Cub Tracks is thinking of Yu

Simon says: Yu knows how it is. We love Yu, too, but we have a job to do. So if it comes to pass that Yu isn’t part of the Cubs, well, see Yu later. But, until then, we are contractually obligated to reference (and reverence) Yu at all times, as Al had us all sign in blood Cubbie blue ink made of Old Style with indigo food coloring...with Buckingham fountain pen nibs made of splinters from Sammy Sosa’s corked bat.

But hey! That’s all in the past — let’s get past it and to the real news! We have content today. Yu know how to celebrate — I’ll see Yu in the bar.

Whiteboard material:

Hawk Harrelson: “Gonna be fun to play the Cubs and kick their ass.”

As always * means autoplay on™ (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Today in baseball history:

Something discussed on BCB boards:

• 1958 - Roy Campanella, driving home from his liquor store in Harlem, breaks his neck when his rented 1957 Chevrolet sedan hit a telephone pole in an early morning auto accident on Long Island, leading to a lifetime of paralysis.

• 1968 - Goose Goslin, a former Senator and Tiger outfielder who retired with a career .316 batting average after playing in five World Series, and Kiki Cuyler, a .321 career hitter who won four stolen base crowns while running the bases for the Pirates and Cubs, are elected into the Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote of the Veterans Committee.
• 2009 - Aaron Heilman is traded for the second time this offseason when the Mariners swap the 30-year-old right-hander to the Cubs for utility infielder Ronny Cedeno and southpaw Garrett Olson.
• Happy birthday: Bob Muncrief

Notable yesterday:

Cubs news and notes:

• Jon Heyman (FanRag Sports*): Are Cubs favorites to land Yu Darvish? “The Cubs probably have a good chance to land Darvish...but signing a personal catcher isn’t going to do the trick.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): New catcher Chris Gimenez jokes: If Darvish signs with Cubs, “They might make a statue of me”. Yu probably think it’s about Yu.

• Even Altman (Cubs Insider): Gimenez has talked to Darvish ‘Probably 10 or 12 times’ since signing. “...this strikes me as a little more than a guy calling up his buddy just to chit-chat.”
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Jed Hoyer: Cubs won’t act based on rivals’ moves. ”When you get into a game of reacting to what your opponents do, I think you can make a lot of mistakes,” he said. CBS Chicago concurs. Don’t Yu?
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs will (or won’t) react to the Brewers’ big moves. “What the Brewers do next will be key to just how much of a run they give the Cubs.”
• Craig Edwards (Viva El Birdos): Did the Brewers just pass the Cardinals? “Even with the trades, the projections show a massive talent deficit for the Brewers...”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs fans shouldn’t be too worried about the Brewers...yet. “That rotation doesn’t exactly scream out “October-worthy.””
• Ryan Fagan (The Sporting News): NL Central contenders: Position-by-position comparison of Cubs, Cardinals and new-look Brewers.
• CBS Chicago*: Jed Hoyer explains why he, Theo Epstein never wear World Series rings. “I feel like you’re celebrating something that happened in the past every day,” Hoyer said. Includes Score interview audio.

• Ben Breiner (The State): Michael Roth lands with new MLB organization. USC Gamecocks baseball paper mentions new Cubs farmhand.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo think change will be good for Cubs. “...further and further removed from the storybook ending to 2016.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Manny Machado? Lorenzo Cain? Albert Almora Jr. is only focused on his game: ‘Go out there and ball’. “Confidence is the biggest thing,” Almora said.
• Tim Stebbins (Fansided): Milwaukee Brewers’ moves do not push them passed Chicago Cubs. “For the Cubs, Fangraphs projects Mike Montgomery to post the highest ERA of starting pitchers currently on the Cubs (4.27).” Just in case Yu were wondering.
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): White Sox top prospect Eloy Jimenez likes fast food and a quick timeline to the majors. “If this is a deal the Cubs wind up regretting, it means Jose Quintana never gets a ring.”
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Better men: Jose Cardenal, Eddie Vedder build friendship. “Former Cubs outfielder was Pearl Jam lead singer’s favorite player.”

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.