The cycle continues

Grant Hill.

That's who popped into my head when I read about Mark Prior missing another season after another aborted "comeback".

Hill and his Orlando Magic are currently down 2-0 to the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The point is Hill is in the playoffs when it looked like he may never play basketball again.

The doctor who is operating on Prior's shoulder on Tuesday is confident Prior's career is not over, with Cubs general manager Jim Hendry saying Wednesday, "Dr. Andrews feels comfortable that he [Prior] will still have a career. This is certainly not career-ending. He felt optimistic that he would be able to pitch next year. ... At his age, he should not have a problem responding and coming back after a strenuous rehab."

I sure hope he is right. It would be a shame if baseball and baseball fans were deprived of the talents of Prior, even if they might be somewhat diminished.

p.s. Like Paul said, I did pick the Cubs to win the NL Central. The reason I didn't run my predictions out there is because being in India, I don't have a lot of access to baseball. So I don't feel like I should make predictions [in public] based on incomplete information. But I don't mind running my mouth among friends. I even managed to convince one or two people to jump on the Cubs' bandwagon. I'm proud of that.