More Bryce Harper Chicago Clues, Martinez as a Manager, and Other Bullets

Oct 24, 2017

The Littlest Girl was always a fantastic sleeper, which felt like something we deserved after the two big kiddos were not always that when they were young. But she’s had a couple colds lately, plus teeth coming in, and her sleep has become considerably less rock solid. In turn, my already abbreviated sleep has become similarly uneven, slowing my cognitive functioning.

Here’s hoping you can’t tell …

Bryce Harper, who is extraordinarily excellent at baseball and just 25 years old, is a free agent after next season. Because of that unique combination of facts, I’m more than a little intrigued by the possibility that the Cubs could pursue him in free agency. For that reason, I like to have a little fun when observing things like THAT IS A CHICAGO BULLS HAT SOUND THE ALARMS:

So this happened today @Bharper3407 pic.twitter.com/EA3ak7V8Of

— Jake Teague (@teague_jacob) October 23, 2017

And then, as if only to stoke the flames further (or maybe because he just likes his dog and is living his life like a person, but whatever):

Then, as if perfectly on cue, Bryce Harper wanted to remind us that his dog is named Wrigley. #Bryce2018 pic.twitter.com/vmzbdqJRsg

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) October 24, 2017

The clues are everywhere, people.

Confirming yesterday’s reports, Dave Martinez will interview with the Nationals for their open managerial job, and, moreover, NBC notes that they were involved with him two years ago after things fell through with Bud Black (before ultimately deciding on Dusty Baker). Joe Maddon believes Martinez should be a big league manager at this point (NBC): “He belongs in the group. I know all these people being considered, and I promise you our guy matches up with every one of them. He was such a heady, aggressive, gritty kind of player. Bilingual. All that matters. He’s not afraid to have the tough conversations (that) people in that position may shy away from. Believe me, I see all the names. There are a lot of good names, and I like a lot of these dudes. But I’m just telling you: To not include his name with those other people baffles me.”

Should this be the time Martinez finally gets his shot, the Cubs will have to replace two of their most important coaching positions (pitching coach and bench coach), as well as their assistant hitting coach position, after Eric Hinske departed for the Angels.

As for the pitching coach situation, Patrick Mooney argues that Jim Hickey, whom the Cubs interviewed yesterday, should be the guy. Having parted ways with the Rays after a long and productive stay, Hickey is a sought after free agent, who has been connected to the Cardinals and Giants, in addition to the Cubs. It sure feels like a situation where Hickey is going to be the guy for the Cubs – and right now is just a matter of the contract – but we’ll see. There aren’t too many “known quantity” pitching coaches out there about whom I’d have no doubts replacing Chris Bosio, but Hickey (and Mike Maddux, another free agent) is one of them.

For more coaching stuff and other stuff around baseball, Michael dropped an MLBits last night if you missed it.

A young Cubs fan who is battling cancer outside St. Louis had her cherished signed Anthony Rizzo picture taken from her hospital room, and I’m hoping this turns into one of those stories with a very happy ending.

MBDChicago is dropping some of his pictures from the year on Twitter, and I’m very much enjoying following along:

Defensive shift: @javy23baez gets some reinforcements. #thatscub #FlyTheW @BleacherNation @Cubs pic.twitter.com/SzkpKacS0E

— MBDChicago (@MBDChicago) October 23, 2017

IMPORTANT:

Hmmm … pic.twitter.com/fDbGQyQw3O

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) October 23, 2017

Lots of interesting deals at Amazon today, including the Hurricane Batting trainer for those of you who want to crush some dingers. For me, I’m happy to see a huge sale on a really nice foam roller (I’m old) because the kids destroyed my old one by deciding it should live outside for a week.

It’s not Cubs related, but I’m gonna put it here anyway because enough of you are Bears fans and this is a good enough deal at Lids that I think many of you will want to see:

Sorry to double-dip you on DEALS today, but I thought this was worth passing on. Lids Bears hats on a big sale: https://t.co/ALRXXxePTQ pic.twitter.com/r5ZfyxboQG
— The Ten-Yard Line (@TheTenYardLine) October 23, 2017

written by

Brett Taylor

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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