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Speaker 1: He's not that MVP guy right now. I don't know

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Speaker 1: if he'll ever be that guy again. Welcome into North

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Speaker 1: Side Territory Foul Territory Networks Cubs podcast. I'm Sahad Sharma.

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Speaker 1: Patrick Mooney is on his way to Los Angeles, so

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Speaker 1: for this episode it's me and the folks over at

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Speaker 1: Dodgers Territory. I join their show to talk a little

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Speaker 1: bit about the Dodgers Cubs upcoming three game set. We

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Speaker 1: touch on the Cubs struggles of late on offense. After

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Speaker 1: a tour in August, the offense has completely fallen apart

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Speaker 1: yet again, We'll see if things change when they get

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Speaker 1: on the road, because for some reason, this team is

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Speaker 1: much better on the road than they are at home.

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Speaker 1: For the last few months, that's kind of been what's

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Speaker 1: been going on as far as offense goes. We also

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Speaker 1: touch base on the big Yamamoto versus Imana, a pitching

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Speaker 1: matchup that will happen on Tuesday, Cody Bellinger and his performance,

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Speaker 1: and just in general, the Cubs chances with the playoffs,

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Speaker 1: which if you're listening to this podcast you likely know

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Speaker 1: not that high two and four homestand backing up that

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Speaker 1: eight to one road trip was not what this team

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Speaker 1: lead it needed. So yeah, disappointing homestand for sure, Patrick

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Speaker 1: and I will be back at it in the middle

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Speaker 1: of the week, likely after a couple of those Dodgers'

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Speaker 1: games have been played. So take a listen, here's me

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Speaker 1: with the folks over at Dodgers Territory.

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Speaker 2: All right, let's welcome in our friends, the Hat of Sharma,

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Speaker 2: who does a tremendous job as a co host of

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Speaker 2: North Side Territory. He covers the Chicago Cubs brilliantly and

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Speaker 2: he joins us. Now, of course, the Cubs and the

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Speaker 2: Dodgers starting a three game series at Chavez Ravine, So

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Speaker 2: so hot of welcome. We appreciate you being on here.

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Speaker 2: Why are you looking forward to as far as the

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Speaker 2: next three games? What do you need to see from

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Speaker 2: the Cubs? Two teams going in very different directions at

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Speaker 2: this point in the season.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's it's their offense, which disappeared at

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Speaker 1: home after having an amazing month of August, a great

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Speaker 1: eight and one road trip where the offense carried the

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Speaker 1: team for the most part. I mean, the pitching was strong,

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Speaker 1: but the offense every single game showed up and that

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Speaker 1: that led to an eight and one trip. All of

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Speaker 1: a sudden, it disappeared and they went two and four

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Speaker 1: at home, shut out three times, once by the Pirates

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Speaker 1: and Paul Skeins, which is, you know, understandable, But then

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Speaker 1: Luis gil And and Clark Schmidt shut them out on

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Speaker 1: Friday and Saturday. It just eight hits total against the

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Speaker 1: Yankees in a three game set. The two runs they

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Speaker 1: scored on Sunday to win that game came after a

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Speaker 1: two out air, so they just the offense just is confounding.

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Speaker 1: After scoring the six most runs Jed Hoyer will tell

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Speaker 1: you that the sixth most runs last season. They just

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Speaker 1: have not been consistent this year. Terrible Maine June, and

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Speaker 1: now all of a sudden September. They're starting September in

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Speaker 1: the complete opposite direction of August. It's it's hard to

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Speaker 1: figure out, so we'll.

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Speaker 3: See how they do.

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Speaker 1: It. Also is kind of confounding to look at the

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Speaker 1: home road splits. This team doesn't hit at home at Wriglely.

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Speaker 1: They crushed the ball on the road June, July, August,

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Speaker 1: or I guess July and August they're much better on

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Speaker 1: the road than at home. I'm not sure what that is.

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Speaker 1: It's kind of odd. It's been blowing in a lot

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Speaker 1: at Wrigley, But that's what's to watch. See how they

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Speaker 1: do on offense, if they can hit on the road again.

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Speaker 4: You know we're talking offense, got to talk pitching. One

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Speaker 4: guy you mentioned, consistency, guy who's probably been that most

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Speaker 4: consistent starter, has showed to Ibanaga, Mike, if you're nasty.

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Speaker 4: Of course we get a marquee matchup for baseball, and

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Speaker 4: of course fans in Japan tomorrow yoshnob Yamamoto stet to

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Speaker 4: be activated to face his former team Japan teammates showed

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Speaker 4: to Imanaga. It's marquee matchups. Some might be saying, what

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Speaker 4: are you looking forward to in that? And how how

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Speaker 4: are people in Chicago, you know, prepping for that series?

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Speaker 3: And you know, what's what's the pulse?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Yamamoto, I'm curious to see. Obviously, we haven't seen

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Speaker 1: much of him in a while. He's just coming back,

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Speaker 1: so I don't know how long he's gonna go, how

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Speaker 1: deep heel go. I guess we'll figure that out tomorrow night.

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Speaker 1: But I'm Showta's just been brilliant, just calm on the mound.

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Speaker 1: If he has a bad outing, it's not back to

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Speaker 1: back back bad outings. He bounces back right away. He

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Speaker 1: faced this lineup once and I believe the rain shortened

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Speaker 1: the outing to only four innings.

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Speaker 3: Uh And, and he did really well.

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Speaker 1: He did really well against obviously a very talented Dodgers lineup.

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Speaker 1: I was I really wanted to see what more he

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Speaker 1: could do. I wish that rain didn't come because I

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Speaker 1: wanted to see him a third time through that lineup.

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Speaker 3: I wanted to see what he could do. But he

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Speaker 3: that was early on in the season.

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Speaker 1: He's he's shown enough that I don't have very many

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Speaker 1: questions about what Showda Monaga can do. He's a He's

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Speaker 1: a very good big league pitcher. There's there's no more debate.

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Speaker 1: I think it was a couple of months ago someone

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Speaker 1: asked Craig Counsel, like, what is what is Showda of

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Speaker 1: Monaga need to prove to you right now? And he said,

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Speaker 1: he's got nothing to prove. He's he's done it. He's

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Speaker 1: he's shown me what he can be. He's like I,

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Speaker 1: I think he was really underrated. The Cubs deserve a

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Speaker 1: lot of credit for getting this guy. Uh. The fastball

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Speaker 1: isn't gonna blow you away with the velocity, but it

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Speaker 1: comes up on hitters and he kind of tricks him

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Speaker 1: with that vertical approach angle. He's got a really good

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Speaker 1: splitter and that's it, and Council set it the other day.

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Speaker 1: He's not trying to trick you out there. You know

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Speaker 1: what's coming. It's it's mostly the fastball and the splitter.

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Speaker 1: That's what it's gonna be. He's a North South guy.

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Speaker 1: He doesn't need to try and do too much. A

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Speaker 1: lot of questions about whether that fastball would struggle as

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Speaker 1: a summer as it got hotter, and will he still

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Speaker 1: get the rise on the fastball, He was fine. I

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Speaker 1: believe it's a sub three r right now, top ten

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Speaker 1: in baseball as far as the era goes. I mean,

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Speaker 1: he's just he's a great pitcher. He deserves all the

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Speaker 1: credit in the world for adjusting throughout the season. And

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Speaker 1: he's really smart due it's not just the pitching. It's

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Speaker 1: you know, batter to batter, pitch to pitch, the way

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Speaker 1: he goes through a lineup, the way he studies for

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Speaker 1: a lineup, the defense he plays, the confidence he instills

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Speaker 1: in others around him while he's on the mouth. It's

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Speaker 1: been impressive to watch.

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Speaker 2: Other than those two starts that were clunkers, he's looked

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Speaker 2: really good. And you had mentioned the adjustments the hot

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Speaker 2: of that he's made throughout the season. How do you

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Speaker 2: think he will take that approach against the Dodgers Superstars.

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Speaker 2: I mean they have a very lengthy, deep lineup, a

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Speaker 2: lot of MVPs in that lineup. Is it that same

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Speaker 2: approach that he needs to have.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't think he's going to try and do

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Speaker 1: anything different right now. He counsels kind of hammered that

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Speaker 1: home to us, like stop stop asking what what? What's

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Speaker 1: he's gonna change? He's not. It's working, so so there's

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Speaker 1: no need to Uh, there's no need to change anything.

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Speaker 3: He's he's made that clear to us.

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Speaker 1: You know, he's got a really nice sweeper that he

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Speaker 1: doesn't break out that often. If he is, he is

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Speaker 1: willing to break out other pitches if something if he

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Speaker 1: feels like something's not working, but it's it really is

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Speaker 1: leaning on the on the fastball and the splitter. And

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Speaker 1: and he noticed sometime around a little after the All

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Speaker 1: Star break that the splitter was really feeling good and

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Speaker 1: really fooling hitters, so he's he's lean. That's been more

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Speaker 1: of a swing and miss pitch lately than the more

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Speaker 1: than the fastball was early on in the season. I

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Speaker 1: I am a little surprised that he hasn't broken out

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Speaker 1: the other pitches as much, but you know, I guess

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Speaker 1: that's that's just how it works, right, you know, if

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Speaker 1: if this is working, why mess with it? But like

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Speaker 1: I said, I do believe he's got that ability to adjust.

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Speaker 1: So uh, pitchers are scouts really liked his sweeper, They

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Speaker 1: like the curve ball. They believe these are pitches that

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Speaker 1: are major league caliber. So if he gets in trouble,

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Speaker 1: he's not afraid to go to those. And I think

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Speaker 1: sometimes we forget that this guy's thirty years old, he's

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Speaker 1: a veteran, he pitched a long time in Japan. He's

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Speaker 1: not overwhelmed by these moments. So he isn't afraid to

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Speaker 1: go to different pitches, isn't He's not going to overthink

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Speaker 1: one difficult situation on the mound. You know, if Mookie

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Speaker 1: Bets gets on and he's facing sho hey Otani, he's

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Speaker 1: not going to overthink the situation and suddenly unravel just

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Speaker 1: because it's a really tough lineup, and obviously it is.

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Speaker 1: It's a very difficult lineup to navigate, but he showed,

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Speaker 1: he showed for four innings that he could do it.

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Speaker 1: I'd like to see him go through that lineup a

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Speaker 1: few times, see how he handles it the second time around.

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Speaker 2: Sharma of The Athletic, The Scubs, writer for The Athletic,

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Speaker 2: and co host of Northside Territory right here on the

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Speaker 2: Foul Territory platform does a great job covering the Cubbies.

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Speaker 2: Cody Bellinger returning to Dodger Stadium, and I think since

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Speaker 2: his MVP season he's been a completely different guy. In

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Speaker 2: your estimation, did the Dodgers get the best Cody Bellinger

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Speaker 2: has to offer?

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Speaker 1: I mean it looks that way. I I don't know

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Speaker 1: how he's going to return to that player. Last year

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Speaker 1: was a really nice bounce back year after struggling and

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Speaker 1: looking like his career had completely gone after Track it

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Speaker 1: was he's I know, he made the right adjustments the Cubs.

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Speaker 1: I think he needed a reset to kind of get

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Speaker 1: out of LA. He was constantly under the microscope. That's

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Speaker 1: where he won the MVP. So that's where he like

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Speaker 1: he had to be an MVP guy to to like

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Speaker 1: live up to those standards, right, He couldn't he couldn't

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Speaker 1: be anything less than that. And I think he was

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Speaker 1: also tinkering a lot and making a lot of adjustments

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Speaker 1: to try and find that guy. Last year, the focus

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Speaker 1: was very simple, just a couple of things with his

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Speaker 1: back hip and his hands.

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Speaker 3: Uh, he's stuck with it. It worked.

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Speaker 1: I think he had a little good luck last year too.

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Speaker 1: He wasn't as good as the result said he was.

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Speaker 1: This year, I think it's a little bit more in

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Speaker 1: line with the type of player. He is, just slightly

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Speaker 1: above average offensively versatile on defense. You know, I think

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Speaker 1: what stood out this year is the drop in power.

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Speaker 1: There's just no consistent slug from him. This season. He's

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Speaker 1: he doesn't strike out, he walks a decent amount. I

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Speaker 1: think that's that's really valuable. He's going to put the

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Speaker 1: ball in play. Last year he was finding grass a

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Speaker 1: little bit more. This season, you know, it just isn't

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Speaker 1: happening as often, and he's there were times I talked

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Speaker 1: about the wind at Wrigley. It has played very odd

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Speaker 1: this season, almost always blowing in. I think last year

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Speaker 1: he caught a couple of breaks where he'd hit a

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Speaker 1: ball and he'd barely get into the basket, and that

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Speaker 1: probably inflated some of his slug numbers. I think it's not.

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Speaker 1: I don't want to make it sound like I'm being

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Speaker 1: overly critical of him. He had a really good season

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Speaker 1: last year and he's having a solid season this year,

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Speaker 1: I think, and I even I think it's borderline of

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Speaker 1: whether he opts out or not. Like it's not like

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Speaker 1: it's obvious that he's not going to opt out. I

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Speaker 1: think some people assume he won't. I don't think that's

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Speaker 1: the case. I think it's kind of borderline right now.

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Speaker 1: But he's not having an MVP season. He played like

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Speaker 1: an MVP at times last year if you would have

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Speaker 1: played a full season. Jed Hoyer said this recently. That's

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Speaker 1: the big thing that the difference between this offense right

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Speaker 1: now is they don't have the Cody Bellinger that they

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Speaker 1: had last year, the guy that if others were slumping,

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Speaker 1: he could carry the team drive in that big run.

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Speaker 1: It seemed like every single time he came up to

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Speaker 1: bat and there were runners in scoring position last year

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Speaker 1: and it was a critical situation, he would come through.

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Speaker 1: That happened so often last year. What crushed them was

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Speaker 1: he was out for a month plus. Last year's He's

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Speaker 1: played through broken ribs and I believe a crack in

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Speaker 1: his finger, So he's doing that. He's playing through injuries

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Speaker 1: this season. You got to give him a ton of

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Speaker 1: credit for that. But he's not that MVP guy right now.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if he'll ever be that guy. And

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Speaker 1: it's hard to it's hard to get back to those heights.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Dodgers fans will tell you very much.

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Speaker 4: They know very well waiting on Cody, waiting on Cody

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Speaker 4: to kind of figure some things out and didn't end

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Speaker 4: up coming back for them. You mentioned the opt out.

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Speaker 4: Of course, some are saying Scott Boris on his revenge

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Speaker 4: tour right now gets a butt ton of money for

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Speaker 4: Matt Chapman in an extension. I think Cody and and

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Speaker 4: Boris or one thousand percent gonna opt out, because why

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Speaker 4: would you not. The the market's not flush with a

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Speaker 4: lot of people who can play center, play right, play

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Speaker 4: first base.

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Speaker 3: What's the pulse there in Chicago?

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Speaker 4: Do do you think there's a chance there could be

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Speaker 4: a new long term deal for a Cody Bellinger there

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Speaker 4: or could there be another.

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Speaker 3: Team that swoops in in the off season.

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Speaker 1: I'd be very surprised if there's a long term deal.

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Speaker 1: If they if they just kind of get rid of

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Speaker 1: the final two years of this, you know, opt out,

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Speaker 1: opt in, and and just sign him to an extension.

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Speaker 1: I don't think that's the direction this front office is going.

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Speaker 1: I think, you know, I think it makes sense. I

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Speaker 1: think you kind of laid it out right there that there.

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Speaker 1: This market isn't crazy. There aren't a ton of free agents.

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Speaker 1: You look at Juan Soto and then there's a big drop. Offensively,

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Speaker 1: there's guys like Alex Spragman, Anthony sant Andre, you know,

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Speaker 1: nobody that kind of says like, well, you know what

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Speaker 1: kind of market is Cody Bellinger gonna have? He basically

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Speaker 1: needs to beat sixty million dollars guaranteed. I don't think

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Speaker 1: that would be impossible for him to do because if

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Speaker 1: he opts out, it's going to be around he loses

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Speaker 1: out on about thirty million for next year, well less

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Speaker 1: than that because of the because he's I think it's

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Speaker 1: a two point five million dollars that he gets for

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Speaker 1: the opt out right they have to pay him, so

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Speaker 1: so it's a he's It just makes sense. It's what

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Speaker 1: Boris is gonna likely recommend. I think they'll push it

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Speaker 1: as what I what I talked about with the injuries.

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Speaker 1: They'll say, look, he played through these injuries. He came

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Speaker 1: back early from the broken rib, he barely missed any

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Speaker 1: time with the broken finger. The power will come back,

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Speaker 1: They'll they'll they'll have a plan to kind of sell him.

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Speaker 1: And like I said, I don't think he's gonna get

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Speaker 1: like two hundred million, maybe probably not even one hundred

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Speaker 1: and fifty million. But I don't think it's hard for

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Speaker 1: him to get, you know, eighty million, one hundred million.

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Speaker 1: That's just teams need offense, and they need and they'd

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Speaker 1: love to have a versa little guy. I think there's

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Speaker 1: a situation where it makes sense for him to be

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Speaker 1: with the Cubs, but I don't think it's I don't

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Speaker 1: unless he opts in. I don't see them re signing him,

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Speaker 1: not not to the type of deal that guarantees more

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Speaker 1: than what he'd he'd get with the optins.

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Speaker 2: So I'd have one question before we let you go,

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Speaker 2: is there a realistic path for your Cubs to get

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Speaker 2: into the postseason.

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Speaker 1: I mean, Craig Council has done this before where people

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Speaker 1: have written his teams off and he's managed to surprise everyone.

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Speaker 1: I think I think it went out the window. When

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Speaker 1: you lose two of three to the Pirates to start

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Speaker 1: at that homestand you win six in a row, eight

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Speaker 1: and one road trip and you and you can't, you know,

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Speaker 1: take two or three from the Pirates. That really hurts off.

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Speaker 1: Like I said, the offense disappeared. They have to get

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Speaker 1: red hot again. They got red hot, got ice cold

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Speaker 1: that have to nearly sweep through the Dodgers and the

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Speaker 1: and the Rockies and the Mets and Braves.

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Speaker 3: Have to get cold.

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Speaker 1: So is there a realistic No, I don't think it's

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Speaker 1: very realistic. I think you'd have to dream and be

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Speaker 1: the ultra optimist to see a path. Uh, They're they're

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Speaker 1: gonna likely. I mean there's a good shot that they

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Speaker 1: have a better record than last year. That's not going

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Speaker 1: to be enough this season. The Mets and Braves are

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Speaker 1: just playing too good a baseball.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it doesn't seem like they control their own destiny.

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Speaker 2: Sahata Sharma with the Athletic as well as on North

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Speaker 2: Side Territory, Thanks so much. We appreciate it all.

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Speaker 1: Right, Thanks so much to the folks over at Dodgers

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Speaker 1: Territory for having me. That was fun to join their show.

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Speaker 1: Thanks to all of you for listening. Make sure to rate, review, subscribe,

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Speaker 1: do all that good stuff for the podcast. Make sure

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Speaker 1: to subscribe to the YouTube channel that always helps us out.

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Speaker 1: Subscribe to The Athletic where Patrick will be on the

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Speaker 1: road for this entire road trip La and Colorado. I'll

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Speaker 1: be on the road for Philly and we'll be wrapping

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Speaker 1: up this season for you guys, and it's a big

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Speaker 1: off season. As you guys always know, it's big in

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Speaker 1: the off season, and this one feels extra critical for

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Speaker 1: Jet Hoyer and company. We'll talk more about that and

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Speaker 1: we'll be.

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Speaker 3: Writing plenty about it.

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Speaker 1: So make sure you're checking out The Athletic and listening

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Speaker 1: to this show.

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Speaker 3: We appreciate all of you for listening. Thanks so much.

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Speaker 3: Take care,