Enjoying the buzz
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| A Cubs fan holds a sign Friday during the 27th annual Cubs Convention in Chicago. (AP photo) |
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CHICAGO – There were standing ovations for Theo Epstein and chants from the crowd.
The Cubs’ new president of baseball operations sure got a warm welcome at the Cubs Convention this weekend from championship-starved fans who see him as a potential savior, the guy they hope will team with general manager Jed Hoyer to set the course toward the club’s first title since 1908.
“People are raving about them being rock stars,” top prospect Brett Jackson said Sunday. “We’re excited to see what kind of show they put on.”
That’s sort of the unknown as they try to revive a stale act that produced only 71 wins last season and finished fifth for the second year in a row.
Already gone are sluggers Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena along with troubled former ace Carlos Zambrano, who got traded to Miami, and more moves might be in store. Veterans could be on the way out, and the youngsters aren’t necessarily safe, either, so along with the optimism comes a certain sense of uncertainty.
The Cubs have seven possible starting pitchers on their roster, and ace Matt Garza’s name keeps popping up in trade rumors. Chicago probably wouldn’t mind unloading Alfonso Soriano and his hefty contract, either.
Who stays and who else will be gone remains to be seen, but there clearly is a different feeling surrounding this team.
There’s a buzz, a positive vibe.
After all, the new management team helped end Boston’s title drought and Cubs fans hope to see similar results. So far, they’ve seen quite a makeover.
Besides bringing in new executives, the Cubs have hired manager Dale Sveum and begun gutting the roster.
Now, they’re loading up on prospects and players coming off rough years such as David DeJesus, Ian Stewart, Travis Wood and Chris Volstad, hoping low-risk investments reap big rewards.
“With the moves they’re making – the new GM, the new president – I think that’s very good for the team,” Soriano said. “I’m very happy with the moves they made, because they’ve brought some young guys that have talent. I hope that in 2012 we play better than last year because I believe in those guys. I think that now, we have a more relaxed clubhouse.”
But no one’s safe, not even top prospects.
Jackson watched as the Cubs sent outfielder Tyler Colvin to Colorado along with infielder D.J. LeMahieu in the Stewart deal and pitcher Andrew Cashner to San Diego for powerful first-base prospect Anthony Rizzo.
“All players are tradable at any time,” Jackson said. “That’s the industry. It’s business. They’re going to do the best for their organization.”
And Jackson said he believed special things were in store for Chicago.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” Jackson said. “A lot’s unknown right now. We don’t really know the people at the top yet, but we have a sense of what they can do, as to what they did in Boston and in San Diego [where Hoyer was GM]. So that sense of excitement is there.”
