Oft-injured Kevin Mitchell loved toys and clubhouse high jinks, but the former MVP was also a guardian angel–and much more.

You know him for his gold tooth, his silver tongue and his Blue Cross & Blue Shield. We wouldn’t want to say the guy is injury-prone, but he once strained his rib muscles while vomiting. Another time he showed up late for spring training because he needed emergency dental work after munching on a microwaved chocolate doughnut.

He is the Wile E. Coyote of baseball. He keeps falling off cliffs, getting conked on the head with anvils, opening packages that explode and, inevitably, coming back for more.