Cubs 101 - Pt. 55 - Kerry Wood: Big Game Pitcher to Bust in Two Short Years

There probably isn't a pitcher who's done less to be loved as much as Kerry Wood. He was the face of the organization for almost a decade, although he never won more than 14 games in a season. He was compared favorably to legendary strikeout king Nolan Ryan, although he never even came close to displaying the kind of durability necessary to achieve Hall of Fame numbers. He was labeled an ace despite the many days where he just didn't have the ability to find the plate, and yet despite all of his flaws he was somebody that we all probably thought would retire playing for the same team he started out with. He was also, for me, the first Cubs player I would actually lose sleep over. After his amazing rookie season -- and no matter how you cut it, the way he pitched as a 21-year-old was astonishing, if not abbreviated -- Wood would miss the entire '99 campaign while recovering from reconstructive surgery on his elbow. His return in 2000 was highly anticipated, and it wo...