Kerry Wood

Is there one that stands out to you that was like the most fun and just like a great group of guys that was just, that stands out?

Yeah, I think that first locker room that I was in in 2005 with the Cubs, with all those guys, Michael Barrett, Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano, moving into the next couple of years.

One of the things that I was just so surprised, that team, we had so much talent.

Even looking back on it now, I'm still confused as to how we didn't win more ballgames.

Um, Chief, you're up.

I, I feel like this is very chalky, but the Kerry Wood 20 K's in '98, and that's another one where you're saying, like, watching the people on the street, Sammy Sosa.

Watching him pitch that game and the highlights of that, it was wiffle ball.

Like, the ball just moved.

It was the most electric pitching performance I think I've still seen to this day.

Yeah.

And I almost kinda feel like Kerry Wood didn't know where it was going all the time either that day, but it w- though he had so much movement.

First pitch, hit the umpire in the mask.

And, you know, Theo's the one that brought me here.

And so all of a sudden Dempster and Kerry Wood and – Fergie and I, we're standing behind young pitchers and just encouraging them.

You know, what are we doing? But Drysdale told me, he said, hey, young man, he said, if you put that much fear in a man's heart, he said, you own him.

And I'm like, okay, what are you talking about? You want me to hit everybody? He goes, no, you need to learn to pitch inside.

Because we did everything we could in 84 and 89, and we just came up short for whatever reason it might be.

I went up to John Lester.

Actually, before that, Theo had Kerry Wood, Ryan Dempster, and me send a video to John Lester.

And my point was, hey, I wasn't able to get it done here.

It's crazy.

I've mentioned this a few times, and I know that you don't have a lot of memories of these years, but the years when you saw Kerry Wood and Mark Pryor both injured and you just thought to yourself, man, if only those two guys were healthy, how good this team would be.

And you think about this season in 2026.

You wish you only had a Kerry Woodmark prior problem.

Like that's how bad 2026 has been for injuries from starters to relievers.

Um, luckily the position players have been overall relatively healthy.

man I mean dude like what if what if Tim Lincecum was healthy the entire time like all of these thoughts just come to mind man what if Mark Pryor kept going like what if Jose Ramirez didn't punch Tim

Anderson what is Tim Anderson doing right now I also think about like you said Pryor what about Kerry Wood too

Yeah, it's all about the ebbs and flows of baseball, man.

And I think that that Acuna perfectly embodies that where we just have to appreciate when he's on the field, because when he's on the field, he's one of the best pure talent wise to ever do this.

Nice.

I saw Kerry Wood at the behind-the-back throw.

Kerry Wood had the trick

pitch, which we've never seen anybody really do that.

How long did

And so I think this is kind of a, a touchy situation 'cause clearly the fan base I think has, has, uh, is now siding with the organization and Ben Johnson.

But it's also a touchy situation in that, you know, I can point to, I can remember the city going at Derrick Rose, "Get, get back out there," right? Uh, Mark Pryor, Kerry Wood, uh, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brothers.

I never thought...

I, I, stuff like that I always thou- thought was so disrespectful.