Cubs

Time To Bury 2016 Talk On The Shelf

... hangover. No more, ‘Can you believe what we did?’ No more anything other than digging in for the grind of a long season. It’s the only way to go when the top of the mountain is the goal. ‘We’re really focused on trying to get back there again,’ left fielder Kyle Schwarber said. Look, it isn’t supposed to be easy. If those were All-Stars in the Cubs’ lineup batting against Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez, they sure didn’t look like it. If Cubs left-hander Jon Lester is going to be the pitcher he was in 2016, he’ll have to be better than he was Sunday. These were, perhaps, needed reminders — for Cubs fans, that is — that this whole baseball thing is kind of hard. Who knew. But the Cubs are game for it. They’re back in business. 2016 is so last year. ‘If you walked into our clubhouse during [spring training], I don’t think you could’ve recognized that we were coming off a World Series,’ manager Joe Maddon said. That’s a bit of an overstatement. The ...

World Series Goal Achieved, Theo Epstein Sets Sights On Cubs Empire

... still a local celebrity but without the hassle of having to live up to anyone's preconceived notion of how he should act. The comfort zone of living in a Midwestern town like Chicago allows Epstein the space to do his job without worrying about his reputation, and he doesn't have a contentious relationship with the team's owner, as he did during his waning days in Boston. Living up to a standard. Now that the Cubs finally have won a World Series, Epstein's most pressing task is keeping the core together to do it again, and again, and again. With salaries exploding, it won't be easy. "The good thing is most of these guys are going to be here at least through 2021," he said. "Not everybody. (Kyle) Hendricks is up after '20, and Jake (Arrieta) obviously is up after this year. "But most of the guys are here through '21, so that's a nice, long run together. And we'll see if we can find ways to extend the window maybe even a little longer. "It's not something you think about every day, but we try to have sessions where we contemplate longer-term planning issues and see if there are things we can accomplish now, help the outlook.". Since the victory parade in ...

Cubs Start Title Defense With Wild 4-3 Loss To Cardinals

... they've done for us, put them on the field tonight. It's no more complicated than that.". Maddon said Sunday's alignment could be used in the future, with an emphasis on rest for his players and for everyone to remain patient. The Cubs' poise at the plate was tested by the flamethrowing Martinez, against whom the Cubs looked as helpless as they did during their noncompetitive years. Kyle Schwarber started the Cubs' first two rallies but was left stranded after hitting a double with two out in the third after Martinez struck out Kris Bryant for the second time on a slider. Martinez escaped the first when Zobrist grounded into an inning-ending double play. After Anthony Rizzo's single in the first, Martinez retired 16 of the next 17 batters. Martinez struck out the side in the second, starting with a 100 mph fastball past Addison Russell. Martinez also threw a 99 mph fastball that ...

The Cardinals Next Three Games Are Scheduled Against The Cubs

... the bag to try and break up his rhythm. Don’t take a lead a little bit longer than usual. And don’t break back to first base if he steps off the the rubber. Take a mammoth, gargantuan lead and force him to do something. Carlos Martinez has been the Cardinals best pitcher the past two seasons, and he has been rewarded with a contract extension and the Opening Day start despite a healthy Adam Wainwright. El Gallo is fantastic and expect him to pitch like it. On Tuesday, Adam Wainwright will face off against Jake Arrieta. It’s tough to call Arrieta’s season disappointing last year as he had a good season, but it was a drop from what he did back in 2015. It is not tough to call Wainwright’s 2016 season disappointing. We don’t know quite what to expect from him this season, although presumably a bit of a bounce back is in order. He is definitely someone who could benefit from better defense this season. Salty bulldog John Lackey will take the mound for the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon. He is old and this might be the year he falls off a cliff. Whether he’s good or bad, ...

Cubs Pick 'that's Cub' As 2017 Slogan

... Darnell Mc Donald , incorporated the saying in their training, and prospects such as Albert Almora Jr. and Carl Edwards Jr. rose to the pro ranks having already adopted the phrase as part of their dialect. During 2014's "On Deck" event, a sort of state-of-the-Cubs address, president Theo Epstein shared the slogan with season ticket holders to give a positive outlook on the team's direction after a 96-loss season in 2013. The Cubs tweeted a rally video using the theme this month, and Epstein, chairman Tom Ricketts and manager Joe Maddon explained the meaning behind the slogan when they addressed players during the first full-squad workout last week. Players also were given T-shirts with the slogan. Miller said "Fly the W" will continue to be used as a tagline and social media hashtag during the postseason. "The ...

A Plane Ride With The Champs? Cubs Prospects Fly First Class For A Day

... hotel, but a dozen Chicago Cubs prospects got to experience a little bit of life with the world champions as the team concluded its spring playing exhibition games in Houston on Thursday and Friday. Being on the field at Minute Maid Park was fun, but the experience of traveling with the team will have the bigger lasting impression on the next generation of Cubs. “The flight was nuts,” infielder Chesny Young said. “Not sure I can talk about it. “There was loud music coming at you from all angles. Activity everywhere. I had to go to my hotel room after we landed and just kind of sit in silence. My mind was so going. I had to come down.”. Former first-round pick Ian Happ is among the prospects who made the trip to Houston for two exhibition games against the Astros. George Bridges/Associated Press. Others ...

Theo Epstein Impressed By Cubs Handling Business, Push For Title Defense 'the Right Way

... hit the field Sunday to start its defense of a championship, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein balanced a cool calm with the excitement of starting a new journey. “A few of us were talking inside,” Epstein said ahead of Chicago’s opener at St. Louis on Sunday night. “I don’t play, so it’s no big deal, but you still get a little bit of butterflies and nerves. I would have to say less than last year in Anaheim (on Opening Day in 2016). When you win (a title), it takes the edge off just enough in a good way. You still are totally invested and you really care, but it puts you in a good place mentally.”. Epstein has accomplished the impossible for the two most jinxed and hexed baseball franchises in the long history of the game. He built the Red Sox’s championship teams in 2004 and 2007 before leading the Cubs to the title last year. That puts him in line with all of the best executives of all time and has left MLB commissioner Rob Manfred impressed. “When you think about it for a relatively young man, he has had an unbelievable career,” ...

Cubs Drop Opener To Cardinals

... ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and a game-ending RBI single in the ninth, helping the St. Louis Cardinals top the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in a wild prime-time opener on Sunday night. Jose Martinez sparked the winning rally with a pinch-hit double against Mike Montgomery, who closed out Chicago’s World Series championship in November. Yadier Molina then was awarded the first no-pitch intentional walk in major league history, part of baseball’s offseason rule changes designed to speed up the game. With two outs and the bases loaded, Grichuk lined a 1-2 pitch into the gap in left-center for his second career game-ending hit. He was mobbed as he rounded first in the rain, and what was left of a sellout crowd of 47,566 cheered wildly. The Cardinals appeared set for a tidy 3-0 win before the Cubs rallied in the ninth. Ben Zobrist was hit by a pitch from ...

Catching Coach Mike Borzello Relishes Rings From Cubs And Yankees

... from other ones I've been on is where we were (with the Yankees)," Borzello said. "We were always expected to win. "So not that this is any more special. It just seems like way more of an achievement. In New York you would win and it was a relief. Here, it was jubilation. That's the difference for me.". Borzello hasn't downplayed the significance of his ring from 1996, when the Yankees won their first title in 18 years. "It was Derek Jeter's rookie year and Mariano (Rivera's) first full season," Borzello said. "So we were all young then. Just to be part of that team. the fan base was electric every night and into it. That season was so special for that reason. "The long layoff of championships, and my dad (Matt) was a Yankees fan growing up, so when I was able to go there and we won, I wound up giving him that first World Series ring. He wears that every day.". Extra innings: Elias Sports Bureau confirmed that outfielder Albert Almora Jr. passed the threshold for rookie eligibility on July 21, 2016. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts reacted with humor when Fortune magazine named team President Theo Epstein the world's ...