Rozner: Cubs' 7th inning should belong to Harry

With Opening Night upon us and expectations soaring for the White Sox and Cubs, here's 15 for '15:

• 15. In a fitting tribute, Ernie Banks' twin sons will conduct "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch Sunday night when the Cubs open up against St. Louis.

But after that, the Cubs ought to do away with the program that began following Harry Caray's death in 1998. It was entertaining for a while but long ago lost its luster, and the list of celebrities has at times been embarrassing.

The Cubs have installed 4,000 square feet of video board, giving them the perfect opportunity to return the seventh inning to Harry and the fans, who would love a chance to sing along with the Hall of Famer again.

They can play a video of Harry singing and it doesn't even have to be the same film every time. There's at least a thousand different versions of Harry singing at Wrigley Field, maybe even enough to match them date for date.

In any case, the video board is there and the tapes available. Time to give the stretch back to Harry.

• 14. White Sox employees say there's a serious championship vibe saturating the halls of the ballpark. Is it the 10-year anniversary celebration of the World Series or are the Sox primed for a big season?

It might be both.

• 13. Adam Eaton might be the single biggest key to the Sox' season. If he can't stay healthy and produce, it changes the lineup entirely. If he does stay on the field and plays like he's capable, the Sox have a chance to score early and often.

• 12. Javier Baez has thus far shown an inability to adjust to major-league pitching. It's a disappointment for the Cubs, who hoped last season's promotion would be something of a wake-up call for Baez. Now, they have to hope a demotion to Iowa doesn't affect Baez long term.

• 11. John Danks has two years left on his contract at $14 million a year and he's had more than two years to recover from shoulder surgery and figure out how to pitch again. Simply put, Danks has to be a lot better than he was last year, when he had 10 starts of at least 4 earned runs allowed and 6 starts of at least 6 earned runs.

• 10. The Cubs have some terrific arms in the bullpen, but most have never pitched in meaningful games. The pressure these guys are feeling to compete this year will help them in the long run, even if the Cubs don't compete for a playoff spot in 2015.

• 9. So can the Cubs compete this year? It's possible. The Cards and Pirates are vulnerable, and if the Cubs can hang around .500 they might just be in a position to add to the roster in July. But the reality is they are relying on several young players to contribute a year ahead of schedule.

• 8. When the Sox acquired Avy Garcia, they saw a five-tool player with superstar potential. After losing most of last year to injury, the 23-year-old Garcia is out to prove he can be what GM Rick Hahn thought he might be. If Garcia is good offensively, the Sox have a great lineup. If Garcia is great, the Sox have a monster lineup.

• 7. Yes, seven years of Kris Bryant remains better than six years of Kris Bryant. This is understandably complicated math, so you'll have to trust that Theo Epstein can subtract six from seven and discover one extra year of Bryant.

• 6. The Sox have defensive questions at first, second and third, though the outfield should be considerably better with Eaton playing full time and Dayan Viciedo subtracted from the lineup. You have to wonder how long Robin Ventura will watch Jose Abreu at first before he allows Adam LaRoche more time in the field.

• 5. Speaking of Robin Ventura, this is a big year for the Sox manager, even though allowances have been made for his 2014 decision-making. Nevertheless, he's been given a competitive roster and assuming health the Sox should be in the race until the end and are a popular pick to make the playoffs.

• 4. It may seem like Edwin Jackson's been here a long time, but it's only been two years. He has two years remaining on his deal at $11 million annually.

• 3. With all the talk of Bryant, Jorge Soler has been flying under the radar this spring. Don't forget, the 23-year-old Soler hit 5 homers with 20 RBI and a .903 OPS in only 24 games and 89 at-bats last season.

Yikes.

• 2. Chris Sale is pretty much a lock to miss a few weeks every season with an arm injury of some kind, but this year he's already had a vacation and maybe the forced rest in spring training means he'll survive the rest of the season.

• 1. After several years of wandering in the desert, Chicago baseball is back and has every right to be entertaining in 2015.

We can all agree that it's not a moment too soon.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM.