Clear as mud

Last Friday Uncle Lou promised the media some surprises. This led to speculation as to what the shakeup would be. Followed by a very bizzarre series of events Sunday after the ballgame involving Ryan Dempster and the Cub Manager. Dempster told writers he was excited to move to the rotation. Piniella told reporters he had scrapped that plan. This was followed by Dempster saying he would stay put in the Cub bullpen for now:

"I've got a headline for you," Dempster said. " 'Dempster taken out of rotation after one non-start.' "

Man, I thought Dusty Baker's teams were a soap opera.


It appears that after a quarter of the season Lou Piniella has seen enough of his pitching staff as constructed. He's gotten out the sawzall and duck tape and he's bound and determined to put this thing back together again.

Apparently the plan calls for Angel Guzman to move to the bullpen and eventually take over the closer role. Not a bad idea. This change for Guzman will be the third of the season for the Cub right hander. After competing for the fifth spot with Wade Miller and one of the often injured RHP, Guzman started the regular season as the long man out of the pen. By mid-April he was sent to Iowa to stretch his arm out to take the fifth spot from the struggling Wade Miller. Now he finds himself the Cubs closer of the future. Ryan Dempster will groom him for that spot. Carlos Marmol will also play a bigger role in the Cub pen.

So to make some of this plan take shape, the Cubs are going to recall Sean Marshall and put him in the rotation. Marking the first time that I can remember the Cubs having three left handers in the starting rotation. To get this done, struggling Neil Cotts will be sent to Iowa.

The whole thing gives this Cub fan a headache. Here are a few things that we do know. Guzman has the power arm that Piniella would like to have closing ballgames(so does Marmol). Despite the loss last Thursday, Dempster has not had the struggles Bobby Howry and Scott Eyre have had this year. Dempster also has not been a decent starting pitcher for years. It appears to me that the Cubs really don't have a role for Dempster, in Lou's reworked pitching staff.