A few years back, I owned an '86 Toyota Corolla. It was a great car. Even after it had accumulated more than 200,000 miles, I was able to drive it everywhere - 8 hour trips to Washington, D.C., all over the back roads of western New York, you name it. Then, I decided it was time to get a new car, and I was going to give my old one away. So, I stopped taking care of it. I didn't get the oil changed for 10,000 miles. I often drove it on an empty tank, forcing it to stall on a few occassions. I ran it off-road and scraped the bottom on hard dirt and rocks. In other words, although I knew that somebody else was expecting the car to be reliable after I was gone, I clearly didn't care. I wanted to use the car for my purposes, and to hell with the guy who came in after me expecting a reliable automobile.* Sound like somebody we all know and love? Carlos Zambrano won his 13th game of the season yesterday in an 8 inning outing that required 121 pitches. He walked 7. Was 121 pitches really necessary? Has Dusty learned nothing in the last few years? Sure, the Cubs won. Carlos was practically untouchable. But, c'mon, 121 pitches? Dusty knows he won't be back. He's probably even aware of the fact that the Cubs have no shot of post season glory. Yet he's so hell-bent on winning - or at least, on not caring - that he's willing to risk the future of the best young pitcher the Cubs have. Gee, thanks Dusty. I'm sure I speak for all Cub fans everywhere when I say that we sincerely appreciate that. Please, while you're at it, why not get Matt Murton to run red-head-first into the brick outfield wall? Or maybe you can convince Sean Marshall to have a gun duel with Carlos Marmol. Meanwhile, Phil "the Pill" Rogers wrote a column scolding Cub fans for wanting to give up on Mark Prior. As much as I hate to say it, Phil has a point. We shouldn't give up on Mark Prior. We also shouldn't rely on him. We should hope to the sweet lord that he'll bounce back somehow, but let's face it. Surgery looms in his future. His perfect mechanics are a myth. The Cubs cannot rely on Prior, just as they should not rely on Kerry Wood. You know why? Because arm injuries - especially chronic shoulder problems - just don't magically go away. Should Mark Prior do something to stay healthy - and effective for a full year, then the Cubs need to reap those benefits by trading him ASAP while his value is still high. That's just my opinion. It's very theoretical anyway, since Prior staying healthy for a full season is about as likely as me being smited by a falling space station's flaming toilet seat. *Just so you don't think I'm an irresponsible jerk, my story about the Toyota Corolla is exaggerated. I loved that car and took as good care of it as possible, and as far as I know someone is still driving it around. I'm just saying, it was a parable, or something.