PHILADELPHIA — The most ardent Phillies fan in America sits in front of his locker, clutching a printout of an X-ray.
“That’s it right there,” Jake Arrieta says, unnecessarily, as he gestures to the black-and-white image of his right elbow. The knuckle-sized protrusion needs no introduction. “That’s not supposed to be there,” he adds.
If this team would just start winning the way it was supposed to, Arrieta and what he calls a “pretty good marble” of a bone spur could skip a start or two, giving him occasional respites from the searing pain. If the team had played well to open the season, he might have been able to undergo the surgery he badly needs.