It’s New Year’s Eve here at BCB After Dark: the freshest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join the party. We’ll be ringing in 2026. There’s no cover charge. Party hats are optional. The show will start shortly. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party
started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night I asked you if you thought the Cubs would sign NPB right-hander Tatsuya Imai. I have to admit that I have no clue whether they will or even whether or not it’s a good idea. But in any case, 45 percent of you think that Imai is coming to the North Side and 55 percent think he’s going elsewhere. I really thought we’d know by now. Maybe we do by the time you read this.
Here’s the part where I talk about movies and we listen to music. We’re starting the second round of the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic. But you’re free to skip ahead if you want.
I guess we need to play ‘What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?“ It’s not my favorite song, but here’s a pretty good version by Diana Krall in 2012.
For those of you who have had too much tequila tonight, here’s trumpeter Lee Morgan performing “Latin Hangover.”
For the traditionalists among you, here is Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians perfming “Auld Lang Syne.”
You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and to no one’s surprise, number-one seed The Matrix advanced over the eight-seed Gattaca. I was happy to see how many people spoke highly of Gattaca and how others want to see it now. As I found out when I re-watched it, Gattaca is a better film than I remembered, and I remembered it being pretty good.
So here’s where our little tournament stands after one round.
So now we’re going back to the “Classic” bracket and our first second-round matchup is the King of the Monsters, Godzilla (But not Godzilla: King of the Monsters) going up against Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece, Metropolis.
Here’s what I wrote about Godzilla last time. Remember, the film in the tournament is the Japanese original, not he Americanized version with Raymond Burr in it.
And here’s Godzilla destroying Tokyo.
This is what I wrote about Metropolis last time.
Here’s a scene from Metropolis.
Godzilla is on HBO Max and Criterion. Metropolis is in the public domain and is everywhere, but beware. Some of the versions out there have some pretty terrible public domain film scores tacked onto them. The version on Kanopy, the free library streaming service, is pretty good though.
Now it’s time to vote.
You have until Monday to vote. Up next is The Day The Earth Stood Still taking on Forbidden Planet.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the festivities.
If the 2026 MLB season started tomorrow, we’d all be really shocked. The Cubs players and fans at Wrigley would be very cold. But besides that, the Cubs would have to be counting on a lot of their top prospects in the upcoming season.
Even if they don’t add any more players between now and the real Opening Day, the Cubs are going to be hoping to get some big production out of some top rookies next year. The 2025 season saw the Cubs rely on Matt Shaw as their everyday third baseman and Cade Horton came up in May and finished second in Rookie of the Year balloting.
With Kyle Tucker departing, the Cubs seem to be penciling in either Owen Caissie to take over right field or for Seiya Suzuki to move back to right and for Moisés Ballestros to serve as the DH. But Kevin Alcántara is also a possibility in right, especially against left-handers, whom he destroys.
The Cubs have just one top starting pitching prospect, but he’s a very good one in Jaxon Wiggins. Could he repeat what Cade Horton did in 2025? It’s certainly possible.
Which one of these rookies are you most looking forward to seeing in 2026? Who is going to make the biggest impact? Do you enjoy the raw power of Caissie? The all-around hitting ability of Ballesteros? The upper-90s fastball and power slider of Wiggins? The overall athleticism of Alcánatara? Or maybe you prefer someone else? Jonathon Long doesn’t have an obvious route to playing time, but his exit velocities are elite. Riley Martin is a left-handed reliever, but he was added to the 40-man this winter and he’s probably just one injury away from getting a shot.
So who are you most looking forward to seeing in 2026?
Thank you for stopping by tonight. We hope you had a good time tonight. Please get home safely tonight. Let us call a ride for you need one. We can get your coat for you now. Recycle and cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again in the New Year for more BCB After Dark.
