Yeah. It's snowing in South Carolina too. Which must be about 3000 miles south of Amsterdam. Weird.

Anyway, I have to say I am now officially scared of the Cubs. Let's just forget about the Astros for a minute. Compare the 2003 Cubs with their 2004 roster. They have improved in numerous areas (bullpen, 1B, rotation) and will have improved starters at 3B and CF for the entire year. Plus the 6-fingered freak is not haunting them.

True, the Cubs got "lucky" last year, meaning their run differential was not as impressive as the Astros'. But this means nothing. They still won more games than we did, and their club is looking even more impressive this year. If Clement and Zambrano can dominate again, we have some trouble.

I think whichever team can stay healthier will win the division. Both teams have aging stars, and both teams are relying heavily on their position players. Houston has a slight advantage in terms of bench strength and spot starters, but either team will suffer greatly if any pitcher or position player goes down.

Houston cannot afford another bad wrist from Kent or another groin pull from Oswalt. At the same time, the Cubs are relying on Corey Patterson's complete recovery from knee surgery, which is asking a lot.