Cub Tracks does not so much fly as plummet

I don’t even want to talk about it. I suspected all along that 2007/8 was the model. The bats deserted October. Happy Holloween. Also, ABC sucks. Cubs twitter expressed themselves about that, too.

Maybe tomorrow will be about remembering the good things. There’s precious little of that perspective today. Here’s Cub Tracks 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.

• Justin Peters (Slate*): No Joy in Wrigleyville. “I stood outside Wrigley Field during the Cubs’ fan-free playoff opener. I won’t do it again.”
• Matt Snyder (CBS Sports*): Why Cubs’ early playoff exit is end of the road for core group that won 2016 World Series. “There are many circumstances heading into the offseason that point to the group getting broken up ...” Gordon Wittenmyer talks about this.
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): The best thing the Cubs can say about their 2020 season: They got through it. “There aren’t many superlatives with which to describe a team that couldn’t hit and went 21-25, playoffs included, after a mirage of a 13-3 start.” Russell Dorsey adds on. Jordan Bastian has words. Mark Gonzales does, too.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Jon Lester had some incredibly nice things to say about his second personal catcher. “... Willy’s grown up a lot. I think people forget he just started catching.” Sahadev Sharma {$} looks at Lester.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Javier Báez wants to remain with Cubs for rest of career. “I hope I never leave this city in my whole career, but anything can happen,” Báez said after Friday’s game.
• Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): The future of expanded playoffs is uncertain. And the end is always near. “... enjoy it while it lasts.”
• Cubs birthdays: Bob Bowman, Dom Dallessandro, Dennis Eckersley HOF, Matt Murton, Jen-Ho Tseng. Also notable: Fred Clarke HOF, Dave Winfield HOF.

SimNews:

Saturday’s simCubs™ playoff game will ‘air’ at 1 p.m. CT, since the RealCubs™ are done for the year. Stephen Strasburg vs. Kyle Hendricks. All game video and related material is available commercial-free, 24/7, at the BCB Media Center.

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading. We’re holding out for slow glass.