This week on Inside the (Rob) Parker, Rob gives his take on Dave Dombrowski being removed as President of Baseball Operations less than a year after winning the World Series, Big Papi's first public appearance at Fenway since being shot in the Dominican Republic, and the Twins loss outfielder Byron Buxton for the year with a shoulder injury. He also names his Top 3 MLB Teams of the Week, this week's 'Twitter Trash Talk' Winner, 'Fair or Foul' and the Analytic Stat of the Week.
Guests: Bernard Gilkey - Former MLB Outfielder on why Cardinals fans are the best in MLB, and why he enjoys the changes since he retired.; Alex Speier - Author of Home Grown: How the Red Sox Built a Champion From the Ground Up on his book detailing Boston's 2018 title run.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
From the Burke Shears to the South, 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 one oh three, Rob Parker. All right,
welcome into Inside the Parker. I'm your host, Rob Parker.
(00:26):
And coming up on the program, we'll talk with former
Major League outfielder Bernard Gilkie and his former team, now
streaking St. Louis Cardinals. Plus we'll talk with author Alex Fire.
He has a new book about the Red Sox and
their homegrown talent. That plus so much more. Let's go
(00:51):
to lead off. It's getting rocked and keep him on.
Rob's hot take on the three biggest stories in Major
League Baseball. Number one. Dave Dombrowski is out as president
of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox only ten
months after winning three consecutive American League East titles and
(01:17):
the eighteen World Series championship. We're talking about less than
ten months from winning a title for Boston. They say
the farm system is depleted. They say he spent too
much money, that he shouldn't have rushed to sign Chris
Sale to that big contract. They say that the Yankees
(01:38):
on the Red Sox this year, winning fourteen times, and
is that really the reason that Dave Dombrowski is out.
I'm sorry, I can't buy it. There's gotta be more
than that. There's gotta be some other story we're waiting
to break and develop and to ooze to the urface.
(02:01):
It can't be because the Red Sox are having a
bad year and because the Yankees have dominated them. The
Red Sox ran away with the World Series a year ago.
Do you remember what they did to the Yankees, to
the Astros, to the Dodgers. Yes, Dave Dombrowski's out in Boston,
(02:24):
but I can't believe it has anything to do with
Baseball number two. On Monday Night at Fenway Park in Boston,
Red Sox fans were delighted when former Red Sox slugger
David Ortiz throughout the ceremonial first pitch before the Yankees.
(02:46):
Red Sox game fans were surprised to see him. The
forty three year old or Tease, was released from the
hospital in July and he's rehabilitating at home. When you
talk about what this guy's been through. It was his
first major appearance since the shooting in which he was
(03:07):
shot back in his home of the Dominican Republic back
in June. What a great site, what a great scene.
The three time World Series Winner winner, known affectionately as
Big Poppy, was a met with a thunderous ovation from
the fans. It was great to see, and ortiz Uh
(03:32):
told the fans quote, first of all, I want to
thank God for giving me a second opportunity in my
life to be able to be here with all of you.
I want to thank the Red Sox, my real family.
They have always been there for me, supporting me. They
were aware of what happened to me, and they were
(03:53):
the first ones they're supporting me. Welcome home, Big Poppy.
It was great to see you ac up and around.
Major League Baseball could breathe a sigh of relief. Number
three Bad news for the Minnesota Twins, who are having
a magical season Byron Buxton. Yes, their star outfielder will
(04:17):
likely not return in October. On Tuesday, Buxton was placed
on the sixty day injured list on account of his
left shoulder. Buxton was set to go undergo surgery on Tuesday,
and the timetable for him to be able to bounce
back is expected to be between five and six months.
(04:40):
More details were expected once the surgery is complete. The
five year old had not locked a plate appearance since
August one, when he crashed into the outfield wall in
Miami and suffered the soldier injury and uh Buckston finished
(05:00):
is the nineteen season with a career high and batting
average at two sixty two, slugging five o ps doubles
with thirty and instead of being able to make it
to the playoffs and we join his team, he is out.
Buxton is out for the season. It is a blow
(05:23):
for the Minnesota Twins. Here comes the big interview listener,
so good now joining the podcast. Former Major league outfield
and one of my favorites, Bernard Gilki, who of course
played for the Cardinals, the Mets, the Diamondbacks, the Red
Sox in the Atlanta Braves. Bernard, what's happening? What's going
(05:49):
on with my friend around? Man? Doing great? Great? Great
to catch up with you. What is Bernard Gilki doing now?
People want to know? Wow, Well, actually I'm on the road,
just coming back from playing in the golf tournament up
in Chicago. I had the pleasure of playing Olympia Field,
(06:10):
and so I'm trying to learn the game of golf
a little bit and also still a part of the
Cardinals organization. Um, I am a Cardinals uh core coach,
and we do uh like mentoring the minor leagues. All right, Well,
(06:30):
let's talk about the Cardinals who are atop the u
NL Central and you know that's a tough division with
Milwaukee and with the clubs of course. Tell me about
the Cardinals. Why are they in first place? Bernard? Well,
I think the persistence. Um, they stuck with it. You know,
(06:52):
they had a rough start. Well, they really got off
to a really good start, and they fell into uh,
you know, a little little up, a little slow start there,
you know. But I think they just stuck to their guns,
you know, and they believe in themselves and and they
just kept being persistent. The locker room seemed like it
(07:14):
turned around really well. They seem like a really tight group,
tightened group of guys right now. And the management is
doing well and and the ball players are playing. That's
what it takes that they are. It's gonna be a
tight race. Some good team is not gonna make the
playoffs when you think about uh as I brought up
(07:34):
the Cubs and the Brewers. Um, but of course you
are from St. Louis and and I don't think this
is you you being a Homer, but I've said this,
and you played in some great talents. You played in
New York, you played in Boston, you played in Atlanta.
But I think that St. Louis fans and I think St.
Louis has the best baseball fans in the country. I've
(07:58):
always said that, what do you think about St. Louis
and the crowds, Well, well, it is outstanding, you know,
you you you must look at it. They always come out,
they support no matter what. And you know, once you
look at different fan bases in different cities and you
see how the St. Louis crowd even how receptive they
(08:22):
are to the baseball fair in general, even the visitors.
They come out and they recognize and they're very knowledgeable
about the game and how it should be played. And
they are just um. St. Louis Cardinal fans. But they
are great baseball fans in general, not no doubt about it.
(08:42):
I've always said that. And like I said, there's so
many great towns, but there's something about St. Louis and
all that read. When I used to go there to
cover games, it was amazing. Uh. Talk about the home
runs in baseball? Are you do you like it? Don't
like it? Too many ships? What? What do you like
about baseball right now? And what don't you like about baseball?
(09:03):
You know what? Baseball is fun right now? I do believe,
you know, even with the home runs and and the
numbers these guys are putting up. Um, I think the
whole run makes it fun. The shift makes it very interesting.
I think the shift really makes the player become a
(09:23):
overall player, not just a one dimensional player or pool hitter.
You know. To beat the shift, you have to use
the whole field, you know, so it takes the hitter.
From a hitter's perspective, they have to use the whole field.
So it makes them, even though they hit a lot
of whole runs. To be exciting baseball player, you have
(09:44):
to use the opposite field, get on base, you know, uh,
steal some bases and make things happen. I think baseball
is inciting right now. Another thing that makes it exciting
and is all of the players and their sons playing
and made in the major leagues? Can you can you
get over like, how many players we just saw Blad
(10:08):
Guerrero Jr. Right, he's up uh with Toronto. Um, we've
seen a number of other players, Uh all of a
sudden start to play in the major leagues. Why do
you think that is? And why there are so many
players now in baseball? And their dad's uh pud Gerard
(10:31):
re gets his son as a picture. I could go
on and on and on about how many players. Why
do you think that as Tattoos Junior is another guy?
Uh the line the shields, right, we could go on
and on on about the list. Why is that? I
think we came up and in an era uh where
the kids, like the teams I played on, Uh, the
(10:54):
kids were always allowed to be around the ballpark. So
these kids, they were groom from from birth in the ballpark,
you know, And so they got so accustomed to being
around it, and then they fall in love with the
passion of the game, you know, And and they get
a head start. They get to see uh major league players,
(11:16):
They get to see how the game really um at
his best at his high as level, how it's played,
and you know they got a uh sense of that
at an early age. I think it just really rubbed
off and the organizations they accepted that, they invited that,
they let him in the club houses, and the kids
(11:38):
grew up in the club houses. Yeah, I think that's
been good for baseball. Um. When you see like a
Cody Bellinger, what kind of player he is? And you know,
remember his dad was a utility player played Bellinger. When
you see a guy like that, what do you think
of Cody Bellinger? Uh, big time home run hitter for
the Dodgers. Um, And and I don't. He's a star.
(12:03):
He is an outstanding ball so he's fun to watch. Uh.
You know when my dad we used to sit down
and watch baseball. If if he was here today, he
would see a baseball player like Cody Bellinger and he
would say that man is dangerous. He is dangerous. He's
a dangerous baseball player offensively, defensively, had a strong warm
(12:27):
so he's always making something happen for the good of
the team. Alright. His name is Bernard Gilki, of course,
uh St. Louis born and bred and wound up playing
for his hometown St. Louis Cardinals. Bernard great catching up
with you man. Thank you so much, he Rob. It's
always a pleasure any time. I'll be here for you.
(12:50):
All right, stay well, it's time for the pocket protector centrol.
The analytic numbers you need to know? Well, maybe FS ones.
Anthony Masterson is his name, BS analytics is his game.
What you got for s Anthony? All right, Robert. One
of the beauties of baseball is that no park is
(13:11):
the same. In hockey, basketball, or football, there are rules
that make the playings feel the same, but not so
in the national pastime. However, that individuality can certainly skew stats. Now,
FOT five ball in your Yankee stadium, rob is a
home run. In every every other park, it's usually a flyout. Now,
how do we factor this in when comparing players. Well,
they're appropriately called parks factors. Now, park factors take into
(13:34):
account more than dimensions. They also consider weather, air densities,
and even air quality. Now Petco Park has a denser
marine layer that makes it tougher to hit home runs.
Then say this in air of course field in Denver.
The league average park factors one so a part with
a factor of one oh five means the run scoring
is ten percent higher than average. It's actually one ten,
but it's cutting half since half the games per year
(13:56):
are played at the same park. Now, so we see
on these stats leaderboards any met that ends in a
plus or minus, like weighted runs created plus or e
r a minus. Therefore, the Rockies No. One Arnado, who's
sitting three ten with thirty seven home runs this season,
has a weighted runs created plus of one two. Since
Coors Fields park factor of one twelve assumes his home
(14:16):
park will give him an offensive boost. But a guy
like the Mets Pete Alonzo, who's sitting two seventy but
with forty seven home runs at the moment at the
more cavernous City Field, has a waiter runs created plus
of over one. Now city Fields park factor of eighty
seven last year was the lowest in baseball, by the way,
thus giving Pete Alonzo a boost for the park factor.
It's all about leveling the playing field, Rob, You just
(14:39):
hit it out to park. Thanks Anthony. It was a
big week in the Big League. Who's it foul or
is it fair? And now here's shadow League dot Com
MLB insider j our gambo. They say the farm system
(15:04):
is depleted. He spent too much money on free agents.
The Yankees kicked the Red Sox but all year, and
Dave Dombrowski has been fired as GM jr. Is it
foul or fair to fire Dave Dombrowski ten months after
(15:24):
winning a World Series? Foul? That is all. That's totally foul.
I mean it brings cities last year and you have
a little songs this year, which is you know, totally
likely after having such a great year that Boston that
last year, you're gonna have a little bit of a letdown. Um,
(15:45):
everything felled correctly for them, from the pitching to Ruki
Betton's MVP seasons to Zachie Bradley's clutch homers in the playoffs.
It was unlikely that that was going to happen again.
Now it's more embarrassing because the Yankees seem to be
back for the ball at full strength and then ran
away with the division and then we don't know about
the internal relationships that I happened in within the team,
(16:09):
the relationship with the general managers and the manager who
have more power, who's more popular after winning that World
Series last year? So it's embarrassment, and Dave Brasti, unfortunately
is the one that has to suffer a year off
World Series is his job is to safi off. Nobody's
job is safe. So the things that he will be
(16:29):
fired after one year in which they still competed most
of the year is just sound all right, there we go,
fasten your seat back, give me. Here comes Parker's top
three MLB teams this week. Number three the Los Angeles Dodgers.
(16:54):
They were red hot most of the year ninety three
and fifty two coming into Tuesday, and yes, they nearly
got swept over the weekend by the Giants. The they're
struggling right now. Starting pitching is not good. The Dodgers
have a little issue. The bullpen has bounced back, but
right now, going into the playoffs, the Dodgers aren't as
(17:17):
hot and look as tough as they did earlier in
the season. This reason for concern the way they're playing
right now. Number two the Houston Astros. Yes, yes, we
saw how crazy it was on Sunday when the Astros
(17:40):
exploded for one to one victory over the hapless Mariners. Yes,
and we know that there was also that fifteen and
nothing blowout over the Athletics on Monday. And yes, the
Astros have set numerous team and personal records in a
(18:00):
short stretch. They've been unbelievable with the bats. They entered
Tuesday and fifty forty five games over, but they still
are the second best team in baseball. Number one the
New York freaking Yankees. I've been saying it almost all year, somehow,
(18:25):
some way. Coming into Tuesday, the Yankees have a ninety
five and fifty record, forty five games over five hundred.
They were the first team to get the ninety wins.
They've had a slew of injuries, and yet they continue
to win. They went to Boston this past weekend won
three out of four. And the real big key is
(18:46):
James Paxton. The pitcher struggle most of the first half.
He's now eight no in his last eight starts. He's
been incredible. These the eighth the Yankees have been looking for.
If he continues to pitch at this level, the Yankees
will be in great shape as they enter the postseason.
(19:10):
Right now, the Yankees are the best team in baseball.
Take out the favor. It's time for trash Talk Twitter,
Twitter with your chance to trash anyone or anything in
Major League Baseball. This week's winner is justus underscore what
a camp three and he writes this, the Red Sox
(19:33):
have been awful all year long. This series was no different.
Good riddens, we beat you fourteen out of nineteen. Wow,
Yankees put it on them. If you want a chance
to win a new era snapback cap, you send your
trash to add Rob Parker FS one on Twitter. When
(19:58):
Rob was a newsp for columnists, he lived by this motto.
If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer,
a broadcaster, older new All right, let's welcome to the
podcast Alex Speer. He has a brand new book called
home Grown, How the Red Sox Built a Championship from
the ground up. Alex, welcome, how are you. Thanks? I'm great, Rob,
(20:23):
thanks so much for having me on. Really appreciate it.
No problem. And let's let people know that you've covered
the Red Sox for the Boston Globe since yes and
covered the Red Sox dating back to two thousand too,
so you know, seen a franchise transform a few different
times over the course of the last few years. But
talk about this team and what they were able to
(20:44):
do and how they were able to dominate and winning
World Series championship. What was the big first move that
they made. Well, there was this kind of extraordinary day
that occurred in the Red Sox front office on August eleven.
The rules of how Major League Baseball, it seems to
draft and signed players were different. Then you basically had
an open wall you you it was you could spend
(21:06):
as much as you wanted to add prospects to your system.
And it looked like at that point it was going
to be the last time that teams had a chance
to do that. So the Red Sox were taking one
last really big spring it defenses and uh. In that
last kind of frenzied hour, literally the minutes and seconds
leading up to midnight, they signed a number of players
who ended up being core contributors to the eighteen championship.
(21:27):
Among those guys were signed between eleven PM and midnight
on August fifteen, two thousand eleven, while the Red Sox
front office was kind of freaking out, were Jackie Bradley Jr.
And Matt Barnes, a couple of their first round picks,
and also skinny one pound kid who was about five
foot eight out of Tennessee named Mookie Betts, who was
the fifth round selection that year and obviously turned into
(21:50):
a transformative figure in the history of the franchise. Um
so that that was kind of the beginning point. The
Red Sox seized an opportunity that existed a closing window
to add as much immature challenges they could, and that
that obviously paid a lot of dividends. But it took
a long time for them to get there. How about
Mookie Betts. I mean, we'll talk about uh coming out
of nowhere and being this impactful player, uh m v P.
(22:15):
I mean, that's quite a story. It's extraordinary when you
think about exactly what I was talking about a few
moments ago, coming out of high school, of this this
small kid who really didn't stand out at all on
the baseball field, the type of guy who often ends
up going to college and then maybe asserting himself against
really good competition there. But the Red Sox took a
chance on him. They had a scout who really who
(22:36):
really was drawn to just the ease with which he
seemed to be moving around the field and the athleticism
and you know, even though he didn't have real power
at that point, just saw some great hand eye coordination.
But over the course of the time, Mookie Betts went
through serious self dallas early in his professional career. At
one point in his minor league career, he was ready
to quit. He was talking to uh talking to basketball
(22:57):
programs about the possibility of going to school, but instead
he ended up kind of sticking it out through this,
through this period and making just a couple of small adjustments,
having the right coach come along at the right time
for him, in made some adjustments and all of a
sudden got on this kind of rocket ship to being
one of the biggest prospects in baseball and then ultimately
one of the best players in baseball. But it's it's
(23:18):
not the type of guy who when you're passing him
on the street you say, oh, that's a guy who's
going to be a superstar athlete, because he's five ft
nine and you know, just kind of undersized. So it
took a little bit of it took a pretty interesting
crystal ball to discover the talent that he might be.
And we say this to to add for all the
joy of Ten months later, Dave Dombrowski, the president of
(23:40):
Baseball Operations, is out How stunning is that to you?
On the surface, it looks crazy that you know, it's
it's the type of thing that induces whiplash when you
think about it, you know. I mean, this was a
guy who less sit in a year ago had had
been the architect overseeing the final touches of the most
successful Red Sox team in French his history. On the
(24:01):
other hand, the team that Dombrowski built from the time
that he became that he came on board as President
of Baseball Operations in ten through through twenty nineteen, his
mission was to add to a really good core. The
Red Sox are getting to a very strange place where
the mandate isn't going to be one of adding. Instead,
it's going to be quote unquote reshaping the core. They're
(24:23):
going to be having to watch some of these guys
walk away or trade them. So a player like Booky Betts,
the Red Sox based a significant decision coming up on
this offseason or the following one about whether or not
they're going to be able to retain Mookie Betts and
if not, if they should trade him. Uh. And Dave
Dombrowski has been you know, his m O with the
Red Sox was to add and add an ad and
(24:45):
uh and so at a time when they're going to
need to start subtracting key cornerstone players, uh, and thinking
a little bit more about balancing short term and future interests,
they decided that they were going to go with a
different leader for that, for that next phase of the franchise.
But yeah, on the surface and stunning, but when you
think about the particular circumstances of the franchise, I guess
(25:07):
it's slightly list. I mean, but only slightly. His name
is Alex Fire. He has a new book, Home Grown,
How the Red Sox Built the Champion from the ground up.
Where can people get the book? Uh? Anyway? You know,
any online outlet you know, or your local bookstore Barnes
and Noble, Amazon or hopefully your local bookstores carrying into
(25:27):
all right, Alex, thank you so much for joining the podcast.
Now bringing the clothes there. Here's why MLB is better
than the NFL or NBA, and it isn't even close.
This is why baseball is better than the NBA and
the NFL. We've seeing a lot of generosi in the
(25:50):
crowd at a lot of it. A lot of those
baseball's going to kids. That's what's that's what it's all
about very sweet and a Yankee kid. It looks emotional
about the scene that unfold Monday night at Fenway Park
was unbelievable. There was a foul ball in the stands.
(26:11):
Somebody grabbed the foul ball from the bat of Aaron Judge.
The guy who got the ball handed it to a kid,
and the kid, who's wearing Yankee stuff is brought to
emotional tears. He cannot believe he got a ball from
(26:34):
one of his favorite players at the ball game. He
didn't catch it, it was handed to him, but it
still moved him like that. There's no other game you
go to. If an NBA ball goes into the crowd,
you throw it back. It's not a big deal. They
put up the nets when they kicked the extra points
or the field goals, so I can't go into the crowd.
(26:55):
Same thing. If the ball goes into the crowd, nobody
expects to take it home or the security guard takes
it from you. In baseball, when the ball comes into
the stands, it belongs to the fans. Fans treasure getting
a foul ball. It makes a moment. Monday night, we
saw what a foul ball can do to a kid
(27:19):
and give him a lasting moment. That's why baseball is
better than the NBA, better than the NFL, and it
ain't even close. In the words of New York TV
legend the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your time
(27:40):
this time until next time. Rob Parker out. This could
be an inside the Parker Studio
From the Burke Shears to the South, 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 one oh three, Rob Parker. All right,
welcome into Inside the Parker. I'm your host, Rob Parker.
(00:26):
And coming up on the program, we'll talk with former
Major League outfielder Bernard Gilkie and his former team, now
streaking St. Louis Cardinals. Plus we'll talk with author Alex Fire.
He has a new book about the Red Sox and
their homegrown talent. That plus so much more. Let's go
(00:51):
to lead off. It's getting rocked and keep him on.
Rob's hot take on the three biggest stories in Major
League Baseball. Number one. Dave Dombrowski is out as president
of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox only ten
months after winning three consecutive American League East titles and
(01:17):
the eighteen World Series championship. We're talking about less than
ten months from winning a title for Boston. They say
the farm system is depleted. They say he spent too
much money, that he shouldn't have rushed to sign Chris
Sale to that big contract. They say that the Yankees
(01:38):
on the Red Sox this year, winning fourteen times, and
is that really the reason that Dave Dombrowski is out.
I'm sorry, I can't buy it. There's gotta be more
than that. There's gotta be some other story we're waiting
to break and develop and to ooze to the urface.
(02:01):
It can't be because the Red Sox are having a
bad year and because the Yankees have dominated them. The
Red Sox ran away with the World Series a year ago.
Do you remember what they did to the Yankees, to
the Astros, to the Dodgers. Yes, Dave Dombrowski's out in Boston,
(02:24):
but I can't believe it has anything to do with
Baseball number two. On Monday Night at Fenway Park in Boston,
Red Sox fans were delighted when former Red Sox slugger
David Ortiz throughout the ceremonial first pitch before the Yankees.
(02:46):
Red Sox game fans were surprised to see him. The
forty three year old or Tease, was released from the
hospital in July and he's rehabilitating at home. When you
talk about what this guy's been through. It was his
first major appearance since the shooting in which he was
(03:07):
shot back in his home of the Dominican Republic back
in June. What a great site, what a great scene.
The three time World Series Winner winner, known affectionately as
Big Poppy, was a met with a thunderous ovation from
the fans. It was great to see, and ortiz Uh
(03:32):
told the fans quote, first of all, I want to
thank God for giving me a second opportunity in my
life to be able to be here with all of you.
I want to thank the Red Sox, my real family.
They have always been there for me, supporting me. They
were aware of what happened to me, and they were
(03:53):
the first ones they're supporting me. Welcome home, Big Poppy.
It was great to see you ac up and around.
Major League Baseball could breathe a sigh of relief. Number
three Bad news for the Minnesota Twins, who are having
a magical season Byron Buxton. Yes, their star outfielder will
(04:17):
likely not return in October. On Tuesday, Buxton was placed
on the sixty day injured list on account of his
left shoulder. Buxton was set to go undergo surgery on Tuesday,
and the timetable for him to be able to bounce
back is expected to be between five and six months.
(04:40):
More details were expected once the surgery is complete. The
five year old had not locked a plate appearance since
August one, when he crashed into the outfield wall in
Miami and suffered the soldier injury and uh Buckston finished
(05:00):
is the nineteen season with a career high and batting
average at two sixty two, slugging five o ps doubles
with thirty and instead of being able to make it
to the playoffs and we join his team, he is out.
Buxton is out for the season. It is a blow
(05:23):
for the Minnesota Twins. Here comes the big interview listener,
so good now joining the podcast. Former Major league outfield
and one of my favorites, Bernard Gilki, who of course
played for the Cardinals, the Mets, the Diamondbacks, the Red
Sox in the Atlanta Braves. Bernard, what's happening? What's going
(05:49):
on with my friend around? Man? Doing great? Great? Great
to catch up with you. What is Bernard Gilki doing now?
People want to know? Wow, Well, actually I'm on the road,
just coming back from playing in the golf tournament up
in Chicago. I had the pleasure of playing Olympia Field,
(06:10):
and so I'm trying to learn the game of golf
a little bit and also still a part of the
Cardinals organization. Um, I am a Cardinals uh core coach,
and we do uh like mentoring the minor leagues. All right, Well,
(06:30):
let's talk about the Cardinals who are atop the u
NL Central and you know that's a tough division with
Milwaukee and with the clubs of course. Tell me about
the Cardinals. Why are they in first place? Bernard? Well,
I think the persistence. Um, they stuck with it. You know,
(06:52):
they had a rough start. Well, they really got off
to a really good start, and they fell into uh,
you know, a little little up, a little slow start there,
you know. But I think they just stuck to their guns,
you know, and they believe in themselves and and they
just kept being persistent. The locker room seemed like it
(07:14):
turned around really well. They seem like a really tight group,
tightened group of guys right now. And the management is
doing well and and the ball players are playing. That's
what it takes that they are. It's gonna be a
tight race. Some good team is not gonna make the
playoffs when you think about uh as I brought up
(07:34):
the Cubs and the Brewers. Um, but of course you
are from St. Louis and and I don't think this
is you you being a Homer, but I've said this,
and you played in some great talents. You played in
New York, you played in Boston, you played in Atlanta.
But I think that St. Louis fans and I think St.
Louis has the best baseball fans in the country. I've
(07:58):
always said that, what do you think about St. Louis
and the crowds, Well, well, it is outstanding, you know,
you you you must look at it. They always come out,
they support no matter what. And you know, once you
look at different fan bases in different cities and you
see how the St. Louis crowd even how receptive they
(08:22):
are to the baseball fair in general, even the visitors.
They come out and they recognize and they're very knowledgeable
about the game and how it should be played. And
they are just um. St. Louis Cardinal fans. But they
are great baseball fans in general, not no doubt about it.
(08:42):
I've always said that. And like I said, there's so
many great towns, but there's something about St. Louis and
all that read. When I used to go there to
cover games, it was amazing. Uh. Talk about the home
runs in baseball? Are you do you like it? Don't
like it? Too many ships? What? What do you like
about baseball right now? And what don't you like about baseball?
(09:03):
You know what? Baseball is fun right now? I do believe,
you know, even with the home runs and and the
numbers these guys are putting up. Um, I think the
whole run makes it fun. The shift makes it very interesting.
I think the shift really makes the player become a
(09:23):
overall player, not just a one dimensional player or pool hitter.
You know. To beat the shift, you have to use
the whole field, you know, so it takes the hitter.
From a hitter's perspective, they have to use the whole field.
So it makes them, even though they hit a lot
of whole runs. To be exciting baseball player, you have
(09:44):
to use the opposite field, get on base, you know, uh,
steal some bases and make things happen. I think baseball
is inciting right now. Another thing that makes it exciting
and is all of the players and their sons playing
and made in the major leagues? Can you can you
get over like, how many players we just saw Blad
(10:08):
Guerrero Jr. Right, he's up uh with Toronto. Um, we've
seen a number of other players, Uh all of a
sudden start to play in the major leagues. Why do
you think that is? And why there are so many
players now in baseball? And their dad's uh pud Gerard
(10:31):
re gets his son as a picture. I could go
on and on and on about how many players. Why
do you think that as Tattoos Junior is another guy?
Uh the line the shields, right, we could go on
and on on about the list. Why is that? I
think we came up and in an era uh where
the kids, like the teams I played on, Uh, the
(10:54):
kids were always allowed to be around the ballpark. So
these kids, they were groom from from birth in the ballpark,
you know, And so they got so accustomed to being
around it, and then they fall in love with the
passion of the game, you know, And and they get
a head start. They get to see uh major league players,
(11:16):
They get to see how the game really um at
his best at his high as level, how it's played,
and you know they got a uh sense of that
at an early age. I think it just really rubbed
off and the organizations they accepted that, they invited that,
they let him in the club houses, and the kids
(11:38):
grew up in the club houses. Yeah, I think that's
been good for baseball. Um. When you see like a
Cody Bellinger, what kind of player he is? And you know,
remember his dad was a utility player played Bellinger. When
you see a guy like that, what do you think
of Cody Bellinger? Uh, big time home run hitter for
the Dodgers. Um, And and I don't. He's a star.
(12:03):
He is an outstanding ball so he's fun to watch. Uh.
You know when my dad we used to sit down
and watch baseball. If if he was here today, he
would see a baseball player like Cody Bellinger and he
would say that man is dangerous. He is dangerous. He's
a dangerous baseball player offensively, defensively, had a strong warm
(12:27):
so he's always making something happen for the good of
the team. Alright. His name is Bernard Gilki, of course,
uh St. Louis born and bred and wound up playing
for his hometown St. Louis Cardinals. Bernard great catching up
with you man. Thank you so much, he Rob. It's
always a pleasure any time. I'll be here for you.
(12:50):
All right, stay well, it's time for the pocket protector centrol.
The analytic numbers you need to know? Well, maybe FS ones.
Anthony Masterson is his name, BS analytics is his game.
What you got for s Anthony? All right, Robert. One
of the beauties of baseball is that no park is
(13:11):
the same. In hockey, basketball, or football, there are rules
that make the playings feel the same, but not so
in the national pastime. However, that individuality can certainly skew stats. Now,
FOT five ball in your Yankee stadium, rob is a
home run. In every every other park, it's usually a flyout. Now,
how do we factor this in when comparing players. Well,
they're appropriately called parks factors. Now, park factors take into
(13:34):
account more than dimensions. They also consider weather, air densities,
and even air quality. Now Petco Park has a denser
marine layer that makes it tougher to hit home runs.
Then say this in air of course field in Denver.
The league average park factors one so a part with
a factor of one oh five means the run scoring
is ten percent higher than average. It's actually one ten,
but it's cutting half since half the games per year
(13:56):
are played at the same park. Now, so we see
on these stats leaderboards any met that ends in a
plus or minus, like weighted runs created plus or e
r a minus. Therefore, the Rockies No. One Arnado, who's
sitting three ten with thirty seven home runs this season,
has a weighted runs created plus of one two. Since
Coors Fields park factor of one twelve assumes his home
(14:16):
park will give him an offensive boost. But a guy
like the Mets Pete Alonzo, who's sitting two seventy but
with forty seven home runs at the moment at the
more cavernous City Field, has a waiter runs created plus
of over one. Now city Fields park factor of eighty
seven last year was the lowest in baseball, by the way,
thus giving Pete Alonzo a boost for the park factor.
It's all about leveling the playing field, Rob, You just
(14:39):
hit it out to park. Thanks Anthony. It was a
big week in the Big League. Who's it foul or
is it fair? And now here's shadow League dot Com
MLB insider j our gambo. They say the farm system
(15:04):
is depleted. He spent too much money on free agents.
The Yankees kicked the Red Sox but all year, and
Dave Dombrowski has been fired as GM jr. Is it
foul or fair to fire Dave Dombrowski ten months after
(15:24):
winning a World Series? Foul? That is all. That's totally foul.
I mean it brings cities last year and you have
a little songs this year, which is you know, totally
likely after having such a great year that Boston that
last year, you're gonna have a little bit of a letdown. Um,
(15:45):
everything felled correctly for them, from the pitching to Ruki
Betton's MVP seasons to Zachie Bradley's clutch homers in the playoffs.
It was unlikely that that was going to happen again.
Now it's more embarrassing because the Yankees seem to be
back for the ball at full strength and then ran
away with the division and then we don't know about
the internal relationships that I happened in within the team,
(16:09):
the relationship with the general managers and the manager who
have more power, who's more popular after winning that World
Series last year? So it's embarrassment, and Dave Brasti, unfortunately
is the one that has to suffer a year off
World Series is his job is to safi off. Nobody's
job is safe. So the things that he will be
(16:29):
fired after one year in which they still competed most
of the year is just sound all right, there we go,
fasten your seat back, give me. Here comes Parker's top
three MLB teams this week. Number three the Los Angeles Dodgers.
(16:54):
They were red hot most of the year ninety three
and fifty two coming into Tuesday, and yes, they nearly
got swept over the weekend by the Giants. The they're
struggling right now. Starting pitching is not good. The Dodgers
have a little issue. The bullpen has bounced back, but
right now, going into the playoffs, the Dodgers aren't as
(17:17):
hot and look as tough as they did earlier in
the season. This reason for concern the way they're playing
right now. Number two the Houston Astros. Yes, yes, we
saw how crazy it was on Sunday when the Astros
(17:40):
exploded for one to one victory over the hapless Mariners. Yes,
and we know that there was also that fifteen and
nothing blowout over the Athletics on Monday. And yes, the
Astros have set numerous team and personal records in a
(18:00):
short stretch. They've been unbelievable with the bats. They entered
Tuesday and fifty forty five games over, but they still
are the second best team in baseball. Number one the
New York freaking Yankees. I've been saying it almost all year, somehow,
(18:25):
some way. Coming into Tuesday, the Yankees have a ninety
five and fifty record, forty five games over five hundred.
They were the first team to get the ninety wins.
They've had a slew of injuries, and yet they continue
to win. They went to Boston this past weekend won
three out of four. And the real big key is
(18:46):
James Paxton. The pitcher struggle most of the first half.
He's now eight no in his last eight starts. He's
been incredible. These the eighth the Yankees have been looking for.
If he continues to pitch at this level, the Yankees
will be in great shape as they enter the postseason.
(19:10):
Right now, the Yankees are the best team in baseball.
Take out the favor. It's time for trash Talk Twitter,
Twitter with your chance to trash anyone or anything in
Major League Baseball. This week's winner is justus underscore what
a camp three and he writes this, the Red Sox
(19:33):
have been awful all year long. This series was no different.
Good riddens, we beat you fourteen out of nineteen. Wow,
Yankees put it on them. If you want a chance
to win a new era snapback cap, you send your
trash to add Rob Parker FS one on Twitter. When
(19:58):
Rob was a newsp for columnists, he lived by this motto.
If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer,
a broadcaster, older new All right, let's welcome to the
podcast Alex Speer. He has a brand new book called
home Grown, How the Red Sox Built a Championship from
the ground up. Alex, welcome, how are you. Thanks? I'm great, Rob,
(20:23):
thanks so much for having me on. Really appreciate it.
No problem. And let's let people know that you've covered
the Red Sox for the Boston Globe since yes and
covered the Red Sox dating back to two thousand too,
so you know, seen a franchise transform a few different
times over the course of the last few years. But
talk about this team and what they were able to
(20:44):
do and how they were able to dominate and winning
World Series championship. What was the big first move that
they made. Well, there was this kind of extraordinary day
that occurred in the Red Sox front office on August eleven.
The rules of how Major League Baseball, it seems to
draft and signed players were different. Then you basically had
an open wall you you it was you could spend
(21:06):
as much as you wanted to add prospects to your system.
And it looked like at that point it was going
to be the last time that teams had a chance
to do that. So the Red Sox were taking one
last really big spring it defenses and uh. In that
last kind of frenzied hour, literally the minutes and seconds
leading up to midnight, they signed a number of players
who ended up being core contributors to the eighteen championship.
(21:27):
Among those guys were signed between eleven PM and midnight
on August fifteen, two thousand eleven, while the Red Sox
front office was kind of freaking out, were Jackie Bradley Jr.
And Matt Barnes, a couple of their first round picks,
and also skinny one pound kid who was about five
foot eight out of Tennessee named Mookie Betts, who was
the fifth round selection that year and obviously turned into
(21:50):
a transformative figure in the history of the franchise. Um
so that that was kind of the beginning point. The
Red Sox seized an opportunity that existed a closing window
to add as much immature challenges they could, and that
that obviously paid a lot of dividends. But it took
a long time for them to get there. How about
Mookie Betts. I mean, we'll talk about uh coming out
of nowhere and being this impactful player, uh m v P.
(22:15):
I mean, that's quite a story. It's extraordinary when you
think about exactly what I was talking about a few
moments ago, coming out of high school, of this this
small kid who really didn't stand out at all on
the baseball field, the type of guy who often ends
up going to college and then maybe asserting himself against
really good competition there. But the Red Sox took a
chance on him. They had a scout who really who
(22:36):
really was drawn to just the ease with which he
seemed to be moving around the field and the athleticism
and you know, even though he didn't have real power
at that point, just saw some great hand eye coordination.
But over the course of the time, Mookie Betts went
through serious self dallas early in his professional career. At
one point in his minor league career, he was ready
to quit. He was talking to uh talking to basketball
(22:57):
programs about the possibility of going to school, but instead
he ended up kind of sticking it out through this,
through this period and making just a couple of small adjustments,
having the right coach come along at the right time
for him, in made some adjustments and all of a
sudden got on this kind of rocket ship to being
one of the biggest prospects in baseball and then ultimately
one of the best players in baseball. But it's it's
(23:18):
not the type of guy who when you're passing him
on the street you say, oh, that's a guy who's
going to be a superstar athlete, because he's five ft
nine and you know, just kind of undersized. So it
took a little bit of it took a pretty interesting
crystal ball to discover the talent that he might be.
And we say this to to add for all the
joy of Ten months later, Dave Dombrowski, the president of
(23:40):
Baseball Operations, is out How stunning is that to you?
On the surface, it looks crazy that you know, it's
it's the type of thing that induces whiplash when you
think about it, you know. I mean, this was a
guy who less sit in a year ago had had
been the architect overseeing the final touches of the most
successful Red Sox team in French his history. On the
(24:01):
other hand, the team that Dombrowski built from the time
that he became that he came on board as President
of Baseball Operations in ten through through twenty nineteen, his
mission was to add to a really good core. The
Red Sox are getting to a very strange place where
the mandate isn't going to be one of adding. Instead,
it's going to be quote unquote reshaping the core. They're
(24:23):
going to be having to watch some of these guys
walk away or trade them. So a player like Booky Betts,
the Red Sox based a significant decision coming up on
this offseason or the following one about whether or not
they're going to be able to retain Mookie Betts and
if not, if they should trade him. Uh. And Dave
Dombrowski has been you know, his m O with the
Red Sox was to add and add an ad and
(24:45):
uh and so at a time when they're going to
need to start subtracting key cornerstone players, uh, and thinking
a little bit more about balancing short term and future interests,
they decided that they were going to go with a
different leader for that, for that next phase of the franchise.
But yeah, on the surface and stunning, but when you
think about the particular circumstances of the franchise, I guess
(25:07):
it's slightly list. I mean, but only slightly. His name
is Alex Fire. He has a new book, Home Grown,
How the Red Sox Built the Champion from the ground up.
Where can people get the book? Uh? Anyway? You know,
any online outlet you know, or your local bookstore Barnes
and Noble, Amazon or hopefully your local bookstores carrying into
(25:27):
all right, Alex, thank you so much for joining the podcast.
Now bringing the clothes there. Here's why MLB is better
than the NFL or NBA, and it isn't even close.
This is why baseball is better than the NBA and
the NFL. We've seeing a lot of generosi in the
(25:50):
crowd at a lot of it. A lot of those
baseball's going to kids. That's what's that's what it's all
about very sweet and a Yankee kid. It looks emotional
about the scene that unfold Monday night at Fenway Park
was unbelievable. There was a foul ball in the stands.
(26:11):
Somebody grabbed the foul ball from the bat of Aaron Judge.
The guy who got the ball handed it to a kid,
and the kid, who's wearing Yankee stuff is brought to
emotional tears. He cannot believe he got a ball from
(26:34):
one of his favorite players at the ball game. He
didn't catch it, it was handed to him, but it
still moved him like that. There's no other game you
go to. If an NBA ball goes into the crowd,
you throw it back. It's not a big deal. They
put up the nets when they kicked the extra points
or the field goals, so I can't go into the crowd.
(26:55):
Same thing. If the ball goes into the crowd, nobody
expects to take it home or the security guard takes
it from you. In baseball, when the ball comes into
the stands, it belongs to the fans. Fans treasure getting
a foul ball. It makes a moment. Monday night, we
saw what a foul ball can do to a kid
(27:19):
and give him a lasting moment. That's why baseball is
better than the NBA, better than the NFL, and it
ain't even close. In the words of New York TV
legend the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your time
(27:40):
this time until next time. Rob Parker out. This could
be an inside the Parker Studio
Host
Rob Parker
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