We have long known about concussions and, until recently, they have been somewhat brushed aside. If a football player was dazed, it was treated by having the player sit down until the cobwebs cleared and if he knew what day it was, nothing much was done. Afterwards, it might be said, "Well, he got his bell rung," followed by a chuckle or two and the postgame analysis continued.

The effects of repeated blows to the head were noted, but not taken too seriously. One of America’s funnymen, Red Skelton, even had a routine in which his character Cauliflower McPug continually heard a bell rung when there was no bell. We all thought it was funny.

Then evidence started to accumulate. An icon of sports, Muhammed Ali, had symptoms of repeated blows to the head. Ali, a quick thinker and very articulate, slowed to a crawl. Many retired pro football players showed the effects of concussions.

Nationally known sports figures suffered concussions and began being more closely observed. Hockey star Sidney Crosby and baseball’s Cory Koskie were laid low by concussion symptoms. Pittsburgh Penguin Captain and Olympic star Crosby has been sidelined for over a year. He recovered from his concussion, but has continued to suffer from disorientation because of an injury to his neck. 

It was explained by his physician that if you turn your neck 10 degrees and your eyes say it’s 10 degrees and your ears say it’s 10 degrees, but the receptors in your neck say it’s five or 15 degrees, you are literally "lost in space." Strictly speaking Crosby is not suffering from a brain injury, but his problem came about because of a concussion. The finest hockey player of our era may never play competitively again.

Closer to home, Cory Koskie was cut down in the middle of his baseball life. We have come a long ways in awareness of concussion problems since Koskies’ injury. After his injury Cory suffered from post-concussion syndrome, but it was felt that if a doctor says you’re recovered, that’s what everyone believes, including the patient. Koskie wasn’t, and though he tried for months and years, he finally came to the realization that although his baseball skills were undiminished, his leading a normal life after baseball was more important than risking another concussion.

While researching this article, I came across a startling fact. One out of 10 high school athletes suffer a concussion. Suppose out of a high school class of 60, one half of them are boys and further suppose that 20 of the boys play sports of one kind or another. That works out to three concussions, and that’s just the boys. Sometimes even innocuous sounding sports like soccer may cause concussions. A clinical psychologist pointed out that the continuous heading occurring in soccer may cause problems. "Surely not," I said. A soccer ball is not that hard. "That’s true," he said, but repeated blows to the head can be dangerous."

Justin Morneau is traveling the same path as his countryman Cory Koskie. Perhaps playing hockey contributed to their problems. And because the recent emphasis has been on Morneau, we tend to forget that Denard Span has also suffered lost time because of a concussion.

Concussions are not dehabilitating the vast majority of the time, but every effort must be made to prevent and recognize the problem. I wish Morneau all the luck in the world and we all know the Twins sure need him, but not at the cost of his normal life after baseball.