Results of the brawl: Jason LaRue retires

[Defacto]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball ... 58d00.html

I'm not here to start anything. He may have retired after this season, but it's always sad to see someone retire because of an incident like that.

[Swampturkey]

LaRue said he just wishes he'd been able to retire on his own terms but he wasn't given that chance. Very sad. Hopefully he'll make a complete recovery at home and will be able to enjoy a full life with his wife and sons.

[Krawhitham]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/09/jason-larue-retires.html


It wasn't the way he wanted to go out, but Jason LaRue tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he has played his last game in the majors. LaRue suffered a severe concussion when he was kicked in the head by Johnny Cueto in the Cardinals/Reds brawl last month, and doesn't want to risk further head injuries by continuing his career.

"I'm done. It's a simple decision," LaRue said. "As a catcher you're so vulnerable to getting another (concussion). All it takes a foul ball to the head. Even as a backup that happened 3-5 times last year. It's not a question of if it would happen again, it's when. Nobody can guarantee anything. It'll probably be worse."

According to Strauss, friends of LaRue say the 36-year-old was considering taking legal action against Cueto for the on-field assault, but ultimately decided against it. Still, he's disappointed with the way his career had to end: "I was going to retire on my own terms.... Does it suck that my career is over because Johnny Cueto started kicking me in the head? Yes, it sucks."

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/09/jason-larue-retires.html


Yeah it had nothing to do with him batting .196 this season and only being able to get into 29 games.

His concussion was so severe he can be seen sitting on the bench yelling at the Reds to suck his man hood 30 minutes after the fight. His concussion was so severe he did not even bother to see the doctor until after the game.

[Pony Boy]

This is a really sad way to end a pretty decent career. It makes me not like Cueto so much.

[757690]

What's really sad is a player exploiting a faked injury to get some attention.

[Pony Boy]

What's really sad is a player exploiting a faked injury to get some attention.

You can't really believe that.

[Defacto]

What's really sad is a player exploiting a faked injury to get some attention.

Dude, concussions aren't anything to laugh at.

[Krawhitham]

he had 11 hits on the season, he was done anyway

[757690]

Dude, concussions aren't anything to laugh at.

Except when they aren't real.

[Krawhitham]

Except when they aren't real.

THIS

[Defacto]

Except when they aren't real.

When a guy gets cleats in his face, do you expect him to be hurt?

[757690]

LaRue actually warmed up pitchers later in that game and was seen laughing and joking around hours after incident.

[Pony Boy]

LaRue actually warmed up pitchers later in that game and was seen laughing and joking around hours after incident.

You obviously don't know anything about concussions. It is very common for people suffering from concussions to not experience many symptoms until hours or even days later. It is very possible that LaRue was not immediately aware of how badly he was rattled until the next morning.

[scott91575]

When a guy gets cleats in his face, do you expect him to be hurt?

The guy was placed on the 60 day DL because he was worthless, not because he needed to be put on the 60 day DL. They wanted to add a guy to the 40 man and 25 man as soon as possible (especially since they wanted a guy available for the 25 man playoff roster). If he was an every day player or even a regular sub he would not have been put on the 60 day DL, and it's questionable if he would have been put on the 15 day DL.

He may have had a slight concussion, but it certainly wasn't that serious. He looked perfectly fine during the game. Anyone with a serious concussion would have been out of it, and probably puking his guts out.

You certainly knew what you were doing posting this, and especially since you continue to reply.

Anyway, good luck in retirement Jason.

[757690]

There are two types of concussions. Simple and Complex. The vast majority of concussions are simple ones, and have not lasting effects. They last around 5-7 days maximum.

Complex concussions have longer lasting effects and can result in brief blackouts. Complex concussions are usually the result of multiple concussions, or a massive blow to the head (think a bowling ball falling on your head.)

It is highly doubtful, if possible at all, for an MLB player to get a concussion that would end his playing career from a kick to the head.

Most boxers, kick boxers, football players, and other more extreme athletes receive multiple blows to their heads on a regular basis. They do get concussions, but recover from them. Only after years of abuse do these concussions become a problem.

This sounds like BS to me, an attempt to get sympathy for a player who was going to retire anyway.

[GIDP]

Is is retiring when you cant get a major league job that offers more than 29 PA in a season?

[Defacto]

Is is retiring when you cant get a major league job that offers more than 29 PA in a season?

True. I expected LaRue to retire anyway, but being forced out by a concussion isn't the way you want to see someone go.

[GIDP]

Jason LaRue seriously blaming Cueto for his retirement, when he has supposedly had 20 concussions and was actively going after Cueto in a fight his teammate escalated? Clearly concussions do cause brain damage.

[757690]

You obviously don't know anything about concussions. It is very common for people suffering from concussions to not experience many symptoms until hours or even days later. It is very possible that LaRue was not immediately aware of how badly he was rattled until the next morning.

And those type of concussion are very mild and people fully recover from them in a matter of days. And those people got their concussions from much more violent acts like car accidents and falling from heights. It is nearly impossible to get a career ending concussion from one single blow to the head from a kick.

[757690]

True. I expected LaRue to retire anyway, but being forced out by a concussion isn't the way you want to see someone go.

And if that happened to LaRue, it would be sad.

Just for the record, LaRue was one of my favorite Reds and I think letting him go was a huge mistake. But I still am convinced that he is full of BS on this.

[Pony Boy]

There are two types of concussions. Simple and Complex. The vast majority of concussions are simple ones, and have not lasting effects. They last around 5-7 days maximum.

Complex concussions have longer lasting effects and can result in brief blackouts. Complex concussions are usually the result of multiple concussions, or a massive blow to the head (think a bowling ball falling on your head.)

It is highly doubtful, if possible at all, for an MLB player to get a concussion that would end his playing career from a kick to the head.

Most boxers, kick boxers, football players, and other more extreme athletes receive multiple blows to their heads on a regular basis. They do get concussions, but recover from them. Only after years of abuse do these concussions become a problem.

This sounds like BS to me, an attempt to get sympathy for a player who was going to retire anyway.

Oh my god you don't know what you are talking about. Very little is known about the effects of concussions. It is a huge gray area in medicine right now. For you to claim that his concussion has to fall into one of two simple boxes is just laughable. Your statement that it might be impossible for someone to suffer a career ending concussion from a kick to the head is beyond stupid. You have no idea what kind of injury LaRue has. Chances are his doctors don't completely understand it.

[Defacto]

And if that happened to LaRue, it would be sad.

Just for the record, LaRue was one of my favorite Reds and I think letting him go was a huge mistake. But I still am convinced that he is full of BS on this.

I think you've brought another side to this in a respectful manner. I don't know how serious the concussion was that he suffered, but I think getting foul tips repeatedly may have lead to him ending his career like this.

[757690]

I think you've brought another side to this in a respectful manner. I don't know how serious the concussion was that he suffered, but I think getting foul tips repeatedly may have lead to him ending his career like this.

Actually, I was being kinda a jerk about it, but thanks for being so nice about it. ;)

The foul tip thing makes sense, and I can see him not wanting to take a chance. I just think it was kinda lame to make an official statement blaming Cueto.

I've always had the utmost respect for the Cardinals and their fans (you and swampturkey and MikeTheiry are just a few examples of how knowledgeable and fairminded their fans are), it just seems like these last few years it's getting harder and harder to maintain that respect.

[GIDP]

Stinks that he's retiring but I honestly find his comments on WHY hes retiring pretty petty and down right unprofessional. He's just taking a book straight out of the Cardinal playbook of whining.

I wish him the best of luck but I find his comments completely disingenuous.

[Defacto]

Actually, I was being kinda a jerk about it, but thanks for being so nice about it. ;)

The foul tip thing makes sense, and I can see him not wanting to take a chance. I just think it was kinda lame to make an official statement blaming Cueto.

I've always had the utmost respect for the Cardinals and their fans (you and swampturkey and MikeTheiry are just a few examples of how knowledgeable and fairminded their fans are), it just seems like these last few years it's getting harder and harder to maintain that respect.

Thanks for the compliment. I mentioned the foul tips because I remember Mike Matheny's last game and how he had a series of foul tips to his mask. I can see how it's getting harder to have respect for the Cardinals organization due to what's happened over the past few years, but it's getting easier to have more respect for the Reds(Walt's your GM, you have Rolen,etc.) and the Reds are finally winning again.

[RedsfaninOKC]

Cueto will be hated by Cards fans forever, but I still believe that he wasn't trying to harm anyone, he was pushed against the backstop, and trying to get out of it and happened to use his cleats to do it, yes he should have been aware he could injure somewhere, but I have my doubts that he WANTED to get someone injured, it was just an unfourtnate thing. I like Johnny and am glad he is in our team, what's funny, is Cards fans would take Cueto in a heartbeat, they won't admit it, but could you imagine Cueto along with Garcia, Wainwright and Carpenter? He would be an upgrade over Westbrook and or Lohse. Johnny is only going to continue to get better.

[GIDP]

There isnt a single player on the Reds the Cardinals wouldnt like to have other than maybe Gomes because of Holliday.

[RedsfaninOKC]

There isnt a single player on the Reds the Cardinals wouldnt like to have other than maybe Gomes because of Holliday.


So they would like to have Cordero and Harang? By all means then take them :thumbup: lol

[GIDP]

So they would like to have Cordero and Harang? By all means then take them :thumbup: lol

With out a doubt.

[Pony Boy]

Cueto will be hated by Cards fans forever, but I still believe that he wasn't trying to harm anyone, he was pushed against the backstop, and trying to get out of it and happened to use his cleats to do it, yes he should have been aware he could injure somewhere, but I have my doubts that he WANTED to get someone injured, it was just an unfourtnate thing. I like Johnny and am glad he is in our team, what's funny, is Cards fans would take Cueto in a heartbeat, they won't admit it, but could you imagine Cueto along with Garcia, Wainwright and Carpenter? He would be an upgrade over Westbrook and or Lohse. Johnny is only going to continue to get better.

So the Cardinals could use Cueto (either our #1 or #2 pitcher) as their #4? I'm not sure that is a great argument that Cards fans are secretly coveting Cueto.

[redlegs2370]

When a guy gets cleats in his face, do you expect him to be hurt?

He should have never been going after Cueto and he wouldn't have had cleats in his face!

[likemenow]

what a joke! larue was not going to get a back up job next year let alone a starting one so now he decides to retire just so he can blame it on somebody. thats the definition of a whiny little b

[Krawhitham]

You obviously don't know anything about concussions. It is very common for people suffering from concussions to not experience many symptoms until hours or even days later. It is very possible that LaRue was not immediately aware of how badly he was rattled until the next morning.

and yet the manager was saying he had a concussion before he even saw a doctor. Larue is going out on his own terms, he is using this as an excuse instead of manning up and admitting 11 hits in a season will not get you hired by anyone

[Krawhitham]

So they would like to have Cordero and Harang? By all means then take them :thumbup: lol

Harang does not count if the Reds were limited to 25 players right now he would not be on the team

and they would take Coco in a heartbeat

[Krawhitham]

He should have never been going after Cueto and he wouldn't have had cleats in his face!

mess with a bull you get the horns

[Vottomatic]

Larue should have retired years ago. He sucked.

I had a concussion earlier this year. I was put on blood pressure medicine for the first time in my life and the doc made it too strong. I was out at a restaurant eating one night, stood up and fainted. I cracked my head on the ceramic tile floor and had to be taken to the hospital. I had concussion symptoms for 3.5 months. I'm fine now.

Was it that bad? No. I would get dizzy when I got out of bed after sleeping and would have to brace myself against a wall. I couldn't climb a ladder (I'm in construction) without getting dizzy spells.

I also don't remember any of the incident at all, but those who were there told me that I answered the EMT's questions and everyone thought I was perfectly fine except for the blood spewing out of the gash in my head. Even at the emergency room, they would let me get up on my own and go to the bathroom by myself. They never used a wheelchair. All of this because they say I was alert and acted completely normal.

I don't remember a thing until the next day. I was told all of the above by those who were there.

Anyway.......it took me about 3.5 months for the complete dizzy symptoms and some other symptoms to go away. I was told by my doctor that the longest concussion symptoms typically last is 2 to 4 months. So I had it for a long time.

If Larue has a concussion, which I'm not buying at all........he should be better soon and it would have no effect on his remaining playing career, which in my opinion he would suck anyway like he always did.

This was all a sympathy ploy by TLR for his babyish players, and also a way of trying to make the Reds look like the bad guys.

All a big joke of a game by TLR, the lead baby.

I know what a concussion is, and you get over it and go on with a normal life. If he's had 4 or 5, which I seriously doubt, then maybe as a precaution you retire. But he ain't no football player. More than likely, he's just a wuss. Pretty par for the course though if you're a Cardinals player.

[Newman4]

Larue struggling to keep his average above .200, OPS above .600 and being 36 years old has nothing to do with retiring? It's all about the concussion huh. :rolleyes:

[DocRed]

I'm still not buying the whole situation.

[lidspinner]

I still call BS until someone can show me a pic of Cuetos foot hitting Jason in the head......and I dont want to see a pic or video of Jason trying to get to JC and JC kicking wildly....I want to see foot to head....I mean we had,what,10 cameras shooting from different angles? Yet Jason was on the ground, even said so himself, and on the ground was around a bunch of moving cleats and knees....

I am not saying it did not happen and I am not saying JC did not split him upside his melon with his cleats.....I just have seen every video of every angle and I still cannot see the cleat hitting Jason in the head.

Jason was 1 of my all time favorite Reds till this....the guy jumped in the taxi and took the ride, but he dont want to pay the fee....and now he is blaming the taxi cab driver for his own short falls.....typical TLR minion.,

[Defacto]

I still call BS until someone can show me a pic of Cuetos foot hitting Jason in the head......and I dont want to see a pic or video of Jason trying to get to JC and JC kicking wildly....I want to see foot to head....I mean we had,what,10 cameras shooting from different angles? Yet Jason was on the ground, even said so himself, and on the ground was around a bunch of moving cleats and knees....

I am not saying it did not happen and I am not saying JC did not split him upside his melon with his cleats.....I just have seen every video of every angle and I still cannot see the cleat hitting Jason in the head.

Jason was 1 of my all time favorite Reds till this....the guy jumped in the taxi and took the ride, but he dont want to pay the fee....and now he is blaming the taxi cab driver for his own short falls.....typical TLR minion.,



http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13276098&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Go to the 1:20 mark, you can Cueto kicking LaRue in the face.

[Defacto]

I know what a concussion is, and you get over it and go on with a normal life. If he's had 4 or 5, which I seriously doubt, then maybe as a precaution you retire. But he ain't no football player.

Playing catcher puts you at risk at getting a concussion since foul tip can hit your mask and etc. It's likely he did suffer a concussion at some point because of that.

[RedsfaninOKC]

I was reading some of the ESPN.com article comments, and a few said LaRue should sue Cueto and don't be suprised if he actually does. :rolleyes:

[DocRed]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13276098&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Go to the 1:20 mark, you can Cueto kicking LaRue in the face.

There is absolutely nothing clear in that video. I'm not saying it didn't happen but you sure can't see it in that video.

[Defacto]

There is absolutely nothing clear in that video. I'm not saying it didn't happen but you sure can't see it in that video.

You're right, it's hard to see in the video, so I took a snap shot of it.

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx111/simon123_photo/LaRue.jpg

You can see Cueto kicking LaRue.

[DocRed]

You're right, it's hard to see in the video, so I took a snap shot of it.

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx111/simon123_photo/LaRue.jpg

You can see Cueto kicking LaRue.

LOL really?? That's even more unclear than the video...at least I could tell it was Cueto and LaRue in the video.

[Defacto]

LOL really?? That's even more unclear than the video...at least I could tell it was Cueto and LaRue in the video.

That's Cueto and LaRue is the one with his head down.

[justincredible]

That's Cueto and LaRue is the one with his head down.

I see the back of a bunch of heads. That's it.

[bounty37h]

There are two types of concussions. Simple and Complex. The vast majority of concussions are simple ones, and have not lasting effects. They last around 5-7 days maximum.

Complex concussions have longer lasting effects and can result in brief blackouts. Complex concussions are usually the result of multiple concussions, or a massive blow to the head (think a bowling ball falling on your head.)

It is highly doubtful, if possible at all, for an MLB player to get a concussion that would end his playing career from a kick to the head.

Most boxers, kick boxers, football players, and other more extreme athletes receive multiple blows to their heads on a regular basis. They do get concussions, but recover from them. Only after years of abuse do these concussions become a problem.

This sounds like BS to me, an attempt to get sympathy for a player who was going to retire anyway.

No kidding, dudes a catcher, am sure he took harder hits then that, sounds like TLR story to me, something to blame his teams slide on.

[Betterread]

Sad to hear him announcing his retirement. He was a great minor league player that worked really hard to carve out a ML career.
Brawls are stupid and meaningless and the only results are that players are suspended and miss games that way or they are hurt and miss games that way. Cueto behaved like a child, but he is a professional athlete with strength and agility that are way above average. Whatever he thought he did or didn't do, he hurt someone intentionally. That is indefensible. It won't mean I won't wish him to do well for the Reds, but once he leaves the team I could care less about him. You would think coaches would try to control their players and the league would try to crack down on brawls. The fact that these things don't happen mean that brawls must hold entertainment value for a lot of people. It just goes to show you what values different people draw from supporting a team or a sport.

[kfm]

THis thread is just depressing. It started off by someone posting something about how this was a bad situation and now it has turned into La Rue is a liar and this is all made up. Do people really believe this? He is simply faking, is his doctor in on it, all these symptoms are made up, they are really carrying out this thing this far to what end? To mke Cueto feel bad about himself. To blemish the Red's season. This is simply sad. With the state of catching in baseball right now, do you really think LaRue could not get a job with someone next year. I thought Larue was a tough nosed player when he was here and he would have been a nice backup catcher, and I am sad to hear that his career has come to an end in part because of his latest concussion regadless of the cause. Have we really become so jaded or so blilnded by either rooting for a team or rooting against a team that we refuse to believe that it is even possible that a guy who was kicked in the head multiple times suffered a concussion and as a result has lingering symptoms. This is just sad.

[mlh1981]

A 36-year old backup catcher who couldn't hit his own weight doesn't get to call the shots.

He was done anyway. He's just trying to save face.

[kfm]

A 36-year old backup catcher who couldn't hit his own weight doesn't get to call the shots.

He was done anyway. He's just trying to save face.

You really believe that he is making all of this up, and your entire basis for this is that he was not a good player. You do recognize that this is a complete and total guess on your part and there is not a shred of evidence to support your point of view.

[sean]

I can't really see the argument of him trying to "save face". I don't see how it betters his reputation to say another player took him out of the game.

It seems like he received yet another concussion and the doctor said that he should probably hang them up.

You guys are looking way to into this based on your bias against the Cards and TLR.

[mlh1981]

You really believe that he is making all of this up, and your entire basis for this is that he was not a good player. You do recognize that this is a complete and total guess on your part and there is not a shred of evidence to support your point of view.

I don't believe he's making up the concussion.

Doc prob. said he shouldn't play anymore, and before the team could cut him, he beat them to the chase.

[Vottomatic]

You really believe that he is making all of this up, and your entire basis for this is that he was not a good player. You do recognize that this is a complete and total guess on your part and there is not a shred of evidence to support your point of view.

A concussion is no reason to retire. Only if he's had 4 or 5 or 6 of them.

And this whole crap about taking a ball off the head or mask while catching is just that.......crap. Show me on his injury record where he lost time from a ball going off his mask??? You can't. All catchers take those.

Only multiple concussions that required multiple incidences of taking time off would result in retirement. That is not the case here. He is saving face for just plain sucking anymore and retiring because they don't want him back. And it also covers TLR's nonsense when he started whining immediately after the game pushing for suspensions before the doc had even looked at Larue.

It's all a charade.

[sean]

A concussion is no reason to retire. Only if he's had 4 or 5 or 6 of them.

And this whole crap about taking a ball off the head or mask while catching is just that.......crap. Show me on his injury record where he lost time from a ball going off his mask??? You can't. All catchers take those.

Only multiple concussions that required multiple incidences of taking time off would result in retirement. That is not the case here. He is saving face for just plain sucking anymore and retiring because they don't want him back. And it also covers TLR's nonsense when he started whining immediately after the game pushing for suspensions before the doc had even looked at Larue.

It's all a charade.

He's 36 years old and has been playing catcher for I'm assuming the majority of his life. I bet it's very probable that he has had a significant amount of concussions throughout his life.

Our catcher in high school was no longer allowed to play due to concussions sustained while playing both baseball and football.

I still don't see how he saves face by saying a baseball player from a rival team knocked him out of the league. That's not helping his reputation at all as a baseball player.

If this was another player on another team other than the Cards talking about a player from another team other than the Reds, you'd be viewing this totally differently. It just happens that your bias is getting to you right now. Get over it and stop being so pissed that LaRue is retiring from what seems to be a concussion from Cueto. Its not as if the Cards or LaRue benefits from what he's saying at all.

[DannyB]

If you put yourself in a position to get kicked in the head(like a baseball brawl) someone will probably do it.

[lidspinner]

That's Cueto and LaRue is the one with his head down.


defacto....come on pal, your presence here is welcome and I see you normally as a pretty good fan of baseball in general....but you are reaching. Again, JC may very well have kicked Jason in the gord more than once...I dont know....but that pic does you no justice at all.........I can look at that snapshot and make all kinds of "guesses" to what I thought was going on......this is the modern era, all kinds of video editors and tons of sites to host your videos, if JC kicked Jason and it was that clear then it would be all over the net and JC would not have gotten just a week suspension.....come on defacto, if your gonna eat at our house, bring more to the table than a bag of chips...

[lidspinner]

You really believe that he is making all of this up, and your entire basis for this is that he was not a good player. You do recognize that this is a complete and total guess on your part and there is not a shred of evidence to support your point of view.


I dont think he is making anything up...I believe him 100%, all except where he says JC kicked him in the head....dude might have got kicked while he was on the ground...could have taken a knee to the head, alot of things could have happened......but there has yet to be evidence of Jason Larue getting kicked in the head by JC and there was over 10 different cameras watching that brawl like a hawk......Doctor proabably told jason it was time to retire cause the next concussion might be more severe...Jason figured since his skills are doing what they do at his age, its time to get out while he can still have a normal life with his family and friends....not because JC kicked him in the head.

[Vottomatic]

He's 36 years old and has been playing catcher for I'm assuming the majority of his life. I bet it's very probable that he has had a significant amount of concussions throughout his life.

Our catcher in high school was no longer allowed to play due to concussions sustained while playing both baseball and football.

I still don't see how he saves face by saying a baseball player from a rival team knocked him out of the league. That's not helping his reputation at all as a baseball player.

If this was another player on another team other than the Cards talking about a player from another team other than the Reds, you'd be viewing this totally differently. It just happens that your bias is getting to you right now. Get over it and stop being so pissed that LaRue is retiring from what seems to be a concussion from Cueto. Its not as if the Cards or LaRue benefits from what he's saying at all.

:rolleyes:

Whatever dude.

TLR had Larue with a concussion before he'd ever been seen by a doctor.
TLR was calling for the heads of Reds players in the media immediately after the game (unlike Dusty and/or any Reds player) without having seen any videotape or an investigation.
Larue was seen immediately after the kicking incident in the video, where Rolen was holding back Carpenter, and Larue was looking fine and was trying to mix it up. Not exactly an injured player.

Factor in that they are the biggest whiners and babies in the league and you get a bunch of sympathy seeking *****s.

[gmt]

It's really incredible reading the denials on this thread. I don't claim to know LaRue's motivation for retirement and subsequent placing of blame on that. Maybe he is starting his eventual law suit by accusing Cueto of ending his career. One thing is certain from what I have seen from the videos of several angles. I have seen LaRue with a clean face just prior to Cueto kicking him in the face with an immediate subsequent blood dripping down his face. Kick, LaRue's head goes down and immediately back up with blood. Accuse him if you want that he is using this rightfully or wrongly to place blame on Cueto for accelerating the end to his career. But it is too much homerism to say it never happened and that Cueto was justified in lashing out at anyone as he did. League officials commented that had they known the extent of the actions, Cueto would have likely had a different punishment.

[DocRed]

One thing is certain from what I have seen from the videos of several angles. I have seen LaRue with a clean face just prior to Cueto kicking him in the face with an immediate subsequent blood dripping down his face. Kick, LaRue's head goes down and immediately back up with blood.

Link?

[cw0802]

Votto, i usually like what you say and get a laugh out of your ripping of my team, but you're pretty off on this and you're bordering on crazy conspiracy theorist. A team doctor can diagnose a concussion pretty quickly with a couple eye tests. Just because he was up walking around doesn't mean he didn't suffer a concussion. Look at how many football players play whole games then are out the next week because they suffered a concussion. Stop letting your hatred for St. Louis cloud your judgment and make you sound like a nut.

Being a catcher, LaRue probably had be run over in his career, concussion. Could have gotten hit in the head with a ball while batting, concussion. Taken a foul ball off the head, concussion. All those add up. In 2006, Jim Edmonds missed considerable time with a concussion and all he did was run into the wall, and it wasn't that hard.

For you to say this is a be ruse by TLR is laughable. And those that question whether Cueto kicked LaRue in the face is even better. If you boil it down, you're saying that MLB's suspended and fined a player all based on hear say. And you're saying that the cuts on LaRue's face just magically appeared...oh wait...the Cardinals, in a move to make this apppear real, employed a makeup artist to make LaRue look like he got kicked in the face.

For a bunch of fans that say the Cardinals complain a lot...you sure do complain a lot about the Cardinals.

[Vottomatic]

Votto, i usually like what you say and get a laugh out of your ripping of my team, but you're pretty off on this and you're bordering on crazy conspiracy theorist. A team doctor can diagnose a concussion pretty quickly with a couple eye tests. Just because he was up walking around doesn't mean he didn't suffer a concussion. Look at how many football players play whole games then are out the next week because they suffered a concussion. Stop letting your hatred for St. Louis cloud your judgment and make you sound like a nut.

Being a catcher, LaRue probably had be run over in his career, concussion. Could have gotten hit in the head with a ball while batting, concussion. Taken a foul ball off the head, concussion. All those add up. In 2006, Jim Edmonds missed considerable time with a concussion and all he did was run into the wall, and it wasn't that hard.

For you to say this is a be ruse by TLR is laughable. And those that question whether Cueto kicked LaRue in the face is even better. If you boil it down, you're saying that MLB's suspended and fined a player all based on hear say. And you're saying that the cuts on LaRue's face just magically appeared...oh wait...the Cardinals, in a move to make this apppear real, employed a makeup artist to make LaRue look like he got kicked in the face.

For a bunch of fans that say the Cardinals complain a lot...you sure do complain a lot about the Cardinals.

Complain?

Hardly. I just think they're a bunch of wusses, which they are.

No complaining here. This just backs up what Phillips said, and reinforces that TLR's posturing right after the game was basically the beginning of this entire charade. Factor in a player who was going to retire anyway because he sucks, and he was the perfect player to take the fall in TLR's joke of a claim.

I feel sorry for Larue being used in all of this. But unless you're Pujols, Holliday or any other TLR golden child, you're going to get thrown under the bus by TLR.

Loved Ludwick getting his payback with that 3 run homer, didn't you?

[cw0802]

Complain?

Hardly. I just think they're a bunch of wusses, which they are.

No complaining here. This just backs up what Phillips said, and reinforces that TLR's posturing right after the game was basically the beginning of this entire charade. Factor in a player who was going to retire anyway because he sucks, and he was the perfect player to take the fall in TLR's joke of a claim.

I feel sorry for Larue being used in all of this. But unless you're Pujols, Holliday or any other TLR golden child, you're going to get thrown under the bus by TLR.

Loved Ludwick getting his payback with that 3 run homer, didn't you?


I liked seeing Luddy get his payback, I was sad to see him get traded. John Jay was nowhere close to being ready for full time and Luddy definitely deserved to be the full time right fielder. The fans at Busch gave him a standing ovation before his 1st at bat and when he was announced, they played his at bat music (Brass Monkey...awesome).

Look, i'm not trying to stir the pot here. I've not been a huge fan of TLR since Rolen left. He seemed to go nuts after we won the World Series. I'm not necessarily defending TLR, but just pointing out that some of the "theories" on here are borderline crazy 9/11 conspiracy theorists.

Just so i have this straight. TLR made up the concussion after LaRue got kicked in the face. This concussion enabled TLR to DL LaRue cause he was playing poorly so TLR could bring in someone better. Now that LaRue is retiring, this brings the whole plan full circle? For what? What does all this accomplish? To back up that Cueto kicked LaRue in the face? Please explain it to me cause i'm a stupid Cardinal fan...:)

http://images2.dailykos.com/images/user/3/get_a_brain_morans.jpg

[cw0802]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/09/jason-larue-retires.html



http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/09/jason-larue-retires.html


Yeah it had nothing to do with him batting .196 this season and only being able to get into 29 games.

His concussion was so severe he can be seen sitting on the bench yelling at the Reds to suck his man hood 30 minutes after the fight. His concussion was so severe he did not even bother to see the doctor until after the game.

So because LaRue sucked and was going to retire anyway, it's ok that Cueto kicked him in the head?

Additionally, i'll have to say that you know nothing about concussions. Oh wait, i forgot, you're one of those people who know everything about everything. Concussion symptoms may not appear till hours or days after the initial injury. Just cause he was ok 30 minutes after getting kicked in the face doesn't mean he wasn't ok later. Perfect example, in 2006, Jim Edmonds ran into the wall, played the rest of the game. That night he went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion.

because you're just going to call me a Cardinal homer or whatever...i decided to post some information from a credible source...

http://www.webmd.com/brain/concussion-traumatic-brain-injury-symptoms-causes-treatments


Concussions can be tricky to diagnose. Though you may have a visible cut or bruise on your head, you can't actually see a concussion. Signs may not appear for days or weeks after the injury. Some symptoms last for just seconds; others may linger.

[Jefferson24]

So because LaRue sucked and was going to retire anyway, it's ok that Cueto kicked him in the head?

Additionally, i'll have to say that you know nothing about concussions. Oh wait, i forgot, you're one of those people who know everything about everything. Concussion symptoms may not appear till hours or days after the initial injury. Just cause he was ok 30 minutes after getting kicked in the face doesn't mean he wasn't ok later. Perfect example, in 2006, Jim Edmonds ran into the wall, played the rest of the game. That night he went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion.

because you're just going to call me a Cardinal homer or whatever...i decided to post some information from a credible source...

http://www.webmd.com/brain/concussion-traumatic-brain-injury-symptoms-causes-treatments

CW0802 is correct about the concussions. Symptoms may take a while to show up.

I do believe two things are true about this situation. The first is that Cueto was an idiot for kicking at people. If you want to throw some punches go ahead but don't kick people with spikes. The second is that LaRue's concussion has nothing to do with his retirement. His professional baseball career was already over. He may have played in a few more games if not for the concussion but that is it.

[mckbearcat48]

What purpose does it serve now to complain on either side? The second baseman who will remain nameless called the Cards small female canines. Making a big deal out of this is not helping the cause. If a Cards pitcher headhunts Cueto in '11, we'll be in the same place.

Best bet is to let this die....

[mckbearcat48]

CW...you know, we as Cards fans are going to lose on this board...lol

[ol'Sparky]

sounds like jason should have worn his catcher's gear out onto the field during the brawl, and all of this could have been avoided. It's not johnny's fault, it's his own.

[lidspinner]

it has nothing to do with you all being Cards fans....my whole beef is if you grab every single video of that brawl you will not find one where you see JC kicking Jason in the face.....he is kicking in the general direction of Jason and JC may very well have sliced him open and gave him his concussion.....but I am not going to hang JC in the court of public opinion when not one single camera picked it up.......jason admitted to being on the ground in an interview directly after the game, I have looked high and low for that interview and cannot find it but if Jason was on the ground, then I can think of a few things that knocked him in the head, including his own teammates spikes.

You Cardinal fans really need to take off your card glasses if you think JC is the reason Jason is retiring....even if JC did kick him....Jason cannot cut it anymore in MLB....it is a young mans game, and that goes for Reds players as well.....Larue was going to have to find a home on someones bench at such a low rate that he probably figured it was best to get out now while he can still enjoy life.

Noone is saying Jason did not get a concussion....we are just saying it did not look as bad as they are making it out to be....and we are saying it was not JC that caused his concussion....

Several here have had concussions....noone is making light of what Jason is going through....we are making light of what Jason is blaming his retirement on...

[mckbearcat48]

it has nothing to do with you all being Cards fans....my whole beef is if you grab every single video of that brawl you will not find one where you see JC kicking Jason in the face.....he is kicking in the general direction of Jason and JC may very well have sliced him open and gave him his concussion.....but I am not going to hang JC in the court of public opinion when not one single camera picked it up.......jason admitted to being on the ground in an interview directly after the game, I have looked high and low for that interview and cannot find it but if Jason was on the ground, then I can think of a few things that knocked him in the head, including his own teammates spikes.

You Cardinal fans really need to take off your card glasses if you think JC is the reason Jason is retiring....even if JC did kick him....Jason cannot cut it anymore in MLB....it is a young mans game, and that goes for Reds players as well.....Larue was going to have to find a home on someones bench at such a low rate that he probably figured it was best to get out now while he can still enjoy life.

Noone is saying Jason did not get a concussion....we are just saying it did not look as bad as they are making it out to be....and we are saying it was not JC that caused his concussion....

Several here have had concussions....noone is making light of what Jason is going through....we are making light of what Jason is blaming his retirement on...

Your points are well taken. Obviously, we're going to view this from our own sides.

[gmt]

I reviewed the video again and will admit the cuts I thought I saw on LaRue's face are probably the netting behind home plate. However, no one is denying Cueto kicked LaRue in the face. The video at 1:19 shows Cueto kicking out with his foot clearly on Carpenter's back resulting in slashing his shirt and LaRue holding his face as the camera switches to an angle where you can see the action. To claim there was no kick because you can't see it on the video is incredulous as it has been reported as true by players and media alike. To accuse anybody of using this to put someone on the disabled list and concoct a story about a concussion is incredibly naive and lacking of sound thought. Defend the Reds players for doing what is right, but don't try to make light of an irresponsible moment by Cueto and the integrity of the players and management of the Cardinals, the media, mlb officials and the physicians who have made their evaluations on LaRue's condition.

[sean]

:rolleyes:

Whatever dude.

TLR had Larue with a concussion before he'd ever been seen by a doctor.
TLR was calling for the heads of Reds players in the media immediately after the game (unlike Dusty and/or any Reds player) without having seen any videotape or an investigation.
Larue was seen immediately after the kicking incident in the video, where Rolen was holding back Carpenter, and Larue was looking fine and was trying to mix it up. Not exactly an injured player.

Factor in that they are the biggest whiners and babies in the league and you get a bunch of sympathy seeking *****s.


Where did you get your medical degree from?

Just wondering because you're clearly qualified to make a medical diagnosis through your television set in regards to concussions and whether or not people have them. That is an incredibly impressive thing to do.

Your ignorance towards concussions and their immediate affects and how players handle them is unreal.

[Red in Atl]

I think it's real simple, and shows how Brandon's statements ring true.

The Cards release this statement purely to put the Reds and Cueto in the "bad" spotlight again at a time when the Reds are on the verge of clinching the division. So in essence, Cards are playing badly, let's see what we can do to make the other contending team look bad, so we can maybe get an advantage.

LaRue's had 20 concusions in his life? Hell he should have retired 10 years ago if that's true. So he's had 20 concusions, but this is the one that ended his career? Please, batting .196 and having two available prospects ready to go is what ended LaRue's career.

[cw0802]

what's comical, is that after almost a month and a half, some of you are now questioning whether LaRue was ever kicked in the face. Geez. So the MLB just fined and suspended a player for nothing? All the reports from non-biased sources were wrong? The cuts on LaRue's face happened cause he wasn't careful while shaving and all the doctors that have looked at him are in on the big game? Look it up...start watching at 3:25.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13305844&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[markymark69]

Take some ownership Jason - it's just as much yours and the Cardinals fault that the brawl escalated or even happened in the first place. I'm sorry that you got a concussion and that it occurred the way and you have to retire as a result- but the bottom line is Cueto reacted the way he did because he was trying to protect himself. If cooler heads prevail it never happens.

I don't want to re-hash the brawl - the whole thing could have been avoided however.

[cw0802]

Take some ownership Jason - it's just as much yours and the Cardinals fault that the brawl escalated or even happened in the first place. I'm sorry that you got a concussion and that it occurred the way and you have to retire as a result- but the bottom line is Cueto reacted the way he did because he was trying to protect himself. If cooler heads prevail it never happens.

I don't want to re-hash the brawl - the whole thing could have been avoided however.

Yep...could have been avoided if Phillips kept his mouth shut.

[Stray]

I know there's all sorts of unwritten rules in baseball, but every single person that ran out on that field knew why they were going out there.

They had Cueto backed up, he reacted in a poor way, but the bottom line is, if you go out on the field for a fight and get kicked...well, that can happen. Deal with it.

Sucks his career is ending this way, and I always appreciated his time here. Whether it's for effect, or it's legit doesn't even matter to me. I choose not to care...if you join in a fight, bad things can, and usually do happen.

[Vottomatic]

Where did you get your medical degree from?

Just wondering because you're clearly qualified to make a medical diagnosis through your television set in regards to concussions and whether or not people have them. That is an incredibly impressive thing to do.

Your ignorance towards concussions and their immediate affects and how players handle them is unreal.

Earlier in the thread I described my concussion earlier this year.

Shouldn't you be in elementary school right now? :rolleyes:

[Vottomatic]

what's comical, is that after almost a month and a half, some of you are now questioning whether LaRue was ever kicked in the face. Geez. So the MLB just fined and suspended a player for nothing? All the reports from non-biased sources were wrong? The cuts on LaRue's face happened cause he wasn't careful while shaving and all the doctors that have looked at him are in on the big game? Look it up...start watching at 3:25.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13305844&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I think the cuts on his face came from having to explain to Carpenter's son about his daddy using the f-word in the brawl. The son obviously got mad and punched Jason in the face a few times and his fingernails cut Jason. :p:

[Vottomatic]

what's comical, is that after almost a month and a half, some of you are now questioning whether LaRue was ever kicked in the face. Geez. So the MLB just fined and suspended a player for nothing? All the reports from non-biased sources were wrong? The cuts on LaRue's face happened cause he wasn't careful while shaving and all the doctors that have looked at him are in on the big game? Look it up...start watching at 3:25.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13305844&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

You know what's really comical?

SEPTEMBER 20TH: MARLINS 4, CARDINALS 0

[sean]

Earlier in the thread I described my concussion earlier this year.

Shouldn't you be in elementary school right now? :rolleyes:

How does having a concussion at one point in your life correlate with your actual knowledge of concussions?

This isn't the first time someone has retired due to concussions.

[cw0802]

I think way to look at this isn't "Cueto kicked him in the face and now his career is over"...i think it's more so LaRue retiring this way as opposed to walking away from the game himself.

Here's my opinion, I think that LaRue had it in his mind that he was going to retire after this season and one day he was going to wake up and say "ok, today is my last game". He wanted to prepare himself and be able to cherish that moment, yes, even though he's just a .190 hitter this season. Regardless of the talent level, it's still a big deal to all who have played any sport. Any player who has had that robbed of them due to injury will have a sense of bitterness. I had my shoulder ripped out of place during the 3rd wrestling match of my senior season. That ended my college wrestling career. Do I have a sense of bitterness, you're darn right I do. Do i have a little animosity toward the guy that did it, a lot less now, but sure i do. Why? I didn't get to finish my career on my own terms. In my case though, this was an accident. Shoot, i still get "i'm sorry's" from the guy that did it and that was 10 years ago. LaRue's situation is far different from mine. While his injury did come during a fight, it came from a cowardly act. You guys can defend Cueto all you want but when you watch it...Cueto was out to do harm and he did it. Had Cueto known he was going to end a guys career, would have he kicked, I don't think so. But the crime has been done, he paid his time and here's the aftermath. A respected catcher is forced out of the game he loves due to an injury that was brought on from a kick.

[cw0802]

You know what's really comical?

SEPTEMBER 20TH: MARLINS 4, CARDINALS 0


that is comical...off Carpenter...not sure how he's going to explain that one to the kids.

[KOBasinger]

Sick hearing about LaRue. Bye bye for now.

[Defacto]

You know what's really comical?

SEPTEMBER 20TH: MARLINS 4, CARDINALS 0

It's not funny. I don't care about the season any more, Reds are going to win the Central, the Cardinals won't. The Reds were better than the Cardinals this year and didn't choke unlike the Cardinals. The Cardinals will finish above .500, but not be in the playoffs. The Reds did what the Cardinals didn't, win against bad teams. But it is harsh, IMO, to say that LaRue didn't suffer a concussion.

[texasdave]

Two threads on a Cincinnati Reds' message board about Larue retiring is about two too many.

[Vottomatic]

Two threads on a Cincinnati Reds' message board about Larue retiring is about two too many.

I was thinking about starting another thread titled,

"Larue retiring because he sucks, not because of phony concussion"

I think it would be good for the board. :D

[Hey Meat]

LaRue's pre-swing routine always made me think that he had lock-jaw. I never knew he had concussion issues, thought maybe he had lock-jaw/staff/MRSA.

[bounty37h]

I can't really see the argument of him trying to "save face". I don't see how it betters his reputation to say another player took him out of the game.

It seems like he received yet another concussion and the doctor said that he should probably hang them up.

You guys are looking way to into this based on your bias against the Cards and TLR.

Well then, wouldnt it be he retired because of "another concussion", meaning he has had several that played roles, and not try to make it sound like it was this one isolated incident? I think that is the issue that people are upset over, the TLR "victim" effect. If he had been hit in the head by a pitch by accident, got "another concussion", would it be the pitch that caused it and gets all the attention, or the simple fact there were several over time that played role to lead to this decision.