It\u2019s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the most happening hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We\u2019re so glad you decided to stop by. Come in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. We\u2019ve got a fire going and the show will start soon. There\u2019s no cover charge tonight. Bring your own beverage.<\/p>\n
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.<\/p>\n
Last night, I asked you where the Cubs were most vulnerable heading into the season<\/a>. Thirty-five percent of you thought the biggest issue was the bullpen, and that makes a lot of sense. Another 31 percent of you said \u201coutfield depth,\u201d and that makes a lot of sense too. I wonder about the two percent of you who said \u201cinfield depth.\u201d I guess if you don\u2019t believe in Matt Shaw that could be a problem, but is that the biggest potential problem on the team?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic starts the third round tonight. But you\u2019re free to skip all that. You won\u2019t hurt my feelings.<\/p>\n My adage when I can\u2019t think of anything to play is to just play the hits. So tonight, we have a classic from Count Basie and his Orchestra on the BBC in 1965. This is \u201cApril in Paris,\u201d which you\u2019ve probably heard many times, even if only in Blazing Saddles.<\/p>\n You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and you decided to send Back to the Future<\/a> to the final eight over The Matrix. A lot of you noted that I probably would have voted for The Matrix (I don\u2019t vote except to break ties) but were it up to me, this round would have been Gattaca against 12 Monkeys, so I\u2019m not going to get too worked up.<\/p>\n With that, we close out the second round and move on to the third. We also move back to the \u201cClassic\u201d period where we have a battle of two heavyweights: The Day the Earth Stood Still and Godzilla (Gojira). I put the Japanese title in the matchup to make clear that were voting on the Japanese original. The English-language version is called Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I\u2019ve mentioned that version with Raymond Burr is a lot of fun but it is definitely the inferior version.<\/p>\n The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what I wrote last time about The Day the Earth Stood Still.<\/a><\/p>\n The key clip from The Day the Earth Stood Still is Patricia Neal saying \u201cKlaatu Barada Nikto\u201d to Gort<\/a>, but I used that one last time. But it\u2019s just a magnificent piece of filmmaking from director Wise. You can see how he would go on to win two Oscars for directing.<\/p>\n This clip of Klaatu (Rennie) emerging from the saucer is also good.<\/p>\n Godzilla (1954). Directed by Ishir\u014d Honda. Starring Akira Takarada, Momoko K\u014dchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what I wrote last time about Godzilla.<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s Godzilla emerging out of Tokyo Bay.<\/p>\n Both of these films are dealing with the anxieties of the nuclear age from different sides of the Pacific. For Americans, the destruction of nuclear weapons was only theoretical and in The Day the Earth Stood Still, Klaatu comes as a Christ-like savior to lead us to the path of peace. No one gets hurt other than Klaatu. Even he (sort of, thanks the Production Code) comes back to life.<\/p>\n Of course for the Japanese, the terror of nuclear weapons was all too real and Godzilla wrecks major havoc to the country. Tens or hundreds of thousands are likely dead in Godzilla\u2019s wake. The message isn\u2019t so much \u201clive in peace with nuclear weapons\u201d as it is \u201cget rid of them because someone is going to use one again eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n Both films are fantastic. Tough choice tonight. But now is your time to make it.<\/p>\n You have until Monday to make your vote. Next up is the finals in our \u201cNew Hollywood\u201d bracket between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes (1968).<\/p>\n Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.<\/p>\n Earlier this decade, the Cubs were lining up all of their big contracts to run out at the end of this year. That\u2019s gone a bit by the wayside with the signings of Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Phil Maton, but for the most part, the Cubs are going to have a few free agents at the end of 2026 if they don\u2019t sign them to extensions before that.<\/p>\n Both Cubs starting corner outfielders, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, are going to be free agents at the end of the season unless they agree to extensions or accept a qualifying offer. Both of them are very good players, but neither one is a superstar. It\u2019s hard to tell what Suzuki is thinking with the language barrier and all, but I\u2019ve got no reason to think he isn\u2019t happy in Chicago. There was a little grumbling from his camp last year when he was moved to DH after the trade for Kyle Tucker, but Tucker is gone now and Suzuki is penciled back in right field for 2026.<\/p>\n Happ has made it clear that he loves Chicago and the Cubs and would like to be a Cub for life.<\/p>\n So should the Cubs make a move now to sign either outfielder to an extension? Or both?<\/p>\n