With today's trade for relatively unknown potential closer Kevin Gregg, Jim Hendry announced that the Cubs will not seek to re-sign our veteran free agent closer, Kerry Wood. This is truly the end of an era.

For 10 seasons, Kerry Wood was the human embodiment of the Chicago Cubs--so much promise, yet so much disappointment. He was the only Cubs player who was present for every single one of the past decade's spate of futile playoff appearances and had the type of up-and-down career that every Cubs fan can relate to.

Sure, it was annoying to watch him re-injure himself year after year after year, but hope always sprang eternal--usually in the first week of Spring Training--until he aggravated some tendon or threw out his shoulder and spent the next three months on the bench.

Nevertheless, I have a special place in my heart for Kid K. His strikeout prowess was undeniable and when he was on, you were in for a treat. The guy had four seasons where he coaxed 200+ strikeouts. And let's not forget that little 20-strikeout performance on a rainy day in May of '98. We got Wood! But then he would slip on a banana peel and land on his wrist, throwing fans into fits of scouring the market for free agent pitchers.

The best part about Wood was that his Cubs career ultimately had a fairy tale-ish ending. He beat the tremendous odds and came back last season to get 34 saves as a rather effective closer. Coming from the Mark Grace School of Baseball, it was good to see a player be so commited to his team and vice versa. Wood and the Cubs were running a three-legged race together, and though they fell frequently, they always got back up and nearly reached the finish line this season. 

I would have liked to have seen Wood as a career Cubbie, but I trust that Hendry has a plan. He always does, right?

But now for the real burning question: Where does Jake Peavy fit into this puzzle?

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