Yeah, he's aged a bit. Wood's injury is probably a good metaphor for what to expect from the Cubbies in 2007.
Look, as a Red Sox fan, I root for the Cubs to end their “curse” (which, in reality, is not a curse but a sustained record of futility due to poor management, inferior players, and certain fans who don't know where the foul line is). With the Red Sox and White Sox now having won titles, I feel badly for the Cubs are now an orphan of futility. That much said, I’m marveling at how people expect the Cubs to improve significantly this year from last year’s 96-loss debacle. True, the Cubs threw around more money this offseason than Mark Foley at a Tiger Beat convention. However, just because they spent money doesn't mean that they did so wisely. In reality, the Cubs are closer to a 96-loss team than a division champ.
First, the good news - Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez will be back for full seasons after injury. Plus, there's $300 million worth of shiny new free agents to oooh and aaah at, and the manager with a proven record of success. But let's look deeper, shall we? The lineup has some impressive cogs (Lee, Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano). However, unless Felix Pie cracks the opening day lineup, there are no table setters in the 1 and 2 holes. In all likelihood, they'll be forced to lead off Soriano, which is not where he should be because he's a producer and not a table-setter (as his lifetime .325 OBP will attest to), and is better utilized down in the lineup.
Now, the (really) bad - this team will have a defense like a company softball team after 3 beers. Other than Lee and Cesar Izturis, the defense is incredibly subpar. The outfield may be historically bad. For now, the plan is to play Soriano in center field, a position he's never played before, with stone-legged Matt Murton and baby-armed Jacque Jones flanking him on either side. I give credit to Soriano for trying to play left field last year in Washington. However, the key word is "try." Soriano practically needs a seeing eye dog in the outfield, and asking him to patrol center in Wrigley with so many blinding sun matinees would have been like like asking Harry Caray to drink O'Douls - it's a square peg in a round hole.
Of course, the outfield D may not matter if the pitching staff lets batted balls go over those ivy-covered walls. Carlos Zambrano is, of course, a stud, but what follows him? Ted Lilly? Hey, let's spend $10 million a year for a pitcher who has control issues and gives up too many homers to righties and put him in a homer-friendly park! Jason Marquis? ERA over 6 last year - let's give him $21 million! Rich Hill/Sean Marshall? Not yet proven. Mark Prior? Ah yes, the prodigal son. The odds of him being healthy for a full season are slightly better than that of Tim Hardaway attending a GLAAD meeting. Now, Wood gets hurt - again.
So, the possibility exists that the Cubs may not be that good. But they can recover via good managing, right? Um, don't hold your breath. Any manager would have a hard time overcoming shaky pitching and porous defense, and Sweet Lou is no different. If anything, Piniella's noted temper may alienate his veteran-laden club once the errors start kicking in (as opposed to his most recent stint in Tampa, where the young players were simply scared of him). Carry some Old Style in the dugout, Lou - you may need it, or you'll end up looking like this by May 1.
I do hope that the folks in Wrigleyville have an enjoyable season, and I hope that they can reverse all of the bad karma emanating from their goat-stained world. Going to Wrigley is still one of the greatest sporting experiences a true sports fan can ever find, and I hope that they can take solace in that. The Cubs did make a concerted effort to get better in the offseason, but their big splash may in the end be a thud. In their attempt to get to the promised land, something tells me that the Cubs will slip and fall right out of the gate like Kerry Wood out of a hot tub.
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