Q1: Last Sunday, Chicago Cubs fans saw Tyler Colvin’s season end when the rookie outfielder was pierced in the chest by a flying baseball bat in a game against the Marlins. For almost any other club, this injury would rank among the strangest in team history… but for Cubs fans, Colvin’s inability to dodge flying baseball bats doesn’t even get him the title of strangest injury in the last 12 years. That title, of course, goes to Sammy Sosa, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list in 2004 due to an injury sustained during what activity?A1: Sneezing. During a particularly violent sneeze, the star outfielder threw out his back, causing spasms that resulted in his stint on the DL. Of course, Sosa has nothing on the Braves’ Terry Harper – who once hurt his shoulder giving a high-five – or the all-time champ, Bret Barberie of the Marlins. Barberie’s injury? An eye problem caused when he inserted a contact lens directly after slicing chili peppers – without washing his hands first.
Q2: Everyone knows which schools are at the top of the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision. But which schools, nicknamed the Hilltoppers and the Golden Panthers, are the newest in FBS?
A2: The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who joined in 2009, and the Florida International Golden Panthers, who joined in 2005, became the newest squads to play in FBS when they each joined the Sun Belt Conference. Of course, the Sun Belt is far from the top of Division I – recent conference champions include Troy and North Texas – but hey, it’s a start, right?