Cub Tracks’ a dozen times no

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, featuring material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball.

Why did they have to catch the squirrel? What’s it gonna do, occupy Caer Bannog and emulate the previous resident? Give it a bat. Put it on the 40. Have it drink a 40. Something...

Hey, I got to indulge two of my main hobbies — hollering at the TV and rewriting the lede. Please take Jonathan Villar’s glove away, or at least don’t let him wear it on the field any more. Gods that’s disheartening. And the team is back to being bad. That gives me a sad.

The Pittsburgh-area native Ian Happ at least got one man across. But the rest of the team was flat-out embarrassing at the dish, especially with men on. RISPy business. Sometimes you gotta say ‘what the gamethread word.’

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• Chicago Sun-Times* {$}: Ricketts family should sell the Cubs. “The Ricketts are more concerned with their network, hotel and other developments while hitting the fans with some of the highest ticket prices in major league baseball.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): From yuppies to ‘Cuppies,’ Wrigley Field bleachers are still the place to ignore the Chicago Cubs’ failures. the “best seats in the house.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Hoyer says money will be there when time is right to be aggressive again. “... Hoyer is giving his platitudes a real workout.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs manager David Ross will be tested by 13-pitcher limit. “The limit will take effect Monday after twice being delayed earlier in the season.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs carry 7 rookies on roster with Nelson Velázquez recall. “Velázquez, the 2021 Arizona Fall League MVP, is one of two Cubs rookie outfielders (also Christopher Morel).”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Kyle Hendricks, Rotation needs, and developing young starting pitchers. “You don’t want to forget about the value someone like Hendricks can add as part of the pitching development infrastructure.” Jordan Bastian has thoughts.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Hendricks calls likely selloff ‘easier this time around’. “You don’t want to conjecture what could happen,” he said. “But obviously we know we’re in the same situation here. There’s a lot of names.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Justin Steele and other young Cubs starters growing through early struggles. “You have a couple bad outings and you just gotta flush it,” Keegan Thompson said.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs rookie Caleb Kilian again battles command in loss to Pirates. “Kilian allowed seven runs, five earned, in 2 1⁄3 innings against the Pirates at PNC Park on Monday.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Pitch imperfect: Why more Cubs non-pitchers on way to mound. “You’re not going to waste pitching [in blowout losses].”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Facing uncertain future, Willson Contreras relishing opportunity to be a mentor with Cubs. “It is fun, to be honest,” Contreras said.
• Mark Powell (Fansided*): Did Willson Contreras just hint at his next move? “He might’ve given us a hint in his latest Instagram post.”
• Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): The strange roller coaster big league career of David Bote. “... he looks to add another chapter to that journey when he finally comes back from the shoulder injury he suffered last season.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): Clint Frazier, back with Iowa Cubs, determined to get back to majors. “There’s a lot of lost time that needs to be made up,” Frazier said.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Seiya Suzuki beginning next step of rehab with Cubs. “The Cubs are sending the rookie outfielder to the team’s complex in Arizona this week while the big league club is in Pittsburgh and St. Louis.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Theo Epstein is leaving Chicago 2 years after leaving the Cubs. Here’s how he spent his final weekend in the city. “Epstein declined to comment on the farewell weekend or his future plans.”

Food for Thought:

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