All eyes are on the Cubs

Now that the Cubs’ front office is in place and they have a manager, all they have to do now is finalize the coaching staff and get a few players.

It should be a fascinating time through and after the winter meetings, which open in less than two weeks. I expect the Cubs to be the center of attention in Dallas for the meetings.

Until then, let’s get caught up on a few things from the past few days.

Big Z OK: Associates of Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano said Monday he is fine after taking a line drive off his face last Friday in Venezuela and getting 16 stitches. Zambrano is pitching winter ball in hopes of #147;earning#148; his way back onto the team, to use the term uttered by team president Theo Epstein. In 3 starts, Zambrano is 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA. He has pitched 13#8532; innings, giving up 11 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) while walking six and striking out 12. Brass taking a look:Cubs president Theo Epstein, GM Jed Hoyer and scouting and development boss Jason McLeod will be in the Dominican Republic until Tuesday as they finish getting a look-see at Cuban outfield prospect Yoennis Cespedes. They also may be checking out outfielder Jorge Soler. Cespedes has drawn the attention of many major-league teams, and he won#146;t come cheap. Agent Adam Katz was in Milwaukee last week at the GM meetings.#147;He#146;s major-league ready, people will evaluate, there will be a value established, people will bid competitively and it will be what it will be,#148; Katz said. Sveum talks pitch counts:New manager Dale Sveum did several rounds with the media immediately after the formal press conference. I asked him how he looked at pitch counts. #147;They#146;re relevant to some people, and they#146;re not relevant to other pitchers,#148; he said. They#146;re all very relevant to the outing he had before, the stress factor that he had before. The pitch count that night has a lot to do with the stress factor that he#146;s been going through that night. Did he get to 100 pitches very easily? Did he get to 100 pitches when every pitch was a lot of stress involved, bases loaded, second-and-third, one out?#147;It#146;s not just a cut-and-dried, #145;We#146;re taking this guy out (at) 110 pitches. This guy, we might let go 120.#146; It#146;s how he got there a lot of times, how hot it is outside. Was he on the bases for 10 minutes sometimes in a long inning?#148;Wrigley, good and bad:All managers talk about what a unique place Wrigley Field is when they get to town. It#146;s all that, for better or worse. The place and everything that goes with Cubdom just ate up big-name managers Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella. There are a whole lot of built-in excuses at Wrigley, from day games to cramped facilities. But let#146;s not forget the Cubs won 55 games at home as recently as 2008. #147;You come from a place in Milwaukee that#146;s covered in a nice environment there, but we do have the shadows,#148; he said referring to Miller Park and the way the sun shines on the field when the roof is open. #147;So I understand about the complaining and whining sometimes about the shadows.#147;You need to use some of these to your advantage: the ballpark, the day games. You#146;ve got to create that environment that, #145;This is a plus for us,#146; and still get your work in on these days games and don#146;t use these things as an excuse. Everybody#146;s got excuses, and they don#146;t go too far. That#146;s just a cop-out for your own insecurities usually if you you#146;re whining about things.#148;New Santo CD out:Radio announcer Pat Hughes will have a new CD out Tuesday. It#146;s called, #147;Ron Santo, Cubs Legend.#148; The CD features more than an hour of Santo highlights from game broadcasts. As you might expect, they range from the outrageous to the touching. For more information, go to baseballvoices.com.