Elliott Kalb / Special to FOXSports.com Posted: 1 hour ago Athletes get hurt in a variety of ways. Some get hurt on the playing field. Some get hurt in taxis. Some get hurt in their sleep. The dumbest injuries are often contract violations: skiing accidents, motorcycle accidents, hunting accidents. And then there's Clint Barmes, the Rockies shortstop who recently saw his promising rookie season derailed when he broke his collarbone while carrying groceries up the stairs in his apartment building. But Barmes can rest easy (or at least as easy as someone with his left arm in a sling can). He didn't make the cut when it comes to the weirdest injuries in sports history. But these guys did. Guys who got burned — by themselves 1. John Smoltz irons his shirt in April of 1990. Smoltz figured out a nifty way to save time. He ironed his own shirts, while wearing them. This worked out well, until he gave himself burns to his chest and blood stains to the polo shirt he was ironing. Smoltz said at the time, "I couldn't believe it. I've done it five or six times and never had that happen." 2. Marty Cordova gets a suntan in May of 2002. Orioles outfielder Marty Cordova scorched his face in a tanning salon. He relaxed a little too much on a tanning bed. It's understandable. Ballplayers have way too few day games to work on their tans. In the old days, this never would have happened. 3. Bob Feller scalded in May of 1951. Just so people don't think modern-day athletes have all the weird injuries, I've included Feller. A hose flew out of Feller's hands and threw scalding water on the lower half of his body. He suffered first and second degree burns on his torso and legs. The hose got away from him as he attempted to fill a whirlpool, to ease the pain of a lower back. Guys who got frostbite — in August 4. Rickey Henderson in August, 1993. Toronto left fielder Henderson missed three games with frostbite on his left foot following application of an icepack. Rickey, is it 20 minutes on, and three games off? Taxicab confessions 5. Tom Glavine's five-minute cab ride from LaGuardia to Shea, 2004. Glavine lost his two front upper teeth, and needed stitches for a cut lower lip. He was a passenger in an auto accident, traveling the short distance from Laguardia Airport to Shea Stadium. There is no truth to the rumor he quickly hailed a cab from Shea to catch up with a gopher ball he had thrown to a former Atlanta Braves teammate. 6. Brian Anderson's cab ride from hell, 1998. They say left-handers have more accidents, but in taxis? Anderson, a career .500 pitcher then with the Diamondbacks, took a 20-minute cab ride to shop on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. He laid his pitching arm across the top of the backseat, and felt stiffness that night at the ballpark. He said the injury was the strangest of his career, forgetting about the time he burned his face with an iron in his hotel room. You think it's easy celebrating a score in the NFL? 7. Gus Frerotte uses his head, 1997. NFL players are always told that when they get to the end zone, to act like they've been there before. Well, Redskins quarterback Frerotte really did not know how to act after his third career rushing touchdown. After his late November one-yard touchdown run, Gus deliberately smacked his head against the stadium wall beyond the end zone. The $18 million dollar quarterback was taken to the hospital with neck pain, missing the second half of the most important game of the season (against the Giants) and was never really the same afterward. When Warner Brothers cartoon characters pull the same head-butt stunt, it's funny. 8. Bill Gramatica dances with joy following first quarter FG, 2001. Okay, I almost understand a quarterback on the hot seat losing his mind following a touchdown against a division rival. Now, someone please explain this one to me: An Arizona Cardinals field goal kicker celebrates wildly following a 42-yard field goal put his team up 3-0. Gramatica hyper-extended his right leg and tore his ACL, putting him on injured reserve the rest of the season. Bill Gramatica hurt his knee while celebrating a field goal. (Matt Campbell / Getty Images) Of course, the hardest part of baseball is the team picture 9. Cal Ripken's streak gets jeopardized by posing for All-Star team photo, 1996. At least, when you bat against Randy Johnson, you wear a protective helmet. When the league requires the All-Star team gather round for a photo, there's no protection in sight. Ripken broke his nose at the end of the pregame photo session when White Sox pitcher Roberto Hernandez lost his balance and swung his forearm back, striking Ripken. It's not just happening in the States 10. Santiago Canizares puts on a little too much Aqua-Velva, 2002. Spain's starting goalkeeper, 32-year old Canizares, was ruled out of the 2002 World Cup after he ruptured a tendon when a bottle of cologne fell on his foot. I've always said a little dab is good, but too much of that stuff is overpowering and harmful. More wild and wacky injuries: 11. Vince Coleman gets run down by technology, 1985. In the 1985 League Championship Series, he got rolled up by the automatic tarpaulin machine. 12. Brian Griese gets sacked by his own dog, 2002. When then-Broncos quarterback Griese was walking down the stairs, his dog came barreling down after him and clipped him. 13. Kevin Mitchell injures himself vomiting, 1992. Mariners outfielder Kevin Mitchell re-injured a muscle on his side while vomiting. When asked why he vomited, Mitchell said, "Sometimes, I just do that." 14. Sammy Sosa injures himself sneezing, 2004. Sosa sprained a ligament in his back after a violent sneeze last season. It happened while sneezing and bending over in front of his locker. He sneezed to the truth. 15. Glenallen Hill had scary nightmare, 1990. He spent two weeks on the disabled list due to cuts and scrapes he suffered during a nightmare about spiders. He hurt himself without ever waking during this incident. I heard about this, of course, on the Web. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3673950 This article is hilarious.
I remember two NBA guys getting burned while eating fondue, but I can't remember their names... It's bad enough getting burned while eating melted cheese, but to publicly admit to eating fondue with another guy is just creepy...
What, no Moises Alou? Remember the treadmill incident and the riding the bicycle incident when his was with the Astros?
I heard Smoltz on the radio one time, categorically deny that this happened. Now I'm sure if he did do something like this he might want to lie about it. But on the other hand, I can also see a bogus story get told around and having a life of it's own no matter what the facts really were. You just have to look on snopes for examples of this.
Here are some more: Being a catcher in baseball is a dangerous job. The guy behind the plate can get hit with 100 mile per hour fastballs, players charging home or the backswing of a bat. But none of those are what caused Kansas City Royals' catcher, Brent Mayne, to miss a month of the 2002 season. Brent wrenched his back when he turned his head to check for traffic while crossing a street in April. Brent spent four weeks on the disabled list with back spasms. Cincinnati Reds' pitcher, Scott Williamson, had his 2002 baseball season end a few weeks early after he accidently slammed a bathroom door against his foot. Scott's inability to get his foot out of the way of the door left him with two broken toes and a place on the disabled list. When Australian rugby league player Jamie Ainscough complained of an infection in his arm, doctors gave him X-rays which revealed Jamie had another player's tooth embedded into his arm. The tooth found its way into Jamie's arm in a game nearly a month earlier but he's not sure how it happenned. He said he planned to mail the tooth back to the other player.
All-Bizarre Injury Team Manager: Roger Craig (Giants) Cut his hand on a bra strap ... though we're guessing that's pain he played through. Catcher: Mickey Tettleton (Tigers) Once missed action with athlete's foot ... caused by tying his shoes too tight. First Base: Ryan Klesko (Braves) Once overexerted himself and pulled a muscle ... while picking up his lunch tray. Second Base: Bret Barberie (Marlins) Missed a game after rubbing chili juice in his eye ... probably after getting stuck behind John Kruk in morning stretches. Shortstop: Rey Quinones (Seattle) Once was unavailable for pinch hitting duty, because he had already returned to the clubhouse ... to play Nintendo. Third Base: Wade Boggs (Red Sox) Injured himself while pulling on his cowboy boots. Outfield: Kevin Mitchell (Mets/Giants) The master of all bizarre injuries, he once injured himself while eating a cupcake. That, of course, was when he wasn't missing games because of vomiting -induced muscle strains, or strained eyelids. Outfield: Ken Griffey, Jr. (Mariners) Missed a game after suffering a pinched testicle from his protective cup ... which explains why the whole "pain in the butt" thing just isn't phasing Jr. Outfield: Oddibe McDowell (Rangers) Yet another sad story of a baseball toughman getting taken out by food, he sliced his hand at the Texas welcome home luncheon while attempting to butter his roll. Designated Hitter: Glenallen Hill (Blue Jays) Went on the DL because of cuts suffered after smashing a glass table while dreaming he was being attacked by spiders ... anyway, that's his story, and he's sticking to it. Bench: Terry Harper (Braves) Separated his shoulder while waving a teammate home and subsequently high-fiving him. Bench: Rickey Henderson (Blue Jays) Missed a game because of frostbite ... in August. Bench: Mark Smith (Orioles) Injured his hand after sticking it in an air conditioner to "find out why it wasn't working." Bench: Jose Cardenal (Cubs) Missed a game in 1974 because he couldn't blink. Bench: George Brett (Royals) Broke his toe on a chair at his home while running from the kitchen to the TV to watch Bill Buckner hit. Bench: Vince Coleman (Cardinals) Missed the 1985 World Series after getting rolled up in the tarp machine. Starting pitcher: John Smoltz (Braves) Once burned his chest while ironing a shirt ... which he was still wearing. Starting pitcher: Tom Glavine (Braves) Redefining the phrase "star hurler," he broke a rib in 1992 after vomiting up airplane food. Starting pitcher: Nolan Ryan (Astros) Missed a start after being bitten on his hand ... by a coyote. Just stay far away from Jason Isringhausen. Starting pitcher: Carlos Perez (Expos) Broke his nose in a car accident ... while trying to pass the team bus. Starting pitcher: Doc Gooden (Mets) Missed a start when Vince Coleman accidentally struck him with a golf club in the clubhouse. Middle reliever: Steve Sparks (Brewers) Dislocated his shoulder attempting to tear a phone book in half. Middle reliever: Charlie Hough (Rangers) Once broke his pinky ... shaking hands -- pinky shaking, that is. Middle reliever: Ricky Bones (Marlins) Went on the disabled list in 2000 after injuring himself while changing channels on the clubhouse TV. Middle reliever: Greg Harris (Rangers) Injured his wrist while flicking sunflower seeds in the dugout Closer: Jason Isringhausen (Athletics) Broke his hand while punching a trash can just weeks after stabbing himself in the leg trying to open a package.
Tight End: Rocketman95 (Katy Junior High) After having a reception ruled an imcomplete pass on a critical fourth down play with less than a minute in the game, Rocketman95 jumped up in anger at the official, only to land on the turf and severely sprain his knee. Friends of Rocketman95 got a huge kick out of watching the video in slow motion for several years after. Tight End: Rocketman95 (Katy Junior High) With less than a minute left in the game, the coach implored anyone who caught the ball to immediately run out of bounds. After catching the ball and running out of bounds, Rocketman95 slipped on the wet concrete of Tully Stadium and severely bruised his tailbone. It did not help his condition to learn that there was no one within 20 yards of him and he could've scored the game winning touchdown with no problem whatsoever.
A few from Australia I remember. All of these are Rugby League players... Penrith Panthers player Richard Swain is almost paralyzed when "wrestling" with a team mate at the teams hotel. He had to get a bones in his neck fused and missed the rest of the season. Cronulla Sharks halfback Brett Kimmorley misses a number of weeks after rupturing a testicle during a game. St George/Illawarra Dragons centre Mark Gasnier injured his leg getting out of the car and it out for a month.
Wasn't it Willie Davis of the Bears or somebody on the Cardinals that blew out both (?) his knees going after a ball in the open field?
What no Kobe?? How does picking up cardboard boxes, cutting your hand on one and missing a few games not make the list???
Well in Rugby League (Which is a better form of "Rugby") that sort of thing was rubbed out of the game about 28 years ago. From memory the ruptured testicle in this case was from a stray knee. The NRL in Australia is so brutal that you get many injuries of all types. Punctured lungs, broken necks, broken jaws....along with all the knee blowouts, shoulder problems and stuff like that. I remember a Test match in 2000 where and Australia and New Zealand player went for the ball at the same time. The New Zealand player had his face caved in after a terrible head clash. When they showed this bloke on TV blood was just pouring out of his nose. The doctors basically had to reconstruct his face....they said it was like he had been in a severe car crash. Another injury you might like to hear about was a split eyebrow in a State Of Origin game a few years ago. Nothing over the top about that....untill the TV camera focuses in. The team doctor holds the players head and start stapling the cut back togeather on live TV. Anyway, the stapler broke half way across and got stuck on the players eyebrown. They got it back togeather and finishe dit up.....play on. I love that sort of stuff!!!
I'm surprised that pitcher from the Cardinals wasn't included who broke his hand punching the bullpen phone. Didn't Shaq hurt himself cleaning up his house once?
