I’d really like us to have a BN shirt that commemorates the Cubs’ World Series championship. I have some ideas, but I’m not the best designer in the world. So, then, if any of you wants to take a shot at sending me a graphic idea (my first name at this website address dot com), I’d be very open to checking them out. If one gets made, I would definitely hook you up with one as a thanks, as well as the loudest and proudest of shout-outs here. Don’t kill yourself or spend a ton of time on it – I just figured there were some really proficient folks among you who could do in 5 minutes what would take me a week of frustration.
Some caveats: we can’t step on the Cubs’ name and trademarks, which is what makes it very tricky. We can use the blue, red, and white colors, but we can’t show pictures of Cubs players, or use their names, or use the Cubs’ name. I’d really like something simple, that incorporates the year 2016, the phrase “It Happened” and, perhaps much smaller, the site name “Bleacher Nation”. Even if I’m the only one who ever owns one, I just think it would be cool to have to commemorate the year here.
Expect Cubs players to make the rounds this week on late night talk shows (Red Eye has some details), and also on ‘Saturday Night Live’ tonight, according to David Ross (Tribune). That could be awesome. Or grating. Here’s hoping for awesome. Fair to wonder if Will Ferrell comes back to reprise his Harry Caray role as part of whatever is planned, or whether Bill Murray will make an appearance. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Jake Arrieta previously showed off their comedic late-night chops (well, their ability to be used as humorous props, anyway).
Miguel Montero has meant a great deal to the Cubs of the last two years, and it has undoubtedly been difficult for him to see his role diminish this season as the year went on, with rookie Willson Contreras increasingly getting starts. Montero’s role shrank even further in the postseason (though he definitely made an impact, with critical hits in Game Seven of the World Series and Game One of the NLCS). To that end, it’s not surprising to hear that Montero was disappointed in his role this postseason, but it is a little surprising to hear him discuss it openly in the wake of the Cubs’ championship (ESPN). Montero’s primary point of contention, he said, was that he wished there was more communication about what his role was going to be, given that he’s a veteran leader on the team. You can read about Montero’s recent radio interview here, but my guess is this kind of blows over, given the length of the offseason and the immediate proximity of the comments to the celebration of the victory. I’m always a little sensitive when discussing this kind of thing because, on the one hand, you know the organization wishes this stuff would be handled in-house, but on the other hand, I think fans appreciate getting a window into the realities and challenges of managing a large, disparate group of players, even in a championship year.
It’s an interesting note, among many others in this piece by Jeff Sullivan, that the three most damaging pitching moments for the Cubs in the entire playoffs (by Win Probability Added) all occurred with Aroldis Chapman on the mound (the Adrian Gonzalez game-tying single in Game One of the NLCS, the Rajai Davis game-tying homer in Game Seven of the World Series, and the Conor Gillespie go-head triple in Game Three of the NLDS). Of course, Chapman was specifically brought into the kind of high-leverage, tight situations where huge swings can occur, but it’s still interesting.
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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NEWSLETTER
I’d really like us to have a BN shirt that commemorates the Cubs’ World Series championship. I have some ideas, but I’m not the best designer in the world. So, then, if any of you wants to take a shot at sending me a graphic idea (my first name at this website address dot com), I’d be very open to checking them out. If one gets made, I would definitely hook you up with one as a thanks, as well as the loudest and proudest of shout-outs here. Don’t kill yourself or spend a ton of time on it – I just figured there were some really proficient folks among you who could do in 5 minutes what would take me a week of frustration.
