Head games

Sidney Crosby is still out with a concussion.

That is hardly an extraordinary occasion in sports.

More and more players, it seems, are missing games because of blows to the head. Something more has to be done, especially in the NHL and the NFL.

At least injuries to the head are finally being taken seriously.

That has not always been the case. I went to high school in the early 1970s.  If you had a concussion, you got your bell rung.

That was the medical diagnosis, too.

The coach would keep you out of the game for a couple of minutes and usually not any more than that.

My bell was rung four or five times at least. Every time, it would take a little longer for my head to clear.

Some folks would say it never really did clear.

A handful of years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Muhammad Ali at his place in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

It was a pleasure laced with some real pain, though. It hurt seeing what years of taking blows to the head had done to Ali. The human head is not supposed to take that kind of continued abuse. When the champ spoke, his words were mostly undecipherable. When he moved, it was deliberate and labored.

It was sad to see. Just like it was sad when Eric Lindros had to finally retire from too many concussions. Just like it will be sad if Crosby has to step down way too early.