Cubbies Crib

Chicago Cubs players are all at camp (most of them anyway) and are getting ready for their first Cactus League action. They will not let PECOTA projections get in their way! Chairman Tom Ricketts talked about not having any money to spend and fans are frustrated. Oh, and MANNY MACHADO FINALLY SIGNED! All of this and MORE on Climbing The Ivy! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Priv...

Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers have reported, baseball is back! While players are working out, the front office addresses the media formally for the first time during the 2019 season. Also, the Cubs have announced their new 24/7 broadcast network which will begin in 2020. We discuss all of it. *NOTE* there is a 10-second delay before the show starts due to new recording procedure Advertising I...

On a special episode of "Climbing the Ivy" we interview author Doug Wilson, who wrote the upcoming book "Let's Play Two: The Life and Times of Ernie Banks". Our guest shares amazing stories about the life of Mr. Cub, as well as talks about his experience interviewing different people Ernie knew and how he put his book together. The book will hit the market next week. Also, we a...

What was colder this week? The Hot Stove or Chicago? Well, probably Chicago. At least the Cubs did make some moves building some bullpen depth with a few free agent signings. We also pay a little tribute to "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks. Tune into all of this and MORE on an "anything goes" episode of Climbing the Ivy! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: h...

Things on the Chicago Cubs front are overall quiet still…or, one could say, pretty boring… Cubs Con wrapped up last week and players will be reporting to camp in a few weeks. We also discuss the Hall of Fame class of 2019 as the BBWAA voted in four more guys into Cooperstown on Tuesday. All of this and MORE on Climbing the Ivy! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out:...

The Chicago Cubs are ready for their annual fan convention this coming weekend, and there is a lot of frustration among fans. Chairman Tom Ricketts and his family will not be in attendance to answer fan questions, a decision which has been heavily criticized by many. Ricketts did several radio interviews Thursday on 670 the Score and ESPN 1000 discussing the current status of the team. Alex, Adam...

Brad Robinson of WBBM 780 joins the Cubbies Crib crew to talk about the latest Cubs offseason news. As the offseason rolls on, and so do the concerns over the Cubs budget. More and more reports are suggesting the Cubs do not currently have the budget to get relief pitching...creativity is required. Theo Epstein has not given much information to the public (no surprise there) on what his real plan...

It is officially 2019 and pitchers/catchers will be reporting before we know it. Some small moves have been made around baseball over the holidays, but no much...especially not the Cubs. We will give some thoughts on the current status of free agency and maybe talk some Wrigley Field updates. All of this and MORE on Climbing the Ivy! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Op...

Alex and Adam have a special interview with Kelly Wallace of "Expanded Roster" on this edition of Climbing the Ivy. Wallace interviewed Melisa Reidy, ex-wife of Cubs SS Addison Russell. Her experiences were shared in Wallace's article she posted on the 19th of December as she speaks out against Domestic Violence and continues to help empower others who have been victims of it. Also, we...

The Winter Meetings have begun and the Cubs have been…well, not very active so far. But there is still a way to go. Bryce Harper rumors are flying around like crazy and there are so many reports of the Cubs involvement, or lack thereof with the 26-year old star. Alex, Adam and Cody discuss the situation. Will the Cubs truly need to move payroll? How can they do it? That will also be discussed. Thi...

The Winter Meetings are approaching, and the Tender/Non-Tender Deadline has passed. Cubs have made a few moves, including trading Tommy LaStella to the Angels and non-tendering newly acquired Ronald Torreyes. What will happen when the Winter Meetings arrive? We will discuss. Another move made was tendering a non-guaranteed contract to Addison Russell, who will be serving a 40-game suspension in 20...

The Chicago Cubs aqcuired Yankees infielder Ronald Torreyes for cash considerations and PTBNL. We will discuss what this can mean. Also, fans were surprised when reliever Jesse Chavez was not brought back as he has signed with Texas. How serious is losing Chavez? Or was it the Cubs plans not to bring him back? Lastly, it appears Joe Maddon, according to his comments, is going to change his coachin...

Big news on the Chicago Cubs front, pitching coach Jim Hickey has left the organization for personal reasons. After one year as pitching coach in Chicago, he is now gone. What does this mean for the team and who can replace him? This and more minor Cubs news on Climbing The Ivy. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

WBBM 780 sports reporter Brad Robinson joins Alex and Adam to discuss some of the crazy rumors circling social media regarding the Chicago Cubs offseason, some of which that have no chance of happening or even make sense. What kind of things SHOULD Cubs fans be looking out for realistically over the next few months? Also, should Joe Maddon have gotten consideration for Manager of the Year? All of...

There are a lot of rumors going around about whether the Cubs will spend a lot of money in free agency or not this offseason. Theo Epstein is under a lot of pressure from the fans to see the 2018 team be avenged in 2019. Could they decide to not spend a lot afterall and stand pat? Or is there something big on the horizon? Also, is Jim Hickey out as Cubs pitching coach? Is this related to Joe Maddo...

The MLB offseason is officially here, and there is a long way to go before Spring Training, 2019. So what is first on the agenda, and what should be done about various Cubs free agents? We will discuss on the show. Also we will share some more memories and play some fun games on the show, so do not miss out on the latest episode of Climbing The Ivy! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/bra...

In this week’s show, we are joined by Cubs Insider contributor and former Cubbies Crib writer William Chase. There is not much to discuss in terms of Cubs news, but there is the report saying former Yankees manager Joe Girardi is interested in “waiting out” for 2020 to manage in Chicago. If Joe Maddon is gone after 2019, is Girardi a guy to consider? Is that relevant right now? We will discuss. Ot...

Let us let the biggest offseason debate begin: Manny Machado or Bryce Harper? The two biggest free agents this offseason have often been linked to the Chicago Cubs as possible targets. Fans have mixed feelings on who they would rather have if they had to pick one, so how do we feel? Join Alex and Adam along with other Cubbies Crib writers joining the show for a Machado vs. Harper round table discu...

Alex and Adam go further into analyzing the 2018 Chicago Cubs season. In this episode, final grades will be givin to each player on the team (excluding random MiLB callups or guys that did not play more than a few games with the team) rating their performance this past year. Who gets the As, Bs, Cs, Ds or Fs? This is obviously subject for debate, so let the controversy begin! All of this and more...

The 2018 Chicago Cubs season is over. A disappointing end to a season that began full of promise. What went wrong? What will happen now? How do we feel? Join Alex and Adam in their analysis of the 2018 season and what is to come. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Other members of the Cubbies Crib Crew join Alex and Adam to discuss the upcoming Wild Card game at Wrigley Field Tuesday. The regular season is over and they finished with 95 wins, but lost the NL Central crown to the Milwaukee Brewers in game 163. How did they lose the crown? How do we feel about the Wild Card game? How do we remember this regular season? We discuss on this special episode of Cl...

“Squad leaders, we’ve picked up a new group of signals…enemy Brewers coming your way.” Seemed like after Sunday’s blowout win against the White Sox that the Chicago Cubs were all but set to win the NL Central. Not so fast. The Brewers are closing in and have gained two games in two days. Will the Cubs still hang on and win the division or could they face a date with the Wild Card game? Alex, Adam...

The race between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers continues to be tight as we head into the last few weeks of the season. Cubs are counting down their magic numbers to clinch a postseason berth and hopefully a division title. What do the scenarios look like for potential postseaston clinching? We discuss on the episode. As for the team, the pitching has been great while the hitting has hit a...

Stressed? Cannot blame you, the race for the NL Central crown is very tight here in September. With just a few weeks to go the Cubs are trying to fight off second-place Milwaukee, who will just not go away. A few weeks ago it looked like they were fading a bit, but a second push has kept them breathing down the Cubs necks. What does the conclusion of this race look like? We break it down. Also, th...

The Chicago Cubs have were on a roll heading into this week, beating the Mets and Phillies 2/3 and taking a tough makeup game in Atlanta. Those wins ended up being huge because so far their series against second place Milwaukee has not looked good. A frustrating loss in game one was followed by an epic disaster in game two. The two sides are certainly exchanging words, and it may get even more int...