Cubby-Blue

Stealing signs with tech?

I get when a pitcher is tipping pitches.
I get when someone in one dugout sees something that allows his team to get a leg up on the other.
But using cameras and screens and any kind of technology to cheat?
OMG AM I THAT NAIVE?
I had no idea it could get that bad, and while it's convenient for me that the Astros are the poster child for this (because I can't stand them), it's apparently a much bigger problem than just Houston.
This is all just beginning, and if you subscribe to The Athletic (you absolutely should, it's the best sports writing anywhere) there's a great piece on The Lead podcast - this story was first reported by Evan Drellich.
Guy I admire SO much because he's just so damned good?
Christian Yellich.
The Brewers are one of the current Big 3 teams under the most scrutiny (the other is Texas).
Read this article in Bleacher Nation.
It ends like this: "In conclusion, Christian Yelich hit .347/.451/.750 at Miller Park this year, and .324/.406/.655 last year. At Wrigley Field, he hit .229/.341/.457 this year, and .205/.273/.205 last year."

If this is true with hi tech stealing, it's about as revolting as it can get.

Bears win. Finally.

Well, it's a W.
Over a really awful Lions team missing their QB Matthew Stafford, who was an odd early Sunday morning scratch.
And Mitchell Trubisky - I've come to the conclusion that I can't be angry with this kid because none of this is his fault. 
He didn't force anybody to move up in the draft and take him before all that other talent.
Did you watch the Packers v Panthers game?
There's Aaron Rodgers who's brilliant. And then there's the kid taking Cam Newton's spot, Kyle Allen. 
He's 23. Trubisky's 25.
Listening to the game, I heard over and over again how Panther Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner made the offense simple for Allen to run. 
And Allen was really so good. A couple mistakes but he came this close to beating the Packers in Green Bay.
In my head I'm screaming WHY CAN'T NAGY DO THAT FOR TRUBISKY AND WHY DID THE BEARS GET THE WRONG TURNER WAY BACK THEN?
Because they're the Bears.
Crap, I was trying to say something nice today...
Third Quarter Mitch was actually kind of impressive, and for him something to point to and build on.

And just when you thought the Bears were actually having a game that THEY could build on... the 4th quarter happened and you and I were right back where we started.
Back before the game started, wondering if that's an actual pro team Chicago is fielding.

One of the Bears really good ones, Danny Trevathan... I hope you accidentally looked away when they showed the replay.
Because that was an unexpected injury to witness.
I wish that when there are injuries, the network would review what they're about to show and if they still want to show it, warn people.
So that I never see that kind of grotesque stuff ever.
I can't unsee.
The arm bending the wrong way. 
We'll see how long he's out, but it may be the rest of the year.
As unfortunate as that was, we got to see his backup come in and be awesome.
Nick Kwiatkoski was all over the place and "recorded nine tackles, one interception, one sack and one tackle-for-loss."

Okay, the Cubs.
Now it's way out in the open that perhaps the best trade option is Willson Contreras.
I'm hurling, but that's probably right.
Today's the first signal of hot stove - the GM meetings begin in Scottsdale.
We'll see what happens, but I've been reading about Cub catcher prospect Miguel Amaya. He's not ready to come up yet, but that's what they said about Contreras, too. 
Sahadev Sharma at The Athletic (sub req) says, "The youngster should start next season at Double A, is advanced defensively and has the potential to be an above-average bat."
And in the meantime, Victor Caratini - his bat is effective because it's different than the others in the lineup (he's not a swing and miss homer guy).
I know the whole thing is awful and you'd like to keep everyone but... they'll have to give up something.

Alright, I gotta get out the freaking snow shovel.

Bears lose 4th in a row.

Sick of talking about it, so here's an illustration of what it's like watching this incompetent, insulting offense.

The good news yesterday was that Anthony Rizzo won another (3rd) Gold Glove award, and the Cubs picked up his $16.5 mil team option.
And also this hilarious congrats tweet from Yu Darvish:

Turn the clock from 1:20 to 12:20, Cubs Fans.

Fall Back.
On Sunday, move the minute hands on all your clocks one revolution back in time.
At least you get another hour of sleep.
Tomorrow morning, when your body is says, "Hey man, it's 6:30, GET OUT OF BED!", it'll actually be 5:30.
You can tell your body to shut it and go back to sleep.
The Spring Ahead thing - THAT one's a killer with the lost hour.
I think every single place that sells coffee should give it away free the morning after Spring Ahead.
But Fall Back... not so bad.
Except it'll get dark closer to 3pm than 9pm, and be a daily reminder that baseball's as far away as it gets.
Yuckola.
Oh well, that's all I got.
Except if... if you could take one hour back for the Cubs, what hour would it be?
Like, if you could take back that hour starting at 7:41 Arizona time on April 7th, 2016?
A Cubs v D-backs game officially started at 6:41 that night, and in that first hour we saw perhaps the worst Cubs injury in years and years.
That was the Schwarber's Knee game.
If you could take that hour back, then maybe Kyle wouldn't have collided with Dexter Fowler and spent almost the whole year injured.
He coulda had another year of experience under his belt.
You know how good he ended up last year, right?
2019 may have been the year he "figured it out".
Pre All-Star he OPSed 777.
Post All-Star that was .997.
The last 30 days of 2019 for Kyle Schwarber were Freaking BEAST-like: 91 at bats, 31 hits, 9 doubles, and 6 dingers.
He slashed .341/.419/.681.
Had he actually played (and gotten all the experience he missed) in 2016, he might have STARTED 2019 with those numbers.
Oh, but wait.
That would be messing with 2016 so... forget this whole thing.
Go back to whatever you were doing.
And turn back your clocks.

Nationals beat Astros, win World Series.

What a game.
For most of it, I thought I was watching Zack Greinke do his best Kyle Hendricks impersonation - where Kyle needed only 81 pitches to toss his complete game shutout against the Cardinals.
Then, a Nat homer from Anthony Rendon followed by a walk and poof, Greinke's day was done - everything he'd accomplished the first 6 innings caught fire.
Old Man Howie Kendrick hit reliever Will Harris' 2nd pitch for a 2-run homer, the Nats had all the lead they'd need for the rest of the game.
Max Scherzer had fought crazily, throwing 103 pitches in his 5 innings where he gave up 7 hits and 4 walks - it seemed he didn't get a single easy out.
And then Patrick Corbin came in and seemed cool and collected and amazingly stayed in for 3 scoreless innings of relief.
No over-managing the pen from our guy Davey Martinez, who one time the camera caught calmly applying some Chap Stick during the game.z
I LOL-ed.
Saved his closer Daniel Hudson for the last 3 outs.
Which he got, with 2 of them strikeouts for José Altuve and Michael Brantley.
Oucheewawa for the Astros.
A 6-2 victory for the Nats.

And good for those guys.
They back to back beat the Brewers, Dodgers, Cardinals and Astros.
That's pretty dang good.

Okay, Tom, Theo and Jed... give us players that can compete with that!
Go Cubs!

Strasburg was a genius last night.

This World Series is way better than I thought it would be (it really helps to have a team I don't despise to root for).
Stephen Strasburg won his 5th game of the 2019 post season last night, and he won it with old school domination.
104 pitches over 8.1 innings in a Game 6 of the World Series.
He was amazing.
And tonight it'll fall on Max Scherzer's shoulders in what could be the neck-injured Big Story of this year's Series.
I gotta run or I'd spend serious time screaming about that idiotic ump making the unnecessary interference call that caused a 10 minute delay so the camera guys in NY could look at it too, everybody realize that it's non-reviewable, and then also get Dave Martinez thrown out of the game.
Oh the veins sticking out of his neck matched mine.
But whatever, the Nats Bats kept Justin Verlander's World Series loss streak of 6 in tact - he's never won one - and the Nats tied up the series 3 games apiece with their 7-2 win.

Tonight, while it's amazing that Max Scherzer is actually able to pitch, and it's Zack freaking Greinke for the Astros... I feel like we're going to see a TON of arms take their turns on the mound.
Super excited and hope the game's as good as advertised.