Fan News

As your Chicago Cubs community leader, I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day and to salute you, the Chicago Cubs fan. I'd also like to toast all of the terrific writers who help make this the best place to get your online Cubbie fix!

To all of you baseball fans in general, who stop by to read and comment on our articles, even though you may not be Cubs fans, this toast is for you as well.

Spring training is a time when possibilities are endless.

There's room for unheralded youngsters to raise eyebrows. There's room for grizzled veterans to latch on to new teams.There's even room for those whose best days were behind them to find new life.

Case in point: Corey Koskie.

Former Minnesota Twins' third basemen Corey Koskie is hoping to latch on with the Chicago Cubs as a non-roster invitee. He's been out of baseball for two-and-a-half years with post-concussion syndrome.

This year, doctors say he's fit enough to give it a go.

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In round 22, I drafted Jeff Francoeur.

Some laughed. Some questioned the call. However, as Francoeur sits in spring training with a .333 BA and a .389 OBP in 30 ABs.

I call my decision genius.

After batting just .239 in 2008, many consider Francoeur a star gone bad.

The fact is that he is a special guy. 

Francoeur has talent. He can hit. He can throw. He can track down fly balls. He has great ability. The problem is translating that into the game.

The Red Sox slipped only a little in 2008, reaching game seven of the ALCS after entering the year as defending World Series Champions. But even if the Sox hold their ground again in 2009, others appear to have gained on them.

Though Boston returns virtually the entire roster from a team that has been the class of the AL over the last two years, it failed in its pursuit of No. 1 offseason target Mark Teixeira, who signed with the rival Yankees.

And now, starting in center field, for your Atlanta Braves...

Who will that be opening day?  I don't know.

Spring training is coming to a close very quickly.  We knew going into spring that center field would be a tough battle between Josh Anderson, Gregor Blanco, and prospect Jordan Schafer.

Anyone that follows the Braves farm system knows the name Jordan Schafer.

It seems that all the management will say is, "We want to be responsible and let him mature at Triple-A before bringing him to the big club."

According to Mark Feinsand of the Daily News, the Yankees are completely ignoring the crowd of Yankee fans that want to see Joba Chamberlain come out of the bullpen and are going full steam ahead with the plan to use him in the rotation.

1. Manny being Manny

Breathe easy, Hollywood. Manny is back and hopefully better than ever.

After a rousing first act with the Dodgers in 2008, Manny returns as the superstar and the face of the Dodgers.

Like so many things in Hollywood, this has pros and cons. Manny is of course Manny...and thus will tear the cover off the ball as long as he is healthy and motivated.

But still, Manny is Manny, and is prone to cancerous and curious antics that tend to divide and hurt teams. Which Manny will the Dodgers get? Very interesting sub plot.

The last true setup man that the Yankees had was Tom Gordon in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Since then, the Bombers have had no steady option to hand the ball off to after the seventh inning.

I read an article that said that Brian Bruney was vying for the job. Check out what Bruney himself said:

Here's A-Rod on the cover of this month's Details magazine.