Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson suffered a broken arm Tuesday in a single-car accident — run-of-the-mill, you think, except … he crashed his vehicle while trying to prevent pizza boxes from sliding off the passenger seat. The fields, courts, rinks and courses of the sports world are fraught with enough peril and risk of bodily harm, it’s always tragic (and comic) when athletes manage to get hurt — in all sorts of bizarre ways — outside of the games. Here are a few of our favorites.
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1. Joba Chamberlain bounced by trampoline splat
AP On a trip with his young son to a trampoline emporium in Florida during spring training 2012, Yankees right-hander Joba Chamberlain took a bad bounce and suffered a gruesome open dislocation on his ankle.
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2. Oh, deer! Clint Barmes takes a tumble
UPI Rockies infielder Clint Barmes was returning from an outdoorsy expedition with teammates during his rookie season in 2005 when he fell under the weight of a package of venison meat — the day’s spoils — and fractured his collarbone.
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3. Bless you, Sammy Sosa!
AP Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa was several years past his muscled-up, homer-hitting prime in 2004 when he strained ligaments in his lower back … by sneezing.
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4. Amar'e Stoudemire fans the flames
Amar'e Stoudemire after the freak injury Charles Wenzelberg Despondent over a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat in 2012, Knicks star forward Amar’e Stoudemire struck a glass fire extinguisher case in the hallway of AmericanAirlines Arena, suffering deep lacerations in his hand that forced him to miss the next game.
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5. Marty Cordova wins bronze medal
AP Orioles outfielder Marty Cordova, a former Rookie of the Year, had to sit out several day games during 2002 to protect his face, which was badly burned when he fell asleep on a tanning bed.
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6. Soccer goalie gives off scent of failure
Santiago Canizares after the injury. AP Santiago Canizares, the goalie for Spain entering the World Cup in 2002, was forced to miss soccer’s premier tournament when he severed a tendon in his foot by stepping on a smashed bottle of aftershave.
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7. Glenallen Hill's spidey sense is off
Charles Wenzelberg Here’s how journeyman Glenallen Hill, who spent time with the Yankees, earned the nickname “Spiderman.” One night in 1990, the arachnophobic Hill reported, he had a nightmare about spiders, sleep-walked into (and through) a glass table and had to miss a game for the Toronto Blue Jays due to the cuts on his feet, knees and elbows.
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8. Punter has an ax to grind
AP In 2003, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio brought a tree stump and ax to the locker room to reinforce his inspiration message to “keep choppin’ wood.” Chris Hanson, a Pro Bowl punter, made like a lumberjack … and missed, striking his foot and missing several weeks with the self-inflicted wound.
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9. Joel Zumaya strikes the wrong chord
Reuters Zumaya, a relief pitcher with a fastball exceeding 100 mph, suffered a litany of arm injuries during his career, none stranger than the sore wrist he developed in 2006 — forcing him to miss a playoff series for the Detroit Tigers — by playing too much “Guitar Hero” on Xbox.
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10. Glenn Healy gets stuck on the 'pipes'
Post Staff Glenn Healy, a former Islanders and Rangers goalie, was playing a sad tune during a stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2000. A bagpipes player, Healy gashed his thumb with a knife while tending to his instrument.