Albatross.

The Mariners can pitch there's little doubt about that. Scoring runs, however, has been an issue for them. Some good news though: There was some talk of trying to get Erik Bedard into this series but they've apparently decided to hold him back until Tuesday against Baltimore.

Felix Hernandez brings his upper-nineties fastball and pretty strike out numbers to Fenway Park tonight. When he isn't striking people out, Hernandez gets plenty of ground ball outs. He gives up very, very few home runs. And he also throws around 115 per outing. Lefties do have a slightly better shot against him.

Garret Olson was the pitcher they were hoping to replace with Erik Bedard. Olson throws a high-eighties fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a change up. On May 16 he took the loss against Boston. He threw six innings and gave up five earned runs on four hits--including three homeruns (Varitek, Bailey, and Bay). He also walked four.

Brandon Morrow is making the transistion from a relief pitcher to a starter. Morrow has a mid-nineties fastball, a slider, a curveball, a changeup, and a split-fingered fastball. Too many walks, though. Lots of fly balls but not too many home runs.

With the loss of Adrian Beltre to a shoulder injury, their offense consists mostly of Ichiro Suzuki and Russell Branyon. They don't walk a lot. They don't strike out all that often. And except for Ichiro, they don't run very well--they kept running themselves out of innings against New York.

And because I can't think the word albatross without thinking of this:

USA! USA!

"When have you ever heard anyone say, 'Honey, let's stay in and order Canadian food'?" --From Canadian Bacon.

Jay Ray Bay joined the cause this afternoon by officially becoming an American citizen. Congratulations to him.

Jed.

Hey! I remember you, I think.

Is it terrible that while watching this video what I really wanted was for them to zoom out a little bit so that I could see this fabulous bruise on his knee?

Vote.

Just a friendly reminder that you have until midnight tonight to stuff the ballot box in Youkilis' favor for the All Star Game. I don't really care about the All Star Game (don't usually even bother to watch it) but Mark Teixeira just looks dopey and slightly dim and not worthy of representing anything. Also, if you've maxed out an e-mail address, you could try it again. It worked for me--I've voted twenty-five times in a row (although I counted over thirty votes before it locked me out once) on the same junk mail address three times already.

How'd You Like Them Apples?

Because I liked them just fine; crispy and sweet like a cameo or a gala.

Admittedly, I spent much of the game muttering to myself that it was pathetic that the first series they dropped in a long time was going to be to the Orioles. To freaking Baltimore. But in the end they had a little magic of their own. And as I was in the process of telling Rocco Baldelli that he needed to shave his moustache because it looks ridiculous (my efforts to stop talking to the television have been ineffective) he tied the game. (So...I suppose that he can keep it, if he really wants to. It's not as bad as the beard but that's not saying much.) And then Lugo came through and there was great joy.

Hips Don't Lie.*

Since I'm still keyed up, let's talk hips and hip effusions.

An effusion is build up of excess fluid in a body cavity. When they drained Mike Lowell's hip joint, they took out 15cc of synovial fluid. The average amount of fluid in a hip should be around 5cc. If 5cc is a little more than a teaspoon (and it is), then 15cc is nearly a tablespoon plus a teaspoon--which seems pretty excessive.

The problem with excess fluid is that it increases the pressure on the joint. And in some cases can cause the bones to become slightly displaced. When bones are out of place, it causes pain and limits the functionality of the joint. Just the act of draining the joint and relieving that pressure, is probably what led to Mikey felt better today.

The more interesting question is what is causing the buildup of fluid in his hip. Although they do occur in adults, hip effusions are more often a kiddo problem; specifically, boys aged 2 to 10. The most common causes would be synovitis (an inflamed synovial membrane), septic arthritis (an infection of a joint), and osteomyelitis (a bone infection). Other cause could be trauma, osteoarthritis, or gout/psuedogout.


*When this song was popular I had a clever friend who quipped "I've just about had it up to here with Shakira and her honest hips." Made me laugh; still does.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit.

Having calmed down to the point where I'm less annoyed with this past performance, I've come to the realization that it's better for the bullpen to fall apart against the Orioles than (sorry Os) against some team that really matters (NY or Tampa being the biggest culprits.) It still sucks but to a slightly lesser degree.