Bleacher Bunch Network: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

What do you find in Baseball Rabbitholes? Animals of course. This episode, Michael chases down a number of odd stories of how animals have affected baseball games, championship runs, and even the history of broadcasting sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baseball is hilariously back! With see through pants! The Cubs actually played a ballgame and all our prayers have been answered! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy your gear here http://www.sonranto.com/shopping...

Spring Training is finally here, but this offseason won’t die. Tom Ricketts & Scott Boras have a war of words and Tom annoys Cubs fans everywhere by talking about teams being able to win without being big spenders. This week, I talk about those comments, what Tom has done well and poorly as an owner and talk about what comes next as spring training games start Friday. Will the Cubs add more or wil...

The Cubs are in Mesa stretching out the kinks, but there aren't enough Cubs! Or at least not the right ones, as for some reason Cody Bellinger remains a Free Agent. Plus, we highlight the ugliest uniforms of all time. Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE Buy your tickets he...

Famed historian Bill Pecota hates the Cubs, we tell you why he's wrong. Also, Cody Delmendo Spins the B Clock and the Cubs release their promo schedule. Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy your gear here http://www...

There’s not a lot new to report this week on the Cubs offseason, so this week I jump into a baseball rabbit hole with Michael Cotton, co-host of the Son Ranto show and host of the Baseball Rabbit Hole podcast. Cotton and I talk old heads vs. stat nerds, starting with Henry Chadwick, who created the box score and the standard stats package that was ubiquitous for more than a century, and then move...

The Baseball Rabbithole opens up on opening days and end up learning about the first teams that formed what would become the National League. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CHGO's (pronounced Chuggo) Cody Delmendo joins us to talk about the Cubs pitching depth after he talked to Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy in this exclusive second hand interview. Then, Award winning Cubs poet Sandra Marchetti joins us to talk about her new trophy! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonra...

The roster is slowly but surely coming together. The Cubs still have questions and holes on the roster, but they’ve now added a quality starting pitcher in Shota Imanaga, lefty bat in Michael Busch,  and two relievers capable of picking up leverage innings – Hector Neris and Yancy Almonte. Despite the additions and the overall increase in talent at the bottom of the 40-man roster, the Cubs are goi...

With CubsCon in the rear view mirror and Cub moves still coming very slowly, this week is a mailbag episode! Thanks to all who submitted questions, there were a lot of good ones, including questions about prospects, trades, projections for 2024 (and beyond) and a lot of attention on Christopher Morel. Support the show by joining CubsPS+ Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Michael heads down the Baseball Rabbithole to find out about the person that invented baseball. What he finds is a twisting and turning tale of fake news, forgotten history, and a Civil War hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cubs Con Veteran Crawly and Cubs Con Rookie Mike Waller recap Cubs Con. Plus, some Cubs Trivia with Cubs Desk Jockey, and a cool new memorabilia site called Kollexor. arly and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy your gear he...

The Cubs Off Season comes alive with the signing of "The Throwing Philosopher", Shōta Imanaga. And a snowy Cubs Con awaits us at the Sheraton! arly and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy your gear here http://www.sonranto.c...

The Cubs offseason has officially begun! Shōta Imanaga is a Cub! The lefty will join the Cubs rotation and is the first big splash by Jed in this offseason. In this episode, I talk about Imanaga’s pitch mix and what he brings to the rotation, discuss his unusual contract and then look ahead at what might be next for the Cubs. Should be a great weekend at CubsCon! Learn more about your ad choices....

We’ve talked about Shohei Ohtani and what the Dodgers are doing. We’ve talked about what the Cubs aren’t doing. We’ve talked about what the Cubs might look like if they actually do nothing. Here we are, stuck in Groundhog Day, waiting for news of the first big move. Why is the baseball offseason the way it is? Why don’t things move faster? This week I dig into those questions.  CubsPS+ Patreon: ww...

The Cubs have done nothing this off season except sign Non Roster Invitees, so we made a game of it! Plus a few spins of the B Clock an invite to a huge party and some Spring Training advice. Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.co...

We crown the winner of this years Cubs-Mas parody competition with the Son Ranto gang and our comedian guests, Eric Wielo and Billy Devore. Plus, we recap Cubs caroling and look forward to Cubs Con! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonr...

A week after Shohei Ohtani came off the board, the Cubs still have not made a single major league transaction this offseason. A lot of rumored and potential paths to a successful offseason remain available, but in this episode, I dig into the current roster and what this season could look like if the Cubs do nothing. How many wins could this team win? How might they replace lost production from 20...

Hour 1 of the Son Ranto Show where Crawly from Fly the W pod joins us to discuss the inevitable return of Sammy Sosa and we lament the Cubs slow off-season. Plus, the Brewers cheat! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets...

Hour 2 of the Son Ranto Show where we discuss players the Cubs can still sign and the CubsMas Carol competition continues! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy your gear here http://www.sonranto.com/shopping Buy you...

UPDATE: Jon Becker corrected the calculations he had put out yesterday before I recorded that I cited. I have provided the updated link below. Nutshell - deferring $400M of Ohtani’s contract would take LA’s CBT hit to as low as $42-ish million per year, not the $60M per year I cited in the pod.  https://x.com/jonbecker_/status/1733855093462630748?s=61&t=1Aka_sJo8QXHplWFFqMVAg It’s been a wild week...

The Cubs do nothing at the Winter Meetings but neither did anyone else! Comedian Joe Kilgallon joins us to talk Cubs and his new comedy special! https://punchup.live/joe-kilgallon/good-grief?showWelcomeBanner=1 Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here htt...

It’s hot stove time, but the fire is just getting started, so it’s still a little chilly in here. Not much is happening yet, outside of a few moves here and there. All of the big guns are still on the board and everyone – pretty much the whole world – is waiting for Shohei Ohtani to make a decision. Do the Cubs have a shot? Could they actually land the biggest free agent in the history of baseball...

We sing Cubs-Mas Carols as we wait for the Cubs to sign some players. A little Cubs news and a whole lotta laughs! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy your gear here http://www.sonranto.com/shopping Buy your Amazon...

What are Cubs Fans thankful for this year? A stocked Minor League system? Being "IN" on Ohtani? Each other!? There's lots of gratitude to go around on the North Side of Chicago! Early and ad free access when you support the Son Ranto Show by becoming a Super Ranter for only 1 dollar at http://www.patreon.com/sonranto FREE TRIALS AVAILABLE! Buy your tickets here http://www.sonranto.com/tickets Buy...