Chris De Luca: Worst-case scenario, the Cubs spend $289,000 this season on veteran center fielder Jim Edmonds. Which, come to think of it, also describes the best-case scenario.
De Luca: Somewhere after asking about blow-up dolls in his clubhouse and profanity-laced tirades by the manager, White Sox general manager Ken Williams got around to the topic he really wanted to discuss Tuesday with Ozzie Guillen.
Chris De Luca: Mike Cameron was sitting in the visiting clubhouse Wednesday at Wrigley Field, rummaging through boxes of new spikes, as his new Milwaukee Brewers teammates strolled by, offering a steady stream of congratulations.
Chris De Luca: Alfonso Soriano braved the icy winds Tuesday at Wrigley Field to undergo the last major test on his strained right calf and was cleared for leadoff. So when Soriano comes off the disabled list Thursday for the finale of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, he will go right back into the leadoff spot in the Cubs' lineup.
Chris De Luca ranks Wrigley, the Cell and the other 28 ballparks, plus offers his first impressions of new Nationals Park.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella issued the warning in spring training: Don't overlook the St. Louis Cardinals in a National League Central that was supposed to be ruled by the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.
Chris De Luca: Joe Girardi sat in the Yankees dugout Tuesday evening chatting about Chicago's fickle weather. He looked around, took a deep breath and was happy to be sitting in this spot -- even if it was on the wrong side of town. North Side, South Side, it didn't matter to Girardi.
Felix Pie steps into the batting cage, and Cubs minor-league hitting coordinator Dave Keller says a few things in English, a few things in Spanish and watches. Pie takes his swings in batting practice, and Keller says a few more things in English and Spanish but mostly watches.
Chris De Luca: Definitely no Johan, Pedro or Moises. Finally Joba is back. But maybe no A-Rod. And Farnsy is on thin ice. On the flip side, you can count on seeing Reyes, Jeter and Joe. Most important, the baseball planets line up in a very strange way this week, with both New York teams bringing their collective circuses to town.
There was a point during the winter meetings when the White Sox -- from chairman Jerry Reinsdorf down to the coaches on manager Ozzie Guillen's staff -- thought they had sealed a deal for slugging third baseman Miguel Cabrera. Guillen already was telling reporters where Cabrera would hit in his lineup and how many home runs he would blast at U.S. Cellular Field.
Chris De Luca: Felix Pie had started in center field for six of the Cubs' first 13 games, and just the day before, manager Lou Piniella stressed that the highly touted prospect would start each of the three games against the Cincinnati Reds. By Game 2, Pie was gone. And he's not starting today, either.
