Episode 003: Winning Starts With Grit: The Case For Benge, Depth, And Belief

The countdown to real baseball has us equal parts jittery and fired up. We open with the Mets’ most immediate tension: a crowded outfield where Mike Tauchman’s veteran reliability competes with Carson Benge’s speed, defense, and contact. We love depth until it squeezes decisions—so we map the best Opening Day fit, why MJ Melendez probably heads to Triple-A, and how a strong ninth-spot hitter can flip innings for Lindor and Soto.

Then we go straight at the big debate: can Juan Soto outduel Shohei Ohtani for MVP? We think yes—and we explain how. If Soto avoids a slow April and lifts his defense from last year’s negative mark, the calculus changes fast. Moving to left field, focusing on routes and first steps, and keeping last year’s baserunning gains could swing real value. Stack those with Mets wins and you’ve got a narrative voters can’t ignore. On the health front, Francisco Lindor’s stitches are out, impact work is starting, and an early spring cameo feels possible. He sets the infield’s standard, and the team’s ceiling jumps when he’s locked in.

We also widen the lens. Opening Day against Paul Skenes is a trial by fire, but that’s how you learn who belongs. We clear the air on the captain rumor, pick walk-up music for Soto (and why it matters more than swagger), and peek at the World Baseball Classic with a few spicy sleeper picks. Sports and politics collide too: after new White House headlines, we talk about why saying nothing can still say everything—especially for teams whose communities read the room.

Because baseball is culture, we take a victory lap through the movie stack: the soul-punch of Dead Poets Society, the pulse of tightly wound indies, and a surprise Neil Diamond detour via Saving Silverman. It’s all the same fan DNA—hopeful, analytical, a little superstitious, and always searching for that edge that turns good into great. If Soto’s defense ticks up, Lindor ramps fast, and the bench stays ready, this Mets team won’t just hang around. It’ll punch above weight.

Love the show? Follow, share with a Mets fan who needs spring hope, and drop your Soto walk-up song pick in the comments. And if you’re new here, hit subscribe and leave a quick review—it helps more fans find us.

Transcript

Spring Training Jitters And Roster Depth

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome everybody to the Sad Boys Mets Club. I'm Giovanni Blanco.

SPEAKER_00 0:05

And I'm Franklin Blanco.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Here we are. This is our third episode. We're so happy to be here. We're in full swing with uh spring training and uh and being Mets fans. We're antsy, we're nervous, we're excited.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

I'm worried. I'm worried for when it starts to count.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

It counts now. It starts counting now. I mean we've uh I hope not. The spring training process, basically every everything being thrown against the wall and and uh um trying out everybody who comes through. It seems to be like there's uh it seems like there's a hundred players. We've talked about uh a handful of the acquisitions and uh the trade gets and the sort of people that we picked up over the the the the offseason, but it seems like half the players that are popping up I've never heard of before.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Yeah, a lot of them are like the random minor league guys we have.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Seems like they're getting like the guy at the hot dog stand and pulling them up, putting putting them in a Mets uniform.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

I mean, hey, if he can hit.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Uh Melendez. I hear they're hiring at the hot dog stand.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

I think that's that's one guy that I think I can confidently say is not making the roster.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Oh, really? Yep. Why'd you say that?

SPEAKER_00 1:38

I think he's gonna be a minor league guy. I think before Talkman it would have been a little different, but like we have I think we have a lot of depth for that outfield, and I think he's he's gonna be great to have, just not on our roster.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

It's weird because um when uh I saw that interview with uh with Mendoza, like uh Carlos Mendoza, he didn't mention Melendez as a possible, you know, everyday player.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

I don't think that's happening. I I think I think things would have to go wrong for that to happen. So I'm hoping that doesn't happen because I think we have more proven options and higher ceiling options. Okay. And I feel like Melendez is really I mean he can play, he can play the game, it's just we have better options, and to be putting him out every day would mean that something happened to those options, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

And those options being, um, right now, we are we're still kind of sticking with our first day lineup as far as the outfield Soto Benj and uh Soto Benj Robet Rober.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

But um I think Talkman does have a chance. I think Benj still has to do some more proving of himself because I mean if you look at it, you look at like Talkman made a big first impression because

Melendez Odd Man Out

SPEAKER_00 3:20

he had three run home run his first step back. Yeah, that was that was like because he's he's fighting for a roster spot.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

He can't mess with veteran power too. It's just like um and it just feels like we do have a lot of younger, fresh uh players who um could use somebody like like Tuckman so.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

He's gonna be great, I think. And he's like, he he had other offers, and he signed with us because he thought he could get significant playing time. And he's used to not getting he's used to getting like half a half a season of playing time. He's not like expecting to be an everyday player. I just think it's really good. I think I think he's done enough to where I could see him definitely on the opening day roster. Cause he's he's a proven he's a proven guy. Um but I do want I think I want Benge

Talkman’s Case And Benj’s Shot

SPEAKER_00 4:20

starting to like opening. I want Benge out there. Um Yeah, I think that's like sorry, Melendez. I think Melendez, there's not much space for him. Um let's talk about Wansoto. I I'm excited about I think uh spring training, I haven't seen much from him yet. It's like but it's spring training. It doesn't really matter. The people that spring training really matters for are the people who like we don't know about, but we know that Wansoto is one of the best players. Yes. So that's it's funny.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

We know that he's gonna be the MVP this year.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Yes.

Soto vs Ohtani: MVP Path

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Because he said so. He said it himself. And then I think there's a very real possibility of him beating Otani if everything goes the right way. Yeah. I think it's like there's there's a lot of factors that have to align, but I definitely think he could beat him.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Well, we we we we talked about this before. Otani has that, you know, he's he actually has like a greater uh uh hill decline because he's f he's doing two things the pitching and the hit in the regular batting and position, you know.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

So it's that's that's why he's been winning the MVP. I mean, actually, not even these past few years, he's just been batting so good that he's won it, but like that's why he was winning MVPs with the Angels, because it's such a difficult thing, and he's so good at both. Like I've said it before, he's not he's not a Cy Young pitcher, but he's very club, like he's like he's definitely a top-tier pitcher. I think at least half the teams wouldn't mind having him as their like number one pitcher. Um, and then he also he had a 50-50 season, so it's it's it's really impressive, but I think we've seen there's kind of there's a balance to it to where if he's batting more, he'll bat better. If he's pitching more Did you say betting more? Batting, because no, we can't talk about the betting. We don't want to get into that.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Just messing, just playing, just playing. Let's go back to Soto and talk about the things you said. If everything aligns, if he does the things that he's supposed to do, what are the things that he's supposed to do? I mean, what are we looking for outside of the obvious with Soto?

SPEAKER_00 6:47

I mean, Soto's gonna hit good. Biggest priority I would say right now, he can't have that slow start. Because last year was best year, but he had a slow start that really like he would have hit more home runs than Otani if he hadn't had that slow start. Yeah. He would have had a better case for MVP if he hadn't had that slow start. Like, I think he genuinely could have won if not for that, if like that slow start hadn't happened. And if he gets his defense

Fixing Soto’s Defense And Slow Starts

SPEAKER_00 7:20

up. I think he'd he could have won last year with good defense and no slow start.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Well, new position. I mean, he seems to be doing okay right now.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

He's I mean, like, there haven't been many he hasn't gotten many opportunities to prove himself as but we've seen from his career he has had better defense stats at left field, so I think I think there's a big possibility that that is going to help him, and it's he's such a great player that like he's like last year he was like focusing on stealing bases, because that's what he can do. Yeah, he can keep the skills that he gains and then focus on a new one every year. And last year was stealing bases, and he went from like 12 steals max in his whole career per like season to 38. He almost had a 40-40 season, and a lot of that was because of the first base coach, but I think Soto is just great enough at the game that he can do that on his own as well. And then this year we've seen him already talk about, and not even like not as a throwaway comment to like answer questions, he said he's really working on his defense, and I believe him. Yeah, I think he's gonna be I think he's probably still gonna be a negative outs above average uh defender, but I think it's gonna be less than negative 12.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

Yeah, than last year.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

That was that was pretty bad. So I'm I'm thinking maybe negative six. If he was negative six, I think if he's a positive defender, he wins the MVP. But that's like that's probably the biggest thing holding him back is his defense. But that's also his biggest potential because Otani doesn't do defense. Otani's defense is his pitching. Yeah. And if and we saw last year, after Otani's 50-50 season, he kind of dropped his stolen base numbers a lot. Like he wasn't focusing on that as

Lindor’s Recovery And Opening Day

SPEAKER_00 9:20

much. Which I think is in part like one of those things because he's pitching more, he shouldn't be stealing those bases. He shouldn't be jamming his fingers up against the bases. Yeah, so I think that's another area where uh Soto really has ground to gain on Otani and win that MvP. As long as the Mets are winning, Soto's winning.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

So two things. Um is it a bad time to jump into any sort of any wishes for you for this week?

SPEAKER_00 9:50

For this week, I don't know about for this week, but I do I do have I have one clear wish for myself. Though I should preface by saying a couple games ago, or like maybe it was even last spring training game, Bachet kinda proved me wrong a little. He he's yeah, he stepped out of out of his zone to get that. Like that was clean. Yeah, yeah. Which is funny because he was kind of going back to shortstop position to make that catch. He he definitely and then afterwards he talked about, he was like, I had to ask Mauricio, like I had to be like, is that a thing? Because he doesn't remember that ever happening to him when he was playing shortstop. Um but I don't care. He as long as somebody gets the ball there. That's right. So he kind of was proving me wrong, but I'm still.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

It's funny because all I thought was where he caught the ball, at least there was less of a chance of messing it up with the throw.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah, he was way closer because that was he could have tossed it.

SPEAKER_02 10:58

I feel like he's like I'm I'm a little nervous about his reach and his sort of the uh throw at the first.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

I think he has a very average arm. If you look at like the stats, I'm pretty sure he's like 60th percentile arm, which could be a lot worse, but it's like 60th? It could be it's like he's in the gray. Sounds like the red to me. Sounds like Well, in baseball, the red is gray. You want to be red is 99. He's in the gray.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

He's in the black in the black, he's in the trust me.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

We've got some guys who have very bad percentages when it comes to defense. Yeah. A 60th percentile arm could be allowed.

Opening Day Matchup And Pitching Hopes

SPEAKER_00 11:42

And Daryl Strawberry says he's gonna regret it. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Uh I I I miss Peter Lonzo already, man. I miss Peter Lonzo. I I'm just uh I am of the camp that he still feels like that was a big mistake.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

But um I don't think I feel like it sucks though, because it's like I don't think we were ever gonna sign him back, and I think we should have. I think he's gonna be a great player. Like, I feel like if we were going for Kyle Schwarber, we should have gone for Pete Alonzo. I feel like Kyle Schwarber might be a little bit better batting-wise, but he's already a DH, and Alonzo has like at least a couple more years, like at least one more year at first base, and he has the fan value that like more than makes up for it.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

I love him, I love him. Sorry to sidetrack. Uh Pete, Pete, we miss you.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

We think about you. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

You're in our hearts. Um let's talk about Lindor.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

I'm ex I'm excited because we've only gotten good news. It was last week it was that he's certainly on track to make opening day, and because he's a switch hitter, he's gonna be more likely to recover faster because he can put take that pressure off of his hand. All good things. We found out he's already he's got his stitches out. Stitches are out, he's gonna be doing some impact training. Like he is he's getting ready. We

Clubhouse Vibes And The Captain Rumor

SPEAKER_00 13:20

might see him in spring training, even like he's ready to go, which is great to hear. It could have been so much worse, and I wanna I want him to start playing as soon as he can because he's a bit of a a slow starter, and so it's better as he needs to get him going as soon as he can. Um, but yeah, it's great to hear because I love Mauricio, I love Beatty, I wouldn't be comfortable going into the season with either of them as our like opening day short stuff. I think the team only works if we have Francisco Lindor. Like I think well, I think the team works, but it's only the top-tier team that we can be. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:02

We need the we need to we need to walk in with everybody. I I can't it can't feel like we can't uh I mean whatever, we'll begin however we begin, but we just don't want to begin f the first day feeling like oh, already two or three people. It's gonna be rough too.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

We're starting facing Paul Schienes. Oh really? Yeah, we're we're playing pirates. Uh luckily at City Field, so at least there's like home game, but it's starting day, it's opening day, so they're playing Paul Schienes. That's gonna be not very fun. But we have Freddie Carlta, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

So I think forward to this Friday, seeing a couple innings uniform tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

Noel McLean. Noel McLean. I wanna see him pitch a little. Today was rough for all us Jonathan fans out there. But not that he gave you two good innings. Yeah, it's and it's spring training. It's pretty training. It doesn't matter. Spring training. And he's he was never gonna make the roster.

unknown 15:06

It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

That's right, that's right. He was uh that's the he was always our like he's always gonna go to AAA, get at least a month or two. He needs that. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Um sorry to uh sidetrack you a little bit, but uh I

The Walk-Up Music Segment

SPEAKER_02 15:20

had seen some uh interview online with uh Brandon Nimmo.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Is this about the Steve Cohen uh I saw I saw an article about how Steve Cohen messaged him before they traded him?

SPEAKER_02 15:33

Well no, no, there was this was about the whole captain uh controversy. And I've seen that he was just saying how like you know that uh that anything that's out there is just like a rumor and all made up. He's like he couldn't, he said, I could I can't I can't love Lindor more, and we never had that argument or that discussion about captain who deserves to be captain, and he's like I definitely never deserve to be captain, and I never had that thought in my brain, and you know, and if anything, if Lindor was the guy, there's nobody who's like nicer and cooler and whatever.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

And I was just like, Oh, it's a love fest. Oh, we should bring him back. Bring him back.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

I mean it's okay though. We have we have new mini mini memo.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

Look, I'm uh it's it's all about letting go of the past. It's all about releasing the the old the former version of the Mets and starting new with this this amazing lineup.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

They they never won, and that's something we have to remember. They were great, they didn't go all the way. They were great, but even at their best, they couldn't I miss him, I miss him. Uh our our child of God. Our child of God.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Uh yes. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

I I think every team needs at least one like fully southern, southern Christian boy, like Brandon Nimmo.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

He was just not to be obvious, but uh should we talk about Carson Benj?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

I'm excited. I was I was a little worried because I was loosely following, and then today was the Jonathan start. So in school I had my earbud in. I was listening to today's game because I love him. Um and I've so I've been following a little bit, and Benj hasn't gotten a hit. Like Benj has been not great in his couple of at-bats. Today went three for three. Yeah. Today he was on a tear, and the only reason it didn't get anywhere was because the people behind him just didn't end up putting enough power behind him, but like he was he was especially I would love to have to have that kind of guy. He's fast, good at defense, and he can hit. He can get like those singles, infield single, and then he just beats the ball out to first base.

Mets Mascots, Mojo, And Cohen Plea

SPEAKER_00 18:00

Because if he's batting 9th, which is what I think I'm pretty sure we agreed, that's where that's where he's gonna be, then we're gonna have Lindor, Bichette, Soto, any of those guys right behind him.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

That's incredible. We need that the possibility of uh of someone who is young and and uh feeling ambitious and not thinking too hard about how he's gonna get on base, but just trying his best to get on base. There's something there's something about him, like I saw him play for a little bit, uh, and it's not like a complete thing about him, but he reminded me of Lenny Dykstra from back in the day, which is basically a player who just had good um statistics and form all around, you know, but was never meant to be like an all-star. But what took him above that was his attitude. Like he was just he had some grit, like some serious, like, like you can't mess with me kind of attitude. And there's something about Carson Bennett.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Any player that just like they they will tear through whatever's because they just want to play. Yeah, yeah. And I think I think I see that in Ben.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

I think I see that too, man. There's I think I think there's something there that's going to be like uh um he I think he's going to surprise us in that in that way, not like a big like, oh my gosh, you know, we have an all-star on our hands. Just just more like the sort of like the the exact sort of attitude and and and tone that we need from somebody on the team, and and I think he's gonna bring it for sure.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

I mean, yeah, I think I'm I'm excited for him. I think I think there's gonna be good there's gonna be big things. There's a reason that we traded uh Jet Williams and not Carson Bench. Who? So I think Jet

Players Of The Day And Padres Wildcard

SPEAKER_00 20:00

Williams, you're gonna do great, and he's also gonna get more playing time with the Bruises, all that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

Oh absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

I'm gonna get a Bench jersey, I think.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

You're gonna bench jersey?

SPEAKER_00 20:09

That's gotta be one of them.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

Timu, here we come! I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_03 20:15

Well.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

Um I wanna get a 150 Mauricio jersey.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

You should.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Just cause I I wanna I wanna like I really want him to be on the team somehow. I I really like him.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

But uh somebody I d I think he might have taken a new number. I'm gonna double check this because I could be completely wrong, but I think Bachet.

SPEAKER_02 20:37

Oh, that that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

I think he might have given it up for bad podcasting, but no no no. We'll just edit this out. Yes, he did. Uh oh no, not Bichette, Marcus Semion. Oh, for Semyon. He gave up he gave up number 10, which uh was one of the reasons that I liked him, because that's my lucky number. But he gave it up for I honestly like him even more. He gave it up for zero. He's he's rocking zero right now.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

He's rocking zero right now? I'm definitely getting that jersey, man. I'm definitely getting that Mauricio jersey. That's that's a that's a zero jersey? Come on. Speaking of Mauricio, I think it's a good time for us to talk about the Dominican word of the week.

SPEAKER_03 21:25

Ponchau.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Here, here, last week was Ponchau. Here on Sad Boys Mets Club. We'd like to also offer opportunities for education and chances for us to learn new things, or at least share things that you might know already. And I think that the word, the Dominican word this week is gonna be matatang. Mata tang.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Mata tang.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Matatang. Say it right. Mata tan.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Mata tan. Mata tang.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

Mata tan. And it just means. The extreme badass. Like the best of the best. You know, so if you say somebody is a matatan at something, they are untouchable. They are unbeatable.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Soto is a matatan. I'm worried this might be the soto episode, but like.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

I know it is a soto episode,

WBC Brackets And Upset Picks

SPEAKER_02 22:20

huh? I mean, hey. He's our guy. He's our guy. He's our guy. Matatang. Matatang. That's the word of the week. Matatang. Matatang. Dominican Ward of the Week, y'all. Any suggestions, please let us know. We'd love to, we'd love to uh keep talking about stuff. Since we're talking about Soto, let's let's let's uh let's let's let's talk about another thing that we we'd like to kind of do on a weekly basis here is is because Sad Boys Mets Club is is basically we're united for our love for the Mets, but we also love talking about other things. Um arts, culture, music, current events, um, and uh the the sort of the lens which we look through these things at is the kind of the same lens that makes us um Mets fans where we're we understand the dark side we understand we understand what it means to lose it all we understand what it means to not always get what you want and it's just made us stronger and a lot more uh judgmental, a lot more cynical. Cynical, uh bitter, maybe no um not true, not true. We are I believe that we we we we can we have the capability of experiencing many different things and still somewhat enjoying a little bit of it or most of it. Um anyway, the the the the segment we'd like to bring up is walk-up music. So every week we'd like to talk about a different player, their walk-up music, and any suggestions that we might have for their walk-up music. And since we're on the topic of MVP our event MVP, our MVP, I say we just project that, we put that out there. The MVP. The MVP. The MVP for the year, Juan Soto.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Um better than Aaron Judge, mark my words. Aaron Judge is gonna get hit by another flyball, he's gonna get a concussion.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

It's gonna be the one too many.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

He's gonna get the football player brain injury. Oh no, no.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

We don't wish that we just don't want the Yankees to win.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

I think that's why the hate mail messages come.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Um they were already coming from the Yankees fans.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

Uh uh. Look, it's funny because I feel like that's I'm going off a tangent here. Mets fans are a lot more critical and and and uh you know, whatever emotional than Yankees fans, because Yankees fans tend to be a lot more like we're Yankees fans.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

Yankees fans are soulless. The Yankees are the soulless corporate. You're a Yankees fan if you're a bad person, and I'm standing by that. That's what I do when I meet somebody from New York. First thing I ask them, Mets or Yankees. That's what I base all of my judgment on.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

I'm not gonna say I agree with him, but I understand where he's coming from. Um I don't think that we should uh judge people like that, but you know, I'm definitely gonna look at you sideways if you're a Yankees fan. Um just for a second, really. But uh but going back to the walk-up music, so let's let's talk about Juan Soto. I know that last year um he had uh Bad Bunny, Ao. That was a good one, um, and he also had uh TV off Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

I had to make sure of that.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

That's a definite, that's a definite remember the song. I remember um hearing it. I think actually when we saw them, he had that Kendrick Lamar song. That makes sense, I believe so. Um we got to see him last year at City Field. Um or was it here?

SPEAKER_00 26:29

No, it was at Citi Field, I think. We think we did go to City Field last year. That was a good game, too. That was like I mean, honestly, I think that might have been a Nemo game.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

I do remember.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

I think that was a Nemo game.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

What do

Dodgers, White House, And Sports Politics

SPEAKER_02 26:40

you mean a Nimo game?

SPEAKER_00 26:41

I think he was the one who carried the team that day.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Oh, oh, there you go. There you go. Um well then.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Because we were we were getting into it with Child of God. Yeah, that's like that's I'm not religious. I'm not religious. I'm very religious. But when Child of God comes on and Brandon Nemo's stepping up to the plate, you gotta join in. When when when the Rangers come, when we when the Rangers come and we see them, I will I'll sing along.

SPEAKER_02 27:13

So so Soto had uh he had Bad Bunny and he had Kendrick Lamar, and I know that he had um when he was at the Yankees.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

Daddy Yankee.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

Uh Daddy Yankee.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

That was uh I'm I wouldn't know the song. I only knew the bad bunny off the top of my head. I looked this up.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

And he also had um Empire's state of mind.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Oh New York! Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

SPEAKER_02 27:49

Did you ever see that?

SPEAKER_00 27:50

I don't think so. What'd you say?

SPEAKER_02 27:52

It was like something it wasn't the it wasn't Concrete Jungle or Dreams Amado, it was something else. Uh, obviously, not uh PC. Um but that said, going back, what would you say? What would what would you suggest Juan Soto use? Like if you if if you're Juan Soto or if you were anybody in this country.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

I mean, I think I'm gonna throw it to you first, because mine's is a little unconventional.

SPEAKER_02 28:20

Mine is too. Mine is too, and and it's just like it's mine is super corny and on the nose, but what is it? Let me let me hear it. So mine would be uh Joe Esposito, you're the best. And it's a song from the Karate Kid movies.

SPEAKER_00 28:37

That's fun.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

You're the best! Around No one's gonna be that's f I mean so glad you know it.

SPEAKER_00 28:49

I said You said you're the best, and I was like, I think I know you were the karate kid. Yeah, yeah, I know that one.

SPEAKER_02 28:56

I mean, if he walks up to the place and it's like to the plate and it's like, you're the best! No one's gonna be Come on, man. Come on. I mean, he's just gotta be the best. I mean he's he has no choice but to be the best.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

That's a good one. I like that one. Mine's I don't think you'll know it off the top of your head because mine's just very specifically

Movie Corner: Dead Poets To Indie Gems

SPEAKER_00 29:20

in the game of backyard baseball, there's only one walk-up song that I know, and it's Pablo Sanchez, the best baseball player of all time. He's a fictional character who just has maxed out stats in everything. And my favorite thing about him is that uh you learn throughout the games. He like only ever speaks Spanish, and all the other kids are like, that guy only speaks Spanish, and then he tells you the player, he's like, I don't really speak Spanish, I just learned it in school. And he's he's just he's such a silly little guy, and he is insanely good, and he has the most like intense walk. I'm gonna play it for you because it's like this one's less you're the best, and more like it's ominous.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

Uh so what is it from exactly?

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Backyard baseball, the the video game. Uh he's like he's kind of the face of uh he's the face of the baseball at least.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

Oh, I like this. Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:47

I know I know that's a little more Mexican than Dominican, but we can make it work.

SPEAKER_02 30:51

That's right, that's right. I think I think it's all it all it's all adaptable. That's beautiful, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

Also, they kind of look alike because Pablo Sanchez is a little like he's uh he's got a very big round head, and he's like when you see a photo of him wearing his hat, he looks like he reminds me of uh he reminds me of Soto. And we can put this up on screen if we wanna if we wanna edit it. Look at this guy, he went also he went to City Field. He does, he does, trust me. And he came to City Field. Oh my god! He came to City that meme says the Mets are 4-0 since backyard baseball legend Pablo Sanchez attended a game at City Field.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

Ha ha, Pablo Sanchez. He's a Mets fan. Come back, come back. That's awesome. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

I love that. Speaking of which, Mets. This is our fleet every time we do it. Mets, Cohen, family, anybody in charge. Invite us to City Field, we would love to go. We can't afford it. Please. We laugh. And it's true. Invite us, we would love to go, please. We want to see the match play. We want to see the match play.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

I'll wear a big inflatable Pablo Sancho costume. That's what it takes. I'll I'll wear a You'll be Grimace. I'll be Grimace. We need Grimace back.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Oh, Grimace, Grimace. That was gonna be my wish. So, so we have to make sure that we have Grimace this year. I mean, just because we need a balance between Mr. Matt and Mr. Matt has got a lot of lot of things to carry. Like he's got a lot of weight to carry uh as far as mascots go. And if Grimace can come back and just provide some support, and also Mojo, that would be awesome.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

I I agree. I'm I'm sorry to laugh. It's just when you when you bring up Mr. Matt, first of all, Mr. Met always in the most random sense, like he's everywhere. He's everywhere in Long Island, Mr. Met is there. There was a wedding that I saw where they like had a floor rise up, and in the container there was Mr. Met. He rose up from the floor, like he just he's around. But we I laugh because when I think of Mr. Met, the first thing I think of is a clip of him at a concert and he's on the stage and he can't see very well because he's wearing the big head and he just walks right off and he's doing his Mr. Matt strike. And he just and he has to get back up and keep going, and it's the funniest thing because he just goes swoop. Like it's not it's not a hard fall, he just goes shoop.

SPEAKER_02 33:47

That I hope I hope you've recovered. I hope you're okay, Mr. Matt.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

That was midsi maybe that's why we fell off. Mr. Matt got injured. Oh no.

SPEAKER_02 33:54

Um, I'm gonna end this topic with one little observation. Are uh is Mr. Matt and the Jack in the Box guy related?

SPEAKER_00 34:04

I hope not. That guy's like a that guy's a murderer.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

I the jack in a box guy.

SPEAKER_00 34:14

This is okay, crazy tangent. In New York, actually, we went to a jack in the box.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

There's no jacket, there are no jack in the boxes.

SPEAKER_00 34:22

Then where was it was in a city because I remember this because we went in and it was like it was definitely in a city where there was construction because it was the kind of thing where you like you can't even you can't really look in the windows, and then on the walls there were like old family photos of the jack in the box

Neil Diamond, Saving Silverman, And Laughs

SPEAKER_00 34:40

people. Like it was like aged photos, and they were like with the jack in the box, it was like him and his family. It was it was crazy. He's a murderer! He's a murderer, and I don't know where that was.

SPEAKER_01 34:53

There goes there goes our jack in the box box of shit. I mean, hey. No no more no more two tacos and cheap chicken sandwiches.

SPEAKER_02 35:04

Uh this is sad boys Mets Club. Do we have a player of the day?

SPEAKER_00 35:12

I mean if we're talking about a Mets player of the death, Carson Bench. Because oh my god. I'm excited, we're excited. New York is excited, I think this is a big thing. If we're talking about non-Met this is a tougher one. But I think I think I'm gonna need to think on it. You go off. Who's your player of the day?

SPEAKER_02 35:56

Uh I guess my player of the day would have to I'd have to go back to Ronnie Mauricio just because of the the zero and him giving up the number uh to Simeon. And you know, um I'm hopeful. Um I I love seeing him play winter ball, Dominican Republic. Um he's always on fire, and he hasn't had had the he hasn't reached that potential yet here, but he's definitely got the spark. I just want him to kind of fire up. I want him to kind of get going and let people know that he's like on the level of everybody else as far as like the hot folks. Um, that's what I'm hoping for. And you know, maybe next time you'll see me with a Mauricio jersey on.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Yeah, spring training right around the corner. Gotta get it for that. Um, I've thought of mine. I have two actually, because I have one that I always think about uh in terms of like actual play that I think is gonna be successful, exciting to watch. Nick Kurtz is I'm like, I wasn't watching the A's at all, and then at the end of the season I was like, oh my god, who is this guy? He's insane! I'm I'm really excited about that, but my fun pick is uh I believe it's Nick Castellanos.

SPEAKER_02 37:27

From where? From what's it?

SPEAKER_00 37:29

Phillies, not anymore. I think I think I'm talking about the right guy. He got kicked off the Phillies with a whole other year left on his contract, 20 million, that they just ate, because they were like, they told him, Don't even bother come into spring training. What?

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Why? What was the deal?

SPEAKER_00 37:48

He like he had had some backlash with like nobody really he wasn't a great clubhouse presence, and then there was one game where he got pulled, because he's horrible defensively, and he got pulled as a defensive substitution, and he was mad at the manager, so he brought a beer into the dugout, and he was gonna drink it, and then the other players stopped him, but that got him like suspended from like play for a game, um, and that was enough to where like he's not playing great and he was acting up, and so they kicked him off. And then the wild card team, San Diego Padres, who didn't do anything all offseason, have signed him and like other people too, but like they're just yeah, they're they're picking up any people they can, and they picked up Nick Castellanos, and I'm just I wanna see, I feel like somewhere in my heart I think he's gonna have a bounce back.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

I think this is gonna have something to prove.

SPEAKER_00 38:44

He's also like, sorry to interrupt, he's like, he's a funky player. He's like the first time I heard of him was because there's a running joke where to the point where people bet on this, they place bets based off of this. Anytime a tragedy happens, he hits a home run. Like Whats in the internet, speed's sake, what is this all about? This is there was uh there was a Phillies announcer, or uh one of the people on the broadcast who said something offensive earlier in the game, and then they were apologizing for it later in the game, and mid-apology, he had to stop and be like, and Cassianos goes deep. And it's like and he had to go back to his- and then he was fired, and that was the last play he ever did was the Castellanos home run. And then like there are days where like the queen died, or like there was an earthquake, and people put bets on this on like the betting sites, they're like, he's gonna hit a home run today because of this trend. And he does. There was a time where they were like honoring somebody who died in war, and he hit a home run. Like he just on the broadcast, it's I think he's like such a wacky player.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

Oh, he's on the dark side.

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Yeah, cool. He's just I think he's an interesting character.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

So well, that's great. That's that's he just put him on my radar

Final Roster Thoughts And Depth Check

SPEAKER_02 40:00

now. I'm kind of curious about this uh the tragedy thing.

SPEAKER_00 40:04

And I have to keep up the trend of naming uh players from my least favorite teams for my favorite player, because last time was Austin Wells. A Yankee. So gotta keep it up.

SPEAKER_02 40:15

You like Austin Wells though.

SPEAKER_00 40:17

I love him.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

He's how you know a Dominican Bah WBC brackets.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

If we're saying two teams make it out of every every pool. Okay. I first easy easy thing, there's an easy team in every one. I think it's pretty safely United States, Japan, Dominican Republic. And then this is the weird one. I don't know if Puerto Rico is that much of a lock. I think pool A of the World Baseball Classic is gonna be a really interesting one to watch. I'm honestly gonna say I think Team Canada also has some potential because Canada's like, there's a lot of guys who are like, he's Canadian? Like he's just some guy.

SPEAKER_02 41:11

I do remember hearing somebody that was like Canadian that I didn't know. I mean, I know that Freddie Freeman's Canadian, I don't know if he's playing, but like um So so we're we're thinking maybe I mean I'm going pool A, I'm going for Cuba, but uh and you you're picking Canada maybe?

SPEAKER_00 41:28

Honestly, yeah, that's what I want to see. I wanna see Cuba and Canada make it.

SPEAKER_02 41:32

Pool B.

SPEAKER_00 41:33

I think is gonna be Italy and US, because Mexico, it's gonna be between Mexico and Italy for that second spot, because US is like Yeah, US would be insane.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

Busting out all the all-stars.

SPEAKER_00 41:47

This is like the first time everybody's playing. And then Pool C. Um I think I want Italy to make it though. I think Mexico is a strong case, but Italy is like Italy's a fun one. Um last one. Uh Chinese Taipei. Okay. Um, so I want Checkia to make it. Really? Check I want Checkia to make it, cuz what are they doing in this? Like, they're they're not gonna make it, but I really want to make it. Yeah, this is like I think I don't think Chinese Taipei has much of a shot because I think Chinese Taipei and Korea both don't really have a chance of winning because we've seen examples of players from there. We have like enough of a sample size to where like if you're really successful there, because it's like literally just the all-stars of those leagues. If you're really successful there, you can be moderately successful here. Like there's there's there's a level. Uh well, I mean there's like a ceiling. And so I think there's they always have a chance to surprise, but I think Czechia might surprise even more.

SPEAKER_02 43:02

What about pool D? Pool D where it's Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua.

SPEAKER_00 43:08

This is a weird one.

SPEAKER_02 43:09

I mean, obviously, we have to go with Dominican Republic all the way.

SPEAKER_00 43:14

All the way. Um and probably Venezuela because that's that's what the prices suggest.

SPEAKER_02 43:21

Yeah. And now's a good time to say this again, to have a plea again. Franklin and I will be in Miami on Wednesday uh March 12th, I think. 12th. Where the when the Dominican versus Venezuela game is happening for the World Baseball Classic, and we do not have tickets.

SPEAKER_00 43:46

We do not have tickets and our current plan is to find a skyscraper nearby and parachute in. But if we find an easier solution

SPEAKER_02 44:01

Aren't you friends with like Mr. Beast or something? Can we like hook it up?

SPEAKER_00 44:06

He could get us in. Hook it up. Hook it up, yo. Hook it up.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Somebody. Well, that's what we're looking at, right? Those teams. I mean ultimately, and then and then it's just what what how does it finalize? So if each team is.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

I think it's gonna be there we go. I think it's gonna be Dominican Republic and US. If we're being boring and basic. Not boring and basic, just real. Yeah, I think I think it's pretty cut and dry. I think pool A and pool B go together and the winner of that goes to the finals and then pool C and pool D. So I think it's gonna be US and DR. Because I think I think the DR is gonna be Japan. In a perfect world we beat a lot of. I mean hey, in Florida it's legal. I mean. Um I think I think that's my vote. Um but Canada's gonna come real close to being the US. I mean they have Aaron Judge on their team. They can't win.

SPEAKER_02 45:23

They have Aaron Judge in the Canada team?

SPEAKER_00 45:25

No, on the US team. Oh, they better not win. Yeah, they're n they're not gonna he's he's a curse. He's a curse. At least it's not Britain. They got Jazz Chisholm.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

Jazz Chisholm.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

Everybody's got a player they don't like for no reason at all. That's m Jazz Chisholm's mind. He's just got bad vibes. And he's a Yankee. But he's also the only good player on the Britain team, so it's kinda unfortunate.

SPEAKER_02 45:57

He's the only actual player. It's a bunch of chimney sweepers.

SPEAKER_03 46:02

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 46:06

Oh god. Um it's it's hard to say. Like, is that is that problematic to say?

SPEAKER_00 46:13

Is that problematic to say? No! Britain's gonna get mad. Famously uh disenfranchised country, Britain.

SPEAKER_02 46:27

We're moving on, let's talk about the Dodgers real quick and uh and the White House.

SPEAKER_00 46:33

And uh I think I think we might have brought this up before. We did, we did. But I'd like to bring it up again because recent uh recent events politically have kind of brought it back into my mind of uh the US men's hockey team has gone under fire a lot because they won gold and they partied with Cash Patel and then they spent like $75,000 with them. He's like he I oh and then they he called Donald Trump and they were like, Yeah, but what about the women's team? Like, you women who I've uh as a pretty women have won like like they've just been going strong, and this is the first time the men have even like had a shot in like a 50 years or something. Like it's it's really funny, but um, and also I'd been seeing like a lot of those US players. I think the nice hockey players come from Canada because I've been seeing a lot like people do not like the US hockey players.

SPEAKER_02 47:49

Um but I mean I feel like also there've been a few of the players that have been kind of like you know, like, I don't know what's going on. Like, you know, this is I'm just here.

SPEAKER_00 48:01

I think I think there are quite a few guys who were just like uh but I did see there are like five of the players who didn't come to the invite to the White House, and all of them said it was because they like they're getting ready to start training. Season starts back up because it was like there's a break for the Olympics.

SPEAKER_02 48:20

Allegedly.

SPEAKER_00 48:21

And so I think I think I can safely say at least one of those guys was doing it for other reasons than he wanted to get trained. I'm sure some of them were just like are literally like nothing going on in their brain except for hockey. Hockey, hockey, hockey. Which, hell yeah, that's that's why you win, but like uh it's in the context of that, they were invited, and so were the women's team, but they like politely declined. Yeah. And I think that that's something that the Dodgers should should do. Like, I still think about that. Dave Roberts said he's like, I don't think this should be a political thing, but as we've seen a lot, and as like people keep saying, and I'll keep saying, um, it's it's a political statement to not make a political statement in the current climate.

SPEAKER_02 49:13

Especially for a team like the Dodgers that wouldn't exist without No, I mean, especially the fans and and where we are, um, and and the trouble that that's been seen here lately, um, because of uh everything that's been happening. You know, and I think we all know.

SPEAKER_00 49:34

And I think the Dodgers shouldn't go. I feel like you won I know they're all millionaires, so they're they're already not on our side, except for that one guy. I love that guy. I don't remember his name, but I love that guy who didn't go. But I know they're not on our side because they're millionaires. I saw something talk about like how Michael Conforto was having he's like having such a rough time because he could have made more money with the Mets than like what he ended up doing. And if you look at it, it's like he's still gonna make like 80 million dollars in his career. It's like It's like okay, okay, that's it's it's a different it's a different range, but you you do tend to hope, uh, beyond reason that the athletes are like people you would like.

SPEAKER_02 50:22

Which is not it's not fair to put uh No no no no, especially especially they might have pressure or whatever, but the thing is it's a perfect opportunity to say something without having to say something.

SPEAKER_00 50:34

Exactly. It's not like they have to do they can literally just be like, yeah, I can't go.

SPEAKER_02 50:38

Yep, yep. I've I've got hockey to think about.

SPEAKER_00 50:41

Yeah, I'm actually going to some hockey games, I was thinking. Um Women's hockey's been doing really good right now. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:55

You know what that means, right?

SPEAKER_00 50:56

What does that mean?

SPEAKER_02 50:58

That means that uh Castellanos gonna hit a home run.

SPEAKER_01 51:00

Oh my god. I need to have something better.

SPEAKER_00 51:03

Tomorrow, spring training. Nick Castellanos is gonna hit a grand slam. Um I hope he does. The Padres maybe he's the secret missing piece. He's gonna bring the Padres back. Get the magic.

SPEAKER_02 51:19

Get the magic back. Um, let's talk movies. Last week we we uh we kind of veered off and talked a little bit about movies and um why not keep it as a as a as a constant thing on Sad Boys Mets Club to talk about movies. You and I are very much uh Cinephiles, we love watching movies. I'm not I'm not having a chance to watch as many movies as I love to. But uh I know you watch movies every day.

SPEAKER_00 51:46

Um like I'm I might be up to 80 so far. This year? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:51

Oh my gosh. I'm like up to eight next year. That's so sad for me, and I used to watch movies every day. But anyway, let's get to it. Um what have you seen recently that you know you you uh enjoyed or didn't enjoy?

SPEAKER_00 52:04

I mean, I've got I think I've got like two good ones, but first of all, first one was a five-star movie for me. And it's like sometimes you watch a movie that's like so popular and like so well regarded that it's like, okay. Like I wasn't surprised that this was good, but it was still really good. Um, and for me that was Dead Poets Society. Oh wow. Because I watched that uh two days ago because in English class we were gonna start watching it, and we actually started watching today, but I knew it was a good movie, and I didn't want it to be ruined by the environment of English class, so I just wanted to beat them to it.

SPEAKER_02 52:42

Or breaking it down into like several sessions.

SPEAKER_00 52:44

Yeah, it's like yeah, because we're watching it like 30 minutes every day. It's not gonna be as impactful. And so I just watched it and it was incredible. I mean, part of it is I like I liked it for the same reason. I I loved it for the same reason that I love Ferris Bueller because it's such it's such a simple message that I still like every day I still need to hear it. Live live life to the fullest. And I feel like I need to hear that a lot, and so I love I love a movie that perfectly tragic, though.

SPEAKER_02 53:19

That's such a such a heartbreaking movie, man.

SPEAKER_00 53:22

I'm like that was so I mean I'll be honest, that's like probably the best way I've seen that kind of situation go down in a movie. I've never seen it like because it is like that. Like I was watching, I was like, no, he could have like he could have run away. He could have and he did, and that's how it is in like real life. Like there are when when you're in that mindset, it's I don't want to spoil it, it's it's it's just the kind of thing where they did it so perfectly, it's such a tragic thing.

SPEAKER_02 53:53

And of course, I mean without you, you don't even need to say that Robin Williams is just impeccable. He's just perfect.

SPEAKER_00 53:59

I didn't have a frame of reference. I think the only reason the only reason that I knew who he was was because of uh his interactions with that monkey or that gorilla, which I I loved him for that already, but I don't think I'd seen him really in like a thing where I was like, that was Robin Williams, and now I get it. Now I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_02 54:18

And there are so many other movies that are like that where he's just done really, really deep, uh incredible performances. That was a good wow. What was the what was the other great great movie of the week?

SPEAKER_00 54:31

This one was like, it was a good movie, it wasn't a great. It's not on Dead Poets Society tier. Um, but I watched Enora and I thought it was I thought it was great, except for the ending, because I feel like there was like I feel like there was a better way it could have gone down, but other than that, I thought it was really well filmed. I thought it was like it's a great it was a great movie. It was objectively a great movie.

SPEAKER_02 54:55

I freaking loved it. I think Sean Baker is like one of the best film lookers right now.

SPEAKER_00 54:58

I'm not upset that it was an Oscar movie, you know?

SPEAKER_02 55:01

Yeah, yeah. And it's crazy because it's like he's just um he's he's with with the guys who did uh or the brothers who do that the Marty Supreme.

SPEAKER_00 55:12

Cohen Cohen Brothers.

SPEAKER_02 55:14

Not the Cohen Brothers. No, no, Marty Supreme and uh they did the Smashing Machine. They split up. No, I thought it was the Cohen Brothers, yeah, because it isn't, it's uh And I'm I'm blanking out, but they did uh Good Time, they did Staff Fi Brothers.

SPEAKER_01 55:30

It's the Staff D. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 55:32

So I love their direction style as well. They're like direct descendants of John Cassavetti's as far as like raw, um, you know, emotional kind of tense cinema. Um Sean Baker tends to kind of do the same thing, but there's a lot more hope in his stuff. Like there's like he's always been edgy, he's always been real, but there's like a weird element of hope that's just kind of like a like a like a light in his movies that aren't necessarily in the other movies, um, that that always makes me feel good. And that's the thing about that movie. That's why I love the ending, by the way, because I just feel like despite all that stuff, that like, you know, she was, you know, we're all broken. We're all broken, and we're just all trying to find the things that like make us a little bit better. And that messed me up. But it but again, that movie's just the reason the main reason to watch that movie is for that like 20-minute sequence in the middle when the whole thing is just like the kidnapper, whatever, all the stuff. It's like that whole sequence, and it's not it almost feels like it's uncut. It's not, but it it feels like it's like oh my god, you're in the room with these people as it's happening.

SPEAKER_00 56:49

That felt like very I I like that scene a lot. And I do just want to go back. Ending for me. I I like that it ended with I I feel like it was a good like cutoff for it. Yeah. But I would have rather and it's tough because I feel like the rest of the movie wasn't written to suit this, but I would have rather that she walked up to the door and she like hugged her sister and was crying. Like I would have rather that happened than in the car. But it's like at the end of the day, it's still a great movie. But like Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:26

I mean it's just you know different, different things. Any bad movies?

SPEAKER_00 57:31

Oh, I have plenty, but I wanna I want to hear your good movies. Have you first of all have you seen any time?

SPEAKER_02 57:40

This past week I only saw one movie. I'm averaging a movie a week, and I need to kind of up that up.

SPEAKER_00 57:45

That's pretty good for most people.

SPEAKER_02 57:47

I've been really busy, and it's not even like the last two movies I've seen I've watched at home, and that's kind of a not a good thing for me. I love going to the movies. I'm going to make sure that I go at least once or twice this week. Because I'm just I need to catch up. Um, but um the movie that I saw. Um I've been on a Neil Diamond kick lately. Um, and it's kind of it's just somehow Neil Diamond has just kind of come up in my life in a way that's that's uh been very uh satisfying and and uh enlightening because it's something where I feel like I've I've uh listened to his music all my whole entire life and somehow the words, his lyrics, and the emotion behind him is starting to like affect me or or speak to me directly. That said, I watched this movie called Saving Silverman. I don't know if you've ever seen it. Um the lead in it is this guy who was the lead in the American Pie movies, and I can't remember his name. He's like the skinny guy. Or say it's like Josh or Jake or something. You know, whatever. I like he's just kind of like a whatever average, the you know, the typical good-looking nerd in a movie that gets the girl in the end kind of thing, right? Um he's the lead. But it's him and his two buddies who live together. And his two buddies are played by Steve Zahn. Steve Zahn and Jack Black. And this is a movie that was made like in the late 90s. So there's like early in Jack Black's career, as far as uh it wasn't early, but he was just he was just starting to come up. And uh Steve Zahn at that point was just like on fire. He was, you know, uh I mean he's always been comedic. Like the they them two they steal the movie. Um and Amanda Pete plays the the the one of the love interests, and uh she plays the the basically Silverman, their friend, they have the three of those guys have a Neil Diamond tribute band. And Silverman kind of falls for this woman who's uh played by Amanda Pete and who's basically evil, and she takes advantage of him, makes him become his slave her slave, basically, and takes her away from his friends, and his friends are like trying to get him back. And the way that they finally decide to get fed up of trying to trying to get him back, they decide uh they decide to kidnap her and keep her away and make him think that she died, which is crazy, just so he can run into his high school sweetheart, who is his true love, who is now becoming a nun. It's like you know, and all the while there's Neil Diamond songs being sung, and it's there's a lot of borderline problematic situations in this movie, but it's hilarious! It is the funniest thing. Welcome everyone. This is Sad Boys Club. This is our second episode. I'm Giovanni Blanco. He plays himself. Before we begin, please do all the things that you need to do to keep this thing going. And it's really kind of like very sweet and very funny. Funny as hell. I forgot how funny it was. Like please. Um we're gonna just jump right in and talk about a lot of things because uh we're this is kind of almost like a laugh a little bit because I'm a huge Mets fan. Uh I'm just not uh a huge uh numbers fan. I don't I don't keep track of all the people coming and going smooth early. I don't like to be negative because we're Mets fans, so there's enough negativity and definitely on top of it.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:47

And uh start off with something. I've been mad at the movies. I canceling start off with AMC. Some of the bad guys were the beginning of the year is always the time. And then I thought it was still today. I just found out. So at the end of silver, I was like I can't think of four weeks. I can do two. Um Marcus Semage. And because he's kind of it feels like over to try to get me because to go to the news who we traded to the Rangers. I'm doing I'm doing everything in my power to keep going. Because I want the movies to exist. Like that is movie theaters are conducive to every single movie. Carson B.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:36

So at least good movie disappeared.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:38

He's very much exactly. Ah, that's I did go see a couple movies and theaters, and then one movie that I know you're just like a couple of very movies. And we kind of knew we were getting rid of them without Sad Boy's final bullet in the copy. Sad boys meh. He uh semi in their second base. Another quick good one. Elio, it was the kids movie movie. Yeah, it was the cartoon kids movie. Yeah, and he got it. It was really good. It was the kind of movie that I think you would like. Um, for the longest time. It's about a kid when they felt like he didn't belong on Earth. He's also known as everything. It was it was good. Like I probably he's one of the things. I was like, I was crushed basement. I was emotionally crunched watching that.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:35

What's Elio? What's that?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:37

Elio just put it on there, because it's just knocked too. Um when you look at it and you spare it to make Nicholas. I also saw two movies that were theaters that catch in theaters injuries. Which was a big bull beautiful journey. He's gonna be a better player. Big Bull Beautiful Journey thing is we wanted to focus on the defense. Margot Rabbi. We have it was I watched it because there was a Levis right up the middle stairs. You could get it. I gave it two stars for the land of spring training. They're all I watched Is This Thing On? I watched that last night. Yeah, that's like we'll learn that. That's awesome. That's that was my biggest mistake. But it was it was good, honestly. It was about as good as a leader as a start. Yes, he's just such like a weird, unlikable face kind of guy.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:40

I ultimately always gonna like I did not enjoy the 50-man team or something like that. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:47

You have a lot of guys that are but uh Luis Rubber was for uh Akuna. So when we did that trade, I haven't gotten a good thing. Even when he's Batman he's arrested to be a good one. I wasn't looking at the end of it, but I'm kind of getting more on board now because I think he has like a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:07

I thought everybody was good, I thought everybody was good.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:10

I mean, especially great before and he can play great, we've seen. I'm really excited. I think we needed a good like center fielder. She was he is he gonna be. I thought she was actually like a ward. Right now he is our center fielder because if somebody's playing somewhere else, just gonna be Carson Bench is playing right field. Right, yeah, Soto's and left because Soto move. But yes, we gotta watch more movies. I want to watch that episode. But normally he's not big up to quick lift movies like theaters this week. So we do have a lot of insurance in guys. I saw a field like Avatar, Fire and Eve. I mean, why are we staying doing it? I can say that. I met I met Suzy Cameron. I think Bailey could do something else. Um Go. But uh I I liked it more, and then I found out that Nick Kroll was one of the voices, and I liked it less. Oh, I like Nick Kroll. Like who he thought so high. They made it seem like it would be like weird, but a love story hitter. It was just and he mentioned that. There was no love, it was depressing. Like five different things. How to make a killing. I didn't think that one was gonna be very good. It was okay. I keep wanting him to do weird things. So he did make a bit of a fool. I want him to go back to weird things because he was doing weird things really funny. And then he went normal. But I want to put it when he went normal to another guy with the like him, which is like Talkman. I I agree. I'm like I'm moving. He's another guy who doesn't who isn't gonna play the full season. Good luck, have fun. But he's very solid when he does. Very high highs and very little great to have his outfield insurance. I'm gonna have to watch that, bro. And I mean you really don't need to say all very much while we play in the house. Exactly. It's just good to have another guy in the outfield. And their teammates.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:08

No doubt.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:09

No, I think you'll love it's it's wacky. And it has the guy from Ant-Man. The fast talking guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:17

Oh, oh, Michael Pena. Yeah, it has Michael Pena. I feel like I haven't seen him in anything. No, he's I love that. I mean he loves it.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:26

And it had he was like the woman who played Domino.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:30

There's some bad Sazzy Beast.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:34

And she just shows up in like a bunch of random things, and this was one of them. And yeah, kind of my favorite thing I've seen. It was a good vibe. Those two were my favorite characters as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:44

I have never seen Sam Rock.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:46

We kind of won with that. So I see I had no friends. That is all for Sam Rock. Well, I'm two guys. For the guys we had the first real exposure.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

I mean, these were kind of surprises to me. Continue with the dig all the all the trades of the biggest. Well, on that note, dig name. I don't want to get hurt anyway. It definitely gives me Sad Boys Method assurance that we have some death and uh enjoyment. Possibly some options. We have a lot of death.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:13

I mean, there is also there's potential for more death. I will say more trades. More pickups and more trades. Um and share. We have like there's we have a bunch of smaller guys who are gonna be able to do that. Starting off on this journey we wanna go like as far as MJ Melendez take you with. I remembered this time.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:34

Um Let's go, Matt!

SPEAKER_00 1:08:38

MJ Melendez because now we got Mike talking. MJ Melendez is not playing on this roster. Realistically, he's going to be in triple A. Which is fun.