SPEAKER_0 [00:00:00]
Dramas, please.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:13]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:20]
This is life
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:22]
with a twist of lemon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:24]
So, John, did you watch any baseball last night? No.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:28]
Do you do you know at all what happened? I know that the Brewers blew it. Yeah. Yeah. They they blew it big time in, I think the last inning. I I only I caught the replay this morning
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:41]
and I was a little disappointed because I I really wanted them to, beat the nationals.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:45]
Yep.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:47]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:48]
I don't know if I'll pay any attention to postseason baseball at this point. Yeah. You're you're out of it. You're as out of it as I am, actually.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:56]
Yeah. So Not cheering for the cardinals.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:00]
Well, I mean, don't you think, the braves are gonna take them to to task?
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:04]
I hope so. Yeah. I I don't think the Cardinals are strong enough to take out the Braves, but we'll see. Yeah. If if I were a betting man,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:14]
the Braves and the Dodgers will face off in the NLCS,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:18]
and then most likely,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:20]
the Dodgers will win to play the Yankees in the World Series.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:24]
That just sounds like a terrible World Series.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:27]
I mean, depends on your perspective. Right? You get the whole East Coast, West Coast theme. You've got,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:32]
two
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:33]
pretty storied franchises.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:36]
I think I think there's something romantic about it, but, like, who hasn't seen the Yankees go to the World Series before? You know?
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:45]
Yeah. How many years has it been since the Yankees were in the World Series? I don't know. It wasn't that long ago, was it? Has Lucy seen the Yankees in the World Series?
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:53]
I I doubt it. That doesn't mean that they didn't go to the World Series while she was alive.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:59]
True. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:02]
the
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:03]
Astros,
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:04]
I would love to see them beat the Yankees, but Right. It seems unlikely at this point. I don't know. I have mixed feelings about the Astros as well. They used to be part of our division in All Central. And then back when Bud Selig was working on ruining baseball,
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:21]
the Astros moved to the AL. And at some point after that move, they became a respectable baseball team.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:29]
Yeah. Well, okay. It's weird. Right? Because the Astros started off in the NL.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:34]
The Brewers started off in the AL. The Brewers came to the NL. Yep. And then the Astros left. I think it probably would have made more sense for the Astros to leave, but I think what they were trying to capitalize on
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:46]
was rivalries,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:48]
which is I
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:49]
I don't even know why that matters anymore because interleague play is just all the time.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:55]
Pretty much. You
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:56]
know? Whatever. I think that
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:58]
a Selig was also
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:02]
an owner of the Brewers at that point, like Selig's daughter or something like that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:07]
Well, he he gave up as I understand it, he gave up his control of the team when he became commissioner Commissioner. But it stayed
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:13]
in his family. And yes, his his daughter
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:16]
continued to have some kind of ownership stake. I don't know to what extent. Right. But I didn't think that was part of the Brewers move into the NL, but I I I truthfully
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:25]
that
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:26]
would have been why the Brewers didn't move out of the NL
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:30]
when they moved the Astros.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:32]
Oh.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:33]
I I I don't I don't I don't grok the connection there.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:37]
I mean, why would the Astros move to the AL?
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:40]
Well, I think it goes like that rivalry bit. Right? Aren't the Rangers in the AL?
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:45]
The Rangers are in the AL? Yeah. So you're I mean, first of all, our division had an extra team. Right? That was problem number one. Yeah. But I I think you move them into a division with other teams like them
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:57]
or closer to them. Right? And you you start to create those those rivalries. It's it's like,
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:03]
the Reds and,
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:06]
well, I mean The reds don't really have a rivalry in this. That that example.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:11]
But, I mean, the cubs and the brewers, that's definitely a rivalry. Right? And I think Depends on who you ask. Milwaukee fans would say yes. Cups fans would say no. Cups Cups fans have one rival in the entire game of baseball.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:23]
Yep. The the well, I should say they used to have two. Up until a couple years ago, they had the GOAT and the Cardinals,
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:32]
but now it's just the Cardinals. There's a there's a certain, crosstown rivalry between White Sox and the Cubs too, but,
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:39]
I don't know if that's as heated as as it once was. Yeah. I don't think so. I mean, I it's
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:44]
I don't know. You know, it is what it is. But here so here's the thing. Right? The you were asking about the Yankees. Last time they won a World Series
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:51]
was in o nine. Lucy Yeah. Had just been born.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:56]
Man, that was ten years ago.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:58]
Was had she just been born or she was I I don't know. It depend on when they play that game. But anyhow, 02/2009. So it's as far as the Yankees are concerned, right, it's been a bit. If if you remember before 2009, there was the 02/9896
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:11]
campaign,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:12]
which Yep. Was unbelievable.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:14]
Like, I remember those years.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:16]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:18]
Jeter.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:19]
Yep. Oh, he was a he was a classy guy. He was a classy guy. The only Yankee I ever respected,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:24]
but,
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:25]
in my lifetime. I'll I'll In your life. Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:30]
But
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:31]
so I would be shocked
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:34]
if
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:35]
the Yankees
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:38]
let's see. They're playing the twins. Right? Remember Yeah. I would love to see the twins beat the Yankees. I would too. I just do you think that's gonna happen? I don't know. Twins are kind of that Cinderella team this year.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:49]
Yeah. You know, historically, the Twins have had a really great,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:54]
story around their their minor leagues and the way that they bring players up. Right? So Yep. They're, by definition, a small market team.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:02]
And for a long time, they've competed
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:05]
despite
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:06]
what was quite frankly like a handicap. Right? Being a small market team is a handicap. You wouldn't know this because you're a Chicago Cubs fan, but us Pittsburgh Pirates fans I lived in Milwaukee for a long time.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:17]
So my ideal, right,
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:20]
would be the Tampa Bay beats the a's tonight. I don't know if Well, they're they're up for nothing at the top of the third as we are talking, but this is gonna totally date our podcast
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:31]
two weeks from now.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:33]
Oh, this is gonna be two weeks from now. Alright. Well, okay. So I should probably switch topics. Know my word. So here here's the bottom line. Here's what I wanna see happen, and then I'll tell you what I think is gonna happen. I would like to see Tampa Bay win, go on to play the Stroes, and the Stroes beat Tampa Bay. I'd like to see the Twins beat the Yankees,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:49]
and then we have an ALCS that is the Twins and the Stroes. And quite frankly
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:53]
That would be fun to watch. I I think it would be fun to watch. I don't care which team wins in in that Yep. In that, you know, battle. I think either would be good. I think it could be a little more romantic
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:04]
if the twins do it, but the Stros are hot, and you gotta
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:07]
I mean, they've they've played hard. They've earned it. Right? We've got friends who are Astros fans. It doesn't matter. So Not Patrick Sturtevant.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:16]
Yeah. He's a Rangers fan. Yes. He is. So I would have liked to have seen Milwaukee beat the Nationals. That didn't happen. They beat themselves.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:24]
I I would like to see yeah. They got sloppy. I would like to see the Dodgers beat the Nationals.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:29]
I would like to see the Braves beat the Cards, because I hate the Cards. Me too. And then I think in a Braves, Dodgers matchup, quite honestly, I'm probably pulling for the Dodgers. I think I'm with you. Yeah. I don't know what it is. I just am not I'm not a So, like, the Braves
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:44]
kinda they were on TBS or whatever for a long time, weren't they? Maybe they still are. But, basically, you could catch all those Braves games, and, like, I was never a big fan of the Braves players. And so
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:55]
Yeah. Turner Broadcasting,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:57]
the the guy, Turner, whatever his name is, Ted Turner, right, is that? Yeah. Yeah. Is Atlanta based. So that's that's kind of the connection there.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:05]
But
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:06]
yeah. And so then if if it's the Twins or the Strohs versus the Dodgers, I think I think I'm pulling for the AL.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:14]
I don't know if I can bring myself to do that. See, don't once upon a Twins, maybe I can do that. Once upon a time, I would have been all in for the NL at every turn. But quite frankly, like, at this point in baseball, now that they have taken interleague play and stretched it out all year, what's the matter? Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:34]
Designated hitter, Stan. Yeah. But you know what? As as bad as NL pitchers are, like, why not? I don't know.
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:41]
The
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:42]
pirates ruined baseball for you. Those seasons where you stepped away because you're so frustrated
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:48]
and come back and
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:51]
all about
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:52]
I don't know. I don't know if we could talk about this anymore, Stan. Yeah. We can. So for the listener that doesn't know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:59]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:00]
moved to Pittsburgh in 02/2006,
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:02]
and my wife and junior in high school.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:05]
Thanks, John.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:08]
I started watching the Pirates because we had cable,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:12]
and they were on every night. And, you know, it was it was kinda neat.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:16]
You could get
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:17]
great seats. I mean, like, behind the the dugout on the first baseline, which was the visitors dugout in PNC Park,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:24]
like, third row from the field for $10 a pop, you know, without, like, even having to try. And so my wife and I probably went to, I'd say, a dozen games that first year that we were in Pittsburgh.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:36]
Spent very little money and just had a good time. We went to a couple day games too.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:40]
Just just saw some good games. Anyhow Yep. It was hard not to become a Pirates fan as I continue to follow them. I actually had not watched baseball
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:47]
since the strike in the nineties. Man. Prior to that, I had been all in on the Tigers.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:53]
So, you know, I actually, I think the Tigers went to
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:58]
the World Series
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:00]
in o six. Right? And didn't they lose to the Cardinals?
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:04]
In o six.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:08]
I think that's right. Yeah. That sounds right.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:11]
Yep. Man, that was a long time ago. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but when you try to remember details like that, it seems longer ago. Yeah. So the cardinals lost to the tigers, I think, in what, like, game five or something. It wasn't even a full full series. So, anyhow,
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:27]
that was the year I got back into baseball. We were living in Pittsburgh,
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:30]
and I I watched some really awful seasons
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:33]
in Pittsburgh. And then,
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:35]
you know, we finally broke into 500 for the first time in twenty years.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:40]
Life was feeling good, and I really loved this guy, Andrew McCutcheon. And it was when they traded him away that they broke my heart, and I stopped watching that season. I think I didn't watch the entire season afterwards.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:52]
I was just I was just that bitter about it. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:55]
I'm I I started to inch my way back into baseball largely because Henry was intrigued this year.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:01]
And, you know, the the Pirates had a really solid start, and they just completely undid themselves. They had a surprisingly good start, actually. Yeah. Because I remember I remember, like, first month or something. Like, what?
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:17]
Yeah. They were top of the division. I mean, were rocking it out, and and then it just I think I mean, they completely came undone.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:24]
And
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:25]
I I don't I don't know what to pin it on, honestly,
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:28]
looking at the season as a fan. I don't I don't think it was any one thing. But what surprised me
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:34]
was they fired my manager,
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:37]
and the only thing that could have surprised me more than that was your team firing your manager. So both Joe Maddon and Clinton Hurdle got their pink slips,
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:47]
as soon as the season was over. Did you see the Joe Maddon thing coming?
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:51]
Yeah. There was lots of talk about that in the last month or two.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:56]
I I don't think I would have made the same call. I mean, the Cubs had
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:02]
a respectable season. I mean, they played over 500.
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:05]
I think people just want more out of the team
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:10]
that they currently have.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:13]
I so you say that, but I I kinda feel like your front office has managed
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:19]
your personnel
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:21]
poorly.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:22]
Could be. I I don't know. Like, I think Joe Madden did the best he could do with the talent he was given. What amazes me is I'm pretty sure that I read that Joe Madden has the best record of any Cubs skipper over the tenure of his career.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:38]
I would not doubt that, but I'd have to check for sure. And he's also the man that broke the coat the the curse of the goat.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:46]
Yeah. Right? Like, how how do you not how do you kick him to the curb
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:50]
on a above 500 season? I just I mean I I don't get it. You look back to the season before he came on, like, the Cubs were as bad as I've ever seen him. Yeah. And then he brings in all his young talent
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:03]
and what was it his third year that they go and take the World Series? I think that's right. That's that
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:10]
says something.
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:11]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:12]
He's done impressive things with his career. He is a top notch skipper.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:17]
I'm confident he'll get another gig if he hasn't already. I haven't I haven't read the news today.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:21]
Right.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:22]
And I think that team will be very lucky and will probably do very well with him. I you know, what he did down in Tampa Bay was exceptionally
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:29]
impressive.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:30]
Because, again, small market team,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:33]
expansion team,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:34]
just a really bad historical track record. Took him to the World Series, won it all. Yeah. So I
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:41]
would love I would love to see Pittsburgh pick the pick up Joe Maddon. I can't imagine a world in which that happens.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:47]
I don't know if Pittsburgh will be able to afford him. I mean, with as little money as we spend on players, surely we've got some scratch for a coach.
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:55]
Yeah. I don't know. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:58]
there's a whole bunch of rumors in Chicago, but one of the most interesting names
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:02]
that's been thrown around, and I don't know if this should be a good move or not, is David Ross who played on the World Series team
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:10]
when they won.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:11]
Has he been coaching at all since he retired?
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:14]
No. So I think that he had an he had a job in the front office with the Cubs the season before that. I don't know
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:25]
if he did this last season,
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:29]
but
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:29]
there he was seen sitting behind home plate kinda looking at pitcher recruiters and things like that within the last couple of months. Interesting. So David Ross is a guy that,
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:42]
let's say he got around a bit. Right? He even played for the Pirates at one point. Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:47]
He only played for you guys for two years. He won a World Series with you, and he won a World Series with the Red Sox.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:53]
I don't I mean, I know he was a big component to that that Cubs team, but I I don't I mean, he's not where my head goes to when I think about players becoming coaches in Chicago.
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:06]
Yeah. So he has been doing
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:10]
commentary on some station, hasn't he? Probably because he So He speaks well. I mean, he's he's Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I think that's part of it. I think the hope is also that he would be able to manage pictures better than Madden did.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:26]
And, I mean, there's a lot of love for him coming off that World Series win still. Yeah. I think the pitcher argument is an interesting one. I think there's probably some validity to that. You know, he was a catcher for his whole career. He catched for a lot of guys,
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:39]
a lot of great
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:41]
pitchers too. So there's probably something to that. I I don't know. I think that would be a big risk. I
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:47]
just pulled up ESPN
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:50]
article
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:50]
and
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:52]
apparently, Mark Loretta is set to interview for the Cubs job.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:57]
I don't know, John. It'll be nice to see how the cookie crumbles there. I,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:02]
I I I'm intrigued because you're in my division, and I'd like to see you really screw up this
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:07]
hiring.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:09]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:10]
Now the pirates side,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:12]
we have had Clint Hurdle for nine years. I didn't even realize it was that long. Clint Hurdle was the guy that got us out of our twenty two year, I think, losing streak.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:22]
So,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:23]
you know, like, again, I think similar to Joe Maddon, he's he's he did some impressive things in Pittsburgh.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:29]
He had a couple years left on his contract.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:32]
Were talking about keeping him as much as the day before they let him go. And what boggles my mind is
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:39]
Neil Huntington,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:41]
is the GM. Right? And he's he's been around for a while, like, as long as I've been a Pirates fan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:47]
He actually might be the the longest or second longest tenured GM in the league.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:53]
And somehow that Joker is still around, but he can't kick couldn't hurt all the curbs. I I don't know what they make of that, but to me, that's not a good read. I think that's probably unless unless the Pirates just decide to, like, spend the money. You know? Right. And I think they're gonna have to do more than just spend the money on the coach. I think they're gonna have to commit to, you know, keeping key players, not doing a fire sale every two to three years like they do Right. And basically, you know, replacing the New York Yankees minor league system with
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:21]
good Pirates players. We used to joke that,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:24]
the Pirates were the New York Yankees' quadruple a
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:27]
baseball team.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:28]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:30]
So I'd
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:32]
you know, first postseason
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:34]
appearance for the Pirates since '92
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:37]
came under Hurdle's,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:39]
tutelage.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:40]
So I don't know, man. I think I think it's, it's tough, especially considering
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:45]
the fire sale we had a couple years ago. You know, we had a bunch of homegrown
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:49]
folks like Andrew McCutcheon,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:51]
and and we just kicked him to the curb. And I think when you lose a player like that, you lose not only a a good baseball player, but you you lose a club leader.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:00]
And somehow, Clint Hurdle was able to hold that altogether despite it. Now there've been arguments that that, you know, our our bullpen has been a hot mess. There've been issues there, coaching issues, like lack of control.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:13]
You
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:14]
know, I I think there's there might be something to that. But
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:18]
for most of the the league season, he's sitting at the opposite end of the field from from that bullpen. So there's only so much he can control.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:27]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:30]
Alright. So you're not gonna watch any of any of October?
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:36]
Probably not.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:38]
I mean, maybe if the twins make a strong run for it, then I'll tune in.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:44]
Our good friends and
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:45]
regular listeners,
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:47]
Daniel and Kristen Sanchez, are big twins fans.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:50]
We don't hold that against them.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:52]
No. I cannot offense against the twins.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:54]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:55]
once baseball's done, you basically check out a sports, don't you? Pretty much. Yeah. Baseball is the only professional sport.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:03]
Yeah. I've gotten into golf last couple seasons,
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:06]
but baseball's pretty much the only sport I follow. Wait. You think that's a sport?
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:11]
Sure.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:12]
I mean, they make lots of money.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:14]
Oh, that's what it takes? Then I guess poker is a sport too, John.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:18]
Well, there's no kind of ball in poker. Oh, a ball. A ball is what makes a sport. Interesting.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:24]
Okay. Sorry all the hockey fans out there. Why am I missing the name of it?
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:31]
That thing at Chuck E. Cheese where you roll the ball up, skee ball,
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:35]
definitely a sport.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:39]
Pinball?
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:40]
No.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:41]
These are games. Very different.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:44]
A game can be a sport. A sport
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:47]
oh, wait. Hold on. A sport can be a game. Not every game is a sport. That's what I was trying to say.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:52]
Is the differentiator if you can die playing it?
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:57]
No. Because you could die playing anything.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:00]
I suppose. You could you could be playing skee ball and have a heart attack and drop dead. Like, anything could kill you.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:06]
Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:07]
Maybe that's,
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:09]
should we get into that now? What makes a sports stand?
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:12]
I oh, okay. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:14]
I think perspiration
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:16]
is a requirement.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:18]
K. Perspiration
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:19]
for a healthy
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:21]
individual.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:22]
K?
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:23]
So if you are unhealthy and you sweat at at simply, like, looking at a
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:29]
sidewalk that you might have to walk down, that doesn't count. That doesn't make it a sport. But if you break out a sweat,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:35]
you know, while you're running after a ball, a puck, whatever,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:39]
I think that makes it a sport. If you are hopping into a golf cart to drive between hits
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:47]
and They don't use they don't use golf carts on the PGA Tour.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:51]
On the PGA Tour. I like how you qualify that. Alright? Well So so the PGA Tour is golf, not all golf is the PGA Tour.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:00]
Right. But
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:01]
PGA Tour is what I watch. Okay. On on the PGA Tour, do they carry their own bags?
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:07]
No.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:08]
Okay. Say again Do do the football players carry their own gear?
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:12]
I have no idea. It's usually they're waiting for them.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:15]
But I think it's I think that's a little different. Don't you?
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:19]
No. I mean, they're still swinging the club. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:26]
I I would venture to say if you can
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:29]
sip an alcoholic beverage
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:32]
while playing the game,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:34]
it's not a sport. How's that?
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:38]
Sure.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:39]
K. Go with that. Ergo,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:41]
poker,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:43]
not a sport. Not a sport. Right? Golf,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:46]
not a sport.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:47]
Football,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:48]
can't drink while playing football, must be a sport.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:52]
Now depending on your position on the baseball field, like,
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:56]
could drink a beer out in right field?
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:59]
I I can't imagine that that's actually allowed.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:05]
Sure. But drinking on the PGA tour isn't allowed either.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:09]
Are you sure? Of poker, probably allowed.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:12]
Yeah. It's definitely allowed in the World Series of poker, but
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:16]
I so
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:17]
okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:18]
Let me let let me say it this way.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:20]
Is
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:22]
is your sport
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:23]
associated
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:24]
with drinking
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:26]
while commencing
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:28]
in it? And I said sport, I mean game.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:31]
Because again,
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:32]
like
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:33]
golf. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We know you don't like golf.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:36]
But
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:38]
like, what what else You wanna go play golf when I visit in November? No. I don't. I I don't.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:44]
I've played golf.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:46]
I've never
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:47]
enjoyed it. I I
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:49]
don't mind mini golf. Didn't I go mini golfing with you and missus Colmire once? You did. We were down in Houston for Patrick Sertjevin's wedding. Didn't I double my score in like the last two holes? So that I won?
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:01]
I don't remember if you won. Anna probably won. But that's pretty much how my golf game goes too. The last two holes, I just double my score.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:09]
Well, let's play nine instead of 18 then. I I don't I don't We can walk it so that, you feel like there's physical activity involved. Wait. Wait. You you
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:19]
wanna walk a miniature golf course as opposed to what? Oh. They take a golf cart on it? We we can walk an actual golf course. No. I just don't see that happening, John. That doesn't it doesn't feel like something I'm gonna do.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:32]
I don't know missus Lemon would go golfing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:35]
I don't know that she's ever been golfing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:38]
See? Come on, man. Let me ask you this. Have you ever been to Topgolf?
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:42]
I have not. Okay. Do would you consider Topgolf to be golf?
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:47]
It sounds more like a driving range, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:50]
I mean, they're different holes. Pictures I've seen. They're different holes. Yeah. You're trying to staying in them? Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:56]
You get different points based upon which ones you hit.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:58]
But you only have one swing?
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:01]
Per ball?
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:03]
Yeah. But like you don't you don't go to wherever your first ball lands and then try to hit it at the next hole. And there's no putting involved, is there? There's definitely no putting involved. Alright. So You can use a sandwich.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:16]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:19]
But I I yeah. I don't know. I mean, it's it's interesting. I don't know. Sounds fun, but I don't know if it counts as playing golf. I I've done it several times for like work outings. I can't Do you have a Topgolf in Indy? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. On the North Side. Man, we should do that. That now that I might be willing. If you were willing to buy the drinks,
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:38]
I'd be willing to go with you. Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:41]
Could we take the whole family?
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:44]
Watch Henry be really good at golf. I yeah. Right. First of I don't I'm not even sure that they yeah. They probably let all kids in. But the problem is, like, there's a there's a like a ledge. Right? And I think missus Lemon would probably be freaked out about having the kids there. I could be wrong Fair enough. But
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:02]
alright. I I'll I'll agree to later. This sounds like a good sounds
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:07]
like a good outing.
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:08]
Maybe we should go I don't know if missus Colmeare's gonna be around long enough for us to get a Topgolf outing in. You should fix that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:16]
We also have batting cages, John.
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:18]
I know. We did batting cages too. That that was in Houston. That was we in
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:24]
could do batting cages. I like that. It's warm.
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:27]
Are they indoor or outdoor? They're indoor. Nice.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:30]
Yeah. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:32]
I'd do that with you too. Okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:34]
But if I wanted to throw a football around,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:37]
no dice?
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:39]
I can throw a football around. I'd rather throw a baseball around. I don't think I currently have a baseball mitt though. You don't have a baseball mitt? How do you live?
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:48]
I'm gotten old and boring, Stan. Oh, my word. So, like okay. This this begs the question, what happened to your last baseball mitt?
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:57]
There's a strong possibility
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:59]
that it is still in my parents' garage.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:02]
Okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:03]
So,
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:04]
mister and missus Kolmeyer, the elders,
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:06]
if you are and I don't mean that in a derogative way. I just mean, like, John's John's mom and dad.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:12]
If you happen to listen to this episode and you make it this far, would you please check your
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:17]
garage for John's glove?
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:19]
And if you find it, can you somehow get it to John before Thanksgiving?
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:24]
Thanks. Love. Life with a twist of lemon.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:30]
So Do we really only have baseball on the agenda and all of our talk is gonna be dated because,
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:36]
like,
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:38]
how many games are gonna happen between now and when the Cyrus?
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:41]
A lot. Yeah. Well,
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:44]
oh, well, John. That's what happens when we record early. Sorry, twins. We really hoped you would have gone farther than you did.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:53]
Someone's gonna listen this episode and be thinking, like, why did they even bother?
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:59]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:59]
I I am a firm believer baseball,
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:03]
is, like, the ultimate
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:05]
social sport.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:07]
Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:08]
You can go to a baseball park and sit and talk while everything's going on. Like, it's just a it's a conversation, constant conversation.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:17]
I will say football isn't like that? At least not not on the field, man. Not on the field. Nobody's talking about anything.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:24]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:25]
Interesting. The other thing is I think,
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:28]
that there
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:29]
football has a pace
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:31]
when the game is in play that is is very intense. Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:36]
Baseball's not an intense sport. Like, there's exciting moments, but Right. I wouldn't describe it as intense. And so I think I think that's the other thing that plays to its its
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:47]
kind of favor in that regard.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:49]
You can sit, have a conversation
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:51]
while somebody is, you know, running across home plate.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:55]
And,
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:56]
you know, people get excited. Yeah. But it's it's a different kinda nature to it, and and I dig it. I also think the other thing with baseball,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:04]
you can go to I think it's easier to go to a game of two teams you don't care about
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:10]
and watch the game and and, like,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:13]
enjoy it than it is a football game
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:16]
where you're not invested in one of the two teams. And
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:21]
I think that just has to do with
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:23]
the mechanics of it and Yeah. And kind of the geometry of it if you will. I don't know. There's like a
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:30]
baseball is a fascinating sport. Baseball has, like, a bunch of different games within the game once you learn what's going on. I mean, you got this game between the pitcher and the batter. You've got you watch the catcher
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:43]
basically controlling how the field is set up, what the pitcher's gonna do,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:47]
things like that. So Yeah. There's I will say this. There is depth
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:51]
to a football game.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:54]
Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:55]
I there's a there's a complexity to the baseball, though,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:00]
that I think is unrivaled. Here's and here's the other thing too.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:04]
You know, a football team plays at least 16 games,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:08]
and,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:09]
at most, what,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:12]
twenty, twenty one Yep. In a season.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:16]
A baseball team plays, what, a 160 something? 170?
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:23]
Is it that high? It's it's pretty darn high. Let's see. How many baseball
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:29]
games are in a season? Maybe a 160.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:33]
162
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:34]
games. 162.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:35]
I was close before I second guessed myself. Yeah. But but you do a 162 games.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:41]
Like, that's a that's a different
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:43]
level
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:44]
of
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:48]
of planning, of strategizing
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:50]
because you are now
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:51]
and you can see it. Right? When you when you have a game with extra innings,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:55]
it ruins the team for the next week because the strategy has been completely decoupled.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:59]
And I think I think there's a an element to the long game, if you will, of baseball that is is really neat to follow.
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:07]
I think another difference is,
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:10]
a batter is hidden 300.
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:12]
You know? That's pretty darn good.
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:15]
Wide receiver only catching a third of the passes that
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:19]
he's thrown, probably not so good.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:23]
Yeah. The the statistics of it are different,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:25]
for sure. I mean, if if you dropped
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:28]
two thirds of your passes, you probably wouldn't be playing much.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:33]
But you get a lot more tries too. Right? Like, a wide out might get, you know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:38]
three, four throws in a game. Right? He might, if he's lucky, cross a 100 yards
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:44]
in a game.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:46]
And a baseball player, right, like, you figure,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:49]
at minimum, what, he's gotta get at least nine pitches
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:52]
in in a game, you know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:54]
if not more?
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:56]
Pitches versus at bats. I mean, probably three at bats at least. Right. So at minimum, right, you're gonna get three you're gonna get three pitches.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:04]
But if he flies out on the first pitch, then Alright. Well, yeah. If he's really great, John, maybe he's not getting nine pitches in game. Good grief. I think, though,
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:16]
you know, the the the stats of baseball too,
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:20]
me put it this way. In football, they have a way of making up crazy stats out of the blue. Right? Yeah. So, like, this is the first 23 year old to catch a 110 yards
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:32]
four games in a row after his bye week. Right. Right? Like, who cares about that stat? That doesn't matter. Baseball, you got a ton of stats, and they all pretty much matter. Right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:44]
And I think, you know, baseball is a data driven sport.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:48]
Right? Whether or not people want it to be, it absolutely is. I I don't think that football or the NFL in general has risen to the point of data driven sports, data driven athletics
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:00]
to the way that that baseball has. And I think there's something really cool to that. I I don't know. Yep. That's the nerd in me, though.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:06]
Yep. Baseball is definitely the nerd sport.
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:10]
Alright, John. I think that's enough baseball. I'm actually gonna go check on
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:15]
this,
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:16]
this Oakland game and see if, Tampa is whooping them good yet.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:22]
And if only people from two weeks from now could go back in time and put some money on the cubbies.
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:29]
Oh, there's something we should talk about, Back to the Future. I love Back to the Future. It's a great baseball movie.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:36]
Because it's like Cubs beat Miami.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:38]
Oh, that's right. That's right. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:41]
They're and it's not
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:44]
well, in in the movies This was before Miami had a baseball team. Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:52]
Alright,
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:53]
y'all. Until next time, my friend. Later, Stan.