Cub Tracks Spins Another One

CUBS WIN!

From the vicinity of the ISS:

Cub Tracks continues to roll on, despite my best efforts. Heh. Today, just like yesterday, we’re having baseball brunch in the home of Cub Tracks in ridiculously sunny southern Arizona. Today’s game can be just like yesterday’s. I won’t mind, as long as Brian Duensing doesn’t pitch. SSS, but I’m not a fan.

I got bit in the middle of the palm, Saturday afternoon, by a rather large spider. Dunno about great power but I’m feeling awfully responsible, Stan Lee. That and the coffee and the 64-ounce Polar Pop, plus a spare tank of Thursday’s fuel, had me achieving escape velocity about the time that Willson Contreras’ ball reached the seats, but even in that extremity, I could see that Zack Cozart’s ball was a homer. It hit the yellow line, yes? That’s like hitting the fair pole. Even the Mole Man could see that.

But whatever. I’m just gonna enjoy my spacetime donuts, maintain the Cub Tracks continuum, and continue to practice “responsible journalism”, spider or no spider. Get me rewrite, JJJ! We’re even on the lookout for some actual stories to report, and have made some small changes to the page. Now if Parker could just stop leaving his camera in trees, we could get things done, and in style, Ned Leeds. But then consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, as Bertrand Russell and Aunt May reportedly have said, and so we shall eschew that and concentrate instead on bigger things, bridging the gap between information and entertainment, Cap’n Stacy. Joey Votto makes a fine villain though...

I could spin this out much further but let’s not do that right now, Steve Ditko. Instead, we’ll get to the meat of the matter, courtesy of Kraven, the Hunter. As always * means autoplay on™ (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Today in Cubs history:

• 1924 - Hal Totten, a Chicago Daily News reporter, does a play-by-play radio report of the 12-1 Cubs' victory over the Cardinals, on WMAQ-AM. This marks the first broadcast of a series including all of the Cubs and White Sox games that year, a first for MLB clubs.
• 1976 - Tim Foli hits for a natural cycle over the course of two days, with the April 22 contest suspended because of darkness. The Expos beat the Cubs 12-6.
• 1990 - Steve Lyons of the White Sox plays all nine position in an exhibition game against the Cubs. He does not join the small list of players, that includes Bert Campaneris (1965 A's) and Cesar Tovar (1968 Twins), who have accomplished the feat in a regular-season game.
• 2008 - The Cubs become the second team to win 10,000 games with a win over the Rockies, joining the Giants atop that mountain. Their record at that point was 10,000-9,465, all-time.

Cubs News:

“Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) and Joey Votto (Reds) each hit a 3-run HR in the 1st inning, batting out of the 3-hole. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's the 2nd time in the Modern Era (since 1900) that opposing 3-hitters both hit 3-run HR in the 1st inning. The only other time was in 2004, when Alex Rodriguez (NYY) and Miguel Tejada (BAL) did it.”

ESPN stats and Information

• WGN-TV: Jon Lester offers dad’s personal seats to viral crying Cubs fan. Man, there’s a lot of dust in here.
• Shawn Anderson (Hall of Very Good): Matt Szczur’s painting fetches $35K. Nice painting, good payday for a very good cause.

• Jesse Rogers (ESPN): Are Cubs' struggles usual World Series hangover ... or something more? “Recent history tells us that reigning champions don’t always get off to dominant starts.”
• Jared Wyllys (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): What’s eating Kyle Hendricks? “Something is definitely off with last year’s Cy Young candidate.”
• Randy Holt (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Time for Javier Baez to hit the reset button. “Pitchers are getting him to bite on pitches well outside of the strike zone on a regular basis...”
• Zach Klonsinski (South Bend Tribune): SB Cubs relievers find ways to stay loose. “Shenanigans will come around now and then.”
• Mark Saxon (ESPN): Cubs dynasty? There might be a spoiler in St. Louis. “You don’t make this investment in Yadi if you’re not planning to win now,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. O_o

• Daniel Russell (D Rays Bay): The Cubs sold enough merchandise in one day to cover the Rays' entire payroll. The World Series is kinda important.
• Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated*): 'A re-setting of the market is coming': MLB's best young stars are eyeing record paydays. Kris Bryant prominent among them. Others Cubs starts are also in line, as we know.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Cubs reportedly ‘Got Nowhere’ in extension talks with Kris Bryant, other young stars. “...the soft, white underbelly of the Cubs’ success.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Joe Maddon weighs in on removal of Wei-Yin Chen during no-hit bid. "Ours is to permit the guy to try for the no-hitter," Maddon said. The Cubs have had this discussion.
• Andy McDonald (The Huffington Post): 30 years ago, Bill Murray called a full Cubs game and it was glorious. “This is the closest I’ve been to actually having decent seats at a Cubs game.” Includes highlights video.
• Grant Brisbee (SB Nation): A couple of Cubs are being total weenies about Eric Thames and PEDs. This is pretty much everywhere. Brisbee has the best take.

Food for thought:

• Bruce Bower (Science News): Ötzi the Iceman froze to death. Susanna, don’t you cry. “Freezing to death is quite likely the main cause of death in this classic cold case,” Frank Rühli said.
• Adrian Cho (Science): Physicists detect whiff of new particle at the Large Hadron Collider. “This has never happened before, to observe a set of coherent deviations that could be explained in a very economical way with one single new physics contribution,” says Joaquim Matias.
• Amina Khan (LA Times {$}): Scientists get a rare view of a type Ia supernova magnified 50 times. Gravitational lensing made it possible.