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Speaker 1: We may never see something like that ever again, or

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Speaker 1: maybe like a twenty years.

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Speaker 2: It's just still rare to find.

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Speaker 3: Welcome into North Side Territory. Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast.

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Speaker 3: I'm Sahad Sharma with my co host Patrick Mooney. We

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Speaker 3: are your Cubs beat writers at the Athletic Patrick. Last

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Speaker 3: night we saw the return of hobbyer Bias to the

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Speaker 3: Chicago or to Wrigley Field, i should say, And it

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Speaker 3: was not the Hobby we have grown accustomed to. I mean,

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Speaker 3: we all know that we've all seen Hobby Baya's play recently,

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Speaker 3: seen the highlights at minimum on Twitter low lights if

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Speaker 3: you want to call them that. First of all, I

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Speaker 3: just want to start with what Hobby meant to the

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Speaker 3: Cubs before we get to how he.

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Speaker 4: Looked on the on Tuesday's night.

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Speaker 3: Hobby was a joy to watch, one of those players

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Speaker 3: that makes the kid come out and you and kind

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Speaker 3: of just giggle with joy, right because the things he

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Speaker 3: pulled off on the field were amazing. Even was it

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Speaker 3: twenty twenty or twenty twenty one the Pirates play. I

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Speaker 3: know we weren't on the road for that, but what

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Speaker 3: whenever it was, whether it's twenty or twenty one. It

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Speaker 3: was one of those seasons where we weren't traveling as

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Speaker 3: much and he just pulled off that insane play where

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Speaker 3: I believe Wilson Contreras scored from third and he it

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Speaker 3: was a ground ball to like first base. He should

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Speaker 3: have been out easily, and he just because he's Hovey Bayas,

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Speaker 3: he he made that That player I believe it was

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Speaker 3: Will Craig is his brain kind of falter, uh, and

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Speaker 3: he it was one you're right, yeah, and that that

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Speaker 3: poor guy Will Craig, who will forever be known for

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Speaker 3: that play. Uh, just to a just you know, the

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Speaker 3: type of play, like what is happening? How well I

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Speaker 3: would a player do that? It's because Hovey Baias makes

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Speaker 3: your brain short circuit. Uh. And you know the home

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Speaker 3: run against San Francisco, just his entire playoff run. I

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Speaker 3: always envisioned him like catching his gum in mid air

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Speaker 3: in the dugout and then's pointing to the camera. And

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Speaker 3: I believe that was sixteen, the sixteen play. That sixteen

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Speaker 3: playoff run was just like this guy's a showman. This

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Speaker 3: guy steps up in the biggest moments, like this is

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Speaker 3: cool to watch and that's how you know, we can

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Speaker 3: touch on what happened Tuesday night, but that's how I

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Speaker 3: choose to remember happy Bias.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it was one of those weird things

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Speaker 1: where you and I chatted before the game, you know,

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Speaker 1: doing our kind of coverage plan and.

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Speaker 2: Hobbes old news.

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Speaker 1: I feel like we had written so much on the

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Speaker 1: Elmago phenomenon that probably Cody in Detroit has written a

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Speaker 1: lot about his decline in Detroit, and that it had

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Speaker 1: been you know, three years since he got traded. That

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Speaker 1: it was just kind of like what are we doing here?

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Speaker 1: But I also felt like we had to address it

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Speaker 1: somewhere right like it had like his return. Just had

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Speaker 1: to write in our place at the athletic Our bosses

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Speaker 1: are really good at not doing stuff out of like

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Speaker 1: obligation or eyewash. But it was just this weird kind

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Speaker 1: of you know, the Tigers are not good, Hobby is

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Speaker 1: not playing well, the Cubs are not exactly killing it.

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Speaker 1: Dansby has been an adequate replacement, but not like the

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Speaker 1: guy or the man this year. I mean, Hobby would

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Speaker 1: probably be like a third string shortstop.

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Speaker 2: On the Cubs right now, behind Nico.

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Speaker 1: I'd imagine yeah, you know, it's just seeing his numbers

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Speaker 1: is it's disoriented. Just think of a guy who, look,

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Speaker 1: we all know he had gone through these extremes, these

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Speaker 1: highs and lows, but you would think that his natural athleticism,

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Speaker 1: his instincts would give him a little more leeway here

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Speaker 1: and that he could age maybe a little more gracefully.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you think about the guys he's compared to

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Speaker 1: over time, like Roberto Alomar, you know, Gary Sheffield, Many Ramirez,

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Speaker 1: that there would just be more there to work with.

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Speaker 1: And you know, it was classic Bobby in the sense

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Speaker 1: of he was supposed to meet with the media right

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Speaker 1: when the clubhouse opened and then it was kind of

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Speaker 1: pushed back to BP. But he did sit for I

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Speaker 1: think it was about fifteen to twenty minutes and answered

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Speaker 1: a bunch of questions. And no, he's not someone who

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Speaker 1: has any regrets. I mean, he's got one hundred and

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Speaker 1: forty million dollar reasons to be pretty happy.

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Speaker 2: With his decision.

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Speaker 1: Got to give him credit, I would say, for not

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Speaker 1: being bitter about how his contract extension talks were derailed

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Speaker 1: by the pandemic.

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Speaker 2: I think there was very much momentum on both sides

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Speaker 2: there to get something done.

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Speaker 1: It was right in that kind of deal zone in

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Speaker 1: spring training there of you know, early March, and you

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Speaker 1: could figure there could probably be a couple more back

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Speaker 1: and forth to get something wrapped up before opening.

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Speaker 2: Day twenty twenty.

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Speaker 1: Obviously, the world changed, baseball economics shifted, and you know,

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Speaker 1: the Cubs kind of played it out. And I thought

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Speaker 1: Jed Hoyer said it well, of you know, there are

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Speaker 1: guys who were in the Hall of Fame who have

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Speaker 1: statues outside Wrigley Field, but taken together that group meaning Hobby,

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Speaker 1: Anthony Rizzo, Chris Bryant, I have every bit the same impact,

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Speaker 1: if not more, on the city of Chicago and the

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Speaker 1: Cub's you know, greatest moment in franchise history.

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Speaker 3: So he went over four with four strikeouts yesterday, right,

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Speaker 3: and that's that's not good.

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Speaker 5: Obviously.

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Speaker 3: I'm just I just happened to look at these numbers

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Speaker 3: this morning. I don't want to bury the dude. But

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Speaker 3: he swung at zero pitches in the zone zero. He

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Speaker 3: swung nine times, swung and missed eight times, swung it

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Speaker 3: eight sweepers, swung and missed seven times at those followed

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Speaker 3: the ball off once. That's his only that's the only

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Speaker 3: time he made contact. It like he didn't see a

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Speaker 3: pitch in the zone like he or he didn't swing

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Speaker 3: at a pitch in the zone.

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Speaker 5: It just he's not Wow, It's.

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Speaker 3: Just it was one of those things where like I

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Speaker 3: looked at the reporter next to me at one of

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Speaker 3: the swings and I just was like we just kind

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Speaker 3: of like looked at each other and shook our.

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Speaker 5: Heads like what what has happened?

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Speaker 3: And it uh, Yeah, it wasn't fun to watch him,

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Speaker 3: you know, uh swing like that and look like that.

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Speaker 3: It was one of those returns where it was nice

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Speaker 3: that he got his he got the standing ovations, like

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Speaker 3: I'm glad he had all those moments, but watching him

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Speaker 3: play was rough. I will say the defense is still there, right,

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Speaker 3: like there was or at least the arm he there

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Speaker 3: was a play where it was a simple play, right,

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Speaker 3: but like it looked like Bellinger was gonna beat out

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Speaker 3: an infield hit uh and and Hobby's arm just made

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Speaker 3: sure like it yeah, easy out. You know, he like

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Speaker 3: fired it like I saw him feel it, and I

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Speaker 3: was like, is Belenger gonna beat this out? And he

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Speaker 3: just fired it to first because his arms still a cannon,

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Speaker 3: so there's that, but yeah, it was. It was tough

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Speaker 3: to watch him him play just because of who he was,

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Speaker 3: uh in this city. Uh, but that's the reality of baseball,

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Speaker 3: I guess. And he was someone that scouts would say

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Speaker 3: this like it could go quickly with him. He never

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Speaker 3: he never developed that like patience at the plate or

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Speaker 3: like a really great pitch recognition.

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Speaker 5: It was.

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Speaker 3: It's kind of just a you know, concentrated you know,

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Speaker 3: four or five years of special play and it disappeared

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Speaker 3: and it looks like it's gone now. But yeah, I

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Speaker 3: don't want to dwell on ripping him, Like it doesn't

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Speaker 3: feel like it's a worthwhile endeavor or fair to focus

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Speaker 3: on on all the negative Poppy baias.

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Speaker 2: They didn't take you back right, Like watching that tribute video.

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Speaker 1: The Cubs are excellent at those thank you videos because

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Speaker 1: they have great material to work with. And I think

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Speaker 1: just mentally kind of going running through the catalog of like, oh, yeah,

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Speaker 1: we were there for that or I remember that one.

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Speaker 1: Maybe they should the only part of it I mean,

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Speaker 1: but I mean that basket home run in Game one

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Speaker 1: of the twenty sixteen playoffs like totally set the course

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Speaker 1: for that playoff run and his emergence as not just

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Speaker 1: like a baseball star, but just a player who who

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Speaker 1: I mean, you saw it.

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Speaker 2: I mean just.

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Speaker 1: How the way kids gravitated towards him, and the way

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Speaker 1: like the bias jerseys popped up everywhere, and how like

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Speaker 1: be like Hobby became a thing like.

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Speaker 2: I don't think that's something we may never see something

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Speaker 2: like that ever again, or maybe like in twenty years.

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Speaker 1: It's just so rare to find a player who transcends

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Speaker 1: things like that. I mean, we're growing up like Bo Jackson,

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Speaker 1: but doing it in two different sports. But there aren't

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Speaker 1: many baseball players who bring that level of style and

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Speaker 1: entertainment to the ballpark every day, that feeling of like

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Speaker 1: what's Hobby gonna do next? And just the way even

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Speaker 1: major league players would kind of look at him like dude,

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Speaker 1: I don't know how he does it or where he

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Speaker 1: comes up with this stuff. Just to keep to have

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Speaker 1: like you know, millionaire ballplayers and awe of you and

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Speaker 1: like to have no clue like like where you're going

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Speaker 1: to be here, what you're going to do, or to

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Speaker 1: like the way him and Rizzo would just mess.

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Speaker 2: With each other on like pop ups, playoffs.

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Speaker 1: And how they would you know, Jed sort of alluded

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Speaker 1: to it last night of how there would be times

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Speaker 1: in those big games or he would just be so

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Speaker 1: casual making a play and it would just be like

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Speaker 1: you know, sweating up in the box and hobby it

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Speaker 1: would just kind of do one of his kind of

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Speaker 1: you know, flick the ball or just kind of casually

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Speaker 1: catch it and make the play. And just what was

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Speaker 1: an unbelievable talent that is clearly it's clearly faded.

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Speaker 2: And I think the next time.

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Speaker 1: We'll probably write about him will be whenever the Tigers

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Speaker 1: release him.

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Speaker 3: Right right, Yeah, And it's probably a good thing that,

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Speaker 3: you know, Cubs fans didn't have to watch this version

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Speaker 3: of him, you know daily. They get those good memories

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Speaker 3: and they get to appreciate who he was at his best.

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Speaker 3: And I think that's you know, that's a good thing.

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Speaker 3: It's good to have those baseball memories. And and you know,

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Speaker 3: it was a pleasure to cover someone like that, because

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Speaker 3: you're right, it was like, what there were so many

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Speaker 3: times when I had a plan and then he'd he

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Speaker 3: would just do something. It would just be and I

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Speaker 3: was like, well, I got to write about that, you know,

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Speaker 3: And and it's like, yeah, I know, I've written about Hobby,

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Speaker 3: you know, a dozen times already this season, but got

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Speaker 3: to write about that one. Like that's that's what the

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Speaker 3: fans are going to want to read about, and he'd

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Speaker 3: he'd change your plans because and it would just be

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Speaker 3: like something like seemingly simple, but it would it would

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Speaker 3: just it would be the esthetically like just watching it

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Speaker 3: happen was like, Wow, that was that was beautiful to

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Speaker 3: watch and I cannot believe he pulled it off. Uh,

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Speaker 3: And and you'd have to you'd have to ask people

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Speaker 3: about it and write about it and somehow explain something

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Speaker 3: that just you had to see to really witness to

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Speaker 3: really appreciate, right, I.

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Speaker 1: Mean that Pirates Play was a good example, and there

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Speaker 1: were just so many of those to your points, a

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Speaker 1: hot of of like you've got your plan and then

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Speaker 1: something like oh wait, well was that slide?

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Speaker 2: Or they would immediately go viral, you know.

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Speaker 1: Between instant replay and social media. He was the perfect

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Speaker 1: guy for that window. But even in the biggest games

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Speaker 1: of his life, it got to that point in twenty

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Speaker 1: sixteen where you almost had to like expect a hobby

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Speaker 1: headline almost every game, like he was going to do

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Speaker 1: something that had to be written about.

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Speaker 3: Right, And yeah, absolutely So the Cubs did win last

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Speaker 3: night three to one. They did what they need to do.

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Speaker 3: They need to continue to win before we get back

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Speaker 3: into talk. They are a second place team, Patrick, second place, Steve,

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Speaker 3: But there's a lot more work before we start talking about,

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Speaker 3: you know anything regarding the playoffs. They their bullpen again

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Speaker 3: was dominant. It's been pretty damn good since June one.

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Speaker 3: This comes on the heels of them releasing Hector Nis.

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Speaker 3: It was kind of a surprise that this happened at

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Speaker 3: this point. They called up Jack Neely, who is not

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Speaker 3: related to Cam Neely, A big man.

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Speaker 5: I didn't I didn't ask him.

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Speaker 4: But he's a big dude with a great mustache.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, confirm that, Yes, that is true. We'll see how

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Speaker 3: how he performs. I don't know, Patrick, this came. I

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Speaker 3: wasn't you know, I'm not surprised this happened at some

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Speaker 3: point in this final stretch. I was a little surprised

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Speaker 3: it came right now, But you know, Neares had been

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Speaker 3: I know fans are gonna remember all the stress.

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Speaker 5: He provided, right like. It was never easy with him.

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Speaker 3: The overall numbers since about like the middle of whatever

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Speaker 3: that was June or I can't remember the exact date.

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Speaker 3: It was after the Tampa Bay series. The they were good,

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Speaker 3: they were pretty solid. If those were his season numbers,

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Speaker 3: there would be no chance that you do make a

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Speaker 3: move like this. Those weren't his season numbers. And even

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Speaker 3: during that time, he was getting hit hard and and

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Speaker 3: he just he's a tight rope act every single time

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Speaker 3: he's out there. And the reality was I didn't realize this. Look, look,

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Speaker 3: there's more to this than just the performance on the field. Right.

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Speaker 3: I'll touch on that in a second, But but he

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Speaker 3: was like even during this hottest stretch, like from June

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Speaker 3: first on, like when the bullpen's been dominant, current guys

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Speaker 3: in the bullpen, I'm talking about guys that are still there,

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Speaker 3: that are in this bullpen. He was like seventh in

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Speaker 3: e R. That's how good this bullpen has been. It's

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Speaker 3: a deep group. I don't think anyone ever felt truly

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Speaker 3: comfortable with Hector Naris out there. And yes, was was

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Speaker 3: Craig Counsel putting him out there. In big moments. Absolutely,

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Speaker 3: I would go look at the players, especially lately, he

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Speaker 3: was faced. He was not facing the heart of the order.

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Speaker 3: Even against Toronto, did he ever face lad Junior. No,

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Speaker 3: that was usually Porter Hodge in big moments. I think

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Speaker 3: sometimes people focus on the ninth inning he was facing.

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Speaker 3: He wasn't always facing the heart of the order. He

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Speaker 3: was facing the bottom of the order oftentimes when he

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Speaker 3: came into the ninth inning council was trying to get

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Speaker 3: his best relievers against the best players some but he's

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Speaker 3: still had ners in big situations because I mean he

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Speaker 3: can handle that moment, you know, in a sense.

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Speaker 5: But this wasn't working. Obviously.

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Speaker 3: There's more to this with his option and them getting

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Speaker 3: out from under that he it won't vest or would

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Speaker 3: it become. It would have become a player option if

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Speaker 3: he got to sixty appearances fourteen appearances short, would have

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Speaker 3: been pretty tough to get there, but it was like right,

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Speaker 3: like if they had continued to use him like they had,

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Speaker 3: it would have been like fifty nine, you know.

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Speaker 1: And there's also, right the game's finished component and finishing

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Speaker 1: the season healthy, which he's been.

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Speaker 5: Always throughout his career.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, no, I mean.

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Speaker 1: It looks shady, like it's not something that I think

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Speaker 1: you can be like, oh, give the Cubs a ton

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Speaker 1: of credit on this one of Like it's it's a

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Speaker 1: little ichy, just you know, for a guy that you

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Speaker 1: targeted for his leadership ability as a guy who's kind

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Speaker 1: of revered by some of those young players in the

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Speaker 1: clubhouse guy who's accomplished a lot in this game. It's

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Speaker 1: something that I think the MLBPA would certainly review. I

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Speaker 1: don't know how much is how much there is there though,

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Speaker 1: when you look at any of the kind of under

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Speaker 1: the hood numbers here, like and also just kind of

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Speaker 1: that eye test or you know, gut feel you talking

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Speaker 1: about there of like they didn't feel comfortable when he

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Speaker 1: was on the mound, and like there would be almost

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Speaker 1: any other reliever on the current roster. They felt better

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Speaker 1: than in almost any situation. And so I think we'd

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Speaker 1: expect him to latch on to a contending team.

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Speaker 2: Everyone always needs both end help. You kind of get

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Speaker 2: him in your organization for basically nothing.

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Speaker 1: He has pitched in the biggest games. He's got a

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Speaker 1: World Series ring. You know he's going to be a

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Speaker 1: good dude when he walks in. And maybe it's just

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Speaker 1: as symbol as that of just find finding him a

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Speaker 1: good landing spot and moving on and kind of forgetting

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Speaker 1: about it. But it will be interesting to see like

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Speaker 1: how much or how little they continue to either shed

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Speaker 1: veteran players or just look harder or try harder to

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Speaker 1: create opportunities for for young guys in the last month

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Speaker 1: plus of the season.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that that certainly will be something we need to watch.

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Speaker 3: It doesn't seem like it's something they definitely want to

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Speaker 3: do right now, but we'll see if they If they

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Speaker 3: don't take care of business over the next two weeks,

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Speaker 3: it could make sense. I don't know, you know, I

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Speaker 3: think it would be more on the position player side,

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Speaker 3: right than I guess, you know, like there's there is

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Speaker 3: Jordan Wicks is gonna come back soon ish, maybe in

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Speaker 3: a ten days ish or be ready to come back, right,

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Speaker 3: We'll see how they maneuver that. That may not be

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Speaker 3: too complicated a thing to accomplish, So we'll see on that.

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Speaker 3: But there are players obviously that could get some burn

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Speaker 3: this season. I think the two most obvious are Kevin

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Speaker 3: Alcantra and Owen Casey. Didn't want playing time for these guys,

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Speaker 3: right o Contra is already on the forty man Casey

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Speaker 3: needs to be after the season, right, So those too

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Speaker 3: are obvious. We'll see on Like Biasteros, we'll see what happens.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, you could go either way.

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Speaker 3: You could say, like it makes more sense to bring

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Speaker 3: up Bia Stairs if they're contending right as a lefty

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Speaker 3: bat that they want and to force him onto the

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Speaker 3: forty man. So so I could see the argument either way.

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Speaker 3: It's like, oh no, they're out of it, call them

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Speaker 3: up and get get them as much playing time. Well,

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Speaker 3: we'll see how that plays out. I think it's interesting

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Speaker 3: just how good this bullpen looks. And I think now

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Speaker 3: looking at it, like I really took a look at it. Yes,

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Speaker 3: I know there's been individual performances. Porter Hodge has been great,

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Speaker 3: Jorge Lopez hit like I'm just like watching him pitch

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Speaker 3: and then seeing this stuff sometimes I'm just.

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Speaker 5: Like, wait, this guy was released.

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Speaker 3: I understand there's that was a complicated situation with the Mets,

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Speaker 3: but wow, what like this guy isn't just like a

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Speaker 3: situational reliever for this team, Like he's throwing ninety seven

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Speaker 3: with good breaking stuff and and pitching the eighth or

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Speaker 3: ninth inning and he'll face it like he'll come in

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Speaker 3: against their best. Like two of their key relievers were

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Speaker 3: picked up off the scrap heep and Lopez and Tyson Miller,

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Speaker 3: and Miller's like they're firemen. Essentially, you get a runner

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Speaker 3: on or a runner or two on and there's a

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Speaker 3: riety coming up called Tyson Miller. In this this bullpen

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Speaker 3: looks really good. And I know people are going to

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Speaker 3: look at the save stats, the blown save SATs and

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Speaker 3: say it's an issue.

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Speaker 5: Listen, it was.

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Speaker 3: It was an issue for April and May, and there

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Speaker 3: were moments even in June and July where it was

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Speaker 3: it was like, oh, Wolf, you know, should cause problems.

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Speaker 3: But that happens in general. There will be moments. It's

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Speaker 3: hard for a bullpen to be perfect, but I think

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Speaker 3: it it. You know, it's a strength of this team suddenly,

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Speaker 3: and with with Hodge, I think Tyson Miller is under

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Speaker 3: contract for next year, right like almost certainly Jorge Lopez

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Speaker 3: for a while, yeah, yeah, yeah, and then Hoory Lopez isn't.

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Speaker 3: But I think he's done enough for them to at

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Speaker 3: least be intrigued. He's very comfortable with this game. He

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Speaker 3: has a history with a lot of people in the org.

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Speaker 1: Uh.

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Speaker 3: I'm curious if they try and bring him back. I'm

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Speaker 3: missing other guys that have been really good. Drew Smiley's

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Speaker 3: been great. I know he's a free agent, unlikely he

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Speaker 3: comes back, but you know, this this bullpen is kind

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Speaker 3: of set up to to be. You know, they can

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Speaker 3: they can make some moves, add some veterans if they

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Speaker 3: want to in the offseason. But there's some young guys

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Speaker 3: suddenly with Hodge. I'm really curious to see what Neely does.

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Speaker 3: He's got this what they call a splider because it's

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Speaker 3: a slider that sometimes has that that sometimes has armside action.

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Speaker 3: That's what his bullpen coach in Iowa or bullpen catcher

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Speaker 3: in Iowa decided to call it, because it's a slider

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Speaker 3: that moves like a splitter at times. Neely said that,

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Speaker 3: you know, it sometimes moves like a traditional slider. Sometimes

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Speaker 3: it suddenly has arm action. That's his that's his go

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Speaker 3: to pitch. And I think the dude at a fifty

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Speaker 3: two strikeout rate at Triple A with the Cubs, you know,

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Speaker 3: six and two thirds innings, but still.

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Speaker 2: Know where it's gone.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was working, That's all I know.

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Speaker 3: And he throws in the mid to upper nineties with

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Speaker 3: a fastball.

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Speaker 5: Uh, he's a reliever. So we'll see where these young arms.

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Speaker 3: They finally have some some stuff too, you know what

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Speaker 3: I mean, they have stuff in the bullpen. They have

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Speaker 3: guys that can pitch. Well, we'll see what it leads to.

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Speaker 3: But I think that's an interesting part of the team.

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Speaker 3: You have to be careful with this. You have to

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Speaker 3: be careful with bullpens. We've seen guys come up perform

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Speaker 3: for three months and then the next year they're nothing

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Speaker 3: like that, or they get hurt or whatever it is.

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Speaker 3: But with those guys and then Mary, yeah, I know

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Speaker 3: he hasn't been perfect, but he's just kind of ramping

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Speaker 3: back up right now. There's a lot of guys in

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Speaker 3: this bullpen that you're like, Okay, you can keep them

427
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Speaker 3: for next year, and suddenly you don't have to spend

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Speaker 3: fifteen million to get like the top of the market reliever,

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Speaker 3: not that they'd ever do that.

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Speaker 1: You're reading my mind, sigh, But I was just about

431
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Speaker 1: to jump in there and be like, what does Jed

432
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Speaker 1: always say the worst time to evaluate players is spring

433
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Speaker 1: training in September? And I feel like there's very much

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Speaker 1: a risk for the Cups talking themselves into like, hey,

435
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:38,000
Speaker 1: we figured out the bullpen, and my offense might clean

436
00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:42,399
Speaker 1: up against some really bad pitching staffs in September, and

437
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,200
Speaker 1: oh hey, Jordan Wicks came back and made two starts,

438
00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:50,440
Speaker 1: Like maybe I don't know, I have a feeling that

439
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,400
Speaker 1: Craig Counsel's not going to let a lot of that stand.

440
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:55,639
Speaker 1: That he will be very much.

441
00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:01,080
Speaker 4: Reasonable and patient and willing to listen.

442
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,480
Speaker 1: But I think there's a huge danger in that this

443
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:10,320
Speaker 1: like false sense of security that it sometimes feels like

444
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,360
Speaker 1: feels like the Cubs create of you know, well, our infrastructure. Oh,

445
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,679
Speaker 1: I mean we got sweepers and spiders and splinker whatever,

446
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:22,320
Speaker 1: you know, but you know, the the old the Cubs

447
00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:26,920
Speaker 1: always throw no hitters in the pitch lab and you

448
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,840
Speaker 1: got to figure out how to you know, you know,

449
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,960
Speaker 1: make I think our buddy Jesse Rodgers mentioned this on

450
00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:36,800
Speaker 1: Twitter of like, yeah, the overall numbers are pretty good,

451
00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,879
Speaker 1: but like, look at it in high legge have they

452
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,480
Speaker 1: made the pitches when they had to, And like when

453
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,640
Speaker 1: you look at the amount of one run game save loss,

454
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,720
Speaker 1: when you look at a sub five hundred record, it's

455
00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:50,879
Speaker 1: like no doubt they are good at that kind of

456
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,160
Speaker 1: process of piecing things together and on the fly. I'm

457
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,919
Speaker 1: not saying it's nothing like obviously that's good, but like

458
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:01,560
Speaker 1: there's a difference between like being competent and better than

459
00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:04,840
Speaker 1: teams like you know, the White Sox and the Rockies

460
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:09,879
Speaker 1: and then there's also that doesn't make you a playoff contender,

461
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:14,120
Speaker 1: and that to me is gonna be the interesting part

462
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:16,960
Speaker 1: of like when are they going to let the kids play?

463
00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:20,359
Speaker 1: Let the kids play now that there's that many spots.

464
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,000
Speaker 1: But you know, Naris wasn't perfect, But if the Cubs

465
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,639
Speaker 1: were winning and he was a little better, that's not

466
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,040
Speaker 1: a guy that you just get rid of, right, I

467
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:35,879
Speaker 1: mean they like that's kind of the nature of relievers,

468
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,840
Speaker 1: and I get that, but uh, I think there would

469
00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:41,840
Speaker 1: have been a they would have exercised a little more

470
00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:47,879
Speaker 1: caution of right of like what if basically what happened

471
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:49,760
Speaker 1: last year? What if all of our what if all

472
00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 1: of their best relievers like go down at once? You'd

473
00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:59,840
Speaker 1: probably want hector Naris around or you would be be

474
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,879
Speaker 1: a little more concerned about how is this going to

475
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:09,240
Speaker 1: play in the clubhouse? And like if Neely was so good,

476
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,160
Speaker 1: wouldn't he be like pitching at Yankee Stadium right now?

477
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:17,080
Speaker 1: I don't know, It's I do think we are going

478
00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,640
Speaker 1: to learn a lot over these last you know, month month,

479
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,000
Speaker 1: this last month or so, Like I think just by

480
00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,199
Speaker 1: the by their actions, how people per form, how they

481
00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:30,080
Speaker 1: kind of process this, we'll be interesting.

482
00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:32,639
Speaker 5: Yes, and I agree with you.

483
00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,879
Speaker 3: I think there's this isn't like full on waving the

484
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,000
Speaker 3: white flag.

485
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:42,040
Speaker 5: But it it's a precursor if this next.

486
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:43,800
Speaker 2: It is kind of taking it out of the drawer

487
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,080
Speaker 2: and just kind of leaving the white.

488
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:46,680
Speaker 5: Yeah, in case you want to rease.

489
00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,959
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's like okay, because it I mean, I do

490
00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:54,760
Speaker 3: understand like you, everything you said is right about like

491
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,640
Speaker 3: why you wouldn't release nears right in if they were

492
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,760
Speaker 3: fully contending. But I also think like there's plenty of

493
00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:07,560
Speaker 3: reasons why you would in this kind of like borderline situation,

494
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,520
Speaker 3: you know, like it because it's this borderline situation. Then

495
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,240
Speaker 3: you add in the financial component, which they'll never say

496
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:19,159
Speaker 3: is is a factor, which absolutely is a factor. It

497
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,600
Speaker 3: makes sense. Like I think it's like, like we said before,

498
00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:24,560
Speaker 3: I don't I don't like it. I don't like that

499
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,719
Speaker 3: that teams do this stuff, but it's the reality of it.

500
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,159
Speaker 3: They they're they guaranteed, they just freed up nine million

501
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,320
Speaker 3: for next season, so that makes sense for them.

502
00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:37,320
Speaker 2: I wish we could.

503
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,840
Speaker 1: Show readers Jed's face when you asked, Hey, how did

504
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:48,320
Speaker 1: Nerris's potential vesting player option for next season factor into it?

505
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:54,320
Speaker 1: It was this quick, quick head nod, headshake, sort of

506
00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,280
Speaker 1: a cringe kind of his lips curled up and then

507
00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,400
Speaker 1: just looked away for the next question.

508
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,120
Speaker 2: I think you've got one no.

509
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:07,920
Speaker 4: The record file away just in case immediately.

510
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:13,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a it was a quick no with

511
00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:18,480
Speaker 3: the headshake. Jesse Rogers does a good impersonation of it, so.

512
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,560
Speaker 5: Uh, yeah, it will you know that.

513
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 3: That's It's just how baseball is nowadays. It's not rare

514
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,000
Speaker 3: to see stuff like that. It doesn't feel good, but

515
00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:29,520
Speaker 3: it is.

516
00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:29,920
Speaker 2: Yeah.

517
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 3: I think these next next six weeks or whatever we're

518
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,520
Speaker 3: at now, how they handle this, what they do, It's

519
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,720
Speaker 3: got a lot is gonna be about how they perform, right,

520
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:45,840
Speaker 3: Like I was talking to to someone about this and

521
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,719
Speaker 3: I was like, well, you know, if you lose you know,

522
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:52,760
Speaker 3: seven of eight here when you should be winning, uh,

523
00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,960
Speaker 3: that kind of changes you're thinking And they were like absolutely.

524
00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,800
Speaker 3: I was like, how much like you guys pay attention

525
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:05,360
Speaker 3: to these playoff odds so much? But like what happens

526
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,760
Speaker 3: if you win eight in a row, and it was

527
00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,440
Speaker 3: pointing out, well, your playoff odds go to thirty percent probably,

528
00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:17,440
Speaker 3: so you know, the thinking changes absolutely, so so yeah,

529
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:26,440
Speaker 3: this next week. These next two weeks Tigers, Marlin's, Pirates, Nationals, right,

530
00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:31,239
Speaker 3: and then Pirates again. That's that's the season that that

531
00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,920
Speaker 3: tells us how how they perform on the field will

532
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 3: tell us a lot, and then their actions as these

533
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,560
Speaker 3: things unfold the front office will tell us a lot, right,

534
00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,440
Speaker 3: and what direction they're going, what they're trying to figure

535
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,920
Speaker 3: out for twenty twenty five. This was a move with

536
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,040
Speaker 3: I think they justify it. They justify it to us

537
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:56,320
Speaker 3: as like I thought one of player's quotes that you know,

538
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,800
Speaker 3: it kind of got overlooked, and I get why it was.

539
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:02,880
Speaker 3: This is a lot like this move is like how

540
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:05,280
Speaker 3: they handle the deadline. Yeah, could it helped for twenty

541
00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,280
Speaker 3: twenty four, sure, probably maybe, but it's also like, this

542
00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:11,400
Speaker 3: is a move for twenty twenty five and beyond, and

543
00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,880
Speaker 3: councils said as much at one point, nearly could be

544
00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:19,040
Speaker 3: better than Hector Nairis this season, right, he could be,

545
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:23,840
Speaker 3: but mainly mainly this is to see if he can

546
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:25,880
Speaker 3: help the team in twenty twenty five and beyond.

547
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:26,720
Speaker 5: And that's what.

548
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,040
Speaker 3: That's what most of these moves were. They just weren't

549
00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,760
Speaker 3: going to make moves with twenty twenty four solely in mind.

550
00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,360
Speaker 3: But we'll see if they can be better for twenty

551
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:41,200
Speaker 3: twenty four. They don't instill a lot of confidence just

552
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,280
Speaker 3: because they can't, you know, rattle off eight wins in

553
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,000
Speaker 3: a row. They haven't done it. So I'm hesitant to

554
00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:50,400
Speaker 3: be like, hey, look at this. You know, the reality

555
00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,200
Speaker 3: is they're playing such poor teams, and you watch these

556
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:55,800
Speaker 3: teams and you're like, yeah, okay, they can win eight

557
00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:58,160
Speaker 3: in a row, but they still haven't. They still lose

558
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,440
Speaker 3: one nothing to the Toronto Blue Jays.

559
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:02,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was a crusher.

560
00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:03,719
Speaker 5: Yeah.

561
00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:07,000
Speaker 3: The player player of the week though in the a

562
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:12,120
Speaker 3: l uh that was Bowden Bowden Francis. However his name is?

563
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,120
Speaker 2: I was, I kept googling that guy, what's his name? Like,

564
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:18,840
Speaker 2: is he you know?

565
00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,000
Speaker 1: Is is he a name that prospects nerds are all

566
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,280
Speaker 1: over that I should be aware of?

567
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,560
Speaker 2: And then I looked at his reference page.

568
00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,000
Speaker 1: I was like, he's kind of been ave, been an

569
00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,760
Speaker 1: up and down guy for a while and just absolutely

570
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:33,760
Speaker 1: dominating the Cups.

571
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,200
Speaker 2: At Wrigley Field. So yeah, I mean.

572
00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:43,880
Speaker 1: Outside of the Yankees coming Wrigley Field and then the

573
00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:48,240
Speaker 1: Cups doone out to Dodger Stadium, those six games, those

574
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:53,240
Speaker 1: might be the only games that really uh have kind

575
00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,640
Speaker 1: of like playoff race integrity at stake. I know they

576
00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,640
Speaker 1: go to Philadelphia towards the end of the year, but

577
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:01,400
Speaker 1: maybe things will.

578
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:02,360
Speaker 2: Wrapped up by them.

579
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:05,320
Speaker 1: I mean, who knows in terms of what the Phillies

580
00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:11,360
Speaker 1: would still have to play for. But that I think

581
00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:13,440
Speaker 1: would be part of it too, of just you know,

582
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:20,040
Speaker 1: letting seeing what you have and making some decisions and counsel.

583
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,240
Speaker 1: You know, We'll say has been pretty consistent going back,

584
00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:27,680
Speaker 1: you know, weeks several weeks probably before the trade deadline,

585
00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:31,000
Speaker 1: of saying just because you trade away a veteran player

586
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,120
Speaker 1: and bring up a young player does not mean you

587
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:36,520
Speaker 1: are incorporating a lesser player. That was part of his

588
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:40,000
Speaker 1: whole gray area thing that, you know, kind of a

589
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:44,600
Speaker 1: theme that emerged gradually over the summer of how he

590
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,960
Speaker 1: feels like it's a lot more nuanced than just buyer

591
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:53,040
Speaker 1: seller and it's not just veteran and unknown that you know,

592
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:57,520
Speaker 1: he is very much willing to work with unproven young talent,

593
00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:03,320
Speaker 1: and he very much has the future in mind as well.

594
00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:08,880
Speaker 1: And so how that plays out we don't know exactly.

595
00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:11,760
Speaker 1: I think we will find out shortly after the season.

596
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:15,120
Speaker 1: You know, and as we get into the off season

597
00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:17,560
Speaker 1: of like what council really wants and what he really

598
00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:21,640
Speaker 1: thinks of this organization. But for now, we're seeing these

599
00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:26,960
Speaker 1: kind of smaller moves that taken together, whether it's the

600
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,680
Speaker 1: greatest trade, the lighter trade than nearest goodbye.

601
00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:34,520
Speaker 2: It has shown us a lot about what the Cubs

602
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:35,280
Speaker 2: and what they're thinking.

603
00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:40,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I'm almost more interested in that council stuff.

604
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:42,919
Speaker 3: He was just talking about how what kind of sort

605
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:46,520
Speaker 3: of things he's going to adjust come whatever it is

606
00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:51,359
Speaker 3: October or later. That's going to be fascinating and I'm

607
00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:53,439
Speaker 3: looking forward to breaking all that stuff down.

608
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:55,080
Speaker 5: Yeah.

609
00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:58,959
Speaker 3: So the Cubs have two more against Detroit. We will

610
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:06,520
Speaker 3: be back for or an episode for Friday, I believe, right. Yeah, yeah, Well,

611
00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:10,320
Speaker 3: we'll get some of your questions subs, fans airing of grievances.

612
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,319
Speaker 3: We'll see if it's an airing of grievances or how

613
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,280
Speaker 3: how fans are feeling. Maybe maybe the Cubs will finally

614
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,360
Speaker 3: swept the Tigers. I'm not I'm not gonna pull my breath,

615
00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,840
Speaker 3: but we'll see where they're at and how fans are reacting.

616
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:24,600
Speaker 5: Well, we'll take the.

617
00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,279
Speaker 3: Pulse of the fan base. Thanks for listening everyone, This

618
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:31,960
Speaker 3: is Northside Territory. Make sure to subscribe, rate reviews. Subscribe

619
00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:33,600
Speaker 3: to the YouTube clip page.

620
00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:34,080
Speaker 5: That would be great.

621
00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,799
Speaker 3: Subscribe to The Athletic where you can read Patrick and

622
00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:40,760
Speaker 3: I work on the cubs. We'll be back at this shortly.

623
00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:42,480
Speaker 3: Thanks for listening. Take care,