Spring thoughts

In honor of spring training, here are nine random thoughts (with a 150-word max on all thoughts). If this post feels like it’s lacking some bite, it’s because I had my teeth pulled last week and my jaw feels like it went 15 rounds with Apollo Creed.

1- Baseball is back and to be honest, I couldn’t be less excited. Sure, Opening Day at Wrigley will be fun, its nice to have Sweet Lou back in my life and I think the Cubs have a very talented club this year. But the pain of last October still hasn’t worn off on me yet, and deep down in my heart I just know that heartache can return at any time. When the games start to matter, I’ll start to really care. Until then, I’m just checking every day to make sure there are no injuries. That being said, you’ll notice the next few thoughts deal with the hardball.

2- One of the most-talked about topics in Chicago dealing with the Cubs lately has been Alfosno Soriano and his spot in the batting order. Lou Piniella said when the team got to Arizona for camp that he was considering dropping Sori from leadoff man to somewhere in the middle of the lineup. Now I know I represent the minority, but I actually like #12 hitting first. Sure, it can be aggravating when he strikes out four times a game, but when he catches fire, which he does on a regular basis, the team needs to get him as many AB’s as possible. And if he can run more, which Soriano says is a good possibility this year, it makes perfect sense to bat him first. The only other candidate to hit leadoff is Ryan Theriot, who I think should be penciled into the #2 spot in the lineup.

3- Other batting order notes: If Soriano doesn’t lead off and that spot goes to Theriot, the lineup should be Theriot-Fontenot-Ramirez-Bradley-Soriano-DLee-Soto-Fukudome-Pitcher. Piniella has to drop Lee in the order after all his power outage and frequent double-plays last year, and the only reason they signed Bradley was to get a lefty bat in the lineup, so he has to break up all the right-handers. I almost feel bad about having Soto hit seventh, but there really is no other place to put him. If Kouske has improved, that lineup will be a murders’ row for opponents. Also, I’m assuming that Fontenot wins the second base job, but if not, then I guess Aaron Miles would hit second.

4- One last thing on the Cubs, before turning my attention to hoops. I was reading about the other five teams in the NL Central and their off-season moves, and it’s even more obvious to me that the regular season isn’t of vital importance in 2009. St. Louis and Houston could be dangerous, the Brewers are in despirate need of pitching, the Reds are still short on quality arms, while the Pirates are still the Pirates. If the Cubs don’t have this thing wrapped up by September 15, something is wrong.

5- I never posted my reactions to the Bulls trades a few weeks back, so I’ll recap that here in four words: Well done Mr. Paxson. It’s not like Brad Miller, John Salmons, Tim Thomas, the two scrubs and a late first-round pick are all that great, but for what they gave up, I couldn’t be happier. Andres Nocioni had worn out his welcome, and his high-energy play had almost become an act. Drew Gooden didn’t have a future in Chicago and Thabo Sefelosha, despite being in his third year in the NBA, still hadn’t developed any sort of offensive skills. Then there’s Larry Hughes, whose only future was hanging with Nelly out in St. Louis, because he wasn’t getting on the court for the Bulls. Considering what we gave away, what we got back isn’t too bad.

6- That all being said, do I think the Bulls will make the playoffs? It’s not out of the question with the way they’ve been playing lately, but I’m not sure if it even matters this season. As I’ve said since the day he was drafted, the goal of 2008-09 is to determine who plays well with Derrick Rose and who doesn’t. Playing four extra games- and that’s exactly how many it will be because the Bulls wouldn’t take a single game from Cleveland or Boston- wouldn’t be a bad thing, but it doesn’t define if this season is a success or not.

7- When it comes to college hoops, the Fighting Illini are truly an enigma (and I mean that in a good way). They play tough, aggressive, hand-in-the-jersey defense for 40 minutes, which is rare. With the Mike’s, Davis and Tisdale, U of I has two dependable inside scorers. And their bench can go at least four deep. Problem is, none of that matters when they can’t put the orange ball through the cylinder. Most NCAA teams are filled with shooters who can’t play defense and have an ego about playing time. The Illini’s problem is that they can’t shoot on a consistent basis. In terms of potential, I think the Illini could make a Sweet 16 run. But they are as likely to be one-and-done as they are to make it to the second weekend because their offense is so shaky.

8- One team that I will guarantee will not be one-and-done is the Kansas Jayhawks, who were the most impressive team I saw last weekend. Considering the National Champs lost all five starters from a year ago, their run to the top of the Big XII is incredible. My guy Sharon Collins is making a claim as the best point guard in America with his play lately, and coach Bill Self(ish) has his squad playing with energy and passion. It’s unlikely they can make the Final Four again, but KU will not go out easy the next few weeks.

9- Finally, a few links I've enjoyed recently: An interesting obituary to an unknown legend, Stephen Colbert's rap battle and a way-too early look at college football. (UPDATE: I had to add this Scoop Jackson column that was so good it almost brought me to tears. Seriously. I'll be back later this week with another post.)