Results tagged ‘ Kerry Wood ’
2/22 Cubs 1st bunt tourney starts Thursday
The bracket is up and there’s been plenty of trash talking. It’s time for the Cubs’ first annual match play bunting tournament to begin.
First round action with the pitchers will get underway Thursday at Fitch Park on a half field, marked with a grid that gives points from 10 to 40, depending on the bunt’s location. There are 64 entries, including Cubs manager Dale Sveum and strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss.
“We had to get it to 64 — we had 63 guys in camp, so I said, ‘Just throw myself in,’” Sveum said Wednesday. “Losing [Chris] Carpenter yesterday to the Red Sox, we put ‘Bussy’ in his spot.”
Carpenter was dealt to the Red Sox as part of the compensation package for Cubs president Theo Epstein, so the right-hander loses his chance at the prize. Sveum will face pitcher Kerry Wood, who says he took four or five swings last year.
“It’s a layup,” Wood said. “I should get right through that one, no problem.”
What Wood may not know is Sveum and Buss have been practicing on the half field.
Sveum started the tourney when he managed in the Minor Leagues with the Pirates.
“I always remembered it and always wanted to do something like that if I took over as manager,” Sveum said. “I thought it would be fun for the team and break things up a little bit and have a little fun with it. It’ll be fun as we go along, especially when we get to the sweet 16.”
Sveum had nothing to do with the seedings.
“I’m a 16 [seed],” he said of the bracket, “and I’m not a 16 seed.”
Wood picked Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells as early favorites since they’ve had more at-bats as starters. There will be a bracket for pitchers and another for position players. The top pitcher and position player will then square off in the final.
“It’s a good way to keep it lively,” Wood said. “Bunting gets very monotonous and covering first and all that stuff, so it’s nice to throw us a little bone and make it a competition and get the work done at the same time.”
Speedy outfielder Tony Campana has been boasting about his bunting skills, and will face catcher Steve Clevenger in the first round. Both infielder Jeff Baker and outfielder Reed Johnson have tired of the talk. They predict Campana will be eliminated in the first round because it’s not a bunt-and-run event, just straight bunting.
“You can’t run,” Johnson said.
“I know,” Campana said. “I think I’ll be OK. Clevenger, I’m not worried about him that much. I’m not worried until the third round. I think that’s when the challenges start coming. If somebody wants to beat me, that’s good. That means I have to worry and they’re going to try really hard. <p> “I’m kind of putting a bullseye on my back by talking so much trash,” Campana said. “If everybody’s talking about me, they know I’m dangerous.”
Pitcher Chris Rusin was a little nervous. His first-round opponent is Buss. He can’t lose to the strength coach.
“The pressure’s on me,” Rusin said.
– Carrie Muskat
2/21 The bullpen, backup catcher, Jackson & more
In a perfect world, Dale Sveum said he’ll have two left-handers in his bullpen but he doesn’t consider either to be the prime set-up pitcher. That’s Kerry Wood’s job.
With Sean Marshall gone via trade to the Reds, the Cubs don’t have a designated lefty set-up pitcher. Sveum didn’t sound as if he minded as long as he can call on Wood.
“There’s got to be a lot of confidence from me coming from that spot to take Kerry Wood out of the game because there’s a lefty coming up,” Sveum said Tuesday. “Those last three outs are the biggest of the game and the three outs leading up to that are even bigger. Some guys are just built differently than other people as far as those outs.”
Among the lefties in the mix are James Russell, Jeff Beliveau, Scott Maine, Trever Miller, and John Gaub. Although Russell would like to take over Marshall’s role, Sveum described him as a “matchup guy” for now.
“He’s got the ability and endurance to go two innings,” Sveum said of Russell. “It all depends on what’s going on, the score of the game, what [the opposing team has] on the bench. He’s a guy who can go two innings, no doubt about it.”
Miller is a non-roster invitee who has pitched for the Tigers, Astros, Phillies, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Rays, Cardinals and Red Sox.
“He knows how to get left-handers out and that’s a big asset to have, depending on how your bullpen unfolds,” Sveum said.
* Josh Vitters was sad to see Chris Carpenter go to the Red Sox as part of the compensation for Theo Epstein. Vitters was one of the players whom Boston was considering.
“I’m definitely glad it turned out not being me,” he said.
Said Sveum: “Unfortunately, we lost a great arm in Chris. Fortunately for him, it came from a team that wanted him really, really, really bad and I think he’ll fall into some competition over there, too, to make the team as well as he had here. As well, he gets to go to a great organization and a great city. He leaves one great place and gets to go to another one. That’s not a bad way to be traded for the first time.”
* The Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Lendy Castillo in the Rule 5 Draft and must decide by Opening Day whether to keep him on the 25-man roster. Castillo threw on the side Tuesday for the second time this spring but Sveum wants to see him in games.
“The bottom line is what’s going on in those games when he gets innings to pitch,” Sveum said. “I’ve been around plenty of people — not that he’s doing anything wrong — but some people are different pitchers when they’re on the mound than when they’re throwing in the bullpen.”
* There are six catchers in Chicago’s spring camp, including starter Geovany Soto, and the fight for the backup job appears to be a battle between Welington Castillo, Jason Jaramillo and Steve Clevenger.
“I think it’s open competition especially since the only one I’ve seen play in person is Jaramillo when he was with the Pirates,” Sveum said. “It’s great competition and they all have a lot of great attributes to bring to a team. It’ll be an interesting fight.”
Jaramillo signed a Minor League contract with the Cubs on Jan. 18 after spending the last three seasons with the Pirates.
“I talked to a few teams and had the option to pick where I was going,” Jaramillo said Tuesday. “Getting the chance to talk to Theo [Epstein] and Dale, I liked the opportunity here. I understand there’s no guarantees. It’s not something I’m not accustomed to. I battled my way for three years in Pittsburgh. The competition is nothing new to me. I’m happy to be here, they said it’s a good opporutnity. Everything I’ve seen so far — the staff, the players — it’s really exciting. I’m really excited to be here.”
* Brett Jackson, the Cubs’ No. 1 pick in the 2009 Draft, is one of the early bird position players in camp. Sveum sounded just like a fan when he said he was looking forward to seeing the outfielder in games.
“I’ll give him a lot of opportunites to play in camp and see what this young man is capable of doing against quality big league pitching,” Jackson said. “I’ll try to put him in against quality big league pitchers to see how he reacts. To watch him the other day in person for the first time, to see how the ball comes off his bat and just the athleticism, that guy bounces around with athleticism. He’s one of those guys you look forward to seeing.”
* There are motivational messages on the players’ daily schedule, such as “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” That’s the work of bench coach Jamie Quirk, who relies on a book for the daily selection.
– Carrie Muskat
1/26 Roster move
1/16 Woody’s Winter Warm-up huge success
Kerry Wood raised more than $85,000 at the Wood Family Foundation’s first “Woody’s Winter Warm-Up” on Friday, which included Theo Epstein playing guitar. The event was held at Harry Caray’s tavern on Navy Pier and was perfectly timed as Wood re-signed with the team earlier in the day at the Cubs Convention. Wood recruited guest bartenders throughout the evening, and they suited up in a t-shirt and bar apron and competed for tips while serving drinks and food to guests.
Participants included Ryan Dempster, Tony Campana, Travis Wood, Chris Volstad, Ian Stewart, Matt Garza, Randy Wells, Marlon Byrd, Rick Sutcliffe, Jon Lieber, Gary Matthews and new manager Dale Sveum. Even Bears players Otis Wilson, Richard Dent and Israel Idonije did some mixing behind the bar. Others in attendance included Cubs owners, Todd and Tom Ricketts, Epstein, and Jeff Samardzija, Darwin Barney, James Russell, Josh Vitters, and David DeJesus.
Guests were not only entertained by the special acoustic performance by the event’s headline band, Plain White T’s, but unexpectedly by Cubs pitcher Randy Wells, who took to the stage to perform “Free Fallin” alongside the Plain White T’s. Epstein was next up and played “Rockin’ In A Free World” on guitar with the band.
The bidding became interesting when Dempster asked Wood to include a 30-minute pitching session with himself. When Wood agreed, the auction shot up and sold at $7,000. Another bidder shouted their interest in buying the exact same package for $7,000 if offered, and it was.
Wood and his wife, Sarah, thanked everyone for coming and spoke about the Wood Family Foundation and its mission. Wood said he was excited about the upcoming season, saying “there is no place like Chicago – it’s home.”
– Carrie Muskat
1/13 Wood signs one-year, $3 million deal to stay
Kerry Wood is staying put. In an announcement perfectly timed to kick off the Cubs Convention on Friday, Wood and the team reached agreement on a one-year, $3 million deal with a club option for 2013.
“Never a doubt,” Wood joked.
Actually, there was. Wood said he considered offers from other teams and was waiting for a phone call to schedule a physical.
“It all worked out in the end and I’m back where I belong in Chicago,” Wood said.
The announcement was made at the opening ceremonies of the 27th annual Cubs Convention at the Hilton Chicago. The 2012 team was introduced alphabetically, and WGN Radio’s Pat Hughes called Randy Wells’ name, then said he had just received some news. The fans in the packed Grand Ballroom started chanting, “Kerry, Kerry” in anticipation, and they were right as Wood appeared.
“The fans are great, they’ve always been great to me,” Wood said. “Tonight was obviously a little special. My family was here, my kids were jumping up and down. It was pretty cool. I got goosebumps. It was very exciting.”
Wood, 34, had made it clear he wanted to stay with the Cubs, who drafted him in 1995. He gave the team a hometown discount in 2011, signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal to return. That was motivated by how he felt after attending Hall of Fame third baseman Ron Santo’s funeral in December 2010. On Friday, he was able to celebrate the new deal at a fundraiser for his Wood Family Foundation.
“It was kind of last minute,” Wood said of his new deal. “We got it worked out. I think both sides kind of knew we would. Two months of waiting took probably 15 minutes to get it done, and that’s how it goes sometimes. Obviously, I’m super excited to be back and playing in Chicago.”
Last September, Wood said he would retire if he didn’t re-sign with the Cubs and meant it. But he also wanted to keep playing.
“I wasn’t ready to retire,” Wood said. “I didn’t want to be forced into that. I still love the game and think I have plenty left. [Retiring] is what I said, but people are allowed to change their minds.”
– Carrie Muskat
1/12 Wood, Cubs still talking
Kerry Wood has said he’d like to reach a decision by Friday. Can he and the Cubs work it out?
“Players have the right to make choices in their careers,” Epstein said Thursday at Wrigley Field where he spoke to students from Agassiz Elementary School. “If they sign somewhere else, it doesn’t mean they’re disloyal or anything else. There are a lot of factors that go into it with someone’s career and livelihood. But teams have to make choices, too, about what’s best for the organization as a whole over the long haul.
“When you have a player the team wants and a situation the player wants [to return], you need to sit down and really try to work it out,” Epstein said. “A lot of times it does work out, sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, you move on.
“There are always other opportunities, always other teams for the player,” he said. “In this case, I know it’s important to the fans, and for baseball reasons, we’d like to work this out. He can be a real contributor to our bullpen this year.”
Wood is hosting a fundraiser at Harry Caray’s on Navy Pier Friday night, scheduled to begin after the opening ceremonies at the Cubs Convention.
– Carrie Muskat
1/11 Wood close to deal?
FOX Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi tweeted Wednesday that the Cubs were close to a one-year deal with Kerry Wood, which could include a club option for 2013.
During a stop on the Cubs Caravan on Wednesday, Cubs president Theo Epstein said he was hopeful the two sides could come to an agreement.
“If we can’t figure this out, something’s wrong,” Epstein said.
Wood, 34, posted a 3.35 ERA in 51 innings for the Cubs last season. He did miss time because of a blister and ended his season in September because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. The right-hander gave the Cubs a hometown discount in 2011, signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal to come back. He has said he wants to stay in Chicago, and last year, started the Wood Family Foundation, which is hosting a fundraiser Friday prior to the Cubs Convention.
– Carrie Muskat
1/10 Hoyer on Maholm, Wood & Samardzija
Cubs GM Jed Hoyer says free agent Paul Maholm wanted to pitch for the Cubs, partly because he wanted to stay in the NL Central. The lefty is a guy who “takes the ball, eats a lot of innings and really has kept his team in games his whole career,” Hoyer said. Maholm was shutdown in August because of shoulder soreness but passed the physical on Monday and says he’ll begin throwing off the mound soon.
Are the Cubs done now as far as their rotation?
“We’re very comfortable with the names that we have,” Hoyer said. “You never know what will happen over the course of the winter, what’s going to be available to us. A huge priority was building depth and we feel we’ve done that. You can never have enough pitching; the minute you think you have enough pitching, you don’t. We’re happy with the depth we’ve built up over the course of the winter. It’s a dangerous thing to say you’re ever done.”
That said, what about reports that the Cubs are talking to the Tigers about dealing Matt Garza? Hoyer would not comment specifically on the rumors. But he did say just because they’ve added Maholm does not mean they are automatically dealing Garza.
“This Maholm contract, and the fact you can look and say we have six starters now, this deal is not a precursor to anything,” Hoyer said.
* As for negotiations with free agent Kerry Wood, Hoyer said the two sides are still talking.
“We continue to want Kerry back in Chicago and we’ve offered him a substantial raise and we certainly hope it gets done,” Hoyer said.
* With the addition of Maholm, the Cubs starting candidates now include Garza, Ryan Dempster, Maholm, Chris Volstad, Randy Wells, Casey Coleman and Travis Wood. Where does that leave Jeff Samardzija? Hoyer said the right-hander will prepare this spring as if he were going to start.
“I think that’s important not only for the possibility that he could be in the rotation but also for his development,” Hoyer said. “If you prepare as a starter in Spring Training, it helps with your command and with your secondary pitches. We do see Jeff as a guy who can start. With the depth, he may wind up being a quality bullpen arm for us but we are going to prepare him in Spring Training as a starter.”
* The Cubs do need to make a roster move to open a spot on the 40-man for Maholm. Hoyer said it’s a procedural thing, and they will announce the move later Tuesday.
– Carrie Muskat
1/10 Could Kerry Wood leave Cubs?
Kerry Wood sounds as if he is moving on. Wood appeared on WGN Radio’s Sports Night on Monday night, and said he wants to keep pitching. But he has yet to reach an agreement with the Cubs for 2012.
“Regardless of what happens, we’re still in Chicago, we’re dedicated to the city,” Wood said Monday. “Things will work out for me in the city of Chicago because we’re dedicated to the city, we’re dedicated to the community, we’re dedicated to helping children and again, we’re staying here, we’re raising our family here.
“I’m a Texas boy, but I feel like I’ve become a Chicagoan, so we’re happy to be here whether I finish here or whether I don’t, we plan on being here a long time.”
Last year, Wood unveiled the Wood Family Foundation, dedicated to helping children in the Chicago area. On Friday, he will host “Woody’s Winter Warmup” at Harry Caray’s on Navy Pier, a fund raiser for his foundation. Theo Epstein was scheduled to attend. Wood has been part of the Cubs since he signed at 18, returning last season when he agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. He understands the fans want him to stay.
“There’s always time for change and there’s always room for it so we’ll just have to wait and see,” Wood said.
Last week, Epstein said the team was negotiating with Wood’s agents about a new deal.
“Kerry Wood is exactly the type of guy we want to build a winning culture here in Chicago,” Epstein said. “I would be greatly, greatly disappointed if we’re not able to bring him back.”
The Phillies are one of the teams that has shown interest in Wood.
– Carrie Muskat
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