BY PAT DORWIN
AS APRIL IS PARKINSON'S DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH, THIS BLOG WILL FOLLOW THE COLORADO ROCKIES ON MLB: THE SHOW.
SINCE MANY GAMERS ARE YOUNG, THEY MAY NOT REMEMBER FORMER COLORADO CATCHER BEN PETRICK. HE CAME UP FOR A CUP OF COFFEE 13 YEARS AGO, A FIVE TOOL PLAYER WHO BANGED OUT FOUR HOMERS IN JUST 62 AT-BATS, WHILE HITTING MORE THAN .320.
I SUPPOSE I COULD JUST ADD BEN TO THE GAME, REPLACING SOME DUDE AND RAMPING UP HIS PERFORMANCE LEVELS. JOE RANDOM, MEET YOUR REPLACEMENT, BEN PETRICK.
SO, HERE THE BEN THAT STARTED HIS MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER 13 YEARS AGO, IS NOW 35 (SOON TO BE 36 ON APRIL 7). MAYBE HE'S FIGHTING FOR HIS JOB AS A CATCHER, OR MAYBE THE ROCKIES' FRONT OFFICE HAD BEEN SMART ENOUGH TO KEEP HIM IN A CORNER OUTFIELD SLOT TO SAVE THE WEAR AND TEAR OF BEING AN MLB BACKSTOP.
AFTER ALL, PETRICK PLAYED A BIT OF THE OUTFIELD AS A ROCKIE AND LATER WITH DETROIT.
OF COURSE THAT'S ALL JUST SPECULATION BECAUSE THE WINTER AFTER HIS INITIAL TASTE OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF BASEBALL, BEN'S HOPES OF CONTINUING TO PERFORM AT A MAJOR-LEAGUE LEVEL, INDEED TO WALK AROUND HIS OWN HOME SAFELY OR TO BUTTON A SHIRT WERE DASHED.
NOT PUT ON HOLD, BUT YANKED OUT FROM UNDER HIM. AFTER SEEING A DOCTOR, BEN WAS TOLD HE HAD "PARKINSONSISM" LIKE SYMPTOMS.
THE DOCTOR TOLD BEN HE WOULD DIAGNOSE HIM WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE, BUT THAT THE SYMPTOMS HE SAW IN BEN WERE MORE TYPICAL OF FOLKS MORE THAN 40 YEARS OLDER THAN BEN HIMSELF.
YES, THAT IN ITSELF SUCKS ENOUGH - BEING TOLD THAT NOT ONLY IS YOUR CAREER - YOUR JOB - IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH WHAT YOUR BRAIN DOES - OR DOES NOT - TELL YOUR BODY TO DO, BUT THAT THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT STARTS AT THE BALL PARK AND GETS TUCKED BACK INTO YOUR LOCKER AT THE END OF THE DAY.
NO, NO. YOUNG-ONSET PARKINSON'S IS GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE, TO SOME DEGREE OR ANOTHER. FROM TYING YOUR SHOES TO TRY AND FISH SOME QUARTERS OUT OF YOUR POCKET TO BUY A NEWSPAPER, MOST EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO CHANGE.
AND NOT FOR THE BETTER.
PAT DORWIN IS IN HIS 10TH YEAR SINCE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH EARLY-ONSET PARKINSON'S DISEASE. HE RAISES MONEY TO FIGHT THIS PROGRESSIVE, DEGENERATIVE DISEASE AT www.pdproject2020.blogspot.com AND THE DISEASE IS WHY HE TYPES IN ALL-CAPS - IT'S MUCH EASIER - HE'S NOT "SHOUTING" AT YOUR MONKEY ASSES.