July 14, 2025 • 45 mins
The Chicago Cubs are in first place heading into the All-Star break, and we’re fired up! In this episode of Dingers, we celebrate Cubs outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker getting the All-Star nod, with Matthew Boyd also honored but choosing to rest up for a postseason push. As teachers by day, we’re handing out midseason grades to every player on the roster — who’s at the top of the class, and who’s getting a note home and maybe some summer school? You’ll find out. Plus, we break down the second-half stretch: 🔹 What will it take for the Cubs to hang on and win the division? 🔹 Can they make a real run at the World Series? 🔹 What moves might be needed at the deadline? Hit play, grab a seat, and let’s talk Cubs baseball — class is in session on this episode of Dingers!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to the Dingers Podcast, presented to you by
Test Sports Network with your host Mitch, jeff and Kevis.
Get ready to talk to the Cubs. All I need
is the Dingers podcast is on the air. I'm your host, Mitch.
(00:26):
I'm here with Jeffrey and Kevin Man. It's been a
while since I've been able to say that. If you
haven't noticed us Dingers, we haven't not recorded an episode
in a hot minute. It's been like two months almost.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Super busy.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
The reason why is it's not that we stop being
Cubs fans, it's just life gets busy.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Uh, my son was on two different teams. A team
arec team, My daughter was on a travel team. My
youngest Sun was playing He's a kindergartener, playing up with
the second and third graders for baseball. So it was
literally like the whole month of June, I had baseball
games like every single night. I think I had one
night off all of June. That doesn't bode well when
(01:14):
you're trying to do a podcast. And Kevin kind of
had the same thing. Jeffrey had some health issues going on,
and so we've all just had had things going on,
and so we just thought, rather than just trying to
force podcast episodes, let's just wait till the second half
(01:35):
and pick this thing up back up. Hopefully you guys
will be back to joining us and listening because we
love interacting with you listeners. But man, this Cubs team
is fun to watch, super fun to watch. I haven't
I'll say that I haven't watched a lot of the games.
I've listened to a ton of them. Sometimes when I'm
(01:56):
driving to a game, I'll have the game on my
phone while I'm d I mean, I know that's illegal
now in the state of Iowa, but you know what,
I needed to watch my Cubbies.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Yeah, you just can't like be tinkering around on your phone,
well what's going on?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
But you know, yeah, But we are at the All
Star break. We have three Cubbies that are in the
All Star Game tomorrow, two of them that are going
to play one as there. We have PCA, Kyle Tucker,
and Matthew Boyd, which we went to the game on
Thursday in Minneapolis and my son got Matthew Boyd's autograph
(02:35):
and got picture with him. So pretty cool to have
an All Stars autograph on the year that he made
the All Star team his autograph, but took in the
game at the Beautiful target Field. If you have never
been there, I highly recommend going and watching a game
at target Field, Beautiful Ballpark in Cubbies. Put it to
(02:57):
the PCA hit two bombs. We kind of have a
like guys trip. So me and my two boys just spontaneous, Hey,
let's get tickets and go up. We went up and
picked a good game to go to. PCA. Hitting two
bombs always something that they will forever remember. But tonight
we're gonna do a little mid season grades. So Kevin
(03:23):
and I are both teachers and we're pretty good at
giving out grades and making sure we have a lot
of rigorous standards that we are gonna hold these Cubbies
to when we're gonna be grading them. So we're gonna
break it into like the lineup, the every day lineup,
(03:45):
the bench starting rotation, and then bullpen. Okay, so we're
gonna start. Let's start with the lineup, the every day
starting lineup that typically you will see out there for
the Cup. We're gonna go through every player in the
grade that you're going to assign them, and then maybe
(04:06):
a little bit of why for each of those players.
So let's start with Kevin. Kevin is getting to go
through his his grades for the starting lineup.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So do you want to go position by position or
just like overall starting lineup and then break it down.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You can go starting lineup and then just break it down.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
So I kind of used.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Mitch kind of shared out more or less what the
starting lineup kind of is each day. You know, until recently,
Half was the leadoff guy, and uh, you know the
beginning of the season, Half was was kind of a
nice guy. He started off real well and you know,
had strong start, first couple of assessments, really really aced it,
did well, and then you know he he became complacent
(04:53):
and uh and started pressing or something like that student.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That that it's like, hey, I a pretty bad last year.
I'm gonna I'm gonna really commit this year to like
paying attention in class and turning in my homework. And
you get about like two weeks that and then it's
like back to the old same guy. Now not saying
that Hap is that type of guy last year.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Yeah, it's been late. It's been uh.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I almost want to say a d you know, out
of him. It's just you know the beginning of the year.
It's like that kid who saw the three week grade cutoff.
I don't know if any other parents out there have seen,
you know, how grades are done.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Do we have to turn him in?
Speaker 4 (05:41):
And you know, the three week grade comes back, it's
an A A plus and they're like, cool, I don't
gotta do a thing the rest of the year. And that, unfortunately,
seems to have been And you know, I listened to
the Compound podcast. I know he's not trying to play poorly,
it's just unfortunately the results haven't been super great.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I'm gonna call it audible. Let's let's instead of each
one of us going through the whole lap, let's just
give our grade for almost for they'll probably be a
little bit smoother. Jeffrey, what what's your grade for mister
Ian half.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
A D D.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
So we got he's just not consistent. When he's hot,
he's hot. When he's not, he's not, and he just
seems to struggle and it you'd think by now that
he'd be on a more even plane as far as
daily production.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
My mine is uh C minus one because we're still
seeing really good defense out and outfield, so we gotta
take that into consideration. What is this war right now?
I need to look up.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
He is good point nine almost point nine war.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
That's that's not great. That's not great. But probably most
of that that positive is because of his defense, because
we're not getting much net positive when it comes to offense.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Miss those listeners out there that are not familiar with war,
could you please tell him what a good war score
would be to.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Put in perspective. Carson Kelly, who I would have thought
would anything positive would be great. He's at a two
point seven war means he's wins above replacement, So he's
adding to two wins to the team just for his production.
Now the highest on the team is PCA, which of
(07:35):
five point four.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Anyway, Yeah, Kyle Tucker, Kyle Tucker, you know, he he
has he's had a couple of downstreaks, but right now, yeah,
but weirdly enough, you know, he gets a guy on
base in front of him, and suddenly it's like that
group project you get and there's that guy who kind
(07:59):
of like sloughs off but for some reason, you know,
he doesn't have to pay any bit of attention during
the prep for the project, but he walks in on
presentation day and knocks the presentation out of the park.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
It's like every time for me. I'm giving him an A.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Defenses look pretty good out there too, and he loves Chicago,
so maybe we should make this a long standing thing.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I don't want to fail.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Him, to make him repeat the class, because that's not
what we're looking for. But but maybe he wants to
take I teach science. Maybe he wants to take the
full thread of Chicago science class.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
There you go. I am giving Kyle Tucker an A
minus one because I would love to see a little
bit more power production out of Cal Tucker. He has
not had a home run in the month of July.
You're like, come on, Mike, we need to see a
(08:49):
little bit more home runs because what is yet He's
at seventeen seventeen. I just I would like to see
a little bit more power out out of Cal Tucker.
I'm going into the second half.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
So what about you, Jeffy, I'm giving him an A
for All Star.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
Nice nice, like.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
All right?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Next say ah, so Zuki heys Zuki man, this guy
is on a tear. The combo of him and PCA
and they're a little I don't know, father son, bro thing,
whoever's younger older, the brother thing that they got going on.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
I caught.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
I hadn't been paying super close attention to the after
the game celebrations.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
Until I caught.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
I think it was sayah, tap in PCA and then
PCA the next game, tap and say a back that's
a cup check for those at home. I was like,
what is going on? And then I realized, like, they're
literally as long as fangraphs is up to date, they're
literally have the same number of.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Home runs right now.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Sayah for me A. I don't know that you can
ask anymore. I'm not sure believe in a pluses as
a teacher, but but he would be pushing that that border.
He's doing great and a couple of times he's played
on the field, he's played pretty well. He's been serviceable
out in the field.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeh. So I'm switching to standard based grading and I
mean to give him a four because he is definitely
exceeding expectations and doing a lot of the things that
you need. Even from the d H spot, like not
playing a lot of defense. We're still seeing like he
has a two point one war per se. So what
(10:37):
he's been able to produce. So if you don't know
standard based grading, basically, a four is an A three
is a B, A two is a C, and a
one is an A but and not yet. So if
you get a one, it means that you just need
to retake the test or you need to go back
(10:58):
and do some reteaching to be able to bump your
grade up to be able to get a two. And
at that point you can only get really when you
retake the task, you can only get like a two
or three. You cannot get a four I know in
our school.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
Yeah, and then every school tinkers with how that looks.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
Jeff, what are you? What are you giving him?
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I'm giving him an A as well due to the
offensive production?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
What the fuck? What's wrong with schools?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Well, they redo how we do basic math, and we
want to mess with ABC and D. We want to
move it to like numbers. Sure, soon it's gonna be
Roman numerals.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
And then is this the timeout kids that are controlling
the world now?
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I don't know, so, Jeff.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Here's another thing. Do you remember your GPA from back
in school?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah? Not great?
Speaker 4 (11:54):
So, so that's calculated by taking what was a letter
grade and turning it into a number and then averaging
all those numbers together, and at one point you wonder
why not just stick with the numbers, But then then
everybody gets blows their mind on doing that too. So
all right, all right, PCA, oh PCA. I don't think
(12:17):
you can ask for anything more out of this guy.
Holy smokes, he has been amazing to watch on the field.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
What did he do? He's twenty five and twenty five
right now? Is that twenty four?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Twenty five home runs? And Tommy stone Bass does ye.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Have this one doesn't? Twenty seven?
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah? Seven?
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:37):
So, like I mean, this guy's a special kid to
watch play. I mean, I think on the broadcast the
other day, oh, somebody was talking about how you know,
they were just hoping he would be a lead league
average bat with his uh you know, plus plus outfield play,
and right now he is just killing it everywhere. He
(12:58):
has kind of been slot around and moved around in
the lineup a little bit. I think they're still trying
to figure out where he fits falls out of last
streakiness and some other players that will probably be great
in here before too long, but.
Speaker 5 (13:09):
Right now a plus.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
You know, if I'm gonna give an A plus, it's
going to PCA.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
My definitely A plus. Like the thing is, like if
the season ended today, he is hands down the MVP.
There's no way you could give it to Shoewatani. There's
no way. Like the ops that that that PCA has
(13:36):
is is just as high. With twenty five to twenty five,
he could be a fifty to fifty guy. Think about that,
at the end of the season, he could be a
fifty to fifty guy. Now when SHOWE got a fifty
to fifty fifty one runs fifty Stone bases hands down MVP.
H Now, I could see if if show he was
(13:57):
pitching more. But you have one of the best outfielders
to ever do it as far as as run saved
in defensive like metrics. Likes playing the best center field
(14:18):
that ever has played and then doing it with the
bat and stealing basis Like the dude is. He's my
favorite player and that's what was so fun to watch
him on Thursday, just ball out and have my kids
see it.
Speaker 6 (14:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Well, I also am going with the A plus with
the gold star and the note on the test that
said see me after class for a little something something.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I think everyone you, what did you was meant for
the good kids, you know, because I know you were
getting that.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
One occasionally occasionally.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
No, I mean everybody knew that the glove played last year,
and everybody thought that the bat needed it, you know,
to pick up.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
He went on this meteoric rise this year that just
blew my expectations. Yeah, I've, like I anticipated like a
small uptick and offensive production out of him this year,
and he is far surpass that.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
And he's been really consistent.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I mean he had a maybe end of May, beginning
of June somewhere in there, he had a little bit
of a cold week, but then he heated right back up.
So yeah, hey, plus uh bush Beer.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Oh, this is an interesting guy because did he start
kind of slow, Yes, at the beginning of the season.
But my goodness, you can't complain about him right now.
Talk about like a situation. There's a couple other players
on the bench we might talk about later who may
not need to be there. Slash, you could take a
take a flyer on somebody else to fill a bench piece.
(16:05):
When you don't need somebody else to play first base.
You can bat him against lefties. He's been hitting well.
He always hits Righty's he's been He has been fantastic,
doing all the right things. I'm just looking at the
fielding players. He's like top four in war on the Cup.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
He's the best first baseman in the whole league right now. Yeah,
I'm saying there's no reason why he is not an
All Stars nine ops.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Yeah, Yeah, he's killing a all around.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Who is the starting first baseman for the n.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
L Olson Freeman is a price? Freeman was super douche,
is what it is the fact that Bush and say
I did not make the All Star team is his robbery.
So a plus there.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Carson Kelly, Oh my goodness, talk about you brought it
up a little bit ago. He was supposed to be
the backup catcher, folks. He was supposed to be behind
Miguel Mayah, split in time probably, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
And action.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yeah, and again you're hoping the ceiling there was like
a league average bat and instead this guy keeps batting.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Anybody back there that can catch the ball.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
Yeah, he has been fantastic.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
That's that.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
He's kind of been My shocker of the season is
that guy.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
And you know, he went on a little bit of
a down a little bit of a downhill slide a
little a little bit there after they moved him up
to clean up, and then they backed him back down,
and now he's back to clean up.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
He's just he's been squaring up some balls a lot
better month.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
I'm loving it.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Definitely an a A from me, give it, yep, make
that three a's alright. Dansby, Oh, Dansby, Dansby, dancy it.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
Let's see he's at two point five war.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
I struggled because he is such a streaky player, Okay.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
That one for me.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Like that, you know, the offensive inconsistency and every once
in a while you get that occasional error in the field.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
He has pumped the He's got sixteen home runs, which
is nothing. Not a slouch there. It's kind of been
a weird production year for him. Batting average is down
a little bit, though, I mean he he was wasn't
he at one point like one seventy four batting average
or whatever? And he's up to two fifty three now
before before the All Star break, which is good and
(18:45):
you like seeing that, just want to see that production
kind of continue. But he's always been that streaky guy.
I like B minus as well. There, Jeff, I like that.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
I feel like some people think I might be a
little rough on him, and you know he is or
has been. He makes a lot of hard contact, but
he hits him right to people. You know, it's hard
hit outs.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Yeah, I'm giving a straight B, straight B, all right,
I can.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
See it, all right, Nico Horner, Oh, man, So this
guy has given me. He's just that quiet kid in
class who who doesn't ask questions, doesn't cause of ruckus.
He's always doing kind of the right thing, quietly on
his own. To the side, he's just turning in assignment
(19:31):
after assignment completed actually on time, and then on top
of that, it's actually done right. And you know he
doesn't necessarily shoot spitbods with his friends Jeff in the
back of the class. He's a solid A A minus.
I don't know that I can ask for more from him,
really though, so A probably. It was nice to see
the home runs tick up a little bit last couple
(19:52):
of weeks.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
He's hit just in Houston just hey.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
You got a picker spots.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, I'm giving him an AUS. Started the season a
little slow, but it's he's like one of those students that,
like you said, Kevin's quiet does his work gets everything done.
But now that we're starting to recognize it, it's almost
now I'm gonna start giving him more responsibilities, like like
batting leadoff. Yeah, so now we have Nico Horner batting
(20:26):
lefty or batting first against left handed pitching, getting the
lead off spot. And I like that Michael Bush slotted
in there on Sunday get a dinger to lead off.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
He's nice to do that.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
But yeah, definitely, like Nico Horner is. I didn't really
know what we were getting get out on Nico Horner
this year, and with all the trade talk at the
beginning of the season, he's been producing and as of late,
he's been probably the most consistent guy with and most
(21:00):
clutch guy with runners and scored position.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Well, I think we're gonna figure out how important to
the team the front office thinks he is.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I mean, we are coming up on.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
The trade deadline. We do need some things, and if
they deal some backup second and second baseman, yes, then
they're gonna have to go all in and kind of
lock down Nico Horner as our second baseman for years
to come. We're gonna see what happens here and what
(21:33):
pieces they get rid of to try to improve the
hot corner.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yeah, because that brings us to Matt Shaw sucks.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
What Oh man?
Speaker 4 (21:47):
You know what, it's interesting. I'm looking as as paid
little some stats. He's still positive war which has been
that's what he's got to be just lights out at
third base, which they are. Like you know when Hobby
kind of first started slotting over at shortstop and it
was just highlight reel left or highlight reel play. There's
(22:07):
a lot of Matt Shaw highlight reel place. Unfortunately, that
bat is just atrocious right now. Like if we could
get that, that's where I think he's a solid C,
maybe even a C minus. I'm gonna say, see, I'm
gonna give you the benefit of doubt because he's a
young guy. But unfortunately it's he's got He's like the
opposite in the group project as Tucker was.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
He's well, he.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
Does like a little bit of the pre work and
the research, and then on presentation day he hides behind
the screen.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
And won't come out and talk to the talk to
the class.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Yeah, I'm giving him a d Like I said to Jeffrey,
I might have been the last person to see Matt
Shaw play, but then he ended up playing a little
bit on Sunday. I suspect the All Star break, they
send him down to the minors and that's the last
we see of Matt Shaw this year. They will go
out and make a trade and bring in a third baseman,
(23:05):
or they're gonna roll with Birdie and Bruhan. I don't
like that, but that's why they're gonna have to make
a trade in brand starting pitching and a third baseman
and hopefully regroup for next year, and hopefully Matt Shaw
can take some strides this offseason or this the rest
(23:26):
of the season in the minors and figure some things out.
He's not a bad player, like he can square up
a baseball. It's just he needs to get his timing
down with major league pitching.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
He should probably hang out with PCA during the off season.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I would like that.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
I'm going I'm going with straight d.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
I'll tell you what, every time I hear the name
Matt Shaw, the name Matt Murvis comes to my head.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
There's a lot of hype. That kid did nothing. He's
no longer a cub.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
So if seat gets sent down again to play for
triple A I for the rest of these, and it
better be the biggest wake up call of his life.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
All Right, we're gonna quit go, we're gonna group the bench,
We're gonna you're gonna quit. Give me just grades for
all these so.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Birdie, mm hmmm, C minus Jeffrey.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
See, I'm giving a C. He's played some pretty good defense,
hit the ball in spots. Bruhn D minus F for
forgettable D.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Justin Turner.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
D plus.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
I'm gonna give him a C two C plus based
on the fact that he is a veteran and he
seems to be a pretty good locker room guy and
maybe helping some of these younger players out.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I'm giving us and Ginger.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Straight se McGuire B B plus almost almost a range.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
What I'm giving him. I'm giving him an A.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Yeah that his bats played really well.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
I mean, yeah, ye, you agree with that B plus
to A something?
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Do you anything about?
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Do you know anything? To McGuire, Jeffrey, do you know
I got caught from the Red Sox? No, because he
got caught masturbating in a grocery store parking lot.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
What what?
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Yeah, it's true, Yes, this is true. Look it up.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Oh my god, I'm not googling that.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
Yeah, Jeff, go to town on that one.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
On your work computer.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
No, yeah, look, not googling that on anything.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
I mean, if you just type in like his name, like,
you're probably gonna.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Like it's in the top five. Yeah. Probably it's gonna
be the AI explanation.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
All right.
Speaker 4 (26:08):
He's got such a wild week that week he got cut,
then re signed to the minors, and then got hurt
and then.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
He got pulled right up. Talk about a good guy.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, just think, Hey, if you're struggling in life, go
to a parking lot at a grocery store and just
snap one off.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
There is that.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
Oh boy, all right, let's go.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Let's starry pitcher.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Matthew boyd A plus A and I don't do a
plus is a fantastic He's.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Getting a four for me a standard based trading.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
For super.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Dude. Awesome.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
His performance, Like, I really thought we're getting a four
or five back end of the rotation guy that would
kind of keep us in games for wins. But he's
pitch lights out all season.
Speaker 6 (27:02):
He is.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Besides, besides p c A, there's been nobody that's been
more impactful on this team, Like, when we've had Justin
Steel go down, you need a guy stepping up in
the rotation. He has definitely been that with Imanaga out
for a while, Like he has been that guy that
stepped up, so definitely a h A.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
Can't really blame him for getting injured, especially he got that.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
I don't blame him for getting injured.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
I'm giving him an A and one for the fact
that he went into New York City after kind of
a little bit of a rough outing and just shoved
and held them to one run.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
B because I don't really like that. Showed to commercial
where he's singing in the shower.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I'm done with it.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
He's the kid is sitting in an appropriate snapchat to
the whole group and got you got shared out.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
You're like, now I.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
Gotta take the phone to the office, all right, Colin Ray,
Colin Ray, uh oh man, I'm gonna say be maybe yeah,
I saw it be. He another guy who I kind
of expected to actually pitch more out of the bullpen
than than as a starter, and he's stepped in and
stepped up and done a fantastic job.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
I'm going B plus that dude has been all awesome.
He pitched the game that I went to. He's done
a lot more out of that fifth star spot and
kind of created some stability when we've needed it with
Ben Brown struggling. You couldn't have two guys that were
and I mean he's had a couple of clunkers, but
(28:47):
like overall, he's pitched awesome.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
We've been in almost every game that he's pitched.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
Yep, perfect.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
I gotta go wait, wait, hold on.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
I thinking I'm going with an a because when he
strikes somebody out at the bar and Cascade buys around
for everybody in the in the bar.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Oh that's true.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Did you know that?
Speaker 5 (29:08):
I heard that?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (29:10):
And is it one strikeout or two?
Speaker 3 (29:11):
I think it's no if whenever he strikes somebody out
they buy around for everybody that's in the bar watching
the Cubs game.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
Alrighty, all right, ty On Man talk about a guy
who can't can't keep his like.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
The ball on the strike ze well or in the park.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
But my thing is more like he'll have a fantastic
outing and then all of an outing where he gives
up eight home runs and it's like it's like.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Cowshit on a white fence. It's like, what is this mess?
Speaker 1 (29:46):
He's not consistent?
Speaker 5 (29:48):
Like he C minus D plus from me.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yeah, it's somewhere in there.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
And the biggest stand out to me is I think
when he pitched against the Mets, he gave up eight
home runs nine hits total, and six of those home
runs were two strikes.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Yeah, he He's definitely the kid. It depends on what
the test is testing over there's something that he's really
really good at. But a lot of times yeah, you
just get those failing tests and so U C plus. Yeah,
all right, Kate Horton.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Hm, I'm gonna give him a B minus. Some some
nice outings, some clunkers first time up in the in
the show. That's gonna be kind of expected. He's definitely learning.
I hope he's learning a lot. I kind of assume
he is hopefully going to see some better results as
he continues on. He's also had to pitch against some
(30:52):
of the better teams we've played, just how the schedules
lined up.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah, I'm going to be he's He's done more as
far as a rookie than I expected. He's pitched well.
I'm I'm taking whatever we get out of him. He's
gotta have to fill in, So he's done well. B
and then Ben Brown.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Oh yeah, D D D D D minus almost I
feel bad for it because you know, the guy got
kind of shoved into the starting rotation.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
I don't know that, but he had this opportunity. I'm
saying A deep because he got an opportunity. He didn't shove, Like,
what more could you want? You got an opportunity to
be a starter shower cubs in a playoff push, and
you couldn't do your job. So it's a good point.
You're getting a D. You're lucky, you're not getting enough.
(31:53):
All right, let's go to the bullpen. We're a quick
rapid fire of these uh the first four. We'll go
first five because these guy's kind of the main five.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
So Daniel Plancia, oh my gosh, uh A minus. He
stepped into that closer role after being told it wasn't
gonna be him all off season, and he I love
the the fire he's got.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
I'm giving him an a Hey, all right, Brad Keller.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Don't know him.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
I'm gonna say B plus.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
I'll go with that.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
I'm gonna say B minus B MIAs. He's he has
nasty stuff, but there's too many duds where like he
comes in his walks with the first two guys, You're like,
come on, like seriously, Like he's been the guy who
I've seen bullmore as of late. So yeah, b MIAs.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Impressingly Mike Williams trying to pitch into a safe spot.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
Uh, Presley, I'm gonna say C plus it's nice things
every so often kind of struggles. Never excited when I
see him get into the game.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Uh, I'm gonna give him a a D minus just
because he has had a lot of like uh tests
that he's just missed because he's been absent from the class.
It's like he's so old that he can't like pitch regularly.
(33:33):
So it's like you see him one day and then
he's like in the bullpen, but like he doesn't pitch
in the game for like a week, and then when
he does, it's like what are we gonna get out
of it? And so uh and he's the kid that
shows up he's like, Hey, what I miss when you
(33:53):
missed like four days? Like what.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
The kid who watchs is like, can I get all
my missing work?
Speaker 4 (34:00):
And you haven't seen him in like two weeks and
you're like, two days am I still like yeah, yeah exactly.
Or he turned into assignment four weeks ago and hasn't
been back to class, walks in the doors, like, can
I get did you grade that?
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Oh yeah, all right, let's go with killed theobar.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Oh oh, I'm gonna say B plus almost to the
A range. Weirdly, I disliked it anytime he came into
a game, but I think I had him miss. I
had him confused with another player, and then when I realized, no,
this guy actually like is pitching well.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
He's done well. I mean the one of lofties all
the bullpen I think he's done well. He's zero point
eight positive and more you expect probably ou comes.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
I'm whatever Kevin said. You can mark me down for
that too. I got a real problem with bullpen pictures.
They're really finicky and their primadonna's.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
You don't even learn their names, do you. I don't
their faces, Like guy, I don't even.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Know their faces. If you can, you can.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
The guy who glasses guy, the kind of guy.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
To do something on his hat.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Until like the last month of the school year.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Hey, I'll tell you.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
What it's like. Hey you or Hey, buddy, can you
come and get uh you with the glasses?
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Yeah. I'll tell you what. If I see in the postseason,
I may learn their name.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
Maybe a.
Speaker 5 (35:57):
How long? How long did that guy have a zero
E R?
Speaker 2 (35:59):
A long time? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Yeah, hey he's been he's been a bright star in
the bullpen.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
I think I think I knew his name because like
when they say it, I think a pomegranate and it's
full of antioxidants.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
It's good stuff.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
And so you're like, oh that name association.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Yeah, Chris Flexen.
Speaker 5 (36:29):
Oh no way.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
I'm still giving him an a because they keep throwing
him all over the place and he's just eating it.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yes, I didn't think he pitched that bad Friday. I
thought they should have taken him out earlier because that
was the most he's pitches. He's pitched in a while,
and it's like, hey, through a good thirty pitches, why
not just take him out and bring some else in
and we're gonna push him to seventy.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
It's like, well that like, yeah, I'll tell you what.
It was a five game when they took him out.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
It was it was Jordan Wis that gave up the
six six runs in three innings.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
Or Darren in the in the chat is bringing up
only earned runs. He gave up.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
He was in the dugout when they crossed the plate.
What Sorry, I didn't hear you, fucking.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
Christ No, I didn't hear, Mitch.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
He's balanced flies with their porter Hodge.
Speaker 4 (37:37):
Oh man, that's the great Handbino did not did not attend.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
He was stuck in the bathroom for the first four weeks.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
Uh, how does he have twenty three?
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (38:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's it. But he's been hurt, like and
that's all I remember.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
All the rest of the bullpen arms that have seen
innings are negative war.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Yeah, we don't even need to talk about him then.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
Do you know, Well a few of them are tied
at this point, but you know, John Birdie's in there
at just barely negative war.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
Yep, he's got some things. He's got one so like.
So that brings me the question when we look at
the second half of the season. We've given out the
grades for each person, what needs to be addressed. Third
show up and do your job, like like third base.
(38:47):
Definitely starting pitching to get like one guy and I
would say one more reliever, Yeah, sure, sure, up that reliever.
Speaker 3 (38:59):
Some yeah, coming lights of fire under these nameless skies
that I don't know.
Speaker 4 (39:06):
Yeah, I totally agreement. And I think it's interesting because
I remember at the beginning of the season feeling pretty
much the same way of going, like, I'm not sure
about how.
Speaker 5 (39:16):
We're gonna do at third base.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
We sure with like another starter and uh and you know,
another big name or a big, big results reliever. And
yet we've had so many injuries at the starting pitcher spot,
and yet we're still only saying one would be nice.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
You know.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
That's how much the.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Other step things never change.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
I mean, and there's plenty of Like you have the
d Bax, who you could get a third baseman and
some starting pitching. You have the Pirates, who you have
Ben Nar and Mitch Keller that you could get to
shure up a little bit of bullpen and starting pitching.
There's play of teams that you can kind of work like,
(39:59):
uh get uh, kind of get two things that you're
you need from the same team.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
I'm gonna throw this name out here, and I know
there's no way we're gonna get him because I think
the team controls him for way too long. But if
you look at the way that Paul Skins is pitched.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
He has one win. It's one win.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
Yeah, poor the poor guy.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
I feel like we'd have to like sell the farm
to get him. But right at the same time, there's
a lot of redundancy in the farm system.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Right now, I have seen the Iowa cups. We will
give you the whole Iowa.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I'll tell you what.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
I've already seen a picture of Ian hamp in a
Pirate's hat on the Twitter machine today.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Hey, did you know that he played baseball with Bennar.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Really?
Speaker 1 (40:55):
That's like, uh, Like, whenever the broadcast whenever we play
the Pirates, they bring up that they like played together
somewhere every time, and you're like, we've heard this for
the last like ten years that Ian hap has played
every single game this year, second game, the third game
(41:16):
this year they talking about, like seriously, we get it.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
The only thing.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
The only thing more annoying for people in our area
is when we you know, I was Hawkeye football fans
when Darryl Johnson Coolianus was on the team and Gary
Dolphin kept saying they call him DJK on campus.
Speaker 5 (41:31):
Yeah, every single time, every time.
Speaker 4 (41:37):
Or did you know that Marvin mcnuts, nicknames and M
and m's, Like every so often they just get into
these ruts where they literally have nothing else to talk about.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
About.
Speaker 5 (41:51):
Well, it's like when we go to when we go
to Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (41:54):
Until this year, when we went to Cincinnati, they'd always
show up the graphic of Ian half home runs anywhere
else and then.
Speaker 5 (42:01):
All three games.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
What they should put up is and have home runs
before that gorilla died, and then ain't half home runs
after the gorilla died.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
Well, I don't know about you, but I'm super excited
for the second half. Like I'm excited that one we
we hold down the mics a lot more, to be
able to talk a lot more Cubbies. I haven't really
got a lot of Cubs talk in the last two
months ago. This would be great. I'll be able to
like chest some Cubs. And we haven't had a season
(42:36):
like the since twenty sixteen. I think they have the
same record going into All Star Break as the twenty
sixteen seasons. So, like, I'm looking forward to what is
to come to questions like who they sign Cauthut a
long term deal, all the stuff that I have put
(42:58):
aside and things that that is a next year problem,
and I'm focused on let's win this year. Let's win
this year, let's let's let's let's get into the playoffs.
I am not afraid of the Dodgers. I'm not afraid
of any other team in the NL. I think we
can compete and be any of them if we get
another start, Like, I think we can compete, and so
(43:21):
I think we have the offense. It hasn't been in
a while where I have had this much confidence in
uh An offense. Like usually when the Cubs get down
in the past, years are like all this game is.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Over, this like the fight, Yeah, here's past.
Speaker 3 (43:42):
Like, well, I might as well go pull some weeds
on the flower beds. This game's wasted.
Speaker 6 (43:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:47):
And it's even been things like just down a run,
seem later, like after the sixth inning, it's like, oh,
well we're not going to come back from this and
there's no way. And now it's like we could be
down seven runs and it's like, man, we might pull
this going off setting them up just the way we
like them. Got that starter out of there, here we go.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
You know, like it's gonna be a big eighth inning.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
Yeah, I feel it. Yeah, well that doesn't for this
episode of the Doings Podcast. Thanks for listening. Uh sure
that you are following us on Twitter, checking out that
Forts Networks are network. They're awesome over there. Go check
out Cubs on tap. But yeah, go Cubs. Let's have
(44:29):
a good second half. Have a great home just going
on right now. I'm gonna go watch the end of
it with my son and watch the All Star Game
and enjoy the festivities tomorrow and then get into the
see half as we start with the Red Sox. So
Brewers are also I'm not worried about the Brewers and
how accessful they're doing. I'm worried about just the Cubs
(44:50):
and enjoying good baseball. So I encourage you guys to
do the same. That's not about who's the most they are.
We're playing good baseball. Focus on that. We're playing really
good baseball one of the best teams in the NL.
Focus on that. So I will say that we have
the third easiest schedule first, have like the well going
(45:17):
into the second half.
Speaker 4 (45:17):
So just.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Put that out there. So Goo Cubs, and thanks for listening.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Good night, John Boy.
You're listening to the Dingers Podcast, presented to you by
Test Sports Network with your host Mitch, jeff and Kevis.
Get ready to talk to the Cubs. All I need
is the Dingers podcast is on the air. I'm your host, Mitch.
(00:26):
I'm here with Jeffrey and Kevin Man. It's been a
while since I've been able to say that. If you
haven't noticed us Dingers, we haven't not recorded an episode
in a hot minute. It's been like two months almost.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Super busy.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
The reason why is it's not that we stop being
Cubs fans, it's just life gets busy.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Uh, my son was on two different teams. A team
arec team, My daughter was on a travel team. My
youngest Sun was playing He's a kindergartener, playing up with
the second and third graders for baseball. So it was
literally like the whole month of June, I had baseball
games like every single night. I think I had one
night off all of June. That doesn't bode well when
(01:14):
you're trying to do a podcast. And Kevin kind of
had the same thing. Jeffrey had some health issues going on,
and so we've all just had had things going on,
and so we just thought, rather than just trying to
force podcast episodes, let's just wait till the second half
(01:35):
and pick this thing up back up. Hopefully you guys
will be back to joining us and listening because we
love interacting with you listeners. But man, this Cubs team
is fun to watch, super fun to watch. I haven't
I'll say that I haven't watched a lot of the games.
I've listened to a ton of them. Sometimes when I'm
(01:56):
driving to a game, I'll have the game on my
phone while I'm d I mean, I know that's illegal
now in the state of Iowa, but you know what,
I needed to watch my Cubbies.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Yeah, you just can't like be tinkering around on your phone,
well what's going on?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
But you know, yeah, But we are at the All
Star break. We have three Cubbies that are in the
All Star Game tomorrow, two of them that are going
to play one as there. We have PCA, Kyle Tucker,
and Matthew Boyd, which we went to the game on
Thursday in Minneapolis and my son got Matthew Boyd's autograph
(02:35):
and got picture with him. So pretty cool to have
an All Stars autograph on the year that he made
the All Star team his autograph, but took in the
game at the Beautiful target Field. If you have never
been there, I highly recommend going and watching a game
at target Field, Beautiful Ballpark in Cubbies. Put it to
(02:57):
the PCA hit two bombs. We kind of have a
like guys trip. So me and my two boys just spontaneous, Hey,
let's get tickets and go up. We went up and
picked a good game to go to. PCA. Hitting two
bombs always something that they will forever remember. But tonight
we're gonna do a little mid season grades. So Kevin
(03:23):
and I are both teachers and we're pretty good at
giving out grades and making sure we have a lot
of rigorous standards that we are gonna hold these Cubbies
to when we're gonna be grading them. So we're gonna
break it into like the lineup, the every day lineup,
(03:45):
the bench starting rotation, and then bullpen. Okay, so we're
gonna start. Let's start with the lineup, the every day
starting lineup that typically you will see out there for
the Cup. We're gonna go through every player in the
grade that you're going to assign them, and then maybe
(04:06):
a little bit of why for each of those players.
So let's start with Kevin. Kevin is getting to go
through his his grades for the starting lineup.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So do you want to go position by position or
just like overall starting lineup and then break it down.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You can go starting lineup and then just break it down.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
So I kind of used.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Mitch kind of shared out more or less what the
starting lineup kind of is each day. You know, until recently,
Half was the leadoff guy, and uh, you know the
beginning of the season, Half was was kind of a
nice guy. He started off real well and you know,
had strong start, first couple of assessments, really really aced it,
did well, and then you know he he became complacent
(04:53):
and uh and started pressing or something like that student.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That that it's like, hey, I a pretty bad last year.
I'm gonna I'm gonna really commit this year to like
paying attention in class and turning in my homework. And
you get about like two weeks that and then it's
like back to the old same guy. Now not saying
that Hap is that type of guy last year.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Yeah, it's been late. It's been uh.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I almost want to say a d you know, out
of him. It's just you know the beginning of the year.
It's like that kid who saw the three week grade cutoff.
I don't know if any other parents out there have seen,
you know, how grades are done.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Do we have to turn him in?
Speaker 4 (05:41):
And you know, the three week grade comes back, it's
an A A plus and they're like, cool, I don't
gotta do a thing the rest of the year. And that, unfortunately,
seems to have been And you know, I listened to
the Compound podcast. I know he's not trying to play poorly,
it's just unfortunately the results haven't been super great.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I'm gonna call it audible. Let's let's instead of each
one of us going through the whole lap, let's just
give our grade for almost for they'll probably be a
little bit smoother. Jeffrey, what what's your grade for mister
Ian half.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
A D D.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
So we got he's just not consistent. When he's hot,
he's hot. When he's not, he's not, and he just
seems to struggle and it you'd think by now that
he'd be on a more even plane as far as
daily production.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
My mine is uh C minus one because we're still
seeing really good defense out and outfield, so we gotta
take that into consideration. What is this war right now?
I need to look up.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
He is good point nine almost point nine war.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
That's that's not great. That's not great. But probably most
of that that positive is because of his defense, because
we're not getting much net positive when it comes to offense.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Miss those listeners out there that are not familiar with war,
could you please tell him what a good war score
would be to.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Put in perspective. Carson Kelly, who I would have thought
would anything positive would be great. He's at a two
point seven war means he's wins above replacement, So he's
adding to two wins to the team just for his production.
Now the highest on the team is PCA, which of
(07:35):
five point four.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Anyway, Yeah, Kyle Tucker, Kyle Tucker, you know, he he
has he's had a couple of downstreaks, but right now, yeah,
but weirdly enough, you know, he gets a guy on
base in front of him, and suddenly it's like that
group project you get and there's that guy who kind
(07:59):
of like sloughs off but for some reason, you know,
he doesn't have to pay any bit of attention during
the prep for the project, but he walks in on
presentation day and knocks the presentation out of the park.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
It's like every time for me. I'm giving him an A.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Defenses look pretty good out there too, and he loves Chicago,
so maybe we should make this a long standing thing.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I don't want to fail.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Him, to make him repeat the class, because that's not
what we're looking for. But but maybe he wants to
take I teach science. Maybe he wants to take the
full thread of Chicago science class.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
There you go. I am giving Kyle Tucker an A
minus one because I would love to see a little
bit more power production out of Cal Tucker. He has
not had a home run in the month of July.
You're like, come on, Mike, we need to see a
(08:49):
little bit more home runs because what is yet He's
at seventeen seventeen. I just I would like to see
a little bit more power out out of Cal Tucker.
I'm going into the second half.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
So what about you, Jeffy, I'm giving him an A
for All Star.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
Nice nice, like.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
All right?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Next say ah, so Zuki heys Zuki man, this guy
is on a tear. The combo of him and PCA
and they're a little I don't know, father son, bro thing,
whoever's younger older, the brother thing that they got going on.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
I caught.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
I hadn't been paying super close attention to the after
the game celebrations.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
Until I caught.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
I think it was sayah, tap in PCA and then
PCA the next game, tap and say a back that's
a cup check for those at home. I was like,
what is going on? And then I realized, like, they're
literally as long as fangraphs is up to date, they're
literally have the same number of.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Home runs right now.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Sayah for me A. I don't know that you can
ask anymore. I'm not sure believe in a pluses as
a teacher, but but he would be pushing that that border.
He's doing great and a couple of times he's played
on the field, he's played pretty well. He's been serviceable
out in the field.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeh. So I'm switching to standard based grading and I
mean to give him a four because he is definitely
exceeding expectations and doing a lot of the things that
you need. Even from the d H spot, like not
playing a lot of defense. We're still seeing like he
has a two point one war per se. So what
(10:37):
he's been able to produce. So if you don't know
standard based grading, basically, a four is an A three
is a B, A two is a C, and a
one is an A but and not yet. So if
you get a one, it means that you just need
to retake the test or you need to go back
(10:58):
and do some reteaching to be able to bump your
grade up to be able to get a two. And
at that point you can only get really when you
retake the task, you can only get like a two
or three. You cannot get a four I know in
our school.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
Yeah, and then every school tinkers with how that looks.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
Jeff, what are you? What are you giving him?
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I'm giving him an A as well due to the
offensive production?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
What the fuck? What's wrong with schools?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Well, they redo how we do basic math, and we
want to mess with ABC and D. We want to
move it to like numbers. Sure, soon it's gonna be
Roman numerals.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
And then is this the timeout kids that are controlling
the world now?
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I don't know, so, Jeff.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Here's another thing. Do you remember your GPA from back
in school?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah? Not great?
Speaker 4 (11:54):
So, so that's calculated by taking what was a letter
grade and turning it into a number and then averaging
all those numbers together, and at one point you wonder
why not just stick with the numbers, But then then
everybody gets blows their mind on doing that too. So
all right, all right, PCA, oh PCA. I don't think
(12:17):
you can ask for anything more out of this guy.
Holy smokes, he has been amazing to watch on the field.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
What did he do? He's twenty five and twenty five
right now? Is that twenty four?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Twenty five home runs? And Tommy stone Bass does ye.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Have this one doesn't? Twenty seven?
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah? Seven?
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:37):
So, like I mean, this guy's a special kid to
watch play. I mean, I think on the broadcast the
other day, oh, somebody was talking about how you know,
they were just hoping he would be a lead league
average bat with his uh you know, plus plus outfield play,
and right now he is just killing it everywhere. He
(12:58):
has kind of been slot around and moved around in
the lineup a little bit. I think they're still trying
to figure out where he fits falls out of last
streakiness and some other players that will probably be great
in here before too long, but.
Speaker 5 (13:09):
Right now a plus.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
You know, if I'm gonna give an A plus, it's
going to PCA.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
My definitely A plus. Like the thing is, like if
the season ended today, he is hands down the MVP.
There's no way you could give it to Shoewatani. There's
no way. Like the ops that that that PCA has
(13:36):
is is just as high. With twenty five to twenty five,
he could be a fifty to fifty guy. Think about that,
at the end of the season, he could be a
fifty to fifty guy. Now when SHOWE got a fifty
to fifty fifty one runs fifty Stone bases hands down MVP.
H Now, I could see if if show he was
(13:57):
pitching more. But you have one of the best outfielders
to ever do it as far as as run saved
in defensive like metrics. Likes playing the best center field
(14:18):
that ever has played and then doing it with the
bat and stealing basis Like the dude is. He's my
favorite player and that's what was so fun to watch
him on Thursday, just ball out and have my kids
see it.
Speaker 6 (14:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Well, I also am going with the A plus with
the gold star and the note on the test that
said see me after class for a little something something.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I think everyone you, what did you was meant for
the good kids, you know, because I know you were
getting that.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
One occasionally occasionally.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
No, I mean everybody knew that the glove played last year,
and everybody thought that the bat needed it, you know,
to pick up.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
He went on this meteoric rise this year that just
blew my expectations. Yeah, I've, like I anticipated like a
small uptick and offensive production out of him this year,
and he is far surpass that.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
And he's been really consistent.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I mean he had a maybe end of May, beginning
of June somewhere in there, he had a little bit
of a cold week, but then he heated right back up.
So yeah, hey, plus uh bush Beer.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Oh, this is an interesting guy because did he start
kind of slow, Yes, at the beginning of the season.
But my goodness, you can't complain about him right now.
Talk about like a situation. There's a couple other players
on the bench we might talk about later who may
not need to be there. Slash, you could take a
take a flyer on somebody else to fill a bench piece.
(16:05):
When you don't need somebody else to play first base.
You can bat him against lefties. He's been hitting well.
He always hits Righty's he's been He has been fantastic,
doing all the right things. I'm just looking at the
fielding players. He's like top four in war on the Cup.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
He's the best first baseman in the whole league right now. Yeah,
I'm saying there's no reason why he is not an
All Stars nine ops.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Yeah, Yeah, he's killing a all around.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Who is the starting first baseman for the n.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
L Olson Freeman is a price? Freeman was super douche,
is what it is the fact that Bush and say
I did not make the All Star team is his robbery.
So a plus there.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Carson Kelly, Oh my goodness, talk about you brought it
up a little bit ago. He was supposed to be
the backup catcher, folks. He was supposed to be behind
Miguel Mayah, split in time probably, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
And action.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yeah, and again you're hoping the ceiling there was like
a league average bat and instead this guy keeps batting.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Anybody back there that can catch the ball.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
Yeah, he has been fantastic.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
That's that.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
He's kind of been My shocker of the season is
that guy.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
And you know, he went on a little bit of
a down a little bit of a downhill slide a
little a little bit there after they moved him up
to clean up, and then they backed him back down,
and now he's back to clean up.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
He's just he's been squaring up some balls a lot
better month.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
I'm loving it.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Definitely an a A from me, give it, yep, make
that three a's alright. Dansby, Oh, Dansby, Dansby, dancy it.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
Let's see he's at two point five war.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
I struggled because he is such a streaky player, Okay.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
That one for me.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Like that, you know, the offensive inconsistency and every once
in a while you get that occasional error in the field.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
He has pumped the He's got sixteen home runs, which
is nothing. Not a slouch there. It's kind of been
a weird production year for him. Batting average is down
a little bit, though, I mean he he was wasn't
he at one point like one seventy four batting average
or whatever? And he's up to two fifty three now
before before the All Star break, which is good and
(18:45):
you like seeing that, just want to see that production
kind of continue. But he's always been that streaky guy.
I like B minus as well. There, Jeff, I like that.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
I feel like some people think I might be a
little rough on him, and you know he is or
has been. He makes a lot of hard contact, but
he hits him right to people. You know, it's hard
hit outs.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Yeah, I'm giving a straight B, straight B, all right,
I can.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
See it, all right, Nico Horner, Oh, man, So this
guy has given me. He's just that quiet kid in
class who who doesn't ask questions, doesn't cause of ruckus.
He's always doing kind of the right thing, quietly on
his own. To the side, he's just turning in assignment
(19:31):
after assignment completed actually on time, and then on top
of that, it's actually done right. And you know he
doesn't necessarily shoot spitbods with his friends Jeff in the
back of the class. He's a solid A A minus.
I don't know that I can ask for more from him,
really though, so A probably. It was nice to see
the home runs tick up a little bit last couple
(19:52):
of weeks.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
He's hit just in Houston just hey.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
You got a picker spots.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, I'm giving him an AUS. Started the season a
little slow, but it's he's like one of those students that,
like you said, Kevin's quiet does his work gets everything done.
But now that we're starting to recognize it, it's almost
now I'm gonna start giving him more responsibilities, like like
batting leadoff. Yeah, so now we have Nico Horner batting
(20:26):
lefty or batting first against left handed pitching, getting the
lead off spot. And I like that Michael Bush slotted
in there on Sunday get a dinger to lead off.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
He's nice to do that.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
But yeah, definitely, like Nico Horner is. I didn't really
know what we were getting get out on Nico Horner
this year, and with all the trade talk at the
beginning of the season, he's been producing and as of late,
he's been probably the most consistent guy with and most
(21:00):
clutch guy with runners and scored position.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Well, I think we're gonna figure out how important to
the team the front office thinks he is.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I mean, we are coming up on.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
The trade deadline. We do need some things, and if
they deal some backup second and second baseman, yes, then
they're gonna have to go all in and kind of
lock down Nico Horner as our second baseman for years
to come. We're gonna see what happens here and what
(21:33):
pieces they get rid of to try to improve the
hot corner.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yeah, because that brings us to Matt Shaw sucks.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
What Oh man?
Speaker 4 (21:47):
You know what, it's interesting. I'm looking as as paid
little some stats. He's still positive war which has been
that's what he's got to be just lights out at
third base, which they are. Like you know when Hobby
kind of first started slotting over at shortstop and it
was just highlight reel left or highlight reel play. There's
(22:07):
a lot of Matt Shaw highlight reel place. Unfortunately, that
bat is just atrocious right now. Like if we could
get that, that's where I think he's a solid C,
maybe even a C minus. I'm gonna say, see, I'm
gonna give you the benefit of doubt because he's a
young guy. But unfortunately it's he's got He's like the
opposite in the group project as Tucker was.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
He's well, he.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
Does like a little bit of the pre work and
the research, and then on presentation day he hides behind
the screen.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
And won't come out and talk to the talk to
the class.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Yeah, I'm giving him a d Like I said to Jeffrey,
I might have been the last person to see Matt
Shaw play, but then he ended up playing a little
bit on Sunday. I suspect the All Star break, they
send him down to the minors and that's the last
we see of Matt Shaw this year. They will go
out and make a trade and bring in a third baseman,
(23:05):
or they're gonna roll with Birdie and Bruhan. I don't
like that, but that's why they're gonna have to make
a trade in brand starting pitching and a third baseman
and hopefully regroup for next year, and hopefully Matt Shaw
can take some strides this offseason or this the rest
(23:26):
of the season in the minors and figure some things out.
He's not a bad player, like he can square up
a baseball. It's just he needs to get his timing
down with major league pitching.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
He should probably hang out with PCA during the off season.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I would like that.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
I'm going I'm going with straight d.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
I'll tell you what, every time I hear the name
Matt Shaw, the name Matt Murvis comes to my head.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
There's a lot of hype. That kid did nothing. He's
no longer a cub.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
So if seat gets sent down again to play for
triple A I for the rest of these, and it
better be the biggest wake up call of his life.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
All Right, we're gonna quit go, we're gonna group the bench,
We're gonna you're gonna quit. Give me just grades for
all these so.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Birdie, mm hmmm, C minus Jeffrey.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
See, I'm giving a C. He's played some pretty good defense,
hit the ball in spots. Bruhn D minus F for
forgettable D.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Justin Turner.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
D plus.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
I'm gonna give him a C two C plus based
on the fact that he is a veteran and he
seems to be a pretty good locker room guy and
maybe helping some of these younger players out.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I'm giving us and Ginger.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Straight se McGuire B B plus almost almost a range.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
What I'm giving him. I'm giving him an A.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Yeah that his bats played really well.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
I mean, yeah, ye, you agree with that B plus
to A something?
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Do you anything about?
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Do you know anything? To McGuire, Jeffrey, do you know
I got caught from the Red Sox? No, because he
got caught masturbating in a grocery store parking lot.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
What what?
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Yeah, it's true, Yes, this is true. Look it up.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Oh my god, I'm not googling that.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
Yeah, Jeff, go to town on that one.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
On your work computer.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
No, yeah, look, not googling that on anything.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
I mean, if you just type in like his name, like,
you're probably gonna.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Like it's in the top five. Yeah. Probably it's gonna
be the AI explanation.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
All right.
Speaker 4 (26:08):
He's got such a wild week that week he got cut,
then re signed to the minors, and then got hurt
and then.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
He got pulled right up. Talk about a good guy.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, just think, Hey, if you're struggling in life, go
to a parking lot at a grocery store and just
snap one off.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
There is that.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
Oh boy, all right, let's go.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Let's starry pitcher.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Matthew boyd A plus A and I don't do a
plus is a fantastic He's.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Getting a four for me a standard based trading.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
For super.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Dude. Awesome.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
His performance, Like, I really thought we're getting a four
or five back end of the rotation guy that would
kind of keep us in games for wins. But he's
pitch lights out all season.
Speaker 6 (27:02):
He is.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Besides, besides p c A, there's been nobody that's been
more impactful on this team, Like, when we've had Justin
Steel go down, you need a guy stepping up in
the rotation. He has definitely been that with Imanaga out
for a while, Like he has been that guy that
stepped up, so definitely a h A.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
Can't really blame him for getting injured, especially he got that.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
I don't blame him for getting injured.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
I'm giving him an A and one for the fact
that he went into New York City after kind of
a little bit of a rough outing and just shoved
and held them to one run.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
B because I don't really like that. Showed to commercial
where he's singing in the shower.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I'm done with it.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
He's the kid is sitting in an appropriate snapchat to
the whole group and got you got shared out.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
You're like, now I.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
Gotta take the phone to the office, all right, Colin Ray,
Colin Ray, uh oh man, I'm gonna say be maybe yeah,
I saw it be. He another guy who I kind
of expected to actually pitch more out of the bullpen
than than as a starter, and he's stepped in and
stepped up and done a fantastic job.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
I'm going B plus that dude has been all awesome.
He pitched the game that I went to. He's done
a lot more out of that fifth star spot and
kind of created some stability when we've needed it with
Ben Brown struggling. You couldn't have two guys that were
and I mean he's had a couple of clunkers, but
(28:47):
like overall, he's pitched awesome.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
We've been in almost every game that he's pitched.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
Yep, perfect.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
I gotta go wait, wait, hold on.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
I thinking I'm going with an a because when he
strikes somebody out at the bar and Cascade buys around
for everybody in the in the bar.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Oh that's true.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Did you know that?
Speaker 5 (29:08):
I heard that?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (29:10):
And is it one strikeout or two?
Speaker 3 (29:11):
I think it's no if whenever he strikes somebody out
they buy around for everybody that's in the bar watching
the Cubs game.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
Alrighty, all right, ty On Man talk about a guy
who can't can't keep his like.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
The ball on the strike ze well or in the park.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
But my thing is more like he'll have a fantastic
outing and then all of an outing where he gives
up eight home runs and it's like it's like.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Cowshit on a white fence. It's like, what is this mess?
Speaker 1 (29:46):
He's not consistent?
Speaker 5 (29:48):
Like he C minus D plus from me.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yeah, it's somewhere in there.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
And the biggest stand out to me is I think
when he pitched against the Mets, he gave up eight
home runs nine hits total, and six of those home
runs were two strikes.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Yeah, he He's definitely the kid. It depends on what
the test is testing over there's something that he's really
really good at. But a lot of times yeah, you
just get those failing tests and so U C plus. Yeah,
all right, Kate Horton.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Hm, I'm gonna give him a B minus. Some some
nice outings, some clunkers first time up in the in
the show. That's gonna be kind of expected. He's definitely learning.
I hope he's learning a lot. I kind of assume
he is hopefully going to see some better results as
he continues on. He's also had to pitch against some
(30:52):
of the better teams we've played, just how the schedules
lined up.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah, I'm going to be he's He's done more as
far as a rookie than I expected. He's pitched well.
I'm I'm taking whatever we get out of him. He's
gotta have to fill in, So he's done well. B
and then Ben Brown.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Oh yeah, D D D D D minus almost I
feel bad for it because you know, the guy got
kind of shoved into the starting rotation.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
I don't know that, but he had this opportunity. I'm
saying A deep because he got an opportunity. He didn't shove, Like,
what more could you want? You got an opportunity to
be a starter shower cubs in a playoff push, and
you couldn't do your job. So it's a good point.
You're getting a D. You're lucky, you're not getting enough.
(31:53):
All right, let's go to the bullpen. We're a quick
rapid fire of these uh the first four. We'll go
first five because these guy's kind of the main five.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
So Daniel Plancia, oh my gosh, uh A minus. He
stepped into that closer role after being told it wasn't
gonna be him all off season, and he I love
the the fire he's got.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
I'm giving him an a Hey, all right, Brad Keller.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Don't know him.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
I'm gonna say B plus.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
I'll go with that.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
I'm gonna say B minus B MIAs. He's he has
nasty stuff, but there's too many duds where like he
comes in his walks with the first two guys, You're like,
come on, like seriously, Like he's been the guy who
I've seen bullmore as of late. So yeah, b MIAs.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Impressingly Mike Williams trying to pitch into a safe spot.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
Uh, Presley, I'm gonna say C plus it's nice things
every so often kind of struggles. Never excited when I
see him get into the game.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Uh, I'm gonna give him a a D minus just
because he has had a lot of like uh tests
that he's just missed because he's been absent from the class.
It's like he's so old that he can't like pitch regularly.
(33:33):
So it's like you see him one day and then
he's like in the bullpen, but like he doesn't pitch
in the game for like a week, and then when
he does, it's like what are we gonna get out
of it? And so uh and he's the kid that
shows up he's like, Hey, what I miss when you
(33:53):
missed like four days? Like what.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
The kid who watchs is like, can I get all
my missing work?
Speaker 4 (34:00):
And you haven't seen him in like two weeks and
you're like, two days am I still like yeah, yeah exactly.
Or he turned into assignment four weeks ago and hasn't
been back to class, walks in the doors, like, can
I get did you grade that?
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Oh yeah, all right, let's go with killed theobar.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Oh oh, I'm gonna say B plus almost to the
A range. Weirdly, I disliked it anytime he came into
a game, but I think I had him miss. I
had him confused with another player, and then when I realized, no,
this guy actually like is pitching well.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
He's done well. I mean the one of lofties all
the bullpen I think he's done well. He's zero point
eight positive and more you expect probably ou comes.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
I'm whatever Kevin said. You can mark me down for
that too. I got a real problem with bullpen pictures.
They're really finicky and their primadonna's.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
You don't even learn their names, do you. I don't
their faces, Like guy, I don't even.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Know their faces. If you can, you can.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
The guy who glasses guy, the kind of guy.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
To do something on his hat.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Until like the last month of the school year.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Hey, I'll tell you.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
What it's like. Hey you or Hey, buddy, can you
come and get uh you with the glasses?
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Yeah. I'll tell you what. If I see in the postseason,
I may learn their name.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
Maybe a.
Speaker 5 (35:57):
How long? How long did that guy have a zero
E R?
Speaker 2 (35:59):
A long time? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Yeah, hey he's been he's been a bright star in
the bullpen.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
I think I think I knew his name because like
when they say it, I think a pomegranate and it's
full of antioxidants.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
It's good stuff.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
And so you're like, oh that name association.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Yeah, Chris Flexen.
Speaker 5 (36:29):
Oh no way.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
I'm still giving him an a because they keep throwing
him all over the place and he's just eating it.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yes, I didn't think he pitched that bad Friday. I
thought they should have taken him out earlier because that
was the most he's pitches. He's pitched in a while,
and it's like, hey, through a good thirty pitches, why
not just take him out and bring some else in
and we're gonna push him to seventy.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
It's like, well that like, yeah, I'll tell you what.
It was a five game when they took him out.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
It was it was Jordan Wis that gave up the
six six runs in three innings.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
Or Darren in the in the chat is bringing up
only earned runs. He gave up.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
He was in the dugout when they crossed the plate.
What Sorry, I didn't hear you, fucking.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
Christ No, I didn't hear, Mitch.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
He's balanced flies with their porter Hodge.
Speaker 4 (37:37):
Oh man, that's the great Handbino did not did not attend.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
He was stuck in the bathroom for the first four weeks.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
Uh, how does he have twenty three?
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (38:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's it. But he's been hurt, like and
that's all I remember.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
All the rest of the bullpen arms that have seen
innings are negative war.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Yeah, we don't even need to talk about him then.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
Do you know, Well a few of them are tied
at this point, but you know, John Birdie's in there
at just barely negative war.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
Yep, he's got some things. He's got one so like.
So that brings me the question when we look at
the second half of the season. We've given out the
grades for each person, what needs to be addressed. Third
show up and do your job, like like third base.
(38:47):
Definitely starting pitching to get like one guy and I
would say one more reliever, Yeah, sure, sure, up that reliever.
Speaker 3 (38:59):
Some yeah, coming lights of fire under these nameless skies
that I don't know.
Speaker 4 (39:06):
Yeah, I totally agreement. And I think it's interesting because
I remember at the beginning of the season feeling pretty
much the same way of going, like, I'm not sure
about how.
Speaker 5 (39:16):
We're gonna do at third base.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
We sure with like another starter and uh and you know,
another big name or a big, big results reliever. And
yet we've had so many injuries at the starting pitcher spot,
and yet we're still only saying one would be nice.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
You know.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
That's how much the.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Other step things never change.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
I mean, and there's plenty of Like you have the
d Bax, who you could get a third baseman and
some starting pitching. You have the Pirates, who you have
Ben Nar and Mitch Keller that you could get to
shure up a little bit of bullpen and starting pitching.
There's play of teams that you can kind of work like,
(39:59):
uh get uh, kind of get two things that you're
you need from the same team.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
I'm gonna throw this name out here, and I know
there's no way we're gonna get him because I think
the team controls him for way too long. But if
you look at the way that Paul Skins is pitched.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
He has one win. It's one win.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
Yeah, poor the poor guy.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
I feel like we'd have to like sell the farm
to get him. But right at the same time, there's
a lot of redundancy in the farm system.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Right now, I have seen the Iowa cups. We will
give you the whole Iowa.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I'll tell you what.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
I've already seen a picture of Ian hamp in a
Pirate's hat on the Twitter machine today.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Hey, did you know that he played baseball with Bennar.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Really?
Speaker 1 (40:55):
That's like, uh, Like, whenever the broadcast whenever we play
the Pirates, they bring up that they like played together
somewhere every time, and you're like, we've heard this for
the last like ten years that Ian hap has played
every single game this year, second game, the third game
(41:16):
this year they talking about, like seriously, we get it.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
The only thing.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
The only thing more annoying for people in our area
is when we you know, I was Hawkeye football fans
when Darryl Johnson Coolianus was on the team and Gary
Dolphin kept saying they call him DJK on campus.
Speaker 5 (41:31):
Yeah, every single time, every time.
Speaker 4 (41:37):
Or did you know that Marvin mcnuts, nicknames and M
and m's, Like every so often they just get into
these ruts where they literally have nothing else to talk about.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
About.
Speaker 5 (41:51):
Well, it's like when we go to when we go
to Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (41:54):
Until this year, when we went to Cincinnati, they'd always
show up the graphic of Ian half home runs anywhere
else and then.
Speaker 5 (42:01):
All three games.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
What they should put up is and have home runs
before that gorilla died, and then ain't half home runs
after the gorilla died.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
Well, I don't know about you, but I'm super excited
for the second half. Like I'm excited that one we
we hold down the mics a lot more, to be
able to talk a lot more Cubbies. I haven't really
got a lot of Cubs talk in the last two
months ago. This would be great. I'll be able to
like chest some Cubs. And we haven't had a season
(42:36):
like the since twenty sixteen. I think they have the
same record going into All Star Break as the twenty
sixteen seasons. So, like, I'm looking forward to what is
to come to questions like who they sign Cauthut a
long term deal, all the stuff that I have put
(42:58):
aside and things that that is a next year problem,
and I'm focused on let's win this year. Let's win
this year, let's let's let's let's get into the playoffs.
I am not afraid of the Dodgers. I'm not afraid
of any other team in the NL. I think we
can compete and be any of them if we get
another start, Like, I think we can compete, and so
(43:21):
I think we have the offense. It hasn't been in
a while where I have had this much confidence in
uh An offense. Like usually when the Cubs get down
in the past, years are like all this game is.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Over, this like the fight, Yeah, here's past.
Speaker 3 (43:42):
Like, well, I might as well go pull some weeds
on the flower beds. This game's wasted.
Speaker 6 (43:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:47):
And it's even been things like just down a run,
seem later, like after the sixth inning, it's like, oh,
well we're not going to come back from this and
there's no way. And now it's like we could be
down seven runs and it's like, man, we might pull
this going off setting them up just the way we
like them. Got that starter out of there, here we go.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
You know, like it's gonna be a big eighth inning.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
Yeah, I feel it. Yeah, well that doesn't for this
episode of the Doings Podcast. Thanks for listening. Uh sure
that you are following us on Twitter, checking out that
Forts Networks are network. They're awesome over there. Go check
out Cubs on tap. But yeah, go Cubs. Let's have
(44:29):
a good second half. Have a great home just going
on right now. I'm gonna go watch the end of
it with my son and watch the All Star Game
and enjoy the festivities tomorrow and then get into the
see half as we start with the Red Sox. So
Brewers are also I'm not worried about the Brewers and
how accessful they're doing. I'm worried about just the Cubs
(44:50):
and enjoying good baseball. So I encourage you guys to
do the same. That's not about who's the most they are.
We're playing good baseball. Focus on that. We're playing really
good baseball one of the best teams in the NL.
Focus on that. So I will say that we have
the third easiest schedule first, have like the well going
(45:17):
into the second half.
Speaker 4 (45:17):
So just.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Put that out there. So Goo Cubs, and thanks for listening.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Good night, John Boy.
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