Cub Tracks’ repent, harlequin

Welcome to today’s edition 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.

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Praise Theo. Praise Manfred.

Cub Tracks would once again like to mention that we are in favor of more baseball, not less. These attempts to shorten the game amount to crappy theater, dropping the curtain during the middle of soliloquys, and failing to milk the moments for all of their essential drama. The ticking clock is a cheap gimmick to raise the suspense bar in badly-written crime fiction and in game shows. It’s the same in sport.

But then the drama is pretty much exhausted by announcer prattle, sixteen different insets, and interviews/digression anyway, isn’t it? And the shortened games are great for gamblers and others who just want to get to the end as fast as possible, said the Ticktockman. Why not just arrange for the end to be the way they want to, and just play the games on paper? The sportsbooks would love to pay for that to happen. Maybe the outcome is to be determined by incoming cash levels...

I like walkup music, even if I dislike most of the songs the batters choose. I don’t care if they twist their hands off at the wristbands and scratch their asses with them. I don’t care if pitchers walk around in the outfield between pitches, or get mani/pedis. Let the games develop at their own pace. YMMV. Don’t @ me. You’re entitled to have your own opinion. If new facts come in, then that opinion can change with the times. Everything is subject to Sturgeon’s Law. And maybe Cardinals devil magic is just sufficiently advanced technology.

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• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs not trying Pitcher PitchCom yet. “Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy told The Tribune that the Cubs are leery about the pitcher and catcher both being able to call pitches...”
• Scott Bordow (MLB.com*): Justin Steele will be ‘pretty darn valuable’ for Cubs in ‘23. “He’s one of those guys who we will rely heavily on, and he put in the work in the offseason to be that guy,” manager David Ross said.
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Dansby Swanson compares Justin Steele to this Braves All-Star. “I know people are going to just completely run with this the wrong way when I say it, but he’s got a similar profile to Fried.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Drew Smyly worked on arm slot Sunday, not worried about hard contact. “... this was more of a live bullpen than anything.” Maddie Lee has more on Smyly.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): 23 for ’23: Who will win the Cubs’ 5th starter spot? The 31-year-old Sampson might have a slight edge over the pair of youngsters because of his longer track record in the big leagues.”
• 670 The Score*: Carter Hawkins: Cubs weighing ‘opportunity cost’ of Hayden Wesneski starting season in big leagues or at Triple-A Iowa. Audio. Brett Taylor unpacks.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ Ben Brown, Ryan Jensen showing developmental leaps in first major-league camp. “Jensen revamped his delivery last season, and Brown is adding two new pitches to his arsenal.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): When will former top prospect Brailyn Marquez get back on a mound for the Chicago Cubs? “It remains unclear when Marquez will be back on a mound, let alone pitching in a game.”
• Scott Bordow (MLB.com*): Tucker Barnhart embracing role as Cubs’ backstop psych. “I think, first and foremost, you have to understand that each guy’s different,” he said. “They tick differently.”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): 23 for ’23: Where does Nick Madrigal fit on the Cubs 2023 roster? “For Madrigal, any role that he and the Cubs hope he plays in 2023 relies on one thing — health.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Dansby Swanson is gradually implementing his vision for Cubs: ‘I see certain things’. “As an infielder, I see certain things,” Swanson said. “I kind of call my own game in my head at shortstop.” More Swanson from Maddie Lee.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): State of the Cubs with Nico Hoerner, who links their past to a brighter future. “... the manager knows that Hoerner will be focused with a plan for each at-bat.” Jordan Campbell has more Hoerner.
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib*): Kris Bryant wishing nothing but success for the Chicago Cubs. “Definitely a different era of Cubs baseball and wishing them the best of luck — just not against us.”
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery*): Cubs players who can earn more playing time after Seiya Suzuki’s injury. “... there are a handful of players who now have a better chance at making the Cubs Opening Day roster...”

Food for Thought:

Cub Tracks makes no apologies for the love of speculative fiction that drives many of these articles. Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked to in this series of articles. Thanks for reading!