Cub Tracks’ Shōta star

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Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga knows his audience well.

Imanaga famously sang a line from “Go, Cubs, Go” last winter during his introductory news conference at Wrigley Field, and on Tuesday turned to another Chicago classic upon entering in the fourth inning of the American League’s 5-3 win in the All-Star Game.

The Globe Life Field sound system cranked out the old Gatorade jingle, “Be Like Mike,” when Imanaga strolled out to the mound. The song was created in the early 1990s for Chicago Bulls great, Michael Jordan.

“I talked to people around me that support me and we decided on that song,” Imanaga said afterward through his interpreter. “Obviously I want to be like Mike. However, he is so great I have to put in a lot of work to get there. Hopefully once I do, the people of Chicago, all the fans, they can accept me.”

The song also has a double meaning. Some of Imanaga’s teammates call him “Mike” since he began telling baristas at his local coffee shop that Mike was his name. He explained that he was tired of them asking how to spell Shota, and picked the most American name he could think of. The Cubs put a nameplate on his locker at Wrigley Field that reads “Mike Imanaga II.” —- Paul Sullivan.

• Marquee Sports Network*: Cubs Weekly Podcast.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): The story behind Shota Imanaga’s special All-Star walk-up song. “I talked to people around me who support me, we decided on the song,” Imanaga told reporters in Texas.
• NBC Sports LA*: Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson: How to fix the Chicago Cubs [VIDEO]. More Hawk video.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs VP of Scouting Dan Kantrovitz on the organization’s Day Two draft picks. There’s more there at Cubs.com.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): First impressions of Cam Smith and the Chicago Cubs’ 2024 draft class. “... adding a new wave of young talent is essential as Jed Hoyer’s baseball operations department thinks through the next moves.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): 4 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ 2024 MLB draft, including landing one of the best defensive catchers. “I think we obtained the right balance based on our assessment of the talent, the draft pool, as well fulfilling whatever needs we might have in the system,” Kantrovitz said Tuesday. Evan Altman has thoughts. Jordan Bastian wraps it up.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): It’s Officially MLB Trade Season – Where do the Cubs stand and what needs to happen to avoid a Sell-off? “There’s nothing else standing between teams and the deals they want to complete other than their courage.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): Chicago Cubs can benefit from one of the National League’s weakest second-half schedules. “Barring a total collapse in the run-up to the deadline...”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ Shota Imanaga tips cap to Michael Jordan before scoreless All-Star inning. The Japanese rookie’s first All-Star experience was a good one. “I kind of felt like I was floating,” he said.
• Anthony Franco (MLB Trade Rumors): Cubs acquire Jesus Tinoco from Royals. The 29-year-old Tinoco has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons between the Rockies, Marlins and Rangers. More from Bleacher Nation.

Food for Thought:

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