MLB: Chicago Cubs-Workouts

Drill Instructors, Whammy Men, and Senseis: A Brief History of Cubs Gimmick Fails

Once Joe Maddon takes his perch at the edge of the dugout on Opening Day 2019, he will become the first Cubs skipper to manage five consecutive years with the team since Jim Riggleman (1995-99). That fact is at once astonishing for what it reveals about the franchise’s ineptitude and yet not surprising at all […]

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Game 146 Recap: Cubs 4, Nationals 3

What You Need To Know: In a make-up game that neither team wanted to play and no one wanted to watch, the Cubs easily cruised to a one-run win that was never all that tense and got out of D.C. and back to Chicago about as cleanly as could be asked in this piss-poor situation. What’re […]

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NLCS Game Two Recap: Dodgers 4, Cubs 1

As they prepared to meet the Spartans in a naval battle outside the city of Naupactus during the second year of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenian soldiers trembled at the overwhelming numbers and strength of their opponent. Sensing this fear, their general, Phormio, spoke to them, declaring that their inferiority in numbers was compensated for […]

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Joe Maddon’s Trust in His Young Core

Like many of you, I read  Bernie Miklasz’s recent takedown of Mike Matheny from a few weeks ago principally for the schadenfreude. (A German word meaning “a new emotion as of November 2, 2016.”) As I did so, I noticed that one criticism in particular sounded awfully familiar: “Matheny, as always, remains dutiful and deferential […]