Chicago Cubs

"I was a prisoner in my own city," Milton Bradley told ESPN. But that was not all he said.

He was asked if race played a role in the "city's hatred" for Bradley. The response he gave to ESPN was repulsive.

"I got the same mail Latroy [Hawkins] probably got; the same mail Jacque [Jones] got," he told Colleen Dominguez on ESPN.

News flash Milton: Cubs fans everywhere didn't hate you because you were black. We hated you because you got paid an enormous sum of money and you sucked. You sucked beyond the acceptable level of sucking.

There's an old cliche that tells us you can't teach talent.

While that may be true, some players get more out of their talent than others. To date, Carlos Zambrano has always fallen into the underachiever category.

Look, it has never been a question of whether he has the stuff to succeed; rather, it has always been a question of preparation, self-control, and health.

With Spring Training baseball getting fully underway, this is the time of year where predictions are made. Who will make the 25-man cut?

I can tell you one young kid who will for the Cubs.

Call me crazy, but Tom Gorzelanny is going to get the fifth starter spot on the Cubs' staff.

We know who the first four are. In no particular order: Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, and Wells will be the top four. The fifth is up for grabs.

Off-Speed

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , my blog covering the Chicago Cubs throughout the season.

This is going to be the first in a four-part series breaking down four positions for the Chicago Cubs.

Part one is going to be break down the Chicago Cubs’ pitching, after this article I will be taking on the infield, outfield, and bullpen.

The Cubs have been known for having solid starting pitching, and this season should be no different. Here is the expected rotation:

This is not some knee-jerk reaction to what happened in yesterday's 15-3 blowout loss to the Sox. Sure, the right-hander gave up seven hits and six runs in two innings of work, including a pair of home runs. 

But Carlos Silva has got to go.

Now this should not be a surprise to anyone who knows anything about baseball. The fact that Silva is a lousy pitcher is one of the biggest "Duh!'s" in history. It is an understatement similar to saying that Tiger Woods likes the ladies.

Ivy covered walls.

Day baseball.

Ernie Banks and “Let’s play two.”

Harry Carey and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , a blog dedicated to giving you quality Cubs content.

The Cubs were pretty quite this past off-season. They didn’t make too many moves, and the ones that they did make were more to sure up the bench rather than to provide a punch to the lineup.

This continues my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch on every team in the major leagues in installments by division. The lineups I provide will be what I predict will be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

For centuries in the United States, a certain groundhog has been granted the power of determining the birth of the spring season and the fate of the waning months ahead. 

However, fortunately for Hawks and Cubs fans alike, the Cactus League home opener has proven this devilish rodent wrong and introduced spring fever like no other can.

Seven former Hawks competed for a roster position against the Athletics Thursday, though Tyler Colvin (2006) made the most noise in route to a six-run win over Oakland.

Since pitchers and catchers reported to Mesa in February of 2004, every year has had hype of that being the year the Cubs break the curse. The year, they finally get all the stars aligned just right, get a huge amount of help from Lady Luck, and hoist the World Series trophy.