Carlos Marmol is considering not pitching in the WBC, Lou Piniella made a joke comment to Marmol that while he was away pitching in the WBC, Kevin Gregg would be in Mesa pitching 98mph fast balls. Marmol and Gregg will compete for the closers role and Marmol doesn’t want to miss a beat, however he commented that it is always hard to turn down your country. He is expected to make a decision today on whether he will pitch in the WBC or stay in Mesa with the Cubs, I’m hoping that it is the latter.

Jeff Samardzija will pitch the opening cactus league game Wednesday agains’t the LA Dodgers at HoHoKam Park. Samardzija will be vying for the 5th starters role with Sean Marshall and Aaron Heilman. The young hurler from Notre Dame will be given the ball first and asked to show what he can do. Samardzija spent the majority of last season in the Cubs bullpen so will need stretching out if he is going to be considered for the 5th starters role. Set rotation pitchers like Carls Zambrano and Ryan Dempster will now pitch until the second week of games.

Rich Harden is yet to face live hitters, Lou is holding him back to make sure that his shoulder is fully healthy. Harden will pitch two more side sessions before facing the likes of Soriano and Bradley in live batting practice. Harden has commented that he feels great, and his daily routine to get himself ready to go is working fine.

Koyie Hill and Paul Bako will compete this spring to be Geovany Soto’s backup. Bako has collected quite the number of Jerseys from being moved around so much, he doesn’t offer much on the offensive side of the ball, but he can continue to mentor Soto, who is going into his 2nd full season with the Cubs. A little bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone.

The Cubs might be looking for extra infield help, although carrying 12 pitchers and 13 position players does not give much room for Wiggle. As of right now there is not a back-up for A-Ram at 3rd base, DeRosa who took on that role last season is now in Cleveland. Jake Fox has been taking ground balls at 3rd, however with a back up catcher, Hoffpauier, Johnson, Gathwright, and either Miles or Fontenot, there is not much room left to add cover at 3rd.

Soriano can still run

Just days after Lou Piniella suggested that Alfonso Soriano might drop down the line-up, it has been commented that it would be ‘improbable’ that Soriano hits anywhere but the 1 spot. However the Cubs are set to experiment this Spring with different lead-off hitters. Lou has stated all Winter that his regulars will be getting some extra days off, a lead-off man is needed when Soriano takes to the bench, the likely candidates being Ryan Theriot and Aaron Miles.

Soriano reacted to the news by saying:

“I’m very happy — happy at how I feel [physically],” Soriano said. “I think [Piniella] saw me running, and he knows I can be the guy I was in 2001, 2002. I feel very good right now.”

Both seasons saw Soriano swipe 40 or more bases, so can Soriano swipe 40 again? i seem to think that he won’t, he has battled leg problems for the past two years, and putting pressure on him to run might not be the best thing. Although if Soriano want’s 40 bases and is healthy, he may well get them.

When Lou was asked about the possible line-up for 2009 he replied that he was leaning towards a lineup of  Soriano, Miles, Lee, Bradley, Ramirez, Fukudome, Soto and Theriot. That is one strong line-up if you ask me, left handers, right handers,  power patience and speed.

Lee has no sympathy for steroid users

On a day where Alex Rodriguez met 200 reporters to pour his heart out on his past steroid use, every spring camp had steroid clouds floating about. Unless a Cubs player is highlighted in steroid allegations, this is the only post that i will make on steroids. It is a problem in baseball, and I’m sure everyone accepts that, (well maybe everyone apart from Marvin Miller, who gave a unconvincing interview on steroids not being a problem during the Michael Kay show on 1050ESPN last week) however I’m a baseball fan, and i love the game, so i would much rather talk about the on field events rather than chime out yet another story on steroids, that people are getting very bored of hearing about.

Derek Lee, one of the most loved Cubs was asked for his opinions not only on A-Rod but on steroid users in general, and here is his reply:

“There should be zero tolerance,” Lee said. “We’ve had plenty of warnings. There’s no excuses. You get caught now, there should be no sympathy and you do your time.”

“I think a year is — if you got banned, I wouldn’t feel sorry for a guy,” he said. “Maybe if some guy got caught and truly didn’t know what he was taking, in that instance [it'd be different]. But if you’re taking steroids, there should be no sympathy.”

A scathing review by Derek Lee, who has admitted that he has been asked the point blank question of whether he took steroids, and even if he denies it, who is to believe him? Palmeiro denied it, Alex Rodriguez denied it. Every player in this era will be tarred with the same brush, if this was ‘the culture’ like Alex Rodriguez suggested in his interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, then who can we believe? that is the saddest part of this whole predicament, we simply don’t know who’s records are tainted and who’s are not.

Derek Lee is not the first person to come out and ask for harsher punishments, David Ortiz said that the punishment should be harder, Ozzie Guillen, the man who always has something to say also commented on it. I heard a fan call into ESPN yesterday, and her simple statement was, shut these players up!, i could not disagree more with this comment, if there are going to be changes to the punishment for steroid users, the players union is going to have to accept them, what better way to encourage this to happen than speak out agains’t the users. This ‘fan’ was telling players to be quiet, I would like them to be louder and more vocal on the issue.

With the Barry Bonds trial just around the corner, I’m afraid the steroid stories in the national and international media have only just begun.

Another down, three to go.

Edit- I have just edited this post, it has just been announced that Derek Lee will also skip the WBC.

Aramis Ramirez arrived at Cubs Camp in Mesa Arizona, and decided that he likes it so much he would prefer to stay instead of represent his country in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Now my personal opinion, great decision. I admire what Bud Selig is trying to do with the World Baseball Classic, especially after baseball was dropped from the 2012 Olympics in London. However the timing of the Classic could not be any worse.

It is my personal opinion that players should not be playing at such a elite level this early into spring training. There is a big difference between Spring Training games and the games at the World Baseball Classic. You risk injury to potential stars ahead of the new season, players miss time to bond in camp. The Cubs have added some vital parts of the 2009 lineup this Winter, and Lou Piniella has already stated that he would like to experiment with the lineup, how are we supposed to do this with some of the most important parts of our lineup spread across the country? It’s near impssible to get a clear view.

I like the WBC, but it’s timing makes it impossible for me to want to see Cubs players participate.

A-Ram joins several Cubs players who have opted to stay in Mesa. Ted Lilly/Derek lee and Geovany Soto currently stand as the only Cubs players planning to participate in the upcoming classic.

Last Springs Star!

Spring Training, the time where we can almost touch the season, but have to live with the fact that it is still over a month away. It is the ultimate tease, like dangling a hot dog in front a hungry dog, or like dangling a hot dog in front of a baseball fan at the ball game.

Some things have already occured during the first few days of spring training, so here is a quick round up of all that we have learned about the Cubs in 2009:

* Soriano could be moving from his favoured lead-off spot in the Cubs line-up. The Cubs were 69-36 last season with Soriano occupying the lead-off spot. With Soriano getting older and past trouble with his legs, moving him down the line-up might be the right move for Lou, taking the pressure off Soriano and the need to run.

* Last years fan favorite Micah Hoffpauier is being relied on this season to be the main power source from the bench. With Daryl Ward leaving a vacant spot was filled by the star of last Spring. He is livng proof that a strong spring can propel you into the thoughts of not just the management but the fans as well. He will also work first base and both outfield spots to give everyday players a rest here or there.

* Although Sean Marshall seems to be the leading candidate for the Cubs 5th starters role, it is by no means a foregone conclusion. Aaron Heilman, Angel Guzman and Jeff Samardzija are all eyeing the oppurtunity.

* Carlos Zambrano has revealed that he will not pitch in the WBC. He will focus all his attention on the Cubs, he also is likely to undergo LASIK eye surgery at some point this spring. He joins a list of Cubs players who have decided to give the WBC a miss this year, that list includes the likes of Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster and Angel Guzman.

* Rich Harden has commented that he is ready to go and has had a very productive off-season, and his shoulder feels healthy. Despite this he will still be watched carefully by the Cubs management.

* Unlike years previous, there have been no world series predictions by any of the Cubs players (Lets

keep it like that)

That is a very basic look at some topics right now, i will delve into more detail when there are any developments.

This is just a very quick introduction, I’m very much looking forward to blogging for majorleagueblogging.com. When i first saw this site i thought it had a lot of potential, and when i saw that i could be apart of it’s growth, i wasted no time getting in touch with Jeff Gross. He was kind enough to give me this opportunity, and i hope that you enjoy my posts over the coming season, and hopefully more.

Now just a little about myself, I am a History student, I’m 20 years old, and i love the Cubs. Over time other details will be revealed about me through my posts, but i don’t want to bore you with them right now.

Here are just a few things that you can expect to read from me over the coming months:

* All the latest spring training news from Mesa, Arizona. Which players are impressing and which players need to get in the batting cage for extra work.

* A non biased opinion on the state of the Cubs and the state of the NL Central

* A view to the past, a look at past Cubs, there influences on the team. A look at old owners and how this franchise has been shaped with there help.

* Coverage of all the games/injuried/trades and tantrums of the new season

Please feel free to  leave any comments with any questions, praise and or criticism