Chicago Cubs Online General Info

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends but most importantly it is a time to give thanks for all of the blessings we receive on a daily basis. When you sit down with your family and friends today, take a minute to think about what in your life you are thankful for ... and just think it is only 130 days until Opening Day.

From everyone at the CCO ... Happy Thanksgiving

Let me hear ya! A one ... a two ... a three ... The nearly nine-month journey that began in Mesa back in February has come to an end. There is no reason for me to rehash what went wrong for the 2009 Chicago Cubs ... you know what happened. You lived through every pitch of every inning just like I did. With that said, I truly believe that one person is not responsible for this past year, it was a team effort, or lack there of, from the players on the field, to the coaches, to the front office, it was a group effort.

The Chicago Cubs have a very important off-season ahead of them and the CCO will be along for the ride. From every Hot Stove rumor to the official announcement that the Ricketts Family is the new owner of the organization, the CCO will have daily updates and news as soon as it happens. But for now, we are going to take a break ...

With Spring Training in full swing and the regular season less than a month away, this seemed like an appropriate time to do a little housecleaning.

There are several changes that have taken place with the CCO over the last five months and more additions on the horizon. Here's some news you can use concerning the CCO and information we have been asked to pass along to the Faithful....

STOP! You are in the right place....it looks a little bit different with a lot more bells and whistles. But it is the same ole CCO, just a new and improved version.

Welcome to the long overdue redesign of ChicagoCubsOnline.com. For long time readers of the site, we certainly hope you like the new look and will enjoy using all of the new features the CCO now offers.

With the World Series in full swing and the Phillies up 3 games to 1, we figured this would be the right time to unveil the new site....without trying to pull a Scott Boras. Other than the new design, the CCO has several new features. Here is a quick list and overview of most of the additions and changes....

There is always one day each year where Cubs fans are excited about being a Cubs fan and this year was especially exciting. That special day couldn't get here soon enough this year, especially after the Cubs spent millions of dollars bringing in new players and keeping existing talent. The special day I refer to is the day Cubs fans can get single game tickets for the upcoming season. This year that day was February 23rd so if you didn't realize it yet, Cubs tickets are available, at least for most games. Each year certain games sell better than others do and there is always a run on the intercity games vs. The White Sox. With that comes opening day and the games vs. the Cardinals and Astros. After that, they snatch up the tickets for the weekend games during the summer months.

The 2007 season unofficially began on Sunday night, major league baseball and the Cubs are now front and center as baseball prepares to start another season. The preseason predictions are beginning to roll in and many are confused as to how the Cubs will play under new management and with so many question marks still surrounding the team. Baseball Prospectus released their thoughts on the NL Central and many of the national publications have begun to chime in as well. The CCO will get to those in the coming days....but that is what is so great about baseball, it is unpredictable and that is why they play the game.

Here are a few news and notes from around the league, Jayson Starks' take on the Cubs, a last look at the off-season calendar and a little house cleaning....

With the 2006 season just around the corner, there will be some changes and additions here at the CCO; this is one of the first additions. Nothing revolutionary....just a new addition. What would everyone think about an in game discussion or daily talk here at the CCO? We will post the report about game time, TV channel, XM channel and pitching match-ups 2 hours before game time. Whoever hears the lineup can post first and then if the Cubs make a great play, we can talk about it. If the Cubs make a bonehead play, we can talk about it....kinda the Ron Santo of the Internet.

We will name the columns, Talkin' Cubs Live: Game 1 - Cubs vs. Reds or something like that. I think we can build a good community for the Cubs Faithful to talk about the Cubs while the games are happening and not just the day after. This might be a way for you and your buddies to talk about the game without having to use the phone or IM and engage with more of the Cubs Faithful at the same time. The following is the way your comments are approved at the CCO....

Most athletes say they give 110%, but do they? Well here at Chicago Cubs Online we do our best to give a 100%. Brian, Jason and I felt there was something missing....with only three contributors to the CCO. We feel the Cubs Faithful deserve the best possible coverage of Cubs' Baseball we can provide. So we are pleased to announce the addition of Shaun O'Rourke....the missing quarter of the CCO.

Good Morning my name is Shaun O'Rourke. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of this great site. I am a season ticket holder and go to every game possible. I will try to give a creative report from inside the friendly confines.

Sometimes you have to be able to roll with the punches and work with the cards you are dealt. I always have a Plan B or Plan C, if necessary....but not last night. I had one plan and that changed very quickly. The CCO crashed for the second night in a row, but this time much worse than the first. So after losing my article for today, I searched for a Plan B....What happened that I need to report? What have I missed while repairing the site?

How can I form an article after loosing all of the pieces of the puzzle that I was depending on?

Brian McCabe helped add a new element to the CCO with his daily recaps of the Cubs Convention a few weeks back and he has agreed to become a full time contributor here at the CCO. Brian will be able to provide a unique perspective to the Cubs Faithful and I think his first post is proof of that....enjoy!!!

The biggest bar in Chicago, a place to be seen, something to do, fun to be had, the biggest beer garden in the world....these are just some of the many things people say about Wrigley Field.

The following exchange occurred near the end of the brilliant movie "Field Of Dreams,"

"Is this Heaven?"
"No it's Iowa."
"Could have sworn it was Heaven."

That is how I feel every time I walk into Wrigley, heavenly. My happy place, one of my favorite destinations and sure, one heck of a great beer garden, but Wrigley Field is so much more than that.