Hall of Fame Shut Down, Extending Minor League Allowances, Zobrist Memory, and Other Cubs Bullets

Amid these crazy times where so little besides COVID-19 and its impact seem important, huge news out of the NFL: the players have ratified their new CBA. The vote had been scheduled and was underway before things really got nuts in our country, so it’s just … so … weird that the players were all voting on the next 10 years of their lives while all this was unfolding.

It’s why it’s probably a good idea, in addition to the obvious health reasons, that other leagues have shut down right now. How can you conduct major business until we have at least a rudimentary sense of what the world for your sport is going to look like in a few months?

• The Tigers are taking a preliminary step to take care of their players and minor leaguers:

Major League and minor league players will continue to get their spring training allowances through March 25, Avila said.

— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) March 14, 2020

• It’s not a lot of money, but for the minor league players who rely on it to get their food, it is a good start. Hopefully other organizations – including the Cubs – figure out a way to financially support minor leaguers (and young big leaguers, too) during this disrupted time. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s also a smart thing to do for long-term competitive reasons.
• There are cheap jokes about being excluded from the Hall of Fame, but I’d rather just share the news as a reminder that the less seriously people take the urging to stop gathering in large groups right now, the more dangerous things are going to get in 5 to 10 days:

As a precautionary measure due to the COVID-19 virus, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will close to the public beginning Sunday, March 15 at 5 p.m. ET. https://t.co/fqr5ZxUoxb pic.twitter.com/2FGSTJ0VGf

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) March 14, 2020

• For people are are visually and/or data inclined (as baseball folks, isn’t that most of us?), I found this to be the most compelling explanation on why we HAVE to socially distance right now as a country. It makes such an enormous long-term difference if we can just suck it up – and it’s gonna be painful, no question about it – and stop gathering anywhere that you’re gonna be in a group of more than a few people. I know I’m just a baseball writer, but baseball shutting down should remind all of us how serious this is – please read this and take it seriously. The only way we win is if we all do our part.
• While you’re holed up, MLB put together a list of one classic game for each club, which you can stream. The Cubs game is pretty obvious, and you’re probably already watched it many times (not that you can ever get enough of it). But some of the other non-Cubs classic games are pretty darn awesome.
• Fascinating look back at a rumor I actually don’t remember from a decade ago: Albert Pujols for Ryan Howard.
• Gonna start the process of going back through random Cubs memories for sharing over the coming weeks and months. I want to try to come up with a better system than just “hey, Brett’s brain, what do you remember that was fun?” So I’ll work on that. In the meantime, here’s something I remembered that was fun:

The last inning we got to see pitched by the #Cubs was absolutely magnificent. pic.twitter.com/fWiqn8Us2n

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 15, 2020