I’m Shocked, Shocked!

A scene from the classic movie Casablana;

Rick;  How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault;  I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault; [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.

Why?  Why do we do this.  And who cares anyway?  Yes, Kerry Wood is on the DL and Mark Prior will soon join him.  Why is anyone surprised?  Wood has been a walking disaster since he came to the major leagues.  Yes, he had the 20 strikeouts versus the Astros in 98′. Yes he had an amazing Game 5 of the NLDS versus the Braves.  But the one thing that has been constant has been his injuries.  Wood has been on the DL 11 times in nine seasons because of the following reasons;

Elbow soreness, elbow surgery, a strained oblique muscle, shoulder tendinitis, a strained biceps, a sprained supraspinatus muscle, shoulder inflammation, shoulder surgery a partly torn rotator cuff andarthroscopic knee surgery. 

During the  three year 32 million dollar contract he signed before the 2004 season, Wood won 12 games in those three years.  He only pitched 230 innings.  The guy can’t even get out of a hot tub without huring himself.

Prior hasn’t been much better.  At least Wood can tell you which body part is falling off.  Prior injuries have been freakish and somewhat of a mystery.  Prior is expected to be placed on the disabled list for the ninth time in his six-year career.  Like Wood, since the magic of 2003, Prior has been a big disappointment. In the three years since 2003, Prior has won 18 games. 

In 2003, Prior and Wood combined to give the Cubs 32 wins.  Since that time, they have 30 wins between them. That averages to be about five wins a piece for the Cubs projected 1-2 starters in the last three seasons. 

Yet as big a deal as the Chicago sporting media is making this, it is not that big of a deal.  As I’ve been saying all along, the Cubs planned to get nothing out of Prior and Wood this year.  If they would have miraculously stayed healthy, everything they would have gotten out of them would have been a bonus.  Prior was battling for the fifth starter spot, Wood was auditioning for the role of long reliever.  A far cry from the days when their health determined the Cubs’ season.  So they won’t pitch.  Who cares?  It doesn’t matter.  I wish the Cubs would have let those guys go so they wouldn’t have to deal with this circus. 

There are many more problems the Cubs fans need to worry about than those two yahoos.  While the Wood and Prior story was on page 1 of most Chicago sports newpaper sections, talk of Carlos Zambrano going to the Mets or White Sox was pushed to the middle of the paper.  I’m sorry, but losing one of our top pitchers to either the Mets or White Sox would affect me and the Cubs a lot more then Wood or Prior not pitching.  That should have been on page 1.  That should have been the topic of sports radio discussions.  Not Wood and Prior.

In case you didn’t know, Opening Day is about a week away, the deadline Zambrano set for the Cubs to sign him to a long term extension.  He also has said he will not sign with the Cubs if they don’t sign him before the season starts.  He backtracked on those comments, but I believe he was serious when he said them.  The reporter from Sports Illustrated asked Zambrano if he would pitch for the Yankees.  Zambrano replied;

"I like the Yankees, but I don’t see myself pitching at Yankee Stadium. Too many rules. If I play in New York, it’s going to be with the Mets. First of all, because I get to hit. And I love hitting. I can’t say … that I would never play for the Yankees. Hopefully no, but you never know."

Of course the Mets would love to acquire Zambrano.  They have one of the best lineups in baseball with a weak pitching staff.  They also have oodles of cash.  It is also being reported that Zambrano would be interested in playing for Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox if things didn’t work out with the Cubs.

Losing Zambrano or having this extension hanging over both Zambrano and the team is something Hendry must avoid at all costs.  It’s no surprise that Wood and Prior are dominating the headlines over Zambrano. It’s been that way throughout Big Z’s career.  While he has carried this team, the focus has always been on the other two clowns.  The Cubs need to reward him or he will be the greatest pitcher to leave the Cubs since Greg Maddux

That Cubs fans, is the real cause for concern.
Worry about the present and the future, not two has-beens from the past.