Cubs Shine in Spring Opener

I know these spring training games don't count, but I am encouraged after the Cubs' performance in today's game. The team had it all today-pitching, hitting, and defense. I managed to catch most of the game on MLB At Bat 2010, which I purchased a couple of days ago via iTunes. This, combined with Cubs fans on Twitter, made even a spring training game fun.

Derek Lee performed today as he did last season, including a home run in his first at-bat, and several key defensive plays on not-so-good throws to first base. Starlin Castro made his debut with the team by legging out a triple. Lee, along with Marlon Byrd, Tyler Colvin, Brad Snyder, and "little" Sam Fuld all connected for home runs.

The home run was the first hit and RBI for Sam Fuld with the club. * I was not aware until today that Sam is also a Type I diabetic, having been diagnosed at the age of 10. He checks his glucose several times a day, and takes insulin at meal times. Kudos to him for his hard work to make it to the majors in spite of his health challenges.

I mentioned I had purchased the MLB At Bat 2010 app, and I love it. This is the second year I've had it, and found myself using it quite a bit last year to listen to the games at work and in the car (I have a device to listen to my iPod through the car speakers). It's quite a good deal at $14.99 via the iTunes app store (they also have Blackberry and Android versions now as well).

For the $14.99 you get all games available on Gameday Audio (any club) with no blackouts. If you subscribe to MLB.TV also, you can get those games live, but with blackout restrictions. In the 2010 version, the game can be played in the background, while you use other apps such as Twitter. The Gameday feature lets you follow a simulated game with every pitch, including showing who is on the field. It's really cool.

Looking forward to the next game!
*Correction: Apparently I had some bad data (lesson learned early!), and this was not Sam's 1st HR/RBI. Thank you to @oneminutecubs on Twitter for the correction.