Cub Tracks repeats when necessary

It’s nice to watch the ‘real’ baseball ... even if I do have to kind of turn my brain off to do it, because it’s such a Sisyphean proposition, but I’m a closet Cervantes fan, which takes a certain amount of masochism ... like being a Cubs fan before 2016, come to think of it, so I suppose in the end that most of us have plenty of practice ... and if you’re four, and you’re reading this, well, you have the world by the tail already.

Haha, like Anthony Rizzo, who started off on the right foot for sure. Willson Contreras stepped in with both feet. Great stories of homers off of Homer Bailey.

And speaking of tales, here’s Cub Tracks News and Notes. 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* {$}): Cubs planning to show ‘unified’ support for racial justice before their opener Friday against the Brewers. “We’ve had multiple meetings on the racial injustice topic, and we’ve got a plan in place for opening day that these guys are unified with,” manager David Ross said Wednesday.
• Rick Telander (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): It’s good to have baseball back, but it’s hard to view it as an escape in these tumultuous times. “Imagine a World Series played in front of no one.”
• Jay Cohen (AP via WGN-9): MLB returns ball kids to lines after feedback from clubs. “While ball boys and girls are returning to the foul lines, baseball is staying with its plans to keep them out of the dugout area ...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): 2020 MLB Season: MLB, union reengaging in negotiations for expanded postseason. “Jon Heyman reported Wednesday.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): The Cubs — with no fans in the Wrigley Field bleachers — fill the space with advertising signage. “Green canvas panels with the logos of seven sponsors now cover the lower part of the left-field bleachers and a large portion of the right-field bleachers.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Season preview: Cubs aren’t taking another chance to make history for granted. “I think we’re the perfect team made for this sprint,” outfielder Kyle Schwarber said. Ken Rosenthal {$} has the biggest stories.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): New skipper leads Cubs into new territory. “David Ross has been preparing for his first game at the helm for more than eight months now.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Yu Darvish feels ready for season after brutal opening inning in White Sox scrimmage. “... it took him a little time to sort of snap into a competitive mode and really get into his groove.”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): How Alec Mills fits into the Cubs starting rotation. “Couldn’t be happier with Alec,” Ross said.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Frame this story: Willson Contreras is working hard to fix his one flaw. “According to new Cubs catching and first-base coach Craig Driver, Contreras has been eager to improve behind the scenes.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Nico Hoerner’s ability to fill multiple roles has carved out a spot for him on the Cubs, despite his lack of minor-league development. “He’s ahead of probably where I was at his age,” said Jason Kipnis. More from Brett Taylor. Jordan Bastian concurs. Tony Andracki has thoughts too.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Kris Bryant wants people to stop making assumptions about his future because of his agent. “Scott, he has this big name, but he does what his clients want him to do, and he always fights for his clients.” Evan Altman has more.
• Cubs birthdays: Ginger Beaumont, Ed Holley, Ival Goodman, Chuck Crim, Don Drysdale HOF, Joe Mather. Also notable: Pee Wee Reese HOF, Don Drysdale HOF.

SimNews: The simCubs face the stinkin’ simCards in Thursday’s game, the first of a four-game series. We’ll recap it here Friday in this space, and we’ll also take a look at the current standings and league leaders. You can catch the game at the BCB Media Center. SimGames will continue to be played according to the original daily schedule and they will be streamed starting at approximately 9 a.m. NL Central Time each gameday.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!