The Saddest Words...

Kerry Wood is hurt. Again. Still. I don't even know anymore.
He is, of course, the Cubs' savior. And greatest disappointment. And hope. And heartbreak.
It was breathtaking to watch Wood's arrival in 1998. He seemed to have a cannon attached to his right shoulder, and a curve that was simply unhittable. He posted 20 strikeouts against the Astros on May 6, a cold, raw day at Wrigley, and everything seemed possible. Maybe it finally was Next Year! Then he wrecked his shoulder, and didn't pitch at all in 1999.
Since then, it has been moments of brilliance like few pitchers can even dream about, alternating with crushing reports of elbows, shoulders, tendinitis and surgeries. Wood has managed 30 or more starts twice: 2002 and 2003. No coincidence, these were the Cubs' best seasons since Leon Durham missed a ground ball in the 1984 NLCS, and the Padres went to the World Series.
The Cubs have finally come to grips with the fact that they cannot count on Wood, or Mark Prior, to be significant contributors. Oh, we've hoped for a full season for the Glimmer Twins, just to see. But coming off another surgery, Kerry fell getting out of his hot tub at home before Spring Training began. He had a couple of "minor setbacks" in the words of Lou Piniella-who hasn't been there long enough to understand that when it comes to Kerry Wood every setback is MAJOR!
They decided to make him a reliever to lessen his innings. That misses the point entirely. As a reliever he will have to warm up dozens of times more than a starter would. He'd have to be available day after day, not just every fifth. That aggravates the problem. Because the heart of the matter is that pitching is what destroys Kerry Wood. He doesn't do it right. Never has. Tragically, never will.
If you want to know how to pitch get some video. Look at Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Smooth, easy, every body part working together in harmony. Need a power pitcher? Go back to Tom Seaver. The drive with the legs. The fluid motion. Nothing flying out on its own. Picture the golf swing of Tiger Woods, or Jack Nicklaus back in the day. Not John Daly. No flailing.
That's Kerry's problem. He pitches like Daly hits a golf ball. When it just happens to fall into sync, it's awesome. 350 yard drives and 20 strikeout games! But most of the time the potential for an 8 on a par 3 is just around the next dog leg. Big John just walks off the course and leaves his scorecard unsigned when he's screwed up. Kerry needs another operation or two, and a year's rehab, when he gets a little off.
Kerry Wood will turn 30 this June. And it's over. He will begin the 2007 season on the Disabled List. Another setback. Stiffness in his shoulder after a couple of relief outings. He'll probably end the season the same way. Soon, the Cubs will move beyond not counting on him to no longer waiting for him. He'll spend his 30's bouncing around with two or three other teams so bereft of Major League arms that they will take the chance, and then, eventually, he'll give up too. So sad.
May I paraphrase Whittier? "For of all sad words of mound or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"