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.
I’m not going to say that we won’t have jokes in this space ever again, because I love jokes and honestly, things in baseball are taken entirely too seriously because of all of that money. And then there’s the money. But for the time being I’m going to be exploring the possibilities of ideas about changing the game itself, in between bouts of Manfred-bashing. This will likely be a little bit non-Cub and outside my lane sometimes, but I don’t mind if you don’t. And, since it’s likely to remain disjointed, I don’t really think it’s a subject for a side snide article... yet. But we have little in the way of news expected or forthcoming (see below item about the progress of negotiations), so this’ll do for now.
Anyway, let’s look at some thoughts about the relative height of the pitchers’ mound today. Enjoy.
Lower the pitchers’ mound? Not so fast, says Ray Glier. “When you pay to see a baseball game, you’re paying for action,” he begins, speaking my language.
“Looking back on 1969, not only did they lower the mound, they made other changes, like making the strike zone smaller,” Dr. Glenn Fleisig says. “In retrospect of 50 years, making the strike zone smaller had a bigger effect on the offense going up than lowering the mound.”
Collective hmm. Eduardo Perez counters:
“The hitters don’t care about velocity. They’ve proven they can turn on 100 miles per hour, but if you flatten the mound from 10 inches to 6 inches it is going to be a significant difference as far as angle of the ball coming to the hitter,” Perez says. This is why teams seek tall pitchers — because they have more angle to the plate. Lowering the mound won’t help shorten games. There will be more hits and records broken.”
George Resor measured the results of the change in height. Tell us your thoughts, if you like.
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.
In December 1941, the Cubs had lights all ready to be put in at Wrigley Field, then on December 7th Pearl Harbor happened.
— MLB Cathedrals ⚾️ (@MLBcathedrals) January 1, 2022
Rather than installing the lights, the #Cubs donated them to a shipyard instead.
Lights wouldn’t go into Wrigley for another 47 years (1988). pic.twitter.com/OBJspoUcZZ
Let’s hope for good things for Brad Wieck, who had a second heart ablation procedure last year. He’s a good bullpen arm but firstly he’s a fellow human.
Feeling really good man!!! Can’t freakin wait
— Brad Wieck (@WieckBrad) January 2, 2022
The Bain Campaign is back with a New (Year's) episode.
— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) January 3, 2022
If you haven't added them to your podcast playlist, you're missing out on great #Cubs content! Plus our friends at @obvious_shirts support the trio!@mbain_38 @TurnAPairChris @cubprospects
LISTEN ➡️ https://t.co/B13FnaUQyH pic.twitter.com/sks5hdFL6w
I pray that AB gets the proper help he needs. He’s a legend on the field. This life can take a toll on your mental health if you don’t address it properly. Truly hoping he heals and finds the light in the darkness!
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) January 2, 2022
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Reportedly no negotiating sessions scheduled for this week, as MLB Lockout heads into second month. This is seriously effed up.
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Blockchain, Crypto becoming bigger part of sports than just Anthony Rizzo’s Twitter account. “... I’m also more than a little fascinated by its potential to impact sports in a more meaningful way.”
- Stephen Nesbitt and C. Trent Rosecrans (The Athletic {$}): ‘It’s an epic saga’: An exotic beetle, Barry Bonds, Joey Votto and the end of ash baseball bats. “By now, most major leaguers have grown up swinging maple bats.” (This has also affected guitars. Most manufacturers have moved to swamp ash)
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): A David Ross extension feels like a foregone conclusion. “... there’s one thing outside of minor league pacts Jed Hoyer can still do and that’s work out an extension with manager David Ross.”
- Mark Polishuk (MLB Trade Rumors*): Managers & top front office executives on expiring contracts. “... it doesn’t seem like Ross’ job is in much jeopardy...”
- Meghan Montemurro and Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): 2 Tribune writers are Baseball Hall of Fame voters. Here’s how they voted — and why they’re divided on alleged steroid users. “The stigma of being a PED user faded years ago and comes up these days only when the Hall of Fame ballot is discussed.”
- Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Cubs Organizational Breakdown, Pt 7: Shortstops fell back without real breakout, that could change in 2022. “It certainly wasn’t a disastrous season by even the most stringent standards, it just wasn’t the type of collective performance you’d like to see from a premium position.”
Cubs birthdays: Al Bridwell, Alex Metzler, Kris Bryant.
Food for Thought:
So you're telling me there's a chance?https://t.co/AjXvUm0JMB
— Futurism (@futurism) January 3, 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.