Thoughts on the Cubs as they prepare to begin their 2008 season….

Daily Cubs blogs to return on Monday!!!! (that’s if you have me as a friend on Myspace..if not then too bad!)

Now for those who don’t know what i’m talkin’ about, this is going to be a real treat for you. I blog after every Cubs game (win or loss) & give my recap & perspective on how that certain game turned out. I can’t guarantee that i’ll be able to do all 162 games this season, but i’ll definitely do as many as i possibly can.

I’m not afraid to criticize my team either if they are not performing up to expectations, i think that really defines a die-hard Cub fan. This upcoming season should be very exciting for us & a lot of sports sites are picking the Cubbies to repeat as NL Central champs but i know Milwaukee is going to be right there for a majority of the season.

I know everyone is going to mention the 100 years of futility, but you know what? The last time the Cubs made the postseason in back-to-back seasons was…you guessed it…1908.

After suffering last October’s NLDS sweep to the hands of Arizona, you will see the Cubs more hungrier & determined this season.

They cannot afford to get out to a bad start like they did last season in April & May, but i’d also like to add that we have improved since 2007 especially in the outfield with Felix Pie & Kosuke Fukudome replacing Jacque Jones & Cliff Floyd.

Geovany Soto is determined to continue his success of last September, when he hit .389 in 18 big league games at catcher. That is definitely a huge upgrade over Michael Barrett, Jason Kendall, Koyie Hill & Rob Bowen with both his bat & his arm.

The pitching staff is very talented & ranked 1st in the NL last season with a team ERA of 4.04. Carlos Zambrano will be the key, if he can lead this team with his pitching instead of his mouth then the Cubs will have a very successful season. When Carlos is on, he’s one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.

Kerry Wood is the new closer & can still throw in the mid 90’s even with all his shoulder, elbow & arm injuries. If he remains healthy, then i see Woody racking up a lot of saves!

Now if Wood were to get hurt, then Carlos Marmol can easily come in & close for the Cubs. Marmol has a DEVASTATING slider that he’ll fool a lot of opposing hitters with & can also throw in the mid to high 90’s.

The excitement will start again on Monday. So far i already have tix to 2 games (April 6th against Houston & June 22nd against the White Sox), but i plan on attending several more games during the season.

I know that there has been a lot of controversy regarding a supposed name change for Wrigley Field, but i think that this “new” name won’t even matter. Cub fans will always refer to the Friendly Confines as Wrigley Field & nothing else.

Even at the games i went to last season, i saw Diamondback fans & Dodger fans trek out to Chicago just to attend a Cubs game at Wrigley.

This is one of the most historic ballparks in all of baseball right next to Fenway Park & Yankee Stadium (which will be torn down after this upcoming season).

So put your seat belts on, and enjoy this ride! With Lou Piniella leading the way, the Cubs should be in for another exciting season.

Until then,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.BMSRadio.com

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