Overcoming Impossible Odds - A Story of Perseverance

Overcoming Impossible Odds - A Story of Perseverance
Photo courtesy of Stratford Booster Club

Storey spent eight days in the hospital.

Originally Appeared on VYPE

Almost dying multiple times within a few days is not a common problem for the average sixteen year old, but, if you know anything about Adrian Storey, you know that was the norm for a time in his life.

August 28th, 2018 started out as a normal Tuesday, as it would for any teenager. Storey was in his baseball class period, running sprints with his teammates. And then his life changed forever.

"Out of nowhere, I saw this blinding, white light," said Storey. "I had collapsed, but I didn't know it. It was like falling asleep."

That was his description of one of the most dramatic and heart-stopping events (literally and figuratively) that would happen in the 2018-2019 school year. He had collapsed, blacked out and started convulsing and seizing. Coach Keith Humphreys immediately took action, sending students for the AED and athletic trainers.

Junior Carson Dodds also recounts the experience.

"I just remember running and then seeing Adrian collapse," he said. "He started seizing on the ground and his face went completely purple. That's when Coach Humphreys checked his breathing and started CPR. It was a really scary experience."

There were no pre-existing conditions. No signs that could've prepared everyone for what was happening. Out of nowhere, he was down.

Athletic trainers Melissa Quigley and Marrianne Landon acted quickly and efficiently, enacting the emergency action plan.

"Landon was the first to get out there," said head trainer Melissa Quigley. "She brought the AED, attached it to [Storey] and, at that point, he regained consciousness."

"I woke up and my vision was blurry, and then I felt the AED on my chest," said Storey. "I was super confused. But, after my vision cleared, I was able to stand up, walk onto the stretcher and wait for the ambulance in the training room. It was almost like nothing had happened. I felt completely fine."

From the ambulance, he was taken to Memorial Hermann hospital, where doctors performed tests. After a few hours, they released him, citing dehydration as the issue. He was given strict restrictions: no practicing for at least three weeks. The next morning, Storey hardly noticed the nervous chatter about his accident from the sophomore class.


The story continues here

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Christian Walker's oblique injury appears to be lingering. Composite Getty Image.

Heading into Wednesday's Grapefruit League game, reports indicate that Astros first baseman Christian Walker has been scratched with left oblique soreness.

As Chandler Rome mentions in the post above, Walker missed the entire month of August in 2024 with a left oblique injury. He only hit .231 for the remainder of the season after recovering from the injury.

Walker was off to a hot start this spring, hitting .500 with 3 doubles in 8 at-bats. Hopefully this is just a precautionary move, and he'll be back in the lineup shortly.

However, these are the types of risks owner Jim Crane likes to take. Only willing to commit big money on short-term deals to aging players. Walker will be 34 years old at the end of March. He signed a 3-year, $60 million contract with Houston this offseason.

The reality is, sometimes these moves work, and sometimes they don't. Older players are more likely to have their production falloff and deal with injuries. Michael Brantley is a prime example of getting good value from an older player on a short contract. His 2-year deal for $32 million with the Astros for the 2019 and 2020 seasons turned out to be a solid move. He played the 2019 and 2020 seasons at 32 and 33 years old, respectively. His contracts with the 'Stros following that original deal did not work out nearly as well, with injuries keeping him out of the lineup regularly.

Justin Verlander is another example of Crane's willingness to roll the dice on aging players. Verlander joined the Astros during his age 34 season. Houston saw a wide range of results with Verlander. He won two Cy Young awards and two championships with the club, but also missed significant time due to injury, and struggled to get batter outs when healthy in 2024. Verlander was left off the postseason roster in his final year in Houston.

And we can't help but mention the Jose Abreu contract as a cautionary tale. Especially since the terms of his deal and his age are similar to Walker's.

But clearly, Crane was more comfortable making the cheaper 3-year deal with Walker over extending Kyle Tucker or paying Alex Bregman market value. Had the Astros kept one of those two players, they likely would have felt better about keeping Jon Singleton at first base and passing on Walker.

Only time will tell if the Astros made the right decisions. The trade haul for Kyle Tucker looks terrific so far, but we all know it's not wise to put too much stock in spring training games.

It's also worth noting, both Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez missed time in 2023 dealing with oblique injuries.

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