For a few years now people have told me I should blog about my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. So what would it take to get me started? How about the signing of my favorite Cub, Kerry Wood.
May 6th, 1998 was the day I re-entered the crazy, unpredictable, and frustrating world of Cubs baseball. I was at work, my first job after college, when I pulled up the cubs live box score online. Scrolling down to the bottom of the page I saw a sentence that read (in tiny print) "Kerry Wood has 18 strikeouts through 8 innings." I immediately emailed friends and family while frantically hitting the refresh button on my web browser.
As we all know, Kerry finished with 20 K's. His performance that day still holds up as one of the most dominating performances in baseball history, but what I remember is a humble 20 year old kid pumping his fists after his last strikeout. Immediately after the game, Kerry was interviewed by Chip Caray and Steve Stone. With his hands shaking, Wood tried his best to explain what he had just done. At that moment, the pain of 1984 and 1989 was gone. I was focused on this moment - this day. Kerry had sucked me back in.
Well, as any cubs fan can tell you, it's been a roller coaster ride since 1998. There have been some great moments and a lot of painful ones, but I stay committed to the team I grew up with. I'm not sure I would try and persuade anyone I truly care about to be a Cubs fan, but I am going to stick it out.
Today Kerry Wood signed a 1 year deal with the Cubs for 1.5 million. By all accounts this is significantly less than he could have gotten from other teams including the White Sox. What I like about it is that it frees up Andrew Cashner for a starting role in 2011. A good bullpen starts with a dominating starting rotation, and a dominating rotation starts with young arms. I'm looking forward to seeing Cashner in the starting rotation, and I'm excited about Woody setting up Marmol.
The Cubs are Kerry Wood, Ryne Sandburg, Mark Grace, Andre Dawson, Lee Smith, Ernie Banks, Santo, Williams, Jenkins, Maddux, Dunston, Moreland, Ramirez. Cubs fans reminisce about players, broadcasters and sunny days in the most beautiful park in baseball. But what about the teams? It's hard to look back fondly on teams that ultimately disappoint and leave deep wounds. 69, 84, 89, 98, 03, 04, 07, 08 all have one thing in common - heartbreak. My message to Tom Rickett's, (as if he's reading this) build a team to remember!
Sure, sports is entertainment, but after investing time and money into any ball club, losing hurts. I dare any fan of their favorite team to say otherwise, and if they do, well, are they really fans? I suspect they spend most of their time playing Dungeons and Dragons and perusing Harry Potter websites.
Thanks for reading my first blog. It's 12:26 A.M., so technically Kerry Wood was signed yesterday. Welcome back Kid K!
It's hard not to love Kid K, it seems he's a cub through and through and I think he'll be a good mentor for the younger guys. Thanks for bringing me back to the days when the Cubs where going to have the best rotation in baseball for a long long time. Like most things cubs, it didn’t work out, but it was fun while it lasted.
ReplyDelete84 and 89 were seasons to remember because we never got to the postseason. After the first decade of this century, and getting to the p-offs several times, anything short of the world series is a waste of days in October.
ReplyDeleteMike, I had a really similar experience to you with Kerry Wood. I didn't really watch any of the 1997 season. I just randomly decided to watch the game that day and was a little disappointed to see some guy I've never heard of before was starting. I was lucky enough to see the whole game. By the end of the game, I was so psyched by every pitch he threw and was so pumped by the last strikeout. Truly as awesome experience as a fan.
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