Convention Notes

Some actual news has made it out of the Cubs convention. Two are obvious. One is troubling.

#1: Ryne Sandberg's jersey No. 23 will be retired. Well deserved honor and well timed.

#2: Kerry Wood will be the Opening Day starter. Fine, I guess. Win 15 or more and I'll be impressed by Kerry Wood.

#3: Corey Patterson will return as leadoff man.

I see this and I can only think:


Just brilliant to put a guy who hit close to Mendoza for the last quarter of the season, who struck out 73 times and walked 17 from the leadoff spot, who was on pace to break Adam Dunn's strikeout record, and who has never mastered the strike zone at any level above Low A, in your leadoff spot. Mark this: Korey gets 300 ABs in the leadoff spot, and the Cubs don't finish above 3rd.

Overheard

Todd Walker was on WSCR this evening. He basically said that Sosa must come clean with the whole team. He went further to state that Walker knows taht Jim Hendry is trying to "sccomodate" Sosa into making a trade happen. This sounds like a man who is supremely PO'ed at a teammate. Usually, teammates stick up for each other. Not this time.

I'll bet ten bucks that it was Walker who smashed the boom box.