1908 was a great year. The British Empire was at its height. The first long-distance radio message was sent from the Eiffel Tower. Henry Ford unveiled the first Model T autmobile. The Chicago Cubs last won the World Series.
The Cubs were an extreme disappointment in 2006. Their abysmal 66-96 record placed them last in a woefully weak NL Central. The “if Prior and Wood are healthy” era finally came to its tumultous fruition. Dusty Baker was fired in favor of Lou Pinella, hundreds of millions were spent in free agency, and the Cubs will hope that 2007 will be the inception of a new dawn.
Starting Pitching
Carlos Zambrano heads the rotation, and is undoubtedly one of the best pitchers in baseball. He was very good last season (16-7 3.41 ERA), and should be a beast this year as he is playing for a long term contract. If he keeps his “e-mailing,” to a minimum and stays health he should be a 20-game winner and a Cy Young candidate.
Beyond Zambrano, the rotation doesn’t look to be very imposing. Number 2 starter Ted Lilly epitomizes the mediocre pitcher. He was 15-13 last season (career record 59-5 
with a 4.31 ERA. Not great. Not bad. OK. Certainly, he is not worthy of the 4 year $40 million contract eh was given.
The rest of the rotation will consist of former Cardinal Jason Marquis (6.02 ERA last year), former wolverine Rich Hill (6-9 5.12 ERA career record), and Oft-injured Wade Miller looks to assume the 5th spot. Mark Prior will be waiting in the wings, if he can actually throw above the low 80’s. It’s not the worst rotation in the world, but will probably need an upgrade if the Cubs persist in the delusion that they can contend this season.
Bullpen
Ryan Dempster looks to once again be the Cubs’ closer. His nine blown saves in 33 opportunities last season does not exactly bode much confidence. They have a couple of solid veteran arms with Bob Howry and Scott Eyre. If Kerry Wood can stay healthy, he will also be thrown into the mix.
The bullpen won’t kill the team, but it won’t help them much either. Dempster will have to seriously up his game this season, to keep his job.
Lineup
The lineup should be decent, though not as great as expected for the amount of money spent. They brought in the big free agent signing Alfonso Soriano, who hit 46 HR in Washington last season. He can’t hit good pitching, but against mediocre NL pitching and in the more hitter friendly comfines of Wrigley he should have another great year.
They ponied up the cash to resign Aramis Ramirez and they will hope to get the Pre-Injury form of Derek Lee as well. Matt Murton will hope to improve on his quite decent rookie year. Michael Barrett is a good hitting catcher.
They will score a few runs, and should be better than the impotent one that played much of last season, with Lee out for an extended period.
The Scuttlebutt
The issue in Chicago will be the money. The Tribune Co. spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the club, allegedly to make them a more attractive investment for a potential buyer. They brought in a high-profile manager in Lou Pinella. There will be hype and expectations which will eventually be shattered. They will be lambasted by vultures like Jay Mariotti. The fans will still support the team. Life will go on.
Outlook:Middling
The Cubs spent a LOT of money to improve this team, and they should be better than last season, though not much. They won’t lose around 100 games again, but neither do they exude a playoff contender aura. Unless the rest of the teams in the division collapse, look for Sweet Lou to guide these boys to about a .500 record.
