"Churlish."
"Disdain."
"Condescension."
In his
obitu--er--
article today, Tribune writer Paul Sullivan uses those three words to describe Mark
Prior's attitude towards the media, his relationship with Cubs management, and his general demeanor. It was good to see someone point out this truth about Prior: whoever he was as a pitcher, he was not a very nice guy.
It sure worked out for the Minnesota twins, who passed over Prior in the 2001 draft because they got word through channels that he didn't want to play for them. Churlish.
I have long been open about the moment that I became a
serious Cubs fan: watching the 2003
NLDS. By the time the Marlins came to town, I was hooked (unintentional, but now that I see it, I'm leaving it in). Prior played a role the success, certainly. However, my most striking memory from
Prior's 18-6 season that year was his tantrum on the mound after Steve
Bartman played his fool's role in Cubs history. I can still see the whining, slighted look on Prior's face. "Why me? How did I get stuck with
this?" it seemed to say. From an emotional standpoint, that low-key (always low-key with Number 22) hissy-fit ended the season's hope.
After that, I was never a big fan of Prior.
The Cubs did him no favors with their cloak-and-dagger handling of his many mysterious ailments, and the team undoubtedly contributed to the media circus that surrounded his shoulder, his elbow, his mysteriously disabling case of the flu, which set him back at least a month in 2005.
Compare that to the game Michael Jordan played in the 96-97 NBA Finals. Diagnosed with the flu the night before, Jordan managed to get out of bed at 3 pm and make the 6 pm tipoff. He scored 38 points. Jordan's ginormous ego notwithstanding, he wasn't on the court for himself that night. He was on it for the team and for the fans.
Prior represents the same talent, only failed. He will be remembered as a perpetual victim of "discomfort" and "stiffness." That is Prior's ultimate legacy with this team. Much has been made of Curt Schilling and his bloody sock, but all I will say about it is that Mark Prior would not have been out on the mound that night. It's just not in his nature. The Cubs (and their fans) needed Prior, and he just wasn't around. More importantly in the eyes of many fans, it seemed like he was never in any rush to get back and play. No one ever had to slow him down or restrain him. He seemed to make no distinction between towel drills and big league starts. Both saw the same mixture of boredom and irritation.
More recently, after countless months of "rehab," Prior arrived at Spring Training this year nearly ready to pitch, but when he actually got into games, he was shelled. Under such distressing circumstances, the press got a whole news cycle out of the game when his velocity "might" have reached 93, depending on whose radar gun you went by. Cubs management had finally made the decision to plan without Prior, and we ended up with five (well, 4.5, sorry, Wade Miller) pitchers ready to break camp. The front office made a tough decison: Prior wasn't ready to help the team, and he would be placed with AAA Iowa until he could contribute. His
reaction:
"There's not much I can do. I'm a controlled player, and I do what I'm told. I'm not going to compete any less just because of where I'm at," he said. "I'll go down and help that team win, and try to make the Triple-A All-Star team and maybe I'll get invited to the Futures Game or something. I'm still 26."It's hard to tell with that monotone voice of his, but I'm guessing that was sarcasm.
Prior has been paid roughly eight million dollars over the last two years to win a single game. I understand his disappointment at being demoted, but I don't appreciate such sarcastic vitriol from a pitcher who can't find the plate with his hanging curve and can't break 90 with his fasball. What else were the Cubs going to do with him? By implying that he and his calves had been disrespected, Prior showed once and for all the level of respect he has for the idea of the Team. There was never any team with Prior. There was him, his ego, and a whole slew of wrongs and misfortunes heaped upon him by a capricious fate and an ungrateful organization.
In contrast, consider our other failed wunderkid, Kerry Wood. Kid K took a low-salary, incentive-laden deal to come back to the Cubs this year, in part to pay off his debt to the organization and the fans. He too has contributed almost nothing over the last few years. Wood took a paycut because he deserved it, at a time when he had better offers on the table. He did it because he liked or at least respected the company and what it stood for. It's speculation, but one gets the sense that Prior would have been out of Chicago just as soon as he'd accrued enough service time to earn the right. I'll be writing another post like this in the near future for Wood, but his intentions have always been fairly good. When Kerry doesn't talk to the media, it's because he's mad--at himself.
Prior will likely spend 2007 on the Cubs' 60-day disabled list, and when the season is over, be non-tendered by the club. That will be it. At least, as far as Chicago is concerned. Like the man said, he's 26, and Prior will come back to the game, on another team. Most Cubs fans don't have enough gas left in the tank to feel betrayed. They shouldn't, as it's best for everyone at this point.
It's a sad story, but I'm not going to feel bad for Mark Prior.
He does enough of that all by himself.
