Cubs: Three things I’d like to see when the schedule comes out

Here are three ideas that would make the Chicago Cubs’ 2020 schedule extra interesting

With Major League Baseball set to release its schedule for the abbreviated 2020 season on Monday, lots of Chicago Cubs fans are eager to see who the Cubs will play and when. It’s already been reported that the team will play 40 games against the NL Central and 20 games against the AL Central for a total of 60 contests.

The team will reportedly begin the season on July 24. Beyond that, we haven’t seen many other details. By that time, we’ll have been without baseball for close to ten months, meaning the anticipation for the season to start will be huge. So, no matter what the schedule looks like, Cubs fans will be eager to get things going.

Still, there are some things the league could to that would make the Cubs’ schedule extra interesting. Here are three possibilities.

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Chicago Cubs open against the White Sox

For a while, it looked like there might be a realignment, and the two Chicago teams would be in the same division. That won’t be happening, at least this year, but the city figures to be on fire for baseball with the team still expected to be a contending club while White Sox is an up-and-coming franchise. Having the two teams kick off the season against each other would cause fans to go crazy with excitement.

We don’t know for sure how many games the two teams will play head-to-head, though it figures to be at least four of the clubs’ 60 contests. Therefore, the games will have a lot of meaning for both teams. Having these games at the beginning of the season would be must-see TV.

Chicago Cubs close against the Cardinals

I know this is something that has happened in the past and wouldn’t be a novelty, but I hope the league provides as many games between division rivals as possible to close the season. Though I’ve never been opposed to interleague play, I still think this should be done to create as many important head-to-head matchups down the stretch as possible.

With only 60 games, it’s easy to envision a scenario where the Cubs and Cardinals are neck-and-neck in the standings towards the end. Of course, there’s no guarantee that will happen, but having them face off to end the year with the division on the line would be huge. Even if it doesn’t turn out that way, it still will give us a memorable end to the season, as these games are usually close and intense.

Chicago Cubs have more Friday night games

It’s unclear whether having no or limited fans in the stands would impact what the Wrigleyville neighborhood would allow in terms of more night games. The Cubs are the only team that regularly hosts Friday afternoon games, and while there’s some charm in that, it also would be nice to see them have more Friday night games in the future in order to allow more people to watch the games.

I hope there will be some consideration given to having more night games in general and more Friday night games in particular, with there figuring to be a lot less activity around the ballpark on game days. It would be a great way to maximize TV viewership, which already figures to be high due to the anticipation leading up to this season.

I don’t know what the schedule makers have in mind, so I don’t know whether any of this will happen. In any case, the schedule coming out will mark a significant milestone for Chicago Cubs baseball returning. I’ll be waiting with anticipation for it to be released.