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Speaker 1: The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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Speaker 2: Hey Thearon, Welcome back to the Book of Joe podcasts.

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Speaker 1: It's me Tom Berducci and that's Joe Matt And how

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Speaker 1: you doing today.

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Speaker 3: Joe, Good morning, brother. I'm doing well. Hey.

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Speaker 1: I'm excited about the World Baseball Classic. I know not

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Speaker 1: everybody is, like I know. There's fans out there, like, say,

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Speaker 1: you're a fan of the Yankees, right, you're worried about

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Speaker 1: Aaron Judge playing for Team USA. You just want to

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Speaker 1: know what's going on in your camp. But I'm telling you,

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Speaker 1: it is an amazing event. I tell people all the time.

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Speaker 1: If you're there in the ballpark and feel the vibe

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Speaker 1: that's going on, it really is a gift for baseball fans.

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Speaker 1: I mean, listen, Joe, I love baseball, but I gotta

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Speaker 1: tell you a lot of times spring training games they're

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Speaker 1: not very pretty, right, You're watching a bunch of guys

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Speaker 1: who might not make the team. The game tends to

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Speaker 1: drag whatever. But the w man, it's like a gift.

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Speaker 1: You're getting playoff intensity baseball in the month of March,

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Speaker 1: So sign me up for it. What was your take

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Speaker 1: Joe as a manager when you had guys leaving and

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Speaker 1: what is it now about the World Baseball Classic?

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Speaker 4: Well, back then, you're right about spring training games, they

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Speaker 4: are boring outside of the fact if you're in a dugout,

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Speaker 4: you're evaluating constantly. So that's the part that was interesting

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Speaker 4: to us and to me was the evaluation process of

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Speaker 4: the players. And then of course concepts conceptually, things you're

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Speaker 4: trying to get done put in there, you know, whether

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Speaker 4: it's emphasizing going first to third, to strike approach, dominating

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Speaker 4: the one one count from the pictures perspective, those are

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Speaker 4: the things that were exciting to us, and the dugout,

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Speaker 4: and then of course if just seeing if the scut

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Speaker 4: and reports were right on new people or not. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: when it first started out, I never really was concerned.

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Speaker 4: Quite frankly, well, I was taught by Marcel Lachman years

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Speaker 4: ago to not worry about injury. Injuries are curbed. The

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Speaker 4: injuries happened. Just doesn't have to be any game, And

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Speaker 4: of course that might be an oversimplification, but you know,

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Speaker 4: I like to do that, so I never worried about

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Speaker 4: that stuff. I think it's become obviously when some guys

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Speaker 4: get hurt, you know, ideas losing a whole season, et cetera. Guys,

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Speaker 4: things that are really hamper an organization in a season

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Speaker 4: for a player or beyond, that's that's difficult. However, I

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Speaker 4: never went into it like that. I never was worried

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Speaker 4: about that necessarily, I was. I excited. I can't tell

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Speaker 4: you that I was. I can't say that I am now.

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Speaker 4: I I uh, you know, probably because I'm not in

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Speaker 4: the ballpark like you are. Boots on the ground always

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Speaker 4: Listits a different response watching it on TV to me,

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Speaker 4: maybe outside of the lot. I mean watching Show Hey

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Speaker 4: striking out Trouty that that one day was kind of

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Speaker 4: interesting and fun to watch, and not because trout struck

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Speaker 4: out that at Show Hey won, just because I knew

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Speaker 4: the guys on the impact that it had, and I

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Speaker 4: think that had a great impact on Show Hey.

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Speaker 3: I really do moving forward.

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Speaker 4: So for me, I I don't really put a lot

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Speaker 4: of stock into it. Regarding watching it a whole lot,

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Speaker 4: I understand, like I said, I think, you know, if

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Speaker 4: you're in a ballpark, it matters. I think from the

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Speaker 4: player's perspective, from what I read, I think it's sincere.

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Speaker 4: A lot of guys want to do it because they

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Speaker 4: feel like they're representing their country, et cetera. The time

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Speaker 4: of the year makes it difficult for me, just based

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Speaker 4: on like you're talking about, the spring training games aren't

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Speaker 4: ramped up because they're not supposed to be, and then

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Speaker 4: you're gonna ramp up these games so quickly. And I

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Speaker 4: even though if there's like a letdown following these games

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Speaker 4: for certain players after they go from their back to

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Speaker 4: camp and then the early part of the season. So again,

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Speaker 4: I think things in some strange ways. But I understand

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Speaker 4: why it's popular. It doesn't necessarily move me. I was

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Speaker 4: never worried about injury. But if in fact it's good

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Speaker 4: for baseball and baseball fans.

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Speaker 3: In general, dig it. I'm good.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great for baseball.

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Speaker 1: And you mentioned the classic show down there between Showhy

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Speaker 1: and Troudy. I believe really created a ton of momentum

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Speaker 1: coming into this WB because in the past baseball out

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Speaker 1: to twist a lot of arms to get guys to play.

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Speaker 2: That was not the case this time.

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Speaker 1: They actually had to tell some people, well, we'd like

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Speaker 1: to have you, but we kind of got a full

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Speaker 1: vote here.

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Speaker 2: Four of the top five finishers in.

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Speaker 1: The ALE MVP vote last year are on Team USA,

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Speaker 1: Aaron Judge, Cal Rowley, Bobby Wood Junior, and Trek Skouble.

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Speaker 1: You've got the NL MVP runner up Kyle Schwarber. You've

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Speaker 1: got the cy Young Award winner in Paul Skins. The

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Speaker 1: Dominican Republic team. Check this out, Joe. They have eight

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Speaker 1: of their nine starters in their lineup who received MVP

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Speaker 1: votes last year. They have four players who are playing

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Speaker 1: in their contracts, four players that total up to two

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Speaker 1: billion dollars. I mean, this is the most star studded

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Speaker 1: field we've ever seen. And I'm not sure if you

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Speaker 1: saw the video, Joe of Sho hey O Tani. The

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Speaker 1: other day, Team Japan played an exhibition game against the

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Speaker 1: Dragons over in NPB and he was not actually permitted

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Speaker 1: to play yet because the WBC is not officially underway.

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Speaker 1: But anyway, he did take batting practice before the game.

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Speaker 1: Full house literally jaws were dropping watching show.

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Speaker 2: Hey take BP. I mean, there's nothing like it. I'm sorry.

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Speaker 1: Maybe back in the day when Babe Ruth went on

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Speaker 1: a tour of Japan, it was just fascinating to see

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Speaker 1: not just the people in the stands, but the players

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Speaker 1: in literal awe of show, Hey Otani. So you've got Judge,

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Speaker 1: You've got Otani, You've got schemes, You've got Schoobal.

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Speaker 2: I mean, this is a star study gas that you

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Speaker 2: can't go wrong with this.

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Speaker 1: The tournament is set up, essentially if you want to

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Speaker 1: see these teams and brackets, to have Japan play the

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Speaker 1: USA in the final again. But I think the Dominican

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Speaker 1: Republic can upset things. I think Venezuela has a stacked team.

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Speaker 1: Puerto Rico actually has made more the BBCs are as

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Speaker 1: many as the USA, which is two, so anything can happen.

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Speaker 2: There's short sample size, we get that.

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Speaker 1: But I do think that going in Joe the USA,

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Speaker 1: this is no disrespect to Japan because they've won it

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Speaker 1: three times and they are thirty and eight WBC play.

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Speaker 1: But this roster of the USA is put together, is

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Speaker 1: built to win a gold medal, and I think anything

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Speaker 1: short of that they would be disappointed.

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Speaker 4: Of course they would be. You know, you're talking about

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Speaker 4: the batting practice component. That's like when McGuire was hot

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Speaker 4: and those guys as Sosa, you know, McGuire would hit

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Speaker 4: balls out of Diamondback Stadium, through the louvers out into

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Speaker 4: the street. So that's that's always fun to watch guys

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Speaker 4: do that. I get it, the excitement and why the

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Speaker 4: USA always should feel as though they're in a position

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Speaker 4: to win it all, attracting the gold medal again. I

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Speaker 4: just I'm always concerned and I never concerned about the injuries,

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Speaker 4: like I said earlier, But the point is just getting

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Speaker 4: guys going too hard too soon.

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Speaker 3: That's that's the only thing for from my perspective.

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Speaker 4: It's not unlike the NBA doing this little thing in

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Speaker 4: the middle of the season that they're doing right now, NHL,

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Speaker 4: all those the different sports are looking to attract or

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Speaker 4: prop up their sports in different ways. And I don't

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Speaker 4: know if I'm just being a fundamentalist or a traditionalist

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Speaker 4: in this regard, but these are the things that that's

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Speaker 4: what worries me, just the the effort involved in that moment.

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Speaker 4: And I guess I'm being contradictory if I'm not worried

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Speaker 4: about injury.

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Speaker 3: I'm just worried.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I think there's got to be a natural

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Speaker 4: letdown after doing this, meaning that when you get just

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Speaker 4: jacked this soon, does it eventually create a lesser performance,

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Speaker 4: Like I said, after you come out of this back

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Speaker 4: to camp.

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Speaker 3: And here comes the beginning of the season.

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Speaker 4: You've already kind of played in a situation that resembles

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Speaker 4: the playoffs, and now you're going back to a game

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Speaker 4: in April in Kansas City whatever. So again I understand

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Speaker 4: the marketing perspective of all this.

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Speaker 3: I get it.

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Speaker 4: I guess I'm just talking about it from being in

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Speaker 4: a dugout than what I see from being in a dugout.

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Speaker 4: And because to me, the ultimate reason why we're doing

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Speaker 4: this is to get your team in position to bring

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Speaker 4: them along. And I always thought slowly and you would

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Speaker 4: build into the latter part of spring training and build

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Speaker 4: a crescendo for opening Day and beyond.

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Speaker 3: I mean, your goal is always to.

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Speaker 4: Get to the playoffs, get to the tournament, and then

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Speaker 4: play the last game of the year and win it.

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Speaker 4: And so I'm always focused on that more than I

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Speaker 4: would be the glitter and gold early in the season.

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Speaker 4: I'm more concerned about the glitter and goal.

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Speaker 3: At the end of it.

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Speaker 1: Well, you're absolutely right about the ramp up, you know,

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Speaker 1: I understand, you know, being at all these this is

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Speaker 1: what the sixth WBC. I've seen it grow from something

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Speaker 1: the players thought of was kind of a cool exhibition

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Speaker 1: to again playoff intensity baseball. I'm not overstating that. Now

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Speaker 1: there's governors on how you can use pitchers, right, you

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Speaker 1: can't throw more than sixty five pitches in the first round.

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Speaker 1: Guys get mandated rest if they throw a certain number

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Speaker 1: of pitches. So it's not exactly playoff baseball. But I'm

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Speaker 1: telling you the intense at which these games are played

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Speaker 1: is like playoff baseball. I think for a lot of

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Speaker 1: young players, it's good for them to experience this environment.

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Speaker 1: There is a lot of pressure going on here, and

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Speaker 1: you see, I love the way almost like if you

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Speaker 1: watch you games in Omaha with college baseball in the

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Speaker 1: World Series, there guys coming out of the dugout for

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Speaker 1: a big hit. I mean, you just don't see that

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Speaker 1: happen in Major League Baseball like they do with the WBC.

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Speaker 2: So I'm all on board with the intensity.

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Speaker 1: I get your point, Joe, that if your guys out there,

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Speaker 1: maybe they're expending too much energy. Let me talk about

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Speaker 1: Team Japan first, Joe, because they have a way of

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Speaker 1: playing tournament baseball. It's what I call it. It's a

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Speaker 1: little bit different than regular season baseball. Of course, especially

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Speaker 1: with some of these rules As I mentioned, they're thirty

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Speaker 1: and eight in the WBC. They've not lost the game

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Speaker 1: by more than three runs. They've had eight losses, five

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Speaker 1: of them by one run. They keep games close, they

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Speaker 1: put the ball in play. They have a really deep

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Speaker 1: pitching staff, and you'll love this show. I mean, if

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Speaker 1: you watch the teams from Korea and from Japan take

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Speaker 1: infield before a game. Yeah, taking infield before a game,

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Speaker 1: it is a work of art man. I mean he

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Speaker 1: just the art of the infield has basically died around

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Speaker 1: Major League Baseball.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 1: Guys take their work and they take a lot of

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Speaker 1: ground balls now, but they don't take it in the

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Speaker 1: art form that it used to be. That's always one

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Speaker 1: of my highlights to watch these teams play, take their

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Speaker 1: infield before the games.

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Speaker 2: But Japan is loaded.

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Speaker 1: They have a record nine Major League Baseball players on

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Speaker 1: this roster.

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Speaker 2: They're pitching staff.

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Speaker 1: Even though Shohy is not going to pitch, he's going

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Speaker 1: to be DH Only Roki Sasaki not on the roster.

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Speaker 1: I think the Dodgers sort of said, you know, based

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Speaker 1: on what we need to do with you in spring training,

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Speaker 1: we'd rather have you here, and of course you darbish

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Speaker 1: is hurt, so he won't be pitching, but.

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Speaker 2: It's still a deep, deep roster.

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Speaker 1: I just think the way that they go after this

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Speaker 1: team pride is huge. Obviously, Baseball absolutely number one sport

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Speaker 1: in Japan. It means so much to them and they

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Speaker 1: play like it.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I have to believe their prep is different than

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Speaker 4: our prep. Right we just get together right now, guys

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Speaker 4: sachet into spring training and they leave their teams and

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Speaker 4: they join up and they start practicing together. I don't

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Speaker 4: know this, but I would imagine in Japan that these

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Speaker 4: guys as a group get together sooner than we do

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Speaker 4: as a team, and probably can get more acclimated to

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Speaker 4: the style of play they want to get done. And

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Speaker 4: of course the nationalism involved. I get it that we

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Speaker 4: have it here also, however, I think it's even more

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Speaker 4: ingrained there not being there. But I'm just saying the

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Speaker 4: fact that we can get together. They're a small island

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Speaker 4: us against the world in a sense, all those different things.

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Speaker 4: There's a lot of innate kind of attractiveness about what

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Speaker 4: they're doing and how they're doing it there and how

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Speaker 4: much it means to them. I know our guys want

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Speaker 4: to win, but I think coming from Japan. You know,

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Speaker 4: the lesser kid on the block in a sense when

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Speaker 4: it comes to the baseball where they have something to prove,

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Speaker 4: they have a chip on their shoulders in a sense,

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Speaker 4: I think their ability to unify sooner has something to

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Speaker 4: do with their success infield.

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Speaker 3: When I was a scout, I remember.

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Speaker 4: Specifically going to the Junior College Baseball World Series in

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Speaker 4: Brand Junction, Colorado, and you watch teams from Miami, Miami Day,

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Speaker 4: North and South whatever it was.

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Speaker 3: Their infield was intimidating.

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Speaker 4: There was a team in Oklahoma also Gosh, I can

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Speaker 4: remember the coach's name.

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Speaker 3: I'll think of it later.

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Speaker 4: But their infield was meant to intimidate because they would

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Speaker 4: take the infield while the other team was in a

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Speaker 4: dugout watching them, and they hit like two balls during

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Speaker 4: the infield, like two ball infield where the balls flying.

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Speaker 4: I think they do that in Japan also, so it

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Speaker 4: serves to intimidate. The part about infield that I don't

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Speaker 4: like in regards to what we do is the hot

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Speaker 4: and cold component of it. I mean getting hot, getting cold,

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Speaker 4: getting hot getting cold. You know, you come out in

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Speaker 4: the field, you play catch, you take round balls, you

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Speaker 4: take batting practice, you go in, you sif for a bit,

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Speaker 4: You come back out, get your arms loose again, you

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Speaker 4: take infield, you throw the ball hard, go back in,

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Speaker 4: get changed where it quickly, come out, play a game.

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Speaker 3: See for me, it never made sense to do that.

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Speaker 4: From the fans perspective, it's entertaining, but from again, from

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Speaker 4: a dugout perspective, I did not like my guys getting

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Speaker 4: hot and cold that often. So I understand the entertainment

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Speaker 4: component of this. And again the intimidation. You're playing on

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Speaker 4: the correct level, meaning like the high school, collegiate or

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Speaker 4: junior college level where you can intimidate the other side.

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Speaker 4: It's a weapon, but you're not playing every day in

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Speaker 4: your schedule is different. So that's what I'm hearing right now.

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Speaker 4: That's what I'm seeing. I think that's part of why

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Speaker 4: Japan is so successful. The ability to come together sooner

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Speaker 4: as a group and unify in regards to their approach

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Speaker 4: probably is a built in that they could take advantage of.

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Speaker 2: Well, you're one hundred percent right about that. They do

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Speaker 2: get together a little bit earlier.

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Speaker 1: Part of that is just logistically, you know, they start

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Speaker 1: out in major league camps, at least the ones who

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Speaker 1: are the major league players, and they need time to

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Speaker 1: adjust to fly back to Japan and then fly back

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Speaker 1: again to resume assuming the advance.

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Speaker 2: Which I'm sure they will the rest of the WBC.

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Speaker 2: So good points there.

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Speaker 1: Spoilers, there's always a spoiler in these tournaments. It makes

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Speaker 1: teams nervous, you know. Mexico actually nearly took out Japan

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Speaker 1: in the last WBC. They had a three to nothing lead,

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Speaker 1: then they were up one nothing in the ninth in

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Speaker 1: Japan came back on them. My pick for spoiler this

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Speaker 1: year Joe, and I admit I'm biased here Italy Diazuri.

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Speaker 1: They've got Kyle Teel, Vinnie Pascantino, Jack kech Leon Dominic Canzone,

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Speaker 1: John Birdie.

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Speaker 2: It's a pretty good lineup that they have there, I

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Speaker 2: think one of their better ones.

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Speaker 1: And I'm sure they'll bring their expresso machine that they're

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Speaker 1: having to dugout with the finest Italian coffee.

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Speaker 4: It sounds like the Hazelton phone book that you were

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Speaker 4: just reading right there. It's so fun to hear names

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Speaker 4: and in Noval right, a lot of good players. I mean, historically,

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Speaker 4: the Itians have had some wonderful players throughout history in

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Speaker 4: the major leagues.

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Speaker 3: We can start naming them off.

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Speaker 4: Of course, being half Polish op Italian, I'm gonna be

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Speaker 4: I absolutely do do the same thing you're suggesting. I

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Speaker 4: do look at the Italian team one of these days.

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Speaker 4: I want to see that Polish team rock in the

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Speaker 4: WBC at some point. I mean, Stan Musual, after all,

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Speaker 4: was not a bad player. So it's it's that part

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Speaker 4: of it's fun, the the the ability to tale in

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Speaker 4: based on whether it's president or past, your your grandparents,

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Speaker 4: where they came from, and why that's important to you,

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Speaker 4: So listen, I'm not denying it is a fun gig.

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Speaker 4: I actually saw it out and found an Italian cap

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Speaker 4: Baseball had a couple of years ago, and Rizzo gave

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Speaker 4: me an Italian hoodie, which I love, but it was

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Speaker 4: way too big and I could never really wear it.

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Speaker 4: But those are the kind of things I do dig

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Speaker 4: on no.

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Speaker 2: Question, Francisco Cervelli is the manager.

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Speaker 3: I didn't know that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I've got an impressive staff of former major leaguers,

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Speaker 1: so okay, it's fun. I like to see some of

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Speaker 1: these teams put a scare into the big boys. I

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Speaker 1: do expect that it will be Team USA against Japan

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Speaker 1: in the Final again, but again I am not discounting

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Speaker 1: that lineup from the team Dominican Republic.

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Speaker 2: Hey, we're going to take a quick break, Joe, we

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Speaker 2: get back.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk to you about really the best

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Speaker 1: prospect in baseball and he's showing that in spring training

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Speaker 1: at the age of nineteen years old. We talk about

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Speaker 1: Connor Griffin right after this on the Book of Joe.

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Speaker 2: Welcome back to the Book of Joe Hoe.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if you've seen any highlights of Connor Griffin,

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Speaker 1: nineteen year old shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. You know,

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Speaker 1: a lot of teams, a lot of services have him

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Speaker 1: rated as the best prospect in baseball, which is probably true.

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Speaker 1: That's neither here nor there. I just been watching this

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Speaker 1: kid swing the bat. I'm going to give you some

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Speaker 1: comps Joe that I see here. First of all, he's

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Speaker 1: got the kind of explosive strength and power like a

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Speaker 1: Mike Trout.

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Speaker 2: Just the way that he moves.

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Speaker 1: He's six four, so maybe not as heavy as Michael is,

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Speaker 1: but just the strength and the way that his body,

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Speaker 1: with fast twitch fibrus moves is just remarkable. Swing wise,

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Speaker 1: this kid is going to hit a lot of home runs.

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Speaker 1: He's a great hitter period, but Mike Coms watching him.

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Speaker 1: Hit Number one is Fernando Tetist Junior. His hands are

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Speaker 1: very quiet in the load phase and the amount of

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Speaker 1: torque and his swing I'm talking about, the speed of

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Speaker 1: his hips getting through the baseball is just off the charts.

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Speaker 1: And that's where I see Tatis in him and Tetti's

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Speaker 1: basically is a same size. Maybe it in shorter five

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Speaker 1: pounds later, but a big guy who moves fast. The

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Speaker 1: body moves fast. They talk about pictures and their arms

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Speaker 1: move fast. These are hitters who move fast. And the

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Speaker 1: other thing I noticed here in my other comp is

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Speaker 1: cal Raley. Cal Rally to me is the best extension

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Speaker 1: through a swing I've seen since Mark Maguire and his

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Speaker 1: dad taught him. And I love the way that his

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Speaker 1: dad told me about this and the phrasing that he used,

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Speaker 1: gaining distance between your nose and the barrel, keeping that

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Speaker 1: barrel moving away from you.

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Speaker 2: So it was the distance between the nose and the barrel.

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Speaker 1: And I watched this kid, Connor Griffin get through the

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Speaker 1: baseball and he's got that.

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Speaker 2: Same kind of full extension through the baseball. So he's

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Speaker 2: nineteen years old. He's turning twenty in April.

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Speaker 1: If you're the Pittsburgh Pirates, Joe Listen, they didn't carry

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Speaker 1: Paul Skeens on the opening day roster and they lost

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Speaker 1: a chance to get an extra draft pitch pick by

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Speaker 1: a guy who finishes in the top three in Rookie

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Speaker 1: of the Year voting. I watch him play, and I'm

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Speaker 1: telling you, if they have it reminds me of when

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Speaker 1: Mark Bryer was with Cubs and one of the managers

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Speaker 1: told they think it was Don Baylor. If you've got

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Speaker 1: anybody or maybe carry would If you've got five guys

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Speaker 1: in your rotation better than him, you're going to the

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Speaker 1: World Series. If the Pirates have anybody better than Connor

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Speaker 1: Griffin right now, they're going to the World Series. Which

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Speaker 1: just means to say, I think talent alone, I would

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Speaker 1: push to have this kid on the opening day roster.

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Speaker 1: You went through this a little bit with Chris Bryant,

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Speaker 1: who was older. But let me get your take on

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Speaker 1: if you've seen this kid play and how you handle

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Speaker 1: a nineteen year old who's got all the skills to

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Speaker 1: be a superstar the major leagues.

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Speaker 3: I have not seen him yet.

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Speaker 4: I've read about him I've not seen him yet, but

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Speaker 4: you're making me very excited right here.

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Speaker 3: You said he's a shortstop. Correct.

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00:19:27,078 --> 00:19:29,318
Speaker 1: Yeah, they've played him a little bit in the outfield too,

401
00:19:30,158 --> 00:19:31,798
Speaker 1: but he can play in the position. It's not like

402
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Speaker 1: you're looking at a guy who just you know, typical

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Speaker 1: high school player, best player, plays shortstop.

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Speaker 2: He's a good athlete.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: I'm just curious about that because they've seen a trend

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Speaker 4: recently where shortstops in the big leagues. I think they're

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Speaker 4: analytical shortstops. I think a lot of them should have

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Speaker 4: been in the outfield to begin with, but they put

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Speaker 4: him at shortstop. But I got to I'll reserve that

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Speaker 4: for when I actually see him because of the body size,

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Speaker 4: et cetera.

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Speaker 3: I love the quiet bat. I love a quiet approach.

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Speaker 4: I think that's the if you're going to teach your

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Speaker 4: kid how to swing, really avoid all kinds of pre

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Speaker 4: pitch movements, hands and arms, pumping.

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Speaker 3: Up and down.

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Speaker 4: Whatever, quiet is better, you just it's a better way

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Speaker 4: to create time management between the time the balls leaves

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Speaker 4: the pitcher's hand and the fact that you get yourself

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Speaker 4: in position to hit. I love that the extension through

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Speaker 4: the swing. My method of doing that was hit the

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Speaker 4: ball twice. I used to really emphasize two hitters off

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Speaker 4: of a tea, especially in your mind's I can hit

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Speaker 4: this ball twice, hit the ball as you actually do,

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Speaker 4: and then really there's an imaginary ball in front of that.

427
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Speaker 4: Hit that also as you really conclude your swing out front.

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Speaker 4: I really need to do that with my golf swing too.

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Speaker 4: And Ruben Lamara was a guy used to really work

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Speaker 4: with a lot with that. So is he ready or not?

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Speaker 3: KB? I had Evan Longoria too. That was just based

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Speaker 3: on rules.

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Speaker 4: I mean, of course the situation you know back then,

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Speaker 4: regarding an extra year of.

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Speaker 3: Control or not.

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Speaker 4: And so I don't even know, you know how people

437
00:20:54,038 --> 00:20:56,158
Speaker 4: are playing that out these days, how important it is

438
00:20:57,358 --> 00:20:59,998
Speaker 4: regarding you know, the way the organization thinks or not.

439
00:21:00,718 --> 00:21:02,918
Speaker 4: For me as a guy ready or not, you were

440
00:21:02,958 --> 00:21:05,358
Speaker 4: always confers with what the front office, I mean, the

441
00:21:05,358 --> 00:21:07,798
Speaker 4: front office is going to control that move. Sounds as

442
00:21:07,798 --> 00:21:10,598
Speaker 4: though it'd be almost unanimous that this kid is ready.

443
00:21:10,598 --> 00:21:12,638
Speaker 4: I don't know what his makeup's like. Obviously it's probably

444
00:21:12,638 --> 00:21:15,798
Speaker 4: pretty good to be at that age. Robin Yeut, I

445
00:21:15,838 --> 00:21:20,038
Speaker 4: guess right, Alex Rodriguez, I mean, there's a couple other guys.

446
00:21:20,438 --> 00:21:22,038
Speaker 3: KB was a little bit older.

447
00:21:22,078 --> 00:21:25,078
Speaker 4: But this is where rules get in the way, because

448
00:21:25,598 --> 00:21:28,878
Speaker 4: if you really believe somebody's able to do that right now,

449
00:21:28,918 --> 00:21:32,198
Speaker 4: regardless of what the rule might say, and he can

450
00:21:32,238 --> 00:21:34,238
Speaker 4: help us if you think you're in a position to win,

451
00:21:34,758 --> 00:21:36,838
Speaker 4: and if we just lose that, you know, was it

452
00:21:36,958 --> 00:21:39,278
Speaker 4: ten fifteen to twenty games, whatever it might be that

453
00:21:39,318 --> 00:21:42,598
Speaker 4: he's not able to play with us because we're going

454
00:21:42,638 --> 00:21:44,918
Speaker 4: to not bring him up for those reasons. That was KB.

455
00:21:44,998 --> 00:21:46,958
Speaker 4: There's no question about that. Then that was long go

456
00:21:47,038 --> 00:21:49,278
Speaker 4: back and there had no question about that. So that's

457
00:21:49,318 --> 00:21:53,478
Speaker 4: a philosophical or a question of rules that you want

458
00:21:53,518 --> 00:21:57,838
Speaker 4: to brochen up. But the overarching is for me conversationally

459
00:21:57,878 --> 00:22:00,398
Speaker 4: with this fella, is he ready to do this or not?

460
00:22:00,518 --> 00:22:03,118
Speaker 4: Do you really feel he's substantially ready? Do we have

461
00:22:03,158 --> 00:22:05,198
Speaker 4: the group around him? And are we here to win

462
00:22:05,398 --> 00:22:07,598
Speaker 4: or developer? What's going on? So there's a lot of

463
00:22:08,238 --> 00:22:12,078
Speaker 4: internal philosophical questions to be answered based on your Scotter

464
00:22:12,118 --> 00:22:13,918
Speaker 4: report it which sounds like he is ready, but I'm

465
00:22:13,958 --> 00:22:15,558
Speaker 4: really now eager to watch him play.

466
00:22:15,798 --> 00:22:18,518
Speaker 1: Yeah, it is a philosophical call, there's no question about it.

467
00:22:18,518 --> 00:22:20,278
Speaker 1: First of all, if I'm the Pittsburgh Pirates. What I

468
00:22:20,278 --> 00:22:22,478
Speaker 1: would do right now is put an extension on the

469
00:22:22,478 --> 00:22:23,958
Speaker 1: table and get this kid signed.

470
00:22:25,438 --> 00:22:26,958
Speaker 2: The risk to me is minimal.

471
00:22:27,038 --> 00:22:28,678
Speaker 1: Joe, I don't know how you feel about this, but

472
00:22:28,718 --> 00:22:31,838
Speaker 1: with position players who are elite, I'm not talking about

473
00:22:31,838 --> 00:22:34,438
Speaker 1: the average or just a very good position player. I'm

474
00:22:34,478 --> 00:22:37,998
Speaker 1: talking about elite, almost generational players. I'm talking about the

475
00:22:37,998 --> 00:22:40,558
Speaker 1: Holy O rodriguez Is of the world, the Jackson Churios.

476
00:22:40,838 --> 00:22:43,398
Speaker 1: You can see that at nineteen and twenty. You don't

477
00:22:43,438 --> 00:22:45,758
Speaker 1: have to see another five or six years. You saw

478
00:22:45,758 --> 00:22:48,238
Speaker 1: that with Bryce Harper, you saw that with Mike Trout,

479
00:22:48,478 --> 00:22:50,798
Speaker 1: and again, these are really high end commps.

480
00:22:50,838 --> 00:22:52,798
Speaker 2: But I think this kid is in that category.

481
00:22:53,638 --> 00:22:56,318
Speaker 1: And you went through this with Longoria, he came up

482
00:22:56,398 --> 00:22:59,998
Speaker 1: and when he agreed to the extension, So yeah, the

483
00:23:00,078 --> 00:23:02,438
Speaker 1: rules have changed a little bit that try to diminish that,

484
00:23:02,598 --> 00:23:04,918
Speaker 1: you know, keeping guys down just by that extra year.

485
00:23:05,638 --> 00:23:06,958
Speaker 2: But that's the first thing I would do.

486
00:23:07,038 --> 00:23:10,358
Speaker 1: That doesn't mean you can sign him, but I love

487
00:23:10,438 --> 00:23:12,958
Speaker 1: the idea of when you've got a franchise player. And again,

488
00:23:12,998 --> 00:23:16,158
Speaker 1: Milwaukee's not a high revenue team or a major market.

489
00:23:16,158 --> 00:23:17,198
Speaker 2: It's the smallest market.

490
00:23:17,438 --> 00:23:21,118
Speaker 1: They locked up Jackson Curio, and he's proved to be

491
00:23:21,198 --> 00:23:22,718
Speaker 1: exactly the kind of player they thought.

492
00:23:23,278 --> 00:23:23,838
Speaker 2: At this point.

493
00:23:23,958 --> 00:23:26,798
Speaker 1: You know, this kid has got superstar potential. I don't

494
00:23:26,798 --> 00:23:28,958
Speaker 1: think the risk is that great. I would see if

495
00:23:28,998 --> 00:23:31,198
Speaker 1: I could get the extension done, make sure that he

496
00:23:31,478 --> 00:23:35,078
Speaker 1: is your franchise player, build around him. Nineteen years old.

497
00:23:35,118 --> 00:23:36,598
Speaker 1: Is he really going to say no to one hundred

498
00:23:36,598 --> 00:23:37,278
Speaker 1: million dollars?

499
00:23:37,558 --> 00:23:38,158
Speaker 2: Maybe he does.

500
00:23:38,438 --> 00:23:40,518
Speaker 1: You know, some guys just want to wait and go

501
00:23:40,598 --> 00:23:43,478
Speaker 1: year by year hit free agency. Bryce Harper was one

502
00:23:43,518 --> 00:23:46,278
Speaker 1: of those guys. But that's the first thing I would do.

503
00:23:47,438 --> 00:23:50,758
Speaker 1: But yes, I would lean towards and again, Joe, You've

504
00:23:50,758 --> 00:23:52,958
Speaker 1: seen enough players during the day. You get carried away

505
00:23:52,958 --> 00:23:55,238
Speaker 1: with what they do in spring training, and a lot

506
00:23:55,238 --> 00:23:57,478
Speaker 1: of times you get burned because it's just a it's

507
00:23:57,518 --> 00:23:59,758
Speaker 1: a laboratory. It's a little bit different than actual major

508
00:23:59,838 --> 00:24:03,278
Speaker 1: league game situations. We get that, but just skill wise,

509
00:24:03,318 --> 00:24:06,798
Speaker 1: I think, you know, setting this kid down just because

510
00:24:06,998 --> 00:24:09,878
Speaker 1: you want to try to buy an extra year, I'm

511
00:24:09,878 --> 00:24:12,358
Speaker 1: not a big fan of that. I'd like to see

512
00:24:12,438 --> 00:24:14,198
Speaker 1: him make the opening day roster, and more than that,

513
00:24:14,238 --> 00:24:16,438
Speaker 1: I'd like to see the Pirates lock him up without

514
00:24:16,478 --> 00:24:17,678
Speaker 1: playing a day in the big leagues.

515
00:24:17,718 --> 00:24:18,478
Speaker 2: It's been done.

516
00:24:19,078 --> 00:24:20,238
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean you're right.

517
00:24:20,838 --> 00:24:25,558
Speaker 4: Spring training performances are really could be very deceitful, deceptive.

518
00:24:26,198 --> 00:24:28,278
Speaker 4: Whereas a guy that is really a good player that's

519
00:24:28,278 --> 00:24:30,158
Speaker 4: coming off a good season and you saw it, and

520
00:24:30,198 --> 00:24:32,158
Speaker 4: all of a sudden, he's guided back to spring. You're

521
00:24:32,318 --> 00:24:35,758
Speaker 4: at bad spring and you're going to devalue him. And

522
00:24:35,798 --> 00:24:36,958
Speaker 4: on the other hand, you're going to get the guy

523
00:24:36,998 --> 00:24:38,398
Speaker 4: that's never done it before, and all of a sudden

524
00:24:38,438 --> 00:24:40,678
Speaker 4: he comes in there. He's probably been working out for

525
00:24:40,718 --> 00:24:42,678
Speaker 4: two months, he's hot as hell, and all of a

526
00:24:42,678 --> 00:24:44,358
Speaker 4: sudden he comes out there and he starts ripping it up,

527
00:24:44,358 --> 00:24:46,278
Speaker 4: whether it's out the play or on the mount, and.

528
00:24:46,078 --> 00:24:48,238
Speaker 3: Now you're in love. And then whatever happened.

529
00:24:48,478 --> 00:24:50,718
Speaker 4: My line used to be, after the first two weeks

530
00:24:50,758 --> 00:24:54,038
Speaker 4: of the major league season, the adrenaline players fall off

531
00:24:54,078 --> 00:24:56,678
Speaker 4: and the real players show up. So there's the adrenaline

532
00:24:56,678 --> 00:24:59,798
Speaker 4: group also, and that's it. I absolutely believe that to

533
00:24:59,878 --> 00:25:02,478
Speaker 4: be true. And I was always wary of the adrenaline group,

534
00:25:02,518 --> 00:25:03,718
Speaker 4: and I had to see it be on the first

535
00:25:03,718 --> 00:25:06,078
Speaker 4: two three works weeks of the season that it.

536
00:25:06,038 --> 00:25:08,398
Speaker 3: Would continue to be successful and good.

537
00:25:08,438 --> 00:25:11,798
Speaker 4: And I'm seeing exactly what we had seen in spring training.

538
00:25:11,798 --> 00:25:14,198
Speaker 3: All of a sudden, maybe it is real, and listen,

539
00:25:14,238 --> 00:25:14,758
Speaker 3: I was burned.

540
00:25:14,798 --> 00:25:17,478
Speaker 4: I could start naming names in spring trainings as a

541
00:25:17,518 --> 00:25:20,158
Speaker 4: young field coordinator back in the day with the Angels,

542
00:25:20,158 --> 00:25:22,638
Speaker 4: and all of a sudden, Man great camps and all

543
00:25:22,638 --> 00:25:25,118
Speaker 4: of a sudden it turned back into who he was

544
00:25:25,118 --> 00:25:28,718
Speaker 4: supposed to turn back into the minor leagues, I don't

545
00:25:28,758 --> 00:25:31,118
Speaker 4: know as important as they had been, the process of

546
00:25:31,158 --> 00:25:36,158
Speaker 4: getting guys through. There's so much more pre game stuff

547
00:25:36,238 --> 00:25:40,038
Speaker 4: being done daily on the major league level, where I'm

548
00:25:40,038 --> 00:25:41,598
Speaker 4: sure this guy is as good as you say is,

549
00:25:41,598 --> 00:25:43,398
Speaker 4: but there's probably some things I would think that need

550
00:25:43,438 --> 00:25:45,918
Speaker 4: to be polished up a little bit. And what they'll

551
00:25:45,958 --> 00:25:48,358
Speaker 4: do is they'll augur out time before the games and

552
00:25:48,438 --> 00:25:50,798
Speaker 4: get there really early and do a lot of things

553
00:25:50,798 --> 00:25:52,278
Speaker 4: on a major league level now that should have been

554
00:25:52,318 --> 00:25:53,398
Speaker 4: done on a minor league level.

555
00:25:53,478 --> 00:25:54,718
Speaker 3: I'm sorry, but that's true.

556
00:25:55,438 --> 00:25:59,718
Speaker 4: So it's just the minor leagues are not this finishing

557
00:25:59,758 --> 00:26:01,638
Speaker 4: school that it once had been. I mean, I can

558
00:26:01,638 --> 00:26:03,838
Speaker 4: start naming names like you know, even like Devon White

559
00:26:03,958 --> 00:26:06,318
Speaker 4: went through every step. Mark McLamore pretty much went through

560
00:26:06,358 --> 00:26:09,558
Speaker 4: every step along the way. Timmy Salmon every step along

561
00:26:09,558 --> 00:26:11,838
Speaker 4: the way, Garrett Anderson, and these are really good players.

562
00:26:11,878 --> 00:26:14,518
Speaker 4: Jimmy Edmonds, A lot of guys just kept taking each

563
00:26:14,518 --> 00:26:18,478
Speaker 4: step until eventually they became who the they eventually became

564
00:26:18,638 --> 00:26:22,078
Speaker 4: very good major league players. It's hard to absolutely, you know,

565
00:26:22,198 --> 00:26:24,838
Speaker 4: if I see these guys that could be more delivered

566
00:26:25,038 --> 00:26:28,918
Speaker 4: or in my mind exactly about my comps. But when

567
00:26:28,918 --> 00:26:31,278
Speaker 4: these guys show up on the major league scene today,

568
00:26:31,918 --> 00:26:33,638
Speaker 4: to send them back to Triple A for what, I

569
00:26:33,638 --> 00:26:36,838
Speaker 4: don't even know, you know, what is being taught there anymore?

570
00:26:36,838 --> 00:26:40,038
Speaker 4: And instruction wise, what's being given to them other than

571
00:26:40,118 --> 00:26:43,318
Speaker 4: analytical information? So they could do a lot on the

572
00:26:43,318 --> 00:26:45,718
Speaker 4: major league level. Now what used to be the finishing

573
00:26:45,718 --> 00:26:47,798
Speaker 4: school of the minor leagues. I mean, you get a

574
00:26:47,798 --> 00:26:51,118
Speaker 4: guy as a gifted as Connor Griffin appears to be.

575
00:26:51,678 --> 00:26:53,238
Speaker 4: They feel as though they can do that in early

576
00:26:53,278 --> 00:26:57,358
Speaker 4: work before major league games, which again to me, becomes

577
00:26:57,398 --> 00:27:01,158
Speaker 4: problematic because the overarching concept that the concept is to win,

578
00:27:01,798 --> 00:27:04,398
Speaker 4: to get to the playoffs, to the tournament, the final

579
00:27:04,438 --> 00:27:06,278
Speaker 4: game of the year, And to me, a lot of

580
00:27:06,278 --> 00:27:08,838
Speaker 4: times it's this early work situation that's developed in a

581
00:27:08,838 --> 00:27:11,278
Speaker 4: major league level, it just serves to tire a lot

582
00:27:11,318 --> 00:27:13,038
Speaker 4: of people, and at the end of the year you're

583
00:27:13,038 --> 00:27:16,518
Speaker 4: missing out on a lot of ammunitions spent earlier in

584
00:27:16,518 --> 00:27:18,238
Speaker 4: the year in extra work.

585
00:27:18,638 --> 00:27:19,518
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a good point.

586
00:27:19,558 --> 00:27:21,438
Speaker 1: There's a lot of teams actually now they don't even

587
00:27:21,518 --> 00:27:25,758
Speaker 1: put their best prospects in Triple A because you have

588
00:27:25,798 --> 00:27:27,598
Speaker 1: a lot of people going back and forth Triple A

589
00:27:27,638 --> 00:27:29,558
Speaker 1: in the big leagues, kind of fringy type players. The

590
00:27:29,558 --> 00:27:32,998
Speaker 1: better prospects, the elite players are in, most of them

591
00:27:32,998 --> 00:27:35,198
Speaker 1: are going to be in Double A. So a lot

592
00:27:35,238 --> 00:27:37,718
Speaker 1: of teams keep their better prospects in Double A and

593
00:27:37,758 --> 00:27:41,158
Speaker 1: get the big leagues from there. We move from nineteen

594
00:27:41,198 --> 00:27:44,598
Speaker 1: year old Connor Griffin to losing an umpiring legend.

595
00:27:44,718 --> 00:27:44,878
Speaker 3: Joe.

596
00:27:44,918 --> 00:27:47,318
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you saw this. Bruce Framing passed

597
00:27:47,318 --> 00:27:51,158
Speaker 1: away eighty six years old, number three on the all

598
00:27:51,198 --> 00:27:56,838
Speaker 1: time list of games umpired five thousand, one hundred and

599
00:27:56,918 --> 00:28:02,158
Speaker 1: sixty three across thirty seven Major league seasons. Now in

600
00:28:02,198 --> 00:28:06,598
Speaker 1: the course of his career, Bruce Froman ejected one hundred

601
00:28:06,638 --> 00:28:09,998
Speaker 1: and twenty five people from ball games. Starting way back

602
00:28:10,038 --> 00:28:15,038
Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy one. Bray's manager Lem Harris was ejection

603
00:28:15,198 --> 00:28:20,718
Speaker 1: number one for Bruce froming and continued up until September seventeenth,

604
00:28:20,878 --> 00:28:25,438
Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, and his last ejection was our

605
00:28:25,558 --> 00:28:30,198
Speaker 1: very own Joe Madden of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

606
00:28:30,878 --> 00:28:33,718
Speaker 2: Joey happened to remember that was it in Boston?

607
00:28:34,078 --> 00:28:37,958
Speaker 1: No, this was against the Angels, oh ten to seven game.

608
00:28:38,478 --> 00:28:40,518
Speaker 2: Was that a first base involved the Czech swing?

609
00:28:40,838 --> 00:28:41,998
Speaker 3: Okay, of course it did.

610
00:28:42,398 --> 00:28:45,438
Speaker 1: Top of the seventh inning, Mark Wagner is the first

611
00:28:45,478 --> 00:28:51,398
Speaker 1: base umpire. Johnny Gomes is the batter, check swing strike three,

612
00:28:51,798 --> 00:28:54,918
Speaker 1: rings him up and you go off on Mark Wagner.

613
00:28:55,758 --> 00:28:59,198
Speaker 1: Frahming was the crew chief, and he took a couple

614
00:28:59,238 --> 00:29:01,478
Speaker 1: of steps towards you, towards the dugout, who waved his

615
00:29:01,518 --> 00:29:03,158
Speaker 1: hand like that's enough, knock it off.

616
00:29:04,878 --> 00:29:06,718
Speaker 2: And that was it.

617
00:29:07,078 --> 00:29:09,358
Speaker 1: He told you to knock it off, and I guess

618
00:29:09,358 --> 00:29:11,638
Speaker 1: you didn't. I don't know if you remember this, but

619
00:29:11,718 --> 00:29:14,078
Speaker 1: that was the last ejection for Bruce Romings's career.

620
00:29:14,678 --> 00:29:16,518
Speaker 4: First of all, I used to get ejected at Anaheim

621
00:29:16,558 --> 00:29:19,678
Speaker 4: Stadium so regularly after a shot I left him in

622
00:29:19,718 --> 00:29:22,158
Speaker 4: two thousand and six and seven was almost made up.

623
00:29:22,158 --> 00:29:22,998
Speaker 3: It was so funny.

624
00:29:23,278 --> 00:29:27,478
Speaker 4: Bruce Freming, one of the most entertaining umpires. Ever, I

625
00:29:27,558 --> 00:29:30,398
Speaker 4: don't one hundred percent remember that I thought it because

626
00:29:30,438 --> 00:29:32,438
Speaker 4: I remember play at first base that I really went

627
00:29:32,518 --> 00:29:37,238
Speaker 4: nuts on at Anaheim. But Wagner's a great guy, good umpire.

628
00:29:37,318 --> 00:29:39,038
Speaker 4: And Bruce Freming was hysterical man.

629
00:29:39,598 --> 00:29:40,078
Speaker 3: He was.

630
00:29:40,158 --> 00:29:42,798
Speaker 4: He was the you know that part of that breed.

631
00:29:43,558 --> 00:29:46,598
Speaker 4: He was definitely in charge. There was no bs about him.

632
00:29:46,958 --> 00:29:47,198
Speaker 3: He was.

633
00:29:47,238 --> 00:29:49,478
Speaker 4: He would crack a joke. I remember running down to

634
00:29:49,518 --> 00:29:52,278
Speaker 4: first base in Boston. I thought at Fenway, you know,

635
00:29:52,358 --> 00:29:53,998
Speaker 4: from our dug out on the third base side, which

636
00:29:54,038 --> 00:29:56,358
Speaker 4: is always annoying because it's a long run, and getting

637
00:29:56,438 --> 00:29:58,638
Speaker 4: out there on a close bang bang play at first base,

638
00:29:58,678 --> 00:30:01,238
Speaker 4: and you know, I was so young and naive, I

639
00:30:01,278 --> 00:30:05,398
Speaker 4: didn't really realize legendary status of I'm just arguing in

640
00:30:05,438 --> 00:30:06,838
Speaker 4: favor of my team, and I thought.

641
00:30:06,638 --> 00:30:08,398
Speaker 3: He thought it was kind of funny that it went

642
00:30:08,438 --> 00:30:10,198
Speaker 3: all the way down. I know I didn't get kicked out,

643
00:30:10,398 --> 00:30:11,878
Speaker 3: I guess obviously. I don't think I did.

644
00:30:12,278 --> 00:30:14,678
Speaker 4: But it ended up in him saying something funny to me,

645
00:30:14,718 --> 00:30:16,398
Speaker 4: and I'm going back to the dugout and I'm just

646
00:30:16,478 --> 00:30:18,998
Speaker 4: laughing to myself and thought, Okay, I really like this guy.

647
00:30:19,398 --> 00:30:23,198
Speaker 4: I know that a lot of the umpires loved him.

648
00:30:23,358 --> 00:30:25,558
Speaker 4: I read it, and I was, I was. I stopped

649
00:30:25,558 --> 00:30:28,638
Speaker 4: for a minute. I did bother me because he was

650
00:30:28,758 --> 00:30:33,158
Speaker 4: the version of the umpire of the past, that it

651
00:30:33,278 --> 00:30:34,678
Speaker 4: was a part of the game in a good way.

652
00:30:34,758 --> 00:30:38,118
Speaker 4: Joe West probably the most recent and last of that breed.

653
00:30:38,278 --> 00:30:39,158
Speaker 3: I believe.

654
00:30:40,318 --> 00:30:43,158
Speaker 4: These guys were good. They were part of the show.

655
00:30:43,758 --> 00:30:46,678
Speaker 4: I think the fans enjoyed it. Are line to them

656
00:30:46,718 --> 00:30:49,078
Speaker 4: always would be, Oh, I guess everybody came out here

657
00:30:49,078 --> 00:30:52,638
Speaker 4: to see you, umpire Wright when they when they try

658
00:30:52,678 --> 00:30:54,038
Speaker 4: to sometimes take.

659
00:30:53,958 --> 00:30:54,558
Speaker 3: Over the game.

660
00:30:55,118 --> 00:30:59,198
Speaker 4: But I do believe, man, everything's gotten so sterile. We're

661
00:30:59,198 --> 00:31:01,638
Speaker 4: in search of perfection to the point right now that

662
00:31:02,398 --> 00:31:04,798
Speaker 4: you're not going to see this kind of umpire umpiring

663
00:31:04,878 --> 00:31:07,838
Speaker 4: ever again. Some people may argue that's a good thing

664
00:31:08,558 --> 00:31:11,998
Speaker 4: again in in the in the annals of baseball history,

665
00:31:12,438 --> 00:31:17,078
Speaker 4: whether it's Doug Harvey himself, or was it Joe Papperella,

666
00:31:17,358 --> 00:31:19,598
Speaker 4: was it Paparella the Empire. He was from my neck

667
00:31:19,638 --> 00:31:23,838
Speaker 4: of the woods in Scranton look Spara. I had really

668
00:31:23,998 --> 00:31:25,918
Speaker 4: I know his relatives. As it turned out, I played

669
00:31:25,918 --> 00:31:28,758
Speaker 4: ball in scrant for a bit. These guys are legendary

670
00:31:30,078 --> 00:31:31,958
Speaker 4: and so he's going to be missed, and I know

671
00:31:31,998 --> 00:31:35,598
Speaker 4: it's an unfortunate accident. He apparently fell as what I read,

672
00:31:36,678 --> 00:31:39,438
Speaker 4: Bruce was just a fun guy, and I was in

673
00:31:39,478 --> 00:31:42,478
Speaker 4: touch with him a couple of years ago through golf

674
00:31:42,518 --> 00:31:46,278
Speaker 4: and possibly doing something for a golf tournament to attend

675
00:31:46,318 --> 00:31:48,358
Speaker 4: and just be part of it. But I know a

676
00:31:48,358 --> 00:31:50,798
Speaker 4: lot of umpires are really upset and sad, and my

677
00:31:51,198 --> 00:31:54,198
Speaker 4: best and sincereous simp of these and condoless to his

678
00:31:54,198 --> 00:31:56,158
Speaker 4: family because I really liked him and he was great

679
00:31:56,158 --> 00:31:56,358
Speaker 4: to me.

680
00:31:56,878 --> 00:32:00,558
Speaker 1: Yeah, I just as you mentioned a classic baseball character.

681
00:32:00,638 --> 00:32:02,558
Speaker 1: You could tell that he loved what he was doing.

682
00:32:03,958 --> 00:32:06,838
Speaker 1: Don't forget too these guys you talk about working your

683
00:32:06,838 --> 00:32:10,598
Speaker 1: way up to the show. He worked thirteen years in

684
00:32:10,638 --> 00:32:13,438
Speaker 1: the minor leagues before getting his crack in the major leagues.

685
00:32:13,518 --> 00:32:16,518
Speaker 1: That's a long devotion to the game of baseball, and

686
00:32:17,158 --> 00:32:20,598
Speaker 1: certainly our sympathies go out to his families for their loss.

687
00:32:22,038 --> 00:32:23,558
Speaker 1: By the way, Joe, in that game, I think it

688
00:32:23,598 --> 00:32:26,438
Speaker 1: was the seventh inning when you were thrown out. The

689
00:32:26,478 --> 00:32:29,838
Speaker 1: Angels did win that game ten to seven. Your last

690
00:32:29,838 --> 00:32:33,118
Speaker 1: place Devil Rays at the time, Edwin Jackson was your

691
00:32:33,118 --> 00:32:39,278
Speaker 1: starting pitcher. He gave up fourteen hits and seven runs

692
00:32:39,358 --> 00:32:43,598
Speaker 1: only four earn in less than five innings ten to

693
00:32:43,598 --> 00:32:44,198
Speaker 1: seventh final.

694
00:32:44,318 --> 00:32:46,038
Speaker 4: That's how you become a good manager when you I

695
00:32:46,078 --> 00:32:48,798
Speaker 4: mean enduring moments like that.

696
00:32:48,798 --> 00:32:49,238
Speaker 3: That's good.

697
00:32:49,278 --> 00:32:51,598
Speaker 2: We're going to take a quick break when we get back, Joe.

698
00:32:51,798 --> 00:32:54,318
Speaker 1: Do the Saint Louis Cardinals have a new promotion this

699
00:32:54,438 --> 00:32:58,358
Speaker 1: year that a lot of people, especially with the family

700
00:32:58,598 --> 00:33:01,718
Speaker 1: or people who are extremely hungry, might want to check out.

701
00:33:02,278 --> 00:33:03,158
Speaker 2: Talk about that right.

702
00:33:03,038 --> 00:33:03,558
Speaker 3: After this.

703
00:33:16,198 --> 00:33:18,838
Speaker 2: Welcome back to the Book of Joe. Some news with

704
00:33:18,878 --> 00:33:19,558
Speaker 2: the Cardinals.

705
00:33:19,558 --> 00:33:22,038
Speaker 1: First of all, they extended the contract of Ali Marmol,

706
00:33:22,398 --> 00:33:24,118
Speaker 1: which I think is a good idea, Joe, because this

707
00:33:24,158 --> 00:33:26,918
Speaker 1: team is in transition, right. I mean, they basically traded

708
00:33:26,958 --> 00:33:28,718
Speaker 1: any veterans that they had there, and they're going to

709
00:33:28,758 --> 00:33:31,598
Speaker 1: give some of their younger players, which they started doing

710
00:33:31,678 --> 00:33:35,118
Speaker 1: last year, an opportunity to really play and give them runway.

711
00:33:35,958 --> 00:33:39,558
Speaker 1: So they're in a rebuilding mode, which is very unusual

712
00:33:39,598 --> 00:33:41,078
Speaker 1: in a place like Saint Louis.

713
00:33:40,838 --> 00:33:41,158
Speaker 3: Right, Joe.

714
00:33:41,158 --> 00:33:42,718
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know if you remember the last time.

715
00:33:42,718 --> 00:33:44,918
Speaker 1: It's hard for me to remember the last time the Cardinals.

716
00:33:45,878 --> 00:33:47,918
Speaker 1: You know, you go to spring training and think they're

717
00:33:47,918 --> 00:33:48,878
Speaker 1: not a contending team.

718
00:33:49,438 --> 00:33:51,318
Speaker 3: That's like never.

719
00:33:52,278 --> 00:33:54,318
Speaker 4: You know, I grew up a Cardinal fan, of course,

720
00:33:54,358 --> 00:33:57,318
Speaker 4: And back then, transitional and was not really a word

721
00:33:57,358 --> 00:33:59,998
Speaker 4: that was utilized, and everybody always tried to be a

722
00:34:00,078 --> 00:34:03,398
Speaker 4: hunt annually. And then their transitions were like from was

723
00:34:03,398 --> 00:34:06,318
Speaker 4: it Whitey to Tory to Tony? I mean, that was

724
00:34:06,358 --> 00:34:10,078
Speaker 4: their transition, different managers, different voices in the dugout. That

725
00:34:10,158 --> 00:34:13,878
Speaker 4: was their transition. Not necessarily philosophically, We're going to trade

726
00:34:13,878 --> 00:34:16,518
Speaker 4: people and rebuild and like a four year plan and

727
00:34:16,518 --> 00:34:18,678
Speaker 4: all that kind of stuff. These back in the day,

728
00:34:18,758 --> 00:34:22,398
Speaker 4: those those smoke field rooms were designed to hopefully figure

729
00:34:22,398 --> 00:34:24,158
Speaker 4: it out on an annual basis, and if we weren't

730
00:34:24,158 --> 00:34:25,718
Speaker 4: good this year, we're going to be good the next year.

731
00:34:26,198 --> 00:34:31,198
Speaker 4: So the methods, the tanking and all the different twenty

732
00:34:31,198 --> 00:34:35,758
Speaker 4: first century phraseology that is utilized was never a part

733
00:34:35,798 --> 00:34:36,958
Speaker 4: of the landscape back then.

734
00:34:37,798 --> 00:34:37,958
Speaker 3: You know.

735
00:34:37,958 --> 00:34:40,358
Speaker 4: I remember in the eighties when the Mariners weren't very good,

736
00:34:40,358 --> 00:34:42,158
Speaker 4: But my god, if he came to an instructional league,

737
00:34:42,158 --> 00:34:46,038
Speaker 4: I'm telling you what, they had probably the best talent

738
00:34:46,398 --> 00:34:48,998
Speaker 4: in the instruction leagues in the eighties, and then we

739
00:34:48,998 --> 00:34:50,998
Speaker 4: were I think right up there with them with the Angels,

740
00:34:51,038 --> 00:34:53,358
Speaker 4: and then the Cubs are the same thing. These teams

741
00:34:53,398 --> 00:34:56,478
Speaker 4: are always building to get something done now, and so

742
00:34:56,558 --> 00:34:59,438
Speaker 4: this is a different, totally different I don't even know

743
00:35:00,358 --> 00:35:02,758
Speaker 4: the buy and from the people of Saint Louis. I

744
00:35:02,758 --> 00:35:05,718
Speaker 4: know him's in charge, and iimer and I go way back,

745
00:35:05,718 --> 00:35:06,998
Speaker 4: and I have a lot of faith in him. He

746
00:35:07,038 --> 00:35:08,918
Speaker 4: did a great job in Boston, even though he wasn't

747
00:35:08,958 --> 00:35:12,478
Speaker 4: recognized for doing so. They're reaping the benefits of what

748
00:35:12,558 --> 00:35:16,198
Speaker 4: he had established several years ago. So it's just the

749
00:35:16,238 --> 00:35:18,678
Speaker 4: way of the world today. I would imagine, in spite

750
00:35:18,718 --> 00:35:21,118
Speaker 4: of it, the Cardinal faith we are still going to

751
00:35:21,118 --> 00:35:21,398
Speaker 4: show up.

752
00:35:21,398 --> 00:35:22,798
Speaker 3: They just love baseball that much.

753
00:35:23,438 --> 00:35:26,038
Speaker 4: But it is it's unusual to see this, going back

754
00:35:26,038 --> 00:35:28,478
Speaker 4: to the branch Rickey days all these it's such a

755
00:35:28,678 --> 00:35:31,878
Speaker 4: proud baseball bastion.

756
00:35:32,038 --> 00:35:33,238
Speaker 3: There in Saint Louis.

757
00:35:33,238 --> 00:35:37,238
Speaker 4: It's hard to imagine them doing that anyway, it's going

758
00:35:37,278 --> 00:35:39,438
Speaker 4: to happen, but they got the right guy in charge.

759
00:35:39,598 --> 00:35:42,158
Speaker 1: Well, you know, last year their attendance was down, they

760
00:35:42,198 --> 00:35:46,278
Speaker 1: had some record low attendance figures. They're already pulling away

761
00:35:46,398 --> 00:35:48,318
Speaker 1: you know, the so called best fans in baseball, and

762
00:35:48,318 --> 00:35:51,918
Speaker 1: you're right, they are great, but people want to see

763
00:35:51,918 --> 00:35:54,558
Speaker 1: a winning team, There's no question about that, and the

764
00:35:54,598 --> 00:35:56,678
Speaker 1: Cardinals have done a great job basically doing that.

765
00:35:56,718 --> 00:35:58,238
Speaker 2: As you just mentioned, a year after year.

766
00:35:58,118 --> 00:36:01,638
Speaker 1: After year, they're going to backslide in terms of attendants

767
00:36:01,678 --> 00:36:03,878
Speaker 1: here and we're so used to that place being filled,

768
00:36:04,518 --> 00:36:06,878
Speaker 1: it's not going to be filled now.

769
00:36:07,278 --> 00:36:09,398
Speaker 2: They are great fans, they will come back.

770
00:36:09,398 --> 00:36:12,438
Speaker 1: And I look around at some places that really nosedived

771
00:36:12,518 --> 00:36:15,198
Speaker 1: and the fans came back, whether it was when Houston

772
00:36:15,318 --> 00:36:20,158
Speaker 1: was so far down, Baltimore, Detroit, a lot of these organizations,

773
00:36:20,158 --> 00:36:23,798
Speaker 1: even the Cubs down for four or five years or more.

774
00:36:24,438 --> 00:36:26,478
Speaker 2: The fans come back when you put together a winning team.

775
00:36:26,558 --> 00:36:29,238
Speaker 1: So I think they can be almost assured that that

776
00:36:29,318 --> 00:36:31,358
Speaker 1: will happen in Saint Louis. It's a matter of how

777
00:36:31,398 --> 00:36:33,718
Speaker 1: long they're down, though, And I don't think it's an

778
00:36:33,718 --> 00:36:38,318
Speaker 1: automatic draw if the team is not exciting and it's

779
00:36:38,318 --> 00:36:40,198
Speaker 1: not winning, and we're going to see that this year

780
00:36:40,198 --> 00:36:42,478
Speaker 1: in Saint Louis very odd. So for a place that

781
00:36:42,558 --> 00:36:44,558
Speaker 1: now needs to sell tickets, Joe, they've got a new

782
00:36:44,558 --> 00:36:48,678
Speaker 1: deal out there. You can buy a ticket and eat

783
00:36:48,718 --> 00:36:51,478
Speaker 1: and drink, not liquor, but eat and drink all you

784
00:36:51,558 --> 00:36:57,318
Speaker 1: want for twenty nine bucks, unlimited food and drink and

785
00:36:57,398 --> 00:37:00,198
Speaker 1: a seat up in Big Mac country there in left

786
00:37:00,198 --> 00:37:04,278
Speaker 1: field home run territory for twenty nine.

787
00:37:04,438 --> 00:37:06,118
Speaker 2: I mean, it's hard to beat that deal.

788
00:37:06,438 --> 00:37:07,958
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not so sure you want to load

789
00:37:08,038 --> 00:37:10,438
Speaker 1: up on concession food, but if you want to, you

790
00:37:10,518 --> 00:37:11,798
Speaker 1: can for twenty nine bucks.

791
00:37:12,078 --> 00:37:14,238
Speaker 4: That's going to be a major hit. And that that

792
00:37:14,318 --> 00:37:17,198
Speaker 4: part of the ballpark is gonna be like top heavy

793
00:37:17,238 --> 00:37:17,918
Speaker 4: or side heavy.

794
00:37:18,198 --> 00:37:19,958
Speaker 3: You say this up in the left that left field

795
00:37:19,958 --> 00:37:21,438
Speaker 3: corner up there, up and the upper tain.

796
00:37:21,518 --> 00:37:22,118
Speaker 2: That's where it is.

797
00:37:22,198 --> 00:37:22,398
Speaker 3: Yeah.

798
00:37:22,718 --> 00:37:25,158
Speaker 4: Is it throughout the entire ballpark or just just one

799
00:37:25,238 --> 00:37:26,318
Speaker 4: one section of the ballpark.

800
00:37:26,518 --> 00:37:28,958
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's five hundred tickets as they're going to limit.

801
00:37:29,158 --> 00:37:31,598
Speaker 1: That's the number, but that's it. It'll be a one section.

802
00:37:31,678 --> 00:37:35,718
Speaker 1: Apparently it's easy access to concession stands, and they feel

803
00:37:35,758 --> 00:37:38,838
Speaker 1: like it's also a good seating for people seeking a

804
00:37:38,878 --> 00:37:40,038
Speaker 1: souvenir or a home run ball.

805
00:37:40,198 --> 00:37:40,838
Speaker 3: Well, they're gonna get.

806
00:37:40,838 --> 00:37:42,478
Speaker 4: They're going to sell at least five hundred tickets to night,

807
00:37:42,478 --> 00:37:45,638
Speaker 4: there's no question about that. And you know it's interesting

808
00:37:45,678 --> 00:37:49,398
Speaker 4: that they would do that. Plus they got that big whatever.

809
00:37:49,078 --> 00:37:50,718
Speaker 2: You call that ballpark village.

810
00:37:51,038 --> 00:37:52,398
Speaker 3: Yeah, right outside there.

811
00:37:52,438 --> 00:37:54,518
Speaker 4: I mean, yeah, that's still I mean, see, there's other

812
00:37:54,558 --> 00:37:57,518
Speaker 4: ways to skin the cat there, there's other ways to

813
00:37:57,558 --> 00:38:01,278
Speaker 4: bring in some dough. I'm sure they've analyze that and

814
00:38:01,278 --> 00:38:02,998
Speaker 4: figured that out to the point how much you're actually

815
00:38:02,998 --> 00:38:05,358
Speaker 4: going to lose this year by the percentage number of

816
00:38:05,438 --> 00:38:08,398
Speaker 4: fans actually not in the stands. So they'll they'll attempt

817
00:38:08,398 --> 00:38:12,278
Speaker 4: to recreate that somehow, But that village is pretty elaborate,

818
00:38:12,718 --> 00:38:15,518
Speaker 4: and even maybe people fannies aren't in the stands watch

819
00:38:15,558 --> 00:38:16,838
Speaker 4: them because they don't want to pay for all of

820
00:38:16,838 --> 00:38:19,398
Speaker 4: that experience. They'll be sitting across the street there where

821
00:38:19,438 --> 00:38:21,638
Speaker 4: they could kind of get the same kind of experience

822
00:38:21,678 --> 00:38:24,398
Speaker 4: with actually being in the ballpark. So that's one advantage

823
00:38:24,398 --> 00:38:28,158
Speaker 4: they do have. But you're right, they'll come back. They'll

824
00:38:28,158 --> 00:38:30,118
Speaker 4: come back at some point. Who knows how long it's

825
00:38:30,118 --> 00:38:33,398
Speaker 4: going to take. I don't know, Alli, but apparently obviously

826
00:38:33,398 --> 00:38:36,238
Speaker 4: he must do something well, and I'm all for it

827
00:38:36,278 --> 00:38:39,078
Speaker 4: because just when you brought that up, I remember my

828
00:38:39,478 --> 00:38:42,118
Speaker 4: after my second year as being the manager of the

829
00:38:42,118 --> 00:38:44,718
Speaker 4: Devil Rays, I had a two year option that they

830
00:38:44,718 --> 00:38:46,918
Speaker 4: had to pick up, and we lost one hundred games

831
00:38:46,958 --> 00:38:49,078
Speaker 4: in almost one hundred games my first two years there,

832
00:38:49,398 --> 00:38:51,078
Speaker 4: and then they pick up the option and the next

833
00:38:51,158 --> 00:38:52,478
Speaker 4: year we go to the World Series.

834
00:38:52,878 --> 00:38:55,078
Speaker 3: So good for him. I'm happy for that.

835
00:38:55,478 --> 00:38:58,798
Speaker 4: So there's there's always so many different items that are

836
00:38:58,798 --> 00:39:01,838
Speaker 4: involved in whether a team or organization is successful or not.

837
00:39:01,878 --> 00:39:04,638
Speaker 4: Obviously they read him well and they think that there's

838
00:39:04,638 --> 00:39:06,798
Speaker 4: a lot that he contributes to the to the day,

839
00:39:06,878 --> 00:39:07,798
Speaker 4: So bully for him.

840
00:39:07,838 --> 00:39:10,118
Speaker 3: I'm happy for that. And like I said, that was

841
00:39:10,118 --> 00:39:10,838
Speaker 3: my first team.

842
00:39:11,038 --> 00:39:13,318
Speaker 4: The Cardinals were my first love growing up, so I

843
00:39:13,518 --> 00:39:15,438
Speaker 4: always do wish them well. Still got some of the

844
00:39:15,478 --> 00:39:18,918
Speaker 4: best uniforms ever. I used to be able to. I'd

845
00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:21,958
Speaker 4: sit in class at our Lady Grayson on a piece

846
00:39:21,998 --> 00:39:24,198
Speaker 4: of paper, I would do the cardinal that the way

847
00:39:24,198 --> 00:39:27,198
Speaker 4: the Cardinals was written underneath the birds on the uniform front,

848
00:39:27,198 --> 00:39:29,198
Speaker 4: and I would able to recreate that mentally and just

849
00:39:29,518 --> 00:39:31,278
Speaker 4: try to perfect that as much as I could. That's

850
00:39:31,318 --> 00:39:34,038
Speaker 4: how much I was into the to the Birds back then.

851
00:39:34,478 --> 00:39:38,158
Speaker 1: Yeah, which disappoints me when they wear their alternate uniforms

852
00:39:38,238 --> 00:39:40,798
Speaker 1: with Lou on them or wherever it says the Lou

853
00:39:41,398 --> 00:39:43,678
Speaker 1: It is a classic. Don't do anything to that, not

854
00:39:43,718 --> 00:39:48,318
Speaker 1: saying but that seems like comical. I agree, and I

855
00:39:48,358 --> 00:39:50,638
Speaker 1: do love the idea by the way of this promotion here,

856
00:39:50,758 --> 00:39:54,158
Speaker 1: anything to get more people in the ballpark who especially

857
00:39:54,278 --> 00:39:58,278
Speaker 1: might not otherwise go. You know, these places that aren't

858
00:39:58,398 --> 00:40:00,198
Speaker 1: selling out find a.

859
00:40:00,158 --> 00:40:01,478
Speaker 2: Way to get people in there.

860
00:40:01,518 --> 00:40:03,798
Speaker 1: Like Dollar hot Dog Night is one of the mo

861
00:40:03,958 --> 00:40:05,638
Speaker 1: those popular things in baseball.

862
00:40:05,638 --> 00:40:06,518
Speaker 2: That and bobbleheads.

863
00:40:06,598 --> 00:40:10,198
Speaker 1: People go nuts for dollar dogs and bobbleheads, and people

864
00:40:10,198 --> 00:40:12,998
Speaker 1: are gonna show up, and you know, maybe they make

865
00:40:12,998 --> 00:40:14,758
Speaker 1: a spur of the movement decision, maybe it's the only

866
00:40:14,798 --> 00:40:17,558
Speaker 1: game they go to. But baseball is this game where

867
00:40:17,598 --> 00:40:20,038
Speaker 1: if you can get and the research shows this for MLB,

868
00:40:20,158 --> 00:40:23,078
Speaker 1: if you can get people to kind of touch the game,

869
00:40:23,238 --> 00:40:26,518
Speaker 1: be on site and see the game and experience it,

870
00:40:27,238 --> 00:40:30,358
Speaker 1: their fandom will run deeper. So yeah, if you want

871
00:40:30,358 --> 00:40:32,118
Speaker 1: to bring the family out and feed them for twenty

872
00:40:32,238 --> 00:40:37,198
Speaker 1: nine bucks each and leave with more than a full stomach, yeah,

873
00:40:37,278 --> 00:40:39,558
Speaker 1: maybe make that decision to go see a Cardinal game

874
00:40:39,558 --> 00:40:42,078
Speaker 1: and maybe become a fan of the Cardinals or Mason

875
00:40:42,118 --> 00:40:47,278
Speaker 1: win or Somebody's all about finding, you know, especially economical

876
00:40:47,438 --> 00:40:49,878
Speaker 1: ways to get more people in the ballpark when a

877
00:40:49,918 --> 00:40:51,718
Speaker 1: lot of these places are not going to be full.

878
00:40:52,318 --> 00:40:54,158
Speaker 3: Well, that's how I became a Cardinal fan. My dad

879
00:40:54,198 --> 00:40:56,038
Speaker 3: took me to indirectly.

880
00:40:56,118 --> 00:40:59,238
Speaker 4: I went to Yankee Stadium Yankees versus the White Sox

881
00:40:59,318 --> 00:41:01,678
Speaker 4: to sixty three I think it was, and we're walking

882
00:41:01,678 --> 00:41:03,758
Speaker 4: out of the ballpark on the field. At that time,

883
00:41:03,758 --> 00:41:06,558
Speaker 4: you were able to exit on Yankee Stadium field. The

884
00:41:06,678 --> 00:41:08,718
Speaker 4: ushers would keep you off the infield and direct you

885
00:41:08,758 --> 00:41:10,758
Speaker 4: to center field. You can walk by the monuments you

886
00:41:10,798 --> 00:41:13,518
Speaker 4: go outside. Pop says, which you like a hat? Of

887
00:41:13,558 --> 00:41:15,598
Speaker 4: course I wanted a hat, and I looked up and

888
00:41:15,638 --> 00:41:17,718
Speaker 4: they were like on a different little shelves and the

889
00:41:17,758 --> 00:41:19,998
Speaker 4: high shelf had the Cardinal hat blue and with the

890
00:41:20,038 --> 00:41:22,678
Speaker 4: red stl on it. Fell in love and that's the

891
00:41:22,758 --> 00:41:25,438
Speaker 4: moment I became a Cardinal fan weirdly, And that's it's true.

892
00:41:25,478 --> 00:41:28,238
Speaker 4: And when you talk about promotions on a nightly basis,

893
00:41:28,238 --> 00:41:29,838
Speaker 4: the one thing I would avoid is the twenty five

894
00:41:29,918 --> 00:41:33,358
Speaker 4: cent beer night. If they could possibly do that. Whenever

895
00:41:34,038 --> 00:41:37,118
Speaker 4: I go right back to El Paso, Texas. That would

896
00:41:37,118 --> 00:41:39,558
Speaker 4: have been eighty.

897
00:41:38,638 --> 00:41:40,878
Speaker 3: Five, eighty five, eighty six.

898
00:41:40,878 --> 00:41:42,598
Speaker 4: I think it was eighty five twenty five cent beer

899
00:41:42,718 --> 00:41:44,558
Speaker 4: night and could have been eighty six.

900
00:41:44,638 --> 00:41:47,038
Speaker 3: Whatever it gets.

901
00:41:47,198 --> 00:41:49,798
Speaker 4: And this is the Deadly Dome as they called it,

902
00:41:49,838 --> 00:41:52,078
Speaker 4: an ol Passo, which was about I think not even

903
00:41:52,118 --> 00:41:55,518
Speaker 4: a mile from the Mexican border in El Paso and

904
00:41:55,558 --> 00:41:56,878
Speaker 4: their twenty five cent beer night.

905
00:41:56,998 --> 00:41:58,598
Speaker 3: It gets crazy, man.

906
00:41:58,638 --> 00:42:01,038
Speaker 4: And after the game we lost, I'm walking down the

907
00:42:01,118 --> 00:42:03,838
Speaker 4: left field line and going around to get into our

908
00:42:03,958 --> 00:42:08,598
Speaker 4: clubhouse and Richard z Aleski, my trainer.

909
00:42:08,238 --> 00:42:11,078
Speaker 3: Comes running down the sidelines. Done it, he left.

910
00:42:11,078 --> 00:42:14,278
Speaker 4: Fielne eels out, you better get back. Jeff Schaeffer's in

911
00:42:14,318 --> 00:42:17,438
Speaker 4: the stands, so I go back, and my shortstop, Jeff Shaffer,

912
00:42:17,438 --> 00:42:21,318
Speaker 4: who absolutely loved jump the wall, and he's throwing haymakers

913
00:42:21,318 --> 00:42:23,878
Speaker 4: at some fans, and I think Kevin King got involved

914
00:42:23,878 --> 00:42:26,678
Speaker 4: in others. So that was twenty five cent beer Knight

915
00:42:26,718 --> 00:42:28,198
Speaker 4: and Al Paso, Texas.

916
00:42:28,398 --> 00:42:30,358
Speaker 3: I'm here to tell you man. I know it doesn't.

917
00:42:30,038 --> 00:42:32,318
Speaker 4: Sound proper or whatever, but god, it was one of

918
00:42:32,358 --> 00:42:35,638
Speaker 4: the coolest things ever playing those games in those dusty

919
00:42:35,638 --> 00:42:38,918
Speaker 4: old ballparks with a real rabbit fan base in the

920
00:42:38,958 --> 00:42:41,998
Speaker 4: minor leagues. This is what people don't understand or get.

921
00:42:42,678 --> 00:42:45,678
Speaker 4: That was That was the essence. I'm not talking about

922
00:42:45,798 --> 00:42:48,278
Speaker 4: drunk people and my guy's going in the stands, but

923
00:42:48,878 --> 00:42:51,838
Speaker 4: if you play in the Dudley Dome and I'll passo

924
00:42:51,918 --> 00:42:54,718
Speaker 4: on any given night back in the day, and the

925
00:42:54,758 --> 00:42:58,638
Speaker 4: place was absolutely sold out every night. It was nothing

926
00:42:58,758 --> 00:43:01,478
Speaker 4: like it. And among all the things I've ever done

927
00:43:01,518 --> 00:43:04,638
Speaker 4: in baseball, managing a game there was one of the, respectively,

928
00:43:04,638 --> 00:43:06,278
Speaker 4: one of the most fun things I've ever done.

929
00:43:06,558 --> 00:43:08,758
Speaker 2: I'm so glad you brought up El Paso, Joe.

930
00:43:09,158 --> 00:43:11,558
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you saw the comments from our

931
00:43:11,558 --> 00:43:14,118
Speaker 1: buddy Murph Pat Murphy Brewers manager.

932
00:43:14,878 --> 00:43:18,438
Speaker 2: Referring to H and H car Wash and Coffee Shop.

933
00:43:19,278 --> 00:43:20,278
Speaker 2: Do you remember that place?

934
00:43:21,078 --> 00:43:25,198
Speaker 1: No, apparently it's a legendary joint where you literally get

935
00:43:25,358 --> 00:43:27,598
Speaker 1: breakfast and you get the car washed, the same place

936
00:43:28,638 --> 00:43:33,318
Speaker 1: US presidents. And it's just it's an old school diner,

937
00:43:33,438 --> 00:43:35,118
Speaker 1: is basically what it is that has a car wash

938
00:43:35,158 --> 00:43:40,598
Speaker 1: attached to it. And Murph has been extolling the work

939
00:43:40,638 --> 00:43:45,798
Speaker 1: done by his two pitching gurus with Milwaukee Brewers, Chris

940
00:43:45,838 --> 00:43:49,718
Speaker 1: Hook and Jim Henderson, and he has renamed what they

941
00:43:49,758 --> 00:43:57,638
Speaker 1: do as H car Wash, So it's the motto for

942
00:43:57,798 --> 00:44:00,478
Speaker 1: H and H car Wash with Brewers is now washing

943
00:44:00,558 --> 00:44:05,958
Speaker 1: dirt and ad invert as invertic as only Murph can do.

944
00:44:06,038 --> 00:44:09,598
Speaker 1: He's got a promotional poster made up with this, but

945
00:44:09,678 --> 00:44:13,798
Speaker 1: apparently this is a famous car wash and breakfast coffee

946
00:44:13,798 --> 00:44:14,958
Speaker 1: shop in El Paso.

947
00:44:15,198 --> 00:44:17,638
Speaker 2: And now he's got H and H car wash in Milwaukee.

948
00:44:17,918 --> 00:44:21,198
Speaker 3: No way, I didn't even know that. That what Chris

949
00:44:21,278 --> 00:44:21,798
Speaker 3: Ball Murphy.

950
00:44:21,878 --> 00:44:24,358
Speaker 1: And by the way, they do have an incredible track

951
00:44:24,398 --> 00:44:27,158
Speaker 1: record of taking pictures and I don't know what they

952
00:44:27,238 --> 00:44:30,318
Speaker 1: do with them, but you know, year after year.

953
00:44:30,518 --> 00:44:31,358
Speaker 2: You know, Quinn.

954
00:44:31,078 --> 00:44:34,318
Speaker 1: Priester was a great choice. Last year it really busted out.

955
00:44:34,998 --> 00:44:39,038
Speaker 1: And the bullpen, Trevor McGill, Jared Kanig. They've got this kid,

956
00:44:39,118 --> 00:44:42,838
Speaker 1: Kyle Harrison is. He's got this special fastball, left handed

957
00:44:42,878 --> 00:44:44,758
Speaker 1: pitcher they picked up in a trade with the Red Sox.

958
00:44:44,958 --> 00:44:48,318
Speaker 1: Wouldn't be surprised if they turned him around. So H

959
00:44:48,398 --> 00:44:53,758
Speaker 1: and H car Wash not in Malpasso, but Milwaukee is

960
00:44:54,398 --> 00:44:56,358
Speaker 1: cranking out really good major league pictures.

961
00:44:56,438 --> 00:44:58,998
Speaker 3: The Church of the Latter Day Rays, I mean, that's

962
00:44:59,038 --> 00:45:00,798
Speaker 3: what it is. It is. I mean, that's what.

963
00:45:00,758 --> 00:45:04,758
Speaker 4: We were accused of doing that forever h in Tampa Bay.

964
00:45:04,918 --> 00:45:08,798
Speaker 4: I'm watching it and Murph is the perfect guy for that.

965
00:45:08,838 --> 00:45:11,998
Speaker 4: There's no question Murphy has got such a great background

966
00:45:12,078 --> 00:45:14,478
Speaker 4: in the game and how to play it properly.

967
00:45:14,598 --> 00:45:17,078
Speaker 3: And he's a really good teacher. He's very sharp.

968
00:45:17,158 --> 00:45:19,278
Speaker 4: He likes to let on that he's not, but this

969
00:45:19,398 --> 00:45:22,478
Speaker 4: man is very sharp, and so he's the perfect fit.

970
00:45:23,078 --> 00:45:25,358
Speaker 4: And when I watched them, and I watch how they play,

971
00:45:25,438 --> 00:45:27,478
Speaker 4: and just look at what they did last year, it

972
00:45:27,598 --> 00:45:30,718
Speaker 4: is absolutely and Maddie Arnold's up there. Matt was down

973
00:45:30,718 --> 00:45:32,958
Speaker 4: here with the Rays fears, and he's really Matt and

974
00:45:32,998 --> 00:45:35,798
Speaker 4: I are good buds, and it's an absolute replica and

975
00:45:36,158 --> 00:45:40,118
Speaker 4: a good like their version of the race. I'll never

976
00:45:40,438 --> 00:45:42,798
Speaker 4: accuse them of anything other than being an original, because

977
00:45:42,798 --> 00:45:47,478
Speaker 4: they are. But that's how it was here, the change up,

978
00:45:47,558 --> 00:45:51,038
Speaker 4: the elevated fastball, the things we did back then were

979
00:45:51,118 --> 00:45:53,758
Speaker 4: so weirdly ahead of their time.

980
00:45:54,478 --> 00:45:57,198
Speaker 3: They seem very basic right now. But all that stuff was.

981
00:45:58,718 --> 00:46:01,838
Speaker 4: Instrumental in the Rays becoming who they were and being

982
00:46:01,878 --> 00:46:04,078
Speaker 4: such a pin in the butt to the Yankees. The

983
00:46:04,078 --> 00:46:05,918
Speaker 4: Red Sox was so many years and now you've got

984
00:46:06,238 --> 00:46:09,798
Speaker 4: the Brewers doing it on their level in the National League.

985
00:46:09,838 --> 00:46:11,998
Speaker 3: Now. I love it. I absolutely love it.

986
00:46:12,038 --> 00:46:14,638
Speaker 4: So I was not aware of that, but El Paso

987
00:46:15,198 --> 00:46:20,718
Speaker 4: is an absolutely interesting place to be and I love

988
00:46:20,798 --> 00:46:22,758
Speaker 4: the fact that we got H and H working up there,

989
00:46:22,758 --> 00:46:23,558
Speaker 4: and I've got to check.

990
00:46:23,598 --> 00:46:25,358
Speaker 3: I'd never heard of that place before. You just told

991
00:46:25,398 --> 00:46:25,678
Speaker 3: me that.

992
00:46:26,118 --> 00:46:29,638
Speaker 1: Yeah, apparently it's closed now, but it wasn't a possion

993
00:46:29,718 --> 00:46:33,678
Speaker 1: and obviously Murtha frequent it quite often.

994
00:46:34,798 --> 00:46:34,958
Speaker 3: Yeah.

995
00:46:34,998 --> 00:46:36,918
Speaker 1: By the way, you guys had such a think tank

996
00:46:36,998 --> 00:46:40,918
Speaker 1: there in Tampa Bay with you and Andrew and him.

997
00:46:41,838 --> 00:46:44,358
Speaker 1: I mean, the list goes on and on the influence

998
00:46:44,398 --> 00:46:47,518
Speaker 1: around the game. And speaking of think tanks, we're at

999
00:46:47,518 --> 00:46:49,958
Speaker 1: the point of the podcast right here, Joe, where you

1000
00:46:49,998 --> 00:46:50,558
Speaker 1: finish us.

1001
00:46:50,478 --> 00:46:53,958
Speaker 2: Off with our thought of the day. What do you

1002
00:46:53,958 --> 00:46:56,118
Speaker 2: have for us this week to wrap up the Book

1003
00:46:56,158 --> 00:46:56,438
Speaker 2: of Joe.

1004
00:46:56,518 --> 00:47:00,358
Speaker 4: Oh, just always looking at everything in general, whatever's going

1005
00:47:00,358 --> 00:47:02,118
Speaker 4: on in the world, was having on in the baseball world,

1006
00:47:02,118 --> 00:47:05,558
Speaker 4: et cetera. But I just I researched something today and

1007
00:47:05,558 --> 00:47:09,078
Speaker 4: it went back to Saint Augustine. How about him? God,

1008
00:47:09,118 --> 00:47:11,478
Speaker 4: he was like I think I read for the year

1009
00:47:11,518 --> 00:47:14,038
Speaker 4: four fifty three something like that. I remember, can't remember

1010
00:47:14,078 --> 00:47:15,878
Speaker 4: that was year he was born or passed away, lived

1011
00:47:15,878 --> 00:47:19,798
Speaker 4: to be seventy five, but really a big thinker in

1012
00:47:19,838 --> 00:47:22,878
Speaker 4: the church even back then. An appeal to a wide audience,

1013
00:47:22,918 --> 00:47:26,718
Speaker 4: and this is another version of doing simple better. Uh,

1014
00:47:26,878 --> 00:47:30,398
Speaker 4: He's had said at that point, right is right even

1015
00:47:30,398 --> 00:47:33,758
Speaker 4: if no one is doing it. Wrong is wrong, even

1016
00:47:33,758 --> 00:47:36,638
Speaker 4: if everyone is doing it. And I cannot agree with

1017
00:47:36,678 --> 00:47:39,398
Speaker 4: that more. And then this morning I send that to

1018
00:47:39,478 --> 00:47:42,798
Speaker 4: my family, my kids. We have a little chain here,

1019
00:47:42,798 --> 00:47:45,158
Speaker 4: a text chain, and my Sarah wrote back to man,

1020
00:47:45,158 --> 00:47:48,278
Speaker 4: I forgot all about this. If you think it is wrong,

1021
00:47:48,358 --> 00:47:51,398
Speaker 4: even for a second, it probably is. And then she

1022
00:47:51,438 --> 00:47:54,198
Speaker 4: attributed that to me, which was correct. That was my

1023
00:47:54,278 --> 00:47:57,198
Speaker 4: line to my kids before they went out to make

1024
00:47:57,598 --> 00:48:00,358
Speaker 4: the right decision. If you think it is wrong, even

1025
00:48:00,398 --> 00:48:04,278
Speaker 4: for a second, it probably is. So that that's it.

1026
00:48:05,238 --> 00:48:09,398
Speaker 4: You know, everybody gets caught up creating an opinion, and

1027
00:48:10,918 --> 00:48:15,078
Speaker 4: sometimes everybody, when it's wrong, is wrong even if everyone

1028
00:48:15,118 --> 00:48:16,918
Speaker 4: is doing it. I think that happens more than right

1029
00:48:16,998 --> 00:48:18,918
Speaker 4: is right if no one is doing it. I think

1030
00:48:18,958 --> 00:48:23,278
Speaker 4: the obviously that one is the less percentage wise side,

1031
00:48:23,278 --> 00:48:25,118
Speaker 4: where the wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing

1032
00:48:25,198 --> 00:48:28,758
Speaker 4: it is the higher percentage side. And so anyway, I

1033
00:48:28,878 --> 00:48:33,558
Speaker 4: just just in general terms, man, I just to jump

1034
00:48:33,558 --> 00:48:36,758
Speaker 4: on bad wagons and not think for yourself. That to

1035
00:48:36,798 --> 00:48:39,638
Speaker 4: me has always been bothersome back in the day, I

1036
00:48:39,638 --> 00:48:41,838
Speaker 4: may that shirt with the rays regarding all of this

1037
00:48:42,318 --> 00:48:45,038
Speaker 4: sentiment right here, tell me you think not what you've heard.

1038
00:48:45,078 --> 00:48:48,318
Speaker 3: It's all interconnected. So anyway, that was my thing for today.

1039
00:48:48,478 --> 00:48:52,198
Speaker 4: Think for yourself, people, Think for yourself, and just because

1040
00:48:52,238 --> 00:48:54,598
Speaker 4: everybody else is doing it does not make it absolutely

1041
00:48:54,638 --> 00:48:58,078
Speaker 4: right and obviously not obviously, but for me, if I'm

1042
00:48:58,158 --> 00:49:00,278
Speaker 4: jumping on that side, boy, that really concerns me.

1043
00:49:00,398 --> 00:49:02,198
Speaker 3: If I'm on the side of the majority.

1044
00:49:02,638 --> 00:49:05,678
Speaker 1: Wise words, Joe, really, I mean as you were saying that,

1045
00:49:05,958 --> 00:49:07,998
Speaker 1: you know, I thought about what Baseball went through in

1046
00:49:08,038 --> 00:49:12,478
Speaker 1: the steroid era and the idea that because everybody is

1047
00:49:12,518 --> 00:49:15,558
Speaker 1: doing it, which obviously wasn't true, but that was sort

1048
00:49:15,598 --> 00:49:19,718
Speaker 1: of the cover story, then that made it okay. And I,

1049
00:49:19,998 --> 00:49:22,678
Speaker 1: in anything, I hate that thinking that you're looking for

1050
00:49:22,798 --> 00:49:25,518
Speaker 1: comfort where it probably deep down you know what you're

1051
00:49:25,558 --> 00:49:28,998
Speaker 1: doing is wrong, but because others do it, you then

1052
00:49:29,078 --> 00:49:32,078
Speaker 1: make it permissible. And that's just a bad way to

1053
00:49:32,118 --> 00:49:34,758
Speaker 1: be led by in this case, not the wisdom of

1054
00:49:34,758 --> 00:49:36,678
Speaker 1: the crowd, but the mistakes of the crowd to sort

1055
00:49:36,718 --> 00:49:38,878
Speaker 1: of normalize what should be abnormal.

1056
00:49:39,238 --> 00:49:41,598
Speaker 2: And I saw that happen with the steroid era at baseball,

1057
00:49:41,678 --> 00:49:42,438
Speaker 2: So you.

1058
00:49:42,398 --> 00:49:45,758
Speaker 1: Know, really, I think simple words as usual Joe, but

1059
00:49:45,918 --> 00:49:46,598
Speaker 1: very powerful.

1060
00:49:46,958 --> 00:49:50,598
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's who did I just read about, Oh, the

1061
00:49:51,118 --> 00:49:53,958
Speaker 4: baseball coach from Oklahoma, Holland?

1062
00:49:54,038 --> 00:49:55,918
Speaker 2: Is it Holland Holiday holiday?

1063
00:49:55,918 --> 00:49:58,478
Speaker 3: Excuse me, god, what I say? Holiday? Yes? Yeah, it's

1064
00:49:58,838 --> 00:50:00,038
Speaker 3: he's the head coach there, right.

1065
00:50:00,398 --> 00:50:02,318
Speaker 4: Yes, he was talking about, you know, the way the

1066
00:50:02,318 --> 00:50:04,478
Speaker 4: game is played right now and prett much much pretty

1067
00:50:04,518 --> 00:50:06,918
Speaker 4: much talking about that. I just read it this morning,

1068
00:50:06,918 --> 00:50:09,518
Speaker 4: but it's not specific. I'm not going to give this specifically,

1069
00:50:09,518 --> 00:50:11,998
Speaker 4: but he was pretty much in general talking about that,

1070
00:50:12,558 --> 00:50:14,438
Speaker 4: the fact that when it comes to playing the game

1071
00:50:14,478 --> 00:50:17,358
Speaker 4: and the analytical world, et cetera, play the game. Just

1072
00:50:17,398 --> 00:50:18,918
Speaker 4: let's just play the game. He's talking about the two

1073
00:50:18,918 --> 00:50:21,118
Speaker 4: strike approach, putting the ball in play, just like you

1074
00:50:21,158 --> 00:50:23,318
Speaker 4: just mentioned with the Ray, the Brewers and the race.

1075
00:50:23,878 --> 00:50:25,438
Speaker 3: Just just don't buy in blindly.

1076
00:50:25,558 --> 00:50:27,558
Speaker 4: I mean, if you really believe in something, that's fine,

1077
00:50:27,638 --> 00:50:29,838
Speaker 4: rock and roll, go for it. But just don't believe

1078
00:50:29,878 --> 00:50:32,598
Speaker 4: in believe in something blindly. Research it on your own,

1079
00:50:32,878 --> 00:50:35,158
Speaker 4: come to your own conclusions. Just don't rely on what

1080
00:50:35,278 --> 00:50:39,278
Speaker 4: you see here read all the time, take that into account,

1081
00:50:39,558 --> 00:50:42,438
Speaker 4: accumulate your your intel, your information, and then make up

1082
00:50:42,438 --> 00:50:45,558
Speaker 4: your own mind. I think in today's world, with the

1083
00:50:45,878 --> 00:50:50,878
Speaker 4: influencers throughout the social media world. People's minds are made

1084
00:50:50,958 --> 00:50:53,758
Speaker 4: up for them, and that's a very dangerous.

1085
00:50:53,398 --> 00:50:53,878
Speaker 3: Way to live.

1086
00:50:54,318 --> 00:50:57,038
Speaker 2: Why is words of wisdom? Joe really appreciate it.

1087
00:50:57,078 --> 00:51:01,398
Speaker 1: The next time we talked, the WBC will be fully underway.

1088
00:51:01,518 --> 00:51:05,758
Speaker 1: I am heading to Miami myself for pool play. I

1089
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Speaker 1: always enjoy it when people bring musical instruments to the ballpark.

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Speaker 1: In Miami's ballpark will be loaded with all kinds of

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Speaker 1: brass and percussion instruments.

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Speaker 2: It is a scene.

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Speaker 1: So hopefully you'll tune in, Joe, and next time we talk,

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Speaker 1: we'll see how this loaded team USA is off in

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Speaker 1: pool play.

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Speaker 4: As long as my favorite broadcaster and media member is there,

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Speaker 4: I shall.

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Speaker 2: Watch deal see you next time.

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Speaker 3: All all right, manre well.

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Speaker 1: The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.