What Is It About Dodger Pitchers and Stupid Off-Season Leg Injuries?

Winter, 2008: Chad Billingsley breaks his leg slipping on Pennsylvania ice.

Winter, 2009: Vicente Padilla is shot in the leg at a shooting range by his friend/bodyguard.

And now, after he signs a one-year, $5 million contract, you know...the rest of the story. From "Dodgers' Vicente Padilla comes through with truth about shooting incident" by Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:

When word trickled out of Nicaragua in November that Vicente Padilla was shot, his agent said the bullet only "grazed" his leg.

Some graze that was.

Pointing to a spot high on his right thigh, Padilla said, "It went in here." Touching the back of his leg, he continued, "And it went out the other side." [...]

"We waited until after hunting season to engage in serious discussions," Colletti said.

Graze, exit wound, what's the difference? Score one for the agents. Glad Ned Colletti has a sense of humor about it — because if Padilla struggles this season, the Dodgers may have shot themselves in the foot by re-signing him.

Also: Vicente Padilla discusses incident (Tony Jackson, ESPNLosAngeles.com)