Samardzija has bittersweet debut

Rookie gets standing ovation and suffers blown save CHICAGO -- There are no incomplete passes in baseball. If there were, Jeff Samardzija's errant pitch-out might have been overlooked. The Cubs called up the right-handed pitcher and former Notre Dame wide receiver to the big league team Friday to take Kerry Wood's spot on the roster. Wood was placed on the disabled list Thursday because of a blister on his right hand. "Like I've said from Day 1, I didn't put any time table on anything," said Samardzija, drafted in 2006. "I was going to go out and improve on what I needed to improve on, and work on the pitches I needed to work on, and whatever happened, happened. I wasn't going to put any added pressure on things. "The way I've been throwing the last month, month and a half, I've been very happy with it," he said. "[The... [read full story]