rockin500
03-05-2003, 11:48 PM
MESA, Ariz. -- You'll have to forgive Kerry Wood if he's a little distracted these days. He had to decide where to put the big screen TV.
There's also the matter of the location of the powder room. And the bar. Can't forget the bar.
By day, Wood pitches for the Chicago Cubs. On his down time this spring, he's talking to contractors who are remodeling the new house he and wife Sarah purchased in the Phoenix area a few weeks ago.
The home became more affordable after Wood signed a one-year, $6.1 million deal with the Cubs in January. The two sides have talked about a long-term deal. Wood's in no rush.
The 25-year-old pitcher struggled a little against Texas on Wednesday. He gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings, striking out two but also hitting a RBI double. His first outing on Feb. 28 was delayed a day because of a cold, which seems to be an annual rite of spring for him. One year, he was so sick, he had to be hospitalized.
Not to worry. Wood is healthy, firing fastballs and ready to take on the role of the Cubs' ace even if he doesn't believe in such titles.
Last season was significant for the right-hander. He topped 200 innings for the first time in his young pro baseball life and made a career-high 33 starts. His record wasn't what he wanted - 12-11 with a 3.66 ERA - but staying healthy completely eliminated any lingering worries he might have had regarding his elbow. Wood was the 1998 Rookie of the Year but followed that season with reconstructive surgery on his elbow in April 1999.
There's no reason to talk about it anymore. The pitcher known as "Kid K" finished third in the National League with 217 strikeouts in 2002. He also totaled 200 in 2001 and is the first Cub to post back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons since Fergie Jenkins did so from 1967-1971.
Jenkins is back as pitching coach emeritus by invitation of Cubs manager Dusty Baker and will talk to the staff about the nuances of Wrigley Field.
"The things he did in that ballpark haven't been done since," Wood said of Jenkins, a Hall of Famer. "His approach to any part of the game, he's here to answer. I think we're all looking forward to talking to him."
Wood seems to be on the right track by himself. His goals for 2003?
"They're the same," he said. "I don't set number goals for myself or strikeout goals or ERA goals or anything like that. My goals will be the same every year, which is to stay healthy and make 34, 35 starts. If I go out and make my starts and stay healthy, the numbers will take care of themselves.
"I don't want to think about how many runs I've given up or how many I've got to stop the next three innings for my ERA to be a certain number," he said. "That's not the way I do it. I go out there and do my job. If I stay healthy, we'll look at the numbers at the end of the year."
The Cubs pitching staff should boast good numbers by season's end. The projected starting rotation of Wood, Matt Clement, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano and lefty Shawn Estes has the potential to dominate.
"When teams come in to play us or we play them, they know they have a tough three days ahead of them," Wood said.
The Cubs starters should get better backup this season following general manager Jim Hendry's efforts to revamp the bullpen. New additions include Mike Remlinger, Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie.
Last season, Wood had seven no-decisions in which the Cubs were leading at the time he was removed from the game. That's the second highest total in the Major Leagues behind the eight blown saves for Oakland's Tim Hudson.
"We all know that we have a pretty good thing going here with the pitchers, from the closers to the starters and everything in between," Wood said. "The problem we're having now is we have a certain amount of guys for a certain amount of spots. Everybody's got talent and you hate to turn away talent, but that's the situation we're going to be in this spring. We've got so many guys with the capability of being there."
Last season, Jon Lieber was the Cubs' Opening Day starter. Lieber is gone, and Wood will likely fill that role as the No. 1 guy. He just shrugs at the mention of that kind of status.
"I don't look at me as having a role," he said. "My whole theory on the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 thing is that by Week 3, you're all mixed up anyways. To me, we have several No. 1's on this staff. It could be any one of the five guys. We're in a good situation. We've got great starting pitching, we've got a great bullpen. That should be a strength of the team."
Speaking of strengths, Wood seems to be much more mature this spring. Maybe it's his wife's influence -- they got married last November. He could get pretty animated in games if things didn't go his way. Maybe it's simply growing up?
"I haven't had to deal with umpires and stuff this spring, that's why," Wood said, laughing, when told he appeared more mature. "There's a time and place for that stuff. It's going to happen over the course of a 162-game season. Guys are going to get frustrated -- myself, obviously, included.
"It's just as simple as how is that going to make it any better -- throwing a fit and throwing stuff and yelling," he said. "It makes you feel better at the time, but then you see yourself on TV looking like a (fool). Last year was a pretty frustrating year for everybody involved. Hopefully, there won't be much screaming and yelling going on and a lot of cheering and laughing."
So is he more grown up?
"When you see yourself on TV screaming and yelling -- I'm 25 years old, I'm not 4," he said. "I'm competitive when I'm out there. I take it serious. You're not going to see me yelling on days I'm not pitching. It comes with the territory I guess."
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030305&content_id=206225&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp
There's also the matter of the location of the powder room. And the bar. Can't forget the bar.
By day, Wood pitches for the Chicago Cubs. On his down time this spring, he's talking to contractors who are remodeling the new house he and wife Sarah purchased in the Phoenix area a few weeks ago.
The home became more affordable after Wood signed a one-year, $6.1 million deal with the Cubs in January. The two sides have talked about a long-term deal. Wood's in no rush.
The 25-year-old pitcher struggled a little against Texas on Wednesday. He gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings, striking out two but also hitting a RBI double. His first outing on Feb. 28 was delayed a day because of a cold, which seems to be an annual rite of spring for him. One year, he was so sick, he had to be hospitalized.
Not to worry. Wood is healthy, firing fastballs and ready to take on the role of the Cubs' ace even if he doesn't believe in such titles.
Last season was significant for the right-hander. He topped 200 innings for the first time in his young pro baseball life and made a career-high 33 starts. His record wasn't what he wanted - 12-11 with a 3.66 ERA - but staying healthy completely eliminated any lingering worries he might have had regarding his elbow. Wood was the 1998 Rookie of the Year but followed that season with reconstructive surgery on his elbow in April 1999.
There's no reason to talk about it anymore. The pitcher known as "Kid K" finished third in the National League with 217 strikeouts in 2002. He also totaled 200 in 2001 and is the first Cub to post back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons since Fergie Jenkins did so from 1967-1971.
Jenkins is back as pitching coach emeritus by invitation of Cubs manager Dusty Baker and will talk to the staff about the nuances of Wrigley Field.
"The things he did in that ballpark haven't been done since," Wood said of Jenkins, a Hall of Famer. "His approach to any part of the game, he's here to answer. I think we're all looking forward to talking to him."
Wood seems to be on the right track by himself. His goals for 2003?
"They're the same," he said. "I don't set number goals for myself or strikeout goals or ERA goals or anything like that. My goals will be the same every year, which is to stay healthy and make 34, 35 starts. If I go out and make my starts and stay healthy, the numbers will take care of themselves.
"I don't want to think about how many runs I've given up or how many I've got to stop the next three innings for my ERA to be a certain number," he said. "That's not the way I do it. I go out there and do my job. If I stay healthy, we'll look at the numbers at the end of the year."
The Cubs pitching staff should boast good numbers by season's end. The projected starting rotation of Wood, Matt Clement, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano and lefty Shawn Estes has the potential to dominate.
"When teams come in to play us or we play them, they know they have a tough three days ahead of them," Wood said.
The Cubs starters should get better backup this season following general manager Jim Hendry's efforts to revamp the bullpen. New additions include Mike Remlinger, Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie.
Last season, Wood had seven no-decisions in which the Cubs were leading at the time he was removed from the game. That's the second highest total in the Major Leagues behind the eight blown saves for Oakland's Tim Hudson.
"We all know that we have a pretty good thing going here with the pitchers, from the closers to the starters and everything in between," Wood said. "The problem we're having now is we have a certain amount of guys for a certain amount of spots. Everybody's got talent and you hate to turn away talent, but that's the situation we're going to be in this spring. We've got so many guys with the capability of being there."
Last season, Jon Lieber was the Cubs' Opening Day starter. Lieber is gone, and Wood will likely fill that role as the No. 1 guy. He just shrugs at the mention of that kind of status.
"I don't look at me as having a role," he said. "My whole theory on the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 thing is that by Week 3, you're all mixed up anyways. To me, we have several No. 1's on this staff. It could be any one of the five guys. We're in a good situation. We've got great starting pitching, we've got a great bullpen. That should be a strength of the team."
Speaking of strengths, Wood seems to be much more mature this spring. Maybe it's his wife's influence -- they got married last November. He could get pretty animated in games if things didn't go his way. Maybe it's simply growing up?
"I haven't had to deal with umpires and stuff this spring, that's why," Wood said, laughing, when told he appeared more mature. "There's a time and place for that stuff. It's going to happen over the course of a 162-game season. Guys are going to get frustrated -- myself, obviously, included.
"It's just as simple as how is that going to make it any better -- throwing a fit and throwing stuff and yelling," he said. "It makes you feel better at the time, but then you see yourself on TV looking like a (fool). Last year was a pretty frustrating year for everybody involved. Hopefully, there won't be much screaming and yelling going on and a lot of cheering and laughing."
So is he more grown up?
"When you see yourself on TV screaming and yelling -- I'm 25 years old, I'm not 4," he said. "I'm competitive when I'm out there. I take it serious. You're not going to see me yelling on days I'm not pitching. It comes with the territory I guess."
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030305&content_id=206225&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp