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My wife and I are heading off to Belize for a much needed, and belated, honeymoon. So Al and Josh will be more than capably covering Cub Tracks for the next week. So your assignment, dear readers, is to provide me a Cliff's Notes version of what happened in the Cubs' world during my week away. On to the links.
From Comcast SportsNet
- Patience doesn't last forever, but the front office sees the big picture coming into focus.
- First-base prospect Dan Vogelbach is taking his game to the next level. In this case, that means the east coast of Florida and the Cubs' High-A affiliate.
- Albert Almora is another prospect who could be on the fast track. But, for now, the Cubs want to take a look at Junior Lake and see how he handles center field.
- Check out a couple of rainbows over the city's ballparks.
- Jake Arrieta will get a longer look in the rotation, at the expense of Carlos Villanueva.
- The front office will pick their spots to spend money on the international market.
From Cubs Den
- Third base just might be the deepest position in the Cubs' system.
- Junior Lake is now the center of attention on the north side.
- Linking through Cubs Den, Baseball Prospectus had some nice things to say about Kyle Hendricks.
- A Q&A with Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times. Topics include: Starlin Castro, Jeff Samardzija, and Junior Lake.
From Cubs.com
- Dale Sveum is preaching patience for the Cubs' young batters.
- The Cubs invested heavily in young international free agents, despite the penalties.
- Hall of Famer Ernie Banks was honored at Wrigley Field before Tuesday's game.
From ESPNChicago.com
- Theo Epstein thought the available talent in the international free agent market was worth getting stung with penalties.
- Ernie Banks tried to dissuade the former junior Senator from Illinois from running for the White House.
- Welington Castillo is seeing the ball much better, leading to some hot hitting and more walks.
- Matt Guerrier is seeking a second medical opinion about his elbow. Remember: you never get a second opinion if you liked the first one.
- Jesse Rogers lobbies for Kris Bryant to be the team's third baseman next season.
From the Chicago Tribune
- (Video) Theo Epstein talks before Tuesday's game.
- (Video) So did Ernie Banks, who talked about his impending honor.
- (Video) And Dale Sveum, who spoke about the team's offense without Alfonso Soriano.
- You could see a prospect position shuffle this winter.
From the Chicago Sun-Times
- In a season like this, you have to look for smaller signs of progress. An example: the team is walking more since the all-star break.
- Jeff Samardzija has great stuff, but is lacking consistency.
From the Daily Herald
- The teams is not rushing to judgment on Jeff Samardzija.
- Mr. Cub is never short on niceness.
Today's food for thought
- Images from the Perseid meteor shower.
- Bonus! A new carnivore has been discovered in the western hemisphere for the first time in 35 years.