This Date in....

In eight days, our daughter graduates Valparaiso University with a master’s degree in sports’ administration.  Eighteen years ago today, I picked her up from kindergarten at St. Bernardine’s.

It was a Wednesday, misty, foggy and cold, perfect softball weather although at the time I had no idea what that meant.  As is my habit, I got into the car and put the radio on to the ballgame.  The Cubs had a rookie pitching by the name of Kerry Wood, a real hotshot, and that day he was by tying a major-league record for strikeouts.  Twenty Astros went down on strikes against the 21-year old right hander.  It took Wood 122 pitches to get those strikeouts.

Wood threw way too many pitches his rookie year, including 133 in a 9-2 win over the Reds.  That was his last start of the season.  It also happened to be August 26^th.  Wood missed the next season with Tommy John surgery and was never the same.

The hotshot could also be a hothead, much in the way of the White Sox Chris Sale.  But Wood did mellow over the course of 14 seasons (he was that good, even after multiples injuries), as I hope Sale does.  Sale broke the franchise strikeout record last year, with 274 punch-outs.  This season, he says he wants fewer strikeouts with quicker outs.  That should save wear and tear on his arm.

Too bad Kerry Wood learned the importance of that lesson the hard way.  At the age of 38, he could still be pitching, from kindergarten to graduate school, if you will.