Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
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Speaker 2 (00:24):
Let's give this.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Hey, welcome in on a worship Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It is The Odd Couple. Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Rob Parker and David Justice in for Chris Brussard, and
we're broadcasting live from the ti rat dot Com studios
ty rack dot com. You get there an unmatched selection, fast,
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(01:11):
tire buying should be. What a show A great baseball
playoff edition of The Odd Couple. Obviously, we'll talk some football.
Greg Jennings, the Super Bowl champion Fox Sports Radio NFL analyst.
He'll join us in the first hour. Randy Mueller, the
former NFL Executive of the Year, Fox Sports Radio analysts
(01:32):
and for the NFL. He'll join us in the second hour,
and we'll do a little fiul affair with JR. Gamble, who,
of course is the managing editor of mlbbro dot com.
But first, let me welcome in my boy. What's up,
David Justice? What's up?
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Always great time of the year, right, it's a great
October baseball you already know that.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Like, no, we're gonna talk all about the baseball and
got so much stuff to do.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
But first, welcome in the odd couple.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Cool because we wouldn't be able to do this fine
radio program without them. Rob g is our producer, Alex
is our engineer, and and Lorena is working with Alex
trying to get it together.
Speaker 6 (02:16):
How are you, Lorena, I'm doing good. Okay, she's frantic,
but she's doing good. She said, I'm doing good, but
I'm freddy. She didn't sound it right. She sounded just started.
Speaker 7 (02:28):
She was not confident with that. That's right, It's okay.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
And Brian Finley of course is at the anchor desk
and he'll keep us updated throughout the program. Yes, on
this Worship Wednesday, So let's get it kicking off. Kicked
off first, we should say the Phillies are at home.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Great atmosphere in Philadelphia. I am right day just they are.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I know everybody said, Phillies a football town, Phillies a
baseball town too. Don't cares.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
There certain stadiums during the playoffs that are just different. Phillies,
Yankee Stadium, Red Sox, those three come to mind. Where
they just turned the fans turned up a notch when
you take a look, Look, take a look. Nobody's sitting down.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
They're standing. They were up seven, and they were up
seven to one. Uh So they were up seven to one,
bottom of the fifth Braves with the miracle winning Game
two in Atlanta, all they need to do is split
here and force the game five in order to try
to win this uh series. But also uh dave the
(03:31):
uh So that's where we stand. There some other games,
of course, uh coming up later on tonight. But but
let's start here with the baseball playoffs and just the
way it was set up. You know, they added the
extra wild card. We got that the way it was
set up, but it also gave teams that won the
(03:52):
division a bye. And you know this. You played baseball
for what fourteen major league seasons, and baseball is one
of those sports that you play every day. It's not
like football. One game a week, and you play four
months out of the year where you really have to
play a game, not practice.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
You play baseball every week.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
And so far, three of the four teams that had
to buy and one and won the right to not
have to play in the first round all Scotland. Baltimore
got knocked out, got swept by Texas. Atlanta's down. I'm
expecting they're gonna lose this game. They'll be down to one.
(04:29):
The Dodgers could face elimination tonight in Phoenix. Right they're
down two. We lost the first two games in LA
and the only team that's oh game is Houston. They
have a two to one lead Game four in Minneapolis. Dave,
just the idea of it sounds good. Hey, we get
(04:50):
a week off, we get to heal up the knicks,
we get to rest and whatever.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Is this really a good idea to take a week
off in baseball?
Speaker 7 (04:58):
Not at all? All.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
You know, Baseball is one of those sports rob where
when when you hear them talk about taking the week off,
they're really only talking about resting the pictures, because the
pictures have gone through the whole season, one hundred and
sixty two games and all the innings, and they feel
like as much rest as they can get the picture,
give the pictures, the better, the better. But right as
a hitter, Rob, baseball is the one sport that it's
(05:25):
a rhythm sport. It's a rhythm game. That's why once
you're in every day and rhythm, you don't want to
come out by in the rhythm. You don't want things
to change. You want to stay in the rhythm. When
you go home and you sit at home for five
five days, yeah, you're you're practicing, you're taking VP. Each
team has the routine. But you're hitting against coaches. Rob,
(05:46):
You're not hitting any breaking balls, change ups, You're not
hitting it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And it makes a big difference as all like.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
No, you're just hitting against the coaches. Now, all of
a sudden, six days later, five days later, now I'm
seeing ninety five ninety seven know, breaking balls Sometimes it
just takes a little bit of time to get readjusted.
But you don't have that kind of time, and you're
usually playing guys that have just got finished playing too.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Like I looked at the Rangers like that, Like for me.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
The Rangers, remember they lost the division dave On on
the last day of the season, so they had to
go on the road. They go on the road and
they win both games over Tampa Bay like it's nothing.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Then they go they go five in a row.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Right then then they go to Baltimore on the road
and they win those two and then they come home
and finish it up with one game in Tech.
Speaker 7 (06:32):
Where are they now?
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Now they're at.
Speaker 7 (06:34):
The house, And when is their next game Sunday? I
think it is. I think it's Sunday.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
So now they got they got Tuesday, so Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, set,
they got four days sit.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
At home and probably not what they want.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Absolutely not what you want, Absolutely not what you want.
There's a there's a reason why these other teams are
playing very well, and the teams that sat came out
kind of flat. I knew the Braves were going to
be in trouble, did you because I had I had
(07:07):
a feeling that they would be in trouble if they
don't get off quickly in game in Game one against
the Phillies, because the Phillies came out of that previous series.
You saw how their fans were, and the whole line
was crazy, rob the whole lineup was hitting. When you
got the whole line hitting is is cyclical and it's contagious.
Speaker 7 (07:27):
And when everyone's hitting, you relax.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
As a hitter.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
You don't have to go outside the strike zone. You know,
I don't have to do your job and the guy
behind me because everybody we're all hitting. So because of
that relaxed feeling, we're all better hit at hitters. We're
more patient, we're only swinging at strikes. And that's what
you see with the Phillies and also Rob. The Phillies
knocked the Braves out last year. Phillies and the Braves
(07:52):
do not like each other.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Right, and they had to feel if you're a Philly,
you had to feel good and confident. Even though the
Braves had an unbelievable you still have to say to yourself, right,
like like we could beat them.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
Rob, when we get to the playoffs, I'm looking at
your team, and I'm looking at your two best starters
or maybe your three guys, and I'm looking at what
is the success of our team against you guys during
the regular season historically. Whatever, If your pitching staff is
a pitching staff that really doesn't give us trouble. Like
back in two thousand when I was with the Yankees,
we played the Seattle Mariners. It was that calmness that
(08:27):
we had over us with the Yankees. The Seattle Mariners
won a lot of games, but their pitching staff was
not dominant.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Right, They won what they went.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Fourteen, but their pitching staff was not dominant. There was
no one you feared. They didn't have Randy Johnson. They
didn't have like us are Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez,
or they didn't have no guy that you've the other
team knew. Oh man, we got our work cutout for
us tonight, and we'd.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Be lucky to get him if we get them right.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Every all of us felt like there's nobody in and
their rotation is really gonna stop us.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Help me with this. Okay, so the layoff we already know.
But when you see guys like a Freddie Freeman and
a Mookie bet scuffling for the Dodgers one for thirteen,
I mean one for thirteen between those two, and then
obviously we know Kershaw got bombed man in Game one,
looking like a rag doll in that. But when your
(09:23):
guys who've been hitting all year, the Dodgers have won
over one hundred games the last couple of years, and
this is the second time they could get knocked out
in the divisional round.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Two of the best hitters in the game in Mookie
and Freddie Freeman. But Robbie goes to show you first
how important they are to the team. If your stars
aren't hitting, then you have to look for the next
level of guys to pick you up. That's the sign
of a great team. If you only sit back in
the playoffs and expect your stars to do it, you're
(09:54):
gonna have a problem. Because most teams ROB when they
go over the opponent, what are they saying, Oh, we're
not gonna let Freddy Freeman beat us if we can
keep him from beating us. We're not not gonna let
Mookie Beds beat us. If we can keep them from beatings,
We're gonna make somebody else beat us. Right now, Freddy
and and Mookie are are not swinging a bad well,
(10:16):
they're not. Freddy had a great opportunity I think in
game twoad Man and give the picture credit. He didn't
swing three to two. Hook on him, man, He couldn't.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
He couldn't pull a trigger, right, Dave, tell me in
that situation you're.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Looking for Rob nineteen ninety seven World series. Our lighter
gets me three to two. On with Cleveland, I sold
out one hundred percent. I said, there's no way he
wants to walk me. No way, he's got to come fast.
I sold out one percent.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Rob.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
I'm about to go up in the in the rafters.
He threw me a cutter three two, Rob. I felt
like Freddy Freeman when the ball was halfway. I wanted
to call time.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
I couldn't.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
But you couldn't pull the trigger right exactly what Freddy did.
Speaker 7 (10:56):
I dropped my hell right, I knew it was a strike.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Freddy was looking to jump on something, looking for a fastball,
thinking he's gonna get it, and he dropped the hook.
Speaker 7 (11:05):
And Freddy just wasn't how many?
Speaker 1 (11:06):
How much? How many are your bat It's just like
a percentage or guess hitting because because anybody who's ever
got up against the guys who are throwing one hundred
miles an hour. Serious, So you don't you have a
millisecond to pull the trigger on this. How much is
really like like thinking about it and guessing and going,
I'm gonna get a fastball.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Pick.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
It's not necessarily guessing the pitch, Rob, it's putting yourself
in position to be able to hit everything.
Speaker 7 (11:32):
By the way I look for a pitch. I look
for a pitch out over the plate, rob and it.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Comes out there out over the plate.
Speaker 7 (11:38):
If it's a fastball, I'm ready.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
If it's a breaking ball, I'm ready to because the
ball out of the plate, I gotta let it travel anyway.
The only pitch is going to give me an issue
when I'm looking out over the plate is a fastball
inside corner.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
But but you see this often in baseball. A guy's
up the bat and he's just frozen. The guy throws
a strike right down the middle of fastball, and you go,
how come he didn't swing?
Speaker 4 (12:02):
And it's because he's looking for something right.
Speaker 5 (12:05):
But what I never understand with players, I see that
all the time. Would you take a fastball down the
middle looking.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
For a curve?
Speaker 4 (12:12):
I don't understand that.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
In split finger, I shall tell you got a lot
of time a great curveball, you're not hitting it anyway
because the it's gonna be down on the players or
out of the striking zone. A great split finger is
not even meant to be a strike. It's supposed to
look like a strike.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
And then drop out right.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
No, you get to the big leagues, and you stay
in the big leagues hitting fastballs.
Speaker 7 (12:32):
Stay on the fast.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Ain't nobody gonna be mad at you if you If
you can't hit a split all, you can't hit Mariano's
a cutter, right right, Rob, is what we.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Say in the minor leaguess. You don't get to the
big leagues hitting the split fingers and curveballs. You get
to the big leagues hitting that fastball, and you're gonna
get enough fastballs to play a long time in the
big leagues if you if you focus on the fastball.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And not be so caught up on the.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
Other hitters, get caught up in the whole repertoire of
what a picture has, oh split finger, change up, slider, fastball.
They try to hit everything, Rob, and you can't hit everything.
That's part of the game plan is I'm gonna focus
either on a certain area or a certain pitch until
I got two strikes.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Right.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
Once I got two strikes, now i gotta be ready
for everything. But up until two strikes, I'm in control,
is what I'm always thinking.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Now I'm getting to feel that some fans in Baseball
America upset at the playoff schedule and the way it's
set up, and we want to hear about you. Hear
it from you. Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox.
Is the current MLB postseason format bad for top seeded teams.
We'll have more of this on that well, more in
this conversation with you. Coming up next. David Justice in
(13:40):
for Chris Busson on this worship Wednesday. Rob Parker, it
is Fox Sports Radio, and you know what you need
to do.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Stick and stay America, America, America.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball.
We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's
more about the stories about what made these people love
their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.
We talked to coaches, we talked to players, We tell
you stories. You download it, you listen to it.
Speaker 7 (14:26):
I think you like it.
Speaker 8 (14:28):
Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
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Speaker 1 (14:36):
It is the Odd Couple on a Worship Wednesday, coming
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(14:57):
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Progressive dot Com telephone number eight seven seven ninety nine.
On Fox, If you want to jump in eight seven
seven nine, nine, six sixty three sixty nine, Rob Parker
and David Justice in for Chris Broussard and the playoff
(15:18):
schedule the way it's set up. You thought some fans
were happy their teams got buys, they got time off,
but three of the four teams of scuffling that got
the buys. Is the schedule the way it's set up?
Does it hurt top seeds? You want to hear from you?
Eight seven seven ninety nine On Fox. Let's kick it
off here Dave with Gary in Houston. You're on the
(15:40):
eye couple, Fox Sports Radio. What up? Gary? OK?
Speaker 9 (15:47):
You punished one winner, one division winner by making a
playoff shorts series, and then you punish the other four
teams are making them selling the lords for a hold
goddamn week. And also when you're adding teams to it,
like I think you got a received because you shouldn't
have two the best division winners playing in the division rounds.
Like the original format was so much better and so yeah,
it's just.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So so you're saying, all right, so, so how do
you want it to go? You want to do something
different with the wild card because I remember at one
point it was just a one game playoff, you remember that.
Speaker 9 (16:18):
I think it was better before they had the expanded waldcard,
but there was just four teams each league.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Well we got we know that's the best of the best,
but they're not going that ship is sale. Look at
all the money they're making. All right.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I'm just saying, let's be real.
Speaker 9 (16:29):
Well okay, maybe like maybe just like reced after when
the playoffs part, like like I would like it, like
if they have any league, let me just receive it.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Yeah, all right, appreciate thanks for the call, and we
should update you. Royce Lewis for the Minnesota Twins with
a bomb a home run solo home run, Minnesota Leeds
Houston won nothing.
Speaker 7 (16:53):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Top of the second. Obviously, Minnesota needs to win this day.
The series is two to one Astros, and then Game
five would be in Houston if they're able to force
a Game five in this best of five series. Eight seven,
seven ninety nine on Fox. Let's go to Leland in Atlanta.
You're on the couple of Fox Sports Radio. What's up, Leland?
Speaker 10 (17:15):
Hey, I'm doing great, Guys, listen to you every single night,
so I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Thank you. And as a guy from Atlanta, you got
to be happy to hear David Justice feeling it for
Chris Oh.
Speaker 10 (17:26):
I definitely am, because I've been covering the Braves for
fifteen twenty years now, and so I mean, here's the
thing I don't like. I don't like the fact that
the Braves had to play the phield you had you
had to play. You had a lower seed playing the
Dodgers and the higher seed playing the Braids. Why didn't
the Braids to play the lower seeded team and get
(17:50):
a chance to not play a team that they play
sixteen times a year.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah, but if you're gonna win the World Series, you
can't be afraid to play anybody. David, am I wrong?
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Like you gotta play. You gotta play them eventually.
Speaker 7 (18:01):
Yeah, but you want to play them when you're rolling.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
If I can play a lesser team, so to speak,
coming off of the break, I would rather I would
definitely choose.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
But if you're if you're the Dodgers on the Nationalist Leland,
who looks like the lesser team, now Arizona or the Dodgers.
I mean, like so so you you could say I
want Arizona, right, But they went on the road. They
were down three nothing and two nothing in Milwaukee day
won both of those games. Then they went on the
road to La and jumped on Kershaw and then scored
(18:33):
three runs in the first and in the game two.
And now they're set up to win five in a
row and go to the NLDS. I mean, and I'll see.
Speaker 10 (18:40):
Us, and I see what you guys are seen. It's
just my thing is you got a Diamondbacks team that
has played the Dodgers time and time again because they're
in the same division.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Yeah, but they don't play as many as before. You know,
they've changed it this year. Remember every day everybody played
everybody like used to be like eighteen times and which was.
Speaker 7 (18:59):
Ridiculou And they stop that I know.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Yeah, so thanks Leland, appreciate that. Uh, I appreciate the call.
But Dave, Yeah, But.
Speaker 7 (19:06):
Rob, to your point, at some point, you're gonna have
to That's.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
What I'm saying. I mean, if you're trying to get
to the World Series, like you might have played the
Phillies are the best of five, but you gotta play
them in the best of seven. What to me, what's
the difference, Like, you gotta you gotta have to beat
that team at some point.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
Too much attention is is put on what you did
over a course of six months when you played everybody
day in and day out. Once you get into the playoffs,
it's a whole new season, Rob, everyone's owing oh, and
everybody is set up for the next couple of weeks
to bring their best foot forward. And the teams that
(19:46):
continue to play, who continue to hold on to some
type of momentum and some rhythm, there are the teams
that are gonna be tough for to beat because they're
not sitting at home, Rob, like the other guys, as
we're sitting at home four five, six days.
Speaker 7 (20:02):
You can't go home. You can't play baseball.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Over one hundred and sixty two games, you get into
the playoffs, and then you go home and hang out
for five six days. You can't do that. Baseball is
not that kind of sport. It's a sport that we
I have to continuously see that ninety five miles an
hour every day.
Speaker 7 (20:18):
That's the stay on it, you got to it's all.
We're always working, Rob.
Speaker 5 (20:22):
When we come to spring train in the middle of February,
we don't put a bat down. From the first day
you pick up a baseball bat, you do not put
that baseball bat down until October. And it's a daily
it's a daily grind. We're daily at after it, after
it every day you sit down for six days, Rob,
there's gonna be russed, There's.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
No doubt about it. And we got an up score update.
We gonna let Brian Finley tell you about that.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
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 1 (20:55):
You really like the astros. I picked the twins in
this series. Dude, twins have a shot or twins absolutely
have a shot.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
A shot though they absolutely have a shot, They've got
enough offense. But when you get to Rob, when you
get to this point, it always comes down to three things.
Starting pitching, Okay, can you're starting pitcher stay on the corners,
keep the hitters off balance, not give up a lot
(21:24):
of hits runs, keep your team in the ball game.
Speaker 7 (21:26):
Can they do that? Okay?
Speaker 5 (21:27):
But also when you're facing the best pitchers, Rob, they
don't give it. You're not going to have a whole
bunch of opportunities to score. That's why these guys are
the elite pitchers in the game. They don't give you
too many opportunities. So when you get those opportunities, Rob,
you got to take advantage of them. And that's why
we say it's all about pitching, defense and your timely hitting.
(21:47):
Timely hitting. When you get men in scoreing position, can
you push them across the plate? And then defense you
cannot give great teams extra outs.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Can't do it.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
Cannot you cannot give good teams extras. You open that door,
they'll kick it open.
Speaker 7 (22:02):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
And then also Rob, there's something be said about some
of these ballparks that, uh, it's very tough to go
in and play and win.
Speaker 7 (22:11):
Philly is one of those places. It's very tough because the.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
Defense, these guys on defense, trust me, they're hearing everything
about their mom, their dad, their sister, husband wife, not husband,
but wife, you know what I mean, cousins. The Philly
fans are on you relentlessly for for nine innings in
the outfield, and and it takes a toll. It can
take a toll on you.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
No, it can't take a It can take a big
toll on you. I just wonder how about the playoff pressure, Dave,
and you played in the playoffs a lot, You had
a lot of success, You had some big hits all that.
How tough is it? Like, like, like Colos career is
up the bat right now, This dude is a playoff machine.
Like how come some guys just excel uh in the
(22:54):
postseason and other guys they will like they like, is
there is there a mindset to you? Did you did
you approach the game just like you did during the
regular season, or do guys tighten up because they know
their bats mean something.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
I definitely think that guys tighten up. One thing we
used to always try to preach is try to look
at the game as if it's just any normal game,
which is easier said than done.
Speaker 7 (23:18):
Usually early in the game you feel all the hype.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
And everything, but once the game gets going, now we're
just playing a baseball game. Now we're just playing a game.
I used to always think like this, rob is, treat
every at bat like it's the most important bat. Okay, so,
and then in that at bat, take it one pitch
at a time, because all baseball is really is a
(23:42):
series of what individual pitches. So I'm going to focus
for these whatever four seconds that I have on one pitch,
and then when that pitch is over, I'm gonna try
to focus on the next pitch. Simplify it as much
as I can. Don't get caught up in trying to
hit a five hundred foot home run, or don't get
caught up in anything that I'm not used to doing
(24:02):
during the regular season. Don't get caught up in it.
And but a lot of guys do feel the pressure.
They're not because they put to. I think Kershaw, I
think Kershaw is literally is one of those guys because
he is unbelieved. He's one of the greatest pictures of
our generation.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Am I Right? Like, during the regular season and other
than the twenty twenty World Series that they won, he scuffles.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
His career on an average I believe it's two point
fourty eight, two point six eight.
Speaker 7 (24:29):
He's under three, under three, which is Unbelievableich.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Is unbelievable, especially with the amount of offensive players we
have in the game now that are great hitters. But
something about the playoffs, and I think a lot of it.
I don't know if he's a if he's a guy
who reads the papers, or if he listens to talk
to I don't know, because I don't know.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You didn't do that, did you?
Speaker 11 (24:54):
No?
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Read? You didn't listen. You were like I don't want
to know anything.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Ignorance is less. I don't want to what they're saying,
good or bad. But because Kershaw has to know his
reputation for the playoffs, and don't think he doesn't know,
he knows. Don't think that. Prior to Game one, the
questions were not, hey, so it's been a while since
you or why is your earning average? Almost five in postseason?
Speaker 1 (25:19):
But you're under three? Right?
Speaker 7 (25:21):
No? I mean he's almost two and a half.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Right, under three sounds like two point nine No, no, no,
he's two point five six.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
No, It's incredible.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
He's an unbelievable. He's going to go into the Hall
of Fame, Rob and may be considered one of the
worst Big Game pictures ever.
Speaker 7 (25:41):
Rob.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
He's going to go on to Hall of Fame, I
get it. I mean the reputation is one of the
worst Big Game picts.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
And thank god he won the one in twenty twenty,
otherwise it really would be a Doctor jekylin Mister Hyde
kind of situation. Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox.
Is not answering, No, it's is the call up on
the screen is what I'm asking you. Okay, all right,
That's what I'm trying to figure out you. Who is that? Brian?
Speaker 7 (26:06):
Brian from South Carolina?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
All right, you're on the odd couple of Fox Sports Rader.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
What's up, Brian?
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Hey, guys, I just want to call in number one
David Justics being on huge fan loved watching you play.
But so I'm a college I'm a I'm a fat
pitch coach for girls softball, and my girls have played
their whole life, and I can tell you one of
the things you said resonated is you lose your timing
the more time you have off. So when we play,
(26:33):
you have a loser's bracket, and I would much rather
get knocked into a loser's bracket and have my girls
play their way out because there's no break. They just
keep going and going, and they always perform better. If
we finish a pool play at number one seed, we
can sit from noon until five o'clock until we play again,
and their timing is completely right back off again and
you have to get started all over again. So I'm
(26:55):
not a big fan of the buys. I think everybody
should start the playoffs and start playing right away, because again,
it's a different sport. It's a timing sport, and once
you lose your timing, you're just kind of out of luck.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, it is weird on how these teams use your timing.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
Rob you also lose your confidence a little bit, and
we know that in all sports, confidence is key. Confidence
is number one. If you don't feel confident, you're not
going to go out there and perform. And when you
start losing your timing and the baseball goes from being
a beach ball to an eminem, right, confidence is out
the door, dude, And you're.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Right about that beach ball in eminem because if you
get up there and you can't feel it or you
can't see that ball. It's like they throw an as.
I always remember Eric Davis was telling me a story
a former great Cincinnati read. He's telling me awesome. I said,
it was the fastest picture you ever faced. And he
was like Nolan Ryan. He said, he's playing at the Astrodome.
(27:54):
Threw them three straight pitches. He said he didn't see
any of them. Dave, he said he didn't see any
of them. And when the umpire wrung him up on
the last one, he said, was that a strike? And
he said the umpire said, sounded like a strike to me,
and they walked off. He said, man was he? I
didn't face face. No, we weren't doing interleague. I nationally
got ye, there was league during that time.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
I just heard about. But I mean there was some
guys throwing it when I was in there. I mean
Rob Dibble. Rob Dibble was nasty, right, And let's give
some some shout out to some oldor like John Candelaria.
I remember the Candy Many man with the Dodgers lefty
throwing from first base.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
Oh, he was scary and nasty.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Let's squeeze one more in Steve and Phoenix you're on
the couple of Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 11 (28:38):
What up, Steve Hi robbing David to say I'm doing well. Thanks,
And I want to say that I could listen to
David break down baseball for hours and hours and hours.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
You know what, David is a tremendous analyst.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
You know what he worked on television, did the Yankees
on the Yes Network, ESPN now remember you in the
ESPN games. Dave knows what he's doing and he does
his research, which is the best part.
Speaker 11 (29:05):
Absolutely. And I was this Clayton Kershaw postseason. I've been
I've been following sports since I was seven. This is
one of the biggest mysteries of my entire life following
all sports, is what happens to Clayton between the regular
season and the playoffs?
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Right mind Boggley, Yeah, it doesn't make any sense because
he's such a great pitcher. Dave brought it up with
ridiculously low career RRA and that's mixed in with injuries
and some bad, you know, bad patches, and he still
has a ridiculous era career r I mean, Ron, thanks
for the call.
Speaker 5 (29:46):
I think he's in the sixteenth This is sixteenth year,
thirteen of those sixteen years he was under three.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
That's what I'm marry.
Speaker 7 (29:54):
Thirteen of sixteen.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
Years makes like, how are you this dominant? And then
as soon as the playoffs starts, it's like you can't
find it makes no sense?
Speaker 1 (30:02):
All right? Coming up next to here on The Odd Couple,
we'll do a little Shekel City and we'll talk about
the Al East. Maybe we were missing some of the
great teams in the Al East because the Al Least
and the postseason. Dave didn't win one playoff game this
past the playoff season. As we get underway here, it
is The Odd Couple on a Worship Wednesday. Here Rob
(30:26):
Parker along with Dave Justice in for Chris Bussard. We
want you to stick and stay America.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
It is The Odd Couple man Fox Sports Radio on
a Worship Wednesday. We're coming to you live from the
tire rack dot Com studios. The Odd Couples also sponsored
by Discover. If you like using your debit card over credit,
Hey you should also get rewarded, shouldn't you? Well, now
you can with Discover cash Back Debit. It's a checking
(31:12):
account that rewards everyone with cash back on everyday purchases
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in terms at discover dot com slash cash back Debit.
Discover Bank member fdi ce Rob Parker and Dave Justice.
(31:32):
David Justice in for Chris Brussard here on a worship Wednesday,
and you know what, Dave's time for Shekel City.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
Welcome to Shekel City, the whole base for Rob Parker's
Dally Dix against the scrap.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
All right, Dave.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I sent out the Shekel City to social media earlier today.
My best bet was Atlanta minus one and a half runs.
I thought that they had some momentum going. That ain't
gonna work out for me. They're down eight to two.
I picked the Twins minus one and a half runs.
Currently won one game, and you know what, Dave, I'm
gonna go with the Diamondbacks plus one and a half runs.
(32:12):
I know the Dodgers are desperate. Dodgers need to win
to stay alive. A lot of people think that they're
not gonna get swept out. I just don't feel good
about the Dodgers where they are pitching wise, Lynn is
pitching right for them. Who's giving up? Like a million
home runs.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
Led the majors right before I give it forty four
home runs forty four, forty four led the matrix.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Like ridiculous. He's a savior today, He's the savior. Your
season rest on. A guy gives up, go for.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Ball, Rob, I'll tell you a story, agreed.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
All right, i gotta story for Shaco City. Remember, I'm
not telling you who to bet on. I'm telling you
who I bet on, all right, what you got.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
I'm just talking about the confidence and against is always
the next day's pitcher.
Speaker 7 (32:56):
You hear about it.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
That's momentum.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
In two thousand with the Yankees, we gotta fly all
the way to the West coast, Uh the Oakland A's
and they had they pitched that day. Oh Robert just
slipped my mind. But the picture that that they had,
that that pitched that day, we were in the in
the locker room. We were like this, this moment is
(33:19):
too big for this picture, Like y'all really believe that
this guy can shut us down? Like it's too big
and we come out, we score six in the first
we end up winning seven to five.
Speaker 7 (33:30):
Now they were coming, they were coming back, coming, but
we won six.
Speaker 5 (33:34):
And my point of that is is Arizona has Arizona
is sitting at the card table with with with four
aces on three aces in the king. I mean, that's
how they're sitting because they got all the momentum. They
won five for four road games for the road games,
and and it's throughout the whole lineup, and I just
(33:55):
don't think the Dodgers.
Speaker 7 (33:56):
The only way the Dodgers have a.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
Chance today is they've got to get a great performance
by Lynn. But they have to get on top of Arizona.
If Arizona jumps on them, on them and they get
that stadium rock, and it's gonna be hard.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
You know, those people are ready.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
They are ready. They are ready.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
They're ready, just like I didn't think Texas would be able.
Texas had won four in a row, all road games,
the same scenario. I'm like, there's no way they're gonna
come and just sweep Baltimore. You know what I mean.
Baltimore won one hundred games. I was like, Nah, Baltimore
won one game. They're not gonna win the series, but
they'll win a game. They jumped on the Orioles right away,
and that series is over and then the same thing
(34:35):
can happen tonight.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
But again, you have to look at who are the
top two guys in the rotation of all these teams,
and how do I match those top two guys with
the other team's top two guys? Of aaldi of Texas
is on fire? Oh, he is on fire?
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Right?
Speaker 4 (34:52):
And these pitched in big games you picked for the
red side.
Speaker 7 (34:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (34:54):
Again, but Texas has been great offensively pretty much all year.
Speaker 7 (34:58):
Their issues were.
Speaker 5 (34:59):
Main bullpen issues, a little bit in consistency in the bullpen,
but offensively the whole season. Rob they've swung the bats
and now they've put it all together. And again I'm
not surprised by Texas. But I'll tell you what. Next
week we might be sitting here talking about man. Texas
(35:20):
came out flat right, Why didn't they swing the bats?
Speaker 7 (35:22):
And we know what we're gonna say. What they sat
at home?
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Right?
Speaker 11 (35:25):
All right?
Speaker 1 (35:25):
Let me ask you about the Orioles, now, Oriel, the
Al East went oh to seven in the postseason.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
But let's let's think about this.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Dave the al Least had the best record ever for
a division this year. Remember all the teams, right, did
they all finish over five hundred or I know the
Red Sox might have been one, might have been the
only team under. But it was the best record of
any division in the history of baseball because they had
so many good teams. Okay, you know what I mean?
Five point fifty four Okay, but in the playoffs oh
(35:59):
and seven in the al least? Is that because the
Yankees and Red Sox weren't involved seriously or just at
the oils they're a young team. Was it just maybe
the state was too big?
Speaker 5 (36:08):
No, Texas was ready. That's really all it is. Look,
there's two seasons, rob there's the one hundred and sixty
two game season. That season is the goal of that
season is to put ourselves in a position to make
the playoffs. That's the goal of one hundred and sixty
two games. You play everybody, some teams you play more
than others because of your division, but you play everybody,
(36:31):
and now you're in position to go to the playoffs.
But once we get here, now it's the matchups. How
well do we play against that team?
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Right?
Speaker 5 (36:42):
And those points? Yeah, because they might have given us problems.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
All year long, even though we were beating up everybody everybody.
Speaker 5 (36:48):
Else, but they give us issues. See, that's what it
comes down to, Rob. And then it's who can make
the least amount of mistakes because remember we talked earlier,
can't have errors your pitches all of a sudden, can't
come out like Kershaw and throw everything in the middle
of the plate, all right, And you can't rely on
two guys to carry the whole team like Mookie and
(37:11):
Freddy free Freddy Freeman.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
So all right, our number two coming up, and Dave,
I'm gonna talk about something that some fans might not like.
But if they have a great player on the opposition,
I'm not pitching to him at all. We'll talk about
that and much more. It is the odd couple right
here on Fox Sports Radio. Stick and stay