Byrd third so far not so good for Cubs

It's a tricky spot for Cubs manager Mike Quade, to be sure.

He's got veterans he doesn't want to lose, and egos to massage.

But it's been apparent for about a month that Starlin Castro will wind up batting third for the Cubs, be it this season or next.

Castro's going to be a star and once it's acknowledged that he's their best hitter, it's only a matter of time before the Cubs put him in the No. 3 hole.

Quade's got a lot to manage before he does it, including expectations, and has to guard against the notion that he's planning for the future by placing Castro where he's going to be for years to come.

But Castro should be in the right spot regardless of whether the Cubs think they can win the World Series in 2011, and whatever they determine that position to be, he should get there and stay there.

Castro's afraid of nothing and pennant race or not he can handle the pressure.

Part of the problem is the lineup also lacks a natural leadoff man and a No. 2 hitter if Castro moves.

It's also not an easy call for Quade to make because of the messages he has to avoid.

If he does it too soon, some crabby veterans might whisper it's a panic move.

If he waits too long, it smells of Lou Piniella sleeping in the dugout, but Quade's shown already that he's not going to sit around and wait for something to change, and Marlon Byrd hitting third didn't work last year (batting .227 with a .572 OPS) and it's not working this year (.167, .333) against teams that finished a combined 61 games out of first a year ago.

Quade seems like a sharp enough guy so the guess here is he'll find the appropriate time to make the right move.

Truth in advertising

Mike Quade does a lot well as a manager, but he's got some Lovie Smith in him when it comes to the post-mortem.

Cubs fans are more realistic and discerning than he might realize, and they can handle it if the manager says a game was bad or a particular play was handled poorly.

It's hard to imagine Ozzie Guillen, Joel Quenneville or Tom Thibodeau putting a happy face on an ugly performance, and Quade doesn't have to do it, either.

But as long as he's addressing mistakes behind closed doors, that's the most important thing.

Confidence boost

The White Sox needed good starts from Carlos Quentin (.545) and Gordon Beckham (.455) more than any other players, and they've gotten precisely that.

If these two can stay out of their own heads, it bodes well for the South Siders.

The other hand

Will Ohman had a rough end to spring training and after 2 bad outings to start the season the Sox are a bit concerned.

“We are only carrying 11 pitchers. We can't have somebody up every time he pitches,” said manager Ozzie Guillen. “We only have so many guys out of the bullpen. I expect him to do better.”

Ivan Boldirev-ing

It's been a difficult few months for Blackhawks fans, who found themselves dreaming of a repeat during an eight-game winning streak, and now are wondering if they can get out of the first round.

The reality is that when you lose the kind of depth they've lost, and have cap problems that aren't going away, the stars have to be great every night and expend a tremendous amount of energy while taking serious abuse.

It's convenient to criticize their effort, but it's more case of them being exhausted and beat up.

And that's no surprise at all.

Roster mistake

The Florida Panthers had to play a man short Saturday in their 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh because of management incompetence — or perhaps an early tee time.

The Panthers sent winger Patrick Rissmiller back to Rochester on Saturday and flew in Tim Kennedy for the Pittsburgh game. But Florida failed to put Kennedy on re-entry waivers and therefore he was unable to play.

Since Rissmiller was already gone, the Panthers dressed injured forward Shawn Matthias and sat him on the bench to reach 20, though he obviously never saw the ice.

Flipping

So far, the ESPN baseball booth of Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine is a huge upgrade over the Joe Morgan/Jon Miller slobberfest.

Hershiser's always been good and Sunday the three men put forth an honest broadcast of an MLB game, praising when appropriate and criticizing when necessary, rather than apologizing and making excuses in the style of Miller and Morgan.

Carlos Pena

Obviously too early to know how the Carlos Pena experiment is going to turn out, but he's an easy guy to root for. Class act, good teammate and great defensive player, here's hoping Pena finds his bat this season.

Best line

NBC's Jay Leno: “A man in Ohio received a cable bill for $16 million. When he called customer service, they told him that for another $8, he could get the NFL package.”

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: “Knicks clinch first playoff exit in seven years.”

And finally ...

Miami Herald's Greg Cote: “A Sports Illustrated poll asked 138 NBA players to name the league's most annoying coach during games, and Orlando's Stan Van Gundy won big with 65 percent. Didn't think the number would be that high. The vote must have included Magic players.”

brozner@dailyherald.com

Ÿ Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's “Hit and Run” show at WSCR 670-AM.