Derrek Lee-ving?

While the link off the Chicago Tribune's home page plays up the rumors that Jake Peavy would waive his no-trade clause to pitch on the North Side, the real surprise comes from the idea that it would take Derrek Lee to swing the deal with San Diego.

From Phil Rogers:

The Cubs are on the list of teams for which Jake Peavy will waive his no-trade clause. This doesn't look like a fit, but don't be surprised if Jim Hendry tries to put together a package that would include a swap of first basemen, Derrek Lee and Adrian Gonzalez, who is supposedly untouchable.

Interesting move, it shakes up the lineup following another October implosion and provides a pound of flesh for fans still angry that Lee has under-performed in the playoffs as a member of the Cubs.

I honestly can't imagine a scenario where it makes sense to kill a cash cow like Lee - not to mention that his postseason drought has only occurred while wearing Cubbie pinstripes - regardless of how badly the team wants Peavy.

(Image taken for Siberian Baseball)

Cubs to Padres, " No refunds, only store credit"

In a sentence that Chicago fans will find familiar, Mark Prior will be out of the lineup longer than expected because of a new injury to his shoulder that has cropped up.

While the news might give fans a sense of deja vu, the absence of a slight sickness in the pits of their stomachs will be new. Buyer beware.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times:
Prior's agent, John Boggs, confirmed Friday that the pitcher has a tear in his right shoulder capsule. Prior, who had surgery on the shoulder last year, will be kept from throwing for at least two weeks and then be re-evaluated.

"We don't know exactly to what severity," Boggs said, "but obviously something is going on there."

And therein lies the ongoing frustration for Prior. Unlike a broken leg or other clear-cut injury, there have only been a series of odd injuries for the pitcher. While he's not the first pitcher to be plagued by a seemingly endless run of bad luck on the injury front, he's certainly one of the more talented ones in the past decade.

Can't we at least name a surgical procedure after the guy at this point?

(Image from: OFB.net)

Maybe Larry Rothschild needs a computer

Just found this new site devoted to pitching mechanics and a pretty interesting breakdown of Mark Prior's pitching mechanics.

As I've mentioned here before, one of the main things Cubs fans were fed in eager anticipation of Prior's arrival was that he had impeccable mechanics that were on par with some of the all-time great power pitchers.

While it seems to be true that he might have been solid coming out of USC, check out the write up and accompanying video of how things started slowing down for Prior as the years ground on in Chicago.

I don't pretend to be any sort of expert on the mechanics of pitching, but even to this member of the unwashed, uneducated masses, it's not good for the human arm to add that pause to his delivery.

In any event, welcome to DrivelineMechanics.com and I look forward to seeing what they figure out this season. Maybe it's worth dropping a line to the Padres to have them take a peek at this before they break him for 2008?

(Image from: MLB.com)

One down, one to go - Cubs clean up a bit

After releasing Mark Prior into the free agent market, the Cubs have now put a little distance between themselves and the hellish cycle that was created with both him and Kerry Wood in the same rotation.

San Diego will welcome the hometown hero back, put him in a pitcher's park and give him a solid shot at returning to respectability, if not stardom. Honestly, I have an easier time saying goodbye to Prior than I would if Wood was on his way out.

This is not an indictment of Prior as a player, of the Cubs in terms of talent evaluation or of Chicago's willingness to put up with injury after injury, but rather a reflection of the rise up the ranks that the two pitchers followed.

While Wood spent what seemed like decades in the minors as the buzz built around this savior of the pitching staff, Prior was selected as a college star, with limitless potential.

I remember hearing stories of his stupid nickname - "Calfzilla" because of his enormous lower legs - and discussions of the power he generated on his fastball because of that solid foundation and spotless mechanics.

I guess it shows you how far sportswriters need to dig to fill copy on the MLB draft, but still - Prior showed up quickly and was out of the rotation just as quickly. It didn't help that Prior was seen as the secondary piece in the Wood/Prior rotation, but though he seemed to have more talent than Wood, he never had the sizzle.

It's probably more me than anything, but if the Cubs insist on keeping a high-profile, injury-plagued, stable pony I'm glad it's Wood. While Prior was seen as the total package pitcher, there's something to be said for the Texan who can throw a ball through a brick wall.

While it remains to be seen whether or not either of these guys can get healthy and become the players everyone expected them to be, I'll honestly be happy for Prior if that happens.

It really helps that he'll be doing that in the NL West, though. If he would have emerged for the Astros, I would have been out of my skull with rage.

(Image from: exposermont.unblog.fr)

Thoughts on the NL Wild Card

Holy.

Crap.

How the hell will the Rockies top that? Prepare for some well-deserved complaining by the Padres, too.

(Oh, and just slap a hat on Matt Holliday... I'm sure he'll be fine.)

I know you're all sick of Yanks/Sox, bear with me

As much as I hate to admit it, there were better games that could be on ESPN tonight in the place of the Yankees/Red Sox game. For the record, yes I'm getting tired of the Worldwide Leader's decision to air any and all games between the two teams - burning fans out on the teams and their rivalry can't be any good for baseball and it can actually hurt ratings in the fall.

Piling on to the situation is the unending coverage of Alex Rodriguez being stalked by the media in Toronto as he made the rounds with a woman who wasn't his wife - a situation that I think is really out of bounds.

Say what you will about the old media being too chummy with ballplayers, obliterating the lines of journalistic integrity - teams used to foot the bill for reporters to travel on the road with the team and held sway over who each paper chose to cover the games - but there was a strong sense of what happened on the field and the personal lives of players.

I'm reading a Joe DiMaggio biography right now and there have been more than a few references to DiMaggio going in and out of cathouses both in and out of season. I can't imagine the kind of firestorm this would set off today. Whether it was politicians or athletes, there were plenty of things that were seen but not reported and I don't think that's such a bad thing.

Much has been made of social columnists covering the Rodriguez story and not being forced to be around the players and I think that there's a solid point there. While I don't condone what he's being accused of, I don't think it's the media's place to out Rodriguez on the front page.

Maybe I'm a little too old school like that.

* So, how are you enjoying suspension Sunday? Lou Piniella is out until MLB tells him he can come back and play nice after a problem with an ump bump and there were a few other guys getting run as well. None had as much fun as the Mississippi Braves manager did on his way out, though.

That's because it's impossible to have that much fun.

Michael Barrett will not be catching for Carlos Zambrano until those two can settle their differences and will likely be disciplined by the Cubs.

Anyone care to place odds on Gary Sheffield getting a call from Bud Selig's office for his comments to GQ?

* Roger Clemens is running a little late in his return to the Yankees and Barry Bonds is stalling a bit in his chase for Hank Aaron... Awesome, now what will ESPN cover for 35 minutes on SportsCenter? Oh, right... Clemens' injury and Bonds' chase and why neither is going as quickly as planned.

* It's weird to have Milwaukee ahead in the standings - though it happened last year as well - but their recent skid (4-6 in the last 10 games) hasn't done them any damage in the incredibly weak NL Central.

It's a rich get richer situation in most divisions, with the exception of the Diamondbacks who have rattled off a 9-1 streak to catch up for a three-way tie with Los Angeles and San Diego.

Man, the NL West is weird.

In the AL Central, the Indians have cooled a bit and everyone except for the Royals are within 7.5 games of them. More on the Twins mid-week, but they're showing signs of life. Not many, but two signs are technically plural and count as "signs" of life.

* And because he's fine I can say this: Hey Doug, karma sucks. Guess you should have given the ball back after the World Series, huh? Sorry about your sprained cervix.

This is the long, petty way around to pointing out that the Yankees first base problems are only beginning. With the first- and second-string first basemen out for a while, it's been pretty brutal to watch the stiffs New York is trotting out there.

Expect more than a few problems with position play there this week.

(OK, I feel better now - just saw this from With Leather.)
(Image from Boston.com)