Cub Tracks finds the worm

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we like to keep things brief on the principle that it makes us appear wise. We don’t always, but we like to.

Jason Heyward probably isn’t making many friends right now. The vaccination controversy isn’t going to go away, and so I must report on it. And we can discuss it if we do that in a civil fashion. We can discuss almost anything if we do it in a civil fashion.

If you’re gonna hate, hate the METS. I do. I will never NOT. It is like St Louis Cardinal or Green Bay Packer or Minnesota North Star (RIP)/Detroit Red Wing hate. It is immortal, undying, glorious in its intensity and fire. It is cleansing.

And there there is the festering gob that is an ESPN telecast. Two in a row. And this was the lesser of the two. Holy gamethread word! That, too, is something worth focusing a bit of ire upon. Kill it with ire. But in civil fashion. And THEN yeet it into the sun before they broadcast tonight’s game.

Here are some highlights from the game:

And now some words. 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.)

• Jeff Passan (ESPN*): MLB players caught with any foreign substance to face 10-day suspension, sources say. “The league will distribute a memo to teams...”
• Jared Wyllys (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Baseball’s line between allowable, illegal substances remains fuzzy. ‘‘I don’t mess around with the stuff, so I don’t know as much about it as some other people,’’ Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. Ken Rosenthal explains {$}.
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs, Tommy Hottovy ‘Supportive’ of MLB Sticky Stuff crackdown. “We feel confident about what we do here,” Hottovy said.
• Evan Altman Cubs Insider*): Cubs clarify previous statements, say ‘Finances won’t be issue at trade deadline’. “Finances won’t be the issue at the deadline,” Crane Kenney said.
• Phil Rogers (Forbes* {$}): Chicago Cubs have built a deep bullpen without big spending. “This frugality comes after a run of aggressive spending by Theo Epstein as he tried to build reliable bullpens without being able to turn to homegrown arms.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ‘Unique human being’ Andrew Chafin brings his personality and a loose vibe to a dominant Chicago Cubs bullpen. “I guess I’m just at a point in my career now where I can actually have a little bit more fun with it and be more relaxed in regards to the big picture,” Chafin told the Tribune.
• Dan Szymborski (Fangraphs*): The Cubs’ big three is back. “... our troika of protagonists has combined for 4.8 WAR, tripling their contribution from the prior season.”
• Bryan Smith (Bleacher Nation*): Can Sergio Alcantara adjust to how pitchers are about to adjust to him? “In just 14 games, Alcantara has been a revelation at the plate, allowing the Cubs to not miss a beat with their mess of infield injuries.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): No concerns on Javy Báez’s thumb as Cubs work to regain health. “I don’t think it’s something that’s major from what I’m hearing,” David Ross said.
• Phil Thompson (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Jason Heyward says the emphasis on Chicago Cubs players’ vaccination choices is ‘wasted concern’ — and it should be directed at fans in the stands. “... in Heyward’s mind, it’s the fans who are more at risk, especially now that stadiums are opening to full capacity, as Wrigley Field did for this weekend’s series against the St. Louis Cardinals.” Paul Sullivan has more to say. Sam Fels think the Cubs should shut up.
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Prospect Update: Ethan Roberts not far from promotion to AAA. “...Roberts is now one of the best relief pitchers in the Cubs organization.”
• Phil Rosenthal (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ESPN can do better than ‘Bartmanland,’ and other winners and losers from the Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals broadcast on ‘Sunday Night Baseball’. “Really, ESPN? Really, Matt Vasgersian? That’s the best you can do?”

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.