"Mike Quade has the backs of his Cubs players, and many of his friends are watching out for him. One recent text message got his attention.

"Someone texted me with a Winston Churchill quote — 'If you're going through hell, just keep going,'" Quade said. "I like that. It's short and sweet. I'd like to think we have a chance to walk out of hell in the second half."

The cynic says dream on, and history says the cynic will probably be right. But optimism was the feeling of the day Monday at Wrigley Field, when one of the biggest weeks of the Cubs' season opened with a 7-3 victory over the Rockies.

The game featured a strong performance by Matt Garza and two home runs apiece from Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez, veterans who are trying to forget April, and probably much of May.

"You have no choice," Ramirez said. "Show up and play every day, don't think about tomorrow, don't think about yesterday. Just show up."

While the paid attendance was reported at 40,854, the stands were perhaps half full — not bad considering this was a makeup of a rainout April 27. The Cubs make up another game Tuesday, when they entertain the World Series champion Giants in a day-night doubleheader. They play four games in three days against them, then welcome the White Sox in a weekend series.

At 32-46, the stakes wouldn't seem especially high for Quade's team. But this stretch toward the All-Star break could determine if they start hearing talk about a fire sale and a 100-loss season or if they can persuade owner Tom Ricketts and general manager Jim Hendry to give them a long chance to reclaim respectability."