Cubs News from Arizona
I believe today is the first official workout and we're starting to get some much needed Cubs news in our morphine drips.
- Muskat says Ted Lilly was playing catch yesterday and says his shoulder feels strong. Lilly thinks he can be ready by Opening Day. The quotes from Paul Sullivan though are a bit more tempered.
"I expect to be ahead of schedule," Lilly said. "I think the real test, first, is when you get on a mound and start throwing downhill off a slope, and then when you get into a game situation and really try to dial it up. That's when you find out how healthy you really are."
- Some of the early birds among the position players include Marlon Byrd, Tyler Colvin and Andres Blanco.
- Greg Maddux is in camp. Don't get too excited that he'll ever take over pitching coach duties from Larry Rothschild though.
Now entering his ninth season with the Cubs, Rothschild has coached under three managers and will be around as long as Hendry is here.
Rumors have also been that Maddux would want a higher profile gig than pitching coach when he does decide to return full time to the game.
- Z was taking grounders at shortstop today. As one Cubs blogger noted, Z has out OPS'd Theriot over the last two years. Watch your back little man.
- Word is that the bill to keep the Cubs in Arizona has passed by a vote of 6-2. The car tax is an extra $1 on car rentals and 8% on spring training tickets. Using some fuzzy math, one representative said it's going to cost about $2.80 a person .
- Hendry is flying to St. Petersburg at the end of the week to most likely be present at Ryan Theriot's arbitration case, although he won't be doing the arguing for the Cubs. They're keeping the exact date and time a secret for whatever reason (UPDATE: flying out tomorrow with the hearing on either Friday or Saturday).
- Early contender for 2010 quote of the year by Geovany Soto responding to steroid allegations.
"I wasn't strong. I was just fat."
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