Today’s Reflections
A little disappointed that Drew Rasmussen was given an extra day instead of facing the Miz, but Nick Martinez did a very good job and led to an enjoyable pitchers duel Friday night.
It’s just hard to imagine the Cubs closing the gap between them and the Brewers in one off-season. Just hope it’s not another trip through mediocrity. Think positive — or pray for Jed Hoyer to have the best off-season in the league.
I appreciate your reading.
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Free Agent/Trade Idea Stories:
- Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib): Underrated NPB star pitcher could be a sneaky good low-cost Cubs fit this offseason. “Another potential groundball demon is flying under the radar.”
- Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib): Cubs should keep tabs on Brandon Woodruff after Brewers World Series roster gamble. “Cubs can’t afford to leave any stone unturned this offseason
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Proposed Cubs Mason Miller trade demonstrates sky-high cost of fixing the bullpen. “He’d be a huge addition, but the farm system would take a big hit.”
- Bennedetto Vitale (Clutchpoints): Cubs rumors: Chicago called ‘obvious fit’ for Tarik Skubal in free agency by ex-player. “A former MLB player sparks rumors after revealing why he believes Tarik Skubal is such an “obvious” signing for the Chicago Cubs.“
Assorted Other Stories:
- Casey McAleer (DaWindyCity): Seiya Suzuki has likely played his last game as a Cub. “A $110 million price tag and a broken pitching staff make the math simple.”
- Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): 3 Concerning Stats That Describe the Chicago Cubs’ 2026 Downfall. “The Cubs disappointing end to 2026 was caused by three key issues.”
- Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports): Revisiting the 2026 Cubs Trade Deadline. “It’s easy to hate on moves after they happen, but it’s necessary to review how they will affect the team’s future.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): From High-A to Wrigley: A Cubs prospect’s remarkable rise. “Owen Ayers had a locker in the Cubs’ clubhouse for the final handful of games this past season.”
Food For Thought:
Koko Taylor (born Cora Ann Walton, September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009) was an American singer whose style encompassed Chicago blues, electric blues, rhythm and blues, and soul blues. Sometimes called “The Queen of the Blues”, she was known for her rough, powerful vocals. Born on a farm near Memphis, Tennessee, Taylor was the daughter of a sharecropper. She left Tennessee for Chicago in 1952 with her husband, Robert “Pops” Taylor, a truck driver. In the late 1950s, she began singing in blues clubs in Chicago. She was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, and this led to more opportunities for performing and her first recordings. In 1964 Dixon brought Taylor to Checker Records, a subsidiary label of Chess Records, for which she recorded “Wang Dang Doodle“, a song written by Dixon and recorded by Howlin’ Wolf five years earlier. The record became a hit, reaching number four on the R&B chart and number 58 on the pop chart in 1966, and selling a million copies.
She recorded several versions of the song over the years, including a live rendition at the 1967 American Folk Blues Festival, with the harmonica player Little Walter and the guitarist Hound Dog Taylor. Taylor became better known by touring in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed a recording contract with Alligator Records in 1975. She recorded nine albums for Alligator, eight of which were nominated for Grammy awards, and came to dominate ranks of female blues singers, winning twenty-nine W. C. Handy/Blues Music Awards. Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Janis Joplin, Shannon Curfman, and Susan Tedeschi cite Taylor as an influence on their styles.
In her later years, Taylor performed over 70 concerts a year and resided just south of Chicago, in Country Club Hills, Illinois. Taylor’s final performance was at the Blues Music Awards, on May 7, 2009. She suffered complications from surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding on May 19 and died on June 3.
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