So here we are, on the verge of another season start, and what have we got...

A starting rotation that's the same as last season, along with the insertion of Marshall v. Marquis. Several health issues in the rotation, but when healthy this looks darn solid.

A starting lineup that shows absolutely no imagination on the part of our aging manager. With an extended spring training there was ample opportunity to play with new mixes, but here we are with Soriano still in the leadoff spot, an aging and declined vet in the 3 hole, and the #2 spot literally given to a .200 head-case hitter for the second half of last year. This is where I absolutely get frustrated with Pinella as truly anyone on CCO could produce the opening day lineup card that Lou is walking out. I forgot who posted the comment yesterday but he was correct in that most of our run production last year came after the #4 hole, and provided by the likes of Edmonds (gone), DeRosa (gone), Soto and Theriot. We'll sit a 29 y/o kid (Hoffpauer) who has hit all spring training for a vet who won't be displaced because of Lou (sounds a lot like Dusty to me). And now Lou will expect Hoffpauer to produce when he gets his 4 at bats a week sitting on the pine.

We give up on Pie and Hill, release another top pick in Pawelek, all because we can't develop young kids, commit to providing them playing quality playing time, and providing them quality mentoring on how to adjust to the minor/major league system. When you hear of kids like Pawelek that are just released because of maturity type factors, something just seems wrong with our coaching system. Next up, let's see how our system messes up the Samardzjia development (up, down, bullpen, starter, etc)...nice development game plan for the kid.

While the team should still have enough to win this division (though I'd watch the Reds), I'm tiring quickly of Lou's age and lack of creativity, as well as the consistent dysfunction called our farm system.

But Play Ball!

I was the one who said that the bottom of the lineup won the division for the Cubbies last year, and Hendry & Pinella do not to have seemed to have noticed. But I promise you that YOU will notice it beginning in another week or so.

Hoffpauir just killed the ball last Spring, too. He hit for a better average than this year. Performance does not win a job or a place on the lineup card on the Cubbies. It is contract size. If you want evidence, check out Funk-0-dome, Soriano ($138 Million keeps him in the leadoff spot), Lee, Vizcaino ($4million).

Hey, it is way past time to face the facts: Hendry is a poor talent evaluator. When you trade Jose Hernandez for Aram (great trade) and then hire the fool GM who made the deal to head up your entire Scouting system (Dave Littlefield), you have just trumped Jerry Angelos' hiring of the Lion's 0-16
"Coach of the Year" Rod Marinelli. And Jerry Angelos is a horrible talent evaluator, too.

Watch the Reds? YES indeed. And watch out for those Cards! (They have a manager!).

u people kill me. gloom and doom. our lineup has much more options than it had last year. with the platoon of johnson and fukodome we have the option of playing the lefty on righty matchups and are able to spell fuk and put him in more favorable matchups. we have the lefty font and switch hitter bradley that will enable more flexibility for lou. we can have five lefties in the lineup when we face a tough righty with miles xpelling theriot. the only thing that i am bumming about is not being able to get hoff enough at bats at the beginning of the year with all of the off days. dont count us out yet we haven't even started the season yet.

Bo...no one is necessarily expressing doom and gloom...it's more an observation of "same ol/same ol" with Lou. So our top three is Soriano/Fukodome/Lee. How about a little imagination in exploring during spring training a lineup of Johnson/Theriot, Bradley, Ramirez, Hoffpauer, Soto, Fontenot, and so on down the line.

The top of the lineup, as projected currently, looks very exposed.

According to MLBtraderumors.com Detroit is looking to add a pitcher and Gaudin is "on their radar."

You know, Hendry has made a few moves with Detroit over the past couple years. None of them have been anything to speak of. But I could see us sending Gaudin there. I mean they did take Jacques Jones off our hands for us. Maybe we could get the newly acquired Josh Anderson from them and we can get rid of the light hitting Gaithright. After all Anderson has plenty of speed himself and looks to be a much better hitter then Joey. Sorry just me thinkin out loud.

Sorry, Looks like Ryan Raburn is the kid they are shopping. Which might not be bad. I guess hes very versatile, "Raburn would be a natural fit for a National League team due to his versatility -- he has logged time at every position but shortstop and first base during his career." We shall see.

Gloomsters....Now hear this from the old guy--or don't. The two and three spots in the order are not carved in stone by Lou (the Neanderthal) Piniella. As painful as it is (for all of us), can you not even consider that Woodie and DeRo meant the $15 mil that was needed to sign or resign Bradley and Demp--which could give us a better shot at winning it all. Do the words, "They suck!" ever come to mind when you see the names, Rich Hill, Felix Pie and Pawelek.

Of course players who were able to command big contracts based upon performance may play longer than they should as skills or psyche's decline--but not if they and the team really stumble. (Sheffield's $14 mil and Jenkins $8 mil were cut yesterday.) Lee and Soriano are still big leaguers and Ernie and others played longer than they should have for sufficient reasons. If Lee or Soriano stink up the joint, Lou will make changes. Dome is on a short leash. Viscaino either contributes or he will be cut. And Hoffpauir should get lots of AB's this year--at first and the outfield corners.

When it comes to evaluating, acquiring and playing useful talent, JH and Lou haven't exactly scuttled the Cubs' ship the last couple of years. Look what Bradley, Gregg, Miles and Heilman are doing. Look at what Edmonds and Harden did. Given budgets and contract stages, GM's have to be nimble and imaginative; and, if you think JH is a washout, you are discrediting yourself.

Those who fear for the worst looking ahead could (I guess) point to our 97 wins last year and applaud that opening day roster. (I don't see how you can disparage the 2009 roster and imply some degree of failure--and not like the 2008 version and it's 97 wins.) So tell me what got you so excited about the 2008 opening day roster (below).

Rich Hll, Marquis, Lieber, Pignatiello, Wuertz, Hart, and Howry joined guys like D, Demp, Lilly, Wood and Marmol. Soto and Blanco were behind the plate. Those first seven pitchers had to scare the crap out the rest of the league.

Sori, Pie, Dome and Johnson were the outfielders. Cedeno, Ward and Fontenot joined Lee, DeRo, Riot and ARam in the infield. Pie, Cedeno and Ward certainly lit up the stat sheets with their opportunities.

In the interests of fairness and savvy, lets concede that JH and Lou did some things right. Harden and Edmonds come to mind as moves by JH and Lou getting 97 wins with some of those first 7 pitchers around for parts or all of the season and Soriano missing 50 games says that the Neanderthal does some things right.

Yes, I too am critical of selecting the Ryan Harveys and Pawelek's. Yes, we can and should do better with development. And yes, Lou has the bias of giving veterans ample chances to maintain or regain form. But it seems to me that, given the results over the last couple of years, deserved management criticism amounts to a quarter pounder at Hardees and reasonable management praise amounts to a steak dinner at Harry's.

Those who liked the 2008 opening day roster and season prospects, ought to feel a lot better about our 2009 roster and season prospects. And, if the pro-active JH stays true to form, there could be a couple of improvements along the way.

Im not saying at all the JH or Lou has done a bad job. I think some of JHs contracts have handcuffed this team. And I am saying that Miach deserves his shot. Lee is obviously on the downside, although still productive. It is just my opinion that Micah would have a better year if given the job. And its a shame that the guy that appears to be the better player at this time wont get his shot. And comparing Ernie Banks to Derrick Lee is blasphemous. Ernie played longer cause he deserved it, and I dont know but was there anyone challenging him for his job the way Micah has challenged Lee?

I know Lees not going anywhere. I never said he was horrible. He is on the downside. Yes he is still productive, I get that. So Micah had a small sample size last year and he hit. He hit better last spring, He hit all year at AAA, where by the way he hit 25 homeruns in 70 games in that thin Iowa air. So it took him time to figure it out. But he did figure it out and has carried it over. Soto wasnt much of a hitter till his 3rd season in Iowa, the same year he got called up in September. But you know what, he figured it out. All I am saying is Lee is on the downside and Micah IMO, would have a much better year if given the shot to be our first baseman. Again, Im not saying Lee sucks or is garbage. I just think we can get something of value for him if we traded him and we would improve our production from the firstbase spot in the process.

MikeS....I didn't have a guy who didn't say Lee was horrible in mind with my remarks. And I would not put Lee in the same class as a Hall of Famer, Banks--who played when I regularly sat two rows behind the Cubs dugout and had some communication with him, Fergie and Billy.

The point I was trying to make is that veterans who are or have been top tier guys get extra consideration. A current example is Chipper Jones who just signed a three year $42 mil extension at age 36. It's a good bet that he won't earn the third year $14 mil on the field.

I would say this to Matt: IMO, Hoffpauir is at least a competent first baseman. He has good hands and a quick first step. He won't hurt us at first, and his shortcomings in the outfield corners are some inexperience and a lack of speed. Like you, I think, I'm guessing he gets 200 AB's and more if we lose anybody in a position that he can play.

You know, there are a lot of "old guys" posting here, including myself, so no disrespect to anyone here. The days when Banks, Williams, etc played here are different times, with different salary levels and different franchise (and fan) expectations.

Forwarding to the present, we can debate all we want on the merits of last years team, etc, but in reality Hendry and Pinella have had a signficant budget to work with and still haven't achieved the end result (winning the division two years running is wonderful, but still leaves the same distaste for the end result. With the money spent on "talent" the last several years, you can put the manager uniform on many of the CCO here, and we would have achieved similar if not better results.

The reality is that no way should Soriano have received an 8 year mega deal with a no-trade contract...who on CCO is looking forward to 5 more years of him at leadoff. Lee had one great year, and again gets rewarded with too big of contract with the same no-trade provision. Now we can say that that's the sign of the times, but reality states that no GM was inclined to offer Soriano the deal he received based on his history in Texas, NY and DC, but yet our GM handcuffs us financially for years with this, and our manager won't have the guts to move a bad (yes bad, but I'm sure I'll hear of stats to the contrary) leadoff hitter to a spot more reasonable to his talent.

I grew up in the bleachers as a kid in the early 60's, and bleed Cubbie Blue. But this organization, with all the financial backing that it's had over the recent years, is not in good shape. Drink the kool-aid all you want, but our farm system stinks and our manager is over the hill relative to creativity and motivation.

Call me a gloomster if you'd like...I'd like to view it as plain reality of what we're seeing.

Nothing is ever completely solid in this league. The main thing we have going for us is that we aren't COMPLETELY reliant on 2 or three guys in our lineup. We have versatility. Lee has been there before, and I like the fact that I know what I'm getting outta Lee. The monster I know is better than the monster I don't know. Same goes for Gregg vs. Marmol. I know what I'm getting outta Marmol in the 7th/8th. I know what I'm getting outta Gregg in the 9th. Gregg has been there, Marmol hasn't

Besides...our versatility is what gives us our strength. The only thing I'm not completely sold on, though, is our pen...but hopefully our starters can make it through the 6th inning more often than not, leaving us Heilman, Marmol, and Gregg.