Subject: Injuries and Traumas

• Fire at Austin City Limits

  September 14, 2007

• Long Snaps with Bryan Pittman: God, Elephantitis and Those Damn Dirty Patriots

  September 27, 2007

• Notes & Quotes: Wondering How God Feels about Ugly with the Houston Texans

  October 8, 2007

• Aeros Defeat Rockford and Quad City

  February 7, 2008

• This Just In: Yao Ming Out for Rest of Season Due to Stress Fracture in Foot

  February 26, 2008

• A Grief Observed: Yao Ming's Injury and the Rest of the Season

  February 26, 2008

• Astros-Rockies: Feel the Pain

  September 8, 2008

• Taking Care of the Boys

  December 16, 1993

• Bring Back the Guns' Matt Brownlie Injured in Scooter Accident

  October 20, 2008

• HPD Beat Man To Death, Family Says

  At today's City Council meeting, the family of a dead man will accuse HPD officers of beating the man to death.Houston civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen tells Hair Balls a report from the county medical examiner reveals that Marion Wilson, 52, died from blunt force trauma after an altercation with police five months ago. The manner of death, he says, is listed as "homicide." Wilson's family "wants to tell City Council and the public that [Wilson] died of blunt force injuries because th

  December 2, 2008

• The Metro Ninjas Will Mess You Up

  Kumar Arya, a City of Houston engineer, was summoned to his department's downtown offices last summer to defend his rejection of a Metro site plan. He didn't think the design would work.Leaving the meeting, Arya decided to ride the Metro rail back to his office at 3300 Main St. He says he stepped off the train, was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground, then the assailant ripped off some jewelry Arya was wearing. He was injured - a broken nose and cut-up face, with lacerations severe enou

  January 13, 2009

• UPDATED: Astros Doctor Can't Follow Tender, Delicate Team PLUS Spring Training Updates

  Photo by OakleyOriginalsThis may hurt a little. The Houston Astros signed Mike Hampton earlier this off-season. Mike Hampton has not pitched a complete season of baseball since 2004. And last season they signed Kaz Matsui who gets injured while standing still. Brandon Backe and Chris Sampson have had major arm surgeries. Carlos Lee is returning from injury. Hunter Pence walks into glass doors. I could go on with a history of Houston Astros injuries, but I think you get the point. They'

  February 17, 2009

• Don't Worry, Chere: Brennan's To Re-Open In Eight Months

  Photo by Cathy MatusowMayor Bill White and Alex Brennan-Martin announced today that Brennan's of Houston will reopen in October of 2009. "Many of us remember the fire that night," Mayor White told the crowd assembled in front of the restaurant's building, which was gutted by an electrical fire during Hurricane Ike. "The fire at Brennan's sent a shudder through many a spine." The Mayor said he sees the reopening of Brennan's as a proof of how "this community will endure." Brennan-Martin said he's

  March 3, 2009

• Spectacular Firetruck Crash Makes Huge Hassle In Montrose

  Photo by Justine Schmider Firefighters and at least one civilian were injured in a nasty crash at about 11 o'clock this morning at Westheimer and Dunlavy in the heart of Montrose.The two fire trucks collided while responding to an emergency call, flipping the ladder truck onto a white Infinity, according to one person who spoke to Hair Balls.Apparently, the original call was a false alarm. ABC 13 is reporting injuries that aren't life-threatening to five firefighters and one civilian.We hea

  March 30, 2009

• Best Bobsledder

  September 21, 2000

• UPDATED: Astros Doctor Can't Follow Tender, Delicate Team PLUS Spring Training Updates

  Photo by OakleyOriginalsThis may hurt a little. The Houston Astros signed Mike Hampton earlier this off-season. Mike Hampton has not pitched a complete season of baseball since 2004. And last season they signed Kaz Matsui who gets injured while standing still. Brandon Backe and Chris Sampson have had major arm surgeries. Carlos Lee is returning from injury. Hunter Pence walks into glass doors. I could go on with a history of Houston Astros injuries, but I think you get the point. They'

  February 17, 2009

• 25 Things About The New Yankee Stadium And The Astros

  Now that I'm unemployed, I'm spending way too much time at home watching TV.  Particularly the MLB Network. I've become addicted to that thing. And yesterday, with the Astros having a day game against the Pirates on Fox, and there being an afternoon game on the MLB Network, I was in kind of a weird baseball nirvana.  But I took notes, so I'll share with you some of the things I learned.1. The New York Yankees have a new stadium. I don't know how I missed knowing that, but it's the bigg

  April 17, 2009

• Humane Roller Derby?

  June 8, 2006

• Friends sponsor movie fund-raiser for injured Gulf Coast surfer

  Aliens to the Rescue

  June 28, 2007

• Best Comet

  September 23, 2004

• Best Comet

  Sheryl Swoopes

  September 25, 2003

• Roller Derby

  Wheelchair basketball is for wussies. And park your pity at the door. Welcome to quad rugby, where quadriplegics slam their opponents into the hardwood.

  January 16, 2003

• Best Comet

  Sheryl Swoopes

  September 26, 2002

• Best Houston Comet

  Tina Thompson

  September 20, 2001

• King of Pain

  Dolan Smith's "Scar Show" catalogs a life of comic misfortune and tragedy

  August 31, 2000

• No More Waiting Room

  A mother fights for a therapeutic dive for all who need it

  April 20, 2000

• Who's Running The Astros These Days Anyway?

  Photo by William Holtkamp The Houston Astros put closer Jose Valverde on the disabled list yesterday. And that's not too shocking seeing as how Valverde had a ball drummed off his leg last week and has been hobbling and blowing saves on just one leg.What's surprising to me is what Jesus Ortiz at the Chron reports. The team had to put Valverde on the disabled list in order to prevent Valverde from pitching in a game. Now maybe it's just me, but I didn't think the decision about pitching in a game

  April 29, 2009

• Bystander Hit During A Police Shooting: Pretty Rare, Expert Says

  Photo by dizfunkshinal Tuesday's Metro Police shooting was not just unusual in that it was the first fatal shooting in the agency's history, but in that a bystander was injured as well. While we wait for more details to emerge from HPD, which is leading the investigation, Hair Balls checked in with a criminology expert about the incidence of bystander shootings."It's just a rare phenomenon," says David Klinger,  a professor of criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "...Police

  May 6, 2009

• That Other Sports Team In Town -- Who's Running It?

  Photo by Aaron M. SprecherI know I've asked this question before, but I feel that it needs asking again. So, seriously, who's running the Houston Astros?I ask because it came out yesterday that Cecil Cooper has been pitching injured pitchers, even though he knows they're injured, because they say that they want to pitch. Several weeks ago, it was reported that the Astros had to put Jose Valverde on the disabled list because even though Cooper knew he was injured, he kept pitching him because Val

  May 15, 2009

• Backe's Back In The Rotation: Just How Bad Can The Astros' Farm System Be?

  Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher The oft-injured Hampton, injured againHere's some shocking Astros news. According to the Chron, Mike Hampton is going on the 15-day disabled list. Yeah, I know, who would ever think that Hampton would get injured. It's not like he missed two of the last three seasons because of injuries, or anything. Even Matt Schaub and Tracy McGrady think he's injury-prone.Here's the really scary news, though. Brandon Backe's returning to the starting rotation to take Hampton'

  June 17, 2009

• The Astros, Making Sure That Their Rare Young Talent Stays Hidden

  Photo by mighty_maxicanOne would think that infielder Edwin Maysonet might be a little pissed about the Astros sending him back down to the minor leagues on Saturday night. He would be justified, seeing as how all he did was play excellent defense at second and third base, while showing off some good range and the ability to get on base while hitting a decent average. It's what one expects from a baseball player, after all, and it's generally something that's rewarded.  But this is t

  June 29, 2009

• Astros' Solution To A Lousy Rotation: Add More Lousy Pitchers

  Photo by Aaron M. SprecherOver the past two Astros games, Jim Deshaies has been talking about the Astros going to a six-man pitching rotation. And Deshaies has given a lot of reasons for doing this, but as much as I like JD, I'm a little disappointed in that, with all of his discussion about going to the six-man rotation, he's failed to give the one, defining reason why the Astros shouldn't: the pitching sucks.Back before John Smoltz was scheduled come off of the disabled list, there was t

  June 30, 2009

• The Astros, Hanging On Despite Themselves

  The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and Thursday and Friday to get their record to 46-44. For a short time, the Astros were in a three-way tie for second place in the NL Central. And with the first-place St. Louis Cardinals coming in for three games starting tonight, there was a chance the Astros were going to be playing for a shot at first place.Then Mike Hampton couldn't keep the Dodgers close on Saturday night, and the Astros bullpen blew the game on Sunday, and just like that

  July 20, 2009

• Astros Are Red-Hot...For Now

   Is it actually possible? Is it actually possible that the Houston Astros could climb into first place of the NL Central this weekend? Can it really be that we'll wake up on Monday morning and discover that the Astros will be in a position to actually start pulling away with the division lead?They just swept the St. Louis Cardinals, after all, and there's no way this team should have been able to sweep the Cardinals, especially with Chris Coste starting at first base the last two games.

  July 24, 2009

• The Gloom Starts To Gather For The Astros

  With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching, the Houston Astros are a listing ship quickly going under. The Astros just lost three of four games to the Chicago Cubs and have gone from surging toward first place to trying to hold off the Milwaukee Brewers for third place.The latest disaster in Chicago saw the Astros starters pitch just 15 of 38 innings in four games -- Wandy Rodriguez pitched seven of those innings on Monday night. Roy Oswalt had to leave his Tuesday start after 1.2 i

  July 31, 2009

• The Astros: Where Pitching Careers Go To Die

  Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher​I don't know what Cecil Cooper has against pitchers, but it's really beginning to harm the team. The Astros put Wesley Wright on the disabled list yesterday. Chris Sampson, who recently came off of the DL, is pitching as if he's still injured, and he and Cooper had a closed-door meeting the other day where Sampson expressed his displeasure at how he's been used. Doug Brocail just went back on the DL. Wandy Rodriguez, Roy Oswalt, and Mike Hampton have been battling in

  August 13, 2009

• The House by the Cemetery

  August 27, 2009

• TDCJ Guard Gets Two Years For Lying About Kicking Inmate In The Head

  ​A TDCJ guard who had been found guilty of filing a false "use of force" report was sentenced today to what no doubt will be two very uncomfortable years in a federal prison. (Or maybe guards take care of their own? We don't wanna know.)Eugene Morris, 41, had kicked an inmate in the head repeatedly after the prisoner used a racial slur against a guard; Morris then reported he had simply used a bear-hug on the inmate and forced him to the floor after getting head-butted.The details are a little

  August 26, 2009

• Ghost Riders: Way of Life

  October 8, 2009