The Cubs don’t need a fifth starter for the first few weeks.

Didn’t we hear that a few times in the Prior era? Deja Vu. No thank you. I do believe Lilly is no Prior, thank Christ.

scraping the barnacles off of the hull

Okay–that cracked me up!

Everything I’ve heard about Lilly is that they found nothing major. It’s not at all unusual for some clean-up to be necessary to a previous injury. If it really is just tendonitis, rest, stretching, and strengthening are the best things he can do. Which is what it sounds like the plan is.

Not much of note going on right now. The Oraganizational meeting is taking place this week, that’s about it.

15 days until free agents become available to other teams, not sure if any are on Jim’s radar, Figgins?

Due to the dearth of comments I fear this weeks Lizard will be a Newt.

From Bruce Miles:

Both Lilly and the Cubs said the surgery, performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles, was a “cleanup,” or debridement, and that Lilly has no significant structural damage.

Although Lilly won’t be ready for Opening Day, the Cubs expressed confidence Wednesday he could pitch sometime in April. Lilly will begin a rehab process with range-of-motion exercises, but he said he won’t begin throwing for four months, or until early March.

“I initially wanted to try to avoid it, go into the off-season without having to do anything,” Lilly said Wednesday by teleconference. “I figured it would get better. It did not, even after all the rest. I just didn’t want to go into the season kind of doing what I was doing at the end of the year where I was missing starts.”

From BCB:

The Cubs’ April 2010 schedule — with off days each of the first two weeks, the Cubs won’t need a fifth starter until April 19, the 13th game of the season — so Ted could have a couple of extra weeks to get ready and perhaps start that day, or later that week.