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Speaker 1: This is from someone outside the Cubs, or they're just

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Speaker 1: saying like moves can't be made because everyone's focused on

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Speaker 1: the draft. Everyone's like that's where their attention is. Welcome

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Speaker 1: into North Side Territory. Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm

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Speaker 1: Sahade Sharma with Patrick Mooney, where your Cubs beat writers

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Speaker 1: for the Athletic Patrick. The Cubs are back. Yes, they've

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Speaker 1: won the first two games in Baltimore. This is five

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Speaker 1: of six. They are playing much better baseball. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they're getting much better results. At the very minimum. I

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Speaker 1: was not. I was pretty pessimistic, I think in our

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Speaker 1: last podcast saying like they have to get hot, and

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Speaker 1: this is not a good stretch to get hot, playing

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Speaker 1: one of the best teams in baseball and then having

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Speaker 1: four and three days in Saint Louis. Oh, look, they

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Speaker 1: have work to do, plenty of work to do. But

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Speaker 1: this is kind of what we came into this season

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Speaker 1: kind of thinking this team could be what we've seen

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Speaker 1: the last week, kind of what we thought the season

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Speaker 1: would look like. After they're seventeen and whatever nine start,

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Speaker 1: it's just looking a lot more like the team we expected.

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Speaker 1: Very well could be too little too late, but they're

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Speaker 1: only three and a half games out of the wildcard.

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Speaker 1: The NL is so mediocre. You just have a decent

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Speaker 1: rest of this week and we're talking about you know,

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Speaker 1: much different things come to all start break on Sunday

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Speaker 1: evening Monday morning.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, just when you think you're out, they

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Speaker 2: pull you back in. And that has very much been

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Speaker 2: these first two games in Baltimore.

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Speaker 3: Winning a series against a really good team.

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Speaker 2: I mean they have obviously Brandon Hyde and some other

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Speaker 2: links to like that twenty fifteen to twenty sixteen era Cubs,

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Speaker 2: and like offensively, that's kind of what it looks like

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Speaker 2: in Baltimore. That's kind of a good comp in their

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Speaker 2: mind in Baltimore of kind of what they built. Their

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Speaker 2: pitching is a little short at the moment, but I

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Speaker 2: mean beating Corbyn burns like that and it was a

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Speaker 2: four to nothing win, but it didn't feel like it

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Speaker 2: comes absolutely dominated that game. I mean, the Orioles put

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Speaker 2: a lot of pressure on Shoda and once again in

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Speaker 2: Minago was just awesome when it mattered of just making

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Speaker 2: his pitches of kind of understanding what he was working

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Speaker 2: with here side of I thought of our story with

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Speaker 2: Ken Rosenthal about kind of why the industry missed on Shoda,

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Speaker 2: and it felt me it was like one of the

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Speaker 2: Baltimore like security guards like said he had like a temperature,

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Speaker 2: a thermometer on the field and in batting practice it

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Speaker 2: was like one hundred and twelve Jesus, and like thinking, okay,

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Speaker 2: it's showed a flyball picture. You know, a lineup that

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Speaker 2: just swinging for the fences. It's just absurdly hot outside,

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Speaker 2: you know, nearing the All Star break, close one hundred innings,

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Speaker 2: and you think, oh, you know, this might not be

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Speaker 2: a great matchup for SHOWDA. And he just weaved his

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Speaker 2: way in and out of the lineup once again, gave

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Speaker 2: his team a great chance to win. And you know

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Speaker 2: the bats against Burns were we're better, I mean christ

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Speaker 2: morel it's a home run, the too two out singles,

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Speaker 2: I think it was Bush's double was like, you know,

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Speaker 2: the ground ball up the middle that Burns tried to

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Speaker 2: kick safe, bounces off of base.

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Speaker 3: Like you get a couple of.

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Speaker 2: Breaks, you get great pitching and you know, really reorganized bullpen.

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Speaker 2: Like as crazy as is to say for a team

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Speaker 2: that's five under five hundred, they're in it.

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Speaker 1: It's so ridiculous. And here's the thing. And I'm not

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Speaker 1: saying baseball is all about luck. I'm not saying the

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Speaker 1: Cubs were unlucky at first and recently they've been lucky.

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Speaker 1: But sometimes you do what you just said about bounces

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Speaker 1: is so ridiculous. It's so true in baseball. Sometimes things

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Speaker 1: just don't go your way. Like here's something that's not

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Speaker 1: skill related in my opinion, runners in scoring position with

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Speaker 1: two outs for the through July third. And I'm sure

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Speaker 1: if I did this, if I did this from April

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Speaker 1: twenty seventh, I'm going to do that right now. April

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Speaker 1: twenty seventh is kind of our demarcation. Point one sixty

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Speaker 1: nine batting average with runners in scoring position two outs.

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Speaker 1: That's from April twenty seventh to July third, right July third,

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Speaker 1: just to the last time that they lost the first

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Speaker 1: two to the Phillies. Since July fourth, three oh eight

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Speaker 1: to two outs, runners in scoring position. Just a few

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Speaker 1: more hits, that's all it takes. That's really what it is,

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Speaker 1: a few more hits. That's how baseball works, because those

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Speaker 1: numbers jump because those situations don't arise that much. It's

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Speaker 1: just and the two out hits are demoralizing for the

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Speaker 1: other team. I mean they were coming for the Cubs

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Speaker 1: a lot. The opposition was doing that far too often

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Speaker 1: where they just dribbled through or and it's not like that,

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Speaker 1: like you said that Michael Bush hit wasn't some rocket.

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Speaker 1: I mean the rockets were caught more often than not

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Speaker 1: for the Cubs with two outs, it seemed like So again,

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Speaker 1: it's not about luck that you have to make your

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Speaker 1: own luck. You have to put the ball in play,

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Speaker 1: you have to make things happen. But sometimes these things

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Speaker 1: come in bunches, they go, they swing wildly over the

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Speaker 1: course of a season. It's happened two years in a

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Speaker 1: row where this has happened, where the Cubs have dug

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Speaker 1: themselves a whole. So it's frustrating to see. It can

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Speaker 1: be inexplicable. At times. It can feel like I thought

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Speaker 1: this was going to be better. Why is this getting

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Speaker 1: so ugly? Why are these things happening? And then sometimes

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Speaker 1: baseball is just it's really hard to parse these things

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Speaker 1: and fully understand why it happens or how it happens.

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Speaker 1: I think they have talent. I think we've said that

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Speaker 1: all along. Ultimately they have to win and they have

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Speaker 1: to perform. I don't know if a week changes, I'm

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Speaker 1: not going to drastically change my opinion. It took two

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Speaker 1: months for me to shift, you know what I was

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Speaker 1: feeling about this team because I'd seen too much to

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Speaker 1: say like, Okay, it's just not going to turn. A

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Speaker 1: week isn't going to shift me back. I'm not all

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Speaker 1: in and saying, you know what, I'm back. I think

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Speaker 1: the offense is back. I've liked this team from the

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Speaker 1: start of the season. I thought they were talented. I

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Speaker 1: thought they were good enough team. Two months of bad

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Speaker 1: baseball it really makes you question that. But this NL

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Speaker 1: is so weak, And that's what I said on Monday,

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Speaker 1: like I'm just you know, I don't feel good about it,

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Speaker 1: but I still think they can do they You just

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Speaker 1: have to keep paying attention because of how weak the

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Speaker 1: rest of the NL is. Three and a half games out.

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Speaker 1: The Cardinals just got swept in a two game set,

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Speaker 1: a double header against the Royals, right, and they're not

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Speaker 1: even there. They're the second wildcard team. They're the second

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Speaker 1: The third wildcard team is a Padres. So it's I mean,

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Speaker 1: they're there. It technically tied for last place, but still

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Speaker 1: three and a half games out of the wildcard. They're

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Speaker 1: very much in this. Uh, it's just it's kind of

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Speaker 1: ridiculous in a sense. And and you know what I

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Speaker 1: talk about the offense getting the bounces, I'll tell you

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Speaker 1: something that's not that I don't think is bounced related

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Speaker 1: or anything like that. The bullpen was not good, and

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Speaker 1: I think it's coming together. It is coming together. They

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Speaker 1: have they have power arms now, they have veterans in there,

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Speaker 1: they have youth. It's a nice mix. If they can

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Speaker 1: get healthy and stay healthy, it's gonna be interesting how

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Speaker 1: good the bullpen can be. And you just, you know,

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Speaker 1: you convert some of those missed opportunities that were happening

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Speaker 1: early in the season. I don't know. I don't I

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Speaker 1: don't want Cubs fans to get their hopes up too

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Speaker 1: much here, but I do think this is it. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they beat to they won the first two games, and

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Speaker 1: they beat Corbyn Burns. And a little bit more about

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Speaker 1: bounces going your way. Those balls five years ago, it's

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Speaker 1: like an eight to four loss. Right that there were

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Speaker 1: there were two deep flies to left field that went

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Speaker 1: off the wall, and and that's you know what showed

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Speaker 1: him Naga knows the conditions, knows where he's pitching. That's

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Speaker 1: you know, he's pitching to how he should pitch. Okay,

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Speaker 1: I'm not This isn't me saying like showed him. Monaga

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Speaker 1: is lucky. I'm sure he understands what he's doing out there. Uh,

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Speaker 1: but it worked out well on this on that night,

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Speaker 1: and I think, like you need more nights where things

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Speaker 1: just go your way and come up with the big

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Speaker 1: hit at the right time.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think Cup's got some bounces.

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Speaker 2: We're not sure about breaks yet, and we're thinking of

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Speaker 2: Cody Bellinger here his left middle finger. I haven't seen

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Speaker 2: the imaging yet, but obviously all I can think of

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Speaker 2: is the David Ross double bird middle finger whenever I

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Speaker 2: think talk about imaging on middle fingers.

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Speaker 1: But I don't know.

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Speaker 3: It didn't sound great last night.

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Speaker 2: I mean, you get a ninety seven mile an hour

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Speaker 2: fastball off your hand. Bellinger said he tried to grip

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Speaker 2: the baseball and felt like he couldn't trust himself to

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Speaker 2: throw it in from the outfield if he had to

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Speaker 2: make a play. They're waiting for the swelling to go

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Speaker 2: down to'd get the further testing here in Baltimore, like

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Speaker 2: that's a huge variable. I mean, obviously Bellinger has not

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Speaker 2: been the like thumping presence that becomes hopeful, but he's

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Speaker 2: still really skilled, verse little player who almost always gives

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Speaker 2: you pretty good at bat.

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Speaker 3: And so Mike Talkman is scheduled to.

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Speaker 2: Go to Arizona relatively soon, spend the All Star break,

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Speaker 2: you know, seeing pitching getting up to speed playing there,

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Speaker 2: and then I think the hope would be, you know,

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Speaker 2: shortly after the All Star break. I think it's crazy

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Speaker 2: those are two kind of like similar ish players, I

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Speaker 2: mean at this moment, because Bellinger hasn't been quite delivered

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Speaker 2: and Talkman has played really really well for the Cubs,

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Speaker 2: even though he's kind of an under undervalued, overlooked cast

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Speaker 2: off when he came to this organization. So, like, I

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Speaker 2: guess we'll wait to see once the swelling comes down

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Speaker 2: to what the actual diagnosis is with Bellinger, but clearly.

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Speaker 3: We're all gonna be thinking about the trade deadline with this, right.

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Speaker 2: I mean, this is already a guy who was really

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Speaker 2: hard to like evaluate between the highs and lows in

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Speaker 2: his career, the kind of lack of slug, the two

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Speaker 2: opt out clauses in his contract. He had what a

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Speaker 2: fractured rib earlier this season, and talking about.

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Speaker 3: A lefty with you know, potentially you know, significant issue

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Speaker 3: on his hand, like.

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Speaker 2: I don't. I don't know if you could have traded

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Speaker 2: him anyways. I'm not sure how robust the market was

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Speaker 2: going to be or how you kind of value all

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Speaker 2: those different things at once. But an injury, I don't know,

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Speaker 2: it just kind of takes them out of circulation right

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Speaker 2: at the time when the Cubs you know, need to

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Speaker 2: be stacking up wins.

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Speaker 1: Right and you know, like you said, it's not like

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Speaker 1: he was destroying the ball, but he puts up a

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Speaker 1: good at bat, he puts the ball in play, he's

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Speaker 1: a presence on the field defensively, sure, you know, I

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Speaker 1: it's yeah, you have to kind of hold your breath

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Speaker 1: on that one. I thought he he was smart not

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Speaker 1: to be super optimistic after the game like he was

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Speaker 1: after the the rib. He clearly learned his lesson of

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Speaker 1: not like he was. He was. He was one hundred

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Speaker 1: percent sure he was fine after the rib thing and

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Speaker 1: thought he'd be playing soon. Uh And obviously that kept

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Speaker 1: him out for weeks. Uh after it was revealed that

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Speaker 1: there was a break. You know, I don't know, like

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Speaker 1: these finger things are so like it can hurt like

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Speaker 1: hell and and just be like a bad you know,

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Speaker 1: just swollen and a really bad like bone bruise or whatever,

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Speaker 1: and he misses two games or it could be an eye.

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Speaker 3: Is that a hand thing recently?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it was like a but there was like a

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Speaker 1: break there. Nico had an actual break in his hand right,

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Speaker 1: like I can't remember the exact term on it, but

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Speaker 1: he never went down the I l and and it

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Speaker 1: was something he could play through and it wouldn't get

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Speaker 1: worse according to doctors. And and he's starting to look

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Speaker 1: a little bit better at the plate. I always elite defensively, right,

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Speaker 1: but at least he's playing. Yeah, so yeah, I don't

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Speaker 1: I don't think this is because of the way he

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Speaker 1: was playing as far as his offensive performance. It's not

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Speaker 1: the type of thing that completely derails the offense, but

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Speaker 1: it hurts. It would hurt. You'd prefer to have him

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Speaker 1: in the lineup on the on the field and not

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Speaker 1: having talkman it until possibly I guess it sounds like

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Speaker 1: maybe he'd be ready to come back after the All

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Speaker 1: Star break. Maybe is that is that?

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Speaker 2: Maybe surely after sounded and obviously with Bellinger, Like we

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Speaker 2: this is not like a criticism, but we all know

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Speaker 2: that becomes are not going to like make some definitive

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Speaker 2: decision like they'll probably play you know.

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Speaker 1: I mean yeah yeah.

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Speaker 2: Armstrong was like, you know, down for like five days

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Speaker 2: when he says he's fine with the finger thumb cut

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Speaker 2: the other dayst just whatever. It just seems like this

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Speaker 2: doesn't seem like something that us it's really bad and

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Speaker 2: he's just shut down. Seems like something that they'll kind

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Speaker 2: of play out. But to your points side, if it

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Speaker 2: does rob them of that ceiling right of like what

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Speaker 2: if Bellinger does get hot the way he did last July.

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Speaker 3: And can carry the offense.

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Speaker 2: And that's kind of been like the big tease about

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Speaker 2: this team of watching it, like we saw what happened

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Speaker 2: last year and then you just kind of like x

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Speaker 2: out basically everything after Labor Day when they totally cratered,

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Speaker 2: but like.

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Speaker 3: They can do it, Like this is not like an

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Speaker 3: unreasonable thing to like, you know.

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Speaker 2: Win a series in Saint Louis against like a like

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Speaker 2: the Cardinals team and like you get that pitching and

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Speaker 2: I'm totally with you, we got sidetracked. Bullpen's a lot better,

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Speaker 2: like it's really hard to Oh it comes. Bullpen's terrible.

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Speaker 2: It's like it's a different bullpen. Like that doesn't mean

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Speaker 2: it's gonna be great the rest of the way, but

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Speaker 2: they've got, you know, some fresh arms. Obviously, Tyson's been

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Speaker 2: been really good. Tyson Miller bringing up I mean Porter Hodge.

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Speaker 2: We've talked about this, like what if he's a dude,

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Speaker 2: Like clearly Counsel trusts him. Council really wanted Hunter Biggie,

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Speaker 2: Like he's been kind of intrigued by him since spring training.

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Speaker 3: You know, I'm not going to get too.

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Speaker 2: Carried away after one inning in like a what like

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Speaker 2: a seven run game or something like that. It's different, like,

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Speaker 2: you know, we've got this team a long time. That

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Speaker 2: was not just appearing from the draft when becomes we're

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Speaker 2: rolling several years ago.

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Speaker 3: So like.

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Speaker 2: We haven't gotten to the pictures who are supposed to

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Speaker 2: be healthy after the All Star break to kind of

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Speaker 2: you know, hedge against other pictures getting injured. But like

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Speaker 2: there are like longer term trends or like bigger ideas

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Speaker 2: that like you can talk yourselves into it, and I'd

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Speaker 2: imagine the front office is kind of going in these

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Speaker 2: circles too, right.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I can't imagine, Like, like I will say this,

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Speaker 4: Jed is incredibly patient and incredibly calm and level headed

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Speaker 4: about these things, because I would be losing my mind

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Speaker 4: if I was in a front office like dealing with

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Speaker 4: the last two Julys that he's had to deal with.

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Speaker 1: But you talk to him, you talk to people around

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Speaker 1: him or people that have dealt with him, you know.

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Speaker 1: But like with trade discussions, whatever it is. Uh, they're

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Speaker 1: they're all pretty impressed with how even keeled he can

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Speaker 1: be during these moments where where you have to make

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Speaker 1: where it things like where it feels like these are

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Speaker 1: all like critical decisions and he's he's obviously, but he's

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Speaker 1: he's able to like go through all these different thought

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Speaker 1: processes at the same time.

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Speaker 2: Uh.

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Speaker 1: I mean he had to do it in twenty twenty one, right,

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Speaker 1: he had, He had to do it last summer, and

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Speaker 1: he's and it seems like it's happening again this summer

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Speaker 1: where it's like what do you do? What is the

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Speaker 1: right decision? What's the best decision for the ORG? In

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, I think it felt kind of obvious, right, Like.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that would help the idiots back in the face.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. Last year it shifted so quickly and so

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Speaker 1: unexpectedly that the idea of being prepared to do either

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Speaker 1: one felt really that felt. That was probably harder the

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Speaker 1: hardest of the three discussing those three seasons. This season,

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Speaker 1: I think because of the lack of players that you

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Speaker 1: have to trade, Like there's so few that I think

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Speaker 1: Jed could kind of take advantage of it in his

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Speaker 1: favor about being patient. It's like, who Also, the draft

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Speaker 1: throws things off. I've been getting so many texts lately

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Speaker 1: like they I think I probably said this in a

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Speaker 1: previous permutation of this podcast last last around this time

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Speaker 1: last year, where like people are sick of it. People

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Speaker 1: are really annoyed by the draft. It's screwing up trade talks.

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Speaker 1: It's like I got a text saying, like someone, this

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Speaker 1: has to change. This is like nobody wants to engage

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Speaker 1: right now. Everybody's focused on draft stuff. And this is

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Speaker 1: from someone outside the Cubs or they're just saying, like

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Speaker 1: moves can't be made because everyone's focused on the draft.

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Speaker 1: Everyone's like that's where their attention is. Uh, this it

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Speaker 1: needs to be about a month earlier the draft. It's

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Speaker 1: it's a little odd that they that they're doing this,

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Speaker 1: but it's kind of screwing up a draft, I mean,

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Speaker 1: trade talks. I'm sure you've you've heard similar stuff. You're

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Speaker 1: doing so much work with trade rumors and whatnot. Patrick,

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Speaker 1: it's just a it's an odd situation as far as

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Speaker 1: as far as that stuff goes.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think you I'm just looking at the

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Speaker 3: calendar here.

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Speaker 2: It's like you kind of get through the draft, the

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Speaker 2: All Star Game, Cubs have the Diamondbacks and Brewers at

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Speaker 2: home for six games, then you're at Kansas City, will

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Speaker 2: be in Cincinnati for the trade deadline. So like, you know,

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Speaker 2: I don't think anyone's saying the Cubs are going to

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Speaker 2: catch the Brewers, but like four games against the Cardinals,

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Speaker 2: three games against the Diamondbacks, and these are teams right

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Speaker 2: in the thick of the wild card race, and so

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Speaker 2: like those games are pivotal and we have to you know,

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Speaker 2: also keep in mind, just like last year, that Comes

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Speaker 2: have not fared well in their season series against some

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Speaker 2: of these teams that they're chasing. But look, they're within

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Speaker 2: striking distance. You put it very well. Jed is an

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Speaker 2: extremely patient executive. Craig Council is super unemotional about all

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Speaker 2: of this. He the other night I had asked him

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Speaker 2: something like, you know, was this I know you're gonna

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Speaker 2: say every win counts the same, but was this like

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Speaker 2: the kind of the best one of the season or

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Speaker 2: at least closer to what you thought this team would

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Speaker 2: look like?

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Speaker 3: And you know, he looked like he was in the

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Speaker 3: dentist chair or something like that.

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Speaker 2: He's wincing and cringing and looked at me. And then

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Speaker 2: of course I was made fun of the next night

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Speaker 2: of someone asking me, you know, it was just the

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Speaker 2: biggest one of the season.

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Speaker 3: And then finally counsel agreed with.

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Speaker 2: Me and he said, he said, yes, today is always,

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Speaker 2: you know, the biggest game of the season. And he's like,

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Speaker 2: and then tomorrow will be the biggest game of the season.

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Speaker 2: Like that's how he thinks, like the day to day thing.

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Speaker 2: And the Cubs are hanging around like that's kind of

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Speaker 2: the best you know, we can we can give you

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Speaker 2: at this point.

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Speaker 1: Right, And before we wrap this up, I just want

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Speaker 1: to say that there's some odd decisions that are going

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Speaker 1: to becoming Patrick Asad is going to come up sometime

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Speaker 1: this weekend. Right, that's the expectation that hasn't changed from anything.

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Speaker 3: You've heard, and a council Sorry Hendrick's Friday.

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Speaker 1: Right, So yeah, so like I'm not sure what you

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Speaker 1: do there? Like is this is this just a brief

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Speaker 1: time for Biggie to be up and he's being sent down.

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Speaker 1: I'd like I think the Cubs would like to see

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Speaker 1: more of him and see what he can do. So

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Speaker 1: maybe I'm wrong there. Maybe maybe he gets sent down

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Speaker 1: and this is you know, his time is later on

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Speaker 1: this year, but that they're going to have some decisions

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Speaker 1: to make. Maybe that's just or maybe they get creative

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Speaker 1: and activate Asad and he's the twenty seventh man on

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Speaker 1: Saturday and they can do creative things. Who knows. I'm

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Speaker 1: not gonna I'm just saying there's And then with all

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Speaker 1: these guys coming off the sixty and the I L

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Speaker 1: after the break, there's gonna be some weird things I

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Speaker 1: don't like, even if they're not sellers. They may have

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Speaker 1: to get rid of some veterans, right like that, there's

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Speaker 1: some things that may have to actually, yes, right right.

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Speaker 2: That is something I think is sort of on the tape,

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Speaker 2: or at least that train of thought is certainly.

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Speaker 1: Going on right, So we'll we'll keep We'll keep an

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Speaker 1: eye on on that. Patrick and I will obviously be

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Speaker 1: digging in and talking to people and trying to understand

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Speaker 1: their thinking on that. Well, we'll convey it in our

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Speaker 1: writing or by a podcast or both and let you

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Speaker 1: guys know. Thanks so much for listening. This is what

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Speaker 1: is this? This is north Side Territory. Keep keep listening

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Speaker 1: to cups. Yeah, make sure to subscribe, rate and review.

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Speaker 1: We've been We've been loving the feedback you guys have

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Speaker 1: been giving us. We really appreciate our listeners. Please spread

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Speaker 1: the word and make sure people know about this podcast

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Speaker 1: because we're doing well and we want to keep it up.

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Speaker 1: Thanks to everyone behind the scenes. Make sure to read

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Speaker 1: Patrick and I in my work at the Athletic. Thanks

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00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:20,160
Speaker 1: so much for listening to everyone. Take care.

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