Cub Tracks sees in 4D

The Cubs and Yu Darvish faced the Brewers and Brandon Woodruff Friday night in the season opener. I had reservations, but attended the televised contest anyway. Doug Glanville was in the studio, and I love Doug, but the on-air crew, ouch. Matty V, meh. Can take him or leave him. But Rodriguez?

Talk about picking nature’s pocket. Isn’t his fifteen minutes up yet? I mean, I’m all for love in the time of Coleridge but there’s no repaying that kind of borrowing ... what an albatross around baseball’s neck that guy has turned out to be. You can only wax such ineloquence so much before it discloses that it is still guano and the poetic license gets suspended.

Kyle Hendricks started well and stayed that way. Ian Happ went bombs away. The season will last another day. Brandon Woodruff’s change is nasty, hey? Home plate was bigger than the Brandenburg Gate. Anthony Rizzo went deep anyway. Thought I’d something more to say.

Feeling good is over-rated.

Relax, Frankie says. Relax. We need some information first, adds Roger, helpfully. Can you show me where it hurts?

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.

The Cubs also signed outfielder Ryan LaMarre to a Minor League contract and he was assigned (along with Dietrich) to the alternate training site in South Bend, Ind. Lefty Burl Carraway (2020 second-round MLB Draft pick) was also added to the South Bend group and the 60-man player pool (currently at 57). — Jordan Bastian.

‘The one common thing is that we’re not making this about politics. We’re making this about what’s right, just like Jason said. We’re standing up for what we believe is right.’’ — Anthony Rizzo.

• Anthony Castrovince (MLB.com*): Everything to know about expanded playoffs. “The regular season has fewer games, and the postseason has more games.”
• Fran Spielman (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs present city, MLB with safety protocols for up to 7,000 fans in Wrigley stands. “Crane Kenney said the team is eager to test its reduced-capacity plans ...”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Opening day is finally here — and the Cubs already are making a lot of news. “We’re looking down the road at 2021, and we’re not sure life will be that different next year,” Crane Kenney said.
• Patrick Mooney, Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): David Ross hasn’t changed and he’s the right manager, right now, for the Cubs. “Ross knows what he doesn’t know ...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs set 2020 Opening Day roster. “... the depth behind the group selected will be important in pushing for Chicago’s season-end goal of winning the World Series.” Tony Andracki has more.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Kyle Hendricks’ dedication to his craft — rather than obsessing about velocity — has taken the Cubs pitcher from trade throw-in to opening-day starter. “Kyle has made us look incredibly good because ultimately he’s gotten better and better each year,” Jed Hoyer said. Patrick Mooney {$} concurs.
• Amber Ruch (KFVS12*): UT Martin alum makes Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster. “Alec Mills, a Clarksville, Tenn. native, earned a spot on the team’s starting rotation.”
• Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider*): Duane Underwood Jr. showcases lethal fastball, changeup combo highlighted by elite vertical break. “Underwood’s fastball and changeup combination is unique.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo organizes plan for pediatric cancer patients to support team. “The kids created custom signs for Cubs players, and Rizzo posted photos of each one on his Instagram story.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Jason Heyward will not kneel, but he also will not “Stick to Sports”. “... this is what progress looks like ...” Tim Stebbins adds on. Russell Dorsey offers thoughts.
• Angie Leventis Lourgos (Chicago Tribune* {$}): MLB players get tested for COVID-19 every other day. But is this diverting resources from the rest of us? “The league in a recent statement refuted concerns that its testing protocols are diverting resources from the general public, arguing that its testing capacity was produced specifically to meet MLB’s demand.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs coach Mike Napoli tested positive for COVID-19 before reporting to summer camp. “Napoli, in his first season as a coach, learned of the positive test before the intake-screening process and hasn’t been with the team since summer workouts started three weeks ago.”
• Bonnie Stiernberg (Inside Hook*): Why are the Cubs making it so hard to be a Cubs fan? “... on-field disappointments pale in comparison to the ways the club has let down its fans in the years since their big World Series victory ...”
• Cubs birthdays: John Tener, Mick Kelleher, Jose Bautista. Also notable: Whitey Lockman.

SimNews: The simCubs looked bad in a 3-0 drubbing by the stinkin’ simCards as the broadcast had issues as well, due to heavy rains in my area. Consequently there are no highlights — not that there were many. Jon Lester wasn’t his usual self in the rain-soaked contest — not that three earned runs are a lot, but the Cubs needed the respite a shutout provides. Kris Bryant continued his hitting streak at seven games— KB batted .371 in June and is well over .300 in July. He has had streaks of eleven and nine games in that span.

Ian Miller singled and was thrown out on a dart from left field, and drew a walk, and will appear in the outfield one more time Saturday as the ice-cold Kyle Schwarber takes a little rest against a tough pitcher. Nico Hoerner will play in center as Ian Happ moves over to spell a frozen Jason Heyward, who has struck out eleven times in 20 at-bats.

Saturday’s game will stream an hour or so later than usual, for those of you who watch. The link will come up in my Twitter feed.

Sunday we’ll go back to the regular lineup.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.