A Friday Cubs Check In With Media Drama

A longtime Cubs reporter accidentally fires off a tweet that was never meant for the public, and suddenly we’re not just talking about baseball. We dig into the Bruce Levine “Twinkle D/Twinkle Dumb” moment, why it’s so funny, and why it also taps into a real tension around Cubs media, Marquee Sports Network, and what fans expect from people who “cover” the team.

From there, we pull the camera back and get honest about how the info ecosystem actually works. Carl revisits his own Yu Darvish reporting fiasco, the kind of sourcing win that can still turn into instant internet jail if the timing goes sideways. It’s a perfect trade deadline backdrop, because the Cubs are good enough to make everyone desperate for answers, rumors, and accountability, even when the truth is messy.

Then we finally get on the field. We talk about the case for the Cubs as a legit top-five offense and top-tier defense, and what that could mean in a postseason series. We run “Ball Or Strike” on the Aaron Civale trade as a very Jed Hoyer move, debate whether Pete Crow-Armstrong is stacking one of the best all-around Cubs seasons in decades, and get real about how hard 40-40 becomes when September pressure hits. We also unpack Craig Counsell’s “just make the team better” comment and what it signals about urgency inside the building.

If you’re into Chicago Cubs analysis, MLB trade deadline talk, PCA hype, and the weird little off-field stories that tell you what’s really going on, this Friday drop is for you. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, share it with a Cubs friend, and leave a review so we can keep doing this every week.

Thanks for tuning in! 

- Carl & Mahoney

Transcript

Welcome Back And Friday Rules

SPEAKER_01 0:07

And we're clear. I love that sound so much. Good morning, good afternoon, and evening, Chicago Cubs fans, and welcome back to the Money Morning Cub Show. Today is Friday, July. I'm gonna take a stab here, Mahoney, is it 24th? We're shooting right now. It's Friday, July 24th.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

T G I F.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Don't be that's it. The algorithm is not gonna reward us for you singing stuff while the background music is playing. This is the Monday Morning Cub Show. It's Friday. Mahoney, this is Mahoney's rarely, we don't do Fridays. Uh wasn't here Monday. This is the Monday Morning Cub Show. Your host, Carl, obviously, as I've said his name half a dozen times to start the show, joined by Mahoney here talking about the Chicago Cubs. This is available on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts only, an exclusive audio-only Chicago Cubs podcast. You guys can subscribe to it, you can rate it, you can review it, you can share it. Um, you know, this is classic Carl being long-winded off the top when he is so delighted to be joined by Mahoney. And most importantly, you know, a lot of people miss you Monday, myself most at the top, number one at the list. I fucked up, Mahoney. I'm sorry I missed you Monday. I could not have bombed scheduling any worse.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Carl, it happens, it's no big deal whatsoever, no biggie, as I like to say. And we like to move forward. I like to keep the cadence going so that the maniacs at least get a taste for a Friday episode. And hey, it's a pleasure doing something a little bit different today. T G, uh, F.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Now all right, you get six more of those. All right, I'm gonna put you out, I'm gonna put you on a clock. How you use them is up to you. Just you can't use more than three in a row. Like it's fair enough. If you do a bit, stick middle of I'm sitting here talking about Jameis and Tanz cutter usage, and you start you rapid fire me on that, we could lose we could lose our sponsor.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Fair enough, fair enough. But I do think that it wasn't a way the universe allowing you to dive deep into that trade deadline philosophy on Monday, you know, when we couldn't cross paths and just scheduling that concept, it's no big deal, don't worry about it whatsoever. So we'll set the stage here. Check out Monday's episode if you want to get deep into trade deadline philosophy. Today's not gonna be it.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Yeah, I think that's thank you. And that yeah, that's a strong yeah. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

The Monday that is a deep you needed to just go, you needed to go, you need to meet an app. There was a universe allowing you just to say what you had to say.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

It's an embarrassing thing because we typically record on Monday mornings before the week starts, and it in sometimes in like necessary situations, we'll do Sunday nights or you know, etc. And I don't like stuff and toss it too much early on a show. We have a hard stop here at 43 minutes, by the way. Yeah, 43 clocked. Clocked to Friday. And I hey this a fact. If we uh at 43 minutes, hard stop, I'll probably have to keep you'll met it. So you can do the outro.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Just hey Carl, I gotta jump to another call.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

No, it's at the point. I can't go take a piss without someone being like, What are you going 45 minutes today?

SPEAKER_02 3:31

It's any time we two even set the precedent, it's 20-25 minutes over that way. Over when we bring on guests, so you're like, We're gonna keep this short, it's always long. I remember Alex Cohn was even being like, Hey, can we kind of speed this one up at the end? Like, don't worry about it, man. Just 10 more questions.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Just grilling a pro. Just like make them grind through it. It's like, yeah, you think that what'd you think? That Tuesday night in Tulsa was tough after a long bus ride. I'll give you something here. All right, so we do have some good stuff we're gonna get to in the show, obviously, though, off the top. So great Friday show here planned for us. We have a couple things we're gonna talk about. Mahoney has a great mailbag planned. Obviously, we're gonna we're gonna combo though the mailbag pitch clock into a ball or strike. So it's like a menace and a toy here, Mahoney.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

Yeah, it's a whole kitten

The Golf Outing Scheduling Disaster

SPEAKER_02 4:20

caboodle, as we like to say in the business, Carl.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

How about it? So, but as long as be as long as I can move forward confidently, as long as you know I am sorry, I fucked up because as we typically record on Sunday, I'm I forgot I had a this uh uh uh golf outing that I committed to. And here's the thing, I don't even give a shit, dude. This is like the third round of golf I play. I give a fuck how and you know I I'll play anytime, any day, all this stuff. I just had it this year, whatever. I don't a Monday morning golf out, sure, whatever. Apparently I said yes. Apparently it was like a super expensive, big deal, you know, and I'm not I'm not picking, you know, whatever. It was just one of those things where it's like I forgot, and and the weight of it. So if we have time before the 43 minutes expire, I'd be interested in your opinion about about the about classic things that pop up in a man's life that carry substantial weight that you just don't know until you're in the moment.

SPEAKER_02 5:23

A committed a commitment to a golf outing, regardless of the day, you know you have to go. And that's the bottom line. Because I got him he said so.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

When your buddy's like, I got a sign on the front nine and the back nine, can't wait to see you.

SPEAKER_02 5:37

Oh man, on a Sunday afternoon, we're like, Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

And how about this? Here's another one. It's it's well, it's how about just how long was the drawing? I'm not being vague, I'm not being vague at all. It's the first T Chicago, Ryan Baker just retired from ABC Channel 7 to be the CEO of this place. Is everybody who's who goes to this golf outing is on the board of every fucking country club in Chicago? It's just everybody it's a it's literally just get a blue scale, just take a scale of blue. You got Royal Deep Navy on one end, you got sky blue on the other, single pattern across the fucking patio, coffs of gray hair, I'd be in some guy in Hawaiian.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

I'd be in Hawaiian shirt, backwards hat, getting corrected on the course. I can't tell you how many country clubs I've been to where they've been like, hey man, turn your head around.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Don't piss there. I got that. Whatever. But my point is, I had fucked up. I was ready to back out of this. We're six at it, but we got to warm up anyway. So, like, that's that's where it was at. I on Monday, but I trust me, if I could have, I would have backed out of that in five seconds. If I could have, if I didn't, if I didn't know there was double signage and a morning and an afternoon tea time, and my buddy ponied up all the cash and he's got but and he's in the middle of it and all that stuff, and I say, and the only person you had to go to a golf outing. It's like boom, whatever. I'm there. Now, how what was the drive? Hour 15, hour 20. That factors. I get out of the car, I go, hey, what I tell the valet, I go, hey, what not to be rude, but what town are we in? And I mean, you you would have you would have thought I just landed in Birmingham, Alabama, walked off an airplane, looked at the first military veteran I could find, and said, Can you tell me what country I'm in, sir? This guy was the the amount of pride this 19-year-old had in telling me. We are in Glenview, Illinois.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

Oh, come on, man. It's like that isn't four and a half to for you, but sorry, like a couple towns over over here from Monday Morty Mahoney. Yeah, yeah. No, I get it. That's fair, an understandable, good area. Hope you had a I hope you had a nice day.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Yeah, and then I'm not shit, you guys. It's just more, it's just a funny, it's just funny.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

You know, it's just like it maybe it's a cultural thing because I thought it was you went like south somewhere, a place I never heard of. So the surprise for me was it was that's where I had my reaction. Take me to French.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Either way, take me to French. Like it's good to see you by the time.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Dude, it's great to see you. By the way, we had we're gonna do 43 minutes today. We also had about a 40-minute green screen session just catching up, shooting the shit. But we got loaded stuff here for Cup Talking on the show. We were rocking and rolling.

Bruce Levine’s Accidental Tweet Storm

SPEAKER_02 8:34

I'd be remiss not to bring up our boy Bruce Levine. You know what? Old news, but we haven't had a chance to shoot the shit.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

I know I was gonna say that's a big miss on me for not teeing up that transition. Because literally the only reason I would spend seven minutes talking about how I missed you Monday is because I missed you Monday, because I missed you for literally the the all like the number one story of the year I need to talk to you about. In and of course, I miss you for let but PCA could hit a thousand for the rest of the season. Don't think that's I got that story. I could handle that story. The pitching staff trade deadline, I can handle that story. The Bruce Levine thing, Mahoney. This is you. This is me. There's some this is like we need special so bad.

SPEAKER_02 9:31

When it's in our universe, we pay attention to this team. The one of the you know, longest beat reporters on the squad, you know, or you know, in the universe, whatever. When somebody accidentally sends a tweet that's supposed to be a message that's in some way disparaging anyone, regardless of the extreme, it is just top of the line, number one on the cue card. Tony Reality would be having a field day with this one, you know, back on whatever the hell around the horn. But I mean, Bruce Levine tweeting the Twinkle D, Twinkle Dumb is one of the best outside storylines of our actual on play, uh, on the field play that we've had to get to chat about.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Yeah, I mean, I want to hone in on like this. What I'm saying is like expertise-wise, okay. So, like, I should have been more clear. I don't want to tee, don't worry about you're gonna host baller strike pitch clock fucking whatchamacallit. Don't worry about that, buddy. You're gonna be teeing me up left and right. But right now, I'm I consider myself a subject matter, yeah. On getting loaded and then doing stuff and going, ah probably shouldn't have done that with with very little with very little consequences. Let me back this up. I am very little consequences, I'll guarantee you, and I'll go to the tape. I'm not with this, not what this show is about, but the the perspective of just getting loaded, right? Do we agree Bruce Levine was hammered? Like it's all star, but right?

SPEAKER_02 11:10

He has a couple cocktails for sure. Carl, we share this and we are in a unison. I mean, I was the king of kind of random text messages and stuff back. Still do no, you still do.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

I now I just do it to you and like do we, which is what I'm in the inner circle of this, but like you still I still wake up to 2:30. I'll get them on a Thursday night. I know it was a long flight home from Cleveland, whatever it is. Like, I'll get those, and I love those, and that's what makes you you, and that's why I want to talk to you about Bruce Levine. What the fuck, man? I mean, that is one of the great now. Here's if brute Bruce Levine's been here 50 years, he's like Cap, he's like the Cap Anson of Chicago Sports Media, dude.

SPEAKER_02 11:57

That the that's the best part about it. And I just I'll teasing a little bit. I had a you know a sweet Wrigley field experience where he got to tour and stuff, yada yada yada. But lo and behold, who's the first guy I see when I get on the field just sitting on his king's throne? Is Bruce Levine in the Cubs dugout, hands back, he practically owns the place, and I think he's way more respected around there than me and you would ever thought, and a lot of other folks had ever thought. Because I mean, I'm telling you, this dude's whistling Dixie, first came back after the break, doesn't give a lick of shit about what you know. He apologized and he's over.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Have you have you watched Game of Thrones or House of Dragons or any of that stuff? Fully caught up. You're familiar with that universe or like Lord of the Rings, or people who haven't watched this, then yeah, like a Maester that's I will have been around. No, I'll I was gonna say different, but thank you. I will I'll have a subsequent analogy for people who think that stuff's lame, but it's like he's like knighted, he's like knighted in the meaningless lands and has been around forever, and people like him because there's like nothing you can do about the fact he's been knighted by Tom Ricketts, or he was knighted by Sam Zell and the Tribune Company. Yeah, I think he's legacy, he's legacy. You just can't, no matter what, you cannot get rid of this guy, and as long as he's alive, he'll have the job. Now, he's terrible. This is the relationship I'm trying to figure out because I bitched so much about the broadcast with the Chicago Cubs, and I should just re-emphasize again, we got into the trade deadline stuff extremely heavy on Monday about the philosophy of who we should get. So I'll just re-emphasize obviously Terek Scoobyl, but I want to go back to the broadcast for a second because that's where my momentum is right now in this moment.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

And we're talking about Bruce Levine, who's featured on Marquee Sports Network quite often.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Just the amount of criticism I've levied towards the way the Cubs present theirs themselves, and like Bruce Levine goes from being a guy who writes a column or being a guy who holds the microphone in the recording atmosphere, who's in the locker room in the 90s or whatever, who's there when Carrie Wood falls out of the bathtub or whatever. Fast forward 30 years, he's in a marquee sports network polo sitting there talking to Andre Dawson and our guy Rick Sutcliffe, like reliving the glory days under Cubs owned media. So it's not like the idea of sports journalism, like go fuck yourselves, which is something I've said for a long time that sports journalism isn't isn't has been not real, it completely wasn't real in the first place, and it's not real to begin with, guys. It's never been real.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

And the only way that it had or could be real, I suppose, is just having you know heat on somebody where they have to keep you around for 50, 60 years. That's the type of stuff because think about it. The guy that with the best sourcing, maybe in the building, you know, is telling us what the beat probably collectively thinks. So the people covering the Cubs already know this. Bruce was just trying to text it to likely Craig.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Well, it's just funny that like we'll sit here and I'm gonna nitpick boog. You know, we're gonna talk about you know, whatever the fucking you name it, pal. Can't stream marquee, you know, can't log in on a Samsung, device limit reach, Comcast, price. It's like you just name it, dude. I'm running into the problems, and then like literally the what the guy that's like, here's what's going on with the Cubs is is tweeting out personal call calling Jed Hoyer Twinkle D and Twinkle Twinkle Dumb is so on it's so cub. Like, remember we had that saying it's that's cub that's just so cubed. That's cub.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

I can only think that there was some sort of integration where he was like on a secure messaging platform and that had a share button that also allows you to post that to Twitter, which I highly doubt is a capability of a secure messaging system. So it's just one of those things wrong time, wrong place, C and double, and hit the button.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yep, now that's where I would go back to and say C and double. I've been there, you've been there. We've been you and I. I'm not saying we all people listen. Some people listen to us have not been there at all. No, they're like whatever you're talking about. I'll tell you this right now. I met my wife. Yeah, so I ran out. What's he, late 60s, early 70s coming off a long first half, up and down, you know, team. I mean, I was gonna be able to do it. Yeah, and you're asking that guy to ride the roller coaster, you know, 12 games up, that five and twenty-two, now we're 15 over. We're this guy gets finally a taste of the all-star break. Of course, he has a couple margaritas, of course he has a couple. This guy's a little long first. We've had Margaret.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

Excuse me, just trying to tell Craig what's up. Hey man, you're out managing right now. This front office has a credibility problem dating to last July, and then here we are. Milwaukee got McCullers and Colton Gordon for one prospect. Sitting on the other side of a dining room table from who exploded the mouthpiece of what I bet you a lot of people internally are thinking.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Um, I disagree with you on that.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

And I actually would say in the clubhouse with the players and the coaches.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

I think I think Bruce Levite is a significantly bigger twinkled and twinkledum than anybody he was talking about. I think he looks I think hey, here's even worse. How about this? How about this?

SPEAKER_02 17:50

Here's the perfect example, and I just the point is Craig out has outmanaged the expectations with the roster and lineup pitch.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

No, it's not the fucking point at all, Mahoy.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

It's not the point I'm trying to make at all. That's not saying the point that you were trying to make. I'm saying that's the point that Bruce was trying to make and did make.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Well, fuck Bruce Levine. What point he was trying to make? The point I'm trying Bruce Levine's tweeting out text messages. This guy wears a marquee network polo. This guy gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to make pup to to publicly represent what is going on and to tell the story and to be narrative driven and to help people understand and better enjoy the experience. And he can't now that's what's funny is I had a couple cocktails. All right. So the guy makes his mistakes. That's right. Big deal.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Whoops like daisies.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

But I I would like to just clarify the sports journalism comment that I made. We have some baseball to talk about, we have Thirst of a Carol Adri to do, obviously. Sports journalism is not entirely dead, and that's not what I meant. There's great the the Penn State, you know, Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky is just the perfect example of where sports journalism and the intersection of institutional um power to protect individuals is where sports, I think, is at the forefront culturally in being able to deliver just really impactful stuff on an individual level. Like that, there the stuff sports there is at the highest level, I should say, is sensational stuff because sports matter so much to people. But the rank and file, day to day, fill in a fucking column, sat through the game. Here's my 500 words on it. Buddy, fucking blow me if you're gonna see. How much digging have you done, Bruce? Thank you, thank you. And that guy in Bruce stopped digging years ago, pal. That guy had a shovel in his hand for 10 fucking years. Now, now we do have to get to an ad read, but I will say quickly, and you can back me up on this. I'm sorry, guys.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

I'm sorry about that, but go.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

No, I mean, I'll whatever. I have post-production techniques to make sure people don't just drive into a ditch when they hear that. But um I you can back this up, right? That's why we do the show because I fucking want to do with a guy who can back me up when I say shit like this.

When Sources Burn The Darvish Lesson

SPEAKER_01 20:22

You've read you've read these. I've never sent these digitally, they're only available on my phone. And I've talked about this, I've alluded, I will just be quick, that I know that Theo Epstein, I was afforded a personal relationship to Theo Epstein, independent of Barstool Sports, because my roommate and one of my closest friends, a guy I officiated his wedding, one of my best friends in the world, his wife and Theo's wife worked together and are very close friends. So when Theo took the job with the Cubs, my buddy was like, You wouldn't believe this shit. I just had dinner with Theo Epstein. So that's the quickest way for me to summarize. No, I remember how did I meet and this is before this. Right when I got this is nothing to do with it over 10 years at all. I introduced Theo to Big Cat at a charity event. Was like, oh, by the way, dude, you guys gotta you guys gotta meet each other, and that was independent of any of the Barcelona stuff. It's be and it's sure as lucky as luck is like when you sit down, you talk about lucky stuff. My roommate, my one of my close friends going out, getting together with a girl, then them becoming boyfriend, girlfriend, and then her being this, this and that, being like, Yeah, my friend's in town, her husband took a job in Chicago, and it being Theo, I've seen is one of the craziest things in my entire life. Now, that said, you can vouch for this. I fucking when we signed you Darvish in 2017, I've seen the emails. You've seen the emails. I misreported it all. I announced it early because I had a leak on medicals. I had a leak inside Cubs Medicals when.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Into my apartment and was like, Yo, I just broke the U newt dudes, and I think that I'm in internet jail now. I told you. I was like, I'm fucked.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

I'm so we have a problem because you Darvish quote tweeted and was like, This is fake news, and that's it. Right after right after Trump just got elected, people are just on the fake news. This is when fake news just became a thing. I think he quote tweeted me in Japanese. You're gonna have to confirm that.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

Maybe it's a false memory. I'm 90% sure it was in Japanese.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

Did you translate it right now?

SPEAKER_02 22:32

It does it confirm it says no fake news. Uh yeah, I'm reading it right now. Confirmed.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

And so he quoted. So then I send that to Theo and I go, hey, they're ragging me on six. Now, me in the meantime, I'm going to the Goodman Theater with my mom and my aunt. You know, come on, they're on six seven, like, Thirstal Connor.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Carl guy might have checked my head. What do you think, what do you think, cat?

SPEAKER_01 22:57

You know, so I'm like at dinner about to go see a Christmas carol with my mom. I am my cousin.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

At the Goodman? At the Goodman Theater?

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Yeah, and we're sitting at whatever that restaurant is right next where they do that. And they bring out food's just fine. Dying. I wish you guys could watch this on video. We will have those capabilities up and running soon. I'm dying right now. Dude, they're bringing out cariffs of red wine, you know, like like somebody like it's like a fucking like it's a bar mitzvah from 3,000 years ago. I mean, like, dude, they're just bringing it out, just red wine after red wine, just getting after it. Uh, and and I'm getting dragged on. I think I sent this tweet on the brown line, dude. You know, like whatever you Darvish. And this is just a long wind away because this is coming back to Bristol Vine.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

Your source was legit. He like had you five in a row. You're like, this is my most trusted thing. Pull the trigger, man.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

How legit was it? Didn't we sign you Darvish?

SPEAKER_02 23:56

Hey, he came on. Yes, we've covered this before. He ended up coming on the Cubs that year.

SPEAKER_01 24:01

You weren't wrong. Now, the only reason we re-tread all of this is because there's part of the story I've never told, and it's it's essentially the punchline that my email exchange with Theo Epstein. And it's me go me going originally going, Hey, this is getting out of control. Again, reaching out under the pretense of your wife is very is one of her closest is like best friends with my um my roommate's my roommate's wife, or my roommate's girlfriend, my roommate's that sounds a little gay. My room, my roommate's fiance. Like, we're in that weird stage where he's about to move in, they're gonna get married. Here, her best, what that's whatever. I'm emailing him under the premise, hey, I'm sorry this is getting out of control from from my trying just to cover your ass and be like damage control, I'm an amateur, max damage control, max damage control. Sorry, big dude, and he in again. This is where I go, you vouch for me. He he replies back immediately. All right, you're at dinner with your mom, you're on Gmail.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

You're you're that's what's popping up on your phone immediately.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Reply from TFC light yourself on fire. I cannot believe you said that. Why would you do this? You've ruined this entire deal. Thank you very much. No, are you serious? I'm so sorry, dude. Are you wait? Are you serious?

SPEAKER_02 25:24

I I don't know if he's joking or not. You're trying to like test the waters there.

SPEAKER_01 25:31

No, you mean an email back. I'm being dead serious in my entire career. I've never seen anybody screw something up as badly as you have right now.

SPEAKER_02 25:38

What have you done? And as a diehard Cubs fan, did I just jeopardize uh a trade for an internationally known, you know, perfect fit pitcher at the time?

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Email back. You have no idea how bad I feel. What can I do? Is there anything I can say? Should I apologize? Should I try again on 670? You should crow TL back. You you can vouch for this. Mahony read these.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

I have. I remember it was like almost live sharing with me and Tui at the time, you know, and now that we could say this out loud. Oh, Tui, yeah. I mean, we can anywhere for it.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

That's a long time ago.

SPEAKER_02 26:19

I have no blue bridge.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

What bridges are we gonna burn when you're 21 minutes? Well, because it's like if this gets out, if it gets this is exactly all the stuff that he said to me could get out at all at any point in time. I had no problem with like he could he's like, light yourself on fire, crawl it all and die. And there's it just keeps going back and forth. And it's like eat your email. If we were texting each other, we'd be texting each other back and forth.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

I'm really sorry.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

And I go, it we're probably eight, nine emails into it, and I say something to the effect of, hey, just so you know, you whenever you decide to retire from baseball, you have a bright future in making people feel like complete shit. I'm sorry I fucked this up, but like, no, I'm not gonna blah blah blah blah blah. And I on my life, to the effect of this is he's after all of the back and forth and all this stuff. I told you I'd say I'd be brief on this. I'm not, of course I'm long-winded. We go back and forth. He goes, After, after light yourself on fire, crawling all day. I'm so sorry, blah blah blah. Right, hardest. Just simply just says, I did not think it was possible someone could be worse than Bruce Levine until you did this today. Ten years ago. Maybe the worst jab he didn't. Did not think it could get worse than Bruce Levine until until you came around, pal. This is 10 years ago. So when you see the tenure reunion in everyone's in black tie and brings back some memories, dude.

SPEAKER_02 27:54

Of course, it's gonna strike a chord.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Now, this is this is a great Friday, Monday morning cub show. Normally we go very deep. We went extremely deep on the trade deadline on Monday, just talked a lot about the flashback. Tune in if you haven't listened. It's it's simple as that. You know, you have a lead offense, you have world-class defense, that's when you make a splash, that's when you kind of give up the future a little bit, knowing payroll flexibility. We'll say 28 minutes into the show, you know, this ain't we're not doing post-production inserts.

Thirsty Vaquero And Why Cubs Believe

SPEAKER_01 28:26

I'm keeping it real with you guys. This show is presented by Thirsty Fucking Vaquero.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

That's right. I mean, there's a reason we could talk 28 minutes, Carl, without getting into an ad read, and it's because of Thirsty Vaquero. Boy, when I was talking to these folks in the suite, did I have a thing for them? Smuggled in a couple Thirsty Vs, a couple mango muertes, handing them around, and they're like, What's this from? I go, I told you about the Monday morning cub show. This is our sponsor, Thirsty Vaquero. All bite, no rattle, a Mexican style spicy soda with real agave, natural flavors, and just hits as home as possible. I'm not reading this right now. I'm flipping.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

This is what I told the people in the suite. I know I can't wait to do that.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

I came in all bite, I said all bite, no rattle almost beginning, but I told these guys that, and you know, that's just telling you the story, what I said.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

So yeah, it's a Mexican style soda with this thing. I'm laughing so hard because this isn't on video yet, and they will be. And I promise maniacs, you're like, not your you're like like here I am. You're just just trust, just trust. But it the the the the fact Mahoney is just staring into the camera right now, doing the absolute best that he can to do the Thursday Picero ad read without losing distraction, and just like you got 85% of it right, like which is basically like how we talk about baseball names. Remember that one time when we were first launched a show and you said a dullness chapman.

SPEAKER_02 30:02

Yeah, and dude, I still get heat for that, and that's what we got hate mail on that.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

So it is a it is a Mexican style soda with a signature spicy finish. Take it from here, my friend.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

And I mean, it just has the three thirstiest. That's it, you got nothing. Three thirstiest vigilantes that you could ever see, you know, Mango Muerte, Sandia Salvaje, and Lamon Ladrone. Nope. I'm not doing ad reads. This is why I don't do the ad read, Carl. I know, and that was just fun, and it's thanks to Thirsty Vicero that we get to have fun and do this show for you and for the maniacs.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

I know. I like make I well, it is good because we are transitioning apart where you do have to host a show because we do have to talk about your time at Wrigley Field. I'm gonna extend, I'm gonna go 47 minutes because I want to do a good baller strike here, and I want to say we need at least nine minutes to talk about the fact that you got a world-class experience at Wrigley Field. Again, if you trade deadline on Monday, I got so deep into who we would trade for. I have no update. We'll get to some substance.

SPEAKER_02 31:09

Plenty to talk about there, and there's gonna be plenty of development in pitch clock format.

SPEAKER_01 31:13

People are like mad right now. They're like, We're talking so much about Bruce Alana telling all the stories we want to talk about right now.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

We have a lot of airtime to fill in the trade deadline. It's August 3rd. We got 10 days, plenty of Monday morning cub show coming at you from that angle.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

To be honest with you, Moni. Yeah, what's up before we finish with Thirsty Becur I'd read? It's nice to hang out with you on a Thursday night like this because it really is. We should always do this more often. Ram it. It's like uh not to be disrespectful to the Monday product, but it it's it's a little looser. I feel a little looser. Yeah, it can be crazy. Sometimes it can be a little, I gotta call at nine, you know, I'm cutting the bushes, wife's coming home. So you'll have to just excuse us for enjoying the fact that two guys it's just two buddies hanging out, you know, yeah, with no hard stops. So just maybe I'm so you guys seventh minute. If you support Thursday Figaro or if you support friendship, if you support bonds, if you support the fact the Cubs have a chance to go to the playoffs and make an impact because they have a top five offense and defense, as measured by the people who measure that stuff, right? Like, like if I came out and I said, Oh gosh, look at this. Uh Apple stock is through the roof and and their earnings per share are up. Would you say no, they're not? I would say yes, they are. Look at that now. I'm not saying they are, they aren't, and this isn't financial advice, and I don't I don't think anybody should be able to do that. No, we're not licensed to do that exactly, not at all.

SPEAKER_02 32:44

Disclaimer.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

But to the extent that that stuff's verifiable, certifiable information that you can talk about publicly, the fuck am I to say here the Cubs aren't a top five team offense, defense? And now, if you're gonna combine offense and defense, now now we're talking about are the Cubs realistically in a seven-game series if they get there. If you're telling me our defense is second best in major league baseball, whatever it is, and our OPS is fourth best in Major League Baseball. No, can can am I realistic to say then we're a top four team? Can we who who could even if our record is this or that or whatever? Like, how can how can we not be that good? Is my point to you, Mahoney. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

No, it's one of the it's one of the most interesting things about this Cubs team. First in almost every category defensively, offense creeping up, very much looking like it's in form that it needs to be, pitching well aware of the issues that we've faced, injuries, etc. But no, I mean, dude, how can we not say that it's not a top five team? I don't know. That's a that's a strike.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

And so then if if if you can't support that, and if people can't get behind oh, come on, then you can't get behind Thirsty Bacero, and you can't you can't tie the two together. You can't understand that, like, hey, we got a little magic run here.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

You're not telling me that there's nothing not there's nothing not going on there.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

Which reminds me of a bit I've been wanting to do with you is we open the show with a Thirsty Vaquero ad read, and then the entire show is one extended ad read, and we just keep every like two, three months.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

We just we brought it up on air a couple times where we literally go thirsty vaquero. That that's coming, folks. Stay on your toes.

SPEAKER_01 34:28

Some people are some people are very mad at me right now. I'm not talking about stat cast. Stay with me here, guys. Don't worry, you'll get your fix.

Ball Or Strike On Civale And PCA

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Uh Mahoney, little baller strike. Can we do four? I know we're gonna say 40 47.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Here's the thing, Carl. I'm gonna pitch clock you on these baller strikes to kind of keep it nice and tight so that we can stay stairing. It's almost too easy. Here it comes, Carl. Get ready.

SPEAKER_01 34:51

Strike.

SPEAKER_02 34:52

Baller strike, Carl. The Aaron Savale trade is a very Jed Hoyer transaction. Baller strike.

SPEAKER_01 35:02

Yeah, it's well, you have to say ball or strike so that I know that that pitch is.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

Let me rephrase baller strike. That was a great trade.

SPEAKER_01 35:09

I mean, you train jump. I just swung and missed. That's a strike. I have no idea.

SPEAKER_02 35:12

I know that's I'm messing with you right now. I didn't mean to kick it off that way. Aaron Savale trade, baller strike, single most Jet Hoyer transaction of the Jet Hoyer era. Oh, well, no, that's a ball. It's not the single most baller hoyer. I know. Why did I throw that in at the end?

SPEAKER_01 35:27

Why'd you do that? No, now now take it from the top one more time.

SPEAKER_02 35:30

Baller strike, Carl, baller strike. Aaron Savale trade is a very Jet Hoyer transaction ball. Now strike.

SPEAKER_01 35:38

Now that's a strike. That's a strike because it's it's a it's a it's it's an arguably minimally marginal improvement from what is otherwise a predictably overwhelmingly at best mediocre starting pitching staff. Did I say that correctly? Yeah, no, he comes in, gives a home run to Dylan Dingler right off the bat. I'm very particular in my I can be particular in word choice. And in this circumstance, I was very much it.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

It is in real life, you're very literal when it comes to verbiage, almost more so than you are on the show. Yeah, you allow me some space.

SPEAKER_01 36:30

Yeah, in real life, I'm I am a monster to be around.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

No, you said this.

SPEAKER_01 36:34

Yeah, I that's because I was honestly, I was abused as a child, uh by father with no patient. Now, and when I say abused, I mean literally where you couldn't say what you couldn't think Eastern Block Germany, where like you had to tell exactly what you needed to tell your neighbor.

SPEAKER_02 36:55

There was no other pleasantries.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

And he's a government attorney, you know. My dad's like very much by the book and all that. He's just the most by the book guy I ever met. So you can't say you couldn't, whatever. I am very literal, is my point. I've been I was and I didn't know that until I got until I was an adult. I didn't know that until I had real relationships in life. That people are like, Why are you like that? Why do you why are you what are you doing? I was like, I guess I I'll come up with better examples as they come up along the show. Thank you for pointing that out though organically. That wasn't in the green screen.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

Either way, I apologize if I struck a court ball or strike.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

I was abused as a given of that.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

Sorry, sorry for that.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

No, but then people go, people go, You're a great writer. It's like that's has something to do with it. Yeah, it came with 10 lashes, ball or strike.

SPEAKER_02 37:44

P. Crow Armstrong is having the best individual season by a cub since Sammy Sosa. No, so that is that is a that's a tough one.

SPEAKER_01 37:57

All right, so I want to say Sammy. Since Sammy, because then if we say since Sammy, then I have to ignore Chris Bryant. I know, but but and people go Derek Leo six, but I think in the in the Pantheon stuff, we get caught up. This is the problem you go to war and you go, okay, well, when Chris Bryant won the MVP in 2016, right? His war was seven and a half. Pete Crow Armstrong's war right now is six. Pete Crow Armstrong is gonna beat that war, whatever, mid-August. Is Pete Crow Armstrong better than Chris Bryant was in 2016? Chris Bryant won 29 of the 30 first place votes for MVP. Was war more spread around? Or is Pete that much better? Or am I overvaluing war? These are good questions for people.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

No, and uh one of the things, Carl, that I have kind of came in tune with is the fact that voters are taking war into consideration more than they did even in 2016. But it's how well has he performed in comparison to an MVP caliber Chris Bryant. It's it's pretty phenomenal stuff right now.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

Sure, and the the statistic exists for the exact purpose of exactly what I'm describing of saying, here's Chris Bryant, won 29 of 30 MVP votes. You know, we won the division and won 103 game, 103 games. Most games we won a 100 something years, blah blah blah blah blah. Name all that stuff. Chris Bryant was a guy, yeah. They were they they we snuck in the wild card without you know, we brought him up last year as a rookie. Now it's his first full season, MVP, all that stuff. So there's that hype train where everybody loves it's just we'd love this guy's awesome. We'd love him. Now people go through with Pete, it's the complete opposite, and then there's the one metric where you are supposed to be able to compare players from era to era to say that here's one metric, here's the war, here's wins above replacement. Pete's gonna be above Chris Bryant in mid-August when Chris Bryant won 29 of 30 first place votes. So when you go back, is he better than Sammy? I mean, like it's like uh go back to Hack Wilson, I guess, in 1930. You know, what did Rogers Hornsby do when he came over from the Cardinals? Didn't he hit 380 in a Cubs uniform? You know what I mean? Like, that's the scale, right? I think if is how good is if we're being honest and ignoring bias of a punky LA kid from a millionaire family who hangs out with Caleb Williams, you know, probably gets his dick sucked relentlessly, be being honest.

SPEAKER_02 40:26

In a collaboration with Kristen Cavalleri for her uncommon games brand, purpose marriage there, killing it in life.

SPEAKER_01 40:34

I think that's the only thing that's holding he it's crazy people aren't more on it'll come, it'll come, it'll come, it'll come in in it'll surprise Cubs fans, rank and file. 162 guys like us will be saying, What do you mean? We're like he's big now, he's huge, right? He is so much more potential. He could get he can be bigger than Aaron Judge, you know, and and one other thing that just came to mind as I was talking about him, you know, it's crazy about Pete is obviously the slug, and we've covered this relentlessly that the sacrifice between will he be an OBP guy, will he get the slug if he gives up OBP to Chase Slug, blah blah blah blah. How's about both? That's ignorant.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

And another five-star catch most since 2016, since they've measured it. He looks easy now to us. That's why it's almost hard to talk about all of his awesome plays because they're they look casual, and their five-star plays it literally with the tracking technology and all that. No one in the world can make his break on the ball is absurd.

SPEAKER_01 41:52

Strike score and I talked about the anti anticipation, you know, he wants to make plays and stuff. Just great to sit and listen to Rick Sutcliffe echo that on the broadcast the other night. Hey, dude, I was just rock hard, just suck, just suck, just sat in the booth being like Pete wants to make plays, his anticipation's off the charts. I'm sitting there going, if you listen to the Monday morning cup show four weeks ago, you would have gotten the deepest esoteric dive into Pete's want to make great plays. Another ball or strike.

SPEAKER_02 42:24

Ball or strike while on the same tack, but ball or strike, PCA gets to 40-40 this year. Well, ball, he was at 21 and 25 a couple weeks ago. I mean, so what do you think? It's a ball 40-40 is a lot.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

Yeah, that that's why it's just a lot. And and he'll get we don't have like we're moving say up to two now. I had to throw a curveball there. No, no, don't worry about it, pal. I'm just saying, like, I I would the reason I'm hesitant about it is because just as the games get more and you get down the stretch, you know, it everybody in April and May is going. It's April and May. Everybody in June is going, don't worry, it's June. Everybody in July is going. Well, don't worry, trade deadline.

SPEAKER_02 43:07

Everybody on the Monday morning cup show is saying that was just 43 minutes, and we're going to 47 at least.

SPEAKER_01 43:13

And everybody'll say in September, these games matter. Right. And that's when, and it'll change for the players, it'll change for everybody. And that's that's where honestly the measuring stick for Pete will really come out if we're gonna make this big deal about how sense he's sensational, he's incredible, he's amazing. He's all that he's what he's now. The next category of where you get to the point of where you go, You are unbelievable. You are we are lucky, is what Caleb Williams did against the Packers, which you brought up in the CD show of saying something the most special. That's where the stretch comes. So when you go, is he gonna go 40 40? You're gonna get to that September stretch when you're playing, you know, and every team wants a little bit at the wild card, everybody wants a little bit more, Pete wants a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02 44:00

we I really want a little something that gets a little bit tighter the little fourth quarter window opens up and then what happens then that's where the opportunity for greatness rises mohnie yep absolutely dude yep the big moment in the big time game all right give me one more baller strike because I do want to talk to I I do want to I do want to interview you not that sounds not an interview I was gonna say gay this is doing a show together here pal but I do want to I do want to pick how about this this is what you say to your buddy hey you mind can I pick your brain I'm gonna pick your brain about how about that I'll pick your brain too easy T W O E in the letter Z am I wrong ball or strike Trent Thornton's Mizuno cleats deserve their own village landing knot on this Cubs coming Monday morning Cub show you are 108 mile an hour comebacker off the heel it has he credited his cleats and this Mizuno cleat had a rock solid protective shell in the heel like a typical soft shell thought it was worth pointing out Carl baller strike baller strike baller strike one of your contacts in Japan paid you under the table Javenmoed you 100 to do that I'm not allowed to say anything about that right now just saying it's just it's obvious that that baller strike came from a Mizuno rep from your contacts in Japan.

Counsell Quotes And The Long Burn

SPEAKER_02 45:18

So like if you sign an NDA are you allowed to even talk about an NDA probably not moving on ball or strike Craig Council saying just make the team better is his least useful quote as a manager ever given a deadline press scrum scrum that's actually a tough question.

SPEAKER_01 45:34

Yeah I would I would least least is yeah this isn't phrased properly it's okay don't worry about it no I mean like this is why we workshop the stuff like I I will say it is a ball but here's the thing though Craig and these press conferences it's interesting to see uh the analogy I'd make is Craig reminds me of burning leaves at the end of the year and I live on this big property and you gather your debris and you pile it up and then at some point I will do a pre-burn in August but there's a bit there's a big week where you just burn it and you're just the whole week you're just burning shit. You could smell it throughout the forest it's it's a beautiful thing and and we're on a a piece of land where you're allowed to do that because it's unincorporated. So in townships it's very regulated we're under county jurisdiction so you can but the only reason I bring this up Mahoney is because when you do the burn you start the burn with the blowtorch which is spring training and and you have to cover parts of the burn with diesel because that's where the deepest burn goes and that that's the depth of the team and what was interesting is that in the Rockies when he got kicked out and in recent times we've seen with Craig is he's gone back to the blowtorch to get the burn going more on this team. And that's how I look at the 162. It's a simple analogy to be like I it's gonna take it's a long burn. It's a long burn and historically what Craig has done is just sat back and let it burn and just sat there and enjoyed it and had the cigar and drank the bourbon and just was like we're burning the leaves but there for whatever reason the urgency whether he looks at the forecast he goes there's rain coming in in three extra days there's something in him that has gotten him to hit the blowtorch and he's done it way more than he has. So now that we're around the trade deadline press conference type stuff and the sound bites with Craig he's back in the chair watching the burn he's already hit the blowtorch. He's hit the diesel he threw some and let it on top of it he's got wood chips going on the burn he knows exactly like I have full faith and that's why when it comes to these comments I'm going he's sitting in the chair he's relaxing it's sweeter up and there's difference though which which is what I'm saying is you've seen it in times this year where you go oh shit credit the blowtorch he's getting the fucking diesel out of the he's he's going back to pour a little bit does that make sense is it an algae mounty no it does yeah he knows like the he's turning up the heat when he needs to and when he needs to sit back and just watch watch the world burn joker style he will and is he sending like a message to upper management yeah get better but at the same time he also said like but we got to prove it every night and you get the other team's trying to kick your ass so it's like we're playing well we need to get better in order to compete and and yeah he's trying to watch it burn I wouldn't I no Moni don't don't listen to any of the shittiest he saves what I'm saying he's sitting in the fucking chair that's what I'm that was I mean I don't know if you caught my like gist there but that basically of course you're trying to win every day he was saying nonsensical things and just letting it ride yeah Craig sh how about this Craig has shown way more in the first half of this season fight in stuff you can get behind as a fan where you go all right this guy is this isn't hey we'll give you 40 million it we're past the point the the fact that it's the 40 million is worn off the fact that you get to manage in regularly field is worn off the fact that you were an old 100 nine years in minors and you and you're you're technically fundamentally as perfect as it gets from a fourth infielder perspective all that shit's worn off the playing career's worn off all all the shine so now you're just fucking managing this team sitting there listening to Bruce Levine ask you questions on Marquee Sports Network having your paycheck signed by Crane Kenny and you're and you have these moments I guarantee you where he's just like I can't we gotta be better than this and it broke him it really do I'll guarantee I'll guarantee it the his son going to northwestern and being a backup infielder and being around the neighborhood and the kids and all that stuff the whole shine of the of this being this amazing post it lost itself and in losing itself with Craig I sincerely believe Mahoney that he now has his hair down and he's like fuck it fuck it so we get a little bit of nuggets and I don't think we're gonna find him through the trade deadline conversations what we're gonna find him is that mid-August here you're gonna fight you're gonna see it in the when the Yankees come to town he gets ejected in the fucking first first game seventh inning you know in a tight tight situation that's where I that's where I'm really

Wrap Up And How To Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 50:28

winning him over. I'm sorry that's long-winded uh does that satisfy is that satisfactory it's satisfactory and Carl I hate to say this too while we're just recording live I gotta go put one of the kids down I'm getting some messages right now can we talk about the Rigley experience and noodle that for Monday yeah I would actually prefer if we could say that for Monday because we went so long on Bruce Levine I I didn't do you justice for your great experience this week and I apologize my friend yeah no problem man appreciate joining you maniacs on a Friday episode but it looks like uh duty calls here hey guys this is this is the Monday morning cub show it's me and Mahoney it's Carl Mahoney you can obviously follow Mahoney exactly where you find him exactly where you find the show it's available on Apple it's available on Spotify and nowhere else that's on purpose the other thing that's on purpose is Thirsty Vicero which is the title sponsor of this episode and all Monday morning come show episodes which you can get on Amazon we encourage you to get it on Amazon. We encourage you to leave a review be positive we have great momentum in front of us uh obviously go follow my honey and most importantly go cubs all right go cubs gang all right I gotta wrap it up