– The Chicago Tribune reports that a new investor group has announced its intention to get in on the bidding for the Cubs. Called Robinson-Greenberg and Associates (after Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg), it "would represent the first African-American majority ownership of an MLB franchise."

Principals include: a Lutheran minister named Anthony Williams; real estate investor and catering company owner Marshall Bynum, Jr.; and entrepreneur Harold Davis.

According to the Tribune...

Bynum said the group intends to purchase both the Cubs and Wrigley Field, and is prepared for a price tag of $1 billion dollars or more. Tribune Co. has indicated it prefers to sell the stadium and team separately.

The Trib story also quotes a baseball official who questions whether or not this heretofore unknown investor group could possibly be a serious bidder for the club.

– Alright, it's my fault. I dared to think that the Cubs might go through the Cactus League season and the regular schedule without losing a game, and look what happens.

On Friday afternoon in Mesa, Les Walrond was tagged for an eighth-inning grand slam by the Giants' Eddy Martinez-Esteve, as San Francisco turned a 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 lead, eventually dumping the Cubs 8-6. Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill gave up a combined one earned run over the first four innings. Kosuke Fukudome collected two more walks and scored two of the Cub runs.

Alfonso Soriano, who sat out the Spring Training opener on Thursday, made his debut Friday and went 0-for-2. Aramis Ramirez was absent from the lineup for the second straight day owing to a "tight right shoulder."

The Cubs (Jason Marquis) will visit the Angels (Jered Weaver) in Tempe on Saturday.

– The Cubs have already sold 2.7 million tickets for the upcoming season. That's a franchise record this far out from Opening Day.

Put another way, it's more tickets than the White Sox, Mariners, Rangers, Blue Jays, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Indians, Twins, Orioles, Reds, Nationals, A's, Pirates, Royals, Devil Rays, or Marlins sold in all of 2007.

– The Wrigley Company is not reacting to Sam Zell's reported desire that they pony up for the naming rights to Wrigley Field and, in the words of the Sun-Times, start to "pay for what the chewing gum company has been getting for free," i.e., the promotional value of having their name on one of the world's most famous sports venues.

The Sun-Times says that Zell would prefer to peddle those rights to Wrigley since that would allow him to put many millions of dollars in the Trib's corporate pocket and spare Cub fans the trauma of having to attend games at Boeing Park or McDonald's Field.

Always thinking about the fans--Sam seems to be really great that way.

Day One of Cactus League 2008 is in the books, Ryan Theriot is hitting 1.000, Kosuke Fukudome has a 1.000 OBP, and who needs Brian Roberts when we have homer-hittin' Mike Fontenot?

The Cubs tatooed the Giants, 12-6, in Scottsdale Thursday on the strength of 15 hits and a five-run third inning. Theriot had three singles and a stolen base batting out of the leadoff spot--Alfonso Soriano had the day off, but is expected to play on Friday when the Cubs meet the Giants in Mesa--while Fukudome, who batted third, was hit by the first Major League pitch he saw from Giants starter Noah Lowry. Fukudome later walked and singled.

Fontenot had a homer and a triple, good for 3 RBI in four at-bats, though he didn't even start the game at second base. New Cub Alex Cintron received that honor, with Mark DeRosa recovering at home following his minor heart procedure. (Can any heart procedure be considered "minor"?)

On the mound, starter Ryan Dempster gave up a first-inning homer to Randy Winn and a single to new Giant Aaron Rowand. But he also struck out two in his two innings of work and I guess on balance, you would have to say this was a positive first step for Dempster in his quest to join the rotation.

Finally, Felix Pie took an early lead in the battle for the Cubs center field job, going 2-for-2 with a double, a homer and three runs scored. Sam Fuld, Pie's competition for the position, went hitless in two AB's.

The Cub Reporter, one of the grand-daddies of Chicago Cubs blogs and a site I am proud to contribute to, has left the MVN blog network and relocated to thecubreporter.com.

In addition to setting up shop at the new address, TCR has been completely redesigned and taken on a number of new features. (Technical credit goes to the chief TCRer, Rob G.)

If you haven't picked up The Cub Reporter habit, I/we hope you will drop by. If you're already one of the TCR faithful, you should check out the new place. I think you will be impressed.

At 2:05 Central Time on Thursday afternoon, Ryan Theriot will dig in against the Giants' Noah Lowry and another season of Cubs Spring Training baseball will commence.

The game will be carried on WGN Radio, and it will certainly be a treat to hear Pat Hughes and Ron Santo once again.

Feel free to print this post and cross off the exchanges as you hear them.


PAT: It's great to be back, Ronny.

RON: You can say that again, pal.

---

PAT: It seems like just yesterday, the Cubs were walking off the field following that terribly disappointing playoff loss to the Diamondbacks in Wrigley Field.

RON: That's not a good memory, but maybe this year will be our year. We certainly have the ballclub to do it.

---

PAT: I know that Cubs fans just can't wait to see the newest Cub, Kosuke Fukudome from Japan.

RON: And believe me, they're gonna love him when they see him. He's really something.

---

PAT: Ronny, did you have a good winter?

RON: I did, but there's nothing like being back in this beautiful ballpark surrounded by all these great fans.

---

PAT: Ronny, I've got to think it will make a big difference this year with Lou Piniella now having a year under his belt of working with this ballclub.

RON: No question, Pat. It's gonna make a world of difference, believe me. You can just tell--he's much more comfortable with these players, and they're more comfortable with him and this coaching staff.

---

PAT: Ron, what are your thoughts on Kerry Wood this year?

RON: Well, he took all that weight off last year and he's kept it off. He looks better than ever. I just think he's going to have a tremendous year coming out of the bullpen.

PAT: He could be a real difference-maker this season, couldn't he?

RON: You got that right, big boy.

Ryan Dempster will start the Cubs' Cactus League opener on Thursday against the Giants, hoping to take the first step toward securing a position in the team's 2008 starting rotation.

Dempster, as most Cub fans know, is hardly new to the starting role: before he earned his first Major League save, pitching for the Cubs in 2004, Dempster had already started 156 games with the Marlins and Reds. With six more starts under his belt in 2005, Dempster's career numbers as a starter are 51-58, 4.99, with 1031 hits allowed in 988 2/3 IP, hardly anything to inspire excitement in Cubs fans, but certainly worthy of inspiring an Arcane Cubs List Of The Week and maybe a glimpse of what we can expect if Dempster nails down that starting job.

Here, then, are the ten Cub pitchers since 1961 who started at least 15 games in a season and finished with a Dempster-like ERA between 4.89 and 5.09 (ordered by number of wins):

Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com Play Index

– All but two of the Cubs were able to make it through the first weekend of Spring Training without requiring the attention of a cardiologist or getting beaten up by a panhandler.

The exceptions were Mark DeRosa and Jose Ascanio.

DeRosa flew back to Chicago Monday to see a cardiologist after he experienced an irregular heartbeat on Saturday and spent Saturday night in a Mesa hospital.

According to Carrie Muskat's story at cubs.com, DeRosa has been aware of the irregular heartbeat since he was a teenager.

"I went through a gamut of tests when I was in high school to make sure it was nothing serious," (DeRosa) said. "It's never been a problem. I've been able to have certain techniques over the years that have got me out of the situation. It's never been an issue.

"The other day, it didn't get progressively worse but just lasted a lot longer," DeRosa said. "I needed some help to get me back to the right heartbeat. That's why the precautions were taken to go over to the hospital."

DeRosa expects the Chicago cardiologist to prescribe medication or recommend an unspecified "outpatient procedure" to help him deal with the problem.

Ascanio, meanwhile, was thumped outside a Scottsdale convenience store on Saturday night "by a guy who was looking for some money," according to Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

Ascanio's face and left eye were swollen after the incident and he was held out of workouts on Sunday. His status is day to day.

– Here's a swell Web site: Greg Rybarczyk's Hit Tracker, which lists the "true distance" of every Major League home run.

Rybarczyk, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, determined that Aramis Ramirez hit the longest home run in all of Major League Baseball last season, a 495-foot shot off the Pirates' Paul Maholm on September 21st. Matt Murton had the Cubs' second longest homer of the year, a 449-foot blast off the Astros' Dave Borkowski on August 7th in Houston.

What makes the site doubly swell is the way Rybarczyk classifies each home run as "Just Enough," "No Doubt," or "Plenty" and tabulates the homers within each category. Alfonso Soriano paced the Cubs with 9 No Doubts in 2007; Derrek Lee led the team with 8 Just Enoughs.

What makes the site triply swell is that it offers links to mlb.com so you can see video footage of each longball.

– I'm no mechanical engineer, but by my calculations, this past weekend will be the last weekend without Cubs baseball until the conclusion of the regular season, the weekend of Sept. 27-28. Of course, the date will be even later if the Cubs are able to make the...oh, forget it.

I'm not going to risk jinxing it.

Declaring that "this is not a year that we’ll tinker much" with the lineup, Lou Piniella let it be known on Friday that he's considering hitting Fukudome-Lee-Ramirez in the 3-4-5 positions.

Lou's logic is that letting Fukudome bat third, as he did for the Chunichi Dragons, will help with his adjustment to life and baseball in the U.S. As for A-Ram and D-Lee...

"I know Ramirez feels very comfortable in the five hole. I'm sure Derrek will do what's best for the team. The fourth spot won't be a problem for him."

Over the course of his career, Ramirez has hit fourth more than in any other lineup position (43% of his career plate appearances). Based on OPS numbers, however, he has actually been most productive in the third hole: hitting 3rd, 903 OPS; hitting 4th, 841; hitting 5th, 865; hitting 6th, 901.

Derrek Lee has actually spent more of his time in the 6-hole (36% of his career PA's) than anywhere else, but his sweet spot has been in the third position: hitting 3rd, 955 OPS; 4th, 807; 5th, 853; and 6th, 870.

...an occasional series wherein I raid my kids' baseball card collection and profile a one-time Chicago Cub.

Today’s guest Paper Cub is a member of the first family of baseball...or at least the first family of baseball in which one of the family members is known for urinating on his hands.

Who: Mel Rojas (nephew of Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou; cousin of hand-wetter Moises Alou), relief pitcher, 1997

How The Cubs Got Him: Signed him on December 10, 1996 to a 3-year, $13.5MM free agent deal. Just a few months earlier, Rojas had racked up 7 wins and 36 saves for the Expos, the culmination of seven seasons in Montreal, during which Rojas collected 109 saves. Ironically, the man Rojas replaced as Cubs closer, Turk Wendell, had a 2.84 ERA with 18 saves and just 58 hits allowed in 79 1/3 IP in his only season as the Cubs closer–far better numbers that Rojas put together in his short time with the Cubs or in any season after he left Wrigley Field.

What He Did While They Had Him: Withered under the pressure of being a high-priced, high-expectation free agent and lasted about 2 1/2 seasons less in a Chicago Cubs uniform than General Manager Ed Lynch had expected he would.

Between April 3rd, when Rojas made his Cub debut and was tagged for three runs in one inning against the Marlins, and August 7th, when he ended his Cub career by allowing a ninth-inning run to the Giants, Rojas went 0-4, 4.42, with 13 saves, but it was the stumbles in between that invited the wrath of Cub fans and made it attractive for Lynch to find the former Expo a new home.

The worst of Rojas’ failures came in early June, when the Jim Riggelman’s Cubs, already nine games under .500, watched Rojas squander a 3-run, ninth-inning lead against the Phillies in a contest the Cubs eventually lost 9-8 in 10 innings.

Also notable was a game in late July in Atlanta, in which the Cubs, losers of six games in a row at the time, spotted the Braves a 4-0 advantage, then scratched their way to a 5-4 lead, only to see Rojas yield two runs in the last of the ninth and lose the game 6-5.

How The Cubs Got Rid Of Him: Unloaded him on August 9, 1997, along with Wendell and outfielder Brian McRae, in a massive salary dump to the Mets, in exchange for outfielder Lance Johnson, pitcher Mark Clark and infielder Manny Alexander.

Mike Kiley of the Sun-Times clearly reflected the relief of Cubs fans upon announcement of the deal, writing,

“There is unabated, though silent, joy at Clark and Addison today because the Cubs front office believes it is payback time for 1969. Almost 30 years later, the Mets are going to pay dearly by taking $17 million worth of misery off Chicago's hands."

Unlike the Cubs, who were terrible throughout 1997 and finished the season 68-94, the Mets were in the thick of the pennant race, sitting in third place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East at the time of the trade.

Also unlike the Cubs, the Mets weren’t looking for Rojas to close games, expecting him only to be the set-up man for their longtime relief ace, John Franco. Rojas didn’t fare very well in that role either, however, finishing the year with a 5.13 ERA over 23 games. (The Mets also struggled on their way to the finish line and ended up 13 games behind division-winning Atlanta.)

Something Positive Someone Once Said About Him: "We feel Mel is durable and successful at getting lefthanders out. He’s also a ground ball pitcher, and that’s a good fit for us." (Cubs GM Ed Lynch, as quoted in The Sporting News, 12/23/96)

Box Score To Remember: ROJAS 1 0 0 0 0 2 (Giants @ Cubs, 5/19/97)

Tim Sassone reports in Wednesday's Daily Herald that the Blackhawks have asked the NHL for permission to play an outdoor game next season...at Wrigley Field.

Sassone's sources confirm that the Hawks and Cubs have discussed such a game. Blackhawks President and Visionary-In-Residence John McDonough was not prepared to offer the same confirmation, though you can expect to hear him on every sports talk show in the known media universe in the next few days not confirming the story.

To help get locals used to the idea, the Cubs will be charging select fans this season an NHL-like $300 to watch Major League Baseball.

I'm not surprised that we're reading Cubs Spring Training stories about how good Kerry Wood looks or how Alfonso Soriano is ready to bounce back from that nasty quadriceps injury or how Lou Piniella is feeling pretty doggone good about his ballclub.

But I'll be the first to admit that not until the last couple days did I ever expect to read, "Aramis Ramirez Shuns Cockfighting Questions."

(Okay, I'll come clean. I stole that headline from The Sporting News. Back in the early and middle '70s, when I used to read the magazine faithfully, the weekly report on each MLB team would end with a series of notes introduced by a cute, distinctive little subhead, e.g., "Twin-klings" for the Twins notes, "A's Acorns" for Oakland A's notes, "Bruin Briefs" for the Cubs, etc. So yes, I plagiarized the headline. Don't tell the Clinton campaign!)

– The Cubs have complemented Ryan Theriot and Ronny Cedeno by adding a third member to the Light-Hitting Middle Infielders Club.

– For all the talk of Kerry Wood as closer, Lou Piniella says he is not even the leading candidate for the job right now.

– On last night's WGN Sports Central show, David Kaplan was interviewing Ryan Dempster, the Cubs' resident practical joker. Kaplan told Dempster if he needed inspiration before planning his next prank, he should check out this comic triumph from the Land of Phillie.

– There may be a new, mean-spirited, bald-headed guy calling the shots at Tribune Company, but some things remain the same: the Cubbies just can't get enough of that courtroom action.

Carlos Zambrano wasn't dying for it, but Lou Piniella gave it to him anyway. That is, the assignment to start for the Cubs on Opening Day. Lou also announced his Opening Day batting order weeks ago; look for him to provide the final score sometime in the next week.)

This will mark the fourth consecutive year in which Zambrano has pitched on Opening Day:

Notice the choice in 2000–2002. I wonder whatever happened to him.

Geovany Soto rose to prominence at such a critical point in the 2007 Cubs season and there has been such broad presumption that he will be the team's everyday catcher in '08, I find it hard to think of him as a rookie, though technically, that's what he is.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to let some arcane definition of baseball tenure get in the way of my Arcane Cubs List Of The Week, so as far as I'm concerned, Geo is a sophomore.

Here then is a list of the ten highest OPS+ figures compiled by Cub sophomores (min. 200 plate appearances) since the beginning of the Expansion Era (1961):

Perhaps you noticed a full-time catcher on that list, Mr. Wilkins at #8. In 1992, he appeared in 83 games, compiling a batting line of .270 AVG/.344 OBP/.414 SLG with 8 home runs. Though those numbers pale compared to those that Soto put up during his MVP season in the Pacific Coast League last year (.353/.424/.652), they're pretty solid figures for a young catcher, especially a young Cubs catcher.

If Soto could duplicate in '08 what Wilkins accomplished in '92, I think the Cubs would consider Soto's rookie sophomore season a success.

– Cubs pitchers and catchers report for duty in Mesa on Wednesday. When they arrive, they'll find new security measures around the team's spring training complex.

That's because three young players already in camp, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Fox, and Tyler Colvin, had a variety of personal items stolen from their lockers a couple of weeks ago. The alleged thief, one Todd Robert Smith, was arrested on Saturday and charged with going on a burglary rampage that included the thefts in the Cubs complex.

– Pat Hughes was named Illinois Sportscaster Of The Year on Tuesday and dedicated the award to his constituents, Cubs fans, whom Hughes called "the greatest fans in the world."

Milo Hamilton, who lives in Texas, wouldn't have been eligible for the award, but I bet he's still bitter he didn't win.

– My favorite Baseball Prospectus writer, Joe Sheehan, offered his Spring Preview of the NL Central on Monday, and of the Cubs, Sheehan wrote:

The Cubs return the good players from the division titlist of 2007, and have upgraded in right field as well as added some depth. The middle infield is pretty lousy for a contending team, which is why the pursuit of (Brian) Roberts, even at a cost of (Felix) Pie, has made sense. It will be harder to hold off the Brewers this season, and even the Reds could make some noise if things break right. Still, you’re looking at the favorites, part of the cluster of teams that can lay claim to being the second-best in the league behind the Mets.

Nice to read the Cubs being referred to as favorites to win anything, isn't it?

Interesting to read mention of the Cubs pursuing Brian Roberts. Strange--I really hadn't heard anything else about that.

Brad Lefton of the New York Times profiles the new Cub Kosuke Fukudome and traces his career arc from defensively challenged shortstop to rifle-armed outfielder. Fukudome spent the first three years of his professional career trying to master the infield.

Fukudome, who was interviewed for this article in Japanese, quickly replied with a laugh when he was asked what kind of shortstop he was: “The kind that caused my pitchers great anxiety.”

Unlike many poor-fielding infielders who are escorted to left field, Fukudome was converted to right. His strong arm and speed were seen as more appropriate for the higher demands of the position. But no one could have projected what he was about to accomplish. In his first season in right field, with no prior outfield experience, he won the first gold glove of his career.

“Early on, everyone tried to run on me because I was inexperienced out there,” Fukudome recalled proudly. “But I had 14 assists that year and 13 of them were direct throws to the base. In retrospect, right field was the position best suited to take advantage of the strength of my throwing arm. The gold glove came largely because of my high assists total.”

Fukudome also talks about the way his offensive game improved as soon as he was shifted to the outfield.

“I definitely don’t think it’s a coincidence that my batting improved when I shifted to right field,” Fukudome said. “I was always on edge in the infield because you don’t know when the ball’s going to come shooting at you. I found the outfield much more relaxing. Even when the ball’s hit my way, the spatial difference allows me plenty of time to react. The higher relaxation meant a better rhythm, and I was able to take that into the batter’s box."

According to the story, Fukudome will be in Mesa this Thursday, four days before position players are required to show up in Cubs camp.

Let the 楽しみ begin.

On Thursday the Cubs released their 2008 tv broadcast schedule. Not owning a high-definition set, I wasn't much impressed by the announcement that all 162 Cubs games this season will be available in hi-def to Chicago-area viewers.

What did stick with me was the note that WGN-TV has now been broadcasting Cubs games for 60 years. That led me to dig up a Chicago Tribune story written on March 8, 1948 by Larry Wolters, from whom Cub fans first learned that their favorite team's games were about to be piped directly into their living rooms.

“The first move by WGN-TV to provide full coverage of major sports to Chicago area tele-viewers was made yesterday with the announcement that W-G-N’s new television station will carry all home games of the Chicago Cubs this season…

"The first Cub game to be played before WGN-TV cameras will be the home opener against St. Louis in Wrigley Field on Friday, April 23."

Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley was clearly proud to be at the forefront of a major development in American sports and American culture. For Wrigley and the Cubs, it wasn't the first time.

"'The Cubs are gratified that the televising of baseball games, which we inaugurated from Wrigley Field, is not meeting with the resistance that greeted the pioneer efforts in radio broadcasting we inaugurated in 1925.

"'For many years there was a suspicion among baseball people that broadcasting would hurt attendance at ball games. Now, of course, everyone recognizes that radio broadcasting has been a potent factor in stimulating baseball attendance.'"

Wrigley had no doubt about the potential impact of television on baseball.

"'We are confident that television, handled with imagination and understanding, will bring baseball closer to vast numbers of Americans, and will result eventually in bringing many more persons to ball parks, to get a closeup, personal view of the dramatic scenes and colorful characters they become acquainted with on the television screens.'"

Wolters' story closed with a last bit of news; one that would positively affect Cub fans for generations.

"Jack Brickhouse will give the commentary. Brickhouse was recently appointed sports service manager for W-G-N, WGN-TV, and WGNB."

...an occasional series wherein I raid my kids' baseball card collections or borrow an image off eBay and profile a one-time Chicago Cub.

Today’s guest Paper Cub established a Major League record by losing his first 12 decisions in 1962, a feat which, naturally, led Cub brass to think, "Somehow, some day, we have got to get our hands on that guy!"

Who: Bob Miller, pitcher, 1970-71

How The Cubs Got Him: Purchased him from the Chicago American League Ballclub on September 1, 1970. The Cubs wanted Miller enough to pay the Sox far in excess of the $20,000 waiver price. Writing in The Sporting News, Jerome Holtzman suggested the Cubs might have dropped as much as $50,000 to land the righthander, who was 31 years old and had already pitched for six other teams by the time he became a Cub.

What He Did While They Had Him: What he was supposed to do was reinforce the rickety Cub bullpen. When Miller joined the Cubs at the beginning of September, the club was in fourth place in the NL East, but just two games behind the first-place Mets, and relief pitching seemed to be the Cubs' weak spot.

Miller made his Cub debut on his first day in blue pinstripes, entering a game the Cubs were winning 17-1 in the ninth inning against the Phillies. Things didn't go smoothly. Miller allowed two walks and a home run by one-time Cub Oscar Gamble. (Owing to the ridiculous scoring rule at the same, Miller was actually credited with a save for "preserving" the 17-2 victory.)

The rest of the way, he alternately finished games, threw in middle relief, and made a start. His 1970 numbers for the Cubs: 0-0 with 2 saves; 6 hits allowed in 9 IP and a 5.00 ERA.

As for the team's fate, there was, as you probably know, no Chicago division title in 1970. Though Leo Durocher's team went 15-13 in the last month of the campaign--1 1/2 games better than the Mets over that span--the Pirates caught fire and went 18-10 in September to win the NL East by five games over the second-place Cubs.

Miller, meanwhile, broke camp with the team in 1971 and pitched in two games before becoming an ex-Cub (see below). Between the last month of the 1970 season and the first few weeks in '71, he threw in a total of nine games as a Cub, eight out of the bullpen. In 16 innings, he allowed 16 hits, had 6 K and 7 BB and a 5.06 ERA. He had no decisions.

How The Cubs Got Rid Of Him: Released him in late April, 1971, to make roster room for catching prospect Danny Breeden, the heir apparent to Randy Hundley at the time.

The fact is, the Cubs team that started to look so promising in the middle '60s, then looked unbeatable for most of '69, was, by 1971, just looking old. Still, GM John Holland was convinced the team only needed some minor tinkering (such as recalling Breeden from the minors) to remain a contender. Miller could therefore be considered a tinkering casualty.

Almost immediately after being cut loose by the Cubs, Miller signed with the Padres, and he pitched in San Diego until early August, when he was traded to the Pirates. Miller would eventually leave Pittsburgh to rejoin San Diego, then pitch in Detroit and New York (for the Mets), before leaving the game in 1974.

Sadly, the former Cardinal/Met/Dodger/Twin/Indian/White Sox/Cub/Padre/Pirate/Tiger was killed in a car accident in 1993.

Something Positive Someone Once Said About Him: "Miller, who has been effective as a starter for the White Sox, came to them in June... The veteran has also proved valuable as a long and short relief man for the Dodgers and the Twins." (Chicago Tribune, 9/2/70: "Cubs Pick Up Miller")

Box Score To Remember: MILLER 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 (Mets @ Cubs, 9/4/70)

--Inspired by a question Carrie Muskat of cubs.com posed to herself, I have a post up at The Cub Reporter addressing the question of Ryan Dempster's fitness to make the Cubs starting rotation.

The bottom line on the Dempster-as-starter talk as I see it is that Ryan Dempster had one good season as a starting pitcher, back in 2000 for the Marlins, when he went 14-10 with a 120 ERA+ and made the NL All-Star team. As these numbers show, Dempster's career line as a starter looks a lot like Jason Marquis's...only not quite as good.

In other words, if the Cubs come north from Mesa and Dempster is scheduled to get the ball every fifth day, we have problems.

--On Wednesday afternoon, dedicated AHNY reader California Phil reported that he was only able to view the first part of the Sam Zell video before the video stopped. I checked it out and the piece continued to run for me all the way to its glorious conclusion, leading California Phil and I to assume that some filter in his employer's network had detected Zell's obscenity and frozen the video.

Naturally, I have suggested to California Phil that he get a new job immediately.

Be sure to watch the entire clip to hear Mr. Sam Zell's two-word sign-off following his answer to a questioning Orlando Sentinel employee.

A hint: the two words aren't "Bye-Bye."

One of the brightest bright spots in the '07 Cubs season was young Carlos Marmol.

Following a forgettable 2006 rookie year--5-7, 59 K, 59 BB, ERA+ of 76--the righthander started the '07 season in Iowa, was summoned to the big club in mid-May, and buckled National League knees the rest of the summer. Marmol finished the year 5-1 with 96 K in 69 1/3 IP and a jaw-dropping 1.43 ERA (ERA+ of 326).

Maybe more impressive than those numbers, however, was this one: Marmol inherited 41 baserunners in his 59 appearances for the Cubs last season, and he only allowed 5 of them (12%) to reach home plate.

Interestingly, Marmol's bullpen-mate, Michael Wuertz, was almost as adept, preventing 33 of his 38 inherited baserunners from scoring.

Marmol and Wuertz rank second and third among all Cub relief pitchers in stranding inherited runners (minimun 50 IP and 20 Inherited Runners). The arcane list follows:

Marmol and Wuertz finished 1-2 among all NL pitchers in stranding inherited runners in 2007 (again, minimum 50 IP and 20 Inherited Runners). Teammate Bob Howry, who allowed 24% of his inherited runners to score, was 12th.

(Stats from Baseball-Reference.com Play Index)

11 days, 13 hours, 43 minutes and 16 seconds until pitchers and catchers report.

Three-Finger Brown, Highpockets Kelly, Home Run Baker, Shotgun Shuba, Injury-Prone Prior.