I absolutely love hockey (especially outdoor hockey), but after the Cubs spent millions on new grass and a drainage system, the thought of having hockey played on it seems crazy. While Wrigley would be intimate for it, Soldier Field has to be a better option.

Hello guys! Now there's a Mark McGuire I like!
Oh men; it is starting to feel as if it were that last day of school when all you need to do is finish up that last final exam in order for the summer to start...and you can hear the screams of joy of some of your pals outside the classroom that already finished..................I can hear baseball outside!

Note; I am starting to get the feeling that Cedeno will take over SS.

I got a wristband to buy tickets at Wrigley Field on Friday, does anyone know if I am with in the first 1000 people randomly drawn lets say I am 950th person in line do I get my tickets before 10am when they go on sale on the internet?

I never bought tickets at Wrigley before

Looking at the projected bench, is anyone else concerned by the lack or pop? Ward is a stud, but after that, there is a huge drop-off in quality bats coming off the bench.

Inuendos and Outuendos:

Agustin says Ronny plays short--but he doesn't say where. I say Baltimore. Another way Agustin is right is that Theriot may play short for the O's.

Lou, in a masterful way, offers nothing but encouraging views of all the Cubs' hopefuls. That way everyone gets a pat on the back and a little more motivation. He did that for Marquis early and for Samardzjia on a couple of occasions. But Samardzjia needs time, probably at AA to develop an effective slider and change. Otherwise his upside is as a Lowry replacement in the pen. That's not bad, but we need a stud starter going ahead.

If we don't get Roberts, the pressure will be felt by JH and Lou to get Crisp. They want to win now, have some budget limitations, and want a predictable table setter for the season. DeRosa gets his at bats in any case, and he is not the speed/on base guy that is a plus in the one or two holes. Pie is an acceptable risk with Roberts on board--but may not be otherwise.

Great info the last couple of days, Neil. My B. America subscription gets me the top 10 prospects, but not 11-30. Like Augustin may be, I'm wondering who are Dae-Eun Rhee and Larry Suarez?

Speaking of PEDS, my bags are packed for the HoHoKam games on March 11th, 13th and 14th. That fix will certainly enhance my performance. And the views from HoHoKam and Fitch will keep me in step with all the Faithful: Occasionally wrong, but never in doubt.

The Harry Caray toast tonight, first game is in seven days, I can feel it in the air, I'm like a kid in the candy store!!

On another note, and I can't beleive I am going to say this, but I am predicting Dempster is going to shock everyone and have a very good year this year, I am not saying he is going to have a Cy Young or All Star year, but a very good solid year. That is my predication and well, there ya have it.

For all you Cubs fans who are conspiracy theorists... Brian Roberts has been out of O's camp with a stomach ailment. Some people, namely myself, are speculating this is because the O's are scouting 1-3 pitching prospects to confirm good health, etc. before making this an official trade. Stay tuned.

Neil - Sorry - you are a bit misleading with this: "According to a report from Cubs.com, Tyler Colvin is playing for a job with the big league team this spring."

The quote actually stated that HE SAID HE (Colvin referring to himself) feels like is playing for a spot on the roster. Or - he is going into camp THINKING this - to psych him up. What you infer, is that "management is considering that he is playing for a spot", which is not happening save a miracle.

There ain't no place for him to play. Unless he gets switched to 1B down the road, or a series of injuries happen, imo, he may be trade bait at a future date.

My prediction on dempter is this- He will be an upgrade on marquis, but he will have a simular season.

He will have his good starts then he will have certain starts where he gets blown out in the first inning.

His performance always depends(like last years with his saves) on his breaking ball. Whether it breaks or not. When it works, he keeps it low. When its not, Homerun bait.

But overall I think I'll be happy with him starting. But have that long reliever ready.

I honestly believe that Lieber & Dempster are going to have solid years, somewhere in the 10-15 win range. Big Z and Hill are going to have superb years and I believe Lilly will fall off this year from last. I also believe that Howry will be the initial closer but by mid to late May Wood will take over the closer job and that Howry will be trade bait before the deadline.

Go Cubs

Anything that pushes Theriot from the lineup is a positive for the Cubs.

The Baltimore Sun has this report a few minutes ago--from whacky world. Roberts was rushed to the hospital by ambulance at 4 a.m. this morning with severe stomach pains. He returned to camp this afternoon after the pain had subsided. He said the doctors think it may have been a kidney stone. That doesn't sound contrived, although I'm guessing that he had a full body MRI while he was there.

Where's Sean Marshall? You can't seriously beleive he won't make the team? He had a better ERA than Zambrano last season even with the lousy September, don't be ridiculous, Marshall will definately make the team, I have to believe this is an oversight. Please get off Theriot's back, it was his first season, he was the best clutch hitter on the team next to Ramirez. He had a lousy September, get over it. I know people would rather see Neifi Perez or Caeser Izturis, but really, Theriot is much better than they are.

Marshall will be around or traded, Carmen. The Yahoos are not in charge of our roster. Also it's either Pie or Fuld and Cintron beats out Fontenot. I suspect the Yahoos traded Murton and Marquis in their minds but forgot to put the incoming player(s) on the roster.

I'm with you on Theriot. People who prefer Perez or Izturis have their heads in very dark places.

Yea, on the Theriot bashing...what's that all about?? Last year was his first full season. He knows he struggled toward the end as well and changed his workouts and says hes going to be in better shape to stay strong all season. I'm sure he won't hit .300, but I think he'll be a .280 guy and the same spark plug and clutch hitter he has been. If every player was only given 1 year to be awesome there wouldn't be many greats in todays game...Stop wanting dominance at every position and start being realistic.

On that note...take a look @ Ryno's first TWO years...I'm sure if it was possible you guys would have been bashing Ryno back in 82 and 83 with the crumby numbers. What I'm trying to get at is you have to see the positives on what they bring to the team. Not every guy is going to bat .300 with 15+ HRs or win 12-15 games, but if they are TEAM guys and solid at what their role is...then why replace them?? Obviously some people here have never played baseball or been a part of a team...or if they have, they weren't good or didn't play for winning teams....

Lows - Ryno had the minor league stats to indicate he'd be a big deal, plus after he opened so horrid that first year (what was he - 1 for his first 50 something?) he STILL finished with pretty solid stats. If he'd started the way he finished, he'd have beat our Steve Sax for the rookie of the year.

Theriot - while a scrappy player - simply doesn't seem like he's in the same argument as Ryno. He's got some speed and a decent eye at the plate - but he's average defensively and has less than zero pop.

I WILL give him props for finishing in the top 10 in the league for swipes though.

As for why replace guys that are team guys that are solid in their roles? Because there's somebody better :-)

"The Riot" will be a solid SS for many years to come, and I for one am looking forward to watching him grow as a major leaguer. Not sure who you are calling a "Yahoo"?? We are all Cub fans and passionate about our team and all deserve to be able to express our opinion. I believe Marshall will be traded to Baltimore before ST is over, just my opinion. I, for one, have been a bit surprised on this board at how much Theriot is slammed, don't understand it, I felt he was a "key" member to our team last year, yes, hestruggled in Sept., but that happens to many ball players at times, I believe he has a great upside and we would be foolish to not give him a chance to keep getting better. I repeat my comment from my last post and believe Lieber and Dempster will surprise many this year.