Don't Count the Cubs Out Yet

Let's not get too carried away after back-to-back wins, but yesterday's game was pretty exciting. The Cubs are really in need of a sweep of the first place Brewers. They have won the first two games with a night game tonight and a day game tomorrow afternoon. Remember in 2007 it seemed as if the Cubs were out of it in July when they swept the Brewers in a four game series at Wrigley to game four games in the standing. They went on to win the division. Last night's two-run bomb by Aramis Ramirez reminded me of a walk-off homer he hit during that series.

At this point the Cubs are still ten games out of first. While that is not insurmountable, the fact that there are four teams in front of them makes it seem even more unlikely. Today more bad news was released as Darwin Barney is set to be placed on the 15-day DL. DJ LeMahieu will remain on the roster and split time with Jeff Baker at second base. Alfonso Soriano should be activated to fill Barney's roster spot. Yesterday the Cubs made a pair of roster moves sending Casey Coleman and Tyler Colvin back to Iowa in order to call up Chris Carpenter for his big league debut and activate Reed Johnson. Despite three players being activated from the DL, the injured list still includes Byrd, Wood, Cashner and now Barney.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times chatted about Cubs baseball with Mully and Hanley on 670 the Score this morning:

• Prince Fielder does not know Jim Hendry, but he will not rule out signing with the Cubs after this season.


• Gordon does not see the Cubs signing a big name free agent next year. He sees the Cubs dropping payroll again next year. He does not expect them to go out and get a big name guy.


• "A guy like Fielder is out of the question," Wittenmyer said.


• He does not have a problem with the "(Bleep) the goat" shirts that the Cubs have been wearing.


• Carlos Marmol is really good and getting better. He is a movable asset, but the Cubs will probably hang on to him.


• Jim Hendry is the guy that hired the manager and just ran the draft. He has another year on his contract, and Gordon expects him to stick around for at least another year.


• At the trade deadline, any movements that the Cubs make will involve eating money.


• Marlon Byrd has said that if you can get to five out before the All Star Break you have a chance.


• A fire sale is impossible for the Cubs. Nobody is buying for the Cubs, plus all of the players have no trade clauses. Kerry Wood is one of the only guys who has a lot of interest from other teams.


• The Cubs will only trade Wood if he approves of it.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!!!

Radio Recaps: Levine Talks Cubs, Gammons Calls Out Wrigley & Holly on The Score

Summer is just about here, and with that comes the return of Everything Cubs blog. Although it's been about ten days since I've posted, and I have been have had several long breaks as of late, this blog is not going anywhere. This summer we are set to debut some news posts and features to keep it interesting despite the struggles of the team on the field. I'll have a post up by the middle of next week outlining our summer posting plans.

For now, let's jump in with some radio recaps.

Bruce Levine checked in with Carmen, Jurko & Harry yesterday on ESPN 1000:

• Levine reports that he Carlos Zambrano's teammates like him. Players are intimidated by him but he is also a nice guy. When he's competing he's wacko.


• Jurko and Bruce are both disappointed with the performance of Geovany Soto this season. He is one guy who needs to step up.


• Several players are still very optimistic about this team as it starts to get healthy.


• Jeff Baker and Reed Johnson have done a great job. Getting them back is very important to this team.


• The Cubs do not feel like they are out of the race.


• Levine does not think reply is a great idea. There was no side view available for the Tyler Colvin overturned home run. Bruce was shocked that the call was overturned.


• Baseball needs to add more cameras to have every angle covered.


• Marlon Byrd is hoping to take live BP by the middle of next week. He is hoping to return sometime in July.

Peter Gammons of the MLB Network joined Mully and Hanley on 670 The Score yesterday to talk Chicago baseball:

• It's hard to recover from losing two or three starters early in the season really hurt the Cubs. Ryan Dempster has not had his best year. The pitching staff has not been very stable.


• Gammons did not like Zambrano's comments calling out the club. Nobody takes what Z says seriously anyways.


• Carlos is not tradeable because he makes way too much money.


• Peter doesn't think that Z should have been the person who should have been calling out the team. If a different veteran would have done it, it would have been okay.


• Gammons thinks that Jim Hendry will eventually be fired by the club. He feels badly for Hendry because a lot of decisions were made by ownership regarding free agent signings.


• Peter believes that ownership has been very fair with Jim, "but those changes have to be made sometimes."


• He thinks it is too early to judge the Ricketts family as the owners as the Cubs. "They are going to have to make that ballpark livable. I mean it is a dump," he said. "There is a ton of money that has to go into rebuilding that place," Gammons said.


• He pointed out that the Ricketts have taken over a roster filled with big contracts plus a ballpark that needs to have a lot of money put into it.

Todd Hollandsworth joined the Danny Mac Show on the Score yesterday:

• The Cubs bullpen has had to pick up a lot of slack because the starting pitching has not been reliable. The Cubs have not gotten quality starts from the veterans in the rotation.


• The bullpen has logged a lot of innings and done a pretty good job.


• Todd thinks that the purpose if instant reply was to eliminate the chance for a bad call on a game changing home run, but there was still some question after the reviewed Tyler Colvin call.


• Colvin is a very streaky hitter a lot like Alfonso Soriano. He is very capable of swooning or getting hot. The Cubs were counting on Tyler more this year. He is going to have to work on to be mor consistent.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Welcome Back Kerry Wood

Paul Sullivan was on Chicago Tribune Live on Thursday after the signing was announced. Here is what he had to say.

• Wood could have gotten more money from the White Sox or Yankees, but he wanted to return to the Cubs.
• Sullivan didn't expect Kerry to be in the Cubs price range.
• The two sides got together at Ron Santo's funeral.
• Injuries are always a concern with him. He missed the first few weeks last season.
• Sullivan thinks we are starting to see baseball players consider factors besides money. One of his kids goes to school in Chicago, his wife has family here and they just wanted to make this their home.
• Playing for the Cubs always made Kerry happy. Paul wouldn't be surprised if he retires a Cub now.
• If Kerry has a good season, he could be a multi-year deal for next season.
• Zambrano's agent told Sully at the winter meetings that Z will not waive his no-trade clause.

The newest member of the Chicago Cubs joined David Kaplan and company on CTL on Friday:

• Wood called Chicago home. It is where the family belongs and where he wants to be.
• Kerry has been in the city for the last 13 years and it is a perfect fit for him.
• He pointed out that he went to the postseason four of his ten seasons on the North Side.
• Woody thinks when there are no expectations it makes it a little easier for the young guys to get the job done.
• He thinks that the team can sneak up and surprise some people.
• "Mike Quade's great. He's a great baseball guy and a great baseball man."
• Kerry believes that the Reds have talent, but they are beatable. The division is up for grabs.
• He spent some time on the phone with Kenny Williams talking about the possibility of going to the White. It just didn't seem like the right fit for him.

Here are the notes from the press conference to welcome Kerry back yesterday at Wrigley:

• "What a great day for the Chicago Cubs," Jim Hendry said.
• Jim and Kerry did not feel like it was right for them to end and part ways. The two men had not discussed this over the past few years.
• "God bless #10, who in his own way had something to do with this," Hendry said, referring to the fact that this agreement was first talked about at Ron Santo's funeral.
• Tom Ricketts has always expressed the fact that he wants to do what's best for Cubs players and ex-Cubs players. Kerry has made it no secret that he wants to be a Cub for life.
• Woody said that he has always wanted to spend the rest of end of his career with the Cubs. This situation "kind of popped up on him."
• Kerry reiterated that it has never been about the money for him. This is a perfect situation for his family. He feels like he belongs here for many years to come.
• Wood's body feels great and he has developed his cutter. He plans on helping the Cubs get the ball to Carlos Marmol.
• He doesn't think this would have come up if it weren't for Ron Santo's funeral.
• "I'm just going to do my thing. I'm going to just go out there and get outs and hope the guys (in the bullpen) can see the way I go about my business."
• Wood hasn't discussed how long he plans on pitching before he ends his career. He plans on being around whenever his career is over.

Todd Hollandsworth joined Rosenbloom & Grote to talk about Woody and more:

• The Cubs got a really good reliever for a really good price. Hollandsorth called this signing "a gift under the tree" for Jim Hendry.
• Todd doesn't know if Andrew Cashner is ready to be a starter just yet.
• For different players and different pitchers, the amount of time it takes to adjust and learn how to pitch in the bigs every fifth day. There is no doubt that he has the stuff to do it.
• Holly thinks that the 2011 ballclub will be a competitive team. They have a shot to compete in the NL Central.
• Rudy Jaramillo and Mark Riggins will play large roles on this ballclub.
• It is hard to gauge how this team will do, but the whole division is like that. Last year's Reds team had a lot of players that surprised people.
• Todd is a firm believer that anyone can be traded at any time. Carlos Zambrano is a key for next season, but whether or not the team should trade him depends on what it would be getting in return.
• Kerry is definitely viewed as a guy who is a leader. He may not be the one standing up having team meetings, but he could be "the voice of the bullpen."
• The Cubs are not just trying to bring in character guys. The pieces that they have brought in are good pieces. Carlos Pena has had a strong career outside of last season.
• Pena's contract is structured in a way that it is affordable. He got his contract for this year based on his career as a whole, not the 2010 season.
• Holly thinks Mike Quade will be a good manager for the Chicago Cubs. I believes that the key to this team is going to be the fact that there aren't high expectations.
• The way that this team may finally win it all when they start out slow, hang in the weeds, don't have a lot of expectations and then all the sudden get hot down the stretch.
• Todd "absolutely wants to be a candidate to sit next to Pat Hughes on the radio broadcasts. He has "thrown his hat into the arena" but knows that there is no replacing Ron Santo.
• Hollandsworth called Ronnie a guy "who was there for everyone". If we could all live the way Ronnie did, this would be a better world.

Welcome home #34!!! I'll keep you posted.

Radio Recaps: Talkin' Z on The Score

It's our 700th post here on Everything Cubs Blog! Let's get into some radio chatter from this week so far.

Ken Rosenthal was on 670 the Score with Mully & Hanley yesterday to talk about Big Z:

• The ideal solution would be to trade Carlos Zambrano immediately.
• The idea that Zambrano cannot be traded isn't accurate. Ken cited the Milton Bradley trade as a situation where the Cubs saved money on a guy that was considered untradeable.
• If Zambrano comes back, he will pitch in the bullpen. Then, they will work feverishly to trade him.
• The only way Rosenthal could see a trade happening is if there's another big contract like Carlos Silva out there for the Cubs to swap for Z. He thinks there could be a few others out there that match.

Len Kasper was on the Danny Mac show to talk about the situation:

• Brian Schlitter does not have a fork ball or else it would be a Schlitter splitter.
• Just about every game Zambrano pitches Kasper is asked the question, "How do you think he'll be today?"
• The team meeting on Saturday could help this club to relax more.
• Len is not convinced that the Lou blowup in 2007 caused the Cubs hot streak, and he is not convinced that this incident will help this team play better.
• Kasper didn't like the fact that Zambrano was not showing emotion towards himself, he was yelling at everyone else.
• In the case of Z VS Lee, Derrek gets the benefit of the doubt.
• D-Lee didn't want to fight Zambrano, he just told him to calm down and shut up.
• There were issues with Carlos even before the Cubs gave him the big contract.
• Len thinks that Zambrano was moved to the bullpen the first time because he fit there, not as a punishment. This time around, it is more of a punishment.
• Kasper has never had an issue with Z off the field, and gets along with him great.
• Walking into the clubhouse and saying "Hey guys, I'm sorry," might not cut it this time.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Tuesday Radio Recaps: Brenly & Levine on the Airwaves

Cubs TV Color guy Bob Brenly was on The Danny Mac Show on 670 the score yesterday:

• The weekend was not a great one for the Cubs, but it ended on a positive note.
• The Cubs are not taking what they learn from the advanced scouts. Some of the players might not be paying enough attention to the information that they are given.
• Bob has seen the scouting reports and thinks that they are good, but they are just not being absorbed by the players.
• Like Lou has said, it all comes down to the players. In order to be a winner in the big leagues you have to focus on every pitch and every at bat everyday.
• The Cubs want guys who can not only play the game with their bodies, but also with their heads.
• The Cubs have had 56 different lineup this year, they can't hit with guys in the clutch, they're playing bad defense, and the middle relief situation is not good. It's going to be a tough decision for Jim Hendry to decide whether the Cubs are going to sell or not.
• In Bob's eyes, the Cubs still have a chance. This is a talented ballclub on paper.
• Brenly says that when you think back to seasons past, certain teams will take off at unexpected times. Things like that happen in the game of baseball.
• Piniella is trying to find a good combination with the lineup. Bob likes the fact that Lou continues to experiment.
• It's a tough decision to become sellers, because you send your fans a message that your club is waiving the white flag. However, you could lose guys like Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly for nothing at the end of the year instead of getting prospects now.
• Brenly loves Koyie Hill as a backup catcher, but if Soto is hitting well then Geo should be the starter.

Bruce Levine always stops by Afternoon Saloon on ESPN 1000 to talk Cubs. Here's what he had to say yesterday:

• The Cubs have a long way to go. Guys like Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Zambrano are going to have to step it up.
• The Cubs have already had some great opportunities including a stretch of four series in a row against sub-.500 opponents. However, they still have a chance on this road trip playing the Mariners and White Sox.
• Aramis Ramirez says that this Cubs season has been embarrassing. He cannot put his finger on the cause of the defensive and mental errors.
• Levine doesn't think it really matters where professional ballplayers bat in the order. He thinks that spots in the lineup are overrated.
• Bruce isn't so sure that Lou Piniella will retire after this season. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always.

Radio Recaps: Brenly and Sullivan on the Score

Bob Brenly on the Danny Mac Show on Tuesday:

• Bob thinks it's odd for everyone to see Carlos Zambrano in his current role. Brenly thinks Z will end up back in the starting rotation at some point this season.
• If you do put Zambrano back in the rotation, the Cubs need someone to fill the 8th inning role. They could look to the minors or the trade market.
• The five guys the Cubs have in the rotation right now are solid. It probably will take an injury to get Carlos back into the starting five
• Aramis Ramirez did not say "I'm my own hitting coach," out of disrespect to Rudy Jaramillo. Rami was just saying that he understands what he's doing wrong and knows how to work his way out of it. Bob thinks the quote got taken out of context and blown out of proportion.
• We are seeing signs that Derrek Lee is starting to find his stride. Lee was not in a slump like Ramirez was, he was just not getting hits. Right now, you have to avoid putting Derrek and A-Ram too close together in the lineup.
• You would think that the Cubs would be having more success because they have 5-6 guys hitting well. The two "big boys" have dragged the entire team down.
• If you're five games out with six to go, you still have a chance to get into the playoffs. It is way to early to panic for the Chicago Cubs.
• Some of the Cubs moves are made out of necessity and they are the best option. Brenly commends the Cubs for not waiting until the service date to bring Starlin Castro up.

Paul Sullivan joined Mully & Hanley after yesterday's win over the Marlins:

• Sully thinks you just have to look at the game against Florida as one win and wait to see what happens this weekend against the Pirates.
• The Cubs are up in the top 5 or 6 in many statistical categories, but they are having trouble scoring runs.
• Right now nobody really knows for sure how good (or how bad) the Cubs are.
• Paul says that the Cardinals are looking pretty solid, so the Cubbies may want to start thinking about the Wild Card at best.
• Carlos Zambrano has been very low key over the past few weeks. Z does not like being pulled in the middle of an inning and he is not too thrilled with his new role.
• Sully has seen Rudy and Aramis working together, so the report from David Kaplan that Ramirez is not coached by Jaramillo is not entirely accurate.
• Derrek Lee also says that he will listen to Jaramillo, but not to everything he says.
• The thing with Aramis is that we've never seen him in this kind of a slump. He has never struck out so frequently.
• Carlos Silva thinks the Cubs approached him the right way in Spring Training. Sully says that Larry Rothschild did change Silva's throwing motion a little bit. A lot of it is the confidence.
• Brining Castro up might eventually cost them more money, but you have to worry about the present. The Cubs say the move was for defensive purposes, but the guy made 5 errors his first week.
• There are going to be some growing pains involved in a 20-year old adjusting to the bigs.

Don't forget to vote on our poll on the right sidebar!

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on everything Cubs as always.

Radio Recaps: Stone & Holly on 670 the Score

Steve Stone on Boers & Bernstein to talk Castro

• In the short term, Castro is a very promising young player.
• Stone saw him in the Arizona Fall League and noticed his hand-eye coordination.
• He puts a lot of "pitchers' pitches" in play.
• The one thing that baffles Steve about this is that Ryan Theriot and Castro did not work together as a double play combo in Spring Training.
• Ryan had not played second base in some time.
• The Cubs have 11 stolen bases as a team, while Juan Pierre has 15 by himself. The Cubs have a slow team. When you go to big ballparks or the wind blows in at Wrigley, you cannot win without speed.
• Barry does not think this timing makes any sense. Steve says that the Cubs didn't want to bring him up this early, but there are some things that are difficult to explain with this team.
• The Cubs continue to stock their lineup with right handed hitters.
• A five man rotation in a Major League Baseball outfield does not work.
• Sitting Colvin on the bench is not doing him a lot of good.
• With Gorzelanny throwing the ball very well, Carlos Zambrano may not have a chance to move back into the starting five.
• Randy Wells admits that he was goofing around with Geovany Soto in the bullpen before the game. Steve's question is, "Where was Larry Rothschild?"
• Losing three games to the Pirates just doesn't look good.
• Lou Piniella has only one thing in mind for the Cubs, winning games.
• Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker do not have much value on the trade market.
• Ryan Theriot is a guy you want to keep.
• If you could move Aramis Ramirez, Stoney believes you should do so.
• The Cubs are very limited as to who they can trade and when you can trade them. They will have to eat a lot of money to dump so big players.
• A guy who can only play second is not very valuable if he is not starting (Fontenot).
• Carlos Zambrano's bat is not a factor in the decision to move him to the bullpen.

Todd Hollandsworth on the Danny Mac Show to give his take on Castro

• Todd thinks that Aramis Ramirez's problems are mental. Rami's body language is just awful right now.
• Ramirez looks defeated and unsure of himself. He is "out and around" everything at the plate, meaning that he's trying to crush the ball.
• The best action for Lou Piniella might be to sit Ramirez down for awhile.
• Todd is seeing a guy who's trying to get it all back with one swing. A couple days off to clean his head and refresh his mind might be the right thing for Ramirez.
• Mike Fontenot has been "solid enough" this season. The starting pitching has been pretty good, Soto is off to a good start, Soriano has gotten his act together, Theriot is hitting well, but they are still losing.
• Hollandsworth is looking for a "spark plug" or "lighting in a bottle". Starlin Castro could be that guy who shakes things up.
• They have a veteran team, but something is missing.
• Moving Zambrano to the 8th inning was a "wow factor".
• Todd doesn't want to put the word "critical" on any game. As a player, you have to look at everyday as an opportunity to beat the opponent.
• The Cubs are certainly not out of it, but they need a spark.
• They do not have much flexibility with their roster because they do not have a lot of guys who can be sent down to AAA.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Sullivan on 670 The Score

Paul Sullivan joined Mully and Hanley yesterday to talk Cubs:

• Wednesday it was George Castle who made Lou Piniella mad, Thursday it was a guy from Comcast.
• Sullivan agrees with the decision to let Fontenot swing the bat with men on base earlier in the week. Some question Lou's strategy and think that Mike should have put a bunt down.
• The Cubs are wasting amazing starting pitcher. Also, they are playing the teams "that you have to beat".
• If you go by last year's records, the Cubs had the easiest April schedule in the National League.
• At the end of the season, you are going to look back at these games and realize how much they mattered.
• The bullpen situation has been straighten out. They have an ERA under 2 since Zambrano has been moved out there.
• The guys in the bullpen do have a good time down there.
• Sullivan says that the stars on the team are working on their own. Rudy Jaramillo will work individual with any players that want to. .
• Aramis Ramirez seems to be slowly coming out of it.
• Geovany Soto is quietly having a solid year.
• It's too early to make any final judgements on Jaramillo.
• The Cubs still feel pretty good about Lilly.
• Ryan Dempster is a guy who will answer all of the questions win or lose. Dempser always understands the job of the media.
• Sully thinks that the Demp we are seeing now is the one that we did not see at the start of last season. He is picking up where he left off at the end of last season.
• The Cubs could have used Kevin Millar. They picked Tracy because he is left handed and can play first base.
• Sully says that Kevin really does help in the clubhouse. He has a great personality that brings the team together.
• The Nationals are a team that really have a good time and enjoy themeselves. The Cubs could use a guy like Millar to shake things up.
• The whole personality of this team has looked flat so far this season.
• The Cubs really need a left handed bat off the bench that can come up with a hit. Chad Tracy has not worked out.

That's it for now!

Weekend Roundup: Cactus League Baseball is Near!

• The Cactus League schedule opens this week! The first Spring Training game for the Chicago Cubs is on Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM CT. Randy Wells will get the nod as the starting pitcher in this game. He will go about 2 innings before the ball is turned over to the bullpen.
• Sean Marshall, J.R. Mathes, Esmalin Caridad, and Mike Parisi will all see action in relief in Thursday's game, which is against the Oakland A's. Former Cubs Jake Fox, Eric Patterson, and Mike Wuertz will all be with the A's for this game at HoHoKam.
• Today's workouts at Fitch Park were cut short because of rain. John Grabow was the only pitcher to toss some BP.
• Angel Guzman threw 25-30 pitches in the batting cages from 45 feet today and says his arm felt OK.
• Lou Piniella will make his ideas about the Cubs' batting order public tomorrow. Carrie Muskat says that we should look to see Alfonso Soriano in the 6 slot.
• Tomorrow is photo day for the Cubs.
• Cubs LHP Ted Lilly will most likely miss the entire month of April according to Bruce Levine. This leaves an extra opening in the Cubs' rotation to start the year, as now the 4th and 5th spots are up for grabs.
• Lilly did some running and playing catch yesterday.
• Larry Rothchild has been working on throwing with outfielder Xavier Nady, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. The rehab is going well, but whether Nady will be ready for Opening Day is still up in the air according to Cubs.com.
• Aramis Ramirez sat out live BP against Carlos Marmol yesterday. Rami doesn't like taking live BP, but instead chooses to hit off pitching machines and coaches.
• Mike Fontenot has been taking grounders at short stop. He wants to be able to handle that position as well as second base.
• Lou Piniella says that there are two jobs open on the Cubs' bench. Koyie Hill, Xavier Nady, and the loser of the Baker/Fontenot competition for the starting second base job will fill the first three spots. ESPNChicago.com reports that there are also four open spots on the pitching staff, 2 each in the rotation and the pen. This means that Grabow, Guzman, Marmol, and Caridad have already been penciled into spots in the bullpen.
• Sweet Lou went to a chapel today and prayed for our Cubbies.
• Many of "the kids" will get a chance early on in Cactus League play.
• Derrek Lee hasn't had talk of a contract extension with the Cubs, so he fully expects to become a free agent at the end of the season according to the Sun Times.
• Jim Hendy is trying to make a move to bolster the bullpen before Opening Day. Bruce Levine has been reporting for at least a month that Jason Frasor and Luke Gregerson are options, but so far nothing has come of those potential trades. With the recent injuries to Gray and Guzman, the need for relief pitching depth has become apparent.
• Gordon Wittenmyer takes a look at the state of the Cubs' minor league system.
• Cubs legend Greg Maddux has been on the field working with pitchers so far, but once games get started on Thursday, Greg will travel with Randy Bush and Gary Hughes to scout opponents.
• Paul Sullivan reports that Kosuke has made a minor change to his batting mechanics.
• Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald breaks down the Baker/Fontenot battle.
• Andre Dawson was on ESPN talking Cubs and Hall of Fame induction!
• Kevin Millar's chances of making the team improve by the day.
• Marlon Byrd told Bob Nightengale that he doesn't like all the comparisons to his friend Milton Bradley.

And now let's dive into some TV and Radio Recaps, starting with Lou Piniella on Mully and Hanley on Thursday:

• Lou likes that fact that the Cubs are not picked to win the division. It takes some pressure of the team.
• Last year, the Cubs couldn't afford too many injuries, and that's what hit them.
• They know their system a lot better now that they got a chance to play some kids last year.
• The pitching was the mainstay of the team in 2009. Randy Wells came out of no where, Carlos Marmol pitched well when he got in the closer's role, and other guys like Caridad and Berg did nice jobs.
• The Cubs need a bounce back year from Zambrano, they need to get Ted Lilly healthy, and "go from there".
• One thing is for certain according to Piniella- the Cubs are going to score more runs in 2010 then they did last season.
• The biggest jobs the Cubs have in Spring Training is sorting out the back end of the rotation and looking for an experienced right handed reliever.
• The more a manager can rest his team, the better.
• Lou really likes this baseball team. "We're gonna be a nice ballclub," he said.
• Carlos Zambrano is his own worst enemy at times.
• Lou says that there's not reason why Z can't win 17-18 or even 20 ballgames.
• Team chemistry is not overrated, but obviously the more you win the more chemistry you have.
• At the start of 2009, there were 11 new faces on the 25-man roster. Then when the rash of injuries occurred, more new people came in. This could have been the cause of the lack of chemistry.
• Piniella is proud of his club for keeping it together last season.
• He watched Starlin hit the other day, and saw that Castro had really nice hands, hitting line drives all over the place.
• Theriot is going to be the Cubs short stop. Castro needs a little more experience.

Jim Hendry joined Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood on Talkin' Baseball on ESPN Radio Saturday:

• Bruce Levine celebrated his birthday on Saturday, prompting Jim to joke that Levine was one of the oldest guys left in the media.
• Hendry thinks it was unfortunate that they had to go to arbitration, but it's not going to be an issue with Theriot.
• Jim is hoping he won't have to go to a hearing again.
• The Cubs need to swing the bats more consistently this season.
• He is going to keep his eye on bullpen pitchers. The free agent market is thin, but they will try to work out a trade. They will try to make a move before Opening Day if something good comes along, but it won't be a failure if they don't.
• Aramis Ramirez is being counted on to be healthy again. Jeff Baker could shift over to third to backup, and Chad Tracy can also play the hot corner if Rami were to go down.
• Ted Lilly has a little irritation in his knee, and that is normal. Ted is not going to need a procedure.
• Marlon Byrd has become a really good offensive player. Byrd has made a lot of progress the last few years in Texas. Jaramillo gave the Cubs a really good review of Marlon. Byrd also plays good center field and is a great team guy.
• In a perfect world the Cubs would have liked to have added a left handed bat, but Byrd hits righties well.
• Jim is "not really" disappointed in the way that Carlos Silva has reported. Silva knows that he needs to get 10-12 pounds off before Opening Day. Carlos has thrown the ball well.
• Hendy has a great relationship with Lou, but both sides are going to worry about 2010 first. They are not concerned about Piniella's contract beyond this year yet.
• He thinks it's a great idea by MLB Network to do the reality TV show on the White Sox. It will certainly make for a great story.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on everything Cubs as always!

Valentines Day Cubs Roundup

Happy Valentine's Day Cubs' fans!

This is the final weekend without baseball. We can now say these words, "Pitchers and catcher report this week."

Updates from Mesa from Boys of Spring

• On Friday, the Cubs equipment truck arrived in Arizona.
• Jeff Samardzija has been added to the list of Cubs to report early to camp and has done a little long toss.
• Tyler Colvin has gained 25 pounds of weight and muscle. He worked out with Tim Buss all winter.
• Spring Training invite Bryan LaHair has reported and is hitting some bombs in BP.

Also, Gordon Wittenmyer has written up a nice preview of the season. Click to check it out.

Jim Hendry on The Score

The Cubs GM joined Mully and Hanley on 670 the score on Friday to chat about the upcoming Spring Training camp! Here's the full recap:

• Hendy is very excited for the start of the 2010 season. He saw a lot of the players this winter, and he thinks they have an "edge" to him.
• The addition of Rudy Jaramillo was an important move for the Cubs this offseason. He has coached some of the Cubs before, and everyone in the game speaks very highly of him.
• The Ricketts family are very caring people about the franchise. They want to run a first class organization from top to bottom.
• Hendy feels really good about the franchise. They took on a lot of money after the 2006 season, but they were rewarded by becoming a good ballclub.
• Jim feels that he will have the money to do what he wants to do in July.
• Ted Lilly only got very minor cleanup work. He's on a good throwing program and has had no set backs.
• Ted may not be behind at all, or he may sit out only a few weeks. You can get by with four starters for the first few weeks of the season.
• The Cubs are going into camp with a race for the 5th spot in the rotation. Sean Marshall deserves and chance, the Cubs are high on Samardzija, they are hoping to get Silva on track, and they added Gorzelanny last July.
• Arbitration is a very complicated process. They are not anticipating having any problems with Theriot after the hearing.
• Hendy said that at the time Milton Bradley looked to be a perfect fit, but it was not meant to be. They new they were going to try to move him early this winter. They were working on some 3 way deals and at one point even a four way deal, but they ran out of options and took the Seattle deal. They liked Carlos in the past, and sometimes people just need a change of scenery.
• The Cubs feel like Carlos Marmol has earned the right to have the chance to be the closer. He likes the action, and overall his numbers are off the charts. "It's his time."
• Jim is not worried about Lou. Hendry thinks he still has a lot left in the tank and a lot of passion left.
• It was Hendry's decision to bring Greg Maddux back. The Ricketts are very supportive, but Jim and his staff make all the baseball decisions.
• All of the Cub hitters that took a step backwards last year are expected to get back on track under Rudy this season.
• Starlin Castro is an impressive kid, but "we'll just kind of see how that goes". "He'll tell us when he's ready," the Cub GM said.

My Ten Questions to Watch this Spring

1. How much of an affect can a hitting coach really have?

2. Is Carlos Marmol ready to close?

3. Can Cub hitters coming off down years bounce back?

4. Will the Cubs stay healthy?

5. Will Castro be given a fair shot to make the Opening Day roster?

6. How will the new Cubs perform?

7. Can Randy Wells repeat what he did last season?

8. What will Jeff Samardzija bring to the table?

9. How will Ryan Theriot's arbitration affect his play?

10. Is the bullpen deep enough? Will the Cubs' add to it?

Yesterday, we took a lot at non roster pitcher with Spring Training invites. This week, we continue our breakdown of the guys that will be in camp.