WEBVTT - Rays win streak, Pads sweep Brewers, Bryce Harper's "Spring Training" 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:15.640 Welcome everyone to the Thursday edition of Fair Territory. I'm 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:18.680 Ken Rosenthal here with my friend and colleague Alana Rizzo. 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:19.680 Alana. 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:22.640 Our friend and colleague Joel Sherman wrote a column I 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:25.279 don't know about two weeks ago in which he was 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:27.640 talking about the Red Sox and he was saying, man, 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:31.280 it's a long season and we all forget it always, 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:33.440 and the Red Sox for one example. 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.559 The Blue Jays will talk about them. They're another. But 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:37.440 the one we want. 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:41.760 To start the show with is the San Diego Padres 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.000 from the what yeah. 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:47.320 The latest in terms of this right coming back from 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:48.320 the dead. Tell me more. 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:51.800 Well, they won fifteen of nineteen and if you remember 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.560 mid June, mid June, not that long ago, six weeks ago, 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.240 they were last in the National League and runs per game. 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:01.760 Short time after that rotation was in tatters. 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:07.679 Michael King, a guy who is really their mooth, solid starter, 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:09.560 was kind of holding up the rotation. 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.800 A number of their others were injured, of their starting. 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:17.080 Pitchers or ineffective. Now they've traded for Robbie Ray, traded 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.960 for Casey Miiz, Joe Musgrove is on his way back, 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:22.720 and suddenly they are hitting again. 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:23.800 Actually not so suddenly. 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:26.560 This has been building and this run that they're on 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:32.080 it started against Miami, Colorado and San Francisco, three teams 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:34.600 that are not or at least at that time were 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:37.680 struggling or not really in a place where you would 0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:38.600 say they're contending. 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.120 But then even when. 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:43.280 You thought, okay, the Padres are kind of doing it 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:47.120 against weaker teams, their schedule got tougher and they started 0:01:47.160 --> 0:01:50.920 playing tougher teams. Split a series with Arizona two of 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.720 three from Houston, and now they just have swept Milwaukee 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:56.720 and here they are Tatis. Remember he had no homers. 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.200 He's up to twelve homers. OPS is up to seven 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:03.560 seventy three Merrill Jackson Merrill since July nineteen has been 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:07.040 on fire. Three seventy six batting average, nine home runs, 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:10.800 eleven hundred OPS. And Manny but Chado, while he's not 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:14.680 really hitting seventy ten OPS, two hundred batting average in August, 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:18.560 still has twenty three homers. So they look like the 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:22.520 Padres again, even with all their injuries. And to me, 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.400 it's impressive what they've done. And it's just another example, Alana, 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.840 of a long season. So here we go, the San 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:33.000 Diego Padres. They're back in the playoff mix. They're holding 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:35.240 the second spot in the wild card race right now. 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:36.160 Good for them. 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.040 It's insane to think that Ken, we had written them off. 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:41.360 Some people would have even used as sharpie and said 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:43.920 that the San Diego Padres were done. But it is 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:46.440 not to be. Let's talk about another team, or really 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:50.400 another division that's interesting, and that is the AL East. 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.239 Three of the best teams in the league all coming 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:55.320 from that division. And Ken, it doesn't seem like the 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.720 Rays have any thought of stopping anytime soon. 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:01.120 No, and they're coming off nine to zero road trip, 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:05.880 admittedly again against weaker or struggling teams it's Colorado, Seattle 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:07.959 and the A's, but hey. 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:09.520 You have to win the games in front of you. 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:12.359 And we just saw Arizona lose two or three at 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:15.720 home to Colorado, so it's not as easy as you think. 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:19.000 And the Rays they have done this all season long. 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:22.680 We've talked about this, and what's interesting to me is 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:24.840 the effect that Liam Hicks seems to be having in 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:28.560 a very short time since arriving from the Tampa sort. 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:29.480 Of the Miami Marlins. 0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:33.040 Remember the Rays were talking about adding another hitter really 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:34.440 could do it at any position. 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.880 They wanted a compliment, a fourth compliment to. 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:41.920 Their big three of Junior Caminero, Yondi Diaz and Jonathan Ronda. 0:03:42.520 --> 0:03:45.200 Hicks looks like he can be that guy. Now. 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:47.600 I know it's a small sample, but he's eight for 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.320 twenty six since the trade. He is a guy with 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.760 two home runs, three doubles during that time ops about 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.160 eleven hundred and yes, you'll say small sample, can well 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:01.480 guess what a trade acquisition is design to help you 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:04.800 over a small sample. Obviously, Hicks will be with the 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:07.720 team beyond this season, but this is the boost that 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:11.120 they were looking for. They've got Chandler Simpson hot as well. 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:13.760 They're doing some really good things, and of course they 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:15.960 have the pitching both at the back end of the 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:19.640 bullpen and in the rotation. So the Rays, We've talked 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:20.640 about this endlessly. 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:21.600 They're not going away. 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:23.960 They've got a huge lead in the AL East. They 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:25.920 are the best team in the American League. 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:29.520 Ken the Blue Jays are one of those teams we 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.320 talked about in terms of being streaky again, kind of 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:35.200 writing them off as many did with the San Diego Padres. 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.479 But hang on because Toronto, Ken is saying, not so 0:04:38.720 --> 0:04:42.599 fast is their life. For these Blue Jays, there. 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.400 Seems to be alta and it's shocking to see because 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:48.120 this team is another one kind of like the Patres 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:54.239 below expectations all season long, rotation battered by injuries. 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:57.040 Still having problems in that regard you. Savage is now out. 0:04:57.080 --> 0:05:00.599 But they've won ten of their last fourteen game and 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:03.599 a half back in the wildcard race, and they've gotten 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:06.120 a real boost from brit Bateman, who came over in 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:09.120 the Gossman trade, as well as Charles McAdoo at the 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:11.719 top of their order. Vlad still does not have a 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:15.719 home run at Rogers Center, and there's still questions in 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.680 the rotation Beyond Cease and now Soriano, along with Schrzer 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.920 and Bieber, there really is no fifth and one are 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.680 injury more and they're gonna be in real trouble again 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:26.640 with that rotation. 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:30.839 But they're playing again the way we saw them play. 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:34.080 Not so much in October, but down the stretch last season. 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.320 In October they were on another level. But one and 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:39.240 a half games back in the wild card you cannot 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.880 rule them out. And it's been interesting to see this 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:45.799 team evolve over the course of the season as well. 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:49.039 I cannot believe Vladimir ger Junior does not have a 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:51.880 home run yet this season at home. I will say 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:54.920 this though, I just love saying Charles McAdoo. I love 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:57.000 this kid's name. What a great baseball name. All right, 0:05:57.040 --> 0:05:59.719 as far as the Boston Red Sox are concerned, Ken, 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:03.599 they were going on a meteoric tear going into the 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:05.920 All Star break. Coming out of the All Star Break, 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:08.359 they looked unbeatable. We never thought they were going to 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.920 lose again. But not only did they lose again, Ken, 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:14.120 They've dropped five straight. What's going on with them? 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:17.200 Their offense is stalled a little bit. Wilson contraris a 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:20.159 little bit banged up. I'm not terribly worried. And when 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:22.719 you're as hot as they were, there is simply no 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:24.919 way you can sustain that. We all knew this was 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.520 coming to some degree. The good news for the Red 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:30.240 Sox is that Roman Anthony seems to be on his 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.960 way back. There's a chance Crochet could come back now. 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.440 Whitlock is suddenly a concern. He's got an elbow problem. 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:39.239 We'll know more about that as the day and perhaps 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.600 the weekend goes on. But the Red Sox still are 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.680 in a commanding position four and a half games up 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:49.280 in the wildcard race, holding that lead over the third 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.159 place team. So they're in a good spot and I 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.680 don't expect them to go all the way backwards. 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.279 But at the same time, this was coming. 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:00.120 Yeah, all right, let's go to the National Leak or 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:01.880 hot second. Well, actually I guess two teams, one in 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:04.320 the NL, one in the AL the Phillies Field of 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:08.680 Dreams game tonight against the Twins, Bryce Harper in right field. 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.280 First of all, let's talk about the game itself. This 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.040 is something that I absolutely love. It's the one thing 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.000 in my career I've not been able to cover and 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:18.040 not being able to attend, and I'm excited about that. 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:19.840 I'd like your take on the Field of Dreams. And 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:22.080 then what the heck is going on in terms of 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.840 Bryce Harper and moving him back to the right, you know, 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:28.200 to right field, and everything going on with the Phills. 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:30.800 Well, I did the first two Field of Dreams games 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.480 for Fox, and they've been on hiatus with this game 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.160 for a couple of years now, and tonight it will 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:39.640 be on Netflix, and I'm interested to see whether it 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:42.840 kind of captures the magic of what it was. 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:44.160 That first year. 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:46.760 When the Yanes played the White Sox, that was amazing. 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.640 The next year, I believe was Reds and Cubs not 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:52.240 so amazing. The novelty kind of wore off. 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:52.960 But here it is. 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.920 Back after a few years away, and we'll see if 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:59.560 it becomes again this big event that MLB wants it 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:03.200 to be. A Phillies We talked about this at the deadline, 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.360 when they got a rise and they started moving in 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:07.880 field pieces all over the place. What was going to 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:11.480 be the impact And one of the possibilities, certainly, was 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:14.440 that Bryce Harper having to run a little bit more 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:16.440 than he would at first base, maybe a lot more 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.400 in right field. Who knows what that would mean to him, 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.920 And obviously he's having a left knee issue. His quote 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:25.800 was to Charlotte Farnes of the Athletic, I feel like 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.160 I'm gonna spring training game with my arms. 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:28.840 Legs, everything. 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:31.440 He feels like he's going to be okay. He wants 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:34.000 to play every game. I've noticed a lot of Phillies 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:38.040 fans online saying, what are we doing? Why isn't Harper 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:40.800 at first? Why isn't Boem on the bench? If you're 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.280 going to play Bryce in Scott at third. There were 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.760 easier ways to go about this. Now their outfield is 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:49.240 very thin and they didn't really acquire an outfielders, so 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:53.280 that was one problem with that idea. But I can 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:56.440 see the point there, and it's going to be interesting 0:08:56.480 --> 0:09:00.000 to see at some point if they sacrificed in the outfield, 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.520 which has been a problem all season. Put Harper back 0:09:02.520 --> 0:09:04.599 at first and say to Bohm, listen, you're going to 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:06.960 be a part time player now. It maybe should have 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:08.319 been what they did in the first place. Then you 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:11.280 could have gone and signed Austin Hayes like the Padres did. 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:14.000 I know the Phillies had him before, But there were 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:15.079 ways out here. 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:19.360 This is the path they chose, and it's a perilous path, 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:20.679 there's no question about it. 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:22.600 It's been that way from the very start. 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.720 And ken Rice Harper was an outfielder and then he 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:28.920 became a first baseman, then he was a DH then 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:30.760 he was a first baseman, then he's an outfielder again. 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:33.200 Now he's back, but his body is feeling it. He's 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:36.560 feeling the change in terms of position. What do you 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:37.040 make of that? 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:40.880 Well, they're giving him some dhds, and they're going to 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:45.080 continue to do that. But it's not surprising to me. 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.960 I remember a lot of asking Mookie Betts about playing 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.320 right field and going to shortstop, and he was telling 0:09:50.360 --> 0:09:52.920 me what a relief it was for him physically, and 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.480 I was like, wook, what are you talking about? He goes, hey, man, 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:58.160 you try running back and forth to the outfield nine 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.000 times a game and then running around. 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.160 In the outfield. It does take a toll. It's might 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:04.319 sounds silly to fans. 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:07.360 Because these guys are, of course, highly trained athletes, but 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.040 it's more of a toll, there's no question about that. 0:10:10.240 --> 0:10:13.480 So it's not surprising that this is taking more of 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:15.240 a toll on Harper, and they're going to have to 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:18.560 find ways around it by diging him certain days and 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.760 also maybe by revising this plan. 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:26.760 Science experiment. For the one minute, we have to tell 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:30.520 you about why we love Quint's electrolytes, including watermelon salt, 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:33.720 raspberry salt. 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If 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.440 only aj Prazinski was in the booth voted. 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.640 But what I'm looking forward to, of course, is seeing 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:52.079 the Miz. 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.959 But Rubeleski has been a guy for the Dodgers all 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.120 year long who has quietly just been excellent. So the 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.920 Miz is going to command all the attention, and rightly so. 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:05.280 He's at two hundred plus strikeouts already. It's incredible what 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.920 he is doing, throwing a million miles an hour, all 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.040 of that, and we're gonna have him on the broadcast. 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.280 Smolts will be in the booth. Smoltz is always a 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:16.400 great win it comes to starting pitchers. I'm interested to 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:20.199 hear his analysis as this game goes on of Jacob Misrawski, 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:24.200 and interested to see as well how these two teams 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:28.560 fare in this series. The Brewers are coming off getting 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.000 swept in San Diego. Now the Padres are red hot 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:32.880 right now and the Brewers kind of got in their 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:35.679 way and that was that. And the Brewers are dealing 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:37.520 with some injuries as well on the left side of 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:41.760 their infield. But they've been a remarkable team all year 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:45.800 and their manager Pat Murphy said yesterday, Hey, we've got 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:48.880 the most wins in baseball. There's a reason for that. 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:51.400 And even when you have the most wins in baseball 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:55.679 doesn't mean that struggles are impossible. Doesn't mean that they're 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.040 not going to happen. And we've seen this and again 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:01.520 it goes back to the long season. Long season stuff happens. 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.280 So the Brewers will be looking to bounce back against 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:07.319 the Dodgers. The Dodgers just got their gift playing three 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.760 against the Kansas City Royals and sweeping them. 0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:11.520 To end their one and eight slide. 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.920 So it's two teams kind of trying to get back 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:18.680 into gear. But remember the calendar says it's only mid August. 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:22.079 Yeah, August twelve. Patmnfree was stated, as you mentioned, Ken, 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.560 you're still going to go through tough times like this. 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:28.720 MLB on Fox is streaming on Fox one the Race 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:31.440 to October. It starts now and we have your front 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.920 row seat to the wildest walkoffs, lights out pitching, and 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:38.160 clutch plays all season long. Follow every camp miss matchup 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:41.079 as team's battle for a spot in the postseason. Then 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:44.160 stream the twenty twenty six World Series live on Fox 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.319 one at home or on the go, live or on demand. 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:49.880 Never miss a moment. Stream now start your Fox one 0:13:50.000 --> 0:14:00.360 three day free trial today at foxwe dot com. All right, 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:02.960 we're making our way right in to Grill and Ken 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:07.160 your opportunity, of course, to ask Ken Rosenthal some questions. 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:11.040 Let's talk about the Cubs and the Cardinals, and then 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:13.960 of course White Sox, Mariners and d Backs up next. 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:16.760 But let's talk the first question Ken, in terms of 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:21.160 Mike g fifteen has just got here. L Oh, yeah, 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.080 what did I miss? Are we talking about how the 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:26.720 Cubs are on an absolute wagon? Mike wants to know, Ken, 0:14:26.880 --> 0:14:28.760 what do you make of these Cubs and Alex Bregman 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:29.880 and his three home runs? 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:32.560 Mike, glad you asked, because we haven't talked about the 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.520 Cubs and we should be talking about the Cubs. 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.240 Guess what, they are only three games. 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.520 Behind the Brewers right now. They won I believe eight 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:42.560 of nine. Their offense again is on fire. 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:43.920 And I remember it. 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:47.200 Was about a week ago, either on foul territory or 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.440 fair territory. I was asked, can the Cubs catch the Brewers? 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:53.600 And I said I probably not leave. The deficit was 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:55.800 six or six and a half at that time, and 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:57.880 you just do the math. It's not that easy to 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.520 do but they have games left with the each other, 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.680 and these are teams that are going to be battling, 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:06.840 perhaps to the end. But we'll see if the Cubs 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:10.120 can sustain this, because remember, they've had their highs this 0:15:10.240 --> 0:15:12.640 year and they've been extreme, and they've also had some 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:15.720 extreme lows. So I don't rule anything out in this 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:20.040 division race. And the Brewers, they've got some things going on, 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:22.600 as I said, with injuries right now, they're a little 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:24.840 bit dicey for them. But I love what the Cubs 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:27.360 did at the deadline, and maybe that is the impetus 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:31.640 they needed to catch Milwaukee in at en El central Ken. 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:33.520 We haven't talked much about the Brewer or excuse me, 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:35.440 of the Mariners. We've talked a lot about the Brewers. 0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:38.400 But of the Mariners. Lance Johnson fifty oh four would 0:15:38.440 --> 0:15:41.280 like to ask you, Seattle fire Scott Service because of 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:43.320 their lack of hitting, will they do the same to 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:45.320 Dan Wilson? How much of a leash does he have? 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:49.040 I don't know, And I will say to Lance Johnson 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:52.840 five four that question has crossed my mind. Now it's 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:56.080 late in the season for a managerial change, but they 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:59.040 fired their third hitting coach, A couple of weeks ago, 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:02.240 Bobby Magga yan that didn't do the trick, and it 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.440 was kind of a silly move anyway, You're firing your 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.760 third hitting coach, your assistant to the assistant. You got 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:11.040 Edgar Martinez up top, you got Kevin Sitzer right after that, 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:12.160 and Bobby Banging. 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:16.440 Honest was after him. That didn't do it. But this 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:20.560 team does look like it needs a kick in the rear. Now. 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:22.400 I don't know that fire and the manager would do it, 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.920 but it's a really interesting question right now where the 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:28.400 Mariners are going with this and what happens to Dan Wilson. 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:30.400 Maybe not right away, but at the end of the 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:33.080 season if they do not pick it up, and we've 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.960 been waiting for them to get hot all year long. 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:40.160 Cal Rawley not hitting perhaps a reason for that too. Ken, 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:43.400 Marvizelten wants to ask you, Ken, do you think there 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:46.880 will be more off season activity like trades and signings 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.720 before or after the CBA gets settled. 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:54.280 If settled, I would say both. And the real question 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:58.320 will be November. And we know that the CBA expires 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:01.360 December first, and we know in twenty twenty two the 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:02.800 last time the sport. 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:03.440 Was in this situation. 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:07.800 There was a flurry of activity right before the lockout 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:11.240 started on December first. The guy I've been thinking about 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:15.880 here is Scooble, because if you're Schooble, it probably want 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.920 to sign before we have any kind of new system 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:19.480 in place. 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:19.720 Now. 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:22.240 The new system is not going to take effect immediately 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:25.159 if indeed it's a cap system, and even if it's not, 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.040 we might have some grandfathering in. I would think if 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:32.360 they kept the current luxury tax plan in place then 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:33.320 it wouldn't be like that. 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:34.440 But either way, it. 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:38.240 Might behoove Schooble to act sooner rather than later. And 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:41.919 his agent, Scott Bores, is not one who always moves quickly, 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:46.800 but in certain periods does so that's the one to watch. 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:49.600 I would say there has a chance, a good chance 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:51.880 of happening, perhaps before December first. 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:54.480 Yeah, I would like if I'm Schooble, to lock down 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:57.960 that big contract as soon as possible, certainly before a lockout. 0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:00.680 Along the same lines of a lockout can armand our 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:03.200 friend is amazing wants to know with the recent sale 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:07.280 of the Lakers obviously twelve billion dollars, which is bananas 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.720 and MLB owners seeing that price and drooling over it. 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:14.160 What percentage would you put the entire twenty twenty seven 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:17.040 season as locked out? And is there a correlation in 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:17.520 your mind? 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:23.159 Certainly MLB owners have looked at the NBA and NFL 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:27.160 valuations of the franchises and been jealous. 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:29.239 For lack of a credit's round. They've been envious of 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:30.720 that situation. 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:33.919 Now, the Yankees just were valued at ten over ten billion, 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:37.360 So I don't know that it's as dire as circumstance 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.680 as you would think. But certainly MLB owners are quite 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:42.600 worried about their franchise valuations. 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:44.480 That's why they want a salary cap. 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:47.280 That's the number one reason they can talk about competitive 0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:48.440 balance all they want. 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:50.040 Now, do I think. 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:54.159 The twenty twenty seven season will be entirely missed? 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:55.159 I do not think that. 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:58.240 I think that would be the height repeat the height 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:02.600 of stupidity as time when the sport is experiencing a renaissance. 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:08.320 Are the owners capable of that kind of conduct when 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:11.040 they're intent on getting a salary cap? 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:14.920 Absolutely they are capable of it. But at some point, 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:16.159 cooler heads must prevail. 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:19.560 And there are a lot of implications from television contracts 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:23.600 to fan discontent to all kinds of things that would 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:27.720 happen if you miss an entire season. Sport would come back, 0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:30.240 but it would take some time, and your franchise valuations 0:19:30.320 --> 0:19:32.400 might suffer a little bit in the process. 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:36.000 I absolutely love that the height of stupidity. You my 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:38.680 friends are absolutely right. All right. We crowned dude and 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:39.879 dork of the week. 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:43.919