NL Central

When you think of MLB first basemen, what comes to mind?

POWER

You think of big, burly guys like Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols.

First basemen are usually the largest guys on the field, towering over the infielders and umpires. And with that size often comes an impressive swing.

More so than any other position, it is expected that first basemen will hit for average, drive in runs and hit home runs.

A lot of home runs.

There's already been a bevy of articles on Bleacher Report talking about all the Pujols rumors, but most of these are just "it would be so great for the Cubs to get Pujols" rah-rah pieces.

I thought it might be interesting to break down the Cubs current 2012 salary commitments and what that means for how much money they'll have to spend to try and bring Pujols, Prince Fielder or any of the other big free agents out there.

A few caveats:

Hype is a dangerous thing.

Nothing good comes from it. Few players in modern sports ever live up to the hype that the media circus can create. Out of these unjust expectations, disappointment looms large.

Cubs fans know a lot about the hype process. All of the "This is the Year!" signs cast aside on the streets of Wrigleyville will vouch for this.

If you're the type of person that reads this website, you've undoubtedly heard by now that the deadline has come and gone for Albert Pujols to reach a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Cardinals reportedly offered "more than $200 million over nine or 10 years" for the future Hall of Famer and even an ownership stake in the team. But it just wasn't enough for the game's best player.

Have you ever wondered what goes through your girlfriend's mind when she stops dead in her tracks, her eyes glaze over and she goes into a trance while looking at that ring in the window?

That's what this is for men. Players like this only become freely available once a generation, and we too have paused and slipped into an alternative universe where this shiny jewel could be ours.

Prince is to 2011 as Adrian Gonzalez is to 2010. Whether or not he gets traded before the deadline is completely dependent on the Milwaukee Brewers' place in the NL Central standings by July.

Teams like the Milwaukee Brewers usually need to pick and choose who to spend their money on.

By Mike Harris, Senior Writer for 4thandHome.com

Our first entry in this series looked at the September Star phenomenon and how an astute eye could have forecasted a Jose Bautista 2010 breakout. This week, we take a look at our first nominee, Drew Stubbs, to determine if he's destined for 2011 stardom.

Of course, we all know it has been awhile since the Chicago Cubs tasted a World Series victory, although many fans just refer to it as "Back in '08." Just to make sure you're caught up, Henry Ford produced his first Model T the same year the Cubs last won, in 1908.

What can the Cubs do to end of of the most scrutinized and devastating losing streaks in sports history? Well, there are many, but here are the five most important steps the Cubs need to take to grasp a World Series title in 2011.

At 75-87, the Chicago Cubs gave their fans yet another disappointing season in 2010, as the team continued its long and storied tradition of losing. 

The year started out with an ominous beginning, as the volatile Carlos Zambrano and manager Lou Pinella had a well publicized feud over Zambrano’s struggles on the mound. 

Can signing the games best player be the worst decision of your life? The St. Louis Cardinals could find out if they give him Alex Rodriguez money.

The self-imposed contract deadline came and went for the Cardinals slugger. Now, Albert Pujols will walk into the 2011 season without a new contract and the possibility of playing somewhere else next year.