Community Picks: Milwaukee Brewers 0% vs Chicago Cubs 0%

The Cubs organization is handing out World Series Championship rings to players and other employees, describing the bling as a “priceless memento of the greatest championship quest in all of sports.” In fact, each ring does have a price — $1, to be precise — even though appraisers say they could fetch anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000 on the open market. That’s because the rings come with strings attached. The Cubs are discouraging ring recipients from selling the hardware. But if they get the urge, the Cubs reserve the right to buy the overwhelming majority of the rings back for $1, according to a memo the organization is asking ring recipients to sign. A copy of the memo was obtained by the Continue to Article

April 19, 2017 11:30:am EST

Despite a large early deficit against a surging offense, Kyle Schwarber had little doubt the Chicago Cubs would rally. Schwarber and Miguel Montero each hit a two-run homer, Albert Almora Jr. and Jon Jay added run-scoring hits in a four-run sixth inning and Chicago rallied from five down for a 9-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Brewers slugger Eric Thames had two doubles and three hits but ended his franchise record-tying homer streak at five games. Continue to Article

April 19, 2017 1:17:am EST

Jake Arrieta might be the Cubs’ most tested player under baseball’s “random” testing program for performance enhancing drugs,  enough that the muscular power pitcher might be able to make a case he’s being profiled. The subject came up again with the announcement by major league baseball that All-Star outfielder Starling Marte of the rival Pirates was suspended for 80 games for a positive PED test, just three days after homering in a one-run victory over the Cubs. On a hitter-friendly night in which the Cubs and Brewers combined for four home runs and 13 extra-base hits, it raised once again the question of how many players are still using PEDs more than a decade after the first significant increase in testing and penalties. “I think we need to get drug tested a lot more,” said first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who seems at the opposite end of the “random” spectrum from Arrieta — having gone untested since the start-of-spring test everyone takes. Continue to Article

April 19, 2017 12:58:am EST

In the world of sports mascots, there are many who are a genuine delight (the Phillie Phanatic, for one) and many who are walking horrorshows who stalk through our nightmares and curse our waking moments with dread and terror (the Pelicans' King Cake Continue to Article

April 18, 2017 12:37:pm EST

It looked weird, three Kansas City Royals employees wearing gold-trimmed Cubs jerseys on their day off. But there must be some sort of 108-year exception to Major League Baseball's no-fraternization policy or whatever unwritten rule that might fall under now. Jason Hammel, Jorge Soler and Travis Wood received their World Series rings before Monday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Team president Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and manager Joe Maddon stood near home plate as the Cubs played a tribute on the giant video board above the left-field bleachers and handed out the championship bling, a warm tribute to three players who helped build a contender. "I love Continue to Article

April 17, 2017 11:32:pm EST