MESA, Ariz. -- Ed Lynch stared at the radar gun. Then he pinched himself.
It was a wonder the Chicago Cubs' general manager didn't make the sign of the cross. After all, Kerry Wood was throwing 97 again.
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Fun stuff
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Dept. of boo-boos
Alex Fernandez, the Marlins' tentative Opening Day starter, has been quarantined for a mumps-like virus. Ditto pitchers Dan Miceli and Armando Almanza and outfielder Brant Brown. Pitcher Antonio Alfonseca, he of the five-fingered fastball, has been identified as the carrier.
Old habits
Milwaukee commited eight errors in an 18-14 loss to San Francisco last Thursday. The Brewers lead the majors with 35 spring errors. Third baseman Jose Hernandez blames the pitchers. "When you get behind early like we have, you get kind of flat-footed," Hernandez said. "Then a grounder comes at you and you make an error."
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This was one day, albeit a gorgeously sunny day under the Arizona sun. This was one inning, albeit a stunningly efficient inning. It was the best thing to happen to the Cubs since that sickening day last March when Wood blew out his elbow.
"Kerry thinks he was nervous," Lynch said. "He should have been sitting with me."
Wood's one scoreless inning against the White Sox on Saturday was the start and finish of his participation in the Cubs' Cactus League schedule. He will remain behind when the club's charter flight departs on Friday for Tokyo, where the Cubs and Mets open the 2000 season.
Wood could pitch two more times in spring training, but if he does it will be in minor-league camp games. He will almost certainly open the season in the informal atmosphere of extended spring training or with a rehab assignment at Class A Daytona.
There is no official timetable for the 1998 Rookie of the Year to rejoin his Cubs teammates. Wood could be back in the rotation for a potentially blissful stretch in which the Cubs play 19 of 22 at Wrigley Field between April 28 and May 21. He could be sidelined until summer.
The reality is that if Wood can regain a semblance of his former dominance it will not matter if it happens in September. That alone would make this a successful season on Chicago's North Side.
"We're going to try to keep our plans very short term," Lynch said. "We will try to get through today, then tomorrow. Kerry will tell us loud and clear when he's ready, not with his voice but with his stuff."
|  | | Cubs right-hander Kerry Wood, coming back from reconstructive elbow surgery, throws a pitch against the White Sox. |
Wood felt great after leaving Saturday's game to a standing ovation at Hohokam Park. His arm bounced back fine on Sunday. There is no reason he shouldn't make a full recovery from the injury that had always been career-ending before Dr. Frank Jobe perfected the procedure known as Tommy John surgery.
"I plan on coming back with the same stuff," Wood said. "I plan on being the same pitcher as before. I feel I have the same velocity as before the surgery. I've been throwing some curveballs (in workouts), and my changeup is better than before. Yep, I'm planning on being the same pitcher."
Toronto Blue Jays' closer Billy Koch, who had Tommy John surgery in 1997, hit 101 mph on a radar gun last year. He feels that the rebuilt ligament in his elbow is tighter than the original one, allowing him to throw harder than ever. Others have experienced the same sensation.
"Darren Dreifort had the same surgery, and he came back throwing better," said White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who played with Dreifort with the Dodgerts. "It wouldn't surprise me if (Wood) came back throwing better than before."
Konerko was in the Dodgers' lineup for Wood's Wrigley Field debut on April 18, 1998. On Saturday he swung through a Wood changeup before flying out on a fastball.
"He looked healthy," Konerko said. "He wasn't holding it back. He wasn't guiding the ball."
Konerko was surprised to hear that Wood was clocked at 97 on the Cubs' gun. He had guessed he was in the low 90s, not the high 90s. But the most impressive thing about Wood, said Konerko, has always been his sharp curveball.
"That's his pitch," he said. "When a pitch starts at your head, you really want to back off it."
Wood used four pitches in his 13-6 season in '98. In addition to a fastball that flirted with 100 mph, he threw a slider with a huge break, a classic over-the-top curveball and an occasional changeup.
Some believe it was the slider that led to the injury. There is debate whether it will return to his arsenal. He has been throwing curves only for about two weeks and was under orders not to throw any on Saturday. It shouldn't be long until he adds them into the mix, however.
Wood returned to the mound only 345 days after surgery. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris, who is proceeding more slowly in his own Tommy John rehab, wonders if Wood is rushing back too soon.
Setbacks are not uncommon in any rehab programs, but Lynch will be an easy target if Wood does not make a full recovery. Lynch is following the schedule set by James Andrews, who performed the surgery, and overseen by team doctor Michael Schafer. "The long-term interests of Kerry Wood are very much the same as the long-term interests of the ballclub," Lynch said.
Breathe, Ed, breathe.
Spotlight: Todd Van Poppel
Wood wasn't the only Texas bonus baby shutting down the White Sox last week. Todd Van Poppel, who 10 years ago was billed as the next Nolan Ryan, worked three scoreless innings for the Cubs in Tucson on Thursday.
Long-time White Sox coach Joe Nossek said he had never seen Van Poppel throw better. He is with his sixth organization in the last five seasons and clearly has benefitted from some of the coaching he's had along the way. He spent all of '99 in Triple-A with Pittsburgh, going 10-6 with a 4.95 ERA and a league-leading 157 strikeouts.
"For the first time I feel like I've got four pitches," said Van Poppel, 28. "I threw really well in the second half of last season. If I just get an opportunity, I'm going to be fine."
Van Poppel is battling left-handers Andrew Lorraine and rookie Scott Downs for the chance to open the season in Wood's rotation spot. It's possible two of the three could make the team as Ismael Valdes is experiencing stiffness in his shoulder. Valdes is scheduled to start the March 29 opener against the Mets, but Don Baylor is leaning toward Jon Lieber with second-year right-hander Kyle Farnsworth working the second game in Tokyo.
Spring surprise
How hot is Padres C/1B John Roskos? "If he gets a single, it's disappointing," says San Diego GM Kevin Towers.
Roskos, a non-roster catcher signed as a minor-league free agent last winter, was hitting .706 with two homers, five doubles and five RBI through Sunday. Those numbers don't include B games, when Roskos has hit for an even higher average.
"He's like John Wayne," manager Bruce Bochy says. "I know it's just spring. But this is as hot as I've ever seen a hitter. It's not just the results. It's the way the ball is jumping off his bat."
Roskos is a former second-round draft choice who hit .320 with 24 homers and 90 RBI last year at Triple-A Calgary for the Marlins. He came up as a catcher, but he has also played first base due to his suspect defensive skills behind the plate. The Padres would like to trade Carlos Hernandez, who has two years left on his contract, but otherwise have a logjam at catcher with Ben Davis, Wiki Gonzalez and Roskos.
Killing time
Prospective Royals owner David Glass is a baseball fan who is willing to risk losing some money. "I've talked to my family a lot about investing and what you get in return," Glass said. "But hey, I'm 64. I'm a lousy golfer and this is my one hobby. If it's not a great investment, if there's not a return, well, I'm allowed to indulge myself."
Careless whispers
The A's are thrilled by the center-field production they have gotten from Terrence Long, who they got from the Mets in last year's Kenny Rogers trade, and from former All-Big 10 defensive back Bo Porter, who they took in the Rule 5 draft from the Cubs. ... This could be a bad year to have a high draft pick. None of the players who are rated as the best amateur prospects have separated themselves from the first-round pack. That includes Cal third baseman Xavier Nady, who some scouts say plays third like Pat Burrell. That's not a compliment. ... Danys Baez, who the Indians landed with a $14.5 million contract, was a member of Cuba's national team at the behest of Fidel Castro, not the coaches. Baez will start in the low minors. His signing puzzles executives from other teams. ... The hardest thrower in Cuba is Maels Rodriguez, a kid who consistently throws 101. The joke is that the only way he plays in an international tournament is if he's under constant armed guard. ... Some declared Taiwanese teenage pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao as the Rockies top prospect after his American debut last Wednesday. Tsao, who received $2.2 million to sign, was clocked at 95 mph and showed poise beyond his years. "His fastball was electric," manager Buddy Bell said.
Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a website at www.chicagotribune.com. | |
ALSO SEE
ESPN.com's spring training 2000 coverage
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Kerry Wood was pleased with his performance Saturday.
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