North: Why are NFL injuries on the rise?
I'm amused by the softness of today's athletes.
People say that athletes are bigger, faster and stronger today, but that doesn't mean they are game fit.
In the National Football League, a team might hit in pads only a couple of times a week, and high-salaried athletes and stars are babied so much more now.
The NFL Player's Association sold the concept that less hitting will benefit the players, yet training camp just opened and some stars, such as Arian Foster of the Houston Texans, are already injured.
Why is that? Medical staffs and fitness staffs are larger than ever and their facilities are the best on earth.
I believe it boils down to the players in the league are not fit to be hit. When a boxer signs up for a big-time fight, they don't spar once or twice a week. They train consistently and not only to hit, but to be hit.
It seems the players who went through two-a-day practices in pads back in the day were in better shape to be hit, and I think injuries have piled up because of the lack of hitting.
Look, I'll admit that I'm old school, but I believe less hitting in practice means more injuries on Sunday. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll be checking the injury reports come September.
Maddon's call:
It's interesting to see a manager such as Joe Maddon make the tough calls with good results.
My perspective for a few months has been that the Chicago Cubs cannot and would not win with Starlin Castro at shortstop.
Yet as horrible as he has been, the Cubs would make the playoffs if they started today. Castro just doesn't have what it takes - maybe it's his focus, fielding or intensity, but the shortstop has to be the best fielder on the team and he clearly isn't. However his bat hurt him even more. A .236 batting average and 5 home runs and 46 RBI at this point of the season won't get the job done.
Stats don't lie, and maybe a change of scenery will help him because I think Castro is done as a Cub. He may help down the stretch, but he will never be held in high regard since the days with Dale Sveum as manager.
By the way, how did Sveum go to the Kansas City Royals and make such a difference as a hitting coach there with guys like third baseman Mike Moustakas? I don't have the answer to that.
The Cubs, meanwhile, had to give Castro some time, but it just wasn't meant to be. The Cubs, with Addison Russell at shortstop, will continue to roll and Joe Maddon made it happen.
Program notes:
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