Royals catcher Salvdor Perez felt “dizzy” and “foggy” after taking a foul ball off his facemask in the second game of the division series against the Angels last Friday evening but remained behind the plate:

Speaking before Game 3 on Sunday night, Perez said Royals manager Ned Yost and trainer Nick Kenney asked him a series of questions and made sure he was OK before letting him to continue. The Royals won 4–1 in 11 innings, putting them on the brink of sweeping the Los Angeles Angels in their best-of-five series.
“A little headache. After I get hit, I just feel like . . . dizzy, a little foggy a little bit,” Perez said. “I talked to Ned about that and after 30 seconds, I think everything is gone. But now I feel good, no more headache and ready to go.”
Head injuries have generated widespread debate in professional sports, primarily in the NFL. But many baseball players also have been sidelined by concussions, including Perez, who spent time on the seven-day concussion list late last year.
That happened after Perez took a foul ball off his mask in a game against the New York Yankees. The latest blow came when Angels slugger Josh Hamilton was following through on his swing, and his bat made hard contact with the side of Perez’s helmet.
Kenney administered an on-field concussion exam, checking his vision and going through a series of other tests. Perez insisted he was fine. If he was found to have had a concussion, Perez could have missed Game 3.

It’s difficult to ascertain what’s more troubling here — that a player’s long-term health, particularly someone who was sidelined with a concussion a year ago, is deemed secondary to winning, or that a manager who deems winning more important than one’s long-term health believes that the player who admits to being wobbly after a ball smacks him in the mask is someone he wants behind the plate for the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, Fangraphs’ Tony Blengino offers up insights about putting postseason bullpen construction, cautioning that an effective bullpen can only take a team so far:

[B]ullpens are important, but let’s not get carried away here. The Orioles’ bullpen advantage certainly helped them defeat the Tigers, but their clear advantages in defense, athleticism and position player depth were also huge. The Tigers apparently do not have a center fielder. The Royals’ pen was great, but their defense was greater, and their starting pitching depth superior. C.J. Wilson says hi – and bye. The Nats pen basically matched the Giants pitch for pitch in the first two games, and the vast majority of the Cards’ damage in Game 1 was done against Clayton Kershaw, which can’t be held against the Dodger pen.
It does appear clear, however, that unless you have a chance to get one of the game’s premier closers at the very apex of his career, you should not sink big money or assets into the free agent and trade markets when assembling your bullpen. Acquire accomplished starting pitchers or potential conversion candidates in the late rounds of the draft or the international amateur market, and do it each and every year to create organizational depth. Scour the minor league free agent lists and waiver wire for sleeper candidates. Convert “failed” starters into relievers, narrow their repertoires, and let them pin their ears back and fire away. Major and minor league pitching coaches are key — sometimes the slightest tweak can turn an underachiever into the latest John Holdzkom-esque success story. The Mariners had the best relief ERA in baseball this year, with many of the members of its pen pitching at the upper end of their projections — pitching coach Rick Waits likely had a great deal to do with this.

Finally, Tony Bennett sang “God Bless America” at AT&T Park yesterday but managed to alter a few choice words.

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“Ocean bright with gold?”

Where has Bennett been swimming? Wait, I take that back. Maybe it’s best that we don’t know.

Anyway, isn’t the “Star-Spangled Banner” supposed to be the one whose lyrics everyone mangles? Oh, and if GBA isn’t our national anthem, why are some of you giving me dirty looks when I don’t remove my cap?

More here, here, here, and here.