Cubs

Arm and shoulder problems have been an all too familiar refrain for Mark Prior over the past few seasons. However, the Cubs are using a new approach to keep the porcelain-based starter healthy this year: Pitching underhand.

Did you strike out in the Virtual Waiting Room today? Was your wristband off by 150,000? Fear not. There are plenty of ways to take in Cubs games this year. Here are a few suggestions.

The Internet has brought ease to the transaction process for millions of people across the globe, but not baseball fans trying to buy Chicago Cubs tickets the day they go on sale. They have Major League Baseball's ticket provider tickets.com to thank for that, but tickets.com would like to focus on the positive.

Days after Alex Rodriguez said he and Yankee teammate Derek Jeter are no longer best friends, word has leaked out of the Cubs locker room that Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are no longer "bestest buddies in the whole wide world."

New Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano's mood turned from jovial to sour yesterday when his first paycheck from the team bounced at a local Fifth Third Bank. The check, filled out for a hefty $325,000, was returned due to insufficient funds in the Tribune bank account.

Cubs pitchers and catchers reported to Mesa Wednesday, attempting to get in shape for the grueling MLB season. While the pitching staff will use spring training to jockey for spots in the starting rotation, define roles in the bullpen, and get accustomed to a new manager, one battle has already begun--the quest for possession of the coveted remote control of the training room television.

WGN radio's Andy Masur--who's spent the last five years covering for Cubs play-by-play man Pat Hughes' late-game, half-inning breaks--is leaving the station for greener pastures in San Diego, where he will work Padres' radio broadcasts.