For the Cubs, the road ahead has plenty of potholes to avoid

If the Cubs think they've had it tough lately, they haven't seen anything yet.

A West Coast trip like the one they just had to San Diego and Los Angeles may seem like a jaunt to Club Med compared to what awaits them.

The Cubs still look from here to be the clear favorites in the National League Central. But the road ahead is paved with peril, thanks to Major League Baseball, ESPN and interleague play.

It's way, way too early to say that the Cubs are in a make-or-break period between now and the all-star break, but the coming few weeks will tell us a lot about the Chicago National League Ball Club.

Let's take a look at the possible pitfalls along the road:

The schedule

The Cubs opened with 34 home games into the first part of June, and to their credit, they took advantage with 26 wins.

From now until the all-star break, it gets much tougher.

The Cubs are in a stretch of 23 of 38 games on the road until the July 15 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

"I actually haven't really looked at it," said first baseman Derrek Lee. "I know we don't have a lot of home games the next month or so. We knew it was coming. We had our share of home games. You just take it day by day. It is what it is.

"It's never easy. You just grind it out."

Here's something else to keep in mind: Major League Baseball took away a scheduled off-day next Monday when it volunteered the Cubs to play in the Hall of Fame Game at Cooperstown.

This is the last Hall of Fame game, which has sparked outrage from many fan groups. But nobody, but nobody, but nobody connected with the real-life operations of big-league ball wants anything to do with this meaningless exhibition.

Instead of enjoying an off-day in the Tampa Bay area, the Cubs will have to find their way to Cooperstown after Sunday's game at Toronto, play this exhibition (using many minor-leaguers, no doubt) and then head to Florida when the time could be better spent healing minor hurts.

Manager Lou Piniella had hoped to spend the off-day at his Tampa home, but instead, he'll have to put on the happy face in Cooperstown.

ESPN, the challenge

Guess what? The Cubs will be on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball three times in four weeks. Yippee.

Not only did the Cubs play Sunday night in L.A., effectively ruining Monday's much-needed of-day, they'll play the White Sox on back to back Sunday nights, June 22 and 29. That's all well and good until you consider that on June 30, they play the Giants in San Francisco. That's the opener of a four-game series that ends with a 4 p.m. local time game on July 3, one day before a game in St. Louis.

The Cubs would have been better off with a day game against the Sox, which would have allowed them a little rest before San Francisco-St. Louis trip.

Interleague play

Last winter, when the Cubs found out they didn't have to play the Red Sox and Yankees in interleague play, they were doing handsprings.

Instead, they got two series against the White Sox and one each against the Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays from the American League.

That doesn't look so hot now, does it?

The Sox were supposed to be well behind the Tigers in the AL Central by now, but the South Siders are in first place, and they may well end up winning that division.

The Orioles are much improved.

And the Devil Rays, er, just plain Rays? Well, who'd have thunk?

Now, the Cubs will have their hands full against the American League.

Come the all-star break, we'll know a whole lot more about these Cubs based on what's about to transpire.