No offense intended towards Kid K at all. With all the success the Cubs have been having over the last two months, there's plenty to get excited about. In fact, it was nice to get on with our lives without the constant reminder of the bad breakup that was Wood and Prior's pitching status. Every time I flpped on the news not only was I reminded that the Cubs lost that day, there was continued coverage of the proclaimed prodigies and their health, or lack thereof.

Since then, the Cubs have done a 180º and surfaced above .500 and in chase with the Brewers for first-place. All along the way, we began to ask Mark who? Kerry, you mean that kid who pitched out-of-his-mind a few years back? And we were all the better for it. Nowadays, the thought of the dynamic duo doesn't even give me a chubby. And then there's this.

Surgery seemed imminent, but Wood decided to throw one last time, if only to confirm what he already knew. "(I) really just went out to go throw and it would flare up, so when I went and saw a doctor, they wouldn't miss anything," he said. But the shoulder didn't erupt. Wood felt great. He threw again the next day without pain.

After four rehab appearances for the Cubs' rookie-league team, Wood is inching closer to a return. He threw 17 pitches Saturday, allowing a hit and an unearned run in 1 inning of work, before flying to Chicago for his Strike Zone Celebrity Bowling Tournament, held Sunday night.

Umm, that sounds more like a reading of the immaculate conception that it does an DL pitching report. Wood just decided to go out and pitch one day, and sure enough, the clouds parted and he felt great.

As for the California Kid, my money says he's on the market by the end of the year.