WEBVTT - The Right Angle 0:00:00.000 --> 0:00:02.680 Hey, this is Bryce Harper and welcome to the Philly Show. 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:20.560 Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show with Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:24.280 Jim Saulisbury, Todd's a lucky It's Monday, August nineteenth, twenty 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:27.560 twenty four. Fellas, Uh, hey did you? 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:30.200 First of all, did you miss me? Because the last. 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:31.120 Week we missed you. 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:32.599 We missed you on Friday. 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:39.520 Curious see, I was doing some kind of charity thing. 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:41.760 I don't know what else doing hold on assignment. 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.440 You're helping people, helping people, just like Jim. 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:46.240 Was on a center right now, that's right. 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:47.440 On disclosed location. 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:56.320 Super secret, super secret Jim, super secret Jim on. Remember 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:58.320 bat gass when they used to take the guy to 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:02.000 the bat cave and have to spray with gas so 0:01:02.000 --> 0:01:02.920 we wouldn't know where he was. 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:09.160 Remember that, That's what you had to do that with us, 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:10.480 and we didn't know where you were. 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:14.080 The angle boy going to work. 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:17.080 The angle boy. That's yes, you were once known as 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.200 the angle boy. I was coming up with an angle. 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:27.199 I it was a compliment, man, I I I think, 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.319 I I think, I don't. I don't know if it's 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:31.920 me or Ed Wade dubbed that on you the angle boy, 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:36.400 always taking an angle, looking for an angle. 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:39.520 That was good. I loved it. You should take it 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:43.320 as a compliment. You were the angle boy, amongst other things. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.120 You were a different type of a scout at times 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:49.280 too very good. 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:51.760 Yeah, you know this is actually Ruben You mcgra made 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:55.600 a great segue speaking of angle because uh uh, David 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.600 Montgomery was honored this week. We're going to get into 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:59.560 all of the weekend stuff in a second, but I 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:02.160 just I do want to touch on this first. David 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:05.240 Montgomery was honored placed on the Wall of Fame, and 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:08.600 they named the angled wall in left centered field, which 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.200 was his idea because he wanted to create action and 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:15.600 it certainly did. They named it Monty's Angle. So you 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:19.840 guys have any thoughts on just naming that wall after 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:21.919 David and just David getting on the Wall of Fame. 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:23.680 I mean, Jim and I we talked about it a 0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:24.919 lot on Friday. 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:27.079 It's cool week. 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:31.880 I mean, first of all, Monty obviously was his nickname, 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:35.880 and for them to honor him in that way pretty 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:39.639 darn special. I mean, he was a special man, and 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.359 I think everybody knows what he meant to me as 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:47.520 a person. And as a mentor and a leader. I 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.360 mean he basically in a lot of ways hired me twice, 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.240 once with Ed Wade when I became the assistant GM, 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:59.919 but again and I think they sort of collaborated on that, 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:04.880 and then again when Pat Gaelick was decided to retire 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:08.360 and I became the GM. And David was just a 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:11.359 great mentor, a great person. And I can't say enough 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:14.560 positive things about what he meant to the organization, what 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:18.600 he meant to Philadelphia, and what he meant to a 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:22.480 lot of people around baseball. Because MLB is a better 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:24.960 place because of David Montgomery. It's as simple as that. 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:28.600 I think Rob Manford would say the same thing that 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:34.000 in a lot of ways, David's influence permeated throughout the game. 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:37.720 It was a fun weekend seeing all those guys. Yeah, 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:38.840 go ahead, Jim No. 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:41.520 I just thought it was very cool to see them 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:45.120 name that part of the stadium Monte's Angle, because he 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.520 was so impactful in designing that area of the stadium, 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:51.560 designing the stadium, spearheading the building of the stadium, which 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.760 you know, was a complete game changer for this franchise, 0:03:55.840 --> 0:04:00.720 and it still is. You look at the impact the 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:07.160 fans have playoff games Game six and seven last year. Notwithstanding, 0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:09.920 people still love coming to that place, love making a 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:11.240 lot of noise, and they love when they have a 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:16.880 winning product on the field. And so yeah, it was 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.960 really Uh, it was great to see David get what 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:22.320 I thought was a very worthy honor. I think he 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:25.680 belongs up there with all the franchise icons because I 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:28.320 believe he was one of them. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.640 It's a cool weekend. It was fun to see, you know, 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:33.080 had a chance to talk with like Brad Ledge and 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:35.480 Chew ch and Ran and Aaron Rohan a little bit 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.400 and Rubin. You saw all those guys probably in the 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:41.200 suite and with all the cool alumni activities that were 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:43.719 going on. It was a very fun weekend. Could have 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:47.960 been a perfect weekend. But the Phillies lose on Sunday, 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:54.120 and the thing everybody's talking about, guys is the ninth 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:58.200 inning Billies are down two runs. They get the leadoff 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:01.039 guy on, but bring the tiny man to the plate 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.360 and Cal Stevenson grounds into a double play and Garrett 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:08.080 Stubbs grounds out to end the game. And afterwards, Rob 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:12.720 Thompson has asked what about Bryce Harper and J. T. 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.280 Real Muto, They're sitting on the bench, he says, not 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:17.080 using him there, and it gave him a day off. 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:19.840 And I'm thinking about the long term here, and uh, 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:22.120 you know, I understand a lot of the moves the 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:24.560 managers makes, but this one is kind of a head scratch, 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:29.160 or at least keeping holding Harper in the dugout not 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:33.000 using him. I you know, I think I would have 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.839 used him in one of those two spots. Am I. 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.279 I don't think I'm out of line? But am I 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:40.360 missing something? Am I missing the angle here? 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:47.360 What do you got, Jim I, I don't think you're 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.080 missing the angle. I think it was a major part 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:54.880 of the story. If the story of that game, also 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:59.560 with the bullpen giving it up late bullpen is I 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:04.039 would say concern what we've seen, But I think you 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:05.560 think there's a lot to it. Yeah, I would have 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.080 loved to have seen Bryce Harper grew up there against 0:06:08.120 --> 0:06:10.800 the right hander and have a hack with a man 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:14.520 on base. And you know, the old school in me 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:16.800 believes if you have a uniform on, you should be 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:20.200 ready to or you should be eligible or ready to 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:25.120 contribute and compete that day. But I also understand the 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:30.359 way the game is played now with sports science and 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:34.719 the emphasis on things like recovery and the emphasis on 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:39.719 manager player communication, communication being the most important job that 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:43.599 a manager has. You know, I believe these off days 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:47.919 were probably planned out previously, several days in advance, with 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:50.359 a mind toward getting them two days off before a 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:52.640 thirteen game stretch where Harper's not going to probably sit 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:56.320 at all and JD might sit once. So they wanted 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:59.320 to follow through on those off days, especially with JT 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.280 keeping him fresh. If you pinch hit one of them, 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:03.840 there is a chance they have to go in the field. 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:05.680 Very It would have been very hard for me not 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:07.760 to send Hopper up there, though, because I'm trying to 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:12.440 finish a weekend with a four game sweep, and you know, 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:15.400 he's obviously a lethal hitter can change things with one swing. 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:21.280 I just firmly believe Rob Thompson puts a real premium 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:24.320 on communication and a real premium premium on his wood, 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:28.000 and I'm sure he told these guys in the days 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:32.720 before that you're getting Sunday. You're getting Sunday off, no 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.560 offense or butts, and that affects their entire day from 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:37.120 the time they get out of bed and the time 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:39.600 they show up to the ballpark, how they go through 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:42.800 their pregame stretch, if they even do that. So if 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:45.720 they're available and thinking they might pinch hit, they're getting 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:48.800 a stretch, They're getting time in the batting cage throughout 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:51.240 that game. And it's not really a day off. It's 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:55.160 not really what the organization wants. It's not really what Thompson, 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:59.440 his staff and sports science people have probably prescribed. So 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:01.680 I just I just think there's an awful lot to 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.880 it beyond just in the moment, grab a bat and 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.200 go up there, and I think they're looking. I think 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.600 maybe their mindset is different if they don't have this cushion. 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:13.680 But I'm not saying I agree with the decision. I 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:15.560 would have been very tempted to say, Bryce, go aheit 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.600 a home run. But I understand it. I understand how 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:20.480 the game operates these days. 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:24.000 I think you hit the nail right on the head, Jim. 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:26.320 I don't think there's any question about it, except I 0:08:26.320 --> 0:08:29.480 don't agree with any of it, absolutely zero of it, 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:32.120 because if you have a chance to win a baseball 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:35.679 game that day, I understand why they did it. I 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:37.760 don't agree with it, and I don't have to agree 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.199 with it, because I believe that if you have a 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:43.040 chance to win a baseball game, especially at this time 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.120 of the year, you've got to use your best players 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:48.240 in the right situations. And in that case, that was 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:50.679 one of the cases. Very very rarely do I ever 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:54.280 disagree with Rob Thompson. I think that there's always a 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:56.360 plan and there's a reason. As you said, Jim, I 0:08:56.360 --> 0:09:00.000 think that's probably there's a reason. Could Bryce Harper twet 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:04.319 something because he's not as prepared could JT. JT's not 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.400 really a great pinch hitter. I think Hister hitting numbers 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:10.080 are not very good at all. I have to go 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:12.880 back and look at those. Perhaps that's just not his 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:15.080 ability to do that role. 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:16.040 That's not his thing. 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:19.080 That said, I would still have thrown both of those 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:23.360 guys up there instead of Stevenson and Stubbs because you 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:25.360 got a much better chance of winning the baseball game 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.160 with those two guys. In my opinion, I don't have 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:31.240 to agree with everything that Rob Thompson does. I love 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.440 everything about the guy, and I think he's a phenomenal manager. 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:37.600 I just think in this case, I would utilize every 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.079 one of my resources to try to win the baseball game, 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:43.800 especially when knowing that I have a day off today 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:48.920 being Monday, and you know we've got a big series 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.320 coming up. I understand, but it's been great to be 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:53.640 able to have some momentum going into that series, and 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:56.760 bigger momentum than you have already after winning three out 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:02.080 of four from the Washington Nationals. I understand it. I 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.080 don't agree with it. I just I just I know 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:05.840 that they have to go through their routines and do 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:09.560 all that kind of stuff, but they're paid in an 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:12.000 or exorbitant amount of money to be prepared for a game, 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:14.599 to play that game. And I understand that it's a 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.200 day off and that is important to them. They don't 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:19.280 get a lot of days off, especially these guys, and 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.880 they probably won't down the stretch because the games could 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:24.800 become more and more important. But this is every bit 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:27.880 is an important game, and I just feel like those 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:29.800 those both those guys should have been utilized. 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:32.040 I I agree with you. I said, I would have 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:34.360 been extremely tempted to throw Bryce Harper up there, and 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:36.280 I think if you're in uniform, you need to be 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:39.080 thinking that I can help my team today. I just 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:41.200 think there's just so much more to this, even behind it, 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:45.520 beyond the manager. I think I agree organization and they're 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:48.960 gonna be Rob Thompson. One thing we've learned about Rob Thompson, 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:52.760 he is so committed to his word. When he gives 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.480 a player his word, he tells him on Friday night, 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:58.480 on their way out the door, you're gonna get Sunday off. 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:02.760 He's sticking to that because he believes in communication, and 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:05.640 he believes in his word, and he believes that trust 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:09.280 with the player and his word is his currency in 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:13.840 that clubhouse. And I go back to last October when 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:17.719 Johann Rojas was struggling and everybody was clamoring for him 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:20.760 to be removed from the lineup in the playoffs. What 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:25.000 happened early in that offseason. Rob Thompson went to Johann 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.200 Rojas and patted mun on the back and said, relax, 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:29.800 you're my guy. You're out there all the time. And 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:32.840 I think Rob was beholden to his word at that point, 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:34.880 and that's why he's stuck with the guy, maybe to 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:39.320 the team's detriment. So Rob puts a lot of stock 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.920 in his word and the trust in the bond that 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:46.760 he builds with players through communication. Maybe it came back 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.240 to bite them yesterday. Maybe they're going to regret this 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:51.959 if they lose the home field advantage by one game. 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:54.280 I don't know, but this guy is committed to his 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:57.680 word and he's committed to keeping his big guns healthy 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:00.040 for the long haul, and that's how he chose to 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:00.360 do it. 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:03.160 So yeah, that's the thing. For me. It was like, 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:05.600 they're they have a half game lead over the Dodgers, 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.160 So man, if they would lose that home field advantage 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:10.920 and it's game seven in the NLCS a Dodger Stadium, 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.679 and you're going, you're looking back at games they could 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:15.120 have won, and there's gonna be a lot of them, 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:17.400 a lot of games that they could have won, but 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:20.080 this probably would be one game on that list of 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:23.400 ten games that they could have won. You know, Bryce 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.760 Harper is a tremendous pitch hitter. He's a tremendous hitter. JT, 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:30.439 like you said, Rubin is not a great pitcher, betted 0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:32.480 one fifty three in his career as a pinch hitter. 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.719 Bryce is like betting three seventy seven as a pinch hitter. 0:12:35.760 --> 0:12:39.080 He probably probably enjoys those moments. But JT had played 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.319 five straight games, So Robside told him, I wanted to 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:43.720 give him two straight days. Bryce has been playing a lot. 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.439 I wanted to give him two straight days. As one 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.000 of you guys said, the thirteen game stretch coming up. 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:56.400 But still so Charlie, Charlie wouldn't would not have given 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.040 definitely wouldn't given Bryce Harper the day off. This would 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:01.240 have been a mood point, would Charlie. He was known 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.800 for for, you know, riding his big boys. 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:09.160 No doubt, no doubt, and he's he'd be saying. It'd 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:11.600 be different for Charlie. Charlie be saying, Hey, he's got 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:13.120 a day off tomorrow, so. 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:16.199 You get most of it, and he got most of 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:18.560 the game off today, so throw your cleats on, get 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:19.440 ready to get out there. 0:13:21.760 --> 0:13:26.520 You were in uniform and even at the end of 0:13:26.559 --> 0:13:28.559 your GM tenure, but I think you were really more 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.679 in uniform with the Red Sox and Mets when sports 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:34.640 science really really came to the forefront. 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:39.680 Yes, I think that I think it got to the point. 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.960 I think, just like anything else in baseball, I think 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.560 that there's some ideas that are great. I think that 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.240 there's some information that they have out there that will 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:54.560 help prevent injury. I think that's really the most important 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:56.280 part of it. But I also think that there's some 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.160 things that have happened in the game that are sort 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:02.560 of detrimental. I think we've I mean, you're looking at 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:04.800 some of these new rules that they're thinking about. I mean, 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.280 we can go into this long discussion about the six 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:11.720 inning rule and starting pitchers. Well, players are not conditioned 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:15.720 to play anymore. Players are now conditioned to play. Even 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:17.360 in the minor leagues. They have a day off on Monday. 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:20.960 Every day now, I mean every Monday is a day off. 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:25.600 They players are not necessarily conditioned to play one hundred 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:32.600 and sixty two games mentally or physically. Pitchers, bullpen guys 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:36.440 are never almost never pitched back to back games in 0:14:36.480 --> 0:14:40.960 the minor leagues. Starting pitchers almost never get to seven 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:43.760 or eight or nine innings in a minor league game. 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:49.160 I think it's creating, it's creating a situation in baseball 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:55.400 where the expectation has dropped significantly. You no longer expect 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:57.920 players to do X, Y and Z. But when and 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.400 yet when they get to the major leagues, they are. 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:01.840 Expected to pitch back to back days. 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:05.360 They are expected to just throw seven innings and they're 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:09.720 not conditioned to do that. So I'm not sure. I 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.120 know that there's a lot of important science out there. 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:16.920 I'm just not sure whether it's some of it is 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:20.360 positive and some of it is detrimental. And I think 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:23.360 some of it has become detrimental in some ways because 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:27.000 the load management thing. I don't know that there's any 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:31.320 science that actually tells me that, Okay, if I take 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:34.760 ten less swings or ten less ground balls, or I 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.200 have to get off the field, does that really help 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:41.280 me not get injured? Does that really help me prepare 0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:43.480 for a major league season for one hundred and sixty 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.840 two games. I don't know. I just know that there's 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:49.280 a lot more science. I just don't know if that 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:53.120 there's any studies that actually say, hey, if we do X, 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.200 Y or Z and we back them off in this way, 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:57.600 does it make them a better player? Does it make 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:00.880 them more healthy player? I just don't think that's the case. 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:03.880 I'd like to see the evidence because I had never seen. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.880 It, and we will be right back. 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:11.280 Hey, ftfam, it's Alana Riso. I can't stop talking about viewory. 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.240 Viewry is perfect. If you are sick and tired of 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:18.400 traditional old workout gear. 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Not only will you receive twenty percent off 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.200 your first purchase, but enjoy free shipping on any US 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:56.840 orders over seventy five dollars and free returns. Go to 0:16:56.920 --> 0:17:00.160 vieory dot com slash foul and discover the versa ti 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:01.760 Viewery clothing. 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:05.280 So I want to wrap this up real quick. This 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.480 this conversation, I think we're all in agreement. We would 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:09.560 have loved to have seen Bryce Harper, should have seen 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:14.480 Bryce Harper pinchhit. The one thing I think you guys 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:17.760 can lend some expertise on is I think the average 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:21.199 fan might think that what Bryce Harper sent on the 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.639 bench for eight innings, just go grab a bat and 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:27.200 get in the batter's box, can you, guys, Rubin, I 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:32.560 mean you coached recently, that's not the process for pinch hitting. 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:33.200 Okay. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.719 So say you're Ruben Lamar Junior, you were a pinchhit 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:41.040 or you were a bench player. Okay, when do you 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.280 start getting ready for a potential pinch hitting situation in 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:46.640 the ninth inning? How how does that work? Exactly? 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:47.120 Yeah? 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:49.880 For me, and this is you know, this is way 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:51.800 back when you know it is twenty some years ago. 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.960 I would start, you know, really honing in probably around 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.159 the fifth inning. The fifth inning is when I started 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:02.280 my stretch. I'd stretch out, I'd get loose. I'd start 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:05.040 you know, mentally picturing, like you know, figuring out which 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.800 pictures are probably available, which picture I'm going to be facing. 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:11.800 I had I have the added dilemma, or not so 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:14.720 much a dilemma of being a switch hitter. So I had, 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:17.119 you know, two things going on in my head. Okay, 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:18.560 it's gonna be a right he's gonna be a lefty. 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:20.320 So I had to go and and and then get 0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:23.080 in the cage and start taking swings. Whether it was 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:25.920 you know, Kevin Jordan flipping mes, you know, little flips 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:27.680 or whoever it was. We didn't have back then. We 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:30.679 didn't have like an extra hitting coach to do it. 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:33.160 So we I would, you know, get out there and 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:35.720 get on a machine or get on a tee and 0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:38.560 you know, start doing my work and taking my swings 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.000 and doing the things that are necessary for me to 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:47.080 prepare you know, physically and mentally for my bat. So 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.520 so the whole off day thing kind of goes away 0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:54.879 because you're basically, you know, whatever your prep is, whatever 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.760 you do, whether it's a massage or whether nowadays it's 0:18:57.800 --> 0:18:58.840 a massage, it's this. 0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:00.720 It's that there's all types of stuff that goes on. 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.480 There's a there's a stretch, there's a there's all types 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:05.439 of things that are going on to prepare you to 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:06.520 play a game. 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:09.680 And that's part of the process. 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:14.800 It's even and it's even more extensive nowadays than it 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:18.040 was when I played, because there's so many more facilities 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:19.160 and things for. 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:21.040 You to be able to do to prepare for that. 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:24.880 And so yes, I understand the whole process a bit, 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:27.880 you know, and you just don't. 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:29.679 You don't grab a bat and go up there, right. 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:32.560 Yeah, that's not how it works in this day and age. 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:35.439 There's a whole you know, people have their routines and 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:37.600 they have you know, for him to be totally for 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:39.000 that player to be totally. 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:42.399 Prepared for that one A B against you know, whichever player. 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:46.480 If your manager tells you you're off today, but be 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.560 ready to pinch it, you're not off. And I think 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:53.760 that shaped Rob Thompson's thinking, mm hm, So that might be. 0:19:54.320 --> 0:19:57.399 Again, I totally agree with you. I just don't agree 0:19:57.440 --> 0:19:58.320 with that process. 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:01.479 I I agree with those play at the very least 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.840 getting themselves ready. I understand why they do it, because 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:06.880 they do want to give them the day off. I 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:10.199 just I just as a as a baseball person, I 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.000 just don't agree with the process. I do believe that 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:16.880 those players should be mentally and physically prepared in case 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:20.400 that Think about this, what if the player got injured 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:24.040 and they had to go into play. What if there's 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:27.000 a player that you know, what if Garrett Stubbs takes 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:28.840 a foul tip JT's got to. 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:29.520 Come into the game. 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:33.159 Okay, So there's other I mean there's other things that 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:36.840 have to that may happen in the game. So I actually, okay, 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:40.639 I can communication and I don't disagree. 0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:43.600 I mean, I understand why Rob. 0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:47.159 Does this because those off days are important, but there 0:20:47.160 --> 0:20:50.000 are also different factors. I mean, if Alec Bohm takes 0:20:50.000 --> 0:20:55.480 one off his elbow, Bryce Harper's coming into that game, right, Okay, 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:59.840 he's playing first base. So so there's other and I 0:20:59.880 --> 0:21:04.560 know those are you know, extreme cases, but those are cases, 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:05.800 and those things do happen. 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:10.840 I was a fan, I'd be disappointed that I didn't 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:14.120