WWKD (What Would Kerry Do?)

Aided by cases of Mark Grace bobblehead dolls and a postgame fireworks extravaganza, and abetted by 20,000 Cubs fans, the Sedona Astros sufficiently coaxed more than 40K people into The Morg Saturday night. Who knows, with massage tables and fe11atio kiosks, maybe the place would've finally sold out.

In the end, 46173 showed up, regardless of how they were manipulated, or by whom. The throng reminded me of a Cubs game here years ago, when my expansion Diamondbacks were ensconced in last place. There was no hope of a pennant race. There was no fireworks. There were no bobblehead dolls. There was only major league baseball at reasonable prices on a Monday night. Well that, and 47129 people, but who's counting.

Baseball fans in Phoenix (yes, Virginia, there really were such creatures) were mesmerized by a 20 year old Chicago rookie - as old as Justin Upton is now - by the name of Kerry Wood. In his previous start against the Astros, before just 15 thousand "knowledgeable fans" at Wrigley, he had struck out 20 batters, a feat unrealized in 122 years of National League play. ( His 105 Game Score that day was also the highest of any pitcher in history.)

An older, slower Wood pitched last night as well, ostensibly in relief, but back then there was no relief - at least not for hitters. Only 98 gas at the letters and the sharpest breaking curveball I ever saw. He whiffed thirteen Dbacks that 1998 evening - in seven innings - without breaking much of a sweat. The thirty three strikeouts over consecutive starts set yet another all time MLB record.

Oh, there were more polished power pitchers. Randy Johnson comes to mind. I later saw him fan twenty from the same seat. But no one had pure stuff like Kerry Wood; the hop that made major leaguers swing at fastballs around their eyes, and a righthanded curve that turned all batter's legs to sand. 

Yes, even left handed batters.

Over the years, Wood's once brilliant flame has barely flickered in danger of being extinguished, much like the darling desert franchise he competed against that long ago day. In the case of Wood, injuries cast him into the shadows. In the case of current Diamondback incarnations, mostly petty greed.   

(photos courtesy of biblicalstudies.ca & www2.jsonline.com)