Campaign pitch: Marmol best man for job

The Cubs won't win anything if Carlos Marmol isn't the closer by the end of the season.

There, you need to hear it any more directly than that?

The closer derby has become one heck of a job search, as compelling as the one for United States president.

In fact, the candidates for both high offices have similar credentials.

Bob Howry is John McCain, the elder statesman who has been a steady performer for years.

Kerry Wood is Hillary Clinton, the battle-scarred survivor of good times and bad.

Marmol is Barack Obama, the relatively untested newcomer with electric stuff.

The vibe I'm getting up here from down there seems to be that Marmol will win the job this spring -- closer, not president -- but that sentiment might be more wishful than thoughtful.

The hunch here is that Howry will begin the season at closer with Wood and Marmol as his setup men.

That would give the electorate of one -- Cubs manager Lou Piniella -- a late-inning mix of clarity, stability and ability every major-league team pursues.

At least for a while it would. Then the comparisons will evolve from the White House to the White Sox.

If the Cubs get lucky, their closer muddle will sort out as successfully as the Sox' 2005 campaign did.

(OK, that's far-fetched. Most of us understand the Cubs aren't going to win a World Series in our lifetimes.)

Anyway, allow me to demystify how this closer mystery will unwind, or perhaps unravel.

For openers -- on March 31 in Wrigley Field, or whatever it's called by then -- let's say Howry indeed is the Cubs' closer.

Remember, just as Shingo Takatsu was for the Sox on Opening Day in 2005.

But just as Takatsu did, Howry will falter and force Piniella to look for the next best option.

That would be Wood, just as it was Dustin Hermanson for the Sox three years ago.

But just as it did for Hermanson, the workload will take a toll on Wood's fragile body and force Piniella to look for a last resort.

That would be the Mighty Mr. Marmol, just as it was Jumbo Bobby Jenks for the Sox in '05.

Again, the Cubs should be so lucky.

Marmol can excite crowds the way Jenks did when he emerged from the bullpen and anonymity.

Some thought Marmol, not Ryan Dempster, should have been the Cubs' closer down the stretch last season. They might have been correct.

Some also think Marmol, not Howry, should be the Cubs' closer this Opening Day They definitely are correct.

Ask any manager who must press an untested youngster into a critical role and he'll say, "I'd rather have inexperienced talent than experience with less talent."

Yet when that same manager has to choose, he can't resist going with a veteran like Howry or Wood.

If the Cubs really are lucky, they'll still be in contention after Howry becomes ineffective and Wood wears out.

Then Marmol can race in from the bullpen, energize fans, and close out a division title the way Jenks did.

As for winning the World Series and being entertained at the White House by whoever the next president is … let's not get goofy here.

But at least Marmol would give the Cubs a chance to get lucky.