Cubs 5 - Dodgers 3: A Win is a Win (Even When it Doesn't Count)

Ken Kadokura is proper as hell, wearing shirtsleeves and a tie to the mound in the Arizona heat

No, I don't plan on recapping every Spring Training game (who needs that much Kevin Hart?), but it's worth noting that our Boys in Blue won their first of many this season, beating the Inferior Hot Dog Squad 5-3. On the strength of Micah HasselHoffpauir's grand slam, Ken Kadokura earned his first W with the team with a scoreless 5th inning.

Enjoy while cheering on your favorite ND alum. Don't let the screaming of small children distract you

Great for K-San (though I don't think I'll be giving him his own tag just yet), but surely there will be plenty of concern over Jeff Samardzija and his 9.00 ERA after his first outing. In two innings of work, the hideous Domer gave up 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks. This reinforces the ongoing theory Steve and I have been developing that Samardzija just isn't all that good yet. He's got incredible potential for sure, but I'm still on the fence about him as a regular late-inning reliever, much less a starter expected to win 8-12 games.

I got to listen to the WGN broadcast after I got off work, and let me tell you, I missed the hell out of Pat and Ron. Even without the atmosphere of a regular game, they were as engaging as ever. Hell, the morass of A and AA players made for even more entertaining antics. The game sounded a lot like one of those old N64 videogames that didn't have enough memory for player names. There was a lot of "High fly to right, that one's going to be caught ... by ... the right fielder." Half the time, they would shuffle papers and try to correctly identify the guy, but the "hell with it" factor increased as time went on. At one point, they thought a #11 was playing the outfield. I seriously doubt that it was Ivan DeJesus, but that would have been bitchin.

Welcome back, baseball. We missed you.