Personally, I have to wonder where Rick Renteria is right now and exactly what he's thinking at the moment. It can't be the most comfortable of situations for him right now.
From Comcast SportsNet:
- The Joe Maddon watch has begun at Wrigley Field.
- Maddon's representative, Alan Nero, says that they are considering all options.
- In case you missed Al's article on Thursday afternoon, Addison Russell has been shut down in the Arizona Fall League. He's okay, though; they just want him to rest and start his offseason conditioning program.
From Cubs.com:
- What was the best way for Addison Russell to make an impression before the end of his AFL journey? How about to hit a two-run homer in his final at-bat?
- Kyle Schwarber is happy to know that the Cubs want him to keep his focus on his catching.
From ESPNChicago.com:
- Jesse Rogers writes that if Joe Maddon wants the Cubs' manager job, the Cubs should let him have it.
From CBS Chicago:
- [AUDIO] Alan Nero was featured on Inside the Clubhouse with Bruce Levine and Wayne Randazzo on The Score 670.
- Tom Ricketts is continuing negotiations with some rooftop owners, with the possibility existing of those rooftop owners selling their buildings to Ricketts.
- Drink time! Tim Baffoe makes yet another comparison of the Cubs to the Royals.
From the Chicago Tribune via RedEye Chicago:
- David Haugh says that Joe Maddon would be a perfect fit as the Cubs' manager.
- As does Paul Sullivan, who also says that it's a Cubs fan's prerogative to dream big.
- Steve Rosenbloom takes it a step further, saying that the Cubs need to hire him, effective immediately.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
- Gordon Wittenmyer knows sources, though. And those sources suggest that the Cubs are the front-runners for Maddon's services.
From the Daily Herald:
- Bruce Miles joins the consensus on Maddon as well, saying that if Maddon is available, you go get him, and you do it quickly.
- Mike Imrem says that when it comes to Maddon's availability, Chicagoans on both the North Side and South Side are about to see how committed to winning championships their teams are.
From Cubs Den:
- John Arguello has the running play-by-play on the Maddon Watch.
- He also takes a look at some of the other stories that could be of interest to the Cubs, including Cole Hamels and James Shields.
- Javier Baez is ready to embark on an important offseason.
- With Addison Russell shut down in the AFL, Danny Lockhart takes his place.
From Chicago Cubs Online:
- CCO continues their position analysis with a look at shortstop.
- Kris Bryant was the winner of the 2014 MiLBY Award for Best Offensive Player.
From Cubbies Crib:
- Nicholas Blazek examines the question that I'm sure many wonder: If the Cubs did hire Joe Maddon, could they win the World Series in 2015?
From Chicago Cubs 101:
- In a two-part series, Tim Duxbury gives his odds of Cubs' top prospects making their debuts in 2015.
From Cubs Insider:
- Evan Altman asks: Is Joe Maddon worth it?
- Nate Schmidt continues his look at the Cubs by the numbers, this time looking at Runs Above Replacement.
Miscellaneous:
- HoHoKam Park, the Cubs' former spring training home, is now ready for the Oakland Athletics.
Today's food for thought:
- A 100-year-old notebook from an ill-fated Antarctic expedition by Robert Falcon Scott was discovered at Cape Evans on Antarctica's Ross Island.
- In case you missed the partial solar eclipse on Friday, a bevy of photos are available at Space Weather Gallery.
- You may remember Felix Baumgartner, who set the record for the world's highest-altitude free-fall in 2012. That record was broken on Friday by Alan Eustace, a senior vice president at Google.