If there was ever a time to come together with one message, it’s now: thank you to all who have served our country, from our friends, to our neighbors, to our brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers and grandparents, to the many we will never meet. We civilians can’t pretend to know everything about what a veteran’s life is, but we can offer our sincere appreciation for what their service means in ours.
CBS talks about the best players in this year’s postseason, and it’s one of those fun start-a-debate type things, particularly where Cubs players were not selected (I say that not entirely as a homer, but because a lot of Cubs had really great postseasons, AND they played deeper than any team but the Indians). Lots of Cubs show up, as expected, but Kris Bryant – who was the Cubs’ top performer all around in the postseason – does not get the nod at third base. Josh Donaldson had ridiculous numbers through the ALCS, so I suppose I can understand.
The Cardinals are planning to stretch out former closer Trevor Rosenthal, possibly to be a starter next year, or perhaps a multi-inning reliever. The same multi-inning relief future might wind up being true for Michael Wacha, as the Cardinals actually have a fairly crowded rotation. Whether these two, or others, could combine to give the Cardinals the kind of multi-inning bridge types that most teams in baseball are going to start increasingly looking for, that remains to be seen. Teams are not going to be able to do what the Indians (and, to a lesser extent, Cubs) did in the postseason with a guy like Andrew Miller, both because Miller is uniquely awesome and because the pitchers would break if they were asked to go multiple innings two out of every three days, but I do think we’re going to see an increasing trend toward shorter and shorter starter outings, and more multi-inning bridge appearances from relievers. We’ve talked about this ad nauseam in the last three years, but it just makes too much sense to limit the times through the order for all pitchers in the game, including the starter.
(Obligatory when this comes up: there are teams out there that have trouble developing or attracting top starters who could be best served by really going with the four-man rotation (max two times through the order or about 70 pitches), together with a larger-than-usual bullpen, complete with at least three pitchers who can go multiple innings in relief (i.e., starter-like guys who would get exposed if they had to face a lineup more than once in a game). You have to get total buy-in from everyone to make this system work, but for teams that can’t get those top pitchers to sign anyway, why not give it a try? The Rockies tried a few years ago, but did not fully commit.)
Crowd-sourced expected standings at FanGraphs unsurprisingly have the 2017 Cubs on top, about 13 games better than the second place Cardinals in the NL Central. While I certainly agree that, right now and on paper, the Cubs are the class of the NL Central, I just can’t get on board with a 99-win expectation for any team, even one as good as the Cubs, coming off a championship. In any case, I doubt the Cubs will need to win 99 games to take the Central again next year, and that – not a championship, which comes later – should be our emotional focus this offseason.
I love this so much:
I’m still not sure what we should do – feels like we should do *something* – but I wanted to pass along to you this message from Tim Sheridan, the guy who runs ‘Boys of Spring’ and the Cubs’ PA announcer in Mesa, Arizona. Tim was attacked after Game Seven of the World Series, and it sounds like he’s in really bad shape.
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You should click “follow” on this Twitter account, he said in a chanting voice to compel you to action:
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.
The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...
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...
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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...
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Today's NBA playoff slate has two quality competitions in store. Among those contests is the Sacramento Kings taking on the New Orleans Pelicans.NBA prop bets for today's games are available, so if you're interested in placing a bet or building...
Are you eager to dive into the exhilarating world of sports betting? Look no further than the brand new DraftKings promo code offer, designed specifically to welcome new users. DraftKings, a powerhouse in the United States online sportsbook industry, is...
The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...
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There are 15 matchups on today's MLB schedule, including the Baltimore Orioles playing the Kansas City Royals.One of the best ways to wager on baseball is via MLB player prop bets. There are props for each of today's matchups, and...
The Miami Marlins (4-15) begin a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs (11-7) on Friday at Wrigley Field. First pitch is at 2:20 PM.The Cubs will give the nod to Jameson Taillon and the Marlins will turn to Andrew Jacob...
Nick Lodolo will take the mound for the Cincinnati Reds (9-9) when they host starter Tyler Anderson and the Los Angeles Angels (9-10) on Friday, with first pitch at 6:40 PM ET.Keep reading to find out how to watch the...
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The Blackhawks put the worst regular season of more than 70 games in the history of the franchise to bed on Thursday night in a manner that sums up the season fairly well. Connor Murphy was banged up and Nikita...
It's a first-round matchup with a history of fireworks! The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers lock horns once again in the NBA Playoffs. This year marks the third time in five years these two teams meet in the opening...
NEWSLETTER
If there was ever a time to come together with one message, it’s now: thank you to all who have served our country, from our friends, to our neighbors, to our brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers and grandparents, to the many we will never meet. We civilians can’t pretend to know everything about what a veteran’s life is, but we can offer our sincere appreciation for what their service means in ours.
