The Chicago Tribune online has just reported that the Cubs have announced that Kerry Wood has a torn rotator cuff.

The funny thing is that there are some people who are actually surprised by this news... well, I'm not surprised in the least. As I've said in previous posts, I fully believe that the Cubs, and even Wood himself, have known that his arm was toast for a long time. I mean, he has been in to see his doctor a few times since his "return" this year, and it has taken them this long to discover the torn cuff? COME ON!! Are you saying that the doctor wasn't smart enough to do an MRI test until now? If so, then why the hell is anyone going to him/her? No, I think that the Cubs were hesitant to get a definitive report, and once they had it, they were careful about when they released it so that we fans wouldn't have a chance to tell them what a bunch of putzes they are until after the All Star break.

This could mean the end of Kerry's career, or at the very least, that he will have to go to the bullpen. At the moment, he says he isn't sure if he'll do surgery to repair his shoulder or just try to make a go of it later... as well, whether or not he will be able to remain with the Cubs at all is in question, since they know now that Wood will be useless for about a year (correction, they've always known it, just haven't wanted to admit it...)

As sad as the news is, my fellow Cubs fans (although if you're a true fan, you should have known this was the deal a LONG time ago), there may be a light at the end of the tunnel: we might finally be able to unload Wood without anyone arguing that Wood might leave us and become stellar once more.

By the way, Cubs Management, you deserve this... and no one does it better than The Man in Black...

Doggie took a loss tonight... The Indians got 3 runs off of him in the first inning. Gee, I wonder if the problem was that the sun was setting and blinding him on the mound? Think I'm kidding? Dude, the first base umpire had to be lead off the field because the sunlight had fried his eyes... I'm not kidding. Doggie was throwing pretty damn hard in the beginning, but I'm not so sure that he could even see where he was throwing. From the second inning on, he was in the zone and, no big surprise, the field was no longer full of sunlight. In the end, Doggie lost and the final score was 2-4. However, I did manage to catch him sticking his tongue out on the left and then right side of his mouth, which totally put me on my swooning couch and left me like Niagra Falls...

Speaking of Canadian things that make a lot of noise and make me wet (it's a joke... a really raunchy joke because I didn't get to tease them at all today), "Bring the Noise" is taking a break this week... I'm like, totally going into withdrawal... sigh! Come back soon guys!! 

"Let me put this jersey on... That way, Maddyzghirl has to go through multiple layers... aw, who am I kidding, it won't stop her! My lame-o dork cuteness is such a curse!!!"

My old man got another one! He managed to get a nice hop back to the mound; another one hit my poor sweetie on the inside of his right ankle (OUCHY!!) but it wasn't enough to slow him down. Yet again, the on-field microphones caught Greg releasing a swear... but thankfully, this ump realized that he was upset with himself. (Yeah, guys, when he swears a millisecond after his release - and before the ball hits the mitt or the ump gives a call - he can only be swearing at himself). I happen to find it very cute when Greggy swears during his starts... Yes, I'm a Mad Dog slappy, what do you want?

Zman had an awesome showing again today, with a firm start and a grand slam from Michael Barrett to pad the score. I love Zman; he managed to keep himself under control today and not flip out over anything, which is definitely a good thing considering that he has had his moments over the years and even this season... wait, wasn't it my old man who tried to kill a water cooler? Uh... never mind... ;-) 

After Kerry Wood's pitiful performance of last night, I just have to make it worse... by asking "what were we waiting for"?

In the last few years, Kerry Wood has continued to go down to injury. The Cubs' confidence deflates as they realize that he's going to be out for a while, the fans say "if only he could get better", and the media begins yet another exhaustive and indepth analysis of every move that Wood makes while in rehab and/or Triple A.

The oddest phenomenon out of all of this? The players and staff on the Chicago Cubs freeze like deer in the headlights: everything is put on hold while they await Kerry's return. The team begins to play like they're just trying to do the status quo until Wood returns. Never mind that there are pitchers like Maddux, Zambrano, and Marshall (Cubs rookie who has REALLY stood up and made a difference) who bust their butts everytime that they take the mound. For some reason, Kerry Wood is considered the end-all-be-all of the pitching staff, the "pitching captain", so to speak.

Look, whether they've said it or not, we all know that Wood is no longer a dependable starter. The Cubs would be better served with him in the bullpen, as a set-up man, which he was doing last year and was very successful at. The fans know it, the Cubs know it, and I'm pretty damn sure that Wood knows it as well.

So, my question still remains... what were we waiting for while Wood was in rehab this year? Did we really think anything would be different when he came back? Kerry needs to wake up and be honest about where he's at. The Cubs seem to be dedicated to living out the lie that Kerry Wood will, one of these days, get back on track and lead us to glory. Well, what is the team supposed to do until then? It's so incredibly stupid!

I know that some people will argue the same for Prior, and that's entirely possible. I admit that I tend to give Prior more of a break because he has been plagued with freak occurences: that and I really believe that Prior still wants it... unlike Wood.

Let's call the situation what it is and move on... I don't think that anyone can take too much more of this!

Actually, I can't really say that Doggie was alone in having trouble... Jason Marquis was struggling as well in the first few innings. The good thing is that, as of the time that I'm writing this, no water coolers were reported as having received a beat down. ;-) I had a feeling that the Cubs would have a hard time getting all three games from the Cardinals, even with Pujols out. I thought that Doggie did decently enough... it was the relief crew that really fell apart.

I have to ask, though, is there any benefit to having Kerry Wood in the lineup if we have to juggle the start dates for the rest of our pitchers? How long can we do that and have our staff fit to go? It's asking for trouble, in my opinion.

And while I'm posting, let me say something...

I know that what I write here may not be for everyone. At times I can be crude/crass, and I can make sexual comments... but that's just how I express myself. I make no apologies for who I am or what I say. If what I say on my blog is distressing to anyone, there's a simple solution: don't read my posts. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as long as it is delivered in a courteous manner. My family has a long history of fighting for the rights guaranteed in our Constitution, including freedom of speech. My ancestors died to insure that everyone could say what they wish, and to insure the right for all of us to choose whichever religion we wish to follow (or to follow no religion at all).

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, used to tout a principle which I live by, "This above all else, to thine own self be true". I can only be true to myself and those who came before me. Not everyone will like my language or my comments... but we live somewhere where I can freely say them, and I will.