Is this the year of the Cubs?

Answer 1

I am a Yankee fan through and through, but I do think the Cubs are moving in the right direction. Hopefully Sweet Lou can come on board and make some changes. Soriano is a great player. Personally, think the Yankees should have never traded him. So, I think the Cubs will have a better season. I do think it will take them time to build but the are on their way.

Answer 2

Absolutely not. Kerry Wood is moving to the bullpen, and Mark Prior will not be ready for the start of the season. Right now, here is their projected rotation:

1. Carlos Zambrano
2. Rich Hill
3. Wade Miller
4. Sean Marshall
5. A host of Double-AA pitchers

Who is the Cubs closer? Ryan Dempster. Good luck with that.

Stocking up on power hitters will not win you a championship. Pitching wins championships. The 2006 Yankees had the greatest lineup I've ever seen. They got shut down by a fine pitching Detroit team. The White Sox lineup is awesome. They didn't make the playoffs because their pitching faltered. Same with Boston. How about the New York Mets? Loaded with power, but lost in the playoffs because of lack of pitching.

To me, the Cubs are a third-place team at best.

Answer 3

This year - 2006 - has been the year of the Cardinals.

Next year - 2007 - is the year I think you're asking about.

And it's always about "next year" with the Cubs, isn't it? It has been, what? 98 years since they won a World Series? 61 years since they've won a pennant? History alone says, "no, it will not be the Cubs' year."

Another strike against them: their starting rotation. Carlos Zambrano is awesome, but after him... not so much. I would be surprised if Prior and Wood combined for 15 wins (I would be surprised if they combined for 25 starts, to be most honest). Glendon Rusch? Wade Miller? Any one? And there is not a whole lot they can do through free agency. Even if they were to sign, say, Barry Zito, they still wouldn't have the best rotation in their division - maybe not even the second-best.

On the plus side: Derek Lee. All together now: "when he's healthy..." Also, Aramis Ramirez... "when he hustles..." Piniella... eh, I don't know.

Don't get too excited about Soriano. If he's so great, why are teams so willing to part with him? I suspect Cubs fans are going to be mightily disappointed.

The best case? The Cubs win another weak NL Central. But no way do they win the pennant. The gods forbid it.

Answer 4

My God, you Cubs fan get so excited before every year, it's so funny. Here is the thing, you can count on Soriano, Lee or Ramieriez getting hurt. Second, Wood will fall apart....again. third, if you want to win you have to have some pitching. Basicall now the Cubs are going to loose 9-8 every game. The Cubs will fall apart, it's their destiny. I wish I could have season tickets sitting with the Chicago Tribune company, that would be amazing.

Answer 5

Every year the cubbies win 5 straight and every cub fan starts talking about the World Series.It takes more than one yr . to become a contender.You certainly don't want to end up a looser,like the Detroit Lions,and making a laughing idiot of themselves.

Answer 6

they are going to miss the pitching again. Having confidence in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior is just dumb after all that happen to those two. Zambrano is a great pitcher, but he´s not enough to carry on the team. No matter how much offense or Lou dosis those dudes get, they are destined to be losers if they don´t get good arms. If they sign Zito or Schmidt, other thinks will happen.

Answer 7

Only if they do something about their pitching which right now only has one good starter. One good starter isn't much help if you don't have a couple of others and right now the Cubs just don't have the horses.

Answer 8

dont Cub fans say this every year and they wind up being even crappier the year before?

Answer 9

The chances are better now that Lou is on board. (Single most important factor?) They might just squeek in a World Series title before their Century of Losing passes.

Answer 10

well i am a cubs fan so i say yes