Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 5 - AFC East wide open???
118 Plays1 year ago
0-28 min - Patriots/AFC East
29-40 Red Sox, MLB payroll
40-47 women's basketball
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and NFL Draft Excitement
00:00:01
Speaker
All right, guys, what's going on? Welcome back to the Savage Boston podcast. We are here today is April 3rd. We are officially what, 22 days away from the NFL draft, which is, you know, our like offseason Super Bowl. Obviously, we're kind of like focused mostly on the Patriots, but
00:00:21
Speaker
Um, there are other sports going on, you know, we're, we're waiting. Brett is a really big Celtics guy too. So as soon as the Celtics come up, we'll be, I'm sure we'll be diving into them more.
Impact of Stefan Diggs Trade on AFC East
00:00:32
Speaker
Um, big news from today that we wanted to kind of open with because I thought this pertains to the Patriots. Um, and I like to just open with the Patriots thought was.
00:00:43
Speaker
Stefan Diggs got traded and Stefan Diggs getting traded out of the AFC East.
AFC East Team Prospects and Patriots' Strategy
00:00:49
Speaker
I feel like is really interesting. Um, it doesn't have to, it doesn't mean the bills are punting because that's not necessarily what it means, right? Obviously there were some emotional issues there, some conflicts, but it does just start to make me think how open is the AFC East?
00:01:10
Speaker
And no, like I'm throwing shit out there on Twitter about, you know, the Patriots and, you know, trying to be funny, but like, um, but no, I don't expect the Patriots to win the AFC East, but how close are they really? Cause I mean, you run through the teams. It's like the Miami dolphins with two, uh, you know, they can't beat a team over 500. You know, really, you know, you got,
00:01:34
Speaker
Aaron Rodgers who's a 40 plus year old guy coming off a ripped Achilles and You know and now you got the bills who granted Josh Allen is still the superstar But you know their best receiver is I forget his name. Is it Curtis Samuel man? They signed I think it might be Curtis Samuel, I'm sure you guys can yeah, you're right He's because they got rid of their top two with digs and gay books
00:01:59
Speaker
Gabe Davis. So it's kind of a fascinating off season for the AFC. So I guess to get your initial thoughts, I'll open up with Snooty per usual and yeah, what's your thoughts on the digs trade and how does that affect the AFC East? It's kind of, it's in line with the rest of their moves. That core had kind of plateaued. So in a sense, it kind of sucks because I think it's the smart way to go about it of
00:02:24
Speaker
A lot of the older, you know, pieces of that core, you know, Poyer, uh, the safety, Trevor, uh, Tredavius white, uh, the corner, they had, they lost both safeties, a corner. They lost, I think Mitch Morse, the center is gone, right? They lost five or six guys already before digs and digs had slowed down after Joe Brady took over as the ovens coordinator or, um, yeah, after he took over as the ovens coordinator. So.
00:02:52
Speaker
He's older, he's expensive, that core had plateaued, so you gotta try something different. I don't know how McDermott survived all that, but it kind of signifies what they were already doing. And the future of that team, I mean, look, anytime you have a quarterback like Josh Allen, you're gonna be a playoff, you're gonna be in contention.
00:03:12
Speaker
The future of how serious of a Super Bowl contender they'll be going forward is going to entirely depend upon their drafting. They had a series of very good drafts for a while. You have to do that again. That's how you stay competitive. In terms of the AFC, I mean, I think Miami's, they've lost in talent, but they're still just in terms of the AFC yeast. They're probably,
00:03:39
Speaker
you know, if not the leader, then then co favorite to do it. Um, I know the jets are loading up. I know all that, but
00:03:47
Speaker
I don't know, it's the Jets. They'll do something. Something stupid will happen and it's the Jets. It's just gonna happen. And the Patriots are clearly at the bottom, slow rebuilds, gonna take some time. So in a sense, it's open because I could see any of the other three teams winning, but I also don't think any of the other three teams are particularly great.
Patriots' Draft Strategy and Quarterback Prospects
00:04:10
Speaker
I think they're all mediocre to above mediocre, so to speak. Gotcha. Brad, how do you feel about it?
00:04:17
Speaker
Snooty, you always say, jets are gonna jet, right? They're always gonna jet, and then they're just gonna fluff at the end. Look, I wouldn't say it's open for us, but I think, hey, if other teams of the AFCE suck, I'm on board with that. Obviously, I'm not a fan of any of the teams. I think they all suck. And it's great to see this happen to the Bills because there was such hype around them, and they were building something up. And in the end, it amounted to
00:04:47
Speaker
essentially nothing, which is great. Always good news for that one on where it goes.
00:04:55
Speaker
Yeah, we'll see where it happens. You know, at the end of the day, we know we're on a couple of year rebuild, and we got to get ourselves back to it. And yeah, the jets are loading up, I don't think they have enough to really make a difference there. So great, because that means they could be, you know, putting themselves in a bad position for when we get better. And then, you know, you look at what's going on,
00:05:19
Speaker
with the bills with Miami it's like they're kind of in that middle spot where they're really not good enough to say they're elite and they're gonna be over the top and they're not bad enough like us to get any real draft capital so it's kind of a shitty spot for them to be in. I think like where they're at so bills are definitely an all out reset.
00:05:39
Speaker
good, glad to see that team not succeed with all of this hype talent they had for what they were going through. And yeah, I mean, we'll see what happens on our end. You know, I'm just focused on our rebuild and what we're doing with our team. But anytime anyone can suck in the AFC East, I'm a happy man. I wonder, so hold on, let me let me chime in this real quick. I wonder, like,
00:06:04
Speaker
Do you think there's some reality, like you think of constructing teams and like when teams are peaking, when teams are in valleys, right? Is there a reality here where you could have the Bills, the Dolphins, and the Jets? I mean, especially kind of mostly the Dolphins and the Jets, because I think the Bills have a little something better because of Josh Allen.
00:06:24
Speaker
But is there a reality where a lot of these teams are kind of peaking now, like together, and they're at this peak, especially the Jets? I mean, they're in a really small window, but hopefully there's a lot of peaking happening now. And then in like two years from now, can we see, you know, pending a rebuild and good drafting, can we see the Patriots rise back as the other teams fall? Like that's kind of what I'm thinking. So I think, like you said, the Bills are in a better spot. I would also say that Dalton Kincaid is probably their number one receiver.
00:06:54
Speaker
I know he's a tight end, but that kid's legit So it's not like they have nothing in terms of like, you know quote offensive weapons But given the quarterback's ability I Guess the fact that he's locked up on a deal in his age Yeah, the bills are in a better spot then certainly dolphins who rely more on the talent around the quarterback and that I'm not saying it's aging out but I
00:07:21
Speaker
I mean, Tyree Kill is, he's over 30, right? He's 30, 31. You know, Waddle's up for the New Deal soon. You know, running backs, who knows? I mean, again, it depends upon drafting, but they've, they just lost Christian Wilkins. They lost a few guys, like Van Ginkel, like they, they need to add, and they haven't really done that yet. So.
00:07:45
Speaker
I think they may age out where they're stuck with a quarterback that they're paying that they you know if they don't supplement around him to replace the talent they've lost and then some they'll never get over the hump get over the hump the Jets have like one year maybe two if Rogers
00:08:05
Speaker
Wasn't great the last time last year he played and he's coming off an Achilles injury and he's that's risky for them He's over 40. So I mean I get it. They're loading up because they they effectively painted themselves into a corner right so like your only option is to go on land so I get that but I Mean, it's not a model for sustained success like, you know in a year or two. They're gonna be in virtually complete rebuild and
00:08:30
Speaker
There's a there's a reality where the Dolphins could be kind of fucked if they signed Tua for 50 mil a year. And, you know, I don't know. I mean, Tua does a good job when he has a lot of elite talent like that's been seen and he's got a great OC slash play caller. But I don't know what to it is to a Mac Jones without that, you know, like like everyone doubts to and like everyone knows Tua does not have the best, the most dynamic arm.
00:08:58
Speaker
He's a pretty good player. He can throw a slant in his first read. But they have trouble. And the thing is, last year, they couldn't beat a team over 500. They could not beat a good defense. And that's pretty telling. They got smashed in a lot of those games. So I think they could kind of be hurting themselves. And you might see a lot of middling Dolphins teams if they spend a ton of money on Tua, just my opinion.
00:09:25
Speaker
Yeah, I hope there's an opportunity obviously for the Patriots. What we, you know, what we all know, how you rebuild a team, um, is really is through the draft. And I'm not just saying that I know that's an Elliott Wolf thing too, but like, of course you want to make splash free agency signings, but in reality, that's not that common. And that's not how teams rebuild teams rebuild with drafting. And then you get good contracts for four or five years for guys. And you get really talented influx of young players.
00:09:53
Speaker
And so that's how you build a team. Obviously in this draft, like we've all in some fantasy land, you wish you could somehow trade down and get a ton of picks and somehow get the right quarterback and we can all be Madden GMs.
00:10:07
Speaker
But that's not the reality. The reality is the more you look at it, I'm shooting for the Houston Texans turnaround. No, it's not a perfect example. The roster was better. But I think you have to take the quarterback. I don't even want three first rounders. I just really want the quarterback. And you can't trade, as Snooty said last week, you can't trade down to 11. It's too far.
00:10:32
Speaker
You miss elite guys, you miss elite tackles, you miss elite quarterbacks, it's too far away. And the recent take from Tony Pauline's mock draft was that Elliott Wolf apparently is into JJ McCarthy. Now, no one wants to hear that. I don't know necessarily the truth to that. As we say, it's lying season. So what's your guys opinion? Let's start with Brett. What's your opinion on kind of the length, the rumor about Elliott Wolf to JJ McCarthy?
00:11:03
Speaker
Well, I mean, for starters, I think this is just a really big reminder of why it sucks to suck because you just get these rumors constantly. And I think we're all in draft fatigue with regards to building up to the draft. It's like the season ended months ago. We've been talking about it from since this bit, like midway through the season this last year.
00:11:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, we're going to continue to hear these kind of things come out. And I don't know what necessary buy in towards it. I know, you know, we talked about it offline. And this was really even before the playoffs and where JJ was at. And I talked about how I liked the idea of getting someone like Alt in the first and then JJ in the second back then. But then obviously he exploded in the playoffs and then had a huge results with his pro day and
00:11:51
Speaker
going to the combine that he's getting a lot of hype. And now I look at it and say, well, no, I wouldn't pick JJ at three. I think that's a stretch pick. I just don't think he's ready. He's just so raw. And it's one of those positions. It's one of those areas where you just cannot miss. I mean, we just talked about the AFC East being wide open and all the things that are changing and with
00:12:11
Speaker
Miami and they got two and two is probably not the guy and I think everyone knows it, but they're kind of in a position where they got to pay him and then hope everything else falls their way in other positions. The only reason why the bills can be potentially competitive in the next few years is because they have Josh Allen, who's arguably top five quarterback and could potentially win a championship with the right dynamics around him.
00:12:36
Speaker
So you look at it and say the quarterback's the most important position. We got to get it right. I think JJ at three, it's a risk. I don't know. Um, if Elliot will swirling to real report.
00:12:54
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, yes and no. I mean, what is it really saying? He's really interested and he's trying to convince people to go in for JJ McCarthy. I mean, you could say that about any quarterback and he's interested in this guy and he really wants to go ahead and do it.
00:13:10
Speaker
I think there's just a whole lot of smoke and at the end of the day, I don't know if anyone can definitively say that. I'd be shocked to think that something would leak out this far away from the draft that this is definitively who we're going to get. So I'm not buying all internet. It is JJ. But again, I think this is just a reminder why it sucks to suck because you hear these things and you jump all over them and we react and respond because we're schmucks.
00:13:37
Speaker
I don't know. I just get schmuck. I get schmuck. I will say I do not have draft fatigue. This is, this is, this is your, this is your, your home run season. I'm in the bunker. I got, I got the draft charts on the wall. I got, you know, I got the radio going. I got everything going. So look, I mean, the, the thing that makes McCarthy such a risky pick is you're projecting where all these guys are going to go and how they fit in your offense and how they can grow.
00:14:07
Speaker
In addition to the standard projection you do for everybody, you have to project how he'll do carrying a team because he didn't do that in college, because he didn't have to do that in college. So you have to project, is he capable of carrying a team? And then how does that projection, whatever you think that's going to look like, work with your offense. So it is an added layer of risk for him versus anybody else. The Josh Allen talk or comparison you brought up, Brett, is interesting.
00:14:36
Speaker
Because Josh Allen was really just like a, he was like an NBA pick when he got picked. Just a big dude with loads of potential and all the physical tools and that was it.
00:14:49
Speaker
Like he played in Wyoming, he had a sub 60% completion percentage on college. All anybody ever said was, if you're not accurate in college and you're not accurate in high school, you're not going to become accurate in the NFL. And then he worked at it. He got the coaching and over a few years, he got accurate in the NFL. And now he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league. So we shit on that pick too. We all, we all shit on that. Everybody did. Cause he was just this big oaf who was like, you know, like, Oh yeah, he's a good athlete, but like, and he's got a rocket arm, but he can't do anything with it.
00:15:17
Speaker
I mean, nine times out of 10, those guys fail. But when you hit on that, you get a top five quarterback in the NFL. Right. So compare that with someone like Tua who had all the accolades, had all that other stuff, but didn't have the physical makeup and look where those two teams are right now, just solely based upon where the quarterback is. The dolphins were talking about being a middling team in the future and the bills were like, well, you can't count them out because they got the quarterback.
00:15:43
Speaker
So it's interesting. If you think McCarthy has the potential to be that fine, I'm fine. Awesome. Right? Like, I don't know. None of us know. We're all a bunch of assholes. We don't know. Like we don't know, but just watching the, the, I don't know, like something, I know we all want them to take Drake May, but like I watch the pro day. I see the clips and like, I see it. I see the body. I see the build. I'm like, I kinda, he really does remind me of like Justin Herbert.
00:16:12
Speaker
Like I just, I see it there and I know Herbert was potentially just more polished in college. Like he was a really talented quarterback. Um, but I don't know. I just, I'm seeing it. I see something there. You know, I'm not the scout. I think Jayden Daniels too, I think has really exciting ability and can throw some great passes. But Jayden, you know, when Jayden gets on the run and I forget who I was listening to, but they were talking about this when Jayden gets on the run.
00:16:38
Speaker
He runs in full parry. He doesn't throw. He runs. He gets outside the pocket. He's outside the pocket to run. Drake May gets outside the pocket to throw. You know what I mean? And same with Patrick Mahomes. If you would argue Patrick Mahomes, he gets out of the pocket to make the play, the right play. Patrick Mahomes doesn't escape and say, I gotta run now. But he will run if he needs to.
00:17:00
Speaker
You know, I think that's what you have to do. If you have a guy who can make plays, I think I see that with Drake May and maybe Jane Daniels can learn that at the next level. When he gets out of the pocket, you don't just have to talk and sprint. Like, cause he's going to get killed. That is his concern. He's going to be, his playing weight will be like 200 pounds. He's got to put on a lot of muscle mass. Um, you know, I think Drake May has got about 20, 25 pounds on him, much bigger frame, bigger kid.
00:17:27
Speaker
So I'm interested in Drake me as a prospect. And I just think at this point, especially after the digs trade, like,
00:17:35
Speaker
and to confirm how Houston Texans with Casario, how they're rebuilding that roster. It just makes me so, have so much conviction that you have to take a quarterback. There's just no other option. I know everyone's fantasizing about trading. You can't. I just don't. I think Mayo is just BSing everyone saying, yeah, we're open for business. Send us your best deal. What's he gonna say? Nah, we're not trading. He's gonna say we're open. Well, it's negligent to say you're not open.
00:18:02
Speaker
But I have to say you're open. I hate the idea that, oh, you can just trade up and get someone later. It's like a future year. You're like, OK, so then a lot of the picks that you just used to fill out your roster, you're going to have to then take some of those and trade back up. You know what I mean? It's like it costs a lot of picks to move up.
00:18:20
Speaker
And if you have a roster and you have even Jacoby Percet at quarterback, you're not going to be a top. If you actually like, you know, use all those picks and fill out your roster, you're going to be a mediocre team. So it's going to cost you to move up. It's going to cost you financially. And in which case you're just rolling the dice then. I'd rather roll the dice now. The Vikings would love to give you three first round picks to go get Drake Matt.
00:18:44
Speaker
They would love to do that. They would do that today. If you said eleven twenty three in next year's first, they would do that right now. But the Patriots aren't doing that. Mike Reese tweeted out the other day. He thinks the only thing that would get him to move would be a really high level outstanding player and like a couple first round draft picks. So again, the only way is like if the Vikings are like, yeah, sure, here's Justin Jefferson on our two firsts and they're not going to do that. So, you know, unless that's the offer they're coming with, I think there's a
00:19:14
Speaker
a not a huge reality like 90 90 to 10 that Patriots take the quarterback. You're going to get some good offers from some teams. It won't be enough. Like teams don't even have enough ammunition to trade up. Like what does, what does Vegas have to trade you? What assets does Vegas have to move up or the Broncos? They don't have shit. What are they going to give you? Like five consecutive first rounders every year.
00:19:37
Speaker
Like they don't have enough ammunition. So, I mean, long story short, I think there's a slim reality of the trade. And I think it's becoming more clear. You have to select the quarterback. So absolutely hate the quarterbacks that are available. Yeah.
00:19:55
Speaker
Yeah. Sure. If you hate them, like if you truly don't think there's too many options, it's a great class. We know you're going to get a good quarterback. And even if you think you're in love with JJ McCarthy, I don't even give a shit. Go take him then. Yeah. I don't care. You have to take someone like you have to.
00:20:11
Speaker
build this fucking team. And I know you're not the Texans. Everyone wants to come up with some major excuses about why the Texans are so special and how the Patriots can't be the Texans. But I don't know that. The Texans were like a three-win team two years ago. They
Patriots' Defensive Strategy and Contracts
00:20:29
Speaker
couldn't do anything until they got the guy and said, oh shit, this kid can ball out. This kid plays.
00:20:37
Speaker
I don't know, that's my opinion. I think I've been saying strongly today, I've been saying for a while, you just have to get, not only just to be the face of the franchise, to lead your team, you need the next guy, and you need to build your team around that. And if you pick the wrong fucking guy, then everyone's fucking fired anyway, and you start over. So that's what they did with Josh Allen, and that's gotta be the playbook, is you gotta hit.
00:21:03
Speaker
If you, if you, uh, including if the quarterback is amongst them, if you have two good drafts, you're often running back to back. You're often running because that'll be five or six starters.
00:21:14
Speaker
Right. At least seven or eight contributors total. Like you're often running because it's not like they have no NFL talent. They have talent. They have a couple of guys in Baltimore and dollars on the defensive side. They still have June on. They have some pretty good depth on defense, even if it's not standing. Like they're okay defensively. If you get literally anything going on offense, you're going to be okay.
00:21:40
Speaker
You're going to be in the mix, so to speak. Mm hmm. So it's like they're two good off seasons away from being back up there. I'm not saying Super Bowl contender, but in in the mix for the playoffs and in the playoffs, that everything goes well. Yeah, we just talk about Baltimore real quick. Why have we not extended this guy? Like, I think they're doing. I think they're trying. Like that's a report him and Judah on there. They're trying, but.
00:22:07
Speaker
these dudes see dollar signs man like bar more wants to get fucking paid he's probably looking at like is his agents gonna be looking at top what the find the AAV of the top three or top five interior D tackles and and average that out like no he's not gonna pay to get paid with Chris Jones gets paid because Chris Jones is all world but like
00:22:31
Speaker
You know, he could get, what, like 20 mil a year? I mean, he's going to get paid and I think he's worth it. The starting point for if you're his agent, the starting point is you go, what's the franchise tag for the, for defensive tackle, multiply. And then what would it be if you franchised him again? Okay. Now that's the starting point minimum, right? Like you go 53 million guaranteed minimum. That's the starting point. So he's going to get paid and he's sure he's going to get paid because he should.
00:22:59
Speaker
Paid by us though, like us, like we have the salary cap, we have the room. We need to solidify our defensive and our homegrown talent.
00:23:10
Speaker
lock this guy up. And it's like a shame that we haven't figured it out and done it yet because it's like, I don't know. Like what the fuck are we doing? Like we missed out on some opportunities in the free agent. We clearly have the cap space to be able to do it. And you got a guy, a young guy like this top 10 D tackle in the league right now. Right. And you can't lock them up. You can't sign them. And it's like, I just don't know what we're doing.
00:23:39
Speaker
Well, I think this is the first offseason that he's only now eligible to be extended because I believe he's going into his fourth year. So he's only now eligible for an extension. So they couldn't have done anything before now. That's also the type of thing you can do in training camp when the player and his agent, a lot of times you'll see like, oh, like who's the big one? Rosenthal or whatever. Not Rosenthal. Whatever his name is. Different agent.
00:24:08
Speaker
Yeah, he'd come into camp and he'd be like, oh, he was in town today. I wonder what they were doing. And then like two days, like.
00:24:14
Speaker
you know, so-and-so like McCordie signs an extension or whatever it is. So that's the type of thing you can do in training camp. So they may be focusing more on, you know, the external free agents, the scouting and the training, you know, like all that stuff now, because it's not like they've sat on this for months. It's just started, like the ability to do it. I think they'll sign him. Like, I think they will extend bar more for big money.
00:24:39
Speaker
Like what did Christian Wilkinson get? He got some big deal and like I think Baltimore is looking at pretty big money. I don't know if he's quite at that money yet, but he's close. He's younger and he looks younger and he'll get a lot. And to be fair, I watched him play this year. We all did.
00:24:56
Speaker
The guy was an absolute freak show force day in day out disruptive the tackle reminds me of Chris Jones who by the way, Chris Jones is one of the top two reasons they win Super Bowls there top three, you know, my homes Kelsey and Chris Jones, like, you know, that defense doesn't get enough credit. They were dominant in Kansas City. So, you know, if you love the D line play and interior line play, I mean, that guy is an absolute behemoth. So,
00:25:22
Speaker
If Christian Barmore can be that few, he can be your new Richard Seymour. And I think he's a really talented kid. Like Judon is a different player. I like Judon. I think Judon's a great player. I think Barmore will be a better player than Judon. Judon's older and he's going to be, he's kind of
00:25:42
Speaker
not necessarily a pass rush specialist, he still plays other downs, but he's getting on the older side. So I think if you can give Judon, you extend him out a couple of years at like cheaper-ish money, make him happy to stay, guarantee the money, then I think you can build on that defense. I think your defense is good. Like that's the thing, we don't talk about the D. The D has a lot of talent and they're pretty darn good. So,
00:26:07
Speaker
You know, you're gonna have to just get in the mix too. I know we didn't touch on Duggar, but you can throw a dog on someone Yeah, we put the tag on there and you look at it and say like why couldn't we have just extended that guy to you know? Why couldn't we? Market. Yeah Market both of them both parties they read they read the market beautifully on that one. That's why they did the truth. It's Duggar fucked up the market. He did. Yeah boys. Are you? Yeah
00:26:35
Speaker
Like they could have easily, they could have easily come to, if they both realized, oh, this is going to be a shitty time to sign a safety. Duggar could have had a great long-term deal for himself. Maybe he got 14 mil per, he would have been happy. Instead of this year, he's getting like 12 mil. He's unhappy. Technically, you could still extend him, but a lot of times it doesn't happen. So I hope they work out a deal. I think Duggar's a great player.
00:27:02
Speaker
But, but yeah, nobody's getting paid like Christian Baltimore is getting paid. I'm just saying that out there. Like the dude's about to be an all pro. I'm telling me he's going to get all pro votes soon. If he keeps up his level and develops even more, I mean, you're looking at a, at an exceptional, exceptional player. So. No, for sure. People need to watch him this year.
Red Sox Ownership and Financial Strategies
00:27:23
Speaker
It was Rosenhaus was the name, by the way. Drew Rosenhaus. Yeah. Sorry.
00:27:27
Speaker
Now you're good. Um, so yeah, well, we went on a lot longer than we thought we would about the Patriots today. We were supposed to talk about other things, um, which is fine. We can technically, I'm sure still keep going on, but we won't, um, just to touch on because we, uh, you know, we haven't really touched on them yet, but the Red Sox started. Um, I swear all the Patriots people in the podcast hit the mute button. Um, but, uh, the Red Sox started, you know,
00:27:58
Speaker
I think it's really interesting to watch. At first, a lot of people are like, let's boycott. Let's not watch. They don't spend money. But I think they're an interesting team. They're they're young. They're not that good. We thought until, you know, the first couple of weeks or the first week and watch their pitching and they have the best area in baseball. So I know it's the A's. I know it's the Mariners. But I've been enjoying watching this week and I really like to see
00:28:25
Speaker
you know what they can do. It's better than just talking the draft all day, Snooty. It's, you know, it's something a little more than just the draft, but I'm kind of liking what I'm seeing so far. So I don't know. Have you guys watched any games this week? I know they've been on late, but
00:28:42
Speaker
No, but they basically will be playing away teams, especially Oakland. So, you know, they should fold that franchise. Yeah, they should. I mean, talk to me in a few weeks when they've actually played some real teams. See what happens. See if they can. The schedule is soft at the beginning of the year. So like, I think they're playing the A's next. So it's, I mean, not the A's, the Angels. They just play the A's. They're playing the Angels next. I don't want to mess that up.
00:29:12
Speaker
What do you think, Brett? It's a real big step up. The Angels over there. I know they're dead-end franchise. Yeah. So I lost Nudy. Jets are going to jet, and the Oaks are going to Oak. The Oakland A's are going to Oak or something like that. That was awesome. Oaks are going to Oak. Yeah, I mean.
00:29:31
Speaker
Wait, yeah, I'm kind of along the lines of snooty. I haven't really been able to catch a lot of the games. I see some of the highlights, but I mean, yeah, they're playing West coast games, 10 o'clock start times. I'm just not going to be staying up for those games, especially this early in the season and, uh, you know, see where it goes, but.
00:29:48
Speaker
I don't have a ton of optimism. I'm still going to stick in that camp of until this ownership group changes their approach, I am going to be sitting on that sideline and saying, fuck you. And I'm not paying the Nessen 360 price to try and get it here. There's so much aspects about this. Yeah, there's so much aspects about this organization that just doesn't
00:30:12
Speaker
doesn't suit me. I mean, hey, I have YouTube TV, so I don't have Nessen. So I'm not getting Nessen 360 for that, because fuck them. And then I just watch the highlights. And if there's anything on prime time, I'll just kind of keep an eye out for it. But I'm just, yeah, I'm out. I'm so out on this team. And put me in the camp of, you know, wake me up when they do something. And I'll be that bandwagon hopper that jumps on late, but I doubt it's going to happen.
00:31:02
Speaker
said it's been
00:31:12
Speaker
2028 four years. Okay. So now, so you have to wait. I mean, truly you, this, this, that town has to wait for more years of watching them suck and not spend a dime. I mean, that is, and I think in immediately baseball, they revenue share about a hundred million a team. So, I mean, this team, it's guaranteed that they're making like,
00:31:38
Speaker
something like 60 million in profit off the bat. They'll be the most profitable franchise. So which shows you why I think John Henry is trying to put in the salary cap, the salary floor. Like especially I think if anything they need a floor.
00:31:54
Speaker
The salary floor would be the most important because most of these teams, especially the NFL, they have a really, really high floor. You have to spend money in the NFL. They should look and say it costs X amount to run because obviously they pay for the major league club funds. The minor league system is like that. Figure out an average cost for a minor league system and then take that off and say you get
00:32:19
Speaker
you know, 70% of the remaining amount is the floor. You have to spend, you cannot spend less than that on an annual basis. I mean, they should genuinely have like a hundred million dollar floor. I like in baseball, there's no reason to have it be less than that. And I don't know what the A's pay right now, but I know it's really, really low. Like I think it's, if I had to guess, I think it's like 40 million, um,
00:32:49
Speaker
I can look up their payrolls, but I know it's literally low. So that team's pathetic. But imagine making your work. I think I got the payroll amount. What's your guess? What is it? Oh, I haven't looked it up yet. I'm going to guess 40. I didn't look it up yet. My guess is $40 million. All right, Snooty. I just looked it up, so. Oh, you suck. Let's see if we're getting the same number. Let's see if we're getting the same number.
00:33:17
Speaker
So you're doing the payroll totals or you're doing the luxury tax total. You're not including the luxury tax, right? 26 man, 26 men total is what I'm seeing. But, uh, this is the total payroll plus other things like in OIR and other things like that. The A's are at 60 million. Yeah. That's on. So this is by far the lowest though. I mean, second to lowest is Pittsburgh at 83. Um,
00:33:45
Speaker
It's pretty low, but Boston, I mean, this is still really embarrassing to me. The Red Sox, according to Spot Track or whatever this is, their payroll is 177 million. They're 11th. Like, this is just not good enough, man. It's really not good enough. If this is accurate, you know, the Yankees are number one at 305. You're gonna let the Yankees outspend you by 120 million dollars? That's outrageous.
00:34:16
Speaker
So I think even the Cubs are still way out paying you. The San Francisco Giants are out paying you. I don't know what their problem is. Obviously, they've gone into a total shell. So let's see how this works out, is all I'm saying. How much you spend doesn't necessarily always equal wins.
00:34:41
Speaker
The Red Sox have never won a World Series in this century without having like a top four payroll. So this is fully on John Henry. You know, sometimes free agents leave a team after they've won a couple of rings and they just want the payday. They're not even really care about winning. That's kind of where the Sox owners are right now. They're just like, Hey, we got our rings. Just get one more big paycheck before we cash out at the end.
00:35:08
Speaker
I mean, are they really trying to sell this team? Like I can't they're named Fenway Sports Group. I can't imagine like you're sitting on this gold mine at Fenway with a crazy fan base in a ridiculous area with tons of money. And you just got to like put out an OK ball club. People flock. Like what's the reason you never want to get rid of that team age? Just they don't give a fuck. They're getting older. At some point you cash out, right?
00:35:36
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think they give a fuck. I think the way they look at it is as long as their profit line stays positive, they're going to continue to explore other ventures. Like I know their latest is they're getting into the golf leagues they have with Tiger and they're part of that whole component of things. And they like invested in some golf.
00:35:57
Speaker
They, well, the thing is, is they're building another investments. So the way I look at them with the socks was, you know, the socks were really their first sports franchise that they had. And they were so focused on winning, getting championships and building really that foundation. And then since then they've been in Liverpool, they got the penguins. Like I said, now he's getting into golf. And I think he was part of a group that was like,
00:36:23
Speaker
He was one of the leading parties in that group that invested like close to a billion dollars in golf or like a few hundred million dollars in golf. So yeah, I mean, I just think he's looking at other ventures and he just looks at the Red Sox and he just checks his, you know, P&Ls when they come in on a quarterly basis and says, all right, where am I at? Okay, I'm good. Keep it around there. Don't spend more than this. Here you go.
00:36:49
Speaker
And he's just not invested in the team. And it clearly shows because you look at the different GMs that come through and they're just not getting high end talent and they, they look handstrong. And you can just tell based on like the deals that they have, the players that are letting go, how they're kind of managing through it. It's kind of like they're not even in the ballpark with some of these guys. It's crazy.
00:37:10
Speaker
Yes. I mean, the one thing you can say for 100% certainty is that they have absolutely changed their style in which they operate the Red Sox business. That is a 100% fact. The team has a very strict budget. They are not entering the luxury tax and they've clearly decided they're not spending with the top top teams.
00:37:33
Speaker
So they've decided, hey, we like our profit number at XYZ. We're not going into the luxury tax. We don't really care to spend. We're going to try to spend middle of the pack and see, can we win at this amount? The problem is I think they're underestimating how psychotic people are here. I mean, truly, I think they're really underestimating like,
00:37:54
Speaker
You think they know the people here by now, but like the harassment day in day out that they're gonna get I mean, maybe they don't maybe don't give a shit and they can block it block it out. But like people here Aren't kind if you go from spending a lot and building a great franchise for 20 years I mean the Red Sox have been awesome with some blips and weirdness here and there but you won four rings and
00:38:19
Speaker
Yeah, too many last place finishes in the last decade. I don't know. They're like, this is why they were changing their approach. But like this team's been pretty successful. So I think there's a really weird shift happening. John Henry doesn't do a single fucking interview. I mean, you got Sam Kennedy doing, doing podcasts, just sunshine and rainbows, listening to him. He's like, yeah, I know our perception is bad, but we're young and fast. And it's like,
00:38:45
Speaker
You know, they don't take it seriously, people's complaints. Like they try to, they try to own it. They can't because it's, they, they're not going to come out and just say, yeah, you know, we don't want, we want our profit margin where it is and baseball's shrinking. So blah, blah, blah, right? They're not going to come out with a satisfying answer. So that's the only thing people are going to give a shit about is if they finally start saying, yeah, we're not spending that much. Like we like our profit where it is.
00:39:12
Speaker
You know, I don't think that's just going to be affirmation of what they already, you know, expected. So yeah, I mean, I've been hashtag sell the socks for probably about three years now. So I'm all in on selling. If they're not going to invest in the team, I'm not investing in the team.
Caitlin Clark and Women's Basketball Spotlight
00:39:30
Speaker
And I just don't think them investing in the scene. No, that's fair. All right, cool. We didn't touch on this. We can if you guys want. We're 40 minutes in.
00:39:42
Speaker
We didn't, so we all, I think, watched the Iowa and LSU game and a huge moment for women's basketball. I know here at the Savage of Austin podcast, huge female following of like 2% of our audience. We now have six, we had now, I checked today, there's 6% non-binary, which
00:40:04
Speaker
probably is just dudes, I assume, filling out non-binary. I don't know. But not getting into that, just saying that it's funny that we have like 2% women listening, which we got to, I guess, figure out how to get that thing worked on. But great game, Caitlin Clark's ridiculous and incredible. So I mean, yeah, Brett, were you there for this one? Or you were just there the week before?
00:40:32
Speaker
I was there for Saturday's game. I did not go Mondays. Mondays would have been hard to manage between work and school with the kids and stuff. Believe me, I debated it on Sunday when I saw that come through.
00:40:47
Speaker
I know you talked about demographics. I think the best part about what happened on Monday night was really demographics were sort of out the window. I mean, it was just a highly viewed game. 12.3 million viewers, 16 million during its peak. I'm sure people saw all of the circulation on how that stacks up compared to the other sporting events and such. I would just say this, my biggest takeaway, it's sort of a rarity. You have a game that's hyped as much as it is.
00:41:15
Speaker
And then it actually lives up to the expectation. And so much so that like, I think Caitlin Clark, you know, cemented her just legacy in college basketball. And we'll see what happens. You know, I still think there's a chance they win the championship, obviously, and I'm rooting for them. Regardless, it's one of those things where you're going to see viewership on the UConn game come Friday. There's going to be a lot of people in on that. So that's going to be huge.
00:41:41
Speaker
But I mean, you look at what happened Monday, you know, Caitlin Clark had a huge game. Angel Reese had a huge game. It's kind of sucks. She had that, you know, twisted her ankle in the game, but it was back and forth all the way through towards the fourth quarter. A lot of excitement at the game. You know, had some famous people go to that game. You got Travis Scott tweeting about the Monday night events. You got Jason Sudeikis in the crowd. You know, El Prez was down there in the crowd doing live tweets. I mean, it's hey, it's a lot of attention.
00:42:12
Speaker
Clark's a superstar. Angel Reese is a superstar. I loved what it was. And, you know, I think people got to see a really good product on Monday night, which is great. And hopefully we see some similar tune in on Friday. That's good. There's our, there's our women's basketball minute with Brett. Thank you. I like it. I actually think Yukon as a, I think Yukon is going to beat Iowa on Friday.
00:42:39
Speaker
I just have a feeling. You're a hater. I'm rooting for Kaitlyn Clark just because I think she's exceptional. Watching her, I was like, she is genuinely
00:42:49
Speaker
seems ridiculous. Like, she seems like an NBA pro. Like, watching her, like, she's doing step backs from the logo. I was like, this is like, she's doing, like, Damian Lillard. Or, you know what I mean? Or Steph Curry. Like, she seems like a, she's a killer, man. And she's a great passer. She's got a great game. So, fun player to watch. Like, but Yukon, dude, Yukon's awesome. Like, Yukon's Yukon. Is South Carolina still in it, too? Yeah, and if they're in the field. Oh, they're a wagon. They're a wagon. They're a wagon. That might be tough.
00:43:19
Speaker
They, uh, they struggled on the last game. They get up like a 20 point lead. So they've had a couple of closer games. Um, but they've also demolished teams too. So like, they're just a really all around complete team. But, you know, I think you touched upon it. One of the things that's really overlooked with Caitlin Clark is her ability to pass and she's actually third all time and assists.
00:43:41
Speaker
Um, you know, for women's athlete. So she's just, I mean, it's, it's ridiculous and logo. That's logo MBA. Let's logo WNBA. That's logo college. That's, that's logo. Yeah. Now she's a ridiculous shooter. It's one of the best I've ever seen. I like, I don't ever remember seeing a women's basketball game where people are hitting step backs like that from the logo, like whoever shoots like that.
00:44:08
Speaker
Maybe who was doing the three-point contest with Steph Curry this year? They were great too. I forget who that was. Oh, Sabrina. I can't pronounce her last name. I asked you. Yeah, she was good too. Anyway, I do find it really interesting in telling that we're sitting here talking about the women's game and not the men's game.
00:44:27
Speaker
Cause like it shows you maybe it's just like how much more star power does the men's game need? You know, it's just that everyone goes to the pros now, like all good international players are in the pros. Like, you know, it's, it's not like you got web and Yama mentioned web and Yama playing for Duke, you know, or like it would be silly. So I think maybe the men's game needs a bit more star power again. And like it's, it's unlike, you know, college football where.
00:44:56
Speaker
You end up with a lot of star power because those kids really need to stay there and develop and they're not even allowed to enter the draft until after at least two full seasons.
00:45:04
Speaker
So, or after, you know, or is it three after their junior year? Three years out of high school. Yeah, three years out of high school. So, you got mostly juniors. So, that gives a lot of, again, star power, time to develop. Like, then some dudes stay longer, like Jane Daniels played like five years of college.
Podcast Conclusion and Farewell
00:45:21
Speaker
Michael Panix, like Bo Nix, these dudes have been around for so long. So, you definitely need, you need to build identities and star power, just like Angel Reese and just like Caitlin Clark.
00:45:31
Speaker
All right, we're going to cut it off here. It's two roles. Sorry, one more thought. It's two role reversal because back in the day, they used to say, UConn women's was bad for the sport because they just destroyed everybody. And now UConn men are just destroying everybody. They're nasty, too. They're nasty. But I don't know anybody on the team. I'm sorry. I haven't watched enough of it.
00:45:55
Speaker
As you know, we're all busy guys. We're all working with kids, you know, like other stuff going on. I have not been doing, I haven't been paying close attention to the men's tournament this year. You can't do that. The average margin of victory is like 20 some odd points, like 23 points, 24 points.
00:46:11
Speaker
Yeah, they cover the spread by like 13 average a game or something. Yeah, they're, they're good. Good Ben team for certain. I mean, I followed a big dude like DJ burns or whatever from NC state and see state, not a big guy from Purdue is big guy, but like, you know, it'll be interesting. I'll run for NC state maybe because I liked that player. It looks like he could play tackle for the Patriots. He's like six, nine, 270, like bring him, bring him out, bring him out at left tackle.
00:46:39
Speaker
Um, but yeah, I know we'll cut it off here just because we're running 46 minutes in any any any other thoughts guys? Anything else you want to get off get off your chest? Go Hawks. I like Rebecca Oboz. I like the shot that Albany took from Rebecca Lobo. Oh my god, eviscerated. She's going to do an Albany. Trust me, there's nothing to do here. Oh, man. What else?
00:47:10
Speaker
And ironically, I know plenty of people from the Albany area and like, they were like hurt for a second. And they're like, yeah, that's pretty true. Him out of nowhere. She's like, let me just, let me just absolutely eviscerate the city of Albany. She's like, you're all pathetic. Jesus, Rebecca Lobo. All right, guys, thanks for tuning in. We'll catch you next time. Peace. Peace.