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MLB ⚾ Baseball #mlb All-Star Game Best Players, Teams & Divisions #baseball Review
1 Playsin 11 hours
⚾ MLB All-Star Game Best Players, Teams & Divisions
Featuring Omar 'Sports Professor' Fonseca with MLB Insiders:
Amul the Agilist (IG @AM23Photgraphy)
&
Rec Room Hub Sports' Allen Peralez (IG @Trainer.AP)
&
I.O.W Sports' Jerzey Boy MJ (IG @JerseyBoyMJ)
Click LinkTree for ALL @BALLandBUDS Social Media Profiles:
https://linktr.ee/BALLandBUDS #mlb #baseball #mlbbaseball #mlballstargame #MLBB
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
You can't pretend, now get ready for the show.
Introduction and Show Promotion
00:00:17
Speaker
yo yo yo what up friends welcome back to ball and buds we are here tonight for the all-star game yes mlb's mid-season classic it is here we are super excited you know who i am your host Omar the Sports Professor Fonseca. I want you to subscribe at Ballin' Buds. B-A-L-L-A-N-D-B-U-D-S on YouTube. Follow on Instagram. Handy QR code up there at the top.
00:00:49
Speaker
We'll take you to our link tree where everything is. As well, make sure you hit that like button whether you're watching now or on the replay. It helps out us out in the algorithm. Gets us out to those people that need to hear this content.
00:01:02
Speaker
And when I bring you this content, I bring you... My brothers, the experts that know baseball, some of my closest insiders.
Health Scare and Unhealthy Cities
00:01:11
Speaker
Starting off here on the top row, Amul, the Agilist. What's good, my brother?
00:01:18
Speaker
How you doing? My name's Amul. all know me yeah at this point. Like, do I need to introduce myself? you at this point I don't think you have say that. AM23Photography, you know, am23photography.com. Oh, yeah. I'm just here to carry the show when when Omar inevitably, you know,
00:01:37
Speaker
goes go exit stage exit stage left sorry well you know if anybody has to exit stage left it may be from that explosive diarrhea running around the united states make sure you watch yeah be careful out there it was from raspberries so don't eat those right now Yeah, I mean, AP was telling me apparently Taco Bell may have a hand in this whole fiasco, so we'll see. I've heard mostly fruit, but yeah, you're right. Yeah, definitely. They said wash your fruits and vegetables, so make sure you do that. Speaking of AP, AP, I read, I saw the news report came out today. I was watching News Nation and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the most unhealthy city in the United States of America. What do have say for you and your people?
00:02:24
Speaker
I mean, that kind of makes sense, not going to lie. ah I mean, here's the thing. Have you seen Texas lately? It does not look pretty down there. Or Kansas. Or, you know, no i music so I don't know.
00:02:41
Speaker
Well, Arlington, Virginia, omar e was highest on the list. was the healthies But that makes sense. Fitness in the U.S. Fitness in the U.S. It makes sense.
00:02:52
Speaker
Hold hold on. Let AP and Mem J go. We'll come back. but on ah Yeah, Recrum Sports Up on YouTube. Check us out there every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. Obviously, we got our radio show on ESPN 690 Jacksonville if guys want to check that out as well. so um That is on Thursdays at 4 p.m. Eastern to 6 p.m. Eastern if you want to check that out.
00:03:22
Speaker
There you go. Yeah, y'all make sure you tap in. Awesome people over there. Rec Room got their thing going on on ESPN. And then finally, last but certainly not least, representing that IOW Sports Life.
Meet Jersey Boy MJ
00:03:37
Speaker
He go by Jersey Boy MJ. What's good, my brother? Yeah, not much. i yo You'll find me floating around on IOW. You catch me at Jersey Boy MJ on IG, on Twitter, on Twitter.
00:03:52
Speaker
Yeah, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. mean No doubt about it. I've been out the game for a while, so I'm trying to get back in. I love it. and We're happy you were able to join us today, brother. Hopefully you'll be able to join us for the rest of the season as well because it has been a fun season thus far. So, gentlemen, without further ado, let's kick this bad boy off. Let's talk about it.
00:04:16
Speaker
There's a lot of notes that have been coming out first, so we're just going to start. Oh, sorry, Amul, you had something you wanted to say. Good. I fuck now i was just going to say, he ah AP mentioned San Antonio. Do you know how many, do you know the average amount of ah McDonald's that are in San Antonio?
00:04:33
Speaker
I counted 27 a couple years back. In just the city limit? ah in just the city limits and somebody when I was down there, because I was down there for work, I asked like, hey, what direction do I have to go to like find the elbow? Because there wasn't an actual street sign. And and the guy the person that I asked goes, you see that big tall McDonald's dude like right in front of you?
00:04:57
Speaker
It's right behind that. I'm just going to leave that there. I will say that was a fun trip back in the day I took when I was still in high school was to San Antonio.
00:05:11
Speaker
Got to be on the on the ah field at the Animal Dome. That was fun. I like that. All right. All right. Cool. Well, I did want to bring
Umpiring Controversies
00:05:22
Speaker
up this. Thank you for sending this video to me, Amul.
00:05:27
Speaker
but God, which one? I've said so many. I'm so sorry, guys. Of this of this girl, of this umpire, I'm not here to shit on the lady. once again but this is ridiculous. What do you mean you're not going to let him challenge this call. Look at this. Look at it look at how fast he challenged me. Nah, nah, nah. Strike, okay, yeah gar he's gonna challenge. No, you gotta be more quicker. What do you mean I gotta be more quicker?
00:05:54
Speaker
so be You said strike and I tapped my damn hat. How quick do I need to be? And she keeps calling these things that are not strikes, by the way. all so And the guy goes further into the video. no And I'm not going to show the whole thing. I just wanted to show that the umpire, I use this as an example, not to bash her because she's a female umpire at all, although they do go on in the episode to show that she is the second worst rated umpire in the league. That's neither here nor there. I show this because umps are being exposed this year what the by the ABS system.
00:06:35
Speaker
And as well, because they are being exposed, there are now seven umpires that are due to retire at the end of the season, including the worst rated CB Buckner and a bunch of his old buddies that have been there since the late 90s. They probably can't see anymore. That's probably why they have to retire. But either way, I think really ABS is just...
00:06:57
Speaker
um exposing the bad umpires and getting people in their feelings and they don't want to be exposed anymore on umpirereference.com every night. MJ, I see you shaking your head on this. What do you got on this topic?
00:07:12
Speaker
I've been saying this for quite some time, a few years. Umpires should be held to a standard that after the game, they should meet the press and answer questions.
00:07:25
Speaker
you know how why did you make this call like this going this this this and this have them be responsible and explain to the fans explain to the media like what you were thinking when you made this fucking atrocious call right Like, it is, it is, both I mean, this goes across all sports, especially football, too. Like, it's, that's true. No, no, you're right.
00:07:48
Speaker
Yes, I mean, refereeing is horrible across sports. But, yep like, I mean, this is just taken to a new level, right, the MJ? Because it's the it's the system now that shows with complete accuracy and that a camera is showing that your calls are wrong all the time.
00:08:04
Speaker
And I think CB Buckner, especially when he got really embarrassed early on in the season in like that first series and he had six like wrong calls in one game. One game. Bro, that's that. That would embarrass the fuck out of me to retire too. He's done two total, that's it.
00:08:21
Speaker
And he's had a negative, this is what I was gonna dive into, so I wrote this down last night. Cause I was like, I don't know if you're gonna get to this or not, because it was a touchy subject as it is. He has a negative, i think it's, ah what is it?
00:08:35
Speaker
Negative 8.43. as far as like calls uh ron culpa has negative 41.7 he's listed as first by default because only because he's played he has more games right he has 10 games yeah and i'm not gonna i'm not gonna say anything about the the uh the lady um but her hers is negative 24.9 so those are the top three so i'm I don't know. they I feel like they need to go to, like, umpire school or something.
00:09:08
Speaker
agree with This is another thing I have said about the NFL forever. yeah Like, stop hiring. And the NFL really does because they only have 16 weeks. They're worse at it. But they hire, like, these part-time refs. It's like, no, every ref should be a full-time, salaried employee that you put through training, OJT, like any you other fucking job. You know what I mean, AP?
00:09:29
Speaker
And here's the thing. i don't know if you guys have caught this, but I caught this especially with this particular moment here. um When he's when the the batter's trying to challenge, the umpires will look down.
00:09:42
Speaker
They'll look down and avoid looking at the players i outside as kind of a tactic to try to say, well, you should have challenged. You little bastards. Yeah, because they don't want to get caught being wrong.
00:09:53
Speaker
Because they kill him to tap the hat. But they don't say, hey, I'm challenging you of this. yeah So that's a loophole in it. I would tell him. If you look away for just enough, it'd be like, why didn't he challenge that? I'm not going to call Right.
00:10:10
Speaker
Somebody wrote down that if they were like a manager in that situation, like, no, you got to be demonstrative. Like, hey, I'm challenging. You need to tell the umpire, bro, I'm challenging. She threw out the hitting coach in that situation.
00:10:27
Speaker
the hitting coach in that situation The hitting coach was being demonstrative and she was like, no, you, you, you gone, you're going to go spend more time buying stuff on Amazon. I'm like, okay, all right. Like, you know, you're feeling so hard. And then that same game, she calls a balk on Toronto. Yeah, on Gossman.
00:10:48
Speaker
The other dugout gets upset at her. It's like, But it wasn't just that she called it on Gosman. It was two or three pitchers, two or three batters later that he didn't even balk at all. And she was like, yeah, that's a balk.
00:11:04
Speaker
So I'm like, okay, we've we' found our new Angel Hernandez. It is what it is. was gonna bring his name up. Yep. Yeah. yeah This is our first season, right? Yeah, he's another season. was gonna Angel Dan is probably like, yeah, see, this is why I retired. He was like, i retired at just the right time. Just the perfect time. Because I'd have been roasted. They should bring this up for the labor fight and like make it so that you have to get credentialed or something.
00:11:33
Speaker
once you become an umpire. Like, I had to be credentialed when I became a natural coach in my professional life. You gotta be credentialed too. You gotta know your stuff. Otherwise, i agree what are you doing? And I'll say this, start maybe coaching in the absolute lowest ranks and work your way up.
00:11:53
Speaker
Maybe that's something for the future. But yeah yeah think they've started to employ that. But yes, I agree that, you know, the older ones that are still in, you know, especially good.
00:12:04
Speaker
First of all, get those people out if they're still doing this badly after this many years of being on the job. But yeah, make sure make sure we're training from below. I completely agree. Yeah.
00:12:15
Speaker
And then thinking about this with the ABS system they have, just imagine when Angel Hernandez was and
00:12:27
Speaker
He caught enough backlash as it is because he
MLB Equipment and Ball Manipulation
00:12:30
Speaker
sucked. right yeah You implement this.
00:12:35
Speaker
You're not wrong. he's gonna use I mean, like I know we don't talk about it on here, but he's going to pull a David Ortiz on ah telephone boxes is what he's going to do if he was still working.
00:12:49
Speaker
You know? like it like That's an old reference. That's a really old reference. Pedro Martinez threw down Don Zimmer. oh I mean, no, no, no. It's more like Ortiz going after a telephone. Oh, the snap in the dugout. I remember that. Yeah, yeah.
00:13:08
Speaker
That poor telephone. What about this? because we Because we've heard about this, um all of us have, about the baseballs all simply being altered from season to season. Oh, ah without a doubt. Right?
00:13:24
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. no like you You make a ball, like, why are you changing it year by year? Like, you're raising the seams, lowering the seams. There's something very fishy with that shit.
00:13:35
Speaker
There's something like... oh i I think it just goes along to with with the jersey alterations. People aren't like, there is no consistency. The way I'm not trying to be that person. I'm really trying not to be that person. Boy. Be that person. Okay. All right. I'll be in that person. Like, like quite why can't you make things consistent?
00:13:57
Speaker
I realize that some of these things are manufactured in a factory somewhere Louisville or in Kansas, you know, and that's fine. That's great. Love the fact that you're employing workers, but you know why are you going ahead and like raising the seams one year and lower the next or why does the the name on the back of the jersey printed instead of stitched you know i realize it's because it costs more or less but these companies are making hand over fist so yeah stop crying to your shareholders but you know it's it should be consistent
00:14:34
Speaker
Because otherwise, last night, no yeah i mean, last night, i mean, I know the three of us, or or not three, of well, yeah, the three of us, um you're not in this yet, ah MJ, but like Omar AP and I were talking and, you know, Jordan Walker won, right?
00:14:51
Speaker
And the balls were he the the balls were switched out or something and he won on a white ball and should have won on a on a magenta ball, like who cares?
00:15:03
Speaker
He won. You know? And and yeah, i get I get your point. yeah But even then, even in the home run derby, that's fine because it's more of a sideshow than an actual game. But for the actual games from season to season, right there needs there needs to be ah not just consistency, it should just be the same ball.
00:15:22
Speaker
I don't know why you're yeah why you're changing it at all. If you just leave it, left it at one ball, I get it why they do it. because they either want to depress or increase offense or or vice versa for the pitching. I get it.
00:15:35
Speaker
But the point is is that they're going to have all these variabilities and all these rates. And so iBlack published an article um that went over like all these different times that the the league home run weight and power weight went up versus when it went down and strikeouts and vice versa and all of this stuff. And they even went back to a quote that Rob Manford had back in COVID when he had blamed COVID for having new balls because he said that the global supply chains were disrupted and that they had they weren't able to get all the old balls produced for the new season. And na yeah that turned out to be a complete lie.
00:16:15
Speaker
so yeah it's like you know it's like all right well we know you're messing with the balls um and again if that's what you're gonna do just be ah i mean i guess just be transparent and be like hey we want to make the game better and we try to always tinker and then then i guess we'd be all right with it but until then it's more of a conspiracy than anything right ap and and it it comes it comes back to the point they say the balls are juiced I mean, is he gonna blame the street is he going to blame this straight at her closing?
00:16:45
Speaker
for the fact that they don't have oil to put in balls anymore. like I mean, there you go. That's possible. to you know I'm sorry. i don't I'm not trying to bring in like too many current events tonight, but you you know what I mean.
MLB's Future and Labor Concerns
00:16:57
Speaker
I get you. I mean, he yeah not be he should not be blaming.
00:17:00
Speaker
ah Again, just be transparent. Don't lie and say it was because of a global supply chain when your baseball supplier then came out and said, no, we actually gave them. We could have given mike the same balls.
00:17:13
Speaker
um yeah ap what were you saying that's just another negative notch on rob manford's tenure i guess you could say um but i agree it it don't matter to him because he's he's gonna be remembered as the the guy that brought pete rose back into the league so he will eventually will he will he be remembered for that though I mean, it'll be one part of his legacy, yes. That'll be one part, but that's something that people are going like, oh, he did such a good... No, he didn't.
00:17:44
Speaker
No. No. I mean, no. Maybe aside, I don't see anything... Maybe he's going to try to take credit for ending the strike if it ends next year, too, or something like that. Well, the strike has to happen first. I think the strike's going to happen.
00:18:01
Speaker
Because based on what I'm seeing from... We all agree with that. Yeah, for the looming labor fight, people like players just don't want a hard salary cap. So, same for me. All right, well, cool. Let's see. We got some ah comments here. What up, Hot Rod?
00:18:18
Speaker
Hot Rod and Canteen at the Bottom Line Sports. Cheers, fellas. Y'all make sure you check out the Bottom Line Sports, Canteen, Hot Rod, and Flo. There they have a Facebook group, awesome group where they talk sports and everything. Y'all hit
Home Run Derby Highlights
00:18:32
Speaker
that up.
00:18:32
Speaker
But, yeah, let's talk about what we were just about to get into, the Home Run Derby, since you did bring it up. Jordan Walker wins the home run derby. Let me ah move this up so i don't block y'all's faces. Sox need a trade for him. Sorry. Jordan Walker wins the home run derby. And this is a beautiful shot right here.
00:18:57
Speaker
Look at that. Just made me so happy as a Mets fan to watch the Philadelphia Phillies. Suck it, Phillies fans. I had to wait for y'all to think Schwarber was going to win, and you booed Contreras, and he didn't get it done, and you tried to do it. You booed this man. He had the cold steel chill of a Ken Griffey Jr. and just went out up there and...
00:19:22
Speaker
ripped their hearts out like a villain right in Philadelphia. I laughed as all these Phillies fans started crying and I wish them a bad trip home. On that note, Jordan Walker did win. I did. i was like, i hope they have to sit in a lot of traffic too. um Anyways, Jordan Walker did win. It was awesome. Now, there were are some changes this year.
00:19:45
Speaker
The notable change being going back to swings instead of time. so going back to the old format, I will say one thing and then we'll get to to you all. ah but The one thing I want to preface this with is the one change I would make.
00:20:02
Speaker
because the first round and maybe even the second round were were not as exciting. And I believe it was because you didn't have that time element. I love the swing ah to to have the swings, but I think for the first round, mix it up, right? Have time for the first round and then every round after do the swings that way. Because I found myself in the first round, like I was working on the computer too, and I wasn't really like watching it a lot because it wasn't really that exciting. And then when it got to you know Harper and Schwarber and Contreras, then I started like getting into it and I was like, okay, so I think maybe that's the only change I would make, but it was much much more drama, a lot more drama. It was a great spectacle by the end of the night.
00:20:48
Speaker
um So yeah, we'll start with you, AP. What do you got? I mean, I loved it. I loved the finish of it. And again, nothing does does my heart warmer than seeing a Philadelphia fan get get crushed, get their dreams cut. The only thing better with me is those Yankees, those damn skankies, but that's okay. ah see you guys But yeah, I mean, of course it's a Cardinal that does it too, right? Come on. always's Always taking the hearts of everybody else.
00:21:18
Speaker
um The first Cardinal to ever win the Home Run Derby though. Jordan Walker, the first St. Louis Cardinal to win the Home Run Derby. Great moment for him. i love the final. um Maybe...
00:21:32
Speaker
It's kind of hard to say because I love the format. I think the format's fine the way it is. I just hope that at some point we start seeing some of the more of the superstars be like, hey, I'm gonna go do this. I loved having Junior junior Cameron Arrow in the first round, you know although he didn't, I think he didn't get to the second round, didn't get to the final, but um you know maybe a little bit more star power would to make it made it more interesting, but for what it was, is it's definitely a step in the right direction.
00:22:09
Speaker
Yeah, no, it was, again, very, very good. The first Cardinal to win it, as you said. Shout out to Kanteen for saying that as well. um Yeah, that was very exciting. I'm surprised Albert Pujols did not win because I know he competed a couple times at least, so I was surprised to hear that he did not win it. Seeing Barry Bonds there, though, um was kind of was kind of cool. Haven't seen him in forever. our MJ, yeah what you got for us?
00:22:31
Speaker
Nothing. yeah i Honestly, I fell asleep. i saw the first guy go. He was hitting fucking bombs, whoever that was. Yeah.
00:22:43
Speaker
The first one up. It was Couture's, I think. Was it Couture's first? I don't remember, to be honest. I'm not even go lie and act like I know it was first. He was hitting bombs.
00:22:55
Speaker
And I tried staying awake, but I just i couldn't. You know, and and it's not about like I didn't want to watch it like in my world. this You know, I have what's called like neuro fatigue and it just you just crash out and I couldn't I couldn't stay up as much as I wanted to.
00:23:13
Speaker
Just like. Yeah, of course. But I mean, you saw the highlights, though, right? Yeah. saw the highlights Didn't didn't Walker didn't get a home on his last swing. Yes. Yeah. He he wanted walk off style. Yeah. Yeah. yeah But what did you think about the format? Did you like the the the change of the format to the swings only?
00:23:34
Speaker
Kind of give and take a little bit. Okay. Yeah, it's a change. you know They went back, but like you said with the timing, like that makes it like a little bit more more exciting to watch. and and Because last year when he was in Atlanta, right?
00:23:53
Speaker
Last year was Atlanta. Yep. Yeah. You were in, you were there, weren't you? I was there. Yes, sir. that's right. You remember that shit. yeah I was there. That's right. I was there. Yes, sir. I was. What a great time. And by the way, apparently ticket prices are six times more than they were last year. Cause I got two tickets near the field for me and my pops. And I think I paid like 750 this year. Like the getting prices like 1300 or something. I was like, what the fuck?
Ticket Pricing and Streaming Challenges
00:24:18
Speaker
So they're trying to what they're doing. And my dad sent me an article on this. What they're doing is the the the teams, the organizations, the leagues like FIFA. But they did this with the World Cup. They're only releasing like drip tickets a little bit at a time. So people have to cannibalize other people while they're trying to get tickets. And so that's why there's such high prices. And then they even do it all the way to the last minute to create more, you know, scarcity.
00:24:46
Speaker
more FOMO that you're going to miss out, so you buy at a higher ticket price. That's gouging. Isn't that price isn't that like the legal term of price gouging, or am I wrong? No, you you you could not get a ticket here in Jersey for the World Cup under a G. You could not get a ticket under a G. No. iin't And that's the thing. People will pay the price.
00:25:07
Speaker
And they're doing the same thing. They're doing the same thing for the Olympics. Oh, I believe it. For LA-28.
00:25:16
Speaker
Oh, that's right. Yeah. L.A. in two years. Yep. I believe it. I'm not I mean, it does not surprise me at all. um what What were your thoughts on it? I got this cool gift I'm going share. So while you're doing that, good.
00:25:30
Speaker
Change nothing. Like, it's it was perfect. I knew was doing the exact same thing you were doing, Omar. I was it was on the the the computer and I was prepping for shit for the show today.
00:25:41
Speaker
And I was like, this is great. Like, I've always treated it as like background for the first two rounds. And then like, once I get into it, I get into it. Wilson Contreras being the villain that he was in Philly. like Everyone was billing him and it was great. i think he had a bat that had like a joker, had the joker on it or something. So he was playing the villain, as it were. and that was That was beautiful to watch.
00:26:05
Speaker
ah Love to see Jordan Walker win it. Really thankful, really grateful for Bryce Harper once again, ah letting every fan down in Philadelphia.
00:26:17
Speaker
thank you. Because I said that last night when I was watching it. I'm glad you brought it up because forgot about that. Knowing we go well. Here go, Harper letting everybody down again. knowing fully well that I was in the audience when you won 2018 Home Run Derby here in DC.
00:26:36
Speaker
So, ah you know, I appreciate that. Keep on, you know, you you you got the bag, you're you're living you're living life. um No, I would change nothing. with I was a little...
00:26:47
Speaker
yeah Yeah, yeah, absolutely nothing. Live your life, live your life. As as ria as our old friend Rihanna might say.
00:26:57
Speaker
But um oh I was a little surprised that was on Netflix because I thought the servers would would when i didn't know where it was i had to look it up online because i went i went to fox and i was like why is it not on fox there's no world going on tonight and then i looked and i was like netflix i was like damn it luckily i have it that like there I mean, they're going to keep making it harder and harder. oh but harder and harder. Every sport, yeah. yeah it is It is. What can you do? and I mean, and I'll say this real quick. There are 12 states. i don't know if you guys saw this, but there's 12 states that have been together to to but to block the proposed Paramount merger.
00:27:42
Speaker
ah part Paramount with Warner Brothers. Yeah. And um we're going to see how that plays out here in the future, in the coming months. um Probably towards the fall, they they might head to the ah Supreme Court. We'll see.
00:27:55
Speaker
But um yeah, it's getting harder and harder. Yeah, it's getting harder and harder to... to find stuff like that. Where's the all-star game on Netflix too? Like, you know. It is on Fox. It is on Fox. It is on Fox?
00:28:13
Speaker
Okay. The next year it's probably going to be on that awful ESPN app, streaming app. is everything Oh, lovely. an app that I do not have. Woe is me. i will miss so much.
00:28:26
Speaker
i love your Instagram. I watch that shit all the time. I don't even lie. But I do get youset what you're saying. And I did i did ah a report on this at the beginning of the basketball season. When basketball came out with their new schedule and they were on a different streaming service every day or a different channel every day. The fragmentation of viewing in sports um with all of the, you know, arouse, I would but say arousal, arising of the streaming services. You could have said arousal. I mean, you could be, a red ah you know, back in the day, where you tried to watch like the little through the pay-per-view, like the little so screen and you were trying to watch a little bit of the. your you're dating you're You're dating yourself right now. oh like You're dating yourself.
00:29:13
Speaker
You mean like the fuzzy picture? Yeah, the fuzzy picture. He's trying to see i see a little, let's see if you can little see a little something something. You know, see the lines of the screen. Yeah, there's a little nip slip. Oh, that's great. and That is tremendous. All right.
00:29:34
Speaker
One other thing I did want to touch on, the MLB draft before we get into All-Star Game tonight. MLB draft was this past week.
MLB Draft Visibility Issues
00:29:42
Speaker
Shout out to UCLA's Ross Cholowski.
00:29:47
Speaker
I am a UCLA Bruin fan, so i he's one of my favorite players from college the past few years. He was taken by the Chicago White Sox number one in the draft. My Mets, because they did spend way too much money and...
00:30:07
Speaker
We got penalized 10 spots and didn't actually end up picking until the late first round, so it wasn't very impressive of a pick. But needless to say, the MLB Draft continues to be a platform for players to elevate themselves to the majors, but also not a platform that is put on those streaming services, not a platform that is put in front of faces where they can be seen.
00:30:34
Speaker
Now, there is another thing that players don't want to show up, and that has a lot to do with leverage and and respect for their possibly college college commitments. They don't want to give away their hand as to what they're going to do. So I get why. But if you want anything like the Futures game or the draft to be a made-for-TV event like all of the other leagues have – um then you're going to have to start doing something, paying the players to show up or something.
00:31:03
Speaker
Because having no players showing up and then the draft only being shown for the first 10 picks on on Peacock and then it goes to the to the website, like, bro, i'm not I'm not doing all that. I'm not even going to try to watch. Well, here's the thing about that too, Omar, is look at what's going on with the labor talks.
00:31:23
Speaker
there's There's potential changes coming to the draft with it. I mean, they want to cut the rounds again. yeah know, they want to cut out high school players. They want to because here's the thing. There's a lot of this and we talked about this on our show this past last week.
00:31:41
Speaker
there's There's talks of, hey, we like the way the college baseball game is playing now is being played now, and that could be a potential platform to send players you in the majors earlier. because that's um Because they're also talking about getting rid of some some of the minor league systems.
00:32:02
Speaker
some of the lower level. Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. I mean, they talked about that a few years ago, getting some rid some of the leagues. Which is a stupid idea. It's a stupid idea. you're You're costing people jobs. You're you keeping guys who may not have that five-star-ish type of performance, but you know that they can if they work their way up they you got the grit and heart, they can still be great ball players.
00:32:27
Speaker
You're taking those opportunities away. but And the thing with baseball is it's open to more people. And I don't mean this in any sort of um racial connotation, but i just mean in terms of skill sets and terms of like athleticism.
00:32:41
Speaker
Baseball, you can get away with being a little fatty like me, who was really good in baseball, even though I had a fucking beer belly in baseball. in high school like I was still really good right I don't have to be you know Terrell Owens and go out there with a football body so and MLB allows or baseball the sport allows more people to possibly be involved which means you should have a bigger minor league system because then you are allowing for like you said more players to have a chance MJ I see you I see you nodding what do you thought what do you think
00:33:14
Speaker
I just wanted to comment on the draft because my Yankees drafted. All right. all right yeah they did He's a way player. So different. Yeah.
00:33:27
Speaker
They took him number 248 overall. Okay. There you go. Legacy. I like it. Who is your number one years old? I don't know.
00:33:40
Speaker
I didn't look into that. No, you're good. But yeah, other than ah the um the White Sox picking number one, Rock Chakrowski, the Rays, Tampa Bay Rays went second. They got shortstop Grady Emerson. The Twins picked third, picking a catcher, very high for a catcher in the MLB draft, Von Lackey. But he yeah yeah he asked that he was a really good player and had good numbers last year in college.
00:34:08
Speaker
So, Amul, what do you got? um i thought the draft went well for the socks um a little odd that they double dipped unc but sure why not uh jake schaffner schaffner uh then owen ho were the first were their first two picks shortstop and outfielder uh they picked the second shortstop And then I just kept tabs on it because like you said, like, you know, you just wait for the pics to get to get posted online.
00:34:44
Speaker
Like, because i remember a couple years ago, you could watch it on ESPN and it was, you know, engaging the same with the hockey draft. you know, it was that that was engaging for a hot minute. so you know, you want these things to to engage your audience and if they're not going to, which is fine, you know, if that's how you want to be, go right ahead. Then we're just going to watch Silo or something else on Apple TV or HBO Max and and live our lives, more or less.
00:35:17
Speaker
Like you've got to have you've got to keep the interest up. um and and we'll see if we'll see if uh uh manfred does that the next round of talks for uh i will say that it it depresses me quite a bit that they're actually going to remove if they remove leagues because we had the potomac nationals here all they had to do is rebuild the stadium and they moved down to fredericksburg if you ask me how many games i've been to this year i mean
00:35:49
Speaker
answers like zero like when will i have time to drive 90 minutes one way to ah go see a game whereas the peanuts were you know in manassas so it isn't that far away from here um and don't know minor league games i think are becoming uh you know i hate to say it this way but i think they're sort of becoming and almost like novel to a degree. um And you know you hate to to do that too. I mean, you you hate to say that, but ah it it will start growing the game.
00:36:28
Speaker
If the the goal is to grow the game, ah you've got to be able to you know look beyond the US. You've got be able to bring people to, you know, um you hit like Oh, and and I'm sorry, I'm just jumping around different topics about bringing people more to the game.
00:36:46
Speaker
But like, you know, to be able to say, okay, well, I want to sit down and watch the Woosoks, for example. Okay, cool. Well, what channel are they on? don't know.
00:36:57
Speaker
Tubi? Okay, cool. Like, you know, you just don't know... where these games are because they're not as widely you know they're they're not widely known that hey you can go to this you know the this website or you can go to the and mlb app to watch and you know milb games so uh hopefully that gets changed and you know manfred's quest to demolish baseball to a degree Sorry, who was I? What was the question again? No, don no, no, no, no.
00:37:33
Speaker
That's a fine leading because I was going ask MJ, who has not been on the program this season with us and has not been able to give us his thoughts. I want to get MJ's thoughts on the labor disagreement and what you think we'll see when it comes to, you know, this offseason in the in the winter meetings when we they may have a strike or not. What are your thoughts?
MLB Financial Strategies
00:37:54
Speaker
I believe they will. They will have a strike. okay know did yo they They can never come to an agreement on anything.
00:38:05
Speaker
like date is Like the salary cap, that don't mean shit. It really does not mean shit because you pay your luxury tax. you know it's Baseball will has become a disgusting sport with the money.
00:38:21
Speaker
you know It really has. it's not It's not the baseball that we're used to. it's all it's all about money and leverage you know they they need to come to they need to find a common ground somewhere and that's the biggest you try to find that common ground there's a lot of give and take and the players they just want to take the owners they're willing to pay mean i don't like all the deferred money that that happens you know because they as they say like
00:38:56
Speaker
this shit with like one soda no tony you're gonna tell me they're not on payroll
00:39:03
Speaker
for for 40 50 million dollars but they're on the payroll you know 15 years from now right bull yeah bullshit yeah he's getting they're getting their money one way or another you know every year backdoor deals you know here we'll cut you here's 40 million don't say enough A little Kawhi Leonard aspiration action. Yeah, a little something. And that's another thing we talked about was the deferrals.
00:39:35
Speaker
You know what I mean? That the Dodgers... I think I brought it up where, like, they're paying Shohei, like, $2 million, but then the rest of it's getting deferred somehow.
00:39:46
Speaker
With interest, and he makes more money the back end. With interest. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Shout out Bob Cobb. What's good, brother? Come on if you want to come on and talk some baseball with us. MJ, shout out our brother Mar.
00:39:59
Speaker
What's good, Mar? What's up, Mar? What's good, Mar? yeah Just like I know, his birthday was yesterday. Yes, it was. Happy birthday, Mar. Happy birthday, Mar. Oh, that's what you brought that up.
00:40:12
Speaker
He old. He old. ah and um And I'm older than him, but he old. That's great. Oh, boy. All right, cool. Well, let's move into talking a little bit about the season thus far. Oh, good. What happened?
00:40:26
Speaker
I was just going to say, I live 10 minutes from ah from Lakewood Blue Claws, which is an affiliate of the Phillies. Oh, really? there Okay. I want to say singly, maybe.
00:40:38
Speaker
maybe single A, maybe. yeah i so I mean, you make a good point, Mar, you make a good point. But I mean, if then if that if if you open that can of worms, doesn't that become an even bigger issue?
00:40:52
Speaker
ah Here's the thing that baffles me though is that right now the Dodgers are the only team that are paying paying money that are actually winning with that money. They are the winning. They are winning. Because other than the Yankees, look who are the division leaders right now. Texas, Tampa Bay.
00:41:11
Speaker
Miami is in the playoff race right now. these guys don't spend anything. The White Sox. The White Sox. The White Sox are, are they like, they picked first. And they're first in the AL Central.
00:41:24
Speaker
The AL Central is bazura. Trash. I mean, let's be honest, MJ. And as a National League fan, it makes me very happy to revel in this fact. And we've talked about this a bunch this season so far. The American League in general is booty juice, my friend.
00:41:45
Speaker
Straight up booty juice is the American man. I agree. All of season long. um last i how is that that you How is it that you root for the old work or the positive that you root for one of the worst teams in McGinley? I don't know where that stands now, but I'm sure it's around the same amount.
00:42:04
Speaker
um But... It could be. It
American League Performance and Predictions
00:42:09
Speaker
could be. But yeah, so when you're looking at the American League versus the National League, and actually no way. Hold on. Let's see. One, two, three, four, five.
00:42:20
Speaker
Five above 500. The Rangers, White Sox, Guardians, Rays, Yankees. Right? But in the NL, you've got...
00:42:31
Speaker
13 teams over 500. So, I mean, the American League has proven to be the the much worse league this season. So let's talk a little bit about that, MJ. What are your thoughts on not not your Yankees per se, but just the American League as a whole having a down year?
00:42:49
Speaker
it's It's hard to even put into words, you know, because you look at last year the A&M, you had Seattle and Toronto. They both fallen off. Toronto, especially Toronto, they have, I mean, they lost Bichette, but I don't know, the makeup of of the American team is just, it just like makes you wonder, like, you gotta forget to have, but you forget to baseball?
00:43:17
Speaker
It's like, y'all been playing this your whole life, and now of a sudden, you suck. Why? Because owners don't want invest. They don't want invest in their players and their team.
00:43:31
Speaker
But I mean, i can't explain like why the American league League is the way they are. But the White Sox, though, that one fucking baffles my mind that they're in first place. I couldn't even tell you one player from the White Sox.
00:43:50
Speaker
Couldn't even tell you one. That's how bad they are. Yeah, but you'd see like... i could I could only because the Red Sox.
00:44:04
Speaker
Go ahead. Yeah. Right. Whoever wants to pick it up.
00:44:12
Speaker
No one have add any thoughts? I thought he was going to pick it up to talk about Cleveland. um They need to trade Jose Ramirez to the Yankees.
00:44:23
Speaker
oh But they won't. Well, the Guardians are still in it. And I think actually, and we're going to do our picks here in a second. Actually, yeah. um Everybody, we're going to do our our division update updated winners in a few minutes here. But when you're looking at the Guardians, they're right there with the White Sox. But MJ, you are completely right. And we have talked about this, AP and I, and Amul on the other shows as well.
00:44:49
Speaker
Just the... The way that the White Sox have gone from a team that was in the depths of the doldrums to now be in first place in midseason is a completely you know completely remarkable turn around for that team in that franchise. And I even told AP at one time that I thought it would be at least five, 10 years before the White Sox were ever in the playoffs again.
00:45:15
Speaker
But I mean, if they were going to be able to keep it up and spoiler alert, I don't think they will. I think Guardians will win that division. But if they are able to keep it up and make the playoffs, even as a wildcard team, that would be really, really impressive.
00:45:33
Speaker
um Go ahead, a AP. want this to yeah I mean it's it's been a it's been a fun fun terrible ride thus far um in the American League but you know at least for a few teams like my Rangers you know Mulya Red Sox are probably not a team in baseball right now yes they are nine in a row of I think we're we're in for a little bit of a turnaround here in the second half and some of these AL teams are going to start to win a lot more as we get down the stretch. So it'll be interesting to see what happens through the second half because you're starting to see some of the NL teams kind of fall off a little bit and you're starting to see not like the Red Sox, like the Rangers, um even to an extent, I guess, Houston starting to heat up a little bit.
00:46:25
Speaker
And as we get into the second half of the season.
00:46:34
Speaker
I think of it a little bit differently. oh you ah you had So when I'm looking, I'm just looking at that was at while you were talking, I was analyzing the run differentials here for the different leagues.
00:46:47
Speaker
And so the leading run differential in the National League is the aforementioned Dodgers at plus 149. The Brewers are at plus 126. And the Braves, the Atlanta baseball team, as like to call them, changed their name. is plus 92.
00:47:07
Speaker
Then when you go over to the American League, your run differentials are obviously much smaller. But when I'm looking at this, for instance, in your American League West there, AP,
00:47:21
Speaker
Your Rangers aren't even the run league differential leader, even though they're in first place. The Mariners are, but at only a paltry plus 16. The White Sox are plus 35. The Rays are plus 32. The only team in the American League, and I hate saying this, with a run differential of almost even 100 is those damn skankies with a plus 91 run differential. So MJ, at least y'all get a shout out there for having and a tremendous offense with Aaron Judge Hurt.
00:47:51
Speaker
most of the season, but that just tells you that the offenses are better in the National League than they are in the American League. Pretty much hands down. As this season, as a big set let's go ahead and do our updated picks, you know, for our division winners.
00:48:11
Speaker
So at the end of the season, who do you think is going to do the division? We're not going to do wild cards, so don't worry about that. Just the division. rules All right, so we will start in the American League and we will start in the American League Central since we were just talking about the Guardians and the White Sox.
00:48:29
Speaker
So Chicago White Sox 50 and 45, the Cleveland Guardians 51 and 46. So they're just about tied there. They are tied percentage actually. The Minnesota Twins are three games behind at 48 and 59. And the Tigers, I can't count them out just yet because they are are seven and three in their last 10. But they're further down at 44 and 52. Mar, I apologize to you.
00:48:58
Speaker
Your Royals bringing up the rear at 38 and 59 who do not believe they have a chance to turn it around. That being said, My division winner here, I am going with Bobby G's Guardians. I do not believe that the White Sox will be able to hold off all season. I think they're a little too soon for this kind of turnaround, and I think they're going to flame out and not make the playoffs.
00:49:20
Speaker
ah Also, the Cleveland Guardians, but that being said, the Cleveland Guardians do have a harder schedule, so we'll see. But i think the Cleveland Guardians are the more – experienced and better team and the aforementioned Jose Ramirez that MJ mentioned if he comes or if and when he comes I mean well I think he they they got they trade him I just don't I don't think they're going to hang on to him and I think that I think that they they he's so beloved in Cleveland I just don't I don't know maybe it's possible yeah anyway I don't think they'll trade him American League Central what do you think which one
00:50:00
Speaker
I mean, I'll go. um Wait a second. Something happened here. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? yeah I can hear you.
00:50:11
Speaker
yeah Okay. I don't think Omar can hear us, so we're just going to carry the show without him, per the usual. talking for a second. think my headphones back. Yeah, we know how this goes. This is an everyday thing. This is an everyday thing. So, MJ, AP, go ahead with your A.O.
00:50:26
Speaker
yeah ap go ahead with your with your ao Central I actually am going to pick the White Sox. I think it's a fun story this year. Okay. We've got Murakami back. ah ah It'll be interesting to see how he does in the going into the second half of this season, if he can stay healthy and whatnot. But I like the way the White Sox are playing.
00:50:48
Speaker
And it's only because right now, Tanner Bybee's trash. I don't like Tanner Bybee in Cleveland right now. Yeah. He has not been great for them. um And I think pitching-wise, the White Sox actually have a little bit of of an edge, although I do love Gavin Williams and what he's done in Cleveland so far. so Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:51:09
Speaker
it It is going to be down to the Guardians or the White Sox, and I'm actually going to go to the White Sox. Okay, MJ. I mean, I got to go with Cleveland.
00:51:19
Speaker
I got to go with Cleveland. I just think, you know, I just don't think White Sox are there yet. You know, but a couple years they're at least go years out yeah they're they're behind schedule on this. I mean, they're ahead of schedule on it.
00:51:33
Speaker
You know, maybe give them a few years and watch them develop more. As long as they don't trade the pieces away. right they They could be a problem in in the near future. But as of now, I think Cleveland, like said, Cleveland got one more win, one more loss. Yeah, they, ah i don't see White Sox maintaining this and and taking that division. I don't.
00:51:57
Speaker
yeah Yeah. I got to go with Cleveland until they prove me wrong. yo Because Cleveland good. They've been a staple. So I can see them.
00:52:09
Speaker
I could actually see them like kind of running away with it if they you know really get their shit together. Yeah, if they play their cards right, then Cleveland could certainly away. I'd like the Twins to play spoiler if they could, but I don't know if they have the pitching staff for it, to be honest, because don't think they've invested in pitching.
00:52:26
Speaker
can you Can you hear us, Omar? or no? Yeah, um' no, you're fine. Okay. So, um I would go with Cleveland as well. I like the White Sox. I do.
00:52:38
Speaker
But... I think like you said, they're a couple of years away and yeah i don't know, I'll posit this. I don't know. if they can rely on a Braden Montgomery slash Kyle Teal, you know, future because, yeah, well, no, Braden Montgomery is an outfielder and Kyle Teal is a catcher. But yeah, I see what you're saying. Like, no, it's fine. You're good. the But the socks had traded traded a Red Sox had traded them over to get a gar a Crochet.
00:53:11
Speaker
But ah they need more young pieces in order to, like, you know, or maybe a vet or two to basically be like, okay, yeah, this is, I like that they traded or they ah drafted Tomy's son. I heard they they drafted Tomy's son, Jim Tomy's son. So.
00:53:29
Speaker
Oh, Tomy. Yeah. Tomy. Yeah. Sorry. Oh, man. that's how That's how old we're getting. All the sons of our favorite players are getting drafted now. That's how old we are now. I was going to say this earlier, but I realized Omar was having problems. I think the AL is going through a recovery year.
00:53:49
Speaker
I'm not going to say that they're bad this year, but I think with, like you said, Toronto and Seattle expelled a lot of energy last year trying to like beat the Dodgers. You know, everyone was trying to beat the Dodgers last year.
00:54:03
Speaker
And now the the script has flipped a little bit. um So we'll see how things shake out. Did you want to go to the AL West, Omar? Yeah, yeah and I agree with you, Mar. it could be the I meant to come to this earlier. It could be the Mets. We could spend like the Dodgers. We could do do the Furls, too. I don't know why we do not do it. But, you know, again, I just don't think it's right for baseball because it opens a can of worms. I would say that no team should be able to do it. Yeah, MJ, go ahead. Ask Bobby Bonilla about that.
00:54:32
Speaker
Yeah, I know. Tell me about it. Bobby Bonilla today. I don't want to hear about that. about that. Ask Manny, we just paid Manny his last payment.
00:54:43
Speaker
So realized that a couple days ago. So, you want move on to the West? Yeah, we're going to go to AP's division.
00:54:55
Speaker
AP will save you for last since this is your division. The AL West, Abu, go ahead. I'm going to go with the Rangers with the Mariners to play the spoiler if they if everything breaks right.
AL West Predictions
00:55:08
Speaker
uh i like the rangers here i like what they've done they' yes they're five and five in their last ten but they and yes they're playing atlanta which i mean who wouldn't love catching a game in atlanta it's a great park but uh i'm gonna go with the rangers there and i think the astros will fall away and basically be competing with the athletics for fourth place Yeah, I agree with you. That's my that's my that's my pick as well.
00:55:40
Speaker
i think that I think I agree with everything you said, including the Astros. So yeah, my pick would as well be the – well, actually, no, wait, you picked the Rangers. No, I picked the Rangers.
00:55:52
Speaker
Okay, never mind. No, I think the Mariners will come back and win the division. okay i think the mar I think the Mariners come back. Okay. All right. Okay. All right. All right. I picked the Mariners to play spoiler.
00:56:04
Speaker
So yeah. I thought that's what you said. So I thought you said they were playing spoiler. So I thought that's why you picked the Mariners. ah No, I picked the Rangers with the Mariners to pick the spoiler, to play the spoiler. They can't play a spoiler if they don't win What do you mean? Okay. yeah So it's a lot. i have to like so Okay. So those that that watch this show know like I have a lot of all illusions, right? I'm gonna drop another one on you. For those that watch election night results, right? You know that you need a certain amount to break your way if a candidate's gonna win.
00:56:34
Speaker
That's what I'm saying. If everything for the Mariners goes the right way, then they'll win the division. But lot has to go right for the Mariners. So why do I have to explain myself to you? You don't think you're the longest.
00:56:48
Speaker
I just don't know why you needed a political analogy to make that point, but that's OK. Anyway, i okay who is who is your pick in the A.L. West? A.L. West, I'm looking at the standings.
00:57:06
Speaker
I'm going to go out on a limb.
00:57:10
Speaker
And I'm going to say as much as I fucking hate them. Uh-oh. Yeah. Here we go. something Something tells me that the Astros. the Oh, really?
00:57:22
Speaker
Astros. No way. Damn. Okay. And that's not too far-fetched. Yeah, there are only three back, four to loss called them. Something tells me that they're going to.
00:57:35
Speaker
No, fuck them. Fuck them. No. I'm not going with them. No.
00:57:40
Speaker
i'm go I'm going with my heart again. I'm going to say the Rangers. Okay. right. And the Rangers are at 49-47, leading the division, as I said. The Mariners 1.5 games behind forty eight and forty nine And as MJ just mentioned, the Astros are at 47-51. They're only three games behind. This is your team, the Rangers. By the way, is Corey Seager fully healthy?
00:58:04
Speaker
I don't think so. I don't think so at the moment. um All right. I will say, though, I will say, though, I like the way our offense has started to come around a little bit. Wyatt, if he stays healthy, I think is going to be a big factor for that.
00:58:17
Speaker
Josh Young's played great this year. this deep Zeke Duran, thank you to Yankees fans, by the way, for him. hello war He's played great this year. This has been his breakout year. um and were And if you remember what kind of sparked the 2023 run was the trade for Jordan Montgomery.
00:58:36
Speaker
Well, Montgomery is working his way back. He's throwing rehab starts now, I believe, in Round Rock. So he could be getting the call back up to Texas here pretty soon. this will be fun to to have him back in back in the mix as far as the pitching rotation goes. So...
00:58:56
Speaker
um Although, I will say this, this is kind of my hot take for this team. I do have the Rangers winning to the division because I believe that they're going to trade Corey Seager.
00:59:10
Speaker
And they're to get some pieces and assets, and they're going to get enough of what they need for the future. But they still are capable, because of how bad the AL West has been this year, of still winning the division regardless.
00:59:22
Speaker
So... Don't be surprised if Corey Seager gets traded. That's all I'm gonna say. Don't be surprised he ends up in the Bronx. All right, so that's Rangers times three, and I got the Mariners, and you know what would help the Mariners a lot?
00:59:39
Speaker
If the Cal Raleigh of last year would ever show the hell up, where did that guy go? This is why I said what I said. This is why I said what I said. You've got to though. I'm hoping for a resurgence here, my friend. Or maybe actually Borlio Rodriguez played like a superstar for once.
01:00:00
Speaker
Yeah, he's going to be better, too. Definitely. put the team on their shoulders for a couple months. Might be helpful. eight And we all chose the Guardians, right? In the Central? Yes, we did. No, I chose the White Sox. I chose the White Sox. AP chose a b shows the White Sox. Sorry, my bad. All right. No, you're good. I just wanted make sure writing all this down. All right.
01:00:20
Speaker
Let's go to the AL East. Since there's two of you here, I'll go one last, one first, one last. So MJ, we'll start with you. Who you got in the AL East? Do I have to answer that?
01:00:33
Speaker
No, I mean, not really. That's a really good point. That's a really good point. I think they're going to be all right.
01:00:44
Speaker
As long as they get the pieces, you know, not to be, long as they get their players back healthy, they're going to a problem. But the way it stands now, I mean, I don't see Tampa Bay keeping this up.
01:00:58
Speaker
You know, looking at it like Red Sox, fuck them.
01:01:04
Speaker
The Red Sox did win 9 of 10 and won 9 of 10 going into the break. Yeah, I know. I just – I see the Yankees, you know, I just see the Yankees pulling that out. I really do. okay And that's that's not being biased, you know, being a Yankee fan, just looking
AL East Challenges and Predictions
01:01:23
Speaker
at their whole – if you look at the big picture with them, long as, like, Cole is healthy, as long as they got Rodon – Hopefully, Rodon comes back healthy.
01:01:31
Speaker
Judge comes back. There's a lot of what ifs and cookies. I mean, if they're healthy, Yankees are a problem. But that's been the problem.
01:01:42
Speaker
They can't stay healthy. Max Fried being down. Clark Schmidt probably going to the ball season again. and just third There's too many too many unknowns there.
01:01:54
Speaker
You know, a full healthy team? Yeah, problems. The way that it is now, problem on the bad side for them. You know they need to go out and make, they need a bona fide, they need a catcher, they need a third baseman, and they need back-end bullpen help.
01:02:16
Speaker
You know, because their bullpen, you know, bullpen sucks. Let me be honest with you, Yankees bullpen sucks. So, yeah, if they could go out and sure up the pieces that they need, maybe even grab a starter.
01:02:29
Speaker
You know, because you never know with Rodon you know, if they're going be good to go. So, if they can sure up what they need, they'll be all right. You know, but they definitely need a catcher is is probably number one priority for them.
01:02:47
Speaker
Yeah, and if I wasn't one of the number one haters of the skankies on earth, I would actually agree with you. why do you mean thats I'm a Mets fan. What do you mean? I'm a Mets fan. It's just, it's natural born hate. i yeah you' you're you're You're tired of seeing your team lose, so you're going to hate on the team that wins?
01:03:06
Speaker
I've always hated the skankies. It doesn't matter. It's just, hey, that's all right. Anyway, but what I will say is you are right about... i this all time i mean it was you're not wrong about that oh there's this thing called therapy you should probably try it but uh what i will say is that i don't have recommendations Oh, stop recommending therapy to me online, okay? That's like six times we've been recommending therapy in the past hour. I'm going to y'all leave me alone, okay? Let me talk. ah Anyways, God bless. I lost my place now. I don't even know where I was. I do agree with MJ on one thing, and that's that coming back with all of those people are all great additions to teams that could even be like, you know, getting Judge back is like a huge pickup that you could get the trade deadline.
01:03:59
Speaker
So getting all those people back healthy could definitely put the Yankees in the position to win. um And so when you are looking at those standings, the Yankees are three games behind the Rays. The Rays are 56-48.
01:04:12
Speaker
Yankees 54-42. Amul, your Red Sox are 46-48. And then, yu it's a good division. Baltimore 46-51. Toronto's still there forty five fifty one So everybody's kind of still in the mix there.
01:04:25
Speaker
Amul, we'll go to you next. Who do you got? ah What do you think? and Honestly. Honestly. Who do you think? Like, like, okay. I i got for you i gotta put i might have to put some damn intrigue into it at least. And I'm not going to knock the the eggs because they're there a good team this year.
01:04:45
Speaker
But like the Red Sox are 9-1 in one of their last 10 games. Yet, I've got stats for you. Yet are last in baseball with 85 home runs. So they need to pick that up.
01:04:56
Speaker
get the give the The commissioner giveth, the commissioner taketh away. This is what I mean by that. The athletics ah enter the break on a nine game losing streak. These are things I wanted to say early on.
01:05:08
Speaker
And I just wanted to show the dichotomy of that. My point being is this, if they get all the players they need back, and actually trade Marcelo Mayer, get him off. Just just get him off the team. As soon as Marcelo Mayer and ah Roman Anthony got injured.
01:05:23
Speaker
So as soon as Mayer was gone, they blossomed. Like they were playing like they hadn't played in years. And that's what we need. I know we've got a patchwork.
01:05:36
Speaker
ah pitching staff right now. I think I'm slated to pitch next weekend or the weekend after, i think, because I'll be in New York next weekend. But, you know, it's i I'm picking the Sox. I am to to to get on their high horse. I think they can easily. i don't know who we're playing coming out of the break.
01:06:00
Speaker
but we could probably ah we we could probably win the next four out of five if we ah play it right. I do think that we need to find a solution for Brian Baia.
01:06:13
Speaker
He's not going to stick in middle relief and he's not going to want to stick in middle relief. He's going to pitch a fit. So I'd love to go get jordan ah Jordan Walker, who just won the ah of the ah home run derby, and put him at first and, you know, be able to, or maybe not first, but make him DH.
01:06:35
Speaker
And just, you know, i if it were me, like, I'd be playing, you know, I'd be reorganizing the roster like like crazy. during this time. I do think also if they win the division, I'll say this real quick and then i'll I'll hand it back over to you. I think they have to win the division for Breslau to keep his job.
01:06:55
Speaker
if bret If they don't win the division, if they end up in third, like, you know, some people were knocking me for, which by the way, you're as bad as Alexi Lawless broadcasting World Cup television, please be relegated. um You know, then I think Breslau loses his job.
01:07:13
Speaker
100%. Because, I mean, he's been awful. Yes, he's reset things, but go ahead. Just to answer him, y'all come out, you got a double dipper against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
01:07:29
Speaker
Yeah, so you got the double dipper on Friday and then Saturday and Sunday. So you got four games at home against Tampa Bay. We can win three out of four. And then you got Baltimore coming to town.
01:07:41
Speaker
Because the problem that we've got is that we've got, but with our patchwork of pitching staff right now, Eduardo Rivera, who is a journeyman, is going to be starting one of those games.
01:07:53
Speaker
And the word on the street that I'm hearing is that they want Baio to slot in right behind him. So he would be the opener for three innings and Baio would be long relief. Baio isn't going to go for that.
01:08:04
Speaker
So he wants to be a starter. So trade him and let's get something for him. if he's not going to stick around. Yeah, and one ah one of the things you mentioned that is really poignant there is that both the Red Sox and the Yankees dealing with a lot of injuries.
01:08:22
Speaker
AJ went through his list of injuries. You just went through your list. um It's like an ER on both sides of this AL East rivalry. So we'll see what team can get the healthiest, and that team is going to be the one that ah you know is going to be competing with the Rays, I think, because again, I think the Rays will keep keep this going as they usually do and you know be fighting for the playoffs.
01:08:44
Speaker
But you know you do have that momentum of the Red Sox coming in and then the Yankees finishing with um as well three consecutive you know, late inning comebacks to sweep the Nationals. So both coming off sweeps there. If those teams can get healthy, um they they can hold the Blue Jays off who have not been playing well at all. They were my pick in the beginning the season. they haven't been playing well at all. Vladimir Guerrero playing very horribly. But again, I think the Rays should be able to handle business there. AP, who you got in this one?
01:09:16
Speaker
I got the Rays still winning the East, and i got the i got them not necessarily a comfortable lead, maybe like a 3-4 game win win the window to win the division. Yankees will still be there at the end of the day.
01:09:30
Speaker
i don't think Boston's going to be there. a little I'm sorry. I think they're going to tamper off. It's okay. I think it's – You know what? I'm going to call it right here. I think Tampa's going to go out and take three or four from Boston and in this little charade. All right. I like Tampa to win the East.
01:09:52
Speaker
um We're still friends, though, AP. mean i that know we haven't got to, like, MVP talk, but there's certain player in Tampa that I think is going to win MVP. They're fired. Just fired. Okay. That's as bad as I heard out west. Like, in South Dakota, they did stuff like that. Don't do that. Yeah, yeah. we try that There you go. right.
01:10:18
Speaker
I mean, listen, if we don't win the division, we'll get the wild card. It'll be fine. It'll be okay. Yeah, I think the AL East gets three teams into the playoffs. That is what I will say. Yeah. I think y'all are so strong. Because even your lower teams, the Blue Jays and the Orioles, they're still only five games under 500. Yeah, yeah. And to complete your ER analogy, we're just looking for our own Dr. Susan Lewis. That's all we're doing. I don't even know what that means. Yeah. Look it up. Who is that? Who the deuce is that? Don't be bringing this nerdy shit on my program. I told you about that nerd stuff. Lord of the Rings writer or something like that. You said ER. You said ER. I just completed the illusion. You actually watched ER? Oh my God. Of course. What are you? Oh my God. You watch Grey's Anatomy too? You like McGreamy there, buddy? No. No. No, I didn't do that. Dr. Phil's on hand.
01:11:14
Speaker
That's hilarious. Dr. Phil could help Omar with his Mets problems, actually. like na Let's move into you you know You know, when in that it was funny. In that list of the the least healthiest cities, Port St. Lucie, Florida was number three, and the the newscaster was like, oh, that must be why the Mets suck. And I was like, damn it, you suck at me. They're everywhere. All the haters are everywhere. All right, let's go to the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers are 59 and 37. The Chicago Cubs, 54 and 42, five games behind. The Cardinals and Pirates, 50 and 45 and 50 and 47, respectively, eight and five and nine and a half
NL Central and East Predictions
01:11:55
Speaker
games behind. Cincinnati Reds are out of it for all intents and purposes.
01:11:59
Speaker
So let's go ahead and start with you on this one, AP. What you got? It's Milwaukee and it's not even going to be close. I think Milwaukee is going to be the first team to clinch. I'm not sold on Chicago. think the Cardinals are starting to be who we thought the Cardinals are going to be all along.
01:12:17
Speaker
um like I like what I'm seeing for Milwaukee. And again, this is this is a team that every time we you you you you count them out, they always find a way to to fight their way back.
01:12:28
Speaker
um But, you know, the the the question is not going to be, can you win in the regular season? It's what do you do in October for Milwaukee? Because that's been the Brewers kryptonite for their entire ah franchise lifetime. So um I like Milwaukee still hanging on and, you know, comfortably winning the NL Central.
01:12:50
Speaker
Yeah, I'm with you completely. I agree. I like the Cubs. Good young team. They got PCA, who, by the way, was the first player to hit the 2020 mark this season. and So salute to him. I'm sad my Mets traded you. I love you. I wish you would come back. That being said, ah the Cubs are a good team, but I don't think that they're as good as the Brewers. The Brewers, year in and year out,
01:13:11
Speaker
are one of the better consistent teams. And that 126 run differential is even up there almost with the Dodgers. So I am as well going with the Brewers here. Amol, who you got in this one?
01:13:22
Speaker
I got the Brewers. I mean, I like the Cubs. they're They're, you know, a sentimental pick for me. But I like the Brewers. it's With Miz being pitching, but like leading that pitching staff, it's just going to be, you know, he's just dominating.
01:13:39
Speaker
And basically everyone else is, they got rid of Freddy Peralta at the right time. um I will say that. So you're welcome. um i would also say they would look, I would also say they should that that would be somebody they should look to trade for through trade back for because he's had he know had that bad of a year. so no, no, he said I watched that game. He's had an awful year. Like, I know what I mean, he's pitching better than last year.
01:14:03
Speaker
i mean, i okay, I can pitch better than last than him last year. Like anyone can my nieces can and they're four years old. Like, you know, My nephew can, he's barely won. So, like, you know, he can get the ball over the plate. I'm like, okay, my point is, uh, Jacob Mizorowski and the Brewers. But I agree with AP, and i agree with you. Um, they have to...
01:14:28
Speaker
do something that they have to like upset the do something like upset the Dodgers in the playoffs to to to get them over the hump. It's a lot like with other teams that we've seen that have done well in the regular season and need to get over the hump and eventually they do sure but you know each year it's a different team this year might be the uh it might be the brew crew.
01:14:53
Speaker
Yeah, and look, the Dodgers, five and five going into the break, they lost three to the Diamondbacks, or lost four, or so no, sorry, three, swept by the Diamondbacks in three for the first time since 2017. Even the Dodgers are beatable. um But yeah, I mean, and ah we'll get to our our MVP and Cy Young picks and World Series picks at the end of the show.
01:15:15
Speaker
MJ, I know that you came on late, but we're going to do that as well. um ah But for the Dodgers, in not the Dodgers, but for the Brewers in specific, I do think that they they are going to have this division. MJ, who you got in this one?
01:15:32
Speaker
Oh, it's a clean sweep with Baltimore. I mean, with Milwaukee. Yeah. Yes. It's a clean sweep across the board. yeah I'm looking at it now like the you know the run differential.
01:15:44
Speaker
Chicago's only got a plus 52. Milwaukee's at a plus 126.
01:15:50
Speaker
I mean, cubs Cubs got a couple nice pieces, but Milwaukee, I mean, like you guys that were saying, Milwaukee needs to show up in October. Yeah. Will they? Eh, time will tell.
01:16:03
Speaker
Do I think yeah that's the thing? They always flame out in ah in the playoffs. So we'll see if they can ever actually get over the hump. You're right about that. All right, let's move it on to the NL West. I think all of us are going to pick the Dodgers here. I can't imagine anybody's not going to pick the Dodgers. Anybody here picking not the Dodgers?
01:16:20
Speaker
I will not pick. You're not. i who I fucking hate them. I mean, I know, but come on now. They're like 12 games up. It's not like it's that even close. They're 12. They're 11 and a half. Get it right.
01:16:32
Speaker
Okay, well, who do you have then? Because I know the other three of us have the Dodgers, who do you have? you know of Of course, course the Dodgers are going to win it. I got no too you no choice but to pick them.
01:16:44
Speaker
Yeah, that's Dodgers or Dodgers. Arizona, only two games up and San Diego. San Diego's a real big disappointment too. San Diego only being 48-48. Yep.
01:16:59
Speaker
yep Yeah, I thought they'd be a lot better. I mean, they started off hot, then they just fizzled out quickly. You know, so Dodgers... I wouldn't be surprised if you see Dodgers win that division by close to 20 games.
01:17:14
Speaker
Oh, yeah. No, I'm with you. I'm with you on that, especially... They're 12 up on San Diego, 12 and half. I see that. That's going to grow to, like, 20. Yeah. I just don't... I don't i don't see San Diego...
01:17:29
Speaker
being being a problem anymore. I don't. Yeah, what I was going to say to that is when you have... What I was going to say, I was going to...
01:17:41
Speaker
I was going to stack this on yours, MJ. When you have players like Fernando Tatis Jr. not hitting a home run until you know two and a half months into the season, when you have another one of your best players, Manny Machado, hitting 170 below the damn Mendoza line by 50 points for the whole season, you know you're going to experience these kind of issues as San Diego is. so All right, let's move it to the NL East where my Mets have absolutely no chance. And it sucks. And yes, we suck.
01:18:10
Speaker
So yes, you don't have to pile on. Everybody here, you I'll say it for you. We suck. I get it Who's going to be the winner? Doc Pile on the Rabbit. Doc Pile on the Rabbit. Doc Pile on the Rabbit.
01:18:23
Speaker
Meet the Mets. Meet the Mets. I am going to. Here is a dark horse pick for me. I'm going with the Miami Marlins.
01:18:34
Speaker
What? The Marlins. I think the Marlins are to keep this up. I like the way that they're playing right now. They they won 20 games in the month of June.
01:18:46
Speaker
um They've continued that streak in the month of July. They've been playing great. And they're only going to get better because they've got a lot more young talent coming up. Interesting. I think the Marlins are going to surprise some people. I'm going to say the Marlins win the NLEs.
01:19:03
Speaker
Yeah. um I mean, look, they're having a tremendous season. And as long as they don't go pulling their pitchers out of perfect game, six outs from completing them, maybe the baseball gods won't give them bad juju. um Let's see what we got here. saying Hey, shout out to Ted E.
01:19:21
Speaker
I'm assuming you're Phillies
01:19:27
Speaker
ah that's what's in that's what's in i don't know that song but ah i'm assuming yeah probably put some bad juju on him says philes fever so i'm assuming you're a philes fan as yes he goes on to say marlin's removed to north dakota That's great. But I do want to get back to that. The Marlins did pull their star pitcher, Yuri Perez, out of a perfect game, six outs from it, with only having 92 pitches. Yes, he did have Tommy John in 2024. Yes, we are in a different era where the Pirates are pulling out ah you know a kid with only 77 pitches and six innings of a no-hitter because they're worried about his health.
01:20:05
Speaker
I get it, but then you keep encouraging these pitchers to go out here and throw 105 miles an hour and then expect them not to get hurt when they should be more focused on a Greg Maddox, Tom Glavin type of repertoire, which would allow them to not get hurt and still pitch a great pool Hall of Fame career. I did not like this.
01:20:24
Speaker
I am not one of those people. I am the type where if I was the manager when Johan Santana pitched that perfect game for the Mets and then got injured for the rest of his career three weeks later, I'm putting you in and I'm leaving you in until you give up a hit, a walk, whatever the hell it is, because I'm old school and I don't like this bullshit.
01:20:44
Speaker
Who here can agree with me? ah I could. Absolutely. I was just looking at the standings real quick. just you know The Phillies, Phillies are 11 games up.
01:20:59
Speaker
Their run differential is minus 10.
01:21:04
Speaker
That is- 11 games up on, what do you mean 11 games up? They're only- They're eleven behind the Braves. They're 54 and 43. Yeah, they're but minus 10 in the run differential.
01:21:14
Speaker
yeah there were eleven games coming behind in the division yeah but minus ten in the run differentals Got you. Yep. You're 11 games over 500, but you're 10 runs. That's terrible.
01:21:28
Speaker
see what you're saying. No, really is. I got to go with ATL.
01:21:34
Speaker
They've had a lot of luck. Yeah. Yeah. HL. All right. There you go. I am with you. I'm with you. um MJ. That was my argument as well. I think the Marlins are like the White Sox ahead of schedule a little too young. I believe the Philadelphia Phillies have had a little too much luck this season and it's not going to be able to last the whole way. Atlanta has been dominant all season long. And if it wasn't for injuries, they would have been a lot more dominant. So I'm with you, MJ. I'm going Braves as well.
01:22:00
Speaker
Amul, who you got? I'm going Marlins. I'm co-signing off AP. Oh, all right. Yeah, because, lot listen, if there's one thing I've learned from watching the World Cup, we love an underdog.
01:22:13
Speaker
We love an underdog. Like, there has to be, like, everyone was picking France to beat Spain. Look what happened. Spain beat France. But, I yeah, I like what the Marlins are doing. I do. Yes, they pull pictures out before, you know, ah before a complete game or before a shutout. I get that. But I forget.
01:22:37
Speaker
Anyway, you don't pull out. yeah Would you do that a move? Would you pull a perfect game? 92 pitches, six outs from you're going into the eighth inning. Okay. No, I wouldn't. All right. No, I wouldn't. Anyway, I like
01:22:51
Speaker
i like I like what the Marlins are doing. when I was going to say this during the NL West, when we were covering the NL West, but I'm i'm sorry I'm going say it with the NL East.
01:23:02
Speaker
I think the Padres are the Mets of the West. Oh, wow. There you go. Meaning that they both have... a lot of money in some. Yeah, there was, once again, put together notes. The Mets, who lead the majors with $329 million in payroll, are with the Phillies for 303, an obvious percentage of 303.
01:23:25
Speaker
for three oh three and percentage of three oh three okay um I'm sorry. Like, you know, it's just, I feel like if you're going to be, ah and this isn't on you, but if you're going to be an owner who's really, really rich, you should probably leave the decisions to baseball people.
01:23:50
Speaker
And if you're trying to build a team to win, especially after you go out and steal Soto from the Yankees, you should probably actually do it.
01:24:01
Speaker
If you're not, if you're not going to do that, you might as well do what John Henry did and openly say, I don't care about the Sox. I love my, I love me some European football. You know, at least he came out and say that he came out and said that, you know, to, you know, to lower our expectations.
01:24:19
Speaker
But um yeah, that's, I, I, I feel like the, the Padres are the, the Mets of the, Mets of the West. so so you're going with the mar and marlins
All-Star Game and Player Performances
01:24:30
Speaker
marlins and and uh again we'll get to our cy young and mvp pitch in just a few minutes uh for everybody watching but you are looking at good pitching staff there in philly that's the one thing they do have zach wheelie christopher sanchez they're both cy young award uh probably top five both in the race right now so you they do have a good uh you know pitching staff but but it's just how how um
01:24:53
Speaker
consistent can the offense be and ah you know, can, can they continue that on into the playoffs or are they just going to be a disappointment again? Like they have been the past few years. We will see. They're older. We're the older. that are with The Phillies are older. That's why I can't pick them. Like their offense is older. the the Braves are man. you know, they're in between the I'm picking the Marlins because they're a young ah offense. Like you can, yeah, they may be ahead of schedule,
01:25:22
Speaker
But, you know, why not? Like, and yeah why not pick them up? See what happens. Yeah, no, i get it. I get it. All right. Well, hey, that was actually a good segue that we have into the All-Star game tonight.
01:25:38
Speaker
Yes, coming on in about 30 minutes. Thank you, sir. Zach Wheeler complained about not being chosen. for the All-Star Game. And to that I say, i don't know why you're mad at the league, sir. It had nothing to do with them. Your team is the team that decided to pitch you on the last day of the season before the All-Star break, which means you're not allowed to pitch in the All-Star Game.
01:26:02
Speaker
And so if you cared that much about it the just the ceremonial part of it, Well, then take your ass to the damn stadium and be ceremonial in your hometown and stop pushing complaining because ain't nobody got time for that shit. That was your our team's own decision why you didn't get to pitch in the All-Star game. That be said, I'll get off my high horse. It is going to be an amazing game tonight.
01:26:25
Speaker
Yes, it's true. go ahead and go through the lineups here and the starting pitchers in the AL. John Snyder announced the lineup starting with Mike Trout, as we talked about all season long, having a resurgent season.
01:26:40
Speaker
He will be leading off. Your Don Alvarez, the leading candidate in the MVP, going for the Triple Crown in the American League, is at number two at the DH for Houston. Shea Langeleers, the catcher from the Athletics, what a great young player. He is number three. The cleanup man, Junior Comaniero at third base at the cleanup spot, Bobby Witt Jr. There you go, Marr, at number five. Cody Bellinger for MJ and Ben Rice at six and seven in the order or in the in the order. Riley Green for the Tigers playing left field, slotted in at number eight.
01:27:22
Speaker
And Ernie Clement, first time starter for the Blue Jays, will start at second base. That will be juxtaposed with the NL. Manager Dave Roberts announced Kyle Schwarber will lead off for his hometown Philadelphia Phillies for the DH.
01:27:41
Speaker
Juan Soto, the only good player on my Mets, but he is tremendous. He has over 20 home runs, ah over 300 average. He's playing great. um is playing left field at SEC in the second position. You've got Freddie Freeman first base there for the Dodgers at third at number cleanup spot CJ Abrams, excuse me from the Washington Nationals a shortstop Max Muncy for the Dodgers third base at number five Ozzie Albies number six Atlanta second baseman Brandon Marsh Philadelphia hometown guy right field slotting in there at seven Andy Paz has for the Dodgers center field at number eight and what a great young player he is having a tremendous tremendous season Drake Baldwin
01:28:30
Speaker
catcher for the Atlanta baseball team. Your pitchers were announced hometown ace, and this is the right decision if you don't have Zach Wheeler.
01:28:40
Speaker
Christopher Sanchez will get the nod for the NL. And in the AL, I would like to bring this up because last year, at the trade deadline. I remember saying how um how Dylan sees was one of the best pickups for the Blue Jays at the trade lead line. And I remember last year everybody who was on this program and i'm pretty sure at least it might have been all of you but I know at least I'm more on AP where I don't know if MJ, if you were not, but I remember getting laughed at in my face for picking Dylan sees as a top trade deadline pickup. And not only was he because he helped him in the playoffs to lead them to the world series, but now he's having a resurgent career as one of the best pitchers in the American league. And I want props right now.
01:29:35
Speaker
Nope. Nope. He was 10 and 13 when I was laughing at you. He was 10 and 13. I said pick up for the future. I wasn't talking about the past. That's not my fault. You ain't prescient enough to foresee the future, my friend. That's why they call me the sports professor.
01:29:55
Speaker
And you call us a professor. Yeah, and a professor teaches. yeah i had a professor speech A professor teaches, you're not prescient, like, what are you trying to say? You're Ovid from, you know, the Odyssey? Or you're Homer or something? such That's a very good, ah very good current event reference with the Odyssey coming out Friday. Is that what you're trying to say? Is that, are you trying to say that... You say something like that. Maybe a little bit of Nostradamus.
01:30:27
Speaker
Maybe a little bit of Biff's Almanac from Back to the Future. If we all remember that movie, which I'm sure we do. but We don't want to go into Biff's Almanac right now. Let's not do that. i don't bring things so You said no more political references, so I don't want to go there right now. i mean flat be good at He's got to be good at something. His Mets stink.
01:30:45
Speaker
all right you know what mean yeah that's again Why do we keep doing this? I mean, you know... Why not? Your meds just, you know, just... This is crazy. Thank you. Thank you for the sweep, by the way. Are you okay? You doing all right? You know what? If you really thought I was going to answer the phone when you called me after your team swept me, you must be out your damn mind. Because you going to pick the phone. want to check on I wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay. I said to myself before the game started, because you had called me before the game and I was working out, and I said, I know this fool. If they win, I know he's going to call me, and he better know that I'm not going to answer the phone. And I saw you calling, and I purposely did not answer the phone, and I did not want to hear your bullshit about your red sauce. I was just calling to make sure you were okay. i was actually – worrying about you with the Jalen Brown trade. We'll talk about that tomorrow on the NBA show. Everybody tune in 830 Eastern tomorrow.
01:31:46
Speaker
Anyways, let's talk about the baseball game tonight. I got to say, though, that is the worst defensive team I've seen ever. In like all my years of watching baseball. I don't know how you could be that bad at defense.
01:31:57
Speaker
just What are you talking about, Mets? Yes, the Mets. it's okay can we with the me you what is i've never seen it team a team invent new ways to commit errors that's crazy oh my god hey you you you are so mad at the yankees mean you're not wrong what is you're not what is wrong with us coming after you That is fair. No, you're right. You're right. is here liy i'm not i'm not I'm not mad. I'm just feeling ganged up on. That's all. I just feel little ganged up on right now. I mean, that's okay, but that happens. That's, that's you know, we we we like to, you know, just look out for you a little bit. And when we care unable to whateverever whenever you're unable to carry your show, the three of us or two of us do it. Can we talk about the All-Star Game, please? Can we talk about the All-Star game tonight? I mean, sure. Yeah, we can talk about your bets. Absolutely.
01:32:50
Speaker
Want a box of tissues? Hey, Omar, you want me to get a box of tissues? That's very nice, MJ. i'm so kind of you. Yeah, I'll dab you up with little, you know, underneath the eyes a little bit.
01:33:00
Speaker
is Is that what we should do? We should all just say like ship him tissues? Is that what you're saying? yeah night Yeah. Amazon. Do it off on Amazon.
01:33:12
Speaker
You've got 15 minutes till the baseball game. And instead of talking about the game, you would rather bash me in my match. Oh, come on. We know the National League's going to The American League is up to bottom talent-wise. The National League is much better.
01:33:27
Speaker
But yeah, we know that the National League is going to be by the way, you guys. It's going to be If the American League wins, there's going to be some um unknown kid. It's probably going to be that the kid from Cleveland that hits like a go-ahead three-run home run or something out of nowhere. That's the only way the American League is going to win the day. I was going to say Ernie Clement, but that works too. Yeah, no, that works too.
01:33:55
Speaker
That's the only way the American League wins. of it's It's the National League. Because of the fact that Kyle Schwarber had the the the the year last year in Atlanta, you know he was the guy that had the the walk-off for the victory when they did that you know stupid tiebreaker, which I hope they're not doing again this year. That was stupid as shit. It worked out. It was great for TV. But it wasn't good for fans in the stadium that didn't want to be there another an hour.
01:34:23
Speaker
Just decide the damn game. Anyways, ah but it was cool. It was cool. I'll go with, them I'm to go with Drake Baldwin, the young superstar of Atlanta. I'm to say he gets the game-winning hit in the NL wins 7-6. I
01:34:38
Speaker
a you're i think you're over a lot or you're you're you're putting a little too much faith in the AL Bats. I'm just going to say it. think I am too. i think i am to you But it's the all-star game. So you know it's different pitchers. It's not like you get ah ah into a good like you're not a pitcher that can get into a good groove because you only get one inning.
01:34:57
Speaker
You know what I mean? I mean, yeah, that's true. I mean, and i mean I'll say this. Like, I'm happy for Dylan Cease. You're only going to an inning and um and a third. That's about it.
01:35:09
Speaker
You know? um So I would say I'm still going to stick with the NL 5-2. Yeah. All right, who you got in this one, MJ? Yeah, go ahead, go ahead, finish up. good Oh, I was just going to say, aren't they, last year was it was in Atlanta, this year it's in Philly. Are the next two All-Star games in AL, because usually they used to alternate between.
01:35:31
Speaker
that's a really good point. Let me check while, yeah, I'll check right now. Go ahead, MJ. Who do you got this game? Wrigley Field in 2027. So Chicago. No, that's three NL in a row. Wow. Yeah, I guess they just said forget the AL.
01:35:47
Speaker
Yeah. Ooh, I might want to go to Wrigley for the All-Star game next year. Yeah, Wrigley's going to be fun. Wrigley would be fun. I would love to go to Chicago. I might have to do that.
01:35:58
Speaker
We're going have to. And look at this. Baltimore was supposed to host the game in 2028. I didn't know that. But Rob Manfred saying that the that the Olympics could delay the Orioles from hosting the All-Star game.
01:36:13
Speaker
that's Oh, i guess because they want, because they probably want to use, have baseball in the Olympics. And so maybe that's what they're doing. Wow.
01:36:24
Speaker
Canham Yards really needs that. What a great stadium Canham Yards is. Canham Yards really needs that. You'd come home for that. You would, you would, you would. I would definitely come home. I would definitely come home for that. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. You would definitely come home for that. All right, Jersey boy, who you got from this game?
01:36:40
Speaker
I got the American league winning seven, five. Okay. There you go. I like it. knew you'd switch it up. And MVP.
01:36:51
Speaker
both going and MVP.
MVP and Cy Young Predictions
01:36:57
Speaker
I'm going to say MVP is going be Caminero. Okay, Caminero, Junior Caminero is I'm going to I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm to say he's going to home run three RBIs.
01:37:11
Speaker
Thanks. There you go. I like it. there That's that's my pick there. You know, of course, if ah if if all rise, if he was playing, That'd be my pick.
01:37:23
Speaker
I know it would be. I know. I know. That's okay. But, no, I'm just trying to be a realist. I'm looking at it like, I got Camonero. Yeah. I got him getting the MVP.
01:37:37
Speaker
All right, cool. And just to update everybody on, um to answer the rest of that that question, right now, like we said, you've got, um oh, let me see if, oh, I tried to do it there.
01:37:48
Speaker
Let's see. So you got both, um that doesn that doesn't look good. I apologize. I'm just gonna read it. All right, so we do have, um The Cubs, Wrigley Field is next year for the All-Star Game.
01:37:59
Speaker
and twenty In 2028, they are planning for the Baltimore Orioles as long as the Olympics does not affect that. In 2029, they're going to your ballpark, Amul Fenway Park, hosting the All-Star Game in 2029.
01:38:14
Speaker
And in 2030, projected is going to be if Las Vegas gets the athletics, they are planning to possibly play at that new stadium. but We'll see. I hope it's Nashville, but we got to get a team first, I guess.
01:38:28
Speaker
All right. all right Let us guys go ahead into our final segment of the evening so we can get everybody out there to the All-Star Game. We are doing our updated picks for MLB Cy Young, MVP, and Champions.
01:38:46
Speaker
um So let's go ahead. I'm going to put in the comments the leaders in the clubhouse here. So for you we'll start with AL MVP since...
01:38:58
Speaker
Jersey boy MJ just mentioned Junior Camon Yeddo who is in the race there. But this is your AL top five according to the athletic. We go ahead and put this in here. There we go.
01:39:12
Speaker
Boom. So there's your top five according to the Athletic. Just to help us out a little bit. Jordan Alvarez again going for the triple crown in the AL. um Last we checked AP, he was leading in home runs and and and average, right? And I think he was behind in RBIs. Was that what it was? Yeah, I think so. I think that's what it was. Okay.
01:39:32
Speaker
And then we have Witt Jr., Bobby Witt Jr. for Mars Royals. Nick Kurtz for the A's and Ben Rice for your Yankees. uh mj so we'll start with you mj who is your al mvp this year i i would love to say ben rice obviously but no looking at this like the realism here i like that look looking at this list like alvarez is having a monster season monster season it's basically like here's the lose yes i would agree with that you know uh i mean i can't pick an astro i can't
01:40:10
Speaker
I can't stand it. I'm sticking with my guns and I'm i'm picking Camonero. That is my pick. There you go. And just to let everybody know, Jordan Alvarez is batting.318 with 31 home runs and 70 RBIs. And Junior Caminero is hitting.280 with 28 home runs and 59 RBIs. So trails him a little bit in all of those categories, but not that far behind. If he were to continue on and have a great second half and Jordan Alvarez falters even a little bit, then yes, Caminero could win this award. AP, who you got?
01:40:49
Speaker
I can never pick an Astro either, so I'm right there with you. I'm going Junior. Mommy. Mommy. Here's the thing. here's the thing why Why I think it should be Caminero is because Tampa Bay right now leads to the division while the Astros are down. Okay. Okay.
01:41:05
Speaker
Okay. Because, well, yes, Jordan is basically carrying that team on his back right now. The fact that Tampa Bay can win a division title, and if they do win a division title, I think it should be Junior Caminero.
01:41:17
Speaker
Okay. I respect that because i I do respect that the MVP should actually be a valuable player. So your team actually has to be good for you to be valuable. That being said, there are times, I'm sorry, I keep a mute meeting you, Amul, but for some reason, it's you got a lot of background noise and stuff.
01:41:35
Speaker
So just for a second, um you i just unmute yourself when you're ready. um It's just a lot of like, we yeah, we got to figure that out because it's like a lot of like, Sounds like you're brushing against the mic. um But anyways, ah when you're looking at it, sometimes when you have somebody like a Jordan Alvarez that is so much better right now, at least than everybody else in every category, pretty much.
01:41:57
Speaker
I get that you're that the MVP should be valuable enough that your team is in the hunt to win and the Astros are not currently right now in the wildcard race. They're still there. they can come back, but um I can't. I just can't. I'm looking at these monster numbers and I say, OK, but what if being an MVP, he actually It continues being good and leaves the Astros to a comeback in the playoffs and to make the playoffs. So I'm to go ahead and stick with Jordan Alvarez as well, because if you do win the Triple Crown, the voters do give you a little bit of a leg up just because you're a Triple Crown winner. We saw it with Jose Ramirez.
01:42:37
Speaker
ah We saw it with Miguel Cabrera, even though they were all valid MVPs that also gave them a little bit of a leg up. We can be honest. Shout out my brother Mutt Fox in IG. We appreciate you tuning in. So, all right. Who do you got a more?
01:42:56
Speaker
Sorry, I had to come off mute. Yeah, my bad. Yeah, no, it's okay. um i'm goingnna um I, too, in good conscience, was raised right and cannot choose an Astro.
01:43:07
Speaker
ah So, I'm sorry. these louisie so all Astro fans, Get ready for football. ah That's all I can tell you. Wait, is this because of that lady this because of the the trash?
01:43:20
Speaker
Are we still doing this? Are we still punishing the Astros for the trash? Is that what's happening right now? Them two are doing it because of the trash cans. I'm just doing it because I hate the Astros. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, but I started noticing. was like, wait second.
01:43:36
Speaker
You're in their division, but why do these two hate the Astros so Because the Astros are awful people. That's why. That's why. right The Astros are awful people and really enjoy grabbing at their jerseys for some random reason.
01:43:50
Speaker
We know the reason. You know what? You have changed my mind. I'm going with Kamen Yaro as well. Let's make it four. Forget the Astros. Yeah, yeah. I know. I thought you'd make Kamen Yaro to begin with. Sorry, my bad. No, I didn't. I picked Alfredo. Why would you do that to yourself? Because he's leading the Triple Crown. He's leading the Triple Crown race. Right now. Right now he is. But you never know what will happen. like I'm going to go with Bobby Witt.
01:44:19
Speaker
That's who I'm going to go with. There we go. I like it. Because... He's been carrying the team. is He's been carrying his team. Yes, Alvarez is the clear But they do suck, though. They are way worse than the Astros. The Royals are. They are. have to admit that, though. okay They are. They are. It's not very valuable if your team is in last place, right, though?
01:44:41
Speaker
but but they But they could bounce back. I mean, we' gonna see that's fine we we we've seen... This is a forward projection. Yeah, but and you do like forward projections, given the fact that you really love Dylan Cease.
01:44:54
Speaker
I love extrapolations and foresight, unlike you, who apparently can't see the future like my notes to Donald's ass. No, no, no. you You were quoting Doctor Who when you we were texting. So don't sit there and tell me. I've never in my life even watched Doctor Who and you know that. And yet you quoted it liberally. You said that time was ah was a... God, what did you say? time yeah go the time is in a Time is an imaginary construct. construct right Yeah, okay. That's also part of New Who. So, I mean, anyone who's watched Doctor Who knows that. If you haven't, then you're missing out.
01:45:32
Speaker
So you're going with Bobby Witt, right? I'm going with Bobby Witt. Yeah, I'm going Bobby Witt. ah Are we getting Cy Young picks too or no? Yes, we're about to. Hold on. We've got to go to the NL MVP first, since that's what I put in there on comments first.
01:45:47
Speaker
Go in your NL MVP. We've got Shohei Otani, Pete Crow Armstrong, Kyle Schwarber, James Wood for the Nationals, and as well, you've got Otto Lopez ah there. So this is the top five according to the the Athletic.
01:46:10
Speaker
um So let's go ahead. I personally look. i I don't see how anybody can ever... pick against Otani, I know that MJ will religiously, and he is going to go into his whole spiel about how much the MLB makes everything easier for Otani just so he can star, and I do agree with him on lots of that. No, I do agree with you on lots of that. I do, I do. But what I will say is I do think that to his combination of hitting and being one of the best pitchers this season as well
01:46:48
Speaker
um is just something that takes him to another level. Not to mention, he just reached 300 home runs, the fifth fastest to do that in a career. So we're probably going to see him get to find, he's just another worldly player. I'm going with Ohtani. I know MJ, you're not.
01:47:06
Speaker
So let's go ahead and get that Ohtani hate in right now. What do you got
01:47:12
Speaker
got? Sit back, huh? and i sit back ah And the shitty part is, it's like, it doesn't matter who I pick. You know he's going to win it, regardless. Yeah. No, I know is. He's definitely going to win. You can pick anybody up and down the line.
01:47:28
Speaker
i mean, I would like to see Schwarber. I would like to him win. Like, PCA, he's a great player. I just don't think he's MVP quality yet.
01:47:41
Speaker
i would i would I would have to pick Schwarber. I wouldn't. James Wood, he's a fucking hell of a player, man. James Wood's hell of player. Yeah.
01:47:52
Speaker
Him and CJ Abrams, great young players. Schwarber, there you go. And I'm actually switching it up. I took Otto Lopez off and replaced him from Juan Soto because Juan Soto should be on there.
01:48:05
Speaker
Anyways, so I have changed it up and put him on there. I'm not picking him, but he deserves to be on there. He should be on there then. If you're not going to pick him, show him off. like Yeah. i so i I just know Otani, like you said, there's not they're not going to not pick Otani. Just because you want to look at his name all the time doesn't mean he should be on there.
01:48:25
Speaker
Why don't you pick somebody? I mean, we all know who it's going to be. going to be Otani. But let me just say this real quick. The fact that Otto Lopez's name is in the top five and for MVP, but he's not an all-star is the exact how wild it it' the it the exact reason of why the fan vote needs to go away.
01:48:47
Speaker
It needs to go away. Fans don't deserve to vote. I'm sorry. Because baseball fans don't know what the fuck they're talking about. I'm There's no reason why half ah half the NL starters should be starting.
01:49:07
Speaker
And even if yeah you know even if you look at the American League, there's no reason that Vladimir Guerrero should have been voted in as first-in-cline. Ben Rice, like I i'm not like like said, I'm not being big Yankee fan here, but if you look at look at their numbers, Ben Rice kind of like blows them out the water.
01:49:27
Speaker
Blows them out the water. yeah So I agree with the fan vote because fan, it's only like the popularity shit. It's not so much merit. Yeah. you know um I'm gonna be different, I'm gonna pick PCA, but I think O'Kane will win it in the end. so there you go i like the pca and yeah if i if i wasn't if i didn't know that they were going to pick ohtani already yeah i wouldn't pick them but i know they're going to so let me go ahead and get a give a second pick as well i would as well probably it would be between pca and soto for me if i was going to the second one yeah that's also because i can't that's also because i can't pick a philly but so there we have some similar issues
01:50:08
Speaker
um So when you're looking at that, you've got PCA is 290 average, 21 home runs, 53 RBIs, Toto 290, 2151. So they're the pretty much the exact same player in terms of statistics.
01:50:23
Speaker
So I'll leave that up to whoever wants it, but yeah, it would be one of those two for me. All right, let's move it on to the AL for the AL. You forgot about it. Oh, my bad.
01:50:35
Speaker
I apologize. I'm what I thought you went. I apologize. My bad. Go for it. Are you supposed to be your best friend and you're forgetting him all of a sudden? I thought, but you know how hard it is to control people in in here. It's so hard going around. Hey, shut up. No, anyway, um moving right along. And really, we're just sorry. We're just sorry for, for you know, those that are not in this best one either. um i'm gonna go with pca uh even though i like shohei shohei is obviously gonna be it uh james wood will be the nlmvp when otani retires um because i don't think he can break through until otani retires uh and i was looking through some of the comments i'm gonna
01:51:17
Speaker
ah dovetail a little, um about how Mike Trout is leading off tonight. And someone said in the comments, Trout with more all-star games than playoff games is diabolical.
01:51:29
Speaker
And somebody else actually agreed with UAP and said the fan vote needs to go away. So yeah I agree with you. The fan vote sort of is is, you know, maybe as anticipated.
01:51:42
Speaker
ah This is MLB, their Instagram. ah Right with the, right with the, I've got got it up on my second screen. So. but i oh Yeah, I was just wondering.
01:51:54
Speaker
Very nice. There you go. Yeah. like Yeah. All right, cool. So, you so it's so okay. We all know Johnny's to get the vote. Yeah. But if we did not, we're all going with, yeah MJ is going with Schwarber. I'm going with Soto and y'all two are going with PCA. So there you go. Yes. So the updated pick.
01:52:12
Speaker
All right, cool. Now let's move it on to our AL Young. Let me get this pasted in here real quick. Boom. all right, so we've got here a big list New York Yankees, Cam Schindler, the Apple mentioned.
01:52:28
Speaker
ah Dylan Seas from the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay Rays, Drew Rasmussen. Minnesota Twins, Joe Ryan. Minnesota Twins, Sonny Gray. ah Parker Messick, Logan Gilbert, Nick Martinez.
01:52:41
Speaker
Indians, Indians, A's. And I forget where Davis Martin is for some reason off the top of my head. All right. Who we got to move? I'm gonna go with, I didn' i actually, when I looked at this last night, i didn't see a set of gray on the list. I was gonna go with ah with ah Schlitz Creek, actually.
01:53:01
Speaker
um, with King. I like that. Yeah. there you go Yeah. So I'm going to go with him. I'm going to pick a Yankee and that's okay. Wait, you picked the Yankee. Oh my God. You picked the Yankee. Yeah. here's my thing because here's my thing. Sunny gray is good.
01:53:15
Speaker
Yes. I love him, but I think he's also been injured off and off. So like, you know, Schlitz, I think has also been injured too. But given his record and how good he's been this year, you can't pick against him.
01:53:29
Speaker
So I do like the Schlitz malt liquor name that I just came up with in my head. So that's pretty good. Okay, mine's better, but that's okay. Slits malt liquor. ah But anyways, no, do like yours. um But what I will say is, ah you're right, he's having a tremendous season, um and I'm sure that's who MJ is going to go with. I'm going to go with Dylan Seas because I want to have the greatest Nostradamus prediction ever, and predicting Dylan Seas as a Cy Young a year and a half before it even happened.
01:53:58
Speaker
I'm going Dylan Seas. MJ, who you got?
01:54:04
Speaker
Until he proves me otherwise this year, it's got to be Slytler. And I'm not just saying that as a Yankee fan, like his whole body of work, the fuck you doing over there? ah His whole body of work is just, he is that guy.
01:54:21
Speaker
And he's going to be that guy going forward. But as of right now, as of right now, I think he he wins it if the season ended today. He wins it. There you go.
01:54:34
Speaker
And my bad, Davis Martin is on the White Sox. I remember now, my bad. But yes. but you you think like I would like to see the Yankees go and get Joe Ryan if that's possible. Joe Ryan, he's good he's with Minnesota.
01:54:46
Speaker
Good pitcher. Yes. Good pitcher. Tremendous pitcher. Yeah, but I got i got you got Cam winning. Okay, so let's look at that. Cam Schlittler has, let's see, his ERA, where are we at? His ERA, he has nine we nine and five wins don't matter anymore. We know that. 205 ERA, 137 strikeouts, whip.
01:55:09
Speaker
So doing very well. You got Dylan Seas at 2.56 148 strikeouts, 1.13 whip. So a little bit below there. You got Joe Ryan, 285 ERA, 128 strikeouts, a 1.14 whip.
01:55:26
Speaker
So right below that a little bit. So those are like your top three kind of there at the top of the of the of the leaderboard there. So let's go ahead and go to you, AP, who you got?
01:55:39
Speaker
I'm going to go a dark horse, a guy who's not even on this list. Jacob deGrom. Oh, the deGrominator. Not an oversight. like I think if you Jacob deGrom gets hot in the second half of the season, you're going to see him in the at least finish in the top three. i like I like what I've seen from Schlittler this year. He's been fantastic for the Yankees. Part of the reason why they're still winning is because he's been pitching phenomenally.
01:56:05
Speaker
um ah So it's going to come down to Slytler or, so for me, Jacob DeGrom. that's a good that's yeah take a That's a good point. That's a good point with Jacob DeGrom. I like that point.
01:56:19
Speaker
Yes, Jacob DeGrom left out on purpose by me because he's a traitor. So I didn't want to put him on the list. and I didn't think anybody would vote for him. but ah But I know AP would still be a homer. You forget, you forget Omar, I'm on a betting show, so I look this stuff up.
01:56:35
Speaker
um He is he's plus 2,500 to win AL Cy Young, so. Okay, all right. DeGrom's a good pick. There you go. No, he is a good pick. Look, man.
01:56:46
Speaker
i My DeGrom is still sitting up there with his Cy Young baseball still sitting up there, so I ain't throwing that away. So clearly I still love him a little bit. I just wish he wouldn't have left. All right, let's move it up wendy put it up on eBay.
01:57:01
Speaker
Yeah, maybe should make some money off of it. Let's move on to the NL. That's another good player that the Mets gave the Rangers. Thank you. Oh, wow. Because you gave us DeGrom and you gave us Brandon Nemo.
01:57:12
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're not wrong. And we gave you Kumar Rocker, technically. Because we didn't sign him in the draft and then y'all get him the next year. Anyways, all right. That's enough for being a Mets fan again. um Let's move it on to the NL Cy Young.
01:57:27
Speaker
Post this up here. We got the Miz, obviously, Jacob Mizorowski. We've got the aforementioned Christopher Sanchez and aforementioned Zach Wheeler. ah And here's the rest of them.
01:57:41
Speaker
Boom. Chase Burns from the Diamondbacks. Mason Miller, obviously, there at the Padres. Chris Sale with the Braves. Yamamoto with the Dodgers. um And then Otani with the Dodgers as well. Braxton Ashcraft and Max Meyer rounding it out there. Who y'all got? Let's start with you, Amul.
01:58:02
Speaker
Give me Mizorowski. I mean, it's if if a if they give it to Shohei, I'm just going to be like, he can't keep getting away with this. Like, you know, you can't win the Cy Young and the MVP. Yeah, okay.
01:58:17
Speaker
yeah okay He had a good season last year and the year before. Like, at some point, let others play too, you know? um So give it to Miz. Give it to Miz.
01:58:28
Speaker
And looking at that, the Mizorowski has a 1.62 ERA, 167 strikeouts, and a.76 whip. And when you're looking at that, juxtic juxtaposing that with Shohei Ohtani, he has a 1.79 ERA, 95 strikeouts, and a.95 whip. So he's below Mizorowski and across the board. But he also doesn't pitch.
01:58:52
Speaker
as much as Mizorowski. So you have to take that into account as well. But that counts. We're talking about Cy Young. We're not talking about MVP right now. We're talking about strictly the Cy Young. So right now, I'm with you, Amul. Cy Young, I'm going with Mizorowski as well. I mean, just a tremendous young talent, him and Paul Skeens combined. And as I mentioned, there ain't no way I'm voting for either Christopher Sanchez or that trader, Zach Wheeler, who left the Mets too.
01:59:19
Speaker
So Jersey boy, MJ, who you got in this one? I'm agreeing. I'm going with Miz. Absolutely. Kid is phenomenal.
01:59:31
Speaker
Kid is... No, about yeah he really is. Kid is phenomenal. ah you know He's got a big future ahead of him. He does. Yeah, I mean, looking at the even just looking at this list, you got a lot of lot of great pictures there. But Miz, yeah, I got to go with Miz.
01:59:50
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah, and we you have you no injur you know who they're gonna give it to. Well, I mean, we'll see about that, though. I think he'll get the MVP. I don't know if he'll get the side, though.
02:00:02
Speaker
I think he'll give it to Miz. But what I will say is that when you look at the other pitchers we mentioned, like the Phillies pitchers, Christopher Sanchez, 2.62 ERA, 144 strikeouts, 1.19 whip. His counterpart, Zach Wheeler, right there with him. Better ERA, 2.13. Less strikeouts, 108, but a better whip at.89. So they're going to be battling it out.
02:00:25
Speaker
going into the end of the season as well. And even Paul Skeens, even though he's having not as great of a year as he had the past couple years, he's still pitching really well. ah three point five e r A 3.5 ERA, 130 strikeouts, and a one whip. So he's still even pitching pretty well. And that might also be attributed to the fact that we talked about earlier that the NL is so much better than the AL now.
02:00:45
Speaker
So who you got, AP? Are you going to make it a clean four sweeper? Absolutely. Mizorowski has been phenomenal for Milwaukee this year. He has been, he to me is the best pitcher in all of baseball right now with, with how he's played this year. So um like if he doesn't get the scion, then there's the problem.
02:01:08
Speaker
Yeah, no, I think we all agree on that. Most definitely. All right, cool. Well, let's move it into the final thing. We are going to pick our World Series winners. If you want to pick the match up, you are more than welcome to. But I obviously just sprung this on y'all. So if you don't have that ready, that's OK. I'll go first since I am.
02:01:26
Speaker
letting y'all think about yours for a little bit longer. i am going to say that I'm going to stick with my NL pick because I have to. I picked them at the beginning of the year. I don't want to change it now. The Dodgers, I think, are just going to go back again. i just can't pick against them. They're just too good. They got too good of a lineup, too good of a rotation. Somehow they stay healthy. I think they got that Magic Johnson HIV money that's saving them. That was, that was nu sorry for the shots fired, Magic.
02:01:53
Speaker
You know, I love you, but that had to happen. Anyways, I'm going with the Dodgers and then in the AL, I had picked the Tampa Bay. I mean, Tampa Bay. I had picked the Toronto Blue Jays as my pick at the beginning of the season because I had picked a repeat in the World Series, but clearly that is not going to happen.
02:02:12
Speaker
um So in the AL, I am going to go... hey dodgers versus either the Rays or Yeah, you know what? The Rays finally get over the hump and actually make a World Series.
02:02:30
Speaker
Rays and Dodgers World Series. Dodgers win. All right, Amul, I'm unmuting you. Go ahead, brother. Now you're unmuting me, man. No, I get it. um look Looking at the standings, now things are going to break.
02:02:47
Speaker
I'm going to go ahead. I'm not going to choose the Rays. They're weak. they're they're They're weak. um I'm going to go ahead. talked about that the whole time. Right. um I would put it at ah either. it move Who did I pick at the start of the year?
02:03:04
Speaker
You have that written down somewhere? Oh, okay. It ain't in front of me. I thought you were writing these things down. I do, but it's not in front of me, fool. should have brought it. You're right. That's my bad. Okay, fool. God, that brought me back.
02:03:18
Speaker
um So I'm going to go with... Let's go with the Guardians out of the East. And then for the West...
02:03:30
Speaker
ah Let's give it to the Dodgers, but the Dodgers collapse and the Guardians win. So, Guardians over Dodgers. And everybody, if I call you a fool, is out of love. Hamul knows that because i've had to tell him a couple of times. I don't mean to call him a fool. It was not on purpose. He will equate things to the Simpsons, and it's weird, gentlemen. That's the way he's been since he was five years old. I'm not even going to do that to you on this program right now. click Thank you. like Thank you. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Who you got, AP?
02:04:01
Speaker
I'm going to be the contrarian here, y'all. I'm going to go Milwaukee. to win the National League. Oh, there we go. After we get to the World Series. That was my pick. And I'm gonna go.
02:04:15
Speaker
I'm going to, you know what? Fuck it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to go Rangers, Brewers. I'll go Brewers. and No, you're not. No, you're not picking your Rangers. You're not picking your Rangers. You know that's not going to happen, AP. Don't do that.
02:04:27
Speaker
Don't do that to yourself. Oh, yeah, I know why you're doing it. Because you know I'm going let you update again at the end of the season. That's why you're doing this right now. i see I see what your motive is. JC, you got the Brewers. Who do you got? The the Yankees. by Obviously, okay. Do you have the Yankees winning or losing? I guess is all I should ask you.
02:04:44
Speaker
And I'm going to be honest, I'm going shock you. I got Milwaukee. I got Milwaukee.
02:04:52
Speaker
Beating the Yankees in the World Series? I'll be honest. Oh, we have turned the table here, people. We have we have ah turned over a new leaf, my brother. ah yeah only I'm only saying that because I don't think i don't think yeah theses are i don't think the are be healthy enough to actually i' win the series. I just i just don't.
02:05:16
Speaker
They got too many injuries. They really need to make a fucking splash this coming week with the trade deadline. If they don't make a splash, I don't see them winning it.
02:05:28
Speaker
Wow. And I and i can't i can't go, i can't pick a team from ah the NL West, you know, fuck them, you know. yeah Yeah, no, I'm going with the win. I just like when people are realistic, and I appreciate you being realistic about your team because the injuries are something that would prevent a team from winning the World Series. so that You know what? i I'll go ahead and change mine. I think Tampa. It'll be Tampa and Milwaukee, and I still got Milwaukee winning, though, regardless. after hour i love i i would I will change mine to Cleveland and Milwaukee. Hold on. Now I got to go back and change all this shit.
02:06:05
Speaker
What you say? him but waiting know hold on You didn't even write down the start of the year. You didn't even write I said the ones, they're on a paper somewhere. I just don't have them on me.
02:06:16
Speaker
These are how anddo funnel computer you know how many notebooks I could have given you last time you were up here. it could have given you like 20. I got plenty. Okay, well you wouldn't have lost that notebook.
02:06:28
Speaker
So Guardians over Brewers for you. Brewers over Rays for AP. Brewers over Yankees for MJ. And Dodgers over Rays for me. So pretty much we have a consensus. Dodgers, Rays, Guardians, Brewers, Yankees our are are possible World Series teams.
02:06:45
Speaker
Actually, give me Brewers over Guardians. Sorry about that. Oh, my. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. but you'll You'll be fine. Listen, you'll be fine. You'll go to another talk show. you're go it you'll be the You'll be an audience member for another talk show. You'll be fine. It'll be good. No, but I will copy putting these and will be copying these and putting these in the comments.
02:07:05
Speaker
If you want to see our picks, you'll go to the comments and go see them there. all right. Thank you for tuning in. We got to get you to the all-star game. It's already started. Probably. Bob Mac says, hi, hello to you and everybody tuning in on YouTube, on Instagram, subscribe at ball and buds, B-A-L-L-A-N-D-B-U-D-S. Hit that like button, whether watching now or on the replay and let's get out of here, brothers. MJ, let them know where they can find you.
02:07:31
Speaker
You can find me at home. okay yeah You can catch me, Jersey Boy MJ, at Twitter, IG. I'm all over IOW Sports.
02:07:46
Speaker
yeah I'm not hard to find. you know Look me up. i'm out there and I'm out there. I'm getting my podcast up back and running Friday. Friday at 5 o'clock. friday five Jersey Boy MJ. Is it going to be the Around the Diamond? The return of Around the Diamond.
02:08:04
Speaker
Yes, sir. i I'll be tuning in. All right, cool. AP, let us know. Five o'clock on Friday. Speaking of Around the Diamond, you can catch our version on Rec Room Sports tomorrow night with myself. is your show called Around the Diamond 2? Yes, it is.
02:08:18
Speaker
Oh, damn. We got two Around the Diamonds on the same show. i I wanted to go with the knuckle curve. That was my first. You might have changed it now. No, that's what wanted. And...
02:08:32
Speaker
I went with somebody else's choice. Well, you might have changed to change the knuckle curve now because you run the diamond might be on ESPN now. So I think now you have to change it. Yeah. You've got to change it.
02:08:45
Speaker
So you got that. Sorry to break the news to you that way. but My bad. ah That'll be on tomorrow night. We'll talking All-Star Game stuff and then giving our top 10 power rankings for the month of June slash into All-Star break.
02:09:00
Speaker
ah Thursday, as I mentioned before, at Thursday, 4 p.m. Eastern to 6 p.m. Eastern ESPN 690 Jacksonville. You catch Requiem Sports Radio Show there, or you can catch it on the YouTube page as well.
02:09:12
Speaker
Saturday is Lock It In, our betting show. We're starting college football talk. We did SEC this past Saturday. was the whole Basically, the whole episode was all SEC talk.
02:09:25
Speaker
So check that out there. I think this week we're doing Mountain West and Pac-12. We'll talk Mountain West and Pac-12. And then here towards the end of the month, we'll be starting fantasy football stuff, getting ready to start NFL talk. So that'll be starting up pretty soon.
02:09:40
Speaker
Yeah, everything's coming up with the football. And i'm AP, I'm going to get you and your... ah your co-host, I want to talk to you all about getting on that that football show, preview show for college with me. So i'll talk to you about that. um See if they want to get on too. All right, cool. Amul, where can they find you?
02:09:57
Speaker
AM23photography.com. If you see me in New York this weekend, no you didn't. If you're hanging out, if you see me hanging out with Tom Ford, leave me alone. No, in all seriousness, a lot of stuff, a lot of good stuff is coming that some of these guys already know about.
02:10:17
Speaker
A lot of them, they don't, but ah that's okay. That's fine. um it's It's going to be a slow drip from here on out through the end of the year, and you all will be, well, you'll be happy. If you're not happy, then I can't help you. I can't i can't help your happiness. But what a lot of good photography coming out. So lot of good sets that are going to be um they're going to be released. So talk to you all soon.
02:10:43
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. Look, a we try to keep everybody happy here. So make sure you go and tap in with all of these people. Amo has an awesome photography profile. So, and then, they you know, APN them, Rec Room Sports, ESPN, I'm still happy for them. That's tremendous. So I just...
02:10:58
Speaker
Here's your boy MJ on IG. Everything's at the bottom in the banner. Check everybody out. As for us on Ball & Buds, we will be going live tomorrow night. NBA off-season review. We'll be talking draft. We'll be talking Summer League. We'll be talking LeBron. We'll be talking Jalen Brown. We'll be talking Giannis. It will be Bobby G from Audible Sports. it will be my boy Jay from Unfair Sports. It will be Desmond Powell from the Midpost Pod on IG and the Baseline and NBA Pod. Hopefully we'll have Cowley and Warren Shaw. So full show tomorrow night, NBA Thursday night.
02:11:31
Speaker
Oh, sorry. That's 830 tomorrow night, 830 Eastern tomorrow night. And then Thursday night at seven Eastern total evisceration, the sports professor going out to beat the heck out of hot cake, Jake, and let him know where he belongs. And that is not better than the sports professor. And that's all I got to say about that. Yeah. like Ladies and gentlemen, a watching Total Evisceration like playing and MLB The Show on easy mode.
02:11:57
Speaker
I'm just going to say Omar is going to win every single time. I like that. It basically is. basically is. You should. I've been beating the shit out of Jake. He deserves it. Let's go. well Check us out on Thursday. Again, that'll be at 7 Eastern. And again, just tap in. Baseball, we are going to be gone for a little bit because I'm teaching a course the next four weeks. So I'm taking a break from streaming for the next few weeks. But we will see you probably next show August sometime for baseball. So you all will enjoy the All-Star game tonight.
02:12:25
Speaker
Go out. Be successful. Be blessed. Tap in with everybody here. Stay out of trouble, people. See tomorrow for NBA, 830 Eastern. Holla. Standard trouble, everyone.