The kiddos busted out a spontaneous dance party in the car on the way to school this morning, which was an exceedingly pleasant way to start the day. The only rub is that I now have “Can’t Stop the Feeling” stuck in my head, probably for the duration of the day.
New Cubs closer Wade Davis had an inauspicious spring debut, giving up three well-struck hits and a walk, while recording just one out. As you would hope and expect, though, he’s got a pretty “meh” attitude about it (Cubs.com): “I don’t know what my Spring Training has been like as far as numbers. Whatever happens here, I guess doesn’t really matter.” As long as Davis gets himself physically ready for the season, he’s quite right that whatever happens with his numbers in Spring Training don’t matter. I did figure I’d check, though, out of curiosity: for his career, Davis’s spring numbers are pretty ugly. He sports a 5.07 ERA over 119.0 innings, allowing 138 hits, with 96 strikeouts and 48 walks. In recent years, since his conversion to the bullpen, the numbers are much better, but not overwhelming like his regular season numbers. So, yeah, nothing to see here.
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Albert Almora Jr. left yesterday’s game after the first inning, before he took a plate appearance, due to left calf soreness (Cubs.com). It turns out he fouled a ball off of his calf back on February 28, and it’s been sore since then. It doesn’t sound serious, but I’ll admit that I don’t love hearing that the injury occurred so long ago and he’s still feeling sufficient discomfort to get pulled from a game a week later. Obviously it’s still only Spring Training, so it doesn’t take much at all to get pulled (and it’s not like Almora is totally out of whack, as evidenced by his great plays in center field this past week, and his grand slam this weekend). It’s a fair bet that Almora will get some time to rest and hopefully knock out any lingering soreness before we get too close to Opening Day. UPDATE: Good stuff:
Maddon said Almora is fine and should be back in the lineup Thursday. Was dealing with a sore calf after getting hit by pitch.
Jesse Rogers spoke with some Cubs players about MLB’s new anti-hazing rules, which prohibit teams from making players dress up like the other gender (or other offensive race/nationality/sexual orientation/etc. ways). As you might expect, players don’t love being told what they can and can’t do when it comes to bonding experiences, so I completely understand and respect the player reactions, most of which were thoughtful. I would say only this, though: making younger teammates dress up and or get out of their comfort zone is not barred. There are plenty of ways to give the younger players that experience (if it’s deemed important or necessary) without the ugliness that can come – intended or not – from making men dress as women as a joke. I don’t believe MLB was trying to “protect” players from hazing so much as trying to respect female and LGBTQ fans. This change merits discussion, but it doesn’t have to be a “thing.”
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Another hot spring for Jeimer Candelario is netting him plenty of praise, including from his manager Joe Maddon (CSN): “I have a lot of faith in this kid …. For me, the maturation for him is he feels good in his own skin. When that happens, heads up. It’s like finding your voice; he’s not quite there yet, but he’s approaching that Stage 3: I belong here, I can do this. He’s getting real close to that, from what I can gather. And once he really arrives there, heads up, ’cause he’s got some big-boy tools.” Maddon added that he understands why Candelario may have struggled a bit to open to the 2016 minor league season, given that he’d been so fantastic in Spring Training, and it may have created unrealistic expectations about his timeline or about how easy it is to succeed, and then it can cause a young player to press. But, by the end of the year, Candelario was raking at AAA Iowa. I can’t wait to see what he does this year, and how it all plays out for him.
I very much feel this way, but I hadn’t articulated it. Well done, Michael:
Does anyone else ever feel like the Cubs' 2015 and 2016 seasons have blended together into one year – culminating with the World Series?
The Winter Meetings are over, and although that always means something of an exhale for me after four days of very late nights and trying to grind through the day, this year's installment doesn't have the benefit of ... anything...
When I sat down this morning to start writing, I realized I was just kind of piling up some stray after-the-meetings thoughts ... Transactionally, the Chicago Cubs did nothing this week at the Winter Meetings, other than picking up a...
Well, for the second time in his career, Jeimer Candelario is leaving the Chicago Cubs for another team. Only this time, he's headed to one of their division rivals: The Cincinnati Reds. Mark Feinsand has the scoop: https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1732637582410784947?s=20 The Cubs,...
Oh, this is so good. This isn't just "good for the social media manager of a baseball team" good. This is full on excellent comedy execution. The official Yankees' Twitter/X account just landed an all-time burn — one that's both...
Although he's not necessarily in that top tier of available starting pitchers this offseason, lefty Eduardo Rodriguez could be a very good number three in many rotations. He would, for example, be a noticeable upgrade for the Cincinnati Reds' rotation....
It was picking back up last night, but the steam behind a Juan Soto trade to the Yankees seems to be quite robust right now. To such an extent that it sounds like it's going to happen today: https://twitter.com/JackCurryYES/status/1732407284616008136 https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1732443123043741883...
There will be more to say about the Winter Meetings, and the Juan Soto deal is still likely to be completed eventually ... but man alive, that was absolutely the worst and most boring and awful Winter Meetings ever. Just...
Late last night, Joel Sherman reported that the Orioles were "seriously engaged" with free agent reliever (and former Cubs closer) Craig Kimbrel. And this morning, it seems those talks have progressed to "close to a deal" status, which, from Ken...
The 2023 MLB Rule 5 Draft has arrived, and I'll be tracking any Cubs-impact-related picks down below. For the uninitiated, the Rule 5 Draft is an opportunity for teams to poach players from other organizations that meet certain criteria. The Draft comes...
Sorry to make today pearl clutching about exorbitant prices day, but I have one to add to the ever-exploding Yoshinobu Yamamoto expectations and the apparent high price the Yankees are paying to acquire Juan Soto from the Padres. This one...
Robbie Gould, long held as the gold-standard of Chicago Bears kickers, announced his retirement from the NFL in social media posts via Instagram and The Players' Tribune. https://twitter.com/PlayersTribune/status/1732772131254014309 Gould dives deep in his retirement post at The Players' Tribune. And,...
According to a report by The Athletic's Katie Strang and Kalyn Kahler, a former Jacksonville Jaguars employee is accused of stealing more than $22 million from the franchise from 2019 to 2023 by exploiting the team's virtual credit card program....
It was almost a month ago that Carolina Panthers' tight end Hayden Hurts entered the league's concussion protocol. Hurst took a big hit against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football in Week 10, and he has been sidelined since....
[lasso ref="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003" link_id="896437"]Will DeVante Parker get into the end zone when the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers come together in Week 14 on Thursday at 8:15 PM ET? In the piece below, we dive into his anytime...
Will Brook Lopez make two 3-pointers when the Milwaukee Bucks play the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at 5:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his prop for the game.Brook Lopez's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PacersBrook Lopez's over/under for three-pointers...
The Indiana Pacers play the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at 5:00 PM ET, and if the Pacers' Myles Turner drains two 3-pointers, he'll beat his over/under.Myles Turner's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksMyles Turner's over/under for three-pointers in this game:...
The Indiana Pacers meet the Milwaukee Bucks at 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this matchup requires five trifectas from Tyrese Haliburton.Tyrese Haliburton's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksTyrese Haliburton's over/under for three-pointers...
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo make just a single 3-pointer when the Milwaukee Bucks face the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at 5:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his prop for the game.Giannis Antetokounmpo's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PacersGiannis Antetokounmpo's over/under...
To beat his 3-point prop, Damian Lillard needs to make four from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks meet the Indiana Pacers, starting at 5:00 PM ET.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PacersDamian Lillard's over/under for three-pointers in...
To beat his 3-point prop, Bruce Brown needs to make two from beyond the arc on Thursday, when his Indiana Pacers face the Milwaukee Bucks, starting at 5:00 PM ET.Bruce Brown's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksBruce Brown's over/under for...
The kiddos busted out a spontaneous dance party in the car on the way to school this morning, which was an exceedingly pleasant way to start the day. The only rub is that I now have “Can’t Stop the Feeling” stuck in my head, probably for the duration of the day.
