Hey, I once rented a car in Mexico City and spent several hours circling randomly, easily missing my exit 5 times, because I just couldn't figure out how the offramps worked.

Hey, I tore something in my knee getting out of a chair at lunch once. It hurt for months.

Living near the Atlanta area, I find Perez's excuse to be quite believable.

One injury I'm surprised didn't make the list: Rickey Henderson once missed an August game due to frostbite. (He had fallen asleep while wearing an ice pack.)

Back in the late 1980's or early 1990's, an Astro minor league pitcher missed time because of an injury suffered playing miniature golf. It was actually a legitimate injury, though; he was leaning on his putter and it apparently snapped down the middle, leaving him with a long gash in his arm that required stitches. Still, I bet he took a lot of ribbing because he got hurt playing mini-golf.

I believe the Perez story. Anyone new to Atlanta trying to negotiate traffic here arrives on time at his destination by dumb luck, and by dumb luck only.

I once had to climb up a shaky ladder to finish roofing a porch before a rain storm arrived... one hour after having fallen through rotting scaffolding and landing flat on my lower back on pavers.

I thought both my lower back and arm were broken.
I finished the job and then crawled into bed. Thereafter I wasn't able to even type for 5 weeks.

Needless to say I didn't have health insurance.

Needfull to say... what I accomplished that day makes Ripken's fun little streak look exactly like what it is: Mere childern's play worshipped by other children.

Which is also to say... the true heros in this world aren't found on playing fields, however, the true sychophants of this world are definitely found in the stands.

I have a new hero