Game On! Let’s make these games count already!
I got my tickets for when the Cubs come to NY and I can’t wait! Have a ticket to three out of four games as I have to see as much as I can in person this year with the Cubs’ only trip to NY coming first thing in April, only a month away!
Not expecting a lot of long ball seeing that Citi Field’s dimensions are horrendous when it comes to home runs. So hopefully Lou’s line up table setters in Theriot and Fukudome find their way on base a bunch and Lee and Rami are able to find holes in the outfield to knock them in. It’s not too hard to find holes in the Mets outfield. For one, especially without Beltran, they aren’t very good. Francoeur is a joke. Bay hasn’t played at Citi Field so getting used to the park and its dimensions will take some time. As for Pagan, I liked him as a Cub and was sad to see young potential get away. All in the same, he’s no Carlos Beltran. All that, plus the fact that the outfield is ginormous (another flaw in the designing of Citi Field) if Theriot and Fukudome can find their way on, we should be starting off those ballgames up a run or two and ready to roll.
Little concerned about Rami’s soreness and the time he is missing this Spring. I’m watching the replay of today’s Cubs/Indians Spring game right now. Interesting to see Baker at third. I figure if he’s making the ballclub, it’s more so for his ability to play second base. Having a guy who can play third and second wouldn’t hurt as it looks like Lou has wanted to see if Fontenot and Baker both are capable of playing either the left or right side of the infield. That makes me wonder if perhaps Lou is concerned about Rami as well.
Byrd’s looked pretty solid so far this Spring which is good to see. We need a guy that can patrol centerfield with authority but also get the job done at the plate. Rangers fans I communicated with on Twitter were especially disappointed to see Marlon come to the Cubs. I’m starting to see why in watching him perform this Spring and hopefully it continues on into the regular season.
Got my 2010 Cubs club card, my Cubs jacket for early April games, my Cubs jersey and my Fukudome t-shirt ready to hit Citi Field with abandon no matter how warm or cold it may end up being. Opening Day across the country is always a crapshoot when it comes to the weather and more often than not you end up freezing for at least 2/3’s of the game. I remember catching one opening day in New York and 50% of the fans in the upper level was standing in the aisles at the corners of the stadium trying to get into the sunny spots and avoid the shade. Hopefully my dates with the Cubs coming to town in April avoid the usual early season chill factor.
I don’t foresee Samardzija making the club as a starter this year. We’ll need him to perform well out of the bullpen though with a huge blow to the squad with Guzman’s injury. Guzman was a guy that made me feel real comfortable with our bullpen and now without him, not sure how this is going to play out. And Silva? How do you guys feel about Silva? I’m not so sure he’s the guy we need to get us through the early part of the season either until Lilly is closer to 100% and ready to step into his usual spot in the starting rotation.
Whatever Lou decides to do, I can’t wait to find out and I can’t wait to see it perform in games that count!
I received a copy of the Maple Street Press’ 2010 Cubs Annual and it’s amazing. Great coverage of last year with an insightful look into the 2010 season. All of the photos are in beautiful color and the stat breakdown of each player on the roster is detailed down to the finest percentage of performance. It’s great to read a high quality observation and analysis of what the Cubs have been lately, what they could truly potentially be in 2010 and what the future holds with a breakdown of the hottest prospects in the Cubs organization. Two things that really jump out at me right away is that it is as up to date as you can possibly get (the rosters are up to date and accurate…nothing bothers me more than a company that tries to get an annual out to early and for instance, still has Bradley as a Cub and no mention of Marlon Byrd)….the other thing that stands out is that it is 100% Cubs. That may sound like an obvious observation, but take a trip to Borders or Barnes and Noble or browse on line for a while. Try to find a preview to the upcoming season that doesn’t simply feed about five pages of Cubs info (that might not be up to date) in a program that runs about 150 pages long. Hardly worth your money as a Cubs fan. If you are looking for a truly efficient breakdown of what to expect going into this regular season, pick up a copy of the Maple Street Press’ Cubs Annual for 2010. You certainly won’t be disappointed.
Hopefully we can say the same thing about our Cubs’ season come Fall and the games hit a point where they could REALLY mean something! Go Cubs Go!
Prose and Ivy 