Cub Tracks’ the Buck passes

RIP Billy Buck. You were my favorite player for a few years. I remember most distinctly the end of the 1980 season, when you and Jerry Martin were pretty much the whole show on a team that was so bad that even Big Daddy Rick Reuschel was under .500. You won the batting title that year even though you were 0-4 on the final day, on the strength of the previous night, when you went 3-5 with a homer. I remember times when you went limping around and I wince when I recall when you had decent wheels, early on with the Dodgers, and why you didn’t, later.

I rarely watched American League ball then. I rarely watch it now. I don’t remember you for the ‘error’. Thanks for the grit and the good times, Bill. Your passing casts a pall over everything else, today.

“The fans like players who go all out, play hard. I do the best I can. I enjoy playing. That’s all I’ve done.” - Bill Buckner in The Glendale News Press (Grant Gordon. Bill Buckner: Anything but a choke. November 17, 2005)

The Cubs came up just short yesterday afternoon. Al’s recap has the details. Accept no substitutes. Al also has much more Buckner, including a full tribute/remembrance of him coming up at 8 a.m. CT. 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).

• Richard Justice (MLB.com*): Pedro Strop could return as early as this weekend. “The thing I’d like to do is get back to these guys pitching one inning primarily,” Joe Maddon said. Brett Taylor pitches in.
• Ryan Thomure (Cubs Insider): Can Anthony Rizzo maintain scorching pace? “Rizzo, a model of consistency since joining the club in 2012, could set new career highs in basically everything the way he’s going.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Kris Bryant out Monday, still under evaluation. “... it was just one of those fluke plays that happens throughout the course of a long baseball season.” Gordon Wittenmyer observes that “the best-case scenario would be a day or two,” according to Maddon. Mark Gonzales sums it up.
• Doug Glanville (NBC Sports Chicago*): Outfield communication especially key on balls hit into ‘no man’s land’. “This is not a simple task given the many scenarios that come up during the game.”
• Larry Brown (Larry Brown Sports): Kyle Schwarber wears IU candy stripe pants for Cubs road trip.”The basketball jerseys are nothing new for a Joe Maddon team.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Key to Almora’s offensive turnaround? Patience. “Albert Almora’s offensive production has been trending up for the past several weeks, helping the center fielder graduate from a platoon situation to a regular spot in Chicago’s lineup.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Evergreen Park’s Jim Adduci realizes a dream with call-up to the Cubs: ‘This can help people who are grinding it out’. “Everyone’s paths are different,” Adduci said.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Former Cubs reliever Hector Rondon now a key contributor to the Astros’ lights-out bullpen. “Rondon credits the Astros’ analytics department for providing ample information and giving each pitcher multiple options on how to attack hitters.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Inside the draft room: How the Cubs are building for the future. “One unique thing about the draft that I think gets lost in the big picture is that the player pool changes dramatically year to year,” says amateur scouting director Matt Dorey.
• Deep Dish Baseball talks to Jim Deshaies [AUDIO].
• Cubs birthdays: Bobby Smith, Randy Martz, Tom Grant, Mike Maksudian. Also notable: Jim Thorpe.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.