Cub Tracks’ Chicago manual

It isn’t all about Yu any more. Style, man, it’s all about style. Some got it, some ain’t. The Chicago Cubs, like it or not, win and lose with style. They used to win and lose with Old Style, but that’s another story, and I’m not kräusened enough to tell it. In fact I am cold sober, as I’m working on some of the projects that my Kickstarter is comprised of. But I digress ... which is in keeping with my style...

Great game. Friday’s game was good ball, too. Exciting. Innit what we pay for? Can’t win ‘em all — make ‘em fun. Do it with style. Chicago-style if you can, like the AP and hot dogs. No ketchup! Well, maybe on the meatloaf ... coulda woulda shoulda had a meatloaf by now. But no. So, the rubber game, today. And now that I’ve completely punted the lede, which is sorta appropriate for a non-football Sunday, 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).

“I gave up like 18 hits and 12 runs,” Darvish joked, “but still, I’m a little happy. I went seven innings.

“I knew the bullpen was struggling and didn’t have a rest, so my main goal was to go more than seven innings.”

“Gutsy. He was great,” David Bote said. “The line score’s not going to show how great he was today. That was a great performance by Yu.”

• Andrew Wegley (Sportsnaut): Why the Chicago Cubs are poised for another deep post-season run. “... they’ve got power and pitching, and they’ve got a chip on their shoulder ...”
• David Just (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): ‘That’s entertainment,’ Joe Maddon says after Cubs top Reds 8-6. “They seem to all be like that, especially recently. The wind was a friend for both sides,” he finished.

• Bruce Miles (Daily Herald {$}): Yu Darvish battles and Chicago Cubs outlast Reds. “Darvish’s line isn’t the prettiest... but he helped save a depleted bullpen...” Jordan Bastian adds second opinions. Cam Ellis squeezes in.
• Cam Ellis (NBC Sports Chicago*): Darvish’s cutter might be what turns his season around. “Darvish’s pitch selection has changed over the last eight weeks ...”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): With a rough season behind them, Darvish and Tyler Chatwood are back in the Cubs’ trust tree. “There’s more to it than meets the eye,” Maddon said.
• Bruce Miles (Daily Herald {$}): Bullpen shuttle continues for Chicago Cubs. “We had to,” said manager Joe Maddon. “A lot of stuff going on right now.” Jordan Bastian warms up too.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Joe Maddon on MLB’s absurd home run rate: ‘The wind’s being broken here. It’s really weird’. “We’re having home runs hit here into some firm breezes, which has not happened before,” Maddon said.
• Daniel Shepard (Cubs Insider): Kyle Schwarber making most of second chance as Cubs leadoff hitter. “While it’s still a very small sample size (43 PAs), Schwarber is posting numbers that may result in a prolonged look as the leadoff hitter.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Evaluating the Cubs’ offseason and where they go from here. “A maturing, well-rounded team that made the playoffs four years in a row shouldn’t need that much maintenance.”
• Bill Quinn (Cubs Insider): How one little trip to Japan could change Major League Baseball. “... rather than sign with Atlanta, Carter Stewart (a Scott Boras client) opted to join the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): A retiring Marty Brennaman is going to miss Wrigley Field. No, seriously, he will. “... I look forward to coming here every time ...” he says.
• Cubs birthdays: Eddie Haas, Chuck Hartenstein, Jason Bere, Ben Zobrist,

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!