Concussion

Bobby Wilson knew something was wrong when, while catching the second inning against the Seattle Mariners Monday night, he said he "felt like I could fall asleep right there behind home plate. " Wilson took a foul ball off the facemask in the first and was replaced by John Hester in the bottom of the second. Tuesday, Wilson was put on the seven-day concussion disabled list and replaced on the roster by catcher Hank Conger , who was recalled from triple-A Salt Lake.

It was Ron Artest's fourth game back after missing the previous five because of a concussion suffered on Christmas night. Because Artest has been so inconsistent, so indifferent with his game, so nonaggressive once again, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was asked to assess his small forward's game after another dismal outing. Jackson then acknowledged that Artest may have felt some "dizziness" from a jarring fall in which Artest hit his head on the court after he was fouled by Milwaukee's Michael Redd 13 seconds into Sunday night's game between the Lakers and Bucks at Staples Center.

The horror stories in pro sports are coming so fast and furious that their significance is being lost in their numbers. It should be the other way around, but it's not. Another concussion. Ho hum. Player A will sit out two games, Player B a month. Page 5. Another league investigation, maybe some fines. Yawn. — After the Oct. 23 game against the New York Jets, San Diego Chargers guard Kris Dielman got on the plane to return home. During the game, he had taken a hit loud enough to be heard on TV. He staggered, looked disoriented and was approached by two concerned game officials.

Matt Scott is alive and apparently well. The Arizona quarterback briefly became the topic of national discussion this week, but not for the mega-yards he has accumulated or the marquee 39-36 victory over USC last Saturday that may have revived his football team's season. People were talking instead because Scott took a hit to the head before he vomited on the field late in the USC game. Following a timeout, Scott then threw what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown pass.

Aaron Rodgers extended his sharp start to the exhibition season, passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of the Green Bay Packers' 59-24 rout of the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night at Green Bay, Wis. It was a costly game for the Colts. Running back Joseph Addai left in the third quarter because of a concussion and linebacker Gary Brackett hurt his right hand. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning made plenty of big plays against a porous Packers pass defense early, completing 15 of 26 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

The scrappy hustle Kam Douglass brought to the basketball court was a coach's dream. Diving for loose balls, flustering opponents with his defensive intensity, Douglass made up for his lack of size when defending bigger and stronger players. The physical price he paid for his tenacity was head injuries. At just 19, the basketball career of the moppy-haired Douglass is over. He sustained an estimated 12 concussions of varying severity in less than two years. If Douglass' playing career had begun just a few seasons later, his basketball dreams could have been saved by the toughest sports concussion law in the country -- a measure passed by the Washington Legislature this spring.

Shawn Marion's game thrives above the rim, but that style of play can be as dangerous as it is spectacular. Marion, one of the NBA's rising stars, was carried off the court at America West Arena in Phoenix on a stretcher after sustaining a concussion in a frightening fall in the final minute of the Phoenix Suns' 90-80 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

Coming next Monday night: The Chicago Bears at the San Francisco 49ers. NFC powerhouse versus NFC powerhouse. Elite defense vs. elite defense. Jay Cutler vs. Alex Smith. On second thought, on that last part, maybe not. Cutler and Smith were knocked out of their games because of concussions Sunday and their status is uncertain. The game could be Jason Campbell vs. Colin Kaepernick. Cutler did not do his regular radio show Monday, and the Bears say his status is uncertain for the 49ers game.

Normally, as a lifelong 49ers fan (yes, before Joe Montana arrived), I am used to egregiously poor and L.A.-centric reporting from T.J. Simers. However, his piece concerning Steve Young [July 22] hit it, well, right on the head. If anything, Young's concussions have made him even more delusional about his capabilities and more stubborn about trying to prove himself. CHRISTIAN COLLET Irvine In his column last week, T.J. Simers referred to Kansas City as being "in the sticks."

Kings tonight VS. TAMPA BAY When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 8-3-0, Lightning 7-2-1. Record vs. Lightning (2009-10): 1-0. Update: A matchup of early conference leaders. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is due to return after suffering a concussion Oct. 20. The team was 4-2 without him. Tampa Bay is thriving under new Coach Guy Boucher and General Manager Steve Yzerman.