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There's only one thing that bums me out about Daylight Savings Time, and that's the darkness in the morning that comes with it for the rest of the month of March and part of April. I guess I could go to work later to avoid that problem, but then there's rush hour to deal with, and no one wants that. Oh, what to do...
Anyway, here's the latest from around the web:
From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:
- Joe Maddon compared his experince in Spring Training so far to what he called "The Cub University".
- Maddon also thinks that there's another level to Edwin Jackson that hasn't been seen yet.
- Jon Lester has a slightly different message for the young prospects: You've got to grow up sometime.
- The idea of playing playoff baseball in October is catching on, with Travis Wood now joining the chorus that sees the playoffs as more than a possibility.
- James Shields spoke on Wednesday about his decision to play for the Padres over the Cubs.
- [VIDEO] Ernie Banks and Minnie Minoso were honored at the 27th annual Comcast SportsNet Sports Awards.
From Cubs.com:
- Despite working a long first inning in his first Spring Training appearance on Saturday, Jason Hammel felt good about the outing as a whole.
- Joe Maddon's first conversation with Phil Coke went very well, with Maddon describing Coke as "loquacious". Yes, I knew what that one meant.
- Edwin Jackson is looking forward to making his first start of Spring Training on Monday. Hopefully he finds that level that Maddon's talking about.
- The Cubs' 5-2 loss to the Reds set an attendance record for a Spring Training game in either the Cactus League or the Grapefruit League as 15,331 people were in attendance at Sloan Park.
- When asked about his swing and how it compares to last season, Mike Olt said that the difference was night and day.
From ESPN Chicago:
- Whatever you do, don't call Phil Coke a lefty specialist.
- [AUDIO] Kyle Schwarber spoke with Jesse Rogers about his grand slam in his first Spring Training at-bat on Thursday.
From CBS Chicago:
- [AUDIO] On the topic of Javier Baez and trying to cut down his strikeout totals, Jed Hoyer said on Friday that it's a mindset issue.
- [AUDIO] There was more talk about the making playoffs in 2015, with Tom Ricketts saying on Friday that not winning the division would lead to "a lot of disappointment".
- Why did the Cubs discuss playing this season at Miller Park but not at U.S. Cellular Field? Matt Spiegel's take is that Crane Kenney didn't ask because he knew that Jerry Reinsdorf would say no.
From the Chicago Tribune via RedEye Chicago:
- Paul Sullivan presents his list of 10 rookies to watch this spring.
- Despite being one of the newcomers, David Ross is already starting to take charge.
- As for the future, Ross hasn't ruled out becoming a manager after his playing days are over.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
- Rick Telander covers a lot of ground that's already been covered regarding Theo Epstein, but here's something new that I learned and I can agree with first-hand because I did the same thing. One of Epstein's biggest regrets: Taking French instead of Spanish.
- What ever happened to Kevin Orie? Neil Hayes has the answer.
From Cubs Den:
- [VIDEO] For your viewing pleasure, here's the video of the home run by Kris Bryant on Saturday.
- When it comes to analyzing Spring Training results, John Arguello says that it's not necessarily about the numbers, but instead about the process.
From Bleacher Nation:
- The full MLB.tv schedule for Spring Training is available with the Cubs making 20 appearances. The first game to be shown on MLB.tv will be March 10 against the Indians.
- For those of you living in blackout areas, more television options are beginning to surface.
From Chicago Cubs Online:
- [VIDEO] Here's a collection of videos from the Friday game against the Reds.
From Cubs Insider:
- Mark Jablonowski writes that despite the positive strides so far, the Cubs still have a ways to go to catch up with a couple of teams in baseball's arms race.
- Evan Altman looks at the leadership of Joe Maddon and sees parallels to the coaching style of Phil Jackson.
Today's food for thought:
- For the fans of planetary photos, here's an enhanced color image of the Caloris Basin on the planet Mercury.
- The Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane, is getting ready for a five-month trip around the world.
- And, finally... for those of you out there who aren't fans of Daylight Saving Time, you may find it interesting to know that some places actually made it illegal to move the clocks forward for a period after the end of World War I.