D-Lee

1969. A groundball through Leon Durham’s legs. Greg Maddux signing as a free agent with Atlanta. A lazy flyball down the leftfield line in Game 6 of the NLCS. There have been many dark days in Cubs history and one more took place last week. The rumors of Derrek Lee’s departure finally materialized.

Seven years of gentlemanly excellence ended when the Cubs acquired three pitching prospects for the probably-more-injured-than-reported Lee. (Watching Lee turn on a grooved fastball and see it only land between the left and centerfielder has been painful.) In a heartbeat my Derrek Lee T-Shirt and Authentic Replica Uniform went from fashionable to vintage.

The concern, of course, is can a long distance relationship continue to work? For seven years we have had a wonderful, albeit one-way relationship. Now the 742 miles between Chicago and Atlanta will force us to see if our connection was out of convenience or true affection.

Listening to the fallout of the trade brought some interesting observations. On the radio, there were those that said that Lee was nothing more than Mark Grace with a little more power. Couldn’t be, could it? But on inspection, it’s not far off – at least numerically.

Lee averaged for seven seasons: 25.5 Homeruns, 82 RBI, 82 R, .298 BA, .378 OPA with three Gold Gloves.

Grace averaged for thirteen years: 11 Homeruns, 77 RBI, 81 R, .303 BA, .386 OPA with four Gold Gloves.

Very similar seasonal averages. There were some differences of course. Grace was glib and was an outspoken team leader, Lee more the quiet voice of reason; Grace was more party, Lee more parent. And of course the biggest difference of all. Grace came up through the Cubs minor league system while Lee joined the Cubs . . . in a trade for a young power hitting, minor league system produced firstbaseman . . .in November 2003 . . .just 42 days after Lee’s former team had defeated the Cubs in one of the most painful playoff games in baseball history. A game in which Lee had a two run double in that fateful 8th inning that knocked Mark Prior out of the game.

Yet Lee joined the Cubs in 2004 and immediately became a fan favorite. Even with his slow start that season, he handled the criticism with professionalism and finished the year with 32 homeruns, 98 RBI and a .356 OBP.

Would any other Cub killer have been as embraced? Could Steve Garvey have joined the Cubs in November 1984 and become a fan favorite? Not likely.

Lee was special. He was strong, professional and when Scott Eyre threw that off-balance throw in Los Angeles forcing Lee to stretch into the path of the batter, fracturing his wrist, Lee never once blamed his wrist for lower power numbers the following two years. He just went about his business and admitted it was his responsibility to produce and drive in runs.

You’ll be missed, Derrek. Here’s to a healthy 2011, hopefully – miraculously – in Cubby Pinstripes. It would make our relationship so much easier.