Cub Tracks Breaks Out The Bubbly

The blogs get the day off, primarily because it's been a long day and it's now late at night. Just another crazy September.

From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:

• The Cubs weren't going to let a 4-0 loss on Saturday spoil their party for clinching a playoff spot.
• Here are some of the sights and sounds from the Saturday festivities.
• Are the Cubs ready to handle the playoff pressure that's coming? Jon Lester is confident, saying that "playing like this all year has helped guys prepare for now."
• The mantra of "one year early" has been a popular one, but the performance of the young players hasn't surprised Joe Maddon or Jed Hoyer this season.
• If there was one player to pick as the leader of the team, Mooney selects Anthony Rizzo.
• Lester has also been a big reason for the Cubs' success this season, according to Joe Maddon.
• Maddon has loved the atmosphere at Wrigley Field this season and can't wait to see what it's like in the playoffs.

From Cubs.com:

• Joe Maddon has been the perfect manager for the Cubs, according to Jed Hoyer.
• What was Maddon doing while the Giants were playing the Athletics on Friday night? Watching "Jersey Boys" and trying not to peek at his iPad.
• Phil Rogers presents his list of the 10 things that got the Cubs back into postseason play.
• Maddon really believed what he said in his introductory press conference: that the Cubs were going to be in the postseason this year.
• Jim Callis looks at the 2015 rookies and lists the top 25 in order of value over the course of their careers.
• Kerry Wood now has his own ball park. Kerry Wood Cubs Field was opened on Thursday near Lane Tech High School, about a mile from Wrigley Field.
• Here's another really good read: Doug Miller writes about Leigh Ann Walker Young and her quest to do something she had never done before: hear the voice of her father, Verlon "Rube" Walker, who coached for the Cubs in the 1960s and 1970s and died in 1971 at the age of 42. She was only three years old when he died. Al also wrote about her quest here at BCB in 2013 and again last July.

From ESPN Chicago:

• Jon Greenberg and Jesse Rogers give their write-ups of the events following Saturday's game.
• What's left for the remainder of the season? Joe Maddon says that it depends on what happens in the rest of the Pirates series, at which point things should be pretty clear.
• Pirates manager Clint Hurdle had plenty of positive things to say about the Cubs, calling them "the most competitive team that I've seen from them in quite some time."

From CBS Chicago:

• Chris Emma gives his take on Saturday's events and says that the party is only beginning.
• One question that remains unanswered is who might be the third member of a division series rotation if the Cubs win the wild card game.

From the Chicago Tribune:

• Paul Sullivan writes that this season has been like no other in his lifetime, and the good news is that it isn't over yet.
• Sullivan also says that it's hard to believe that the Cubs' surge back to the playoffs started so quickly.
• Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon may not originally be from Chicago, but they are both grateful to be here now.
• Maddon and Epstein agree on what they consider to be the turning point of the season: the four-game sweep of the Giants at the beginning of August.
• Even if it's not as loud, there's still some celebrating on the South Side for the Cubs.
• David Haugh spoke with Bud Selig about topics including the Cubs' turnaround, the origin of the wild card game, and his retirement.
• It's been quite the season for Maddonisms. Sullivan and Mark Gonzales look back at their 11 favorites from Maddon's first season at the helm.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

• Gordon Wittenmyer looks back at some of the key moments from this season.
• He doesn't say it himself, but Rick Telander's headline writer says that this Cubs team deserves to party. I sometimes wonder just how the headline writers come up with their headlines.
• Chris De Luca writes that Joe Maddon simply doesn't care. But in proper context that's a good thing.
• Trying to figure out what to do with your old Ryan Theriot jersey? Here's one option.

From the Daily Herald:

• Bruce Miles gives his take on the Saturday festivities including a short video of activity in the clubhouse.
• Going with the "one year early" theme, Barry Rozner writes that the Cubs have plowed through a five-year plan in four years.

Miscellaneous:

• It's become the popular topic recently: What are the moves that got the Cubs here? Rob Neyer has his list of five.
• Another big key to the Cubs' success down the stretch: Work less before the game actually starts.

Today's food for thought:

• Are you a fan of H.P. Lovecraft? Well, now you can rent his old apartment in Rhode Island.
• Here are some pointers for watching tonight's Supermoon Eclipse.
• And, finally... for those of you who have been looking for a use for your old Nintendo 64 controller, here's a way to use it for launching hobby rockets.