The last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series, Teddy Roosevelt was president and World War I was six years in the future. Yeah, it’s been a while.
Three years ago the Cubs made a run at the playoffs, but a couple of bad seasons and a strong NL Central have pushed the lovable losers to the back-burner of Major League Baseball. A lot has happened since their last playoff appearance though, and a new ownership group coupled with a new manager may offer Cubs fans some hope.
While this team may be a year, and one future Hall of Famer, away from making a serious run, the NL Central is wide open and this is a talented club. With their roster nearly set, it’s time to take a look at their starting lineup and see what kind of support Dempster, Zambrano, Garza and Co. can expect in 2011.