Cub Tracks Has Some Work To Do

Here's the latest from around the web.

From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:

• If you went to the Cubs' locker room after Game 2 and were expecting to see flipped-over garbage cans or holes in the wall, you came to the wrong place, writes Patrick Mooney.
• Jake Arrieta and Miguel Montero won't say it, but Mooney writes that Arrieta could be hitting a wall, having thrown 92 more innings this season than he did last season.
• One thing that Montero doesn't want to hear about is a lack of momentum on the Cubs' side.
• Kyle Hendricks knows what's on the line in Game 3, and he's ready for the challenge.
• If the Cubs do find their way to the World Series, Addison Russell is hoping to be ready for it.
• Gary Sheffield has been watching Javier Baez play in the postseason, and he can see the talent.
• [VIDEO] It's the Kyle Schwarber monster homer from Game 4 of the NLDS, flipbook-style.
• Six Flags St. Louis lost a bet when the Cubs defeated the Cardinals in the NLDS. The price: Their wooden roller coaster American Thunder has been renamed Cubs Thunder for the remainder of the Six Flags season.

From Cubs.com:

• Here's the transcript of Joe Maddon's press conference from Monday's workout day.
• The mission at Wrigley Field is a simple one: several one-game winning streaks.
• And then there's the secondary mission: How do you slow down Daniel Murphy?
• Kyle Hendricks may not have much experience, but he does have some factors working for him in Game 3.
• Jason Hammel is still listed as the starter for Game 4 with Maddon hesitant to pitch Jon Lester on short rest.
• Theo Epstein is excited about the Cubs' present and future, even though he knows that "nothing is promised in this game."

From ESPN Chicago:

• Looking for a quick and easy summary of the first two games of the NLCS? Jesse Rogers sums it up quite simply: The Cubs got outplayed by the Mets.
• Even though they're two games down, Joe Maddon will keep doing his thing and inspiring the Cubs all the way, writes Jayson Stark.
• The Cubs may not end up facing Matt Harvey in Game 5 (if necessary... hopefully necessary) due to swelling in his triceps after getting hit by the Dexter Fowler line drive in Game 1.
• Jon Greenberg writes about the history behind the Steve Goodman anthem "Go Cubs Go".
• It's not just the Blackhawks who follow the Cubs; Derrick Rose and coach Fred Hoiberg of the Bulls also are keeping tabs on them as well.

From CBS Chicago:

• Just how much does Joe Maddon's positive vibe help the Cubs right now?  Just ask David Ross: "He is not fazed and we are not fazed... that is the reason we have won all the games we have won."
• Tim Baffoe is remaining calm and level-headed. There was some loud cursing that preceded it, but it was just a phase.
• Not only is Wrigley Field preparing for Game 3, but the shops around Wrigleyville are also gearing up for a busy night.
• The "W" flag has caught on like crazy this season, but how far back does its origin go? Historian Ed Hartig has the details.
• This week's "Behind the Plate" focuses on Loretta Dolan, a 101-year-old Cubs fan who has been following the Cubs since the 1940s. And she still keeps score better than I ever could.
• [VIDEO] There was only one kid waiting for autographs at Wrigley Field on Monday -- Isaiah from Wichita, Kansas, who is a Cubs fan in a family of Royals fans -- and he walked away all smiles.

From the Chicago Tribune:

• The return of the NLCS to Wrigley Field will also be a homecoming for Curtis Granderson.
• Frank Thomas and Eric Karros look at what's upcoming as the NLCS comes back to Wrigley.
• Don't look for the Cubs' hitters to expand their strike zone at the plate after what they've seen from the Mets' pitching in the first two games.
• What would Ron Santo think of the Cubs playing the Mets in the NLCS? According to his son, Jeff: "He'll be smiling wide if they take down the Mets. It'd be just beautiful."

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

• Gordon Wittenmyer takes a look at the factors that go in the Cubs' favor as the NLCS returns to Chicago.
• Theo Epstein has seen the darkness before, writes Rick Morrissey, and he also knows that anything can happen.
• And Epstein expects better things as the series rolls on: "I think we'll show a lot better for the rest of the series. Every man in there is still confident."
• Morrissey does wonder, however: Who took Jake Arrieta and what did they do with his fastball?

Miscellaneous:

• The excitement for the Cubs' playoff run is being felt in Mesa, Arizona, where they sensed something special all the way back in Spring Training.
• Brian Costa from the Wall Street Journal looks at how the Cubs have emerged from "the baseball stone age" that existed when Tom Ricketts took over the team in 2009.
  
• Just what happened with the Cubs back in 1969? It had nothing to do with curses or cats, writes Kelly Bauer, but instead had everything to do with the manager, Leo Durocher, who couldn't possibly further from Joe Maddon.
• But talk of curses and such can be hard to break, writes Don Babwin. (And hey, Al's in there!)
• Is it wrong for a Cardinals fan to cheer for the Cubs? For Ray DeRousse, it isn't.

Today's food for thought:

• An asteroid will pass by Earth on Halloween at a distance that will be the closest fly-by since 2006.
• The predecessor to the space station, as thought up in 1961: The inflatable solar-powered space donut.