Cub Tracks’ whole new ballgame

The Cubs and White Sox didn’t play yesterday, due to spring training being canceled because of COVID-19. The Cubs and the Indians won’t be playing today so we don’t have any current baseball news for you. But people here and there are writing and saying things, and we are honor-bound to present that to you until such a time as there is actual news to report.

There’s a secret project underway which may fill in some of the time reserved for baseball activities. My lips are sealed but I’ll just say it’s an interesting approach to content. Speaking of interesting content, here’s 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.

• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Theo Epstein explains Cubs’ attempts to ‘Flatten the Curve’ in wake of MLB suspending activities. “... please keep washing your hands regularly and taking the necessary steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Theo Epstein’s testing concerns: ‘We’re far behind in this country’. “The guiding principles at times like these are listen to the science,” Epstein said.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs’ concerns rest with the health and well-being of their employees — not the fate of the baseball season. “Every decision we make will be done with as much empathy and thought as possible for everyone’s standing,” Epstein said. Patrick Mooney explains that there are bigger things than baseball {$}.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): FAQ: How coronavirus impacts Cubs, MLB. “I think if they move stuff back and they say pause for a second, then I feel like we all know and trust that it’s within good reason. If that means we’ve got to start later, then so be it. We’ve just got to be safe,” said Jason Heyward.
• Vinnie Duber (NBC Sports Chicago*): Players allowed to leave spring training amid uncertainty over length of baseball’s delay. “... the Major League Baseball Players Association sent players a memo outlining their choices while the sport remains shut down.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): So many questions now: Length of delay? Extend or truncate the season? Player service time? Rosters? Playoffs? More. “... the most obvious question is “how long do we all have to do this social distancing thing for the worst to pass and then get back to normal in a safe way?””
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs 2020 roster outlook: Ian Happ poised to claim starting center field job. “... his underlying numbers from 2019 say this could be the best season of his young career.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): In the strange stillness of a sports shutdown, we’ll do the best we can to give fans their fill. “You’re damn right we’ll be trying.” I’m always trying :P
• Cubs birthdays: Bob Raudman, Steve Lake, Ty Waller. Also notable: Kirby Puckett (HoF).

Food for thought:

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