Today’s Reflections

I don’t know what to do at this point, but, hey, we’ve been here before. I threatened to post positive “tomorrow” phrases, but the gods smited me by a 12-1 margin on Tuesday, so I will forgo that beating again.

But this is a definite reflection — Wednesday was the fifth anniversary of “The Javy-being-the-Javyest” play (if you can’t tell, I made up that title). Let’s just smile and reflect together, shall we?

2021 wasn’t the best of years, but it had the best moment of El Mago. ESPN can call it “chaotic”, I call it “beautiful”. It was the Pirates that were chaotic. They are a little bit better now.

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• Rodney Knuppel (Sporting News): Cubs are suddenly in danger of wasting their incredible start to the season. “For nearly two months, the Chicago Cubs looked like one of baseball’s most complete teams. ….. Now, the conversation around the Cubs has changed dramatically ….. continuing one of the most stunning collapses in baseball this season.”

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Column: Another unexplainable Chicago Cubs losing streak? Been there, done that. “As a senior fellow at the Chicago branch of the Institute of Laughable Losing Streaks (ILLS), I can confirm the Cubs have been in more dire straits after similar stretches of bad baseball, many of which I witnessed firsthand.”

Pitching ups and downs:

• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic): As Cubs’ losing streak reaches 10, Justin Steele’s timeline remains murky. “Before Tuesday’s loss, the club did share an update on the status of Justin Steele, which was presented as a step forward, but the timeline for his return to the mound remains uncertain.”

• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Jacob Webb Has Come Around Quickly for the Cubs. “He was only meant to be the fifth or sixth arm in the team’s bullpen, but injuries have forced Jacob Webb to fill an important role so far. After a brutal start, he’s stepped up nicely.”

Hitting downs (What else is there?):

• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): This is What Trying Too Hard Looks Like: Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs’ Careen Into Disaster. “In what is now a 10-game losing streak and a 14-of-16 plummet for the last-place Cubs, it feels like there has been an out-of-control mistake from Pete Crow-Armstrong every day. He’s a symbol, but the problem is team-wide and very, literally real.”

• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): At Least Josiah Hartshorn Keeps Raking. “Though he didn’t top the Carolina League leaderboards in any category, his keen eye and balanced offensive profile were in need of a stronger test.”

• Tyler Courtney (Last Word On Sports): Cubs’ Young Stars Looking to Provide a Major Spark in 2026. “Every unit has struggled, and the team is desperate for solutions to end their May slump as soon as possible. …… In an attempt to spark the team, Chicago has called up two of their top prospects. ….. They have both shown plenty of talent, and now get the chance to see if they can adapt to the major league level.”

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Food For Thought:

Bukka is a phonetic spelling of Bukka White’s first name; he was named after the African-American educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington. White was a first cousin of B. B. King’s mother. White started his career playing the fiddle at square dances. He got married at 16 years old, with his father giving him a new Stella guitar as a wedding present. He was a fan of Charley Patton, telling friends, “I wants to come to be a great man like Charlie Patton”.

White was approached by Ralph Lembo, a white store owner and talent scout, who saw him walking past his store in Itta Bena with a guitar. Lembo took him and his friend Napoleon Hairiston to Memphis, Tennessee, in May 1930 for White’s first recording session with Victor Records.[10][11] Like many other bluesmen, the recordings comprised country blues and gospel music. The gospel songs were done in the style of Blind Willie Johnson, with a female backing singer accentuating the last phrase of each line.

(While he doesn’t show the whole minute, if you don’t want to watch the whole “training process”, go to the 3:35 mark)

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