Cub Tracks signs ‘em up

The odds say that the simCubs are all the baseball we’re gonna get.

The simCubs defeated the simOrioles and swept the series behind the pitching of Ryan Yarbrough and a cast of thousands, with Ryan Tepera getting the save and Nico Hoerner coming up big in the pinch (again). YouTube decided to sign me out mid-upload, and wouldn’t let me sign back in right away, so I tweeted the score and highlights, then saved the game and rebooted:

Interesting. After the game and reboot, the Cubs made their draft choices, and we welcome 2B Willy Lorenz (R), SP Johnnie Rosado (R), SP Robby Volpe (R), C Henry Alecio (R), CP Albert Piniero (R), and RF Michael Compton (L) to the Cubs. They’re already signed and will be joining the minor league teams next year. The Cubs have been scouting most of these players very closely since the beginning of the college season. Brandon Palmer will have more about these players and the process tomorrow in his weekly interview.

The Reds have invaded Wrigley Field, and Joey Votto and the boys threaten to eat skyline chili in our clubhouse for four full days. This abomination must be expelled! Sonny Gray and Jon Lester will face off first. Al will have more in the game post (at 2:30 p.m. 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.

“It feels like a broken record and where we’re watching a rerun. I feel like these things continue to happen over and over and over again and you have people continuously and helplessly trying to find a solution.” — Jason Heyward.

• Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich (The Athletic {$}): Sides deadlocked after MLB rejects latest Players Association proposal. “The threat of the virus derailing the season will linger even if the major-league players and owners agree on economics and health and safety protocols for 2020.”
• Ronald Blum (AP): MLB rejects 114-game schedule, threatens plan of about 50. ““We do not have any reason to believe that a negotiated solution for an 82-game season is possible,” Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem wrote in a letter Wednesday to chief union negotiator Bruce Meyer that was obtained by The Associated Press.” Evan Altman has thoughts. Brett Taylor does also. Al will have more at 8:30 a.m. CT.
• Vinnie Duber (NBC Sports Chicago*): Two baseball players in Japan test positive for coronavirus as Opening Day nears. “Opening Day in Japan is set for June 19, just 16 days from now.” (Yomiuri Giants shortstop Hayato Sakamoto and catcher Takumi Oshir)
• Jesse Rogers (ESPN*): Cubs’ Tom Ricketts says most revenue goes right back into team. “The scale of losses across the league is biblical,” Ricketts said. Brett Taylor addresses this. Dan Schlossberg does as well.
• Robert Channick (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Big brands, including McDonald’s, Walgreens and Chicago Cubs, race to position themselves as champions of social justice. Will the messages backfire? “We support peaceful protest and pledge to channel our energies to rebuilding our city, especially the disenfranchised neighborhoods,” the team said.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): As protests continue around Wrigley, Cubs put it on the marquee: “END RACISM”. “Like America, the Cubs are complicated.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): “Dexter Fowler was racially profiled by nightclub while with Cubs teammates. Fowler has been outspoken on social media regarding racial profiling amid nationwide protests ...”
• Dayn Perry (CBS Sports*): Why Central contenders, like Cubs, Indians and Cardinals, could benefit from a regional MLB schedule. “If the divisions are organized regionally for the 2020 season, then the Central figures to be the weakest.”
• Tim Dierkes (MLB Trade Rumors): Replacing Jon Lester and Jose Quintana. “At present, the Cubs have only two starting pitchers under contract for the 2021 season...”
• Russell Dorsey (MLB.com*): Here are top homegrown stars in NL Central. “Kris Bryant is arguably the best first-rounder in franchise history...”
• Cubs birthdays: Orlie Weaver, Lee Magee, Arnold Earley, Rick Wilkins, Scott Servais, Chang-Yong Lim. Also notable: George Washington.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading! Did you know that Ian Happ is a Pittsburgh-area native?