Take your pick

Seeing as how Prior is on the DL and Chicago is making Detroit look silly, I think the answer is pretty obvious.

Raised on the Sox since the days of Eddie Lopat, Cass Michaels, Ralph Hodgin and Joe Kuehl, I am almost congenitally cynical. If the club can find a way to lose, it will. (Look what almost happened last August!) However, a small part of me strives to be optimistic, and thus there is the faint hope that the team will catch fire. Pods will be consistent, Thome will resume hitting balls into the bleachers, and the starting pitchers will remember that no club wins every 9 - 7 game. Call me hopeful but dubious.

50/50 on both and that's not where the similarities end. If you recently heard Randy Johnson's comments on Mark Prior's difficulties you'll understand one central truth as he sees it about pitchers in general. Some time ago Johnson commented on a season when he threw some 230 innings. He said not only did he not have any gas left in the tank for the poatseason that year but the ensuing offseason didn't afford him enough time to recuperate and it affected his next season's performance as well. Johnson said it took a good year and a half to come back to full strength. He did not propose to now what was exactly wrong with Prior or in fact why the White Sox pitching hasn't been on par with last year, but just how the excess innings affected him and how it could be affecting Prior and the Sox rotation as well. Quite interesting I thought so I did a little reaserch of my own. Last years Sox whole rotation logged significant innings and look at the results this year, not quite the same are they? In 2003 when Wood was about 2 years removed from Tommy John surgery and Prior was a rookie having never logged any significant amount of innings compared with a normal major league starter, they finished 1st.(Wood)and 4th.(Prior) in innings pitched for 2003. Dusty Baker even had Wood throw 139 pitches against the Reds in his third start of the 2004 season.

It's true we have some freaks of nature who's arm is just blessed and can tolerate unusual abuse, but for the majority of the mere mortals pitching in the majors, some caution needs to be taken for the long term affects on them.

The obvious answer would be the Sox catch the Tigers but, I'm not ruling out the Cubs trying to squeeze a few more outings from Prior. They have been rushing both Prior and Wood back from the dl for three years now instead of shutting them down and letting the injuries heal completely. Wood is history and Prior soon will be. The Cubs don't have a clue when it comes to rehabbing or developing a young pitcher. They have been rolling Prior out to the mound and every time he gets ripped and has some pain afterwards yet, three healthy arms Marmol, Hill and Guzman need to be instant winners or risk being sent down. 20 games under .500, out of even the wild card race and they don't have the patience to let them get experience at this level. This is going to be the team for next year. They don't have anything to trade for quality players except Carlos and Lee. The farm system has been traded dry of pitching prospects and the position players (Hill, Choi, Kelton etc.) that were supposed to be the future haven't panned out. Forget Felix Pie, Dustys' already dismissed him as "not being ready". He'll figure out a way to play Neifi Perez in CF before he gives Pie a chance.

This really is a dumb comparison . What does Prior have to do with Detroit and White Sox? Give me a pure CUB question,or skip it.

HEAR, HEAR, Jim!

The Sox will catch the Tigers within the next two weeks. Prior will pitch in September. Go Sox!

Sox

Im tired of waiting for Prior.It's been 3 full years already. Cubs shouldn't depend on him.
Cubs pitching rotation is kind of unique to watch without him. It's the Big Z with SEVEN rookies! Where would Prior fit in, number 2 after The big Z or number 8 after O'Malley?

Roman, I love ya but you struck out with this question. Lame!

Any ways, just out of pure stupidity on the part of my team, I'm going to claim that Mark Prior will come back and the White Sox won't catch the Tigers. The Tribune will begin to notice the complete and utter downfall at the concession areas and gift shops at Wrigley and will try to do something to bring people to the game. The tickets have already been sold so the only thing they can squeeze out of it any longer are food and beverages sales. Check the amount of tickets on StubHub and the prices that they're going for if you need proof. You're not going to find too many tourists that will venture out to Wrigley Field when the temperature starts dropping in September. Therefore, they'll need a distraction..."Come see the amazing DL-Man and witness this death-defying feat as he actually lasts past the 4th inning!"

By the way, Jacque Jones? He still sucks!

Roman responds: Love you, too, especially the effort you put into answering the lame question. Thanks.

Now that it's becoming more and more clear the Sox are playing for the wild card (Go Tigers!) I'll have to go with Prior. Remember how much the Twins were mocked for passing up Prior to take Joe Mauer? pretty amusing in retrospect.

if you think the sox are going to catch detroit you need to have your head examined. it will be a MIRACLE if they even make the play offs. looks like anther 80yr wait. As far as wood and prior that is THE joke of the century. they are so done you can stick a fork in them but ownership could care less because dumb cub fans keep selling out wrigley so why spend money for a winner ? The cubs orginization is THE BIGGEST joke in ALL OF SPORTS!!!!!!

you know i wouldnt count out prior just yet neither wood . wood will be a phenomal closer. mark my words the cubs would be the biggest losers for not attempting to put wood in the pen hell be a way bigger help there. prior let him sit next year if needed. i still think he has plenty left. and as for the sox hopefully theyll catch detroit i enjoyed this weekends series even though they dropped 2 of 3 to the twinkies. but gotta look at the glass as half full the sox will go on a tear in september. as far as winning the world series well who knows theres lots of talented teams should be a good series either way. people need to be more positve dont get all wishy washy its annoying.

Oh wood will be a closer but I think 4 or 5 years is enough. I'm not trying to "bash" you but, if you think these guys still can be great and productive your either a DIE HARD cub's fan or nuts but, I guess the two go hand in hand. If the sox starting pitching starts playing better any thing is possible they definently have the talent to repeat (except brian anderson what a joke that move was.)

As a life long sox fan I am sitting on the train thinking sad about the opener .............then I stop to think ............cheer up !

In my life I have seen 3 play off runs , 3 div champs , 4 games with my own eyes(one in 2000, 3 in 2005 ) and my team is the 2005 world champ ! I have years of happyness to come.

Now I know that each year is a new year , and we should always look to be our best ........... But how can one ever realy know what the best is if they have never been there before, and so having been to the top and knowing how hard it is to be there & how many teams have not, may not ever be " THE WORLD CHAMPS " , I can still go day to day with small games not won ..................
Knowing my team has won the big show, now i get to see them fight to do it again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go sox.
Kevin santiago ............
kevinsantiago1@yahoo.com

Detroit is highly over rated. It's amazing to me that many of the sports writers in this town didn't pick the Sox to win in 05(which they did), but picked the Tigers to win in 06(which they didn't). Detroit paralleled Chicago in so many ways last year, and alot of sport writers jumped on the bandwagon of a team in another city. That is just sad........

To answer the question, it's obvious that the Sox will overtake Detroit, as Prior is hurt again, or not, or is, or isn't.....or...whatever the hell is or isn't wrong with him again that wasn't wrong with him before that's wrong with him now.......Um......yeah that sums him up quite nicely. I have heard that he hasn't even gone more than 4 innings in his minor league games. Wouldn't bet on him being called up anytime soon. Oh and the Sox just took 2 out of 3 from Detroit, in what should have been a sweep if Ozzie hadn't have been experimenting.