Cubs, Cardinals, and Real Baseball Talk — Why This Rivalry Still Matters

 

There’s something refreshing about being able to sit down with somebody who roots for your biggest rival and actually have an intelligent conversation about baseball. That’s exactly what happened on Season 3 Episode 7 of The Shawn Mackey Show when Soup joined me again to break down the National League Central, the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and where this MLB season could be heading.

As a lifelong Cubs fan, I’ll admit it — I’m frustrated. Even with the Cubs sitting near the top of the division, I still don’t fully trust this team. Last season is burned into my memory. The Cubs held the division lead deep into the summer before completely collapsing late in the year. That’s why I’m not getting overly excited yet, even during winning streaks.

One of the biggest topics we discussed was Craig Counsell and some of the questionable managerial decisions being made during games. I truly believe the Cubs are winning in spite of certain moves, not because of them. Whether it’s leaving pitchers in too long, pulling starters too early, or constantly shuffling the lineup, there are moments where the team succeeds simply because the players overcome bad decisions.

Soup brought a great perspective from the Cardinals side too. St. Louis may not have superstar-level expectations this year, but their young players are competing hard and playing with energy. Mason Wynn, Jordan Walker, and several younger pieces are finally starting to show signs of what Cardinals fans hoped they could become. Even though Soup predicts the Cardinals eventually settle near the middle of the pack, he sees real hope for the future.

We also talked about how baseball fans need to learn how to disagree without acting ridiculous. Cubs fans and Cardinals fans should be able to debate baseball intelligently without turning every conversation into personal attacks. Rivalries are supposed to be fun. They’re supposed to create debate, passion, and respect for the game itself.

Another major topic was pitching philosophy in modern baseball. We compared today’s managers to old-school legends like Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox — guys who always seemed one step ahead of the game. We even discussed Greg Maddux and how a pitcher throwing under 90 MPH could dominate simply because of intelligence, control, and understanding hitters better than anyone else.

That’s what this episode really became about: baseball IQ, leadership, coaching, and how the mental side of sports still matters more than people realize.

We wrapped things up by making our full NL Central predictions, debating Milwaukee’s consistency, Cincinnati’s struggles, Pittsburgh’s inability to sustain momentum, and whether the Cubs can finally avoid another late-season collapse.

If you love real baseball talk without screaming matches and hot-take nonsense, this episode is definitely one you’ll want to check out.

Watch and subscribe here:
The Shawn Mackey Show YouTube Channel