Cubs win!
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 24, 2020
Final: #Cubs 16, Mariners 12. pic.twitter.com/U3j74FGSa0
Bruce Levine was sure right about the doubleheader. And I loved every minute of it. This is great. I am liking being able to see spring training games very much, so I have to give it up for the Marquee people. I still regard them as nefarious capitalist devils, but they are working on the plus side of the ledger so far.
The crystal clear, HD-all-the-time-no-buffering signal is much appreciated on this end, so, good going, Republic-serial villains. Score one for the bad guys. Maybe things aren’t quite as bad as they seemed, over the long, cold winter.
And score a baker’s dozen, plus, for the good guys, including several off of old friend Carl Edwards, Jr., who has fallen on hard times, it seems. Trent Giambrone swiping a bag nine up was okay for me, considering his situation as a non-roster invitee, and the 20/20 hindsight that comes with watching Rowan Wick get lit up for five the following inning.
Al has the details in the recap. Here’s today’s episode of Cub Tracks 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.
#Cubs catchers on pace to hit a combined 162 homers this season. #CatchersWhoRake
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) February 24, 2020
ICYMI - Watch: Yu Darvish, Craig Kimbrel Throw Live BP Monday https://t.co/jYKEFE6yMA #Cubs Insider
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) February 24, 2020
- Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): David Ross was ready for spring training to begin. After missing the Cubs’ 1st 2 games, he’s ready to catch some grief. “Lou Gehrig he is not,” Jed Hoyer said he texted Ross.
- Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Yu Darvish says starting opening day for the Cubs would be ‘an honor,’ but he isn’t counting days to see if he’s lined up: ‘I’m not good at math’. “I can’t talk about it,” Darvish said with a smile Monday.
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Dakota Mekkes touched 96 MPH Saturday, which is very nice. “... the real key for Mekkes moving forward is just keeping his throwing motion clean and efficient.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Can Tyler Chatwood finally translate spin rate into success? “Chatwood will try to show that last year’s year-end success wasn’t just a fluke.” Gordon Wittenmyer shares his thoughts.
- Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Jeremy Jeffress wants to help the Cubs lock down their bullpen — and feed fans with his fried seafood truck. “I’m trying to bring it around and let people know,” Jeffress said. “A good meal goes a long way, and it’s cheap too...”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Inbox: Can Nico Hoerner make club out of spring? “When Opening Day arrives, Hoerner needs to be playing regularly, whether that’s with the Cubs or with Triple-A Iowa.”
- Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs All-Star Javy Baez looks for more: ‘I want to be one of the top three players out there’. “But how exactly does he improve on a .531 slugging percentage, two straight All-Star starting assignments at two different positions and an MVP runner-up season in 2018?”
- Bill Thompson (Beyond the Box Score): Kris Bryant, leadoff hitter extraordinaire. “The Cubs are being extremely smart by making Bryant their lead-off hitter.”
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Why Steven Souza Jr. believes the Cubs ‘have a legitimate shot to win the World Series’. “It’s an awesome clubhouse,” Souza said Sunday.
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Albert Almora Jr.’s swing changes paying early dividends. “I made adjustments,” Almora said. “I made adjustments that you guys will see in the game. It’s visibly different.”
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Cubs reportedly sign OF/1B Jordan Patterson and RHP Dario Beltre to Minor League deals. “per Arizona Phil.”
- Cubs birthdays: Howard Earl, Monte Irvin (HoF), Andy Pafko, Ron Santo (HoF), Ed Lynch, Henry Rodriguez, Felix Pena, Jorge Soler. Also notable: Bob Brenly.
- Food for thought:
Recognizing the pain of others may be a valuable skill for robots designed to help care for elderly people, for example. https://t.co/K1ix5EQF4Z
— Science News (@ScienceNews) February 24, 2020
Oh Well, Betelgeuse Has Officially Stopped Dimming For Now https://t.co/RHgiMKL6kO
— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) February 24, 2020
Composting may be a way to handle dead bodies that’s easy on the Earth. https://t.co/PDMdDBUvrD
— Science News (@ScienceNews) February 24, 2020
Thanks for reading. Rants and raves at medium.