Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Golf, NCAA recruiting and What wiil the Cardinals do?
96 Plays1 year ago
In this episode I cover the PGA tour, NCAA Recruiting in Football and basketball. I also look at The university of Missouri and the University of Illinois and I discuss the St Louis Cardinals and the trading dealine.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Talking Sports on the Bleachers'
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello there and welcome to my spot up on the bleachers. Up here we sit and talk about sports. Hope you brought your favorite koozie. So open up a cold one. My name is Don Glenn and this is Talking Sports on the Bleachers. You've got to get it done. This is Gateway City Sports. The rumors are true.
00:00:24
Speaker
This is Talking Sports on the Bleachers with John Glenn. A confident young man. A superb athlete. A look at the sport issues of the day. Grab a seat, pop a cold one, and let's talk some sports. Gee, that sounds kind of interesting. Gentlemen, start your engines!
00:01:00
Speaker
Romo on the shotgun here at the snap. Romo looking, dumps it off right to that. Interceptions! Interceptions are goal-lined by the Woodson! And there is your Gallagher! Rule for quiet spread stance. Arms out over the place. Deckford from the threat. The one-hand pitch. A play! And there it goes! Redfield! Playback!
00:01:48
Speaker
Playoffs? Don't talk about it. Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? Are you crying? There's no crying! There's no crying, baseball! You don't understand, I could've had some class.
00:02:11
Speaker
I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody. Holy cow! Hey, Dad?
00:02:44
Speaker
You want to have a catch? I'd like that. Welcome, everyone. Glad you could join me here today on The Bleachers. If you've been here before, I'm glad you came back. If you're your first time, well, I welcome you and hope that you enjoy the show and become a regular listener. You know, I've had a hard time putting this podcast together this week.
00:03:08
Speaker
I've had some job interviews, I've had some other things going on. We had a storm going through that took a tree out in our yard and nobody got hurt. Everything's fine, just a little bit of minor damage to the guttering. So now it's Friday and I'm finally getting to put this thing together.
Affiliation with Gateway City Sports
00:03:23
Speaker
So I want to let you know that Talking Sports on the Bleachers is a proud member of Gateway City Sports and GatewayCitySports.com. At Gateway City Sports, you can find podcasts and articles about sports in and around the St. Louis Bicet area. So go to Gateway City Sports.
00:03:38
Speaker
dot com well when last we got together I railed on the Cardinals and we're gonna talk about them today don't be don't think we're not I'm a little touch on a little bit what's going on and what I think you need to do and what I think they're gonna do when the deadline comes around but right now I'm gonna start to show off for us talk a little golf and then maybe a little Illini recruiting college sports so to speak so
PGA Tour Highlights
00:04:06
Speaker
There have been 26 winners on the PGA Tour this year with six multiple event winners. The leader is John Rahm with four. And then you have Wyndon Clark, Tony Fennell, Max Hama, Scotty Shepler, and now Keegan Bradley with two. Bradley just won the Travelers Championship by three strokes over runner-up Zach Blair and Brian Harmon. Now Blair started the final round nine strokes, back shot an eight under par 62 finishes round, oh,
00:04:35
Speaker
about an hour I think or so ahead of Bradley. He had a one stroke lead going into the final round but four straight birdies in three in holes three through six put him in control and on pace for the course record. He had a shot at that course record I think with five holes to go he only needed two more birdies and unfortunately they were not coming. He ended up with two bogey actually three bogeys and
00:05:05
Speaker
Yeah, she had a bogey on 13, 14, and 16. Patrick can't lay, made a late charge, but then he's tailed off at the end. So going into this weekend tournament, the tour rankings were those. Scottie Scheffler is still number one. He's played in 51 events with an average of 11.93 points. And this is by the PGA Tour Zone rankings. So I don't know how they rank their points, but those numbers are giving me.
00:05:32
Speaker
John Ram is number two, playing in 46 events with 10.3 points. Rory McElroy, third, playing in 46 events with 9.245 points. Patrick Cantlay is fourth, after only 40 events with 7.22 points. And Victor Hovland is fifth, playing in 52 events with 6.679. Money leader, Scheffler, obviously,
00:05:58
Speaker
$17.7 million, John Ram at $15.2 million. Wyndham Clark is third with $10 million. Victor Hovland is at $9.6 million. And rounding out the top five, Rory McElroy at $8.9 million this season. Let's see, Scheffler, I'm going to tell you what, he has really been on it this year. He's made 27 consecutive cuts with two wins and seven top threes, 13 top tens. Right behind Scheffler, John Ram is winner of four tournaments.
00:06:28
Speaker
uh... six top three finishes nine top uh... ten finishes uh... zander uh... scallops skull fay scuffley I never pronounce his name right I apologize uh... nine top tens no wins but two top threes and Max Homm has eight top tens he's got two wins four top threes now one guy who's tied for fifth in top ten finishes I think people should watch out for an estuary macaron I'll tell you why uh... he's got seven top tens
00:06:57
Speaker
One win, two runners up, and a third and fourth place finish. He's playing very well. He's stroking the ball really good. He's hitting nice drives. He's having a little bit of rough luck here and there. But I think he's a guy you need to kind of watch out for. Sheffler is obviously the guy that odds on favor to come out ahead this year. John Ram is making his case to see that doesn't happen.
00:07:27
Speaker
You know, it's going to be an interesting tour from here on out. I've got a couple, uh, one major left, uh, and, uh, I'll be reporting on golf a little bit more. It's, uh, something I like to like to kind of follow. So I want to take a look at college sports next, but first thinking about college kids are going to school. And what do you do when you get the kid for graduation and he goes off to college, you get him a car. Well, that's what a lot of people do. I didn't get my daughter or either of them, but you know,
00:07:54
Speaker
But a lot of people do, they buy a car. Now buying that car is going to be stressful because you've got to make sure it's going a long way away, you've got to make sure it's going to be right for him or her, that it's going to be safe, reliable, stressful. But there's one place that's trying to change that. Fifth Street Motors, located at 2044 Rose Lane in Pacific, Missouri. At Fifth Street Motors, they want to make your car buying experience less stressful. They will help you find the vehicle you need, no matter what brand.
00:08:24
Speaker
Because at 5th Street Motors, they believe in giving you the absolute best price on a pre-owned vehicle that's going to fit your budget. So check out what stress-free car buying can be and give Brandon or Don a call today at 573-259-1306. Again, 573-259-1306.
Oklahoma's Softball Championship Triumph
00:08:45
Speaker
And tell them Don Glenn from Talking Sports on the Bleachers sent you.
00:08:51
Speaker
Okay then, let's see. Well congrats to go out to the University of Oklahoma women's softball team for becoming only the second team in NCAA history to win a D1 national softball championship three straight years. The only other team doing that was UCLA from 1988 to 1990. The Sooners defeated Florida State on June 8th
00:09:13
Speaker
This win also extended their winning streak to 53 games over the last three years. That's a heck of a record, I'm telling you. Coach Patty Gasso cited the team leadership and said we talked about a dream, we all wanted it, but we had to show them in practice how to do it, and they did it. My daughter's a huge softball fan, and she told me earlier, she said, Dad, you got to keep an eye on this Oklahoma team. There's something special. These guys can play.
00:09:43
Speaker
Um, and you could just hear the way she talked about it. And, uh, you know, I may have to get her on talk about softball one of these days. I have to see what she's doing this summer in between, uh, classes, maybe, uh, likewise, uh, congrats go out to the men's, uh, college world series winner LSU. Uh, they defeated, uh, three games series against Florida. Uh, one, the first one four to three, then lost 24 to four. And then the final game, Monday night LSU pounded at 24 hits.
00:10:11
Speaker
winning 18 to 4 to claim its seventh national title in school history. NCAA football recruiting, the 2022 recruiting rankings are out. The top five are Alabama 1 with 28 points, Georgia 2 with 26, Texas is 3 with 25, Oklahoma is 4th with 26, and Ohio State is 4th with 20 total recruits.
00:10:38
Speaker
uh... kind of breaks down a little bit alabama had nine five-star commits and eighteen four stars georgia had uh... five five stars seventeen four stars texas with five four stars fourteen four stars oklahoma three five stars fourteen four stars in ohio state only one five-star recruit but they did have eighteen four stars how they got a twentieth uh... fifth ranking i'm not quite sure
00:11:08
Speaker
For local interest, the University of Missouri is ranked 33rd with 19 total recruits, no five stars, five four stars, and 14 three star recruits. University of Illinois came in at 42nd with no five star recruits, three four star recruits, and 23 star recruits. In terms of conferences, SEC has two teams in the top five, four teams in the top ten, and eight teams in the top 20 as far as the recruiting rankings go.
00:11:38
Speaker
Big 10 is woefully behind them. I mean, we're not even in the same zip code. I'm from Illinois, so I'm in the Big 10, guys. Big 10 has one team in the top five, one team in the top 10, which is out of the Ohio State, and only two teams in the top 20. So football recruiting didn't go well for the Big 10, it looks like, at least according to national rankings.
00:12:05
Speaker
On a basketball recruiting front, the top five are Kentucky with seven commits. Duke had four commits, USC four commits, UConn five. Michigan State is at four commits. Kentucky had four, five stars, one to four star, and two, three stars. Duke had all four of their commits were five stars. USC had two, five stars, two, four stars.
00:12:31
Speaker
UConn had a five-star, three, four-stars, and one three-star, and Michigan State won five-star and three four-stars. As for Mizzou, they came up 26th with three commits, two four-star recruits and a three-star recruit. Illinois is 31st and lists four commits, but one of those, Zachary Perrine, he came mid-season last year, played one game and left, so that actually only leaves him with three commits,
00:13:00
Speaker
Two or four stars and one is a foreign player, Nick Moretti, who's not rated as they say. As far as transfers, Mizzou's got five transfers coming in and Illinois has three transfers coming in. Just a little note about the University of Illinois women's team. Now, Shawna Green, I mentioned her a couple times this past season. She has done just a phenomenal job putting women's basketball back together again.
00:13:29
Speaker
It's been a long time since we've had Teresa Grintz back in the late 90s was the last one to kind of generate this kind of excitement in Champaign-Urbana. But she brought in some kids with her last year and used the recruits to have, well this year she put together a good group and she's not resting on her laurels because she's picking up kids right and left.
00:13:54
Speaker
Like I said, last year she brought in Makira Cook and Bryn Soup Hill from Dayton, where she came from when she got hired Illinois. She brought in Genesis Bryant from North Carolina State, Kendall Bostic from Michigan State, Aisha Nador from Northwest Florida State. Then she mixed that down, the kids were already there, like Jada Peebles, Jayla Oden, Adalia McKenzie, and also freshman Camille Jackson. Now this year, like I said,
00:14:22
Speaker
She hasn't stopped. It's not, okay, I've got these kids I'm going to play. No, she's picked up a five foot 10 guard Corey Allen out of Montville or Monteverde Academy in Nashville. 78th ranked player in the nation, eight points a game, two rebounds, five assists. She also picked up Buffalo, New York, 5'11 guard Gretchen Dolan. I catch these stats guys.
00:14:48
Speaker
38.4 points a game eight rebounds a game four assists five steals and two blocks And this is a guard, you know two blocks eight rebounds what the heck And she's out of some top transfers talent getting yet another player from NC State Most I haven't to call start Illinois NC State West. I don't know she picked up
00:15:15
Speaker
Six three center Camille hobby hobbies average eight point eight points a game four point two rebounds in just 21 minutes a game so she's a One that is looking on to provide some in interior help as they say She also added rated the ACC closet again and picked up Six four six three sophomore forward Shay Boland from Duke now Boland only played eight games for Duke as a freshman but she was ranked 26th in a nation coming out of high of
00:15:46
Speaker
High school is in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. So, gonna have a little bit of size to them, gonna have a little bit of talent. My NCAA report partner Russ Robinson and I are gonna get together again here soon. We had some scheduling difficulty, but we're gonna get it back together again and get you filled in on all the NCAA happenings. The NCAA coaches never, not only having to recruit high school, but transfer portal as well,
00:16:15
Speaker
You know that's got to be Well it's got to be kind of hard, but it's also when you go to that transfer portal It's like they're grabbing some insurance players You know they got these kids coming in, but they need that little extra. They need that one position They need that one player, so they're gonna grab these kids from the portal like that's kind of like insurance You know just like the way you and I get insurance
00:16:41
Speaker
You know, a quarterback has to stay protected in the pocket. You need to protect your assets. All the things in your life. Because as we know, life can throw you that curve ball. And that's why you need Allstate. The Wiley Group has two locations in Festus and Arnold to serve you. They offer home, auto, boat, motorcycle, business, life insurance, investments, and much more. They offer a customized approach that's unique to your situation to make sure you and your family
00:17:10
Speaker
and your assets are properly protected. They also offer great rates and savings. So give Sean and his team a call today at 636-764-6294 and have them help you with an insurance quote right over the phone. I mean that's how they roll. So again that number is 636-764-6294 and even give them a call if you just want to talk sports because you know I've heard they do that too.
00:17:39
Speaker
See, with working kids and social functions, we all have busy lives. And especially this time of year, summertime, we're going on vacations, things of that nature, taking the kids to the pool. So you can email Sean at seanwylieatallstate.com. That's S-E-A-N-W-I-L-E-Y at allstate.com. Talk to him about your coverage options. And remember, you're in good hands with Allstate. All right.
00:18:07
Speaker
Now, I know some of you may not want to do this, but we're going to talk Cardinal baseball. Yeah, I know. Not a good subject in some circles, that's for sure.
Cardinals' Fan Reactions and Team Struggles
00:18:18
Speaker
And the fans are restless. I get it. I understand it. You go on social media and you hear, trade this guy, trade that guy. They want to get rid of Paul DeYoung. They want to get rid of Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neil.
00:18:32
Speaker
You know, get rid of all of them, bring up the young kids, and then there's talk, you heard some talk lately, people saying we should trade Nolan Aronado and Paul Goldschmidt. You know, now, while I know that something needs to be done, and quite frankly, the front office does too, and I'll get to them in a minute, I know something needs to be done, you know something, but you don't make trades just to make trades. You gotta make trades that are gonna make sense.
00:19:01
Speaker
Uh, now some people want to tear it down, burn it down, trade everybody, have the fire sale like the Marlins did after they won the world series many years ago. I think about 90 something. Um, they win the world series and then turn on trade everybody like the Cubs did before they, after the two six, 2016 world series. That's not the way to go in my estimation. I mean, this, this club's got a lot of talent. It's got a lot of, of, uh, good young, young talent. They've got experience. They've got speed. They've got power.
00:19:31
Speaker
You know, this team has got a lot of positives to it. So I don't think there's any reason you want to go out and just tear the damn thing down. Do they need to make moves? Yeah, they do. I mean, that's a guarantee. You know, the question is, how do you improve? Now, I'm not saying that this is a championship roster. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Stan Pat. Obviously, they can't do that.
00:19:52
Speaker
When you look at the rotation with the problems that Matz has had, he's now in the bullpen. Wainwright has struggled. Michaels has been fairly steady. Flaherty's been up and down. Libertor's been up and down. I mean, it's just not been a, what you would call a consistent rotation. So they're gonna, but the trick is twofold.
00:20:17
Speaker
So first you got to get the front office, mainly the pace president of baseball operation, John Moseley, like to admit he screwed up assembling this team and let's call the spade a spade. He screwed up assembling this team. I mean, last week I accused him of being an S an arrogant SOB and you know, folks, I haven't changed my mind, but I will defend him in some respect.
00:20:43
Speaker
Well, in this respect, I should say, not some respect, but in this respect. He's made statements like, we would hope the Cardinals are not allowed to rebuild. Now, what that means is, he hopes that we're still in a contention enough where rebuild is not necessary, where we can just add to what we've got and move on. And as we sit on the 23rd of June, we still don't know exactly which way we'll walk. From a front office standpoint, we have to start preparing.
00:21:12
Speaker
Now here's where I will take a little issue, but he is right. You don't know which way you're going to walk because you don't know where this team, what direction this team is going because they keep giving you mixed signals. One minute they're, they're winning a few games. The next minute they lose a couple of games. Then they lose, you know, so you don't know which way this team is going to go. Some guys, uh, you know, Paul DeYoung was a good example, started out really hot this year when he came, when he finally came off the injured list, had a little slump. He's back up hitting it again. I think, uh,
00:21:39
Speaker
He recently had an eight game hitting streak. You got Jordan Walker who's had a little struggle. Nolan Gorman's had a little struggle. He's now looks like starting to get back into it. So you don't know which way this team is going from day one to day two. So it does make it hard for the front office. But where I'll take my issue with is him saying we need to start preparing now.
00:22:08
Speaker
no you should have been start preparing back in May is when they should have started preparing and having different alternatives and that's why I think that's the that's kind of a double-edged comment there now he also went on to say some deals that are made at this point that some deals made that maybe we could help now but could also help in the future or that maybe we could be more of a reshuffling then again he's not wrong because there are deals you need to make for the now
00:22:37
Speaker
but you don't want to make every deal for the now and Eliminate the future because if you go and buy a bunch of rental players I mean guys that are free ages next year, you know, then where you're at You're right back where you started in spring training with nothing to show for it. Maybe so and like last year they got they did get a Rental if you will with with Quintana, I mean he was the now I
00:23:05
Speaker
Um, but they also picked up the help for the future with Montgomery and Chris Stratton. So there was that little mix and that's what you're going to need. And so I think that's something he's going to have to, to really, uh, play with, but I think he's right. So, you know, and I know people want to hear me say that he's, this is totally wrong and this is no way. And, and you know, what I've said of him before, I may be sending a little hypocritical.
00:23:33
Speaker
But hear me out, after they lost seven in a row, the Cardinals were five and two, and that was a 7-14 winning percentage. Now I know that was against a Mets team that was struggling and against the Nationals and split with division rival Chicago and London. I understand all that. So we weren't playing top teams, realistically. I mean, Mets were supposed to be a top team for all the money they spent, and they're not.
00:24:01
Speaker
now we're gonna go toe to toe with the Astros and for two games we played they played very well a little hiccup with Gio and I think Ollie screwed that one up I think he should have pulled Gio after that first home run when the game got tied it was obvious he wasn't fooling anybody so and I did the quick thing a comment that was made in there after that game a reporter asked me did he think about pulling Gio after the first home run and he said
00:24:31
Speaker
Well, yes, if I'd have known there was going to be a second home run, I would have pulled him and, uh, the reporter answered back quite, quite correctly. Well, it's happened twice before, uh, to which Marmal kept his mouth shut. Smart thing for Marmal. Uh, so my point is the Cardinals can beat these lower teams and that's what they're doing right now. They're beating lower teams. Um, maybe not necessarily lower than them, obviously with the Mets struggling the Cubs, but that's fine.
00:25:00
Speaker
But if you're going to advance better, you've got to start beating some of the big boys. You can't lose two games to the Astros. And like the way they did, I should say. If you get beat, you get beat. That's one thing. But when you give the game away one day and then you just totally, well, actually gave the game away both days, feel very sorry for Adam Wayne Wright after
00:25:30
Speaker
yesterday's game. Okay, I'm gonna stop for a quick second, not stop, I'm gonna change gears for a quick second here and say that what happened with Adam Wainwright having to deactivate his Twitter because of all the negativity, and that's the nicest way I can put it, what I really would like to say, and I'm, well, what the hell, I'm gonna say it.
00:25:57
Speaker
from all the assholes that attacked him on Twitter that basically had no class, you guys need to find another sport to watch. You do. You just really
Adam Wainwright's Twitter Controversy
00:26:14
Speaker
do. And quite frankly, Cardinal Nation would be better without you. I mean, if you can't understand
00:26:22
Speaker
that these guys are out there. Do you think they like being 14 games under 500? Do you think Adam Wainwright likes being pulled in the second inning of a ball game? If you think that, you have no clue what you're talking about in sports. So just quit following sports altogether. So that's the first thing. So I heard he did reactivate his Twitter account today.
00:26:53
Speaker
And, you know, we'll see going forward. I think if anybody can pull themselves out of this mess, it's Adam Wainwright. I'm hoping he can anyway. And, you know, he hasn't pitched well. I mean, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. He hasn't pitched well. He's had games where he's looked good and then games where, you know, he just doesn't have it. You know, and again, I think that goes back to Marmel and Dusty Blake as well.
00:27:18
Speaker
to make sure that these guys get prepared and they're ready to go. That if there is an issue that they, you know, they deal with it between inks, hey Adam, I don't think your spin rate's a little right. You might want to try and get a little bit more spin on that curve while you're out there, you know, or just whatever it takes.
00:27:40
Speaker
But I don't see them doing that. And that right in is a lot of the problem. So now, but when you look at what John Mosalak said in the offseason, that payroll was going to go up and they'd make moves to improve the club. And all we ended up with was Wilson Contreras. That's it. That's all we got. Wilson Contreras. And he thumbed the nose at everything else.
00:28:12
Speaker
He said, we looked at some deals, but they were none that we felt good about. Well, when you wait until the very end of the winter meetings to even try to negotiate, and then the only thing you're negotiating for is a catcher, everybody else doesn't care. Those other teams don't care because they know what deals they're going to make. And if you don't want to deal with them, if you're too busy trying to find a catcher, they'll go somewhere else.
00:28:40
Speaker
And that's what happened. That is exactly what happened. So he might be a little motivated to save face here this trade deadline when it comes up. Now, along with that, I've made references last week that Marmo has no clue what's going on. And I don't think he really does. And this is not an attack against Ollie. Because I'm sure he has some idea
00:29:10
Speaker
but he's not, at least in my estimation, and you know, I'm not the be-all-end-all. I've said this before, I'm just a fan like you guys are. But when I look at some of the moves he makes, you know, there's this constant in and out of the lineup with, with, uh, uh, Aaron Notto and then Goldsmith giving him a rest and then making him a DH and, um, you know, not really
00:29:39
Speaker
giving Walker the time he deserves. And granted, I'll give him credit where credit is due. He's stuck by Paul DeYoung. And DeYoung is playing a very, very good defensive shortstop, had his hitting trouble. Like I said, he's kind of turned that around a little bit. So maybe Ali did have an idea about that.
00:30:02
Speaker
But there's just so many other things. Again, with the GEO thing. Yesterday with Adam Wainwright. Gives up free runs. He was only maybe an out away or something. He only needed it one out.
00:30:21
Speaker
at some point in time, you and or the pitching coach has got to sit there and say, look, I don't think he's got it. We need to we need to do it. We hate to do it, but we got to, you know, or with the geo thing. Hey, look, it's a tie ball game. Get him out of there. We got to stop the bleeding now. We can't let him keep going. I don't know if he's not listening. I don't know if Blake's not telling him, but he's making a lot of wrong decisions that that needs to stop. And, you know, like I said,
00:30:50
Speaker
last week. I don't believe, I agree with J.D. Haffron, I don't believe they're going to fire Mar-Mole mid-season unless, of course, like I said, Moe's seat is hot and I think it is warming up. I don't think buildy-wit. A lot of people are
00:31:10
Speaker
That's the other thing. A lot of people are chiming in, oh, Bill DeWitt doesn't care. As long as he makes it three million, you know, puts three million people in the seat, he doesn't really care and he's not going to do this. Shut up. Bill DeWitt is a businessman. And as a businessman, he has to put a product on the field that people are going to pay for. And I'm not talking just the fans that go to the games and buy the concessions.
00:31:39
Speaker
talking about advertisers, talking about the sponsors. Where do you think all these freebies come from that they give away at the ballpark? Now they pay for some, but yes, they pay a lot of money to get some of this stuff done. But there's a lot of it that the sponsors are giving them a little bit of, okay, we'll cut you a break. Or we'll give you this kind of money. We'll give you that kind of money. Buildy Witt needs that. But to get that, he's gotta have a successful team on the field.
00:32:09
Speaker
Right now, this team is not a success. So you got to be thinking, he's got to be talking to Mosaic every day saying, hey, Mo, what are we doing? Who have you talked to? So Mo's seat has to be getting warm. If not warm, at least maybe a little bit uncomfortable. I just don't believe DeWitt is going to sit there and do nothing all year.
00:32:38
Speaker
So if Mo doesn't get this fixed at the trade deadline, it could be very possible you could see a regime change in St. Louis. Now I'm not saying it's going to happen. I'm not saying I've got inside information. I'm just saying if I'm Bill DeWitt and that team is out there on the field and they're not performing, or at least not winning anyway,
00:33:09
Speaker
And I've got to start looking, is it the players? Is it the moves? Well, if it's the players, who's in charge of getting me the players? John Moselok. If it's the moves, who's in charge of the moves? Ollie Marmal. Who hired Ollie Marmal? John Moselok. So you see my reasoning. Moselok's seat, for whatever reason, has to be getting hot right now. And when his seat gets hot, Ollie's is going to get hot. Mark my words. Speaking of hot,
00:33:39
Speaker
Hey folks, it's summer is here. I'm telling you, it is in full force. You know, people outside are playing sports, going to the beach, they're hiking, camping. Maybe you're just going out to do some yard work. If you're going to be active, you need to stay hydrated. And trust me, I've been there and going to the hospital to get fluids is not a fun way to spend your day. It is not highly recommended. Now, one way to stay hydrated is with hydration multiplication from Liquid IV.
00:34:06
Speaker
In just one stick, you get five essential vitamins, two times faster hydration in the water alone, and three times the electrolytes of traditional sports drinks. It's conveniently packaged, so you can take it anywhere. You go to the gym or play sports, put some in your gym bag. You go to, you go to take a hike, you know, have your water bottle, throw some in the water bottle and throw a couple sticks in your backpack. Put it in the beach bag when you go to the beach, or you need to pick me up at work, put a cup in your briefcase or your lunchbox.
00:34:37
Speaker
Good stuff. Liquid IV comes in 12 delicious and refreshing flavors, including strawberry lemonade, tropical punch, and piรฑa colada. You get the benefit of vitamins B3, B5, B6, B12, vitamin C, it's non-GMO, it's gluten-free, and it contains no soy or dairy products. Liquid IV is a company that believes in equitable access to clean and abundant water is the foundation of a healthier world.
00:35:06
Speaker
So Liquid IV partners with leading organizations for innovative solutions to help communities protect both their water and their futures. Get 20% off when you go to liquidiv.com and use the promo code GCS at checkout. That's 20% off anything when you order to shop better hydration today using promo code GCS at liquidiv.com. Ready to shop for better hydration? You can also use my special link
00:35:35
Speaker
Then, that's z-e-n dot a-i slash talking sports on the bleachers. Again, zen dot a-i slash talking sports on the bleachers. You can save 20% off anything you order that way. So see what hydration multiplication can do for you. Try Liquid IV.
00:35:58
Speaker
So let's just say the team is in a position of being in contention and that the front office is actually willing to make a move. Okay. Where do we start? Well, the only place you can start, and really the only thing that really, that needs to be done is the rotation. You could probably add another bat, but I think at this point, the rotation is what you need to concentrate on because, you know, as I said earlier, going into next year, all you've got is Miles Michaelis, Stephen Matts, and presumably right now, Matthew Libertor.
00:36:29
Speaker
So you got to have at least two more pictures because you know, Wayne Wright's retiring. Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty may or may not be with the club. If I had my way, I would offer Montgomery a contract. I don't know why they didn't. I understand the extending of Michaelis, but there should have been a second extension offered to Montgomery.
00:36:56
Speaker
I would have offered him three years 65 million dollars because unless they decide on a fire sale Which I don't think they're gonna do they're gonna wait till the end of the year and then shoot Monty a qualifying offer Well, that's gonna be around 20 million dollars and it's like 19 fivers on 20 million dollars somewhere in that neighborhood So why not get ahead of the game? Offer a little bit of a boost say three years 65 million and We'll call it even if he doesn't take it doesn't take the offer then fine you go on without it
00:37:25
Speaker
You wait till the end of the year, you do the qualifying offer, he rejects it, and you get a draft pick. Great. If he does, then you got a picture for three years. Same thing with Jack Flaherty. Him, I would not offer as big a contract. I have no way he would get a qualifying offer in my book, and I don't think they're going to shoot him a qualifying offer.
00:37:47
Speaker
I think at best they'll offer maybe a little, but they're not going to get into a bidding war on him when he goes free agent. They could trade him. He's got some value.
00:38:04
Speaker
So I don't know what they'll do with that, but I would offer, I'd say maybe he's making $5.4 million a year right now. I'd say if you could give, you could shoot him a two year deal at 13, five or 14 million, he might take it, but I wouldn't go any higher than that. He hasn't proven himself to stay healthy enough to go any higher than that kind of a race. Now, having said that, who do we go get?
00:38:34
Speaker
Well, I've had one guy on the top of my list since last year, and that's left-hander Dylan Cease in Chicago White Sox. Right now, he's only 3-3 with a 4.4 ERA, but he is what the Cardinals need because they don't have a strikeout pitcher. They don't have a pitcher that can go out there and get you a strikeout. That's a swing and miss type of guy.
00:38:56
Speaker
Uh, Dylan Dylan cease is that he's got a 10.8, uh, strikeouts per nine inning rate right now. Uh, now you won't be a free agent until 2026. So there you're hitting, you're getting the now and you get in the future. Like I said earlier, you got to try and do both with Dylan cease. You're doing both. Um, and especially if you're not going to, if you're not going to retain a, a Jordan Montgomery cease as a left-hander. So you take, you get rid of one left-hander for another.
00:39:26
Speaker
Um, you know, the best picture we got right now, as far as K's for nine is Jack Flaherty. Um, who's averaging basically, um, eight per nine. So, you know, we don't have a strikeout pitcher. We got guys that can have games or they strike out nine, eight or nine guys in seven innings. That's great. But then they turn in the next game and then strike out two or three.
00:39:56
Speaker
in seven innings. That's not what you want. You need a consistent guy. A guy that's going to go out there and strike out eight, nine guys in a game. Every game he goes out. We don't have that.
00:40:06
Speaker
And there's another guy over in a couple other guys over there. Actually, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, both at the White Sox. You know, they could be good additions, but they would be a here. They would be a immediate fix of the situation now, especially for Lynn. He's 36. You know, I don't see him, you know, he could go another couple of years. I don't see it happening. Giolito, he's also free agent. So those guys would both be rentals.
00:40:36
Speaker
There's two or three guys out of Miami that you could look at. And I'm not talking Sandial Contara. I'm talking Jesus, Lazardo, and Braxton Garrett. Both of those guys are pitching very well as far in the strike. I mean, they're not getting the wins that you see. But, you know, Garrett is a guy that I've had on my radar for a couple of years now. He's finally had a decent year last year.
00:41:05
Speaker
This year, he's got a strikeout rate to 10.1. There's only a tick I've got about Garrett.
00:41:15
Speaker
Is he doesn't I don't think he's rarely gets past the sixth inning and he gets into the sixth but rarely gets through it and Almost never sees the seventh So but the one good thing he is not a free agent until 2029 Which means a browser will probably cost a few an extra prospect or two for that? Lazardo has been so so
00:41:41
Speaker
Uh, by healing, he's like 503 and three. Uh, but he's always posted good strikeout numbers, even when he's not winning, he's posting good strikeout numbers. Um, he's a free agent in 2027, uh, and he and Garrett are both left-handers. Uh, so.
00:41:59
Speaker
There's, there is that again, if they, they do not resign Montgomery, then you need to look at another left hand to bring it. Now a Mariners or excuse me, the Mariners, the Marlins also have Edward Cabrera. Uh, but right now he's on the IO with a shoulder impingement. He really deals on the strikeout, good strikeout pitcher, but I'm not sure I would deal in damaged goods again from Miami at this. They didn't really work out well the last time.
00:42:27
Speaker
Pablo Lopez is another one I've had on my radar. He's only three and five with a 4.41 ERA, but he does average six innings a game.
00:42:41
Speaker
You know for Minnesota and he could be moved for a Outfielder type so if we're looking and we get Tyler O'Neill back We could be looking at maybe a Tyler O'Neill you can give him a one yep as a DH because they're quite making Minnesota's looking for a lot of help anywhere and
00:42:59
Speaker
I mean, they do lead the Central, the AL Central, two games under 500, they're leading the AL Central. You know, they also could use a third baseman, so you might, you could say Brendan Donovan, although I don't think Donovan's gonna go anywhere. You know, but no matter which way they go,
00:43:19
Speaker
And I only brought up three names, but there's others out there. But
Cardinals' Offensive Strengths
00:43:25
Speaker
anyway, which way they go, they got to figure out what they're going to do with Montgomery first, because that to me is what's going to dictate who and what they go after at the deadline.
00:43:34
Speaker
If they plan on making Montgomery a priority for next year, then their deadline deal is going to be a little different. If they don't think they're going to pursue Montgomery, which in my estimation would be stupid, but if they don't think they're going to pursue Montgomery, then they would have to go a different direction and get arms that are going to be not for this year, but for next year.
00:44:01
Speaker
A lot of it is that. Also, Stephen Matz figures into this, too. Because right now, he's doing pretty well out of the bullpen. He came in and was a big part in keeping the Astros down a little bit on Thursday, near the end till Woodford came in. He pitched three innings, did very well. But that's been in relief. Is he going to be a starter again? That's another guy you've got to think about. Is he going to be another starter?
00:44:31
Speaker
You know, he's a left-hander also. So, you know, if you think he's going to be your starter next year, then maybe you do let Montgomery go. If you don't think he's going to be a starter, then you got to think about keeping Montgomery. So they've got a lot of decisions to make and they got to make them quick. I mean, July is tomorrow.
00:44:50
Speaker
So they got to make them quick. And you've only got a month left before the deadline. So you've got to get this figured out. And they've got to come up with what they're going to do. I said you could go after a bat. But if you look at what's going on with the Cardinals, offense-wise,
00:45:14
Speaker
They're ninth in the National League in batting average, ahead of teams like the Dodgers, the Mets, the Padres, and every team in the National League Central. Let that one sink in. They are seventh in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS. Now as far as the MLB, for all of Major League Baseball, they're 15th in average, 12th in on-base, eighth in slugging, ninth in OPS.
00:45:44
Speaker
Um, when you've got, and they've got guys that, like I said earlier, the guys that are playing Jordan walkers on a 17 game hitting streak, he's hitting 306, uh, 375, 472. You've got, uh, Goldie and NATO and Gorman, the three of them together, 45 home runs, 143 RBIs. Uh, Paul DeYoung, like I said, is heating up again. He's got the fourth most home runs on the club with 12 and the sixth most RBIs on the club with 25.
00:46:14
Speaker
So you've got guys that are there. Donovan's been producing fairly well. Carlson's had a so-so. Nukebar's done well for a little bit. So the part you're there, the question is, can Miss Alach assemble them the right way and can Ollie actually manage instead of reading her spreadsheet? So I've given you what I think they should do.
00:46:42
Speaker
What will they do? Well that's going to be the question.
00:46:45
Speaker
You know, guys like Wynn, Gersapho, HerpJ, I don't think those guys are going to... I can't pronounce that guy's name. I don't think they're going anywhere, to tell you the truth. I think those guys are holding on to... Magrivi, I don't think you're going to see him go. Tinkins, Ivan Herrera. Six-one-half dozen of them, they get a deal for Herrera. I don't see why they wouldn't.
00:47:14
Speaker
But it all depends on what they think Wilson Contreras is, how long he's going to be at the catching spots. How much do they believe in Andrew Kisner? That's another thing. So, you know, Herrera's in one of those weird positions. So they could deal Kisner, bring Herrera up, you know, a number of different things could happen there.
00:47:35
Speaker
Second, as far as the Major League roster is concerned, I don't see NATO, Goldie, Walker, Gorman going anywhere. I don't think Donovan's going to go anywhere. I do maybe see them, if they can get O'Neal healthy and at least somewhat playing like he has been in the past, I can see maybe them dealing O'Neal because quite frankly, if you're going to bring O'Neal,
00:48:01
Speaker
now you got an issue with where does walker go and if you take walker and you demote him now after what he's done that that's just wrong so I don't think
00:48:17
Speaker
My estimation, I don't think Tyler O'Neill will be a cardinal by the end of July, if not before. You don't have to wait until the last three days of the month. They can make a trade any time, and I think once he's healthy, once he's out there,
00:48:39
Speaker
I think you may see him and left Walker de h'ing for a while and then when the time comes and they can pull the trigger, they'll trade O'Neill and put Walker back and left.
00:48:52
Speaker
I think that's one possibility. I see possibly Paul DeYoung, Connor Thomas, Moises Gomez being used as trade pieces. Luke and Baker, I think, there's a couple teams that there could use a first base DH type. I think he could fill that role for a lot of people. And I think if you had the right deal out there, Dylan Carlson is not off the block. I don't think he's gonna be one that's off the block if the right deal comes along.
00:49:20
Speaker
Now, third, if you go by recent history, Moe will make just enough move to get us into the playoffs. Now, the last couple years, they hadn't been too bad because we haven't been in bad shape. This year, with the shape this team is in, or the position this team is in, I should say, if Moe's going to get this team into playoffs, his just enough move is going to have to be big. I mean, it's going to be really big. And do I see that happening? Not really, because the front office
00:49:48
Speaker
is shown no urgency. You know, it's always preaching patience instead of what we gotta do. Finally, I'll say once again to John Moselok, if you want to come on this show and defend your actions, tell us why we should believe you when you say the fans need to be patient. Tell us why Mike Shilt can basically have three winning seasons and is fired over Oliver Marble who can't get us out of the basement.
00:50:17
Speaker
And now you have some complete faith in him. Tell us what's going on here because we're not getting it. We don't understand. Now, I doubt this challenge is ever going to be met because quite frankly, I'm not worth Mo's time. I know that. So, you know, he's not going to talk to me. Um, you know, he's too busy making out the lineup card for Marvel. Oh yeah, I said that. I'll go there. You know, we all know Marvel is Mo's puppet. He is their chosen golden child.
00:50:47
Speaker
because he will do what they tell him to do. He won't stand up and say, Moe, I need this hitter, I need this pitcher. He's not gonna say that. He's gonna sit there and let Moe do whatever Moe does. And that I think is the biggest problem we've got. Because you know, Moe's the smartest man in the room. Just ask him, he'll tell you so. All right, I need to get off, start working on my next podcast and maybe even a couple articles.
00:51:16
Speaker
If you enjoyed this podcast, like and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts.
Promoting Gateway City Sports Content
00:51:22
Speaker
If you want to get in touch with me, you can find me on Twitter, at T-S-O-T-B-G-C-S. Also, check out GatewayCitySports.com, where you'll find content on a multitude of sports in and around the city of St. Louis and the bi-state area.
00:51:36
Speaker
Check out our articles by Russ Uncle Frank Robinson, Brian Papa Swope, and Gene Bond. You'll even see me there a lot more as well. I plan on getting back into the writing gig here pretty soon. Check out our other podcasts like the Team of Rivals with Ron Nuttle, Pete Geddes, and Elliot Dewey. The two for three with our most Mike Stevenson.
00:51:56
Speaker
And the that's all winner podcast with Ryan Jenkins and Josh Brown and making his return soon to the airways. Derek King with the Derek King sports show. So check us out at gateway city sports.com. Well, until we take refuge here in the bleachers to talk sports again, please have fun, stay safe and be kind to one another.
00:52:20
Speaker
I'll talk to you soon when we are talking sports on the bleachers. Good night everybody. Thanks again for joining us and you have been listening to Talking Sports on the Bleachers. Here's hoping you have a great sports day.
00:52:44
Speaker
Oh.