2 Guys Talking Baseball
Dallas Danger and Brian Logan discuss the game of baseball. Two fans, two personalities, Two Guys!
2 Guys Talking Baseball
Then who signed my album?
What happens when baseball collides with natural disasters? Reflecting on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we explore its significant impact on communities like Asheville, North Carolina, and Damascus, Virginia, while also addressing the challenges faced by the Tampa Bay Rays at a battered Tropicana Field. Amidst the devastation, the resilience and unity of these regions shine through as we share moving stories of strength and recovery. In the spirit of distraction, we shift our gaze to the lively world of baseball, promising laughter and insights as we break down the ongoing postseason excitement.
As the Los Angeles Dodgers take center stage, we dissect their audacious postseason strategies and the crucial role of Shohei Otani. Praise is due for Dave Roberts' ingenious tactics, from clever pitching choices to the vital contributions of players like Tommy Edmond. In our lively discussion about the Dodgers vs. Padres NLDS series, the unpredictable landscape of this year's playoffs becomes apparent, with thrilling moments and standout performances keeping fans on their toes. Our episode is enriched with humorous anecdotes and personal reflections, creating a relatable and engaging narrative for all listeners.
Switching gears, we honor baseball icon Pete Rose, sharing anecdotes that highlight his enduring influence on the sport and his fans. We delve into the ongoing Hall of Fame controversy, advocating for a broader understanding of baseball history and the complexities of legacy. Our conversation culminates with a playful exploration of the New York Mets' spirited fan base, their quirky traditions, and the electrifying energy surrounding their playoff journey. As we reflect on our own podcasting adventures and partnership hurdles, we invite our audience to continue joining us weekly for more captivating baseball discussions.
Hello again, friends. Welcome inside the Three Crows Studios in Morristown, Tennessee. You are listening to two guys talking baseball. We're very happy to be back after a much-needed week off. Last week we got a lot to talk about, a lot to kind of catch up on. My name, of course, is Dallas Danger and I'm joined by my best friend and colleague, I should say Brian Logan. Hit it, Brian, it's been a great week for baseball.
Speaker 2:It's actually been an amazing week for baseball, a great two weeks for baseball.
Speaker 1:That's right If we're getting technical.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right, but we got to work on your pitch. My introduction, because it is just going down and down and down.
Speaker 1:I'm rusty, I'm rusty, it's just swirling the bowl.
Speaker 2:Man, I'm rusty, don't make me get one that's canned and play it every week, oh God.
Speaker 1:That'd be a lot easier on me. It would right. I'd never fuck it up at that point.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Well, like I said, we got a lot to cover today. We're going to try to play some catch-up, some things going on. Obviously, the postseason is underway and a lot to talk about there.
Speaker 1:But, brian, first thing I want to do is it was funny because we're way behind on this topic, because the last day we recorded was sort of the day before shit got real right with hurricane helene at least in our neck of the woods right and, if you are not aware, our neck of the woods got hit pretty hard. Um, ashville, north carolina, damascus, virginia, uh, unicoi county and a town called erwin in t in Tennessee all got hit very hard with flooding, and there's a lot of work being done, you know, getting supplies to people Right. There are a lot of people still without power, without water. There are still people missing. There are still people missing. This is an ongoing issue and obviously, if you have the means to donate or do anything now, it's super important. But I think I want to use our platform to say don't forget about us in three months, six months, a year, because this isn't going away anytime soon. These are problems that are going to take a long time to fix the ones that even get fixed ever. This area is devastated and I did not prepare anywhere to tell you to go, but if you dig around online, you're going to find there's a lot of organizations that are taking money and donations and you know I'll let everybody decide on their own where they want their money to go.
Speaker 1:You know, I've seen a lot of good stuff happening, you know, I mean, and honestly, the coolest thing was, like the individuals that didn't wait for FEMA or any of that. They said, no, I'm, I'm loading my truck and I'm driving my ass down there with water and food and, and you know, and just like the other stuff that that most people probably don't think about. You know, like diapers and you know insulin. I saw places you know churches saying we have insulin if you need insulin. You know insulin. I saw places you know churches saying we have insulin if you need insulin. You know, and that's good, yeah, it's been.
Speaker 1:You know, if there is a silver lining in all of this, it's that a lot of people in our area have put aside all the other nonsense that's going on in the world right now their their personal feelings and opinions about certain things and certain people and are coming together, um, you know to, to, to help out and and that's sort of the mark of this region of the country, yeah, you know, is our strength in numbers and our our. You know we're I mean we're famous for our hospitality, southern hospitality, you know it's, it's a thing, but and that does that's not just extended to people from outside of of our home, it's, it's when our neighbors are in need, we, we, we give what we have. Yeah, so, um, wanted to mention that. Say, obviously, our thoughts are with everybody, not just here.
Speaker 1:But now Milton has hit Florida and and they've gotten pounded again. Yeah, I heard it bad. Yeah, it's. I've seen what we've seen has been pretty rough and, uh, you know, spinning it back to baseball, uh, pictures and video have been really going rampant now online of Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The roof is gone. Yeah, I mean, it's not something they're going to be able to fix easily or quickly and the schedule for next year is already out.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So pivoting is gonna be challenging very challenging.
Speaker 2:I mean, they're gonna have to really put the work in and figure some things out yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:So so you know who knows what that is gonna look like. Obviously, there's bigger shit to worry about than baseball games down there right now, but you know, um, our hearts are with you if you've been affected and you have the ability to hear this, hopefully for the rest of the episode we will be a welcome distraction. We can talk about something silly and menial, like a game that we all love, and you know us, we're going to yuck it up and have some fun and, you know, hopefully be funny. We think we're funny. I'm hysterical. Yeah, brian thinks he's really funny.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm the sea lion. You are the sea lion, it's true.
Speaker 1:Cuckoo, cuckoo. True, all right, brian, so let's get into it. The Cubs, as we have covered, not in the playoffs. They're all taking vacations and spending time with their families and all that. So we're not going to talk about the Cubs because there's really nothing to talk about, nothing to say so I want to know, Brian Logan, how do you feel about the team you have now adopted for this postseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Speaker 2:Well, it's apparent that Otani is going to have to show up every night. I mean, he did last night, thank goodness, but the night before he really didn't and they needed him, they needed anything. Yeah, it's nut-cutting time and they're going to have to Tonight's the night. I mean they're going to have to get in there and they're going to have to Tonight's the night. I mean they're going to have to get in there and they're going to have to win this game in San Diego.
Speaker 1:No, no, game five is in LA. Oh yeah, tomorrow night game five in LA.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I'm completely wrong. Yeah Well, fantastic, so they're not going to have to do any of that. But that's good that they're back in LA Well yeah, and that was the thing going into game.
Speaker 1:Four is you have to keep the mentality of you can't win both games at the same time. Right, you've got to worry about one at a time. Yes, and they went into San Diego and did something that the Padres have done to us a lot in the postseason over the last few years. We punched them in the mouth, yeah, in their backyard, yeah, and took the crowd completely out of it.
Speaker 2:Yep Sure did.
Speaker 1:The pitching plan was and if you've listened to this show you know I don't suffer people that blame every little teeny tiny picky thing on Dave Roberts. Dave Roberts was a master. He was playing chess last night when everybody else was playing checkers. With that pitching plan, yeah, the pitching plan was great last night. Closer pitched in the third inning yeah, you know what I mean. Like he pushed all the right buttons, pulled all the right levers and gave his team a chance to win without a starting pitcher.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know it was so funny last night watching the pregame if you can call it that on FS1 or Fox or whichever. It's the same crew, no matter what station they're on there at Fox.
Speaker 2:FS1.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fs1. And they're going to pick the Padres because that's the sexy pick and all that, right and all that. But a rod gave two reasons why he thought the padres were going to win. The first one was dylan cease was pitching on three days rest. I I want to mention, because the broadcast showed this literal minutes after a rod said that since 1995, so in the wild card era, pitchers in the playoffs that pitch on three days rest are 64 and 90. Yeah, it is not a good decision, right? The other reason he gave was he was just blown away and couldn't believe that a team was going to throw a bullpen game at this juncture of the season. Right, well, I was kind of surprised about that too.
Speaker 1:But here's the thing Number one what else do you go with Right? Landon Knack and his postseason debut. Yeah, I like Landon Knack a lot. He's from my hometown, I've got a special interest in him and I love watching him pitch. But the bullpen has been a strength. Nobody was really in need of a day off. You know you've got the built-in days off in the postseason series. Everybody was pretty, you know, well, rested, ready to go day off the day after. That was the right move and it showed um. But I think beyond that sort of to your point, the offense showed up yeah, they did if you take away chris taylor in the nine hole, going over four with four strikeouts.
Speaker 1:Everybody contributed, yeah, and the most encouraging thing from my point of view was they didn't. They scored in more ways than just the home run. This is a team that the last several years has been very, very home run dependent as far as scoring runs, and they manufactured runs. I mean, tommy Edmond executed a perfect squeeze with a runner on first and a runner on third. Yeah, sure did. And as you love to say that play when you execute it indefensible.
Speaker 2:And the commentators said that they actually almost quoted me word for word, which makes me wonder what they've been listening to Well, I mean, that's another conversation for another day.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I mean when the first baseman can't charge and has to hold the runner on. Yeah, you put one right down that first baseline, you score a run, you move that guy into scoring position yeah, you can't do anything about it and you trade that for one out and that's winning baseball. Yep, sure you know that's a situation where bunting makes a lot of sense yeah and edmunds bunted himself on base in this series too. I mean, he is an excellent bunter. I love Tommy Edmonds.
Speaker 2:I do too. He's amazing man. Yeah, he's really showed up here in the second half and he's doing some really cool things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean versatile.
Speaker 2:Very versatile. Playing shortstop and center field yeah, playing shortstop and center field yeah, sometimes in the same game I was going to say, and he didn't have any residues not the right word. It didn't bother him to move, yeah, like it didn't take him a couple plays to get into it, he just did it.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, he's great man and, you know, puts the ball in play, which was something we needed.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know we had a lot of feast or famine hitters, and Edmond, just sort of you know, gives us a little bit of a new dynamic. They're down in that bottom of the order, in that bottom of the order, man, and that's the thing. If 7, 8, 9 get on base in front of Otani, the Dodgers are hard to beat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they are they are, they are and that's what they've been doing. And you know, last night they had a couple injuries. That was unfortunate and they overcame that. They didn't let that slow them down a beat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, freddie Freeman, no, miguel Rojas, and you know Rojas is more for the defense and not the bat, but you know he's had a good. I mean, he hit like 282-90 this year. Yeah, you know, granted, a lot of that was being put in position to succeed. You know situations where he's going to thrive, you know more often than not, but even still, you know a leader, an absolute leader, a guy that you know, I think now is really viewed as a future manager in the major leagues. Uh, and they showed a couple times he was in that dugout coaching his ass off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and and that's what this team has that I don't think a lot of other teams have is, even when freddie freeman and miguel rojas rojas aren't in there, they have enough talent to get the job done and you've still got those guys in the room seeing things Doing their thing. Clayton Kershaw he's not going to pitch again this year, but he's in that dugout, he's in that clubhouse. Kevin Kiermaier's not even on the roster, but he's in that dugout, he's in that clubhouse. Yeah, these are veteran guys that know the game, they know what it takes to win and that's a very valuable piece of this team that I don't think gets talked about enough.
Speaker 1:Obviously, the story with the Dodgers is World Series or bust, because of all the money and all the stars and all the attention and all the pressure, a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure on this team and and there is a sense of urgency that there's not been in a couple years. Yeah, and that's good, because I here's the thing otani signed for 10 years. If they don't win at least two in that 10 years, it's going to be viewed as a disappointment, right, and even if they only win two, it still might be viewed as a disappointment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say, it would be.
Speaker 1:Because Mookie Betts is going to be there that 10 years.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yoshinobu Yamamoto is going to be there that 10 years. You know there's a lot of. I mean, will Smith is inked up now for 10 years. There's a lot of core talent on that team that's going to be there for a while and for me the biggest thing is the next three years, because that's how long we know for a fact. We've got Freddie Freeman Right After that. Who comes up? Who do we sign? Anything can happen, but I think we we got to win at least one in the the next three years without a doubt.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean and and this is the year to start, I mean they, they really need this year yeah, and, and so you know, um, it's, it's been, it's been a hell of a series.
Speaker 1:I mean, we've seen two blowouts each team's won a blowout and each team's won a close game. Yeah, um, so it's been, you know, a really good back and forth series. Um, god, I hate the padres. I can't stand those dudes. Yeah, I mean, I just, you know, I've never really liked Machado, right, part of that is he just didn't fit with the Dodgers in 2018. You know, he was the big guy on the trade block and they went out and got him and that's what the Dodgers have done, but he just didn't mesh and his way and the Dodger way, don't? They're just the opposite, right, so it's almost fitting he went to a division rival because, you know, I just I don't like the way the Padres carry themselves.
Speaker 1:I don't like. I mean, to me, they disrespect the game, yeah, the way they act, and they're petty and they're childish and they're immature acting. And here's the thing, man, the Padres, and especially their bandwagon, just showed up three years ago Fanbase. They want rid of that little brother identity they have, but they act like little brothers. They're pesky and they're annoying and they get on your nerves and they get under your skin and that's their game. That's what they want to do they're the self-professed villains.
Speaker 1:They said that the other night, that that's what they want, that's what they want, they want to be and they want to be the bad guys. Yeah, yeah, and they're good at it. They are good and they're loaded with talent. Yeah, top to bottom. That might be the most talented roster in the major leagues and I'll give them that, you know, but they're just fucking assholes man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they are God.
Speaker 1:I hate them, I can't stand them. As soon as it lined up that we were going to have to play them at some point, I knew I was like God, this is going to be a long postseason, a long postseason, and it's just the second round. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, I mean the nuts and bolts of this thing hasn't even really started yet. It starts next week, and look at all this intensity already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we'll talk more about the overall playoff picture later and all the stories. I mean, brian, we should have seen this coming and I think deep down I did, with all the parody, this year nobody won 100 games. Everybody was kind of jumbled in the middle and that's exactly the type of postseason we've gotten. Yeah, because it's still really anybody's right to win right, but I think I don't know To me if the Dodgers that showed up last night keep showing up, I don't know how you beat this team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree, I agree, but that's the thing. Are they going to keep showing up? They can't alternate Otani having bad nights, I mean, and he's not perfect, he's going to have off nights. You just don't expect it. Yeah, Well, that's the thing too, is the expectation is so high and I was telling Ashley it's great that he did all those things this season, but that's not what they bought him for, that's not what they signed him for.
Speaker 2:They signed him to help in the postseason, yeah, and you know he's got to. Honestly, I think he's got to do a little better. That's crazy to say, man. It really is. It's crazy to say, but it's true. I mean, he's a single here and getting some RBIs. Now he's hustling on the bases yeah, he's really hustling out there. He's doing everything he can, yeah, but he's got to bring that bat. He's got to bring that bat more.
Speaker 1:You know, and that's the thing too with otani is everybody talks about the home runs and the fact that he pitches really well and hits well. You know, the stolen bases are what they are and the efficiency stealing bags. This year he does the little things too. He does all the little things. I mean he tagged up from first and went to second on a ball to center field last night yeah, I mean unreal and got there by two and went to second on a ball to center field last night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean unreal and got there by two or three steps.
Speaker 1:You're not supposed to be able to do that. Yeah, you know, we say it every week. I feel like he's not human. Yeah, he's not. I mean, he's an alien, he's a unicorn.
Speaker 2:But then you have like night before last, where he was human.
Speaker 1:And that's the thing is. This is a team talking about the Padres that we see 13 times in the regular season and we know all about each other. Yeah, they know everything we're going to throw at them and vice versa. Right, but I loved too when you, darvish, pitched that gym earlier in the series. They didn't praise Darvish and his stuff. Max Muncy flat out said I mean, he got asked what was it about you, darvish, tonight? And he said we were shit and that was the answer to the question.
Speaker 1:We were shit. We have to do better. Yeah, so I love that this team was all it was the answer to the question we were shit. Yeah, we have to do better. Yeah, so I love that this team is putting it on their own backs because, even with the pressure, they know. They know that if they, if they all show up like they did last night, even the padres, with all that talent and all that hype and all the familiarity, can't touch him. And you know game five in Dodger Stadium, I feel a lot better than I did 24 hours ago. Right, right, because down 2-1, you know, games two and three were tough to watch. And again, the Padres just come out and they score early and when, even when you've got this great offense, this historically good offense, they can't be behind the eight ball in the first inning every single game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can't expect them to rise above that every single time out well, both teams were alternating, coming out scoring three runs in the first inning through this whole series. Yeah, so both teams is having to deal with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and that's hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been a prize fight, man Batting, just you know, exchanging blows, starting off hot. It's been a real good series, man it has.
Speaker 2:It's been very entertaining, and that's the name of the game yeah, well, that's what.
Speaker 1:That's what major league baseball wants you know they want these series that are going to be like that and and they got one in a big way, uh, with this, padres, dodgers, uh, nlds, and again we'll touch on all the other series and everything else going on. We want to cover some other things first, but I will say this, brian Usually in October I get real stressed, I'm on edge. You know, I smoke a lot of cigarettes, right, which Jen just loves. Of course. I always used to joke.
Speaker 1:I bought a pack for october. This is my october pack, but I've had a calm so far. Well, that's this october. I've never gotten too high or too low, you know, obviously. You know down to one was rough, real rough, you know, because because we get beat 10 to 2 and that was demoralizing in our place. Then we go to san diego and they jump on top of us and and it was like god, here we go again. And then tay oscar hits that grand slam, makes it a one run game, and I'm like here we go, and then we didn't do shit, yeah, couldn't go six six innings after that we got like one hit yeah, it was, it was.
Speaker 1:It was hard to watch at times, especially against a team like the Padres. God, I hate them. I just can't stand them, those gaudy, awful ugly uniforms, paying these guys millions of dollars to go out there and dress like clowns Just UPS drivers Anyways. But yeah, I'm feeling pretty good.
Speaker 1:That's good and and and. The thing with game five from a pitching standpoint is we got a lot of options. Yeah, flarity can go on. Four days rest and I feel good about that. Um, I, I really like yoshi, but I don't know that yamamoto's the guy.
Speaker 1:The padres have had his number all year, right, right, you know, the one like really bad start he had in the regular season was against the Padres, the first one out in Korea where they just jumped on top of him and then he cruised all year. And then we get to the end of the year and he comes back and he's against the Padres and they get him again. And then they got him, you know, a little bit in game one of this series and the Dodgers were just able to overcome that and score enough runs to bail him out and then the bullpen was just nails. This bullpen is I mean, somebody should really deeply scientifically study this Dodgers pitching staff over the last several years Right, because they just get guys off the scrap heap and turn them into high leverage, good, solid, dependable arms in that bullpen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they do, you know, they're just that pitching lab is cooking and it's a good thing because all the injuries are on the pitching side, basically Right. Obviously, freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas are playing through pain and Rojas is going to have to have surgery in the offseason. Freddie's just dealing with a sprained ankle, but it's the first time he's ever sprained his ankle. Yeah, and that's tough. Yeah, trying to go out there and play these meaningful games and contribute and be Freddie Freeman with a sprained ankle.
Speaker 2:They said in the regular season this he'd have been out four to six weeks. Yeah, healing this thing, he tried. He tried playing through the pain. He just couldn't. And I knew, when he came down with that ball at first and it tweaked it a little, yeah, I was like yeah, he's done.
Speaker 1:Yeah that was tough. That was tough to to watch because you knew it just didn't feel good. Yeah, you know, to jump in the air and land on that ankle hard like that and the spikes on the dirt, yep, you know that's not fun. You know that's not fun if you've got a healthy ankle Right.
Speaker 2:Well, and spikes aren't comfortable to really wear anyway, right, because they poke back through sometimes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. But anyways, I feel pretty good about the Dodgers. I do too, and I think if we get past the Padres, I'll be honest, when I looked at the whole bracket for the AL and the NL, the one team I just didn't want to have to deal with was San Diego Right. Everybody else I'm not really scared of them, right At all, and not to say I'm scared of the Padres. I know if our best, their best, we're winning, right, or at least it's going to be competitive, you know, and come down to the. You know the very nitty gritty there, but you know nobody in the AL, I don't know though, man, we'll talk about it. We'll talk about it, let's move on.
Speaker 1:So, while we were on our little break last week and I just peek up and I see him on the wall yeah, charlie Hustle man, pete Rose has passed away. Last week, um, and I just peek up and I see him on the wall yeah, um, charlie hustle man, pete rose has passed away, and you know there are a lot of people that don't have very high opinions of pete rose the person, and that was clear when the news came out about his passing right, but we're not going to talk about that because we're first off. You know he's dead. I don't want to run a guy's reputation through the mud when he's not here to speak for himself. Right, I've always felt that way, I probably always will.
Speaker 1:You know, and he you know, for all of his faults, he was not such a despicable, evil human being that he deserves that in any way. Right beyond that, brian, this is a, a man, a baseball player and really a historical figure. So for me, pete rose was a, was was a little before my time. Okay, you know, as a kid I I was aware of Pete Rose. I knew who he was, I knew about the hit record and I knew, obviously, about the controversy in him not being allowed in baseball anymore, but I didn't get the Pete Rose experience as it happened, right as it happened.
Speaker 1:Right, but for you this is a guy that means a lot to you, absolutely, someone that you met, had dinner with, got to know just a little bit as much as you could in that time. So, brian, I'm going to hand the floor over to you and let you say your piece on Pete Rose, so we can honor him and give him the proper tribute here on the show that he deserves, I guess that my first hero in life was Pete Rose.
Speaker 2:The very first thing I can remember really doing outside of my house is playing Little League. I believe I was seven years old and I remember that the very first baseball game that I watched on TV, my parents were going out for the evening for dinner and I was staying with the babysitter and I watched the Reds game for dinner and I was staying with the babysitter and I watched the Reds game and he was the first guy that you know. He just leaped out of the tv, yeah and uh, instantly became my hero and he just played so different than everybody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah um, and then you know he was the uh manager player. I know that had happened before, but I had never seen or even heard anything like that. Right, as a seven-year-old kid. You're like, you know it's some stuffy adult. Is the manager? Yeah, so it's some old guy, not somebody that's actually.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Managers are like Whitey Herzog. Yeah, Earl Weaver, Exactly. You know these pudgy Tommy Lasorda? You know these pudgy old men with bad attitudes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So you know, and then he got into the race to beat Ty Cobb and that was must-see TV every week. You know, you were seeing how close he would get and I watched the night that he got the hit. I mean that was a huge, huge moment in my life. Yeah, because I put so much time into um, to, to watching the build-up. Um, my first baseball game was the cubs and the uh reds and I was probably it was a few years later, so I was, you know, 10-ish, maybe give or take a year. And you know you go to the ballpark as a little kid and you're like, oh, I want to meet somebody. You don't realize that the odds of meeting someone is astronomical, but I was just like, oh, I want to meet Pete, I want to see Pete, I want to. You know, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 2:But and I got to watch him play and I didn't meet him. And just you know, fast forward several decades and I have the opportunity to have dinner with him and get to meet him and he watched his ponies the whole time. He had an iPad at dinner. We were at a really nice Italian restaurant and he's got an iPad right there with multi-screen watching the races. Now, he interacted, he talked, he didn't miss a beat, I mean, but he was glued to the races and he was like a grumpy grandpa. He wasn't rude, he was tender, but he was also very forthwith on what he was saying. Yeah, you know, and we talked about wrestling because you know he did some stuff.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, WWE Hall of Famer, hall of Famer. Pete Rose, absolutely. It took him a minute or two to realize that I was a wrestler, even though I had told him I was. It took him about 45 minutes to grasp the concept. Yeah, yeah. But once we grasped it, it was good.
Speaker 2:And then we got to interviewing, because that was the whole thing was, for when logan's world tv came out, he was the first guy that we that we went out and got an interview with and did the first plugs for the tv and everything, and uh, we were talking about his uh, charity and uh and all that. And we, when we talked about wrestling because it was a wrestling oriented uh network, um, but it was, it was great. And then we got to uh talk, uh, various times you know, not a lot, but various times. He wanted me to promote his uh, uh public appearance for this in the south. Uh, and, and the details didn't work out on that. That was a little too big of a project that I could take on and do properly, right, but you know to get a call one day and you know it's it's Pete Rose's management and they're like hey, pete wanted us to call you, like that's the first word, yeah, and I'm just sitting there thinking seven year old me is like what yeah, this isn't real life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like he wants you to call me. You know, you know, and of course I think, well, why can't he call me himself? But he was just, he was a really cool guy and we got to go. After dinner the next day we went up to his shop uh, this is all in vegas and we hung out there for a while with him and, uh, he was just just the nicest guy. You know, he signed a bunch of stuff for us and uh, you know my jersey that I have that.
Speaker 1:Uh, you've seen well, yeah, and and you know, I have a friend who you know I don't want to get long-winded with this, but had had there there was a pete rose signed ball in his family that he kind of had had laid claim to because, similar to you, he really looked up to pete right. Uh, as many did in that era, and family issues happened and and my friend jason you Jason didn't end up with that ball and it really stuck with him and it caused a rift in his family, his immediate family, right, I think there was a brother involved and his dad Very immediate family here all over this ball. So when I found that out, my first call was to you and I said, hey, man, you've got extra pete rose sign balls. You're like, I got tons of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I said, and I told you the story and and without before I even got it out to ask you, you said, well, he's got to get one. Yeah, you got to give him one of these. Yeah, and uh, jason is not a super, um, not that he's not outgoing, but he's not very forward with his emotions or his feelings, and it nearly brought him to tears when he saw it. Yeah, and we gave him the signed picture too, the picture of him at second base when he got the hit. It's inscribed with the hit number, steve Garvey behind him. Yeah, yeah, really cool picture at second base when he when he got the hit and it's inscribed with the the hit number and, you know, garvey behind him yeah, yeah, really cool picture.
Speaker 1:You know, and, and, uh, my friend jason is, is a, you know he's a hobbyist woodworker, so he built, he made a wooden frame to put it in, and and it was a big deal to him, you know, and and pete rose was a big deal to a lot of people, a lot of people, a lot of people and you know what happened happened and he paid the price for it.
Speaker 2:Um, it didn't define him as a person, not at all at all. I mean he, we never spoke about it, right it? Not that we avoided it, it just never came up. Yeah, there was too many other things, you know. I mean he, uh, he asked if I was a reds fan.
Speaker 2:I said, well, I'm a casual reds fan, but I'm really a cubs fan, and he spent an hour telling me on how how they sucked, yeah, and why you know, like down to you know, like well, this guy's pitching this and I'm like damn pete I, uh, just you know, I I don't know if we needed to go into that much detail but that's the kind of guy he was. He was a teacher. He was like oh well, you know that's great, that you're a fan. But let me explain to you why they're not gonna.
Speaker 2:They're not gonna make it this year yeah and and they didn't, and he was absolutely correct, right? Um, you know, he's just. It was a special time and I really am glad that I got to know him and meet him and live that boyhood dream of meeting my hero, because I have met a lot of my heroes and most of them turn out to be shit. Yeah, do not meet your heroes. If you are sitting there on the fence of, hey, I'm gonna'm going to go meet so-and-so at a convention or a banquet or something, don't. Yeah, don't meet your heroes, because most people fail you and it's not worth it and it's heartbreaking. I have to say and this is a tangent but, other than Roddy Piper, meeting Pete Rose was probably the best of meeting my heroes. Yeah, and those two guys were just awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah. They were just incredible, yeah, man, when, after Pete passed away, you know, on Twitter I saw somebody did like a super cut of like the best moments when he was like a studio analyst on games, not even that long ago.
Speaker 2:Maybe 10 years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and man, just a hoot, Just a laugh. Riot man, what a larger than life personality. That's why he translated so well into the wrestling world. Yeah, and we talked about Machado and the Padres. Pete was like that too. Pete wanted to get under your skin. He wanted to be that bad guy, that villain. So when he went to wrestling and they gave him a microphone, oh my God, he was in hog head.
Speaker 2:And it wasn't 100% his idea, but him taking the pile driver from Kane was his idea. Yeah, he wanted to physically do something. He didn't want to just talk. Yeah, he wanted to get physically involved. And that's when they were like, well, do you want to take the pile driver? And he was like sure, and they were the story goes, they all kind of looked around the room like is he serious, like is he really going to let us do this? And you know, and he loves that, he loved the wrestling, he loved being in the WWE Hall of Fame. Yeah, because that was the one time he did bring up the Hall of Fame. Is he's like well, I'm in that Hall of Fame, right? You know, he took that very seriously, right, and he laughed, yeah, but it was. You know what? Do I need this other one for? Right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But it was just, it was a special time, and I was heartbroken when I heard it. I heard it on the radio, I was at work and I heard it and it was just like wow. I almost left work because I was like you know, I felt hurt yeah. You know, like I had lost somebody. I realized I couldn't do that, but they didn't see it that way. But but yeah it's, he will be missed. He'll definitely be missed by me and he was, and he was very much loved and still loved.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, and it was nice to see the reds welcome him back um and embrace him in a way that he really deserves. And you know, I don't know how much we've talked about this on the on the show probably has come up, but I'm a firm believer in the extracurricular stuff. Shouldn't keep hall of famers out of the hall of fame, I agree, and that goes for the steroid guys too. Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, because here's the thing the voters are using their own personal morality. And if I've learned anything in 38 years on this earth, morality is such a subjective, individual thing. Oh yeah, and a lot of people just don't have it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and people that do have it. There's a lot of gray area and people that do have it. There's a lot of gray area and for me, pete is such a huge part of baseball's story and Cooperstown is not supposed to be. It's not a shrine, it's not a religious shrine in the way that a church or a temple is so and it's and it's so. It's so one sided too, because it's like Ty Cobb's in the hall of fame yeah, and he was a terrible he was a son of a bitch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I mean just not a good dude. You know, kill the guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah dude, you know, kill the guy. Yeah, racist, racist, uh, very racist, attacked. You know, and this is, this has been disputed, but there is a story out there of ty cop going into the stands of a game and physically assaulting a mentally handicapped person. Yeah, I mean, he's in the hall of fame but pete rose bet on baseball and he can't be on the hall of Fame. But Pete Rose bet on baseball and he can't be on the Hall of Fame even though he has more hits than anybody else and he was this huge part of the story.
Speaker 1:It's the same with Barry Bonds. Yeah, I get it, I get it and it's not ideal, but Barry Bonds was a Hall of Famer before the steroids. You know what I mean. Right, you know, mark McGuire, probably a Hall of Famer even without the steroids, right, you know, you get into the Sosa's. It's like, okay, maybe I could see that. But just, you know, and here's the thing, for baseball to turn their back on guys like McGuire and Sosa when they saved the game of baseball in 1998. Because you're talking about watching Pete break Ty Cobb's hit record and that moment and what it meant to you and the buildup to it. For me, that was the 1998 home run race.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, because the strike in 94 really hurt baseball, yeah, and I don't know that you can understand that if you really hurt baseball, yeah, and I don't know that you can understand that if you weren't there, yeah, and you didn't live it. And that 1998 home run chase with Sosa and McGuire and the fact they were in the same division so they played each other so much through that whole run. And you know WGNgn every game was on tv right watching that whole home run race and you know, everybody had their guy they were rooting for. You know, I was a sosa guy, you know, but but I didn't hate mark mcguire, you know, they were friendly, yeah, you know. And and mcguire broke the record against the cubs and the first guy to greet him after his son, who was the bad boy, was Sammy Sosa.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, it was just. There's moments in the history of baseball that should be celebrated in Cooperstown, because that's what Cooperstown should be. It should be a monument to the story and the history of the game. Yeah, be a monument to the story and the history of the game. Yeah, and it's just a mockery until guys like pete rose and barry bonds, you know, and roger clemens are in the hall of fame?
Speaker 2:yeah, where they belong well, and here's the thing, though, let's not put him in now well, yeah don't put him in now because it's too late and and is there's interview out there? There's several, but there's one specific. He doesn't want to go in posthumously.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He's like if you're not going to do it in my life, and the reason he gives is it's not fair to the fans, yeah, he says, if you couldn't let my fans see me accept that while I'm alive, don't do it.
Speaker 1:Don't do it. Yeah, see me, uh, accept that while I'm alive. Don't do it. Don't do it, yeah, yeah, because that was that. That was a lot of the reaction when he passed was well maybe now they'll do it, yeah, no, they can't.
Speaker 2:No, I don't think so. No, don't do it. It's just, and in a way in, in a strange way, society is now he's almost more famous for not yeah right, yeah it right, yeah it's like he's above it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's part of his brand. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm the guy, I'm the outlaw, the one that couldn't go in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the guy that got cast out and ostracized yeah, and you know, I don't know man, pete Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame because he bet. But listen to a baseball podcast, watch a baseball broadcast. It's all over the place. Now. Gambling is funding the game of baseball now. Yeah, and I don't want to get off on a tangent with sports betting.
Speaker 2:No, but Pete loved to bet on the ponies. Yeah, I know that firsthand. You know that was his pastime, you know and here's the thing, he had the money to do it. So you can't say you know he had the money, so let him do whatever he wants to do with his own money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, for an adult man, exactly, exactly, you know, for an adult man.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:You know. So, yeah, so rest in peace to Pete Rose. A shame that they never made it right and it probably will never be made right for all the reasons you just described. But yeah, you know, a definite loss for the game of baseball and fans of your age and similar age. You know a definite loss for the game of baseball and fans of your age and similar age. You know especially.
Speaker 2:Well, and something else I want to say that I thought of while we were talking. You know, OK, so the mid 80s, early to mid 80s, you know wrestling was very popular. That's near and dear to our hearts. You know wrestling was very popular. That's near and dear to our hearts. You've got all these TV shows on Knight Rider and A-Team and all these iconic shows that appeal to that age demographic. And here we are watching baseball, watching a guy try to break a record. Yep, you know it was must-see TV because you had you had to. If you missed it, if it was that night and there was several nights, you know he didn't get it. I think, I think it was. I watch we're going back a lot, so don't quote me on this but I think it was like three nights in a row he didn't get it and then and then it was like the third or fourth night that he finally got it. So you're on the edge of your seat. Is he going to do it?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But to just have a 7 to 10-year-old to 11-year-old somewhere in that age bracket saying no, I want to turn those other shows off, I want to watch this. That's huge and that's good for the game Very good.
Speaker 1:Very good for the game, very good, very good for the game. Yeah and uh, and that's the thing you know, and and and we're all human, none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes and for him to have to carry that one mistake for all those years, decades, I mean decades, decades. He carried that, yeah and um, everywhere he went, yeah, I mean, that's the first thing anybody wants to talk about? Yeah, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:I mean I went to uh the reds game and bought a shirt. I've got it somewhere. It says I'm with pete, I'll put 200 on the reds. I mean that's what he had to deal with A bootleg shirt at his own ballpark saying that, yeah, you know. And when I saw it I had to have it on Right, yeah, you know, that's a no-brainer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can't pass that up, you can't pass that shirt up.
Speaker 2:You know I got to dig that out.
Speaker 1:It's right up there with your Acuna Matata shirt. Yes, my Acuna Matata, yes my Acuna Matata.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, speaking of the Cincinnati Reds, they sort of fizzled out again this season and wasn't a lot for Reds fans to be optimistic about. But they have a new manager. But they have a new manager and it was pretty quickly after the regular season was all said and done the Reds have hired Terry Francona as their manager. And you know, if you're listening to this show I don't think I have to tell you, but you know this is the manager who broke the curse in Boston. This was Michael Jordan's manager when he was in the minor leagues. You, but you know this is the manager who broke the curse in boston. This was michael jordan's manager when he was in the minor leagues.
Speaker 1:I don't know how many people are aware of that. Right, that aren't diehards, you know. Um, by the way, uh, the 30 for 30 that espn did, called jordan rides the bus, is maybe the best one they've ever done. Uh, you know they go back to Birmingham and talk to all the people with the team and you know they talk to Terry Francona and it's a very cool, very good documentary. Yeah, very well done documentary about a really interesting topic.
Speaker 1:And Terry Francona, you know, a really good get for the Cincinnati Reds. A really good get for the Cincinnati Reds and I really liked the energy at his introductory press conference and he got asked about. I don't remember the specific question, but it had to do with the Reds spending money to make the team better. Right, and Terry Francona, without really hesitating or thinking, said well, I hope this is the last time that I have to talk to you about payroll. Yeah, and that tells me that there was a conversation with ownership of like, look, I'll take this job, but not if it's going to be what it's been. Yeah, you got to spend some money and so now you know the brewers are sort of miraculously inevitable in that division. Now you know, council leaves and then they win the division and, um, you know, they lose pieces, like corbin burns, and you know willie adames is about to hit free agency and who knows what's going to happen there. But, um, you know, the the cardinals can't be this bad forever, can they? I mean, uh, mean the.
Speaker 2:Pirates.
Speaker 1:We can hope they are, I know you hope they are, I do the Pirates there's reason to be excited there. They got really good young pitching. And the Cubs they've won what? 83 games the last two years. Yeah, they're right there. So the Reds get in this equation. That division might turn into a dogfight real soon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, next season's going to be very interesting to see what everybody brings.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you know my thing and I meant to look this up and I just, you know I've been really covered up with things other than the show. Unfortunately I haven't been able to give it the attention that I would like to in preparation. But I want to say, didn't Terry Francona leave Cleveland after last season because of health stuff? Am I making that up? I don't know, I don't remember. I don't know about that, I don't remember. But anyways, for him to take that job there's got to be a commitment from the Reds ownership group to get over this hump Right. And you know the Reds have not been very good for a long time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:A long time. Yep, yeah, long time. Yep, um, yeah, so so it'll be really interesting to see, um, you know what? What happens now for for the reds? Because, uh, because terry francona is a difference maker as a manager. Absolutely, you know, that's a guy that can really get a lot out of these players and and there's good young talent there. We've talked before about the Reds and that young core they've got. They need some pitching, they need some pieces. Don't get me wrong, they're not. Terry Francona doesn't make them a contender all of a sudden. But if they're going to go out this offseason and spend some money, here's the thing You've hired Terry Francona. He has this great introductory presser. You go out and you get a extension in front of Ellie.
Speaker 1:Dela Cruz. The fans are coming. Yeah, you know they're gonna be there, because now you've said, look, we get it, we're trying. Yeah, we're good, we're showing you there's effort being made to get back to where the Reds feel like they belong. You, a lot of their fans, feel like they belong. This is the oldest professional baseball organization still in existence. Yeah, and that's a fact. That's not conjecture or opinion, it's a fact. Yes, the Cincinnati Reds have been around longer than any other professional baseball team still in existence.
Speaker 2:Here's a fun fact they have been around longer than the refrigerator exactly that's my, exactly my point.
Speaker 1:that's how long the cincinnati reds have been around. And you, you think about, you know, obviously you think about the big red machine, yeah, in the 70s, I mean, you know that, you know pete's team, I mean that was, you know. I mean I mean, wow, what a collection of players, you know, and very successful and celebrated to this day. Yep, you know, I think anybody who got to see him play you know, live or on TV, as it happened will probably contend that Johnny Bench is the greatest catcher of all time, without a doubt. You know, and there's an argument to be made there for sure, you know, I think, for anybody who approaches baseball with any sort of rational thinking, yeah, man, it's going to be really interesting, you know. And again, with all that we've said about the teams and where they're at, the NL, central is a winnable division yeah for any of those teams it's winnable.
Speaker 1:For any of them, it's just going to come down to the commitment from the ownership group and the makeup of the group you know, and, and you know, talking again about the parity we've achieved now in baseball this year and I don't expect that to last forever.
Speaker 1:You know, it's just one of those things that kind of comes and goes. Baseball is structured business-wise far differently than any other sport. So you know, I expect a team to win 100-plus games next year. You know, I expect, you know there to be a little bit more separation. But I think to a certain degree this new expanded playoff format is making more teams believe that they can go out and make one trade, they can go out and make one signing and get into the playoffs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, be there at the end.
Speaker 1:And if we've proven anything the last three years with this format, if you get in, you got a shot. Yeah, oh, yeah, you know. I mean, let's face it no team in the National League that has had a first-round bye so far has won a playoff series. Yeah, not one, not a single time the last two years. The National League representative in the World Series was the no 6 seed, the team that barely snuck in Yep, and we've talked about that ad nauseum and the almost seeming disadvantage of of the first round by with this new format.
Speaker 1:So you know the reds. I really believe the reds are a lot closer than people give them credit for to making a diamondbacks type of run. Yeah, you know from last year and and obviously they didn't win at all you know they ran into the rangers Rangers and the Rangers just outplayed them. But you can't take away that pennant that's going to hang up in the Diamondbacks' ballpark forever, that they were the National League champions in 2023, when they probably didn't have any business being in the playoffs. But you get in, you got a shot. So there's all these teams that are just right on the edge. The Cubs are one of them too. Yeah, yeah, right on the edge and if they get in, that's all they need to believe they can go all the way, just because of the evidence.
Speaker 1:You know it's a small sample size, I get that, but the evidence with this new playoff format is that there's a lot more teams that have a shot at winning the World Series. I mean, we've come a long way from you win the pennant in the regular season and only two teams play in the postseason, and that's the top and the A on top of the NL. We've come a way, long way from that. It's a lot more exciting now, unless you're a Dodger fan, for fuck's sake. We'd have a lot more penance if we didn't have to play anybody else in the National League in the postseason.
Speaker 2:Well again, if the Cubs had two more weeks we could have done it.
Speaker 1:As long as nobody else was playing.
Speaker 2:No, that's the deal. Nobody else could have been playing, it was just us. Just out there, going through the paces oh my goodness shit, I can't work my technology yeah well I mean, but a lot of interesting things are happening in the playoffs, a lot of, uh, surprise things yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'm pulling it up right now so we can get caught up, all right. So let's start with the American League and then we'll kind of move over to the National League, and we're going to end talking about the Mets, because we want to spend some time talking about the Mets, because they have fascinated us all season, basically.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:You know, let's start with a big surprise. The no 6 seed in the American League, the Detroit Tigers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, we were talking about them being just gone right after the All-Star break and look at them.
Speaker 1:They were sellers at the deadline. Yeah, they were sellers at the deadline and somehow, some way they surpass Minnesota, they sneak in and I'm sure everybody was thinking, well, they're not getting past the Houston Astros and I'll be damned. The Astros didn't touch them. Yeah, they went to Houston and won two games and didn't lose one. Yeah, in that wild card series. And now they're up 2-1 on Cleveland and game four is in Detroit. Yeah, so all they got to do is win one more game at home and they're in the ALCS. Yep, when they were selling at the deadline.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm talking about with this new format, brian, is it's crazy, it's bananas, it's anybody's game. It really is Crazy. It's bananas, it's anybody's game, it really is. And outside of probably the best pitcher in the game right now, tarek Skubal, that they get once every few days, they don't have any fucking pitching. Yeah, yeah, and they're just piecing it together. Aj Hinch, you know, say what you want about the, the cheating scandal. I don't want to get into that. I think it's pretty obvious to anybody how I feel about the 2017 Houston Astros and if it's not, you know, just keep listening, because I, you know, I like to periodically mother fuck them just for the sake of it. But you know, that's because they stole one, that's because they stole one, anyways. But AJ Hinch goes to the Tigers, takes a few years to get his footing. I think a lot of people saw them as a team that could maybe elevate, but weren't quite there yet. And here they are. They're one win and home away from going to the championship series. It's mind-blowing.
Speaker 2:It really is.
Speaker 1:Crazy, crazy.
Speaker 2:I mean not to jump ahead, but just to put this in perspective. We could be looking at a Mets-Detroit Tigers World Series perspective.
Speaker 1:We could be looking at a mets detroit tigers world series. That would either be the highest rated world series of all time or by far the lowest I mean think about that.
Speaker 2:I mean I know I'm jumping ahead in our thing, but that's what we're discussing here that is what we're talking about.
Speaker 1:We, that's our. That's a real possibility. Um, so elsewhere in the american league, the royals did the same thing as the tigers came in, as the five seed had to go to baltimore, and baltimore was a team. You picked them. I know that's what I thought.
Speaker 1:I thought they were going to be the team and they they've looked real good for a couple years. But you know they're, they're the. The orioles are starting to get in that Dodger territory of they're going to have to get out of their own head now, because they've been that team, I think, for the last two years and it's just not gone well for them at all. Yeah, but Kansas City goes in, punches them in the mouth, wins two games in Baltimore and goes on to play the Yankees, now the Yankees. This is all as we sit recording. You know, if you're one of our new listeners on Pirate Flag Radio, which we haven't even mentioned yet, we'll get to that though one of our new homes for the show every weekend.
Speaker 1:This all may have changed by the time you hear us, but as it sits right now, kansas City is down 2-1 to the Yankees In Kansas City. Tonight is Game 4, and the Yankees have Garrett Cole going, which really puts the Royals behind the eight ball. But, as you know, I believe in the Royals. Yeah, because that's who you picked. When I picked them they were not really even in playoff position. Right, they made a run, they got hot, they got in and again they beat a really good team in Baltimore, yeah, so this is a team that I think has a belief.
Speaker 1:And you know, there's a guy on this Royals team that has a World Series ring in Sal Perez, has a world series ring in sal perez and again, that's so valuable this time of year, especially with a younger team, an upcoming team like the, the royals, um, you know, and if the royals win tonight, you know they got to go to yankee stadium to win game five, but I mean a lot crazier shit's happened. I mean it's not out of the realm of. I mean we could have an American League Championship Series of the Tigers and the Royals. Yeah, I mean that's a real possibility, we sure could.
Speaker 1:And again, the Royals have some work to do and they've got to beat arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Garrett Cole to do it.
Speaker 2:But then again, this is how wild this whole playoff is, and I know I'm getting ahead of myself. You're probably hating it, but we could have an all new york world series. We could, it's true.
Speaker 1:I mean the, the, the scenarios are endless this year yeah, yeah because it's really anybody's anybody's game yeah, so, um, let's skip over the mets. Uh, other other than just saying they went to Milwaukee, won that series. Two games to one, great series. Watched a lot of that series when I was in Nashville in the hotel room. Yeah, great series. Then they get Philly and win that one three to one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that was my pick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean just a, I mean my pick too. Yeah, because when we picked it midseason, it looked like the Phillies were untouchable. Yeah, absolutely. And here we are and they're out again. Yeah, you know, and just man, I mean just, it's almost hard to believe until you think about how the last two years have gone. Yeah, in the playoffs, and then the Padres beat the Braves two games to none in the wild card series. And we're going to talk about that extra day of the regular season doubleheader, because I watched most of that in Nashville, in the hotel as well, the day I got to Nashville. Actually, Right.
Speaker 1:And then we've already talked enough about this dodgers and um padre series. That's uh tied up tomorrow night, friday night, is uh game five at dodger stadium.
Speaker 1:So yeah, uh, just that I got wrong, that you pointed out well, you know I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to keep going. You know I just tried and I would have too. I know you would have, I know. But yeah, this, I mean this, I mean let's, let's just talk about that. This has been a wacky year overall, but this postseason is just driving that point home. This has just been, and it's been fun to watch, a lot of fun to watch these games well, and it's been good for radio.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's given us a lot to talk about, a lot, a lot, because every week we come in, we come in cocksure one week, well, this is what's going to happen. And we come back and we're like, well, that didn't happen, you know.
Speaker 1:And it really, I think, illustrates what makes baseball so much better at least in my opinion than any other sport. Right, you know, because baseball is hard, mm-hmm, baseball is really, really hard and everybody slumps. There's not been a baseball player in history who has not had a bad stretch. Yeah, and if you play enough in october just ask mookie betts you're gonna struggle in october too. Yeah, um, I don't know that. We even mentioned that he's come out of his slump. Yeah, big time, big time. If it wasn't for jerks and Profar's goofy ass robbing him.
Speaker 2:Every night.
Speaker 1:He'd have a home run in the first inning. Three games in a row, I know. Yeah, as it stands, he has in two. Yeah, what about just real quick? What about the night after the robbery? He does it again and he was convinced Profar had it.
Speaker 2:Yeah. He even starts to run in on the grass, he goes across the field yeah, like he's got it, and then and he's like oh shit, no, I actually hit a home run.
Speaker 1:I got to drop the bases, but, yeah, what a postseason man. This has been really fun to watch. I've watched as much as I've been able to.
Speaker 2:Yeah me too, I've been able to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too, and it's just been man really, really fantastic baseball going on right now and it's really good for Major.
Speaker 2:League Baseball. It's very good for the sport and entertainment in its entirety.
Speaker 1:All right. So last thing we're going to talk about today, these New York Mets.
Speaker 2:They're world beaters.
Speaker 1:So we picked at midseason you picked the Orioles and Phillies, I picked the Royals and Phillies, but no two teams have fascinated you and me on this show more than the lowly Chicago White Sox. Right, and we had a lot of fun with them, yeah, but this Mets team, it's all Grimace. Well, okay, so a fast food mascot, and not even a particularly good fast food mascot. Why are you hating?
Speaker 2:on Grimace.
Speaker 1:I'm not hating on Grimace. It's just like what the fuck is Grimace? What is he? He looks like a purple gumdrop. He is a purple gum, but I've never seen a purple gumdrop. Do they make purple gumdrops? Of course they do, okay, well, maybe I have seen one. They're yummy. I'm diabetic. I can't be eating gumdrops. They're yummy. Yeah, they're great. I love them. They're. They're one of my favorite candies, but you know they'll kill me. So, um, but grimace shows up. They turn it around. Then, all of a sudden, you know jose iglesias is is working on his his music career and performing his hit song on the field. So now you know the song's called omg, so there's omg signs everywhere in the ballpark. Yeah, then they go to milwaukee for this wild card series and pete Alonzo, who's going to hit free agency and this might be the last chance he gets to win one with the Mets he goes out with his wife while they're in Milwaukee and picks a pumpkin and brings it back, and now they have a rally pumpkin.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean you just can't compete with Grimace, a rally pumpkin. I mean you just can't compete with grimace, a rally pumpkin, julio iglesias and these mats that was solid, did you like that?
Speaker 1:that was good. That was good. I hope that didn't go over everybody's head, because that was really. I thought it was a mistake at first, and then I saw the look on your face.
Speaker 2:I mean there's a lot they're dealing with out there Can you imagine what they're talking about on the mound.
Speaker 1:Dude, it's crazy, and you know, here's the thing if not for Shohei Otani, if Shohei Otani didn't exist, or maybe you know, if he was hurt this year or something, francisco Lindor is the most valuable player in the National League. Yeah, and he would deserve it. You know he does deserve it. But there's just a guy doing shit that's never been done before. That's going to win the award? Yeah, and you know, mets are down, looks like we're going to a game five and he just hits one into next week and brings in four runs and series was over. Yeah, just, you know. Again, there's a belief within within the Mets, there's a belief within the Mets organization. There's a belief that they can do it.
Speaker 2:I mean, they're painting chairs purple. They are believing it. They have bought in 110%.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, so I just showed Brian this video before we hit record. Today there's a great video that's all over the internet. I mean, honestly, I went to twitter and just searched grimace mets and it was the first fucking thing that popped up the actual grimace. The guy in the actual suit gets on the seven train to go to the game the other night and that's how a lot of mets fans get to the game. Is that seven train? Yeah, those doors open and they see him and they start.
Speaker 1:I mean, they got rowdy like they were our already at city field dancing with him jumping up and down, the grimace guy's hitting his head on the roof of the fucking bus, I mean, or the train. It's just like, uh, there is an energy in that fan base and with that organization what do you think that guy was thinking inside the suit? I want to know what you think the guy was thinking.
Speaker 2:He's thinking my God, they're going to kill me. I'm never getting off this train. I'm not even supposed to be here today.
Speaker 1:I think it's. Yeah, it's my damn day off. I'm not even supposed to be here.
Speaker 2:Joe called in, it was his day to be grimace. Julio called in in and he can't be grimace today.
Speaker 1:Okay, so what? My favorite response to that video was like there's got to be this little old, like filipino lady that has no idea about baseball or grimace that had worked all day just trying to go home just sitting on the train yeah, you know, minding her own business and then this happens and she's like fucking New York man.
Speaker 2:Jeez. Picked the wrong city has no clue, but by the end of the train ride she's like jumping up and down with them. She's wearing a cap backwards.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's got a jersey on she accidentally gets off at the city field stop just goes, and they just sweep her up into it. We got an extra ticket.
Speaker 2:It's all right, it's all good, it's all right, we got, and then you got to deal with her now.
Speaker 1:Now she's a mascot, yeah, but you know the this is a Mets team that you know. The season ends and there's two games that got postponed, I guess with the Braves because of Hurricane Helene and the weather in Atlanta, and at the end of the scheduled season, with those two games unplayed, the Diamondbacks, the Braves and the Mets were all tied for those last two spots. So on a day that was supposed to be the off day in between the regular season and the wildcard series really a travel day for the teams that are on the road for the wild card series they have to go to Atlanta and play two games just to get in. And Lindor stepped up there too and made a huge difference and put them in. But then they got to play a whole other game. Yeah, and it was good for the Mets that they won the first game. They didn't have to worry too much about who played in the second one and you know they didn't have to worry about trying to win the second game. But I mean again, this is a sixth seed in the National League that's not even really supposed to be there. Yeah, and again, they're in the championship series now and they're waiting. They're sitting waiting on whoever wins Friday night. So you know that means their pitching is getting time off, their bullpen's getting rest. You know they're getting lined up with a pitching plan, yeah, and that's going to be an advantage, especially if they get the Dodgers, because, again, the Dodgers, the pitching is really thin ice right now. Offense has got to carry that Dodger team. So you know, and they can, you know Again, we talked about it earlier the offense can carry that team if they need to, but they got to show up and, yeah, man, it's just.
Speaker 1:You know, one of my younger brothers is a big Mets fan, so I've been texting with him a lot, yeah, yeah, a lot. You know, and I've watched a lot of the Mets. You know, I watched, um, I I got to, uh, I keep bringing up Nashville, I I. For, for anyone listening who is not aware, I am a singer-songwriter and I was in Nashville doing some recording last week and, uh, last Mondayay when I got into town, I caught like the last couple outs of the first game of that double header, and so I watched the second game in its entirety and and I've watched a lot of the mets, um, you know, against the brewers and the phillies too, uh, just because that's, you know, been the games I've been able to watch watch more so than some of the other ones and I've wanted to watch them. I've wanted to watch the Mets. They're a fun team to watch, but I mean, they're right there in it, man, they're in the thick of it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they've got just as much a chance as anybody else and I would say they're the ongoing favorites right now. I don't know, man, they got momentum, big Mo they do have Big Mo on their side.
Speaker 1:That's a good point, but I think whoever wins that game five in LA tomorrow night is going to have some Mo on their side too. Yeah, and I think on paper and you don't win baseball games on paper on paper they're the third best team in the National League left, but they're the third best team in the national league left, but they're just, they're getting the job done. Yeah, they're finding ways to win. Yeah, it's that pumpkin and that's it, I know, and that's the theme of the, that's the theme of october. Yeah, find a way to win. Yeah, I mean the tigers again. They don't have any pitching you take away terry scruble and they don't have a starter like at all. They've been doing bullpen games and they're right there in it too. So how crazy would that be? Tigers and Mets World Series. That's incredible, right? Nobody saw that shit coming. No, not at all.
Speaker 2:Not a soul, you know, I mean, I'm all for the Dodgers, but I kind of want that to happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don of want that to happen. Yeah, I don't want to think about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We'll think about somebody other than the Dodgers when the Dodgers are, you know, dead in the ground. Yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I agree. I agree, I mean we could have the Dodgers and the Tigers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, bring that shit on. Yeah, when was the last time we had a sweep in the World Series? I'm looking it up. Vamp for the people.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't know how long it's been, but that would be incredible. You know how hard it is to sweep, though, in a World Series. To not even lose one game. That would be amazing, just incredible. But you know, stranger things have happened this year. You know I'm leaning towards also also, while you're looking this up, that, uh, you know the all new york, that is a big possibility as we stand right now. Um, I know a lot of people would like to see that now. We've had a lot of in-state and freeway series over the years in the World Series and we could have that again. It's just this year is going to be really exciting because, like we've been saying, it's anybody's ballgame. I mean just anybody has a chance.
Speaker 1:You're going to love this shit because I love this shit Okay. The last time there was a sweep in the World Series 2012. Okay, Twelve years ago, so that's substantial. The San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Four games to none, wow.
Speaker 2:See, that's what's so great about baseball is these stories creep back in.
Speaker 1:We say it all the time only baseball, only Because you can't write this shit. So many things happen in this game that if you wrote it out and presented it in Hollywood, they would tell you it's too unbelievable, yeah, too cliche, it can't be a real scenario, people wouldn't buy into it because it's not possible, right?
Speaker 1:And then it happens in real life yeah yeah, yeah, tigers keep it up, dodgers keep it up. Let's uh, let's repeat some history and outdo the giants while we're at it. That'd be fun. It would be fun it's a possibility, folks. It's a big possibility yeah, I don't know that anybody in this field is sweeping anybody, and I know I don't see that happening.
Speaker 1:I don't. I mean, I don't know, the dodgers tigers would be about the closest we we could get to it. Um, but it's, it's been amazing, it's been so much fun to watch these games and, um, you know, I'm looking forward to the rest of the, the rest of the way, because it's no matter who wins and who loses. Like you said, we're really just getting to nut and bolt time.
Speaker 2:Well, and you know who's sitting in the best seat is the fans. Absolutely, Because they're getting all of this, all the storytelling, all the excitement, all the action, all the agony of defeat from the jaws of victory. You know all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:You've really showed your age today.
Speaker 2:I know I have haven't I.
Speaker 1:Julio Iglesias.
Speaker 2:Hey, man Julio, he was all right, man Julio. I'm trying to think of a Julio song and I can't think of one.
Speaker 1:I don't know a single.
Speaker 2:Julio Iglesias song Seven Spanish Angels. Kitty Foreman single Julio Iglesias song Seven Spanish Angels. Kitty Foreman loved Julio Iglesias. Seven Spanish Angels.
Speaker 1:Well then, who signed my record? I'm changing the title. I had a working title for the show Little peek behind the curtain, ladies and gentlemen, and otherwise. A little peek behind the curtain, ladies and gentlemen, and otherwise we. Most of the time, when I format the show, I have a title, but every now and then I just don't come up with a title and I say, well, it'll come to us, it'll come to us. And I had a working title typed in to the format. It was going to be Watching the Ponies Okay, that's a pretty good title, right, that's a great title. Now the format. It was going to be watching the ponies okay, that's a pretty good title, right, that's a great title. Now I think it's who's then? Who signed my record? Okay?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's it vamp form again okay well, you know um that show got canceled, by the way. Uh, while we're talking about yeah that has nothing to do with baseball, but but yeah, uh, I just don't know if, uh, if anybody can be swept uh in this series I think, everybody's got such a chance that that they're gonna win at least one yeah, no, I'm right there with you.
Speaker 1:I think I think everything's gonna be pretty tight the rest of the way. I've been wrong before. I'll be wrong again, but I just look at who's left and the potential matchups and it's really really tight and I think anybody that's in it has a real opportunity.
Speaker 2:So let's say the Dodgers go and let's say the Tigers go. Okay, does Otani see anything to hit? I say he doesn't.
Speaker 1:I say he does just because that pitching staff over there in Detroit is not a strength. I mean he's going to get mistakes to hit.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:He's going to get mistakes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those low and away pitches that he just drives out of the park.
Speaker 1:Or high and away, or high and inside, or right down the middle, or, yeah, low and in, or I mean he doesn't have a cold zone. Yeah, you know, shohei, earlier in the year if you got up by the hands he you could get swing and miss. But he made the adjustment and now that's he's. He's spitting on those pitches. Now, yeah, you know, he's, he's, he's not human, he's not human. Yeah, he's not human. And you know, while we're on Otani, how great is it that we get to see this guy in the postseason? Oh, I know, first time ever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what it's all about. I mean, you know, getting to see him play and you know, and see him going hot and cold, I mean one of our best memories is seeing him go cold and we saw that the other night when, seeing him go cold when we went to atlanta, yeah, uh, when he played for the oh yeah, um, and then seeing it again, uh, the other night, you know so it's, it's a spectacle, no matter what he does yeah, really, really, uh, really cool that he's playing meaningful games yeah because he didn't get a chance to do that in six years with the angels absolutely not, you know.
Speaker 1:And poor mike trout's over there in purgatory, yeah, probably never going to play in the postseason again, yeah, unless something crazy happens. But you know, just just a shame. Just a shame. I mean, can you imagine a team with with shohei otani, mike trout and albert pool holes all on the same team?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's crazy, that's, that's incredible, right? I mean you would think you would unbeatable on paper. That looks great, but, like you said, it's a lot of paper sport.
Speaker 1:Somebody's got a pitch is the other than otani. Yeah, somebody's got a pitch, yeah, and then you know they just they just never put anything around those guys.
Speaker 1:No, and they and you know honestly, they disrespected albert pool holes and to the point where he was doubting himself. You know, yeah, um, you know they're. Obviously I've got a lot of great Dodger memories too many to recount even half of them but I loved that Pujols went to the Dodgers and got it back. Yeah, he got that love back and he's talked about that publicly what that meant to him to go to that team and for them to be like no, you're one of the greatest, you might be the greatest right-handed hitter of all time. Right, I mean really You're in the greatest right-handed hitter of all time. Right, I mean really You're in the conversation at least. And then the next year he comes back and he gets 700 at Dodger Stadium with the Cardinals. That's one of those things that like it's like the Hank Aaron home run against the Dodgers and Al Downing. It's a part of Dodger history as much as it is anything else.
Speaker 2:It's negative against the Dodgers that was my argument against the White Sox.
Speaker 1:That's a different conversation.
Speaker 2:They're the worst ever.
Speaker 1:They are the worst.
Speaker 2:The worst ever At least since 1900.
Speaker 1:Yeah, way to go, guys, and the game's a lot different than it, at least since 1900. Yeah, way to go, guys, and the game's a lot different than it was in the 1800s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, way to go. You guys really just didn't show up.
Speaker 1:They really didn't, did they? And then just got rid of everybody at the deadline.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to be sitting there on the team going. Man, how do I get my walking papers?
Speaker 1:How do you think garrett crochet feels? Because he was looked at as like one of, if not the top arm on the market and then he comes out publicly and he's like, well, I'm not gonna do this and that and this is what I want. If I go to another team and everybody said, okay, fuck it, stay with the white socks, then you dumb ass, yeah. How do you think he feels? Oh, he feels like an idiot and he'll probably still get traded in the offseason.
Speaker 2:You look up persona non grata in the definition in a dictionary you know that thing where they tell you what it means. Yeah, that thing, and it's a picture of him. Persona non grata.
Speaker 1:Persona non grata, persona non grata, all right. Well, I think we've uh, I think we've talked about baseball, about as much as we can get away with this week. What do you?
Speaker 2:yeah, I think we should, we should talk more. Okay, what do you got? I ain't got nothing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what I think all right. Well, uh, yeah, so we forgot to mention at the top again catching up on taking a week off and trying to cover a lot of ground. We are now a part of Pirate Flag Radio, wpfr PirateFlagRadiocom. We'll be there every Saturday and Sunday I think it's 2 pm Eastern yes, and Sunday, I think it's 2 pm Eastern yes, every weekend with this show, which is really cool. You know Pirate Flag is something that I've been a part of for a couple months now. I host a show over there, you know, just more of a traditional music radio show, and you know they approached a lot of baseball fans at Pirate Flag, a lot of baseball fans. And you know they approached us. There's a lot of baseball fans at Pirate Flag, a lot of baseball fans. And you know they reached out and said hey, can we air your podcast? And we talked about it and we worked it out, you know where. It was a good thing for both sides and so now we're there every week, so that's really exciting.
Speaker 2:Very happy to be there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and if you are listening on Pirate Flag and it's your first time with us, we really appreciate it. Yeah, and now I'm going to tell you about all the ways you can keep up with the show and support us. If you are a new listener and you like hearing us babble on about, you know, julio Iglesias, that 70s show and Julio Iglesias All right, you can follow us on social media, especially Twitter. The show is at 2GTBpod. I am at Dallas. Danger Brian is at 3CrowesBry that's number three CrowesBry. You can go to 2GTBcom, right? Is that the website? Yep, I don't have that written down. Yeah, that's how you get to. You know, wherever you want to hear us, we've got a store with some great things over there. If you want to go directly to that store, it's 2gtbstore T-shirts, hats, mugs, stuff for your dog. You know, when we built that store a couple years ago, when we started this podcast, the first go-round um we really wanted to have offer something for everybody, um, and, and we feel like we've accomplished that over there.
Speaker 1:So yeah and it's free to take a look. You know, just go, just go take a peek and uh see what's over there and and and that that would be really great and uh, if you want to hear, you know we did. Was it 11 or 12 episodes in 2022? 11 episodes in 2022, our original episodes, those are on our Patreon at patreoncom slash 2GTB. We've also done some bonus videos. We haven't done one of those in a while, but we'll get back to that, I promise.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, All seasons come. We got lots of stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've just been so swamped ass busy with all my crazy shit I do and we just haven't had time to think about.
Speaker 2:There's going to be one heck of a video coming up next season in the summer for the cookout on the backyard while we're watching baseball in the backyard. Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:That's true. We might have to you know, you got to get that up and running first.
Speaker 1:We got to get it up and going and get the sparklers, the sparkler dogs sparkler dogs yeah, but that's at patrioncom slash two, g T B, the 11 original episodes from two years ago. A couple episodes of a podcast Brian did with his wife called married with baseball. That was really good. Um of a podcast Brian did with his wife called Married with Baseball. That was really good. You know, much to my surprise, I was a doubter. No, you know this, I know, I said it to you. I just didn't really think much of it, but you guys did a good job with that. And then Ashley quit on you. Yeah, she quit. You have a hard time keeping podcasts.
Speaker 2:I can't keep partners, man. I just you know they bail on me. Makes me feel good, all right.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's all we have to say today on the show, but thanks, as always, for listening, and we'll be back here each and every week, wherever you get your podcasts, or on WPFR, pirate Flag Radio, atateflagradiocom and the Radio King app For Brian. I'm Dallas. We'll see you at the ballpark.
