Wood Released From Hospital

Kerry Wood, slowed by an upper respiratory infection, went home early from the hospital Wednesday night and will return to the Chicago Cubs’ spring training camp at Mesa, Ariz., today.

Team physician John Marquardt said Wood will continue to take medication and will work on his conditioning slowly. The 21-year-old right-hander hasn’t participated in spring training since Sunday.

Neither Marquardt nor Cub General Manager Ed Lynch could predict if the NL rookie of the year would be ready for the season opener April 6.

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Philadelphia ace Curt Schilling came down with back spasms at Clearwater, Fla., and because it’s not serious, the Phillies can laugh about what caused them.

The Phillies say Schilling’s back pain was caused by a favorite spring training pastime--standing around.

“He’s just got some spasms,” Manager Terry Francona said. “They stand around a lot. You get stiff when you do that.”

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Starting his annual spring training tour, the head of the players’ union says it’s too early to conclude small markets can’t compete under the current labor contract.

“In this new agreement they have with us, there is vastly enhanced revenue sharing and it keeps getting bigger as the agreement goes along,” Donald Fehr said at Tucson.

Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is due to expire after the 2000 season, but the union is expected to exercise its option to extend it through October 2001.

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Howie Haak, 87, a Pittsburgh Pirate scout from 1950-1988 who discovered Roberto Clemente, Manny Sanguillen, Rennie Stennett and Tony Pena, died Monday in Palm Springs. . . . Jose Canseco, signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to inject power into a punchless lineup, reported for spring training two days after the club had hoped to see him in uniform.