Mark "The Truth" Prior Was His Name

When Mark Prior was coming up with the Iowa Cubs, his nickname was "Truth." Then he got caught in a lie, after making the Chicago club in '04 and trying to conceal an elbow problem as a minor difficulty with his lower extremities. Is it any wonder no one believes him now when he says his sore shoulder is OK? When pitchers and catchers reported last week Prior was limited to throwing on flat ground while other starters threw off the mound. The Cubs tried to slough it off as just trying "something different this year." But a firestorm of suspicion arose just as the team was preparing to sell season tickets and finally Prior admitted he was feeling sickly after a respiratory infection. Prior was limited to just 15 throws in his most recent test and was releasing the ball very tentatively, while Greg Maddux, Glendon Rusch, Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Scott Williamson, Angel Guzman, Will Ohman and John Koronka each threw a snappy 30 pitches off the mound. Also being handled with kid gloves are Kerry Wood and Wade Miller.