Madison Avenue Could Really Go for Kerry Wood

Chicago Cub pitcher Kerry Wood’s next scheduled start is Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, and all eyes will be on him because he is coming off a record-tying 20-strikeout performance against Houston.

Madison Avenue will be paying particular attention.

Like fellow Texans Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, Wood conveys a quiet earthiness that could play well in all markets.

“He has that cowboy, Texan image of a guy who’s a straight shooter and doesn’t use a lot of words,” said Bob Williams of Burns Sports, a Chicago company that hires athletes to endorse products. “For a lot of advertisers, that’s a breath of fresh air. It’s against the grain of the trash-talking, borderline cocky athlete of today.”

Since Wood’s fastball has been clocked at 100 mph, Williams sees potential tie-ins with long-distance carriers, fast-food chains and other companies that stress speed of service.

Wood’s appeal as a baseball gate attraction remains to be seen. His start Monday in Arizona won’t mean much. The expansion Diamondbacks have sold out six of their first 12 games, and lead the National League with an average attendance of 46,355 a game. They return from an extended road trip Monday and expect a sellout, with or without him.

Wood’s agent, Randy Hendicks, is cautious about his client’s endorsement potential.

“It’s not likely people are going to see one game and say, ‘Get this guy on Taco Bell tomorrow,’ ” he said. “If Kerry had won a gold medal, there would have been that move-quick, don’t-wait mentality. But in the case of a baseball player, you don’t have that quick an uptake.”

However, he already has done photo shoots scheduled national magazines.

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The Cubs’ Sammy Sosa went 0 for three in both games against the Giants, ending his hitting streak at 14 games. . . . The Giants’ Barry Bonds, whose back stiffened up after a 14-inning game Friday night, was given Saturday’s second game off by Manager Dusty Baker. It was the first game Bonds has missed all season. He has appeared in 767 of the Giants’ 781 regular-season games since 1993.

Atlanta outfielder Danny Bautista on Saturday made his second start of the season and first since returning Thursday from the 15-day disabled list after an injury to his left shoulder. . . . The Braves’ Andres Galarraga’s career-matching 15-game hitting streak came to an end. He was 0 for four. The Padres’ Tony Gwynn went 0 for three on his 38th birthday. His next hit against the Braves will be the 300th of his career, the most against any opponent.

Today marks the last indoor game in Montreal this season. Olympic Stadium’s 200,000-square-foot, orange Kevlar roof will be removed during the Expos’ West Coast trip next week and the stadium will remain uncovered for the remainder of the 1997 season. A permanent roof made of Teflon will be installed during the offseason. The Expos will return on May 19 against the Houston Astros to play their first outdoor home game since Sept. 8, 1991, against the Cincinnati Reds.

Pittsburgh’s Jose Guillen is nine for 15 in his last four games. Pirate reliever Marc Wilkins struck out the side in his only inning during a rehabilitation appearance Friday for double-A Carolina. . . . Houston’s Pete Schourek, who pitched five shutout innings in the Astros’ 11-6 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday, took the roster spot vacated by left-handed pitcher John Halama, who was optioned to New Orleans last week. . . . The Brewers set a club record by going through their first 33 games without scoring in double digits.