Chicago Cubs

2009 ended with a loss. And this season? (Cubbie Nation/file)

I really wasn’t going to do this.

This article is part two of a series of articles breaking down the Cubs' roster. You can view part one, which covers the bullpen, here.

On Monday, the Chicago Cubs will open up their highly anticipated season against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, while thousands of the Wrigley faithful pray that this is the year. And we're ready. 

Though both are often overlooked in post-season predictions, Braves fans and Cubs fans alike may see the beginning of a heated wild card race. 

Each club has a very daunting task ahead of them in 2010, with two of the most competitive divisions in Major League Baseball. 

MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom reported that Cubs skipper Lou Piniella had this to say following the team's win over Arizona is the final game of the preseason on Saturday:

"I think the Cubs, their time is coming to win the World Series. Hopefully, it's very, very, very soon."

As someone who's been waiting for 40 years, I sure hope it's soon, too, Lou.

I actually like Lou's World Series chatter. For too long, the club has been careful to avoid that talk, saying instead that the goal is to "win the division" or "have a winning season."

While it’s early in the tenure of new Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts and any opinions formed thus far are based on an admittedly small sample size, the only apparent difference between the Chicago Tribune and the Ricketts is a face with the name.

Unlike his counterpart on the other side of town, you’re not going to find Lou Piniella tweeting any time soon.

As you probably already know, Piniella responded to a minor Twitter controversy early in the spring sparked by White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who joined the social networking site to communicate with fans.

Sweet Lou has never been tagged as a web-junky, and do not expect to find the old-school manager updating his Facebook status at your local Starbucks.

I think most Cubs fans would agree that the Friendly Confines felt like an "ivy-covered burial ground" a few too many times last season.

Yes, a few players actually had pretty decent seasons and the Cubs finished second in baseball's largest division—but it just wasn't good enough.

Five games over .500 is not at all what Cubs fans, or the Cubs themselves, were expecting coming off of back-to-back division titles.

This season's team is full of new faces though, as evidenced by the finalized roster for Opening Day.

As regular readers of my stuff know, I am not a backer of Jim Hendry. In fact, I think he is one of the worst GMs in baseball.

Sure, his teams have enjoyed more success than some other Cubs general managers of recent vintage—but I think an increased payroll may have something to do with that.

Plus, it is not exactly a challenging baseline that has been established.

Look at this $140 million team full of bloated, untradeable contracts, and draw your own conclusions.

Plus, Hendry has had an unimpressive run as the club's farm director.

Cactus League action is winding down and the final roster is set. That means we can all forget about the exhibition season and focus on the games that do count.

Five days separate the Chicago Cubs from the season opener against the Atlanta Braves, and players, coaches, and fans are eager for that first pitch.

It's time to throw out those spring stats. They don’t really mean anything, do they?

Sorry, Tyler Colvin. Your team-leading .449 average and 17 RBIs no longer matter.

Congrats, Derrek Lee. Your .176 average doesn’t matter, either.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock.

The wait is almost over for Chicago Cubs baseball.  If your glass is half-full, then you're probably very optimistic about this season.

On the other hand, you might not be so rosy about this Cubs squad and might not think too much of 2010.

Either way, the 25-man roster has been finalized, and manager Lou Piniella will head out to the dugout for his fourth season on the north side.

This squad is likely his least talented in his four seasons, but anything can happen in the game of baseball.