Gone for Good

I suppose I need to ante in my two cents on Mark Prior. Although I'm afraid I haven't much to add to the gaggle that's already out there.

I won't pretend to be a doctor, so I won't opine on his chances of continuing his career. He will make it back, or he won't. And he'll either be with the Cubs, or not.

I feel bad for saying this, but I'm glad the doctors found something wrong in his shoulder. He looked so godawful this spring even I could tell something was amiss -- whether it was physical or mental, I hadn't the foggiest.

So at least now there's some evidence that Prior was physically unable to pitch, and hadn't gone all Steve Blass or Rick Ankiel on us. No matter for the press hordes -- Prior may not have been too soft to pitch through the pain (as was rumored last year), but Sully assures us he was a big jerk, regardless.

Despite the jerkiness, despite the clamor that the Cubs just ditch Prior and be done with it, Sully was hard at it today, pestering Jim Hendry about Prior's future. I gently suggest to Sully that he's putting the cart before the horse here.

I also gently chide Sully for worrying about this now. After all the gab he wrote about the dangers of relying on the injury-prone Prior, he's going to worry about Prior's chances with the '08 Cubs?

Ah, well. I expect no less from the sages at the Tower.

At any rate, I wish Prior best wishes for a speedy recovery. For the record, I hope he will be in the blue pinstripes next year...but I won't count on it...