Cub Tracks’ working title

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we have news for you. No game Monday.

I can’t help but root for former Arizona Wildcat Alfonso Rivas, who had a fine debut in Sunday’s loss. Saw him play a couple of times. He was very popular here. That team also had a good year in 2016.

Am also rooting for Wisdom, Ortega, Hermosillo, Rodriguez, Steele, Thompson. I dunno about starting, really, but for sure part of the squad. It doesn’t mean the losses will sting less, but it’s good to have rooting interest. Keeps me in the game when everything else flags.

I root for Javier Báez. too. And I have been rooting against New York in general and Christopher Russo in particular for many years. This isn’t the first time Russo has mouthed off about Chicago. But then his whole schtick is that he’s a motormouthed jerk, a takeoff on what people think of as the ‘typical New Yorker”, overcaffeinated, overbearing, and underinformed. An arrogant imbecile.

“Christopher Russo is an embarrassment.” — me.

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.

• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Changing the MLB Draft Structure to reduce tanking? Might not yet be on the table. “For the overall sport, it’s bad!”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): It’s time for Jed Hoyer to admit a rebuild is on its way. Because yes, the Chicago Cubs are as bad as they look. “It’s almost as if the collective hope of Cubs fans has been put in a blind trust, with only one person — Chairman Tom Ricketts — possessing the lockbox.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer ((NBC Sports Chicago): Tanks for worst team in franchise history, Cubs. “By Sunday, the Cubs might as well have been playing naked...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): ‘Exciting’: Rivas, Effross get chance in loss. “Hendricks allows eight runs in lopsided Crosstown Cup finale.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Willson Contreras (Knee) targets return from IL Thursday. “The Cubs might return at least some stability to their lineup Thursday, if not a semblance of normalcy.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Intriguing prospect Rivas gets late-season chance with Cubs. “The Cubs acquired Rivas, a fourth-round pick in 2018, from Oakland in January 2020 for Tony Kemp.” Michael Cerami has thoughts.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): What Patrick Wisdom’s breakthrough might say about the Cubs’ future direction. “I would say opportunity and success breed confidence, and he’s able to carry that forward,” said David Ross.
• Sam Fels (Deadspin*): Is Patrick Wisdom a name you need to know? “He’s getting his first crack at a regular role in the Majors at 29 (just turned 30) ...”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs brotherly reunion ‘Like a Book’ for Andrew and Austin Romine. “... the Romine brothers have a unique experience to cherish.”
• John Silver (Chicago Sun-Times*): Bleacher brawl breaks out during Cubs-White Sox game. “... multiple cellphone cameras caught the incident.”
• NBC Sports Chicago: Ozzie Guillen on Sosa [AUDIO].

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!