So tell me again why Rich Hill was pulled from the rotation? I know that he’s been pounded this year, but I think I’d rather have him in the rotation and take his lumps and save Jon Lieber in the bullpen. He’s been successful in that role all season.

Lou, get Rich Hill back in the rotation, he’s the franchise.

Are you looking for a fast, easy way to track baseball scores on your phone? So was I. So I created one. It’s called MyMobileScores and it launched Wednesday. I’m blogging about it’s development, new features and general other stuff at my professional blog over at http://www.k3ndall.com.

It’s not full-featured yet and there is work to be done to make it better and easier to use. But it’s up, and it works. I’d love your feedback.

The site currently works with iPhone and iPod touch (for sure), Windows Mobile (I think). Support for the Palm Treo is in the works, but just haven’t gotten there yet.

Last night Felix Pie came up in the 8th inning with 2 men on, and I whole-heartedly expected him to strike out. It’s what he’s been best at in his major league career.

I know that he has been working with Lou Piniella (and most recently with minor league hitting coordinator Dave Keller) trying to straighten out his swing and get everything figured out, but he just hasn’t produced. Until last night. His home run barely cleared the basket in right field, but it may as well have been onto Sheffield Avenue. The ‘fun’ came with Pie’s huge smile and first-pumping rounding of the bases showed that he was making progress and starting to see results. If Pie can become the 5-tool threat that he’s been advertised as, the Cubs have their leadoff hitter and centerfielder for a long time. An outfield of Soriano, Pie and Fukudome for the next couple years, sounds pretty good.

Congratulations on your progress Felix, but let’s not call Cooperstown yet.

Brian Kersey/AP

In 2008, there are high hopes. The thing that people seem to be talking about is the 100 year drought for the Cubs winning the World Series. Of course that is a big deal. Any team that has such an infamous drought is bound to draw attention, but that is really a non-issue. The World Series drought has nothing to do with this year’s team.

The Cubs spent a ton of money last off season to bring in Alfonso Soriano and locking up Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano. This off season the biggest addition was Kosuke Fukudome from Japan. Fukudome gives the Cubs a solid left-handed bat and a dependable right fielder.

The starting rotation for Cubs will be a strength again. Led by Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill, the Cubs will have plenty of starting pitching. Rounding out the rotation are former closer Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis. The bullpen should also be a strength. Jon Leiber, Sean Marshall, and Bob Howry will take the Cubs from the starters to the shut down tandem of Carlos Marmol and newly named closer Kerry Wood. If Woody can remain healthy, he will provide the Cubs a dominant closer. If he does run into some health issues, look for Marmol to slide seamlessly into the closer role, with Howry moving into the setup role.

If there is one thing that I’m a little worried about with the Cubs is depth at infield positions. If something should happen to Aramis Ramirez or Derrek Lee, I wonder about the long term back up for either position. I know Mark DeRosa can back up either 1B or 3B, but I think he’s more valuable at other spots in the infield.

I think the pitching staff looks great and the lineup top to bottom is solid. They could use a bona fide lead off man, but I think they’ll be able to get enough guys on base, and score enough runs with their lineup as is.

What do you think is in store for the 2008 Chicago Cubs? I’d like to hear your predictions.

This is just another example of a suit who doesn’t understand the Chicago baseball fan trying to wring more cash out of his investment.

Zell, who is the CEO of the Tribune Company, is planning on selling off the Cubs and Wrigley Field separately , undoubtedly to maximize his profit. He’s a businessman, that’s what he does. We get it. Little does he know, Wrigley Field is a baseball icon. There is a reason you’ve never heard of the “Ralph Lauren Polo Grounds”. I understand that this type of thing is prevalent is sport all the way down to the scoreboards in high school gyms. There’s one difference, there are no high school gyms that are international icons (to my knowledge). Yankee Stadium is Yankee Stadium, of course it’s sometimes called “The House that Ruth built”, but then again, Wrigley is referred to as “The Friendly Confines”.

All in all, it’s a bad deal. The place is packed every game of every season, and will continue to be. What more do you want from it? It’s not an amusement park like some of the modern ballparks, and it shouldn’t be. It’s a baseball stadium.

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The Cubs have signed left-hander Jon Lieber to a one year, $3.5 million contract.

That seems like an awful lot to pay a 37 year old, injury-prone starting pitcher. But it does add some depth to the rotation. Apparently Lieber will be competing for a starting role. In his contract there are some performance bonuses. Lieber was one of my favorites back during his first stint with the Cubs. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy who, when healthy, eats up innings and gives solid outings. That’s what the Cubs need at the tail end of their rotation. Like I said, might be too much to drop on a pitcher of his caliber, he went 3-6 with a 4.73 ERA last year for the Phillies. If he can stay healthy, it’s a great move.

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The Cubs have reached an agreement in terms with Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome will most likely play right field in Chicago, replacing the dearly departed Jacque Jones. He played centerfield in Japan, but will likely move to right because of Felix Pie. The good news is that if Pie sucks again this year, the Cubs can just move Fukudome to center and find some other mope to play right. Possibly Matt Murton (not a mope). Either way, the Cubs get a solid left-handed bat in their lineup. Probably the top of the lineup. He can hit for average and he has a little bit of pop. He hit .351 with 31 home runs and 104 RBI and was the MVP of Japan’s Central League.

Word is that he’s a mix between Ichiro and Hideki Matsui. Umm… Ok. Yes please. If you can mention this guy in the same breath as Ichiro, I want him on the Cubs. Ichiro is the best pure baseball player I’ve ever seen play (Jerome Walton notwithstanding). Ichiro gets on base all the time, he can pick it wherever he plays in the outfield and Hideki Matsui just produces runs. If Fukudome can do those things for the Cubs, they have just improved their lineup in a huge way.

There are a couple things that scare me about Fukudome. He’s 30 and he’s coming off elbow surgery. Definitely makes a Cub fan nervous.

Omar Infante’s time as a Cub wasn’t even long enough for him to don a uniform. He and lefty specialist Will Ohman (6-8, 4.33 ERA for his career) were dealt Tuesday to the Braves for pitching prospect Jose Ascanio (1-1, 5.06 ERA in 2007). Ascanio is a 22 year old right hander with a “power arm”.

This trade will affect the back end of the bullpen for the Cubs. Ascanio could emerge as a setup man for whoever closes games. I like this trade. I’ve never been a fan of Ohman. There was a period of time this year where he seemed to be the pitcher giving up crippling runs. Of course he also got guys out when he needed to down the stretch. But I’m glad he’s gone.

As for losing Omar Infante, I liked him giving the Cubs depth in the infield, but I would rather have a solid arm at the tail end of the bullpen.

Woody’s coming back! Monday, the Cubs signed Kerry Wood to a one-year deal worth $4.2 million. He’ll be in the thick of the Cubs closer debate. He worked in 22 games in 2007 out of the Cubs bullpen. He had a 3.33 ERA and a 1-1 record. If Wood can regain the “stuff” he had early in his career, he would be a great closer. We all know he can’t throw more than 25 pitches without his arm falling off. So the closer role might be perfect. Whether or not he can change his outlook will be the key to his success. He didn’t pitch in back-to-back games at all this season. If he’s gonna be the closer, the Cubs are going to need him to do that. All that being said, I’m glad Woody is back in the fold. Anyone who smashes Sammy Sosa’s boom box is alright in my book.

Jacque Jones and Craig Monroe are gone. Daryle Ward is coming back. The Cubs pick up Omar Infante in a trade with the Tigers for Jacque Jones. This is a good move. Jacque Jones contributed some key hits over a stretch this summer. But, since the Cubs brought him in, he’s been a disappointment. He’s a strike out looking for at-bat. He plays moderately good defense, but overall he wasn’t a great addition. Omar Infante is a solid, young utility infielder.

Shipping Craig Monroe to the Twins couldn’t have happened soon enough. Not that he wasn’t ok, but the Cubs already have a crowded outfield. They don’t need Monroe to crowd it even further. The deal with the Twins was for a player to be named later, and frankly, it doesn’t matter who it was. Hopefully they’ll pick some young farm hands while the Twins grab some insurance for possibly losing their All Star centerfielder Torii Hunter.