The Cubs are out of contention to make the playoffs in 2010. I think the most promising thing that Cub fans can look forward to, is Lou Piniella leaving at the end of the season. Piniella is a deflated manager and has lost that fire over the last few years. He is by far the worst post game (next to Ozzie that is) interviewee in baseball.

The Cubs are having a horrible year and for a lot of reasons, but most significant, the pitching, which is ranked 21^st in MLB. The hitting is not doing that great either, ranked 15^th in the league.

The Cubs need to make some moves over the winter in order to keep pace with the Cardinals and Reds. I am not sure what moves they feel will make a difference.

The Lovable Losers haven’t won a World Series in 102 years. The last time they won, your grandparents were probably born (1908).

Cubs (47-63) and 15.5 games back from the Reds who are currently winning today’s game against the Cubs 10-4.

They acquired Lance Berkman, Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood, but nothing has improved. Berkman just is not hitting and Kearns is a part timer. Wood has showed some progress and it could help the Yankees down the stretch.

The Yankees are waiting on a healthy Andy Pettitte, and reliability from A.J. Burnett. Alex Rodriguez has been quiet, but hopefully he can get hot soon. Derek Jeter at 36 is not having a Jeter type year. His offensive numbers are the lowest in his career. From Sept. 13 on, the Yankees play the Rays seven times and the Red Sox six times. Curtis Granderson has been a disappointment, but there’s still time for him to salvage his sub-par season.

The Yankees have a few things going for them. Mark Teixeira is getting hot, but he needs to have more multiple hit games to raise his .258 batting average. Nick Swisher is the Yankees Co-MVP so far and has carried the bombers up to this point. Swisher is batting .297 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI. Robertson Cano is the other Co-MVP who leads the Yankees in batting (.328) and has 21 home runs and 71 RBIs.

The Yankees will need the Rays to trip in order to stay on top of the AL East, but that’s a tall order considering how well the Rays have been playing. They were 4 games back of the Yankees at one point, but the Rays erased that quickly.

If the Yankees could have signed Cliff Lee, things would be much better in the Bronx.

Congrats Alex Rodriguez on your 600th Home Run!

Lou Piniella’s

A team that has not been crowned a champion for more than a century, and not even Piniella could muster the challenge.

He won two World Series with the Yankees as a player and managed the 1990 Cincinnati Reds to another championship. The 116 regular-season victories his 2001 Seattle team put up will be nearly impossible to top. Piniella has 1,826 wins as a manager, 14th most in history. Nine ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame. Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre will be there. Only Gene Mauch isn’t, and his winning percentage was .483. Piniella’s is .519.

That’s a great resume, but for Cubs fans, it is meaningless. Oh Lou, what will you do? Who knows, but surely the man who once had a fiery attitude, has faded into a smoke signal and hopefully he will challenge himself to the greens and not ever another diamond.

Good luck sweet Lou!

I would trade this inconsistent fool for Cliff Lee in a blink of an eye. At least Lee is consistent and he is a gamer.

Burnett has given up six runs in just 3 innings pitched. He also gave up back-to-back jacks in the third inning to Ryan Howard and Jason Werth.

Burnett gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings in the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to the Orioles on Thursday. This is the worst team in baseball. The Yankees need to think about trading Burnett for a pitcher that’s consistent and who can eat up innings.

Bye-Bye Burnett! Like Ralph Kramden from the Honeymooners would say – “You are a bum!”

I am venting for every Yankee fan that feels the same way I do about AJ.

The Orioles fans are left without chance and can only wish for something to change. They have a team batting average of .251 which is ranked 24^th in the MLB. There pitching is just as bad, in fact, it’s worse, with a team ERA of 4.60 which ranks 25^th in all of MLB.

The Orioles will have the third pick in this year’s draft which is less than two weeks away.  This pick ought to be a pretty big deal in the history of this organization.  It is the highest pick the Orioles have had since they selected Ben McDonald first overall in the 1989 draft. Could this possibly be a franchise player that could change the face of the Orioles? Let’s hope so for the fans.

In 1990, the Orioles selected Mike Mussina 20th overall.  But in the 19 drafts since then, the Orioles have been mostly a story of ineptitude in the draft.

We can only hope for change, but it will be a long time before anything improves for this organization.

Pujols slaps two homers in the Cardinals opening game and he is already off to a hot start. On the other hand, Josh Beckett just got richer. The Red Sox agreed Monday to a $68 million, four-year contract extension with No. 1 starter.

The poor Cubs just got rocked by the Braves 16-5 in their opener. Their ace, who? Oh yea, Carlos Zambrano pitched 1 and 1/3 innings giving up 6 hits, 8 runs and 8 earned runs. I am sure this wasn’t what Zambrano was expecting. Jason Heyward, who had a run-scoring single in the eighth, was 2-for-5 with four RBIs.

Cub fans, it may be EARLY, but just count after me….101…102. The 1908 World Series is significant for being the last World Championship the Cubs ever won.

Hang in there fans because you never know what may happen.

Last year, he was one of the worst designated hitters in baseball – hitting .214 with a .735 OPS, the worst numbers of his career – while playing an injury-shortened 114 games.

Ken Griffey Jr was expected to break Hank Aaron’s home run record, but injuries hurt his chances. He missed a lot of games in 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. In those years he missed time, he averaged only 77.8 games played. If he was to average 35 home runs per year during those injury years, he would have had 725 home runs for his career. Yes I know Barry Bonds holds the record, but that record should be accompanied with an asterisk (*).

I still own three Upper Deck rookie cards. I hope that one day they will be worth a lot more, but I doubt it, they way over produced baseball cards in those days.

The Kid is 40 and it makes me feel old as I was 27 when he first came up. Where does the time go?

He had a Hall of Fame career based on the number below;

Games 2638, AB: 9703, Runs 1656, Hits 2763, 2B 522, 3B 38, HR 630, RBI 1829, BB 1762, SB 182, AVG .285, SLG .541, OPS .912

He is a first ballot Hall of Famer for sure!

The Detroit Tigers are prepared to offer Johnny Damon $14MM over two years. This would make the Tigers the favorite in signing Damon, but that could change at any time.

Don’t hold your breath for a Damon signing. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that nothing is imminent with the Tigers.

If the Tigers get Johnny Damon, it would likely solve the Tigers’ lack of left-handed bats in the lineup.

James Schmehl of MLive writes: Unlike former Tigers left-handed All-Star Curtis Granderson, Damon doesn’t have to be pulled from the lineup against left-handed pitchers. He’s an equal opportunist, hitting .291 against righties and .283 against lefties in his 13-year career. If he doesn’t make a start, it’s because he’s 36 years old — not because of a pitching matchup.

Damon’s presence could also result in one of three things for Raburn. Raburn could transition into a full-time utility player, making scheduled starts at third, first, left and center field. He could also split time at DH with Guillen and, occasionally, Magglio Ordonez. Or, he could platoon in center with Thomas. The latter would likely result in rookie Austin Jackson not making the 25-man roster.

Of course, if Jackson is sent to Triple-A Toledo to start the season, Damon would likely hit leadoff with second baseman Scott Sizemore batting No. 2.

I think the Tigers are putting too much into a 36 year old left fielder with no arm and at the end of his rope.

It’s not the hatred that you read from time to time, but it’s the passion the fans have for their teams. It is fun to read the smack talk, it rejuvenates the sport of baseball. Yes, both teams have cash and yes both teams have cocky fans and you know why? Because we have the buying power and our owners have a passion for winning. There are many other team owners that just pocket their money and don’t care about the fans or winning.

I have been a Yankees fan since 1967, but guess who my favorite player is of all time? I know, you’re thinking Thurman Munson or maybe Don Mattingly (who should be in the HOF!). My favorite player of all time is Yaz – Yes, Carl Yastrzemski. I loved his swing and how he approached the game, a true professional.

The 2010 baseball season should pave way to smack talk between these two cities and that’s what makes baseball more exciting!

The Yankees and Red Sox made improvements this winter, but who will win the AL East and the biggest prize, the World Series. I am routing for my Yanks, but the Red Sox will be pulling at our coat tails all year, unless injuries come into play for either team. There are a couple of unknowns this year for both teams, but that will soon change.

Let the games begin!!!

The Philadelphia Phillies seem strong in 2010 and will more than likely be the team to beat. I do see the Phillies back in the World Series, but I am still scratching my head over the Cliff Lee trade for Roy Halladay. I am sure we many Philly fanatics are feeling the same way, but you do have one of the best and most consistent pitchers in all of baseball.

Here are my predictions by division for the National League.

National League

East

Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) – With the addition of Roy Halladay and the Phillies are departure of Cliff Lee, the Phillies haven’t lost much in the pitching department and maybe are a little better. The offense is strong top to bottom. I see Philly back in the World Series and only the Cardinals can challenge them.

New York Mets (89-73) – I know this is a stretch, but this team had the injury bug in 2009. They have added Jason Bay for some needed offense. I know Mets fans were very disappointed this winter and expected much more activity. If they stay healthy, they could be a wild card contender.

Atlanta Braves (83-79) – Whatever happen to the mighty Braves? This was a team that was rich in pitching for many years. I am not sure if Derek Lowe is the answer because of his age (36) and his high 2009 ERA (4.67). They lost Javier Vazquez to the New York Yankees and added Melky Cabrera to roam the outfield. This is still not enough to contend in the east.

Florida Marlins (80-82) – Not seeing much from the Marlins. They will not improve on their 2009 record of (87-75). They will struggle this year and may have attendance issues as well.

Washington Nationals (71-91) – They traded Nick Johnson to the Yankees and added some relief help, but it’s just not enough. They will improve over last year and with veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez can only help the pitching staff.

Central

St. Louis Cardinals (93-69) – They’re a lock to win the central with such a weak division. Pujols will once again be dominating and if they resign Matt Holliday, they should be the team to beat in the central.

Chicago Cubs (85-66) – The poor Cub fans will just be let down again for another year. The Milton Bradley deal didn’t do any good for the Cubs other than getting rid of a head case. Marlon Byrd will help, but they will need more of the same. Sorry Cub fans!

Milwaukee Brewers (79-83) – Prince Fielder will once again carry the team as much as he can, but the pitching has many question marks. Mike Cameron departure sure doesn’t help things and that’s why I see the Brewers worst off than 2009.

Cincinnati Reds (78-84) – The acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. who is a multi-position player that adds depth. The Reds have nothing this year to challenge for the division. They may win 80 games, but that’s about it.

Houston Astros (71-91) – Sell-Sell!!! Astros owner Drayton McLan was looking to sell the Astros, but that seems dead now and so does the Astros 2010 campaign. Put a fork in them, it’s over before it even started.

Pittsburgh Pirates (60-102) – At least Pittsburgh fans have their Steelers and Penguins. They will lose 100 games this year.

West

Los Angeles Dodgers (94-68) – Still the team to beat in the west, but the Rockies will breathe down their backs all year. Manny Ramirez will be the center of attention and who knows if Manny will be Manny this year. The offense is good with Matt Kemp, James Loney and Casey Blake.

Colorado Rockies (89-73) – The only hope is to get a wild card berth unless the Dodgers fall enough for the Rockies to contend. Todd Helton will need a big year to keep them competitive. They still need to add pitching depth before spring training starts.

San Francisco Giants (83-79) – Mark DeRosa certainly helps with offense and a player who can play 3B/RF/LF/1B/2B. The Giants will just break .500 in 2010 and for the fans, it will be a long season.

Arizona Diamondbacks (77-85) – They will be better than 2009 with the addition of Edwin Jackson, but not good enough.

San Diego Padres (76-86) – Not much to talk about and a very inactive winter for the Padres. They will be the cellar dwellers of the west.

What are your National League Predictions?