So the news today is that Mark Prior will have surgery and miss the entire season.
While this is unfortunate for Cubs fans, I'm wondering how Prior "not pitching ever" makes the news. You wouldn't tell me that the sun rose, the earth turned, and that Ryan Seacrest is the world's foremost tool, because these things are already assumed and understood.
Likewise, the Cubs - until a further news bulletin develops - still is the team that fate either forgot, or maybe just remembered all too well.
For it was none other than one Mark Prior who was pitching the night of the famed Steve Bartman incident, and that really tells all you need to know about the Cubs. A man who shouldn't catch does, and a man who should pitch can't. Gotta love them Cubbies!
But take heed, Cubs fans, because I can kind of relate. In Chicago, they are pumped, in San Antonio, they are waiting with baited breath, and even in the Bay Area where the Golden State Warriors play, there is talk of an upset. In D.C.? Well, let's just say that no one here is getting the confetti ready.
For even the most hard core Wizards fan, this first round playoff matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers has amounted to nothing more than a slow-moving funeral procession. No Caron Butler, no Gilbert Arenas, no chance.
That's why I'm not emotionally investing myself in this one. Unless LeBron goes down with a freak accident, or somehow forgets how to jump, we have absolutely no shot.
It's too bad because Cleveland, while talented, isn't really that great of a team, and I think if they played in the West, I would say that six of the eight teams in that conference had a good chance to beat them.
LeBron has all the components you need to make a great SportsCenter highlight reel: he's fast, he can dribble, and the level of his hop is certified as "exceeding trajectory margins," according to NASA. For you and me, let's just say the guy can jump.
He is also a great player, as LeBron's game is much more than just flash, but one thing "King James" can't do well is shoot well from the perimeter.
But LeBron isn't the only one who has trouble here. Hughes is streaky but generally awful from outside, and although guys like Drew Gooden (who fits the Cavs perfectly as a complimentary player who can do everything yet not overshadow LeBron) can shoot from the outside. The Cavs style of play will not work against a defensive powerhouse like Detroit.
