Ah, Opening Day. The best day to be a baseball fan, no matter which team claims your loyalties. The Cubs championship drought has been well-documented, so I won’t get into that again. But what makes Opening Day so great, especially for us Cubs fans, is the hope that this year is THE year. We all hope that “next year” is finally here. And at the start of this day, our team is in first place and poised to make a title run. It’s plainly obvious from the picture and from previous entries that I’m die-hard, lifelong Cubs fan. And to that end, I DO BELIEVE that this year is the year. We say it every year, but looking at the numbers, it’s tough to see the Cubs not making it deep into the postseason, let alone winning the whole thing. The Cardinals are going to challenge the Cubs for the Central title, which is think is good for the North Siders. But in the end, the Cubs starting rotation is too deep and the lineup is much more balanced than last year’s 97-win team. The bench is pretty deep, too. My only concern is middle relief; the back end of the ‘pen, anchored by Marmol (MARMOL!!) and Gregg, is killer; it’s just a matter of getting to those two guys.
And I’m not alone in my prediction of the Cubs going all the way. Click here for yet another reason why I like Tim Kurkjian, of ESPN‘s Baseball Tonight.
“Go Cubs, go! Go Cubs, go! Hey, Chicago, whaddaya say? The Cubs are gonna win today!”
Christopher Endrinal 
Chris, I like you, and I like Tim Kurkjian too (his book is great, pick that up if you don’t have it) but I don’t know about the Cubs going all the way. The whole “we believe even though it’s never happened” is rather charming though.
FYI: We had Gregg in Florida for two years. At times he looks like the best closer in the game, but he blows saves in streaks. Whenever he blows one, it would probably be a good idea to ignore the baseball world for at least a week.