Cub Tracks’ Casper vs the Ninjas

Everyone repeat after me — Eeeeeeeeeeeugh! Fans don’t like the monochromatic uniforms. I thought the monoblack unis on the Nationals looked sorta cool but I wouldn’t want to wear them. Not this August. Maybe Ninja from Die Antwoord would want them. Or the Wu-Tang Clan might. Ugly, boy. The white ones looked like they were meltable and I especially hate the childish nicknames on the back. Phelpsy? Seriously? Arrrrrrgh. Let’s create some better nicknames, too.

Sox fan smartass Mark says “Good guys wear black.” I called on Chuck Norris to go remonstrate with him. Mercy.

And that game? The less said the better. Pound that beer and get ready for the next one.

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 (The Athletic {$}): Setting the stage for the rest of this all-drama Cubs season. “Watching the Cubs is entertaining, confusing and open to interpretation.”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): As Cubs continue to ride the roller coaster, they won’t ‘play with the scoreboard’. “I can’t emphasize enough — it is a 24-hour cycle,” Maddon said.
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Jon Lester tired of ‘sucking’ after 9-3 defeat against the soaring Nationals. “The positive is, physically, I feel fine. So I can’t blame it on that. I just have to be better.” Tony Andracki has more along those lines. Paul Sullivan has things to say. Jordan Bastian has the ‘rest’.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs molded Brailyn Marquez into their best pitching prospect of the Theo Epstein era. “All he needed was a little guidance and the right group of coaches to help mold him into something special.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): What are the Cubs’ postseason plans for Ben Zobrist? Joe Maddon isn’t saying. “If and when he comes back, we’ll figure that out easily,” Maddon said Friday
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Tony Kemp pays tribute with Players’ Weekend jersey. “Kemp said his father-in-law will be in attendance at Wrigley Field this weekend, too.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): ‘He’s definitely making a name for himself here’: How Nicholas Castellanos would fit in the Cubs’ future plans. “Luckily enough, he gets to play every day,” Cole Hamels said. Steve Greenberg has more on this subject.
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): 10 Iowa Cubs who could be called up in September. In alphabetical order.
• Bruce Miles (Daily Herald* {$}): Maddon wants better pay, recognition for established managers. “The trend in baseball has been for teams to hire younger managers who can be controlled more easily by the front office and paid less.”
• Cory Franklin (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Commentary: Why the 1969 Cubs mattered so much. “Wrigley Field in 1969 was an oasis of good vibrations.”
• Cubs birthdays: Lou Hardie, Frank Quinn, Art Williams, Jimmy Cooney, Beryl Richmond, Frank Secory, Butch Benton, Dean Wilkins, Kurt Miller. Also notable: Harry Hooper (HoF), Cal Ripken Jr. (HoF).

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.