Jon

Rusch reaches his pitch count limit and leaves the game. Coincidentally, he also reached his XBH limit.

I'm guessing/hoping he just meant that the #5 starter wouldn't break camp with the team period. They originally wanted Guzman, Marshall, and Hill to all pitch at either AA or AAA for a couple of weeks to win the job, so hopefully they realize just how bad of a decision putting the 5th starter in the bullpen would be.

Cubs.com It's taken out of context, though.

I'd rather hear Rusch give up a few more XBHs (which will happen anyways) than listen to this guy ramble on for a few more minutes.

I overheard Len and Bob during the game yesterday saying that very same thing. They say its a definite possiblity considering Lee's injury. We will just have to wait and see what the Cubs brass plans on doing. Dusty said that could happen, but he also wants to make sure he gets enough time at first with the big league club.

Blanco, Hairston, Perez, Mabry are all taking up bench spots. If we're going with 12 pitchers then only one can be kept. I thought they were going with 11 this year? Dusty said yesterday that they're starting the season with 11 pitchers, but that's only because they're going to be carrying 4 starters. He's still going to have 7 relief pitchers when they break camp. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on them carrying 12 once they call up that 5th starter. That last position spot may just be temporary. Of course, they could use the 5th starter out of the bullpen before then, but that wouldn't really make any sense. But that could still happen.

I hate you. I don't even get ESPNU at home with Comcast. Of course, ESPN Deportes is the one I really want.

So he'll be injured even if he isn't? And are you suggesting that the Cubs and the media should just stop giving us updates? I would think that a lot of people have interest in Prior's first step in coming back from this shoulder strain. I would also classify going from not throwing to throwing as a change. I'm suggesting he's injured until he takes the field in a game that matters, yes. I'm also suggesting until he strings a few starts together without going down again, he's not fully back. I'm also suggesting we get off the hope train and deal in reality. A player is injured until he plays for real, in a game that counts. Not before. Being "cleared to pitch" means nothing. It's like being cleared to use crutches when you're in a cast. Whoop-de-do. Can you run the 100-yard dash yet? No? Talk to me when you're ready, son. Mid-season form is not the same thing as healthy. He'll have to be healthy before he gets to that point. That article is reporting on reality. He threw long toss. And he said he threw without pain. That's a step forward. And the quotes from Rothschild made it pretty clear that they're not dealing with the future but with what's going on right now. They have to see how he responds to this session and monitor it as he builds up strength. They're certainly not proclaiming him to be fully healthy or ready right now. I don't think that's accurate at all. They didn't sugarcoat Wood's injury last year (although they may have been operating under a false assumption that it couldn't get worse) or his knee injury this spring. Or Prior's elbow fracture. The injuries to Fox, Walker, Aramis, Lee, etc. were all handled through the media just how you'd expect a team to handle them. They certainly never claimed that Prior is healthy and they never claimed he was healed. Actually, O'Neal said the opposite: It's something they have to monitor while he's building up strength. There's still going to be inflammation and soreness, but that's what they have to manage as he progresses. And I don't see why it would be hard to believe that he threw a simple long toss session after 11 or so days of being shutdown after experiencing mild pain.

So he'll be injured even if he isn't? And are you suggesting that the Cubs and the media should just stop giving us updates? I would think that a lot of people have interest in Prior's first step in coming back from this shoulder strain. I would also classify going from not throwing to throwing as a change.

In case anyone was wondering, Northwestern has lost 11 in a row dating back to February 25th and is 3-15 on the season. They're running out of time, I'd say. But hey, they're still in the Big Ten race.

Watching Tavarez dance in left field during batting practice for 20 minutes while ignoring the fly balls he was supposed to be shagging and the fans (not related to the fly balls thing) cemented it for me.

The least shocking news of the day:

Just so we're clear, you mean a Puerto Rican, right? Louisiana isn't that far, I suppose. Oh, and it wasn't just a sac bunt. It was a sac bunt with Grissom and Perez due up.

Ah, smallball. Mind-numbing smallball...

If Dusty told him to do that... :x

Yay Ramirez. Hopefully he leaves for a PR, though.

Don't believe so, no. Some people used to smoke by the bathrooms, but that was about it.

I would've taken an RBI in the style of his championship-winning hit in the Carribean Series (actually, probably would have preferred it), but I'll take a double from Blanco.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-kiley27.html I think it's the latest step in the cover-up process Welcome to the board. Because of copyright issues, we don't allow the posting of full articles. You can include parts of an article, though.

Joy. Let's practice wasting outs in front of our power hitters.

Good news. Wonder how long it'll take him before he can build up enough strength to throw to hitters again, though.

[expletive] you're lucky. I get called out for s*** and this is allowed. If you're going to censor cussing censor CURSING too please. G** **** is much more abbrasive than s*** IMO. Sorry, religious rant. So you reply to that by breaking board policy with profanity?

I like Z's passion too, but when it gets him ejected from games that doesn't help him or the team. By the way, he was ejected last year for ridiculing the home plate umpire. He has already turned his temper on the umpires. He had already left the game on opening day when he made those comments. And against St. Louis, he was about to leave that game, too. It's not like he's getting tossed a few times a season in the third inning. That makes it OK? Look, I *love* Z too. I just want him to grow up a little bit and direct his emotions better. That's all. Who doesn't want him to harness it better? But it's not really hurting him more than any pitcher when they lose focus or get upset. And they all do. As others (including Dusty and Carlos himself) have said, it helps him out a lot. He'll be able to control it more as he gets older, but it's not much of a problem.

I like Z's passion too, but when it gets him ejected from games that doesn't help him or the team. By the way, he was ejected last year for ridiculing the home plate umpire. He has already turned his temper on the umpires. He had already left the game on opening day when he made those comments. And against St. Louis, he was about to leave that game, too. It's not like he's getting tossed a few times a season in the third inning.

PHEW. That could've been bad.