Since the topic is predictions, I'll let it loose.

I think that the Cub will finish in Second place

with an 84-78 record, 6 games behind St.Louis. The rotation scares me too much with the likes of Rusch and eventually Williams. I do belive that the brittle twins will come back and breakdown again. The offense will be more productive, but in the end we will fall short. Other predictions

NL Central: St.Louis

NL East: Atlanta

NL West: L.A

Wild Card: NY Mets

AL Central: Bridgeport

AL East: NY Yankees

AL West: Oakland

Wild Card: Cleveland

Oakland over Atlanta in World Series

(As long as it is not Bridgeport)

I'm sorry to say that its wait till 2007.

Predictions:

) What will their record be? 90-72, we finally get, and STAY healthy

2) Where will they finish in the division? 1st Move over Cardinals, our turn!

3) How about the playoffs?....do the 2006 Cubs have enough to play in October? (Playoffs!?!?! Playoffs!?!?!....had to throw in Jim Mora somewhere). Hell yea

4) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Kerry Wood? 27/ 19

5) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Mark Prior? 25/18

6) What about Wade Miller? 27/15

7) Who is your sleeper pick? (This year's D-Lee)-Ramirez

8) Will Dusty Baker still be managing the Cubs at the end of the season? Yes, and next year.

9) How many steals will Juan Pierre have at the end of the year? 49

10) Ryan Dempster is the closer now, will he still be closing games for the Cubs at the end of the season and if so, how many saves will he have? Yes he will be the closer with 46 saves

11) Who will be the Cubs MVP? Ramirez

12) Will Greg Maddux have a winning record this year? Yes

13) Will Felix Pie be a factor in 2006? No

14) Will Matt Murton have a sophomore slump? No

15) Will Ronny Cedeno be a factor in 2006? Yes, he will always be better than Perez.

One other predication: Baker will have a decision to make on his fifth starter when Miller comes back because Marshall is going to have a breakout year, i love this kids composure, nothing scares him he's going to shut out the Cardinals. GO CUBS!!!

Cubsbaseball you have a great point. Why not let Dempster spot start a few games until Wood and Prior return. He's pitched well in MLB as a starting pitcher. Williamson has some wicked stuff, and could save quite a few games.

My predictions are as follows:

1. Record????

2. Cubs will finish 4th in the NL Central.

3. No the Cubs do not have enough to play in October unless they have productive seasons from Wood and Prior.

4. Wood will pitch but only long enough to have another injury.

5. Same goes for Prior.

6. Wade Miller will pitch more than Wood and Prior combined.

7. I think Aramis Ramirez is going to have a great year.

8. Dusty will be managing the Cubs at the end of this year, because it is not his fault due to injuries.

9. Juan Pierre will steal 48 bases, he will try to have a good year, because of his contract ending.

10. Dempster is a good pitcher but I think he needs to be starting again, although he will save 30+ again.

11. Cubs MVP; Aramis Ramirez

12. Greg Maddux will not have a winning record, reason is the Cubs just can't score runs for him.

13. Felix Pie will be a factor at Iowa, and should be playing one of the Cubs outfield spots now.

14. Murton will be one of the Cubs few bright spots.

15. Ronnie Cedeno won't be in the lineup long enough for him to battle out of a slump, as Dusty is ready to pencil in Niefi Perez.

So I have this game for Playstation 2 called 2006 MLB, and even though they have the stats from 2005 and the lineups for the 2005 season, I've made all the necessary trades and adjustments to make all the rosters current. So I just finished playing out the entire season and here are my predictions from the videogame (just for fun...)

1) What will their record be? 105-57

2) Where will they finish in the division? 1st

3) How about the playoffs? World series champs

4) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Kerry Wood? Wood was on the 30day DL once, and he won 18 games with a dazzling 1.88 ERA.

5) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Mark Prior? Prior actually started every game and won 15 games. His ERA was not too good though at 3.26

6) What about Wade Miller? I didn't use him

7) Who is your sleeper pick? Matt Murton had an unbelievable year. Of course I made him up, but I was pretty conservative with my prediction and he still batted .338, 28HR's.

8) Will Dusty Baker still be managing the Cubs at the end of the season? If they Win, Yes. If they lose, No.

9) How many steals will Juan Pierre have at the end of the year? 32. He's actually hard to steal with. He needs a good jump.

10) Ryan Dempster is the closer now, will he still be closing games for the Cubs at the end of the season and if so, how many saves will he have? Dempster was my closer and he finished with 44 saves

11) Who will be the Cubs MVP? Matt Murton

12) Will Greg Maddux have a winning record this year? Yeah, he had a great year too. 20 victories and an ERA under 2.

13) Will Felix Pie be a factor in 2006? no

14) Will Matt Murton have a sophomore slump? no

15) Will Ronny Cedeno be a factor in 2006? sometimes. He went on streaks where he would hit like .400, then go on prolonged slumps where I'd have to bench him and play Neifi.

By the way, don't get me wrong... I'm not a huge fan of Neifi either, but last I checked, he was having a pretty decent spring.

1) What will their record be? 87-75

2) Where will they finish in the division? Second, behind the Cards

3) How about the playoffs?....do the 2006 Cubs have enough to play in October? (Playoffs!?!?! Playoffs!?!?!....had to throw in Jim Mora somewhere) Wild Card

4) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Kerry Wood? 22 pitched/11 won

5) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Mark Prior? 29 pitched/18 won

6) What about Wade Miller? 15 wins

7) Who is your sleeper pick? (This year's D-Lee)Double J

8) Will Dusty Baker still be managing the Cubs at the end of the season? Yes

9) How many steals will Juan Pierre have at the end of the year? 57

10) Ryan Dempster is the closer now, will he still be closing games for the Cubs at the end of the season and if so, how many saves will he have? Yes

11) Who will be the Cubs MVP? Matt Murton (I LOVE this kid)

12) Will Greg Maddux have a winning record this year? .500/15-15

13) Will Felix Pie be a factor in 2006? Not at all

14) Will Matt Murton have a sophomore slump? No, he is going to be a perennial all-star

15) Will Ronny Cedeno be a factor in 2006? Defensively

Cubs finish 85-77, 2nd to Cards, but no playoffs.

At least one of Wood, Prior, Miller will see a 2nd DL stint during the year.

Jones will be a pleasant surprise; Dusty will still be there at season end; Pierre has 41 steals.

Dempster the closer all year; Aramis edges out DLee for MVP; Maddux at .500 (14-14); Pie not a factor.

Murton a consistant .290; Cedano a good 2nd half but only hits .265.

At the July 31 deadline, with at least 1 pitcher on the DL, Hendry moves Walker (hitting .315) and Hill (leading minors in K's) for a quality starting pitcher, but it's too little, too late.

Predictions beyond season end: the Cubs Convention will have record attendance. 2007 tickets will sell out in record time. Cubs will give Motorola naming rights for the lower box seats; their higher price includes a disposable cell phone with 3 hours usage.

And life will go on and I will still be a Cubs fan.

1) What will their record be? 93 wins

2) Where will they finish in the division? 1st

3) How about the playoffs? World Series champs (ride the pitching, baby!

4) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Kerry Wood? 30 games started, 18 wins

5) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Mark Prior? 25 games started 13 wins

6) What about Wade Miller? 25 games started 10 wins

7) Who is your sleeper pick? Aramis and Wood (they are both well-known, but I am looking for "breakout" years from the both of them, if they stay healthy all year)

8) Will Dusty Baker still be managing the Cubs at the end of the season? Yes, unfortunately.

9) How many steals will Juan Pierre have at the end of the year? 55

10) Ryan Dempster is the closer now, will he still be closing games for the Cubs at the end of the season and if so, how many saves will he have? Yes, 41 saves.

11) Who will be the Cubs MVP? Aramis Ramirez

12) Will Greg Maddux have a winning record this year? Yes

13) Will Felix Pie be a factor in 2006? hopefully not, as there is nowhere to play him.

14) Will Matt Murton have a sophomore slump? no

15) Will Ronny Cedeno be a factor in 2006? not sure...always in motion is the force. I sense a bad slump somewhere, but that overall he will do ok.

I'm always quite a bit overzealous in my predictions three days before the opener, but here they are.

1. 99-63

2. 2nd just behind the Cards with a 101-61 record

3. come on why even ask this? obviously the trouphy takes a short trip from the S. side to Wrigleyville. Duh.

4. Woody will start between 24 and 26 games and have 14 wins

5. Prior will start between 19 and 21 games and will have 12 wins

6. Miller will come back right after Wood and start about 25 games and have 15 wins. He's going to turn out to be a huge pick up.

7. Barrett will be the sleeper. He's not going to put up D-Lee's numbers but he'll be the biggest suprise. .285 avg, 22 HR, and 83 RBI. Ya heard it here first. (and probably last)

8. Dusty will be manager only if, I mean when, the Cubs win the World Series.

9. Juan Pierre will have 57 steals

10. Dempster will be the closer throughout the season and have around 47 saves.

11. Wade Miller will be the MVP of the pitching staff and Aramis will be the offensive MVP

12. Maddux 15-13 record

13. Pie will not be a factor this year. He'll get a brief call up in September though.

14. Murton will have a solid year.

15. Cedeno will swing a below average bat this year and play above average defense. Dusty's going to pull the plug on him too quickly and go to his golden boy Neifi. Who will play great for a month and then stink up the joint but Dusty will have his blinders on by then and leave him there.

The Chicago Cubs are the 2006 World Champions!!!

1) What will their record be?88-74

2) Where will they finish in the division?1st

3) How about the playoffs?....do the 2006 Cubs have enough to play in October? (Playoffs!?!?! Playoffs!?!?!....had to throw in Jim Mora somewhere)yes

4) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Kerry Wood? 28/14 wins

5) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Mark Prior? 26/ 13

6) What about Wade Miller? 7 wins

7) Who is your sleeper pick? (This year's D-Lee)A-Ram

8) Will Dusty Baker still be managing the Cubs at the end of the season?yes

9) How many steals will Juan Pierre have at the end of the year?42

10) Ryan Dempster is the closer now, will he still be closing games for the Cubs at the end of the season and if so, how many saves will he have?no Eyre

11) Who will be the Cubs MVP? D-Lee

12) Will Greg Maddux have a winning record this year?yes

13) Will Felix Pie be a factor in 2006? platoon with murton

14) Will Matt Murton have a sophomore slump? small one in june/july

15) Will Ronny Cedeno be a factor in 2006? yes

Hey Nick - Marshall will be up on Sunday against the Cards. I'll be at opening day on Monday, but won't be there on Wednesday. We'll be downtown enjoying the opening day festivities, so if you or anyone else is going to be in the area - send me an email at neil@chicagocubsonline.com

Cubs record -- 90-72

2nd in division behind Cardinals.

They win the wild card, beat the Mets first round playoffs 3-1, win National league 4-2 over STL.

Mark Prior 15 wins

Kerry Wood 12 wins

Wade Miller 10 wins

BIG Z - 22 wins

My sleeper pick is Jaque Jones.

Dusty will still be the manager, but '07 we will have a new pitching coach.

Juan Pierre will have at least 35 steals.

I have a feeling Williamson might close this year after it's all said and done.

Cubs MVP - D-Lee again, and actually win NL MVP

Maddux will have a winning record of 17-10

Murton's year will standout, he's a solid player overall.

Who knows my thoughts could be way off, but just like the bracelet says, BELIEVE.

Did anyone see the article on cubs.com Sean Marshal has made the fourth spot in the rotation. I really love this move. Hopefulley he can do what he has done all spring long. And i can't wait till next week. I will be at the game on Wednesday. Neil are you going to be there also.

Did anyone see the Trib article this morning? Cedeno is on a short leash...please not Neifi

Opening Day lineup?:

Pierre

Hairston

Lee

Ramirez

Jones

Murton

Cedeno

Blanco

1) What will their record be? 85-77

2) Where will they finish in the division?3 3rd (Behind Cards and Brewers)

3) How about the playoffs? I doubt it... but I still "Believe"...

4) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Kerry Wood? GS-20 W-5 to 10

5) What is your over/under on games pitched and wins for Mark Prior? GS-20 W-10 to 15

6) What about Wade Miller? GS-15 W-4 to 9

7) Who is your sleeper pick? Matt Murton or JHJ

8) Will Dusty Baker still be managing the Cubs at the end of the season? If they Win, Yes. If they lose, No...duh

9) How many steals will Juan Pierre have at the end of the year? 40

10) Ryan Dempster is the closer now, will he still be closing games for the Cubs at the end of the season and if so, how many saves will he have? Demp will be closing...30 Saves

11) Who will be the Cubs MVP? Aramis Ramirez

12) Will Greg Maddux have a winning record this year? Yes

13) Will Felix Pie be a factor in 2006? no

14) Will Matt Murton have a sophomore slump? no

15) Will Ronny Cedeno be a factor in 2006? yes, but mainly b/c of his D