BCB After Dark: We really miss you

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the swingin’ spot for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re glad you could join us on this fine evening. There are lots of Cubs fans in a good mood at the moment. No cover charge tonight, but bring your own beverage. Grab any table you’d like. The show will start shortly.

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.

Tonight the Cubs rolled past the Cincinnati Reds, 11-4. Frank Schwindel had a big night with two home runs and Andrelton Simmons doubled his career-hit total with the Cubs with three singles and two RBI. Also, Christopher Morel keeps looking impressive, especially since he was in Double-A just a week ago.

Last night I asked you how many home runs you thought Patrick Wisdom would hit this year. Well, you seem to be believers in Wisdom as 69 percent of you thought he’d hit between 30 and 39. Another 23 percent thought he’d hit between 20 and 29 and seven percent thought he hit over 40.

Tuesday night/Wednesday morning is the day I don’t do a movie essay, although I did get a chance to re-watch Pépé le Moko so I should have something more to say about that film and its American remake Algiers tomorrow night. But I always have time for jazz, so those of you who skip that can do so now.

I did want to say that one of the most heartening things about writing this column is finding out how many of you love old movies and/or jazz as well. Some of you are even more knowledgeable that I am. I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I’m totally fine with that. I also appreciate those of you who don’t like them but put up with those of us that do. But it’s been nice connecting with those jazz fans and cinephiles who also love the Cubs.

I’ve said before that whenever the world gets too much for me to handle, one of my go-to piece of music that I listen to in order to calm me down is Miles Davis playing the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart tune, “It Never Entered My Mind.”

Obviously, today was one of those days where I just don’t know what the point of it is anymore. Maybe it was for you too. So I sat down and listened to Miles play that song and at least for a while, I felt better. Maybe it will work for you too.

Since I played the version on the Workin’ album from 1956 before, tonight I’m going to play an earlier version of the song from 1954. Besides Miles Davis on trumpet, this version features an all-star cast of Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

I hope this makes you feel better too.

Welcome back those of you who skip the jazz.

Injuries are a part of every baseball team. Sometimes the team that wins the most is just the team that stays the healthiest. Teams are constantly trying to find ways to keep their best players on the field and if anyone has figured out that secret, it sure isn’t showing up in the standing year-after-year.

I wouldn’t say that injuries are the primary reason why the Cubs are currently 18-24, but I will say that they haven’t helped. But tonight’s question is which current injury has hurt the most? Which player do the Cubs miss most right now? Which player’s absence this year has cost the team the most games?

That last question is the most important one. Sure, Willson Contreras is injured at the moment and he’s certainly the best player of all the Cubs nursing injuries. But, Contreras hasn’t gone on the injured list, he is expected to be back soon and the Cubs have won every game he’s missed. So as much as the team is “missing” Contreras in the lineup, it’s not really costing anything at the moment. Maybe it will in the future, but we can’t know that now.

So which current injury to a Cubs player has hurt the team the most this season? I’m leaving out guys who are currently healthy like Wade Miley, because I need to keep the number of choices reasonable and because I’m sure I’ll miss someone if I go back to injuries from the beginning of the season.

Yes, the number of games the player has missed should factor into your vote as well. As long as you assume that the missing player is costing the team wins, of course, But not the number of games the player is likely to miss going forward. We’re not soothsayers here.

Thank you so very much for stopping by. I hope that we’ve been able to ease your mind a bit tonight. Or that you were able to celebrate the Cubs victory safely. Please be careful on your way home. If you need us to call a ride for you, let us know. Be sure to tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for another edition of BCB After Dark.