The vibes are… not great on the North Side.

Pete is officially spiraling, comparing the 2026 Cubs to the soul-crushing 2008 playoff team, while Ron checks in from New Jersey with a more relaxed (read: suspiciously optimistic) Cardinals perspective.

This week:

• Cubs déjà vu and why this season feels wrong
• Cardinals quietly… hanging around?
• The emotional economics of being a fan (low expectations = happiness?)
• Ron's MLB blackout insanity reaches new levels
• Is the NFL about to ruin its own product?
• Early All-Star debates (and why fans shouldn't be allowed to vote)
• A trade deadline reality check for both teams

Plus: Ron considers a live scouting mission to find Frank the Tank in the wild, Elliott is somewhere between Alabama and civilization, and Pete may or may not be one bad Cubs inning away from losing it completely.

It's mid-June, and the roller coaster is just getting started.

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The Cubs and Cardinals renewed hostilities… and naturally, it got weird.

This week on the Team of Rivals Podcast:

• Pete screamed at the clouds about the Abner Uribe episode.
• A full recap of the Cubs vs. Cardinals weekend series.
• A front office thought experiment: Would you trade for Tarik Skubal? And what would it take from each side?
• Plus, we detoured into a galaxy far, far away to talk The Mandalorian & Grogu, and whether Star Wars has officially lost the plot… or just misplaced it in the bullpen.
• And, of course, there was a Soccer Minute.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲

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In this bonus episode, Pete flips the script and puts his friend, Alex Levine, in the spotlight.

While listeners have heard Alex on the show before, this is the first time we really dive into his story: how he became the show's Token White Sox Fan, his upbringing in Chicago, and the journey that took him away and eventually brought him back.

What starts as a baseball conversation quickly expands into something deeper: identity, hometown loyalty, career paths, and the experiences that shape who we become.

It's a relaxed, freewheeling conversation that longtime listeners will appreciate, and new listeners won't want to miss.

Topics Covered:

• Growing up in Chicago (and choosing the "other" team)
• Cubs vs. White Sox culture
• Moving away, and what brings you back
• Personal and professional journey
• The role of sports in identity and connection

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The NL Central has officially become baseball's most exhausting division. All five teams are at or above .500. Nobody can pull away. Nobody can collapse. And somehow every fanbase is simultaneously convinced their team is both a contender and deeply flawed.

This week on the Team of Rivals Podcast:
• The Cubs stumble through a miserable road trip
• PCA has words with Sox fans, and Pete is having none of it
• The Cardinals continue hanging around the race
• The Brewers refuse to go away
• Pirates and Reds fans remain uncomfortably nearby
• And "tarps off" has apparently become a thing at Busch Stadium

Meanwhile, Ron was emotionally unavailable for long portions of the show because St. Louis CITY was still playing as we went live.

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Author Will Saulsbery joins Ron and Pete to discuss his new book, 50 Forgotten Cardinals.

After Will signs off, Elliott shows up — late — to speculate on which direction each of our clubs will take in the weeks ahead.

Buy Will's book!

Follow Will!
• X: @WillSaulsbery
• Insta: @wsaulsbery

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Ron, Elliott, and Pete are back to discuss the deeply upsetting reality that both the Cubs and Cardinals are actually… good?

The Cubs keep winning despite a pitching staff held together with duct tape and Craig Counsell wizardry, while the Cardinals continue shambling forward like the baseball equivalent of a zombie apocalypse.

The guys break down:

• The suddenly dangerous NL Central
• Whether the Cubs are legitimate contenders
• Ron cautiously buying stock in the Cardinals rebuild
• The official postmortem for Dylan Carlson
• Carson Kelly's surprise emergence
• Why teams desperately need a "Vice President of Common Sense"
• Ron's son Sam becoming the Ben Zobrist of his high school team
• Terrible soccer kits, Newcastle, St. Louis CITY, and another cursed Ron's Soccer Minute

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The OG Team of Rivals duo is back this week as Pete and Ron go old school for a Throwback edition of the podcast.

This week:
⚾ The Cubs stayed hot… until they arrived on the West Coast
⚾ The Cardinals continue their baffling cycle of good baseball immediately followed by questionable baseball
🐻 Our Bears Draft reactions and the annual springtime declaration that this changes everything
⚽ Ron's Soccer Minute expands accordingly now that Ted Lasso is back and Newcastle optimism is once again medically unsafe.

No Elliott.
No balance.
No guarantees this stays on schedule.

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This week, Pete accepts the challenge Ron threw down weeks ago, referring to himself exclusively in the third person.

Can the Team stay on track while tackling ABS and umpires, early NL Central excellence, and the Shohei Roster Rule?
Will there be any joy in Ron's Soccer Minute?
And perhaps most importantly, can Ron keep it together while Pete fully commits to the bit?

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📌 Follow: @TeamOfRivalsPod | Elliott @ToR_Elliott | Ron @ToR_Ron75 | @TheParkSTL
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