Silence Leads To Speculation

    When I was younger, I was a conspiracy theorist. Now I’m just paranoid.
    With the Cubs being so silent about the extent of damage found during the arthroscopic surgery performed on Mark Prior’s shoulder, I can only surmise that there is an extensive problem that they are trying to either find treatment for; or are delaying an announcement to soften the blow to their fans. The only reason to withhold the information regarding the surgery is if the news is so terrible that they aren’t sure what to do.
    Since his strutting and swaggering arrival in the big leagues in 2002 and his dominating 2003, Prior has alternated being injured and eminently hittable. Injuries—-from muscle pulls, to the bad luck of getting hit with a line drive, to the shoulder pain that has been hindering his effectiveness—-have curtailed a career that looked like it was headed for superstardom. Now the doctors and the Cubs finally agreed to open up Prior’s shoulder to take a closer look; they have yet to announce any findings. With each passing day, the silence becomes more of an indication that the Cubs shouldn’t be expecting to see Prior on the Wrigley Field mound anytime soon. With each passing day, that silence becomes more and more deafening. Just as there are no announcements as to the condition of his shoulder, there are no more oohs and aahs at the searing fastball and cocky attitude of Mark Prior. It looks like that silence may be a prologue—-or an epilogue.