Cub Tracks takes two and tangoes

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 and attempt to distill the zeitgeist into a potent potable. Please enjoy immoderately.

I can’t stand the Home Run Derby, and won’t be watching. But Patrick Wisdom should be in it. Pujols Schmujols.

Cubs and Mets play two today. Ronnie would be beside himself with fiendish glee. I share the Met disdain. I will never not. I entertain similar feelings about the Padres and Marlins. Those feelings cannot be assuaged.

And it makes things worse when those teams casually flick the Cubbies aside like a stray booger, like the Mutts did the other night. I still watch, because Tom Lehrer and I have this dance we do, but that’s a waste of good suffering.

The Cubs are tied for last in the NL Central with the Cincinnati Reds.

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• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Mets at Wrigley should be reminder for Cubs: ‘Winning takes practice’. “Regardless of standings, prioritizing winning is kind of the only way to stay sane,” Nico Hoerner said.
• Sam Charles, Julian Crews (WGN9*): Chicago Cubs sued over alleged ADA violations at Wrigley Field. More details about front-page item. Here’s the actual suit.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): MLB Draft preview: Cubs’ No. 7 pick is their highest in eight years. “Vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz discussed his draft strategy this week.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): David Ross gets the boot because of uncalled balks? (UPDATE) “Unusual circumstances for an ejection...”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Quantifying hope: Cubs now boast MLB’s 3rd-worst record, top lottery odds. “What’s really pathetic and off-putting for the sport as a whole is that four teams are on pace to lose 100 games this season and five more could lose 90-plus.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Justin Steele looking for better balance against opposing hitters. “That’s my main focus,” said Steele, who concluded the first half of the season with a 7-1 loss to the Orioles.
• Ryan Taylor (NBC Sports Chicago*): Another Cubs player has child just days after Steele had his first. As I understand it, Drew Smyly’s wife had the child, but yes. The family added a member.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs evaluating potential successors to Willson Contreras at catcher. “Prospects Miguel Amaya and Moises Ballesteros could be the future behind the plate.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ Frank Schwindel reflects on ‘Craziest Year’ of career. “It’s just a whirlwind, rollercoaster of emotions,” Schwindel said. “I don’t think I could have ever expected this.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Schwindel returns to Cubs with fresh optimism while Nick Madrigal could be close behind. “Slowly but surely, the Cubs are returning to health.”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): For Cubs’ Madrigal, 2nd half of trying season a fresh slate. “I know there’s a lot of games left,” Madrigal said. “I’m excited to get back out there and just gotta stay the course.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): 4 years after Draft, Hoerner right where he expected to be. “... the 25-year-old has “put his flag in the ground” at shortstop this season, as Ross phrased it earlier this year.”
• NBC Sports Chicago*: Cubs star Patrick Wisdom honors young fan’s memory, raises money for cancer research [VIDEO].
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Ian Happ is having the best season of his career. Here’s how the Chicago Cubs OF developed into an All-Star. “... three areas stand out.”
• Zack Meisel (The Athletic {$}): The Valaika boys: Four MLB draftees and the father who got them there. “All four Valaika boys were drafted as shortstops, two from UCLA and two from UC Santa-Barbara.”

Food for Thought:

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