Posted : February 2014
Author : Steve Moramarco
1 Raymond Chapman
Killed by Spitball
Raymond Chapman, a shortstop for the Cleveland Naps and
later the Indians, has the dubious distinction of being the only ballplayer to
die of a game-related injury in the major leagues. On August 16, 1920, Chapman was hit by a pitch at the top of the 5th inning in
a game with the New York Yankees. Back then, spitballs and other ornery tricks
were quite common and the ball thrown by Carl Mays was reportedly very erratic
and hard to see. It hit Chapman so hard, it sounded like the crack of a bat.
Chapman froze momentarily before falling to the ground with blood pouring out
his ear; he died early the next day. After that, umpires were required to
immediately replace dirty balls, although the batting helmet didn't become
mandatory until 1971.
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| I thought Pro Wrestling was supposed to be fake… |
It was a Pro Wrestling stunt gone horribly wrong. In 1987, Malcom “King Kong”
Kirk and his partner, King Kendo, were in a tag team match with Shirley “Big
Daddy” Crabtree and Greg Valentine. Big Daddy, huge at 6' 6” and 375 lb, was
famous for his body slams and King Kong was certainly no wimp at 6'1” and 353
lbs. However, when Big Daddy slammed King Kong with his “Belly Splash,” Kirk
turned grey and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was later learned that
Kirk had a heart condition, so it wasn't technically Big Daddy's fault. Still,
Kirk's death haunted him and he retired from wrestling.
3 Death by Zorbing
 |
| On your mark, get set… Zorb! |
Never heard of Zorbing? Basically it's a sport where you and possibly a partner
or two roll down a gentle slope in a giant plastic ball. This is usually pretty
safe, but there have been a couple of deaths. In January 2013, Denis Burakov
died and his friend was seriously injured in a Zorbing mishap, when the ball
began to roll out of control in Dombay, Russia; a similar death was reported in the Czech Republic
in 2009.
4 Children's
Entertainer Killed While Adjusting TV Antenna to Watch Sporting Match
Rod Hull
was a huge Manchester United football team fan and often liked to watch their
matches on the telly at home. The popular children's entertainer, who performed
with a giant Emu puppet, climbed out onto the roof to adjust the reception
during the Champions League match between Manchester
and Internazionale that occurred on March 17, 1999. Unfortunately, he slipped
and fell through the roof of an adjoining greenhouse and fractured his skull.
5 Angry Teen Killed
by Own Golf Club
This golf-related temper tantrum cost Jeremy Brenno his
young life. Brenno was just 16 years old on July 11, 1994 when he was so
frustrated after missing a shot, he whipped around and struck a nearby bench in
anger. The No. 3 wood he was using snapped in two and pierced his heart; he was
pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
6 Bobby Leach, Barrel
Diver, Dies From Slipping on Banana Peel
Bobby Leach was the second person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel
(the first was a woman named Annie Taylor), but that's not what killed him. He
spent many years on the lecture circuit, telling about his harrowing adventure.
In 1926, he slipped on a banana peel; his injured leg became gangrenous and had
to be amputated. He died of complications from the operation.
7 Lightning Kills
Entire Football Team
In 1999, a football (soccer) match in the eastern part of
the Congo
ended in tragedy when an entire team of 11 men were struck by lightning. The
freak accident occurred due to the metal spikes in their shoes. Even more
strange, the opposing team was left unharmed, creating speculation that the
event was caused by witchcraft.
8 Harry Houdini Died
From Punch to Abdomen
Harry Houdini was, of course, known as a magician, escape
artist, and spiritualist debunker, but the popular myth was that he died while
trying to escape the Chinese Water Torture. In fact, he was killed by several
punches to the stomach. According to the story, a student named J. Gordon
Whitehead asked to punch Houdini in the stomach; Houdini had boasted that he
could withstand such punches. Before Houdini was prepared, Whitehead
unexpectedly punched him rapidly and very hard. He died of peritonitis from a
ruptured appendix October 31, 1926.
9 14-Year-Old Boy
Killed by Foul Ball
We think of the National Pastime as exciting and fun, not
dangerous. Yet, there is a surprisingly long list of baseball-related deaths,
as collected in a book entitled Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of
Game-Related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur
and Professional Baseball, 1862-2007 (which of course includes #1).
Foul balls, however, only have taken the life of one in 150 years: a
14-year-old boy named Alan Fish off the swing of Los Angeles Dodger Manny Mota
on May 16, 1970. The ball flew so fast, no one saw it coming and the boy
initially appeared fine but later began acting incoherently so they took him to
the hospital; he died 4 days later. It was pointed out that Mota's teenage
nephew would also die playing baseball 14 years later.
~Blog Admin~
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