Happy Fourth of July to all! I hope you’re able to enjoy this day, be it outside at a parade, inside watching baseball, or on the porch watching fireworks. No, the world of baseball news and rumors won’t slow down much today, but you’ve certainly got my permission to go have some good old-fashioned American fun, which is whatever you deem appropriate.
For the Taylor Family, that’ll mean a mid-day parade (so I’ll miss a chunk of the very early Cubs game today – it starts at 10am CT, for those who forgot), a late-afternoon trip to some kind of festival thing (they have a dog frisbee-catching competition!), and then a night watching fireworks. You should still see normal Friday content around here today, though – not because I didn’t want to take a holiday, but because there’s a bunch of stuff to discuss.
When you pair Joe Posnanski with Theo Epstein, you produce a swoon so powerful that the structural integrity of my desk is tested. So it is with Posnanski’s latest, a feature on the Chicago Cubs and the transitional phase that awaits them (totally and completely apropos of what I wrote yesterday about the Red Sox and the Cubs). His piece features numerous smile-worthy quotes from Posnanski – inducing smiles in the man who was offering them, according to Posnanski. You, of course, must read the article. I will have some specific thoughts on the piece at a later time, but, for now, just read it, know it, like it, love it.
The one part upon which I’ll comment now, because it’ll stick out to the Negative Nancys among you (or the inner Negative Nancy lurking within us all): you are correct that the tone in there doesn’t make it sound like the Cubs will spend big on pitching this offseason, something that turning a corner in 2015 will absolutely require. To that I say … eh. In other places at other times, the front office has implied otherwise. The money will be there. The need will be there. The players will be there. Confirming such things now wouldn’t do the front office any good, for so many reasons (not the least of which is, maybe they wind up getting the pitching another way. Why box themselves into a corner now?).
Positivity moment: the Cubs remain peskily good over the past month and a half – since May 17, the team is 24-19, which is the third-best record in the NL over that stretch. (Don’t-think-about-what-could-have-been-don’t-think-about-what-could-have-been …. ) Speaking to the parity in baseball (or small sample), however, that record is a .558 winning percentage, which translates to just 90 wins over a full season. That would be the lowest win total for the third-best team in the NL since 2008.
An external credit agency just reaffirmed MLB’s “A” rating, which means fancy math dudes with no interest in the game of baseball say the sport is quite healthy, financially-speaking, and projects to be that way for a while. I still think MLB needs to take a long, hard look at how they (do a terrible job at) attract(ing) young fans, though, if we’re talking about the sport’s health over the next 50 years, rather than the next 10.
Obligatory: that was just a historical joke, and, in all sincerity, as I’ve said before, I feel for Steve Bartman. The moment happened, and now belongs to us all for commentary/joking/getting-over-it, but I still wish we had a chance to make it up to Steve.
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.
For the second straight night, the Cubs are jumping all over the Astros in the first inning. After a couple hits from Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ to get things going, Michael Busch hit a sac fly, Christopher Morel walked,...
What a road it's been - continues to be - for Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis. The former top prospect was on a rocket ship to Triple-A in 2021, and then mostly lost the last two years to various injuries....
So much for all those words of optimism and negative X-rays. After colliding with the outfield wall last night, Cody Bellinger fractured his rib (Update: It's actually TWO fractured right ribs) and will hit the injured list today. Chicago Cubs...
CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs took Game 1 against the Houston Astros in convincing fashion last night. So tonight, they'll go for the quick series win against Spencer Arrighetti at Wrigley Field (it'd be a good idea to win...
Ed. Note: Since this article was published, a CT scan revealed a rib fracture for Cody Bellinger, who is now on the Injured List. You can find all the details of that news in our most recent article right here....
With Cody Bellinger headed to the Injured List with a rib fracture, the Cubs are in need of another outfielder: center field prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is coming back up to the big leagues for the second time. https://twitter.com/670TheScore/status/1783217891195625709 Crow-Armstrong, 22,...
Hey, we're just having some early-season fun. So allow me to present the 'Mike Tauchman Is Clearly Better Than' list. As of this moment, Mike Tauchman has ... ... a higher wRC+ (151) than Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr., and...
Name a player hotter than Kevin Alcántara right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. (He's already raking again today. Literally as I type this.) More on Alcántara's big day and the Smokies home run parade last night in today's Cubs Farm...
Just three starts into his San Francisco Giants career, Blake Snell is heading to the injured list with a left-adductor strain. Oof. You hate to even say it — and who really knows if this was related — but early...
In 1997, I was a miserable Chicago Cubs fan. I mean, that was true a lot of the time, but I mean it in a very specific way that year: the Cubs had started the season 0-14. They had literally...
The Seattle Mariners (12-11), with Luis Castillo on the hill, visit the Texas Rangers (12-12) who will counter with Andrew Heaney, at 2:35 PM ET on Thursday.Find out how to watch the Seattle-Texas matchup below.When is Mariners vs. Rangers and...
On Thursday at 3:10 PM ET, Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres (13-13) face Ryan McMahon and the Colorado Rockies (6-18) at Coors Field.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options for...
The desert heat is rising in Las Vegas, and so are the expectations for the Raiders. The 2024 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and the Silver and Black hold the 13th overall pick. Will they prioritize shoring up the offensive...
The Minnesota Twins (9-13), led by Ryan Jeffers and going for a series sweep, host Gavin Sheets and the Chicago White Sox (3-20) at 1:10 PM ET on Thursday.Keep reading to see how to watch the Minnesota-Chicago matchup in the...
On Thursday, looking for a series sweep, Michael Busch and the Chicago Cubs (14-9) play the Houston Astros (7-17), with first pitch scheduled for 2:20 PM ET at Wrigley Field.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to...
Cole Ragans will take the mound for the Kansas City Royals (14-10) when they host starting pitcher Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays (13-11) in a rubber match on Thursday, with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.Find out how...
Juan Soto and the New York Yankees (16-8) host Abraham Toro and the Oakland Athletics (9-15) on Thursday in a rubber match, with first pitch at 7:05 PM ET.Find out how to watch the New York-Oakland matchup below.When is Yankees...
For the second straight night, the Cubs are jumping all over the Astros in the first inning. After a couple hits from Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ to get things going, Michael Busch hit a sac fly, Christopher Morel walked,...
Alec Bohm and the Philadelphia Phillies (15-9) visit Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds (13-10) on Thursday in a rubber match, with first pitch at 1:10 PM ET.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to...
The Milwaukee Brewers (14-8), led by William Contreras, visit Connor Joe and the Pittsburgh Pirates (13-11) at 12:35 PM ET on Thursday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Milwaukee take on Pittsburgh live.When is Brewers...
NEWSLETTER
Happy Fourth of July to all! I hope you’re able to enjoy this day, be it outside at a parade, inside watching baseball, or on the porch watching fireworks. No, the world of baseball news and rumors won’t slow down much today, but you’ve certainly got my permission to go have some good old-fashioned American fun, which is whatever you deem appropriate.
