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Chicago Cubs: Expanded postseason changes season narrativeon July 24, 2020 at 1:00 pm

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

As the Chicago Cubs are set to open their season against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, their post-season chances have already improved.

The Chicago Cubs did not even have to play a game before they received encouraging news regarding their playoff chances for the 2020 Major League Baseball Season.

On Thursday, the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball Owners agreed to expand the post-season for the 2020 season.

The expansion will increase the post-season eligible teams from 10 to 16. In other words, just over half the teams in Major League Baseball will be playing in the post-season come October.

This is Major League Baseball that we are talking about. It is not as simple as expanding the eligible teams from 10 to 16 by adding more Wild Card teams. That would be too easy.

Instead, the format is as follows: The first place and second-place team from each division will make the post-season, and for the final two spots, that will go to the two teams that had the best record but did not finish first or second in their respective division.

But that is not where the funky ends. The first-place team of each division will then have the opportunity to select who they would like to play in the first round. The first-round being a best of three series that will be played at the home field of the team with the highest seed.

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Is your head spinning? Don’t worry, here is an example of the new format based off last year’s standings for the National League:

National League West Post-Season Teams

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers 97-65
  2. Arizona Diamondbacks 93-69

National League Central Post-Season Teams

  1. St. Louis Cardinals 91-71
  2. Milwaukee Brewers 89-73

National League East Post-Season Teams

  1. Atlanta Braves 97-65
  2. Washington Nationals 93-69

National League Wild Card Teams

  1. New York Mets 86-76
  2. Chicago Cubs 84-78

Needless to say, if things were not weird before, they definitely are now.

Before we digest what this means for the Cubs, let’s get the caveat out of the way. This is a terrible format. A better format would have been to place a paper with each team’s name on it along the Wrigley Field bleachers and have the ball of a Craig Kimbrel allowed home-run make the selections.

Having said all that, there is no doubt that the Cubs chances of making the post-season have undoubtedly increased. At the very least, all the Cubs have to do in 2020 is be one of the two best third-place teams in the National League. When comparing the Cubs’ 2020 roster against other potential third-place teams in the National League, suddenly, the narrative of the season has changed. No longer are the Cubs a fringe contender and, instead, they are a team that is expected to make the post-season.

But that change in narrative is where it becomes scary for the future of the Cubs and why expanded post-season should not be a mainstay in Major League Baseball. The reason being is that it will lead to teams spending less during the off-season as the new format makes it likely that a .500 team or even sub .500 team will make the post-season. Which for a team like the Cubs, with an Owner in Tom Ricketts showing an increased disinterest in spending on the Major League team, leaves them for the potential to be trapped in baseball hell. Mediocre enough to make the post-season but not nearly good enough to actually compete for the World Series title.

Next: Chicago Cubs should do nothing at the trade deadline

Expanded Post-Season is here for Major League Baseball in 2020 and the Chicago Cubs have a strong chance of being included. But like with most things in 2020, let’s hope it is a thing that we can simply forget once the calendar turns to 2021.

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Chicago Cubs: Expanded postseason changes season narrativeon July 24, 2020 at 1:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs Opening Day primeron July 24, 2020 at 11:00 am

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Get ready for the Chicago Cubs opener.

Take a deep breath in, exhale slowly and repeat after me Chicago Cubs fans — ‘we made it.’

After a grueling offseason, which saw the starting and stopping of Major League Baseball’s Spring Training, we are on the precipice of having live, meaningful baseball games to watch and argue about.

However, this as you know, was far from a sure thing. And whether MLB ultimately finishes the 2020 season is not a foregone conclusion.

But for the time being, we will all revel in the fact that later this evening, you will be able to turn on your television and escape from the COVID-19 reality for a few hours while you enjoy Chicago Cubs baseball — preferably with an ice-cold adult beverage in your hand.

It’ll be as surreal as it will be amazing to have baseball back in our livings rooms, so enjoy it for as long as you can.

So without further ado, let us dive into the Opening Day matchup and get ready for the return of baseball to the North Side of Chicago.

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Who: Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Where: Wrigley Field

When: Friday, 7:10 EST

Pitching Probables: Kyle Hendricks vs. Brandon Woodruff

How to watch: ESPN

What Chicago Cubs fans should expect

Herein lies the million-dollar question. Cubs fans are a little tense these days after a couple of tough exhibition losses to the cross-town rival Chicago White Sox. However, it seems that fans have placed a little too much importance on those games and might have overreacted a tad heading into the regular season.

With that said, no one really knows what to expect when the Cubbies open up a three-game series against their division rivals. This is unchartered territory for the players. How will they react without fans in the stands, or to some of the new rule changes, is anybody’s guess.

What we do know, is the Cubs will have to come out of the gate very strongly if they want to have any shot at contending for a World Series title in a shortened 60 game season. Every game is an important one, and at least the Cubs have a reliable starter on the mound who will hopefully get them off to a good start.

Certainly, the new DH rule will be a big benefit for the Cubs — which has a number of potential candidates to fill that role — as it allows them to get another one of their powerful bats in the lineup.

Next: Cubs should do nothing at trade deadline

It will be a very interesting season, and it all gets started tonight. The good news is, you won’t have to worry about whether you get the Marquee Network to see the game as it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. So sit back, relax and enjoy what we’ve waited for months to arrive — baseball at Wrigley.

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Chicago Cubs Opening Day primeron July 24, 2020 at 11:00 am Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: Need to be smart with the Seattle Krakenon July 24, 2020 at 2:00 pm

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks need to be smart with the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

On Thursday afternoon we learned that the National Hockey League’s 32nd franchise is going to be called the Seattle Kraken. They are going to begin to play in the 2021-22 season. That means that next summer will see them in the NHL Draft and more importantly an expansion draft. The reason that is more important is that it will affect every team in the NHL to some degree. The Chicago Blackhawks need to be smart with this draft otherwise it could be a problem for them.

Things could be different for the Hawks a year from now because we don’t know who will be running the hockey operations. Right now, Stan Bowman is in charge but it doesn’t seem like he is anywhere near a lock to be that guy a year from now.

Back in 2017, the Blackhawks left Trevor van Riemsdyk unprotected in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft and they took him. It was a tough loss for Chicago but they really didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. They were a good team that could only protect so many players and that is who Vegas wanted to take. Nobody really faulted them at the time for letting that happen. With that said, they are in a way different spot for this upcoming expansion draft.

There is likely going to be scenarios where teams are able to make trades with Seattle to get them to take on a contract. For example, if they wanted to give away a good prospect for the Kraken to take Brent Seabrook‘s contract, that is something that will be allowed. It sounds nice in theory, but it is a strategy that has not worked out well for the Hawks in recent memory. This might be different but it also worked out badly for other teams around the NHL in the Vegas draft.

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If anything, the Blackhawks need to be very careful when this event comes around. It is an important time in their franchise’s history right now as they try to retool themselves back into contention. They have five or six all-time franchise players on their roster but it is very top-heavy. Losing a good player would really hurt so they need to make sure they handle this as properly as they can. It is still early but it is never to early to have these conversations.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci throwing out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals opening day is going to piss off Donald Trumpon July 23, 2020 at 7:46 pm

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Buckingham Fountain is closed, but Buck’s Four Star Grill is servingon July 24, 2020 at 1:47 am

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How to wear what the Cubs and White Sox will be wearing with MLB’s gameday face coveringson July 24, 2020 at 12:45 am

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A techno panopticon on the gig poster of the weekon July 23, 2020 at 5:00 pm

gig_poster_outline_072320.jpg

Hybrid events are becoming de rigueur in 2020, and this week’s gig poster presents an option for fans of techno and dance music. DJ M. Sylvia designed this poster in two color schemes, integrating a version of the Eye of Providence created by Andrew Panahon with other visual elements by DJ Tima Fei of NORdjs. It promotes an in-store set that she’ll play at Lakeview’s legendary Gramaphone Records this weekend. She’ll be spinning in the DJ booth for socially distanced shoppers, and the store will livestream the afternoon via its Twitch channel for those who need to be elsewhere.

We’re still happy to take your suggestions for posters to feature each week–and given how thin on the ground actual concerts continue to be, fantasy gig posters remain fair game. E-mail [email protected] with your contact information and poster submission. Even though a few venues are back in business in a limited way, please continue to support staffers who’ve lost work and tips in recent months or who still can’t return to their jobs–here’s our list of fundraisers. And don’t forget record stores! The Reader published a list of local stores that will let you shop remotely.

ARTIST: M. Sylvia with Andrew Panahon and Tima Fei
GIG: Sight & Sound featuring M. Sylvia at Gramaphone Records and online on Sat 7/25
ARTIST INFO: facebook.com/msylviamusic
FUNDRAISER: A GoFundMe to support Gramaphone Records operations and staff

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A techno panopticon on the gig poster of the weekon July 23, 2020 at 5:00 pm Read More »