There is finally proof for anyone who wants to win an argument with the health nuts who eat right out there, that eating healthy can be hazardous to your body. All you have to do is ask major league pitcher Dustin May.
Dustin May had one of the oddest sports injuries ever last season as he explained the incident in training camp this week. It's nothing to joke about because the severity of the injury, but the source is still unusual. Last July May took a bite of lettuce and felt it not go smoothly down his throat. Reports say that May immediately knew something was wrong and that night he went to the emergency room where he had surgery to repair a tear in his esophagus.
According to the LA Times after taking one bite of lettuce at dinner, there was a “mega-painful” feeling in the pitcher’s throat and stomach for 15 minutes. May had unknowingly torn his esophagus tube. When he got home his wife Millie insisted, he go to the ER where the perforation was discovered.
May has had a slew of injuries including a torn elbow ligament that ended up needing Tommy John surgery, and complications from that caused him to have the procedure again on his flexor, keeping him out parts of another season. He was finally getting healthy before the lettuce incident.
May is in camp with the Dodgers and looking to make the team for the upcoming season.
Where May's freak injury ranks on the all-time sports list is debatable, but it certainly is up there. New York sports fans are keenly aware of freak injuries to star players. You don't have to go back too far to remember Jason Pierre-Paul and his fireworks injury or Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg.
Many of these freak sports injuries happen when the athlete is the happiest and celebrating. Most people who were alive remember Bill Gramatica celebrating a made field goal when he tore the ACL and who can forget Kendrys Morales celebrating a big home run and being injured at home plate? Perhaps the most famous was Gus Frerotte head butting the wall after scoring a TD and spending the second half in the hospital.
That can also be one of the dumbest injuries in sports history. There are some contenders for that award though with Milton Bradley arguing with an umpire and tearing his ACL during the blowup. Another famous dumb injury was Steven Sparks, a Brewers pitcher who had dislocated his shoulder 15 different times hurting his shoulder when he attempted to rip a phone book in half, and then there is always kicker Chris Hanson who took a motivational ax that Head coach Jack Del Rio had put in the locker room to say keep on chopping and when Hanson missed the wood he sliced his leg, needed immediate surgery and missed 11 games.
The bar is set high for odd sports injuries and the Dodgers lettuce injury might not even be the weirdest food related injury. Kevin Mitchell allegedly needed emergency dental work after he tried to eat a microwaved chocolate doughnut. Clint Barmes was carrying a bag of venison down some stairs when he fell and broke his collarbone derailing his rookie of the year campaign. Soccer player Kirk Broadfoot might take the cake though, no pun intended, as he microwaved an egg. When he tried to eat it the egg exploded and squirted hot liquid onto his face.
May's injury will be regarded as one of the strangest in sports history, but it's good that he's back on the mound and ready for the season, healthy once again.