Phil Never Lets Me Down

And I thank him for that. I really do, or I would have gone a full week without any post:

Sandberg deserves shot at managing Cubs

A pretty easy premise to work with. You just have to list a few reasons why Ryno should manage the Cubs.

Ryne Sandberg's Iowa Cubs just ended the year with the most victories in the Pacific Coast League, yet are home watching four other teams in the playoffs. Can you think of a feat that would better qualify someone to manage the Cubs?

Someone who has a track record of winning in the Majors? (Oh yeah, they tried that.) Someone who has a solid philosophy on strategy and game management? Someone who has experience managing in a big city and dealing with the media and the pressure that every former manager talks about? (Tried that too) But hey, winning the PCL isn't a bad start I guess.

Having said a polite no thanks to Ernie Banks 39 years ago and a jarring no-thanks to Billy Williams at least a few times, the Cubs again are deciding whether they want to turn their team over to one of their all-time great players. No matter what general manager Jim Hendry and Chairman Tom Ricketts ultimately tell Sandberg, it won't be as smooth as the kiss-off P.K. Wrigley gave Banks when Mr. Cub's career ended in 1971.

And here is where we get off-track.

Wrigley loved Banks. He would invite him up to his office for visits and almost always paid him above the scale for starting shortstops (albeit requiring Banks to pose for pictures signing the documents). Once or twice he vetoed trades that Leo Durocher or someone in his front office had worked out with another team, like the 6-for-1 deal that would have allowed Banks to hit alongside Henry Aaron and Eddie Mathews in Milwaukee.

Has nothing to do with Sandburg.

Banks was made a player-coach in '67, the thinking being that he was almost ready to become a coach. But by the time Banks finally was finished as a player, Wrigley couldn't bring himself even to consider him as a possible successor to Durocher. He said he was "too fond of Ernie to make him manager of anything,'' including a baseball team."Managing is a dirty job,'' Wrigley said. "It doesn't last long and it certainly isn't anything I would wish on Banks.''Lots of old friends feel that way about Sandberg."
There's one school of thought that holds Sandberg should be eliminated from consideration to replace Lou Piniella because these things always end badly, and that Sandberg is too nice of a guy to handle such a failure.

They don't want him to manage because his feelings might get hurt? Oh sure, that is a solid hiring policy. Only hire people you hate because eventually they'll get hurt.

Some compare Sandberg to Alan Trammell, the Cubs' bench coach. He played 20 years as a shortstop for the Tigers before accepting a chance to manage them in 2003, seven years after he had played his last game. His first team lost 119 games and the next two 90 and 91 before he was sacked in favor of Jim Leyland, who was given Magglio Ordonez and Kenny Rogers, and the chance to manage in the World Series.Trammell hasn't exactly been besieged with offers to manage elsewhere, including a snub from the Cubs after 3 1/2 seasons as Piniella's top assistant.Is this the fate that awaits Sandberg?Hardly.

Why not? By all accounts the Cubs are heading anywhere but up so a couple 90-loss seasons aren't out of the question. Any reason he'll avoid this fate?

None of these anecdotes tell us anything about what the Cubs could expect to get if they hired the power-hitting second baseman who twice got them to the threshold of the World Series.

Then why share them, other than to hit your word count?

There's no way to predict how it would go for Sandberg.Maybe he would flame out spectacularly. Maybe he would turn into a North Side version of Ozzie Guillen, without so many expletives having to be deleted.It's a roll of the dice.

Those are the only two options? Either fail so badly you end up drinking yourself to death or become a crazy Venezuelan...and end up drinking yourself to death? Why would anyone want this job?

I say put the bones in his hands and stand back, hoping that this time next year — or the year after that, two years after that, even three years after that — Cub Nation rings with cries of "hot shooter, hot shooter.''

Ugh. Why would anyone say that? Because it works with the metaphor. Because running a baseball team is all luck, like dice.

There's no question it is tempting to see if Joe Girardi really wants to leave the Yankees to come home to the Midwest. He has proven himself as a solid big-league manager and is in almost every way a safer bet than Sandberg.

Great argument for NOT SANDBURG. That's the point of the article right?

But will he really leave the Yankees?If he does, how much of a price will you pay for that move — both now, in terms of the size and length of his contract, and over the course of time in him being able to say he sacrificed for the good of his hometown franchise?

I don't understand the last part of that run-on sentence. How much will the Cubs pay for Girardi to say he sacrificed for the good...? Why would they have to pay for that? I really don't understand.

Why not start fresh with a guy who was a great player ...

Cause God knows great players make great managers. That's why Banks worked out so wel...oh right.

...and has spent the last four years adding to his base of knowledge by managing in the minors?

Hey a solid point. Way to go Phil.

Hendry dared Sandberg to do that, and Sandberg called him on it.

Like coaching a minor league team is a game of chicken. I dare you to live in Iowa for 4 years!

It's time for Hendry to give Sandberg his dream job, no matter how badly anyone fears for Sandberg.It would be one thing if Sandberg's teams had treaded water, but they haven't. He has had three winning seasons in four years — how would Cub fans have liked to have that ratio the last 60 or so years? — and took a team that was only two games above .500 to the championship series of the Southern League in 2009.Sandberg seemed poised for another playoff run this year but his team faded late (in part because the undermanned Cubs grabbed players like Darwin Barney, Casey Coleman, Andrew Cashner and Scott Maine) and wound up tied with Memphis for the division title. Their matching 82-62 records were better than the other three division leaders but the Redbirds advanced on a tie-breaker while the I-Cubs went home.Given that it's going to be at least a year or two before the Cubs regain the flexibility to be major players in the free-agent market, it's an advantage for Sandberg that he knows the organization's young players.

All excellent points. I'll give him this part.

Case Closed.

I Am Having a Field Day Today

I got another fish on the hook thanks to the L.A. Times. We're just going to skip to the good parts, call it unfair if you want. If you have a great desire to read the whole thing in context be my guest. So this one is from Chris Erskine:

Dodgers fans can follow Blake DeWitt to the Cubs at their peril

The whole thing is in response to another article from a columnist saying they would become Cubs fans so they could follow the apparently stellar career of Blake DeWitt. Whatever.

Of course, not since Eddie Collins or Jackie Robinson can I think of a single second baseman who ever led a team to the World Series. In fact, it may well be the most inconsequential position on the field, right after the diva who oversings the anthem.

Number one, the idea of "Leading" a team to a World Series is a bit of an abstract concept. You can be the best hitter, but you're not the best pitcher and vice versa. Even so...THIS YEAR...the player with the highest WAR is (drumroll): Robbie Cano 5.5 WAR. But Jeter is the "captain, the leader" correct? I guess, though I thought the Manager was the leader, but what do I know?

Oh Those Wacky Stats

Here is an odd statistical anomaly. Look at the last two games for the Brewers, Aug 1 and Aug 2. Aug 1 they score 2 runs and have on OPS of .764. Aug 2 they score 18 runs (yes 18 runs) and have an OPS of .770. I just found it kinda quirky. 18 runs and only 1 HR. They also left 15 people on base, so things could have been much worse for the Cubs. I mean, sorta, I guess it doesn't really matter after your down...lets say 12-1.

Gould is Gold!

The FIRST article I read today is so perfect for me I could barely stand it. And that's really good since I have a full days worth of filling to do here in the Bronson County Courthouse, lots of DWI arrests this weekend. So let me thank Herb Gould for making today's post easy (and maybe he even left us a little bonus at the end):

Ricketts should find a new Cubs management team

If I'm Tom Ricketts, I'm not saying much. But here's what I'm doing: I'm spending all my time trying to figure out how to right the Cubs' listing ship.
My first order of business is finding a new management team. General manager Jim Hendry and manager Lou Piniella have had their moments, but somebody else needs to be given a turn in 2011.

Exactly! Finally someone who gets it. Running a baseball team is equivalent to being a hall monitor. Jamie gets to be one this week, then Kevin next week. It's only fair everyone gets a chance to fail as a Cubs manager.

There's no point in firing and hiring now. Just let this season play out while making a few player moves that point toward next season.

At this point I'd like to say that pretty much EVERYONE already knows this is Lou's last season at Wrigley. So this is not really news, they were going to need a new manager anyway.

After all, it's the Cubs. Waiting till next year is a way of life.

Ha! Way to break out the new material. The Cubs...waiting till next year...it's comic GOULD!!!! (To be fair this guy is not a comedic professional like I am, just a really poor sports columnist. Also I think that's like the 20th time I've used that joke on this blog.)

If I'm Tom Ricketts, I'm talking quietly with a whole bunch of baseball people to find my next GM.

Good idea. The Wrigley's old plan was to consult a mighty oracle they called "Matthaeus" which consisted of a Apple IIGS that their son spilled Coke on (Those old computers could handle a beating I tells ya!).

I want a man with a plan, someone who understands baseball and has a grasp of the obstacles that have made success on the North Side so elusive.

I can't wait to read what Gould thinks the obstacles are. Maybe a lack or organizational commitment to developing patient young hitters? Overusing young pitchers and burning them out?

Things such as a smallish old ballpark,

Nope. Just dumb. That has nothing to do with it at all. At least use the "too many day games" argument.

a long championship drought

Wow. Not winning in of itself has made success elusive. That's analysis is just Gould! (Yes I will keep using that joke.)

and fans who show up, win or lose, which creates an unusual business model.

Bwaahahaha. I don't even know where to begin. So success is elusive because the Cubs organization is successful at drawing crowds and making money? I bet the A's wish that was their problem. And I guarantee that Gould won't explain what the unusual business model is. Guarantee!

If I'm Tom Ricketts, I know this:

"I should not listen to Herb Gould."

The same principles that led to success in the family e-trade business can be applied in the baseball business. That's why I'm having some long lunches with Rocky Wirtz, who applied his business savvy to the Blackhawks.

That's relatively sensible, though you could also try dining with people who have been successful in baseball...just a thought.

My goal is to win a World Series, but I understand that begins with a good organization. And other than maybe 10 minutes on Dallas Green's watch, the last time the Cubs had a certifiably good organization, FDR was trying to pack the Supreme Court.
Only when I have my GM in place do I look at whether Ryne Sandberg is the right guy to manage. Or whether Joe Girardi or someone with more experience is a better choice to handle all the perils of guiding the Cubs to their first championship in more than a century.
Here are some things my new GM and manager are going to do:
• They're going to understand that thriving in clutch situations and baseball IQ count.

Both of those are codes for, we want to sign David Eckstein and Juan Pierre. Have fun with that. I do agree that "clutch" exists in some way. And baseball IQ is important, but I see no evidence the Cubs have ignored either of those. Gould, of course, doesn't provide any either.

• They're going to hire coaches who teach players about the fundamentals of the game and help them cope with the pressures of the game. No more deer-in-the-headlights performances such as that playoff loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. You can lose, but you can't look like third-graders doing it.

1. Pro ball players really should have learned the fundamentals already. 2. How does a coach teach them to cope with the pressures of the game? Oh yeah, ocean noise tapes in the batting helmets, great idea.

• They aren't going to play games with Milton Bradleys.

Oh no, there's more than one Milton Bradley? God save us all.

• They're going to read and understand players such as Carlos Zambrano and either figure out a way to keep them on the right path or deal them before they're damaged goods.

Everyone understands Zambrano...he's nuts.

• They're going to put players such as Alfonso Soriano in a class called Quality At-Bats 101.

Not a bad idea actually. Coaching your players on how to approach the game. Novel approach.

• They're going to bring out the best in players because that's what good organizations do -- and what the Cubs haven't done for way too long.

Well they did go get Aramis Ramirez and Derek Lee, both who have performed well. They got Bradley when he was a highly sought after free agent. It's not actually as simple as just getting the best players. Even the Yankees don't always do that.

And that starts at the top.
If I'm a Cubs fan, I want an organization I can believe in -- for a change. And I have a hunch Ricketts is going to get it right.

Super!!

And now a bonus from Gould:

A football guy

I was glad to see Derek Jeter mention that George Steinbrenner brought a football mentality to baseball. I've thought of the legendary New York Yankees owner as a football guy for 25 years.

HA! No one reading this could possibly believe that. As if Gould really sat around telling his friends, "Man, that George is a football guy if I ever saw one."
"But he owns a baseball team," Gould's Buddy replies.
"Yup, football guy," Gould sips his Country Time Lemonade.
"But what does that mean?"
Gould just looks away and whispers to himself, "Football...guy..."

In December 1985, when Notre Dame football was about as low as it could be, I listened to Steinbrenner give a moving speech at the Irish's football banquet. They were coming off a 5-6 season that ended Gerry Faust's five-year run at the school and had been whipped 58-7 in their final game that season at Miami.
Paraphrasing 17th-century poet and playwright John Dryden, Steinbrenner said: ''You're a little wounded, but you are not slain. You will lay down to bleed awhile. Then you'll rise and fight again.''
He kept coming back to those words in an understated but effective way that Knute Rockne would have admired. You couldn't help but feel the swell of emotion in the room.
Steinbrenner, who had proved he knew comedy on ''Saturday Night Live,'' showed he knew drama on that night in South Bend, Ind.
Three years later, the Irish won a national championship.

I can't believe he doesn't realize how absurd this is. I mean 3/4ths of the players wouldn't even be on the team anymore. I'm guessing it had more to do with their coach Lou Holtz and his "brilliant coaching strategy" (from wikipedia):

University of Minnesota: Years later, the NCAA placed Minnesota on two years probation for 17 rule violations, two of which were committed by Holtz during his tenure.
Notre Dame: Following an investigation in 1999, the NCAA placed Notre Dame on two-years probation for extra benefits provided by a representative of the university to football players and one instance of academic fraud. The NCAA found that Holtz and members of his staff learned of the violations but failed to make appropriate inquiry or to take prompt action, finding Holtz's efforts "inadequate".

Come to think of it, considering Holtz's reputation, those players probably still were on the team 3 years later...Go Irish!

Case Closed.

EDIT:
Per "A Man Named Scott":

"One note-Cubs fans have stopped showing up to the games, and ticket sales are down. Revenues are down, and their bullshit resale ticket company certainly isn't pulling in much money these days. The Cubs fans are letting management know our distaste for this team."

Uncertainty

Obviously if you've ever read this blog you know I read a lot about sabermetric stats and try and keep up on the newest invention of that community. In the course of this you have to read a lot of articles, a lot of articles written by geeks. Now, obviously I'm one of them which is why I feel fine about picking on the lovable stat nerds. One thing I've noticed is their inability to choose a stance to take on anything, like our good friend Sky Andrecheck who wrote his articles with all the confidence of a 12-year-old trying to talk to his best friend's 16-year-old sister when she's sunbathing in her bikini. R. J. Anderson provides us with our latest example. The articles is discussing whether or not the Cubs will trade Lilly and what they could get for him. Also what Type-A status means. The part I want to point to is the end of the article:

The discrepancy seems unlikely to change since the Cubs will soon shift from surrounding Lilly with their 24 other players who present the best collective chance at victory to the other 24 players who have a future in Chicago with value to the Cubs being higher than value to the rest of the league. Presumably the teams have a better grasp on the rankings game than we do, so if Lilly’s moved, don’t be shocked. If he’s kept, don’t be too shocked either.

Let's rewrite that last part a few times and see what happens:
"If Lilly get's hurt, don't be shocked. If he stays healthy, don't be too shocked either."
"If Lilly quits to join a screamo band don't be shocked. If he doesn't, don't be too shocked either."
I could turn this into a board game like Pictionary. I'll call it "Hypothetical Teddy" and it'll have a picture of a teddy bear with his fist under his chin, thinking hard. Man, I'm gonna be so rich I won't have to do this blog anymore. It'll be wonderful.

Case Closed!

A deviation...

We'll call this a flashback post since the column is from April 5th. Now, I never pick on random blogs because it's not their job to write sports articles, they just do it for the love. But sometimes, love can go too far and blind a man as is the case here:

This years Cubs team is not terribly promising to be world beaters.

Keep that in mind.

Their sluggers are old,

Most are 30 or older so good point.

their pitching erratic, and their bullpen is making me yearn for the days of Felix Heredia.

I'm not saying he's good, but as an interesting side note Felix had a 15-6 record in 4 years with the Cubs. If you look at any other stat he isn't quite up to snuff, but that W-L record is impressive.

Diamond Derreck (sic) Lee is the Captain and star of the squad, but he's 35 and may be entering a decline.

He's still 34 at the all-star break. Also, last year was one of his best years ever so this guy obviously saw something we didn't when it comes to Lee's decline since this is currently his WORST year ever.

Old Man Aramis Ramirez is hoping for bounce back year after an injury plagued one in '09,

Well...maybe next year...

and Alphonso Soriano is contractually obligated to play.

Ha!

The pitching has some talent, mostly erratic.

Ugh, that's such a generic comment. You can go through every team and find good and bad and mediocre pitchers. EVERY TEAM has 'erratic' pitching.

Big Carlos Zambrano will likely pitch brilliantly,

-I look away and cough-

and consistently hit opposing batters in the back when they anger him,

Or his own players, either way.

Ted Lilly should be injured for half the year, and I believe Mark Prior has been put back onto the DL.

Mark Prior? He hasn't pitched for the Cubs since 2006! Is he trying to call Ted Lilly 'Mark Prior'? Maybe, but I see no real evidence of that.

All in all, it should be a fun year,

Neato, The Beav. And you can get into the games by collecting 20 glass Coke bottles you find on the streets which equal the 20 cents a ticket costs back in 1910 where you apparently live. BTW, I have some bad news if you're planning on seeing the Cubs win the World Series Beav...

although I'm going to miss Milton Bradley.

You're the only one.

My prediction- Cubs go 94-68, and win the World Series.

What was that first line again? Oh Yeah:
This years Cubs team is not terribly promising to be world beaters.

Case Closed!

Wow, Twice in One Week

Mark Potash must be on some sort of mission. A mission to share ill-informed opinions about Chicago baseball. Poor town. So Potash spits out this article continuing his evaluation of Chicago baseball players:

Sorry White Sox fans, but Mr. Cub is Mr. Chicago.
Ernie Banks was an easy choice as the No. 1 Cubs player of all-time when the Sun-Times rated the top players in each of the city's major pro teams in February and March. Frank Thomas was an easy choice as the No. 1 player in Sox history.
But in a Cubs vs. Sox list of best players in the wake of the BP Crosstown Cup series at U.S. Cellular Field this weekend,

Wait, wait, wait. Chicago named their series the BP Crosstown Cup series? Brilliant timing Chi-Town. I'm planning on having a crosstown bicycle race here in Bronson, MI called the Kellogg's Special K Bowl.

Banks gets the edge over Big Frank as the best Chicago player of all-time. And actually, it's not that close.

I am vaguely familiar with each players career. I doubt that last sentence very much.

Banks put up unprecedented numbers as a shortstop -- from 1955-60 he averaged 41 homers and 116 RBI, won two home run titles, two RBI titles and back-to-back MVP awards in 1958-59.

That is a crazy 5 year period. It really is, especially for a short-stop. He put up a WAR of 48.8 during those 6 years. Thomas peak would be around 41.1. Looking deeper Banks WAR is being carrier by his fielding, which is equally hurting Thomas. Seriously as good as Banks was a fielding, Thomas was as bad.

And in 1960 he led the NL in home runs with 41 and won the Gold Glove at shortstop.

Neat-o!
Banks extended his career by playing first base. Thomas started at first base, tired of it and extended his career as a DH. In fact, Banks played more games at first base (1,259) than Thomas (971).

Don't care about any of that. Games played at first? Great. Was a DH? That's up to how you feel about DHing. If you hate it you're going to give Banks the edge.

But Thomas still gets his due in our position-by-position list of best Sox/Cubs of all-time. With Banks at shortstop, Thomas is the clear choice at first base over the great Dick Allen and the the Cubs' Phil Cavaretta, the pride of Lane Tech. And he deserves it. Thomas batted .275 with 29 home runs and 117 RBI per 500 at-bats as a first baseman with the White Sox. It's not like he couldn't play the position. He just preferred to hit.

I'm trying to decide how to make the case for Thomas. Stat by stat? Or one their lines on top of each other? Let's do both.

Banks .274/.330/.500/.830 OPS+ 122 WOBA .358 WAR 74.1 Fielding 54

Thomas .301/.419/.555/.974 OPS+156 WOBA .379 WAR 79.1 Fielding -68.2


I would say offensively it's not even close. When it comes to fielding Banks is so far superior they're not even playing the same game. The DH probably saves Thomas in WAR since his fielding constantly hurt him. My point though is, it's a close call. If you're a Cubs fan, you'll say Banks because he was the complete player. If you're a Sox fan you'll say Thomas because he was one of the greatest hitters of all time, far beyond Banks.

What I'm trying to say is this:
Banks gets the edge over Big Frank as the best Chicago player of all-time. And actually, it's not that close.
is bull.

Case Closed.

Between a Stone and a hard place

So the last week in Chicago there was a bruhaha between former Cubs and current White Sox announcer Steve Stone and Cubs manager Lou Piniella. This, of course, was not Steve's first time raising the ire of the manager of the Lovable Losers:

Stone famously split with the Cubs after a long career as a broadcaster for his old team in 2004, when he criticized Dusty Baker's managing and several players on a fading team.

(BTW Hawk Harrelson during the Pirates-White Sox game just said, "I love the wheel play, sure you have a lot of guys moving around, but it is just a good play." No follow up.
Why are you voting for Bush? I dunno he just seems like a good guy to go out for a drink with.)

The actual argument between the two is boring, semantics about starting rookies over veterans, yada yada. However the following quote I stole from this article is NOT the way to argue who you're going to start:

"I've got five major league outfielders," he (Piniella) said. "It's not fair that I just abandon one or two of them. It's just not fair, and I'm not going to do it."

If I owned a team, and my manager said he was setting his starting lineup based on what's fair vs. what is the best possible lineup, I would personally walk down to the dugout and fire him. This is not little league. You want playing time? Get better. I sincerely hope Piniella is making his decisions based on more than just what's fair for everyone.

So I've decided

...to just go with the whole article by Gordon Wittenmyer since it seems ripe for the plucking (him in italics/me in regular):

Cubs insist there's a new attitude, plenty to prove

Alfredo Villasmil, a respected Venezuelan baseball writer for that nation's largest newspaper, recently spent a couple of days in Cubs camp checking in on Carlos Zambrano, as he does every spring.
But for the first time, after this visit, Villasmil said, ''I'm going to tell you something: This is El Toro's year. That's the man I met [as a minor-leaguer], when he was hungry.''

I already made fun on this. On a different post. Still, it's 'Quote of the Year' so far this season. And yes I know the season hasn't started yet.

Can you take that to the bank, along with Zambrano's $91.5 million contract?

Can you take a comment by a journalist to the bank as sure fire proof that Zambrano is going to return to his old form? Of course, he's a journalist, that's why you used his quote.

Not until he proves it over the next six months and avoids the lapses that have undone previous seasons.
But as he takes the mound today for the opener of a make-good season for almost every returning player on this team,

I just like that it's a make-good season for "ALMOST EVERY RETURNING PLAYER", except for the ones that were so bad they traded them away.

Zambrano isn't the only Cub who seems at least hungry after a sour, bitter 2009.

Apparently, the Cubs goal this year is to beat Kobayashi in a hot dog eating contest.

Whether they can do it might start with how well they can break from their past, from all the billy goats, Bartmans and Bradleys -- all the real or imagined curses that seem to dog this franchise every season.

"Real for imagined curses"!?!!? Curses aren't real. The White Sox threw a frickin World Series and still got there before the Cubs.

And don't start with the stuff about that being a media creation. It wasn't the media who claimed an improbable catch wasn't made in 2003 because of a fan trying to catch a foul ball, or who brought in the Greek orthodox priest before the 2008 playoffs, or who committed errors around the horn in Game 2 of that series, or who gave Milton Bradley $30 million.

OK, I won't start with it. But it's true, they're a media creation. Just because Cubs management bought into it, doesn't make it real.

In fact, this was the first spring since manager Lou Piniella took over in 2007 that the media didn't ask him about curses or goats -- which might be a sign that the culture change Piniella talked about when he took over has begun to take hold.

Great, in what most people expect to be his last season as a Cub he finally changed the culture from losing thanks to curses to losing thanks to under performance, congrates.

Or that nobody expects enough from the Cubs this year to bother.

BOOYAH!!!

Either way, there's a palpable sense of starting over in 2010, which seems to have only a little to do with new ownership and absolutely nothing to do with that ''Year 1'' marketing slogan.

What a horrible slogan. Thank god they play at Wrigley Field.

''I thought guys came in with a little bit of an edge,'' first baseman Derrek Lee said.

Ugh...this is completely meaningless as to how the Cubs are going to do this year. That's just some standard quote from one of the blandest interviewee's in the game of baseball. Great player, but kinda bland.

Even some of the new guys noticed the businesslike, game-faced approach this spring from those with even a year or two of experience with this team. Camaraderie, jokes and Cubs Idol in the clubhouse were balanced against hours of sunrise sessions with new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and a constant buzz of purpose.

New hitting coach. A decent reason that the Cubs might have a better year. Camaraderie and jokes are NOT good reasons. Let's see if Greg expands on the hitting coach thing, maybe that he's instituting a new approach at the plate for some of the hitters that struggled last year:

One new outfielder, Xavier Nady, said the Cubs' clubhouse this spring reminded him of the Yankees team he was on last year.

Nope, just some crap about Nady claiming this spring reminds him of the Yankees. Minus, you know, all the Hall of Fame talent.

New center fielder Marlon Byrd said it reminded him of the 2003 Phillies, the year he broke in as a starter. That was the year the Phillies brought in Jim Thome and 18-game winner Kevin Millwood -- and started a run of seven consecutive winning seasons, including World Series berths the last two.

Of course they reached those World Series AFTER Byrd had already been traded to the Nationals, where he couldn't find a permanent spot on the team and floated between the Majors and AAA. On the NATIONALS!

The last 102 years don't disappear because you say it's Year 1. But new eras don't start before the old ones are killed off, either.
So how do you forget about '09, or even '08 for that matter?

It's Wrigleyville, so I'm gonna guess lots of booze and roofies?

''I don't think you can forget everything, and I'm not sure you want to forget everything,'' said Lee, the only player on the Opening Day roster who has experienced winning a World Series. ''There's some lessons to be learned from last year. You look at it both ways: You learn from it, and then you move on.''

Lee is so sensible it kills me. He's like an baseball playing Vulcan. (yeah, Battlestarwarscapricatrek reference!)

That's where the edge Lee saw comes in.
Geovany Soto (.218 in '09) lost 40 pounds since last season; Zambrano (nine wins), 20.

No wonder they're so hungry.

Soto, Alfonso Soriano (.241, 20 homers) and other returning Cubs might have spent more time in the cage with Jaramillo than they spent on extra hitting their previous spring trainings combined.
''At 6:30 [a.m.], you park your car and you're hearing balls flying in the cage out there,'' pitcher Randy Wells said of the difference this spring. ''People are just ready to go and ready to make a big season of it.''
Said Lee: ''I think guys have something to prove, and as a team we have some things to prove.''

Darn your sensibility Lee, say something weird or dumb so I have a good quote to leave on you jerk.

Case Closed!

Poor Choice of Words

I got this from the Chicago Sun-Times writer Gordon Wittenmyer:

Alfredo Villasmil, a respected Venezuelan baseball writer for that nation's largest newspaper, recently spent a couple of days in Cubs camp checking in on Carlos Zambrano, as he does every spring.
But for the first time, after this visit, Villasmil said, ''I'm going to tell you something: This is El Toro's year. That's the man I met [as a minor-leaguer], when he was hungry.''

Wow...take that unintended double entendre. With a quick, dry wit like that, Villasmil should be writing for Leno.