With supposed closer Matt Thornton blowing two saves already, Ozzie Guillen's heading in a different, significantly more interesting direction. Kevin Allen (via ESPNChicago.com):
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen spoke at length about his bullpen before Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He refused to back away from comments he made after Saturday's 4-2 win at U.S. Cellular Field that he would be using a closer-by-committee approach moving forward.
--snip--
"I've got three or four guys who can close," Guillen said. "I got [Jesse] Crain, [Chris] Sale, [Sergio] Santos and Thornton that can close the end of the game. Don't be surprised if you see one of those guys. We'll do that because someone needs the rest or we like the matchup better. There's a lot of things going through our minds about who's going to be pitching the ninth."
These sorts of arrangements, so often discussed, are rarely actually deployed, and when deployed they very rarely last for more than a week or two (if that). The pitchers don't really care for the arrangement, because they prefer to know the exact situations in which they'll be pitching. And the managers wind up not caring for the arrangement, because they have to think a lot harder and answer a lot more annoying questions after close losses.
Still, I admire Guillen for at least considering the possibility. And if anyone can make it work, it might be Guillen because he's a creative guy and he does have some big arms in his bullpen.
