After a good look at the team’s 2012 roster, longtime Cub fan Frank Dogan is ready to call in sick for October and buy those World Series tickets.

“I like the way they look,” Dogan said. “I think if we can just keep the veterans healthy, we got a great chance this year.”

Standing in line to buy his daily Lotto ticket, Dogan said he would put this year’s players up against any of the great Cubs teams of the recent past.

“Take Samardzija, Garza, Dempster, Maholm and Volstad,” he siad. “There’s your new Five Aces.”

Dogan also digs what he sees in the infield. Liked Grace, Sandberg, and Dunston? How about LaHair, Barney, and Castro?  If Dogan’s right, we’re looking at three future Hall of Famers.

Other people call may accuse him of looking at the world through Cubbie-blue glasses, but Frank Dogan sees things a little differently.

“I’m not an optimist,” he said. “I’m a realist. If the Cubs didn’t believe that this team could win it all, they wouldn’t put them on the field. And I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way. They’ve already sold two million tickets! Would two million people really shell out $100 a piece if they didn’t think the team had a chance?”

By Dave Narter

Dave Narter