Jose Guillen to Chef: "You ain't got squat on me"

I once broke both big toes in a one-year period, and both toenails eventually came off.

I broke two fingers and a thumb playing baseball. The thumb broke two ways like a cross right on the knuckle, compliments of a high-and-tight fastball from some AAU shithead who appropriately signed with Duke.

My dad — the toughest son of a bitch I've ever known and one hell of a fine baseball coach back in the day — convinced my AAU coach that I'd "shake it off" if I "had a pair." I finished the game with grit and foul language, and eventually went to the doctor TWO OR THREE DAYS later. More than a decade later, the damn thumb still doesn't bend all the way. It still stings sometimes when I play basketball, football, baseball, golf or whathever dumb, drunk shit we do on the lake every summer.

Anyway, the point: None of the fingers or the thumb hurt anything like the toes. Every step was a bitch for weeks. It sucked. I will NEVER again question an athlete sitting out with a toe-related injury.

 

Thanks to everyone for so candidly sharing their toenail issues.

 

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