June Mar Fajardo "swollen scrotum"

June Mar Fajardo (left) collided with Marc Pingris 

Two weeks have passed in PBA Philippine Cup action and we have had our share of cardiac games, a couple of blowouts, stellar performances, disappointments, highlights (Way to go, Mark Yee!), and the dread of all players, and maybe more so for team owners, illnesses and injuries.

It can never be good when a player goes down and is forced to miss a game or two, or maybe even much more. Several players were unable to start the season on the active list, nursing injuries from last conference or incurred during the off-season. Others, like celebrated rookie Chris Tiu, returned to action too soon and will have to miss significant time after aggravating an already-existing condition. Early setbacks, like Gary David's foot injury, which has kept him out after he sought to redeem himself since he played horribly in GlobalPort's first game, have also occurred.

News reports yesterday, however, announced what could be the biggest harm and the largest damage to date this season. It may be most "significant" injury so far this season. It will cause a huge vacuum in the middle for Petron Blaze, and the Boosters will need a giant effort in their next ballgame. I don't want to hit below the belt, but the way the balls are bouncing this conference, an injury to any player that is a hefty part of his team's attack, can neuter that team's chances in a very immense way.

The first overall pick in the last Rookie Draft, behemoth June Mar Fajardo, already christened The Kraken from mythical lore, is out for his team's next few games. He played dominantly in his last game (16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and a block) and, despite his team's loss, was the talk of the town after the game. He did get hit in the groin area by San Mig Coffee Mixer Marc Pingris late in the game, however, and the after-effect of that has stirred up even more talk about Fajardo, and not just about the way he plays basketball.

Fajardo is now confined in the hospital due to what has been reported as a "swollen scrotum." Former PBA player Vince Hizon said on Twitter that the said report was "too much information" that he didn't want. I'm sure it was the same for many. The truth, however, is that the blow by Pingris did indeed cause swelling in the testicular area (and I'm assuming it's not just the "scrotum", as medically defined) of Fajardo, and I heard something about the size of a grapefruit from other sources, though I'm not exactly sure how a grapefruit can be related to the topic of something swollen.

The same reports stated that if the swelling does not subside soon, then surgery may become necessary. Ouch.

The injury came at a lousy time for Fajardo, who had a splendid performance against San Mig, including a follow-up dunk that excited the fans, showing flashes of future dominance, perhaps. Petron coaches, management, and fans were surely looking forward to Fajardo's improved performance in games to come, using that breakout game as a springboard. Hopefully, he recovers soon and is able to suit up shortly thereafter, without being set back too much. I, for one, am rooting for this guy's success, even as many malign him for not being as dominant as they would like. He is young, strong, and very coachable. Oh, and he's 6'10, too.

There have been, of course, so many bizarre injuries in the world of sports. The usual sprains, breaks, bruises, muscle strains and pulls, and concussions usually happen in-game or during practice. Many injuries have occurred while players celebrate a great play.

But there have been injuries that happened elsewhere, while an athlete was doing nothing related to basketball, like falling down a flight of stairs after tripping over a box (Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, of the Lakers). Former Sacramento Kings player Lionel "The L-Train" Simmons missed some action back in the early '90s because his wrist was swollen after playing too much Tetris on his Nintendo Game Boy. A European soccer player got injured while trying to pick up a letter tile from the floor, which he dropped playing Scrabble with friends. And baseball homerun hitter Sammy Sosa got back spasms after sneezing hard a couple of times in the dugout, and had to miss his team's next game.

Fajardo's injury, as reported, is surely a first as far as the PBA is concerned. I agree with Vince Hizon that it may have been too much information for the public. June Mar, though, is known to be a genuinely nice guy, a funny person with a positive outlook. We should all root for his speedy recovery.

Injuries suck, no matter where and when they happen, and the less injuries that happen in a season, especially to players who get significant minutes, translate to more entertaining, more exciting, and higher quality basketball. Accidents will happen, though, just as Pingris banged against Fajardo. The harm caused may be more than it initially seemed, but, hopefully, there will always be a chance to bounce back and be productive once again.

Get well soon, June Mar (and all the rest of the players nursing injuries now)!

You can follow Charlie Cuna on Twitter @Charlie C.

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.

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