Maradona Hospitalized, Has Surgery

Admit it. You see that headline ... and you don't know where to go with it.

Diego Maradona, coach of the Argentine national team, has had such an erratic/sickly/substance-addled life ... you see he's in a hospital ... and you think, "Well, OK ... it could be just about anything."

In this case? Diego was bitten by his dog. He has had surgery on his face. Diego. Not the dog.

And what this reinforces is that the Argentines, as good as they are (and they are very good, individually) are led by the most erratic coach in the South Africa 2010 World Cup. Whoever is second isn't within a country mile of Mad Maradona.

(Unless one of those other 31 gentlemen have been hiding some massively corrosive personal shortcomings that include rampant cocaine usage, near-death experiences from substance abuse and, now, attacks from their own dogs.)

If I were Argentina's fans, or bettors on Argentina ... well, I would be worried. Because this guy is a loose cannon. A goofball. A man who can barely get through the day. A disaster waiting to happen.

And he is expected to make the decisions to get Argentina through the World Cup?

So, today it is a dog that put Diego Maradona in the hospital. What will it be next time?

Whatever it is, it won't surprise us.

And here is an update with a few more details. A couple of fun facts: Diego was playing with his Shar Pei and got wounds on his mouth ... ick. Also, the hospital he went to is the same he went to in 2007 to get his liver fixed up.

Sigh.