Talk about role reversals.

Converted closer Ryan Dempster was solid as a starter and got the win. One-time ace Kerry Wood, now called on to finish games, earned his first career save.

Chicago’s offense, meanwhile, thawed out. Aramis Ramirez homered, Alfonso Soriano had two RBIs and the Chicago Cubs got their first win, 6-3 over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

Dempster knows how tough the closer’s role can be and as he waited for Wood to wrap it up, he could hear the crowd chanting “Kerry, Kerry” in the ninth inning.

“Part of me was nervous.. … A couple of the pitches I turned away and stuff like that,” Dempster said. “He’s come a long way, battled through a lot of things to be where he was 10 years ago to be where he is now. It’s pretty remarkable what he’s done to bounce back.”

His once promising career as a starter slowed by arm injuries, Wood made a miraculous recovery from shoulder problems last season and rejoined the Cubs as a reliever for the final two months. This spring he won the closer’s role that Dempster vacated when he rejoined the rotation.

“It’s been a long road,” said Wood, the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year, who once fanned 20 batters in a game.

In a non-save situation Monday, Wood gave up three ninth-inning runs. He had to wait three days to atone.

“If I go out and do my job, it should be quick. Obviously it’s not going to work every time. … So you try to get comfortable and get a routine down and just go to work,” he added.

“It’s one inning and it’s an important inning when you’re out there. You just want to be sharp.”

Dempster made his first start since May 4, 2005—his second season with the Cubs when he began the year in the rotation and then became the closer. He had 87 saves from 2004 through last season.

Surviving a shaky first when the Brewers scored twice, Dempster (1-0) settled down and allowed just three hits in six innings with two walks and five strikeouts. He won as a starter for the first time since April 16, 2005.

Dempster won 29 games as a member of the Florida Marlins’ rotation from 2000-01 before his career was sidetracked in 2003 by elbow ligament-replacement surgery—a procedure that Wood also has endured.

“Absolutely I’m proud of myself,” Dempster said. “I dedicated myself as much or more than I probably ever have because I knew I had a big challenge ahead of me.”

Moved back to the leadoff spot after hitting second the first two games, Soriano drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to force in the go-ahead run and added an RBI single in the sixth to snap a season-starting 0-for-11 slump.

Ramirez was 0-for-7 when homered against Dave Bush (0-1) in the fifth to put the Cubs ahead 4-2. Bush gave up six hits and six runs in 5 1-3 innings.

The game got off to raucous start in the first when leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks flattened Cubs catcher Geovany Soto as he raced home on Prince Fielder’s sacrifice fly.

Weeks, hit twice by pitches in Monday’s opener, led off with a walk and moved to third on Tony Gwynn’s double. Chicago right fielder Kosuke Fukudome made a strong throw to the plate after catching Fielder’s fly, but Weeks knocked Soto down before he could catch the ball.

The ball rolled away and Dempster retrieved it, but his throw to Soto couldn’t get Gwynn, who also raced home and made it 2-0. Fukudome was charged with an error on the throw.

“I’m not dirty, now,” Weeks said. “I had zero options on that play. He was up the line. Sometimes you can get out of the way and slide, but he was straddling the line, so I had no choice.”

Soto had no problem with the play during a spirited opening series between two teams that battled for NL Central title last season.

“If I’m blocking the plate, you’re going go get hit,” he said. “It’s part of the game.”

Chicago tied it in the second on Fukudome’s double, which left fielder Ryan Braun misjudged, Mark DeRosa’s bad-hop RBI single and Soto’s sacrifice fly.

Chicago added two in the sixth when pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot doubled and Soriano dropped a soft run-scoring single to left. After Soriano stole second, Ryan Theriot greeted reliever Seth McClung with an RBI double.

Fielder had an RBI single off Carlos Marmol in the eighth.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella’s lack of patience is well known.

But Derrek Lee had to laugh out loud when he found out after Wednesday’s 8-2 loss to Milwaukee that Alfonso Soriano was heading back to the leadoff spot only two games into the season.

“It’s surprising a little bit, but I guess it shouldn’t [be],” Lee said. “Lou likes to shuffle it around.”

The Cubs fell to 0-2 after a sloppy defensive effort against the Brewers, and Piniella already had seen enough of Soriano in the No. 2 hole after watching him go hitless in nine at-bats.

Piniella used 125 different lineups in 2007. He switched Soriano to the No. 2 hole in the middle of spring training when the Cubs still believed they could pry leadoff man Brian Roberts from Baltimore. But that didn’t work out and Soriano has looked uncomfortable batting second ever since.

Before Wednesday’s game, Piniella said he was amazed the Chicago media constantly is asking about his lineups.

“We just started,” he laughed. “You know what’s amazing—if I don’t change the lineup I get asked ‘Why aren’t you changing it?’ And if I do change it, [reporters say] ‘You’re tinkering.’ … Hopefully, it works out and we don’t have to change it.”

Four hours later, Piniella swallowed hard and changed it, moving Ryan Theriot back into the No. 2 spot behind Soriano.

Was he doing it to make Soriano more comfortable?

“I don’t know, but we’ll just do it that way,” Piniella said.

The Cubs were 69-56 with Soriano leading off in 2007, but Piniella said in spring training he didn’t want his left fielder running much to prevent any leg injuries. Wednesday he said Soriano is “running better,” adding, “We’ll leave him in the leadoff hole and let him hit.”

Soriano, obviously, likes the leadoff spot better than the No. 2 hole. His worst at-bat Wednesday came in the seventh with the Cubs trailing 5-2 and runners on second and third with two outs. Salomon Torres made Soriano chase a 2-2 slider out of the strike zone, and the Cubs were toast.

Soriano certainly wasn’t the only one to blame for the Cubs’ lackluster afternoon.

Ted Lilly served up a leadoff home run to Rickie Weeks on the first pitch and allowed four runs in 42/3 innings. Felix Pie missed a cutoff man that led to a run in the Brewers’ two-run fourth. Geovany Soto let a runner score from third in the sixth when he made an ill-advised throw into center field on Jason Kendall’s stolen base, and Kendall reached on an infield hit in the eighth when Mike Fontenot threw high to first, where pitcher Carmen Pignatiello was late covering.

“It’s only two games, but it’s certainly not a good start,” Piniella said. “I told our team they better be ready to play. And I meant it too. I wasn’t joking around. [Monday] we got beat. Today we didn’t play well, and one of the things we need to do is play good defensive baseball and not give away runs .”

Lilly, who gave up five home runs in 19 spring innings, has not shown the fastball that made him so effective last season.

“That pitch is missing,” Piniella said. “That wasn’t his best stuff.”

Lilly said he “wouldn’t argue with Lou,” probably his best decision of the day.

Tom Crean agreed to become the IU men’s basketball coach after signing a letter of agreement Tuesday to coach the Hoosiers, IU trustee Philip Eskew Jr. confirmed Tuesday.

Crean, formerly the coach at Marquette, will be introduced at a press conference at 11 a.m. today in the Hoosier Room at Memorial Stadium, IU Athletics spokesman J.D. Campbell said. The press conference is closed to the public.

Crean, 42, arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn on College Avenue at about 11 p.m., met by a few members of the media and a couple fans.

“If you’re a college basketball coach, you identify this as one of the greatest jobs in the country,” Crean said outside the hotel. “I’m incredibly honored to have a chance to do this.”

He asked the fans near the hotel to sing him the IU fight song, which he said he did not know. He even took the phone from an IU fan to wish the student on the other line a happy birthday.

Crean flew from Milwaukee into Monroe County Airport shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday and was greeted by a handful of IU fans and members of the media.

IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan was with Crean at the airport.

“What are you all doing here?” Greenspan joked with the crowd. “We had a visitor come visit us today, and we’re pretty happy about it.”

Greenspan said one of the reasons he wanted Crean is because the coach has been successful over a long period of time.

He coached at Marquette for nine years, leading the Golden Eagles to a Final Four appearance in 2003.

“He has an impeccable background, and I’m just thrilled,” Eskew said. “I think he is just an outstanding coach for Indiana.”

Crean, who helped the school make the switch from Conference USA to the Big East during his tenure compiled a 190-96 record with Marquette.

“He did very well at Marquette,” said Joe Weis, IUSA president-elect, adding Crean was able to recruit one Indiana high school star, Dominic James, to play in Milwaukee for the Golden Eagles. “Hopefully we can see that trend continue.”

Marquette released a statement wishing Crean well Tuesday night.

“Marquette University wishes Tom Crean, his wife Joani and the Crean family the very best as he pursues new professional opportunities,” the statement read. “Coach Crean has brought pride, honor and a winning mentality to our men’s basketball program. It is no surprise that other universities would seek him out.”

At IU, Crean inherits a program facing possible NCAA sanctions.

“It will be a challenge, I understand that,” Crean said.

Former coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in February after the NCAA released five alleged major recruiting violations committed by Sampson and members of his staff. In October, IU reported a series of impermissible recruiting phone calls to the NCAA and classified the violations as “secondary.” IU self-imposed a handful of recruiting sanctions, including the loss of a scholarship for the 2008-09 season and restrictions on off-campus recruiting visits for assistant coaches.

The NCAA’s February report revealed new information and reclassified the violations as “major.” It could impose more punishments if it deems necessary.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions will conduct a hearing regarding IU’s situation on June 14 in Seattle and is expected to make its final decision within 30 days of the hearing.

“There’s no way I would have accepted this if I didn’t feel I was up to it,” Crean said.

Ray Schneider, who played basketball at Mount Pleasant High School in Mount Pleasant, Mich., while Crean was an assistant at the school, said he believed Crean could handle the challenges of the program.

“He understands what he’s getting himself into,” Schneider said, though he added he had not talked to Crean since the hire. “I think he himself is accountable, and he’s going to hold everybody associated with the program accountable.”

Schneider, now a professor of sports management at Bowling Green State University, credited the new IU coach with helping him play collegiate basketball at Central Michigan.

“He has lived his entire life to be the best college basketball coach in the country,” he said. “He’s always wanted to coach at one of the top basketball programs in the country. Even when he was a high school coach, you kind of knew he’d be successful.”

Within minutes of hearing the news of Crean’s hire, IU senior Chris Eline started a Facebook group in support of the new coach.

“I’m very excited because hiring a new coach was going to be difficult with our short-term player and sanction issues,” said Eline, the “Crimson and Crean” Facebook group creator. “We needed a guy who would look at the long-term. I think we got someone who’s going to do really well.”

Junior Brian Bulgatz, founder of student fan group “The Hall Monitors,” supported the hire.

“I’m feeling it,” Bulgatz said. “It will do wonders for our recruiting.”

Schneider thinks it could do even more.

“I think everybody will be thrilled with the situation,” Schneider said. “I’m confident it will lead to many wins and somewhere down the line a National Championship.”

Kosuke Fukudome did everything he could in his first major league game—except bring the Chicago Cubs a victory.

Instead, the start of the Cubs’ 100th season since winning the World Series ended in familiar fashion. Tony Gwynn hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Chicago 4-3 on a wet Monday at Wrigley Field.

Fukudome, the team’s main offseason acquisition, went 3-for-3, hitting a tying, three-run homer in the ninth off Eric Gagne (1-0).

But it wasn’t enough for the Cubs, who haven’t even reached the World Series since 1945.

“It was a pretty good day for me, but we lost the game,” Fukudome said through a translator.

Fukudome excited the crowd of 41,089 when he doubled on his first major league pitch from Ben Sheets, then singled, walked and homered. He got ovations throughout the game, including one when he first went to right field. He tipped his cap and bowed at the beginning of what would be an auspicious start.

Gagne gave up a leadoff single to Derrek Lee in the ninth and walked Aramis Ramirez before Fukudome’s drive into the right-center field bleachers. Fukudome then came out for a curtain call.

“He had a great day today. We don’t really have a game plan for him yet. We’ll see how we adjust to him,” said Sheets, who gave up only two hits in 6 1-3 innings, both by Fukudome. “I know he’s a good player.”

Pinch-hitter Craig Counsell opened the 10th with a double off Bob Howry (0-1) and moved up on a sacrifice. And after Rickie Weeks was hit by a pitch for the second straight inning, Gwynn delivered the go-ahead fly. David Riske pitched the bottom of the 10th for the save.

Sheets and Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano pitched shutout ball, the Cubs ace forced out in the seventh because of a forearm cramp.

But closers Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne both had rough outings.

“Gagne sputtered a little bit today but things like that happen,” Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. “Their stopper sputtered, too. It was funny, the starters went out and pitched great and the stoppers struggled.”

The Brewers went ahead in the ninth off Wood. After the Cubs chose to intentionally walk Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun hit an RBI single before falling down coming out of the batter’s box, and Corey Hart’s two-run double made it 3-0.

The Cubs overcame Milwaukee’s 8 1/2 -game lead in late June to win the NL Central last season, but the Brewers believe they’ve learned from the experience.

“I think last year we would have lost a game like this a lot of times,” Braun said. “It was disappointing when they came back like that, but everybody stayed together, stayed tough. We were confident that we were going to come out with a win and we did.”

Zambrano allowed three hits in 6 2-3 innings. He had problems with cramping last season, as well.

“I have to take care of myself,” he said. He had just picked Bill Hall off second base when he grabbed his arm in the seventh. Earlier in the inning, he’d been knocked to the ground by Derrek Lee as they chased a pop, but he said that had nothing to do with the cramping.

Because of the 100th anniversary, even more attention has been focused on the Cubs’ travails. Manager Lou Piniella has already told his team not to worry about he past and forge its own reputation.

“How do I view it? … It’s not something I came up with, believe me,” Piniella said before the game. “It seems rather improbable. I mean a long time.”

The Cubs have another streak Piniella would like to end first.

“I read the same things that everybody else does,” he said. “Not only have the Cubs not won in 100 years, but they haven’t been in the postseason two years in a row in that span.”

The Cubs honored one of their greats, Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, whose brilliant career also lacked a World Series appearance.

The team unveiled a statue of him in front of Wrigley Field on a wet afternoon. The game was delayed by 41 minutes at the start and another 49 minutes in the bottom of the third.

As the inning unfolded, C.C. Sabathia felt as if he was watching a favorite movie, one with a dialogue he knows by heart and predictable ending.

“Not to sound cocky,” the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner said. “But I think everybody knew what was coming.”

Say this for the Cleveland Indians, they can do drama.

The defending AL Central champions won in familiar fashion at Progressive Field—their ballpark previously known as Jacobs Field—as Casey Blake hit a three-run double in the eighth inning Monday for a 10-8 opening win over the Chicago White Sox.

Blake’s shot off the wall against Octavio Dotel capped a 3-hour, 21-minute opener that featured five homers, controversial calls and unseasonably pleasant weather in a city finally thawed out from the snowiest March on record.

After blowing a 7-2 lead, the Indians loaded the bases in the eighth on two singles and a two-out walk before Blake’s clutch hit.

“It was not that big of a surprise,” said Sabathia, who made his fifth and potentially final opening day start for the Indians. “Nobody in this clubhouse was ever in doubt. We always have faith that somebody would come through and it was Casey—once again.”

They may not play in the Jake anymore, but everything else seemed in place for the Indians, who won 23 times in their final at-bat last season.

With the score 7-7, Kelly Shoppach and Jhonny Peralta opened the eighth with singles off Dotel (0-1), who bounced back and got two quick outs. Franklin Gutierrez, who hit a three-run homer in Cleveland’s seven-run second off Mark Buehrle, walked to load the bases.

Blake fell behind 1-2 in the count before lifting a shot high off the 19-foot-high wall in left, barely missing a grand slam but starting a new chapter of memories for Indians fans, who have resisted the ballpark’s new corporate moniker.

“I was begging for a homer,” said Blake, who batted just .190 with runners in scoring position last year.

Chicago’s Jim Thome hit a pair of two-run homers off Sabathia, who couldn’t protect a 7-2 lead but wound up with a no-decision. The lefty struck out seven in 5 1-3 innings.

The White Sox threatened in the ninth as Jermaine Dye homered off Joe Borowski, last year’s AL saves leader who once again had pulses racing before retiring Joe Crede on a foul pop to get the save for winner Rafael Betancourt.

The comeback didn’t comfort losing’s sting.

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory,” catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “To come back from 7-2 against C.C. is huge, but give them credit. They got the hits when they needed them and we didn’t.”

Consecutive, debatable went against the White Sox in the eighth, preventing them from going ahead.

Crede led off with a double but was held at third when he had to check up on Juan Uribe’s hard-hit double to left-center off Betancourt. After an intentional walk, Orlando Cabrera bounced to shortstop Jhonny Peralta, whose high throw home for a force pulled catcher Kelly Shoppach off the plate. Shoppach, though, managed to tag Crede as he slid by.

At least that’s the way Gerry Davis saw it.

“Nobody tagged me,” Crede said. “I didn’t feel anything. I went in and looked at the TV replay and he didn’t tag me.”

Thome then shattered his bat on a grounder to second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, who flipped to Peralta. After stepping on the bag for one out, Peralta was making his throw to first when he was grabbed on the left leg by a sliding Orlando Cabrera, who was called out for interference.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen sprinted out of his dugout for the second time in minutes to protest another call that didn’t go Chicago’s way.

“The umpire was right,” Guillen said. “I went down and saw the replay.”

Gutierrez and Grady Sizemore homered off Mark Buehrle, who didn’t get out of the second and was disappointed with his first outing of ‘08.

“It doesn’t get much more embarrassing for a starting pitcher than that,” the left-hander said.

On their way to building a 7-2 lead, the Indians lost All-Star catcher Victor Martinez to a hamstring injury. Martinez, hurt in last year’s home opener, came up limping while running to second in Cleveland’s big inning, which he started with a base hit and ended with an RBI single.

Martinez was taken for an MRI exam following the game, and the Indians were hoping their best hitter wouldn’t miss much time.