Sammy Sosa Hurts Himself Sneezing - Now Expected to be put on DL.

SAN DIEGO (AP) Sammy Sosa felt a bit sheepish while explaining why he wasn't able to play Sunday against the San Diego Padres.

He sneezed twice shortly after arriving in the clubhouse before the game, which brought on back spasms and forced him to grab a chair to support himself. While his Chicago Cubs teammates were out beating the Padres 4-2 for a three-game sweep, Sosa spent the afternoon in the trainer's room receiving treatment.

''It would have been better if I had hit off the wall or we have a fight or something, but this ... you know what I mean?'' Sosa said. ''What can you do? Some things in life you cannot control. This is strange that it happened.''

The Cubs are off Monday before opening a homestand Tuesday.

''I don't feel too good,'' Sosa said. ''If I'm ready, I'm going to play. If I'm not ready, I'm not going to play. Whenever I feel 100 percent, I'll be back.

''Something you never expect to happen, happens. We're only human. The only thing you can do is just sit back and relax and wait. You're talking about the back.''

Sosa homered Friday and Saturday to move past Mike Schmidt and take sole possession of ninth place on the career list with 549.

[This message was edited by wilheim on May 18, 2004 at 07:54 PM.]

I thought Tony Montana was the only guy who ever hurt himself sneezing.

i was there - and we wondered why sosa sat. for the record - petco sounded more like wrigley today. there were a ZILLION cubs fans there - and were they ever loud!

The roids sometimes have allergic reactions

How long would he be out if he FARTED??

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Packer:
How long would he be out if he _FARTED_??<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That would depend whether he was corked or not. lmao

they truly are a unique bunch. first we find out moises urinates on his hands to prevent calis now this

Well I'll tell you whats stranger...

CUBS 22-15
ASTROS 22-15

So what happens when....

Mark Prior
Kerry Wood
Mark Grudzielanek
Alex Gonzalez
Left hander Mike Remlinger
Sammy stops sneezing missing games
Alou finds out a way to produce even more by any means necessary
Derek Lee starts to heat up
Corey Patterson gets back to what he was before his injury last year

And your going to tell me they are tied with the Astros who have an undefeated pitcher?

If Prior and Wood come back healthy and stay that way, they have to be the favorite to win it all and you'd be hard-pressed to name a better 5-man anywhere in recent history than Prior, Wood, Maddux, Zambrano, Clement. The bottom 2 may make the all-star game this year. That is an insane rotation.

Nothing really nothing to sneeze at.
Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa was expected to be placed on the disabled list Wednesday because of a sprained ligament in his lower back, which he suffered when he sneezed.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said an MRI revealed the injury Tuesday night. Sosa was to receive an epidural to calm down the inflammation, Hendry said.

"We're pretty certain he'll miss a couple weeks," Hendry said. "It'll be five to seven days before he can begin strenuous activity."

Sosa suffered the spasms Sunday before the Cubs' game in San Diego after he sneezed twice. He doubled over in pain, then went to the trainer's room for treatment. Sosa did not play Sunday but did not come in for treatment on Monday's off-day.

"You can't play with a bad back until he's ready," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said.

As odd as the injury may seem, Hendry said he could relate. He experienced severe back spasms when he pulled his golf clubs out of the trunk of his car.

Sosa was examined Tuesday by Dr. Michael Schafer, the team's orthopedic specialist. The right fielder went to the doctor because he was still experiencing some discomfort, Hendry said. Sosa has had some minor back problems in the past.

"He's the least likely guy to get treatment," Hendry said.

Sosa was batting .291 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs in 35 games. Todd Hollandsworth started in right field for Sosa on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants.

Hendry said he will discuss the corresponding roster move with Baker after Tuesday's game. Among the candidates who could be called up from Triple-A Iowa are David Kelton and Jason Dubois.

The Cubs will just have to grin and bear it. Sosa joins a long list of players on the DL, including Mark Prior, Mark Grudzielanek, Alex Gonzalez and Mike Remlinger.

"Dusty has a knack of putting the right guys in who perform well," Hendry said. "You just have to dwell on the positives."

MLB.com