I was northbound on Clark St. and caught a red light at Addison, which gave me time to admire the edifice right in front of me. The red and white “Wrigley Field Home of Chicago Cubs” sign, all the brick work, the statues. The light changed. I passed McDonald’s on the left and the employees’ parking lot on the right. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

The ballpark itself was deserted, of course, but I’m used to that. My dad and I used to stop by the Box Office on off days and at off hours all the time. I didn’t get the “funerial” feeling that others have recently described.

I turned right onto Waveland. I noticed the bleachers cantilevered out over the sidewalk and I noticed the scoreboard on the right. On the left, a sign attached to a fence at eye level proclaimed: “It’s Gonna Happen”. The thought which immediately struck me was: “Oh Yeah, It Happened All Right”.

I turned right onto Sheffield at Murphy’s and that’s when it hit me. The question came pouring over the right field bleachers like a tidal wave covering the entire block. And it surprised me because I hadn’t paid much attention to it before. But this is what came rolling out of Wrigley Field at me Thursday.

How come nobody’s talking about the balls and strikes called for Ryan Dempster in Game 1? I understand that the players can’t question balls and strikes, and maybe the team management can’t either, but we sure can.

Ryan Dempster (or was it his evil twin Sean?) seemed to have excellent control in the top of the 1st as he struck out Rafael Furcal. But I noticed that his pitches, which were nibbling at the corners of the plate and looked like strikes to me, were being called balls. The second batter, Russell Martin, drew a walk on exactly those type of pitches. And Ryan/Sean was getting visibly more agitated with each called ball.

He started throwing some erratic pitches. The third batter, Manny Ramirez, grounded into an inning ending double play, but it was obvious that the Cubs’ pitcher was getting torqued off, and maybe beginning to lose his composure.

In the top of the 2nd Andre Ethier, the 1st batter, drew a walk but Dempster retired the next three.

In the top of the 3rd Dempster walked 2 and gave up an infield single to Manny Ramirez. No runs scored but, as I recall, the wheels were starting to come off.

In the top of the 4th Ryan/Sean faced 4 batters. Blake DeWitt got a bloop single but the other 3 were put out.

In the 5th, of course, Dempster walked 3 of the first 5 batters, then gave up the grand slam and a double. That was the end of Dempster, and that was the end of the Cubs.

After he got pulled, Dempster was shown sitting in the dugout talking to his pitching coach, and he looked pissed! It didn’t look to me like he was just trying to explain why he had had no control. And I can’t help wondering if some creative umpiring didn’t contribute to the turn of events.

Now, I realize that I might be imagining this whole thing. It wouldn’t be the first time.

I just wanted to share the thought that came over me as I circled Wrigley Field Thursday.

Because, like I said, It Happened.

The 2008 Chicago Cubs team was very, very good. This team was one of the best Cubs teams in recent history, with a very good balanced offense, a good balanced pitching staff, and a good defense. They finished with the following National League rankings:

• BA: 2nd
• OBP: 1st
• SLUG: 1st
• Runs: 1st
• ERA: 3rd
• WHIP: 2nd
• K’s: 1st
• Runs Allowed: 2nd

The Cubs clearly had the best offense in the National League, and arguably the second best pitching staff in the league.

But as we all now know, things did not work out quite as well in the three playoff games that the Cubs played. The Cubs, in the playoffs, looked bad. Their pitching staff was mediocre (and at times bad), their offense was bad, and their defense was bad.

So what does this mean? And where do the Cubs go from here?

I believe, pretty strongly, that we should not make judgments about this team based on three games. The Cubs played really poorly in those three games, but it is wrongheaded to assert that those three games are more indicative of the team’s ability than the 161 games played in the regular season. So it is important that we look at the greater picture what than the three-game let down of the NLDS.

As good as the Cubs were during the regular season, the team still has some holes, and here are what I see as the priorities to figure out. Now, I do believe that there other places that can be upgraded, both those upgrades need to be done in a way that still allow the above areas to be addressed.

• Center Field. The Cubs were actually very productive in CF this year with the Jim Edmonds/Reed Johnson platoon. They were actually second in the National League in OPS, just .001 behind the Carlos Beltran and the Mets. But while the Edmonds/Johnson platoon worked like magic this year, it is not likely that they will be able to repeat that performance. Jim Edmonds is old and slow, both his leg and bat speed. Reed Johnson is what he is - a solid role player and can have a positive impact on the team.
• Right Field. Right field is a mess right now. I do not think that any of us really know who the real Kosuke Fukudome is, but we know that he looked awful over the last two to three months of the season. Mark DeRosa has been able to step in and play RF, but his defense is clearly lacking in RF. And oh yea… Fukudome is only owed 36 million dollars over the next three years.
• BullpenThe Cubs bullpen, down the stretch, started to fall apart. Eyre was gone, Howry forgot how to get people out, and no one else was reliable. Jeff Samardzija was able step up, but his inability to throw strikes limited his effectiveness.
• Shortstop. This should be fun. I think that everyone knows my opinion on Ryan Theriot. He is one of the worse SS’s in the game - both offensively and defensively. You can read the link if you want to know why.
• First base. Ah… Derrek Lee. I am a big fan of Derrek Lee. He defense is very good (though may have fallen off a bit), he is a smart baseball player, and a good hitter. But for some reason he lost his power. He hit 13 home runs through May, and his just seven after that. That is a problem for a first baseman.

So that leaves LF, 3b, 2b, C, and the starting rotation as places that don’t needupgrades. Can they be upgraded? Absolutely. Brian Roberts would be a (slight) upgrade over DeRosa. Sabathia would obviously upgrade the rotation. But none of those places need an upgrade, especially if Dempster is resigned.

I would also say that an argument could be made that SS and 1b are not positions that need to be upgraded, and should be a lower priority.

So this is what I do.

I would re-sign Dempster and Wood. I would have Fukudome start in the minor leagues, unless the Cubs have legitimate reason (other than the $36 million) to think that he has been able to fix things.

I would go after Rafael Furcal to play SS and leadoff. I would go after Raul Ibanez to play RF. I would resign Reed Johnson, and let him platoon with Felix Pie in CF.

I would attempt to trade Jason Marquis and let Marshall, Guzman, and Samardzija fight it out for the 5th slot in the rotation. I would also look into Derek Lowe and AJ Burnett, but it would be a lesser priority.

I would try to sign someone like a Jeremy Affeldt for the bullpen, but I would be veryhesitant to spend significant money/years on a middle relief pitcher.

And, unless the Cubs can sign Mark Teixeira, I would keep Derrek Lee at 1st.

I would also let Blanco go, and have Koyie Hill be the backup catcher, while also letting Ward walk away with Hoffpaiur filling the LH pinch hit role.

This would give the Cubs a lineup looking like this:
Furcal
Lee
ARam
Ibanez
Soto
Soriano
DeRosa
Johnson/Pie
Pitcher

And a rotation that looked like this:
Zambrano
Harden
Lilly
Dempster
Marshall/Guzman/Samardzija/Burnett/Lowe

A bench that looked like this:
Theriot
Johnson/Pie
Hoffpaiur
K. Hill
Fontenot

And a bullpen that looked like this:
Wood (closer)
Marmol
Affeldt
Guzman
Samardzija
Wuertz/Hart
Gaudin

The old saying goes “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me” though President Bush butchered it when he tried to use it. The gist being that when something catches you off guard twice then you have to look at yourself to blame. The sad end to the Cubs 2008 season has left people scratching their heads and even questioning their allegiances. Two years in a row of a quick and quiet exit. Two years in a row of futility, silent bats, and ineffective pitching. Last year was understandable with the Cubs fighting their way into the playoffs only to travel to Arizona and face Brandon Webb. This year was supposed to be different. The best team in the National League wins home field advantage where they have been ultra dominant only to go away really bad and really fast. It doesn’t make sense. But it is the second time and so you must consider a different road.

I know it is difficult to consider a different road because multiple winning seasons and playoff bound teams in a row is a nice situation. It is certainly much different than we have been accustomed to over our lifetimes. Yet the goal is winning championships and the last two years we haven’t been close. We can analyze everything that happened and why Lou did what he did and why the players didn’t seem to show up and why the Dodgers might have been the better team at that time but this gets us nowhere really. The thing is that we didn’t even contend, we didn’t battle, we barely showed up. The most competitive thing we did the entire month was bust up some plumbing in Dodgers Stadium after losing the series. We did beat ourselves with walks and errors but even without those we probably still lose three straight because we couldn’t hit. The series showed some fatal flaws that must be addressed or we will continue this cycle.

To make things clear I believe that the Cubs will still make the playoffs next year even as constituted. They will make moves but a rotation of Zambrano, Lilly, Harden, Marquis, and Marshall probably goes to the playoffs. The defense and bats remain pretty much the same with the addition of Pie in Center. The bullpen would move Carlos Marmol to closer and would be serviceable. I think as constituted the Cubs would still win the Central because I doubt that the Brewers will resign Sabathia and still have no bullpen or defense. The Cardinals and Astros are OK but fading for now. The Reds are a step away. The Pirates are the Pirates. Of course we will not stay as constituted but my point is that they would still win the division. However, the goal is not just to win the division. Which is why we must do something because winning the division and being easily bounced from the first round is not going to cut it.

Why it will be tough:

The Cubs contract numbers are frightening from a business sense and they make you wonder if they will even be able to afford to field a 25 man roster next year. Jim Hendry built the team with back loaded contracts believing the team would win a World Series and that the team would have a new owner to deal with the payroll…wrong and wrong. So the contracts are beginning to blossom into a nightmarish garden of trouble for the future. Look at these numbers:

• Carlos Zambrano will make 2.75 million more in 2009
• Aramis Ramirez will make 1.65 million more
• Alfonso Soriano will make 3 million more
• Ted Lilly will make 5 million more
• Kosuke will make 5.5 million more
• Jason Marquis will make 3.5 million more
• Rich Harden will make 2.5 million more

This is an additional 24 million dollars on the payroll for next year. This does not include new contracts for Ryan Dempster and potentially Kerry Wood.

So the Cubs will consider trading some guys but that will not be easy either. The Cubs have given no trade clauses or no trade protection to Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano (Whose contract is ridiculous…I think Jim Hendry also promised him a piece of Lake Michigan), Derrek Lee, Ted Lilly, and Kosuke.

This means that any off season plan will be tricky and take the work of a magician. This leaves the Cubs in a really tough place to try to win a World Series.

What should we do?

If you’re thinking trade you might want to begin by looking at one of the big 3 bats. Soriano and Ramirez did not show up in the playoffs again. While Derrek Lee had very good numbers in the playoffs his numbers on the year were down slightly and he plays in one of the most wealthy offensive positions in baseball. The Cubs need a powerful left handed bat and Lee plays at the most likely position to find that, although there are no guarantees that you can. I think you need to at least kick the tires on trading one of these three. Ideally, it would be Soriano but trading that contract will be almost impossible. It will be hard to trade any of them with the no trade clauses but you start here. Two of the three didn’t perform and the most money will be gained here. They are stars who would demand a sizeable return…if anyone would be interested.

The trouble with Sori

As has been said in the past few days a big deal was made about Alfonso Soriano being a mistake hitter. He pounds the mistakes other pitchers make and hits well against the other team’s third, fourth, and fifth in the rotation. The thing is I saw mistakes that were thrown to him in the Dodger’s series and he didn’t hit those either. He has been on really good teams and not one has won the World Series. His fault? Maybe not. But it can’t be completely unrelated either. When he played with the Yankees, Joe Torre wound up dropping him in the order for the playoffs due to lack of production. This is not a coincidence.

His playoff numbers are poor and maybe abysmal. They are based on a large sample size and are not fluke. 179 playoff at bats, only 7 extra base hits, only 14 runs scored from a guy who was leading off most of the time, 18 rbi, .213 batting average, .263 obp, .299 slugging. Really bad numbers.

It is amazing because no one has taken the team on their back the way Soriano has at times the last two years. But he has proven an inability to perform in the playoffs. You can’t have a lead off hitter who goes one for the playoffs every year. I am finally ready to say that Alfonso Soriano cannot lead off if the Cubs want to go to the World Series. This means that he cannot lead off during the year either. I think ideally the Cubs would love for someone to take Soriano from them. That probably won’t happen. Which means their only other option is to drop him in the order and it has already been reported that this decision had been made.

At the top

One interesting free agent of note is Rafael Furcal whom Jim Hendry wooed a few years back only to be jilted when he went to the Dodgers. He is a lead off or number two hitter who can get on base and can hit from the left side. He plays one of the few positions that can easily be replaced on this team. While I like Ryan Theriot I still wonder if he has the stuff to be more than a nice gritty guy. Adding Furcal would help you at the top of the order and add a consistent bat that can hit from the left side. Furcal had a .459 obp this year. With this addition you could drop Soriano and bring Lee, Fukudome, or DeRosa to number two. OR…

Another spot that you could easily switch up is second base. This brings up the potential of the rumored Brian Roberts deal again. If you were pursuing Roberts in this scenario you would have Theriot, Cedeno, Fontenot, and all of your other pitching and hitting prospects at your disposal to try to get him. While other teams will go after Roberts as well it remains to be seen if the Cubs have the horses to win that race.

This is a realistic scenario. You have to pay for Furcal but you have the money. You have to trade for Roberts but you have the guys to do it. This is not convincing guys to forego their no trade. This is not adding multi million dollar players who are not available or won’t come. This scenario could change everything. Imagine Roberts and/or Furcal at the top of the order in front of Lee, Ramirez, Soto, and Soriano.

Outfield

Assuming that Soriano will be here you have question marks at the other spots. I think a first step is re-signing Reed Johnson. He is a platoon guy who can play all three outfield positions when needed. I would think you would have Pie on the roster again. If you do have Roberts at 2B you can then use DeRosa in right field if Kosuke does not work. If Kosuke is hitting he could be an option in CF- nobody questions his defensive ability. You would have Soriano, Johnson/Pie in CF, DeRosa/Fukudome in RF. This is not saying that DeRosa and Fukudome will platoon.

Offensive Roster

I think a reasonable (and potential World Series winning) roster on offense would be:

• Geovany Soto
• Henry Blanco
• Derrek Lee
• Micah Hoffpauir
• Brian Roberts
• Rafael Furcal
• Aramis Ramirez
• Alfonso Soriano
• Reed Johnson
• Kosuke Fukudome
• Mark DeRosa
• Either Felix Pie, Mike Fontenot, or Ronnie Cedeno

We know that DeRosa can play many positions and give you depth in many places so he can rotate out of the outfield as needed.

Pitching staff

You would start with the contracts of Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood. I would attempt to re-sign both guys depending on what they were asking. I think Dempster is more vital than Wood but if you don’t re-sign Wood you will need another quality right handed arm in the bullpen. Jeff Samardzija looked good at times and looked spotty at other times. He is an unproven commodity. Chad Gaudin should be more effective next year as he should be recovered from injury by then. The Cubs need another left hander. Sean Marshall has been a valuable resource because he could spot start but he might be a trade focus and isn’t really a bullpen guy anyway. The Cubs need to get a strong lefty out of the pen.

As of now I have only mentioned one free agent pursuit (aside from a bullpen arm or two). But I think there is another realistic possibility out there. I would like to see the Cubs pursue Ben Sheets. I know he is injury prone, but when he is good he is an ace. You will be able to get him much cheaper than other guys and if he stays healthy he is a stud. The good thing about this is that he would be coming in as a number five. With Harden and Sheets people might say that is like counting on Wood and Prior. It is completely different. Wood and Prior were counted on as one and two. Harden and Sheets would be four and five. Imagine a rotation of Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Harden, and Sheets. What do you do with Marquis? Would it really matter?

I think these thoughts are somewhat possible and would answer a lot of questions. Perhaps in this scenario we would not have to find out what “Fool me thrice” would bring.

 When Joe asked about each of us doing a “what do they do for next year” post, I actually had no ideas. On paper, and for most of the season, I saw nothing glaringly wrong with the team as it was. They needed a centerfielder, Jim Hendry grabbed Reed Johnson, and later Jim Edmonds. A starter to help fend off the Brewers, he traded for Rich Harden. What else could you ask for? Maybe a little bullpen help, but most of the time they were fine. Do you really make a major change with a team that just won back to back NL Central titles? I don’t think so, much to the chagrin of all some of you that want major changes. My bigger gripe about the team’s failure in the post season. Management. Why in god’s name did Lou reinsert Kosuke Fukudome into the lineup? Better yet, why did he bat him second? Why would you mess with a lineup that you’ve stuck with almost the whole year, and change it for the biggest series of the year? Blame the offense all you want, I blame Lou just as much. He tinkered when it wasn’t necessary.

Here’s my realistic ideas:

• Re-sign Reed Johnson. Platoon him with Pie in centerfield.
• Make Mark DeRosa your everyday right fielder. Put Mike Fontenot in as your second baseman. You’ll get two good bats in the lineup, and a lefty which is sorely needed in the right handed heavy Cubs lineup. You lose some defense in right, but after this year, they need to reward Mark with an everyday position, not as a super sub. If necessary, go sign a Felipe Lopez, utility type player to fill the super sub role.
• Kosuke Fukudome heads to Iowa to learn American styled hitting and pitching. The Mets did it with Kaz Matsui, maybe it’s Kosuke’s time. He’s in Lou’s doghouse as it is, I don’t see this ending well, any way you slice it.
• Micah Hoffpauir becomes the pinch hitter. He’s no worse defensively than Ward. And cheaper.
• Re-sign Dempster and Wood. With the NLDS loss, they may take a hit in salary to see if they can get the job done, like they should have this year.
• Sign Jeremy Affledt to strenghten up the middle relief, and give Lou another lefty in the pen. 
• Resign Hank White. He’s a great mentor to Geo, and is one of the few people that can probably keep Zambrano under control.

And of course, some pie in the sky ideas:

• Don’t resign Dempster. Make a serious run at CC Sabathia. Heck, sign Dempster, then go get Sabathia. Get us a dominating scary #1 pitcher.
• Go balls out, and sign Manny Ramirez. Move Soriano to right field. Again, Fukudome gets to check out the cornfields of Iowa for awhile.
• Trade for Robinson Cano.  The Yankees are looking for pitching and a centerfielder. We seem to have both of those. If you trade Pie, you resign Edmonds. I think a full Spring Training will benefit him. He became a clubhouse leader, from what I’ve been told, the day he arrived.

I’ll be honest. I’d be very happy to see the same team next year, with a tweak or two. Hendry’s close, and I think this team is going to be hungry next year. Really hungry. Not to mention, the free agent crop is below average, and most of them are past their twilight years. I’m not sure it’d be worth the risk. Of course, I see a nice young power pitching right hander is available. Mark Prior anyone?

The Reds have paved the way for the Cubs to bring back Corey Patterson (Source) - Obviously you know I’m kidding when I say that, but I found it funny that amid all the rumors that Patterson was getting his freak on with Dusty’s daughter, the Reds have decided not to bring back the one time prized prospect in the Cubs system. Question of the day then becomes. Would you rather rely on Corey Patterson or Felix Pie for your centerfield future? In other news, Shawn Estes also became a free agent. Anyone interested? Anyone?

Could Jim Hendry leave the team? Anything is possible. (Source) - “In recent days, the Cubs’ brass have taken the first steps toward convincing general manager Jim Hendry to stay with the team.” Wow, that’s something I hadn’t heard before today. I thought Hendry was happy here, and maybe he is. The fact that he can opt out never even came to my mind. Awhile back some might have been in favor of this, but I like Jim Hendry and the job he has done with this team in his tenure. It would be a disaster if he were to leave this off-season, especially if it happened in December.

Rich Harden decision not made yet. (Source) - Carrie Muskat mentions that Jim Hendry is still weighing his options on this one. I’m not worried about it one bit. I fully expect him to be back and ready to go for this team in 2009. That’s not to say that I see him making 32+ starts.

I genuinely feel bad for Fukudome. - So many people have hated on the guy and trashed him. “My record as an individual wasn’t good at all, and I’m sorry that I disappointed some of the fans who had really high regards for me.” That was what Fukudome had to say and I would imagine it was a hit to the pride to say it. Call me a softy, but I’ve forgiven him for the bad season and I’m ready to embrace him come next year.

Updated 10-7-08

Catchers
Brad Ausmus (40)
Paul Bako (37)
Rod Barajas (33) - $2.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Josh Bard (31)
Michael Barrett (32)
Henry Blanco (37) - $3MM mutual option for ‘09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Johnny Estrada (33)
Toby Hall (33) - $2.25MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Jason LaRue (35)
Paul Lo Duca (37)
Miguel Olivo (30) - $2.7MM mutual option for ‘09 with a $0.1MM buyout
Mike Redmond (38) - $0.95MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.1MM buyout
Ivan Rodriguez (37)
David Ross (32)
Javier Valentin (33)
Jason Varitek (37)
Gregg Zaun (38)

First basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $12MM club option for ‘09 with a $4MM buyout
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for ‘09 with a $5MM buyout
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29)
Daryle Ward (34)

Second basemen
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Jamey Carroll (35) - $2.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Craig Counsell (38)
Ray Durham (37)
Damion Easley (39)
David Eckstein (34)
Mark Ellis (32)
Mark Grudzielanek (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Orlando Hudson (31)
Tadahito Iguchi (34)
Jeff Kent (41)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Mark Loretta (37)
Nick Punto (31)

Shortstops
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34)
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Edgar Renteria (33)
Juan Uribe (30)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.3MM buyout

Third basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Mark Loretta (37)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Ramon Vazquez (32)

Left fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37) - $14MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Carl Crawford (27) - $8.25MM club option for ‘09 with a $2.5MM buyout
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for ‘09
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Wily Mo Pena (27) - $5MM club option or $2MM player option for ‘09
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Fernando Tatis (34)

Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Mike Cameron (36) - $10MM club option for ‘09 with a $750K buyout
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - $16.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $4MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for ‘09
Fernando Tatis (34)
Brad Wilkerson (32)

DHs
Milton Bradley (31)
Pat Burrell (32)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for ‘09 with $5MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Raul Ibanez (37)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Mike Sweeney (35)
Frank Thomas (41)
Jose Vidro (34)

Starting pitchers
Kris Benson (33)
A.J. Burnett (32) - can opt out after ‘08 season
Paul Byrd (38)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Ryan Dempster (32)
Shawn Estes (36)
Josh Fogg (32)
Freddy Garcia (33)
Jon Garland (29)
Tom Glavine (43)
Mike Hampton (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Orlando Hernandez (43)
Jason Jennings (30)
Randy Johnson (45)
John Lackey (30) - $9MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Jon Lieber (39)
Braden Looper (34)
Rodrigo Lopez (33) - club option for ‘09
Derek Lowe (36)
Greg Maddux (43)
Pedro Martinez (37)
Sergio Mitre (28)
Jamie Moyer (46)
Mark Mulder (31) - $11MM club option for ‘09 with a $1.5MM buyout
Mike Mussina (40)
Carl Pavano (33) - $13MM club option for ‘09 with a $1.95MM buyout
Brad Penny (31) - $8.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $2MM buyout
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27)
Andy Pettitte (37)
Sidney Ponson (32)
Mark Prior (27)
Kenny Rogers (44)
Glendon Rusch (34)
C.C. Sabathia (28)
Curt Schilling (42)
Ben Sheets (30)
John Smoltz (42)
Tim Wakefield (42) - perpetual $4MM club option
Kip Wells (32)
Randy Wolf (32)

Closers
Brian Fuentes (33)
Eric Gagne (33)
Eddie Guardado (38)
Trevor Hoffman (41)
Jason Isringhausen (36)
Brandon Lyon (29)
Francisco Rodriguez (27)
Salomon Torres (37) - $3.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Kerry Wood (32)

Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (30)
Luis Ayala (31)
Joe Beimel (32)
Joe Borowski (38)
Doug Brocail (42)
Shawn Chacon (31)
Juan Cruz (30)
Alan Embree (39) - $3MM club option for ‘09
Scott Eyre (37)
Kyle Farnsworth (33)
Casey Fossum (31)
Keith Foulke (35)
Tom Gordon (41) - $4.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $1MM buyout
LaTroy Hawkins (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Matt Herges (39) - club option for ‘09
Bob Howry (35)
Jon Lieber (39)
Jason Johnson (35)
Damaso Marte (34) - $6MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Trever Miller (36) - $2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.4MM buyout
Guillermo Mota (35)
Will Ohman (31)
Darren Oliver (38)
Chan Ho Park (36)
Horacio Ramirez (29)
Al Reyes (38)
Dennys Reyes (32)
Arthur Rhodes (39)
Juan Rincon (30)
Glendon Rusch (34)
Rudy Seanez (40)
Brian Shouse (40)
Russ Springer (40)
Mike Timlin (43)
Ron Villone (39)
David Weathers (39)
Kip Wells (32)
Matt Wise (33)
Jamey Wright (34)

MLB4U and Cot’s Baseball Contracts were used in the creation of this list.

For the purposes of this Off-Season drill, I will assume that the Cubs Organization, under its new ownership, has beaucoup bucks; enough $$ to do all the things I suggest without blinking an eye.

Since we have two totally different performances (2008 Regular Season and 2008 Post Season) upon which to base our decisions, there will be a degree of cognitive dissonance inherent to the process. Fasten your seatbelts.

Lou says we need good pitching, good defense and timely hitting. I agree, and we’ll address each of those requirements in that order.

PITCHING
I have confidence in the starting rotation of Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano. From what I’ve seen recently Angel Guzman, Sean Marshall or Jason Marquis could be the #5 starter in 2009.

Now we get into the intangibles. Guzman looked good during his two innings in Milwaukee. I could go with him as the #5 starter based upon that. Marshall looked good in LA against the first 3 batters he faced, but then he gave up a double to DeWitt and was gone in a flash. Maybe there are some historical negatives in his resume that I’m missing. Marquis was superb against the Mets, but since then not so good.

For now I call Guzman our #5 starter and bump Marquis and Marshall to the bullpen in the hope that one or both will become the middle reliever we desperately need.

Carlos Marmol was lights out Saturday night mowing down five in a row. Neal Cotts fired three Ks in the LA’s eighth inning Saturday, but walked the only man he faced on Thursday. Decision time for King Cubbie Dude. OK, Marmol and Kerry Wood will alternate the Closer role. Cotts and Samardzija stay in the bullpen and may serve as set-up men. Gaudin, Hart, Howry, Wells and Wuertz become expendable. I keep Wells and Wuertz if I can.

Just for insurance, and to help in the eventual 2009 postseason, I sign CC Sabathia and Jonathon Broxton.

DEFENSE
Geovany Soto remains my catcher with Henry Blanco as his backup.

Aramis Ramirez remains at 3B, Ryan Theriot at SS, Mark DeRosa at 2B, and Derrek Lee stays at 1B. Cedeno, Fontenot, Hoffpauir and McGehee stay in supporting roles. Daryle Ward is gone.

Since I have lawyers, guns and money at my disposal, Rafael Furcal may be joining our infield. Albert Pujols, too.

I really like Alfonso Soriano’s arm in left field. Did you see his throw to 3B Saturday night? That was surgically precise, if there is such a thing. Unfortunately, Alfonso’s arm is attached to the rest of him, and I’m just not that fond of the rest of him at the moment. So the Fonz is gone and Manny Ramirez joins us in left field. That was easy. Kosuke Fukudome is our new center fielder. Jim Edmonds is retiring. Reed Johnson and Felix Pie will platoon right field. Unless Manny can’t make it, in which case either Reed or Felix moves to left.

HITTING
The lack of offense killed us in the postseason. Of this there is no doubt. As King, I have tried to fix that problem by hiring Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols and Rafael Furcal. In addition to those acquisitions, however, I’m gonna bust a move in a different direction.

Rather than hire guys with a history of hitting and then cross my fingers hoping they continue to hit here (I’m not mentioning any names), I’m going to invest big time and create a cabinet level hitting department. I can’t get Ted Williams to head it up, but dammit, somebody is out there who can coach and instruct and motivate and get our guys to provide the offense we need. I’m gonna find that person and build around him. And it’s gonna work. The 2009 Cubs will be a hitting machine: pre, regular and post season.

As you can see, I don’t believe in the “Fire Everybody, Start Over” method of team building. We have a good team. I want to keep the good parts and improve where there’s room for improvement.

I may travel to Arizona in February to personally oversee the implementation of my plan to dominate the world of professional baseball. I’m considering it.

So, for now, that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!

P.S. I also plan to petition MLB and insist that, henceforth, all Wrigley Field Postseason Games will be day games starting at 1:20 pm CST. Who the hell ever heard of starting an October game at Wrigley at 9:00 pm? Bad Karma. Screw the Extremely Annoying BiCoastal Media Jackals.

All year we heard that the Cubs needed a move to bring in another starter and we did. Rich Harden came in, pitched well, and in the end it was our hitting that let us down in the playoffs. Say what you will about how pitching wins in the playoffs, but the Cubs have done everything humanly possible to disprove that age old theory in the past two years. We’ve seen the team beat itself and virtually go hitless. Now, I’m proposing we fix that issue with a move to bring in some of the hitting needed.

Move # 1 - Trade Carlos Zambrano and Mark DeRosa to the New York Yankees for Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

The snag with this move is Zambrano’s no trade clause. If you can get him to waive that to have the opportunity to play for the pinstripes, this deal works. In my mind, and obviously I may be wrong on this, Phil Hughes value is lower than the Yankees would have hoped. He struggled in both the Major Leagues as well as AAA this season and forced the Yankees to turn to guys like Carl Pavano and Sidney Ponson. He and Kennedy would give the Cubs two promising young arms to begin to build around. They would be able to slot into the rotation near the back and compete with the likes of Sean Marshall and Jason Marquis for those last few spots in the rotation. Cano would allow the Cubs to have a left handed bat in the lineup that doesn’t strikeout a good amount of times. He hits for above average power and has the potential to one day be a 25 - 30 homerun guy. He’s coming off a down year and because of the need for starting pitching, becomes expendable for Brian Cashman, who loves to move the farm and leave the team with a thin prospect pipeline.

For the Cubs, moving Zambrano makes sense for the simple fact that many may not agree with. He’s now an injury risk. He wasn’t himself down the stretch and was forced to get a cortisone shot to even pitch. For years we’ve seen him take the ball each and every day and never had injury concerns…until 2008. It’s time to move him before he becomes an all to familiar problem for Cub fans. We’ve had our share of arm injuries to franchise pitchers, and I’m not in the mood for another. We had a chance to move Mark Prior back in the day for Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada. In the end, we got nothing for him. Let’s not let that happen with Zambrano.

On the Mark DeRosa front, it would be tough to lose him. He’s one of the most likeable Cubs and was one of the most valuable members of this team over the past two years. He’s versatile and has nothing but a good attitude about he. Sometimes you have to give up to get something in return, and DeRosa would be an appealing replacement for Cano in the lineup.

Move # 2 - Sign Raul Ibanez to a one year deal with a mutual option for a second.

Ibanez doesn’t get much praise as a quality left handed stick, but the truth of the matter is that he has driven in 100+ runs over the past three seasons, all while playing for a bad Seattle team. At 37 years old, he’s not going to warrant a long term deal. He would provide another quality left handed bat in the OF and could play RF for the team next year as well as fill in for Soriano in LF and Derrek Lee at 1B. What would that mean for Fukudome? Just wait and find out.

Move # 3 - Resign Kerry Wood, Ryan Dempster and Reed Johnson and pick up the option for Rich Harden.

These guys all deserve to come back and it’s important to reward them for a job well done all year. All four were welcomed surprises to the team this year and I feel all will be important in the 2009 run as well. Some may worry that Wood and Harden will break down or that Dempster and Johnson were just flashes in the pan. With any move comes risk, but Wood and Harden still have electric stuff. Dempster played a vital role as the ace and seems to have figured out his issues with tipping pitches. Johnson found a role on this team in the platoon and that can help Felix Pie in the long run.

Conclusion - The Cubs have the tools to make it to the World Series in 2009. I liked this team coming into 2008 and I don’t think it needs much tweaking. Sometimes you just go cold at the worst possible times and for the Cubs it’s happened to the bats the past two years. In my mind we were the best NL team this year and in the end, we went home early. Tough break.

That’s it for the off-season. Here is my opening day roster for the season.

Catcher (2) - Geovany Soto, Koyie Hill

Infield (6) - Derrek Lee, Robinson Cano, Ryan Theriot, Aramis Ramirez, Mike Fontenot, Ronny Cedeno

Outfield (5) - Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie, Reed Johnson, Raul Ibanez, Kosuke Fukudome

Starters (5) - Rich Harden, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Jason Marquis, Sean Marshall

Relievers (7) - Chad Gaudin, Michael Wuertz, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Marmol, Neal Cotts, Kerry Wood, Angel Guzman

Down on the Farm

In addition to the 25 man roster, we’re presented with a bright future with possible reinforcements down below. Here are some notables.

• Micah Hoffpauir (1B / RF)
• Wellington Castillo (C) - Hit .292 / .362 / .414 in AA in 57 games
• Casey McGehee (IF)
• Josh Kroeger (OF)
• Jake Fox (1B)
• Ian Kennedy (SP)
• Phil Hughes (SP)
• Rich Hill (SP)
• Mitch Atkins (SP)
• Donald Veal (SP)
• Jose Ceda (MR)
• Jose Ascanio (MR)
• Kevin Hart (MR/SP)
• Dumas Garcia (MR)
• Andrew Cashner (MR)

There’s a place for us
Somewhere, a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us,
Somewhere

There’s a time for us
Someday, a time for us
Time together with time to spare
Time to learn, time to care
Someday,Somewhere

We‘ll find a new way of living
We’ll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere

There’s a place for us
A time and a place for us
Hold my hand and we’re halfway there
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow, Someday, Somewhere

You might recognize the words to the song “Somewhere” from West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The particular version I’m hearing is by Tom Waits from the “Blue Valentine” project. (Hey, it’s my dream sequence and I can pipe in what ever music I want.)

In MY dream, however, the play is titled “North Side Story”, and the place is, of course, Wrigley Field. Someday is this past baseball season. Or the one before that. Or any season before that. Or next year. In my dream, time is pretty fluid.

The Chicago Cubs’ 2008 Postseason ended a few hours ago, but I’m feeling OK. My secret is something which I will refer to in the comedic sense as “A Paradigm Shift”.

Simply stated, I’m not thinking of this very short postseason as a big disappointment. Rather, I’m thinking of the 2008 Regular Season as the most spectacular Chicago Cubs Baseball Season of my life. I’m serious. And it works for me. I’m just happy that I was here to enjoy it.

The way I (choose to) see it, we were doing just fine, and things were chugging along magnificently, until these Extremely Vulgar BiCoastal Media Jackals appeared out of nowhere, crashed our party, and brought everything to a screeching halt. Full stop.

Because up until then, it was our party. They hijacked our party and it became their disgusting “Celebration of BS Fest”. And that’s where I get off. In case I wasn’t sure before, when I saw an entire stadium full of people waving white “Hankies”, that’s when I knew for sure that I was in the wrong place. And the directors at TBS are showing this as if to demonstrate that “something is really happening here”. Which only emphasizes that “nothing is happening here”.

I’m not going to play “The Blame Game” in trying to explain why the Cubs’ postseason ended so prematurely. I suppose there are some lingering questions which a reasonable person might reasonably ask one’s self. Such as:
- What happened to Sean Dempster in Game 1? Answer, I don’t know.
- What happened to our entire infield in Game 2? Answer, I don’t know.
- How come our leadoff man went 0 for 5 in Game 3? Answer, I don’t know.
- How come our leadoff man went 1 for 14 in the Playoffs? Answer, I don’t know.
- How come the #2 hole in our lineup went 2 for 12 in the Playoffs? Answer, I don’t know.
- Could the Cubs’ Hitting Coach use a little additional help? Answer, I don’t know.
- How come Ted Lilly and Kerry Wood and Reed Johnson saw no action at all in the Playoffs? Answer, once again, I don’t know.

I’m not blaming anyone.

The thing is, there was this enormous positive energy generated during the regular season. And then, in what seemed like only a heartbeat, all of that positive energy was redirected by events into an even bigger negative energy. But, as Albert Einstein demonstrated, energy doesn’t go away. It just changes form. Or it doesn’t.

So we can use this enormous energy, currently negative, and rechannel it into something equally but oppositely positive, like say, an artistic creation or a web site creation, or something. Or, as Duke Ellington said, you can sublimate the energy from a negative experience, using it as the inspiration to create a positive musical composition.

Or, if you are not careful, the negative energy can auger in deeper, dragging you downward to depths of depression from which you might not recover. I would not recommend this last course of action.

Like I said, I’m not gonna dwell on the Playoff Series. That was somebody else’s party. A Hankie party. I’m going back to my dream sequence, reliving the most spectacular Chicago Cubs regular season of my life.

I will leave you now with these thoughts, which have served me well over the past 12 hours or so, and beyond.

Do not underestimate the value of lowered expectations.

All good things come to an end.

Nothin’ Lasts Forever (by Delbert McClinton).

And never forget - tears are a form of wealth - you earned ‘em.