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By Friday the Chicago Cubs will have already been downed two starting pitchers; Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner.

Wells has a right forearm strain, while Cashner has a strain in the back of his rotator cuff. After two MRI’s, neither player showed any structural damage. Both will be put on the DL by weeks end and are expected to be sidelined nearly a month.

This is a disastrous opening scene to the 2011 Cubs performance, as starting off strong is very important to the team and fan’s morale. After the first five games, the Cubs gained their first winning record since they rounded up their 2009 campaign.

A blow this strong at the start of the season could derail Chicago’s northsiders enough as to where they will struggle to regain the opportunity to make the playoffs by season’s end.

To replace the injured pitchers, the Cubs will recall Casey Coleman from Triple-A Iowa to take over Randy Well’s position, and likely will promote current left-handed reliever James Russell to the fifth slot in the rotation.

The 23-year-old Coleman has a lifetime ERA of 4.11, while his also young teammate Russell has a 4.76 ERA in his young career, although he has not given up a run during his two innings of work in 2011.

On the bright side for Chicago, this will give the two young gunslingers an opportunity to show off their stuff. A good showing could give Coleman a chance at a consistent relieving job in the majors, possibly outdoing pitchers such as John Grabow or Jeff Samardzija.

It may be a shame for the Cubs to lose both these pitchers while hitters such as Alfonso Soriano are beginning to pull their weight, who has already gone yard three times this young season, but it is also a chance for the fans to view their young talent and future mound-dwellers.

With a few good showings, this could end up being a devastating and disastrous hidden miracle in Wrigley.

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State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, the defending Florida State community college champions, fell victim to the surging Pittsburgh Pirates in a lopsided 21-1, 7 inning exhibition game.

The Pirates took an early 3-0 lead before giving up a run in the top of the second. Manatee CC, feeling confident, was quickly brought back down to the Earth by the Pirates’ seven-run explosion in the bottom of the second.

This leads to the obvious question: if the Pirates can beat a state champion community college so handily, then they can win the World Series, right?

Who is going to stop them? The Phillies, Yankees, and Red Sox can only dream of defeating such a talented opponent. The NL Central should now be a breeze for the team who has finished last five of the past six years.

The Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, and Astros are now changing all of their goals towards a wild card birth in hope of at least having a playoff appearance before losing to the Andrew McCutchen, who just for the record didn’t even play in the blowout performance.

Next up on the list of Pirate victims is the Tampa Bay Rays. However, the entire team is currently contemplating a forfeit after getting word of the Pirates victory over Manatee CC.

You may be considering how Manatee is coping with such a loss. Instead of the college kids moving forward with their season, the entire baseball team has been disbanded and the funds that were supposed to go into baseball are now being poured into future scholarships for their constantly competitive croquet team.

This is certainly a storyline we will continue to follow, as it could send shivers through all of the MLB.

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Chicago is spinning with excitement for next off-season, and they haven’t even been eliminated yet. Albert Pujols will become a free agent after the conclusion of this season, and some clubs have the rival right in their cross hairs. The Cardinals were unable to strike a deal with their current face of the organization and will now have to compete for his work. Pujols was reportedly seeking a 10-year, 300-million dollar contract and the Cardinals were unwilling to match it. Should the Cubs do what the Cardinals didn’t?

Think back a few years, Cub fans. Does this ring a bell? Middle-aged superstar searching for a lot of cash along with many years? Reminds me a little bit of a speedy, second baseman (now outfielder) named Alfonso Soriano. That deal hasn’t exactly panned out for the Friendly Confines. Should the Cubs take the risk again?

Obviously Soriano isn’t Pujols; they are extraordinarily different players and talents. Almost nothing between them is similar except that they both have the capability to hit for power. Currently, Pujols is regarded as the best player in baseball by many analysts, managers, fans, and fellow players. He is also 31. Assuming the Cubs, or any team, gives Pujols his desired contract, he would be 41 by the time it runs up. What are the odds that Pujols is still on the upturn at 31? His talents should, unless he actually is a machine like his nickname suggests, be dwindling.

If the Cubs can find a way to pay Pujols enough money per year for him to drop his contract to four or five years, then it would be an excellent deal. Get a veteran who can lead your team to long lost glory? Perfect. On top of that, you take away your in-division rival’s best player and soul of the team.  How much better could the Cubs have it?

It seems the Cubs are noticing their opportunity after they signed first basemen Carlos Pena to a one year, ten million dollar contract. There will be salary available and a gap at first base, Pujols’ position.

However, Chicago probably shouldn’t get too far ahead of itself. There are still 162 games left to be played before this is even an issue. The wait has begun and it’s going to be a long stretch before it’s over, and that’s exactly what all baseball fans will be doing; waiting.

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After 103 years of failure and disappointment, there have to be some excuses as to why the Chicago Cubs cannot win a World Series, let alone make it to one. Cubs fans have suffered, but remained loyal for inexplicable circumstances, including injuries and blunders. It has been a highlight reel of misfortune. This will discuss the top five reasons as to why the Cubs cannot win.

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