The world lost a truly good man and a legend in the fight for civil rights in this country. Congressman John Lewis passed away at the age of 80. His contributions, lessons and fundamental goodness should never be forgotten.
Although he was speaking of a specific event at the time in December, Representative Lewis’s words remain with me in all contexts at this time in our country’s history:
“When you see something that is not right, it is not fair, it is not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something. Our children and their children will ask us’ what did you do? what did you say?’ We have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history. “
• The Cubs made the cancellation of the 2021 Cubs Convention official last night with this statement:
“As we continue to navigate the many challenges and changes that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, here is an important update regarding the 2021 Cubs Convention.
We made the decision to cancel the 2021 Cubs Convention originally scheduled for January 15-17 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. With current public health guidelines limiting mass gatherings and unknown restrictions on hotels and events in the future, it is clear that planning and organizing an event of this magnitude is not practical at this time.
Like you, we look forward to this special event each year as a way for our entire organization to spend time with you, our beloved fans, and celebrate the upcoming new season. While we are all disappointed that we are unable to host our event in person, we are exploring exciting new ways to participate virtually. We will share additional details with you as soon as they are finalized in the coming months. “
• I hope that a virtual convention can be made available to more fans and thus be a unique positive experience. But after that, for me, the Convention has always been about being there along with so many other crazy Cubs fans, and I hope 2022 runs smoothly. I will miss him deeply in January.
• Consider Ian Happ on board with the false noise of the crowd:
“I need him as a player, for sure,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ told 670 The Score on Wednesday. Https://t.co/QEQMdNKFWp
– Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) July 17, 2020
• The noise, which supposedly comes from ‘MLB The Show’, is probably better than the alternative, in hindsight. But they still need to determine the timing and levels of excitement for various types of plays if they don’t want it to be a seasonal hit, and I also hope that we continue to have a real increase – field sounds and talk.
• The White Sox have begun informing the main office and scouting personnel that they will not be retained after October:
. @jrfegan has a story about the White Sox cutting jobs in the baseball operations department, as reported by @Ken_Rosenthal. https://t.co/Sc6AkOm3tF
– jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) July 18, 2020
• It sucks, and it won’t be limited to the White Sox. Many baseball contracts run through October, and as clubs seek to recoup this year’s losses (and guard against next year’s uncertainty, they will significantly reduce costs by 2021. Many normal people working for baseball) organizations are going to lose their jobs.
• It’s great to see Freddie Freeman’s return after dealing with symptomatic COVID-19:
LOOK WHO’S BACK! pic.twitter.com/Eb57SUnmAM
– Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 17, 2020
• LOL:
Feeling underrated in the big league landscape?
Kyle Hendricks: “I don’t pay attention to it … I couldn’t care less.”
– 670 The Score (@ 670TheScore) July 17, 2020
• Jason Kipnis: you may I heard he’s from the Chicago area, he officially made the Cubs yesterday, and he’s excited. I don’t want to completely rule out the idea of a guy performing a little better on the margins when he’s really eager to be where he is:
“I just find myself enjoying this more than a normal kid probably would.”
The Cubs officially added Jason Kipnis to the 40-man roster, and being at Wrigley Field is bringing back childhood memories for the Northbrook native. Https://t.co/dCPZOrfjwc
– Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) July 18, 2020
• What a great side by side Bryan:
Javier Báez, eight years apart. pic.twitter.com/wQ44ZNQNyD
– Cubs Outlook – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) July 18, 2020
• Certain things will be obvious to all of us, from the kick to the silent hands, etc. But what really stays under the hood is how, despite the dramatically shifted load, dramatic reduction in bat movement and much smoother weight transfer, Baez continues to show just how rotational he is on his swing. Basically it’s the same amount of rotation in his core and his hips, but he’s clearly using it much more efficiently. This is how, even with this new “smooth” swing, you can still generate absurd batting speed and power, all while greatly reducing your margin for error.
• Important stories:
Take the time to hear directly from some players. How much they internalize these experiences with the race. In the end, being in a team environment surrounded by fans who love their team, they don’t want to feel alone anymore. Thanks marly ⬇️ #Cubs #Phillies #MLB #Braves https://t.co/Eev8ECflvf
– Doug Glanville (@dougglanville) July 14, 2020
• Spot on, Lu:
Unless something crazy happens between now and next Friday, at this time next week, we’ll talk about the outcome of a Cubs game. Win or lose, I need it in my life right now.
– Luis M., President of the Bryan Mullins Fan Club (@ lcm1986) July 18, 2020
