Prior and Miller working with Tom House

[C.C.]

Prior says he's ready for 2007 and Spring Training.. Great news.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2737285

Wow, that's great news! I know we have to be careful in getting excited about good news related to Prior, but this is outstanding to hear!

 

If Prior is healthy we run away with this division.

[Sammy Sofa]

Matt (Houston): Over/Under on Mark Prior starts this season - 17. Also, are there any rumblings about how his bullpen sessions are going?

 

Will Carroll: I'd set it slightly lower -- 14. They're going well, but my people tell me he's throwing without confidence. It's way, way too early to tell.

 

:pukel: :pukel: :pukel: :pukel:

 

:wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:

 

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

Gee...this sounds familiar. Good thing i've always penciled this staff together w/o counting on him...man this is frustrating. I hope Carroll is wrong again.

 

And I'm wondering...how can the be "going well" but Prior not be "throwing with confidence?"

 

I think maybe a chill pill is in order. He's been injured the past couple years, of course his confidence isnt going to be sky-high at first. Its still January, he has another 2 months and nobody has said anything about him not being completely healthy. This isnt anything to panic about.

 

True, but it's understandable to be on edge when it comes to new about Prior.

 

I second the curiosity over what Carroll said...if he's pitching without confidence, how is anything really going well? Is he looking good when he pitches, but maybe he's unwilling or unable to pitch as much as he should/needs to?

[Burtonbell]

Matt (Houston): Over/Under on Mark Prior starts this season - 17. Also, are there any rumblings about how his bullpen sessions are going?

 

Will Carroll: I'd set it slightly lower -- 14. They're going well, but my people tell me he's throwing without confidence. It's way, way too early to tell.

 

:pukel: :pukel: :pukel: :pukel:

 

:wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:

 

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

Gee...this sounds familiar. Good thing i've always penciled this staff together w/o counting on him...man this is frustrating. I hope Carroll is wrong again.

 

And I'm wondering...how can the be "going well" but Prior not be "throwing with confidence?"

 

I think maybe a chill pill is in order. He's been injured the past couple years, of course his confidence isnt going to be sky-high at first. Its still January, he has another 2 months and nobody has said anything about him not being completely healthy. This isnt anything to panic about.

 

True, but it's understandable to be on edge when it comes to new about Prior.

 

I second the curiosity over what Carroll said...if he's pitching without confidence, how is anything really going well? Is he looking good when he pitches, but maybe he's unwilling or unable to pitch as much as he should/needs to?

 

He could just be throwing fastballs, and not wanting to through the offspeed stuff just in case. He may be hesitant to "dial it up" for fear of injury. Prior could just be overreacting about his past injuries and he really wants to be 100% when the season starts. We dont know until spring training starts.

Until then, I am taking any news with a grain of salt.

[CubinNY]

What the hell does "throwing with confidence mean"?

 

If he's healthy he will pitch regularly. If he's not he won't.

 

Confidence is an outcome of pitching well and lack of such is an outcome of not performing well. .

[Bull]

What does "throwing with confidence mean"?

 

If he's healthy he will pitch regularly. If he's not he won't.

 

Confidence is an outcome of pitching well and lack of such is an outcome of not performing well. .

It means exactly what the previous posters speculated. Perhaps he's holding back on his fastball or afraid to throw breaking pitches.

[RammyFanny]

What does "throwing with confidence mean"?

 

If he's healthy he will pitch regularly. If he's not he won't.

 

Confidence is an outcome of pitching well and lack of such is an outcome of not performing well. .

It means exactly what the previous posters speculated. Perhaps he's holding back on his fastball or afraid to throw breaking pitches.

I just wonder who his "guy" is that says this. I mean, he must be really lucky to have a guy around Prior like that because i'd assume there isn't too many people attending bullpen sessions.

[Brian]

how do you throw with or without confidence in a bullpen session in January? I'd imagine it be a rather laid back thing, and anybody looking on couldn't gauge anything from it unless Mark said "man i have no confidence"

[CuseCubFan69]

how do you throw with or without confidence in a bullpen session in January? I'd imagine it be a rather laid back thing, and anybody looking on couldn't gauge anything from it unless Mark said "man i have no confidence"

 

It all depends on what he's trying to do. We have kids throwing right now and you can see the ones that don't have confidence in their stuff or fastball, sometimes very easily.

Edited January 31, 2007 by CuseCubFan69

[A New Era]

how do you throw with or without confidence in a bullpen session in January? I'd imagine it be a rather laid back thing, and anybody looking on couldn't gauge anything from it unless Mark said "man i have no confidence"

 

It all depends on what he's trying to do. We have kids throwong right now and you can see the ones that don't have confidence in their stuff or fastball, sometimes very easily.

 

The question was how does he throw without confidence. Could you explain? Does he scratch his brow alot, does he not make eye contact, does he hang his head down low, does he scuttle to and frow, does his head - hang - low. Bum BUM!

[FergieJ31]

What the hell does "throwing with confidence mean"?

 

If he's healthy he will pitch regularly. If he's not he won't.

 

I took "throwing with confidence" to mean "throwing without fear of re-injury", and erring on the side of caution. Maybe I'm reading too much in there.

 

Sidenote: In 2004 I injured my achilles tendon very badly (not a tear but close) in the early summer. I got a lot of jokes that the injury was a "sympathy pain" of a die-hard Cub fan (I can laugh now :) ). Point is, it took me well over a year before I was able to play tennis "with confidence" and put real stress the heel again.

 

Mark simply might not be feeling 100% confident about what kind of stress he can put on his right shoulder AND left oblique AND right subscapularis ... and that would affect his pitching motion, velocity, control .. everything.

[Dirt Dog Sparly]

how do you throw with or without confidence in a bullpen session in January? I'd imagine it be a rather laid back thing, and anybody looking on couldn't gauge anything from it unless Mark said "man i have no confidence"

 

It all depends on what he's trying to do. We have kids throwing right now and you can see the ones that don't have confidence in their stuff or fastball, sometimes very easily.

 

To steal some of Cuses thunder if he will forgive me. Body language is something I pay alot of attention too in bullpens. I would ask a pitcher to execute a fastball away, curve away, and fastball up and in. The ones who had confidence executed the series bang, bang, bang. The ones who didnt threw a pitch and waited on me to say something before they would throw the next or do something to take their time before they threw the next pitch in the series.

 

Guys with confidence stand on the mound differently than ones that dont. Even in bullpens they attack the session differently. Whether it is long toss or a dedicated bullpen throwing to a catcher it just shows.

 

FDR had it right "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" It is so true.

[frostwyrm]

how do you throw with or without confidence in a bullpen session in January? I'd imagine it be a rather laid back thing, and anybody looking on couldn't gauge anything from it unless Mark said "man i have no confidence"

 

It all depends on what he's trying to do. We have kids throwong right now and you can see the ones that don't have confidence in their stuff or fastball, sometimes very easily.

 

The question was how does he throw without confidence. Could you explain? Does he scratch his brow alot, does he not make eye contact, does he hang his head down low, does he scuttle to and frow, does his head - hang - low. Bum BUM!

 

Think Spalding in Caddyshack. "Double Farts!"

[shnsajax]

Prior says he's ready for 2007 and Spring Training.. Great news.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2737285

Wow, that's great news! I know we have to be careful in getting excited about good news related to Prior, but this is outstanding to hear!

 

If Prior is healthy we run away with this division.

 

If I scratch off a lottery ticket, I could win :-).

[Bull]

What does "throwing with confidence mean"?

 

If he's healthy he will pitch regularly. If he's not he won't.

 

Confidence is an outcome of pitching well and lack of such is an outcome of not performing well. .

It means exactly what the previous posters speculated. Perhaps he's holding back on his fastball or afraid to throw breaking pitches.

I just wonder who his "guy" is that says this. I mean, he must be really lucky to have a guy around Prior like that because i'd assume there isn't too many people attending bullpen sessions.

 

Tom House?

[Mizzou]

I don't know why, but I don't like Will Carroll. He really comes off as a know-it-all type.

[nilodnayr]

I don't know why, but I don't like Will Carroll. He really comes off as a know-it-all type.

 

Yeah, we all said that last offseason when everyone in the world except for Will said Prior was healthy and would be able to start the season...guess he really does know it all. He has proved himself to be the foremost baseball injury expert. No matter how much we want to think he is wrong, he knows what he is talking about and is right a lot.

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't know why, but I don't like Will Carroll. He really comes off as a know-it-all type.

 

Yeah, we all said that last offseason when everyone in the world except for Will said Prior was healthy and would be able to start the season...guess he really does know it all. He has proved himself to be the foremost baseball injury expert. No matter how much we want to think he is wrong, he knows what he is talking about and is right a lot.

 

I agree that Carroll is often right, but I also agree he sometimes comes across as somewhat of a pompous ass.