On October 13th, 1921, Edna Vaughn phoned the police to file a missing persons report for her husband, James “Hippo” Vaughn. His disappearance was dated as October 8th, five days prior to the phone call. But the truth of the matter is Hippo Vaughn began disappearing months earlier, beginning April 24th, 1921. Previously the ace […]
Category: Articles
The Contreras Home Run and Cubs Fandom
Willson Contreras hit a game-tying three-run homer on Sunday night. It was the sort of home run that has become more common in the past two years for the Cubs, the seizing of an opportunity that in years past might have been squandered. It was beautiful and dramatic and it made me yell in joy […]
Game 2 Recap: Cubs 2 Cardinals 1
What you need to know: The elite Cubs defense from 2016 has not gone anywhere. Kris Bryant made a couple of really nice plays at third. Javy Baez did his thing at second base (including making a very nice game-ending play), and Jason Heyward was his usual self back in right field. But the play of the […]
Do Defensive Shifts Work? If So, Are Bunts the Silver Bullet?
On opening night, Carlos Martinez had his way with the Cubs to the tune of 10 strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. In the eighth inning, however, the Cubs stirred to life. They loaded the bases, knocked out Martinez, and had Bryzzo coming up with less than two outs. Both failed to deliver, and that was […]
As Almora Jr. Takes His Spot in Center, What Have We Learned?
On November 2nd in Cleveland, I watched Albert Almora Jr. pinch run for Kyle Schwarber and tag up from first to second on a long flyball off the bat of Kris Bryant. From my vantage point, and for a brief, exhilarating second, I thought the ball was gone. Many players would likely have drifted off […]
Opening Day Recap: Cardinals 4, Cubs 3
The first 2016 Cubs game that I had the honor of recapping altered the course of the Cubs’ season dramatically: Kyle Schwarber went down with a torn ACL, and I attempted to imbue the moment and its consequences with dramatic, biblical weight. From that point on, there was little that could slow the Cubs on […]
The Year After
Hold your head high, Chicago. This city has long been punching up, almost apologizing for itself as it jabs, but get your chin up; the Chicago Cubs are World Series champions. That means every major sport has now claimed at least one title in most of our lifetimes—a Super Bowl, six NBA championships, three Stanley […]
The Change: One Fan’s Journey to Seeing the Cubs Differently
It has taken me a long time to process that the Chicago Cubs—my Chicago Cubs—are the 2016 World Series champions. I’m sure this has been the case for many Cubs fans. Just as I am sure that most fans have a different moment when they knew, they just knew, that it was going to happen this […]
The Machine: Using Greatness as a Barometer
When I first started considering putting a piece together comparing this Cubs troupe to The Big Red Machine, I expected it to be an exercise in reflecting on similarities. This star compares to that star. That role player is similar to this turd. I was hoping to find and delicately express how one silver haired genius […]
Cactus Catchup: Before the Games Count, What Can We Glean From Spring?
It seems like just yesterday. Cactus League games started and Cubs Nation rejoiced with the return of baseball. Fans watched practice games and fielding drills like idiots on their first trip to the zoo. Now the batters have their timing, starters have stretched out their arms, the front office has dispatched most of the minor […]