All was well in Wrigleyville.

Fast-forward to present day and the Cubs are 14-20 and coming off of being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-19) and about to suffer the same fate against the Florida Marlins (16-17) pending tomorrow’s matinee as the Cubs try to stop their four game slide.

So one big question continues to pop up in my mind, as I always love to play the blame game. That question is…

Who is at fault for this horrible excuse for a team that takes the field in Chicago Cub uniforms?

It certainly isn’t Marlon Byrd, who I didn’t expect to repeat his numbers last season, but who is surprising me by playing well game in and game out. He is batting .339 with six home runs and 23 RBI.

It surprisingly isn’t Carlos Silva, who could have destroyed the Cubs every five games. He is 3-0 with a 3.50 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.17.

It isn’t Kosuke Fukudome, who is batting .330 with five home runs and 18 RBI.

Alfonso Soriano? Batting .311 with seven home runs and 18 RBI.

It’s not Tom Gorzelanny. Despite being 1-3 his ERA is just 2.83 and he is striking out 9.86 batters every nine innings.

You can’t blame Carlos Marmol, the up and down pitcher has yet to allow a home run, saved four games in five attempts, and has an ERA of just 0.61 in 14 appearances. He would just love to close out more games for the Cubs but he doesn’t get the chance.

So who are the people that are most deserving of the blame if it isn’t all of these guys who could have easily laid a goose egg this season instead of being the only people playing well?

It’s Ted Lilly. He’s 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA, his second highest since his third season in the pros.

It’s Carlos Zambrano, the “ace” who has pitched so bad this season that he has earned himself a spot in the bullpen. He would be known as the other Carlos if it weren’t for his nearly $19 million salary. If you aren’t happy about your new bullpen spot, try getting your ERA below six.

It’s Aramis Ramirez who is batting just .156 with three home runs and said today that he was his own hitting coach. He may want to fire his hitting coach.

It’s Derek Lee, who must have hired Ramirez as his hitting coach. He’s batting just .220 this season with four home runs.

Although Lee and Ramirez have decent RBI numbers this season, it’s hard not to when you have Byrd, Fukudome and Ryan Theriot in front of them. Those three have no problem getting on base, and would have less trouble scoring if it weren’t for the production behind them.

It’s the defense, which has 28 errors already this season, tying for second with the Detroit Tigers in the entire MLB. This also puts them alone in second in fielding percentage this season thus far.

With every person who needed to play at their best doing just that, you would expect the Cubs to be above .500 and surprising every analyst who expected the Cubs to be a flop this season, instead, every player who was actually expected to play well decided to take the season off.

Sorry Silva, Soriano, Fukudome, Marmol, Gorzelanny and Byrd. You did everything you could to prove your haters wrong. If you keep doing this, maybe those who were expected to play well will use you as an example instead of the other way around.

I’m Joe W.

Here are a few stories that have happened over the past few days.

Aramis Ramirez returns to the diamond

Ramirez has missed some time this spring because of a sore right tricep, but he returned on Tuesday against the Royals as a DH and went 2-3 with an RBI. He hasn’t played since March 13th, but he looked like he hadn’t missed any time in his three at bats.

Lou Piniella wanted to get Ramirez 30 at bats before the season started, but Ramirez doesn’t think that’s necessary.

“I don’t need 30 at-bats,” Ramirez said. “Five more and I’ll be ready to go. I haven’t played in 11 days, 10 days, and I felt pretty good today. I don’t need that many at-bats.”

Although Ramirez missed significant time last season, this injury doesn’t appear to be linked to that one, and there shouldn’t be any cause to worry about Ramirez having injury trouble this season too.

Ted Lilly far ahead of schedule

Piniella expected Lilly to be back by May 1st when he originally hurt himself, but with the way that he has been progressing, he is expected to be back well before then. This would be big for the Cubs starting rotation, as Lilly has had some of the best years of his career with the Cubs.

Although he isn’t going to be making a Cactus League start like originally planned, he will be pitching in the minors this weekend. He is expected to return about halfway through April now.

Tim Kurkjian gives the Cubs a legit chance for the playoffs

Although all of the talk in the NL Central has gone to the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols, the Cubs aren’t looking to just roll over and concede the division, and Kurkjian says that they do have a shot.

He cites Carlos Zambrano’s new health, stability at closer with Carlos Marmol, Ted Lilly returning early, Rudy Jaramillo’s impact on the offense and Kosuke Fukudome making the switch to right field as reasons whey the Cubs should be optimistic for the season.

These are all great reasons why the Cubs, despite making very few changes to to their lineup, should be feeling a lot better this season than they did last season.

Greg Maddux gets rave reviews from Jim Hendry

Although Jaramillo will be helping the offense, Maddux will be working with the pitchers in some capacity, as he works with different people throughout the Cubs organization working on finding a job that he would be able to do in the future.

According to ESPN, Maddux has worked with Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny and Sean Marshall this spring, which could have a big impact this season, as these are four of the pitchers that the Cubs need to step up this season, along with Carlos Marmol.

If Maddux’s impact on the team is as big as Hendry thinks it is, then the Cubs could see big improvements from their pitching staff.

I’m Joe W.

Although Castro turns 20 in just a few days, he has been playing like a veteran, batting near .500 and striking out just once in 26 at bats before being sent down. He caused Lou Piniella to re-evaluate whether or not he should give the youngster a shot.

“Castro had a phenomenal spring for a young player,” Piniella said. “Nineteen years old, to come in here and look like a veteran and swing the bat … he showed his athleticism. He came in here highly touted and left here even more touted.”

However, Ryan Theriot showed that he wasn’t ready to concede his position just yet, as he has been outstanding this spring as well. Having Castro working with the team and pushing him may have contributed, and it may stay that way throughout the season, as Castro is available to be called up at any time if Piniella thinks it’s necessary.

Theriot has hit .560 this spring so far, and he has been playing well defensively too. If he plays like he has all season, the Cubs may be able to turn shortstop into a strength this season. Piniella said that Castro has helped Theriot this spring.

“Maybe having Castro around has something to do with it,” Piniella said. “You’ve got a nice young player like that pushing you.”

The Cubs have been getting great performances from young players throughout the spring, as Castro isn’t the only one who has stepped up. Carlos Silva has turned around a horrible first start and has been pitching well.

Esmailin Caridad hasn’t allowed a single run this spring, and has allowed just seven base runners in 7.1 innings, and has been doing a good job auditioning for a set-up spot. Justin Berg has already earned his spot on the team, with an ERA of just 1.80 in five innings, Berg is also doing a good job of trying to be the set-up man while Angel Guzman is out.

Brad Snyder has also had a good good spring, and although he was sent down with Castro, he has hit .313 this spring and has shown Piniella that he can play any of the three outfield positions.

The Cubs are going to look towards their younger players to make a big impact this season, and this spring those players have worked to give Piniella and Cubs fans faith.

I’m Joe W.

Here are the stories that are important so far in Spring Training:

Ted Lilly’s Road to Recover

Lilly was expected to miss the beginning of the season, but according to skipper Lou Piniella, Lilly’s progress is ahead of schedule and could even see some time in the Cactus League.

“We want to keep him under the radar gun and not talk much about it. He’s coming along really well. He’s had no setbacks whatsoever. He’s actually ahead of schedule. We feel pretty good about the possibility of him pitching some Spring Training [games].”

This could be big for the Cubs, who are having a tough time finding a fifth starter for when Lilly is healthy, let alone adding a hunt for another starter. I don’t want to jinx anything, but if Lilly comes back strong without missing too many starts the Cubs could be looking at a strong start with a pretty weak schedule the first month or so.

Carlos Silva Eyes a Roster Spot

Silva came to the Cubs solely to get rid of Milton Bradley, but Jim Hendry would really like to show that he got some value for the departed clubhouse cancer, and Silva has been doing the best to prove Hendry right.

After a horrible first performance this spring, letting up six runs in just two innings of work, Silva showcased his new delivery with a much better second outing. He threw three scoreless innings and only walking one batter.

Silva has had bloated ERA’s in almost every season that he has pitched, his ERA has been over 4.00 in all but two of his eight seasons, but he is still making a little over $12 million this season, and getting a little value for all that cash wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Kevin Millar’s Leaving It All on the Field

The Cubs are stacked at first base, with Derek Lee and Micah Hoffpauir likely to be the two first basemen on the roster and Chad Tracy also trying for a spot, but Millar is doing his best to change Piniella’s mind and get himself on the Cubs roster for the season.

At 38-years-old, Millar isn’t exactly a spring chicken, but he has had a pretty effective spring thus far. He’s batting .385 and on Tuesday against the Angels, he went 2-2 with a home run, a double and three RBI as he makes his push for a roster spot.

Millar helped the Red Sox break their curse back in 2004 (possibly the only clean one), and if he can be a significant part of the Cubs breaking their drought (although the Red Sox drought was nothing compared to the Cubs’) he will have his place in baseball folklore cemented.

Starlin Castro Impressing

This 19-year-old prospected has been highly touted around the Cubs, and he has been showing why this spring. He’s hitting near .500 and has four RBI so far this spring, and he has been showing Cubs players like Mike Fontenot that they shouldn’t rest on their starting spot.

He’s made believer a believer out of Aramis Ramirez who spoke about the young player and whether or not he thought he could make it in the majors this season.

“Because he’s 19, that doesn’t mean he can’t perform. But at the same time, he’s still a young kid and can get better at the Minors and come up and be a great player. I don’t think [age] is an issue,” said Ramirez of Castro.

Although Castro has been crushing the ball, he does need to work on his plate discipline, he has only walked once so far this spring.

These are just a few of the stories that have peppered the Cubs’ Spring Training so far, and with 21 games to go, there will is plenty of time for these stories to play out.

I’m Joe W.

It’s a world where, if you screw up, the world is just against you. It’s not your fault. Why should you take the blame when people are trying to hold you down?

This is the world that former-Cub Milton Bradley lives in, and he has been showing it to the world the past week, with an interview with ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez.

Let’s take a look at this interview comment by comment from Milton Bradley.

Quote- “Well I mean, unless you go out there and you’re Superman. You know, you’re Andre Dawson, you’re Ernie Banks, you’re Hall of Fame. You know know, then, it’s going to be tough.

“It got to the point where I didn’t even have to open up the letter to know what it was. I could see it from the envelope.”

Analysis- Yes, Milton. The major reason is race, and look at these other two examples of disappointing Chicago Cubs players as proof.

What he’s really disappointed about is that Cubs fans didn’t give his magic a chance as a way to embrace him despite his struggles on the field.

I mean, being able to read mail without opening it, that’s magic on Chris Angel’s level. In fact, when he threw that ball up in the stands despite there only being two outs, he was actually performing a magic trick, we just didn’t let him finish.

Quote- “I’ve never got hate mail. I got it in LA (Los Angeles), I got it in Oakland and I got it in Chicago. And never anywhere else.”

Analysis- Exactly, it’s not like those three stints made up half of your career. And it’s also not like you just contradicted yourself completely in about 15 seconds.

Quote- “You really think that something’s going to take place. I’ve had bottles thrown at me, um, you really think it’s going to be something worse. You’re kind of on the field, you know, not feeling comfortable”

Analysis- I now exactly how you feel, and when you keep saying “you know,” it really hits home, you know.

And I’m really curious on what that “something worse” that Milton says he fears of. Is it just upping what get’s thrown at him, or is he saying it is on the line of assassination?

Because if it’s just a different ballpark snack, who cares, if it’s an assassination attempt, why would he even take the field, you know.

I commend Milton for his bravery, it takes great heart to show up everyday despite having people trying to kill him at every game, just waiting for the right moment.

Quote- “I was pretty much a prisoner in my own home. You know, I pretty much stayed home, ordered in every day, never went anywhere.

“Saying how terrible we were and we didn’t deserve anything and we should go back to the ghetto where we came from and that kind of stuff.”

Analysis- Again, risking threat of death to show his friend a good time, Bradley’s bravery is commendable.

As for hearing that one person saying that Bradley and Soriano should just go back to the ghetto because they weren’t worth anything, all of Chicago is now lumped into this one fan.

Sorry Chicago, but because of him, you are all racist people who hate black people (although Soriano is Dominican).

Quote- “I fear more for the people around me, I don’t worry about myself too much. I’m going to be alright.”

Analysis- Give this man a statue, vote him into office, he deserves to be honored every way possible.

Quote- “I worried about my family, I worried about my kids. The worst part that was the last straw was when I found out that my kid had been called derogatory name at school, you know.

“Three-year-olds shouldn’t be called names, that comes strait from the home. And when we had a meeting with the school and we met with the parents, you know, the parents totally denied it. But, you know, that comes from the home.”

Analysis- I know exactly what you mean. These parents are just trying to deny that their kid did any wrong-doing, and people like that are the lowest scum of society.

Also, that kid must also hate Milton Bradley, because that’s the only way that it should be involved in an interview about sports, you know, because this interview is sports related.

Quote- “In that first at bat, bases loaded, big situation you know. Adam Wainright on the mound for the Cardinals, throws me, you know, a good curveball down and in, a ball. But I get rung up on it and react. I react, you know, never curse, never call the umpire his name, but I get ejected.”

Analysis- First off, the umpire was already decidedly racist because he called that close pitch a ball instead of a strike. If you weren’t swayed by the bad call, the fact that he threw you out of the game after you yelled in his face proves it.

Quote- “I have a painting, I have it in my house. It’s of a guy in the 60’s holding a sign that says ‘I am a man.’ It’s important to me because when you get into this game, you start playing, you know, people give you a check, and they think, you know, you’re a slave.

“They tell you what to do. Move, jump, stuff like that, and to a certain extent they can, but I’m a man first and you’ll respect me just like you’d respect anyone else.”

Analysis- AMEN. First off, that painting sounds just powerful. Secondly, you are a man Milton Bradley, and I’m behind you 100%.

They can’t make you their slave just because they pay you $7,000,000 to hit .257 and 12 home runs. Those guys like Lou Piniella are taking you for granted, if only you could show those guys and go make $7.50 an hour bagging groceries.

Those guys have it made.

Quote- “I take it all in stride (Piniella calling him a ‘Piece of sh*t’). You know, the next day he called me into his office and wanted to apologize.

“You know I don’t have time to hold grudges against people. You know, I’ve got enough stuff I got to deal with.”

Analysis- You are completely correct Milton. Even though that sh*thead Piniella did that to you, why hold a grudge. Just wait a couple months and talk about how Lou was wrong on ESPN.

If any of you couldn’t understand, I was being completely sarcastic. I think Milton was being a complete idiot throughout all of his time with the Cubs, and he has done so throughout his time in the majors.

Good luck Seattle Mariners, you are going to need it.

I’m Joe W.

Still, I found Geo’s explanation that this was “an isolated incident” to be borderline ridiculous.

Look, the WBC is a big deal to Puerto Rico. And Geo knew, in advance, that he would be tested.

Recognizing that, I feel that someone really has to be a habitual pot smoker for him to not be willing (or able) to quit long enough to pass a drug test.

Thus, whether it was the guilt of knowing that the news was going to come out, or the fact that the drug made Geo hungry enough to eat half of Puerto Rico, it obviously has affected his season.

Geo came into the season fat and looking sluggish. Now, whether due to the weight of the impending announcement off his shoulders, or perhaps some new-found sobriety, Soto is starting to hit the ball with more authority. His performance is critical for the Cubs.

Dare I say he’s “smoking” hot?

Cubs Manager Lou Piniella Admits He Smoked Dope Too

Hey, the Cubs clubhouse must be a wild place following a victory, what with all the pot heads on this team! Seriously, however, Lou’s admission that he once tried marijuana is hilarious.

Lou said it did nothing for him, which, as smokers know, is often what happens the first couple times one tries pot.

But it is still a funny visual to think of the crazy Cubs manager high on dope, isn’t it?

Should we change his nickname from “Sweet Lou” to “Sweet Leaf Lou”?

Milton Bradley Told to Take His Glove and Go Home

Finally, Lou gets some guts and does what he admits he should have done before: stand up to this idiot and take charge of his clubhouse.

This was the Lou we all thought we were getting when he was hired to replace the sleepy dude, Dusty Baker.

Look, this should be no surprise to the Cubs. Didn’t Jim Hendry say that the team was lacking fire? Well, Bradley gets angry and does his best Big Z impression and he gets tossed while Lou chuckles at Zambrano?

Well, not so fast. Apparently there is more to this story than has been reported. According to sources on the Bleed Cubbie Blue website, Bradley had words with Carlos Zambrano, and has routinely been the last player to arrive to games.

The site goes on to quote unnamed sources as indicating that writers in the other cities where Milton has played have called him “a clubhouse cancer in the truest sense of the word”.

A former teammate called Bradley “the biggest a-hole he had ever had as a teammate.”

While many of us suspected this was a marriage doomed to fail, few of us thought that Milton would struggle as badly on offense as he has.

I guess his antics are much more tolerable when the team is winning and he is hitting.

This is on you, Jim Hendry. I wish the Cubs would just release him. But that won’t happen, not with a guaranteed $30 million over three years.

Cubs Take Game One vs. White Sox

In the “my bad team is better than your bad team” series, the Cubs drew first blood. So much for momentum.

The Sox had just come off of winning a three-game series vs. the best team in baseball, while the Cubs had lost four in a row.

Yet the Cubbies walk into the Cell and edge the Sox. Yes, baseball is an unpredictable sport.

What to do with Jake Fox?

In many ways, this is a welcome problem to have. With no designated hitter in the NL, the Cubs seem to have cornered the market on players who can hit but don’t have a position.

While Fox has looked fine at third base so far, the reports are that he is brutal defensively. But we do know the man can hit AAA pitching.

We cannot get too carried away by his recent power surge because, as we learned from the hot starts of Kosuke Fukudome and the early impressions of Micah Hoffpauir, major league pitchers eventually learn to adjust.

But the early returns seem to indicate that Jake can rake. If so, I believe Lou will continue to find a spot for him, even if it’s behind the plate, where he started his career.

Mark DeRosa is Traded to the Cardinals

Sure, the trade that sent DeRosa to the Indians was awful. And sure, we’re all sorry that the Cubs couldn’t re-acquire him.

But the real salt-in-the-wound moment came when Cleveland traded the versatile DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals. I mean, come on, did it have to be the Cardinals?

Look, Mark isn’t an elite player, but he can play many positions, has some power (his 13 homers would be second on the current Cubs squad), and he is a stand up guy in the clubhouse.

Jim Hendry, your off-season just got worse, come to think of it.

-Bob Warja

I guess expecting Milton Bradley to show up and stay focused for nine innings is asking too much for $10 million a year. At least it was Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

The oft-injured disappointment should have stayed in bed, because he had the kind of day that one would just as soon forget. No wait, he has had an entire season like that, come to think of it.

The Cubs offense was once again out to lunch during the first five innings of their 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. But even a three-spot in the sixth inning wasn’t enough to overcome Bradley’s three gaffes.

Milton giveth, Milton taketh away.

In the sixth inning, he hit a double off the wall that scored two runs. Then, he dropped a fly ball in the top of the seventh that led to a run. He apparently lost the ball in the sun.

Now, right field in Wrigley Field certainly isn’t the easiest place to catch a ball when the sun is shining, particularly when you haven’t had much experience out there. But there simply can be no excuse for what happened next.

Apparently, Milton was so delighted to actually catch a call in the top of the eighth that he forgot how many outs there were. Bradley flung the ball into the bleacher boxes behind him. The run would have scored anyway, but that’s not the point.

Bradley is being paid a lot of money. More, in fact, than the three other major free agent outfielders that GM Jim Hendry decided to pass on in the offseason—Raul Ibanez, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu.

And, he not only hasn’t hit nor been healthy, he now doesn’t have his head in the game. What’s next—forgetting to put on his uniform?

Milton’s first mistake occurred when he was on second after his double and Mike Fontenot was on third. Bradley took off on a ground ball to short and was tagged out easily.

On a day when the Cubs actually decided to score a few runs, the pitching suddenly went south. Randy Wells had his worst start in the big leagues.

To add insult to injury, the Twins fans in the crowd were loud, drowning out the Cubs fans at times. I’m not sure why there were so many of them at the game, but there were about 35-40 percent Twins fans in the stands, according to BleedCubbieBlue.com.

These Cubs could learn a lesson from the Twins.

While the Twinkies play sound fundamental baseball—heck, even their pitchers (who don’t bat in the American League, may I remind everyone)—lay down perfect sacrifice bunts.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have struggled all season in this regard.

Also, what happened to the patience at the plate that served the team so well in 2008? Ten pitches was all it took for Joe Nathan to nail down save No. 14. The normally patient Kosuke Fukudome, who has never faced Nathan, swung at his first offering.

And, Jose Mijares retired the two Cubs he faced in the seventh on two pitches while Matt Guerrier threw only four to get the last out in the eighth.

So the impatient Cubs didn’t help the Sox, but the Sox didn’t do us any favors either, as they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2.

Perhaps Milton Bradley ought to buy one of those counters that the home plate umpires use, so he can track the number of outs. If he can actually count that high, come to think of it.

Sorry, Windy City press, but you play no role in determining what actually happens on the field.

And this larger, so-called “locker room split” is just the media’s way of stirring things up. Chemistry is something that’s developed throughout the season.

The Cubs have played a total of sixteen games; we won’t know what kind of chemistry this team has until June or July. It’s those long 10-12 day road trips that allow players to bond together. That’s when chemistry is developed.

Now, to the Cubs’ problems.

Walks, walks, walks.

The bullpen can’t find the strike zone, and this is a recipe for disaster. Gregg has walked five in nine innings, Cotts has walked five in four, and Patton has walked six in six.

As a whole, the ‘pen has walked 28 batters in 46 innings. Ironically, the only relief pitcher without a walk is Luis Vizcaino, who is no longer on the roster.

Offensively, the Cubs have been dreadful as of late, scoring four earned runs in the past 36 innings. It’s not as if they haven’t had chances; it’s just a matter of poor at bat after poor at bat with guys in scoring position.

It all starts with plate discipline. The Cubs have drawn a total of six walks in the past four games. That won’t get the job done. The offense has also abandoned the opposite field, becoming very pull-happy.

One of the most telling (and worst) at-bats came from Ryan Theriot last night. Down 3-2 with the bases loaded and nobody out, the typically very patient Theriot did not wait back on the Wainwright breaking ball and hit into the tailor-made 6-4-3 double play.

I don’t mean to pick on Theriot, who is off to a solid start, but he’s too smart to not understand the situation. Wainwright was trying to work the outer part of the plate and Theriot tried to pull the ball. I know it’s easier said than done to lay off, but it all starts with plate discipline.

And on to management. Lou Piniella has done a very poor job during the early going this season.

First, the Cubs decided not to disable Geovany Soto. Have they not noticed Soto isn’t healthy? We are in April, not October. It’s nonsensical to keep him active.

The case is the same for Bradley, who was injured two weeks ago; he’s started just one game since his injury. The 15-day DL made sense back when he got hurt, and it makes even more sense today. But by choosing not to disable Bradley, the Cubs have found themselves very short handed.

And besides that, the on-field decisions by Lou have really left me shaking my head.

Who is the closer?

Lou says Gregg, but he also goes to Marmol. Sounds like a “Bullpen by Committee.” Way to keep both guys guessing, Lou.

And along with his poor handling of the ‘pen, Piniella’s shuffling of the lineup is plain silly.  Soriano, who has thrived in the one-hole this year, now finds himself batting third. It’s way too early for a shakeup, especially when your top two spots in the order have been your strength.

I’ve always been one to compliment Lou for making solid decisions, but I will also call him out for making poor ones. During Saturday’s game, Piniella decided to pitch to Brian Barden with one out and first base open with the pitcher on-deck.

Lou must not have seen enough of Barden last week, when he went 5-for-9 with two homers against the Cubs. He proceeded to burn Chicago again with a two-run single on Saturday.

It’s early, and the Cubs will eventually take control of this division. But they must play better. They’ve struggled defensively, offensively, and their bullpen can’t find the plate.

Lou Piniella must do a better job. There’s a reason he is one of the highest-paid managers in the game, and he must get more out of his players. This type of baseball won’t be tolerated.

-Pat De Marco

Fresh off of a Blackhawks shutout over the Detroit Red Wings (I had to watch hockey today with my family) the Cubs will try to add another win for Chicago tonight.

I have been pretty dormant lately and I figured I could offer a few thoughts on the Cubs through the first five games of the season.

We are only 3-2 and the start has not been that impressive

Sure, we could easily be 4-1, but that will be talked about a little later. This Cubs team can look amazing (see the eight run first two innings against the Astros) but they haven’t been able to put together a full game yet.

I am a little scared that we haven’t been able to pull together a dominant performance even with the stout pitching and amazing hitting we have on paper.

Milton Bradley may only have one hit, but he has been impressive

If you look at Bradley’s raw hitting, it isn’t too impressive, but when you take into account each time he has walked to the plate, he still almost always finds a way to get get on base.

Despite being one for 16 at the plate, Bradley has an OBP of .318 thanks to five walks and a hit by pitch. He also has scored three runs thus far this season.

Oh, by the way, his one and only hit was a solo home run.

Besides Lilly, the starting pitching has been fantastic

Cubs starters continue to put up quality start after quality start thus far this season.

Carlos Zambrano has started two games this season, pitching 12 inning, allowing four runs, for a 3.00 ERA. Ryan Dempster’s last outing was strong, with six innings pitched and just two runs scored, he had a very successful showing in his season debut.

Rich Harden was lights out in his debut, allowing just one earned run on three hits in six innings.  Harden even struck out a ton, as usual, fanning 10 in an impressive start.

The only bad outing has been thrown by Ted Lilly, who was backed up by 11 Cubs runs, allowing him to avoid the L despite allowing five runs in five innings.

Kevin Gregg scares me as the closer

Listen, he had a great Spring Training, and I am trying to take nothing away from his ability, I just don’t trust him to hold down the fort in the ninth inning.

He has already blown one save this season as the Brewers were able to tear him apart in the ninth inning two nights ago, and the fact that he led the majors in blown saves last year is a big red flag.

I think that Sweet Lou should start throwing Carlos Marmol in the ninth and moving Gregg into the eight inning, everything would probably go a lot smoother and everybody would pitch better under those circumstances.

Kosuke Fukudome anybody?

The man was looked at as a possible major liability to this team, with a monster contract and seemingly not enough talent, the Asian Sensation was seemingly done in the MLB.

Then, something crazy happened, he had a great spring. Then, unlike Gregg above, he brought that momentum into the regular season.

Fukudome is batting over .400 with two home runs, three RBI’s, and one stolen base. More good news for Fukudome, Piniella just announced that he will no longer be lifting the surprise player for defensive purposes.

-Joe Willett

Today is “Earth Hour”, where people are encouraged to shut off their lights for one hour in a symbolic act to conserve energy. But in Arizona, there is nothing symbolic about the decisions Lou Piniella, Larry Rothschild and the gang have to make.

In the bullpen, only four spots are set. The closer will either be Carlos Marmol or Kevin Gregg, with the slight edge going to Marmol at this point. However, Gregg has pitched very well this spring. Either way, one will pitch in the eighth and one in the ninth.

So, with two spots belonging to Marmol and Gregg, that leaves Aaron Heilman as the sixth and seventh inning man. Next, there is the lone lefty in the pen, Neal Cotts. That makes a total of four.

If they go with 11 pitchers, that leaves two remaining spots. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Bruce Levine of ESPN.com said this morning that the Cubs have decided to send Jeff Samardzija to Iowa, where he can be stretched out in case another starter is needed.

Samardzija has an excellent fastball and a splitter that he doesn’t always command well. He needs to work on his command and another pitch if he wants to be a starter. He would be better in the bullpen, where two pitches are all you need.

I would have groomed him to be a closer from the start. He has the heater and the makeup, as a former Notre Dame football player, to do that job. Alas, no one from the Cubs asked me for my opinion.

Among other bullpen candidates, a couple are out of options and one, David Patton, is a rule 5 draft pick so he would have to be offered back to Colorado for $25,000 if he doesn’t make the 25-man roster.

And Patton has looked good this spring. Rothschild is impressed by his poise and has said he has the best curve ball he has seen all year. Since he has never pitched above Class A, however, it would be quite a story if he did go north with the team.

The two veterans who are out of options, Luis Vizcaino and Chad Gaudin, would likely be lost if they fail to make the team. Both have guaranteed major league contracts, too.

Vizcaino is set to make $3.5 million and Gaudin was signed for $2 million. You can expect Jim Hendry to be trying to trade one or both of these pitchers. Gaudin has looked better since struggling mightily early on, while Vizcaino’s control has improved somewhat.

Other candidates include Angel Guzman, who has the fastball pumping in at 95 MPH, but continues to struggle with his command.

41-year-old lefty Mike Stanton is in camp, but he’s certainly a dark horse candidate to make the team. Another old veteran, Chad Fox, is back in camp once again, and has pitched well. But with his history of injuries, it’s likely they could sneak him through waivers if they wanted to hang on to him.

Guys like Jeff Stevens and Kevin Hart haven’t pitched well this spring, but they still have minor league options remaining. I haven’t heard much regarding the chances of Jose Ascanio, though he also has options remaining.

On the position battle front, in an ideal world, center field would be split between Reed Johnson and the speedy Joey Gathright. But economics dictate that Kosuke Fukudome will likely get the lion’s share of the at-bats early on, since he will start against right-handed pitchers.

The backup catcher will likely be Paul Bako, though Koyie Hill has looked good, making a remarkable recovery from a gruesome injury. Former White Sox catcher Mark Johnson is also in camp.

April 6 can’t happen soon enough, come to think of it.

-Bob Warja