Opening Day 2006

Well it is time to get out bucket of Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, rub the sheen off a few pearls, and play ball. The 2006 Cubs season kicks off today in Cinncinati and, while hope springs eternal, I don't think this is going to be a banner year (or even a wild card year) for the beloved Cubbies. While the team did improve in the offseason by upgrading the leadoff spot, bullpen, and improving the overall athleticism on the roster, these moves addressed the needs we had at the beginning of last season and did not include strenthing the rotation. This year the team will go as it's starting pitching goes and right now it isn't looking good. Wood and Prior are on their annual open of the season DL stint and outside of Big Z, a bona fide Cy Young Award candidate, our starting pitching is a glaring weakness.

Outfield
The addition of Juan Pierre is a much needed improvement over Corey Patterson. Pierre is coming off his worst year as a pro but should rebound in Wrigley. I'd like to see him become more disciplined at the plate and see a few more pitches but frankly anything better than Patterson is going to be a marked improvement. I am not a big fan of the Jacque Jones signing. He is more athletic than Burnitz but put up the same numbers as him and has shown over his career that he can't hit lefties. As for left field, I have high hopes for Matt Murton. He has shown that he can hit at all levels including his stint in the bigs last year but I be interested in seeing whether he can do it over the course of a whole year.

Infield
The Cubs are fortunate to have two of the elite corner infielders in the game both heading into the primes of their respective careers. I look for a healthier Aramis Ramirez to put up huge, MVP-type numbers this year and Derrick Lee to fall off a shade from last year but still hit for a .300+ average and put up solid power numbers. The middle infield is a big question mark. The Cubs are opening the season with 4 second basemen with the acquistion of Freddie Bynum on the roster though I suspect Dusty will have a short leash on Cedeno and use Neifi MF-ing Perez to backup/spell him at short. Todd Walker is as solid a bat and number 2 hitter as you could ask for and I hope this whole platoon ordeal with Jerry Harriston Jr. doesn't cause his numbers to droop.

Catcher
A lot of folks are projecting a breakout year for Michael Barrett and I count myself among them. I think Barrett will put up All-Star numbers behind the plate and show improved defense by throwing out more runners this year. The biggest question mark about him continues to be his handling of the staff and the ability to call a game. Throughout the offseason the whispers continued that more than a few members of the staff preferred having Henry Blanco call the game rather than Barrett. Given the weakness of the Cubs starting pitching staff Barrett is going to have to elevate his defense because we certainly can't sacrifice his bat for Blanco's.

Bench
We got rid of Jose Macias and picked up John Mabry. Mabry has more pop in his bat and, to put it bluntly, isn't Jose Macias so I consider this a win. Our dearth of second basemen is probably going to lead to all four of them being unhappy and I hope that this situation gets resolved sooner rather than later. Unfortunately I think the resolution will be shipping Todd Walker somewhere for cheap and I am not thrilled about that prospect.

Starting Pitching
Zambrano has been a bull for the last few years and at the ripe ol' age of 24 is looking to cement his place amoung the game's elite pitchers. You can pencil Carlos in for 200+ innings and a low 3 ERA this year but the rest of the rotation is a huge question mark. Does Greg Maddux have anything left in the tank, can Sean Marshall cut it at the big league level, how will Glendon Rusch do as a full time start, can Jerome Williams deliver on his potential, and, the biggest question of them all, can Mark Prior and Kerry Wood comeback and have success after their rehabs? Time will tell and I am certainly not a seer but having this many question marks does not make me optimistic or confident about our chances this year.

Bullpen
The most improved area of the club during the offseason. If Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry can continue to have the success they had last season the Cubs will finally have a dependable bullpen. Given the status of our starting rotation these improvements could not have come at a better time.

Reliever
Ryan Dempster did well last season as a closer. Can he reproduce those results? When the Cubs have been successful with a closer it seems to be a one-season deal. The Shooter in '98, The Polish Prince in '03. Dempster does not have a catchy nickname and isn't coming off an offseason surgery like those two so I guess he has that going for him.

Manager
It is a contract year for Dusty. I have soured on him after watching him skirt responsibility for in game decisions, protect players to a fault (ala Sammy, KW, etc.), favor "his guys" over developing youngsters, lead the charge to get Steve Stone fired and hide behind his kid during press conferences when things get tough. It is time to put up or pack up.

Predictions
The Cubs addressed their lead off and bullpen issues that have plagued the team for a couple of years but starting pitching is going to make or break this 2006 team. Given the injuries that continue to plague Prior and Wood, the age of Greg Maddux and the lack of depth in our starting pitching prospects I got a feeling this is going to be a long season. My heart says the pitching staff will pull through and steer the team to a 92-70 record and a wild card berth but my head says 75-87 and a 4th place finish in the NL Central.

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