Cub Tracks’ work in progress

Welcome to today’s episode of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

Craig Calcaterra says “Life begins on Opening Day.”

I write baseball and politics. It used to be politics and baseball, but I write more baseball nowadays. The seasons are much the same, endings in early November, the regular season starting in April... and in my strange little world, in which Samhain and my birthday both figure, it’s New Year’s week, and a time to celebrate and cerebrate, if at all possible.

Last year’s dead are giving us one more jump scare and then they’ll head out, leaving behind ghosts and memories. I’m going to miss that Cubs team. They were a lot of fun, a ‘good group of guys,’ as they who tend to overenunciate say so often. They had a charisma about them, but their luck petered out and they’ll be swept under the rug of history.

Thomas Boswell says that “Life imitates the World Series.” Maybe his life. After the boys of summer have gone.

Next year will be here before we know it. For me, it’s almost here. The stove is heating up. Free Agency begins in just a few days. You ready?

*means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled sarcasm font in the comments.

• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): State of the Cubs: The many potential paths Cubs can take in building 2024 bullpen. “The bullpen should be one of the main areas of focus for Jed Hoyer’s front office this winter.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Addressing Cody Bellinger concerns, and a must-read on how scouts see his future. “Isn’t it possible that he figured out a way to trade power for a PARTICULAR type of contact with two strikes?” Sahadev Sharma says {$}.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Christopher Morel and those Juan Soto trade rumors. “I don’t think the Padres could do a one-for-one swap like that and sell it to their fans.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Juan Soto, Kris Bryant - and what Cubs fans are failing to understand. “The Padres outfielder wouldn’t just be the best player on the team - he’s a generational talent.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): 5 Chicago Cubs prospects that took a major step forward in 2023. Ballesteros, Shaw, Little, Caissie, Horton.
• Rich Biesterfeld (North Side Bound*): 2023 Arizona Fall Laegue — Cubs Connections. Updates and impressions from the AFL.
• Web Behrens (Crain’s Chicago Business*): Cubs Suites expands options for business networking, entertaining at Wrigley Field. “Over the past couple seasons, we have seen an increase in the desire to get groups of people together outside of the office,” said Steve Brauer, the Cubs’ senior director of ticket sales. “Premier experiences at Wrigley Field have become really popular for the business-to-business audience.”
• Pat Tomasulo and Larry Hawley (WGN98): Cubs ‘superfan’ Dorothy Farrell, who came to fame in 2016 World Series run, has died. She was 97.

Food for Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the contents of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. Thanks for reading.