randy - steve's note about you got me thinking: i know about eight 55+ teams that could use randy craft at shortstop.

not sure if you're still in the area, but if you are, how about breaking out that '73 glove, that old highway pad of yours,
and see what playing with the geezers is like?

there's a lot of talent, some of it surprising, in the division, even if it's accompanied by white hair (or no hair) and creaky
bones. for sure you've got the talent and the hair, probably the creaky bones, too. the summer sun can work wonders
on them bones. (not so much the winter sun or the barcalounger.) so, if you're still here, drop john reel a note. tell him
to get you into the division, and oil that glove.

steve, enjoyed your celebration of mr. craft's talents (he robbed me of more than one hit) but sorry to hear about
your aching bones.

i can't say or do much for everything north of your ankles, but do have a word about feet, brought on by the fact that
i have what one doctor once called "a podiatrist's dream" (wide feet, super high arches) for cloppers, which were the
target of three surgeries in '70s and '80s.

like you, i've had my share of surgeries since 2002 (eight), all of which may have led to what was diagnosed as "neuropathy"
in my feet. (neuropathy means "dead nerve cells," and the condition usually leaves the feet feeling cold, stiff and numb
but the odd thing is, many of the cells don't know they're dead and they regularly try to fire, setting off a sensation akin
to electric shocks, which can come anytime, anywhere on the feet, including when you try to put on socks or sleep.
neuropathy, for which there's no known cure yet, is a fairly common condition with people who've had surgeries.
it's also associated with aging and diabetes. so you think the 50s are fun?)

one way around the sensation of feet walking on marble stones (or going one-on-one with neuropathy)? contrast baths.

you may know about these baths, but this note can apply to other guys having foot troubles, too.

do contrast baths before bed and when you first wake. they take about 3-5 minutes each time. get two plastic buckets,
put them in the tub. fill one with cold water, one with hot. add epson salts if you like. take an anti-inflammatory pill.
then, grab a chair, sit by the side of the tub and stick your sore feet in the cold first (always cold first) then in the
hot. go back an forth between the two buckets, and this is key, exercising or stretching your toes and feet each time
you do so. you can massage them, too, or run them over a rubber ball. you can also read a paper or magazine while you're
doing this, or do mathematical equations for string theory.

the cold brings down the swelling; the heat sends in blood, with its nutrients, including the pill's medication.
i've found that rubbing my feet with the homeopathic arnica gel (available in supermarkets and pharmacies)
helps, too, after the baths. not sure if it's the arnica or the massage that helps. probably both.

contrast baths can also work on elbows and wrists or, using hot & cold packs wrapped in damp towels, on shoulders
and knees.

none of this eliminates the pain, but i found that it reduces it a lot; usually enough to get spikes on and play a game.

luck and a laughing and dancing holiday to all.

-mike




-- Edited by mhart on Friday 18th of December 2015 06:41:02 PM