Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Matas Buzelis talks Rising Stars honor, Bulls' direction (Hour 2)

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

In the second hour, Leila Rahimi, Marshall Harris and Mark Grote were joined by Bulls second-year forward Matas Buzelis to discuss his Rising Stars honor, the organization’s direction and more. After that, Rahimi, Harris and Grote discussed what came of recent trade talks between the Cubs and Red Sox. Later, they held the Halftime segment.

This hour is sponsored by Riverfront, Chrysler Jeep, Dodge, Ramp. Bezellis, Kinnock, son, a left-link three. Which Vizelis said that, Bill? He's starting to warm up a little, but he's three of ten now. He's got 12 points for rebounds. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 104-3, The Score, and we're awaiting Bull's practice to wrap up in Boston because we are going to get to talk to Modis Buzellis,

who is playing in his third straight Rising Stars game. I don't know that I should admit to this, but I think I'm gonna. Marshall and I were talking about the process Sixers and how that is truly the hardest of rebuilds in the break.

And you, I left in October of 2020 or 2015 to come here. So I didn't have to deal with it the entire time. You did a hard time. Yeah, I reminded you of the Markle Fultz trade. where they traded up with the Boston Celtics from two to one. And when they traded it up with the Boston Celtics, they broke one of the Cardinal rules in basketball,

which is don't trade with Danny Ains. The Sixers, who had to give up draft capital to get that number one pick, took Mark L. Fultz. And the number two pick that year was Jason Tatum. And as they say, the rest is history. History, history. We were talking about how the process was so intent on rebuilding that the NBA stopped it mid-processed.

but that's because it was four years in. Yeah, you can only go about a half a decade of just losing in bad situations. I was telling Mark the story of tickets were so cheap that you would go on Stubhub or whatever the local site was and you would pay fees for a row of tickets and the actual tickets themselves cost a total of a dollar.

That's bad. You think you're tanking? You haven't seen a tank. Yeah, that's what real tanking looks like. And there was, believe it or not, It's hard to even think about it, but there was a time when Cubs games tickets were a joke, when Theo Epstein, ironically, and Jed Hoyer had taken over and what was a blatant rebuild of the team with some of the players that were on those rosters and you could go on Stubbub and find Cubs tickets for a dollar.

Which is kind of awesome because... Kind of. No, it is. It is. Because at that point, you're just hanging out. And there's a game in front of you. Right. Because you can't be committed to the result because the result will probably not favor the home team.

And then that's when you get to see talented players from other teams. There's still a major league baseball team on the field. Right. And you get to see, you know, Brian LeHare playing first base or, you know, Big Frank. Not that big Frank. My first assignment for Comcast Sportsnet, the company, like the entire company, because I spent time in Philly with Marshall. The company.

I was in Houston. Prior to that, I was here in Chicago for many years. was covering the Astro's last series in the National League against the Cubs here, and it was the first meeting of 200 lost teams in like 50 years or something. And Luke Stockmire goes, and we're just the reporters to do it. I was like, is your team bad? I am here. I am here to cover your team.

What are the special stories on that team? So Marshall's like... Here's Nate Sheerholtz. Marshall's like, you know, there's talented teams on the other side. I'm like, well, not always. Not always. No, you're right about that.

Boy, that is, boy, that's agonauty. That's a painful story. A couple of 100 lost teams. I can imagine that. It was one of those, where were you, like, were you there moments? Like, Jake Flanagan, who now runs CHGO was also at that game. He's like, oh, man, the only tickets we could get to this, where the Cubs season were the tickets to the Astros game.

I was like, oh, me too. Yeah, I can't imagine the play-by-play announcers for those two, they're coming together in the press box and both just looking at each sides and saying, oh, man, it's been a season, commiserating, shaking their head. They're great jobs. Like, you're never going to get somebody who is a head of play-by-play to be like, life sucks because life is pretty cool doing that job. But when you lose 100 games in a baseball season, that's tough for everybody in the traveling party.

I love the idea that both teams get paid. Both teams are professionals. And even when there's bad players on your team, they're trying to get things done. They are. And we are happy to report that Bulls practice has wrapped up. Shootaround is over in Boston. And now joining us on our Circus Sports Illinois hotline. Download the Circus Sports app today is the three-time rising star.

Modis, Modis, thanks for coming on. no problem thank you guys for having me all right first things first i've gotten a hot news tip modest i hear that you like to have some food after shoot around what's your go-to to get the hotel spread going i'm going it depends on what time it is if it's in the morning i'm going with the eggs scrambled four eggs with uh cheese probably sausage mixed and uh some pancakes i love pancakes Nice. Load them up with butter syrup. I mean, you really load those pancakes up. I'm not going to lie. I've never had butter on my pancakes. What? Is it good?

Wait, what do you do? This is important news here. I go, I just go with syrup. That's it. Now, how much crap have you gotten throughout from your family growing up? It's like, come on, young modest, a little bit of butter and you're like, no thanks? We never had butter for the pancakes in my, in my house when we were younger. That means you're a healthier household then. That's what I'm hearing here.

Modis, you're young and can burn a lot of calories, man. Like, for those of us who can't, we need you to try to mix it up a little. You know what? That's what I might start doing. I might start doing it from this day moving forward. Modis, I'm very curious because you obviously have been selected for a third straight Rising Stars game. To my knowledge, you're the only player who's ever been selected to play in three

straight games because, of course, you played in the G League and the first time you played in your rookie season, now in your second season. Do you know if you're the first guy to play in three straight? I think, no, I think some other guys have done it. I think Scoot Henderson has done it. Okay. There's somebody else, I can't recall, but it's honestly a blessing and I'm, you know, super excited. Do you feel like it's changed the way you look at either All-Star weekend or just like the game itself, the way the NBA is always tweaking with the rules and selection? and how we come up with the teams who play? I wouldn't say that, no.

I'm just very excited to be in L.A. and participating against, you know, the best players and, you know, getting to see all those bad guys who are stars in the league and, you know, learning from them. Well, congratulations for being in that again, because, of course, we all want you to be a star along those same lines. Have you considered or will you consider,

doing the slam dunk competition again, maybe sometime down the line? Because I was thinking about you in that game against Toronto, the one that Mac McClung played in with you. And I'm thinking about McClung because he's the three-time dunk champion. And then you have a sick one-handed jam in that game. And I'm thinking, oh, we got two dunkers right here. Have you thought about that? And while I'm at it, what did you think about Mac McClunk? Actually, you know, we have two dunk contest champs on our team.

Bernie Simon is also another one. That's right. Nice. We have a couple. We have a couple guys. But yeah, honestly, you know, I definitely would want to do it again. I'm just, you know, listening to my body this year. You know, your body is a temple.

So you have to take care of it. And, you know, Matt McClong, he's a great guy. He works extremely hard. He, you know, to be where he is for that long, you know, in the G grinding every day. And the guys don't know how tough it. is so props to him. He's an amazing, I'm going to call him a vet.

He's been, you know, doing it for so long, and he's, I give him all the props, and he's an amazing person. You know, Modis, you bring up something pretty compelling when you talk about just the effects that that can have on your body. Playing in a Rising Stars game is obviously a little bit different of an activity compared to the dunk contest. What was the lasting effect for you when it came to just having to recover that, you know, being younger, being still new to your process?

Like what, how did you physically feel after her competing? And what have you heard from other people about how it takes it out of you? You know, it's tough, but, you know, I'm not the one to, I'm not one to back down from anything. But, you know, I try to play every single game in the NBA. And I have done it this year. I did it last year. And I want to play every game. And, you know, knock on what I have.

And, you know, I'm just listening to my body. Your body is very important. you know if you can't if you're hurt you can't do anything to help the team win and um i just try to just try to listen to my body i know you're listening to your body i'm more just interested and fascinated with how you're handling what's happened over the last week surrounding the trade deadline so many teammates gone so many new teammates what has that process been like for you i mean billy donovan out of the nine guys you used in the last game only six of them were your new teammates, only three guys from, you know, before a week ago had you played with?

Yeah. It's definitely tough. You would think, you know, you can just grab a bunch of new guys and then just start winning and have a spark right away, but that's just not how it works. You know, you have to grind through it. You have to all be on the same page and what we're doing. And, you know, it's been tough for me. I lost a lot of friends, but it's just the business of basketball.

And it is what it is. I just accept it and move forward. You know, as soon as the trades happen, I have to move on to the next game and I was ready to play against Toronto Raptors right away. And you just have to have a short memory. Yeah, modest, the graphic that I saw on the CHSN broadcast, you've had 34 teammates since being drafted by the Bulls in 2024. What do you think about that? To be honest, like, it might sound harsh, but it is what it is. That's just how it is.

and you have to be ready to play every night. And I'm thankful to even share the core with all those teammates. Like I remember playing with Taylor and THT, being from Chicago, Javon, all those guys. And they mean a lot to me. But right now it's a new squad and we have to move and turn the page. Yeah, yeah, it's tough, man. Life is a professional athlete in all of the sports. You're talking about your Chicago.

teammates at I.O. D'Suma, one of those. I can't help but thinking about the day of the Bears Packers playoff game. You guys have a game that day. You guys come in rocking Bears' jerseys. I know that, hey, we're all upset. The Bears didn't advance. But do you guys get a chance to watch the Super Bowl on the NBA circuit? Like, did you guys come together in any way, shape, or form? Yeah, we actually did. we, you know, since we got our new guys, we all try to, you know, build some chemistry,

watch the game together. We all ordered food and it was a good time. I think we jelled well together. And that helped, that helped, that definitely helped our team. Modus, you know, I think we, we've seen a pretty cool, like, young sports click coming together, you know, between you, Caleb Williams, Pekro Armstrong, there might be a good vibe going with the young athletes in this town. Yeah, those are my guys.

I try to connect with all of them. I told them we should definitely do a dinner. Me, Caleb, PCA, and Badaard. And we're definitely going to do that. But those are all my guys. They're doing amazing, and they're representing Chicago well. Love it. Certainly the future.

And modest, I know it's been a rough time for you guys, not just the trade deadline, but the fact that you lost five in a row, eight of your last nine. People in Chicago are starting to use that T word. and the tank word, if you will. How do you block out the noise and how do you continue to get better, even though you've got all these new teammates?

And we know that our church, Karnassova, said that you're trying to get out of the middle. Yeah, we're definitely trying to do that. And, you know, it's going to be hard at first. You know, we lost our, I don't know how many games in a row, but we have to be better and we're going to have to figure it out sooner or later. Now wait, hold on.

Where are you guys going for your dinner? You got to let us sit on a little bit of a secret here. I don't know when we're doing it, but as soon as everybody's free, we'll try to work something out. But they're definitely, you know, I asked them about it. They're definitely interested in doing that.

But it'll be exciting. I don't know what food they like or anything, but that's something that we'll have to figure out. Do you have a number one spot? Say it again. I was just asking if you had a number one spot you'd like to go. Honestly, I go to Oakville like every day when I'm for lunch. Okay, so that's...

The one on Green Street. Yeah, in the West Lute. Yeah, that's a great five. You would catch me there if it's like two or three in the afternoon, probably. Good to know. We can bug Modis at the Oakville. As long as they don't serve butter. No, I love butter now.

Just not on my pancakes. Oh, okay. I got you. Please don't put butter on your pancakes on a cat of us. If you get to try it, I think you'll be okay. We'll do. Modest, thank you so much. Congratulations again on the Rising Stars game.

Thanks, Modus. Thank you guys again. I appreciate you for having me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Safe travels to L. that's Modis Puzellis letting us in on a little bit of the

where you can find Modis at the Oakville. See, I worry that he shouldn't have to get too much away. Oakville, you guys are going to have to hook him up with a private area now. That's a young man's mistake right there. You're going to have to screen modest. That's tough. No, but seriously, that's tough. And that idea of that dinner,

that's paparazzi style here in Chicago. If you saw those four guys walking around, like the camera phones would be out. instantly for one of them, let alone all of them together. I was so curious if they had a plan as to where they wanted to go. Yeah, I don't think they're going to give that.

Well, I'm sure they'll take pictures from wherever they are. They should. And post them many hours later. Yeah. That's the trick. You do it after like you've changed scenes. You know?

So like if you're there, don't post while you're at the scene. Right. Just after you've changed the scene. Right. Then nobody will come and find you. Yeah. Unless they want, hey, maybe they want the attack. attention. They're the accessible stars, and that's okay. Next thing you know, we're posting

pictures from years later. Not me. Not me. Oh, goodness. No, it's great to have Modis on. I'm glad we got to talk to him. I feel bad for him. He's about to have some rough sledding, if you will, because they're not winning. He couldn't tell you how many games in a row they had lost. That's a pretty formidable sign of how bad things have been on the court. Just play ball. Just get out there, get to know your teammates. Get your shots up. Get your shots up.

Just be you, Modis. Well, the other thing, too, is you can just tell how the game is slowing down for him a bit, especially in the downhill aspect of his game. I think that's something that we've seen improve when it comes to Modis. Yeah, like I said, if he continues to bulk up, maybe add more syrup to the pancakes, whatever, butter, or have protein pancakes. Creatine pancakes. Creatine, all of it, then maybe, you know, he gets strong enough because he's just a little bit

lacking in that strength area, both offensively and defensively. And that's something he's got to really work on that and tightening his handle, in my opinion. The butter is really the key to the whole thing. I mean, like, I've had pan-y-like, they're not bad without the butter, but it really, it changes the whole. I don't like tough, dry pancakes. Right.

They need to be soft, and the butter softens them up. That's, yeah, full flavor, too. That bite right in the middle? Yeah. Yeah. That's an excellent assessment. And I prefer my syrup warm also, not just room-temperature syrup. I didn't even think about that.

So thanks to Mattis Buzellis for coming on with us on Rahimi Harrison Grotie. I have a question for Ray and our crew. I know that we had to pause our stadium discussion, and we didn't get to all of the Cam Buckner comments on the afternoon show. Do we want to get back to that or do we want to stick to our original plan? I think we stick to our original plan. Okay. It's baseball time.

Speaking of the afternoon show, Matt Spiegel let loose some information regarding the Boston Red Sox that not only mentioned one cub but two and you might guess who they might be interested in so let's have a discussion about that and listen to what speaks had to say next rahimi harrison grody the great kevin harland i just pulled through the taco bell drive-thru and i've got a couple of big nasty supreme burritos right here waiting to beat you know the first thing they ask you now i'm using the app the app no i just want my burrito i don't want to use an app bring a lot of mild sauce because i'm going to escort it all over the Put some hot sauce on that burrito, baby.

Rahimi Harris and Grody. Midday's 10 a.m. to 2 on the score. The 2-1 delivery contrarish lines one. Cut by Horner through the first. They double up, Cheerio. Over. Zach Zayman on the call. This is Rahimi Harrison Grady on 104-3, the score.

And guys, don't be bugging modest bozzellis to the Oakville now, okay? He blew up his spot on his own. We got to have a code here. You can't be bugging him when he's there. You just gave it away again, though. I know, but I'm just saying, no, don't bug him. Don't. Actually, he seems like the type of athlete or human who would be amenable to somebody coming up to him and saying,

hello, modest. He'd probably say, hello, good to see you. Because he's 21 and not yet jaded. I appreciate the youth. He's in his prime. He seems like a very nice person. He does. And it was nice of him to even say that.

So meanwhile, you know, Kevin Harlan's going to Taco Bell and Modis is at the Oakville. I like it. there's levels to this. There are. People need range, dang it. Kevin Harlan certainly has range. That's what I've learned from our conversations with him. Gift to us, Kevin Harlan, telling us about his life every day.

We love it. So you just heard the baseball call. Guess what? People are reporting and talking in Arizona. And before they do that, there's also some news about really one of the biggest questions we're going to have until we have a certainty when it comes to how this Cubs infield is settled. Alex Brebman gets signed. Matt Shaw has many years of control. He's trying to develop. Nico Horner has a massive amount of value. When you put it all together, it creates a lot of

questions to this roster and how it's going to shake out, even in spring training. This is going to be one of those things that we're going to be tracking every single day to try to figure out a good problem. Is there more talent than the infield positions allow? So Matt Spiegel yesterday on Spiegel and Holmes shared the information he received on the Cubs regarding Nico Horner and Matt Shaw. Take a listen. Nico Horner, going to get traded? He has not.

And I don't think he will be. I think we can close the book on the idea that Nico was going to get dealt because the last team that desperately needed a second baseman and an infielder, really, to try and sort it out was the Boston Red Sox. And some stuff went on this week.

The Boston Red Sox did call the Cubs about Nico Horner. They ended up talking more about Matt Shaw than Nico Horner. And then the Boston Red Sox traded with the Brewers for Caleb Durbin. That fills their need. They did not get what they wanted from the Cubs in terms of Nico. And the Matt Shaw conversations apparently did not go well enough for both sides to consummate something there. But I think we can sit in good thoughts.

that Nico Horner will be a member of these Chicago Cubs. We can relax about that. The Red Sox are your friends. They took Caleb Durbin from Milwaukee. Get him out of there. I like this news from Speaks because, let's be honest, none of us wanted to see Nico Horner traded if we were invested in the Cubs success in the 2026 season.

It was never going to make sense to me to trade him before the season even start. Now, at the deadline, that could be different. and it will be, but it could be different. But like, you want to start off feeling like you are full bore, full go. And Nico Horner, not in this lineup, to me, was going to be a failure on the Cubs front office. Well, it's the dichonomy of you have more qualified infielders than you have positions available, and you have a player arguably at the height of his powers right now. And that's what makes it so tempting.

And then that also makes me understand more. the bigger question I have with this isn't just what Nico Horner's value is to the Cubs. It's what are Matt Shaw's years of control to the Cubs? How much do they care about those? Because in previous years, I would say that those may matter more than anything else

as far as a player's value is concerned. And when I hear that from Matt Spiegel, I think there might be a different tune now as far as that is concerned. Do you guys think it's enough of a game changer here? Talk about the Matt Shaw part of it? Oh, yeah, because I mean, literally yesterday, I was saying, I don't know how the Cubs at this point, just as a player, what they

project out of Matt Shaw, based on one season, do they still look at him as a core member of their team? Did they look at him as just even a valuable bench player who doesn't play every day? Like, I don't know how they project him. Now, based on what Spiegel reported, it does sound like, okay, the Cubs might be willing to shop Matt Shaw and officially because Alex Breggman because Nico Horner

there may not be a spot at the inn for somebody like that although first round pick don't know what he's going to be there is value with Matt Shaw not just value because of that but also because let's be honest there's going to be some type of work stoppage next

year Nico Horner last I checked is a free agent at the end of this year sure is and you have Matt Shaw under many many years of control. So that's not something you just go around giving away. Again, you hit the hammer. Value. Yeah, with the value of first round pick. This guy was drafted to be someone. He's already shown you as a glove gold, or excuse me, gold glove finalist, how good he can be. Now, that's it. You know the upside. You also have a little bit of upside for just getting regular

reps, right? Like, that's the part of this that also helps in the equation. So that's why this is a, it's fascinating to play out and see understand in real time what's going on with how they value this. So here's another thing that happened today. Craig Counsel has spoken in Mesa. And listen to what Craig Counsel had to say about where Alex Bregman might fit into this thing. Of course, yeah, that's a possibility. But it's not, Alex's the third baseman. I think that's just a season thing. And you play it and play it and see it, see how it goes. us during the season. But yeah, that's certainly one of the

ways we can go. Wait, what's the, we didn't get the beginning part of that. What was he talking about? So, apparently, there's a possibility of Alex Bregman moving to DH. Ah, okay. So he's saying there's a possibility that he could be DH.

Okay. Now, I didn't take that as to he's going to be the DH. I took that as, get him off his feet a few days, DH him and Matt Shaw get some reps. They have that luxury with the extra end filter. Yeah. Yeah, I need more on that one.

Yeah, I couldn't tell from the context. It sounded like Craig was saying, yeah, that's, yes, we'll play him at DH sometimes. Exactly. Well, and I didn't know if there was a question there that was going to be included. So we're chopping this audio up and remixing it for you. Not necessarily remixing it. We're just trying to get it on the air.

Real time, because that just happened a little bit ago in Mesa. So there is a possibility that Alex Breggman could DH, which will also make it make sense. You know, if you're trying to get people regular reps, if you're trying to get everybody fitting in. You know, I know there's been some discussion about Moises by Astero's in all of this. But Alex Bregman, at least immediately, is a much better prospect if that's where he's going to go. Yeah, I mean, Moises by Asteroz, Kevin Alcantara,

do we start to talk about James Trianta, like some of the bench guys that are on his team? Let's not get too far down that bench. I know, I know. Let's not get too. This is the time to do it, though. This is the time to do it. Get too far down that bench, and then you're left with those options as regular players because of injuries. Things are not going to go the way you think they are, or you would hope they would go.

Well, and that's why I love the Matt Shaw part of this, that it puts him in the, because they couldn't quite figure out Matt Shaw last year. The ups and downs were real, and that should be allowed for a rookie. But the signing of Alex Bregman put everybody in their proper slots of importance in terms of people are not over. It might have been an overpromotion to think that Matt Shaw is an everyday player at this point. Now you don't have to think about that. Well, there's more. Oh! Yeah, so Craig Counsel also today spoke on Matt Shaw getting work in the outfield.

I think Matt kind of heard what he wanted. What he was hoping to hear is that we're going to play him in multiple positions. And I think he was, you know, in his mind ahead of it a little bit and excited about it. So it really just I think the outfield is the thing that's going to be newer for him There's a number of positives we have working for us One, Matt's a really good athlete I think he's demonstrated that

I think he demonstrated last year a position change And very much I think we all saw it improved As he worked as he put in work for it That's a very positive step He's going to have some work to do this spring He's not afraid of that He's a worker. He loves that part of it.

He loves the challenge of it. So this is not on my top three list of things to worry about, I'd say. I think Matt's going to do this great. And we were a healthy group as a position player unit last year. Very healthy group. If that happens again, great. But I think you anticipate probably a little more happening. and that's where Matt's going to be very important.

Oh, man. Okay, so does that change your mind when you hear that? When he said not top three, I was like, is it number four? That's the first thing that comes from my mind. So unnecessary. Like, this is not, honestly, guys, this is not even top three. But I'll answer your little question.

Maybe, but top three is just too narrow of a focus. It's so funny, man. I love it all because it's like, okay, so it's there, but it's not there. Right. It's going to take a lot of work. Look, we've seen it before infielders converted to playing outfield. We've seen it on the Kyle Schwarber is an example. He was a catcher.

They had to teach him how to play left field. I'm not saying he'd ever be yet. Yeah, that's fair, Leila. It did not start well. No, it didn't. No, it didn't. Some of us didn't think he was going to make it. But he did.

Ian Hap is a great example. Ian Hap played infield. He played a couple games, I think, at second base on the Cubs watch. But he's become a gold glove left field. there. Is it easy? Probably not easy, but it would seem that Craig Counsel, not on his top three list, thinks that this could be your versatile player. We have luck in our game. Did anybody follow up and ask him what the top three is? Did anybody go that far? We need that. Okay, so what are your top three? What should be his top things that he is most concerned

with on this team right now, like something that he can be hands on with? What would that be getting PCA back and back together. I would argue it would be the health of fill in the blank. Like that's number one. Like health, maybe health overall is like number one. Want to make sure we're healthy as we start spring training. I'm going to make sure Kate Horton's good to go. Justin Steele is coming along nicely.

Is that what you mean, guys like that? Yes. The rotation is what he, that should be. You're right. Getting the starting rotate after what happened, after the Cubs fizzled out last year with the pitching, that probably should be number one. Well, what about also the, what about also just the availability of pitching?

Like, if that was really his main concern was they didn't have enough pitching. And he didn't specify as to whether or not it was starting or relieving. Based on their actions, you would think it might be relief. Oh, Edward Cabrera and maybe Zach Gallen. Right. We still don't know what's happening with Zach Gallen. So is pitching still the main priority for him? At the moment.

That's what Jed focused on as well. Well, I guess the bullpen is pretty. probably something that he's anxiously await. Well, at least the putting it together. You know there's Daniel Palencia. You know that Caleb Thielbar is back. Ben Brown, always there. Always there.

Always there. Good old Ben Brown. Ben Brown is always there for our discussion, it feels like. Porter Hodge, does he become something? So as a manager, ultimately... I hope he becomes something different than what he was at the end of last year. I hope so too. Yeah, I mean, but good arm.

Okay. So maybe it's the bullpette. So here's what we do. We get Connor Bedard, modest Buzellis, PCA, and Caleb Williams together at this dinner. And then now that we've got Buzellis and we're like, hey, who told you about butter on your pancakes? It was us. You owe us. They're like, can you get PCA to ask Craig Counsel what his top three concerns are?

And that's how we'll get it done. What do you guys feel about the efficiency of this process? I like the length to which you went. And it seems logical to me. I like the one favor I need is for you to ask PCA to ask Craig Counsel to tell us. Listen, the PCA thing for me is the number one. like question going into the season. What version of PCA

are you getting? Because I think that is the difference maker. Even with Alex Breggman, if you just get standard Alex Breggman production, if you don't get first half PCA or something closely resembling it and you get something much closer to second half PCA, I think the Cubs are going to have a problem.

Guys, I think we have to do the Dare to Dream segment at some point. Just like municipalities in northwest Indiana in Iowa, just like every bear's fan who wants Max Crosby. At some point, we're going to have to dare to dream. The PCA is adjusting his pitch selection and that he has made the off-season adjustments

that we have requested of him as a hitter. The blue-haired kid hits the ball really hard. Dare to dream. You know what I am most curious about going into this Cubs season? Like which player I am most curious about? Someone on Pat Murphy's team? No, not somebody on Pat Murphy's team. I don't concern myself with the Brewers.

or predictions. We know. I don't, can I stay out of Milwaukee business, although I am glad that they, because Caleb Durbin is really good. What is Michael Bush's ceiling? Because he at times, and you can make a case that he was their most productive player last year. When allowed to play? When allowed to play, like what is, like, what do you have 31 home runs last year? Give me 40 bombs. What is that man's ceiling? I'm very curious about that. That, I mean, are you kidding? That's, first it was just get him to play every day. Now we've got to figure that out. And if his ceiling is anything like his playoff performance, sign me up. Right. Like, what? Who are you, Michael Bush? I don't know who you are yet. Who are you? Who are you? I am. I'm Batman. I'm not Batman. But I'm not

the Joker. Are you weed man? No, that's Weed. That's Stan Weeder. You're definitely a superhero. No, I'm not a superhero. I'm just regular guy. I like regular guy. I can blend in with the crowds. You know? You do both. Hoodie up and then nobody even knows I'm coming in. Come on, Marshall. Is this like when Joelle Embed would be out and about and he'd put his hoodie on and we're like you're seven feet tall, Joel and Bid, like everybody knows it's still you with your hoodie? Listen, Joel and Bede, so many Shirley Temple still a little time. Now that's a metabolism. Oh, yeah, we'll tell you that story.

In the meantime, I think we have to do this. It was the least likely place I think I've heard a confession. Oh, you're Olympic story. Hey, hey, hey, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I'm a big story. Oh, I didn't want to give a... Sorry. We got to do it next because there's more to it than we even think.

Uh-oh. What time is it? It's halftime here on Rahimi Harris and Brody. We began at listening to State Representative Cam Buckner, who was on the afternoon show yesterday trying to explain what's going on with the state of Illinois and what the latest is in their meetings with the Bears regarding the stadium. We also have some news that we are expecting from Portage, Indiana, at the top of the hour, so we will keep you posted on that as well.

Can't wait. Then we heard from you because, you know, your tax dollars matter to us. Like, I care about what you're doing with your money, not like the details, but I just want you to have it. So we took a lot of calls. And then we also had the Modest Boozealous interview pregame show.

Then we had the Modest Bezellis interview. Then we had the Modest Bezellis interview post game show. And it was all about butter and a lack thereof on pancakes. That is modest broke that news to us. He does not put butter on his pancakes. Lots of syrup. No butter. You might say we buttered him up to begin the interview.

We did. A little old film mixed in there, too. Yeah, exactly. He hasn't ruled out maybe doing the slam dunk competitions, just listening to his body for right now. And we all want to know when the cool kids dinner happens between him, Connor Bedard, Caleb Williams, and PCA. And he seems to be rolling with the punches,

as Marshall asked him the questions about the rebuild and just what's going on. No, those were great questions. They had to be asked, and he's handling it the only way he can. And that is to just be like, well, it is what it is. To Marshall, it's not a rebuild. Retool. Too many, too many good players on the roster. What about renovate?

Is that it is? It's a renovation. It's definitely a renovation. Okay. Like, you're keeping the house. You're not stripping it down to the studs. Definitely not stripping it down to studs. I'll say this.

I don't see any gold walls going up, gold columns. That's not what I'm seeing here. Fair enough. In the meantime, I'm glad you brought up a precious metal. It's not a gold medal. it wouldn't be a day if Mark didn't try to silence of the lambs one part of our show.

It just triggers me when I hear the name precious. Wait. Oh, wait. So, in the most unlikely place of confession, perhaps, is the life of a Norway Olympic athlete who won the bronze medal and after Sterlohom-Lagrade

won the bronze in biathlon, he proceeded to then just keep talking. And that's where he admitted to cheating on his girlfriend. Oh, my goodness. I don't necessarily know that I would put the two together, but I didn't win a biathlon, so I don't know how that feels. What's crazy is he seems so emotional,

and you think it's because he got a medal, but that's not all why he is emotional. He was at the finish line in front of a camera from Norway's NRK TV on Tuesday, February 10th in Italy, after winning a bronze medal in the 20-kilometer biathlon final, telling his country and the world that he recently cheated on the love of his life. Good God.

There is someone who may not be watching today. Half a year ago, I met the love of my life, the world's most beautiful, finest person. And three months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her. I had a gold medal in my life, he continued. There are probably many now who look at me with different eyes. but I only have eyes for her.

I don't quite know what I want to achieve by saying it here now. I would say yes, we don't know either. But sport has taken second place in recent days. So now you're disappointing her and your country. And to finish it, he says, I wish I could share it with her. So gold medal, sport is silver,

and then he ended up with the bronze and also with a story that honestly made his ex-girlfriend very comfortable. She has since commented on this. So, apparently, she talked to the Norwegian tabloid VG on Wednesday. Ooh. That's today. Quote, it's hard to forgive, even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world, end quote.

She said, I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have had contact, and he is aware of my opinions on this. So that's my question. Did she require him to make this public apology? No, no, no. I don't think she's happy at all. But now the whole world knows her business. So she's embarrassed as she should be.

Yes. Right. Like it's bad enough that she was cheated on. Oh, and then you told the rest of the world. So she has to be the sympathetic figure who was cheated on. Well, that's it. It's like, okay, so let me get this straight. You cheated on your girlfriend.

You're guilty about it. You're acting guilty by telling everybody else what's on your mind in that moment. And you're saying that sports in your job. the one that you can only do every four years to represent your country outside of the world championships. You've now also botched that as well. Sport has taken a second place in your life because you feel so guilty

about cheating. So maybe you would have won the gold medal if this hadn't happened? Do you want to know how long it'll go was that he told her about the cheating? Because remember the cheating was six months ago. Yeah, I would actually. He told her a week ago and she has since made it clear that she's very much still upset about the whole situation because it's only been. a week. So this is not his only brush with the news.

I know where you're going now. Yeah, old Sterla. Stirla. This is an old Sterla's only brush with the news. Where is Sterla from again? Norway. Okay. While preparing for the event in December of 2023, because like I said, there are the world championships.

Sterla accidentally discharged his rifle in the team hotel in Switzerland instead of performing the required safety check without live rounds. Oh, I'm only handling a gun. What's a safety check between friends? This guy's not smart. It's time for the girlfriend to get away from old Sterla. I think she has.

Old Sterla. And that's why Sterla is on international television on all the social media channels professing his love for her and declaring that it was the biggest mistake he's ever made. All I got out of this was that Norway biathlon is pretty, pretty forgiving. That's really where I, like, that's pretty much what I came up with here. It's like if they are, they are pretty understanding. of old Sterla's life. You know what I mean? I don't know that his job fate

would have been as guaranteed in the United States. I just, yeah, this would be a top tier made for movie success if this was a U.S. athlete. It did remind me of when Kobe was having the press conference

after his cheating and sitting next to his wife and just pouring his heart out, basically, and just making me think that she probably required that. The Mia Culpva. Yeah. Like if we're going to do this, you need to go all the way. Did you see the ring he got her after that? Yeah. That might have been a bigger requirement.

Yeah, she had a list of things. Oh, you want back in. Here's a list of things you need to do, Kobe. That is legendary. Yeah, that that's one of those jewelry pieces you don't forget. Here's what you need to do. Starla. Starla. What was it again? Sterla. Here's what you need to do. Here's the list of requirements that we have for you. Unless he's got generational wealth. I don't think Olympic athletes have the same financial a pull as maybe a Kobe bean, Brian. Well, Starla was Rex Juan Doe's wife on Napoleon Dynamite.

I have no idea why I remembered that. I think Sterla should do a podcast just on how awesome his girlfriend is. Do you think that would help? I don't know. I just, I don't know what her list. I'm trying to be reasonable because he's not Kobe. Can't afford the ring. What are the list of things that I can do to get back in your good graces?

What are you doing next, Sterla? That's the question. And how can I avoid it? 3-23 on the text line. If he did this here, he'd be a millionaire. Cheating and a weapons violation? America, hero. What is next indeed, Sterla? What do you got?

Somebody did in Utah. 3-2-3 is a little too on the nose there. Can we get Sterla an assistant? A life coach. That's what Sterla needs. Can Norway provide Sterla with a life coach? Based on 3-23's text, he'd take political office, I guess. Coming up next year on Riemy Harrison Grotie, it's time for five on it.

We'll do that next next. Next.