Questions center around Cardinals rotation -- Yet, there are obvious questions this season.

Carpenter is the staff ace, winning 15 games last year, but the rest is wide-open. Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes likely will fill out the next two spots. But no one has any idea who'll be the fourth and fifth starters. Jeff Weaver, Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis are all gone. Mark Mulder isn't expected to return until close to the All-Star break.
[USA Today]

Cubs, Prior reach $3,575,000, 1-year deal - Right-hander Mark Prior and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a one-year deal Wednesday and avoided salary arbitration.

[Chicago Sun-Times]

Bob Feller was one of the game's finest pitchers, and he served our country admirably during World War II. He is also an example of why the Veterans' Committee has no business deciding who gets into the Hall of Fame.

Cub Town's Phil Bencomo spoke to Feller recently and asked him about Ron Santo, whose omission from the Hall of Fame is "the most egregious mistake ever made by the Baseball Writers Association of America." Said Feller, "I think Riggs Stephenson has a much better chance of getting in than Ron Santo. Ron Santo is borderline, and he may make it. I predicted it and hope he does. ... I have put his name on my list ... I hope he can make it, and I hope Riggs Stephenson makes it, as well as Lefty O'Doul and two or three others."

Oh, boy. The same person who complains about pitchers not throwing complete games in today's game thinks that two position players who rarely played full seasons should be in the Hall of Fame. Both O'Doul (career 143 OPS+) and Stephenson (130) could hit the ball. But O'Doul played in at least 140 games in just three seasons (he got a very late start after failing as a pitcher in his 20s); Stephenson in just two seasons. Santo did that in 12 seasons, hitting almost as well on a rate basis (with peaks just as high or higher), and playing great defense at a more important defensive position.

Does anyone know which team has the most former Chicago Cubs players on their roster?

I checked a few team rosters and found 3 ex-Cubs on the Dodgers and Red Sox, and didn't see any on the Cardinal's roster.

Kenny Lofton and Sammy Sosa show up on the Ranger's roster. That looks interesting.

How 'bout those Padres! Greg Maddux, David Wells, Todd Walker, Jose Cruz...

The Marlins have a familiar name or two on their roster... Sergio Mitre... does Dontrelle Willis count as an ex-Cub?

Didn't see any familiar names on the A's.

Where are you finding former Cubs in the MLB for 2007?

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Photos from Ryne Sandberg's Chicago Cubs jersey number retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field

The call to arms is a very costly one

By Al Hamnik/Times Columnist

Sample:

"When you can throw the ball left-handed and get it over the plate with regularity, you're a very valuable commodity," former Cy Young winner Steve Stone said.

I wondered if retired big-leaguer Dan Plesac was considering a possible comeback.

Read entire article at:
http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/01/24/...

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Photos from Ryne Sandberg's Chicago Cubs jersey number retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field

Rumors abound that the Bulls may trade for the Grizzlies' Pao Gasol. The Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith, who usually seems willing to trade anyone on the Bulls for a star like Gasol, says giving up one of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, or Luol Deng may not be worth it:

So who needs Pau Gasol?

Not a team that runs out the league's best team the way the Bulls did Thursday night, dominating the Dallas Mavericks in a 96-85 victory.

Right?

Not the way Ben Gordon blew by dazed defenders and pulled up for killer jumpers on the way to 30 points.

Not the way Luol Deng slashed and lasered his way between Dallas' big men for 21 points and nine rebounds and not the way Kirk Hinrich stepped out for a pair of devastating three-pointers down the stretch after the Mavs got within three.

To open up a spot on the 40-man roster, the Cubs released Glendon Rusch today. That signing did not work out so well. The 40-man roster still has one player too many.

PECOTA projects Floyd at .265/.344/.461 next season. Those numbers could be even better if Lou Piniella severely limits Floyd's at-bats against left handed pitching. For each of the past five seasons, Floyd's OPS against righties has been at least 100 points higher than his OPS against lefties.

UPDATE (9:20pm): Contract details, courtesy of the AP:

SI.com has published Rivals.com's 2007 team recruiting rankings. Florida is no. 1.

Here's how the Big Ten stacks up:

12. Illinois
14. Michigan
19. Ohio State
21. Penn State
22. Wisconsin
30. Iowa (Go Hawks!)
44. Michigan State
46. Northwestern
54. Minnesota
60. Indiana
62. Purdue

SI.com's E.M. Swift on why the Chicago Bears will win the Super Bowl:

Chicago Bears fans, poor souls, must be asking themselves, why, oh why, should Lovie and the gang even bother showing up in Miami?

I don't know any Bears fan wondering that.

Offense drives television ratings. Defense wins championships. Yes, the Colts have a juggernaut, boasting the NFL's third-best offense. Yes, Manning is a great quarterback who is headed for the Hall of Fame. Guess what? So was Dan Marino. You can get there without winning a Super Bowl. New Orleans was the NFL's top offense this season, and Drew Brees was the only quarterback in the league to throw for more yards than Manning.

Baseball Analysts' Bryan Smith has posted his top 75 prospects list, and the two Cubs with food product last names (at least if you ignore pronounciation) make an appearance: Felix Pie at #34 and Donald Veal at #47. (Hat tip: The Detroit Tiger Weblog.) Just two players -- and no honorable mentions -- is a bit disappointing. It's a good thing the Cubs have money to burn.

Former Cub Mark Bellhorn has signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Bellhorn had one of his bad years last year, posting a 66 OPS+ with the Padres in 288 plate appearances. Both of his good years -- 2002 (Cubs) and 2004 (Red Sox) were quite good.

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal gives us four teams that could surpise in 2007 (in a good way). The Cubs are ineligible because of the money they spent this offseason, but there is one NL Central team on the list: the Milwaukee Brewers.Rosenthal writes:

The Brewers will be a popular choice as the sleeper of 2007, even if one rival executive already says that they are "overhyped." Still, a rotation of Sheets, lefty Chris Capuano and righties Jeff Suppan, Claudio Vargas and Dave Bush could make the Brewers formidable, perhaps even a worthy challenger to the Cardinals in the NL Central.