In doing my yearly pre-season bunch of reading, I realized one tactical piece of the puzzle the Cubs may gain with a batting order that will have enough flexibility to alternate right and left-handed batters. That tactical piece I believe the Cubs can improve upon from last year's team is stolen bases.

The Cubs were a respectable 8th in stolen bases in the National League last year with 87 as a team. But, Theriot's 22-19 SB-CS ratio isn't that great, and Soriano fell off dramatically from previous seasons to just 19 stolen bases.

How do we get better? I think one area where we'll improve is having a left-handed batter in the batters box when a right-handed speedster has reached base. Batting a lefty behind Theriot and Soriano - who's leg issues have turned him into an average base stealer - may create enough interference with the catcher's throw to give each of those guys the extra time they need to steal 2B successfully.

A alternating batting order also has other fringe benefits like putting strategic pressure on the opposing coaches when they have to bring in a reliever.

How else will the Cubs benefit from this newfound flexibility in the order?

I'd like some opinions on turning the baseball "All-Star" experience into a true skills competition that is a representation of the talent and ability it takes to play baseball.

On the cusp of the home run derby, I realized that I don't care for it very much. Certainly it takes some talent to cream a grooved, batting practice fastball. And, I could certainly never do it. But, is that a baseball "skill?"

So, here's my proposal. Add another skills competition for situational type hitting. The infield and outfield are divided into thirds, and there is a point value attached to each, with a higher point value for going right down the line. Also, the grass diamond around the mound is divided up and valued for bunting. The hitter has three outs to work with, and must accumulate a certain number of points before getting three "outs" which occur when you miss your target.

Am I the only person who would watch that? I think it's a true skill test. I also think it's a better reflection of the game itself, glorifying the skills of an Ichiro, a Derrek Lee, a Dustin Pedroia (who I think is a really good hitter with a bright future), and the list goes on and on. It takes some emphasis off of power. I think that's important in the post-steroid era, too.

Thoughts? Does anyone else have an idea for a baseball skills competition?

I'm not sure if this has already been discussed in this space, so my apologies if it has.

This is my first fan post, but I'm an avid reader.

I think real baseball fans love stats. ESPN has recently taken some measures to include more interesting stats in their broadcasts with that stats bar above the score. You get an up to the pitch account of how a batter hits in a certain count, average, etc. I really enjoy this, and it's one of the few things they do that actually enhance my viewing experience (don't get me started on camera angles).

That's my positive stat comment. Here's my negative stat comment.

Why do national or local broadcasts not use the "inherited runs scored" stat for relievers? Am I missing something about that stat that makes it unimportant?

It seems that for a reliever that stat is at least as important as ERA. You would think the producers of these broadcasts would include that stat when a reliever comes in with runners on, but they don't.

Does anyone have any insight on this? Thanks!