Cub Tracks and the Audubon Society

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. Served ice-cold for your pleasure. Please enjoy immoderately.

The trade deadline is rushing toward us and the rumors are fast and furious. In the meantime, let’s go birding. Everybody’s heard about the birds.

The Cubs flirted for a while with being no-hit early but they failed to completely open the can of worms and instead took the lead mid-game. Alex Cobb and Marcus Stroman were dealing. So was Ian Happ.

It’s a no from me on the broadcast crew. Too much woolgathering. Patrick Wisdom is back to back, Jack.

The Cubs tried hard to give the game away, but the Giants wouldn’t cooperate. Effross and Givens were filthy in the late innings. David Robertson, not so much, but he got it done, in the end.

David Ross is sheepish. Contreras and Happ are still on the team, Jed Hoyer having failed to fleece anyone so far. There’s plenty to look at on a Saturday morning. Enjoy.

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• Maury Brown (Forbes* {$}): MLB rules prime time, even with Regional Sports Network viewership flat year-over-year. Marquee isn’t holding up its end.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): David Ross ‘sorry’ for caught-on-TV double birds to Pederson. “I should definitely know better,” Ross said.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson earning key places in Cubs’ future. “... Steele and Thompson have shown they might be keepers in the rotation for the “next great Cubs team.””
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks has front-row seat to expected trade-deadline exodus ... again. “Hendricks said he’s confident that he’ll pitch again this season.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Adbert Alzolay is getting close to throwing live batting practice. “The timeline still looks good for Alzolay to appear in, say, an Arizona Complex League game or two in a couple weeks...”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Wade Miley *WILL* get a rehab start before the trade deadline. “Per multiple reports, Miley will start for the South Bend Cubs” (Friday). MLB.com confirms.

• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs bullpen expected to take trade deadline hit, but they’ve been through this before. “The Cubs are expected to move closer David Robertson at the trade deadline — and he’s not the only one.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): As deadline looms, Robertson reflects on personal rebound with Cubs. “I can’t thank the Cubs enough,” Robertson said. Patrick Mooney adds on {$}.
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Cubs trade piece Mychal Givens riding an insane scoreless streak. “... Givens hasn’t allowed an earned run since June 14.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs have ‘Indicated High Price’ in possible Contreras, Robertson trades, still no names exchanged with Mets. “... the Mets are reluctant to deal prospects after seemingly being burned...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Contreras scrubs Cubs references from Instagram account. “... the soon-to-be-traded All-Star catcher appears to be bracing for what’s to come.” Some of the stuff is back. Maybe not.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Member of Blue Jays org reportedly said ‘Ian Happ is the exact player we’re looking for’. “As Robert Murray shared...”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): The stubborn mentality that has helped Nelson Velázquez find success in his big-league career. “I would come back and say, ‘let’s play again,’ until I won,” Velázquez said.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs prospect notebook: Miguel Amaya progressing, Alexanger Canario raking. “Jared Banner, Cubs vice president of player development, also had high praise for Pete Crow-Armstrong.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Crow-Armstrong continues to show why he’s among baseball’s best prospects. ‘I want to keep getting challenged,’ the Chicago Cubs outfielder says. “I don’t think that the game changes all that much as you go up,” Crow-Armstrong said.
• Daniel Brown (The Athletic {$}): Will Clark, Greg Maddux and the lip-reading that (allegedly) changed baseball. “Clark believes that was the tipping point in pitchers covering their mouths with their gloves during mound sessions.”
• Jack Mueller (MLB.com*): Cubs host thrilling RBI Tourney in Chicago. “... 315 of the best athletes from the Midwest converged in Chicago to test their skills in a baseball and softball tournament...”
• Cary Heinz (Cubbies Crib*): There’s a lot more to Steve Goodman than ‘Go Cubs, Go’. Ask Arlo Guthrie. Ask anyone who was a student at the Old Town School of Folk Music during his tenure there.

Food for Thought:

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