The end of winter is in sight—pitchers and catchers reported to spring training today. more ›

In the town now infamous for the shooting that killed six and left 14 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, injured two months ago, the White Sox will play a charity game today in honor of the shooting's youngest victim. The White Sox and Diamondbacks will take the field in Tucson, AZ, with the proceeds benefiting a fund set up in remembrance of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green. Christina was the granddaughter of former Cubs GM Dallas Green, who also held numerous other jobs with Major League teams. Her father is Dodgers scout John Green. more ›

It's been a busy week out in Arizona, full of drama and suspense on the North and South sides of Chicago baseball. White Sox fans can take a breath after their beloved Jake Peavy's first start and Cubs fans got a taste of a Zambrano-less dugout dispute. more ›

Pitchers and catchers reported to White Sox spring training yesterday, officially kicking off preparations for the 2011 season. With a potential surplus of starting pitching, there were lots of questions about how the rotation would shake out. Sox management wasted little time in clarifying the situation. more ›

You know spring training is here when Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano tells a scrum of reporters that thing will be different this year, he'll let his play do the talking, he's matured and, oh, yeah, he wants to start Opening Day. It's all cyclical with Big Z. He's like the boy who cried wolf. more ›

The four best words we'll hear today are not "Happy Valentines Day, dear" but "pitchers and catchers report." For the Cubs and pitcher Carlos Marmol, today is especially ripe for celebration as the two agreed on a three-year, $20 million deal. The Cubs avoid arbitration with their star closer. Marmol set a team record for strikeouts by a Cubs reliever last season with 138, while racking up 38 saves with a 2.55 ERA last season. more ›

Mesa, AZ voters yesterday voted to fund construction of a new spring training facility for the Cubs. more ›

It's the last push of Spring Training for both squads ahead of Monday's Opening Day. The Cubs got a solid outing from Carlos Silva and the bullpen held to give the team a 2-0 win over the Rockies. The Cubs now head over to Phoenix where they'll play a two-game series against the Diamondbacks before heading to Atlanta to open the 2010 campaign. more ›

As Spring Training 2010 winds down, the city of Mesa, Arizona is looking for a new way to fund a promised new complex for the Cubs. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig recently shot down the proposed "Cubs Tax," a $2.25 surcharge that would have been added to every Cactus League ticket in the state of Arizona to help pay for the new $84 million complex. Several other teams, including the White Sox, had previously made known their displeasure over the proposed tax. So it's back to the drawing board for the Cubs, Major League Baseball, and Mesa mayor Scott Smith. more ›

Even with Ted Lilly expected to make an early return, Randy Wells solidified his spot in the Cubs' rotation with another great performance in the Cub's (15-9) 8-1 win over the Reds. Meanwhile, the White Sox (8-15) lit up the Angels early only to give up the game in the later innings en route to a 7-7 tie. Be sure to check in later this week when we offer up our annual team previews ahead of Monday's opening day. more ›

It was a rough day for our teams out in Arizona. First, in what we hope isn't a sign of things to come, Cubs closer Carlos Marmol gave up three runs in the ninth, letting the A's steal the game 5-2. As for the Sox, they were simply crushed by the Diamondbacks 10-1 as Freddy Garcia gave up seven runs in five innings of work. more ›

Only our baseball teams saw action yesterday and both went extra innings. The Sox went 10 with the Brewers but came out with a 4-4 tie while the Cubs and Reds also went to ten and also finished tie, 1-1. more ›

It was a down day for both Chicago teams in Spring Training action. The Cubs were bounced by the Rockies 5-2 while the White Sox found themselves blown out by the Royals 9-1. more ›

Spring Training continued for both squads yesterday after Sunday's rain-out. The Cubs had another big offensive outing, downing Oakland 10-3. The Sox, meanwhile, fell to Seattle 5-4. more ›

The crosstown rivalry just got financial. The White Sox have joined a group of Cactus League teams protesting a proposed ticket surcharge for spring training games, part of which would be used to fund the Cubs' new facility in Mesa. The Sox joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Cincinnati Reds in boycotting an annual kickoff breakfast to protest the proposed a $2.25 surcharge. Part of the revenue would fund the new facility which was promised to the Cubs to keep them from bolting for newer, better Spring Training digs. Angels spokesman Tim Mead told the Arizona Republic, "In a nutshell, we continue to feel it's fundamentally wrong to implement a tax on loyal baseball fans. We just fundamentally disagree." more ›

Sure, we're still digging out from yet another serving of snow but spring is just around the corner. We know this because the Cubs and White Sox have finally opened camp in Arizona. Cubs pitchers and catchers arrived in Mesa last Wednesday, while the Sox battery showed up in Glendale on Sunday to kick off Spring Training. With the entire season ahead, fans of both teams can still express optimism for the upcoming season, but both teams are coming off disappointing seasons without playoff appearances. Has either team improved enough to change that in 2010? more ›

While this latest round of snow was more messy slush than foot-deep drifts, it still had us moping about on a gloomy Monday. Until we saw these photos. It's Spring Training; hope still springs eternal and the renewed dreams of fans haven't been crushed yet. Can the Sox bring the South Side it's second World Series ring in six years? Can the Cubs shake off 101 years of futility? The long, dark winter is almost over and anything is possible. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for Benjy's early look at both teams. more ›

It was a busy weekend. Here's what you might have missed. more ›

Perhaps Crane Kenney was green with envy after the White Sox moved into sparkling new Spring Training digs in Glendale, Arizona last winter. For the past year, the Cubs' president has been exploring options for new spring training facilities for the North Siders -- even toying with the idea of the Cubbies moving to Florida and the Grapefruit League after more than 50 years in Arizona. While wooed heavily by Naples, Florida, the Cubs have decided to stay put in Mesa after reaching an agreement with the city for a brand new $84-million facility. more ›

When the White Sox opened camp last month, there were a number of positions that remained unfilled, with numerous players to compete for the starting jobs in center field, at second base and in the starting rotation. more ›

Perhaps jealous that their crosstown pale hose foes have moved to a new facility, the Cubs are now demanding an upgrade to their current Spring Training home in Mesa, Arizona (pictured right), according to The Arizona Republic. The Cubs currently are signed to stay in Mesa through 2016 but have an opt-out clause that would allow them to bail as soon as 2012 if they feel the proper upgrades aren't made. And while the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority has $8.2 million set aside for renovations, that cash won't be available until 2020. more ›

From the folks at the Sports Hernia come these shots of major league baseball players on spring training photo day. This shot of Bartolo Colon is all the reason you need to know why Ozzie Guillen insists on being the face of the White Sox (although Lance Broadway could give him a run for his money from a photogenic standpoint) and probably has scores of Grant Park softball league wizards thinking they might have a shot at a spot in the Sox rotation. more ›

We don't care what that rodent in Pennsylvania says, spring starts as soon as pitchers and catchers report. That means spring is here because the Cubs pitchers and catchers arrive in camp later today, while the White Sox battery mates arrive on Sunday. more ›

• Stick-em-up: a man robbed a Logan Square McDonald's today armed only with a stick.
• Police seized drugs and weapons as well as arrested Casey Crawford during an overnight raid at a condo apparently owned by Chicago Police Asst. Supt. Beatrice Cuello. Neither Cuello nor her daughter, who also lives at the condo, were suspected of any wrong-doing.
• A state appeals court has ruled jailed former governor George Ryan should be allowed to receive part of his pension. Ryan will receive $65,000 a year.

Some things never change. Chicago will elect only Democrats. Chicago will always get dumped with 6 inches of snow when the calendar says its spring. And Kerry Wood will be injured. more ›

With Opening Day fast approaching, the one event we were certain to happen in Sox camp this spring has yet to occur. We figured that by now, Joe Crede would be sporting a new uniform and Josh Fields would be firmly entrenched at third base. more ›

Last week, we winced at the news that Cubs outfielder Felix Pie had missed time because he was suffering from a "twisted testicle." That little nugget had been buried deep in an MLB.com story about Alfonso Soriano’s fractured finger. Unfortunately for Pie, though, the problem didn’t correct itself, and the Cub was forced to go under the knife last night for corrective surgery. more ›

We figured that, with Mark Prior gone and Kerry Wood relegated to the bullpen, we'd be without the bizarre and frustrating injuries with which to taunt the Cubs fans in our lives. We should have known better. more ›

Given that the team has gone a whole century without a World Series title, has repeatedly been bounced from the playoffs in quick fashion, and suffered some truly epic collapses (1969, 2003), surely there are countless Cubs fans with broken hearts. more ›