The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks who is going to lead the team in steals in 2023.

It’s another Wednesday evening on BCB After Dark: the swinging spot for night owl, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. Let us take your coat for you. There are still a couple of good tables available. It’s warm in here and the beverages are flowing freely—that you brought yourself.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you who you thought would lead the Cubs in WAR in 2023. It’s an interesting question to me because the Cubs, as currently constituted, are filled with lots of good players and no superstars. In other words, the talent is pretty spread out. That was reflected in your voting as you picked new shortstop Dansby Swanson as the WAR leader with 31 percent of the vote. Close behind in second place was Seiya Suzuki with 28 percent. Both Nico Hoerner and Cody Bellinger got 12 percent, although Hoerner got one more vote than Bellinger.

Here’s the part where I talk about jazz and movies. You’re free to skip ahead to the baseball question at the end. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight I have a performance from two of the hottest new artists in jazz, pianist Emmet Cohen and vocalist Samara Joy. OK, I’m not sure Cohen is still a “new” artist since he released his first record in 2011, but this is jazz were talking about. Ron Carter is still going strong at 85.

This is “Fine and Mellow.” If you like your jazz with a big side of the blues, this is the tune for you. Russell Hall is on bass and Kyle Poole is on drums.

You voted in the BCB Winter Noir Classic and it was another razor thin one. By one vote again, The Night of the Hunter (1955) emerged over The Third Man (1949). Once again I narrowly escaped having to cast the tie-breaking vote. Had I voted, I would have voted for The Third Man, so every vote really did count. I’m not torn up about The Night of the Hunter winning, however. Both films are deserving. Certainly the BFI voters agreed with you as they put The Night of the Hunter a few places higher than The Third Man.

Tonight we have the final matchup of the second round and the final film enters the tournament for the first time. The Killing (1956), emerged past Night and the City in the first round. Now it has to take on one of the most iconic films in cinema history, Sunset Boulevard (1950).

Sunset Boulevard. Directed by Billy Wilder. Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson.

There is nothing that Hollywood loves more than a good movie about Hollywood. They prefer movies about the uplifting power of the cinema, but they like a dark tale too. In Sunset Boulevard, director Billy Wilder (who also co-wrote the script with Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman Jr.) created one of the blackest visions of Hollywood ever made.

Sunset Boulevard is a picture that could have gone wrong in so many places. Instead, in the talented hands of silent film star Gloria Swanson, Norma Desmond became one of the most memorable characters in the history of film.

Norma Desmond is a 50-year-old forgotten has-been silent film star who lives in a old, dusty mansion on Sunset Boulevard that was purchased when she was still young and famous. William Holden is Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter who’s in the process of having his car repossessed and being evicted from his apartment for non-payment of rent. While fleeing the repo men, Joe ends up driving into what he thinks is an abandoned mansion but is, in fact, Norma’s place. Norma soon sees the young, attractive Joe as her ticket back to stardom, as well as a potential lover. Joe is both repulsed and fascinated by the faded screen queen. He tries to push her away, but he also realizes her money could make his problems go away. Joe’s desire to stay in Hollywood outweighs his moral objections to taking advantage of this older, half-crazy woman.

Norma Desmond became the archetype of the star who is disposed of when she is no longer young and useful to the movie moguls. Stardom was a drug to Norma and she’s still willing to do anything to get her next fix. Swanson carefully plays Norma on the very edge of sanity throughout the film, always performing for the cameras even though they are no longer there. At least until the end, when her character goes full-bore crazy. But Norma has enough lucid moments that, like Joe, we feel sympathy and an attraction to her. Any aging actress, heck, any aging person, can relate to Norma’s desire to still be seen as beautiful and desirable. But Norma is also manipulative and delusional enough that we know that we should stay away from her, even if Joe can’t.

Did I mention that Joe is dead at the start of Sunset Boulevard and that he’s narrating the story from beyond the grave? Yeah, this film could have gone so wrong and didn’t.

As you might imagine, Wilder had trouble casting Norma as no actress wanted to be associated with a character who was an older, delusional has-been. Finally Wilder asked director George Cukor for advice and he recommended Swanson, who hadn’t been in a picture for about a decade at that point. Swanson didn’t want to do it either, but Cukor told her that this would be the picture she’d be forever remembered for. He wasn’t lying.

The one person who doesn’t stay away from Norma is her personal valet Max von Mayerling, played by director Erich von Stroheim as a thinly-veiled version of himself, had his career gone in a different direction. Max’s loyalty to Norma is touching and is a sign that there once had to be something truly good about her. He also has some secrets that makes his own (and Norma’s) story even more poignant. Roger Ebert wrote that the real love story in this film is between Norma and Max.

(At one point in Sunset Boulevard, Norma watches a film, starring a younger Swanson, that was directed by Stroheim but was never finished because Swanson was unhappy with it and had Stroheim fired. Like Max, Stroheim still stands here with his temperamental star.)

Wilder could have shot the film in color, but instead chose black-and-white to give it more of a noir feel. He also gave cinematographer John F. Seitz free rein to shoot Norma’s mansion as dusty and gloomy as possible. They may call California a land of sunshine, but in Sunset Boulevard, it’s nothing but clouds and shadows.

Of course, Sunset Boulevard is also famous for its screenplay. There are several memorable quotes—almost all coming out of the mouth of Norma—but there are two that are so famous that even people who have never seen the movie know them. The first is at the beginning of the film—“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” And the other one is at the end when Norma says “All right, Mr. DeMille. I’m ready for my close-up.”

Here’s the trailer for Sunset Boulevard. As you can tell from the shot of the gutter filled with cigarette butts, this isn’t a tale of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.

The Killing. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray and Vince Edwards.

Here’s what I wrote last time about The Killing.

Everyone has to start somewhere and The Killing was Kubrick’s first studio picture. It’s a heist film in the best sense of the word. Sterling Hayden (who would go on to be so masterful in Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove) stars as a Johnny Clay, a career low-level criminal who comes up with a plan to pull off one big heist that will allow him to retire and marry his girlfriend Fay (Gray). He puts together a motley group of criminals, each with a different specialty, to rob a race track of $2 million. One of the criminals is a professional wrestler, so that’s something that both these movies have in common.

Although the plot doesn’t go off without a hitch, the gang does manage to successfully pull off the heist. But problems start to arise when the gang tries to divy up the loot. And the cops are still after them as well.

Kubrick hadn’t quite developed his over-the-top excessive style yet (no alien space-babies here!) and keeps this movie moving along at a brisk pace. He managed to pack a lot of action and plot twists and the 85 minutes of the film seem to fly by. The heist is the kind of elaborate plot that you’d see in an Ocean’s 11 film later on, but without the glitz and glamor of those movies. This is a much more tense and gritty film that those slick productions. Also a lot more violent.

Since then, I’ve re-watched The Killing. It’s interesting the way that Kubrick uses time in this film. As I wrote, the 85 minutes does seem to fly by and partly that’s because he’s always setting the time in relationship to the heist. And little things that throw the plan off by a few minutes end up leading to disaster.

Elisha Cook Jr. has a big role in this film as well and he was one of the great character actors of the era. His role was pretty crucial. Also, sometimes it seems like Coleen Gray played a “good girl” in every noir that had one.

Also, a horse gets shot. That’s worth mentioning.

Here’s the trailer for The Killing.

Both films are available to stream for free on Kanopy for anyone with a library card.

You have until Monday evening to vote. Next week we’ll start Round 3! After this weekend, only eight films will remain.

Welcome back to those of you who skip the music and movies.

One of the big unknowns of the 2023 season is what impact the new rules will have on the game. In an attempt to increase the pace of the game, MLB instituted a pitch clock. But because a throw over to first base resets the pitch clock, MLB also made a rule that pitchers can only throw to a base twice in an at-bat. If they throw over a third time and the runner is safe, a balk is called.

MLB also hopes, along with larger bases, that this new rule will increase the number of steals. You may not know this, but the Cubs were second in the National League last year with 111. Only the Marlins had more in the National League with 122. The Cubs finished fourth in all of MLB in steals.

Despite that, the Cubs did not have any big base stealers. The Cubs’ leading base stealer last year was Nico Hoerner with 20. That was good for a tie for ninth place in the NL and a tie for 20th in all of MLB.

In second-place on the Cubs last year was Rafael Ortega with 12 but he’s no longer with the team. Instead, the Cubs added Dansby Swanson, who stole 18 for the Braves and Cody Bellinger who stole 14 for the Dodgers.

Christopher Morel stole 10 bases last year. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki both had nine. Patrick Wisdom had eight and Zach McKinstry had seven in just 47 games—and he wasn’t caught even once.

So tonight we’re going to ask “Who will lead the Cubs in steals in 2023?” And in the comments, it would be great to discuss just how many you think that will be. Do you think the new rules will lead to a big increase in steals this year? The experience in the minors is that the rule does increase steals, but it’s not going to bring a return to the insane steals totals of the 1970s and 1980s. At least it probably won’t.

So who will lead the Cubs in steals this year? And tell us how many and your thoughts on how the new rules will affect stealing in the comments.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this another great week at BCB After Dark. I hope we lightened up your week as well. Please get home safely. Check around your table to make sure you didn’t forget anything. Tip the waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.

The former Cubs outfielder returns to the fold.

Just yesterday, Dexter Fowler announced his retirement from baseball and many of you had wonderful things to say about him in the comments to this article.

Today, Marquee Sports Network announced that Fowler would be joining the channel as a studio analyst, contributing primarily to pre- and post-game coverage.

“We’re pleased to welcome Dexter Fowler to the Marquee Sports Network team,” said Marquee Sports Network General Manager, Mike McCarthy, in a statement. “We congratulate Dexter on an incredible playing career, highlighted by his integral role on the memorable 2015 and 2016 Cubs teams, and we look forward to being a part of the next chapter of his career.”

This move should be cheered by all Cubs fans, because Fowler was a productive and popular player on two of the best Cubs teams of all time, 2015 and 2016. He always played the game with a smile on his face and enthusiasm and I’m sure he’ll have useful insights to add to Marquee’s coverage.

Fowler’s first appearance on the channel is on Cubs 360 tonight. The show began at 6 p.m. CT, so if you have Marquee (in-market or via DirecTV nationally) you might be able to catch him right as this article is being published.

Remember when the board kept track of Sammy’s homers?

When Sammy Sosa was in a countdown to 500 career homers, the folks who run the Wrigley Field scoreboard put that count on the board, on the bottom of what usually would be the right field side.

Here, you see Sammy has 493 home runs and the Cubs are hosting the Diamondbacks.

This one’s easy. Sammy was in this countdown in 2002. The Cubs didn’t have a very good year in 2002, losing 95 games, while the D-Backs won the NL West with a 98-64 record.

Sammy hit his 493rd home run August 17, 2002 in a 6-2 loss to Arizona.

As you can see, that clip is from Fox’s Saturday broadcast; I’m not sure who the announcers are.

And so, we can absolutely precisely date this photo: It was taken the next day, just before the final game of that three-game series between the Cubs and D-Backs, at 11:40 a.m. Sunday, August 18, 2002.

The Cubs won that game 3-2 on a walkoff single by Joe Girardi in the bottom of the ninth:

Sosa, meanwhile, hit his 498th home run against the Pirates in the season’s 154th game. Thus he had eight games to hit two homers to get to 500 in 2002, but hit just one more the rest of the year, off Josh Fogg at Wrigley in the second-to-last game of the season.

His 500th would have to wait until 2003, and it was hit off Scott Sullivan of the Reds in the season’s fifth game, April 4, 2003:

The Cubs wound up losing that game, though, 10-9.

... including, for the first time, one at Wrigley Field.

Yes, I know how most of you feel about MLB’s push toward national streaming of games on Peacock and Apple TV+.

Still, I am duty-bound to tell you when the Chicago Cubs will appear on these streaming services, and Tuesday, Peacock announced its 2023 streaming schedule for MLB games.

To refresh your memory, Peacock signed a deal with MLB before the 2022 season that called for it to have an exclusive window before 1:35 ET on Sundays. That means, for the most part, games on the streaming service have to start at 11:35 a.m. or 12 noon ET in order for the service to have at least part of the day where no other games are televised.

As a result, all of the games in 2022 were hosted by teams in the Eastern time zone.

In 2023, this is changing. Three games will be hosted by teams in the Central time zone, including the Cubs hosting the Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field on Sunday, June 18. That game will begin at 12:05 p.m. CT. The two other CT hosted games are Mariners at Astros on Sunday, August 20 and Phillies at Brewers on Sunday, September 3, both also at 12:05 p.m. CT.

The Cubs will be in one other game on Peacock this year: Sunday, April 30 against the Marlins at Miami. That game will begin at 11:05 a.m. CT.

You will have to pay extra for Peacock Premium to watch these games. Yes, I understand that’s a hassle and just one more way for MLB to extract money from you. Granted and stipulated. This is, unfortunately, where we are regarding baseball and streaming in the year 2023. It’s not going to get any better, I don’t think; more sports are moving to streaming and baseball is no exception. If you are a Comcast/Xfinity subscriber, Peacock Premium is included in your package at no extra charge.

The Cubs are also going to appear at least once on Apple TV+ this year. Apple’s full schedule is not yet released, but the Cubs have a Friday night game scheduled at Wrigley Field July 14 against the Red Sox, the first game after the All-Star break. I’ve written many times about how the Friday night game restriction should be repealed by the city of Chicago, but at the present time the only way the Cubs can schedule a Friday night game this far in advance is for national broadcast. There could be other Cubs games on the Apple TV+ schedule; I will post about them here when Apple releases its full schedule.

One more note about the Friday night game prohibition at Wrigley Field: This year’s Wrigley concert schedule includes (as of this writing) two Friday night shows, with possibly more to come. There is literally no difference between having a huge crowd in the neighborhood on Friday night for a concert or a baseball game. If one is allowed, the other should be as well. Repeal the ordinance now, Chicago City Council.

The sports TV landscape is changing rapidly, as I noted last week in this article about the looming Sinclair RSN bankruptcy and in this article about MLB’s hire of an executive whose responsibilities include nudging the sport into more streaming and fewer blackouts.

As always, we await developments.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is on the cover of MLB The Show. Things are happening for the Rays. Giants fans are angry. And other news from around MLB.

Good morning. It’s that time of year when video games top the MLB news.

• Marlins outfielder (I guess he’s an outfielder now) Jazz Chisholm Jr. was named the cover athlete for this year’s MLB The Show 23 video game.
• Chisholm spoke about what it means to him to be on the cover and what it will mean for kids playing baseball in the Bahamas. Chris Cwik also reports on what Chisholm said about his transition to center field this year.
• Bob Nightengale spoke with newest MLB umpire Malachi Moore, who became the first umpire to reach the majors from the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, CA. Moore was convinced into taking up umpiring by now-retired crew chief Kerwin Danley, who told him that if he wanted to make the majors, he needed to try becoming an umpire.
• Sad news as legendary Dodgers scout Ralph Avila died at 92. Avila was partly responsible for turning the Dominican Republic into a hotbed of MLB talent as he set up the first Dodgers baseball academy in that country. Also he was a revolutionary in Cuba in the 1950s who turned against Castro and ended up in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Also, he was the father of former Tigers general manager Al Avila and catcher (and former Cub) Alex Avila. A life well-lived. (This article is from 2006, but it goes into much more detail on Avila’s role in Dominican baseball.)
• Also passing away at 71 was John Adams, who was famous for being the drummer in the stands at Municipal Stadium for Indians/Guardians games.
• There was a trade as the Red Sox sent right-handed reliever Matt Barnes to the Marlins for left-handed reliever Richard Bleier.
• The Blue Jays signed free-agent right-hander Chad Green. It’s a complicated contract with a couple of options because Green is still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
• The Rays signed infielder Yandy Díaz to a three-year, $24 million deal, avoiding an arbitration hearing.
• Justin Choi praises the contract extensions the Rays gave to Díaz and right-handed reliever Pete Fairbanks.
• Speaking of the Rays, there has been some movement towards a new ballpark for the team in St. Petersburg.
• MLB seems happy with the proposal for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.
• Daniel Frankel reports that a possible consequence of the looming bankruptcy of the Bally Sports regional sports networks is that teams will “cry poor” and try to raise ticket prices and cut payroll.
• Ben Clemens explains why the Bally RSN’s are in such poor financial shape. No, it’s not about cord-cutting, although that didn’t help. It’s mostly about Sinclair loading them up with debt.
• The United States Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to not “extend” MLB’s antitrust exemption to a dispute between MLB and former minor league affiliates who were contracted in 2021.
• In an excerpt from his new book, Evan Drellich explains how he and Ken Rosenthal broke the Astros sign-stealing scandal story. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Reliever Darren O’Day announced his retirement.
• Will Leitch has six players set for bounceback seasons in 2023.
• Thomas Harrigan looks at teams that most-improved on weak spots in their lineup from a year ago.
• Jake Mailhot examines the decline and more decline of the left-handed reliever.
• Anthony Castrovince ranks each position by how strong they are throughout MLB.
• Joon Lee looks at the Yankees options in left field this season.
• Grant Brisbee reports that Giants fans are angry, and what might make them happy. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• David Schoenfield has each team’s player who is most likely to be traded by the deadline. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Nick Groke has everything you need to know about the Caribbean Series. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• And finally, Anthony Castrovince thinks the pitch clock will help players stay healthy—by letting them get more sleep.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.

A thrice-weekly digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB factoids, gathered from reputable sources. Pipp leaves Yankees, Mike Marshall hits them too far, and other stories.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.

Today in baseball history:

• 1913 - Olympic hero Jim Thorpe signs with the New York Giants of the National League. (2)
• 1914 - An exhibition game involving major league teams takes place in Cairo, Egypt. The game is part of a special 56-game world tour. The Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play to a 10-inning, 3-3 tie. (2)
• 1926 - The New York Yankees sell first baseman Wally Pipp to the Cincinnati Reds. In 1925, an injury forced Pipp out of the Yankees lineup, resulting in his permanent replacement by future Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig. (2)
• 1928 - Former standout Hughie Jennings dies at the age of 58. The future Hall of Famer batted .311 over a 17-year career, including a career-high .401 in 1896. Jennings also managed the Detroit Tigers to three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 through 1909. (2)
• 1947 - Commissioner Happy Chandler announces the creation of a pension plan for major league players. Players who have accumulated five seasons in the major leagues will receive $50 a month starting at the age of 50. For each year of additional service, a player will receive an extra $10 per month, up to a maximum of $100. (2)
• 1962 - The National League releases its first 162-game schedule. (1,2)
• 1965 - The National League clubs adopt an emergency team replacement plan to restock any club struck by disaster. (1,2)
• 1976 - East Lansing police arrest Dodgers reliever Mike Marshall for disobeying the orders set by the Michigan State University police prohibiting him from taking batting practice. MSU feared he would hit balls too far and injure students on an adjacent tennis court. Marshall protests that it is against his rights as an MSU instructor and files a lawsuit against the school. (1)
• 1995 - Talks resume between the major league owners and the Players’ Association in attempt to resolve the on-going strike. The owners agree to drop their demand for a salary cap, replacing it with a proposal for a luxury tax. (2)
• 2021 - Major League Baseball announces that the Players Association has rejected its proposal to delay the start of both spring training and the regular season by one month, reducing the season to 154 games, for health and safety reasons. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Lew Brown, Walt Golvin, Carl Reynolds, Vince Barton, Eddie Zambrano, Kent Mercker, Phil Norton, Austin Jackson, Brett Anderson*.

Today in history:

• 1327 - Edward III is crowned King of England aged 14, though the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
• 1788 - First US steamboat patent issued, by Georgia to Briggs & Longstreet.
• 1809 - Dutch King Louis Napoleon accepts metric system.
• 1865 - US President Abraham Lincoln signs 13th Amendment of US Constitution, abolishing slavery in US; celebrated as National Freedom Day,
• 1940 - NBC performs the first inter-city television broadcast from its station in New York City to another in Schenectady, New York by General Electric relay antennas.
• 1965 - Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma, Alabama.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources if you have differences with a posted factoid, so that we can address that to the originators and provide clarity if not ‘truth’. Nothing is posted here without at least one instance of corroboration. Thanks for reading.

The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks who will lead the Cubs in WAR for 2023

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the boppin’ shindig for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Pull up a chair and join us. Come on in out of the cold. The dress code is casual. Let us know if we can do anything for you this evening. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you to grade the Cubs’ off-season. The vote was pretty decisive as 73 percent of you gave the Cubs’ front office a “B.” Another 13 percent gave an “A” and 12 percent gave a “C.” So there’s a clear consensus there that the Cubs did above-average but not great this winter.

Here’s the part where I talk about jazz and movies. You’re free to skip ahead to the baseball question at the end. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Bassist Marcus Miller playing “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” was certainly a hit with you all last night. I can’t say I blame you. So I’ll go double or nothing tonight with Miller playing another Motown hit, the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.” He plays that one solo on his bass, but then he’s joined by Nigerian guitarist Keziah Jones and a whole octet where they play The Beatles’ “Come Together.”

Just a reminder that you have until Wednesday evening to vote in the BCB Winter Noir Classic second-round matchup between The Third Man (1949) and The Night of the Hunter (1955).

The final matchup of the second round, which starts tomorrow, is between Sunset Boulevard (1950), directed by Billy Wilder, and The Killing (1956), directed by Stanley Kubrick. Both movies are available to watch for free if you’ve got a library card (public or university) on Kanopy. So that’s a nice touch for all of you.

Just remember: “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Tonight I’m going to ask you about this piece from mlb dot com that ran last week, which listed which player on each team was projected to lead the team in WAR, according to Fangraphs’ Steamer projections.

The Cubs projected leader is Nico Hoerner with a not-so-impressive 3.5. That’s good, of course, but it’s unimpressive when that’s the best WAR on an entire team. In fact, only six teams had a team leader with a projected WAR less than Hoerner.

Of course, projections are just projections. And Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson are both projected to finish just a hair behind Hoerner with a 3.3 WAR.

Tonight’s question is asking you to make your own projection—who will lead the Cubs in WAR at the end of 2023?

Here are the Steamer projections for the top ten Cubs players.

Nico Hoerner—3.5

Dansby Swanson—3.3.

Seiya Suzuki—3.3

Ian Happ—2.8

Marcus Stroman—2.3

Christopher Morel—2.2

Jameson Taillon—2.0

Justin Steele—1.9

Cody Bellinger—1.7

Drew Smyly—1.2

Yan Gomes—1.2

OK, that’s actually eleven players because Smyly and Gomes tied for tenth.

So who do you think will end up being the most valuable player on the Cubs (by WAR) in 2023? It’s basically just a way of asking you who you think will be the best Cubs player, both in scoring runs and preventing opposition runs.

And yes, Matt Mervis fans can vote “Someone else.” Mervis only comes in at 1.0 WAR by the projections, but they also only project him to play 71 games.

Thank you so very much for stopping by. We can get your hat and coat for you now. It’s cold out there, so wrap up warm. Get home safely. Tip your waitstaff. The coat check girl reminds me to tell you to tip her too, if you checked anything. And join us again tomorrow night for another edition of BCB After Dark.

We’ll no longer be hosted by SBNation, but we’re not done yet

Thank you to all of the people who reached out over the last couple of weeks to check on me and Danny Rockett with the news that SBNation has axed a lot of their podcasts. I have good news and bad news. I’ll start with the bad news first, so we can end on a high note.

The bad news is that Cuppa Cubbie Blue was designated for assignment.

We had an incredible time working with SBNation to bring you news, updates and banter about everything you wanted to know about the Chicago Cubs. It was an absolute honor to do series-by-series updates on the Cubs, cover every move in the offseason, rant a bit, and, most importantly, talk with two of my favorite baseball friends about this team we all love so much. (Yes, two. Y’all didn’t think you were going to read this without an Andi Cruz Vanecek shoutout, did you?!)

That said, the good news is that we’ve been picked up off the waiver wire because Al Yellon believes in the work we do and supports the content our podcast adds to the Bleed Cubbie Blue community.

I don’t know exactly what all of this means yet, or what it will look like. Danny and I have plans to talk soon about platforms, where this show lives in the incredible world of Cubs podcast content and more. We talk about those plans pretty candidly on the latest episode of Cuppa Cubbie Blue, which you can listen to below:

We’ll still be exactly where you always found us until the end of February, and we will use that platform to tell you where you can expect to find us next. Thank you to everyone who listened, subscribed, rated and reviewed the podcast. We hope you’ll consider doing it again at our new platform.

Oh, and if you’re interested in sponsoring the pod hit me up! We definitely lost the small amount of money and sponsors in this deal and have a rebuild on our hands that rivals what Jed Hoyer has been trying to accomplish at 1060 W. Addison.

This one was fairly easy to narrow down.

This could be just about any time in recent years, right?

No, and I’ll explain the systematic way I found this date.

First, the clock reads about 4:43, and there are no NITE GAME indicators on the board. Thus, this has to be just before the gates opened on the day of a Wrigley night game.

There are four team locations that narrow this down even further.

It has ARIZONA and TAMPA BAY on the board, thus it cannot be any earlier than 1998.

LOS ANGELES is on the American League side. The Angels were known as CALIFORNIA from 1966-96 and ANAHEIM from 1997-2004. So this cannot be earlier than 2005.

FLORIDA is on the National League side. The Marlins changed their designation to MIAMI in 2012.

So, 2005-11 are the search parameters, and there are seven other games being played on this date — everything else says NO GAME.

With all that confirmed, it was fairly easy to find the date of this game, which was played Thursday, August 28, 2008. That was, of course, a very good year for the Cubs in which they won 97 games and the NL Central title.

The Cubs won this game 6-4. Ryan Dempster threw six innings and allowed four runs. Sean Marshall, Bob Howry and Kerry Wood finished up, Wood posting his 28th save.

The Cubs trailed 4-1 going to the bottom of the eighth. Mike Fontenot led off the inning pinch-hititng for Howry and hit a home run, making it 4-2. Alfonso Soriano then doubled, Ryan Theriot singled and Derrek Lee walked, loading the bases.

Aramis Ramirez stepped to the plate [VIDEO]. (Sorry, no audio available)

The slam gave the Cubs the lead 6-4, and they held on for the win. It was the sixth win of what would become a seven-game winning streak, and the Cubs were 84-50 and 6½ games ahead in the division race.

The mark of 34 games over .500 was the first time the Cubs had been that far over .500 since the last day of the 1945 season. They peaked at 35 games over and finished 97-64. The Cubs wouldn’t be more than 35 games over .500 until 2016, when they finished 45 games over at 103-58.

That was an exciting day in Cubs history, and it happened only 15 years ago.

The former Cubs outfielder announced his retirement from baseball.

His nickname with the Cubs, bestowed by manager Joe Maddon, was “You go, we go.” I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate for Dexter Fowler, the best leadoff man the Cubs have had in my lifetime, as he helped the team to a pair of playoff appearances and a World Series title in 2016.

Tuesday, Fowler announced his retirement from baseball on Twitter:

Fowler was acquired from the Astros January 19, 2016 for Dan Straily and Luis Valbuena, one of Theo Epstein’s best trades in his tenure with the Cubs.

Installed in the leadoff spot, Fowler hit .250/.346/.411 with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 2015, leading the team with 102 runs scored. He was the first Cub to score 100+ runs in a season since Mark DeRosa had 103 in 2008.

You will certainly remember his home run in the 2015 Wild Card Game:

And, Fowler was one of a record six Cubs to homer in Game 4 of the division series against the Cardinals.

Fowler was available from Houston largely because he was a pending free agent after 2015. And for quite a while that offseason, it appeared he might sign elsewhere, including rumors that he had signed a multi-year deal with the Orioles. That’s why it was a surprise to everyone — well, except management — when he strolled onto the back fields in Mesa one sunny morning in February 2016:

Dexter Fowler surprised teammates when he arrived in camp, signed to a one-year deal for 2016 with a mutual option for 2017. Loud applause burst forth from the entire squad, assembled at the mound in Field 6.

The deal is being reported as an $8 million base with a $5 million buyout and $9.5 million mutual option, according to several Cubs beat writers via Twitter.

Fowler missed 37 games with injuries in 2016, but was quite productive while playing, batting .276/.393/.447 with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 125 games. The Cubs haven’t had a leadoff hitter with an OBP anything close to that since, and it’s shown in the on-field results. Fowler’s presence in the lineup mattered that year — the Cubs were 80-38 in games he started, just 23-20 in games he didn’t.

Fowler also had a productive postseason in 2016, and of course you’ll remember forever his home run in Game 7 of the World Series, the first leadoff home run in World Series Game 7 history:

While it would have been great to keep Fowler, the Cubs were unwilling to meet the price he got in a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Cardinals. He had two pretty good years in St. Louis (2017 and 2019) but the rest of his Cardinals tenure was marred by injuries and they wound up trading him to Joe Maddon’s Angels in February 2021. Still injured, Fowler played in just seven games for the Angels before missing the rest of the 2021 season. The Blue Jays signed him in the 2021-22 offseason, but he played in only three games for their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo before he was released.

Dex says he’s only done playing, not done with baseball:

I agree with Fowler’s statement — I think he’d be an asset to any ownership group. I look forward to the next phase of Fowler’s life and thank him for the memories and the World Series title. He’ll always be a Chicago Cubs champion.

This would make enshrining players in Cooperstown more inclusive.

One thing I think almost all baseball fans can agree on is that Hall of Fame voting is broken.

People say they no longer care about the Hall of Fame, but I believe that’s because the voting process has, over the years, something that doesn’t reflect the reality of baseball in the 21st Century.

Before I get to my modest proposal, a bit of history.

The reason the Baseball Writers Association of America was chosen as the voting body for the Hall of Fame when it was created in the 1930s is that back then, baseball writers saw more games than anyone else. Radio was still only in its second decade of broadcasting baseball games and some were done by recreating play-by-play from wire reports — the radio broadcasters didn’t travel to road games. Television didn’t exist. Most fans didn’t travel to away games; that didn’t become a thing until Americans in general became more mobile in the 1960s. Only two teams (Cardinals and Browns) existed west of the Mississippi, and then just barely, and there was no interleague play, so (for example) Ernie Banks never played in places like Boston, Cleveland, Detroit or Baltimore.

The writers, though, actually saw players play, traveled with teams, and it was thought they were more knowledgeable. Back then, that might have been true.

Now, though? Every baseball game is televised, so fans can see players from all teams, every single day, in glorious high definition. Many fans travel to road games of their team, seeing players from other teams, and interleague play has brought most players to all cities (and is being expanded in 2023).

The internet has brought vast stores of baseball statistics to everyone. Before 1951, when Hy Turkin and S.C. Thompson published a baseball encyclopedia, there was no single place where baseball numbers could be found. The publication of the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia in 1969 brought even better historical numbers to fans. And baseball-reference.com is a treasure trove of numbers, and with their partner retrosheet.org, the folks who run those sites are trying to put together a complete play-by-play record of every game ever played.

So the BBWAA’s knowledge base, mostly limited to them 80 years ago, has spread to many other people. There’s much more information available to everyone now than back then, and many people other than baseball writers could make informed decisions about Hall of Fame induction.

That’s what I am going to propose, then — adding many more voters. Of course, the Hall of Fame board, which appears stuck in a 1930s mindset, won’t ever do this. But they should.

First, the cap on the number of players a voter can choose should be eliminated. This would end “strategic voting,” where a voter doesn’t choose a player because some other player might fall off the ballot, or for some other reason. There’s no reason the Hall needs to be as stingy as it is with inductions. One of the reasons for the Hall’s existence is, well, to get people to make the pilgrimage to Cooperstown. Keeping players out doesn’t help that.

Second, any voter who returns a blank ballot should have his or her voting privileges revoked. There’s always someone on the ballot worth induction. Making a “statement” like that, in my view, says that the voter doesn’t really care about the history of the game.

Here is how I would expand the electorate.

The BBWAA would keep its vote, but would become a smaller portion of a larger electorate. The requirements of being a BBWAA member for 10 years and having to be an active working writer within the last 10 years would remain. I would reduce the BBWAA’s proportion of the vote to 30 percent.

Another 30 percent of the vote would go to active team radio/TV broadcasters, with the same requirements as the BBWAA: At least 10 years as an active broadcaster, and having to be an active working broadcaster within the last 10 years before the vote is cast.

Then I’d include all living Hall of Famers and all living winners of the Frick Award and the BBWAA Career Excellence Award. (There would be some overlap between the two latter categories and the active BBWAA and radio/TV broadcasters; those people would get only one vote.) Count this as another 30 percent of the vote.

Five percent of the vote would go to active MLB players. Criteria: The player must be on a 40-man roster at the time the vote begins each year.

I would give the remaining five percent to fans. Criteria: One vote per MLB.com account. Sure, people can sign up for more than one of those but really, why would you bother just to do this vote? In any case, doing that would have only a small impact on the final vote.

This sort of system would have a couple of thousand people involved in the first four groups, and millions in the last. All people in those five categories have some stake in baseball, and being more inclusive might make people feel, “Hey, the Hall of Fame really is an inclusive place.”

Maybe this would work; perhaps it would have to be tweaked a bit.

But in the end, it couldn’t be worse than the system we have now.

All the #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news you can use, four days a week. Keith Law ‘doesn’t like the Cubs as much as he could’, despite three Cubs in the Top 50 in his recent list, and other stories. Oh, and Leslie West and the best guitar tone EVER.

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor!

Journalists are rarely afforded style points, but I’d award some if I were allowed to, to Brett Taylor for the marvelously understated title of his piece today. It’s a good read, here at your friendly neighborhood link-aggregator with benefits. What used to be LOOGIES are now pricing themselves out of the market as teams will use younger, less expensive southpaws.

Seems obvious on the face of it, although it could use a good shave. Here we have our noses to the wheel and our shoulders to the grindstone, and that will have to suffice.

Salary demands have long been an agent of change. I’d probably start mumbling the ‘collusion’ term but this doesn’t seem as heavy as that connotes. More like ‘dollars and sense’, but we’re not used to that from baseball executives and so it seems off somehow. It is as if everyone decided to spend intelligently at once, and some disregarded the memo. I mean, it’s natural for these guys to not want to spend the boss’s money indiscriminately, innit?

So there is the increasing likelihood of pasteurization to add into the narrative, another subplot that might turn into a herring as we get the razors out, my droogies.

Jurickson Profar is the latest rumor. I dunno. Maybe.

RIP Bobby #9. Stan has your new skates. I understand that they’re pure gold.

* means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled sarcasm font in the comments.

BCB favorite Daniel Vogelbach is in the #bestshapeofhislife:

• Tim Walters (Panama City News Herald): Chicago Cubs manager David Ross talks spring training, 2016 World Series, more. Podcast.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The reported price tags on lefties Andrew Chafin, Matt Moore, and Zack Britton could explain their continued free agency. “... their market did not move after Matt Strahm got a surprising two-year, $15 million deal from the Phillies in early December.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times*): The shift hits the ban. “MLB outlawed extreme infield shifts, so will outfielders be used to circumvent the rule change?”
• Keith Law (The Athletic {$}): Top 100 MLB prospects 2023: Keith Law’s rankings, with Corbin Carroll at No. 1. “26. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs.” Evan Altman interprets. Alex Shapiro has words. Brett Taylor adds on. Also on the front page here, from Josh.
• Kayla Skinner (Fan Nation*): The Chicago Cubs one-two punch in rotation could make all the difference. “elite one-two punch” is pretty generous but we’ll see.
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): 3 positions battles to watch in Spring Training. “... several questions remain going into the 2023 campaign that will need to be addressed.”
• Kayla Skinner (Fan Nation*): New MLB and Nike uniform rules shouldn’t affect the Chicago Cubs. “Chicago only has three uniforms plus their City Connect jerseys.”
• Dave Skretta (AP): Chip Caray follows grandpa’s footsteps as voice of Cardinals. Good for him. Now he has to live near St. Louis. That’s punishment enough.

Food for Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked to in this series of articles. Thanks for reading!

The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks you to grade the Cubs offseason

Welcome back to another week here at BCB After Dark: the swingin’ spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on it out of the cold. There’s no cover charge. Let us take your coat for you. Shake the snow off your boots. We’ve saved you a good table in the second row. The show will start shortly. Bring your own beverage. No corkage fee.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last week I asked you about free agent left-handed relievers. Seventy percent of you want the Cubs to bring Andrew Chafin back to Chicago. Only 17 percent said they want to see Matt Moore in Cubs blue. So that was about as clear a vote as there could be. But only 29 percent of you felt that the Cubs would sign Chafin and 37 percent of you think that the Cubs will sign none of the three big-name remaining lefties.

Here’s the part where I talk about jazz and movies. You’re free to skip ahead to the baseball question at the end. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Last time, I featured guitarist Bill Frisell playing the Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong composition “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Then over the weekend, Barrett Strong passed away. I know he was 81 and it’s probably just a coincidence, but there’s still a little voice in the back of my head that says “Did you accidentally kill Barrett Strong?”

So in tribute, I decided to feature another Whitfield and Strong song, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” There’s no chance of me killing of Norman Whitfield as he died back in 2008, so I think we’re safe. As Miller says in the video, how good does a bass line have to be for him to play just two notes and everyone in the audience just screams their approval? From what I understand, Whitfield wrote the bass line, but they both get the credit in my book. That’s the way songwriting goes. They certainly both got the royalty checks.

You voted in the BCB Winter Noir Classic and I predicted this week would be a close one. It couldn’t have been more close. With 50.4 percent of the vote, The Postman Always Rings Twice came out over The Big Sleep. It was a one-vote difference. I still haven’t had to break a tie, but this is the second-time I came within one vote of having to.

Tonight’s matchup features The Third Man (1949) taking on The Night of the Hunter (1955). Both of these films are on the most recent BFI Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All-Time list. The Night of the Hunter was ranked 25th and The Third Man was ranked 63rd. Despite that, I ranked The Third Man as the higher seed and The Night of the Hunter had to beat the Orson Welles-directed film Touch of Evil to make it to the second round. Can The Night of the Hunter beat another Orson Welles film, albeit one that he just acted in rather than wrote and directed?

The Third Man. Directed by Carol Reed. Starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard.

The primary reason I insisted upon including UK films in our little tournament was to include The Third Man. Novelist Graham Greene was determined to feature postwar Vienna in a film and after hanging around the city for a while, he heard about the black market and thought it would make a good plot for a story.

Cotton plays Holly Martins, a down-on-his-luck American writer of cheap Western novels, who comes to Vienna with the promise of a job from an old friend Harry Lime (Welles). Only as soon as he arrives, Holly discovers that Harry had just been killed after getting hit by a car. The British authorities have written it off as an accident, but they’re very interested in what Holly knows about Harry’s activities. You see, Harry Lime was involved in the black market for penicillin and all of it was diluted, which lead to the deaths of many sick children.

Soon, Holly begins to smell something rotten about Harry’s death. The official report speaks of two men who carried Harry off the street and one of those men tells Holly that with Harry’s dying breath, Harry told him to take care of Holly and Harry’s actress girlfriend Anna (Valli). But eyewitnesses claim there was a third man at the scene and Holly begins to suspect that not all is what it seems with Harry Lime’s death. He also begins to become obsessed with Anna and her situation in Vienna. As it turns out, her papers are forged and that she’s actually Czechoslovakian and should be deported out of the British zone.

Welles was just an actor in this movie, except that he did write the famous “cuckoo clock” speech, which he adapted from a 19th-century quote. He also added a bit about antacids and how you couldn’t get them in postwar Europe.

Besides Cotton, Valli, Welles and Howard, who plays the British major in charge of things, there is another important character in the streets (and sewers!) of Vienna. While the interiors were shot in London, the film beautifully takes advantage of the run-down condition of post-war Vienna to add menace around every corner. (Even when there isn’t any!) Most of the action takes place at night and the noir shadows are everywhere. But on top of that, cinematographer Robert Krasker makes extensive use of the “Dutch tilt” camera angle where the camera is tilted to one side, making the shot at a diagonal on the screen. For this and the fantastic way he uses the backdrop of Vienna, Krasker won an Academy Award for The Third Man.

Also, this is the film for anyone who loves zither music. It’s hard to think of any film that uses a soundtrack of just one instrument, but famously, all of the music in the film was played by local zither musician Anton Karas. The music from the film turned out to be a big hit in 1950 as well.

There was a British and an American version. The US version mostly just made Joseph Cotton’s character look better by cutting a few scenes when he acted stupid. Nowadays, most showings are just of the UK version.

Here’s the trailer for the restoration of The Third Man. I thought it just conveys the spirit of the film better than contemporaneous trailers did. If you want to watch an original one that appears to be for the US version, it’s here.

Here’s what I wrote about The Night of the Hunter the last time:

The Night of the Hunter (1955). Directed by Charles Laughton. Starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish. A fable of good versus evil as well as the true meaning of Christianity, Mitchum stars as the “Reverend” Harry Powell, a con man and serial killer for whom the Gospel is just another tool to scam people out of their money. After a former cellmate of his, Ben Harper, (Peter Graves) is executed for a bank robbery, Powell marries and then murders Harper’s widow (Winters) in order to steal the money that Harper had stolen in the first place. But Harper gave the money to his young children, who then flee from the Reverend through Depression-era West Virginia. Powell chases the children with the intent of murdering them and stealing the money, but they are first found by the saintly Rachel Cooper (Gish), an old woman who takes in orphans.

The Night of the Hunter was not a success when it was first released, and that was probably why it ended up being the only film ever directed by Laughton. But Laughton incorporated several film techniques of German expressionism which gave the film a haunting and quite unreal look. The screenplay was credited to James Agee based on a novel from Davis Grubb, but most accounts have Laughton and Mitchum completely re-writing Agee’s script themselves.

Even though the original film was a flop, the reputation of The Night of the Hunter has only grown since then. It was just this month ranked as the 25th-best film of all-time in the BFI Sight and Sound Top 100 greatest films.

And while I didn’t plan it, it is a bit of a Christmas movie as the film ends with a Christmas celebration.

Adding to what I wrote last time, this is really the performance of his career for Mitchum. As I noted earlier, Mitchum re-wrote almost all of the Rev. Powell’s dialog alongside Laughton. There weren’t many who can show real menace like Mitchum. He’s a serial killer who is going to kill two small children, which is really dark for a pre-1967 American film.

Powell is the embodiment of pure evil and a false Christianity. That gets contrasted with the pure good (but tough-as-nails) Gish playing Rachel Cooper. It’s Cooper who knows true Christianity and therefore isn’t fooled by a false prophet, unlike everyone else Powell comes across.

Here’s the trailer for The Night of the Hunter. You can see both movies tonight have some very striking cinematography. The big difference in the look is that The Third Man is tossing in some neorealism with the use of the city (and sewers) of Vienna and The Night of the Hunter is much more artificial, befitting the fable-like tale it tells.

You have until Wednesday evening to vote.

Next time we have the final matchup of the second round as Sunset Boulevard (1950) takes on The Killing (1956).

Welcome back to everyone who skips the jazz and the cinema.

I’m not going to say the off-season is over, but it’s clear the Cubs are pretty close to having the team that they’ll open up Spring Training with. They could still sign a left-handed reliever and there is always the possibility of trading Nick Madrigal, but both moves would just be tinkering around the margins.

So I think it’s safe to ask you now to grade the Cubs’ offseason. Besides, I can’t think of any other questions other than a few on the World Baseball Classic that I want to save until we get closer to that event.

So grade team president Jed Hoyer and the front office. How did they do this winter? As has been noted before, the Cubs signed more major league free agents from other teams than any other team this winter. (The Mets signed more free agents, but three of their signings were re-signing their own players and the Cubs only re-signed Drew Smyly.) But they didn’t sign anyone to a “mega” contract, like Aaron Judge, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts got. Or whatever Carlos Correa ended up getting from the Twins. The Cubs’ biggest signing, Dansby Swanson, wasn’t even the biggest free-agent contract in Cubs’ history, coming in second behind the Jason Heyward deal before the 2016 season.

So the Cubs spread their money around a lot. Do you think they spent their money wisely? Or did they just spend a lot of money on players that don’t make them much better.

So grade the Cubs’ offseason.

Thank you so very much for stopping by. We’ll get your coat now. You’re going to need it out there. Please get home safely. Clean up after yourself and recycle any cans and bottles. Tip the waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.

The Cubs minor leaguers are judged to be among the best in baseball.

It’s that time of the year when prospect lists come out. Keith Law, senior baseball writer and prospect expert for The Athletic, released his top 100 prospects list earlier today (The Athletic sub. req.) and three Cubs outfielders—Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcántara and Brennen Davis, all made the list. These are the same three players who made the lists by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America earlier this month, but unlike those two lists, Law has all three players among his top 50. Crow-Armstrong was ranked 26th, Alcántara was ranked 29th and Brennen Davis was ranked as the 50th-best prospect in baseball.

Law admits that he ranks players based more on upside, although he does take “certainty,” as he calls it, into consideration. That may account for ranking Alcántara and Davis higher than the other lists did, because he dinged Davis less for his injury-filled 2022 season and discounted Alcántara less because of how far he is from the majors. Law also ranks several recent draft picks among the top 50, even though many of them have not shown much in the minor leagues yet.

The rankings are behind a paywall, of course, but I can say that on Crow-Armstrong, Law says that his outstanding defense gives him a high floor and that the swing changes he made last year give him the chance to hit double-digit home runs and make a few All-Star games. He also says he’s likely to be a low-strikeout, low-walk type hitter.

Law has always sung the praises of Alcántara, including from the moment the Cubs acquired him in trade for Anthony Rizzo. (The Athletic sub. req.) Since then, Law says Alcántara has added a lot of muscle that has unlocked more of his power potential. He adds although there’s a lot of risk on Alcántara, noting his high strikeout rates, he has the potential to be a top-five prospect in all of baseball by the end of this year or next.

Davis suffered from an injury-filled 2022 season and Law is concerned about how he can recover from his back injury. But Law still praises Davis’ athleticism and his swing.

Law ranks Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll as the top prospect in baseball, with Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson second. MLB Pipeline and Baseball America reversed the order of those two prospects.

All three of these outfield prospects were on the BCB Top 25 prospects list earlier this month.

This one has stumped me, so far. Perhaps you, the BCB reader, can help.

This photo is from... well, I spent an inordinate amount of time on this one and couldn’t nail it down. Here is the full photo:

Here are the facts that we can glean from this photo:

• It’s approximately 4:50 p.m.
• It appears to be in the late innings of the game, possibly even the ninth inning
• The scoreboard appears to show every other MLB game that day as a night game
• The visiting team’s starting pitcher appears to still be in the game
• The Cubs are batting. There’s a runner on first base, a righthanded hitter is about to step in to the batters box, and another Cub is on deck, also righthanded
• The visiting team’s pitcher is righthanded
• The crowd is likely close to capacity, but there are empty areas both in the main stands and the bleachers

I’ve got a couple more things here. This game must have been between 1988 and 1996. It’s no earlier than 1988 because we can see the shadows of the light towers. Remember that the construction of those towers was completed and so they were in place by mid-July 1988, even though the first night game wasn’t until August 8. It has to be no later than 1996, because we can see the batter’s eye with the benches removed, and the shrubbery now in center field was first placed there in 1997.

I’ve gone back and forth with Mike Bojanowski on a number of possibilities for this game, and neither of us was able to nail down an exact date. With the time of day being (about) 4:50, that implies a 2:20 or 3:05 start, and there were many of those in that era. But... could it also be a game that had a delayed start for rain, only to see it clear up and become sunny later in the day? Or, perhaps, the second game of a doubleheader?

The fact that the shadow of the upper deck is just beginning to cross home plate at 4:50 p.m. implies that this game has to be between about Memorial Day and early August. Before or after those dates, the shadow would have crossed the plate earlier in the day.

Also, neither of us could quite suss out the team logo in the visitors’ on-deck circle. It kind of looks like a Phillies or Padres logo from that era, but no Wrigley games against the Phillies or Padres from that time frame match the scene here.

So I’m throwing this open to you, the BCB reader. Perhaps you can find something that Mike and I couldn’t. Let us know in the comments.

This is Nike’s idea — a “four plus one” plan.

Nike took over MLB’s uniforms from Majestic in 2020 as part of a 10-year deal. This was not received well by some fans, particularly since the Nike “swoosh” is now placed on the front of MLB jerseys.

In addition to taking over the manufacture of standard uniforms, Nike has added, over the last couple of seasons, the “City Connect” uniforms which include the Cubs’ Wrigleyville uniforms, now worn for most Friday home games.

Without a major announcement, the news quietly leaked over the weekend that Nike and MLB have agreed on a “four plus one” deal for uniforms, where teams will be allowed no more than four different uniforms plus a City Connect set. Chris Creamer of sportslogos.net has the details:

Nike is suggesting Major League ballclubs limit themselves to four overall uniforms plus one City Connect set.

“Nike is now doing all the jerseys — and one thing I’ll point out about Nike is that they have come to all the clubs and said, ‘We really want to sort of streamline uniforms.’ So there’s a model out there that they want to stick to called ‘four plus one.’” said [Cardinals President Bill] DeWitt III, as transcribed by the St Louis Post Dispatch. “You have four jerseys that you can wear — home, road and two alternates — plus your City Connect when you unveil that.”

This won’t affect the Cubs, as they have just three different uniforms apart from the City Connect: Home white pinstripes, road grays, and blue alternates. However, some teams have had to drop some of their previous uniforms to comply with this directive, including the Seattle Mariners, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times:

The Mariners had six jerseys last season — home white, home throwback cream, alternate “Northwest green” or teal to some, alternate navy blue, road gray and spring training power blue.

Kevin Martinez, the Mariners senior vice president of marketing and communications, confirmed the decision and said the elimination of gray and power blue was based on feedback from players and fans.

Instead of gray jerseys on the road, the primary road uniform will be gray pants with a navy piping and a navy jersey with gray lettering. If an opposing team is wearing navy blue at home, the Mariners will wear the Northwest green tops. The Mariners will also use those tops for spring training.

Personally, I’m a uniform traditionalist — I prefer teams in white (or pinstripe) jerseys at home and gray on the road. I know some people like the Cubs blue alternates (particularly since they won the 2016 World Series wearing them), but I don’t really care for them.

For a team like the Mariners to drop gray on the road completely just seems wrong.

Other teams who could be affected by this new directive include the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays, all of whom had more than four jersey styles last year.

Last year, the Cubs wore only the pinstripes at home, a tradition I hope continues. On the road, they wore the gray jerseys 31 times (13-18 record), the blue alternates 49 times (23-26 record), and a special jersey for the Field of Dreams game, which they won. I’m assuming a one-off uniform for a special game like that doesn’t count against the “four plus one” limit. It hasn’t yet been announced whether the Cubs and Cardinals will wear any special uniforms for the London Series, but when the Red Sox and Yankees played in London in 2019, both teams wore their home white uniforms, as MLB wanted to show them off in London. Don’t be surprised if the Cubs and Cardinals do the same.

The weather may still be frightful, but there’s something bright ahead.

It may come as a surprise, but we blinked and January is over. Wednesday will be the first day of February (and Thursday we’ll know the groundhog’s verdict on how much longer winter will last), but more than another month of winter, the start of February means one thing and one thing only:

Spring Training is starting soon.

Pitchers and catchers will report in the next two weeks, and then full squad workouts will begin. It’s a thrilling moment, the first time we get to see the players new and old reporting to spring training field, seeing offseason acquisitions in their new uniforms, and soak in that Arizona (or Florida) sunshine over the TV, even when we’re digging ourselves out of knee-deep snow.

Let’s get into today’s links while we get excited over the month ahead.

• Mike Petriello tries to determine how the new Comerica Park fences will affect the Tigers.
• Davy Andrews brings us a new stat (of a kind) looking at batters who have almost aged out of use, but can still hit against opposite-arm pitchers.
• Former AL All-Star Ray Herbert has passed away at age 93. (AP)
• Kennedi Landry takes a gander at how bright (and hopefully fruitful) the future of the Rangers is looking.
• Generations of greats.

• Michael Bauman takes a look at the first Cuban WCB team to have major-league players on the roster.
• Chad Jennings has eight vital questions for the 2023 Red Sox. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Bradford Doolittle takes a stab at figuring out how the 2023 rankings might look.
• Will Leitch has put together a list of six teams you might want to consider jumping on the bandwagon for. (The Cubs are included!)
• Tom Verducci places bets on some former stars looking to bounce back in 2023.
• Joe Mauer is (no surprises here) heading for the Twins Hall of Fame. Story by Dan Hayes. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Thomas Harrigan figures out which teams have the best rotational depth.
• The Braves are standing by Brian Snitker through 2025. (AP)
• Tom Verducci and Matt Martell determine the winners and losers of this year’s Hall of Fame voting.
• Elizabeth Muratore shares why the BBWAA’s award to Sarah Langs couldn’t be more fitting.
• Don Cichalski does a historical deep-dive into whether or not a John Denver song got Billy Martin fired.
• 59 now...

And tomorrow will be a better day, Buster. Make it so.

A thrice-weekly digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB factoids, gathered from reputable sources. Happy birthday, Brailyn Marquez!

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.

Today in baseball history:

• 1917 - Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander announces he is ready to retire from professional baseball and join a semipro team if his salary demands are not met. Alexander wants a three-year contract at $15,000 per year. (2)
• 1926 - The Major League Rules Committee agrees that pitchers may have access to a rosin bag. On February 8, the American League will refuse to permit its use, but on April 28th, the league will give in and allow a rosin bag on the field, but discourage its use by players. The Committee also discusses the possible elimination of the intentional walk, a topic that has come up before, by making the pitcher throw to the batter. Calling a balk on the catcher if he steps out of his box has not eliminated the intentional walk as intended. No action is taken, however. (2)
• 1958 - Commissioner Ford Frick announces that players and coaches, rather than the fans, will vote on selections for the All-Star Game. The vote will not return to the fans until 1970, when Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reverses Frick’s action. The decision is a reaction to alleged ballot box stuffing by Cincinnati fans before last year’s All-Star Game. (2)
• 1987 - The Oakland Athletics acquire veteran third baseman Ron Cey from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Luis Quiñones. Cey will hit .221 for Oakland this year - his final major league season. (2)
• 2017 - Commissioner Rob Manfred issues a ruling in the case of an employee of the St. Louis Cardinals caught for hacking into the scouting database of the Houston Astros. The Cards are fined $2 million, which they must pay to Houston, and also surrender two top picks in the upcoming amateur draft to the Astros. The guilty former employee, Chris Correa, incurs a lifetime ban. This is on the top of the 46-month prison sentence and $279,000 fine he received after pleading guilty to federal charges last July. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Doc Watson, Vin Campbell, Davey Johnson, Matt Alexander, Brailyn Marquez*.

Today in history:

• 1661 - Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years.
• 1835 - Richard Lawrence misfires at President Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C. in first attempted assassination of a US President.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources if you have differences with a posted factoid, so that we can address that to the originators and provide clarity if not ‘truth’. Nothing is posted here without at least one instance of corroboration. Thanks for reading.

Here’s a much more modern photo than I’ve posted previously.

This is a great photo of Wrigley Field almost as it exists today.

You’ll notice, though, the lack of video boards, which means it has to be from before 2015.

Also, the controversial Toyota sign is present, so that dates this from between mid-2010 and the end of the 2014 season, when that sign came down, to be replaced by a video board.

The Cubs are playing the Reds, it’s the top of the sixth inning, Drew Stubbs is batting. Number 52 is the starting pitcher for the Cubs.

This game took place Thursday, July 1, 2010. The starting pitcher for the Cubs is Carlos Silva, who had a halfway decent year in his lone season on the North Side, after being acquired in a bad-contract swap for Milton Bradley.

There’s a runner on first base, as you can see, with one out. The runner is Jonny Gomes. The count on Stubbs is 1-2. On the next pitch, Gomes was caught stealing second, and after Stubbs ran the count full, he hit a comebacker to Silva that ended the inning.

The Reds were leading 1-0 at the time. They scored another to make it 2-0 heading to the bottom of the eighth. The Cubs tied the game on a two-run single by Tyler Colvin, and the game went to extra innings.

The Reds scored a run in the top of the 10th on an RBI single by Stubbs. The Cubs managed to get runners to first and second with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Colvin hit into a game-ending double play.

Cincinnati’s starter that afternoon was future Cub Travis Wood, who was making his MLB debut. Wood allowed two hits in seven innings of work. After the loss in this game, the Cubs were 34-45, in fourth place in the NL Central, 10½ games out of first place. The Reds went on to win the division that year with a 91-71 record; the Cubs finished 75-87.

Just another little slice of Cubs history from about a dozen years ago.

All the #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news you can use, four days a week. We beat the bushes for wisdom and are no wiser than before.

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

Cole Hamels and Derek Holland have thrown for scouts, it is said, in these waning days of the season’s denouement. Jon Heyman is said to have been the first to report, on Twitter. Neither are expected to be anywhere near the Cubs’ roster but perhaps they are not quite pasturized yet. Former Cub Robert Stock is now a Brewer.

Baseball is coming soon.

* means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled sarcasm font in the comments.

• Joshua Burt (Cubbies Crib*): It’s time to give Chicago Cubs’ chairman Tom Ricketts some credit. “Some within the Cubs fandom still hate this reality.”
• Will Leitch (MLB.com*): Want to jump on a bandwagon? Consider these 6 teams. None of which are the Cardinals, and the Cubs are on the list. Good job, Will.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Kyle Hendricks, last remaining 2016 champ, agrees Cubs have found their new Jon Lester. “He is the No. 1 guy that you refer to and when you say ‘winning,’ ” Hendricks said.
• Jared Wyllys (Forbes* {$}): Kyle Hendricks is a wild card for the Chicago Cubs in 2023. “Getting right again has ramifications for both Hendricks and the Cubs.”
• Kayla Skinner (FanNation*): Could a former Chicago Cubs pitcher find his way back to MLB? “Former Cubs pitcher Derek Holland reportedly threw in front of scouts on Friday in a bid to return to baseball.”
• Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): Cole Hamels looking fantastic in workouts. “... teams must be wary of how much he has in the tank moving forward.”
• Kevin Henry (Fansided*): Cubs still looking to fill two specific roles in lineup, bullpen. “... there could still be room for improvement on the North Side.”
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery*): Cubs Nico Hoerner and Hayden Wesneski snubbed. “... why is Hoerner not considered a top-10 second baseman?”
• Todd Johnson (North Side Bound*): 2023 draft prep — 5 college guys to watch the next two months. “Some of them could move into the first round and some of them could stay right where they are at or even fall a little bit.”

Food for Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked to in this series of articles. Thanks for reading!