Recapping Another Busy Weekend for Those Who Took a Holiday

jeff samardzija gatorade showerAs it was last weekend, it was another relatively busy weekend around these parts. And, knowing that many folks checked out for the Thanksgiving Holiday on Thursday (good for you), I figured I’d give you a recap of what you may have missed while you were away …

Wednesday

  • I reckon you caught most of Wednesday’s stuff before hitting the road, but the late afternoon was packed. Ryan Braun finally spoke to the media about his suspension, and pretty much pulled the “I’m not here to talk about the past” card.
  • Ted Lilly – THE Ted Lilly – is retiring from baseball. Here’s a love song.
  • The Twins signed Ricky Nolasco to a pretty darn reasonable four-year contract.
  • Dave Kaplan reported, via a source, that Jeff Samardzija was 99% likely to be traded before the start of the 2014 season.
  • Thursday

  • It was Thanksgiving, but that didn’t stop the Jeff Samardzija reports. This time, it was talk of an extension, and my thoughts on the subject.
  • Friday

  • Friday’s Bullets included an interesting discussion on the timing of free agent signings this year. Earlier than usual? Maybe not.
  • We had a controversial discussion on the Cubs saying that season ticket renewals were up this year.
  • I wrote at length about free agent righty Phil Hughes, in an effort that would quickly prove futile.
  • Peter Gammons reported that the Cubs planned to slow-play the Jeff Samardzija trade market.
  • The Cubs were connected to reliever Edward Mujica for the first time in a rumor.
  • Saturday

  • More players are getting a therapeutic use exemption from MLB’s drug testing standards.
  • We continued our apparently controversial discussion about buying Cubs season tickets.
  • Sunday

  • Like I said, futile: the Twins agreed to terms with Phil Hughes, and I wasn’t too happy about it.
  • Having missed out on Hughes, I took a quick crack at three other lower-tier, back-of-the-rotation types that the Cubs might consider getting on the cheap.
  • I wrote at length about today’s non-tender deadline, and the 11 arbitration-eligible Cubs.
  • Holy crap, that’s a lot of stuff for an extended holiday weekend. (*Pats self on back. Suddenly reconsiders life choices.*)

    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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