Cubs Talk Podcast

Barack Obama’s former senior advisor David Axelrod talks Cubs

David Kaplan and Gordon Wittenmyer are joined by David Axelrod, former advisor to Barack Obama, and now senior contributor to CNN to talk baseball and the Cubs. They dive into finally getting baseball back, the Cubs coming to the White House, and Axelrod tells stories of the split Obama household of Cub and Sox fans and his own personal connection to baseball and the Cubs.(1:45) - Axelrod's love of baseball and Chicago baseball(9:00) - The Cubs visit the White House(14:00) - MLB using its platform to promote social justice(22:30) - What it was like when all of sports had to stop(33:20) - Running a campaign vs managing a baseball team(43:40) - Could Theo Epstein run for office one day?

The NL Central Roundtable, who will take the crown

With the season just about underway, the NL Central is up for grabs and it looks like it's going to be a tight race all the way through. David Kaplan and Gordon Wittenmyer are joined by 2 representatives of MLB.com, Mark Sheldon beat writer for the Cincinnati Reds, and Adam McCalvy beat writer for the Milwaukee Brewers. The roundtable debates the NL Central rosters, and who has the best chance to come out on top as king of the division.(1:30) - Who is the favorite to win the NL Central division?(11:10) - How do the rosters match up in the division?(19:10) - Thoughts on the piped in crowd noise in stadiums(27:00) - Which team in the MLB is ready to make noise right now?(29:00) - Will the season be able to finish?

The ”Red Line Rivalry” Podcast edition

In a mashup for the ages, the Cubs Talk Pod and the White Sox Talk pod join together to preview the 2020 MLB season as both the Cubs and Sox prepare to start. David Kaplan, Gordon Wittenmyer, and Maddie Lee are joined by Chuck Garfien and Vinnie Duber of the White Sox Talk podcast as they compare rosters, rank the best players between the two teams, and come to a decision on who they think will have the best season in 2020. Let's play some baseball!(2:16) - How confident are you that the season will start and finish(7:20) - Comparing the best players between the two teams(11:40) - Who will be playing for a playoff spot at the end of the season?(22:05) - Who will have the better record this year

This will be the toughest championship for any team to win

In the most unprecedented season in MLB history, teams must go through a tough shortened season in possibly the most difficult run in baseball history. Host David Kaplan and Gordon Wittenmyer discuss the level of difficulty for teams to win a championship this year and they discuss the anniversary of the Ryan Dempster trade and the details that surrounded it. In the second half of the podcast, Kaplan interviews Joan Ryan author of the Book Intangibles all about the importance of team chemistry in difficult times.(1:51) - Is coronavirus testing for the Cubs improving?(7:10) - Yu Darvish speaks on the playing in the pandemic(11:30) - Ryan Dempster trade anniversary(19:15) - Joan Ryan interview(20:40) - Importance of team chemistry in winning(26:00) - Analytics vs chemistry

Former Cub John Baker on getting mentally prepared for baseball

Former Cub and now mental skills coach for the Cubs, John Baker joins the podcast with David Kaplan and Gordon Wittenmyer to discuss the mental aspect the players are going through in the return to play plan. They dive into keeping players focused, how the lessons of Cubs psychologist, the late Ken Ravizza still impacts the Cubs, and how the Cubs are operating under the new guidelines. (2:23) - Biggest mental challenges Cubs players are dealing with(10:55) - Ken Ravizza's lessons still impact the Cubs(19:46) - Getting Cubs players to be in the moment when playing (25:00) - Kaplan and Baker exchange tattoo stories(30:30) - Not having fans around has been tough

Not enough Coronavirus testing for the Cubs

The Cubs and the MLB seem to have a shortage of testing materials to test players for coronavirus after it was agreed upon by the players and the owners. David Kaplan, Gordon Wittenmyer, and Maddie Lee discuss the issue and what could it mean for the season. They also dive into the lack of Cubs pitching with Jose Quintana being sidelined, and they make predictions on how many games the Cubs will win in the shortened season.(1:26) - How is baseball going to happen if there aren't enough tests for the players(6:40) - Do the Cubs have enough on the roster to win it this year(12:45) - The pitching staff for the Cubs is light if Quintana can't play(17:46) - How many games will the Cubs win this year?(23:42) - Will Kris Bryant sign an extension with the Cubs?

Is there change coming to baseball’s diversity problem

While trying to get the season going, the MLB and baseball as a whole is starting to address another problem, the lack of diversity. NBCS Cubs reporter Maddie Lee is joined by former Cub and professor Doug Glanville, host Laurence Holmes, and Eugene McIntosh of Its the Bigs media to discuss ways MLB and baseball needs to address the issues and how they can benefit from it.(2:00) - Ian Desmonds comments really struck a chord in baseball(12:06) - Youth baseball for young black athletes(26:09) - Doug Glanville remembers being the only Black athlete on teams in the MLB(30:14) - Current Black players in majors are still dealing with racism(32:26) - Ways Theo Epstein is trying to help find solutions to the lack of diversity in baseball

Issues MLB still has to address to start the season

As the start to the season looms closer, there are still things to consider before the first pitch gets thrown. David Kaplan and Cubs insider Gordon Wittenmyer discuss potential hurdles MLB could face and the different scenarios the League should be looking at. Later on in the pod, they dive into comments made by Rockies infielder Ian Desmond on the state of race and inclusion in baseball and in America.(1:30) - Could the Cubs play the White Sox in the "Field of Dreams" game(7:39) - Ian Desmond's Instagram post on race and inclusion(21:30) - Will more minor leaguers play this season(26:04) - Potential issues teams have to deal with this season(31:40) - Kris Bryant says "I want to be a Cub the rest of my career "

Ian Happ discusses returning to play despite ugly negotiations

David Kaplan and Gordon Wittenmyer are joined by Cub Ian Happ as they discuss why the negotiations got so ugly between the players and owners and what will baseball look like for the 2020 season and beyond. Later on, Kaplan and Gordon talk about how can baseball proceed after a slew of positive Coronavirus tests from the Phillies.(1:42) - Happ on what baseball looks like to the public after ugly negotiations (6:10) - Will some players not participate this season due to health concerns?(10:15) - Where do the players and owners stand now after an ugly back and forth(15:30) - Can MLB provide a safe environment to play baseball(20:20) - Removal of racist statues at the University of Cincinnati (28:55) - Realistic expectations for the Cubs in 2020

Baseball is BACK!

Baseball is back and ready to start. David Kaplan and the NBCS Cubs coverage team of Maddie Lee, Gordon Wittenmyer, and Tim Stebbins discuss what the 60 game season will look like, how the will the Cubs perform under the new conditions, and David and Gordon have a heated debate on the Jose Quintana trade.(1:40) - Could this have been worked out earlier to get in more games?(7:40) - After the back and forth between the players and owners, who has come out as the winner?(13:40) - If fans are allowed in games with 20% capacity, would you attend?(23:41) - Was Jose Quintana worth trading for?(31:10) - Will fans be too jaded to enjoy the season?