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A bonus Episode · The Mostly Football Show

• 0:03
  This is the Mostly Football Show, a uniquely Australian take on the NFL and all things in the world of sport.
• 0:12
  Over to you, Pete! Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are, and lovely life well.
• 0:21
  Welcome to episode 26 of the Microsoft.
• 1:18
  Okay.
• 1:19
  Um I'm here in beautiful Chicago at a very, very cool bar in the lovely Gold Coast with my good friend, local legend, Chicago sports aficionado, um Matt Shaw.
• 1:32
  Um not the Matt Shaw that plays second base for the Cubs, uh, but a man who knows everything that you need to know about the cubbies.
• 1:42
  A little bit and uh pretty much everything else in North American sports.
• 1:47
  Thanks for joining us, Matt.
• 1:48
  Absolutely, thanks for having me.
• 1:50
  It's an absolute pleasure.
• 1:51
  Now, Matt and I have become quite close friends over the last couple of weeks.
• 1:55
  He's really looked after me, sent me straight in Chicago, given me a report on which way the wind's going to be blowing of Wrigley every night.
• 2:03
  So really appreciate that, Matt.
• 2:05
  Um, we've got a bit of a tradition on the podcast.
• 2:08
  Um, we ask everyone that comes on to just tell our listeners a little bit about their origin story.
• 2:13
  So, why are you a Bears and Cubbies fan?
• 2:16
  Um, how long have you been a Bears and Cubbies fan?
• 2:19
  What does that fandom feel and look like now?
• 2:22
  So just tell us a little bit about that.
• 2:24
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 2:25
  So uh I've been a Cubs and Bears fan since uh I was a little boy.
• 2:31
  My my dad growing up um would listen to the Cubbies on the radio um every day with uh Pat Hughes and Ron Sano.
• 2:40
  So I kind of grew up listening to Pat and Ron.
• 2:42
  Um and uh when I was younger, I grew up about an hour and a half away from Chicago.
• 2:47
  So my dad would take me and my brother up to Cubs games um on a regular basis.
• 2:53
  Um and then as for the Bears, my dad is a diehard Bears fan.
• 2:58
  Big fan.
• 2:59
  Uh and uh every year uh before the actual Super Bowl, we'd have to watch the 85 Super Bowl.
• 3:07
  He would sit me and my brother down and make us watch it again and again and again.
• 3:10
  So I got kind of like the commercials of everything memorized because I've seen it so many times.
• 3:15
  So um a lot of people are big fans.
• 3:18
  I'm I'm a little weird with it.
• 3:20
  I'm a bigger fan than uh I I don't I don't know if I'm a bigger fan, but it kind of consumes me.
• 3:24
  Like, you know, like uh Bears' losses affect me for the whole week.
• 3:27
  This one messed off a religion, right?
• 3:29
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 3:30
  Yeah.
• 3:31
  Um uh and it's uh it's uh the cubbies, you know, like I don't miss a pitch.
• 3:35
  Like in what I do for a profession is I you know I bartend them, so um I get to see every single game, 162 games a year.
• 3:42
  So uh it's it's uh it's um it's a great hobby of mine and uh almost to a fault.
• 3:48
  Uh I love it so much.
• 3:50
  Yeah, we'll come on to the cubbies in a bit, and one of my biggest regrets, Matt, I've had an amazing fortnight here, but we'll have to do this next time.
• 3:58
  One of my biggest regrets is we haven't gonna have to go to a game together, but let's put that on the docket for next time.
• 4:04
  So we're called the mostly football pod.
• 4:06
  Let's talk about the Bears first.
• 4:08
  Um, obviously, last season was an unexpected bonus for us.
• 4:12
  Um, Cardiak Caleb took us to many more wins than we possibly thought we would have gotten at the start of the year.
• 4:19
  You were at many of the games, um, and obviously uh in the thick of things here in Chicago.
• 4:24
  Tell us about your take on the season.
• 4:27
  You know, um what were the things that worked, what are the things that surprised you?
• 4:32
  Give us a little bit of a match or season wrap on the on the well, I mean, we can start from um the day uh a year and a half ago or so, and Thanksgiving Day and Beaver Fluffy blows the end of the game, and then after that it kind of turned into what are we gonna do next?
• 4:53
  Um who's gonna be the next coach?
• 4:55
  And obviously we all had one guy in mind, um, and we got him.
• 4:59
  Um so from from that from that point forward, I mean, my my expectations are sky high.
• 5:07
  I didn't I didn't think anything like last year was gonna happen, but I thought we'd be better.
• 5:11
  I always believed in Caleb.
• 5:13
  I wanted Justin gone as soon as like all the talks were gone, and I liked Justin a lot, but as soon as we were talking about um, you know, we had the number one pick, I'm like, it's time.
• 5:23
  I watched a lot of film on Caleb and whatnot.
• 5:26
  Um so, anyways, I was super excited for last year.
• 5:30
  Um the all the you know the two-minute drills and whatnot were inspected, and I don't think we can duplicate that again, to be honest with you.
• 5:38
  Yeah, but uh the thrill of every single game living on the edge, I mean, in that fourth quarter, and and I did go to I think I went to four games, five games last year.
• 5:50
  Um but the most exciting one, I was at the Green Bay game when DJ caught it.
• 5:54
  Yeah, I was sitting in that end zone uh where he caught the ball at, and um it's just it was one after another, and then the throw to uh Chicole Comet uh for the Rams game, it's just like where's this stuff coming from?
• 6:10
  Where does this come from?
• 6:12
  But the throws he makes are just second and nuts.
• 6:15
  No one else can make those throws.
• 6:16
  Uh even number 15 on the Chiefs.
• 6:18
  Yeah, I mean he I I'm not saying he's Patrick Mahomes, but um this is exciting.
• 6:23
  I it's our whole life, you know, being a kid, Jim McMahon was good.
• 6:28
  Jim McMahon wasn't great.
• 6:29
  This guy's got the he's got the ceiling to be one of the best.
• 6:34
  And working with Ben Johnson, you know, we couldn't ask for anyone else to get the best out of him.
• 6:39
  Just going back to when we got Caleb with the number one pick, I've mentioned to Pete, the co-host, I think Ryan Paul's just some mastery there.
• 6:50
  He traded the number one pick the year before to Carolina, got DJ in the uh in the mix, and then Carol um uh it was Carolina, wasn't it?
• 7:00
  They finished bottom, and then we obviously got the number one pick two years running, and that's when we we uh we we we picked up Caleb.
• 7:08
  So talking more in terms of looking forwards, free agents has been and gone.
• 7:14
  Um there was a lot of talk around the Bears needing to address needs either across free agency or in the draft, defensive linemen, edge rushers.
• 7:24
  How do you think that you know the free agency went?
• 7:26
  We picked up Devin Bush, a linebacker, um Garrett Bradbury, centre from the New England Patriots, um Neville Gallimore, a defensive lineman, uh Khalif uh Raymond, wide receiver and kick returner, and Cam Lewis.
• 7:45
  So, really apart from Gallimore, none of those guys helped our pass rush or our defensive line.
• 7:51
  What were your takes around free agency for the Bears?
• 7:54
  I I thought they'd do a lot more to address the biggest or the biggest hole that they have.
• 8:00
  Um I I don't I don't know what their game plan is with that.
• 8:03
  I know Dennis Allen wanted to get faster.
• 8:05
  Yeah, and that's why we got Devin Bush, and that's um and then the uh the kid we drafted, Fieldman, um, and then Kobe Bryant.
• 8:14
  Of course.
• 8:15
  Um the Neville Neville Gilmore.
• 8:17
  I don't really know much about him.
• 8:18
  It's another defensive lineman.
• 8:19
  We like getting guys from the Colts for some reason.
• 8:21
  I don't really get it.
• 8:22
  Yeah.
• 8:23
  Um I don't know.
• 8:24
  I feel like they're trying to kind of do what like the Eagles and the Seahawks have done, where it's like kind of like by committee, where you have a bunch of guys who are good, but no one that's like, you know, like they know Miles Garrett, whatnot.
• 8:36
  Yeah.
• 8:36
  Um, I really wish they could have.
• 8:38
  I don't know how they really could have addressed it unless they went after um who's the kid that's from the Eagles?
• 8:45
  That uh Jalen Carter.
• 8:47
  Not Jalen Carter, the guy that was a free agent from them, uh Hassan Reddick.
• 8:51
  Oh yeah.
• 8:52
  Um but um we'll see.
• 8:55
  I mean Austin Booker I think can make a big jump.
• 8:58
  Yeah, but we keep hoping on that, and uh he was a fourth round pick for a reason, so he looks the part, he has flashes.
• 9:04
  Yeah.
• 9:05
  So if he can just get it, pull it all together.
• 9:07
  Um I'm kind of over the um what's the what's the uh the defensive tackle's name that we drafted in the second round?
• 9:16
  Text to have in Texta.
• 9:18
  Yeah.
• 9:18
  I mean, he seems like he his second year, he improved a lot, and then last year he took a step back.
• 9:25
  So um I I we'll see what happens.
• 9:26
  There's still time.
• 9:27
  Um I really wish they would have pursued Max Crosby a little bit more.
• 9:32
  Um or I mean, in my opinion, I'd give up two, maybe even maybe not three ones for Miles Garrett.
• 9:43
  Yeah.
• 9:43
  I mean, he's a generational player.
• 9:46
  Yeah, he's unreal.
• 9:47
  He's on real, he's a game wrecker.
• 9:49
  He's might might be the best pass wrestler since Lawrence Taylor.
• 9:53
  And much younger than Mika Parsons and uh and and Max, and we talked at length about those guys on previous podcasts.
• 10:00
  Remiss of me to forget Kirby Bryant.
• 10:02
  I'm a big fan of his, although he did throw the first pitch out at the Sox Cubbies game down at Rakefield, so I lost a bit of respect for Kirby Bryant, seeing him in black and white.
• 10:12
  Let's move on to the draft then, Maddie.
• 10:14
  We um we talked about free agency, picked up a great um boy in the first round, Dylan Thieneman, safety position, knee position for us.
• 10:24
  Um what are your thoughts around him and and and the other uh the other picks that Poles and Johnson make?
• 10:31
  Um I like I like the pick out of uh I like the I like the kid out of Oregon.
• 10:36
  I mean he looks like a baller, he's got a lot of speed, he's a ball hawk.
• 10:40
  Yeah.
• 10:41
  Um the only thing that scares me is the last uh white DB we had was Chris Conte, and that didn't stupid.
• 10:49
  Yeah.
• 10:50
  Um but as for the uh the the center out of Iowa, um I don't know much about him.
• 10:56
  Logan Jones, I think, is the name is, yeah.
• 10:58
  Yeah, yeah.
• 10:59
  Um and I'm curious to see if he's gonna be the starter or or if uh the kid out of New England, Bradbury, I think, uh will be the starter.
• 11:08
  The uh the tight end pick was kind of a little uh little weird to me because Zachariah Branch, the the stud wide out with super fast speed that was at USC and then transferred to um Bama.
• 11:25
  Is it Bama or Georgia?
• 11:26
  One of the two, anyhow.
• 11:27
  Uh he was available there.
• 11:29
  And we did it, we took the the tight end out of Stanford.
• 11:32
  Sam Rousch.
• 11:33
  Yeah, Sam Roush.
• 11:34
  Um, but I guess with those the personnel that Ben Johnson puts out there, I guess you need guys like that.
• 11:41
  I read a really interesting stat that we were in a three tight end set for around 24% of the plays last season.
• 11:47
  So Durham Smythe was cut loose in free agency.
• 11:50
  Um yeah, Roush is interesting, he's a very big boy athletic.
• 11:55
  I saw a clip on social media where he handcake blocked a guy into a 300-pound defensive lineman and knocked him over as well.
• 12:03
  Wow.
• 12:04
  Exactly.
• 12:04
  So you can immediately join the dots there.
• 12:08
  You know, Ben Johnson likes athletes' intelligence, he likes this word violence.
• 12:14
  We mentioned it on the podcast a couple of weeks ago.
• 12:16
  Everything I read about our draft picks, he runs with violence, he tackles with blocks with violence, he wants to be the most aggressive player on the field.
• 12:24
  So whilst it wasn't a positional need, I can clearly see why Johnson and Paul's went in that direction.
• 12:31
  So um let's look forward again now to the 2026-27 season.
• 12:37
  We've I've been in town, the schedule's been released.
• 12:40
  Um we've played Detroit on Thanksgiving, we're in Carolina, I believe, first game.
• 12:47
  Yeah, first round one.
• 12:49
  What do you think the season ahead looks like?
• 12:51
  We've got a winner's schedule and it's gonna be tough.
• 12:53
  Well, I think that number one, uh, it's a whole different ball game when you come in with expectations, right?
• 12:58
  When you come in and no one's expecting to finish last place, not a lot of pressure on you.
• 13:04
  Um it's a whole different ballgame now because number one, we gotta have the first place schedule.
• 13:08
  Yeah, toughest schedule in the league, they say.
• 13:11
  Um excuse me.
• 13:13
  I like the way it's spread out and whatnot.
• 13:15
  Um, but we got a lot of tough games in our division, it's super tough.
• 13:19
  Yeah.
• 13:20
  Um but I I think Caleb and Ben together another year, another offseason.
• 13:25
  Yeah.
• 13:26
  Um sky's the limit.
• 13:27
  Yeah.
• 13:28
  I mean, I think we're uh I think we'll it's not a question we're gonna score a lot of points.
• 13:32
  Yeah.
• 13:32
  Um can we outscore a lot of things?
• 13:34
  Well, can we outscore them and can we stop somebody, you know, in in a uh with two minutes left, can we make a stop?
• 13:41
  Yeah.
• 13:41
  And not have to rely on Talub to come back for us because that well's gonna run dry eventually.
• 13:46
  It's not a sustainable strategy, that's right.
• 13:48
  Absolutely not.
• 13:49
  Yeah.
• 13:49
  Do you have if I was to press you on a prediction of our record at the end of the season, where would you go?
• 13:57
  Uh I would say 11 and 6.
• 14:02
  Wow.
• 14:03
  That's me going over it.
• 14:04
  Uh and I'm a very optimistic Bears fan, but I can see some things swinging our way.
• 14:09
  Like, you know, last year some things swung our way when we missed uh Burrow and Lamar back to back, but we ended up losing one of those games.
• 14:16
  So um, yeah, 11 and 6 seems good to me.
• 14:19
  I think that gets us in the playoffs for sure.
• 14:22
  Um and then uh hey, let's go win a couple playoff games.
• 14:26
  I mean, we proved we can do it.
• 14:28
  You know, you once you get the get over that hump of winning a playoff game, it's so hard to win.
• 14:33
  And you beat your division rival or your rival of a hundred years.
• 14:38
  Yeah so I mean I the sky's the limit.
• 14:40
  I can't wait till this season.
• 14:42
  Yeah, I can't wait to see um what Ben Johnson has in store and all the little weapons.
• 14:48
  I I we didn't mention the kid, uh Xavion Xavion Thomas out of uh the kid out of LSU.
• 14:54
  The third round the four that 4-2 uh 40 time.
• 14:57
  I mean so I'm excited to see that.
• 15:01
  I'm excited to see Rome take a big jump this year.
• 15:04
  Yep.
• 15:05
  Because I honestly I feel like after he the injury last year, he was out for a little bit and he's never the same.
• 15:11
  Yeah.
• 15:12
  Um he started out hot, so I'm really looking forward to see what Rome does, and I'm also Luther Burden is gonna be and I think we've got a superstar in Colston levels.
• 15:21
  Oh my god, I mean I can't believe I didn't mention that.
• 15:23
  When we picked him at number 10, 11 last year, I was like, what?
• 15:27
  That you can see immediately he's a player, right?
• 15:30
  Oh, he he he's a dog.
• 15:32
  Yeah.
• 15:32
  He's like he's a dog.
• 15:34
  Yeah, yeah.
• 15:34
  Yeah, he he might be he might be top three writers or tight end in the league as we speak.
• 15:39
  Yeah.
• 15:40
  And by the by the year's end, he might be the I mean he might be the best.
• 15:44
  Love this optimism.
• 15:45
  Let's um let's balance that optimism out.
• 15:48
  Um, this wasn't on our docket, but we can't have a conversation about the Bears with where are we gonna be playing?
• 15:54
  So, what are your thoughts?
• 15:55
  Is it gonna be Arlington Heights?
• 15:56
  Are we moving to Hammond?
• 15:58
  Are we staying at Soldier Fields?
• 15:59
  I I in my mind it's 100% gonna be Arlington Heights.
• 16:02
  Um I think that uh the Hammond, the Hammond talk was all just a leverage thing to get Illinois politics to get to get shit moving.
• 16:13
  Um and Illinois is the most corrupt state in the in the union, so it's it takes every like you gotta grease so many pockets to get anything done here.
• 16:23
  Yeah.
• 16:24
  Um, and from afar, I don't know how many people re actually realize that, but it's a pain in the ass.
• 16:30
  Kevin Warren, uh the whole Chicago, they have trying to get it to stay here.
• 16:35
  I get why he wanted it here, but that was never really an option.
• 16:38
  I mean, it's we want they want Final Fours, they want Super Bowls, Super Bowls, mega concepts, yeah.
• 16:45
  They want all of the above, and and and that's only gonna happen at Ollins everywhere.
• 16:49
  And I remember I'd said next to you earlier they don't own Soldier Fields, so they don't get any of that revenue.
• 16:53
  So but no, it's gonna stay in Illinois.
• 16:55
  There's no way the governor or anybody's gonna let them have all this myth.
• 16:59
  It's gonna they're gonna call it Baradise.
• 17:00
  Yes, and you're gonna go there.
• 17:02
  Love it.
• 17:02
  There's gonna be a casino, there's gonna be a row of restaurants.
• 17:06
  Okay, yeah, it'll be here.
• 17:07
  Boys' weekend away.
• 17:08
  Absolutely.
• 17:09
  Um now Matt knows some people that know some people, so you've heard it here first.
• 17:13
  The conversation about the Hammond or Gary Bears finishes at this point.
• 17:17
  Uh let's go back to predictions, Maddie.
• 17:19
  Um, Super Bowl, who's gonna win next season?
• 17:24
  Chicago Bears.
• 17:27
  Love it.
• 17:28
  Why not?
• 17:29
  Yeah, why not us?
• 17:30
  Yeah, it's never been more up in the air.
• 17:33
  Like last year, who would ever thought Seattle would have won it?
• 17:36
  Yeah, um, you know, uh the Chiefs had their run at things and uh it's kind of winded down a little bit, but I don't think there's a real super dominant team in the league right now that's just that's you know leaps and bounds of better than everybody else.
• 17:50
  So why not us?
• 17:51
  Yeah, it's a lottery race, get good odds on us with the sports book in in Vegas.
• 17:56
  Any other teams that we should look out for?
• 17:58
  So if the Bears are gonna win, who's gonna be our biggest challengers?
• 18:02
  I'm feeling the Rams and the Seahawks are gonna be strong again in the NFC.
• 18:06
  Absolutely.
• 18:07
  I think the the Rams are are are scary.
• 18:09
  Um I I also think that um that the Niners are gonna come back roaring and and uh Shanahan is a genius.
• 18:18
  Yeah, um uh but and and then the AFC, the Bills could be scary good.
• 18:24
  Yeah, the Ravens could be really good.
• 18:27
  Yeah.
• 18:27
  Um and the Broncos who should have been in the Super Bowl.
• 18:30
  Yeah, um, had they not lost.
• 18:32
  We have for an injury, yeah.
• 18:34
  Absolutely.
• 18:35
  So uh it's it's very exciting uh for this football season to come about.
• 18:39
  I can't not wait.
• 18:41
  Good stuff.
• 18:42
  We're um for those people that are listening, we're drinking uh Micheladas.
• 18:46
  Maddie, tell us what the Michelada is.
• 18:48
  Okay, a Michelada is pretty much it's like a Bloody Mary, okay, but you take out the vaca and you use um Mexican beer like Corona, modelo, um, and then you do a tahin rim and lime juice.
• 19:04
  Yeah.
• 19:05
  And it's deliciousness.
• 19:06
  I know um I've not drunk malort yet, but this can be my halfway to becoming a Chicago and drinking uh Michelada with.
• 19:14
  Oh no, we're gonna we'll get a malort before we leave here today.
• 19:18
  You ain't getting away with that one.
• 19:19
  Alright, let's pivot.
• 19:20
  The reason I'm here, the cubbies.
• 19:22
  So um again, Maddie and I bonded over uh an initial discussion about the Cubs and um talk to us about the season so far.
• 19:31
  So we've had two 10-game winning streaks.
• 19:34
  Things are a little bit tougher for us at the moment.
• 19:36
  I think we're three and seven or two and eight in our last ten games.
• 19:41
  What's going on, mate?
• 19:43
  Well, I I think that I mean the the 10-game win streaks were great.
• 19:47
  We also we also faced um some teams that were on some big losing streaks really bad.
• 19:55
  And the Reds were had came off just getting swept by the pirates, and then we we took four away, four from them.
• 20:01
  Um we're gonna be fine.
• 20:03
  I mean, like I said, we were talking earlier, our on base percentage is best in the league.
• 20:07
  Uh we're leaving runners in scoring position most in the league, but that's because we have so many guys on base, and that'll come around.
• 20:12
  Um I think Bregman's gonna get a little hotter.
• 20:15
  Yeah.
• 20:15
  Suzuki was hot, he's cooled off a lot.
• 20:17
  Yeah.
• 20:18
  And the big question is PCA, and you know, signing the big contract in the offseason.
• 20:23
  And to be honest, since the last half since the first half of last season, he's kind of been a different player.
• 20:30
  And is this who he really is?
• 20:31
  Yeah.
• 20:32
  And was last year's first half an anomaly?
• 20:34
  Yeah.
• 20:35
  Um, I hope not.
• 20:37
  We definitely bet on the on the upside, haven't we?
• 20:40
  Oh, absolutely.
• 20:40
  And it, you know, but at the end of the day, with him, he's the best, he's the best defender in baseball, and it's probably not even close.
• 20:47
  Yeah.
• 20:48
  Um, so you no matter what, you can't take that away from him.
• 20:51
  I I think his bat will come around.
• 20:52
  Plus, you know, we know you gotta think about we're still in Chicago, yeah, and it's early in the year.
• 20:57
  It's not that warm here yet.
• 20:58
  No.
• 20:58
  Once it gets warm, the bats start warming up.
• 21:01
  Yeah, we're still six in the league at home runs.
• 21:04
  Yeah.
• 21:04
  I mean, um, so I I think we're gonna be fine.
• 21:08
  Uh I'm sick of the Brewers because they have nine guys who you could probably name two of them, yeah, who are good.
• 21:16
  Yeah, not great, but year in, year out, they get it done.
• 21:21
  I know that home run that Yellow Chit last night was monstrous.
• 21:25
  He he destroys us.
• 21:26
  Yeah, yeah.
• 21:27
  Um but no, I I think it's uh it's a long season, and these games against division rivals like the Brewers are like a season within a season.
• 21:37
  Yeah.
• 21:37
  So these 13 games you play them a year, and you know, these games are important.
• 21:43
  So I'm well get it together, get some of these guys in the bowl been healthy.
• 21:49
  Theobar comes back today.
• 21:51
  They just put him, took him off.
• 21:53
  Um Mayton, I hope, comes around.
• 21:55
  He's been horrible.
• 21:57
  Palencia's back.
• 21:59
  I mean, we just Gotta get healthy.
• 22:00
  Yeah, you know, we're our starting pitching too, my goodness.
• 22:04
  I mean, we've just been struck so many blows in the early part of the season.
• 22:07
  Yeah, Tyon was poor against the Sox, and um Shota had a very bad night last night.
• 22:15
  Really bad.
• 22:16
  That's his first hiccup of the entire year.
• 22:19
  So it's it's it was bound to happen.
• 22:21
  The wind was blowing out last night, so yeah.
• 22:25
  Just we'll go through that a good stretch here soon.
• 22:27
  Most unshoche-like performance last night.
• 22:30
  Let's talk about the batting order.
• 22:32
  Um, a lot of people around town are sort of bemoaning the fact, as you said, we leave a lot of runners on base.
• 22:39
  But um Hap and Saya are batting in those key mid-order positions.
• 22:46
  Are they in the right place?
• 22:48
  We we just talked before we came on air about you know Hap and Saya looking at pig looking at strikes right over the middle of the plate.
• 22:56
  You know, Saya was two for four last night, but it that you know that was flattering for him.
• 23:02
  Um do you think the order's right?
• 23:05
  You know, what does council do to shake things up?
• 23:08
  Well, number one, council usually doesn't shake things up, he never moves guys around.
• 23:13
  But number two, I if you take them out of the three-fourth slot, I don't know who you put there.
• 23:19
  That's the problem.
• 23:20
  I maybe happen should be put down a little bit more, but I don't know.
• 23:26
  Two more, absolutely.
• 23:28
  Um I I think you just let it play out and then eventually it'll work itself out.
• 23:35
  I think Bregman's gonna get better.
• 23:37
  I'm not worried, but Nico's right where he needs to be.
• 23:41
  Bush is he was starting to warm up.
• 23:43
  He's starting to warm up as the weather warms up.
• 23:46
  I think all these guys will warm up, and I think Balsteros by the by the season's end is gonna get repeated.
• 23:54
  I think um council's throwing him in tonight, back into the lineup, and uh the poor kid he's gonna face the Miz tonight.
• 24:01
  I think Ben Brown and um and Ms.
• 24:04
  are the starting pitches, and I think I heard that Moe's gonna be in the in the in the starting lineup tonight.
• 24:10
  Is he?
• 24:11
  I love that.
• 24:11
  Yeah, yeah.
• 24:12
  I love that.
• 24:13
  Yeah, I think the sky's the limit for that kid.
• 24:15
  Yeah, he could hit.
• 24:16
  I mean, it just he had his little streak there where he was batting what, like 398, and then they figured him out, and now he's gotta go back and watch film and figure them out.
• 24:26
  So it's it's a it's a cat and mouse game with that.
• 24:28
  Yeah.
• 24:28
  Um, but I'm really excited about the future with him.
• 24:31
  What do you think?
• 24:32
  Um we've got the trade deadline ahead.
• 24:35
  What do you expect to see um uh you know the the cubbies doing at the trade deadline?
• 24:41
  Well we're definitely gonna go to the starting pitching.
• 24:43
  Um who we're gonna trade for the starting pitching is what I'm like um a little curious about.
• 24:50
  Um I I just bought a Matt Shaw jersey because of my name is Matt Shaw, so I don't want him to trade Matt Shaw, but we got a lot of bats.
• 24:58
  Um Jackson Wiggins is gonna come up, so that's that's a spot.
• 25:01
  But I I think what I my dream scenario right now would be that the Rangers just start sucking.
• 25:09
  Yes, and then Jacob deGrom somehow makes his way to a regular year.
• 25:13
  I don't know what we gotta give up to get Jacob de Grom.
• 25:16
  Um, but he's getting paid a lot of money too, so that kind of lessens the package that'll go to them.
• 25:22
  There's some big names floating around, but DeGrom would be uh especially the way he treated us a couple Sundays ago.
• 25:29
  Completely beat yourself.
• 25:30
  Yes, oh that was ugly.
• 25:31
  Do you um do you think any of the cubbies will end up at the uh the all-star game or right now?
• 25:36
  I I can't think of one.
• 25:37
  No, to be honest with you.
• 25:39
  No, no one's like those 10-game win streaks weren't carried by just one guy.
• 25:45
  Everybody was collectively hitting and whatnot, so I I can't think of anybody who's who's balling that hard right now to be able to make the all-star team this year.
• 25:54
  At the start of my trip, we we were on course to have a hundred wins this season.
• 25:59
  Where do you think we end up in the season now?
• 26:02
  97.
• 26:03
  Yeah.
• 26:04
  That's what I'm hoping for.
• 26:05
  I love your optimism.
• 26:06
  Oh, it's it's my optimism is through the roof.
• 26:08
  It's so good, it's so good.
• 26:10
  It's through the roof, especially for someone who's been beat up my entire sports life.
• 26:15
  Being a Bears, Cubs, Bulls.
• 26:18
  Yeah.
• 26:19
  Let's not talk about the Bulls.
• 26:20
  Yeah, we don't even know.
• 26:21
  I'm here for every second of it.
• 26:22
  I love it, I love it.
• 26:23
  Um, World Series prediction.
• 26:25
  Who's gonna who's gonna be at the dance?
• 26:27
  National League, American League, who's gonna be there?
• 26:30
  Cubs Yankees.
• 26:31
  Love it.
• 26:32
  What should be the most amazing World Series and probably the most expensive ticket ever.
• 26:38
  Maybe besides when the when the Mets played the Yankees.
• 26:43
  Love it.
• 26:44
  Love it.
• 26:44
  Alright, let's wrap things up.
• 26:46
  We've got more drinks coming.
• 26:47
  Um I've I've also got to get my arse up to Wrigley for a 640 start, but um, we can have uh another beer.
• 26:54
  We're gonna do something fun to finish off with.
• 26:56
  So I'm gonna give you the quickfire round.
• 26:58
  I'm gonna throw two names at you from various sports, and you've got to choose your your favorite and tell me very quickly why.
• 27:07
  Okay.
• 27:07
  Sydney Crosby, Connor McDavid.
• 27:09
  Sydney Crosby, and I don't really follow hockey that much, but um I do um know that he plays for the American team, and McDavid plays for the Canadian team, so that's where I'm gonna go with that one.
• 27:21
  Thank you very much.
• 27:22
  Cheers.
• 27:23
  Thank you, darling.
• 27:24
  Um Michael Jordan and LeBron.
• 27:26
  Oh, Michael Jordan, any day of the week.
• 27:27
  I was grew up a most diehard bowl fan as a kid.
• 27:31
  Um LeBron doesn't even hold a flame to Michael Jordan if you ask me.
• 27:35
  Yeah.
• 27:36
  Best of all time, best athlete of all time, best sports player of all time.
• 27:41
  Michael Jordan.
• 27:42
  Weird, I've always said the same things.
• 27:44
  He's the greatest sportsman I've ever seen.
• 27:46
  Absolutely.
• 27:46
  I was lucky enough to be in Chicago, uh playoff game at the United Center before he retired the first time.
• 27:54
  One of the things that I've still got the ticket at Harry.
• 27:57
  Oh my god, that's amazing.
• 27:59
  Um, so uh yeah, Michael Jordan's the greatest sportsman I've ever seen play.
• 28:03
  Richard Danhampton.
• 28:05
  Oh my god, that's so tough.
• 28:08
  And then I didn't say this was gonna be easy.
• 28:10
  I'm gonna say Richard, I'm gonna say Richard Dan.
• 28:13
  Love it, but it could go either way.
• 28:16
  Yeah.
• 28:16
  Both Hall of Famers, both relentless, both Ben Johnson would like them both because they're both very violent.
• 28:23
  I think I know where this one's going, but I'm gonna ask anyway.
• 28:26
  Walter Payton, Barry Sanders.
• 28:28
  Oh, Walter Payton.
• 28:29
  Because he's a bear.
• 28:30
  Yeah.
• 28:31
  Honestly, though, Barry was so good.
• 28:35
  Walter was so powerful.
• 28:38
  And Walter, I feel like Walter caught more balls out of the backfield.
• 28:43
  So I'll go Walter.
• 28:45
  But it's it's it could go either way.
• 28:48
  Yeah, they're both amazing.
• 28:50
  Absolutely.
• 28:51
  O'Town E or Judge?
• 28:53
  Uh Otani.
• 28:55
  Otani is the biggest freak of nature.
• 28:57
  Isn't he just ever.
• 28:59
  And even though his bat's struggling right now, what does he got?
• 29:01
  A 0.72 ERA right now?
• 29:05
  He's pitching a lot though, right?
• 29:06
  What's that?
• 29:07
  He's pitching a lot more than last week.
• 29:09
  He's pitching, but he they're still pitching, they got a six-man rotation.
• 29:12
  Yeah.
• 29:12
  So, I mean, he's it's ridiculous.
• 29:15
  The guy, he's one of the best athletes ever.
• 29:18
  And he just like you look at him, his stature, he's just yeah, he's unbelievable.
• 29:23
  Yeah.
• 29:23
  Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes.
• 29:25
  Tom Brady.
• 29:27
  Um brightest of all time.
• 29:28
  Yeah, Tom's a goat.
• 29:29
  Yeah.
• 29:30
  Until until Pat needs two more chips, and then he'll be at what?
• 29:33
  How many do Pat have right now?
• 29:34
  Three or four.
• 29:35
  He's got a few, yeah.
• 29:36
  Yeah.
• 29:36
  Yeah.
• 29:36
  Um, he's got a ways to go, but the the his book's still open, so we'll see.
• 29:41
  That's a bad injury he's got to come back from as well this season, so let's keep our fingers crossed that.
• 29:46
  Did you hear though about his injury?
• 29:49
  No.
• 29:49
  They said that his like he has the pain tolerance that they've never seen before, and that his rehab has been ridiculous, and that he's gonna be back for week one.
• 29:58
  That's incredible.
• 30:00
  I know he's played through a lot of uh pain before.
• 30:03
  He he's a he's a gamer in the he's a tough, he's a tough SOB, that's for sure.
• 30:07
  Absolutely.
• 30:08
  Um where are we?
• 30:10
  Nico or Dansby?
• 30:12
  Oh, Nico, all day.
• 30:14
  Dansby is pissing me off right now.
• 30:17
  He can't hit the broadside of the barn right now.
• 30:19
  He's very good looking though, and all the girls in the crowd, they're all wearing number sevens.
• 30:23
  Are they?
• 30:24
  Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
• 30:25
  No, he's a he's uh he's you know top three best gloves in the game at his position.
• 30:32
  Yeah.
• 30:33
  But Baton 194 ain't really doing it for me.
• 30:36
  Yeah.
• 30:37
  We didn't talk, um we didn't talk about the PCA incident.
• 30:42
  Um obviously this has been swirling around the world of American pro sports and certainly baseball, but uh PCA was involved in a little bit of an incident down at Rayfield.
• 30:54
  What's your take on all the things?
• 30:57
  I think I think we only get to see what they show us.
• 31:00
  Yeah.
• 31:01
  Um I did see a video on social media today which wasn't very good.
• 31:06
  Of the actual like, oh I no, I've seen it.
• 31:09
  In my opinion, though, you don't get to see what all was said to him that whole game before that, what was said all weekend.
• 31:15
  That is a rough place to play baseball at.
• 31:18
  They have no mercy down there.
• 31:19
  No, so um it is what it is.
• 31:23
  I don't think he I'm sure he'd probably take back take it back if he could, but yeah, I don't see the big deal about it.
• 31:28
  I don't think he talked about someone shouldering her mother and father.
• 31:32
  Yeah, he said what he said in the heat of the moment.
• 31:34
  I sat in the bleachers the first first game of the three at Ray Field and um made a point of introducing myself to the people sitting next to me.
• 31:44
  Um just so that I had the excuse that I was an English Australian.
• 31:50
  They might have thought I knew nothing about the game, and secondly, to show them that I was a gentleman and I didn't want to get in any fights with anybody because I'll tell you what, guys, the south side is real, it really is real.
• 32:01
  Absolutely.
• 32:04
  Let's finish off.
• 32:06
  Your favorite three bears players of all time, favorite three bears players of all time.
• 32:12
  Okay, so in that I would say in no particular order, Devin Hester.
• 32:20
  Wow, I love I love Devin Hester.
• 32:24
  Um Brandon Marshall.
• 32:30
  Wow.
• 32:30
  I love V.
• 32:31
  Marsh.
• 32:32
  Yeah.
• 32:33
  Um, and probably Julius Peppers.
• 32:36
  The the one bears jersey that I have, number 90, Julius Peppers.
• 32:41
  I love Julius Peppers.
• 32:42
  Yeah.
• 32:42
  I love Julius Peppers.
• 32:43
  That's a Hall of Famer.
• 32:44
  Yeah.
• 32:44
  Uh also an honorable mention, Matt Forte.
• 32:47
  Yeah.
• 32:47
  Matt Forte was underrated.
• 32:49
  He was uh uh my um favorite bear ever wearing 22 um on our 22nd episode.
• 33:00
  So uh yeah, Matt Forte, I'm here for that.
• 33:03
  He was a beast.
• 33:04
  Your favorite three Cubs players of all time?
• 33:07
  Javier Baez, number one.
• 33:09
  Yeah.
• 33:10
  I was I am still to this day follow him in Detroit and whatnot.
• 33:14
  I loved Javi Baez so much.
• 33:17
  Um geez.
• 33:20
  Big Z.
• 33:22
  I was the biggest Big Z fan of all time.
• 33:24
  Um for our listeners, tell us who Big Z is.
• 33:28
  Big Z is Carlos Zembrano.
• 33:29
  Yeah.
• 33:30
  Giant man with a with a with a giant temper.
• 33:33
  Yep.
• 33:33
  Um I I loved him.
• 33:35
  And then um Ryan Sandberg.
• 33:38
  Yeah.
• 33:39
  Growing up.
• 33:39
  Uh my favorite player growing up actually was Schwan Dunstan.
• 33:43
  Yeah, okay.
• 33:44
  Um shortstop who could throw them throw about 110 miles an hour at a first base.
• 33:49
  But no, um Sandberg is something else.
• 33:53
  Yeah.
• 33:54
  Rest in peace.
• 33:55
  Yeah, God bless his soul.
• 33:56
  His shirt is the most most seen number, number 23 at Wrigley.
• 34:02
  Um Cubby's fans are there for Rhino.
• 34:06
  So uh which is crazy because three of my favorite Chicago players of all time are Devin Esther, Michael Jordan, and Ryan Sandberg.
• 34:16
  Yeah, they're all 23.
• 34:17
  Love it.
• 34:18
  Just your age, mate.
• 34:19
  Yeah.
• 34:20
  Maddie, it's been a pleasure.
• 34:22
  It really has.
• 34:22
  It's been a pleasure meeting you, becoming your friend, and this has been a great chat.
• 34:27
  So really appreciate you.
• 34:28
  I could I say the exact same things, I really appreciate it.
• 34:31
  Absolutely.
• 34:32
  We'll get you on the podcast again.
• 34:33
  And I know you're gonna hook us up with some more of your buddies who uh have got some special insights as well down the chat.
• 34:39
  Oh, absolutely, I think it'd be great.
• 34:41
  Thanks, brother.
• 34:42
  Really appreciate you.
• 34:47
  Thanks, Matt, for doing that.
• 34:48
  We appreciate you, everyone appreciates you.
• 34:54
  Looking forward to hearing from you all as we move on to the run off to the new NFL season.