Alfonso Soriano News

Starlin Castro is the kind of baseball player that inspires introspection. At just 6'1", 160 pounds, his wiry frame doesn't belay the fleet footed fielding he's renowned for or the quick and powerful wrists that have made him a force at all levels of his professional career.

A year after doing business at an ostentatious resort perched on Southern California bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Major League Baseball is sticking with a minimalist theme for this week's annual meetings of general managers.

Like it or not, one of the keys to the Cubs' success in 2010 is a resurgence by Alfonso Soriano.

For a losing baseball team. In the middle of a recession. Who does that? "It was my idea" said new Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts, as he smiled and looked out over one of the Wrigley Field skyboxes, noting the work that needs to be done.

Now that the sale of the Cubs from the Tribune Co. to Tom Ricketts and his family is finally done ? it took only three Baseball seasons ? I?m sure Tom will be inundated with advice, which I?m sure already has poured in.

It's understandable for consumers to be happy about and test out their new purchases: Porsche drivers would want to take a spin in a new ride, new homeowners have dinner parties, and kids with new toys play with them until their parents snap.

For a losing baseball team. In the middle of a recession. Who does that? "It was my idea" said new Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts, as he smiled and looked out over one of the Wrigley Field skyboxes, noting the work that needs to be done.

The trustee overseeing jailed financier Bernard Madoff's assets has labeled the Mets winners in the epic fraud.

All you need to know about Rudy Jaramillo is that he got Sammy Sosa to pick up the balls after a session in the batting cage.

Mike Fontenot, Starlin Castro, the city of Mesa, and Mark DeRosa are the topics in this week's Inbox.

Cardinals: St. Louis star Albert Pujols had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow yesterday, with doctors removing bone chips and trimming bone spurs, and is expected to make a full recovery in time for next season.

The Cubs have run-scoring issues. They can not simply throw money at the problem, at least not in the usual ways.

Sometimes Cub fans embarrass me. Actually this is pretty typical -- if you are a Cub fan, no matter how idiotic you may act, sooner or later you'll encounter some other Cub fan who makes your face burn an embarrassing shade of red, leaving you to apologize to the non-Cub-fans around you.

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune , who seldom has a lucid baseball thought, has openly lobbied for longtime Texas Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo to come to town.

He's no Todd Hollandsworth, but he'll do. Frank Catalanotto, who holds the unofficial Major League record for surname syllables, is a free agent this offseason and couldA pop up on the radar of Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry as he looks for ways to bolster the team's outfield and add a veteran leader to a troubled clubhouse.

I used to play on a darned good recreational softball team called Chapter 11. I was the right-fielder and catcher, which provides two clues about my value to the team.

Milton Bradley's gone, and the Cubs only can hope he'll be forgotten by next spring.

Observations on the Cubs the day after it all ended: Don?t expect the Cubs to have their entire winter held hostage by Milton Bradley , as they did with Sammy Sosa in 2004-05. The situations are different.

Cubs pitcher Randy Wells was one of the few pleasant surprises for the Cubs in 2009.

The good news is the Cubs posted their third consecutive winning season in 2009, the first time the franchise has done that since 1967-72. The bad news: They didn't make the playoffs.