I really like Derrek Lee and am disappointed that he is gone, though it probably would have happened over the winter anyway. Lee reminded me a lot of my favorite Cub Billy Williams. They were both quiet leaders who let their game to the talking, not their mouth.
Lee came to the Cubs in 2004, fresh off of killing the Cubs as a Marlin in the 2003 NLCS. But his strong play quickly won the fans over and he was a favorite almost immediately. His signature season was 2005, when he was in contention for the triple crown most of the season. He ended up leading the league with his .335 average, was second with 46 HRs and seventh in RBIs (107). Lee also won the gold glove.
But early in 2006 he broke his wrist in a collision at first base and was never really the same. Still, he was a steady presence at first base and always a threat in the three hole.
I have 92 different cards of Derrek Lee in my collection. I'm not going to bore you with all of them, but I did pick out my ten favorites in no particular order
Allen and Ginter 2006
Flair 2006
Goudey 2009
Heritage 2008
Heritage 2010
Studio 2004
Topps 2010
Turkey Red 2005
Upper Deck 2007
Upper Deck 2009
The Braves will be at Wrigley this weekend. I'm sure Lee will get a long standing ovation the first time he comes to the plate.
So long D-Lee. You will be missed!
Wow, end of an era. That's going to be REALLY weird to see.
ReplyDeleteDerrek, in his press conference, looked more relieved than sad to be leaving the Cubs. I'm happy for him but our Cubs are just not the same. I guess right now it's Starlin and Tyler's team.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, he wasn't going to be back anyway. At least they got a little something in return. I expect him to play better now that he will be motivated. This half season, I usually don't make it through the whole Cubs game. As much as I like the Cubs, its not fun to watch this team right now.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to watch a Cubs game because it's not the Chicago Cubs we're watching, it's the Iowa Cubs. Who are all these guys??
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Wrigley looked more like Montreal than Chicago. I don't think I've seen it that empty since bleacher seats were $4. It might have had something to do with it being the Padres, wait, what's that? 1st place? get the hell outta here. Either way Lee will be missed but I'm excited to see some of the young talent we have. I'd be more excited if we were winning some games!
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