Monta Ellis wishes he’d thought of this story, as provided by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s Paul Hoynes.

OF David Dellucci, who will miss at least the first three games of the Cactus League season, told reporters Saturday morning that he suffered a cut left thumb when an alligator bit him while he was saving a boy while fishing near his home in Baton Rouge, La.He hooked two of the three reporters gathered around him hook, line and sinker before coming clean.

Dellucci said he smashed his thumb while trying to close the tailgate of his trailer on Feb. 1. He called the Indians with news about the mishap right after it happened and reported to camp early to get it checked out.

As reported in an earlier post, Dellucci needed three stitches to close the cut. Then he needed surgery on the thumb to reclose the cut properly and reattach the nail to the nail bed.

Dellucci told reporters he wrestled with the alligator to free the boy, but “the gator got me on the thumb.”

After telling the truth, Dellucci laughed and said, “There are about 10 or 15 guys in this clubhouse who still think that story is true.”