How did we go from 2 Wood DL threads to zero? Did it turn out to be a hoax?

Here's an appraisal - the Cubs stink. Unless Lee comes back from the DL and brings Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby with him, this team isn't going to score runs. There are just too many holes in the lineup.

I think Woods' prognosis got upgraded, UCCF. At least that's the story right now.

And I'll reprimand myself for improper apostrophe use there...

Leave it to the Cubs to leak that one of their guys is on the DL incorrectly. I guess that balances out one of the times they said a player would be back "soon" only to have him miss the next 6 months.

I don't know where the Wood DL threads are, but when I heard the news, I immediately thought of two things, in this order:

1. Does this mean that Dusty has an even longer period before he's held accountable for this team? Jim Hendry has already told us that for all intents and purposes, none of these games count until Prior and Lee come back. Now that Wood is hitting the DL, is this still true?

If the Cubs continue to be at the bottom of the NL in 497 categories and continue to win at a .250 clip, and this lasts throughout June, July, and until whenever Wood comes back, is Dusty's job still safe during this time?

Why doesn't Hendry just say that the whole season doesn't count, that when he said that "79 wins isn't acceptable" he didn't really mean it, and just announce the damn extension and be done with it?

2. I forgot what #2 was. . . . <thinking>

Actually, it was this: Nice to see that the Cubs crack training staff and spinmeisters are still in charge, seeing as it was only this morning when the Daily Herald quoted Cubs trainer Mark O'Neill as saying: "We were pleased with the results. Basically, what we’re dealing with is post-throwing soreness. He’s got a little joint irritation, and there is no injury there."

For that matter, here is what was in the Tribune this morning:

O'Neal said Wood's biggest complaint has been "scar tissue issues [from the surgery] that we've been working on all spring." He did not say whether Wood had an MRI on his shoulder. Wood is not expected to be placed on the disabled list yet, but that remains a possibility.

Can't these idiots even manage to keep their lies straight for 24 hours?

Does this mean that Dusty has an even longer period before he's held accountable for this team?

Heh. I asked the same question in one of the deleted threads. It's really the only important thing left in 2006, given that we're already out of the race.

My guess is that this question will be put to Hendry today, if not over the weekend. Hendry will avoid it, talking about how no one could have expected these injuries (yeah, right) and how they believe that they are starting to turn the corner. He won't mention the playoffs or last year's Astros this time.

Eventually, maybe next week or soon after, he'll be asked again about Baker's status. My guess is that he'll say that he still believes that Dusty is the manager for this team and that Dusty wasn't given a complete hand to deal with. He won't say anything about a timetable.

Eventually, maybe sometime around the All-Star break, Hendry will say that this season is just an anomaly and it isn't fair to judge Dusty off of it. At that point, he will either (a) announce Dusty's extension through 2008 or more likely (b) say he'll deal with the Dusty situation at the end of the season . . . and announce the extension in early October.