Gaines Adams dead

We can pick nits here and say he was in his 30s (which he was). Even if we don't, that's two undetected heart ailments leading to death in (roughly) 10 years. Stlll not of NFL caliber.

 

Obviously too soon for the gallows humor.
My apologies.

 

Updated story.

http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2010/01/17/news/a0118%20adams.txt

 

Twenty-six. Wow. That's way too soon.

 

I guess this is the Gaines Adams RIP thread and not a Journalism Board thread, but I'm always glad when newspapers step up to the plate in these situations and deliver. You read a lot these days about how blogs are taking over the world and traditional sports writers are no longer necessary, that access doesn't matter, etc., etc., and then a story like this breaks and the adults take over the news gathering and do us proud.

 

Your praise is appreciated. Along with the main story and the 1A treatment, I'm working on a 1A column, as well.

Of course, we'll have followups. A memorial will be finalized Monday for Tuesday (I think), and of course there's the funeral.

Sad day for a lot of folks in Greenwood.

Scott

 

Not sure. Probably more full-time this year since he got traded from Tampa, but we've been unable to contact family.

 

Here's an interesting read on enlarged hearts in athletes:

""Athletes heart" is a common term for an enlarged heart that is usually associated with repeated strenuous exercise. This is normal and there is usually no danger of heart problems. "Athlete's heart" becomes dangerous when the muscle wall of the lower chamber of the heart (Cardiomyopathy) or the walls of the heart's chambers thicken abnormally (Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (called athletic heart muscle disease) usually appears in young people, often in athletes. Due to the increased workload required of it, the heart will increase physiologically by enlarging its chambers and muscle mass, thus increasing the volume of blood pumped per stroke. As a result, the heart has to contract less frequently and at rest will beat as few as 40 times per minute. The average number of beats per minute in a non "athlete's heart" is 70 beats. "

...

"Unfortunately, the first sign of the condition may be sudden death caused by an abnormal heart rhythm. When symptoms do appear, they include shortness of breath on exertion, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, and chest pain. The American Heart Association reports that 36% of young athletes who die suddenly have probable or definite hypertrophic cardiomyopathy."

http://www.teenhealthfx.com/answers/Health/20572.html

Another study that talks about how common heart enlargement is among elite athletes: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20050816/bigger-hearts-ok-for-elite-athletes

I would think the only way to detect it would be an ultrasound (my mom's cat has HCM, and he has a very mild murmer but the definitive test was an ultrasound, and murmer's aren't always associated with it). I don't think most physicals include those, and even if they do, I think a lot of athletes have slightly enlarged hearts that don't pose any danger. Hearts are a muscle, and like other muscles, they can grow when you work them out.

 

This guy had a reputation as a bit of a loafer in TB, now maybe there is an honest-to-God explanation for any lethargy they felt he had.

 

My wife (a registered nurse) said enlarged hearts can come up on an echocardiogram, but they usually aren't done unless someone is symptomatic.