“Baker weathers strange spring,” the Trib’s Paul Sullivan reports. No kidding.

If the words if, and and but could hit, field and pitch the Cubs would have a championship team, since they’ve got enough ifs, ands and buts to rival the Yankees. But the giant question mark that is the 2003 Cubs is not enough.

Kerry Wood’s out with an inner ear infection, and closer Antonio Alfonseca slipped on the grass (!) and strained his hamstring. It’s going to be a long season, but I hope to see good things from Wood, Mark Prior, Hee Sop Choi, Bobby Hill and Corey Patterson. They could be the nucleus of a perennial — if … and … but.