Rizzo is hitting .353 with 14 home runs, has a .416 OBP in 150 at-bats and is getting hot again, hitting .350 in his last 10 games with seven home runs, 14 RBI, four extra-base hits and a K-BB ratio of 6-to-4. 

There is no doubt Rizzo will be joining the Cubs in the very near future. Their upcoming schedule forces the front office to consider the options.

Should they call up Anthony Rizzo now with the Padres and Red Sox looming, or ride out Alfonso Soriano's little burst of life until a more fluid situation presents itself?

While I'd love to see Rizzo in Chicago tomorrow, you know the Red Sox and Padres have a detailed dossier on Rizzo. His two former organizations know what he is capable of, and I'm sure they would love to see him do well in the majors.

But that doesn't mean they would be as kind, exploiting weaknesses they discovered long before the Cubs ever did.

It would be nice to see Rizzo get another 50 or so at-bats, which would also give the Cubs time to test Bryan LaHair in the outfield during interleague play, presumably with Alfonso Soriano at DH. David DeJesus can play center field, so the only person who would lose significant time from LaHair moving to the outfield is Tony Campana.

The Cubs would be overloaded with left-handed bats, but it's not like Rizzo is struggling against lefties, hitting .304 with four home runs. It'll be interesting to see how the Cubs approach the lefty-righty situation.

The Cubs run the risk of him struggling and then sending him back down to Triple-A, so waiting another two to three weeks would give the Cubs time to let the crowded roster work itself out.  

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I suppose on most days it is difficult to refute their assertions.  

There's a lot to be concerned with. Roger Clemens is still embroiled in the shameless defense of his alleged steroid use and subsequent perjury charge. Brett Lawrie is throwing helmets at umpires, Ozzie Guillen continues his pugilistic attack on the media, addressing reporters with a maelstrom of expletives, and the controversial Ryan Braun suspension appeal has everyone scratching their heads and wondering what the heck is going on here. 

Then Friday night, Kerry Wood trotted out to the mound at Wrigley Field, the same mound where 14 years earlier he struck out 20 Houston Astros in just his fifth major league start, and logic, order and humanity was restored. 

Thank you Kerry Wood. 

No, it wasn’t the poetic justice of the strikeout artist Wood, who has been clocked at 100 MPH in his career on several occasions, fanning the one and only batter he would face on a vintage Kerry Wood breaking ball. It wasn’t the impromptu gathering on the mound by his teammates after the swing and a miss or the stirring ovation from the raucous crowd as manager Dale Sveum motioned to the bullpen, signifying that Wood’s work for the night had been completed. No. All of that played out perfectly, like a well crafted script, but the best was yet to come. 

What made everything in the world of baseball okay again, even if it is just a transitory respite, was the poignant moment that came seconds after Wood tipped his hat to the crowd and walked off that hallowed mound for the last time. 

As Wood approached the Cubs dugout, walking deliberately through a deluge of cheers raining down all around him, his young son Justin ran onto the field and leaped into his arms. What ensued was heartfelt embrace that engendered chills up every spine and brought tears to even the most stoic observers’ eyes.

Wow. 

It is moments like these that remind us why we love sports, baseball in particular. 

Baseball is the ultimate metaphor for life. All of us struggle with the fair and foul, and more often than not, the difference between the two is as negligible and capricious as a prodigious fly that hooks to one side of the foul pole in favor of the other.

Reaching base safely, one step at a time, beckons to all who have devoted their lives to the gradual attainment of a lofty goal. 

And which one of us has not, at one moment in time, thwarted the curveballs and bad bounces that were thrown our way and experienced the exhilaration of that one perfect moment in our lives—when the confluence of forces that usually conspire against us abate and we can “touch ‘em all” as everyone else watches us in our moment of unadulterated splendor.

It is this human pageantry, the kind that unfolded at Wrigley Field on Friday night, that calls to us. It speaks to us on such a tender, sentimental level that it is hard to deny its veracity.  It is human drama at its very best. 

Thank you, Kerry Wood, for reminding  folks that professional athletes are more like us than not—and for restoring our faith that many of these professional athletes, although privileged in ways we can only imagine, are still grounded by things to which we can all relate. 

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It was June 25. And my friends and I had recently graduated high school at Southgate Anderson High School in suburban Detroit.

This was the second full season that Major League Baseball had implemented interleague play.

While I was always excited to attend a Tiger game, watching my home team play the Cubs made for an even more fun night.

Five summers before, my father took me to my first Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I watched in horror as Orlando Merced of the Pittsburgh Pirates smacked a game-winning, two-run home run off Shawn Boskie.  

While disappointed, I found solace in pictures of our drive to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, prior to our journey to Wrigley.

Back to 1998, with very little money and no ballgames to play on our schedules, we piled into my friends beat-up Chevy sedan and hit I-75 northward toward Tiger Stadium.

It was nearly first pitch by the time my friend halted his squealing chunk of metal in a decrepit parking lot, just a stone’s throw from at least a one mile walk from the ticket office.

Like madmen, we hustled to the ticket booth hoping tickets were still available for the game. While the Tigers were not doing so well at 35-45, 30,000 Tigers fans came out to the ballpark that night.

For some fans, this was perhaps one of but a few opportunities remaining to watch a game at this white palace at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. It was no secret this stadium was on its last legs, as chipping bright blue paint inside the stadium could attest.

Add insult to injury, the once-powerful offense the Tigers assembled during the mid-1990s was no more. Shortstop Alan Trammell and second baseman Lou Whittaker had recently retired, leaving a gaping hole in Detroit’s hearts.

Mickey Tettleton had taken his powerful swing to the Texas Rangers. And Cecil Fielder, who thumped home runs 50 and 51 on the final day of the 1990 season at Yankee Stadium, had been traded to the New York Yankees for Ruben Sierra and Matt Drews.  

Rob Deer, Dan Gladden and Skeeter Barnes had also handed in their badges to the Tigers front office.

Yet for all the carnage, Tony Clark and Bobby Higginson still roamed the hallowed grounds for the Tigers. These two ballplayers gave the hometown fans some hope for a positive future.

Fortunately for my friends and I, the $5 center field bleacher seat tickets we wanted were still available. With hot dogs and Cokes in hand, we made our way to our favorite part of the ballpark. We loved sitting 440 feet from home plate for two reasons. First, we could heckle opposing outfielders. Second, homers looked truly majestic as they sailed past blue steel.

To say we were excited for the ballgame against the Cubs was an understatement. My friends and I had the rare opportunity to watch one of baseball’s most electrifying young pitchers at the time take to the hill for the Cubs.

His name was Kerry Wood.

Wood was our generation’s version of Stephen Strasburg—without all the social media buzz.

This 6’4” flame-throwing Texas native burst onto the scene in 1998, when he struck out 20 Houston Astros hitters in a complete game shutout at Wrigley Field.    

Coming into the game against the Tigers, Wood was 7-3 with 118 strikeouts.

Having heard the hype about Wood, we were anxious to see for this growing legend with our own eyes.

Now, sometimes youth combined with adrenaline can equal delusion.

Although the Tigers were terrible, we were convinced our home team would crush Wood that night.

That was until we heard Wood’s first fastball hiss through the hot summer air, before thumping into catcher Tyler Houston’s glove.

My friends and I just looked at one another in amazement, as we heard the fastball from center field.

This would be the first of many times Wood would do this for the Cubs that night. He ended up striking out eight Tigers in six innings of work.

But for the record, Wood did not leave this game unscathed.

Damian Easley took him deep for a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Tigers added two more runs off Wood in the bottom of the sixth, when Geronimo Berroa doubled Bobby Higginson and Luis Gonzalez home.

Wood went on to surrender three earned runs on four hits in a no-decision for the Cubs.

The Tigers ended up winning the game 6-4 that night, thanks to a three-run homer by Tony Clark.

I must say as a baseball fan, I truly enjoyed watching Wood pitch at Tiger Stadium. After watching Wood, my friends and I thought he would easily go on to a Hall of Fame career.

This was especially true after Wood finished the 1998 season with a 13-6 record and 233 strikeouts in just 166.2 innings of work. He also won National League Rookie of the Year honors.

Sadly for Wood, injuries would plague the rest of his career, as he was never able to find his groove.

Although some consider Wood’s career 86-75 record, 1,581 strikeouts and 3.67 ERA respectable, others are convinced Wood by no means lived up to high expectations.

To this, I will let others debate this over the course of the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, I will continue to reminisce about Wood’s performance at Tiger Stadium that night.

Because frankly, it is a night that will stick with me forever.  

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It's a sad end to a pitcher who dazzled Major League Baseball after his fifth career start where he struck out 20 batters and threw a one-hitter against the Houston Astros in 1998.

It was the highlight of a young career destroyed by numerous injuries. During his 13 seasons in the MLB, Wood was on the disabled list 14 times, including missing the entire 1999 season due to Tommy John Surgery.

Wood also had problems with strained triceps, a torn rotator cuff and shoulder discomfort among several other injuries that plagued him throughout his entire career.

The only consistent element to his game was his ability to land on the DL. It was an unfortunate reality for a pitcher that most felt was the next big thing for MLB.

His inability to stay healthy landed him in the bullpen in Chicago in 2007.

In 2010, Wood left the "friendly confines" of Wrigley Field and headed for the American League spending brief stints with the Indians and the Yankees.

When Wood appeared in Wrigley Field for the first time in an opposing uniform as a member of the Indians in 2010, he was greeted to a standing ovation by the Cubs faithful who had been behind him so passionately since 1998.

It really is sad to see Wood say goodbye to baseball; not so much because he's walking away, but because he hangs his hat up with only 86 wins after such a phenomenal start to what was meant to be a long and successful career.

His career was long but far from successful.

Wood walks away from MLB as the fastest pitcher to reach 1000 strikeouts in games pitched, (134) and innings pitched (835).

Just like Yao Ming and Eric Lindros, Wood had the talent and the determination to be extremely successful but was unable to reach his fullest potential because of injuries.

Wood only had four seasons where he won more than eight games and hadn't done so since his career high 14-win season in 2003.

In that same year, Wood hit a three-run homer off Florida Marlins starter Brad Penny in Game 7 of the NLCS to tie the game 3-3.

Wood's homer was the first by a pitcher in the NLCS since 1984, but the Cubs lost the pennant-clinching game, 9-6.

Despite his constant trips to the DL, Cubs fans will always remember Wood for his work ethic and determination to make the "lovable losers" World Series contenders.

May 6, 1998, the day that defined Wood's persona will always be something Cubs fans can hold on to. It was arguably one of the greatest performances in the history of MLB, and to see a young Wood in his prime was a sight that fans can hang their hats on.

His fastball was simply unhittable and his nasty curveball had batters quivering in the dugout. Wood will still be regarded as one of the most iconic Cubs of all-time and leaves the game as more of a martyr than anything else.

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It concluded the exact opposite way it began.

We all remember his phenomenal 20-strikeout game against the Houston Astros and the Killer B’s. He displayed a right arm that rightfully earned him the moniker of the next Roger Clemens, a right arm that was supposed to have pitched the Cubs deep into the playoffs.

Regretfully, it never came to be. After missing the last month of the 1998 season, he pitched in only one playoff game against the Atlanta Braves, in which he lost the game and the Cubs lost the series. 

Then in the spring of 1999, occurred what every Cubs and baseball fan had feared the most—he had Tommy John surgery.

Most pitchers have been able to overcome Tommy John surgery, but Kerry Wood was never able to return to the pitcher that fanned 20 batters in a single game. He would show sparks of being that pitcher, but would inopportunely be diverted off the track by injuries or bad play.

Whether it was a stint on the DL or like clockwork, blowing up once every four or five starts, Kerry was not able to maintain the consistency or momentum needed to lead a staff throughout a season.

He was a fan favorite during his time with the Chicago Cubs although he only reached the 14-win mark once during his career in 2003.

Yes, the magical 2003 season. The season that saw Woody win 14 games and Mark Prior win 18; transforming the lovable losers into expected winners.

While many Cubs fans have suffered from amnesia when accosted about the Cubbies' faltering in the 2003 NLCS, myself included, there are a few moments—good and bad—that break through the fog.

There is of course The Incident—we all know who and what I mean—and the sure-handed Alex Gonzalez bungling a sharp grounder shortly after The Incident in Game 6.

Then occurred what I thought was a positive omen for Game 7 and that 2003 NLCS series. Kerry Wood became the first pitcher to hit a home run in the NLCS since Rick Sutcliffe in 1984, who was also with the Cubs.

But crushingly, it was not to be.

After the 2003 season, Kerry continued to struggle with ability to stay off the disabled list, more so than before. From 2004 through the 2006 seasons, Woody made four trips to the DL, missing almost seven total months of baseball and amassing only 12 total wins as a starter during that span. 

Before the 2007 season Wood agreed to transition to the bullpen full-time but still missed playing time due to elbow soreness. However, the 2008 season was Kerry’s healthiest season since 2003.

In 2008, Kerry had a brief stint on the on the 15-day disabled list but not due to elbow, shoulder or knee issues. Rather, it was because of a blister on his throwing hand. In the 2008 season as the Cubs All-Star closer, he had 34 saves with a 1.085 WHIP and a K\BB ratio of 4.67.

Then after brief stints in Cleveland and New York, Kerry returned home to Chicago in 2011. As the primary set-up man to Carlos Marmol, Wood struck out 57 batters in 51 innings and made one save in seven chances during the 2011 season.

With having talked of retirement in the offseason, the ride off into the sunset was put on hold when the Cubs re-signed Kerry for the 2012 season.

Now that his career is coming to a close this weekend—it was neither expected nor unexpected—it is a bittersweet occasion. Bitter, because one of the most beloved Cubs has called it quits, but also sweet because he can now focus more of his time on his charity work that benefits the children of Chicago.

For all that Kerry Wood has gone through, we love him. For all that Kerry Wood has put us through as fans, we still love him. For all that Kerry Wood has done for the Chicago-land community, we love him even more.

Thank you for the memories, Kerry.

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With that in mind, I set out to talk to colleagues and even some scouts in the Cubs organization. They told me that they would not be surprised to see Rizzo called up before Jackson, but that neither will likely be up before the All-Star break.

We won't see Jackson for awhile, but the Cubs are open to bring up Rizzo sooner. However, the main thing holding him back is what happened to him last season in San Diego and the current roster situation.

As former Padres GM and current Cubs GM Jed Hoyer admitted, he probably called up Rizzo too soon last year. With a lot of their combined reputations on the line—remember, Epstein and Hoyer have long regarded Rizzo as a "can't miss" prospect—the next time they bring him up, they want it to be for good.

Hopefully, the current major league roster situation won't have a bearing on whether they do decide to bring up Rizzo, but I am not naive. I realize that the presence of Bryan LaHair does have something to do with the decision, even if it should not.

What I mean is, LaHair is performing well, but the decision on when to recall Rizzo should not be based on another player. It should solely be based on what's good for the kid and the team. As for the team, if they are trying to win now, they need LaHair in the lineup.

But if they are truly rebuilding, their record this season doesn't matter.

Regardless, the Cubs could move LaHair to left field and sit Alfonso Soriano on the bench—though with Soriano's salary, that's about as likely as me dating Megan Fox.

Here's what I've learned.

Rizzo hit his 14th homer of the season, but then again, his minor league stats have never been the problem. If the Cubs can find a way to relieve themselves of Soriano without having to pay 100 percent of his contract, they will do so. No matter what, Rizzo will be up by the All-Star break, if not earlier.

Rizzo seems to have corrected a lot of the overswinging he was doing last year.

While LaHair will eventually move to the outfield, Rizzo will play first base—there are definitely zero plans to move him. Not only does he have a solid hit tool, he is a plus defensively at first base. I expect a lower batting average for Rizzo—possibly around .260 or so—and he will have his share of strikeouts (20.5 percent career minor league rate), but with big power and a decent on-base percentage.

This is unrelated, but Jay Jackson and Chris Rusin may get tryouts with the big league club sooner than later. And don't be surprised if Travis Wood comes up to take the rotation spot of Chris Volstad soon. But don't expect to see Josh Vitters any time soon—he makes contact, but still has reverted back to a ridiculously low BB rate. He has hit three homers over his past nine games and he actually walked on Thursday.

Brett Jackson will need at least 500 at-bats in the minors before the Cubs will call him up. I do not expect to see him until September. But he does appear to be breaking out of his slump. He was a double shy of the cycle on Thursday.

Meanwhile, having Jackson and Rizzo on the big league club—to go along with Starlin Castro—is a good start. But major league ready starting pitching is nowhere to be found right now, and the Cubs don't have an answer at second or third base long term yet. 

If Castro increases his power, he could end up at the hot corner someday.

The plan to build a consistent winner without having a top five payroll will take time. I understand that many Cubs fans may be in denial about that. In the meantime, Jackson and Rizzo are great pieces to have waiting in the wings.

Photo courtesy of www.hardballtalk.nbcsports.com

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At 34 years old, Wood was not having much success out of the bullpen this season. Much of it was because of his battle with a few injuries, but his 0-2 record and 8.64 ERA leave much to be desired.

Wood came up to the majors in 1998 and dominated, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.

He missed the entire 1999 season due to injury, and would only start 30-plus games twice (in 2002 and 2003) with the Cubs.

He became a closer for the team in 2008, recording 34 saves.

After successful pit stops in Cleveland and New York (Yankees), Wood returned to the Cubs in 2011. He was a very successful reliever in what would turn out to be his final full season.

Wood is likely best known for his 20-strikeout performance during his rookie year against the Houston Astros. He allowed just one hit and no walks in the game.

He finished with a career record of 86-75 with a 3.67 ERA and 63 saves. He also led all active pitchers with a SO/9 ratio of 10.3.

Despite his constant struggles to stay healthy and his uncertain role on the Cubs for the better part of the 2000s, Wood retires as one of the most popular Cubs in recent history.

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In a surprise move, Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood is going to announce his retirement from Major League Baseball on Friday, according to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.

Breaking news Kerry Wood will retire today !

— Bruce Levine (@ESPNBruceLevine) May 18, 2012

The 34-year-old Wood has appeared in nine games for the Cubs this season, posting an ERA of 8.64, a 2.28 WHIP, five strikeouts and 11 walks in 8.1 innings pitched. He spent almost three weeks on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue. 

Injuries have been the story of Wood's career. He made it to the big leagues with the Cubs in 1998 and caused quite a stir after striking out 20 in a game against Houston on May 6. He won the National League Rookie of the Year award after going 13-6 with 233 strikeouts in 166.2 innings. 

Wood was an integral part of the 2003 Cubs team that made it to Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. He went 14-11 with a 3.20 ERA and a career-high 266 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched. 

That would end up being the last healthy season of his career, as he battled arm and leg problems the next two seasons. Wood was moved to the bullpen in 2007 and found new life as a reliever. 

In his 13-year career, Wood compiled a career record of 86-75 with 63 saves and 1,581 strikeouts in 1,379.2 innings pitched. 

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From some of the bizarre unwritten rules about where not to walk on the field, to the outlandish contracts given to players who fail 70 percent of the time, baseball doesn't always make sense.

We are in a fortunate year for the sport, where we are seeing the emergence of some of the most talented players in some time coming into the big leagues and succeeding, as fans bear witness to the talents of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.

It makes you wonder sometimes, how players can just simply disappear from the spotlight.

Enter: Geovany Soto, the once-promising catcher of the Chicago Cubs, who now posts a dismal sub-.200 batting average and disappears when the team needs him the most.

Soto became an integral member of the Cubs back in 2008, a season in which he became the first rookie catcher to start for the National League in the All-Star game. The future looked bright, as Soto was working well with the pitching staff as well as producing at the plate. Unfortunately for the Cubs, this productivity would soon begin to fade at a rapid pace.

After his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2008, his batting average dropped to the low .200s, however, the following season, in a contract year, he showed once again that he had the capabilities to be a solid investment, and the Cubs rewarded him with a nice contract.

This contract would be just another bad move by the Cubs, as Soto would soon showed that he is not the player the Chicago brass thought he would be.

In the 2012 campaign, Soto has continued to struggle and has shown that, besides his above-average defense, he offers very little value to the Cubs and the direction they are headed as an organization.

Soto's plate discipline has dropped off from early in his career and he just cannot keep up with the dominant pitchers in the league now. Aside from that, he is clearly the slowest player on the Cubs, an organization which has a new mentality of being a hustle team, something that Welington Castillo or Steve Clevenger would provide much better value to.

The Cubs are in a position where they need to evaluate their talent and decide who is going to be included in their five-year plan.

My personal belief is that they should start to make the necessary changes and give young guys a chance to show their worth. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer should look to move Soto to the Nationals, with an eye towards bolstering the less-than-stellar pitching staff, who could definitely use some good, young arms, especially in the bullpen. 

Soto's career is just another curious case of a player coming into the league with all the promise in the world, only to pull an anti-Hercules, turning back into a mortal being. 

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So could be the case for the Chicago Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair, who could follow a path to success similar to the one Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista has taken.

Bautista, now 31, didn't really become much of a force in the league until he was 29 years old. Before the 2010 season, there just wasn't much to say about him because there wasn't much of him.

He had played for four different teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles. With those last three teams, Bautista was nothing close to a factor, but in both 2010 and 2011 he had a combined 97 home runs and 227 RBI.

LaHair still has much to prove, but there is certainly a chance he can become the similar late-blooming threat that Bautista has shown to be.

He is currently 29 years old and is getting his first real shot in the majors. As of May 15, LaHair is batting .356 with nine home runs and 20 RBI in 104 plate appearances per Baseball-Reference.com.

The early success has been quite a surprise out of LaHair, but it is a nice sign for the Cubs and their future. If LaHair can keep things going he way he has, the Cubs will have quite the pieces in place in the near future, especially with a veteran like LaHair leading the pack.

The Cubs do have players like outfielder Brett Jackson, third baseman Josh Vitters and—most importantly—first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who was acquired this offseason from the San Diego Padres.

The reason Rizzo is important to the situation is because he is the destined first baseman of the Cubs' future, assuming he pans out.

In Iowa, he is batting .348 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI through just 138 at-bats. If he can keep that going once he gets called up to the majors, the Cubs would likely have to move LaHair to a position such as the outfield.

The outfield might have an opening if the team decides to open up spots from their current players like Alfonso Soriano, David DeJesus and Tony Campana.

The first guy to head out there will be Jackson, but one can't imagine the Cubs keeping LaHair off the field if he continues to outplay his teammates.

Hopefully for the Cubs, this is who LaHair is. The guy has only been given a few chances in MLB prior to this season, similar to what happened to Bautista.

LaHair isn't Bautista though, as he likely won't ever be a 45-plus home run kind of guy. He could be a high-percentage batter—which in some cases is better than Bautista's high-power, low-average numbers, despite him hitting .302 in 2011.

He could also be a solid run contributor in what will be a young-but-talented lineup.

If the Cubs can continue to see high production from their upcoming minor-league talent, as well as seeing some consistency from guys like LaHair and star shortstop Starlin Castro, this team could be built of many strong pieces.

In a good, surprising way, LaHair could be the unexpected star the Cubs always needed to be that consistent left-handed bat in the lineup.

The stage in Chicago is LaHair's to take, and he should be able to shine, even if things continue to be quite gloomy on the North Side.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase

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