Life is short, especially for ex-Cub pitchers

The death of Frank Castillo–who Cubs fans like me remember, but hardly anybody does–was the fourth such death of a Cubs pitcher from the 1990s in the past few years. I don’t know why it’s only the pitchers involved, but even one of these would be strange enough. Four of them, though, is just too

Pitchers and catchers reported today

It’s officially spring training, now that the pitchers and catchers have reported to the Cubs’ facilities in Arizona. Position players are coming in next week. Burt Hooton was a Cubs pitcher who seemed destined for greatness. He made his big league debut in 1971, without spending a single day in the minor leagues. No Cubs