Thanks to genetics that hew more closely to Tony Campana than to Anthony Rizzo, my son is probably always going to have to settle for scrappy. In the wee hours of this morning, The Wife and I (and The Little Girl) welcomed The Little Boy to our family. We named him Clark. He is already awesome at everything. Thanks to all of you for the kind words and well-wishes. Unbelievable true fact: BN’er Brent sent me one of those kind words/well-wishes emails late yesterday, noting that his wife was a labor and delivery nurse at an area hospital in Columbus. And, out of all the hospitals and all the nurses, who helped us deliver Clark? Brent’s wife. Small, lovely world.
Soon after he exited yesterday’s game with an apparent hamstring injury and was dutifully evaluated by the training staff, Starlin Castro seemed pretty confident that he’d avoided any kind of serious injury. Castro was already jogging around, and described the injury as “tightness” rather than any kind of strain. He’s day-to-day, and I still think we won’t see him back in game action for a little while. But it’ll be because playing him right now serves no significant purpose.
Matt Garza also seems to have avoided a serious injury – in his case, his left lat – and could throw from 90 feet later today. If that goes well, he’ll be right back on schedule to be available for the first week of the season.
Dale Sveum responded to Theo Epstein’s comments about the Cubs selling off once again if they’re not in contention come July, and said what you’d expect him to say – it’s part of the business, you hope you’re not in that situation, etc. He also damned the hell out of his offense with faint praise: “If guys live up to their capabilities, it’s a pretty functional offense.” Yes. *IF* guys live up to their capabilities, the offense can be a whopping “functional.” He’s not wrong, either, which is the unfortunate part.
The Cubs lost to the Dodgers yesterday, but the game featured at least on Cubs highlight: top prospect Javier Baez, noted for his crazy bat speed, hit a ball so hard at shortstop Dee Gordon that he had to scramble just to avoid being drilled by the liner. Now that’s how you get a base hit.
The plan for Brett Jackson remains AAA Iowa in April, despite the initial appearances of his swing changes being legit. Hopefully he’ll crush it in Iowa for a few months, and then earn a mid-season promotion.
A Kerry Wood Q&A with an interesting anecdote on just how close Wood came to retiring in 2006.
Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the BN Podcast – I didn’t get a chance to pimp it as much yesterday as I usually do. I think it’s a good one.
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.
Even with tonight's rainout, the Chicago Cubs are still making some roster moves. When Patrick Wisdom was removed (perfectly healthy) from the I-Cubs game in the 4th inning on Wednesday, we had an idea of what was coming next. When...
The weather wasn't going to cooperate for Jameson Taillon's season debut, and tonight's Cubs-Marlins tilt has been postponed. The game will instead be part of a split-doubleheader this Saturday, with the first game at 1:20pm CT and the second at...
If you're into tracking young pitchers with star potential like I am—as I watch Jack Leiter's debut while typing this column—then you're probably itching to see Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes make his way to Pittsburgh sooner than later. While...
Cubs vs Marlins — Whew! The Cubs got through their first West Coast road trip of the year, and did so with a winning record (5-4) against the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks. They definitely let a couple games slip out...
As the father of a toddler who was sick for an entire week — the same week Brett was out from his back surgery and the Cubs were playing almost exclusively late-night ballgames on the West Coast — I was...
Kevin Alcántara hit his first home run of the season for the Tennessee Smokies last night, and Owen Caissie hit his first Triple-A home run for the Iowa Cubs as Iowa and Tennessee secured victories. The same can't be said...
Given the way the offseason played out for super agent Scott Boras's top available clients - Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery - you wouldn't be shocked to see some unhappiness behind the scenes. Did Boras overplay...
Hayden Wesneski was the hero of yesterday's finale and series-win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, coming in to clean up Jordan Wicks' (little) mess in the 5th ... and then tossing 4 shutout innings to save an over-used bullpen and help...
Hand up, I really wanted the Cubs to sign reliever Robert Stephenson this offseason. I felt like they could use one more impact arm (accurate), and I felt like Stephenson was one of the best available (about that ... )....
Rays closer Pete Fairbanks has been an extremely effective reliever the last four years, posting a 2.66 ERA from 2020 through 2023, with a 34.8% K rate and worth 4.1 WAR. But things have started out much more rough for...
Michael Busch and the Chicago Cubs (11-7) host Luis Arraez and the Miami Marlins (4-15) at 2:20 PM ET on Friday.Find out how to watch the Chicago-Miami matchup below.When is Cubs vs. Marlins and when does it start?This contest between...
The weather wasn't going to cooperate for Jameson Taillon's season debut, and tonight's Cubs-Marlins tilt has been postponed. The game will instead be part of a split-doubleheader this Saturday, with the first game at 1:20pm CT and the second at...
Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was asked before the regular season finale if forward Lukas Reichel would play for Germany at the upcoming IIHF World Championship, or if he was headed to Rockford to join the IceHogs for their playoffs....
The Miami Heat are a better team than the Chicago Bulls. We can all agree on that, right? We're talking about a franchise with three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons. This included last year's historic run,...
On Thursday afternoon, the NHL made it official: the Arizona Coyotes are no more. The league's Board of Governors voted to approve the franchise relocating to Salt Lake City, effective immediately. The franchise will be owned and controlled by Smith...
Even with tonight's rainout, the Chicago Cubs are still making some roster moves. When Patrick Wisdom was removed (perfectly healthy) from the I-Cubs game in the 4th inning on Wednesday, we had an idea of what was coming next. When...
The Chicago Bulls aren't ruling Alex Caruso out just yet. Despite the guard having to exit Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament over the Atlanta Hawks, Caruso is currently listed as "questionable" on the latest official injury report. The Bulls' defensive anchor...
Cubs vs Marlins — Whew! The Cubs got through their first West Coast road trip of the year, and did so with a winning record (5-4) against the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks. They definitely let a couple games slip out...
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2024 NFL Draft in a familiar position – contenders with a need to retool. Baker Mayfield solidified the quarterback position sans Tom Bracy, and while the Bucs boast a talented roster, key departures and...
New England Patriots 3-Round Mock Draft - The curtain has closed on the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era in New England. The Patriots, once a dynasty of consistency, now find themselves at a crossroads. With the number three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft,...
NEWSLETTER
Thanks to genetics that hew more closely to Tony Campana than to Anthony Rizzo, my son is probably always going to have to settle for scrappy. In the wee hours of this morning, The Wife and I (and The Little Girl) welcomed The Little Boy to our family. We named him Clark. He is already awesome at everything. Thanks to all of you for the kind words and well-wishes. Unbelievable true fact: BN’er Brent sent me one of those kind words/well-wishes emails late yesterday, noting that his wife was a labor and delivery nurse at an area hospital in Columbus. And, out of all the hospitals and all the nurses, who helped us deliver Clark? Brent’s wife. Small, lovely world.
