San Francisco Giant and former Georgia pitcher Alex Wood did not get to make it to Indianapolis for the National Championship against Alabama.
But you better believe he was tuned in.
“My dad was at the game. I didn’t make it, but I sat in my basement and watched it completely by myself,” Wood said. “I was screaming my ass off the entire game, but when it was over, I didn’t say a word. I just couldn’t even believe what had just happened. I’ve been waiting my whole life for that to happen.”
When Kelee Ringo picked off the pass and returned it for a touchdown to seal the Bulldogs’ 33-18 win, Wood was like countless Georgia fans at that exact moment in time. He absolutely lost his mind.
“I screamed extremely loud. I jumped out of my seat, screamed, then I sat back down really quick. I was just thinking about what that meant, literally what just happened that, how that had just sealed the deal for us to take home the national championship for the first time in my whole life,” Wood said. “I was just really in awe. I just could not believe that they finally did it. I could not have been happier for our program.
“I’ve played for a lot of great teams, seen some great fan bases in college sports, professional sports, but it’s really just a special group when it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs and our fans. It’s just really a unique place, and I just could not have been happier for the team and everybody who is behind Georgia.”
Wood, a nine-year Major League veteran, was in Athens Saturday night where he served as the guest speaker for the Georgia baseball preseason banquet.
There he offered advice to the current Bulldogs, keys to remember as they pursue their own careers, along with motivational tools that have helped make him a success.
Recently, Wood signed a two-year, $25 million dollar contract to remain with the Giants after going 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA.
Under normal times, Wood would be preparing to head to Arizona for spring training with the rest of his teammates.
However, with the current lockout as the Major League Players Association and MLB still at an impasse over a new deal, Wood has no idea when that might be.
“We’re like the fans to some degree. Of course, we’re a little bit more in the know, but it’s really still a sit and wait game. Now I’m hoping it only turns into a one or two-week delay and we can knock something out,” Wood said. “But yeah, it’s definitely been a little bit frustrating from the union side, the players side of things because we feel like we’re at the table ready to get a fair, mutually beneficial deal for both sides.”
His fingers remain crossed that something will happen soon.
“It’s hard negotiating with yourself. We’ve done that a little in the past, and I don’t think we plan to do that right now and moving forward,” Wood said. “Right now, we feel we’ve kind of opened the door, but so far, nobody’s willing to walk through, so to speak. But we’ll see what happens. It’s business. People, everybody wants it to be a game, but it’s a billion-dollar business. There’s a lot of loose ends to tie up. But I’m sure we’ll get it done and the season will get on its way.”
As you might guess, Wood has a number of people to thank for helping get to this point in his career.
One is former Atlanta Brave pitcher Mike Minor, who Wood credits for showing him how to be a professional player.
Another is Rob Hill, the Director of Minor League Pitching for the Dodgers, someone Wood calls a “whiz kid” and one of his best friends.
“I credit a lot to him for my success over the last couple of years,” Wood said. “Otherwise, it’s hard to choose. I’ve had a lot of good teammates, a lot of good coaches, and lot of good players, so you try to pull things from each individual and see people’s different perspectives.”
As for current and former teammates and coaches, there are obviously many. However, former three-time Cy Young Award Clayton Kershaw stands out.
Wood and Kershaw were teammates for five years with the Dodgers, five seasons the former Bulldog will never forget.
“It’s hard to find someone more focused that Clayton. Having kids eased him a little bit, but the guy lives to dominate,” Wood said. “There’s nobody happier on earth than him when he’s crushed it and won. The smile on his face is something I’ll never get erased from my memory, his work ethic, his determination. He’s just a special human, for sure. I’m really fortunate to have been his teammate and friend for as long as I have.”
Although he’s been away from Athens for some time now, Wood said he will always consider the Classic City home.
Wood spoke fondly of his time as a Bulldog, and how his development here, having the opportunity to play in the SEC, helped make him the player that he is today.
“I grew up a Dawg fan, so it’s not really so much about specifically baseball, but how much I love Athens. There’s just no place like it, no fan base like it. I’ve been in love with Athens from the first time I can remember coming up with my dad. All the way through college were some of the best years I can remember in my life,” Wood said. “I love this place like no other, so having gotten to play here and develop, to evolve into a player that’s worthy to be drafted, and going on to play professional baseball, I couldn’t have written it any better myself.”
