1. Alfonso Soriano: As long as Soriano is batting leadoff, the Cubs lineup will never be as good as it could be. The problem is, Soriano seems to get all butthurt when he's not leading off the game. I know he missed a big chunk of time due to injury and he's a very streaky player, but the Cub offense was on a tear before he came back and it seems like Soriano may have thrown a wrench into the gears. On April 30th, the Cubs were 17-10. Soriano came back the next day, and the Cubs are 2-5 with him back in the lineup. Small sample size, but it raises a good question: Does the Cub offense play better without Soriano at the top of the lineup?
2. Lou Piniella: There's been some grumbling around the Saloon over the last week or so about the way Lou is handling the team. From his "management" of the bullpen to the amount of confidence he has in Murton and Hill (none) compared to Fontenot and Pie (too much), there have been a few comparisons to one Dusty Baker.
3. Myself: You can blame me as much as anyone else for this recent slump the Cubs seem to be in. On the 29th of last month, I made a prediction that the Cubs would go 22-9 through the end of May. Since then, the Cubs are 3-6 and now have to go 19-3 to make my prediction come true. I should have just kept my mouth shut. Remember, I'm the same guy who said the Jets would win the AFC North last year and that the Texans would go 0-16. Clearly, predictions are not my strong point.
So what is it that ails the Cubs? What should we do to get back on track? Thoughts? Suggestions?
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