Cub Tracks tests out the springs

All this and Cameron Maybin, too. Hey! Who needs words when you have pictures? Are you going to be Unconventional?

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• Kevin Stankewicz (CNBC*): Cubs owner hopes Wrigley Field feels like ‘a regular baseball game’ by end of summer. “We’re hoping to have people in Wrigley as soon as we can and have that grow over the course of the summer,” said Ricketts.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Is Kyle Hendricks better suited for the innings bump than most? Jim Deshaies thinks so.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Second act in a Cubs’ uniform isn’t a farewell tour for Jake Arrieta: ‘I have a lot in the tank’. “I think everybody at this level, regardless of where they’re at in their careers, are trying to prove something,” Arrieta said. More Jake from Evan Altman. Thomas Harrington from MLB has thoughts.
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): How Arrieta can influence Adbert Alzolay, other young Cubs pitchers. “That’s the kind of teammate Jake was when I was here,” Ross said of Arrieta’s leadership this year.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Closing time: Craig Kimbrel back in familiar role. “The videos he’s sent in, he looks really polished already,” said Ross. Meghan Montemurro adds on. Sahadev Sharma {$} considers it. Gordon Wittenmyer embraces it.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Reversing downward trends key to getting Cubs’ offense back on track in 2021. “The Cubs have struggled against velocity the last two seasons and have gotten away from grinding at-bats, which led to much of their success before that.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Rather than trying to change players, David Ross focusing on ‘Training a Little Bit Tougher’. “... Ross has his work cut out for him when it comes to getting the most out of an offense that has declined steadily since 2016.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Talking about practice: Once again, the Cubs are trying to reboot their offense. “We have to do a better job making decisions in the box, grinding at-bats.”

Food for Thought:

The HAB theory?

Thanks for reading!