The Cardinals keep finding new ways to lose, from a fan base running out of patience to players losing their minds (looking at you, Willson). Meanwhile, the Cubs try to claw their way back into the NL Central race, but not without Elliott and Pete’s usual mix of drama, anxiety, and over-analysis. The Team also debates rumored MLB expansion cities (spoiler: Nashville comes up, because of course it does). And finally, Ron delivers another extended Soccer Minute with double the heartbreak, as both Newcastle and City lose late, but in very different ways. Maybe it’s Ron…?
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Buckle up, Cubs and Cardinals fans: this week’s episode is super-sized!
The Team starts with Cubs fans’ full-blown panic (and blame-casting) over Kyle Tucker’s injury drama. Elliott and Pete take solace in Chicago’s five-game series win over the Brewers, which sparks just enough hope to be dangerous. Meanwhile, the Cardinals continue their 2025 masterclass in how not to run a baseball organization, before the guys pivot to MLB’s future expansion and the inevitable realignment that follows.
From there, it’s football and fútbol: the Bears’ opening drive against Buffalo gets some love, and Ron’s Soccer Minute goes way over time as Pete joins in to dissect Newcastle’s scoreless draw with Aston Villa and St. Louis City’s latest stumble against the Fire.
Finally, the show closes with a pop culture double feature: Elliott makes amends for skipping Tuesday’s show with a Music Minute review of the Nine Inch Nails concert, and Pete delivers his own Movie Minute after a personal hot streak at the theaters.
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Elliott lives up to his “Occasional” title and misses this week's show, but it doesn't really matter because technical issues with Rumble killed the stream before it even started.
The Cardinals won the weekend, the Cubs keep circling the drain, and the Brewers are on a heater that makes the division race feel like a bad joke. Two weeks ago, Pete and Elliott thought they still had a shot; now they’re Googling “wild card magic number” like it’s a life raft. Pete rants about Jeff Pico’s 1988 debut versus Cade Horton’s August 6 gem in his 14th MLB start. Ron’s Soccer Minute becomes a full segment as he and Pete dig into the bleak road ahead for Ron's Newcastle fandom, proving that when baseball’s this depressing, we’ll cling to any sport that isn’t actively hurting us.
No livestream this week, but we usually do so on YouTube, Rumble, Facebook, or X. Tuesdays at 8 PM (ish) Central Time.
This week's episode is half baseball, half Star Wars, and somehow, all relevant.
Pete finally binged Andor, so naturally we spent half the episode spiraling into galactic politics, moral ambiguity, and why Syril Karn is the worst.
Also: Too-soon deadline analyses, Cubs fan anxiety, and Ron coming to grips with his soccer choices.
You’ve been warned.
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On this Deadline Day/Birthday double feature, the Team of Rivals Podcast sifts through the debris of a trade deadline that left Cubs and Cardinals fans equally underwhelmed, and Elliott spending his 45th birthday watching the Cubs make exactly the kind of moves that scream "we tried… sort of." Pete and Elliott break down Jed Hoyer’s conservative approach, the failure to land a starting pitcher, and whether the front office overplayed its hand in regards to Mackenzie Gore. Ron joins mid-show to commiserate about the Cardinals’ refusal to go all-in (or all-out) as John Mozeliak stops short of a full teardown one final time. The guys compare strategies across the league, marvel at the Padres’ all-gas-no-brakes philosophy, and begrudgingly praise the Twins for executing a real reset. Plus: Elliott battles connection demons, Ron locks down the podcast's official Premier League club, and Pete tries to make sense of a deadline that felt more like a detour.
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