Big moves bring big hope for Chicago baseball

CHICAGO (AP) -- As the cranes and trucks hummed just beyond the chain-link fence along Waveland Avenue, Erika Pflederer stopped to take it all in.

She could see the exposed back of Wrigley Field's brick outfield wall and the grandstand seats with the bleachers torn out. In the transformation of the famous ballpark she

sees a change for the better for the Chicago Cubs, too.

''I think it's insanely exciting,'' says Pflederer, a longtime Cubs fan. ''It finally feels like we're on the verge of really trying to accomplish (something big). We've all said maybe someday, maybe next year. It feels like we're finally on the verge or really making it happen.''

It's not just Cubs fans who are thinking big. So are the White Sox faithful.

North Side and South Side, there's a big baseball buzz in Chicago. Both teams have made sweeping changes after 73-win seasons and sent enthusiasm soaring.

The Cubs brought in one of the game's best managers in Joe Maddon in October and landed top starter Jon Lester with a six-year, $155 million deal during baseball's winter meetings this month. In the process they made it clear that they are serious about bringing home a championship.

The White Sox, not to be outdone, added a front-line starter who grew up rooting for them in Jeff Samardzija and closer David Robertson to a pitching staff that already includes All-Star Chris Sale. They gave their lineup a boost, too, bringing in Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche to help support AL Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu.

''I loved every move they have made this off-season,'' said Craig Coleman of Chicago, a White Sox fan since the late 1970s.