Kasper: Less can give us more in Cubs-Sox series
Q. The opener of the Cubs-White Sox series played to less than a full house. Is the luster off this series and would you like to see it scaled back to three games per season?
A. First off, I don’t think we have a choice as MLB must create a fundamentally new interleague schedule with 15 teams in each league starting next season.
The latest report has the Cubs and White Sox playing four games in the same week – two at Wrigley Field and two on the South Side. I would be fine with that or just one three-game series at each site in alternating years.
Honestly, I’d be cool playing the Sox in the normal divisional rotation (i.e., every three years), but it looks like MLB wants to preserve the “rivalry” matchups.
The games are normally intense with myriad storylines surrounding every series so I definitely look forward to them every year. Having said that, I am certainly fine with the “less is more” theory.
Q. Were you surprised Chris Volstad was sent to the minor leagues, and will the Cubs be criticized for having little to show, at this point anyway, for the Carlos Zambrano and Sean Marshall trades?
A. I wasn’t surprised at all. Chris needs to win some games – at any level. And hopefully going to AAA will allow him to relax and pile up a few positive performances before returning to the big leagues. I think those trades are viewed differently by Cub fans, who realized Big Z probably needed a change of scenery and that the Cubs didn’t have a ton of leverage in looking to move him after his blowup in Atlanta last year.
The Marshall trade is one I think a lot of Cub fans disliked from the minute it happened because of how important he was to the bullpen.
But, sometimes baseball decisions aren’t very popular. And when you look at what the new front office is trying to build here, it’s clear the Cubs want to stock the pen with young, affordable arms and not be in a position in which they have to overpay a guy who will normally pitch 60-70 innings in a season.
I think they rightly believe that a pitching staff is built around its starters first. Plus, they have been in a stockpile mode in terms of building up the system with projectable big leaguers. And to do that via trades, you have give up something to get something.
It’s way to early to assess Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt and Ronald Torreyes, although we will get a good look at Wood in the rotation starting this week.
Q. The Kerry Wood sendoff was something special Friday. Why do you think he holds such a special place in the hearts of Cubs fans?
A. Kerry has been the most popular Cub since almost the day he made his big league debut in 1998 (and certainly since the 20-strikeout game that year).
When healthy as a starter, he was an elite guy with some of the best stuff anyone has ever seen. Injuries no doubt ravaged his right arm, but the fact that he battled back many times earned his teammates’ and the fans’ respect.
He loved being a Cub, became a huge part of the fabric of Chicago through his numerous charitable endeavors and was a part of FOUR playoff teams – 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008.
And while he never helped the team get to the World Series, he certainly helped raise the bar for success on the North Side.
One of my favorite all-time big leaguers and I hope he’s around the team for a long time to come.
Ÿ Len Kasper is the TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter @lenandbobwww.wgntv.com/lenandbob;http://www.wgntv.com/blogs/lenandbob/[URL]. Subscriber Total Access members can email him [/URL]questions;mailto:cubsquestions%40dailyherald.com?subject=Reader%20question[URL] each week via our online link.[/URL]