Hendry feels good about Cubs’ chances

MESA, Ariz. — Great expectations. Low expectations. No expectations.

The Cubs have dealt with them all over the last few seasons. For 2011, those expectations tend to track somewhere between the latter two.

That seemed OK with everybody around the team Sunday as pitchers and catchers reported for spring training on a sunny, warm day in Arizona.

“We fully expect to be in contention in the National League Central,” general manager Jim Hendry said. “We don’t have any doubt we can do that.

“We felt really good about how we played at the end of last year and certainly think that we added a few people that will help take that even a step further and have no doubt with the fella sitting next to me (field manager Mike Quade) that we’ll be leaving camp ready to play good, hard-nosed baseball for 162 games.”

Over 162 games last year, the Cubs finished with a record of 75-87, and that’s one reason the expectations from the outside have been so low.

Pitcher Ryan Dempster predicted a World Series title in spring training a few years back. But that’s when the Cubs were considered to be a “good” team.

On Sunday, Dempster talked big again.

“I think it’s very realistic,” he said of the World Series. “You put in a lot of hard work. You come in here at 6 o’clock in the morning, and there are guys here working out.

“I think everybody’s goal is that. You have your individual goals, and those are great, but individual goals are just a product of ultimately trying to help the team as much as possible.

“Sometimes you say it, and you don’t really believe it. I like our team, and I like our chances.”

Pitchers and catchers will take the field officially for the first time Monday, even though most of the team has been here and working out for some time. Position players will come in late in the week.

“This is a great time of year,” Quade said. “You’re optimistic as a son of a gun. It’s great to see everybody. Knock on wood, everybody’s healthy. I’ve been through a million spring trainings, 30 of them anyway. It’s kind of the same.

“As we build into the games and decisions get made, it’ll take on a little different feel. I couldn’t wait to get here. It’s probably the first time I’ve relaxed in two or three months, if that makes any sense at all.”

Although Quade may feel relaxed, there’s no lack of pressure on this franchise to win after it missed the playoffs the last two seasons after making the postseason in 2007 and 2008.

Hendry, whose job may be on the line, says he’s not feeling it.

“I don’t think I treat them any differently going into them coming off postseason or coming off a bad year like last,” he said. “I really try to focus all winter on how we ended, which was very good, and seeing the young guys get better and seeing the veteran guys respond very well to Mike and go about our business of adding the guys we did.

“We didn’t have a ton of payroll flexibility in the off-season, and understandably so.

“The plan that we had in mind and the pieces that we needed, we felt like we did the best we could, which gives us a little more reason to be optimistic after the finish. I really don’t get caught up in the pressure of it.”