Cubs Talk Podcast

Luke Stuckmeyer, David Kaplan, Tony Andracki, and Kelly Crull get together to discuss and debate everything going on with the Cubs. Topics include the squad's struggles on the road this season (2:30), Steve Cishek's weird injury and his playful relationship with Brandon Kintzler (8:45), how many Cubs could end up in Cleveland for the All-Star game (12:45), and Kyle Schwarber's performance in the leadoff role (17:15).

Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by The Athletic's Jon Greenberg to discuss his new book, "If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Chicago Cubs Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box." Jon shares a great deal about the book, including why he decided to start it at the 2004 season (3:45), the antics and hilarity of the Lou Piniella Era (7:30), why 2013 could be viewed as a turning point in the franchise's quest for a World Series title (12:30), and wraps up by discussing how much The Athletic has grown since its inception in 2016 (17:30).

In a jam-packed episode, Kelly Crull catches up with David Bote after his record-setting 7 RBI performance earlier this week against Colorado (1:20) before also chatting with Carlos Gonzalez, who had quite an eventful first week with the Cubs (6:40). Then, Leila Rahimi talks with Peter Gammons, who discusses the Cubs' 2019 draft class, the tough NL Central, and his Hot Stove Cool Music fundraiser (12:00).

Hear the entire press conference from Friday at Wrigley Field, where Craig Kimbrel met the media for the first time as a Cub alongside Theo Epstein. Kimbrel discusses his workout regimen while he was unsigned (2:30), which current & former Cubs helped sway him toward Chicago (8:20), what a realistic timeline for his debut will be (12:30), and why he's excited to pitch in front of the Wrigley Field crowd (23:00).

Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by MLB Network's Dan Plesac to discuss whether this move makes the Cubs favorites in the NL Central, and the mental makeup of closers (1:00). Then, Luke welcomes David Kaplan and David DeJesus to debate where Kimbrel ranks among active relievers and what the Cubs' ideal bullpen looks like moving forward (10:00). Finally, Kelly Crull and Tony Andracki chime in from Wrigley Field on how the clubhouse has reacted to the Kimbrel news and what a realistic timeline is for Kimbrel to join the team (19:30).

Get to know the hosts of the new NBC Sports Chicago show "Outside the Ivy," as David Kaplan goes in-depth with Michael Cerami, Danny Rockett, and Luis Medina. The guys detail how their paths brought them to this point (1:30), the depth of the Cubs' fan base both online and off (5:00), when they all knew that Theo Epstein's grand plan was going to work (10:00), and Kap's surprising connection to one of the Outsiders (15:45).

Luke Stuckmeyer, David DeJesus and Doug Glanville talk all things Craig Kimbrel after a rumor-filled weekend about the free agent closer. First, Doug and David share memories of their respective draft days as the 2019 MLB amateur draft gets underway (1:20). Then, the guys discuss how badly the Cubs need to be in on Kimbrel (6:00), why the Cubs need to take advantage during a win-now season (9:00), what makes Kimbrel one of the best closers in MLB (12:00), and why Kimbrel remains a free agent (14:00).

Hear Albert Almora speak about Wednesday's foul ball incident (1:20) before Luke Stuckmeyer, Doug Glanville, and David DeJesus discuss the nuances of the league's safety problem (6:30), the Iowa Cubs already planning to extend their netting next season (10:00), and if either David or Doug ever worried about their safety while they were playing (12:00).

In this special edition of the podcast, we dip into the archive to bring you an epic comeback from 11 years ago. Re-live the May 30, 2008 game against the Rockies, including commentary from Mark DeRosa, who hit the decisive homer late in the game. DeRosa discusses how the wind played such a crucial role that day (1:30), the mindset on the bench after going down 8 runs (3:30), and what was running through his mind during his final at-bat (8:45). Also included are DeRosa's postgame comments from the 5/30/08 broadcast (11:45)

Luke Stuckmeyer is joined by David Kaplan and Tony Andracki to give a progress report on the Cubs at the 1/3 mark of their season. The trio discuss the many positives about the team so far as well as the starting rotation (1:15), the areas where the team needs to improve (4:00), the price to acquire an impact bullpen arm (9:00), and the Tyler Chatwood closer experiment (12:00). Then, the guys marvel at the kids of former MLB players like Vladimir Guerrero and Craig Biggio starting to enter the big leagues (15:30).