Alfonso Soriano wants to silence critics, make Rick Sutcliffe a proud papa

Remember for that one shining moment (sorry, college hoops is still on my mind -- and you'll find out why later) when Cubs manager Lou Piniella flirted with the idea of not batting Alfonso Soriano in the lead-off spot? Yeah. That was short lived.

But the man who would likely lead off if Soriano wasn't at the top of the order, Ryan Theriot seems to side with the Cubs fearless leader.

"[M]an, what a kick it gives you when your leadoff guy can go up there and hit a home run. It changes the mind-set of the game.''

I feel as if Soriano is ready to prove his worth at the top of the order. Once a 40-homer, 40-double, 40-steal guy, Soriano has yet to have a healthy full season in Cubbie blue pinstripes. Despite being brittle, the most polarizing athlete in Chicago hit 33 home runs in 2007 and added another 29 in 2008. Soriano is also batting for a higher average and getting on-base at a higher percentage than at any other time in his career.

So, maybe that lead-off home run on the Cubs' second pitch of the season is a sign of things to come.

At least former Cub Rick Sutcliffe might think so. Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Sun-Times is on the scene:

Former Cubs pitching great Rick Sutcliffe showed up in the team's clubhouse before Monday's opener and headed straight for Alfonso Soriano.

''What did I say when spring training started?'' Sutcliffe said. ''I'm telling everybody you're my MVP. And you're going to prove me right.''

Only one day into the third year of his eight-year mega multi-million dollar deal, the pressure is on Soriano to overcome the injury bug that plagued him in his first two years and make up for not showing up in October in each of the last two postseasons. And if his Opening Day two-hit performance is any indication of what is to come, no one in Cubdom will care where he bats.