All the signs of CUBS that aim for a fun and dramatic summer at Wrigley Field

CHICAGO – “What a Wonderful World” played in the club house of Wrigley Field on Sunday morning while the distinctive and roca voice of Louis Armstrong filled the locker room. The playlist prayer to easy listening has fueled the vibrations and the cold show for this opening weekend, which recalled a quote by Eric Karros: Each player should spend a year like Chicago puppy.

There is simply nothing else of the genre: the story that dates back to 1876, the iconic baseball field that operates in the middle of a neighborhood, all daytime games and a perspective of the Midwest. It may not be the best place to chase a championship ring – the CUBS have a world of the world series of their previous 116 seasons – but it is never boring.

It is forming again in this way. The crowds that totaled 109,597 poured into the friendly borders to see the Cubs win a series of three games against the unbeaten San Diego Padas. They also left more wishing more since the sloppy loss 8-7 on Sunday closed the winning series of five-games CUBS.

However, only a week ago, fans and media criticized Craig Counsell as overrated manager who They looked at his rescuers to give up eight runs in the eighth inning of a road loss. Jed Hoyer, the baseball manager who has mainly built that bullpen, is in the last year of his contract and under pressure. Hoyer’s front office, however, works inside the Payboards parameters set for properties and commercial operationsBringing questions about why puppies don’t spend more money for players.

In the background, the CUBS still believe they have a winning formula with pitching and defense, speed and athleticism, depth and flexibility of the roster and Kyle Tucker, A talent at the superstar level that will be able to spend at least one season like puppy.

The Karros line, which is occasionally mentioned by the longtime writer of Chicago Tribune Paul Sullivan, came out of the extraordinary 2003 season which ended with a defeat of Game 7 in the National League championship series. Karros-Verso the end of a 14-year player career and before his successful transition in the transmission-he perfectly summarized the welcoming atmosphere to Wrigleyville.

“I know Ek (Eric Karros),” said the first base of Cubs Justin Turner. “Yes, I have already heard it before.”

He made sense for Turner, 40 years old, who previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, and wanted another experience as a great market. He obtained a one-year contract from $ 6 million for moments such as the pinch on Friday hit AT-BAT, which became a single RBI and a turning point in a 3-1 victory. He felt the energy as soon as he approached the players’ parking, crossed Waveland Avenue and saw people collect hours before the first shot.

“Feeling the energy of the fans is spectacular,” said Turner. “As cold as it was, once they climbed on the field and feel the energy and excitement, go in a certain sense.”

The emotions were inevitable on Saturday for Ian Happ, who obtained a standing ovation for his 1,000th puppy game, as well as Matthew Boyd, who was suffocated after winning his first start to Wrigley Field in a puppy uniform, thinking about his deceased grandfather, a Cubs fan who grew up in Chicago. Those generational connections could be seen during the weekend, from the Hall of Famers present to the steps full of jams to the video of Harry Caroy who makes the seventh stretch.

Fans give Ian Happ a standing ovation for his 1,000th puppy match. (Matt Marton / Image images)

The journey began the Super Bowl on Sunday with the start of spring training. A month later, the CUBS traveled for about 12,000 miles round -trip for the Tokyo series, so they went unleashed up and down at the end of March for the end of the Cactus League and another opening day. After dividing a series of four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the CUBS swept away athletics in a triple baseball field in (aggregated score: 35-9) and returned to the friendly boundaries with a sense of momentum.

“It seemed that we had gone forever,” said the short Dansby Swanson. “When you put the uniform of the puppy and then take the field, there is a different aura around it. There is a different atmosphere. This stage, of course, is historical – some of the best players of all time have played here.

“So grateful to be back and I can’t wait for a big year to arrive.”

So far, the high -level summary is that the puppies have prevented a terrible beginning and avoided any devastating injuries. Both were concerns that came out of their long trip to Japan and an unusual preset training regime. Their record is 7-5 in the middle of the hardest stretch of the entire program, which will not train until May.

“The only thing you can do is go out and play a good game,” said Counsell. “I am very encouraged from where we sit in terms of health. In terms of how we launched so far, I think we have been able to use the boys appropriately and create a foundation in the first 10 days. This is what I was very worried about, and I think we have 10 days of good bases here. We are not yet out of the woods.”

In fact, the puppies of last year were 17-9 at the end of April before two ugly months had sentenced their season. Their 2023 team was likely to be playoffs more than 90 percent until the collapse of September. Part of what made the franchise so attractive for free agents in search of the next challenge was that bad century.

As a veteran player, Turner stopped calmly at his locker after loss of next and back on Sunday to the Padas and told journalists: “No excuse”.

With the closest puppies, Ryan who was pressing pressing to work with another ninth jam, Turner had made a mistake in a potential double game, allowing the not acquired race and to go to score.

“I just lost it,” Turner said. “The ball must be captured.”

Counsell had left Turner at the first base instead of sub in Michael Busch because the manager preferred that matchup at the bottom of the ninth inning. At the tenth At-Bat shot, Turner lost a quick 99 mph ball from the nearest Padres Robert Suárez to finish the game.

The puppies could have avoided the best rescuers of San Diego marking the second inning; Two of their first races arrived through Logan Gillaspen’s Balks, a call from the Triple-a affiliate of San Diego. Ben Brown, the young appetizer that the Cubs expect to take a leap forward this season, he could have closed his father on the day of escape instead of working through four inning. In any case, that family rhythm of the Cubs baseball has returned.

“Many strange things in the game today,” said Turner. “We have still taken two out of three from an excellent dance club over there. We had the opportunity to sweep them and we have not finished the job. But we will shake him off and we will present tomorrow and we will try to win another series.”

(Photo above: Matt Marton / Image Images)