👋 Good morning!
Like we saw in last night’s Rams-49ers game, fumbling at the goalline is the ultimate football sin.
Think back to last year’s Bears loss in Washington. Doug Kramer didn’t receive another carry for the rest of the season after putting the potential go-ahead touchdown on the ground.
Man, what a sentence. The Shane Waldron experience really was something else.
Enjoy the bye weekend!
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On To The Next
For the first time since 2017, the Cubs are headed to the National League Divisional Series. All it took was a heart-pounding three-game thriller against the San Diego Padres.
Is everybody okay? Have the palpitations subsided?
Good: The bats finally came alive. Well, kinda.
Thirteen hits last night was the Cubs’ highest output in a game since September 16th against the Pirates. However, they still finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker combined for five base hits, though no swing of the bat felt as important as Michael Busch’s insurance solo homer in the seventh inning.
Craig Counsell on Crow-Armstrong: “Pete has the ability to deliver the spectacular and deliver greatness, and he had a heck of a game today. Heck of a game.”
Better: Jameson Taillon and the Cubs’ bullpen deserve plenty of praise.
Taillon tossed four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out four.
Counsell on Taillon: “I thought the game was about what Taillon gave us at the start. I thought it was absolutely crucial. We knew we were going to have a couple of guys that we were going to have to work really hard, but him giving us four innings and getting 12 outs really put it together.”
Caleb Thielbar, Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge combined to allow just one run in five innings — with all credit owed to the Cubs’ defense, especially SS Dansby Swanson and 2B Nico Hoerner.
Padres manager Mike Shildt on Swanson: “I don't think they give an MVP for this round. I'd give it to Swanson. I mean, Dansby played his tail off, man. He almost single-handedly beat us with his glove. … The one thing that we don't talk about as much anymore is your defense, and this time of year, your defense — we play great defense — but Dansby Swanson absolutely beat us with his glove this series.”
Next: Now the Cubs will head to Milwaukee for a best-of-five NLDS against baseball’s best team this season — the Brewers.
The Cubs won the season series against the Brewers, 7-6.
Counsell, who managed the Brewers for nine seasons, on what to expect from Milwaukee fans:
“Well, they're going to be fired up. They've had the best team in baseball this year. They feel like they have a chance to play in the World Series with this team. So they're rested. It's going to be a great atmosphere.
“It's Cubs-Brewers. That's going to be as good as it gets. It's always a great atmosphere when the two teams play each other. We'll try to get as many Cubs fans in there as we can. They won't like that, but it's going to be a fun atmosphere, I know that.”
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4, 1:08 p.m. - TBS
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 6, 8:08 p.m. - TBS
Fun Facts:
This was just the third postseason series the Cubs have ever clinched at Wrigley Field, joining the 2015 NLDS vs. the St. Louis Cardinals and the 2016 NLCS vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yesterday’s win also marked the first time the Cubs have won a win-or-go-home postseason game at Wrigley Field.
MY MVP VOTE: Nobody compares to Cubs radio broadcasters Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer.
The pair put on a baseball masterclass, as per usual, throughout the series, with Hughes’ clinching call wrapping up the win-or-go-home thriller perfectly.
“A swing and a high fly ball into center, Pete Crow-Armstrong is there. He’s waiting. He’s waiting. He’s got it!”
Then Hughes let the crowd tell the story for the next 16 seconds.
Hughes called Tuesday afternoon’s crowd one of the best he’d seen in his three decades with the Cubs. I’d imagine Thursday night’s rivaled that one.
Cubs 3, Padres 1
PAINT IT BLACK: Could the Blackhawks surprise us by unveiling the return of their black alternate sweaters later this season?
If one Redditor’s pictures are real, the answer could be yes.
And CHGO Blackhawks’ Mario Tirabassi has a perfect timeline in mind — December 13th on Chris Chelios bobblehead night.
HISTORY: The Blackhawks haven’t worn black alternates regularly since 2009, though they did wear a variation of the sweater in their 2014 Stadium Series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field.
Shoutout to Portillo’s, who sent us these rally cakes & more.
Time for the @portilloshotdog rally cake (s). I do this for you @CHGO_Cubs
— #Luke Stuckmeyer (#@LukeStuckmeyer)
9:09 PM • Oct 1, 2025
We couldn’t have done it without you.
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