Crazy baseball injuries

Talk about it

The excitement around the water cooler is bubbling as Major League Baseball fans gear up for 162 games from their favorite team in hopes of playing in October.

Playing a full season in the majors is a daunting task not rivaled in any other sport. To quote the fictional Indians skipper Lou Brown from “Major League:” “Over 162 games even tough guys get strains, a sore arm or a muscle pull.”

Sweet Lou has a point, but with spring training in full swing a few injuries have already grabbed my attention in typical ridiculous MLB fashion.

Michael Taylor is at a crossroads in his career and needs to make the A’s roster, except he hasn’t been getting a chance since he cut his right pinkie finger after trying to throw away a chewed up wad of gum.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin got into the act after being stung by a scorpion last week. He finally went to the hospital after the numbness spread to his shoulder.

Still looking for a team, Carl Pavano might have to wait longer after lacerating his spleen in a freak shoveling accident this January at his Vermont home.

Every year more and more players and managers make a run at joining the list of “most bizarre/stupid/did that really just happen?” injuries.

Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable.

Last May, Mark DeRosa already on the DL for the Nationals, got an extended stay after Bryce Harper aggravated DeRosa’s left oblique strain with a high five.

More ridiculous injuries in celebratory mode:

Chris Coghlan, then of the Marlins, tore a meniscus in his left knee after planting a pie in the face of teammate Wes Helms after a walk-off single.

Mets reliever Ramon Ramirez was out for six weeks after being injured while rushing on the field after Johan Santana’s no-hitter.

My favorite crazy ball player, Luke Scott, spent 15 days on the DL after he pulled a hamstring during a home run trot.

But oftentimes big leaguers hurt themselves doing normal or unusual everyday things. Take Geoff Blum, then Astros infielder, who went on the DL after feeling a pop in his elbow — while putting on a shirt.

Still in Houston former Astro Hunter Pence suffered lacerations in his right knee and index finger after walking through a sliding glass door while hot-tubbing with a lady friend during spring training.

While the hot tub is probably routine for Pence, former Rockies infielder Clint Barmes fell on the stairs at his place while carrying in a slab of venison — again a routine situation for the average man.

Joel Zumya sat out the 2006 ALCS after suffering a strained forearm from playing too much “Guitar Hero.”

The list of injuries is as long as baseball’s storied history. From frost bite, to dog bites, to multiple accounts of strained muscles while vomiting, baseball proves that freak injuries happen.

Some are amusing, like Adam Eaton in 2001, who missed a start after stabbing himself with a paring knife while trying to open the plastic around a DVD.

Others are more painful like Ken Griffey Jr. who missed a game after his protective cup slipped and pinched one of the things the cup is supposed to protect.

A few are downright ugly like when Kendry Morales broke his leg after jumping on home plate after a walk-off grand slam.

While these crazy injuries will continue to happen, here’s hoping that no player suffers anything too serious this summer.

Ben Rodgers is a news writer at the Jamestown Sun

Tags: sports, mlb, baseball