Cub Tracks leaves a ring

Svengoolie time, working later than usual because reasons. Jonathon Lucroy, now an Angel, off the checklist. Happy day after Theo Epstein’s birthday. Most of the beat writers and bloggers are still hibernating, it seems. We have pictures instead of words.

Here’s today’s Cubs News and Notes, such as they are. As always * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

• Moshe Wilensky (Cubs Insider): Is Cole Hamels’ option really holding up Bryce Harper deal? “Hamels is fungible, Harper is not.”
• Chris Kamka (NBC Sports Chicago*): Favorite Cubs Games of 2018: Cubs use back-to-back home runs to walk-off Diamondbacks. “It was a 1:20 game on July 26 at Wrigley Field.”

• Cubs birthdays: Clarence Currie, Ray Prim, Steve Davis, Sean Gallagher, . Also notable: Sandy Koufax (HoF)

Cubs history:

• 1907 - The Mills Commission on the origins of baseball reports that the game was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. The Commission is convinced by the testimony of Abner Graves, who claimed to be a childhood companion of Doubleday’s. Grave’s story is later “verified” when an old, rotting ball is found among his personal effects; the ball is now in the Hall of Fame. The Commission ignores the fact that Doubleday did not graduate from West Point until 1842. (3)
• 1926 - The Chicago Tribune breaks a story that the Detroit Tigers have thrown a four-game series to the Chicago White Sox in 1917 to help Chicago win the pennant. Responding to the publicity, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis convenes a hearing on the matter, but dismisses all charges. Landis can find no witnesses to confirm any part of Swede Risberg’s claim. (2)

Food for thought:

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