The Big Season

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Big news: Adam Dunn signs with the Nationals

Welcome back the The Nationals Post.

Consider this post the official start of the 2009 season. We begin it with two BIG NEWS items:

Big News Item 1:
Nationals GM Jim Bowden surprises no one by bagging yet another overrated former Red! Welcome to Washington, Adam. We hope you've finally learned to hit down the left field line, since every defense in the league plays you with a major infield shift and you tend to strike out rather than slap the ball. For $20 million, you damn sure better log another 40 homers, because this fan base is getting pretty restless.

That said, it feels good just to be bitching about baseball again. What a marvelous waste of time. This season will be a very important one for the staff and management of The Nationals Post. The need for an elegant and engaging distraction will be great. When one's mind is troubled, there is no booze or drug anywhere near as capable of calming it as are the subtle dramas within any ballgame.

This season, among the many posts you will endure about our losing team, among the political rants and the blurry iPhone photo posts, there will be one common thread that will weave its way through every single sentence. That thread is Ro, and we have big news of our own regarding this amazing kid.



Big News Item 2:
After more than two years of physical therapy, traction, and every other remotely viable option we could find to address the severe scoliosis in Ro's spine, we have come to an excessively uncomfortable conclusion; surgery is our only remaining choice. At this writing, Ro has three curves in her back. The highest curve, in the upper thoracic spine, is turned to the left at nearly 80º. Ever make a left into the slow lane of a four lane boulevard? That's the turn in her spine. The biggest problem with this analogy is that your car would have to roll onto its side in order to more closely approximate her back. In addition to the three curves, the spine is twisted around, more like a young tree that is growing on a windy mountainside than a Buick trying to get over to make the on ramp coming up.

All cases of scoliosis pose an obvious structural problem in the body. The curves cause the hips, legs, arms, neck, and head to all shift position in an effort to compensate for the loss of stability. Unlike the vast majority of scoliosis cases, Ro's spine is curved toward the left side of her body. This implicates the heart and surrounding area, and poses a threat to normal cardiac and pulminary function.

The surgeries required to correct these problems are brutal and essentially crude. Hooks are attached to each vertebrae from the top to the bottom of the spine, and two titanium rods are attached to the hooks. While the proceedure has improved over time, it is essentially the same handyman techinque that was developed well over 50 years ago. To put it ever so mildly, we did not want to opt for surgery, and we tried hard to avoid it, but here we are. It's our last, least-worst option.

On Monday, we will drive south 120 miles to University of Virginia Hospital, where preliminary x-rays will be taken, along with a CT scan. Afterwhich, we'll pelt one of the surgeons who will be performing two separate procedures with a barrage of follow-up questions. Tuesday is likely the day we will lay down an actual schedule. The sketch plan is to do the first surgery on a Monday, and the second one week later. Between the two, Ro will remain in hospital. She'll have to be in a halo, which is one hell of a euphemism. After the second surgery, she'll remain in hospital for about one more week. When she comes home, we'll spend a lot of time working with her towards a recovery.

Is this plan crazy enough to work? Does it scare the hell out of me? Yes, and yes. Will it fix the problem? Asking this question invariably gets us answers similar to asking the White House if the stimulous package will fix the economy. "We can't guarantee anything, but you have to do it, and it's going to hurt a lot." Thankfully, I've got Ellen and she's got me. And Ro? Please, my nillas. She's a rock. She can't wait to take the field.

Which brings us back to baseball. This coming Nationals season, with new lefty Scott Olsen in the rotation, an overloaded outfield, and as of today Adam Dunn playing at first, could well be an extremely important diversion from the rigors of real life. Or not. We really don't know what to expect, which is the thing that fosters the anxiety. And it fosters hope.

One word of caution to you, dear reader; if you say to us, "let me know if there's anything I can do to help", rest assured that we will think of something. And thank you. We love you.

Watch this space.



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