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Watch your step! Lance Berkman suffered minor knee injury falling down stairs on Rangers plane

If you're wondering why Lance Berkman hasn't been in the Texas Rangers lineup since Thursday, there's a very good, although totally embarrassing, explanation for it.

At first all we knew for certain was that Berkman was dealing with right knee soreness. Considering his age, 37, and his history with knee problems, the words knee soreness connected to Berkman shouldn't come as any big surprise. That said, you do pay extra attention to his status to make sure it hasn't developed into something serious that will force him to miss significant playing time.

In this particular occurrence, though, Berkman tells the Star-Telegram the injury won't require a trip to the disabled list. It's actually very minor in nature, because, well, it's not your typical knee issue. He actually suffered the injury in a tumble on the team's charter plane after arriving home from New York on Thursday night.

Perhaps I shouldn't chuckle because that does seem like it would have the potential to be serious if Berkman fell a greater distance. And again, given his history — two operations on the right knee dating back to last May — any twist or tweak puts him at a high risk for a long-term problem. But I really don't feel too bad about it knowing that Berkman himself is taking the situation in stride. So to speak.

A classic Lance Berkman response to a not-so-classic injury. Not that we should be surprised, though. He's one of those guys who can find the humor and provide a great quote under any circumstances, but especially those that might shine an embarrassing light on him. That's what makes him one of our favorites.

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