Double Whammy. Ninety- five years' worth of frustration envelops Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, but the two Chicago Cubs righthanders fight through it the best way they can: with 9. Arriving on the North Side four years apart, each has been labeled a phenom and, much to their chagrin, a franchise savior. As spring turns into sweltering summer, and the surprising Cubs hover in or near the lead in the National League Central- -they were one game behind the St.
Louis Cardinals at week's end- -expectations only intensify for a club that hasn't won a World Series since 1. Sammy Sosa and cleanup hitter Moises Alou had only 1. Cubs staff, which features an unprecedented collection of power pitchers, was whiffing batters at a record clip. Led by a Gas Gang of 9. Wood, Prior, Joe Borowski, Matt Clement, Juan Cruz, Kyle Farnsworth and Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs had 7. Cubs in 2. 00. 1. They could also join the 1. Cleveland Indians as the only clubs in history with more strikeouts than hits allowed. Wood (1. 43 K's in 1. Prior (1. 27 in 1. Arizona Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, to finish one- two. Armed with similar fastballs and tightly wound breaking balls, Wood (8- 5, 2. ERA) and Prior (8- 3, 2. It's not altogether uncommon to hear about double rainbows, but what about a double meteor strike? It's a rare event, but researchers in Sweden recently found evidence that two meteors smacked into Earth at the same time. Double Whammy is a 2001 comedy/drama film. Although intended to be released in theaters, it was ultimately distributed direct-to-video. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. IMDb > Double Whammy (2001) Watch It. View company contact information for Double Whammy on IMDbPro. Release Date: 3 August 2001 (Portugal). 2 wins & 4 nominations See more ยป NewsDesk. Double Whammy 2001This is an article from the July 7, 2. Original Layout. But these guys are 2. Randy and Curt didn't get a grip and harness their stuff until later in their careers. It's scary to think about how good these two are going to be. His most effective pitch in going 1. Double Whammy 2001 Watch OnlineNational League Rookie of the Year honors that year was a big- breaking slurve, a tumbling power ball that started inside on righthanded hitters and dived down and away, off the plate. But after a ruptured ligament in his right elbow (requiring Tommy John surgery that sidelined him all of 1. Wood was transformed from an unrefined hard thrower with supernatural stuff to a craftsman. Until you have to search for a different way, you're not going to. Wood watched their starts closely and even tagged along for their bullpen sessions, absorbing lessons on pitch sequences and setting up batters, while slowly learning the book on NL hitters. He added a changeup to his arsenal and found that when he had command of his pitches, he could throw them effectively at 7. Last year Wood cracked 2. Another factor in Wood's retooling was replacing the slurve with the slider. Wood acknowledges that the slurve, which he threw across his body, caused extra strain on his elbow and contributed to his injury; his slider is thrown over the top. In a June 2. 4 start against the Milwaukee Brewers he realized that his curve was hanging up in the zone, so he threw it only 1. Wood struck out eight, five on sliders, while limiting Milwaukee to one run in seven innings. I wasn't ready for it. It was just my fifth game, and I was still getting acclimated to the big leagues. The second pick, out of Southern Cal, in the 2. Prior signed a five- year, $1. Chicago after only nine minor league starts, already possessing a sophisticated approach to hitters and a tailored conditioning program. Since he was a sophomore at the University of San Diego High, Prior had studied with former major league lefthander and pitching coach Tom House, who had developed a scientific approach to pitching biomechanics through computer analysis and designed a regimented workout that Prior still follows. On the first and second days after a start, Prior does an hour of cardio, whether on a stationary bike, on a Stair. Master or running in the outfield. On the first and third days he does weight training but emphasizes functional strength. For example, while doing forearm exercises Prior will position his arm to mimic the grips on his fastball, curve and change, training the muscle groups that each pitch requires. The third day is also Prior's day to throw in the bullpen, a brief session in which he sharpens all three pitches. He gets good work in, but he doesn't throw until he's tired. When he's at home Prior may watch his next opponents' games on his satellite dish. Day 4 is a light day of sprints and long tossing, basically a freshener before the start. Prior's arsenal is simple but effective. The fastball is the linchpin. Recalls Mike Gillespie, Prior's coach at USC, . During a 1. 6- strikeout performance against Milwaukee last Thursday- -the Cubs lost 5- 3, but Prior did not get the decision- -he froze Geoff Jenkins with an 8. Gillespie to immediately leave a message on Prior's cellphone telling him how impressed he was with the pitch. Rothschild believes that by the end of the season Prior will be regularly throwing the change against righthanders as well. Though he's fundamentally sound, Prior, who was 6- 6 in 1. The day after a 1. Toronto Blue Jays last month, Prior told manager Dusty Baker that he was fatigued before being taken out and should have been more forthcoming about his condition. One morning last week Ryan Harvey, the Cubs' first- round draft pick in June, visited Wrigley Field and took BP after accepting a $2. Beforehand, Harvey, a big 1. When Harvey came to Sammy Sosa's open locker and stopped, taking a long gaze inside, outfielder Tom Goodwin bellowed, ! You ain't it anymore, Prior.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2017
Categories |