Back before we knew that Andre Dawson would be adorned in the Hall of Fame as an Expo, there was some talk that, if he went in as a Cub, the Chicago organization would honor him by retiring his jersey.

Pitcher Carlos Marmol #49 of the Chicago Cubs throws a pitch in the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field on August 28, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois.

For the first time in three years, Carlos Marmol won't have to compete for anything but a parking space at Fitch Park in Mesa.

It's hard to believe, but this will be the sixth season of Cubs baseball covered by the rambunctious writers of GROTA.

While you might not know it from that $600 home heating bill you just received, Spring Training is right around the corner.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella signs autographs after answering questions from fans during the 2007 Cubs Convention.

Greg Maddux brings more to the Cubs than his knowledge of pitching. Randy Wells can't wait to hear a few of Maddux's jokes.

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports today that the Chicago Cubs are deep in contention to sign free-agent right-handed starting pitcher Ben Sheets, lately of the rival Milwaukee Brewers.

The Mariners actually did something Friday that was harder than getting rid of Milton Bradley .

Chicagoans have had various proud moments in Chicago sports. To begin, the Bulls brought in six championships behind Michael Jordan, the Bears easily manhandled the Patriots in Superbowl for the '85 season, and the White Sox most recently won the World Series back in 2005.

We know all too well that the Cubs are financially constrained this winter. In addition to focusing on moving Milton Bradley, GM Jim Hendry has numerous issues to address on a ball club that seriously underachieved in 2009.

The 2003 season changed Cubs' fans lives forever. We all know about Steve Bartman, Moises Alou, Alex Gonzalez, Mark Prior, and Dusty Baker in Game Six of the 2003 NLCS.

For Cubs fans, the Verducci effect is an old and familiar foe, even if they have never heard of it.

John Grabow can laugh his way to the bank. According to the Chicago Sun-Times , Grabow and the Cubs have agreed on a two-year contract extension worth at least $7 million dollars, and Grabow is considered an option to take over the closer's role if Carlos Marmol's control issues cannot resolve themselves.

Relief pitching, as usual, will be one of the busiest counters in the free-agent department store.

Pitcher Randy Wells may have been the biggest surprise of 2009, winning 12 games, but it wasn't enough to give the Cubs their second straight National League Rookie of the Year.

Cubs pitcher Randy Wells finished sixth in the voting for the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award, announced Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The expanded bleachers aren't the only thing new at Wrigley Field this year. The Cubs will start the season with eight new players on the roster, ranging from vital cogs such as Juan Pierre to little-known reserves such as Angel Pagan.

The Indians jumped into the free agent market early last winter. They signed closer Kerry Wood in December at the winter meetings in Las Vegas to a two-year, $20.5 million deal.

Reports are flying out of Arizona, where the Chicago Cubs are having their first winter management meetings with new owner Tom Ricketts, that apparently 2009 hasn't bottomed out just yet.