Cub Tracks’ here comes the flood

Here in my bubble we are properly arranged — I was into antisocial distancing long before the pandemic — and we are celebrating a new arrival. I am now the proud papa of a Vox VT40X, my birthday present to me from me (and a celebration of my book being 700% funded by Kickstarter). The cats hate it, hate it, hate it. The guitars are all in line waiting to be plugged in. But they’ll have to wait. There is serious business afoot, somewhere.

I need the promise of a new season to generate interest now, and there’s no promise as yet. The whole thing feels like a march to the gibbet. If the Houstons could go away, that would improve matters, but not enough. I don’t think there’s a hell of a lot of difference between the Astros and the others, anyhow. That kind of cheating has been endemic in the great old game since its inception. It isn’t limited to Carlos Correa. Or Kevin Correa, for that matter. Ask Judge Landis or Shoeless Joe. Big money generates a lot of dirt, fast.

Major-league sports (and college sports) are as filthy as the national political scene. And that’s all I will say on that subject (for now). I’ve written enough horror for today, thank you.

Here at Cub Tracks News and Notes, we are winding up the fifth year of the reign under Duane (and closing in on the eighth anniversary overall) and also it’s almost my birthday. I’m not super-sentimental about such things but that’s an anniversary, too. 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 on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font.)

• Marquee Sports Network*: Cubs Weekly Podcast: Jon Lester and the 2021 rotation. Sean Marshall stops by.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): What’s the trade landscape for Kris Bryant? 4 questions about the Chicago Cubs third baseman heading into 2021. “... the sixth in a series of position-by-position analyses of the Chicago Cubs ...”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Ian Happ: Cubs outfield had ‘a ton of chemistry’ in 2020. “... the trio that made history with two home runs apiece at Cincinnati a month and a half ago, could still be intact come Spring Training.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs’ arbitration estimates vary widely due to uncertainty, could have several non-tenders. “... the shortened season and stunted financial environment have created a great deal more uncertainty than usual.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs sign 11 more IFAs as the International Free Agent period comes to a close. “These signees are critical to the long-term health of your organization...”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): Dollars and sense survey: What did Cubs fans think about Marquee’s first season? “... almost 74 percent said yes.”
• Cubs birthdays: Cliff Carroll, Walt Wilmot, Hans Lobert, Sumpter Clarke, Don Young, Allen Ripley. Also notable: Candy Cummings HOF.

Food for Thought: