Rosenthal: Cubs Are Being ‘Undersold’

February 21, 2011 12:32 PM

Starlin Castro (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

From The Mully and Hanley Show

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After a disappointing 2010 season, and an offseason that provided provided few, if any, big name additions, there’s a sentiment that the 2011 season won’t be much better for the Chicago Cubs.

“A lot of people are downplaying the chances, saying they’re not very good,” Ken Rosenthal, of FOX Sports, said on the Mully and Hanley Show. “But a couple of things here: one, they played a lot better under [Mike] Quade; two, they have young players coming into their own who are getting better, [Andrew] Cashner, [Starlin] Castro, [Tyler] Colvin; three, I like what they’ve done in the offseason.

LISTEN: Ken Rosenthal On The Mully And Hanley Show

“[Carlos] Pena should be better. He’s not going to be great, but he should be better than he was last year. Kerry Wood is going to strengthen the bullpen immeasurably, as long as he stays healthy. And then there’s [Matt] Garza, who gives them a mid to top of the line rotation starter. So, they should be a very competitive team, assuming Aramis Ramirez stays healthy and all that. And I frankly think they’re being undersold.”

Chris Carter

They also have Kerry Woods back and he always motived the team!

Murphs Upper-Lip

Hmmm… What, exactly, is Kerrys motive???
Ralph Tresvant

He did? I must have missed that.

???

JB

Part of this “underselling” is thanks to the Chicago media: It’s all about the narrative.

The local writers/sports talkers decided months ago that the Cubs were going to be bad in 2011, (or at least markedly worse than the Reds, Brewers and Cardinals) and they are not going to let anything other than real, on-the-field success dissuade them from their conclusion.

On the flip side, many of them began planning where they were going to sit on the route for the White Sox world championship parade after the Sox signed Adam Dunn.

My point all along has been this: You can’t predict based on last season’s record and offseason moves who is going to be good or bad in an upcoming baseball season. Who predicted the Reds would win the NL Central? Who predicted the White Sox would win the World Series in 2005? Answer: NO ONE.

The White Sox have a very good team, which, on paper, should win the AL Central. The Cubs have an average team, with a lot of potential upside, should key players round into form. But we won’t know what that means until the season is played.
Toon

I am a Sox fan.
Having said THAT, sometimes I think that the Cubs are destined to be annual loosers. It’s a north side tradition, I suppose? Don’t misunderstand me, I am not “ANTI CUB”. I don’t care where the Cubs finish, or who playes where on that team. I just don’t care, but I have seen MANY teams win it all with less talent than the Cubs have had in a the past several years. The problem with the Chicago Cubs is EVERYONE EXPECTS THEM TO LOSE, including the team. There’s an atmosphere on the north side that needs changing IF that team is ever going to win. The main thing the Chicago Cubs need to acquire is NOT some hot-shot first baseman, or multi-million dollarf outfielder, but rather, a winning attitude. THEY need to believe in themselves before the first pitch is pitched in April..and KEEP ON believing. I don’t know how one reverses this trend. Maybe the new owners can do it, and for all my friends who are Cubs fans, I hope they can.
GO WHITE SOX!!!!
Jeffrey Koons

Besides the homeruns, is Pena really much of an upgrade over Lee and is Garza THAT much better than Lilly? No, and no.