The Kansas City Royals started pitching better after a cactus spine incident was resolved.

“I had two different doctors look at it, and neither one said they could find anything,” Gobble said. “After about a month, it’s like the tip of the toe just opened up one day and there it was.”

Out peeked a cactus needle, one inch long, a thorn pretty much leaving of its own accord.

“We got it out of there,” Gobble said, “and suddenly I started pitching better again.”

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, not that I know why the San Diego sports section has an article about the KC Royals. They’ve got their own pitching woes to worry about in SD.