2 Vintage Sports Guys - Episode 7

Episode 7: Join Joe and special guest Ricky Goldman as they discuss and debate the NCAA Finals game between Michigan and Uconn, the hot collector cards from the game and the MLB World Series rematch between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to Two Vintage Sports Guys. I am your host, Joe Rendacci. My partner, Paul, is on Vacay. So I brought in a special podcast guest host today. It's Mr. Ricky Goldman. What's up, Ricky?

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Hello, Joe. Hello, everybody. Thanks for having me on.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

That's it. Want to say anything else? Kick it off.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

I mean, I don't know. You want me to like talk about my lifestyle, my whole past?

SPEAKER_00 0:32

If you could say it in about eight seconds, yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Go for it. Well, I uh grew up in Dallas. I'm a big Cowboys fan. I went to University of Arizona. My team did not do well over the weekend against Michigan. We can talk about that too if you want to. Well, at least we know that Michigan did win because they were the best. And uh also a big Braves fan. So as baseball season kicking in, and you know, Joe, we could talk about your lovely Mets also.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

So as you can see, people, uh, we are good friends who are mortal enemies when it comes to our uh baseball teams, but we'll get to that. But as you alluded to, let's kick it off with last night's finals between the Michigan Wolverines and the Yukon Huskies. I personally was rooting always against Yukon as a St. Johnny's fan, so I know long time suffering right there. And um they beat him 69-63. They kind of led uh most of the game. I went a little back and forth in the first half. Uh second half, they pretty much held the point spread. And I think the point spread was what six and a half?

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Yeah, it was actually interesting. I was watching um um all right, yeah. So I was watching the game last night, and it was funny because I was watching on this one app and I was listening to all the chatter about these guys, and everyone's freaking out because it got pretty close, and then they end up winning by six and a half. I think the spread was seven. So all Michigan had to do was to just get one more basket. So it's funny to watch those and miss it.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Um yeah, I think I think I think it was I I saw it last six and a half, and they won by uh what they went with. Oh, you're right, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

I knew in some way they did not cover and they missed it by half a point. So you're right.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yep. And as far as we had uh who won the MVP for Michigan?

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Um LA Cadeau, a trans, you know, it's amazing this Michigan team. If you really break it down, the every starting player, and I think what was proven last night, which was proven during the college football um period when Indiana won it all, is that the NIL is going to be a big difference when it comes to these big time sports. And Michigan has proven it because they've got they've got a really high budget. Um, in fact, Lindenborg was supposed to go to Kentucky, he was supposed to make anywhere from seven to nine million. He turned that down to go to Michigan. So you can see overall that NIL has proven to be big for Big Ten. They got a lot of big spenders, and of course, they just won an all. So now, you know, kudos to the Big Ten for winning back to for winning it in uh basketball and winning it in football, and let's see what else they can win in there.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

So the whole larger question then, which we won't go into on this podcast, maybe another is as you said, NIL portal, year-to-year champions, not really building dynasties, nobody sticking around. You know, if we just is it good or bad for the sport? Well, you'd have to start with one, it's been bogus all these years that they were supposed to be collegiates not getting paid as I do my air quotes, because they were getting paid under the table with everything from vets and uh you know every out every car or any jewelry or anything else they were getting paid with. So let's just put it all on the table. They are basically pros, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Like pros.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Right. So but I find it more interesting that to your point, you could go get Indiana to win last year in college football. That yeah, this is Michigan's first one, what, since the original Fab Five?

SPEAKER_01 3:53

No, they so this is their their first win since 1989. Remember Ramil Robinson? He won on the on the free throw line against Seton Hall. That was 1989.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

When was the Fab Five?

SPEAKER_01 4:05

No, the Fab Five was 91-92. Um, they lost the first time, they got blown out by Duke. I think it was 91, 92 year, 92, 93 year was the North Carolina year when um oh god, not his name is blank. I mean, when he called the timeout at the very end when he wasn't supposed to.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

And you know what? They'll still not have the no rock notoriety of that Fab Five. And who was now Jalen?

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Yeah, Chris was Chris Weber that called the timeout. Chris Weber was the one who called the timeout that loss it to the timeout. Jalen Rose, you all know Jalen Rose. He was um part of the Pacers, and he was also part of the um famous fight that took place in Detroit, Malice of the Palace. Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. That's your five Fab five from 1991, 93. But yeah, so Michigan winning at last, and that was the first time since then, since 89. And um, yeah, good for them. So first time for a big 10 school.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

That fab five, I think, was really like a fab 3.5. They really didn't all go on to um the same acclaim, but that's fine. Yeah, all right. So when we look at then, let's just take the Yukon in Michigan last night, and the way the sports card industry rages and burns and turns that quick, then what we're seeing already is that, as you said, uh Cadot, who with his uh who won the MVP, his card's already on the rise. Uh I can't like I can't pronounce his name. Jack Sell Len Bork, right? On Michigan, Big Ten player of the year. His cards are on the rise, and the top's Bowman University cards. And then for UConn, even though he had a crappy game last night, Braylon Mullins will uh he's a legend in PAX now after uh knocking down Duke. So that's good. And we're seeing that this the trend is these uh 2025-2026 topp's finest and topps chrome for these collegiate stars are really starting to challenge some of the NBA. What cards um did you collect any cards as a kid?

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Um, I did.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

I collected uh baseball cards back then. So yeah, it's funny.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Like that was all I collected. There was no major NFL cards to be collected back in the 70s and 80s that I can recall.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Well, we all missed Jordan in '86 when we were collecting yeah, baseball cards that weren't of any value. Right, exactly. That's that's the one of the biggest ones right there. But yep, so keep an eye on on watching the college cards go up. Then if we look at what else is going on last night, we had the Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, first game rematch after that thrilling World Series. What was your thoughts on the World Series? Who were you rooting for?

SPEAKER_01 6:48

The Dodgers, regardless of what you think, is the best franchise around. I mean, they're spending the money, they're making these incredible deals. I'm not a big Blue Jays fan last year. And you saw last night that the you know, the Blue Jays, North any team can hang with the Dodgers. I mean, Otani only has one home run for the year, that's it, and the rest of the team is just knocking out of the park. And to top it all off, they actually had really good bullpen pitching this year. So they're just gonna win it again. You can just be rooting for your team as much as you want until you get to the playoffs.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

The Dodgers, it goes back to kind of like the NIL and Porto and all that. Is it what is what they're doing right or wrong? Should they stop doing it or should the other franchises start doing it? Should they really invest more money and and be more competitive? Or is this just gonna keep happening?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Well, I mean, so the Dodgers right now are scoring seven plus runs in multiple straight games, right? Um, their pitching staff is is unbelievable with Diaz now as the closer. I would think teams like uh Mets, Yankees, uh Padres, Braves, Phillies, I mean, they're gonna have to out start spending some serious dollars to catch up because if they don't, it's just it's never gonna be ending. There is going to be a lockout at the end of this year, it's gonna happen. The only team that probably does not want the lockout are the Dodgers, right? Because everyone everyone wants to lock them out because of that particular team. And then, of course, you have the A's Foundation, which they're not they don't want to spend the money. And part of the lockout that's gonna happen is basically they're gonna want to raise the minimum, so teams have to spend, and then of course, gap it so then teams like the Dodgers cannot overspend. So it's gonna happen. We're gonna see it, but as of right now, I can't see any team competing. And Roblosky last night pitched five innings, one in a run, earn run, five strikeouts, one baseline ball. I mean, it's incredible what this team is doing.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

This goes back to is it the Dodgers' fault or is it the way baseball is structured? Was it no again? As a Met fan, nobody hated the Yankees and Steinbrenner more than me for decades, but was it his fault or was it still the league's fault? It's the league's fault.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

It's the league's fault. It's the league's fault. The league has to teams are gonna have to start spending the money to catch up with the Dodgers, or they're gonna have to put a cap.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

And then we've been saying this since the Yankees in the 70s, right? Like if you if you if you can't get if they couldn't get past Marvin Miller, like I think what did I just read? The the uh the MLB um players uh union has like six hundred million dollar war chest right now. Yeah, like yeah, like they could sit out for two or three years. Right. So why they they're never gonna let a cap go in. And there needs to be a cap. Not this luxury stuff where you just pay more money that you. I mean, you mentioned it before. You said the the Mets and the Yankees and I don't know who else you mentioned, have to catch up. I think the Mets on paper, because of the Dodgers restructuring of paying like Shohei, like a dollar a year and then like 70 million like on the back end, like they're being creative. And the Mets spent the most money and couldn't make the playoffs last year.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

So that's true. I mean, I think Tucker, when they well, how much did they pay Tucker? I think the Dodgers did barely pay any money for Tucker this year.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

And then come on, Toronto should have won last year. They they missed it, I think. Losing to the Dodgers last year. Uh it was just ridiculous in that last second blowing that. But I think they're a traveling all-star team. That's the bottom line with the Dodgers. And again, are they doing anything wrong? No. If you're gonna put in bad guidelines, like you said, from the league, this is what you get, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:39

Yeah, listen to this Kyle Tucker deal. This is how I don't know why other major league franchises don't do what the Dodgers can do. I it makes the most sense. So maybe there needs to be more creative financiers on each individual team. But for Kyle Tucker, they're only gonna pay him one million dollar base salary for this year. That's it, just one million dollars. His deal includes a $30 million in deferred money. It's a four-year contract, $240 all in, but this year alone is only $1 million. I mean, make that make sense. How does the Dodgers can do that? Like you said, you're earlier about the Otani's deal. How can the Dodgers do what they're doing with their creative financing, and yet other teams are not doing it? Is there something that they're more creative than the other teams?

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Well, or is it to that point you what you there's paying him and then what goes against the luxury tax? So how what's the what's the difference there? Again, you can pay him what they're paying Shohei, and again, I just threw you know a joke out there, but let's say they're paying him ten dollars a year. It's he's not going against the the luxury cap for 10 bucks, right? There sort of has to be a certain amount of money. It's not the whole thing, right? It's not 70 million is going against their number for this year. So again, you'd have to delve into all that, but if you give anything, any of these teams loopholes, they're gonna exploit them, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

And that's and that's the that's the big point there, Joe, is that why is it that the Dodgers are the only team that can figure out this loophole, yet other teams can't? I think they can, they just don't want to spend the money. No, but it goes back to your first question. Your question was is it the the Dodgers or is it the league? It's the league. They can't simply figure out what the Dodgers are doing, or they don't want to do what they're doing, you know? So I think in the end, that the the league or teams are gonna have to get more creative and figure out ways to pay players because you know what's gonna happen. I mean, judge is gonna end up on the Dodgers at some point.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Um, I don't see that happening.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

You don't think you don't see that happen?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Who do you think I'll bet you'll lunch on that one, but uh the Yankees are not letting that's like letting Mickey Mantle or Joe DiMaggio go. That's that's how big Judge is in New York and okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

So let's take another play. Okay, so let's take a real player that's even though even though they did get rid of the babe. Oh, yeah, well, exactly. Here so here's a real player that everyone's talking about that's going to be on the market, and I guarantee you, and I will take, I will, I will bet a lunch with you on this one. We'll end up on the Dodgers, and that's Paul Skeens. He's a hundred percent going to be a Dodger. No question.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

I I I can't uh I mean again, if you're Pittsburgh, like how do you let the guy go? You you gotta pay him whatever he wants.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

They're not gonna they've never they're not gonna pay them. They're the ownership that the fans have been wanting them to sell the team forever. They have they have they have one of the nicest ballparks of all the major league teams, yet they can never put the right talent out there because they only have one or two young kids out there, and then when they get really good, and then their contract is over, their rookie contracts are over, they're gone, right? And I can't see Paul Schemes with Pittsburgh, they can't afford him. Not to mention, you know, he's got Livy Dunn, his girlfriend, probably soon to be a wife. They're gonna want to go to LA because that's where all the extra money is at, too.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Are you saying Pittsburgh is not the hotbed of uh Hollywood Entertainment?

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Well, you know, not right now. They do have the best TV show on each on HBO right now, even though it's all being portrayed being filmed in LA. The pit is the best show out there, just throw a little plug out there for that show.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

So right now you got the you got the Dodgers sitting at 8-2, you got the Yankees sitting at 7-2. So there's the money, right? If you look at the Central, uh you really got not much going on in the American League, right? Cleveland, Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago, and Detroit.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

Where's the benefit? You know the you know the benefit of the central of just in that group alone is the fact you don't have any outrageous owners or groups they're gonna outspend. So literally, those teams can just be mediocre, just get to the playoffs, and then from there see what happens because you never know once you get to the playoffs, things can happen, right? Like Toronto, well, Toronto and the anyway. So there's a chance. Um, but then you look in the National League here. I mean, you got the Marlins right now at six and four. They're gonna fall apart at some point. Your Mets are actually were struggling at three and four at one point. Now they won three in a row. They're actually playing well. The Braves have lost three in a row, so now they're back down to the bottom where we kind of expected. The Brewers are doing good, the Reds are always kind of starting off hot. Even the Pirates typically start off hot. They're six and four right now, but they're all these teams are it just kind of gets back to the meaning.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

I think it'll be Brovis Pirates. Um, and I think Cincinnati Cincinnati will hang around in that division. I mean, it can never really count St. Louis out, and the Cubs shouldn't be in last place in that division.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

So it's early, it's 10 games in.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

We're gonna go 150 games. I I know.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

I'm the one who talked you off ledges every year forever about well, I know, and then and there's the Dodgers already three-game lead on the on the diamondbacks. I mean, come on.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

So yeah, yeah. No, I well, I if you really look, yes, it's early, it's 10 games in, but uh a lot of parody, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Nobody other than really the Yankees and Dodgers are jumping out there, but by the way, getting back to last night's game, real quick, in the Toronto LA game. See, sure is a good you went out the second inning with injury to his arm.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

I saw he left. What what did he go out with?

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Um, he had something to his arm. I mean, I'm not really sure it's not because he had like left, he had a four-arm tightness and ten and ninety is what they're calling it. So I mean he's one of their major stars. So and that's the thing. Finding a starting pitcher is not yet not that easy.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

How old is he now?

SPEAKER_01 16:34

I think he's 40, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:36

No, I thought we got rid of him from the Mets like two years ago when he was already well. Oh, you're saying like he's above 40? I think he's above 40. How old is he? Hang on.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Um, yeah, about looking it up.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Uh let's see. He's 41. 41. Yeah, he no. I I don't know what they're paying him. I don't know how it's structured, but you can't find somebody in the minor leagues that that can give you something towards him now at this point for much less money. Apparently, finding a good arm is not easy to find.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

So and when you do find a good arm, this is the problem with the Braves have had, is that they'll and this is in general for Braves players, since I know the team the best, is that what their general management team has been able to do is to get these young talent and sign them for a long contract, like 10 years. The issue has been is that it's great, because now you're paying them like Albi's paying them like 14 million, you're paying a cunha like 15, 16 million. But you only get a couple great years and then a lot of like meh years, kind of blah years. So, you know, you're paying them for talent, hoping it's gonna last long, but never the case. And why I'm bringing this up is that Strider, who was our ace pitcher, we signed for a 10-year deal for $70 million. He's already injured again. We know who knows when he'll be back, and his pitching, his velocity is not the same as it was a couple years ago. So it's not easy to find this kind of arm talent.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

So let's let's end it on this. What a Cunha. I don't I don't even see his stats. What how's a Cunha doing right now after the uh WBC? Because we think Skeens, who couldn't get out of the first inning versus the Mets, uh, was tired. How's your boy doing?

SPEAKER_01 18:27

So right now, I'm pulling up the the brave stats right now. So both a cunha and Austin Riley are struggling badly. Like I mean, so let's see. I think they're both batting in the hundreds. Batting averages both.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

In three years, you don't want your your uh your stars to go to play in the WPC in the World Baseball Classic.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Oh, I I I thought when the Cunha he had so much energy during the classic, I thought he was going to translate into this year, starting off like he did during his MVP year. It hasn't done so yet. He's only he's batting 175. Austin Riley is batting 162. This is not good for your starting lineup. I mean, your best player is a is the rookie of the year, Drake Baldwin, who's hitting 318. So what do you do with a cooney when his contract ends in three years? Do you keep him, not keep him? I would trade him before that ever happens if you're not going to keep them.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Yeah, as much as I hate your Braves, they're too smart. Your front office is too smart, they'll figure that out at the time. But I will say this we'll uh we'll leave it with this. Maybe the WBC is following the jinx of the um home run derby because the guy who always wins that can't get a hit for like the next two weeks.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

I will I will never forget that WBC from three years ago when Diaz tore his Achilles or whatever that was on celebrating when they won it.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

It can't, yeah. I mean, it's one thing to get hurt in the game, it's another thing jumping up and down after you've won the game. Uh that was if you're mad. Heartache is uh is a perfect spot to end this podcast. Uh I want to I want to thank you for uh guest hosting. We'll have you back here soon. And uh, what do you want to say to the fans on your way out the door?

SPEAKER_01 20:17

I just want to say thank you to everyone out there. Um you know, keep reaching for the stars, keep reaching for your favorite team, and most of all, go braves.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

So reaching for the stars means just buying them like the Dodgers every year, or did you mean that more?

SPEAKER_01 20:33

Yeah, I guess something like that. I don't really know. I'm just I'm just talking out loud here. I mean, I'm just I'm full of dreams. It's kind of funny. I'm getting back to the Arizona's debacle against Michigan the other night. I I I put it out like this we had a dream of a season, a nightmare of a game, and a very bright future ahead of us. So that's pretty much how I ended it with that one.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

All right. Sounds good. Take it easy all.