Cub Tracks’ Kilroy was here

Happy Father’s Day to those of you who are daddies. I wish you health and good times. I am not cooking this year and plan to socially distance with a beverage (iced tea! I drink alcohol sparingly) and a big plate of barbecue from the Brushfire BBQ Company ... perhaps while watching the smoke rise from the Bighorn Fire, which I can see from my living-room window. Perhaps not — that’s too real, like the strong possibility that the simCubs will be the only baseball this year — which I believed from the git-go. It’s why we have these broadcasts.

Speaking of the broadcasts, the series is tied going into the third game, with the Cubs and Red Sox each taking one victory home on the way to jousting for the meatloaf. It’s been quite some time since the Cubs lost a series. This wouldn’t be a good time to change that.

Javier Baez was 4 for 4, Kris Bryant and Jason Kipnis clubbed dingers, and Kyle Hendricks and his experience chalked up a ninth victory. Plenty of highlights, including Craig Kimbrel’s 26th save.

Ryan Yarbrough will try to keep pace with the Professor against Boston’s Hector Velazquez. 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.

We know about Addison Russell. Here are maybe some things we don’t know about. There’s not a hell of a lot right now.

• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Baseball’s biggest obstacle? It isn’t games, salaries or even the bumbling men in charge. “Even if the owners and the union do reach a nuts-and-bolts accord, how are they supposed to put their heads together in earnest on a health crisis whose next moves are, to some extent, unknowable?”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): If there’s a season, you can expect the extra innings rules to be adjusted. “In another life, this news would’ve been treated like an absolute bombshell.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Union Committee expected to reject MLB’s deal, slim chance remains for late deal. “Looks like this might take a while longer after all.”
• Alex Shapiro (NBC Sports Chicago*): Report: All MLB teams will now hold Spring Training at home facilities. “Bob Nightengale tweeted the news on Saturday morning.” Ben Walker (Chicago Tribune*) has more to say about this.
• 670 The Score: Cubs’ Ian Happ a big fan of DH In National League. “I like it for our team, and I like it for the action in the game,” Happ says. Alex Shapiro has additional thoughts.
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Cubs’ collaborative evaluation process clearly displayed in draft, undrafted free agency. “... it was obvious from the Cubs’ five draft selections that they were looking for loud tools.”
• John Keilman (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Minor league baseball faces major anxiety as Chicago-area clubs hope to salvage their seasons. “Only one team, the Rosemont-based Chicago Dogs, has announced it will play, though not in Illinois.”
• Cubs birthdays: Matt Kilroy, Jackie Collum, Rick Sutcliffe, Donovan Osborne, Jeff Baker. Also notable: Red Barron.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.