The symptoms of a sprain may be milder than for an ACL injury, with no popping sound.

For a suspected PCL injury, your doctor may ask you to lie on your back then raise your legs so that your thighs point straight up, with your knees bent at right angles. If your lower leg sags toward the floor, the PCL is probably torn. Other symptoms of a PCL injury are similar to those in ACL injuries. Less severe injuries can treated by strengthening the thigh muscles. Surgery is often recommended, especially for younger patients.

LCL - The lateral collateral ligament is on the outside of the knee. It is rarely injured on its own but may need to be surgically repaired at the same time as other ligaments. Damage to this ligament causes pain and swelling on the outside edge of the knee.

Personal Entertainment

2005-10-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

T.K. presented this on his blog in class, and I thought it was a great idea. Here are forms to text message someone anonymously (Thanks T.K.)
Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon

BodybuildingForYou is a great website for information on supplements and weight training.
English to Spanish Translator
Image Shack is a Free image hoster.
Las Vegas Night Clubs
Price Watch is an excellent way to compare prices of electronic items.
San Diego Night Clubs in case I go back.
St. Louis Night Clubs
Trend Micro Virus Scan will scan your computer for viruses in case you're a moron and opened something you shouldn't have.

MLB/NFL Links

2005-10-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

These links are the most useful to me in my daily reporting outside of those on the Quick Links panel.

Baseball America
Baseball Reference
Japanese Baseball
MinorLeagueBaseball.com
Minor League Player Search
MLB.com
MLB Press Pass
NFL Media
NFLPA
USA Today Player Salaries
USA Today Transactions

State Abbreviations in AP Style

2005-10-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

State Abbreviations
Ala. (AL) Kan. (KS) Nev. (NV) S.C. (SC)
Ariz. (AZ) Ky. (KY) N.H. (NH) S.D. (SD)
Ark. (AR) La. (LA) N.J. (NJ) Tenn. (TN)
Calif. (CA) Md. (MD) N.M. (NM) Vt. (VT)
Colo. (CO) Mass. (MA) N.Y. (NY) Va. (VA)
Conn. (CT) Mich. (MI) N.C. (NC) Wash. (WA)
Del. (DE) Minn. (MN) N.D. (ND) W. Va. (WV)
Fla. (FL) Miss. (MS) Okla. (OK) Wis. (WI)
Ga. (GA) Mo. (MO) Ore. (OR) Wyo. (WY)
Ill. (IL) Mont. (MT) Pa. (PA)
Ind. (IN) Neb. (NE) R.I. (RI)

Datelines
Boston
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington

Misc. Journalism Related Links

2005-09-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Algebra Calculator
Drivers License Birthdate Tool
Google Advanced Search
Google Images Advanced Search
Google News Advanced Search
Journalist's Guide to the Internet
Massive Telephone Directory Listing
Media Outlet Owner Search
News University - AP Style Quizzes
Poynter Institute
Profnet Experts
Standard of Living Calculator