With winter over, it's time to start thinking about baseball

Finally, after six chilly months of hibernation, Opening Day is almost here.

That's right, it's time for baseball. The White Sox open their season on Monday, April 5, against the Cleveland Indians. The Cubs also open their season on Monday, but in Atlanta. Their first home game will be Monday, April 12, against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The baseball experts haven't predicted much success for either Chicago team in 2010, but so what? The days just before the season opens are a time when all fans can look ahead with hope and optimism. It's also a time to start thinking about going to the park to support your team this year.

Here, then, is a little primer on what awaits fans at U.S. Cellular Field and Wrigley Field in 2010.

New facesBoth teams will have some new people on and off the field.The Sox have added Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen to their lineup, along with reliever J.J. Putz. Gold Glove-winning veterans Andruw Jones and Omar Vizquel will provide some help from the bench (and could make some starts, too). The Cubs, meanwhile, have added outfielders Marlon Byrd and Xavier Nady to their roster, and Rudy Jaramillo has taken over the hitting-coach duties. Arguably the biggest additions to the Cubs organization, though, are in the front office: Tom Ricketts became the new owner last year, and former pitching ace Greg Maddux was named the assistant to General Manager Jim Hendry.Oh, and you may have heard about 20-year-old Cubs phenom Starlin Castro (awesome name!), who will start the season in the minors. Should he get the call to the big leagues this year, he apparently will be the first active Cubs player to be born in the 1990s. Yikes.Promotions galore Fans of the South Siders have shown that they don't a mind a little bit of extra fun with their baseball."Our theme nights are huge," said Marty Maloney, public relations director for the White Sox.Fans will again have plenty of theme nights to choose from this year, including Dog Day on June 3; '70s Night on June 23; Mullet Night (Cub fans, insert joke here) on July 30; and the ever popular Elvis Night on Aug. 13."Besides Opening Day and the Cubs series, Elvis Night is one of the first to sell out," Maloney said.Customer serviceThe Cubs will continue a program this year designed to make going to Wrigley Field more fan-friendly. The team will choose 25 to 30 people to be "Wrigley Field Ambassadors" in 2010. These folks will be on hand at every home game to answer fans' questions, direct people around the park and generally maintain quality control in and around Wrigley on game days."If there's a problem somewhere on Opening Day, we don't want to hear about it for the first time at the end of the season," said Wally Hayward, chief sales and marketing officer for the Cubs. "The ambassadors will help bring such things to our attention immediately."Park projectsBoth baseball stadiums will look a bit different in 2010. The Cubs are nearing completion on a number of improvements. Bathrooms on the concourse level are being renovated. (Don't worry, guys: The "troughs" will remain.) A new batting cage area for Jaramillo and the players is being built under the right-field bleachers. The vintage scoreboard is being spruced up. Concrete panels on the exterior of the stadium have been removed. Ricketts, by the way, has raised some eyebrows by also pushing for a big Toyota sign behind the left-field bleachers. At U.S. Cellular, the big change will be in the Comcast Fundamentals area, which is for younger fans. A number of high-tech interactive games are being added, including one in which youngsters can listen in on a bullpen conversation between manager Ozzie Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper.The White Sox gift store behind home plate has also been remodeled, with 60-70 square feet added. Officials say the team has expanded the number of women's offerings inside.Game-day eats Food is a big part of the baseball-watching experience, and both teams have some new items on tap. At Wrigley, bison dogs make their debut, giving fans a leaner meat option. High Plains Bison All-Natural Franks will be available at grill carts throughout the park, and fans should also look out for the High Plains Bison Footlong Buffalo Dog, which is served with bleu cheese coleslaw and buffalo sauce.Also at Wrigley, the popular North Side Twist, a mammoth two-pound pretzel served in a pizza box, will be available at two stands: The Blue W at the Clark and Addison entrance and CC's Frozen Drinks on the left-field concourse.At U.S. Cellular, fans should try to visit the new Burger Barn on the 500 level, where they can dine on freshly prepared hamburgers, turkey burgers or sausage patties. The offerings at the stadium's Tex-Mex cart will be different this year, with beef, pork and chicken added to the build-your-own-burrito service.Oh, and for those of you who enjoy bringing your own food to Sox games, tailgating is allowed in U.S. Cellular lots A, B, C, D, E and F starting two hours before each home game and ending when the game begins.Staying connectedGiven the tech-obsessed world we live in, both teams offer plenty of ways for fans to follow their teams electronically. The Cubs and White Sox have pages on the social networking site Facebook, as well as official Twitter accounts. (You might have heard that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has one of them.)Speaking of Guillen, he and other members of the White Sox management team will be the subjects of a reality show scheduled to air this summer on the MLB Network. Given the colorful nature of the people involved, it sounds like must-see TV to me.Details on these and other ways to stay connected with the teams are available on their Web sites, chicagocubs.com and whitesox.com.False20001331Ozzie Guillen, the outspoken White Sox manager, will be featured in a reality show airing this summer on the MLB Network.Associated Press fileFalse