Cub Tracks dials 411

Oh, halp! These simCubs are DIALED IN and operating on all cylinders, having taken the first of three from the simCardinals on this mini-homestand. With ONE HIT!

After the game, Yairo Munoz and his bat and glove were packed off to the Red Sox, an A ball shortstop was packed off to the Cards, and the Cubs have 89 men in their organ-i-zation, Bob Pulford. We don’t need to fill that hole right now.

Eight in a row, 12-2 overall. Not much to complain about. Well, except that the simCubs only mustered one hit, and it’s reasonably easy for the others to catch up if they keep doing that kind of thing. Let’s hope they have more than that on the ball today in the rubber game of the series.

Al will have more information about that game in the game post, at 2:30 pm CT, for our 3 p.m. start. I’ll drop the specific URL to the contest in the game thread, but you can lurk at the BCB Media Center and catch it there as well. All past games and highlights reels are available there too, if you want the full #simCubs experience.

And now, 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.

• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): While blacked-out Dodgers fans finally get their channel, many Cubs fans continue to wait. “Of course, because of the coronavirus pandemic, there are no games.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Minor League Baseball was supposed to open today – now we just have to hope it will again soon. Jesse Rogers’ article kindled this line of conjecture.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): What type of crisis manager will David Ross be? “Whatever the questions will be, the Cubs won’t be putting a media novice out there.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): My favorite player: Jake Arrieta. “... it was Arrieta who helped shape me as a reporter early on in my career.”
• Adam Hoge (NBC Sports Chicago*): How radical realignment could lead to more White Sox-Cubs games this year. “Of course, none of this will happen unless Major League Baseball can ensure the safety of all its players and that remains an enormous question mark.” Mark Gonzales has more.
• Jeff Nelson (NBC Sports Chicago*): Does Cubs’ Jon Lester’s career belong in the Hall of Fame? “It’s a great topic to discuss while we wait for the games to start up again.”
• Ann Rogers (MLB.com*): Here’s the next wave of NL Central closers. “Cubs: Manuel Rodriguez.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Anthony Rizzo’s foundation reaches 15 hospitals in 4 states, serving meals for coronavirus workers. “I can’t thank everyone enough,” Rizzo said in a 35-second video on his Twitter account. “I can’t urge everyone enough to stay inside, please.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Nico Hoerner making most of moratorium with charitable efforts, ‘borrowed’ workout equipment. “... the can’t-go-to-a-barbershop quartet has launched a podcast called The Compound and they’re doing their best to stay entertained and in shape.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Ian Happ one of 30 players competing in ‘MLB The Show Players League’. “Starting Friday, each player will compete in 29 games — one against every other participant — over the next three weeks.” Juan Toribio elaborates.
• Cubs birthdays: Hank Schenz, Robin Jennings, Todd Dunwoody, Andres Blanco. Also notable: Sid Monge.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading. Happy 4/20. Rants and raves at medium.