On this week’s edition of Inside the (Rob) Parker, Rob discusses the most egregious MLB All-Star Game snubs, Clayton Kershaw joining the elusive 3,000 strikeout club, and the latest betting scandal to rock the sport of baseball. Later, Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton swings by. Plus, a conversation with The Athletic's Sam Blum, Pocket Protector Central with analytics maven Anthony Masterson, a hot and fresh edition of the Parker Pushback against MLB All-Star Game haters, and Rob's latest appearance on MLB Network.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
From the berkshears to the sound from wherever you live
in MLB America. This is inside the Parker. You give
us twenty two minutes and we'll give you the scoop
on major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame
voter number fifty seven, Rob Parker.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Come on, I've been covering Major League baseball for almost
forty years now, in New York, in Cincinnati, in Detroit,
in LA.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I love this game.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome into the podcast. I'm your host, Rob Parker. What
a show we have for you today. Minnesota Twins center
fielder Byron Buxton, he stops by, plus Sam Blum from
the Athletic. He'll talk Dodgers and Angels. Plus I'll have
a pushback that and much more.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Let's go bad to lead off.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
It's getting rocked and keep him on. Rob's hot take
on the three biggest stories in Major League Baseball. Number one.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
The All Star starters have been announced, and for the
most part, I'm cool with them.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Let's go over them really quickly. I'll go through them.
Kyle Tucker, Pete.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Crow, Armstrong in center, Ronald Lacuna Junior, and wright Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Katel Marte at second base.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Francisco lindoor shortstop, Manny Machado of course third base. This
is all the National League squad show, Hail Tana Aser
DH and Will Smith is behind the plate.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Now let's go to the American League.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Real simple, Vladimir Guerrero Junior at first, Labor Torres at second,
Jacob Wilson at shortstop from the A's, Jose Ramirez third base,
Ryan o' hearn DH from the Orioles, and then in
the outfield we have Riley Green, hoavyer Bajaz in center
(02:09):
field and Aaron Judge in right field. Okay, so I
only have two issues, and my two issues are Harvey
Bijaz in centerfield for the American League, Byron Buxton is
having an unbelievable year in centerfield.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I get the Tigers.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Are a great team, leading the American League and wins
and all of that, and Hobvey Biaz has had a
tremendous bounce back season, but Buston's been doing.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
It with the glove and with the bat. He should
be the.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Starter in centerfield for the American League and the National League.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
My bone to pick is Ronald Lacuna just came back,
and I know.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
He's a fan favorite the Star, but have you watched
the season James Wood has had for the Washington Nationals.
This young kid, only in his second season in the
big leagues. He so feared at the plate that the
other day the Angels walked them four times intentionally in
a game that happens. It's Barry Bonds. So how in
(03:08):
the world could James would not make the starting lineup
for the National League from the Nationals. Other than that,
I can't wait to go to Atlanta for the Home
Run Derby and the All Star Game. Number two, we'll
do a big, deep dive about Clayton Kershar reaching the
three thousand strikeout mark in his major league career with
(03:31):
Sam Bloom. That's coming up, But first I want to
talk to you about the idea that no other picture
in baseball history will reach three thousand strikeouts. That seems
to be the theme, and people are saying it's going
to be impossible with the way managers deal with pitchers,
guys don't pitch complete games and whatnot. I'm just not
convinced to that. I still believe that there's a chance.
(03:54):
I was in Detroit and watched school will strikeout thirteen
and seven innings, a career high, and he didn't pitch
the complete game or anything like that, he still was
able to get strikeouts.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
And Paul Skeins is another guy.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I believe that we'll have a chance to get to
three thousand strikeouts. And here's my only reason why I
forget about their number of innings. It's more that guys
are free swingers and making contact is not that important anymore,
and out as an out whether you strike out or
ground out, so they're not that concerned about it. So
I think there are more chances to strike people out
(04:30):
because guys are willing to swing to hit the ball
out of the ballpark, whereas before it was about contact.
So I'm betting against the idea that no other pitcher.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Will ever get to three thousand strikeouts.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Number three Baseball and gambling.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yes, Luis Ortiz from the Cleveland Guardians has been placed
on non disciplinary paid leave for an investigation involving gambling.
We just found out about Malik Beasley and an investigation
as well about gambling from a couple of years ago.
(05:08):
So gambling and sports is just going to be around.
These stories will not go away, whether it's baseball, football, basketball.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
We've seen this happen. Players banned.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Player was banned in the NBA for gambling, NFL players
were banned for a year for gambling. And baseball we
already know the history with Pete Rose and what a big.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Ordeal that was.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
But pro sports and these leagues are in bed with
gambling houses now, and it's.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
A part of the fabric of the game. And you know,
it's a double message.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Fans, you go ahead, out and bet, but players, you
better not bet. And I get it, they're participating in
the game, they shouldn't bet. But I just think this
is a story that will not be unique and we'll
see more of those, unfortunately when it comes to pro
sports and baseball.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Hear come, that's the big interview.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Listen, hed Lern, it's so good. Now, let's welcome into
the podcast.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Firing Bucks, the center fielder for the Minnesota Twins having
an All Star season. Everybody knows your talent, injuries have
derailed you for most of the last few years. How
did you feel and how important is it is to
be healthy and probably be able to play again?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Uh, I feel good.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Injuries is part of the game, So it's something that
I don't regret. That's what made me, That's what made
me who I am today. So it's all about the
mental toughness of moving that process along and knowing who
you are as a person.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
You want a Gold Glove twenty seventeen All Star twenty
twenty two. Looks like you're having the seasons to do
that in the same season and feeling that way.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
Yeah, I mean when you have a resilient mindset and
like I said, you know who you are as a person,
you know what you can do in the field. There's
nothing that you that can stop you. Your mind is unstopped.
So if you believe in yourself, no matter who believes
to you or not, good things send to happen because
those people are the ones that come out on top.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Did you when you were going through the injuries? Was
the ever a moment except this is just too hard?
Oh my god? Like every time there's something, was there.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Ever a moment where you felt maybe you couldn't.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Get back to who you were?
Speaker 6 (07:21):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (07:23):
I mean yeah, obviously when you have certain if you're
gonna have those moments where when I would get back
to doing the things that I did well and for me,
it took a couple of years. Obviously, having two knee
surgeries back to back. That definitely tested me a little
bit because it took me literally a whole year to
kind of get myself injury freak. And once once I
(07:45):
got into my mind like all right, this is the
process that it's gonna take, whether it's good or the bad,
and you take both ways. Stop worrying about those things
that don't matter, and focused on what I can control.
And that's kind of what's leading me to who I
am to it, you know, focus on what we got
in here, and everything got so nice.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
What do you like for jumping over the fence taking
people's home run or hitting it out yourself?
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Could you do both very well? Which one do you get?
Big defensive person? So robbing a homer, robbing a hit,
whatever situation is. I kind of get the pictures locked
back in to their zone and it changes my memum
momentum of the game a little bit more to when
we do get back into the swing of that's you're
not necessarily that you're not locked in, but you kind
(08:30):
of got a little extra juice when you get up there.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
How about the speed factor?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Obviously you had some leg injuries, but are you still
the fastest guy in the league.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Let my work do business like I ain't heard nobody
tell me to line up, so I'm assuming I am okay.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
And what would it mean to you to make the
All Star team? Hope you long will be in Atlanta?
How special would that be?
Speaker 5 (08:55):
They're special? Obviously been from Georgia, got the family there.
Last Star Star game, I had two kids. I got
three now, So to be able to experience that with
everybody in the family, that'll be special, you know, especially
to be able to go home and have the family there.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
And the last thing, just the season on a whole,
the injury part of it just behind you and you're
just out there playing, not thinking about what was the
past and just kind of I'm back, I'm playing, I'm
healthy and just going out there. How do you just
at the mindset?
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Uh, one day at a time. I don't look no
farther like. It's one thing that has gotten me to
where I am at this point. So take it one
day at a time, control what I can control.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And go all right.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Alvin Buckston, well, we'll see him in Atlanta at the
All Star Game.
Speaker 7 (09:48):
It's the Gambler here, vice president of Operations for mlbbro
dot Com and executive producer of the MLB Bro Show
podcast the Mixtape Every you heard that right. Every Friday,
we bring you the best from the world of Black
and Brown baseball. We cover the seven point two percent
(10:09):
of melanated Major leaguers from soup to nuts, but with
our own cultural flair and unique voice, will take you
on a ride reflecting on the accomplishment, clutch moments, and
contributions to culture that the Bros continue to breathe into baseball.
From Mookie Wilson to Mookie Betts, Doctor k to Doctor Styx,
(10:32):
from Bro Bombs to stolen bases to Black Aces. We're
live at the ballparks and also bringing you segments like
Classic Hits with David Grubb, the Black Ace Report, the Rundown,
the Walk Off, and Going Deep, just to name a
few of the segments that truly capture the voice of
black baseball. If things get out of hand, as the
(10:53):
Boss Rob Parker, he's kicking up dust, we will gladly
pay you on Tuesday from an mL BRO doubleheader today. Remember,
the heart of the game lies in the diversity of
the game and the spirit of black baseball that dates
back to the Negro leagues. I've the Gambler, your friendly
neighborhood diamond checker, making sure that you stay on top
(11:15):
of the game and in touch with the soul of MLB,
fucking up for a wild baseball journey, showing respect to
the Ogs and highlighting the new breed of melanated Malma Robins.
First thing through MLB's pipeline, all pitching with the sound
of Black baseball. We got the best starting five in
the business. Listen to the MLB bro Show podcast the
(11:39):
Mixtape on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
It's time for the Pocket Protector Centro, the analytic numbers
you need to know? Well, maybe Anthony Masterson is his name.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
BS analytics is his game.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
What do you got for me, Anthony.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
We've reached the halfway point of the regular season, which
is always a fun time to take stock of what
we've been watching over the first three months of the
baseball season. The Tigers they're for real, the Braves they're not.
And a guy named Big Dumper is the new Berry
Bonds Let's Dive in Detroit is on their way to
their first division title in eleven years thanks to a
top five offense combined with the top five pitching staff
(12:22):
led by raigning Salum Award winner Trek Scoobel, who could
become the first pitcher to win back to back size
in the American League since Pedro Martinez in ninety nine
to two thousand. He's gone ten to zero with a
one to seventy four ERA and a one twenty eight
to ten Kato walk ratio over his last fifteen starts.
By the way, Aaron Judge is not chasing four hundred anymore,
(12:42):
but he's still on pace to become the first Yankee
to win a batting title in a full season since
Bernie Williams in nineteen ninety eight. If you look at
his ops plus, a metric that helps us compare players
between eras, take it into account things like home ballpark
and league gaverage. Where the baseline number is one hundred,
Judge owns an ops plus of two twenty nine, meaning
he's one hundred and twenty nine percent better than legue average.
(13:05):
In fact, that two twenty nine number is so high
only two other players in the AL have ever reached it.
Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Now it brings us to
the aforementioned Big Dumper. Seattle catcher Cal Rawley has already
said the record for most homers by a catcher and
by a switchhair before the All Star break and has
a chance at Barry Bond's pre break record of thirty
nine set in two thousand and one. The full season
(13:27):
catcher record is forty eight by Sal Perez in twenty
twenty one, and the switch hitter record is fifty four
for Mickey Mantle in nineteen sixty one. Big Dumper might
etch his name in the record books. Now what else
can we expect? From twenty twenty five?
Speaker 1 (13:40):
When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this motto.
If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer
or broadcaster, old or new. Now let's welcome into the podcast.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Sam Blum.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
He is a baseball writer for the Athletics. Sam, always
a pleasure. Thanks for joining us, my man.
Speaker 8 (13:59):
Of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
I appreciate it always.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Let's start here.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You were at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, Kershaw finally
broke through the three thousand strikeout mark. Not many have
done it. Nineteen in I think he became what the
twentieth pitcher to do. So what just talk about the
moment in Kershaw and the idea of journey an exclusive
club and I think only four left handers have done it.
Speaker 9 (14:26):
Yeah, you know, it was so cool last night because
of how much drama he kind of made it out
to be. I mean, you know, I think in the
first five innings he had thirteen two strike counts and
only one strikeout to show for it. It's for everybody,
you know, it just built up this like restlessness in
the crowd, Like, you know, this tension. Everybody came to
the ballpark. It was supposed to be this preordained. You know,
he's gonna get there. It's the White Sox. He needs
(14:47):
three strikeouts. This is his whole family, all his friends,
all his former teammates, like everyone's there for this.
Speaker 8 (14:53):
And then he's not getting there, and it's like the pitch.
Speaker 9 (14:55):
Count's getting up, and you know, the bullpen's warming up,
and there's just so many things that are kind of
all playing it at the same time.
Speaker 8 (15:01):
And then in the last batter that he's going to face,
he ends up.
Speaker 9 (15:03):
Getting the strike out on a you know, a called
third strike looking on a slider on the outside corner,
and it's like and it ended in inning, and it
was just like this perfect moment after a night of anxiety.
He like finishes this off in this perfect way. I mean,
he couldn't script it any better. And yeah, I mean
I think I've been to a lot of Dodgers games,
and you know, you don't often see that ballpark full
for the first pitch, and it gets full, but it
(15:25):
doesn't always get there by the first pitch. But everybody
was there in their seats for the start of that game,
and it was just, yeah, it was just like a
different type of atmosphere. Felt it felt like even more
than a playoff game in certain ways, Like I've been
to playoff games there and this was, honestly, I think
elevated above that in a lot of ways, just because
of how how important Clinton Pershaw is to the Dodgers.
I mean, he just you know, to that fan base,
(15:46):
he is he is everything.
Speaker 8 (15:47):
So it was really cool, there's.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
No doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
And I was gonna say that that that is a
testament to him that they've even stuck with him over
the last few years with the injuries and whatnot, and
that basically he wasn't going anywhere if the Dodgers had
anything to do with it. So I'm not shocked at
the response for him, and that's a great night, you know,
a great night at Dodgers Stadium and for Clayton Kershaw.
(16:12):
Our guess is Sam Blum from The Athletic. He also
covers the Los Angeles Angels, and I want to turn
the page there, Sam, boy, what a season it has
been and a couple of things to talk about. First,
Let's start with Ron Washington and what do we really know?
I know he stepped away for the rest of the
year with a health concern. How much do we really
(16:33):
know about Ron and his condition?
Speaker 9 (16:35):
You know, not a ton and I think that's by design.
I mean, he doesn't really want to discuss it right now,
from my understanding, and so, you know, just out of respect. Uh,
you know, there's just not a lot out there, I think.
And what I will say is, you know, I've communicated
with him a little bit.
Speaker 8 (16:49):
It sounds like he's in good spirits.
Speaker 9 (16:51):
I think, you know, he's navigating a really really serious situation.
I mean, that's the you know, My understanding is that
they feel like they caught something before it got So
there's there there is some positivity to this whole you know, situation,
but ultimately, you know, it's Ron Washington is an icon,
you know that. I mean everybody that dad knows him
knows that. I think for me, like, you know, covering
(17:13):
him it's a privilege because it's you know, I cover
a lot of different major league teams that come through.
You know, you travel to see them, and you know,
there's no manager like him. There's just nobody that that
gives you the time of day the way he does.
There's nobody that just will you know, talk baseball the
way that he does. I really respect and I've really
just grown, you know, a huge amount of respect for him.
(17:33):
You know, people can question on the field stuff all
they want, but I think that he transcends it in
so many ways. And so yeah, to me, like I
think everyone just hopes he's okay, and whether or not
he ever manages another baseball game is very secondary at
this point in my opinion. Uh, you know, you just
got to get healthy, and you know, for him, this
is his life.
Speaker 8 (17:52):
Baseball is his life.
Speaker 9 (17:52):
I'm sure this is really difficult for him, but you know,
right now he's got to focus and prioritize his his
his life and you know, getting through this and and
you know, so in terms of exactly what he's dealing with,
you know, I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't
want to say too much anyway, just because I don't
think it's my place. But you know, I hope he's okay,
and I hope that he navigates through this.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
I'm with you, you know. I spent time a lot
down there in Anaheim and try to talk to him
as much as I can. I'm with you on that,
and loving prayers going out to Ron Washington from inside
the park and me personally. And it's a shame from
this standpoint that the team had turned around. Ron had
to going in a right direction, and you know they
(18:35):
still are. They're around hovering around five hundred. We've seen
this team go on the road and get some big
time wins and sweep some series and do stuff. The
Angels to me, took a step this year and it's
been it's been a good watch.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Where are you one the Angels and what's happened?
Speaker 9 (18:54):
Yeah, I mean, I think your hundred percent right, and
they've taken a step and there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 8 (18:57):
And I think it's been on the back.
Speaker 9 (18:58):
Of their young players, you know.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
Who've like a Nolan Shanawal, Joe Deell. I'm sure we'll
talk about more, but you know, a lot.
Speaker 9 (19:05):
Of these guys who've you know, there have been a
lot of question marks surrounding their abilities, have actually performed
a lot better. Bullpen has been good. I mean, that's
been the biggest thing I think for them. And they
started at the season seventeen and twenty five, it looked
like it was going in the exact same direction that
it always does, and then their bullpen really stepped up.
I mean, that's to me been the biggest difference. But yeah,
(19:26):
I mean in terms of like how real it is,
what it means for their for their season, I mean,
it's a really interesting spot they're in right now because
I believe they're a game and a half maybe two
games out of the wild card. You know, you're sitting
here in early July with the trade deadline coming up
in just about four weeks.
Speaker 8 (19:42):
And so you ask the question, what do you what
do you do with this?
Speaker 9 (19:45):
And that's that's gonna be really interesting for the Angels
because you can make a lot of different arguments in
different directions.
Speaker 8 (19:49):
I mean, if if in you know, three four weeks,
they feel like they're.
Speaker 9 (19:54):
Right there, you know, I don't know if you're buyers,
but I certainly don't think you're sellers. If you're a
few games out, do you do you roll the dice?
I mean, I would say you probably shouldn't, just given
some of them. I would also say that some of
the metrics you know, we would tell it would suggest
the Angels are probably not going to be able to sustain,
you know, a five hundred record or a playoff caliber season.
(20:14):
But then again, the American League so weak, I don't know,
They're run differential is quite poor. They they've been I
would say lucky in terms of health right like their
entire They're the only team in baseball that's kept the
same five starting pitchers the entire season, I think, by
a long long shot right now. And you know last
year the used eighteen starting pitchers. So to me, you know,
they've had some things break in their favor, and you know,
(20:36):
any good front office would you know, assess that for
what it is, realize that over one hundred and sixty
two games, you know, it's it's unlikely to continue. So
I think that they're they're in a tough spot where
you know, you're so close to what you want to be,
but you also have to think about the long term
and you know, what is that What does that look
like when you get to the trade deadline and you
know the direction you want to go in as a
(20:56):
franchise because every year at that time, that is a
moment for self assessment.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
And Sam Blum from The Athletic last thing I want
to ask you about Joe Adell, who I believe had
eleven home runs in June, which was tied with the
most for the month of June in baseball. He's really
taking a step forward and looks like the player that
they hoped that he could turn into.
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Yeah, I mean, the thing to me is like, it's
not even the home runs. It is the walks.
Speaker 9 (21:23):
Is the at bats that he's taking that are are
just good. He is a hard person to get out
right now. And it is not just because he's a
home run threat. It's like he's hitting the ball hard
all over the field. He's not striking out.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
You know.
Speaker 9 (21:35):
I remember talking to him like two some odd years
ago where he kind of just said, like, strikeouts are
going to be a big part of my game because
I'm a power hitter, and like I'm willing to accept
that element of it. And I think it's been the
best thing in his career that he hasn't that that
was not true, and that he has come out and
realized that he does not need to be a strikeout hitter.
He can be just an all fields hitter, and that
(21:55):
is exactly what he is right now. He's got power
at every part of the ballpark. The thing about about
Adella is he's run hot and cold a lot over
his career. He's had stretches where he's looked really good.
This is different, in my opinion, because some of these
elements seem way more sustainable than some of you know,
when he usually when he gets hot, it's usually home run,
home run, home run, and then just like tons of
strikeouts for like a month and a half straight. This
doesn't seem like it's going in that direction. Hopefully it doesn't,
(22:18):
and hopefully he's able to sustain this. He might not
be the greatest hiter in baseball for the next three months,
but if you can have a guy that's regularly getting
on base, is a threat in the lineup like he's been,
then that's really all you can ask for. And I
think for a dell like there's been a lot of
really good change that he's made and he deserves a
ton of credit for being proactive and doing that.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Sam Blum, he covers baseball for the Athletic, appreciate the
insight and the knowledge.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
My man. We'll see you out at the ballpark. Thank you, Sam.
Speaker 8 (22:46):
Of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 9 (22:47):
Ro.
Speaker 8 (22:47):
It's good seeing you show down time.
Speaker 10 (22:50):
We bring in our good friend Rob Parker. Rob up
it out here for about an hour and a half.
This is like in the gym where you're like the
fifth guy. I got a spar with I'm a little
shot right now, and you're nice and fresh.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
You're ready to go.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I am ready to go.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
I hope you worked up and worked over like a
murder rod.
Speaker 10 (23:06):
Like you don't feel badly. It's like, no, maybe I'll
take it easy. No, I think I'll pummel you all right.
I don't know where you stand on this. We're gonna
talk about jerks and Profar. He's eligible to come back
from his drug suspension tonight for the Braves. Is eighty
games enough to disincentivize players from taking peds?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I think it is. We gotta be real careful. People
make mistakes. I always remember the late great Bob Murphy
who was the Mets announcer for a long time, and
he used to always say, that's why they put erasers
on pencils, because people make mistakes.
Speaker 10 (23:40):
We don't want to be some unintentional mistake.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
No, this isn't just I didn't know it was there
to mostly.
Speaker 10 (23:46):
Come on, the guys who are failing drug tests.
Speaker 8 (23:48):
You gotta be.
Speaker 10 (23:49):
Taken something you're not supposed to be taken to cycle off.
It takes a lot to fail a drug test in
this day and age. Yes, come on, it's not just
a simple mistake.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
No, But my point is that people do make mistakes.
They make they do things that they shouldn't do. And
my point is you get penalized, you're gonna be ostracized.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
He's gonna miss.
Speaker 10 (24:12):
But I don't know, I don't I don't know. Is
there is there like pressure within the player's code, but
within that group, I don't know about that. And even
a guy like yes, when Tatis failed a drug test
or Robbie Keno did a big time player. But these
guys that are slightly under the radar, like I even forget,
like half the guys that come back, Oh yeah he.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Had a drug suspension.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
Profar.
Speaker 10 (24:33):
Maybe it's a little bigger because the braves were swooning.
But I don't know. They come back again, they do
their time. It's eighty games. I'm wondering. I don't think
eighty games is quite enough. That's my thought. Now, the
fact that he's knowledgeable for the playoffs that changes things slightly.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
That's a penalty, that's the big penalty. But I don't
I mean, what are you gonna do? Ban them for life?
I don't think we should be doing.
Speaker 8 (24:52):
The third time.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Well here is that you do.
Speaker 10 (24:54):
You do eighty right, then you do a full year
one sixty two, then you do life and it seems
like wow, banned for life. That note obviously that's very serious.
That's the third time through. Maybe start it one year
and then go to life. That would disincentivize guys.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
No, I still think BK, you would still have people
who ultimately or at some point you'll have people who
fail the test.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
I don't think that.
Speaker 10 (25:20):
And then you see we look up if you failed content.
If it was if there were two tests in your
band for life, and after that first time you got dinged,
it would stop dead, because then you lose your whole contract.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
See.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
I don't agree with that.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
I think people we see this in society all the time,
and people still wind up doing things that they're not
supposed to do.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
I don't believe that if that was.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
The case, we wouldn't have anybody in prison now because
they know.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
That the penalty.
Speaker 8 (25:46):
This is not an addiction.
Speaker 10 (25:48):
Is this is guys getting shacked up.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
It's helping them professionally.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Yeah, but I.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Also think that we have to give people some room
to be better, is what I'm saying to you. B
K Okay, you made a mistake. You might have been
a young guy. Do we want to throw people away?
Did we want to throw for nat?
Speaker 1 (26:06):
He wasn't a young guy. We're not throwing them away.
They get three chances?
Speaker 10 (26:09):
How about giving him two? I think it would disincentivized.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
All right, Know how many.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Chances do you get in baseball?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
You get three strikes, not two strikes.
Speaker 10 (26:16):
You can't rewrite the game, Yes you can. It used
to be a ten game suspension.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
It used to be a ten game suspension for the
family of drug test.
Speaker 10 (26:24):
Now it's a lot more anyway, all right, where do
you stand on this? They're kind of floating this the Giants.
You know, on radio, Larry bar their longtime CEO, very
respected guy, flew out that said, hey, you know Barry Bonds,
he's probably next for a statue. Where do you stand
on that?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Build two statues? I mean one. I mean, like, I'm
serious from this standpoint, b K. When I look up
the all time home run leader in Major League Baseball,
guess whose name is on the list right here?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
It's Barry Bonds.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
And you could say, am I being naive?
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think he took juice?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Yes? I do.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
But if you're gonna count all the stats and you're
not taking away any Red Sox World Series and Big
Poppy and Manny Ramirez, and you're not taking away any
Yankee stuff and all this other stuff, I don't hear
fans crying to take away Yankees World Series, Red Sox
World Series and other stuff that went on during this era.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
So if he was.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Never suspended by Baseball and all his numbers count, I
can't stand in the way of a statue.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
I believe he deserves one. You know, you gotta be consistent, BK.
Be consistent.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
You want the Yankee to give back their World series
in the nineties.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Why for who?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
For who?
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Who is it?
Speaker 10 (27:43):
Why do they have to give it back?
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Well a rod and then two thousand and nine they
won a World.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Six two thousand and nine.
Speaker 10 (27:49):
All right, yeah, no, all right, you can't hall of you,
you can't undo it. But it's not as if the
statue is going up organically. You're making a choice to
turn a human being into an icon. And you want
to turn Barry Bonds into an icon that this is
what this is the best of the best, this is
what we aspire to be. Come on, you're really gonna
(28:10):
put him up there after he's systemically cheated with a
regime for years. It wasn't a mistake, it wasn't a
one time thing. It was year after year. You want
to turn that guy into an icon.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
For all to see.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
This is what we glorify.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Really, But BK, people have flaws, and no one is
saying we're white watching.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
History or we're not going to talk about what went on.
But the idea that this guy his records count.
Speaker 10 (28:37):
If you told me that and they do count, but
you don't have to get a statue for him. He
did and I've said too. He got into the Giants
Hall of Fame. They had a day for him, they
paraded him around that do that every year. Fine, you
love him, he was good for he was great for
you the Giants. But putting a statue up, yeah, that's
just yeah, that's way too much.
Speaker 9 (28:56):
Wait.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Let me say, I want to make one more point.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Did you the reception that Sammy Sosa god when he
came back to Wrigley for the first time in twenty
one years? And you know, you could be a stickler
for all these other things, but fans, you know what
they remember, They remember what Sammy Sosa.
Speaker 10 (29:16):
How they want to statue for Sammy. You want to
statue for him.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
To my point is they didn't boost Sammy Sosa. They
gave him an ovation, give him he.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Let him come out.
Speaker 10 (29:25):
I don't want him to be a pariah. I don't
want Rogers to a pariah. I don't want to go
through their garbage. I don't want them arrested. I don't
want them in front of a grand jury. I just say,
do you have to build them a statue?
Speaker 1 (29:35):
You don't have to.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
B kay, as long as you tell the entire story
of people, I'm okay with that. We have plenty of
statues in this country of people who did some bad stuff.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
And a lot of them were torn down.
Speaker 10 (29:50):
A lot of them were torn down, right, there was
not part of the reckoning, like you know what this
guy that were glorifying, Let's not do that, right.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yes, but there's still other statues.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
That are up. Go get them.
Speaker 10 (30:00):
You go get them, and I won't build a bond statue.
How about that, Well, we gotta go. We can tell you.
I just already don't have the moral energy to go
after this. But it's like I have to just can't
let this pass. I would again, it's like a Hall
of Fame vote. I would try to choose to honor
a clean player. That's all I'm saying. I don't want
to haunt these guys.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
I don't shame them saying that.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
You know, they were already players in the in the hall.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
It's too late.
Speaker 10 (30:24):
I don't need to hunt these guys down. I'm not
a narch. I don't have to hunt them down. Why, well,
it's too late.
Speaker 8 (30:28):
They're in there honored.
Speaker 10 (30:29):
I'm fine, but as far as hey, let's build them
all statues. No, how about not? How about we don't
do no?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
No. If you're not going to clean it up and
get everybody right, then there's no reason.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Bonds can't have a statue.
Speaker 10 (30:41):
I'm gonna get the statue ready for jerks and profar
Then all right, Rob, good talking to you again.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
We can disagree.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
I still like it.
Speaker 9 (30:48):
This is blowing.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It's the Parker pushback. Shut the Rob tackles the outlandish
takes in Major League Baseball. You idiot, shut up.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
I'm Rob, and here's my pushback on those who think
that all All Star games are creating equal because it
is just not the case.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Are you kidding?
Speaker 2 (31:12):
We just got the All Star starters in both the
American and National League. The all stary festivity start, of
course in Atlanta with the home run derby and then
the game on that Tuesday night in Atlanta in less
than two weeks.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
Can't wait for that.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
And while people are tired of the NBA All Star Game,
we already know the Pro Bowl was canceled and changed
into flag football, and the NHL All Star Game is
not a real hockey game where teams win games thirteen
or eleven in goals. I mean, come on, that's not
a hockey game at all.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
But the Baseball All Star Game still is the way
that the game is played.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Nobody throws the ball softer, nobody tries not to hit,
or it's not home run derby lobbing the ball up.
They're still making plays. It's still the most original way
that you play the game. There's still something to it.
So while the other All Star Games are on their
way out, there's nothing wrong with the Baseball All Star Game.
(32:17):
Leave it the way it is, continue playing it the
way it's been played. And all these other people bellyaching
about get rid of the Baseball All Star Game two,
I'm pushing back. In the words of New York TV
(32:38):
legend the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your time
this time until next time.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Rob Parker out d can't get it. This could be
an inside of Parker.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
See you next week, same bat time, from same Matt's station.
From the berkshears to the sound from wherever you live
in MLB America. This is inside the Parker. You give
us twenty two minutes and we'll give you the scoop
on major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame
voter number fifty seven, Rob Parker.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Come on, I've been covering Major League baseball for almost
forty years now, in New York, in Cincinnati, in Detroit,
in LA.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I love this game.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome into the podcast. I'm your host, Rob Parker. What
a show we have for you today. Minnesota Twins center
fielder Byron Buxton, he stops by, plus Sam Blum from
the Athletic. He'll talk Dodgers and Angels. Plus I'll have
a pushback that and much more.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Let's go bad to lead off.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
It's getting rocked and keep him on. Rob's hot take
on the three biggest stories in Major League Baseball. Number one.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
The All Star starters have been announced, and for the
most part, I'm cool with them.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Let's go over them really quickly. I'll go through them.
Kyle Tucker, Pete.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Crow, Armstrong in center, Ronald Lacuna Junior, and wright Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Katel Marte at second base.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Francisco lindoor shortstop, Manny Machado of course third base. This
is all the National League squad show, Hail Tana Aser
DH and Will Smith is behind the plate.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Now let's go to the American League.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Real simple, Vladimir Guerrero Junior at first, Labor Torres at second,
Jacob Wilson at shortstop from the A's, Jose Ramirez third base,
Ryan o' hearn DH from the Orioles, and then in
the outfield we have Riley Green, hoavyer Bajaz in center
(02:09):
field and Aaron Judge in right field. Okay, so I
only have two issues, and my two issues are Harvey
Bijaz in centerfield for the American League, Byron Buxton is
having an unbelievable year in centerfield.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I get the Tigers.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Are a great team, leading the American League and wins
and all of that, and Hobvey Biaz has had a
tremendous bounce back season, but Buston's been doing.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
It with the glove and with the bat. He should
be the.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Starter in centerfield for the American League and the National League.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
My bone to pick is Ronald Lacuna just came back,
and I know.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
He's a fan favorite the Star, but have you watched
the season James Wood has had for the Washington Nationals.
This young kid, only in his second season in the
big leagues. He so feared at the plate that the
other day the Angels walked them four times intentionally in
a game that happens. It's Barry Bonds. So how in
(03:08):
the world could James would not make the starting lineup
for the National League from the Nationals. Other than that,
I can't wait to go to Atlanta for the Home
Run Derby and the All Star Game. Number two, we'll
do a big, deep dive about Clayton Kershar reaching the
three thousand strikeout mark in his major league career with
(03:31):
Sam Bloom. That's coming up, But first I want to
talk to you about the idea that no other picture
in baseball history will reach three thousand strikeouts. That seems
to be the theme, and people are saying it's going
to be impossible with the way managers deal with pitchers,
guys don't pitch complete games and whatnot. I'm just not
convinced to that. I still believe that there's a chance.
(03:54):
I was in Detroit and watched school will strikeout thirteen
and seven innings, a career high, and he didn't pitch
the complete game or anything like that, he still was
able to get strikeouts.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
And Paul Skeins is another guy.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I believe that we'll have a chance to get to
three thousand strikeouts. And here's my only reason why I
forget about their number of innings. It's more that guys
are free swingers and making contact is not that important anymore,
and out as an out whether you strike out or
ground out, so they're not that concerned about it. So
I think there are more chances to strike people out
(04:30):
because guys are willing to swing to hit the ball
out of the ballpark, whereas before it was about contact.
So I'm betting against the idea that no other pitcher.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Will ever get to three thousand strikeouts.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Number three Baseball and gambling.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yes, Luis Ortiz from the Cleveland Guardians has been placed
on non disciplinary paid leave for an investigation involving gambling.
We just found out about Malik Beasley and an investigation
as well about gambling from a couple of years ago.
(05:08):
So gambling and sports is just going to be around.
These stories will not go away, whether it's baseball, football, basketball.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
We've seen this happen. Players banned.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Player was banned in the NBA for gambling, NFL players
were banned for a year for gambling. And baseball we
already know the history with Pete Rose and what a big.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Ordeal that was.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
But pro sports and these leagues are in bed with
gambling houses now, and it's.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
A part of the fabric of the game. And you know,
it's a double message.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Fans, you go ahead, out and bet, but players, you
better not bet. And I get it, they're participating in
the game, they shouldn't bet. But I just think this
is a story that will not be unique and we'll
see more of those, unfortunately when it comes to pro
sports and baseball.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Hear come, that's the big interview.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Listen, hed Lern, it's so good. Now, let's welcome into
the podcast.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Firing Bucks, the center fielder for the Minnesota Twins having
an All Star season. Everybody knows your talent, injuries have
derailed you for most of the last few years. How
did you feel and how important is it is to
be healthy and probably be able to play again?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Uh, I feel good.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Injuries is part of the game, So it's something that
I don't regret. That's what made me, That's what made
me who I am today. So it's all about the
mental toughness of moving that process along and knowing who
you are as a person.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
You want a Gold Glove twenty seventeen All Star twenty
twenty two. Looks like you're having the seasons to do
that in the same season and feeling that way.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
Yeah, I mean when you have a resilient mindset and
like I said, you know who you are as a person,
you know what you can do in the field. There's
nothing that you that can stop you. Your mind is unstopped.
So if you believe in yourself, no matter who believes
to you or not, good things send to happen because
those people are the ones that come out on top.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Did you when you were going through the injuries? Was
the ever a moment except this is just too hard?
Oh my god? Like every time there's something, was there.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Ever a moment where you felt maybe you couldn't.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Get back to who you were?
Speaker 6 (07:21):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (07:23):
I mean yeah, obviously when you have certain if you're
gonna have those moments where when I would get back
to doing the things that I did well and for me,
it took a couple of years. Obviously, having two knee
surgeries back to back. That definitely tested me a little
bit because it took me literally a whole year to
kind of get myself injury freak. And once once I
(07:45):
got into my mind like all right, this is the
process that it's gonna take, whether it's good or the bad,
and you take both ways. Stop worrying about those things
that don't matter, and focused on what I can control.
And that's kind of what's leading me to who I
am to it, you know, focus on what we got
in here, and everything got so nice.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
What do you like for jumping over the fence taking
people's home run or hitting it out yourself?
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Could you do both very well? Which one do you get?
Big defensive person? So robbing a homer, robbing a hit,
whatever situation is. I kind of get the pictures locked
back in to their zone and it changes my memum
momentum of the game a little bit more to when
we do get back into the swing of that's you're
not necessarily that you're not locked in, but you kind
(08:30):
of got a little extra juice when you get up there.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
How about the speed factor?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Obviously you had some leg injuries, but are you still
the fastest guy in the league.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Let my work do business like I ain't heard nobody
tell me to line up, so I'm assuming I am okay.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
And what would it mean to you to make the
All Star team? Hope you long will be in Atlanta?
How special would that be?
Speaker 5 (08:55):
They're special? Obviously been from Georgia, got the family there.
Last Star Star game, I had two kids. I got
three now, So to be able to experience that with
everybody in the family, that'll be special, you know, especially
to be able to go home and have the family there.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
And the last thing, just the season on a whole,
the injury part of it just behind you and you're
just out there playing, not thinking about what was the
past and just kind of I'm back, I'm playing, I'm
healthy and just going out there. How do you just
at the mindset?
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Uh, one day at a time. I don't look no
farther like. It's one thing that has gotten me to
where I am at this point. So take it one
day at a time, control what I can control.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And go all right.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Alvin Buckston, well, we'll see him in Atlanta at the
All Star Game.
Speaker 7 (09:48):
It's the Gambler here, vice president of Operations for mlbbro
dot Com and executive producer of the MLB Bro Show
podcast the Mixtape Every you heard that right. Every Friday,
we bring you the best from the world of Black
and Brown baseball. We cover the seven point two percent
(10:09):
of melanated Major leaguers from soup to nuts, but with
our own cultural flair and unique voice, will take you
on a ride reflecting on the accomplishment, clutch moments, and
contributions to culture that the Bros continue to breathe into baseball.
From Mookie Wilson to Mookie Betts, Doctor k to Doctor Styx,
(10:32):
from Bro Bombs to stolen bases to Black Aces. We're
live at the ballparks and also bringing you segments like
Classic Hits with David Grubb, the Black Ace Report, the Rundown,
the Walk Off, and Going Deep, just to name a
few of the segments that truly capture the voice of
black baseball. If things get out of hand, as the
(10:53):
Boss Rob Parker, he's kicking up dust, we will gladly
pay you on Tuesday from an mL BRO doubleheader today. Remember,
the heart of the game lies in the diversity of
the game and the spirit of black baseball that dates
back to the Negro leagues. I've the Gambler, your friendly
neighborhood diamond checker, making sure that you stay on top
(11:15):
of the game and in touch with the soul of MLB,
fucking up for a wild baseball journey, showing respect to
the Ogs and highlighting the new breed of melanated Malma Robins.
First thing through MLB's pipeline, all pitching with the sound
of Black baseball. We got the best starting five in
the business. Listen to the MLB bro Show podcast the
(11:39):
Mixtape on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
It's time for the Pocket Protector Centro, the analytic numbers
you need to know? Well, maybe Anthony Masterson is his name.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
BS analytics is his game.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
What do you got for me, Anthony.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
We've reached the halfway point of the regular season, which
is always a fun time to take stock of what
we've been watching over the first three months of the
baseball season. The Tigers they're for real, the Braves they're not.
And a guy named Big Dumper is the new Berry
Bonds Let's Dive in Detroit is on their way to
their first division title in eleven years thanks to a
top five offense combined with the top five pitching staff
(12:22):
led by raigning Salum Award winner Trek Scoobel, who could
become the first pitcher to win back to back size
in the American League since Pedro Martinez in ninety nine
to two thousand. He's gone ten to zero with a
one to seventy four ERA and a one twenty eight
to ten Kato walk ratio over his last fifteen starts.
By the way, Aaron Judge is not chasing four hundred anymore,
(12:42):
but he's still on pace to become the first Yankee
to win a batting title in a full season since
Bernie Williams in nineteen ninety eight. If you look at
his ops plus, a metric that helps us compare players
between eras, take it into account things like home ballpark
and league gaverage. Where the baseline number is one hundred,
Judge owns an ops plus of two twenty nine, meaning
he's one hundred and twenty nine percent better than legue average.
(13:05):
In fact, that two twenty nine number is so high
only two other players in the AL have ever reached it.
Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Now it brings us to
the aforementioned Big Dumper. Seattle catcher Cal Rawley has already
said the record for most homers by a catcher and
by a switchhair before the All Star break and has
a chance at Barry Bond's pre break record of thirty
nine set in two thousand and one. The full season
(13:27):
catcher record is forty eight by Sal Perez in twenty
twenty one, and the switch hitter record is fifty four
for Mickey Mantle in nineteen sixty one. Big Dumper might
etch his name in the record books. Now what else
can we expect? From twenty twenty five?
Speaker 1 (13:40):
When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this motto.
If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer
or broadcaster, old or new. Now let's welcome into the podcast.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Sam Blum.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
He is a baseball writer for the Athletics. Sam, always
a pleasure. Thanks for joining us, my man.
Speaker 8 (13:59):
Of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
I appreciate it always.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Let's start here.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You were at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, Kershaw finally
broke through the three thousand strikeout mark. Not many have
done it. Nineteen in I think he became what the
twentieth pitcher to do. So what just talk about the
moment in Kershaw and the idea of journey an exclusive
club and I think only four left handers have done it.
Speaker 9 (14:26):
Yeah, you know, it was so cool last night because
of how much drama he kind of made it out
to be. I mean, you know, I think in the
first five innings he had thirteen two strike counts and
only one strikeout to show for it. It's for everybody,
you know, it just built up this like restlessness in
the crowd, Like, you know, this tension. Everybody came to
the ballpark. It was supposed to be this preordained. You know,
he's gonna get there. It's the White Sox. He needs
(14:47):
three strikeouts. This is his whole family, all his friends,
all his former teammates, like everyone's there for this.
Speaker 8 (14:53):
And then he's not getting there, and it's like the pitch.
Speaker 9 (14:55):
Count's getting up, and you know, the bullpen's warming up,
and there's just so many things that are kind of
all playing it at the same time.
Speaker 8 (15:01):
And then in the last batter that he's going to face,
he ends up.
Speaker 9 (15:03):
Getting the strike out on a you know, a called
third strike looking on a slider on the outside corner,
and it's like and it ended in inning, and it
was just like this perfect moment after a night of anxiety.
He like finishes this off in this perfect way. I mean,
he couldn't script it any better. And yeah, I mean
I think I've been to a lot of Dodgers games,
and you know, you don't often see that ballpark full
for the first pitch, and it gets full, but it
(15:25):
doesn't always get there by the first pitch. But everybody
was there in their seats for the start of that game,
and it was just, yeah, it was just like a
different type of atmosphere. Felt it felt like even more
than a playoff game in certain ways, Like I've been
to playoff games there and this was, honestly, I think
elevated above that in a lot of ways, just because
of how how important Clinton Pershaw is to the Dodgers.
I mean, he just you know, to that fan base,
(15:46):
he is he is everything.
Speaker 8 (15:47):
So it was really cool, there's.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
No doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
And I was gonna say that that that is a
testament to him that they've even stuck with him over
the last few years with the injuries and whatnot, and
that basically he wasn't going anywhere if the Dodgers had
anything to do with it. So I'm not shocked at
the response for him, and that's a great night, you know,
a great night at Dodgers Stadium and for Clayton Kershaw.
(16:12):
Our guess is Sam Blum from The Athletic. He also
covers the Los Angeles Angels, and I want to turn
the page there, Sam, boy, what a season it has
been and a couple of things to talk about. First,
Let's start with Ron Washington and what do we really know?
I know he stepped away for the rest of the
year with a health concern. How much do we really
(16:33):
know about Ron and his condition?
Speaker 9 (16:35):
You know, not a ton and I think that's by design.
I mean, he doesn't really want to discuss it right now,
from my understanding, and so, you know, just out of respect. Uh,
you know, there's just not a lot out there, I think.
And what I will say is, you know, I've communicated
with him a little bit.
Speaker 8 (16:49):
It sounds like he's in good spirits.
Speaker 9 (16:51):
I think, you know, he's navigating a really really serious situation.
I mean, that's the you know, My understanding is that
they feel like they caught something before it got So
there's there there is some positivity to this whole you know, situation,
but ultimately, you know, it's Ron Washington is an icon,
you know that. I mean everybody that dad knows him
knows that. I think for me, like, you know, covering
(17:13):
him it's a privilege because it's you know, I cover
a lot of different major league teams that come through.
You know, you travel to see them, and you know,
there's no manager like him. There's just nobody that that
gives you the time of day the way he does.
There's nobody that just will you know, talk baseball the
way that he does. I really respect and I've really
just grown, you know, a huge amount of respect for him.
(17:33):
You know, people can question on the field stuff all
they want, but I think that he transcends it in
so many ways. And so yeah, to me, like I
think everyone just hopes he's okay, and whether or not
he ever manages another baseball game is very secondary at
this point in my opinion. Uh, you know, you just
got to get healthy, and you know, for him, this
is his life.
Speaker 8 (17:52):
Baseball is his life.
Speaker 9 (17:52):
I'm sure this is really difficult for him, but you know,
right now he's got to focus and prioritize his his
his life and you know, getting through this and and
you know, so in terms of exactly what he's dealing with,
you know, I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't
want to say too much anyway, just because I don't
think it's my place. But you know, I hope he's okay,
and I hope that he navigates through this.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
I'm with you, you know. I spent time a lot
down there in Anaheim and try to talk to him
as much as I can. I'm with you on that,
and loving prayers going out to Ron Washington from inside
the park and me personally. And it's a shame from
this standpoint that the team had turned around. Ron had
to going in a right direction, and you know they
(18:35):
still are. They're around hovering around five hundred. We've seen
this team go on the road and get some big
time wins and sweep some series and do stuff. The
Angels to me, took a step this year and it's
been it's been a good watch.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Where are you one the Angels and what's happened?
Speaker 9 (18:54):
Yeah, I mean, I think your hundred percent right, and
they've taken a step and there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 8 (18:57):
And I think it's been on the back.
Speaker 9 (18:58):
Of their young players, you know.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
Who've like a Nolan Shanawal, Joe Deell. I'm sure we'll
talk about more, but you know, a lot.
Speaker 9 (19:05):
Of these guys who've you know, there have been a
lot of question marks surrounding their abilities, have actually performed
a lot better. Bullpen has been good. I mean, that's
been the biggest thing I think for them. And they
started at the season seventeen and twenty five, it looked
like it was going in the exact same direction that
it always does, and then their bullpen really stepped up.
I mean, that's to me been the biggest difference. But yeah,
(19:26):
I mean in terms of like how real it is,
what it means for their for their season, I mean,
it's a really interesting spot they're in right now because
I believe they're a game and a half maybe two
games out of the wild card. You know, you're sitting
here in early July with the trade deadline coming up
in just about four weeks.
Speaker 8 (19:42):
And so you ask the question, what do you what
do you do with this?
Speaker 9 (19:45):
And that's that's gonna be really interesting for the Angels
because you can make a lot of different arguments in
different directions.
Speaker 8 (19:49):
I mean, if if in you know, three four weeks,
they feel like they're.
Speaker 9 (19:54):
Right there, you know, I don't know if you're buyers,
but I certainly don't think you're sellers. If you're a
few games out, do you do you roll the dice?
I mean, I would say you probably shouldn't, just given
some of them. I would also say that some of
the metrics you know, we would tell it would suggest
the Angels are probably not going to be able to sustain,
you know, a five hundred record or a playoff caliber season.
(20:14):
But then again, the American League so weak, I don't know,
They're run differential is quite poor. They they've been I
would say lucky in terms of health right like their
entire They're the only team in baseball that's kept the
same five starting pitchers the entire season, I think, by
a long long shot right now. And you know last
year the used eighteen starting pitchers. So to me, you know,
they've had some things break in their favor, and you know,
(20:36):
any good front office would you know, assess that for
what it is, realize that over one hundred and sixty
two games, you know, it's it's unlikely to continue. So
I think that they're they're in a tough spot where
you know, you're so close to what you want to be,
but you also have to think about the long term
and you know, what is that What does that look
like when you get to the trade deadline and you
know the direction you want to go in as a
(20:56):
franchise because every year at that time, that is a
moment for self assessment.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
And Sam Blum from The Athletic last thing I want
to ask you about Joe Adell, who I believe had
eleven home runs in June, which was tied with the
most for the month of June in baseball. He's really
taking a step forward and looks like the player that
they hoped that he could turn into.
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Yeah, I mean, the thing to me is like, it's
not even the home runs. It is the walks.
Speaker 9 (21:23):
Is the at bats that he's taking that are are
just good. He is a hard person to get out
right now. And it is not just because he's a
home run threat. It's like he's hitting the ball hard
all over the field. He's not striking out.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
You know.
Speaker 9 (21:35):
I remember talking to him like two some odd years
ago where he kind of just said, like, strikeouts are
going to be a big part of my game because
I'm a power hitter, and like I'm willing to accept
that element of it. And I think it's been the
best thing in his career that he hasn't that that
was not true, and that he has come out and
realized that he does not need to be a strikeout hitter.
He can be just an all fields hitter, and that
(21:55):
is exactly what he is right now. He's got power
at every part of the ballpark. The thing about about
Adella is he's run hot and cold a lot over
his career. He's had stretches where he's looked really good.
This is different, in my opinion, because some of these
elements seem way more sustainable than some of you know,
when he usually when he gets hot, it's usually home run,
home run, home run, and then just like tons of
strikeouts for like a month and a half straight. This
doesn't seem like it's going in that direction. Hopefully it doesn't,
(22:18):
and hopefully he's able to sustain this. He might not
be the greatest hiter in baseball for the next three months,
but if you can have a guy that's regularly getting
on base, is a threat in the lineup like he's been,
then that's really all you can ask for. And I
think for a dell like there's been a lot of
really good change that he's made and he deserves a
ton of credit for being proactive and doing that.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Sam Blum, he covers baseball for the Athletic, appreciate the
insight and the knowledge.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
My man. We'll see you out at the ballpark. Thank you, Sam.
Speaker 8 (22:46):
Of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 9 (22:47):
Ro.
Speaker 8 (22:47):
It's good seeing you show down time.
Speaker 10 (22:50):
We bring in our good friend Rob Parker. Rob up
it out here for about an hour and a half.
This is like in the gym where you're like the
fifth guy. I got a spar with I'm a little
shot right now, and you're nice and fresh.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
You're ready to go.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I am ready to go.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
I hope you worked up and worked over like a
murder rod.
Speaker 10 (23:06):
Like you don't feel badly. It's like, no, maybe I'll
take it easy. No, I think I'll pummel you all right.
I don't know where you stand on this. We're gonna
talk about jerks and Profar. He's eligible to come back
from his drug suspension tonight for the Braves. Is eighty
games enough to disincentivize players from taking peds?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I think it is. We gotta be real careful. People
make mistakes. I always remember the late great Bob Murphy
who was the Mets announcer for a long time, and
he used to always say, that's why they put erasers
on pencils, because people make mistakes.
Speaker 10 (23:40):
We don't want to be some unintentional mistake.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
No, this isn't just I didn't know it was there
to mostly.
Speaker 10 (23:46):
Come on, the guys who are failing drug tests.
Speaker 8 (23:48):
You gotta be.
Speaker 10 (23:49):
Taken something you're not supposed to be taken to cycle off.
It takes a lot to fail a drug test in
this day and age. Yes, come on, it's not just
a simple mistake.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
No, But my point is that people do make mistakes.
They make they do things that they shouldn't do. And
my point is you get penalized, you're gonna be ostracized.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
He's gonna miss.
Speaker 10 (24:12):
But I don't know, I don't I don't know. Is
there is there like pressure within the player's code, but
within that group, I don't know about that. And even
a guy like yes, when Tatis failed a drug test
or Robbie Keno did a big time player. But these
guys that are slightly under the radar, like I even forget,
like half the guys that come back, Oh yeah he.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Had a drug suspension.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
Profar.
Speaker 10 (24:33):
Maybe it's a little bigger because the braves were swooning.
But I don't know. They come back again, they do
their time. It's eighty games. I'm wondering. I don't think
eighty games is quite enough. That's my thought. Now, the
fact that he's knowledgeable for the playoffs that changes things slightly.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
That's a penalty, that's the big penalty. But I don't
I mean, what are you gonna do? Ban them for life?
I don't think we should be doing.
Speaker 8 (24:52):
The third time.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Well here is that you do.
Speaker 10 (24:54):
You do eighty right, then you do a full year
one sixty two, then you do life and it seems
like wow, banned for life. That note obviously that's very serious.
That's the third time through. Maybe start it one year
and then go to life. That would disincentivize guys.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
No, I still think BK, you would still have people
who ultimately or at some point you'll have people who
fail the test.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
I don't think that.
Speaker 10 (25:20):
And then you see we look up if you failed content.
If it was if there were two tests in your
band for life, and after that first time you got dinged,
it would stop dead, because then you lose your whole contract.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
See.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
I don't agree with that.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
I think people we see this in society all the time,
and people still wind up doing things that they're not
supposed to do.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
I don't believe that if that was.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
The case, we wouldn't have anybody in prison now because
they know.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
That the penalty.
Speaker 8 (25:46):
This is not an addiction.
Speaker 10 (25:48):
Is this is guys getting shacked up.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
It's helping them professionally.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Yeah, but I.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Also think that we have to give people some room
to be better, is what I'm saying to you. B
K Okay, you made a mistake. You might have been
a young guy. Do we want to throw people away?
Did we want to throw for nat?
Speaker 1 (26:06):
He wasn't a young guy. We're not throwing them away.
They get three chances?
Speaker 10 (26:09):
How about giving him two? I think it would disincentivized.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
All right, Know how many.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Chances do you get in baseball?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
You get three strikes, not two strikes.
Speaker 10 (26:16):
You can't rewrite the game, Yes you can. It used
to be a ten game suspension.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
It used to be a ten game suspension for the
family of drug test.
Speaker 10 (26:24):
Now it's a lot more anyway, all right, where do
you stand on this? They're kind of floating this the Giants.
You know, on radio, Larry bar their longtime CEO, very
respected guy, flew out that said, hey, you know Barry Bonds,
he's probably next for a statue. Where do you stand
on that?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Build two statues? I mean one. I mean, like, I'm
serious from this standpoint, b K. When I look up
the all time home run leader in Major League Baseball,
guess whose name is on the list right here?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
It's Barry Bonds.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
And you could say, am I being naive?
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think he took juice?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Yes? I do.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
But if you're gonna count all the stats and you're
not taking away any Red Sox World Series and Big
Poppy and Manny Ramirez, and you're not taking away any
Yankee stuff and all this other stuff, I don't hear
fans crying to take away Yankees World Series, Red Sox
World Series and other stuff that went on during this era.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
So if he was.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Never suspended by Baseball and all his numbers count, I
can't stand in the way of a statue.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
I believe he deserves one. You know, you gotta be consistent, BK.
Be consistent.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
You want the Yankee to give back their World series
in the nineties.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Why for who?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
For who?
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Who is it?
Speaker 10 (27:43):
Why do they have to give it back?
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Well a rod and then two thousand and nine they
won a World.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Six two thousand and nine.
Speaker 10 (27:49):
All right, yeah, no, all right, you can't hall of you,
you can't undo it. But it's not as if the
statue is going up organically. You're making a choice to
turn a human being into an icon. And you want
to turn Barry Bonds into an icon that this is
what this is the best of the best, this is
what we aspire to be. Come on, you're really gonna
(28:10):
put him up there after he's systemically cheated with a
regime for years. It wasn't a mistake, it wasn't a
one time thing. It was year after year. You want
to turn that guy into an icon.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
For all to see.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
This is what we glorify.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Really, But BK, people have flaws, and no one is
saying we're white watching.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
History or we're not going to talk about what went on.
But the idea that this guy his records count.
Speaker 10 (28:37):
If you told me that and they do count, but
you don't have to get a statue for him. He
did and I've said too. He got into the Giants
Hall of Fame. They had a day for him, they
paraded him around that do that every year. Fine, you
love him, he was good for he was great for
you the Giants. But putting a statue up, yeah, that's
just yeah, that's way too much.
Speaker 9 (28:56):
Wait.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Let me say, I want to make one more point.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Did you the reception that Sammy Sosa god when he
came back to Wrigley for the first time in twenty
one years? And you know, you could be a stickler
for all these other things, but fans, you know what
they remember, They remember what Sammy Sosa.
Speaker 10 (29:16):
How they want to statue for Sammy. You want to
statue for him.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
To my point is they didn't boost Sammy Sosa. They
gave him an ovation, give him he.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Let him come out.
Speaker 10 (29:25):
I don't want him to be a pariah. I don't
want Rogers to a pariah. I don't want to go
through their garbage. I don't want them arrested. I don't
want them in front of a grand jury. I just say,
do you have to build them a statue?
Speaker 1 (29:35):
You don't have to.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
B kay, as long as you tell the entire story
of people, I'm okay with that. We have plenty of
statues in this country of people who did some bad stuff.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
And a lot of them were torn down.
Speaker 10 (29:50):
A lot of them were torn down, right, there was
not part of the reckoning, like you know what this
guy that were glorifying, Let's not do that, right.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yes, but there's still other statues.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
That are up. Go get them.
Speaker 10 (30:00):
You go get them, and I won't build a bond statue.
How about that, Well, we gotta go. We can tell you.
I just already don't have the moral energy to go
after this. But it's like I have to just can't
let this pass. I would again, it's like a Hall
of Fame vote. I would try to choose to honor
a clean player. That's all I'm saying. I don't want
to haunt these guys.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
I don't shame them saying that.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
You know, they were already players in the in the hall.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
It's too late.
Speaker 10 (30:24):
I don't need to hunt these guys down. I'm not
a narch. I don't have to hunt them down. Why, well,
it's too late.
Speaker 8 (30:28):
They're in there honored.
Speaker 10 (30:29):
I'm fine, but as far as hey, let's build them
all statues. No, how about not? How about we don't
do no?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
No. If you're not going to clean it up and
get everybody right, then there's no reason.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Bonds can't have a statue.
Speaker 10 (30:41):
I'm gonna get the statue ready for jerks and profar
Then all right, Rob, good talking to you again.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
We can disagree.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
I still like it.
Speaker 9 (30:48):
This is blowing.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It's the Parker pushback. Shut the Rob tackles the outlandish
takes in Major League Baseball. You idiot, shut up.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
I'm Rob, and here's my pushback on those who think
that all All Star games are creating equal because it
is just not the case.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Are you kidding?
Speaker 2 (31:12):
We just got the All Star starters in both the
American and National League. The all stary festivity start, of
course in Atlanta with the home run derby and then
the game on that Tuesday night in Atlanta in less
than two weeks.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
Can't wait for that.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
And while people are tired of the NBA All Star Game,
we already know the Pro Bowl was canceled and changed
into flag football, and the NHL All Star Game is
not a real hockey game where teams win games thirteen
or eleven in goals. I mean, come on, that's not
a hockey game at all.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
But the Baseball All Star Game still is the way
that the game is played.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Nobody throws the ball softer, nobody tries not to hit,
or it's not home run derby lobbing the ball up.
They're still making plays. It's still the most original way
that you play the game. There's still something to it.
So while the other All Star Games are on their
way out, there's nothing wrong with the Baseball All Star Game.
(32:17):
Leave it the way it is, continue playing it the
way it's been played. And all these other people bellyaching
about get rid of the Baseball All Star Game two,
I'm pushing back. In the words of New York TV
(32:38):
legend the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your time
this time until next time.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Rob Parker out d can't get it. This could be
an inside of Parker.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
See you next week, same bat time, from same Matt's station.
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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