RaysUp - Tampa Bay Rays Home Stand with the Detroit Tigers

Tampa Bay Rays Update

• Rays fall 10-9 to the Detroit Tigers in a wild game at Tropicana Field
• Detroit's Dylan Dingler goes 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs, 4 runs, and 2 home runs — a persistent thorn in the Rays' side (.409 average, 1.234 OPS vs. Tampa Bay)
• Riley Green and Matt Carpenter also continue their success against the Rays
• Griffin Jax struggles in his starting role; discussion on whether he should be moved back to the bullpen
• Ty Johnson looking strong in AAA and nearing a call-up

Standings & Playoff Outlook

• With 106 games remaining at time of recording, the Rays need a .509 win percentage to reach 90 wins
• 90 wins historically locks up a playoff spot
• Discussion of when to push chips in at the trade deadline

Trade Deadline Talk (August 3rd, 6 PM ET)

• Rays' needs: a reliable #2 starter, a power bat (4th in lineup), and bullpen depth
• Caminero (14 HR), Aranda and Diaz (11 HR each) — big drop-off to 3 HR for everyone else
• Willson Contreras floated as a potential catcher/lineup upgrade
• The Rays' 33rd overall draft pick could be a valuable trade chip

Injury Concerns

• Craig Kimbrel, Uceta, Jesse Shelton, Manuel Rodriguez all on the shelf
• Depth and health heading into the playoffs remain a concern

Minor League Watch

• Nathan Fluellen and Caden Bodine (catchers) and Theo Gillen (CF) starring in Bowling Green
• Brody Hopkins showing personality and passion on the mound — walk issues similar to young Chris Archer, Blake Snell, and Taj Bradley
• Michael Ford making a strong impression; could be fast-tracked

Former Rays in the League

• Christopher Sanchez (Phillies) leads all MLB pitchers in fWAR at 3.3 — traded for Curtis Mead
• Joel Ryan (5th in fWAR) — traded for Nelson Cruz
• Tristan Peters thriving with the Chicago White Sox

Fan Engagement at the Trop

• The "tarp boys" shirtless section goes viral; Raymond the mascot and Brett Phillips join in
• Players like Richie Palacios encouraging fans on social media

Women in Baseball

• Women's baseball tournament in Rockford, Illinois (July) — home of the Rockford Peaches
• All American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion happening simultaneously
• Women's Pro Baseball League launching in Springfield (August)

Ballpark Food Segment

• Mat's pick: Poutine (ideally with Montreal smoked meat) from La Banquise
• Mark's pick: Sausage with sautéed peppers and brown mustard
• Discussion of beer-steamed hot dogs, kimchi, chow-chow, and Cuban sandwiches in Tampa
• Mark's "nutritionist for the Rays" pitch: a fresh fish taco bar — dubbed the "Grit & Glow"

Upcoming

• Rays vs. Marlins in Miami this weekend
• Possible future guest: a White Sox insider to discuss streakiness and the team's turnaround

BaseballBiz On Deck is produced by Mark Corbett and Mat Germain. New episodes drop regularly throughout the baseball season.

Remember to like and subscribe to BaseballBiz On Deck. You may also find BaseballBiz on Deck, on YouTube at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at baseball biz on deck dot com. Also you can find Mat at@matgermain.bsky.social .  or Mark at baseballbizondeck@gmail.com and BaseballBiz On Deck with Facebook social 

Transcript

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357 RaysUp – BaseballBiz On Deck

Mat Germain: [00:00:00] definitely I've been trying, like I, I know, I've been trying to get catch up on the news of the, uh, stadium. 

Mark Corbett: Mm. 

Mat Germain: And, and one of the things that I read, and I wasn't really sure what it was pointing towards, but it was talking about CRA vote that could make or break a portion of the, the Rays Stadium Funding Plan.

And I don't know what CRA stands for. Like what, what is that CRA portion? 

Mark Corbett: Hang on, because I, I heard a little bit it's a redevelop- community redevelopment agency 

Mat Germain: And the, ... Is that what it is? It also added that the Rays Stadium deal is on the rocks- Mm

amid Governor DeSantis' property tax push. So I don't know what that is all about, but I think, didn't they, correct me if I'm wrong, didn't they gift this property To the Rays ownership 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah. And but there's some back and forth with that. I, I still haven't figured it out. 

Mat Germain: You're gonna get it, [00:01:00] and you're gonna get taxed. 

Mark Corbett: Well, and see, I was wondering as part of the MOU, is it, um, if things didn't progress, did the state say, "We're gonna hold onto that land"?

I don't know. To me, it just, it's a brew of so many, uh, different herbs and spices that I don't know that any of them ever blend together. And we probably should go ahead and start rec- oh, we are recording. Hey, folks, if you're just joining us- 

Mat Germain: You can snip this up however you like ... 

Mark Corbett: that's it. Matt and I just kinda kicking back here talking about MOUs and CRAs and RBIs and oh, Lord.

Hey, Matt, how's it going today, brother? 

Mat Germain: I'm trying to get my, uh, my re- real estate, uh, degree online, uh, just by reading up on Rays news. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, gosh. You know, like I said, we're not gonna dig in- into the stadium stuff, at least not much today. First, I wanna give everybody some good [00:02:00] news, is we are actually recording on Tuesday, and it's the day after an amazing game between the Tigers and the Rays.

If you wanted to see a lot of offensive action, it, it was offensive. And, uh, we'll, we'll get into that. But, uh, primarily we're recording on Tuesday this week because tomorrow evening I've been invited to attend the, uh, sports banquet that, uh, is gonna honor Rick Vaughn, who's been a guest on here before.

He's gonna be inducted to their, uh, Hall of Fame here in Tampa, as well he should. And, uh, ballplayer John Tamargo and several others are gonna be there as well, so it should be fun. I'm looking forward to that. But Matt, so thank you for, gathering here with me today on a Tuesday, l-, afternoon, and going over what's happening with our Rays because, man, it is an interesting season thus far

You know, I gotta tell you though, Matt, here we are, we're home. The Tigers come into town, and th- they haven't had [00:03:00] much of, of a, a great record thus far. I mean, I'm looking at this. Let's see here, brother. They were, uh, they went 6 and 21 in, in May. They were 4 and 17 in their division. And they got some good-looking players and, and they came out, those Tigers came out last night and played an ex- exceptional game.

Griffin Jax had a tough, tough, tough first inning. And it was, it was a interesting game to see, and like s- in some more of the more recent Rays games, we've seen a lot of activity come around eighth inning. In seventh, eighth inning we've seen a lot. And let's see, last night, how did that break down? Uh, well, geez, without getting into all the de- we'll talk more about the details because in the eighth inning last night, the, uh, Tigers had put up two runs and we put up four, but that didn't keep us from a 10-9 loss with them.

Woof. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. The, the Rays, I, I don't know, [00:04:00] maybe it's because I always focus in on the new guys, but it seems to me like when they don't have the book, like, completely written on a player, they have a hard time attacking them effectively. Yeah. And it feels like a lot of the Tigers players are, are of that kind of stature.

But I just wanna throw out there, uh-huh, you know how some players seem to always do well against certain teams? Well, Dylan,, the catcher the Tigers, uh, Dylan Ding- uh, Dingler, I guess, is the best way to put it Yeah. Yep ... uh, is, uh, he's just feasting on Rays overall. Oh, gosh. Like, in his career, um, I think every time that I watch him, like, I, I don't know if I just happen to catch the games that he's having success, uh, against the Rays, but he's hitting 409 with a 462- Mm

on base, and a 1.234, uh, OPS against the Rays. Now, that's only in, in, uh, eight games, but it still speaks to just how comfortable he is against the game plan or the [00:05:00] performances, whichever one it is, um, that the Rays are putting up against him. So it's just one of those players that, that the Rays will have to figure out a way to attack him more effectively.

And in last night's game, he was a four for five performance with four RBIs and four runs scored. So if you take him out of the equation, it's much more palatable, right? Carpenter's another guy that's had success against the Rays. So- Again, and Riley Green drives us nuts both offensively and defensively when he's playing against the Rays.

For whatever reason, he always ends up on a, on a highlight reel. So we all knew before the season started the Tigers are a good team. They are a good team. They haven't performed to their standard so far, that's for sure. But every team that struggles early suddenly does have a clicking point where they turn it on.

So it seems to me like the Tigers might be getting that groove right about now 

Mark Corbett: Well, it certainly showed up last night in Tropicana, I'll say that [00:06:00] for them, and I was impressed. It was, who was it? You were talking about, uh, Dylan, the catcher. He, D- is it Dylan Dingler, I believe. But, I mean, the thing of it was, he was.

I mean, the impact that he made, and was four of those bats were the, two of those home runs, I believe. I'm not sure. Um, yeah. But he did some RBIs. Yeah. Yeah, he 

Mat Germain: got two home runs, and also Carpenter had one. Uh, Riley Green had one. So, and, and again, like, they are hitting them off Trevor Martin and Griffin Jax, and, and like, you know, the younger, uh, or less seasoned of the Rays pitching, uh, when it comes to actually starting, uh, or relieving.

So, yeah, I, I think there has to be a, a thought process right now, because it's twice in a row that Jax lays an egg in terms of, of a start, is okay, well, how f- how long can, can the Rays put up with that, and, and when do they start looking at the other options in the minors? And near the same time as this happened, Ty Johnson was [00:07:00] dominant in, um, in AAA.

Even though he let in a couple of runs, he was really looking strong. I like the way he pitches. Like, as a floor, he'd be a dominant reliever. But I think he is getting closer and closer, um, to being available for a call-up. I think he threw 5.2 innings last start. He's been above five innings now three starts in a row.

, So they were just lengthening him out because he had, uh, some ups and downs during the, the initial parts of the season. So, , yeah, he's one of those guys where I'm, I'm curious as to when they decide to pull the trigger and add him to the 40-man. And they've, uh, like, I know we spoke last time about some of the guys that they had added, and they've already DFA'ed or, or, you know, sent up and down, and they've been playing yo-yo-

with a lot of, uh, of pitching recently. That usually tells me two things. Either they're not ready to call those young players up yet, and they're waiting for that magic [00:08:00] timeline that avoids the Super 2, et cetera, or they are looking at a deal. And so they're looking for a trade, and they're not really ready yet to pull the trigger on that, and they don't wanna mess anybody else's mojo up.

Because then if they do make a trade, they don't wanna have that young player on their, on the active roster yet. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: They wanna keep him on the minors, right? Um, so either way, I think it's feasible to kind of consider as a Rays fan. 

Mark Corbett: , It's hard to believe we have gone as many games as we have, and I'm looking at some of the posts you put on recently on Blue Sky.

And what, what were... You were figuring out the, uh, amount of wins we would have to s- have, I guess, to, to be at 500 or above. And how many games are remaining, and what do we have to do to get there? 

Mat Germain: , It was two days ago. 

Mark Corbett: Okay. 

Mat Germain: But put out that there was f- 106 games remaining at the time, and they need to win 54 of those.

So it's just a 509 win percentage, [00:09:00] uh, to get them to the 90 win mark. 90 win mark normally guarantees you a playoff spot un- except for the odd, like, really strange year. Um, so when you l- when you're the Rays, you're, you're in the driver's seat. You're sort of thinking, "Okay, as long as we make half decent transactions between now and the trade deadline, we're in the playoffs."

So what, what do we wanna do with that? How far do we wanna push it? How many chips do we wanna push in? And so that, that, um, competitive d- uh, dra- I think it's the 33rd overall that they have that they can dangle out there. There's some serious pitching that they can go after and dangle that 33rd overall.

It's almost a first round pick, right? Mm. It's to that level. Um, and it's a strong draft this year, so I would not be surprised if the Rays, r- now that we're in June- ... you know, between now and the second week of June, [00:10:00] could end up, uh, dangling that to, with success to g- get a, a strong arm. Now, this is the time when you can actually tell, in theory, who is healthy and who isn't for the season, right?

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: You can look at the velocity. You can see the last four, five, six starts. You can decide in your head, or as much as you can, using your X-ray vision- ... uh, which pitchers you wanna invest in, and I do think the Rays need a, probably a number two, at a minimum, starting pitcher. Uh, they don't really need a one.

They don't have to go for Tarik Skubal or anything like that or, you know. But they do need somebody that they would be really comfortable with starting a playoff game. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, I would, I would like to see that kind of strength there as well, because it, I mean, it just takes one injury. And while he's not a starter, we saw that, like, what, Craig Kimbrel, he's out.

Uh, Uceta ed has been out. [00:11:00] Jesse Shelton's and Manuel Rodriguez. I'm getting into this whole list of people we got as far as injuries, and we do need to have some strength in that pitching. We do need to have something where we're gonna make sure we have strength in that position, because too many things happen.

S- In, in thinking about too many things happen, I, I, I don't like, I don't want to revisit completely what you talked about before, but about having either another person on a active roster who could play, so having another p- man there. I mean, we, we almost had an issue with our, when we were on the road with our catcher getting injured during a game a while back, and it's like, " Okay, we get Brett Phillips out here to catch now?"

I don't know. But he was, he was busy in the stands when he came back here.

But the, the thing of it is, is for having a strength in pitching and keeping it there is, uh, something obviously every team needs to be aware of and, and try to strengthen, but we certainly [00:12:00] do.

Mat Germain: Yeah, I was just gonna mention something else for the Rays. Um, I know Ryan Vilade is really helped them out in terms of, uh, performances against left-handed pitching. 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. 

Mat Germain: He's helped elevate the lineup when, when left-handed pitching's around. But I just wanna go over, like, the amount of home runs that are in the lineup or on the roster right now, okay?

So we've got Caminero with 14, Aranda and Diaz both have 11, which is great. Yeah. You've got your big three, right? The drop-off from there, from 11 is down to three. Wow. So there's no middle guys, right? So that whole losing Jake Fraley, losing whate- like, that has a big impact. So if there's another area that the Rays need to consider, it's, it's, okay, well, who's gonna be number four?

You know, like, in basketball when you have your sixth man, like, that's the key guy. Well, to me, in the lineup, it's the fourth guy. Because when the thr- top three in your lineup aren't going, you need that spark [00:13:00] plug that's gonna be charging the lineup outside of that top three. So I don't know who it that's gonna be for the Rays, Mark.

And, and we can look it through the lineup and decide, and even in minors and say, "Oh, that guy could come up," and et cetera. But generally, when I look back at, at the recent playoffs, right, it's been guys who are veterans, who have experience, who's, who've been through the ringer once in a while. So it would be fun to kind of l- start now that we see the standings the way they are, to start looking through lineups and saying, is there somebody that's a fit out there that could work its way into the Rays?

Mm. Now, the problem with that is that you've already locked up with three big guys the number, the first base and DH spots. So you can't just go after a big bat. He has to be able to play the field, and that's a lot tougher to fill than, um, than if you have an, an open DH spot, right? So it'll be interesting to see what Eric [00:14:00] Neander decides to add and where that's going to be.

There's some options out there that are interesting. Like, the Rays are about to go off against the Red Sox, right? We were talking before about Willson Contreras. Let's say the Rays were more comfortable with his play behind the plate than other teams are. 

Mark Corbett: Okay. 

Mat Germain: They consider that in terms of replacing Hunter Feduccia with a Willson Contreras.

In that case, then you have him off the bench when he's not catching, and you have him as a bat when he is. So like, there, there's different options out there that I'm just throwing that one out there as one that comes to mind from recent conversations. But there's a lot of different players in there that would help the Rays increase the, the consistency of their scoring for when they have lulls like what we've just seen over the last couple of weeks, right?

Where they, they seem to have a, the, the train just keeps going and chugging and then stopping and slowing down, and then chugging and then stopping and slowing down. Then it comes in, in spurts, and what they've been [00:15:00] able to attack recently is the pens. They haven't been successful against starting pitching.

Mark Corbett: No. 

Mat Germain: So what does that tell you? It, like, what clues does that give you about your lineup and, and the roster that you have? 

Mark Corbett: It says that Chad Mottola's got his work cut out for him with the team that he has. Mm-hmm. And if, 'cause we were talking earlier saying, "Oh, look, here's all the activity." It starts in the seventh or the eighth inning, that's where we start seeing runs pile up for our team, and sometimes the other as well.

So yes, it means that we go through having a pitcher, uh, from the opposition before... At, at their top pitcher, what he's, once that person's there, we're not actually addressing all of the frailties, the, the weaknesses that our batters should be able to see we definitely have to do something about that. So, yeah, I like the idea of the catcher, like Contreras. I think that would be, certainly would be a solution to it. 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: Uh, go ahead. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. The, [00:16:00] the other thing is, like, there's guys on the Rays that are encouragingly heading in that direction. Like Richie Palacios, a lot of energy, a lot of, uh, moxie when he gets going, et cetera.

Uh, plays strong defensively. He's made some outstanding plays on the field as well, a little bit of versatility. So he has the potential. The problem with him, Fraley, and De Luca is health, right? So if you can't bank on health heading into- Yeah ... the playoffs, that's the tough part, is that the guys that the Rays have that you could say, "Okay, that guy could be it, that guy could be it, that guy," they all have the health concerns that come along with them.

So I, I don't know. Maybe, maybe there is no perfect solution, and maybe you're stuck just crossing your fingers and hoping that one comes through a- and has a health spurt and a, a hot streak at the right time. But I don't know. I, I feel like the Rays are gonna wanna ch- like, add one [00:17:00] reliever, one hitter, and one starting pitcher between now and the trade deadline.

I think that's going to happen. I just don't know how aggressive. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I look forward to seeing what Neander and company do there. And I gotta tell you, uh, kinda bouncing off of that just for a second, in the game the other night- 

Mat Germain: Mm ... 

Mark Corbett: the ball was getting hit up, and it gets, I guess, up there in the owner's box.

It's coming up that way, and Erik Neander grabs that barehanded and has that puppy right there. And I thought, "Okay." And I see two of the owners there, Babby, and I can't remember the main, main money guy at the moment for the life of me. Forgive me, sir. But, uh, he's, he, they're both there standing in awe and, applauding Neander for that.

, It's a, it's a lot of fun. I mean, there's a lot of fun going on in the stands these days too. Just still bouncing away. The, uh, tarps off guys out there in the stands. You know, we talked about that last week and I would say I loved how it's so organic. It just [00:18:00] kinda seemed to happen. A whole bunch of people, some people started and other people started gathering around into that place and it just going nuts.

And then the other today, what do we see? Eh, you know, something that was good, organic fan base. And don't you know, corporate has to come in and put its thumbprint there. And it wasn't a bad thing. But to go in there and seeing Raymond, their mascot, you know, who has ... That's stripped down to his, his civvies just

And there he is, Raymond, without a jersey or shirt, whipping a towel like the rest of them. And then lo and behold, I see a face that looks semi-familiar in the crowd of those tarp boys, and it's Mr. Smile and Horse Laugh himself, Brett Phillips. And I was like, "Okay." I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but part of me's like, "Oh, they should just let it be."

Eh. I got a feeling though, if I was there in the next, uh, the next section, you'd probably have to wonder af- after it got started, would there be a certain aroma, you know, all those [00:19:00] underarms open and towels being whipped. Would, would there, uh, be a need for, uh, some aromatic, aromatic, uh, relief? I don't know 

Mat Germain: Yeah.

You know, like, my, I've got two daughters and they complain about the deodorant from the boys all the time- ... and how that's all they can smell is Axe spray, right? Oh, boy. Like, when they're going through. So I imagine that the boys are probably loading up on that kind of stuff if they know that they're gonna be heading in there.

Uh, but I was surprised not to see a tattoo on Raymond. Come on. He's from Tampa area. I mean- ... get a tattoo on that boy on the shoulder or something. 

Mark Corbett: Heck yes. Heck yes. Florida boys gotta have that. It, it's been, it's a lot of fun being a Rays fan. Sometimes it's a little crazy like the other night with a game with, with the Tigers.

And it's, baseball is immeasurable in some ways. You can have your analytics, you can look and find those great players, but you never know what the hell is going to happen. And otherwise, you wouldn't have the game that we had last night. It was great baseball. And sometimes frustrated as hell, [00:20:00] and I'm, I'm sitting there and I'm feeling for, for poor Griffin Jax.

What is it? He's got, uh, a single, a single, a strikeout. And, you know, the next thing you know, there's two runs up on you in the first inning. And y- you know that every pitcher is gonna have their off nights and their great nights, but it's... Yeah, what do you think? Are we, are we gonna wind up putting him, pushing him back down to Triple-A?

Do you, what do you see happening with Griffin?

Mat Germain: I think what could happen is the, for, so the benefit for the Rays is as he's working his way through this- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: actually th- like, throwing a lot more pitches, and his pitches are going to be sharper overall. He's gonna understand his pitching a lot more than he would have as a reliever just focusing on two pitches, right?

So he's gonna have a wider repertoire to kind of work with if he should return to the pen. So I think there's a good chance that part of the thought process was this, 'cause I don't think, uh, [00:21:00] Mark, to be honest, that they, they're considering using him for 150 innings. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Right? Like, or 140, or even, even 130 would be asking a lot.

So could the thought process have been, we'll use him while we need him early in the season as guys are getting worked in, and we go and grab somebody, and then we put him back in the pen and he becomes closer par deux. Like, uh, y- you have Bryan Baker and you have Griffin Jax, and then they're both working off of each other.

To me, , if, if the price to go get somebody like Aroldis Chapman is really not appetizing, that is an outstanding way to kind of shift gears and go, "Okay, we've got our own options. We're gonna go with it. We understand him. We know what he's doing." As long as he stays healthy. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. Well, there you go.

Mat Germain: And in that process of that yo-yo, which I think, didn't they do that once with Drew Rasmussen, where they put him in the pen for a little bit, and then boom, he ended up on long-term IL? And there was something that was, a lot of people were [00:22:00] criticizing, which was the, the routine change, right? Yeah. The tempo change can really mess up somebody's, health.

So I don't know, to be honest. Like, none of us know, which is part of the fun of, of theorizing on, on what'll actually take place. But I think the best thing the Rays have is options. So Cleavenger looked a lot better in that game yesterday. Oh, 

Mark Corbett: did he? Yeah. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Um, there's some hope there. Like, Hunter Bigge ended up getting sent down.

That was warranted. He needs to find his stuff again and, and figure things out. Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if Ty Johnson ends up coming up. Brody Hopkins is still throwing too many walks, but I feel like maybe another month we'll have him as a decent option, assuming he's still healthy, so. Um, outside of that, I mean, you're, you're starting to kind of throw coins up in the air and decide, you know, where, which way they're gonna land.

But I [00:23:00] still feel like the Rays are gonna bring in a veteran of some sort. Um, maybe not a veteran. Maybe they'll get more aggressive and go after somebody that's, like, two years away from, from free agency or something like that. 

Mark Corbett: I've gotta find this video for you. On MLB, they've got a piece they run sometimes called Grass Routes, R-O-U-T-E-S.

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: And they did one in Montgomery. They talked to Brody. 

Mat Germain: Nice. 

Mark Corbett: And Brody, they, it's interesting because they're kind of questioning his strategy. They're, you know, like, you know, are you getting at this level now? Are you having a, is it more difficult to pitch to? Are, are, you know, are, are you becoming more of a pitcher and less of a thrower?

 And being more decisive about which each one of those pitches are gonna be. And I'm gonna have to watch it again, but it seemed like Brody said something to the effect about he is very passionate and sometimes an emotional pitcher. And , therefore maybe [00:24:00] he didn't know what was gonna be coming next.

. So there wasn't always a clear delineated path that he was going to walk because he enjoyed the passion of the game, and that he wasn't going to be set to a program. He didn't say it that way, Matt. I'll have to find it, uh, and put it up somewhere because

But it was interesting and I, I saw that, I, I liked it because I felt like he was more of a org- I, org, use this word too much now, organic or natural ball player. Mm. That, you know, while he does understand what he needs to pitch and throws, he's not necessarily going there with a complete game plan for every pitch.

He's going to be emotional about what he's doing when he's on the mound as well. 

Mat Germain: Well, think back to the Rays', uh, young pitchers, right? Like Chris Archer. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Blake, Blake Snell. Uh, Taj Bradley. All three of those, what they had in their youth- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: was an overthrowing aspect, right? Because they were so passionate, because they wanted to be perfect, they [00:25:00] kind of overthrew in moments, and all three of those pitchers had walk issues.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Serious walk issues. Same as Brody. So the emotional side of it, it, like if you talk about Greg Maddux, he was like a robot, right? Corey Kluber, another one. Like a robot. Don't walk anybody. If you wanna beat me, you're gonna have to beat me in the zone because I'm gonna be going there. Like- ... that's the way that their mentality goes.

So it's a different style of pitcher. Now, I'm not a, a pitching coach. I have no idea how you change your approach with each kind of those to get the maximum long-term out of those arms, right? I'm not gonna tell you you should do this or you should do that. What I do know is that ultimately, because of their passion and the res- like, there's a resilience that's built into that passion, they'll figure it out.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: So, so stay the course, keep the player and, and fin- like, see it through, right, is my best, uh, kind of suggestion in [00:26:00] that case. So Taj Bradley was one that they let go because they had really pushed it to the level where they literally didn't know where to go anymore and they felt- ... like he had peaked with what they could actually offer him, right?

Another one that I'll, I'll throw out there is, uh, Matthew, uh, Liberatore was a little bit like that as well, and they ended up dealing him early for Randy Arozarena. Yeah. He was a little bit of that same style of, of, of less, uh, cerebral, right? But Shane McClanahan is one that's aggressive, but he is so, so aggressive and passionate that he is, zoned in most of the time.

And, and fortunately for him in the Rays, he's able to stay more consistently in that zone. But I, I do feel like the, the Rays, um, went and stole one from, from the Orioles because, uh, Michael Ford is one that's gonna be coming up through the system and, um, he could arrive as early as this year if they really wanted to push [00:27:00] him.

Remember when Shane Baz, and I think Shane McClanahan as well, they skipped through triple A. A handful of starts, boom, you're in. I could see him do that kind of progress, uh, because of how well he's doing and how well he's looking. Um, so they, the, the Rays have options. Like, they've, they've built that in, right?

And I, just out of, as a side note, I've been watching a lot of Nathan Fluellen and Caden Bodine in, in, uh, Bowling Green. Watching those two guys with Theo Gillen on the same team, it, it brings a smile to my face because I'm like, "Oh, the future is bright in the Rays lineup." Those three guys will drive pitchers nuts and, uh, and that's because of their on-base percentage.

Like, all three of them can hit. All three of them have a great approach at the plate. They ma- waste a lot of pitches. Most times when they're on and they're doing well, they're, they're wearing through pitching like crazy. So, um, yeah, there's a lot of fun things going on in the minors for the Rays. [00:28:00] 

Mark Corbett: So give, give us those three names again and their positions.

Mat Germain: Uh, Nathan Fluellen and, and, uh, Kaden Bodine are both catchers, so, uh, most times they'll offset, you know, between each other for DH. And then Theo Gillen is the center fielder for, uh, for Bowling Green. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, I've been hearing, you know, every, we know Nathan Fluellen and been hearing Caden Bodine's name pop up time and time again, so I, I am really looking forward to see when that day comes because sh- yeah, not, not to take anything away, anything away from our catchers today, but I, I think there's probably some strength coming up that might be a l- a little better in the minor leagues for especially the people you're talking about.

But I don't know, man. It's, uh, the minor leagues are always fun. I, I haven't checked lately to see how we're doing in each one of those leagues. Our, uh, seemed like Durham wasn't doing as well as some of the others if I remember correctly. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. Durham, they're, I think they're about 500 over the last 10 games, but the other teams behind them are all tops of their division.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: So, you know, they, they've been getting some success and FCL is even more dominant. Um, so [00:29:00] there's plenty of talent coming through and this, getting the second overall pick is not gonna hurt that. I don't know- Like, now the, the, the draft is pushed back so far and the, the players sign automatically, where you don't get that many games anyway from, from minor leaguers when they actually sign, um, in the draft.

But having the second overall pick is intriguing in terms of- Mm-hmm ... okay, how quickly are they gonna sign them? How quickly are they gonna decide to extend? Like, you saw the, the Pirates and the Tigers both extend their, their young players, right? Oh, yeah. So the Rays will be using that as a model of, to offer up whoever it is that they end up signing.

But, uh, it'll, it'll be a fun time. The draft isn't that far away, Marc. 

Mark Corbett: Geez. It's getting scary, brother. I tell you what, is when I think about all these things. Another point of celebration is that we saw Shane McClanahan was named Pitcher of the Month for the American League. So kudos to you, Shane.

Glad to see that, and well w- earned. But [00:30:00] it's, uh... Eh, have, have you seen Atlanta for tonight yet? 

Mat Germain: Uh, no, but I do wanna touch on one more thing, Marc. 

Mark Corbett: Please. 

Mat Germain: So you, you just mentioned what Shane McClanahan is doing, right? And, and we talk a lot about x-rays, right? So Christopher Sanchez has the highest fWAR among MLB pitchers right now at 3.3.

So he's the most valuable pitcher in the majors. He's the arm that the Rays traded away for, uh, Curtis Mead, right? To the Phillies. So the other one that's in the top five is Joel Ryan. He has a, uh, 2.1 fWAR. Hmm. Um, and, and he is fifth overall in, in Major League Baseball, and he was traded for Nelson Cruz.

So for Nelson Cruz and Curtis Mead, the Rays traded away two of the top five pitchers in the league. Ouch. So when, when fans praise the Rays for all of [00:31:00] their trades, stop the bus. Okay? They're human. They're just like everybody else. Yeah. They make mistakes. It happens. Um, and that's proof right there, is that I could go through others that are on the tw- top 20, top 30, but it's, it's one of those things that stops me in my tracks when I see that because I'm just, "Whoa."

Yeah. Like, "What happened there?" Like, and then I remember criticizing both those deals- ... saying this doesn't make sense at the time. So yeah, I'm not surprised. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I'm glad you're stopping there because I like living in my little fantasy that Neander and company make no errors, no mistakes, and, and that he's always as accurate as he was catching that ball in the owner's box the other night.

But yeah, there, there have been mistakes, there's no doubt. It's just that the Rays have had such great opportunities in acquiring talent, and occasionally, eh, you, you know, it kind of duds out here and there. [00:32:00] So I am so happy with what, what's going on with the Rays overall right now, and I can't wait to get there.

I haven't been to the Trop yet this year. Shame on me. Oh. But, uh, yeah, I know. I know. 

Mat Germain: Mark, are you going in left field? 

Mark Corbett: Yes, I am. Oh, my. 

Mat Germain: Oh. 

Mark Corbett: I think I'll be arrested for obscenities and, uh, yeah. 

Mat Germain: Do, do you remember those guys that used to paint, like, faces on their bellies, and then the belly button area would be the mouth?

And you'd- Yeah ... just kinda Shh ... people whistling. Uh, that's the next step. It's the next progression, right? 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: The other thing I would mention that's dangerous about that, Mark, is I can remember as a kid, there was always that one streaker. 

Mark Corbett: The 

Mat Germain: cameras would turn off, nobody knew why, and there would be the announcer saying, "Oh, there's another one."

Mark Corbett: Jeez, Louise. No, I love the enthusiasm, I love the energy, and a lot of the young players do. I've seen Caminero and Palacios and some of the other ones, you know, uh, encouraging them. Actually- Yeah ... I think Palacios was doing some things [00:33:00] on social media, said, turn, you know, "Turn it up, turn it up, take the tarps off," whatever.

And I, I- that's exciting to me because it includes some fandom. Because we know the numbers of fans isn't always great, but it's nice to know the ones that are in there have the vitality, the excitement, and willingness to put themselves out there. And yeah, if I, if I went out there and I painted myself, and talking about the mouth down there, it'd look like somebody had had a busted lip is what it would look like.

So I don't think we'll do that, uh, injustice to the rest of humanity. 

Mat Germain: The, the great thing about it too is when you take the tarp off, you don't have to put sunscreen. You're in the Trop. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, God. 

Mat Germain: You know? You're not covering each other with sunscreen- Yeah ... 'cause that would be on video somewhere, the guys later lathering each other up with sunscreen.

But the last f- time that they had it, Mark, there's a picture in the, in the front page of, I can't remember which, uh, site I was, I was reading, but there was a girl in the top right that was in the middle of those guys that was the happiest looking person in the entire picture. [00:34:00] I was like, "This is proof, Mark.

I told you. This is gonna upend the- Yeah ... or pick up the, uh, the birth rate and, uh 

Mark Corbett: revolutionize- 

Mat Germain: Well, God- ... the birth rate of Florida right there. 

Mark Corbett: God bless that young lady is all I gotta say. I mean, you know, you're, you're a father of young girls, I'm a father of, of girls, and we ... Guys, don't be so rude. But thanks for the fun.

I don't know where it's all gonna land. I know it's been a lot of fun thus far. I'm trying to look beyond the Rays and across what's happening. I mean, right now, the, the, uh, the Tigers, they're the bottom of their ... Was it Central right now? They're in their division there at the bottom. Yeah, they're in 

Mat Germain: a really bad spot.

They made it hard them- on themselves with t- only 22 wins so far. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. It's, uh ... But you know, you look at those guys like Dillon and McGonigle and some of the other ones last night, they were, you know, they were fun to watch. I mean, yes, I'm pulling for my Rays, but it was fun to watch the energy that they were pulling together out there in that game.

And last night was all about [00:35:00] baseball. We talk about analytics, we talk about everything else, all those measurements. I didn't see that coming. You know, that's, if you think you know what you're gonna watch- When you go see a Shakespearean play, yeah, there's a script. When you go to a ballgame, who knows what the hell happened?

They, they took out half the script, and guess what? Hamlet doesn't die, you know, in this one, and Ophelia comes back and she's now ruling the kingdom. So- Yeah ... who knows? 

Mat Germain: So I was just talking about, um, another team before, uh, we talked , with one of my friends , , it was the White Sox. And I can't remember the last time that, I think the Red Sox might be the last team I remember going, or the Jays just last year- 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm

Mat Germain: went from bottom to top, right? 

Mark Corbett: True. 

Mat Germain: Well, the, the White Sox are on their way to doing that, and another X-ray, Tristan Peters, is in the middle of it, and, and he has been stellar for them in s- in, in the outfield, and, and he's got 119 WRC plus. He's got a 356 [00:36:00] on base. Um, he's really looked strong. He's been a catalyst for the bottom of the lineup.

I think the, the Rays, when they called him up last year, like he was just trying too hard- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: to make that impact to stick, right? So I'm really happy for him that he got that opportunity there. But that young, uh, roster, like I remember in the off-season sa- telling you that, um, I was having conversations with White Sox fans, and they were all depressed, and I was like, "What are you talking about?

Your, your front office is doing some great moves. You should be encouraged, right?" Mm-hmm. A- and so- I wonder how many teams sitting and watching this and seeing it year after year, Red Sox, Blue Jays, White Sox, all in a row, decide to do things differently and, and kind of go out on a limb, right? Trust your gut.

Go... Like, if they hadn't signed, uh, the, the Japan, the guy out of J- out of Japan, Murakami, they wouldn't be where they are. So how [00:37:00] many teams are going to make those moves and just let the chips fall where they may next year, right? I, I like the fact that it's, it's pulling more teams in to buy and, and make those avenues more competitive so that it's not only the Dodgers, it's not only the Yankees, it's not only the big clubs that are part of those things, because that shocked a lot of people that Murakami ended up going to the White Sox.

Like, he was a promising kind of, uh, player to- in the off-season, and the fact that he chose them is also kind of impressive. Yeah. It speaks to, like, okay, he valued himself to a certain amount. Maybe the other teams were offering less, but he was like, "No, I, I don't think I'll get the same playing time or the same money."

I don't know which one it was. So he went to the White Sox. So that in itself is also interesting. But, uh, for a team like the Rays- ... like, that's what I'm talking about. Next year [00:38:00] they have money. Go and add that fourth player in your lineup. Like, how great would he look in the Rays lineup right now? Oh, 

Mark Corbett: man.

Mat Germain: He would've changed it completely, 'cause then at third base you would have had that bat, right? Um, but anyways, that's just me getting on my, uh, on my podium and, and giving a little speech on the White Sox or a team that I find is interesting. At the same time that the Royals, which who you went to see.

Mark Corbett: Yeah, yeah. 

Mat Germain: I don't know what's going on with them, Mark. Like, they, they've got some star players, some really strong leadership, uh, good coaching, strong pitching they were supposed to be, and still baseball, Mark. The, the, the gods haven't been in their favor. 

Mark Corbett: No, they haven't. I mean, it, it's interesting 'cause you want to see whether it be Pasquantino, seeing Salvador Perez, seeing all of those that, and the power that they bring to the game, and then not seeing the results showing up in the stats when I open up the paper.

Oh, yeah, remember one of those things? Anyway, [00:39:00] and many yeah, open up the, uh, tablet., The fortunes of baseball are fickle. Uh, you don't know what's going to happen. And again, I think that's one reason why we all love it too, because there is not all foretold. But if we're looking, a lot of good preparation about having good players that you could either bring up or trade.

When does that trade de- deadline again? 

Mat Germain: Well, that is a good question. I wanna say it's the 2nd of August, but I will just- 

Mark Corbett: I had August 3rd in my, bouncing around in my head for some reason, but it's in that timeframe. Any- anyway, okay. So that's, um- 

Mat Germain: August 3rd, you're right, at 6:00 PM Eastern. Ooh. On August 

Mark Corbett: 3rd.

I couldn't have told you 6:00 PM. There you go. 

Google's great for that, Mark. 

So- Whole other topic. You're out at, in Montreal Expos game. 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: As a young man- 

Mat Germain: Yes ... 

Mark Corbett: what do you eat? What is, what's the food while you were there at the Expos? What, what would be the one thing you'd...

Signature food. [00:40:00] 

Mat Germain: Well, definitely poutine. Ooh. That's the, that would be the signature food. So for anybody that doesn't know poutine, if, I know there's a lot of people from the States that may or may not, but a poutine is essentially really good fries. And in Quebec, the fries are a little bit darker than, than most places.

Like, it's not like a McDonald's style, style fries. They're the type of fries that are really dark, like the oil's been used more than once. Right? Yeah. And usually they're, they're fried twice or three times sometimes even. So the fries are put in for the initial blanching or whatever they call it, and then they're left aside, and then they go back in, and then they come out, and then they go back in.

So that makes them really dark. So they're just retaining more oil, to be honest, which is pretty bad. Uh, but then on top of that, you've got some, uh, cheese curds. Cheese curds are like squeaky cheese, so if you... They're like little, tiny things, and they're really good. They melt, and they just ooze when they get [00:41:00] to- together, and they kinda make these long, stringy, cheesy, uh- Oh, yeah

bits within it. So then you pour a whole bunch of dark beef gravy over the whole thing. And, and so now, like when you, if you go to La Banquise in Montreal, which is the birthplace of, of poutine, like, they've got every kind of poutine you can imagine. My favorite is the one with, with Montreal smoked meat on it.

Mark Corbett: Mm. 

Mat Germain: Like, you're talking about the smoked meat melts in your mouth to begin with. Like, it's just the, the best meat, in my opinion, you could eat in the world. So when you add that onto poutine and you've got the, the... You know, and I like to tell my daughters that there's all the food groups in there, right?

You've got, you've got the protein from the beef gravy. You've got the, uh, the, the dairy from the cheese. You've got the potatoes are your vegetable. And then if you add the, um, the, the smoked meat, well, at some point in time, that animal would've eaten some fruit. So you've got all your food groups.

Mark Corbett: Oh, my gosh. Yo. [00:42:00] Oh. Oh. That, that s- Yeah ... you know, I went out, I traveled years ago and I was doing sales also. We talked before about, uh, up in Canada. And first time I came across poutine, I was like, "Oh, my gosh. Where have you been, my love?" But like you said, it's, uh, it's probably the most healthy dish anybody could have.

I mean, all the food groups right there. Wow. That's incredible. Yeah, 

Mat Germain: it's like promoting pizza as a health group. I think I survived on pizza when I was, uh- ... when I was a poor young person. And, and you would have it basically three meals a day. You order that large pizza, and you, you kinda cut up the pieces to last for three or four days.

Mark Corbett: That was it, man 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Used to get those frozen Totino's, little disc things, man. Those things were like, I don't know, when I was a kid they were probably about 69 cents, something like that. Mm-hmm. And y- oh gosh, keep it cheap. That and ramen. Ramen noodles were a big deal in the frat house, I'll tell you that much.

They went a long way. 

Mat Germain: [00:43:00] Lots- One of, uh, one of our roommates, 'cause I lived in a, in a townhouse with seven people, and, and like we literally had, were burning like wood we would find in the woods to, for heat in the winter. That's how poor we were. Um, but he, uh, he made a Kraft Dinner casserole, Mark. Uh, to this day I don't think I've ever eaten anything that, that tastes as bad.

Mark Corbett: Oh gosh, 

Mat Germain: man. That Kraft Dinner, it was dry, it was chalky, it had broccoli bits in it. It was- Right ... yeah, it was just n- not good. He made the... He war, to this day. As soon as everybody ate one bite, we ordered a pizza. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, there's resounding approval and love- For- ... for a f- fellow roommate, man.

Oh gosh, Matt. Woo. Yes. Yeah, so 

Mat Germain: poutine would be my answer for the stadium thing. Oh. Now, ha- having said that, Montreal does, I don't know what kind of hot dogs you guys have down the States. Do you have steamed hot dogs? 

Mark Corbett: Uh, I don't [00:44:00] know, to be quite honest with you. That, I try not to ask too much about how- 'Cause if-

those hot dogs are prepared ... 

Mat Germain: if it wasn't for the poutine, the steamed- Yeah ... hot dogs is like the staple of Montreal. Mm-hmm. You get them with like a, a coleslaw style of mixed thing in, on top of them, and a bit of mustard, and that's it. Sh- Sometimes a little relish, but they are delicious. They... Maybe Coney Island would be similar hot dogs, I think.

They would have that kind, um, uh... What is Nathan's? Nathan's- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: probably has steamed hot dogs, I think. They 

Mark Corbett: used to have a, a restaurant in Louisville, I think it was probably beyond Louisville too, uh, it was, uh, called Lum's, L-U-M apostrophe S. Okay. And their big deal was, uh, beer-steamed hot dogs. 

Mat Germain: Oh, what?

I don't think they've ever done that. Would that change the taste? 

Mark Corbett: It, it- Would the beer- I was too young to eat one, so 

Mat Germain: Can it pierce through the shell of the hot dog to the point, or would it just be in the bun? [00:45:00] Like- 

Mark Corbett: Hmm. I, I ... My understanding was it was actually, uh, penetrating the skin of the, the tripe of the dog, so to speak.

Mat Germain: Interesting. 

Mark Corbett: But I don't know. 

Mat Germain: I'll have to try that. I'll try that on my own. Yeah. I'll get a Guinness. I'll, I'll steam it up. I'll put a, a sausage over top of it and see if it, the steam actually gets absorbed, and then I have to think of what the condiments would be with that. Hmm. I mean, what do you pair with beer in a sandwich?

Mark Corbett: Oh, gosh, man, we ... First you gotta, gotta get the right kinda mustard, you know? I mean, if you get just- Yeah ... I'm not, not, regular mustard, I'm sorry, not for me. I, I, I'll go brown mustard. But what I would really do with a hot dog or sausage is I'm gonna cut up onions, I'm gonna cut up peppers, I'm gonna cut up all that, and I'm gonna have them sauteed and put that with the dog.

To me, that, that's really a good one. If I'm going to the ballpark- I- ... and I see some sort of sausage with peppers, I'm right there. 

Mat Germain: What about sauerkraut? Are you- Ooh ... a fan of sauerkraut? 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. To everybody else around me, it's a, a [00:46:00] pain. Yes, I am. And I mean, I love it. 

Mat Germain: There's a health trend, right? Like, with the, the sauerkraut, like, everything that's pickled essentially is, is healthy now.

Mark Corbett: Ooh. 

Mat Germain: So that's one of the ... Or fermented foods is what they, they aim for, so sauerkraut fits in that category. I've never tried a hot dog with kimchi. Ah. But I think that would have some pizzazz too if you get the right, uh, Korean, uh, barbecue sauce to go with it and the kimchi. Boy, that'd be good. 

Mark Corbett: There is something served around here in the South, and can't think of the brand name, but it was called, it's called chow-chow, and it may be like kimchi.

It is chopped, I believe, cabbage and seasoned, and I be used to put that on my hot dogs as a kid. I loved it. 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. It's like a different style of relish, right? It's got- Exactly ... like ... Yes, I've had it in the States, uh, I wanna say in Georgia, North Carolina-ish kinda area. 

Mark Corbett: Sim- yeah, I can see Southern type.

Yeah, [00:47:00] it's- Yeah. I, I loved it. There's a ... Anyway, but 

Mat Germain: We got off topic, Mark. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, gosh. Well, as long as we're talking about food and fun, uh, Karen and I are going to see the Rays and the Marlins this weekend, and I am really looking forward to it. I'm trying to think what they do. I mean, obviously here in Tampa the Cuban sandwiches are something that's really big.

And people say, "Well, that's Tampa. Why are you talking about Cuba?" Well, let's, I got news for you. Tampa is built upon Cuban folks. Uh, they, they, th- they've been here forever. And the Cuban sandwich, what's interesting, I'll just say briefly, is the, all the different elements on there, whether it be ham, whether it be pastrami Whether it be sauerkraut, mustard, whatever it is, those elements are actually supposed to represent the m- multiple different cultures of immigrants who came here to Tampa.

You know, one's representing Germany, another one's Italy, et cetera. But it's, uh ... But going down to the Marlins, I have not yet looked to see what, uh, the [00:48:00] food of choice is for, uh, for there. I, I like to go to the little ca- uh, cafes in the morning, get the, get the coffee. You know, the small coffees make your eyes pop out of your head.

I, I'm definitely gonna get one of those. 

Mat Germain: They keep you from being constipated, Mark. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, gosh. 

Mat Germain: That's the key right there. 

Mark Corbett: Yep. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. That'll do the trick. 

Mat Germain: Uh, but the, the food is ... Like, what you're talking about in terms of, like, travel or going to events and eating. Like, my daughter and I were just talking about when we go to a concert in Montreal in the fall, what are we going to be eating before, what are we gonna be eating the next day, et cetera.

Like, it's something that you get excited about. Yeah. And like you're doing, you're planning it ahead of time. So it's great, because then you can really, like ... I like to read the reviews and, and see how many people are supportive, what it is they're criticizing. I don't always take their word for it, 'cause some people-

just like to complain to complain. Hmm. But you get a lot of feedback a- and from people in terms of what the best dishes are, too. 

. 

Mat Germain: So, uh, for Cuban [00:49:00] food, I think you can never go wrong with the Cuban sandwich and the plantains and the dips. Ooh. That kind of stuff, like for sure. Love that stuff. 

Mark Corbett: Well, when things get better, I definitely want you to come down here and we'll have some fun, man, 'cause there's all kinds of great food. I'll be doing some editing here. Oh, gosh. No, I, it's, uh, food's always fun. And as you can tell, if those of you who have met me say, know that I enjoy it probably more than I should. And, uh, it's, it's always a fun part of the ballpark when you're trying to find something unique. You know, Kansas City, the, the

I went there and we had the, uh, barbecue, and it was good. It was kinda different. They had some mozzarella cheese on the barbecue, which is like, hmm, unique. But it, it had a good flavor to it. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't exactly it. And I wonder what the Rays ... What is ... If you're ... All right.

Here you are, Matt. You are the nutritionist for the Tampa Bay Rays. And you're sitting there and you're looking at [00:50:00] Yandy and you're, you're looking at Jon- uh, Jonathan Aranda and, and just saying, "Hmm, I wonder what I should do," and putting together something that's palatable and it's also gonna be good for these young men, uh, for their diet.

What, what do you think y- that that should look like? What do you think they 

Mat Germain: do? Fish tacos, man. Shark bait. Uh- You know? Like, I, I would come up with clever names for all kinds of, of fish-centric or, uh, seafood-centric dishes. Yeah. Right? And, and obviously you wouldn't be eating rays, but- Oh ... eating, eating things that are like that, because I think fish is one, - thing that, yeah, it's, it's, uh, it certainly needs to be fresh because you don't want that fishy smell or whatever, but- 

Mark Corbett: Yep.

Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: I, I feel like it's one of those things that you can pair with a lot of healthy things, with, like you were just talking about the Cuban foods, right? The sauerkraut, the this, the that. Or the kimchi, the, uh, avocados. All kinds of healthy dressings. So to me, it would be more of a, like if you picture a Subway where [00:51:00] you can pick all your ingredients, well, you can pick your taco ingredients, and you just have a whole bunch- Mm

like a mammoth array. Uh, pickled onions, et cetera. Like, uh, even ginger carrots are another one that I love on tacos that are really good. So things to spice it up like that, that are kind of fun, colorful, because the Rays... You look at... My s- my, uh, spirit animal for that would be the glow, uh, the Grit & Glow, right?

The Grit & Glow. So it'd be like the Grit & Glow restaurant, where you're, everything is colorful and bright inside of the tacos, and you can even make your homemade shells, like the, the homemade tortillas- 

Mark Corbett: Ooh ... 

Mat Germain: to kind of do it on, so that that way you're not, , cheapening the event or, or, or the food. So people will pay a little bit of a premium, but they get a fresher product, and it actually ends up being worth it.

And I would make it as flexible as possible. You can pay a certain amount for one, pay a certain amount for two, pay a certain amount for three, all the way up to [00:52:00] whatever. And if you want a family, you know, thing, let's say you go 10 tacos, you get a discount that's the- 

Mark Corbett: Oh, man. 

Mat Germain: So those guys with the tarps off would be getting, like, 10 each.

Like, they wanna, they wanna get the tummy noises going, right? 

Mark Corbett: Oh. Oh. Oh, we, we hope you're all enjoying this culinary adventure Matt and I are going on. But it's, it's, man, it's a part of the game. I love it. I really do. I always like to, trying to find what's unique at each ballpark we go to, and, uh, sometimes it's, falls flat, and sometimes it's very experimental and it's like, "Oh, that's curious."

But it's, it's just fun. And I'm looking forward to a lot of things going on, Matt, and I will kind of re- get closer to top of the hour. Um- Yeah ... but looking forward to tonight's game. Like I said, we're here we are. Tuesday will be the second game with the Tigers. I don't have the lineup in front of me yet, so it will be interesting to see what these guys do.

I think last [00:53:00] night put a little energy in our boys to see how things played the last few innings, and I'm s- I don't think they're lackadaisical, but I think this does probably put a little bit more fire in their belly than they started out with in last night's game, so we'll see. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. I think I'm expecting a lot from Richie Palacios and, and, and Victor Mesa Jr.,

who keeps fighting for that role with the Rays. I really wanna see something good out of him. Chandler Simpson has to get going, like start being a little bit more, double centric. Yeah. Like, I think he should be finding a few more holes to get it through the infield and use the speed to get to second, right?

Right off the bat and p- add that pressure onto the other team. Um, yeah, I think the Ray- the Rays are gonna be a lot of fun to monitor if they can get on another win streak, because they had the first one. They've had a lull now. So can they get one started again to kind of pick up steam as they head towards the trade deadline?

If they do that, watch out, 'cause there'll be fireworks when the, uh, when the trade deadline comes around. [00:54:00] 

Mark Corbett: I'm looking forward to that. And you've mentioned something, I'll just say we should probably talk about on another show, and see if we can get somebody from the White Sox on here, one of our past, uh, guests.

And that's looking at, they've been, they've had winning and losing streaks, 10 games each, I think it's something like that, during the season, and talk about how streakiness that can happen, what's gonna happen with their season. The Rays are looking good. It's exciting. It's great to have them back at the Trop, and, uh, can't wait to get there, and looking forward to seeing them this weekend in Mar- in Miami.

Thank you again, Lou Schiff, for pointing me toward those tickets, and very, very happy about that. And Mat, uh, that's pretty much all I got. Looking forward to ... Oh, a couple things to mention. You know, w- women in baseball, guess what? We're looking in July, there's gonna be the tournament going on in Rockford, Illinois, home of the Rockford Peaches from the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

The All American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion will be held at the same time. And our friends that we've had on the show here, including Ryan [00:55:00] Woodward and, uh, uh, Kat Williams and the ... What was it? I can't think of Heaphy's la- first name. Forgive me. They're gonna be there. We're gonna talk, and the following month you're going to have the Women's Pro Baseball League starting up in August in Springfield.

A whole lot of baseball evolving. So if you get tired of one type of game you wanna watch, you can watch another one there. And, uh, again, you and I both encourage folks all the time, go to your minor league teams, go to your college teams, go to your little league teams. Enjoy the game. 

Mat Germain: Especially if you have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, take them there.

They'll love you for it. They'll have good memories. Most of the times, the, the, the crowds are so sparse you can get them running towards getting a, a foul ball of some sort. So, uh, it makes for good souvenirs, makes for good experience, and, uh, you get to call yourself a good uncle, good grandpa- ... good whatever it is.

Mark Corbett: All righty. Well, thank you all again for joining Matt and I here today on [00:56:00] BaseballBiz On Deck. We got off to a crazy start, and we wound up with a nice something to eat here for dinner. I'm sorry. Yeah, it's getting to be about that time, about 6:00, and the stomach is growing, uh, grumbling and ready to go with the tarps off, boys.

Okay, Mat, any, any other final words before we hit the road? 

Mat Germain: Nope. Nope, just a lot of, uh, encouragement and, and I'm hoping for the Rays to get back on the horse and, and, you know, ride that, uh, that win streak right up to the, uh, trade deadline. 

Mark Corbett: All right, boys and girls, you heard it here. So thank you all again for joining some- joining Matt and I here today, and we look forward to talking with you again real soon.

Mat Germain: Bong.