2008 Woodie Awards
Closed for the season
After a year marred by injuries, Cubs recollect and look ahead to 2007
Andrew Smothers
Issue date: 10/2/06 Section: Sports
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This was going to be the year. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood would finally be healthy and live up to their unmatched potential. Carlos Zambrano would learn to pitch with control and harness his emotion. Greg Maddux would lead his team to the playoffs, and Derrek Lee would once again vie for the Triple Crown.
Well, the playoffs begin this week and Maddux is the only one who lived up to the hype. That is, of course, after trading his Cubbie blue for the Dodger hue, and leading Los Angeles into October.
Yet again this year, Prior and Wood played 'Operation' more than baseball, leading the Cubs to just two combined wins and shattering the already tattered hopes of the duo ever again pitching the Cubs into the playoffs.
Zambrano did show some brilliance on the mound, being among league leaders in strikeouts, wins and opponent batting average, but he also ran away league high in walks and bats broken over the thigh by a pitcher.
But take Lee's early season wrist injury, and subsequent ineffectiveness, and add in the need to start rookie pitchers in nearly half of the games this season, and you have what did the Cubs in.
When Lee broke his wrist after colliding with Rafael Furcal of the Dodgers on April 20, the team knew that he would miss much of the season, but no one stepped up to carry the team.
Aramis Ramirez finally started hitting to his capability in the second half of the season, but that came well after the team was out of contention. Slow starts by Ramirez, Juan Pierre, and Jacque Jones put the team 13.5 games back in the division by the end of May, and led to speculation over manager Dusty Baker's job all season long.
Due to Wood and Prior's health, Maddux's departure, and Glendon Rusch and Jerome Williams' ineptness, the Cubs were forced to trot out eight different rookie pitchers during the season, starting a total of 78 games.
Rich Hill and Sean Marshall were the only ones to show that they may be ready for a big league rotation, while the others were inconsistent at best.
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Well, the playoffs begin this week and Maddux is the only one who lived up to the hype. That is, of course, after trading his Cubbie blue for the Dodger hue, and leading Los Angeles into October.
Yet again this year, Prior and Wood played 'Operation' more than baseball, leading the Cubs to just two combined wins and shattering the already tattered hopes of the duo ever again pitching the Cubs into the playoffs.
Zambrano did show some brilliance on the mound, being among league leaders in strikeouts, wins and opponent batting average, but he also ran away league high in walks and bats broken over the thigh by a pitcher.
But take Lee's early season wrist injury, and subsequent ineffectiveness, and add in the need to start rookie pitchers in nearly half of the games this season, and you have what did the Cubs in.
When Lee broke his wrist after colliding with Rafael Furcal of the Dodgers on April 20, the team knew that he would miss much of the season, but no one stepped up to carry the team.
Aramis Ramirez finally started hitting to his capability in the second half of the season, but that came well after the team was out of contention. Slow starts by Ramirez, Juan Pierre, and Jacque Jones put the team 13.5 games back in the division by the end of May, and led to speculation over manager Dusty Baker's job all season long.
Due to Wood and Prior's health, Maddux's departure, and Glendon Rusch and Jerome Williams' ineptness, the Cubs were forced to trot out eight different rookie pitchers during the season, starting a total of 78 games.
Rich Hill and Sean Marshall were the only ones to show that they may be ready for a big league rotation, while the others were inconsistent at best.
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