Incident provides time for perspective
Mishap shows players put their bodies on the line
LOS ANGELES -- We could go days, weeks or even a year (if the hard-line owners are to be believed) without baseball.
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It wouldn't be as painful as the 12 minutes the game stopped Monday night.
Suddenly this wasn't about greedy players or untrustworthy owners or angry fans or all of the acrimony building toward Friday's looming strike date. This was about a person's health, and the realization that for all the riches these players make to play a sport, theirs is an inherently dangerous profession.
You can scoff at any implications of unfairness the well-paid players feel, but then you see grass and dirt treated with more respect than a human's condition.
Nildamarie Cora, the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers Alex Cora was held back from entering the playing field by pitcher Giovanni Carrara (center) and head trainer Stan Johnston.
Dodger shortstop Alex Cora, who has been as good a guy as any this year with his unselfish commitment to the team's best interests, tried to steal second base in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tied game with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The throw was high and Arizona's Tony Womack leaped to grab it as Cora made a headfirst dive toward the base. Womack's right knee caught Cora in the head. Cora landed with a thud, grabbed his head and then lost consciousness.
While Womack clutched his knee in agony, Cora was motionless, face down on the infield.
The game stopped. So did all of the acrimony, or any thoughts of a pennant race or competition.
The Diamondvision screen carried an update on Cora's condition in the middle of the 10th inning. He had a concussion, but full feeling in his hands and feet. The fans cheered.
Cheering at a baseball stadium. It sounded good. And this might be simple, but it's a worthy goal to keep in mind when the labor negotiations resume.