Aggie Cliff Pennington also in the A's lineup.

9-2 in the 7th

Snyder, DLee, Colvin, Fuld, and Byrd all have homered.

quote:

---

Listening to Pat & Ron call a game is good for the soul

---

No kidding. I turn the all-access radio broadcast on at work on the headphones. If work got too distracting, you could always tell when something was going on by Ron's loud cheers or angry yelling/moaning.

Shocking news. Angel Guzman is having shoulder problems and won't be ready for Opening Day.

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/03/cubs-guzman-wont-be-ready-for-start-of-season.html

Cubs picked up another "win" yesterday, 8-7 over the Diamondbacks.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8692736&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

Notes:

Koyie Hill singled off a ball that hit our old "pal" Aaron Heilman.

-Zambrano went 2 scoreless with a K

-

quote:

---

The Cubs had three No. 1 Draft picks in the lineup: left fielder Colvin (2006), third baseman Vitters (2007) and center fielder Jackson (2009). "I was 'Dad' -- 'Dad' was in the lineup," said Kevin Millar, 38, who started at first. "Now I see how the Griffeys played together. If I had a 20-year-old son, Vitters could be my son."

---

-Tyler Colvin was 3-3 with 2 doubles.

-Castro was 2-4, leading off

-4 of the Dbacks' runs came off Jeff Stevens, who pitched 12 innings for us last season.

Torn ligament for Guzman.

http://muskat.mlblogs.com/?partnerId=rss_chc

On a happier note, Cubs-Sox on WGN in 40 minutes.

[This message has been edited by Dr. Cub, Esq. (edited 3/6/2010 1:21p).]

Tom Morello posted this on Twitter a few hours ago.

quote:

---

Baseball under way. After LaTroy Hawkins, Jacque Jones, Fukodome, and Milton Bradley I hope Cubs fans can manage to NOT BE RACIST this year.

---

FYI, he is a Cubs fan.

[This message has been edited by Dr. Cub, Esq. (edited 3/6/2010 7:53p).]

Surely he had to be kidding. What have Cub fans done to Dome?

The old Rage guys made some good music, but they were a bunch of idiots.

A large number of the Cubs aren't white and are loved by the fans.

Jones, Hawkins, and Bradley were heckled because they were bad, not because they were black. There's a reason Hawkins still gets made fun of when he comes back to Wrigley (and Bradley would be too), and it isn't because of his race.

The deal with F-Dome is probably the "Hory Kow" shirts with the stereotype slanted eyes on the Cubs logo that were sold outside the stadium. Considering how little he's really done, the Cubs fans have really embraced him.

That's true of any new players. Think of how many non-white Cubs that the city loves. Sounds like Morello is just being an over-activist do*che as usual.

What's the latest on Brooks Raley? Any one heard anything? I've been away for wuite a while and haven't been able to keep up.

Not much info out there on Raley. I think someone had him as #10 on the Cubs top prospects list. I think he figures to start in A ball this year since it will be his first full year. If he pitches well, I would expect him to get moved up to AA.

You can check here for more info:
http://www.northsidebaseball.com/bridge/index.php?f=3&rb_v=viewforum

Carlos Silva was awful in his first appearance on the mound over the weekend. At least he isn't Milton Bradley.

The grumblings from camp are that Soriano is still the same guy...meaning that his play in the outfield is lazy (not to mention just plain bad) and he's taking big, dumb swings during very unintelligent ABs.

I've heard the same. Speaking of Soriano...Is Julius Peppers going to be the Bears' Soriano?

Rumors have Smoltz (I've heard conflicting rumors with him), Pedro and Toronto's Frasor as possible acquisitions, but nothing seems to be real concrete.

Also, an interesting article on Guzman and the state of the Cubs this spring:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jon_heyman/03/08/cubs-piniella/index.html?eref=writers

So, word is that Colvin is outplaying Fuld and Hoffpauir for the last spot in the OF. I'm very curious about this development. I've never been too sold on Fuld and I really liked Hofpauir, but he wass seeming less and less reliable in big situations at the end of last seasons. The whole teams was playing bad, so I guess that had something to do with it. You still want guys to produce even when others are struggling though.

Supposedly Colvin hit the weight room hard in the offseason and added a bunch of muscle. Castro has been hitting extremely well too. I need to call my old man and get his take on things so far.

I'm interested in their take on him. It's hard, I hear a lot of the prospects names but don't really have much to go by until they start getting some time in spring training.

LOL

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/03/milton-bradley-ejected-for-2nd-time-this-week.html

Those Peoria fans are racist.

But seriously, you kind of have to start wondering if it could get ugly near the end of Bradley's career...meaning, will he do something that will cut his career short?

quote:

---

Lilly likely to be back in late April
March 21
Chicago Sun-Times

"The Cubs are projecting a return to the rotation for rehabbing pitcher Ted Lilly sometime around the last weekend in April, possibly during a three-game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Manager Lou Piniella said he wants all five pitchers in his season-opening rotation to take three turns each, ''and then when Lilly's ready to join us, whoever's pitching the best out of that bunch can stay in the rotation.''

That would put Lilly's return, barring a setback with his shoulder, during the Cubs' April 23-25 series at Milwaukee, or possibly when the team returns home the next day to face the Washington Nationals.

One thing the Cubs can't do in Lilly's absence is skip the fifth starter in April, because the only days off are the first two Tuesdays of the season, followed by 19 straight game dates."

---

On an unrelated note...there's been a fair amount of chatter about Lou being in the last year of his contract. Here's my guess, if ol' Lou makes it to the playoffs but doesn't get at least 2 wins, he doesn't get his contract renewed.

Who knows if Lou even wants to manage beyond this year?

Good point.

Interesting read on the current Cubs roster and predictions on what it will look like come opening day:

quote:

---

Decisions Looming for Hendry and Piniella
By Neil on March 23, 2010

The practice games are coming to end for the Chicago Cubs. While a majority of the Opening Day roster is set, there are still a few spots the Cubs must fill before turning in their 25-man roster on April 4.

Reportedly, Lou Piniella met with his coaching staff following Monday's game to discuss final roster moves. There is also that "little issue" with adding a veteran arm to the bullpen. The Cubs are talking to the Blue Jays about Jason Frasor, will a deal get done?

With just 13 exhibition games remaining, which players will break camp with the Chicago Cubs?

The Backend of the Rotation

The Cubs are leaning toward beginning the season with Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny in the rotation. It appears Sean Marshall and Jeff Samardzija will begin the year in the bullpen.

The Cubs have stated they will begin the year with a 12-man pitching staff and a five-man rotation despite the fact they do not need a fifth starter until April 19,

Piniella is expected to make the official announcement on his starting five by Friday.

The Bullpen

The Cubs have one spot left to fill in the pen, unless Jim Hendry pulls off a trade. Justin Berg will reportedly head east with the team when they leave for Atlanta on April 3. With Berg in the mix, there is one spot left in the pen.

* Carlos Marmol
* John Grabow
* Esmailin Caridad
* Sean Marshall
* Jeff Samardzija
* Justin Berg

Of the pitchers still in camp, James Russell has outperformed them all this spring.

The last few outings by John Gaub have been less than satisfactory. As for Mike Parisi, his outing on Monday against the Indians likely punched his ticket back to the Cardinals' organization. Marcos Mateo has shown flashes, but can be very wild and inconsistent.

The Cubs would have to add James Russell to their 40-man roster in order for him to start the season with the big league club.

The Bench

Lou Piniella reiterated on Sunday that Xavier Nady would begin the year on the active roster. If that is case, the following 11 players are locks to begin the season on the active roster ... with one big if.

* Derrek Lee
* Ryan Theriot
* Mike Fontenot
* Jeff Baker
* Aramis Ramirez
* Alfonso Soriano
* Marlon Byrd
* Kosuke ***udome
* Xavier Nady
* Geovany Soto
* Koyie Hill

The "big if" is Aramis Ramirez. The fact he is not able to throw a baseball yet is a little concerning, but it is just Spring Training. Ramirez took grounders on Monday and hit with Rudy Jaramillo on Sunday. Ramirez is supposed to be the Cubs' DH on Tuesday against the Royals.

Here's where it gets a little tricky. Depending on whom the Cubs' decide will begin the season as the backup to Ryan Theriot, the Cubs will either break camp with Chad Tracy and/or Kevin Millar.

Andres Blanco is out of options and if he does not break camp on the active roster, the Cubs will risk loosing him to another team. Blanco has been hampered by the leg injury, seeing his first game action on Monday since March 6. So they could start him on the DL to give them a little more time. Again, it depends on if they feel Mike Fontenot can at least make routine plays at shortstop.

Bobby Scales and Micah Hoffpauir should begin the year with Ryne Sandberg in Iowa.

The other spot available on the Cubs' bench is for a fifth outfielder ... Tyler Colvin, Sam Fuld and James Adduci. All three have minor league options and the feeling of late is the Cubs might decide to send Colvin to Iowa so he can play everyday. Plus they know what they have in Sam Fuld ... a late-inning defensive substitute that can play all three spots in the outfield. Fuld can also hit left-handed pitching, as he displayed a year ago.

So the safe bet for one of the last two spots on the Cubs' bench on March 23 is Sam Fuld ... with the Cubs deciding on the last day, depending on the health of Aramis Ramirez, between Chad Tracy and Kevin Millar.

Jason Frasor

The Cubs are very interested in Jason Frasor ... no real news there. According to Jim Bowden (during his show on XM Radio last week), Jim Hendry and Alex Anthopoulos speak on a daily basis. The Cubs are scouting Frasor while the Blue Jays have scouts at all of the Cubs Spring Training games.

If Hendry decides he must add Frasor, how much will it cost the Cubs?

Ken Rosenthal brought up a good comparison on Monday. When the Dodgers traded for George Sherrill last year they sent the Orioles Josh Bell and Steve Johnson.

Josh Bell, a third baseman, was the Dodgers' eighth best prospect according to Baseball America prior to the 2009 season. Johnson (RHP) was the Dodgers' 13th round pick in 2005. Last season he posted a 12-7 record in two minor league stops (High-A and Double-A, in the Dodgers and Orioles organization) with a 12-7 record in 27 games, 25 starts, with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

Rosenthal does not think the Blue Jays will get two players for Jason Frasor, or Scott Downs, because both pitchers have only one year remaining on their current contract ... Sherrill had one more full season left (2010). According to Rosenthal, the Blue Jays will likely ask for the "equivalent of a 2011 sandwich pick between the first and second rounds, and probably more."

So how much is Jason Frasor worth? If the Cubs were to trade this year's eighth best prospect according to Baseball America ... that would be right-handed pitcher Chris Carpenter.

Keep in mind, the roster a team breaks camp with is never the one they finish the year with ... but it could be an interesting 12 days leading up to decision time.

---

http://www.texags.com/main/forum.postreply.asp?forum_id=53&topic_id=515328&page=last&goto=/main/forum.reply.asp%3Ftopic_id%3D515328%26forum_id%3D53%26page%3Dlast

Please forgive me if this makes me very unsettled about the way this season will begin for the Cubs.

My dad didn't have a whole lot of positive stuff to say about the team when I talked to him last week. He's a very positive person in almost every aspect of his life, except when it comes to the Cubs. It really breaks my heart.

So is this normal negativity or are we talking extra negative? Why is it that I was unaware of ARam's injury status? I can't remember, did he have offseason surgery late in the offseason?

So Frasor is competing with our ol' buddy Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs for the closer spot in Toronto. Gregg's had a rough go of it so far. Sad thing is that Frasor's had it worse.

Does Hendry really want to lose a prospect for a guy that can't even beat Gregg out on the depth chart?

i do not know why, i just can't get excited about this season. I guess i am not going to get my hopes up like the last few years. I just didn't see anything in the offseason that gives me confidence that we will improve besides bradley gone.

The cubs are getting older, not sure about better

Agreed. I think we probably finish around .500 and about 3rd in the division. I do think that if we can hang around in the fight that the Ricketts family will let Hendry go out and get someone big at the trading deadline.

Aramis did not have surgery on his shoulder, but the bicep issue he is dealing with now is unrelated. It's not even the same arm.

My dad seems to grow and more negative about the Cubs as the years pass. He is going to be 79 this year and his eyesight is getting worse & worse. I think he realizes that he has been a die-hard fan his whole life and will never see the Cubs win it all.

I think that I should have a long life ahead of me. Many years of opportunities for the Cubs to win it all...but, who knows?

At least the Cubs don't have the Kanye West of baseball anymore.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5025391

He makes me sick.

...

quote:

---

Cubs Could Face Major Changes In 2010 Offseason
By Mark Polishuk [March 19, 2010 at 10:29pm CST]

The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan suggests that unless the Cubs have success in 2010, the team's roster could face a dramatic overhaul next winter. Another disappointing season like their 83-78 performance in 2009 could lead to a rebuild, which must just thrill fans of a team has gone over a century without a World Series title.

Sullivan notes that the Cubs' core of stars are all in their 30's, so let's take a look at the ones perhaps most likely to leave Chicago should the team struggle next season. Manager Lou Piniella is on the last year of his contract, and would almost certainly not stick around for a lengthy rebuild. Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee are free agents, and Lee has already said he doesn't want to begin negotiations on an extension during the season. Perhaps the most intriguing case is that of Aramis Ramirez, who has the option of voiding his contract after the season or remaining with Chicago and earning $14.6MM in 2011. (MLBTR's Tim Dierkes broke down Ramirez's situation last month.)

On the surface, the Cubs losing three of their top players and their veteran manager doesn't look like good news. But, if the worst happened and all four left, the Cubs would suddenly be left with a lot of open money with Lee, Lilly and Ramirez all off of the books. The trio is set to earn a combined $40.75MM in 2010 according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, and if Ramirez opted out of his contract, that would free up the $14.6MM owed to him in 2011 and the possible $16MM that he could earn in 2012 should he reach his vesting options.

The Cubs would still have a lot of money tied up in the likes of Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano in the short-term. But, with the Lee/Lilly/Ramirez millions to spend and a minor league system ranked seventh in baseball by ESPN's Keith Law, a rebuilding process under a new manager (and probably a new general manager) might not be too long or painful. It could give Chicago a chance to invest in some younger talent rather than re-sign Lee or Lilly.

---

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/chicago_cubs/index.html

I'm going to go ahead an agree with the idea of "rebuilding" if this season is a bust. I don't know what qualifies as a bust since we really don't have the expectation we have had in the past couple seasons.

We do have a solid group of players on the brink of getting their first real chances to play everyday at Wrigley. The way Colvin has swung the bat this spring has really turned some heads, along with the Castro hype. How far off is Vitters? I haven't heard much about him except he is still young and got off to a slow start. I guess you also have Andrew Cashner and Jay Jackson on the mound and then Barney and Brett Jackson are a couple others to watch in the minors this year.

We have had this main core of players together for some time now, and they have not been able to get it done. I don't see why we would want to hang around with the same guys.

I'm watching the Cubs-A's game on my iPhone right now.