2 Guys Talking Baseball

How to build the Deathstar!

3 Crows Entertainment Season 1 Episode 35
Speaker 1:

hello, hello everyone. Welcome back inside the three crows studios in morristown, tennessee. This is two guys talking baseball. We're back to, you know, back-to-back weeks, which has been rare lately, but we're feeling good. There's a lot going on. My name, of course, is dallas danger, and I am joined as always by my best friend and colleague, the, the toast of the coast, the sensation of the nation, the sea lion himself, brian Logan.

Speaker 2:

It's a great week for baseball trades and signings.

Speaker 1:

A lot of signings.

Speaker 2:

A lot of signings.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of rumored trades and talk about adding payroll. We've got three new Hall of Famers. We've got a lot of meat on the bone this week.

Speaker 2:

A lot of meat and I feel great today. I didn't get any sleep last night and I am hyped up on Red Bull and I'm ready to go, but I feel like a big brick has been lifted off of me and I'm ready to talk baseball.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we're both feeling pretty good today, I think so, uh, this should, uh, this should be uh very, very interesting. So hope y'all are, uh hope you're ready, strap in for the ride, because uh, this could get really interesting. Tape your ass down.

Speaker 1:

Put out the super glue, because this place is about to rise up small peek behind the curtain here, uh, in the three crow studios. Controlling brian logan is difficult under normal circumstances, but when he's had no sleep, the bets are off, bets are off. I have no idea what's about to come out of his mouth.

Speaker 2:

So I don't either. That's what's great about it.

Speaker 1:

This probably be a good time to mention that anything brian says is his opinion and not that of this show, mine or three crows entertainment, and definitely not pirate flag radio yeah, well, definitely not pirate flag I mean we're uh, we've been on the air for quite some time now and we're getting an audience and just then I get us kicked off and we don't talk baseball no more.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, let's not, let's not do that.

Speaker 1:

Let's not add any drama to Mike Vanek's day. Yeah, he doesn't need that.

Speaker 2:

No, he don't. He don't. He's a pretty good dude, so we need to go easy on him. Indeed, but with that fucking said, let's talk some baseball man.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, before we go there, I need to tell you something off the air. I forgot to tell you when I first got here today. Okay, great, yeah, our listeners are going to love it.

Speaker 2:

It's a mystery, hey, you guys, talk amongst yourselves while he tells me this story off air.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so All right. So let's start with the Cubs. Obviously, CubsCon has happened now. Yeah, Big yearly shindig. A lot of teams do it, but I feel like CubsCon is the one you hear the most about. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Reds have a pretty big one too, because they kind of branch out. When they do theirs they have the guys at the stadium do or not, the stadium stadium, but the convention center wherever they do it at, yeah, uh. But they also put them in the ones that don't make the regular uh go around. They put them at, like, the card signing places so you can go to as far as ashwell, ashland, kentucky, to see some of the reds when the reds do their convention. That's pretty cool, yeah, it is kind of cool. But, yeah, cubscon is the one that I'm interested in. I'd love to go there one of these days. That'd be crazy. Right, it would be, it would be. That's my two goals is to get up to the Packers stockholder meeting, yeah, and then also go to CubsCon.

Speaker 1:

Forget Lambeau Field and Wrigley Field.

Speaker 2:

He just wants to go to the meetings. I just want to go to the meetings. I love a good meeting.

Speaker 1:

All right. So with CubsCon comes a lot of media availability that we don't normally get, and that includes Mr Ricketts, the chairman or president, or whatever his title is, of the Chicago.

Speaker 2:

Cubs yeah, dictator in power.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's right, the guy the hand up Jed Hoyer's ass.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 1:

And I read an article in the Athletic and it was largely quotes from is his name Tom? Is it Tom Ricketts?

Speaker 2:

I can't remember his first name. Yeah, well, there's a whole bunch of them. They're brothers and sisters, right, right that. I guess the dad passed on and left them all the money, and now I think there's like six of them or so, six or seven, yeah, that always goes really well.

Speaker 1:

Just ask the Padres. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Well, and they let tom uh do most of the. He's the face, he's the baby of the. I'm pretty sure this is right, so you can almost quote me on this. He's the baby, so he's in charge of the of the baseball, okay all right.

Speaker 1:

well, he said several things. A lot of it. I mean, there was a lot of nothing, nothing in the article. I was kind of disappointed. I was like that's it. But one of the things that was really interesting to me, anyways, was that he said that the Cubs' goal, as far as the front office is concerned, is to add about $40 million more to their payroll for 2025. For a frame of reference, that's, generally speaking, about what Shohei Ohtani would be worth as far as the collective bargaining taxes. Okay, as the collective bargaining taxes Okay.

Speaker 1:

So they either need to add one huge name, which is not out there right now, or they need to do a lot and add some pieces. And I hate to say this, especially to a lifelong diehard Cubs fan. But my initial reaction, brian, when I read that, was well, I'll believe it when I see it. And that's not me saying I don't believe Mr Ricketts when he says they're attempting to do that. I just know that the last couple years they've been trying and it's not gone to plan, for whatever reason. I think back and we've mentioned this a lot but Jed Hoyer after the deadline last year, looking so defeated and saying, guys, I tried, right, we went after Logan Ohapi and nothing materialized. We did this, we did that and we just didn't get the deals that we were in place to get. So yeah, I just 40 million, and we're almost in February now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, they report like next week week, 10 days from now, or something like that. Yeah, I mean, we're getting really close to pitchers and catchers reporting and spring training getting started.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And you know.

Speaker 2:

And the Cubs are the first ones to report, so they're in early. They will have the longest season this year.

Speaker 1:

Sure, and that doesn't mean they can't add after that. It's just can we add $40 million to this payroll? And he did mention that if things are going well and they don't do that in the off season, they'll do it at the deadline, or at least, I guess, attempt to do it at the deadline. Yeah, so I I don't know. That was just my initial, without thinking about it, reaction was I'll believe it when I well, that was my reaction too, when you said that.

Speaker 2:

I was like yep, that's, that's how that's gonna go because, yeah, the best, best laid plans are paid with good intentions and we'll just have to see what they do with it, but I don't see them doing anything spectacular. Like you said, there's no one big player out there left. They're going to have to get pieces and they don't do so well with pieces.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the biggest name still out there is Alex Bregman, who I don't think makes sense. I mean, you would really have to move some things around, you would have to almost. I guess you would either have to trade Nico Horner.

Speaker 1:

Right, which is not cool and move Bregman to second, which there have been talks of that we got a report this week that the Mariners were attempting to get Nico Horner at the winter meetings and that never materialized Right. Or you'd have to make Michael Bush a bench piece, and I don't. I guess, if you add Bregman without trading someone away, one of the things that's been talked about that the Cubs are going to do moving forward is try to improve their bench Right and fill out the bench a little bit more, so that would work. It's just a weird fit. It is so, and who knows if bregman has any interest in going there? Who knows if he really has interest in moving to second base?

Speaker 1:

We've heard that a lot this offseason. You know the astros are now being said to still have an offer on the table and there and I read yesterday they might move jose altuve to the outfield if they get bregman. I, you know they're. Bregman's market is really shrinking, so maybe the cubs can sneak in and get a deal done there. But yeah, there's not a guy who's going to take one guy that's going to take a big chunk of that $40 million Right, there's nobody left. We're just running out of people. We're just running out of—.

Speaker 2:

Well, they called me and I said look guys, I want to come up there and contribute to the club, but I'm 50 years old and I just don't have the time to make spring training and then 162 games. First of all, I got this podcast. I got to do, I got a bunch of other stuff, so I just had to tell them that Long story longer. I just had to tell them no, I had to turn it down. That's a real shame. Now, if they'd have went one more dollar, one more $40 million and one dollar.

Speaker 2:

Age be damned, I would have been there. But you got to have your priorities when you're doing these things. That's true. I'm not gonna, you know, I'm not gonna sacrifice something my way of living for a dollar.

Speaker 1:

I told, I told y'all I told y'all we were in for a ride today with brian on no sleep. So one of the other interesting things that has come up just in the last couple of days as we're recording involving the Cubs is that they have made some progress with the Astros who they had a pretty big trade with to get Kyle Tucker. Cam Smith goes over to the Astros, yada, yada, yada. We know that Bregman, most recently obviously was an Astro, so there's a tie there. But the Cubs have made some progress on a trade with the Astros for Ryan Presley, who I think would just sort of automatically slot in as the closer with the Cubs Right. He would definitely be their most high-leverage bullpen arm automatically.

Speaker 2:

Which is something we need, because we haven't really had that.

Speaker 1:

Right, and that addresses an issue. You know, a need and an issue, you know. I mean, we've been doing this show sort of off and on, for, you know, going on three years now and I feel like I always get optimistic about the Cubs. Well, yeah, because it seems like again, it seems like they're trying, but I don't know, man, I'm starting to lose faith. Yeah, you know, I'm starting to see that maybe, well, let's pay Craig Council this big contract to be the manager, and then, you know, all these things they're doing. You know, is it really going to go anywhere? You know, is it really going to go anywhere? Are they really going to be able to add $40 million to the payroll for next year or this year? Now it's 2025?. I mean, brian Presley puts a little bit of a dent in that. Right, he definitely addresses a need. I don't know, brian, I just you know where are you at right now with the Cubs and what they're attempting to do.

Speaker 2:

Well, I don't think they're going to spend $40 million. I just don't think they're going to do that. And if they do, they're going to spend it on a bunch of guys that they either trade off or put down in the minors, and that sucks. They could do that much better. But yeah, I don't know if the Cubs they're trying. That's the thing about them being the lovable losers is there's always hope with the Cubs. I mean legitimate hope. It's not like we're the Anaheim Angels and there's no hope. Who signed JD Davis, by the way? Yeah, and so I mean you start the season off every year going we got a chance until either, usually by the first week, you're like, oh man, I'll tell you what it is. It's like having an ice cream cone. You know, one of those really good, one of those uh, really good, uh, um, one of those cones waffle waffle gun yeah and you got a big scoop of ice cream and it just tastes so good.

Speaker 2:

And then, right as you go to take a bite out of it you know you're going to enjoy it it falls in the floor. Yeah, now you got to decide. Are you picking it up and eating it or are you just moving on with your life? And that's the cubs in a nutshell. You have to make that decision generally right before the All-Star break.

Speaker 1:

Well, we're not talking about a team that lost 100 games the last couple years. This is a ball club that went 83-79 in the last two seasons. Yeah, just on the outside of the playoffs. Yeah, you know. And in this new format we have proven time and time again already that all you got to do is get in. Yeah, and you got a shot. Yeah. So you know, does Kyle Tucker give you five more wins? You know, seven more wins to get to 90 and you're in the playoffs. Maybe you know, I think, if you get Ryan, presley, tucker and Presley, can you know, because look, a lot of those 79 losses the last two years are on that bullpen.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And I'm talking with leads late in games and they have nobody to shut the door. So that helps. That might get you seven wins. Just getting one guy that when you've got a one, two run lead in the eighth inning, ninth inning, you put him in and he slams the door.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's what we needed yeah, because that's usually the dreaded. Eighth inning is where it all goes wrong.

Speaker 1:

I mean we had to score 10 runs just to make it through, because at eighth inning in the pitching Well, yeah, and I mean, there was a period of time last year where that was really the story you know, and I watched enough games with you to see like, oh, they're cruising, this is going great and, like you said, eighth inning it all falls apart.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we'd be watching and you'd say that and I'd be like ah, don't get ahead of yourself there, don't get cocky kid, they may not know enough maneuvers.

Speaker 1:

I want to say there was a game they were up like 10-4. Yeah, we were watching, yeah, and they ended up losing like 11 or 12-10. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and they scored like the 10 in the early first three innings or something and they got shut down.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think Bellinger had a really good game at the plate and was yeah man, I don't know, you know it's.

Speaker 2:

The thing is is that? I mean it doesn't matter for Cubs fans? I mean?

Speaker 1:

it does, but it doesn't.

Speaker 2:

You know, it's the friendly confines and they're just happy, we're the lovable losers and all that. So we're going to make it through the whole season and we're going to have a winning ball club Right. I feel confident in that. Will we make the playoffs? Well, I think we're trying right now.

Speaker 1:

Well, here's the thing I think you can show up with the roster you've got now and win the division. I'm not saying it's a sure thing, obviously it never is in baseball. But I'm not saying it's a sure thing, obviously it never is in baseball. But you can show up with the group you have, as we're talking, and you're going to compete for the division. So you add a closer like Ryan Presley, you add a couple more bench pieces. This is a good ball club. Yeah, and I know Cubs fans, especially after you know 2016,. There's more of an expectation now than there was prior to that. I think, yeah, now that team's gone.

Speaker 1:

Way gone, nobody left, they gutted it.

Speaker 2:

But that doesn't change the fact that cubs fans got a little spoiled when, by yeah, yeah, you know, and the way we won it and the, the tenacity that we showed, and then we just went back to status quo after that and you've got the manager yeah, you know, outside of dave roberts, but we're not going to go down that path again.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think he's the right manager, as much as I hated on him when he was with the Sewers, you know he's doing a good job, yeah, and he's a different kind of coach. He has a different approach than what we've had, and I think that's a good thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think so too. So you've got the manager. Jed Hoyer was touted as Theo's right hand. He's gotten and deserves a lot of credit for putting together the team that won in 2016. But then he also now is the scapegoat for tearing that team apart the way they did Right. That's why Theo left. You can't convince me otherwise. Theo left, so he wasn't the guy. He gets remembered as the guy who built the winning team, yeah, not the next guy who had to let all those guys go Right. And let's be honest, javi Baez has fallen off a cliff since he left the Cubs Just out of the universe.

Speaker 1:

Rizzo is done, or close to it, yep, and bryant never had it and chris bryant went to colorado and said I'm just gonna chill, I'm gonna, I'm taking the rendon contract, yeah, I'm just gonna show up half the year and, and it won't matter, because it's the rockies anyway, yeah. So you know, was that? You know in the moment? I know, just knowing you, what that did to Cubs fans to see those guys shipped out, but I don't know that those were bad moves long term.

Speaker 2:

No they weren't. They were hard to deal with at the time because we did love them for the 2016 series with at the time, because we did love them for the 2016 series, but in long term I mean I would have not wanted them to play the way they ended up playing on the cups, right, I mean they were playing like future hall of famers in 16. I think there there could be an argument made that if you looked only through the lens of 2016 you're going gosh, these guys are going to really be something, yeah, and then they just weren't yeah, yeah, I mean it's, it's really interesting, you know, and we're, we're nine years since then now, so a lot has happened, a lot nine years.

Speaker 2:

That's hard to believe years. That's how long I've been awake.

Speaker 1:

Nine years. He hasn't slept since the 2016 World Series.

Speaker 2:

I haven't slept since then. My first road trip was eight years long. I never slept, yeah, but that's, I digress.

Speaker 1:

But you know, in a way, I feel like the Cubs are really on the verge of something here. And in a way, I feel like the Cubs are really on the verge of something here and in a way, I feel like we're right back where we started. You know, I mean, we've talked about it Kyle Tucker makes a big difference for anybody. You put Kyle Tucker on any team and he makes them better. Yeah, because he's one of those players and that's something the Cubs have been lacking.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Ever since Chris Bryant came in and rizzo came in and and were just gangbusters, you know. Yeah, for the first few years, um and you can throw javi bias in that too he came in and was just, you know, unstoppable for a little while, you know. But ever since then they really haven't had that guy that you can look at and go. That's our guy, that's the guy that's one of the top 20 players in the whole world, and Kyle Tucker gives you that.

Speaker 2:

Well, yes, he does, and that's great and I'm excited about that. I mean, prior to this, the person that made us the happiest was Christopher Murrell, and his numbers weren't that great.

Speaker 1:

Well, they were sort of the opposite and that's how they's how they justified, you know, but he was the guy. Well, I don't know that he was the guy. He was really likable. Yeah, you know, I think from a, from a cub fan standpoint, he was, uh, you know he was the one that stood out well, but he didn't stand out because he was one of the best players in the league or he was.

Speaker 1:

You know he was gonna be right. You know, yeah, I never thought christopher morel is going to was one of the best players in the league or he was going to be Right. I never thought Christopher Murrell was going to be one of the 2025 best players in baseball. But you have that. Now you go and get Ryan Presley, which it does sort of seem like they're at least working towards that. Now you've got a closer. Now you've got a guy that can hold those small leads late in the game. That looks like a division winner to me. Yeah, you add presley and I think this is a division. I think if you add ryan presley at this point and you don't win that division, it's a disappointment.

Speaker 1:

I agree you know, and I think that's when you have to start having conversations. This is the last year for Jed Hoyer on his contract. Yeah, this is year two or three for council Three. Yeah, this is year three for council. So you know at what point. You know you almost have to try to compete now because Jed Hoyer's job depends on it. Craig Council's job is going to start depending on it. Yep, and you know, I don't know, man, I look at the Cubs and I get excited. I really do, and that's been the case the last couple years. It's just. You know what's the X factor. Yeah, it's just. You know what's the X factor? Yeah, what gets them over that hump and puts them in a position where fans, even if you don't win it all, fans can still go. Well, you know what they gave it. Everything they had Right From an organizational standpoint, from the top all the way down.

Speaker 1:

This they tried, they really gave it, their all yeah, and they just ran into a better team or something wonky happens in the playoff. You know what I mean. You can look at those losses differently than well. We went 83 and 79 again and didn't make the, didn't make the playoffs.

Speaker 1:

When we're in a, when we're in a pretty you know I don't want to say lousy division, but I say it all the time the National League Central is a winnable division right now and you see what the Reds are doing, you see what the Pirates have building the Brewers for whatever reason, just sort of default into that top spot in the division, no matter who's there.

Speaker 1:

It's kind of bizarre. But you know, this is a winnable division and this is a team that can win that division now. Yeah. So the other one of the other interesting things, uh, I from from the um ricketts quotes was I won't say he seemed confident that they could extend Kyle Tucker, because we haven't mentioned this in this conversation today. But you've got Kyle Tucker guaranteed for one season. Yeah, that's it. That's it, yeah, you know. So is this all part of well? We have to show Kyle Tucker this all part of well. We have to show Kyle Tucker that we are committed to trying to right this ship and win meaningful games and get in the playoffs and go for a championship again, in order to get him to sign an extension and be your guy, not just for 2025, but for a long time after that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I mean, it would be nice for them to do that and it not be the one-year experiment, because it is going to make a difference On some level. It will make a difference Now. Is it going to be a huge difference? I hope so, but that remains to be seen.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's an interesting club. There's a lot of good things going on there. I like pretty much the moves they've made. They had a logjam of guys, prospect-wise, that were ready to come up to the major leagues that they didn't necessarily have a spot for. They believe in Matt Shaw, I think maybe a, for you know, they believe in matt shaw, I think maybe a touch more than they believed in cam smith, and ricketts even said look, there has to be balance in these trades. We're probably going to look three years down the road and maybe think, well, maybe we should have traded somebody else other than cam smith. But then, if it's not cam smith, do you get kyle tucker right? Because they weren't the only team in on Tucker. Yeah, you know.

Speaker 2:

A lot of moving pieces.

Speaker 1:

Kyle Tucker was not going to be an Astro Right. They made that pretty clear, I think. So you know, and we've talked about, you know, Brujan coming in, which is an unexciting trade to give up Mervis for Brujan. But I just think that Mervis and Brujan were at a similar level as far as major league talent goes, and Mervis was a guy that was just going to keep tearing it up in AAA, where Brujan is going to potentially help your big league club, His versatility I think there's more in that bat that we've not seen with Brujan, I agree, and I think this is his first opportunity to really show that. Yeah, you know not that the Rays aren't a good club, but you know they do things a little differently than pretty much anybody else.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And then he goes to Miami and, you know, nobody's a star in Miami. I mean, it's just dark times for the Marlins right now.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's been bad, since they took the fish out. Well, that's another conversation for another day, is it? Is it conversation for another day, is it? Is it so? Uh, so yeah, I just you know, I like where the cubs are at right now. I like the energy. Yeah, I like the energy. It felt like there was a good energy coming from cubs con. You know a lot of that was sammy sosa being back in the picture, which is great and has needed to happen for a long time, which which Rick gets blamed on the previous ownership. I saw.

Speaker 2:

As far as CubCon goes, in some of my chat rooms they were saying the average expense for the weekend was $3,000. Wow, To do it and do it right without being crazy. Yeah, yeah, To get the right autographs and everything.

Speaker 1:

Sure, well, and you've got to pay for a room. Yeah, you know all that shit.

Speaker 2:

For going to a con like that size. That's not bad. No, that's not bad at all. I mean, for how many days? Was it Three or something? Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, let's say three, sure, if not, it'll be three next time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm on it. Well, yeah, well, you got the direct line. They tried to get you on the ball club.

Speaker 2:

Well, that dollar. You think I made the right choice.

Speaker 1:

I think you did pal.

Speaker 2:

Okay, good.

Speaker 1:

I think you did, because I think you dreamed that phone call.

Speaker 2:

You know, I haven't batted and I grew up playing baseball, went to college to play baseball. All this right, I haven't had a bat in my hand swinging at a ball since 1994. Yeah, that's a long time. Yeah, so I have no business playing. Yeah, that's why I didn't take the deal. Yeah, well, with that, let's. Yeah, here's the thing With winning the division it is a winnable division and the Cubs are always in there. But here's the thing With winning the division it is a winnable division and the Cubs are always in there. But here's the thing. And this is to talk about the next thing is even if you win the division, you've got to get past the Dodger problem.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there's a big Dodger problem right now.

Speaker 2:

You know, you sat over there flippantly saying, well, they can win the division, well, that's great pal, who are they? Then they got to play the dodgers a little hot about that you know as we move.

Speaker 1:

A nice transition, by the way, and thank you for setting that up so nicely. Uh, mr sea lion. Um, the thing that kills me is, a year ago literally just a little bit more than 365 days ago yeah, everybody said, oh well, the Dodgers signed Shohei Otani, that's a lot of money to lose in the first round, yeah, and now everybody is so mad about the Dodgers. Yeah, and here's the thing and we'll get into all the news and everything the narrative surrounding the Dodgers since before 2020, even because before 2020, it was well, they're choke artists and Clayton Kershaw is the king choke artist yeah, then they win one in 2020 and it's oh well that one doesn't count because it was different, you know, you know, even though all 30 teams were going for it, right, that one doesn't count, yeah, and then then they, then they go on this string of of you know, you know, a couple years of of losing in the division series to division opponents and kind of just getting punched in the mouth and not punching back, which was a bad look, you know. But they get Otani, they win one.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and here's the thing Take the, take that one away, motherfuckers. I dare you say something we didn't even have any starting pitching and we still want it. Yeah, and here's the thing. Take that one away, motherfuckers. I dare you Say something we didn't even have any starting pitching and we still won it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, dave's brilliance. So, had that timed out perfectly. He knew what he was doing.

Speaker 1:

Well, listen. So since the last time we spoke, the Dodgers have now signed Roki Sasaki, who was really the biggest chip left on the table in a lot of ways, simply because here's a 23-year-old phenom who's betting on himself. So he's coming over in an environment and in a situation where everybody had a shot. Yeah, everybody did, because this wasn't a free agency deal where money was going to be a factor. This was all from bonus pool and, before anybody starts running their mouth, there were teams that had more bonus pool. The Dodgers were at a financial disadvantage because they're so good. See, that's the thing. He took less money to be a dodger right. Get used to hearing that because these guys want to play for the dodgers right. That's where. That's where players want to be given the option. That's that's where they want to go.

Speaker 1:

You know, um Dodgers have also signed Tanner Scott, the best reliever on the market. Little surprising. Dodgers don't usually give four years, 72 million to a reliever right. That's a lot. But again, you know, brandon Gomes, the general manager, at the presser, says look, we, we, we plan on Tanner Scott having a lot of saves, which told me he's not the closer, because that's not how the Dodgers run their ball club and their bullpen Right, but he's going to be the first guy, ninth inning up by one, two, three. He's still over there, he's able to throw. Yeah, he's ready. He's ready, he's gonna be the guy. Yeah, so and here's the thing four years, 72 million, just so Shohei Otani doesn't have to face him for four years. Worth it, oh yeah, worth every penny, because he made Shohei look like a fool in that NLDS last year with the Padres.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

I mean he was kryptonite for.

Speaker 2:

Shohei.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, he was he was, and Shohei?

Speaker 2:

well, that was the thing we were talking about. Will Shohei show up and then Freddie does what he does and you're like, well, it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and there's a lot more to that, you know, with the Shohei injury and everything else. And if that wasn't enough, if that wasn't enough, literally the day after we get the news that Tanner Scott is going to be a Dodger oh, by the way, the Dodgers are about to sign Kirby Yates too. Yeah, I mean, here's another star reliever. I think he's a risk, don't get me wrong. There's risk involved with, there's always risk involved with, signing a free agent reliever.

Speaker 1:

But this, this team again, going back to that narrative, all this team has heard through you know what is it now? 11, 12 years of making the playoffs every year, competing every year. There was a stretch of like six, seven years where, if the Dodgers didn't win at all, the team that did is the one that put them out. You had to go through the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series and all they heard all Dave Roberts heard is what a terrible manager he was. All they heard was they couldn't get the job done.

Speaker 1:

And now that they have, and they've, here's the thing Shohei Ohtani is making them money. Yeah, he is, he's making them. You know, hand over fist, they're making money. So not only do they develop well, not only do they have the winning culture, not only do they have the best manager out there period. End of discussion. They now have, as a big market team, more financial flexibility. All they're doing is utilizing that, and that can kind of open up. I think the bigger conversation here, brian and I'll let you go first, because I have very strong feelings about this, okay Is this whole thing are the Dodgers and what they're doing. Is this bad for Major League Baseball and the game of baseball?

Speaker 2:

Absolutely not, and that's all I got to say. No. Game of baseball Absolutely not, and that's all I got to say. No, I'm kidding, absolutely not. They're out there doing what they're supposed to do. You're supposed to field the best team possible, and in this day and age, possible translates to what money can buy Yep. So they want to put their best foot forward. Otherwise, why are you even out there risking injury on people if you're not trying to do that?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, what's the point?

Speaker 2:

What's the whole point of doing it? So they're all in and they should be all in. They're the world champions and of course they should be, and that's the thing Haters are going to hate, because they don't want to admit it. They're a juggernaut, that's right. A juggernaut?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, the Dodgers are the juggernaut bitch. Get over it or get used to it. Those are your two options. Shout out to Jake Mintz from Baseball Barbecast, one of my absolute favorite people to hear talk about baseball, along with Jordan Schusterman, his co-host there. Jake Mintz made two points on this that I want to echo here. Number one every team all 30s goal at the end of a season, whether you win it all or you don't make the playoffs and you lose 100 games. What you should do is look back, identify what's wrong with your ball club and then try to fix those problems in the offseason. Yep, if that's trades, if that's free agency, if that's continuing to develop guys, you have coming up and through the draft. That's what you should be trying to do. Here's the other thing, and I think this is what's most important Andrew Friedman and I don't remember at what point he said this, because I remember seeing him say this Andrew Friedman has said that his goal as the president of baseball operations, or whatever his official title, is the guy running the front office for the dodgers.

Speaker 1:

Right, the goal now for the dodgers is this is going to be a golden era, the golden era of dodger baseball, and let's just stop there for a second, because that is not as easy as winning one world-world series or two-world series. This is Jackie Robinson, duke Snyder, roy Campanella, pee Wee Reese, sandy Koufax, don Drysdale. I mean think about the weight that that carries. This team has put that pressure on their back and said no, we have a window of opportunity here to make this the most memorable time ever for the Dodgers, and that's what they're doing is trying to capitalize and make that the reality. And if you're any of the other 29 teams, good luck. Yeah, because they are.

Speaker 1:

Here's the thing, and I don't have any inside knowledge on this. I'm just a fan that pays really close attention to this team and what they say when they make these moves. I think they're pissed off. They are sick and tired of hearing about not being able to get the job done and, oh, it doesn't matter that you sign shoe ohtani, you're just going to choke in the first round. They are sick and tired of hearing that, and I think they showed it in the postseason this past year and they're definitely show it showing it this off season well, I want to.

Speaker 2:

I want to post something to you a little off off topic little bit, and bear with me, I'm going to go around the bend, but we'll get us back there. So the Kansas City Chiefs are in the possibility of a Dynasty three-peat. If that occurs, it shows that that can be done and how to do it. Then does that put more pressure on LA to win in baseball? Because now not only are they paying for the best team, they've got the best team and it's a possibility. I think they realize that. What do you think?

Speaker 1:

I don't think the pressure has anything to do with anything outside. I think the pressure is all internal Because, yeah, because again, the goal is the golden era, yeah, and that is that is the organization putting the pressure on themselves. Yeah, I think, and I think there's more and I think we touched on this last week there's more pressure on this dodger ball club now than there was a year ago.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's what I'm saying too. You think that if it, I know it's a hypothetical, but let's there's more pressure on this Dodger ball club now than there was a year ago. Well, that's what I'm saying too. You think that if it, I know it's a hypothetical, but let's just say that that has established itself. Okay. And people start hearing you know three Peets and all that. Dynasties, I mean, is LA heading towards a dynasty with this? I think so.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, At least that's the goal right?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think they are.

Speaker 1:

Because they didn't win it and sit on their thumbs. Yeah, they won it and they're actively making their team better. Yeah, you know what I mean. And that's because they understand that that's what's expected now If they don't make this into a dynasty, if they don't make this into a dynasty, it's, it's going to be.

Speaker 1:

Look, you know, here's the thing. I think there are two teams that you can currently compare this dodger team to, and I think what happens the next three to five years determines which one they get compared to. Right, it's either the Braves from the 90s that won the division 13 years in a row and won one World Series, or they're the Yankees from the 90s and the early 2000s that are the dynasty. Yeah, the blueprint yeah, you know what I mean. Mm-hmm blueprint. Yeah, you know what I mean. You know, and and you you put that that 90s yankees team. I mean you've got the murderers row yankees and that the game was entirely different. Yeah, at that point, you know, in history and I'm not taking anything away from that team they were at, they were absolutely as good as as their, their press is, you know, but it's them, it's the Big Red Machine and it's the Yankees from the 90s and the 2000s.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And, I think, the Dodgers. The goal now is to be the fourth team in that conversation. Yeah, because, yeah, I just you know, yeah, I just you know. So, to answer the question that I initially started this with no, absolutely not, this is not.

Speaker 1:

This is great for the game, absolutely, and and even if they're the villain the whole time, having a villain that everybody else is rooting against is a good thing. It garners interest, it has people talking about the game, tell stories. This is amazing for major league baseball and this is going to make people mad too, and I just don't care. Why do you think the, the mlb social media, is constantly posting and talking about the Dodgers? Because it's garnering more interest in their league, in this game in our country? Yeah, this is absolutely good for baseball.

Speaker 1:

You want to know what's bad for baseball? That it's this damn easy to be viewed this way. Yeah, the fact that there are 29 other teams and, sans a handful, nobody else is even coming close to trying this hard. Yeah, you're right. Come on, man, what are y'all doing? I know what you're doing. You're running your team as a loss leader for your larger portfolio.

Speaker 1:

You, billionaire scum, don't come at me with this, you know, and that's the other thing. If you want to bootleg for the owners, for billionaires, that's your prerogative. But I can't take you seriously in a conversation about the game of baseball Because I just can't. I can't take you seriously. You obviously don't know ball. If you're trying to say that the Dodgers doing all this and the Dodgers making themselves better and trying to become a dynasty is bad for the game, because it's not. It's great for the game and yes, I'm biased and I don't care about that either, but I but it's the truth. Yes, the Dodgers going for it, the Dodgers trying to just lap everybody and win every year, is great for baseball. I agree. And, as you said, a dynasty means it can be done and shows you how to do it. So the problem is that teams are not following suit and trying to do the same things.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I mean, my whole point was is again a little off track, but if Kansas City wins, it's going to be everywhere, it's going to be in every news, everything, and it's going to translate to other sports and that's going to happen right before spring training. You can't tell me that those boys are going to show up at spring training if that happens and said well, shit, we can do that too.

Speaker 1:

I think they're already saying that. Oh yeah, you know what I mean. Yeah, think they're already saying that. Oh yeah, you know what I mean. Like it's the culture of the dodgers is absolutely we can do it again.

Speaker 1:

The difference is it's a different game yeah you know, I think I think knowing you can do it and then doing it are two entirely different conversations. Just because not only do you have to show up and perform, but things really have to go your way. Really, you got to get the bounces in baseball. Whether it's May or it's October, Things have got to bounce your way, and that, I think, Things have got to bounce your way, and that, I think, is why Dave Roberts preaches if you honor the game, the game will then honor you. Yeah, you know what I mean. So you know the answer to the question is no. This is not bad for baseball.

Speaker 2:

No, it's not bad for baseball at all. It's a great thing for baseball. It's great. Simply to put to sum it up is it's great because if you are a Dodgers fan, here you go. This is the best thing that money can buy, the best effort we can put on the field. We can't do any better than this. This is our best shot. And if you hate them because of that, well then, that just tells a better story and makes it more interesting when your team plays them.

Speaker 2:

Yep, tells a better story and makes it more interesting when your team plays them.

Speaker 1:

Yep, you know, and uh, and again I'm coming from a cubs aspect of well it's, we might win the division, but we still got to deal with them I have one more thing to say about the dodgers being vilified for this and, and I think we can, uh, probably move on, and that one thing I want to say is I don't give a fuck, I don't care, hate us all you want, doesn't matter, doesn't matter. The more you hate, the better it is for the game. Yep, you know? Period. End of discussion. Make us the villains. We've been the villains for years anyway, dude, it's fine, it's fine.

Speaker 2:

Well, I mean, you know I make fun of the Anaheim Angels all the time.

Speaker 1:

You do give the Angels a lot of shit.

Speaker 2:

I do give them a lot of shit, but I watch them when they play my teams and they got just the same shot as everybody else. I mean it comes down to you got to throw the ball, hit the ball and catch the ball. I mean don't matter who you are or what your paycheck is, the ball don't give a shit. Nobody smartened up the ball. That it's a work.

Speaker 1:

One of my favorite things that I hear people say is they drive nice cars too. The angels drive nice cars too. Guys yeah it's you know, I'm just you know I. I started to get a little sick of the whole narrative, you know, last week and and I, just you know I can tell you it's got you heated.

Speaker 2:

Well, that and the billionaires you know the billionaires club just emailed me. We have to keep in track when the signal goes off. So when I got my thing in, they said tell him that we speak very highly of him behind closed doors. So there's that, if you want to deal with that.

Speaker 1:

I just think it's crazy that the stars make the game. Yeah, the guys on the stars make the game. Yeah, the guys on the field make the game. And people are just so sympathetic of billionaire owners. You know, and it's like I get, that there's small market teams and big market teams, and you know now there's this whole thing about, oh well, baseball should have a salary cap. Well, guess what Joe Kelly said If you pay everybody $ ten dollars, guess where they're going to go to make their ten dollars. They're not going to milwaukee or cleveland or minnesota. Yeah, they're going to la. Yeah. So you know. And his I think his final point was the dodgers would love it if there was a salary cap.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah they'd absolutely love that, yeah, it ain't happening.

Speaker 1:

Y'all, you can talk about it all you want and and you know the the big major media, sports media outlets can talk about it. We can talk about it all day till we're blue in the fucking face. There's never going to be a salary cap in baseball. Yeah, I don't see that happening. No, I don't think so. I don't. I don't think either side wants that. I don't think I don't think the owners or the players want that, and I think it would be very stupid to lose games in a couple years when we have the next CBA negotiations. It would be ludicrous to lose games over a salary cap.

Speaker 2:

Well, there won't be a salary cap because it'll take away from the excitement and it'll dull morale. I mean, when Freddie hit that Grand Slam, that right there made a kid out of everybody I don't care who, what team you're rooting for or whatever that was an epic moment in history not baseball history, just history. And you know that's what it's going to come down to. Is guys just going out there and playing and it, it. They don't sit there and think I'm a millionaire like that. That's stuff at home that they deal with with their wives and their families and their significant others, and however that works out, um, that's not something I don't think any of them bring on the field, even the ones like paradeys who have an attitude. I don't think money was his deal.

Speaker 1:

No.

Speaker 2:

I think he didn't want to be in Chicago.

Speaker 1:

No, and that's the thing too, is yeah, I don't know, man, I'm already over it, I'm already over the whole conversation, because it's silly, we're talking about nothing here.

Speaker 2:

I will tell them at the billionaires meeting that it's all silly and that you're just having a stroke.

Speaker 1:

I'm not having a stroke. I've come a lot closer to having a stroke on this show in the past. It's fine, like I said, dude, it's fine, make us the villains. We're already the villains, you know. Like, whatever, it's fine, you know, I just it, it, it.

Speaker 2:

It's kind of entertaining to see how people bend over backwards to try to try to, you know, invalidate the dodgers at every turn I think the new uniforms are going to come with a black cape and they're all going to have handlebar mustaches, like sadlyidely Whipwreck, and they're going to come out with a top hat, snidely Whiplash, whiplash. Yeah, whipwreck, that's Mikey's cousin, yeah, so they're going to be the heels, the villains man.

Speaker 1:

Well, again, we already are.

Speaker 2:

We have been.

Speaker 1:

We have been for a long time.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they're going to come out and they're going to tie somebody to the railroad track and then run them down.

Speaker 1:

It's. Look, man, I was a Dodger fan through a lot of crap, yeah, a lot of years of nothing. Yeah, just nothing. And for me personally, the reason I get so worked up over all this is that I have become a bigger fan of the Dodgers over the last decade, 12 years. Yeah, because I saw what was happening when the Dodgers suddenly got really good and started winning the division and making the playoffs every year and competing every year. Then they go to the World Series for, you know, 17, 18, 20. Yeah, you know, win one in 24. I am paying as close attention as possible to this ball club because I don't want to take this for granted, because it can't be like this forever. Yeah, it won't be like this forever.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when it's gone it'll be miserable.

Speaker 1:

Well, when it's gone, it'll be miserable. Well, when it's gone, it'll be gone, and I don't want to look back and go. Man. I wish I would have followed that team more closely. I wish I would have cared more about that team when they were really good, and that's not to say I'm going to stop when they're not as good. But you know.

Speaker 2:

I got a good feeling about this season. I'm going to go on record right now this is going to be the biggest season of baseball history. Wow, it just feels good. We're in a good place. Every piece is falling in, the teams are getting what they need, people are spending money. I mean, I think this is going to be a great year for it and I love that. We're knee-deep in the situation with the podcast and everything and we have that. I mean, we're going to watch baseball every day anyway, but now we have more of an incentive to follow all of this.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely, and I think it's a great time for the game. I think there's a lot of players that in 25, 50, 100 years, we're still going to be talking about.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

You know, I mean Shohei Ohtani is probably going to go down as the greatest baseball player ever. Yeah, you know what I mean. We are really in a golden age of the game, so why not make it a golden age of Dodger baseball?

Speaker 2:

I'm going to make another prediction, which I usually don't do and it may be silly, so mark it down that I say this. I think that the Dodgers are going to set an attendance record for the World Series this year Interesting. I think it's going to be the most popular year when the Dodgers get back there and they're going to shatter some attendance records or some. You know, most hot dogs sold.

Speaker 1:

TV ratings or something like that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, something epic to where we can come back and say, well, we told you, you know, I think it's going to be that big of a thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's all very interesting, and again we're talking about it. We're talking about it. So how can it be a bad thing? Right, right, right, I don't know, I don't know. So, go, dodgers, fuck you and we're gonna move on. Go, cubs, go, oh, my goodness, uh. So, uh, the toronto blue jays finally got their guy. Yeah, finally, after being the runner-up for seemingly everybody the last couple years.

Speaker 2:

After being the maid of honor and kissing your sister.

Speaker 1:

And it's Anthony Santander. There you go. Five years, $92.5 million, really complicated. A lot of deferrals. There's some opt-outs. I don't want to get in the weeds on all that. You can find that if you're interested. But this is good man.

Speaker 1:

The Blue Jays have really been going for it and they've just not had. I mean, they've very much been Jed Hoyer at the deadline last year throwing their hands up and going, well, what else were we supposed to do? Yeah, what else were we supposed to do? And they're at a bit of a crossroads. You know Vlad Jr for them could be the guy we've talked about, like kyle tucker for the cubs, right, and you know they got to get that deal done.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, one way or the other, if you're gonna re-sign him, you got to re-sign him. If you're, if you're gonna get, you know, the next crop of guys to make your team better in a trade, you got to do that. Yeah, either way, it's about to be shit. Or get off the pot time with with vlad guerrero jr, yep, um, they're now apparently in some heavy talks with pete alonso right, which you know, santander, a lot. I mean you had, you had two of the top home run hitters. You know the last little bit to the Blue Jays. Okay, all right, start talking. You know, but you know it's wild because Santander makes them the third best team in that division, probably.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

They might make the playoffs. Yeah, you know, but they need a little more to leapfrog the yankees and or the baltimore orioles in the al east.

Speaker 2:

so I mean they're trying, they're just not trying real hard no, they're trying very hard, they're just not succeeding well, okay they're trying real hard.

Speaker 1:

You know they. They were the runner runners up for roki sasaki. You know we again we were led to believe shoe otani was on a plane to toronto last year. They were right in the thick of that right. So you know this is a. This is an organization that needed a win and I think they got one you can talk about. You know, five years is long for a guy that's already starting to show signs of not aging. Well, have we seen the best Santander that we're ever going to see? Already that's possible. But this organization, this ball club, needed a win and they got one. And I like Santander. I think he's a good player, he seems like a really good dude and I'm happy for the Blue Jays.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I am too.

Speaker 1:

Really happy that they got their guys.

Speaker 2:

They're competitive. I mean the games that I've watched with them. They're in it and that's entertaining and good.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, man, I like me some Blue Jays. I like watching the Blue Jays.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's your AL team, I think.

Speaker 1:

Well, if I had one, you know, and that could change. I mean, I like the Orioles too, but you know, yeah, I wish I had time to have multiple teams to follow. Yeah, by the time I watch the Dodgers, I usually don't have any more time in the day.

Speaker 2:

Well, I try to watch the Cubs, the Dodgers and the Devil Rays almost every day. I mean, I get the Cubs and the Dodgers in every day. Right, the Devil Rays depends on start time and what time I started, and all that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

But I'm going to watch both of those teams the Dodgers and Cubs this year, like I did last year, which I just want to watch both of those teams the Dodgers and Cubs this year, like I did last year, which I just want to shout out, we're in the top 1% of viewers 2%, something like that oh, yeah, yeah, on Major League, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So if you get MLB TV, usually sometime in the offseason they send you your stats, your viewing stats, and Brian and I are always every year, they send it out. He's in the top 1% of Cubs viewers and I'm in the top 1% of Dodger viewers.

Speaker 2:

And I'm 2% in Dodger viewers.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, I'm right behind you on that. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I think I missed like 30, which is a lot, but that's not a lot.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, not when it's out of 162.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I made you know like 130 some of them.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's great. Yeah, and that doesn't count. The games that are not, you know, on the app, not on the app live if they're on Apple or ESPN or whatever else you know. Yeah, because that's the thing with me is, like you know, I'm thinking about keeping a book this year. Yeah. I mean, my viewership is probably going to be affected by my new job and my sleep schedule a little bit more with the Dodgers, yeah, but I do kind of want to start keeping track. So I know, you know, yeah that'd be great.

Speaker 1:

You know how many games did I actually watch? All right. So, yeah, good for the Blue Jays, good for Anthony. Santander got pretty big money, got a longer-term deal than I think I was expecting him to get again, because some of those underlying numbers are already showing, you know, like the quality, the percentage of quality batted balls, is kind of starting to tick down. Yeah, but I mean he had 40-some bombs. I mean he's a good addition to a lineup and the Blue Jays needed power. They needed somebody that was going to drive in some runs. Well, don't everybody.

Speaker 1:

Well some more than others. You know, some teams need that more than others.

Speaker 2:

Man, the Mariners really need that, yeah, and they've been looking for a couple years now and can't find nothing. I mean they're all the way up there in the top and it's hard to get a hold of you. It's like your cousin lives out in the woods. You love seeing them, but you don't get to see them that often. How's the weather up there? Well, it's raining. Great day for baseball. If it rain stops, yeah, don't they have a roof, don't they?

Speaker 1:

have a retractable. I think they do whatever.

Speaker 2:

That's t-mobile, well, but but here's the thing, though they have a roof, but they lost the wrench, so now it's like half open, half closed, until they can find the wrench to turn it back again. That's Brian Logan on no sleep, ladies and gentlemen, and friends and family and all listeners of all creeds, baseball fanatics one and all.

Speaker 1:

So one more signing. I want to touch on this. This one just happened. Uh, in the last 24 hours or so, uh, jerks and profar really interesting study as a free agent. Uh, three years, 42 million to the braves, yeah, um, yeah, that's a signing I'm looking at and I'm going. Okay, that gives them Acuna in right, michael Harrison center and Jerks in pro far and left. That's tough, that's a badass outfield. Yeah, that is a really good outfield, sure is.

Speaker 1:

And if pro far can continue to do what he did last year, yeah, I mean, and this is, you know, the braves hadn't really done much this offseason, yet they were one of, uh, I think, four or five teams before they signed profar that had not signed a major league free agent yet yeah um, and you look at the other teams and one is one is the Padres, and they have all their drama going on with who's controlling the team, and I think that's all that stopped them is that they just, you know, they just are focused on other things organizationally, um, and everybody else is like the Marlins and the, the people that don't ever sign free agents, you know.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, man, that's going to potentially make the Braves pretty dangerous. It definitely lengthens their lineup. Yeah, man, and Profar is a guy I want to like. Yeah, I want to like him. I can't because of all the history with him being on the Padres and the, because he's a fiery guy and him and Will Smith got into it last year and they, of course, ran with that. That was their World Series last year was Will Smith calling jerks and pro-far irrelevant. World series last year was, um, yeah, will smith calling jerks and pro far irrelevant. Um, but yeah, man, that's, that's a, that's a get for the braves, that's a get for the braves. And you know, here we go. We are complicating that national league. Every day it feels like, oh yeah, I mean corbin burns goes to the diamondbacks, jerks and pro far to the Braves. I mean this is that National League and Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. You know.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's heating up. See what I'm talking about, about how this is going to be the best season. Teams are really trying to catch the Ducks, and I mean that by number. I mean I think it'll be a great season just by emotion and feel, but you could say that every year. I think they're really. You know everybody's stacked this season and you know a lot of teams are going for it. I mean I've said that already, but I mean that's it goes without saying, even though I've had to say it.

Speaker 1:

And the Mets got Juan Soto. I didn't even mention that. Yeah, the team that the Dodgers beat in the National League Championship Series. Oh, we just added a generational player. Yeah, on a 765 million dollar contract. Yeah, and national league is. I mean, it's been a gauntlet for the last few years. It's. It's going to be even worse this year. I mean it's going to be tough to get out of that national do you think that the national league uh, this is going way back.

Speaker 2:

This is the old argument I'm dredging up. Do you think the National League is playing better now because of the DH? I think they are.

Speaker 1:

I mean, I guess it depends on how you look at it, you know. I mean I just I like that there's not a difference. Now, yeah, you know what I mean. It was always weird that, and it was good weird, don't get me wrong. It wasn't like a terrible thing that there were guys that could never play in the national league because they couldn't play defense. Yeah, um, yeah, yeah again.

Speaker 1:

Um, I think it depends on how you look at it yeah, you know I think, you know, I think there's there's not really a difference in how you manage a National League team compared to an American League team. Now, right, you know the double switch is kind of not a thing anymore and you know all that. But you know, I mean I think that was a good rule change, yeah, and there was a lot of people that were just like dead set against it. And you know when was the last time you heard anybody bitching that there was a DH in the National League? Right, it's the same thing, you know. Going back to the Dodger conversation in 25 years are we going to be talking about or were the Dodgers bad for baseball? No, we're going to be talking about how many rings they won and how many Hall of Famers they have.

Speaker 2:

Of course, it's just now that you're in the mud and the muck of the situation. Everybody wants to start flinging it all over everybody 24-hour news cycle. Folks, they got to have something to talk about.

Speaker 1:

Bleeds. That leads, all right. So let's close things out this week with our new Hall of Famers.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, congratulations.

Speaker 1:

The BBWA ballots were all cast and calculated and counted and now we know that there are three in addition to the heiress committee who elected Dave Parker and Dick Allen, and we were so excited about that. Yeah, we were Two very deserving, very exciting Hall of Famers, yep, and now we get to add three more players to that. Okay, ichiro Suzuki, who was first ballot and missed unanimous by one vote. Oh, wow, one vote, one guy. I don't know if you saw this, but somebody asked him about that. Yeah, I think they asked him. What would you say? What would you say to the guy? And ichiro said let's go get a drink and talk. Yeah, I just want to sit down with with whoever it is, yeah, and and talk about it. Yeah, and what an endearing guy.

Speaker 1:

Um, ichiro is so, so great. Uh, first japanese-born hall of famer, yep, you know, that's big news. Certainly won't be the last. I think there's a couple guys that are playing now that probably are gonna, oh, yeah, follow right behind him, um, but you know, uh, ichiro played, I think, seven years professionally in japan before he even came over to the united states, and he still got over 3 000 hits. Yeah, you know what a, what a career. Yeah mean, what a great career. And a unique player. You know, and unique players now almost exclusively are role players.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

You know, it'll be interesting when Luis Arias gets to that point. Where is he a Hall of Famer? Yeah, you know, here's a guy who keeps getting passed around because there's this conversation about his value and it's like, well, I get that, but he also does what he does really well. Yeah, and Ichiro was kind of that kind of player. Ichiro played Ichiro's game better than anybody could ever dream of playing it, right, you know? So he was kind of a no-brainer. I think the bigger conversation was will he be unanimous? And now we we still have never had a unanimous position player, only unanimous hall of famer. Um, on the on the writer's ballot ever was mariano riviera, the legendary closer from that Yankees team we were talking about earlier. But I think everybody knew Ichiro was going to get in first ballot.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's no surprise Won the Rookie of the Year and the MVP in the same season, did everything he did and again was a really likable guy the whole way. I don't think anybody's really got anything bad to say about Ichiro. Way, yeah, you know. No, I don't think anybody's really got anything bad to say about ichiro, um. So cc sabathia, um, another guy that I think most people believed would would make it in his first year on the ballot. Yeah, he gets elected. You think he's a little bit of a heel? Well, he, he's going in as a yankee, so that sort of automatically makes him one right yeah, yeah, makes him a villain, um, as a yankee, so that sort of automatically makes him one right, yeah, yeah, makes him a villain um you know, played for

Speaker 1:

other teams, but I think he's really known for what he did for the, the yankees, you know, yeah, the yankees once he went there, um, and there's been a bigger conversation too about you know, and I've heard some some debate on is cc sabathia the last of a certain type of pitcher that has these benchmarks statistically, that sort of automatically make you a Hall of Famer? Yeah, is he the last one of those, or is he the first of the new way we're looking at pitchers as Hall of Famers?

Speaker 2:

That's a tough one. I don't know the answer to that one. That's a tough one.

Speaker 1:

I don't think we will know for a while, a couple decades, even when we look back and go, well, cc got in and then these guys started to get in, or CC got in and then nobody else that didn't have these things got in. We're really redefining what a starting pitcher has to do to be a Hall of Famer. Now, yeah, and that's okay. And the big one for me, having grown up in southwest Virginia, very close to where he is from, is Billy Wagner Okay. Is Billy Wagner Okay Last year on the ballot, which is, you know, always exciting when a guy waits for nine years and then on year 10 he gets in.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and another conversation that we're going to have to start having is what does a reliever have to do to get into the Hall of Fame? Right, and I think a lot of the old guard didn't view Billy Wagner as a Hall of Famer, for whatever reason. But you look at what he did. He sort of was I don't know if he was the first guy, necessarily, but definitely a guy that paved the way for most relievers in the game. Now, yeah.

Speaker 1:

You know, throws hard high strikeout guy. You know what I mean, just you know. But he's a Hall of Famer.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he is.

Speaker 1:

And I thought that. You know, I've thought that for a long time that Billy Wagner belonged in the Hall of Fame and you know, anytime a virginia boy gets to those heights, yeah, you want to celebrate it pretty cool. I remember, uh, I remember when I was in college I was uh, with the soccer team doing something, filming or something, and we went to farum college, which is where billy wagner played college ball, division three, and I remember we looked, we we got, we walked past the baseball facility and it was almost like man, that's where billy w Wagner played, right there, you know, and it was. It was an unassuming complex. You know, d3 is usually not much to look at. You know, it's very small school in a very small town, but that was very cool to be able to see that that field. You know, and go, okay, now I can go. Yeah, a Hall of Famer played there. You know, and go, okay, now, now I can go.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, a hall of famer played there, yeah, you know. So, overall, this class is going to be great. Yeah, it's going to be a good one. Dave parker, dick allen, ichiro, cc, sabathia, billy wagner will all be, uh, enshrined in cooperstown this summer. And, um man, five, five is a good number. Yeah, I'm really happy to see that we're starting to let some people in. Yeah, after years of, oh, one guy, two guys, oh well, nobody got in. You know, yeah, and that's just you know, I think. I think if you go go through a year where nobody at all gets in, I don't think it looks good for the game it doesn't there need to be people going in every year yeah, because, because the hall of fame is a celebration, yeah, of the game of baseball, at least in this country, and you know when you just go.

Speaker 1:

Well, we're not going to celebrate this year yeah, it doesn't make any sense well why. You know there's been a log jam of players for a long time now. Yeah, you know we won't get into the steroid stuff and all that, because I think we've talked about that on the show before and it's not worth rehashing here.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, man, I'm happy for these guys. They're all likable guys. I'm happy for these guys. They're all likable guys, Even going to Parker and Allen. This is five guys that I think everybody can be really excited for and be really happy to see go into the Hall of Fame.

Speaker 2:

I agree, and I think that the Hall of Fame is going to be good this year because they did pick the right five. I think they did an excellent job this year. I've got gotta look something up real quick. Okay, the fans love when he googles, so anyway. So how are all you listeners out there so lonely in here?

Speaker 1:

I mean, you've been talking about nonsense all this whole time and now you have nothing to say. I beg your pardon.

Speaker 2:

Pardon, I have not been talking nonsense. It is very sensical. It's the Red Bull talking. I'm more machine now than anything. Bear with me here. Okay, I hope it's good. What are you Googling? Tell us what you're Googling.

Speaker 1:

I just want to Bear with me. Okay, bear with me, let me get there, bear with me.

Speaker 2:

I just want to just bear with me. Okay, bear with me, let me get there. Bear with me, I'm going to start singing Go Cubs, go, oh, that's good Dead air. That's always. That's fantastic. That's not what.

Speaker 1:

I wanted. There we go. That's what I want. I'm checking to see what somebody's percentage of the vote was, to see if they stay on the ballot. Okay.

Speaker 2:

All right. Well, that's important, you got to know. You know you got to be on the ballot to win.

Speaker 1:

So we had some conversation about Russell Martin, okay, and how there was this feeling that if we're going to elect Yadier Molina when he comes up in the next couple years, that we kind of have to look at Russell Martin because of his ability to frame pitches.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

I am very, very sad to report those conversations will end because Russ only got 2.3% of the vote. Right, I am very, very sad to report those conversations will end because russ only got 2.3 percent of the vote, which means he will not be on the ballot anymore. You have to get five percent to stay on the ballot, so unfortunate thanks for playing unfortunate. I love me some russell martin and I want more I really wanted to see how this conversation progressed and it just won't, and that's okay.

Speaker 1:

I kind of expected he would be a one and done guy yeah, you know, we kind of knew that yeah, he's not a hall of famer, I know that I just you know down ballot votes and you know all that you know. Anyways, sorry to waste everybody's time looking that that number up well, that's what's been going on this whole day.

Speaker 2:

No, it's not. We've enjoyed being with you and the time we share together is very precious and near and dear to our hearts Every day. Well, on Pirate Flag Radio.

Speaker 1:

That's right. Every day on Pirate Flag, every fucking day.

Speaker 2:

I think we should go live every morning on Power of the Frag. No.

Speaker 1:

You should edit that out of this show. I don't want to give anybody any ideas. I don't have time. We're the morning drive. I don't have time.

Speaker 2:

We'll combine the shows and it's the morning drive.

Speaker 1:

It's half music, half sports talk, if I had to do this show every day, it would be bad. My health would decline a lot yeah a lot, all right, have we put in our time today, oh more than enough, okay, good, well, um, I think that's gonna do it for us this week.

Speaker 1:

Thanks, as always, for listening. Uh, please continue to support the show. Um, you can go to patreoncom slash 2g, 2gtb, I should say, and we're going to get back to posting some new stuff there, but there's a lot of great content already. Our original 11 episodes from 2022 are there. Two episodes of a podcast Brian did with his wife called Married with Baseball is there, and we've done some other extra extra videos. Speaking of those extra videos, did you see that Jeff Torberg passed away this week? No, yeah, jeff Torberg passed away, wow.

Speaker 2:

Well, dale's dad, dale's dad. Well, our condolences, dale.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. That's a tough one.

Speaker 2:

You're a terrible wrestler, but you're a great son and that's good, and that's a good thing.

Speaker 1:

well, dale didn't die his dad did.

Speaker 1:

No, I know, but his career died if you want to hear more about brian logan's uh run-ins with jeff torberg's son dale in the wrestling business that is also at patreoncom slash 2gtb. And I gotta say, um, if you listen to us on pirate flag radio, I hope you listen to some of the other programming. It's a great group and we have such a great time over there and we're so happy to be a part of that team and I still just can't believe that we're talking about baseball on Pirate Flag Radio. It's awesome.

Speaker 2:

I know it's awesome. It is awesome. I echo your support. All right, well, I ballyhoo your sentiment.

Speaker 1:

Who knows what the Dodgers and Cubs are going to do next and what anybody else where Alex Bregman's going to go. I echo your excitement. Let's get the fuck out of here. For Brian, I'm Dallas. We'll see you at the ballpark.

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