Cub Tracks is reportedly concerned

While we prep for the simulated season and hope for the real thing, the scribes, scriveners, and scribblers continue to earn their salt. There’s not a LOT of Cubs-related chatter, but there is some, and we have that for you.

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.

• Trent Rosecrans (The Athletic {$}): American players in Japan, South Korea experience pandemic through another lens. “Dan Straily went to Costco on Tuesday and he left toilet paper on the shelf.”
• Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated*): How a shortened season could dramatically alter MLB in 2020. “... a truncated season will introduce new elements toward deciding the next champion: tighter pennant races, more sleeper teams, huge schedule inequities and a World Series that could be played in mid-November.”
• Adam Berry (MLB.com*): How season delay impacts NL Central clubs. “The NL Central was expected to be perhaps the Majors’ most competitive division, with four teams legitimately optimistic about their chances to come out on top.”
• Patrick Mooney, Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): 10 Cubs thoughts one week after the shutdown. “Sports are supposed to be an escape and — for better or worse — we still have thoughts about the Cubs ...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs 2020 roster outlook: How Alec Mills fits on Opening Day roster. “Mills is expected to takeover Tyler Chatwood’s role as the long man in the Cubs bullpen.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Brandon Morrow sees extended break as chance to finally get healthy again. “It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so sad and frustrating.” More Morrow from Gordon Wittenmyer.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): A candid Jason Heyward on MLB hiatus: ‘We just want everyone to be safe first’. “Heyward said staying in Arizona is the safest route for Cubs players due to the controlled environments, compared to being in a big city like Chicago.”
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): 2020 was supposed to be important year for several longtime Cubs prospects. “The biggest name on the list is Aramis Ademan ...”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): There are reportedly concerns among many minor league teams that they will not survive this season. Working from Baseball America article.
• Cubs birthdays: Oscar Bielaski, John Sullivan, Jim Hughes, Owen Friend, Tommy Davis, Len Church, Bill Plummer, Shawon Dunston. Also notable: Mysterious Walker.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading. Rants and raves at medium.