They say the happiest people get the best out of everything. In my experience in life, I think this is pretty true. Positivity breeds positivity, and that pretty well describes Cubs manager Joe Maddon. The guy is a walking positive slogan, and I mean that in the best way possible—good vibes surround the man. Of […]
Category: Articles
Game 21 Recap: Cubs 7 Brewers 2
The Cubs pulled off a mini-sweep of the Brewers this afternoon at a chilly and blustery Wrigley Field. Jake Arrieta didn’t quite have his best stuff, but he fought through it for five innings of one-run ball, and the Cubs ended up coasting to a relatively easy victory. Kris Bryant left the game with a rolled […]
BP Instant: Miguel Montero to the Disabled List, Tim Federowicz up from Iowa
On Thursday morning, a few hours before the Cubs took on the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a rain-shortened two-game set at Wrigley Field, the team announced that Miguel Montero would be placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday, and that Tim Federowicz had been called up from Triple-A Iowa to take […]
The Best is Yet to Come: Soler in Context
“I heard him say ‘thank you’ at Starbucks. I thought that was a big step.” Initially chuckle-inducing, it didn’t take long for the profound meaning behind Joe Maddon’s comment to sink in. Now four years into his contract with the Cubs, Jorge Soler’s adaptation to life in the U.S. is not only noteworthy, but still […]
In Hitting Environment All About Surviving, Cubs Offense Thriving
With an eight-run outburst in Arizona Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals took over the runs per game leadership of MLB from the Chicago Cubs. The Pittsburgh Pirates, enjoying the thin air and thinner pitching staff in Colorado, padded their league-leading team OBP (it was .378 entering play, and the steam uncannily matched that figure […]
The 2016 Ballad of Jake Arrieta: The No-Hitter Edition, One Night Only
Introduction “We’re getting the band back together.” “You’re kidding. No way.” “We’re on a mission from God.” — Jake Blues, Mr. Fabulous, Elwood Blues We’re back. The Ballad is back, even if just for one night. And while it did not take divine intervention, it required a feat of historic proportions: Jake Arrieta becoming the […]
Game 20 Recap: Cubs 4 Brewers 3
The Cubs’ offense often explodes early in the game, bludgeoning opposing starters and instilling fear into pitchers of the National League. On nights that they don’t hang a crooked number early, they are a slow burn offense; Tuesday’s chilly, windy night against Brewers’ ace Jimmy Nelson was an example of the latter. Nelson mixed his […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Brewers, April 26-28
It’s already been a very eventful month for the Cubs, so much so that it might be hard to believe that it’s still only April. Sitting at 14-5, and firmly in first place in the NL Central division, the Cubs will now see their division rivals from Milwaukee for the first time this season. The Brewers […]
Fueled By Doubt, Arrieta Ascends
At age 27, Jake Arrieta was so wracked with self doubt about the direction of his career that he considered going into sales. Think about that. The Cubs could’ve missed out on the greatest hope for breaking their championship drought because he was busy pretending that talking up the Xerox X792D to OfficeMax middle managers […]
The Cubs, Jake Arrieta, and Serendipity
“This pitcher who was so bad that he wanted to quit is now revenant and savior—the revenant who haunts Baltimore and the savior for Cubs fans, who yearn for their team’s first World Series title since 1908.” Serendipity. It’s a word I learned first as a small child, and grew to understand the definition of […]