Quality sports journalism, we got it. Somewhere. Lemme look in my office again. There may be some here and there...
Here’s today’s episode of Cubs News and Notes, the only links column that really matters. 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.
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): An ownership mandate is probably not what is pushing the Cubs’ front office to stay under the Luxury Tax. “... what Dave Kaplan is reporting ...”
- Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider*): Why was Jeremy Jeffress worse last year than in All-Star 2018 season? “The one number that best explains his underwhelming 2019 is a sudden decline in whiff rate.”
- Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Brailyn Marquez — the pitching prospect who could end Cubs’ development drought. “... looking more and more like a guy who will buck that trend in the near future.”
- RJ Anderson (CBS Sports*): Do Phillies have the right pieces to swing a trade for Cubs star Kris Bryant? “Alec Bohm could go the other way to team Bryant up with childhood buddy Bryce Harper.” Jim Bowden offers his point of view {$}. Do the Rangers?
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Inbox: Can Happ-Almora platoon produce in ‘20? There’s hope that Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. can do just that, based on some data. Plus Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Morrow.
- Dan Gartland (Sports Illustrated*): Late Cubs fan has one last wish: Donate to ‘impoverished’ Ricketts family. “...for purposes of assembling a near-Major League-caliber bullpen,” her obituary reads.
- Cubs birthdays: Lew Brown, Walt Golvin, Vince Barton, Eddie Zambrano, Kent Mercker, Phil Norton, Austin Jackson, Brett Anderson.
Food for thought:
A gentle zap of electricity keeps these animals on the move. https://t.co/VHTfLarp1v
— Popular Science (@PopSci) February 1, 2020
Well-ground beans typically are thought to be best for making strong shots because smaller grounds dissolve more readily. But that might not be true.https://t.co/F5GihGGAvz
— Science News (@ScienceNews) January 31, 2020
Space-time is swirling around a dead star, proving Einstein right again https://t.co/OG0ClBpufU pic.twitter.com/rZUsPgi1Yf
— Live Science (@LiveScience) January 31, 2020
Thanks for reading.