A couple weeks ago I stopped short of writing the eulogy for Kerry Wood’s career with the Cubs. With yesterday’s news that the Cubs didn’t offer Kerry Wood arbitration it looks like the end of the road for Kerry Wood pitching for the Cubs. This post is not written to take a stance one way or the other on what the Cubs did. Baseball is a business and sometimes the unpopular decisions are the right one to make. Enough of that now onto Kerry Wood the Chicago Cub:
This cynical old Cub fan has to come clean, as ballplayers come and go as often as they do these days, rarely do I look back fondly on the player exiting the Cubs. It really is a different era in sports fandom. Players never play for just one team and that’s the way it is. We root for laundry and not individual players. Hell, I grew up in the 1970’s and 80’s when free agency torched the whole idea of watching a team grow up together and play most of their career as a group for one team. That stuff doesn’t happen anymore, and frankly never did in my lifetime. So as a jaded fan who knows all of this, I have to confess that I will miss Kerry Wood.
Kerry Wood came to the Cubs as a phenom, the heir apparent to Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens as a Texas fireballer. At the end of a very bleak decade for the Cubs, the 1990’s, Wood symbolized the hope that brighter days would come thanks to his magical right arm. In a fairy tale Kerry Wood would have led the Cubs to the World Series. Of course life is not a fairy tale and Kerry Wood’s baseball career has been filled with more injuries than any players deserves. Still Wood has persavered like nobodies business. Below are just a few of my memories from watching Kerry Wood in the blue pinstripes:
- Easter Sunday 1998 when Wood made his major league debut on WGN at old Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Wood would lose that game and throw over 100 pitches in under 5 innings of work.
- The following Saturday, gaius marius would score four tickets for me and a few friends behind home plate and we got to watch the phenom up close and personal in his first start at Wrigley Field and his first major league win over the Dodgers. On that afternoon, therer was no questioning the dynamite stuff of Kerry Wood the question was would he ever find control.
- Only a few weeks later Kerry Wood would pitch a ballgame for the ages. In just his fifth big league start Kid K struck out twenty Houston Astros and became an instant star in Cubdom. If Kerry Wood had never pitched another game at this point in his career this legendary game would have cemented him in Cubs lore.
- As the 1998 Rookie of the Year, Wood of course battled on and helped lead the Cubs to the 1998 Wild Card. He struck out 233 in only 166-2/3rd IP.
- On May 25, 2001, Wood one hit the Brewers what was significant about this one hitter is the day before Jon Lieber had one hit the Reds. This marked the first time in MLB history teammates had pitched back-to-back complete game one hitters.
- After Sitting out all of 1999 and having injury plagued seasons in 2000 and 2001 Wood went 12-6 and in 2002 he went 12-11 but more importnatly pitched 200 innings for the first time.
- By 2003 Wood was the leader of the staff that now included Mark Prior, Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano. Wood went 14-11 that season for the Cubs.
- In the first round of the 2003 playoffs Kerry Wood pitched the two most clutch games against a 100+ win Atlanta Braves team in his career. Wood won two (including the clincher) of the Cubs three wins in their only playoff series win since the 1908 World Series. This series was Kerry Wood at his best as a starting pitcher for the Cubs.
- Wood’s career has always been a roller coaster. After winning the deciding game 5 against the Braves later that month Kerry Wood lost the deciding Game 7 NLCS game to the Marlins. After the game Wood told the media “I choked”. Kerry Wood never was one for excuses. That’s probably why he was so likeable.
- 2004 was supposed to be the year that the Cubs pitching rotation of Wood, Prior, Clement, Zambrano and newly reaquired future HOFer Greg Maddux was going to lead the Cubs to the pennant. Well injuries to Wood and Prior sidelined those plans.
- More injury frustrations in 2005 and again in 2006.
- By 2007 the Cubs were under new manager Lou Piniella and Wood along with Prior looked to be out of the plans. But Kerry Wood somehow worked his way back and found a spot in the Cubs bullpen.
- In Spring Training 2008 Kerry Wood competed with Bob Howry and young Carlos Marmol for the closers role. Wood was such a fan favorite that he would get ovations when he warmed up in the Cubs bullpen during spring. Lou Piniella would make Kerry Wood the Cubs closer.
- That move worked out pretty good for Wood and the Cubs. Wood was named to the NL All Star team, saved 34 games and was on the mound when the Cubs clinched the NL Central vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.
Off the field Kerry Wood and his wife were first class. Wood’s annual bowling event has raised good money for worthy charities. In a day and age where we expect the worst from athletes in the behavior department, Wood has represented the Cubs professionally throughout his career.
The real interesting part about Kerry Wood is he represents a changing in the mindset of the Chicago Cubs and their fanbase. When Kerry Wood came to the Cubs in the late 90’s the team was still the ‘lovable losers’. During the 10 seasons that Wood was active the Cubs made the playoffs 4 times. He is the only Cub post-1945 to be on Cub postseason teams that many times. As Wood leaves the Cubs the organization now has expectations that are through the roof. I think Kerry Wood played a part in this change of mindset.
I wish Kerry Wood all the best and would just like to thank him for the years he played for the Cubs. It was alot of fun watching him pitch.
