Welcome to today’s episode of Cub Tracks news and notes™. Here we have material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball.
Thanks for the memories, Jon. It was a distinct pleasure. See you in the Hall.
I’m going back to bed. Omicron is nothing to sneeze at, even if you have your shots.
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). #IStandWithThePlayers.
Raising a glass to Jon Lester in celebration of a legendary career.
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) January 12, 2022
200 wins, 3 rings, a 2.51 postseason ERA and countless lives touched by your generosity.
We are so fortunate to have you in the Cubs family. Enjoy retirement! pic.twitter.com/WvxTkn8Afx
@WContreras40 with a message for Jon Lester on his retirement #Cubs pic.twitter.com/wg0AVoxish
— Crawly's Cubs Kingdom (@crawlyscubs) January 12, 2022
Look for Sun-Times sports writer Russell Dorsey to join Stadium, the multi-platform sports network owned by Silver Chalice and Sinclair Broadcast Group and headquartered at United Center. Without confirming his new job, Dorsey announced Tuesday he was leaving the Sun-Times at the end of January after 18 months as Chicago Cubs beat writer. “Russ has done an excellent job for us covering all things Cubs, one of the more challenging beats to tackle in Chicago sports,” Steve Warmbir, interim editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times, wrote in an email to staff. “He’s had a great work ethic and has been a fantastic colleague.” Dorsey, who grew up in the south suburbs and began as an intern at the Daily Herald, previously covered the Cubs, White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers for MLB.com. — Robert Feder.
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): MLB Lockout Day 42: Owners may initially focus on minimum salary, tanking, and free agent compensation. “... it’s almost certainly going to be a situation where the owner economic proposal is far from something that could actually be considered for a deal.”
- Chad Jennings (The Athletic {$}): In appreciation of Jon Lester, whose terrific numbers only partly define his exceptional career. “Lester seemed always to pitch within the whirlwind of something else.”
- Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Lester only pitched 6 seasons in Chicago, but the Cubs need to retire his number. “... the thing that matters most about his Cubs career can’t be measured in numbers.”
- Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs react to Lester’s retirement. “...Lester’s former Cubs teammates took to social media to react to the news and celebrate his career.”
- Richard Johnson (Cubbies Crib*): Can the Chicago Cubs help Adbert Alzolay become a reliable starter? “... there’s some real talent here, but some rough edges as well.”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Nick Madrigal sprinting again, using intermediaries to update Cubs on progress of surgically-repaired hamstring. “I trusted them to relay the information,” Madrigal told Ken Rosenthal.
- Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): Playing matchmaker with a Patrick Wisdom platoon. “It’s not unrealistic that the Cubs just run Wisdom alone next year, but it’d still be beneficial to grab someone to platoon with him while not overshadowing his presence on the team.”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Wisdom’s place among ‘Damage Rate’ leaders could indicate continued success. “,,, what if I told you there was more to it than just homers vs. strikeouts and that Wisdom’s batted-ball profile may indicate potential...”
- Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): Chicago Cubs: Assembling our very own all-time “Hall of Very Good” team. “There are plenty of Cubs legends who did not have Hall of Fame careers but still left their mark on the franchise and the game...”
- Francys Romero (MLB.com*): Keep an eye on these 12 Cuban free agents. “Six Cubans appear on MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 International Prospects list..”
Cubs birthdays: Emmett O’Neill, Steve Mesner, Mike Tyson, Jose Nunez, Kevin Foster.
Food for Thought:
World's Tiniest Antenna Built Out Of DNAhttps://t.co/hnZGzXMm3Q pic.twitter.com/MTZ6YAHa7c
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) January 12, 2022
Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked in this series of articles. We try to present a balanced view, and let the facts speak for themselves.