Feeling a Draft
Cubs' Scouting Expert Goes with His Gut

Jerry Lai/US PRESSWIRE

One of the Cubs' main problems has been that they don't draft well, but the Cubs insist scouting director Tim Wilken is turning the ship around. Cubs GM Jim Hendry says Wilken belongs "in the upper echelon of the game the last three decades." OK, sorry, but are we missing something here? Is the unproven Tyler Colvin — with his .154 batting average with runners in scoring position — a sure thing? Is Josh Vitters, currently batting .270 in Double-A ball, really better than the Braves' mega-stud Jason Heyward (who the Braves tabbed 11 picks after the Cubs took Vitters)? We're willing to give it a shot, but let's not go overboard here.

Daily Herald: Cubs scouting director doesn't worry about what 'experts' say
MLB: Draft Preview: Cubs hope for more fast risers
CSN Chicago: Cubs, White Sox gearing up for draft

Ice, Ice Baby
Cubs Should Climb on Hawks Bandwagon
Everyone in Chicago has caught Hawks fever, but some say the Cubs should be especially jazzed about the Hawks' Stanley Cup run. Why? It's kept people from focusing on how abysmal they've been. Or so says the write-up on the Beachwood Reporter, where Jim Hendry is referred to as "the Cubs' architect of calamity." Other strong words include calling Wrigley Field "the mausoleum on Clark and Addison" and "a manager whose days have passed him by and a GM who ruined this aggregate after the 2008 season." Yeeowch.

The Beechwood Reporter: Chicago baseball goes bust

Please Mr. Postman
Trib: Cubs Can't Escape Huge Contracts
This week's Paul Sullivan mailbag doesn't have very good news for the team, although maybe that's no surprise given their 24-29 record. One reader asks how the team can get out from under the huge contracts of Soriano, Zambrano, Ramirez, et al. Sullivan's news isn't very encouraging: "Looks like no way out of most of them, so the Cubs are going to have to hope this teams rebounds," he writes. Sullivan also notes that Starlin Castro is batting .243 in the number two position, but .343 in the eight hole. Good to know.

Chicago Tribune: Paul Sullivan's Cubs mailbag

Hotel Arizona
Mesa Makes Its Move to Keep Cubs
The Cubs played a little hardball with Mesa, Arizona, trying to get some civic assistance in putting together a new spring training facility. The bait: Do this or we'll move to Florida. Well, it looks like the Cubs' plan worked: The city has announced a new plan to help pay for a new complex. It involves a new tax on hotel beds and other various efforts, including selling some city-owned rural land. "March is our spring Christmas, and the Cubs are Santa," city manager Chris Brady said. This spoken like a man who doesn't understand the term "leverage."

ESPN Chicago: City has plan for new spring complex
Bleed Cubbie Blue: City of Mesa has new plan to keep Cubs in Arizona

Rock and Grohl
A Few Precious Moments with the Famous Foo Fighter
Man does not live by Cubs news alone. So every now and then, we'll run a story that's worth reading on its own. Maybe it's about the Cubs, maybe not. Maybe it's about sports, maybe not. Today, we see what it's like to get behind the curtain of fame and try to interview a rock star. Turns out being a celebrity journalist ain't all it's cracked up to be, although we learn Dave Grohl is a decent guy.

The Rumpus: How Dave Grohl taught me to stop whining and...

The 2010 MLB draft begins on Monday... ESPN weighed in on the Derrek-Lee-to-the-Angels rumor, and they're a little skeptical.

Submit your Rant on Facebook
*Don't be a Sox fan... be clever. If it's smart enough, we'll publish it here.
What's this?