The Fatalistic Cubs Fan and Other Bullets

sad thoughtful catI love me some rumors and transactions, and I love me some Cubs. Even after a day like yesterday, I still feel the love. I could probably do without the fatalistic swings in the fan base – yesterday’s disappointment somehow makes stray comments on Jon Lester feel like the extension of an avalanche, even if that’s pretty ridiculous – even if if I understand why it happens. The rug has been pulled out from under Cubs fans so many times that the floor is nothing but a friction-blasted hole that reaches halfway to China (precisely half-way).

But today is a new day, and, for me, yesterday doesn’t even feel as bad now as it did in the moment. Maybe that makes me a cheesy ball of sunshine and roses, but I’m reminded that, in total, there’s still plenty about which to feel very good about the direction of this organization. Yesterday affects today only insofar as it provides additional information, and a necessarily modified change in direction. It doesn’t mean that today or tomorrow or next week will play out like yesterday.

  • Speaking of the organization, they’re hiring! A couple of positions in the Research and Development Department – read: very smart people who can think about and calculate useful stuff – are open, and you can see the details here. (h/t Tangotiger).
  • Junior Lake is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic right now, and he was apparently involved in an on-field fracas yesterday. You can see partial video of the melee here. Not sure if this will result in punishment for Lake and/or the other players involved.
  • Dave Cameron’s long take on yesterday’s big Cardinals/Braves trade. It makes sense for both sides, even if Cameron prefers the Cardinals’ side of it.
  • And Tony Blengino’s long take on the big Giancarlo Stanton extension.
  • BP did a quick transaction analysis of the Cubs’ trade for Tommy La Stella, and the short version is that La Stella is an odd fit for the Cubs (without much upside, in BP’s considered opinion) and Arodys Vizcaino is a high risk, nice upside piece for the Braves.
  • Russell Carleton on some important trends and issues in the game right now.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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