Cub Tracks’ foals’ errands

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.

Currently flushed with victory, Cub Tracks is in the best shape of its life (round), and is looking forward to the further exploits of the North Side Nine (all 26-plus of them), may they dwell in their primes for an extended time. They’re in action this afternoon.

This insistence on all-action, all-the-time, has unforeseen consequences. A Mike Hargrove at-bat or Pedro Baez pitching appearance would leave more time for placing bets and guzzling alcohol.

All in fun. Face front, true believer. Baseball rolls on. Ex-Cub Willson Contreras is day-to-day with the Cardinals. Ex-Cub Ben DeLuzio is a Dodger. Ex-Cub Daniel Murphy is a Duck. Should-have-been-Cub Shohei Ohtani had both the hardest-thrown and hardest-hit balls in his game. The Cubs came out of the gate motivated and should be equally so, today, for the meatloaf lies in the balance. It’ll be well-preserved, for Wrigley Field is gonna be frozen.

Optimism reigns supreme, for now.

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• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts on breaking the boom-and-bust cycle, signing Dansby Swanson. “Where we have been average at best is the draft. And where we’ve been average at best is development up until the last couple years, where I think we’ve actually kind of pulled our way toward the front.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Jed Hoyer lays out his expectations for the 2023 Cubs season. “I just hope the expectations are high in that room,” Hoyer said, referencing the Cubs clubhouse. “That’s what really matters. You want the guys in that room to believe in themselves.”
• Chris De Luca (Chicago Sun-Times*): MLB 2023: There’s a new buzz around the Cubs at Wrigley Field. “There is a buzz around the Cubs that we haven’t seen since Joe Maddon packed up his motivational T-shirts and skulked out of town in 2019.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs cash in on new brand of North Side baseball. “This is not like an ‘I told you so,’ moment,” Dansby Swanson said. “But it’s just awesome when you’re proved right.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): The Cubs are who we thought they were. “... there have been glimpses of a legit contender when you see the Cubs playing at full strength.”
• Chris Emma (Marquee Sports Network*): Why Cubs have what it takes to be a true contender this season. “I don’t think there’s a bigger compliment you can get from your fan base than just, ‘I love watching your team play,’” said David Ross.

• Ryan Taylor (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cy Young winner predicts Cubs to ‘contend’ this season. “My bold prediction is they’re gonna build a statue to the one David Ross outside Wrigleyville at some point in the near future,” Jake Peavy said.
• Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): Chicago Cubs Opening Day sped by with new MLB rules in play. “The clock was not the sole reason the game went fast...”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune*): It was a ‘Stropening Day’ to remember for Marcus Stroman and the Chicago Cubs — even at a faster pace. “Murphy’s Bleachers dubbed it “Stropening Day” on its marquee...”
• Bradford Doolittle (ESPN*): Cubs’ Stroman called for MLB’s first clock violation. “It’s tough, man,” Stroman said. “It’s tough, this pitch clock. It’s a big adjustment. I don’t think people really realize it. It just adds a whole other layer of thinking.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Success for 2023 Cubs hugely dependent on veterans producing. “... a stopgap infusion of veterans could help the team be surprisingly competitive in the short-term, without sacrificing long-term financial flexibility in years to come.”
• Michael Allardyce (NBC Sports Chicago*): Dan Plesac thinks Cubs will be most improved MLB team in 2023. “I just think these two guys have a chance,” Plesac added. “The Cubs could be the most improved team in 2023. I’m buying Dansby Swanson. I’m buying Niko Horner. Eric Hosmer.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Swanson had a fantastic Chicago Cubs debut. “To his credit, Swanson simply played his game...” Patrick Mooney talks Swanson {$}.
• Bryan Smith (Bleacher Nation*): The modern history of winning with defense, which we sure hope is pertinent for the 2023 Cubs. “... recent history books suggest that a team with that design can still have a successful season in the end.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): ‘This is where I want to be’: Nico Hoerner talks extension. “I hope it’s not the last deal with this team,” Hoerner said. “This is where I want to be.” Sahadev Sharma talks Hoerner {$}. Andy Martinez has more.

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Ian Happ plans on appreciating each moment in ‘23. “I’m excited to play baseball with this group of guys,” Happ said. Andrew Seligman reports that there’s nothing to report on negotiations. Patrick Mooney has more {$}.
• Neil Salzman (Chicago Tribune*): Opening day for Chicago Cubs a family affair. “Jerry Pritikin remembers when he used to pick up trash at Wrigley Field with his brother to get a free ticket to the next Cubs game. His first opener was in 1947.”
• AP*: Minor league players ratify collective bargaining agreement. “It’s a historic day for these players,” union head Tony Clark said in a statement.
• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib*): 5 former top prospects for the Cubs who have fallen from grace. “... there have been many duds that were once thought to become difference-makers at the big league level.”
• Pat Tomasulo, Mike Toomey (WGN9*): Jim Belushi talks Cubs opening day and new season of ‘Growing Belushi’. Vidcast. I’ve never seen the show but I can rec Jim’s buds.

Food for Thought:

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