BCB After Dark: How am I doing?

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the swingin’ joint for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We so glad to see you on this fine spring evening. Please let us know if we can get you anything. The show is about to start and we’ve got a couple of prime tables left. No cover charge tonight. Bring your own beverage.

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.

Last night I asked you what your favorite Cubs acquisition was of the off-season and we’re proud to announce that there were two winners! Both Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki both got 37 percent of the vote for first place. I thought the decision would be between those two players and it turns out I was right. Also, that the voting settled nothing.

On Tuesday nights/Wednesday mornings, I don’t do a movie essay. But you can always go back and look what I wrote about 1972’s What’s Up, Doc?, which is a very funny and very silly comedy starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal.

But I always have time for a bit of jazz, so those of you who want to skip that now are free to do so.

Tonight’s selection is pianist Bobby Timmons, from his first album as a bandleader of the Bobby Timmons Trio. This is his classic composition “Dat Dere,” which has been covered by several jazz artists.

Timmons was a truly talented pianist who first became famous with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Unfortunately, he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout much of his life and died way too young at the age of 38 in 1974. That early demise has kept him from getting the recognition that he deserves.

So with Sam Jones on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums, here’s “Dat Dere” from 1960.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the jazz.

I’m going to assume that the Cubs’ offseason is over and that they aren’t going to sign Michael Conforto or anything. Or trade Willson Contreras. Please don’t trade Willson Contreras.

(I’m the guy who three years ago advocated trading Willson Contreras. But the point of that was to try to acquire some young prospect talent while saving up enough money to sign Kris Bryant and Javier Báez to extensions. Well, now the Cubs have lots of young prospect talent because they traded Bryant, Báez and almost everyone else. So now they need to sign Contreras.)

So today’s question is to simply just grade the Cubs offseason. People hoped, but didn’t expect, them to sign Carlos Correa, which they did not do. Except no one expected him to sign with the Twins either. So how do you grade that?

The Cubs did make two big free agent signings in Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki. And they made a whole ton of lesser signings like Jonathan Villar, Andrelton Simmons, Mychal Givens, Clint Frazier and a whole lot more.

It was also an offseason like no other with that terrible lockout. If you want to give the Cubs bonus points for what they accomplished in spite of that or take points away for being a part of that, it’s up to you.

So add it up, and what grade do you give the Cubs offseason?

Thank you so much again for stopping by. Please get home safely. Unless you’re already home, then find your bed safely. Be sure to tip the waitstaff. Tell your friends. And stop by again tomorrow night for another edition of BCB After Dark.