A Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005
Here is a very good photo of the Wrigley Field marquee, and it is from a very specific time frame. The marquee was painted blue/green until 1965, as noted in this Wrigley Field history post (the marquee photo there is from 1962). When Tribune Co. bought the Cubs, they replaced the manual letters and numbers […]
24 days ago | 0 reads
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. Boras, no Natasha, alas. Izvini, Fearless Leader. The GM Meetings are over and I’m not sure what that had to do with anything yet. The Cubs signed a pitcher, Sam Mettert by name. He throws 99 and is from Tread Athletics by way of St, John’s. […]
24 days ago | 2 reads
You probably don’t even remember Orlando Merced as a Cub. He played in just 12 games, all as a pinch-hitter, finishing two of them in the field. He went 3-for-10 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. One of those hits, though, cements Merced in Cubs history. Merced had been acquired by the Red Sox […]
25 days ago | 0 reads
No one has been doing prospect rankings longer than Baseball America, and today the venerated publication revealed their top 10 Cubs prospects for the 2026 season. (sub. req.) While the scouting reports that go with each player are behind a paywall, I can share the rankings. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the […]
25 days ago | 1 read
Framber Valdez is considered by some to be the best free-agent starting pitcher on the market. Since becoming a full-time starting pitcher in 2020, Valdez has been remarkably consistent, posting ERAs no lower than 2.82 and no higher than 3.66, the latter his 2025 ERA. Overall in that time frame: 154 appearances (153 starts), 3.23 […]
25 days ago | 2 reads
Hoo boy, awards fans, we have some catching up to do. Since our last links post, we’ve gotten the biggest award winners of the season. On Wednesday, the Cy Young Awards were announced, and Tarik Skubal won for the second year in a row in the AL, while Paul Skenes of the Pirates won for […]
25 days ago | 0 reads
Sosa and Palmeiro free as birds, and other stories. Happy Birthday to Xavier Nady!* On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Today […]
25 days ago | 2 reads
The 1993 Cubs were a maddening team. (Not “Maddon” ing, incidentally.) In their second year under manager Jim Lefebvre, they had hoped to make a jump into contention, but struggled around .500 most of the year. One of the bright spots on the team was catcher Rick Wilkins, who had been a part-time backstop for […]
26 days ago | 2 reads
The 1993 Cubs were a maddening team. (Not “Maddon” ing, incidentally.) In their second year under manager Jim Lefebvre, they had hoped to make a jump into contention, but struggled around .500 most of the year. One of the bright spots on the team was catcher Rick Wilkins, who had been a part-time backstop for […]
26 days ago | 3 reads
Most, if not all, of the players I’ve put in this series to date are guys the Cubs likely will not sign — too much money, too many years, or both. Here’s a pitcher who seems more up Jed Hoyer’s alley at the present time. Zac Gallen was originally drafted by the Cardinals (third round, […]
26 days ago | 0 reads
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. *means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments. Food for thought: Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of […]
26 days ago | 0 reads
It’s Wednesday at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join us for a while. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage. BCB After Dark is the place for […]
27 days ago | 3 reads
The hit by Luis Salazar that won this day’s game might have been the single play that cemented the NL East title for the Cubs in 1989. To understand that statement, a little context is needed. Salazar had been acquired in trade just 10 days earlier from the Padres. It was just his ninth game […]
27 days ago | 4 reads
So if the Cubs aren’t going to re-sign Kyle Tucker — and I do not believe they will — then how about a reunion with Cody Bellinger? Bellinger had a very good 2025 with the Yankees, batting .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs in 152 games. That was worth 5.1 bWAR. Yes, it was skewed a […]
27 days ago | 2 reads
Good moring.
27 days ago | 0 reads
Happy birthday to Jody Davis and other former Cubs. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Today in baseball history: Cubs Birthdays: […]
27 days ago | 2 reads
It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest gathering of night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. It’s always good to see a friend. Your name is on the guest list. We can take your coat if you’d like. The […]
28 days ago | 2 reads
The date in the headline likely sounds familiar to you. Of course, it’s the date of The Sandberg Game, in which Ryne Sandberg burst on the national scene with a 5-for-6 performance that included game-tying home runs in the ninth AND 10th innings. The Cubs came from deficits of 7-1 and 9-3 to defeat the […]
28 days ago | 3 reads
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article first appeared here Nov. 6, 2024, when Kyle Hendricks signed with the Angels. With the news of his retirement, I thought you’d enjoy reading it again. It’s been updated to include his 2025 season. One thing to remember about Kyle Hendricks’ mostly good-to-great 11 seasons in a Cubs uniform is that […]
28 days ago | 2 reads
Let me preface this article by saying the chances of the Cubs actually signing Kyle Schwarber as a free agent are pretty close to zero. He’s become a folk hero in Philadelphia and had four monstrous offensive seasons from 2022-25, hitting 46 or more home runs in three of the four years, and his 56 […]
28 days ago | 1 read
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. So long, Professor. Cade was jobbed, too. Some things are set in stone, and some ain’t. One day, this will all be so much hieroglyphics. Hell, maybe we’re going backward and can read tablets in the original instead of swallowing them for our daily bread. The […]
28 days ago | 1 read
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. It’s always good to see you. Let us check your coat. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your […]
29 days ago | 2 reads
The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the Rookie of the Year Award tonight and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin won the National League award over second-place right-hander Cade Horton of the Cubs. Baldwin received 21 first-place votes and 183 points. Horton received the other nine first-place votes and a vote total of 139. First baseman […]
29 days ago | 3 reads
The first thing to know about this game is that it was an unusually warm day for April in Chicago. It was 85 degrees at game time, and wound up being 92 degrees, which is still, 45 years later, the highest temperature ever recorded in Chicago in the month of April. This was just the […]
29 days ago | 1 read
Coming off last night’s Fall Stars Game, it’s a great time to check back in with the Cubs Boys of Autumn playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. The home run derby and the Fall Stars Game meant it was a short week for the Solar Sox with only four games […]
29 days ago | 1 read