As long as he was on the team, there was still hope that 16-year-old me was right when he was absolutely sure that Wood would be a member of the next Cubs World Series team. I remember in spring of 1998 when an opposing coach, after Wood was sent down, said "If they have five guys better than him, they're going to the World Series." I remember checking the Chicago Tribune's agate page for the one time a week they ran minor-league numbers to see how he was doing at Iowa. I remember how excited I was when he was finally called up. I remember being in the school's computer lab during 7th period and checking the score during one of his early starts, only to see an insane line score that didn't seem possible. I sprinted home after school in time to see the 9th inning and Ks 19 and 20. Thanks for the memories, Kerry Wood.