Your 2011 Chicago Cubs

Opening Day is tomorrow, the team is set; so let's take a look at the players who will break our hearts this season. I find it interesting that I have a card of almost every player in a Cubs uniform and had to use only a few from previous seasons. The off-season moves they made were done early enough for Topps to get cards out for almost everyone.

OUTFIELDERS



Alfonso Soriano....don't know what to expect here, but he sure seems to have his best years behind him.



Kosuke Fukudome....I now know how to say "Over-hyped" in Japanese....Fukudome



Tyler Colvin....he did some nice things last season; now let's not be a one season wonder!



Marlon Byrd....our lone All Star from last season tore up the Cactus League this spring.



Reed Johnson....returning to the Cubs as a back-up outfielder....I love this card from 2009....and I love any player that wears stirrups!

INFIELDERS



Aramis Ramirez...he will definitely need to rebound from a sub-par 2011



Starlin Castro....keep hitting and improve in the field please....but remember, he just turned 21 a couple weeks ago.



Darwin Barney...the surprise of the spring is that Barney will get most of the playing time at second base. The Cubs are going to be very inexperienced in the middle infield....hope that doesn't come back to bite them



Carlos Pena...so we replaced Derrek Lee with a guy who hit below the Mendoza line.



Blake DeWitt....who lost the second base job to Darwin Barney, but has at autograph card.



Jeff Baker....your utility man

CATCHERS



Geovany Soto....who was much better last season than in '09....we need more of that!



Koyie Hill...who still finds a way to make the roster despite a wet noodle for a bat

STARTING PITCHERS



Ryan Dempster, the new #1 man, although he has been the #1 guy for the past three seasons



Carlos Zambrano....a new, happier Carlos....at least for a couple weeks



Matt Garza....we shall see



Randy Wells....needs to forget about 2010 and pitch like he did this spring



Andrew Cashner....did a nice job out of the pen last year and hopes to repeat that success as a starter. The big question is does he have the stamina to start?

THE BULLPEN



Carlos Marmol....fewer walks this year, please!



Kerry Wood....welcome home!



Sean Marshall....our LOOGY, was really good last year, but hasn't had a Topps card yet this year.



Jeff Samardzija....this may be Spellcheck's last chance to prove he is a major league pitcher



John Grabow...the #2 lefty in the pen



James Russell...another lefty....don't expect too much, hope to be pleasantly surprised.





Marcos Mateo....the last man on the staff....last year had a 5.82 ERA in 21 appearances....will need to improve on that....the only player without any Topps card, so I made a couple cards for him. There is a Topps 2011 base card and a Heritage card complete with crappy fake background.

I have no idea what to expect from this group. As usual for a Cubs fan, I will hope for the best but expect the worst!