Chicago Cubs Outfield Situation

For the upcoming season the Chicago Cubs are looking to piece together their outfield. There are many different combinations that could be used. The one spot in the outfield that is solid is left field. Left field will be occupied by past All Star Alfonso Soriano. Soriano was hindered last year and the year before by injuries while still producing big numbers for the Cubs. If he can piece together 145-150 games in 2009 the sky is the limit for Soriano. His bat will be a huge part of the Cubs' success. Though one down side to Soriano is his lack of All Star fielding. I believe if he could piece together an injury free year we would see his errors go down and putouts go up.

In right field we have a new option named Milton Bradley. Bradley was signed by the Cubs this off season and should be a great improvement both in the field and at the plate for the Chicago Cubs. He just might be the left handed bat Piniella has been looking for. Bradley is also a very crafty fielder. His only down side is the mental part of the game. He has been seen as a bother in some clubhouses but Piniella usually handles these type of players well. Micah Hoffpauir will be the secondary option for both right and left field. Hoffpauir really came into his own element last year doing very well in pinch hit situations. If he continues to progress he should be a great asset for the Cubbies.

Now we come to the big battle over center field. This battle will be between newly signed Joey Gathright, Kosuke Fukudome, and Reed Johnson. Joey Gathright has all the tools to be a great player for the Cubs because of his lightning quick speed and great fielding ability. If anything he will be the Cubs best option for a pinch runner as Felix Pie is not a Cubs anymore. Reed Johnson is the hardcore player every team needs. He can play good defense and when he gets hot will be a top notch hitter. I will never forget the catch he made last year diving head first into the brick and ivy in center field. It was just incredible!! I hope he gets his shot along with the others to be the starter but in all reality it is possible for there to be a platoon of all three players. I hope that it won't be this way the whole year so that way one of them can get in a groove but its all up to who's going to be ready to play.

Like all my blog entries I hope to hear some feedback from the readers!!!

Paul Bako Returns!!

Well as of yesterday Paul Bako is back in a Chicago Cubs uniform. Bako played for the Cubs in the 2003 and 2004 season as a back up catcher. He returns to the Cubbies in the same position so he can back up Geovany Soto. The Cubs have been in pursuit of a good backup catcher all post season as they lost Henry Blanco to free agency. Paul Bako is a very good defensive catcher and will know some of the guys on the Chicago Cubs well so this signing makes sense. Even Bako is not seen as a great hitter, I could see Bako getting in some games as the starter. This is due to Bako being a left handed bat. The Cubs have been wanting to install more lefties on the roster because they were very right hand heavy last year. While Bako may not be suited to play another position full time, he can still get those big pinch hit appearances that is crucial to a World Series team. The contract between the Cubs and Bako will be in the neighborhood of half a million dollars for one year. We all know that the Cubs are desperate for that World Series ring so don't be surprised to continue to hear more acquisitions from the North Siders.

If any of you readers out there have thoughts on whether or not you like/dislike this trade please chime in as I would love to hear your opinions.

I wish Bako the best this year and hope he can help the Cubs get that World Series ring. We Cub fans need it!!!!!

Cubs Rumors!!!

A new rumor is floating around about the Cubs looking to trade Hill to the Orioles. The rumor just came to view by the public yesterday as a Baltimore newspaper published an article on the topic. After reading the article it seems that the O's are very interested in Hill and seems a good chance for him to get moved. The O's are familar with Rich Hill because two of their coaches worked with Hill in the Cubs farm system. I don't quite know what to think because Hill has been out of the Cubs rotation for awhile but when he was in it he was stellar. We really could use the Rich Hill of old in the rotation this year but it would be too big of a gamble and we would miss out on other options if he came back. So maybe its time he moved on. Please leave me some comments on what you think should be done.

The article from the Baltimore Sun can be viewed here.

Future Article Possibilities

I am trying to come up with some ideas of articles that I can post on my website and was hoping to get some feedback from some of you folks that visit my page. Here is what I got so far:

History of The Chicago Cubs- An article on the way the Chicago Cubs came to be the team they are today. This will include dates and facts on the Chicago Cubs.

History of Wrigley Field- An article that will show where the Chicago Cubs played at before Wrigley Field. It will then go on to give incite on how their current field came about. It will also show how Wrigley field evolved over time.

Information on The Ricketts Family- The Ricketts family is the new buyer of the Chicago Cubs. This article will present some information on them and their background.

Profile of Lou Piniella- The one and only LOUUU!! This article will hopefully enlighten the readers on some of Lou's life.

THE CURSE!!!- A look at the famous Curse on the Chicago Cubs. This article will summarize how the curse came about and how it has effected the Chicago Cubs.

Cubs, Cards Rivalry- One of the biggest rivalries in the MLB. I will attempt to show where this rivalry started.

Cubs Hall of Famers- In this article I will give a quick profile of all the Cubs Hall of Famers, including stats and the main reason they made the Hall of Fame. I will also try and include pictures.

100 years without a World Series- This article will focus on the 100 year drought of a championship in Chicago. I will their overall record and how close they have been to winning their next World Series.

Harry Carey's Legacy- Harry loved the Cubbies and gave everyone listening a great experience. I will highlight on how Harry Carey is still involved with the Chicago Cubs.

Player Profiles- I will give a quick profile of all the current Chicago Cubs players. This profile will include major stats and a little bit about their career.

History of Go Cubs Go!- The song everyone loves to hear while at Wrigley Field. I want to give the readers information on who wrote the song and how it came about.

Why the Cubs?- An article on why the Cubs is the mascot. There will be a brief history of the Chicago Cubs' previous mascots.

Wrigley Field Dimensions- In this article I will give the dimensions of Wrigley Field. I will then compare its dimensions against other ballparks in the MLB.

Minor League Affiliates- I will list and describe the current Minor League system for the Chicago Cubs. I will also show how the system works.

Cubs Record Holders- I will give a list of current Cubs records and who holds them. If more information is available I may go into details with the major records.

Cubs Trade Cedeno and Olson for Heilman

The latest trade by the Chicago Cubs has many fans puzzled on what is yet to come. The trade sent the Mariners, Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson, and received Aaron Heilman. This puzzled me because I believed that since the new owners were in place that they would go after Jake Peavy once more and the Padres had Olson on their radar. I have not heard anymore rumors of whats to come but I believe Heilman will be an asset to the Cubs. He has started and pitched in relief in the Major Leagues so either way he can help the Cubbies out. I just hope that this does not kill the Peavy trade because the Cubs would benefit far more from him than Heilman.

Tribune Sells the Cubs

Its not offical yet but the Tribune has selected the Ricketts to become the future owners of the Chicago Cubs. I see this as a HUGE step for the organization because our aggressiveness in the free agent and trade market has suffered. The Cubs are continuing to struggle to get that World Series ring on their finger and it is going to take money to do that. Now that the new owner has been tapped the Cubs will hopefully gear up their attempts to land the next big name. Which I hope is Peavy from the San Diego Padres. The addition of Peavy to the Cubs can only be done with extra money and approval from ownership.

Post #1

This blog will be dedicated to the 2009 Chicago Cubs. GO CUBBIES!!! As we have said for the past 100 years, " maybe this is the year."