Welcome to BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Please come and sit with us. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess can seat you now. There’s a two-drink minimum, but it’s bring our 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 whether it might be better for the Cubs to start the playoffs on the road in Atlanta as opposed to at home versus (probably) Philadelphia or San Diego. The idea behind this was to avoid Milwaukee as long as possible. Well, 88 percent of you thought that was crazy talk and that the Cubs should try to start the postseason at home and not worry about what comes next.
On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and now is that time.
Keeping up with our tribute to John Coltrane as we approach the 100th anniversary of his birth next week, here is one Coltrane song that many of you will be familiar with. No, it’s not “My Favorite Things” which you’re probably all familiar with because it is Christmas music these days. Instead, we feature Coltrane’s “Equinox.”
McCoy Tyner is on piano, Steve Davis on bass and Elvin Jones is the drummer.
Welcome back to those who missed the Trane.
Assuming the Cubs make the playoffs, and even after tonight’s tough loss, it’s a safe assumption, the Cubs will need three starters for the Wild Card Series.
I’m assuming that two of those starters will be Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman. That’s why the Cubs traded for them. They’ve also been the Cubs best two starters lately, although Gausman had a bad game against the Brewers recently. Luckily, the Cubs won’t play the Brewers in the first round.
But who gets the third start? Of course, the best scenario is that the Cubs win the first two games and don’t need a third starter. But manager Craig Counsell can’t count on that. So who should be the third Cubs pitcher in the Wild Card series?
There are three real options, although I’ll let you vote “other” if you want to make a case for Javier Assad, Colin Rea or a bullpen game in the comments. But the other three pitchers currently in the rotation are three southpaws: Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga and David Peterson.
Between those three pitchers, which one should get the third start? That doesn’t necessarily mean in a potential Game 3. If you want to break up Holmes and Gausman and have the third starter go in game two, that’s OK. But if you were the Cubs, which one of these three pitchers would you trust alongside Holmes and Gausman to get a Wild Card Series start?
Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Please tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
