When sports talk radio began 30 some years ago, the format was simple, and it’s devolved into shouting matches between so-called experts and listeners who don’t have enough friends that care as much about sports as they do.

Even radio stations that didn’t highlight sports or carry a particular team’ s games would devote a few hours a day for a call-in show where fans could vent their anger. These days, guys and gals are paid ridiculous sums for their hot takes and often don’t take calls from listeners. Ad revenue has dried up to the point, where these stations are financed by all of the betting services.

I have no idea how many sports talk stations or shows there are in Philadelphia, but I’d like to hear a few minutes of fans trying to reconcile the Phillies failure in their LDS with the Dodgers. In Chicago, most of the hosts are prattling on as if they just learned the Brewers are better than the Cubs. Even when the Cubs were hot, they refused to discuss or admit the team’s many shortcomings and shouted down those that had doubts or questions.

It’s the manager’s job to put his team in the best position to win and assemble a lineup that will outscore the opponent. He’s also tasked with managing and manipulating a pitching staff and looking ahead to the rest of the series. Counsell has come under fire for his handling of the postseason rotation and his decision to start Matt Boyd (on short rest) and Shota “S#it, there goes another one” Imanaga.

Before the Wild Card series with the Padres, I said that I didn’t need to see Shota pitch again this season and that wasn’t hyperbole. He’s done his best Matt “the Arsonist” Karchner impersonation. In 1998, Karchner surrendered 6 home runs in only 28 innings pitched. I don’t hold a grudge against the guys that hit the homers, rather the mope who allowed them.

Shota did something very rarely seen at Wrigley for a foreign import-he had a phenomenal first season for the Cubs. He was their best starting pitcher last year, stress on the term pitcher (and not merely a thrower). The Cubs staff did a wonderful job of curating his starts and limiting his exposure to the opponents. He completely bamboozled hitters-especially those he only saw a couple times. Unfortunately, he didn’t appear to make any adjustments over the offseason and didn’t do anything different. Whether he is tipping his pitches this season, his ability to fool hitters hasn’t been enough to overcome his relative lack of velocity. Folks wiser than I have tried to figure what’s happened with specific pitches but I find their conclusions wobbly at best. The batters aren’t biting and are mashing homers at a Karchner rate.

I don’t know how winning game 3 at Wrigley benefits this Cub club either in the short or long run as they have to find a way to be better than Milwaukee. I would like to think a dramatic loss to the Brewers this year would serve as an impetus to make some necessary changes, but I sense a little complacency on the part of management-who signed a contract extension before they did nada, zip, zilch at the trade deadline.

Before they won it all in 2016, they had to get past the Cardinals-which they did in the postseason in 2015. To improve their postseason chances, they need to win the division. Other people think the Reds are a threat to the Cubs and Milwaukee.

In the short term, they have to do something to score more runs. Aside from getting actual production from their big bats, they have to change things up and I wouldn’t mind starting Reese McGuire in favor of Carson Kelly or Kyle Tucker. The other side of the coin is run prevention. So far, they have been uncharacteristically sloppy and a bullpen which has been excellent might be reverting back to form.

News has just come out that the Cubs are not going to resign Kyle Tucker to a free agent contract so I’m not sure what his motivation is for the rest of 2025 and if the rest of the team isn’t playing for each other, I don’t know if they have a chance against this particular Brewers team.