By Matt Veto, mveto@qconline.com
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I hate spring training. It’s boring. It’s long. It’s fake.
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It’s almost over.
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Spring training gets us all excited for baseball, only to play out like an arduous chess match that features four extra rows on the board to make room for the 32 additional “pawns” that litter the lineup with too-high numbers.
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The coaches talk about “competition” at certain positions just to make sure the egos of knights and bishops don’t get too big. But the rook (who’s actually a vet) stands in the corner watching everything and says, “Yeah… you go get ‘em, middle infielder Darwin Barney. Maybe that ‘6′ in front of the ‘5′ on yer back’ll fall off.”
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I could go on, but fortunately my chess knowledge starts to fade from here.
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Spring training is generally pretty predictable after all of the offseason deals are done. I don’t really believe anyone other than Sean Marshall has a chance to take over the Cubs’ No. 5 spot in the rotation, and does anyone really think Mike Stanton is even going to potentially add lefthanded depth to the bullpen?
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But every now and then, there are surprises. For me, the one surprise this spring came Sunday when Carlos Marmol was told he wouldn’t be the closer. Kevin “Don’t Forget the Extra G” Gregg has been awarded that job, and now essentially has become a replacement for Kerry Wood.
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A cheaper replacement? Some might argue that.
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Gregg will get $4.2 million this season. Yes, I know, Wood signed with the Indians for 2 years, $20.5 million — the Cubs wouldn’t pay that. But I still don’t believe the Cubs would have HAD to pay that much if they wanted him. Wood wanted to stay.
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Just like the Mark DeRosa departure that puzzles some folks, I’m trying to digest it all with an open mind. Comparing the player gone to the player acquired isn’t fair. DeRosa and Wood were favorites, but to become a favorite you need a chance to play. The only comparison that’s going to matter in the end is the 2008 result vs. the 2009 finish.
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The good new is, we all get to begin another season of cheering proudly, complaining loudly and contradicting ourselves when it turns out someone we thought would be awful isn’t such a goat after all.
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Opening day for the Cubs is April 6, and no matter the makeup of the 25-man roster that heads north, the Cubs are going to be tabbed the favorite in the National League Central — and by default — the favorite to win the World Series in the eyes of many Cubs fans.
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While nothing would make me happier, I think I’ll take my position in the corner, and watch this thing play out before I move one way or the other.
