Cub Tracks’ Sanity Clause

Last time around, Cub Tracks ornamented the discussion with visions of line drives and other bullets. News for Christmas is a little thin on the ground, so I’ve encouraged the cats to knock a few things down. There’s some video, and Brett Taylor reminds us that baseball is fun. Really fun, even in wintertime, sugarplum. And there are or were a few things in the lukewarm toaster oven. I’ll spare you the soliloquies and serve up the feed.

In less-happy news, RIP one-time Cub Phil Gagliano.

We have more Jason Heyward, from Darnell McDonald’s Twitter feed:

And some of the written word. As always * means autoplay on (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

• Don Babwin (AP, nwi.com): Cubs won it all just in time for many of their longtime fans. Some Cubs fans are convinced their loved ones hung on to see the team win its first Series in 108 years.
• Charlie Wilmoth (MLBTradeRumors): Cubs sign Fernando Rodriguez, four others. Stocking-stuffers. John Arguello of Cubs Den chimes in. Christian Villaneuva has signed with the Padres, apparently.
• Jose Dejesus Ortiz (St Louis Post-Dispatcher): DeWitt and Cardinals not committed to catching Cubs. “The Best Fans in Baseball deserve better.” Bwah-hah-hah-hah!
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com): Anthony Rizzo, a survivor, lends hope to cancer patients. By now we’re familiar with this story, but let’s hope we’re not too jaded to see what it’s about.
• Buster Olney (ESPN-Insider {$}*): Early Hall of Fame voting hints at dramatic shift. Includes a section about Mike Montgomery.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Getting to know new Cubs closer Wade Davis. “...the Cubs acquired one of the very best closers in the entire game.”
• Larry Hawley (WGN-TV): Cubs fan creates unique holiday song for pitcher Jon Lester. Take a bow, Danny.
• David Miniel (Cubbies Crib): Indians’ big signing could mean World Series rematch. Could. Maybe not, though. Kind of a reach, if you ask me.
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider): Organizational Breakdown, Part 4: Where have all the shortstops gone? “...the high-end talent is in the lowest reaches of the system.”
• John Arguello (Cubs Den): Cubs top prospects, 1-4. Nice long analysis. Read on. 5-8 here. 9-12 here.
• Rick Morrissey (Chicago Sun-Times): Top sports story of the year is the only sports story: the Cubs. Yes. Kirk Wessler would seem to agree.
• Bill Plunkett (OC Register): Most Influential 2016: Pitcher Kyle Hendricks helped the Chicago Cubs end a 108-year World Series drought. Easy-to-swallow pill for the Capistrano native.
• Gavin Cummiskey (The Irish Times): Chicago Cubs’ joy and an unforgettable moment for Ireland. “Welcome to the Windy City. Go Cubs Go.”
• Ryan Davis (FanRag Sports): The Cubs are the right fit for Tyson Ross. Many think so.

Food for thought:

• Fiona Macdonald (Science Alert): 6 more mysterious radio signals have been detected coming from outside our galaxy. “...researchers still can't say for sure what's going on.”
• Lila MacLellan (Quartz): The economics of being Santa. There’s a Santa wage scale.
• Science: Listen to world’s tiniest radio receiver play Christmas music. It’s the size of two atoms.

C’mon. Everyone knows there’s no sanity clause. Happy Holidays. Thanks for reading!