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Game Four - Cubs 13 White Sox 0
WP - Neal Cotts (1-0) LP - Ehren Wasserman (0-1) Save - None

Spring Training games are fun to win, especially against the White Sox, but it is the individual performances and tune-ups that are more important during the exhibition season. Several of the players Lou Piniella figures to depend on in the upcoming season played against the Sox on Saturday afternoon in front of a record crowd of 13,010 at HoHoKam Park....and none was more impressive than Aaron Heilman.

After much criticism of the Cubs' front office, Aaron Heilman made his Cub and pitched two impressive innings...just reading the box score will not due his performance justice. Heilman worked fast, seemed to find a solid rhythm and struck out four of the seven batters he faced on 23 pitches, 18 for strikes.

Aramis Ramirez turned in a great day defensively despite his 0-for-3 at the plate. Ramirez made a diving stop on a ball hit down the line by Carlos Quentin that took away extra bases in the first inning. Derrek Lee hit the ball hard in his three trips to the plate and the wind knocked down what should have been his first home run of the spring.

Lou Piniella's crew improved to 4-0 on the spring, in large part to a 9-run seventh inning, but the performances turned out by several of the regulars on Saturday were the true highlights....

Game Two - Cubs 7 Brewers 4
WP - Chad Gaudin (1-0) LP - Seth McClung (0-1, BS 1) Save - Angel Guzman (1)

In front of a small crowd of 6,711 on Thursday, Lou Piniella's crew improved to 2-0 on the spring with a solid victory over the Brewers. Rick Sutcliffe was calling the shots at HoHoKam on Thursday. Piniella named him the team's honorary manager before the game and the Red Baron pulled all of the right strings...with a little help from Jake Fox.

Charley Steiner once said, "There is something liberating about those magical words, pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training." The four-month wait is over....the Cubs' baseball season begins today.

Pitchers and catchers will report to Fitch Park in Mesa, Arizona on Friday with their first workout scheduled for Saturday. Geovany Soto, Angel Guzman, Rich Harden, Jeff Samardzija, Neal Cotts, Chad Gaudin, Randy Wells and Koyie Hill are among the players that have already made their way to camp....Lou Piniella and Jim Hendry made appearances on Thursday and are scheduled to speak with the media on Friday.

Fitch Park will soon be filled with the sights and sounds of the game once again. The Hot Stove League has come to an end, it is time for baseball.....Chicago Cubs Baseball.

Here's the latest and more photos of Fitch Park....

So the Cubs lost three of the first four games over the weekend, if anyone cares to remember they were 0-4 at the same point last year and finished the exhibition season 17-13-2. While the record does not matter, it was good to see Lou Piniella get more wins than losses heading into the regular season....and one can bet 'Sweet Lou' will look for the same end result again this spring.

Here are a few observations from the past weekend, with all due respect to Brian, babblings from Arizona....and a few professional photos from Chris Proctor.

Spring Training Game Four - Cubs 6 Giants 8
WP - Jack Taschner (1-0) LP - Neal Cotts (0-1) Save - Julio Mateo (1)

Felix Pie hit his 2nd home run in 4 games and Andres Torres added a 2-run shot in the 7th inning but the Cubs dropped their third Cactus League game in a row on Sunday. Ted Lilly gave up a run on 2 hits with a walk and 2 strikeouts in his first tune-up of the spring. Lilly struggled with his command in the 1st inning but was able to escape early trouble without allowing a run. Lilly hit Kevin Frandsen to lead off the 2nd and he came around to score the only run Lilly allowed.

Neal Cotts and Jose Ascanio combined to allow 5 runs in the 5th inning. Cotts was tagged with the 5 runs, all earned. He gave up 3 hits and walked 3 in just 2/3 of an inning. Shingo Takatsu gave up a 2-run homer to Travis Denker in his inning of work. Jose Ceda, Juan Mateo, Kevin Hart and Carlos Marmol all threw the ball extremely well in their second appearances of the exhibition season.

Spring Training Game Three - Cubs 2 Angels 6
WP - Jered Weaver (1-0) LP - Jason Marquis (0-1)

As far as the game itself, it was over before it started. The Angels trotted out their All-Star lineup while Lou Piniella's crew featured a starting nine that could have taken the field last season in Iowa, with the exception of Jason Marquis and Alex Cintron. Kerry Wood and Bobby Howry both pitched for the first time this spring with similar results. Wood allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in an inning of work while Howry surrendered a run on 2 hits in the 5th inning. Wood gave up Torii Hunter's first home run as an Angel that accounted for all three of the runs he allowed. Geoff Jones, Carmen Pignatiello, Tim Lahey and Ed Campusano all added an inning of relief, threw the ball well and did not allow any runs.

Jake Fox hit his first home run of the spring. His 2-run homer in the 6th broke up the shutout. Matt Murton was 3-for-3 and hit the ball very hard all afternoon. Eric Patterson was 1-for-2 with a run scored after taking over for Mike Fontenot in the 6th inning.

Spring Training Game Two - Cubs 6 Giants (ss) 8
WP - Vinnie Chulk (1-0) LP - Les Walrond (0-1, BS 1) Save - Sergio Romo (1)

A day after an impressive offensive output in Scottsdale, the Cubs dropped their Cactus League home opener against a Giants split squad. As with all Spring Training games the final score is a mere technicality and is not a good way to judge the play on the field. It is the performances and execution of the players that will be with the Cubs come Opening Day that is important.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill both had productive outings. Zambrano allowed a run on 2 hits with 2 strikeouts in his 2 innings of work. His error and wild pitch in the 1st inning led to an unearned run. Hill gave up a run on 3 hits in 2 innings with 3 strikeouts. Both pitchers threw better in their second inning of work. Five of the Giants' eight runs were scored off of Shingo Takatsu and Les Walrond, two pitchers that will likely not be with the Cubs 25-man roster on March 31st.

Kosuke Fukudome continued clogging the bases. He walked twice, scored 2 runs and lined out hard to center in his third trip to the plate. Mike Fontenot continued to impress on Friday. His ground rule double over the centerfield wall scored a run in the 1st and he walked in his other two at bats. Alex Cintron was 2-for-2 with 2 RBI's.

Spring Training Game One - Cubs 12 Giants 6
WP - Ryan Dempster (1-0) LP - Noah Lowry (0-1)

Lou Piniella's crew started the 2008 Cactus League schedule with an impressive effort against the Giants. While a win is a win, exhibition game or not, the performances on the field outweighed the final score. Thursday afternoon in Scottsdale featured the debut of Kosuke Fukudome and the deceiving debut of Jose Ceda in a Cubs' uniform. Fukudome reached base in each of his three trips to the plate and recorded an RBI single in the 3rd inning.

Mike Fontenot supplied the big blast, a 3-run home run pinch-hitting for Ryan Dempster in the 3rd. Felix Pie had a very impressive day at the plate, 2-for-2 with 3 runs scored, a walk, a double and a solo home run in the 4th. Ryan Theriot added a 3-for-3 day of his own with 3 runs scored and the Cubs scored 10 of their 12 runs in the first 4 innings.

Time to play a little ball. Cubs' pitchers and catchers will have their first workout later today at Fitch Park. Another pitcher made a bold prediction for the upcoming season, but this time it was not Carlos Zambrano. Ryan Dempster told reporters on Wednesday the Cubs will win the World Series this year. Dempster said, "It's like anything, if you believe it you can achieve it."

Reports on WGN Radio indicated Kosuke Fukudome will likely report to Mesa early and could join the team on the field as soon as Friday....the other position players are not scheduled to report to Fitch Park until Monday.

Paul Sullivan reported on the Brian Roberts trade rumors. According to Sullivan "there has been no movement" on the Cubs being able to obtain Roberts and Jim Hendry is "a little frustrated he wasn't able to get a deal done before the start of Spring Training." Buck Martinez indicated on Wednesday morning the Cubs are still showing interest in Roberts....

With stretching and long toss on the horizon at Fitch Park, here is a look at the Cubs' bullpen and catchers.

The Hot Stove season is all but complete. Teams have handed out their non-roster invitations and are ready to start Spring Training as players will soon start making their way to Florida and Arizona, respectively. Cubs' pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park next Wednesday. For the first time in recent memory, the Cubs will start Spring Training with a healthy staff, and Lou Piniella figures to have strong competition for the last two spots in the rotation, in the bullpen and for the closer's job.

The first three spots in the rotation appear to be locks with Jon Lieber, Jason Marquis, Ryan Dempster, Sean Marshall, Kevin Hart and Sean Gallagher in the running for the two remaining jobs in the rotation, barring a last-minute trade. Carlos Marmol had a tremendous winter in the Dominican. 'Senor Nasty' threw 12 scoreless innings, did not walk a batter, struck out 19 and allowed just 1 hit. Marmol told the USA Today on Tuesday, "I want to be the closer." Bobby Howry issued a similar statement during the Cubs Convention and Kerry Wood figures to be in the mix once he can prove he can pitch in back-to-back games.

With Arizona on the mind, here is the latest on Brian Roberts, a declaration from Buster Olney and notes from around the league....