In the wake of Plaxico Burress accidentally shooting himself in the leg, RealClearSports.com ranks the top 10 dumbest self-inflicted injuries.
#4 Glenallen Hill
Glenallen Hill is nicknamed “Spiderman” but not because he swings through the air or is a fan of the comic. The outfielder — who has coincidentally played for eight different teams — got his nickname from an incident spurred on by his significant arachnophobia. Early in his career while with the Blue Jays Hill was having a violent nightmare about spiders. Hill, while still asleep tried to escape from the phantom nightmare spiders fell into a glass table. This nightmare gave Hill cuts on his toes and elbows, carpet burns on his knees, landed him on the 15-day DL and gave him his nickname.#3 Joel Zumaya
Detroit Tigers fireballer Joel Zumaya was unavailable for the 2006 ALCS due to a sore wrist, not an uncommon injury for a pitcher. But Zumaya wouldn’t be on this list if he suffered the injury in anything but a bizarre way.Zumaya’s sore wrist was the result of playing too much Guitar Hero, the popular music-based video game on his Playstation 2. In fact, the Tigers were so concerned about his obsession that, to ensure that he would be ready for the World Series, they explicitly required him to stop playing.
#2 Bill Gramatica
Bill Gramatica’s injury was a perfect storm of egregiousness. An early field goal. The first points of the game. It wasn’t a turning point. There was no tackle. No cheap shot. No flag. Just a dumb exuberant little kicker and a torn ACL.After putting the Cardinals up 3-0 in the first quarter in a 2001 game against the Giants, Gramatica jumped wildly into the air only to end his season upon returning to the ground.
Apparently, the Giants momentarily forgot about the scene that became a instant favorite on Sports Center — or perhaps they confused Bill with his older brother Martin. In 2004, they signed Bill Gramatica in the pre-season contract only to cut him a few weeks later.
Plax took the number one spot for those wondering.
I hate to say an injury was well-deserved, but something had to stop the elf-like Gramatica brothers from celebrating 25-yard field goals like they just won the Super Bowl.
