Cub Tracks’ Interferometer

We wuz robbed, but Cubs win anyway!

Stop me if you’ve seen this before — previously on It’s the Cub Tracks, we stirred the pot, and featured bullet points about The Hawk swiping his 300th base, Theo Epstein speaking at Yale, and “Tammy’s Star”, among other selections from a medley of our hit. We also examined the fascinating phenomenon of deja vu.

Previously on It’s the Cub Tracks, we stirred the pot, and featured bullet points about The Hawk swiping his 300th base, Theo Epstein speaking at Yale, and “Tammy’s Star”, among other selections from a medley of our hit. Presque vu, q’est-ce que c’est? Zoot allures. I repeat myself when under stress.

We’ll stop before we get too far into the future. Cub Tracks time is confusing enough, we don’t need to get into jamais vu, too. Last night, the Cubs won as Anthony Rizzo went to eleven, as Al has ably described in his recap. Kyle Hendricks did what he does, the bullpen held serve, and The Cubs captured the meatloaf, despite Jason Heyward being being called out on a technicality and Wade Davis giving up an earned run. Today they try to put their best foot forward, cut the Giants down to bite-size and grill a little Shark in the process.

As reported earlier on BCB, David Ross ended up in second place on Dancing With the Stars. Pretty good — here he has a few words about that, and maybe now he can join the bullpen or dance for a PHD:

Looking backward from the year 2017, May 25 was quite a day, especially for Hall-of-Famers and Cub favorites. And now maybe we’re ready for a little more baseball commentary, courtesy of the usual suspects. Let’s go “bats”. Read all about it — as always * means autoplay on™ (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Today in Baseball History:

• 1903 - The entire Schenectady Frog Alleys squad is arraigned for playing baseball on a Sunday after hosting the Albany Senators in a New York State League contest played at Island Park. The players, after being detained by county officials for violating blue laws, are discharged when the jury acquits Captain Ben Ellis, who was the plaintiff of a test case for the charges against the Class D team.
• 1919 - Casey Stengel, traded by the Dodgers in the off-season to Pirates, calls time, steps out of the batter's box to give the razzing Ebbets Field fans the 'bird'. The Pittsburgh right fielder doffs his hat, allowing a sparrow to fly out, much to the amazement and amusement of the fans.

• 1922 - After being called out for trying to stretch a single into double, Babe Ruth throws dirt in the umpire’s eye, then goes after a heckler in the stands, and finishes his tirade by standing on the dugout roof calling the crowd “yellow”. These actions will result in a one-game suspension, a $200 fine, and cost the 'Bambino' his Yankee captaincy, a position he held for less than a week.
• 1923 - Crossing the plate for the 1,741st time, Ty Cobb surpasses Honus Wagner's record for most runs scored in a career. The 'Georgia Peach' will tally 2,245 runs during his 24-year tenure in the major leagues, a mark which will not be equaled until 2001 when Rickey Henderson breaks the record.
• 1935 - At Forbes Field, Boston Braves outfielder Babe Ruth hits three homers and a single in an 11-7 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The 'Sultan of Swat's' seventh-inning solo shot off Gary Bush, a blast which clears the ballpark's roof, will be the Bambino's 714th and final home run.
• 1951 - At Shibe Park, Giants rookie Willie Mays makes his major league debut against the Phillies. The 20 year-old outfielder, who hit .477 in 35 games with the Minneapolis Millers before being called up, goes hitless in five trips to the plate, but makes two outstanding defensive plays to contribute to New York’s 8-5 victory.
• 1981 - Joining Ty Cobb‚ Stan Musial‚ and Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski becomes the fourth major leaguer to appear in 3‚000 games. Yaz makes it memorable by scoring the winning run in the Red Sox' 8-7 victory over Cleveland at Fenway Park.

• 1982 - Future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins reaches the 3,000 strikeout plateau when he whiffs Gary Templeton in the third frame of the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. The 39 year-old Canadian-born right-hander will finish his 19-year major league career next season, with a total 3,192 K's in 4,500⅔ innings.
• 1984 - The Red Sox trade pitcher Dennis Eckersley and utility man Mike Brumley to the Cubs for Bill Buckner, who had been benched in Chicago in favor of Leon Durham, but will immediately become Boston's starting first baseman.
• 2001 - Kerry Wood gives up only one hit, a seventh-inning leadoff single to Mark Loretta, in the Cubs' 1-0 victory over Milwaukee. The 24 year-old right-hander strikes out 14 batters in the Wrigley Field gem.
• 2008 - Former major league pitcher Geremi Gonzalez is killed by lightning while standing on a dock in western Venezuela. The 33 year-old pitcher, who was signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1991, also threw for the Devil Rays, Red Sox, Mets, and Brewers before being released by Milwaukee in 2006.
• Happy birthday — Augie Galan and Todd Walker.

Cubs News and Notes:

The Cubs will wear 70's outfits on their upcoming road trip to LA and San Diego. It's their first theme trip of the season as Joe Maddon continues his tradition of keeping things loose. Addison Russell : "The 70's are way over my head so I need some help." — Jesse Rogers (ESPN)

• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com): (as seen above) Cubs planning 'Anchorman' tribute road trip. Jesse Rogers (ESPN) adds some color.
• Zack Moser (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): A meditation on the futility of trade speculation. “Do not hug your prospects, for they will not hug you back.”
• David Holmes (Sports Mockery): 5 Pitchers the Cubs can target at MLB trade deadline. Good possibilities, if much-discussed.
• CBS Chicago*: Theo Epstein: Big-Name pitching acquisitions appealing, but key is to continue hunt for undervalued players. Interview with Bernstein and Goff [AUDIO] included.

• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Joe Maddon admits he has a ‘defensive foot fetish’. Talking about Ian Happ’s positioning and footwork.
• Bruce Levine (CBS Chicago*): Scoring runs without the long ball challenging for Cubs. “I talk all the time about the room for growth because we are young,” Maddon said.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times*): Swinging or missing? Cubs still seek identity, strong personality. “...I think when you lose certain guys that provide that intensity, like David Ross, it’s just a matter of finding who’s going to fill that hole,” said Kris Bryant.
• Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider): Jon Lester talks pitching with Ryan Dempster [VIDEO].
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register): Meet the pitcher the Cubs claimed on waivers before winning World Series. Conor Mullee is working his way up.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune * {$}): Willson Contreras' education as catcher took off before he reached majors. “Contreras credited coach Mike Borzello for playing an instrumental role in his development after he completed the 2015 season at Double-A Tennessee.”
• Chris Emma (CBS Chicago*): ‘Insatiable’ Contreras catching on behind the plate. “Willy’s smart, he’s really good,” Maddon said.
• Adam Nissen (Sports Mockery): Ben Zobrist gives an exact reason for the Cubs’ early-season struggles. “Zobrist essentially verified the dreaded “World Series hangover” excuse.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Javier Baez has been extremely hot, but the search for consistency continues. “...Baez isn’t finished developing.”
• Ryan Schultz (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Kris Bryant’s hidden skill. He refuses to ground into double plays.
• Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated*): Jason Heyward on his hitting struggles and how a yoga instructor is helping him find his way. Darnell McDonald helps Heyward with his mental approach.
• Patrick Mooney (CSN Chicago*): First impressions of Ian Happ in Cubs clubhouse (not really a 'defensive foot fetish' guy). “You have to continue to get better,” Happ said.

• Simon Farber (MLB Daily Dish): A look back at the 2011 MLB Draft. Pretty good list of successes -- two Cubs on it.
• Patrick Karraker (MLB Daily Dish): A look back at the 2012 MLB Draft. Shortstops and pitchers.
• Ashok Selvam (Chicago Eater): Bayless, Izard & more Top Chefs team with Cubs for Special Ballpark Dishes. “The food will be available down the right-field line at Wrigley’s remodeled main concourse on the Sheffield Avenue side.”

Food for thought:

• Joanna Klein (The New York Times): The science behind the flamingo’s one-legged stance. Great -- now explain Ian Anderson. No, not that one. This one.
• Elizabeth Pennisi (Science): Why whales grew to such monster sizes. In a word, glaciers.
• Bruce Bower (Science News): Tool sharpens focus on Stone Age networking in the Middle East. “Neanderthals or other now-extinct hominid species first transported obsidian across hundreds of kilometers...”

Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks will return Sunday, same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel, arraign or shine.