Casey Stoner Rumors, Still sick

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Aug 18 2009, 10:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Some might considerl riding a ducati motogp bike, or indeed strongly endeavouring to beat valentino rossi in the motogp championship as forms of self-harm, but I was aware of this caveat and had concluded that it was unlikely casey was causing himself to bleed when I posted. I believe this would cause an iron deficiency anaemia anyway.I didn't mean to suggest he was cutting, it was an attempt at deadpan.

Had a decent chat with Julian Ryder on Sunday night after the GP. I asked him about what was really going on with Stoner and if he had any ideas.

He said the word in the paddock ( obviously apart from Ducati ) is that no one genuinely knows anything at all. They do not know if it is a purely physical condition, or something that may be a mental issue which may affect his physical condition.

From speaking to JR and knowing how closely the Eurosport crew work with the teams throughout a season, you do get a feeling of the strain the riders are under, both physically and mentally and perhaps as fans and viewers we do not always appreciate that.
The name Manuel Poggiali popped up. A guy we both thought was destined to be a great, but had problems which stopped him from achieving .

Lets see if CS if fit for Estoril. I hope so. As race fans, I am pretty certain we all want to see CS back on the grid and fighting with GOAT, Horhay and Pedro

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Goatboy @ Aug 18 2009, 07:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I didn't mean to suggest he was cutting, it was an attempt at deadpan.
I respect you and enjoy your posts, and I did realise this. I initially attempted a more humorous reply, but decided as a matter of principle (I occasionally decide to have them) not to joke about people cutting themselves. Apologies if it came off as anything against you.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Aug 19 2009, 10:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I respect you and enjoy your posts, and I did realise this. I initially attempted a more humorous reply, but decided as a matter of principle (I occasionally decide to have them) not to joke about people cutting themselves. Apologies if it came off as anything against you.No it didn't, I guess because I have personal experience of a few people that do it I'm desensitised.

Gardner mystified by Stoner illness

Dan Silkstone
October 11, 2009
page 1 of 2

HIS return to racing and return to form has come not a moment too soon for organisers of the Phillip Island MotoGP and for the 100,000 fans who will cheer his every move, but mystery still surrounds the health of former world champion Casey Stoner.

Another former champion of the Island, two-time winner Wayne Gardner, told The Age during the week he was happy to see Australia's best rider back in the saddle and hoped Stoner could win his home grand prix in front of an adoring crowd next weekend.

But Gardner also had some strong words for Stoner, who has shocked many in the motor-sport world this year by taking a three-race mid-season break as he battled illness and fatigue symptoms that doctors have not been able to explain.

"It's very suspicious," Gardner said. "I wish there had have been some sort of answer to it, that he'd come out with some sort of answer, because there is certainly an air of mystery to it.''

Gardner joins another former top rider, American Kevin Schwantz, in expressing scepticism about Stoner's mysterious condition. Schwantz has suggested the Australian's heart was simply not in racing and that his absence was caused by inability to cope with pressure or by friction between rider and team.

Gardner said he did not know the cause. "I personally haven't ever seen anyone just stop for a rest during the year in my time of grand prix racing. It's certainly an unanswered question,'' he said.

"I don't think it puts a question mark on him as a competitor but it would just be nice to know what was the reasoning for it … I think he probably needs to come up with some answers.''

Stoner won two of the year's first five races and was sitting third in the world championship standings when the illness struck. He battled through June and July, reporting cramps, nausea and tiredness during races, and was initially diagnosed as having "mild anaemia and slight gastritis". Those verdicts were later proven incorrect after exhaustive tests could not detect any virus or anomaly in his system other than low blood pressure.

The official verdict is now that the former world champion's condition was caused by "overtraining".

Stoner spent two months at home in Australia convalescing before returning to the Estoril MotoGP and claiming a surprise second place. During his absence, a series of rumours swept through the MotoGP paddock including that the illness was a reaction to stress, that Stoner would retire from the sport and even that he had been poisoned.

Ducati's chief sponsor, Marlboro, also expressed serious doubts about the nature of his absence as the Australian effectively disappeared from the sport. Now, though, he is back and Gardner believes he can contend for the race win next weekend.

"It's good to see Casey back and I'd say he's got a point to prove,'' Gardener said. ''I think he's going to be pretty hard to beat but while he's been away [Jorge] Lorenzo has been going fast and [Valentino] Rossi has got a world title to attend to.''

Gardner expects Rossi to ride a little conservatively as he protects his title lead and Lorenzo to push hard in pursuit. "It's between those three but with the home crowd my money is on Casey,'' he said.

The 1987 world champion, who will take part in a legends ride alongside Mick Doohan and Troy Bayliss, said Stoner was extremely talented and one of the fastest riders on the circuit. But some have raised eyebrows at the ultra-protective Stoner camp, which closed ranks around the young rider as he took time to sort out his health issues.

"I don't tell him how to ride his motorbike and that's the way he does things,'' Gardner said. "But it's certainly very unusual and very unique that someone stops and has a rest for three or four races in the middle of the year and then comes back out and races and says, 'I'm better now'.''

Gardner said he was surprised that Stoner had been able to step straight back into the sport. "It shows you what a talent he is and hopefully he can keep that up for the rest of the year.''

As for next Sunday, the Yamaha - ridden by Rossi - is definitely the best all-round bike package, Gardner says, but the Ducati, though tough to ride, has the edge in straight-line speed. ''That could suit Stoner on the Phillip Island track, where raw pace is important.''

the age

Interesting that two very respected champions (Gardner and Schwantz) have the same(ish) opinions as the forum Casey Sookers... great rider but WTF?

I'd love the hear Bayliss and Doohan's takes on Casey's mid season mystery...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Oct 10 2009, 03:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Interesting that two very respected champions (Gardner and Schwantz) have the same(ish) opinions as the forum Casey Sookers... great rider but WTF?

I'd love the hear Bayliss and Doohan's takes on Casey's mid season mystery...
You won't hear such a take from doohan and bayliss, as they don't make negative comments about current riders now that they have retired, particularly not with the implication that they were better/tougher. Wayne has been opining thus for years, with hardly a positive statement about any current rider, which is why he has significantly fewer fans in australia (including me) now than when he was racing.

One thing none of Doohan, Baylis, Gardner nor Swantz have had to contend with ........ is the Rossifans ....... Just imagine Doohans reaction to the petty "booing" and kiddy crap Rossifans get up to

Doohan ...... would have told them what they are ( the nearest he got to it was the tiny but vocal Criville fanbase who at least had a shred of dignity )

Baylis ....... would have pulled away

Gardiner ....... and Swantz ..... would have "had an opinion on it"


But Stoner lives that imbecilic kiddy crap every time he goes out on a track, it must get tiresome at some stage.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Oct 10 2009, 10:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Interesting that two very respected champions (Gardner and Schwantz) have the same(ish) opinions as the forum Casey Sookers... great rider but WTF?

Coming from respectable sources too, makes less of ‘Sookers’ the so called Stoner ‘Sookers’ I guess!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (VHMP01 @ Oct 11 2009, 08:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Coming from respectable sources too, makes less of ‘Sookers’ the so called Stoner ‘Sookers’ I guess!
The question is not whether they have been respectable in the past or are now respectable, but whether they are any better informed than you guys. I don't doubt that you yourself are "respectable", my doubts focus on whether you have inside knowledge about casey's medical condition not available to the rest of us .

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (VHMP01 @ Oct 11 2009, 08:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Coming from respectable sources too, makes less of ‘Sookers’ the so called Stoner ‘Sookers’ I guess!


Not at all, I mean, I want to see a video at least of the comments before I will even give them any credibility.




Gaz

Could be a depression thing?

Once getting to the top, Casey is having a problem with all the expectations put upon him.

Shows that Gardner is about as smart as Schwantz. ie. not very........

As Michael said I think WG is less than supportive of other riders to try to boost his own standing. A bit like Carl Fogarty.


And.......for the thousandth time , Casey has had a form of chronic or post-viral fatigue and has now largely recovered due to the rest he took. It was the correct course of action.


Recent research suggests a Retrovirus could be responsible

Check out this link and become a little better educated (Rossi boppers) and become less inclined to concoct ridiculous conspiracy theories relating to mental burn out and fear of racing Rossi.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article....rome-retrovirus

The anaemia and gastritis were not the cause of his weakness, just incidental findings or secondary to the primary infection. Also, although blood parameters have a designated normal range, certain individuals can have values slightly outside this range without having a disease related to it.
ie. the anaemia could have been an incidental and non significant finding.
Even Casey knew that his anaemia was too mild to explain the severity of his weakness.

Just call me Doc.

Personally, I could give a .... about the opinions of Gardner, Doohan, Schwantz and Mamola none of whom are doctors. As things stand, Stoner has said in so many words that his own physicians are as yet not 100% certain of all the contributing factors that brought about his illness. If it's still something of a mystery to top-rated physicians, why the .... should it be any less so to a bunch of ex-roadracers? Anyone who knows .... about medical science - will tell you that there are literally millions of yet unidentified viruses floating around out there. Not everything is as simple as putting a pin in a broken bone. I well remember the late '70' - early '80s when a lot of people started getting sick from some kind of unidentified "cancer". Lots of those folks were let go by their employers for malingering because doctors were unable to give any kind of standard diagnosis. Turned out of course - these were the early (known) victims of AIDs. Interestingly, it turns out that the AIDs virus didn't just pop into existence in 1979. Scientists found the AIDs virus in specimens taken from a British sailor who died mysteriously back in the late '50s. It's been around that long and the greatest minds in medical science didn't detect it's presence for almost three decades.

So if the nature of Stoner's illness manages to elude a couple of ex-roadracers with high-school diplomas, well gee... go figure.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Keshav @ Oct 11 2009, 11:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Personally, I could give a .... about the opinions of Gardner, Doohan, Schwantz and Mamola none of whom are doctors. As things stand, Stoner has said in so many words that his own physicians are as yet not 100% certain of all the contributing factors that brought about his illness. If it's still something of a mystery to top-rated physicians, why the .... should it be any less so to a bunch of ex-roadracers? Anyone who knows .... about medical science - will tell you that there are literally millions of yet unidentified viruses floating around out there. Not everything is as simple as putting a pin in a broken bone. I well remember the late '70' - early '80s when a lot of people started getting sick from some kind of unidentified "cancer". Lots of those folks were let go by their employers for malingering because doctors were unable to give any kind of standard diagnosis. Turned out of course - these were the early (known) victims of AIDs. Interestingly, it turns out that the AIDs virus didn't just pop into existence in 1979. Scientists found the AIDs virus in specimens taken from a British sailor who died mysteriously back in the late '50s. It's been around that long and the greatest minds in medical science didn't detect it's presence for almost three decades.

So if the nature of Stoner's illness manages to elude a couple of ex-roadracers with high-school diplomas, well gee... go figure.
Interestingly schwantz made no comment about stoner's apparently equally phony scaphoid injury, something concerning which he undoubtedly has perspective in the context of gp racing.

It was reasonable for him to comment about what constitutes hard and what constitutes unfair racing after laguna seca 2008; I think stoner probably even took what he said on board to some degree, and I am sure everyone is happy to hear insights into such matters from riders of his and gardner's eminence.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Keshav @ Oct 11 2009, 06:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Personally, I could give a .... about the opinions of Gardner, Doohan, Schwantz and Mamola none of whom are doctors. As things stand, Stoner has said in so many words that his own physicians are as yet not 100% certain of all the contributing factors that brought about his illness. If it's still something of a mystery to top-rated physicians, why the .... should it be any less so to a bunch of ex-roadracers? Anyone who knows .... about medical science - will tell you that there are literally millions of yet unidentified viruses floating around out there. Not everything is as simple as putting a pin in a broken bone. I well remember the late '70' - early '80s when a lot of people started getting sick from some kind of unidentified "cancer". Lots of those folks were let go by their employers for malingering because doctors were unable to give any kind of standard diagnosis. Turned out of course - these were the early (known) victims of AIDs. Interestingly, it turns out that the AIDs virus didn't just pop into existence in 1979. Scientists found the AIDs virus in specimens taken from a British sailor who died mysteriously back in the late '50s. It's been around that long and the greatest minds in medical science didn't detect it's presence for almost three decades.

So if the nature of Stoner's illness manages to elude a couple of ex-roadracers with high-school diplomas, well gee... go figure.

Yes! Finally someone compared casey's mental breakdown to AIDS. Lets just stop right here. Casey has the new AIDS. New AIDS, An Imaginary Disease Syndrome. Causes are succubus's and the ability to pass blame on everyone and everything but ones self. In severe cases one can even breakdown so far they think something is really wrong with them. Anyone else think that Mika may have caught a case of new AIDS? And possibly the GOAT too for that matter.

I bet it's from somebody ....... koala bears those things are nasty.

19pages... rossi boppers still going at it...

prob got more coverage than rossi winning 08 championship.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MdubSTYLIE @ Oct 11 2009, 09:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Yes! Finally someone compared casey's mental breakdown to AIDS. Lets just stop right here. Casey has the new AIDS. New AIDS, An Imaginary Disease Syndrome. Causes are succubus's and the ability to pass blame on everyone and everything but ones self. In severe cases one can even breakdown so far they think something is really wrong with them. Anyone else think that Mika may have caught a case of new AIDS? And possibly the GOAT too for that matter.

I bet it's from somebody ....... koala bears those things are nasty.

If I (and a lot of other rational people) don't give any credence to the
medical ramblings and ravings of respected racing heroes - what,
you need to ask yourself, do any other thinking, open-minded people
care about your sniggering 5th grader pronouncements on Stoner's health?
I don't know why I bother, but hey man, just once in a while why don't
you think about adding something positive to a discussion? But no...
you'll just go "Oh snap" like some 12 year-old home-girl from the streets of
the South Bronx and blurt out another inane insult further exposing
your immaturity and your ignorance.

When a world champion racer takes ill, whether physical or mental and
takes the painful step of walking away from a competition he's worked
his entire adult life to be a part of - it's a terrible thing. It had to be one
of the toughest decisions Stoner has ever had to make. Apparently a
pipsqueak like you is only capable of seeing this an opportunity to insult
someone who's achievements are just totally beyond your comprehension.
You remind me of a tiny little dog barking at a lion. Just once I'd like to see
you add something intelligent or constructive to the conversation. But I'm
not holding my breath.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Oct 10 2009, 10:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Interesting that two very respected champions (Gardner and Schwantz) have the same(ish) opinions as the forum Casey Sookers... great rider but WTF?

I'd love the hear Bayliss and Doohan's takes on Casey's mid season mystery...
...., I KNEW that post would catch a few... You guys are too easy...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Keshav @ Oct 11 2009, 11:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>If I (and a lot of other rational people) don't give any credence to the
medical ramblings and ravings of respected racing heroes - what,
you need to ask yourself, do any other thinking, open-minded people
care about your sniggering 5th grader pronouncements on Stoner's health?
I don't know why I bother, but hey man, just once in a while why don't
you think about adding something positive to a discussion? But no...
you'll just go "Oh snap" like some 12 year-old home-girl from the streets of
the South Bronx and blurt out another inane insult further exposing
your immaturity and your ignorance.

When a world champion racer takes ill, whether physical or mental and
takes the painful step of walking away from a competition he's worked
his entire adult life to be a part of - it's a terrible thing. It had to be one
of the toughest decisions Stoner has ever had to make. Apparently a
pipsqueak like you is only capable of seeing this an opportunity to insult
someone who's achievements are just totally beyond your comprehension.
You remind me of a tiny little dog barking at a lion. Just once I'd like to see
you add something intelligent or constructive to the conversation. But I'm
not holding my breath.

Everyone I am sorry to say the fun police is back. Fun time is over.

Relax man you are the one who brought up aids not me. I was just making light of another overly ridiculous professor kesha comment. You need to grow a sense of humor as bad as cs needs to grow a set of balls. But I guess asking an old dog to learn new tricks is probably asking a lot.

And I have added something constructive, but you were probably climbing the Himalayas or some .....
text u l8r fish.