Payneful Top 10 - Gruesome Sports Injuries

Ok ok so it's a day late, what can I say I am a busy guy! First a little background info. A couple of days ago my son wiped out on his scooter and smashed his eye, twice, during the fall leading to a big shiner and several cuts. One of the cuts actually nicked his tear duct and it was all very scary as he came screaming to the house with blood streaming from his eye. Luckily his eye is fine and he should heal up just fine, with perhaps a small scar between his eye and nose, which is ok as I told him "Chicks dig scars." He's only 6 but it's an important lesson for him to know in the future ha ha! Now without further adieu, and in no particular order, here are 10 of the most gruesome injuries in sports;

• In a game a few years ago Ottawa Senators forward Marian Hossa spun and took a desperation shot at the Toronto goal. On the follow through his stick went right into Bryan Berard's eye and he immediately dropped to the ice. The sight was horrific and blood was everywhere. The injury was so severe that it forced his retirement, but after several surgeries and a couple of years, he was able to come back to the NHL.
• Pitcher Dave Dravecky was pitching in a game when the crowd heard a sickening snap, it was Dravecky's throwing arm and his Humerus (thick upper arm bone), broke in two. After months of rehab he came back only to break it at the end of a pennant winning game celebratory pile-up. Sadly he ended up having the arm amputated.
• Way back Mark Howe, son of legendary Gordie Howe, was driving to the net when he crashed into it hard. The nets back then were anchored into the ice and he hit it so hard it snapped off and a post at the back pierced his right buttock and nicked his rectum. A horrifying injury but luckily he was able to fully recover.
• In basketball Rudy Tomjanovich approached two players fighting. One of the fighters, Kermit Washington, sensed someone coming and turned and punched Tomjanovich in the face so hard he suffered multiple facial fractures and actually was temporarily in a coma. Although he nearly died, he eventually recovered.
• Pittsburgh catcher Jason Kendall was trying to beat the tag at first base when he rolled his ankle on the bag at first base. His ankle snapped and his foot twisted at a horrific angle he was unable to stop and actually took another running step with the destroyed foot before crumpling to the turf. The injury was so gruesome that a trainer covered it with a towel as Kendall went into shock.
• In the Fiesta Bowl, Running back Willis McGahee was tackled by an Ohio State player and in the slo-mo replays you could clearly see his knee bending about 45 degrees the wrong way. The injuries took almost a year to heal and dropped him much lower in the draft, although he is currently playing in the NFL.
• Napoleon McCallum was a promising RB with the LA Raiders when he was tackled by 49ers Linebacker Ken Norton Jr. McCallum's knee was rotated around backwards and he suffered several fractures. His career was over in an instant and he walks with a limp to this day
• At the Preakness, the race favourite Barbaro, who won the Kentucky Derby only weeks before, shattered his back leg while running. The fractures were multiple and severe but rather than becoming a series of glue sticks, the owner had the animal taken to a large animal intensive care unit where he recovers to this day. It is expected he will recover but never race again. Of course most guys envy his retirement job, going out to Stud for the rest of his days. Why don't I get to break my leg?
• One of the more famous injuries in sports was of course the Joe Theismann leg break. Getting rushed by three guys, you knew he was gonna get a smack, and while Lawrence Taylor might have been a jerk to a lot of people, after landing on Theismann he rushed to wave over medical help. Why? Theismann suffered s compound fracture to his lower leg and replays actually show the bone coming out of the sock! Yeeeeeeeeeuck!
• Finally the most gruesome injury of all, Buffalo Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk, down on his knees making a save was hit with a skate in the neck. His jugular vein torn open, everyone saw his blood squirting out like in the movies, pumping along with his heartbeat. While he easily could have died a trainer managed to stuff a towel in the wound and probably saved his life. He made a full recovery but is still haunted by the accident.

I was going to add NHL Referee Don Van Massenhoven's smashed in face after taking a slapshot to his nose/forehead, but he's a ref and I don't like him so too bad. He recovered to continue making bad calls in some of the league's most important games.

Of course there are worse injuries but this is a family blog and I don't want to scare anyone with tales of death. The people mentioned above were harmed during the making of this blog...

Until next time remember, no Payne, no gain.