Cub Tracks blows smoke

One month until Spring Training! So the Hot Stove got lit up a little, arbitration figures were exchanged, there was lots of actual news that’s already been worked over like a journeyman light-heavy on the undercard. Such is the life of the late man. Jaime Garcia is still retiring.

Addison Russell ouch. Cubs twitter loves that move. Hoo boy. Holy gamethread, Batman!

(Detective Comics also started in 1937)

Nearly everyone signed under estimates. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Carl Edwards, Jr, Kyle Hendricks, Mike Montgomery, Kyle Schwarber are all in the fold for next year. The Cubs are slightly under Luxury Tax level two. Is Bryce Harper right around the corner? Someone keep an eye on that Starbuck’s where Theo was spied.

Suddenly it feels like baseball is coming soon. I can’t wait. Nice to have a little muck to rake for once. Aw, who am I kidding? We’re back to the Bryce Harper beat. We’re just puppets for Boras. Speaking of puppets, here’s a little teaser from my story “Bobble,” which was mentioned in the comments a day or so ago. It’s coming in the anthology “Mannequin,” due later this year from Silent Motorist Media.

They nod, they just sit there and nod and occasionally click if they nod a little too far but they mean nobody any good and their buzzing boss is entirely too green for my liking.

I woke early and these bobbleheads, a whole sea of them, surrounded my bed, rank upon rank queueing out into the hallway.

All of them images of former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa, brandishing his bat, his cartoonish-in-real-life features contorted as he waits for the incoming fastball. All of them nodding and nodding and nodding, with the single large bottle fly buzzing over their heads, landing and alighting and washing its foul little hands.

I mention the story because this is the anniversary of the real incident where my girlfriend crept in while I slept and filled my room with Sammy Sosa bobbleheads. Obvious inspiration is obvious.

• Jody Davis has a new gig as manager of the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds’ AAA affiliate. Another former Cub, Leon Durham, will serve as the team’s hitting coach this year. (shamelessly ripped from Cubs Insider)

I dunno about you, but it’s 4:20 here. And 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).

• Ryan Davis (Forbes*): Cubs ownership needs to answer for sudden financial restrictions. “...between ownership’s sudden vice-grip on the payroll and the rumors that the front office can’t even afford a mid-level reliever or an extension for an existing player, the phrase “cut off your nose to spite your face” is becoming stunningly relevant in Chicago.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.co,*): Cubs ink Bryant, Baez; all 7 arb-eligibles agree. “Russell, Hendricks, Schwarber, Montgomery, Edwards also sign for ‘19.”
• Matt Whitener (The Sports Fan’s Journal): Get in where you fit in: Breaking down Bryce Harper’s free agency finalists. “The Phillies, Dodgers and Cubs are heading up the pack of new destinations, with his only employer-to-date in the Nationals re-entering the fray as well.”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): Report: Cubs want a shot at Bryce Harper, but ownership ‘unlikely’ to provide approval. Words from Ken Rosenthal spark debate.
• Patrick Mooney, Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): As another slow winter lingers on, what are the Cubs still missing…aside from Harper? “...it’s a big risk to go into April with just a few reliable relievers.”
• NBC Sports Chicago: Cubs Talk podcast with Len Kasper [AUDIO].
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): ‘We would like to pay Addison Russell to go away’: Cubs fans make a strong statement with fundraiser. “All proceeds will be donated to the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic of Chicago.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Bryant stepping up workout regimen, now hitting breaking balls off machine. He’s In The Best Shape Of His Life.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs will start spring training on Feb. 12 in Arizona.

Food for thought:

Of note perhaps to Music Thread regulars: