It’s bizarre how “Achilles‘ heel” came to be part of the medical lexicon, with the name of the large tendon running down the back of the leg to the heel now named for the legend of the Ancient Greek. But the term is also shorthand for describing a glaring weakness of an otherwise impenetrable force, which is odd. Because I totally would have called that “Achilles’ balls.” Let’s ask Mariners shortstop Adrian Beltre, who suffered a fate much more cruel than that of our Greek hero.

Beltre suffered the injury in the ninth inning when a ground ball off the bat of Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez hit Beltre in the groin. Beltre does not wear a protective cup. He finished the 14-inning game.

Manager Don Wakamatsu said Beltre might need surgery because of bleeding in the testicle. If surgery is required, it could take months for Beltre to recover. via.

I can remember being ten years old in soccer practice and taking a ball to the nuts; it’s so painful that you wish you would die instead of endure the pain. So I applaud any dude that can take a ball of the junk and finish an extra inning game. That kind of effort takes real…balls.