Word: pleasants
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...tall, gray-haired man in rimless glasses standing by the Pleasant Valley bench smiles happily. He is Hugo Verbruggen, M.D., Ph.D., fellow of the American College of Surgeons and of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, a distinguished doctor who acts as team physician to the Bears because his son once Clayed football with them. Dr. Verbruggen sees the game of football from a slightly different perspective. "It rained a few days ago," he remarks. "The field has dried out enough for good footing, but the ground is still nice and soft. You don't get as many injuries...
...bones, torn ligaments, concussion and, occasionally, paralysis or death-are football's current shame. This fall, a million high school boys will be injured playing football. Most will suffer minor muscle pulls; others will walk the rest of their lives on aching knees. A few will die. While Pleasant Valley and Palmerton are playing in Pennsylvania, a 16-year-old boy in Oklahoma dies of head injuries en route to the hospital during halftime. If anything, the damage is worse in college and pro ball. Before this season ends, 70,000 players from 900 colleges will be injured...
...Nobody ever gets hurt in high school on an incomplete pass because there's no hitting. In the pros, receivers get pounded whether or not they catch the ball." Racking up the empty-handed receiver is just one practice in the N.F.L. that angers and frustrates Verbruggen and Pleasant Valley's coaches, because it invites imitation. Spearing (the vicious ramming of a downed player with the hardshell helmet), late hits, chop blocks, open taunts and intimidation are regular fare on Sunday-afternoon TV. Says Assistant Coach Gary Bruch: "We're out there five days a week trying...
...kind of example and avoid injury is strict rules, strictly enforced. New rules for high school football in Pennsylvania call for automatic ejection for spearing, but coaches and players say referees either rarely see spearing or else fail to enforce the rule. Other ways to reduce physical damage at Pleasant Valley, thanks largely to Verbruggen, involve careful medical checkups and new and better ways of conditioning. "We don't even do traditional calisthenics any more," says Head Coach Tony Caracio. "One of the drills-walking 20 yds. on the inside of your feet, then 20 yds. on the outside...
...second half, Pleasant Valley controls the game, driving inside Palmerton's 20-yd. line, but fails to score. Late in the third period, a touchdown pass is called back when an official spots an ineligible receiver downfield. "We need a touchdown," Dr. Verbruggen growls. But he wants the Bears to score for a special reason. "When kids get discouraged, their reflexes aren't sharp. They run at somebody halfheartedly. That's when they get hurt. It's even worse with younger kids. If it were up to me, I would eliminate all peewee and junior high...