Seemingly built of crystal.

Perhaps the better question is this: Dusty Baker -- CRAP or NOT CRAP?

"How about those pitch counts? Does it still seem anal to worry about how many times managers have let Wood and Prior stay on the mound when the traffic light was blinking yellow?

Is it just a coincidence that both Wood and Prior were ridden extremely hard at the starts of their careers, and have quickly become iffy propositions? Is it a coincidence that neither has been healthy since that magical season in 2003, when Baker won the NL Manager of the Year award on their backs?"

Crystal meth?

Fucking CRAP. These two are so overrated it kills me. I actually heard some Chicago Radio guy on AM-1000 refer to them as "future hall of famers."

Uh, Prior has had ONE good year. Kerry Wood is a 67 and 50 for his carrer, with an ERA a but under 4. In 6 seasons he has only pitched over 200 innings in two of those seasons.

CRAP!!!

Also Crap is hearing Dusty Baker call Kerry Woods "Woody." So gae, so Crap!

Wes9... Lighten up, Francis.

"Woody" happens to be his nickname. Nicknames are common in society and are generally used in lieu of proper names between people who live, travel, work and shit together on a day-in, day-out basis.

On the issue of Wood and Prior. They are CRAP, thus far in their careers - especially Prior. However, I would not use the word "overrated" ever. Striking out 20 Major League hitters in 9 innings at 21 years of age demonstrates that Wood is not overrated. Rather, he was everything as advertised. Post surgery, he's still learning to pitch, and not just throw. He's yet to learn this, hence is erratic, inconsistant starts. I hope that watching Maddux for a few years will help him immensely. Once he does learn how to pitch, or is willing to learn, he'll be virtually unhittable - as he is in about 50% of his starts now.

As for Prior... CRAP, CRAP, CRAP. There is no excuse for a guy his age to be hurt as often as he is, aside from poor mechanics or genetics. Overrated? Thus far yes. However, you cannot argue against his "stuff" and potential. Potential is a nasty word, however. He's yet to put a full season together and until he does, he will be CRAP until he proves otherwise.

As for pitch counts: TOTAL CRAP. Pitch counts are bullshit in every which way. A manager should not let a number on a counter dictate when a pitcher should be left in or taken out. Game situations and a pitcher's ability to pitch out of them or succumb to them should always be the determining factor. Now-days, when managers see a 5-1 deficit on the board in the fourth inning with the bases loaded against them, they ask "how many pitches has he thrown?" rather than deciding for himself, based on the GAME SITUATION.
But the pitch count is unavoidable these days of multi-million dollar contracts, bonus clauses based on appearances and whatnot. It's a necessary evil and a way to "judge" if a pitcher is tired or not, rather than asking the goddamn catcher if his curves are hanging, or his fastball's losing "pop" or if he's missing his spots.
I hate pitch counts almost as much as I hate calling close friends by their proper name.
Dusty Baker subscribes to it, therefore he is CRAP as well.

6-4-3, as a Cubs fan, and thus one who wants to see Prior and Wood healthy for a full season and beyond, I have to disagree with you about pitch counts.
I'm all for paying attention to pitch counts, because you know what happens when people say they don't matter? Kerry Wood, a guy who had to have his fucking arm rebuilt when he was 21, will be left in to throw 140 pitches in a meaningless regular season game because Jim Riggleman is trying to save his job. Guys like Riggleman and Baylor, who are working on very brief windows where they have to produce wins, will ride the hell out of pitchers like Wood and Prior, who have their whole careers ahead of them. What does it matter to Dusty if Wood or Prior have arm troubles later in their careers because they got worked like mules early in their career? He won't be around in 5 years. When Dusty bitches about how the media makes too much out of pitch counts, it's not because he's "old school," it's because he doesn't want any blame for the arm problems of his young pitchers to fall on him.
If you want to argue that there is no connection between the amount of pitches a pitcher throws and the amount of wear and tear on his arm, I suppose you can. But I think that's hogwash.

This is fairly entertaining:

Steve Stone on Kerry Wood

Steve Stone won a Cy Young Award.

Bruce wrote:This is fairly entertaining:

Steve Stone on Kerry Wood

Steve Stone won a Cy Young Award.

yeah that was a pretty funny article. i like the cubs and have to say that these two guys are starting to look like big turkeys. both have had one good season amongst several average ones (in wood's case) and are being paid now more per year (it's starting to look like) for tossing a few sim games and 12 mlb starts than i will make in my life. as a cubs fan, i almost most hope they never get off the ground and hendry pulls off a trade for one or both of them before the break. like that's going to happen though.

as far as rev johnnie b, he seems to be quoted saying some of the dumbest shit 80% of the time. in his defense, the press seems to be swarming him for answers to dumb questions more than most other big market managers.

Well, after the organization (who, let's face it, have gone from "lovable losers" to just losers) got sand in their vaginas after Stone simply did his job, it's good to see him smack somebody on his way out.

I have to agree with Steve Stone in that Kerry Wood has never figured out what to do with that fastball of his. The first year he was in the bigs he had this curveball that would simply vanish, it was probably the only true "unhittable" pitch I've ever seen (edit: Brad Lidge's slider). After his arm surgery I haven't once seen him pitch and thought he was any better than a number 3 starter, I thought Clement was better. Perhaps the Cubs should follow through with the idea of making him a closer.

Mark Prior, on the other hand, is a complete enigma. Before he was ever drafted all people could talk about was how perfect his mechanics were and how he would never have arm trouble with his mechanics. One has to wonder if the Achilles thing totally fucked him up. When Mark Prior is healthy he is one hell of a pitcher, the question is will he ever be healthy. I feel that Carlos Zambrano is better than both of them but Cubs fans never recognize that.

-Jeremy

Ha ha ha! This was a real headline in Yahoo! news today!

"Mark Prior makes season debut for Cubs"

Ha ha ha! The president visits troops! Authorities arrest terrorism suspects! The pope is still dead! And Mark Prior makes season debut for Cubs.

What is going on? Why is this national headline news?

What is going on?