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1st Half Recap w/ Special Guest CB: The Cubs Can Still Win The Division · Monday Morning Cubs Show

0:05
SPEAKER_02: And we're clear.
0:07
SPEAKER_01: Good morning, good afternoon, and evening, Chicago Cubs fans, and welcome back to the Monday Morning Cubs Show.
0:12
SPEAKER_01: It is your host, Carl.
0:14
SPEAKER_01: Today is Monday, July.
0:16
SPEAKER_01: Help me out, Mahoney.
0:18
SPEAKER_02: 13th, pal.
0:18
SPEAKER_02: It's July 13th.
0:20
SPEAKER_01: All right, and this is a big show because it's our off-day all-star break show.
0:24
SPEAKER_01: We have our special guest of the week, the Monday, the Maniac of the Month, I should say.
0:28
SPEAKER_01: And I think our most recurring guest, CB.
0:31
SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the show.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: CB, good to see you, my friend.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: Good to see you, boys.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, I've been on this a third time now.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: Uh, first time was real down, second time was real high, and and we'll find out where we're at today.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: So thanks for having me.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: Excited to chop up and talk hubs, you boys.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: I hope you know, CB, what I do like to say is third time is always a charm, my friend.
0:52
SPEAKER_02: So let's get rolling, Carl.
0:54
SPEAKER_03: Apologies for cutting off.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm just saying, I hope I hope Mamiacs aren't joining or getting familiar with because we've had Tui on, you know, now CB Molinaro is a very familiar friend in the group chat and stuff.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, part of my vision is having more familiar faces and friends and stuff.
1:12
SPEAKER_01: Now, what are C B's qualifications for the Cubs?
1:14
SPEAKER_01: He loves them, he's obsessed with the Cubs, he doesn't miss a pitch.
1:19
SPEAKER_01: He's the most active person in any group text like chat.
1:22
SPEAKER_01: I have uh is obsessed with baseball.
1:24
SPEAKER_01: His best friend is uh one of my closest friends from Illinois baseball.
1:28
SPEAKER_01: Just the same thing with human meme, Mohoney.
1:30
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
1:31
SPEAKER_01: A lot of similarities here where you know, just guys who love the game, um, and that I know through guys that I've played the game with and that I just have high appreciation with.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: So that's that's just a great way for me to introduce CB again for the third time on the show because listen, guys, we're gonna talk about this stuff.
1:46
SPEAKER_01: I'll guarantee you he's as plugged in on what the fan like he's as good as it's gonna get.
1:51
SPEAKER_01: So that's where I am at with CB.
1:53
SPEAKER_02: One quick quip too on CB.
1:55
SPEAKER_02: His dad's been cutting the grass in his backyard as a baseball field since he's been, I'm sure, a tyke and continues to do so for the grandchildren.
2:03
SPEAKER_02: So, talk about like a locked-in family.
2:06
SPEAKER_02: They are as as diehard as it comes, folks.
2:09
SPEAKER_02: CB, so happy to have you back for this thrice performance.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: Love it.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: Excited to be here, boys.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: Excited to be here.
2:17
SPEAKER_01: Do you want to do that?
2:18
SPEAKER_01: Can we talk about your dad cutting the grass?
2:19
SPEAKER_01: Like that's two or two minutes into the show.
2:21
SPEAKER_03: I'm so good.
2:22
SPEAKER_01: It's absolutely a blessing when these group text pictures come out.
2:26
SPEAKER_01: So you grew up in Long Grove, you guys got a couple acres.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: Your old man's a Swedish national.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: Take it from here.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, my old man never he moved here from Sweden when he was little, actually moved to Park Forest.
2:39
SPEAKER_00: So he grew up a Sox fan.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, I got the Cubs love just from you know, kids at school.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: You know, we're Long Grove is way northwest of the city, but you know, still Northsiders technically.
2:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, and we had a bunch of cousins, a bunch of kids that we've hung out with all the time, and we never went to camp or anything.
2:57
SPEAKER_00: My old man was working, my mom was working, so we would just basically set up shop in the backyard and play baseball all day.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: So we started cutting a baseball field into it.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: Uh now I'm 40 years old and don't live there anymore.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I got a couple nephews that live close and they're in the travel baseball circuit, and he essentially just does it so his grandkids come over and play.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: And we have a big family, a lot of people kind of set up shop in this area.
3:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, so Sunday, Sunday dinner is a big thing, and the kids are always over there running, playing baseball.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: And it's it's it's really, I will say, luckily, no one in my family was a left-handed hitter because the left-handed home run is probably like a hundred feet the way it's set up.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: If you're a writer, you gotta hit you gotta pop it about 275 to hit out.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: So uh, but he keeps it immaculate, cuts it like twice a week, makes it look great.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: I'll I I'll send a picture to Carl.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: Actually, think Carl wrote you wrote a blog about it way back.
3:50
SPEAKER_00: I think I did.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: I think I have to say that was familiar to me.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: I think I've been down this path before.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: I think there might be some maniacs who where this could be ringing some bells.
3:59
SPEAKER_01: Hey, speak of ringing bells here, folks, guys.
4:01
SPEAKER_01: We got three diehards.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: I mean, just guys who love 1060, West Addison, all three of our old men, all three of them, just passionate white socks fans.
4:10
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
4:11
SPEAKER_02: That's great, Carl.
4:12
SPEAKER_02: I was thinking about the same thing, and it was like, we got to bring this up.
4:15
SPEAKER_02: Shoot, he scores.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: So, this is our first half recap show.
4:18
SPEAKER_01: We wanted to have CB on just light the mood a little bit, guys.
4:21
SPEAKER_01: I think we're playing great baseball.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: I think we've been sensational.
4:24
SPEAKER_01: We've responded well to a ton of adversity, especially when Craig got kicked off from that October game.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: I talked a lot about that on the Friday show.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: Basically, the purpose of this show was though, we put together some baller strike, Mahoney's gonna kick us off with baller strike.
4:37
SPEAKER_01: CB's gonna lead as the point man, is our point umpire on this.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna kind of take a step back a little bit.
4:43
SPEAKER_01: You know, I've had a lot of passionate things to say.
4:45
SPEAKER_01: I would also encourage guys, if you didn't get a taste of the Friday show, I get into this very esoteric thing about what it means to really want it and to want to win and why I think Craig Council is starting to show some of those stripes.
4:58
SPEAKER_01: So, like, I've had a lot to say.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: I'm interested in this show, kind of taking a step back a little bit from that, you know, just real deep level conversation.
5:06
SPEAKER_01: One of the reasons why we wanted to have CBN.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: So, we're gonna get into some of that stuff with Mahoney.
5:10
SPEAKER_01: I think it's a playoff baseball team.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: I think we're five games back at the brewers.
5:14
SPEAKER_01: I think we have momentum, and I think we're lucky we get to talk about all the stuff because of Thirsty Vacaro, a Mexican-style soda with a signature spicy finish, three bold flavors.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: You can get it on Amazon, deliver to your front door.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: CB just cracked the Lamone Ladrone, Juitsy scores.
5:28
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Mahoney, how many times we're gonna say it?
5:31
SPEAKER_01: It is the beverage of the summer.
5:32
SPEAKER_02: It's a signature spicy soda, Carl.
5:35
SPEAKER_02: It's got the bold finish.
5:36
SPEAKER_02: You got real fruit juice in there, it's real agave, it's enough heat to make you kind of check over your shoulder every once in a while.
5:44
SPEAKER_02: And I mean, you got three flavors, three outlaws, sandia savaje, mango muerte, le monde.
5:51
SPEAKER_02: They're working on the pronunciations of these bad boys because it is the thirstiest bunch of vigilantes that you're ever gonna have.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: Grab yourself vigilante pack, it's an all-bike, no rattle, folks.
6:02
SPEAKER_02: Saba, sabor, hastella muerte.
6:06
SPEAKER_01: And if you're driving yourself to work and just stay on the road there, Mahoney's just a fired up guy because he loves a mango muerte.
6:13
SPEAKER_02: Hand up, I juiced up my microphone a couple more notches this one, Carl.
6:16
SPEAKER_02: I hope I'm not throwing anything off in post.
6:19
SPEAKER_01: No, I honestly at this point, just our post is so tight, and you know this with me.
6:23
SPEAKER_01: Our post-production process, baby, we are locked in now.
6:26
SPEAKER_01: When we do three tracks like this, I am inclined to blend it into one mix down before I run it through the software.
6:32
SPEAKER_01: Where normally what I do is I take each individual track and I scrub it, then I then I add them together.
6:38
SPEAKER_01: So then the end product is a little bit more.
6:41
SPEAKER_01: But in this case, you know what?
6:43
SPEAKER_01: I might just have the passages made.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: This might be this might be a little bit more of a Polish or Swedish kilbasa, you know, for staying on track with CB here, guys.
6:52
SPEAKER_01: So uh, but obviously, guys, go check out some Thirsty Vaquero, just a great partner to the show, great partner for the first half, you know, and just very close friends of the program.
7:00
SPEAKER_01: So we'll just start there.
7:01
SPEAKER_01: I think a great segment.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: Mahoney and I kicked around.
7:03
SPEAKER_01: We talked about this, CB.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna I'm gonna pin it to you.
7:07
SPEAKER_01: There's three bold flavors of Thirsty Vaquero.
7:10
SPEAKER_01: Now, at this point, I'm gonna say Pete Crow Armstrong is our spicy watermelon from the standpoint of just like, wow, is he unique or whatever?
7:17
SPEAKER_01: Who's your mango muerte?
7:19
SPEAKER_01: Or Mahoney, do you have a mango muerte right now you want to offer up?
7:22
SPEAKER_01: I think this is a great way to get us going into the ball.
7:26
SPEAKER_02: I do have a mango muerte I can offer up, CB.
7:29
SPEAKER_02: If you don't mind, you are the guest.
7:30
SPEAKER_02: But the mango muerte is Danzby Swanson because he's somebody he he might kill you.
7:36
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
7:36
SPEAKER_02: He's gonna kill your first buttons.
7:39
SPEAKER_02: He has 58 RBIs and 16 home runs.
7:43
SPEAKER_02: We thought he was done in a way cooked, dunzo, what however you want to put it.
7:49
SPEAKER_02: He had a 178 batting average mid-June.
7:52
SPEAKER_02: It was the second lowest, as Carl had pointed out several times, among the 158 qualified hitters at the time.
7:59
SPEAKER_02: Unbelievable.
8:00
SPEAKER_02: We were like, I don't know if he needs to, we he needed to take a couple deeps, you know, a couple deep seats, which had happened, whatever.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: And then the 15 RBI week, whatever, three home runs, eight RBIs.
8:11
SPEAKER_02: I'm kind of saying this too over the cusp of the first half.
8:14
SPEAKER_02: So let me just reestablish this is our first half mango muerte.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: You're saying our first half mango muerte is Dansby Swanson.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: I'm saying our first first half Mango Muerte is PCA.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: I like where you're at with Danzby though, because it just is a quick sidebar.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: The the Vaquero guys will tell you when they're working with distributors that Mango Murte is always the last one for the group to come around on.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: They're like, when we do these taste testings, like they jump out of their chair for the spicy watermelon.
8:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, then they start thinking about all the different cocktails they can make the little Molotron.
8:44
SPEAKER_01: They're like, the Mango Muerte, we're gonna have to do some comeback on, but then that's the one two, three months later, once they start ordering them, they're like, the volume is through the roof because they just can't believe how versatile it is.
8:55
SPEAKER_01: So I think that's a good way to compare Dan's B.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: Swanson.
8:58
SPEAKER_02: Mango Muerte, it just doesn't warn you, and neither did Dance B.
9:02
SPEAKER_02: So here we are, happy to have him back.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: CB, you got a Lamon LeJron.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: Don't be bashful.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: I I'm gonna go with uh Craig Council with the Lamont Le John.
9:12
SPEAKER_03: Oh love that's out of the box, outside of the box.
9:17
SPEAKER_03: Love it.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: I'll because I was spinning thinking.
9:19
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, you know what?
9:20
SPEAKER_00: Because this one is the one that just tastes um it's fantastic, it's got its own kind of natural flavor, but it's more of a more familiar taste than the spicy watermelon and the and the mango muerta would be.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, more familiar, really, is the perfect way to say it.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's more familiar.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: You drink it, it's like, oh, I could see this kind of being like Sprite that's a little bit better.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: Um and and Craig Council is just kind of like a familiar guy, just like, oh, he's in the dugout, he's doing the same thing every day.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: You can have it every day, you're gonna enjoy it.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: The watermelon can kick your ass sometimes in a good way.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the muerte, funny you said that, Carl.
9:56
SPEAKER_00: Uh that was my least favorite for a while, and now I think it's my favorite.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: Getting into it.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: That's where Danz B.
10:02
SPEAKER_01: Swanson plays.
10:03
SPEAKER_01: He's been what did you say?
10:04
SPEAKER_01: 58 RBIs.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: He's at base for 100 plus RBIs, which is classic Danzig Swanson behavior.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: Let's start here, though, guys.
10:10
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so PCA conversation point before we get to Mahoney, baller strike.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: I have a baller strike, baller strike, PCA is the best player in the National League, not named Shohe Otani, baller strike.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: That's a strike, it's not even close.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, I was I was doing some looking at at and I I don't follow, I don't think war is a perfect tool, but what is he at a 5.9 this year?
10:34
SPEAKER_00: And show A's at a 6.1 that includes pitching, obviously.
10:37
SPEAKER_00: There's no one close, and the the you know, if you read so what some fans throughout baseball say about PCA, you would think this guy's garbage, it's just unbelievable what he gets, and he just keeps producing that month of June he had was unbelievable.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, we're seeing a star rise right now, honestly, in all facets of the game, defense, uh hitting, and then his personality, too.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: This guy is just gonna skyrocket.
11:01
SPEAKER_00: He needs to start cashing in some of these endorsements because he's gonna be a cub for a long time, he's gonna be around for a long time and be a big part of this team.
11:09
SPEAKER_02: Absolute strike down the middle, 21 dingers, 23 stolen bases at the break, 930 OPS, according to my calculations, folks.
11:19
SPEAKER_02: And uh PCA is it, and my only concern is like, will there be a fall off this time around?
11:24
SPEAKER_02: And I don't believe so, based on the entire completely different approach that we've seen with his at bats moving forward.
11:31
SPEAKER_02: I think the guy is a pro and he is our superstar.
11:35
SPEAKER_01: And the walk rates up, you know, it's it's really a sensational adaptation of what he was great last year.
11:42
SPEAKER_01: A lot of the stuff that made him great last year is what makes him great right now.
11:45
SPEAKER_01: It's the quick power, it's the aggressiveness, etc.
11:47
SPEAKER_01: But where you want to see him take steps, he's taken tremendous amount of steps.
11:51
SPEAKER_01: Hey, I threw this out on Twitter, this was kind of spicy.
11:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, do you guys have a take on who's a better Chicago athlete right now or who between Caleb Williams and PCA Mahoney?
12:00
SPEAKER_02: I had a hard time voting.
12:02
SPEAKER_02: I saw that pop up on Twitter.
12:04
SPEAKER_02: I get the notifications when you know you shoot one across, and it was tough for me.
12:09
SPEAKER_02: And right now it's Caleb Williams only because he beat the Packers in the playoffs and has delivered and delivered and delivered, and had has delivered when it absolutely counted.
12:21
SPEAKER_02: We'll we're gonna see that for PCA.
12:23
SPEAKER_02: This is gonna be a back and forth vote, and I hope Cal Caleb Wilson is jumping in there too.
12:28
SPEAKER_02: So it's a three-thing thing, but we're not gonna go down that path, right?
12:31
SPEAKER_02: We're not doing balls, we're not doing balls.
12:33
SPEAKER_02: Nope, I'm so back in, though, it's not even funny.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: C B D you do you have a take on that?
12:38
SPEAKER_01: Because I think an interesting distinction Mahoney really brings up there.
12:41
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, the early playoff success we've had from Caleb has been amazing, remarkable, but the regular season success we've had some PCA puts them on a category that Caleb's not even close, Caleb's not even near the regular season conversation, right?
12:56
SPEAKER_01: So I think it's really a specific.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: What do you think, CB?
12:59
SPEAKER_00: I voted PCA.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, and for everything I just said about two or three minutes ago, how many quarterbacks have other than the Caleb's right Williams right now in the NFL?
13:08
SPEAKER_00: 10 seven, right?
13:10
SPEAKER_00: And we were talking there's maybe one better player in the NL than than PCA.
13:15
SPEAKER_00: PCA is a better athlete right now.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, I I hope we can have this discussion for 15 more years.
13:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, and it but you know, I I I'd vote PCA.
13:24
SPEAKER_00: Caleb will be there.
13:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm not worried about that.
13:26
SPEAKER_00: I just think at this time it's PCA.
13:29
SPEAKER_01: I have that guy in my face from I was bitching about PCA spent all that time with Caleb at the start of the season, and you know, here we are.
13:35
SPEAKER_01: It's like this is just a good reminder.
13:37
SPEAKER_01: I mean, a lot of people get stuff wrong, and and PCA gave people reasons to be suspicious or doubtful.
13:44
SPEAKER_01: It's not like he he didn't look awful at times, but it's just how good he looks now.
13:50
SPEAKER_01: You don't close that gap without making severe adjustments to both approach, mechanical, everything, attitude, mental, every everything is working well for him.
13:59
SPEAKER_01: So uh ball or strike Mahoney, you got a couple ball or strikes for us.
14:02
SPEAKER_01: Let's keep it rolling, my friend.
14:04
SPEAKER_02: Well, as a matter of fact, my on PCA, ball or strike, CB.
14:08
SPEAKER_02: This is to you.
14:08
SPEAKER_02: It's a pitch, it's coming in hot.
14:11
SPEAKER_02: And I might know the answer, but regardless, P.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: Crow Armstrong is gonna finish top three in NLV MVP voting.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: That's a strike, and and I it's not right down the middle.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: This is this is because I we have to see a full year.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: Mahoney, you touched on it.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: He did have that fall off.
14:27
SPEAKER_00: He fell off a little bit this year and bounced back.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: I like the adjustments that Carl was speaking about.
14:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's a strike.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: And if he finishes top three in in MVP, you know, I I think I saw it today.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: We're 86%, we have an 86% chance of making the playoffs.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: That's not winning the division, that's 86 chance percent chance of just making the playoffs.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: Uh, they'll be there and they'll be closer to winning the division.
14:47
SPEAKER_00: So that's a strike for me.
14:49
SPEAKER_01: I have it as a strike, but I think that the nuance to me is that I think once you get into that argument of can you take this player off the team, then how bad does the team get, or how much just difference without with or without?
15:01
SPEAKER_01: And I think Pete Crow Armstrong is all time right now in Major League Baseball as a with or without player because the Cubs are 12 games over 500.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's not like they're 500 and they would be 10 games.
15:14
SPEAKER_01: I mean, they're 12 games over 500, they are cruising for you know, cruising towards the playoffs.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: There's opportunities to win the division, we're not ruling that out, blah blah blah blah blah.
15:23
SPEAKER_01: But like it's as easy as this.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: Take Pete Crow Armstrong off the roster.
15:27
SPEAKER_01: We're having such a different conversation about this ball club.
15:29
SPEAKER_01: That's a fact.
15:30
SPEAKER_01: I think that I think the difference in that conversation that we're having uh is as substantial as any player can bring to any team in Major League Baseball right now.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: That's the difference where if you take Otani out, the Dodgers are still, what are they?
15:42
SPEAKER_01: They're 59 and thirds.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: They're still the wagon.
15:45
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter, but it doesn't make a giant difference where they're not going to be there anyway.
15:52
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I are we're we're we're right around that 500, and I know we get into war on what this means at, but you take PC off this roster, there's a good chance we're looking at a team that's sniffing 500.
16:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely, gang.
16:05
SPEAKER_02: And I couldn't agree more.
16:06
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, CB.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Carl.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: How's about the next one?
16:09
SPEAKER_02: Let's stick on the B's because Alex Bregman has been hot on the Monday morning cub show, a hot, you know, lightning rod topic.
16:17
SPEAKER_02: Also, you know, a lot of eyes on them in the media.
16:20
SPEAKER_02: Carl hates it when I give a big lead up to a ball or strike, but here we go.
16:24
SPEAKER_02: And this one, this could go either way.
16:27
SPEAKER_02: I just want to hear.
16:28
SPEAKER_02: Alex Bregman's been a bad signing.
16:30
SPEAKER_02: Five years, 175 million CBA to you.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's just an absolute strike down the middle.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, he played well today.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: He, I think he had a hit or two yesterday.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: I I like that he is hard on himself and understands that he's you know struggling right now and not as good as he should be.
16:51
SPEAKER_00: That doesn't make$35 million sound better to me, though.
16:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh, he needs to start producing.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: They need him in this lineup, they need him to be uh the two or three hitter.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: I think of the first Monday morning club show I was on.
17:02
SPEAKER_00: Uh Carl asked me, he's like, Is Alex Bregman a two-hitter?
17:05
SPEAKER_00: And my answer was, well, he's the two-hitter for the Cubs right now.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: They have an answer, right?
17:09
SPEAKER_00: But he better be.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: If you're getting making 35 million, you better be.
17:12
SPEAKER_00: So it is a bad signing.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: That that is a strike.
17:15
SPEAKER_00: Um, I still believe in him.
17:16
SPEAKER_00: I I like Alex Bregman.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: I think he was one of my favorite ball players.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I like the chip he has on the shoulder, the whole thing he wears number two because he was drafted second instead of first.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: I know he wears number three now, but you know, number two previously.
17:28
SPEAKER_00: So I think he's got the mental headspace to improve.
17:31
SPEAKER_00: I just need to see it happen in the second half.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: It's a strike for me.
17:35
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's hard, it's hard to say though with Matt Sean, the IL, but just the presence of Match on.
17:40
SPEAKER_01: We have that money to spend and it goes there when it's like, man, it could have gone into pitching, it could have gone into something, could have gone into anything but something we didn't necessarily need at the time.
17:49
SPEAKER_01: And then you're forcing Shaw to do different stuff.
17:51
SPEAKER_01: So that's now if Bregman was killing it, then it's easy to come back and say it's worth it to make these adjustments.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: But here's the reality: even with today's home run, he still has a 93 OPS plus, he's still below average, he's still hitting below 240, he's still slubbing below 400, he's still doing a whole bunch of shit that should get you mad.
18:07
SPEAKER_01: If you know you want to see a guy getting paid 35 million dollars, hit the ball hard, you're playing third base.
18:11
SPEAKER_01: That's what he should be doing, Mahoney.
18:13
SPEAKER_01: Keep it rolling, my friend.
18:14
SPEAKER_02: Well, this is off the cuff, too, just while I was thinking about it, because I was reading about a bit about Braggman earlier, and his fly ball rate, I believe, for the first half is something 12% over everybody else on the team.
18:25
SPEAKER_02: Look into that maniacs, verify if you would like, but also he's on pace for what 12 home runs and 52 RBIs.
18:32
SPEAKER_02: His six 162 game average before was at 27 to 95.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: So it's like, dude, got need more on pace over the course of the season, not the type of signing you want.
18:44
SPEAKER_02: Ball or strike, ladies and gentlemen.
18:47
SPEAKER_02: Ball or strike.
18:50
SPEAKER_02: CB the Cubs have given up so many home runs, I'm almost gonna start apologizing to the Ivy.
18:58
SPEAKER_02: What an asshole.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: Uh we like we ranked 29th out of 30th in the ball clubs of giving up deals right now.
19:05
SPEAKER_02: So that's a problem.
19:06
SPEAKER_02: And CB, I just want to say ball or strike.
19:09
SPEAKER_02: The Cubs give up too many.
19:11
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's just a layup here.
19:14
SPEAKER_00: That's just that's a strike.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: I haven't even practiced that.
19:19
SPEAKER_00: I mean, 29th in the league.
19:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, and it goes back to what Carl was just saying.
19:25
SPEAKER_00: We could have spent that money that on that 35 million pregnant somewhere else, and the bullpen dies Jed did pay aren't really panning out.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: So um that's the easiest strike I've ever seen.
19:34
SPEAKER_00: That that's my dad's backyard, me throwing a loof of balls.
19:38
SPEAKER_00: My six-year-old nephew right down in the middle, he came and hit it.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: So that's a strike.
19:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that we're so bad on the velocity, and then we make so many mistakes.
19:47
SPEAKER_01: The other thing that works into it, though, is we have such a great defense, so part of our pitching philosophy is to be over the plate, is to pitch the contact, and then you're at Wrigley Field, which is just so utterly schizophrenic.
19:58
SPEAKER_01: And we've had a number of days where the wind is howling out, we've had a bunch of just you know, low job home runs.
20:04
SPEAKER_01: But for the purposes of having a talented staff start to finish, I mean, if you took Ben Brown out even with the neck injury, and supply and and took those 66 innings out, and you supplied him with Jamison Tan, we we'd have another 15 homers surrendered.
20:22
SPEAKER_01: So it's bad, it's very bad.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: That's a strike moody.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: You got you, hey, you get you got another ball or strike there that isn't exactly just a fucking no, no.
20:32
SPEAKER_02: This is this is no, this is kind of a good one.
20:34
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna take some thought, it's gonna take some critical thinking.
20:37
SPEAKER_02: The 10-game losing streak, ball or strike, ladies and gentlemen, ball or strike.
20:41
SPEAKER_02: The 10-game losing streak in May is more predictive of who this team is than the 20 and 3 stretch.
20:49
SPEAKER_00: That's a ball.
20:51
SPEAKER_01: That's a ball.
20:53
SPEAKER_01: The 20 and 3 stretch is more indicative of who this team is than a regular season stretch.
20:57
SPEAKER_02: This one slipped out of my hands, folks.
20:59
SPEAKER_02: I just had to keep you honest.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: I wanted to make sure everyone was paying.
21:02
SPEAKER_02: I want to make sure you all were paying attention.
21:04
SPEAKER_02: I just heard you know I would have gone the other way on that one, and I actually flip-flopped my sentence.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: I think this lineup and I think the balance and the veteranship and all that stuff, and just the grind of 162.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: When you tell me who are they, are they a team that wins 20 out of 23 or a team that drops 10 in a row?
21:20
SPEAKER_01: I go, they're a team that wins 20 out of 23.
21:23
SPEAKER_01: End of story, period.
21:24
SPEAKER_02: Then I have a good follow-up for this to both of you, and I'm gonna defer to you, CB, first.
21:29
SPEAKER_02: Ball or strike, the Cubs are a better team than their 54 and 42 record at the break.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna I'm gonna say ball right now.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: Ball.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, ball, and that might be surprising.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: I I'm worried about the arms in this team.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: Um bull pens, but you know, to have that record, I think that we've almost played better than we should be playing right now.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: Um again, we talked about about six weeks ago with the stretch coming up against teams under five five.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: We took care of business with them for the most part.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Started off slow.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: Um but we're sitting kind of where I thought we were with the way that the bullpen and the starting pitching, the injuries have happened, and the guys that have come up have have kind of shook out.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's probably where we deserve to be.
22:19
SPEAKER_01: I hate our starting pitching.
22:21
SPEAKER_01: You know, I just say that's where I'm like, that's a we we are worse than 54 and 42 just because of the starting pitching.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: You know, like the that's just it.
22:31
SPEAKER_01: It's just as simple as that.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: And not having Kate Horton, you know, it's nice to have Matt Boyd back to be able to in a stabilizing role, but not having Kate, not having Justin Steele, not spending that money in the market, going out and getting it to Alex Bregman.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: You know, Eddie Cabrera's been just utterly forgettable.
22:48
SPEAKER_02: Ben Brown breaks his neck, like he has an actual broken neck.
22:51
SPEAKER_02: I know it's like a minor broken neck, but it is a broken neck.
22:54
SPEAKER_02: Broken necks are broken neck, no timeline.
22:57
SPEAKER_02: Eddie, hamstring, probably out in Telotus.
23:00
SPEAKER_02: Hopefully, Tayan comes back.
23:02
SPEAKER_02: It's so much to deal with, and we don't even know where Palencia is really gonna be.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: Showda Ray.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you just keep going on the list, it's just a bunch of guys that you know, like just have me feeling eh.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: So that's why when you go, hey, your 12 games over at this point, and then I'm now inclined to feel optimistic.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: A towards a trade deadline, you know, B, can we get somebody healthy belly back?
23:22
SPEAKER_01: That helps.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: Am I crazy?
23:25
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
23:27
SPEAKER_02: I you know what now?
23:28
SPEAKER_02: This is off the completely off the cuff, too.
23:30
SPEAKER_02: So ball or strike, the Cubs offense has essentially told Tom Ricketts to go out and get a pitcher.
23:40
SPEAKER_02: They've performed.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: C B.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: That's a strike.
23:43
SPEAKER_00: You you have to, and I I actually kind of went wrestling with this in my head a little bit.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: Is like if if if if you're Jed, do you unload some of these guys?
23:54
SPEAKER_00: Do you trade a Shaw?
23:56
SPEAKER_00: Like, are you crazy enough to trade a Shaw or a mobile or and that could be a whole nother conversation?
24:00
SPEAKER_00: Or or you or you know, some of these other infielders in the in the in the farm system for a pitcher when you know that you are gonna rely so heavily on one guy and don't have the horses behind them.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: Is it worth it?
24:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go back to what I said it's a strike because I think they need to get some pitchers because of the way the offense is playing.
24:16
SPEAKER_00: But in the back of my mind, I'm thinking that Cubs leadership is thinking, you know, we need like four pitchers.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: Is it worth unloading everyone to get four pitchers?
24:24
SPEAKER_00: So I'm skeptical of what they will do, but it's a strike because I believe that's what they should do.
24:30
SPEAKER_01: Well, I think that it's a strike because I think they just need one guy to uh you know make a run in October.
24:38
SPEAKER_01: Like they would just you would just need one high-end.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: Now, I agree with you, they need four guys, but if you got one high-end guy, you can make a run in October.
24:46
SPEAKER_01: Like with one high-end motherfucker going out there and just shut you down, you can absolutely make a run in October.
24:52
SPEAKER_01: Now, the problem with that is this high-end guy, we can use Terry Scubel as an example, is not going to be cutting off his left arm to be giving you any more than whatever is 100% healthy.
25:04
SPEAKER_01: So you're giving up the future for a guy who I mean, he is checked out.
25:09
SPEAKER_01: Now, something may kick in a gear when you get to October, but you are basically not just giving up Shaw for you know, two, you're giving him up for the two starts you get from this guy in October and the one start you get in the NL wild card round effectively.
25:25
SPEAKER_01: So, but I would rather see that than see unload for four pitchers and bring.
25:31
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we just have so it's just it's just one of those years.
25:33
SPEAKER_01: Next year we should have guys back, next year we should be healthy.
25:36
SPEAKER_01: We can go spend in free agency.
25:38
SPEAKER_01: I would hate to trade and give up what we have for stuff that's injured, you know.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I agree.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: That's why I've kind of been on the I've been thinking about this the last couple days, and my mind has swung both ways.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: And the thing with Scooba, and I I think he's the kind of guy that would do it, but I don't know, he's in a contract year.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: Is he gonna be like Madison Bumpgarter where he's like, hey, put me out there, put me in the bullpen, I'll pitch as much as you want me to.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: I don't think so when he's staring 500 million down, you know.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I'm waffling with that idea.
26:13
SPEAKER_00: I I would trust me, if they traded for Scooba, I would be elated and I would be considering the best, but I I just don't know if it would if that one orse would be enough personally.
26:23
SPEAKER_01: Mahoney, we've talked about this.
26:24
SPEAKER_01: I think Scoobyl's a diva.
26:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, a little bit, and with will he be willing to pitch the innings or not, knowing that he's in a you know astronomically financial advantageous position.
26:39
SPEAKER_02: And then really what it comes down to in the business of sports nowadays, it's like a I hate to say it, Kyle to Kyle Tucker thing, wouldn't even run close to the wall, you know.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't know, it's shooting shit here.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, you know, you know he's you know he's and he's a tough guy, and he's a guy who motherfucked you and he's competitive when he's on the bottom.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: But my point is that he'll be the first guy to put his hand up and go, hey, I'm not 100%, I'm not ready to go.
27:03
SPEAKER_01: And who blames him if you're sitting on 500 million?
27:06
SPEAKER_01: So that's when we talk about this trade deadline.
27:08
SPEAKER_01: Sure, these medicals better better be clear.
27:10
SPEAKER_01: But here's the thing we have a we have a front office that's historically sensitive and conservative when it comes to evaluating medicals.
27:17
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, if this trade does happen, then you would expect that it goes through.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: Now, I say this was Sioka, we trade for him, there's rumors he then he gets hurt, but then there's the time when we do trade for Jesus Lazardo, we find out we don't like the medicals, that we don't we don't execute the trade, then the Phillies get him, and then he goes out and pitches 190 innings, and we look like we got egg on our face.
27:36
SPEAKER_01: So, uh, you know, ultimately what I would say is that I do think that the Cubs are conservative enough and smart enough to not trade for Scuble unless they know he can he can go out and compete, but just CB.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: I want to go back to this.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: Do you think they need there they would need more than right?
27:51
SPEAKER_00: I think they need more than I mean.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: If you get Scuba, like you said, Carl, one game in the wild card, two in the NLDS, that should be enough to get to the NLCS and get a chance to win the pennant.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: I I still think you do you get the back end on the bullpen that's not good enough.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: You know, he's not gonna go out and throw nine innings.
28:09
SPEAKER_00: You know, I I've seen some mocks where they're trying to get, you know, um Sonny Gray and Chapman.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how realistic that is.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: That's just fans on Twitter throwing that out there.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: I'd be more inclined to do something where you're getting kind of a two-headed monster than just one guy where you where you're unloading the farm system for.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Um, I just think we need more than one.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: We need two starters, we need two bullpen guys, the way I see it.
28:32
SPEAKER_02: And like the two bullpen guys, guys.
28:34
SPEAKER_02: Honestly, a follow-up to this was baller strike, bring Chapman back.
28:38
SPEAKER_02: And it was because, like, dude in July, during a run at something, right?
28:43
SPEAKER_02: Ten years later, same store, same shelf, right?
28:47
SPEAKER_02: And like we a good guy who's delivering for a shitty ass Boston team.
28:52
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: Uh that, but my point being is is just following up with what you were saying, C B, we need, I think, like those high-leverage middle relief to late relief, however, you want to mix it up, on top of just you know, uh a school ball.
29:09
SPEAKER_02: Like, yeah, I think, yeah, he'll win us games, but we're we were gonna run into the same problems that we have, Ben.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: I go ahead, Carl.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: Well, I was just gonna say, if we're gonna make pitcher acquisitions, one is high-end starting pitching, but then right to the bullpen before anything else.
29:24
SPEAKER_01: Because yeah, you know, I like some of these guys, but it you're so right to say it's silly to just get if you have scuba and we're not upgrading the bullpen, like the two have to work hand in hand, and you have to have to create you'd have to upgrade the bullpen in a manner where like if it's not a chapman, sure, fine, whatever, but it's it has to be multiple totally standards for sure.
29:44
SPEAKER_02: It's not just like we only need Scoobyl, and that's it.
29:47
SPEAKER_02: That was not the the top of so totally get that.
29:50
SPEAKER_02: But it's just where my mind was going at the moment in the conversation.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: I wanted to follow up with what CB was getting at.
29:56
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think side note, I if Plenty, who knows what Plency will be, but if you have Plency and Chapman as an eight-nine guy and you can mix and match, that that's scary in a in a playoff series if Plenty is is who he should be.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, I like that look.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if will happen.
30:13
SPEAKER_00: I can't believe Chapman's still pitching this well 10 years later.
30:16
SPEAKER_02: Near neither, it's insane.
30:17
SPEAKER_00: Good for him, man.
30:18
SPEAKER_02: I know he's a psycho, but um we'll be called him all Donis one time on here, and people fucking killed me, and they deservedly so.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: He's supposed to have like an 11-inch cock, yeah.
30:29
SPEAKER_02: And he'll just fire a couple fucking pistons in the side wall, too, when he's angry.
30:34
SPEAKER_02: But given the fact that we're tied for 26th in saves, I'll get I we need something on the back end there.
30:39
SPEAKER_00: That's a team could the team could use an 11-incher in the in the locker room, I'm sure.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: No doubt about it.
30:45
SPEAKER_01: A couple guys in the showers being like, What?
30:48
SPEAKER_01: Stuff Dan's me and Bregman are not used to.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: No, no, but the the interesting thing with the saves conversation is that a team that has 54 wins being what did you say, bottom 10 and saves, or just not being good at saves, is a good indication of the fact when we win ball games, I feel like we're real we really win them, you know.
31:06
SPEAKER_01: When we lose ball games, we really lose them.
31:08
SPEAKER_01: What do you got?
31:09
SPEAKER_00: We have 10 walk-offs at home.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: There's 10 wins, there's 10 wins that you don't get a save for.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: So think about that.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that is absurd.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: I had that on my notes.
31:19
SPEAKER_00: I need to get that in at some point, and weirdly, weirdly enough, a couple more like right usage walk-off walks, but like there you go, 10 wins where you don't need a closer right there.
31:29
SPEAKER_00: That's a lot.
31:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is, and like it's absurd the the history-making news that the Cubs were having on the first half of the year.
31:38
SPEAKER_02: PCA is just rewriting the history books left and right.
31:41
SPEAKER_02: Cubs, 10 games win and 10 games lose, and 10k was like, what the hell is going on?
31:46
SPEAKER_02: Every time I looked up, it's like this is the first time this has ever happened in the big leagues.
31:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, ball ride.
31:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, ball or strike.
31:55
SPEAKER_01: This has been a fun team.
31:58
SPEAKER_02: Strike for me.
31:59
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's it's it's a roller coaster, it's giving us stuff to talk about, Carl, each Monday.
32:03
SPEAKER_02: For the maniacs, it fun, it depends on how you define fun, but it's a strike for me because you gotta ride goods and bads and bads with the goods.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: This this can I answer this without a ball and strike?
32:17
SPEAKER_00: I want to do a player comp to answer this question.
32:19
SPEAKER_00: Is that cool?
32:20
SPEAKER_00: Um, if it involves Augio Heda, you all the better.
32:23
SPEAKER_00: It's this is this season's been Carlos Marble.
32:26
SPEAKER_00: You don't know where that ball is going.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: You don't know if it's a ball or strike, he's just winging it.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: I've loved this team and I've hated this team in all different times of the season.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: So that's where I'm at.
32:36
SPEAKER_02: Thought it was over multiple times where I'm like, this is it.
32:40
SPEAKER_02: I went to you, Carl, and started texting about what Muppets are the Cubs.
32:44
SPEAKER_02: Which Muppet would the Cubs be?
32:47
SPEAKER_02: Because we had to fill airtime so that to make us sit and the maniacs entertain, and we were like, then they turn it around.
32:54
SPEAKER_01: They've been so they do, they've really taken me to the extreme.
32:58
SPEAKER_01: And part of it is, you know, my own personal attachment to them when I'm making content, especially doing these lineup reviews, are from these places of optimism and energy.
33:07
SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna smash these guys, we're gonna go on a run.
33:10
SPEAKER_01: It starts now, we're drinking the beverage and all stuff.
33:14
SPEAKER_01: And this team has like really broken me, you know, because like you can have fun with it, anyways.
33:19
SPEAKER_01: It's just a fucking lineup review, but this team has really broken me because it's made me every single day get in front of a camera and give an opinion about them, and then there's days you get on there and you're like, That's so manic, it's manic.
33:34
SPEAKER_01: It really hurts, it fucks with your health because you're just like, How do I feel about this team?
33:39
SPEAKER_01: And sure, I've got there's been plenty of points here along the way where I've become detached, and then I reattached around the Craig Council, you know, ejection, and it seems like they've played great baseball since.
33:51
SPEAKER_01: I just hate how bad the starting pitching is, and again, it's just like whatever the equivalent in his football, you know, it's something like offensive line play, like no matter this and that, or second, whatever it is, pedal please.
34:02
SPEAKER_02: Nothing you can do, like yeah, like the wrong game stuff is horrible.
34:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you just know as soon as as soon as the opportunity presents itself to be exposed, you're gonna be exposed.
34:11
SPEAKER_01: And I know that's the case with this team.
34:14
SPEAKER_02: And here, I broke it down in four acts earlier, guys.
34:17
SPEAKER_02: Just real quick for the maniacs.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: Carl, bear with me.
34:21
SPEAKER_02: It was the start of the season, right?
34:23
SPEAKER_02: Act one kind of a shrug.
34:25
SPEAKER_02: We start out seven and nine.
34:27
SPEAKER_02: No one was panicking, right?
34:29
SPEAKER_02: Because there weren't any major injuries at the time.
34:31
SPEAKER_02: It's just how things go on.
34:33
SPEAKER_02: Baseball, then we had that weird, like it was like that fever dream session.
34:37
SPEAKER_02: That was the 20 and three, the two 10-game winners inside the first 40 games of the year.
34:42
SPEAKER_02: First team to do that, yada yada yada yada.
34:45
SPEAKER_02: And then one day we did have the best record in baseball, Act Three.
34:50
SPEAKER_02: Somebody turned off the water and they forgot to pay the bill.
34:52
SPEAKER_02: And I'm not just doing shtick here, Carl.
34:55
SPEAKER_02: It's a fact, Jack.
34:56
SPEAKER_02: It was completely abysmal.
34:59
SPEAKER_02: And that's when me, you and CB and Joey and Toey were on the like the chain being like, uh, this ain't good, my friends.
35:06
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then it was the comeback.
35:08
SPEAKER_02: We come back to the number one in baseball in June 16 and 10 in June at 23-3 detonation in San Diego, and then we had that weird bounce back, but it's just been an absolute roller coaster, and that's the point that I'm trying to make, folks.
35:23
SPEAKER_02: Trying to fill some airtime here.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: I saw a friend of the program, from your program, I should say, uh, Alex Colan tweeted on June 10th, the Cubs fell to 34 and 34 after losing to the Rockies at course field.
35:37
SPEAKER_00: Feels like forever ago, but 28-8 since then.
35:41
SPEAKER_00: So gotta be gotta be happy with that bounce back.
35:43
SPEAKER_00: Oh, incredible bounce back.
35:45
SPEAKER_01: And that's the same game that Craig Council got ejected over the foul ball off Moises by Estero's foot and refused to go back in the dugout, made a big stink about it.
35:53
SPEAKER_01: And you're sitting there afterwards, man, like you've never seen that from Craig.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: Many's all fired up.
35:58
SPEAKER_01: So hopefully we can take this momentum and do something with it before the all-star break ends.
36:03
SPEAKER_01: Because if we don't, then we've wasted the fact that we had two 10-game win streaks.
36:07
SPEAKER_01: And I would argue going 20 and 8 over those last 28 is ex is good as you could ask for.
36:13
SPEAKER_01: I mean, sure, I'd like 21 and 7, I'd like 22 and 6.
36:17
SPEAKER_01: Now we're really getting specific here, but to win 20 games of your last 28 going to the all-star break.
36:22
SPEAKER_01: You know, am I wrong?
36:23
SPEAKER_01: Baller strike, just a just a real deep breath, especially with only having one guy go on this break, meaning everybody's just at home chilling right now.
36:30
SPEAKER_01: Are you kidding me?
36:32
SPEAKER_01: In two day game week, like a day game series against the twins this weekend.
36:37
SPEAKER_01: Like, it's just gonna be so nice.
36:38
SPEAKER_01: These guys have been home, they're not gonna have to do shit.
36:40
SPEAKER_01: They're coming back from Cincinnati.
36:42
SPEAKER_01: What an well, just what a nice time for them to go four and two on the road as they come home, all star break, off, everybody's home, boom, fire things up, get two teams against the AL Central this weekend.
36:54
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you start with the twins and then you are the Tigers.
36:56
SPEAKER_01: So for me, I think it's just nothing but positivity about the first half when you consider just multiple pitching injuries that make it most teams would have crumbled.
37:04
SPEAKER_01: You know, they're in they're in it still, right?
37:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, if you if told me what had happened where we are now, absolutely I would not think that we're in the position that we are.
37:15
SPEAKER_02: Top of the wild card spot with five games behind the brewers.
37:18
SPEAKER_02: So I'll I'll take it.
37:25
SPEAKER_02: C to the B.
37:26
SPEAKER_02: What do you think about that?
37:28
SPEAKER_00: No, that's a that's a strike as well.
37:30
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you put all I think I I'm still a little snake bitten from the fall off they had, but uh hearing Carl put in perspective, reading the Alex Cohn tweet, absolutely right.
37:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's a strike where the it comes in the right direction, you got to keep it going.
37:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that's what I love about you, CB though.
37:47
SPEAKER_02: You're not easy to get back either.
37:49
SPEAKER_02: You are like you'll get skeptical and be like, I don't know, boys.
37:53
SPEAKER_02: I don't know, boy.
37:54
SPEAKER_02: So it they need to prove themselves to you for sure to be like, I'm on the horse in the saddle and rolling.
38:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I want to see a sweep of the twins this weekend.
38:03
SPEAKER_00: And and Friday, I think they play at night or Friday night game.
38:07
SPEAKER_02: It's a 7-0, it's a 7-0 five game.
38:09
SPEAKER_02: Yours truly is attending, as a matter of fact.
38:12
SPEAKER_02: It's through work on its uh quick aside, folks.
38:16
SPEAKER_02: It's I'm doing the whole tour, like going to the tour at Wrigley, get the legend suite.
38:21
SPEAKER_02: We have a legend ball player that's gonna visit.
38:25
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's a part of one of the packages.
38:26
SPEAKER_02: You know, you're gonna get fucking one of the guys that's always there, or what have you.
38:31
SPEAKER_02: Dino Ferguson, no idea, but it's gonna be Fergie Jenkins.
38:35
SPEAKER_00: Well, for sake of the show, I hope it's Rick Sutcliffe so you can bring up some of Oh, if it's Sut, then we're we're good.
38:41
SPEAKER_02: Like me and him at night.
38:43
SPEAKER_01: I hope you get sandbagged with like a Mark Sweeney.
38:47
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be somebody who's just visiting in Wrigley and got like his tickets from the team.
38:51
SPEAKER_02: They're like, come on, hey, we'll give it to you if you do an ambassador thing.
38:55
SPEAKER_02: But no, got some real good people coming into town, and I'm I'm doing the whole tour of the ballpark.
39:00
SPEAKER_02: I've never actually done that, so looking forward to it.
39:04
SPEAKER_02: And it's gonna be nice to report back, you know, at with uh direct attendance first game after the all-star break.
39:11
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
39:12
SPEAKER_02: Hey, where are you guys at with Seiya?
39:16
SPEAKER_02: I mean Saya Suzuki has been an absolute pleasure the past few games.
39:22
SPEAKER_02: He actually had him deputized as a vigilante earlier just through the break.
39:27
SPEAKER_02: 15 dingers, 48 RBIs, the honor of becoming that fourth member of the Japanese baseball, you know, born player to hit 100 dingers, dude.
39:37
SPEAKER_02: That was just an unbelievable.
39:42
SPEAKER_02: I love Sea Suzuki, and he he's a deputy vigilante.
39:49
SPEAKER_00: I I I think without saying they're not 20 and 8 over the last.
39:52
SPEAKER_02: No, that that's another thing.
39:53
SPEAKER_02: He's been pretty big.
39:55
SPEAKER_00: He's been big, man.
39:56
SPEAKER_00: He feels like in remember this the stats weeks ago where like uh him and him and Bregman with runners and scoring position were just so god awful.
40:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, again, like you said, Mo Mahoney, I'm kind of tough to reel back in, but he's he's proving me wrong right now and kind of turning that around.
40:13
SPEAKER_00: So happy to see it.
40:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think we're really lucky to have him with the foot down and healthy and being you know in a position to just like really be a thunderous bat in the middle of the lineup, and we haven't had that.
40:26
SPEAKER_01: And so it's just great to see that, like, where man, it would be nice if Bregman was a guy who was gonna hit 25 homers and 90 RPIs and all that stuff.
40:33
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, all right, fine, he's obviously not gonna put up the season we're paying for, but Suzuki's gonna go out and way outperform 15-16 million dollars, that's for sure, as long as he's on the team.
40:44
SPEAKER_01: And I think the last couple weeks, perfect way to say it is what you said is there's no way they're 28 over the last 28 without say it.
40:50
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely so.
40:52
SPEAKER_01: Um, do we want to talk at all about the draft?
41:00
SPEAKER_01: I have just a couple things, like it just seems like we're just really into these college players, and to me, college players are much easier to trade, they have higher ceilings, or I should say they have lower floors, but they're easier to trade quickly.
41:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm just confused.
41:17
SPEAKER_01: We have a ton of these outfielders now, you know.
41:20
SPEAKER_01: We have PCA under contract, obviously, but seems like they're they're gonna have an opportunity to build through the corner outfield system, and they're they're starting to prepare for life after Yen Hap.
41:30
SPEAKER_01: So we got a couple of big college arms that are ready's, and then we got a couple of outfielders that hit from the left-handed side that are a little bit more powerful than Ethan Conrad that have a little bit more swing and miss.
41:42
SPEAKER_01: So I think it's a telling narrative about what the front office is targeting from the perspective of developing trade capital, which are guys that hit a ton of home run in the minor leagues, and then we got to get the guys that throw hard because I'm sick and tired of watching guys that come into our bullpen throw 96.
41:56
SPEAKER_00: That's my quote.
41:57
SPEAKER_00: That's my question to you, Carl.
41:58
SPEAKER_00: Is uh K Townsend, uh, what I've read about him is he's low velocity, high spin, and we drafted a few guys like that.
42:06
SPEAKER_00: Curious your thoughts and on.
42:08
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we could talk all day about how clubs develop pitch.
42:12
SPEAKER_03: I had the same question.
42:13
SPEAKER_03: I have the same question.
42:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I write, I read the like you know, I read the rating, and I'm like, this doesn't look like the 100 mile an hour throwers that we've been looking for.
42:22
SPEAKER_01: You know, they could be guys that profile into bigger velocity based on some of that spin right and body type and just mechanics and delivery.
42:30
SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't know if you saw any film on the kid from Nebraska that we drafted, but just brutal arm swing and stuff, but he's got like good action from his breaking ball and like good depth to his pitches.
42:40
SPEAKER_01: So, like, I think there's there's something there where they're looking for guys that they can develop and groom and they're looking for the high end.
42:48
SPEAKER_01: You know, the fact that they hit on Cade Horton to the extent that they did obviously shows that they have a sense of what they're looking for in the first round.
42:55
SPEAKER_01: What bothers me though, just generally about the team is that we don't have anybody throwing harder than 96 that's coming into the bullpen, and like the fact that you don't really target that directly in the draft, where guys can already throw that and touch that when that's just the bevy of them in the draft, you know, that's really frustrating, but you know, it's not my job.
43:18
SPEAKER_01: I'm just sitting here talking about it, but it's good insight from you.
43:21
SPEAKER_01: We really do have these outfielders now between the kid from Florida State and the black, you know, like who is it?
43:26
SPEAKER_01: The black kid from Florida State who hits the ball 7,000 feet.
43:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, elite raw power is what I got the guy.
43:33
SPEAKER_01: 80 power in the driver's like, yeah, give me that.
43:36
SPEAKER_01: I want that, I want that explosiveness.
43:39
SPEAKER_01: Or we got the kid from Texas AM that's like 750 in the SEC.
43:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, please, by all means, yeah.
43:46
SPEAKER_00: So 16 of 21.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: I think I read this correctly 16 of 21 players drafted were pitchers.
43:52
SPEAKER_00: So and I know that's something we talked about previously off channel, but there's we got to start developing arms, so hopefully.
44:00
SPEAKER_00: They're moving in the right direction, they know what they're doing.
44:02
SPEAKER_01: Makes it easy when you hit on guys like Match on Biasteros, even though Biasteros isn't up now.
44:07
SPEAKER_01: Makes it easier when you hit on a guy like PCA and you can kind of lock in the long term to this area.
44:11
SPEAKER_02: Give you a little bit of leeway on where you can switch the direction of your philosophy.
44:17
SPEAKER_02: Mahoney, have you enjoyed the first half?
44:19
SPEAKER_02: Oh, very much, man.
44:20
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I've enjoyed the roller coaster.
44:22
SPEAKER_02: I enjoy doing the show for you and the maniacs, and honestly, that's a that's a big reason why is because of the community.
44:29
SPEAKER_02: Not for you, but you know what I'm talking about.
44:32
SPEAKER_02: With the maniacs, it's been a such a roller coaster, but I know I'm in it with a whole shitload of folks out there, so that's why I feel it's been a special season for me.
44:41
SPEAKER_01: CB, what are you building a bomb over there?
44:43
SPEAKER_01: What the fuck are you doing?
44:45
SPEAKER_01: I'm just consolidating.
44:48
SPEAKER_01: He he has these nicotine pouches, they're like they're from Sweden, they're like low 20 milligrams.
44:57
SPEAKER_01: His cousin, his cousin imports it to him directly.
45:00
SPEAKER_01: He's got a he opens up, it's like a fish.
45:02
SPEAKER_01: They like stuff him in the fish.
45:03
SPEAKER_01: It's some kind of Swedish mafia type thing.
45:05
SPEAKER_01: Speaking of which, is that your favorite house band?
45:08
SPEAKER_01: Are you into Swedish mafia or were you more of into like Eric Prids?
45:12
SPEAKER_00: What's your do you uh I you know I I I like house music.
45:16
SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't have a like a true following.
45:18
SPEAKER_00: I don't have someone I foul completely.
45:21
SPEAKER_00: I play the hits, play the hits with that.
45:23
SPEAKER_01: Out of boy.
45:24
SPEAKER_01: Hey, just second half outlook stuff.
45:26
SPEAKER_01: I would just say, like, I'm interested really before the trade deadline.
45:30
SPEAKER_01: I think is gonna paint that picture.
45:31
SPEAKER_01: We come out hot, we sweep the twists.
45:34
SPEAKER_01: Take a series from a bad Tigers team.
45:38
SPEAKER_01: You know, we could very easily be talking about unloading for a big big haul.
45:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, we had a starter, a reliever or two.
45:48
SPEAKER_02: I'd feel a lot better going into the second half after you know, leading up to the deadline.
45:53
SPEAKER_02: Palencia healthy would be nice, and the offense keep doing what they're doing, and then if it comes together, we still have seven outings against Milwaukee, and we're only five back.
46:03
SPEAKER_02: So I feel good about that too, folks.
46:06
SPEAKER_01: I think the show too has been consistent.
46:08
SPEAKER_01: We've been on time.
46:08
SPEAKER_01: We said we would do Mondays, we've done Fridays.
46:11
SPEAKER_01: I think we've missed one Friday.
46:12
SPEAKER_01: So, like, you know, we're holding up our end of the bargain.
46:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you ain't kidding.
46:17
SPEAKER_02: One Friday, that was holiday weekend.
46:19
SPEAKER_02: I think it was the 4th of July.
46:20
SPEAKER_01: So don't mind me, you know, over here doing a fucking job.
46:24
SPEAKER_01: CB, thanks for jumping on the show.
46:26
SPEAKER_01: Is there anything on top of your mind you want to talk about?
46:28
SPEAKER_01: Michael Bush, broadcast, boog, Taylor McGrath, etc.
46:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I just touching on the last topic we were talking about.
46:35
SPEAKER_00: I think I think the Cubs players need to make the decision very easy for Tom and Jed take five out of six against the Al Central these next six games and say, okay, we're putting the chips in.
46:46
SPEAKER_00: It's it's time for the players to put up a show up.
46:48
SPEAKER_00: We talked about they're gonna have that time off.
46:50
SPEAKER_00: We're at home.
46:52
SPEAKER_00: Let's sweep the twins, make it easy for them to trade everyone.
46:55
SPEAKER_00: I know they have a I think they're one game under or one game over, and that division is dog shit.
47:00
SPEAKER_00: So they might not be in the market, but they got some guys that need to be traded off the roster because they're not making it, they're not making it deep in the postseason at all.
47:08
SPEAKER_00: So let's make the decision easy for the twins, make the decision easy for the tigers, and make the decision easy for the Cubs.
47:14
SPEAKER_00: Where we're the buyers, they're the sellers this next six games.
47:17
SPEAKER_01: Well said, ZB.
47:18
SPEAKER_01: Don't know if I can do it better myself.
47:20
SPEAKER_02: I know, and I mean, and while on the topic of the twins, take a look at Joe Ryan while he's at it.
47:25
SPEAKER_02: If that guy's healthy, yada yada yada.
47:27
SPEAKER_02: We got the fourth best record of the National League overall, folks.
47:30
SPEAKER_02: Only behind the Dodgers, the Brewers, and the Braves.
47:33
SPEAKER_02: You know, we got the Cardinals and Pirates hanging around doing damage, but it does not matter.
47:38
SPEAKER_02: Let's get rocking and let's get rolling, baby.
47:41
SPEAKER_01: That's his best as I'm gonna do tonight.
47:44
SPEAKER_01: That's a Monday morning cub show.
47:45
SPEAKER_01: That's Mahoney Mahoney's outro.
47:47
SPEAKER_01: We've been working on it.
47:48
SPEAKER_01: If you guys get a chance, subscribe to the show, share the show with a couple friends, follow CB, etc.
47:53
SPEAKER_01: This is a very close friend of ours.
47:55
SPEAKER_01: We're excited to be back throughout the second half, bringing some energy.
47:59
SPEAKER_01: Mondays, obviously, also on Fridays.
48:01
SPEAKER_01: More guests, more people involved.
48:03
SPEAKER_01: Appreciate people who got into the mailbag.
48:05
SPEAKER_01: We didn't really touch it.
48:06
SPEAKER_01: Do we want to?
48:07
SPEAKER_01: Should I should I have fucking pulled that up?
48:10
SPEAKER_02: You know what?
48:10
SPEAKER_02: I have it all here.
48:12
SPEAKER_02: I can rifle through, but Carl, I don't know.
48:14
SPEAKER_02: We can also save that maybe for a Friday episode.
48:17
SPEAKER_02: No, I think we gotta do it.
48:18
SPEAKER_02: I asked for it.
48:19
SPEAKER_02: Let's let's pitch clock this.
48:20
SPEAKER_02: Let's roll.
48:21
SPEAKER_02: I'm going.
48:21
SPEAKER_02: Andrew, double five.
48:24
SPEAKER_02: How much does not have bodified pitchy prospects outside of wiggles in our system hurt come deadline time?
48:29
SPEAKER_02: Seems like many times teams want pitchy prospects in return when dealing MLP pitching.
48:33
SPEAKER_02: J Speck, Caleb Wing, seems nice, but not enough thing with a needle.
48:37
SPEAKER_01: Yep, couldn't agree more.
48:38
SPEAKER_01: CB, anything?
48:39
SPEAKER_00: No, I agree.
48:40
SPEAKER_00: I will say we have a ton of infield prospects that are also attractive, so we can make a little move too.
48:46
SPEAKER_02: At AK's burner seven says, is the division still the goal or have the goalposts shifted?
48:52
SPEAKER_01: Division's the goal, division's the goal, division the goal.
48:54
SPEAKER_01: Five out, five out, divisions the goal, baby.
48:58
SPEAKER_01: Blow me.
48:59
SPEAKER_01: I'm not taking if we're five out in September, division's still on my mind.
49:03
SPEAKER_01: Shut up.
49:03
SPEAKER_02: Max one for our boy that the Liz King, the Lizard King, our boy.
49:07
SPEAKER_01: Number one guy in the world.
49:09
SPEAKER_02: So, Jack, thanks for setting this in.
49:11
SPEAKER_02: Number one, he has overall letter grade first half of the season.
49:14
SPEAKER_02: Two part question.
49:16
SPEAKER_02: And what is this team's ceiling in its current state?
49:19
SPEAKER_02: Grade, current state ceiling.
49:22
SPEAKER_01: 94 wins.
49:23
SPEAKER_01: NL Central champions.
49:26
SPEAKER_02: I give them a B minus.
49:31
SPEAKER_02: On to the next one.
49:33
SPEAKER_02: No, go ahead, C B.
49:34
SPEAKER_02: Sorry.
49:35
SPEAKER_00: I'm at a B.
49:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm at a B.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: I was just going to give them a little bit of a B minus.
49:39
SPEAKER_00: So let's go.
49:40
SPEAKER_01: B plus B plus opportunity to win 94 games in the NL Central.
49:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, L C NL Central.
49:45
SPEAKER_02: Grades taken down.
49:46
SPEAKER_02: At Joe Zoe 88.
49:48
SPEAKER_02: Which Cubs team are we getting in the second half?
49:50
SPEAKER_02: I think we're going to get the offensive bangers and we're going to get some assistance on the pitching side of things.
49:55
SPEAKER_02: And we're going to be looking to really kick this thing into high gear, Joe.
49:58
SPEAKER_01: Fellas.
49:59
SPEAKER_01: I got nothing to add to that.
50:01
SPEAKER_01: I think we're going to get the best version of this baseball team in the second half.
50:05
SPEAKER_00: Pitching can't get worse.
50:06
SPEAKER_00: Let's go.
50:07
SPEAKER_02: All right.
50:07
SPEAKER_02: Hey, yo, how do you like this one, Roy Pinar?
50:10
SPEAKER_02: Do you like seeing Cia, see a say uh in the two-hole, despite if it's a lefty or righty pitching?
50:16
SPEAKER_02: I feel like you should be up there regardless.
50:18
SPEAKER_02: First righty, PCA seeing him.
50:20
SPEAKER_02: Love the show and also love goat, love goose.
50:23
SPEAKER_02: Sure, I like him in the two-hole.
50:24
SPEAKER_02: He was there today.
50:25
SPEAKER_02: See me do okay.
50:27
SPEAKER_01: Matt to tell you, I think they need to turn Trevor's base down a little bit in Goose, but I understand they're overcompensating for the lack of a second drummer and they're trying to carry the base.
50:35
SPEAKER_01: Like, here we go again.
50:36
SPEAKER_01: Don't put me through this again.
50:38
SPEAKER_01: I stand on the Trevor side for a purpose and for a very specific reason.
50:42
SPEAKER_01: It's because I'm not necessarily anti-Peter as much as I love is as much as I love Trevor.
50:47
SPEAKER_01: What was the question, Maloney?
50:48
SPEAKER_01: Do I think the pitching the pitching sucks?
50:52
SPEAKER_02: Yep, it yeah, there we go.
50:54
SPEAKER_02: Pitching sucks right now.
50:55
SPEAKER_02: We got that one answered.
50:56
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for the question and sending it in.
50:58
SPEAKER_02: We appreciate it.
50:59
SPEAKER_02: Um, who are the most likely sellers at the deadline?
51:03
SPEAKER_02: It's always a tough question.
51:04
SPEAKER_02: There's currently two AL teams that have no shot at the playoffs, so the next three weeks are going to be so interesting.
51:09
SPEAKER_02: President of University Corner.
51:11
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna go ahead and say the biggest seller is gonna be the two AL teams that have no shot.
51:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, Mets are gonna sell more, Giants are gonna sell, Marlins will sell, Rockies will sell.
51:25
SPEAKER_01: Ancients got a couple arms.
51:27
SPEAKER_01: Might see the Royals sell, and they're in a weird spot.
51:30
SPEAKER_01: Although the GM Piccolo, I think he's looking for an extension.
51:35
SPEAKER_01: So uh shouldn't be too many teams.
51:37
SPEAKER_01: Let's take one more, Mody.
51:39
SPEAKER_02: I got one more, and I think this is actually a pretty good one at Blue Demon 816, Ryan Franklin.
51:45
SPEAKER_02: Do you expect Mo Baller to find a spot with the club in the second half?
51:48
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
51:50
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where, but yes, somehow somewhere he'll be there.
51:53
SPEAKER_00: He needs to be there.
51:54
SPEAKER_00: We need Mo Baller produce to uh to be a 94-win team.
51:57
SPEAKER_01: It's where you're seeing Michael Conforto now hit seventh as a DH, is where Mo Baller will be in the playoffs.
52:03
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that would be my guess, but what do I know?
52:08
SPEAKER_01: So let me just double back to Mahoney here and say.
52:14
SPEAKER_02: Have a fantastic Monday, you maniacs.
52:16
SPEAKER_02: Have a great break.
52:17
SPEAKER_02: We got the All-Star game in Philadelphia coming up.
52:20
SPEAKER_02: Enjoy the festivities, and let's get the twins, and we'll talk to you guys on Friday morning.