Aisle 205 Row 8 Seat 106

April 27, 2009.

1. The Carlos Zambrano No-Hitter 2008 Statue as presented by Fisher Nuts. This is obviously going on a shelf in my office.

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"More bad times, brought to you by Van Kampen Investments."

Spring Training Meanderings

Consensus among the faithful in Arizona last weekend is that the Cubs will win the National League Central. This is because the Cubs have gotten a little bit better, while the rest of the division got worse. Of course, like every season, this one will be 162 games long - and we all know what that means: No one knows.

But putting analysis aside, one thing I noticed is that the fans seemed to feel much less urgency about this season. Last year, among the fans I talked with, there was the sense that the Cubs had to win in 2008. But the 101st season apparently brings less pressure than the one before. To me, this is a good thing. If there's one thing the collective mindset can use, it's less pressure.