Dontrelle Willis to the d.l.
Dontrelle Willis to the disabled list with "anxiety disorder." A couple of offseasons ago, I remember a lot of arguments with folks who thought it would be a good idea to package Ian Kinsler with some pitching prospects to acquire Willis. That would have been bad.
almost 3 years ago
Adam J. Morris
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There's nothing funny about it.
As someone who has it, I don’t understand how he could have gotten to this point in that kind of career if it’s that bad, though. I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would have to take off for two full weeks.
But this in and of itself doesn’t mean he’s going to suck forever. This isn’t manic depression, schizophrenia, or some kind of horrible psychosis. It’s sort of like the opposite of depression and a person can make a lot of progress with it.
by Black Francis on Mar 29, 2009 7:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Now that I've read the article...
…which was something I should have done in the first place, there is no blood test for an anxiety disorder. So this is weird.
by Black Francis on Mar 29, 2009 7:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Please...a "blood test"?
I concur, this is a load of horse pucky.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
I'm sending this story to my professors
I’m majoring in a degree where I work with people with disabilities (both mental and physical).
UNT is top 5 in the country in this degree, I’ve never heard of this….and I do pay attention :)
Seacrest out.
My cool sig.
by Cecilio's Guante on Mar 29, 2009 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions
maybe you can help then...
my Uncle is Manic and has Parkinson’s – things weren’t too bad, his hands would shake a lot, but he could still play tennis and had full capabilities until 6 months ago…all of a sudden he stopped talking for the most part, stopped eating for the most part, and he’s lost about 50 pounds. He’s 66, about 5’11" and now weighs in at 130 pounds. The doctors have diagnosed it as “Dimentia with Lewy Bodies” and have basically said there is no hope – he’s going to waste away like that until he dies. They think it’s a response to the Lithium and other drugs they used years ago to control the Manic and then the Parkinson’s drugs.
You heard anything about this? Ask your professors that if you get a chance
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 29, 2009 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions
As you mentioned it is a form of dementia.
DLB is very similar to Parkinsons and Alzheimers making it tough for Doc’s to properly diagnose initially. Dementia can creep up ninja-style on anyone. You really can’t do anything about it, it’s one of those unfortutnate “is what it is” type situations. My grandma spent the last year of her life in severe dementia. It sucked. I’m sorry you guys have to witness it…..but there’s nothing you or anyone can do about it. From my therapist background, just hang with him, don’t be visually upset over his actions and just roll with it.
I can’t say if it had anything to do with the lithium, like I said, DLB and Park are confused lots of the time, so heck who knows….the mind is a confusing mass and in 3 years what we know now could be laughed upon as witchcraftery…..
Again, sorry you and yours are going through it.
But I am going to forward this on, will seek you out with any answers I get.
Peace.
My cool sig.
by Cecilio's Guante on Mar 29, 2009 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions
much appreciated
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 30, 2009 12:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Might it be a blood test for cortisol?
Or some other blood borne stress hormone? While you couldn’t diagnose him for a psychiatric condition that way, you could certainly determine that his stress levels were abnormally high over a given time-frame.
Could be Addison's Disease.
Or many other issues, both blood borne and psychiatric. Point is, how do you diagnose an ailment of the mind with a blood test?
I really think that this is GM making a public statement, and said statement being overly picked-apart, as happens daily on the net.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
THIS is what i want to know
how do you diagnose an ailment of the mind with a blood test?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 29, 2009 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm curious about this as well.
There are metabolic disorders that have neurological symptoms that might be able to describe this. But many of those would have been picked up a while back I imagine since he would have had them his whole life. The way he described his symptoms, as anxiety that has come on in the past year or so, makes it sound more like an acquired disease; really just like garden variety General Anxiety Disorder that doesn’t have a blood test as far as I know.
But, we haven’t done our Neuro/Psych Pathology block yet, so maybe I’ll hear about some new test in a few weeks….
by GhettoBear04 on Mar 29, 2009 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree, this sounds like more of an acute issue rather than chronic....
especially after hearing D-Train talk about it. I work with kids with all sorts of issues (including anxiety disorders) and he would definitely know if he had one……lots (NOT ALL) cant get by day to day….not to mention get through the mental game that is MLB.
My cool sig.
by Cecilio's Guante on Mar 29, 2009 11:49 PM CDT up reply actions
He may not have known
Anxiety disorders are really weird and present different symptoms in different people. Mine surfaced when I got really sick a few years ago, and even after I was “surgically repaired” I kept on having the same symptoms. Doctors finally figured out that it was anxiety/panic presenting itself as horrible nausea. Never got nervous unless I was sick to my stomach, and thought I was nervous because I was sick to my stomach.
Then I got a pill. Instantly I was much, much better. Not cured but a lot better and to the point where I could start working on the mental side of it. I came a long way in a short amount of time but still have issues with it occasionally. It was hell on earth before the diagnosis. Now life is pretty good.
I said above that I couldn’t imagine a scenario where I’d have to take off two full weeks. Well, it would be really hard to play in the MLB with this shit. Real hard. He may be able to eventually.
I don’t understand the blood test thing, but am assuming he does in fact have an anxiety disorder. Don’t know him and never was a fan, really, but I hope the best for him. To get to the point that a person makes it to the major leagues, I’ve always thought that these guys really have to have a sincere and deep love for playing the game. I’ve never had anything like that taken from me. Hope he can make it back to doing what he loves to do.
by Black Francis on Mar 30, 2009 12:04 AM CDT up reply actions
great and valid point
as far as symptoms are concerned…..different strokes for different folks…..
someone who has had success (as DTrain has) hasn’t had to get into that corner of his brain that deals with extreme failure, which certainly leads to anxiety, with this said, damn right he never coulda known….it’s always been there yet he’s only now having to deal with it….man I love the human mind…..
Big point is that one isnt going to get better until they deal with it on a therapeutic basis……….people (esp men) don’t dig talking about their deficiencies, but it is essential in overcoming whatever issues they try/want to over come.
You’re a bigger man the most BF for coming on here and letting it all hang….I’m sure you’re helping someone out there you’ve never met.
PEace
My cool sig.
by Cecilio's Guante on Mar 30, 2009 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Do you think
supplements like St. Johns Wort work for social anxiety disorder, or are they more placebos? I went from life of the party to being uncomfortable talking to people, especially in groups, around 2 years ago. I’ve since pretty much overcome it, but I fear it coming back. It was very awkward.
Anyway, I heard St. John’s could help, but eventually it subsided.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
It's true that...
…a screwed up thyroid, for example, can give a person serious anxiety problems. I don’t think the team would have came out and said what they did if that were the case. It would show up in a blood test, but the team would have called that an ‘endocrine’ problem or something. And he would have, too, I’d think. It would be more accurate and plus it has a lot less stigma attached to it.
by Black Francis on Mar 30, 2009 12:19 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't think so
They’d have to tap his vein at just the right time for it to show up. And there are times when you or any other normal person may have a higher cortisol level at a particular moment of time than I do. It wouldn’t mean anything. Most of the disorder is how a person reacts to something like that.
by Black Francis on Mar 29, 2009 11:47 PM CDT up reply actions
i wonder how much of this is the tigers stashing him on the DL
equally they are able to use this as a way to get insurance money if hes on the DL from 60 to 90 days
i certainly hope that isnt the case (using it to get him on the DL/get insurance money) and i wish him the best of luck in the future
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 29, 2009 7:42 PM CDT up reply actions
other than the fact that they owe him 22 mil over the next few years
and that he is evidently totally done as a pitcher according to a lot of stories
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 29, 2009 8:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Odd you mention that...
some of the neurotransmitters involved are the exact opposite levels of depression. I found that to be interesting (and intuitive in a way) when I learned that.
by GhettoBear04 on Mar 29, 2009 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions
They're closely related somehow
At least that’s what the doctors told me.
by Black Francis on Mar 29, 2009 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Cat for Willis?
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
i wouldnt do that
hes owed 22 mil over the next how many years?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 29, 2009 7:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah I didn't realize he had a new contract
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
in 2005 he walked 55 in 236 innings
in 2008 he walked 35 in 24 innings.
the preceding post was a great success.
The D-Trainwreck
I kinda feel sorry for the guy – only 27 years old and he’s gone from budding superstar to punchline in the space of two short years. I imagine thats enough to give someone anxiety disorder.
She was a grand old lady...
how did this happen.
was his only real asset a deceptive delivery? Or did he have horrible mechanics
forget where i read it
but they said that the tigers changed his mechanics (cleaned them up) and instead of throwing from all sorts of angles, now hes become “just another 3/4 arm slot guy” and has completly lost his desception and now couldnt get minor league hitters out lol
it was a link from bless our boys i think?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 29, 2009 8:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Well
He also threw a ton of innings at a young age, never had great peripherals, has seen his walk rate go up and his FIP deteriorate — he had a FIP over 5, pitching in the N.L. in a great pitcher’s park, in his last season with the Marlins…
I think the reality is that his struggles now are a combination of overwork from age 21-24, and the fact that he wasn’t all that great to begin with.
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 29, 2009 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions
I think THT did a mechanics breakdown of Willis over the years
And showed that they changed pretty noticeably from 2005-2007.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Pitches
He was 7th in the majors in pitches as a 22 year old.
He was 5th in the majors in pitches as a 23 year old.
He was 9th in the majors in pitches as a 24 year old.
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 29, 2009 8:16 PM CDT up reply actions
You can eliminate the number of pitches your throw if you have good command of them.
by oc on Mar 29, 2009 8:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I assumed that the number of pitches thrown was directly related to his climbing walk rates. That appears to not be so much the case though.
by oc on Mar 29, 2009 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions
FLA has a bit of a reputation for abusing their starters
Kinda like Dusty Baker.
She was a grand old lady...
hmmm
well considering that willis was only THAT good once (05)
interestingly look at his career vs steve avery
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 29, 2009 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions
A couple of offseasons ago, I remember a lot of arguments with folks who thought it would be a good idea to package Ian Kinsler with some pitching prospects to acquire Willis. That would have been bad.
true, but…
a couple offeseasons ago, you’re probably not getting willis without kinsler being part of the deal…
Stability is key, and JD is a Beast.
Jindal - 2012
"AMMIITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABHH!!!"
more d-train info
What does this mean? The article does not go into too much detail, and I know some of you might be raising a curious eyebrow about the ‘blood test for anxiety’ bit.
Why was Dontrelle having his blood tested in the first place? I assume that it’s a normal part of Spring Training physicals, and perhaps an abnormal result from some earlier spring test gave the team doctors reason to test him again. Or maybe they suspected something was wrong and decided to give him a test to try and rule out any number of possible problems.
Like the article says, you can’t “test for an anxiety disorder” with blood work. What you CAN do is test for the presence of certain chemical imbalances that often occur with or result from anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders frequently result in unbalanced levels of various brain chemicals, including some types of neurotransmitters. The enzymes that act on those neurotransmitters will be present in greater or lesser amounts as the neurotransmitter levels fluctuate, and unusually elevated or depressed enzyme levels can often be detected in blood work.
Without having many more details at my disposal, I would guess that this is essentially what happened. Dontrelle had some blood work done; the team doctors saw scarily unbalanced levels of some neurotransmitter-related enzyme (first guess would be one of the enzymes associated with GABA or acetylcholine, but I could be wrong); this led to the “very concerned look on their faces” as they told him that he likely had some sort of anxiety disorder.
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
Who said that?
I have never, ever heard of an anxiety disorder being diagnosed with a blood test. Ever. And over the internet I have known lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of people with the problem. I had a blog about it. Therapists and psychiatrists commented there. Blood tests never came up.
by Black Francis on Mar 31, 2009 12:20 AM CDT up reply actions
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