Around the Bases: Pop Culture and Sports Podcast
Around the Bases: Pop Culture and Sports Podcast
Around the Bases 2.3: Traitors Twists, Beast Games Triumph, and Reality TV Drama Unleashed!
Is Carolyn's quirky behavior a genuine trait or a calculated strategy? Join us as we navigate the contrasting climates of South Florida's warmth and New York's chill, setting the stage for a rollercoaster of reality TV drama. We're buzzing with excitement for the upcoming baseball season and the much-anticipated pitcher and catcher reports. But more importantly, we dive headfirst into the intriguing twists of "The Traitors," dissecting Bob Harper's unforeseen exit and the mysterious challenge featuring a traitor statue. Our conspiracy theories and humorous takes are bound to keep you entertained.
In the heart of a Scottish castle, alliances form and shatter as reality TV stars engage in thrilling betrayals. Carolyn's eccentricity keeps everyone guessing, especially in her tense standoff with Danielle, who struggles to patch things up after their initial clash. We take a close look at the strategic dynamics within the Big Brother clique, spotlighting the subtle maneuvers of Derek, Brittany, and Danielle, while the Bravo personalities add another layer of tension. Amidst accusations and shifting allegiances, the game unfolds with high stakes and unexpected alliances.
Our friend and fellow We are Family cast member Erika Coleman steals the spotlight with her triumph on Mr. Beast’s YouTube channel, where her generosity and genuine spirit shine through. We share tales of Erika’s kindness, reminding us why her win is so well-deserved. As we wrap up, the drama intensifies with contestants facing moral dilemmas over a million-dollar prize. Greed and strategic gameplay come to the fore, highlighting the unpredictable nature of human behavior. This episode is a captivating blend of laughter, strategy, and reality TV chaos, perfect for anyone who loves the thrill of high-stakes entertainment.
#AroundTheBases #Podcast #TheTraitors #BeastGames #DealOrNoDealIsland #BuffaloBills #NFLPlayoffs #MLB #BaseballTransactions #RealityTV #PopCulture #SportsTalk
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Welcome to Around the Bases, a pop culture and sports podcast, with your host, curly Seymour, and I'm Tim Sternberg. Hit it, nick. We are back. I am in the warmth of South Florida. How are you doing, buddy Good? How are yourself? I'm good man. Had a great little trip to New York.
Speaker 2:We'll talk about that later on. You had to suffer in the 30, 40 degree temps 20. 20. Oh no, how did you survive? Who lives like this?
Speaker 1:Who lives? I was up there like who lives like this, who lives? I was up there like who lives like this what is baby diapers? Oh, what, really, really what, what?
Speaker 2:you're fine, it's not that cold baby diapers. Oh, here we go, like 45 46 in chicago the last few days, and it's been a heat wave for us heat wave what? Is that beautiful?
Speaker 1:I know there are some of our listeners who are maybe living in ohio, for example, or somewhere else wisconsin are you wisconsin? Yes, uh, shout out, nicholas. Um, seriously, um, I don't know, I don't understand. No, I used to live in new jersey.
Speaker 2:we're home stretch. We're home stretch, we're home stretch, we're almost done. We're almost done.
Speaker 1:It's the reason why I'm a Met fan is because you know, speaking of that, and we'll talk about this later it's getting very close to pitchers and catchers.
Speaker 2:So that's a good it is. It is Groundhog's Day, is Sunday, hopefully he he does not see his shadow and then we get it fast.
Speaker 1:What's Groundhog Day? I don't know what that is. Are you joking? I can't tell. I thought it was a movie with Bill Murray, it is about the holiday. You get it, you understand I know, listen, because I live in a tropical climate, so I don't care about shadows, I guess. Alright, anyway, anyway, how you doing, buddy? You good, good, good. I guess we should start talking about other things other than the weather. Uh, on tonight it's 52 degrees and uh, in chicago and it's pretty good.
Speaker 2:44 in in. Evanston yeah we'll take that.
Speaker 1:All right, speaking of chilly, I will say how about that for a transition? That's pretty good the traders.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:A lot of chilliness going on in tonight's episode.
Speaker 2:Where do we start? Where do you want to start? Well, I guess we could start with they, who they eliminated so there was a murder.
Speaker 1:I can't do I can't do that justice, I can't do the scottish, but there was a murder and the murder was the biggest loser.
Speaker 1:Coach bob harper was murdered and a bunch of people were upset about it bob, you know, if I ever and I I first of all I have to get on a reality show, this is how this works, folks. You have to get on reality show, kind of be sort of famous, and then get on traders. So if I ever get through that process and get on traders one thing that if you're on the show you should be very keenly aware of almost always the last three people to enter the room are the three that the traders are thinking about murdering.
Speaker 2:So am I right, like it's almost although, although danielle came in as one of the last well they, and they sometimes put a traitor in there too yes interesting.
Speaker 1:I, I don't know like what kind of gravitates or stuff. You know I'm a conspiracy theorist to begin with. Yeah, I would kind of gravitate to that. So, bob, but hey, listen, I didn't understand. I thought somebody else should be murdered and the person who actually was banished I thought should be murdered, that's me. So it's interesting how that kind of worked out. But we'll talk about banishment in a minute. But yes, bob Harper was murdered, and so fast forward. We have a challenge that they have to do and the challenge it it was silly, I guess I don't know what do you think?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think that they either did poor job editing or they failed and rigged it Because I did not think that they were anywhere near winning, and there's no way that last one them coming back, had had enough.
Speaker 1:But I guess that's neither here nor there so the challenge folks basically was there was a gigantic traitor statue thing and that was set on top of like a, a charger and they had to get a certain amount of dynamite powder gunpowder to blow it up. And if they were able to blow it up and knock it down they would get $30,000 added to the pot.
Speaker 2:And it was all or nothing.
Speaker 1:All or nothing. So it couldn't tip a little bit. It had to either tip over or not. So of course everyone kind of pairs up. There's groups and interesting am I right that each trader was in a different group?
Speaker 2:No two. There were three groups One group had one trader, one group had two and one group had three.
Speaker 1:Okay so, you paid more attention. Danielle and Carolyn were together.
Speaker 2:Oh God, yeah, because they kept looking at each other, at the thing.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a whole storyline in this episode. Anywho, so they're all like. The first thing they do, of course, is they go for the shields to protect.
Speaker 2:Everybody does. Half the time is gone and they don't have anything towards the challenge. But they've got three shields.
Speaker 1:I get to see you, charlie. You're like what's going on here, like what are we doing? And then, of course, magically it blows up and then Charlie's like I call foul.
Speaker 2:Yeah, flag on the play.
Speaker 1:That's the tough thing about reality TV you don't know how much time is actually elapsing as you're watching this, because of the way they edited it.
Speaker 2:But for them to show where it was with, like the final they all have, they're all whatever they're carrying. There's no way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no way, absolutely, I agree. Um, so they, they do bank the $30,000 into the pot.
Speaker 2:Who gets the shields? Um they thousand dollars into the pot. Who gets the shields? Um they two of the three groups played rock paper scissors for it and the third group, remember carolyn, just grabbed it before derrick could get it she's so nasty yeah, she's so nasty.
Speaker 2:So the recipients were, as we said, carolyn. Then dylan won it with his remember, he's a master of rock paper scissors and then he tells the story of how he won a tournament of 100 people. So he's got skills for that. And then the other one was another rock paper scissors. I've actually think it was either Dolores or Chris shell. One of them, I think one, I can't remember who, but one of them.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I mean, it's almost like that. The shields are nice, I guess it's good for individual immunity, but really at the end of the day, the murderer is gonna happen. I mean, I mean, I guess the trick with this is that the well I mean that's what I think it would be better if your traders to spread to through different teams, because each one would know who has the shield, and then all right, but anyway, we don't know necessarily everybody who has a shield. So uh, no, we know, but I'm saying the traders don't right, although they only need.
Speaker 2:They only need one person to be friends with one person on that one team to say who got it exactly, which is easy because you still have well. For now, you have three traders and they have plenty to pick from from the two teams that aren't the three of them so there is a derrick from big brother is getting wind he's so good at yeah, he's.
Speaker 1:I remember him from big brother I. I remember why he won. I didn't like the fact that he won. I wasn't rooting for him that season for it was.
Speaker 2:I wasn't rooting to see if they decided to keep him or not. Post this episode right because I mean if they do it, it'll look like it was rob. It'll be obvious. So I.
Speaker 1:I don't think he can, I don't think he can be murdered. I don't think so either.
Speaker 2:I think they have to. He has to take out someone different who voted without it making look too suspicious.
Speaker 1:I agree. I going real quick back to big brother. I was not rooting for him or Cody the year Cause I was actually a fan of I forget her name but the one who later on won the blonde, the one they really screwed over in that season, I don't remember.
Speaker 2:That was before I started watching.
Speaker 1:Okay, anyway, I was not rooting for them at all, but of course it's always the people I don't root for. But now I'm watching him in Traitors. Wow, I can really see he's a cop. I mean, he's good at what he does, and so he's good at what he does, and so he has Rob Pegg. Ooh, does he have Rob Pegg? And he is absolutely right, as we know.
Speaker 2:He gives good info too. He sold a bunch of people A couple people said they specifically that he sold them.
Speaker 1:Our buddy, Wes Bergman, was pretty convinced that it was Rob. He didn't know if he should rock the boat.
Speaker 2:He just didn't go about it the best way, did not?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:And then I don't think he helped himself at the end of his speech too. No, he put a lot of people off the wrong way.
Speaker 1:We got the House of Villains version of Westbergman.
Speaker 2:I'll say he was fresh off of it. You think, yeah, he's kind of leaned into it.
Speaker 1:Excuse my language.
Speaker 2:Was this filmed after?
Speaker 1:you said it was. This was filmed after. This was filmed after House of Villains and after the Worst Cooks in America. Worst Cooks in America was filmed first House of Villains and then Traitors. Wow.
Speaker 2:He had a busy.
Speaker 1:He had a busy 2024. He could give. He could not give two fucks, though, Right, I mean he just he's like okay, whatever, Fuck you all. He gave the drop the bird. Well, we'll get there in a minute, but Carolyn speaking of giving not giving two fucks, carolyn who is a lot of people's favorite player hi mike, how are you shout out, can I?
Speaker 2:can I, before you get into the carol, yeah, yeah, can I ask if you regret now not having watched the season before?
Speaker 1:oh my, god do I? Let me tell you I need to watch that survivor season, because that must be some crazy shit I'm telling you it's.
Speaker 2:You can do this before the next two episodes yeah, be close.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I'm like I can't. So we see, you know who she is. I see her in a Scottish castle, all done up. I cannot imagine the nuttiness on an island without food. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:I cannot. Yeah, exactly At tribal council. This is her in a castle with food and everything that they need at all times, in a bed, yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:She is certifiably insane.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like she has the googly eyes and I don't Crazy eyes, crazy eyes. Hey, big, crazy eyes, crazy eyes. Hey, big brother, shout out, matt. Um. But let me ask you a question, Cause you've you've been witness to Carolyn a lot longer than I have. Do you think it's an act, or is that actually who she?
Speaker 2:is that's her, that's her. That's why it was only like two or three episodes in of this season. But remember someone like initially kind of brought her up but then so many people were like no dude, she's acted just as crazy before and after. They picked the trainer.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, oh my God, dude. It worked out in that regard. She is absolutely whack a doodle, and I mean it in actually the greatest way.
Speaker 2:she makes amazing television especially plays to her advantage in this crazy game too it does.
Speaker 1:But let me tell you, she's going after my girl, danielle. Um, now, danielle didn't do something. Danielle shouldn't have started dropping her name. I don't know what the hell she was thinking. And then she says I'm going to go back and make it better the next day and does absolutely nothing about that. Remember, yeah, in a turret.
Speaker 2:she's like oh man. I will say, though, the things that then get brought up were still things she said the original time. It just hadn't, it just hadn't gotten back, right.
Speaker 1:But you do not see the, at least in the edit. You do not see Danielle making up for you don't see Right. Like and I started, my wheel started turning like how would I fix this? And I would say oh, I was so mistaken about, about carolyn, you know she's hard did we talk?
Speaker 2:we squashed it but she could. She didn't do any no, and then she doubled down, maybe even tripled and so we're gonna get to the, the face off.
Speaker 1:I will call it in the turret in a minute at the end of the episode. Um, but so we get to a most interesting, interesting round table. Yeah, oh, my god, guns are firing in all directions, especially at three specific targets, um, actually four, I will say. Guns are firing at west bergman, guns are firing at boston rob. Guns are firing at danielle a little less guns, I will talk about that in a second and guns are firing at um, uh, oh, that dude, uh, the dude from the, the bravo dude tom sandoval tom.
Speaker 2:Thank you, tom, and don't forget, carolyn had some gunshots her way too she did, um, I, uh.
Speaker 1:So derrick is sure that, like I said, boston rob is a traitor. There's a little interaction. So you got the big brother click of danielle, derrick and britney and very strong big brother click. I don't think I've seen that before on this show. Um, britney and derrick now there's let me let me backtrack a little bit. There is a solid. There are all different seasons of big brother.
Speaker 1:The reason why they're so solid is because derrick and cody have a podcast about big brother that they pull all the big brother players in I forget the name of it. So he has really great relationships with everybody on big brother and so that that's kind of the preface of so he has really great relationships with everybody on Big Brother and so that that's kind of the preface of how he has these relationships. And so he and Brittany were talking and now you know, brittany is like oh, no, no, no, it's, it can't be Boston Rob. Um, I don't know why Brittany was defending him, but anyway, uh, it can't be Boston Rob, um, and so then when britney says this to derek, derek's thoughts now kind of start floating to britney being a traitor also.
Speaker 2:Um, because, why would she defend?
Speaker 1:boston, rob right and she no she. You know she gets all britney defensive and I'll be honest with you. He did make a point. He said if you've ever watched britney on big brother, she is not a quiet person, and that is absolutely true. She's all bullshit shit and she's been extremely quiet on that, like almost to the point. Where is she on the show? You know like I feel like.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's probably because she feels like a smaller fish in a bigger pond in this one, you know I agree with you, which is not a bad strategy necessarily. Yeah, just kind of just don't want to draw too much attention to the people who would only notice that like Derek.
Speaker 1:Right, and so Derek has his thoughts wrong. Big Brother contestant Derek Derek has his thoughts on Brittany, also on Rob Wes has to now turn towards um boston rob, because boston rob is directing it's like a whole, like kind of. And then of course, the bravo people are going after tom, because there's a lot of baggage there. Apparently I don't know a lot about the story. Um and carolyn is going after danielle, which I think was the stupidest move of the entire episode. If you see, there's a bigger fire being brought up yeah, I know what the hell up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could have skated under the radar another week. At least you can bring it up next week.
Speaker 1:But god just be because you knew. Anybody sitting at that round table knew that it was going to be one of the big fish that goes it was going to be one of those. It's a. It was basically like the old gunfight at the okay corral where they have the duel and it's one person's gonna receive the bullet, one person's gonna shoot the bullet and it was just a matter of time of who was who. And of course Rob doesn't go down without a fight. Rob will like.
Speaker 2:I thought Rob made a pretty good composed case. Very much and now so are a lot of people bought it.
Speaker 1:He was calm, like you said, he was composed. He just kind of went through. I don't think it's this and I feel like I don't know how you feel when you, when you're rational and you throw out a composed and you're not emotional, people start to go well, wait a minute, he's not emotional, so he's not kind of super defending himself being called a traitor. I thought it was brilliant. He, he, he. You could tell he has experience. Yeah, um, it was brilliant. I actually think he's playing a better game here than he did in Dondi last year. Um, I, I think Dondi he was a little all over the place and emotional. I think here he is not. I think here he is not. I think here he's pretty controlled, you know, and to the point where, how is he becoming the most rational person in the turret which he is?
Speaker 2:Yes, he's the only one that didn't vote against the traitor.
Speaker 1:And now he comes out looking like roses again. That brings us to Danielle. Danielle, I'm starting. My balloon is deflating a little. I used to think that danielle was one of the most strategic big brother plays I've ever seen, but, dude, she keeps making mistakes after mistake, very messy game very sloppy. Yeah, you do not put boston rob's name down. What are you doing? That was that was not it should have said wes on her thing, like that is the move, or carolyn, because carolyn's going after her uh but you do not put boston rob's name down and I I she's doing a horrible job of getting rid of the b that is carolyn.
Speaker 1:Carolyn, of course, goes after her, puts her name down, exposes her. I think carolyn needs to watch her back because I don't think danielle's gonna sit down in the next episode and let her do this anymore and she's probably gonna come back guns blazing and I don't think carolyn's gonna live long or prosper, if you know what I'm saying yeah, um, I don't know.
Speaker 2:So mean, it depends on how it's edited, but it does seem in this instance that Carolyn seems to have the numbers in that battle because multiple people have come to her telling her what Danielle said.
Speaker 1:So, I'm.
Speaker 2:I'm curious because Derek is now kind of, you know, making some friction with Brittany. Will that also rub off on Danielle and the whole thing, so like he could be a big swing vote if it goes to them next week? I think I agree with you actually would stick together.
Speaker 1:I'm honestly, as brilliant as Derek is. I think he needs to be careful. I think I think he needs to be careful. I think he needs to be careful. I don't think he's going to be murdered next, but I think once the dust settles, if they're still in the game. For this week. Yeah, my top candidate would be Dylan Efron, because, dylan, it seems like he is playing a game close to don't forget, though he can't be murdered.
Speaker 2:He has a shield.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, not this fine, not this week. But Dylan is playing a game very much like you remember Peter from the bachelor Yep.
Speaker 2:So similar Exactly, oh my God. Dylan voted for West, though Did not he did um so for this specific vote but for this specific vote. Who do you think's in the running?
Speaker 1:I think I I would have went for west I would have went.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, west is gone oh, for the next vote the turret right now oh for murder yes, correct not a housewife um.
Speaker 1:I think lord van botten is one, possibly um. Whatever his name is, um either, um, oh, I don't know it's gotta be, it's gotta so out of the five what do you think I was turning the question on you?
Speaker 2:Rob. Okay yeah, derek is way too obvious.
Speaker 1:I think that blows up.
Speaker 2:Rob's game. So now you're down to four people who voted for. Rob. One of the four is Danielle, so it can't be her. Now we're down to three who voted for Rob.
Speaker 1:Who do we got?
Speaker 2:So that leaves us with. I think Gabby might have voted Rob, I think she swung.
Speaker 1:I don't think Gabby's a vote, though I don't think she's that point. Okay, so she's one.
Speaker 2:So that leaves only two other people that voted for Rob. Did Tom vote Wes or did Tom vote Rob? I think Tom voted Wes. Tom voted Wes. Tom voted Wes, so I can't remember who the other Rob was and Brittany voted Wes yeah, or did Brittany flip and not Gabby?
Speaker 1:No Brittany voted Wes.
Speaker 2:She did. Yeah, okay. So I feel like it makes sense in this scenario. Rob is going to want one of the five. Two of them are off limits, so I think it has to be a lesser Rob vote just to help with the numbers. So that way, if Derek tries to do it again now, there's even less people that would team up, so to speak. So I think I don't know. I don't think, because Danielle and Carolyn carolyn aren't one each other. They're after each other's throats. So at this point you know they've already been kind of following rob's leadership in the turret he can say you guys voted for me and and each other. I'm the only one that didn't vote for a traitor.
Speaker 1:So he actually says that, yeah. So I'm glad he did.
Speaker 2:I said during the commercial, I said to Rosie, I said Rob, better bring that up. Like. Use that as a look. He's turning into the hero all of a sudden.
Speaker 1:Like I said, danielle's been making a bunch of mistakes. Her voting for Rob was the stupidest thing. I don't know what she was thinking, even when she said what she said. When she said what she said, when you know, when she put her vote down, face down on the table, I was like, oh, she's voting for Wes Cause, that makes the most sense. And when she lifted her vote and it said Rob, I'm like I literally slapped myself in the head. I so yeah, our buddy west bergman, most recently from house of villains and worst cooks in america, is now going off to worst cook somewhere else because he was just kicked out of the castle. He's murdered, as they say. I know he was banished. Sorry, he wasn't banished, he was banished.
Speaker 1:He wasn't murdered um, oh, facts matter, um, how about that? Facts matter, right? Um, um, but yeah, so that is the we look forward to. I agree with you, by the way. You said something to me in text earlier about how you wish that almost was a double. This is definitely an episode which I wish was a double episode because I, I seriously wanted to see the continuation of that turret conversation. I, I, I, honestly you have. So you have danielle and you have carolyn, who are literally going after each other and this that, if rob has any control, he has to stop that now, because if they continue to go after each other, it's gonna draw off everyone's game, including his I. I think he needs to stop that shit. Um, I don't know how he's gonna do it. Let's see, let's see how he plays it. But, um, yeah, I love, I love that show man, it, it, it's still good in the third season oh, yeah, it's.
Speaker 2:It's been a very, very messy season and, like you said, I think they, they, they knew what they were doing when they picked, who they picked although I need them to film soon, because I don't, I can't wait until january of 26 to see another season that's too long.
Speaker 1:That's like you know I.
Speaker 2:I don't know about you, but we still have plenty more to go. There's still, there are still 13 people.
Speaker 1:Oh, I know, but come on, but I always like to think, you know, I don't, I get I remember September, october, I get big brother depressed because big brother is ending, uh, so that's kind of how I feel with uh traders. But yes, we still have a lot to go. Um, speaking of really interesting good television, we have beast games and I want to take a side track real quick before we get into the episode to say this a certain friend of ours and a certain former, we are family. It's the ongoing theme. We are family, um and uh, we are family. Cast member of ours, erica coleman, is on, was on a mini game episode on mr beast's youtube channel of beast game. So what mr beast did was he brought back some of the more injured people eliminated in the trapdoor competition oh, is that the competition specifically?
Speaker 2:I think so, because they bring them back to the same place dude she was. She was eliminated in the first competition, wow well, that was 500 of the thousand people, so yeah.
Speaker 1:So she brings he brings, uh, erica and 19 other contestants, including Sifu, from Survivor. That's crazy. So here they are. So they go through a series of tasks which slowly eliminates as they go. I don't want to get really specific. Our girl, erica, ends up as the final two, two, one of the final two, and, holy shit, I did not dude when mike told us to watch it. I was like, okay, it's gonna be cool to see erica. When she kept going on like I was literally screaming when's it gonna to end.
Speaker 1:So the final challenge is Erica and another young lady with their hands on a button, and it's similar to the challenge where they had the tower where they were counting up and the leaders could have taken it and eliminated their entire team. So the object of this game was only one person could win. If both of them keep their hands on the thing and the time runs out, the money falls. Well, erica did some darn good convincing, because the young lady at the last minute lifts her hand up and erica no, not even the last minute.
Speaker 2:She did it quickly oh, quickly like 12 seconds into the minute. It was was quick.
Speaker 1:Erica wins.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what was the amount, charlie? You remember 500,000. Or no, well, technically it was 461, right, something like that. Yeah, holy cow she won. One of the people hit the button at like 30-something thousand and then she got the remainder.
Speaker 1:I think Erica won more on beast games than all of us won in combined in 10 episodes. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh no doubt.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Holy crap. The biggest winner on we are family was uh. Adam at $80,000, 83, something like that. Wow, you know, let me. I want to tell a quick story, real quick. Um, when I, when I, when we finished we are family and we got home and I started, so I started for those who might not know I started doing a lot of the recording and videos and screenshots for the for, for the, for everybody, and I started doing that and out of the blue, I will say, probably in like February.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause I told you it was right around when you went on your cruise.
Speaker 1:Yes, she turns to me and she goes you know, we were chatting on Instagram. And she goes what's your cash app? And I'm like why she? Why she goes? Well, because I want to pay you for the, for, the, for the, for the the shots.
Speaker 1:I said no, I said you're not gonna do that. And she was like, no, I need your cash app. And I'm like, no, it's okay. She's like tim, I need your cash. So I'm like, okay, fine, I, I I send it, I give it to her. I'm like, oh, it'd be nice, she'll give me like 10, 20 bucks. I look at my cash. I've considered 100. She gave me 100 bucks for just doing screenshots. She says go have a nice dinner with your wife. That is who she is. She not prompted. She is, I'm being honest, one of the sweetest, kindest people from that's not in the true crew um, just really kind and really just amazing. So when she won, I was legitimately happy for her. Um, she, she's an I, she, I idolize her because she is so good at getting on other shows. She, she was on um worst worst cooks.
Speaker 1:Uh, she gets on like uh television projects. She's on a show right now that's on net. Um, not netflix, but another streaming app, fam bt. Um. She's on a family business show, new orleans. She does a lot of stuff, so you know what shout out erica, congratulations, I know you use that money and good health. He's a cancer survivor. Good for her. I'm very happy for her. Um, really good, really really awesome. So that brings us to the actual episode of these games, which doesn't disappoint either. Um, we start the episode finding out what happens with the train and you know what?
Speaker 1:yes, because what dino did on that last episode was nasty. He literally so imagine someone throwing you off a cliff and you literally take a rope and pull them with you. That's what he did. And so Dino. So, for those who might not remember, dino was one of the four that in the tower challenge that turned down the mill. So you know you already was like oh, this is a good dude, I like this dude, let's root for him, et cetera. He ended up not being the person we thought he was.
Speaker 2:Um, because he kind of wasn't that guy, um and then, and then on top of that, after he goes, we have someone find a moment to use that, and then they're not the person that we maybe thought they were oh, that made me most that was way worse.
Speaker 1:I thought way worse he made dino look like a saint, a total saint. I got so pissed I'm gonna get to that challenge. So we're gonna go to a challenge now. So there's 10 players left. We have the final the 10 and they all go to they vote first in order yeah, go ahead. Yeah, yeah, explain, cause you're much better explaining than I am, so yeah, so then and then.
Speaker 2:I can't remember her name, but one of the other women who turned down the million, who then had to make some of the tough calls in the last round she got.
Speaker 1:I love her.
Speaker 2:She's. That's what I'm rooting for.
Speaker 1:Love her.
Speaker 2:She goes first and then they pick a person, one at a time, and then once they pick a person, then that person picks a person, etc. And basically they're just ordered one through ten.
Speaker 1:Can I interject real quick and I know you're going to explain this. But there's a million dollars. That's in the middle of the city.
Speaker 2:They don't even know about the money yet.
Speaker 1:First they're just okay, all right, we'll get to the money. Don't finish your. All right, finish your.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry own little house. So she, she picks um the guy who won a grammy. Second, he then picks jc is that his name? Five, six, six, who we were talking about I'll never forget it, jc yes, I'll never forget that name.
Speaker 2:Then he picks his friend emma four, and then so on and so forth all the way through 10. So then, as you just mentioned, they say everyone, come back to the middle and they pull off the, the tarp and in there is a million dollars. He says from this point forward, you are no longer allowed to talk to anybody and you must go back into your house, and that's it, and they know nothing. Then starts out well, okay, each of you will go one at a time and you'll be able to take however much you want out of it now this is where I wanted to interject real quick.
Speaker 1:If you're a math, if you have 10 people, logically and this is what the first person did it would think a piece Wow, what a great dude. If you gave me a hundred grand and you're still alive for the whole thing and you don't look like an asshole, sorry, and you don't have to say you're back for the next challenge, like who knows what the next thing is going to be? So that is the plan in the first person's head and that's what she does.
Speaker 2:And that's the only one, before the other people got greedy. You also had someone who thought, oh, I don't want to take a dollar, just in case this hurts my chances of the next one. You had someone who picked zero.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Patrick, Can we talk? So the first person takes 100 grand. The second person I call him neck tattoo dude because I don't- remember his name, he won a Grammy.
Speaker 2:That's what it shows every time.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, he's like you think.
Speaker 2:Okay, he knows that she took 100 grand as soon as he kept saying I have a number in my head. I'm like he's not, he's taking more than 100.
Speaker 1:The dude takes 200 and something thousand dollars 223. What the freaking freak.
Speaker 2:As soon as he said that the dominoes started. I was like bro bro.
Speaker 1:As soon as he did that, I was like like, are you freaking, kidding me? That's why I texted the first thing. I texted you as a because charlie had already watched it. The first thing I texted you is never trust a dude with the neck tattoo and I'm like what is going? I'm like, oh my god, I can't believe this dude. But wait, there's more dude char. Can you explain to our wonderful viewers what happens next?
Speaker 2:Oh well, that's JC's turn, after he had the audacity to call out Dino and do all that, the whole episode.
Speaker 1:Big cocky motherfucker Right.
Speaker 2:Big cocky guy Not only does he take more than his fair share, and then way more than the guy before he blows him fair share and then way more than the guy before he blows him. Not only that, he blows it out of the water, but jimmy asks him flat out how much do you need for everything?
Speaker 1:yes, and he said 530 number 530.
Speaker 2:He gives a number and then he still takes more than that. That's what I get. He took everyone's equal original slice, 20 percent more of that on top of everything you needed. That was the folks.
Speaker 1:He took over 600 000 he took 650 he took six out of a million dollars.
Speaker 2:If everyone takes evenly, you'll be at 700 000.
Speaker 1:For player four, there was 27 grand left bro, let me say this I I know it's just a game show. I know it's just a game show, but are you freaking, kidding me?
Speaker 2:like bad.
Speaker 1:I just I honestly I listen. I've been on a couple of game shows. I have not always done well on a couple of game shows. At no point do I feel bad about that, because people play fairly and they win and they do better than me like wheel of fortune and it's okay, right, it's just the way the cookie crumbles. But to be on this show and to know that jc took 600 and he openly admits it, by the way, and he takes 600 right away- though not right away.
Speaker 1:No, but that he took. That I you talk about. I was like I revered him in the last episode. I was like I like this guy, yeah, boom, yikes, dude, what the heck you know?
Speaker 2:and uh, this show second guy people don't even know. Don't care really, because it wasn't even that bad compared to him good for him, right, right, I mean I guess.
Speaker 1:But you know, this show really is a psychological experiment on human behavior, but not the good side, and I almost want to say not a very evolved human, I will say because, honestly, as much as I struggle, charlie, you know, and we all struggle with finances and whatnot there is no way in heaven I would have ever taken more than my fair share. I would have done what let it later contestants would do and literally took the amount and divided it by the number of people remaining and took exactly my portion whether or not, and they only got that because patrick took zero after emma took her five which not such a bright decision, as we'll find out in a minute.
Speaker 2:But or maybe it still will be. Maybe people will say, hey, he got nothing. He should.
Speaker 1:He should move on to the final six so that the the next part of the challenge, or next challenge. I, I should say they're all on the tower and, um, um, Mr Beast has their money that they got in that previous challenge brought with them and he says to them he goes. This is why the money is important, because now you can use that money, and that money only to bribe your fellow contestants not to eliminate you because we're going to have votes. I don't care what you, I don't care what they say. Right, here's my thought JC is gone. It doesn't matter how much money he, he bribes.
Speaker 1:I don't know I don't think he's going to bribe.
Speaker 2:I think he's going to be like he's going to say fine, I'll take my six.
Speaker 1:And, honestly, he wins. Well, he doesn't really win, he loses. But yeah, yeah, I don't know, I can't. I could dude charlie, I'm gonna be honest with you.
Speaker 2:I could not live with myself like that.
Speaker 1:No chance, dude that was you literally there, hit the night. Very next player is a young lady in her 20s that literally said like this could be life-changing money. It hurt me, like it physically hurt to watch that. Like yeah, I, I, just I, I, and I'm no angel or saint, but I could never do that to another human being, never like no, um, so yeah, well, it's gonna be interesting how that plays out and then we're gonna be. I guess that next is the next to last episode.
Speaker 2:I think that I think that they'll vote out the player three and player two immediately down to eight, and I don't think you can hold player 100 against her. She did exactly the honorable thing, so at that, after that point, I think it's a free for all. Those eight will truly be, you know, bribing. I wonder, would player one, would she throw a few thousand to someone who got short changed a little bit, just to kind of help them out If someone wants to go home like I can really see that happening.
Speaker 2:actually It'll be interesting to see, so do you think maybe JC have some redemption, maybe. I don't, I don't think JC does.
Speaker 1:I don't think he gives a shit.
Speaker 2:I could see player two maybe feeling a little bad. Maybe he gives a. I think both of them would just know it. They're screwed. Either way, they're just gonna take their money and go what do? You think about the player two could have taken 900 and didn't what do you think?
Speaker 1:what's your? What's your thought on the argument that I was just doing it for my family?
Speaker 2:you know what is. I'll go one step further. When he brought everybody in to give that speech, I did not like that at all. To me it felt like he was blowing up other people's games, trying to take the attention off of what he did, and I thought that made it even worse.
Speaker 1:It's what a two-year-old does. Honestly, I didn't. I didn't like that at all. Sorry, I'm just in here. Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 2:He thinks he puts Patrick's game on the spot. But Patrick took zero dollars. He doesn't have any money to bribe anybody. But it would be hard to vote him out when he did the most honorable thing.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't vote Patrick out. No, no.
Speaker 2:You can't. He's smart enough to think that something could be based off your decision and he, and that that's not enough to kick him off.
Speaker 1:Well, what is that?
Speaker 2:I mean that's just. I mean it'll be interesting because two of the other eight have to go but jc.
Speaker 1:I would vote jc out immediately, yeah jc.
Speaker 2:And then the other guy I'd say are are mortal locks, it's they got their money already.
Speaker 1:Like what?
Speaker 2:do you? Need more money, unless a few of the people who didn't have a chance for more.
Speaker 1:At the end he says I'll give you 10, give you three, 10k each maybe they don't play us out maybe they think they'll just then they vote him out the next time, you know so crazy to me like I just I don't think I had I've had such a visceral reaction watching a reality show like that in quite some time.
Speaker 2:But let's talk about the amount of money being thrown around on this show is incredible, like amazon is like that, that one million for the same challenge was what the next prize was in the app, for the viewers too. So that is insane. You can get another entry right now.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we could do that, um, but it's, it's, it's crazy that you know, uh, I mean, I guess it means something to most money ever in reality TV. And speaking of a lot of money in reality TV, they just announced this week that they're filming, as we speak, squid Games, the Challenge 2, which, I'm going to say straight up, I did not get called for at all. I guess they didn't want the big guy well, soon to be no longer big guy, you know.
Speaker 2:Or maybe they're like this guy's been on six shows already. We'll let him get beast games.
Speaker 1:I don't want to say six again because I screwed up, it's five. Thank you, mike. Mike's listening like we're on six. I'm like no, five, um no, but he, I'm I'm not gonna announce which show, but I did apply. You know which one, but I just did apply for a show, so we'll see what happens. I'm always looking for the next one. Speaking of the next one Deal.
Speaker 2:Or no Deal Island.
Speaker 1:Holy crap.
Speaker 2:Holy crap. That was actually. That was wild. We had a wild one.
Speaker 1:It made up for some of the other lackluster ones there was a challenge, so the the show starts off with the challenge, and the idea of the challenge is they have to vote on who. A scale there's like tiles.
Speaker 1:They have to remove these tiles and decide on who is the most um biggest threat threatening and the least threatening, and of course, big Brother Will everyone's favorite contestant not is throwing himself out there as a threat. I'm a threat, I'm a threat, I'm a threat, I'm a threat well played, because he knew what he was doing and, of course, there. So they decide on the order. That's done in secret, and then they have giant targets with their face on it. Um, one of them, of course, is our buddy philip. Shout out, philip, hi, philip again, we are family, always we are family. It's all about us. We have family connection. Um, and they have to throw these axes at the target they think is either the highest or the lowest. And our buddy Phillip goes. He doesn't have a great throw. The first round, second round, he gets the target, so he at least has a chance to be safe, or not.
Speaker 1:The biggest threat, of course, is Will, and so Will acts actually closest on his own face and he gets immunity, and then he gets to decide who gets to play the banker. So there's a lot. So Will doesn't like what's her name? I forget her name. Yeah, the one that he thought Dixon was going to go after. Yeah, exactly, he doesn't like a contestant, and so Dixon's like you know what I'll take her out if I'm selected to play the banker. So, dixon, you know Dixon. I'll give you a little background on Dixon. Dixon plays online reality TV games. He's you know, I know people that know him, so he is no schlub. He likes to challenge, so he's like campaigning to play against the banker and, sure enough, will picks him to play against the banker and Dixon proceeds to have the most masterful playing against the banker I have ever seen on this show.
Speaker 2:It's a little easy when you pick the highest case and then just say no to everything.
Speaker 1:It is, but what's interesting about that is that he's left with the two highest cases at the end. I will tell you this, charlie, when he got to the point where he had an offer that was lower than like three of the cases, yeah, I was like take it the odds, the math, take it and I would have lost. I would have lost what. What were you're the math guy? What were you thinking?
Speaker 2:no, I think. I think he actually did play the math the right way. He you said that yeah, I think they actually the odd. The offer was good, but the odds were three out of four that he had a higher case than the offer originally. I think that he's too smart to turn down a bad offer Now. At the end it's a simple you 50-50 coin toss, so you might as well go for the higher amount. It's extra $700,000, I think it was based off of it.
Speaker 1:So he basically decided to keep his case at the end and he said no to every offer, like you said, and he had the $5 million. He added $5 million to the pot which is huge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it went from, like what, 561,000 to 5.5.
Speaker 1:Just like that. Just like that Now for our viewers who may not have seen season one. You don't get that guaranteed. That's just becomes the total, becomes an amount and a case at the final into the prize pool yeah, right, right, so it's. It's still hard to win that.
Speaker 2:I'll say that um that number is going to keep growing. It's going to up all the offers in that one that's true.
Speaker 1:That number is going to keep growing.
Speaker 2:It's going to up all the offers in that one. That's true, that's exactly right. And then, not to be outdone, the episode ends with him going against his word to Dr Will. Can we say that this was brilliant. What happens? He takes out Storm.
Speaker 1:He takes out the strongest guy in the game. I mean physically anyway.
Speaker 2:He takes out the strongest guy in the game, I mean physically anyway he, he takes out he could a romance one, one slightly stronger but it's his homie, right. Yeah, the australian survivor um.
Speaker 1:But this, you know you, I didn't want to think about it, because they they kept talking about the showmans, the showmans, the showmans, the showmans, and I'm like why are they talking so much about? I should have known better.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, it's because this is where it was headed and and will seems upset about it, but he talks earlier in the episode about how he doesn't like the showman, so I think he should be fine with it if he takes a step back knowing.
Speaker 1:Listen, I'm a. I've been watching will for 20 years on reality tv and big brother, big brother all-stars.
Speaker 1:I'll say this the reason why will was upset is because will realized he could not control dixon yeah, it wasn't his move you're not playing my game and that's why will is upset, because will likes to kind of think about how he controls everybody and when he doesn't have control over one, his whole thought process goes crazy, like it's like malfunction, malfunction like a robot. That's kind of yeah, dixon, surprised the heck out of me, wow, yeah, the funny thing is is watching the whole banker segment. Storm is excited, rooting for him going crazy.
Speaker 2:Sorry, bro, which is interesting because in the challenge Dixon was throwing his axe at Storm's thing.
Speaker 1:anyway, so maybe Storm should have thought about that Storm went out the Storm has passed. Storm was brewing. Storm the past. Um man speaking of uh, storms brewing and passing, I um my my, I need to work on those.
Speaker 1:Um, I was just in new york, like I mentioned at the beginning of the podcast. Um, I got I had a chance to film commercial number two, which was awesome, and I extended this day for a day and I got to go to city field. Um, I'm gonna give you some information that's you might be shocked at. That was only my second time ever at city field wow, so before that time we were tied one-to-one we were. That's crazy, isn't it? I'm a man crazy crazy.
Speaker 1:I actually can't believe that I knew you would say that, but yes, that I actually did. The first time I actually saw a game, um, I was on the we're still tied in game scene at city field, correct?
Speaker 1:and and the last time I went, to a game, I was on the field. So we're still tied in game scene at Citi Field, Correct? And the last time I went to a game well, the only other time I went to a game at Citi Field, Michael Conforto was still on the team. So that kind of gives you an idea because he was in the outfield. Yeah, it was eight years ago.
Speaker 2:It was eight years ago, it was more recently than me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a little bit yeah. Than me. Yeah, a little bit yeah. Um, so shea stadium. By the way, all the time I was always big at shea team. I love shea stay and my dad used to take me. Rest in peace, dad. But yeah, so I, I went to city field in 20 degree weather that was cold, and I went to uh, amazing day at city field, went to the amazing memorabilia store, bought my raffle ticket what you won.
Speaker 1:Tim wins another sweepstakes not just, not, not, just, not just us. Oh, erica wants me to get the stuff out of the closet. No, it's okay, honey. Uh, it's all right. I put it all in a closet. No, no, it's okay, it's okay, she's all right. Uh, it's okay, she's like she's excited.
Speaker 1:As I am, I want us. I want a sterling marty signed baseball. Not just a sterling marty saying baseball, it's a sterling marty signed, uh, city connect baseball with the nyc on it. Oh man, um, I got some, I got I, I got really bargain brett baity shirts. Because, for those of you that don't know, um, brett baity, uh, gave well, I don't know willingly or not juan seto his number and so they're selling all the old wet brett baity. So, five dollar brett baity shirts. I, I got like uh, old playoff, like I got a playoff hat Dodgers and Mets for the NLCS. And for a dude like me who lives in Florida, who doesn't get to go shopping, I was having a ball Loaded up, loaded up. But that wasn't even the best part. The best part was going in the player tunnels at Citi Field, going to the locker room, know, just going behind the scenes valentine is one of your autograph tickets, man oh my god, before that, and I'm literally walking down the hallway and edwin, edwin, I'm like what the hell?
Speaker 1:edwin diaz is like zooming right by. I'm like, oh my god, did I get my picture out? I take a picture of his back and then so I already have my camera out at this point, I'm like wait, stuff is happening. And then, two seconds later, sterling marty, I'm like taking pictures. It was just amazing the access to the players. It was just really cool to have.
Speaker 1:And then, like you said, I went online. Um, so what? The? The autograph. It was an autograph tent and it was pretty organized. There were four stations. So it was almost like the wizard of oz.
Speaker 1:You you were told okay, go on line two, go on line one. They would randomly kind of put you in a line. I was, I went in line two and you were in this wraparound, like in an amusement park line, and you get up to the curtain and once you get, it's a black curtain and they open a curtain like you can go ahead. Once you get in there, then you see who you have. And so I was thinking all the time I'm like I'm gonna get four good players, let's see. And as I'm standing out there. I see, uh, mark vientos go in there. I see bobby valentine go in there. I see Bobby Valentine go in there. I see Cleon Jones go in there. Cleon Jones, of course.
Speaker 1:1969 Mets classic player, bobby Valentine, amazing manager, of course. The story with Bobby Valentine is he was literally kicked out of a game and he came back into disguise. It's just so epic. I love Bobby Valentine. Bobby V is awesome, uh, and he is exactly that character. Um, so you know I the curtain opens and it's freaking bobby v right in front of me. I'm like, sir, oh, I get my poster out, I get it signed. I'm like, thank you so much, sir. I was. I'm such a fan of yours, I was always a fan of yours.
Speaker 1:He goes you were I'm like no, I am, I am, and so you know we have this little you know two second. You know I'm the fan boy, so I'm excited. And then the next uh person was a relief pitcher. I think, uh, that I I don't even know his name, but it wasn't any of the you know. It's a newer pitcher that we just got um. What's his name?
Speaker 1:anyway, I forget uh yeah, it sounds awesome though it was, it was dude, it was a great, great. It's just a great day. Um uh, it made it, made me miss baseball.
Speaker 2:You know like yeah, we're getting close, right around the corner pitches and catches are reporting soon two weeks about so we have some interesting things that happened at actually amazing day.
Speaker 1:It happened um, steve cohen, I wasn't in the room for this. It was happened early in the day. My ticket was later in the day. Steve cohen and david stearns addressed fans and some media that were there and the question was brought up what is happening with pete alonzo, what's happening in the negotiations? And david stearns, you know, does the canned response oh, we love pete, we want to have pete back, you know in.
Speaker 1:But you know, steve cohen, a little less filtered, uh, we'll say, well, I could say, and he literally said you know what these frustrate these talks, that the negotiation has been extremely frustrating. He goes juan soto was tough, this is tougher. Um, he says you know, we'd like to have pete back, but you know, as we fill up the roster with more and more players, it becomes less possible. And I knew when he was saying what he was saying that he was talking directly to Alonzo and Boris, without a doubt, because the news comes out later on that Monday or Tuesday, pete Alonzo said to Scott Boris I don't care what you do, I need to get back with the Mets, and so that is his objective. That's why my confidence level of him returning went way back up, because I think if pete wants it, he's gonna get it and I don't see any other options for him. I think this is the best plan is to sign a short-term deal, and we've talked about this before so you're saying you went from optimistic to baby diapers, back to optimistic?
Speaker 2:oh, you have to throw the baby diapers in there, yeah no, it's fine, I don't mind, but yeah, I did I remember I recall you posting a bunch of cards saying you were ready to sell them all, something like that maybe you love this, don't you?
Speaker 1:you love this. I remember last year not april broadcast where I said the mets are doomed. And you love? All right, I gave it to you, you're right, and then they went to the NLCS.
Speaker 2:That's right, I forgot. No you didn't forget.
Speaker 1:You don't forget nothing. One thing about you, buddy, you don't forget a thing. Never Field trap. No, you, absolutely, you're an elephant man, you don't forget, you don't forget anything. But you, you know, it's true, though my confidence level definitely rose when I heard it. I'm not fully there yet. There's a lot that can still kind of happen. But Boomer Esiason, who is, you know, jets legend, I guess you want to call it Well-connected.
Speaker 1:No Giants legend. He's well-connected, he is saying, and he's in sports reporting. He is saying he sees Pete Alonzo possibly tomorrow as a Met. So I think the deal is close, Because what I understand is All alerts set, ready to go.
Speaker 2:I'm ready.
Speaker 1:But you know, apparently Steve Cohen himself got right back into the negotiations, so I think it's going to happen. I also think the fans were pretty expressive about it and I want to say this because I listen to a lot of New York sports radio and I listen to a lot of New York podcasts Shout out, meet at the Apple Great podcast. It's actually a New York Mets podcast, so they don't really get into this stuff because they're a team run podcast. But I will say this um, some of the podcast hosts and I don't know if you're familiar with Sal from New York post Um, they were saying something along the lines of how dare these fans boo Sterns? And and it's this is on Boris and Pete and I I say this to say this, I say that to say this. I should say they weren't booing because they haven't signed Pete. This is why I think they were booing. They were booing because the backup plan that they have in place, or supposed in place, of Brett Beatty and Mauricio filling that void and that's what I kept hearing while I was in New York is not the plan and that's what fans are upset about, because David Stearns himself said well, we have these young guys kind of coming up. That should not be the answer.
Speaker 1:This and I know we've talked about this but honestly this is not the Milwaukee Brewers, this is a larger market we shouldn't be having. I understand he's successful with that, don't get me wrong but when there are other options that we could go through, why are we doing that? You know, why are we kind of Brett Beatty. I love him and you know this because I've talked about Brett before. He's had two or three shots at the majors already that he just he kills it in triple a. He homer, homer, homer. He's great, don't get me wrong. He kills in triple a the minute he gets up to the majors. His fielding is awful, his hitting is suffering, he cannot contain himself. I don't know if it's nerves, a lack of confidence, I don't know what's going on, but how much of that can we afford? And that's my concern. Now, mauricio, I can't really talk about because he had a season of injury, so I don't know kind of where he's at in his development. I will say mark vientos, it took a while to kind of blossom but baby is no viento.
Speaker 1:They got some good options I think acuna is a great option to kind of have there. Um, I don't know if he's kind of ready yet, we'll see. I think he played well in the end of the last season. Um, and, like you said, they have options. It's just I just want to say that you know, I don't think this, and you know new york fans and we've talked about this too new york is the hardest market to be a player in, because the fans and the press are relentless. They are relentless, but I don't think. You know, I don't I'm not often to defend them, but they were not booing the fact that he hadn't signed pete. I even know, right, and I I don't boo, I don't believe in booing, I think it's stupid. But I even know, though, that him him not even though I was baby diapers him not signing pete is not really about him not signing pete. At the end of the day, I understand it's a business and it has to be make sense. The transaction has to make sense but at the same time.
Speaker 1:You know the emotions of the fans. I that too. But in the same vein that it's a business. You literally cannot. And I'm not saying Pete is a Mercedes, for example, but you can't go and sell a Mercedes and then get someone else's Mercedes and then tell them here's a Corolla and say equivalent, it's not.
Speaker 2:Better gas mileage.
Speaker 1:It's not, it's just not not. And that's what gets people upset, because it's almost like you're trying to mess with their intelligence, like they're not smart enough to see it you know what I mean like so anyway, let's, let's, let's, let's kind of breach that subject real quick. So what's new in cubs land? What's new in Wrigleyville?
Speaker 2:That's actually. Cubs made a couple more moves the last couple of weeks. They finally seem to have gotten an answer at closer. They traded for Ryan Presley, who was a huge part of that Astros playoff runs in, you know, 2018 to 2022. And until they brought in Hader.
Speaker 1:So what are your thoughts on Presley? I mean, you just said that, but how do you think he's going to fit in your clubhouse?
Speaker 2:I think that he will close at least 50% of the time.
Speaker 1:That's pretty.
Speaker 2:So I think it's a win for him. He gets a chance to close again before becoming a free agent Next year and he can show that he's still got it. And I think the Best thing about it is the mentorship He'll have to the other guy who could share closer duties, a young Cubs prospect, porter Hodge, who looked very, very good In the role last year. But you don't want Love to throw a second-year guy into your closers role right away. So having a veteran to fall back on is a nice thing.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you one question. I've been thinking about and thinking about the Cubs and you know, because I come from a different universe with the Mets obviously it's a different owner and Cubs are, you know, love the Cubs. And I am curious about this. Do you wonder can your club, can your front office, can your ownership, can they somehow make it happen where it's not just a stopping ground for these players and that there's some long-term contracts being signed?
Speaker 2:That's the hope. The hope is that Kyle Tucker will be that guy. I think that a lot of these front offices are truly worried about something we briefly talked about last time, and it's that possible strike season, something we briefly talked about last time, and it's that possible strike season, and they don't want to put out these huge dollar amounts when there's going to be possibly a season of no play. So we'll see.
Speaker 1:Does it make it harder? Is a question for you too. Does it make it harder for clubs like the Cubs that are in mid-markets?
Speaker 2:I mean it shouldn't be Chicago's in the third largest market.
Speaker 1:I know this.
Speaker 2:But I see what you're saying. Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1:When you have New York and Los Angeles, for example.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yankees, mets, dodgers are in. Maybe we'll say a 1A tier and then you put maybe Chicago in a 1B, but they should still have. I mean, comes have been. The cubs were a revenue paying team last year, just barely went over the tax, which was kind of dumb to do. That's neither here nor there, but they did, and every every season that they haven't been in a clear rebuild they've been a roughly top four to eight. Even one one of the years they were second or third, but they've been a pretty high. It's not like they're not spending, they just need to spend a little more wisely. So you're seeing a lot of guys that won your deals this year with while still staying under the tax. So they could still have another couple moves in and we'll see. But I'm feeling pretty good about the roster I and I, I I can see why.
Speaker 1:I mean definitely, and I actually said to you we were talking about how I could see the mets and the cubs in the postseason. I think that might, that may very possibly happen. I just I, I'm good if I put my cubs fan hat on, if I pretend that I'm in chicago. You and I guess the frustration is there for me, as a Cubs fan, to say, when I see the Dodgers, for example, not as much as the Mets or Yankees, the Dodgers are probably at the top right now with what they're doing. They sign player after player after player. It gets ridiculous, ridiculous, it's so frustrating, bro, it's almost like they're cheating at the game where nobody else has a chance to play yeah you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like they're like, like they're taking all the money in monopoly and they're not. Everyone else is like left with.
Speaker 2:Well, they have the cheat code in otani.
Speaker 1:I mean that alone that's the japanese cheat code I mean.
Speaker 2:I mean, when you have a guy who's making 50 plus million a year in endorsements. He can easily defer 98% of his contract.
Speaker 1:So he's going to attract other Japanese players.
Speaker 2:to be honest, and not only that, but you're getting the best player in the game at a virtual zero cost, so you're easily being able to make the team that much better so.
Speaker 1:I asked you that question because, let's say, you guys didn't sign Kyle Tucker, I mean you didn't kind of get him from Houston. What would have happened Would they have kept Bellinger?
Speaker 2:Probably yeah. I think they probably would have, and they would have looked to improve the roster in other areas. But when a guy like Tucker's available, sometimes you just got to move 100%.
Speaker 1:I think that. I mean, I don't think that. And you, you, I know you will agree, that was the number one move the Cubs made, Absolutely oh yeah, no doubt he's not only going to win games for you guys. Going to win games for you guys, he's going to sell tickets. Not that the Cubs need people to sell tickets.
Speaker 2:I have a former teammate of his in Presley, a little more familiarity. So that's nice.
Speaker 1:Maybe another teammate. Do you think they would sign Bregman?
Speaker 2:They're still in the. I still think I'd be surprised, but I'd be happy to be surprised.
Speaker 1:I'd be happy for you if they signed Bregman. I think that would be huge. Who's your current third baseman?
Speaker 2:It's assuming Nico's healthy, on opening day A Horner. No, no, no, nico will be at second, but, assuming Nico's healthy, it will be Matt Shaw. If Nico's not healthy, shaw could be at second.
Speaker 1:What's going on with Nico Horner?
Speaker 2:He had off-season surgery on his shoulder. He's probably not going to be ready in time for the Dodger series in Japan, which is two weeks before the actual regular season. It's not they're not exactly sure when he'll be ready. It's possible he's not ready for opening day, so that's amazing.
Speaker 1:You know he's a young guy, you wonder kind of soldier surgery, wow. But yeah, I think like three or four years ago when I was a fan of his, I was following Alex Bregman he had hand surgery or something.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I mean, it happens to all of them.
Speaker 1:Listen, I'm excited for you, I'm excited for the Cubs. I would be real excited if we have an NLCS that is, mets and Cubs and the Dodgers somehow.
Speaker 2:No Dodgers.
Speaker 1:Not in it. Oh man, Ooh this would be some podcast.
Speaker 2:It's certainly possible.
Speaker 1:We've seen crazy.
Speaker 2:It's baseball, anything's possible in baseball, anything can happen in a five-game series in the NLDS Absolutely.
Speaker 1:You shared with me a funny meme Guys. You shared with me a funny meme. Guys in the football fans are like after one loss, we'll be there next week, We'll see what happens.
Speaker 2:We'll be there next game.
Speaker 1:Baseball's 100 and 1 game in 162.
Speaker 2:What the You're bringing this guy in the seventh inning serving up meatballs. What is this Subway? What is this SubShout? I love that, this subway, oh my god, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you literally just sound like a met fan I heard that like tim needs to hear this one that's hilarious. Um so yeah, that is uh what's going around around the league. Uh oh, is there anything else? I guess we should talk about this real quick too. Super Bowl Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaker 2:We can talk about that next week. It's not this week? No, but you know the last we spoke, we were hoping that the Bills would defeat the Chiefs you mean the refs, the refs, I was just going to say the same thing, dude can't say that we're surprised uh, you even said it.
Speaker 1:You said it the week before. You're like if the, if the bills can beat the rest. Man, dude, there was one play, let's talk about it real quick. Dude, if you drop the ball, you drop the damn ball Like what the hell.
Speaker 2:That cost them the game. Bro, what are you going to talk about?
Speaker 1:The one where they cost them the fourth down. Yeah.
Speaker 2:How about the first down that Buffalo had on the sneak? They had it on the play before on the third down play they misspotted it. A lot happened in that game. That was pretty questionable.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I spotted it. A lot happened in that game that was pretty questionable.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I've been very sad and I just I will fly eagles fly root for philadelphia.
Speaker 1:I cannot gotta get barkley and the chiefs the chiefs and my homes, and you know it's interesting. Yeah if, if What's-His-Name's brother stayed in it, it would have been brother versus brother again.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Kelsey Kelsey, jason Kelsey. Yeah, whatever, I'm not watching it, so you'll give us a recap, because I'm not Baby diapers, not watching it.
Speaker 2:Well, you can at least watch for the commercials.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess Anything else you want to mention bro.
Speaker 2:No, I think we covered it.
Speaker 1:Oh, all right, this has been Around the Bases a pop culture and sports podcast with your host, bradley Seymour, and I'm Baby Diapers. Until next week, we will see you.
Speaker 2:Have a good one, Baby Diapers.
Speaker 1:Bye.
