I LOVE BASEBALL! And having grown up in New England, I've been a Boston Red Sox fan since I've I left my mothers womb. Now the Sox have had their share of injuries this year, but as of this writing are still in the hunt. But this rant is more about baseball player's goofy non-play related injuries that've landed them on the disabled list.

We'll start with Florida Marlins player Chris Coughlan, who has landed on the DL with a torn knee, which he injured by slamming a shaving cream pie into teamates Wes Helms face durring an interview! http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-07-27/sports/fl-marlins-notebook-0727-20100726_1_chris-coghlan-dan-uggla-wes-helms . Sure, the post game celebration 'pie in the face' has become a big thing in the MLB, but being injured by it??? What would a manager like John McGraw have said? "Tape your knee and get your ass out there!" ( and he was nice!), I can say. Or teamates like Lou Gerhig or Cal Ripklen? It took a terminal disease to get Gerhig out of a game! Common, durring the Golden Age, players celebrated, by EATING the pie in the dugout! Or hotdogs, in Babe Ruths case! Try telling Ty Cobb you hurt yourself that way...I'd be out their playing! These guys played through thick or thin,broken bones, torn muscles,  or Leo Durocher would replace em!!!

Sure nowadays teams need to protect their million dollar investments. It's the nature of todays game, but landing on the DL by sneezing??? Okay, Sammy Sosa's alittle older now, and he actually sneezed. But San Diego Padre pitcher Mat Latos, a 22 YEAR OLD, STIFFELING A SNEEZE???? http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/San-Diego-Padres-pitcher-Mat-Latos-on-DL-for-aborted-sneeze-071610?gt1=39002.  Tell that one to Bob Feller, Waren Spahn, or Walter Johnson, and they'd fallout laughing, knowing it to be a joke! These guys started 30-40 games a year, and pitched THE WHOLE GAME!!! Feller left baseball for four years of WWII, then came back to pitch in 48 games the next year!!! Pitch cout my ass they'd tell ya! And a sneezing injury??? They'd be waiting for a punchline.. that wouldn't come!

 Even guyslike the recently deceased George Steinbrenner wouldn't tolerate some of the stuff you see now. I can't imagine 'The Boss' letting you be a Yankee for long if you hurt yourself 'pieing' someone. He'd of told ya where to REALLY put that pie!  But, so be the modern way of baseball... Yes, Baseballs Golden Age is gone, but I for one sure do miss the old tough warrior players and managers, don't you?      07/29/TEN