Searching for meaning in a meaningless loss: The concussion repercussions.

The first key injury of Yankee spring training, though minor overall, should raise eyebrows among the keepers of George M. Steinbrenner Field. 

By now, you know that Clint Frazier - aka Red Thunder - bonked his coconut against the outfield wall two days ago, conjuring a renewed appreciation for Bobby Abreu. Yesterday morning, his headaches and dizziness raised serious alarms. By day's end, after drinking a gallon of water (at the urging of team physician Dr. Russell Wilson), Frazier claimed to feel fine. Crisis averted? Maybe.

Despite the miracle recovery, but it's hard to imagine the Yankees rushing Red back into action. He seems the type who'd say anything to get into a game. While missing a week of spring training won't affect his season, it will definitely hurt his chances of making the opening day roster. 

Last year, it took Jacoby Ellsbury a month to recover from a concussion, and the ensuing slump effectively wrecked his season. Barring an epidemic of outfield injuries, Frazier was probably going to start 2018 in Scranton, anyway. A week off is hardly the worst thing. And let's not go overboard here: If he hits three homers next week, all this pearl-clutching will be forgotten. Still, for a kid on the cusp, what a raw deal. The juju gods should be ashamed of themselves.

But let's step back, beyond the Yankee outfield crowd in Scranton... 

Until now, the troubling issue of head injuries has fallen almost entirely on the NFL, where some retirees are experiencing forms of dementia at early ages. One of these days, Jerry Jones' Armageddon will come in the form of a machine that scans live people for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the brain ailment now found only in autopsies. Once that happens, active players will be confronted with proof that they'll someday face the most terrifying affliction of our times - the loss of one's mind. The football industry, including college and high school (down south), will be plunged into an abyss of lawsuits. If you're one solid hit from brain damage at age 40, what do you decide at age 25? One day soon, that question will echo across the sports landscape.

Frazier's injury should remind us that baseball won't skate, untouched by future liability. Outfield walls - especially in minor league parks like Steinbrenner Field - need greater padding. (In Syracuse, the outfields look like they were designed by Donald Trump.) Batting helmets need upgrades, and knockdown pitchers should face longer suspensions. At the major league level, unintentional wildness should be no excuse for a bean ball. (Talking to you, Dellin.) There will always be freak accidents, but one of these days, kids like Red Thunder may be studying a medical chart that requires them to choose different paths in life.