Long Beach: Surviving A Scare

By Lara Boyko - June 03, 2007

UIC almost just experienced a nightmare of an inning during Long Beach State's turn at the top of the third.

With runners on second and third, the Dirtbags were threatening to run up the score. Yet after striking out Travis Howell and Robert Perry popping out to centerfield, the third inning ended up being not so scary.

While scary innings are just part of the game of baseball, a terrifying pre-season accident was not part of the plan for the Flames last November 6.

The abridged version is that UIC coach Mike Dee was seriously hurt as the butt of an alumninum bat hit him in the face during a bat-release drill. The bat -- which was released out of the hands of right fielder Ty Rubio -- hit Dee on the left side of his face which destroyed his nose and Dee suffered "blowout fractures" to his orbital bones and cheekbones according to Chicagosports.com. The injury was so severe that Dee now has an alumimum nose and his left eye sits upon a titanium box.

Dee's scars are unnoticable to the naked eye and doesn't want people to make a big deal about the injury, but it's one of the reminders in life that anything can happen when you are not looking.

Here's the complete story from Chicagosports.com for those of you who want to read it:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/cs-070511dee,1,6805341.story?page=1&coll=cs-college-headlines