Strange Baseball Injuries

• Charlie Hough broke his pinky finger while shaking hands.

• Mickey Tettleton went on the DL with a severe case of athlete's foot - caused by tying his shoes too tight.

• Jose Cardenal missed a game in 1972 because he was kept awake all night by crickets chirping in his hotel room.

• Jose Cardenal missed a game in 1974, because he couldn't blink. He swore his eyes were stuck open.

• Bob Feller scalded himself with 200-degree water after he lost control of the hose in a whirlpool. He scalded himself from the waste down, and couldn't do anything for a week.

• Russ Davis missed a game after he slept wrong and awoke with a sore shoulder.

• David Cone missed a start after getting bit by his mother-in-law's dog, a Jack Russell Terrier.

• Sammy Sosa missed a game after sleeping wrong on his shoulder.

• Jim Corsi slipped coming out of the shower and sprained his wrist. Corsi has poor eyesight, wasn't wearing contacts, and misjudged his step.

• Bob Stanley missed a couple of games slipping down the stairs while taking out the trash.

• Ken Griffey Jr. got a sore back lifting boxes.

• Carlos Perez broke his nose in a car accident....as he was trying to pass the team bus.

• Brian Anderson suffered nerve damage in his elbow after a cab ride.

• Tony Gwynn missed a couple of games after he smashed his thumb in the door of his luxury car. While going to the bank.

• Rickey Henderson missed several games because of frost- bite. In August.

• Vince Coleman missed the 1985 World Series when he got rolled up in the tarp machine.

• Pascual Perez missed a start in Atlanta when he circled the city for more than two hours searching for the exit ramp from Highway 285 to Fulton County Stadium.

• Kevin Mitchell strained a muscle while vomiting.

• Twins farmhand David Foster was knocked out for the season when a lightning strike through a phone line zapped him while he was making a call.

• Pitcher Steve Foster injured his shoulder knocking over milk bottles during a segment with Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show."

• Wade Boggs missed several games after straining his back while pulling on his cowboy boots.

• Paul Molitor dislocated a knuckle when it got stuck in another player's glove.

• Milwaukee's Dave Nilsson missed part of this season with Ross River Fever, a mosquito-borne virus that annually affects 200 out of Australia's 17 million residents.

• Twins general manager Terry Ryan required dozens of stitches when he was scouting a game and a bat flew out of the hitter's hands, sailed through a space in the backstop and struck him in the forehead.

• Pitcher Jeff Juden had a start early in the 1994 season pushed back after getting an infection from a tattoo.

• Outfielder Bret Barberie missed a game when he accidentally rubbed chili juice in his eye.

• Ken Griffey Jr. missed a game after his protective cup slipped and pinched a testicle.

• Doc Gooden missed a start when Coleman accidentally hit him with a golf club in the Mets' clubhouse.

• Mark Portugal missed a start because of food poisoning from eating bad mahi-mahi.

• Pitcher Steve Sparks dislocated his shoulder while tearing a phone book in half, as he was trying to emulate a motivational speaker.

• Reliever Larry Anderson strained a rib muscle getting out of a Jucuzzi.

• Pitcher Ted Power pulled a hamstring jumping off the bullpen bench to join a brawl.

• Kent Hrbek missed the final 10 games of the 1990 season when he sprained an ankle while wrestling with a clubhouse attendant.

• Florida's Randy Veres hurt his hand pounding on a hotelroom wall trying to get the people in the next room to quiet down.

• Dennis Martinez injured his arm tossing his luggage onto the team bus. He was diagnosed with Samsonitis.

• Chris Brown missed a game with a strained eyelid after sleeping on an eye a funny way.

• Former Seattle shortstop Rey Quinones was unavailable as a pinch-hitter because he was in the clubhouse playing Nintendo.

• Terry Harper (Atlanta, OF) injured his shoulder after giving another player a high five.

• Greg Harris (Texas, pitcher) injured his shoulder trying to flick sunflower seeds into the stands from the bullpen.

• Baltimore's Mark Smith was hurt when he stuck his hand in an air conditioner to see why it wasn't working properly.

• Glenallen Hill missed a few games after falling out of his bed while having an arachnophobic dream about spiders. He dreamt that spiders were devouring him, jumped off his bed, fell through a glass table, and crawled through the shards of glass.

Bigotry and Fear Still A Problem In America and Athletics

When I was a kid I was a huge Tim Hardaway fan.

He was short, quick, and could handle the ball like a world champion yo-yo player. Some of you may remember his "Killer Crossover" or "UTEP Two-Step". More than anything else, his lack of height proved that you didn't have to be 6'6" to be an All-Star. I used to want to be Tim Hardaway.

Now not so much. Last week on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket, Hardaway was commenting on the recent admission by former NBA Center John Amechi, that he was a homosexual. Hardaway said the following: "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people, I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States." When asked how he would interact with a gay teammate, Hardaway said,

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room."

Hardaway also stated that if he did find out that a teammate was gay, he would ask for the player to be removed from the team.

It seems that not much has changed over time. People still have there hang ups about one group or another, but to be so blatant and forthright about it is completely shocking to me. Hate is a strong word. I often say that there is no person that I hate. To state that you hate an entire group of people based on a characteristic shows your ignorance and stupidity. Statistically, it is probable that Hardaway had a gay teammate during his NBA career and did not know it. I'm sure that he dished the rock and received passes right back from said player (no weird sexual overtones there..he he).

I'm really frustrated that my childhood hero has such hatred in his heart and soul. I would hope that a person coming from a history of degradation would have a different outlook. Like I said not much has changed over time. Except my admiration of Tim Hardaway.

You'd be an idiot to leave a kingdom!!!

Successful college football coaches frequently are tempted by offers from professional teams. Offers of large sums of money and dual roles as General Manager/Coach are so tempting that the King's of college football often move to the "greener" pastures of the NFL. Most of the time, the amounts of money are so large you cannot resist the temptation.

I, however, propose this statement.

"You'd be an idiot to leave a kingdom!!!"

The position of Head Football coach is often the most powerful position at a University and in some cases, the most powerful position in the state (see Mack Brown at University of Texas). These men often rule with an iron hand over an entity that is important to most fans in the state. If you are an extremely successful head coach you are treated better than any professional coach could hope for.

Take for example, USC's Pete Carroll:

Here is his record as an NFL Coach:

Year	Team	Record	Playoffs	Other Notes
1994	New York Jets	6-10	none	Lost final 6 games; Carroll was fired
1997	New England Patriots	10-6	1-1	Division champions
1998	New England Patriots	9-7	0-1
1999	New England Patriots	8-8	none	Carroll was fired

Now, here is is record since taking over USC:

Year	Record	Bowl	Final Ranking
2001	6-6	Lost Las Vegas Bowl to Utah	Unranked
2002	11-2	Won Orange Bowl against Iowa	#4 AP Poll, #4 BCS Poll
2003	12-1	Won Rose Bowl against Michigan	#1 AP Poll, #2 BCS Poll
2004	13-0	Won Orange Bowl (BCS Championship Game) against Oklahoma	#1 AP Poll, #1 BCS Poll
2005	12-1	Lost Rose Bowl (BCS Championship Game) to Texas	#2 AP Poll, #2 BCS Poll
2006	11-2	Won Rose Bowl against Michigan	#4 AP Poll, #5 BCS Poll

Pete Carroll went from a "so-so" professional coach, who in some opinions would have been a better professional coordinator, to a legend in Southern California. The dominance of the Trojans over the past few years has been like nothing seen in the past 30 years.

Carroll could have whatever he wants and USC would more than likely pay him any amount of money he would want. He can recruit just about any player from and location in the country, as evidence from this years class of freshman (only 15 players coming in...still the best recruiting class in the country.)

However, Carroll has consistently been in the running for a number of NFL coaching vacancies this off-season. Now he is connected to the vacancy in San Diego after the firing of Marty "I just can't seem to get it together for a serious playoff run" Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer was fired after a 14-2 season and again an early exit from the playoffs. Apparently he had a disagreement with General Manager, A.J. Smith, over some of the coaches he wanted to bring in after losing both Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron.

Fired after a 14-2 record and a disagreement?!?!? How is that possible? Why would anyone want to leave their perfect situation for the instability and the "win now" mentality of the NFL?

Ego. That can be the only answer. Simply, ego.

If you don't believe me...look at Rick Patino.

If I could give coaches advice, it would be the same advice I heard growing up:
"Stay in School!!!"

Don't guarantee anything...Ever.

Never guarantee anything in sports. Ever.

Last summer, Washington Wizards Guard, Gilbert Arenas, was left off of the US National Team by then coach Nate McMillan. Arenas guaranteed that he would score 50 points in retaliation against McMillian for the oversight.

Today, Arenas was shot a stellar 3-for-15 from the field, including 0-for-8 on 3-pointers, for a grand total of 9 points against McMillian's sorry Portland Trailblazers. Under-sized guard, Juan Dixon scored a robust 14 points from the field for the Blazers.

I don't know what you thing, but it looks as if Arenas had one to many burritos before the game. Nope, I think he is understandably embarrassed by making a fool of himself on the national stage.

What is the point in making guarantees in sports. The most famous guarantee of alltime, Jo "Willy" Namath, in Super Bowl III, is seen as prophecy. Looking back, the New York Jets truly were the dominate team. In truth, the game could have turned on any one play. That is the nature of competitive sports. Anything can happen at anytime.

No athlete can make a true guarantee, just like airlines can never guarantee that your flight will get off the ground on time...Ever. What is the point in making such a statement? Do they feel it makes them feel superior? Are they more of a man because they make a statement? And what if he would have scored 45 points? What of the guarantee? Shouldn't we say.."Hey, what happened to the other five points?"

The best thing that any player can do is go out there and leave it all on the court. Don't run your mouth. Play the game. Make your opponent suffer by winning the game in convincing style...50 points or 10,10, and 10.

Don't make a guarantee...Ever.

The adventure begins...

Hello. My name is Chad Kemp and I thank you for checking out The Kemp Report. The goal of this blog is to touch everything that is sports. Everything that we love and hate. All of the good and the bad. Whether it's rehashing 40 year old debates, like who was better, Bill Russell or Wilt Chaimberlain or the current topics such as the social perception of the black athlete. I hope that this will be a place where we can all come and enjoy debates over the simple, mundane, disgusting, and amazing things that there are in sports. I also hope that this can be an interactive blog. I want you, the readers, to suggest topics and bring up things in your comments that you feel should be addressed in the wide world of sports.

I hope that this will be the beginning of an interesting adventure...

Back soon...

Big Chad