The Shawn Mackey Show

  I know I'm probably going to take some heat for this one, but I've got to say it: I'm still not sold on Craig Counsell as the manager of the Chicago Cubs. I've never been a big fan of Counsell, and the more I look at his time with the Cubs, the more questions I have. I'm not saying he's a terrible manager. I'm not saying the Cubs can't win a World Series with him. What I'm saying is that I'm not ready to automatically put Craig Counsell in the conversation with the greatest managers in baseball. My biggest issue is that I feel like sometimes we put too much faith in the numbers and not enough in what we're actually seeing on the field. When Counsell took over the Cubs, his first season looked remarkably similar to David Ross' final season. Both teams finished 83-79 and second in the NL Central . The statistical similarities between those teams are hard for me to ignore. If Craig Counsell is supposed to be this great manager, then why di...

  Training camp is officially underway, and after waiting months for football to return, it finally feels like Bears season again. In this episode of The Shawn Mackey Show , I wrapped up my breakdown of the Chicago Bears' 2026 draft class, talked about everything happening at training camp, and even celebrated another strong week for the Chicago Cubs. Before diving into football, I couldn't ignore what the Cubs have been doing. They put together an impressive road trip by winning series against both the Pirates and Cardinals before returning home to take down the Yankees. I even made the trip to St. Louis, where I caught the extra-inning win and visited one of the city's incredible science museums. It turned into a great family experience filled with STEM exhibits, interactive displays, and plenty of baseball memories. Then it was time to finish evaluating the Bears' rookie class. I broke down cornerback Malik Muhammad , whose speed, length, and versatility could all...