HBT After Dark

By Craig CalcaterraFeb 19, 2013, 4:47 AM EDT
35 Comments

3:30 AM: Cat wakes me up, meowing outside the bedroom door. It’s been two months since he’s been exiled from the bedroom for being a jerk, and for a long time he was cool about it, but now every other day he meows out there a lot. He won’t stop this time.

3:45 AM: Out of bed. Begin the six stages of being awake before 4AM (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, Twitter reading)

4:28 AM: Give up any hope of sleeping. Turn on coffee pot.

4:36 AM: Read a tweet from @yakyunightowl suggesting I look at Nyjer Morgan’s Twitter feed. It is mid-afternoon in Japan, and Morgan is at an elementary school. 800 kids are making “little Ts” which I think stand for “Tony Plush.”

 

4:46 AM: Post this thing. Figure it’s gonna be a long day. May as well start it randomly.

Cubs acquire Martín Maldonado from the Royals

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By Craig CalcaterraJul 16, 2019, 6:38 AM EDT
2 Comments

Last night Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was placed on the injured list with a strained muscle in his right foot. That injury inspired the Cubs to go out and get another catcher. They acquired Martín Maldonado in a trade with Kansas City in exchange for lefty Mike Montgomery, in a deal that was announced after the Cubs loss to the Reds.

Maldonado, 32, was a Gold Glove winner in 2017 with the Angels. At the moment he’s hitting .227 with six homers and 17 RBIs in 74 games. Obviously, though, defense is his calling card, as he’s a .220 career hitter with 57 homers and 210 RBIs in 686 games.

Montgomery, 30, is 1-2 with a 5.67 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the Cubs this year. He’s heading back to where his pro career began. He was drafted by Kanas City in 2008, though he was traded away in the James Shields/Wade David/Wil Myers deal in 2012. He made his big league debut for Seattle in 2015. Dayton Moore said last night that the Royals plan to use Montgomery in the rotation as a replacement for Homer Bailey, who was dealt to Oakland on Sunday.