Cubs’ Early-Season Schedule Offers Three Light Weeks, Surgery Results, Ricketts RNC, and Other Bullets
Not even the bad-luck-ju-ju of me being totally unavailable yesterday for half of the day with foot surgery could crack open the ice in Yu Darvish’s free agent market (or the broader market for that matter, though Alex Avila did sign last night).
About that surgery: it went as well as it could, I’m told. They had to move a lotta bones around, use some screws, fix some tendons/ligaments, etc. The reality is that the foot was pretty effed up at this point, after 15 years of post-injury usage (which is not to say I did the wrong thing by waiting – doctors always told me you don’t get this surgery until you feel like you have to, and it wasn’t until I got an X-ray that showed arthritis developing that I knew it had to be done).
Hopefully the recovery goes smoothly, and I can be up and around with a knee scooter in a week, up and around in a walking boot a week or two after that, and maybe 80% or so by the end of March. My goal is to be physically well enough to go to the Cubs’ home opener on April 9 against the Pirates.
Surgery was a success. I’ll miss Spring Training, but docs are hopeful w/a clean recovery I could be 80% by Opening Day, which should be enough for me to make the club.
Only slightly embarrassed to say I was told my first question out of anesthesia was “Did Yu Darvish sign?” pic.twitter.com/vlEsbz0Ll3
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) January 30, 2018
- Speaking of the home opener against the Pirates, the Cubs have quite the early-season schedule: the first three weeks of the year, the Cubs play the Marlins, Reds, Brewers, Pirates, and Braves. Although I can still envision a scenario where the Braves are much better than people are expecting (though that’ll likely be before Ronald Acuna comes up), and the Brewers are going to be competitive, that’s still a really light first few weeks. Of those 16 games, if the Cubs can at least win 10, that’ll be a very nice way to start the season. Thereafter the Cubs play the Cardinals, Rockies, Indians, Brewers, Rockies, Cardinals, so the second three weeks of the season project to be about as tough as the first three weeks project to be easy.
- Cubs owner Todd Ricketts will reportedly be inserted as the new RNC finance chairman after the departure of casino magnate Steve Wynn. It’s another political link for the politically-inclined family that owns the Cubs, with only team chairman Tom Ricketts staying largely out of any over political doings.
- Much love, Ernie:
- Old friends hit the links:
- I do remember, and I hope there’s more fun like this coming soon (seems like there wasn’t nearly as much last year):
Remember this? I wonder what Crazy Uncle Joe will have in store for the Cubs this Spring. https://t.co/kmLFS01toa
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) January 31, 2018
- Hmm …
#CardinalsLose pic.twitter.com/xd4JLnw5Zw
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) January 31, 2018
- I consider myself reminded, and desperate:
This is just your daily reminder that 2012 Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper is younger than 2017 Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge.
I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday.
— Nationals on Reddit (@NatsOnReddit) January 31, 2018
- If you missed it early this morning, the latest on Yu Darvish and the holdup in his market.
- Huge trade in the NFL world last night, as Alex Smith goes to the Redskins. Elsewhere at TYL, the Bears may really be eyeballin’ Calvin Ridley, but man oh man Quenton Nelson is going to be the rare tempting guard in the top ten.
- At Amazon, the Deal of the Day is 71% off(!) of a Hoover upright.
