In a Cubs jersey for the final time Wednesday at Wrigley Field, Derrek Lee reflected on how hard that uniform can be to wear given the "so-called curse" of the franchise.
"Having to hear about losing kind of puts you in a negative environment," Lee said.
Having to watch it can put you in therapy, but that's a story for another day.
The overall theme of Lee's last words as a Cub: Even more difficult for Lee than the burden of wearing blue pinstripes will be donning Braves laundry in front of fans who helped make him one of the city's most popular players.
"I'll be here Friday with the Braves," Lee said as if saying it out loud made it true. "It'll be weird."
In a farewell that exemplified the class for which the first baseman was best known here, Lee also stressed how tough it would be to leave. And many around Wrigleyville will find it just as difficult to say goodbye.
But, sorry, if there is a first baseman in Chicago whose departure should result in hand-wringing and wistfulness, it is not the guy in the midst of one of his worst seasons.
Counterpart Paul Konerko of the White Sox, also a free agent who could be gone before 2011, has hit 48 more homers and driven in 77 more runs than Lee since both have been on their respective sides of town.
Lee may have better numbers on his contract — he makes $1 million more per year than Konerko's $12 million salary — but not on the back of his baseball card. Konerko leaving the Sox would create a shriek. Lee getting traded to the Braves for three minor-league prospects and a $1.7 million savings in salary, to me, warrants little more than a shrug.
He was going to be a former Cub in 41 games anyway. This is Jim Hendry's classy parting gift.
In a contract year, Lee has produced more like a guy living off a fat contract, hitting .251 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs. In any explanation of why the Cubs are among the most underachieving teams in baseball, Lee's name comes up in the first couple of sentences.
You usually don't mourn the loss of things that made you wince.
A team in transition unloading a veteran in decline qualifies as big news, yes, but bigger progress. Now the Cubs can use the last six weeks to get a look at Tyler Colvin or Aramis Ramirez at first base. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to see how Alfonso Soriano looks fielding the position.