Meh. The entire AL East arrived against Gagne last year. It was like Grand ####### Central...

When Kosuke Fukudome hit a three-run homer off Milwaukee closer Eric Gagne to tie the season opener in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, fans all over Wrigley Field held up professionally made signs with English words on one side and Japanese on the other.

It was meant to be a two-sided version of the phrase "It's Gonna Happen." But something got lost in translation, and the Japanese side read: "It's An Accident."

Chicago Tribune

Kerry Wood SHOULD become a good closer. But when he came into the game today I was feeling bad joo-joo. Honestly, we should've gone for a complete Wood/Prior enema. Woody is bad karma.

K Wood - LOL "Closer", LOL!!

Gagne was throwing only fastballs and appeared injured early in the inning (he bent over and grabbed his knees like basketball players do in the 4th quarter). I hope everything is alright. Even a 4 ERA out of him would probably be fine with the Brewers.

K Wood - LOL "Closer", LOL!!

Gagne - LOL $10mil "Closer", LOL!!!

Of course, only one of those guys pitched in a save situation today (someone should tell that to the Trib editor who chose that headline and to Paul Sullivan). And even though the Brewers won this one, I bet the Brewers are more worried, and rightfully so, about their bullpen and closer situations (I mean, after how badly the Brewers "choked"-to use a Beano term-last year and then again today with a 3 run lead, how can you not be completely scared?).

Should be a great series this year with these two teams, they seem fairly evenly matched, and I expect the division to be up for grabs until the very end.

Should be a great series this year with these two teams, they seem fairly evenly matched, and I expect the division to be up for grabs until the very end.

No doubt. Thank goodness those final 3 games of the year are under a dome. Much better to have the dome on the final weekend than opening day.

Even a 4 ERA out of him would probably be fine with the Brewers.

I'd actually put money on a 3.80 ERA for Gagne this year. While that may be good for a starter, it is actually pretty poor for a closer, but I'd take it. I wish the concept of the "closer" didn't exist. If it wasn't for popular opinion or mass media, it would have died by now.

I know that a 4 ERA isn't good from a closer but I think they just wanted a guy who wasn't Turnbow to close (Turnbow has to be the only guy who had an ERA of 7 in an All-Star season). I don't know why they went with Gagne, although it was presumably because they felt he had some upside in his 2nd year back from injury and pitching for another contract.

However bad Gagne looked, there's no reason he can't at least be Todd Jones. That's not worth $10 million, but it's better than Turnbow or Mota. Riske may be able to do it, but I guess they didn't want to go with someone who had little closing experience. Maybe Doug didn't think that would be fair to Ned after he put him on notice that this could be his last year if they don't make the playoffs.

I just hope Wood and Howry feel really bad about this... Tomorrow being Illinois' first official Cheap Trick Day, they've succeeded in ruining the very first Cheap Trick Day eve.

I don't know why they went with Gagne, ...

Once Gagne played for the Rangers, he finally had the cachet needed for Melvin to be interested.

K Wood - LOL "Closer", LOL!!

What Moses said. BeanoCook is a boil on the friendly BTF Brewer/Cub fan rivalry's a$$.

I wish the concept of the "closer" didn't exist.

Which didn't stop you from using it as the basis for a trollish comment until you got called on it.

Cheap Trick Day? Awesome. I can take or leave Cheap Trick, but one of the members owns Piece, which makes the best pizza in town and brews killer microbrew.

#13, relax. You have done more than your share of crying on this topic.

The fact that Wood got through the inning without an injury is the most important point. Any closer can blow a lead.

Beano is a fukin troll when it comes to the Cubs. Seemingly a manifestation of his inferiority complex. Certainly takes something to feel inferior to the Cubs.

ZiPS projects Gagne for a 3.60 ERA, which seems about right to me. I can see him doing very poorly on the Brewers, a team whose bullpen appears to be an exercise in reverse toilet training, but I'd say that about almost any pitcher. Then there's the PED issue, but who knows what the impact of that is.

Anyway, I don't think Gagne is nearly as bad an option as most people think. He's badly overpaid, of course.

#13, relax. You have done more than your share of crying on this topic.

1. What "topic"?
2. Go #### yourself.

Of course, only one of those guys pitched in a save situation today (someone should tell that to the Trib editor who chose that headline and to Paul Sullivan).

I don't think there's anything wrong with the headline or Sullivan's usage. Sure he wasn't brought in to save this particular game, but since closer is considered a position on a pitching staff, this was undeniably his debut in that particular job.

K Wood - LOL "Closer", LOL!!

No one pointed out that the Cubs have 3 pitchers who could step in and make excellent closers?

I just wonder if the Brewers have anyone close to as good as Howry/Marmol/Weurtz.

They don't, of course, but that never stops Beano from throwing out a content-free swipe at the Cubs.

I have Wood as a closer on my team, but hey, I'm short in HOLDS, which we also count, so I just want him to not get hurt.

I hear you laughing but I'M NOT LISTENING.

Well, Marmol is on another level. I still don't understand the rationale for making him the setup guy UNLESS Lou believes the truly important innings are the 7th and 8th.

Because Marmol's stuff is electric. He buckles knees.

Riske is as solid as the others.

But he ain't Marmol.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the headline or Sullivan's usage. Sure he wasn't brought in to save this particular game, but since closer is considered a position on a pitching staff, this was undeniably his debut in that particular job.

I'm really nit picking here, I know. I also should know what to expect from the Trib. Had they said his first appearance as a closer, that'd be fine. But they both said "save situation." That's different, and well, I was in a pissy mood when I posted.

Well, Marmol is on another level. I still don't understand the rationale for making him the setup guy UNLESS Lou believes the truly important innings are the 7th and 8th.

Because Marmol's stuff is electric. He buckles knees.

Riske is as solid as the others.

But he ain't Marmol.

I think part of it is the worry that Marmol will get figured out and suck as a closer. Lou might even believe the 7th and 8th innings are more important, but I'm not sure that would be a huge part of his decision making process.

But he ain't Marmol.

Harvey you are really drinking that Marmolade aren't you.

I still don't understand the rationale for making him the setup guy UNLESS Lou believes the truly important innings are the 7th and 8th.

Because Marmol's stuff is electric. He buckles knees.

I'm happy with his throwing the 7th and 8th. If/when Wood continues to suck and/or gets hurt, it'll be easy enough to plug Howry or someone in the closer's role. I think Marmol's likely to throw more innings as the primary setup guy than he would as closer, and that's a good thing, as long as the leverage in those innings is comparable to that in the ninth (and I suspect it is).

I was happy to see Marmol come in yesterday with two strikes on Hart (I think?) and immediately throw his curve, rather than his usual (slider or fastball), with perfect accuracy. That was awesome.

Personally, as someone that agrees with the idea of Marmol being the best pitcher for the "key inning" -- be it 7, 8, or 9 -- I think it's instructive to see that Marmol was virtually unhittable in his brief stint, while Wood choked away a lead in the 9th, while Howry lost the game in the 10th.

I think all 3 pitchers are fine relievers - none of them should be exiled and for the Cubs to succeed, all 3 need to play key roles... but I'm puzzled why Harvey seems alone in this observation.

Marmol's stuff is and always was electric -- prior to last year, his command of it was poor... last year, he seemed to 'figure it out' in a way that Juan Cruz (for example) never did.

That said, I'm not too worked up about Marmol being named "The Closer" -- but yesterday, he was clearly brought in a lower leverage situation (top 7, 2 outs after Z got hurt), while Wood and Howry were saved.