- Pitching: At the top of the starting rotation, the Cubs are set with Jeff Samardzija and Edwin Jackson. Yet, what do you make of the guys behind them? And Carlos Marmol will start the season as the Cubs’ closer. My question: Really? How long will it take for Marmol to give way to Japanese import Kyuji Fujikawa?
- Distractions: The Ricketts family remains embattled with rooftop owners over plans to renovate Wrigley Field. And, there even has been talk of the Cubs moving to the suburbs. Will they grow new ivy in Rosemont? How will that play out with the Iowa tourists who annually flock to the North Side? Then, there is the ongoing talk of when/if Alfonso Soriano will be traded. If Soriano starts fast, he could be dealt in a hurry. Of course, his departure likely will leave a gapping whole in the middle of the Cubs lineup. Who’s going to trade top talent for an overpriced superstar they know the Cubs are looking to unload?
- Next up: After shortstop Starlin Castro, who will rise to the fore for the Cubs? First baseman Anthony Rizzo? He has the power to become a 30-homer ballplayer. He doesn’t have much a major league track record yet, though. The rest of the infield reads like not like a Who’s Who but, rather, like a list of from an Abbott & Costello routine: What’s on Third? Can you say Darwin Barney, Brent Lillibridge and Luis Valbuena and Welington Castillo?
The Cubs open at 12:35 p.m. Monday in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The game will be televised on WGN-Channel 9.