Think you had it bad this past week with winter Erie?

Try being major league pitcher Carl Pavano.

Pavano reportedly slipped and fell while shoveling snow on his driveway in Vermont, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com is reporting.

Slipping and falling isn’t so bad. We’ve all done it in the winter.

However, from the category of freak injuries, Rosenthal reported that Pavano ruptured his spleen and will be out up to eight weeks.

Pavano, 37, is a free agent after pitching the past four seasons for the Minnesota Twins.

It’s not all that bad for Pavano. He signed a nearly $40 million contract with the Yankees a few years ago, so I’m sure he has the cash available to pay for his treatment.

Pavano has a career 108-107 record with a 4.39 ERA.

No word on whether Pirates GM Neal Huntington is targeting Pavano later in spring training.

– Rick Green (follow me on Twitter @ETNrgreen)