Cub Tracks delays the inevitable

Whether it counts or not, winning feels good. These guys are going to be scrappy. I like scrappy like Lou Grant hated spunk. I also like loud contact and the Cubs are featuring a lot of that these days. Javy Javy’d, for example. The whole sixth inning would qualify as a model.

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 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.)

• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): What fans’ return to Wrigley Field means for Cubs. “Everybody benefits from seeing fans in the bleachers and being around the park and just enjoying the atmosphere at Wrigley,” Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta said.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs’ decision-making has impacted their offensive slide. “(We’ve) identified the areas that we may have struggled,” manager David Ross said early in camp.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Projecting the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. “... the players in Cubs camp have also expressed that the energy level has been even higher in light of everything experienced last year.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Arrieta’s return to the Chicago Cubs conjures memories of Fergie Jenkins in the 1980s. Can Arrieta delay Father Time a few more years? Jake said: “... it’s all positive. There’s really no other way to look at it.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Craig Kimbrel velocity progression and differences in value. “It looked like just a little bit of rust,” Ross said of Kimbrel’s outing.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Ross: ‘I don’t think Pedro Strop needs to apologize’ to team. “He hasn’t done anything to the team. If anything, he’s only affected himself.” Patrick Mooney weighs in {$}. Steve Greenberg has words too.
• Bryan Smith (Bleacher Nation*): The way Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras were “Bad” in 2020 gives me optimism about them in 2021. “... a tiny slump here and a bit of bad luck there could have impacted numbers beyond the point of reliability.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Analyzing the Nico Hoerner decision. “It’s difficult to learn as you go,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said.
• (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Eric Sogard eager to get started with Cubs. “... he might be competing with David Bote and Ildemaro Vargas for a utility role.”

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading!