Apparently the Jimmy Buffett marketing machine is slowly taking over South Florida’s economy, choking off all other commerce like a Parrothead’s swollen prostate. With cash flow slowing to a trickle, they sold Jimmy the naming rights to Joe Dolphin Stadium or whatever the hell it used to be called. So of course he named it Land Shark.

The Marlins will wake up with a massive hangover and move to a new field in 2012, change their name to the Miami Marlins, and pretend they never heard of Jimmy Buffett. Good luck with that, because he’s already planning to put a volcano in left-centerfield and a boat dock behind home plate. And the home plate umpire will have a parrot. They’re also considering eyepatches, but the umpires union is protesting because those would be redundant.

Anyway, the Fish are 58-53, four games behind the Phillies, who they just swept on the road. Not too shabby. Cody Ross and Dan Uggla Muggla are leading the team in homers with 20 apiece, and Handjob Ramirez has 74 RBI. He’s also leading the league in batting at .348.

The Astros are still treading water in their quest for the perfect .500 season. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but Cecil Cooper thinks it does, so we just have to go along with it. But feel free to do an eye-roll that would make Footer proud.

Land Shark Stadium

Monday, August 10,  6:10 p.m. CDT – FSH-HD
Tuesday, August 11,  6:10 p.m. CDT – FSH-HD
Wednesday, August 12,  6:10 p.m. CDT – FSH-HD
Thursday, August 13, 6:10 p.m. CDT – FSH-HD, MLBN

Well of course the Marlins series will be shown on the FiSH-HeaD. There’s also a Florida amateur porn network called Fish-Tail. The amateur porn stars are kind of like the Marlins; you’ve never heard of any of them, but they’re still six games ahead of the goddamn Mets.

Notable giveaways

Boy, the Astros are burning up the turnstiles on the road, packing ’em in like sardines. Just check out the specials for this series:

WorkForce Monday – Every Monday, unemployed people can get four free tickets at Land Shark just by showing their unemployment documents. However, most economists will tell you this promotion only works for the recently unemployed; it discriminates unfairly against those citizens whose unemployment benefits have expired, causing them to give up hope of ever getting to see a fucking ballgame. I mean job.

Tuesday – No specials today because everyone found jobs yesterday hanging out at Land Shark.

Wednesday – Some bullshit radio ticket promo.

Thursday – Jesus, go home already, you fucking bums! The free tickets and handjobs were Monday.

Projected Matchups from Astros.com

Monday
Brian Moehler (7-7, 5.23) v. Rick VandenHurk (1-1, 4.29)

Moehler has only pitched a total of three innings against the Marlins in his career, but that’s because he was a Marlin for two years. At Jimmy Joe Robbie Stadium his record is 5-11 with an ERA that’s tickling 5.00. Only one Fish has more than five AB’s against Moehler, and that’s Nick Johnson who’s 4-for-18 with a homer.

Henricus VandenHurk, believe it or not, is from the Netherlands. He tried a wrestling career as a sort-of Darth Vader/Hulk Hogan mash-up character, but sadly South Florida wasn’t ready for that. So now he’s pitching for the Marlins and had 18 appearances a couple of years ago. He’s had four starts this year and won a game against the Fathers, but more recently got bombed by the Nationals.

The three Astros who have seen VandenHurk before – Kepp, Matsui, and Coste – are a combined 4-for-6 with two homers off him. Obviously they were steering with a Dutch Rudder.

Tuesday
Roy Oswalt (6-4, 3.61) v. Chris Volstad (8-9, 4.48)

Roy is scheduled to return in this series after having back problems in late July. In the past he’s owned a couple of Marlins – Ronny Paulino and Uggly Muggly – but he’s had trouble with several others. Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu, and Jeremy Hermida all have two homers off him, and Wes Helms has another.

In his last start, Volstad gagged up a 6-0 lead to the Nationals. He’s also given up 23 homers in 23 starts. However, current Astros are 2-for-21 against him, with only Bourn and Erstad managing hits.

Wednesday
Bud Norris (2-0, 1.69) v. Ricky Nolasko (8-7, 4.86)

Norris will be getting his first look at the NL East after two nice wins against the 3rdinals and Brewers. In those two games he got 16 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Nolasco was 2-0 against the Astros last season, and now he’s on a streak of four straight quality starts. Hunter Pence is 2-for-5 against him and both hits were homers. Blum and Berkman also have homers off Nolasco, but Bourn, Lee, Quintero, and Matsui are a combined 0-for-15 against him.

Thursday
Mike Hampton (7-9, 5.30) v. Sean West (3-4, 4.88)

Hampton is questionable for this series, but he’s questionable for every series. He came out of his last start because of a torn something in his knee. If Hampton does pitch today, one guy to watch out for is Wes Helms who is 6-for-12 against him.

West has been up and down from the minors this year but has made 11 starts for the Fish. He’s lost his last two decisions, and he only went four innings in his last start though the team did get a win. No one on the Astros has faced him.

Injury Report

Houston – Berkman, Boone, Brocail, and Hawkins are all out. Mike Hampton is listed as questionable for this series, and Roy is probable. Keep your fingers crossed.

Florida – Alfredo Amezaga and Scott Procter are out for the season. Anibal Sanchez is on a rehab assignment. Reliever Burke Bradenhop is out, and another reliever, Kiko Calero, is questionable for this series.

Discuss today’s game in the Gamezone.

The Astros took the first two games of the Dodgers series and could have had more, but they went all dick-fingered and bumbled away the next two games.

To add insult to injury, the Astros’ flight out of LAX suffered an embarrassing delay. Mike Hampton was putting his carry-on bag into the overhead bin and accidentally threw it onto a different plane two runways over. By the time things were sorted out, Brad Ausmus had driven two balls deep into the gap and a flight attendant scored.

Now the Astros are back home to finally face the Jakes, who they haven’t seen since the first week of the season. Get used to seeing the Shitbirds though, because the Astros have four series with them the rest of the way.

The Co-Ards – or as they are colloquially known this year, “Albert and his Eight Slapdicks” – have been leading the Central for a while now. But it’s not like they’re running away with this thing, because the FTCubs, Brewers, and Astros are all close behind. Not even the dumbshit Dickities are out of it yet.

So the Astros are just four games back with four series left with the Jakes. Plenty of time to catch those assholes … just as long as the Astros don’t end up getting them in a rundown, because epic dumbfuckery would certainly follow.

Minute Maid Park

Monday, July 20, 7:05 p.m. – FSH-HD
Tuesday, July 21, 7:05 p.m. – FSH-HD
Wednesday, July 22, 7:05 p.m. – FSH-HD

Notable giveaways

Monday’s giveaway is a decent Apollo 11 cap.

Then apparently it’s Welfare Days with the usual Double Play Tuesday deals, and on Wednesday it’s Price Matters Day, when you can get a ticket, hot dog, and soda for $10. And coming soon: Brother Can You Spare a Monday, and Grapes of Thursday.

Projected Matchups from Astros.com

Monday

Kyle Lohse (4-5, 4.26) v. Brian Moehler (6-5, 5.08)

Lohser is 5-4 against the Astros and 1-0 this year. He had a complete-game shutout against the Good Guys way back on April 12. Pretty much everyone on the Astros has seen Lohse at some point, with Carlos Lee leading the pack at 54 AB’s against him. Lee’s gotten 19 hits off him, including four homers, for a .352 average.

Pudge is 11-for-32 (.344) against Lohse, and Pence is 8-for-20. Berkman only bats .200 against Lohse, but he also has two homers.

In his last start, Moehler got his first home win in 10 tries. He’s 4-0 in seven career appearances against the Jakes, but he hasn’t faced them this season. PooHoles is a disturbing 9-for-15 (.600) against him, with two doubles and three homers. Schumaker and Duncan have also hit Moehler well.

Tuesday

Todd Wellemeyer (7-7, 5.56) v. Wandy Rodriguez (9-6, 2.81)

Wellemeyer hasn’t faced the Astros this season. Again, Carlos Lee is the Astros’ best hitter against him at 4-for-9 with a homer. Berkman is 3-for-10 with a homer and Kata is 2-for-5. Everyone else is well below those numbers.

In 10 career appearances against the Co-Ards, Wandy is only 2-7 overall and 0-1 this year. The two Jakes who have hit him hardest (Khalil Greene and Troy Glaus) are both on rehab assignments. PooHoles is 3-for-20 against Wandy, and Ludwick has seven strikeouts in 15 AB’s.

Wednesday

Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26) v. Roy Oswalt (6-4, 3.65)

After pitching only five games total over the last two season, Carpenter has come back to make 14 starts this year. The Astros haven’t seen him this season, but he has a 5-3 career record against Houston in 11 starts.

Only the Astros’ veterans have faced him, with Pudge going 9-for-26 (.346) and Berkman at 8-for-29. However, six of Twinkie’s eight hits were homers. Lee, Erstad, and Tejada have faced Carpenter a total of 63 times, but the only extra-base hits they produced were one homer and one double. Also, Blum is 3-for-10 against Carpenter.

Roy has 25 appearances against the goddamn Jakes with a 9-7 record. He has one loss against them this year, which came in the first week of the season. Pujols has 23 hits in a whopping 73 appearances against Roy, with five doubles and five homers. The only other Shitbird with a homer off Roy is Chris Duncan. DeRosa and Ankiel have also hit Oswalt well.

Injury Report

St. Louis – Spicoli is in the minors recovering from anxiety; Troy Glaus is also rehabbing in the minors. Jaime Garcia is out for the season.

Houston – Doug Brocail is starting a rehab assignment in Round Rock, while Chris Sampson is still out. Berkman has the mild calf strain and should be back for this series.

Dropped Balls

* In another unique marketing gimmick, the Astros plan to unveil Second Guess Sundays, where Cecil Cooper will accompany one lucky fan to the concession stand and send back all his food. And then Coop will send the fan to the bathroom whether he really needs to go or not, hold a quick press conference, then hurry to the dugout to take over from Geoff Blum.

* Sounds like the Pirates are still cleaning house at the trade deadline. I wonder what someone would pay for Ann Wilson with a Dirty Sanchez.

Discuss today’s game in the Gamezone.

The Astros are still stumbling along just below .500, going 5-5 in their last 10 games and 33-37 overall. They’re still only five games behind the first-place Jakes, and the race won’t even really start for another few weeks anyway.

Most recently, the Astros somehow bumbled their way to an eye-bleeding win Thursday to avoid a sweep at home by the Royals. Pudge Rodriguez did his best to start a rivalry with the Royals, or at least with that one guy, but no one else really gave a shit.

This series with the Tigers will be the Astros’ last mid-season exhibition before returning to real baseball. One nice thing about this series is that we’ll get to see our old buddy Adam Everett, who has played in 51 games this year and has a .265 batting average. Of course that’s not a full season, but his current average is better than all of his Astros years except 2004, when he batted .273.

The Tigers are leading the AL Central by five games with a record of 41-31. They’ve won their last seven games, including sweeps of the Brewers and the ass-wipe Cubs. Brandon Inge and Curtis Granderson are tied for the team lead in homers with 17 apiece, and Miguel Cabrera is right behind them with 15.

Minute Maid Park

Friday, June 26, 7:05 p.m. – FSH-HD
Saturday, June 27, 6:05 p.m. – FSH-HD
Sunday, June 28, 1:05 p.m. – FSH-HD

SnS Public Service Announcement – There may be a problem viewing games this weekend, as the saturation coverage of Zombie Michael Jackson will most likely overwhelm television satellites and bleed his image across all channels. Everyone may have to resort to using the MLB At-Bat app on their iPhones, including the handy new feature, Fart-Bat, that rips a hilarious fart whenever there’s an error or a Cub. I’ve got a great idea for the Met-Bat app, but Apple would never approve it.

Notable giveaways

Friday – Orange cap collectible. Don’t get your hopes up because this isn’t an actual orange cap; it’s a paperweight with a little orange cap on it. A dust-collectible, in other words.

Not a real cap

Saturday – That Jeff Bagwell bust thing they’ve been pimping for a month. Another dust-collectible.

Sunday – An Astros gym bag, for carrying the head of Alfredo Figaro (he pitches Saturday for the Tigers). You’ll need to attend both Saturday and Sunday games to complete your collectible set.

Projected Matchups from Astros.com

Friday
Justin Verlander (8-3, 3.31) v. Wandy Rodriguez (6-6, 3.18)

Verlander is leading the American League in strikeouts and has won eight of his last 11 starts. He’s 1-0 in his career against Houston, and the current Astros who have faced him bat .414 against him. The only guys with more than one hit are Erstad at 3-for-7 and Jason Michaels at 4-for-7 with two doubles. Carlos Lee also has a homer off Verlander.

Wandy got a win against the Twins last weekend, but he had four straight losses before that. He faced the Tigers in 2006 and got bombed, and current Tigers go .273 against him. Brandon Inge is 2-for-3 and Curtis Granderson is 2-for-4 against Wandy.

Saturday
Alfredo Figaro (1-0, 3.60) v. Felipe Paulino (1-4, 6.18)

Figaro is a rookie who made his MLB debut last weekend against the Brewers. He got the win and struck out seven Sausages, which was the most strikeouts for a Tiger’s big-league debut since Dave Borkowski struck out eight in 1999. The scouting report says Figaro has four big-league pitches, he hit 97 mph in his debut, and he has a lovely singing voice.

Paulino is coming off the DL for his first start since early June. He’s never faced Detroit nor any of their Tigers. His last win was on May 2, and since then he’s had two losses and some no-decisions.

Sunday
Edwin Jackson (6-4, 2.40) v. Russ Ortiz (3-3, 3.47)

Jackson is in his first year in Detroit after spending the last three seasons in Tampa. His ERA is second in the American League. He’s faced the Astros three times at some point in the past and has a 2-0 record. Current Astros are only 9-for-38 against Jackson, with Carlos Lee and Geoff Blum leading the pack at 2-for-4 each. One of Lee’s hits was a homer, and the only other Astro with a homer off Jackson is Aaron Boone.

Ortiz has one start and no record against the Tigers. Several Tigers have seen him before, including Adam Everett at 4-for-14. Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco each have two homers off Ortiz.

Injury Report

Tigers – Jeremy Bonderman (hairballs), Dontrelle Willis (separation anxiety), and Carlos Guillen (distemper) are out until after the All-Star Break. Catcher Matt Treanor (kennel cough, tapeworms) is out for the season.

Astros – Felipe Paulino is on the DL but should be activated for this series. Geoff Blum might be back this series after his rehab managerial assignment, while Mike Hampton and Doug Brocail are still on the DL.

Oh by the way …

* The National League will mourn the death of Michael Jackson by requiring every player to wear one glove. The American League has apparently balked at the idea.

* I’m pretty sure this has been posted on SnS before; in fact I’m pretty sure this is where I saw it first. Anyway, as a memorial to Michael Jackson, here are the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines, practicing their stirring rendition of Thriller:

Discuss today’s thrilling interleague game in the Gamezone.

The Astros cranked out three straight wins against the Rukkakes before Wandy took it on the chin Thursday. Thunderpants had a manly stroke Wednesday, popping four hits that included a prodigious money shot over the railroad tracks. Pence is fourth in the league in hitting, while Tejada is leading the league.

The Pirates lost two of three at home to the Astros last weekend, then traded off their young All-Star Nate McLouth and celebrated by sweeping the stupid fucking Mets. The Pirates cleared a spot for young hotshot centerfielder Andrew McCutchen with the trade and he’s already in the starting line-up. McCutchen should be an All-Star in two to three years, when he’ll be traded to the Cubs for Ryan Theriot and a handful of goat shit.

The Astros could climb over the Pirates and get out of the cellar this series; it is about time for the Pirates’ annual fade, after all. But then again, if this series goes to shit the Astros may as well settle into the cellar and set up a mushroom garden. Of course Lee and Berkman would just eat it, but you know.

Minute Maid Park

Friday, June 5, 7:05 p.m. – FSH-HD
Saturday, June 6, 6:05 p.m. – FSH-HD
Sunday, June 7, 1:05 p.m. – my20pixelsHD

Hurry back with your dulcet tones, Brownie. Do and Ray are yammering incessantly and stepping all over JD.

Also, a memo to Fox Sports – I’m tired of seeing douchebag Kobe Bryant being the Tickle Man. It’s not making me want to watch your annoying show.

Notable giveaways

Friday – Free car wash
Saturday – Free towel
Sunday – Kids run the bases

Pretty slim pickings on the schwag front this weekend. The best part is Sunday when kids can run around the bases as many times as they want, with the added bonus of being caught in a rundown by the Astros’ infielders the entire time. Every kid who scores gets a free minor league contract, so come out Sunday and help Ed Wade restock the minors.

Projected Matchups from Astros.com

Friday
Jeff Karstens (2-2, 4.83) v. Mike Hampton (3-4, 5.07)

Karstens is 1-0 in two career appearances against the Astros, both of which came earlier this season. He’s given up five earned runs in 11 innings against the Good Guys, along with 10 hits, six walks and five strikeouts. Lee, Berkman, and Pence are all 1-for-5 against him, with Pence’s hit being a homer. Tejada is 3-for-9 against Karstens with two doubles.

Hampton is 12-3 in 18 career appearances against the Pirates, and he hasn’t lost to them in more than nine years. That includes two wins and an ERA of 0.69 this season. Current Bucs are a combined 7-for-58 (.121) against Hampton, with Eric Hinske being the only one who’s done anything at all (2-for-3 with a double and a homer). Nobody else has more than one hit – or any extra-base hits – off Hampton.

Saturday
Paul Maholm (3-2, 3.82) v. Roy Oswalt (2-2, 4.28)

Maholm has 10 appearances against Houston and a 5-4 record, and he’s 0-1 this year. Current Astros have 136 at-bats against him but no one’s done much. Hunter Pence is the best of the lot at 5-for-16 with two doubles. Berkman and Lee are a combined 7-for-46 against him. Maysonet and Bourn are both 2-for-4.

Roy has a 13-6 record against the Pirates but he hasn’t faced them this season. No one on the Pirates has a homer off him, though Ann Wilson (24-for-66, .364) and Dirty Sanchez (11-for-30, .367) have hit him well. Andy LaRoche has six hits and six strikeouts against Roy.

Sunday
Ian Snell (1-6, 5.64) v. Felipe Paulino (1-4, 6.21)

Snell is 2-5 in 12 appearances against the Astros, but hasn’t seen them this season. Hunter Pence has a homer off Snell, and Bourn is 4-for-10 against him. Berkman is only 4-for-19 but also has 12 walks.

Paulino has only pitched one inning against the Pirates (in 2007) and Ann Wilson is 1-for-1 against him. He’s had four quality starts in his last five games, but hasn’t gotten much run support.

Injury Report

Pittsburgh – Third-baseman Andy LaRoche is questionable for this series. Reliever Tyler Yates (elbow), catcher Ryan Doumit (wrist), and starter Donnie “Try the” Veal (groin) are all on the 15-day DL. Starter Phil Dumatrait and reliever Craig Hansen are having a seat over there on the 60-day DL.

Houston – Geoff Geary may start a rehab assignment in Corpus Christi this weekend, so for God’s sake wear a helmet if you live down there. Click it or ticket. Jose Valverde might be back in another week or so; once Valverde is active, Billy Mays will be brought in to thoroughly clean all the stains in the trainer’s room. Doug Brocail and Kazuo Matsui are still comparing their sprung hamstrings.

Interesting Things

* Andy mentioned the Chivas horseface cockjockeys in the GameZone the other night. Holy shit, that one horseface with the fucking teeth looks like he could bite an apple in half.

* In these difficult and trying times, it’s comforting to know the Astros are lovingly sponsored by the Church of Scientology. According to sources close to the Astros who spoke to ESPN, Xenu is trying to get Orbit to come out of retirement and embrace his true past identity as a reincarnated thetan. The cleansing process is expected to require a soul audit and several expensive re-education courses, culminating in lawsuits all around. Negotiations with Junction Jack have stalled.

* In the spirit of special-label beer cans for stupid people who can’t tell the can is cold, Double Whataburgers will now come with an available meat indicator, and Southwest 737’s will be equipped with a thumbs up/thumbs down airworthiness certificate. Think of it as Dumbass Insurance.

* I spent last weekend in Chicago, surrounded by Cubs and Sox fans. One billboard from a stop-smoking campaign made me laugh – “Cubs Win World Series” and underneath “make sure you’re still alive to see it”

* Actually, fuck the Cubs

Discuss today’s game in the Gamezone.

The Astros had an entertaining series with the Rukkakes, including a rousing game Wednesday when the balls were spraying and dropping all over the place. Carlos Lee finally uncorked a bomb Thursday, then the Astros all wiped their dicks on the curtains and left town. Unfortunately there was a delay on the flight out of Denver because Cecil Cooper kept calling the control tower and changing the order for takeoffs.

Anyway, the Good Guys have climbed to within two games of .500, and the Pirates have finally settled into the NL Central cellar where they belong. Everyone else is within a half-game of each other. Including the Fuck the Cubs, who are coming off a sweep of the Padres. But everyone’s done that.

The Astros are only 1-4 against the dipshit Cubs this season, and even worse, those were all home games. It’s definitely time to reverse that trend, even if the Astros have to turn it around at the Cubs’ rusty old shit-heap stadium. Their southern stadium, I mean; not the one where the Astros play hurricane games.

Wrigley Field South

Friday, May 15, 1:20 p.m. CDT – FS-H
Saturday, May 16, 12:05 p.m. CDT – FS-H
Sunday, May 17, 1:20 p.m. CDT – FSH-HD

Every game in this series will have an afternoon start. But it’s not like you were going to get any work done anyway, so you might as well follow the games in the Gamezone.

Notable giveaways

Saturday – Cubs camo caps. Well if someone gave me a Cubs cap, I’d want to hide it too.

Projected Matchups from Astros.com

Friday
Brian Moehler (0-2, 8.44) v. Randy Wells (0-0, 0.00)

Moehler’s last start was his best outing of the season, as he held the Friars to one run in seven innings. He faced the Cubs in early April and didn’t make it out of the second inning. Soriano has hit Moehler well, and Derrek Lee has two homers off him.

Wells is a rookie right-hander, and that’s about all I know. He made a few relief appearances last year and got his first start last week against the Brewers. He lasted five innings and didn’t give up any runs. No one on the Astros has faced him, unless it was in Iowa or something.

Saturday
Roy Oswalt (1-2, 4.50) v. Sean Marshall (1-2, 4.06)

Roy is 12-12 against the FTC with a 3.88 ERA. ErrorMiss has four homers against Oswalt, but he’s on the DL and won’t be appearing in this series. Soriano and Derrek Lee each have three homers off Roy, while former Dickitie Ryan Freel has one. Meanwhile, Fuk-U is only 1-for-9 against Roy.

Marshall has gone 1-4 in five career appearances against Houston, though current Astros haven’t seen much of him. Hunter Pence is the only current Astro who’s homered off Marshall, and Lance Berkman is only 4-for-15 (.267) against him. Nobody else has more than one hit off him.

Sunday
Felipe Paulino (1-3, 6.93) v. Rich Harden (4-1, 4.54)

Paulino got bombed by the Rockies in his last start; he also pitched less than an inning of relief against Fuck the Cubs last week and gave up four runs. None of the Cubs have more than one at-bat against him, though Bunnyhop Soriano has a homer and Theriot has a double.

Harden is 1-0 in two career appearances against the Astros, including a win earlier this year. Darin Erstad has seen him the most, going 8-for-30. Tejada is 0-for-9 against Harden, while Blum and Berkman each have a homer off him.

Injury Report

Houston – Jose Valverde is still up on blocks in the garage. Rex Jones wisely spread out plenty of cardboard and cat litter to soak up all the leaking fluids. The parts to fix Doug Brocail are on back order from Japan or some fucking place, and Brandon Backe is still backfiring. But he might be able to make it to Houston if he doesn’t try to go above 45 mph. Also, Geoff Geary just went on the DL with biceps tendonitis.

Chicago – Reliever Chad Fox had a possibly career-ending elbow blowout, so good luck to him. ErrorMiss is on the DL with a dislocated shoulder. Zambrano strained his hamstring trying to beat out a bunt, and he’s on the mend but won’t be back this series. And Derrek Lee has a bulging disk in his neck but isn’t on the DL.

Other Things

* I finally got another Whataburger a couple of weeks ago. In Lubbock of all places. I had it just like I like it and I did not get out-whataburgered.

* Thanks to Noe for sending me a box of SnS goodies, including the rare collectible Orange Whoopass golf balls. I have at least a dozen cardinals hanging around my yard, so maybe I’ll use the golf balls for target practice. I think there’s at least one mating pair of cardinals out there, so I’ll probably name them Pujols and .093.

* Hey, how about wearing the road grays this series?