January 14, 2016

Chicago Tribune, Cubs Convention promises to be saturated with hype, updates http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-convention-starts-friday-20160114-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Kyle Schwarber out on limb; says he 'feels' Cubs will win NL Central http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-optimism-reigns-convention-cubs-spt-0114-20160113-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Dexter Fowler's ongoing free agency surprises Joe Maddon http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-dexter-fowler-remains-free-agent-20160113-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Kyle Schwarber has plans for HR ball if Cubs don't http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kyle-schwarber-will-take-home-run-ball-20160113-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Ricketts gains upper hand in Wrigleyville battle http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-wrigley-rooftop-purchase-ricketts-20160113-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Luke Bryan announces Wrigley Field show for August http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-luke-bryan-announces-wrigley-field-show-for-august-20160114-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Theo Epstein extension on hold as Cubs exec enters lame duck season http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1250632/theo-epstein-extension-hold-cubs-exec-enters-lame-duck-season

Chicago Sun-Times, Kyle Schwarber: If Cubs don't want video board home run ball, 'I'll take it' http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1250786/kyle-schwarber-cubs-dont-want-video-board-home-run-ball-ill-take

Chicago Sun-Times, A year later, guarantees turn to swagger for Cubs http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/1250754/year-later-guarantees-turn-swagger-cubs

Cubs.com, Maddon's 'Thanksmas' aids Chicago's homeless http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161880726/cubs-manager-joe-maddons-thanksmas-in-chicago

Cubs.com, Bryant hosts Players Trust charity poker tournament http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161903722/mlbpa-holds-poker-tournament-for-charity

Cubs.com, 5 Cubs-Rays trades that make sense http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161848066/cubs-rays-trade-possibilities

Cubs.com, Maddon confident with Heyward in center field http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/161881226/joe-maddon-praises-jason-heywards-defense

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs are ready to be 'targets' in 2016 http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36158/cubs-ready-to-be-targets-in-2016

ESPNChicago.com, Tom Ricketts not worried about signing Theo Epstein to extension http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36153/tom-ricketts-not-worried-about-signing-theo-epstein-to-extension

ESPNChicago.com, Ricketts family now owns 9 rooftops, launches new website for tickets http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36149/ricketts-family-now-owns-9-rooftops-launches-new-website-for-tickets

ESPNChicago.com, How the Cubs built their elite infield http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/36143/how-the-cubs-built-their-elite-infield

CSNChicago.com, The Hazleton Way: Why Joe Maddon fights for his hometown http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/hazleton-way-why-joe-maddon-fights-his-hometown

CSNChicago.com, Will Cubs make another splash this winter? http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/will-cubs-make-another-splash-winter

CSNChicago.com, Giordano's brings back 'Cubbies Pizza' in advance of Cubs Convention http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/giordanos-brings-back-cubbies-pizza-advance-cubs-convention

-- Chicago Tribune Cubs Convention promises to be saturated with hype, updates By Mark Gonzales The schedule for the three-day Cubs Convention isn’t much different from past conventions. But the hype following a 97-win season heightened by the appearances of newcomers Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist, along with the return of Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, could make for one of the most festive gatherings in the 31-year history of the event. The hope is that loyal fans who have paid health sums of money to attend the event at the Sheraton Grand Chicago will get many opportunities to ask questions during numerous sessions. Saturday promises to be an informative day, with Cubs executives discussing their plans, business executives providing Wrigley Field renovation updates and newcomers greeting Cubs fans for the first time in a large setting. The festivities conclude Sunday with former Cubs greats scheduled to speak, as well as player development and scouting officials discussing the organization’s prospects. Here’s are some of the more pertinent sessions: Friday 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Opening Ceremony

Saturday, January 16 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Ricketts Family 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Baseball Management 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Joe Maddon and His Coaching Staff 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Cubs Business Operations Update 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Meet the New Cubs 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Rock Star Rookies, presented by Wintrust Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Once a Cub, Always a Cub 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Down on the Farm -- Chicago Tribune Kyle Schwarber out on limb; says he 'feels' Cubs will win NL Central By Mark Gonzales Anthony Rizzo declined Wednesday to make a bold prediction as he did last offseason. But Kyle Schwarber, who helped Rizzo nearly fulfill his preseason prophecy that the Cubs would win the National League Central in 2015, wasn't as circumspect. "I feel like we're going to win the division," Schwarber said after he and several teammates and staff members participated in feeding about 200 homeless people as part of manager Joe Maddon's "Thanksmas" event at Catholic Charities. "We showed what we can do (last year) when we're all in it for the common goal." Schwarber expressed his appreciation for joining an ascending team that won 97 games and advanced to the NL Championship Series as well as participating in Maddon's charity event that started in Tampa and his hometown of Hazleton, Pa. "The homeless people need our help on any day out of the year, not just holidays," said Maddon, who organized and prepared a dinner consisting of spaghetti and meatballs. The event kicked off a five-day series of events culminating with this weekend's 31st annual Cubs Convention that could contain a few announcements to heighten the spirits of highly optimistic fans. Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg is one of the alumni who will attend, and a source close to Sandberg said in December he is expected to rejoin the organization as an ambassador. The Cubs bypassed him as a managerial candidate in 2011 and he joined the Phillies' organization until quitting as manager last June. In another development, Chairman Tom Ricketts acknowledged he has spoken to President Theo Epstein about a contract extension, although an announcement on a new deal this weekend seems unlikely. "We're all good," Ricketts said of talks with Epstein, who is in the final season of a five-year, $18 million contract and has said repeatedly he wants to stay with the Cubs. "It's just a matter of timing.'' With the free agent additions of Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist, Maddon seems very content with his current roster before pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 19. "There's a lot of talk, but I'm working under the assumption it's going to look exactly like this when we go to camp," said Maddon, acknowledging that Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer work relentlessly to improve the roster. "And if it changes, it could. But I'd be less surprised if it stayed the same." Maddon acknowledged his bosses have talked to him about players from the Rays — for whom he managed nine seasons — as well as players such as Heyward.

The Rays, with plenty of young pitchers, provide a fit with a Cubs team that possesses several young position players who could be made available. As for now, Rizzo and Schwarber know that the target on the backs of the Cubs will be larger with their marquee free agent additions coupled with a young core that stunned many followers with 97 regular-season victories before eliminating the rival Cardinals in the NL Division Series. "Everyone knows what they need to do to be ready (for the season)," Rizzo said. "We have a good group that's accountable for everything. If one guy is slacking or I'm slacking, other guys will get on us." -- Chicago Tribune Dexter Fowler's ongoing free agency surprises Joe Maddon By Mark Gonzales Joe Maddon often told leadoff batter Dexter Fowler last season, "as you go, we go." But despite a .389 on-base percentage in the second half that helped spark the Chicago Cubs to the National League playoffs, Fowler has yet to sign with a team after filing for free agency. “I don’t know why,” Maddon said Wednesday while mentioning that marquee free agent Yoenis Cespedes also hasn’t signed. “I’m sure (Fowler) is going to be fine. He did have a good year, and he’s young and he’s good.” The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, two teams thought to be potential destinations for Fowler, signed Alejandro De Aza and Denard Span, respectively. One theory as to Fowler's current free agency is that the team that signs him would lose a draft pick after the Cubs offered him salary arbitration before he turned it down. Span would have been a fit for the Cubs because of their need for a top-of-the-order hitter who could play center field. That was before they signed Jason Heyward. Maddon admitted he saw a video that showed that Span was recovering from his surgery and also appreciated that Span attended his “Thankmas” charity event last month in Clearwater, Fla. “But he’s kind of a typical Giants pick where he’s a veteran player, a lot of experience and performed well,” Maddon said of Span, who agreed to a three-year, $31 million contract last week. “The Giants always have liked that veteran dude, so I thought it made sense when I saw that.” -- Chicago Tribune Kyle Schwarber has plans for HR ball if Cubs don't By Mark Gonzales Kyle Schwarber’s signature moment was highlighted when the Cubs encased his playoff home run that landed on top of the right field scoreboard roof. But the ball has since been removed and placed in a “safe, secure place,” team spokesman Julian Green told the Tribune on Tuesday. The Cubs have yet to decide what to do with the ball, but Schwarber seemed curious about its next destination.

“I haven’t been consulted yet,” Schwarber said Wednesday after serving cake to a group of homeless people as part of manager Joe Maddon’s “Thankmas” charity event at Catholic Charities. “I’m sure someone will find me at some point and talk to me about it. I’m not too concerned about it. Whatever they want to do is what I’m good with.” While Green and the Cubs decide on the ball’s future, Schwarber had a suggestion if the team can’t find a plan. “If they don’t’ want to do anything with it, I’ll take it – definitely,” Schwarber said. “Definitely.” Schwarber’s homer gained notoriety because of its distance and the fact it occurred in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against Cardinals left-hander Kevin Siegrist. -- Chicago Tribune Ricketts gains upper hand in Wrigleyville battle By Jared S. Hopkins The tense relationship between the Chicago Cubs and rooftop club owners beyond the Wrigley Field walls had turned particularly bitter by the end of 2014. The prospect of a new view-blocking video scoreboard seemed to ensure years of legal wrangling and public bickering. But since then, in just over a year, anger has switched to acquiescence as some clubs lost their court fights and others sold their buildings to the Ricketts family, which owns the Cubs. This week, the Ricketts family — set on increasing its control of an economy that feeds off the team — acquired three rooftop businesses beyond the left-field bleachers. With nine of the 16 rooftop clubs, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and his family now control more than half of the iconic industry surrounding the 102-year-old stadium. But the surprise, said Jim Spencer, a Lakeview resident for nearly 20 years who heads the East Lake View Neighbors, is that the deals hadn't been done sooner. "The Rickettses are the only ones who have any need for those buildings," he said Wednesday. "The die was cast when they got the go-ahead to put up the scoreboard in right-field." On Tuesday, the family closed on purchasing the Beyond the Ivy buildings at 1010 W. Waveland Ave. and 1038 W. Waveland Ave., as well as 1048 W. Waveland Ave., where the Sky Lounge Rooftop had operated. Donal Barry Jr. and James Purcell, principals in BJB Properties, a real estate company with dozens of Chicago apartment buildings, were investors in the buildings for more than a decade. The properties are not owned by the Cubs or the Ricketts family members themselves. Instead, they were purchased by Chicago-based Greystone Sheffield Holdings, which is controlled by the Ricketts family. Similar business structures were used by the Ricketts family to make rooftop purchases. "The family continues to be interested in acquiring some of these buildings if there are owners who are interested in selling," family spokesman Dennis Culloton said. "It's going to be very helpful for fans. We're going to be able to create a variety of rooftop experiences for fans to choose from." Barry said the driving factor was how the 20-year revenue-sharing agreement with the Cubs — the family inherited it when it bought the team from Tribune Co. in 2009 — expires at the end of 2023. "The rooftops are a smaller part of what we do," Barry said. "It was time to move on and focus on other things." Sales prices were not shown on county records and the new and former owners declined to comment.

The transactions reflect Tom Ricketts' efforts to control not only the future of Wrigley but portions of the Wrigleyville area in Lakeview. The team is overseeing a $575 million transformation of its property in Lakeview, and Ricketts' plans to increase business opportunities beyond the stadium include an open-air plaza, a nearby hotel and street fairs. The Ricketts family has sued Down the Line, a rooftop club on Sheffield Avenue, in which it has been an investor since 2010, to buy the property outright. The suit alleges that the Ricketts family's right to purchase was triggered when ownership was transferred to the trusts of James and Camelia Petrozzini, who both died in 2014. Mark Schlenker, who owns Brixen Ivy rooftop, said he hopes the family keeps its rooftops open. He declined to comment on whether he would sell. "Good for the Rickettses, good for the Cubs," said Schlenker, an occasional critic of the family. "Hopefully they'll continue the tradition of Wrigley Field having a wonderful rooftop experience." As with the family's other rooftop buildings, Ricketts will farm out management to Wrigley Rooftops, the hospitality group owned by George Loukas, who owns popular bars in Wrigleyville and previously sold two of his rooftop buildings to Ricketts. He started the rooftop craze three decades ago, and still has one rooftop business atop The Sports Corner Bar and Grill. The transactions — on the eve of the team's annual Cubs Convention fan festival — continue to dampen the once-bitter feud between the Ricketts family and various owners of the surrounding rooftop businesses. The two sides sparred for years, and in court filings some club owners accused team executive Crane Kenney of making threats and using strong-arm tactics. Two rooftop businesses last year filed a federal lawsuit as a last-ditch effort to upset the team's renovation plans, but it was dismissed. Two video scoreboards and other advertising signs behind the bleachers have been erected. Spencer said he and other residents have no choice except to be optimistic about the neighborhood's new direction. He said the concerns residents have raised about development and construction related to the Cubs have been dismissed by the Emanuel administration as it signed off on the Ricketts family's plans. He said turning points were when the city allowed Sheffield and Waveland avenues to lose traffic lanes and approved additional night events. "I think we've resigned to what has happened and realized that there wasn't much we could do about it before and there is not going to be much we can do about it in the future," said Spencer, who works in real estate. "I hope in the end it will have a very positive impact on residents and resident property values, but we won't know that until three or four years down and after this is all done. "You're not even going to recognize Wrigley Field when it's done. The only thing you're going to recognize about Wrigley Field is its address." -- Chicago Tribune Luke Bryan announces Wrigley Field show for August By Tracy Swartz Country music star Luke Bryan announced Wednesday he will play Wrigley Field Aug. 27, his first performance at a baseball park. "Pretty cool stuff," Bryan said in a video posted on Facebook. "Amazing. Looking forward to that one." Details on ticket sales have not yet been announced. Bryan's "Kill the Lights" tour in support of his 2015 album of the same name kicks off Feb. 18 in Evansville, Ind., and he plans to play Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts and Ford Field in Detroit.

Bryan performed at the United Center in October and at Soldier Field in 2014. Bryan, 39, is the second announced act for Wrigley Field. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter James Taylor will play Wrigley Field in June with special guest Jackson Browne, the Cubs announced in November. Foo Fighters and Billy Joel performed at the ball park last August, while the Zac Brown Band and AC/DC played there in September. -- Chicago Sun-Times Theo Epstein extension on hold as Cubs exec enters lame duck season By Gordon Wittenmyer Despite the Cubs’ habit of using Cubs Convention as a platform for a newsworthy announcement, don’t expect a contract extension for team president Theo Epstein to be on this year’s agenda, team chairman Tom Ricketts said Wednesday. Although the subject has come up in conversations, the club and Epstein don’t appear close to a new deal for the team’s top baseball executive. Epstein, who has overseen an organizational overhaul that turned a corner with last year’s playoff run, is in the final year of a five-year, $18.5 million deal. “We talk all the time, and it comes up,” Ricketts said Wednesday, during a Cubs Caravan event at Catholic Charities, adding that he and Epstein are “on the same page.” Epstein has repeatedly through last season and the winter said he’s not concerned about when a deal gets done. “It’s just a matter of time,” Ricketts said. -- Chicago Sun-Times Kyle Schwarber: If Cubs don't want video board home run ball, 'I'll take it' By Gordon Wittenmyer Second-year slugger Kyle Schwarber is aware the Cubs have removed from his playoff home run ball from the plexiglass atop the right field video board. But he doesn’t know any more than most about where that decisive Game 4 home run ball from the playoff clincher over the Cardinals is or where it’ll wind up. “I haven’t been consulted yet,” he said Wednesday with a grin during a Cubs Caravan stop. “I’m sure that someone will find me at some point and talk to me about it. I’m not too concerned about it.” But … “If they don’t want to do anything with it,” he said, “I’ll take it, definitely. Definitely.” -- Chicago Sun-Times A year later, guarantees turn to swagger for Cubs By Gordon Wittenmyer

The Cubs are descending on the city this week for Cubs Convention, projecting a little more swagger and a little less need for headline-grabbing declarations about how good they think they are. Rising from last place to 97 wins and a National League Championship Series appearance, followed by a $278-million winter can do that for a team. “No guarantees,” manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday when reminded of first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s assertion a year ago this week that the Cubs would go from last to first in the National League Central. “I just like to believe we have a chance to replicate what we did last year,” said Maddon during a Cubs Caravan stop in which players and other team officials prepared and served meals for about 150 of the city’s homeless. “It’s up to us. Get to the playoffs, get deep in the playoffs and hopefully win eight more games.” The Cubs haven’t made a big move in nearly a month, and Maddon said he doesn’t expect any more before opening spring training with newcomers that include $184-million outfielder Jason Heyward, $56 million second baseman Ben Zobrist and $32 million starting pitcher John Lackey. No guarantees. But no ducking the expectations within the industry and reflected in the Cubs players. “A big part of it is that guys that have never won learned how to win this year, and that matters a lot,” Maddon said. “And the guys we brought in know how to win.” Even when reminded how close he came to backing up last year’s boast, Rizzo firmly pushed back. “Were we close? We finished in third place,” he said. “If we win 97 games again I think we’ll be all right.” Multiple media outlets have called the Cubs World Series favorites this year. This week alone, ESPN rated the Cubs’ infield as the top unit in the majors, and Fangraphs.com projected the Cubs will finish with baseball’s best record. Of course, ask guys like Ryne Sandberg, Mark Prior or Alfonso Soriano how projections like those have worked out historically on the North Side. And ask any medical staff in major league sports how often a team sidesteps serious injuries in consecutive years. So no guarantees. But the internal expectations are as high as the external ones. And some of the guys who played key roles in last fall’s success haven’t reached even their mid-20s. And when the temperatures in Chicago are in Jake Arrieta-ERA range, and snow covers the ballpark, who can dispute the expectations or the confidence? “I feel like we’re going to win the division,” said second-year slugger Kyle Schwarber, who joined the team in midseason last year. “There’s probably going to be more targets on our backs,” he said. “So we’re going to have to come with our A game every day. “But we know what we’re capable of, and I feel like if we keep working hard and we have the same attitude as we had last year — even better — the sky’s the limit for us.” Rizzo’s only guarantee this time around: “Last year’s over with. It’s time to gear up for 2016.”

-- Cubs.com Maddon's 'Thanksmas' aids Chicago's homeless By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Homemade meatballs and pierogies were on the menu Wednesday night as part of Cubs manager Joe Maddon's "Thanksmas" dinner, organized through the Chicago Help Initiative and served to about 135 homeless people. "To be able to serve food for the less fortunate is huge," said Anthony Rizzo, who helped distribute dessert. "For us to come in and pick them up a little bit is nice for them, and good for us, too." Maddon recalled seeing people who were struggling while he rode his bike in Southern California when he was the Angels' bench coach. He started Thanksmas in 2007 in St. Petersburg, creating his own holiday. "Homeless people need our help any day of the year, not just on holidays," Maddon said. "I chose 'Thanksmas' -- picking any day between Thanksgiving and Christmas to illustrate it." Maddon hosts events in St. Petersburg and also in his hometown of Hazleton, Pa., and Wednesday was his first in Chicago. It was scheduled for this week as part of events leading up to the Cubs Convention. Maddon says people need to understand that homeless folks often are having a tough time, not just because they can't get a job but also because they may be dealing with mental illness. He's seen a lot of veterans, single moms and children who are struggling. "What better way to bring people together than a nice meal," said Maddon, who made the meatballs and mingled with the guests. He'd love to see "Thanksmas" become a national effort, although it's not certain if he's willing to share all the recipes. The meatballs and pierogies were inspired by his mother, Beanie, and his aunts. Pitcher Zac Rosscup served the meatballs, Pierce Johnson handled the pierogies, Travis Wood helped with the salad, and Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber helped pass out cake. Rizzo didn't take part in the preparations for the dinner. "I just got here -- I come in when it's time for dinner," Rizzo said. -- Cubs.com Bryant hosts Players Trust charity poker tournament By Doug Miller LAS VEGAS -- Mitch Geller is a marketing executive in Los Angeles who knows less about poker than he does about baseball. But there he was at the MGM Grand Hotel on the Vegas strip on Wednesday night, winning the jerseys off the backs of real life Major League Baseball players. And having a blast doing it. Geller took down Steven Souza Jr. of the Tampa Bay Rays, Hector Santiago of the Los Angeles Angels and defending champion James Loney of the Rays in the second annual poker tournament for the MLB Players Association Players Trust. Geller eventually bowed out of the tourney when an all-in play backfired on him and he surrendered his chips to veteran left-hander Dana Eveland, but the unique coolness of the event was not lost on him.

"Baseball players are awesome," Geller said. "Out of all the athletes that play sports, baseball players are solid dudes. They have good outlooks on life, good philosophy, and it's just fun to play poker with them, but also just to hang out with them." But the Players Trust is about a lot more than fun. The charitable wing of the union was established in 1996 and has now completed 20 years of giving back to communities in which players live and work. From Buses to Baseball, which brings needy children into stadiums, to action teams working with high school students about volunteering, plus global disaster relief efforts and much more. The poker tournament, along with a Thursday event at nearby Cascata Golf Course, raises money for the Trust and gets players together during the offseason to bond over their shared love for the game that has given them so much and the chance to give back to others. "This is one of the marquee events for the Players Trust, and having an opportunity to put an event together where our baseball history comes out to support it, with our active guys and the inactive guys, to raise money for a program that is near and dear to them, we've been fortunate that it's continued to grow," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said. "The connection that still exists between the active and inactive guys through the Trust is something that we hang our hats on. Getting the guys together is a lot of ways just as important as what we accomplish with the event itself." And what a list of guys it was. Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Eddie Murray were on hand along with one of the Vegas-bred hosts of the event, 2015 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner Kris Bryant of the Cubs. The other co-host, 2015 NL MVP Award winner Bryce Harper, was expected to unleash his vicious left-handed swing at golf balls on Thursday. Other big leaguers in attendance included Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, outfielders Dexter Fowler and Shane Victorino, Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello, recently retired reliever LaTroy Hawkins, pitcher Chris Capuano and Mariners reliever Charlie Furbush. Retired legends also included Kenny Lofton, Eric Davis, Reggie Sanders and Bobby Bonilla. The players wore their jerseys, with the rule that they would have to take them off, sign them and hand them to whoever knocked them out of the competition. If that didn't happen quickly enough, there were occasional on-the-spot auctions. "It's huge for us players," Bryant said. "It gets the word out that we do great things in the community, and this is just another resource for us to go out there and help people in need, and at the same time have some fun play some poker and some golf -- with fans out there." One particularly special moment came at the dinner that preceded the poker tournament, when Hawkins was honored by the union and the Trust for his recently completed 20-year career. A video was played that showed Hawkins helping out communities throughout the years, and former teammates and friends such as Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Colabello and Bonilla passed along their own recorded congratulations. "It felt awesome," Hawkins said. "You do what you do not to win any awards or accolades or recognition. You do it because that's what's in my heart. To be recognized by your peers is pretty cool." And so was the poker, although none of the baseball players walked away with all the chips. That honor actually went to a basketball player, believe it or not. NBA guard Landry Fields, who's rehabbing a shoulder injury, came to Vegas with a friend who works with MLB players and ended up a prestigious tournament winner. "And I got a Kenny Lofton jersey," Fields said. "So that's awesome."

-- Cubs.com 5 Cubs-Rays trades that make sense By Phil Rogers Nobody has more pitching to trade than the Rays, and no team seems as persistent in working to find a fit for that pitching than the Cubs. Tampa Bay team president Matt Silverman said the other day on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that his trade dialogue this offseason has been "more targeted with the Cubs," who have intriguing young hitters to drive conversations about the Rays' stable of available pitchers. "We know we line up potentially well with them, given our depths and strengths vs. theirs," Silverman said. "I wouldn't be surprised if something lined up over the next couple of years, just given the constitution of the clubs, but I don't want to oversell anything. We got close with a number of clubs on a number of things this year, but nothing really has come to fruition." Not yet. But talks continue. With that in mind, let's explore a super-sized cycle of Rays-Cubs trade possibilities: THE SINGLE: LHP Jake McGee for OF Billy McKinney No, this isn't overly sexy. But swapping these two Macs would provide a return for both teams on all of the trade conversations they've had since the World Series. McGee has been one of the best left-handed relievers around when healthy, delivering a 2.7 WAR in 2014, when current Cubs manager Joe Maddon was with the Rays. McGee has two years left before free agency, and he would help a Cubs bullpen that had no dominant lefty in 2015 and has added only Rex Brothers and Edgar Olmos this offseason. McKinney, a first-round pick of the A's in 2013, is probably a year away from the Major Leagues, but he is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 2 prospect in the deep Cubs system. He's a solid fielder and a promising bat. THE DOUBLE: RHP Alex Cobb and McGee for OF Chris Coghlan, McKinney, C Willson Contreras and 1B/DH Dan Vogelbach This might not seem like enough return for two high-end arms, but Cobb and McGee are becoming expensive, coming off down seasons and only two years from free agency. There's no guarantee Cobb will return to his form before the Tommy John surgery he underwent in May, making even this outlay a risky proposition for the Cubs. Coghlan, who is a year from free agency, had an .804 OPS in 2014 and a .784 OPS during the Cubs' 97-win season in '15, but he has been squeezed out of the outfield picture by Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward. Coghlan could become a valuable asset with a short-term extension and more plate appearances. Contreras, ranked as the Cubs' No. 10 prospect by MLB.com, won the Double-A batting title last season, hitting .333 for Tennessee. Vogelbach, ranked 13th in the Cubs' system, is a promising hitter who is best suited for the American League, where he could serve as a DH. THE TRIPLE: RHP Jake Odorizzi and McGee for SS/2B Javier Baez, McKinney and Vogelbach Cubs president Theo Epstein has been with the North Siders for more than four years and has yet to trade any of the club's top prospects. This is a deal in which it makes sense to take that plunge. Odorizzi has developed into the prize of the Royals-Rays trade that followed the 2012 season, surpassing outfielder Wil Myers (since traded to San Diego) in value just as Kansas City closer Wade Davis shot past James Shields.

Odorizzi has benefited greatly from the time he's spent with Tampa Bay pitching coach Jim Hickey and Cobb, and only an oblique injury stopped him from improving on his 2014 breakout season last year. He's 25, under club control for four years and would look right at home working alongside Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey in the Cubs' rotation. Baez, 23, is blocked at shortstop in Chicago but would start there for the Rays. He could run into 30 home runs this year, like Evan Longoria did in his first full season. THE HOME RUN: RHP Chris Archer and McGee for OF Jorge Soler, Baez, McKinney, Vogelbach This trade could truly prove historic for both franchises. Archer represents both a wise acquisition and a concession for the Cubs, who under former GM Jim Hendry added him in a 2008 trade for Mark DeRosa and subtracted him in one for Matt Garza in '11. Archer was emerging as a potential difference-maker when he was dealt to Tampa Bay and completed his education while being nurtured by David Price, Hickey and Maddon. Archer, 27, was fifth in AL Cy Young Award voting last season and two years ago signed a contract that could pay him as little as $45.5 million for the next five years. There would be no better rotation in the Major Leagues than the Cubs' with Arrieta, Lester, Lackey and Archer. Trading Soler, 23, would allow the Cubs to keep Coghlan in the mix until Albert Almora, the club's No. 5 prospect, is ready to take over center field. It could also open room for free-agent center fielder Dexter Fowler to return. The acquisition of Soler and Baez would completely reshape the core of the Rays' lineup, giving manager Kevin Cash enough run production to compete for postseason spots for the foreseeable future, given the tiers of quality pitching in the organization. THE GRAND SLAM: Archer, McGee and CF Kevin Kiermaier for Schwarber, Baez, McKinney and SS Gleyber Torres Schwarber, 22, might be a better hitter than reigning National League Rookie of the Year Award winner Kris Bryant. He is challenged defensively but could emerge as a face-of-the-franchise player with an AL team. Torres, 19, is ranked as the Cubs' No. 1 prospect. Imagine the Cubs' outfield with Gold Glover Kiermaier in center, Gold Glover Heyward in right and Soler in left, all controlled through 2020. Shortstop Addison Russell and Bryant are under control through '21, making it possible to consider trading Baez and Torres in the same deal. -- Cubs.com Maddon confident with Heyward in center field By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon is spending more time on his pre-Spring Training speech than worrying about whether Jason Heyward can play center field. Heyward, who signed an eight-year, $184 million contract in December with the Cubs, has primarily played right -- he's started 30 games in center compared with 751 starts in right over six seasons. But he's projected in center for the Cubs. "I have no problem [with him in center]," Maddon said Wednesday of Heyward, calling him "one of the top five baseball players on the face of the earth." Maddon recalled seeing a young Jim Edmonds in right field in the Minor Leagues, and recommending to the Angels that he move to center. Edmonds became a standout center fielder, winning eight Gold Gloves.

"I don't understand what the negative rub would be, and why [Heyward] can't play center field, because actually center field is an easier position to play than right field is," Maddon said. "He runs well enough, he's got the arm, he's got this nose for the ball, he's got all that stuff, great first step. I don't understand why you would think he cannot or [he would] be unable to or [he would] be unhappy with it." Maddon projects Heyward, 26, as "being good" in center. Period. What Heyward also does is bring postseason experience, which is another element that Maddon likes about the outfielder and the other new Cubs, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. "I'd like to believe we have a chance to replicate what we did last year -- it's up to us," Maddon said, hoping the Cubs again get to the postseason, and possibly win eight more games. "A big part of it is that guys who have never won learned how to win [in 2015], and that matters a lot. The guys we brought in know how to win." Chicago got to the postseason in 2015 as a Wild Card team, and ousted the Cardinals in the National League Division Series before being swept by the Mets in the NL Championship Series. "We're bringing in more World [Series] champions and that's more experience, and that's going to help us more," said first baseman Anthony Rizzo. "With what we soaked up in October and what we did, it's more for us to take in and now we go out and play and just use it all and have fun and play loose." That may be part of Maddon's message in February when he meets with the players. "My biggest concern right now is my opening address on how to approach the beginning of Spring Training and what I say to have our guys understand what I think it takes to get back to that point this year," Maddon said. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs are ready to be 'targets' in 2016 By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO – A year after Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo declared his team would win the National League Central, young Kyle Schwarber has jumped into the prediction game as well -- though it’s hardly bulletin-board material. “I feel like we’re going to win the division,” Schwarber said Wednesday night. “We showed what we can do when we’re all in it for the common goal.” What the Cubs did in 2015 was win 97 games – not enough to win the division but enough to get to the postseason and eliminate Central foes Pittsburgh and St. Louis before falling to the New York Mets in the NLCS. The Cubs are preparing to finish the job as 2016 kicks off with the annual fan convention this week. Players are converging in frigid Chicago but will undoubtedly be warmed by the reception they receive. The opposition is a different story. “There’s probably going to be more targets on our back, so we’re going to have to come with our ‘A’ game every game,” Schwarber said. The word “target” was used often on Wednesday as Schwarber and his teammates joined Joe Maddon in serving the manager’s special spaghetti-and-meatballs recipe to the Chicago homeless on a bitterly cold evening. In between there was plenty of time to talk about the preseason favorite to win the World Series. The Cubs have quickly turned from hunter to the hunted as offseason additions have bolstered an already-loaded team. Maddon indicated he’s fine-tuning his message as the team prepares for spring training next month. One key: Everyone has now been through a pennant race and postseason, including key newcomers.

“The guys that have never won learned how to win this year,” Maddon said. “That matters a lot. … We brought in guys that know what that’s like also.” Maddon reeled off names like Jason Heyward (“one of the five best players in the National League”), Ben Zobrist (“one of the five best human beings”), John Lackey and Adam Warren. What does that group have in common? They all played in the postseason as recently as last year, with Zobrist and Lackey arriving with World Series titles on their resumes. All of a sudden the Cubs have a roster with all sorts of winning experience. They should know how to get it done from start to finish. Last year things kicked in only when the young players started to make strides. Now they’re young veterans. “We have to be ready Day 1,” Rizzo said. “Every game is a must-win for us. That’s how we approach every game.” And the key to doing that throughout a long season – targets on their back or not – is to have fun while grinding it out. It’s Maddon’s style. “We have a chance to replicate what we did last year,” Maddon said. “Hopefully we’ll win eight more games.” Last year Rizzo felt he needed to raise the bar, so he made bold declarations. This time around he can let his team’s play do the talking. They have a target on their back because they’re good. Maintaining what they have is the first goal, then it's to go further in the postseason. “If we win 97 games again I think we’ll be alright,” Rizzo said. -- ESPNChicago.com Tom Ricketts not worried about signing Theo Epstein to extension By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Calling it a matter of “timing" Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts indicated he and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein are “on the same page” in regards to a contract extension for the Cubs executive. “We talk every day,” Ricketts said at Joe Maddon’s ‘Thanksmas’ event feeding the homeless on Wednesday night. “(We’re) on the same page.” Epstein’s five-year deal with the team runs out after the 2016 season but indications are that he’ll get an extension sooner rather than later. The former Boston Red Sox head man has rebuilt the Cubs through trades and high draft picks while adding some key free agent signings over the past two winters in the form of Jon Lester, Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist. The Cubs made the playoffs in 2015 for the first time since 2008 as Epstein saw his rebuilding plans come to fruition. Now they have their sights set on breaking their long championship drought. Epstein has said repeatedly he only thinks about a new contract when he’s asked about it from reporters. Ricketts indicated there would be no announcement on an extension by this weekend’s fan convention. -- ESPNChicago.com Ricketts family now owns 9 rooftops, launches new website for tickets By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- After buying up rooftop seating across the street from Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs ownership announced a new, interactive website for purchasing tickets for 10 rooftops located on both Sheffield and Waveland Ave.

The Ricketts family owns a total of 9 of those rooftops after recent purchases and will allow Sheffield-Waveland Rooftops, Inc. to manage Wrigley Rooftops, the brand formed by Ricketts. Wrigley Rooftops.com launched in advance of the 2016 season and will showcase all 10 rooftops and provide for purchasing tickets. Previously, former rooftop owners sued the Ricketts family, but court rulings favored the team, paving the way for the family to buy the rooftops which provide views of the park. Prices start at $65 per ticket. According to a Wednesday press release, tickets for the upcoming season are on sale now. -- ESPNChicago.com How the Cubs built their elite infield By Jesse Rogers Good scouting, some timely trades and a little luck have led to the Chicago Cubs employing the infield that ESPN's Buster Olney ranks No. 1 in baseballInsider heading into the 2016 season. Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Kris Bryant have so much going for them that it’s hard to know from week-to-week who's most valuable in that group. Add free-agent addition Ben Zobrist and former first-round pick Javier Baez and there is little in the form of weakness at the plate or on defense for Cubs' top five players in the infield. Rizzo is the longest-tenured member of Chicago's elite infield, making his debut with the Cubs in 2012. So how did the Cubs remake their infield into baseball's best? It began with a bold trade in 2012 to acquire Rizzo, who general manager Jed Hoyer worked with both in Boston than in San Diego. The Cubs traded a top pitching prospect in Andrew Cashner to get Rizzo, and the deal has already paid off as he has finished 10th and fourth in MVP voting over the last two seasons. The next move came in the summer of 2013 when the Cubs drafted Bryant to play third base. This is when timing and luck benefited them as the team’s rebuilding plans sent it to the bottom of the standings the previous year. It meant drafting No. 2 that June, and when the Houston Astros chose right-handed pitcher Mark Appel -- he has since been traded -- the Cubs jumped on Bryant, who won the Golden Spikes award as best amateur player that year. Bryant won Rookie of the Year in 2015 and should be a fixture in the Cubs' lineup for years to come. So losing big and another team’s decision led to Bryant’s arrival in Chicago. Shortstop Russell wasn’t on the Cubs radar until Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane came calling for some pitching in the summer of 2014. The Cubs had already passed on Russell in the draft a few years earlier, but were starting to regret that decision with Russell developing into a top prospect as he began his minor league career. The Cubs righted that wrong in one of the most lopsided trades in recent history, simply because the players they moved -- Jeff Samardizja and Jason Hammel -- were close to becoming free agents anyway. Once again the Cubs didn’t hesitate about losing more games in the present to acquire Russell. They sacrificed two-fifths of their starting rotation to get him, and now he’s a mainstay up the middle at just 21 years old. The final starting piece came just a few weeks ago when the Cubs acquired the versatile Zobrist. His defense might not be as sharp as it used to be, but his ability to put the ball in play combined with championship-caliber experience will be a big lift to an otherwise young infield that strikes out a lot. And when manager Joe Maddon needs a defensive replacement at second or wants to give a breather to his other starters, Baez is waiting in the wings. He was a first-round pick in 2011, giving the Cubs three No.1’s among the five infielders. It’s a talented and deep group. -- CSNChicago.com The Hazleton Way: Why Joe Maddon fights for his hometown By Patrick Mooney

HAZLETON, Pa. – Joe Maddon could just write a big check, ask Anthony Rizzo to sign some baseballs and have the clubhouse guys send boxes of Cubs gear back to this blue-collar city. That could be it, taking the tax write-off and spending the offseason driving around the country in an RV, drinking red wine somewhere in Europe or just hanging out at Ava, the manager’s trendy restaurant in Tampa. Maddon grew up on the playgrounds here, going to Our Lady of Grace and watching his father, Joe Sr., run the plumbing shop beneath their family’s apartment. He had spent enough time in places like The Battered Mug, a bar in the old Irish section of town, and Third Base Luncheonette, where his mother, Beanie, still works. Maddon saw the potential backlash coming when his family started envisioning the Hazleton Integration Project about five years ago, trying to defuse some of the community’s racial and ethnic tensions and create an alternative to gangs, guns and drugs: “Jeez, Joey, you’re in Florida. You’re doing baseball, you’re here, you’re there. You make a couple bucks. What do you have to say? You left. So just stay out of it.” But Maddon isn’t the kind of guy who keeps his mouth shut and thinks small. No one expected the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to become World Series contenders when he took that dead-end job. And no one predicted a young Cubs team would win 97 games last season. “Regardless of what some people may say, I did grow up here,” he said during an interview for the “Going Home: Joe Maddon” documentary that premieres Thursday night on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. “This is my home. And I do care that it gets back on its feet the way it once had been. So, yeah, I’m going to say what I think.” That Hazleton is gone and will never come back, at least the one built by Pennsylvania coal miners and immigrants of Italian and Polish descent, a place where the Duplan Silk plant produced the parachutes troops used during World War II, and kids used to play on the streets until they heard their parents whistling to come home for dinner. Maddon has a photographic memory and can still point to the spot where his class lined up after John F. Kennedy got shot in 1963 and walked into church to pray for the president’s family. It all came back to Maddon last month as he drove a silver rented SUV through his old neighborhood. He talked so much – and with obvious pride – that it became hard to get a question in while he pointed out the football fields where he played quarterback, the Catholic parishes that anchored the community, his old neighbors’ houses and the cemetery where his father is buried now. “When I was a kid growing up here, without question, it was the best place for any kid to grow up,” said Maddon, who will turn 62 next month. “There was no more pure joy for a kid than this town.” The tipping points Hazleton didn’t change overnight, and its story isn’t all that unique. It’s located almost 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, roughly 130 miles west of Wall Street, about a four-hour drive from the White House. But this could be almost anywhere in the Rust Belt, any city with an eroding manufacturing base that’s been hit hard with aging demographics and a brain drain. Hazleton has almost 25,000 residents, according to 2014 U.S. Census data, with roughly 25 percent of the population living below the poverty line and more than 37 percent of the city identifying as either Hispanic or Latino.

“The group that comes into town is the group that’s going to save Hazleton,” Maddon said. “The people that were born and bred here – they’re gone. They don’t want to live here anymore. “Once you get to a certain age, you want to leave. There’s no opportunity. There are no professional opportunities, outside of a couple doctors, maybe a couple attorneys, schoolteachers. “But if you want to be a professional with a real high ceiling to continue to advance, advance, advance, it’s not the place for you right now. But you want it to be that way again.” Within the last decade, Hazleton has made national headlines with an anti-illegal immigrant push by Lou Barletta, the city’s former mayor and now a Republican congressman representing Pennsylvania’s 11th District. (Maddon declined Barletta’s invitation to attend Tuesday night’s State of the Union address because of commitments to charity events this week in Chicago.) “The Hispanic group comes in – beautiful families, beautiful children, looking for a better way of life,” Maddon said. “(There’s) inexpensive housing, some unskilled labor that they can adopt, and then eventually grow from. “What do you think my grandparents did? Exactly what they did! Not kind of like what they did – that’s exactly what they did! So we have this chance to relive history. “And there’s this pushback, pushback, pushback. And what I try to tell the people around here is: ‘Listen, fight as much as you want, but you’re going to be dead in 10 or 15 years. So why wait 10 or 15 years – and actually have people die before you finally figure it out and permit this city to get back (on its feet)?’ “Why not become part of the solution?” The tipping point came around Christmastime 2010, when Maddon and his wife, Jaye, visited with his cousin, Elaine, and her husband, Bob Curry. They went to a gathering on another side of town, heard the music blasting inside, saw a long table set up with food and watched the kids running around the house while the adults drank wine. “(Joe) describes the community as being dark,” Curry said. “But the kinds of things he was hearing was all of his old friends talking about: ‘Oh, the city’s not the same. It’s a sewer. All these things are different now because this Hispanic population came in and changed everything.’ “Think about that – and think about what Joe does for a living – and he can’t even compute that you could blame all these things on one ethnic group. “(Joe says): ‘What’s the problem? This is exactly the way we grew up.’” That moment helped launch the Maddon family’s nonprofit organization, with Curry becoming the founding president of the Hazleton Integration Project, which would eventually take over an old Catholic school building on Fourth Street. The Hazleton One Community Center now offers bilingual preschool programs, afterschool enrichment activities, citizenship classes and English as a Second Language courses. The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation helped remodel a gym that hosts Police Athletic League basketball and Little League teams looking to practice on rainy days. An anonymous donor contributed about 20 iMacs for the computer room. “A lot of people say: ‘Oh, no, I never left that town,’” Curry said. “They talk about their town and they get on a plane (and) they don’t think about it. They live in Hollywood (or) wherever. “Truly, Joe never left this city. He’s as connected to this project right now as he was years ago. He’s connected to this city in the same ways. And he’s just as committed right now to making a difference as he ever has been.”

“I was that kid” Maddon uses his contacts to get big-name guests here, hoping to someday land Pearl Jam frontman/celebrity Cubs fan Eddie Vedder for the local talent show, and leaning on friends like ESPN analyst Rick Sutcliffe for “Thanksmas” in December. “A lot of people might think I’m crazy,” Sutcliffe said, “leaving the beaches of San Diego, on my own dime, flying all the way here, renting a car in Philly, driving up to Hazleton. I missed the toll bridge. I missed several deer on the way here. Why would you do that? “The kids that walk through this facility – I was that kid. I was that kid a long time ago. When I was nine, my dad left. And my mom walked into her parents and said: ‘I can’t afford the kids. I’m going to put them in a foster home.’ “It was at that time that my grandpa said: ‘No, no, no, that’s not going to happen. You’re not going to break ‘em up. They’re going to stay with me.’” Sutcliffe stood at one end of the center’s basketball gym and thought about his childhood in the Kansas City area, how winning a Cy Young Award with the 1984 Cubs and pitching 18 years in the majors sounded impossible. “I had completely lost hope,” Sutcliffe said. “I had lost my hero in my dad. When you lose hope, you have absolutely nothing going for you. But all of a sudden, I’m living with my grandparents, and there’s a baseball park across the street. A big sponsor put it in there for kids. “Had my grandpa not stepped up, had the sponsors not stepped up with that baseball field, there’s no telling what would have happened in my life. It definitely wouldn’t have ended up as a big-league baseball player. “When Joe talked about this to me in spring training, I begged him. I said: ‘I want to be a part of that.’ Because I know exactly where those kids are right now. They’re looking for hope. And that’s what Joe Maddon’s providing right here.” Maddon also has enough self-awareness to realize that no one wants to hear what the manager of a last-place team has to say about cultural problems or socioeconomic issues. But a Cubs job that looked so appealing on so many levels also offered a much bigger platform for events like Wednesday’s dinner at Catholic Charities on LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. “I don’t know the answers,” Maddon said. “I’m no saint. Don’t get me wrong – I’m no saint by any means. I just think this is the right thing to do. “Yeah, getting to Chicago does permit the larger soapbox to stand upon. (But) my job is (to) be the manager of the Cubs first. If I don’t do that well, then all this stuff doesn’t gain the traction that it needs.” Hazleton can never go back to 1950 or 1960 or whatever idealized version of the past. But Maddon is never going to turn his back on his hometown. “Amidst the swirling kind of negativity that we started with,” Curry said, “and (now) hearing and actually feeling the difference in attitude from the people in the neighborhood…it’s an exceptionally hopeful position we find ourselves in. “It really forces you to be optimistic about tomorrow. I know (that) it’s kind of a lip-service thing to say, but I think Hazleton’s best days are ahead of us.” --

CSNChicago.com Will Cubs make another splash this winter? By Patrick Mooney Will the Cubs make another splash this winter? Manager Joe Maddon downplayed the idea of another big-name addition on Wednesday, while chairman Tom Ricketts told reporters not to expect a contract-extension announcement for team president Theo Epstein at this weekend’s Cubs Convention. The Cubs sell themselves right now, as Epstein likes to say. So heading into the fifth and final season of his contract, there should be “no alarm bells to ring” (another Theo-ism before firing Dale Sveum). Epstein’s front office has methodically rebuilt a roster that FanGraphs projects will finish with the best record (95-67) in baseball this year. The Cubs don’t need to change the subject this weekend by introducing a new mascot at the Sheraton Grand Chicago or waiting for Masahiro Tanaka or unveiling more Wrigley Field blueprints. The focus should actually shift back to the on-field product (and not rooftop turf battles or City Hall politicking). Working with ownership and the business side, Epstein appears to have already stretched the baseball budget, trying to cram two winters of talent acquisition into one offseason. After dropping $272 million on Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward, super-utility guy Ben Zobrist and big-game pitcher John Lackey, the Cubs are just about done reshaping a team that won 97 games last year and advanced to the National League Championship Series. “Honestly, there’s a lot of talk,” Maddon said before his “Thanksmas” dinner at Catholic Charities on LaSalle Street. “But I’m working under the assumption – and I really mean this – that it’s going to look exactly like this when we go to camp. “Do I anticipate anything? Not necessarily. I would imagine we’re pretty close to what we’re going to look like when we get there and into the first part of the season. But if that’s the case, I have nothing to complain about.” At this time last year, it sounded crazy when All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo showed up at a similar event and predicted the Cubs would win the division. It sounded like Rizzo Being Rizzo. The Cubs finished in third place behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, and then eliminated their Central rivals from the playoffs in what became a delirious run through October, at least until getting swept by the New York Mets. The Cubs will be the hunted this year, playing with a target on their backs. No more stepping-stone seasons in Wrigleyville for this talented group. All the expectations will revolve around winning the franchise’s first World Series title since 1908. “No guarantees,” Maddon said. “We have a chance to replicate what we did last year. It’s up to us. Replicate in the sense you get to the playoffs and get deep into the playoffs and hopefully win at least eight more games. “But I think everything’s in order. A big part of it is the guys that have never won learned how to win (last) year and that matters a lot. The guys that we brought in have known how to win. “It’s a pretty good bedrock there.” --

CSNChicago.com Giordano's brings back 'Cubbies Pizza' in advance of Cubs Convention By Tony Andracki Get your pizza on this weekend, Cubs fans. Giordano's unveiled a "Cubbies Pizza" last year during the Cubs Convention and they're bringing it back again in 2016: The special edition pizzas will be available from Friday, Jan. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 17. Callers must specify they want the "Cubbies Pizza" to get the cheese in the shape of the logo, and the only size available is a large stuffed option. The pizzas will be available at more Giordano's locations this season, including: —Gold Coast (730 N. Rush) —Millennium Park (130 E. Randolph) —Central Loop (233 W. Jackson) —Navy Pier (700 E. Grand) Cost per pizza is $25. As a special Chicago sports bonus, Giordano's will give away large, stuffed cheese pizzas for $19.85 on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in honor of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Bears. --