If they fire him or convince him to retire, I think it'll kill him. If he keeps the job with as bad as the Cubs are now and probably will be for the next few years, I think it'll kill him. If the Cubs somehow pull off the miracle of miracles and get to the playoffs in that same time, I think he's still doomed since either the excitement of winning or the despair of losing will kill him. Poor Santo.
What are the odds Dusty doesn't take Z out after he finishes the 6th? He's had two troubled starts and he's racking the full counts up tonight despite the shutout...you'd think anyone with half a brain might think that you wouldn't want to overwork your one remain veteran starter. And bullpen-wise, when was the last time Dempster got in there? Did he pitch at all during the losing streak?
That's not a bad idea...him 1st and Murton hitting 2nd. But who do you pick up as an impact bat for the Cubs next year and where do you put them? Man...I wish Dusty would have tried Walker leadoff and Murton 2nd.
And throws 452 pitches in doing so, thereby rendering him armless for the rest of his natural life. In Zambrano years, that would be the age of 86. In human years, that would be 752.