foster kid -- I know you're not in a good situation, but Meier's right. Just because your ex is giving you problems, I'm sure you don't want to give up your son. Your relationship with her ended, but she can't destroy your relationship with your own child. While you may be willing to make sacrifices to be with your current girlfriend, your son is infinitely more important than that. As has been said, with your girlfriend being young, she will continue to develop and mature, and one or both of you may realize that your relationship isn't what you want it to be. Bottom line ... never let your life permanately change for the worse because of a romantic relationship. The only thing you can ever rely on is yourself -- better yourself, work for yourself, and the rest will fall into place.

On a different note ... Opening Day today! The Cubs are in Houston to take on the Astros, with Carlos Zambrano facing off against Roy Oswalt. They've still got Giovanni Soto behind the plate, last year's Rookie of the Year and the first rookie catcher ever to start an All-Star Game. Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez will be at the corners again, with Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot at Second Base and Shortstop, respectively. Milton Bradley is now in Right Field, with Alfonso Soriano in Left and Kosuke Fukudome covering Center -- though Center could also be taken by Reed Johnson, who carries a big bat. Fukudome fell out of his stride halfway through last season but still carries a lot of potential, and Derek Lee and Alfonso Soriano never really hit their strides. While the Cubs have been in desperate need of a leadoff batter, Milton Bradley, with a decent average, brings in a decent bat from both sides of the plate, which will help, and reports claim that Soriano, last year's lead-off man, has been working to improve his On-Base Percentage. While they lost Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood, Fontenot will fit DeRosa's shoes nicely at Second and bring more youth and consistency, and Wood had spent more time on the DL than he has on the active roster since his breakout years in the early 2000s, when he shared a rotation with Mark Prior and Matt Clement, and has not reached the consistency he had since.

Now if we can only win a friggin' playoff game ...