The rumor that the Cubs are using the achilles injury to cover for an arm injury has been floating around a couple weeks. First I've heard of TJ surgery being needed. I think it is just a rumor, and probably a false one.
At least I hope it is a false one. I'm probably alone in this strategy, but if I could get him fairly cheap, I'd consider trading for him. I don't believe the rumor, an owner who does (or at least is concerned) would probably let him go fairly cheap.
I'm in dead last at the moment with my Soriano anchored team. I need SP badly on that squad, so I think it's worth the gamble at a discount price.
[b][size=18]70*[/size][/b]
* Steroid induced record
"Prior said Sunday he isn't ready to throw off a mound, and the right-hander is so uncertain of his return that he's stopped thinking about a possible timetable."
During the Cubs-Pirates game today, this rumor was addressed. The announcers said that Cubs Manager was approached, and that he quickly dismissed the issue as FALSE. Take that for what it is worth, but I did read today that Prior may not be back until June (WHOA!).
Big Thyme wrote:During the Cubs-Pirates game today, this rumor was addressed. The announcers said that Cubs Manager was approached, and that he quickly dismissed the issue as FALSE. Take that for what it is worth, but I did read today that Prior may not be back until June (WHOA!).
Yeah, I also heard June is a alot more realistic than May. But even June may be a little optomistic. Think more along the lines of second half.
I'm pretty sure they just said on around the horn that he is going to need at least 6 more weeks than previously expected. Which takes him into june at the earliest.
The more I hear about Prior the more I start to believe the rumor. It just seems like a injury that the team REPORTS he has cannot be serious enough to put him out this late. Out until Early June AT LEAST is my prediction.
Sean Tracey has my apologies, we all know Ozzie Guillen is an idiot. I'm rooting for you!
I still think, even after last year, that Baker is a bit nutso (a lot of kind of odd 'resting' of players, particularly pitchers, despite the rap he got for working them hard...). Personally, he will tell guys they are doing well to try to make them do better and will be inscrutable as far as keeping everyone who IS playing feeling groovy about themselves, even if they might not be-- in fantasy terms anyway. That's why players like him so much but I think that the Cubs are adopting the most conservative strategy for the injury. As a Cub Fan, I totally appreciate the strategy, instead of trashing their investments, but I can see how if I'd succumbed to the temptation to draft Prior I'd be shopping him around too.
They proved last year that it is possible to do well, even w/ a slow start so they will play as well as they can until they are CERTAIN that Prior is better. W/ both Cincy and Pittsburgh coming out of nowhere to rough them up, they may need to rethink that but I see Prior's 'fantasy value' going down the drain at this point. They have zero motivation to share the correct info w/ the legions of fantasy players who are curious.
I have a Prior jersey (brilliant gift from Mrs. AcidRock...) and REALLY like him a lot but, in terms of my $10 fantasy bet, I went w/ Vazquez. It's a long season but jeez, in terms of when he'll play effectively, you have to kind of add a month to get in shape onto however long the ankle or whatever is going to keep him out.
The one thing that he MIGHT be of use for, assuming he comes back sometime over the summer, would be towards the end of a H2H league and the playoffs. When he's on, he will REALLY rack up some numbers for you. W/ a 10 team Yahoo league, you're talking a bunch of teams in the playoffs anyway and, if a monster pops into your lineup, it could take you a LONG way...
As a Prior owner, I find all of this a little ridiculous. What started as just a rumor has gained alarming speed and because of who? People at this site? "Baseball executives"? If the local Chicago fans know nothing of it and especially ESPN/Baseball Tonight haven't reported it, I wouldn't jump the shark. Someone even mentioned they read it on a "highly accredited message board", which basically means other "fans" sharing their opinions. This is great to gain insight on players, stats, and trades, but no one has any "inside info" on something as major as this. I urge fellow Prior owners to hold on through the wave of "news" that your league mates will belittle you with to try to get him cheap, and just wait for the dividends of the long second half. This may be because I'm in the "see it to believe it category" but I'm not gonna dish off Prior because of rumors. Of course, this is all IMO, so who really knows. I just want my #1 pitcher back.
It's like I've died and gone to heaven......but then they realized that it wasn't my time, so they sent me to a brewery.
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by DGroundhog » Mon Apr 12, 2004 4:24 am 
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