The Cubs have looked great in Spring Training.  They have finished spring training with a 17-13 record.  Carlos Zambrano’s contract is just about finished, with the announcement of a new contract coming on Monday at the latest.  The team is ready to open the season against Aaron Harang in a rematch of last years’ Opening Day.  This is a way different ballclub then last year and there are high expectations on the north side.  I guess that’s why I am writing this post to send a message to Cubs’ fans.

I have been worried about the behavior of Cubs fans lately.  Last year was especially brutal.  Cubs fans have always been known as good, loyal fans, Ernie even named it the Friendly Confines.  Many ex-Cubs have said that every ballplayer should experience starting at Wrigley at least once in their careers.  But as we reach one hundred years since our last World Series, some fans are getting impatient.  The one thing that bothers me the most has been the booing.  I always made it a rule to never boo a Cubs player unless they say something negative about the fans.  The booing was out of control last year and I think it gave all Cubs fans a bad rap. 

Juan Pierre told the Trib that;

"Chicago might be a good place to play, but it is a tough place to lose, one of the toughest.  They love their Cubbies in that town, and they sell out almost every game at Wrigley. We lost almost 100 games and the fans voiced their opinion.  It was unpleasant and sometimes it got nasty, but you knew they were yelling because they love their team. That’s what made it so disappointing."

If that’s the opinion of a good guy like Pierre, you know that other players probably have heard the same or worst about Cubs’ fans.  That’s only going to hurt the Cubs’ chances of signing free agents.  One thing I have noticed over the years is that free agents, like Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones last year, take a little bit of time to adjust to playing day games.  The Cubs play more day games than any other team in baseball.  I don’t remember any free agent coming over and starting out that fast.  Pierre and Jones finally got in a good rhythm and finished with good numbers, but the season was a bust.  The fans last year were especially cruel to Jones.

"I have no problem with fans being impatient," first baseman Derrek Lee said. "I like it. I like the sense of urgency. I don’t like how they treated Jacque, throwing [a ball] at him and the racist comments. That’s uncalled for.

"I don’t mind the fans being impatient over winning. I think we need that as a team. We need the urgency. We feel like, ‘Let’s get it done or they’re going to be on us.’ I like that part of it."

I don’t know who is still stuck in the 1950′s, yelling racial slurs or sending racist hate mail, but please stop.  Root for another team or change your ways, but don’t give the rest of the Cubs’ fans a bad name just because you are ignorant.  Former reliever LaTroy Hawkins, former manager Don Baylor, and former centerfielder Corey Patterson were all the victims of these ignorant comments.  In fact former manager Dusty Baker said he didn’t want to call up Felix Pie last year because he didn’t want to expose him to the same type of treatment that Patterson got.  Was it Patterson’s fault he was poorly coached?  You think he wanted to strike out all the time?  And finally, do you think the booing helped his situation or made it worse? 

I always talk about my great experiences at Wrigley, but my worst occured last year when the Cubs played the White Sox at Wrigley.  Dempster blew another lead in the ninth, losing the game to our crosstown rivals.  I was just as upset as any Cubs’ fan was, but then people started throwing garbage on the beautiful Wrigley Field outfield.  It was just sickening.  I know some of the guys on the ground crew who were had to come out and pick up the garbage thrown on the field.  It was embarassing to the whole city of Chicago. 

It’s not just Cubs fans either.  Chicago fans in general need to remember that it’s only a game.  Whether it was the father and son white trash tag team that attacked the Royals first base coach a few years back at a White Sox game, or the people in Soldier Field who booed Grossman and the Bears as they were heading to the Superbowl, we need to stop this.  We are turning into a second rate Philidelphia.  What’s next, throwing snowballs at Santa Claus like some Philly fans did a few years back?

Look, I know what it’s like to watch a team play badly.  And the prices of the tickets are high, so I’m not going to tell you how to act.  And I have been drunk at many a Cubs’ games so I am not going to criticize anyone for drinking.  All I am saying is that everyone needs to support our Cubbies.  If you want to get angry, talk to a friend, call a sports radio show, comment on this blog or any other Cubs blog, but don’t boo, don’t act like an idiot, and for God’s sake, don’t make any racial comments.  You want to show the Cubs your displeasure;  Don’t show up to the games.  When you don’t go, like fans did last year, then they lose money on parking, souveniers, beer, food, and much more.  That’s what helped cause the shake up at the end of the last season and it sends a strong message to management.  It says that we won’t show up and spend money if they won’t put a quality product on the field.  I have taken down all my photos from last season’s games that I attended.  Come Monday, it’s a fresh new start.  If Soriano, Ramirez, or any other players start out slow, relax, it’s a long season.  Let’s be supportive and see if we can will our Cubbies to a post season run.

And let’s put the "Friendly" back into the "Friendly Confines".

Go Cubs!

The Cubs have officially broken camp in Arizona and will travel this weekend to play Seattle in Las Vegas.  The lineup is set, the 25 man roster is ready, and we have our starting pitcher.  All the talk, all the hype, all the money, it all comes down to one day; April 2 when the Cubs start their season in Cincinnati.  This is the lineup Lou has penciled in;

1. Alfonso Soriano, CF
2. Matt Murton, LF
3. Derrek Lee, 1B
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Jacque Jones, RF
6. Michael Barrett, C
7. Mark DeRosa, 2B
8. Cesar Izturis, SS
9. Carlos Zambrano, P 

No big surprises here.  Murton has earned his spot on the team and will bat second.  The biggest problem is the lack of left handed hitters.  With the way Cliff Floyd has played the outfield this spring, I hope he isn’t in too many games.  I know he has a left handed bat, but that guy has been brutal. 

The rotation is also set; Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill, and Wade Miller.  Zambrano will start on opening day.  The bullpen includes closer Ryan Dempster, set up men Scott Eyre, Bob Howry, Will Ohman, Michael Wuertz, and designated long men Neal Cotts and Angel Guzman.

The bench includes backup catcher Henry Blanco, backup shortstop Ronny Cedeno, back up outfielder Cliff Floyd, and back up infielders/outfielders Ryan Theriot and Daryle Ward.

Not on the Roster

There are a few guys I would have liked to have seen on the team who didn’t make the cut.  The team optioned outfielders Felix Pie and Angel Pagan and pitcher Rocky Cherry to Triple-A Iowa.  I am not a Cliff Floyd fan and I would have rather kept Pagan.  He is a switch hitter with a lot of speed. Pie played fantastic defense, swung the bat well, and showed his quickness.   Cherry had the most successful spring training, but didn’t make the team.  I can’t wait until they call these guys up in September.  The one person who also didn’t make the cut, and didn’t deserve to is Mark Prior.  As I said over a month ago, Prior will make his start in Iowa.  And it’s about time someone made a rational decision on this issue.  Pinella chose Miller over Prior because Miller pitched better than Prior.  Prior is going to have to prove he belongs on the team, and the only way to do that is to get him on some kind of routine.  Prior obviously wasn’t happy;

"I’m not going down that road," he said. "I’m under their control until I’m not under their control. It’s up to them whether they want me. I’m just an employee.  Look, I’m a controlled player.  There’s nothing I can do with what their decisions are, so I’m not going to sit there and fight it. I don’t really have a whole lot of control, and until you get in a position where you have any leverage, then maybe you can argue and try to find out what other options there are.  When there are no other options and they’ve made a decision, you accept it and move on. I’m going to play ball."
He also had some smart *** comments about making the Triple A allstar team.  You know what’s funny about Prior and Wood?  They don’t realize that in the real world, if someone was unable to perform at their job like these two yahoos, they wouldn’t continue to collect multimillion dollar paychecks.  I’m glad someone finally had the balls to put both of these guys in their place.

Coaching Staff

I have had nothing but high praise for the whole coaching staff.  I have seen more improvement out of these players in one spring then I did during the whole Dusty era.  First base coach and excatcher Matt Sinatro has been working on defese with Michael Barrett.  Bench coach Alan Trammel has been working hard with Ronnie Cedeno.  Third base coach Mike Quade has been trying to turn Alfonso Soriano into a centerfielder.  Gerald Perry has taught the team to take some pitches and work the count.  Coach Ivan DeJesus has been drilling the pitchers on a regular basis.

"He’s really been working a lot on bunting, push bunting, just making sure we get our bunts down consistently," pitcher Rich Hill said. "He pulls us to the back field, and we’ll have 20 bunts one side, 20 bunts the other side, and do it again and do it again until we consistently get it down until it becomes second nature. That’s the way it feels just because of the time we’ve spent in Spring Training."

Heck, I have even seen Aramis Ramirez hustling.  This is what I call coaching.

Predictions

I have seen the Cubs picked anywhere from first place to fourth place.  Me personally, I think they will finish in first.  I think they have more depth then anyone else in the Central.  Houston and St.Louis didn’t do enough to improve and lost a lot of key guys.  Cinnci and Milwaukee look better, but they still have weaknesses, and god help us if we finish behind Pittsburg again!  Especially with the money that was spent.

Problems

Yes the Cubs also have their share of problems.  I remain skeptical about the outfield defense.  As I said before, I would rather have Soriano play left, Pie play center, and Jones play right.  Oh well.  I am also worried about the spring performances of Neal Cotts and Michael Wuertz.  I hope Dempster regains his 05 form.  I don’t want to see Floyd complain about playing time.  The pitching staff is going to be key.  The  starters need to keep us in ballgames and give us innings.  The bullpen cannot be overused, since Dusty did that last year.  Finally, the biggest concern is Zambrano’s contract.  Hendry usually finished these things last minute, but I will say it again;

The Cubs do not want the Zambrano contract circus screwing up this season.  Get this done and we have a chance.  The deadline is quickly approaching.

All and All

All and all, this should be a much more pleasant season of baseball than last year. It will be more exciting, there should be more fundamentally sound baseball, and their are some fun storylines and characters on this team.

I hope you enjoy this season as much as I am planning on and keep coming back for all your Cubs news and use the comments section to sound off!

GO Cubs!

A scene from the classic movie Casablana;

Rick;  How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault;  I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault; [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.

Why?  Why do we do this.  And who cares anyway?  Yes, Kerry Wood is on the DL and Mark Prior will soon join him.  Why is anyone surprised?  Wood has been a walking disaster since he came to the major leagues.  Yes, he had the 20 strikeouts versus the Astros in 98′. Yes he had an amazing Game 5 of the NLDS versus the Braves.  But the one thing that has been constant has been his injuries.  Wood has been on the DL 11 times in nine seasons because of the following reasons;

Elbow soreness, elbow surgery, a strained oblique muscle, shoulder tendinitis, a strained biceps, a sprained supraspinatus muscle, shoulder inflammation, shoulder surgery a partly torn rotator cuff andarthroscopic knee surgery. 

During the  three year 32 million dollar contract he signed before the 2004 season, Wood won 12 games in those three years.  He only pitched 230 innings.  The guy can’t even get out of a hot tub without huring himself.

Prior hasn’t been much better.  At least Wood can tell you which body part is falling off.  Prior injuries have been freakish and somewhat of a mystery.  Prior is expected to be placed on the disabled list for the ninth time in his six-year career.  Like Wood, since the magic of 2003, Prior has been a big disappointment. In the three years since 2003, Prior has won 18 games. 

In 2003, Prior and Wood combined to give the Cubs 32 wins.  Since that time, they have 30 wins between them. That averages to be about five wins a piece for the Cubs projected 1-2 starters in the last three seasons. 

Yet as big a deal as the Chicago sporting media is making this, it is not that big of a deal.  As I’ve been saying all along, the Cubs planned to get nothing out of Prior and Wood this year.  If they would have miraculously stayed healthy, everything they would have gotten out of them would have been a bonus.  Prior was battling for the fifth starter spot, Wood was auditioning for the role of long reliever.  A far cry from the days when their health determined the Cubs’ season.  So they won’t pitch.  Who cares?  It doesn’t matter.  I wish the Cubs would have let those guys go so they wouldn’t have to deal with this circus. 

There are many more problems the Cubs fans need to worry about than those two yahoos.  While the Wood and Prior story was on page 1 of most Chicago sports newpaper sections, talk of Carlos Zambrano going to the Mets or White Sox was pushed to the middle of the paper.  I’m sorry, but losing one of our top pitchers to either the Mets or White Sox would affect me and the Cubs a lot more then Wood or Prior not pitching.  That should have been on page 1.  That should have been the topic of sports radio discussions.  Not Wood and Prior.

In case you didn’t know, Opening Day is about a week away, the deadline Zambrano set for the Cubs to sign him to a long term extension.  He also has said he will not sign with the Cubs if they don’t sign him before the season starts.  He backtracked on those comments, but I believe he was serious when he said them.  The reporter from Sports Illustrated asked Zambrano if he would pitch for the Yankees.  Zambrano replied;

"I like the Yankees, but I don’t see myself pitching at Yankee Stadium. Too many rules. If I play in New York, it’s going to be with the Mets. First of all, because I get to hit. And I love hitting. I can’t say … that I would never play for the Yankees. Hopefully no, but you never know."

Of course the Mets would love to acquire Zambrano.  They have one of the best lineups in baseball with a weak pitching staff.  They also have oodles of cash.  It is also being reported that Zambrano would be interested in playing for Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox if things didn’t work out with the Cubs.

Losing Zambrano or having this extension hanging over both Zambrano and the team is something Hendry must avoid at all costs.  It’s no surprise that Wood and Prior are dominating the headlines over Zambrano. It’s been that way throughout Big Z’s career.  While he has carried this team, the focus has always been on the other two clowns.  The Cubs need to reward him or he will be the greatest pitcher to leave the Cubs since Greg Maddux

That Cubs fans, is the real cause for concern.
Worry about the present and the future, not two has-beens from the past.

We Cubs fans have a bad habit of falling in love with players sometimes.  We get so attached that we don’t see that a change might actually improve the team.  As the season starts in one week, there are still a few concerns that I have.  What do you do with Wood and Prior? Can Neal Cotts continue to give up so many runs from the bullpen?  Is Daryle Ward that great of a pinch hitter?  Which Dempster will show up in 2007?  Will Big Z get his contract this week?  Oh yeah, and what about that outfield defense?

The Cubs look much better than last year, but that’s not saying much.  They have more depth, the pitching is better, Derek Lee is back, and Lou is at the helm.  But the biggest weakness is the outfield defense.  Nobody is going to be scared to run on Murton or Jones.  Wrigley Field is an extremly difficult place to play an outfield position, much less centerfield, yet the Cubs are going to put Soriano out there.  Soriano has only played the outfield for one year. After seeing some of the bad jumps and bad reads he has had in Arizona, it is making me more nervous.  So let me make a bold suggestion.

Trade Matt Murton

Go ahead, yell at me.  Call me crazy.  Insult me up and down.  I deserve it.  But here is my point.  Pie is a natural centerfielder.  He can handle the centerfield duties at Wrigley. He is fast and has a cannon for an arm.  He has had one less at bat than Matt Murton, but he is batting .352 to Murton’s .255.  Pie has on OBP of .397 while Murton’s is .328.  Murton has three home runs and Pie has none.  But let’s be realistic. Matt Murton is not going to be a power hitter.  That’s why Boston threw him in as part of the Nomar trade.  He was never going to be a power hitter in Fenway, just like he won’t in Wrigley.  What Pie will give you is speed and good defense.  Yes, Murton is a patient hitter, but the reason us Cubs fans loved that so much is we were used to the free swinging bunch under the Dusty Baker regime.  Lou and hitting coach Gerald Perry have taught the Cubs to be much more patient.  Murton will give up more runs then he produces with his defense.

If the Cubs traded Murton somewhere for some prospects, the Cubs could put Jacque Jones in left, Pie in center, and Soriano in right, which in my opinion is just as good offensively and a huge upgrade defensively.  I think it would also help both Soriano and Pie to have each other. They seemed to have hit it off well and could really help each other out.  Also, think about the possibility of having Soriano and Pie hitting first and second. That kind of speed up top would be unbelievable.  Pie would also add another left handed bat on a team that is mostly right handed.

Maybe you think Pie is not ready.  Fine.  Then put in Theriot in left against righties.  Theriot has played five positions, including left and right field, committed only one error, hit .385 (with an on-base percentage of .448) and gone 5-for-5 on stolen bases. He is better offensively than Murton, faster, and just as good if not better defensively. 

I know this is not a popular idea, but think about it.  It might just make sense.

It sounds like a few Cubs are getting a little snippy, and it’s Lou’s job to put them back in their place.  The two snippiest players seem to be Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.  Shocked that people are reporting on their injury progress, they keep copping some sort of attitude.  I don’t think either of those guys should get angry when the media and fans question their readiness for this season.  After three years of waiting on them as they sat on the DL and ****** our payroll, I for one, am ready to move on.  The latest squabble involved Kerry Wood, who pitched one inning on Friday, gave up just one hit and no runs.  Since Kerry will be pitching out of the bullpen, Lou is thinking about having Wood start the season pitching an extended spring training.  He wants to see how Wood reacts to back to back starts and wants him to get some more innings in.  When the media asked if he could go back to back, Kerry said

"It’s something we talked about before spring training, that it’s not necessary for me to go back-to-back days in spring training," he said. "Can I do it? Yeah. What’s the point right now? I have to stay on the field and continue to pitch and get better."

Wood claimed that he was being singled out and treated unfairly. He pointed out that none of the other relievers had pitched back to back games, until Bob Howry did today. 

"So why is everybody worried about me?" Wood said.

Because you can’t stay healthy you idiot and we don’t want to waste a roster spot on a reliever that can only pitch once a week.  But I’ll let Lou take over.

"He shouldn’t be questioning anybody, truthfully," Piniella said. "All I’m saying is when we [say we want] back-to-back and two-inning [stints], that’s the proper way to get the bullpen prepared for the start of a season.  With Kerry that hasn’t been the plan, obviously, and the reason I say that is because he has had a couple of setbacks. Now, if he hadn’t had those setbacks, that would be the plan."

Pinella added;

"I don’t know what was talked about in the off-season.  All I know is the way I’ve been preparing bullpens … I’ve always had pretty good success with my bullpens, kept them nice and healthy and strong all year. But you have to lay the foundation in spring training.

"You can’t not use them here that way, and then all of a sudden the first week of the season you start piling up work for them. They’re not ready for it. That’s how you hurt yourself."

Kerry Wood is lucky he is still making a paycheck.  After robbing the Cubs blind the last few years, he should do absolutely no complaining until he becomes a contributing member of this ballclub again.  Until that happens, he should keep his mouth shut and do what his manager tells him.

I know Kerry pitched well against San Fran, and Prior looked better the previous day against the Padres, but if you think that these guys should just be given spots because they had a few moments of success, then you’re wrong.  These two need to earn their way on to this team.

As I said before, that ship has sailed.

So you show them who’s the boss Lou.

We got your back.

The  Cubs lightened the load today when they announced their second round of roster cuts, reducing its spring roster from 44 players to 36 players.

Sean Marshall (recovering frome arm soreness), Carlos Marmol (erratic) and catcher Geovany Soto have been optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Five non-roster invitees have been returned to minor league camp, including left-handed pitchers Ryan O’Malley and Carmen Pignatiello. Infielders Casey McGehee and Micah Hoffpauir, as well as catcher Jake Fox, have also been returned to minor league camp.

Chicago’s spring roster of 36 players consists of 18 pitchers, three catchers, eight infielders, and seven outfielders.  They will break camp with 25 players.

The 18 pitchers are;

  Starters; Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill, and Wade Miller

  Bullpen; Rocky Cherry, Angel Guzman, Neal Cotts, Scott Eyre, Bobby Howry,  Juan Mateo, Roberto Novoa, Will Ohman, Michael Wuertz, Les Walrond, (why is he still with the club?), and closer Ryan Dempster

Soon to be on the Disabled List; Kerry Wood and Mark Prior

Let’s say that the Cubs break camp with 12 pitchers.  We know the five starters will be on the team, and Eyre, Howry, and Dempster will close the games.  Ohman is needed because he is a lefty.  We’ll also assume that Prior and Wood will start the season on the DL.  Les Walrond won’t be on the team.  That’s nine pitchers and three more spots.  Wuertz and Novoa are both overcoming arm injuries and are behind everyone else.  Cotts has a big contract, but has pitched terrible.  Rocky Cherry is the feel good story of the spring, but will he be able to keep it up?  So to you, the intellingent Crawly’s Cub Kingdom reader, which three do you keep in the bullpen?

Your choices are;

Rocky Cherry, Angel Guzman, Juan Mateo, Michael Wuertz, Neal Cotts, and Roberto Novoa.

Regardless of contracts (I’m looking at you Neal), which three would you want to keep?

Let’s hear those comments!

Ouch!  No that’s not the sound of Wood or Prior getting injured again.  It’s the reaction that a lot of Cubs fans had when they read that senior baseball writer Scott Miller of CBS SportsLine.com recently referred to Prior and Wood as the "Doomsday Twins," referring to their ability to doom the Cubs’ chances of contending because of injuries.  In a piece written five days ago, Miller discusses five things that you need to know about the Cubs.  Although I disagree with Miller on many of his thoughts, Miller was right when he points out that Wood and Prior are no longer the focus of the pitching staff, which those of us in Chicago already knew.  Wood was supposed to be a long reliever and Prior the fifth starter.  Unfortunately, the press keeps focusing on these two guys.  Prior and Wood are obviously sick of it all.  Wood refused to talk to the media last week, referring to it as "the circus".  When the press asked Prior what the next step was after a minor league start, he sarcastically answered "Go home and get some lunch — I don’t know."

They are not the only two that are sick of it.  Sweet Lou is getting tired of the madness also. 

"They played a big role here in the past, and obviously everybody’s concerned," Piniella said. "I’m concerned also. But at the same time, regardless, they’ve got to be able to help you. In Wood’s case, [relieving] is a new role for him. Giving him a little more time than necessary is not a bad idea, as opposed to rushing him."
"There’s one difference this year," Piniella said. "We said that whatever we got from these two fine young men would be a bonus, and we’ve made different preparations. … It’s not like it’s the end of the world if they’re not quite ready for the season."

The reason the Cubs aren’t in a Doomsday situation is because they brought in Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, and resigned Wade Miller.  They are counting like young guys like Rich Hill, Angel Guzman, and Carlos Marmol to take up a little slack.  The trouble for Cubs fans is that we know how much better a healthy Wood and Prior make this team.  Everytime we see them on the mound, we think "Maybe, maybe they will finally stay healthy."  Personally, I think it would be a lot easier if the Cubs told everyone at the Cubs Convention and everyone at spring training  that Wood and Prior were hurt.  Then, nobody would expect anything.  But the Cubs organization keeps telling us how healthy these guys are, we get our hopes up, and then they get crushed.

Heck, even Lou Pinella fell into the old trap of pretending that everything was ok.  Until this week, Lou said that he felt that Prior still had a shot at the fifth spot in the rotation.  Nobody who has watched Prior pitch this spring would ever think that.  But Lou kept saying it.  Prior, who will start on Thursday, has worked only three innings in Cactus League games.  Same with Wood.  Neither of these guys are ready, so maybe it’s time for everyone to let it go. 

For the first time in four years, I feel confident we can win without them.

While watching the Cubs getting blanked by Angels pitcher John Lackey, I had to rewind the TIVO when I heard Rick Sutcliffe doing an interview with Len Kasper and Dan Pleasac. Pleasac spent the majority of the game blabbering the company line about Prior being fine and just needing to "fine tune" things, yet when he asked Sutcliffe about Prior, if he could return to his old form, Sutcliffe said something similar to this;

He will be given every opportunity to get back [to his old form], but the guy I have seen is not even close.  I hope, I pray that I am wrong, but to me, he looks like he is favoring something.  He could possibly have an injury that he’s trying to pitch through.  He’s not the same guy.  You don’t see the extension, the velocity is inconsistent.

I tried to write down his exact words, but they were close to this.  Did Sutcliffe not get the Cubs memo explaining that you are never supposed to be honest about Prior?  I wonder if the mainstream media will pick up on this.  I would like to hear Cubs’ managements explanation.

Scores can be Decieving

The Cubs lost both games this weekend, 7-3 to San Diego, and 4-0 to Anaheim.  R ich Hill gave up three runs on three hits over five innings while striking out four against San Diego, but pitched well, while Derek Lee had a monster 3 run blast.  The game was a close one until Neal Cotts and Les Walrond came into the game.  Against the Angels, Carlos Zambrano went 5 2/3 innings, surrendering nine hits and four runs while striking out four and hitting one batter. He ran into trouble in the third when he gave up three singles and a triple to Chone Figgins.  The triple was out of the reach of firstbaseman Darryl Ward.  Had Derek Lee been in the game, Carlos might have got out of that inning without giving up any runs.

Take the Walks, Don’t Give Them Any

Last year, Cub pitchers led the league in walks allowed (687) while Cub batters drew the fewest walks (395).  Under Pinella this spring training, the Cubs pitchers have walked 57 batters, while Cub batters have drawn 66.  Zambrano had 0 walks against the Angels, Hill has not had any in the ten innings he has pitched, and the Cubs have been improving throughout the spring.  They have also been much more patient at the plate, taking more pitches.  Let’s hope this trend continues.

Screwed by the White Sox?

Did the Cubs get the short end of the David Aardsma for Neal Cotts trade?  The Cubs/Sox trades have been infamously lopsided, remember when the Cubs traded George Bell for Sammy Sosa, or when the Sox got Jon Garland for Matt Karchner ?  While the jury is still out on this one, Cotts has been God Awful this spring.  Cotts has allowed eight runs in eight innings, including two Saturday against the Padres.  Fortunately, Aardsma is not doing much better, pitching in 5 games with a 9.45 ERA.  He has given up eight runs in 6.2 innings pitched.

First off, let me say I have them!! My season tickets are in!  Whoo Hooo!  Could these tickets be the ones that take us to the World Series!!  Only time will tell, but it is just another sign that the season is getting closer.  This years design is "Cubs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame".  They have the Cooperstown plaques of Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Jenkins, Hack Wilson, Gaby Hartnett, Billie Williams, and Ernie Banks.  They look pretty cool.  Ok, enough about the tickets, let’ s look at the Prior Watch and the Battle for the Fifth Starter.

Prior Watch

Prior threw four innings against Double-A hitters. Prior gave up one hit, two walks, hit a batter and struck out four. In his first inning, he threw three strikes out of nine pitches. He finished with first-pitch strikes to seven of the 15 batters he faced. He threw threw 68 pitches, 45 for strikes.  I am still not impressed, especially since he was facing Double A hitters. 

"[My command] was better," Prior said. "I threw a lot of [breaking pitches] for strikes. That was the goal, to locate it a little better."

Two walks and a hit batter?  Doesn’t sound like he had much control again. 

Cubs management came out in force to see what was going on with their own eyes.  Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, team president John McDonough, special assistant Gary Hughes, player development director Oneri Fleita and team physician Dr. Stephen Adams were gathered in the tower in the center of the four practice fields at Fitch Park to watch Prior.  Boy, to be a fly on the wall in that room.  I really wonder what they were discussing.  One thing is for sure; They must know he will not start in the Majors this season.

Guzman vs Miller

Angel Guzman didn’t do much to help his case Friday against the White Sox.  Guzman gave up five runs on seven hits over 3 1/3 innings. He walked one and didn’t strike out a White Sox hitter.  He wasn’t able to get through the four innings he was scheduled to pitch.  It was the no strike outs that had Guzman, Lou Pinella, and Larry Rothchild wondering.

"My body, my arm, everything feels good," Guzman said. "I was throwing a lot of strikes, but when I got to two strikes, I didn’t get guys out. Those guys were the ones who scored." 

Lou Pinella went behind home plate to talk to a couple of Cubs scouts to see if they saw something.  Pinella believes that Guzman may be tipping his pitches.  Pinella and Rothchild are going to analyze the film to see if they can pick something up.

"They don’t swing and miss at him much," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "He gets two strikes and doesn’t put the hitters away, and he’s got pretty good stuff up there."

Miller probably has the advantage over Guzman now, but there is still few weeks, and if Guzman can hide his pitches better, who knows what can happen?

The Rest of the Arms

Guzman and Prior were not the only ones throwing on Friday.  Jason Marquis is looking impressive, and has been moved to third in the rotation, behind Zambrano and Ted Lilly.  Roberto Novoa threw in his second game and Michael Wuertz threw in his first spring training games.  Both were dealing with sore arms.  Novoa did a lot better than his first outing, giving up no runs, hits, or walks with one strike out.  Wuertz struggled a bit, giving up two hits, but didn’t walk any or give up any runs.  This seasons feel good story, Rocky Cherry (yes that’s his real name) has continued to make a name for himself.  So far has given up one earned run on five hits over seven innings in seven games.  He has certainly earned a spot on the roster.  Cherry was in the Cubs minor league system, but had to have Tommy John surgery.  While rehabbing, he took a job selling paint at the Home Depot in Mesa.  In 2006 he returned and moved into the bullpen, where he had a 2.22 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 482/3 innings.  Could you imagine the Wrigley crowd the first time he takes the mound?  The crowd chanting "Rocky! Rocky!"  With Woods injury, it looks more and more like this could be a reality.

Speaking of the Injuries

When we talk about the usual Prior and Wood injury reports, isn’t it nice to know that our whole season doesn’t depend on these two guys.  Since 2004, the plan was that Wood and Prior would be our 1 and 2 starters, and whenever they were hurt(always), we would be waiting for them to return (which never happened).  Our whole season depended on these two guys.  Now, Prior is battling for the fifth spot and Wood is trying to be our long reliever. We already have guys that can pitch in that fifth spot, Miller or Guzman, and we already have a long reliever, Neal Cotts.  Any thing we got out of Wood and Prior was going to be a bonus.  Now that they still can’t get their stuff together, its not the end of the season. 

Nice feeling, isn’t it

Why Kerry, why do you tease me the way you do.  Every time you lead me to believe that this time it is going to be different, and everytime you let me down.  In case you haven’t heard, Kerry Wood has a "slight injury".  On Sunday, he apparently tweaked his triceps because of bad footing on the pitching mound at HoHoKam Park. Wood apparently tried to extend his stride past a hole in the mound and felt it in his arm.

"He had a little strain in his triceps on the posterior, on the bottom, and not where he was cut [during surgery]," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "We’ll give him a couple days and let Mark [O'Neal, Cubs athletic trainer] work on him. I’m not anticipating any long-term difficulty. He’ll skip the next couple days."

Just when he was looking so good.  Darn you Kerry, Darn you

Nice to Hear

Ted Lilly is putting a lot of pressure on himself.  He wasn’t too happy after his start Thursday because he reached 75 pitches in 3 2/3 innings. Lilly knows that he has to locate better to go deep into games.  He expect a lot out of himself this season.

"I expect to do something to help this team win," he said. "I think that’s where the pressure is. I don’t know how you ever justify, in my opinion, the kind of money that people make in entertainment in general. There’s pressure and expectations of myself, and I feel my teammates will be relying on me to go out there and give them a chance to win."

I really like the attitude of this whole team.

Everything Has to be Bigger in Texas

Funny to see that two former Cubs with dubious backgrounds have made the 40 man roster in Texas.  Sammy Sosa, the former Cubs slugger has hit his way on to the Rangers squad.  There have long been rumors of Sosa’s steroid use, and he was even dragged before Congress.  Jerry Harriston Jr, who was implicated in the recent HGH scandal, also got a roster spot.  They certainly share a lot in common.

Put on the Red Light

It was announce that the reunited Police will be playing Wrigley Field on July 5th.  Season ticket holders get a chance to enter a pool to get tickets, while the general public  can buy tickets on Monday, March 26th @ 10am. Tickets will cost $254.00, $94.00 or $54.00 and will be available at www.tickets.com or by calling 1-800-THE-CUBS.

There Coming!

The best news of the day!  Season tickets have been shipped out!  Horray!!