When Teammates Fight, Dreaming on a Hilariously Loaded Cubs Lineup, and Other Bullets

In anticipation of ‘The Last Jedi’, I re-watched ‘The Force Awakens’ one more time last night. My take on it remains the same as it ever was: it’s fine. It looks great. The performances are solid. The story is … familiar. It’s certainly less thrilling on re-watches, which reminds you of how much of the original enjoyment was merely tied to being back in that universe (galaxy) with new material. I hope that, now that they brought back all the comforts of the original trilogy, they truly move on into unexplored, totally foreign material in ‘The Last Jedi.’

Bonus: near the end of the viewing, I realized my kid’s light saber was sitting next to me on the top of the couch. So I did what any other self-respecting 36-year-old father of three would do: I flicked that baby on and won me an imaginary battle in the middle of my living room as The Wife looked on in horror.

  • I don’t really follow basketball, but being in on the Chicago sports world means it was impossible not to hear about Bulls forward Bobby Portis breaking the face of his teammate, Nikola Mirotic, in practice a couple days before the season started. Incredibly – to me, anyway – the Bulls hung on to both players, and Mirotic just spoke yesterday about the incident and they’re trying to move on. And then, on the same day, word came out that the loud argument between Bears players on Monday of this week was between wide receivers Tre McBride and Josh Bellamy, and, what do you know, McBride just happened to be waived on Tuesday.
  • The whole thing had me wondering how this would be handled on a team like the Cubs. I can’t claim to know the caliber of the Bulls players involved, but the question becomes way too easy if you say the fight was between non-essential players (or at least one non-essential player), because you can just boot a guy. For example, 10 years ago, Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett got into a dugout scuffle that turned into a clubhouse fist fight, with Zambrano sending Barrett to the hospital. Within the month, Barrett was dumped on the Padres.
  • (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

  • It’s also too easy to answer if the fight is just kind of a pushing and shoving argument situation. Guys get over it. Look at Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, a couple of serious stars at the time, getting into a very visible fight in the dugout back in 2002. They finished up the season together without issue. (Although Kent did leave as a free agent after the season, signing with the Astros.) Heck, probably more than half of those kinds of fights never even make it into the public’s consciousness.
  • What if it was two REALLY important players who got into a REALLY serious fight, though? What if one of your stars broke the face of another one of your stars? Maybe Kris Bryant spends a little too much time with Bryce Harper, and Anthony Rizzo loses his cool and breaks Bryant’s face? (Note: That would never happen.) Do you immediately have to dump one of the two players, even at a steep productivity cost to the organization, or do you risk upending the clubhouse by trying to have the guys work together? Do you send a message by booting one? But which one? What if they were both being a-hole, and one just got the better of the other in the fight? I actually think this is a pretty hard question to answer (and the kind that rolls around my noggin’ when the hot stove is cold). Does the fact that the Cubs were quick to let Miguel Montero go last year after he criticized teammates mean that they’d react similarly if there were a fight? Or did the fact that it happened to come right after Montero’s arm was so badly exposed make the decision all the easier?
  • Juuuuuust having a little fun here:
  • What’s especially fun is that I got some guff for the structure of that lineup, but it’s like … you can’t really come up with the perfect lineup with that group. You don’t want Bryant leading off? That’s fine by me, but is there someone there who you want getting more plate appearances than Bryant? It’s easy to just grab Russell or Baez and say they should lead off because you want to bump Bryant closer to the middle of the order, but then you’re choosing to give one of the lesser hitters in the lineup more opportunities than guys like Bryant and Rizzo and Harper. Like I said in the tweet: it’s almost impossible to pick the best lineup with that group, because there’s just too much thunder.
  • The Cubs very possibly have signed lefty Dario Alvarez to a Major League deal (he was a minor league free agent, but you sometimes see that with the best minor league free agents (Cubs did it with Andury Acevedo a couple years ago, for example). Basically, it would be like adding an impending minor league free agent to your own 40-man roster after his team (the Rangers) declined to do so. We’ll have much more if/when the signing is confirmed – for now, it’s all based on the fact that he shows up on the Cubs’ 40-man roster online, although there is no transaction activity that shows a signing. It’s a little odd.
  • Excellent job reaching back and finding something great, Michael:
  • My vote goes to the high homer, because of just how hard I know that is. The low homer definitely *looks* crazier:
  • What is even happening here/I don’t care I love it:
  • The Cubs Shop is keeping the deals going, with 25% off all orders today (code DUGOUT):
  • Amazon has a few excellent deals going on today, including Rawlings baseball geara big sale on a bunch of LEGO Star Wars sets, $74 off one of those food-saver vacuum sealing systems, and the Sonicare toothbrush (I love mine) for 22% off after a coupon.
  • 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.

    more cubs news

    The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

    I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

    Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

    ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

    The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

    You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

    Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

    Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

    The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

    Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

    I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

    There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

    I Dug Deep on the Cubs 2024 Schedule (And I Like What I See)

    Finally, with Cody Bellinger in the fold, we can start focusing more seriously on the season ahead. So today, I thought we'd take a look at the Cubs 2024 schedule. You can flip through the Cubs 2024 schedule right here...

    Here’s What I’m Betting on the Cubs for Opening Day

    I get it. Sports betting isn't for everyone — like, say, the interpreter for an international baseball superstar — but some of us quite enjoy it! If you are one of those people, this article is for you. Below, I'm...

    WAKE UP, BASEBALL IS BACK

    The day has arrived. Opening Day. The most glorious day on the baseball calendar, save for the day of each Chicago Cubs World Series win, of course. See, I get to say things like that on Opening Day. Maybe the...

    Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

    Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

    Latest News

    Braves vs. Phillies: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Spencer Strider will take the ball for the Atlanta Braves when they take on starter Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies in their season opener on Friday, with first pitch at 3:05 PM ET.If you're trying to watch this game,...

    Jonas Valančiūnas Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Bucks – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The New Orleans Pelicans face the Milwaukee Bucks at 8:00 PM ET on Thursday, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this matchup requires only one trifecta from Jonas Valančiūnas.Jonas Valančiūnas' Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksJonas Valanciunas' over/under...

    Top 25 College Basketball Picks and Best Bets: March 28

    The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa State Cyclones hit the court in one of four games on the college basketball slate on Thursday that include a ranked team.How to Bet on Top 25 Games[lasso rel="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003"]Top 25 Games for...

    What Does a Chicago Bears NFL Draft Trade Down Look Like?

    You'd think we'd be well-versed in trade-back options after months of wondering what kind of haul it would take for the Bears to move off taking quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. But trading...

    Diamondbacks vs. Rockies Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Arizona Diamondbacks begin their season as -226 favorites in a home tilt against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on ARID.Arizona's Zac Gallen gets the start, and he'll go against Colorado's Kyle Freeland.Diamondbacks vs. Rockies...

    Mariners vs. Red Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Seattle Mariners begin their season as -155 favorites in a home tilt against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on NESN.Luis Castillo takes the mound for Seattle while Brayan Bello is Boston's starter for...

    Guardians vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Cleveland Guardians start their season as road favorites (-156) in a matchup with the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at 10:07 PM ET, live on NBCS-CA from Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.Cleveland's Shane Bieber and Oakland's Alex Wood have been named the...

    Damian Lillard Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Milwaukee Bucks face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET, and if the Bucks' Damian Lillard drains four 3-pointers, he'll beat his over/under.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansDamian Lillard's over/under for three-pointers in this...

    Brook Lopez Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Milwaukee Bucks face the New Orleans Pelicans at 8:00 PM ET on Thursday, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this matchup requires two trifectas from Brook Lopez.Brook Lopez's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansBrook Lopez's over/under for...

    Giannis Antetokounmpo Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    On Thursday at 8:00 PM ET, the Milwaukee Bucks meet the New Orleans Pelicans, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's 3-pointer prop for this clash requires just one trey.Giannis Antetokounmpo's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansGiannis Antetokounmpo's over/under for three-pointers in this game:...

    more cubs news