Lester Feels Good, Chill on Bryant’s D, Comcast, Red Sox Investigation, Hagerty, and Other Cubs Bullets

Feb 26, 2020

Among the things ‘Better Call Saul’ does so well is using the things we already know about what happens in the future – who aren’t together in the future, for example – as a way to build emotion and tension throughout the story as it unfolds. It’s not just that it avoids being encumbered by the audience’s foreknowledge, which is an accomplishment in its own right (and one that many other prequels cannot pull off), but it actually makes that foreknowledge do some of the narrative work.

Jon Lester didn’t have much to say after his Spring Training debut yesterday, and none of it was anything other than what you’d expect (he feels good physically, better than last year, and he’s not thinking about where he’ll be in the rotation order). He’s a veteran getting in his work as part of a build-up to the regular season. You don’t even really NOTICE the results until near the end of Spring Training, and even then, it still doesn’t tell you much. You just want to know how he’s feeling, how his pitches are moving/locating, and what his velocity looks like. We’ll get there later in the Spring.

Picture Day glam:

Kris Bryant has the best attitude possible when it comes to criticisms of his defense at third base, which have always been overstated (Tribune): “It’s not like I played amazing defense, but it wasn’t bad either. It has room to improve for sure. I’ve been working on it, but it’s not like my defense is the worst ever. It’s very passable. I don’t know how these numbers work, but it seems to be around the league average. But it’s something I can definitely improve.” That’s pretty much the size of it. Although there are some metrics down on Bryant, there are more that indicate he’s just fine.

A modest but helpful update to the Marquee situation from Evan at Cubs Insider, as he was told by a Comcast exec that, yes, negotiations with Marquee on carriage are still ongoing. You wouldn’t necessarily expect otherwise – a protracted standoff in advance of Opening Day was always more likely than not – but it’s good to hear that they are still engaged.

A reminder that the Cubs are seeking no more, but also no less, from Comcast than they’ve already received from the other providers who’ve signed on to carry Marquee. And thanks to the most-favored-nation status typically conferred in these agreements, if the Cubs accept a lesser price tag from Comcast, they would then also have to pass on that lower price tag to every other provider that has already signed on. The market seems to have agreed that the Cubs’ price tag is reasonable, but Comcast, having outsized leverage (half the Chicago market) is holding out as long as they can. It’s a business decision, and, this far from Opening Day, I can understand it. But as that date approaches, that’s when I’ll admit that I’m probably gonna start to feel less generous to Comcast’s position when they know their users want the channel, and they also know all other providers have accepted this price.

You can’t help but assume the reaction to the Astros situation has made MLB a lot more cautious about pulling the final trigger on a report and on punishment:

Some news: I'm told MLB's investigation into the 2018 #RedSox is ongoing and the results will not be announced this week.

The inquiry has been going on for seven weeks.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) February 25, 2020

One of the best stories last year, cut short, and now he’s back:

https://twitter.com/LukeHagerty/status/1232536330690678784

Hagerty, 39 in April, is the former Cubs pitching prospect who was away from the game for more than a decade and then decided to take a chance. He was looking like a legit breakout possibility last year at this time thanks to a near triple-digits fastball, but an arm injury led to surgery, which cost him the season. It would just be so amazing if he could get into a big league game. His story is like Danny Hultzen’s, but with a much, much longer gap in between playing. Oh, and he’s almost a decade older.

Anthony Rizzo still trying to get Ian Happ to smile:

The commitment @ihapp_1 has shown to surliness is commendable and real! (Via the @ARizzo44 IG machine) pic.twitter.com/OAFQSusqgD

— Cubs DNA (@CubsDna) February 26, 2020

I knew Yu Darvish was good, but I didn’t realize he could levitate:

知らない間にトレーニングコーチに撮られてた写真。いきなり送られてきて「誰やねんこいつ」と思ったら自分やった。 pic.twitter.com/gVFM14owoL

— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) February 26, 2020

He could probably use that power on the mound in some really crazy ways. Looking forward to his new Hover Ball.

MacBooks and humidifiers are among the Deals of the Day at Amazon today. #ad

Michael hoped on the Cubs Talk podcast:

What will David Ross' impact on the Cubs be like in 2020?@JJNelson2105 and @Michael_Cerami discuss on the Cubs Talk Podcast.

Apple: https://t.co/I5hbEdFLMg
Google: https://t.co/7b163iMBkH
Spotify: https://t.co/9num2UKbP1
Stitcher: https://t.co/vGyJa4QsmV pic.twitter.com/qOcjHdJGEW

— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) February 26, 2020

written by

Brett Taylor

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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