Lou Piniella's crew made their final trip to Hi Corbett Field on Monday ... and the trip took a little longer than expected. The Cubs bus broke down less than an hour outside of Mesa, a clamp came off the radiator line. A majority of the team was an hour late to the park and they were unable to take batting practice due to the delay.

Kevin Millar reportedly entertained the team.

Once the Cubs got to the park, a starting lineup stocked with backup players, Ryan Theriot and Carlos Zambrano were beaten by the Rockies.

Carlos Zambrano was happy with the way he threw the ball. He kept the ball down, allowed one run on five hits, four doubles, in four innings of work. Big Z is hopeful he can pitch the way he did on Monday throughout the season. Zambrano threw 43 pitches, 28 for strikes ... and recorded seven groundball outs to just two fly ball outs.

Zambrano also drove in one of the Cubs' two runs with a double in the second off of Jeff Francis.

The Cubs sloppy play in the field continued on Monday. They committed three more errors (Mike Parisi, Sam Fuld, Starlin Castro) and gave the opposition another free run.

The Cubs slipped to 8-5 on the spring with Monday's loss ...

The Cubs reduced their 60-man Spring Training roster to 51 players on Sunday. Mitch Atkins (Triple-A Iowa) and David Patton (Double-A Tennessee) were optioned to minor league camp. Seven other non-roster invitees were assigned to minor league camp ... Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters, Vince Perkins, Matt Camp, Steve Clevenger, Blake Lalli and Jeff Kennard.

The Cubs have a lot of work to do before the games count again. With Opening Day in Atlanta three weeks from Monday, here is a look at where the Cubs stand at almost the halfway point of Spring Training ...

Kerry Wood is owed a lot of money for the upcoming season ($10.5 million) and has a rather large vesting option for the final year his three-year contract. Wood's $11 million club option for 2011 becomes guaranteed if Wood finishes 55 games in 2010. Carfardo pointed out the Indians would have to pick up a good portion of his remaining contract to trade him to either the Twins or Cubs.

The Cubs won their fourth game in a row and finished the long five-game weekend with a 4-1 record. Two non-roster invitees played a role in the victory against the Angels.

Kevin Millar drove in the Cubs first run with a double to left center in the first ... and hit a two-run homer over the wall in left in the third. Millar finished the game 2-for-2 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI.

Starlin Castro (2-for-2 with a double, a run scored and two RBI) continued his impressive spring on Sunday afternoon. Castro reached base with a double and a single in his only two trips to the plate. Castro doubled in James Adduci with the tying run in the seventh and scored the go ahead run on a double by Micah Hoffpauir.

Castro also showed off his range and arm on Sunday with mixed results. Castro was shook up a little in the ninth on a grounder up the middle. Castro appeared to lose his footing and hit the dirt as he flipped the ball to Darwin Barney. Reports after the game indicated Castro's knee was okay.

The Cubs offense pounded out 12 hits, six for extra bases, and scored at least a single run in five of the nine innings.

After being just short of perfect in his first two outings, Randy Wells struggled mightily in his third start of the spring. Larry Rothschild said Wells' performance on Sunday might be a good wake-up call for the young right-hander.

Wells was hit rather hard in the second inning. The Angels sent 11 batters to the plate, scored six times and seemed to rattle the normally calm, cool and collected Randy Wells.

While the Cubs pen on Sunday allowed only one run after Randy Wells left the game, the questions surrounding the bullpen continue to be justified. Carlos Marmol was effective but struggled with his command and walked a batter. John Grabow, like Marmol, struggled with throwing strikes.

The Cubs pen allowed only four hits over the final six innings but they walked nine batters, five in the last two innings, with only seven strikeouts. Lou Piniella was visibly upset at the performances by Blake Parker and Thomas Diamond in the eighth and ninth.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 8-4 in the Cactus League ...

Randy Wells (1-0, 0.00/0.20) vs. Joel Pineiro (0-0, 4.50/2.00)

Updated - 11:08am CDT - Cubs announced first round of cuts on Sunday morning. Nine players removed from Spring Training roster ... two optioned and seven assigned to minor league camp.

Mitch Atkins was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and David Patton was optioned to Double-A Tennessee. Steve Clevenger, Blake Lalli, Jeff Kennard, Josh Vitters, Matt Camp, Brett Jackson and Vince Perkins assigned to minor league camp.

The Cubs travel to Tempe for the first time this afternoon to face the Angels ... one of two games for the Cubs against the defending AL West Champions in the Cactus League this year. The Cubs will send Randy Wells to the mound against the ex-Cardinal, Joel Pineiro.

Aramis Ramirez left Saturday's game against the Reds in the third inning with soreness in his right triceps. Ramirez is listed as day-to-day. The Cubs have downplayed the injury ... he is expected back in the lineup in a couple of days.

After X-rays showed no damage in Derrek Lee's left foot, the Cubs said he would be out for a couple of more days with a bruised left foot. Lee is not expected back until Tuesday.

The Cubs are expected to announce their first round of cuts following today's game ...

Game Eleven - Cubs (ss) 8 White Sox (ss) 7
WP - John Gaub (1-0) LP - Jeffrey Marquez (0-1, BS 1) Save - Justin Berg (1)

The Cubs got their work in on Saturday in Mesa and Las Vegas ... with some solid performances but with a little injury in Mesa.

Lou Piniella's crew beat the Reds in Mesa by a lopsided 11-4 score. Sean Marshall put together a good start. He allowed only one run in three innings, a solo home run by Juan Francisco. The Cubs managed only one run off of Homer Bailey in his three innings of work ... his first start of the spring. After the Reds built a 4-1 lead, the Cubs offense scored 10 times in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Bryan LaHair (2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI) tied the game with a three-run homer in the fifth ... and Hak-Ju Lee added a two-run double in the sixth. Tyler Colvin (3-for-5 with a run scored) and Darwin Barney (2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI) had good days at the plate.

Aramis Ramirez left the game against the Reds in the third inning with right triceps soreness. Ramirez is listed as day-to-day and the Cubs downplayed the injury.

Alan Trammell managed the Cubs to a two-game sweep of the White Sox in Las Vegas. For the second time in less than 24 hours, Josh Vitters drove in the game winner against the South Side. Vitters grounded into a fielder's choice in the eighth that broke a 6-6 tie.

Ryan Dempster was solid once again. The White Sox managed one unearned on one hit against Dempster in three innings of work. Dempster did not walk a batter and stuck out a pair.

With the wins on Saturday, the Cubs improved to 7-4 in Cactus League play ...

Sean Marshall (0-0, 2.25/1.00) vs. Homer Bailey (0-0, -.--/-.--)

Spring Training Game Eleven: Cubs (ss) (5-4) vs. White Sox (ss) (4-4-2)
Game Time - 3:05pm CST
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 670 The Score, MLB.com (White Sox feed)
Location - Cashman Field, Las Vegas

Ryan Dempster (1-0, 0.00/0.00) vs. Lucas Harrell (0-0, 9.00/2.00)

Another split-squad day for the Chicago Cubs ... half of Lou Piniella's roster will face Dusty Baker and the Reds at HoHoKam while the other half completes the "Big League Weekend" at Cashman Field in Las Vegas.

The Reds joined the Cactus League this year and today will be the first time the Cubs have played the Reds in a Spring Training game since 1945 ... today will also be the first appearance for Dusty Baker at HoHoKam Park since 2006.

The Cubs will be the home team at Cashman Field this afternoon.

The Cubs took an early lead in the first of two against the Sox in Vegas. Marlon Byrd and Mike Fontenot drove in the first two runs of the game in the first inning. Tom Gorzelanny did not allow a hit in his three innings of work. But Gorzelanny walked the bases loaded in the second and his wild pitch allowed the White Sox to score a run.

Jay Jackson surrendered the White Sox first hit in the sixth before giving up the lead. The Sox scored three runs off of Jackson and took a 4-3 lead into the seventh.

Marlon Byrd reached on an error by Brent Lillibridge to start the seventh. Brett Jackson pinch ran for Byrd and advanced to second when Kevin Millar walked. Micah Hoffpauir took over for Millar on the bases.

Josh Vitters ripped a 1-1 pitch from Jhonny Nunez into right center. The ball rolled to the wall. Jackson and Hoffpauir scored on Vitters' triple. Mike Fontenot drove in his second run of the night with a single to center ... and gave the Cubs a 6-4 lead.

The Sox cut the Cubs' lead to 6-5 in the eighth with a single to right by Alejandro De Aza. De Aza took too wide of a turn at first, Kyler Burke threw behind him and Micah Hoffpauir tagged him out to end the inning ... with the tying run at third.

Blake Parker labored through a 28-pitch ninth inning (14 strikes) to pick up the save.

Several of the Cubs' top prospects contributed to the win on Friday night. The Cubs improved to 5-4 on the spring with the victory over the White Sox ...

Tom Gorzelanny (0-0, 9.00/1.00) vs. Carlos Torres (0-0, 2.25/1.00)

For the sixth year in a row, the Cubs will participate in "Big League Weekend" at Cashman Field in Las Vegas. The Cubs annual trip to Sin City will have them face their Crosstown rivals ... who beat them rather soundly at HoHoKam Park, 15-3, last Saturday.

Alan Trammell will manage a Cubs' split-squad this weekend that will feature the likes of Tom Gorzelanny, Micah Hoffpauir, Kevin Millar, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Ryan Theriot, Matt Camp, Josh Vitters, Geovany Soto, Robinson Chirinos, Welington Castillo, Sam Fuld, Marlon Byrd, Brett Jackson, Kosuke Fukudome, Brad Snyder, Xavier Nady, Thomas Diamond, Blake Parker, Justin Berg, Jeff Kennard, Mitch Atkins, John Gaub, and J.R. Mathes.... Ryan Dempster will take the ball against the Sox on Saturday afternoon.

Tom Gorzelanny will make his first start, second appearance, of the spring tonight.

The Cubs long weekend of exhibition games got off to a bad start on Friday afternoon. The Brewers lit up Jeff Samardzija in the first inning and Doug Davis continued his domination of a team in blue pinstripes.

Granted it is "just Spring Training" but the performance from Jeff Samardzija on Friday was very similar to his outings from a year ago. Samardzija gave up four runs, all earned despite an error by Starlin Castro in the first inning, on five hits in two innings. Samardzija walked a batter, struck out two and served up back-to-back jacks in the first to Jim Edmonds and Gregg Zaun.

Samardzija turned the game over to the pen in the third ... and the pitchers Lou Piniella did not send to Las Vegas did not fair any better than 'The Shark.'

John Grabow surrendered an unearned run in his inning of work, but one of the two hits he allowed was a double by Jim Edmonds. Marcos Mateo could not find the strike zone. He walked five batters in the fifth, uncorked a wild pitch and served up a two-run homer to Jody Gerut. Jeremy Papelbon, called in from minor league camp, allowed two of Mateo's runners to score.

Rafael Dolis and James Russell closed the game. Dolis was solid in his first inning but struggled in his second and both runs he was charged with scored with James Russell on the mound.

The Cubs offense was non-existent. They managed nine hits, but scored only three runs and two of those came in the seventh inning. Tyler Colvin continued his hot spring and finished the game 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and a RBI. Aramis Ramirez doubled in the Cubs' second run in the seventh.

With the loss, the Cubs slipped back to .500 in the Cactus League (4-4) ...

Jeff Samardzija (0-0, 0.00/1.50) vs. Doug Davis (0-0, -.--/-.--)

It is split-squad day for the Chicago Cubs. Half of the roster will face the White Sox on Friday night but the other half will play the Brewers for the second time in less than a week.

The Brewers beat the Cubs on Tuesday 5-3 after Joe Inglett hit a two-run homer off of Blake Parker in the top of the ninth. Randy Wells and James Russell had solid outings and Derrek Lee hit his second longball of the spring in the loss.

Jeff Samardzija will make his first start of the spring this afternoon. The Brewers figure to run out their A-team lineup in their home park ... so today should be a good test for 'The Shark'. Samardzija did not allow a run in his two innings of work against the A's on Monday (one hit, a walk and hit a batter).

The Cubs will be on TV twice this weekend ... Friday night on Comcast SportsNet and Sunday afternoon on WGN.

Here are a few tidbits on the first Friday following a full week of games ... look for the Cubs to start making cuts from their 60-man Spring Training roster next week.

The Cubs ended their two-game losing streak behind more stellar play from the young Cubs ... namely Starlin Castro, Robinson Chirinos, Tyler Colvin, Bryan LaHair and Sam Fuld.

The Cubs jumped out to an early lead on Jon Garland and the Padres. Garland could not find the strike zone. Garland walked in the first run of the game and the Cubs scored four runs on three hits with three walks in 1 2/3 innings against the former South Sider.

The Cubs young offense pounded out 12 hits, four for extra bases and built an 8-1 lead before the defense forgot how to catch the ball. The Padres scored seven runs in the last three innings ... all unearned.

Carlos Silva put together a better outing. The Padres hit him pretty hard and Sam Fuld's catch against the wall in left center took an extra base hit away from Scott Hairston ... and ended the inning. Silva allowed four hits, two doubles, in three innings with a walk and no strikeouts.

Carlos Marmol completed a perfect inning of work, with a strikeout. Marmol followed Silva and threw just eight pitches, six for strikes, in his third tune-up of the spring.

Starlin Castro ended his first week of big league games with another impressive performance. Castro hit his first home run of the spring ... and finished the game 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored.

Tyler Colvin (2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored), Bryan LaHair (2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a RBI and a run scored), Robinson Chirinos (1-for-2 with a walk, a two-run homer and two RBI) and Sam Fuld (1-for-4 with a double and a run scored) stood out on an afternoon that Lou Piniella played a lot of non-roster invitees.

Vince Perkins, David Patton and Steve Clevenger finally made their spring debuts on Thursday in Peoria.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 4-3 in the Cactus League ...

Carlos Silva (0-1, 27.00/3.50) vs. Jon Garland (0-0, 4.50/1.00)

The Cubs begin a stretch this afternoon of six games in four days. Half of the Cubs roster, without Lou Piniella, will leave for Las Vegas this afternoon for two split-squad games against the White Sox on Saturday and Sunday. Alan Trammell will serve as the Cubs manager for the two games in Vegas.

Lou Piniella will manage the other half of his team in games against the Brewers (Friday in Maryvale) and Reds (Saturday at HoHoKam).

Piniella said on Wednesday that Kevin Millar, Chad Tracy, Bryan LaHair and Micah Hoffpauir will start against the Padres with the regular lineup staying behind in Mesa to get their hitting in at HoHoKam.

Carlos Silva will make his second start of the spring this afternoon. The Cubs have made a few adjustments to Silva's mechanics and he will try to keep the ball in the park.

According to a report from ESPN Chicago, Xavier Nady "will still be able to play with his arm at less than 100 percent." Nady is currently throwing at 120 feet.

The Cubs will "simply have to make some defensive adjustments, moving the cutoff men back to compensate" according to a report from Cubs.com.

Lou Piniella's crew lost their second game in a row after a bad third inning from Carlos Zambrano on Wednesday afternoon. Zambrano breezed through his first two innings of work. He retired all six of the seven batters he faced on just 14 pitches, 11 for strikes ... then the third inning happened.

Zambrano allowed the first three Giants hitters to reach in the third. Aaron Rowand loaded the bases with a bloop single to right on the ninth pitch of the at bat. Zambrano then hit Eugenio Velez to force in the first run of the game.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Pablo Sandoval hit a 2-0 pitch from Zambrano over the wall in right. Sandoval's grand slam capped the five-run third inning.

The Giants batted around against Zambrano in the third but Z was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Juan Uribe to end the inning.

In three innings, Carlos Zambrano allowed five runs on six hits with a walk, a strikeout and a hit a batter.

The Cubs' pen did not allow the Giants to tack on over the final six innings.

The Cubs out-hit the Giants, 9-7, but managed just one run. Aramis Ramirez drove in pinch runner Micah Hoffpauir with a double in the fourth.

With the loss the Cubs slipped to .500 on the spring with three wins and three losses.

Carlos Zambrano (0-0, 0.00/0.00) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (0-0, 0.00/3.00)

The Cubs will square off against the Giants for the first of two times on the spring this afternoon. The Cubs travel to Scottsdale during the final week of Cactus League play to face the Giants on March 30.

Carlos Zambrano will make his second start of the spring. Like Randy Wells, Zambrano should pitch three innings this afternoon against a new-look Giants offense that should include Mark DeRosa. Zambrano threw the ball extremely well against the Diamondbacks last Friday. Big Z completed two perfect innings of work.

14 players came to the Cubs via the trade route, six signed as free agents, ten were drafted by the Cubs, five signed as non-drafted free agents, three signed as minor league free agents and one was acquired in last year's Rule 5 Draft.

Here is how the Cubs 2010 Roster was constructed ...

After rain delayed the start of the game 48 minutes, the Cubs faced the Brewers for the first time in 2010 on a cool afternoon in Mesa. Without a scoreboard until the eighth inning, the Cubs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.

Mike Fontenot drove in the game's first run with a single to center in the second. Randy Wells knocked in the second run with a sacrifice fly two batters later. Derrek Lee hit his second home run of the spring in the third ... all three runs came off of Jeff Suppan.

Randy Wells faced the minimum over his three innings of work ... with two strikeouts. Wells allowed a hit to Craig Counsell, but picked him off first with Carlos Gomez at the plate. Wells made quick order of the Brewers in the second and recorded two of his four groundball outs in the third inning.

Carlos Marmol struggled a little with his command and gave up a run on a pair of hits and a walk in the fourth ... but struck out three. Geovany Soto's throwing error allowed the Brewers' second run to score with Marmol on the mound.

James Russell struck out the side swinging in the eighth and should have helped his stock in the eyes of Lou Piniella.

Blake Parker took the loss on Tuesday after issuing a leadoff walk in the ninth to Adam Heether. After a sacrifice bunt advanced Heether to second, Joe Inglett put the Brewers ahead for good with a two-run shot that ended up in the Cubs' pen just beyond the right field wall.

Despite the loss, there were several bright spots for the Cubs on a rainy, cold day in Mesa.

Randy Wells (1-0, 0.00/0.00) vs. Jeff Suppan (0-0, 0.00/0.00)

The Cubs return to HoHoKam Park this afternoon for the first match-up of the year against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs will face the Brewers two more times this spring, both in Maryvale ... and both times as split-squad games. The Cubs open their home schedule on April 12 against the Brewers.

Randy Wells will make his second the spring. Wells tossed two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts in his first outing against the A's last Thursday. Will Wells apply what Greg Maddux has been telling him this spring? Maddux has been talking with the pitchers about the importance of setting up hitters in the Cactus League.

According to a radio report from Bruce Levine on Monday, the Cubs are continuing to look at Jason Frasor and Luke Gregerson. Levine said the Cubs are pushing hard for both Frasor and Gregerson in hopes of landing one for the backend of the pen.

After losing two games on Sunday due to rain, the Cubs got back to action on a cool day in Phoenix ... and beat the A's 10-3 behind a seven-run seventh inning.

Ryan Dempster pitched two perfect innings in his first outing of the spring. Dempster threw strikes and got his work in.

After a leadoff single by Ryan Theriot (2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored) and a double by Kosuke Fukudome (1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a run scored) in the third, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez delivered back-to-back sacrifice flies to plate the first two runs of the game. Ramirez (1-for-2 with a RBI) recorded his first hit and RBI of the spring.

Mike Fontenot made his spring debut at shortstop and finished the game 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a pair of RBI. The Cubs offense pounded out 12 hits (six doubles), scored 10 runs.

The Cubs got their work in, picked up a win and received good outings from Ryan Dempster and the rest of the pitching staff ... the A's managed only three runs on four hits Monday afternoon.

There was a different vibe around the team over the weekend. The players appeared to be working hard, but with upbeat attitudes and smiles on their faces ... last spring they seemed to just be going through the motions.

Unlike the regular season, Spring Training is not about winning or losing it is how they play the game. Here are a few first hand observations, news and notes from Mesa and video, including Casey Coleman's bullpen session, from the first two Spring Training games.

Updated - 1:50pm CST - Game in Mesa vs. Dodgers Cancelled Due to Rain

Spring Training Game Four: Cubs (ss) (2-1) vs. White Sox (2-1-1)
Game Time - 2:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN TV - Radio: None
Location - Camelback Ranch, Glendale

Jeff Samardzija (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Jake Peavy (0-0, -.--/-.--)

Spring Training Game Five: Cubs (ss) (2-1) vs. Dodgers (1-1-1)
Game Time - 2:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: None - Radio: None
Location - HoHoKam Park, Mesa

Tom Gorzelanny (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Clayton Kershaw (0-0, -.--/-.--)

Weather permitting, Sunday is the first of five split squad days for the Cubs this spring (March 12 against the Brewers and White Sox in Las Vegas; March 13 against the Reds and White Sox in Las Vegas; March 20 against the A's and Royals; March 31 against the Angels and Mariners).

Half of Lou Piniella's crew will stay in Mesa while the other half will travel to face the White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale.

Guzman is considering a more conservative approach instead of surgery on his right shoulder according to a report from Cubs.com.

The injury is related to the soreness that put Guzman on the DL last June and at the end of the season. Guzman was shut down on September 22 with pain near his right armpit.

Lou Piniella's crew dropped their first game of the spring on Saturday afternoon after a horrible start by Carlos Silva. Silva dug a hole for his new team and the White Sox kept tacking on throughout the game.

Carlos Quentin hit two of the Sox five home runs in the first two innings, both off Silva. Cubs pitching allowed 18 hits and the Sox scored seven of the 15 runs in the final two innings off of non-roster invitee Jeff Kennard and John Grabow.

Carlos Marmol settled down after a rocky start and put together a perfect inning in his first outing of the spring. Marmol struck out a pair on 13 pitches, 10 for strikes.

James Russell took over for Marmol in the fourth. Russell threw the ball extremely well, hit his spots and struck out two with a walk in two innings of work. Alfonso Soriano's error allowed an unearned run to score while Russell was on the mound.

The Cubs offense was pretty quiet in the third game of the spring. They managed only three runs, all in the third inning, off of White Sox starter Daniel Hudson ... for the game, the Cubs scattered only six hits.

With the bases loaded, Kosuke Fukudome drove in a pair with a single to right. The Cubs other run came courtesy of a Derrek Lee sacrifice fly.

Two of the concerns at the beginning of camp were pitching and defense ... and the Cubs showed why on Saturday afternoon.

Carlos Silva (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Daniel Hudson (0-0, -.--/-.--)

The Cubs and White Sox face off for the first time in 2010 this afternoon. Spring Training or not, this is the Cubs versus the Sox.

The Cubs will travel to Camelback Ranch in Glendale on Sunday (weather permitting) to play the South Side ... then the two teams play a pair of games next weekend in Las Vegas (both split squad games). Lou Piniella's crew will see Ozzie Guillen's bunch one more time in Arizona on March 19 in Glendale.

Xavier Nady (designated hitter) and Alfonso Soriano (left field) are expected to make their spring debuts this afternoon ... along with Carlos Silva.

Silva's conditioning has been a big story for the Cubs this spring. Silva insists that he is ready to compete and this afternoon will be his first chance to prove it.

This afternoon's game is the first telecast of the spring for the Cubs. The game can be seen on WGN TV and the MLB Network ... Pat Hughes and Ron Santo will have the play-by-play on the radio.

Continue reading for more on Angel Guzman and other notes from Mesa ...

Friday afternoon at HoHoKam Park could have been a look into the future of the Chicago Cubs. Three of the Cubs' last four number one draft picks were in the starting lineup along with top prospect Starlin Castro ... and the young Cubs did not disappoint.

Brett Jackson (1-for-1 with a triple, a run scored, hit by a pitch and two walks), Josh Vitters (2-for-4 with two runs scored) and Tyler Colvin (2-for-3 with a double and two RBI) held their own against a Diamondbacks lineup that featured a majority of their everyday players.

Starlin Castro continued to impress and turned in a pair of hits, including a ground rule double, in four trips to the plate. Castro played a solid, but not spectacular short while showing off his speed on the bases once again.

Brad Snyder (2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two RBI) delivered the game winner in the bottom of the ninth. A walk-off two run double off the batter's eye in center that just missed leaving the park. Snyder scored a run in the Cubs' two-run eighth that helped tie the game.

While it is just Spring Training, it is good to see the kids play to their hype.

Carlos Zambrano started the game and was very sharp in his first action of the spring. Zambrano tossed two perfect innings with a strikeout. Big Z kept the ball down, inducing four groundball outs and threw 28 pitches, 18 for strikes.

Casey Coleman took over for Zambrano in the third. Other than a long double by Chris Young, Coleman's spring debut was a success. Coleman hit his spots, featured a very good change up and retired six of the seven batters he faced in his two innings of work.

It is always a good day when the Cubs win a ballgame, no matter if it counts or not.

The first game of the long exhibition season was a successful one for the Chicago Cubs. Not only did the Cubs' offense hit five home runs and pound out 16 hits but several of the young Cubs had impressive afternoons.

Randy Wells was very sharp. He retired all six batters he faced, throwing only 25 pitches in two perfect innings. Tyler Colvin got the start in place of Alfonso Soriano in left. Colvin hit the ball with authority and finished the afternoon 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a long homer over the right center field wall.

Derrek Lee, Marlon Byrd, Brad Snyder and Sam Fuld each homered on a beautiful afternoon with the wind blowing out at HoHoKam Park.

Starlin Castro made his debut on Thursday. He finished 1-for-3 with a triple and played a solid game in the field. Castro's reputation preceded him ... he is a smooth fielder with a strong accurate arm. Castro caught the last out of the day, a pop up to short ... a fitting end to the Cubs' first Spring Training game.

Granted it was just an exhibition game, but to see the Cubs on the field after such a long winter was more than a welcomed sight to see.

The Cubs are back ... and the CCO caught some of the first game on video, including Derrek Lee's home run, Marlon Byrd's first Cubs' at bat, Xavier Nady and Starlin Castro.

Randy Wells (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Trevor Cahill (0-0, -.--/-.--)

Chicago Cubs Baseball is on the Air! It's the Cactus League opener...the Chicago Cubs versus the Oakland Athletics. The nearly five-month wait is over. The 2010 exhibition season begins today.

The Cubs have a long Spring Training schedule ahead of them. Lou Piniella's crew will play a total of 35 games (33 before finishing with two against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field) that includes five split-squad games and a trip to Las Vegas for the annual Big League Weekend. The Cubs have only one off day, March 17 ... the spring slate concludes at Chase Field on April 3.

Randy Wells will throw the first pitch of the Cubs' 2010 Cactus League Schedule. Wells is looking to build on his success from a year ago ... and reportedly is not taking anything for granted. The Cubs need Wells to pick up where he left off last season. Wells has been hanging around Greg Maddux learning how to setup hitters ... and learning as much as he can from the Ole Professor.

Sean Marshall, J.R. Mathes, Mike Parisi and Esmailin Caridad are scheduled to follow Wells.

Beyond the Opening Day roster (that many focus on this time of year) is the Cubs' Major League roster ... or 40-man roster. It is important for young players, as well as non-roster invitees, to have good springs and make positive impressions on the big league coaching staff.

Here is a look at a few storylines of the spring, a couple of names to keep an eye on and a complete Spring Training roster, with each player's number. If you listen close enough you can hear Pat Hughes practicing his lead-in ...

With actual baseball about to be played, it is about time to ramble on down to Mesa.

Lou Piniella announced his starting pitchers for the first six exhibition games. Randy Wells will start the opener (followed by Sean Marshall, J.R. Mathes, Mike Parisi and Esmailin Caridad). Carlos Zambrano will take the ball on Friday against the D'Backs.

As for the remainder of the first weekend, Carlos Silva will start against the White Sox on Saturday ... the first televised game of the spring. Tom Gorzelanny and Jeff Samardzija will start the split-squad games against the Sox and Dodgers on Sunday ... and Ryan Dempster will face the A's on Monday. As usual for a pitcher's first spring outing, look for each starter to throw two innings.

Piniella also announced Starlin Castro will likely start Thursday's opener against the A's and leadoff the game ... while Alfonso Soriano will not make his spring debut until Sunday, likely in the game against the Dodgers at HoHoKam.

Monday was also photo day for the Chicago Cubs. Here's the rest from day 13 of Camp Lou IV ... with just two full days before the games begin.

During an interview early last week, Lou Piniella pointed out that he feels the Cubs can win 90 games this season ... if the team stays healthy and several players rebound from sub-par seasons.

The Cubs announced the pitching rotation for the first game of the exhibition season. Randy Wells will get the ball to start the spring on Thursday. Wells will probably go two innings then turn the game over to Sean Marshall, J.R. Mathes, Mike Parisi and Esmailin Caridad. Don't read anything into Wells starting the opener ... Jason Marquis, Ryan Dempster and Jeff Samardzija have been the three starters for the spring openers under Lou Piniella.

Here's the rest from a short Sunday, plus Gordon Wittenmyer on XM Radio ...

Apparently Day 11 of Camp Lou IV was anything but boring ... with Carlos Marmol throwing live batting practice. Lou Piniella said Marmol is "far ahead" of where he was last spring ... but he hit Starlin Castro on the "backside" with a slider, then jammed him and brushed him back. Castro was not hurt and Piniella admired the way he stayed in against Marmol.

The news came down that Ted Lilly would probably miss the first month of the season. Lilly was back at practice on Saturday and is expected to get a full day's work in on Sunday ... but he is well behind where he should be in his rehab.

The Cubs received positive news on Alfonso Soriano, he feels his knee is about 90% ... here's the rest from day 11 of Camp Lou.

Levine's second question sparked an honest answer from Derrek Lee, one that he did not mince words.

Lee was asked about the media recently trying to compare Marlon Byrd to Milton Bradley and the possible racial profiling associated with the comparison. Lee quickly called the comparison "ridiculous" and said "If it was a white guy who came over [to the Cubs] would he be [called] the anti-Milton Bradley?"

The Cubs were hoping to get Ted Lilly back around the second week of the season. Lilly's two setbacks since pitchers and catchers reported on February 17 have more than likely pushed the timetable back a couple of weeks.

Day Ten of Camp Lou IV was pretty quiet for the most part ... with a few exceptions.

Ted Lilly returned to the field and called his viral infection a setback. Lilly did not want to begin the season on the DL, but missing five days has turned the inevitable into reality. By all accounts, Lilly would not have been ready to pitch the first week of the season before his recent illness.

Lou Piniella wants another arm in his pen. Jim Hendry admitted to Dave Kaplan during his interview on Sports Central that a right-handed veteran reliever is on the Cubs' wish list. Bruce Levine reported that the Cubs continue to have conversations with the Padres about Luke Gregerson and the Blue Jays concerning Jason Frasor.

Here is the rest from day ten of Camp Lou and more from Jim Hendry's interview on Sports Central ...

We ask that you begin your comment or post with your answer on the topics for the day ... then feel free to explain how you came to your conclusion. The forum will be open until 5:00pm CST ... one hour after the forum closes, the majority's decision will be posted.

The Battles of Spring

Spring Training is heating up, and soon so will the competition on the field. Not only will the Cubs be playing other teams, but also they will be battling their teammates for starting jobs and playing time.

The match-ups listed below are my thoughts, with a winner and a loser. Please let us all know your thoughts below. Hey folks, it's "Open Forum Friday!"

Angel Guzman was shut down on Thursday with discomfort in his shoulder. Guzman complained about the pain in his shoulder during warm-ups on Wednesday. Guzman has been slowed this spring by knee surgery and was expected to start throwing off a mound this weekend.

Rafael Dolis hit Ryan Theriot on his left hand during live batting practice. Theriot is fine, other than a bruised hand. Lou Piniella said Dolis felt horrible about hitting Theriot.

In the wake of the news about Angel Guzman, Lou Piniella said Esmailin Caridad made the team. Piniella said, "Look, Caridad's on the team. He's almost got to pitch himself off of it."

For the sixth year in a row it looks like Carlos Zambrano will be on the mound for Opening Day. Piniella said they have not decided but in his three years with the Cubs, Zambrano has been the Opening Day starter ... Piniella does not anticipate anything different this year.

Here is the rest from day nine of Camp Lou, with positive news on Alfonso Soriano, Jeff Samardzija and an update from the rumor mill ...

The first week of Camp Lou IV concluded on Wednesday ... and what a week it was for the Chicago Cubs. After the excitement of pitchers and catchers reporting, Ted Lilly and Alfonso Soriano's knees, the weather, the Ricketts family, Starlin Castro and the first full squad workout, the Cubs just focused on baseball on the eighth day of Camp Lou ... well, for the most part.

For the Chicago Cubs, it's not about Twitter or a reality show ... it's about baseball.

The Cubs' brass spent time on the airwaves Wednesday. Jim Hendry on the Inside Pitch (XM Radio) then Dave Kaplan talked with Lou Piniella and Oneri Fleita during Sports Central. Here are the updates and notes from those interviews, plus video from Boys of Spring ...

Baseball America also recognized the improvement made in the Cubs' farm system. The Cubs organization jumped from 27th in baseball to 15th in Baseball America's pre-season talent rankings.

Tuesday was a big day for information from Baseball America. Along with the prospect handbook, Baseball America released their list of the top 100 prospects in the game. The Cubs system placed five players in Baseball America's top 100, tied for second most in the game. As for homegrown talent, the Cubs system tied for third.

Starlin Castro (16), Josh Vitters (70), Brett Jackson (74), Andrew Cashner (95) and Jay Jackson (98) are considered the top prospects in the Cubs system, but there are 25 more names to pass along ...

Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Starlin Castro reported to camp. Lee and Ramirez addressed their future with the Cubs ... and Castro gave a little glimpse of the Cubs' future.

Tom Ricketts sent the message to the team that the Chicago Cubs are now family.

Here are the notes from day seven ... just eight days until the first pitch of the 2010 Cactus League season.

Are you ready to talk Chicago Cubs baseball? Call the CCO Radio Tuesday night at 7:00pm CST.

Brian and Shaun have a variety of subjects to cover from Ryan Theriot and Starlin Castro to Jeff Samardzija, Tom Gorzelanny and the fifth spot in the rotation ... but if you have a topic you would like to discuss on a live Internet call-in show, CALL THE CCO RADIO ... 347-237-4020.

A quick show reminder...The CCO Radio will air live tonight at 7:00pm CST on Blog Talk Radio. To listen to the 60-minute call-in show live, click on this link and go to Blog Talk Radio. The podcast of the show will be available around 9:00pm CST and can be accessed through the player on the right side of the CCO or through Blog Talk Radio.

Piniella told the Daily Herald that "some of the young kids can swing the bat" referring to Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters. Piniella also commented about the size of the players in Mesa this spring. "Last year's camp, we had a lot of smaller players, but these kids have some size to them."

The forecast for Tuesday ... sunny with a high in the mid 60s.

Day Six of Camp Lou IV was highlighted by the arrival of Alfonso Soriano. As of this writing, only Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Starlin Castro have not reported to camp. The first official full-squad workout takes place on Tuesday.

While it would be nice to have all of the players in the same city, the three players that have yet to report are not late to camp.

Here are the notes from day six, including more on the status of Alfonso Soriano and his knee ...

Josh Vitters and Starlin Castro rank as one-two (in pre-season rankings by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus) among the position players in the Cubs' system. Both players, along with Brett Jackson, received non-roster invitations to big league camp and many are looking forward to see how they perform this spring against Major Leaguers.

Rain is in the forecast again for Monday. Tuesday is supposed to be mostly sunny with the high reaching into the mid 60s for the first full squad practice of the spring.

Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Starlin Castro did not report on Sunday but are expected in camp on Monday ... on time.

Here are a few notes from a rather quiet day in Mesa, plus Lou Piniella on Instant Replay on Sunday night ...

Theriot was asked about Starlin Castro. Theriot was quick to point out "he's ready to continue playing shortstop for the Cubs, even though he knows the young middle infielder Starlin Castro is the wave of the future."

Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theriot reported to camp on Saturday. Ryan Theriot said there were no hard feelings between him and the club over losing his arbitration case. There are only four position players that have not reported to Fitch Park ... Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Starlin Castro. Monday is the official reporting date for position players.

The Cubs are still looking for bullpen help according to Jim Hendry. The Cubs GM spent a little time on Saturday morning with Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood during Talkin' Baseball (ESPN 1000).

Here are the updates from day four, more from Jim Hendry on Talkin' Baseball as well as an update on the Cubs' interest in Chan Ho Park ...

Ted Lilly threw on flat ground from about 150 feet under the supervision of Mark O'Neal, Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild.

While the Cubs were receiving the good news about Ted Lilly, Jim Hendry was busy in Florida with the Cubs' first arbitration hearing since 1993. Ryan Theriot and the Cubs could not come to terms on a contract and went to arbitration.

Ryan Theriot, the last arbitration case in the majors, will receive either $3.4 million this season ... or the $2.6 million the Cubs offered. The ruling is expected on Saturday.

Here are a few notes from day three as the countdown to the first full squad workout has begun ...

Lilly returned to the practice field and threw on flat ground from about 150 feet.

Single-game tickets for Cubs' home games go on sale Friday morning at 10:00am CST ... and the Ricketts family will be on hand serving coffee and donuts to "some of the people in line and also expressing thanks for their loyalty." Tom Ricketts will also be in Mesa next week to spend a few days around the team.

Ryan Theriot's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The decision will be announced within 24 hours. Theriot will earn either $3.4 million in 2010 or the $2.6 million the Cubs' offered.

Here are the updates from the second day of Camp Lou IV ...

Updated - 2:52 pm CST - According to a repot from ESPN Chicago, Ted Lilly threw off of flat ground on Thursday for the first time since his shoulder surgery. Lilly threw 25 pitches.

Lou Piniella and Jim Hendry met the media. Lou is happy with the early turnout and described the players as being "hungry" and "ready to go."

Piniella's message to his team on Wednesday, "Let's get back on top. The message is we finished second in the division last year with a lot of things that went wrong. Let's add another 10-12 wins this year and get back to the playoffs."

Here is the update, including video, from Day One of Camp Lou IV ... with good news and some not good news on the injury front.

Kim Jin-Yeong reportedly has a 92 MPH fastball.

Angel Guzman had arthroscopic surgery on his knee two weeks ago after tearing his meniscus during a workout in Venezuela last month. Jeff Gray suffered a moderate groin strain during fielding practice this week and is expected to be a couple of weeks behind.

Scott Nelson, Crane Kenney and Harry Zinn, special counsel for the arbitration hearing will join Hendry.

While the official reporting date for Cubs' pitchers and catchers is today, many players are already in camp and were on the field on Tuesday. On Saturday over 40 players had already reported, it appears a majority of the Cubs' Major League roster has made their way to Mesa, Ariz.

Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella are scheduled to meet with the media on Wednesday ... and the first official on field workout is Thursday. Position players report on February 22 with the first full squad workout on Tuesday, February 23.

Here are updates from Mesa with video of Geovany Soto in the cage and more on the rumor tweeted by the CCO on Tuesday night that Chan Ho Park is still on the Cubs' radar ... and Ryan Theriot's pending arbitration hearing could have an impact on Park becoming a Cub.

Pitchers and Catchers report on Wednesday with the first on field workout on Thursday.

Here are a few updates from Mesa, along with details of a new feature on the CCO ... Twitter Tuesday.

Many players have already reported to Fitch Park, in some cases 10 days before their reporting date (Thursday, February 18 is first on field workout for pitchers. Position players report on February 22 with the first full squad workout on Tuesday, February 23). Reportedly many of the players are excited to compete for jobs this spring.

With health concerns aside, do the Cubs have any spots available on their Opening Day roster?

Tim Sheridan updated his blog with a few tidbits from Fitch Park: Carlos Zambrano "killed" his first bat of the year ... Big Z broke a bat over his knee on Friday. And Tyler Colvin has put on 25 pounds this winter working out with Tim Buss (Cubs' Strength and Conditioning Coordinator).

Randy Bush and Ryan Theriot followed Jim Hendry's end of week radio tour and spent a little time on the airwaves. Here's the final weekend update without baseball until, well ...

The three interviews on Hendry's radio tour were very similar but each time Hendry dropped a couple of interesting tidbits. For instance, Hendry told Waddle and Silvy, "We are not going to sign anymore position guys." On The Score, Hendry said the Cubs targeted Jermaine Dye and Xavier Nady and mentioned there were three and four-team deals on the table that included Milton Bradley.

After Dave Kaplan pushed for an answer as to which player they need most to rebound this season, Hendry named Carlos Zambrano.

Here it goes:

John Grabow, Randy Wells, Sean Marshall, Tyler Colvin, Tom Gorzelanny, Sam Fuld, a host of minor leaguers and of course, Carlos Zambrano are among those that have made their way to Mesa a little early.

Tim Sheridan, Cubs' Spring Training P.A. Announcer, maintains the blog Boys of Spring. Sheridan posted the first photos of the spring on Thursday ... with a few observations.

While Baseball Prospectus projected the Cubs to have a losing season (79-83), the Sporting News predicts the Cubs will reach the post-season ... as the NL Wild Card.

Athlon Sports is not as optimistic as the Sporting News about the Cubs for the 2010 season but still predicted a winning campaign.

With pitchers and catchers reporting in six days, two respected publications have slightly different views of the same team.

Jim Hendry spoke with the media on Tuesday as the truck carrying the Cubs gear departed for Arizona. The Cubs' GM provided updates on Ryan Theriot's arbitration case, Ted Lilly and Starlin Castro.

Here's more with a week to go ... including the latest from the mill. Plus, two new iPhone apps for the Faithful that feature the CCO.

According to a report in the Tribune, Jim Hendry feels "the club significantly improved" from a disappointing season a year ago. Hendry admitted, "We knew a couple of years ago this would be a year a lot of the contracts we did would restrict us."

Hendry explained he "feels good" about the players he brought in and conceded the fact the Cubs need players to perform better than they did a year ago.

The Cubs GM took responsibility, once again, for the decisions he made last winter.

Most that follow the Chicago Cubs know the name Starlin Castro ... the soon-to-be 20-year old shortstop that reportedly possesses all of the tools to be a solid shortstop at the big league level. But other than Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters and Kyler Burke, the top prospects in the Cubs' system are middle infielders.

The Cubs have depth up the middle with players such as Starlin Castro, Hak-Ju Lee, Darwin Barney, Junior Lake, Ryan Flaherty, Logan Watkins and DJ LeMahieu. These players could end up playing a role in the future of the Chicago Cubs, either on the field or in trades to improve the big league club ... but also the athleticism it takes to play up the middle could provide options for the Cubs down the road at other positions.

Players are preparing to make their way to camps in Arizona and Florida and a couple of Cubs have already reported to Fitch Park ... Carlos Zambrano and Kevin Millar. Another sign that Spring Training is just around the corner, trucks depart from 1060 West Addison on Tuesday for Mesa filled with the team's equipment.

While the world is focused on Miami ... here is the latest on the Cubs with updates on Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Theriot, second base, Ted Lilly and the bullpen. Plus, in honor of the shield's biggest game of the year a few baseball commercials from yesteryear.

With Carlos Marmol going into camp as the closer, the Cubs are looking for a pitcher to replace Marmol as the primary right-handed setup man. If they go outside of the organization, there are two realistic options.

According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs have serious interest in two pitchers ... Jason Frasor and Luke Gregerson.

Kevin Millar spent a little time on Friday with Waddle and Silvy (ESPN 1000). The always-talkative former idiot discussed the Cubs and his chances of making the team out of Spring Training.

In recent years, the off-season strategies of the Chicago Cubs are questionable, at best. Let's take a look at the past 6 winters, beginning with the end of the 2004 season.

Marmol in his first year of arbitration was seeking $2.5 million and the Cubs offered $1.75 million.

Baseball Prospectus admitted they made errors in the initial release of their PECOTA projections last week.

Kevin Gregg will compete with Jason Frasor and another former Cub, Scott Downs for the Blue Jays' closer job this spring. But according to Bruce Levine, the addition of Kevin Gregg could "lead to more talks between the Jays and Cubs about Oak Forest native Jason Frasor."

The hearing will likely be held in St. Petersburg, between February 8 and February 20.

According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs "are not thrilled about the direction this arbitration has taken." The Cubs feel Theriot and his agent could have avoided arbitration weeks ago. As reported, the Cubs have not been to an arbitration hearing with a player since Mark Grace in 1993 ... for the record, the Cubs won.

An arbitration hearing is a lose-lose proposition for both sides.

From the Sun-Times, "Ryan Theriot will sit across the table from Jim Hendry as a team representative tries to convince a three-member panel Theriot's not as valuable as he thinks he is."

Here is the latest from Bruce Levine and the rumor mill, notes from interviews on XM Radio with Ron Santo and Gary Hughes and an explanation of the arbitration process ...

When you invite the Cubs into your living room every day, you are inviting Len Kasper in as well. He is a major part of the Chicago Cubs organization and he took time to answer a few questions for the CCO ...

The deal is expected to be made official this week.

Updated 5:06pm CST - According to a report from the Tribune, Millar's minor league contract is not guaranteed.

In order for the Cubs to compete in the division, one of the areas that must show improvement in Twenty-Ten is production from the outfield ... the Opening Day outfield in 2009 totaled just 43 home runs and 80 doubles while scoring 204 runs.

How will Lou Piniella's outfield perform this season? Here are the projections ...

Jim Hendry is excited about the signing of Xavier Nady (just call him X, that's what Nady prefers). The Cubs added a middle-of-the-order run producer, that if healthy, could be more than just the fourth outfielder they were looking to add this winter.

Xavier Nady is coming off his second Tommy John surgery (July of 2009) and the Cubs are planning on using him sparingly during the first month of the season ... as well as in Spring Training. The Cubs feel Nady will begin the year on the active roster and not on the DL with Ted Lilly. As Bruce Miles pointed out, look for the Cubs to use the designated hitter more during Spring Training than in years past in order to get X at bats.

Here's the latest from the mill and other notes as the first month of Twenty-Ten comes to an end ...

Starlin Castro was recently named the 22nd best prospect in the game by MLB.com. Castro will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring and many think the Cubs will give him every chance to make the team. Castro was the Cubs lone representative in MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects.

Keith Law ranked the Cubs' system as the seventh best in the game a day before he unveiled his list of the Top 100 prospects on Thursday. Four of the Cubs' top five prospects made Law's list ... and the fifth just missed and basically received an honorable mention.

Starlin Castro (12), Josh Vitters (30), Jay Jackson (50), Andrew Cashner (79) and Brett Jackson are the five best in an organization that has struggled in the past with producing quality players.

The contract will pay Nady a $3.3 million base salary and he can earn another $2 million based on games played.

Updated - 1:09pm CST With additional Info on the Nady signing after his conference call with the media.

Though it was a long time ago, the long, cold and irritating winter has made many a fan forget the reality that is connected to the 2010 Cubs. What is that reality? They are barely an above-average team. Lou claims this team will improve by 10 games. How?

PECOTA projects a 77-85 campaign for Lou Piniella's crew ... third place in the National League Central Division.

According to a report from the Tribune, Joe Nelson would like to pitch on the North Side in Twenty-Ten. The 35-year old right-hander posted a 3-0 record with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 42 games with the Rays last season. In two seasons in the Senior Circuit, Nelson is 3-1 in 61 games with a 3.21 EA and a 1.30 WHIP.

Eric Byrnes was designated for assignment on January 15 by the D'Backs to make room on the roster for Adam LaRoche.

"The deal with the Cubs and the city still requires the Arizona Legislature and voters in Mesa to approve funding mechanism for an $84 million stadium and training facility."

The Cubs are envisioning a full entertainment district with bars restaurants and stores. The project has been dubbed "Wrigleyville West."

The Cubs announced their Spring Training broadcast schedule on Tuesday. Pat Hughes and Ron Santo will call the first game of the Cactus League schedule against the A's on March 4 ... if you listen close enough you can almost hear those seven magical words. The Cubs first televised game will be on Saturday, March 6 against the White Sox at HoHoKam Park. WGN TV will broadcast the game.

Larry Rothschild spent a little time on XM Radio Tuesday. Rothschild passed on good news about Ted Lilly. Rothschild said Lilly is ahead of the curve right now.

Here is the latest from the mill, more from Rothschild on XM Radio and a few notes as baseball's off-season begins to wind down ...

Updated - 8:38pm CST - According to Bruce Levine, Chad Tracy will earn $900,000 if he makes the big league club, plus an additional $525,000 if he gets 450 plate appearances. The contract also includes a $100,000 bonus if named Comeback Player of the Year.

According to Bruce Levine, Chad Tracy might be a Chicago Cub as early as this week.

Levine was asked about Tracy during his online chat Tuesday and said, "I've heard that deal is very realistic. It might happen this week." According to Levine, the Cubs could sign Tracy to a minor league deal to be a left-handed utility player.

XM Radio reported Ben Sheets has agreed to a one-year deal with the Oakland A's worth $8 million.

Updated - 12:02pm CST - Ken Rosenthal confirmed the Nady deal with the Cubs.

Updated - 12:35pm CST - According to a report from Bruce Levine, the Cubs and Xavier Nady have agreed to a one-year contract pending a physical.

Updated - 12:55pm CST - According to a tweet from Jon Heyman, Xavier Nady will make $3.3 million in base salary with a chance to earn another $2 million based on games played.

For the last week, it appeared that Ben Sheets was out of the Cubs' picture. The Cubs publicly stated during the convention they are not pursuing a free agent starter ... and several reports from the media indicated the same. Then Jim Bowden tweeted and reported during his show Monday night on XM Radio that the Cubs are one of five teams negotiating with Ben Sheets.

Could the Cubs be interested in Chan Ho Park? What appeared to be a harmless little rumor courtesy of Jayson Stark prior to the weekend, gained momentum on Monday night. According to Jon Heyman, the Cubs and Rays are among the teams "eyeing" Chan Ho Park.

Here is the latest from a confusing rumor mill ... including Xavier Nady possibly surpassing Jonny Gomes on the Cubs list of fourth outfielders.

Updated 10:45am CST - According to a report from Bruce Levine, the Cubs are close to adding an outfielder. Levine reported a deal appears imminent and mentions Reed Johnson, Xavier Nady, Jonny Gomes and Jermaine Dye as the possibilities.

According to the Tribune, if the Cubs board approves the proposal, the two sides would "enter into an exclusive negotiations period." The Tribune indicated the Cubs have not ruled out a move to Naples, Florida ... but sources told the Tribune, that Naples is "only an in case scenario."

There are two holes Jim Hendry would like to fill ... an outfielder and a relief pitcher. The names are out there. But could Hendry be working on a deal that has not been leaked to the media? The Cubs also have three players that are unsigned and one could be headed for arbitration.

After reports late last week suggested the Cubs had chosen Mesa over Naples, the official announcement from the Ricketts family is expected this week.

It is 23 days until pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park. 38 days until the Cubs Cactus League opener against the Oakland A's and 70 days before Opening Day in Atlanta ...

Goldstein pointed out that despite a disappointing 2009 at the big league level, the Cubs farm system had unmitigated success last year. The Cubs organization is looking up and will be ranked higher in Baseball Prospectus' organizational rankings.

Josh Vitters and Starlin Castro topped Goldstein's list as the two five-star prospects in the system. Of the 11 top prospects, six are position players ...