Bradley could provide some must-see moments for Cubs
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Chicago Cubs (97-64)
Lou Piniella could join Frank “Tinker to Evers to” Chance (1906-08) as only managers to lead Cubs to the postseason three straight years.
Cincinnati (74-88)
Adam Dunn is gone, but four other Reds hit more than 20 HR last year: Edwin Encarnacion, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce.
St. Louis (86-76)
Here is Albert Pujols’ rank in the NL MVP vote during his eight major league seasons: 4, 2, 2, 3, 1, 2, 9, 1.
Milwaukee (90-72)
Milwaukee led NL with 12 complete games last season. CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets had them, and they’re gone.
Pittsburgh (67-95)
Last Pirates starting pitcher to make the All-Star game: Denny Neagle, in 1995.
Houston (86-75)
Mike Hampton, pitching in the majors for first time since 2005, had more runs batted in (4) than wins (3) last year.
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KEY PLAYER / Bradley could provide some must-see moments for Cubs
Milton Bradley, of, Cubs
The television cameras ought to have a lens pointed into the Cubs’ dugout at all times for glimpses at the fascinating and potentially combustible mixture of Bradley and Manager Lou Piniella. The Cubs signed Bradley to the first multiyear contract of his career and made him their cleanup hitter, enticed by a 2008 season in which he led the American League in OPS, albeit as a designated hitter. In his seven full major league seasons, he has played for six teams, spent 12 stints on the disabled list and played 100 games in the outfield only once. All that will be forgotten, of course, if Bradley leads the Cubs to the World Series for the first time in 101 years.
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Cardinals’ season could be the swan song for La Russa
Could this be the farewell season for Tony La Russa? The Cardinals’ manager turns 65 in October, his contract expires this fall and by then he’ll have passed John McGraw and managed more games than anyone in major league history save Connie Mack. In his Oakland days, La Russa was celebrated for ripping Jose Canseco and tagging Ruben Sierra as “the village idiot,” but recently he has sniped at such levelheaded players as Adam Kennedy and Scott Rolen. La Russa, a major league manager since 1979, won two World Series championships, basically invented the concept of situational relievers and transformed Dennis Eckersley from a fading starter into a Hall of Fame closer.
