Chicago Cubs Baseball

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.