Big Red's Favorite Cubs Roster

Note: This project was pretty easy for the most part. I just haven't had the time to type it up. I mentioned this to Jake, but it's no shock that the hardest positions to come up with someone for me was Catcher, Shortstop and Centerfield. All places the Cubs have been traditionally weak and where World Series contenders are usually strong. I am also a little worried that I am a closet racist, because it seems like that I like predominantly white players.

C – Joe Girardi
Girardi had two stints with he Cubbies in the late 80s to early 90s and then again right before his retirement in the early part of this decade. While never anything spectacular at the plate, he was a true catcher in every sense of the word. He knew how to manage a staff, call a game and was solid defensively. It's also seemed like his was moral compass in every clubhouse he was in. Doesn't hurt the guy has strong ties to this area, heck, I even work with his aunt.

1B - Mark Grace
All this guy did was hit doubles (a lot of them) and play pretty much errorless infield. Every knocked the Cubs for years saying they couldn't win with Grace at first because he had such a lack of power. I find it ironic that the last two years that what the Cubs needed more than anything in the playoffs was a consistent bat from the left side. I guess you better watch what you wish for, you might just get it.

2B – Ryne Sandberg
This is a no brainer for me. Sandberg was easily my favorite player growing up. I even cried a little the first time he retired suddenly in the early 90s (Of course years later I found out part of the reason was that Gracey and half the Cubs clubhouse was banging his wife, which puts a little new spin on it). I believe Sandberg is the only Cubs position player elected to the Hall of Fame whose career spanned my lifetime.

3B – Bill Mueller
I know Aramis Ramirez ended the 30 plus year streak of revolving third basemen since Santo retired, but I think Bill Mueller would have done that for a four or five year period prior to Ramirez if not for a fluke injury. Mueller was a solid, disciplined hitter. He was on his way to a great season with the Cubbies before sliding for a foul ball into the St. Louis wall and cracking his knee cap. Cubs never really gave him a shot to rehab. A couple years later he won the batting title for Boston. Go figure.

SS – Ryan Theriot
Theriot is not the world's greatest shortstop by any stretch and is probably more suited for second base, but I couldn't really find another shortstop in the last 20 plus years that I liked better. Most people would plug Shawon Dunston into this gap, but they often forget that Dunston was one of those five-tool guys that only used about two of them well. (Although I'll admit he later in his career he became very solid for the Giants). Theriot is the antithesis of Dunston. He isn't blessed with a lot of great tools, but he gets everything out of what he's got.

Left field – Henry Rodriguez
O'Henry was always a favorite and he added some much need left-handed pop behind Sammy Sosa in the late 90s. Rodriguez will probably be forgot by a lot of Cubbie fans, but the guy hit like 75 homers in 2 1/2 years in the blue and white.

Center field - Doug Glanville
Glanville was a Cub system product that actually knew how to hit and run the bases. So of course they traded him to the Phillies for Mickey Morandini (who did have a good year or two for the Cubs) after a nice rookie season. He went on to have three or four years of 190 to 210 hits, 30 some stolen bases, batting leadoff for the Phillies. The Cubs picked him back up in 2003, but he was all used up by then.

Right Field – Andre Dawson
I remember sitting on the first base side at Wrigley as a kid and watched Andre nearly run through the wall in foul territory for a foul ball. Andre caught it as awkwardly made his way over the bullpen mounds and collided hard with the wall. The Hawk was awesome and I think most people still considered right field his place at Wrigley.

Bench
Outfielder – Glenallen Hill
Hill was a huge man with big muscles. It was great waiting to see how far he would hit it. Usually he struck out, but sometimes he really blasted it.

UTL – Mickey Morandini
Morandini was a good second baseman and good at the plate. He was also a key guy in getting the Cubs to the playoffs in 98.

UTL – Augie Ojeda
Ojeda can play where ever you want him to. He also is the underdog kind of player that comes in and everyone roots for.

My batting lineup
1. Doug Glanville
2. Bill Mueller
3. Andre Dawson
4. Henry Rodriguez
5. Ryne Sandberg
6. Mark Grace
7. Joe Girardi
8. Ryan Theriot

Rotation
Greg Maddux RHP
He's best pitcher of this area (Clemen can go take it in the ass some more). Nothing flashy, he just took the ball every fifth day and held the team to 3 runs or less.

Kerry Wood, RHP
If Woody could have survived throwing that Slurve, he'd been a hall of famer. It was unhittable when working. He was also a big game pitcher that loved the pressure.

Mike Morgan, RHP
Morgan was the poor-mans Greg Maddux. He pitched forever and for pretty much every team in the league. But he also took the ball every fifth day holding teams usually to five runs or less.

Carlos Zambrano, RHP
Zambrano is a bull that puts his head down and goes after teams, Unless he's having a psychotic episode then you don't know what the hell you're going to get.

Terry Mulholland, LHP
Muhlholland was steady for the Cubs in the late 90s, More importantly he added a left hander to the bunch something the Cubs desparately lacked for much of that decade.

Bullpen
Closer– Rod Beck
This guys looked like a biker, lived like a biker and when he took the mound you better hold on. Beck was the kind of old-school personality that I couldn't help but root for.

Reliever – Carlos Marmol
He'll be great before it's all said and done. When he's on, nobody can hit him.

Reliever – Mitch Williams
Most people forget he became the Wild Thing in Chicago before giving up home runs in the World Series for the Phillies.

Reliever – Joe Borowski
He was another guy that got a long with very little. The guy keeps hanging around getting people out at the end of games.

Manager – Jim Riggleman
Heard him inteviewed a few times and seems like a smart baseball guy just never got any talent when with the Cubs.

Pitching coach – Larry Rothschild
He's been pitching coach now for as long as I remember. That's through at least three managers, which doesn't happen very often.