North Siders have many decisions to make

Truth be told, the Cubs' 2007 season was more soap opera than reality show.

Title it "As Lou's World Turns," and you've got a day-by-day cliffhanger that ended with the Cubs going out with a whimper, falling in three straight games to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League division series.

Now that manager Lou Piniella has gotten to know, and mostly love, his players, most of that melodrama should be gone from the 2008 team. Pitchers and catchers report Wednesday to Mesa, Ariz., and they take the field for their first workouts Thursday.

That's not to say this year shouldn't be as entertaining as last season. As long as Piniella is around, things will be worth watching. Let's preview what to watch this spring, borrowing from some today's top reality shows:

Fear Factor

If there's one thing the Cubs fear most, it's a serious injury to one of their key players. In recent years, early injuries to Nomar Garciaparra and Derrek Lee proved to be killers.

The man to watch this year is left fielder Alfonso Soriano. A quadriceps injury put Soriano on the disabled list for the first time in his career from Aug. 6-27, and the Cubs struggled without him, going 8-11.

During the recent Cubs convention, Soriano admitted he wouldn't know how his legs felt until he tested them in Mesa.

If the 32-year-old Soriano is good to go and can stay healthy, he should be able to top his home run (33) and stolen base (19) totals from last season.

Of course, there are many critics who'd like to see Soriano and his low lifetime on-base percentage of .327 moved down in the order so those home runs can drive in more than the 70 runs he drove in last year.

The other main fear is the back end of the starting rotation. The Cubs look set with Carlos Zambrano and lefties Ted Lilly and Rich Hill as their top three starters, although they'd like to see Hill take that next step forward.

Beyond that, the Cubs have quantity, but not necessarily quality. Jason Marquis was the odd man out of the rotation in the playoffs, largely because of a 6.21 ERA in September.

The Cubs will have much to fear if Marquis can't put together an entire season, or if Ryan Dempster can't make the transition from closer to starter, or if Sean Marshall falters.

The Apprentice

For the first time in years, the Cubs have a chance to field a lineup with several young players.

The starting job at catcher is Geovany Soto's to lose. Soto forced his way on to the playoff roster after hitting .389 with 3 homers in September. That came after a year at Class AAA Iowa, where he batted .353 with 26 homers and 109 RBI.

The Cubs like Soto's work behind the plate, and he appeared to be in good shape during the convention.

Center fielder Felix Pie will get every opportunity to win the starting job in center field. The Cubs sent hitting coach Gerald Perry to work with Pie over the winter. Piniella said he wants Pie to bunt the ball and go to the opposite field by slapping the ball by the third baseman.

Pie also needs to work on getting on base and mastering the strike zone.

Shortstop Ryan Theriot enters his second full year. He has the blessing of Piniella and general manager Jim Hendry despite finishing 2007 with a .326 OBP and a horrendous September slump.

Survivor Mesa

Will Marquis be traded or relegated to the bullpen, where he no doubt will be unhappy? Will Marshall be forced to start the season at Iowa? Will the Cubs trade rookie right-hander Sean Gallagher?

Another potential "survivor" to watch is righty Kevin Hart, who opened eyes late last year with an 0.82 ERA in eight games. Hart probably won't make the rotation, but Piniella likes to reward good performance, and if Hart picks up where he left off, he could break camp at the end of March as the Cubs' long reliever.

Of course, there are few guarantees anybody will "survive" the Piniella experience. Veterans Michael Barrett and Cesar Izturis didn't perform to Piniella's standards last year and found themselves shipped out. It could be somebody else this year.

In other words, the best way to survive is to thrive.