It's official

Elias Sports Bureau has reported what we have long suspected for a while......

John Grabow is fucking terrible.

John Grabow makes Baby Jesus cry.

A Terrible Public Service Ad

Jeff Samardzija doesn't deserve the nickname "Shark". To have a cool nickname you have to actually do something cool or worthwhile, and frankly, costing the Cubs millions of dollars to be a mediocre pitcher is not cool.

Nevermind he got the nickname from his football teammates at Notre Dame. If he wants to go relive the glory days back in South Bend he can "Shark" it up all he wants there. But in Chicago that nickname does not exist. Until he manages to do something worthy of being "Shark" he will be known as "Smarch" instead.

Lousy Smarch Weather

And So It Begins...

This team was awful last season.  Awful to the point that I really stopped watching after August.  On the likability scale the 2010 Cubs would rate somewhere between the 2004 Cubs and the rock bottom 2006 Cubs for least likable.

And yet, here we are, just a couple hours from the 2011 season kicking off and I can't help but be excited for this team.  Why do I find this team so much more enjoyable than the putrid version from last year?  Thinking about it, I quickly came up with a list of reasons why 2011 is so much better.

1. No Theriot.
2. No Fontenot.
3. No Sam Fuld.
4. No fans clamoring for Sam Fuld.
5. No Carlos Silva.
6. Mike Quade dropping F bombs.
7. Mike Quade actually giving a shit (Sorry Lou, but you really mailed it in last season).
8. Dempster, Garza, Zambrano, Wells, Cashner is a rotation I can endorse.
9. Kerry Wood's fucking back where he belongs.
10. Carlos Pena replaces D-Lee and will be a bigger clubhouse presence than Lee was.
11. Marlon Byrd is still around.
12. There hasn't been much news about Soriano this spring which tells me he's feeling good.
13. Darwin Barney has promise to overthrow the double-headed monster of crap at 2B.
14. Tyler Colvin will emerge as an everyday RF and Kosuke will be reduced to 4th OF spot starter status.
15. Starlin Castro is the first Cubs SS I didn't fucking hate since...Shawon Dunston?
16. Keith Moreland is in the booth with Pat.
17. Did I mention no Carlos Silva?  Well, it's worth mentioning twice.  The lousy bastard.

Look, I'm still a realist.  Do I expect the Cubs to win the division?  Yeah, probably not.  But I can see this team winning 80 games and keeping things interesting all season.

Is this the year?  Oh lord no.  But at least it should be a fun one.