Wilbur Forrester Wood, the knuckler.
The end of Wilbur Wood's 18-year career came after the 1978 season, just two years after his kneecap was shattered on a line drive by Detroit's Ron LeFlore.
But it wasn't by choice.
"I didn't retire, I never retired," said the 60-year-old Wood, who now lives in Bedford, Mass. "Nobody offered me a uniform."
At the time of the injury Wood was 4-3 with a 2.24 ERA and the most durable pitcher in baseball. He had averaged over 300 innings a season since 1971 and was only 34 at the time of the accident.
"I've never been shot," Wood said. "But I guess it felt like a gunshot wound. I can remember it because LeFlore hit the ball inside out and when anybody hits the ball inside out it's tough to pick up. I wasn't trying to catch it I was trying to get the hell out of the way."
There's little doubt in Wood's mind that the freak occurrence led to a premature end of his career.
"No question about it," Wood said. "I was throwing the ball good at that time, I guess. If it hadn't happened I'm sure I could have had many more years. I can't complain. I had a good career.
Wood began his career with Boston in 1961 and also spent some time with Pittsburgh before the Pirates trade him to the White Sox in 1966.
Over the next 12 seasons Wood had one of the most remarkable and versatile runs of the modern era. During his first four seasons with the Sox Wood was a spot starter and closer, at least as the burgeoning role was defined at that time.
Wood posted a career-high 21 saves in 1970, the same year that Chuck Tanner took over as the White Sox manager in mid-season. When 1971 began Tanner and asked Wood to move into the rotation.
Wood had found a new salvation.
It was a great move for the Sox as Wood won at least 20 games each of the next four seasons but it was hard on Wood, who relished playing nearly every day or at least coming to the park knowing there was a chance to get in.
From 1971 to 1974 Wood threw 85 complete games and threw over 300 innings each season, including a high of 376 2/3 innings in 1972 when he went 24-17.
There were mainly four-man rotations back in the 70's which meant Wood sat three of every four games, which was far too much for him.
"I pitched a lot of innings but the worst thing about being a pitcher, especially a starter, is coming to the ballpark and knowing I'm not going to participate," Wood said. "That was my philosophy. I'd take hundreds of ground balls in the infield, I enjoyed that. Every time you took a ground ball you had to pick that up and throw it back in. So you were getting some throwing in."
Wood began throwing the knuckleball as a kid but never really used it professionally until he came to a sobering realization.
"I couldn't get anybody out with my fastball and curveball for three or four innings," he said.
And thus began Wood's career as a knuckleballer. Even now there are usually no more than a few big leaguers who throw the knuckeball -- Detroit's Steve Sparks and Boston's Tim Wakefield come to mind -- and it wasn't much different in Wood's day.
What he loved so much about that pitch was that it allowed him to be on the field far more often than if he was wearing down his arm throwing curvers and sliders.
Wood might best be remembered for being perhaps the last pitcher to throw both ends of a double-header, a feat he accomplished twice in 1973. The first began with the completion of a suspended game but the second was a true double-header against the New York Yankees in which he started and lost both games.
"We had a suspended game (against Cleveland) and my turn was to pitch the next day," Wood said. "I picked up the suspended game and happened to go five or six innings. Dick Allen hit a two-run homer to win it, then I went out and won the next one."
Wood didn't consider staying in baseball after he finished playing. All those years on the road had taken its toll and returning to a quiet New England life was an inviting proposition.
"I really didn't (want to coach) because of the travel," Wood said. "You had a home six months of the year in one port and six months in another. I had enough of the travel."
Wood opened a fish market near his hometown of Bedford, Mass. and then after about five years he moved in another direction, entering a business -- medical sales -- that enabled him to put his reputation as a baseball player to good use.
"It helped a great deal because I had the New England territory and I was pretty well known out here in New England." Wood said. "You make the initial call and they wanted autographs for theirs sons, grandsons. I said I'd give you a picture and I could show up with it. I didn't have to have an appointment.
"That gets you in the door. I did have a pretty good idea of what I was doing so it was secondary but it helped a great deal."
Wood was a Red Sox fan growing up and still enjoys watching the games on television but doesn't get out to the ballpark very often. He decided not to make the trek to Fenway last week when the White Sox were in town.
"I don't want to go to the ballpark," Wood said. "I enjoy it on TV because if it's a good ballgame I'll watch it. If it's a lousy ballgame I'll flip to something else."
However, he would have liked to have been there to see Derek Lowe and Jon Garland each throw gems for their respective teams, it brought back memories of how pitchers used to throw.
"Watching a game today I see too many pitchers that all they do is nit-pick," Wood said. "They don't challenge hitters, they don't go after hitter. Take the Red Sox right now. (Pedro) Martinez goes after them, Lowe goes after them. But now there are three more starters to go through and all they do is nitpick here, nitpick there. Go after them. They don't go after them like they used to."
Many players remain in the cities were they experienced their greatest success on the field but not Wood, who was attending his wife's retirement party on the night that Garland beat the Red Sox.
"Chicago was great," he said. "I loved everything, no doubt about it but I live in Bedford and when you can jump in your car and drive to the National Seashore or two hours to the White mountains, New England has so much to offer that we just love it out here."
