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Chicago Cubs

Curse No More?

The Chicago Cubs will enter the 2007 MLB season with an anticipated hype. They are now fighting to be Chicago’s best team, and it feels like there is no more curse on this ball club.  Will the Cubs live up to the high standards set out for them? This Cubs team is looking to rebound off a dismal season, finishing at the bottom of the NL Central. Knowing that the expectations are heavily surrounded amongst them, how will they respond when all eyes are on them?

The Cubs health is a major factor on how they play. Their health last year proved to drop them all the way to the bottom of the divison. Mark Prior is a key concern, knowing that he has major potential, despite becoming injury prone. If this team stays healthy for a majority of the season, they should be contenders in the National League throughout the year.

The Cubs lineup is not amazing, but it consists of depth at each position. With the addition of Alfonso Soriano over the off-season, the Cubs are a team to watch out for. Soriano is capable of 40 stolen bases,  40 homeruns, 100 RBI’s, along with a decent average just under 290.

Aramis Ramírez finished off the year with very impressive numbers, consisting of a 291.avg, 38 homeruns, and 119 runs batted in. He started last season off rocky, but he came together in the middle of the year and went on a hot streak. Can he keep up that up this year? The answer is yes. He should be fine with the protection he receives in the Cubs lineup, so expect numbers near 30 homeruns, 110 runs batted in, a 300 avg. Remember the season Derek Lee put up two years ago? He put up monster numbers which shocked the entire baseball world. Although, he was injured for a majority of this season and his numbers were greatly declined. This year, he seems to be healthy and determined to help this squad down the strech of the season. Michael Barrett, Jacque Jones, and Matt Murton are also substancial pieces of this Cubs lineup due to their patience at the plate.

Carlos Zambrano anchors the Cubs rotation with all-star caliber season from the following year. The Cubs ace concluded the year with a record of 16-7, and posted a 3.41 ERA. Zambrano is also a strikeout machine, collecting 210 K’s over the course of last season. The Cubs 2nd starter, Mark Prior, has a big fat question mark all over him. His stats over the course of next season will be determined by the health status of his shoulder. According to Rotowire.com, Mark Prior’s shoulder is making good progress. This is a step in the right direction for the Cubs because of the injury plague season Prior had last year. The addition of Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis were two great signings by the Cubs, because they are both two acceptional pitchers who tend to have winning records. The lefty pitcher Rich Hill is another Cubs star on the rise, and is a highly favored prospect. Expect him to have a pretty good year as well.

As for the bullpen is concerned, it seems to be a quite bit inconsistent. This is because of the play of Ryan Dempster, who seemed to blow a save every game last year. He ended the season off racking up a 4.80 ERA, which was a major negative impact on the Cubs. Although, the Cubs bullpen is present with great pitchers this season. Some of those pitchers are Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, and Neal Cotts. These three pitchers are a major part of this bullpen and add depth and stamina to this team.

Now, all we can do is wait. The Cubs and the White Sox are cross town rivals, but can the Cubs really take over the city of Chicago with a great season over the course of the upcoming year? Can “The Curse of the Cubs” be gone for good? All of these questions and more will be answered, as the 2007 MLB season unravels.

6 replies on “Curse No More?”

I dumped it… due to multiple spelling errors.  Also, the voice in the article is very passive.  For instance:

“and it seems to feel like there is no more curse on this ball club.”

I would choose “it feels like” or “it seems that” instead of both the words “feels” and “seems”, each of which are passive and unsure.

Also, try not to say things that are obvious, such as:

“They are now fighting to be Chicago’s best team,”

That is true every season in every city with more than one team. Also,

“The Cubs health is a major factor on how they play.”

This, again, is true of every single team, in every single league, in every single sport.

Keep working on it.  Nice job with the stats and paragraph breaks.

Great Job  I think thatjohnnyrico’s comment were not based on errors, but personal suggestions. I think that you should ignore what he has to say because I think it is a great article about the Cubs because it gives me an in depth analysis before the season. Try to practice your writing by creating more articles daily. This one has my vote.

actually… Johnnyrico’s comments were all dead-on, if not harsh enough. The analysis was pretty good, but the writing/spelling/grammar was just not good at all. Not a front page article. It has front-page potential solely based on the analysis, but as of now, it’s barely a section article in my mind.

P.S. It’s not healthy for the site to suggest that writers ignore other members’ comments and suggestions.

nice work hey man, nice job on this article, very detailed. this is jordan ((brandons friend)) i like this piece of work. i just put one up myself…take a look

thanks Thank you, hope we keep and touch in the future and I will be sure to read and vote for your articles soon.

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