Day: November 6, 2019

06
Nov
2019

Squared Away for Surgery

Dunkirk NY – The food shopping has been done, the RV is winterized, and all errands that required physical labor have been completed. It’s all over but the cutting.

Radar projection for Thursday AM

Tonight we head up to Buffalo, spend the night in the Hampton Inn just around the corner from the surgery center, and at 7:30 AM will be checking in for surgery. Naturally, since this is a pretty important event, the weather is being less than cooperative. My wife and I are famous for making travel plans that are always hampered by bad weather, and tomorrow is no different. The area is supposed to get its first significant snowfall of the year overnight tonight and into tomorrow. Fortunately, it does look like the immediate lake shore will be spared any accumulation. Most of the significant snow will fall in the hills. So with my wife driving back (who dislikes driving in anything but ideal conditions), it will be a little bit of an adventure, and something of a sloppy mess to arrive home.

An arthroscopic repair of the meniscus

And in case you’ve never seen one, here’s a look at what an arthroscopic procedure entails. There are three instruments: the irrigation instrument, the arthroscope, and the surgical instrument. Three holes are punched, one for each instrument, and the work is pretty much done by looking at a monitor and sawing/cutting away at the tear until it’s as smooth and clean as it can get. It’s pretty quick, and I remember the last time I was up and around fairly good in three days. No driving or riding in a car for a month, though, and of course no exercise or extraneous movement until it’s time for physical therapy.

All in all, should be a fun time!  -twl

Illustration of the procedure

Posted by poorplayer in All Posts, NaBloPoMo, North of Sixty
06
Nov
2019

How About Kim Ng?

Kim Ng

Dunkirk NY – The SF Giants are looking for a new general manager for their club for 2020. So why not Kim Ng? Why don’t I see her name floating about?

Currently the Senior VP of Baseball Operations for MLB, Kim is a perfect candidate for the job. She has been an assistant GM for the Yankees under Brian Cashman and with the Dodgers as VP and AGM. She’s interviewed for the GM positions at Seattle, San Diego, and the Angels. Her name is often brought up when new GM positions open.

I think the San Francisco opening is the perfect slot for her to step in and break the gender barrier. Farhan Zaidi, who is president of baseball operations at SFG, has been operating without a GM since he was hired, and it’s not likely he will be hands-off when a GM is chosen. He won’t hire any of the experienced GMs out there, who would probably want more autonomy.

Ng is a good fit because this would really be an opportunity for her to get her feet wet as a GM with Zaidi working closely with her. Her selection would go over well in a liberal multicultural city such as SF, especially with its high Asian population. She is not inexperienced, and would come with an inside perspective on all of MLB from working under Joe Torre. She has as much or more experience than any of the names being tossed about now as speculative candidates. I don’t see how this doesn’t work.

Baseball’s gender barrier is very high, and the recent episode with Brandon Taubman of the Astros and his taunting of female reporters is just another indication of the heavy male prejudice that exists in baseball. Zaidi, who is a Pakistani Muslim, should have some sensitivity to breaking barriers (first Muslim GM). If there’s one thing baseball does not need at the moment, it’s another white male GM. San Francisco should seriously consider Kim Ng. I’ve been pulling for her to get a GM job for a few years now, and if she manages to break through, I’ll be very pleased to see another barrier broken in baseball.  -twl

 

Posted by poorplayer in All Posts, The Joy of Baseball