Flying Athletic Crotch Cups FTW!

This story is beyond bizarre. Generally, I'd lead it in with something, but instead, I'll just post the link to the San Jose Mercury News and let you read about this on your own.

In the bottom of the 12th inning Friday, with Eli Whiteside at the plate and Sandoval dancing off 3rd base with the possible winning run, it hit me.

Panda’s athletic cup.

In the head.

In 25 years of photographing baseball, that was the first, and please, last time that’s ever happened.

I had been shooting from the photo well next to the Giants dugout on the 3rd baseline when Sandoval was running the bags during the Giants’ comeback. He seemed uncomfortable though, and started fussing with his belt when he got to 3rd.

After I turned my attention back to home plate to shoot the batter, something hits me in the head.

Nearby fans gasped, and then groaned.

The Panda’s cup is sitting untouched behind me in full radioactive glory.

Mercifully, trainer Dave Groeschner comes over wearing Sandoval’s glove, and retrieves the offending blue projectile.

Glad I was wearing a hat.

A photographer at the game sent an email to the SJMS and that is how that got in the paper.

For all the talk about the poor guy getting hit in the head with an athletic cup, I have a question for you, why on earth is Kung Fu Panda launching his cup???? And secondly, how on earth did they get that thing out of here. I mean, if I were a rationally sane person at the game, there is no way I am touching something that was near Pablo Sandoval's crotch with a 10-foot pole, let alone handle it into the place it needs to be handled.

Oh boy. That last sentence is just awful, isn't it?