I hope Brandon gets through this, keep him in your thoughts and prayers. akland A's Brandon McCarthy still in 'life-threatening' situation after brain surgery - MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN
Scary thing. Had a college teammate who had a very similar injury who is still battling the side effects 10 years later. Breaks my heart to think what could have happened for the guy had he not taken that liner off his head in our season opener.
I also feel bad for Erick Aybar. He didn't do anything wrong at all and must feel terrible to be on the other end of that.
didn't read that article, but according to other stories I've read, if he makes it through today with no complications, he'll be in much better shape for "survival". Not sure if he'll ever play again, but being able to have a normal, fully functioning life is the most important right now. They claim he is able to talk, it's just painful so he rarely does. Just an awful situation all the way around.
The brain is just so complicated. I honestly hate to even speculate on playing career when his life is still in question, but assuming he survives, I'd say there's less than a 25% chance he ever pitches again. And the chance of him being successful is much, much less than that. But all that said, throwing a baseball from 60'6" is one of the most fun and challenging things in sports. It, however, is so very small in relation to what challenge is before him now. I just pray he recovers to the point to where he can live a normal life. Baseball or not.
he just tweeted "the good news in all of this is that I set up my fantasy lineup beforehand. So there shall be no excuses at this point." I take that as a great sign.
I can see someone replying to some tweets to him about prayers, concerns, etc. But it would be extremely bad taste for someone to make general, fun loving tweets if it's not him. I think it has to be him.
McCarthy walked around a little and even walked up four stairs today with the assistance of a handrail. In a word: AWESOME
A's pitcher McCarthy discharged from hospital Less than a week after a line drive to the head sent Brandon McCarthy to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, the A's right-hander was discharged from California Pacific Medical Campus in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon. The 29-year-old McCarthy was struck in the head by a liner by the Angels' Erick Aybar last Wednesday in a game in Oakland, suffering an epidural hemorrhage, a brain contusion and a skull fracture. He underwent a two-hour surgery to relieve pressure in his head, evacuate the hemorrhage and stabilize the fracture. But McCarthy's conditioning had improved enough by Monday that he was able to walk down a hallway and up some steps using a handrail. A day later he was released, with the permission of Dr. Peter Weber, the neurologist who performed the surgery, as well as A's team physician Dr. Allan Pont. McCarthy, who will remain in the Bay Area for at least the next three weeks, issued a statement upon leaving the hospital. "From the bottom of our hearts, [my wife] Amanda and I want to thank everyone who was involved in responding to and treating my injury, starting with Dr. Weber and all the team's medical personnel from doctors Allan Pont, Elliott Schwartz and Jon Dickinson to the Oakland A's athletic trainers, as well as the other physicians and nurses who were on duty around the clock in the Critical Care Unit at California Pacific," McCarthy said in the statement. "We feel the same way about the ambulance driver and those who first met us at the hospital. We could not have been in better hands. "We also want to express our deep appreciation to our teammates, manager [Bob Melvin] and coaching staff for their concern and encouragement during the uncertain times, and also want to thank all the A's fans who wished us well. It's times like these when you realize you have an extended family, and feel so fortunate. Now we look forward to continuing the healing process, and returning to baseball and our normal lives in the weeks and months ahead. Go A's!" A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy discharged from hospital | MLB.com: News
Evidently watched the game to. Grant Balfour was about to blow the save, and Jerry Blevins came in and got three outs with runners on the corners. B-mac tweeted to Blevins something about great pitching just after the game ended
I like McCarthy. He's one that I follow on Twitter. Very good sense of humor, his wife as well. I hope he gets to pitch again, but if not, it appears that he'll be able to continue with an otherwise normal life.
