As I write, it’s Saturday night, and, in my mind, I’m in Berwyn (I actually lived there for a while, around the corner form the car sculpture)! We remember Julie Adams with an encore of “Creature from the Black Lagoon”! And actual baseball news is still back. Good times!
And I was inspired by the music pages to create a ‘Duane Radio’ group on Facebook. I’ve been in the habit of filling idle time with chestnuts and nuggets for quite a while now, and some other people convinced me to let them in on the fun. You can join if you want...it’s a closed group. I just thought I’d let those responsible know what a Frankenstein monster they’ve created (yeah, that’s me in the link).
Let’s sweep that all aside, Igor, and 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).
Our tour guide, @kschwarb12. pic.twitter.com/yohsqQExCm
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 16, 2019
Guess who's back, back again? #Cubs pic.twitter.com/MceNs7MuZY
— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) February 16, 2019
Watch Cole Hamels react to a computer program predicting a last place finish for the Cubs while pointing towards an older rotation as a reason for regression.
Almora was asked about Machado & how he's keeping his sanity? "I don't know." With my sons baptism we were with family. Smoked a cigar, had a good time with a lot of childhood friends. We talked about stories, fishing, but baseball was not a topic I wanted to talk about. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/JUlthxnI5f
— Kelly Crull (@Kelly_Crull) February 16, 2019
- Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Algorithm? Collusion by any other name smells just as foul. “Teams say they like you but they’re not making offers,” said Brad Brach.
- Robert Kuenster (Forbes* {$}): Key deals By Theo Epstein turned Cubs into perennial pennant contenders. “Even after we won in 2016, we’ve never had any interference in doing whatever it takes to keep us a winning team,” Epstein said.
- Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): 5 takeaways from Cubs spring training Saturday, including Joe Maddon reinforcing his support for Addison Russell. “I hate being the last out,” Albert Almora Jr said.
- Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs players of all ages are embracing advanced technology and analytics: ‘They’re willing to dig in’. “He can do it all. We all trust his work. And regardless of his age or who he is, we know what he brings to the table,” said Kyle Hendricks about Tommy Hottovy.
- Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ‘It’s an honor’: Veteran lefty Hamels is taking his new leadership role seriously. “...when you’re able to play the game as long as we have, that’s the role you get thrust into.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Brach looks like sweet addition for hungry Cubs bullpen. “Coming here knowing that you’re expecting to win from day one, it’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it,” Brach said.
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Daniel Descalso won’t go head-first into role as leader. “I’m not going to come in right away and stand up on the couch and be giving like a rah-rah Knute Rockne speech,” Descalso said with a laugh.
- Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): What Maddon thought about Russell’s press conference. “...hopefully there’s a tremendous growth moment for him.”
- Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Russell and the Cubs are under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. “The start of spring training usually is a time to spread the word of hope.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Almora’s time as everyday player ‘on the horizon’. “Maddon said the goal is to have Almora continue to show improvement against right-handed pitching in order to earn more days in the starting lineup.”
- Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): Almora has a plan to cope with Manny Machado questions in Cubs camp. “...I’m playing for the Chicago Cubs and that’s all I know.”
- Pat Eaton-Robb (AP via Chicago Tribune {$}): Minor league baseball team bans peanuts and Cracker Jack from stadium. “It’s just important that people know there is a safe space, and where that safe space is going to be.”
Food for thought:
This week, we all said farewell to the Opportunity rover, which had been exploring Mars for the past 15 years. But we're staying on Mars a bit longer. InSight, NASA’s latest Martian lander, is busy getting settled on the surface to do some science. https://t.co/sCxxvzqf5z
— WIRED (@WIRED) February 16, 2019
The storm’s electrical power was similar to the output of a large nuclear reactor, around 2 billion watts. https://t.co/ShFHELIWKg
— Science News (@ScienceNews) February 17, 2019
Remember Magic Eye books? Discover the science behind the stereogram craze of the 1990s. pic.twitter.com/7xJh3JqEJE
— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 17, 2019
Thanks for reading! #Cubsnews