With the start of spring training right around the corner, fans of the Chicago Cubs have plenty to look forward to this season. The Cubs train at HoHoKam Park located in Mesa, Arizona.

Note: All start times Mountain and all “Home” games take place in Mesa.

Mar 4, Oakland Athletics at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 5, Oakland Athletics at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 6, Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 7, Chicago Cubs at Kansas City Royals (Surprise, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 8, Seattle Mariners at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 9, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox (Glendale, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 10, Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers (Maryvale, AZ) 1:05 p.m.

Mar 11, Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers (Glendale, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 12, Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 13, Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants (Scottsdale, AZ), 7:05 p.m.

Mar 14, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 1:10 p.m.

Mar 15, Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 15, Chicago Cubs (SS) at Colorado Rockies (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Mar 16, San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 17, Chicago Cubs (SS) at Oakland Athletics (Phoenix, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 17, Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs (SS) (Las Vegas, NV), TBA

Mar 18, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 18, Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs (SS) (Las Vegas, NV), TBA

Mar 19, Chicago Cubs at Seattle Mariners (Peoria, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 20, Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 20, Chicago Cubs (SS) at Oakland Athletics (Phoenix, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 22, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers (Surprise, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 23, Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Mar 24, San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 25, Chicago Cubs at Cleveland Indians (Goodyear, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 26, San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 26, Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Mar 27, Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (Goodyear, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 28, Cleveland Indians at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 29, Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres (Peoria, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 30, Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 31, Los Angeles Angels at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Apr 1, Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels (Tempe, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Apr 2, Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Apr 3, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 12:05 p.m.

Sources:

All data provided by MLB.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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The Chicago Cubs have brought back outfielder Reed Johnson, agreeing to terms with the outfielder on a one-year deal Tuesday.

After a one-year hiatus with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the 36-year-old came back to the North Side to hit. 309 with five home runs, 22 doubles and 28 RBI over 111 games in 2011.

The southern California native also played for the Cubs from 2008-09, but began his career with Toronto (2003-07).

Only three games shy of 1,000 for his major-league career, Johnson is a .283 hitter with 59 homers, 178 doubles and 349 RBI.

BOSOX SIGN CARLSON, 11 OTHERS

Jesse Carlson, Carlos Silva and Brandon Duckworth are among 12 players the Red Sox have signed to minor league contracts.

Boston, which announced the signings Tuesday, also invited all the players to major league spring training.

The other nine players are pitchers Charlie Haeger, Will Inman, Doug Mathis, Tony Pena Jr., Chorye Spoone, Rich Hill and Justin Thomas; shortstop Pedro Ciriaco; and utility player Nate Spears.

Carlson appeared in 162 games for the Blue Jays from 2008-10, posting a 3.63 earned run average and 114 strikeouts in 141 1/3 innings. However, the 31- year-old left-hander missed all of last season because of rotator cuff surgery.

Silva played in the Yankees’ organization last season, pitching in seven games at three different levels. Prior to 2011, the right-hander was a major league starter and enjoyed moderate success while with the Twins from 2004-07, when he went 47-45 with a 4.42 ERA in 129 games (124 starts).

He has appeared in 316 games over nine major league seasons with Philadelphia, Minnesota, Seattle and the Chicago Cubs.

Duckworth, 35, spent last season with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket and went 8-6 with a 3.97 ERA in 22 games (21 starts). The right- hander last pitched in the majors in 2008, when he was with Kansas City, and has also played for Philadelphia and Houston in eight major league seasons.

 

CHICAGO, Jan. 3 (UPI) — Chicago Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson is returning to the team as a free agent with a one-year deal, Cubs officials announced Tuesday.

Johnson played for the Cubs from 2008-09, spent 2010 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and returned to the North Side this past season, hitting .309 with five home runs, 22 doubles and 28 RBI over 111 games.

The 36-year-old began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays (2003-07).

Johnson will play his 1,000th major-league game in his third contest of the upcoming season. He has hit .283 with 59 homers, 178 doubles and 349 RBI in his career.

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer appear like they’re making moves to finalize the 40-man roster for the 2012 MLB season. The Chicago Cubs are expected to re-sign Reed Johnson to a one-year contract. The deal was pending a physical.

Johnson would be sandwiched inside a stable of outfielders that include Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus, Tony Campana and possibly Brett Jackson. Johnson would probably be a reserve outfielder who could possibly be in a platoon role with DeJesus because Johnson has more success against left-handed pitching.

Johnson is a 35-year-old outfielder who doesn’t figure into the long-term rebuilding plan for the Cubs. However, he’s a solid player who plays good defense at all three outfield positions. While he lacks power, Johnson is a good hitter who enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in 2011. Johnson hit .309 with five home runs, 28 RBI and a .348 OBP in 246 at-bats.

Johnson decided to re-sign with the Cubs because he felt at home with them. He praised recently-hired manager Dale Sveum by calling him “A very smart guy.” Johnson seems like he’d like to complete his career with the Cubs. He’s spent three of the past four seasons with them. He played with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

I have no problems with this re-signing. Johnson was one of my favorite players in 2011. I would’ve liked to see him play more. I thought he outplayed Byrd in the limited playing time that he did receive, especially after that facial injury that Byrd suffered. Johnson was one of the few players who I actually felt good about when the Cubs were faced with a clutch-hitting scenario. He’s the type of veteran who I’d like to have around young players like Starlin Castro.

I wouldn’t think that the Cubs would keep six outfielders on their 25-man roster. Maybe that means that Jackson will start the season in Triple-A? Maybe they don’t feel like Campana’s speed is enough of an asset for him to remain on the 25-man roster? Maybe they’ll try to trade Byrd as he’s probably one of the few players who could net some prospects?

Maybe they’ll eat Soriano’s contract? I know; fat chance.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid-90s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months.

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Cactus League stalwart Robert Brinton, who helped cement the Chicago Cubs future in Mesa and also played a pivotal role in the league’s growth into a top draw Valley-wide, died unexpectedly in his office Friday.

Brinton, a past Cactus League Association president, was not feeling well in his office Friday afternoon at the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau and went to the restroom, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said.

When Brinton never returned, another employee found him slumped over in the restroom, Smith said.

“I was just absolutely stunned,” Smith said. “I lost a friend, a co-worker, a giant.”

Brinton and Smith were partners in the drive to save the Chicago Cubs from a potential move to Naples, Fla. The two men campaigned together for approval of a Mesa ballot measure that approved financing for a new Cubs spring training complex at the present site of Riverview Golf Course, near the interchange of Loops 101 and 202 in west Mesa.

“Everything he did was for the love of his community and people,” Smith said. “He gave selflessly because he believed in it. He was that kind of person.”

Brinton was the longtime president of the Cactus League Association, the executive director of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the past president of the Mesa HoHoKams, the civic group that sponsors the Cubs during the Cactus League season and performs a wide array of duties at Hohokam Stadium.

Smith also noted that Brinton played a pivotal role in saving the Cactus League when it was running on fumes, with teams leaving for Florida.

But while Brinton was president, the league grew dramatically and attendance soared. The league turned into a powerful engine of Valley tourism, boosting the region’s reputation as a major destination as it added such teams as the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago White Sox, the Texas Rangers, the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds.

With Epstein as its GM, the Red Sox have won the World Series twice. He has 1 year remaining on his contract.

In other baseball news:

* Houston Astros prospect Dustin Kellogg was killed in an automobile accident late Monday night. Kellogg died when the pickup truck he was driving collided with a freight truck in suburban Houston, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. In other Astros news, outfielder Jordan Schafer has been arrested in Florida and charged with felony possession of marijuana.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers have declined 2012 club options on infielder Casey Blake and pitcher Jon Garland, both of whom had season-ending surgeries. Also, the Delaware judge presiding over the Dodgers’ bankruptcy case has formally appointed a mediator, who is charged with trying to get the team and Major League Baseball to settle their differences over a reorganization plan for the team.

* Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore has undergone surgery on his right knee. He is expected to be recovered in 2 months.

* Former big leaguer Timo Perez and three other players have been suspended 50 games for violating the minor league drug program.

 

Tennis * 

Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the second round at the China Open in Beijing.

* Top-seeded Rafael Nadal eased past Go Soeda, 6-3, 6-2, to reach the second round at the Japan Open in Tokyo.

 

Philly File * 

Union forward Sebastien Le Toux was named the MLS Player of the Month for September. Le Toux scored seven goals in six games.

* The Soul, of the Arena Football League, re-signed defensive back Tanner Varner.

 

Sport Stops * 

University of Missouri curators voted to consider leaving the troubled Big 12 for another conference. Speculation has centered on a possible Missouri move to the Southeastern Conference, which recently agreed to accept Texas A&M from the Big 12 starting next year.

* The Chicago Blackhawks gave general manager Stan Bowman a 3-year contract extension.