Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Ryan Poles has high expectations for Shemar Turner (Hour 4)

Episode Date: April 13, 2026

In the final hour, Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris discussed how Bears general manager Ryan Poles has high expectations for defensive lineman Shemar Turner as he looks ahead to the 2026 season. After that, Marquee Sports Network play-by-play announcer Alex Cohen joined the show to discuss the Cubs' come-from-behind win against the Pirates on Sunday and to preview the upcoming stretch for Chicago.

This hour is brought to you by Menards. Save big money at Menards. Second and goal. This is Gentie. I'm able to slip the initial tackle. Good push. It was Dominique Robinson and Shamar Turner. But Robinson was the man who forced that first maneuver as Genty loses too. I was courtesy of CBS Sports. This is Rahimi Harris and Grotie on 104-3, the score. And Herb Howard, in case you missed it,

had a really good discussion with Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson at the owner's meetings. It is on the Biggs Media YouTube page, and it's about a 20-minute interview altogether. It's worth your time to say the very least. It also gives us some direction when it comes to how we're trying to figure out what the bears are going to do in the NFL draft with that 25th pick, first and foremost. Various people have said various things when it comes to the need for, whether it may be defensive line, whether it may be safety, or even offensive line, as we've heard, That's why I appreciate Herb Howard asking Ryan Poles about what's happened so far in the trenches. Ola and Dela are positions that you're always going to be in need in terms of impact starters in depth. I think the biggest thing I was bummed about this past year was the injuries.

I felt like Dio's impact on our team, both inside and I also was going to be something we'd be really happy about. I thought that was coming along. And same with Shamar. If there's a player that I'm most excited about in terms of being healthy and getting back on track to help us, it'd be Shamar. I felt like he was going to be on the same track as Colson, Luther, and Ozzie. And that came up short with the injury. So I know he's been hard at work.

But yeah, and then the other thing is, as we go through the draft, We'll continue to, we're always going to prioritize defense alignment and keep, keep plugging the way there. So also looking forward to Montez and him taking the next step next year as well. So we got somewhat of an admittance about how the line was put together and how it's maybe not progressing as much as he would have liked to have seen it. He spent a lot of money on a lot of different parts that did not necessarily produce, Certainly, if you ask which part of the team was more productive, you would say offense based on their standing outside of, of course, the big, I guess, difference maker of turnovers and takeaways. And then, of course, turnover margin by way of that. But for Shemar Turner to be put in the same category of Luther Bird and the 3rd and Colston Loveland, like I have to imagine, well, what would that look like, right?

And so you look back at the players who were taken before and after him and what kind of impact they had on different teams. And Chamard Turner was taking 62nd overall. And then just four picks later, Ashton Gillett was taken by Kansas City. He had one and a half sacks as a defensive end. Darius Alexander was taken at 65th. He had three and a half sacks as a defensive tackle. I know Turner's this part where in theory you can move him around, right?

He can play defensive tackle. He can play defensive end. And so does that mean he would have had a number of sacks? Like you tell me what that means to you, Lela, when he says in the same category as those offensive players, having the same type of impact, but on the defensive side. Well, I mean, it hasn't happened. It didn't happen.

Luther Burton and Kyle Menongai became focal points of the offense. You know, and Menongan not necessarily as much, but the run game, what he built is part of it, he contributed. And especially for a rookie, He contributed significantly. Then you add the seventh round to it. Was it smooth to start? No, but it became a really big growth piece for the team.

That's how they constructed the offense. Colson Loveland earned his draft pick status. We haven't been able to see that with the Bears very often. Darnel Wright going back has become an all pro as we saw. So if that's the case, then you need your defensive picks to hit like that. And they have not. And that's a big part of this too. You know, we credit Ben Johnson

and his understanding of who he needs offensively. And I think that that did color how the draft went. I think it influenced it. But on the defensive side of the ball, we haven't seen that. Shemar Turner had a torn ACL. You're hoping for for Montes-What? The guy who you traded for and then extended? That's out of order.

Don't you say that prior to an extension? step two, the next step, the way he put it. This is the haymaker time for him right now. I feel like what we're seeing is what we're getting. At least he had 10 sacks. No, no, I think Montez Sweat. I'm fine with his production last year. But Ryan Pohl said that.

And that comment to her. I focused more on what he said about Shamar because Shamar Turner is the guy, look, if you're comparing him to the offensive picks of last year and understanding how important they were, Turner only played five games, which is not a full season, but it's almost a third of the season. And so I got to hold you to now a standard that's different than maybe what I had for you. I was like, okay, this is a guy they drafted.

I know second rounders are supposed to make an immediate impact, right? I don't think he made an immediate impact worthy of a second round pick at that position. So in year two, if you clear all the medical hurdles and you're getting a training camp, I need to see numbers that back it up. I need to see a tangible impact on the game on the defensive side of the ball. I just think so many times, whether it's football or anything else, because of free agents that you put a lot of hope into or a trade, for example, that you extend because of somebody who didn't acquire via draft,

that that person is not producing in a way you wanted, because front offices don't always get it right. and then now you've put a lot of pressure on the unknown when the unknown is a rookie for example who tore his ACL and now you need that guy to produce in a way that maybe is outside of the scope of his capability because you know what you're getting with the other guys who financially mean more to your team and therefore have more responsibility placed on them

who during Ryan Pohl's tenure do you think is the best front guy that he has drafted on defense. I have my answer, but I'm curious as to who you think it is, because I want to see if we have the same guy or not. And I think that tells kind of the story of where this thing has gone left, but also where it could go right. My guy is Austin Booker, who was taken in the fifth round. And I think that speaks to Austin Booker's development as a drafted player in later rounds. But it also speaks to higher guys that have. have not shown up in a way that you would want. Tell me if you have a different guy for that.

Well, and that's it. So this is the mystery. The mystery is that Shemar Turner now needs to be a world beater. He said Colston Love on Luther Bird and the 3rd. I think we can both say that we know what to expect from them going forward based on what we saw as rookies last year. It's, it's, uh, this is, I think this is just what happens. Now, you do, an NFL truth is you do need to hit on your draft picks. But defensively, they took a lot of risks last year and they're drafting.

I hear what you're saying about hitting on your draft picks, but I think when you're a second round pick, those are the ones you can't miss on. First, second and to a degree third round, although we see third round. Safely, they avoided the third round as a team last year, and I think that might have been the best for all parties. But since he was the guy taking closest to the third round, out of the second round picks.

So far, it's kind of lining up to, he feels like a third round pick in the Ryan Poles era. Shemar Turner, Ozzie Tripillo, threw no fault of his own, 56th overall pick. That guy is supposed to be contributing. And all of the offensive linemen who were picked ahead of him did prior to Ozzie getting the nod, finally, which happened because of injury.

And then unfortunately, the Patelertendan injury is one where we have to take it very seriously. We cannot assume his, timeline or how he is going to be after that. I would argue he lived up to the billing, though. He lived up to the billing, Ozzie Tripillo. But long term, no, we don't, we're trying to figure it out. I don't, I can't put the injury on Ryan Poles.

I'm just saying from a production standpoint, year one, I'm good with what Ozzie Tripillo provided. Not entirely sure, but glad he had a redemption arc. Shamar Turner, 62nd overall pick. Six defensive tackle that was taken. And in his last game, we saw him play at end, which doesn't give me confidence that they were happy with what they saw. Clay Harbor was in here last week and said he's concerned about his durability after undergoing that ACL tear. Fair.

Very much fair. And his long-term outlook. But that's not what's on the record and documented now in that conversation with Herb Howard, by the way. Now he's put it on record. This is what I expected from him. And this is what I still expect going forward. He didn't have to say that. No one forced him to say that.

That's him telling us what he expects. And if his expectations are not met, then that's a poor job evaluation, regardless of the ACL thing. Because that's included in that when you say going forward. This guy also who told us that he's going to get more production out of guys like, I don't know, Dio coming off in Achilles. Well, that's it. I mean, and we don't even know then what's going to happen because it's his second torn Achilles.

So when you consider all of this, I appreciate the fact that he was okay with owning up to it. But at the same time, now the question becomes, what are you going to do about it? And I don't think all the pressure should be applied to Shemar Turner. I don't think putting a relative rookie in that position is okay. If it's quarterback,

it's a different thing. But in this case, he can't make good for all of the miscues on the, all of the miscues on the defensive line or the lack of production. We're still trying to figure out what we want to see in Austin Booker, who did make, I think, some really big strides. Again, I think he's the best up-front defensive player that he's drafted so far. Like, it's been several years now.

Hasn't been just one or two years. And Austin Booker is a guy who not only have you seen some consistency in the way he plays football, you feel like you have an identity for him and you know what he's going to do, but there's still room for growth for Austin Booker. Well, and that's it. And there is a ton of room for growth for Shemar Turner, but at the same time, we have to figure out what his role is going to be first. I still think the draft is next week.

I still think that they end up picking somebody in a very big defensive line class. I feel like that would make the most sense. Oh, one of those top-through picks is definitely going to be a defensive line pick. It's just a matter of how quickly will they pull the trigger on that. Right. And I would argue, you know, offensive line, it's an area of concern when you're talking about drafting perhaps for the future and getting another center down the line, I'm saying. And more importantly, at left tackle, I think we'll find out very quickly in this draft how much belief they have in the left tackles in the building at Hall's Hall. You'll find out pretty quickly.

Well, I think that we saw it at the beginning of last year, didn't we not? We didn't know who was going to be the left tackle. They have the same people. One of them is now injured. Well, I think one of those guys coming into that conversation last year, though, was coming off injury and was not full strength, Braxton Jones. But when he was, they decided they had seen enough. Do we feel like he got back to full strength during the season?

I'm saying? Braxton Jones? I don't feel like, I felt like he was still hurt. When we heard sound from him talking about how, you know, I'm doing the best I can. I'm trying to, you know, get back to full strength. Even when he was deemed, quote, unquote, healthy, it doesn't mean he was all the way good to go, is my point. And now with a full off season now,

he's going to be the best Braxton Jones we've seen post-surgery. And that's my point, is that you take that into account and you mix in the other names. And now if they take someone at 25 that plays left tackle, like, okay, they clearly, they feel like, one, Ozzie Tripillo, they can't wait for him. to what they had in house was not good enough. And that's where I think that that question will be answered very quickly in the draft.

As opposed to if they come out, let's say, and they take a safety or a defensive end or a defensive tackle with the 25th pick and then take one of those three positions with the next pick. And then now you're like, okay, offensive line doesn't seem to be as big a priority as maybe you thought it was going in. Okay, so here's, you basing this on the reports over the weekend? Like, for example, Courtney Cronin thinks that there's... a very good chance they take a left tackle. I'm not there yet. I still think defensive line is a bigger concern and there's more people available. Oh, you already know what I think is the biggest concern. Can you get to the quarterback? But the facts changed a bit.

You know, the reporting has changed since we last talked about this. That's why I said that. No, no. The Courtney Cronin report doesn't, that's not what I'm going off of when I say this. I'm going off of just who you have on your roster now compared to who you'll have on your roster come the end of next week when the draft takes place. I think they end up probably getting somebody on the offensive line because you have to and polls said that to Herb as well. You have to address those two every year. You have to reload.

Yeah, but how early? But that's what I was going to say. I just don't think it's happening. I don't think it's happening in the first round. And odds-wise, it doesn't make sense. They maintain they're going to go with their board. I don't think that their board is so inflexible. You might have a list of players who are available at that each spot.

And if there's one that's undeniable, I feel like Luther Burden was to them, then they make their decision. I think the BPA thing rings true again this time around, best player available. So again, it depends on what Ryan Poles and his staff thinks, and remembering that he doesn't think this is that deep of a draft class to begin with. and that's why it's good that they have the three picks in the first two rounds. Right. But you're right. At the same time, it's weird that we have similar questions now compared to what we had at the beginning of the draft last year. On the text line, 708, will the bears take the best available talent in the first round like they did the last two years

or go with biggest need? I think that there's a point where those two lists converge. and that's where they'll be. I think they have enough different needs. And the way this, specifically, the way this draft class shakes out with all the talent we've been told is up front as far as defensive tackle and defensive end, it should line up that they could take both. 708 says Braxton was nowhere near. I assumed you missed the word healthy.

That's why he was number three in the death chart. I don't think that was it. I think that when Braxton Jones was healthy, he wasn't as dominant as we had seen in blocking. But what I'm saying is when you call him healthy, don't think he was fully healthy. That's my point. With another full year, he will be as healthy as he has been,

much healthier than he was at this time, certainly that last year, and then even in training camp and then started the regular season. Because I just remember that sound from Braxton Jones, this is after the season started where he talked about where he was physically and he was clearly not where he felt like he needed to be.

Well, at the end of the day, I think the bigger concern I have is, why do you have this many question marks still at these crucial positions ahead of the same draft? One is injury because of Ozzie Tripillo. But the other, you spent the majority of your money on the defense. I think Ryan Poles knows this,

and I think Ryan Poles is just thinking that it will work out because those guys will be healthy again. Again, you brought up the Achilles with Dio and not knowing where he's going to be and how long is it. We don't even know which foot, which leg it is, that the Achilles was torn.

Well, we know this one. We know the most recent one, but not the first one is what you're trying to say, right? No, yeah, that's what I'm saying. We don't know if it's the same one or not. And so that's an issue. That is a real issue. Well, and the bigger question became, if it's the same one, can you really expect him to have a burst?

And the Achilles, when you're talking about a three-year contract? And maybe more importantly or equally as important, here's the bottom line. Players first year back from Achilles? No, it's a no. They're not the same. It takes usually that second year, that second season. Whatever sport you want to talk about where the Achilles is back, if it ever is to being like it was before surgery.

I mean, he's young. If it's not the same one, then I tend to think that he'll recover at a typical pace. But that would also mean not being at full strength this season, correct? Yeah, that would mean the last year of the deal. which at that point you could just get rid of the deal. Do you mean contractually? Yeah. Like the opt-outs?

Yeah. The time to get out of the deal would be after the second year and not take on huge cap-hit problems. Yeah. I mean, and that's the part that I think there's so many variables that you speak of. I think that that's all pretty valid. Coming up next here on Rahimi-Harrison Grotie, let's get back to some Cubs talk. Alex Cohen, play-by-play voice for Marquis.

He also is the host of the Cubs Now podcast. He will join us next. Rahimi Harrison Grody, Midday's 10 to 2 on 104 3, the score. Arcady fires. Hit the right center, Cruz back. No chance. Henry scores. Cubs win.

It's all the things down. It's a good foot to drive. You know, again, like I said, we went down early, but we just keep fighting and put together good AVs, tip away and just fortunate to be able to that position. That was Carson Kelly, the walk-off winner. Thanks to the

Cubs winning 7 to 6 over Pittsburgh, taking one game from the series. I was hoping it was going to be two, but we didn't get such luck. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 104-3 The Score, and we go to our hotline. That is where we find our friend Alex Cohen. Alex also joins

us on Twitch. Twitch.tv. The Score, Chicago. He is at voice of Cohen 2 on X. He is also the Marquis Sports Network, play-by-play announcer in the co-host of the Cubs Now Podcast. Alex, thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me on. Really appreciate it.

Always. What do you think of, I think we just have to start with your impression of that win after a really rough loss on Saturday that went into extras and then losing the first game of the series too on Friday? Yeah, that's just big of an April 12 victories you could possibly get. When you're down 5 to nothing, the third pitch of the game is a solo home run by O'Neal Cruz.

then a grand slam given up to Brandon Lowe, a win-aided Grand Slam that would have been on the warning track, if not for 25-mile-per-hour wins. You're staring at a 5-0 deficit. You're staring at a sweep, but you chip away at the deficit. And I remember talking with J.D. in the seventh inning. And he said, you know, to the masses, I don't know how the pirates are going to finish this game with this bullpen. Cubs have an opportunity to capitalize. And then they did. They drew walks, opportunistic hitting. Michael Bush breaking out of a slump. And then Carson Kelly with the icing on top of the cake. so it was a huge win for the Cubs. Unsung hero to me, Alex, in this game was James and Tyone,

and I know that's probably weird for a lot of people to hear me say that. But to give up the Grand Slam, to give up a second home run to Brandon Lowe, and to just keep getting outs, just finding a way to keep getting out on a day in which you knew you had to keep it tamed down. Like you give up six runs and understand that as long as it stays in six runs, you've got a chance. But if you start giving up more than six runs, the Cubs are just going to have what feels like,

a hill too large to climb to climb yeah the cubs needed jameson tyones left for a multitude of different reasons with you know starting pitching depth with injuries with going to philadelphia today and not having an off day so the fact that jameson tyon gives up five runs and two winnings and is able to go six it keeps your bullpen fresh he struck out 10 which is the most on the start since 2004 uh i think he pitched pretty well again the brandon loud grand slam was a win-aided home run the o'neal cruz home run was a win-aided home run on a win-neutral day. They're both flyouts. The only blemish that he had, really,

what was the second home run to Brandon Loud, which would have been a home run in any conditions. So I think he really weathered the storm, and he put the Cubs in a position to make a comeback in that game, and the offense did that. Alex, you've seen Jameson's body of work. We saw what happened last year, where he gave up a bunch of home runs and then settled in,

especially in that second half of the season and the playoffs. How do you describe what you saw him working on in spring, training and then how it's kind of manifesting itself or at least showing so far at the beginning of this year. Yeah, I mean, we talk so much about professional hitters. And Jady mentioned this on the broadcast as well. If there was such thing as a professional pitcher, James Entire will be the professional pitcher, you know, in spring training, he's tinkering on some stuff. But then he recognizes that, hey, we got to turn these pitches into results and buckle down. And once the regular season starts, he has buckled down. That being said, I mean, you saw the frustration that he had coming off the

out after the six inning. I don't think that he like giving up six runs and three home runs, but he's the type of guy that you know that whether it's a windy day in April or it's a cold day in October, he's going to come out, give his best stuff and be prepared. So I think James and Tyone is a constant professional, and I think that he's a luxury to have in the Cubs rotation. Craig Counsel by force is deep into his bag when you look at the number of moves he has had to make over the weekend. And I'll be honest, With Sayas Suzuki back in the lineup, I thought, okay, this is a chance for Craig Counsel to roll out, what he thinks is his best lineup for all of these games.

They should be in a great position to score. But when you see a team go one for 23 with runners in scoring position and leave 17 men on base through the first two games, I felt like a shake-up of some kind was coming. What did you make of Craig Counsel's moves? Well, I mean, he did make a shake-up on Sunday. No Michael Bush until the end of the ball game, and he contributes with a pinch-ed RBI single, with a snap and over 30 skid. And then hitting Moises by Astero's young designated hitter second,

ultimately pinch hit for him. Miguel Amaya drew a crucial walk in the latter stages of that game. But yeah, I think not having Michael Bush in the lineup against a righty on Sunday and batting Moises by Astero second, I think is, you know, as big of a move as you're going to see from Craig Counsel this early in the season. So I think he shuffled the lineup, but I think it paid off. And Alex, he was pretty, he was pretty straightforward about it when he talked about,

you know, it's not hard hip. ball rate. You can use a lot of metrics. It was simply the fact that he was over 30. So gives him a little bit of a rest. We see him come on in the pinch hit scenario to help the Cubs win. But what do you think of just the fact that Craig was pretty, he was pretty straightforward about it. There wasn't a lot of other stats that were brought up. You know, it can be that simple sometimes. No, and I think with Craig said it at the end of that quote was it's as much mental as it is physical. I mean, there's a player that it doesn't matter how hard you hit the ball. Over 30 is over 30. over 30 on the box score.

And it's a mental grind. So it's not like he's benching Michael Bush for two days. He benched for eight innings. But he was able to get him in the cage and throw off his routine a little bit, start fresh. And he came in and he snapped the over 30 skits. So I think that's a really good characteristic of Craig Counsel. He doesn't really beat around the bush.

He's pretty blunt. He says what he feels. He says what he thinks. And he made it very clear. Over 30 is over 30. So Michael Bush sat. He came in, pinch it RBI single, and the Cubs come back and win the game. Alex, I love that we're talking to you fresh off of you calling the game,

but also because what's next is looking kind of rough. Now, I know a lot of people think Phillies. They think about Kyle Schwerber, Bryce Harper, and just how much power they have. And, of course, that ballpark, what are your expectations going into a series like this, understanding the stretch of series that are to come with the Phillies again after the Mets? And then you go with the West Coast teams with the Dodgers. and the like. Yeah, it's a crucial stretch. I mean, you have 16 games where I'm not going to say

can make or break a season, but you're one game under 500. And then you go, as you said, to Philadelphia, back home against the Mets, home against the Phillies, to the Dodgers, to the Padres. So you're looking at May 1st. If you're five games under 500, that's difficult. It's difficult to match that 2025 team. That was 22 games over 500, which means you're, you know, 20% through the season. You're five under. That means you have to play 27 games over 500, the next 130, hundred. game. So the math kind of figures out that way. I think yesterday's win was crucial. And you said, looking out for the Phillies,

are you concerned about Bryce Harper and Kyle Shoreborough? I am. I'm more concerned about Christopher Sanchez and Hazers Lizardo. I'm more concerned about their stable left-handed pitching that have proved to be so huge for that Phillies rotation over the last couple of years. They'll be a tough task. I just want to follow up on that. Do you expect Michael

Bush to be in the lineup for these games that we're talking about, especially today with Sanchez on the mound, a very, very tough lefty? Yeah, I mean, I think Michael Bush got the reset yesterday. I'm not saying he'll play all three games, but I wouldn't be shocked if he starts two of the three. I think you need to have your first baseman who had 30 plus home runs in the lineup whenever you can, especially with this depth of the Cubs. You don't have your backup first baseman and Tyler Austin, who you expected to hit against left hand of pitching. He's out

with a knee injury. Matt Shaw is doing his best to learn a new position. But, yeah, I think the way that the Cubs go, that their best offensive nine is when Michael Bush is in the lineup against righties and against lefties. So I would expect it to be in the lineup for the majority of the series. We are talking to Cubs play by playman, Alex Cohen, who also, I want to get to the football stuff in a second. But before that, I have to ask you, Javier Assad is on the mountain tonight. What do you think about his performance so far since getting called back to help? Yeah, I mean, I think it's aligned with his big league performance throughout his entire career. He just gets out. I mean, if you look at his numbers throughout his entire professional career, it's a sub-4 ERA.

Ray. He throws a good percentage of strikes. He doesn't walk that many guys. He's a guy who pitches to contact, but he's a gamer. And I think that Javier Assad is a big league pitcher in any capacity, but as a starter where you know that you're going to get, you know, consistency from a guy like that at the back end of your rotation. That's really all you could ask for him. I'm not expecting him, not asking him to be a Cy Young contributor or an All-Star, just stability to the back end of the rotation. I think he's given that his entire career and I think he's giving it now. I want to ask about the indoor football. Because I think you have a pretty fun side hustle being part of the team of announcers for the indoor football league.

What can you tell people about the sport you're calling when you're not calling Cubs? Yeah, it's a lot of points. If you're looking at the betting odds and the over-unders are 88 and a half. Like you know that, you know, we're going to be scoring a lot of points. So get ready for the touchdown calls. It's a great league. I mean, you can watch the broadcast on, you know, a couple different streaming sites. Yahoo Sports Network is the biggest one.

I really got to give a shout out to Jared Whitman. who's responsible we're putting together, you know, all the broadcast people, the analysts, the play-by-play broadcasters, the sideline reporters, you know, bringing in a bunch of national names, bringing in, you know, former NFL players to be analysts. You know, he's working really hard to make, you know, this a formidable broadcast in a formidable league when it comes to everything outside of the NFL. So, yeah, I did my first game last week. I think there was 89 total points.

There was 34 points in the last five minutes. So, yeah, a lot of fun. Very exhausting by the end of the broadcast. I felt like I had to sit in the dark room for two hours and ponder my life choices. But aside from that, it's a lot of fun. I really enjoyed. I think the IFL is doing a lot of really good things. And you can hear it and you can see it from the broadcast talent that they provided.

Going back to baseball for a moment, are you surprised at all at how much parody there's been so far? I know it's early. Most teams are 15, 16 games into the season. but we're looking at a lot of teams that are in that six to nine win range, and it doesn't feel like there's really bottom feeders, so to speak. It's more of who gets hot at a certain time. You see what just happened to the brewers over the weekend. They get swept.

Yeah, I think it's a combination that it's early in the season and the bottom feeders that you said. They've outperformed their expectations early. I mean, the pirate starting pitching is really good, and they're going to be really good for a long time. And it's not just Paul Skeens. It's Braxton Ashcraft. It's Bubba Chandler, it's Jared Jones when he gets back. You look at the St. Louis Cardinals and, yeah, they might have a pitching issue,

but their line-ups got some juice. Like Jordan Walker at one point was the top position player prospect and all of baseball. And if he could put it all together, he could be a stud. You put that together with JJ Weatherhole and Mason win. Like, that's a nice nucleus for the Cardinals. And I know that Cubs fans don't like to hear that. So I think that you have two teams, especially in the Central, that nobody expected to be really good that have a plethora of talent,

Pirates pitching, Cardinals sitting. that they're starting to show the talent level early on in the season, which not many people expected. Alex, I think you bring up a good point, too, when Cardinals, for example, are in a massive time of transition. You know, we see them trade away. They're all-star. They make some call-ups.

That's one where to see the early success, I mean, it's a compliment to the farm system and maybe a bit before schedule for a lot of people initially thinking. I think it's for both teams that we talked about. I think the pirates, too. I think that when you draft, you know, first round, second, round, third round talent, and you invest in all of these prospects. You don't know when they're going to hit, but for the pirates, they're pitching is hit early.

And for the Cardinals, their position players have hit early. Like, JJ Weatherholt coming up, you have two years before he's drafted. He's young Jordan Walker. Like, remember, he's just, what, 24, 25 years old. He feels like he's been in the big leagues for 10 years. But he's still young relative to big league standards. So I think you have to give credit to the Pirates and the Cardinals for identifying talent early on in their drafts, capitalizing on them, developing that talent and getting them ready

for big league action early. So, yes, I think it's happened quicker than most have expected for the Pirates pitching and the Cardinals sitting. I would agree with you, Leila. All right. I want to ask about Moises by Astairez real quick, because you mentioned where he was. It feels like after a very rough start to the season, he has put himself together pretty well.

If you look at the multi-hit games, his last two times out, including the home run yesterday, but he's hit safely in four of his last five, and it looks like he's getting into a bit of a rhythm. Back to what you said about Michael Bush being in the lineup. Is that going to be a different story for him, though, because of the logjam of position players, of him getting A-Bs against these lefty starters? Yeah, I mean, I think Moises by Seris right now,

you know, factors into the D.H. role. You're getting to the point where Moises said you're going to play him against righties and against lefties because he's one of your, what, top three, top four hiters. He's going to hit really against anybody. And it was interesting during the last. home saying I saw Moises, we were down at your locker media availability, and he was looking at an iPad, and he was looking at his video from down in Iowa. He wasn't looking at his last couple at bats against the big leagues. He was looking at Iowa stuff from 2025 and 224. So I asked him why. And he points at the screen. He goes timing. It doesn't matter what level of you have timing you're going to hit well. So he just wanted to get recalibrated. And he did. It started in the Tampa series. And then what, back to back multi-hit games. I then on Sunday, I think it was a home run against Bubba Chandler, two strikes against. and he goes 429 to dead center field.

He's got that power. I mean, he has the makings for being, you know, one of the best pure hitters in baseball. I think the sky is very, very high in the ceiling for Moises by Astros. That agrees with Marshall. Yeah, Marshall said something similar. It's almost like you two know each other from other places outside of Chicago. Yeah, right?

Yeah, exactly. We meld when we can. You guys work together in Sacramento, right? No, it was more Philly. It was more Philly for Marshall. And I was a young pup and Marshall showed me the rope. I appreciate that. You are a fully grown hound dog now.

Maybe not a hound dog. Whatever dog is dangerous. I'm definitely fully grown. We don't have to worry about that. Yes. Yes. Well, Bulldogs are fun and they're dogged.

That's a good one. I don't know. I'll figure it out. I'll take a full grown bulldog. There goes. Alex, thanks so much. We appreciate the time. Thanks so much, Alex.

Really appreciate it, guys. Thanks. Thank you. That is Alex Cohen. Yeah. Is it two markets that you overlap? Because Alex was in North Central California, too. Yes. But like he said, he was younger back in Philadelphia.

Because you know how I know that? Because I was younger when I was in Philadelphia. You know what? Interesting. So was I. Big if true. Big if true. But Moises, that batting average up to 294, I told you who the best hitter on the Cubs is going to be this season. You still have time to jump on the bandwagon. Ray, I'm talking to you. If you want to jump in his mowball. Marshall knows I'm not going. It's no offense to Moises. I just think there are other hitters. Next on Rahimi Harrison Grody. there is a Hall of Fame performance that happened over the weekend that is getting a lot of talk.

So let's all be the judge together next. Rahimi Harris and Grody. Could you imagine Lovey Smith doing the whole good, better, best thing? And saying bleep the Packers. Come on, guys, good better best. Never let it rest. I'll see you on Tuesday. Middays 10 to 2 on 1043, the score.

Oh, I see what you did there. I see what you did there, Tyler Beaterbaugh. This song is called Blow the Whistle, written by one of the greatest artists of our time. Maybe not greatest. But I like him a lot. Same thing, right? Too short. It's all subjective.

I mean, the man, first of all, massive, massive Warriors fan. Is that the parade and all that? He performs at games from time to time. He does. Secondly, this song still hits, so there's that. But there's a reason we played it. It's because of a whistling Hall of Famer who performed the national anthem. Chris Allman is a four-time whistling champion.

I didn't know that was a thing. And in the Whistling Hall of Fame. And he was appearing at the Baltimore game. And it was game to the series between the Orioles and the Giants. And there's a lot of discussion over this. So let's take a listen. At times that did not sound like a human whistling. It did sound like at the very, very end, like he just, he ran out of steam on that last note.

If you listened to that last note, it sounded like you ran out of steam. And like the other stuff, like I took as his, everybody's got a different take on the national anthem, right? When they sing it, play it, whatever, like the notes sound a little different. But at the very, very end, and that's all, I enjoyed it, though. I enjoyed it. Could you do that? Because there's a bunch of people saying they could do that. And they're lying to themselves.

with all the trills and the there were almost chords in there at times I can't whistle it but I can do the national anthem without singing it I can do a different version I'll give you a sample just the first few notes okay the way you back to your microphone I don't want to be anywhere near the mic when I hear this okay so like do you know about clicking with your tongue

yeah so I can do it at a very like I love to look on your face right now I could do it and hit notes pretty well and so it's pretty loud okay I got headphones on see yeah so like the high notes are a little harder to hit

when you're under the gun yeah they are but if I have more time I lose some I you know because I can go up and down and off how did you learn how to do that was that just somebody you like worked on as a kid no I just did it and I was like oh that's louder than I thought it was going to be

and then I just started doing it like I can do it softly like I can do it so like see that that's There's got to be a skill set with that specifically. I'm sure. But some of my, like, did you read the online comments on this?

Well, I mean, listen, if there's one thing I've learned is that everybody thinks that they can do everybody else's job better, especially sports fans. And it was reminded of a tweet that I read earlier today. There's a cohort of American males that believe with one to two years dedicated practice, they could win the masters. And as a marketer, it is very important to understand that you can. sell these people anything. Wait, what's the percentage of people who believe that? He said there's a cohort of American men that believe with one to two years dedicated practice.

They too could win the Masters. It's a small percentage, though. And... Sir? No, I'm... One to two years... I guarantee you, we know somebody between the two of us who thinks that if they practice

for one or two years, they could win the Masters. So I would not be surprised if everybody thinks that they can also whistle the national anthem to that extent. One or two years? Do you know how long these golfers have been, I know too many amateur golfers who know they stick at golf. Men think they can land a plane. I think in one or two years you can definitely land a plane. Does that make me insane? No, that's actual training. That would be actual classes. But my point is like immediately right now,

they think they can land planes. Like regular dudes. Could you, if, you have become a sucker for marketing. Are you getting, are you getting instruction from like the tower? Like, how is that? Haven't you seen that? There was some study done where they, where they, where they, were they, They said that, were they, like, there's a huge survey done and a bunch of men thought that they could, they could land a plane. Without help, you're saying. So I'm sure the same people can also think that they can whistle the national anthem. I can not whistle the national.

I'm a terrible whistler. That sounded like a piccolo at times. Didn't it? I'll say it sound like a flute. I just know something along those lines. A woodwind. Yeah, yeah. The only piccolo I know is sad.

Sad piccolo girl, so. Sad piccolo girl. She had every right to be sad. According to Olman's website, he has whistled the national anthem at Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Washington Nationals, and Duke Men's basketball.

It even says he once serenaded former president George W. Bush at the Oval Office, and that Olin whistles happy birthday to more than 650 people per year. And the Orioles won. Is that like a cameo thing? Like he tells him,

hit me up. I'll put this happy birthday on display. I don't know. but I think this just goes back to the idea that people think they can do a lot of things that they can't and this may have put a lot of time into this. The master's thing kills me because what? Like that's golf. Golf is hard.

But that's the point. Even when you try to predict golf, you can't do it. This thing is over after Rory's Friday. No, it is not. 100% it was not. Why did you even think that? Stupid. I mean, it was over.

He won. Barely. It took a little, a little turn this way, a little twist that way. But he stayed on top all four rounds, although he did fall behind for a little bit on Sunday. Stressful. Yeah, Ray.

At Rahimi underscore Harris on XAR show account. If you go there, there is a poll. Do you think you could win the Masters with one to two years of practice? Please take our survey and we will give you the results tomorrow. Twitter's at Wasteland, though. So people are going to mockingly say they could, even if they don't believe they could. So you mean just like the comments in response to the whistling of the national anthem? Is that kind of the idea?

I took a lot of those as genuine. I could see where people, like the criticisms, I could understand because they were like, well, why isn't he sound perfectly like what I think the national anthem should sound like as opposed to mocking it, really? You know what I'm saying? There's a difference here. I think some nuance. I low-key want to see one of these whistling championships.

Oh, I'm sure they're on YouTube. I got to watch one because I'm like, if they do like an a cappella, that'd be awesome. I am always intrigued by the random national championship. Excel, whistling. Bird calling. All of them. The random skill national championship. Did you say Excel?

Oh my God, the Microsoft Excel champion. You didn't know about these? No. Dude. What? How do I? I think the only one who knows about this. Well, I saw it on the guide one day and I was like, Excel Championship.

Oh, let's go. And it was on ESPN. It was on TV? On sports television. I'm done. I'm out. No way, dude. I want more Excel national championships. I need to pick up a thing or two. Let me put my hat back on.

What's the hat for? Spikeball. Spike ball's another one. But like the random skill set, like Excel. I need to go back and just do more Excel in general. Spive ball's an actual physical sport. You have to do things. I don't know how to create a PowerPoint anymore. I've lost all of my real skills, like normal skills that get you employed. I have none. So I'm watching the Excel spreadsheet thing. I'm watching it every time What are you laughing about?

These comments, I love it Oh yeah, the comments are hilarious Let's see what I'll Spiegel and Holmes think about this They're next