Cub Tracks Has Lots Of Untapped Potential

I'm not sure how much untapped potential I have, though. This may be as good as it gets for me.

From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:

• The Cubs believe they can beat the best that baseball can offer after consecutive wins against Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.  As Anthony Rizzo puts it: "We're really not even close to what we can really do."
• Tony Andracki writes that the Cubs are not only coming, but that they may have already arrived.
• Will the Cubs deliver by the trade deadline if the team is still in playoff contention? Joe Maddon believes that they will.
• But one of the big questions in that regard: Just how much financial flexibility do the Cubs have?
• The month of June is showing that Addison Russell no longer appears to be a wide-eyed rookie who's just happy to be playing with the big club.
• In case you missed the game on Tuesday and Al's recap of it, a fan made one heck of a one-handed grab on a popup in the first row of the stands -- while holding a baby in the other hand.

From Cubs.com:

• Jason Hammel has a 2.01 ERA in his last five starts. One of the big reasons for his recent success: improved command on his fastball.
• Joe Maddon on Dexter Fowler swinging away with two on and nobody out in the 10th in Tuesday's win: "We eschewed the bunt in the 10th inning."
• All-Star voting support for the Cubs is slipping, with Kris Bryant dropping to third in voting for National League third basemen and Anthony Rizzo somehow only coming in fifth among first basemen.

From ESPN Chicago:

• In his most recent Cubs question with more than one right answer, Jesse Rogers looks at whether Addison Russell should be moved up in the batting order.
• Rogers and Mark Saxon debate who should win the Rookie of the Year between Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson.
• Good times are back at Wrigley Field, and James Russell says that the Cubs are ready and have been waiting for it.

From CBS Chicago:

• Joe Maddon believes in baseball magic. It has to be earned, though.
• Now the hitting coach for the Dodgers, Mark McGwire reflected on the home run race of the 1998 season with Sammy Sosa in his return to Wrigley Field.
• Small things in which to take pride: Cub fans are apparently pretty good at grammar.

From the Chicago Tribune:

• Tsuyoshi Wada remains a question mark for his Saturday start.
• If Wada can't go, don't expect Travis Wood to take the spot, as Joe Maddon really likes having Wood in the bullpen.
• Paul Sullivan writes that Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant may be the Cubs' best one-two punch since Billy Williams and Ron Santo.
• Maddon would love to see the Cubs make additions before the trade deadline, but if it doesn't happen he'll get the most out of what's already here.
• Maddon is also not a fan of showcase baseball, saying that it "has no team component or concept."

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

• Former Cub David DeJesus has put his home in Wheaton up for sale. It can be yours for the low, low price of just over $1.5 million.
• Hey, look who was spotted at Wrigley Field! It's Bryan Cranston! Somebody get Heisenberg a Cubs hat!

From the Daily Herald:

• From the "Did You Know" files: Including Wednesday's game, nine of the next 14 Cubs games are appearing on national television.

From Cubs Den:

• Now living in Arizona, John Arguello headed out to Sloan Park to take in his first rookie league game in what can be termed a quite different atmosphere from Spring Training.

From Bleacher Nation:

• There's bad news from Tennessee, as Jacob Turner's rehab assignment has been shut down due to another flare-up in his elbow.
• Meanwhile, Javier Baez is on his way to Arizona to continue his rehab as he waits for his broken finger to heal.
• Matt Eddy from Baseball America presented a list of 10 hitting prospects that might be better than people think. The good news: three of the 10 are Cubs.
• Do you feel like the Cubs use the defensive shift a lot? As it turns out, they don't. The Rays, however, use it like crazy.

Miscellaneous:

• It's been one year since the Cubs traded Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Athletics for Addison Russell and Billy McKinney... and the Cubs are still the big winners.
• John Moore from the SB Nation site Minor League Ball takes a look at the top performers in the Midwest League in the first half of their season, including a few names from the South Bend Cubs.

Today's food for thought:

• What's better than one crescent moon? How about three of them?
• And if you're in Rome and feeling the need to publicly say something rude about someone... you can just stick it on this 500-year-old statue.