Cubs' Lee looks to recover his power stroke this year

MESA, Ariz. - Derrek Lee was as stumped as anyone by the way the Chicago Cubs fizzled out in the playoffs two years running. They were swept away both times in the first round, right on the heels of a division title.

"Did our season really end?"' Lee asked himself. "That's how I felt the last two years."

And inquiring minds wanted to know: Just why did the team play so poorly once the regular season ended?

"We need to let it go and move on, but it does come up sometimes," the Cubs' first baseman and clubhouse leader said. "You get questions from friends and fans, like 'What happened?' I really don't have an answer for them. It's frustrating, especially two years in a row."

Lee, who won a World Series title with the Marlins in 2003 - helping Florida beat Chicago in the NLCS with timely hitting - is starting his sixth season with the Cubs.

The Cubs made numerous changes in the offseason. The major ones were bringing in mercurial outfielder Milton Bradley and saying goodbye to fan favorites and strong teammates like Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood.

"I'm going to miss those guys, I really enjoyed playing with those guys. - It's not easily recouped, these guys were core guys in the clubhouse and on the field."

But Lee made it clear that adding the switch-hitting Bradley's talent and his fiery demeanor is something that might make a difference.

"I think he'll help us," Lee said

Lee would like to be more of a help at the plate himself this season. He batted .291 with 20 homers and 90 RBIs last season, but struggled in the second half. He hit .266 after the All-Star break with just five homers and 34 RBIs. He also grounded into 27 double plays last season.

"I just wasn't getting hits, so then you start trying stuff and I just kind of got out whack. It's kind of a grind every day," Lee said. "The second half I just never found a groove."

With his struggles in the second half, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Lee's power numbers were down for a second straight season. He hit 22 homers in 2007, one season after he broke his wrist. In 2005, he won the NL batting title at .335 and had 46 homers.

"He hits a lot of balls hard on the ground and line drives, so to hit more home runs he needs to elevate the ball more," manager Lou Piniella said. "He certainly has the power and the bat speed to do it, but I don't have an answer on why. I would think that the wrist injury that he had hasn't helped the situation."

Lee has never used his wrist as an excuse for his power drop-off and said he's not concerned about the home runs. In fact, hitting coach Gerald Perry won't even let him say the words "home run" this spring.

"You just want to get on base and let the home runs happen," Lee said. "When I'm swinging the bat well, I think I'll hit the ball out of the ball park."

After deciding not to participate in the World Baseball Classic, Lee will turn his energies toward helping the Cubs end their drought without a World Series title that reached 100 years last season.

Told that Piniella had been reading books from other successful sports coaches and was ready to alter his preparations a bit this season, Lee was encouraged.

"That means he's taking responsibility in charge of the team," Lee said. "That's what we all need to do, look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we need to do better."