Radii
07-21-2004, 09:06 AM
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/07/21/SPG987Q02T1.DTL
Article Text:
Former USF star Bozied caps slam in bizarre way
Former USF star Tagg Bozied of the Triple-A Portland Beavers was approaching home plate and a mob of jubilant teammates after hitting a walk- off grand slam when his knee cap fell off Monday night.
"It was one of those freak things," Bozied said Tuesday.
It doesn't get any freakier. Earlier Monday, Bozied had been named Pacific Coast League batter of the week after hitting .600 with four walks and nine RBIs in four games. That night, with his team trailing first-place Edmonton by a run and the bases loaded, he uncorked a tape-measure home run over the left-center-field wall.
The Beavers had won their sixth in a row and had moved within two games of first place, and Bozied, 24 years old with a .315 average, 16 homers and 58 RBIs in only 57 games and riding the hottest run of his career, was looking very much like a player who could get called up to the big leagues.
"I knew it was gone as soon as I hit it," Bozied said. "Right before I rounded third base, I remember seeing the guys from our bullpen coming in to greet me at home. I was thinking, I'll remember this forever."
Bozied gathered himself to leap on home plate and felt a pop. He blacked out for a few seconds. When he awoke he was lying face down on home plate. His teammates, thinking he was kidding around, playfully kicked him and patted him on the back. Then one teammate saw his leg, and the ghastly sight silenced everyone.
"My kneecap was up on my quadriceps (thigh), and the top of my lower leg was sticking through my pants," Bozied said. "All I remember is taking off to jump, and the next thing I remember I was lying on the ground. I went into shock; I didn't feel one bit of pain. I thought my career was over."
Without being touched, Bozied had ruptured his patellar tendon when he tried to jump, leaving his lower leg untethered. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was told his career was not over, and that he might return next spring.
"So after hearing that I was actually feeling pretty good," he said.
No one could explain how it happened, although a tendon problem in his other leg that had sidelined him for 37 games earlier in the season might have been a clue.
"They think maybe my legs are just too powerful for my tendons," Bozied said.
Bozied's career had changed dramatically in a matter of moments. He said he was "definitely" hitting the ball better than at any time of his career when he hit the game-winner. Seconds later, he thought his career was over after sustaining an inexplicable and grotesque injury. An hour later, he was relieved to hear he'll return next spring, pending the results of surgery to be performed in San Diego on Thursday.
Article Text:
Former USF star Bozied caps slam in bizarre way
Former USF star Tagg Bozied of the Triple-A Portland Beavers was approaching home plate and a mob of jubilant teammates after hitting a walk- off grand slam when his knee cap fell off Monday night.
"It was one of those freak things," Bozied said Tuesday.
It doesn't get any freakier. Earlier Monday, Bozied had been named Pacific Coast League batter of the week after hitting .600 with four walks and nine RBIs in four games. That night, with his team trailing first-place Edmonton by a run and the bases loaded, he uncorked a tape-measure home run over the left-center-field wall.
The Beavers had won their sixth in a row and had moved within two games of first place, and Bozied, 24 years old with a .315 average, 16 homers and 58 RBIs in only 57 games and riding the hottest run of his career, was looking very much like a player who could get called up to the big leagues.
"I knew it was gone as soon as I hit it," Bozied said. "Right before I rounded third base, I remember seeing the guys from our bullpen coming in to greet me at home. I was thinking, I'll remember this forever."
Bozied gathered himself to leap on home plate and felt a pop. He blacked out for a few seconds. When he awoke he was lying face down on home plate. His teammates, thinking he was kidding around, playfully kicked him and patted him on the back. Then one teammate saw his leg, and the ghastly sight silenced everyone.
"My kneecap was up on my quadriceps (thigh), and the top of my lower leg was sticking through my pants," Bozied said. "All I remember is taking off to jump, and the next thing I remember I was lying on the ground. I went into shock; I didn't feel one bit of pain. I thought my career was over."
Without being touched, Bozied had ruptured his patellar tendon when he tried to jump, leaving his lower leg untethered. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was told his career was not over, and that he might return next spring.
"So after hearing that I was actually feeling pretty good," he said.
No one could explain how it happened, although a tendon problem in his other leg that had sidelined him for 37 games earlier in the season might have been a clue.
"They think maybe my legs are just too powerful for my tendons," Bozied said.
Bozied's career had changed dramatically in a matter of moments. He said he was "definitely" hitting the ball better than at any time of his career when he hit the game-winner. Seconds later, he thought his career was over after sustaining an inexplicable and grotesque injury. An hour later, he was relieved to hear he'll return next spring, pending the results of surgery to be performed in San Diego on Thursday.