BCB After Dark: The most of the most

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the secret hideout for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re waiving the cover charge tonight so that everyone can join the party. The dress code is waived as well. So go nuts. All we ask is that you be respectful to the wait staff and tip them well.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs snapped their 12-game losing streak tonight with a 2-1 win over the Reds! Kyle Hendricks was brilliant for six innings and what’s left of the Cubs bullpen finished off the win. A special shoutout to Codi Heuer, who got a two-inning save tonight, retiring all six batters he faced. It was Heuer’s first save as a Cub.

Last time I asked you which upcoming free agent pitcher (that Patrick Mooney suggested in an article for The Athletic) that you thought the Cubs should sign this winter. The winner, with 29% of the vote, was Noah Syndergaard, despite Thor not having thrown a pitch since 2019. Close behind in second place was the Rockies’ Jon Gray, who got 26% of the vote. One thing I didn’t mention yesterday (because I didn’t think of it until today) is that Gray is likely to get a qualifying offer, which might change things. On the other hand, we don’t know that there even will be qualifying offers in the new CBA. Or that there will be a season next year.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday mornings I do the abbreviated version of After Dark because I have so many other things to do on Tuesdays. But I do always try to give you a song to lighten things up.

Tonight I’m going to do something a little different and give you a song and a movie. To celebrate the Cubs ending a 12-game losing streak (and you know it’s a long losing streak when I’m not writing out the number of games), we’ve got a movie clip for the 1950 MGM musical Summer Stock. It’s the only reason that anyone remembers that film, quite honestly.

It’s Judy Garland singing “Get Happy.”

There are lots of other versions of that song, but the song is just so deeply connected to this performance of Garland’s that I thought every other version just makes you think of this version.

Honestly, I don’t care that the Cubs have lost 12 of their last 13 games. They won the most recent one, so we should all get happy and start dancing with Judy.

Today’s poll question is who will win the National League Most Valuable Player award? I’m not asking you who should win the MVP—you can’t say that with a quarter of the season left to play. I’m asking you to predict who will end up with the most votes from the writers at the end of the year, based on the three-quarters of the season already completed and what you think will happen in the final 40 games (or so).

Fernando Tatis Jr. was the runaway favorite earlier in the year, but he’s been hurt and has missed about 30 games. While Tatis is back from the injured list and looks good, he still has some lost time to make up for. On top of that, the Padres are slipping in the standings. They still make it in as the second wild card at the moment, but the Reds are right on their tails. Also, you may have noticed that the Reds are playing in a weaker division and have an easier schedule going forward because of it. Now while many say whether or not the player’s team makes the postseason should have no impact on the MVP voting, you and I both know that some voters take team performance into account and others don’t. If the race is close, that could make a difference.

On top of that, the Dodgers Max Muncy is having a terrific season and Bryce Harper has got the Phillies within striking distance of first place in the East. Also, the Giants are the surprise team of the West and the offense and defense of Brandon Crawford is a big reason why.

Trea Turner is an interesting candidate as well. I don’t believe we’ve ever had someone traded mid-season win the MVP Award. I do remember someone traded mid-season who won the Cy Young Award.

The candidates are several players who are mentioned in various “MVP Candidates” articles. You can pick one of them or tell me a different candidate in the comments.

Thanks again for stopping by. We’ll see you again tomorrow night for another edition of BCB After Dark.