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Freak Injury Thread

Johnny Dickshot Jun 06 2005 05:42 PM

Barmes out for three months after breaking collarbone By EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports Writer June 6, 2005 DENVER (AP) -- Colorado Rockies rookie sensation Clint Barmes is expected to miss at least three months after breaking his left collarbone in a fall while carrying groceries up the stairs in his apartment building. Barmes, a shortstop leading National League rookies in most offensive categories, will have surgery Tuesday and isn't expected to return until at least August. In an interview Monday, Barmes said he was returning home the previous night with groceries cradled in his left arm and a sweat shirt in his right hand. He got tired of waiting for the elevator and decided to take the stairs to his fourth-floor apartment. ADVERTISEMENT ``I figured, I'm an athlete, I can walk up the stairs, it's not that big a deal,'' he said. ``Obviously, if I had to go back, I would have waited, or at least been a bit more careful going up.'' Barmes said when he felt himself slipping, he dropped the sweat shirt and tried to grab onto the railing. Next thing he knew, he had landed directly on his shoulder. Once in his apartment, he said it didn't feel too bad, but he moved it around, felt some cracking and knew something was wrong. ``It hit hard enough, I guess,'' he said. ``It hit hard enough to make it hurt for about three months.'' Barmes hit around .400 and led the major leagues in batting average for about the first six weeks of the season. After a mild slump, he was still leading NL rookies in hitting (.329), runs (40), hits (74), doubles (16), home runs (8) and RBIs (34) heading into Monday's game. He was definite rookie-of-the-year material, but now those hopes are gone due to what he called ``the craziest thing that's happened to me, by far.'' It adds to a long list of freak injuries suffered by baseball players over the years -- think Sammy Sosa throwing out his back after sneezing, or John Vander Wal tearing up his knee while shoveling snow -- and Barmes also isn't the first high-profile Denver athlete to hurt himself at home. Three years ago, when Brian Griese was quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he sprained his ankle tripping over his dog. Earlier that year, Griese was knocked unconscious after tripping on a driveway at Terrell Davis' house. The Barmes injury is devastating news for the Rockies, who entered Monday night's game against the Chicago White Sox on a four-game winning streak -- their longest of the season -- but also with the NL's worst record (19-36). Barmes was the most promising rookie on a roster full of them. Now, he joins second-year second baseman Aaron Miles (rib cage) on the disabled list. ``This is going to be hard sitting there watching when I know I could be out there helping the team,'' he said. ``I'm as disappointed as anyone else could be, if not a lot more.'' Barmes was placed on the 60-day disabled list and replaced on the roster by infielder Tim Olson from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Also on Monday, the Rockies placed catcher Todd Greene (hamstring) on the 15-day DL and replaced him with Triple-A catcher Danny Ardoin. Greene hurt himself running the bases against Cincinnati on Sunday.

ScarletKnight41 Jun 06 2005 05:55 PM

Ouch! Thanks Wide.

Edgy DC Jun 06 2005 07:26 PM

That's too bad. He's really been the goods. And you only get one chance to win the Rookie of the Year. Unless you're Gregg Jefferies.

MFS62 Jun 07 2005 10:26 AM

You'd think that on even a major league minimum salary of $300K he'd be able to find a place with a freakin' elevator. Later

silverdsl Jun 07 2005 11:37 AM

According to the article there is an elevator there but he got sick of waiting for it. He's probably lucky that he didn't do even worse damage and end up with more broken bones falling on the stairs like that. Yikes!

soupcan Jun 07 2005 11:46 AM

Is it just me or does there always seem to be an inordinate amount of pro athletes who fall down stairs, step on glass, pull groin muscles clean off the bone, cut off the tips of their fingers with electric hedge clippers, etc.. I don't know any other group of people that have as many freak injuries as these guys. Sure, they're celebs and they're in the news so we hear about them more but c'mon. You'd think they'd be MORE coordinated than the general populus, not less. And while I'm ranting - I've walked up the basement steps in my house millions of times while laden with groceries. My collarbone's doin' just fine thanks. What an ultra-maroon.

silverdsl Jun 07 2005 11:51 AM

I'm the biggest clutz there is and I can't say I've ever had a mishap while carrying groceries either but give it time and I'm sure I'll manage to do it somehow! Maybe I have a suspicious mind but I always wonder if these crazy stories about how players get injured are cover for the real story like bar fights or injuries indulging in activities that are prohibited by their contracts.

soupcan Jun 07 2005 11:58 AM

When Jeff Kent got hurt riding his motorcycle didn't he say that he fell off of his truck while washing it?

sharpie Jun 07 2005 12:20 PM

Actually Kent said that he slipped on the wet ground while washing his truck.

holychicken Jun 09 2005 08:23 PM

The plot thickens. . . it appears that Helton took barmes out for upstaging him. hehehe [url]http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2081549[/url]

Rockin' Doc Jun 09 2005 08:44 PM

News Flash: Bambi kicks Barmes' Ass

metirish Jun 20 2005 08:14 PM

The perfect companion article for this thread...Steve Rushin - SI. ]You Did What, How? Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes broke his collarbone last week falling on the stairs with an armload of venison, calling to mind another awkward hunk of deer meat, former Tigers slugger Rob Deer, who in 1992 broke his wrist striking out. Shortly before Barmes tripped, Cubs lefty Mike Remlinger broke his pinkie while reclining in a clubhouse chair. In that same clubhouse, 20 years earlier, Steve Trout bruised his shoulder when he fell off a stationary bike. Athletes in every sport incur ridiculous injuries. Golfer Sam Torrance cracked his sternum while attacking a potted plant that he mistook, while sleepwalking in his darkened hotel room, for an intruder. Maple Leafs goalie Glenn Healy required 10 stitches to repair the hand he gashed trying to repair a vintage bagpipe. Manchester United keeper Alex Stepney dislocated his jaw while chewing out teammates, adding injury to insult. But if Stepney really wanted to lacerate his teammates' buttocks, he should have played baseball. In 1982 Kirk Gibson pulled the locker stool away from Tigers righthander Dave Rozema, who fell on the glass bottle of cough syrup in his back pocket, knocking him out of the rotation. "The beauty of baseball," former Detroit manager Sparky Anderson said last week, "is you don't need to use this." And he slowly tapped at his temple. When it comes to exotic mutilation, baseball stands head and shoulders above the rest. Head? Hall of Famer Bill Dickey knocked himself out while leaping in a low-ceilinged dugout to celebrate a Yankees pennant. Shoulders? Righty Steve Sparks dislocated one of his while trying to tear the Yellow Pages in half. Baseball injuries, like baseball players, run hot and cold. Outfielder Marty Cordova burned his face after falling asleep in a tanning bed. Rickey Henderson fell asleep with an ice pack on his ankle and was frostbitten in August. The litany of peculiar baseball ailments could fill another volume of Gray's Anatomy (if that Gray were Pete Gray, the St. Louis Brown who lost his right arm in childhood after falling off a truck). Some so-called "baseball" injuries could happen to anyone. Who among us hasn't broken a rib while vomiting up an in-flight meal, as Tom Glavine did on a plane in 1992? But others are occupational hazards specific to the sport, as when outfielder Terry Harper separated his shoulder in the on-deck circle while windmilling a teammate home from third base. Baseball injuries are so full of irony (Tony Gwynn fractured his middle finger while closing his Porsche door on the way to the bank) and ironing (John Smoltz burned his chest while pressing a shirt he was already wearing) that the medical journals ought to give them some ink (righthander Jeff Juden, infected tattoo). Summer is a Benihana chef, an endless flash of dangerous blades. Outfielder Oddibe McDowell cut his hand buttering a dinner roll. Lefthander Curt Simmons sliced off a toe while mowing his lawn. And three summers ago righthander Adam Eaton stabbed himself in the stomach with a knife. He was not committing hara-kiri, or even Harry Caray, but was trying to open the vexing shrink-wrap on a DVD. Long before the Red Sox' motto was Cowboy Up, Wade Boggs bruised his ribs while pulling on cowboy boots (and crashing into a hotel couch). But then the Red Sox have a long history of biting themselves in the ass, as Boston rookie righthander Clarence Blethen did in 1923 while sliding into second base with his false teeth in his back pocket. It just proves that in baseball anything can be injurious. It could be something you ate (Kevin Mitchell required dental surgery after biting into an overheated microwaved doughnut). Or it could be something that ate you (like the famous automated tarp-roller that devoured Vince Coleman before a 1985 National League playoff game). To stay healthy as a player, you'd do well to remember your mother's advice: Look both ways before crossing the street (except that catcher Brent Mayne wrenched his back doing just that in 2002). Keep your nose clean (but only your nose: Outfielder Henry Cotto punctured an eardrum while prospecting for wax with a Q-tip). And when all else fails, simply stay in bed (though A's righty Rich Harden once strained his shoulder reaching for the snooze button). The rest of us should steer clear of anyone in double-knits. Orioles righty Dennis Martinez hurt his arm heaving luggage onto the team bus, an injury The Baltimore Sun listed as Samsonitis. Trying to knock dirt from his spikes with his bat, Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez hit his ankle instead and had to be carried from the field. Two decades ago Dodgers third base coach Joe Amalfitano broke his thumb while congratulating Steve Sax as the latter rounded third base on a home run trot. But that wasn't the most dangerous injury incurred at third base. As Giants manager in 1992, Roger Craig cut the back of his right hand when he snagged it on the hook of his wife's bra. Issue date: June 20 , 2005

Edgy DC Jun 20 2005 09:49 PM

I always misremember, thinking that Smoltz was the one who puked a broken rib, and Glavine was the genius who ironed his body.

metirish Jun 20 2005 09:57 PM

you couldn't make this stuff up, does anyone remember the story about the tarp eating Coleman? ]Or it could be something that ate you (like the famous automated tarp-roller that devoured Vince Coleman before a 1985 National League playoff game).

soupcan Jun 21 2005 07:02 AM

I remember that. He was stretching on the field pre-game or something and it just rolled over his leg and caught him. If he didn't mis the whole series he definitely missed a game or two.

metirish Jun 27 2005 07:45 PM

Kenny Rogers does a Kevin Brown and breaks his non-pitching hand punching a water cooler, he's only expected to miss one start though, players should get fined for doing stupid shit like that.

seawolf17 Jun 28 2005 09:28 AM

[url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2096137]Oliver Perez[/url] breaks a toe kicking a laundry cart.

ScarletKnight41 Jun 28 2005 09:32 AM

Thanks Irish and Seawolf. I know have 10 entries on my running list, although many will likely be bumped from the top ten during the course of the season.

seawolf17 Jun 28 2005 10:43 AM

First he gets shot in the leg wearing a college cheerleader costume, now he gets [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=2096095]drilled in the head[/url] with a line drive. Perhaps Kyle Denney should consider a safer line of work, like serving as Suge Knight's bodyguard.

metirish Jun 28 2005 10:49 AM

]The bullet caused only a flesh wound, probably because of the tough leather of the knee-high go-go boot he was wearing, Denney and his trainers said. That day, all of Cleveland's rookies were decked out in outrageous outfits on the bus as part of a hazing ritual. We had a great laugh at the old place when that happened...

ScarletKnight41 Jun 28 2005 11:59 AM

Mini Knight was rolling on the floor with laughter over the cheerleader outfit and go go boots last fall. But damn - a fractured skull is serious! I hope that Denney makes a speedy and full recovery.

metirish Jul 09 2005 04:07 PM

]Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- Washington second baseman Junior Spivey could miss eight to 12 weeks after he broke his wrist during a batting drill before Saturday's game against Philadelphia. Spivey, acquired on June 10 from Milwaukee, broke his right wrist in a freak accident while hitting off a practice T. "The ball bounced back off the T and I didn't think anything about it," he said. "I kept swinging, then I felt it pop. It's unbelievable." Spivey, a 2002 NL All-Star, was hitting .232 with seven homers and 24 RBI in 72 games. The 30-year-old Spivey is a career .270 hitter with 48 homers and 201 RBI. Spivey was acquired to provide some insurance when Jose Vidro was out with a partially torn tendon in his left ankle. With Vidro back, Spivey had been relegated to a backup role. crazy stuff.

Frayed Knot Jul 09 2005 08:24 PM

And Dodger pitcher Kelly Wunsch will have surgery and miss the remainder of the season after injuring his ankle while throwing his final warmup pitch in the bullpen.

seawolf17 Jul 11 2005 09:11 AM

From Jayson Stark: Top Five Injuries of the Half-Year FIFTH PRIZE (HOTEL-LIFE DIVISION): (TIE) Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett ripped off a fingernail -- in his hotel room -- while trying to rotate the TV so he could watch a basketball game. And teammate Terry Mulholland missed a game when he rolled over in bed and a runaway feather from his pillow decided to insert itself in his eye. FOURTH PRIZE (CLEANUP-MAN DIVISION): Yankees reliever Felix Rodriguez tore cartilage in his knee getting out of the shower. THIRD PRIZE (HOT-SEAT DIVISION): Cubs reliever Mike Remlinger was sitting in a clubhouse recliner, swiveled in his chair, got his little finger caught between his chair and the one next to it, fractured the pinkie and landed on the disabled list. SECOND PRIZE (CART-MEETS-THE-HORSE DIVISION): Pirates ace Oliver Perez also headed for the DL with a broken toe -- from kicking the clubhouse laundry cart. FIRST PRIZE (NEAT-AND-GREET DIVISION): It's still hard to believe that Barmes blew up his rookie-of-the-year campaign over a load of deer meat. He broke his collarbone when he fell trying to carry the deer meat up the stairs of his apartment building -- because he got tired of waiting for the elevator. Then he even engaged in a dastardly cover-up by claiming he was carrying groceries, in an attempt to avoid implicating Todd Helton, who had hosted the deer hunt. Oh, deer. Minor-League Injury of the Half-Year Tucson Sidewinders phenom Conor Jackson thought he'd found a safe place to make a cell phone call last month, out beyond the left field fence. He just forgot one minor detail: Batting practice. So he wound up doing more than just raising the bar. He also raised a nice little welt on his noggin -- when he got conked on the head by a BP home run. Oops. Wrong hot spot. Most Creative Injury of the Half-Year When a guy is in a slump, he often hears that it's all in his head. But Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson just took that a little too literally. After flying out in the sixth inning July 2, Wilson thought about his at-bat through the next half-inning. So after it ended, he headed for the clubhouse to watch his at-bat on video. Uh-oh. Just inside the door, teammate Michael Restovich was loosening up in case he had to pinch-hit. And as he was wind-milling his bat with one hand, guess who walked through the door and got conked with a Louisville Slugger bat right on the old coconut? Yup. And Wilson got gonged so nastily, he even had to leave the game. "With the way this season has gone, it doesn't surprise me at all that something like that happened," Wilson told the Beaver County Times' John Perrotto. "In fact, I'd almost expect it." Near Injury of the Half-Year But some men are luckier than Wilson. Like Mets utility whiz Chris Woodward, for instance. He was minding his own business May 8, standing in the on-deck circle in Milwaukee, when he almost got run over (and practically pan-seared) by the entrants in the daily sausage race. "That would have been embarrassing, to get plowed over by a hot dog," Woodward told Mets beat man Pete Abraham of the Journal News (of White Plains). "I heard one of them yell, 'Look out!' I think it was the bratwurst."

metirish Jul 11 2005 09:19 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 11 2005 09:55 AM

I'd never heard that Woodie story, now that would have beaten all, damn sausages.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 11 2005 09:52 AM

Nice work Seawolf. Did Bartlett or Rodriguez wind up missing any games as a result of their injuries? If so, I'll add them to my running list. Thanks.

seawolf17 Jul 11 2005 10:07 AM

Felix has been on the DL for most of the season; Bartlett missed one game in late April.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 11 2005 10:12 AM

Excellent. Thanks.

DocTee Jul 11 2005 10:53 PM Freak Injury

From Sunday's SF Chronicle.... Class A Stockton OF Danny Putnam has a tear in his esophagus after choking on a grape and will miss a week. Putnam is hitting .289 with a team-high 64 RBI

metirish Jul 24 2005 07:30 PM

Don't let the bedbug bites... ]Dye out of lineup with infected bug bites CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game Sunday as he recovered from bug bites to his left leg that became infected. "It's just a weird injury. Not really an injury but just a weird situation," Dye said Sunday before a game against the Boston Red Sox. "Being bit by a spider five times and having it turn out to be something that's pretty serious, you worry about it a little bit. That's why I went to the hospital and got IVs and all the antibiotics in me, so it wouldn't spread too much and become real dangerous." Dye said he apparently was bitten in his bed at a hotel in Cleveland, where the White Sox played four games right after the All-Star break. "When it first happened it just looked like little bites, so I just kept playing or whatever and all the sudden it just kept getting bigger and bigger," Dye said. "And the lymph nodes and stuff started popping up, so you know that you need to go see a doctor and see what's going on. "Tests haven't come back yet on what it really was - doctors said it was just a poisonous spider or something. Once you find out that it can become dangerous if it spreads and gets into your system, you start to worry." Dye, batting .261 with 19 homers and 47 RBIs after a slow start, said he would make sure he checked out his bed from now on. "I think I'm going to pull back the sheets now," he said. Without Dye on Sunday, the White Sox gained a split against the Red Sox. With the game-time temperature at 100 degrees, the White Sox stopped Boston 6-4 in the finale of the four-game series between the defending World Series champions and the team with the best record in the majors this season.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 24 2005 08:09 PM

Ick! Let's get a White Sox media guide and find out where they stay when they're in Cleveland, so we will know never to frequent that hotel! Thanks for the story Irish.

seawolf17 Sep 06 2005 01:37 PM

Jayson Stark's Historical Freaky Injuries [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2153049]column[/url] from today.

Giant Squidlike Creature Oct 20 2005 11:37 AM

Bump for the end of the year top ten tally.

ScarletKnight41 Oct 20 2005 12:49 PM

Here's my tally. It was a relatively mild year for freak injuries, but there were still some notable ones - 10. Dustin Mohr started off the year with a bang on April 4th, straining his left calf while jumping out of the dugout to celebrate the Rockies' Opening Day victory. 9. Oliver Perez of the Pirates landed on the DL by breaking his left toe while kicking a laundry cart in the clubhouse after a loss. 8. In May, the Twins' Terry Mulholland scratched the white of his right eye with the sharp end of a feather sticking out of the pillow on his bed at a hotel. 7. Hotels were also unkind to Jermaine Dye, who missed several games in July after bug bites that he got in the team hotel in Cleveland became infected. 6. During Spring Training, Jason Phillips received a welt and cut under his eye that he reports was the result of being hit in the face with a bat by 19-month-old Jason Jr. while the older Phillips was napping. 5. Mike Remlinger was placed on the DL after he fractured a finger on his left hand while relaxing on a reclining chair in the clubhouse -- he put the wooden handle down to recline, and his hand slammed into the next chair. 4. Kaz Matsui missed two games in April after he scratched the cornea of his left eye with his therapeutic contact lens. 3. Colorado Rockies rookie Clint Barmes missed most of the season after he broke his collarbone -- Barmes was carrying a package of deer meat (a gift from Todd Helton) when he fell up the stairs in his apartment building. 2. Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett missed a game in April after he ripped off a fingernail in his hotel room while trying to rotate the television set so he could watch a basketball game. 1. In May, Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs was treated for a sore elbow. The Cubs trainer told him to limit his Internet usage to one hour a day instead of his typical 4-5 hours. This could happen to any of us....