Cub Tracks presses on

I am blue about the lack of postseason baseball in Chicago. There isn’t much today that isn’t all David Ross, all the time. The beat writers don’t file every day, and they tend to flock together. This is what it’s like when there are no playoffs, in case you forgot. Imagine if Joe Maddon had stuck around...

Just in case anyone cares, long baseball games are just fine by me. Let the players play the games and let the robot umpires call the balls and strikes. Part of the attraction of baseball for me is that there’s no time-clock. My view is that micro-management is inimical to growth.

I am also into magic, long walks on the beach with my hadrosaurus, tilting at windmills, and rolling rocks uphill, in my spare time. I’m pessimistic about the future of the game, of sports in general, and about the future of humanity, but we haven’t time to paint that masterpiece.

These are the things I’m beating the drums about — Can Brad Wieck become an Andrew Miller perform-alike? Will Jon Lester pitch 150 innings? Who plays center field? Who leads off? Are those the same guy? Who’s on second? Will Craig Kimbrel bounce back with a full spring of baseball activity behind him?

I don’t think any ‘core’ players are going anywhere. I do think the robot umps are coming. I think MLB batters will continue to abuse spheroids.

Happy birthday to me. Have a nice day, Kevin Matthews.

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.

“I want to win a championship. I want to win multiple championships. I want to bring a championship back to Chicago, and we’ve done that before. I’ve done that in another city. And I know what that looks like.

“I’ve been on some losing teams. When you see the opposite, you’ve got to call it out as soon as possible.” — David Ross

The Phillies got their man, too.

• NBC Sports Chicago talks to David Ross [VIDEO].
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Theo Epstein: Hold the champagne on Joe Maddon’s Cubs-Angels 2020 World Series dream. “The Angels, who last won a Series title in 2002 — when Maddon was a bench coach — finished with a 72-90 record and fourth-place finish in the American League West under Brad Ausmus.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): David Ross will win the press conference, but after that comes the hard part. “There has to be love before there’s tough love.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): 3 ways new Cubs manager Ross can put his stamp on the team. “... Ross has work to do redirecting a team that has regressed slowly since winning the 2016 World Series.” Gonzales prefers not to dwell in the past. Steve Greenberg also has challenges.
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}: Did the Cubs talk themselves into Ross, or is he the next great manager? “This hire was the worst-kept secret in baseball.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Cubs are likely to make some changes to the coaching staff. “... there aren’t too many long-tenured guys...” Larry Rothschild is available.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Kris Bryant’s grievance should be resolved by Winter Meetings. “... the rest of MLB is waiting to find out whether a whole new precedent will be set.”
• October 29, 1987. Dallas Green resigns as President and General Manager of the Cubs. Green built the 1984 Cubs team that came one victory short of a World Series appearance and was instrumental in the development of the 1989 squad.
• October 29, 2016. The Cubs lose to the Indians 7-2.
• Cubs birthdays: Mark Baldwin, Solly Hofman, Richie Barker, Arismendy Alcantara. Also notable: Jesse Barfield (who was my HS teammate for a year), Will Venable.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.