Hour 2: Leading The League In Corny (feat. David Samson)

Any other thoughts here? I'm already starting my hours of Hall of Famer. I wouldn't have immediately gone there. I wouldn't have immediately assumed Hall of Famer. I would have immediately gotten there.

A high school dominated the lead for a couple years. Yeah, especially when you consider how gracious this Hall of Fam is compared to the other sports.

But yeah, incredible career in Phoenix was talked about rightfully so

much of a season as first season in New York as an MVP candidate. And dealt with a lot of adversity in his career. His life. Yeah. And to be able to battle back from the injuries that he had previous

to New York and reach those levels again, really impressive. So Amar, first of all, he talked about his peak a strong 68 years right up there with Kevin Garnet, Tim Duncan, Dr. Knabitzky as one of the best powerfords in the game. He beneath all of them, I would say, no, I don't even mean that as an indictment because he was top five in MVP voting.

But those were all better players than he was right. And I don't, I also don't mean to diminish him when I say everything that he did with Steve Nash. But when they revolutionized how basketball was being played. It was at least in part because he had a number two in Nash that those other guys

you just mentioned did not. Well, I think the thing that a lot of people would point to is that technically Amari was the number two. Steve Nash was the one who got a lot of the credit to MVP. Yeah.

But it was a symbiotic relationship because. But all those guys are number one, you just mentioned, all the others. And again, I don't mean to indict him. I'm just saying, when you guys have such a different opinion than me on me being like, well, Amari started my head a really, really great career and he wouldn't have gone

in automatically. By my metric unless you're making the basketball all of fame, a lot less hard to get into. What you do than the other holds of things.

You guys are doing this thing where it's like you can never give anyone credit for having

a Hall of Fame career.

“You have to undercut it immediately by saying, oh, but that's well, no, let's not do that.”

I don't think this is one of those cases. Yeah, like this guy's a whole metal winner. Gold metal winner. Yep. And he, like, when you talk about going to New York, that was a crater that no one wanted

to go to. Nobody wanted to go there. And he went there reinvented them for a season. And it's not because he fell off a cliff. The last one was his knee gave out under Andy Puch, the fire extinguisher, leaving the

court and a playoff game, but that's not why his career sounds like you don't hate Amari style. Yeah, like you do. What you do with that? That anti-Semitism continues to career it's ugly head with Dan Levittard.

The thing about Amari, Dan, was that he was probably the best finisher and basketball in his prime. There was nobody who was better at finishing everyone thinks of the dunks, but I'm telling you, this guy was so incredible at making finishes at the rim without actually dunking the ball because his hands were so good.

He had great hands. He catch anything at home and he'd finish. I remember being on the practice court and a drill was kind of like, got to get certain number of shots up in a two minute span and Amari dunked so hard. It felt like a sonic boom.

It knocked me back off my feet.

He never made contact with me, but the dunk was so forceful.

The wind blew me off my feet and I fell down and everyone laughed. It was good of time. That really happened. That really happened. Why did I turn his donkey there?

Really? Why is he back? I haven't listened to much of anything you were saying because I was startled by my hatred of Amari style of Amari style of Amari. I'm startled by it, too.

It surprised me. It came out of me, but it's not because he's Jewish. Hmm. No. I'm pretty sure you were also pissed off.

Suburd got in last year. Suburd's Jewish? Are you not at all?

“That's not in any way true, you just put me up a total tape?”

I remember. And there was a moment of growth for Dan. Did you just come out and admit any embrace? Whoa, you can't say that. It feels like I can't, it just sounds like I can't.

But I can. It's funny because it's a word, right? It's a real word. J-E-W. Yeah.

Well, this at Charles Barkley came on one time and spelled it. I thought I would have thought that Charles Barkley would have gotten more like aggregation in the fanfare. If you guys saw what he did on CBS, there was a profile, I forget the young man's name that plays for you, kind of.

That's one of the titles with them. Last man. Yeah, carabin. There was a profile on carabin and he took the opportunity to make a stance on immigration. And his eyes weld.

He was tearing up about the treatment of illegal immigrants in this country. It was a weird on ramp to that discussion, but it was obviously something that was bothering him. Well, I would have thought, given, you know, it's right before a big game, he's on network TV.

It should be a little more likely that more would have been done with that. It just kind of came and went.

“I was like, was I think only when I saw that?”

Alex Carabin also from Southboro, Mass. So I don't know. Dante D.V. and Chenzels situation. Like I said, it was a weird on ramp.

though, because it can be said without anyone refuting it, that there has never been anyone

“in the history of sports broadcasting like him.”

No one is allowed to endure for as long as he has as an American voice, never mind someone who got that way polarizing, like that just never happened. So it really, and it'll never happen again, either. But he got a lot of criticism when him and Dick Vitale did one of these broadcasts because the sanctity of the broadcast is such that even those two legendary personalities

became old guys telling stories, and it got a lot of criticism because Charles is 16 now. Charles is an old broadcaster, and Charles getting emotional is one of the human things that makes him endure when four decades is not normal to be this kind of voice. And he's human in a way that people understand. And when he talks about stuff and cries on television, it still means something somehow.

I don't know if he's, is he old, I mean, he's always kind of had old guy opinions.

For broadcasts here, I was stunned to find out. Bill Raffery didn't call his first final form until he was 72 years old. Yeah, Bill Raffery. Because he was always on the beat team. He was always on the beat team.

And then like when they got to like the A games, it was not, it was a demand. It's kind of like a Mandela effect, because like his voice is just always associated with these big moments and his emotion always meets it, that you would think that he was the voice that he's big game. I'll give you another one, Bill Raffery called NBA Finals, because Bill Raffery was on

the beat team. It was him, Tom Hammond, his team's Napper Jones. And the 18 was always like, costus and a duck Collins, or more Valbert and duck Collins, more Valbert duck Collins, Isaiah Thomas, like they were, there was a team in the beat team.

And even though we always see, Bill Raffery was incredible, like, like, he never called

the big game. And I just said, away from what it is that we are talking about here into the story involving Puka Nakua, because I've been remiss and not mentioning this before now, because there's

“a set of circumstances here that is unusual, right?”

Earlier this week, we spent some time discussing, like his Puko Kay is football damaged him, what's going on with the internet videos where he's passing out in public. And we invoke Jr. say out, as in part of a larger conversation, when a guy is spinning out and crashing publicly, and might be self-medicating because his sport hurts and some of these guys are going to Medicaid because they need to just stop physically hurting,

because some of what they do is insane. We now have news, and this is unusual, I mean, and you tell me how private this normally happens. Guys today that I was surprised that I don't more often see in sports, before anyone is actually failed to drug test and been caught by the league, people doing the celebrity

rehab thing of both image and public facing everything, raising their hand and saying through their lawyer, yeah, I'm going to rehab, I need to help with some things. I don't see that very often in sports, why don't I see that very often in sports? It seems like a pretty simple thing for people to need help before there are public crash outs on.

Yeah, I need to go take care of something. I need help. Well, typically the public crash outs are the indicator that modern people, because up until that point, the addict always believes that everything on the control. I'm fine.

No, you know, so I need to lose a little time sometimes.

“Some of you have some fun, but I always know, I always know my limits, that's how they”

talk. And then something happens that demonstrates to them, you have absolutely no control of your limits, and that's usually the lightbulb that goes off. And this was revealed by his lawyer who said that he entered treatment before news of the assault allegation came out, which means when we were wondering, like, is he okay, this

is concerning behavior, he was in treatment. So credit to him and his team for getting them to help that he very clearly need it. One of the things though that's interesting about this to me, right, is public drinking crash out in the modern age from superstar athletes, not really seeing them in the major sports very much.

We also don't to be fair and to not be reckless, despite how this sounds. We don't know if it's just alcohol. We don't know what he's checking. Oh, no, wait, wait, wait, but his attorney Levi did give us some information, because what he said is just rehabbed to deal with an assortment of life issues, they've been

unclear about what the crash out is, but there's no disputing that there's a crash out that is now required Levi to thunder in and that's his attorney that is his attorney. That is his attorney. That's not his actual attorney. That is his actual AI joke that we've known.

It's me in 20 years.

That is the guy.

“He's riding in on behalf of mental health, and that's what I said.”

You know what you're a mustache guy?

Fender sound. He can be. He doesn't want to be. Yeah, I don't want to be. Not a good look.

Let's take a look at that. That's your future. That's a good look though. Not a good look. For the audio audience, Levi does not look 20 years older than Chris Cody.

If Chris Cody 30. He also doesn't look like a Levi. Dude, I didn't want to say it. But the name by its support even saw his picture. The name was kind of confusing.

I said, last name does it for you. Yeah, but that's the two combination. My Katherine. My Katherine is the last. Yeah, for the audio audience, okay.

“This is a cowboy lawyer who looks like, it would be this guy's son.”

Get out of here. I mean, he looks like champ kind and flated. Yeah, champ kind has a lot to it. You guys have me being older than this guy. Get out of here.

I look great. Chris Cody, this is what I'm going to tell you. Just happened in that room. I'm sorry to do this to you. It is what happened.

I don't think I will be misrepresenting either Mike or Tony here. If we gave you a light blue jacket right now, that outfit and that hat and you made that same gesture, we could put those pictures side by side. I feel like what was that 20 years ago? People would say those people are roughly the same age.

I disagree. That's what you can disagree. That's that you cannot disagree with what happened behind you because I saw it and you did not. Thank you very much.

Chris, it came out as 20 years, huh?

“And the reason it came out that way is because both of them registered as I'm”

not sure Levi's older than Chris and the Catherine Brothers. Give me his age. Chris still owes a couple of grid of death punishments. So I now have to do this one. I'll do that.

Roy. Roy. Folks, this episode is sponsored by Better Help. Listen, money stress. I feel like nobody really teaches you how to deal with it.

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Quarvo, man. It's at high five, a random stranger effect. That's right. The game is popping.

You're hugging people you never met before.

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and Kansas. Wager Tax Pass through may apply in Illinois, 21 and over in most states, void an Ontario, restrictions apply, bonus bets expires 7a's after issuance, four additional terms and responsible gaming resources, C sportsbook.draftgings.com/promos, limited time offer. Dan Lebatard, in terms of heat fans, you're the most irrational of us, right now.

What's the pifth? Oh, they're rational! Stugats! You're not your voice, I'll tell you in my voice. If I were making a cartoon thing that was meant to symbolize irrational, that's the voice

I would give. I reprim my premise. CC's is on Lebatard Show with their Stugats! But I really do feel like Mike Antony both said Levi is not appreciably older than Chris

If I take your hat off and show your hair, he'll be like, "Oh, that's a damn thing."

The smaller cowboy hat does make you look younger.

“Right, Roy, what is the age difference between those two human beings?”

If I gave you no other information other than those photos. Definitely 15 to 20. He's on par. He's right. Roy gets it.

Who's younger? Alright, a little research on his page under the rising from humble roots part of his website. Levi was born in, this is Levi's and not Chris's. Yeah, yeah, Levi was born in Texas and went to Baylor and got a bachelor's of arts degree

in 1990. So I mean, these colleges graduating in 1992 and 1990, I was born in '87. So that would put him somewhere in the '50s? Oh, imagine that 20 years old, I didn't write on par. So that's could be your father.

It was really more of an opinion on how you've aged. Yeah. I look great, dude. Are you not looking, are we not looking at the same thing? Yes, we are.

The smaller hat does make you look like a little Chris who looks great, don't let them tell you differently. It really did take 15 years off, you the fact that they brought in a toy hat of some sort. It's like, Levi, make sure you take your little brother with you. Oh, my.

Hey, didn't want to have to take them like you're slow little brother. Fine. Come on, crow. Whoa. Chris, the brochure's of like, "Hi, Levi, I got my hat on, just like you."

I love this side by side.

I never felt better about myself.

So I'm closing credit to Pukin' a Kua for again, you can't treatment. That's mighty big of him and brave and we hope for the best. You remember how I have this long sanding take that if I had a time machine, the one place I'd want to go is the cabin that reportedly John Travolta and Nicholas Cage rented for a weekend in the woods while they were preparing to start shooting face off to get everybody

these maniorisms down, right, to learn each other inside and out. The new place that I want to travel to is the quarterback room in Las Vegas. When Kirk Cousins meets Fernando Mendoza, I can't imagine how long that hand shake is going to be. It's going to be a lie.

I do it. Great. No, no, no. It's an honor to meet you. What are you doing here?

I can't. What are you doing here? I saw you playing in Atlanta. Hey, great job. Big fan.

Big fan. How are you?

I like your family values.

Oh, I love yours. I love yours. How's your dad? He's great. Yeah.

My family? Great. How do you like your state? I don't season it at all. There will be a Mr. Cousins in there.

Yeah, that's the one place where you guys had a run. Hey, Mr. Cousins. Nice to meet you. I'm Fernando Mendoza. Please, call me Kirk Cousins.

I'm going to make you better. No, I'm going to make you better. You guys mentioned earlier that quarterback room is going to lead the league in corny.

“How often are we doing that to the quarterbacks in that league?”

Often. I mean, most of the quarterbacks tend to be more gosh. Like, yeah, button down, button up and like not. But there's a balance. Right.

If you have a corny guy, you probably don't have another corny guy as a back on. So my friends, something I'm super cool. Good hand. I mean, they said a ghost like my homes plays exciting. Kind of a corny dude.

You got to get out the towel. She's going to lose. No, people don't look at him that way. Wait a minute. What are we doing here?

Because I want to be accurate about this. Okay. Oh, it's corny. Well, because this is why if we're going to start here. Look, the Fernando Mendoza story is unbelievably charming.

Just staggering story from start to finish. But now you're going to get him in a corny off with Kirk Cousins, who, I mean, is even when he's, you like that. Even his a defiance. We laugh at because it's just, no, you're corny and you're defiant.

You're crowning achievement moment. It's not easy to throw for 400 yards in that league. We still think you're corny. We buried Russell Wilson in corny. Like you guys are going to put this as the corny is quarterback room in the league.

I got it as iron sharpens iron. Man, this is the perfect mentor for Fernando Mendoza. If we could hand pick a mentor for Fernando Mendoza, many people were saying he reminds us of Kirk Cousins. His approach to the game.

This is perfect. This is amazing. Quarterbacks are supposed to be cool. It doesn't have to be Joe Burrow, but it's not. It does.

I don't agree. I think Fernando is cool. It's a literal match made in heaven. Yes. His bone next cool?

Yeah. He has.

“I think you guys are complaining good with cool.”

That's right. Yeah. Maybe I'm just doing good looking with bone. I don't think bone x is cool. Yeah, I don't.

Cool. That cool. Cool is like a bonus when it comes to quarterback. You're first guy.

Right. Exactly. Yeah. Like corny either way.

“Like sometimes I think the bus factor is higher probably on the cool guys.”

Yeah. Yeah. Really cool.

Can we throw Tom Brady into this equation in the handshake when they all meet each other?

Because he looked. He wanted to be in the recording room. He is somebody. He is he's a robot. He's he's seven time champion. Uh, and maybe you guys would regard Kirk Cousins differently. If he was all the same things and a seven time champion. Hold on. Let me.

Let me introduce another contender. Brock pretty and McCorkel Jones. Brock Perty's not cool. And that's a great example. That's a great example.

So this is back up. Brock. Brock's got some juice. Come on. The pride and joy of Perry. Yeah. Yeah. Brock has some juice. He's just because he's got that Levi's contract.

It's playing games with you. Is teammates say Brock's got some juice. He would fit right in with Kirk. You're just doing the white thing. No.

Like you do the crit. Oh, Nick's doesn't fit. I'll tell you who's cool. Jackson. Dark. That's cool. That's a cool Jackson.

But Jackson falls on on the line like up.

“He's just going to be like, "I think he's just going to run headfirst into something."”

If you were a chain, it's about to say about you. If you were a chain cool. He wins all kind of team. He wears a nice down chain. That's cool, man.

That's a cool quarterback. Another stat here on Victor Wembanyama. This from Mark Stein's researcher. He had 41 points and 18 rebounds in just 29 minutes last night.

That's the third time he's had 40 in 10 in 30 minutes or less this season.

That's the most such games in a season in NBA history passing Yannas in 2022, 2023. What are you shaking your head? To be fair, I mean, can we name collectively mean you the starting line of for the Warriors last night?

Was it bad? It was a Santa Cruz award. I don't even know if the ski Santos was playing. But yeah. I don't know who that is.

He's been actually very good for them. He's really good. And he got paid this year too. No, it's true Tony. This is, but again, he's done it multiple times now.

That's the thing. It's not that he did it last night. It's that this is the most times it's happened ever in a single season.

“And that's what makes it so special is that he's doing this routinely.”

Do you feel like him coming out and saying like I really care about the MVP? It's kind of like, man, I don't like that. Like why you care so much? So I think we're at a point where to continue the conversation of cool too many people are trying to be cool.

And so I welcome every time Victor Wemba Niyama gets aggressive and campaigns for any of these things. Because what I'm noticing what happens, it's forcing other guys to react. To have to be like, well, I like so.

So before Victor said his thing,

I believe it was a down here when he first said.

He said defense is part of it. That was here. That was here, right? Since then, we've got Luca campaigning whether it's his coach or him or whatever.

You've got Shagal, just Alexander. You've got obviously gig cutting amps. Has he all could set anything? Or he just continues having triple doubles and lead the league in the business. Before we get to pitch clock here,

I just want a kind of music. I asked Roy before the show to find me music that would give off the pageantry. If you were to round up a round table of champions together and have like a ceremony where they're introducing champions of the future.

Our looks like champions of the past need to be together here to celebrate what the games are. The championship parade of sorts. [MUSIC] All right, so bring all our champions in here

from previous looks like tournament to all the voices just one after another. Lou Holtz looks like a train conductor. Yes. Jake Uller looks like the guy trying to break into a house

on an alarm company commercial. Jackie McMullen looks like your mom's friend Carole. [MUSIC] Tony Sara Gusto looks at the guy about to take a bite of a hot dog. Only to have it stolen by Spider-Man swinging overhead.

[MUSIC] Andy Reed looks like the small town share of that falls asleep while watching the prisoners wakes up briefly to yell out who's there to know one in particular and immediately falls back to sleep while the prisoners continue to carefully reach for the jail cell

keys dangling from his belt. Old school skeleton keys. Doug Peterson looks like he's specifically asked for full custody of the basement air hockey table in his divorce. That's go piss Mike.

Yeah. Oh, I wasn't here. Yeah. Paojo has a like the brother's friend, Devon, who everyone just calls D.

This one is so good too. [MUSIC] Those are all of the champions all time and they are telling us that we've got four teams remaining in our tournament. So these are the matchups Saturday.

You've got Illinois that's represented by Tony reality.

restaurant who always greets you at the door with my favorite

couple when you walk in. Perfect. Going up against Yukon represented by. Adam Silver looks like a newly open chap stick. And then the championship is being played Saturday night.

It's Arizona that means. Jonathan Zaslow looks like an off duty mind. [LAUGHTER] Going up against Michigan, the most perfect one in the tournament I thought.

Michael Smith looks like the high school teacher that motivates his students by sitting in a chair backwards. Uh, video team, I don't know why you'd put up. That's Michael Smith right now. That's.

That's Michael Smith. That's Michael Smith. Perfectly for weeks. And it's so kind of looks like that. Video team, you really botched that because Thimano does not look

like that at all. And Michael Smith put it on the pole. They nailed it a hundred times. They nailed it a hundred times. I want to hear you read it again.

I want to put it on the pole at Levitard Show.

“Does Tom Thimano look like the opposite of Michael Smith?”

I have a confession to make up until this point. I did not realize the Tom Thibano was black. The video team has ruined our tournament. We stumbled right at the end. Like the guy or in the marathon.

We were doing that so well for weeks at a time. Pitch clock. Not done well. Next. What I want to do is not to be a champion.

I'm sorry. You can say that you are a hero. You are a hero. But you don't do anything. I'm not a hero.

I'm a hero. Do you do anything with this story? And if you work then you will be a hero. That's right. What is this story?

I'm going to say something. Now let's try. It sounds to me like everybody could use a hug.

Because a hug is always the right size.

Stogats. All I have put in my body today is three cups of coffee in an entire cup of coffee. Don't let him fool you. He said in the break that he's jittery. This is the time.

Let's show. With a stogats. All right, Lewis. You're sitting in for Chris today. What I'm going to need from you.

Okay. It's first half on. Always. Second. When I normally introduce the show.

I have Chris Dewey. Harry, Harry, Hi, everybody. All right. You're getting there. I got excited.

No, it's okay.

“You're ready to do that when the time comes.”

That I am and also Ben Sheets. Welcome to the pitch clock. Here's the pitch. A two-part baseball segment. Combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert.

This is the pitch clock. There's been about a week of baseball.

And we are here on the pitch clock for our second episode of the regular season.

All right, buddy. That's Lewis. Okay, Lewis. Not bad. Lewis is sitting in.

That's really good. Lewis is sitting there. No, that's that's Ethan. And we now have two different Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, of impressions in replacement of Chris.

Not forever. Just for this week. Chris. I love you. But we couldn't wait for you to do this.

Hey. So we're going to have David Samson here. We talked to him a couple of days ago about the first week. Ish of Major League Baseball. Some of his favorite things.

Some of his least favorite things. We'll get to that momentarily. He did a great job of getting everyone up to speed on what this week has been like. But of course. Lewis.

We're about to go head to head in some nostalgic baseball trivia. I'm excited to have you here. You did such a great job on the livestream with us. And I really look forward to getting to this with you. Lewis and I have talked more than we ever have because he's been sending me

nostalgic baseball Instagram on content on Instagram. It's like a build. They do the build your team. You have $15. So if you guys would like to open your folders.

Oh, boy. Inside. There is a build your team. And I took pretty much the same format. But I added on that team.

There were pictures. I added outfuelers instead. So you're going to have $15. Okay. In front of you.

There is a list of $5 players, $4 players, $3 players, $2 players and $1 players. I'm going to require you. If you add all those one from each column up. You get $15. I'm going to require you to pick one player from each column.

You have to spend $15. You can not have money left over. You have to spend $15.

“Obviously you have to take one player from each position as well.”

Now, how we're going to do this is. Do you guys are you guys aware of the stat? Iso. Yeah. Yeah.

I am the Lewis. Iso is your slugging percentage. Mine is your on-base percentage. So what you're looking for here is a guy who hit a lot of homeruns.

Cool.

“So you want the power guys with maybe less on-base.”

This is what you're looking for. So we're going to add up. I have in front of me. Each guy's Iso. So in the $5 column.

At first base you have Alper Poubles.

At second base you have Chase Utley. At third base you have Alex Rodriguez. Shortstop director, Cheater. And then the outfield berry bonds. In the $4 column.

Jim Tomy. Robinson Cano. Chipper Jones. Jimmy Rollins. Larry Walker.

$3 column. Carlos Dogato. Jeff Kent. David Wright. Handley Ramirez. Torrey Hunter.

$2 column. Paul Cano. Brian Roberts. Aromis Ramirez. Jose Reyes.

Furnin Wells. $1 column. Sean Casey. Orlando Hudson. Mike Lowell.

Maglio. Ordon. Man this is going to be really really tough. Okay. All right.

Just going to go first since he's our new guest.

Wow. I got the first pick in the draft. You're going to go with the first pick in the draft. Can I do that right now? Yes.

I'm taking berry bonds for $5. And it's a very smart pick because berry bonds has a $3.09. I knew that. I saw. This is so tough.

You know what? I'm. Wow. You've made this really difficult in terms of strategy. There's a lot of you.

I'm going to. I know what I'm going to. I know what I'm going to. A lot of strategy into this. I'm doing a really comparable player to berry bonds.

Okay. Don't. Don't tell me what to do. Okay. Don't tell me what to do.

I'll propose this here. Yes. But. But. So I get it.

So is Orlando Hudson. Okay. No. Relax. What I'm wondering is is there another player at that position that I can get a comparable

ISO because they're slugging percentage specifically would be really, really high. And the disparity that I can get at another position is potentially higher. Correct. So just purely for the fun of it. I'm going to go first base Jim told me that's nice.

A nice pick. Jim told me had a career to 78. So he had to 78. You said it was 309 for Lewis. Correct.

278 for me. You just saved the dollar. Yeah. Thirty points there. So that's not too bad.

I'm going to take it. Now after one week of major league baseball. Our twenty twenty six MLB expert for the day is the host of nothing personal with David Samson. David Samson is here with me.

David. I'm excited to dive into this with you. And let's start right here. What was your favorite thing that you saw in Major League Baseball over opening weekend? Well to start with everything.

Just having baseball back when regular season starts man. You know it's like the first half mile of a marathon.

“And that's what we are now in football terms Jeremy.”

We're like not even at half time of week one. Right. Yeah. In the NFL. It's so early.

But you just are getting into it and you don't know what the next six months will bring. I've loved watching games. I wish there were more of them on throughout the day. I'm not loving sort of the schedule.

But that's a CBA issue. We can talk about. But it's just so good to have it back. One thing that was brought into Major League Baseball this year for the very first time is this ABS system.

And everyone is having an overwhelmingly positive reaction to it thus far. The challenge is the drama that seems to ensue. You had E. Johan Yo Swarez challenging back to back pitches again C.B. Buckner. You had a moment where Derek Shelton's getting tossed out because he thinks the Orioles pitcher doesn't tap the hat quick enough.

Being in the ballpark in Miami, seeing folks react in real time to this incredibly quick and efficient system. I mean, between the pitch clock and now this a couple of great innovations for baseball the last couple of years. What's your takeaway from what you've seen in the reaction to ABS?

I think you're going to find this will be the most important change that's happened in your lifetime.

Because in my lifetime it is. And I've been having conversations with people pitch clock and de-age and ghost runner. This one is major. And here's why the amount of strategy that is required given the parameters of the rule is significant. And it makes me wistful because I loved being in the national league when pitchers had to hit because you really had to manage the game.

“You were doing switch switches and pinch hitters and when do you hit fear pitcher and where do you move people in the line up?”

I just love that game. I just understand the de-age. But the strategy of when to do it is fascinating to me. Yeah. And what you're going to see as the season progresses, I think you're going to see teams understand better

how to use the challenges versus random second inning. Even if you get it right, the risk is that if you get it wrong, you lose the challenge. It becomes a major deal because look at what the Yankees got.

They didn't end up scoring but you know what you can. And that's something that we just hadn't seen before in baseball. So yeah. It's awesome and what a great point that you made on it feeling a little bit like the old national league strategy.

“The fact that there's actually something here where you have to as an entire team.”

Look at the at-bats. Who's up? Who's in scoring position? Is it worth something in this moment where really right now the only other decisions managers are making are, do you want to pinch it or, you know, do you want a different reliever?

And those things match up in different ways. So it's a great point that you make there with the strategy and something like baseball. Baseball fans love the chestnut checkers of the game of baseball of thinking about that strategy for the long term. All right.

I'm going to go with a second pick in my draft.

I am. I am going to. So I was going to go Albert Polo. So I can't do that. Why not?

Oh, wait. You did. You really? I went home. Yeah.

Then I'm going to go Albert Polo. Okay.

“Albert Polo's Jeremy, you were smart, Jeremy Albert Polo's career 248 ice hockey.”

Ah, immediately vindicated. Yeah, you have so much value in your job. So Louis is going to have to go because he's got $10. I already. I already.

Okay. I'm going to go here for three dollars.

Second baseman Jeff Kent.

Dude. You look. Look. Did you just look? You just circled them.

You rat. But it's okay because I had a backup pick. Kent has a career 210 ice. Who hasn't really bad for that after two rounds. You're this crushing.

You're right, neck and neck boys. Now he's crushing me right now. I'm going to take Dave Roberts has second base for $2. That would be Brian Roberts. Brian.

Brian Roberts. I regret to inform you. Has a career 133 ice. Okay. Because he didn't slide.

I'm going to go. I'm going to go. I'm going to go. I'm going to go. I'm going to go.

Four. Outfield Larry Walker. Nice. Love that pick. Bad pick.

Bad pick. Very Walker guy. Bad pick. Two 52 ice. Ooh.

All right. All right. All right.

I'm already ready when my pick.

Okay. So let me bag this now. dollars please. Jose Reyes, a career 144. Jesus, these skinny guys up the middle. Sock, huh? Yeah, I mean, you need a lot of slug. Yeah, keep forgetting the item. Okay. So you're just going to build a team and I get it. I'm building a nasty team. Yeah. Let's move on here to some of the surprises in a in a positive way here. Who is a team that start? May have surprised you.

“You the most it could be negative if you if you want to go that route, but but who's a team that stands out to you that in these first several games has kind of surprised you with the way that they've played.”

Well, listen, it's early, but anytime you can win a game at Dodger Stadium, I'm going to have to say that that team warrants some attention and you look at what the guardians do and how they have to operate. And they have a chance to have a new owner at the end of this year or the latest in the thousand twenty nine. Someone named David Blitzer, who is an owner of these sixers and the devils as well. And the guardians just find a way they trade players. They re-tool and for whatever reason they just find a way and they're leading the central division. Obviously after five games, it's hardly we're talking about, but that said if you've never heard of their players, that makes you normal and that's okay.

Because the beauty of baseball is that any given day, but you look at them beat the Dodgers the way I watched earlier in the week and you just realize that okay, the Dodgers can't win 175 games this year. There's a way to beat them just like the way the Mariners beat the Yankees. There's going to be a moment when good pitching is always going to be good hitting and at the end, that's what we'll see for the next six months. But Jeremy, my number one story has to be the Philadelphia Phillies. And when you choose to run it back and you watch your team get old, it happens really fast.

And it looks like the Phillies when they let Castiano go, but they brought back JT, they resigned Schwarber. Bryce Harper is the worst hitter I've ever seen forget to lead. He's not an average major league or right now except right now is not a weak Jeremy. This was the entire world baseball classic. Forget the game time to run home run in the eighth inning. Other than that swing, the guy has been just there's off. Now it's possible that they all aged at the same time and they're all going to be bad. Well, that would make for a long bad year for the Phillies, which Jeremy I predicted because I don't have them making the playoffs in my preseason predictions, but man do they look bad.

We'll see if Bryce Harper can recover with some more of that raw milk. Let's talk about the stars of the week here, David, because you know, you mentioned the guardians chased a lot or a guy who had a ridiculous start. Obviously Joey Weamer with the Washington Nationals. I think it came the first player like to set a red bearer or maybe set a record to reach base safely 10 straight times for Marlon Joey. We were the DF8 and my earlier the year. But David, who stands out. We were talking stars of the week, you know, whatever direction you want to go with it. Who's a star of the national's the national's our first place. I mean, they're tied with the marlins and the met but tell you first place after after several games.

But what I'm really focused on is starting pitching and what I'm really watching are the WBC players specifically for the United States who have really had a tough start. All of them.

Cal Raleigh, yes, he did have a walk off against the Yankees on the first game of that series, but he actually didn't play that game. He even trusted him and he never rests. The pitcher's skins. Yeah, and you'll cruise had bad plays in centerfield, but he looked hitable and he's never looked hitable as whole career. Boyd and the list goes on to Harper and the hitters on that team Aaron judge web by the way Logan Web who needs to recover and start to so I'm watching that because owners.

“All of the greatness of the WBC and it's been so positive where the view is let's do more. Let's make it bigger. Let's move it to Miami permanently. Let's think about July. Let's think about March. Let's do it twice. Guess what?”

You'll lose votes in ownership if the players who played end up having not just slow starts, but it bleeds to the entire season where they do not match the numbers of the back of their baseball cards. Owners will blame the WBC rightly wrongly. They will do it and that will have a greater impact on the growth of WBC than any of the greatness that we saw in March. So God bless Christopher Sanchez for getting off to a hot start with that first start as a guy who pitched for the DR Sandial Contra as well, a guy who had an incredible incredible performance for the marlins and his first start.

But it is more of those team USA guys and oftentimes those are the bigger stars across major league baseball David. I look forward to having you on here on the pitch clock. Hey, we'll call it maybe once a month or so. It'll be a lot of fun. Go check out all of the work that he's doing with nothing personal. We will talk to you soon. Let's get back to our trivia game between me and Lewis. Okay. So with where we're at, you have one dollar left after four picks.

There's literally only one player. There's only one player left. You can take because he has a third baseman.

Okay, but third baseman. What if I want that player? Because I do. I do want that player. I didn't consider this proposition. Yeah, this is what we're at. I want that player. Take take my clothes. Yeah, but what ends up happening here because if I take that player and then he has one dollar left.

“Can we get a re-pick? How did you do this? I'll tell you what? I'll tell you what? He's right. He's right. I'll tell you what would you allow me to take back Jose Reyes and give me Edgar anterior who is what?”

Who I really wanted because I was going to go make a little Edgar anterior.

And then you get a Ramus Ramirez. Yeah. That's fine. I'll give you.

All right. So we're making a trade. So we're going to let him get to his fifth pick. He gets his Edgar. But I don't want Jose Reyes. So we're going to, we're going to go back a little bit. Okay. No, no, no, it's fine. It's fine. I'm going to explain this perfectly. There's lines. I don't know what team is locked in. Lewis's team is locked in right now. I show. I'll tell you your team. You have Barry Bonds.

Yes. You have Albert Pujos. You have Brian Roberts. You have a Ramus Ramirez. Correct. And you have Edgar Renteria. Correct. I am going to end up with Jim Tome. Nice. With Larry Walker, with Jeff Kent, with Hanley Ramirez. You have that. And with Mike Lull. That's the one. Okay. So you're drafting Hanley and Mike Lull. That's right. So, we can't ask my Roberts, right? That doesn't look like Michael.

“I do look like our editor gave him. Or Amis had a 209. That's how pretty solid.”

But before Renteria, 112. Well, the word not a lot of power. So that is the worst number on. Did he have like a 28 home run season? You, everybody had a 28 home run season. You played in that era. You know what I mean? So he, Lewis's final ISO is 1.01. So Jeremy finished with Hanley and Mike Lull. And Hanley and Lull each had what?

Closer than the experts think. So, Lewis's final total 1.01.

Jeremy's the winner is total 1.122.

“Wow, that's pretty close. Just over 100 points.”

No, that's right. Guys, that's a full player.

Less than 200. Okay, but can we, yeah, that's a full hit. You have a full player better than me,

“which is you cannot be more efficient with your money.”

I felt very efficient. That Jim told me, that Jim Jeremy started.

Jeremy, Jeremy got off on the right foot, which Jim told me, and I thought Lewis had something cooking.

“With Barry Bons, I had it cooking. Just made some of the wrong selections, right?”

You know what I was doing in actual lineup. Yeah, you were doing actual lineup. Hey, hey, hey, that was fun. That was fun. I'll do this again every day of my life. All right, so tomorrow. Yep. Yes. Pitch clock, every day for the rest of your life.