Three Fingers, a Thumb and a Gesture

The Cubs just recalled catcher Koyie Hill from Triple-A Iowa just a little more than 10 months after Hill chopped off three fingers and the thumb on his right hand with a table saw. The right-handed Hill had all the digits surgically reattached and this year was hitting .275 with 17 home runs and 64 RBI in 113 games for Iowa.

“I had to learn how to give high fives all over again. Everything is different,” Hill told AP writer Rick Gano.

Which got us thinking, if Hill is to regain full form, he may want to seek out new teammate Kerry Wood (above), who's always willing to share a few -- um -- pointers. Should Kerry be busy, here's our list of others who may lend a hand:

Chub Feeney – in a legendary 1988 flip, the San Diego Padres general manager shot the bird at Pad’s faithful on Fan Appreciation Day. The finger got Feeney the thumb.

John Rocker – well, who can count the stadiums this hothead saluted

Billy Martin – the Yankee great may have occasionally flipped the bird in a drunken rage, but we doubt he would have remembered. He surely would remember this: while managing the Tigers in 1972, he was photographed for a Topps baseball card with his left middle finger purposely extended downward.

In other sports, NFL linebacker Bryan Cox (Jets, Dolphins and Bears), drew eight league fines in a six-year period, including one for walking out of the tunnel with both middle fingers pointed skyward.

Also ambidextrous, former Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick flipped the bird to fans at the Georgia Dome. Vick was fined $10,000 ($5,000 for each hand) and the gesture failed to catch on as the Falcons’ version of the Tomahawk Chop.

Allen Iverson didn’t need to practice flipping off a crowd in 2003, he did it plenty. He also took a $10k hit.

Ron Artest, known for “personally interacting” with Detroit fans, has also been fined for saluting fans from afar.

Keyshawn Johnson – see John Rocker.

Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia have both “addressed” PGA fans after addressing the ball during tournament play.

Mike Ditka, as head coach of the Saints and the Bears, repeatedly flipped the bird to fans. In fact, you can buy a framed photo of him, walking off Solider Field in his Bears sweater, offering the single-digit salute.

Finally, in the “They Deserved it Category” -- Wyoming Cowboys football coach Joe Glenn in 2007 flipped off the entire Utah Utes team and coaching staff after the Utes tried an onside kick while ahead by 43 points.