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"There's always next year" is heard after every season in Chicago after Cubs fans are disappointed with another season that fails to meet expectations. So what do fans have to look forward to in 2010?
There does not appear to be much hope after an offseason in which not much changed from a team that failed to make the playoffs last season. Fans are hoping that 2010 will be a redemption story for the multitude of Cubs players that had a down season in 2009.
Here is a look at a few of those players and their fantasy hopes this season.Aramis Ramirez ...
Clubhouse chemistry seems to be a bit of the "chicken or the egg" debate. Does winning breed good chemistry or does good chemistry lead to winning?
Last year, manager Lou Piniella lamented a lack of chemistry, and many observers pointed the finger at recalcitrant right fielder Milton Bradley for poisoning the well.
Well, right or wrong, Bradley is gone and the trade seems like less of a baseball decision (given Carlos Silva’s awful pitching) and more of an admittance by Cubs GM Jim Hendry that the clubhouse chemistry matters.
According to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald , Piniella seems to be one ...
Spring Training is literally a day away, so what better time than now to make some bold predictions about the 2010 season for the Chicago Cubs.
The signing of Matt Holliday by the St. Louis Cardinals made them the overwhelming favorites to win the NL Central and they might be the team to beat in the National League. However, the Cubs made several moves as well, and look to be a better team than they were last season. How much better remains to be seen.
What follows are 10 predictions that I would say fall into the category of bold. I have ...
In the bleak mid-winter of February in Chicago, it is hard to imagine that baseball's Opening Day is less than seven weeks from this gray, wintry afternoon on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Such is the case, though, and so, as pitchers and catchers congregate in Arizona to prepare for the upcoming 2010 season, it is time to look at some of the most pressing questions facing the Cubbies this year.
1. Who will fill out the back end of the starting rotation?
With left-handed ace Ted Lilly out until at least the end of April, Chicago has only three starting rotations ...
Aramis Ramirez has played 150 or more games only once as a Cub. If his shoulder is not 100 percent this season, this statistic will be repeated, and the Cubs offense will struggle.
While that may seem like an all too obvious conclusion, it is the truth. I keep hearing about how "as Soriano goes, so go the Cubs". And while a return to respectability for the Fonz would certainly go a long way to improving the Cubs offense in 2010, I say Rami's contributions will matter even more.
There has been no doubt about what Rami produces while in the lineup, ...
Dating back to the first MLB First Year Players Draft in 1965, the Cubs have done a less than stellar job when it comes to scouting talent. A simple look back at their first round picks through the years shows that the standouts are few and far between, and more often than not the picks were busts.
Nonetheless, the Cubs have made some good selections through the years, and I have named my top ten Cubs draft picks. They are in chronological order, and there were a few things I took into consideration when selecting.
First off, I looked at what the ...
What? They're still looking?
With less than a week before the official start of spring training, the Chicago Cubs are still looking to fill arguably their greatest offseason need: a reliable right-handed setup man for their new closer Carlos Marmol.
After "kicking the tires" on a host of potential candidates such as Frasor, Park, and Gregerson, Chicago is left with no better solution than they had at the end of the '09 season.
For the Cubs, the internal options are not terrible. John Grabow may have found his stride, as indicated by his 3.24 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in his stint with the ...
White Sox general manager Kenny Williams is known for saying, "He better stay out of Chicago White Sox business." That was a reference to Frank Thomas commenting on the team when he was no longer playing for them.
Perhaps Kenny should tell his hypocritical owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, to stay out of Chicago Cubs business.
Reinsdorf has been raising a stink in Arizona because of a proposed surcharge to help with building the Cubs a new $84 million spring training facility to keep them in Mesa. The charge would be added to tickets sold for the other 13 teams that play in Arizona.
Reinsdort told the ...
Amongst the minor league free agents the Cubs have signed, two names stand out: Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy.
Millar helped the Boston Red Sox break their World Series Championship curse, and Tracy was once considered one of the elite young corner infielders in the game, but both these things were half a decade ago.
Since then, both players have gone from stardom to obscurity. Millar's batting average has begun to falter to the hands of time, hitting .272, .254, .234, and .223 over the past four years, respectively. He's gone from full time first baseman/DH to a backup at those ...
With spring training on the horizon, the Cubs have a need for a solid starter until Ted Lilly can return, and for a veteran right handed setup man for Carlos Marmol. John Smoltz could fill both needs, while adding a solid veteran presence to the clubhouse.
As a starter, Smoltz has had success in limited appearances in the National League the past two years, going 3-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 68 innings of work. If you discount his work in the AL East, he's been more than solid if handled properly. With Lilly out of the picture until after ...
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