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Speaker 1: Well, hey, Angel fans, Welcome back to Halo territory. Mike

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Speaker 1: di Giovanna, former La Times Baseball writer and host of

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Speaker 1: the show. Mark Drumbo couldn't be with us today. He's

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Speaker 1: out dropping some knowledge on some young hitters. But we

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Speaker 1: do have Sam Blum of The Athletic with us. Sam,

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Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. How you doing.

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Speaker 2: Kid, I'm just missing your better half, so we all are.

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Speaker 1: We'll have to figure out. We're just gonna have to

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Speaker 1: muddle our way through this somehow. So we have a

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Speaker 1: few things to discuss today, one of them being Sam's

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Speaker 1: recent coverage of the Rio Foster situation. But I want

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Speaker 1: to start by taking a little temperature check on our Halos.

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Speaker 1: We're about two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting

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Speaker 1: to spring training, and I don't think it's any secret

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Speaker 1: that neither Sam nor I have a very high opinion

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Speaker 1: of this team right now. But one of us thinks

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Speaker 1: this might be a historically bad season. Sam, any idea

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Speaker 1: who that might be?

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Speaker 2: Well, I mean, listen, I've already watched them have a

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Speaker 2: historically bad season two years ago when they were when

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Speaker 2: they lost ninety nine games. This is the Angels. You know,

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Speaker 2: for as bad as they've always been, at least not

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Speaker 2: always been. But you know, in recent history, they have

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Speaker 2: never lost a hundred games. I think like one of

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Speaker 2: maybe the only team to never lose a hundred games.

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Speaker 2: So they that is kind of by design. I mean,

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Speaker 2: they've always kind of given you enough to get you excited.

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Speaker 2: That is the and I would use this word before,

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Speaker 2: that's the grift. In my opinion, this time, it doesn't

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Speaker 2: really feel like there's they're they're keeping the grift, but

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Speaker 2: they're not really doing enough to put it together a

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Speaker 2: team that I think can can be competitive. Now I

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Speaker 2: always caveat that with you know, maybe some miracle happens,

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Speaker 2: but it's that the roster itself. I think one through

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Speaker 2: nine is is you know, okay in some capacity, but

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Speaker 2: it is the depth issue that to me is a serious,

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Speaker 2: serious problem. And really the bottom half of their forty

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Speaker 2: man rosters is kind of going through a waiver churn

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Speaker 2: at this point. I mean the last couple of days

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Speaker 2: they've dfa guys that you know, they claimed on waivers

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Speaker 2: earlier this offseason. So it's that's just kind of what

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Speaker 2: they're doing right now. They don't, you know, all while

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Speaker 2: keeping Anthony Rendon on the forty man roster. So I

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Speaker 2: just don't really think they have any depth in their organization.

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Speaker 2: I don't think that they're in a position to win,

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Speaker 2: you know, seventy games. I don't. I mean, I think

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Speaker 2: this could be their first one hundred last season, maybe

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Speaker 2: worse than that. I don't know. I mean, you know,

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Speaker 2: we're all speculating and guessing, but I don't think. I

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Speaker 2: don't think they've done enough to earn the benefit of

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Speaker 2: the doubt going into a season that they're going to

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Speaker 2: be winning more than sixty games.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, people who have read my coverage in the LA

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Speaker 1: Times over the last three decades may have a hard

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Speaker 1: time believing this. But I was voted class optimist in

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Speaker 1: my senior year high school back in nineteen eighty, so

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Speaker 1: I do have the capacity to look at the glasses

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Speaker 1: being half full at times. I don't think the Angels

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Speaker 1: are gonna challenge the twenty twenty four White Sox for

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Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty one lost season. Well, they lose

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Speaker 1: one hundred games, possibly, But I looked at this roster,

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Speaker 1: and even if everybody has solid to above average seasons

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Speaker 1: and stays relatively healthy, I think you were looking at

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Speaker 1: a seventy five win team, maybe an eighty win team

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Speaker 1: at the most. I mean, yeah, go ahead soon.

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Speaker 2: No, I was just gonna say. I mean, even last

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Speaker 2: year they won seventy two games, and that was with

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Speaker 2: the rotation that I don't think had a sixth starter

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Speaker 2: until like August. I mean, they were healthy. Look at

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Speaker 2: their record of one run games. I mean, they were

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Speaker 2: really good in one run games last year. I mean,

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Speaker 2: everything kind of fell apart in September, but ultimately this

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Speaker 2: team was overperforming in ways that I don't think are

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Speaker 2: sustainable on a year to year basis. And that was

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Speaker 2: a bad team last year, and they won seventy two

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Speaker 2: and ninety that's not a good record, but they did

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Speaker 2: that with winning games and one winning a lot of

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Speaker 2: one run games with the closer that's one of the

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Speaker 2: best all time. They don't have that closer anymore. And

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Speaker 2: that was, you know, with a healthy starting rotation that

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Speaker 2: you know, listen, Jack Jack o'hannowitz wasn't good right like

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Speaker 2: they were. You know, Kyle Hendricks at times was very mediocre.

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Speaker 2: I mean, this wasn't a great rotation, but it was

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Speaker 2: a healthy one and they didn't have to kind of

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Speaker 2: go into the depths of it at any point, at

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Speaker 2: least not before like September, and so this is you know,

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Speaker 2: you're looking at a rotation that I think has some

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Speaker 2: upside right now, but ultimately, like one guy gets hurt

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Speaker 2: in that and then you're probably starting forty percent year

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Speaker 2: games with someone that has little to no experience and

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Speaker 2: probably shouldn't even be in a major league rotation. So,

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Speaker 2: you know, I think there's that's where this is. You know,

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Speaker 2: and their bullpen again, the difference between in my opinion,

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Speaker 2: that White Sox team that you alluded to and even

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Speaker 2: the Rockies team last year that was very similarly bad.

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Speaker 2: The difference between those teams and the Angels, I think

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Speaker 2: is a semi competent bullpen. I think they have some

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Speaker 2: pieces there that could end up being decent. You know,

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Speaker 2: I underd stand trading brock Burke was maybe for the

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Speaker 2: best in terms of getting a you know, controllable outfielder,

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Speaker 2: which they needed, but you're also losing one of your

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Speaker 2: most reliable relievers in exchange for guys who don't have

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Speaker 2: you know, track records last season outside of Drew pomer

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Speaker 2: and so, and he's gonna be like thirty nine, I

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Speaker 2: think so Ultimately, I think the bullpen is a is

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Speaker 2: a fifty to fifty kind of situation at this point,

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Speaker 2: but does seem to me to be a little bit

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Speaker 2: better on paper than maybe some of those teams that

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Speaker 2: really really, really really were horribly bad and were that

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Speaker 2: bad because they blew a lot of games late. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I took a deeper dive into the roster this week,

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Speaker 1: and I looked at what the Angels have right now,

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Speaker 1: and I thought, if every one of these guys had

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Speaker 1: like a career year, right there's maybe two guys on

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Speaker 1: the team who, with their career years, might garner MVP votes.

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Speaker 1: Certainly Mike Trout he's won three of the awards already.

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Speaker 1: Maybe Joe Adell if he you know, Bills on his

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Speaker 1: breakout season last year, raises his ops, lowers his strikeouts

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Speaker 1: a bit. And then after those two, there's a handful

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Speaker 1: of guys who I think could make an All Star team,

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Speaker 1: you know, Zach Netto Kakuchi, Maybe Alex Manoa or Kirby

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Speaker 1: Yates because they did make All Star teams a few

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Speaker 1: years ago. Maybe Jorge Solaire because he's only three years

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Speaker 1: removed from his last All Star team. But I look

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Speaker 1: at the track record of these guys and it just

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Speaker 1: doesn't warrant much optimism for me. Now that being said,

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Speaker 1: I do see a couple of wild cards who if

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Speaker 1: things swing right for the Angels, you know, maybe they

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Speaker 1: can make the difference of five or six wins. Grayson

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Speaker 1: Rodriguez being the biggest one. You know, this is the

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Speaker 1: kid they got from the Orioles. For Taylor Ward, everyone

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Speaker 1: seems to think he has the stuff to be a

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Speaker 1: number two, maybe even a number one, but he hasn't

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Speaker 1: pitched in a year and a half because of his

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Speaker 1: oillibile problems, so he obviously has to stay healthy. Then

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Speaker 1: there's two big wildcards in the bullpen for me. Ben

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Speaker 1: Joyce clearly has the stuff to be an elite closer

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Speaker 1: that the kid throws one hundred to one hundred and five,

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Speaker 1: but he is he just cannot stay healthy. I think

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Speaker 1: throwing one hundred to one oh five has something to

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Speaker 1: do with that. And then Robert Stevenson, I think, even

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Speaker 1: in the few innings we saw last year, he can

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Speaker 1: be a pretty darn good setup man, but once again,

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Speaker 1: hasn't been healthy for two solid seasons. Now you just

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Speaker 1: can't count on these guys, what are you seeing along

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Speaker 1: these lines?

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Speaker 2: I mean, I don't I don't think Joyce will. You know,

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Speaker 2: it's not determined this and you know, but I don't

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Speaker 2: think the expectation is he's going to be on the

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Speaker 2: opening day roster. He's still hurt, I think, and so

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Speaker 2: you know, I mean again, these are injuries that you

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Speaker 2: don't know how long they're going to really where they're at.

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Speaker 2: And the Angels, with their lack of transparency on these topics,

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Speaker 2: tend to you know, make that guessing game a little

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Speaker 2: more complicated. So but I don't think the feeling right

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Speaker 2: now is that Joyce is going to be on the

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Speaker 2: opening day roster because he's, you know, coming back from

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Speaker 2: his injury. And I think Joyce has some optimism. I

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Speaker 2: talked him earlier this offseason and he sounded pretty happy

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Speaker 2: about kind of where things were. But you know, that

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Speaker 2: was a few months ago and and you know it's

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Speaker 2: still was a process. So we'll see. But you know,

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Speaker 2: I mean, I agree with you, like then that is

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Speaker 2: the case every year with the Angels, right Like you

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Speaker 2: could always be like, well if this guy, this guy,

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Speaker 2: this guy is you know, to me, the biggest wild

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Speaker 2: card is going to be Mike Trout as it as

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Speaker 2: it just has to be at this point. I mean,

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Speaker 2: Mike Trout at the end of last year was playing

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Speaker 2: at a level that probably shouldn't even have him in

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Speaker 2: a major league starting lineup. He was just not good

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Speaker 2: at the you know, from I would say early August

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Speaker 2: to about the last week of September, his very last week.

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Speaker 2: He was very good, but I mean he was straight

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Speaker 2: he was just not doing any I mean, he didn't

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Speaker 2: in a home run for like a full month. I mean,

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Speaker 2: he wasn't. He was striking out way too much so

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Speaker 2: and he wasn't playing the outfield, so he's not he

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Speaker 2: wasn't contributing in that way. So to me, I don't

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Speaker 2: think Mike Trout was that player that we saw from

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Speaker 2: August to uh, you know, middle of September last year.

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Speaker 2: But I also don't know as he where he is

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Speaker 2: at at all really in terms of being a superstar

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Speaker 2: caler player. And then you know, I think he's going

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Speaker 2: to be thirty four in August, right, so you know

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Speaker 2: what it is, right, this is the way, this is

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Speaker 2: what happens. You know, I'm going to be thirty three

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Speaker 2: in September. I understood this. It's what it is. And

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Speaker 2: I just to me the question is Mike Trout. Is

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Speaker 2: that guy going to be anywhere close to a middle

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Speaker 2: of the order Mike Trout type player because he's right now,

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Speaker 2: he's name only. I mean, that's just the reality of it.

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Speaker 2: And that is enough, I think at times to get

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Speaker 2: him on base, draw a lot of walks, you know,

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Speaker 2: you know, get some pitches to hit where he's gonna

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Speaker 2: clock him over the fence. But where where does that

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Speaker 2: leave you in terms of being a guy who's gonna

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Speaker 2: get on base, that's going to have some speed, that's

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Speaker 2: going to be able to play the outfield, like be

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Speaker 2: a real well rounded player in some capacity. And I

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Speaker 2: think this is an issue for them right now. So

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Speaker 2: and you mentioned Soilaire. It creates this other problem where

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Speaker 2: again he's a wildcard player. For me, he's a contract here.

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Speaker 2: Perry's continuously brought up. You know, he's done well in

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Speaker 2: contract years, but I think he's thirty five. You know,

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Speaker 2: he's never been thirty five in a contract year before.

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Speaker 2: So again he's and then you know, he can't really

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Speaker 2: play the outfield on a full time basis in any capacity.

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Speaker 2: But can Mike Trout and if they both can't, can

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Speaker 2: they both play? How do you navigate these things are

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Speaker 2: big questions to me. Can you know, then you have

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Speaker 2: Joe A. Dell and center where he's a net negative

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Speaker 2: defensive player and center can will come there a net

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Speaker 2: positive and right field? But can you put Trout in

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Speaker 2: center because he's gonna be he's been your right fielder.

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Speaker 2: They're kind of in a little bit of a conundrum

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Speaker 2: with that issue, and I don't think it's really talked

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Speaker 2: about enough how they navigate that, and then you know

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Speaker 2: they just like a wayde Meckler. I don't know who

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Speaker 2: they're going to really have in you know, center, and

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Speaker 2: how they're going to you know, deal with that. I

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Speaker 2: assume the plan now is Adele some capacity or you know,

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Speaker 2: Josh Lowe or Bryce Daodosio. But I you know, it's

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Speaker 2: it's a problem how they're going to navigate that outfield.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's uh, it's obviously been a while since Mike

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Speaker 1: Trout has had what we consider a Mike Trout yere

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Speaker 1: are we almost to the point now where I hate

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Speaker 1: to even think of this, but is Mike Trout Do

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Speaker 1: we expect Mike Trout to be the guy that he's

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Speaker 1: been for the last few years, and that'll never you know,

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Speaker 1: become even a semblance of Mike Trout again. That would

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Speaker 1: be a huge shame obviously stra Angel fans and for Mike.

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Speaker 1: But man, are we resigned to to getting the Mic

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Speaker 1: Trout that we've had for these last few years.

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Speaker 2: I think the Angels need to figure I think in

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Speaker 2: Trout and the Angels to kind of figure out a

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Speaker 2: way to make the most of the situation. I mean,

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Speaker 2: there's there is a He's not like, he's not just

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Speaker 2: forgotten how to play baseball. I think that some of

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Speaker 2: the skill sets that he had have not aged well right,

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Speaker 2: like playing the field, running the bases necessarily, or even

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Speaker 2: being able to catch up to fastballs, which has always

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Speaker 2: been an issue but has become more of an issue,

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Speaker 2: especially those high fastballs. So you know, what do you

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Speaker 2: how do you navigate that? How do you how do

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Speaker 2: you you know, try to counteract the way teams are

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Speaker 2: going to approach you. I mean, that's something he needs

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Speaker 2: to figure out in a big way. I assuming, knowing

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Speaker 2: Mike as you know Mike, like, I'm sure that is

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Speaker 2: He's not He's not naive to these issues. I'm sure

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Speaker 2: he's very, very proactive in addressing them in some capacity.

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Speaker 2: It's just a matter of, you know, what does this

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Speaker 2: look like. He's got five more years on this very

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Speaker 2: expensive contract. They need to figure out a way. He

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Speaker 2: needs to figure out a way to make those valuable years.

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Speaker 2: Otherwise it's going to be a long and painful, drawn

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Speaker 2: out process that I don't think we'll ever get to,

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Speaker 2: like the Rendown level of kind of you know, angst,

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Speaker 2: but it will become. You know, it's not comfortable for

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Speaker 2: anybody either. I mean, this is you never want to

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Speaker 2: see your superstar age slowly in this way. That becomes

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Speaker 2: a detriment to the team. And I don't think that's

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Speaker 2: where we're at at any at all. But you know,

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Speaker 2: you look about five more years, I think that's that

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Speaker 2: has to be, you know, and what we saw at

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Speaker 2: the end of last season. I mean, I just think

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Speaker 2: you can't rule these things out. You have to be proactive.

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Speaker 2: You can't just be like he's going to show up

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Speaker 2: to spring training and it's all going to be good again,

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Speaker 2: because that has not been the case since twenty twenty

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Speaker 2: two really or even twenty two.

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Speaker 1: There are two more weeks left in the winter, there

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Speaker 1: are there is time to make moves. John Hayman tweeted

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Speaker 1: just the other day a list of very fine pitchers

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Speaker 1: who are still available Framburg Baldez of course, Zach Gallon,

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Speaker 1: Chris Bassett, Zach Lettel. From what I've seen though, the

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Speaker 1: Angels have only been mentioned with two of these guys,

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Speaker 1: Zach Gallon and Zach Lttel. I mean, at this point,

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Speaker 1: can you see this team sam making any kind of

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Speaker 1: moves to improve the roster.

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Speaker 2: I mean, listen, you get Zach Allen. That's a good gut.

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Speaker 2: I don't think it makes a winning team, but it

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Speaker 2: makes you close. It makes you a better team, right,

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Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's for sure. Let's say he hadn't

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Speaker 2: have the best year last year, a Gallon, but he's

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Speaker 2: he's he's yeah, he's Zac Gallen like he's he's a

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Speaker 2: very good major league pitcher. But I don't know, I mean,

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Speaker 2: you know, I think the other issue that people don't

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Speaker 2: I mean, there are there are two reasons in my opinion,

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Speaker 2: that the Angels don't really sign a lot of free agents,

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Speaker 2: and maybe this year it has more to do with

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Speaker 2: their lack of a desire to sign anyone for any

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Speaker 2: major money. But I think that teams, no matter who

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Speaker 2: they signed, they're gonna have to do They're gonna have

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Speaker 2: to overpay what other teams will have to pay for

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Speaker 2: those same players. I think that's where I think the

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Speaker 2: Angels are. I don't think players are like I want

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Speaker 2: to go play in Anaheim, outside of guys who are

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Speaker 2: like I'd like to go be close to home on

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Speaker 2: the West Coast in a low pressure environment. But anybody

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Speaker 2: that's like looking to win, especially good players, like good

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Speaker 2: free agents, they're not coming in. They're not looking to

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Speaker 2: go to Anaheim because the Angels are are are a

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Speaker 2: mess on the field, and they are a mess off

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Speaker 2: the field, you know, in a lot of ways. And

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Speaker 2: I think people are are are becoming way more aware

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Speaker 2: of that in recent years. And and you know, it's

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Speaker 2: not a it's not an attractive option for for teams.

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Speaker 2: I just don't think I think that is playing a

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Speaker 2: role in some of this, you know, but it's also

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Speaker 2: probably you know, it's like probably plays a role in

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Speaker 2: why they don't get like a Nolan Arena, who they

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Speaker 2: probably would have been willing to trade for. You know,

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Speaker 2: maybe that's kind of been the line. And and you know,

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Speaker 2: I think what was it a couple of years ago,

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Speaker 2: it was like labor tourists didn't want to sign here.

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Speaker 2: So don't quote me on that. I question even said,

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Speaker 2: I can't report that independently or anything, but that's kind

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Speaker 2: of been the talk. And so I think that these

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Speaker 2: issues are going to arise, and so yes, get exact Allen,

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Speaker 2: be great, exactly tell also fine getting any of those

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Speaker 2: guys that Tyler Anderson again, anybody would be fine because

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Speaker 2: you know, you don't have to stick Caden Dana in

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Speaker 2: their rotation right now. I'm not saying he can't do it,

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Speaker 2: but I think that's you know, we saw him pitching

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Speaker 2: the big leagues. He wasn't ready for it, so he's

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Speaker 2: still so young. And so you know, part of the

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Speaker 2: issue the Angels have is a lot of these guys

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Speaker 2: on their forty man roster. They are prospects who are

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Speaker 2: probably not ready for the big leagues, but they have

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Speaker 2: been called up early to fill innings in the bullpen.

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Speaker 2: Sam Alte, Gary cad and Dana, Ryan Johnson, things like

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Speaker 2: guys like that, who now you know, they're on your

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Speaker 2: forty man so you are you are kind of working

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Speaker 2: with those guys, and you know, that's why they are

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Speaker 2: having to dfa some guys who might be some good

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Speaker 2: depth pieces for them, like Wade Deckler and as Waldobdo

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Speaker 2: the last few the last few hours. So not saying

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Speaker 2: they're they're program changing, franchise changing players, but these are

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Speaker 2: the kinds of decisions that accumulate and when you have

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Speaker 2: to start making them, you lose your depth, you lose

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Speaker 2: your ability to to really put together a competitive team.

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Speaker 2: And I think like the Angels, we've seen it the

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Speaker 2: last few days with the you know, prospect rankings. I

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Speaker 2: think the athletic aadem of twenty ninth in the ESPN

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Speaker 2: this morning, adem at twenty seventh, to lose this many

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Speaker 2: years in a row and to never really improve your

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Speaker 2: prospect situation in a substantive ways a just a poor

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Speaker 2: reflection on everybody involved.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I do think Arty Marino with a team owner

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Speaker 1: could generate some goodwill among these fans if if they

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Speaker 1: would just do anything, make a move or two to

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Speaker 1: make it look like they're trying right. But then they

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Speaker 1: look at it us like, is one or two players

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Speaker 1: you know short of show hey Otani going to turn

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Speaker 1: this team? You know, from a seventy win team to

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Speaker 1: a to an eighty win team or a playoff contender.

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Speaker 1: I don't think so. So you could almost argue that,

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Speaker 1: you know, why would already spend twenty million, thirty million,

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Speaker 1: you know, add that much to their payroll to a

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Speaker 1: team that has no chance to win when they're already

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Speaker 1: losing millions with this really bad TV deal they're in

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Speaker 1: right now.

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Speaker 2: So to me, it's like credit to the Angels, though,

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Speaker 2: I mean, this is a miss. This is a position

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Speaker 2: they have put themselves and so you're right, just signing

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Speaker 2: one or two guys do anything does nothing for them. Really,

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Speaker 2: they've done that. They have done that, Like I said,

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Speaker 2: they've done that for years where they have done enough

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Speaker 2: to get people a little bit excited and then let

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Speaker 2: them down by the time you get to August. That is,

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Speaker 2: you know, now, what we're seeing is they do even

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Speaker 2: less and now they're letting people down them by the

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Speaker 2: time they get to May. That's the only difference right now.

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Speaker 2: It's not there's no substance of change. I think the

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Speaker 2: problem is what would make fans happy, in my opinion,

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Speaker 2: is when you get to the when you get to

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Speaker 2: the beginning of August and you're not doing well. Trade

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Speaker 2: away the guys that aren't going to, you know, get

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Speaker 2: people excited with some of these prospects. Put a position,

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Speaker 2: put people in place that are going to develop those prospects.

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Speaker 2: Let them get to the point where they're ready to

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Speaker 2: get to the big leagues, and not rust them up here.

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Speaker 2: Watch them stink and then they never get better because

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Speaker 2: you've because you have failed them. And I mean that

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Speaker 2: is I think they're so fortunate to have had Zach

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Speaker 2: netto really and I don't want to. You know, whatever

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Speaker 2: the angel have done with Zach, if they've gotten up

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Speaker 2: to this point, I will give them all the credit

390
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Speaker 2: in the world because I think he is a budding

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Speaker 2: superstar player. I think Shanewell probably is under an underrated player.

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Speaker 2: I mean, he needs to improve certain areas of his game,

393
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Speaker 2: but he's a good major league player. The problem is

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Speaker 2: everything else. They don't make any decisions that actually get

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Speaker 2: you to the point where you are going to be

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Speaker 2: sustainably competitive. I think that's what will make fans happy.

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Speaker 2: It's not about acquiring Zach Allen. You know, maybe that

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Speaker 2: makes you better today than it did yesterday, but doesn't

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Speaker 2: make you good as an organization.

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Speaker 1: Now, yeah, well, we'll have plenty of time to analyze

401
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Speaker 1: this team moving forward. But now I want to turn

402
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Speaker 1: our attention to Real Foster, the twenty two year old

403
00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:33,120
Speaker 1: outfield prospect who suffered devastating brain injuries in a car

404
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Speaker 1: accident last September in Washington State, Sam for those of

405
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Speaker 1: not me, those who might not subscribe to the Athletic,

406
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Speaker 1: and I think there's still a few left out there,

407
00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,199
Speaker 1: fasted in on what exactly happened to this kid and

408
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Speaker 1: where we are.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, in September he had gone to a horrible

410
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Speaker 2: car accident. He was an Angel's prospect who I think

411
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Speaker 2: on the morning of September fourth was named the Northwest

412
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Speaker 2: League Player of the Year in Dry City, which is

413
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Speaker 2: the Angel's high affiliate. And then that night he was

414
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Speaker 2: out at a bar and got into a car with

415
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Speaker 2: a couple of friends, who acquaintances, who were drunk. He

416
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Speaker 2: was his at least his mom believes he was also

417
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Speaker 2: drunk and wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from

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Speaker 2: the car. And you know, his whole life has kind

419
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Speaker 2: of been just upended. I mean, you know, at least

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Speaker 2: as of when I visited him earlier, this month, he was,

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Speaker 2: you know, unable to carry a conversation, unable to walk,

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Speaker 2: unable to eat on his own. Yeah, there's a nice

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Speaker 2: photo of him, and you know, I think you could

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Speaker 2: see maybe some optimism in that picture of you know,

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Speaker 2: what his life could look like, right, Like he's looking

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Speaker 2: at the baseball, but really, I mean that's he's looking

427
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Speaker 2: at the baseball, but he's not. And I think that's

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Speaker 2: you know, you don't want to decontextualize that picture too

429
00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,800
Speaker 2: much because he's he he isn't able to play baseball.

430
00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:51,720
Speaker 2: He's not able to do those things right, like he

431
00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,159
Speaker 2: can grip a baseball when you ask him to. But

432
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,199
Speaker 2: this is a kid whose life is up ended, and

433
00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,760
Speaker 2: the Angels just weren't at the time the story, were

434
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:04,200
Speaker 2: not really uh willing to continue insuring him through this

435
00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,240
Speaker 2: year that's been that. You know, his his family's financial

436
00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:13,320
Speaker 2: situation is quite dire, and so that's just it's devastating

437
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:15,960
Speaker 2: and and you know, he wasn't really getting any help

438
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,240
Speaker 2: and his mom is really his only caretaker and his

439
00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:21,760
Speaker 2: the hospital he was living in was going to discharge

440
00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,600
Speaker 2: him because he wasn't improving fast enough, essentially, So it

441
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:26,959
Speaker 2: was just kind of entering into a place where his

442
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,240
Speaker 2: life maybe wasn't going to turn around. Thankfully, the Angels,

443
00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,600
Speaker 2: I think the day after the story ran let let

444
00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:36,360
Speaker 2: the family know that they'll be ensuring him through their

445
00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:39,720
Speaker 2: employment through the end of the year. So that's a positive.

446
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:42,800
Speaker 2: They also be paying salary. We'll see what that, you know,

447
00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:44,840
Speaker 2: what that does for this family. But I think it's

448
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,080
Speaker 2: just important to to note that public pressure can work.

449
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,240
Speaker 2: And you know, I don't Angel weren't going to do

450
00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:51,680
Speaker 2: the right thing here. He had to do the right thing,

451
00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,720
Speaker 2: and they finally, they finally caved on that front. So

452
00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:00,800
Speaker 2: you know, yeah, it's like happy and it's also kind

453
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:02,520
Speaker 2: of like devastating to think that that's what it took.

454
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,879
Speaker 2: You know, just look at the Dodgers have done the

455
00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:07,560
Speaker 2: same thing with Andrew Toles. The Podres have done the

456
00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:09,360
Speaker 2: same thing since like the nineties with one of their

457
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,879
Speaker 2: like minor league believers who had suffered a heart issue.

458
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,320
Speaker 2: I think, you know, so there there are. There are

459
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,320
Speaker 2: plenty of examples of teams kind of going into these

460
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:22,399
Speaker 2: situations and just doing the easiest thing imaginable. But it

461
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,240
Speaker 2: takes teeth pulling a little bit with the Angels, but

462
00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:28,040
Speaker 2: thankfully they did it, and you know, credit to them

463
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:28,360
Speaker 2: for that.

464
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, as you mentioned, as of early January, the Angels

465
00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:35,000
Speaker 1: had not informed the family that they were going to

466
00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:37,280
Speaker 1: continue to pay his health insurance. Now, to be fair

467
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:41,160
Speaker 1: of the Angels, they weren't necessarily even obligated to pay

468
00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:43,840
Speaker 1: for his health insurance. You know, had Rio suffered this

469
00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:48,600
Speaker 1: injury on a baseball field, had he had a brain aneurism,

470
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,000
Speaker 1: even walking around Walmart, I think, you know, they would

471
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,480
Speaker 1: have felt a lot more obligated. But even Rio's mom

472
00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,520
Speaker 1: had acknowledges he got into a car with a drunk driver.

473
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,320
Speaker 1: You know, he knew, well maybe not drunk, he knew

474
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,440
Speaker 1: the driver was drinking. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Even

475
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:09,520
Speaker 1: the mom has acknowledged that. You know, he deserves some

476
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:13,719
Speaker 1: some of the blame. Did that change the calculus at

477
00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:14,720
Speaker 1: all in this situation?

478
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:19,080
Speaker 2: If it did, that would be insane to me. I

479
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,280
Speaker 2: just am like, I get it, he's a twenty two

480
00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:23,080
Speaker 2: year old that made a bad decision. But I mean,

481
00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,240
Speaker 2: does that mean that no, he should never get help

482
00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:28,719
Speaker 2: and he should just you know live, you know, basically

483
00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,639
Speaker 2: suffer the painful consequences that destroy him and his family

484
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:34,360
Speaker 2: for years. I don't those two things just don't calculate

485
00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:36,680
Speaker 2: for me. So I, you're right, he made bad decisions,

486
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:42,320
Speaker 2: but you know who hasn't. I just I you know,

487
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,800
Speaker 2: he's twenty two year old young man who's who went

488
00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,920
Speaker 2: out to drink and screwed up. But I don't think

489
00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:51,879
Speaker 2: that should mean he pays with the rest of his life.

490
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,359
Speaker 2: And I'm happy that the Angels have at least agreed

491
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:56,680
Speaker 2: with that for a year, and will continue to put

492
00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,680
Speaker 2: pressure on them to do that again. Nicept pressure. I

493
00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:02,959
Speaker 2: will continue to ask you about it, and public pressure

494
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,320
Speaker 2: will will continue. I mean because I just you know,

495
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,359
Speaker 2: don't You're never supposed to be an advocate in these articles,

496
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,560
Speaker 2: but it's like personally quite painful to go watch this

497
00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,960
Speaker 2: person suffer and watch his family suffer and realize that

498
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,440
Speaker 2: it's just you know, you know, you look at Joe

499
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:21,280
Speaker 2: Adell donated five thousand dollars to this guy, Yusiki Kuchi

500
00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,480
Speaker 2: donated ten thousand. I don't know if the if those

501
00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:29,880
Speaker 2: players had really even had any real meaningful relationship with Ryo.

502
00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:31,600
Speaker 2: I don't even I don't think they. I think they

503
00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:35,439
Speaker 2: have met him in like spring training. They were the

504
00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,680
Speaker 2: ones who were taking money out of their paycheck, I mean,

505
00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,440
Speaker 2: and and helping his family out. And so I think

506
00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,400
Speaker 2: it's it's that's the right thing to do. Those guys

507
00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,560
Speaker 2: did the right thing. A lot of players across baseball,

508
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:47,440
Speaker 2: a lot of minor league players chipped in one hundred

509
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,719
Speaker 2: bucks here and there. So you get that as a

510
00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:53,320
Speaker 2: heartening thing. But you know, for the Angels to to

511
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,359
Speaker 2: have to you know, beg them essentially, I mean, so

512
00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:57,439
Speaker 2: you know you want me an advocate, but I'm not

513
00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,159
Speaker 2: afraid to say that I think that this is a

514
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:00,000
Speaker 2: pretty easy choice.

515
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:02,320
Speaker 1: Do you think you know, now that we're a couple

516
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:07,000
Speaker 1: of weeks removed from the story, were you able to

517
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:12,280
Speaker 1: discern whether your article spurred some action on the part

518
00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:12,920
Speaker 1: of the Angels.

519
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,360
Speaker 2: I mean, you just look at the days. I mean yeah,

520
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,640
Speaker 2: I mean you know, it's like I said, Uh, they

521
00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,400
Speaker 2: had they had been I think in somewhat regular contact

522
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,080
Speaker 2: like up until like the middle or late November with

523
00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:29,200
Speaker 2: his family, but then hadn't at all in December, uh,

524
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,480
Speaker 2: and thoroughly January. And you know, the bat the people

525
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,480
Speaker 2: at bat Baseball assistant seem with Major League Baseball were

526
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:41,440
Speaker 2: you know, just not really communicating very well, I think

527
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,840
Speaker 2: with his family kind of having looked at those emails,

528
00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,720
Speaker 2: it was a lot of you know, formulaic emails, not

529
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:48,920
Speaker 2: really offering.

530
00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:49,560
Speaker 1: Uh.

531
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:50,760
Speaker 2: I don't I don't want to, I don't want to

532
00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:52,600
Speaker 2: characterize their emails, but it just wasn't It didn't feel

533
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:54,600
Speaker 2: like they were really meeting her where she was at times.

534
00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,520
Speaker 2: And you know, it's after I reached out to both

535
00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,119
Speaker 2: of those entities, she got a lot more contact. She

536
00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 2: would heard from the Angel shared from that she was

537
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,960
Speaker 2: able to kind of schedule all these things. So I

538
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,760
Speaker 2: think that that pressure realizing that there was a New

539
00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,000
Speaker 2: York Times article coming was going to was going to

540
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,359
Speaker 2: impact it. I don't want to say for sure, I

541
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,439
Speaker 2: don't know what was in people's hearts and minds, but

542
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,640
Speaker 2: it seems, you know, the timing seems pretty clear cut.

543
00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,560
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, there's nothing wrong with a little advocacy journalism

544
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,080
Speaker 1: every now and then in the sports world. And I'm

545
00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:21,800
Speaker 1: sure glad it worked out the way it did.

546
00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:22,840
Speaker 2: Right.

547
00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,280
Speaker 1: That's going to do it for Halo Territory today. Thanks

548
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,520
Speaker 1: for joining us, please like and subscribe, And just a reminder,

549
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,080
Speaker 1: we're going to try to put together an Angel's mail

550
00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:36,359
Speaker 1: bag soon. So Please drop your questions into the Halo

551
00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:41,080
Speaker 1: Territory X site and that's going to be all today.

552
00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:55,280
Speaker 1: We'll see you next time on Halo Territory