WEBVTT - Switching It Up 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:06.560 Is this a great game or what with the Hall 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:09.920 of Famer Tim Kirkchen I'm his son, Jeff Kirkshin Dad, 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:12.480 we only have two weeks left of the regular season. 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:16.000 This is the most exciting time of the year. 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:18.680 In all of sports. But across Major League Baseball things 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:21.400 are tightening in these races and we're going to jump 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:21.920 into it. 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:27.200 But there's one team that nobody is talking about, and 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:31.080 that is my daughter, McKinley Hope's T ball team. She 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:34.480 starts te ball at just over two years old. 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:36.839 Dad two nights, so when. 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.320 This episode drops, we will have already had our first 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:41.760 heavy air quotes here game. 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:46.520 But I'm so excited to be coach Dad out there. 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:49.720 Jeff, it's wonderful and proud of you for being the 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:52.760 coach of your daughter's team. The question is she taller 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:55.240 than the tea? Because I think there should be something 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.920 in place. If you're not taller than the tea, you 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:02.080 can't play t ball yet. Have you checked that out? 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:04.479 Because I know, I know this worked when you were 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:07.560 a kid. You couldn't play till you were eleven because 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.880 you were tall as the t. 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:14.160 Is she as tall as the t It's arguable you 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.720 know they build adjustable t's now that are a little 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:21.600 bit smaller for the little ones. So we've been practicing. Well, 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.039 we always swing a bat in the basement. You know, 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:26.360 we have a bat and tea and balls down here, 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:28.720 but I just brought them out to the backyard. We 0:01:29.120 --> 0:01:32.399 were ground or we were taking grounders. But the hardest 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:34.839 thing for her to understand is, you know, we're trying 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.040 to teach her to run to first base, but she 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:39.480 would hit the ball and then she would try to 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.760 go get the ball. So she didn't realize the offense 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:47.200 defensive end of things. If you're hitting, you don't want 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:50.000 to get near the ball, right and if you're defending, 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:51.000 you want to get the ball. 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:52.200 So we're going to. 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.520 Work through that tonight at our very first T ball 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:55.920 heavy quotes. 0:01:55.560 --> 0:02:01.640 Again game, Well, I can't wait. What about my shirt, Jeff? 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:02.200 What do you think? 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:03.480 Well? 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:07.760 I recognize that shirt because I very selfishly I'm going 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:11.640 to take credit here. I texted that link to that 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:15.560 rowback shirt with dinosaurs on it to Kelly, your daughter, 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:17.640 my sister, and I said you got to get this 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:21.239 for pop up for Father's Day from Carson because Carson, 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.919 your oldest grandson, loves dinosaurs. 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:28.040 And it's a great polo. The brand is awesome. 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:31.480 Yeah, it's a great comfortable shirt I wore and as 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:35.800 a tribute to Carson today, cutest kid ever, first grandson, 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.680 a first grandchild have ever had. He asked me the 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:42.080 other day, pop up, when you got married? Were the dinosaurs? 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.640 Were their dinosaurs you got married? 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:48.680 It was forty forty two years ago. 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:53.480 No, but I told him there are dinosaurs today because 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.680 I happened to be one of them. I again, Jeff, 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:58.800 I did not know this till about a week ago. 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:02.960 Why the Doobie Brothers are called Doobie brothers? Did you 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:04.880 know that that? 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:09.600 It never surprises me when you tell me something like 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:10.000 how you. 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:13.800 Adult w not know the answer to why they're called 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:14.720 the Doobie Brothers. 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:18.799 Well, I mean, isn't it due to marijuana? 0:03:18.919 --> 0:03:22.560 I would think, So that's what I was told, all right. 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:23.960 I did not know that, Jeff. 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:27.000 So all right, let's well, maybe you were just smoking 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:30.000 too much of the reefer when you were at University 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.480 of Maryland College parking in the seventies. 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:39.000 Simply no, simply not happening, Jeff, all right, Listen, I 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:41.680 every week I come up with a team Tim Jeff 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.520 and you know they're fun. I enjoyed doing them this week. 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:50.320 It garnered a lot of attention, and I'm really surprised. 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:55.040 We remember last week we had the all female baseball team. 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:58.440 You know, names that sound a little bit more female 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:04.760 than male. Okay, right, and we haven Moni Mack and 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:09.160 we have Carol Hardy Kim Battist. You you heard him. 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:12.840 So I got a bunch of suggestions from people. Did 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:15.080 you read some of these? Yeah? 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:18.120 I think I don't think this is bo Jackson level mistake, 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:20.159 but we did miss a very big one. 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:23.960 Well, we missed Christy Matthewson. Right, that's the biggest That's 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:27.839 the biggest one we missed. A pointed that out right. 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.839 The biggest one we missed I thought was Jackie Robinson. 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:37.200 Jackie, Yeah, that's that, that's true. We missed Jackie rob 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:42.000 of this is I come up with one of these 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:46.000 ridiculous lists, and everyone that said something in has something 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:48.640 that's better than what I put on the list. 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:49.839 I forgot. 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:54.320 And Nolan Ryan's real first name is Lynn Okay, l 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:57.320 Y and n Now he goes by Nolan, so we 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:01.039 can't call him Lynn Ryan. But the great don't you 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:03.760 find it odd that the greatest power pitcher of all 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:07.680 time his real first name is Lynn and he struck 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:09.880 out fifty seven hundred batters. 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:13.600 I mean, and then when you think about Christy Matthewson, 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.880 Sandy Kofax, a lot of female names in those spincers. 0:05:17.000 --> 0:05:19.679 That was terrible. Jeremy shapp our dear. 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:24.480 Friend who now apparently this podcast like he's got better 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:25.880 things to do with his life. 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:30.760 He mentioned Granny Hamner. Granny Hamner at shortstop, we could 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:35.279 have used him and Willie weinbab my dear friend from ESPN. 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:37.599 He said, well, the sports writer for the team has 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:41.880 to be Shirley Povich. So oh yeah, I left out 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.279 a lot of names, And thank you to everyone for 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:51.640 not necessarily correcting me, but adding important names that we 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:56.320 forgotten to that point, Jeff, somebody called in and said, 0:05:56.400 --> 0:06:00.120 how could you leave Babe Ruth out and name? But 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:03.360 but Jeff, listen, I've given this a little bit of thought. 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.160 I want you to answer the question. Are more guys 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:10.040 named Babe who go by the name Babe than women? 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:13.920 I think more men go by babe. I know they 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:18.520 are baseball players. Babe Ruth, Babe Herman Babe Dolgren, Babe Adams, 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:23.440 and a bunch more going by Babe Okay football players, 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:27.080 Babe Laffenberg, Babe Parilli. I grew up watching him play 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:32.080 and with girls. I mean, we have Babe Didrison Zaharias, 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:36.040 who's the greatest probably female athlete of all time. But 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:39.599 I think there are more babes who are men than women. 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:41.520 Is that possible that we're right about that? 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:45.560 I think I don't know enough babes. You just listed 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:48.520 every babe and I didn't know most of them. I 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:50.880 know Babe Herman. I always thought that was a weird 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:56.919 name though, because Babe Ruth, he's George Herman Ruth. And 0:06:56.960 --> 0:06:59.680 then there's a babe I'm eighteen ninety five, and then 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:03.560 born in nineteen oh three is Babe Herman. So there's 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.440 no like one would think, oh, what a cool thing, 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:09.800 we'll call him babe. No, they're unrelated because Babe Ruth 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:13.680 was eight years old when Babe Herman was born, So 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:15.520 there's no way. I mean, he hit a lot of 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:17.760 home runs, but he didn't start at eight years old, 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:19.240 that's for sure, right, all right. 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.240 The other thing that from last week, Jeff, is that 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.960 I said again that Get Smart is my favorite sitcom 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.560 of all time and that will never change. And I 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.600 actually showed my Get Smart lunch box, which I received 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:33.480 as an adult. 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:35.600 Yeah, we had a little bit of a show and 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:39.080 tell session, and you were such a little proud little 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:41.760 sports writer walking up there. Hey, guys, today I brought 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:43.160 in my Get Smart lunchbox. 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:46.880 I got five emails from friends saying they heard about 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:49.800 my Get Smart lunchbox. Three of them are wondering where 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:52.200 can they get one. This is what we've done. And 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:55.480 Jeff I mentioned Bill Chuck on the air. He's a 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:59.840 baseball guru. He's a lunatic in the best possible way. 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.040 As a thing called billy Ball. You need to subscribe. 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:06.640 He's got some good stuff on there. So he texted 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:09.400 me about the time. He said, do you remember when 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:12.920 Maury Wills, who was the MVP of the National League 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:17.360 in nineteen sixty two, appeared on Get Smart? He said, 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:19.320 do you remember the episode? And I said, well, of 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:22.280 course I do. He got killed in the episode. He 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:25.560 got a banana in the mail. This is how this 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:29.600 is how all the chaos killed all the control agents. 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:34.160 If you received a banana in the mail, you were 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:38.400 the next to be killed by a killer gorilla. So yes, 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.520 And what I didn't know a Bill Chuck reminded me 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:46.160 is that the Maury Wills's name in Get Smart in 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:49.560 the one episode is Roberts, and the manager of the 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:54.480 Dodgers is Dave Roberts, who was also a base steeler. 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:57.800 So we had a lot of we had a lot 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:01.120 of reaction to last year last week's podcast, and it 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:03.240 was all stupid, but it was all really fun. 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:07.360 And I mean rumor is that Dave Roberts has received 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.120 a couple of packages with bananas in the mail to 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:11.080 Dodger Stadium. 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:14.720 We're not sure what that means. But Get Smart fans no, right. 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:17.160 Well, they know they got to put it together here quickly, 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:19.679 all right, Jeff, those are just a few reactions from 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:22.160 last week that I got a mile chuckle out of 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:23.360 more than a mile chuck. 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:26.920 Well, Dad, let's jump right into the takeaways. 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.160 Then. First of all, before we get there, all of 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:32.679 these emails we're getting is through Great Game or what 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:36.840 dot com. That's where Dad is able to access those emails. 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:37.600 So if you ever have a. 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.040 Question, Dad, I just I've said it before, I said. 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:40.680 It multiple times. 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:42.920 I love that you're able to now have this direct 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.200 line with members of our family that want to listen 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:46.000 and want to chat with you. 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:47.400 So, great game or what dot com? 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:49.439 Scroll down and I'll say, you know, reach out to 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:51.840 us or whatever it's there, you can find it and 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:52.920 message us there. 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:54.600 All right, takeaway, stab, what do you have? All right? 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.960 Well? Cal Rowley leads to takeaways again. How many times 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:00.920 do you think he has led the take this year? 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:03.040 Five more? What do you think? 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:06.640 I think there's at least two titles of episodes that 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.520 involve him, right, he has been huge this season. 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.400 Well, this time he tied through Sunday Mickey Mantle with 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.520 the most homers in a season, fifty four by a 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:22.040 switch hitter, Mickey Mantle, Jeff, He's the greatest switch hitter 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:23.840 of all time. So it got me to thinking, I 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.640 did this pretty much off the top of my head. 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:28.920 So I don't want anyone screaming at me, even though 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:33.240 you're allowed to. There's a Hall of Famer at every 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.760 switch hitting Hall of Famer at every position from what 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:39.480 I can tell, Catcher, So this is a team tim 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:44.400 top of my head, Ted Simmons, Eddie Murray at first base, 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:50.560 Frankie Frish or Roberto Alomar at second base. Ozzie Smith 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:53.320 is my shortstop. I'm going to pick one at each position. 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.680 There are multiple guys. Alfield, a third base, of course, 0:10:56.840 --> 0:11:02.080 is Chipper Jones. Altfield is Pete Rowe, Mickey Mantle to repeat, 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:06.080 the greatest switch hitter of all time, and Tim Raids, 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:09.400 who was a great, great, great player. And that doesn't include, 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:13.160 of course, Carlos Beltron and Lance Berkman, who I think 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:16.200 both someday will be in the Hall of Fame. I 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:20.080 think they both belong. And I did not think of 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:22.439 a pitcher. I figured it out. I was very proud 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:26.520 of myself. Mordecai three Finger Brown was a switch hitter, 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:30.040 and I'm sure there are others switch hitting Hall of 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:33.120 Fame pitchers, but he's the first one I could think of, 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.559 and I stopped right there. And also Jeff Vita Blue, 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:39.800 a non Hall of Famer but a great pitcher in 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:43.800 his day, is still the answer to a very fun question, 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.880 who is the last American League switch hitter to win 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:51.120 the MVP? The answer Vita Blue in nineteen seventy one, 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:54.760 but no one really knew because he is the pitcher. 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:59.280 But that was pre designated hitter, so he had to bat. 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:00.960 Dad. 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:03.240 I think that's a great team, Tam, And I know 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:04.960 you kind of did it on a whim there, but 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:06.040 I think it's fantastic. 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:10.160 Well, it's important and it's relevant because people ask me today, 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.880 is Cal Rawley the greatest switch hitting catcher of all time? 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:17.720 Well he might be someday, but we have a switch 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.760 hitting catcher at least one Ted Simmons in the Hall 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:23.800 of Fame. So yeah, I enjoyed putting that together at 0:12:23.800 --> 0:12:27.760 the last minute. Jeff. The A's can really really hit. 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.840 They don't pitch very well, and obviously they're not going 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.719 to the playoffs, but I saw this. I got a 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:37.400 kick out of this. So Sunday Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz, 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:41.840 who is an amazing player. He's got over thirty homers 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:46.000 and eighty RBIs. Only two other A's rookies have ever 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:48.920 done that, hose Can Seko and Mark maguire, and they 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:51.640 both won the Rookies of the Year that year. Brent 0:12:51.720 --> 0:12:55.440 Rooker and Colby Thomas, the two through five guys in 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:58.400 the order on Sunday for the A's all hit home 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:01.880 runs and that's the I'm shocked to hear this. It's 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:04.280 the first time that the A's can say that since 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:09.680 nineteen thirty when Mulebaas, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons and Jimmy 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:12.679 Fox all did it from the two through five spots 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.880 in the orders. That's a long time. Given how good 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:21.520 the A's were Carne Lanford, you know, Conseko Maguire, David Henderson, 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:26.240 they never did that. I was really surprised to hear that. Also, 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:30.160 speaking of really good catchers, Sal Perez of the Royals 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:34.560 hit home run number three hundred and drove in his 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:40.000 one run number one thousand. Remember we went over this, Jeff, 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:42.599 how one thousandth I have a lot of trouble saying. 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:44.679 That one thousand. It's not easy. 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.840 Not easy. Yeah. So George Bratt is the only other 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.360 Royal with three hundred homers and one thousand RBIs and 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.480 the only catchers to get there in their first fourteen years, 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:57.840 like Sal Perez, are Mike Piazza for me, the greatest 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:01.560 hitting catcher ever to play in the Major leagues, Johnny Bench, 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:05.680 greatest catcher ever and in the Major leagues, and Yogi 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:09.360 Berra's second greatest catcher in Major League history, according to me, 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.760 not to anybody else. Josh Gibson. It might be the 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.320 greatest catcher of all time now that we've taken the 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:18.520 Negro league stats and brought them in. Those numbers are 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:23.160 just ridiculous. But sal Perez just another step towards making 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:27.760 it to the Hall of Fame. So, Jeff, on Sunday, 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:30.760 the Mets won a game they had lost eight in 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.240 a row, and Pete Alonso hit a three run walk 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:37.240 off homer. He's got five walk off homers now, most 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.880 by any Met ever, and I think it was very 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.520 fitting that he hit the three run homer because he's done. 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:46.360 He's in a lot of home runs, especially in the 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.840 right center field like Sunday to break things open. And again, 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.600 I'm a big believer, Jeff. One swing, one event can 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.880 turn the fortunes of a team. So let's just see 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.280 if the big hit by Pete Alonso turns the tide 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:04.920 for the New York Mets. It might who knows. 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.560 I know, Mets fans are completely tortured, and they do 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:11.320 have a day off on Monday night, so obviously this 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:15.880 is released on Tuesday. So they'll play tonight at home 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:19.440 against the Padres, who you know, another playoff team right there, 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:21.720 and a potential matchup. You never know how things are 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.240 gonna fall when it comes to the playoffs. The NL 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:27.240 wild card is just nuts right now. So is the 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:28.640 AL wild card for that matter. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:32.040 It's gonna be a great final. Two weeks Anthony Rizzo 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:36.440 last one announced his retirement. So Anthony Rizzo is one 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:40.440 of my favorite players, really good guy. And Jeff, remember 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:44.360 he caught the final out on a ground ball to 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.960 that Chris Bryant to third for the final out of 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:50.560 the twenty sixteen World Series. Cubs win for the first 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:54.800 time in a million years. And you remember what he did, Jeff, 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:57.640 after he caught the out, caught the ball at first. 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:02.600 I mean, this showed incredible court awareness. He put the 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:03.880 ball in his back pocket. 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:06.960 That's right. And I remember I was at that game, 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:08.040 I remember, right. 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:11.920 And I thought that was amazing self awareness to understand 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:15.440 that this is a historic ball and it's staying with me. 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:17.600 So he put it in his back pocket. He ran 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:20.080 in and jumped on the dogpile. It was pretty cool. 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:22.600 So Anthony Rizzold not a Hall of Famer, but he 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:28.000 had a really really good career and among the odd 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:30.480 things that he did, so he hit over three hundred 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.920 homers and got hit by a pitch over two hundred times. 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:37.720 So he and Don Baylor are the only players ever 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:42.080 to have three hundred homers and two hundred hit batters 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:45.040 in their careers. And you know, let's keep in mind, 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:47.960 you know, Mickey Mantalou we mentioned earlier, got hit by 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:52.720 a pitch thirteen times in his entire career, and it's 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.920 just this guy got hit all the time and it 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:58.040 didn't seem to bother him, just like he didn't bother 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:02.640 Don Baylor. I'll never forget seeing Anthony Rizzo in spring 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.520 training maybe five years ago, still with the Cubs, and 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:09.320 he interviewed him and I said, so what now, and 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.240 he looked, this is spring training. He looks, and he 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:13.320 looks at me, and he goes, all right, I'm gonna 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:16.919 go see if I can still hit this spring, because 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.800 this is how hard the skill of hitting is. Jeff. 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.040 Every spring he went to spring training, much like Aaron 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:26.160 Boone did, wondering am I still going to be able 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:28.719 to do this even in the prime of his career. 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:32.040 That's how hard hitting a baseball is. 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:34.800 Dad, did you see the note from a member of 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:36.320 our family, Eric Hibbler? 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:39.800 Yes, I did, and I it said, tell everyone what 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:40.720 it said, Jeff. 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:44.720 So, he's a music teacher and a massive Chicago Cubs fan. 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:47.800 And well, Anthony Rizzou was in the stands. This is 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:52.240 so neat at Wrigleyfield on Saturday, just hanging out with fans. 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.879 He had a jersey with all these signatures in the 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:58.480 back of it. I assume we're fans signing his jersey 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:01.520 because he loves he the Cubby fans. I mean, it's 0:18:01.520 --> 0:18:04.560 massive and they Eric sent us a kind of a 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:06.760 cork gin here, which is really neat. He said, only 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:11.680 two players have three hundred home runs and have struck 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:15.560 out a former MVP while on the mound. 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:19.240 Those two day Ruth and Anthony Rizzo. 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:23.119 Right, and that was cool. That was absolutely priceless when 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.800 he struck out Freddy Freeman, who laughed out loud because 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.200 it's a blowout game and everything else said it was 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.800 a good curveball that Anthony Rizzo threw. So Eric, thank 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.639 you so much for that. And look, I'm not disputing, 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:38.959 but I didn't check with Frank from the Elias on this, 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:41.320 and we have to be accurate on things like this. 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:44.800 But I did go back through Jimmy Fox's career. Jimmy Fox, 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:47.919 of course, hit five hundred homers and then pitched for 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:50.200 the Phillies at the end of his career in nineteen 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:52.840 forty five. And I went back through this morning, through 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:56.800 every pitching appearance by Jimmy Fox, just to make sure 0:18:57.240 --> 0:18:59.840 that Eric was right, wasn't. I wasn't questioning you. 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:00.239 Eric. 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:02.639 I'm sure your son is exactly right, but I have 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:05.040 to be sure, so I hope this is true. But 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:07.920 if it is, what a cool dough and it is. 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:12.600 Shout out to his son Grant, and thank you Eric 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:14.320 for listening and for sending us stuff in. 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.160 We love it. Next on is this a great game 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:17.399 or what? 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:17.760 Dad? 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:19.560 We'll get into more quark gins. 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.320 We have another team, tim, because this seems to be 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:24.840 the popular thing that everybody wants, including. 0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:26.800 On this state baseball history. It's all coming up next. 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:36.720 All right, Dad, what are your quark chins going into 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:37.360 this week? 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:39.639 Okay? Well, you know how much I love James Wood 0:19:39.720 --> 0:19:42.320 and his dad, Kenny Wood, so this pains me to 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:45.359 bring this up, but you know, stats are stats, History's history. 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:50.000 James Wood became the first player two hundred strikeouts this year. 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:53.040 He did it in one hundred and forty four games. 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:57.359 That's not the major league record for fewest games to 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:01.760 two hundred strikeouts. Chris Carter one hundred and thirty seven 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:05.000 games as the record holder. But James Wood recorded his 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:09.240 twenty sixth hat trick, so twenty six times this year 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.320 three or more strikeouts in the game. That ties the 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:15.640 major league record held by Joey Gallo and Mark Reynolds. 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:17.439 We mentioned this a couple of weeks ago. We have 0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:20.440 to update it because that's our kind of our responsibility, 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:24.040 at least with the quirt Chins. And speaking of strikeouts, Jeff, 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:28.000 this is so amazing. But Aaron Judge of course passed, 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:30.879 just passed Yogi Berra on the all time list, and 0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:34.560 then he passed Joe DiMaggio on the all time list 0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:37.000 for the Yankees, so he's got the fourth most home 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:41.080 runs in the history of the New York Yankees. Now, look, Jeff, 0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:45.160 you know when I make these apples and oranges comparisons, 0:20:45.240 --> 0:20:49.120 that's exactly what they are. It doesn't matter. But it's 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:53.720 still amazing to me that Aaron Judge hit more home run, 0:20:53.800 --> 0:20:57.120 has hit more homers than Joe Demagio, but he has 0:20:57.359 --> 0:21:01.879 almost one thousand more strikeouts. Than Joe Demaggio had in 0:21:01.920 --> 0:21:06.040 his career, and Judge has maybe ten years left. I mean, 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:08.720 that's how good he is. There's no telling how many 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:11.240 home runs he's going to hit. And I'm still amazed 0:21:11.280 --> 0:21:15.040 by this after all these years. Joe DiMaggio never his 0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:19.159 strikeout high in a season is thirty nine. That's the 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:21.920 most he ever And by the way, in nineteen forty one, 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:25.280 the year year he hit in fifty six straight games, 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:29.439 he struck out thirteen times. So I used that in 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:33.040 a notes column in the eighties. In the eighties Jeff 0:21:33.080 --> 0:21:35.399 at the Dallas Morning News, and I'm not going to 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:37.600 say who it was, but one of my broadcast friends 0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:41.240