Freak accidents happen every day. They are just not supposed to happen to a professional athlete. These guys make millions of dollars a year because they can run faster, jump higher and throw harder than everyday Joes like you and me.

I guess that’s why it’s so funny when these super-coordinated pro athletes get hurt doing something stupid.

Chris Coghlan is just the latest in a long line of athletes to suffer an injury following a freak accident.

The Florida Marlins left fielder is now on the disabled list with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

The reigning National League Rookie of the Year’s injury was revealed in an MRI exam last week. He was hurt while delivering a pie in the face to teammate Wes Helms, who hit a bases-loaded single to beat Atlanta.

“When Wes hit the walk-off, I went to pie him in the face,” Coghlan said. “When I jumped, I landed wrong on my knee. That’s how I got injured. If you ever get injured, you want to do it while you’re out there competing, not when you’re celebrating.”

But I have to agree with New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, who is renowned for his ability to deliver a perfect pie to the face. During his two years with the Yankees, the right-hander has delivered about 20 pies into a teammate’s grill.

“I feel sorry for him,” Burnett said about Coghlan. “You can’t take the fun out of the game, but you have to do it right, I guess. It’s an unfortunate incident, but I’m still going to throw pies. Stuff happens, I guess.”

Coghlan isn’t the only MLBer to suffer a major injury while celebrating a walk-off victory. Angels first baseman Kendry Morales was lost to a broken left leg May 29 when he leaped onto home plate during a celebration following his game-ending grand slam against the Seattle Mariners.

The loss of Morales was a huge blow to the defending AL West champs. At the time, Morales was leading the team with 11 homers, 39 RBIs and a .290 average.

So, as a tribute to Coghlan and Morales, here’s a list of the freaky and funny injuries suffered by professional athletes, who are supposedly the world’s most coordinated human beings.

Former Mariner Glenallen Hill has a severe case of arachnophobia. During his playing days, he had a nightmare about spiders, jumped out of bed, and fell down a flight of stairs.

Former Washington Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte suffered a concussion after scoring a touchdown and head-butting a padded wall.

In 2001, Bill Gramatica of the Arizona Cardinals kicked a field goal to beat the New York Giants during the regular season. After jumping around like he’d just won the Super Bowl, Gramatica tore up his knee and missed the rest of the season.

Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya, who has had his share of freak injury problems, missed the 2006 World Series with a wrist injury that was caused by playing too much of the video game ‘Guitar Hero’

One of my favorites happened to knuckleballer Steve Sparks during Milwaukee Brewers’ spring training in 1994. Sparks dislocated his shoulder after he tried to imitate the acts performed by two men who visited the Brewers earlier in the week. The men, who were part of a motivational group called Radical Reality, ripped apart phone books with their hands.

Pitcher John Smoltz once burned his chest while ironing a shirt — while he was wearing it.

In 1985, Giants pitcher Greg Minton showed up at spring training hurt, after he drove a nail through the middle of his pitching hand while trying to shoe a horse.

Padres pitcher Adam Eaton missed a start after stabbing himself in the stomach with a small knife while trying to cut the shrink wrap off a DVD. Eaton, from Snohomish, needed two stitches.

In 1995, Bret Barberie was making nachos with fellow infielder Rich Renteria before a game. After cutting chili peppers, Barberie washed his hands, but they apparently still had some chili oil on them. When he put in his contacts, his eyes started burning. Barberie subsequently had to toss his contacts in the trash and call his manager to scratch him from the lineup.

Sneezing has also taken out its fair share of athletes, including Sammy Sosa and Goose Gossage. Both had to go on the disabled list after some violent sneezes.

“It would have been better if I had run into the wall or had a fight with somebody,” Sosa told reporters.

“I’m embarrassed as hell,” Gossage said at the time. “But they say it’s one of the most common ways (to hurt your back). You drop a bar of soap and hurt it. Or you put your shoes or socks on and hurt it. It happens.”

Right, Goose.

But it usually happens to out-of-shape Joe Blows, not a highly-tuned professional athlete.