Cub Tracks in training

Happ-y Saturday. I have locomotive breath. No way to slow down.

Here’s Cub Tracks News and Notes, your every-other-day-except-on-weekends escape from the humdrum, 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 on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines.)

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Can spring training still be fun — and filled with high jinks — for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox with COVID-19 protocols in place? “The dirty little secret about spring training no one wants you to know is it can get old in a hurry.”
• Rick Morrissey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): How the Cubs can start to get back on their fans’ good side. “A few suggestions for a franchise that seems to have gone out of the way to alienate its fan base.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs pegged as one of the most unimproved teams in the National League. “... you’re talking about a ZiPS projection difference of just one win.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Alec Mills wants to make Cubs make tough decisions this spring. “To me, in my mindset, I’m still coming in and fighting for a job and I think nothing’s given,” Mills told reporters Thursday. Jordan Bastian mulls Mills. Meghan Montemurro has thoughts.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs bullpen could come together in 2021. “When healthy, the Cubs should have a solid group of setup men behind Craig Kimbrel...”
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ David Ross on Brandon Workman: ‘He’s a guy who’s gonna pitch big innings for us’. “Things play out as they go,” Ross said.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Looking at the Fernando Tatis Jr. megadeal from a Cubs perspective. “Of course, the Cubs don’t actually think they found the next competitive advantage by loading up on expiring contracts.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): There’s absolutely no reason to worry about Anthony Rizzo’s 2020 offensive output. “... the underlying data is plenty strong ...”
• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Jim Deshaies expects smooth transition with Jon Sciambi in Cubs’ TV booth. “I’m excited because I know what kind of a person he is,” Deshaies said.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!