Thanks to BJ Killeen for the link: from "Barrier-breaking female trainer a good fit for Dodgers" at USA Today:
She is a role model and takes that seriously.
"I've heard from numerous young women who say, 'I want to have a job like yours. I never thought I could do that, and now I can,' " says Falsone, who is single and lives two blocks from the ocean in Hermosa Beach, Calif., southwest of Los Angeles.
She also knows there are Dodger fans out there tweeting and blogging that she should be fired for all the injuries. It's hurtful, but she takes it in stride and hasn't lost her sense of humor.
"I made one comment in a story that we're constantly talking to experts in the field to try to improve, and someone on Twitter said, 'Well then, we don't want you. We want the expert,' " Falsone says, laughing.
There are also comments from others, mostly anonymously on the Internet, along the lines that a woman doesn't belong in the dugout or the clubhouse. She doesn't laugh these off. She mostly avoids them.
"People are pretty courageous when they can hide behind an anonymous name," Falsone says. "I know I get a lot of flak, but I learned very, very quickly not to read the reader comments below a story that mentions me. That's where a lot of that stuff goes. It's unfortunate."
I love that the Dodgers continue to break barriers. Don't let those internet idiots get you down, Sue! Especially those bloggers — they're the worst!
photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
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Albuquerque Isotopes announcer and Orel historian Josh Suchon wrote the book on the World Champion 1988 Dodgers. It's called Miracle Men: Hershiser, Gibson, and the Improbable 1988 Dodgers and is well worth a read.
Don't have it and want a signed copy? You're in luck. Suchon will be appearing at the following book signings this week:
So get your signed copy and tell Josh the Sons sent you!
Falsone: Kevin Scanlon/LA Weekly
Clayton Kershaw (5-5, 2.06) vs. Tim Lincecum (4-7, 4.52).
So this happened last night:
Remember when the Kershaw-Lincecum rivalry was going to be one for the ages? Well, Kershaw kept up his end of the bargain and is in position to help the Dodgers sweep the Giants tonight.
Meanwhile, everybody from the projected opening day lineup is back, sans Carl Crawford, so let's enjoy the maximum firepower until the next injury occurs.
LA Times columnist T.J. Simers was in his hotel room at baseball spring training in Arizona last week when he started showing the signs of a transient ischemic attack. He was falling and acting confused. Simers told the Times' Dodgers beat writer Dylan Hernandez, who told team PR adviser Steve Brener, who got Simers on the phone with head trainer Sue Falsone, who listened to the symptom then sent trainer Aaron Schumacher to get the cranky sportswriter to the emergency room.Falling and acting confused? That's what most of us do through the first three "paragraphs" of a Simers column. Much respect to Sue Falsone for doing her due diligence to make sure his life was not in danger, but I sure hope Ned and the ownership exacted a steep price for helping make sure Simers didn't swallow his own tongue. Hey, it's all about leverage, right?
Injuries have suddenly taken their toll on the Dodgers' roster. With September call-ups a day away, will the front office try to add more pieces?
Chad Billingsley (4-9, 4.30) Chris Capuano (9-4, 2.91) vs. Jason Marquis (3-9, 5.79).
Talk about a tough act to follow. Chad Billingsley, currently mired in longest losing streak of his career (five games), will try to restore order to the Dodgers' universe after the Padres hornswoggled Kenley Jansen in last night's game.
The good news is that the bats are back. In the first two games after the All-Star break, Mark Ellis, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have gone 11 for 24 with 4 RBIs and 5 runs. Plus, the Padres are still the Padres, with the last-place Phillies following them into town tomorrow. The healing starts now!
UPDATE: @kengurnick: "Chad Billingsley was scratched with an undisclosed injury and Chris Capuano will start today's game."
Once again I'm a little bit behind on my reading, but I finally got around to the Danica Patrick-covered issue of ESPN the Magazine (6/11/2012), in which they profile 33 women who will change the way sports are being played (reflecting at the 40-year anniversary of Title IX). Our own Sue Falsone was one of the 33 (no link):
More than half of the 30,000-plus members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association are female. However, it was only last year that Flasone became the first to be tapped as a head athletic trainer in any of the four major sports. But the Dodgers didn't hire Falsone to break the glass ceiling. She's been put to the test early and often this season--half of the Dodgers' starting lineup, including star centerfielder Matt Kemp, is battling serious injuries--and she quickly won over the team with her confidence and assured touch. "Players care only about getting better" says her boss, Stan Conte, senior director of medical services for the Dodgers, "and they respected her right from the beginning because they knew she was the person who would get them back on the field."The Healer: Sue Falsone, Head athletic trainer, LA Dodgers
...by chance, Falsone experienced a turning point in her life. "While I was in Phoenix, I read a magazine article about Nomar Garciaparra, who had won a batting title at the time with the Boston Red Sox," she related. "The article mentioned that he was training at a place called Athletes' Performance in Arizona. So I decided to look into that facility more and basically just showed up at their door."So stalking Nomar was the ticket in! Great story. Here's to the first female head athletic trainer in major pro sports and to the Dodgers for continuing to break barriers. And here's hoping she can work her magic on Kemp to help keep him on the field the rest of the season.
Dodgers trainer Sue Falsone said best case scenario for Matt Kemp's return is 4 weeks
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) June 1, 2012
Kemp has swelling in same area of previous stain, plus a new strain in a different area. Both strains Grade 1 (mildest)
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) June 1, 2012
Holy smokes, I saw Mark "Mellis" Ellis get injured during that game last week, but I had no idea that he was six hours or so away from amputation. From USA Today:
Ellis, 34, underwent emergency surgery Saturday to drain blood and other fluids that were affecting the leg's muscles, and manager Don Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times doctors told him they might have had to amputate the leg if the condition hadn't been addressed in six or seven hours. Ellis was taken out on a hard slide by St. Louis' Tyler Greene Friday night and told trainer Sue Falsone the leg still bothered him on Saturday. After examination, she and her staff decided to get Ellis to a nearby hospital and the surgery to relieve pressure on the leg's muscles was performed immediately. The manager said team physician Neal ElAttrache told him "if that thing goes another six or seven hours, you've got a chance of losing a leg. Doc said the muscle basically dies, doesn't get any blood flow." Doctors said the injury is rare and usually seen in automobile crashes. Mattingly and bench coach Trey Hillman visited Ellis in the hospital and said the infielder would be sidelined about six weeks. "That was scary. I didn't realize how bad that was," Mattingly said, praising Falsone and the medical staff.What seemed like a routine play – an infielder being upended turning a double play – nearly cost Los Angeles Dodgers' second baseman Mark Ellis his left leg over the weekend.
Yikes. Get well soon, Mellis! (And I'm glad we don't have to replace the nickname "Mellis" with "Stumpy".)
Ever get to a game three hours early? Turns out it's a beautiful way to spend the morning.
Optimism was in the air on opening day at Dodger Stadium. Fifty-six thousand people came to have their first official Dodger Dog of the season and collectively sprint toward the light at the end of the tunnel. It was great the Dodgers won, but on this day most everybody would still have been smiling even if they hadn't.
Security was noticeable but not obtrusive, and fans wore all manner of custom-made tributes. I saw one guy wearing a T-shirt reading MAGIC MADE FRANK McCOURT DISAPPEAR, another man with VIN SCULLY FOR PRESIDENT on his, and at least one Laker-colored Dodgers jersey.
Big thanks to Sax for the invitation and of course to the Dodgers organization for the classy festivities. Oh, and to Andre Ethier for helping to finish the game in less than two and a half hours. It was also wonderful to share a beer with fellow Son Dusty, and to meet longtime reader Paul for the first time.
On to the pix!
all photos by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers except 2: AP
Thanks to Dusty for the link to this interview with Dodgers head athletic trainer Sue Falsone at the Huffington Post. An excerpt:
What is the most surprising part of your job? I think people would be surprised to know the amount of education it takes to become a physical therapist and an athletic trainer. The requirements have changed over the years, but it is now about seven years of schooling (including PT school) and thousands of hours of continuing education throughout an individual's career.Athletic training and physical therapy are both unbelievable independent, individual careers and synergistic careers at the same time. To be great at both takes a lifetime of dedication and passion. I am constantly studying and reading, trying to become a better clinician so I can better help the athletes I work with. There is no "top" to this profession. It is a constant attempt to better yourself as a person and professional.
Dear Sue: please keep Matt Kemp healthy for, oh, the next eight years or so. Thanks!
From "Falsone 'blessed' to break barriers" by Ken Gurnick at Dodgers.com:
"It's ironic that people think that the change is about me being a woman, and that's not really the change," [Sue Falsone] said. "It's about us as a medical staff looking at new and innovative ways to deal with injuries. That's what the change is going to be. We'll look at things differently. We'll have different principles of injury management and hopefully decrease the injury rate. That's what's exciting. We'll look at the processes in place and evaluate with a critical eye."
New owner...new Gold Glove winners...new head athletic trainer....2012 is shaping up!
First Kim Ng, now Sue Falsone. From "Sources: Sue Falsone to join Dodgers" at ESPNLA.com:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to announce early next week the hiring of Sue Falsone as their new head physical therapist/athletic trainer, sources told ESPN.com.Falsone will become the first woman to serve as head athletic trainer or physical therapist of a team in any of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues. [...]
ESPN baseball analyst Curt Schilling rehabbed with Falsone when he was pitching for the Boston Red Sox.
"I can't imagine anyone more equipped to get that position, both from an intelligence perspective and the makeup of her personality," Schilling said when told of Falsone's impending hire with the Dodgers. "She was destined for this." [...]
Stan Conte, the team's current director of medical services, is expected to remain with the organization.
Wonder if this has anything to do with the Dodgers' injury-ravaged 2011? Looking forward to seeing if Falsone's work can bring us a healthier 2012.
Dodgers photo
