The Baseball Season Starts April 2nd - Until Then, It's Still Next Year!

Sigh....where to start?

The Cubs signed verteran left-hander Cliff Floyd to a free-agent contract.  It gives the Cubs a sorely needed left-hander in the lineup, but there's a catch.  He plays left field, just like 25-year old Matt Murton, who batted .297 in 144 games with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs.  What does this mean?  Well, according to manager Loui Piniella, it means playing time for both, but he won't term it a strict platoon.  "Whenever you add buys of that caliber, it's a big benefit for the club," Murton said of Flooyd.  "I just look forward to the opportunity to play with these guys.  To be on a team that's expected to win is a lot of fun.  At the end of the day, you know you can play and you know you can be a part of things."  Of course, true to the Cubs luck, Floyd, 34, has a history of injury.  In October, he had surgery on his left Achilles Tendon.  But, last season with the Mets, Floyd hit .244 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs.  He had a homer and two RBIs in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers last year.

As I posted on earlier, they signed Jeff Samardzija as a pitcher.  Samardzija, who was expected to go high in the NFL draft, is expected to spend some time in the minors before moving up to the big leagues.  At training camp this spring, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Samardzija can burn his fastball in up to 98 and has a wicked a slider you wouldn't expect from a rookie.   Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild has devoted some extra time to him this spring – his first order of duty was to kindly tell Samardzija to get a haircut and wear his hat straight – and the powers that be would like to fast-track him to Wrigley Field.

Carlos Zambrano, who originally said if his new contract wasn't done before the start of the season, he would take his free agent arm anywhere BUT the Cubs has revised his statement.  Although he was very clear, it wasn't what he really meant.  In the meantime, whatever he REALLY meant to say, Zambrano is looking sharp for this season.  Perhaps the one year, $12.4 million deal helped.  I hope so.

Derek Lee is back and ready to go, Kerry Woods is in the bullpen, and Mark Prior is really, truly supposed to be getting ready to pitch this year.  Honest.  Lou Piniella knows nothing about the "curse", so he looks at everything from the standpoint of winning, not worrying about some darn goat.  Marquis Grissom is bound and determined to reduce his ERA (6.02 last year, the highest in the National League - yikes!).  And, $136 million free agent Alfonso Soriano gets his first chance to show how his proposed transition to center field might work. He'll be in center to start Thursday and probably again Saturday.

So, keep your fingers crossed, your eye on the ball, and one foot firmly planted on the mound.  This just might be next year.



Disclaimer:  This column was written by a lifelong Cubs fan.  All opinions expressed herein are those of the writer, and have nothing to do with reality.