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Sammy Sosa was the most beloved Cub of his era. So how did it end the way it did? Bruce Miles covered the Cubs for 22 seasons at the Daily Herald — including the 1998 home run chase, the cork bat, and the trade that sent Sammy to Baltimore for almost nothing. He was in that clubhouse for all of it. This episode we ask the question: Why did the Cubs break up with Sammy Sosa? Bruce Miles is the author of The Franchise: Chicago Cubs.

Dan Falato — longtime Chicago radio producer and the man behind some of the biggest names at WGN — says he's the one who kept "Go Cubs Go" alive when the people in charge wanted it gone. This is his version of that story. In this episode, Dan walks us through the behind-the-scenes fight to keep "Go Cubs Go" on the air after a win — a fight that involved a widow's phone call, a case of mistaken identity, Jimmy Buffett, Bill Murray, and a first baseman who'd just won Rookie of the Year. This episode is told from Dan's perspective and reflects his recollection of events.

There's a reason Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part II" still sounds like Bulls dominance. Or why a Reggie Jackson baseball card could turn a kid into a sports fan for life. Music and sports don't just coexist in Chicago — they fuse. Matt Spiegel — Score host, musician, and the voice behind the Cubs' Radio anthem — breaks down how certain songs became inseparable from Chicago's biggest moments. From the Bulls dynasty to Chelsea Dagger, plus the story behind the Feldco jingle that's followed him for thirty years. This is the soundtrack of Chicago sports. And why it still hits.

Something feels different on the South Side. But Sox fans have been here before. Carmen DeFalco of ESPN Chicago joins The Lore to talk about whether this White Sox team is actually different — and whether Chicago is ready to fall back in love with them. From Pope hats to Roch Cholowsky crying tears of joy when he got drafted. From the Ja Rule fiasco to the Purse Girl going viral. Carmen makes the case that this team is more likable than the 2021 version ever was. And he's all the way back in. Are you?

Every Cubs era seems to have one. A player who divides the fan base. Right now it's Ian Happ. Before him, Aroldis Chapman—for reasons that had nothing to do with baseball. Before that: Jason Heyward, Alfonso Soriano, and more. Andy Dolan from the Pointless Exercise Podcast has been living inside every version of this argument for twenty years. The names change. The arguments don't.

Marc Silverman's grandfather was an inaugural Bulls season ticket holder in 1966. Marc grew up at the Chicago Stadium, experienced three championships as a fan, then covered three more as a reporter. Then he boycotted them. The Waddle and Silvy host joins The Lore to talk about what pushed him to walk away from the team he loves most — and whether Chicago can fall back in love with the Bulls again. "I hate the Bulls so much because I love them." This is that conversation.

Three self-proclaimed ballpark nerds spent two years designing a virtual White Sox stadium from scratch. Not because anyone asked them to — but because they couldn't believe nobody was building what fans actually wanted. Travis Sawchik of Chicago Magazine and Mark Anderson of MLBCathedrals walk through their vision for Comiskey III — what old Comiskey got right, what Rate Field got wrong, and why the South Loop site might be the best stadium opportunity in baseball. The skyline. The river. The seats you can actually see the game from. This is what getting it right looks like.

Ted McClelland wrote a piece in Chicago Magazine arguing that letting the Bears go to Indiana might actually make sense. So we tested that argument — and went deeper into what Chicago has gotten wrong with its stadiums for decades. Mike North — the legendary Score host who was behind the mic for all of it — breaks down the emotional cost of old Comiskey Park, the missed opportunity of new Comiskey, and why The Bears rossing a state line is something Chicago can't stomach. One question Chicago isn't done answering.

The Cubs are finally extending their core — and spending like a big-market team again. It's exactly what fans have been asking for. So why do the vibes still feel off? Sam Olbur of Locked On Cubs joins The Lore to talk about whether the Cubs are actually chasing a championship — or just getting comfortable with the baseline.

The Bulls keep selling out. Ownership hasn't prioritized winning in years. Jon Greenberg has a theory about why — and it goes back to Steve Shanwald and the end of the Jordan era. The Athletic founding editor joins The Lore for a mailbag episode — Bulls paradox, Chicago sports radio losing its edge, and a backstory about Theo Epstein that involves garlic on a ceiling. Jon's been in these rooms long enough to know where the bodies are buried.

Chicago hasn't had athletes hang out like this publicly. Not like Caleb Williams and PCA — intentionally visible, culturally present, owning the spotlight before they've won anything. ABC 7's Dionne Miller joins The Lore to talk about what this new generation of Chicago athletes actually means — and why Ben Johnson, the most intense man in the building, fits right alongside them. Something is shifting in Chicago sports culture. This is what it looks like.

When something big happens in Chicago sports, who do you turn to? For a long time the answer was Dan Bernstein. Now nobody's really sure — and that says everything about where Chicago sports radio is right now. Sun-Times media columnist Jeff Agrest breaks down what the city lost, who's filling the void, and whether sports radio can find its edge again. The voice matters. Chicago has always known that.

Bobbleheads. Throwbacks. Cade Horton truck-stop couture. The Cubs' 2026 giveaway calendar might be one of their best ever — but what does it actually say about the brand? Andy Dolan of the Pointless Exercise Podcast breaks it all down. The good, the weird, and the ones that should never have left the design meeting.

Brett Taylor built Bleacher Nation into the daily stop for Cubs fans through one of the most dramatic runs in franchise history — the rebuild, the rise, and the championship. He did it without a journalism background, without media credentials, and without access. Just a lawyer who loved the Cubs and understood what fans actually needed. Brett unpacks how that happened — and what it taught him about trust, timing, and staying closer to your reader than anyone else is willing to.

Luke Stuckmeyer has spent 25 years in Chicago sports broadcasting. He's covered Bulls, Cubs, Bears and Blackhawks. He has Emmys. Nobody ever stops him on the street about any of that. They stop him about "Beer Money". The former NBC Sports Chicago host unpacks why the least taxing thing he ever did became the most remembered — and what that says about Chicago sports fans and the city that made it a cult classic. Some things just stick. This is why.