SPORTS CATCHERS’ SNIT Cards’ Molina takes issue with bold statements Cubs’ Contreras made to Sun- Times
Molina takes a dig at Contreras, but Cubs backstop just needs to follow Yadi’s advice
During Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ first start as a major- leaguer, at Wrigley Field against the Cardinals in 2016, the great Yadier Molina stepped up to the plate and made Contreras’ day.
“You look great,” the iconic Cardinals catcher told him, speaking Spanish. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re going to be an All- Star someday.”
The next time the players meet on the field, fans could be looking for signs of tension between them. This, after Contreras made the following comments to the SunTimes — OK, to yours truly — at last weekend’s Cubs Convention, in reference to Molina and the Giants’ Buster Posey:
“I used to watch a lot of [ video of ] those guys, but now I’m watching myself because I know that I’m going to be better than them. That’s my plan. That’s my [ mindset].”
Molina, an eight- time All- Star and eight- time Gold Glove winner, responded by posting a photo on his Instagram of Posey, the Royals’ Salvador Perez and himself at the 2015 Midsummer Classic in n Cincinnati. It was captioned, in Spanish: panish: “Respect the ranks, rookies.” ookies.”
Contreras, 25, later r tweeted that he was simply setting tting personal goals using “the best players” as motivation and that he knows he is “lacking experience and only time will tell.” Cubs fans who commented clearly had his back. Molina and Posey fans, not so much.
“Soooo,” wrote @ thenorky, “better than arguably the best defensive and offensive catchers of all time? Got it.”
And that was one of the nicer ones I found. Suffice it to say, Contreras stirred up plenty of Bay Area bluster and copious amounts of that lovable St. Louis sanctimony.
My message to him? I’ll borrow from Molina: Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep pounding balls over the fence and fielding your
position with bold confidence and all- out effort. OK, maybe stop fielding fi bunts and an throwing do down to first like yo you’re trying to kil kill Anthony Rizzo. Oth Other than that, tho though, keep doing wha what you’re doing. A And now, on with Your Turn: No Now that the Blac Blackhawks may have lost Corey Craw Crawford for the rest of o the season, what will be GM Stan B Bowman’s next move? — @ KevFromChicago If Bo Bowman believes the Cra Crawford- less Hawks are a goalie away fro from winning another Stanley Cup, then he should s knock himself o out on the trade front. Yet why would he believe th that? Why would anyone? Here’s w what the Hawks need: Crawford. Craw They need their oft- criticized stud back on his skates and ready to carry this team. If his “vertigo- like symptoms,” to quote Sun- Times Hawks scribe Mark Lazerus, are going to shut him down for the rest of the season, then the team ought to roll with what it has and live with the results. Trading a promising piece off the roster — like Vinnie Hinostroza, who seems to do something good every time I look up — and then losing in the first round anyway would be an absurd way to go.
Best use of the Bears’ No. 1 draft pick: best player available, best at biggest need or trade for additional picks? — @ KirkTMellish
Did you feel that seismic shift? It was just me falling out of my chair at the notion that the Bears are good enough to be drafting for specific areas of need rather than purely raising their talent level.
I’ve heard one wonkish football guy after another describe Notre Dame’s Quenton Nelson as essentially a “perfect” offensive lineman. By God, if you can get him, get him. He’ll probably play guard, but suffice it to say it isn’t hard to find a place to plug “perfect” in.
I’ve heard lots of similarly superlative talk the last couple of years about Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. You’ll find a spot for him, but know this: You want him on your side of the dark alley.
Just add talent, baby. GM Ryan Pace has had a few impressive mid- round selections, so stockpiling picks isn’t the worst way to go. Just don’t blow ’ em.
Who do you think is the best men’s college basketball team in Illinois, and which one has the best shot at making the Big Dance? — Karen, via email
Is Notre Dame in Illinois yet? Still no?
Somebody — Loyola in the Missouri Valley? — is going to have to win a conference tournament or there’ll be nothing to talk about.
Also, do you think DePaul should get out of the Big East and into a league where it can win more than one or two conference games? — Karen, via email Hi again, Karen. No, DePaul ( and its shiny, new arena) needs to stay right where it is — in that outstanding conference it’s lucky to be a part of — and otherwise pull its head out of its rear end and start getting a heck of a lot better. Just a wild, wacky thought: It might take the right coach to make that happen.
Big ups to you, my friend. You were one of the few sportswriters who liked the Lauri Markkanen pick and actually admitted it. He looks great and has a higher ceiling than most people wanted to believe. — @ thickyfingers
Seven feet tall plus best shooter in the draft equals I’m on board. I can’t imagine why anyone wasn’t. Follow me on Twitter @ SLGreenberg. Email: sgreenberg@ suntimes. com