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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This hour is brought to you by Menards. Save big money at Menards. So over the weekend, we were at Circa Resort and Casino.
We were watching Cubs baseball in a beautiful cabana. And the Cubs weren't doing so well. And a couple of the people we were hanging out were Walter and Sean Binstein from Benny's Beverage Depot. And so I was thinking about them yesterday. I was thinking about how we were hanging out in the cabana and those Cubs offense wasn't doing so hot.
And then the Cubs offense clicked on and showed it had a great game.
Chapter 2: What recent Cubs game sparked a toast discussion?
If you were listening to the beginning of the show, you heard all that. So it led me to this question here. During all Cubs radio broadcasts, Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer announced the toast of the game ball player for Benny's Beverage Depot after the Cubs 11-2 win over the Phillies in the series finale between the two teams where everything was clicking for the Cubs. You got a lot of options.
Who are you toasting to?
I know who Marshall's going to say, so I'm going to go ahead and default and not steal his answer. You don't know what I'm going to say. After I say this one, I know what you're going to say. So I'm going to go with Dansby Swanson. That'll be my toast right there. Shout out to Benny's. Three for five on the day. Two runs. Two RBIs. Had the home run.
And, you know, now he's back up the batting team. No, say it with a straight face. I can't. So that is my toast because you know what? On a team with a ton of riches, when you have to shout out a guy like Dansby Swanson for coming through as of late, again, the rich just getting richer because Dansby Swanson is playing well. So that's my toast, easily.
I need you to get rid of your White Sox attitude when you answer these questions about the Cubs because I can hear it in your voice. Yeah. You mean one of the highest paid guys on the team? Dansby Swanson. Everybody's just like, yeah, whatever, Dansby. I don't care if he really does well or not. It's all good. We got everybody else on the team. Yes. Yes, I'm going to complain about that. Yes.
If the Sox had a $200 million player on their team. Whoa. If the Sox had a $100 million player on the team. And he was batting 200. And his second, like, consistent. They would be eating him alive. Gatsby Swanson gets to just like chill in the background, the back end of the lineup. I love it. So shout out to him. Toast, my friend. You're so jealous. I am. You're so jealous. Okay, listen.
I know what y'all think I'm going to say. I know what y'all think I'm going to say. What's the point of this question? No, because multiple players deserve a toast. But who deserves the toast the most? Why are you laughing? Because it rhymes. Oh, I didn't mean to rhyme. I guess I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. Look, who deserves it the most?
I'm going to go with starting pitcher Shota Imanaga. Oh, wow. I didn't expect that one.
Yeah, you thought I was going to go with Nico Horner, didn't you? No, I didn't.
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Chapter 3: Who are the standout players in the Cubs lineup right now?
Stop it. Really? Yes.
I think we all thought you were going with Shota.
Oh, my bad. Shota Imanaga got his first win of the season. But more importantly, because of his performance in this game, he allowed the Cubs offense to be kind of laissez-faire with it. Have your approach to the plate, but don't feel the pressure that you've got to put up a bunch of runs.
Because when you only give up one run over the first six innings, that means you got six chances to go to the plate and just get a couple, scratch a couple of runs out. Once they got the three runs in the third inning, I was like, oh, game over. And I almost texted Ray as much because Ray was worried about a freaking solo home run. Yes, I was. In the first inning.
I was like, bro, he gives up home runs. It's okay. Ray was still worried when it was 11-2 in the ninth. He probably was.
I wasn't. I wasn't. When Bryce Harper hit the home run. Oh, no.
But Shodan Minaga tied his career high with 11 strikeouts. He had 26 swings and misses, 16 on the splitter. He has been dominant. His ERA is down to 2.45. He is the unquestioned ace of this staff. Everybody just relax a little bit. Shota's got you. Cubs starting pitching looking a lot better the last turn through.
Number two. If the Cubs were to sign veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito, how much of an improvement would he bring to the Cubs pitching staff?
Look, I know this won't bring up any memories for my partner today, Lucas Giolito. Not that he's never pitched in Chicago or anything before. Look good in black and white. Let me tell you something. If Lucas Giolito is added to the Cubs, it would definitely be something that would be an improvement to the Cubs pitching staff. Mainly not because of just like his performance as a starting pitcher.
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Chapter 4: How does the NBA play-in tournament highlight the Bulls' struggles?
He is a viable arm. He is a guy who showed in the back half of last season that he still has a lot to be offered. There's a reason he opted out of his $19 million option, looking for more time, looking for more money. And I think as time goes by, More teams are going to be interested in the services of Lucas Di Alito.
So this might be one of those situations where you want to act fast, act quickly rather than take your time because the competition could get crowded really, really quickly. I want to point out in the first half of last season, Lucas Di Alito, 6-1 with a 3.36 ERA. In the second half of last season, he had a 3.47 ERA. He's a guy who has been consistent.
And at this point, what Javier Assad and Colin Ray have proven to us is they just need guys who can go out there and eat innings. Lucas Giolito can go out there and eat innings. And Craig Council would definitely be happy with another guy who could do that. If the Cubs sign Lucas Giolito, I think it says more about the issues of the Chicago Cubs than it does about the improvements of the rotation.
Lucas Giolito, let's not forget his ā think back to 2023 on my White Sox fans. When he leaves there, then goes to the Angels for a cup of coffee, doesn't perform well, gets cut, ends up signing on with Cleveland at the tail end, does poorly there. That's the Lucas Giolito that I remember. So when I think about the Cubs signing him, I'm not thinking about last year's Boston Red Sox performance.
Is he a viable pitcher? I think the good thing about Lucas Giolito, when you go talk about the innings eating, is at this point in his career, he is a true pitcher. You know, when you get it long in the tooth at this point, you're pinpointing, even the offseason, your fastball might not be where it is, but you know how to throw those guys off with changing their eye level and speed.
So I think Lucas Giolito is that. But if you're telling me, Cubs front office, that I understand the injuries, but nobody's coming back to say that you have no faith in anybody on your roster to come back and to supplant a guy like Lucas Di Alito. That, to me, is the bigger issue, that you have nothing in the coffers
whether it's someone on the injured list that's coming back or your young arms, that can give you the equivalent of what a Lucas Giolito is going to give you.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of the Bulls' current roster construction?
Gabe, we sat here three weeks ago talking about, okay, hey, this is what's going to happen, and then Justin Steele will come up, and then Jackson Wiggins, and they'll have a six-man rotation possibly. Bro, Jackson Wiggins is on the aisle in the minor leagues. But I'm talking about Lucas Giolito being, because of what it sounds like, right? He's coming in to be like a savior, right?
No, no, not a saver. Just adding depth. Just add another arm. Another option for Craig Council and company. Let me ask you this. We're 18 games in the season. They're 9-9. Do we think no other pitchers are getting hurt over the course of this season? They need more arms. Point blank. Not sure if Lucas Giolito's the arm that you necessarily want.
He's better than the arms they have in the minor leagues right now. He's going to get to the Cubs. He's going to pitch like crap. And everyone's going to be upset that they went out and paid a ton of money for Lucas Giolito on a two-year deal because he doesn't want a one-year deal right now. So we're saying that we don't believe in anything he did for Boston last year?
That's what you basically just said.
Why is he going to preach like crap? That's what I'm saying. I have something that I wonder if it changes your mind at all, Gabe. On Mullion Hall this morning, John Heyman said the idea of Lucas Giolito wanting a two-year deal, he's thrown that out the window. He's now accepting, maybe I need to take a one-year deal. Does that change how you feel at all about the deal you'd have to make?
Ray, it doesn't because, as Marshall said, the longer this thing plays out, the more teams are going to lose their own respective arms. And the bidding war will happen. You just need two teams. Two teams to be in on Lucas G Alito. There are two teams. The Padres and the Cubs right now. And so the Cubs are already there. Get one more person to the dance.
And Lucas G Alito, if he has a good agent, could easily leverage that into a two-year deal. It could be less money in those kinds of situations. But again... As a Sox fan, I just think back to the tail end of his career with Sox and what he did shortly thereafter. And then I'm thinking, you're banking on that guy to give you some... You're not banking.
You're getting another opportunity to have somebody help you. You know what the problem is. And it's taken me two hours and ten minutes to realize the problem here. You, as a White Sox fan, look at the Cubs as an organization the same way the working class looks at billionaires. Like, no, we're not going to let the rich get any richer. They are billionaires.
The Cubs are billionaires compared to my White Sox team. Are the White Sox not billionaires? Jerry's not a billionaire? It's like, you know, close to the chest billionaire. What? The one that doesn't pay for your bill. Pick your favorite billionaire. That's what we're talking about right now.
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Chapter 6: How does the Cubs' pitching staff compare to the league?
I think it's okay. So, Gabe. Oh, no. Before yesterday. Because you just said they're not waiting. Before yesterday. And Ray and Tyler know the answer to this question. How many qualified White Sox hitters, that's 3.1 plate appearances per team game played, were batting above 500? Or excuse me, above 200. I was going to say 500. Yeah, nobody. But above 200. Before yesterday. Two.
You went one too high. Chase Mydroth, by virtue of going one for three in the game prior, had gone up to 203. Nobody else in the lineup. Climbing up. Above 200 of qualified hitters. You know, the White Sox have had a pretty tough schedule to start the season, playing some top-tier teams. No, don't do that. Don't do that. Like the Blue Jays. Oh, wait, did they sweep them? I think they did. Okay.
I'm just saying. That's why the entire team can't hit.
Chapter 7: What are the prospects for Lucas Giolito joining the Cubs?
All right. Is your expectation for the entire White Sox team to bat 300? No. My expectation is for most of the members of the starting line to bat over 200. Is that too much to ask? Is that too much to ask, Gabe? So when you say, oh, they waited for Sandman to ā sorry, they didn't stall his call-up. They stalled it to get the extra year of service time. We both know that.
And you're like, oh, but that was a smart business decision. It's still doing the thing that I said that they did. They brought him up immediately, though. Saw the need there. They were like, tax day? We've been taxed all season. That's what happened. All right, what did you think of his debut? I loved it. He gets a higher grade than Noah Schultz. How about that? Fair? Fair.
Number four. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams posted a picture on Instagram of Mount Rushmore with the faces of Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, newly paid Cubs center fielder Pete Cor Armstrong, and Blackhawks center Conor Bedard, as well as Caleb himself carved into Mount Rushmore. Do you believe any of these players will have a career deserving of being on Chicago sports Mount Rushmore?
Absolutely not.
None of them? Absolutely not. Wait. But, but, hold up, hold up. I said but.
Show it.
But there's a chance. There's a chance that Caleb Williams can sneak onto that list only because, one, he plays quarterback. Two, he plays quarterback for a franchise, despite how old it is, that has been starved at quarterback. Remember, I'm the guy who told you he's the best quarterback in Bears history ever already. After two seasons, I said that. Shout out to the old timers.
But to get on Chicago Sports Mount Rushmore, that means he's got to be better than one of these five guys. I like your Mount Rushmore happening right here. Because look, Chicago Sports Mount Rushmore is like four guys. He's got to have a better career than, I don't know, Frank Thomas, the best ever White Sox to ever play the game. Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan's not coming off, right?
We can agree on that? No, no, no. He's already on there. You can't even chip it. Walter Payton? I'm sorry. What? You can go a myriad of directions if you want to start talking about Cubs. You understand how hard it is to get on the Chicago sports Mount Rushmore? So Caleb Williams has a path, the easiest path, of the four guys that he put on the Chicago sports Mount Rushmore.
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Chapter 8: Who are the top GMs in Chicago sports right now?
If he wins the Super Bowl for the Chicago Bears and he continues to win 10 games, it's going to be hard for you to make an argument that he's not on. He has to be a Hall of Famer. He would have to be a Hall of Famer to be on the Chicago Sports Mount Rushmore. That's what I'm trying to explain to you. Okay. I can't envision it, but okay.
When you're thinking about eras and everything like that, I mean, if you can be the best quarterback in this era, you can go there. It's on the table, but I don't personally envision it. All right. Well, in the meantime, I would love for you guys to text in and tell us some Chicago sports figures that maybe we missed. that could potentially be on that Chicago Mount Rushmore.
All right, he is Marshall Harris. I am Gabe Ramirez. This is Rahimi Harris and Grody on 104.3 The Score. And on the other side, we get a chance to talk about some Bulls and how far away are they from being a relevant team? I would even say even being relevant team to when you're talking about the upper echelon of the NBA. Is it as far as we think?
Because Marshall got his binoculars out and he can't seem to see how far away it actually is. My telescope is out. We'll do that on the other side. Don't go anywhere. It's Gabe Ramirez, Marshall Harris, right here on 104.3 The Score.
Rahimi Harrison-Grody. We are the best show in this town to have the coach and or quarterback sit right here. Because we're here for a good time. We are here for a good time. We're fun. We're funny. We're serious sometimes. Sometimes we cry. Sometimes we laugh. Like, this is perfect.
If you wanted a high chance of a drink spilled all over the studio, we are definitely for people. Middays 10 to 2. Maybe we're the show for you. On 104.3 The Score. Time is on it. Curry. Three. Come on! 34! 34 for Curry! unnecessary shade thrown at the Chicago Bulls right there. Steph Curry, top five. Don't argue with me. Argue with your mom. Top five. Argue with your mama. Not me. It is you.
Here's what's going to happen. Those of you that feel like Steph Curry is outside of the top five when he is gone and you're watching regular NBA basketball without snipers at the 3.9 and you're realizing how difficult it is to knock down shots the way Steph Curry makes it look like layups, then maybe you'll appreciate him that much more.
But of course, Golden State Warriors knock out the Los Angeles Clippers last night, 126-121. everybody's complaining about how bad of a product the NBA is. Sure, when you're looking at every single team in the league.
But when you're looking at the top, there are some talented teams and some must-watch games that are out there, including a series that I'm going to be locked in on, Denver, Minnesota. Put me in, coach. I mean, talk about Marshall buying six TVs so you can make sure you're locked in on that one. One of the TVs has to be there.
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