April 2, 2016

Sun-Times, first, off-field balance second nature for Cubs’ Bryant http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/baseball-first-off-field-balance-second-nature-for-cubs-bryant/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ spring ‘circus’ gives way to work on unfinished business http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-spring-circus-gives-way-to-work-on-unfinished-business/

 Chicago Sun-Times, At long last, let the real games begin for favored Cubs http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/at-long-last-let-the-real-games-begin-for-favored-cubs/

 Chicago Sun-Times, New twists coming to Wrigleyville, and that’s not a bad thing http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/new-twists-coming-to-wrigleyville-and-thats-not-a-bad-thing/

 Cubs.com, Hammel fans 6 in final spring tuneup http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/170087256/yoenis-cespedes-hits-1st-spring-homer-vs-cubs

 Cubs.com, Cubs open season with high hopes vs. Angels http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/170087256/yoenis-cespedes-hits-1st-spring-homer-vs-cubs

 Cubs.com, Maddon sorting out order for Cubs' OD lineup http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/170089568/joe-maddon-deciding-cubs-opening-day-lineup

 ESPNChicago.com, Cubs fall to Mets in Jason Hammel's spring finale http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/37257/cubs-fall-to-mets-in-jason-hammels-spring-finale

 ESPNChicago.com, Cubs lineup taking shape: Zobrist or Bryant to bat 3? Schwarber or Soler in LF? http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/37250/cubs-lineup-taking-shape-zobrist-or-bryant-to-bat-3- schwarber-or-soler-in-lf

 CSNChicago.com, What Cubs learned from playoff loss to Mets http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/what-cubs-learned-playoff-loss-mets

 Chicago Tribune, Time to find out if Cubs are who we, and they, think they are http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-bb-cubs-hype-hope-sullivan-spt-0403-20160402- column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs and White Sox: Promises to keep amid rising expectations http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-white-sox-expectations-haugh-spt-0403- 20160402-column.html

 Chicago Tribune, graduating to higher catching level with Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kyle-schwarber-as-catcher-cubs-spt-0402- 20160401-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Don't be too surprised if Tommy La Stella ends up in lineup for opener http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-tommy-la-stella-option-bits-cubs-spt-0402- 20160401-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Friday's recap: Mets 8, Cubs 1 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-gameday-cubs-spring-training-spt-0402-20160401- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Ode to : It happens every spring and it never gets old http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-sox-opening-day-lincicome-spt-0403-20160402- column.html

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Chicago Sun-Times Baseball first, off-field balance second nature for Cubs’ Bryant By Gordon Wittenmyer

ANAHEIM, Calif. – One Sunday in late March, long after the Cubs had finished playing, joined a group on the field in the fading light, filming, with small cameras, what looked like playground and party tricks – including at one point Bryant putting his forehead to the knob of a stood-up bat and spinning himself in circles. Then staggering away.

“It was an endorsement thing,” he said. “Stouffer’s.”

Yes, the TV-dinner people. It wasn’t a commercial exactly. More of a promotional video, with the Dude Perfect trick/stunt artists of YouTube fame.

The second-year third baseman, who filmed a Red Bull commercial before he ever took a swing in the big leagues, did another Red Bull shoot this spring at an area junior college, and filmed at least one MLB commercial with teammate this spring. That doesn’t count what he does as part of his deals with a clothier and athletic shoe company or some of the other off-season events he was suddenly in demand to attend and/or host.

“I’m always open to opportunities. I enjoy that stuff,” Bryant said. “It’s cool to get out there and do something different. You focus on baseball too much you go crazy.

“It’s fun for me. For some guys, it doesn’t work.”

Cool, fun and diversion sometimes have proved too much for young players like Bryant, thrust into spotlights and pulled in different directions by the sudden national fame that comes with such things as being a Rookie of the Year for an iconic franchise in a major media market.

Some people never figure out how to create balance in their lives – let alone, 20-something young adults with money, looks, fame, and less than a year of major-league experience.

If Bryant has the handle on it he appears to have, it could make him unique for his experience level.

And the traps to avoid aren’t just about the Johnny Manziel-style of binge living.

Two decades ago, after winning a batting title in his first full season in the majors, a young Alex Rodriguez showed up to Mariners admitting he was exhausted from an offseason filled with new opportunities and distractions. He still grinded out a strong season, though not nearly at the level of the year before – or of most that came after. Rodriguez said then that it helped teach him to say “no.”

“I don’t even notice it,” Cubs manager said of Bryant’s diversions. “Whenever you see him around here his focus is so good; his work is so spectacular; he’s full of energy. I think he does balance things extremely well.

“So from my perspective it’s kind of seamless what he does between off and on the field.”

If anything, Maddon raves about how much better Bryant’s swing looks this spring after an adjustment he and hitting coach made last summer to lessen his extreme uppercut, which was causing him to swing and miss at pitches in the .

And he’s continued to work at improving his fielding at third (plus work in the ).

“It’s a new and improved version of KB this year,” Maddon said. “And it’s just going to keep getting better.”

Which should just keep the endorsement train rolling at full steam.

“It’s definitely not a challenge for me,” Bryant said. “I make sure I devote my time to certain areas. And that stuff’s fun for me. If it wasn’t fun for me, then I could see where it could affect me in terms of on the field. But I enjoy it. It helps me take my mind off the stresses that are on the field. Sometimes it’s just exhausting, so it’s important for me to get out there and do something different and have fun with it.”

Besides, he added, “I say ‘no’ plenty of times.”

Bryant’s agent, Scott Boras, has an entire marketing arm of his business that help with endorsement matchmaking for clients such as Bryant, as well as with the balancing act with the baseball.

But Bryant figures he’s already ahead of the game when it comes to that balance, if not ahead of where A-Rod was at the same time in his career, after spending three years at the University of San Diego.

“College was way harder than this,” Bryant said. “Balancing time between study hall and school, and then practice at 5 a.m. and then 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and figuring out time to do your homework and study and projects, and meet up with your groups. There was so much more in terms of time management in college.

“I’m glad I went there, because if I didn’t, then I don’t know how I’d handle my time.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ spring ‘circus’ gives way to work on unfinished business By Gordon Wittenmyer

LAS VEGAS – The big top came down on Cubs spring training Friday as the Cubs put away the costumes and karaoke machine and sent the mimes and baby bears home.

They did just a little more baseball work against the Mets in an exhibition that served as more of a reminder of last fall’s unfinished business – and the seriousness that awaits in Anaheim Monday – than anything else.

Specifically, Mets left-hander Steven Matz, who beat the Cubs’ in the National League Championship Series clincher in October, offered five of hitless reminders against a Cub lineup heavy on early substitutions of minor leaguers during an 8-1 loss to the Mets.

The Cubs say they’re ready. For the season, for the expectations, for the Angels in the opener – and for the Cardinals, the Pirates, the Giants, the Mets and everyone else in the National League.

“Guys look good,” said lefty , who starts Tuesday’s finale of the Cubs’ opening two-game series. “The biggest thing for us is just getting to where it means something.”

Where the daily sideshows that got as much media attention ’s thumb blister and Lester’s bone chip put together fade into fond memories of bear pee on Anthony Rizzo.

“Joe always had a few things that he did, but here was every day,” said free agent addition , who said this year’s daily pre-practice shows by strength coach Tim Buss surpassed anything he saw under Maddon in eight spring trainings with Tampa Bay. “It was way more.

“Literally, every day there was something that I’ve never seen happen before a stretch on a big-league spring training. It was definitely a circus at times. But it was fun.

“That’s exactly the kind of thing that brings guys together and makes us have fun together and get to know each other more.”

And get social media buzzing with six weeks of strange sights and sounds from Mesa.

“It was pretty impressive,” said Mets infielder Neil Walker, the longtime Pirates second baseman, who said he hadn’t seen a spring with so much pre-work sideshow stuff, from up close or afar. “We had [Yoenis] Cespedes coming in, in a different car for about a week straight. One of them was a horse – him and [Noah] Syndergaard came in on a horse. That was pretty much the extent of it.”

Now they see how well it worked. Everybody from Las Vegas to Laos seems to think the Cubs will at least be in the for the first time in 71 years, if not win it for the first time in 108.

“It’s well deserved,” Mets Lucas Duda said of the Cubs’ hype, apparently encouraging the target the Cubs are embracing. “They’re a great team and the team to beat in the NL.”

Never mind the defending-NL-champion Mets, or the Nationals, or Dodgers or Cardinals.

“The priority during this camp was to be well and be ready,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I really think we’re ready, and I just want to continue to be well.”

The most serious injury to anybody on the projected big-league squad was suffered by traveling massage therapist Vyascheslav “Slavy” Kodryan, who broke his leg in a back-field Frisbee accident in February and remains on crutches entering the season.

Beyond that, super utility man Javy Baez (thumb) is the only big-league player expected to open on the disabled list, and he’s expected back for the April 11 home opener.

Maddon said his other dinged-up player, Dexter Fowler (sore side) will be in the lineup for Sunday’s final exhibition, at Angels Stadium, after missing the last five games.

“The biggest thing for us is health,” Lester said. “We’re going into the season in a good spot.”

Note: The biggest lineup decisions Maddon said he faces before the opener are whether to bat Zobrist third and Kris Bryant fifth, or vice-versa, and whether Kyle Schwarber or plays left field (the other DHs). But the way lefty-hitting Tommy La Stella has looked since returning from a calf injury, he could force his way into the decision process (vs. Angels right-hander Garrett Richards).

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Chicago Sun-Times At long last, let the real games begin for favored Cubs By Rick Morrissey

After six months of thinking about the Cubs, dreaming about the Cubs and pretending to be someone who cares about the things that society deems important – family, job and something else you can’t remember at the moment (eating?) – you can finally get back to the stuff that matters: real baseball games.

Not hot-stove chatter. Not free-agent signings. Not spring-training games featuring uniform numbers that match the high temperature in Arizona. Not manager Joe Maddon’s latest motivational slogans.

Real games.

At last.

The Cubs open their season Monday night in Anaheim, Calif., against the Angels. It can’t come soon enough, given all the offseason attention on the team. I don’t want to say that interest in the Cubs has reached fever pitch, but Chicago-area hospitals are reporting that cases of swooning are at Beatles-concert levels.

This is what happens when your team is coming off a 97-victory season, when 107 years have passed since your team’s last World Series title and when everyone seems to be picking your team to win it all.

Go ahead and try to tell the guy next to you to tone down his excitement. Tell the woman wearing the “Next Year is Here’’ T-shirt that the Cubs are built for “sustained success’’ and that, if a championship doesn’t arrive this year, it might in 2017. Swooning will be the least of your physical problems.

The Cubs are good enough to win it all this year. They should win it all this year. I don’t think saying that is tempting fate. It’s simply stating the obvious: Few teams can match the talent level the Cubs have.

But things happen. These being the Cubs, bad things can and likely will happen. I would like to present that possibility as a positive. For this franchise to win a World Series, it will have to overcome something substantial along the way. It might be an injury to an important player. It might be a stretch of bad baseball in August. It might a player or two not playing close to his potential. Great teams persevere and prevail. What, you thought this was going to be easy? A cakewalk? You can’t go a century-plus without a title and then expect childbirth without labor pains.

Championship teams aren’t just talented. There’s a tensile strength to them. There’s a resolve to them, a fierceness. Do the Cubs have that? I’m not sure we know yet. We know that talented Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant have smiles that could defrost a freezer. We know that an understated can do anything you need a player to do on a baseball field. We know that Jake Arrieta, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, has a nastiness to him on the mound.

But can they be great when they need to be great in the biggest moments? Do they have “it?’’

We’re about to find out. This whole season is going to be a run-on sentence of big moments. The aforementioned strength, resolve and fierceness will have to be there if the Cubs are to overcome whatever is you want to call 107 years without a World Series title. A curse. A cruel cosmic joke. Bad luck. Whatever words you choose to name the mountain won’t change the fact that it’s still a mountain that has to be climbed.

The city is so caught up in what the young Cubs accomplished last season that it tends to gloss over what the Mets did to them in the National League Championship Series. The 4-0 sweep was as dominant as it sounds. The Cubs scored just eight runs in those four games. Their couldn’t keep up with the Mets’ hard-throwing young pitchers. But the general consensus was that it was a good experience for the Cubs, who got farther than almost anyone figured they would, and that it was the start of something bigger.

In the offseason, they responded by signing Heyward, second baseman Ben Zobrist and . They were pleasantly surprised when centerfielder Dexter Fowler chose to re-sign with the team, allowing Heyward to play his natural position, right field.

But before the championship parade starts, there’s a ways to go, both physically and metaphysically. There’s little doubt the Cubs are good enough to win the World Series this season. They’re certainly the team to beat on paper. It’s worth noting that paper is good for writing down history, not for confronting it.

It’s time for real games and answers. Finally.

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Chicago Sun-Times New twists coming to Wrigleyville, and that’s not a bad thing By Rick Telander

Let’s start with this: Someday the Cubs will win the World Series.

I didn’t say this year, or even by 2124, another 108 years since the last title.

But math is irrefutable, in the same way it says that a million monkeys typing madly forever will eventually duplicate Shakespeare. Which is true.

So Cubs fans’ demand and pent-up desire should sustain Cubs madness for a long, long time.

Next, a personal story.

Not that long ago, the Sun-Times building was located at 401 N. Wabash, along the Chicago River, with one of the most beautiful city views you can imagine.

The building, however, was a seven-story lump in the midst of skyscrapers — designed, apparently, to look like a tugboat, which it did. I mean, there was a phony forecastle on the roof and a faux smokestack behind, and frankly, God knows what the architect was thinking. Me, I would have at least made it look like a destroyer, fake cannons aimed at the Tribune Tower across Michigan Avenue.

At any rate, one day in 2004, the dumpy structure was torn down so none other than Donald J. Trump could erect his 90-story ode to himself — Trump Tower —on the site.

There were lots of complaints from old-schoolers about the change, and I myself was quoted in a Chicago Magazine story as saying I didn’t mind the tugboat being blown up, but did we have to get ‘‘a penile implant’’ as the replacement?

Well, we did. And the massive “TRUMP” logo notwithstanding, the building is a beauty. And it makes sense.

Lesson?

Change happens. In time, you’ll appreciate it.

Which brings us to and the neighborhood around it. People call the area Wrigleyville, but I prefer Cubs Kingdom.

No matter what you think, this ballpark and surrounding area is not half as developed and focused as it could be, as it should be.

The Cubs are a phenomenon that rarely appears in the sports world, one that can’t be consciously created but must spring from accidents and confluences of sport, sociology, demographics, history, aesthetics, ineptitude, neglect and stupidity.

Wrigley Field is in the middle of an elite, upscale neighborhood in a grand city, but without parking, amenities or foresight. Wonderful!

No superhighway connects citizens to Wrigley. There are no glorious skyboxes with leather sofas and showers. There is just the tiny park and bricks and vines and baseball.

And each year that Wrigley lives on, its diversion from the norm becomes more intriguing, more appealing. Go to most Major League ballparks, and you might not even remember what city you were in. Go to Wrigley, and you can’t forget it — it’s the most beautiful dump around.

And at last it is being revamped, without being changed. Somehow, we all survived the Jumbotron in left field. Somehow, we have tolerated having the greasy little McDonald’s across Street demolished.

Somehow, at last — after disastrously trying to float city bonds at the same time patriarch Joe Ricketts was forming a super PAC to rip into President , the man whom Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel once worked for as chief of staff — the Ricketts family is charging into the future.

All the new things that are coming, without citizen payment — the office building, the boutique Starwood hotel, the two-story annex on Addison, the people-friendly plaza where Yum-Yum Donuts once ruled — all this is change. All is inevitable. And in the end, all is good.

The demand for Cubness during spring training in the Phoenix area was mind-boggling. Standing room only at , game after game. Nearly a quarter-million attendees total. Cubs shirts and pennants everywhere.

The simple, 100-yard walk from the main practice building to the ballpark was, for Cubs players, like the walk for the Most Interesting Man in the World to his Dos Equis spaceship to Mars.

Generation after generation of fans are so Cub-crazed, so yearning, that architecture must be created to accommodate them. At long last — after the Wrigleys and Tribune Co. just shrugged — the Rickettses have bought up most of the rooftop buildings on Waveland and Sheffield. Someday, those two streets framing Wrigley must become part of the park, with all the rooftops. The entire Cubs Kingdom could become the most visited place in all of Chicago. I’m not saying that because I want it to be. I’m saying it because it’s fact.

Someday soon, nobody but Luddites will complain about the lost “good old days” at Wrigley. I remember them. They weren’t so good. They were just old.

Last thing? The Cubs really need to win.

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Cubs.com Hammel fans 6 in final spring tuneup By Carrie Muskat

LAS VEGAS -- Yoenis Cespedes smacked a leadoff in the third, one of four Mets homers, to back Steven Matz and lift the Mets to an 8-1 victory Friday over the Cubs in an exhibition game at Cashman Field. With the win, the Mets ended a 14-game spring winless streak.

"Today was the culmination of a long and hot spring," Mets manager said. "We're ready to go, I think."

Matz struck out six over five hitless, scoreless innings in a rematch with Chicago's Jason Hammel. These two pitchers last faced off Oct. 21 at Wrigley Field in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

Hammel, who will start the fourth game of the regular season for the Cubs, scattered five hits over four innings, striking out six in allowing two runs (one earned).

The Mets had runners at first and second with one out in the second , and both advanced on Matz's sacrifice bunt. The Cubs then employed a defensive shift, and Curtis Granderson slapped a ball to second baseman Ben Zobrist, who was in perfect position in shallow right. Zobrist's throw to Anthony Rizzo was low, and the first baseman dropped it for an error, allowing a run to score.

Cespedes, who 17 home runs in 57 games with the Mets last season, led off the third with his blast over the left-field wall, his first homer this spring.

T.J. Rivera doubled to lead off the Mets' sixth and scored one out later on Matt Reynolds' sacrifice fly to center.

After Matz departed, the Cubs loaded the bases in the sixth against Sean Gilmartin, and they scored when pinch- hitter John Andreoli drew a walk.

Pinch-hitter Ty Kelly added a three-run homer with two outs in the Mets' eighth to open a 6-1 lead. Eric Campbell and Rivera hit back-to-back solo shots in the ninth to bring the score to 8-1.

Up next for the Mets: The Mets will fly to Kansas City on Friday and work out Saturday in advance of their 8:37 p.m. ET Opening Night game Sunday against the Royals. Matt Harvey will start the Mets' opener opposite fellow right-hander Edinson Volquez, in a rematch of World Series Game 5.

Up next for the Cubs: After an off-day Saturday, will make his final tuneup in an exhibition game Sunday against the Angels in front of lots of family and friends. Hendricks, who grew up in the Orange County area, won the fifth starter spot with a quiet and effective spring, striking out 23 over 24 2/3 innings. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. CT, and you can listen on 670 AM or stream live for free.

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Cubs.com Cubs open season with high hopes vs. Angels By Phil Rogers

Is this The Year?

Never before has there been as much excitement about a Cubs team as there is for this one, thanks to National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and the young American League-style lineup built around Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber.

In a way, it's fitting the Cubs start their season in such an unusual way by playing the Angels in Anaheim. Mike Scioscia, one of many mentors for Joe Maddon, won the World Series in the third of his 17 seasons as a manager.

The Angels have found it easier to establish success than to sustain it. But you can't take 2002 away from Arte Moreno, then-general manager Bill Stoneman, Scioscia and the Halos fans, and that's the ending that the Cubs seek.

Maddon was Scioscia's bench coach when the Angels rallied in Game 6 to steal the World Series from Barry Bonds and the Giants, and new Cubs pitcher John Lackey was a rookie starter who beat Livan Hernandez in Game 7. Like $184 million free-agent Jason Heyward, Lackey left St. Louis to sign with the Cubs, because he sees a team capable of advancing to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1945 and winning it all for the first time since 1908.

But now the hard part. It's time to stop dreaming about it and to start doing it.

Arrieta faces right-hander Garrett Richards in Monday night's season opener at 10:05 ET. While the Cubs are favorites in the NL Central after winning 97 games last season, the Angels look to jump back into the postseason after an 85-win season. They've won 90-plus games seven times under Scioscia, but they have missed the playoffs in five of the past six years.

It took a while for the Cubs to get their lineup rolling last season, but after the All-Star break, only the Yoenis Cespedes-fueled Mets outscored them in the NL. They're poised to have one of the most productive groups of hitters in the Major Leagues after adding Heyward and Ben Zobrist and surprisingly retaining Dexter Fowler as the ignitor.

Fowler, Heyward and Zobrist all have career on-base percentages of .353 or more, so they should provide a lot of traffic for Rizzo, Bryant and Schwarber.

As always, the Angels pose problems for opposing pitchers because of their elite hitters. , the 2014 American League MVP Award winner, seems positioned to be in the MVP discussion for the fifth consecutive season. Albert Pujols, who has won three NL MVP Awards, is coming off a 40-homer season, and he seems ready to further distance himself from the injuries that limited him in 2013 and '14.

How Scioscia uses his pieces is interesting.

Newcomer Yunel Escobar, who had a .375 on-base percentage for the Nationals last year, figures to hit leadoff, with the left-field platoon of Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry getting a shot in the No. 2 hole. That allows Scioscia to drop Kole Calhoun into an RBI slot, using a 3-4-5 combination of Trout-Pujols-Calhoun.

This will mark the Angels debut of shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who was acquired from the Braves in the biggest offseason move by rookie general manager Billy Eppler. Simmons, a two-time NL Gold Glove Award winner, hopes to show that he can contribute with his bat as well as his defensive presence.

While Scioscia can feel confident looking to Huston Street and Joe Smith to protect leads, Maddon's bullpen remains a work in progress. Hector Rondon (30-for-34 in save chances last season) should get a lot of work along with , the top setup man a year ago. But Maddon is keeping advance scouts guessing about how he'll use newcomer Adam Warren and holdovers , , , Clayton Richard and Neil Ramirez.

It's time to start getting some answers.

Cubs' projected Opening Day lineup Dexter Fowler, CF Jason Heyward, RF Ben Zobrist, 2B Anthony Rizzo, 1B Kris Bryant, 3B Kyle Schwarber, LF/DH Jorge Soler, LF/DH , C , SS Jake Arrieta, RHP

Angels' projected Opening Day lineup Yunel Escobar, 3B Daniel Nava, LF Mike Trout, CF Albert Pujols, DH Kole Calhoun, RF C.J. Cron, 1B Andrelton Simmons, SS Carlos Perez, C Johnny Giavotella, 2B Garrett Richards, SP

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Cubs.com Maddon sorting out order for Cubs' OD lineup By Carrie Muskat

LAS VEGAS -- Manager Joe Maddon is still tinkering with his Opening Day lineup for Monday night's game against the Angels. He has all the names he needs, but he needs to sort out the order.

Dexter Fowler and Jason Heyward will bat first and second, and Anthony Rizzo will hit fourth. Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant will create what Maddon likes to call a "Rizzo sandwich" and bat around the first baseman. The manager just hasn't determined who will bat ahead of Rizzo and who will behind him.

The Angels will start right-hander Garrett Richards, and Maddon was still deciding whether Kyle Schwarber or Jorge Soler will play left field. The other could be the designated hitter.

"There's nice choices," Maddon said of the combinations.

The Cubs have an off-day in Anaheim on Saturday before one more exhibition game Sunday against the Angels. Fowler, sidelined because of mild tightness in his left side since he hit a home run in the first inning last Sunday, is expected to play Sunday.

"The priority during camp was to be well and be ready," Maddon said. "I think we're ready. I want us to continue to be well."

Worth noting

• The Cubs have been better in situational hitting the past two weeks, which is something Maddon and hitting coach John Mallee have talked about.

"I'm definitely seeing cognizant attempts to do that," Maddon said.

The awareness will help. Last season, the Cubs batted .237 with runners in scoring position, which ranked 14th in the National League.

• Justin Grimm, who struck out the side in the Cubs' 5-1 win on Thursday against the Mets, is what Maddon calls a "middle-game closer."

"He's versatile and resilient," Maddon said of the right-handed reliever. "You can utilize him in the sixth and seventh innings. He's that kind of utility pitcher who does all kind of different things."

Grimm struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, but he also walked six this spring.

"To me, the biggest thing for him is to throw strikes," Maddon said. "He was dominant last year. He's still young and learning his craft. When he's commanding his fastball, that curveball is devastating. And when you look at his breakdown, he gets out lefties."

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ESPNChicago.com Cubs fall to Mets in Jason Hammel's spring finale By Jesse Rogers

LAS VEGAS – The lost 8-1 to the in an exhibition game on Friday afternoon. Here are some takeaways from the game:

Jason Hammel: His spring ended in a four-inning, 68-pitch performance in which he gave up a home run to Yoenis Cespedes. He gave up five hits, but struck out six. Hammel has looked fine this spring, but we won’t know for sure if his offseason makeover takes hold until we get going next week. Even then, his work and diet this winter was about preparing him for the second half, as he’s been a very good first-half pitcher when healthy.

Albert Almora: He made a diving catch and just missed on another one in center field. He looks major-league ready on defense. In fact, scouts have been saying as much for several years, but it’s his bat which needs to catch up. Cubs manager Joe Maddon rightly noted before the game that Almora has been a very good spring player over the years – though it hasn’t always translated in-season. If it does, Almora could be make his debut this year.

Tommy La Stella: He continues to make noise as he raised his spring average to exactly .400 with a 1-for-2 day. He produced the first hit of the game for the Cubs, which led to their only rally. Maddon has even considered starting him on Opening Day as the designated hitter, though it’s not likely to happen.

Up next: The Cubs will fly to Anaheim, California, in advance of a complete day off on Saturday before playing an exhibition game against the on Sunday. Kyle Hendricks will start that game. Regulars will get two or three at-bats. Monday night is the season-opening contest against the Angels with Jake Arrieta on the mound.

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ESPNChicago.com Cubs lineup taking shape: Zobrist or Bryant to bat 3? Schwarber or Soler in LF? By Jesse Rogers

LAS VEGAS -- We can stop speculating.

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon has nearly decided on his batting order for Opening Day on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. With the use of the designated hitter, Maddon can send forth one of the most devastating lineups (at least on paper) the Cubs have employed in years.

“I’m still slightly debating (Ben) Zobrist versus (Kris) Bryant in the No. 3 hole,” Maddon said Friday before his team played the New York Mets in an exhibition game. “That’s it.”

The one other issue comes down to Kyle Schwarber or Jorge Soler in left field with the other taking the DH role.

“Still haven’t decided 100 percent Schwarber/Soler DH or left, but obviously they’re in there,” Maddon stated.

Before examining all the options, let’s look at the likely batting order for Monday:

Dexter Fowler, CF Jason Heyward, RF Zobrist/Bryant, 2b/3b Anthony Rizzo, 1b Zobrist/Bryant, 2b/3b Kyle Schwarber, LF/DH Jorge Soler, LF/DH Miguel Montero, C Addison Russell, SS

Now let’s remember it’s like splitting hairs coming up with the “right” order with so many good hitters. But there is little doubt Maddon’s lineup looks less conventional with Zobrist batting third. If it were to last the whole season he would undoubtedly get more at-bats than MVP candidates Rizzo and Bryant. Maddon gets that.

“But swinging well and providing protection, not everyone gets that,” Maddon stated.

And Maddon has indicated often during the spring that he wouldn’t mind loading up his three on-base guys in Fowler, Heyward and Zobrist to “feed” Rizzo and Bryant.

Analysis: I’m starting to buy in. Think about it. How many times will Fowler, Heyward and Zobrist bat in an inning without at least one getting on base? I bet not often. Let’s take the first inning of every game. Of course they’ll go down in order here and there, but many, many times one or more will get on. That means automatically Rizzo and perhaps Bryant will bat with at least one base runner on in the first inning. It may offset the fact that Zobrist will get a few more at-bats overall.

Then again, if a game ends with Rizzo or Bryant in the on-deck circle, Maddon might change his mind quickly.

“You can always make an adjustment,” Maddon said. “Whatever you do the first couple of days, you might see something differently or like better, you just do it. There are nice choices.”

Soler or Schwarber in LF: The more interesting aspect of the lineup revolves around Soler. If he was living up to expectations, there would be no debate over who plays left field, right? Wasn’t Schwarber the guy who botched balls in left in the NLCS? Isn’t he a catcher by trade while Soler can run like a deer and possesses one of the best arms in the game?

But if the spring is any indication, Soler can’t track a fly ball any better in left than he did in right while Schwarber has shown progress. It should be embarrassing to Soler that his manager is even considering him to DH come Monday. And it adds a little more to Schwarber’s plate as he’s already dealing with catching and playing outfield most of the season. Shouldn’t he get the break when they play in AL parks?

To add insult to injury, at the very end of Maddon's lineup conversation with reporters, he didn't dismiss the notion of starting lefty Tommy La Stella on Monday instead of Soler. La Stella is hot right now and much less likely to pinch-hit in an American League park so he's not needed off the bench. It says a lot about Soler's status on the team if not only he doesn't play left field but doesn't even start in a game where the designated hitter is needed. The fact that the thought has crossed Maddon's mind is bad enough, even though he's leaning toward playing Soler.

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CSNChicago.com What Cubs learned from playoff loss to Mets By Patrick Mooney

The Cubs and New York Mets endured the kind of slow, painful rebuilds that once would have been unthinkable for a big-market team.

But both franchises collected enough blue-chip talent that last year’s National League Championship Series felt more like the beginning than the end.

This is exactly the kind of potential rivalry and its TV partners dream about – young stars, the world’s biggest media market and Wrigley Field as one of the backdrops.

So with the Cubs and Mets getting an Opening Day tune-up on Friday in Las Vegas, here are four takeaways from that four-game sweep last October:

• Don’t take it for granted: In the immediate aftermath of Game 4, Miguel Montero stood at his locker in the old Wrigley Field clubhouse and remembered being a rookie catcher on the 2007 team that swept the Cubs, advanced to the NLCS and assumed that young core in the desert would be back for more.

“You can’t take it for granted,” Montero said. “You have to perform on the field. Obviously, for a lot of young guys, they thought it was easy to get there. Because they got to the big leagues and immediately they were there. So it’s like: ‘Well, how hard could it be?’ Especially now with this team: ‘How hard could it be?’

“You can’t take it for granted because it’s harder than it looked last year. So with that being said, my biggest advice is go out and play, take one game at a time and don’t take any other team like they’re not as good as you are. You got to play every team at your highest level in order to get to where you want to go.

“It’s easy to play a team with a (bad record) and you (show up) and they whip your ass. Because they’re all big- league players.”

• Get hot at the right time: The Cubs didn’t overreact to a four-game sample size. But the NLCS clearly highlighted some of the softer areas within a strong foundation.

The Cubs spent almost $290 million this offseason trying to upgrade the outfield defense (Jason Heyward), diversify the lineup (Ben Zobrist) and strengthen the rotation (John Lackey). The Mets also exposed those nagging issues with controlling the running game. Theo Epstein’s front office understands the coin-flip nature of the wild- card game.

“I thought the Mets played almost four perfect games against us,” general manager said. “I can’t imagine they could play a better four games – in all phases of the game. Their starting pitching was fantastic. They kept us off-balance. They scored in the first inning of four straight games to sort of put us on the defensive. Their defense played great. Their bullpen threw great.

“We didn’t play our best. But certainly we ran up against a team sort of playing as well as they could. And that happens. To me, it just underscores the value of winning your division.”

The Mets didn’t stay hot against the in the World Series. But the Cubs can’t just bank on the hottest pitcher in the world shutting down the again, so they built a stronger, deeper team around Jake Arrieta.

“We won the one-game playoff,” Hoyer said. “But I think we’re realistic enough to realize that you go up against a great team like that on the road, you’re not going to win every one of those. The nature of that game makes you want to win the division.

“What you really want to be is the hot team. You make it every year, and you have much better odds of being that hot team that can sustain three straight series and win the title.”

• Xs and Os matter: The Cubs have built a strong scouting system that combines video, raw data and human intelligence. But Cubs officials credited the Mets for knowing the 2015 team inside and out, identifying and preying upon weaknesses.

“It still blows my mind,” pitcher Jon Lester said, “the game plan they (followed), attacking our guys soft so much and surprising us with the heater. We’re such a good fastball-hitting team that it’s hard to surprise us with heaters. They did an unbelievable job.

“Sometimes, you have to sit back and you have to just tip your hat. We got beat. They beat us. They had a better game plan – and they executed a little bit better than we did.”

The Cubs hit .164 as a team, struck out 37 times and never led at any point during the NLCS. The Mets didn’t build their lineup around speed, but they still saw opportunities and stole seven bases. New York’s power pitchers – Matt Harvey, , Jacob deGrom – allowed five runs in 20-plus innings while closer finished all four games.

“They’re an exciting pitching staff,” Lester said. “They’re young, which is a little bit scary. The fact that those guys are going to be around for a long time – that’s exciting, too.

“They’re obviously going to be in it probably every year. And probably the team that we’re going to have to go through to get where we want to go.”

• The Undercover Boss is not a fan of The Dark Knight of Gotham: Board member – who’s probably best known for his right-wing politics and going on that reality TV show – used a Cubs Convention stage to say “Mets fans are really, really obnoxious” during a Q-and-A session with ownership.

That wound up becoming the main story on the New York Post’s website in the middle of January, showing the crossover appeal of these two teams and how much heat this could generate if really becomes a rivalry again.

Ricketts explained how his French-Canadian wife, Sylvie, is a huge hockey fan who rooted for the Blackhawks and viewed the Cubs as more of a family business until that playoff ride.

“We continued to watch baseball,” Ricketts said, setting the scene for World Series Game 5 and the Mets leading Kansas City in the ninth inning. “My wife and I are sitting in our living room. It’s 10:30 at night. We’re in our pajamas. I don’t know if you guys remember – Matt Harvey refused to come out of the game.

“He did a show on TV. He did his own little drama on TV to show that he was the tough guy and he was going to win this game for the Mets. He went back out on the mound – and I think three batters later the Royals had scored two runs.”

Kansas City tied the game when Eric Hosmer alertly hustled on a groundball, and then scored five runs in the 12th inning to win its first World Series in 30 years.

“When Hosmer’s left hand went across home plate,” Ricketts said, “my wife jumped up, pointed at the TV and she said: ‘Screw you, Matt Harvey! Screw you, Mets fans!’

“So I’m not certain that she’s adopted baseball as her favorite sport. And I’m not certain that she still would say that the Cubs are her favorite team, because she loves the Blackhawks so much. But I know this for sure: She really, really hates the Mets.”

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Chicago Tribune Time to find out if Cubs are who we, and they, think they are By Paul Sullivan

It started in mid-February when fans began congregating at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., to get a glimpse of the Cubs.

The players quickly realized this season was going to be different than anything they had experienced, a supersized serving of last year's excitement.

"People are clapping when we hit homers in batting practice," Kyle Schwarber marveled, shaking his head. "It's batting practice!"

Schwarber responded by breaking the windshield on one car and denting another's hood with a couple of monstrous BP home runs, then suggested fans refrain from parking outside the right-field fence.

Promoted stories from SportsChatter.com

The hype-o-meter was running, and the Cubs began embracing it, just as manager Joe Maddon instructed.

"We're just more under the spotlight," Anthony Rizzo said. "All the funny things we've done in the past few years now just get more attention. It comes with the territory with us playing in a big market, in the best city. It's fun. We embrace it and have fun with it. This is what you play for."

Meanwhile, on another side of the Cubs complex, President Theo Epstein was tempering expectations, saying they would die down once opening day arrived.

Opening day arrives Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Has anyone calmed down yet?

"I know it's a big story, but the expectations are just a spring training, first-week-of-the-season narrative, honestly," Epstein said. "We start out on the road. If we have a great trip, by the time get home everyone's going to be excited about who got the game-winning hit on the last game. If we have a bad trip, everybody is going to be kind of panicking and anxious, the way you always are when you have a bad trip to start the season.

"The season has so many ups and downs, so many daily narratives, so many twists and turns. That's what takes over during the season. No one is going to be talking about expectations. Throughout the season (fans are) going to be reacting to what we're doing. I just don't really worry about it, especially with this group. They're high- character guys. They're highly motivated. They're not complacent. They super hungry. (The expectations are) kind of an external thing."

You can blame Epstein for that. He rebuilt the roster from the team he inherited in the fall of 2011 and has added three key free agents to a 97-win team that advanced to the National League Championship Series last year.

Is there any wonder hype springs eternal?

"Even back in '97 when we won the World Series with the Marlins there wasn't this much hype," former Cub- turned-analyst Cliff Floyd said. "We knew we were good, but there was not much hype because our nemesis was the Braves, and no one thought we could get past them.

"I've been on teams that were good going into camp. I look back on my Mets days, bringing in (Carlos) Beltran and (Carlos) Delgado and (Paul) Lo Duca. It was awesome, but the hype was because it was New York.

"This is bright lights, big city and a young team. Now is the time to get your season tickets for 10 years. This is going to be something you can enjoy for a minute."

Cubs fans are ready. Record crowds jammed Sloan Park during spring training, and Wrigley Field is certain to be electric April 11 for the home opener.

The abundance of young talent, a historic ballpark and a city that devours baseball were all reasons why Jason Heyward ditched the Cardinals for the North Side.

All the spring shenanigans at Cubs camp, from the karaoke to the tricked-out Dodge van to the mime, convinced Heyward he has made the right call.

"It's family, it's fun," Heyward said. "You don't show up and not enjoy it. As much as it is a job, you don't come and look at it as strictly a job. You should love to come to work every day. You should love the environment you're in. You should love the people who are around you.

"I feel that's something they do preach here. Not verbally, but you physically see it, and that goes a long way. I don't care if you're a security worker here or a player or whatever. You want to enjoy your experience, and they do a good job at it."

Jon Lester believes Maddon's antics benefit the players.

"Being new and everything, he didn't want to run a camp like this year's (last season) and really throw everybody off," Lester said. "He makes it fun, makes it relaxed, and then all you have to worry about it showing up on time, putting the effort in and being prepared, which at this level makes our lives a hell of a lot easier.

"Because we're not worried about 'Are we dressed right,' or 'Are we doing this right,' or 'Are we sitting in the right seat? Am I parked in the right spot?'

"It's just 'Be yourself, play baseball and have fun.'"

It's a long way to October, when the fun really starts.

Pace yourselves.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs and White Sox: Promises to keep amid rising expectations By David Haugh

No Cubs spring training drill more aptly prepared Jason Heyward for the upcoming season than being stung 10 times by a swarm of bees during a recent exhibition game.

No image during an often wacky six weeks in Arizona served as a better metaphor for Heyward and his new Cubs teammates.

A virtual hornets' nest awaits on the North Side, where they enlarged the Wrigley Field clubhouse if only to make room for the oversized expectations. A buzz indeed.

The Mets and Cardinals aren't as big a threat to the Cubs as irrationality in a year in which consecutive losses could create civic angst, Jake Arrieta blisters are feared like tumors, and perspective threatens to take the summer off. A clear view of the Cubs season is no longer only the concern of rooftop owners.

The Cubs and White Sox begin the 2016 season Monday in California dreaming of the same thing: a World Series title. The reality is the Sox could win 90 games and call it a success no matter how long their October lasts, while the Cubs have created a World Series-or-bust mentality that makes anything but a National League pennant a major disappointment.

To that degree for the Cubs, the first pitch of this season resembles the way 2004 started, with the opener feeling a little like Game 8 against the Marlins. A playoff-like atmosphere surrounded regular-season games, and the tension in Wrigleyville was palpable. The daily intensity drained a team that carried similarly high hopes into a season that ended in one of the team's worst collapses since 1969.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon makes this team comparison-proof and immune to anxiety, we are told, because Maddon's magic can make stress disappear. His toughest act opens, but one season into his tenure suggests Maddon possesses a rare quality that will keep the young Cubs from getting caught up in the hoopla.

Maddon never lets tension in the clubhouse linger long enough to become a tenant, evicting anxious feelings at a moment's notice with gimmicks designed to help players relax. Whether using mimes or zoo animals to lighten the mood, Maddon has proved adept at making men playing a boy's game tap into their inner kid.

The Joe Maddon Variety Show, which received rave reviews in Arizona, returns for an encore at Clark and Addison, though laughs will be harder to come by if the Cubs get off to a slow start. The novelty of last year wore off the minute Jason Hammel was booed off the mound at home against the Mets — in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

How soon they forget. Maddon's jokes will be funnier and the stunts tolerated if the Cubs fulfill their considerable promise, but what happens if the starting pitching doesn't hold up? Or somehow the best everyday lineup in baseball struggles to hit? Or Hector Rondon falters and the search for a closer resumes?

The Cubs' addition of Heyward, second baseman Ben Zobrist and starter John Lackey crowned them consensus winners of the offseason, but baseball, in all of its glorious unpredictability, guarantees nothing.

That isn't exactly breaking news to Cubs fans, as that truism has hammered them over the head for decades. How the Cubs handle incessant hype could dictate the course of their season, a concern that didn't exist last April. Maddon introduced the mantra "Embrace the Target'' on day one, but did all the spring training shenanigans only make it bigger to opponents viewing the fun from afar?

A prediction: The Cubs will win the National League's toughest division and then capture their first pennant since 1945 before breaking millions of hearts by losing the World Series. If the Cubs somehow disappoint us before making so much history, it likely will be because of a starting rotation that lacked depth and a bullpen leakier than it currently looks.

As for the Sox, they emerged from the ridiculous Take Your Son To Work debate that retired player Adam LaRoche sparked as a more unified team. That alone will affect the season less than the Sox hitting home runs at the same rate they did in Arizona or getting consistent starting pitching that will carry them to third place in a killer division. Top-of-the-rotation guys Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon look formidable, but the Sox should trust John Danks and Mat Latos as their fourth and fifth starters at their own risk.

Expect Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu to combine for 75 home runs, second baseman Brett Lawrie to ignite the lineup as much as he annoys opponents, closer David Robertson to save 40 games and Sale to win the Cy Young Award. The Sox will improve their fielding and baserunning enough to make Hawk Harrelson miss broadcasting home games. And a .500 season will be enough by Reinsdorfian standards to save manager Robin Ventura's job, and perhaps even earn him a contract extension if he wishes.

By the time a fascinating season finishes, the Sox will miss the American League playoffs and the Cubs will win the NL pennant — but the South Siders can retain bragging rights if my predictions come true. After all, the Sox did 11 years ago what the Cubs will fail to do in October: Beat the Astros in the World Series.

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Chicago Tribune Kyle Schwarber graduating to higher catching level with Cubs By Mark Gonzales

Kyle Schwarber wrapped up his spring Cubs catching classes this week as he prepares for his sophomore season.

And from the results of his latest tests, Schwarber can expect to catch more in late innings this year.

"This is all stuff that could happen during the year," said Schwarber, who started a game last Saturday in left field before moving behind the plate in the sixth inning just to handle closer Hector Rondon. "It's good to get the experience under the belt and get that feel for what it could be like."

As of now, Schwarber is targeted to catch mostly in games Jason Hammel starts. But manager Joe Maddon loves to make full use of his roster, so it's not uncommon for him to change catchers in the middle of games.

"We wanted to make sure he's seeing the back end of the bullpen," coach said of Schwarber's learning curve in spring training. "I don't have any reservations about him catching anybody. It's a matter of seeing everyone once or twice before we go into the season."

Eventually, the Cubs must decide if Schwarber can handle at least half of the team's catching load after retires and Miguel Montero's contract expires over the next two seasons. received rave reviews in spring training but will start the 2016 season at -A Iowa.

In the meantime, Schwarber is expected to start mostly in left field but can get more catching time if he shows gradual improvement.

His learning process resumed in earnest this spring when Borzello introduced the stocky Schwarber to a new stance designed to keep him lower but to allow him more comfort.

"It works for his body type," Borzello said. "We kind of changed his whole lower half and are able to get his eyes closer to his glove, which makes it easier to receive the ball rather than just try to catch it. It's a better presentation, and he has taken to it very well."

Schwarber agreed the setup has helped, although admitted "I'm trying to clean some stuff up."

Schwarber credited the new setup with allowing him to frame a pitch for a called third strike Sunday on Ketel Marte of the Mariners.

"In his last couple of games, he has most pitches on the edge on the bottom of the (strike) zone," Borzello said. "He's still learning and it's still a work in progress, but it's a lot better than where we were last year."

Despite their 10-year age gap, the 33-year-old Hammel loves Schwarber's vocal demeanor and willingness to learn.

"Any time you're vocal, I react well to that," Hammel said.

David Ross, who caught Hideo Nomo, Kevin Brown and Jeff Weaver early in his career believes it's essential for Schwarber to catch and listen to veteran pitchers to understand their tendencies.

"He's as ready to go as he possibly can be," Ross said. "He has worked his tail off on all aspects of his game. You can see the improvement shows how hard he has worked."

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Chicago Tribune Don't be too surprised if Tommy La Stella ends up in lineup for opener By Mark Gonzales

One of manager Joe Maddon's final lineup decisions for Monday night's opener involves the placement of Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant around cleanup hitter Anthony Rizzo.

Maddon hasn't determined whether Kyle Schwarber or Jorge Soler will start in left field, but it appears one of them will handle the designated hitter duties.

"There are nice choices," Maddon said Friday. "It's really good to be in that position to have to make what you think is good either way, but you're looking for an edge somewhere."

Another option would be starting Tommy La Stella as the designated hitter. La Stella batted .400 (10-for-25) this spring and would give the Cubs another left-handed bat in the lineup against Angels right-handed starter Garrett Richards.

"You see what La Stella is doing right now," Maddon said Friday before La Stella snapped the Mets' no-hit bid with a off the wall in left field.

La Stella also could be the Cubs' primary pinch hitter, as he was 6-for-14 (.429) in that role in 2015. But Maddon said that option is less likely in a game played under American League rules.

Another possibility is La Stella starting at third base and Bryant in left.

No pushovers: The prevailing thought is that the Cubs, Cardinals and Pirates could collect 30 victories apiece against the Brewers and Reds because of those teams' rebuilding programs in the .

But Maddon won't overlook anyone — even the Brewers and Reds.

"I don't take anyone lightly, and that's what I really want our guys to understand," Maddon said. "That group you're supposed to beat, that second division group, that's really scary to me.

"There are the obvious challengers. But if you want to play the last game of the year, you can't take anyone for granted."

Fowler update: Center fielder Dexter Fowler didn't play for the fifth consecutive game because of a sore left side, but Maddon said Fowler likely would get at least three at-bats in Sunday's exhibition finale against the Angels.

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Chicago Tribune Friday's recap: Mets 8, Cubs 1 By Mark Gonzales

The Cubs were limited to three hits Friday as Ty Kelly hit a three-run homer off Michael Jensen in the eighth inning to help the Mets cruise to an 8-1 victory before a crowd of 10,995 at Cashman Field in Las Vegas. Four of the Cubs' starting position players were pulled after one at-bat.

At the plate: The Cubs were hitless for the first 5 1/3 innings. Jorge Soler popped to first with the bases loaded, but John Andreoli drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Tommy La Stella with the Cubs' lone run in the sixth.

On the mound: Jason Hammel struck out six in four innings in his final start of the spring. Hammel snapped a sharp slider to strike out Neil Walker in the first.

In the field: Manager Joe Maddon compared to retired Gold Glove center fielder Jim Edmonds, and Almora showed his defensive skills when he made a diving catch of a Matt Reynolds drive in the sixth.

Key number: 9 — Games Kris Bryant reached base safely in his last 10.

The quote: "The priority during this camp was to be well and be ready. I think we're ready and want to continue to be well." — Maddon

Up next: Vs. Angels, 2:05 p.m. Sunday at Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Calif. RH Kyle Hendricks vs. RH Matt Shoemaker.

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Chicago Tribune Ode to opening day: It happens every spring and it never gets old By Bernie Lincicome

Another opening day, oh my. Two, in fact, this town being doubly blessed, the Cubs consumed with conviction and the White Sox free to be whatever they can.

Great expectations and wishful adequacy, the smiling faces of Chicago baseball.

The Cubs may be forgiven for over-commemorating because celebrations tend to be spare and rare, but to be 100 years old twice does seem a bit of a glut.

For anyone not keeping count, and triple figures have a way of causing the casual bystander to nod off, the Cubs will remind, as they did two years ago, the world that a century has passed and they are still around.

Like a kid with two sets of grandparents, Wrigley Field gets another birthday cake, this one marking the time the Cubs began playing baseball there.

In the next decade the Cubs can celebrate the actual naming of Wrigley Field, the change from Cubs Park, which changed from Weeghman Park, and still ahead, next year in fact, will be the anniversary of the ivy, planted 80 years before.

The Cubs have endless opportunities to kiss history on the mouth, and somewhere, maybe soon, maybe never, will be the moment of moments, a championship, the last one predating the field and living memory.

Until then, as it has been for generations, there is Wrigley, security blanket and picnic table, or maybe the other way around. A little cluttered at the moment but promised to be ready for opening night, a designation dripping with disrespect.

All of baseball ought to open in daylight if only to honor tradition, but at least this season it's opening on U.S. soil, rather than, as has been the recent habit, in outposts as far away as Australia and Tokyo. The Cubs, we recall, began this century in Japan against the Mets.

My favorite ballpark was old Comiskey and still is, if only as a screen saver on my laptop. The sun is bright and Bill Veeck's original exploding scoreboard with its pinwheels and cigarette ad (extra points if you can name the brand) awaits a rally. The classic arches frame the trees in Armour Square Park, the American flag atop the roof in left- center field is starched by the wind, pointing west and the bleachers are nearly empty.

This tableau is from the last season at old Comiskey and I can't recall when I took the picture, sometime in August or early September.

The Sox have two on and I believe that is rookie Robin Ventura at the plate. What happened next does not matter, only that the moment is frozen and forever, now a quarter of a century gone.

Opening days are the same. The score does not matter, only the occasion does, only the memory.

Not that a polished pile like U.S. Cellular Field looms for the Cubs, but change creeps on. The sun and the ivy and the bricks, the depression-era scoreboard, the classic antique logo on the facade, as much a Chicago landmark as the Water Tower or the "L," all of it is surrendering slowly. The city looms beyond the bleachers like a watchful sentinel, enduring inconvenience and tolerating renewal.

Giant video scoreboards were as inevitable as were the lights installed to eliminate free sunshine. Regrettably, all the modern meddling tends to cast friendly shadows as each intrusion settles in.

Wrigley Field means more than a ballpark name, in the way does, if in the opposite way. Failure is a cherished friend and hope is the abiding adhesive of generations.

Nowhere else can a mere place name summon both joy and agony, expectation and dread, delight and despair. And all at the same time.

In no other place does a name bring instant empathy. Wrigley Field conjures a gentle warmth and a sense of connection, to another time, to a vanished innocence, to a simpler age.

Opening day reaches for that, for the bond of new beginnings, seizing the sports soul. It touches the happy face of faith, rouses the comfort of illusion.

All of this may last an inning or for a whole summer, but this is where it starts. Again.

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