What’s more amazing, that you could be sitting there watching ESPN last night and seen on the news crawl that Mark Prior was having shoulder discomfort and would be going to see a doctor, or that the same message ever stops running across the screen?
A few weeks ago when baseball’s Comic Book Guy, Will Carroll reported that a source from Cubs’ camp said Prior had a sore shoulder, I told you that then was not the time to worry about it. That eventually Prior would actually get hurt and then you could worry about it.
Look, trying to prove you’re “in the know” in baseball and predicting a Mark Prior injury is like trying to pretend you’re a college football expert by taking USC and the points every week. More often than not, you’re going to be right, if you know anything or not.
Who knows what’s wrong with him this time? Could be something minor. Could be something major. More likely it’ll be something in between that the Cubs will treat as though it’s minor, then wait for it to become major. Huh?
The ironic thing is that Kerry Wood will likely come off the DL and go back on it before Prior starts a game for the Cubs this year.
Only the Cubs would come into the spring with two of their top three starters coming off injury or injury and surgery and decide their backup plan would be to sign Wade Miller. That’s kind of like worrying that your SUV is dangerous because it might roll over, so you go shopping for a vintage Corvair.
So with Prior out for who knows how long, and Wood and Miller playing catch and pretending they’ll be back in May, who do the Cubs turn to fill another gaping hole in their rotation?
They could go with Rich Hill. The guy from Sniglet fame? Oh, that was Rich Hall. Rich Hill is the guy with an ERA that looks like a Powerball jackpot.
They could go with Angel Guzman, a guy whose own medical chart is thicker than the Milwaukee phone book.
We’ll always remember 1997 as the year the Cubs season ended before tax day. We might remember 2006 as one that did the same thing before the first day of spring.
Now there’s word that Derrek Lee hurt himself in the US win over Japan on Sunday. He apparently bruised his shoulder chasing after a foul ball. Things just keep on getting better, don’t they?
Somewhere, Juan Pierre is drawing up a calendar so he can scratch off each day until free agency starts. At this rate, he might get sprung by July 31.
Now is the time when the Cubs will dance around and remind us all that “every team has injuries” and that “every team loses key players for stretches during the season.”
Now would be a good time for us to remind them that that’s true. But that the Cubs’ loss of key players is exacerbated by the fact that going into every season you know Prior and Wood are going to be gone for a while, so it becomes a game of “who else” is going to get hurt.
Did the Cubs lie when they were moving Prior along at a glacial pace this spring, but kept telling us that nothing was wrong? Maybe. Maybe not. You couldn’t blame them, given his proclivity for finding new and interesting ways to injure himself, if they weren’t just trying to limit the chances he’d have to fall off the mound. But in the end, if they didn’t lie, he got hurt playing catch in the outfield. Which just proves what we’ve long suspicioned. He’s going to hurt himself. So you might as well just treat him like everybody else and then sew him up when something falls off.
I wondered if the Cubs weren’t babying him so much this year because of the rap they took last year, that they were constantly irritated with Prior for questioning every bump and bruise that he gets during the season. Remember the famous Steve Stone comment about how the Cubs don’t think Prior will pitch through any pain? So every time we’d read that all Prior was going to do was play catch, or snap guys with his towel, I wondered if this was the spring the Cubs said, “OK, smart guy. We’ll do it your way.” I could be way off. But in the end, it looks like it’ll end the same way it would have if they’d just thrown his ass into every drill with every other pitcher. With him too hurt to pitch, but not hurt enough to have surgery. Somewhere in that ambiguous land where strain and sprain live. At least Kerry Wood has figured out how to rupture and tear things. But then, he’s from Texas, where even the injuries are big.
I’m sure this will bring about another round of “did the Cubs hide his injury until they’d sold plenty of tickets?” I would buy that argument only if people actually thought this team was going to be good, and that an injury to Prior means they won’t be. Since I don’t know anybody who actually thought this was any more than a third place team, I find that hard to believe.
Let’s face it, the optimism that 2003 was just a painful beginning to a prolonged run ran out in September of 2004. This was a team supposedly built around Wood, Prior and Carlos Zambrano. Wood’s not likely to be around after this year, Prior will be out the door not long after and that just leaves Carlos.
The Cubs are where we all fatalistically figured they’d end up. Right in the middle of the road, with a cashed out farm system and a future that’s just as mediocre as its past.
The question is not, are the Cubs lying. That doesn’t matter. The question is if anybody in any decision making position is mildly competent. That does matter, and the answer, by all accounts is not a good one.
There’s one last thing to consider here. Does another year full of trauma to Wood and Prior make it less likely that Dusty Baker gets paid to stick around, or more likely?
How long before the media starts writing the “he’s doing a good job, considering all of the injuries” bullshit?
Gee, I can hardly wait.
Larry Rothschild says Prior’s soreness is more than what you’d typically get from playing catch. Oh, really?
The bad news. Derrek Lee is hurt and could miss the rest of the World Baseball Classic. The good news. Unless Korea scores more than six runs against Japan tonight, the WBC ends tomorrow for Team USA. Wait, is that good news? The convoluted tiebreaker is based on earned runs allowed. Hee Seop Choi’s three run homer not only doomed the Americans on Monday, but probably for good. Yikes.
Phil Rogers says that the Cubs are to blame for the injuries to Wood and Prior. See, this is what they get for trying to win.
You can watch every out-of-market NCAA Tournament game for free. Provided that, like me, you signed up for March Madness on Demand when you read the thing on Deadspin that explained how they weren’t likely to have enough bandwidth to support everybody, so they were giving away VIP reservations. Regardless, tomorrow and Friday seem like good days to have all-day GameCasts of the tournament on On-Hoops.com. Doesn’t it?
Antwan Randle-El’s not mad at the Bears. Gee. That’s great. I’m sure he should be furious for having to sign that $31 million deal with the Redskins.
Bruce Miles says that Jim Hendry never used to believe in bad luck. There’s a thin line between bad luck and incompetence.
Jeff Pearlman, who once called me “[f’in] cruel and vicious”, has an excerpt of his new biography on Barry Bonds in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine. The excerpt is good. And now we have no reason to buy the book.
The Saints are paying Drew Brees a lot of money to try to come back from a surgery much worse than Kerry Wood’s. Brees never had a good arm anyway. This is just dumb. But then, these are the Saints.
Daunte Culpepper is had his leg reattached, right? I know he had a crap year last year and then got hurt, but this is a guy who was thisclose to being the NFL MVP in 2004, and all you give up is a second rounder? Even if he bombs you just cut him and all you’re out is a second round pick that you were probably going to use on a linebacker that you could draft an exact clone of in round four.
John Kitna to the Lions? Ooh, maybe the Bears can sign Joey Harrington when the Lions cut him in August and we’ll have somebody new to boo?
How’s this for a coincidence, on the same day Mark Prior is hurt again, Doc Gooden is in jail again! What were the odds. 1:1 probably.
Don Banks mocks up an NFL draft for us. He has the Bears’ taking USC tight end Dominque Byrd. She’s pretty good.
Deadspin’s NCAA Pants Party continues and here’s their Memphis-Oral Roberts preview. Remember, I told you that Oral Roberts might be the best 16 seed ever. As Bernie Lincicome once said, “That’s like having the best toupee at the barber shop.” Whatever that means. I also link to this, because as far as I know, I’m the guy who first spotted Bill Self’s toupee, and the Deadspin guys mention it any chance they get. Like here. You know, Bill used to coach at Oral Roberts.
Ken Rosenthal loves the Dodgers’ infield depth (you can only play four at a time, though, right?) and says that he’s heard that Mike Lowell has “lost body quickness.” What other kind is there?
Ramon Hernandez’s inexplicable passed ball let in the go ahead run and the Dominican beat Venezuela 2-1. Let’s just say that if a certain Cubs’ catcher, on the Venezuelan roster, was in the game, that doesn’t happen. Then in the ninth, Venezuela pinch ran for both Victor Martinez and Hernandez, meaning Hank was coming in to catch if Edgardo Alfonzo hadn’t choked and popped up to end the game with the bases loaded. The “good news?” Hank and Carlos are due back in Mesa any time now.
America’s finest news source with this story on a South Dakota consipracy theorist who has an elaborate explanation for why he’s still single.
Send me dead flowers every morning.
Send me dead flowers by the mail.
Send me dead flowers to my wedding.
And I won’t forget to put roses on your grave.
Let’s face it, the optimism that 2003 was just a painful beginning to a prolonged run ran out in September of 2004. This was a team supposedly built around Wood, Prior and Carlos Zambrano. Wood’s not likely to be around after this year, Prior will be out the door not long after and that just leaves Carlos.
The Cubs are where we all fatalistically figured they’d end up. Right in the middle of the road, with a cashed out farm system and a future that’s just as mediocre as its past.”
I just wept a little.
Best. Pitcher. Any of you has ever seen.
I’m reading Cubs Nation, the day-by-day recount of the Cubs 2004 season and other stories. I was foolishly hoping it would get me in the mood for the season. I’m a dumbass. Now I’m just depressed.
In the early going of the book, it’s hilarious/gut-wrenching hearing everyone talk about how great the Cubs pitching was going to be and how they were going to win the World Series. Talk about irrational exuberance. The 2004 Cubs were the sports equivalent of the dot com bubble.
And now, as another season approaches–and we know how frickin terrible they’re going to be–it just makes all of us feel stupid for thinking the curse was near its end. Reading this book makes me feel like I just found out the girl I was mad about in high school grew up to be a crack whore.
Cubs fans,
Beware the Ides of March
“Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I’d like Andy McFail, Cubs’ boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah! Holy shit. Where’s the Tylenol?”
That Nick Saban sure is a dumbass. I gave up a second rounder for the mighty AJ Feeley. That Walleye move I made too was a real winner. Now I must get back to destroying the PITT program… I mean building??
Remain calm. All is well! All is well!
How long before the media starts writing the “he’s doing a good job, considering all of the injuries†bullshit?
God, it’s gonna be like the first win. I HATE that line.
In other news, Prior is about 10 days early on his injury, the last two years were around the 24-25. So…we got that goin’ for us.
Similar Pitchers through Age 24
Scott Erickson (974)
Kevin Appier (973)
Jake Peavy (966)
Don Wilson (963)
Joel Pineiro (962)
Scott Sanderson (962)
Kevin Millwood (960)
Mel Stottlemyre (959)
Bob Welch (959)
Steve Busby (957)
Well, I haven’t seen Busby or Wilson (and I’ve seen Stottlemyre walk to and from the Yanks dugout), but at this point, for Prior to turn into Scott Erickson or Scott Sanderson might not be so bad. Too bad, as Andy says, he’ll be doing it for another team.
Concerning Mark Prior, he’s fine. Why do you fans react so negatively? It’s a bump in the road, he’ll be back strong as ever by mid-May. Ready for a playoff run in 06′. For tickets call 800………
Give up! We’re waiting for ya. Winning baseball is only 90 miles away!
At least those Tejada trade rumors weren’t true.
This weekend, this fine tournament weekend, I will take to Clark St. and celebrate the holiday with copious amounts of booze and many toasts will be made to the greatness of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, to the Irish for giving my Polish ass an excuse to drink until I pass out and then finally we’ll pour one out for our homies, the Cubs, To another waste of a season. Down the hatch.
The Desipio NCAA basketball bracket group is full? Couldn’t find a site that allowed more than 1 entry into the group, huh? You’ll do anything to guarantee you win your own t-shirt. Thanks a lot Dolan. Ass.
#12, Winning beisbol is only a few miles south, mang. Fung is winning and winning is fung!
My MRI is already done and its just a little tendinitis, I wonder why Prior hasnt announced his results yet? Could it be because he is fucked?? I know the Cubs wouldnt sit on this info, wait a minute, yes they would!!!
My MRI showed only “labral issues” but I’m going to keep playing through them.
That’s easy for you to say, Derrek! I’m a pitcher. When I get “labial issues” I’m sidelined indefinitely. Wait. What did you say you have?
Still no word on Prior? Everyone else who had an MRI today has had their results become public. Not looking good!! I cant wait to hear Hendry, Baker and Mcphail’s tap dancing response on this issue.
Is anyone else really sick of these Brewers fans? So they had ONE season at exactly .500. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. Have a dime and call someone who cares. You have about as much chance of playing over .500 as the Reds or the Pirates. Settle down and eat your damn sausages.
Johnny, you really are as dumb as you look. My MRI isn’t until Thursday.
Me??? You dont even know when your own MRI was!! Good news, they are going to announce the season ending injury today at HO HOkam park. Luckily you guys signed Wade Miller, when he is done rehabbing, maybe he will be the answer….Muhahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sit and spin you shovel headed mongoloids.
Is anyone else really sick of these Cubs fans? So they had ONE good season three years ago. Whoop-de-*******-doo. Have a dime and call someone who cares. You have about as much chance of playing over .500 as the Reds or the Pirates. Settle down and eat your damn sausages.
Prior already is Scott Sanderson. He gets hurt every year.
Well that was F’n fun
I’m the only person in a position of “power” that has a lower approval rating than Bush. And there’s nothing that you baseball fans/suckers/money throwing idiots can do about it. Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!
Viva la WBC!!!
Viva la Bonds!!!!
Erin go braugh dudes.
#10, that list seems pretty accurate.
Erickson, Appier, Peavy, Pineiro, and Millwood all have had major shoulder problems, if my memory serves me correctly. Obviously Prior, like Peavy and Millwood has the talent to succeed despite it (and none have lost velocity yet). Erickson and Appier’s careers essentially ended up in the toilet once they hurt their shoulders, but both were already in their early 30’s. Pineiro, it’s too early to tell.
Prior is too much of a strikeout pitcher to really be compared to Erickson or Sanderson. Erickson had a nasty sinker and mediocre control, and Sanderson had excellent control and okay stuff. Prior has both good control and excellent stuff, making him more like Curt Schilling (who also had many years of durability issues).
I know it’s frustrating for Cub fans, but I don’t think they can afford to let Prior get away. If he lacks toughness (as some are saying) he won’t be the Schilling or Clemens he absolutely has the talent to be, but we really don’t know the extent of his injuries to be able to pass judgement on that.
Keep Prior, but you can’t stop developing arms because you think you have a “surplus” at the ML level. There is no such thing as too much pitching.
Prior has some innings left in him, and they’ll be good innings.
If anything, his problem is that he hates throwing not-good-enough innings.
Honestly, when we found out he was hurt the other day I expected this would be the injury that would prove he wasn’t just a hypochondriac. Apparently, though, that’s what he is. You can read between the lines when the trainer says, “Every player has to learn the difference between pain and being injured”, he’s basically calling Mark a big calved pussy.
He’ll be healthy when I show up.
Who told you my injury is worse than what Wood had? Everyone thinks I should get back to full strength by the time the season rolls around. Then again you have been wrong before.
Todd Walker for me, anyone?
Alright Griese, your up
Is Andy??