Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Transition: Looming baseball labor dispute should be a lesson in self-worth

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris welcomed on Laurence Holmes and Russell Dorsey for the daily transition segment.

The score! I've been playing tackle football since I could walk. Thanks to our guests. Thanks to Herb Howard. Thanks to Nick Friedel. That's it, right? That's all we had today.

Herb Howard and Nick Friedel. Yes. But we had a lot of Herb Howard. No, Herb was amazing. He stuck around for the hour plus. Fill out the survey that the Biggs are conducting online. You can check it out on Twitter. You can check it out in their social media.

It is in conjunction with Medill at Northwestern. And that survey will stay anonymous. Oh, I see what you did there. Yeah. Timely. Very. That's why they pay me the medium bucks. You're saying the Jets owner won't get that taken out of circulation?

I'm hoping not. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if you guys saw what happened with the NFL ruling. God forbid your employees would like some upgrades on the facility. Or better lunch. You know, that's a thing. The Diamondbacks went through this too.

It was like, just like Moneyball. Why am I guys paying for soda? It's really weird. Like guys having lunchrooms outside, intense, probably isn't the way the NFL should work. Nope, not at all. By the way, that's Russ Dorsey. Hi, everybody.

If you're like, wait, that's not Speegs. That's Lawrence Holmes. That's true. I'm here. Speegs is not. Where's Spigs? I don't know. Thanks to Ray Diaz, Tyler Beaterbaugh,

Braden Friar. Thanks to, Connor O'Donnell, Jacob Stutz, and Max Curtis. And yeah, it's nice to see you, Russ. Same. The Cubs signed Shelby Miller. Yeah, that's a thing. So he's not playing next year.

So there's a good chance, based on the 5 o'clock segment you two did yesterday. No, they just might be paying him for fun. Like, Russ, when you say putting in the atmosphere. As somebody who makes his living off a baseball, I understand. I'm just saying I don't like hearing that. I am also very realistic and have been hearing that for years. That doesn't mean that I just want that to happen, though. No one wants it to happen.

We would like to have baseball next season. I would like to have baseball in 2027. But the realities are you've got billionaires fighting with other billionaires and non-billionaires. And the salary cap is a thing. And it sounds like the heels have been dug in in a way that they have not been before. And we know the most powerful union in sports, they can withstand a lot. And they can probably withstand an entire season going away. That's the point.

NFL would never have this problem because, you know, they get them... They would cave before the season even scheduled to start. Not only that, but the owners would agree with each other. I think that's the biggest point for me is like it sounds like the owners don't agree with each other. And that may be a bigger reason this stops than anything else. There is so many different layers and angles of this that go way beyond competition, which is what most people would say, oh, it's not fat. The Dodger, this is so far beyond they get all the good players.

And when you really start to break it down and we're going to get into it today, it's almost like you're taking a finance class because you're talking about the difference between net worth, right, the number that you see online of something, point something with a B next to it, and what's actually liquid. And I think there's a big difference. Now, nobody's trying to hear that because it's like you have a. billion dollars or a billion dollars worth of assets like you got it somewhere but some of these owners don't have it as much as people think they do and i think that's the bigger issue we

talk about this as it pertains to the bears like the the mccaskey family like they have a a asset that's worth 10 billion dollars but when you start to break down the people who own shares in the bears there's one billionaire is pat ryan but then there's a whole family of people like this is their gig. Like they, they're not bringing money from manufacturing or from oil or from trade. Like, they're not doing that. Like, this is the family business. So you go, yeah, it's not, is what, maybe what you think it is.

They're asset rich. Like that you can borrow against that, but the implication is you're still borrowing. In fact, I can't believe it took me this long to remember this. I was working with Comcast SportsNet in Houston at the time when the Astro sale went through. And Drayton McLean, famous for food distribution, the Astros was a side hustle for him. It was not his main hustle. But Jim Crane, who was a businessman also well established, there was a lot of discussion. It was more rumor than anything in Houston, but talking about how many different minority owners he had to bring in to get enough money to complete the sale. There is that. There's the

organization that there's the money that the owners have individually, which is different. And then there's how many people actually have shares in the team, too. It was why many owners were afraid of Steve Cohen becoming the owner of the New York Mets. Right. It's why many owners are already afraid of what the Dodgers have been doing with not only their TV revenue, but now they have the best player in the world and can generate googs of money, to borrow a word from my parents. And then there's another layer of this of like, there's this fear out there of,

what happens when private equity starts getting into sports, that's the real thing that's out. Now, that might be five to ten years down the line. I don't think it's going to be that far down the line. I think it's closer than that. We're starting to see it in college sports now. But that's another layer of this where it's like, that's liquid cash.

And if those people start throwing around that type of money, now you have some other issues because it wouldn't just be one Steve Cohen. It would be a lot of Steve Cohen's. I think it's inevitable. They're in everything else. Why wouldn't they go to this as well? We just heard a pitch from an Indiana mayor in Portage who said yesterday that private equity would finance the stadium. Isn't that basically why the Lakers are getting sold?

Like, they can't keep up. Private equity gets involved in these billionaires who have teams as side hustles. And they're just like, we just have the team. And it's the way the prices are going up. And you're going to give me $12 billion? Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you. Yes. Although sometimes what happens is you have some regret. And then you're like, can I buy my team back? Hi, Mark Cuban.

Hi, Mark Cuban. Because that's what's happening now with Mark Cuban. He's like, I need to get my lick back. There was a time where Mark Cuban wanted to buy a baseball team. Yeah, there were a lot of Cubs fans that were hoping that he would buy the Cubs. He wanted to buy the Rangers too. That was something that was considered. Do you think it was the Lucid deal that broke him? I think that that, like, seeing it just devolve, like, so quickly, like, oh, my God. Like, we're the laughing stock of the league. But it's, there's a lot of speculation as to why the Adelson's bought the Mavericks to begin with. I think Cuban genuinely wanted to retire somewhat, like not be the main guy for all of this anymore.

Wasn't there a casino? Yes. That's what I was going to get to is, is I, the rumor is, and this is all speculation, and I want to be very clear about it, that they wanted to build casinos in Texas. but the lobbying is so strong outside of it, not to mention those laws have not historically gotten passed there. Everything that's legal here when it comes to gambling and weed and casinos is not legal there. You know, so there's, I don't know if that was, that's what a lot of people say, but I just don't necessarily know that you buy a team because you can because it's a good asset.

It appreciates you know that. But the Luca trade, I think, exacerbated the problem because the conversation was, well, Cuban would have never let that. this happened. And that's true. But that doesn't mean he's coming back to save you. But I think he is coming back to save them. But supposedly they have no intent to sell. Like that was, that was genuine. That came out recently. It doesn't mean that they're going to be like, they said we were very excited about running the Mavs. No one else is excited about them running the maps. Don't matter if I own it. Well, I'm making money. Cuban bought it from Ross Perra

Jr. who also wasn't as reputed of an owner at the time. So It seems changed, but not very well. But yeah, I imagine for Mark Cuban, because everything, as opposed to other owners, like, yeah, everything runs through you. But, like, even what happens on the court runs through me. You feel personally responsible for everything to go going to hell in the handbasket after you sold me. He's an owner that, whether right or wrong in decision making, you know that he cares about the product that he puts on the court. He would have paid Luca the Supermax. That's the issue here.

Absolutely. The Mavericks did not want to pay Luke of the Supermax. Nico Harrison carried out a hit. He did not do enough diligence on the hit. That's a separate issue. But Cuban would have paid Luke of the Supermax. I have every confidence in that. You're wearing your GoSports shirt.

And I had Tanny remind me. I put it on the list of things that I needed him to remind me. With the Olympics going on, you've actually covered two? Yeah. I did 2018. in 2022. What's covering the Olympics like? It is nonstop.

It is, uh, yeah, Marshall did. You covered Olympics too? 2012 London. We have three Olympiads and not like, oh, you covered the Olympics. Like, no, we were part of the broadcast. You guys were embedded. Yeah. Yeah.

Embedded is a, never has a term been used as well. I mean, like you just wake up thinking Olympics, you go to sleep thinking Olympics and it's 12 to 16 hour days and you just go. Yeah, what you said. Like I covered, I was doing both the men's and women's tournaments for NBC this past year. I did only a few men's games the Olympics before. Hockey, right? Yeah.

And it was a triple header every day. And it's not like you're just covering Team USA. Like, you better get to know everybody involved because your job is you've got, you know, intermission interviews with athletes of every team. You better know the rosters of everybody. It's, it is nonstop. And hockey's nonstop. You know that.

The near miss that last 0.2 seconds could sometimes be the story that tells the game. Was there something that... Was there maybe like a cultural thing that you learned from the Olympic experience that you would not have learned

had you not had the Olympic experience? You, Marshall, you covered a lot of the news aspects of Olympics, too, right? When you were in London? Yeah. You didn't do like just one sport. I did features. I did the bike racing.

that's what I was actually on like for sidelines. I would say this. I learned a lot about London, traversing London. I was like, you better know where to go get some food. Otherwise, your food is going to be terrible. That's the main. Hey, that's a good tip. That was the main takeaway from being in London for a month.

I did lose like seven pounds at the Olympics. And I ate. You're just running around so much. It just kind of falls off of you. And, you know, it's so interesting how the different cultures all come together even if people don't speak the same language in the individual sports, the respect among Olympians

is so... It's almost hard to describe. That's interesting. It's so understood. Like, you're the best in the world. I'm the best. Let's find out who the best... We know, regardless of who wins here,

we're the best in the world. Like, that's a thing. And then the other thing is just, man, them athletes... They like to get down. They like to party when it's... saw. No word.

Set and done. Did you hear? There's an article this morning that said that. Olympic Village is a place. There was an article this morning saying that they only had like three more days worth of condoms at the Olympic Village or something. They like to get down. That's still a thing?

Apparently. Ah, you caught it. Russ. Exactly, Morris. Talk to your, talk to your nephew. I was about to say, it's your turn to talk to your nephew. The Uncan Nephew show.

It's your turn to talk to your nephew, Russ. For the next four hours on the score. Russ finally saw sinners Okay I haven't seen sinners yet You haven't seen it Because I want to see it in the theater I expected you not because you don't have time for movies

I almost said it I almost saw it two weekends ago But I was too tired It was playing right down here at the AMC And I was like I'm just too tired But I'm gonna catch it in the theater I don't want to see it on my couch That's the thing

I had oh you're right I had a free night And it's one of those All right let me cut out all the lights And like really zoning Well you're rich So you have a bigger TV than I have No, no, no, no, no.

I'm not a rich. I just had a free night, Marshall, that's all. And it was a great experience. You're right. I think that's the way to do it. Well, it's a good night for it, right? Tonight's Friday the 13th, so, you know, you could watch centers tonight. In the city beautiful.

We about to, you know that we about to act a fool all weekend. Like, it's supposed to be 50 for the next three days. Valentine's Day weekend. Did you write a fool? No, tomorrow and Sunday, though. I knew you would be outside. The first day it was warm. I mean, it was Monday.

Were people in shorts? I saw someone with no shirt on on Wednesday. Today, there were people out there in like short sleeves too. Shorts and running. Running on the lakefront. If the sun is out in Chicago and it's above 40 degrees, people's shirts is coming off. This is what I wore to the studio. Like, I walked from the crib and just a hoodie.

Like, it's nice. That's amazing. I will be in a coat on my way home. You might be a little warm. Because, I mean, like, it's... Me? Like, when I walked into the building, it was like blazing hip hop and R&B.

It was like warm. Now I got the short walk, which I want to be. Oh, you got to go to work? Yeah, but then I got the walk home at night, and that's why I have the coat. Hey. The short walk, you'll be cool. Can you guys convince Marshall to take Monday off because it's a holiday? Because Marshall was like, I'm not taking it off.

I was like, but it's a holiday. I'm taking Tuesday off. I got to take Tuesday off. Here's my feeling on most of the holidays that we get off. And this is happening for me, too. I like to choose because I like being off when everyone else is working.

I like being able to get around the city and maybe go try some places that would ordinarily be crowded instead of being off on the same day. So if it's not like something

where I actually have something planned. Right. Like Christmas, for example. Then, you know, if you want to give me Arbor Day off or whatever it is or whatever secret holiday is being rolled into

our yearly holidays. Like, I'm going to take it and move it to someplace else. Do we still get June 10th? Yeah. Have they rescinded that yet? Not yet. We'll see how things go. We'll see how it goes.

Well, you're off Monday, aren't you? No. You're not? I thought you were off on Monday. I think I'm going to be off the next Monday because Speggs and I will both be in Arizona. So I think I'm going to take the next Monday off. Three of the four people in the studio right now will be here on Monday. I'm not regretting taking the holiday.

Nor should you. It's your time. You should take it. I just like moving that little chest piece around. It's like, there's no reason for me to take off. I'll come in and work. For example, when we had all the Sky games,

my schedule didn't make a lot of sense anyway. I'm used to it being a little discombobulated. No, I got you. That actually makes a lot of sense. So how many jobs you got this weekend, Marshall? Just this job? ABC 7, and then we have basketball games Saturday and Sunday on the U. Oh, man.

Got to stack them up. Nice to be rich. That's the guy. Not rich. That's the guy who's wealthy. Trying to make it out here. Generation wealth. Not afraid to put the work in to get where I want to get to.

You know? I see it. You know, it's out here. It's the people that try to throw it on others that really got it. It's true. You mean to tell me that accusations are sometimes confessions? Interesting. Layla threw out a bar about self-worth today.

too. I was in the car and I was like Thank you. You establish your own self-worthed through that? You're like re-est... Oh yes, you were right. Preach. I really love the fact that you were able to connect that for people that would just easily bootlick

a billionaire, but then tell a millionaire, get back to work. Shut up and dribble. I'd play for free. Here's the thing about you playing for free. No one wants to watch you play. Like there's no market for, you playing for money.

Say you play for free and you try to get as good as you want to be. That's going to require a hell of a lot of your time. You mean to tell me your time? Is it worth anything to you? Tell them. It is to me. We ask for your time every day listening to us. And we appreciate it here on Rehemi Harrison Grotie.

We appreciate it. That's it. That's it. The score. But we value it. So I sure as hell hope you do. Yes. You should value your own time.

get the concept of I would do it for free. People think that they would do this job for free. And then it's like, let me tell you. Let me tell you that you would do it free once. And then you'd be like, hey, are you all paying over there? Because parking downtown costs a lot of money. It's also just the fact that like you can like one or two sports typically, but you're not covering all of them the same way.

Like think about our conversation with Shelby Miller. I was like, oh, Shelby Miller, the former Cub. Somebody forgot about that. It's fine. He's been with 20 billion teams. He randomly had the Tommy John surgery in September. You might not have been paying attention to that because you were watching the bears. For us, it's a big, it's a big faux paw.

But you know, that's the point. And typically a lot of times you talk about the NFL, but do you talk about basketball the way we all do? I just think that your point was just so valid that people tend to forget the humanity. You said, yeah. And those guys also have to eat. it's like like that's what my point was like you know you're still got to feed yourself and your family yeah like that's still a thing and and like sure I'll I'll probably watch a wreck game that's going on at the why because I love competition but no one's paying $77 billion for your television contract for the the thing that you would do for free and and it

it strikes me as being really weird that that we are when it comes to this when it it comes to other things, although that's shifted over the last decade or so, that we're pretty much pro-labor except for sports. I don't think so. If we were, we wouldn't be okay with a lot of the collusion that goes on. That's now just legal in the world. Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, that paradigm is shifted definitely over the last 10 years, and one would argue

maybe the last 25 to 50. I would say since about the time Reagan took. office. But if you asked a rank and file person about wanting it to be safe where it is that they work and wanting to get proper wages for themselves, they would tell you that that's still important to them. But for the players, it's not important for them that they be treated appropriately under billionaire ownership. And I think that that's a weird thing to have happened. And there's multiple layers on why that happens and who has the money and what makes you upset about. people having money.

That part. Also, shout out to the mob. They're hilarious. They are hilarious. Anyone who does something for free is either already wealthy or bad at what they're given away. That's fair. That's all I'm trying to say. Like, don't, your time is worth something.

That was from hologram Harry. Also, they owe me, thanks to Russell and his comments, Marshall's so Richie just spills his drink everywhere. That's true. That's true. You still buy drinks. I'm part of the Pinarist sip club. It's like $5.

for all the drinks you can drink. If you took that $5 and put it into the S&P 500. Are you giving me the avocado toast? Oh, no. Have you seen the latest? This one bothered me this morning. No, it was last night. You can't own a house now?

No, it was last night. We've moved the goalposts yet again. Precisely. No, those are only for the REITs, the Real Estate Investment Trusts. The Wall Street Journal yesterday. She's out of giving you game, y'all. Jen Ziers and millennials are swimming in student debts. and may never own homes, but they're splurging on gut-healthy juices and rotissory chickens.

That rotissory chicken can feed us. Shut out to Costco, 49. That's not a splurge. So I reposted it and said when they're excited to say, let the meat cake. It's not a splurge just like. If you didn't eat that chicken, you would own a house right now. People should be allowed to have their coffee if they want to. It's totally okay.

It's also very affordable, especially at Costco. Like what is it going to? to be next, that I'm ordering, that I, that I bought the box, like, craft mac and cheese and not the generic? Like, how far does this goalpost go? I'm just messing with you, Marshall, because I know what I spend on ice coffee, and I just built it into the budget now. Well, good. You have a budget. That's the important part. As every adult should. If billionaire corporations can have them, then we should too. Uncle Russ out here. I've been hanging out with Uncle Marshall. That's what that is.

I'm not going to run away from my uncle responsibility. I know what I am. You have to take care of me for the next four hours. It doesn't bother me whatsoever. I get it. I'm the old guy now. And that's okay. That means you survived.

It does me. You get older than you die. What sounds more appealing to you? I agree. Here's what we're going to do on the show today. Russ is hanging out. He's in for speaks today. We're going to talk some Cubs.

We're going to talk. I mean, since we've got a baseball reporter here, we're going to ask him about, you know, work stoppages and what have you. That's on the list of things to do. There's a new. Football League out here, and I am trying to get that merch. And luckily, I know a couple of people who are involved in the broadcasting, and I am going to suggest that they give me one of the team's merch.

There's weird stuff going on in Philly's camp that we need to talk about for sure. Russ will give us his thoughts on the movie Senators at some point. And also, two baseball stories that we held on to just make sure that we got Russ's thoughts. Plus, Russ is a Spanish speaker and we were in the same room together watching the bad bunny performance, but it reaches him in a way that it might not reach other people. We will ask him about that. But when we come back, one of the new additions to the Cubs, Mr. Telephone Man, is helping out one of the young stars of the Cubs. We will talk about that after Tanny's open, which is a must listen. That's next here on the score.