Cub Tracks and the epoch of incredulity

Wait, you, until the subsequent season!

No Cubs baseball today. We have everything behind us, and nothing before us. There’s little to justify any national boasting.

The Cubs were supposed to be on the same page as Houston, you know. And they still might be, but as a footnote, perhaps a cautionary tale, though in truth the full story has yet to be written. I’m trying like hell to be bullish but my general instinct, trained by years and years and year of Cub misadventures, goes bearish.

Pretty much all I wanted from the playoffs is for St Louis and New York not to be in the World Series. Otherwise the postseason is an intermittently interesting interlude while I’m waiting for the Cubs various narratives to resume. I don’t know what to do... this incarnation of Cub Tracks hasn’t known an October that didn’t feature postseason games. It’s hard to recalibrate. I don’t particularly enjoy the people that run the sport (any major sport, really, as they are all long rows of miscellaneous criminals, making paper money and spending it) and that makes watching difficult at the best of times... and while this is hardly the worst of times, it would scare the Dickens out of me to endure this winter of despair every year, the way it used to be, with only the ‘regular’ season.

All these things, and a thousand like them, came to pass in and close upon the dear old year two thousand and nineteen.

Here’s today’s Cubs News and Notes. As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used here as sarcasm font.

• Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): In the next phase of reckoning, Theo Epstein makes big changes to the Cubs’ front office. “... the Cubs are trying to distance themselves from 2016 and get out of the “winner’s trap” that slowed innovation in baseball operations...” Mark Gonzales moves the runners over. Steve Greenberg walks.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs reportedly ‘exceptionally impressed’ by Joe Espada in managerial search. “... the Cubs may not make an announcement for little while longer...” Jesse Rogers writes about the manager-go-round. Evan Altman adds his commentary. Eno Sarris {$} scouts the next wave.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Why Epstein’s Cubs trade history can often be deceptive. “There are times that we’ve done it really artfully and there are times that we’ve done it in a really clumsy fashion, or just been dead-wrong on guys,” Epstein said.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Maybe Cubs actually need to get older to get better. “The six oldest teams in MLB by average age made the playoffs...”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): The curious case of Brad Wieck and his unique opportunity with the Cubs. “Wieck did his job and proved he’s far more than just a lefty specialist.”
• Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider*): Who is Justin Stone and what exactly does a Director of Hitting do? “Stone will bring cutting edge tech fueled by two decades of coaching and teaching experience to the table.”
• Bruce Levine (670 The Score*): Who’s most likely to be traded from Cubs’ core? “The trade market figures to play a key role in the Cubs fortifying their weaknesses.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): As he decides what’s next, it’s clear Ben Zobrist has something left in the tank. “In 21 games, he posted a .284/.377/.388 slash line...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): ‘Special’ Hoerner feels ready for Majors in ‘20. “Nico Hoerner put on the kind of show down the stretch that might just keep him in the Major Leagues come Opening Day.”
• Cubs birthdays: Mordecai Brown (HoF), Bob O’Farrell, Vic Roznovsky, Brock Davis, Mike Perez, Dave Veres, Lance Dickson, Daniel Descalso, Cory Mazzoni.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading