WEBVTT - An interview with O's broadcaster Ben McDonald 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:10.560 A Birdland. Welcome into the latest edition of Birdland Territory, 0:00:10.720 --> 0:00:14.520 Steve tim Brad and today Big Ben mccond, a loreal 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:18.600 broadcaster and as the Oil fans well know, the first 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:20.160 time the Oil has ever had a one to one 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:22.520 pick in the draft nineteen eighty nine out of LSU. 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:25.440 So we're getting used to Big Ben around the Birdland 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:28.560 here because he's been around for a minute. And Ben, 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:30.840 thanks for joining us today. Man, great to have you 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:32.479 on today. You've got a day or two break from 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:35.680 the O's, but you'll be right back when they're in Sacramento, right. 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:38.600 Yeah, I'll be back to Sacramento and then up to 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.960 Denver play the Rocky, So looking forward to that. And 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.320 I appreciate you, know, you guys having me on. I 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.239 watched the show. You guys do a wonderful job as 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:51.680 always entertaining and informative, so I appreciate being on. Well. 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:53.360 I' thrilled to have you today, and I know you've 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:56.680 experienced it as much as anybody as we have two 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.400 the up and downs of this season. So how do 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:04.360 you characterize chronicling the twenty twenty six Oriols who we've 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:06.640 seen beat some of the best teams in the league 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:09.800 lose to some of the worst and still frustrating. As 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:13.839 we talk today on the outside looking in for postseason, I. 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.920 Think frustrating sums it up for me. You know. It's 0:01:17.840 --> 0:01:19.959 been one of those years. I don't know what to say. 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:22.800 People have asked it and explained it in a lot 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:24.800 of different ways, and I don't know how to explain 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:28.000 it other than it's frustrating, you know. And it's been 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.640 so many times this year that you go, Okay, here 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:35.040 they go, here they go here. That was the win 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:37.240 that we needed, that was the moment, that was the 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:38.960 break we needed. And you feel like there's a lot 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.800 of momentum and then it backs up and then you 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:44.119 about ready to give up on them. You go, this 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.880 team is terrible. I give up. I throw my hands up. 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:49.720 It's over. And then here they come again, you know, 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:51.640 and they get right back in the hut again and 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:54.320 you get amped up again, and it's back and forth, 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.080 you know. And so it's just been one of those years. 0:01:57.160 --> 0:02:00.840 It's been a love hate relationship, has been frustrating, it's 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:03.680 been all those things. But at the end of the day, 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:06.240 I still love the Orioles. I still pool for these guys. 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:09.920 They're still trying so hard to get in this and 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:12.679 because of some struggles that are going on. And look, 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:15.840 there's no doubt the Orioles have underperformed. There's no there's 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:18.160 no other way to say that they have underperformed for 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:21.440 a lot of different reasons, I feel like. But the 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:23.720 good news is they're still right there and we're going, 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:25.560 you know, off that to day, but still two games 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:27.800 out of the final wildcar spot. It's been a tipsy 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:30.839 turpsy kind of season in the American League and it's 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:33.200 just up for grabs for anybody right now. And whoever 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:35.880 grabs it here with the last thirty something games to 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.440 go or get that final wildcar spot, because it looks 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:40.799 like the first two is pretty well locked in. This 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:43.000 the third and final spot, it's up for grabs and 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.080 there's four or five teams that are right there that 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:47.680 could do it, you know, And so it's gonna be fun. 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.680 I mean, I'm just glad they're playing meaningful games in August. 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:54.200 There'll be meaningful games in September. It's good for the 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:56.760 young guys, but it also gives them a chance. Man. 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:58.799 And look, if it just feels like if they can 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:00.640 go on one of these runs where you wins seven 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:03.119 out of ten, they're gonna be right there. They're gonna 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:05.120 be in that final rock card spot where they were 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:07.120 it felt like a week ago, you know. And so 0:03:07.440 --> 0:03:09.760 the standings are always moving around. Man, you look at 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.120 them two three days later, it's like this, you know, 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:14.040 and three days later it's back like this with those 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.520 four or five spots. And so it's fun, it's gonna 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:19.519 be meaningful, but it has been a very frustrated season. 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:22.960 Yeah, hey Ben, thanks for joining us. And I think 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:25.880 I've seen Bozz's season this year. Can you ever remember 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:28.280 having a season where it just felt like you'd have 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:30.800 to put up Brazil runs in order to put yourself 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:32.760 in line for a win. It's just been a crazy 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:35.320 anomaly of a season where he's going out there, pitching 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:37.840 well and just no run support. Could you have any 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:39.680 experiences like that in your career at all? 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:43.280 I had an exact same season that Shane Boz had 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:46.920 in ninety three. I think it was the third or 0:03:46.920 --> 0:03:49.280 fourth lowest run support in the American League. And you 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:51.320 go pitch your tail off and I went thirteen and 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:55.040 fourteen that year with a three point three ERA in 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:57.440 the American League. You know you felt like I remember 0:03:57.520 --> 0:03:59.200 looking at my numbers at the end of the year 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.720 and Pat Hinchkin number over in Toronto minds were very 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:03.800 similar to his. He won twenty one games and won 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.600 to Cy Young, and I had a losing record that year. 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:08.320 But you know how it is. I mean, if you 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:10.760 can't if you don't get run supports, you can't win 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:13.280 ball games. That's that's the reality. We saw what de 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:15.320 Gram did some years ago when he won to Sy 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.400 Young with no run support at all. And so the 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:21.720 good news is is that they don't value wins as 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:24.160 much in today's game for starting pitchers as they did, 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:27.240 say many years ago. But it's still very frustrating to 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:29.920 go pitch like that. And anytime you know you're not 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:33.479 getting to run support every pitch that comes out of 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:35.920 your hand, you know that it can mean the ballgame. 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:38.920 So from a mineral standpoint, those are the kind of 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:40.880 games that could just and it's the kind of season 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.640 that over time, it can wear you out both mentally 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.599 and physically to know that every time this thing leaves 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:48.920 my hand, it's a difference from the ballgame because they're 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:51.960 not scoring runs for me, and so that's always in 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.360 the back of your mind. It's so much easier. I'm 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:56.600 gonna say that it's not ever easy to pitch with 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:58.960 the big leagues, but it is easy or to pitch 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:01.479 at the big league. When you get on the mountain, 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:02.840 you got a two run league, you got a three 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:04.680 run lead. They're averaging five runs a game for you, 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:06.400 because I know if you make a mistake, you go, Okay, 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:08.159 I got the count of offense. It's gonna come back, 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:10.120 and they'll get me right back. In this ball game. 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:12.560 That's not been the case for Shane Boss, so I 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.760 feel for him. It's very frustrating to go through a 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:18.240 season like that. But I remember it happened when Rick 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:20.760 Sutcliffe was here with the Oriels many years ago, and 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:22.279 he just kind of grabbed me and he said, Ben, 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.400 you can only control the things that you can control. 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:28.920 And that's easier said than done, but it's so true. 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:31.279 And then Sutcliffe explained to me, he said, this is 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:34.000 a team game. Yes, it is a team game that 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:38.320 takes everybody to be successful up here, but it's also 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:41.880 an individual game and sometimes you have to be selfish 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:44.480 in a team game and say, okay, the only thing 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:47.839 that I can control is what I'm doing. I can't 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:49.960 control if they catch the ball behind me. I can't 0:05:49.960 --> 0:05:52.760 control if they score runs behind me. I cannot control 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:54.720 any of that. And that was the point he wanted 0:05:54.720 --> 0:05:57.640 to make. Go out and do your job and hope 0:05:57.640 --> 0:05:59.840 that everybody else does theirs too, and if they do, 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.240 it'll be great. If not, you just keep doing your 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:03.680 job at the end of the day. And yes, that 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:06.479 sounds simple, but it was very difficult for me to 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:09.600 swallow that because I was just so frustrated that year. 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:11.680 And I know where Shane Bobs is that I saw 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:14.240 him yesterday on the TV, just in the dugout when 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:16.080 he came out, y'all saw him. He just he's got 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:17.839 his head down. He's just shaking his head, you know 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.080 what he's saying. He's gone, my gosh, why can't I 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:22.440 ever get any runs? Why my gosh, why can't they 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:25.000 do this? But you feel sorry for yourself in same ways. 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:27.920 But I'm happy for Shane. Shane's throwing the ball very well. 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:30.280 He's given the Oriels and plenty of opportunities to win 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:33.159 ball games. It just haven't happened. But you hope over 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:35.960 time it straightens back. Out and maybe next year for 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:38.120 Shane Bobs and maybe his last four or five starts, 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:40.480 they'll put some runs on the scoreboard for him. 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.120 Ben, Let's focus on one huge positive of the Orioles 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.839 this year, and that's Pete Alonzo. And I remember having 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:49.000 you on my show on one of five seven back 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:53.200 in February March. It was early spring training, and you 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:56.039 told us the story on air that you went into 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.520 Craig alburn as his office and said that type of 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:01.240 leader hasn't been in this club over the past couple 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:05.800 of years, but you're seeing him carry the team, especially offensively. 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:09.920 We know how Grady's been defensively. Just how meaningful of 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:13.440 a signing has Pete Alonso been from a leadership standpoint 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:15.640 and in on the field standpoint. 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.400 It's been huge. I mean it's been huge. And when 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:20.200 I saw that in spring paint, I just happened to 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.360 be in uniform and for the for y'all's fans, they 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:24.200 didn't hear it. I was in spring training in the 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.600 uniform and the whole team got together on the infield 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:30.239 in spring trending. They went through butt plays, pickoffs, relays 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.080 a little bit. It took about ten or fifteen minutes 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:34.239 to go through the drills. It was kind of sloppy. 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:37.040 They were throwing balls around in the outfield, throwing balls around, 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:39.880 missing balls in the infield, and Craig Albern had stepped up. 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:41.840 He said, okay, we're gonna break up and we're gonna 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:44.080 go to our individual spots. We'll take bat practice, we'll beer, 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:45.720 pictures are gonna be out here. Whatever they were moving 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:47.840 on if Pete Lowndes was just kind of raised his hand. 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.400 He goes, guys, that's stump. That's stump. He said, that's 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:54.239 not winning baseball. It came out of nowhere. Craig Auburn 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:55.840 has didn't know he was gonna say it that. Pete 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.000 just kind of stepped up and said, let's run it back. 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:00.920 Let's do it again, because that's things. Chris Bassett, another 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.440 veteran guy, was in on it the two. He said, hell, yeah, guys, 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:06.240 that's not winning baseball. That's not winning baseball. And Bassett 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.280 spoke up and said, hey, I came from the to 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:10.520 the Orioles here to get back in the playoffs. I'm 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:11.960 forwarding the end of my career and I want to 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:13.760 get back in the playoffs. Well, the two veterans got 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:16.440 together and said, bye, Gos, let's run it back. Let's 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:19.240 do it again. That's winning baseball. And they repeated the 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:21.960 same grill for fifteen minutes, and it was Chris. And 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:24.440 at that point I knew the Orioles had two leaders, 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.880 that Chris Bassett and Pete Alonso. Peter Alonso has been 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.080 everything that I think the Oriols hoped and that I 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:32.360 think this fan base hoped that he would be. And 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:34.640 he's been a leader in the clubhouse. We know about 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.760 the slow start in April, but look where he is now. 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:39.319 The numbers are in line yet again. And he's the 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:41.679 kind of guy that and I've said this before on 0:08:41.720 --> 0:08:44.080 the air, that you know, if I'm Kobe Mayo and 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:47.320 I'm younger hitters, I'm getting my locker right next to 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:49.680 that guy. I'm sitting next to him on the airplane. 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:51.400 I'm gonna be in next to him and I'm gonna 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.160 pick his brain about everything that he does. Because Peter 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:58.800 Alonzo has a system that he follows, He's consistent about 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:01.800 what he does, and yes, numbers are consistent every year 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:05.440 for him, and so he's just been He's been, in 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:07.640 some ways a miracle for me for the words, because 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.200 they've been needing this kind of leadership from a position 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:12.880 player standpoint, in my opinion, for three or four years now. 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.520 They've not had that, And now that Peter Alonzo's in 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:17.559 the fold, I think it's only going to be best. 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:20.560 Scott bores knew what he was doing, and it just 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.560 so happened that Peter Alonzo ends up in Baltimore. But 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.040 I think Scott had a bigger plan in place to say, Hey, 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:30.120 I've got Gunner Henderson over in Baltimore. I've got Jackson Holliday, 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:32.800 I've got Jordan Westburgh over in Baltimore. If I can 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:35.120 get a veteran guy and I know that can lead, 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.839 it's going to only help me individually as an agent. 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:40.600 It's gonna help the Baltimore Orioles too. And I think 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:42.680 y'all starting to see the fruits of that labor now. 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:46.320 Man great story. Ben McDonald is with us today. Oh 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:49.800 was broadcaster on Birdland Territory. We got more questions for 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:51.160 Ben coming up. 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:56.719 One of the things that I wasn't very good at, well, 0:09:56.720 --> 0:09:59.280 it's playing Major League Baseball. One of the things that 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:02.600 I'm really good at is sweating. Even now when I'm 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:06.600 not playing, I need hydration. 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That's qui Ncee 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:41.120 dot com slash foul for free shipping and three sixty 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:44.480 five day returns Quinns dot com slash foul. These statements 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:46.640 have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:49.680 This product is not intended to diagnose, street cure or 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:50.840 prevent any disease. 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:55.480 Ben McDonald with US Today on Birdland Territory first started 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:59.000 working those broadcasts in twenty ten and became a full 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:02.360 time member of the broadcast crew in twenty eighteen. And 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:06.480 I think Ben all Oriol fans know you're you're prepared. 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:10.040 You know the data, you know the new stats, you 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.640 know the old stats, you know the guys. I mean, 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:14.360 you do a great job, and you have a way 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:19.040 of presenting it that doesn't talk over anybody's head. I mean, 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:22.839 it's just a great job. You're very popular as a broadcaster. 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:22.920 As you know. 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:27.360 How do you balance being critical at times and you 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:31.040 do that too and still having the line of communication 0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:32.440 open with the clubhouse. 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:37.600 Yeah. Look, it's a that's a great question. And that's 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:43.320 the difficulty in what we do as former players. And 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.199 I tell people, and people say, what's the hardest thing 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:47.520 for you? And I always say the hardest thing for 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:51.880 me is remembering how difficult this game is. Because where 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:55.960 I sit now, the game looks easy, and I always 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:57.959 go back to my time. Although it's been a while, 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.640 I remember how difficult this game. Yes, always have it 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.920 in the back of my mind, you know. And I 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:06.760 think that's the advantage that I have over played by 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:09.400 play guys and other people that's never played the game before. 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:13.520 I know how difficult and how frustrating the game of 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:16.600 baseball can be. I know how things can get sideways 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.079 with teams that are supposed to win. I know how 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.040 overachieving happens. Sometimes the teams come out of nowhere. It's 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:24.160 just the game of baseball. We see crazy things all 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.120 the time. So that's the advantage I have on this. 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.400 But I always try to remember how difficult this game is, 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:33.400 because where I sit now, it does look pretty easy, 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:35.840 and it's it's not. You know, and so, But I 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:39.440 think from a credibility standpoint, as you guys know the 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:43.160 Baltimore fan base, they understand the game of baseball. They 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:45.120 know the game of baseball. When I go around and 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:46.960 do ball games, always keep in the back of my 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:49.560 mind you can't pull the wool over people's eyes. And 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:52.480 I've always tried to be honest about what I'm seeing. 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:54.840 But I never try to mean a player, and I 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:58.120 won't ever demean a player, especially with the Orioles in 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:01.120 any way or for him. I might say Henderson probably 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:02.800 should have caught that ball, and if you would ask 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:04.400 him after the ball game, he would tell you he 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:06.360 probably should have caught that ball. But that's a play 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:08.640 that needs to be made at the big league level. 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:11.400 Things like that, you know, But you got to be 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.240 honest about what you're seeing because If you're not honest 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:16.320 as an analyst about what you're seeing, I think you 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:19.640 lose your credibility with the audience that's out there because 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.040 it's not always Roses. It's not we know this game. 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.160 And look, the Oriels have stunk it up many times 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:27.520 this year, but they've also played well many times this 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:29.560 year as well, And so I just try to be 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.199 honest about what I'm seeing. I don't talk over people 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:36.160 head people's head sea because I can't. I'm not that educated. 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:38.880 I only got five semesters in at LSA, so I 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:41.480 can't talk over people's head. I like to keep the 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:43.600 game soup. And I'll give you all a quick story. 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:47.120 When I was first started doing this back in two 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:49.360 thousand and two thousand and one, it was Cox Sports 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.880 Television here LSU games were on Cox Sports Television and 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:55.560 there was no SEC Network or that kind of stuff. 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:57.800 And I ran to an older lady in Walmart right 0:13:57.800 --> 0:13:59.720 here in my hometown of Dennis Springs, and she goes 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.240 sow and someone. I said, yes, ma'am, I am. She 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:04.679 goes you do the game Israelisu. I said, yes, ma'am, 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:07.640 I do. She said, I love the way you call 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.960 the ball game, and I said, well, listen, I'm trying 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:12.960 to figure this out because I didn't know anything about 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:15.240 broadcasting when I got into and I still today, I'm 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:17.800 still trying to figure it out. But she's like, no, 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.240 I understand what you say because when you say it, 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.160 you keep the game simple. And she said, I don't 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.000 know anything about baseball, but when you talk about the 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:30.480 game of baseball, I understand what you're saying. And that 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:34.080 was like my AHA moment in broadcasting many years ago, 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:36.960 and I went, you know what, those are the people 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:39.360 I'm going far. We could complicate this game and I 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:41.800 can talk about force balls and all kind of weird 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:44.320 stuff and analytical world and all that, and I feel 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:46.200 like you lose viewers when you do that. There's a 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:48.360 certain percentage of people that do like that concept. But 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:50.960 my goal was always I'm going to keep the game 0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:54.520 simple where everybody understands the game of baseball, because that's 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:56.720 the person I'm going for. I'm going for the person 0:14:57.040 --> 0:14:58.960 that's turning the TV on that's new to the game 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:01.600 of baseball, and I want to all people in to 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.240 the wonderful game of baseball. And that's why I've always 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.160 tried to keep it as simple as possible. Yes, I 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:10.000 do dabble, and you guys probably know by now I'm 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:13.040 not a huge analytical guy, although I do dabble in it. 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:16.200 I think there are I think there are really cool 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.840 things about the analytical world, Like I love the fact 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.400 now that that I'll know in my time. I go 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.080 back when we used to face Nolan Ryan and Batters 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:26.040 would come back to the dugout after striking out and 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.160 they go, gosh, dang, the Paul just feels like it's rising, 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.640 like it's it's upshooting. Well, now we know that Nolan 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:35.240 probably had a high spin rate fastball, and obviously he 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:38.760 threw hard, but he's probably spun it perfectly end over end, 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:40.920 and it had that good carry through the zone. So 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:43.480 now I feel like I'm in a perfect world to 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.120 be an analyst because I didn't play in the analytical world, 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:49.120 but I remember what guys would say, and I remember 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:51.240 certain guys, and now I can kind of take the 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:54.480 data that's out there now remember and go, yes, that's 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:57.600 what made Mike Messina special because me and Sunfliffe used 0:15:57.640 --> 0:15:58.880 to sit on the bench all the time and Mike 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:01.320 would throw two zero heaters at ninety four right down 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:03.120 the middle of guys would swing under and pop it up, 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:04.560 but we'd look at each other and go, how the 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:06.480 hell's he getting away with that? I throw a two 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.040 zero heater at ninety six and it goes four hundred 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:12.360 feet right down the middle, but Moose right over the top. 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.240 Go look at the highlights right over the top. Spun 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:16.800 the baseball end over end perfectly, and he had that 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:20.280 ride through the zone. Moose had a high spin rate fastball. 0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:22.200 So now a lot of the data that I see 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:23.800 now and all the things I can go back at 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.280 my time and go, yes, it makes sense to me. 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.120 Yeah, Ben, you have the advantage of getting to watch 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:32.880 some guys in college too, along with the pro game. 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:35.600 Just on the pitching side of things, What do you 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:39.720 think kids today are doing better and on the other 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:42.480 side worse than maybe say your generation, Because I know 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:44.320 when I got the triple A my last year, I 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:46.240 felt like I was playing a completely different game. The 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:48.880 way they were explaining things, like you said, with the analytics, 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:50.760 it just felt like a different game and it made 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.680 me almost feel self conscious about what I was doing. 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:55.800 What do you see now that these kids are doing 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:59.080 that's better than say your generation? My generation, and what 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:01.520 would you say they could improve on based off what 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:04.000 you get to see on the nightly basis on both 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:05.040 college and the pro level. 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:07.959 Yeah, I mean, whatever happens at the pro level, I've 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.760 said this for years, it trickles down to the college level. 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:13.840 It always does. Everything trickles down to the college level 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:18.480 from the MLB level. I think there's good and bad 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:21.560 in pitching. Right now, I'm still not a fan of 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:25.280 Max's effort every pitch, no matter what the situation is. 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:28.280 I'm not a fan of that. You'll never convince me 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:31.840 that that's not causing injuries in our game. I'm just 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:35.320 not You guys heard me tell this story before. But 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:38.040 in my time, if ten pitchers got hurt, it was 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.919 nine shoulders and one elbow. Now you go back, if 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:44.119 ten pictures gets hurt the last ten years, it feels 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:49.040 like it's nine elbows and it's one shoulder injury. Now, 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:51.720 Dick Devy out to that is we know more about 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:53.960 the shoulder now. You talk to doctors, and you talk 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:57.719 to physical therapists, you talk to trainers at big league level, 0:17:57.760 --> 0:17:59.840 they'll tell you we know how to keep the show 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:01.719 are in shape a little bit more than what we 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:04.440 did twenty or thirty years ago. But we're still blowing 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:07.240 out elbows. Why are we blowing out we elbows? You'll 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.320 never convince me. It's not max effort. It's not trying 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:13.639 to chase spins and shapes and what we torque and 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:15.720 how we torque our elbow and the things that we do. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.440 But and it's also max effort on VLO. You guys 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:22.760