Man sues Royals, claims hot dog injury

Baseball fans who sit six rows behind the third-base dugout at the Kansas City Royals' stadium know they might have to duck a few foul balls.

But a Kansas man says it was a flying hot dog, not a baseball, that almost put his eye out last year.

John Coomer has filed a lawsuit against the Royals seeking more than $25,000 for injuries he sustained Sept. 8 when he was smacked in the eye with a hot dog chucked by the team's mascot, Sluggerrr.

Coomer said the wayward wiener caused a detached retina and the development of cataracts in his left eye.

Royals spokesman David Holtzman declined to comment Tuesday. He also would not say whether the lawsuit is the reason the team is looking for a replacement for its large lion mascot.