Face it: Bruney may be done, and he'll have squandered his great talent

How often do we see this movie?

Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets TJ surgery.

Does anybody really think Brian Bruney will be back this year?

For the record: We want him back. He's a nice guy. He's a lugnut. He throws hard. You love him.

But now... some harsh words:

The guy wasted his talent. Until this winter, he never devoted himself to the level of training required to be an elite pitcher. For the last six years, the world say Bruney as a rolly-polly Fred Flinstone, throwing hard with a trailer of excess beef. And he was inconsistent. Lights out for a few days, then hammered.

This was the year he looked different. He took off the weight. He didn't even look like the same guy. He finally figured out what it takes to be a great pitcher.

Too late.

Again: WE LOVE THE GUY. WE WISH HIM THE BEST.

But I hope somebody, when talking to our Brackmans and Kontoses, points to Bruney and tells the story of a guy who squandered his potential.

Every guy has a certain number of pitches inside him. Once they're gone, they're gone. One day, it'll be too late.

And that's the Brian Bruney movie.