Ready for the season to open!

This is what I'm wondering.

1. Young pitching is fun to watch - for me at least, if not for Lou!  Which arms will step up and which will shuttle back and forth?  Is Caridad for real?  Which other rookies will secure long-term jobs?  Will Gorzelanny live up to the potential his peripherals showed last season?

2. 32 of the Cubs' first 38 games are against teams that finished below .500 in '09.  Will a hot start convince the Cub decision makers that this team is better than it is?  By no means am I writing the season off, but if the Cubs don't end up a championship caliber team, I want them to be able to trade off veteran talent... which leads to...

3. Are Ricketts and Hendry capable of a solid mid-season sell-off?  In particular, Lilly and Lee sound like they might want to stick with the Cubs, but if the team is not a contender, keeping them probably doesn't make sense.  So, what might we get for them if they're having a good season and Ricketts oks a fire sale and Hendry accomplishes it?

4. Whither Aramis Ramirez?  Will he opt out again?  If so, will the Cubs re-sign him or let him go?  Even if the Cubs do rebuiid, Aramis could easily be a part of a winning team later.  I'd keep him and I suspect Hendry will, too.

5. When the Cubs chose Fukudome and Bradley versues the  other options on the market, Hendry prioritized OBP and defense, which was a break from previous trends.  With Bradley out and Dome following fast, has Hendry soured on that type of player, or just these particular players?

Anyway, our speculation will only take us so far, which is why I'm glad the season itself will start to answer these questions.  Three cheers for opening day!