Ivy Envy - Chicago Cubs Fan Podcast (unofficial)

Spring training games have started and we have on-the-field baseball to talk about!   Kurt shares a small sample Kris Bryant stat in his Scary Stat of the Week segment. We share some of our observations from the first Spring Training game of the year for the Cubs.  Ben Zobrist has reported to Spring Training Joe Maddon doesn't feel that Willson Contreras was physically tired late in 2018.  We're not so sure we agree with that and discuss Contreras' importance to the team's success in 2019. ZiPS is a little kinder to the Cubs than PECOTA.    

Thanks for downloading the first episode of our 11th season of podcasting on the Cubs.  All of the players have reported to Spring Training in Mesa, and we cover a lot in this episode.  Kurt's Scary Stat looks closer at the PECOTA projections for Cubs starting pitchers.   The Cubs tv deal is official, and as everyone expected, the broadcast partner is Sinclair.  Addison Russell held his first press conference since being suspended for violating MLB's domestic violence policy.  We share our thoughts on his statements.  Joe Maddon spoke with the media a few times.  He made some more comments on Russell, revealed the slogan for the 2019 Cubs, and talked about the offense and coaching strategy.  Theo and Jed also addressed the media.  Theo talked about Russell, how the Cubs are handling domestic violence issues as an organization, and the Joe Ricketts emails.   We take a look at the health of the club heading into Spring Training.  The Cubs have a new bullpen pitcher in Xavier Cedeno, and we talk about what impa

Thanks for downloading our 597th episode.  This week we discuss: The proposed and discussed MLB rule changes:  Pitch-clock, 3-batter minimum, trade deadline date change, win-loss record impacting draft, Injured List, and DH in the National League. PECOTA does NOT like the Cubs in 2019.  The projection system puts them 1 loss from last place in the division. Spring Training storylines. Bryce Harper update. Use the coupon code PITCHERS to get an Ivy Envy shirt for $12 at IvyEnvy.com/merch

On this episode, we share more of our thoughts on this off-season, and we talk about three bullpen pitchers.   Click here to buy your own Dupetit

Cubs Convention took place this past weekend in Chicago, and this episode contains a discussion on several of stories surrounding the event.  

On this episode of the podcast: Kris Bryant is historically good. Theo made an appearance on 670 The Score to talk about the Cubs' offseason.   The long-awaited tv deal is starting to (kind of) come into focus. Steamer projections are out, and we look at the projected NL Central standings. The Cubs have a bench coach, it's Mike Loretta. Harper/Machado updates

The slow off-season continues for the Cubs.  On this episode, we start things off by sharing some more thoughts on the Addison Russell situation and explain where we are as fans and podcasters of a team that continues to employ Addison Russell.   We also go through a few recent Cubs acquisitions and talk about a division that seems to be improving around the Cubs. 

Thanks for downloading this episode of The Ivy Envy Podcast.  We have a number of Cubs topics to discuss on this episode. In tragic news, former Cub Luis Valbuena was killed in Venezuela.  There is a new offensive metric, DRC+.  We talk about the stat, and what it tells us about the 2018 Cubs.   This week, we learned that Yu Darvish should be good to go for Spring Training. Unfortunately, it looks like Brandon Morrow will likely not be ready for Spring Training.  Fangraphs released a list of Cubs top prospects, and we look at the overall list and who could impact the Cubs in the near future. The Cubs coaching staff is in place. Other teams are getting better, and we're a little confused about the tight purse-strings.  If you'd like to read more about DRC+, check out these two articles: Why DRC+? What is DRC+?  

On this episode of the podcast, we talk about the moves the Cubs have made in the last few weeks, including tendering Addison Russell a contract.  

While the Chicago Cubs haven't made any huge off-season moves, there has been plenty to talk about.  On this episode, we get caught up with the minor moves and major rumors.  

This episode is a sample of our side podcast, Cultivating Catuli.  Listen as we talk about the failed experiment the Cubs tried in the 1960's, the College of Coaches. 

On this episode, we look at the players from the 2018 Cubs who are not under team control in 2019.  We look at the free agents and players who have club options for 2019 and share our thoughts on whether or not the Cubs should bring them back.   We also check in on the Arizona Fall League to see how Cubs prospects are doing.  

This is our 587th episode and the first real episode of the off-season.  On this episode, you will hear us discuss Chili Davis' dismissal and the hiring of Anthony Iopoce.  We also discuss Shiraz Rehman's departure from the Cubs organization and share some rumors involving Jason McLeod and Brandon Hyde. This leads to a discussion on one area we feel the Cubs front office has underperformed. 

The Chicago Cubs' season ended on Tuesday night with a 13-inning loss to the Colorado Rockies in the National League Wild Card Game.  On this episode, we talk about the abrupt ending to the season, and we share some thoughts, a handful of days removed.  

The Cubs will square off against the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 NL Wild Card game.  On this episode, we preview this game.  

The Milwaukee Brewers claimed ownership of the NL Central title this afternoon with a 3-1 win over your Chicago Cubs.  This episode was recorded seconds after that game ended.  

It's going to take 163 games to determine the NL Central Champions, and on this episode, we talk about what got us to this point and what the Cubs need to do to win the division for the 3rd straight season. 

The Cubs' magic number sits at 5 after they took two out of three from the White Sox on the south side.  On this episode, we share a few thoughts on the Addison Russell situation and then talk about what we would like to see from specific Cubs players in the last week of the regular season.  

With 10 games left, the Cubs sit 2.5 games ahead of the Brewers in the NL Central.  On this episode, you'll hear us share our confidence with the bullpen as it stands, and the individual relief pitchers we feel are the most confident.   We also talk about how the offense can bail out the bullpen by not putting them in tight spots, and there are some signs that can come together before the playoffs. 

Although the Cubs only scored five runs in their series against the Reds at Wrigley, they were able to win two of the three games, and gain a full game over the Brewers for the division.   In this episode, we'll talk about this unproductive offense and the stellar pitching that keeps the Cubs at the top of the division.