2 Guys Talking Baseball
Dallas Danger and Brian Logan discuss the game of baseball. Two fans, two personalities, Two Guys!
2 Guys Talking Baseball
Can the Cubs sustain their hot start in baseball's most exciting season yet?
Baseball's early-season rollercoaster is in full swing, and we're back with a mega-sized doubleheader episode to catch up on everything we've missed!
The NL Central-leading Cubs have defied expectations, becoming the first team to win at both Dodger Stadium and Petco Park this season. Pete Crow-Armstrong is blossoming into a defensive wizard with newfound offensive prowess, putting himself in early Gold Glove conversations. Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker's power surge raises questions about his future in Chicago beyond this "contract year" performance.
Despite sitting third in the ultra-competitive NL West, the Dodgers remain confident their championship formula will prevail when it matters most. We break down why health remains the priority and how their organizational depth continues to be their greatest advantage in baseball's toughest division.
From the controversial "torpedo bats" making headlines after the Yankees' offensive explosion to the Athletics' widely criticized temporary home in Sacramento (where Cubs players called conditions "a dump"), we dive into the stories making waves across MLB. We examine Jurickson Profar's PED suspension impact on an already struggling Braves team, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s massive $500 million extension with the Blue Jays, and why the Angels might be this year's biggest surprise team.
Plus, we discuss the strangest MLB call-up story of the year (involving an accidental hotel text message) and debate whether the Red Sox new home run celebration mascot head is delightfully weird or pure nightmare fuel. Text us your thoughts on these topics and join the conversation – we're dying to hear from our listeners!
Hello everyone, welcome inside the Three Crows Studios in Morristown, tennessee. Welcome to a very special edition of Two Guys Talking Baseball. This is our what are we calling it? Double header, double episode. We've been away a lot recently and we are not thrilled about that, but you know, life happens. We are not thrilled about that, but you know life happens. And to make up for it and to cover a lot of ground, a lot that we've missed over the last two, three weeks, we're going to do a jam-packed, action-packed double episode today. My name, of course, is Dallas Danger and to join me in this marathon edition of Two Guys Talking Baseball, my best friend and colleague, the sea lion himself, brian Logan.
Speaker 2:It's a great week for baseball. We are back and it is much needed. I have missed each and every one of you guys out there. Hell, I've even missed Dallas.
Speaker 1:We've missed all 12 of you, all 12 of you. That's what's so funny about being on Pirate Flag Radio now is I have no idea how many people listen to this show Millions, I mean it could be, could be, could be. I feel like if there were millions, somebody would have texted us by now.
Speaker 2:Oh no, they don't know. Nobody wants to text us, I mean we just add that to everybody and no one texts us.
Speaker 1:I'm literally begging people to text me, all right. So, yeah, we're back and we haven't done an episode we recorded on opening day. Yeah, it was the last time we hit record on this thing and obviously a lot has gone on since then and we have been paying very close attention. And so, if you will recall, back towards the end of the off season, I came up with a new segment for the show and this will be the first time we are starting the show this way and we intend to do this for the remainder of the regular season at least and that is a segment we're going to call what Did you Do On your Off Day, because we have committed to at least one day a week watching a team outside of our usual viewing.
Speaker 1:Brian decided, rather than what do you do on your off day? He just was gonna watch everybody all the time and not take off days from anything. Um. So, brian, I'm gonna give you the floor and, uh, tell us. Uh, tell us what you've been watching, what you've been watching, what you've been noticing anything of note from your viewing outside of the usual Cubs, I guess, outside of Cubs-raised Dodgers, which is sort of your usual flow.
Speaker 2:Well, we have been watching all kinds of baseball here at the house. Ashley has actually fell in love with the Baltimore Orioles, so we've watched a lot of the Orioles. Jamie Holliday is just great, or Jackson Holliday I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Jackson.
Speaker 2:Jackson Holliday is just great and Jamie Holliday is a wrestler. That's why.
Speaker 1:Well.
Speaker 2:I got them confused.
Speaker 1:You'll have to excuse Brian. He's been hitting the head a lot.
Speaker 2:I've been hitting the head a lot, but the Orioles have been doing okay despite their record. They've been playing better than what their record showed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I watched the Orioles on opening day after I got home, after we recorded and I got home and they looked great on opening day. I mean just the whole lineup was hitting.
Speaker 2:I think Jackson.
Speaker 1:Holiday was the only one not hitting on opening day. I mean, just the whole lineup was hitting. I think Jackson Holiday was the only one not hitting on opening day and everybody was kind of going, oh, here we go again. You know because he got called up last year and, you know, maybe showed some flashes but overall was not great. He's settled in and just adds another really good young bat to that lineup that's already full of good young bats. And yeah, you're right, the record doesn't reflect how good of a team they are at this point.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they've had some defeats there and they've got to get in their group. Yeah, but I think they're still going to be in there. I think they're going to pull it together because they've got the basics there and that's. You know. It's not like they're going out there and just screwing up the fundamentals. They've been in these games, you know.
Speaker 1:It's just they've had a couple tough losses yeah, I think starting pitching is a big question mark for them. You, you know they lose Corbin Burns and they don't really replace him with anybody top line. They bring in a lot of age, you know. They bring in Charlie Morton and Sugano and we love Charlie Morton, yeah, man, and they're solid, they're serviceable arms. But I think the fan base was expecting a little bit more and they just didn't get it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And we'll talk about teams being in the starting pitcher market at the deadline a little bit later when we talk about your Cubs. But I think that's the big question mark for the Orioles Can the offense score enough to make up for the fact that maybe the starting pitching is not where it needs to be in order to compete? Did you watch the other day when they were wearing all orange and the Blue Jays were wearing all blue? Yes, that was rad.
Speaker 2:It was very cool. I love the orange out. I really do, and I know I've been saying they're going to play better. I think they play better in the orange. Yeah, I do. I think that it's going to bring something to them. They're cool I mean it's a good look, yes, it is a very good look, very Orioles, very, very Orioles.
Speaker 1:You know, I was an Oriole when I was a kid, when I played uh seventh, uh, seven year old, uh, little league, or minor league is what they called it yeah, we were, uh, we were the orioles, uh, in 13 and 14, because because they're orange and black and the whole league was just cheap major league branded, that's what we were uniform. So we picked the orioles because they were orange and black, yeah, but I got number eight and played third base because of Cal Ripken, so that was kind of cool. Yeah, that is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was only baseball number I ever wore was 17.
Speaker 1:I wore 17 a lot, yeah, but that year I wanted eight because I wanted to be Cal.
Speaker 2:Ripken, absolutely, so, yeah. So the Orioles. I think there's more to be written to their story and I think we'll see that soon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. That's a really good ball club. Adley has looked like Adley. Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned Jackson Holiday. Gunnar Henderson is one of the best players in the game right now. Just all around every aspect of the game he's right there. And if it wasn't for Bobby Witt Jr, I think Gunnar Henderson would be a much bigger star. But when you've got another guy, similar age, at shortstop, the same position, kind of doing what Bobby Witt Jr is doing in Kansas City, it's hard to get the press for Gunnar Endersen, but we love us some Orioles and I watched the Blue Jays yesterday.
Speaker 2:I've watched a little bit of the Blue Jays and they're doing pretty well.
Speaker 1:They are. We'll talk more about the Blue Jays here in a little bit, okay.
Speaker 2:I watched the Braves some and they are not doing very well, they are not.
Speaker 1:We've got some Braves talk later on too, so we'll get into all that.
Speaker 2:But I did watch the Reds last night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell me about watching the Reds. I haven't caught a game of the Reds yet and I've been very intrigued by that.
Speaker 2:Well, they look like they're not getting out of the starting blocks. They got all the tools there, but they're just not. I mean, I know they're in second place, but I mean they're just Yesterday. They didn't get out of the starting block. Yeah, they just did not look good.
Speaker 1:Well, they're an interesting case study because they play in that Cracker Jack box ballpark Mm, they play in that crackerjack box ballpark Hitter-friendly is the politically correct term for great American ballpark and their pitching has been stellar, yeah, led largely by Hunter Green, who is going to be a fixture there for a long time, I think, in that rotation, and their offense just has not gotten the job done yet. Yeah, they need somebody other than Ellie De La Cruz to step up and do something.
Speaker 2:Well, he didn't even have a good day yesterday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, and that's the thing is, if he doesn't have a good day, they got no offense, yeah they have no offense and that ballpark is so friendly I mean they let me in the dugout when I go there. So that's how friendly that is. I mean, the last time I was there I was in the dugout talking to the coach. Ashley looked over and was like oh, that no good can come from this. And the funny thing is is I was looking for the bathroom and I couldn't figure out how to get off of the field, and so I was going through the, the dugout to to get off the field, and the coach was like what are you doing? I'm like I gotta pee and he's like okay, you are lost, you are lost. And so then we talked about the game per minute and it would have been funny if he went.
Speaker 1:We just go in that bucket over there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we just we got the bucket in the hallway coach, why is there two buckets?
Speaker 1:well, think about it oh my.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I've gotten a lot of baseball in. Uh, I have watched, you know, at cubs every day. I've watched the dodgers just about every day, and then one extra game a week. That's awesome, man, that's great. So I have been really uh, you know, I've been laying it down watching the games that's, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to hear that because I have been um hey, rex just rex is excited about it too.
Speaker 2:He just ran in here and started barking. He's been watching with me, I don't know what that was about at all.
Speaker 1:He's just really excited about uh, about I don't know. He's just excited.
Speaker 2:Today he is excited.
Speaker 1:He missed his uh, uncle dally yeah, I haven't been here in a while, so, and nobody told him I was coming, so yeah, he got all worked up.
Speaker 2:He just got all excited, heard you get out of the car no, it's um.
Speaker 1:That's what this time of year is all about man watching as much baseball as possible. I have unfortunately not been able to watch as much as I normally like to. I've been doing my best. I've been watching when I can.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Obviously a lot of Dodgers. I did. This has been a while, but I did watch the Royals whip up on the Brewers. Okay, god bless you for that one. The Brewers just don't have any pitching. They are scraping the bottom of the barrel for starting pitching right now because of some injuries, and the Royals just took full advantage the day that I watched.
Speaker 1:My biggest takeaway from that game, though, other than the fact that the brewers need pitching like I need oxygen, yeah, um, the biggest takeaway for me was those royals all powder blues with the new three color hat. I think that is now my favorite uniform really in major league baseball. Yeah, it is slick. Yeah, I've always liked the royals. Look, I just I don't know man there's, I just the whole ensemble and I think the the. The thing for me that really sells it is the helmets match the caps. Yeah, so they've made the helmets that look like the. You know the three panel white in the front, the rest of the cap is one blue and then the bill is a different blue. The helmets match that. So even when they're batting, they've got that cool retro, kind of like cohesive look, I always liked the paneled ones.
Speaker 2:I always think back to the Braves of the 70s.
Speaker 1:Yeah, expos is a really good three-color paneled hat. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, and the Cubs, the new alternative, yes, those are great too. Those have the panel and those are incredible. I can't wait to get a jersey for that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very good-looking stuff. We've seen some new City Connects already yeah.
Speaker 1:None that I'm super excited about. The Rockies is pretty cool, the Giants is okay, with the purple kind of trickled in, and the guys have been wearing like purple accessories to kind of accentuate it, which is which is kind of cool, better than those creamsicle monstrosities they had before. Yeah, um, but anyways. So, uh, that's what we've been doing, uh, in addition to our normal daily viewing thus far, and, uh, I'm hoping, as the season goes along, I'll be able to contribute to this segment more. Yeah, yeah, but uh, brian, you have in been watching your beloved Cubs every day I have. So tell me about the Cubs. What's going on with the Cubs?
Speaker 2:Well, PCA is just an amazing player. Man. Just love to watch him.
Speaker 1:He is shooting up my list of favorite Major League players quick. Yes, that dude is fun to watch.
Speaker 2:He can just do it all. Yeah, he's great they, uh, they were saying on the game that he may be the overall best defensive player in the league, better than any other player in the league defensively, and I tend to lean towards that almost. I mean not quite yet, but I'm 99.9% sold on that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, he's always had speed. That's always been the thing with him, yeah, and he has built a nice little game around that. The power stroke is coming in a little bit lately and if he can hit for power and run the bases and play the center field like he has been, I mean that is a dangerous combination. Because here's the thing from a value standpoint with pca he's so good on the base paths and he's so good defensively that if he's a league average hitter or a little bit better, he is an extremely valuable player yes you know, and he has done that so far, I'm actually going to look up his hitting number.
Speaker 2:Well, while you're doing that, he hits two home runs the other night and comes back and bunts. How do you defend against that? You can't pitch him because he'll knock it out of the park and then if you just try to pitch around him, he'll just bunt on you and run it out. I mean, it's amazing to watch him play. So, yeah, I'm very, very high on PCA and everything that he's doing and he's really coming into his own as far as the culture goes there. He's really getting into the whole vibes of everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, getting into the whole vibes of everything. Yeah, so thus far in 2025, pca's OPS plus 100. Being a league average player, he's a 122 OPS plus. So he's almost 25% better than the league average hitter. Yeah, and again, you add in the speed on the base paths and he has already stolen seven bags this year. Um, he's hit three home runs, you know, and the defensive metrics are great too. Um, yeah, man, he's. He's really setting himself up to have, um, a true breakout season.
Speaker 2:Well, and talking about stolen bags, the cubs are leading the national league in stolen bases. They've only been caught twice, wow, so that's something that we have not had. Uh, I can't even remember a time when we were leading in stolen bases. Yeah, so they, they're just doing everything right. Um, you know, they're taking two out of three and three out of four, and that's all you got to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean they're well. The thing with the Cubs, you know, on opening day we were talking about we need to quell the expectations because the schedule in April is tough and the team was talking about that Jed Hoyer was quoted about like we just got to put our head down and get through this. And here we are, you know, middle of April, and they're in first place. Yeah, they went and they were the first team to win at Dodger Stadium. Then, right after that, they were the first team to win in San Diegogo at petco park. Yeah, I mean, they're beating good teams. Yes, they are, and and and. If the bulk of the, the difficulty in this schedule for them, is at the front, what are they going to do later on? Yeah, when they get to teams that they should be beating and they beat the teams they should beat. This is a really good-looking record by the end of it Sure is.
Speaker 2:I mean, they're just playing outstanding ball and I know it's a cliche, but they're taking it one day at a time and that's what you got to do. If they do lose, they come back and win two more or they split it. You know what I mean. So they're just hanging in there and playing by the numbers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so Brujan is back off the IL. Yeah, and we talked about him adding the utility player element to that team, which I think is going to be more valuable than it will probably show on a stat sheet. Matt Shaw goes down.
Speaker 1:uh, he had struggled offensively had a terrible game, and then they sent him down yeah, well, he was only hitting like 140 and the the you know the ops numbers were not great, so he's not hitting for much slug when he does hit the ball. And I think the quote I saw was basically like, look, he's getting mentally in a place where he's going to start swinging defensively and you can't do that to a guy at his stage of development, right, so he needs to go back down, get his confidence back, get to where he's swinging comfortably again and swinging to hit the ball hard and swinging for extra base hits again. You know, definitely not an indictment for his whole career. Still young, still early in his time as a big leaguer. I think he's going to be an impact player. He'll be back up, he'll be back up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, and he and I liked him a lot. He almost looked like he embraced the culture too much, yeah, like he was way happy to be there and his numbers weren't supporting how happy he was, right, but that's okay. I kind of like that. I mean, I want my players to be happy. So you know, that's a good thing and he does need a little bit more development, but I think he'll be back up and contributing to the team and I think it'll be soon. I don't think it'll be a long time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, they know what they've got with Matt Shaw and they're just trying to protect that. The other thing is, you know, when you build a team the way the Cubs have built this year's team there's only so much room. Yeah, and if you are a player that has options, the organization is going to at some point have to utilize those options. Yeah, and you're going to have to be up and down a little bit. And I'm sure that those conversations didn't just go on this week. They've been going on since spring training with matt shaw. Hey, don't be surprised if you get sent down a couple times. And you know again, we utilize your options to keep this roster intact at the big league level. And Brujan is a guy you can keep in the big leagues, who doesn't have to play every day. And Matt Shaw, you want playing as much as possible because he needs the reps, and if those reps come at AAA, that's better than him sitting on the bench with the big club, absolutely, and his development gets stunted.
Speaker 2:What about back to PCA, real quick for a minute. What about? They wanted to renegotiate his contract extension and he was like, not during the season, I'm not going to talk about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, some interesting reporting. I've had trouble with figuring out what to believe on a lot of this. But the reports would suggest that the Cubs approached him, offered him $75 million in some form of this. But the reports would suggest that the Cubs approached him, offered him $75 million in some form of extension and, for whatever reason, it didn't go anywhere. Again, there's reason to believe that maybe he said he didn't want to negotiate while the season was going on. My big, big thing is this If the Cubs are that motivated motivated I think this deal gets done at some point. Oh, without a doubt, unless he is just hell-bent on reaching the open market as quick as he can. And I don't get the. I don't get the feeling that he wants out of that organization. No, I don't either. At this point, I think he this point. I think he's pretty happy, I think he's pretty content, and it would not surprise me if, at some point, even if it's, you know, next winter, this deal gets done and PCA gets locked into a pretty good little contract.
Speaker 2:Well, I want to go way, way back in the way back machine and talk about Campana. Campanana, or however you say, his name, the outfielder that was speed. It was probably 2014 that he played and had a great season, um, similar to pca speed. He didn't have the power that pca has, but he had the speed. He had the, the uh, emotional connection to the fans and everything and they traded him away and it turned out to be a mistake and I don't think they're going to make that mistake again.
Speaker 1:No, I don't think so either.
Speaker 2:Campana, I think.
Speaker 1:Campanas Campana.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know how you say that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you're right, I think that, um, again, I think they know exactly what they've got. Uh with pca, yeah, and I mean, he could be a franchise player no, I think he is, I think he very much is a is a franchise guy yeah, I.
Speaker 2:I mean he's part of the identity. Now you know, when you see the Cubs, you automatically associate with getting to see PCA.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I was trying to dig and figure out who you're talking about and I can't do it.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, let's just assume that I know what I'm talking about that's never a safe thing to do, but and uh, we'll move on. And hey, if I'm wrong, text me about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, text us about it if you know who brian is talking about. Uh, it wasn't 2014, or you've got the name so wrong that I can't figure out who you're talking about.
Speaker 2:Campana. Anyway, tony, I think, is his first name, but I think we traded him to the Yankees. I think that's what it was.
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:Anywho moving on.
Speaker 1:So a little bit of bad news for the Cubs and I mentioned earlier we would talk about teams that would probably be in the starting pitcher market come deadline time and it looks like the Cubs will be that because Justin Steele is now out for the season with elbow surgery, and that's never what you want to hear with your top-of-the-line starters. He just can't stay healthy. Well, you know, it's just one of those things Pitchers are throwing so hard right now that they're going to get hurt. Yeah, pitchers are going to get banged up, elbows are going to explode and have to be reconstructed, and this is a blow.
Speaker 2:This is a blow for the Cubs, a very big one, because we counted on him. You know he was our guy and I'm not as high on him as some other people are, because I've seen this now for two or three seasons in a row of him getting hurt or diving for a ball when he shouldn't have and getting hurt. I'm not sold 100% on him, but he is a good player and we needed him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:But I'm at the point where I think we need to just replace him and move on. I see, I see.
Speaker 1:Jed Hoyer was quoted on it, basically saying look, we definitely need somebody, but pitchers as good as Justin Steele aren't available in April.
Speaker 2:Well, that's true. I mean, he's right about that.
Speaker 1:Just got to weather the storm a little bit and I think they have the capability to do that. Yeah, oh, yeah. I think if Jordan Wicks can step up and give them some good starts, and I don't mean seven, eight innings, no runs If Jordan Wicks gives you five, six innings.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a quality start.
Speaker 1:Three, four runs or less.
Speaker 2:The way this offense is going, you honestly should be winning that game, I mean we're averaging somewhere around now this isn't a direct quote, but there's somewhere around seven points uh, seven runs a game, seven, eight runs a game. Yeah, and that's incredible for the cups, because they're. That's been the problem unless uh, eminaga is pitching and then we can't get any runs for him. That's the problem with. He's pitching great, but we're just not getting the runs for him, and he seems to be the one time that, every time he pitches, we're just not generating the runs I can't believe we've talked this long about the cubs and we haven't brought up old king tuck oh, I know man, he's playing great leading the league in every
Speaker 1:damn thing he is just he is contract yearing it up. Yes, he is, and it's great for the cubs right now, but I'm starting to go, man, if he has this kind of season the whole way through yeah I don't know that the cubs the cubs are they're gonna get outbid?
Speaker 1:yeah, they are, because they're not gonna pay. I mean, we'll talk about vlad jr in a little bit. He got 500 mil, yeah, and you know, I think a lot of people not a lot of people, but some people when soto got what he got 765 or whatever it was there were people going okay, now what does kyle tucker get? Yeah, and I could envision a scenario where kyle tucker gets 700 okay I mean, I think he gets more than vlad.
Speaker 1:So even if he gets 600, you know what I mean Like just when you're putting him, when you're ranking him with the guys that have already cashed in and you're going well, he's not Soto, so he's not getting 800, but he should probably get more than Vlad Jr by at least a little bit. I don't know, man, it's going to be a big contract either way.
Speaker 2:It's going to be huge and I just don't know if the Cubs are going to be able to spend that kind of well. They are able, but are they willing to spend that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, the willingness is where this is going to fall apart. Potentially. Now they win the division and make a long run. I think that's going to motivate them a little bit more to open the pocketbook.
Speaker 2:Well, you, you pose the question uh what if they win the whole thing? Is he really gonna uh leave? Well, I said, yeah, I'm thinking maybe he stays.
Speaker 1:They win the whole thing yeah, yeah, I mean, that's the best shot they've got of keeping him. But the other part of that is, even if they win it all this year, they're not getting a team-friendly deal for him to stay. No, no, they're going to have to pay market price. Yes, they are, and that's anybody. Yes, mets, dodgers, yankees, whoever it is is paying the primo price because this guy is showing and we talked about this from the moment they got him. He's exactly what the Cubs have been missing the guy. Yep, he is now the guy. So the success and failure of this team is going to hinge very largely on kyle tucker. Yeah, for the rest of this season at least. Um, I would love to see him stick around. I think he's a great fit for the cubs. Um, it's just a matter of you know what, what he wants, and you know we we still don't really know largely what is important to him yeah uh, we may not find that out until he's on the market.
Speaker 1:Um, who is his agent?
Speaker 2:he has just been playing so well and I've enjoyed watching him so much and he's just. He's just so consistent. That's one of the things that the cubs needed was consistency. You know, you throw hap in there, you throw pca in there, um tuck and then um. You know you got uh, saya and all them in there. I mean we, we got some really good players this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean it's looking good for the Cubs for sure, and I think that you know let's worry about the Kyle Tucker situation in December. Yeah, oh yeah, because this is a team. You know that division is showing its true colors this year. So far, there's really nobody else in the division playing anywhere close to as well as the Cubs. Yeah, it's their division to lose, which we predicted, and that's not a surprise, but it is the reality. So you know that's got to be the focus now.
Speaker 2:And you know MLB Network is agreeing with us. They've come right out and said that it's our division to lose. So you know the consensus is behind the Cubs, yeah, and that's a good thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think barring you know any more impact injuries or anything like that? Yeah, and that's a good thing. Yeah, and I think barring you know any more impact injuries or anything like that? Yeah, somebody in the division going haywire at the deadline, you know, staying in shouting distance and then just going and getting everybody at the deadline. But who in the division is capable of doing that? You know, I think the Cardinals could, but that's not. They don't have a track record of doing that. So, yeah, man Cubs are looking great. Surprising to see them excelling like they are, because, again, the talk around the team, you know, was we got to weather the storm of April. Yeah, and they are weathering that storm pretty well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they've got, I think, Diamondbacks coming up next week. It is, it might be this week.
Speaker 1:I think the Diamondbacks starts this week.
Speaker 2:Okay, so it might be starts tomorrow night and then that's really. Then they get into the easier schedule.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So they've done it They've weathered April.
Speaker 1:They sure have. Let's talk about the Dodgers. All right, dodgers are looking pretty good. I don't see any reason for you know, sounding the alarms or anything. Panic man. That West division is a gauntlet right now. The Padres are going to be a pain in the ass. They're just going to be be a pain in the ass. They're just going to be a huge pain in the ass because they're playing really well and the Giants the Giants are kind of. They're going to be a pain in the ass too.
Speaker 1:It looks like Junghoo Lee, who the Giants brought over from Korea last year and he showed some signs of being great but then got hurt pretty early on. He's hitting the ball very well and for power, which was kind of not something we thought was going to be part of his game, and it is. So the Dodgers are in third place right now. They have the third best record in the National League, but they're in third place in the division. Yeah, because the division's so tough. Oh my gosh, it's incredibly tough. I don't know where this stands now, but a few days ago I saw someone posting that the Dodgers were on pace to win like 117-118. Yeah, and we're in third place. Mm-hmm. Isn't that amazing, it's wild, it's absolutely wild, and I don't think the Dodgers play the Padres for like months. Yeah, the schedule is just kind of weird the way it's fallen, and that also means we'll have to play them a lot in a short amount of time, which I'm not thrilled about either, right, but, you know, here we are.
Speaker 1:Um, you know we're kind of kind of should have seen this coming, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Um, but you know a couple things from the dodgers uh, player wise, uh, tomm, tommy Edmond, off to a red-hot start, yes, earning every penny of that extension that he got. Playing different positions he's been at second, he's been in center field and one of the few defensive bright spots thus far for the Dodgers and hitting the ball really well from both sides of the plate and he had always been a lefty killer and then the left-handed side was sort of his weak side. But he's kind of bridging that gap so far this year, which is really encouraging, really good to see, really good to see. Um, dustin may man.
Speaker 1:Uh, started the year with just good to see him out there. After all, he's been through the last few years and the freak esophagus injury last year. Just to see him out there and able to throw the ball, yeah, and be competitive was great. See him out there and able to throw the ball and be competitive was great. Now it's like, okay, this might be the Dustin May we've been waiting on. Yeah, as is always the case with Dustin May, health is the question. Can he stay on the field? Can he pitch the innings necessary to be a real contributor for this ball club? Right, and if he can I mean honestly, if he stays healthy it would not surprise me to see him get playoff starts. Yeah, he's been that good. I mean, the stuff has always been there. He's got some of the nastiest stuff in the game of baseball. It's just a matter of staying on the field. So good for Dustin May, very happy for him and hope that this continues and we don't get back into the injury talk with him Right.
Speaker 1:Speaking of pitcher injuriesake snell spending a little time on the injured list, um, it doesn't look like it's going to be a a super lengthy um stint on the injured list. But we've also got um clayton kershaw, tony Gonsolin are both rehabbing. Kershaw looked good the other day. Yeah, three innings of shutout ball. He's going to be in OKC for a little while. He's got to get built up before they bring him up. Tony Gonsolin threw 66 pitches in a rehab start, which kind of makes you feel like if he comes out of that feeling good and healthy, he's close being back. Yeah, got to be. That's a lot of pitches. That's four or five innings at the big league level.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and if he can do that, I think you need to get him up and pitching in the big leagues. It's going to be interesting if all these pitchers get healthy at the same time. Yes, because the Dodgers have a lot of starting pitchers, mm-hmm, and there's only so many spots on the roster. You're limited to how many pitchers you can keep on the roster. So we'll see.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think the reason the Dodgers have built this team is because there's been very little, not a lot of time where all these pitchers have been healthy at the same time. Yeah, so they're just kind of you'll be interested to see if they all do. Yeah, well, and I was talking to jim the other night watching the game. It was like look, you know a lot of this is being precautious now because why, why force guys to pitch in april right, when the goal is to have everybody healthy in October? And if this Dodger team and we've said this the last few years, basically the entirety of the life of this podcast if the Dodgers are healthy in October, good luck everybody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because you can get us once. You can maybe get us three out of five maybe, but four out of seven.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I just don't know that that happens Right. I mean, this is a super team, this is a dream team.
Speaker 2:It really is. I mean and it's going to be hard to beat them that many times I mean anybody, and that's something they got going for them and I agree that they need to concentrate on on then and not necessarily now yeah, and that's always been.
Speaker 1:You know, that's always been this, this, you know this version of the dodgers. However, you want to quantify that time wise? Um, this version of the dodgers. The goal has always been we can sacrifice games in April to be healthy in October, because we are good enough that we can still be there in October if we don't play to win every game right now. And that is, I think, in full effect.
Speaker 2:Well, I think the Dodgers are playing to be there in October and everybody else is just hoping to be there in October, and everybody else is just hoping to be there in October.
Speaker 1:Well, and when we talk about the division, that's always been. The difference is, if the Dodgers and Padres played in April or May, the Padres showed up like it was the World Series Right and the Dodgers showed up like it was just another day. And that consistency is what makes this dodger club so great. Yes, because that's their mentality. Every day it's just one day and all we're worried about is today, and if today doesn't go our way, no big deal.
Speaker 1:Chalk it up always tomorrow, we'll show up tomorrow and start over Mm-hmm. So now, if we get to July, august and we're still in third place, then we might be having a different conversation. But you know, I am not at this point. I don't have any worry. Yeah, with the Dodgers, I think we're just fine. I don't have any worry with the Dodgers, I think we're just fine. I think we're healthier at this point than we've been in a little while, which is weird to say because we're dealing with some pitcher injuries. But we've got Landon Knack and Bobby Miller and Justin Rebleski that can make spot starts and have options and can be sent down if guys get healthy, and that's a luxury that not all teams have, but the Dodgers do have. So I'm also surprised that you've not been talking any shit.
Speaker 2:Well, we did beat you guys and we played well at dodger stadium. At dodger stadium, two out of three at dodger stadium, yeah, uh, it was, it was big, it was very big and I think that set the pace, that if we can beat them, we can beat everybody else too oh, yeah, and that really got them going well, that's the thing.
Speaker 1:if you're playing the Dodgers in April, that's your measuring stick. Yeah, that's your measuring stick right now. And for the Cubs, I think Craig Council motivated that team and went okay, guys, let's see how good we really are. We believe we're good, but let's go show everybody else. Yep, and that Sunday game the Sunday was the two-homer game from PCA, right Game three. Yeah, yeah. That was a big statement for PCA, who I think just loves playing at Dodger Stadium. He does because it's home for him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's his home ballpark and his mom was there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, big deal for him to have that big game at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 2:And I was not at all upset about that because again, again, I'm a big pca fan yeah, um, it was a good moment for him, yeah, and for his mom, because they like ship showing her the whole game and you know she loves her boy, so, right, he loves watching him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very cool, very cool and and a good series win for the cubs yes good series win for the cubs.
Speaker 1:Dodgers are just trying to get back on track. Did that a little bit against the Rockies, but again, that's a team you expect to sweep and when we start losing series to teams like the Rockies maybe my whiskers will start tingling a little bit, but right now we're taking care of business when we need to. The guys that we need to be really good for the most part are really good. Uh, yoshinobu yamamoto has looked incredible. Um, making me feel pretty good about my cy young pick in the national league, right and um, you know, again I I'm not, I'm not too concerned right now. I think the dodgers are right where we need to be and we'll worry about scoreboard watching and the standings, you know, as the season goes along.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It comes later.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure, for sure. This is a good ball club, a really good ball club. Bullpen has been lights out most of the time, which is expected. You know they built this bullpen to be that. You know, after after after two, three years of having a really good bullpen, that was kind of pieced together, yeah, a lot of guys off the scrap heap that the dodgers found one little thing, added a pitch, changed something mechanically and turned, turned into.
Speaker 1:You know, I mean you look at Alex Vessia and you know Anthony Bonda and Evan Phillips, who's not played this year yet but is another example of that, and even Ryan Brazier, who's a Cub now. You know that was another reclamation project in that Dodger bullpen last year. You add Tanner Scott, you add Kirby Yates, you bring back Blake Trinan, you pick up Michael Kopech, another guy who's not pitched yet this year but is going to be a contributor when he gets healthy. This is a team built to be the best team. Yeah, and I think that's what we're going to see, as long as health is on the side of the Dodgers this year.
Speaker 2:Well, it's going to be interesting when we get to October for the playoffs that if the Cubs are doing what I think they're going to do and then the Dodgers are doing what is expected of them, isn't that going to be an interesting series there at the end?
Speaker 1:This show is going to get really entertaining if the Cubs and Dodgers play in October. Oh, yeah, yeah, it's going to get cutthroat brother, or it'll be the end of the show, maybe both. Yeah, maybe it'll be really entertaining and then it'll just stop, yeah we imploded over the, the two gnashing of the of the teams. Yeah, yeah, oh goodness, all right. Uh, you got anything else on the cubs or the dodgers, before we move along and get caught up on some of the big topics we've missed well, uh, no, no, it's been.
Speaker 2:So much has happened in the past month and it's such good baseball this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been a really good season already and I knew it was going to be, and we're just getting started. You know, we got a couple weeks in and I was looking at all the topics I had, you know, kind of earmarked to talk about on the show and I was going. I'll be damned I'm going to have to eat crow at the end of this and tell Brian he was right. This really is shaping up to be an all-time great baseball season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everybody's playing spectacular. For the most part, everybody's healthy and it's just exciting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's really great to be here at this juncture of the season and to be this excited about everything that's going on, so let's get caught up on some things that we've missed while we've taken the last couple weeks off. Okay, we got to talk about torpedo bats.
Speaker 1:Yes yes, all right. So very early on in the season, all right. So very early on in the season, the Yankees destroy the Brewers. I mean historical ass-whipping with the amount of runs they were scoring, the amount of home runs they were hitting and everybody starts talking about these funky-looking bats, these bowling-pin-. Yeah, I want to clear some things up for anyone who maybe has not delved into this topic as much as I have as far as reading and and hearing people talk about it. First, there's absolutely nothing illegal about these bats. I don't even think there's anything possibly illegal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're just shaped different, because there's nothing that says where you put the sweet spot of a bat, and that's all this is, if you're at all familiar with golf, where you get fitted for your clubs and that's basically they take your body, your size, your swing and they fit the clubs to you. That's all this is is we're taking a bat and we're fitting it to a player's specific swing, right. So if you hit the ball more consistently, closer to your hands, the fattest part of the barrel is going to be down close to the handle, as opposed to, you know, the typical bat. It starts to widen out at the handle. It gets as wide as it can get and then it just goes till the end of the bat. Yeah, all we're doing is taking that same area and moving it to fit a guy's swing. Yeah, anthony Volpe is a great example of this. He likes to hit the ball down by the hands, so all we're doing is giving him the most impact when he hits the ball where he likes to hit it, where he's most comfortable swinging Right.
Speaker 1:Another thing that I'd like to clear up is that the Yankees are not even close to the only people using this. No, a lot of people are using it. Francisco Lindor is using the torpedo bat. There are other examples. Plenty of guys are using it, and you can go back as far as two years ago and find examples of guys using this technology.
Speaker 1:The Yankees just ran into the Brewers, who, again, are really decimated in the starting pitching department, and they really just put a hurting on them, and they're the Yankees. The Yankees do anything and they're going to get press, because everybody who's not a Yankees fan is looking for any reason to discount the success of the Yankees. I'm not saying that's right or wrong or good or bad. It just kind of is what it is and it always has been and it probably always will be. The Yankees are just that team in in the majors. So, um, really, really interesting stuff.
Speaker 1:We've seen um an uptick in the demand for these bats. Max muncie of the dodgers tried it out and he was kind of struggling and is still struggling a little bit. He's just swinging a little freer than normal. He's swinging at stuff that the last few years he would never have thought about swinging at. He's just been a little more aggressive and the numbers are reflecting that. He used them for two at-bats In the middle of the game went nope, I'm going back to the old bats and then kind of got a couple hits and was like, oh okay, well, maybe I don't need a new bat, maybe I just need to do a little better with the bats.
Speaker 2:I've got.
Speaker 1:Brian, it's been a little while since you and I talked about this off-air. Brian, it's been a little while since you and I talked about this off air. I want to hear, because at the beginning of this you were very skeptical, I was Very skeptical, so I'd like, now that we're on the air and we're talking about this in a public forum, I want to know where you currently stand on the torpedo bats.
Speaker 2:Well, I was skeptical at first because I wanted to see more people using them, so we had a broader scope of data to come in on these. But I have watched plenty of games with these bats and I like them yeah I do. I think they're good for the game. I don't think there's anything wrong with them, um, and the guys that are using them seem to be really comfortable with them and doing great with them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that was the other thing, too that I heard said a lot at the outset was, you know, a lot of the same people that were griping about these bats and oh well, they, they got to be illegal, there's got to be something going on here, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah are the same people that are bitching because everybody either walks or strikes out or hits a home run. If these bats lead to more balls being put in play, more action, how is it not a good thing for the?
Speaker 2:game Exactly, and that's what has turned out is. They are putting the ball in play and creating more excitement, and I think that's great for the game.
Speaker 1:And beyond that, maybe the hitters are finally getting caught up technologically with pitching. Yeah, absolutely. We've talked for years, we've talked a lot on this show, about how pitching technology has been so far ahead of hitting technology. Yeah, why wouldn't hitters want to give this a try? I mean, pitchers are throwing as hard as they ever have all the time and it's affected. I mean, we've changed the rules, we've made the bases bigger, we've limited the number of disengagements on the mound, all in the name of injecting more offense, more action into Major League Baseball. And I think, again, this is just hitting technology starting to get caught up.
Speaker 1:And at some point here's the thing At some point, anthony Volpe is going to stop getting pitches on the inner half of the plate. Pitching is going to adjust Absolutely. And then now he has to adjust, what does he do with the ball on the, you know, on the outer half of the plate that looks like a strike. Yeah, you know, does he just cough? You know, does he just let those go and say you know, I'll get him next time? I mean, it's, it's, it's a and forth, yeah, and that's all this is. Is this is just hitting the hitting side of back and forth and again I'm going to echo what you said, brian. This is a good thing it is.
Speaker 2:It's good for the game they're going to come out next with. If he goes out, they start pitching him outside and he has to hit on the skinny part of the bat. They're going to have a double hump, double sweet spot. It'll be like a Bugs Bunny bat. It'll be real big and real tiny on the other end Right right. Because basically this whole game comes back to Bugs Bunny. You know, in a lot of ways it really does, it really does, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so torpedo bats.
Speaker 2:I'm for them, man, I'm all for them. I think it's going to make the game better. It's just from what I've seen. I've really enjoyed them.
Speaker 1:Mike Petriello had a great post right in the middle of all this and he was going back into the archives for weird looking bats and just stuff like that, to kind of show people like, hey, this isn't a new thing, like this is, this has always gone on. And he, he said something to the effect of you know, the baseball world is up in arms about something that nobody was talking about three days ago. Yeah, and he was just like man, I love this game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:The Yankees scored 20 runs one time and all of a sudden everybody wants to talk about the bats they're using. Yeah, it's just—.
Speaker 2:I mean, had they not done that, would we even be talking about it?
Speaker 1:Well, and that's the thing, If it wasn't for the yankees spanking the brewers one weekend, um, and kind of being the you know, and that's. The other thing is the yankees are not the only team that have access to this or have had access to this. They were just the first organization that got a large-scale buy-in from their players, yeah, you know, and then they after that buy-in, then the demand went way up.
Speaker 1:Of course, because players are going well. If it's working for them, maybe I need to give it a try. Of course, maybe it'll work for me. It was infectious. Yeah Well, they're ballplayers, man. If something's working for somebody else and you're in a slump, you're at least going to take a look and consider it Absolutely. I mean, whatever that is, you know, if that's a weird-shaped bat, if that's, you know, tapping your bat with the chicken bone cross, whatever it is.
Speaker 2:Sacrificing a lot of chickens for the game.
Speaker 1:If it's working for somebody else, maybe it can work for you. Yeah, yeah, all right. Uh, real quick. Um, we mentioned the Braves struggles earlier. Um, they have not looked good. No, they can't really catch a break. Um, you know they, they. They got Spencer Strider back. I didn't really look to see. Maybe here in a second I'll look up his line. I think it was yesterday he pitched for the first time coming off of injury. But a big blow to the Braves, their biggest off-season acquisition jerks. And profar is now out 80 games on a ped suspension. Well, good for him. I mean, I hope it was worth it.
Speaker 1:Hcg, which is known less for what it does and more for what it covers up okay, this is, uh, the hcg sort of came into the mainstream conversation when Manny Ramirez got suspended for it and that's kind of how we know what it is and what it does. Not good, not good. And you know, I think there's a bigger conversation to have here because you know Profar last year is on a one-year deal. He's fledgling a little bit. He's been good but not great. Gets one year, monster year, all-star, best year of his career.
Speaker 1:People are going this is what we thought he was going to be. You know he's a former top prospect in baseball, yeah, and it just never materialized that way, and that just happens. You know, if you follow prospects at all, that's kind of how it goes. Guys are seen as the next big thing and then it doesn't really pan out at the big league level. But they can be serviceable guys with long careers. They're just never a star, a star, right. So we have to believe brian that whatever he was doing, whatever he was using, he was using last year when he had this this monster year. Baseball contracts are guaranteed. He's already gotten paid from the individual player standpoint. What does this really hurt? Right, I get you, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What does he care? What does he care? Yeah, they're losing. He's got his money. What does he care?
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, what does he care? Right? Yeah, and I think that's the larger conversation here is is 80 games. First offense enough, is it enough? Second offense you lose a season. I'm pretty sure it's the way it sits right now. Okay, but first offense 80 games it feels like a lot but in this in this specific scenario, I don't know, he's already cashed in. I I just, I don't know. This is, this is bad.
Speaker 2:This is a bad look it's not good at all for them, is it?
Speaker 1:well it's. It's another blow to the Braves, who were supposed to be one of the teams in that division, one of the teams in the National League, and they just have not been that thus far. And it's still early. Yeah, very early on. They're going to get Acuna back, um, they're gonna their their best. Baseball is ahead of them is what I'm trying to say. But you know, I just this is just a real sticky situation and um, I don't know, I don't know, maybe we do need to look at this, maybe, maybe that maybe the initial um, you know, and, and to be to be clear, he's not going to get paid for those 80 games, he's going to lose a few million dollars, but I don't know, it just feels real fishy to me I'd say that would do it, losing a few million dollars.
Speaker 1:I'd say that would punish him enough well, that's what we're, that's what we're looking at. I think. I think I saw he's going to lose somewhere between three and five million. Uh, by the time 80 games is up, but I don't know. He you know, this is a guy that was living off one year contracts. He cashes in one time.
Speaker 1:It almost feels like a tax yeah okay, here's your tax for using the, the, whatever you're using, and the stuff to cover up that you're using it to get that big contract. Yeah, I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.
Speaker 2:Let's put everybody on it. Let's put everybody on the gas and back. The walls up 300 more feet. The walls up 300 more feet, let's. Let's watch them hit the ball 700 feet and just see who who can take the most shit.
Speaker 1:What do you think? I don't know. I don't know, pal, and and you know there are so many people now that that will coming out of this will make him hear about this for the rest of his life. Of course he will, because steroids in baseball is this weird thing, and I'm not saying let's legalize them. I'm not saying there's, it's, it's it's. I'm not saying that it's the right thing to do to use performance enhancing drugs if you play baseball for a living. But what I am trying to say is maybe this shouldn't be a life sentence. He's going to lose the money. He's going to sit out 80 games, he's going to hurt his ball club that's already in dire need of something positive. You know, I don't know that we need to remind him every day for the rest of his life that he made this mistake.
Speaker 2:Do you remember baseball before steroids? Do you remember any sports when steroids were legal? Are you old enough to remember that?
Speaker 1:Well, it kind of depends on, because the thing of it is, the stuff Mark McGuire got caught taking was not illegal when he got caught taking it. It became illegal because he got caught taking it Right. I remember that vividly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, I remember when you could go get steroids over the counter, because that was, they weren't illegal. It wasn't until Lyle Alzado passed away with his cancer that they made a big deal out of it, and I have since then and now say that they should have done that. They should have based it on better study than based on just his condition. Right, and that is the sole reason why they're illegal is because of that, um, but I can remember. So you know, in the 70s and early 80s people were on the gas and playing and, and people didn't even know, because it wasn't a.
Speaker 1:You know I I'm a bit of a steroid era apologist because I also remember where the game of baseball was in this country in 1998, before the Sosa-McGuire home run race that summer. Right, I remember this country being invigorated by the game of baseball. After four years earlier, people literally going on the news and saying I'm never watching it again. Right, because millionaires and billionaires are arguing over money and we don't get a World Series now because the rich want to get richer and they'd rather not play than come to some accord. Yeah, the game was in a bad place in the 90s, mm-hmm. And 1998 happened and it just saved American baseball.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It saved it. And that's not me adding my own spin on something. That's not an opinion. I was there, I remember. A lot of people listening to this show probably remember too, and I get it Again. I'm not saying that we should make it legal. I'm not saying that there was no wrongdoing. I just think that the morality you know, this sort of moral policing of the Hall of Fame with guys like Barry Bonds who would have been a Hall of Famer without it, is a little extreme. I agree, element of a time frame and an era of this game, and we are sort of we're using that to not celebrate a time period and an era of this game that to some level, still needs to be celebrated. Yeah, and you can have your opinion. I don't. You know, we're never going to get to a place where everybody agrees on everything Right, baseball or otherwise. There were people that didn't think Roger Maris should have the single season record because he played more games than Babe.
Speaker 2:Ruth did Right.
Speaker 1:And there are plenty of people that didn't want to admit that Hank Aaron was the home run king because he was a black man. Right, that all is what it is, but if you want to try to erase the 1990, the summer of 1998 and what sosa and mcguire did for the game of baseball and for this country as a whole, then maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities right is all I'm saying, right, and you don't have to do that.
Speaker 1:I'm not your boss, I, if you're listening to this show, I assume you're grown, and if and if you're not, I hope you have your parents permission, because we say things that they probably don't want you to hear. Sometimes, um, it's mostly you, pal. Well, it's my show and I. I have very, very few rules on what I can and can't say on Pirate Flag Radio, so I say what I want. Yeah, I don't know, this is a bad look for jerks and pro-far. This is terrible for the Braves, who are just not good. You said you've been watching them.
Speaker 2:They're not good. They are not good in any aspect whatsoever. They're bad this year so far. I mean they could turn it around, but I don't know. They just don't have their bats together and their fielding and their pitching is not where it needs to be at all. So we will see what happens to the Braves later on, but, as of you know, press time they're just not getting it done.
Speaker 1:I'm currently looking up Spencer Strider's uh season debut.
Speaker 2:Oh good god riveting radio when we Google.
Speaker 1:I don't know what the hell's going on here, but I'm getting a little frustrated.
Speaker 2:It'll be all right. There we go, he's getting it folks, it's pulling up.
Speaker 1:Internet's slow today. Well, it redirected me to the MLB app. And then the MLB app was like how do you want to log in? Who's your favorite team? And it's like I use this app so frequently. You should not have to ask me these questions. All right, let's do it this way.
Speaker 2:You really get off on a tangent while you're doing that. The MLB app is very good to use. It's almost a one-stop shop for everything I know. I use that a lot also.
Speaker 1:Okay, Five innings, five hits, two runs. Both of them earned one walk. Five Ks gave up a homer, so not bad. Not a bad first start for Strider no, not bad at all. I think the five full innings is important. Coming off of an injury, you know the magnitude of what he had, so he's got a 3-6 ERA after one start, which is you know the magnitude of what he had, so he's got a 3-6 ERA after one start, which is, you know, more than respectable. Yeah, you know, team just didn't get him any support.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the bats just didn't get going.
Speaker 1:No, not at all. Who's in this lineup for the Braves? Michael Harris, austin, riley, matt, and that's the thing is, a lot of the guys are there. Yeah, they're just not playing up to the top. They're just not getting the job done yet. No, and they're starting to get to a point where you look at where they're at in the division, you look at how many games behind they are, and they're they're about to dig a hole that they're not gonna be able to get out of yeah, and I think that's something they're gonna have to worry about is getting so far behind how they're gonna get out of it they're already six games out of first place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's rough, and I know it's april and way stranger things have happened. And again you just got Spencer Strider back. You're going to get Acuna back this year. But man, the way the Mets are playing, the way the Phillies have the capability of playing, if that six turns into ten, it's going to be a really, really, really tough climb out of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a really, really, really tough. Climb out of that. Yeah, and the NL West looks like it's going to have at least two, maybe all three, wild card spots. Yep, you know, the longer this goes for the Braves, the harder it's going to be for them to rebound and make the playoffs.
Speaker 2:Not good news for Braves fans?
Speaker 1:No, not at all, and we're talking about the Braves. So I have to get in the customary fuck blooper.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say what do you think bloopers do?
Speaker 1:Biggest disgrace. Well, he's somewhere being a disgrace because that's what he does best. So fuck you blooper. Ha Lucky Tommy Lasorda's dead blooper.
Speaker 2:Text us if you got something to say yeah, please, I dare you, you goof.
Speaker 1:Alright. So back to more positive talk. If you were with us for our season preview, we previewed every division and made our picks and talked a lot about us. For our season preview, we previewed every division and made our picks and talked a lot about expectations for this season. And I was best I can tell and I have not heard everybody's predictions for this season, but best I could tell. I was about the only person in the media, quote unquote, saying keep an eye on the Angels. Everybody else was kind of like nope, Angels are going to be in last place.
Speaker 2:Yep, that's what I said.
Speaker 1:Move on Witness protection. If the playoffs started today and of course they don't, but if they did, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim would be a playoff team. Wow, wow, wow. One of the big stories has been their former second-round pick, kyron Paris, who has five home runs, eight RBI, five stolen bases and a 12-18 OPS so far Out of nowhere. 18 OPS so far Out of nowhere. You add to that that Mike Trout has been on the field all year. He's hitting the ball like Mike Trout, yeah, doing Mike Trout-like things. He is doing Mike Trout things and, um, you know, this team looks pretty good. Yeah, this team looks alright. They got a shot and everybody else was trying to write them off and I just kept hearing everything coming out of camp and the team rallying around this no cell phones thing and trying to bond and Wash is kind of like guys, let's do it old school a little bit. I mean, again, it's April, it's very early.
Speaker 2:Well, that's the key to it. It's if that happened today. But it ain't going to happen today. So you know there's still going to be witness protection. Just keep running your mouth, okay.
Speaker 1:Just keep running your mouth.
Speaker 2:I just don't see. Let's have this call again at All-Star Break.
Speaker 1:Don't worry, we will Okay. Don't worry, we will okay. Don't worry because I have kept a close eye on the angels. Okay, because I was kind of surprised to be the only person going. I don't know, I don't know. Everybody else is just writing them off like they got no shot. Um, and you know, the astros have not started out great, but they didn't start last year out great and they ended up fine. And you know, the Rangers are really starting to be the Rangers.
Speaker 2:I've watched the Rangers. They played the Cubs. They look tough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're tough, they're a good ball club. They're in first place. They're a game and a half ahead of the Angels Mariners are sitting right at 500, which is about where I expect them to be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they played the Reds yesterday. I don't even remember who won.
Speaker 1:And then the A's and the Astros are kind of sitting at the bottom, but they're only three games out. It's a pretty tight division. Nobody in that division. The last ten is better than six and four, which is kind of the story of that division. Right, but all I'm saying is so far, Angels looking pretty good, all right.
Speaker 2:Well, we'll see if it continues. I highly doubt it, but we'll see what you say. That's why we talk about this. It is that's that's, that's why.
Speaker 1:That's why that's why I'm keeping an eye on him, because because I was just I figured somebody would go, maybe this whole ron washington thing works, maybe this works, yeah, but nobody was willing to give him the time of day on that Right, and it just so far has worked out okay for the Angels.
Speaker 2:Well, we'll see. We will see what happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I will continue. They're a team that I've had circled since we did our season preview and since I heard some other season preview discussions and just kind of what. I just heard what everybody else was saying about the Angels and I just wanted to I don't know rub it in that you know, on April, what is today, the 17th, april 17th I'm so far correct about the Angels. Well, we'll see what they look like tomorrow, on the 17th april 17th.
Speaker 2:Uh, I, I'm so far correct about the angels. Well, we'll see what they look like tomorrow on the 18th and then we'll go from there.
Speaker 1:Okay, pal, okay hey, kenley jansen has looked great. Yeah, rest of their bullpen meh. But kenley jansen has done his part and I'm very happy because I love me some kenley jane is uh, henrik, still playing for them? Yeah, and he's looked pretty good, yeah, yeah, he's quietly been a really good starter for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's his gimmick. He's just the professor man just quietly getting the job done.
Speaker 1:He is quietly getting the job done. And that was the thing too is they just took flyers on a lot of these guys. Yeah, it was kind of like let's just throw it at the wall and see what sticks. And so far things are sticking. Yeah, well, you know, and they could go ass over tea kettle. Mike Trout could wind up back on the injured list. I mean just anything could happen, right, I'm not saying that you know and probably will. I mean just anything could happen, right, I'm not saying that you know and probably will and probably will. Yeah, I mean, it's still baseball after all. But yeah, I just wanted to brag a little bit about the Angels, okay.
Speaker 1:And now, brian, I'm going to give you in just a moment, an opportunity to brag about one of your picks that was kind of laughed at. Yes, not one of your picks that I literally laughed at on the air, but I wanted to Vladimir Guerrero Jr, the star of the Toronto Blue Jays, who had basically said I'm hitting the market. They didn't meet the deadline. Well, now deadlines don't exist anymore. Dead means nothing, because vladimir guerrero jr, for all intents and purposes, is now a blue jay for life. 14 years, 500 million dollar extension. They got it done. He never hit free agency and that is huge for the toronto blue jays.
Speaker 2:I said he wasn't going anywhere.
Speaker 1:This is an organization that has been in on Otani, they were in on Soto, They've been in on everybody the last couple years and they just keep coming up short. They just keep being the second team in all of these free agent sagas. And for them to be able to keep a guy that they basically have built themselves in, Vladdy Jr, to keep him in Toronto for his whole career I mean 14 years is a long time he's barring something crazy happening. He is a Blue Jay for life, Right, that's big for them.
Speaker 2:It is huge, and they developed him. Yeah, he played in Princeton when they had the the devil rays there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean the, the rays.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm saying the blue jays blue jays. No, the blue jays was the team, but the oh yeah, the rays. Well, he played in bluefield, bluefield, that's what I'm trying to say, yeah, yeah yeah, there was two teams there. I got confused for a minute.
Speaker 1:Yes, Bluefield and Princeton are basically the same town, but they're not the same town.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they had two different minor league teams, and one was for the Blue Jays and one was for the race. The race, yes.
Speaker 1:But, brian, you surprisingly picked the Blue Jays to win the American League East, the stacked American League East, you said, and you mentioned Bo Bichette. You said Bo Bichette was going to put it together this year. Yeah, and they were going to win the division. And so far, let me see exactly where we stand there. They're in second place. They're a half game behind the Yankees. They're 11-8. Are the Blue Jays Pretty stinking good so far, ahead of the Blue Jays and the Orioles, which is, you know, that matters. That's saying something you mentioned. You've watched the Blue Jays a little bit. What are you seeing out of the Blue Jays? Right?
Speaker 2:now. Well, Guerrero is producing, Bo Bichette is healthy, he's back and everything is just clicking with them. I think they're in a good position to keep moving up. They've looked really, really good. The pitching's looked pretty good. They took on the Orioles when I watched and that was a really good series, especially when I had no connection to either team, so I just watched it for the love of watching it. So yeah, I'm still behind the Jays.
Speaker 1:Bo Bichette currently 119 OPS plus, so he's above average and he's leading the league in doubles. He's got eight doubles so far. There you go. No home runs yet, but 11 RBI. Looking pretty good, yeah, looking pretty good. Man, and the Blue Jays are just Trucking along, along, they're piecing it together. They're piecing it together in a way that I don't think many people gave them.
Speaker 2:um, I don't think many people believe they could right yeah, I mean, you know you, they're showing a lot more than what they were ballyhooed for. I don't think a lot of people were behind them this year, but they're coming out and they're playing good and I think they're going to keep continuing to do that. I mean, half a game behind the Yanks isn't bad at all.
Speaker 1:No, they're playing good ball, you know. And again that division is going to go down to the wire. I mean we, if the blue jays keep playing well, this could be a five team race. It has been before, right? Uh, there was a time not that long ago where all five teams in that division finished 500 or better, right, you know? I, I could definitely see that, although the rays not looking so great thus far no, the rays are not looking good at all.
Speaker 1:They are having a rough season how much of that do you think is the minor league ballpark?
Speaker 2:I think it's a lot of it. Yeah, I think they don't have the amenities that they need. They don't have, um, well you know, though, but they they claimed on the broadcast that it was good for attendance, yeah, that they weren't packing out a 16 000 seat venue, but the 11 000 seat venue were was packed and that that was behind them. But that's not translating the wins, though no, they have not looked great.
Speaker 1:uh, on the on the field um, you know, it's something that a lot of people didn't really address until like opening day, when they kind of saw how the, how the ballpark was rebranded, a lot of people went oh, that's right, they're playing in a division rival spring training home, so why would the division rival roll out the red carpet for?
Speaker 2:them, exactly, exactly. It's like Major League. They got the boat motor in the jacuzzi yeah. You know they're using duct tape to keep the team playing together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we'll see how that. You know how that goes the rest of the way, the rest of the way. But while we're talking about minor league parks being used at the major league level, there's a big difference in a spring training facility, especially a yankee spring training facility, because that means that that that facility is up to Yankee player standards, right, there's a big difference in that. And a AAA park, yes, that never hosts major league players. Yep, and I'm talking, of course, about Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, california, currently the home of the Athletics and Brian. The Cubs were the first team to take a road trip to Sacramento and the Cubs players were very vocal about they didn't really like playing. It was a dump it was terrible.
Speaker 2:It was absolutely terrible. They should be embarrassed that they're playing games there. It's bad. They should be, they really should. I mean that's one of it's bad.
Speaker 1:They should be, they really should be. I mean, that's one of many things the athletics organization should be embarrassed about, but it's definitely one of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean they just didn't have what they needed to have and there is a bottom line minimum of stuff that professional athletes need to have. Yeah, you know, I mean there's nothing worse, worse than needing and I'm taking this from a wrestling angle and then I'm going to bring it back to baseball uh, traveling on the road day in and day out and you get used to your routine, and then you get to a venue that is just not going to cooperate with your, with your routine, and then that messes you up all night long to perform and I can't imagine playing nine innings of a game. I only had to go out there for 10, 15 minutes.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and they have to have so many things and they just didn't have it there.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, you know, the building and I use that term loosely that hosts the press conferences at Sutter Health Park went viral that first couple of days hosting Major League Games. I mean, it's basically a trailer in the parking lot, not a lot of room.
Speaker 2:A trailer in the parking lot, not a lot of room, certainly does not look like a major league media facility, it looked like my first apartment yeah, yeah, you know that first time you're you're out of the house, but you spend more time at home than you do your apartment, because your apartment's you got 12 roommates.
Speaker 1:You got 12 roommates you got 12 roommates.
Speaker 2:They're, all you know, pitching staffs in the kitchen, going over splitters.
Speaker 1:Three of them don't even speak English.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's bad, it's bad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not a good look. Not a good look for the athletics, no not at all.
Speaker 2:They're going to have to do something about that, right, uh?
Speaker 1:here's the thing, really. If something was gonna be done, don't you think it would have been done by now?
Speaker 2:I mean, I guess they're just gonna live with it. I guess they figure it won't be but a couple years, so we'll just tough it out. I guess like not. But the good thing is is, when they do get to the new field it'll seem immaculate. That's true. Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1:That's true, and I have seen some things that suggest that the ballpark in Vegas is actually going to happen, which was not a guarantee, you know, not even that long ago we were talking about, well, was this ever going to get built, or are they going to just be stuck, uh, in sacramento forever, or what? You know what? What's the backup plan? Right, um, but it is starting to look like vegas is a reality. And, um, in 20, what? 2028?
Speaker 2:yeah, um the which is a long way off.
Speaker 1:It is a long. It feels like an eternity yeah and I can't. I mean, can you imagine being a major league player and playing half your games there?
Speaker 2:I mean some guy will come up play all their games there and be out of the sport before they go to the new. That's true. I mean he'll play his whole career there and not ever know the difference. Yeah, that's very true.
Speaker 1:That's sad that's very true. Um, man, it's just a shame. What a shame, yeah, what a shame for a billionaire to get away with something like this. Yeah, just really. Uh, you know, and we've talked about it until we were blue in the face, but you know, hate it, hate it for the Oakland baseball fans.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's terrible for them and it's breaking their hearts.
Speaker 1:It is, yeah, it is, and it's just like finger in a wound.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's just like putting your finger in somebody's wound and just digging around in there. That's a good thought, you know, it's just kicking them while they're down. Yeah, man, just really unfortunate. But that's why this team doesn't have any fans, right? They better hope people in Vegas embrace this team.
Speaker 2:Because if they don't, they're going to go bankrupt.
Speaker 1:Well, we can only hope that John Fisher goes bankrupt. That's the best possible outcome of this whole debacle. Is John Fisher losing a bunch of money? Yeah, it won't matter. He'll still be a billionaire. But you know if his portfolio can take a hit, you know that's about the best we can hope for at this juncture.
Speaker 2:It's a shame, what a shame. It is a shame, it's a big shame, and we'll just have to see in three years, in three years, sir. Where do you see yourself in three years?
Speaker 1:Good grief. At this point I don't even know. I don't want to think that far ahead. I don't want to think that far ahead. I don't want to think that far ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I know where I'm going to be this weekend and that's about it. Yeah, same place I've been the past four and a half months. Oh man.
Speaker 1:Shout out to Mike Vanik, the grand poobah of Pirate Flag Radio, who we had on this show sometime back to talk about the Oakland baseball debacle. You can go back in the archives wherever you find podcasts and find that. And shout out to the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League. Man, they keep adding high-profile names to their ownership group. They're ramping up for their season to get started here soon. That's the real team. That is the team in Oakland for sure. 100%, yep, 100%. I follow one of their hot dog guys. Oh cool, yeah, he's an interesting cat. Jake the hot dog guy. No, how the hot dog guy? No. Hal the hot dog guy. Mike the hot dog mayor. Shout out to Mike the hot dog mayor. There you go. He's been begging for the baller season to start. He's not having a good time sports fan-wise.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Does he sell hot dogs or does he just eat hot dogs?
Speaker 1:No, I think he's like a vendor. I think he sells hot dogs. Or does he just eat hot dogs? No, I think he's like a vendor. Oh awesome, I think he sells hot dogs professionally Cool, cool.
Speaker 2:We need to get him on the show and talk about ballgame food.
Speaker 1:Either that or he's just a parking lot tailgate celebrity.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, either way, he's over with me. Hey, we do love a good hot dog we do.
Speaker 1:without a doubt, we do love a good hot dog. We got to start plotting our first day of the year.
Speaker 2:I'm already ahead of you. Oh, great. I've got a schedule of things to do this summer. So far you're not on any of it, but we got some things coming up that I'm going to put you on. Okay, great. When I'm doing the booking for the summer trips Great great, get me those dates as quick as you can.
Speaker 1:I'm a busy guy these days.
Speaker 2:That's why you're not on any of them so far. Right, right, a lot of Comic-Cons that I know you don't care to go to no thank you and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Ball games though, yeah ball games. The ball games are with you. Ball games for sure. Yeah, ball games for sure. We got to go. At least one Flyboys game. Yeah, because that's just right down the road, I'm sure I'll hit at least one or two Johnson City games.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go to a Smokies game. I'm going to bite the bullet and go to the new stadium. At least once you got to go once. Mostly to go get my new jersey. Yeah, because I want to get a Knoxville jersey. So I'm going to schlep all the way over there just to get a jersey and watch a game while I'm there, to the other side of Knoxville, to the other side of Knoxville K-Town the K-Town Showdown. I was on that, by the way.
Speaker 1:Nobody even knows what you're talking about.
Speaker 2:I know that's okay.
Speaker 1:I do. I mean I do, but anyhow, what else we got here? So another team that I've had highlighted to keep an eye on this year is the Boston Red Sox. Fascinating roster construction. A lot to talk about there. I didn't have this on the format, Brian, but have you caught any of the Netflix documentary series?
Speaker 2:No, but I want to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've heard good things.
Speaker 1:I have heard good things also Heard really good things and a lot of talk about Jaron Duran and some of his. He opened up about his mental health struggles and kind of put some context on the controversy from last year where he was caught using a word that he shouldn't be using on a live mic and doesn't excuse any of it. It just sort of gives you context on the human being Right. I'm interested to get into that and see some of that because again I've heard good things. Brian and I are students of the art of the documentary film. We have said many times that Netflix does it better than everybody else put together.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are big fans. I, uh, I myself am a documentary filmmaker and I love to watch documentaries and see how they unfold.
Speaker 1:Um, red sox a little bit of a rocky start. They're, they're, they're not. They're not the braves, we're not. We're not not talking about them being a few losses away from being too deep in a hole, but they've been hovering around .500 so far and are starting to get contributions from guys like Alex Bregman and guys that you need to see be stars to have success. If you're Boston, christian Campbell has looked really good so far, one of their young prospects getting a first look at the big league level.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, they're hanging in there at 500, and that's what you got to do before the All-Star break, so don't count them out yet.
Speaker 1:No, I think they're going to have a fine season. I think they got more coming as far as Roman Anthony, Marcella Mayer, potentially later in the season as well. You know Devers started the year abysmal. I think he started like 0 for his first 20 with 17 strikeouts Wow. I don't know how close that is to reality, but it's not far off if it's not accurate. But he's started to come out of that a little bit, which is good for the Red Sox fans to see. But here's what I want to talk about with the Red Sox.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm looking at it right here.
Speaker 1:So in recent years, teams have started getting very creative with their home run celebrations. You know we've seen lots of different variations of this. You know jackets and you know chains and samurai helmets, samurai helmets, all kinds of stuff, of stuff. The red socks have a mascot named wally the the green monster, in honor of the uh, the giant green wall there in left field, and they have a I would call this a big lots version of the mascot head. Why you gotta hate on big lots? I'm not hating Big Lots, I'm just saying I know what Big Lots is about.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And uh, well, okay, Let me rephrase this is a dollar store version of the mascot head, the dollar tree, if you will, and it is terrifying. Yes, it is nightmare fuel, it really is. When I first sent this to brian, his exact quote was this is gonna scare children and it and it's still scaring children today.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm looking at and I know this is supposed to he's got like the uh blackout under his eyes.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you it looks like a pencil mustache yeah, but that's like way too high to be a mustache well, that's what's wrong with him okay. I mean his mustache is up too high. That's part of it. It's not lip hair, it's like under the eye hair but it's by his nose, I don't know.
Speaker 2:He's just horrendous looking. He's green, obviously, but the mouth is cut out so you can see the person inside. It's just so you got a head in a head. It's just, it's Nightmare Fuel. You named that correctly, it is.
Speaker 1:It's Nightmare Fuel. But my point, my counterpoint, was Gritty, who is the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL? He's nightmare fuel, he's ugly, he's creepy and he is maybe the most popular mascot in sports outside of the Philly Fanatic. Okay, so I don't know, maybe there's something to this.
Speaker 2:Maybe Does it seem to help them hit home runs better.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know. I'll have to crunch some numbers and get back to you.
Speaker 2:We'll have to wait on the press release.
Speaker 1:Let me make a note here.
Speaker 2:All right, Make that note there. I mean it is just scary looking. It looks like Oscar the Grouch from the Dollar Tree. It really does. That's what it looks like.
Speaker 1:Well, and I think one of the creepiest things about it is how happy it looks. Yeah, it looks very happy, too happy.
Speaker 2:It looks like it's eating that person.
Speaker 1:Right, it looks like it's happy because it just ate the person who hit the home run.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. Also, if one player on this team gets lice, oh, they all got it.
Speaker 2:It's an epidemic. It's an epidemic. Oh my God, I didn't even think about that. That's terrible.
Speaker 1:Glad I could put that thought in your head.
Speaker 2:This comes from the guy who grabs the things at Walmart and puts them on his head and then people are like, don't do that. I'm like, yeah, but it's funny.
Speaker 1:It won't be funny when you get lice. I think I've literally said that to you at a Walmart you have.
Speaker 2:I think I had a Cookie Monster head on last time man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you just don't put things on your head that are out in a public store.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Not smart, Not smart at all but I did it.
Speaker 1:Oh, not smart I didn't get anything. This is creepy, though it's very, very creepy. It's real creepy.
Speaker 2:A creepy way to celebrate home runs. Take a look at it and text us and tell us your thoughts on whether it's creepy or not creepy Text us and tell us your thoughts on whether it's creepy or not creepy.
Speaker 1:Our goal for this episode, other than getting double time in, is somebody finally sends us a text.
Speaker 2:So you can go to 2GBcom, 2gtb, 2gtbcom, and we scroll down to the episodes and there is a button that says text us and you can send us a text. Let us know, is this guy creepy or not creepy?
Speaker 1:You can also go to any episode on any of the podcast platforms, whether it be Spotify or Apple or wherever.
Speaker 2:And the first line of the description is a link to send us a text. Yeah, so let us know. We're very curious and we will definitely read your text on air.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if you text us, we'll.
Speaker 2:Good, bad or indifferent. We're reading it. Yep, I don't care if you call Dallas a cocksucker or not. Wow, was that out loud?
Speaker 1:But it's me, but it's me that says the things that your children shouldn't hear, right.
Speaker 2:If you're a child, just disregard that last statement, just.
Speaker 1:Google that, just Google that word. He just said yeah, nothing bad can happen there.
Speaker 2:Talk about words you're not supposed to say on air, or to an umpire, or to an umpire, or to an umpire. Yeah, I would have just been ejected.
Speaker 1:So we're winding down on our topics for today and I saved this one for last, you know, just because it's funny and it's just wild. You know baseball, I think, more than any other sport the variation in how good organizations do business and how the lesser organizations do business. I think that gap is wider in Major League Baseball than it is in any other major sports league, and we talk a lot about the A's and their troubles. You know we've mentioned the Pirates, who have had some negative press lately regarding replacing a Roberto Clemente tribute with an ad and then the owner basically going that's on me, bad, yeah, they fixed it. Um. But the colorado rockies are one of those teams who's kind of on the the lower end of the the the spectrum when it comes to how well their organization is run. Um, the difference with the rockies is people in Colorado still go out to the ballpark because it's a fun place to go have a beer and the live experience for the Rockies has never really taken a hit.
Speaker 2:So, chase Dolander, and besides, what else are you going to do up there in Denver?
Speaker 1:Well, I imagine there's quite a bit of options for things to do in denver go to the airport, look at bluesiper well, that's all you've ever done that's all I've ever.
Speaker 2:That's all I ever needed to do because that airport is creepy.
Speaker 1:I'd rather sleep with uh the monster than I would wake up in the denver airport creepy so, uh, as I was saying, chase dolander a a highly touted pitching prospect for the rockies, recently got called up, made his major league debut, and, uh, you know, we've seen, especially recently, the these great videos of minor league players finding out they're getting the call up.
Speaker 1:You know they'll they'll hide the camera in the manager's office. We saw a weird awkward situation in the clubhouse in spring training for the astros when cam smith found out that he um, he was gonna start the year in the big leagues, and they brought out his family and all these people and who knows who all these people were, but they were very important people to cam smith, and so he starts crying in front of the whole team, and the team is like doing the slow clap, like I don't know. I don't know how we're supposed to react to this. Um, the rockies have taken this to a whole nother level, though, because Chase Dolander was in Albuquerque with the minor league club preparing for his next minor league start, and he gets a text message and it was a text message from a hotel in Denver, welcoming him to the hotel and thanking him for checking in, and that is how Chase Dolander found out he was going to be a big leaguer for the very first time.
Speaker 2:He thought it was a rib. Somebody booked him in a hotel yeah, just to mess with him.
Speaker 1:What a great rib though, how did Chase Dolander do in his Major League debut?
Speaker 2:Yeah, look that up and see what he did. I mean, how cool was that, though, that you're just sitting there and, all of a sudden, you get that welcome thing and you're like I'm not going to Denver. And then they come in and like you're going to Denver, everybody's going to Denver, except one guy in the corner, and he's like, oh, I'm not going. So, yeah, I'm curious to see how he did after that. But, uh, so you've never been to denver. I have not been to denver airport. Who has killed its creator? And they still have it up there. It is killed like four people by coming, but the head comes off and falls on them and it's very, very creepy, and they have it lit up at night and it looks like satan's horse and it is creepy as hell, and I have been next to it and it has given me chill bumps I see so if you go there to the airport, you got to see blucifer because it's just, it's a a local attraction.
Speaker 2:That's just incredible. But yeah, that, that uh that airport is, is very creepy. It's got, uh, railroad tracks that go nowhere. It's got murals of the apocalypse, it's got mystery uh stones that have been laid by masons that don't know who they are. It's just the whole place is an enigma and it looks like a giant sword. It's a good place. I love flying in there. To be honest with you, I'm just giving them a hard time. It's a really good airport. Yeah, that's great, did you find it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, chase Dolander made his Major League debut April 6th against the Athletics. He pitched five innings, gave up four earned on seven hits. Walk, struck out six, gave up a couple home runs. Not a great line but the rockies scored him some runs and he got his first big league win well, there you go, that's what matters yeah, I think he won his next start. Um, I've been bouncing around here, so give me just a second and I'll oh good.
Speaker 2:We're Googling again.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, you know what. You know what let's trade places next time? I'll hit the buttons and you, you, google I.
Speaker 2:Google and you hit the buttons. Yeah, all right. That's fair enough, wow, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's got one win, one loss in his two games. Yeah, he's got one win, one loss in his two games. And in his second start he lowered his ERA from 7.2 down to just over 5.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, so good, second start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, and you know, the Rockies would love to have a homegrown pitcher. Do really well in the big leagues. Yeah, because that's not something they've ever been able to do. Right, because who wants to pitch half their games at course field? Right, man? But what a way to find out?
Speaker 2:you're going to be a big leaguer yeah, I mean that would be cool, I mean, and what a story to tell forever oh, I know that's his, that's his forever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and and, and. After he's gone he'll pass it down to his, his kids and his grandkids and his everybody that's it.
Speaker 2:That's his version of my story with the wwe, where they called to fire me and I thought they were calling me for wrestlemania. That's a great story, that is. We'll tell that sometime in long form because it's it's an epic uh tale of of my stupidity you were a much younger man I was.
Speaker 2:I was in my 20s, so I still had hope in life and but yeah, it was, it was. It was bad. He was still smoking the hopium, I still smoking the hopium, and uh, yeah, they uh. Bruce pritchard thought something different than what I thought.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, I mean, maybe we'll uh, maybe we'll tell that in long form at some point. Yeah, we will. It's a good story. I like hearing it every now and then yeah, it's one of my faves what uh else you got this week there?
Speaker 2:Brian. Well, easter weekend is coming up Big weekend for baseball and big weekend for wrestling and big weekend for religion and we are going to have a heck of a weekend here at the house. How was your Passover? By the way, my Passover was good. Did you have a good Seder? We did, we did, we did. We didn't have traditional eats. I made spaghetti. Okay, so we have continued with the tradition of not having the traditional Jewish foods, but having spaghetti every time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We did that for Thanksgiving last year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is becoming quite a tradition in your house.
Speaker 2:It is so that's our go-to deal, mostly because I have to cook it. That's why Right yeah. No, it was good and we're going to enjoy the weekend. Man, Nothing but sports all weekend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've got a relatively light weekend, which is going to be nice. I'm going to my parents on Easter Sunday to hang out with them for a little bit. That'll be nice. Got a short day at work on Saturday. It'll be a hectic, short day, but it's going to be a short day nonetheless, so that'll be nice. Now, do you all have eggs still? Oh, no, you don't do that anymore. No, we're going to eat whatever mom makes, and that's going to be the extent of that. I don't know if she's going all out. Man, I don't know. I don't have a clue what the plan is. I can neither confirm nor deny that there will be deviled eggs.
Speaker 2:Well, there should be. That's the thing. There should be deviled eggs. I love deviled eggs. I I love deviled eggs, I love deviled eggs.
Speaker 1:I never get them yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I don't know how to make them and Ashley hates eggs. So unless somebody's willing to make them for me, I don't get them. Yeah, I used to get three dozen every holiday from Eric Lester's mom. Yeah, and she's been under the weather the past couple years so I don't get that anymore. Yeah, that's a shame, but I would get them and eat them on one whack.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what Brian does. That's what Brian does. He gets a lot of something and then just eats it all at once and then doesn't have it anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's pretty much the tism man.
Speaker 1:If it's deviled eggs at the holidays, if it's going through the drive-thru for cheeseburgers or whatever, yeah, whatever we're on, that's what we're on. But no bacon or shrimp.
Speaker 2:No, no, I haven't had bacon and shrimp forever, forever and ever and ever and ever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm proud of that. I've been very surprised at how well you have adjusted to your new faith. I've been very surprised at how well you have adjusted to your new faith.
Speaker 2:I actually got a dipping sauce that was ranch with bacon in it the other day and I caught it. Oh, I had the chicken in it and was going to my mouth and I smelled the bacon. It was like, oh, wait a minute, no, no, no, no, I can't have this. So I got rid of it and used other sauce. But I was close. Yeah, I was real close. It would have been a disaster. That is close, yeah.
Speaker 2:You would have had to light a lot of candles for that A lot of candles for that A lot After that run of a few years of not having any, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Yep Candles would have had to have been litten, litted Lighted.
Speaker 2:They would need to be litten. A litany of litten.
Speaker 1:What else you got, baseball-wise Ben.
Speaker 2:Just go, Cubs go. I think this is our year and sorry that the Dodgers are going to come in second.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you keep thinking that.
Speaker 2:Okay, you just keep thinking that the repeat train is still on the track yeah, yeah, well, it's gonna be tough, it's gonna be tough, but uh, again, I, like I've said, this is gonna be the best season it's lived up to that so far. And we we're just getting started, man, and yeah, good it is already yeah, we're not even a month into this thing and it's been amazing.
Speaker 1:We had so much stuff to talk about, hence why we did the special double header, double episode. And, uh, we will, we will, unless something crazy happens, we will be back next week. Yep, uh, which is exciting because, um, with my new schedule, week to week is not always going to be doable anymore, unfortunately, unfortunately, but we're going to. We're going to try our best to have as many episodes as we can, especially while the season is going on. And, um, we're going to keep watching baseball and we're going to keep talking about baseball, because that's what we like to do and we hope y'all enjoy listening to it. And, uh, we're serious. Uh, send us a text. That's something we've— we're very excited to get a text. Yeah, we've wanted to utilize that since we figured out we could do that and we'd love to hear from you and we will read it on air, no matter what.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll read it on the air. What else are we going to do? Yeah, I mean, talk about creepy mascot heads, that's right. Guys finding out from a text from a hotel that they're getting called up to the big leagues. I mean, we, we got, we got room. Yeah, we got room to read some texts on the air. Plenty of time to read some texts, oh gosh, especially since I'm gonna make brian be the one to read it, of course. Uh, his, his literacy sometimes hey, I'm completely literate.
Speaker 2:It's the words that don't work In the head. It's right, it's when it comes across the lips.
Speaker 1:Oh man, we don't. We don't name episodes anymore, but that would be the name of this episode. I'm completely literate. It's the words that are broken. All right, have we have we put in our time yes, we have.
Speaker 1:I thought we were close, so, uh, that's great. Well, thanks for uh sitting in with us for an extra long episode today. We really appreciate all y'all. Thanks to pirate flag radio and everybody there for working so hard to uh uh to just keep that that ship afloat and, you know, for letting us be a part of it.
Speaker 2:We love being a part of it.
Speaker 1:We do. We're very proud to be a part of Pirate Flag Radio and I'm still blown away that they let us talk about baseball every week, every day, as it were.
Speaker 2:I can't believe they, let me say cocksucker on the radio, the internet, the internet, the interweb.
Speaker 1:It's a beautiful place. It is All right. We'll be back next week to talk more Cubs and more Dodgers and more whatever the hell else comes up. I'm sure there will be plenty to discuss next week. And yeah, with that, for for Brian, I'm Dallas. We'll see you at the ballpark.
