Bruce Levine on ESPN 1000 & More

Bruce Levine was ESPN 1000 with Carmen, Jurko and Harry-

• Levine explained the new playoff system that was announced today. An extra wildcard spot in each league has been added for this season. The two wildcards will have a one game playoff.
  
• For this season only, the team with the worst record in the Division Series will host the first two games with the better record hosting the final three games of the series.
• Not many people like the idea of hosting the World Series at a neutral site at a warm weather location, but Bruce likes the idea.
• Travis Wood did not look good in the intrasquad game today. Both Matt Szczur and Brett Jackson took him deep. The Cubs are going to do everything they can to make sure that he is in the rotation.
• Bruce is looking for Jeff Samardzija to get a good shot because the Cubs have only one power arm in their rotation.
  
• Bryan LaHair has a good idea of the strike zone, takes pitches and works hard. He went to winter ball after his banner year at the minor league level. Levine would not bet against LaHair.
• "Never say never," Bruce said when asked about the Cubs chances of ended up with a playoff spot. "The chance is always there."
• Josh Vitters is a talented young hitter who finally showed power last year, but has not worked hard enough yet to reach the big leagues.
• The chances of Brett Jackson being on the roster on Opening Day are pretty slim, but by Opening Day Levine thinks that there is a 75% chance that Jackson will be called up by July. Anthony Rizzo could also be called up by midseason.
  

Other Cubs notes-

• The first Cactus League game is Sunday at 2:05 CT against the Oakland A's at HoHoKam Park. Rodrigo Lopez will be on the mound for the Cubs. It will be broadcast on MLB.com Gameday Audio with Len Kasper and Mic Gillespie.
• Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza will pitch the second and third Cactus League games, respectively.
  
• The blue team beat the white team 10-4 in today's intrasquad game. The blue team was made up of mostly minor leaguers and backups.

There were four matchups today in the Cubs bunt tournament to complete the Sweet Sixteen. Here are the Sweet 16 matchups.

Beliveau vs. McNutt

Rusin vs. Coleman

Samardzija vs. Wells

Maholm vs. Sveum

Cardenas vs. Lalli

W. Castillo vs. Clevenger

Mather vs. Castro

Baker vs. DeJesus

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

Radio Recap: Hendry on Talkin' Baseball

Former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry joined Bruce Levine on ESPN 1000 yesterday. Here is what he had to say.

• Hendry has taken the last couple of month to spend a lot of time with his two children.


• He has also played a lot of golf since departing from the Cubs.


• Theo Epstein and Hendry are good friends. They met years ago when Hendry was the assistant GM for the Cubs. Jim is happy for the Cubs, and said he left on very good terms.


• "Tom Ricketts and his family are terrific, and they hit a grand slam with Theo," he said.


• Theo has already started bringing in quality people, while keeping the quality guys that worked there under Hendry.


• Jim feels fortunate to spend 17 great years for the Cubs. "I have nothing but great things to look back upon on my experience there," he said.


• Hendry is thrilled for the Cubs and things that it is going to be a great place for a long time under Theo.


• He has taken the last couple months to think about nothing but his children. He has not wanted to think about what he wants to do in the future.


• Hendry wants to work, but he does not have a clear cut path as to what he wants to do. He already has friends expressing interest in bringing him in to their organization.


• "It's nice to have some options, and it's nice to spend some time with my kids," he said.


• Mike Quade texted him just before the announcement of his departure last week. Hendry thinks Q and Theo both handled the exit well. Hendry has not spoke with Mike yet but he plans to soon.


• Hendry thinks that the statistical analysis must be combined with good scouting.


• Jim spoke very highly of Epstein, Ricketts and the entire organization throughout the interview.


• "I think great days are ahead for the Cubs," he said.

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

Radio Recaps: Getting Set for the Epstein Annoucement

Bruce Levine joined Carmen, Jurko and Harry for the latest on the Theo Watch on Thursday-

• The Cubs were very close at that time to the deal with the Red Sox. One of the holdups may have been the medical situations of some of the deals that they agreed on.


• Levine called the situation a real tangled web, with Jed Hoyer moving to the Cubs. The front office will grow under Epstein and Hoyer.


• Theo will be the guy to call the shots. This is a lateral move for Hoyer.


• The media and fans are going to be talking to Jed Hoyer every day. Jed is going to be a very important part of the front office.


• Levine was told that there would not be any compensation need to San Diego, but some reports have said that there will be a low level prospect.


• Bruce was told that Trey McNutt and Brett Jackson are both staying in Chicago. Nobody is sure who the prospect going to Boston is.


• Bud Selig has not gotten involved much yet. He has allowed these teams to make the announcement during off days of the World Series so that the teams (San Diego, Boston and the Cubs) can be ready for free agency.


• Theo was probably the one who decided that he wanted a general manager under him. Esptein likes to have a lot of guys under him. At times, he has had three assistant general managers working under him.


• The Cubs going to add more people to the front office after Esptein and Hoyer. A few more guys from Boston and San Diego will become over.


• Levine shot down the possibility of John Lackey being sent to the Cubs. Starlin Castro and Matt Garza's names also came up during the compensation offers.


• Carem and Bruce agreed that the Red Sox have been set on dragging this thing out as long as possible. The Bo-Sox have made this as difficult as possible.

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

Breaking News: Epstein on the Verge of Becoming Cubs' GM

The Cubs are on the verge bringing Red Sox general manager to Chicago to fill a similar role, taking over for Jim Hendry who was fired in August. This deal seems to be all but official, and it should be made official in the next 24 hours.

Jon Heyman tweeted today that part of the agreement is that Epstein cannot take any other Red Sox front office members with him. Compensation will most likely be sent to Boston in the form of either cash or a minor league player. Heyman reports that Boston is leaning toward wanting the money.

Jeff Passan tweeted that Theo Epstein is a spectacular hire for the Cubs and an unnecessarily stupid loss for the Bo-Sox. ESPN's Buster Olney has reported that the deal is done. The deal is reportedly for five years and close to $20 million.

Bruce Levine was on ESPN today to talk about the move:

• The final hurdle is getting the compensation sorted out.



• The Red Sox could ask for a lot and the Cubs could balk at that. This could take a little while to get figured out, but Bruce would be shocked if it does not get done.



• Mike Quade's future in Chicago is unknown at this time. Levine thinks that people have gotten a little bit ahead of the story by talking about the possibility of the move under Epstein.



• Levine would be shocked if the Cubs went after a slugger like Pujols or Fielder. The Cubs need starting pitch, so that must be the top priority.



• The Cubs need a lot of help in the rotation behind Dempster and Garza. The money that they have should go toward pitching first.

Ryan Dempster was on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to offer his perspective.

• Dempster thinks that the Cubs have an incredible bullpen. He thinks that they have a bullpen that can be very strong.



• "The starting pitching has to do a better job, and that starts with me," he said.



• Demp also pointed out that the Cubs must to play better defense.



• Ryan and Cowherd agree that Chicago is one of the best cities for sports in America. Dempster said that the city appreciates hard work.



• Demp has never met Theo Epstein, but he is looking forward to having him on with the Cubs.

That's it for now, but I'll update you when the deal is official.

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!

Catching Up Quick Hits: Santo's Day, Levine's Latest, and More

It is Ron Santo day in Mesa, Arizona today as the Cubs take on the Indians!

A lot of news and notes to catch up on from this week in Cubs camp, so let's jump right in.

• According to Carrie Muskat, John Grabow has not pitched in a Cactus League game since the opener on Feb. 27 due to some shoulder tightness.
• Mike Quade has not decided who will get the bulk of the playing time at first base.
• Todd Wellemyer has a soar right hip.
• Bruce Levine reports that the Cubs will have to eat a lot of Carlos Silva's $12M contract in order to trade him.
• Levine is not worried about Matt Garza despite his early struggles.
• Bruce says that Jeff Samardzija is "on the team." There is very little chance that he will not make the roster since he has a big contract and is out of options.
• Carlos Marmol has impressed Levine the most so far this year. He has continued to look unhittable.
• Mike Quade has locked Starlin Castro into the two hole and Aramis Ramirez into the cleanup spot. The rest of the batting order has yet to be determined.
• Geovany Soto could move up to No. 5 or No. 6 in the lineup, but most likely he will not hit as high as three.
• The Cubs like Koyie Hill because of his defense and relationship with pitchers.
• Levine believes that the Cubs can win 80-85 games.
• Bruce expects Brett Jackson to be the biggest surprise this season.

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

Radio Recaps: Bruce Levine's Latest on Talkin' Baseball

Bruce Levine talked baseball on ESPN 1000 today. Here are some of the things he had to say about Chicago's North Side baseball team.

• Randy Wells and Carlos Silva have not been guaranteed a spot on the Cubs roster.
• Andrew Cashner will be given a shot to start. He that does not work out, he will be in the pen.
• Since James Russell is the only lefty in the mix, he will be given a fair chance at the rotation.
• One fan called in to complain about a surcharge that is put into effect when someone tries to buy tickets early. If a team can make some money by doing something, they are going to do it.
• Fred does not want to hear about Albert Pujols. Levine agrees that this story has not legs because it is ten months away.
• Bruce says that it is certainly possible that the Cubs could bring in a Field or a Pujols, but the guys agree that it may be too much to spend on a 33-year old that you will be stuck with for ten years.
• Levine thinks that GMs need to pay players for what they think they will do during the contract, not what they have already done.

Tom Ricketts joined the guys to talk Cubs baseball:

• Ricketts wants the team to build on the momentum that they had at the end of last season.
• He wants the Cubs to use this next 40 days effectively to get ready for April 1.
• Jim Hendry has 100% support from the Ricketts family. Tom thinks that Hendry had a terrific offseason making the most of what little flexibility the team had going into the offseason.
• Ricketts is excited to have Carlos Pena on the ballclub. A contract extension late in the season if he is having a good year could be an option for Hendry.
• It is true that the Cubs will have a lot more flexibility next offseason. How they decide to put that money to work will be decided late in the season.
• Fans will see more food options that the concession stands this year.
• Levine asked Tom where he stood on a second wild card. Ricketts can see both sides of it and does not have a hardwired opinion.

That's it for now, I'll have more later on the first day of full squad workouts!

Radio Recaps: Lou and The Riot on Talkin' Baseball

Bruce Levine had a slew of guests on for his 20th anniversary edition of Talkin' Baseball on ESPN 1000.

Here is what Ryan Theriot had to say:

• "As players we don't really have a choice of where we play until we get to free agency. Right now, I'm excited to be a St. Louis Cardinal."
• Ryan thinks about his arbitration hearing a lot. He doesn't think he would still be a Cub even if he didn't go to arbitration, but there is no answer to that question.
• The sky is the limit for Starlin Castro.
• When Fred asked him what he thinks the reaction will be for him when he comes back to Wrigley, Ryan said that he hopes to get one like Mark DeRosa received when he returned.
• Theriot think there will be an extra edge when he plays his former teammates, but he knows they respect him on the field and off. Ryan knows exactly what every one of the Chicago Cubs is all about.
• "There is a big respect factor," he said.
• Bruce called Ryan "a classic overachiever" during his tenure in Chicago.

Levine thinks that Carlos Marmol will have a deal in place by the time pitchers and catchers report.

Another ex-Cubbie, Lou Pineilla, joined Bruce and Fred:

• "It's a nice opportunity. I don't have to travel. I look forward to working with the Giants, but at the same time I have a special affinity for the Cubs in my heart. I wish Mike Quade, Jim Hendry and the rest of the guys the best of luck."
• It was very difficult for Lou and the players because of the health of Piniella's family last season. He wasn't there to give them the 100 percent support that a manager should give.
• Sweet Lou's mother is in the hospital again right now. She has been there the last 12 days.
• He thinks that the Ricketts are the right owners to lead the team.
• Piniella will be scouting the American League for the Giants. He will be doing AL Spring Training and then the Tampa Bay Rays during the regular season.
• He had chances to join a few organizations to do some work on TV, but this made good sense to him.
• Lou gets a chance to get out of the house a little bit, but still come home every night.
• The last five years of his career, Piniella worked for five different owners.
• "I wish the Ricketts family nothing but the best. They're good people, they're genuine people. I'm sure that they're going to bring a championship to that city in the near future."

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

Levine's Latest Before the Snow

Here's the latest from Bruce Levine's popular weekly chat, which takes place every Tuesday over at ESPNChicago.com.

• Jay Jackson has a live arm and could make the club out of Spring Training.
• Bruce thinks the White Sox have a better chance at the playoff than the Cubs "at this point."
• The Cubs have no plans to switch Sean Marshall to the rotation. James Russell will be given a chance.
• Starlin Castro leading off for the Cubs is within the realm of possibility. Baker, Kosuke and DeWitt are other candidates.
• The Cubs will continue to be one of the slowest teams in the majors.
• The Cubs will not trade Geovany Soto, but if they are having another bad season Carlos Marmol could be dealt.
• Levine does not think Samardzija has been handled very well.
• Bruce does not expect a sophomore slump out of Starlin Castro. He should be much improved on defense.
• If Aramis Ramirez plays well, the Cubs will consider picking up his $15 million option. Otherwise, they'll have to pay a $1 million buyout.
• Mark Riggins is a new voice but he has lots of experience. Bruce expects him to be a good fit.
• The Cubs see Brett Jackson as their leadoff man and center fielder of the future.
• The consensus in the organization is that Trey McNutt has more upside than Chris Archer.

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

Radio/TV Recaps: Matt Garza Trade Reaction

Bruce Levine jumped on Afternoon Saloon on Friday to talk about the deal:

• Levine thinks it is definitely a good deal at this point to get a known quantity.
• Most people will tell you that this guy is in the top fifteen pitchers in the American League.
• When asked if Garza would get the ball on Opening Day, Levine said "I wouldn't go that deep, but he'll certainly be the most important pitcher for the Cubs outside of Zambrano."
• There wasn't a more urgent need other than pitching.
• Zambrano, Dempster, Garza, and Andrew Cashner will probably make up the top four of the Cubs rotation.
• The Cubs are hoping that John Grabow will come back from an injury and pitch like he did before last season. They have the makings of a very good bullpen, possibly with three left handers.
• Garza eats Popeyes Chicken before every start.
• The two guys that the Cubs certainly didn't want to part with were Hak-Ju Lee and Chris Archer.
• Archer is probably a year away from being in the Tampa Bay rotation. The Rays were not going to make the deal without the Cubs including either Archer or Trey McNutt.
• A lot of people around the league think that Garza is tremendously underrated. Levine feels that this guy will be a 17-20 game winner at some point.
• The fifth starter will be a situation where there is a competition in Spring Training.
• Bruce says that Rick Suttcliffe and Dan Plesac are not involved in the discussion to be Pat Hughes' new partner. Plesac is under contract until mid-August with the MLB Network.
• The three finalist for the job are going to be Dave Otto, Keith Moreland and Gary Mathews. The announcement probably will not happen before the Cubs Convention, but it should take place within the next 2-3 weeks.

The guys talked about the deal on Chicago Tribune Live on Friday night:

• Phil Rogers thinks the Cubs gave up a ton.
• This is a guy they look to have for three years that won 15 games and tossed a no-hitter last year.
• Rogers talked to someone who says, "This isn't the type of player who you go shopping for at Walmart. You know you're going to pay a lot."
• Phil doesn't see the Cubs being competitive in 2011 with or without Matt Garza, but this sets them up to get competitive again after this season.
• The Cubs are giving up some really good parts in this trade.
• David Schuster thinks the Cubs are giving off mixed signals. They were going to go young with the names that were involved in the trade.
• The Cubs gave up their No. 1, No. 3 and No. 10 prospects.
• Rogers doesn't think that they trade Hak-Ju Lee if they don't have Starlin Castro. They have a number of other good pitching prospects.
• Scouts like Trey McNutt just as well or better than Chris Archer. They also have Chris Carpenter, Casey Coleman and Andrew Cashner.
• The Cubs can afford to give up Brandon Guyer because they have Brett Jackson in front of him in the minors and Colvin already in Chicago.
• Converted catcher Robinson Chirinos could end up playing a lot for Tampa Bay, but the Cubs are still sold on Geovany Soto.
• All of the prospects traded have a younger part in front of them.
• The Cubs projected rotation according to CSN is Garza, Zambrano, Dempster, Wells, Gorzelanny.
• They are counting on Garza to be a little better than he's been. Rogers wants to see Cashner in there, plus Coleman was very good at the end of last season.
• Phil doesn't think there is a market for Kosuke. Rogers thinks Kosuke is still a productive player.

The MLB Network team talked about the deal on Friday as well:

• Larry Bowa said on MLB Network that the Cubs have a lot better rotation with Garza.
• Mitch Williams, Harold Reynolds and Bowa all think this may be a bad deal for the Cubs down the road.
• Jonathan Mayo says that Hak-Ju Lee is a pure shortstop glove wise.
• Brandon Guyer could be a very good fourth outfielder in the future at the very least.
• Mitch thinks that the Cubs won at this point right now, but in the next 2-3 years Tampa wins handily.
• Reynolds is intreguied by Sam Fuld and Fernando Perez. Bowa wants to know what Carlos Zambrano will show up in 2011.
• The guys talked about the possibility of the Cubs turning around and sending Carlos Zambrano away, but they do not think it is likely.
• They think Jim Hendry made this move because he feels the pressure to win now.

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

The Cubs Convention is just 5 days away...

Jim Hendry on Talkin' Baseball

Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild left the team last week to take a job with the New York Yankees. Immediately, speculations about Greg Maddux replacing Larry started, but this situation does not seem likely. Other guys inside the organization like Mike Mason (AAA Iowa), Lester Strode (bullpen coach) and Mark Riggins (minor league roving pitching coach).

Jim Hendry spent some time on ESPN 1000 this week to talk Cubs with the crew on Talkin' Baseball:

• The conclusion to Larry Rothschild's tenure with the Cubs came to an end rather quickly.
• This didn't come as a complete shock to Jim. Hendry and Rothschild have a good relationship.
• This was a family decision for Larry.
• It is still early to tell, but the Cubs are looking to find the best first baseman them can. Moving Tyler Colvin to first is a possibility. Colvin is prepared to do either one.
• Colvin's role will be dictated by who else the Cubs get.
• This year's GM Meetings were more business-lie than in the past. There was not a whole lot of time for trade talk.
• Crane Kenney told Bruce that the Cubs should have some money to spend.
• Hendry believes that the team will be able to add a piece or two. They will also look for a trade or two in the offseason.
• The Cubs expect to fill the pitching coach void within the next week or two. They plan to go inside the organization and make a hire soon.

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

10-27 Bruce Levine Chat Recap

• This is an important week for the Cubs, who will find out if their $84 million training facility will be approved by Mesa voters.
• Adam Dunn is the Cubs "number one priority".
• The most likely player to be traded by the Cubs this offseason is Kosuke.
• Levine expects Big Z to stay with the Cubs because of his no-trade clause.
• Marlon Byrd should get a good share of the vote for an NL Gold Glove. He made just three errors all year.
• Jim Hendry's fate after this two-year contract will be decided by how many more young players come through the organization in the next few years.
• Bruce thinks Mike Quade will be the last manager Hendry hires. Both have two year contracts and their fates seem to be interwined.
• If Hendry can find a way to trade some payroll the Cubs may be able to afford Dunn.
• Right now, it looks like Blake DeWitt will start at second next year.
• Bruce doesn't see Josh Vitters making the team next year. He expects Jay Jackson and Brett Jackson to make the roster out of Spring Training. Chris Archer could be in line for a call-up during the year.
• Tyler Colvin was thinking about playing winter ball in Mexico, but that's probably not going to happen now.

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

Mid-Week Quick Hits: Piniella, Zambrano, Rumors, & More

• Former AAA-Iowa manager and current Nationals coach Pat Listach has interest in managing the Cubs next season according to Bill Ladson.
• Tom Ricketts announced during the press conference yesterday that Jim Hendry will be the Cubs GM going into the 2011 season.
• The USA Today tossed out a few new possible replacements in Ted Simmons and Bobby Valentine.
• Number 1 draft pick Hayden Simpson is not expected to play this summer. He's battling mononucleosis.
• Carlos Zambrano retired the side in order in a rehab inning with the Mesa Cubs. Jeff Gray, who is rehabbing from a groin injury, pitched the first inning of the game against the AZL Royals.
• Zambrano will pitch at AAA-Iowa tomorrow night and rejoin the team by the end of next week according to Carrie Muskat.
• Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago reports that John Grabow, who is out with a knee injury, will begin throwing off the mound soon and will need a rehab assignment before being activated.
• Bruce Levine reports that Lou Piniella would like to stay in baseball as a consultant with either the Cubs or Yankees.
• Bruce's list of possible replacements includes the regulars plus Greg Maddux.
• Ryan Theriot wants to win, and he wants to do it in a Cubs uniform.
• ESPN says that the Tigers have some level of interest in Ted Lilly, who is available.
• Levine thinks that the Yankees could join the hunt for Lilly that already includes the Tigers, Twins, Mets, and Dodgers.

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

All Star Break Roundup: Rumors, TV Schedule, The Futures Game, and More

Before we get into all of the Cubs rumors going around today, let's start with the All-Star festivities!

Yesterday, the XM Radio All-Star Futures Game took place at Angel Stadium! The U.S. team beat the World 9-1 took even the all time series at 6-6. Two Cubs prospects took part in the game. Brett Jackson was on the winning U.S. team. Jackson struck out in his first at bat and walked in his only other trip to the plate. Right after drawing the base on balls, he was picked-off first base by the catcher. Jackson started in center field and then moved over to right in the second inning.

Hak-Ju Lee came off the bench to play the second half of the game at shortstop for the World team. Lee is a 19 year old who is playing for the Peoria Chiefs. He popped out to short in his first AB before drilling a sharp single to left in the 8th. Hak-Ju had a fun week playing at Wrigley Field on Wednesday and Angel Stadium on Saturday. However, he had a rough time in the field in Sunday's Futures Game, making two mistakes at short (1 ruled a hit, the other ruled an error).

For those of you that don't know, here's the full schedule of the MLB-All Star Break on TV. All times are CDT.

Tonight:
Now-7:00 MLB All-Star Batting Practice, MLB Network
6-7 Base Tonight All-Star Edition, ESPN
7-9 MLB Home Run Derby 2010 Live from Angel Stadium, ESPN
7-9 Classic MLB All-Star Games, MLB Network
Southern League All-Star Game 7:30 radio broadcast on MiLB.com
**Game includes Cubs farm hands Blake Lalli, Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Tony Campana, Ryan Butcher, and Luke Sommer
9-10 Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (recorded Sunday), ESPN
9-10 MLB Tonight: All-Star Team, MLB Network

Tuesday:
Noon-3 1975 All-Star Game, MLB Network
3-4 MLB All-Star Red Carpet, MLB Network
4-6:30 MLB All-Star Batting Practice, MLBN
5-7 Sports Center at the All-Star Game, ESPN
7:00 MLB All-Star Game, FOX
10-12 Sports Center at the All-Star Game, ESPN

Wednesday:
12-3 1990 All-Star Game @Wrigley, MLBN
5-6 Plays of the First Half, MLBN
6-9 Triple-A All-Star Game PCL VS IL, MLBN
** Includes Iowa Cubs Darwin Barney and Thomas Diamond

Now for the Cubs rumors going around today:

• Tom Ricketts has given Jim Hendry to vote of confidence, but when asked about his GM's job security the Cubs owner said, "I support him, I think he does a great job, and after that we'll just take it one day at a time."
• Ricketts told Carrie Muskat that he's having a great time in his first year as the owner despite the team's struggles.
• MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Rays has some interest in Ted Lilly, who could fit the Tigers and Twins as well.
• Lou Piniella's agent Alan Nero says that Lou will definitely finish out this season but he isn't sure about Piniella's future behind this season.
• Derrek Lee will not ask to be traded to a contender. He plans to finish out the year with the Cubs.
• Josh Thole is one of the names that the Mets could send the other way in a Ted Lilly trade according to WGN Radio's Geoge Ofman.
• Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan write that we should count out the Reds in the Lilly sweepstakes. They add that a Giants scout was at Wrigley last week to see Tom Gorzelanny.
• Andrew Cashner gained some respect in the clubhouse by hitting Blake DeWitt with a pitch on his first throw of the 8th inning last night against the Dodgers.
• Lou was not happy about the umpiring crew this weekend according to Bruce Levine.
• Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, and Ryan Theriot are all being shopped. At least one of them is expected to be traded by the deadline.
• Xavier Nady is drawing interest from the Rangers according to Levine.
• Bruce also says that the Colorado Rockies now have interest in Theriot, but the Tigers interest has cooled.

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

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: Sandberg & Levine on ESPN Radio

Ryne Sandberg discussed the state of the Cubs with Waddle & Silvy on Thursday:

• The season is going by pretty quickly for Ryno. The I-Cubs are tied for first and playing well.
• One of the fun parts of managing at Triple-A is calling a guy into your office and telling them that they're going up to help the big league club.
• Andrew Cashner was in the I-Cubs rotation for three starts and then he got the word from Chicago to move him to the bullpen.
• Jeff Samardzija is 5-0 out of the pen for Iowa. He has gotten a couple of spot starts as well. Jeff is showing some improvement and working on some different things. Pitching more often is a good thing for him.
• Sandberg said, "I believe that I'm ready (to manage in the big leagues) if someone else believes that I'm ready."
• He would like to get a shot just like some of his players that are wondering why the phone hasn't rang for them yet.
• Ryne's not sure what the biggest challenge of becoming a big league manager will be. He has learned how to manage the media and coach a lot of different areas in Iowa.
• He's really enjoying what he's doing and he's having fun, so that's a good thing. If the chance to manage the Cubs ever came about, he'd like the opportunity.
• He's been ejected two times so far this year at AAA.

Bruce Levine joined Afternoon Saloon on Friday to talk about yesterday's loss:

• Carlos Silva cramped up after his at bat in the heat and was removed before the seventh.
• The Cubs team "set themselves up" for the loss playing another bad ballgame on defense.
• Jeff Baker made two costly errors at third base, but Levine does not like to get down on a guy for making errors. Overall, this team has not played good defense.
• Lou take a long look at the numbers before each game. The reason Tyler Colvin led off yesterday was the fact that Scott Kazmir has trouble against lefties.

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

End of the Week Roundup: Castro, Kosuke, Caridad, and More

Castro on the Way Up?
Bruce Levine of ESPN has reported that Starlin Castro's promotion to the big leagues is just around the corner. It's undetermined at this time when he'll be brought up and he could spend some time at AAA first. Assistant GM Randy Bush is currently with the Tennessee team evaluating.

Sasaski Likes What He Sees
Kosuke Fukudome's hitting coach has seen some encouraging signs from his pupil this season. Kyosuke Sasaski and Rudy Jaramillo agree that Kosuke needs a more compact stance. Sasaski thinks Fukudome will finish the year hitting over .300. Kosuke hit his first MLB Grand Slam today in the Cubs' 13-5 loss to Arizona.

Caridad to Rehab
Rookie Esmalin Caridad will pitch in the Cubs' Extended Spring Training game on Saturday in Mesa. The one inning of rehab will be his first outing since going on the DL with a forearm issue.

Theriot and Ramirez Heating Up
Even though Aramis Ramirez's season numbers are down, as Carrie Muskat points out he has hit safely in the last six games. Ryan Theriot has been red hot, hitting .488 during his current 9 game hit streak.

Links, Links, Link

• Rudy Jaramillo talks about what is going on with the Cubs at the plate.
• Lou is unsure if Zambrano enjoys his new role.
• My Cubs Down on the Farm Report over at the CCO.
• Recap of today's EXST game from Arizona Phil.

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

Zambrano to the Bullpen

Well that was the most surprising Cubs news I've heard in a long time. According to the Chicago Tribune the Cubs have decided to move Carlos Zambrano into a setup role. How often do you see the Opening Day starter moved to the bullpen before the end of April?

To me, this move makes sense. Zambrano needs to get going and the Cubs need an 8th inning man. The match could work out perfectly. Big Z is handling it okay, but he seems to be under the impression that this move in temporary, while Lou Piniella says that the Cubs are looking for stability.

Ted Lilly will return to the rotation on Saturday to take Zambrano's place. Another roster move will have to be made in order to make room for Teddy. (Vote on the right sidebar for which reliever you think will be sent down!)

Bruce Levine is reporting that the Cubs have scouted Braden Looper, who's currently a free agent. David Kaplan says that they could be looking to make an even bigger move, but he mentioned tonight on Cubs' Tenth Inning on WGN Radio that "not many deals are made in April."

After Lou told the media that Zambrano would be used in the eighth, the Cubs went out an snapped a four game losing skid with a big win over the Mets. Alfonso Soriano has a great game. Perhaps better things are on the way!

Cubs Roundup: The Pitching Staff, Minor Leauge Updates, Radio Recaps, & More

Rotation Decision
Lou Piniella has said that the starting rotation will be set by Friday (tomorrow). Tom Gorzelanny made his final bid for the rotation going six innings against Arizona today. Here is the stats of the four pitchers looking for spots in the starting five:

Tom Gorzelanny: 1-1, 3.07 ERA in 14.2 IP
Sean Marshall: 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 11 IP
Jeff Samardzija: 0-2, 6.75 ERA, 8 IP
Carlos Silva: 2-1, 5.73 ERA, 11 IP

Gorzo and Sean have the far better ERAs, so they're in, right? Wrong. The Cubs want to have one lefty and one right hander of this bunch stay in the rotation, and one of each go to the pen. So then Silva is in the rotation and Marshall is a no brainier, right? Wrong again. Sean Marshall's great pitching may have even hurt his chances at the rotation because he is so valuable to the Cubs as a swing man in the bullpen. With the bullpen really lacking depth, chances are he'll go out there. The two veterans, Silva and Gorzelanny, are the favorites to win rotation jobs. We'll found out tomorrow!

Roster Cuts on the Way
The Cubs are expected to cut the roster from 40 down to 29-30 tomorrow. Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs will keep 12-13 pitchers and 16-17 position players. If Carrie's total number of pitchers is accurate, the Cubs will either have their pen set or just one cut left to make. Right now, James Russell, John Gaub, Marcos Mateo, and Mike Parisi are fighting for the last relief job. Here are the stats for those four this spring:

Parisi: 1-1, 7.45 ERA, 9.2 IP
Russell: 0.00 ERA, 9 IP
Gaub: 1-0, 7.04 ERA, 7.2 IP
Mateo: 8.22 ERA, 7.2 IP

My guess is that Mateo and Gaub will be among the cuts tomorrow. James Russell clearly should have this spot won, but I think the Cubs will keep Parisi in camp until the final weekend because of his Rule 5 status. If they try to send him to the minors, they will have to offer him back to the Cardinals. Personally, I think the Cubs should just give Mike back rather than go through the struggle to keep him on the roster like they did with Patton last year. Jeff Gray is also still in camp, but it appears he will start the year on the DL.

As far as the position players are concerned, there will be 5-6 cuts tomorrow. Two will be catchers Chris Robinson and Robinson Chirinos, who are ticketed for the minor leagues with Hill and Soto at the big league level. Bobby Scales and Darwin Barney will most likely be two more of the cuts. Micah Hoffpauir could also be sent to AAA, or James Adduci could be sent out. The Cubs will likely let the fight for the final bench spots (Fuld v Colvin, Millar v Tracy) go down to the wire. Andres Blanco is still in the mix as well. Lou has said that Colvin will be on the team if there is enough playing time for him, but they will not let him rot on the bench.

Lou & Lee Stay "Back"
Both the Cubs skipper and his first baseman are having some back pain, which caused them to skip the trip to Tuscon today. This was the final trip the Cubs will ever make to Tuscan as both teams that play (the Rockies & D'backs) are leaving next year. Piniella woke up with a sore back, so he didn't feel like taking the long bus ride. Instead, Alan Trammell managed the Cubs team today. Derrek Lee's injury is even weirder. He fell out of a chair while eating in Surprise yesterday. Surprise! D-Lee should be back in the Cub lineup when they host the A's tomorrow.

The Cubs that did make the trip topped Arizona 7-2. James Adduci and Tyler Colvin both had big days as they vie for the final spot in the Cubs' outfield. James had three hits while Colvin smacked two.

Notes from Fitch Park

• Arizona Phil from TCR posted a nice report from minor league camp on Wednesday.
• Randy Wells pitched for the Iowa Cubs in Wednesday's game to stay on schedule. He looked sharp going 6 shutout innings.
• Aramis Ramirez served as the DH to get some at bats in for the I-Cubs. He went 1-6 with a long home run, which helped Iowa to a 2-1 ten inning win over the Oakland A's farm club.
• Xavier Nady played right field in the AA game on Wednesday. He went 1-3 with a double before leaving in the 4th after being hit by a pitch. His left hand got nailed, but was OK.
• Starlin Castro is now playing for the AA squad. He made two errors for the Smokies.
• Brain LaHair went 2-3 for the AAA team.
• Scott Maine, who came over from Arizona in the Aaron Heilman trade, pitched a scoreless inning for Iowa.

Be sure to check out my Down on the Farm Report posted on Chicago Cubs Online today. This is Part 2 of my three part series on the Cubs' minor league coaches.

Bruce Levine's Report on Waddle & Silvy Today

• Even though Marshall has pitched well, it looks like he'll go to the bullpen.
• The Cubs like to use Sean's versatility.
• Bruce thinks that Gorzelanny and Silva are the 4 and 5 starters.
• It looks like Jeff Samardzija is heading to the bullpen as well.
• Jeff Gray is slotted to join the bullpen at some point.
• Levine reports that upper management wants Tyler Colvin to continue his progress at the minor league level, but Lou would like to have him on the bench. If the Cubs end up needing him, they can always call him up.
• Bruce thinks that money sometime dictates who plays, and that is the case with the Cubs' outfield.

Former Cub Todd Hollandsworth on the Danny Mac Show:

• The team's success will depend a great deal on Soriano's performance.
• There are 6-7 questions that surround this team going into the season.
• Todd thinks if you can answer 4-5 of those questions with a positive answer, this team has a chance.
• Soriano has to produce. This team isn't the deepest team, and they will depend on Alfonso.
• The Cubs are playing "team baseball" down in Arizona.
• Holly thinks that Soriano needs to get the "meaningful hits" against tough pitching.
• Geovany Soto is another big question. Geo has lost some weight and has a new hitting coach, but these questions will not be answered until the season starts.
• Todd calls Jeff Samardzija "a kid with all the potential in the world." The Shark needs a consistent role somewhere so that he can find himself some success.
• If Samardzija gets some relief innings under his belt, then his confidence will go up.
• The decision to sign Kevin Millar was affected by the situation with the clubhouse last year. Millar has a great track record, but there's no point in putting him on your roster if the at bats aren't going to be there for him.
• This team needs all the hitters they can get right now, so Chad Tracy might be the right decision.
• Hollandsworth loves Carlos Zambrano's passion and loves what he brings to the table. However, there is no defined number 1 in the Cubs rotation. Big Z needs to step up and be that guy.
• Z has to cut down on the melt downs.
• Todd is tired of overlooking the same mental problems with Zambrano. He wants to win, but he has to stop losing his focus at times.

New Poll

A big thanks to everyone who voted on our last poll on the right sidebar! Here are the results:

Q: Who would you most like to see on the Cubs bench?

1. Kevin Millar- 13 votes

2. Chad Tracy- 7 Votes

3. Micah Hoffpauir- 2 Votes

Now there is a new poll up on the right sidebar of the blog mainpage!

Q: What is the biggest area of concern for the 2010 Chicago Cubs?

A) Starting Pitching

B) Bullpen Depth

C) Defense

D) Power Bats

E) Speed

F) Scoring Runs

Please vote! Also, feel free to comment with your thoughts or email be at cubsblogmailbag@aol.com.

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

Tuesday Quick Hits & Radio Recaps

• Today Aramis Ramirez returned the lineup as the DH in a game against the Royals. Ryan Dempster's outing was solid, but Carlos Marmol came in an allowed a 2 run homer. The Cubs bullpen couldn't hold on to several leads, and the game ended in a 5-5 tie.
• Ted Lilly will start in a minor league game on Saturday. If there are no setbacks, Lilly could be into the Cubs' rotation by mid-April. He is expected to start the year rehabbing with a farm club.
• Xavier Nady will not start the season on the DL. He should be playing some outfield in the next 10 days.
• The Chicago Tribune reports that Jeff Samardzija will likely start the season in the bullpen. It appears that Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny will get spots in the rotation. Lou will announce his final rotation decision on Friday after he gets one more look at Marshall and Gorzelanny.
• Lou Piniella met with his staff on Sunday night to discuss the roster. He likes the way things are shaping up.
• Right now the Cubs have 40 guys in camp, but that number will be cut down to the 30 by the end of the week.
• Greg Maddux has been contributing to the team in a variety of ways this spring.

This past weekend Len Kasper joined the Danny Mac show to talk Cubs:

• The Cubs offense needs to pick it up in 2010. They have hit the ball very well this spring.
• The hitters seem to be responding to adjustments made by Rudy Jaramillo.
• The area of concern has switched to the pitching staff with the injuries to Guzman and Lilly.
• Len likes to wait to get enthusiastic about a young kid until he is in a big league uniform, but Starlin Castro stands out and looks like a major league ready player.
• Kasper thinks that Marshall and Samardzija can help the club best as relievers, and you'd like to be able to get as much value out of Carlos Silva as you can.
• The most likely scenario is Silva and Gorzelanny in the rotation.
• He is not sure how much of an effect a hitting coach can have on veteran players, but some hitters mesh with certain hitting coaches and clash with others.
• Len would like to think that Jaramillo will have positive effect on this team. Rudy spending 15 years on one coaching staff shows you how good he is. Larry Rothschild is in his 9th year on the Cubs' staff.
• Lou Piniella thinks the game 24 hours a day. Nothing gets past him even though he sometimes acts as if he doesn't see things.

Mike Fontenot joined Waddle and Silvy this morning:

• Fontenot had fun watching the Saints win the Super Bowl this offseason.
• The guys are having a good time, but they are looking forward to the start of the season. Other than some rain, it's been a good spring.
• Last year did not turn out the way Mike wanted it for him at the plate, but he is going to try to learn from it and not put any extra pressure on himself.
• In 2009 he didn't adjust very well to pitchers and things like that. "It just kind of snowballed," he said.
• Rudy is always very aware of what is going on. He's made a few adjustments to Mike's swing.
• The Cubs have some great guys in the clubhouse this year. Everyone is having a lot of fun in camp.
• Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and Tyler Colvin are guys who have looked especially good to Fontenot this spring.
• Starlin Castro is going to be a good player.

Bruce Levine was also on Waddle & Silvy on ESPN 1000 today:

• If Alfonso Soriano plays 135 games, you should pencil him in for 30 home runs and 90 RBIs.
• Soriano is going to have less pressure on him and more people on base to drive in hitting sixth.
• Levine thinks that they'll be men on base on front of Sori and that will work to his advantage.
• We'll find out the rotation situation on Friday. There is still a question as to whether Samardzija will go to bullpen or AAA-Iowa if he does not make the starting five.
• The battle between Micah Hoffpauir, Chad Tracy, and Kevin Millar will likely go all the way to the end of camp.
• Jim Hendry said that the Cubs will not let Tyler Colvin rot on the bench. Colvin will likely start the year getting every day playing time at the minor league level.
• The Cubs are counting Mike Fontenot and Kosuke Fukudome to hit well from the left side.

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