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Aftermath

By Al Yellon

Ryan Dempster is still the Cubs' closer.

Wait! No, he's not. He might start, but when?

"April fools," [Dempster] said. "We just kind of talked about things. For right now, I'm going to go back down there and close. He (Piniella) knows that I'd like to start eventually in the future.

"It might happen this year. It might happen next year. Who knows? For the best for our team right now, given the situation, you'd be asking guys who have never done it before on a pretty big stage to go out there and close."

And who's going to take over as closer? Angel Guzman. But when?

He chose not to throw his new closer of choice, inexperienced Angel Guzman, into the high-pressure role when the Cubs open a three-game series at San Diego on Tuesday.

But Piniella is firm in his original decision and the move is imminent, according to a source close to the manager. The plan is to ease Guzman into the role, the source said.

Well, this isn't a bad idea, as Guzman can throw 98 MPH and might be better suited to relief than starting.

However! We already know that Dempster, despite his desires, isn't really suited for starting. But wait!

The Yankees, who are looking for a starter, may be interested in acquiring Dempster, but Dempster said he hopes to stay with the Cubs. A trade, he said, "is the furthest thing from my mind."

And, our favorite Muskat weighs in:

The Cubs will likely test Guzman in that role [closer]. As of now, Dempster is the man.

Man, is it going to be a long day and a half until the next Cub pitch is thrown (by Rich Hill, not Dempster!) Tuesday night in San Diego. Oh, and when that happens? Derrek Lee will be back in the lineup, hitting third, and Alfonso Soriano moves to the #2 spot. Maybe then he can break double digits in RBI's.

Finally, here's what it looked like in the bleachers after the rain delay yesterday:


All the way in the corner, that's me (blue Cub jacket), Mark & Mike standing


Right field. Count the number of people left. Fun!

Photos by David Sameshima

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