Baseball's preseason ends, Cubs' pre-October begins

Sure, the Chicago Cubs improved a team that won a National League-best 97 games last season. But that doesn't mean we Cubs fans don't have worries.

Our biggest fear is that because the All-Star Game is forced to include non-Cub players, one of them might mess up (remember Dan Uggla's three errors last year?) and let the American League win again, which means we'll get only three World Series home games at Wrigley Field instead of four.

The only other drama Cubs fans can expect before October is the chase with the record book.

The team that holds the National League record for the most wins in a season is, of course, the 1906 Cubs with 116 victories. The only living manager who has won 116 games in a season is, of course, Lou Piniella with the 2001 Seattle Mariners. So put the Piniella-led Cubs down for 117 victories and stock up on long underwear as this year's World Series isn't scheduled to end until November. (And pay no attention to cynics who will note that neither the 1906 Cubs or the 2001 Mariners won the World Series.)

As we wait to see what design the Cubs use for their World Series Championship rings, we'll have to find ways to make the inevitable regular season entertaining. Here are a few ideas:

• Predict how many Cubs starting pitchers will reach the 20-win plateau - only four or all five.

• With 855 runs scored, the Cubs were the only National League team to top 800 last year. Adding slugger Milton Bradley and a few more left-handed bats should result in more than 1,000. So guess which Cubs hitter will be the first to break old Cub Hack Wilson's season record of 191 runs batted in.

• As a way to get in shape to walk the entire ticker-tape parade route, do a sit-up every time you hear radio legend Ron Santo scream, "All right!"

• The earliest the Cubs could eliminate the Pittsburgh Pirates is July 5, but would you rather have the Cubs clinch the division title before or after Labor Day? Discuss.

• Trademark your Cubs' T-shirts boasting "Champs of '07, '08 and '09: A Threepeat Two Centuries in the Making."

• Remember that there is another baseball team in town. The forecast for that Crosstown Series calls for six Cubs victories with a steady dose of whining about our Cubs getting all the attention.