Elbow

When the Major League Baseball season starts March 31, Brett Harman won't be on a pitcher's mound. Instead, the 23-year-old Westminster resident will be preparing for a career as a physician assistant. But Harman, who had a standout career at Westminster High and the University of Maryland, isn't ready to give up baseball completely. Later this spring, Harman will leave Carroll County for St. Louis, where the right-hander will pitch for the River City Rascals, on the outskirts of St. Louis.

Viewers of the television political talk shows may have noticed a phenomenon in the afterbirth of the last presidential election. High-powered consultants from both campaigns have invaded the studios as panelists, chewing over the political events of the day beside career reporters and analysts who had recently been covering them. From the winning Obama team, chief campaign strategists David Axelrod and David Plouffe and deputy Stephanie Cutter have signed with such shows, as have Kevin Madden of the Romney campaign and other Republicans.

Fans were missing linebacker Ray Lewis at the end of the Ravens' last game. Lewis is out for the season after suffering a triceps tear, a rare injury with a long recovery time. Dr. Umasuthan Srikumaran, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said triceps tears are significant injuries for athletes. What is a triceps tear and how common is this injury? The triceps is the muscle on the back part of your arm. It originates from the shoulder blade and the upper portion of the arm, crosses the elbow joint, and inserts into the ulna, a bone in your forearm.

Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy has been shut down after experiencing some mild elbow tightness in his throwing arm. "He's going to rest it for a few more days until it goes away, and we expect that to be in a couple of days and then at that point he would resume his throwing," Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said. "He's had some tightness for a couple of days. I think it came to light last week. " Duquette said Bundy complained of the tightness a few days after his final minor league spring start. Bundy had an MRI taken on the elbow and the results were negative, showing mild tightness in a muscle in the area of his elbow.

Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada came out of this second live game spring start confident that the elbow problems that have hindered his bid for a starting rotation spot have subsided. Wada threw 47 pitches in three extended innings (10 outs) in a minor-league game against the Red Sox's Double-A team at Twin Lakes Park on Thursday afternoon. Asked after his outing if he was confident the left elbow discomfort that crept up in the second week of camp is a thing of the past, the Japanese-born Wada, who speaks to the media through an interpreter, didn't need any help to give his message.

Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen will visit renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews today for a second opinion on his right elbow, manager Davey Johnson said. Storen will almost certainly not need Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery, a typical fear when players visit Andrews. But depending on the results of Andrews' examination, Storen could miss at least half the season because of a "loose body" in his elbow and the surgery that would be required to remove it. Storen, 24, felt tenderness in his elbow Sunday while throwing a simulated game, particularly when he threw fastballs.

Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman left Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Yankees after three innings with tightness in his right elbow. Tillman, who entered Sunday's start having won six of his past seven decisions, had retired four straight Yankees hitters. He allowed a two-run homer to center fielder Chris Dickerson, who was making his first start of the season in relief of the injured Curtis Granderson. Tillman battled his control early, issuing two walks and a pair of wild pitches in his first two innings of work.

Orioles left-hander Randy Wolf has been shelved with left elbow discomfort, manager Buck Showalter said Monday. The 36-year-old Wolf, signed Aug. 31, is scheduled to have an MRI performed on the elbow Tuesday morning. An anti-inflammatory injection could follow. He was evalualted by Orioles team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens before Monday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays. Showalter said Wolf began feeling discomfort toward the end of his spot start Saturday in Boston. Wolf appeared to labor late in his outing at Fenway Park, where he went five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits.

Bobby Witt, bothered by pain in his right elbow, won't pitch again this season and may need surgery.Witt, who led the Texas Rangers with 17 victories last season, is scheduled for an arthrogram today. Doctors say he may have a bone spur.Witt, in the first season of a three-year deal worth a guaranteed $7.3 million, is 3-7 with a 6.09 ERA. He missed part of the season after tests showed a slight rotator cuff tear in his shoulder. The injury did not require surgery.Rangers manager Bobby Valentine said rookie Hector Fajardo probably will be put into the rotation Sunday or Monday.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - It's unclear whether there's any real cause for alarm, but the Orioles are taking no chances with pitcher Rich Hill and his sore left elbow. Though X-rays on the elbow revealed no structural problem, the left-hander was sent for a magnetic resonance imaging before yesterday's game to rule out any possibility that his arm soreness is the result of a significant injury. "He's getting the whole kit and caboodle," manager Dave Trembley said. The news was pretty good.

What kind of regular maintenance should I do to prepare my home for spring? Jim Embe, Baltimore district manager for Home Depot, suggests these spring chores for around the home. •Now is the time to put down lawn fertilizer and pre-emergent weed killer. If you want to seed your lawn, there are now products that allow you to do both. •Clean out the gutters and downspouts and make sure they haven't pulled away from the fascia during the winter. •Now is the time to power-wash the deck or the siding.

When the Major League Baseball season starts March 31, Brett Harman won't be on a pitcher's mound. Instead, the 23-year-old Westminster resident will be preparing for a career as a physician assistant. But Harman, who had a standout career at Westminster High and the University of Maryland, isn't ready to give up baseball completely. Later this spring, Harman will leave Carroll County for St. Louis, where the right-hander will pitch for the River City Rascals, on the outskirts of St. Louis.

Orioles minor league pitcher Jonatan Isenia suffered a strained right elbow injury while pitching for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. The 19-year-old Curacao native will be replaced on the Netherlands roster by Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen. Isenia threw just 3 2/3 innings in the World Baseball Classic, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks. He was added to the Netherlands roster when the final rosters were released. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Isenia pitched for the Orioles' Dominican Summer League team last season, going 0-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 13 relief appearances and allowing 14 hits with 10 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings.

Moments before No. 2 Stevenson's home contest against No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills, senior midfielder Nick Rossi confided in sophomore midfielder Michael Crowe that he was feeling antsy about taking the field for the first time this season. “I was a little nervous before the game today,” Rossi admitted after Stevenson nipped the Tigers, 12-11, in overtime on the strength of sophomore attackman Mark Pannenton's goal with 1:49 left in the extra session.

Rehabbing pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada threw another bullpen session on Wednesday morning and reported no problems with his repaired left elbow. He said through his interpreter that he's gradually getting stronger, but he doesn't know when he'll throw next. “My elbow and overall body-wise and conditioning-wise, I do feel stronger," he said. “As time goes by, I'm going to be able to swing my arm faster. It's gradually getting stronger day by day.” Wada is trying to come back from Tommy John surgery nine months ago. The Orioles have been very conservative in projecting his return and continue to point toward June, though he seems to be on pace to pitch a little sooner than that.

It was a September day in 2007 and Seth Allen was riding his bicycle around his suburban Virginia neighborhood the same way he now plays basketball for Maryland - with speed and flair, but also a hint of youthful recklessness. Allen wasn't holding on to the 10-speed's handlebars when he hit a rough patch of pavement and lost control, tumbling off the bike and shattering his left elbow in so many places that doctors had to insert two plates and 24 screws to stabilize the joint. Five and a half years later, the screws and plates remain in the freshman guard's shooting elbow along with the memory of surgeries, painkillers and months of rehabilitation during which his athletic future was clouded.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- An MRI revealed that Orioles minor league pitcher Jonatan Isenia has a UCL strain in his elbow, an injury sufferef while he was pitching for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. The team will take a conservative approach" to his rehab, executive vice president Dan Duquette said, meaning Isenia will rest for several weeks and is not scheduled for surgery at this time. Isenia, a 19-year-old Curacao native, was a late addition to the Netherlands roster.

The Orioles will be without left-hander Randy Wolf for the remainder of the season. Wolf was placed on the 60-day disabled with a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow before Wednesday's game. The 36-year-old Wolf will likely need a second Tommy John surgery to pitch again. The prognosis on Wolf, who was signed Aug. 31 to add left-handed bullpen depth, didn't appear to be promising Tuesday when manager Buck Showalter wouldn't discuss the results of an MRI performed that morning, only saying that Wolf would speak with team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens and Dr. Lewis Yocum, who performed Tommy John surgery on Wolf's elbow in 2005.  “We'll see what Randy and the doctors want to do,” Showalter said before Wednesday's game.

The Orioles' annual FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center emits a festival atmosphere, complete with face-painting and bingo corner. Held just weeks before spring training begins, it springs the baseball season into motion. Players come to town to sign autographs and pose for photos. Even in the darkest years, optimism and excitement rules the day. But while Saturday's announced crowd of more than 18,500 marked a single-day FanFest record - the event used to run over two days in the 1990s - the day revolved around remembering Earl Weaver, the Orioles' Hall of Fame manager who died late Friday night at the age of 82. Wearing his custom-made Earl Weaver jersey, lifelong Orioles fan Rick Gaetano made the three-hour drive to Baltimore from his home in Mountain Top, Pa., on Saturday morning to attend FanFest when he received a text message from his wife and learned of Weaver's death.