It's Closing Time

     When the ninth inning rolls around and the Cubs have a three, two or one run lead, who will Lou Piniella call upon to close the deal. There are many canidates for the job and that is not necessarily a good thing. The bullpen is the backbone of any championship team and until this current cast of characters distinguishes themselves, this team will not be any ending any streak of futility.

     Kerry Wood was the apparent leader in the clubhouse until he was scratched today with lower back spasms. This was his first opportunity this spring to pitch in back to back games  and this is example number one as to why Kerry Wood belongs in the sixth or seventh inning role because of his lack of durability. Wood will be re-evaluated on Thursday.

     The front runner at the beginning of camp was Bob Howry, but his less than steller relief has cemented his eighth inning role from last season.

     Now, that leaves Carlos Marmol and this might just be by default. Eventhough he has the best stuff on the staff, Marmol has been erratic with his control and their are still lingering question marks about his ability to close games this year. The odds that Marmol finishes the season as the closer are greater if he does not start the season in that role.

     What distinguishes the great closers from the run of the mill relief pitchers is betweeen the ears with the mental game. A closer has to have the ability to have a short memory.

     This is the only question surrounding Carlos Marmol and it will be answered sometime this year, but that might not be until the temperature finally reaches sixty degrees in the Windy City.

     The wildcard on the staff is Ryan Dempster who is slated to start the season in the rotation. Now, the Cubs have what appears to be a deap rotation with at least seven starters and that could lead to Dempster returning to the bullpen. The much maligned closer pitched well last year despite having an ERA of 4.73. Dempster saved 28 games out of 31 chances.

     In a perfect world, Carlos Marmol is the closer of the present and the future and the veteran arms of Howry, Wood sprinkled in with a couple of young arms create a formidable pen. Rarely do Cub fans live in that world and this bullpen will hold the key to any championship aspirations that the Cubs hold.