July 15, 2024 • 37 mins
Bernie Fratto is in for Ben Maller and talks about the upcoming MLB All-Star Game and the disaster that it has become, the lack of interest in the Home Run Derby, the awful uniforms, and much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yep, that's right. You heard the man, Ben Maller with
some very well deserved time off. My name is Bernie Frattle,
sitting in for Ben, and we are coming you live
for the tirat dot com studios here in Las Vegas,
Fox Sports Radio tyrat dot com. We'll help you get there.
An unmatched selection, fast free shipping for your roadazard protection,
(00:20):
and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrat dot com the
way tire buying should be. They used to call it
the Midsummer Classic. I don't know what they call it now,
but boy, how things have changed. Tuesday night is the
Major League Baseball All Star Game, and to say I
(00:43):
think the bloom was off the roads and some of
the luster has been lost would be an understatement. This
was at one time an incredibly glorious event and it
has frankly, a very rich, interesting history with a very
I think curious origin story. The first official Major League
(01:05):
Baseball game was played way back in nineteen thirty three
July sixty. It was held at Comiskey Park in Chicago,
and the only reason they did it was because a
writer for the Chicago Tribune by the name of Arch
Ward came up with this idea. He was a sports
editor of the Chicago Tribune and the World's Fair was
(01:27):
coming to Chicago that year, and arch Ward thought it
would be a great idea if you could create this
one time only exhibition game between the American League Stars
and the National League Stars. And the game was also
intended to be an opportunity to try to boost morale.
We were in the midst of the Great Depression in
nineteen thirty three, and the fans selected the players, and
(01:51):
the manager selected the some of the backups, and it
was called the Game of the Century. And there were
fifty five media credentials from across the aren't try and
there were fifty thousand people there, and they had gate receiats,
and of course, right on schedule, Babe Ruth of the
Yankees highlights the game by hitting the first ever home
run in All Star Game history. And the rest is history.
(02:11):
That's the department Every doneacy department. Fast forward to twenty
twenty four, and I'm curious as to anybody if anybody
gives a flying horses petuit about the Major League Baseball
All Star Game, I think all Star games in general.
Maybe you have jumped the sharp you saw what has
happened to the Pro Bowl that's just become a complete abortion.
(02:33):
Now it's a flag football game, and before that it
was a flag football game in pads. And now they
have kind of a skills competition that they've cobbled this
thing together. The NBA All Star Games a joke. They
don't play any defense, and the NHL All same is fine,
but the game ends up being seventeen to fifteen, right,
So there's no for checking, there's no backchecking, there's no fighting.
(02:54):
It's hockey, and it's graceful, skillful hockey, but it's not
real hockey, if you get my At least in the
Major League Baseball All Star Game, there's defense and you
might very well see a defensive highlight on Tuesday, a
great catcher. You're not gonna see Pete Rose running into
Ray Fossey. No, and you're no longer the game is
(03:16):
no longer deciding who will have the home field advantage
in the World Series or yeah, the playoffs, excuse me,
but what you also might have with some history being
made because Paul Skeenes was announced he will be the
starting pitcher for the National League, and I'm guessing he's
gonna face probably Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gunner Henderson,
(03:36):
and tell me you're not gonna watch that. Skeen's first
half numbers. He's only the fifth rookie to start the
game in history. The last one to do it Hedeo
Nomo in nineteen ninety five, had quite a line by
the way he had Mark Fitterch in nineteen seventy six.
You remember the bird for anand of alaz Whela in
eighty one. Skeen's first half numbers after his seven inning
(03:57):
no hit gym that he got yanked from Thursday when
he struck out eleven, He's pitched sixty six innings. He's
struck out eighty nine guys, only given up forty eight hits.
His average fastball, he's ninety nine miles an hour, his
e area is one point nine, and opponents're hitting two
to two. This might be a little bit of a
must watch because of Paul Skins. But here's the thing.
(04:23):
Something about this game has lost fluster because if a
local NBC affiliate in Dallas published fifty fun facts about
the All Star Game in history, I'm gonna share some
of these with you and tell me if you see
a pattern. Okay, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Usual.
They've all played in the most All Star Games at
twenty four. Willie Mays has the most hits in All
(04:45):
Star Game history with twenty three. Charlie Garrenger, a guy
who played for the freaking Tigers back in the thirties,
He has the most played appearances twenty nine. Lefty Gomez
leads all All Star pitchers and wins with three. Uh. Okay,
maybe a little more recent Roger Clements had pitched in
the most All Star Games ten appearances. Where am I
(05:07):
going with that? Every single one of those notable achievements
happened before electricity, nothing new, so there has been luster
and then to make it worse, and this makes my teethitch.
Have you seen the picture of this year's Major League
Baseball All Star jerseys? Are you kidding me? They don't
(05:29):
look like Major League Baseball All Star jerseys. They look
like bowling shirts. They look like Beer League Softball bowling
shirt jerseys that you'd find on a Tuesday night Beer
League Softball league. And oh, by the way, if you
want to buy one, a cool one and ninety four dollars,
and there's nothing distinctive. I used to think it was
the coolest thing. Look what Allen said it best. Nostalgia
(05:50):
is a trap, all right. People are nostalgic about baseball.
It is, in fact America's pastime. True, it's handed down
from fathers and sons. You learned there's a Walter Mitty
aspect of baseball. Most people played it, at least in
the little league. And when they announced the starting lineups,
and they announced their rosters and they line up on
their respective first and third base base lines, I always
(06:12):
thought it was the most novel thing that they were
in their regular home uniforms, or that the whole team
would be in the visiting team would be in their
visiting uniforms. But when it comes to twenty twenty four,
this is a year to forget. When it comes to
uniforms in Major League Baseball. You saw what happened in
spring training. This does not look like to me a
(06:34):
very well google it. You can see it for yourself. Now.
It's I can't come up with a clever adjective to
accurately describe how disappointing needs look. When you're talking about
what you would hope the results would be, and I'm
not batching on Nike. Nike, Nike, you know, designed these
things and someone signed off on it. But the market
(06:56):
will always decide. And I still think you just you
should bring back the regular team jerseys for the All
Star Game, right Maybe these jerseys would be fine for
when the fans show up these during batting practice or workouts,
or maybe when they take batting practice open to the
public on Monday, or maybe for the homown derby, but
not for the game. All right. Twitter wasted no time
(07:17):
in reacting. One Twitter guy showed an old picture of
our One tweet showed an older picture of a past
All Star game with the old Chicago White Sox, Royals, Angels, Twins, Yankees.
Kind of cool, and it said the captions that we
used to be a civilized society, all right. Another guy
(07:37):
puts a hate being to get off my long guy,
but Major League Baseball is not helping here. These are pitiful,
not exactly ringing endorsements. I understand it's all about money
and selling merch following what the other leagues do, but man,
please just have them. Were their respective teams uniforms out there.
Always thought it was cool seeing the different looks on
the field together. This was a unique thing major League
(07:58):
Baseball had going Somebody Namedrian Simmon that good thoughtful tweet,
happy quote, major League Baseball drop yet another jersey that
the entirety of the Internet is going to hate to
those who celebrate people don't like them. Another tweeter, how
about just going back to the respective team uniforms. People
will often react or some of the name Alex because
(08:18):
people will often overreact when talking about how terrible jerseys are.
But these are legitimately the worst I've ever seen. Absolutely
nothing about them is unique or even creative. It's kind
of impressive how how bad they are. Starting to buy
into the idea that Rob Manfred and Nike are in
cahoots to destroy major League perception, because what are we doing, man?
(08:40):
Ninety percent of the City connects are embarrassing. All star
uniforms are egregious every year. These are terrible. Please bring
back teams where in the usual uniforms you get the
picture you eat detective pattern here, Eddie, if you, by
any chance had a chance to put you on the spot,
if you've seen these things on the internet, the Major
League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Jerseys, I have not seen these yet.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I'll do it right now. I have seen them though
in the past, so it doesn't surprise me at all.
I know there was a promo on our network. I
don't recall who the show was, but they were talking
about how it's ridiculous that the players don't wear their
normal uniforms during the All Star Game. Obviously, you know
whatever rode home, you know, but they should wear their
uniform There's no reason for them not to wear their
(09:22):
normal uniforms. Of course we know why they don't do
it because Major League Baseball wants to sell money uniforms.
But it's you know, I hate to say not everything
is about money, but it is. I'm not naive, but
they look ridiculous. They've always looked ridiculous, and it's stupid.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
It is. It's one of those situations where I think
they genuinely how smart themselves. But I want to have
a larger discussion coming up, and I want to bring
in the crew. Have All Star Games jumped the ship
and at the bottom of the hour, you know, I
really believe the home run derby has jumped the ship
at the bottom of the hour, ready's update. I'm gonna
(10:02):
share with you how an innocuous conversation last year during
the whole run derby between Ken Griffey Junior and Albert
Pools almost blossom into something that I think would have
been fantastic. A year ago, I was convinced this was
gonna happen. It didn't happen. I'll tell you what it
would have been, and you tell me if you think
(10:22):
it would have been a good idea. But coming up,
I want to bring in the crew. Have all Star
games in general, particularly even maybe the Major League Baseball
All Star Game just simply jumped the shark.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Meller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Hey Gang List is Jay Glazer, host of Unbreakable, a
mental wealth podcast, and every week we will have on
leader from sports entertainment like Sean McVay, Lindsey Vaughn, Michael Phelp,
David Spade.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Got Fiemmy, and also those who can.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
Help us in between the anyone from a therapist to someone.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Like Ed Milette for John Gordon.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
We've all been through some sort of adversity to get
to the top.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
We've all used different tools.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer and Mental Wealth podcast
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Step into a world of imagination. The Ben Mallor Show
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Tag Maler related content on all social media networks. You
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Malor Show to new compatriots, now live from the tyrak
dot com Fox Sports Radio Studios in for Ben Mallar,
It's Bernie Fratto.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Well, thank you, Eddie, and of course we do take
your cast Tonight at Mala Militia Militia welcome in eight
seven seven nine nine six six three six nine eight
seven seven ninety nine on Fox. We're talking about the
Major League Baseball All Star Game. It's Tuesday. Did you know?
Do you care? Let's go to Matt in Vancouver. Matt
welcome in. How are you hey, Bernie? How you doing good? Sir?
Speaker 6 (12:01):
I just honestly, I'm not gonna lie. I thought Ben
was on tonight, but that's not why I called. I
called to make fun of the Mariners fans, because I
just wanted to say, you know, the Angels, we've been
bottom feeding all season, but but we ripped off three
of the last four games, So I mean, I know,
(12:23):
enjoy missing the playoffs like we are going to too,
because I don't know, I don't know what else there's
there's the cheer four as an Angels fan, besides the
maybe the downfall of the other teams.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
But so you more of an Angels fan then, or
Mariners are actually fifty two and forty six. The Angels
are just cursed. I don't know what's up with them, man,
I just I can't know.
Speaker 6 (12:46):
I'm the Angels fan. I'm just saying, like, just we're bad.
The Mariners are hanging on there. But look they lost
three to us there. They're not going to make the playoffs.
They're they're they're about to fall out. This is the uh,
this isn't nail on the coffin, embarrassed.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Anything on the All Star Game.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
You want to say, Matt, I have something to say
to Matt.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Go ahead.
Speaker 7 (13:06):
I know you live in Vancouver, so you know there's
not there's not much you can do, but you can.
I'm also an I'm also an Angel fan, and you
should do what I did and stop supporting the team.
Don't don't go to any games at Angel Stadium, don't
buy any more gear, don't do anything until Artie Morino
sells because he's the worst owner in sports.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
I I you know what, there was it last year,
two years ago, there was like talk seated up or
he was gonna sell, but he didn't. Yeah, I don't know.
It's just it's fun to make fun of the Mariners
fans because like the local team, there's nothing else, Coop,
there's nothing else we got going on for us.
Speaker 8 (13:43):
As if he if he had sold, good, if he
had sold the team, there's there's a decent chance we
still may have Shoho Tani that I don't.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
I don't want to think about that though that.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
I know, I know, I know, I know.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
That's okay.
Speaker 6 (13:58):
That's a day that's like a.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Ben monolog time.
Speaker 6 (14:01):
That's when that's like a really really deep in the
summer and talk.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Fair enough, good call. I think you appreciate checking in,
you know, Coop, hang on just to just to throw
a you know, curveball here. I'm on the fence about Moreno,
the guy can't catch your break yeah, he got Otani.
They could never win Troy. They can't win a damn
thing with Trout. They overpaid for pools. Where where does
moreno fall short? Is his public relations or what I mean?
(14:28):
I don't live in the area anymore, and so I'm
just not one hundred percent sure. I can't defend him.
But I don't know if he's a worstone or in sports.
Speaker 7 (14:36):
I mean, look, aside from it's been like the Angels
problem for years, for years, for a decade plus, for
the entirety of Mike Trout's career has been they don't
invest enough in pitching.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
And I know, sho, hey, o Tani you know is
also a pitcher.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
But I would venture to say if if he wasn't
also a mega star hitter, that the Angels wouldn't have
you know, gone after me and teach the Angels because
he wanted to live here and he wanted to play
with Mike Trout, and so he just already like you need,
you need good pitching to win in Major League Baseball,
to win to get to the playoffs, to win in
the playoffs, and that's never what he's invested in or
(15:16):
had his people invest in.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Okay, I's hard to argue with that logic. All right,
let's talk about the Major League Baseball All Star Game Tuesday.
I saw Eddi's tweet. Yuck, He's spot on. These jerseys
are ridiculous. They're only one hundred and ninety four dollars
if you want to buy one.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
But I wouldn't have one if you gave it to me.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Here's the thing. First, I'll give you an example. Lady. So,
I live in Vegas, and I spent seventeen years in Michigan,
and with a lot of that with CBS Radio, there
were fifteen thousand transplant in Michiganders. Here in Las Vegas.
And if I'm at the old Pickley Wigley or Albertsons
and I see someone in a Tiger jersey or Michigan Wolverines,
I'll strike up. I'll strike up a conversation next to you, know,
(15:57):
with Sick We've been friends for life. You show up
in that jersey, there's nothing distinctive about it. I swear
to god, it looks like something from a Tuesday night
Bowling league, softball league. What is distinctive about that jersey?
Speaker 2 (16:11):
It's distinctively ugly duly noted.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
All Right, so I think we've beat that to death. Look,
here's the deal, though, there are still four Major League
Baseball All Star Games. Of the four you know all
Star games, as it were, any which is your favorite.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Well, by default major League Baseball. That's because the other
three are completely unwatchable in my opinion. I don't like
the NBA, so that's off the table. But I love
hockey and I love the NFL, and I wouldn't spend
one second of my time watching either of those All
Star games. There's nothing compelling about them. They're an okay
(16:49):
event to go to if it's in your town and
you just want to see like the best gathering of talent,
at least for hockey. I went to the final quote
unquote Real Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, and I hadn't
watched it in years, and when I went and saw it,
I couldn't believe what I was watching. I didn't I
didn't realize that they literally didn't tackle anymore. I mean
(17:12):
I remember watching it years and years ago, where you know,
they didn't. They were no big hits, but they would
at least tackle guys. And we were sitting there and
I was watching this, and I said, this is the
worst thing I've ever seen in my life. Thank god
I didn't pay for these tickets that a friend invited
us to go with them, and it was just awful.
And I spent the entire second half just walking around
(17:33):
Reliant Stadium just kind of just to look at the
stadium because I had no interest in what was going
on on the field. So I hate all All Star games.
Baseball is the one. If I had to watch, I
would watch that. But even that has, you know, waned,
because the players don't really care anymore. I mean some
of them do. I know, we have a ton of
first time All Stars this year, so maybe that will
help it to be intriguing because they might care. But
(17:55):
you know, back in the day, Ben's talked about this before.
You know, you had guys taking che hours and leaving
the stadium before the game was even over. That's how
much they didn't care about it. So you know what,
if they don't care, why should I care.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
So as far as the Pro Bowl, you're right, it's
a complete insult to your sensibilities. Football is a high
collision sport, and if you remove the collisions from football,
it's no longer football, right, I mean to to have
to watch that in person, had to be in a
complete nthema. You're gonna throw up in your mouth in
the first five minutes. You had to be saying to yourself,
(18:28):
what the hell is this? You people have no pride? Well,
they don't want to get hurt. I get it, hockey.
What are the final scores typically, Eddie, like seventeen to
fifteen in the All Star Games something like that.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Well, they've, yeah, they've, they've.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
It's like about you know, ten to twelve to ten
or something. Yeah, yeah, they change it all the time.
It's it's like I said, if it's in your town
and you want to go check it out, that's fine.
But to watch it on TV just to be entertained
by it, I don't fight it entertaining at all.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, it's not hockey. You're a hockey officio. You don't
have the checking. You don't have.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
But I mean they could at least the same to me,
the same thing in the NBA, And admittedly I haven't
watched it in a long time, but I see the
final scores in that it's like, you know, two hundred,
that's right, It's true. It's ridiculous. Like I don't think
we as fans are asking them to take charges or
to throw body checks, But just play defense. It's not
that is it that? Are we asking too much for
(19:25):
you to try? And you know, just play in a
normal They practice harder than they play in these games.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Just play it. Just try it on defense a little bit.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
You don't have to go all out and dive for
balls and go over scores, tables and all that stuff.
I think we all we all get that nobody wants
to get hurt, but at least can you just at
least try and play a little defense. Make it a
little bit harder for somebody to try and score. So
of just letting them do whatever they want, no argument here.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I think it's become a situation where it's nothing more
than a congregation to get all the players from around
lead together on one floor. Which is the reason I
think the All Star Games of all jump the shark.
Before cable TV, before all these things, it was a
treat just to see games. Now you didn't and you
didn't have interleague play. So just by let's take the
(20:12):
Major League Baseball All Star Game, all right. You get
all the stars from both leagues on the field at once,
and I only covered one All Star Game in an
official capacity. That was two thousand and five in Detroit,
where Bobby Abray, who won the Home Run Derby, hit
forty four home runs and ruin to swing and it
was never the same. I'll get to that in a minute.
That was one of the last All Star games where
it was kind of special because there were so many
(20:34):
Hall of Famers and they're all in one spot. It's
like Madam Tussov's the Museum. But now you got nine
games on every night and it's not hard to fight,
and you got interleague play, so there's no magic, there's
no sort of this mystical quality because you never see
these guys competing against each other. You see it every night,
which brings me to my point. They create this home
(20:56):
Run Derby years ago. Now I think that's jumped the
shark the change the rules of the Home Run Derby,
which most people don't frankly know about. But I am
also of the belief now, if anything, the Baseball Home
Run Derby might be slightly more interesting than the actual
game itself, although we get to see Paul Skeens, I
think that'll add to it. But has the Home Run
(21:18):
Derby jumped the shark, Eddie. Will you watch the Home
Run Derby tomorrow night?
Speaker 3 (21:23):
No, I won't and coming off coming off like the
grumpy old man on here.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
But oh no, no, no, no, no, right, Okay, you're a consumer, right,
you're a consumer. Has nothing to do with Adrian. You're
a consumer. And if you're not has and if it's
not interesting, you don't have to consent it.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
It has to do with just like the dunk contest.
I used to watch the dunk contest and the three
point shootout back in the day. But you had the
best player, you had Dominique Wilkins against Michael Tortan, who
doesn't want to watch that? If you had all the
best you know, Aaron Judge and Shoeyotani. If those guys
those they need, they need to be in there. If
they're not, then I'm not interested. No disrespect any of
the other guys, but the best, best of the best
(22:00):
need to be involved in They're not gonna be involved
and I'm not gonna give it.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
My time, and Otani and Judge don't want to do it,
which tells you everything you need to know. Coop, you're
gonna watch it? Home Run Derby No, probably not. We're
two for two and I'm not gonna watch it. Mark Raham,
are you gonna watch it home run Derby?
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That would be a no.
Speaker 9 (22:16):
I'm not gonna bother with it.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
No, hell no, not not been here. Well, I'll tell
you home Run Derby. I think you might have watched.
I could be wrong this, I swear I thought this
was gonna happen. And it all started with an innocuous
conversation about a year ago during the same time, during
the home run Derby, between Ken Griffy Jr. And the
(22:40):
crew at the MLB Network and Albert pooh Holes, and
I will tell you what it was all about.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Meller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm pacifics.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
We agree the home run Derby is passe. Were four
for four, were not gonna watch it? Sorry, truth, We're
just spitting truth. We've seen the dreams games, We've seen
old timers games. How about a legend's home run derby?
I swear a year ago I thought it would happen.
You had some Hall of famers on board. Let me
tell you what transpired. So last year during the home
(23:13):
run Derby. Kim Griffy Junior was there and he made
the remark, you know I could still do that, and
he made it on the Major League Baseball Network, and
within a couple of minutes it started to catch fire
in the conversation and in the hallway, Albert Poolholes Looked
at Kim Griffy Jr. And said, you really think you
could still win this contest? And Griffy, because I do,
Poohles goes, so do I. If you do it, I'll
(23:35):
do it. And the next thing you know, it started
to grow. By the way, Ken Griffy Junior won the
Home Run Derby in nineteen ninety four, he won it
again in nineteen ninety eight, and he won again in
nineteen ninety nine. Jim told me got win of this conversation.
He goes, well, you know what, if you think about
Griffy swing, I don't care if he's fifty three years old.
I don't care if he's fifty four years old. That's
(23:55):
a pure swing. And I believe he could still hit
home runs. And interestingly enough, you may or may not recall,
Ken Griffy Junior was one of the hitting coaches for
Team USA during the World Baseball Classic a few years back,
and the players were daring him to prove he could
still hit, and Griffy got tired of hearing it. He
(24:17):
called up his wife and said, bring me my bat,
bring me Luciale. The name of the bat was called Lucille,
and Mookie Betts told him. He says, you ain't got
it no more? What are you doing? I bet you
couldn't go deep if we gave you ten swings. Griffy said,
you will lose that bet. Griffy proceeded to get into
the batting cage and hit a couple dingers. He was
fifty three years old. Yes he could still do it.
(24:40):
This isn't brain surgery. He even mentioned that he thought
he might be able to beat Pete Alonzo, who had
a chance. If he wins another one, it would be
his third. So where am I going with this? Somewhere
along the line, much like the Field of Dreams game,
Much like old timers games used to be, this became
a conversation and across the board it wasn't just Griffy
(25:02):
and it wasn't just Albert Pooles. Jim Tolmy wanted in. Soon,
names like Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder and Jason Giambi
and Mark McGuire. They were even talking about maybe Sammy Sosa,
how about Barry Bonds. Hmm, you tell me you wouldn't
be curious to see what that might look like. You
(25:23):
put these legends out there, all on the same field,
all at the same time. They started a brainstorm how
this would work. And then the next thing you know,
David Ortiz said, I'm in. I would do it, And
pretty soon the MLB Network production trailer was a buzz
and Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds and Yonder Alonzo were
(25:45):
talking about it. They were talking about this being the
Derby Dreams or the Legends Home Run Derby. I swear
I thought this was going to happen. They even talked
about when they might have it. Now. This past Saturday,
they had the MLB Futures Game for future minor leaguers
that or future major leaguers that are you know, going
through the ranks. You've heard about that. They talked about
(26:05):
having it after the Futures Game on Saturday, and my
thought was, Hell, don't do that. Have it on Monday.
I don't really think we need the home run Derby anymore.
Teddy's point, you've got guys in there, you can't name them.
You don't have the Otani's, you don't have the air
in judges, you don't have the boppers. You know. I think, well,
(26:26):
I think Gunnar Henderson's in it. But people it's that
doesn't still have the same cashet yet. I mean, they
do these celebrity softball games. I've said it a thousand times.
We don't have royalty in this country. Our athletes and
our entertainers are our royalty. And when you start naming
this who's who Madame Tussaud's Museum of Hall of Famers,
(26:48):
Griffy Poolols, Jim Tomey, Ryan Howard, Prince Field or Jason Jeommy,
Mark Moire, Barry Baond, Sammy Sosa, David Ortiz. All Right,
They continued to talk. They even started to consider a
format were you wouldn't necessarily have an individual competition, but
you'd have a team format. For instance, one team might
(27:10):
be Jim Tomy, Ken, Griffy Junior, and Albert Poolholes, and
you'd have nine innings and Tommy would hit in the
first fourth and the seventh inning, Griffy would hit in
the second fifth, in the eight. You get the picture
in pools with it in the other innings. All right.
That would take the load off each individual player, and
(27:31):
it would also create a scenario where when you're not hitting,
you could be interviewed, and you could turn this into
an entertainment medium and you can have commentary. The players
could talk while the home run derby is going on,
and they can you know, kibbits and banner. I mean,
we're talking about Tony hits six hundred and twelve home runs.
This is not something that is a fly by night situation.
(27:54):
So you know we have Nyland the home run derby.
You've seen now the Field of Dreams game went well.
You saw how the Rickwood game went extremely well. I'm
not so big on celebrity all star games. The Field
of Dreams game was pretty cool. I would watch that
home run derby. Now I can only speak for myself.
Let's go around the room, Eddie. If we lined up
(28:14):
those guys I just mentioned and created a Legends home
run derby, would you watch that?
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Honestly? Probably not. Look, I think we're overthinking this. Like
I said, just get the best players to be in it.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
I don't think that's asking too much. We don't need
to do all these different whatever. Just get the top
home run hitters to participate, and however you need to
do that, do that. If that means you got to
pay them a bunch of money, then pay them a
bunch of money. But if the top home run hitters
aren't involved, I'm not interested in it. And look, the
legends thing might be. I might just out of curiosity,
(28:53):
maybe I might check it out, but it's not a
long term solution. I don't think it's not something I
would probably want to see again. You know, I might
just watch it just for the freak show aspect of it.
But just get the best players to do it, that's all.
Don't And it's I don't think it's I don't think
that's too crazy of a thing to want to ask.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
So let me address that. I'm gonna get a little
nerdy here because they aren't able to get these guys
and we're going on twenty five years. And by the way,
they decide on eight players based on their season home
run totals, and that's kind of how they do it.
So they want to reward the guys that have the
most home runs this year. But players can choose to
(29:32):
decline these invitations for a number of reasons. The main
reason because I've talked to these guys when I cover
with the Tigers, there's a strong possibility that they negatively
impact their performance later in the season. According to Major
League Baseball dot Com, of seventy four players who entered
the home Run Derby since nineteen ninety nine, forty three
the seventy four saw a decrease in production after participating
(29:57):
in the home run Derby. And I saw with my
own eyems with Bobby A. Brayer when he jacked up
his swing and hurt his back when he had forty
four home runs in two thousand and five because he
was determined to win the home run Derby. So I
don't know if there's a home run Derby curse. I
don't know if it's fact or fiction. But the numbers
show that there have been typically a decrease in offensive
(30:20):
of power hitting statistics in the second half for guys
who participate in the home run Derby versus guys who don't.
Are you at least buying.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
That, Eddie, I mean, I haven't seen the data. If
I mean, if that's the.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Case, forty three seventy four.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Yeah, how much is it? Is it a significant drop
off compared to the guys who don't participate in it, or.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Is it a slight drop off that I don't know?
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Yeah, I mean, I look, I worked for a company
called stats ink for a while, and I know that
stats a lot of times can be bull craft. So
I'm not saying that is some of them are legit,
but I don't know. I'd have to see the numbers
before I looked at that myself. But if it's that
big of a detriment, then just go ahead and do
away with it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
I think the problem is they've have you noticed all
of these All Star games, I say in air quotes
will become All Star weekends or All Star two or
three day affairs, right, So I think they're stuck. They
I don't know if they can do away with it,
but I think they have to have some sort of
filler on that Monday between the final you know game
(31:28):
on Sunday, which is sort of the de facto half
point of the season versus and then you jump to
the Tuesday game. So they have to do something. Now,
I actually I have access to a bunch of nerdy
stats which I'm not going to bore the people with
the worst thing you do is going to radio give
a bunch of numbers to your point, But it was
enough of a drop off that would cause people to
(31:50):
see this as a is a detriment. So I don't
know what you do with this thing. Because we've all agreed,
none of us are watching the home run Derby. We'll
probably sample the All Star Game, and I'm not gonna
watch the whole thing coming up. I want to get
Coop stocks and Mark stots as well. I'm Bernie fraddlew
coming to you live from Las Vegas. Fox Sports Radio
(32:11):
tyrac dot com studios. Keep it locked right here. You
listening to the Bernie Fradtles Show. Check that you're listening
to the Ben Maler Show. Bernie Fraddle sitting in for
Ben Maller. Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 3 (32:31):
The Ben Maller shows archived in the audio volve for
posterity sake, giving those work in the dreaded dash of
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The Ben Maler Show and Fifth Hour with Ben Maler
podcasts are always free and filled with fun for every man,
woman and child, and out live from the tyrac dot
Com Fox Sports Radio studios. In for Ben Maller, It's
Bernie Fratto.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Thank you, Eddie. We talked earlier about pitchers, angels, meeting pitchers,
pitching injuries. Dodgers pitcher Dustin May had experienced over the weekend,
one of the more bizarre injuries you'll ever hear about.
And oh, by the way, it looks like he's out
for the year. The Dodgers need like that. Like Madonna,
(33:11):
he's a lover. It rekindled thoughts as some of the
strangest injuries in the history of baseball, in the history
of Major League Baseball, We'll get to that up top
of the art, but I want to continue on with this.
So Coop Eddie mentioned by the fault the Major League
Baseball All Star Game is his favorite all Star game
(33:32):
because obviously the Pro Bowl is a complete joke and
the NHL All Star Game is not really hockey. In
the NBA All Star Game, we know all about that.
At least they played defense, but still the Major League
Baseball All Star Game. To me, he's lost it out
of luster, and I think the home run derby has
jumped the shark. Other than that, how was your day, Eddie? What?
Or check that? Coop? What are your thoughts on the
(33:53):
home run derby in the All Star Game.
Speaker 7 (33:58):
I haven't watched an All Star game for any sport
in a very long time.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Fair.
Speaker 7 (34:06):
They just they just aren't entertaining to me anymore. I
don't know. I mean, I think it's you know, it's
like you said, the lack of caring, the lack of trying.
I have in years past recently tuned into the home
run Derby for a minute or if i'm if I'm
(34:27):
not doing anything else and I'm, you know, sitting in
my living room scrolling the internet, all have it on
in the background. But that's that's pretty much. And I
used to really really like the Pro Bowl when I
was a kid. But that that's I mean, you know,
back when I was a kid, they tried. I mean,
that was oh yeah, you know it was oh my god,
(34:49):
I'm Sean Sean Taylor right that that lit up the
the punter was that?
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Remember that?
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
You remember that? I remember that very that's going back
about twenty years.
Speaker 7 (34:58):
But yes, yeah, so, I mean yeah, I mean I
was I was fifteen when that happened. You know that
was that was cool watching watching that, you know, but
that would never happen today.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Oh no, No, So all right, so I might have
I might have oversold it, but I think I was
enamored by the list of Hall of Famers. I mean,
you tell me, would you rather see Griffy Jr. And
Pool Holes and Barry Bonds and Jim Tomy or would
you rather see a Doulas Garcia and Marcel Azuna and
Bobby Wood Junr. Right, So would you watch that Legends
(35:33):
Home Run Derby?
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (35:34):
I would watch that. Okay, I thought I might have
oversold it, but I would watch it. I think there's
a real nostalgic, nostalgic aspect to it, and it might
have some entertainment value. So you know, people can bet
on the Home Run Derby. They got this. It's not
a bracket style tournament this year, but it kind of
takes a long time and it's just I don't know it,
(35:54):
trusts me if you does anybody remember who won the
Home Run Derby last year? No, it was Vladimirica, Ara Junr.
So what no one seems to really care. You don't
have the Aaron Judges, you don't have the Cholo Townies.
Consider Mark Ramsey, you got the last word the All
Star Game? Do you watch it? In your thoughts on
the home run Derby and the Legends home Run Derby?
Speaker 9 (36:15):
Whatever the All Star Game it is. I would say
we're bringing back a sense of competition because nobody wants
to say that I'm the best.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
I want to be the best, and I want the spotlight.
Speaker 9 (36:27):
Everybody seems to shy away from saying I'm great anymore.
So just bring back competition.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
There used to be a pride factor. The National League
really wanted to beat the American League and vice versa.
And you had the same thing in the NBA All
Star Game. He back in the eighty seven. There's almost
a fight in the NBA All Star Game. I did
see one. I've never seen a Pro Bowl in person,
but I've seen two NHL All Star Games in person.
(36:56):
I've seen one NBA All Star Game in person, and
multiple Major League Baseball All Star Games. There is a
novelty factor when you see so many great players together
congregated on one ice and of the three of the
NHL was really kind of the most impactful. When you
see this congregation of talent all next to each other,
(37:19):
and the skills and the way they move around the ice.
There was an aura about these players that was really
special that seems to have gone the way of the
Dodo bird. Just the way it is onward and upward.
I won't be watching the home run derby Tuesday night
or Monday night. I will watch Paul Skins on Tuesday night.
Won't be watching Dustin Bay. You got to hear about this.
(37:40):
Injury conjures up old memories. Keep it locked, Ben Maler Show,
Fox Sports Radio,
Yep, that's right. You heard the man, Ben Maller with
some very well deserved time off. My name is Bernie Frattle,
sitting in for Ben, and we are coming you live
for the tirat dot com studios here in Las Vegas,
Fox Sports Radio tyrat dot com. We'll help you get there.
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(00:20):
and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrat dot com the
way tire buying should be. They used to call it
the Midsummer Classic. I don't know what they call it now,
but boy, how things have changed. Tuesday night is the
Major League Baseball All Star Game, and to say I
(00:43):
think the bloom was off the roads and some of
the luster has been lost would be an understatement. This
was at one time an incredibly glorious event and it
has frankly, a very rich, interesting history with a very
I think curious origin story. The first official Major League
(01:05):
Baseball game was played way back in nineteen thirty three
July sixty. It was held at Comiskey Park in Chicago,
and the only reason they did it was because a
writer for the Chicago Tribune by the name of Arch
Ward came up with this idea. He was a sports
editor of the Chicago Tribune and the World's Fair was
(01:27):
coming to Chicago that year, and arch Ward thought it
would be a great idea if you could create this
one time only exhibition game between the American League Stars
and the National League Stars. And the game was also
intended to be an opportunity to try to boost morale.
We were in the midst of the Great Depression in
nineteen thirty three, and the fans selected the players, and
(01:51):
the manager selected the some of the backups, and it
was called the Game of the Century. And there were
fifty five media credentials from across the aren't try and
there were fifty thousand people there, and they had gate receiats,
and of course, right on schedule, Babe Ruth of the
Yankees highlights the game by hitting the first ever home
run in All Star Game history. And the rest is history.
(02:11):
That's the department Every doneacy department. Fast forward to twenty
twenty four, and I'm curious as to anybody if anybody
gives a flying horses petuit about the Major League Baseball
All Star Game, I think all Star games in general.
Maybe you have jumped the sharp you saw what has
happened to the Pro Bowl that's just become a complete abortion.
(02:33):
Now it's a flag football game, and before that it
was a flag football game in pads. And now they
have kind of a skills competition that they've cobbled this
thing together. The NBA All Star Games a joke. They
don't play any defense, and the NHL All same is fine,
but the game ends up being seventeen to fifteen, right,
So there's no for checking, there's no backchecking, there's no fighting.
(02:54):
It's hockey, and it's graceful, skillful hockey, but it's not
real hockey, if you get my At least in the
Major League Baseball All Star Game, there's defense and you
might very well see a defensive highlight on Tuesday, a
great catcher. You're not gonna see Pete Rose running into
Ray Fossey. No, and you're no longer the game is
(03:16):
no longer deciding who will have the home field advantage
in the World Series or yeah, the playoffs, excuse me,
but what you also might have with some history being
made because Paul Skeenes was announced he will be the
starting pitcher for the National League, and I'm guessing he's
gonna face probably Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gunner Henderson,
(03:36):
and tell me you're not gonna watch that. Skeen's first
half numbers. He's only the fifth rookie to start the
game in history. The last one to do it Hedeo
Nomo in nineteen ninety five, had quite a line by
the way he had Mark Fitterch in nineteen seventy six.
You remember the bird for anand of alaz Whela in
eighty one. Skeen's first half numbers after his seven inning
(03:57):
no hit gym that he got yanked from Thursday when
he struck out eleven, He's pitched sixty six innings. He's
struck out eighty nine guys, only given up forty eight hits.
His average fastball, he's ninety nine miles an hour, his
e area is one point nine, and opponents're hitting two
to two. This might be a little bit of a
must watch because of Paul Skins. But here's the thing.
(04:23):
Something about this game has lost fluster because if a
local NBC affiliate in Dallas published fifty fun facts about
the All Star Game in history, I'm gonna share some
of these with you and tell me if you see
a pattern. Okay, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Usual.
They've all played in the most All Star Games at
twenty four. Willie Mays has the most hits in All
(04:45):
Star Game history with twenty three. Charlie Garrenger, a guy
who played for the freaking Tigers back in the thirties,
He has the most played appearances twenty nine. Lefty Gomez
leads all All Star pitchers and wins with three. Uh. Okay,
maybe a little more recent Roger Clements had pitched in
the most All Star Games ten appearances. Where am I
(05:07):
going with that? Every single one of those notable achievements
happened before electricity, nothing new, so there has been luster
and then to make it worse, and this makes my teethitch.
Have you seen the picture of this year's Major League
Baseball All Star jerseys? Are you kidding me? They don't
(05:29):
look like Major League Baseball All Star jerseys. They look
like bowling shirts. They look like Beer League Softball bowling
shirt jerseys that you'd find on a Tuesday night Beer
League Softball league. And oh, by the way, if you
want to buy one, a cool one and ninety four dollars,
and there's nothing distinctive. I used to think it was
the coolest thing. Look what Allen said it best. Nostalgia
(05:50):
is a trap, all right. People are nostalgic about baseball.
It is, in fact America's pastime. True, it's handed down
from fathers and sons. You learned there's a Walter Mitty
aspect of baseball. Most people played it, at least in
the little league. And when they announced the starting lineups,
and they announced their rosters and they line up on
their respective first and third base base lines, I always
(06:12):
thought it was the most novel thing that they were
in their regular home uniforms, or that the whole team
would be in the visiting team would be in their
visiting uniforms. But when it comes to twenty twenty four,
this is a year to forget. When it comes to
uniforms in Major League Baseball. You saw what happened in
spring training. This does not look like to me a
(06:34):
very well google it. You can see it for yourself. Now.
It's I can't come up with a clever adjective to
accurately describe how disappointing needs look. When you're talking about
what you would hope the results would be, and I'm
not batching on Nike. Nike, Nike, you know, designed these
things and someone signed off on it. But the market
(06:56):
will always decide. And I still think you just you
should bring back the regular team jerseys for the All
Star Game, right Maybe these jerseys would be fine for
when the fans show up these during batting practice or workouts,
or maybe when they take batting practice open to the
public on Monday, or maybe for the homown derby, but
not for the game. All right. Twitter wasted no time
(07:17):
in reacting. One Twitter guy showed an old picture of
our One tweet showed an older picture of a past
All Star game with the old Chicago White Sox, Royals, Angels, Twins, Yankees.
Kind of cool, and it said the captions that we
used to be a civilized society, all right. Another guy
(07:37):
puts a hate being to get off my long guy,
but Major League Baseball is not helping here. These are pitiful,
not exactly ringing endorsements. I understand it's all about money
and selling merch following what the other leagues do, but man,
please just have them. Were their respective teams uniforms out there.
Always thought it was cool seeing the different looks on
the field together. This was a unique thing major League
(07:58):
Baseball had going Somebody Namedrian Simmon that good thoughtful tweet,
happy quote, major League Baseball drop yet another jersey that
the entirety of the Internet is going to hate to
those who celebrate people don't like them. Another tweeter, how
about just going back to the respective team uniforms. People
will often react or some of the name Alex because
(08:18):
people will often overreact when talking about how terrible jerseys are.
But these are legitimately the worst I've ever seen. Absolutely
nothing about them is unique or even creative. It's kind
of impressive how how bad they are. Starting to buy
into the idea that Rob Manfred and Nike are in
cahoots to destroy major League perception, because what are we doing, man?
(08:40):
Ninety percent of the City connects are embarrassing. All star
uniforms are egregious every year. These are terrible. Please bring
back teams where in the usual uniforms you get the
picture you eat detective pattern here, Eddie, if you, by
any chance had a chance to put you on the spot,
if you've seen these things on the internet, the Major
League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Jerseys, I have not seen these yet.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I'll do it right now. I have seen them though
in the past, so it doesn't surprise me at all.
I know there was a promo on our network. I
don't recall who the show was, but they were talking
about how it's ridiculous that the players don't wear their
normal uniforms during the All Star Game. Obviously, you know
whatever rode home, you know, but they should wear their
uniform There's no reason for them not to wear their
(09:22):
normal uniforms. Of course we know why they don't do
it because Major League Baseball wants to sell money uniforms.
But it's you know, I hate to say not everything
is about money, but it is. I'm not naive, but
they look ridiculous. They've always looked ridiculous, and it's stupid.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
It is. It's one of those situations where I think
they genuinely how smart themselves. But I want to have
a larger discussion coming up, and I want to bring
in the crew. Have All Star Games jumped the ship
and at the bottom of the hour, you know, I
really believe the home run derby has jumped the ship
at the bottom of the hour, ready's update. I'm gonna
(10:02):
share with you how an innocuous conversation last year during
the whole run derby between Ken Griffey Junior and Albert
Pools almost blossom into something that I think would have
been fantastic. A year ago, I was convinced this was
gonna happen. It didn't happen. I'll tell you what it
would have been, and you tell me if you think
(10:22):
it would have been a good idea. But coming up,
I want to bring in the crew. Have all Star
games in general, particularly even maybe the Major League Baseball
All Star Game just simply jumped the shark.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Meller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on
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Speaker 5 (10:43):
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Speaker 2 (10:57):
Got Fiemmy, and also those who can.
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Speaker 1 (11:02):
Like Ed Milette for John Gordon.
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Speaker 1 (11:07):
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Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer and Mental Wealth podcast
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Speaker 3 (11:19):
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It's Bernie Fratto.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Well, thank you, Eddie, and of course we do take
your cast Tonight at Mala Militia Militia welcome in eight
seven seven nine nine six six three six nine eight
seven seven ninety nine on Fox. We're talking about the
Major League Baseball All Star Game. It's Tuesday. Did you know?
Do you care? Let's go to Matt in Vancouver. Matt
welcome in. How are you hey, Bernie? How you doing good? Sir?
Speaker 6 (12:01):
I just honestly, I'm not gonna lie. I thought Ben
was on tonight, but that's not why I called. I
called to make fun of the Mariners fans, because I
just wanted to say, you know, the Angels, we've been
bottom feeding all season, but but we ripped off three
of the last four games, So I mean, I know,
(12:23):
enjoy missing the playoffs like we are going to too,
because I don't know, I don't know what else there's
there's the cheer four as an Angels fan, besides the
maybe the downfall of the other teams.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
But so you more of an Angels fan then, or
Mariners are actually fifty two and forty six. The Angels
are just cursed. I don't know what's up with them, man,
I just I can't know.
Speaker 6 (12:46):
I'm the Angels fan. I'm just saying, like, just we're bad.
The Mariners are hanging on there. But look they lost
three to us there. They're not going to make the playoffs.
They're they're they're about to fall out. This is the uh,
this isn't nail on the coffin, embarrassed.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Anything on the All Star Game.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
You want to say, Matt, I have something to say
to Matt.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Go ahead.
Speaker 7 (13:06):
I know you live in Vancouver, so you know there's
not there's not much you can do, but you can.
I'm also an I'm also an Angel fan, and you
should do what I did and stop supporting the team.
Don't don't go to any games at Angel Stadium, don't
buy any more gear, don't do anything until Artie Morino
sells because he's the worst owner in sports.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
I I you know what, there was it last year,
two years ago, there was like talk seated up or
he was gonna sell, but he didn't. Yeah, I don't know.
It's just it's fun to make fun of the Mariners
fans because like the local team, there's nothing else, Coop,
there's nothing else we got going on for us.
Speaker 8 (13:43):
As if he if he had sold, good, if he
had sold the team, there's there's a decent chance we
still may have Shoho Tani that I don't.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
I don't want to think about that though that.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
I know, I know, I know, I know.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
That's okay.
Speaker 6 (13:58):
That's a day that's like a.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Ben monolog time.
Speaker 6 (14:01):
That's when that's like a really really deep in the
summer and talk.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Fair enough, good call. I think you appreciate checking in,
you know, Coop, hang on just to just to throw
a you know, curveball here. I'm on the fence about Moreno,
the guy can't catch your break yeah, he got Otani.
They could never win Troy. They can't win a damn
thing with Trout. They overpaid for pools. Where where does
moreno fall short? Is his public relations or what I mean?
(14:28):
I don't live in the area anymore, and so I'm
just not one hundred percent sure. I can't defend him.
But I don't know if he's a worstone or in sports.
Speaker 7 (14:36):
I mean, look, aside from it's been like the Angels
problem for years, for years, for a decade plus, for
the entirety of Mike Trout's career has been they don't
invest enough in pitching.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
And I know, sho, hey, o Tani you know is
also a pitcher.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
But I would venture to say if if he wasn't
also a mega star hitter, that the Angels wouldn't have
you know, gone after me and teach the Angels because
he wanted to live here and he wanted to play
with Mike Trout, and so he just already like you need,
you need good pitching to win in Major League Baseball,
to win to get to the playoffs, to win in
the playoffs, and that's never what he's invested in or
(15:16):
had his people invest in.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Okay, I's hard to argue with that logic. All right,
let's talk about the Major League Baseball All Star Game Tuesday.
I saw Eddi's tweet. Yuck, He's spot on. These jerseys
are ridiculous. They're only one hundred and ninety four dollars
if you want to buy one.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
But I wouldn't have one if you gave it to me.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Here's the thing. First, I'll give you an example. Lady. So,
I live in Vegas, and I spent seventeen years in Michigan,
and with a lot of that with CBS Radio, there
were fifteen thousand transplant in Michiganders. Here in Las Vegas.
And if I'm at the old Pickley Wigley or Albertsons
and I see someone in a Tiger jersey or Michigan Wolverines,
I'll strike up. I'll strike up a conversation next to you, know,
(15:57):
with Sick We've been friends for life. You show up
in that jersey, there's nothing distinctive about it. I swear
to god, it looks like something from a Tuesday night
Bowling league, softball league. What is distinctive about that jersey?
Speaker 2 (16:11):
It's distinctively ugly duly noted.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
All Right, so I think we've beat that to death. Look,
here's the deal, though, there are still four Major League
Baseball All Star Games. Of the four you know all
Star games, as it were, any which is your favorite.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Well, by default major League Baseball. That's because the other
three are completely unwatchable in my opinion. I don't like
the NBA, so that's off the table. But I love
hockey and I love the NFL, and I wouldn't spend
one second of my time watching either of those All
Star games. There's nothing compelling about them. They're an okay
(16:49):
event to go to if it's in your town and
you just want to see like the best gathering of talent,
at least for hockey. I went to the final quote
unquote Real Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, and I hadn't
watched it in years, and when I went and saw it,
I couldn't believe what I was watching. I didn't I
didn't realize that they literally didn't tackle anymore. I mean
(17:12):
I remember watching it years and years ago, where you know,
they didn't. They were no big hits, but they would
at least tackle guys. And we were sitting there and
I was watching this, and I said, this is the
worst thing I've ever seen in my life. Thank god
I didn't pay for these tickets that a friend invited
us to go with them, and it was just awful.
And I spent the entire second half just walking around
(17:33):
Reliant Stadium just kind of just to look at the
stadium because I had no interest in what was going
on on the field. So I hate all All Star games.
Baseball is the one. If I had to watch, I
would watch that. But even that has, you know, waned,
because the players don't really care anymore. I mean some
of them do. I know, we have a ton of
first time All Stars this year, so maybe that will
help it to be intriguing because they might care. But
(17:55):
you know, back in the day, Ben's talked about this before.
You know, you had guys taking che hours and leaving
the stadium before the game was even over. That's how
much they didn't care about it. So you know what,
if they don't care, why should I care.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
So as far as the Pro Bowl, you're right, it's
a complete insult to your sensibilities. Football is a high
collision sport, and if you remove the collisions from football,
it's no longer football, right, I mean to to have
to watch that in person, had to be in a
complete nthema. You're gonna throw up in your mouth in
the first five minutes. You had to be saying to yourself,
(18:28):
what the hell is this? You people have no pride? Well,
they don't want to get hurt. I get it, hockey.
What are the final scores typically, Eddie, like seventeen to
fifteen in the All Star Games something like that.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Well, they've, yeah, they've, they've.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
It's like about you know, ten to twelve to ten
or something. Yeah, yeah, they change it all the time.
It's it's like I said, if it's in your town
and you want to go check it out, that's fine.
But to watch it on TV just to be entertained
by it, I don't fight it entertaining at all.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, it's not hockey. You're a hockey officio. You don't
have the checking. You don't have.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
But I mean they could at least the same to me,
the same thing in the NBA, And admittedly I haven't
watched it in a long time, but I see the
final scores in that it's like, you know, two hundred,
that's right, It's true. It's ridiculous. Like I don't think
we as fans are asking them to take charges or
to throw body checks, But just play defense. It's not
that is it that? Are we asking too much for
(19:25):
you to try? And you know, just play in a
normal They practice harder than they play in these games.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Just play it. Just try it on defense a little bit.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
You don't have to go all out and dive for
balls and go over scores, tables and all that stuff.
I think we all we all get that nobody wants
to get hurt, but at least can you just at
least try and play a little defense. Make it a
little bit harder for somebody to try and score. So
of just letting them do whatever they want, no argument here.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I think it's become a situation where it's nothing more
than a congregation to get all the players from around
lead together on one floor. Which is the reason I
think the All Star Games of all jump the shark.
Before cable TV, before all these things, it was a
treat just to see games. Now you didn't and you
didn't have interleague play. So just by let's take the
(20:12):
Major League Baseball All Star Game, all right. You get
all the stars from both leagues on the field at once,
and I only covered one All Star Game in an
official capacity. That was two thousand and five in Detroit,
where Bobby Abray, who won the Home Run Derby, hit
forty four home runs and ruin to swing and it
was never the same. I'll get to that in a minute.
That was one of the last All Star games where
it was kind of special because there were so many
(20:34):
Hall of Famers and they're all in one spot. It's
like Madam Tussov's the Museum. But now you got nine
games on every night and it's not hard to fight,
and you got interleague play, so there's no magic, there's
no sort of this mystical quality because you never see
these guys competing against each other. You see it every night,
which brings me to my point. They create this home
(20:56):
Run Derby years ago. Now I think that's jumped the
shark the change the rules of the Home Run Derby,
which most people don't frankly know about. But I am
also of the belief now, if anything, the Baseball Home
Run Derby might be slightly more interesting than the actual
game itself, although we get to see Paul Skeens, I
think that'll add to it. But has the Home Run
(21:18):
Derby jumped the shark, Eddie. Will you watch the Home
Run Derby tomorrow night?
Speaker 3 (21:23):
No, I won't and coming off coming off like the
grumpy old man on here.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
But oh no, no, no, no, no, right, Okay, you're a consumer, right,
you're a consumer. Has nothing to do with Adrian. You're
a consumer. And if you're not has and if it's
not interesting, you don't have to consent it.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
It has to do with just like the dunk contest.
I used to watch the dunk contest and the three
point shootout back in the day. But you had the
best player, you had Dominique Wilkins against Michael Tortan, who
doesn't want to watch that? If you had all the
best you know, Aaron Judge and Shoeyotani. If those guys
those they need, they need to be in there. If
they're not, then I'm not interested. No disrespect any of
the other guys, but the best, best of the best
(22:00):
need to be involved in They're not gonna be involved
and I'm not gonna give it.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
My time, and Otani and Judge don't want to do it,
which tells you everything you need to know. Coop, you're
gonna watch it? Home Run Derby No, probably not. We're
two for two and I'm not gonna watch it. Mark Raham,
are you gonna watch it home run Derby?
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That would be a no.
Speaker 9 (22:16):
I'm not gonna bother with it.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
No, hell no, not not been here. Well, I'll tell
you home Run Derby. I think you might have watched.
I could be wrong this, I swear I thought this
was gonna happen. And it all started with an innocuous
conversation about a year ago during the same time, during
the home run Derby, between Ken Griffy Jr. And the
(22:40):
crew at the MLB Network and Albert pooh Holes, and
I will tell you what it was all about.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Meller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm pacifics.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
We agree the home run Derby is passe. Were four
for four, were not gonna watch it? Sorry, truth, We're
just spitting truth. We've seen the dreams games, We've seen
old timers games. How about a legend's home run derby?
I swear a year ago I thought it would happen.
You had some Hall of famers on board. Let me
tell you what transpired. So last year during the home
(23:13):
run Derby. Kim Griffy Junior was there and he made
the remark, you know I could still do that, and
he made it on the Major League Baseball Network, and
within a couple of minutes it started to catch fire
in the conversation and in the hallway, Albert Poolholes Looked
at Kim Griffy Jr. And said, you really think you
could still win this contest? And Griffy, because I do,
Poohles goes, so do I. If you do it, I'll
(23:35):
do it. And the next thing you know, it started
to grow. By the way, Ken Griffy Junior won the
Home Run Derby in nineteen ninety four, he won it
again in nineteen ninety eight, and he won again in
nineteen ninety nine. Jim told me got win of this conversation.
He goes, well, you know what, if you think about
Griffy swing, I don't care if he's fifty three years old.
I don't care if he's fifty four years old. That's
(23:55):
a pure swing. And I believe he could still hit
home runs. And interestingly enough, you may or may not recall,
Ken Griffy Junior was one of the hitting coaches for
Team USA during the World Baseball Classic a few years back,
and the players were daring him to prove he could
still hit, and Griffy got tired of hearing it. He
(24:17):
called up his wife and said, bring me my bat,
bring me Luciale. The name of the bat was called Lucille,
and Mookie Betts told him. He says, you ain't got
it no more? What are you doing? I bet you
couldn't go deep if we gave you ten swings. Griffy said,
you will lose that bet. Griffy proceeded to get into
the batting cage and hit a couple dingers. He was
fifty three years old. Yes he could still do it.
(24:40):
This isn't brain surgery. He even mentioned that he thought
he might be able to beat Pete Alonzo, who had
a chance. If he wins another one, it would be
his third. So where am I going with this? Somewhere
along the line, much like the Field of Dreams game,
Much like old timers games used to be, this became
a conversation and across the board it wasn't just Griffy
(25:02):
and it wasn't just Albert Pooles. Jim Tolmy wanted in. Soon,
names like Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder and Jason Giambi
and Mark McGuire. They were even talking about maybe Sammy Sosa,
how about Barry Bonds. Hmm, you tell me you wouldn't
be curious to see what that might look like. You
(25:23):
put these legends out there, all on the same field,
all at the same time. They started a brainstorm how
this would work. And then the next thing you know,
David Ortiz said, I'm in. I would do it, And
pretty soon the MLB Network production trailer was a buzz
and Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds and Yonder Alonzo were
(25:45):
talking about it. They were talking about this being the
Derby Dreams or the Legends Home Run Derby. I swear
I thought this was going to happen. They even talked
about when they might have it. Now. This past Saturday,
they had the MLB Futures Game for future minor leaguers
that or future major leaguers that are you know, going
through the ranks. You've heard about that. They talked about
(26:05):
having it after the Futures Game on Saturday, and my
thought was, Hell, don't do that. Have it on Monday.
I don't really think we need the home run Derby anymore.
Teddy's point, you've got guys in there, you can't name them.
You don't have the Otani's, you don't have the air
in judges, you don't have the boppers. You know. I think, well,
(26:26):
I think Gunnar Henderson's in it. But people it's that
doesn't still have the same cashet yet. I mean, they
do these celebrity softball games. I've said it a thousand times.
We don't have royalty in this country. Our athletes and
our entertainers are our royalty. And when you start naming
this who's who Madame Tussaud's Museum of Hall of Famers,
(26:48):
Griffy Poolols, Jim Tomey, Ryan Howard, Prince Field or Jason Jeommy,
Mark Moire, Barry Baond, Sammy Sosa, David Ortiz. All Right,
They continued to talk. They even started to consider a
format were you wouldn't necessarily have an individual competition, but
you'd have a team format. For instance, one team might
(27:10):
be Jim Tomy, Ken, Griffy Junior, and Albert Poolholes, and
you'd have nine innings and Tommy would hit in the
first fourth and the seventh inning, Griffy would hit in
the second fifth, in the eight. You get the picture
in pools with it in the other innings. All right.
That would take the load off each individual player, and
(27:31):
it would also create a scenario where when you're not hitting,
you could be interviewed, and you could turn this into
an entertainment medium and you can have commentary. The players
could talk while the home run derby is going on,
and they can you know, kibbits and banner. I mean,
we're talking about Tony hits six hundred and twelve home runs.
This is not something that is a fly by night situation.
(27:54):
So you know we have Nyland the home run derby.
You've seen now the Field of Dreams game went well.
You saw how the Rickwood game went extremely well. I'm
not so big on celebrity all star games. The Field
of Dreams game was pretty cool. I would watch that
home run derby. Now I can only speak for myself.
Let's go around the room, Eddie. If we lined up
(28:14):
those guys I just mentioned and created a Legends home
run derby, would you watch that?
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Honestly? Probably not. Look, I think we're overthinking this. Like
I said, just get the best players to be in it.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
I don't think that's asking too much. We don't need
to do all these different whatever. Just get the top
home run hitters to participate, and however you need to
do that, do that. If that means you got to
pay them a bunch of money, then pay them a
bunch of money. But if the top home run hitters
aren't involved, I'm not interested in it. And look, the
legends thing might be. I might just out of curiosity,
(28:53):
maybe I might check it out, but it's not a
long term solution. I don't think it's not something I
would probably want to see again. You know, I might
just watch it just for the freak show aspect of it.
But just get the best players to do it, that's all.
Don't And it's I don't think it's I don't think
that's too crazy of a thing to want to ask.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
So let me address that. I'm gonna get a little
nerdy here because they aren't able to get these guys
and we're going on twenty five years. And by the way,
they decide on eight players based on their season home
run totals, and that's kind of how they do it.
So they want to reward the guys that have the
most home runs this year. But players can choose to
(29:32):
decline these invitations for a number of reasons. The main
reason because I've talked to these guys when I cover
with the Tigers, there's a strong possibility that they negatively
impact their performance later in the season. According to Major
League Baseball dot Com, of seventy four players who entered
the home Run Derby since nineteen ninety nine, forty three
the seventy four saw a decrease in production after participating
(29:57):
in the home run Derby. And I saw with my
own eyems with Bobby A. Brayer when he jacked up
his swing and hurt his back when he had forty
four home runs in two thousand and five because he
was determined to win the home run Derby. So I
don't know if there's a home run Derby curse. I
don't know if it's fact or fiction. But the numbers
show that there have been typically a decrease in offensive
(30:20):
of power hitting statistics in the second half for guys
who participate in the home run Derby versus guys who don't.
Are you at least buying.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
That, Eddie, I mean, I haven't seen the data. If
I mean, if that's the.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Case, forty three seventy four.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Yeah, how much is it? Is it a significant drop
off compared to the guys who don't participate in it, or.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Is it a slight drop off that I don't know?
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Yeah, I mean, I look, I worked for a company
called stats ink for a while, and I know that
stats a lot of times can be bull craft. So
I'm not saying that is some of them are legit,
but I don't know. I'd have to see the numbers
before I looked at that myself. But if it's that
big of a detriment, then just go ahead and do
away with it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
I think the problem is they've have you noticed all
of these All Star games, I say in air quotes
will become All Star weekends or All Star two or
three day affairs, right, So I think they're stuck. They
I don't know if they can do away with it,
but I think they have to have some sort of
filler on that Monday between the final you know game
(31:28):
on Sunday, which is sort of the de facto half
point of the season versus and then you jump to
the Tuesday game. So they have to do something. Now,
I actually I have access to a bunch of nerdy
stats which I'm not going to bore the people with
the worst thing you do is going to radio give
a bunch of numbers to your point, But it was
enough of a drop off that would cause people to
(31:50):
see this as a is a detriment. So I don't
know what you do with this thing. Because we've all agreed,
none of us are watching the home run Derby. We'll
probably sample the All Star Game, and I'm not gonna
watch the whole thing coming up. I want to get
Coop stocks and Mark stots as well. I'm Bernie fraddlew
coming to you live from Las Vegas. Fox Sports Radio
(32:11):
tyrac dot com studios. Keep it locked right here. You
listening to the Bernie Fradtles Show. Check that you're listening
to the Ben Maler Show. Bernie Fraddle sitting in for
Ben Maller. Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
The Ben Maller shows archived in the audio volve for
posterity sake, giving those work in the dreaded dash of
the chance to consume the audio, but follow us Both
The Ben Maler Show and Fifth Hour with Ben Maler
podcasts are always free and filled with fun for every man,
woman and child, and out live from the tyrac dot
Com Fox Sports Radio studios. In for Ben Maller, It's
Bernie Fratto.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Thank you, Eddie. We talked earlier about pitchers, angels, meeting pitchers,
pitching injuries. Dodgers pitcher Dustin May had experienced over the weekend,
one of the more bizarre injuries you'll ever hear about.
And oh, by the way, it looks like he's out
for the year. The Dodgers need like that. Like Madonna,
(33:11):
he's a lover. It rekindled thoughts as some of the
strangest injuries in the history of baseball, in the history
of Major League Baseball, We'll get to that up top
of the art, but I want to continue on with this.
So Coop Eddie mentioned by the fault the Major League
Baseball All Star Game is his favorite all Star game
(33:32):
because obviously the Pro Bowl is a complete joke and
the NHL All Star Game is not really hockey. In
the NBA All Star Game, we know all about that.
At least they played defense, but still the Major League
Baseball All Star Game. To me, he's lost it out
of luster, and I think the home run derby has
jumped the shark. Other than that, how was your day, Eddie? What?
Or check that? Coop? What are your thoughts on the
(33:53):
home run derby in the All Star Game.
Speaker 7 (33:58):
I haven't watched an All Star game for any sport
in a very long time.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Fair.
Speaker 7 (34:06):
They just they just aren't entertaining to me anymore. I
don't know. I mean, I think it's you know, it's
like you said, the lack of caring, the lack of trying.
I have in years past recently tuned into the home
run Derby for a minute or if i'm if I'm
(34:27):
not doing anything else and I'm, you know, sitting in
my living room scrolling the internet, all have it on
in the background. But that's that's pretty much. And I
used to really really like the Pro Bowl when I
was a kid. But that that's I mean, you know,
back when I was a kid, they tried. I mean,
that was oh yeah, you know it was oh my god,
(34:49):
I'm Sean Sean Taylor right that that lit up the
the punter was that?
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Remember that?
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
You remember that? I remember that very that's going back
about twenty years.
Speaker 7 (34:58):
But yes, yeah, so, I mean yeah, I mean I
was I was fifteen when that happened. You know that
was that was cool watching watching that, you know, but
that would never happen today.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Oh no, No, So all right, so I might have
I might have oversold it, but I think I was
enamored by the list of Hall of Famers. I mean,
you tell me, would you rather see Griffy Jr. And
Pool Holes and Barry Bonds and Jim Tomy or would
you rather see a Doulas Garcia and Marcel Azuna and
Bobby Wood Junr. Right, So would you watch that Legends
(35:33):
Home Run Derby?
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (35:34):
I would watch that. Okay, I thought I might have
oversold it, but I would watch it. I think there's
a real nostalgic, nostalgic aspect to it, and it might
have some entertainment value. So you know, people can bet
on the Home Run Derby. They got this. It's not
a bracket style tournament this year, but it kind of
takes a long time and it's just I don't know it,
(35:54):
trusts me if you does anybody remember who won the
Home Run Derby last year? No, it was Vladimirica, Ara Junr.
So what no one seems to really care. You don't
have the Aaron Judges, you don't have the Cholo Townies.
Consider Mark Ramsey, you got the last word the All
Star Game? Do you watch it? In your thoughts on
the home run Derby and the Legends home Run Derby?
Speaker 9 (36:15):
Whatever the All Star Game it is. I would say
we're bringing back a sense of competition because nobody wants
to say that I'm the best.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
I want to be the best, and I want the spotlight.
Speaker 9 (36:27):
Everybody seems to shy away from saying I'm great anymore.
So just bring back competition.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
There used to be a pride factor. The National League
really wanted to beat the American League and vice versa.
And you had the same thing in the NBA All
Star Game. He back in the eighty seven. There's almost
a fight in the NBA All Star Game. I did
see one. I've never seen a Pro Bowl in person,
but I've seen two NHL All Star Games in person.
(36:56):
I've seen one NBA All Star Game in person, and
multiple Major League Baseball All Star Games. There is a
novelty factor when you see so many great players together
congregated on one ice and of the three of the
NHL was really kind of the most impactful. When you
see this congregation of talent all next to each other,
(37:19):
and the skills and the way they move around the ice.
There was an aura about these players that was really
special that seems to have gone the way of the
Dodo bird. Just the way it is onward and upward.
I won't be watching the home run derby Tuesday night
or Monday night. I will watch Paul Skins on Tuesday night.
Won't be watching Dustin Bay. You got to hear about this.
(37:40):
Injury conjures up old memories. Keep it locked, Ben Maler Show,
Fox Sports Radio,
Host
Ben Maller
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