If the first month of Chicago Cubs baseball is any indication of the remaining five, it could be another very long year of mediocrity for North Side fans.

Do I hear 102 years and counting?

It’s very likely for the short and long term, considering the group of overpaid and under-performing players Cubs GM Jim Hendry has managed to assemble. But that’s old news to an equally as ancient of an issue.

For proof, one has to look no further than the Chicago bullpen where the $18 million set-up man, Carlos Zambrano, is practicing his trade these days.

Or look at the three Cub players who make up the heart of the lineup. At a club 2010 payroll of $144.3 million, up over $9 million from a year ago, the core of Cubs hitters (Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramierez and Derrek Lee)  have managed to combine for a .210 batting average, 10 home runs and 36 RBIs.

If that wasn’t troubling news in itself, consider AAD (Alfonso, Aramis, Derrek) will collect $46.75 million this year, or roughly one-third of the Cubs player payroll.

Of the three, whoever would have thought that Soriano would be the most consistent hitter of the three?  Well, he is at least for this week.  And despite his offensive production this year, Soriano’s shoddy glove work has probably given up at least half of many runs as he’s driven in.

And these three aren’t getting any younger.  At 32, Ramierez is the kid of the group with both Soriano and Lee at 34 years old.

So the question that needs to be asked - and should have been asked when these three were penning their names to long term contracts - is how many good swings do they have left anway?  For Hendry and Cubdom, one would hope many more than what they’ve shown thus far this year.

But that’s alot to ask out of Hendry.  While the Cubs’ GM has shown the occasional flash of common sense in his choice of players, there’s been more misses than hits.

Like the Cubs hitters.   Hendry, in fact, has shown the same amount of foresight in his general manager capacity as BP executives have demonstrated in planning for an oil spill.

Only Lee’s contract is set to expire after the 2010 season.  While a class act and an overall good guy, Lee has long been regarded as one of the game’s most overpaid players in terms of dollars spent for production.

Unfortunately for Lee and the Cubs offense this year, the biggest smash he’s had in 2010 came during spring training when he crashed through a chair - while sitting on it.

But there is good news.  If the Big Three’s bats eventually do get going, this could be a year worth remembering.  Maybe then, the new owners will not only reward Lee with a renewed contract, but a chair that can hold his weight.

In the scheme of a 162-game major league schedule, the opening week of the season is but a drop in the ball bucket.

Seldom are a team’s fortunes determined by what transpires during the course of those first few games.  Thank goodness that’s the case for Chicago Cubs baseball.

With today’s 3-1 loss to Cincinnati, the Cubs dropped to 2-4 overall and have looked every bit the part of a sub-par team.

All the question marks developed during spring training, Chicago seems to have forgot to leave behind.

The bullpen, which was the biggest source of doubt entering the 2010 season, has done nothing to alleviate those fears. With four of its seven pitchers with two years of experience or less , the bullpen has been borderline atrocious - having had a direct hand in three of the Cubs’ losses.

The offense, meanwhile, frankly has been offensive.  As in pee-yew. And this time there’s no Milton Bradley or injuries to blame.

In the six games, Cub hitters have accumulated 37 hits, scored a grand total of 18 runs and have stranded 37 runners on base, with 25 of those coming in two of the three losses to Cincinnati.  If not for the eight home runs from seven different players, the Cubs could easily be looking at an 0-6 start.

One can only imagine what doldrums the Cubs offense might be in without new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.  Wait.  The offense is in the same place as his predecessors, Von Joshua and Gerald Perry, had it.

And while I’m pointing out the Chicago Cubs opening week deficiencies, I’d be remiss without writing that Alfonso Soriano still can’t field, Geovany Soto’s best year is likely behind him and Carlos Zambrano shouldn’t be allowed to ever pitch an opening day ever again.

Other than all the above it’s shaping up to be yet another - unfortunately- typical Cubs season.   Then again alot can change in the remaining 156 games.