"The doctors said I was supposed to have an eye (shaped) like a baseball, and my right eye is like a football," Zambrano said. "That's something that I have to correct. I may do it. I don't know yet. There's a small a chance I'll do it right now, or I'll do it during the season. Let's see how the drops work."

Zambrano added that his shoulder is fine, saying he had as much rest this winter as he's had in any offseason he's been in baseball. The Cubs sent one of their trainers to Venezuela to work on Zambrano's shoulder strength.

Zambrano, 27, has made four consecutive Opening Day starts for the Cubs. Although he admits to getting too amped up for Opening Day, he said he'd like to start again this year. Manager Lou Piniella has not announced an Opening Day starter. Right-hander Ryan Dempster emerged as the Cubs' No. 1 starter late last season.

WHERE, WHEN: HoHoKam Park, Mesa, Ariz. First exhibition game is Feb. 25 against the Dodgers.

TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: RF Milton Bradley brings a lot of baggage with him after signing a free agent contract in January. The Cubs profess not to be worried about Bradley's past outbursts, which have landed him in hot water and even gotten him injured. Their main concern will be keeping Bradley on the field by avoiding some of the nagging injuries that have plagued him in the past. Bradley led the AL in on-base percentage and OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) last year. If he can play 140 games, he could have a monster year for the Cubs.

TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: OF Kosuke Fukudome lost his job in right field after a horrid second half last year. He'll compete for playing time in center with Reed Johnson. Fukudome was an on-base machine during the first two months of the 2008 season, and then he fell off the face of the earth. Now entering the second year of a four-year, $48 million contract after coming over from Japan, Fukudome is under severe pressure to show that other teams haven't figured him out once and for all.

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Lou Piniella is 182-141 in two seasons as Cubs manager. However, he has yet to win a playoff game as the Cubs have been swept out of the NL Division Series in both of his years. Veteran players have learned to tune out some of Piniella's rants, which come from frustration. Actually, he has mellowed markedly in recent years and isn't above apologizing to a player if he feels he's come on too strong. Piniella also has been tough on pitching coaches, but Larry Rothschild returns for his eighth season with the Cubs. Rothschild began under Don Baylor and then survived the Dusty Baker years. Piniella's coaching staff with the Cubs has remained intact since he arrived before the '07 season.