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Chapter 1: Why are the Cubs struggling this season?
The Hour is brought to you by Vasectomy Clinics of Chicago. Craig, go get them, man. It's too many good hitters in that lineup for it to stay this consistently odd, you know? Things will change. Things will change. And you got to just go through it, man. And sometimes a storm ain't no fun. But when you get to the end of it, you know, there'll be some good times. Right on. right on.
Was that an adage or proverb there? Was he quoting something or did Craig just come up with that on the spot? I think the storm was proverbial because he probably heard what the weather was like back in Chicago and he realized that the White Sox were going to have a good time once the storm was done. Guess what they did? Alright guys, fall down seven times, get up eight. Have a great day.
Sometimes the storm ain't no fun, but when you get to the end of it, there'll be some good times. If the path to success doesn't have any obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. Have a great day, guys. Craig, go get them, man. I like those kinds of things. That's why I can quote them off the top of my head. I've got one on my phone. I love that. Fall down seven times, get up eight.
I bet you do, even though that doesn't make any sense. Because if you fall down seven times, you should only have to get up seven times. No, that's the whole point. You started up. You fell down. That's 1-1. You're back up. Explain to me how you fall down seven times and get up eight. Eight is the bonus. It's like supersizing. You can't quantify it. It's the bonus. Well, I can figure it out.
Here you go. You're falling down the same stair multiple times, but then you go up the eighth time because you got to the next stair. And you don't fall. And you finally didn't slip. You didn't fall. Right. No, that actually does make sense. It does.
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Chapter 2: What does Montez Sweat say about the Bears' defense?
Be careful on those stairs, folks. Folks, we are talking heavy-duty baseball today here on Rahimi Harris and Grody. The callers are talking with us right now. 612-644-6767. Keep the calls coming. We got the lines locked and loaded. Let's roll. What do you think about your team right now? The White Sox have landed in first place.
There they are, all alone in first place in the American League Central, a team that has lost 100 games the previous three years. The Sox are 36-31. The Chicago Cubs are a devastating 34-34. That's right. It happened. The Cubs are 500. They lost to Colorado last night 3-2. The Cubs were 27-12 at one point in their lives. I was thinking dismal, disappointing. You went with devastating.
Devastating. I love a little hyperbole on a Thursday. You don't have to wait until tomorrow. I love a little alliteration, so we're in the safe place here. Jim on the north side is on Rahimi Harrison-Grody. Hello, hello. How's it going? It depends on which team you're rooting for these days. How are you, Jim? It's kind of hard to root for the Cubs, isn't it?
I came across some of these numbers to keep my sanity while watching the Cubs this month. I figured I'd share this info with you guys. If I gave you guys a team slash line of 218, 285, 359 with a weighted runs created plus of 65, you'd be like, that's pretty bad, right? Well, that's the 2025 Colorado Rockies 7-33 start of the season. Meanwhile, the Cubs, since May 9th,
Has had a staggeringly similar team splash line of 212, 302, 331 with weighted runs graded at 83. Oh, I forgot to mention both those teams have an ERA of 5+. Go Cubs! I'm telling you, that's another great call. I mean, that really hits at home.
I mean, we're all sitting here with this assumption that the Cubs can get right against Colorado, or they should because it's Colorado, and Colorado sucks because they're 26-42. You're playing just like Colorado. Here's all I can say. They were 18 games under .500. Now they're only 16 games under .500. It's rough. It's so rough. What about Kevin inā Kevin, where are you? Kevin, where are you?
I'm in Norwood Park. Oh, okay. I couldn't see the wood portion of the Nor. So Norwood Park. Got you, man. Hope everything's well. So I just got a quick question. As a big White Sox fan, if they continue to tread water with this gauntlet of a schedule, you think it's a smart idea to give up some of our prospects for a high-end pitcher, starter? Who do you have in mind? Yeah, that's the question.
Who do you have in mind? I like the Angels pitcher a lot, like the deep miters guy, deep meter, or Joe Ryan maybe from the Twins if it's an in-division trade. I'm more interested in knowing who you consider expendable as a young guy on the White Sox right now. You're not talking about like Colson Montgomery or Noah Schultz or a young pitcher. Like who ā No Hagan Smith.
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Chapter 3: How has the Cubs' performance compared to the White Sox?
Who are you talking about? Because I feel like my point is I don't feel comfortable getting rid of any of these guys at this point, right? Yeah. I totally understand. I was saying more of like the... Let's say Bergola or one of the infield prospects who are in a crowded infield, especially if the Sox draft Chilowski. Oh, you mean low-level prospects. Lower-level, high-ceiling prospects.
I might not have a problem with that, depending on just how good they are come the trade deadline. If they're comfortably in first place and you're looking at a... a chance at not just a wild card, but a division title and a buy in the playoffs, then yeah, maybe you look at it.
But as far as guys who, you know, can impact this team within between now and the end of next season, I'm not giving up any of those guys. That's because they're playing with house money right now. And I like what all those young guys have done since they've been called up. Yeah, completely. I'm just a little worried for the fact that we're not going to spend that much money next off season.
And yeah, I don't want to get the bad end of a stick here. That's why I'm a little more willing to trade one of the prospects, even if it's Hagan or someone for a better starter for this year or next year if they're on a team-friendly deal. Yeah, if it's team-friendly and it's more than just a rental, then okay, we can have discussions about that.
Yeah, I mean, it's... Because I'm not 100% sold on Hagan Smith. He's got to show me that he can get through five-plus innings and not just pitch the four-and-a-third, four-and-two-thirds. And again, Tanner McDougal's still hurt, right? Yeah. So that's another guy, too. My initial response to that is none of those names.
But if he's talking about the lower-level guys, but look, man, part of being a good general manager or president of baseball operations, and I think that Chris Goetz obviously is having a terrific year, to move things to the next level, bold moves do have to be made. And there are going to be guys... that are going to be repeats at positions.
So while it's all good here, but if we're really talking about building the White Sox into the future, a big signing still is going to have to be made probably somewhere along the line in terms of actually spending money because you can't expect everything to work out. With your starting staff, with these young players, like David Sandlin, is he part of this core? I don't know.
He was sent back down. Noah Schultz right now, kind of iffy while he was here, and now he is injured as well. So somewhere along the line, you can't keep everybody, and bold moves have to be made to move yourself forward into a place where you're competitive every year.
I think the first bold move they'll make is going to be something akin to what you've seen other teams do, which is, I don't know, give somebody $100 million, and catch them right now and add years to pass their arbitration years, whether that's a Braden Montgomery, whether that's Miguel Vargas. I thought about Morikami is who I thought you were.
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Chapter 4: What statistics highlight the Cubs' recent performance?
Humongous Sox fan. Just wanted to say I would give Will Venable Manager of the Year just for getting the Sox in first place in June. And, yes, I believe in magic. No, I like that. It's interesting because, again, only five teams in the American League even have a winning record. So right now, there's only five people eligible to be Manager of the Year.
Because you've got to be a winner to be Manager of the Year, right? And it also helps to go from being bad to being good. Usually that's the formula. It's usually not the guys that actually deserve it as the best managers in the league. It's the guys who took their teams to better places relative to the previous year.
The other teams who have winning records, the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees, the Seattle Mariners, and the Cleveland Guardians. He's by far had the biggest turnaround out of any of those. I think he's in the driver's seat for the award. I think so. I think so. And like I said, we talked about Will Venable a little bit earlier. He's still trying to get to know his guys.
It seems like he felt like he kind of had to overcompensate a lot of times for the ā because they're young, so I've got to ā or I have to really micromanage this team. And now I think Will Venable might be realizing, I don't want to say sit back and relax a little bit, like the PCA thing that they do where they put their hands behind the net. Is that what that is, relax?
I find that very ironic that that's the thing now when they get doubles, I think it is, or something. I can't keep track. The little PCA does the, oh, man, it's all cool. I'm laid back. That's what he told Taylor McGregor, by the way. Oh, he did? That's what that meant. That's what that meant? That's what he said. Okay. Do we take him at his word? I don't know if I take him at his word.
I just find it ironic. I think that's the clean version of the story. Oh, okay. I think it means something else. Oh, really? Yeah. I'm not getting there. It's up for interpretation. Yeah, I think that's the best way to put it, Ray. It's up for interpretation. I just always think that's funny when I see PCA do that because he's like the least laid back. Relax. Don't worry.
He's great, and he continues to be very good at the plate. But when I think of relaxed, cool customer players on the field, I don't think about Pete Crow Armstrong. What's up, everybody? I want to say because our caller Chris said she believes in magic. MLB.com's Scott Merkin has been keeping track of this very important stat.
Since Jordan Leisure spent $20 on the magic wand you always see him holding, you always see Mike Vassel holding, that is, and had it shipped over knife via Amazon, the White Sox record is 25-14. So there's the Magic Wand record, the Mike Vassell Magic Wand record. 11 games over .500 is a nice place to be since something happened, and I'm here for it. Let's keep waving that Magic Wand.
Somebody brought it up backstage, too. Might have been Parth that since the Cubs-White Sox series, these two teams have continued to go different directions. Yes. Yes. Jeff is in Kalamazoo. Jeff, what's going on? What do you need? Hey, guys. Hey, I'm thinking we could keep Murakami if the owners would go into a business with him and maybe do bidets called Murakami Tsunamis. Oh, man.
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Chapter 5: What do callers think about the Cubs' current lineup?
Not as bad as the Cubs, but they are not good. But I am very happy with these guys. Plus, I would like to know if Colson Montgomery is back. Is that the chronic issue? Because I've noticed when they've shown him in the dugout for the past month or so, or at least... four or five weeks, he's had a massager on his back when he's in the dugout. So it hasn't been something that just popped up.
It's something he's had issues with. But excited. Can't wait. Last time I called, we talked smack about the Cubs-White Sox series, and I took some heat, even though we ended up taking two out of three. We will see you guys in August, and I've got something for you. But, hey, go White Sox, and, hey, go Cubs. Yeah. The South Side's got something to say, Marshall. Well, I'll say this.
Colson Montgomery missed the last two games because of the back discomfort. They had been bothering him for quite a while, and they were like, all right, we're just going to give it a break. So he may not be in the lineup for today's game either because of that. So, look, if you're going to win games and Colson Montgomery can get his rest, I'm all for everything.
Get everyone to full strength as soon as possible. But, yeah, the White Sox, I understand why people are measured about it. Sure. But at the same time, This is a big start for Anthony Kaye today. He had been rolling, and he gave up six runs his last time out against the Phils. So he had, before that, six straight starts of two runs or less. Anthony Kaye right now 5-1 with a 440 ERA.
Martin Perez is the man on the mound for the Braves tonight, 4-3, 3-0-2. I will be watching. I can't keep Scott waiting because he's on the blue line. Scott, what's going on? You're on the score now. Hey, Groats, what's up? I'm coming out of the tunnel, so I should be okay. Okay.
I am a Cubs fan, but I am also a baseball fan. Last year I was watching the White Sox and how they were losing in one-run games, right? So imagine if they had won half of those that they lost.
And my thought process last year is, wow, they could just overcome that one-run game thing
they're going to be a pretty damn good team. And this is how many have they won in one-run games this year.
14-6, tied for a Major League Best with the Phillies.
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Chapter 6: How are the White Sox managing their young players?
The nuns would have loved you. The nuns. Oh, my goodness. Nun on the blue line. Nun on the blue line. Kind of like that, that he's on the blue line. I love it because there's an urgency today. That's the whole point of what we just did. We weren't necessarily planning to talk baseball for the first hour and 20 minutes of the show today.
If the Cubs lose and go under .500 tonight, you're going to come to work. I need you here because I need your reaction specifically because you sat right there in that seat and told me the White Sox were not better than the Cubs yet, but I think you've I think we're here, and if we're not here, we'll be there tomorrow if they lose tonight, right? I don't know, man.
That'd be four days I'd be working this week. I don't know. I got to think about that. Let's go to Will on the south side. Will, you're on the score.
Hi, how you guys doing?
The best. We're good.
Good, good, good. The quick solution for the Cubs, man, is one thing only, man. They need to manufacture runs, man. I've seen too many times where I have never seen a hit run this year. I've never seen a suicide sweep or a safety sweep. Council don't do nothing. Just sit there. Look and be legal. And then also, I lost probably like $5,000 so far in the Cubs this year.
We scored one run, two runs a game, man. Come on, man. The kid Ramirez, you need to play him more. I don't know why the hell they got Alcantara at all. maybe he needs to lead off Bregman because he hasn't did nothing in the three or the four hole. So at the end of the day, he's got to switch that line up and manufacture runs. That's it. That's the easiest fix we can do. We don't hit a run.
We don't do anything. Nothing.
Will, you've got to reduce the ante or something, man. Stop betting on the Cubs for this particular time period. I get it, though. They're playing the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants. This would be the time you would think you could bet on the Cubs, but nah, nah. I'm not touching that. You're all right, Will. You're going to be all right.
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Chapter 7: What is the significance of Montez Sweat's comments?
That was awesome. That felt good. That was cleansing to some degree. Alarming at times as well. Devastating at times. Educational, too, with some of the stats that we were bringing. Good that we got the nuns out there and blue lines. You know what? And just for Will on the south side, I just got to say, you know, 1-800-GAMBLERS out there. You know what I'm saying?
We got to give the public service announcement just for everybody. I love the guy on the blue lines. He was like, Bro, there's a nun sitting next to me, man. He kind of said it like it was a secret.
I know.
I was hoping he was going to go across the train and ask the nun, do you know the Pope? I do feel different when I'm in the presence of the cloth, like a nun or a priest. I feel like there's some sort of behavior adjustment I need to make immediately, tuck in the shirt. I don't know. The cloth. When we return, back to regularly scheduled programming. Bears! We will talk about Montez Sweat.
Montez Sweat, I'm just warning you guys. He hears you. He hears you ripping on the defense. He hears you getting pissed off. He can change that anytime he wants. Absolutely.
Let's hear from Sweaty Montez Sweat next on 104.3 The Score.
That's the playoff game against the Rams right there. Sweaty with a sack. A sweaty sack. Montez Sweat. Mike Tirico with the call. Watch your profanity. On NBC. Marshall, I heard Ben Johnson, I was not out at House Hall yesterday, but I did hear Ben Johnson say that he thought Montez Sweat had the best year of his career last year. You think that was the best year of his career? In a career?
In a career, yes, Roman Dunzay. In his career, he had 17 games last year, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and 53 tackles last year. I immediately, my brain went to, and that was a fine year. He got it going after a slow start last year. My brain immediately went to the first year with the Bears in the 2023 season, where in nine games with the Bears, he had six sacks.
and he also had, I think, six and a half with Washington. So it was as big as sack season, but the Tez effect was in effect in a big way when he first came to the Bears. So I'll take 2023 over what I saw last year, but he did get the engine revving eventually last year. Are you arguing with head coach Ben Johnson? A little bit. It's a dangerous game I'm playing. Very dangerous game.
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Chapter 8: What are the highlights from the Halftime segment?
We just was all on one accord. Everybody was on the same page, and everything was just really about winning. If it wasn't about winning, then it was... Non-existent.
Sounds like a mindset. How does that influence what you guys do?
Yeah, I mean, we just know Ben is all about winning. He don't really care about nothing else. So I don't care about nothing else but winning. So everybody just kind of honed in on winning.
Can you think of a moment early last year when it was clear that you didn't care about something that maybe other coaches would have been okay with? Or was there some moment when you went, oh, man, this guy's not messing around?
I probably could attest to maybe towards the end of the year when we didn't have any heaters outside in the cold. He was getting us ready for the winter. So, yeah, that was a little different. That's how you're getting there. Does Ben feel the same as he did last year? Seems like a little bit. He's pretty much the same.
Especially from a defensive perspective where you don't have to deal with Ben Johnson as much as the offensive players do. Just to have a guy who, as Montez Sweat put it, works the bleep out of us and all he really cares about winning. Isn't that all a veteran player, especially on defense, needs to hear? Yeah, I think so.
And I love the way he ended that answer because he was thinking about, is he really different? He's like trying to come up with something different. No, he's still trying to get us ready for the regular season. And also, yeah, heaters, what? We want to have the advantage of this is our home turf. This is our home territory. Can't do that in the Dome. And I think they made the most of it.
When the games got cold outside, they were prepared for it. The game did get cold. I went to that Packers game, the regular season, when it was freezing. Why not simulate what goes on in a real game? I remember that, and the players were laughing, and they were cold, and Grady Jarrett was cold. Grady Jarrett was extra cold. He's been playing in Georgia his whole life.
He was absolutely hilarious last year about the cold. He's like, what do you guys want me to do, practice in an icebox at some point in time? But yeah, Montez Sweat. Let's see what else we have here from Mr. Sweaty. Yeah. I thought there was one more. Montez. Okay. Oh, there it is. There it is. I'm sorry. He hears us all. He hears us all. Yes, what I teased, actually.
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