Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
5 On It & Nick Friedell talks Bulls' search for a new lead executive (Hour 3)
04 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This hour is brought to you by Vasectomy Clinics of Chicago.
You know what?
Blanket. Show to Imanaga. And not like the thing that keeps you warm that Modest Booz Ellis wore as a cape whenever he saw the game. Did you notice that?
I didn't. I'm still getting over the homophone of blanket and blanket.
Modest Booz Ellis, when he was watching the game with Caleb Williams, when they watched PCA, it was that Thursday. He wore a fleece Cubs blanket as a cape. And then they were out here. That was Friday. Friday. Okay. Then they were out here at a soccer game. And did you see he wrapped the scarf around his head? I need more Manos Buzalas wearing materials in conventional ways. That's an aside.
In the meantime, once again, I owe Shota Imanaga an apology. I think I'm going to be apologizing to Shota for a while and I'm okay with it because his performances have remained steadfast. I love a two to nothing ball game. It's boring and stressful and makes you value everything in life. And the margin is super thin. So what's everybody going to do?
And Shota's like, I'm going to go out there and do what I've been doing. Watch this. Two to nothing. Ball game. So... For me, I think it was the performance of Shota Imanaga, and that win specifically, 2-0, the sweep of the Diamondbacks. He just continues to perform and be consistent. Seven innings, only one walk, five strikeouts, and two runs was enough. And you know what?
Special honor to Ben Brown. Juzio Ray is now at 182, and he got a save to his name because he just picked up where Shota left off and threw two innings, and it was ballgame, and everybody sang the song.
Shota Imanaga was good.
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Chapter 2: What insights does Nick Friedel provide about the Bulls' executive search?
Yeah, that too.
So that's a big deal because you've got four games and you get to do some work here. Understand this, the Cubs have only played three division games so far. That's the fewest of any team in the division. You know the Pirates have already played 16 division games? They're 9-7 in those games, by the way.
Who are they playing next? Is it just the American League? What happens to them? Yeah, they haven't played the NL West but three times.
They've only had one series against an NL West team. They've only played nine interleague teams.
Yeah, they've got to play the NL West.
They've got to play the NL West. But here's the thing. This is where the Cubs are going to win the division if they're going to win the division. It's by beating up on the actual division opponents. Understand this. There are two games clear of everyone, but they have the third best record in baseball, and every team in the division is within three and a half games of them.
That's what we call shouting distance. Cubs can hear when they talk. The Pirates are 19 and 16, but they're only three and a half back. The Brewers, who are going to get healthy, you would think at some point, are three and a half back, even though they're 18 and 15. They're hanging around.
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Chapter 3: How does Shota Imanaga's performance impact the Cubs' success?
We remember what happened when the Brewers hung around last year. I know Mark Grody does anyway.
I'm not to the standings yet. I'm just still to patterns. To series wins and whatnot.
So when do you start paying attention to standings? June. Okay, so post-Memorial Day? Okay, that's fine.
Eli De La Cruz, by the way, he's tied for eighth in home runs for the season. He's the reason they're going.
Well, this is a team that doesn't have Hunter Green. And you might want to beat up on a team that doesn't have its ace. Last time they faced a National League Central opponent, they faced them without Paul Skeens. How did that go for the Cubs? You got to win games like this when teams are not at full strength. And I know the Cubs aren't at full strength. But you know what?
There's no guarantee the Cubs are getting their guys back. There's no guarantee that Justin Steele comes out of that tunnel at any point this season. And we know Kate Horton's not. So handle your business against teams who are not at full strength.
Five on it.
Number three. It's five on it at 104.3. The score with Layla Rahimi and Marshall Harris. Who is the MVP of the White Sox series win over the Padres?
There are a couple of different people you could go to here. But I still think that the reason this is all coming together in a way that is functional is because of Mune, who is now up to 26 RBIs on the season. That puts him tied with a guy who you may know named Nico Horner. For that total, he's 13th. And also another guy you may know in Jorge Soler.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of the Cubs' upcoming series against the Reds?
Yeah, she might want to rethink that.
No, no. She's absolutely, she's been proven right.
They went to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
She said you're not going to win a championship like that. And guess what? Why didn't they get past the Eastern Conference Finals? Because Jalen Brunson was the best player on their team.
He was working, but everybody was playing 40 minutes a game. Exactly.
You're making my point for me.
Thank you. Maybe they were playing 45. What up, Tibbs?
Do any of y'all really think the Cavs are winning a championship or coming out of the East even?
No, you don't. With James Harden?
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Chapter 5: Who is the MVP of the recent White Sox series win?
And I think the difference, Layla, and this absolutely ties into the executive conversation, is I don't think the tickets are there the same way that they've been in years past. I think season ticket holders are finally starting to see the light that The product isn't near where it should be. So this is a first step depending on whenever the news finally comes down here.
But they have a lot of work to be done and a lot of that work can be helped by a push from ownership. and saying, hey, we are going to spend a little bit more than we have in the past. The sad part is when you talk to people who are around that organization, who have lived in it, they just roll their eyes. Or in my case, they just kind of laugh.
They think if you're waiting for them to spend at the highest level, good luck to you.
Well, this has been encouraging. One more for you, Nick, before we go. I appreciate you wearing the Cubs hat, by the way, but one more basketball question for you. Okay, so now that there is a head coach opening in Orlando, knowing Billy Donovan was brought up for that job, you think he goes?
Absolutely. I mean, Layla, we've been hearing about Billy to the Magic, I feel like, for weeks at this point. I had to laugh because I was actually at the press conference as an intern coming out of school when the Magic originally hired Billy. And you've got executives bringing his wife flowers, and I'm thinking, I've seen this. I mean, it actually happened.
They hired Billy Donovan, then he got cold feet, and he stayed in Gainesville. At this point, it would be a surprise if it's not Billy in Orlando, given all the smoke that has been there all along. And Layla, I'd also say... If you're Billy and you know you're at the end of your career, you want one more chance to try and win.
That was never, ever going to happen with the setup right now that's going on with the Bulls. So the Magic have a lot of... Talented young pieces. It makes a hell of a lot of sense. Clearly, there's a comfort level in that Florida area. Does he ultimately get the job? We'll see. But the Magic could do worse than Billy.
And I think Billy knew all along, like a lot of coaches did, that this was the prime opening. And I think a lot of people were scared during Game 6. when it looked like the Magic were well on their way to the second round. Now they're not, and I think there's an expectation that he's probably the guy unless something else crazy happens here at some point in the next week or so.
Nick Friedel, always a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us. Thanks, Nick.
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Chapter 6: What were the biggest takeaways from the first round of the NBA playoffs?
The pendulum was going to swing. It was just a matter of when. I didn't think it was going to. But as we see the three-point percentages and the concepts, and even in, I would assume, his 43-point game, for example... Midrange was a big player in that. The old formula doesn't necessarily work now.
And we saw it with the finals last year, and I think we're continuing to see that in the NBA playoffs. This news coming out of the NFL, this is breaking because it's in the division. Breaking news on the score is sponsored by IDOT. Speeding in a work zone isn't a win. Mind the signs, avoid the fines. Tyrod Taylor has signed with the Packers. So, sounds like they've got their backup quarterback.
How do we feel about that? Because my initial impression is so. And, you know, I'm a Tyrod Taylor guy because, you know, his past stops.
We say Tyrod, Tyrod Taylor. I don't want to be rude.
Oh, it is Tyrod Taylor. You're right.
It's just, yeah, it's us with our draws.
It's my fault. My bad. My bad, Tyrod.
So it sounds like they're also building a veteran quarterback room, if you will. Hmm. Kind of like their neighbors to the south.
I just know he spent three years in Buffalo and I was like, maybe T-Mobile is the answer because that was his nickname back then. I don't know. Maybe it's still his nickname. He was a pro bowler with the Bills in his first season. That was also back in 2015.
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