Not-so-grand-slam in AAA

[Velcro]

quick mention of Bill Grammatica's celebratory injury...

Triple-A player done for year after walkoff homer

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Associated Press

Tagg Bozied could hardly wait to get home. Rounding the bases, he saw his Triple-A Portland teammates gathering, waiting to celebrate his game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth.

"It was probably the coolest moment I've had on a baseball field," the San Diego Padres' prospect said.

Then suddenly, agony.

As Bozied jumped for joy at the plate, just like the big leaguers do, he felt his left knee give way Monday night. He blacked out before landing and when he came to, there was no doubt: He was done for the year.

"It was real scary. I saw my kneecap pushed up into my quadriceps. I thought my career was over," Bozied said Tuesday in a telephone interview from Oregon.

"To go from hitting a walkoff home run to being wheeled off the field in an ambulance, it's unbelievable," he said. "Guys were hitting me on the helmet, kicking me, congratulating me, and I was down in the dogpile. Then one of them saw the look in my eyes and realized I wasn't kidding, that it was serious."

Talk about adding injury to exult.

Bozied ruptured a tendon upon takeoff after the 8-5 Pacific Coast League win over Tacoma. He was to fly to San Diego later Tuesday and have an MRI on Wednesday.

Surgery is likely this week and he'll be sidelined for six months. Doctors told him he's expected to be OK for spring training.

Bizarre injuries during celebrations are rare, yet not unique.

Kicker Bill Gramatica tore a knee ligament while jumping after a 42-yard field goal for the Arizona Cardinals late in the 2001 season, and was lost for the year. Washington quarterback Gus Frerotte sprained his neck when he celebrated a touchdown run by headbutting a padded concrete wall in 1997.

Minnesota infielder Denny Hocking injured his hand when a teammate stepped on it during a final-out pileup in the first round of the 2002 playoffs, and was out for the ALCS.

"It's a tragic thing for Tagg," said his manager, Craig Colbert. "It's something you see every day -- a winning home run, teammates waiting for him, a guy jumps up and hits home plate.

"But not this time," the former San Francisco catcher said. "It is something that I wish I'd never been a part of."

A third-round pick by the Padres in the June 2002 draft, Bozied was enjoying his best year as a pro despite missing six weeks earlier this season because a hamstring injury.

The first baseman hit .315 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs in 57 games for the Beavers. In 2002, he led all Padres minor leaguers with 24 homers while splitting the season at Class A and Double-A.

Bozied, who turns 25 on Saturday, had been honored before the game as the PCL's Batter of the Week.

Popular with the home crowds, the Beavers had scheduled a Tagg Bozied bobblehead doll night for Aug. 21. Now, a "Get Well" banner will be put up at PGE Park for fans to sign.

Bozied's slam came after an intentional walk with one out loaded the bases. He launched a shot to left-center field and tried to keep his emotions in check as he headed toward home.

"I was keeping it in. I saw the guys running in from the bullpen, everyone was there at the plate. I was saving it," he said.

Instead, he said, "It felt like my leg got shot off. There was no pain, I couldn't feel anything. That's the last thing I remember. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground and the guys were on top of me."

The crowd of 2,982 that had been cheering wildly after the Beavers' sixth straight win went silent, as did the music blaring over the stadium sound system. An ambulance took Bozied to a hospital.

Despite what happened, Bozied said he wasn't being too harsh on himself.

"I mean, it's not like I was doing anything crazy or dangerous. You just can't explain things like this," he said. "But I'll tell you one thing: If I ever get lucky enough to hit another game-winning home run, I am definitely not jumping on home plate."