Hey Kool-Aid!!!

Ahhh, yes, it's Cub Fan Convention weekend again.

Hope springs eternal.

Theo's stalker is locked away and it reminds me again that on our adults-getaway trip to the Dominican Republic this past November, all the help at the hotel only knew two things about Chicago.

Sammy Sosa and Alfonso Soriano.  Gee, thanks for that, you can keep them.  In fact, they'd make good bartenders and vibe managers.  Go for it sparky!!

Well, I said it last year and I'll say it again this year.  It probably can't get worse and, we're starting to see that Theo, Jed, Jethro and Granny aren't afraid to shake it up so that if it does all go boom, well, they can fully take the blame OR (hopefully) the credit.

But I am hopeful.

• Hopeful that they they win more than 61 this year.
• Hopeful that they might find something called a reliable closer and solid mid-relief bullpen.
• Hopeful that they can offload Alfonso sooner than later in the season even though he keeps insisting he's here for the last 2 years of his contract.
• Hopeful that a team of no-namers (for the most part) can beat the rest of the malaise that is the National League.  It really shouldn't be that tough.
• Hopeful that Samardzija doesn't think that a fake girlfriend is going to win him any awards.  He's the Shark, not the Catfish.
• Hopeful that I really don't hate the fact that they've brought back Dontrelle Willis too too much; that is, if he can even make the squad this year.
• Hopeful that Robin Yount realizes that most guns of any kind are illegal in Chicago and to keep his hunting exploits of accidentally shooting Dale Sveum only on their trips.
• Hopeful that Jim Deshaies isn't too much of a homer like Brenly but also that he realizes that he's really the ATBNL (announcer to be named later) in the fake firing of Milo Hamilton in 1984 which really was a trade to the Astros.
• Hopeful that the new guys Valbuena and Jackson earn the money that they're getting paid and don't sit back and suck it up.  Valbuena is only on a one-year contract (wow, see THAT Jim Hendry, you can do that in MLB) so management is playing it smart where they can.
• and finally, Hopeful that I can get to 2 or 3 games this year.   After a 11-year run, we didn't renew.  Not because we didn't want to but frankly, when they suck this bad, no one wants to own 25% of a season ticket and further many people don't want to buy the tickets off of you and would rather you'd just gift them away.

I know I can be a real negative nancy at times.  I used to have this nickname called the "Angry Fan" because frankly, I demand more.  I demand more for the 3+ generations of my family that have loved the organization and want demons to be put to rest especially in the face of continually increased pricing in tickets.

There was roughly a three year plan with Theo and this would be season number two.  80-85 wins would be a good way to test whether or not this three year plan is in full motion.  You usually need 90+ to get to the playoffs, so just missing and being in the hunt so the ballpark is 95% full in September is a really good indicator.

We'll see.  I'll still be watching although forgive me if I just take a couple more games this year watching the Class A club for the Cubs, the Kane County Cougars.  Another indicator of the future is the farm system.  It's been a bit of a wasteland as of late, the Cougars will be a good litmus test.