The beginning of the David Bote era was something to behold, and I’m not just referencing the time the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year hit that walk-off two-strike grand slam against the Nationals. I’m talking about the home run he hit against the Diamondbacks a week or two earlier, too.
The end of the David Bote era may not be anything to behold. In fact, it may have happened yesterday.
Bote’s under contract for a few more years, but when a 29-year-old veteran bench player goes to the minors, they don’t always come back. It’s no secret the Cubs are getting younger. It’s no secret Bote isn’t fully the player who once took the entire Major Leagues by storm. Bote may be done. Our adventures with David Bote might be finished.
As longtime readers know, this is an emotional moment for us. We never fully became a David Bote blog (partially because he didn’t have a huge role in 2019, partially because I never finished that fan fiction novella where he and Anthony Rizzo and I fought crime in the form of Rob Manfred, partially because Joe Kelly is such a demanding topic to blog about), but we were once largely a David Bote blog, especially in our nascent days, before The Barking Crow was even around. If David Bote’s time with the Cubs is over, what does that mean about our time? Is this God’s way of telling us to get our affairs in order?
Hopefully it’s not that. But whatever the meaning in our lives, it’s a sad time. Godspeed, David Bote. I hope you got that trophy we sent you.
Nick Madrigal Bobblehead Day: Thoughts
Nick Madrigal’s bobblehead day is tomorrow, and if Joe Kelly’s in Los Angeles in 2019 can teach us anything, Madrigal is about to get ridiculously hot. Ridiculously, ridiculously hot. Get that bobblehead, anyone thinking of attending (also, considering purchasing tickets in section 129 on SeatGeek). You’re going to be glad you did.
Is UCF Fake?
A thought I just had, in this moment, is this: What if we took a commuter school of enormous size and placed it in a town famed for its ability to keep an intricate semi-fictional kingdom up and running? If any school in NCAA’s Division I is an outright hoax, it’s the University of Central Florida, and if any of you who fully bought in to the school’s national championship case had a conscience, your conscience would be sweating right now.
I hope this isn’t true.
Though the Tacko Fall part of the story would be electric when it came out.
Is Tacko Fall Going to Make the Jazz?
As in, will he make the roster. I am not using “make the jazz” as a euphemism for anything, including creating jazz music with one’s voice and/or a collection of instruments. In this case.
I can’t find anything on this online. Nobody is even asking the question. That probably means one of two things.
Shaka Smart and Chris Beard Are in a 2023 Recruiting Dead Heat
With neither having signed a player in the upcoming recruiting class, Marquette and Texas are tied in the rankings. Given the institutional advantages at Texas, this is pretty damning stuff regarding the Longhorns’ decision to move on from their old head coach. Wow. Just, wow.
I’m a Half-Gallon Guy Now
As you may have gathered, or as we may have told you, it’s been a weird summer around here, and that’s perhaps best exemplified by me, multiple times, pouring portions of unfinished gallons of milk down the sink. Last night, I made the switch. I bought half a gallon of whole milk. This is who I am right now.
I’m hoping to bounce back. I’m hoping I slug through this thing, slug through the next one I buy, and take advantage of an upcoming stretch light on travel to graduate back into gallon land. For now, though, I am what I am. And you know what? That’s ok.
Maxwel Cornet’s a West Ham Guy Now
It’s official. Maxwel Cornet is gone, and the Burnleyers should be done selling. For 17.5 million pounds (that’s currency, not weights), Burnley sold the electric midfielder to their London lookalikes. He’ll be missed.
On the other side, the Manuel Benson signing’s official, and Burnley’s Fawlty Towers-inspired introduction video on social media led one Twitter user to tweet, “Don’t mention the VAR,” which positively made my night.
The lads host Luton Town tomorrow in the home opener. More on that below.
Piastri In, Ricciardo Out
I don’t know who said what, but everyone’s now treating Oscar Piastri-to-McLaren as a done deal, with the only question being how big Daniel Ricciardo’s buyout will be.
I guess the other question is whether Ricciardo might come over to NASCAR. That’s been thrown around as a possible late-career move for him before.
Finally: Fargo
Fargo’s a happy gal. Fired up to have us home. Very mischievous—she doesn’t know where to put her energy but behind the cause of stealing shoes—but that’s what makes her the Fargs. Having a good little snoozle on the couch right now next to me.
**
Viewing schedule for the weekend:
Friday, 8:05 PM EDT: White Sox @ Rangers (MLB TV)
Saturday, 7:05 PM EDT: White Sox @ Rangers (MLB TV)
Sunday, 2:35 PM EDT: White Sox @ Rangers (MLB TV, looking like gamecast)
Remind me to buy tickets when Joe Kelly’s in Texas next year. Specifically to face the Astros, though. Sorry, Rangers. You guys get attention too, but only if the schedule’s right.
Friday, 2:20 PM EDT: Marlins @ Cubs (MLB TV)
Saturday, 2:20 PM EDT: Marlins @ Cubs (FS1)
Sunday, 2:20 PM EDT: Marlins @ Cubs (MLB TV, second screen)
Three straight day games at Wrigley in August. Why does it leave me feeling cold?
Sunday, 3:00 PM EDT: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix (NBC)
Sunday, 3:00 PM EDT: FireKeepers Casino 400 (USA, so probably on the phone)
IndyCar’s on their Nashville street course this weekend, which doesn’t make for great racing but should be plenty of fun. NASCAR’s in Michigan, which might make for really good racing, especially with so many drivers playoff-desperate or at least playoff-scared.
Saturday, 10:00 AM EDT: Burnley vs. Luton Town (ESPN+)
Luton, which gets its name from who knows where because Luton was founded 1,500 years ago, was a big hat-making town, which is why Luton Town is now called the Hatters. Why does everything in England seem like it came from a children’s book? Are children’s books all based on England? Are children’s books all based in England?
The team was a Premier League club as recently as 1991-92, and won the League Cup back in 1988, but a period of losing accompanied by some penalties for funneling payments through improper channels left them all the way down in non-league football as late as 2013-14. They’ve been on the rise since and were promoted to the Championship in May of 2019. Last year, they lost in the play-off semifinal to Huddersfield Town. In other words, they’ve got some momentum.
Last week, Luton drew with Birmingham at home, scorelessly, so maybe the momentum is ending. Regardless, Burnley’s got its work cut out for itself. I’m seeing the lads favored to win, but only narrowly. A win would be great, a draw would be tolerable, a loss would feel like a missed opportunity.
Go get ‘em, fellas. (Luton’s a pretty large city—215,000 or so—and it’s close enough to London to be the site of a London budget airport, so I’m getting Moreno Valley vibes as far as an American equivalent goes. Though I’m unclear what the story is with Moreno Valley and hats.)
