August 7, 2024 • 39 mins
Parney is joined by Fox Sports analyst, podcast host, and former baseball player Ben Verlander!
Ben, Parney, and the Pub Club dive into all things MLB as the season passes the halfway point. They discuss all things from the White Sox 21-game losing streak, analytics in baseball, to Shohei Ohtani's incredible talent.
Ben also shares what it's been like watching his brother Justin excel in the MLB, his transition into media, and much more!
Listen to Ben's podcast Flippin Bats: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/flippin-bats-with-ben-verlander/id1559847035
Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/parneytime
Follow Cheats @BBallMixtape on Twitter @blackbaseballmixtape on Instagram and listen to the Black Baseball Mixtape: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-black-baseball-mixtape/id1654357631
Follow Michael Phillips @michaelpinRVA
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everybody, party from the Party Time podcast talking to
you about West Broad Honda. That's right, our buddy STEVEP
running the show over at the corner of Broad Street
and Glenside Drive. Or if you're unlike Joe T and
you use the Internet www dot Westbroadhonda dot Com, serving
Richmond and the surrounding area since nineteen seventy eight, sell
(00:21):
more Hondas than any of other Honda dealers in Richmond.
Number one volume dealer in Central VA. Joe T. Hell yeah,
long history of supporting the Richmond community. The Page Audi
Group currently works with our favorite, the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Hell yeah, the VCU Athletics, the MS Society, and Special Olympics.
Exceptional customer service that will make you a West Broad
(00:44):
Honda customer for life. A perfect balance of inventory available
so you can find the Honda you want today. Looking
for an electric vehicle, Hell yeah. Westbron Honda has all
new twenty twenty four prolocs, Honda's first EV with a
total range of just under three hundred miles. They also
(01:07):
have great offers on every model, including two point nine
percent financing on the Honda CRV and Accord and zero
percent on the Honda ridgeline. Hell yeah, West Broad Honda
is your home for your next Honda or certified pre
owned Honda. Also a large selection of non Honda pre
(01:29):
owned vehicles. Go see my boy steviep at West Broad Honda.
Hell yeah, all right, everybody, welcome to another inning. We
do innings in the Party Time Podcast. Today we're going
coastal coast to coast on the Party Time Podcast presented
(01:52):
by West Broad Honda. Thank you Stevip and all our
friends over there. We have Wyatt producing the show as always.
Behind me my sidekick Joe t who's going to approve
things by saying hell yeah, and he's going to disapprove
by saying And they were happy to welcome back Cheats
from the Black Baseball Mixtape Cheats. What's up buddy?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Another inning party?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I'm here. I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah. We're flying through this season. So we've had Will Clark,
We've had Steve Klein, We've had Carl Ravage and Sam
Ravish from ESPN. We've had one of our favorite people
in the world, Tony Beasley, a third base coach of
the world champion Texas Rangers. We've had our owner Loud
deball to talk about boxing, and now we have Richmond,
(02:37):
Virginia's own and Virginia's own Ben Berlander all the way
from California. Ben, Welcome to the Party Time podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Appreciate it man, thanks for having me. Guys Parney, good
to see it Man. Always good talking to you.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Well, it's great to see you. It's been awesome watching
your the job you're doing with flipping bats. And let's
just get started. Part time podcasts all about relationships. Obviously,
I know your parents very well. They're they're the greatest
people in the world. Love it when they come to
squirrels games.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
And you you grew up here.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And before we get into when you and I did
a podcast, talk a little bit about your life in Richmond,
and then going to Old Dominion because I have a
beach house in Sandbridge, Virginia, so I'm very familiar with
that area. Talk about that, and then we'll get going
with with the stuff that you're doing. Now.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yes, I was. I was born into a baseball family.
My brother's nine years older than me, and as obviously
was playing then and still playing now. So you know,
I just fell in love with the game on my own.
I wanted to play and wanted to continue to play
the game, so play it up through my little league
days through high school and ended up wanting to continue.
(03:52):
Justin also went to Old Dominion himself, but for me
that was that was a place I was familiar with.
They were also a school that wanted to that allowed
me to be a two way player, to hit and pitch,
and that was important to me at the time. So yeah,
my my baseball journey led to Old Dominion and from
(04:13):
there my after my sophomore year. I was pretty average
at both and there's nothing wrong with being an average
Division one baseball player, but I wanted to get drafted.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I was I was.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Certainly was it, so I wanted to I wanted to
play at the next level, and I knew I needed
to do something, so I actually stopped pitching. I was
given the choice to to pick one or the other.
What do I want to do? And I wanted to hit.
I wanted to play every day, and I also wanted
to have my own path. I didn't want every step
of the way to follow my brother's footsteps, so I
(04:48):
wanted to be a hitter. And when I made that decision,
I ended up being in All American that next year
and got drafted by the Detroit Tigers and played there
for about five years. So quite the quite the journey
as a as a baseball player.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Great coaching staff at Old Dominion, right.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Oh, yeah, so I was there. I was there when
Chris Finwood came in and it is currently there. Was
recruited by Nugget you know, Ryan Morris down there and
Jerry and it was a great crew when I got recruited,
and I ended up loving Chris Finwood and the crew
that did come in and Tim Laville.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Yeah, they do a great job. We love we love
seeing them here. So then after your after the minor leagues,
you came back, you came back to Richmond for a
little while. I sat down and talked to you, admittedly
for your for your former show during COVID, and I
think you called me and said, party, we want to
have somebody on about the minor leagues because the season
(05:43):
just got canceled. So so, guys, I talked to Ben
probably at the worst point of my entire freaking life.
And I remember sitting at the kitchen table. It was
a Saturday morning. You probably don't remember, you've had very
much success. You don't remember this. It was a Saturday
morning and you asked me some questions and I just
went off and I don't even remember probably what I said,
(06:05):
but I remember it being a very difficult time for me.
And that was actually a pretty pretty healing process to
talk to you about what I was feeling about the
first ever season. So so you had that and then
talk to us about flipping bats, Like, how did that
all start? Because dude, you are absolutely killing it. Like
I love all your stuff that you do on social media,
(06:25):
and I love what you're doing on Fox because you
show your your your you're a former player and but
you you show your love and your exuberance for the
game and today when we're robotic a little bit, you know,
as far as baseball goes, I love that exuberance. So
talk about how flipping bats started?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
And this isn't going to be an interview, Ben, this
is a conversation.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
And we'll get cheats involved here in a second. But
flipping bats has really been successful for you.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, Parney, I appreciate that a time.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Man. It was.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
It was also an interesting time in my life because
I get out of playing, which I wanted to do
my whole life. I never really planned for what's next
and finish up. And I never fell out of love
with the game of baseball, which can be easy to
do when you play a long time and get so
close but don't make it. And I kept loving the
game and knew I wanted to be involved in some way.
(07:17):
I didn't really know what that looked like, but I
did start doing some media stuff. I went up to
New York to do some stuff at MLB Network and
thought I had a job there, and right when I
was getting ready to sign COVID hit and the world
shut down and hiring freezes everywhere. That didn't happen. I
went back to Virginia and yeah, I just started that
(07:37):
show that I had you on with Michelle Margo did
that was just kind of doing some random things. I
got on Twitch, of all things, which is just a
video game streaming.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, Twitch.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
I got on Twitch to just I built an audience
there and just kept talking about the game and playing
video games. And then got an opportunity need to fly
out to LA to host a World Series watch party
with Rick and Kieltino, Martinez Nick Swisher did that and
Fox loved it, and next thing. You know, I'm signing
out there and got got this show that that I
(08:13):
love so much, and it has been it's been a journey.
And I appreciate you you saying that that's what you
get when you when you watch and listen, because that
I do have an interesting journey, right. I didn't make it.
I don't claim to have made it to the big league.
I'm not the the Derek Jeters, the big Poppies, the
A Rods that you see on Fox. But I was
close and had quite the grind of a journey and
(08:35):
now get to do this in the media space. And
I really do love it, man, I love it.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Well, what's it like when when you're like, I remember
one during the World Series. It might have been a
couple of years ago you did a thing, or maybe
it was an NLCS where you ran out of the
center field and that you had the camera going with
you remember what I'm talking about, and and like you
seem like you were a twelve year old kid. Like
when you're at these moments, you know, and you and
(09:00):
your family have been through so many moments through Justin's career,
do you ever just pinch yourself and be like, yo, dude,
I'm like working with Big Poppy or like being Derek Jeter,
are going to lunch. You know, do you have any
holy shit moments like that?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Every time that happens. What you're talking about is one
of those moments. And I felt like there's a video
of that, and I felt like you could see that
in my face and like my experience, and.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
That's why I brought it up. That's why I brought
it up.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Yeah, was twenty twenty one in Atlanta. Yeah, came in
through center field, their mascot takes all, they open up
the gates, the mascot takes off with the flag, and
I'm like the first person in right after him, and
walking on the field, crowd's going crazy. Last out just happened,
fireworks or shooting off, and that tip. That's happened in Atlanta,
(09:50):
It's happened in Philly, it happens in Houston, And every
time it happens, I just pinched myself and think, man,
what if you could have told five year old Ben
that this would all be happening. I probably would have
gotten pretty emotional. And it is something that still makes
me emotional. I love it to this day. And there's
a lot of those moments.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Well yeah, and I you know, I'm in my thirty
fifth year now Minor League Baseball, and I still have
those moments too. So that's why I really like bringing
that out of our parting time. Guests, When you do
have those moments, we do something here called one shot, Ben,
where we get our party pub club one shot. It's
not liquor, so don't worry. I know it's only ten
o'clock where you're at. Hey, listen, dude, you can't drink
(10:32):
all day if you don't start in the morning, right Ben. So,
but we're gonna bring cheats. We're gonna bring cheats in
here for a second. But before we do that, let's
get topical for a second again. I follow you very closely.
I don't know if you notice how many likes I
give you and retweets. But if you're Jerry Ryansdorf right now, Bro,
you're Jerry Ryinsdorf right now, what the hell do you do?
(10:56):
Like you for Pedro? Like? I mean, do you sell
the team? Do you move with the freaking Guatemala?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Like?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
If I'm him? Well, I'm not him, so I would
say sell the team?
Speaker 1 (11:09):
It is.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
It is an embarrassment what is going on currently there.
It's frustrating.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
The fire baby, I'm still good to fire.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
It's it's frustrating as a baseball fan. I think it's
bad for the sport to have an owner that really
just doesn't I don't think he cares like he should.
He brought in all of his friends. I'm sure they're
good people, but they're not good baseball front office people.
Brought in all of his friends from the Royal or
you know, Chris Gatz and that crew from the Royals
and Pedro and all those guys, and I think they
(11:41):
run the organization like they're best friends, just taking over
a team without having the right people in place. And
I ultimately just feel bad for the players. I mean,
as you and I are talking, they're in the midst
of twenty one straight. The players are trying their hardest.
It's just a really bad situation, and man, I get
I get so frustrated at their inability. I think they
(12:03):
messed up the trade deadline. They've they've lost more game.
They're on pace to be the worst team ever tack
another one on for the trade deadline. They handled that brutally.
It's just frustrating to watch them go about it. And
I just don't think he cares as much. I think
he's more about the money in his pocket as opposed
to putting a winning product on the team for the
fans in Chicago that want to watch good baseball, And
that just sucks.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Who do you think is a good owner who cares
about winning? All owners want to make money, right bro?
Because like they're all billionaires for a reason, right, Like
they didn't just wake up, most of them didn't just
wake up and have all this money. So like, who
do you think? Who do you think he's a good
owner who cares about winning as well as making money?
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah? I think. And this is easier said than done
because I think the people that I'm about to name
are probably on the bigger scale of money. But I
think I think what Steve Cohen has come in this
is a passion project for him, right Like he came
in as a fan and bought a team that he's
a fan of and just wants to see them win
(13:04):
above all else. And again, I know he has all
the money in the world, but he treats the team
like he wants to win. He doesn't treat it like
an investment where he wants to get the biggest return.
All these guys are billionaires, So my frustration comes from, well,
are you getting in this as a business investment or
are you getting in it because you love the game,
(13:25):
You want to see your team succeed, you want to
put a winning product on the team on the field
for your fans. Or are you trying to get the
biggest bottom dollar possible? And I don't. I think we
have too many of those in the league. I think
John Fisher out in Oakland is a prime example of that.
I think Jerry Reinsdorf is a prime example of that.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Pittsburg Pirates, Pittsburgh Pirates.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, Nutting is a great example of that. And I
do think there are some around the league and they
don't all have to have the most money. I know
Jim Crane with the Astros, I don't know where he
lands on the tier in terms of richest owners, but
I know he's not in the top three to five.
And he said recently he said, after this offseason, as
long as I'm here in Houston, the window will always
(14:06):
be open, and that's all you can ask for as
a fan, as an owner, that doesn't want the window
to close. That's willing to do what it takes to
putting winning product on the field, and I just wish
there were more of those and less of the John Fisher's,
Jerry ryin Storf Bob nuttings of the world.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
I concur wholeheartedly. That is why I wanted to have
you on the Party Time podcast. I feel like everything
you're going to say I just absolutely agree with from
the standpoint of loving baseball and a fan. Cheats, go
ahead and start with your one shot. Oh look, before
we do that. If I'm Jerry Yinsdorf, I'm firing Pedro
tomorrow and then I'm going to bring in an interim
(14:45):
manager who has fun. And then after the offseason, I'm
hiring Willie Harris, the third base coach of the Chicago
White Sox, who's the former manager of the Richmond Flying Squirrels,
who's a World Series hero for the Chicago White Sox
but also a great baseball person.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Yes, hell yeahs on it.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
All right, that's your first Hell yeah, Ben, But do
you agree with me?
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Not?
Speaker 1 (15:12):
You cheats? Cheats have been up with a one shotter.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Hey Ben, I actually agree with him too, And uh
In regards to Cohen, I got to shout out Rubinstein
over at the Baltimore Oriols. I know he has a
lot of money as well, but it seems like a
person that really wanted to just buy the team that
he loves and really wants to make him winners and
treats the players as well. So I concur with Ben.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Let me ask a.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Question just about kind of what you do Ben, and
in your creativity and innovation in this space. Everybody knows
when we talk about baseball media, the mark on it
is that it needs to get more creative, it needs
to get more innovative. It's been stale for way too long.
What you've been able to do with your show Flipping
bats Now, But even before that added some I would
(15:58):
say flair if you will, for lack of a better term,
how do you look at innovation and creativity when you're
talking about media and baseball? What what do you like
to bring to the table.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yeah, I think I think I came into the media
space one. Thank you for saying that it's it's I'm
glad that it's something that is noticed because I can
also acknowledge when when I came into this space and
a little a while before that media per se was
just I just thought it was boring. I thought the
(16:31):
way the sport was covered boring and and cheats to
this day, like I can, I can get credentialed to
a baseball game, and and that credential gets me in
the press box. I never I have a rule, I
never watch a baseball game in the press box. I
go up there to get the food and get the
ice cream, and then I dip and walk around the
(16:52):
stadium the entire game because I want to be in
the crowd. I want to feel it. Sitting in a
in a press box for a game with major league
media members is like pulling teeth. I mean, you're sitting
up there and the coolest thing in the world can happen.
Elie de la Cruz can hit an inside the park
Homer and nobody says anything. They look down at their
computer and they start writing and like, I'm freaking out,
(17:15):
And you know, I think that's what the space needs
is more people that are energetic, more more media members
that are fans of the game. And I think that
was taboo for a while. In case anybody's been living
under a rock, I'm probably the biggest sho Heo Tani
fan there is. I'll talk about him at nauseum, and
I think that's needed. And being a fan in the
(17:37):
game was almost taboo for forever in the media, and
I think that's starting to change. I hope it is,
because I think what it needs is to get younger
to be more enthusiastic about the sport. And I just
try to do my smallest little part of being somebody
that's that's able to do that.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
You mentioned Otani. I gotta tell you you guys really
quick story. We were at the Winter Meetings last year.
It was the Otawani sweepstakes, right, Ben, like everybody's everybody's everybody.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Wants some time Nashville, right, Nashville.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Yeah, it was Nashville. Yeah, that place. I get lost
in that place when i'm sober, let alone, when I'm drunk.
So so we walk into the Giants party and I
walk up and I go, I'll have a Tito's and
soda with two limes, please, And the bartender goes, I'm sorry, sir,
I'm sorry, sir. We uh was just beer and wine.
And I turned around and said, are you guys shitting me?
(18:32):
We're trying to sign Otani for five hundred million dollars plus,
and I can't have a Tito's and soda the party
tonight anyway.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah, so, so talk about Otani. Why do you like
him so much?
Speaker 3 (18:47):
You know, on the obvious answer and the on the
surface answer is I think he's the most talented player
in the game. Obviously, he pitches, he hits, he throws
a hundred he hits balls five hundred feet. He's in
an im We've never seen anything like him. But I
think a little bit deeper of a layer is that.
You know, I was a two way player in college.
(19:08):
I would have told you, it's impressed. It's impossible to
do it at the big league level. I was very
average at both, and when I stopped doing one, I
was able to put all of my time towards that
and became so much better at it. So I would
have said, not, well, you can't do it at the
big leagues. It takes it. There's you have to you
have to cut corners on one to do the other,
(19:29):
and you're cutting corners on that to get back to
the other thing. And so I just think when I
chose one and then I got drafted and I was
playing professional baseball. You start playing with guys that often
go to Japan or come back. And I had a
teammate came back one year and goes, oh my god,
there's this guy playing an MPB right now. His name
is Shohei Otani. He throws one hundred and two miles
(19:51):
an hour and he hit bombs, And I was like,
what who is this guy? Like, am I are we?
Is he coming to Major League Baseball? Am I going
to know his name? And he's like, oh, oh yeah.
So I kind of started following his career when he
was over there playing for the nipe On ham Fighters,
and then he comes over here obviously met with a
(20:13):
lot of I would say criticism and spring training that
first year when he wasn't very good offensively and was
told by some members of the media that he wouldn't
be able to hit at a high school level in America,
and then ends up going on to win Rookie of
the Year a couple of injuries, obviously, and then the
MVP run started, and I just think, I think it's
(20:36):
the behind the scenes. For me, it's the work ethic
that it takes to be a two way player. At
the highest level in the world. Again, I would have
told you it's impossible. I still would say it's impossible
unless your name is Shoeyo Tani. But I just hope
everybody appreciates what we're watching every single night. I think
we're going to look back one day and say, I
feel grateful that I was alive when Shoeo Tani was
playing baseball.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Yeah, I mean I again, all the stuff I follow
with you. I know how much you like him, and
I think that a lot of America, if you're not
a really exuberant fan like you, we never really saw
him with the Angels, right like I think Mike Trout,
if he was healthy, Mike Trout could be one of
the greatest players of all time and in the Hall time.
And I think those guys were hidden by the Angels,
(21:20):
which is weird because they're in the big one of
the biggest cities in the country. You never know what
we're going to talk about here on the party time,
And something just popped into my head with you being
such a huge baseball fan and doing what you do
so well with flipping bats and on Fox. When I
say the word analytics or the phrase analytics in baseball.
What do you say, Ben Verlander.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
I say there's a space for it, But we went
too far down a path of it. I think the
ultimate Oh yeah, I think the ultimate thing is having
some feel as a as a manager specifically, I think
we went too far down a path of Well, the
number that is on that scoreboard under his pitch count
(22:05):
starts with a nine, so it's time to take him
out of the game. Instead of being able to realize, hey, well,
this guy shoving out there on the mound right now, like,
what are we even thinking about taking him out? He
hasn't had any stressful innings. These ninety pitches aren't stress pitches.
He can he can go as long as he as
long as he's willing to go out there. But and
(22:27):
I just think we went too far down a path
of I'm not calling anybody specifically this, but these baseball
nerds kind of taking over and saying this is where
you should be playing on the field, this is what
the number says, this is what happens, instead of letting
players have their feel, instead of letting managers be a
(22:47):
baseball type guy and just know, hey, I don't care
what that says there. Thank you for that information. Great,
He's not great through the third time of the lineup,
but this is the best I've ever seen him. Look,
he's dominating. He has that look in his eye, and
I can just tell he needs to keep going. And
I think we I think we're starting to shift back
a little bit to where it needs to be, but
(23:08):
we went far too down a path of well, this
lineup is going to be put together based on numbers,
This fielding positioning is going to be put together based
on numbers. The manager in the dugout is going to
listen to us based on these numbers, and we're gonna
sign guys based on these numbers. And I think now
we're getting some managers back in the dugout that are
gonna say, look, give me that information, but to hell
(23:31):
with it if I don't feel like it's any good.
So hopefully we get back to that.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
The game is what you're telling me.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Being seven games in the game, I am leading. Look,
Dylan Cees threw a no hitter the other day. He
comes back in the dugout after the eighth inning with
like ninety two ninety three pitches and Mike Shilt told
him he was done, and Dylan seesk goes no, I'm not.
I'm fine. I'm going back out there. I feel great,
(23:59):
like let me go.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
So instead of that's my whole thing is a man
just come off the field, go talk to him, look
in his eyes and say you good, and if he
says I'm good, then send him back out there. And
that's when the field comes in. You're a manager. Every
pitcher's gonna want to go back out if you feel
him maybe a little wishy washy or he looks tired,
that's one thing. But if he comes off the field
and he's staring into your soul and he says, I'm
(24:21):
going back out there, then what are what are we doing?
Taking a no hitter from that guy like that's he'll
remember that for the rest of his life, and we're
gonna take him out so he doesn't throw an extra
fifteen pitches because numbers on a piece of paper say
that his arm might get hurt. I got news for you.
Way more guys get Tommy John now than they did
back thirty forty, fifty, sixty, one hundred years ago. So
(24:42):
what are we doing wrong?
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Preach preach Ian the Blake Snell Blake Snell pisching no
hitter the other night. Never had touched the ninth thinning
in his career, And when I read that, bru I
was like, dude, are you kidding me? He's one of
the best pictures in the game. He know, ever hit
the ninth inning. Uh So, I totally agree with you.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
That's one of the prime examples, Parney to me is
Kevin Cash in the World Series years ago, Blake Snell
on the mat.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
I didn't want to bring it up because I don't
want to bring it up. I love Cash.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
It takes them out, and he was. He was dominating
Blake Snell. Probably that stat. Everybody knows that hadn't pitched
in the ninth inning. Well, he should have in the
twenty twenty World Series, but he wouldn't give me up.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah. So the team we owned in Montgomery's affiliated with
the Rays, and I've gotten to know Cash. I love him,
But yes, I agree with you on that one. We
had a situation here in Richmond where we had a
guy with a perfect game through six. Now this is
double A so it's maybe a little bit different. Yeah,
perfect game through six and he was done, you know,
after like seventy some maybe some pitches, which I'm not
(25:47):
being critical. I'm just giving you a fact. Did that happen?
That happened here? Cheats here, Cheats go ahead, and oh look, mister,
I'm having lunch with Jay. Billis just showed up.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Yeah, let's go. Let's go.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
All right, Cheats, go ahead. We've got about ten minutes laughter,
or maybe a little bit less than that. Cheats, you
go ahead, and had been up with another one hitter,
and then we'll or one shot and then we'll let
Phillips go if he wants to, and then we'll close
it out perfect.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
No.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
I love that you mentioned your your show Hey Love,
because it's obviously very very public in parn I appreciate
you saying the where you were when show Hey got
the deal really quick. Fun fact, I was actually with
the Players Alliance in the Bahamas standing next to CC
Sabathia when the seven hundred billion number comes out. And
(26:38):
I've never seen this before. It's like when an earthquake
hits or something and everybody's just looking at their phones
and it's this ripple effect. That's what happened throughout the
entire home run derby in the Bahamas. Everybody's just looking
at their phone looking at the number, couldn't believe it.
And so my question for Ben is you got a
lot of heat for your show. Hey, it takes some times.
(27:01):
What is the take that you actually love the best
that you've made, that you you love the best, you
get a lot of heat for it. And what is
the take that you wish you'd have back that you
probably also get a lot of heat for.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Let's see a take that I wish I had back.
I think it was I don't know, two years ago,
speaking of the White Sox. I think I picked the
White Sox to win the division. And then my first
here here, here's the one I probably get the most
heat for. But it's about three years removed, so it's
calm down a little bit.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
But the statue of limitation still exists, though, Bro, the
statual limitation still exists.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
My first my first year in this media space, the
first year having this show, Flipping Bats, we did a
postseason bracket, fully filled it out every team that was
in the postseasons, and just picked the winner of each
series all the way to the World Series. I missed
every single one. I didn't have a single series correct,
(28:08):
not the wild card round, not the division, not the nothing. Yeah,
so I would take that one back. But you know,
that's the thing cheats in this, you know, Like I'm
sure you know as well as long as you're you know,
no publicity is bad publicity, which often isn't a very
(28:30):
true statement, but in the media space, like if you're
being talked about because you had a bad take or
a good take, at least you're being talked about, you know,
And that's what that's what the game needs. It's just
people talking about it, making fun of people missing every
pick and talking about hot takes, cold takes, whatever it is.
So well, it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Don't worry, man, I'm still waiting for my Tim Materson
comeback season. So I'm still getting it too.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
MP.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
You got you got a one shot for Ben Berland?
Speaker 3 (29:00):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Ben?
Speaker 3 (29:02):
Man?
Speaker 1 (29:02):
The day Justin threw his first major league no hitter,
didn't you have a great outing that day too? Yes?
Speaker 3 (29:08):
The day the day Justin threw his first big league
no hitter?
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I what year?
Speaker 3 (29:14):
So I was in I was in college and I
think had like I think I had like two homers
that day and college it was it was quite the
Actually that was the second no hitter. Sorry, that was
when he threw it against the Blue Jays. I lose
track of the no hitters, which I guess is a
good thing. His birth one against the Brewers. I think
(29:35):
that week I also threw one, but it was like
it was like a five inning slaughter rule against a
team that wasn't very good. But yes, that that did happen.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Speaking speaking of the Astros, you didn't speak of the Astros.
You spoke of your brother. Lately you've been hot on
the Astros. Like, is that because of Justin or is
that just because you're h on the Astros.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
Yeah, I just think like I think, for better or
for worse. I look, I've been getting I will get
shit until the day I die about you know, I'm
nine years younger. Everything I've ever accomplished in my life
is because of my brother. Right, I'll get that in forever.
But I've always felt it important and I don't shy
(30:24):
away from I root for my brother's teams, sue me.
I rooted for I root for the Houston Astros. I
rooted for the Mets. I rooted for the Richmond Virginians.
I rooted for the Gucelin Bulldogs. I don't really care
who he's playing for. I'm I'm gonna root for them,
and I don't really shy away from that. But I
also I don't want to be like I don't want
(30:44):
to be super biased in the way I talk about them.
So I have said for years now that the Astros
are inevitable and guess what seven straight alcs's. But I
also felt like they deserved a little bit of flack
for their handling of the the trade deadline. And I
want to be I am I I am in a
position to be able to do that, and I want
to do that, and I know Justin's on the team.
(31:05):
But if I feel I need to be critical of
the GM or the front office or the management or
my brother, I want to do that and I feel
I can. So it is it's always interesting when I
was talking to Justin about it and and you know,
just talking about their front office around the trade deadline.
It is something that's always in the back of my mind,
like I don't want to I don't want to blast
(31:29):
my brother's general manager, you know. So there is this
there is this fine line when it's when it's to
do with his team. But I will talk about them,
how how I think I should and how I see.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Fit we look. Obviously, everybody here in Richmond is a
fan of your brothers, and now all the things you
do on the flip about a fan of yours. I'm
a fan of your parents. I think your parents are
two of the greatest people I've ever met. Anything anything
you want to say, hell yeah, yeah. It's so great
(32:03):
when our guests get the hell yes and the hell
notes anything about what they've meant to you, guys, you
know on your journeys, because I know they've meant an
awful lot to both of you. And I look, I
can't say enough about how I feel about your mom
and dad. I think they're just amazing, amazing people. As
we begin to close, you want to touch on that, Ben.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Yeah, I think I think you get more and more
of an appreciation for it as you get older and older, right,
which you know, it's just it's life. But you know,
not that I ever took them for granted. I am
where I am, and I think Justin is where he
is because of the way we were raised. But as
I get older in life, I realize, like man, not
only does it take like so much time and effort
(32:45):
to take two kids to all these baseball practices and
lessons and tryouts and school. But you know, it gets
expensive to do all of that. And and just the
way that we were never forced down any path, but
just showered with so much love and appreciation. I can't
I can't say enough good things about them. I'm absolutely
(33:07):
where I am in life because of my mom and
dad and the and the way I was raised and
Richmond and Goochland and they're they're still there and yeah,
they're just they're incredible people, as you know, Parney, and
they they've never changed no matter how much success Justin
has or however much success I've had or will continue
(33:28):
to have, And they're always going to be the same people.
And and that's the way I strive to be. You know,
next next February they'll be married for fifty years. There's
a lot of there's a lot of lessons to be
learned from them, and I owe a lot to them.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Yeah, you know me, I don't shot away from a
good party. So if you're having a fiftieth holler at
your boy man, I'll be there. Hey, I just thought
about this while you were talking about your parents. Elliott
and Hermie South are great friends of ours. They're going
to be coming up on a On A or Anytime show.
They're six years apart. Elliott says that he's obviously an accident.
(34:07):
You're nine years apart. Any any thoughts about that or
you know.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Party Time's going off the rails here the next shot
at tequila. But I do think Look, my parents got
there almost together for fifty years. So they got married
when they were seventeen and eighteen years old. Oh man
waited nine years to have justin, another nine to have me.
Another thing you learn when you get older. I feel
(34:33):
like it's fifty to fifty on whether you're an accident
or not. So who knows? They say no, but who
really knows.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Well in my case is all the bottles of wine.
So I mean, you know, you never know. Cheats and MP.
We're going to close out here with Ben Verlander, who's
been a great, a great guest here on the Party
Time podcast, and he's parting shots for Ben before we
let him get back. It's probably what br much time
out in LA right now. You're gonna have some some
fancy brunch somewhere in La today, Bud.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Yeah, it's about ten thirty. We've been doing all these
one shots. I'm you know, no time to start like
the present, so who knows that the day has got
in start? But uh yeah, we'll.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
See you guys. Got anything from them? Before we close up.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
I'll just say, bing, you get to do a lot
of cool stuff around the game and things that you
like to do. Is there something that you're looking forward
to like moving forward? Is there something that you pinpointed
on your calendar that says great question. I'm really excited
about this more so than just kind of the average
regular routine.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
No, that's a that's a that's a great question. And
I think every year I just have a couple of
things circled on the calendar. Uh and and the biggest
of those is October, and it's always, you know it is.
It has come routine, But I never want to take
it for granted that, you know, when the astros are
(35:57):
in it and my brother's doing what he's doing for work,
and I get to do what I do for work,
and my parents go to support their kids, and next
thing you know, we're all in Houston or Philadelphia as
a family with both kids doing what they love. I
just I never want to take those moments for granted.
So I'm hopeful that we can get another October like that.
(36:21):
I'm really excited for next year. Next year's All Star
Game is in Atlanta. I think that's going to be sick.
I'm pumped for that. So there's just a couple of
things circled on the schedule that are that are outside
of the norm, and October and the and the All
Star Games are always one of them. And when did
you figure out you were good at this, that this
is what you wanted to do? Still trying to figure
(36:42):
it out, MP I, you know, I didn't know. I
started to do it and people people liked it, people
talked about it, for better or for worse, and I
just I've no matter what I've done in terms of baseball,
in terms of this, I have always committed everything. And
(37:03):
I wanted to be the best at baseball. And guess what,
ninety two mile an hour sliders got the best of me.
Couldn't hit them. So what am I going to do.
I'm going to talk about is hard. Hitting is hard?
And now you know, I have this show and I
look back on the very first episode I ever did
with Tyler Glass. Now and I think, man, this is embarrassing.
(37:23):
I sucked, and I my hope is in five years,
I'm able to look back on this interview or my
latest Flipping Bats episode and say, man, I sucked because
I want to get better every single day and I
don't claim to know everything. I don't claim to know anything.
I just claim to want to get better at what
I do. And I think every day I'm trying to
(37:45):
do that, and I do. I can't acknowledge, I can.
I can realize right now that I that I am.
I am better than I was a few years ago,
and I hope that never changes. And I'm always constantly evolving.
You're crushing it. We're pulling for you.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Yeah, we really are. And next time you come back
to rich and give us a horror. Right to my left, Ben,
we're finally building that blankety blank ballpark, and everybody's been talking.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
About what entire nation took so long, thank god.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
And starts with Pete and Ensworth politics. Okay, that's what
that's all we want to say. But we're very grateful
for that and we should have the groundbreaking real soon.
We'll be in there April of twenty six. So here's
my final request. We want you to bring the Flipping
Bat Show to the new Ballpark in twenty twenty six
and we'll hang out with your mom and dad and
(38:33):
have a good time.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Hell yeah, I'm in man. That sounds like a lot
of fun. Twenty twenty six, April of twenty twenty six.
That's it, baby, put it on the calendar. Cheats. What
am I most looking forward to? April twenty twenty six,
Squirrel Stadium? Baby, let's go. Let's go.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
All right, well, Ben, thank you. We're gonna let you
get on with your your life. Keep doing what you're doing,
and keep smiling and keep loving the game, because I
think it just comes through so loud clear with what
you're doing in your career now. And I, as a
lifelong baseball minor league executive, I get fed from your energy.
(39:10):
So I appreciate that. Thanks to the Pub Club, Joe
Teenage enjoy Ben Verlander. Hell yeah, all right, we're looking
forward to the next inning of Party Time. Thank you
to Westbrood Honda, thank you to Ben Verlander, Thank you
to the Parney's Pub Club. Adios until next time. Hey everybody,
this is Parny from the Party Time Podcast asking you
(39:32):
to follow, subscribe, follow us on all your social media outlets.
Join the Party Time family, because you never know what's
gonna happen. On the Parnie Time Podcast
Hey, everybody, party from the Party Time podcast talking to
you about West Broad Honda. That's right, our buddy STEVEP
running the show over at the corner of Broad Street
and Glenside Drive. Or if you're unlike Joe T and
you use the Internet www dot Westbroadhonda dot Com, serving
Richmond and the surrounding area since nineteen seventy eight, sell
(00:21):
more Hondas than any of other Honda dealers in Richmond.
Number one volume dealer in Central VA. Joe T. Hell yeah,
long history of supporting the Richmond community. The Page Audi
Group currently works with our favorite, the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Hell yeah, the VCU Athletics, the MS Society, and Special Olympics.
Exceptional customer service that will make you a West Broad
(00:44):
Honda customer for life. A perfect balance of inventory available
so you can find the Honda you want today. Looking
for an electric vehicle, Hell yeah. Westbron Honda has all
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(01:29):
owned vehicles. Go see my boy steviep at West Broad Honda.
Hell yeah, all right, everybody, welcome to another inning. We
do innings in the Party Time Podcast. Today we're going
coastal coast to coast on the Party Time Podcast presented
(01:52):
by West Broad Honda. Thank you Stevip and all our
friends over there. We have Wyatt producing the show as always.
Behind me my sidekick Joe t who's going to approve
things by saying hell yeah, and he's going to disapprove
by saying And they were happy to welcome back Cheats
from the Black Baseball Mixtape Cheats. What's up buddy?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Another inning party?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I'm here. I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah. We're flying through this season. So we've had Will Clark,
We've had Steve Klein, We've had Carl Ravage and Sam
Ravish from ESPN. We've had one of our favorite people
in the world, Tony Beasley, a third base coach of
the world champion Texas Rangers. We've had our owner Loud
deball to talk about boxing, and now we have Richmond,
(02:37):
Virginia's own and Virginia's own Ben Berlander all the way
from California. Ben, Welcome to the Party Time podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Appreciate it man, thanks for having me. Guys Parney, good
to see it Man. Always good talking to you.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Well, it's great to see you. It's been awesome watching
your the job you're doing with flipping bats. And let's
just get started. Part time podcasts all about relationships. Obviously,
I know your parents very well. They're they're the greatest
people in the world. Love it when they come to
squirrels games.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
And you you grew up here.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And before we get into when you and I did
a podcast, talk a little bit about your life in Richmond,
and then going to Old Dominion because I have a
beach house in Sandbridge, Virginia, so I'm very familiar with
that area. Talk about that, and then we'll get going
with with the stuff that you're doing. Now.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yes, I was. I was born into a baseball family.
My brother's nine years older than me, and as obviously
was playing then and still playing now. So you know,
I just fell in love with the game on my own.
I wanted to play and wanted to continue to play
the game, so play it up through my little league
days through high school and ended up wanting to continue.
(03:52):
Justin also went to Old Dominion himself, but for me
that was that was a place I was familiar with.
They were also a school that wanted to that allowed
me to be a two way player, to hit and pitch,
and that was important to me at the time. So yeah,
my my baseball journey led to Old Dominion and from
(04:13):
there my after my sophomore year. I was pretty average
at both and there's nothing wrong with being an average
Division one baseball player, but I wanted to get drafted.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I was I was.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Certainly was it, so I wanted to I wanted to
play at the next level, and I knew I needed
to do something, so I actually stopped pitching. I was
given the choice to to pick one or the other.
What do I want to do? And I wanted to hit.
I wanted to play every day, and I also wanted
to have my own path. I didn't want every step
of the way to follow my brother's footsteps, so I
(04:48):
wanted to be a hitter. And when I made that decision,
I ended up being in All American that next year
and got drafted by the Detroit Tigers and played there
for about five years. So quite the quite the journey
as a as a baseball player.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Great coaching staff at Old Dominion, right.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Oh, yeah, so I was there. I was there when
Chris Finwood came in and it is currently there. Was
recruited by Nugget you know, Ryan Morris down there and
Jerry and it was a great crew when I got recruited,
and I ended up loving Chris Finwood and the crew
that did come in and Tim Laville.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Yeah, they do a great job. We love we love
seeing them here. So then after your after the minor leagues,
you came back, you came back to Richmond for a
little while. I sat down and talked to you, admittedly
for your for your former show during COVID, and I
think you called me and said, party, we want to
have somebody on about the minor leagues because the season
(05:43):
just got canceled. So so, guys, I talked to Ben
probably at the worst point of my entire freaking life.
And I remember sitting at the kitchen table. It was
a Saturday morning. You probably don't remember, you've had very
much success. You don't remember this. It was a Saturday
morning and you asked me some questions and I just
went off and I don't even remember probably what I said,
(06:05):
but I remember it being a very difficult time for me.
And that was actually a pretty pretty healing process to
talk to you about what I was feeling about the
first ever season. So so you had that and then
talk to us about flipping bats, Like, how did that
all start? Because dude, you are absolutely killing it. Like
I love all your stuff that you do on social media,
(06:25):
and I love what you're doing on Fox because you
show your your your you're a former player and but
you you show your love and your exuberance for the
game and today when we're robotic a little bit, you know,
as far as baseball goes, I love that exuberance. So
talk about how flipping bats started?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
And this isn't going to be an interview, Ben, this
is a conversation.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
And we'll get cheats involved here in a second. But
flipping bats has really been successful for you.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, Parney, I appreciate that a time.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Man. It was.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
It was also an interesting time in my life because
I get out of playing, which I wanted to do
my whole life. I never really planned for what's next
and finish up. And I never fell out of love
with the game of baseball, which can be easy to
do when you play a long time and get so
close but don't make it. And I kept loving the
game and knew I wanted to be involved in some way.
(07:17):
I didn't really know what that looked like, but I
did start doing some media stuff. I went up to
New York to do some stuff at MLB Network and
thought I had a job there, and right when I
was getting ready to sign COVID hit and the world
shut down and hiring freezes everywhere. That didn't happen. I
went back to Virginia and yeah, I just started that
(07:37):
show that I had you on with Michelle Margo did
that was just kind of doing some random things. I
got on Twitch, of all things, which is just a
video game streaming.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, Twitch.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
I got on Twitch to just I built an audience
there and just kept talking about the game and playing
video games. And then got an opportunity need to fly
out to LA to host a World Series watch party
with Rick and Kieltino, Martinez Nick Swisher did that and
Fox loved it, and next thing. You know, I'm signing
out there and got got this show that that I
(08:13):
love so much, and it has been it's been a journey.
And I appreciate you you saying that that's what you
get when you when you watch and listen, because that
I do have an interesting journey, right. I didn't make it.
I don't claim to have made it to the big league.
I'm not the the Derek Jeters, the big Poppies, the
A Rods that you see on Fox. But I was
close and had quite the grind of a journey and
(08:35):
now get to do this in the media space. And
I really do love it, man, I love it.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Well, what's it like when when you're like, I remember
one during the World Series. It might have been a
couple of years ago you did a thing, or maybe
it was an NLCS where you ran out of the
center field and that you had the camera going with
you remember what I'm talking about, and and like you
seem like you were a twelve year old kid. Like
when you're at these moments, you know, and you and
(09:00):
your family have been through so many moments through Justin's career,
do you ever just pinch yourself and be like, yo, dude,
I'm like working with Big Poppy or like being Derek Jeter,
are going to lunch. You know, do you have any
holy shit moments like that?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Every time that happens. What you're talking about is one
of those moments. And I felt like there's a video
of that, and I felt like you could see that
in my face and like my experience, and.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
That's why I brought it up. That's why I brought
it up.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Yeah, was twenty twenty one in Atlanta. Yeah, came in
through center field, their mascot takes all, they open up
the gates, the mascot takes off with the flag, and
I'm like the first person in right after him, and
walking on the field, crowd's going crazy. Last out just happened,
fireworks or shooting off, and that tip. That's happened in Atlanta,
(09:50):
It's happened in Philly, it happens in Houston, And every
time it happens, I just pinched myself and think, man,
what if you could have told five year old Ben
that this would all be happening. I probably would have
gotten pretty emotional. And it is something that still makes
me emotional. I love it to this day. And there's
a lot of those moments.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Well yeah, and I you know, I'm in my thirty
fifth year now Minor League Baseball, and I still have
those moments too. So that's why I really like bringing
that out of our parting time. Guests, When you do
have those moments, we do something here called one shot, Ben,
where we get our party pub club one shot. It's
not liquor, so don't worry. I know it's only ten
o'clock where you're at. Hey, listen, dude, you can't drink
(10:32):
all day if you don't start in the morning, right Ben. So,
but we're gonna bring cheats. We're gonna bring cheats in
here for a second. But before we do that, let's
get topical for a second again. I follow you very closely.
I don't know if you notice how many likes I
give you and retweets. But if you're Jerry Ryansdorf right now, Bro,
you're Jerry Ryinsdorf right now, what the hell do you do?
(10:56):
Like you for Pedro? Like? I mean, do you sell
the team? Do you move with the freaking Guatemala?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Like?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
If I'm him? Well, I'm not him, so I would
say sell the team?
Speaker 1 (11:09):
It is.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
It is an embarrassment what is going on currently there.
It's frustrating.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
The fire baby, I'm still good to fire.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
It's it's frustrating as a baseball fan. I think it's
bad for the sport to have an owner that really
just doesn't I don't think he cares like he should.
He brought in all of his friends. I'm sure they're
good people, but they're not good baseball front office people.
Brought in all of his friends from the Royal or
you know, Chris Gatz and that crew from the Royals
and Pedro and all those guys, and I think they
(11:41):
run the organization like they're best friends, just taking over
a team without having the right people in place. And
I ultimately just feel bad for the players. I mean,
as you and I are talking, they're in the midst
of twenty one straight. The players are trying their hardest.
It's just a really bad situation, and man, I get
I get so frustrated at their inability. I think they
(12:03):
messed up the trade deadline. They've they've lost more game.
They're on pace to be the worst team ever tack
another one on for the trade deadline. They handled that brutally.
It's just frustrating to watch them go about it. And
I just don't think he cares as much. I think
he's more about the money in his pocket as opposed
to putting a winning product on the team for the
fans in Chicago that want to watch good baseball, And
that just sucks.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Who do you think is a good owner who cares
about winning? All owners want to make money, right bro?
Because like they're all billionaires for a reason, right, Like
they didn't just wake up, most of them didn't just
wake up and have all this money. So like, who
do you think? Who do you think he's a good
owner who cares about winning as well as making money?
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah? I think. And this is easier said than done
because I think the people that I'm about to name
are probably on the bigger scale of money. But I
think I think what Steve Cohen has come in this
is a passion project for him, right Like he came
in as a fan and bought a team that he's
a fan of and just wants to see them win
(13:04):
above all else. And again, I know he has all
the money in the world, but he treats the team
like he wants to win. He doesn't treat it like
an investment where he wants to get the biggest return.
All these guys are billionaires, So my frustration comes from, well,
are you getting in this as a business investment or
are you getting in it because you love the game,
(13:25):
You want to see your team succeed, you want to
put a winning product on the team on the field
for your fans. Or are you trying to get the
biggest bottom dollar possible? And I don't. I think we
have too many of those in the league. I think
John Fisher out in Oakland is a prime example of that.
I think Jerry Reinsdorf is a prime example of that.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Pittsburg Pirates, Pittsburgh Pirates.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, Nutting is a great example of that. And I
do think there are some around the league and they
don't all have to have the most money. I know
Jim Crane with the Astros, I don't know where he
lands on the tier in terms of richest owners, but
I know he's not in the top three to five.
And he said recently he said, after this offseason, as
long as I'm here in Houston, the window will always
(14:06):
be open, and that's all you can ask for as
a fan, as an owner, that doesn't want the window
to close. That's willing to do what it takes to
putting winning product on the field, and I just wish
there were more of those and less of the John Fisher's,
Jerry ryin Storf Bob nuttings of the world.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
I concur wholeheartedly. That is why I wanted to have
you on the Party Time podcast. I feel like everything
you're going to say I just absolutely agree with from
the standpoint of loving baseball and a fan. Cheats, go
ahead and start with your one shot. Oh look, before
we do that. If I'm Jerry Yinsdorf, I'm firing Pedro
tomorrow and then I'm going to bring in an interim
(14:45):
manager who has fun. And then after the offseason, I'm
hiring Willie Harris, the third base coach of the Chicago
White Sox, who's the former manager of the Richmond Flying Squirrels,
who's a World Series hero for the Chicago White Sox
but also a great baseball person.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Yes, hell yeahs on it.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
All right, that's your first Hell yeah, Ben, But do
you agree with me?
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Not?
Speaker 1 (15:12):
You cheats? Cheats have been up with a one shotter.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Hey Ben, I actually agree with him too, And uh
In regards to Cohen, I got to shout out Rubinstein
over at the Baltimore Oriols. I know he has a
lot of money as well, but it seems like a
person that really wanted to just buy the team that
he loves and really wants to make him winners and
treats the players as well. So I concur with Ben.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Let me ask a.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Question just about kind of what you do Ben, and
in your creativity and innovation in this space. Everybody knows
when we talk about baseball media, the mark on it
is that it needs to get more creative, it needs
to get more innovative. It's been stale for way too long.
What you've been able to do with your show Flipping
bats Now, But even before that added some I would
(15:58):
say flair if you will, for lack of a better term,
how do you look at innovation and creativity when you're
talking about media and baseball? What what do you like
to bring to the table.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yeah, I think I think I came into the media
space one. Thank you for saying that it's it's I'm
glad that it's something that is noticed because I can
also acknowledge when when I came into this space and
a little a while before that media per se was
just I just thought it was boring. I thought the
(16:31):
way the sport was covered boring and and cheats to
this day, like I can, I can get credentialed to
a baseball game, and and that credential gets me in
the press box. I never I have a rule, I
never watch a baseball game in the press box. I
go up there to get the food and get the
ice cream, and then I dip and walk around the
(16:52):
stadium the entire game because I want to be in
the crowd. I want to feel it. Sitting in a
in a press box for a game with major league
media members is like pulling teeth. I mean, you're sitting
up there and the coolest thing in the world can happen.
Elie de la Cruz can hit an inside the park
Homer and nobody says anything. They look down at their
computer and they start writing and like, I'm freaking out,
(17:15):
And you know, I think that's what the space needs
is more people that are energetic, more more media members
that are fans of the game. And I think that
was taboo for a while. In case anybody's been living
under a rock, I'm probably the biggest sho Heo Tani
fan there is. I'll talk about him at nauseum, and
I think that's needed. And being a fan in the
(17:37):
game was almost taboo for forever in the media, and
I think that's starting to change. I hope it is,
because I think what it needs is to get younger
to be more enthusiastic about the sport. And I just
try to do my smallest little part of being somebody
that's that's able to do that.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
You mentioned Otani. I gotta tell you you guys really
quick story. We were at the Winter Meetings last year.
It was the Otawani sweepstakes, right, Ben, like everybody's everybody's everybody.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Wants some time Nashville, right, Nashville.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Yeah, it was Nashville. Yeah, that place. I get lost
in that place when i'm sober, let alone, when I'm drunk.
So so we walk into the Giants party and I
walk up and I go, I'll have a Tito's and
soda with two limes, please, And the bartender goes, I'm sorry, sir,
I'm sorry, sir. We uh was just beer and wine.
And I turned around and said, are you guys shitting me?
(18:32):
We're trying to sign Otani for five hundred million dollars plus,
and I can't have a Tito's and soda the party
tonight anyway.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah, so, so talk about Otani. Why do you like
him so much?
Speaker 3 (18:47):
You know, on the obvious answer and the on the
surface answer is I think he's the most talented player
in the game. Obviously, he pitches, he hits, he throws
a hundred he hits balls five hundred feet. He's in
an im We've never seen anything like him. But I
think a little bit deeper of a layer is that.
You know, I was a two way player in college.
(19:08):
I would have told you, it's impressed. It's impossible to
do it at the big league level. I was very
average at both, and when I stopped doing one, I
was able to put all of my time towards that
and became so much better at it. So I would
have said, not, well, you can't do it at the
big leagues. It takes it. There's you have to you
have to cut corners on one to do the other,
(19:29):
and you're cutting corners on that to get back to
the other thing. And so I just think when I
chose one and then I got drafted and I was
playing professional baseball. You start playing with guys that often
go to Japan or come back. And I had a
teammate came back one year and goes, oh my god,
there's this guy playing an MPB right now. His name
is Shohei Otani. He throws one hundred and two miles
(19:51):
an hour and he hit bombs, And I was like,
what who is this guy? Like, am I are we?
Is he coming to Major League Baseball? Am I going
to know his name? And he's like, oh, oh yeah.
So I kind of started following his career when he
was over there playing for the nipe On ham Fighters,
and then he comes over here obviously met with a
(20:13):
lot of I would say criticism and spring training that
first year when he wasn't very good offensively and was
told by some members of the media that he wouldn't
be able to hit at a high school level in America,
and then ends up going on to win Rookie of
the Year a couple of injuries, obviously, and then the
MVP run started, and I just think, I think it's
(20:36):
the behind the scenes. For me, it's the work ethic
that it takes to be a two way player. At
the highest level in the world. Again, I would have
told you it's impossible. I still would say it's impossible
unless your name is Shoeyo Tani. But I just hope
everybody appreciates what we're watching every single night. I think
we're going to look back one day and say, I
feel grateful that I was alive when Shoeo Tani was
playing baseball.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Yeah, I mean I again, all the stuff I follow
with you. I know how much you like him, and
I think that a lot of America, if you're not
a really exuberant fan like you, we never really saw
him with the Angels, right like I think Mike Trout,
if he was healthy, Mike Trout could be one of
the greatest players of all time and in the Hall time.
And I think those guys were hidden by the Angels,
(21:20):
which is weird because they're in the big one of
the biggest cities in the country. You never know what
we're going to talk about here on the party time,
And something just popped into my head with you being
such a huge baseball fan and doing what you do
so well with flipping bats and on Fox. When I
say the word analytics or the phrase analytics in baseball.
What do you say, Ben Verlander.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
I say there's a space for it, But we went
too far down a path of it. I think the
ultimate Oh yeah, I think the ultimate thing is having
some feel as a as a manager specifically, I think
we went too far down a path of Well, the
number that is on that scoreboard under his pitch count
(22:05):
starts with a nine, so it's time to take him
out of the game. Instead of being able to realize, hey, well,
this guy shoving out there on the mound right now, like,
what are we even thinking about taking him out? He
hasn't had any stressful innings. These ninety pitches aren't stress pitches.
He can he can go as long as he as
long as he's willing to go out there. But and
(22:27):
I just think we went too far down a path
of I'm not calling anybody specifically this, but these baseball
nerds kind of taking over and saying this is where
you should be playing on the field, this is what
the number says, this is what happens, instead of letting
players have their feel, instead of letting managers be a
(22:47):
baseball type guy and just know, hey, I don't care
what that says there. Thank you for that information. Great,
He's not great through the third time of the lineup,
but this is the best I've ever seen him. Look,
he's dominating. He has that look in his eye, and
I can just tell he needs to keep going. And
I think we I think we're starting to shift back
a little bit to where it needs to be, but
(23:08):
we went far too down a path of well, this
lineup is going to be put together based on numbers,
This fielding positioning is going to be put together based
on numbers. The manager in the dugout is going to
listen to us based on these numbers, and we're gonna
sign guys based on these numbers. And I think now
we're getting some managers back in the dugout that are
gonna say, look, give me that information, but to hell
(23:31):
with it if I don't feel like it's any good.
So hopefully we get back to that.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
The game is what you're telling me.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Being seven games in the game, I am leading. Look,
Dylan Cees threw a no hitter the other day. He
comes back in the dugout after the eighth inning with
like ninety two ninety three pitches and Mike Shilt told
him he was done, and Dylan seesk goes no, I'm not.
I'm fine. I'm going back out there. I feel great,
(23:59):
like let me go.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
So instead of that's my whole thing is a man
just come off the field, go talk to him, look
in his eyes and say you good, and if he
says I'm good, then send him back out there. And
that's when the field comes in. You're a manager. Every
pitcher's gonna want to go back out if you feel
him maybe a little wishy washy or he looks tired,
that's one thing. But if he comes off the field
and he's staring into your soul and he says, I'm
(24:21):
going back out there, then what are what are we doing?
Taking a no hitter from that guy like that's he'll
remember that for the rest of his life, and we're
gonna take him out so he doesn't throw an extra
fifteen pitches because numbers on a piece of paper say
that his arm might get hurt. I got news for you.
Way more guys get Tommy John now than they did
back thirty forty, fifty, sixty, one hundred years ago. So
(24:42):
what are we doing wrong?
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Preach preach Ian the Blake Snell Blake Snell pisching no
hitter the other night. Never had touched the ninth thinning
in his career, And when I read that, bru I
was like, dude, are you kidding me? He's one of
the best pictures in the game. He know, ever hit
the ninth inning. Uh So, I totally agree with you.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
That's one of the prime examples, Parney to me is
Kevin Cash in the World Series years ago, Blake Snell
on the mat.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
I didn't want to bring it up because I don't
want to bring it up. I love Cash.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
It takes them out, and he was. He was dominating
Blake Snell. Probably that stat. Everybody knows that hadn't pitched
in the ninth inning. Well, he should have in the
twenty twenty World Series, but he wouldn't give me up.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah. So the team we owned in Montgomery's affiliated with
the Rays, and I've gotten to know Cash. I love him,
But yes, I agree with you on that one. We
had a situation here in Richmond where we had a
guy with a perfect game through six. Now this is
double A so it's maybe a little bit different. Yeah,
perfect game through six and he was done, you know,
after like seventy some maybe some pitches, which I'm not
(25:47):
being critical. I'm just giving you a fact. Did that happen?
That happened here? Cheats here, Cheats go ahead, and oh look, mister,
I'm having lunch with Jay. Billis just showed up.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Yeah, let's go. Let's go.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
All right, Cheats, go ahead. We've got about ten minutes laughter,
or maybe a little bit less than that. Cheats, you
go ahead, and had been up with another one hitter,
and then we'll or one shot and then we'll let
Phillips go if he wants to, and then we'll close
it out perfect.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
No.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
I love that you mentioned your your show Hey Love,
because it's obviously very very public in parn I appreciate
you saying the where you were when show Hey got
the deal really quick. Fun fact, I was actually with
the Players Alliance in the Bahamas standing next to CC
Sabathia when the seven hundred billion number comes out. And
(26:38):
I've never seen this before. It's like when an earthquake
hits or something and everybody's just looking at their phones
and it's this ripple effect. That's what happened throughout the
entire home run derby in the Bahamas. Everybody's just looking
at their phone looking at the number, couldn't believe it.
And so my question for Ben is you got a
lot of heat for your show. Hey, it takes some times.
(27:01):
What is the take that you actually love the best
that you've made, that you you love the best, you
get a lot of heat for it. And what is
the take that you wish you'd have back that you
probably also get a lot of heat for.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Let's see a take that I wish I had back.
I think it was I don't know, two years ago,
speaking of the White Sox. I think I picked the
White Sox to win the division. And then my first
here here, here's the one I probably get the most
heat for. But it's about three years removed, so it's
calm down a little bit.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
But the statue of limitation still exists, though, Bro, the
statual limitation still exists.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
My first my first year in this media space, the
first year having this show, Flipping Bats, we did a
postseason bracket, fully filled it out every team that was
in the postseasons, and just picked the winner of each
series all the way to the World Series. I missed
every single one. I didn't have a single series correct,
(28:08):
not the wild card round, not the division, not the nothing. Yeah,
so I would take that one back. But you know,
that's the thing cheats in this, you know, Like I'm
sure you know as well as long as you're you know,
no publicity is bad publicity, which often isn't a very
(28:30):
true statement, but in the media space, like if you're
being talked about because you had a bad take or
a good take, at least you're being talked about, you know,
And that's what that's what the game needs. It's just
people talking about it, making fun of people missing every
pick and talking about hot takes, cold takes, whatever it is.
So well, it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Don't worry, man, I'm still waiting for my Tim Materson
comeback season. So I'm still getting it too.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
MP.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
You got you got a one shot for Ben Berland?
Speaker 3 (29:00):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Ben?
Speaker 3 (29:02):
Man?
Speaker 1 (29:02):
The day Justin threw his first major league no hitter,
didn't you have a great outing that day too? Yes?
Speaker 3 (29:08):
The day the day Justin threw his first big league
no hitter?
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I what year?
Speaker 3 (29:14):
So I was in I was in college and I
think had like I think I had like two homers
that day and college it was it was quite the
Actually that was the second no hitter. Sorry, that was
when he threw it against the Blue Jays. I lose
track of the no hitters, which I guess is a
good thing. His birth one against the Brewers. I think
(29:35):
that week I also threw one, but it was like
it was like a five inning slaughter rule against a
team that wasn't very good. But yes, that that did happen.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Speaking speaking of the Astros, you didn't speak of the Astros.
You spoke of your brother. Lately you've been hot on
the Astros. Like, is that because of Justin or is
that just because you're h on the Astros.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
Yeah, I just think like I think, for better or
for worse. I look, I've been getting I will get
shit until the day I die about you know, I'm
nine years younger. Everything I've ever accomplished in my life
is because of my brother. Right, I'll get that in forever.
But I've always felt it important and I don't shy
(30:24):
away from I root for my brother's teams, sue me.
I rooted for I root for the Houston Astros. I
rooted for the Mets. I rooted for the Richmond Virginians.
I rooted for the Gucelin Bulldogs. I don't really care
who he's playing for. I'm I'm gonna root for them,
and I don't really shy away from that. But I
also I don't want to be like I don't want
(30:44):
to be super biased in the way I talk about them.
So I have said for years now that the Astros
are inevitable and guess what seven straight alcs's. But I
also felt like they deserved a little bit of flack
for their handling of the the trade deadline. And I
want to be I am I I am in a
position to be able to do that, and I want
to do that, and I know Justin's on the team.
(31:05):
But if I feel I need to be critical of
the GM or the front office or the management or
my brother, I want to do that and I feel
I can. So it is it's always interesting when I
was talking to Justin about it and and you know,
just talking about their front office around the trade deadline.
It is something that's always in the back of my mind,
like I don't want to I don't want to blast
(31:29):
my brother's general manager, you know. So there is this
there is this fine line when it's when it's to
do with his team. But I will talk about them,
how how I think I should and how I see.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Fit we look. Obviously, everybody here in Richmond is a
fan of your brothers, and now all the things you
do on the flip about a fan of yours. I'm
a fan of your parents. I think your parents are
two of the greatest people I've ever met. Anything anything
you want to say, hell yeah, yeah. It's so great
(32:03):
when our guests get the hell yes and the hell
notes anything about what they've meant to you, guys, you
know on your journeys, because I know they've meant an
awful lot to both of you. And I look, I
can't say enough about how I feel about your mom
and dad. I think they're just amazing, amazing people. As
we begin to close, you want to touch on that, Ben.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Yeah, I think I think you get more and more
of an appreciation for it as you get older and older, right,
which you know, it's just it's life. But you know,
not that I ever took them for granted. I am
where I am, and I think Justin is where he
is because of the way we were raised. But as
I get older in life, I realize, like man, not
only does it take like so much time and effort
(32:45):
to take two kids to all these baseball practices and
lessons and tryouts and school. But you know, it gets
expensive to do all of that. And and just the
way that we were never forced down any path, but
just showered with so much love and appreciation. I can't
I can't say enough good things about them. I'm absolutely
(33:07):
where I am in life because of my mom and
dad and the and the way I was raised and
Richmond and Goochland and they're they're still there and yeah,
they're just they're incredible people, as you know, Parney, and
they they've never changed no matter how much success Justin
has or however much success I've had or will continue
(33:28):
to have, And they're always going to be the same people.
And and that's the way I strive to be. You know,
next next February they'll be married for fifty years. There's
a lot of there's a lot of lessons to be
learned from them, and I owe a lot to them.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Yeah, you know me, I don't shot away from a
good party. So if you're having a fiftieth holler at
your boy man, I'll be there. Hey, I just thought
about this while you were talking about your parents. Elliott
and Hermie South are great friends of ours. They're going
to be coming up on a On A or Anytime show.
They're six years apart. Elliott says that he's obviously an accident.
(34:07):
You're nine years apart. Any any thoughts about that or
you know.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Party Time's going off the rails here the next shot
at tequila. But I do think Look, my parents got
there almost together for fifty years. So they got married
when they were seventeen and eighteen years old. Oh man
waited nine years to have justin, another nine to have me.
Another thing you learn when you get older. I feel
(34:33):
like it's fifty to fifty on whether you're an accident
or not. So who knows? They say no, but who
really knows.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Well in my case is all the bottles of wine.
So I mean, you know, you never know. Cheats and MP.
We're going to close out here with Ben Verlander, who's
been a great, a great guest here on the Party
Time podcast, and he's parting shots for Ben before we
let him get back. It's probably what br much time
out in LA right now. You're gonna have some some
fancy brunch somewhere in La today, Bud.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Yeah, it's about ten thirty. We've been doing all these
one shots. I'm you know, no time to start like
the present, so who knows that the day has got
in start? But uh yeah, we'll.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
See you guys. Got anything from them? Before we close up.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
I'll just say, bing, you get to do a lot
of cool stuff around the game and things that you
like to do. Is there something that you're looking forward
to like moving forward? Is there something that you pinpointed
on your calendar that says great question. I'm really excited
about this more so than just kind of the average
regular routine.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
No, that's a that's a that's a great question. And
I think every year I just have a couple of
things circled on the calendar. Uh and and the biggest
of those is October, and it's always, you know it is.
It has come routine, But I never want to take
it for granted that, you know, when the astros are
(35:57):
in it and my brother's doing what he's doing for work,
and I get to do what I do for work,
and my parents go to support their kids, and next
thing you know, we're all in Houston or Philadelphia as
a family with both kids doing what they love. I
just I never want to take those moments for granted.
So I'm hopeful that we can get another October like that.
(36:21):
I'm really excited for next year. Next year's All Star
Game is in Atlanta. I think that's going to be sick.
I'm pumped for that. So there's just a couple of
things circled on the schedule that are that are outside
of the norm, and October and the and the All
Star Games are always one of them. And when did
you figure out you were good at this, that this
is what you wanted to do? Still trying to figure
(36:42):
it out, MP I, you know, I didn't know. I
started to do it and people people liked it, people
talked about it, for better or for worse, and I
just I've no matter what I've done in terms of baseball,
in terms of this, I have always committed everything. And
(37:03):
I wanted to be the best at baseball. And guess what,
ninety two mile an hour sliders got the best of me.
Couldn't hit them. So what am I going to do.
I'm going to talk about is hard. Hitting is hard?
And now you know, I have this show and I
look back on the very first episode I ever did
with Tyler Glass. Now and I think, man, this is embarrassing.
(37:23):
I sucked, and I my hope is in five years,
I'm able to look back on this interview or my
latest Flipping Bats episode and say, man, I sucked because
I want to get better every single day and I
don't claim to know everything. I don't claim to know anything.
I just claim to want to get better at what
I do. And I think every day I'm trying to
(37:45):
do that, and I do. I can't acknowledge, I can.
I can realize right now that I that I am.
I am better than I was a few years ago,
and I hope that never changes. And I'm always constantly evolving.
You're crushing it. We're pulling for you.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Yeah, we really are. And next time you come back
to rich and give us a horror. Right to my left, Ben,
we're finally building that blankety blank ballpark, and everybody's been talking.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
About what entire nation took so long, thank god.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
And starts with Pete and Ensworth politics. Okay, that's what
that's all we want to say. But we're very grateful
for that and we should have the groundbreaking real soon.
We'll be in there April of twenty six. So here's
my final request. We want you to bring the Flipping
Bat Show to the new Ballpark in twenty twenty six
and we'll hang out with your mom and dad and
(38:33):
have a good time.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Hell yeah, I'm in man. That sounds like a lot
of fun. Twenty twenty six, April of twenty twenty six.
That's it, baby, put it on the calendar. Cheats. What
am I most looking forward to? April twenty twenty six,
Squirrel Stadium? Baby, let's go. Let's go.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
All right, well, Ben, thank you. We're gonna let you
get on with your your life. Keep doing what you're doing,
and keep smiling and keep loving the game, because I
think it just comes through so loud clear with what
you're doing in your career now. And I, as a
lifelong baseball minor league executive, I get fed from your energy.
(39:10):
So I appreciate that. Thanks to the Pub Club, Joe
Teenage enjoy Ben Verlander. Hell yeah, all right, we're looking
forward to the next inning of Party Time. Thank you
to Westbrood Honda, thank you to Ben Verlander, Thank you
to the Parney's Pub Club. Adios until next time. Hey everybody,
this is Parny from the Party Time Podcast asking you
(39:32):
to follow, subscribe, follow us on all your social media outlets.
Join the Party Time family, because you never know what's
gonna happen. On the Parnie Time Podcast
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