By George Ofman
Hope springs eternal. Cubs fans, of course, are eternally hopeful every spring.
White Sox fans are simply grateful they have what the Cubs don’t: a World Series title.
Welcome to spring training, where our boys of summer have designs on being the boys of October.
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The Cubs will convene in Mesa, Arizona, where trying to pay for a new facility has rankled the other 14 major league tenants who have thrived thanks to the Cubs’ existence in the Cactus League.
The Cubs have been printing money here for years. What they haven’t done is hang banners proclaiming “World Champs.”
The Sox will arrive in Glendale unveiling a new look; less power, more hitting and running and a very potent starting staff. Whether that translates into a fall classic remains to be seen.
So, who’s better equipped to make a post-season appearance? On February 17th, it’s the Sox.
Pitching still matters and the Sox appear to have what matters more than their crosstown counterparts.
They will start the season with five proven starters including Jake Peavy, who once was fancied by the North Siders. Instead, he’ll join Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Freddy Garcia in making up one of the better staffs in the game.
The Cubs will commence with three proven starters while a host of others play Wheel of Fortune for the two remaining spots in the rotation.
Ted Lilly, their most consistent starter over the past three years, continues to mend from a surgically repaired left wing. Losing him for April and perhaps part of May will tax a cloudy group which includes the irascible Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and unpredictable Randy Wells.
The list of candidates to fill out the rotation include Jeff Samardzija, Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Marshall, and Carlos Silva, whose bulging waistline and ERA was the price Jim Hendry gladly paid to dump Milton Bradley.
While this aggregate appears a bit shaky, let’s not forget a bullpen that’s anchored by a closer better suited to perform with Cirque Du Soleil. The next batter Carlos Marmol walks or hits might be the first he faces.
At least Bobby Jenks has been more consistent, though his 2009 season found a few potholes and criticism from management about his potbelly.
But Jenks has some cover Marmol does not. Matt Thronton can close and so can J.J.Putz – if his elbow remains firmly attached to the rest of his powerful right arm.
Who finishes the job if Marmol is either overworked or overwrought? The Cubs can’t really identify a replacement, which is why they tried to sign Matt Capps – who found Washington’s money more alluring. Now there’s a paradox!
The Cubs actually finished fifth in ERA last year a despite the underwhelming performance of Zambrano, and also had 94 quality starts, tied for second behind Atlanta.
The Sox were second in the A.L. and their 86 quality starts were tops. But errors and the lack of run scoring doomed the Southsiders to a 79-83 mark.
The Cubs had trouble plating runners, leaving them to languish with an 83-78 mark.
So here we are on the precipice of a season with doubts. But aren’t doubts what Chicago baseball is about?
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George Ofman is now with WGN radio after a 17-year run with The Score. He also blogs for ChicagoNow under the banner That’s All She Wrote.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on February 17, 2010