Come to Think of it...Kerry Wood Openly Sore About Open Sore

Forget about that pesky blister that has kept Cubs closer Kerry Wood sidelined since July 11. It is no longer simply a blister, but it is an open sore on his finger.

Wood surprised everyone by throwing off a mound at Miller Park this morning, using a protective pad.  Since he cannot use that pad in a game, the effort was more to keep his arm and shoulder fluid as opposed to testing out whether he could actually pitch in a real game.

But that, too, is coming.  And soon, if the admittedly "antsy" Wood has his way.

"I'm beyond antsy," the All-Star pitcher said. "I mean, this is the damnedest thing I've ever seen as far as skin. I can't explain it. Nobody here can explain it and we've been to several doctors and it just hasn't gotten any better."

He has been eligible to return to the active roster since Tuesday.  But the longer this drags on, the more likely a rehab in the minors is going to be.

Therefore, one day after Cubs manager Lou Piniella said that Wood "wasn't close to returning...so why risk it," Kid K was back on a mound throwing about 24 pitches.  

Wood described how the injury has morphed into something more serious. "It's not a blister anymore. It's an open wound, it's an open sore on my finger. The skin's missing," Wood said. "We're trying to toughen up that skin that has come back a little bit, try to toughen that up and get it as hard as we can. What we've been trying the last couple of days, it seems to have hardened up quite a bit."

I hope Wood doesn't try to rush back too quickly. For one, the Cubs are winning.  But  more importantly, why risk having him miss the stretch run or the playoffs because the wound got worse or because he altered his pitching motion and caused an arm injury?

It's frustrating, to be sure. And a lot of fans don't understand it and think he's being soft. But after all Wood has gone through, with twelve DL stints in ten years, if he was soft he would be selling cars rather than trying to pitch. After all, he's made an enormous amount of money already in his career.

So we can wait a bit longer, Kerry. Take your time and let this thing heal properly so that it won't be a problem down the line. Come to think of it, as the Cubs offense has proved this year, patience is a virtue.