March 28, 2018 Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon keeping Cubs' opening day lineup under wraps http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-opening-day-lineup-notes- 20180327-story.html Chicago Tribune, Victor Caratini builds bond with Cardinals pitcher seriously injured by his line drive http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-victor-caratini-daniel- poncedeleon-20180328-story.html Chicago Tribune, Theo Epstein looking for new advantages as more teams utilize analytics: 'You have to get really creative' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-theo-epstein-analytics- 20180327-story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs manager Joe Maddon enthused about defensive improvement for 2018 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-defensive-improvement- 20180327-story.html Chicago Tribune, Transportation woes spoil Joe Maddon's otherwise sunny spring training http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-joe-maddon-car-20180327- story.html Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon's non-profit organization, The Hazelton Project, wins national award http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-joe-maddon-hazleton-award- 20180327-story.html Chicago Sun-Times, Cost & effect: Why Jon Lester’s value remains high halfway through Cubs megadeal https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cost-and-effect-how-jon-lesters-value-has-held-strong- halfway-through-megadeal/ Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs veteran Chris Gimenez caught off guard by roster decision, vows to be ready https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-veteran-chris-gimenez-caught-off-guard-by-roster- decision-vows-to-be-ready/ The Athletic, The insecurities and motivations that keep driving Jon Lester: 'I hate to lose' https://theathletic.com/290667/2018/03/28/the-insecurities-and-motivations-that-keep-driving- jon-lester-i-hate-to-lose/ The Athletic, Cubs assistant GM Scott Harris loves his job, even when it causes him personal embarrassment https://theathletic.com/289498/2018/03/27/cubs-assistant-gm-scott-harris-loves-his-job-even- when-it-causes-him-personal-embarrassment/ Cubs.com, Maddon thrilled by Cubs' 'unique' camaraderie https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/joe-maddon-talks-highs-lows-of-cubs-camp/c-269803270 NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs 2018 Power Rankings: Preseason edition http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cubs-2018-power-rankings-preseason-edition-schwarber- darvish-bryzzo-happ-quintana -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon keeping Cubs' opening day lineup under wraps By Mark Gonzales Manager Joe Maddon has a good idea of what his opening day lineup will look like Thursday in Miami, but he’s not about to reveal it soon. “I don’t want to put it out there too soon,” Maddon said Tuesday, not wanting to give the Marlins any scouting advantage. “I’d rather just wait.” The Cubs’ lineup against right-hander Jose Urena is likely to be comprised of center fielder Ian Happ, third baseman Kris Bryant, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, catcher Willson Contreras, left fielder Kyle Schwarber, shortstop Addison Russell, right fielder Jason Heyward, second baseman Javier Baez and pitcher Jon Lester. Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless inning in the Cubs’ 4-2 loss to the Red Sox, and Strop retired nine of the 10 batters he faced this spring despite not making his debut until Thursday. The Cubs aren’t expected to announce their 25-man roster until Thursday morning, but indications are Strop, who missed much of spring with a sore left calf and flu-like symptoms, and Eddie Butler will be on it. Hawk’s seal of approval: Maddon was pleased most about the interaction of his players during spring training, especially when discussing subjects other than baseball. His feelings were reinforced by comments he heard indirectly from Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson, who spent the second half of spring training serving as a guest instructor. “He was talking the other day about how this group lacks the high ego guy, that there’s an egoless feel about this group,” Maddon said. “That’s high praise, coming from the Hawk.” Resting for regular season: Jose Quintana threw three innings but only 35 pitches in his final start of spring training. He said was how Maddon and pitching coach Jim Hickey designed it. “Now every game counts,” said Quintana, who won’t make his season debut until Saturday night against the Marlins. “We’re going to be ready for major-league games. I’m excited. (Tuesday is) the last game, and everyone is excited. We have good energy. It’s good to have everyone ready, so let’s do it.” -- Chicago Tribune Victor Caratini builds bond with Cardinals pitcher seriously injured by his line drive By Dan Wiederer Daniel Poncedeleon knows it might sound silly, but the competitor within him often emerges when he thinks about the moment that threatened his life. Ask him about that terrifying afternoon last spring. Ask him about that Triple-A game in Des Moines, Iowa — Memphis Redbirds versus Iowa Cubs. Ask him about how he so quickly went from the pitcher’s mound at Principal Park to an operating table at a nearby hospital, and he begins by scolding himself. Why did he groove that fastball? Why didn’t he react quicker when the ball came right back at him? “I get mad at myself,” Poncedeleon says. That two-seam fastball came in the second inning May 9, an offering to then-Cubs prospect Victor Caratini. It was belt high over the center of the plate. “Good pitch for me,” Caratini says now. “Right down the middle.” In the next 1.2 seconds, an orchestra of sounds resounded — the wood of Caratini’s bat, the crack of Poncedeleon’s skull and a horrified gasp from around the stadium. Then silence. Terrified, stomach-knotting silence. Poncedeleon, then 25 and a promising prospect in the Cardinals organization, initially was oblivious to how dire things were. His first thought was that he had suffered a concussion. He had no comprehension that Caratini’s line drive had dented his right temple, that his brain had begun to swell instantly. “I knew I got hit in the head,” Poncedeleon says. “I just didn’t think it was that bad. I told our trainer I should get up and walk to the locker room.” Caratini collected his single and slowly walked toward the mound. “Scary,” he says. “Just a really tough moment.” An ambulance rushed Poncedeleon to the hospital. Doctors hurried to treat the pitcher. Poncedeleon felt increasingly woozy and began vomiting. “This is pretty bad,” he remembers thinking. “By that point my brain wasn’t working very well. It gets kind of splotchy after that.” Emergency surgery was imperative to lessen the swelling in Poncedeleon’s brain, to control the bleeding. After collecting four hits and two RBIs in a 3-1 Cubs victory, Caratini learned of Poncedeleon’s condition and instantly felt distraught. “I messed with his life, ya know?” Caratini says. The Cubs prospect also felt a responsibility to reach out. He visited Poncedeleon and his family in the hospital that first night. Poncedeleon’s father flew in from California. His now-wife, Jennifer, who had been watching the game on a web feed, raced to Iowa from Florida with their newborn son, Casen. Caratini made recurring pop-ins to offer food and Gatorade and as much support as he could. “I told him, ‘If you need anything, I’m here for you and your family,’” Caratini says. “I wanted them to be more comfortable.” Comfort zone Poncedeleon doesn’t remember Caratini’s first visit. But when they connected again at the hospital, he sensed Caratini’s apprehension. “This is a game,” Caratini reiterates. “It’s to play and have fun. I don’t want to mess with his life, with his wife, with his family.” Says Poncedeleon: “I was just hoping he didn’t feel bad for what happened. He hit the pitch where I threw it. He did what he was supposed to. You could tell he didn’t want to say anything wrong, but I told him it was my fault.” With the Cardinals pitcher spending two weeks in intensive care and another several days in inpatient rehabilitation, the Iowa Cubs pushed to take care of some of the travel expenses for Poncedeleon’s family. Caratini, now the Cubs’ new backup catcher, organized a team fundraiser. His wife prepared a handful of Latin dishes and brought them to the hospital: chicken, rice, beans, just the right spice. “Way better than hospital food,” Poncedeleon says. “That was great.” It was a small bond but one Poncedeleon deeply appreciates. “Victor is a genuinely good person,” he says. “The next time I see him, I’ll give him a hug.” ‘Let’s hope he makes it through surgery’ Poncedeleon first saw his accident a week or so after surgery, when his boredom sent him reaching for his phone. There on the internet was the replay: the two-seamer, the line drive at his head, his collapse. “If you watch,” Poncedeleon says, “I got my hands up. And I was an inch away from catching that thing or at least deflecting it. “So I was mad at myself: ‘Why can’t you be quicker? Why can’t you finish better?’ Right down the middle (with the pitch). It was all my fault.” That thought bounced around Poncedeleon’s mind as he laid in his hospital bed plowing through Sudoku puzzles. Ultimately he needed a CT scan to get clearance to fly. And it was then, he says, that the imaging of his brain demonstrated the gravity of what had happened. He could see the crack in his skull and the swelling and shifting of his brain.