The World Of A Phillies Doctor: The Day Is Done

 The day is done. The good news is no real issues on the injury front. Dr. Ciccotti asks Sheridan if he would like to go to dinner. They go back and forth on a location and settle on a local grill nearby. They are now dressed casually. No Phillies gear anywhere insight. They sit anonymously eating… talking just like the other patrons.

The talk turns to the difficulties their more famous patients would have in a similar situation.

“It’s really hard for the guys to be on the road so much and then to come home and be out to eat with their families and be noticed and interrupted,” says Ciccotti. “During a good year they are working almost non-stop from February to November. They have pregame and postgame and treatments and travel. It’s hard for them to finally get a nice night out with their family, to catch up, to be normal, to have a private life.”

Sheridan shakes his head affirmatively. He knows.

“I understand that they have a certain social responsibility as representatives of their team but it’s so complex,” continues Dr. Ciccotti. "Social responsibility cuts both ways. To be a good representative of the organization and set a good example for the young athletes of America is very important. I truly believe that. You would hope that earns them the right to sit and have dinner with their families, but that is rarely the case. But it is what it is."

Dinner winds down and the debate of public versus private lives subsides. It is almost 10 pm. Tomorrow the team is off to Dunedin for a game against the Phillies neighbors to the north the Toronto Blue Jays. 

And with that Dr. Ciccotti’s day concludes just like it began;  warm, windy and in the dark.

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A special thank you to the Philadelphia Phillies organization, especially Scott Sheridan and the entire training staff for granting access for this series.

To schedule an appointment with any of the doctors on the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Sports Medicine Team please call 1-800-321-9999 or visit www.RothmanInstitute.com.