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I wonder what the official position is on sharknadoes...
From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:
- Defense has been one of the biggest challenges for the Cubs so far this season, but Joe Maddon is confident that it will get better as the young team gets more experience.
- Maddon is also not concerned about the Cubs' 25 percent strikeout rate, saying that not all strikeouts are created equally.
- As for having a "designated closer", Maddon sees the positives and the negatives to it.
- David Price remembers very well how Maddon goes about his business as a manager as well as how he gets the most out of young players.
- One major trait that the Cubs feel will help them with a playoff run is their resilience.
- Maddon's advice to Tsuyoshi Wada: Be more assertive and trust your stuff.
- Wada will remain in the rotation, for now, and has been listed as the scheduled starter for Tuesday night's game against the Indians.
- Kyle Schwarber's secret to his success: "Keep it simple and keep it stupid."
From Cubs.com:
- Currently being highlighted in Carrie Muskat's Cubs notebook: Jon Lester and Miguel Montero.
- Jason Hammel talked about his start on Friday, as well as scoring from first on a double by Addison Russell which "felt like five minutes".
- As the season moves along and Joe Maddon makes more moves on the field during games, his reasoning for doing so is that "it's about the group right now."
- What was the secret behind the resurgence at the plate for Miguel Montero? In his own words: Being ready to hit.
- [VIDEO] The Cubs are the only team to play Friday day games... and apparently there are a bunch of people that like it.
From ESPN Chicago:
- Yet another thing that Joe Maddon is not concerned about: The performance so far from Jon Lester. I'm beginning to wonder just what it will take to make Maddon say "Okay, I'm concerned about that." There's gotta be something.
- [AUDIO] Jesse Rogers speaks with Buster Olney on the state of the Cubs after returning home from their nine-game road trip.
- After nine games away from Chicago, it's also time to empty out the Twitter mailbag.
From CBS Chicago:
- Bruce Levine spoke with Joe Maddon about sustaining the winning and detecting a competitive group of players in his midst.
- As for bullpen help, Maddon says that you can never have enough of it.
From the Chicago Tribune:
- Paul Sullivan looks at the Cubs and says that there's a positively groovy atmosphere that's getting better by the day.
- Mark Gonzales writes that the Cubs could be forced with another pitching decision soon as the Cubs continue a stretch of 20 games in 20 days.
- With the right-field bleachers open again, Sullivan writes that Wrigley Field is back to looking like itself again.
- [VIDEO] Jason Hammel spoke about his outing Friday against the Reds.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
- The Cubs' players believe that they are on their way toward a pennant race, writes Gordon Wittenmyer, and the next month will say a lot about whether the front office agrees.
- Hector Rondon is on the mound to start the ninth inning and sees Jason Motte warming up. His thought: "It's no big deal."
- Kyle Schwarber was awarded the "Play of the Week" for throwing out Byron Buxton at second base. Buxton has 20 stolen bases this year and has only been caught stealing twice.
From the Daily Herald:
- The Cubs don't have an official closer, and Matt Spiegel believes that it should be an intriguing project to watch, especially with Joe Maddon at the helm.
From Cubs Den:
- The Phillies are scouting the Cubs' farm system, at least according to Joel Sherman.
From Bleacher Nation:
- Just how bad have the Cubs been at drafting in the first round? If you use WAR as your basis for determination, they've been historically bad.
- Buster Olney recently had a piece called "Theo Epstein Strikes Again", looking at the paths taken by the Cubs and the Red Sox during their run to the World Series. While the paths have been similar, there have been some noticeable differences.
- [VIDEO] If you're headed out to the bullpen, you might want to watch out for... Justin Grimm.
From Cubs Insider:
- In case you haven't noticed, the Cubs' bullpen is good again. At least recently it is.
Miscellaneous:
- Tsuyoshi Wada will be the probable starting pitcher for the Cubs' makeup game against the Royals on September 28. At least that's what the Cubs' official site says. Remember, kids: it's not always safe to cut and paste.
- Have you ever wanted a picture of Marty Brennaman pushing a dog down a Chicago street in a stroller? Well, Cub Tracks delivers.
Today's food for thought:
- Particles the size of a grain of sand can cause significant damage when they hit objects in space.
- [VIDEO] More fun with time-lapse cameras, as artists show how they draw famous landmarks from start to finish.
- And, finally... Babe Ruth wasn't just superior on the field; it turns out that the American Psychological Association also found him to be superior in tests taken in the lab.