Shortly after the first group of Washington Nationals finished batting practice, Manager Matt Williams casually asked outfielder Bryce Harper if he was feeling well. Harper nodded and continued running into the dugout.
Williams’s inquiry, as informal as it was, was one of several measures the Nationals took Wednesday to ensure that Harper, their budding superstar, was not experiencing concussion-like symptoms after he was kneed in the head while sliding into second base in the second inning of Monday’s season opener. After passing every test, Harper was back in the lineup.
Harper struck out twice in four at-bats in the Nationals’ 5-1 win over the Mets, but he looked impressive throwing out Ruben Tejada, who was trying to score on Juan Lagares’s double, at home in the fifth inning.
After the game, Williams said, “He proved today that he’s good to go.” Harper did not want to speak. Although Harper was cleared to return Monday after being examined by a Mets physician between innings, concussion symptoms often do not manifest themselves for 24 to 48 hours. Harper was examined again after the game Monday, but he was not tested on Tuesday’s day off.
After Monday’s game, Harper told reporters that he had a headache, but none of the cloudiness and dizziness often associated with concussions.
On Wednesday, as part of the Nationals’ concussion protocol, Harper was evaluated by team trainers after he had indoor batting practice. He was examined again after he had batting practice outside. Once cleared, Harper was allowed to stay in the lineup, where he batted sixth.
“He said he slept great last night,” Williams said. “As of the time he got here today, he has no issue with nausea or dizziness or anything like that.”
It certainly did not appear as if Harper was feeling any concussion symptoms when he walked into the clubhouse bobbing his head while wearing headphones. He declined to speak with reporters because he was scheduled to undergo the exams, but he did say he was feeling “great” when approached in the dugout.
His batting practice performance was almost enough to convince doubters. During one stretch, Harper launched a shot into the tarp past the center-field wall, and on the next pitch he hit a ball into the Mets’ bullpen.
While the perception might be that Harper was rushed back into the game Monday — the initial exam lasted just six minutes — several players said they believed that Major League Baseball, with the measures it requires to get a player back on the field after a violent head collision, is doing an adequate job of protecting them against long-term brain injuries.
“It shows Major League Baseball is taking the safety of their players very seriously,” said Nationals outfielder Denard Span, who played in just 70 games in 2011 because of a concussion. “That’s what it’s all about. We play this game very hard and we want to do the best we can and win championships and win titles and all that stuff, but at the end of the day life is bigger than baseball and all of us have families and we want to live life after baseball.”
Drew Storen, the Nationals’ closer and player representative, said: “With all the problems the N.F.L. has had, there’s definitely awareness for it. Now I feel that players and teams are erring on the side of doing the right thing because obviously there’s pretty significant health consequences that can come from that.”
Ultimately, Span said, teams must rely on players to be honest about their injuries, and players must get past the stigma of perceived weakness should they decide to sit out a game.
“That’s just the perception of sports in general: If you don’t see blood, if you don’t see a broken bone, then the average person or average peer thinks you should go out there and play,” Span said. “You just have to trust yourself.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/sports/baseball/passing-concussion-tests-bryce-harper-returns-to-lineup.html?src=rechp&_r=0&utm_source=RSS+Feeds%3A+Aggregate+News+%26+Info&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TBI_News_Information+%28TBI+News+and+Info+-+BrainLine.org%29
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