Sensitive subject: Manu Ginobili isn't first athlete felled by low blow

One of the most painful injuries in sports can also be one of the most difficult to respond to with a straight face, even if it's no laughing matter. No one giggles at a sprained wrist, snickers at a twisted knee or chuckles at a bruised back, but if anything happens to the testicles, well, we're all instantly transported to grade school when it comes to our reactions.

Even the venerable Vin Scully couldn't help himself two years ago when an umpire got hit in his undercarriage. 

On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs announced Manu Ginobili would be sidelined four weeks following testicular surgery after he got kneed in the groin by New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson on Wednesday.

While the Spurs bench initially laughed off the injury in real time and reporters asked about it with a hint of humor following the game, it turned serious when the severity of the injury was discovered.

"I don't want to joke with that," Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. "It doesn't look good."

Ginobili is just the latest athlete to suffer an injury in that sensitive area. Here are 12 other examples of pros who know firsthand the kind of damage a low blow can do:

MLB

Billy Burns, Oakland Athletics: The outfielder suffered a testicular contusion last July after getting hit by a ball he fouled off against the San Francisco Giants. Burns actually finished his at-bat after taking several minutes to gather himself and recorded an RBI groundout. He tried to finish the game but eventually had to be replaced. "It never got better," Burns said. "I felt like I was going to throw up in the outfield."

Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies: The catcher was briefly sidelined in 2011 after a Roy Halladay pitch hit him in the groin -- or "family jewels," as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel called it. The left testicle contusion didn't prevent Ruiz from finishing the game, and he was back behind the plate after a couple of days.

Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays: The outfielder suffered a testicular contusion when Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta tried to pick off Crawford at first base in 2010. The throw was a perfect strike in the wrong zone. "He caught me square," said Crawford after the game. "He couldn't have hit it in a better spot. It just took the wind right out of me."

Adrian Beltre, Seattle Mariners: In 2009, Beltre, who refuses to wear a cup, had his right testicle crushed by a bad hop at third base during a game against the Chicago White Sox. Despite the injury, Beltre finished the game, singled in the 14th inning and scored the winning run. After the game, however, Beltre said his testicle was "the size of a grapefruit." He was placed on the 15-day disabled list. When he returned, Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker'' played at Safeco Field when Beltre stepped into the batter's box at the request of Ken Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners: Griffey can tease perhaps because he knows the feeling of getting hurt where it hurts the most. He once missed a game after his protective cup slipped and pinched a testicle. His best related quote came when he was with the Cincinnati Reds and was asked to describe an abdominal injury: "The best way I can describe it is it felt like somebody bungee jumped off my right nut."

Felix Pie, Chicago Cubs: The center fielder was forced to undergo surgery in 2008 after suffering from testicular torsion (a twisted testicle). He was able to play through it at first after having the problem reduced manually but needed corrective surgery after the problem persisted. If Pie did not have the surgery, which involved sewing the outer layer of the testicle to scrotum wall, he would have risked losing the testicle.

Chris Snyder, Arizona Diamondbacks: The catcher suffered a fractured left testicle in 2008, which was quite the year in testicular injuries, and required surgery. He tore the layer of connective tissue covering the testicles when he was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart. Snyder was able to return after a stint on the 15-day DL.

Josias Manzanillo, Seattle Mariners: After being hit in the groin by a Manny Ramirez line drive in 1997, the cupless pitcher was amazingly able to pick up the ball and throw Jim Thome out at the plate and run off the field on his own. But Manzanillo would require surgery after suffering tears in both testicles, and one of them had to be removed.

NHL

Sami Salo, Vancouver Canucks: "Salo took that one in a bad spot." That was the call while the rugged defenseman writhed on ice after getting in the way of a slap shot during a second-round playoff game against the Blackhawks in 2010. Salo was rushed to the hospital for treatment but didn't stay out for long. He returned to action the next game and had nearly 20 minutes of ice time, eliciting chants of "Balls of steel!" from the home fans. It wasn't long before Twitter and Facebook accounts representing Salo's wounded area appeared.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings: The Hall of Fame defenseman was speared in the groin by Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Sharp during Game 3 of the 2009 Western Conference finals. Lidstrom was preparing to play the next game two days later but was in too much pain and went to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. Lidstrom missed the rest of the series, which the Red Wings won in five games, but he was back on the ice for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals just eight days after the injury.

Patrick Thoresen, Philadelphia Flyers: The winger put the team first in a big way when he blocked a shot with his most sensitive area while the Flyers were nursing a one-goal lead against the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of a 2008 first-round playoff series. "That's my job," Thoresen said a few days later. "I'm sacrificing myself for the team. That's what it's all about, especially in the playoffs." Adding insult to injury, the Capitals scored the tying goal as play continued while Thoreson was incapacitated by the low blow. Washington won the game, but Philly won the series. Thoreson missed Game 2 but played the rest of the series.

NFL

Virgil Livers, Chicago Bears: During a 1978 game against the Oakland Raiders, Livers took an inadvertent knee to the groin while he was blocking at the end of a punt return. The cornerback stayed on the field for the next defensive series, but soon his stride was impeded by the swelling. He wound up driving himself to the ER, where he had surgery to remove a ruptured testicle. "The truth is, it wasn't really all that painful," he said years later. "It was all just ... numb. My knee injury and the rehab I had to go through was far worse." Livers was able to successfully resume his career and father children after recovering.