Thank You, Corey Koskie!

On March 14, Corey Koskie's six year old son was in the hospital after suffering a minor concussion. On March 18, Corey Koskie made a diving play in a spring training game for the Chicago Cubs. He got up and felt a little weird. On May 21, Koskie officially retired from his career as a Major League Baseball player. The 35 year old had spent seven of his nine big league seasons as a member of the Minnesota Twins. He had become a clubhouse prankster and a clubhouse leader, one of the most respected players in the game. In 2001, he became the first 3B in AL history to record 100 runs, 100 RBI (103), 35 doubles (37), 25 home runs (26) and 25 stolen bases (27) in a season. In his six full seasons with the Twins, he was between 13 and 22 percent better than league average each year. In my mind, Corey Koskie is one of the more underrated players in Twins history.

On July 5, 2006, Koskie awkwardly landed while attempting what would have been an incredible catch. He hit his head and suffered a concussion. It wasn't for 2 1/2 years that Koskie returned to "normalcy." In an interview with Yahoo.com's Gordon Edes conducted before signing with the Cubs this spring, Koskie admitted, "My head hurt. My body was numb. I couldn't walk through a door. I couldn't go into the sun. I couldn't enjoy time with my kids. My stress level was through the roof."

Post-concussion syndrome is a disorder about which there is very little consensus, even among experts. Symptoms can be different for everyone. However, symptoms can be physical, as shown through headaches, dizziness and nausea. It can appear cognitively, meaning that it affects a person's ability to concentrate. It can also be emotional causing a person to be more irritable, anxious or depressed. Treatment is equally uncertain. In most cases, nothing is done. It just takes time.

I had the opportunity to attend the Ballpark Tours Annual Hot Stove Banquet in late January. Koskie was the event's featured speaker. At the time, Koskie admitted to the attentive crowd that he had just started working out again. He said that a month earlier, he would not have been able to be in the banquet room with that many people without getting dizzy. Koskie talked for over an hour, and he induced every emotion, and a tremendous amount of laughter, from the crowd the entire time he spoke. I can certainly see a career in public speaking in Koskie's future.

In fact, Koskie admitted to the Star Tribune's Joe Christensen last week that "for the last 2 ½ years, I've been talking to kids, talking to parents, telling all those people, 'Is it really worth it, sending their kids back out to play?'"

I am certain that when Koskie was contemplating retirement, he was thinking about his son and his concussion. He was probably thinking about all of the time he had spent talking to kids.

You see, Corey Koskie is a good guy. Corey Koskie is a role model. Corey Koskie is a terrific person in the community. He has already had a positive effect on so many people. He was active in the Twins Community Fund and activities. He participated in the Twins Winter Caravan. You will also remember that he stayed in Minnesota in the offseason, and each November, he would spend one winter night in a tent for charity during Bob's SleepOut for Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners.

On March 21, Corey Koskie did what he always does. He did the right thing. He made the right choice. He set the right example for the youth. He retired despite having a shot to make the Chicago Cubs roster. He was able to think about the big picture.

After the 2004 season with the Twins, Koskie became a free agent. He wanted to stay with the Twins and said that he was willing to sign with the team for less money, but the Twins would not meet him half way. He signed a three year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Anola, Manitoba, native had the opportunity to play for a year in Canada. Soon after, Koskie bought up a full page advertisement in the local papers and wrote a thank you note to Twins fans for his time with the Twins. That's Classy! Koskie has chosen to remain in Minnesota and continues to be the role model that Minnesotans should be proud of.

I am just a lowly blogger, so purchasing a full-page advertisement anywhere is out of the realm of possbility. However,I have this space, and I think I speak for many Minnesotans and many Minnesota Twins fans when I say, "Thank you, Corey Koskie! Thank you!"