It Still Has To Be Safer Than Bombardment(!)

Going to school these days just isn't what it used to be. With the violence, censorship, oversexed teachers and sports injuries. It really should include some type of workman's comp for the students. Especially for the kids that have their hands pulled off.

One teenager has been released from the hospital and another remained in serious condition after their hands were severely injured during a game of tug-of-war at school.

Henry Bennett and classmate Mitch Helfer were participating in a team-building activity at Lutheran High School in Parker on Oct. 12 when the accident happened.

Bennett's doctor told Denver television station KMGH that the 16-year-old wrapped the rope around the palm of his right hand for a better grip.

"At some point a bunch of the kids let go, creating an imbalance in the tugging, and it pulled his hand off. The medical term is avulsed," said Dr. Lewis Oster, a microsurgeon with Hand Surgery Associates in Denver.

Bennett underwent a 10-hour surgery to save his hand. He was released from the hospital Wednesday. Helfer, who suffered a very similar injury, remained in the hospital, according to Oster.

Holy schnikies! The kid was pulling a rope one minute, and the next minute his hand was ripped from his body! And you know that the 10-hour surgery wasn't exactly "easy".

Oster performed the delicate surgery on Bennett's hand, first repairing bones with titanium plates. Then, muscles and microscopic veins and arteries were reattached.

Yeah, that sounds pretty terrible. Seriously, one day, if the kid's hand returns to 100%, it might be cool to show off the titanium hand, but it's going to be a long road to recovery, and there are no guarantees.

I wish both kids the best, and would like to remind everyone else, that's why you never wrap the rope around your hand. Your high school gym teacher might not know much about physics or chemistry, but when he tells you not to loop that rope around your hand just listen to him. Rope burns are nothing compared to getting your freakin' hand pulled off.

Jacksonville's Freaky Kicking Injuries Continue

Getting injured during the course of the game is a constant possibility for NFL players, even kickers. However, getting injured during pregame warmups is not something you want to be a part of, especially if you're the kicker(or getting injured during a celebration, I'm looking at you Gramatica!). However, that's exactly what happened to Jacksonville's starting kicker Josh Scobee yesterday.

For once, pregame warmups were significant. They cost Jacksonville a key weapon and a serious piece of strategy for Sunday's season opener. K Josh Scobee pulled a quadriceps muscle before the game when his kicking foot struck the turf. He kicked one more field goal and felt another twinge. Then he slammed his helmet to the ground. "It just wasn't a good idea to kick off or doing anything long," Scobee said.

The worst part is that his injury probably cost the Jags three points, the margin of defeat against the Tennessee Titans.

He booted one extra point and a 22-yard field goal, surrendering long attempts and kickoffs to P Adam Podlesh. Scobee's injury might have cost the Jaguars three points. Early in the third period they were forced to go for a first down on fourth-and-10 from Tennessee's 19-yard line. A 36-yard field goal was too long for Scobee to attempt. He told Coach Jack Del Rio that anything beyond the 15-yard line was too long.

Scobee was 7-7 between 30-39 last year, so it's pretty safe to assume that he would have knocked that field goal through. Had he been able to do so, Jacksonville would have tied the score at 13-13, and who knows what the outcome would have been.

Eventhough it does seem like a freak injury, maybe it shouldn't be too surprising considering that Jacksonville did lose a punter once to an ax incident that took place in the locker room.

What Is Going On With These Ball Related Deaths?

On Monday, I wrote about minor league baseball coach Mike Coolbaugh being killed by a line drive hit into the dugout. Tragically, another person has died as the result of being hit in the head by a ball. This time it involved a 12-year-old girl that was hit in the head by a softball.

"A 12-year-old softball player suffered a brain injury when she was hit in the head with a ball during practice, and died a day later, police and family said.

Margaret Ruth "Maggie" Hilbrands was hit during a routine infield drill on Monday -- a day after the death of a minor-league baseball coach who was struck by a line drive in Arkansas. The Grand Rapids girl died Tuesday at DeVos Children's Hospital.

'She missed the ball. It appears it hit her in the wrong spot. She never regained consciousness,' her mother, Jan Hilbrands, told The Grand Rapids Press.

The ball struck her head, producing a brain injury that caused her heart to temporarily stop, police and family told the paper. Rescuers performed CPR at the scene."

Two freak accidents involving people being hit by a baseball/softball and subsequently dying. Damn, what the heck is going on here? As an attempt to inject a bit of humor into an otherwise tragic event, I'll tell you that I blame Dice-K's gyroball. That thing has screwed something up here in the U.S., and hopefully Simpsonsized Manny and his hairdresser can get to the bottom of it.

Seriously, condolences go out to the Hilbrands family.