He pitched one of the greatest games of all time, second all-time in K/9, 10th all-time in H/9, was a key part of some of the best Cubs teams in recent times and was a fan favorite(which I think matters for team honors). Just because he doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame doesn't mean he wasn't an all-time great Cub. If they retire Kerry Wood's number, we will be a further laughingstock. I would say the following people would have a better claim to get their number retired by the Cubs: Sammy Sosa Mark Grace Lee Smith And maybe: Carlos Zambrano Ryan Dempster Aramis Ramirez No one is going to laugh if we retire Wood's number. In a world where the Heat have retired MJ's number, the Rays have retired Boggs' number and the Indians have ensured that no player will ever wear the number 455 for them again, the retiring number thing is not that meaningful to fans of other teams. There are plenty of laughs to go around -- those decisions don't change anything about the Cubs's decision. Retiring Wood's number would be stupid.