It's probably been mentioned here but I haven't seen it. Just saw this on Yahoo that the games most futile franchise, the Chicago Cubs, are the Yankees first choice to open up the new Yankee stadium, in 1 or 2 unofficial games on the weekend before the April 6th opener.  The teams are still in negotiations and are close to a deal.

 I can just hear the comparison's between the 2 franchises now and all the "last things to happen before the Cubs have won a World Series" and yada yada, and the endless babble of Cub jokes and in contrast how great and mighty the  Yankees franchise has been. It's kind of sadistic for the Yankees to want to play the Cubs. Does Steinbrenner need his ego stroked that much these days? so in that regard, I really don't care if the Cubs open up new Yankee stadium, even in an unofficial game. Years from now, noone will remember. 75 words yet?

 Why start a new season with an instant kick in the stones? Eff that.

 As I've said a million times and have gotten heat for it, this team just simply isn't good enough to not only not win a World Series, but win a Playoff series. What a bunch of crybabies who can't handle the spotlight of the playoffs. Cowards and frauds, is this team. Let's run down the lineup shall we?

Zambrano - YOu sir, are not an ace, as I"ve said many times. Too volatile and when faced with adversity, instead of calming down and ptiching, you just throw a hissy fit and overthrow the ball and try throwing it as hard as you can, because you're a crybaby. You're another crybaby who can't handle the heat. FIt right in with this team.

Soriano - You feed off of the weak during the regular season but when it comes to the playoffs and facing pitchers who can locate their off-speed pitches (down and away), you're hopeless.

Theriot - Thanks for the Career year but you are not acceptable at SS.

Lee - You haven't been the same since you broke your wrist against, ironically, the Dodgers. Your best years are well behind you and I'd be ok with you on this team at 1B, as long as you're not hitting 3rd. More like 6th. You're another one who has yet to show up in the Playoffs as a Cub.You're over the hill, dude.

Ramirez - You're the best player on this team and I have no problem with you, accept, you're not a clean up hitter. On a good team and by good team I mean a team that is capable of winning the World Series, you'd be a perfect # 5 hitter.

Soto - The verdict is still out on you as well. YOur perfect for this team I guess, as you haven't shown up in the playoffs as of yet either and have shown how the pressure of the playoffs is getting to you as your all of a sudden having a hard time throwing the ball back to the pitcher, without bouncing it in the dirt or throwing it at their heels.  

Derosa - Next to Ramirez, the most valuable player on this team.

Edmonds - um, yeah. I thought you were a good pickup and have proven me right, but you're a platoon player.

Johnson - My personal favorite on this team and as I said before the playoffs, you should've started in RF over Pukie.

Pukie-Pukie-PUKIEDOME!!! - YOu are the worst ML baseball player I have ever seen. YOu are terrible and as I said, you should'nt have even made the playoff roster. I wanted Hoffpauir over you , because you are so ungodly terrible, it's sickening. Please show some dignity and go back to Japan, for good.

Dempster - thanks for the career year.

I'm getting sick. I can't go on.

This team is a fraud.

Wait 'til next year.

 This really is a tough choice for me and which team I'd like to see win the Wild Card. Not because I'm worried about either one, but for other devious reasons.

 On one hand, if the Mets win the Wild Card, the Cubs would face them in the NLDS and it would be fabulous to not only end the Mets season and whatever hope the fans recovered by making it into the playoffs, but it'd be appropriate to end the Mets last season in that dump of a stadium.

 

 On the other hand and of personal interest, if the Brewers win the Wild Card, I'd be able to see the Cubs in the NLDS as my father has Dodger season tickets (and I have Angel season tickets, but I refuse to get my hopes up and look that far down the road) but the Dodgers I think will be the Cubs toughest opponent, but I still have zero doubt that the Cubs would beat them.

 Now here's why I am kind of rooting for the Brewers to win the Wild Card: if the Cubs played the Brewers in the NLCS and the amount of money scalpers and even Brewer fans could get for tickets from Cub fans, it is conceivable that the Cubs could basically have Home Field advantage in all 7 games. That'd be just hilarious and something Brewer fans would never ever be able to live down.

A friend of mine, who's a Chicago native, has a son (Alan)who was born with a congenital heart disease, and who is a huge Cub fan and an even bigger Fukudome fan, had his 5th open heart surgery last week. Naturally, going into open heart surgery is a very stressful and terrifying time for Alan and the family and we all thought it'd be a good idea if we contacted Fukudome's representatives and let him know that a huge fan of his was about to undergo major heart surgery and that if Fukudome had the time to maybe give Alan his best wishes or an autograph or something, It'd make Alan's dreams come true and lift his spirits for his surgery.

 Fukudome obliged by writing his best wishes in Japanese on a Cubs itinerary which was translated into english and a signed baseball, which Alan got a week before his surgery and the smile was still planted on his face when he went into surgery, knowing his hero was praying for him. The story doesn't end there.

 Monday night Alan's dad Stephen got a phone call asking him how good he was at keeping secrets, cuz this one was a doozy. Tuesday morning Alan was told by his Dad that he got a phone call last night and that everything was fine with Alan but they had to go back to the hospital for some routine follow up procedures. Once at the hospital and on the way to the "routine check up", Alan's dad said he wanted to stop into the TV room to grab a cup of coffee and that Alan should grab some water. When Alan opened up the door to the TV room, Alan's face turned a pale white as standing before him in the flesh was his hero, Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome was holding a Cubs bag and handed the bag to Alan and asked Alan to open it up and inside were 4 tickets to last nights game, which were located right behind the Cubs dugout.

 I really shouldn't be posting this as the family was told not to leak this to any media outlets, but I couldn't resist. By Kosuke taking 30 minutes out of his day, he has effected not only a boy's life forever, but everyone around him. Fukudome, you now are my hero as well.

 I am fuly aware that even great hitters go through slumps and when a veteran like Aramis who has a track history of success, it's usually an overreaction to get worried when such a hitter goes into slumps, but I can't shake this paranoa with Aramis' recent struggles at the plate. What has happened to this guy at the plate recently? He doesn't even seem like the same person. He looks absolutely lost at the plate and his swing is all hacked up.

 The only time I've seen him square up on a ball in the last week or so was last night to LF and even then he was swinging from the heels and was all arms as it turned out to be a routine play for the LF when normally that's 20 rows deep. I don't live in Chicago and lately haven't had the time to read up on as much Cubs stuff as I normally do, but can anyone shed any light into this disturbing developement? What's the word going around on to why he hasn't put a good swing on a ball in over 2 weeks? It goes without saying that this team needs him to snap the eff out of not only this horrid slump but whatever is possessing him to look absolutely lost up there at the plate. I normally wouldn't read too much into Aramis' .173 BA in the month of July and would just chalk it up to a slump which every good hitter goes through throughout a season but it's now a very prolonged slump and it's just how bad he looks up at the plate and how unbelievably overmatched he looks up there right now.

What a frustrating loss though last night. One of the most frustrating losses I can remember from the Cubs in a long time. Maybe it's because I was there and had to deal with the backlash from DBack fans but I don't think so. I don't believe in billygoats or any voodo mumbo jumbo, but after last night's game I can see why people do. So many hard hit balls but right at DBacks, the great defensive plays the DBacks made, Harden gives up literally one mistake and has to pay for it as the Cubs just looked at all of Johnson's bad pitces and then ofcourse they get a lead off walk and a gift from the DBacks on a routine DP ball and still couldn't make them pay for it. Totally frustrating. It's totally confounding to me how bad this team looks on the road. It almost makes one believe in curses. Anyway, if they win tonight and tomorrow night and take 2 out of 3 from the DBacks (which coming in they HAD to considering they missed both Haren and Webb) It'll relieve some of the pain of last nights absolute debacle. 2 hits?? Seriously?

 Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned anywhere, but what the eff was Lou thinking last night leaving Howry in to face Drew? Do the Cubs not have a Lefty in the pen anymore?? Come on Lou, wake up man!!! Also remember, that it was a year ago to the day yesterday, when the DBacks turned around their season last year and swept the Cubs at home and Drew hit the game winning HR off  none other than Howry himself.

  It's been awhile and Well it appears that the many on this site are happy about the acquistion of Rich Harden even though when I was screaming at the top of my lungs last off-season  that in order for the Cubs to go deep into the playoffs they would need another "top of the rotation guy" and many of you scoffed at it and believed that the Cubs could do it without the addition of a pitcher like Harden and that their "starters ERA" was 3rd in the NL last season and yada yada yada , the most overrated stat out there. and you know who you are. Another very unpopular opinion I had was Rich Hill was terrible and more importantly terribly overrated, ehum. Which is why I never come to this site or any other Cub site anymore: 90% of Cub fans just aren't that baseball smart and I was wasting my baseball knowledge and got tired of the usual suspects playing devils advocate with me because they apparently had nothing else to do but act like Cry babies and toss insults around when they disagreed to one of my many ( since accurate ) predictions (Excluding the DBacks :).

 

 Anyway, I digress. The next thing the Cubs MUST address and very soon is a RH hitter off the bench to replace Cedeno and send Cedeno down to the Minors When Johnson is starting,  Ronny the brainfreeze Cedeno is quite possibly the worst #1 RH hitter coming off the bench for any ML team. What RH Middle Infielders out there could possibly be had and would be an upgrade over Cedeno?

Everyone knows you constantly pitch away.

Why don't you try coming inside one fking time. Did you see that HR off you tonight? Pathetic. Everyone and their monkey knew the pitch was away, you monkey.

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This is the first time this has been brought to my attention and for those of you who see many games at Wrigley are well aware of it, but it bothered me so much I felt obligated to bring this to the attention of other Cub fans.

This shirt is not in any way affiliated with or a licensed product by the Chicago Cubs but the fact that it's the "hottest selling item" at the souvenier stand, is absolutely revolting and embarrassing as a Cub fan. IF anyone reading this, has bought this shirt, do me a favor and take a couple glasses of Clorox bleach and pour it directly into your eyes, so you can no longer see. Seriously.

Ted Lilly, the Cubs unquestioned #2 pitcher by many posters here this off-season, is looking like he doesn't need a pitching coach to visit him on the mound but Dr. Phil, is struggelling mightily so far this season.

I distinctly recall this past winter that there were some posters here who cried out that the Cubs starting rotation needed to be upgraded.Those people were quickly and matter of factly reminded that the Cubs starters had the 2nd best ERA in the NL. Hard to argue with that no doubt, but the concensus argument to that was that Lilly had a career year and no way he could repeat it and Hill was due for a fall. Ofcourse that argument was also quickly dismissed as afterall, there's no numbers to back up that opinion. Valid.

So, as of today, the rotation lines up like this:

Zambrano

Lilly

Dempster

Hill (I'm aware he's in the pen to return)

Marquis

Here are the options to how you feel about this rotation:

A) This rotation will repeat it's success of last year

B) This rotation will still finish top 5 ERA.

C) This rotation is a middle of the pack rotation

d) Relax dudes, it's early and the Cubs are over .500 everything is cooool in Cubbie land.

e) This rotation is seriously starting to freak me out.

Feel free to add any options that I may have missed.

The cubs are the most overrated team out there, What a mangled mess of clueless players that only worry about themselves and their stats and have no idea how to approach an ab. Tthey just swing....swing...swing. .... swing what fking joke this team is and anyone who said the Cubs shouldn't go after Roberts, is the biggest joke, amongst us. Cub fans are annoying.

this team is so painfully average