MAY 4 2008 UPDATE

SO VERY SAD

The excruciating pain on Belles’ face brought tears to many faces, and we remembered another filly, Ruffian, breaking down at the start of her last race, and of course Barbaro.  Both photos are published so that readers, while grieving, will remember Eight Belles in her finest moment, quite literally the ride of her young life.

DOMINICAN COLLEGE OFFERS SCHOLARSHIP FOR A PITCHER

Dominican College, NY is looking for a pitcher for this upcoming season 2008-2009. Can you post something on your site? We have a substantial scholarship for the right fit. Thanks.

Joe Burbridge
Head Softball Coach
CoachBfromDC@aol.com

AN INCREDIBLE STORY OF SOFTBALL SPORTSMANSHIP

With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence. But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury. She crawled back to first but could do no more.  (read the story; click on the hyperlink)

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/8091708/Opponents-carry-injured-home-run-hitter-around-bases

HARLI WHITE UPDATE

http://www.harliwhite.com/index.htm

Oklahoma’s burned 12-year old female racer/softball player is making a comeback! She is walking now. Harli has her own website now.

MILLER NOMINATED FOR USOC AWARD

Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller was
recently nominated to the United States Olympic Committee for its
Developmental Coach of the Year. The Amateur Softball Association and
USA Softball nominated the Bulldogs’ sixth-year head coach after he
guided the U.S. Junior National Team to the gold medal at the Junior
World Championship last summer.

“It’s a great honor for our program and the athletic department at
Mississippi State. It’s also a tribute to the players on that team and
my outstanding assistants Cheri Kempf, Suzy Brazney and Barbara Jordan.
They did a tremendous job preparing our team to play,” Miller said.
“I’m very thankful to USA Softball for their support and to the
USOC for this award.”

Last summer’s success in the Netherlands was just the latest for
Miller in an impressive international resume that he has built since his
first stint with USA Softball from 1992-96 in which he helped in the
selection of the team that would represent the Red, White and Blue at
the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

As a head coach at the international level, he lead the USA Red squad
to a gold medal at the U.S. Cup and the USA Elite team to the 2003
Canada Cup championship following a runner-up showing the year prior. In
addition to last summer’s run to the World Junior Championship gold
medal, Miller captained the Junior Pan-American squad to a perfect 10-0
mark at the Pan-Am Games qualifier.

Along with his head coaching stints, Miller assisted with the USA
National Team that claimed gold at the Pacific Rim Sports Summit and the
Intercontinental Cup in 2004. He was also on the staff of the U.S. squad
that won silver at the 2005 Canada Cup and the World University Games
team, including Bulldog shortstop Courtney Bures, which captured the
gold medal in Taiwan in 2006.

The 12th-winningest active coach in NCAA Division I history, Miller
will coach his 1,500th career game on Saturday when the Bulldogs take on
Arkansas. Miller, who has a 924-574 career record and 215-159 mark at
MSU, won his 900th career game on Mar. 1. He reached the 200-win plateau
at Mississippi State with his team’s win over Mississippi on Mar. 21.

He will be inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association
Hall of Fame in December as part of the association’s 25th anniversary
convention on Marco Island, Fla. Miller will be just the third coach
from the SEC to join the annals, joining LSU head coach Yvette Girouard
and South Carolina coach Joyce Compton.

LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY

Very grateful to the readers who have taken note of the increased use of laparoscopic surgery as a treatment for diabetes.  Until recently such surgery, commonly known as gastric bypass surgery, has been conducted on the truly obese.  Essentially, the surgery takes two forms: removing part of the stomach and bypassing part of the small intestine, or, surgically inserting a “lap band” which literally chokes off the stomach, thereby reducing food intake. Clinical trials have validated their safety and effectiveness in treating obesity.  Now, a third variation has been tested on non-obese diabetics, which leaves the stomach intact and bypasses portions of the upper intestine.  In dozens of studies involving thousands of patients, standard gastric bypass surgery has cleared up diabetes in more than 80 percent of obese patients.

The media have been effusive in reporting positive outcomes.  But, many surgeons who perform bariatric surgery fear that such operations on non-obese diabetics will proliferate before their long-term effectiveness has been proven.  To them, this is “novel” surgery, and not for everyone.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins, including one nationally recognized authority on bariatric surgery, examined me thoroughly – and said it was not for me.  I studied a detailed report on the procedure, and learned that many surgeons do not agree that it is a diabetes-specific procedure.  An otherwise very detailed report in the Washington Post failed to note that, beyond the 20% relapse rate among the very obese, almost 2% of patients die during the surgery – which is a very complicated five-hour procedure, and, if successful, requires constant monitoring, special diets, etc.  The media also fail to note that Medicare and several major health insurers are now requiring would-be patients to enroll in a verified diet control program for six months prior to surgery, and are now requiring evidence of having undertaken established diabetes control regimens.

Moreover, there is a threshold BWI or body weight index, with a floor of 35.  If you do not exceed that ratio, you are not a candidate.  Given the heart complications, no one over 65 will be considered.  In my case, I fail not only on those criteria, but I am diabetic, cancer prone and have an incurable blood disease (which scares hell out of doctors who have trouble spelling gnathastoma spinigerium and when they download the morbidity data find out that I should have died 12 years ago) and have already had part of my intestine removed.  After an angiogram and a complete cardiovascular workup, a famed heart surgeon predicted that, while my heart is basically sound (for a man my age), it does not pump enough blood at the desired rate and my blood pressure is very low.  Bottom line: I would not survive either bariatric procedure.

Many years ago, a fortune teller in Istanbul predicted I would die bloody.  But, she did not predict an operating table.  And, that was the final conclusion at Johns Hopkins: I have already had too much surgery.  So, thank you readers, but it is not for me.

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