The ghost of Murphy’s Goat hates us. The ghost of John McGraw hates us. From the wire reports in today’s Raleigh newspaper:
Kerry Wood will not pitch in the season-opening series in Arizona, but the Chicago Cubs are hopeful he will be ready for the team’s opening homestand a few days later.
And when that’s considered good news, you know there’s trouble.
The lack of progress Mark Prior has shown suggests his rehab program will be significantly longer than Wood’s and there is no timetable for Mark Prior’s return. The swelling in his right elbow hasn’t subsided enough for any concrete plan of action.
“We’ll just see where it goes and as soon as the inflammation’s gone, we’ll accelerate the throwing program,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild said.
“I don’t think until we get to that point we have to do a daily [update] on where Mark Prior is because, as he gets to throwing more, you’ll obviously know that.”
As Bart Simpson might say, “Ay carumba!“