Cub Tracks’ horse play

Eh, oh, that was fun, innit? The Polo Grounds looked great and Victor Caratini had a triple into one of the famed alleys. Lane Thomas of the Cards parked one on the short porch in right but that was pretty much IT for redbird offense as the simCubs rode a huge 10-batter sixth inning and the resultant five runs to victory behind the stellar pitching of Yu Darvish, stalwart relief from Jesus Luzardo, a hiccup for Dan Winkler, and Craig Kimbrel having to get an extra out because Vic went wide on a pass to Anthony Rizzo. London town was good to the simCubs.

And there are plenty of highlights from the game.

Today The Professor, Kyle Hendricks, will face Carlos Martinez. Al will have more about the game in the game post at 2:30 p.m. CT, and then I’ll post the actual url to the stream at 3 p.m. CT. Or you can catch the game at the BCB Media Center and also catch past games and game videos, 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.

• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Theo Epstein plans to employ more black people and eliminate the ‘dangerous default’ in baseball’s hiring process — starting with the Chicago Cubs. “We don’t have a representative number of African American employees, especially for a team in a city like Chicago,” Epstein said.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Players react to League’s latest offer, which included snarky comments from Deputy Commissioner. “The two sides are further apart philosophically than they are financially, despite ownership’s asinine claims that their offers represent meaningful moves toward the middle in ongoing negotiations.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): State of the system: Can the Cubs make real organizational progress in 2020? “... the new front-office structure is what the Cubs hope pays big dividends in the long run.”
• David Schoenfield (ESPN*): The 2020 MLB draft pick who could make the majors first on all 30 teams. “Burl Carraway, LHP, Cubs (2nd round).”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): How Ed Howard IV developed the ‘advanced routine’ that impressed the Cubs. “His fundamentals have long caught the attention of spectators and scouts alike.”
• Jordan Bastian and Russell Dorsey (MLB.com*): Kersh’s lessons pay off for Carraway on Day 2. “According to Trackman Baseball, Carraway’s fastball graded out as the best four-seamer in the 2020 class.” Plus the other picks:
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Cubs fifth-round Pick Koen Moreno reportedly planning to sign with the Cubs (and gets some sleeper love). “If Moreno had more of a chance to pitch this spring, I think it’s likely the Cubs wouldn’t have had a shot to take him at No. 147.” Tim Stebbins has more.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): A tale of two Sammy Sosas: The best and worst of the Chicago Cubs slugger. “... Sosa’s legacy is complicated ...”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Ryne Sandberg reflects on Sammy Sosa’s 1998 show — and his own in 1990. “It seems to me there are some bridges that were burned,’’ Sandberg said. ‘‘But it’s not really my call.’’ Sosa poll.
• Cubs birthdays: Doc Parker, Hal Manders, Jerry Spradlin.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading, wot?