Wait till this year: 10 reasons Cubs could go all the way

Wait till this year: 10 reasons Cubs could go all the way
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chicago Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol plopped down on the billowy leather recliner in the visitors' clubhouse, leaned back in one of those "ahhhhh" moments … and then fell head over heels backward. Reliever Scott Eyre, talking on his cell, let Marmol struggle for a few seconds, leaned the phone to the side and said, "Hold on a second. Marmol just fell over." And then he helped drag Marmol from the recliner. On the opposite side of the clubhouse a handful of Cubs, as well as general manager Jim Hendry and team chairman Crane Kenney, watched as LSU mounted a ninth-inning rally against Rice in the College World Series. Hendry is a close friend of LSU coach Paul Mainieri. [+] EnlargeAP Photo/Nam Y. Huh Kerry Wood's career looked close to the end, but now he's closing out Cubs victories. Just before the game-winning, bases-clearing double that won the game for LSU, closer Kerry Wood sprinted back toward the players lounge. That's where shortstop Ryan Theriot, an LSU alum, was watching -- and dying -- with every pitch. After the LSU rally, Wood walked back into the clubhouse with a smile as wide as the on-deck circle. "When the guy hit the ball, I turned the TV off," he said, laughing. Kids. This is what happens when you have the best record in baseball. Or maybe this is part of the reason why the Cubs have the best record in baseball. Anyway, if you're worried about the Cubs' doing an '07 New York Mets this season, don't. I know: Carlos Zambrano and his right shoulder have a Friday appointment with an MRI machine. And Alfonso Soriano is already on the DL. And Reed Johnson's back is barking. And Jim Edmonds left Wednesday night's game with a sore foot. And the Cubs were just swept out of Florida by the Rays. But it's time for Cubs followers to take deep, calming breaths. It's going to be OK. Probably. I'm not saying team officials are already preparing the parade route through The Loop, but there are reasons -- 10 of them, to be exact -- to think the Cubs can still keep holding hands with their favorite letter: W. 1. The NL Central Pittsburgh, Houston and Cincinnati already trail the Cubs by double digits. Milwaukee can hit, but do you trust the Brewers' pitching staff and defense? I don't. St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan is a genius, but unless he can heal Albert Pujols' injured left calf, the Cardinals eventually will be wheat toast. 2. Circle of Friendship Yeah, they're 18 games over .500, which helps, but the Cubs sure act as if they like each other. "The mark of a good team is when something goes wrong, someone else is there to pick you up," Theriot said. This applies to everyone but Marmol. They just let Marmol lie there. But you get Theriot's point. The Cubs' clubhouse hasn't always been the happiest place on earth. "I think we all are genuinely pulling for each other and care for each other," Theriot said. 3. The Great Switch Kerry Wood went from starter (when he could actually lift his right arm) to closer. Ryan Dempster went from closer to starter. No offseason move has had more of an impact on the Cubs' success. Dempster is 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA. Wood has 18 saves. "We felt [Wood] was made for this job," said Hendry, who compared him to a Goose Gossage-type of closer. "Putting Demp in the rotation and putting Woody at the back end kind of made everything flow a little easier," first baseman Derrek Lee said. "Now you can go to [Bob] Howry in the seventh, Marmol in the eighth and Woody in the ninth. That's like lights out. So you're making the game like a six-inning game now. It's been kind of fun to watch. We get a lead going into those innings and we feel like we're going to win it." 4. The Fukudome Effect You can make the argument that right fielder Kosuke Fukudome is the best free-agent signing by the Cubs in a long time -- at least, during Hendry's nearly seven-year tenure. Fukudome is like your first beer; he's an acquired taste. The more you watch him, the more you understand why he matters so much to this team. [+] EnlargeJonathan Daniel/Getty Images The Cubs outbid a number of clubs for Kosuke Fukudome, and so far the investment is paying off. He didn't come cheap ($12 million per), and he doesn't hit for much power. But gone are the days of the Jacque Jones 16-hopper throw to second base. Fukudome plays Wrigley Field's confusing right-field winds and wall angles as if he grew up on ivy and brick. Plus, he's a left-handed hitter in a predominantly right-handed lineup. Plus, he gets on base, takes pitches, hits to all fields, and can bat almost anywhere in the order (he was moved to leadoff Wednesday, and will stay there until Soriano's return). And best of all, he hasn't told any boring Chunichi Dragons stories. 5. Depth