Kerry! (Wood!) Kerry! (Wood!) Where do you go when your left fielder sucks?
So yeah, after watching the Cubs all afternoon yesterday and seeing them build up a 3-1 lead and look like they were going to take the series from the Brewers, everything came crashing down. Wood plunked the first batter in the inning, giving ominous tones of the opening day debacle he worked himself into. "All will be fine," I told myself, especially after Wood got the next batter - Gabe Kapler - to swing idiotically and pop a ball to left field. Now, Sr. Gabe is strong and all, and the ball sailed toward the fence - but COME ON, this was a fly ball, maybe 0.7% more difficult than your everyday can of corn. And who's back in LF for the Schlubs but Mr. Bunny Hop himself, Alfonso Soriano, fresh off the DL from said raising-hare activities. Misses it completely, and now it's 23 0 outs instead of 1 1 out. Kendall then completely dinks a single up the middle and I couldn't watch further; looked at my handy Brookstone score updater (Thanks iPJ) when I got home later and saw that sure enough, Mil 4 Cubs 3.
We're 10 years removed from one of the most memorable days in Cubs fan history, when a decidedly more youthful Wood K'ed 20 Astros including Jeff "Thanks... thanks for everything" Bagwell. That day was crazy - I remember watching it on WGN and talking to my dad right after the last pitch (who, on a complete side note, thinks that Kerry has a brother who plays golf). (:)). There was also the ridiculous 2003 series where Wood was pitching game seven of the NLCS and after breaking everyone's hearts early in the game, breathed life back into Wrigley (albeit short-livedly) by slamming a HR. Wood has a special place in Cubs lore and in your average northsider's heart. Sure, there's a lifetime's worth of "shoulda-coulda" with him, but he's been a lifetime Cub, and the people love him. So it just stinks to have him struggle, but it's 17 million times worse when a total scrub fielder like Soriano directly contributes to those struggles.
So thanks a lot, Mr. 130 million dollars of negative range factor in LF and below league average OBP. You ruined a great game and a great start by another popular Cubbie, Mr. Crazy Z. Did I mention you also went 0-4? Awesome. A wiser blogger might point out that Piniella certainly could have considered some kind of defensive replacement and not left Kerry susceptible to your moronic whims. But I prefer to direct anonymous negative energy in your direction that you will never hear nor care about! Take that!
(And this is clearly a thinly veiled excuse to post this subject title. I can't believe I never noticed that before. Me dumb).
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