January 12, 2016

 ESPNChicago.com, Loaded Cubs set for fan convention -- and 2016 season http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36124/loaded-cubs-set-for-fan-convention-then-2016- season

 CSNChicago.com, How ’s blue-collar roots made him perfect fit for Cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/how-joe-maddon%E2%80%99s-blue-collar-roots-made-him-perfect-fit-cubs

Tribune, Cubs, White Sox begin spring workouts Feb. 19-20 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/ct-white-sox-open-spring-training-feb-19-20160111- story.html

, Man guilty of selling fake Cubs playoff tickets, sentenced to prison http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/skokie/news/ct-fake-cubs-playoff-tickets-met-20160111-story.html

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs Convention figures to fire up the party and the hope again http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1243647/cubs-convention-figures-fire-party-hype

 Daily Herald, Will Cubs Convention open with extension for Epstein? http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160111/sports/160119793/

 Cubs.com, Maddon serving spaghetti on Cubs Caravan http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161652532/joe-maddon-to-cook-spaghetti-on-cubs-caravan

 Cubs.com, Cubs' first spring workout dates announced http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161619060/cubs-announce-spring-training-workout-dates

 Cubs.com, Hughes named '15 Sportscaster of Year http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161638114/pat-hughes-named-illinois-sportscaster-of-year

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ESPNChicago.com Loaded Cubs set for fan convention -- and 2016 season By Jesse Rogers

CHICAGO -- The get to bask in the success of the last year as convention week kicks off with the Cubs Caravan followed by a weekend love-fest between players and fans at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. is around the corner, but first comes some reliving of a memorable 2015 -- including some fine work by the front office this winter.

Netting , , and Adam Warren this offseason helps fortify a team with high hopes and one goal: breaking the franchise’s 108-year championship drought. The Cubs knocked on the door last season and now, armed with a few more veterans and a deeper roster, they’ll try to break it down.

One way to judge a team is by its weakest links. As last season began, spring invitee Jonathan Herrera was a main cog off the bench in the infield while journeyman was the extra guy in the outfield. Now the Cubs boast and Javier Baez as their “extras.” Warren will essentially take Edwin Jackson’s place as a potential sixth starter, which shows how much deeper the Cubs are now than they were a season ago.

That’s not to say those role players didn’t help last season. In fact, there’s no guarantee that Coghlan or Baez will be any better off the bench. But here’s the key, and the thing the Cubs have been stressing all offseason: This season they will be in better position to withstand a major injury or unexpected slump because Joe Maddon can insert players who would otherwise be starters -- or at least platoon players -- on other teams. In reality, Baez and Coghlan will probably get plenty of playing time, since "keeping guys fresh" isn’t just a cliché for Maddon; it’s a managerial style.

This time around that kind of thinking might apply to the starting staff as well. The Cubs already have Warren waiting in the wings and they’re probably not done adding arms -- especially if you look ahead to the July 31 trade deadline. If or Lackey’s workload can be reduced come September, the Cubs will take advantage. That wasn’t possible last season, as dipping into the minors for a reliable arm just wasn’t feasible. This year, they should be more prepared.

Finding a way to win more games was, of course, a goal of the front office in the past, but now it’s about keeping what they have and avoiding the pitfalls that lead to an unexpected losing season. As the Cubs have said this winter, there’s not a lot of work to be done with your frontline players when their names are Rizzo, Bryant, Russell, etc. Their talent is either going to get the Cubs where they want to go or it won’t, but if someone gets hurt or has some unexpected issues that affect his play, the front office wants to be as prepared as possible and have the right guy behind him to keep the train moving.

And it’s not like the Cubs don’t have any weaknesses. Let’s take a look at the winter checklist that presented at the end of last season. Here is where the Cubs wanted to get better:

Outfield defense: Just the presence of Heyward alone should improve things, but probably not as much as if he were in right field and the Cubs employed a veteran in center. It’s telling that former center fielder is still available as a free agent but the Cubs chose to go in a different direction because they didn't trust his game under a long-term commitment. The right deal for didn’t materialize, so Heyward will simply replace Fowler in center. Soler and can’t get worse out there unless they don’t put in the work, so let’s say that the team has improved in the outfield but not by a huge leap -- unless Heyward wins a gold glove at a new position. That’s not out of the realm of possibility either.

Contact hitters: Here is where the Cubs a . Heyward brought runners home from third with fewer than two outs 54 percent of the time last year while advancing them from second to third with no outs 71 percent of the time. Zobrist was at 50 and 60 percent, respectively, in those categories. A reminder: The Cubs were the worst in the league at bringing home runners from third with less than two outs in 2015, accomplishing it only 41 percent of the time, so adding two contact guys will help. And anyone, like Zobrist, who walks more than he strikes out has a place on the Cubs. Heyward’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is less than 2-to-1 for his career so he fits as well. The Cubs will miss some of what both Fowler and a hot brought to the table, but they were replaced by two reliable hitters who fill needs for the offense.

Starting pitching: Improving the rotation was easier said than done, as the Cubs rightly didn’t throw Powerball-type money at the top free-agent arms. Instead, they improved the middle of the rotation while adding depth in Warren. Will adding Lackey and moving Jason Hammel to No. 4 and to No. 5 be enough? Can the Cubs find success in plucking Warren from the American League East as they did with Hammel, Arrieta, Lester and Lackey (via St. Louis)? Those names, along with Hendricks, are a reminder the Cubs haven’t drafted a starter who has made it to the big leagues under the current front office. It hasn’t been a big deal so far, but at some point -- to get the right value for a player -- the Cubs will need this to happen. Relying on older, expensive free agents isn’t a formula they'll want to use too often.

Catching: One surprise of the offseason came in November during the general manager meetings, when Epstein more than intimated would be back after doing a solid job in his estimation. The GM had previously stated that he wanted to improve upon limiting the opponent’s running game, so there was some thought that the Cubs might make a move behind the plate. Perhaps Montero’s contract simply didn’t allow for that to happen or maybe Montero’s value with outweighed any deficiencies on defense. He would probably be the first to admit he had a rough year while battling a thumb injury in the second half, but he’s not without value. So even though the Cubs didn’t address this need externally, it’s a good bet it will be a topic come spring training.

Overall the Cubs executed Plan A this winter. It was the second offseason in a row in which they mostly accomplished what they wanted to do. And now they are reaping the benefits, as multiple players took less money to sign with the Cubs. Winning will do that. Meanwhile, their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, not only lost two key players to the Cubs, but they're also still under the dark cloud of the hacking scandal that came to light last summer. Stiff penalties are likely coming, continuing a downward trend for the Cardinals that started with the Cubs beating them in the playoffs. In any case -- penalties or not -- no one would be foolish enough to overlook St. Louis on the field. The Cardinals have been too good for too long.

So the Cubs have spent several months working to assure themselves of another successful season. This weekend they’ll get to enjoy the fruits of their labor along with a rabid fan base. Then it’s back to work. The championship drought can’t be broken in the winter months but dreams of ending it can feel real at this time of year. That will certainly be the case this weekend as 2016 has arrived and the Cubs are loaded for another crack at winning it all. This time they might just do it.

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CSNChicago.com How Joe Maddon’s blue-collar roots made him perfect fit for Cubs By Patrick Mooney

HAZLETON, Pa. – If the 2016 Cubs are too big to fail, then Joe Maddon’s five-year contract is the $25 million insurance policy, money well spent for a favorite on paper.

Maddon has the street smarts and the people skills to survive in an organization that historically has been sabotaged by ownership instability, corporate dysfunction and political infighting.

Maddon is fluent in analytics and has a scouting background, making him comfortable interpreting data and trusting young talent, the creative tension felt between his dugout and Theo Epstein’s front office.

Maddon doesn’t believe in clubhouse rules or pregame eyewash – viewing batting practice as a waste of time – and that loose structure appeals to veteran players who want to be treated like men.

Maddon can still connect with the rookies, staying hip as he nears his 62nd birthday, wearing a Lacoste hoodie and puffy North Face gear, gaining almost 280,000 followers on Twitter and streaming episodes of “The Office” through Netflix on his iPad.

Maddon doesn’t get defensive or show any signs of stress during his media sessions, enjoying the banter after all those nights spent inside working-class bars.

It all started in this blue-collar city, part of Pennsylvania’s faded coal-mining region, where he grew up in the apartment above his father’s shop: C. Maddon and Sons Plumbing and Heating.

Maddon introduced Cubs fans to “The Hazleton Way” – a shot and a beer – near the end of his first press conference at The Cubby Bear in November 2014.

But that spontaneous moment – offering to buy the first round at the bar opposite the marquee – wasn’t just a throwaway sound bite. The breezy confidence and why-not? attitude would become essential parts of a team that took the baseball world by storm.

“I’m never offended by being second-guessed, because you have to print that kind of stuff for the people here,” he said while sitting at the bar inside Bottlenecks in West Hazleton, during a scene from the “Going Home: Joe Maddon” documentary that premieres Thursday night on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

“People are into us. We had a nice year. The offseason’s been pretty fruitful, also. You can go back to the day where it was on WGN always (and everyone could watch the Cubs). There’s a good vibe among our group right now.

“These are legitimate baseball fans that like the game to be played properly, which would mean hard. It’s not an easy place to live (here), so the people are kind of tough. They appreciate hard-working – and they appreciate hustle.”

“That’s Joey”

Maddon doesn’t remember his father ever taking a vacation. Joe Sr. served in World War II and considered himself to be a rich man, even if this Italian-Polish family didn’t have a lot of money. The Maddons didn’t take summer trips to the Jersey Shore, making the neighborhood and local Catholic parish the center of their universe.

Steps away from that apartment, Maddon’s mother still works at Third Base Luncheonette, a soda-fountain joint that looks unchanged since it opened in 1949.

Albina – everyone calls her “Beanie” – adds up orders in her head and has a certain way to slice the tomatoes. The lunchtime crowd sits at the countertop on low-to-the-floor stools and eats hoagies. The walls are painted shades of pink. As a kid, Maddon used to mop the floors here.

“That’s Joey,” said Carmine Parlatore, Maddon’s sister. “He’ll talk to the person on the street that has nothing – and then he could talk to a CEO exactly the same. He doesn’t treat anybody any differently. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

Maddon learned how to compete here on the football fields, basketball playgrounds and baseball diamonds. The lesson: Don’t back down from anyone.

The bottom line: Maddon couldn’t afford college – and get past Hazleton High School – without that athletic potential and a strong academic performance.

The quarterback threw footballs through the tire his father hung from a tree, drawing interest from Ivy League schools, getting a letter from Roger Staubach – the 1963 Heisman Trophy winner and future Hall of Famer – and taking the physical for the Naval Academy.

Maddon settled on Lafayette College, a private school more than an hour away in Easton, taking a financial-aid package – roughly $16,000 spread across four years – that would be cut in half once he decided to give up football and focus exclusively on baseball.

Maddon joined Zeta Psi and partied at a fraternity house that would make the National Register of Historic Places, never quite finishing that degree in economics, beginning a journey out West that would keep testing Joey from Our Lady of Grace.

The Zen Master

“I describe Joe as a little and a little Phil Jackson mixed together,” said Cubs catching/strategy , who experienced four World Series celebrations with Torre’s teams. “Joe’s an outside-the-box thinker with a calm, cool attitude. That kind of sums it up: Phil Jackson and Joe Torre combined.”

The title of Jackson’s autobiography says it all after his run with the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers: “Eleven Rings.” All Maddon needs is one to set off the biggest party this city has ever seen.

“It’s funny because Joe’s a little bit of a contrast,” said pitching coach , who grew up near Midway Airport and spent eight seasons working alongside Maddon. “He likes to promote himself as kind of the California cool, (but he’s more) the blue-collar, lunch-pail town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

“Of course, Chicago is ‘The City of Big Shoulders’ – and a very blue-collar city – so I think people really see that (in Joe). But you also know how Chicago is – I think any personality would play there as long as you won. It just makes it a lot easier when you win. It’s going to be really, really special when they end up winning the whole thing.”

Anything less this year will be considered a disappointment after the Cubs dropped $272 million on Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey, adding three big-name free agents to a team that won 97 games and advanced to the Championship Series in Maddon’s first season. That 24-game improvement – which ended a streak of five straight fifth-place finishes on the North Side – earned Maddon his third Manager of the Year award.

“What’s great about Joe is whether he would be managing a Little League team or a Chicago Cubs season, it’s all the same,” Borzello said. “I don’t think he lets anything stand in his way. There’s nothing that is too big for him. He doesn’t look at things that way. It’s more of paying attention to the little things. He always talks about being prepared, and the team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win.

“No matter what level he manages, or how many cameras are on him, or how big the game is, it’s the same for him. Whether he’s managing in Tampa or he’s managing in Chicago, the market doesn’t matter. I just think Joe’s able to handle anything that comes his way.”

Joe Sr. died in 2002 – before Maddon helped the Anaheim Angels win the 2002 World Series as Mike Scioscia’s bench coach – and never got to see Joey work small-market miracles with the Rays. But all those old-school values the Cubs need now – the sense that nothing will ever be handed to you – are rooted in the concrete and asphalt of Hazleton.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs, White Sox begin spring workouts Feb. 19-20 By Mark Gonzales

The start of the regular season is nearly three months away, but the Chicago White Sox and Cubs announced their spring training workout dates.

The White Sox will hold their first workout for pitchers and Feb. 19 at their Camelback Ranch complex. Cubs pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout at their complex in Mesa the following day.

The White Sox's first full-squad workout will be held on Feb. 23, with the Cubs conducting their first full-squad workout the following day.

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Chicago Tribune Man guilty of selling fake Cubs playoff tickets, sentenced to prison By Brian L. Cox

A Chicago man who authorities said sold phony Chicago Cubs playoff tickets to two men was sentenced to two years in prison Monday.

Terry L. Prince, 21, of the 500 block of East 87th Place in Chicago, was arrested in Skokie in October after he met two men and sold them four fake Cubs playoffs tickets for $600, authorities said.

By the time the men realized their tickets were counterfeit, Price had left the area, officials said. Police were able to contact Prince, and he was arrested later the same day following an undercover sting operation.

Prince, who was on bond on a retail theft charge when he sold the Cubs tickets, was charged with felony forgery, records show. On Monday at Cook County's Skokie courthouse, Price pleaded guilty to a single count of forgery and was sentenced. In addition to the prison term, he received one year of probation and was ordered to pay fees and fines of more than $400.

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs Convention figures to fire up the party and the hope again By Rick Morrissey

The Cubs Convention starts Friday, and if you’re going, dress accordingly. I’d recommend a rain poncho and ski goggles. Some champagne bottles from the October celebrations might have gone uncorked, like unexploded ordnance, and it could get messy.

People are both reveling in the team’s trip to the National League Championship Series last year and fantasizing about all the lofty possibilities going forward. It has reached bacchanalian levels in some corners. But enough about the Cubs’ new radio partners.

This is the first step in what figures to be a wild, over-the-top, elevator ride of a year. The good feelings from last season have been ratcheted up for 2016, and the three-day convention will give hoarse voice to hopes for a World Series title.

A sold-out crowd at the Sheraton Grand Chicago will get its first look at new Cubs Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist. It will also see returning stars Jake Arrieta, and Kyle Schwarber. If the emcee mentions the news that reigning N.L. Rookie of the Year recently got engaged, there will wailing and gnashing of teeth, even among some of the women.

It’s going to be difficult for Joe Maddon’s players to live up to the hype, but they rarely faltered last year, even when expectations gained considerable weight. No matter how it plays out, it should be incredible theater. Might as well start with a rock concert Friday.

However, I would recommend that players keep their distance from excited fans at the convention. The contact buzz could cause problems later on.

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Daily Herald Will Cubs Convention open with extension for Epstein? By Bruce Miles

The official run-up to spring training begins this week for the Chicago Cubs.

After a couple of days on the winter caravan, the team will gather in Chicago for its annual fan convention Friday- Sunday.

Excitement should be at an all-time high this weekend after last year's 97-win season and appearance in the National League championship series. Expectations for 2016 will be just as high.

The convention has been known to provide its share of breaking news. Just a couple of years ago, chairman Tom Ricketts announced the massive Wrigley Field renovation plan, which is well underway.

Spring training is approaching. Cubs pitchers and catchers report Feb. 19 with their first workout Feb. 20. Position players report Feb. 23 before a Feb. 24 workout.

With the convention in town, here are a few things I'd like to see this weekend:

More time for Theo:

Don't look now, but we're coming up on the fifth season of the five-year contract given by Ricketts to Cubs baseball president Theo Epstein.

Ricketts would bring the house down Friday night if he announced at the opening ceremonies that he has given Epstein a five-year extension.

Of course, the public and the media view such things differently from how Epstein and Ricketts view them. Neither Epstein nor Ricketts has expressed any urgency to get things done on an extension.

Whether it happens at the convention, spring training or early in the season, an extension for Epstein should be a no-brainer. Ricketts brought him in from Boston to revamp and modernize the baseball-operations department, and Epstein's crew has done that, even as Cubs fans suffered through three straight losing seasons before last year's breakthrough.

The Cubs clearly have entered Phase 2 of the Epstein program, and that phase brings with it the expectation of winning every year.

Last year's winning season means the Cubs no longer will enjoy drafting near the top, so we'll see how they do with picking at the bottom of each round.

Theo and field manager Joe Maddon have plenty of rock-star status with most Cubs fans. It's time to make sure the band stays together.

A role for Ryno:

Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is listed among the alumni who will attend the convention. It's a good thing that the Cubs and Sandberg are back together after his stint as manager of the .

There's no room on the current Cubs coaching staff, and Sandberg already has done the minor-league managerial thing.

It would be nice if Epstein could find an advisory or special-assistant role for Sandberg (if Ryno wants one) the way he has done for former players such as , Ted Lilly and John Baker, who spent only one season as a Cubs player.

A dash of spice:

With the Cubs having turned the corner toward winning, current players such as Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell should be reason enough for fans to get excited about the convention.

But as convention creator John McDonough used to say years ago, the weekend is a lot like a college reunion. Hall of Famers Sandberg, and Fergie Jenkins will be there this weekend, and it also would be nice to see more players from the 2007-08 division winners and maybe even a few more from 2003.

Right now, , Dempster, Lilly and former reliever Scott Eyre are scheduled to attend. It would be great to see others such as Derrek Lee, Mark DeRosa and manager .

The name of (1992-2004) gets brought up every year, but so far it's another year without Sammy. The PED questions that have dogged Sosa seem to have the Cubs keeping him beyond arm's length, and maybe nobody needs that distraction during a feel-good convention.

But at some point Sammy should be part of things again.

A voice for the fans:

WSCR 670-AM is the new radio home of the Cubs. If any of their staffers are hosting the Saturday morning baseball-management session, here's hoping they stay out of the way and let the fans enjoy a full hour of asking questions to Epstein, general manager and others on stage.

We in the media can have our shot daily with Cubs people. The fans get this one chance. Let them be heard.

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Cubs.com Maddon serving spaghetti on Cubs Caravan By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Manager Joe Maddon plans on serving spaghetti and meatballs to folks Wednesday night as part of a Cubs Caravan stop, and on Monday, he went shopping for ingredients.

Maddon and his wife, Jaye, visited a Jewel-Osco store in Chicago for supplies that he'll use at the "Thanksmas" dinner at the Chicago Help Initiative. The dinner is the first event of the Cubs Caravan, which leads up to this weekend's Cubs Convention.

Winner of the National League Manager of the Year Award, Maddon is preparing the meal, and will get help from Cubs players and coaches to serve the 200 guests expected to attend to help raise awareness about Chicago's homeless population.

During their shopping trip, the Maddons met with a cake decorator who designed the "Thanksmas" cakes and talked to a cashier who was obviously prepped for their visit.

Jewel-Osco contributed $5,000 to Cubs Charities to make the event possible.

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Cubs.com Cubs' first spring workout dates announced By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Can National League Award winner Jake Arrieta win 20-plus games again? How will do in his second season with the Cubs? The two will get Spring Training started when Cubs pitchers and catchers have their first workout Feb. 20 in Mesa, Ariz.

Major League Baseball announced the reporting and workout dates on Monday. Cubs pitchers and catchers will report Feb. 19 and work out the next day, and position players will have their first workout on Feb. 24.

This will be the third year at the Cubs' new complex in Mesa, Ariz. The first Cactus League game will be played March 3, when the Cubs travel to Maryvale, Ariz., to face the Brewers. The first home spring game is April 4, when the Cubs play host to the Angels at .

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Cubs.com Hughes named '15 Illinois Sportscaster of Year By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Pat Hughes, the Cubs' radio play-by-play announcer, was named the 2015 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year on Monday by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

This is the 10th time Hughes has won a Sportscaster of the Year award and his seventh time in Illinois. He also was honored as Wisconsin's Sportscaster of the Year for three consecutive years, starting in 1990.

"I'd like to dedicate this award to the Cubs' dramatic 2015 season, and to my tremendous broadcasting partner Ron Coomer," Hughes said.

The 2016 season will be Hughes' 21st as the radio voice of the Cubs. It also is his 34th consecutive season as a Major League announcer.

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