If he's looking to save a buck, Zyrtec is now OTC.

poor guy; now its sniffles and clogged nasal passages. Maybe he needs an inhaler. Gee whiz; maybe it is just over for him, as an elite hitter. And, notwithstanding that he was fit last year, and didn't hit very well, I would try getting a nutritionist, a trainer, and dropping from 248 pounds back to say, 220, and see if that might work. Andruw-its your career; you are making 18 million a year; let's part with some cash and see what getting in shape might do.

This is like a primer fish in a barrel thread... the only thing missing would be Steve Garvey stopping by the clubhouse after the game to offer some advice.

Andruw Jones: Allergic to fastballs. Addicted to desserts.

No, it's not desserts he's addicted to, it's sliders down in the dirt. He's all about the three-second rule.

Ever try functioning with severe seasonal allergies? It's hard to do anything involving hand eye coordination when both your nostrils are full of mucus (and your body producing new mucus apparently at the speed of light) and your eyes are watered shut. For a lot of allergy sufferers, myself included, Benadryl's still the only good quick option.

Ever try functioning with severe seasonal allergies? It's hard to do anything involving hand eye coordination when both your nostrils are full of mucus (and your body producing new mucus apparently at the speed of light) and your eyes are watered shut. For a lot of allergy sufferers, myself included, Benadryl's still the only good quick option.

I never understood people with allergies, and I thought they were all a bunch of whiners until I moved a couple years ago. Now, every spring and summer I feel like total crap for weeks on end, and I suspect my allergies aren't even that severe. I mean, I can get through my day just fine with medications, but I'm certainly not as productive as I would be otherwise, and I'm not competing at a world-class level against elite athletes.

How did Jones sneak this part of his medical report past the watchful eye of Ned Colletti? He was fleeced! The deal should be nullified!

How did Jones sneak this part of his medical report past the watchful eye of Ned Colletti? He was fleeced! The deal should be nullified!

I look for ESPN to ambush Jones with his tree pollen sensitivity number.

If he's looking to save a buck, Zyrtec is now OTC.

OTC costs me more than an RX would.

I take Allegra, and get 4 shots every 4 weeks.

How did Jones sneak this part of his medical report past the watchful eye of Ned Colletti? He was fleeced! The deal should be nullified!

"Allergy? Doesn't that mean quick and lively in Italian? Tell Scotty boy to name his price."

Ever try functioning with severe seasonal allergies?

If true Andruw would show a significant career split wrt April would he not?
But he doesn't.

This April merely seems to be a continuation of last year.

For a lot of allergy sufferers, myself included, Benadryl's still the only good quick option.

Benadryl scares the crap out of me, I can't believe it's OTC, for me the side effects outweight any possible benefit it may have

Benadryl makes me...amorous.

wow, I gotta try me some of this Benadryl. No wonder Mrs. Charlie always has some stashed about.

There's usually one day a year where my allergies are severe enough that I can't see to drive. Brutal. And there are a lot of dull sinus headaches that I get which are tiring, and hurt the thinking. And just for fun, they seem to last longer every year. I used to just need something for about 2 weeks. Now, it is months.

If true Andruw would show a significant career split wrt April would he not?
But he doesn't.

This April merely seems to be a continuation of last year.

It's entirely possible that the allergy thing is just an excuse, but he has changed teams, so he's in a new location. Maybe CA has more of whatever allergen bugs Andruw than GA.

Also, as a seasonal allergy sufferer myself, some years just hit you harder than others for some reason.

"let's part with some cash and see what getting in shape might do."


The Dodgers announced this morning they are hiring an Aruban health consultant to work on getting Andruw Jones in better shape. Apparently Dr. Ponson is working out of Oklahoma, but hopes to provide Andruw with the proper instruction needed for maintaining a healthy weight.

And allergies change with age. Every spring, for the last 20 years, I've been telling my wife with surprise in my voice "I never had seasonal allergies when I was a kid."

Well maybe AJ has turned into sneezy, and he is struggling because of clogged nasal passages. However, it does occur to me that there are 750 other MLB players who are somehow managing to perform at their acceptable levels without a snot excuse, and that AJ, who spent his first 10 years in maybe the worst allergy city in the country (Atlanta), by many counts, and who has proven his durability over time (162 games a year, despite countless dings and maladies), somehow now has the worst allergies of any player in MLB, seems a bit of a stretch to me. Perhaps a raised eye-brow and a response of "oh really, (tubby)" might be in order.

I'm not sure I understand the complaints about his weight as he's lighter than he was in 2005 and 2006, two of his best seasons.

Despite using Benadryl, I still get hit with the side effects - I get totally creamed by the sedative effects.

OTC costs me more than an RX would.

But no more doctor visits.

@20... so, his previous durability is now used against him? Nice.

he's lighter than he was in 05 and 06? really? i don't believe it. have you seen him? t.j. simers is a dork and a poser, but i've enjoyed his skewering of jones. AJ is having a serious productivity crisis and all he can come up with is defensive blather and an allergy excuse. i guess i should really be angry with the dodger management though. first the pierre contract, now this. i did a quick scan of yesterday's box, and slappy went 0-4, with no walks, highly representative of his recent efforts.
but of course with tubby out of the lineup, kemp did nothing to ingratiate himself with torre, going 0-3 with a strikeout. this will get him glued back to the bench for a week while pierre gets more at bats to 'work himself out of his slump,' or whatever b.s. the management can think of.
i'm honestly happy that i'm not a dodger fan, i'm just piping up because i live here and am pretty disgusted by what i'm seeing, and want the dodgers to win when i go to their games. unless they are playing the cardinals.
end of rant ...

sorry, i don't mean to sound so off the wall. i guess what i'm trying to say is, i don't buy the allergy excuses. those who suffer from real allergies have my sympathies. this just sounds like the dodgers are trying to come up with excuses. the club's mendacity and overall arrogance can be grating sometimes.

I'm not sure I understand the complaints about his weight as he's lighter than he was in 2005 and 2006, two of his best seasons.

The truest zinger: fat weighs less than muscle.

I am not sure there is correct data out there for 2005 and 2006, but if he is 248 now (which is what that article a week ago said), I would say I would be shocked if he was 248 in 2005 and 2006. He was heavier in 2005 and 2006 than he had been in year's past, but he just looks kind of tubby to me, now.

Benadryl scares the crap out of me, I can't believe it's OTC, for me the side effects outweight any possible benefit it may have

Just out of curiosity, what side effects would those be? I haven't taken it in years, probably, but not for any particular reason (other than the fact that my sleep problems are so severe that I can't take *any* allergy-type medication after, say, noon, & probably considerably earlier than that).

I take OTC generic Claritin-equivalent every morning, 365 days a year, regardless of pollen count or whatever. Better safe than sorry.

Just out of curiosity, what side effects would those be?

From wiki:

Like many other first-generation antihistamines, diphenhydramine is a potent anticholinergic agent. This leads to profound drowsiness as a very common side-effect, along with the possibilities of motor impairment (ataxia), dry mouth and throat, flushed skin, rapid or irregular heartbeat (tachycardia), blurred vision at nearpoint owing to lack of accommodation (cycloplegia), abnormal sensitivity to bright light (photophobia), pupil dilation (mydriasis), urinary retention (ischuria), constipation, difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss, visual disturbances, hallucinations, confusion, erectile dysfunction, and delirium. Some side effects such as twitching may be delayed until the drowsiness begins to cease and the person is in more of an awakening mode. Diphenhydramine also has local anesthetic properties, and has been used for patients allergic to common local anesthetics like lidocaine.[5] Severe, prolonged twitching and muscle spasm have also been experienced.

I can definitely attest personally to some of the less scary ones. I've never hallucinated or had visual disturbances, but it definitely makes me unbelievably sleepy, affects my motor skills, dilates my pupils, and clouds my thinking. I mainly use it at night when I'm safely at home.

It's a pretty useful drug though, if not for those short-term side effects.

that AJ, who spent his first 10 years in maybe the worst allergy city in the country (Atlanta), by many counts

An aside - it depends on what he is allergic to, or is causing him issue. The air quality in LA, I am pretty sure is worse than it is in Atlanta, and while Atlanta may have pine (or peachtree) pollen issues, the pollen in LA is different (as is the rest of the smog).

I don't buy this particular portion of the argument. Also, when I was 22, I wasn't particularly allergic to pollen. As I have aged, I am more susceptible to hay fever. So his aging would also impact this change.

While I find his "allergies is why I suck" not believable, I believe that his allergies may be significantly worsened.

I took some benadryl before heading into work one morning at 6 am. I had customers asking me all day if I was high. It was the last time I ever took the stuff. If I wanted a sleep aid, I'd take a sleep aid. Not allergy medication.

But back on topic, didn't this issue come up last year also? Maybe it wasn't Andruw, but I seem to remain someone blaming their early struggles on their allergies.

While I find his "allergies is why I suck" not believable, I believe that his allergies may be significantly worsened.

Concur. I think it's a lame excuse for Jones too, what I was objecting to was the idea that an allergy problem is a simple case of the sniffles.

OTC costs me more than an RX would.

But no more doctor visits.

Coinsurance (RX and OV's)< OTC drugs.

I can definitely attest personally to some of the less scary ones. I've never hallucinated or had visual disturbances, but it definitely makes me unbelievably sleepy, affects my motor skills, dilates my pupils, and clouds my thinking. I mainly use it at night when I'm safely at home.

Huh. At my vet's recommendation, I used to give my dogs a daily Benadryl (or, rather, the Wal-Mart version) when they were having problems with itching. No wonder they couldn't drive for crap.

definitely makes me unbelievably sleepy

Apparently, no substance known to man makes me unbelievably sleepy. *sigh* Ambien? I might as well take an M&M.

Apparently, no substance known to man makes me unbelievably sleepy. *sigh* Ambien? I might as well take an M&M;.

Have you tried melatonin pills?

You have to sort of lie there doing nothing after you take them, but they work for most people I know. they take about half an hour.

I live in L.A. and allergies bug me almost all year round. I went to Central Europe this winter and even though it was cold, I never once wheezed or sneezed or had any trouble. Then once I got off the plane (to a city where I have lived for 41 of my 42 years), I started to cough and sneeze.

In April, I went to Kauai. Despite everything flowering there, I had no allergy problems.

All I know is that I can feeling it coming in the air tonight.

Oh no.

Just a little interesting tidbit: the active ingredient in most major sleep aids, including Nytol, Sominex, Unisom gelcaps, and Tylenol PM is the same as the active igredient in Benadryl "Diphenhydramine hydrochloride" In fact, Tylenol PM is the exact same milligram dosage as one form of benadryl (I think its the basic package, but can't remember the exact amount), just with acetemenophin added to it. So taking a sleep aid instead of Benadryl or its generic equivalent is often simply spending more money for the same thing. i used to argue with my wife about whether taking a Tylenol and a Benadryl was any different than taking a Tylenol PM.

Despite using Benadryl, I still get hit with the side effects - I get totally creamed by the sedative effects.

This is the first time ever that I have experienced allergies to pollen (I hear this year there are some real potent allergens out there), and those allergies have been extremely potent and painful. Claritin doesn't do the trick, so I've been using Benadryl as well--but sparingly to address just the most painful episodes. It knocks me out cold though; I don't take it in the morning before I drive to work or in the afternoon before I drive home.