Luke Stuckmeyer and Chris Kamka go through some fun and perhaps meaningful numbers through the Cubs' first 17 games, including good trends for the starting pitching and puzzling numbers for Kris Bryant & Anthony Rizzo (1:30). Then, David Kaplan catches up with former Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano, who discusses his comeback attempt with the Chicago Dogs, his accomplishments while he pitched for the Cubs, and his newfound commitment to his faith (10:30).
Apr 19, 2019•23 min•Ep. 205
Former Cubs TV analyst Todd Hollandsworth talks with Luke & Kap and gives an outside perspective on the 2019 Cubs. 00:00:46 Holly talks about being in the the TV booth and on the road every day with the Marlins. 00:01:51 Todd shares his thoughts on the 2019 Cubs and how the team was built through the draft. 00:04:03 Holly breaks down Jose Quintana's recent run of great starts. He Also talks about Yu Darvish and if what we saw Monday was for real. 00:05:37 Todd talks about the N.L. Central. D...
Apr 17, 2019•20 min•Ep. 204
Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by David Kaplan and David Haugh of 670 The Score and the Chicago Tribune to discuss what player they are most worried about at this point in the season (1:30), if there is any issue with Kris Bryant not pinch-hitting on his off day last Saturday (3:30), whether or not Jason Heyward can keep up his hot hitting (7:00), and how Tiger Woods' Masters victory compares to the Cubs' 2016 World Series title on a national scale (12:00).
Apr 15, 2019•18 min•Ep. 203
Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by former Cub and 2016 World Series Champion Tommy La Stella as he returns to Wrigley Field as a visitor with the Angels, and the utility infielder discusses the good memories of his time with the Cubs and much more (:45). Then, Luke is joined by David Kaplan and David DeJesus to break down the Cubs' rotation stepping up with Jon Lester on the injured list (6:00) before hearing from Joe Maddon on Mike Trout's place as perhaps the face of MLB and the best player in the g...
Apr 13, 2019•19 min•Ep. 202
Luke Stuckmeyer and David Kaplan discuss the Jon Lester injury situation and what his absence will mean to the rest of the rotation (2:00), the bullpen bouncing back after their horrible start to the season (5:15), the red-hot bats of Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, and Jason Heyward (9:00), leaving Ben Zobrist in the lead-off spot (13:00), and the struggles of Kris Bryant (15:00).
Apr 10, 2019•18 min•Ep. 201
On the latest Cubs Talk Podcast, Tony Andracki and Kelly Crull break down the opening road trip of the season, Kris Bryant's struggles at the plate and look ahead to the home opener 00:45Recapping the series against the Brewers 03:00Sunday's game was more of what you expect a Cubs-Brewers game to be like 04:00Kyle Hendricks' struggles early on 06:00Bryant's struggles at the plate of late 14:00Willson Contreras playing well through the first 9 games 17:00Javy Baez' comments on knowing the Cubs wi...
Apr 07, 2019•26 min•Ep. 200
Luke Stuckmeyer catches up with David Bote, Kyle Schwarber & Gordon Wittenmyer as the Cubs and Brewers face off for their first series of 2019 01:25 David Bote on Brewers series and importance early in season 02:15 Bote on controlling what we can control 03:32 Bote on his new contract, staying with Cubs 04:45 Bote on lineups, approach day-to-day 05:30 Bote on his teammates, helping when guys are struggling 06:30 Schwarber on Brewers series, excitement 07:53 Schwarber on last season, 1 game s...
Apr 06, 2019•19 min•Ep. 199
Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by Ernie Banks biographer Ron Rapoport to talk about his new book "Let's Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks." The pair discusses Ernie's early life in Dallas, TX (2:00), his fabulous wasted season for infamous 1969 Cubs team (10:00), Ernie talking trash to Willie Mays at Wrigley Field (13:30), who the next Ernie Banks might be today (15:00), and the contrast between Ernie's happy disposition and his complicated private life (19:30).
Apr 04, 2019•23 min•Ep. 198
Luke, Kap & Kelly talk through the Cubs first 4 games, when to "pull the plug" on the bullpen, and what's changed with Kyle Schwarber in 2019. 00:00:22 Luke: When is it too early to panic? 00:00:40 Kap: What was the biggest concern we had going into this season? The bullpen. And it has reared it's ugly head and it looks awful. 00:02:00 Kelly: I don't like that some guys have built-in excuses already. 00:03:25 Kap reads off the list of positive signs for the Cubs. IE: Bryant/Schwarber/Baez/et...
Apr 03, 2019•25 min•Ep. 197
On the latest edition of the Cubstalk podcast David Kaplan, David Dejesus and Doug Glanville discuss the Cubs opening series in Texas and look ahead to Atlanta. 1:00 Bad start for Yu Darvish 2:30 Concern over Carl Edwards Jr 4:15 A dangerous look in Kyle Schwarber’s eye 7:30 New rules in Cubs clubhouse 10:15 why not winning another world series would be a failure 12:30 baseball’s watchability
Apr 01, 2019•17 min•Ep. 196
Luke talks with Tony Andracki following the Cubs 12-4 Opening Day win in Texas.
Mar 29, 2019•12 min•Ep. 195
Luke Stuckmeyer, David Kaplan, and Kelly Crull react to the breaking news of Kyle Hendricks' extension with the Cubs. The trio discusses how the deal is a win for both sides (1:30), Hendricks' unique place in Cubs history and on this season's roster (7:30), what Kyle's ceiling as a pitcher has turned out to be (12:00), and who the next Cub to sign an extension might be (14:30).
Mar 26, 2019•17 min•Ep. 194
Baseball is finally here! Luke Stuckmeyer & David Kaplan discuss the surprising move to send Ian Happ to the minors to start the 2019 season and the message it sends to the team (2:00), as well as the report from The Athletic that details the changes the Cubs are making to their day-to-day operations this season (8:00). Finally, Kap and Luke make some bold predictions about what will happen this season, including thoughts on Yu Darvish, Addison Russell, and Joe Maddon (11:45).
Mar 26, 2019•22 min•Ep. 193
Luke Stuckmeyer catches up with Brewers radio broadcaster Jeff Levering to get the inside scoop on Milwaukee heading into the 2019 season. The pair discuss how the potential addition of Craig Kimbrel would impact the Brewers bullpen (3:30), whether or not Christian Yelich can repeat his MVP performance (8:00) and how the NL Central will shake out this year (14:00) before Jeff gives us some personal insight into the great Bob Uecker (19:00).
Mar 24, 2019•22 min•Ep. 192
Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by Chris Rongey, host at 101 ESPN in St. Louis, to take a closer look at the arch-rival Cardinals. The pair discusses the ramifications of the rumored Paul Goldschmidt extension (2:30), the pressure on the Cardinals to get back to the playoffs (6:30), the potential of Jack Flaherty (10:30), and Kris Bryant's inflammatory comments about St. Louis at Cubs Convention (13:45).
Mar 21, 2019•21 min•Ep. 191
Luke Stuckmeyer, David Kaplan & Tony Andracki tackle all the pressing topics surrounding the Cubs, including the Brewers' reported connection to Craig Kimbrel (:45), Yu Darvish's blister woes (5:15), how the current run of extensions in MLB will affect the Cubs in the future (9:10), and Tony makes the case for Kris Bryant to be the regular lead-off hitter (16:00).
Mar 21, 2019•19 min•Ep. 190
On the latest Cubs Talk Podcast, Luke Stuckmeyer, David Kaplan, Kelly Crull and Tony Andracki make their predictions for the 2019 season, discuss who will be the team's MVP and debate which NL Central team will be the toughest challenge for the Cubs this season. 1:00 - NL MVP odds for Baez, Bryant, Rizzo and Schwarber 4:00 - NL Cy Young award odds 7:00 - Home run totals for Cubs sluggers 9:00 - Javy Baez' potential at the plate 10:00 - Was bad weather a factor for the Cubs offensive struggles ea...
Mar 19, 2019•27 min•Ep. 189
Willson Contreras sits down with Kelly Crull for an exclusive interview where the Cubs catcher takes full responsibility for his tough 2018 campaign, and tells us what he's learned from last year's experience (1:20). Then, an emotional Willson discusses the current social and political situation in his home country of Venezuela, and how he keeps his focus on the field with so much upheaval in his homeland (12:15).
Mar 15, 2019•23 min•Ep. 188
On the latest Cubs Talk Podcast, Luke Stuckmeyer, David Kaplan, Tony Andracki and Cam Ellis break down the starters and relievers for the 2019 Cubs. 01:15 If healthy, the Cubs rotation could be among the best in baseball 03:00Is the age of the Cubs staff a concern you? 04:25What do you do with Tyler Chatwood? 05:50Sooner or later the Cubs will need a pitcher from their minor league system 06:45The expectations on Jose Quintana after what the Cubs gave up to get him 08:00Who would be the first ca...
Mar 12, 2019•27 min•Ep. 187
Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by MLB Network's Dan Plesac, who is fresh off his tour of major league camps in Arizona. The pair discuss where the holes might be on this Cubs roster (1:00), how the back end of the bullpen will shake out (4:30), the new technology the Cubs are employing to help their pitchers improve (9:00), the state of pitcher development in today's game (13:30), and how the addition of Bryce Harper changes the outlook in the National League this season (16:30).
Mar 08, 2019•23 min•Ep. 186
Kelly Crull catches up with Cubs Opening Day starter Jon Lester on his drive home from camp in Mesa, and discusses what a normal spring training day looks like, relationships between the players, the dynamic between himself and David Ross, pushing players like Anthony Rizzo to the next level, who the best golfer on the team is, and his past as a soccer player (1:10). Then, Luke Stuckmeyer gets the behind-the-scenes story of the ride-along from Kelly (28:30).
Mar 06, 2019•39 min•Ep. 185
Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by Tony Andracki and Chris Kamka to react to Bryce Harper's record-setting contract with the Phillies. The trio discuss whether the Cubs were ever actually involved and if they missed out on a big opportunity (1:30), as well as how Harper's contract will affect future negotiations with Kris Bryant (6:30). Then, we hear Bryant's reaction to Harper's deal (13:20) before Luke & company debate where the Phillies now sit in the N.L. hierarchy (15:00).
Mar 02, 2019•27 min•Ep. 184
On the latest Cubs Talk podcast, Luke Stuckmeyer, David Kaplan, Kelly Crull and Tony Andracki are joined by USA Today's Bob Nightengale to discuss Yu Darvish's first start of the spring, baseball's free agent market, the Cubs mindset and a celebration of Ron Santo 00:45 Bob on Yu Darvish's first start of the spring 01:40 Would the Cubs be in play to sign Bryce Harper on a short term deal? 02:30 Does Nolan Arenado's new deal set the market for future free agents? 04:00 The Cubs have a chip on the...
Feb 26, 2019•26 min•Ep. 183
Luke and Kap discuss the latest goings-on from Cubs camp, including Joe Maddon's recent talk about how he's going to handle his lineup card this season (0:45), the lack of a true lead-off hitter impacting the batting order (3:00), how Jose Quintana is working to improve his pitch arsenal (6:30), and what to watch for as the exhibition schedule begins (11:00).
Feb 22, 2019•17 min•Ep. 182
Kelly Crull and Tony Andracki discuss the impact a full season of Cole Hamels could have on the rotation and the team. And David Kaplan goes 1-on-1 with Kyle Hendricks. Find out which teammate Hendricks says most enjoys striking out in Spring Training. 00:35 - Tony and Kelly break down the potential impact that Cole Hamels can have on the 2019 club. They discuss Hamels' value as a teammate and a leader, his approach to baseball every day, and what the Cubs expect from him every fifth day. 16:56 ...
Feb 21, 2019•32 min•Ep. 181
Luke, Kap and Chris Kamka react to the Manny Machado deal and the impact it has on the National League and the Cubs. Javy Baez talks about hustling and being accountable, and possible contract extension numbers for Baez and Kris Bryant are discussed. 00:00 - Welcome - Manny Machado signing and what it means for the National League. How many legitimate contenders are there in the N.L. with Bryce Harper likely to sign with a N.L. team as well? 2:20 - Are we really surprised Machado got his $300 mi...
Feb 20, 2019•25 min•Ep. 180
As the Cubs held their first full-squad workout in Arizona, Chairman Tom Ricketts talked about his father's e-mail scandal and the team's free-agency budget on the latest edition of the CubsTalk Podcast. 01:00Tom Ricketts on his dad's email controversy 08:00Tom on his comments to the players about the emails 12:00Tom on his dealings with the city and Alderman Tom Tunney 17:30On team's budget for 2019 19:30On free agency in baseball 23:00On building a team long term 29:00On Joe Maddon's future...
Feb 18, 2019•31 min•Ep. 179
The Cubs are looking for some of their young players to take the next step in 2019. Kelly Crull and Tony Andracki discuss what they expect from David Bote and Victor Caratini this year (11:52). Plus, Ian Happ is busy getting reps at second base in Mesa (03:04), and Willson Contreras is "hungry" to get back in action (07:34). Then, David Kaplan has a 1-on-1 interview with Bote as he settles in for his second MLB season (27:20). Luke Stuckmeyer hosts.
Feb 18, 2019•36 min•Ep. 178
Our Cubs beat reporters Kelly Crull and Tony Andracki provide their unique perspectives after being in the room for Addison Russell's first public comments since his suspension (1:00). They discuss Russell's disposition during his media session (4:00), the lack of specifics in his answers (12:30), what the future holds for both Russell and the team (19:15), and much more regarding the Cubs' suspended shortstop.
Feb 16, 2019•25 min•Ep. 177
For the first time since being suspended 40 games in September for violating MLB's domestic violence policy, Addison Russell met the media in Arizona. We bring you his entire press conference (1:00), as well as comments from Joe Maddon and Theo Epstein about Russell's situation and how it has changed the entire organization (20:00).
Feb 16, 2019•32 min•Ep. 176
