PCA’s EPIC weekend, Cubs make MLB HISTORY, Scherzer TURNS BACK TIME, Rizzo’s HILARIOUS Chapman story
September 1, 2026 • 54 mins
David Ross and Anthony Rizzo are BACK for Episode 4 of Ross & Rizzo Unfiltered! The guys recap a picture perfect weekend from NL MVP front runner Pete Crow-Armstrong as he hit three home runs on Saturday in the Chicago Cubs’ win over the Cincinnati Reds, and followed that up with two more HRs on Sunday Night Baseball with Rizzo on the call alongside Reds legend Joey Votto. The Cubs continued the hot hitting into Monday where they put 17 runs on the board in the opening game in their crucial series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs hit a franchise record nine home runs in the game, and ended August by setting an MLB record with 62 HRs as a team in the month.
The guys also react to Ketel Marte making his RETURN for the Arizona Diamondbacks after being placed on the reserved list, followed by a brief stint on the IL, as well as react to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer turning back the clock and becoming only the second pitcher in MLB history to have a 10 strikeout game, while only allowing one hit at 42 years old, joining Nolan Ryan. The New York Yankees took three out of four from the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, but it didn’t go without any drama as Jazz Chisholm stole two bases late in a game on Sunday when the Yankees already had the game in hand, leaving the Red Sox announcers to call out Jazz for breaking one of baseball’s “unwritten rules,” and saying that they should throw at the next Yankees hitter to come to the plate. After reacting to Colton Cowser of the Baltimore Orioles making a game-winning play to rob the Colorado Rockies of a walk-off HR the guys answer some fan mailbag questions. Rizzo tells a HILARIOUS story about squashing the BEEF between him and Aroldis Chapman after Rizzo charged the Reds dugout to fight Chapman before he was traded to the Cubs and ultimately became one of Rizzo’s favorite teammates. Rossy talks about the art of tipping pitches, and how hitters are looking for every advantage they can find at the plate.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's something about the warm summer air and a cold
corona with lime that makes the roar of the crowd
sound a lot like the roar of the waves.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
That's because this is our playa, and the best seats
are always wherever you're sitting.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Whether it's a weeknight game under the lights or a
Sunday afternoon in the sun, you know baseball isn't about
rushing around. It's about settling in, letting the game come
to you. And nothing pairs better than an ice-cold corona.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Nothing. So find your seat, your corona, and your lime.
Because real fans know the only thing better than nine
innings is extra innings, especially on La Playa. Corona. La
Playa awaits.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
The official cerveza of Major League Baseball. Get yours at
ordercorona.com for 21 plus, relax responsibly. Corona Extra Beer, imported
by Crown Imports, Chicago, Illinois.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Welcome back to another episode of Ross and Rizzo Unfiltered.
The baseball season has made it to September. It's September 1st.
Hallelujah for me as a player whenever September hit, Rossi.
It was angry August was over and the light now
is at the end of the tunnel for the grind
and gauntlet of the season. Man, it's going to be
(01:18):
a good September, Rossi.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Hey, September, I always thought separate the men from the boys,
and we're about to hit that month where everybody's making
that playoff push. You're watching the standings. We're watching way more.
But before we get into what's going on immediately, I
want to talk about the weekend, bro. Congratulations, first of all,
on being selected on the best 150 players in Cubs history,
(01:42):
150-year anniversary. You had a whole weekend of seeing all
the boys, celebrating Jon Lester, Jody Davis in Chicago. Tell
me about that, bro. You had Sunday night baseball, Reds, Cubs.
It looked like an amazing weekend in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It was awesome. I mean, it started with the 150-year
anniversary team, top 150 players. And there's never been that
many Cubs greats all there at one time. And it
was so cool because it was generation to generation to generation.
And I heard Derek Lee talking about how he got
to see his heroes that he watched growing up. And
(02:23):
that was Hawk, right? And Sean Dunstan and Sutcliffe and Maddox.
And then I'm talking about how I got to see
my heroes there. And Derek Lee, right? Sammy Sosa played
against Aramis. So just Billy Williams was there. I mean,
it was really special to be there and be part
(02:45):
of that and that team and Have Lester there for
his Hall of Fame induction on Sunday was really special.
Your boys with Soriano. Alfonso Soriano. I got to hang
out with him. Sori was holding the baby. I remember
to this day, after games, working out with Soriano in
(03:07):
the weight room and seeing his son, little Sori, right
next to him working out. I always said to myself,
I was 22, 23 years old, man, I can't wait
for that day. right? Sorry. We'd be doing lunges and
his little story would be doing lunges right next to him.
And then now fast forward, 15 years later and Alfonso
Soriano was holding my baby. And it was just, it
was a whole aha moment. It was, it was awesome.
(03:30):
That's awesome. Like amazing weekend. Our boy Lester got, got
all the love. And then the game that was fun, man.
First time in the booth. So Benetti and cowboy Jeff Brantley,
and then Joey Votto was inside the pitch. and it
was fun man telling the stories just the booth is
the booth is a different beast rossi yeah i like
(03:52):
the booth you uh.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
You know i listened i tuned in i thought the
dynamic between you and joey talking hitting and approach and
how different you guys is kind of take on different
at bats and what y'all were looking for and then
cowboy chiming in on like where he liked to pitch
and and how he set guys up i thought you
guys did a really good job and it was fun
to It was definitely a fun dynamic list. Two great
hitters talk hitting and approach, especially the left-on-left stuff. And
(04:18):
Joey's so cerebral and can explain things really well. It
was fun to dive into his brain and your brain
a little bit and how different they were.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It was cool. And you got to see our boy PCA.
What the heck, bro? You got to watch that live. Bro,
five homers in two days. Three homers on Saturday, which
I think was so cool because we're all there. You
know what was really cool? We were all pregame down
in the cage and all the current Cubs players are
(04:46):
hitting and we were just watching them hit and then
PCA goes out and puts on an absolute show, right?
Three home runs. I mean, bro, he's just unstoppable. I
was talking to John Maley a lot who was my
hitting coach and our hitting coach when we were there.
Him and Eric Henske were so instrumental in my life
(05:07):
as far as approach and just seeing Mailey talking to
Mailey about PCA's progress and his evolution, all the maturity
and just him talking and diving in it. Like I
just felt, man, I just, I saw that was what
I used to do. Right. And that's like, it made
(05:28):
me happy to hear PCA's really diving in to John
Mailey more and hear the approach, every approach, every at
bat is, Hey Mailey, what do you got? What do
you got? What do you got? So, It's a lot
of fun to watch, man. He is no doubt on
his way to his first MVP. The Cubbies need him.
They're going to need his best bullets come this stretch.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Well, like you said, we talked about this. It feels
like every episode, but the MVP race feels like it's
just getting more and more in his favor with Otani
not pitching and getting pushed back again and what Pete's doing.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I mean, leading.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
All of baseball in OPS with a 9.54. What is
going on? I mean, the numbers are insane. And they've
got a big task ahead of them. Last night, you know,
they got started a four-game series with the Brewers.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
You know, nine home runs. How about those fireworks? What?
I mean, they came out. I turned the game on
in the second or third. I'm like, four-nothing. Or whatever
the score was. Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Well, you know, it's, it's, we talk about PCA so much,
but Alex Bregman has locked it the fuck in. And
he is, he's the guy that, that we always knew
he would be and started off a little bit slow,
but what a great time for him to get hot
for the Chicago Cubs. Say is swinging the bat really well.
The guys behind Pete are really, you know, stepping up
(06:50):
and you're not able to pitch around him because the
guys behind him are absolutely crushing. So lineups getting deeper
and deeper. I know.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I love their lineup, bro. That line. Oh man. When
I look at the Cubs lineup, it is so nicely constructed.
I feel like every guy compliments each other. And, I mean, bro,
they hit nine home runs yesterday. Nine. That's a franchise record.
They hit 62 to cap off August. 62 home runs
in the month of August. Another franchise record. Most in
(07:19):
MLB history, Rossi, 62 home runs in the month. Bregman
hits three home runs last night. He hit three home
runs August 12th. He had two three-homer games in one month.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
You know what I'm saying? Six in two days. That's
like a whole season for me. If I got six,
I'm jacked.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
That's insane. It's insane. So big, big, big win at
Wrigley last night. They lose two or three to the Reds.
They have the Brewers coming in town. Look, they control
their destiny off the Brewers. And I was talking to
counsel when we were interviewing for NBC, and he's like, look,
(07:58):
we're chasing what's on pace to be a 100-win team.
If we don't catch them, it's the best team in baseball, right?
So that's one way, I guess, of looking at it.
Because I had asked, and I want your kind of
opinion on this, Rossi, at what point for the Cubs,
(08:20):
do they really turn to the home field wildcard as
being their prize instead of the division? Because remember, there
was years after we won the World Series where if
we didn't win the division, it wasn't good enough and
it was a letdown, and then you almost take making
the playoffs for granted.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, no, I love that take. I think you always
got to keep your eye on the highest goal, but
you know, as well as I do, the best teams
are just taking it day to day, right. And try
to be the best version of yourself. There's time, you know,
they need to get Dan to be back and healthy.
That'd be a nice addition back. And the guys have,
Nico's done a nice job at short and taking over.
(09:00):
But you got to keep your eye on the day
to day to me, once you start looking at what
you can predict, right? Like if you keep your head
down and doing the pitch to pitch stuff, you just
want to be playing really good baseball and, the teams
that are hot going into October are the ones that
you usually bet on and having a little bit of that.
And their offense is so good, the best in baseball, man.
(09:23):
They're up and down the lineup, like you said, quality
at bats. They've got power. They've got some speed. They
can beat you with contact.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
They know how to play the game. They have starting
pitching now too, bro. Yeah, yeah. You know, like Clay, Gaussman,
Shota's got to be a little– just keep the ball
in the park.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
They have Assad down there in AAA, which that's pretty
head-scratching because he's such a good swing man. I mean,
their bullpen's a little low. But, I mean, like in 15, Rossi,
when we made the playoffs and we were the wildcard team,
we were so happy. We celebrated like we were winning
every single game. was like we were winning the World Series, right?
(10:04):
And being in that wildcard was good enough for us. 16,
it was the division. Then 18, we go to the wildcard.
We didn't even celebrate because we went to a one-game
playoff and all this stuff, so. That's why I was
just wondering, like, I want to make sure if they
(10:24):
don't catch the Brewers that they're still excited and happy
that they're in the wild card. You know what I mean?
Because sometimes it can be a letdown.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, I never understood the teams that didn't celebrate just
getting in and then they were still, you know, some
of these teams. I get it if you're 10 games
up in the division, but celebrate every chance you get,
I think, in baseball because it's hard. It's hard to
make the playoffs. It's hard to get in and each
year is unique. So, I think they'll celebrate that once
they clinch, and I'm sure they've still got the eye
on home field. Home field's a big deal, especially with
(10:53):
the Phillies.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
No doubt, bro. The Phillies are hot. And they're playing.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
The Cubs are so good at home in that environment
behind you. Those fans really can get to rocking, and
it really does make a difference. And the flip side
of that is one of these teams, especially going to Philly,
that place could be crazy, or San Diego, whoever it is.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Um it could be wild but a little.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Bit of drama let's let's transition you know we lots
of drama not no not going not knowing what was
going on with Cattell Marte and that's kind of been
a saga over the last you know 10 days and
going back and forth with with him and Torrey um
you know he was back yesterday got some boos from
the fans uh one of the one of their premier
players and a guy I think one of the best
(11:41):
second baseman in the league this guy absolutely rakes but
sounds like there's a little bit of drama that we
had some of that on our 16 team that was,
we can, we can kind of relate to.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah. I mean, this is their star player and it
seems like these reports coming out or just, he didn't
show up to the field. He may have been injured.
It seems like he's done this before in the passing.
I know he did it last year. It's documented, but
even there's some reports coming out that he's been doing
this and man, as a, as a player in that
(12:12):
clubhouse where I see, I'm just, I, I shake my head, right?
Like if, what are we doing? Right. We're all grinding.
We're all here. And, um, our best player is, is
acting like almost a prima Donna in a way, right?
Where it's like, ah, I don't feel like coming to
the field today. What, what do you mean? You know
how many times I didn't want to go to the
field in August? That's not even, you know what I mean? Right.
(12:37):
I'm with you. So I put my, I put my
manager hat on.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I think about Tori Lovello and what he, you know,
when you have your star player, any player, you, you
gotta have their back.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And as much as it may frustrate you, he's not
going to say that stuff publicly. And, um, your teammates
may be pissed, uh, but you know, as well as
I do, like you can be mad, but his family, right. And,
and when your brother comes back and comes back home
and has gotten in trouble and done some dumb stuff.
You've got to put your arms around them and love
(13:10):
on them and try to get on this. I mean,
they're in the middle of a playoff chase trying to
get into, to October, uh, right there at the wild card,
that last team and fighting it out with, with the
Padres and in their division. And, um, you hate to
see that stuff happen and you hate to see guys
get that mentally down and, and God.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
It pisses you off. I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
But you know, they held serve for a little while and, um,
you know, from a manager standpoint, you try to have
those tough conversations. I know Torrey really well, and he's
loving on him.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I know Mike Hazen really well as well. I mean,
he has the best reputation in the league, I feel like.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, and none of this stuff's going to phase, like,
Mike Hazen. Mike Hazen's dealt with some shit in his day.
You know, his wife, you know, told him a lot
of stuff, passed away.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Like, you know, no.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Nonsense, I'm sure, from them, but also, like, hey, let's
help this young man out and try to get him
back in the right frame of mind to help us
win some baseball games and kind of, work through some
stuff in the offseason as best we can.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
But, yeah, it sucks, man. I like what you said about,
which is true, right? You go into a clubhouse and
you're brothers. So if someone does make a bonehead, if
someone pops off to the media or does something stupid
off the field, you come in and you say, dude,
what the fuck are you doing, right? Like, in a
brotherly way, you talk about it, you fight about it,
(14:26):
and then you get over it in literally the same
five to seven minute breath, five to seven minute conversation. Which,
You know, you roll your eyes. You saw some of
their players just be like, yeah, it is what it is.
This is what he does. Right? Rolling their eyes at it.
But then he comes in. He says some things to
the media. I guess maybe lost in translation. Do you
(14:50):
have a message to the fans? He said no. He
didn't have a message to the fans, but that could
have been lost in translation. But then after the game, Rossi,
he's talking to the media, wearing a hat, saying the
bridges I burned today. light the path tomorrow, whatever it said. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
The bridges I burn light the way.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right. So, uh, may the bridges I burn light the way.
Come on. Come on, man. Like you're in the casino
while your team's grinding, when all this stuff's going on,
then you're wearing this hat. Like I, what, what are
we doing? Yeah. I don't know. I don't, it's, it's hard.
It's hard. I, I want to always be pro player.
(15:33):
But this one's really hard for me to just, from
the outside looking in, saying, what? It just doesn't make sense. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Hopefully his explanation to his team when he addresses those
has some passion and some sincerity behind it. It's always hard,
especially when you have a translator talking to the media,
to feel the genuine authenticity of the messages. But, you know,
I'm with you. I root for players. you know, as
(16:02):
a manager, you put on those hats and it's just
those tough conversations and trying to get inside somebody's brain
and have them communicate with you, especially when it's just
the dude, right?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Well, yeah, you hear he doesn't want to be in
Arizona anymore. What I do know for sure is when
you have something like this with mixed reports and no
one knows what's going on. The only real people who
know are in that clubhouse. There's so many things throughout
our careers that things that were said to the media
(16:34):
were like, yeah, that's not even close to what's going on.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Well, we dealt with Tommy LaStella. Remember the Tommy LaStella
stuff in Chicago?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yeah, they sent him down. He was our best pinch hitter.
And they sent Tommy down, and the whole team was pissed.
And Tommy said, I'm not going down. I'm going home.
I'm out. If you're going to send me down. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then we got mad at Tommy, and I loved him. Right, right, right.
But again, it was like Tommy came back, dressed the team,
and then we were all hugging him, loving him, and
(17:02):
so excited he was back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was
such a big part of our group. There's just so
much more that goes into it. Rossi, let's get into
our Corona sponsor. Playa. The Playa. Our Playa of the week. Yeah,
let's go. Max Scherzer. Turning back the clock, young man.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Oh, man.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
42. 42, bro. Jeez. Bro, I'm rooting for the old
guys all the time. He was nasty, man. I mean,
one hit.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
42 years old and 34 days became the oldest pitcher
to have 10 Ks and allow one hit since Nolan
Ryan in 1991. There's only two guys that have done that.
That's pretty good company.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Is that good? That's pretty good company. That's really good.
It's always nice to see the old guys. They're rolling, too,
Blue Jays. Game and a half back. They need him.
Final wallet card. Yeah. His interview after the game, they
were like, oh, were you surprised? He's like, no, I
always knew I could do this. I'm like, Max, you've
been hurt for the last five years, it seems like.
(18:02):
But that's his edge, bro. He is so competitive. He's
so competitive. I love it. Screaming at the manager coming
out in the sixth saying, I'm going back out. There's
some of those guys you're like, I wish I would
have played with that guy.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
His intensity is like one of those, like, I would
have loved because, you know, I was an angry player, too,
and needed to go to that level.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
So, Um, it's fun to watch him kind.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Of compete and talk to himself and reminds me a
little bit of Jake PD when he's, when he's motherfucking
himself on, on the, on the mound, just trying to
psych himself up to get nasty.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
So great outing. Welcome back.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Max, uh, passes Gaylord Perry for ninth all time and strikeouts.
That's absolutely insane. Over 3,500 strikeouts.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
He's a punch of my ticket a time or two.
That's for sure. That is for sure. It's great. 42, 42. That's,
that's impressive. I'm 30. I just turned 37 or I'll see.
And I, so I was in the, um, we were
down in the cages at Wrigley and someone goes, I
think you'd have to traject right now. The machine that's
that all these guys hit off of before the game.
(19:05):
I'm like, no, I can't. It hurts watching these guys play.
And Max doing it at 42. How old were you?
You were, what, 39 when you retired? 39, yep. Hatcher.
I mean, I don't know if you know this.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
He's like the oldest guy ever to go deep in
game seven. But it's not about me. But I was
just at 39 years old.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Wow. You know what? I did know that. I did
know that. All right. Enough about me. Let's get into
the Orioles. Orioles go out and they claim Luis Robert Jr.
from the Mets. The Orioles are right there in it.
They're one game back of the final wild card. They
trade Adley Rutschman. the deadline to the Red Sox. And
(19:44):
then they go on this run. I feel like all
the pressure there's a lot of expectations on the Orioles,
and then they sell at the deadline, and I feel
like it was an exhale. All right, let's just go
play instead of trying to live up to these expectations.
And they've been rolling. They're 7-3 in their last 10.
This team could be a little scary if they get in.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Well, the fact that they're willing to continue to push
and pick up a guy like Luis Roberts Jr. and
still try to get the potential out of him. I mean,
you know, he was one of the best players in
baseball when he's with the White Sox.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
And I don't know. 38 home runs in 23, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
I mean, this dude, this dude is was I mean,
we saw him. I remember managing against him like he
could float in the outfield. Power hit run tool was
was off the charts. Trying to get him back to
the version that he was would be a big, huge
pickup for the Orioles. The fact that they're still trying
(20:46):
is pretty impressive. One game back of the wildcard spot,
7-3 in their last 10.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Feels like their manager, Greg.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Albinath, is just hitting his stride and getting the feel
for his team. I always think it takes a little
bit longer, first-year managers, to get that pulse of the
team and put your stamp on it. It feels like
They've hit that kind of stride here after the trade deadline.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Pete Alonzo smoking cigars in the dugout, which I love, right?
It's a long season. Go in, enjoy, right? Probably firework night.
But he had 1,000 OPS in August, nine home runs
in August. That's a big month out of him. He's
doing what he does every year. He's putting up his...
The back of his baseball card will look like the
(21:30):
same as it has the last seven, eight years. So...
I mean, he's the guy they, that's who they went
out and got, right. They went out and got that.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
That's what they expected when they went out and got
them in the leadership talking to, I've done two Orioles games,
talking to their manager, their coaches, like he, he's been
a real leader for them and exactly what they've needed in,
in this, this group that, um, you know, the Orioles
have always kind of been an underdog story and they've
got a real middle of the order bat with a
lot of young guys. And Gunnar Henderson is one of
(21:59):
my favorite guys I've ever been around with the WBC. And, um,
they've got real talent there and, I mean, Colt, let's
get a highlight real quick.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
What a perfect transition into your world-famous Blue Chew ad, Rossi. Yeah,
we got a sponsored Blue Chew segment.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
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Speaker 2 (22:20):
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Speaker 1 (22:22):
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Speaker 2 (22:31):
McCarthy. McCarthy. Oh, what a play.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
There's walk-off homers, and then there's walk-off plays like this.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
What a catch. McCarthy, sorry, bro.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
What a big moment just got taken away from you.
Colton Cowles are going up. I mean, what's going on
with the outfielders right now? Because the play from Nemo
last week, robbing the homer. was amazing. Colton Cowles are
here saving the game. We had a bunch on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Bellinger. Bellinger's throw. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
I came up out of my 1-0, kept the lead
for the Yankees. I came up out of my chair
when I was watching that live. And Bellinger's one of
my favorite players that I've ever managed. And he, like
the throw there, right on the money. You love to
see real fundamentally sound baseball. And belly with that throw
(23:31):
to save the lead for the Yankees, and they go
and win one-nothing behind Cam Schlittler.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
You know what I used to say to guys all
the time at first base when they'd get on? I'd
be like, bro, can we just collude as a league
and just stop with these diving, insane plays through the
first seven innings of the game? No diving. No diving
plays on the infield. No diving in the outfield. Let
our guys get our hits. Pitchers won't like it, but
(23:55):
hitting's hard enough. And then come to seventh, like the NBA,
come like midway through the fourth, they start really playing defense.
Like the NBA. You know? That's what I used to
say all the time. All the offensive players loved it. Pitchers. Yeah,
they were fired up. Man, these guys, bro, they're so good.
And the information and the analytics of where to position
outfielders and infielders, it's just– it really– I love the
(24:19):
athleticism that this shift of the infield– like guys have
to be athletic again. And we're seeing plays on a
nightly basis and showcasing how athletic these guys are. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Get rid of the shift and the pitch clock have
been a game changer in baseball. It's just, you know,
to watch, like you said, the athleticism, I remember doing
some little league world series that just ended for ESPN,
but doing some back in the day. And when you
see these kids just show off their, their defensive skills,
it's so much fun. And when you see it, this
big league level, that's why the Cubs are so fun
(24:53):
to watch their offense. But, Watching them, you know, Pete
and Center, their defense is insane. Talking about good defense,
Sadon Raffaella makes an amazing catch for the Red Sox
in that last game.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Would have kept it tied, but, like... No. It was
a no catch. Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah, I know
what they called it. That was a catch, bro. That
was a catch. I know. I mean, look, I mean.
That's tough, man. He knows his reactions. The fact that
(25:29):
there's not enough evidence to overturn it. Watch this right here.
That's in the glove.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
I think the hard part are probably what made them
leave the same.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
That's a catch for sure. My man Lou Maloney.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
In Boston to call now. And I'm with him in
real time.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
That's a catch. And I know.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
The play stood. You see when it's super slow where
the ball might have snow-coned to the ground.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
I think that's why they were inconclusive. What if that
happened in October? That's always my question. What if that
was a game deciding October? If you ask anyone as
a catch, I'm sure if you even ask the Yankees guys,
they're like, how did we get away with that one?
Speaker 1 (26:17):
If you get away with a couple during the season,
you're feeling good about it, but The one thing I
would say is, like, you know, that broke the tie
break in the favor.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Of the Yankees. Bro, that was a massive series. That
was a massive series. Yeah, and that catch.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
I know they blew them out after that, but who
knows how things would play out.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
That series, though, going into it, the Red Sox were
really hot, and I feel like for the Red Sox,
that was kind of like their gauge meter, right? A
lot was leading up to that series. But for the
Yankees as well, if the Red Sox come in there
and beat the Yankees, they, I feel like, just completely
(26:58):
deflate that team.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Where the Yankees held serve. They won three out of four,
which was huge. I saw a lot of Red Sox
fans or people chirping about the Yankees, how they lined
up their pitching, and the Red Sox maybe didn't line
up their pitching as well. But that's just the way
the season goes, right? So, um, that last game, a
(27:21):
lot of more drama in the league. I do. That's
why I love August. Cause all the drama comes out.
All the guys were pissed off, angry August. And it
was on full display the last week of August. Um,
jazz Chisholm steals second and third and a six run
ball game in the eighth where I know I played
for Booney. Six runs is not officially too many or
(27:45):
too many runs to conceive. Um, In the eighth inning,
they're down. I could see why the announcers were mad.
I mean, they went overboard for sure, Rossi. But what
do you got on Jazz stealing those bases?
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Man, I was a big proponent of when I managed, like,
take any free base they'll give you. Like, I would
have no problem. You're trying to take care of your
own stuff. And if you're not holding me on, it's
free game to go. Like, you've already said, I'm conceding
this base.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
I don't care. So, like, I don't know what everybody's
so upset about. Well, yeah, but you can't– if they
were up 10, you can't do that. Six is like,
all right.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Well, you just want to stay out of the double–
even if you just stay out of the double play, like,
who cares? If I get to score– even if you're
up 10, if I get to score four or two
and two and you've got to get up an extra
bullpen guy, even getting him loose– Like, I don't get, like,
I'm not here to help your feelings. You know, this isn't,
you know, the unwritten rules are.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
That wasn't an unwritten rule, in my opinion. I agree.
Being up six, because if they go out and hit
a two-run, three-run homer, and then Booney has to get
Bednar up, and their bullpen was already short four games
in three days, you know. And then what was really
the icing on the top is when Jazz gets a third,
the Red Sox pull their infield in. Yeah, I didn't
(29:06):
get that. Don't tell me you're conceding the game and
then you're going to pull your infield in with a
runner on third, less than two outs.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And how many times have we talked about, like, just
giving a pitcher another run on their ERA just pisses
him off a little bit more and sends him with
a negative vibe or that one pitcher with a negative
vibe and now he's pissed off and, like, that shit
can carry over and, you know, now you go in
and one of the guys is pissed that he gave
(29:33):
up a run when– he really did his job and
shouldn't have, just because the manager chose not to do something. Yeah,
so anytime you send negative vibes to the other dugouts,
send them, baby.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
That's what I do. I remember when I'd be playing
first base and we'd be in an out-of-hand ball game
or we're up, say the closer's in and we're up
three and there's two outs and there's a runner on
second or a runner on first, two outs. I still
wouldn't play off the bag because I told Booney, I
(30:04):
told Joe, I told you, I did not want that
run to score. And if he just steals an innocent base,
gets to second, and then a guy has a blue pit,
then your pitcher is pissed off. To where if I'm
holding him on, I play the odds. There'd be times
where I would go back and play behind him. But
I'm playing the odds. Is this guy really going to
hit me the ball at this moment in this game
(30:25):
with who's on the mound? So, I mean... The announcers,
the WEI guy who was saying hit Austin Wells.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
You know, Jazz Chisholm doesn't play that. If it wasn't
Jazz who did it, I don't think you'd get the
same reaction from the Red Sox radio, right?
Speaker 1 (30:48):
I think he rubs people the wrong way a little
bit that aren't down with his way of playing.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
You can't say it's Marcus Stroman. No, no. Well, here's
the thing. You can't say Austin Wells, you should fight
Jazz Chisholm. Like, what are we doing?
Speaker 1 (31:02):
I know you're emotional. He did come out and apologize, but. But, well,
here's my problem with the apology. This is just me. Like,
you said what you said. Like, it was an emotional reaction. But, like,
as soon as any blowback comes from social media and, again,
you get to take your emotions out and have a
day to sleep on it. But, like, you said what
(31:22):
you said. Like, the apology to me is, like, that's
just somebody up top going, hey, you need to apologize.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Like, just own what you said. Angry August. Angry August.
Everyone's in it. I mean, the.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Announcers are traveling these teams. You know, they're traveling these teams.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
They're on the grind, too, bro. Yeah, they're on the grind, man.
They love their players.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And, you know, I just, you know, we got to
apologize anytime you hurt people's feelings here lately. And I'm
just like, Just own it and move on, you know,
unless your job's a jeopardy.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Go get fired. Well, it's good. It's in a setup
for a nice, hopefully, three-game series in the Bronx. That
would be sick. Red Sox Yankees in the Bronx. They
had it last year. So, I mean, look, I remember
the great Tim Buss, who we do our Tim Buss
Ball Bag Questions of the Week, which you can send
in to rossandrizzo at gmail.com. But he said, you don't.
(32:16):
really find out who you are and who real teammates
are or coaches until about midway through August. That's when
the real season starts. That's what he always says. Because
everyone is pissed off. You've been around the guys for
150 days, if you're including spring training. And now these
last six weeks of the season, you really find out
(32:36):
who the real ones are and who the people are
just cashing it in are. So it's, you see a
lot of drama around the league and I love it.
I love it. It's good for entertainment. It's good for
the program.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Let's get into the rankings now that we're in September.
September 1, we're starting to get to the, we got
this last month, and who are your teams, bro? Give
me your American League top couple teams. Give me your
National League few teams, ranking them. Because there's a lot
of teams that, I mean, Dodgers don't look real good,
(33:07):
and I know everybody on paper wants to keep going
back to them, but The offense has struggled a little bit.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Who you got in each division? Who's your horses? For
the AL, it's got to be the Rays. They just
haven't been talked about enough because they're a smaller market,
but they just keep doing it, man. They have good pitching.
They have guys you've never heard of that are just
throwing 100 out of their bullpen. The only thing with
the Rays is that they don't play these big primetime games,
(33:36):
so that could hurt them maybe in October because they're
not used to all that noise. because they just go
under the radar. And then you got Yankees, Red Sox.
Raise Yankees, Red Sox in the top. And then these
bottom three, four teams that are all fighting for this
last wild card spot, the Central. I like the White Sox, man.
(33:58):
They seem like they have a little bit of magic.
If they can get a home playoff series, I think
they can maybe make it to the DS and even
go beyond that. Who knows once they get in. But
sleeper team for me, I think. Shout out Will Venable.
Shout out Will Venable, our guy. Sleeper team is the
Orioles right now. They're playing with just house money. They
seem to be playing really free. So we'll see how
(34:19):
that plays off. And then the NL, look, the Dodgers
are number one. People can say what they want, but
the Dodgers are coming off two World Series championships. Virtually, like,
no hangover either. Okay, they're struggling for a few weeks.
Who cares, right? I know they care, but this is
(34:40):
what the Dodgers– They're built for October. You got Glasnow back.
You have Snell back. Otani's going to be back. Otani's
slumping right now. Otani's been pretty bad offensively, which his
bad is better than everyone else. It's only a matter
of time before he goes off. Mookie's a big game player.
(35:02):
Then you have Kiki, who's going to just turn into
Babe Ruth in the playoffs. If you're a Dodgers fan...
Don't worry. They'll be just fine. It's hard to win
the World Series, but they will be ready come October.
So they're number one for me. Then it's Brewers Braves.
I mean, the Braves are legit, bro. That performance by
(35:23):
Chris Sale, bro, going complete game shutout versus the Dodgers
was sick. Hitting 100. I love him.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Speaking of turning back the clock, talking about an old
guy's performance, that performance is right up there with Scherzer's,
if not better, and against the team.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
I'm with you. I think we differ.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Paying attention to the Dodgers and those guys, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I shouldn't say this, but they just look old right now.
The Dodgers have the fourth easiest schedule, though. They have
the fourth easiest schedule. So that's perfect for them. All
they need to do is just... They don't need to
do anything, honestly. They've done it. They literally walk the walk.
They've done it.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Well, and the Phillies and Cubs, who I would put
above the Dodgers right now, just in this moment, have
got the second, third hardest schedule to finish out the season. Obviously,
the Brewers, I'm like more Brewers, Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, bro.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
I'm like... They're scuffling. You know what I mean? It's... Dude,
the National League playoffs is going to be must-watch television.
Every pitch. It's going to be... The National League is
going to literally come down to inches every single play. Yeah.
It's going to be really good. And the Yankees need
(36:42):
to get judged back.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
The Yankees, I feel like, if he can come back
and be in rhythm and timing and, you know, be
a version of the guy, you know, that's a long
time off to come back and be dialed in offensively.
But if he gets enough plate appearances that he feels
good and comes from the box, man, the Yankees are
going to roll this offseason.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Yeah, their pitching is deep, man. They're– This is September baseball, bro. Remember,
I don't know if you remember this, Rossi, but every
September 1st, I would be playing the song, Wake me
up when September ends.
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Speaker 2 (38:12):
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tickets to the U.S. Open. Got to get to Arthur
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Weather's turning. Shout out SeatGeek for always, always, hooking up
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Speaker 1 (38:32):
We need to give a shout out to SeatGeek for
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I love me some SeatGeek, bro.
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Speaker 1 (39:11):
Hey, speaking of fun, I want to mention... Tully, for
the Red Sox, hugging. Did you see the swinging butt.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Of the guy who was hitting? Dominic Canzione. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
And he goes over, and he's waiting on him, and
they just hug. That brought back the memory of YouTube.
down Freddie Freeman in Atlanta in a rundown.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Going, Frederick, Frederick. Dude, totally. You were the king at it.
We already talked about the hand sanitizer the other day.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
But, my gosh, like, the guys that can have fun
and compete their tail off, but also just– make these
moments within the game exciting. I always thought Adrian Beltran
and these guys, Beltran, did a good job of making
the game.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yeah, Beltran. Adrian Beltran, Carlos Beltran. Carlos Beltran, there we go. Yeah, yeah.
He's old, sorry, guys. He's old. He was a teammate
of mine. I should get it right. But, yeah, when
those guys.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Would go out there and have fun and just make
these moments, it just makes me laugh when I.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Watch the game. It's so cool. The Red Sox, too,
coming off a tough three out of four losses to
the Yankees. They walk off yesterday versus the Mariners. Trevor
Story getting Roman Anthony back and Trevor Story back. That's
big for this team. You know what I mean? Let
them get their feet wet.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
And they got some hits in the Yankee series, and
they came back ready to go. That lineup has gotten
even deeper.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
If Crochet can come back and pitch out of the bullpen,
I mean, dude, this is going to be Get your popcorn, Rossi.
Let's go. We're almost in playoff baseball.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
I feel like we should be. We're knocking on the door.
We've still got a whole month left. It's going to
have a lot of drama. We're going to start doing
more shows.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
We'll get to talk about it even more. It'll be good.
I can't wait. It'll be really good. Let's get into
our Tim Buss ball bag questions of the week. Bussie. Again,
you can ask questions via YouTube comments or email us
at rossandrizzo at gmail.com. We really do. This is probably
my favorite segment. I love answering the fan questions. We
(41:20):
got an email from Chris Blair.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah, let me get this one.
Speaker 2 (41:25):
This is for you.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Chris Blair, Rizzo, how did you and Aroldis Chapman squash
your beef when you joined the Cubs in 2016? What
I'm referring to is when you charged the whole Reds dugout,
by the way, in an iconic moment. And you talked
about this a little bit on air on Sunday night
with Votto and some of the back and forth. Tell
us that story and what you found out about Aroldis
(41:46):
after the fact.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Yeah, I mean, I did charge them. We were playing,
I believe we were playing four games in five days.
We had a make-up game, and it was a four-game series.
And I was, I don't know what I was thinking.
It was the dog days of July. It was right
before the All-Star break, and Aroldis throws over Nate Schrold's head.
Go at him. We have this beef. I find out literally...
(42:10):
that day after the game, Hey man, you know, he's
a boxer, right? Like he boxed in Cuba. I was like,
Oh fuck. He's going to kill me. He's a giant.
He's literally like next time I face him, he's going
to drill me. He throws a hundred. It's already the
most terrifying at bat ever facing him. Um, so it's,
it's actually a funny story. We were at the all-star
(42:33):
game in Minnesota, literally a week later, both on the
national league. So we squash it right away. Right. um
at the all-star game we come up hey poppy like
how you doing we dap up he to the moment
he has a translator we're talking he's all right cool
like awkward you know still don't like him because he
(42:53):
strikes us out every time and every single time we
go to cincinnati they always get the free pizza the
uh you know what i'm talking about in cincinnati roses
the roses if they strike out 11 they would get
free pizza. And from 2012 to 2021, but really 2012
to 2014-15, every single time the Cubbies would roll through Cincinnati,
(43:18):
at least two out of the three games, they were
getting free pizza, right? Chappie would come in. If there'd
be nine punch outs in the game, he'd punch out
the side. If there was 10, like it was clockwork.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
Yeah, you're tired of everybody cheering every time somebody punches out.
It gets louder and louder because they know they're getting
a free pizza. It's like in the minor leagues when
they had the beer batter of the game. The beer
batter of the game if you strike out. Yeah, I
strike out like 25 sip beers or something. You're getting
heckled in the on-deck circle. I was in High Desert
one time and I got picked for the beer batter competition.
(43:54):
punch out guy i'm as a hole hitter so like
it was a good chance and as soon as i
stepped foot on on the odd egg circle they're start
they're like ross i'm about empty i'm about empty let's
go bro imagine imagine if the big leagues.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Did that oh my gosh that would be like for
say like the sixth inning if this batter strikes out
everyone gets four dollar beers instead of 24 beers back
back in your minor league days they were 25 cents
now yeah this guy's Yeah, they couldn't do that now. But, bro,
so then we get to the All-Star game, and we're
in the shower, and it's just me and Chapman in
(44:26):
the showers. And Chapman's just standing there with his arms crossed,
staring at me, right? And I feel him. I'm like, oh,
my God. He's going to kill me. Like, he's going
to kill me naked. Like, this is where I die.
So I'm, like, washing myself. I'm facing the wall, and
I just feel him staring at me. And I turn back.
(44:49):
And just give him like a, what's up, Poppy? How
you doing? And he just gives me this little smile
and chuckle. I'm like, he's going to kill me. And
then when he gets traded over, I mean, it's water
under the bridge two years later. But, I mean, Chappie
was one of my favorite teammates. He did anything for
the boys. He hung out all the time. I love
seeing him everywhere we go. And now after the fact,
(45:10):
and the fact that he's still doing it is just,
he's first ballot all-famer in my opinion.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Well, there's always those guys on the other team that
you hate. You're like, oh, my God, I hate this
freaking guy.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
And then he's on your team, and you're like, oh,
my God, I love this guy. Well, that's why I
try not to judge anyone that I think from afar
that rubs you the wrong way because there's been too
many guys you play with where then they become your
best friends. All right, next one. Good job, Chris. Corey Whitaker.
(45:43):
Going back to the 2021 season, how much did the
trade of you, Darvish, and Caratini affect the psyche of
the team going into the season? I've heard you guys
say how much a big trade acquisition can boost the team,
but does trading away important players have the opposite effect? Absolutely.
You were the manager of that 2021 team.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Yeah, I remember when Jed called me and told me
we were trading Darvish. After 2020, I think there was
just some payroll stuff that they were trying to to
clean up from there. And I wasn't real privy to
all that, but I think the, you know, you get
it sometimes it sucks. I mean, that was him and Kyle.
I'm just going to say Carl every time, but the professor,
(46:26):
you know, where our two best pitchers in 20 and
the ones that made starts for us in the post
season that year and helped us win the division and.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Like crazy season, big season, crazy, crazy.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Yeah. But, you know, we still got out there and
grinded and we had those guys taking the bump. And
when you lose your horse, you know, it's, it, it's
never a good sign and, um, them kind of trading
him over. And then the Caratini part of that is,
was a big one too, because he was such a
good dude and look at the career he's had, uh,
being kind of that, that hybrid, uh, not really a
(46:58):
starter all the time, but not really a true backup.
This guy, this guy's a real bat and a great teammate.
And so, You lose some of those guys that are
the boys and you go to battle with, and they're
good players, it definitely can take effect. And starting pitching
is everything. Starting pitching, those guys that you can rely on,
(47:18):
the horses, they're hard to come by.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
Yeah, I love Darvish. Darvish, I love getting to know him.
I've been to his house for dinners. We've gone out
to dinners. We hung out a lot in the car.
the hotel after games. So that was tough for me.
And then Caratini too, man. Caratini was just an ultimate professional.
Always loved it. Always happy. Always asking questions. Always picking
(47:41):
my brain and just other guys' brains. Ross, you remember
when Alec Mills threw the no-hitter? Yeah. In Milwaukee. In Milwaukee.
And Alec Mills was on league minimum. Caratini was catching.
And Caratini catches a no-hitter. So I'm messing with Caratini saying,
Hey man, you're going to get a fossil watch. Cause
(48:01):
when you throw a no hitter, usually the pitcher gets
you a, um, a nice watch, get you a nice watch,
a Rolex or something. Right. So I bought Caratini, a
fossil watch. And then, and what also you do is
you get an engraved. So instead of getting it engraved,
I got like a label maker and just put the,
(48:25):
I put the thing and I, and I, and I,
Mess with them saying, hey, this is from Alec from Millsy.
And I saw Caratini recently. We were doing a game
on Sunday Night Baseball. And I go, hey, bro, you
still have your fossil? He was dying laughing. He's like, yep,
still have it. That's sick. I got a nice one
from Marietta. When you trade these guys away, you're in
(48:47):
the trenches with them. It's always hard because they become friends. Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Corey.
Good question. Good question. Luke. One more. Yep. McCalick, I believe.
Email from Luke. Rossi, it was said Shota may have
been tipping his pitches over the season. What do batters
look for to gain the advantage? And also, I'll add
(49:10):
to that, what do you do as a manager if
your pitchers are tipping?
Speaker 1 (49:16):
Yeah, I think the first thing when you find out
that's a possibility, your pitching coach is doing a deep dive.
And usually you have a guy on staff that is
good with that or with all the technology we have,
the information can come down of what may be a
little bit different. So when you find that stuff out,
(49:37):
you try to You watch the game in situations where,
how is this guy sitting on a breaking ball in
this cow after this sequence? And, you know, maybe hitting
a breaking ball, especially veteran guys. And every team is
trying to gain an edge. If you're not trying to
gain an edge, like, you know, that's just, you know,
you're not going to be around really very long. Because
(49:59):
any little edge.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
Especially against a pitcher. That's all I did. As a hitter,
all I did. And with Shota, I know Shota throws
a split. So I'm looking just to take fans away.
a little insight of what I would look. First off,
before the game, we're going to have maybes. If we
don't have a full tip on him, maybe he does this.
So there's already a few cues that you're looking at.
So right when the game starts, I'm looking at glove positioning.
(50:21):
I'm looking at his forearm. I'm looking at the way
he grips the ball. I'm already looking at all these
potential cues. So with Shota, I know he throws the
nasty split. Does he grip his split right away? Because
a lot of guys who throw nasty splits have to
pre-grip it Because they can't get to it in the
glove or they have to dig too much. So I'm
(50:42):
looking at that. If he does do that right away,
then I'm looking at, okay, does he wear sleeves? If
he grips it right away, I'm looking right at the forearm.
I'm looking like right here. Because then a lot of
guys will move the ball in the glove. But if
they don't move their, if this forearm muscle doesn't move,
that means he's not really moving the ball. So there's that,
that little cue can tell you if he's going to
(51:05):
throw a split or not. And guys do it all
the time. So, I mean, I remember that's all I did.
Me and Judge were in the dugout. Golf height, guys
breathing too much. There's so many things. Squeezed versus flared, right?
Speaker 1 (51:19):
Like a lot of guys change up, we'll flare it.
The other part that I think is new on the
back end of my career, and once they started implementing
the pitch comms, Guys at second base are trying to
get in the glove if you're able to see anything.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
Just a little bit wider where the height is, how
you can see. You get a back camera angle where
you'll see.
Speaker 2 (51:43):
The grip, maybe like this or like that.
Speaker 1 (51:45):
I mean, guys are trying every angle they possibly can
to get just a slight advantage. Hitting is extremely hard,
and if you can pick up something on the opposing pitcher.
Speaker 2 (51:54):
You're the plus. There was one year Kevin Galsman was
moving his pinky every time he was throwing a fastball,
and you saw it in his glove because he was
so over it. So you saw his pinky get off
his split. And those are my only hits off Kevin
Gosman in my career. The year I had a– you
know what I mean? Oh, it's a fastball.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
And there's nothing more frustrating as a manager in a
team that like knowing that you gave something away. And
so when we talk about like just worrying about your
own team and yourself and your group, that's the stuff
we're talking about. It's like just have all your stuff
buttoned up. and all the details, and giving away no advantage,
and then go play that way. When you feel like
(52:35):
you're giving something away, and you didn't lose just on
your talent, and that day's play, you lost on not having, or.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
Giving away something to the other team. It drives you crazy. Rossi,
what did I do if.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
A catcher set up inside early? You were having everybody
scream out of the dugout. You were like, hey, Larry! Yeah,
if a catcher set up early, yep. Do you set
up early inside on me? You're basically telling me what
pitch is coming in the count. And if I know
the pitchers sitting inside and I hear the come on
(53:08):
Riz from the dugout, I can just start doing the
math in my head what he's going to throw me.
Speaker 2 (53:12):
In that count. So those are little things where you
have to be buttoned up and clean it up throughout
the game.
Speaker 1 (53:20):
Some good stuff today.
Speaker 2 (53:22):
I love the Tim Buss ball bag questions of the week.
This is my favorite part of our show is, answering
the question.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Mine is my blue chew ad read mine's my blue
chew ad read.
Speaker 2 (53:34):
Uh next next week rossi and i will be coming
to you not live but we will be coming to
you from ireland going on a little golf trip together
can't wait for that rossi we gotta we gotta we
gotta put some money up on We need to. We
need to get the fans. We need a nice wager.
We need to chime in of, like, what the bet
(53:54):
should be. Yeah, what should our bet be? What's going
to make you uncomfortable, Rossi? Your pocketbook would definitely make
me uncomfortable, bro. That's for sure.
Speaker 1 (54:05):
And we're about even golfers, too, so we're not giving
strokes to anybody.
Speaker 2 (54:09):
We're about the same. He kicks my butt sometimes. We'll
have to keep our scorecards, and we'll sign them, and
we'll take pictures, and we'll divvy it up at the
end to show everyone. That'll be good. Well, good show, man. Yep.
That was a good one. Thanks, everyone. God, that flew by.
Thanks for the questions.
Speaker 1 (54:24):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
Next week, we'll be coming to you from Ireland. And
then the week after that, we're going to start probably
twice a week with our coverage going into the playoffs,
the September stretch. And then once October hits, it's on, Rossi.
Speaker 1 (54:41):
I can't wait for October. Thanks, everybody, for tuning in.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
We love you guys. And keep those questions coming.
There's something about the warm summer air and a cold
corona with lime that makes the roar of the crowd
sound a lot like the roar of the waves.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
That's because this is our playa, and the best seats
are always wherever you're sitting.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Whether it's a weeknight game under the lights or a
Sunday afternoon in the sun, you know baseball isn't about
rushing around. It's about settling in, letting the game come
to you. And nothing pairs better than an ice-cold corona.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Nothing. So find your seat, your corona, and your lime.
Because real fans know the only thing better than nine
innings is extra innings, especially on La Playa. Corona. La
Playa awaits.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
The official cerveza of Major League Baseball. Get yours at
ordercorona.com for 21 plus, relax responsibly. Corona Extra Beer, imported
by Crown Imports, Chicago, Illinois.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Welcome back to another episode of Ross and Rizzo Unfiltered.
The baseball season has made it to September. It's September 1st.
Hallelujah for me as a player whenever September hit, Rossi.
It was angry August was over and the light now
is at the end of the tunnel for the grind
and gauntlet of the season. Man, it's going to be
(01:18):
a good September, Rossi.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Hey, September, I always thought separate the men from the boys,
and we're about to hit that month where everybody's making
that playoff push. You're watching the standings. We're watching way more.
But before we get into what's going on immediately, I
want to talk about the weekend, bro. Congratulations, first of all,
on being selected on the best 150 players in Cubs history,
(01:42):
150-year anniversary. You had a whole weekend of seeing all
the boys, celebrating Jon Lester, Jody Davis in Chicago. Tell
me about that, bro. You had Sunday night baseball, Reds, Cubs.
It looked like an amazing weekend in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It was awesome. I mean, it started with the 150-year
anniversary team, top 150 players. And there's never been that
many Cubs greats all there at one time. And it
was so cool because it was generation to generation to generation.
And I heard Derek Lee talking about how he got
to see his heroes that he watched growing up. And
(02:23):
that was Hawk, right? And Sean Dunstan and Sutcliffe and Maddox.
And then I'm talking about how I got to see
my heroes there. And Derek Lee, right? Sammy Sosa played
against Aramis. So just Billy Williams was there. I mean,
it was really special to be there and be part
(02:45):
of that and that team and Have Lester there for
his Hall of Fame induction on Sunday was really special.
Your boys with Soriano. Alfonso Soriano. I got to hang
out with him. Sori was holding the baby. I remember
to this day, after games, working out with Soriano in
(03:07):
the weight room and seeing his son, little Sori, right
next to him working out. I always said to myself,
I was 22, 23 years old, man, I can't wait
for that day. right? Sorry. We'd be doing lunges and
his little story would be doing lunges right next to him.
And then now fast forward, 15 years later and Alfonso
Soriano was holding my baby. And it was just, it
was a whole aha moment. It was, it was awesome.
(03:30):
That's awesome. Like amazing weekend. Our boy Lester got, got
all the love. And then the game that was fun, man.
First time in the booth. So Benetti and cowboy Jeff Brantley,
and then Joey Votto was inside the pitch. and it
was fun man telling the stories just the booth is
the booth is a different beast rossi yeah i like
(03:52):
the booth you uh.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
You know i listened i tuned in i thought the
dynamic between you and joey talking hitting and approach and
how different you guys is kind of take on different
at bats and what y'all were looking for and then
cowboy chiming in on like where he liked to pitch
and and how he set guys up i thought you
guys did a really good job and it was fun
to It was definitely a fun dynamic list. Two great
hitters talk hitting and approach, especially the left-on-left stuff. And
(04:18):
Joey's so cerebral and can explain things really well. It
was fun to dive into his brain and your brain
a little bit and how different they were.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It was cool. And you got to see our boy PCA.
What the heck, bro? You got to watch that live. Bro,
five homers in two days. Three homers on Saturday, which
I think was so cool because we're all there. You
know what was really cool? We were all pregame down
in the cage and all the current Cubs players are
(04:46):
hitting and we were just watching them hit and then
PCA goes out and puts on an absolute show, right?
Three home runs. I mean, bro, he's just unstoppable. I
was talking to John Maley a lot who was my
hitting coach and our hitting coach when we were there.
Him and Eric Henske were so instrumental in my life
(05:07):
as far as approach and just seeing Mailey talking to
Mailey about PCA's progress and his evolution, all the maturity
and just him talking and diving in it. Like I
just felt, man, I just, I saw that was what
I used to do. Right. And that's like, it made
(05:28):
me happy to hear PCA's really diving in to John
Mailey more and hear the approach, every approach, every at
bat is, Hey Mailey, what do you got? What do
you got? What do you got? So, It's a lot
of fun to watch, man. He is no doubt on
his way to his first MVP. The Cubbies need him.
They're going to need his best bullets come this stretch.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Well, like you said, we talked about this. It feels
like every episode, but the MVP race feels like it's
just getting more and more in his favor with Otani
not pitching and getting pushed back again and what Pete's doing.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I mean, leading.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
All of baseball in OPS with a 9.54. What is
going on? I mean, the numbers are insane. And they've
got a big task ahead of them. Last night, you know,
they got started a four-game series with the Brewers.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
You know, nine home runs. How about those fireworks? What?
I mean, they came out. I turned the game on
in the second or third. I'm like, four-nothing. Or whatever
the score was. Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Well, you know, it's, it's, we talk about PCA so much,
but Alex Bregman has locked it the fuck in. And
he is, he's the guy that, that we always knew
he would be and started off a little bit slow,
but what a great time for him to get hot
for the Chicago Cubs. Say is swinging the bat really well.
The guys behind Pete are really, you know, stepping up
(06:50):
and you're not able to pitch around him because the
guys behind him are absolutely crushing. So lineups getting deeper
and deeper. I know.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I love their lineup, bro. That line. Oh man. When
I look at the Cubs lineup, it is so nicely constructed.
I feel like every guy compliments each other. And, I mean, bro,
they hit nine home runs yesterday. Nine. That's a franchise record.
They hit 62 to cap off August. 62 home runs
in the month of August. Another franchise record. Most in
(07:19):
MLB history, Rossi, 62 home runs in the month. Bregman
hits three home runs last night. He hit three home
runs August 12th. He had two three-homer games in one month.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
You know what I'm saying? Six in two days. That's
like a whole season for me. If I got six,
I'm jacked.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
That's insane. It's insane. So big, big, big win at
Wrigley last night. They lose two or three to the Reds.
They have the Brewers coming in town. Look, they control
their destiny off the Brewers. And I was talking to
counsel when we were interviewing for NBC, and he's like, look,
(07:58):
we're chasing what's on pace to be a 100-win team.
If we don't catch them, it's the best team in baseball, right?
So that's one way, I guess, of looking at it.
Because I had asked, and I want your kind of
opinion on this, Rossi, at what point for the Cubs,
(08:20):
do they really turn to the home field wildcard as
being their prize instead of the division? Because remember, there
was years after we won the World Series where if
we didn't win the division, it wasn't good enough and
it was a letdown, and then you almost take making
the playoffs for granted.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, no, I love that take. I think you always
got to keep your eye on the highest goal, but
you know, as well as I do, the best teams
are just taking it day to day, right. And try
to be the best version of yourself. There's time, you know,
they need to get Dan to be back and healthy.
That'd be a nice addition back. And the guys have,
Nico's done a nice job at short and taking over.
(09:00):
But you got to keep your eye on the day
to day to me, once you start looking at what
you can predict, right? Like if you keep your head
down and doing the pitch to pitch stuff, you just
want to be playing really good baseball and, the teams
that are hot going into October are the ones that
you usually bet on and having a little bit of that.
And their offense is so good, the best in baseball, man.
(09:23):
They're up and down the lineup, like you said, quality
at bats. They've got power. They've got some speed. They
can beat you with contact.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
They know how to play the game. They have starting
pitching now too, bro. Yeah, yeah. You know, like Clay, Gaussman,
Shota's got to be a little– just keep the ball
in the park.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
They have Assad down there in AAA, which that's pretty
head-scratching because he's such a good swing man. I mean,
their bullpen's a little low. But, I mean, like in 15, Rossi,
when we made the playoffs and we were the wildcard team,
we were so happy. We celebrated like we were winning
every single game. was like we were winning the World Series, right?
(10:04):
And being in that wildcard was good enough for us. 16,
it was the division. Then 18, we go to the wildcard.
We didn't even celebrate because we went to a one-game
playoff and all this stuff, so. That's why I was
just wondering, like, I want to make sure if they
(10:24):
don't catch the Brewers that they're still excited and happy
that they're in the wild card. You know what I mean?
Because sometimes it can be a letdown.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, I never understood the teams that didn't celebrate just
getting in and then they were still, you know, some
of these teams. I get it if you're 10 games
up in the division, but celebrate every chance you get,
I think, in baseball because it's hard. It's hard to
make the playoffs. It's hard to get in and each
year is unique. So, I think they'll celebrate that once
they clinch, and I'm sure they've still got the eye
on home field. Home field's a big deal, especially with
(10:53):
the Phillies.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
No doubt, bro. The Phillies are hot. And they're playing.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
The Cubs are so good at home in that environment
behind you. Those fans really can get to rocking, and
it really does make a difference. And the flip side
of that is one of these teams, especially going to Philly,
that place could be crazy, or San Diego, whoever it is.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Um it could be wild but a little.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Bit of drama let's let's transition you know we lots
of drama not no not going not knowing what was
going on with Cattell Marte and that's kind of been
a saga over the last you know 10 days and
going back and forth with with him and Torrey um
you know he was back yesterday got some boos from
the fans uh one of the one of their premier
players and a guy I think one of the best
(11:41):
second baseman in the league this guy absolutely rakes but
sounds like there's a little bit of drama that we
had some of that on our 16 team that was,
we can, we can kind of relate to.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah. I mean, this is their star player and it
seems like these reports coming out or just, he didn't
show up to the field. He may have been injured.
It seems like he's done this before in the passing.
I know he did it last year. It's documented, but
even there's some reports coming out that he's been doing
this and man, as a, as a player in that
(12:12):
clubhouse where I see, I'm just, I, I shake my head, right?
Like if, what are we doing? Right. We're all grinding.
We're all here. And, um, our best player is, is
acting like almost a prima Donna in a way, right?
Where it's like, ah, I don't feel like coming to
the field today. What, what do you mean? You know
how many times I didn't want to go to the
field in August? That's not even, you know what I mean? Right.
(12:37):
I'm with you. So I put my, I put my
manager hat on.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I think about Tori Lovello and what he, you know,
when you have your star player, any player, you, you
gotta have their back.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And as much as it may frustrate you, he's not
going to say that stuff publicly. And, um, your teammates
may be pissed, uh, but you know, as well as
I do, like you can be mad, but his family, right. And,
and when your brother comes back and comes back home
and has gotten in trouble and done some dumb stuff.
You've got to put your arms around them and love
(13:10):
on them and try to get on this. I mean,
they're in the middle of a playoff chase trying to
get into, to October, uh, right there at the wild card,
that last team and fighting it out with, with the
Padres and in their division. And, um, you hate to
see that stuff happen and you hate to see guys
get that mentally down and, and God.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
It pisses you off. I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
But you know, they held serve for a little while and, um,
you know, from a manager standpoint, you try to have
those tough conversations. I know Torrey really well, and he's
loving on him.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I know Mike Hazen really well as well. I mean,
he has the best reputation in the league, I feel like.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, and none of this stuff's going to phase, like,
Mike Hazen. Mike Hazen's dealt with some shit in his day.
You know, his wife, you know, told him a lot
of stuff, passed away.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Like, you know, no.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Nonsense, I'm sure, from them, but also, like, hey, let's
help this young man out and try to get him
back in the right frame of mind to help us
win some baseball games and kind of, work through some
stuff in the offseason as best we can.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
But, yeah, it sucks, man. I like what you said about,
which is true, right? You go into a clubhouse and
you're brothers. So if someone does make a bonehead, if
someone pops off to the media or does something stupid
off the field, you come in and you say, dude,
what the fuck are you doing, right? Like, in a
brotherly way, you talk about it, you fight about it,
(14:26):
and then you get over it in literally the same
five to seven minute breath, five to seven minute conversation. Which,
You know, you roll your eyes. You saw some of
their players just be like, yeah, it is what it is.
This is what he does. Right? Rolling their eyes at it.
But then he comes in. He says some things to
the media. I guess maybe lost in translation. Do you
(14:50):
have a message to the fans? He said no. He
didn't have a message to the fans, but that could
have been lost in translation. But then after the game, Rossi,
he's talking to the media, wearing a hat, saying the
bridges I burned today. light the path tomorrow, whatever it said. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
The bridges I burn light the way.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right. So, uh, may the bridges I burn light the way.
Come on. Come on, man. Like you're in the casino
while your team's grinding, when all this stuff's going on,
then you're wearing this hat. Like I, what, what are
we doing? Yeah. I don't know. I don't, it's, it's hard.
It's hard. I, I want to always be pro player.
(15:33):
But this one's really hard for me to just, from
the outside looking in, saying, what? It just doesn't make sense. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Hopefully his explanation to his team when he addresses those
has some passion and some sincerity behind it. It's always hard,
especially when you have a translator talking to the media,
to feel the genuine authenticity of the messages. But, you know,
I'm with you. I root for players. you know, as
(16:02):
a manager, you put on those hats and it's just
those tough conversations and trying to get inside somebody's brain
and have them communicate with you, especially when it's just
the dude, right?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Well, yeah, you hear he doesn't want to be in
Arizona anymore. What I do know for sure is when
you have something like this with mixed reports and no
one knows what's going on. The only real people who
know are in that clubhouse. There's so many things throughout
our careers that things that were said to the media
(16:34):
were like, yeah, that's not even close to what's going on.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Well, we dealt with Tommy LaStella. Remember the Tommy LaStella
stuff in Chicago?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yeah, they sent him down. He was our best pinch hitter.
And they sent Tommy down, and the whole team was pissed.
And Tommy said, I'm not going down. I'm going home.
I'm out. If you're going to send me down. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then we got mad at Tommy, and I loved him. Right, right, right.
But again, it was like Tommy came back, dressed the team,
and then we were all hugging him, loving him, and
(17:02):
so excited he was back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was
such a big part of our group. There's just so
much more that goes into it. Rossi, let's get into
our Corona sponsor. Playa. The Playa. Our Playa of the week. Yeah,
let's go. Max Scherzer. Turning back the clock, young man.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Oh, man.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
42. 42, bro. Jeez. Bro, I'm rooting for the old
guys all the time. He was nasty, man. I mean,
one hit.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
42 years old and 34 days became the oldest pitcher
to have 10 Ks and allow one hit since Nolan
Ryan in 1991. There's only two guys that have done that.
That's pretty good company.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Is that good? That's pretty good company. That's really good.
It's always nice to see the old guys. They're rolling, too,
Blue Jays. Game and a half back. They need him.
Final wallet card. Yeah. His interview after the game, they
were like, oh, were you surprised? He's like, no, I
always knew I could do this. I'm like, Max, you've
been hurt for the last five years, it seems like.
(18:02):
But that's his edge, bro. He is so competitive. He's
so competitive. I love it. Screaming at the manager coming
out in the sixth saying, I'm going back out. There's
some of those guys you're like, I wish I would
have played with that guy.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
His intensity is like one of those, like, I would
have loved because, you know, I was an angry player, too,
and needed to go to that level.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
So, Um, it's fun to watch him kind.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Of compete and talk to himself and reminds me a
little bit of Jake PD when he's, when he's motherfucking
himself on, on the, on the mound, just trying to
psych himself up to get nasty.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
So great outing. Welcome back.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Max, uh, passes Gaylord Perry for ninth all time and strikeouts.
That's absolutely insane. Over 3,500 strikeouts.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
He's a punch of my ticket a time or two.
That's for sure. That is for sure. It's great. 42, 42. That's,
that's impressive. I'm 30. I just turned 37 or I'll see.
And I, so I was in the, um, we were
down in the cages at Wrigley and someone goes, I
think you'd have to traject right now. The machine that's
that all these guys hit off of before the game.
(19:05):
I'm like, no, I can't. It hurts watching these guys play.
And Max doing it at 42. How old were you?
You were, what, 39 when you retired? 39, yep. Hatcher.
I mean, I don't know if you know this.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
He's like the oldest guy ever to go deep in
game seven. But it's not about me. But I was
just at 39 years old.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Wow. You know what? I did know that. I did
know that. All right. Enough about me. Let's get into
the Orioles. Orioles go out and they claim Luis Robert Jr.
from the Mets. The Orioles are right there in it.
They're one game back of the final wild card. They
trade Adley Rutschman. the deadline to the Red Sox. And
(19:44):
then they go on this run. I feel like all
the pressure there's a lot of expectations on the Orioles,
and then they sell at the deadline, and I feel
like it was an exhale. All right, let's just go
play instead of trying to live up to these expectations.
And they've been rolling. They're 7-3 in their last 10.
This team could be a little scary if they get in.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Well, the fact that they're willing to continue to push
and pick up a guy like Luis Roberts Jr. and
still try to get the potential out of him. I mean,
you know, he was one of the best players in
baseball when he's with the White Sox.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
And I don't know. 38 home runs in 23, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
I mean, this dude, this dude is was I mean,
we saw him. I remember managing against him like he
could float in the outfield. Power hit run tool was
was off the charts. Trying to get him back to
the version that he was would be a big, huge
pickup for the Orioles. The fact that they're still trying
(20:46):
is pretty impressive. One game back of the wildcard spot,
7-3 in their last 10.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Feels like their manager, Greg.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Albinath, is just hitting his stride and getting the feel
for his team. I always think it takes a little
bit longer, first-year managers, to get that pulse of the
team and put your stamp on it. It feels like
They've hit that kind of stride here after the trade deadline.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Pete Alonzo smoking cigars in the dugout, which I love, right?
It's a long season. Go in, enjoy, right? Probably firework night.
But he had 1,000 OPS in August, nine home runs
in August. That's a big month out of him. He's
doing what he does every year. He's putting up his...
The back of his baseball card will look like the
(21:30):
same as it has the last seven, eight years. So...
I mean, he's the guy they, that's who they went
out and got, right. They went out and got that.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
That's what they expected when they went out and got
them in the leadership talking to, I've done two Orioles games,
talking to their manager, their coaches, like he, he's been
a real leader for them and exactly what they've needed in,
in this, this group that, um, you know, the Orioles
have always kind of been an underdog story and they've
got a real middle of the order bat with a
lot of young guys. And Gunnar Henderson is one of
(21:59):
my favorite guys I've ever been around with the WBC. And, um,
they've got real talent there and, I mean, Colt, let's
get a highlight real quick.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
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Speaker 2 (22:31):
McCarthy. McCarthy. Oh, what a play.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
There's walk-off homers, and then there's walk-off plays like this.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
What a catch. McCarthy, sorry, bro.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
What a big moment just got taken away from you.
Colton Cowles are going up. I mean, what's going on
with the outfielders right now? Because the play from Nemo
last week, robbing the homer. was amazing. Colton Cowles are
here saving the game. We had a bunch on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Bellinger. Bellinger's throw. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
I came up out of my 1-0, kept the lead
for the Yankees. I came up out of my chair
when I was watching that live. And Bellinger's one of
my favorite players that I've ever managed. And he, like
the throw there, right on the money. You love to
see real fundamentally sound baseball. And belly with that throw
(23:31):
to save the lead for the Yankees, and they go
and win one-nothing behind Cam Schlittler.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
You know what I used to say to guys all
the time at first base when they'd get on? I'd
be like, bro, can we just collude as a league
and just stop with these diving, insane plays through the
first seven innings of the game? No diving. No diving
plays on the infield. No diving in the outfield. Let
our guys get our hits. Pitchers won't like it, but
(23:55):
hitting's hard enough. And then come to seventh, like the NBA,
come like midway through the fourth, they start really playing defense.
Like the NBA. You know? That's what I used to
say all the time. All the offensive players loved it. Pitchers. Yeah,
they were fired up. Man, these guys, bro, they're so good.
And the information and the analytics of where to position
outfielders and infielders, it's just– it really– I love the
(24:19):
athleticism that this shift of the infield– like guys have
to be athletic again. And we're seeing plays on a
nightly basis and showcasing how athletic these guys are. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Get rid of the shift and the pitch clock have
been a game changer in baseball. It's just, you know,
to watch, like you said, the athleticism, I remember doing
some little league world series that just ended for ESPN,
but doing some back in the day. And when you
see these kids just show off their, their defensive skills,
it's so much fun. And when you see it, this
big league level, that's why the Cubs are so fun
(24:53):
to watch their offense. But, Watching them, you know, Pete
and Center, their defense is insane. Talking about good defense,
Sadon Raffaella makes an amazing catch for the Red Sox
in that last game.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Would have kept it tied, but, like... No. It was
a no catch. Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah, I know
what they called it. That was a catch, bro. That
was a catch. I know. I mean, look, I mean.
That's tough, man. He knows his reactions. The fact that
(25:29):
there's not enough evidence to overturn it. Watch this right here.
That's in the glove.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
I think the hard part are probably what made them
leave the same.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
That's a catch for sure. My man Lou Maloney.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
In Boston to call now. And I'm with him in
real time.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
That's a catch. And I know.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
The play stood. You see when it's super slow where
the ball might have snow-coned to the ground.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
I think that's why they were inconclusive. What if that
happened in October? That's always my question. What if that
was a game deciding October? If you ask anyone as
a catch, I'm sure if you even ask the Yankees guys,
they're like, how did we get away with that one?
Speaker 1 (26:17):
If you get away with a couple during the season,
you're feeling good about it, but The one thing I
would say is, like, you know, that broke the tie
break in the favor.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Of the Yankees. Bro, that was a massive series. That
was a massive series. Yeah, and that catch.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
I know they blew them out after that, but who
knows how things would play out.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
That series, though, going into it, the Red Sox were
really hot, and I feel like for the Red Sox,
that was kind of like their gauge meter, right? A
lot was leading up to that series. But for the
Yankees as well, if the Red Sox come in there
and beat the Yankees, they, I feel like, just completely
(26:58):
deflate that team.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Where the Yankees held serve. They won three out of four,
which was huge. I saw a lot of Red Sox
fans or people chirping about the Yankees, how they lined
up their pitching, and the Red Sox maybe didn't line
up their pitching as well. But that's just the way
the season goes, right? So, um, that last game, a
(27:21):
lot of more drama in the league. I do. That's
why I love August. Cause all the drama comes out.
All the guys were pissed off, angry August. And it
was on full display the last week of August. Um,
jazz Chisholm steals second and third and a six run
ball game in the eighth where I know I played
for Booney. Six runs is not officially too many or
(27:45):
too many runs to conceive. Um, In the eighth inning,
they're down. I could see why the announcers were mad.
I mean, they went overboard for sure, Rossi. But what
do you got on Jazz stealing those bases?
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Man, I was a big proponent of when I managed, like,
take any free base they'll give you. Like, I would
have no problem. You're trying to take care of your
own stuff. And if you're not holding me on, it's
free game to go. Like, you've already said, I'm conceding
this base.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
I don't care. So, like, I don't know what everybody's
so upset about. Well, yeah, but you can't– if they
were up 10, you can't do that. Six is like,
all right.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Well, you just want to stay out of the double–
even if you just stay out of the double play, like,
who cares? If I get to score– even if you're
up 10, if I get to score four or two
and two and you've got to get up an extra
bullpen guy, even getting him loose– Like, I don't get, like,
I'm not here to help your feelings. You know, this isn't,
you know, the unwritten rules are.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
That wasn't an unwritten rule, in my opinion. I agree.
Being up six, because if they go out and hit
a two-run, three-run homer, and then Booney has to get
Bednar up, and their bullpen was already short four games
in three days, you know. And then what was really
the icing on the top is when Jazz gets a third,
the Red Sox pull their infield in. Yeah, I didn't
(29:06):
get that. Don't tell me you're conceding the game and
then you're going to pull your infield in with a
runner on third, less than two outs.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And how many times have we talked about, like, just
giving a pitcher another run on their ERA just pisses
him off a little bit more and sends him with
a negative vibe or that one pitcher with a negative
vibe and now he's pissed off and, like, that shit
can carry over and, you know, now you go in
and one of the guys is pissed that he gave
(29:33):
up a run when– he really did his job and
shouldn't have, just because the manager chose not to do something. Yeah,
so anytime you send negative vibes to the other dugouts,
send them, baby.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
That's what I do. I remember when I'd be playing
first base and we'd be in an out-of-hand ball game
or we're up, say the closer's in and we're up
three and there's two outs and there's a runner on
second or a runner on first, two outs. I still
wouldn't play off the bag because I told Booney, I
(30:04):
told Joe, I told you, I did not want that
run to score. And if he just steals an innocent base,
gets to second, and then a guy has a blue pit,
then your pitcher is pissed off. To where if I'm
holding him on, I play the odds. There'd be times
where I would go back and play behind him. But
I'm playing the odds. Is this guy really going to
hit me the ball at this moment in this game
(30:25):
with who's on the mound? So, I mean... The announcers,
the WEI guy who was saying hit Austin Wells.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
You know, Jazz Chisholm doesn't play that. If it wasn't
Jazz who did it, I don't think you'd get the
same reaction from the Red Sox radio, right?
Speaker 1 (30:48):
I think he rubs people the wrong way a little
bit that aren't down with his way of playing.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
You can't say it's Marcus Stroman. No, no. Well, here's
the thing. You can't say Austin Wells, you should fight
Jazz Chisholm. Like, what are we doing?
Speaker 1 (31:02):
I know you're emotional. He did come out and apologize, but. But, well,
here's my problem with the apology. This is just me. Like,
you said what you said. Like, it was an emotional reaction. But, like,
as soon as any blowback comes from social media and, again,
you get to take your emotions out and have a
day to sleep on it. But, like, you said what
(31:22):
you said. Like, the apology to me is, like, that's
just somebody up top going, hey, you need to apologize.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Like, just own what you said. Angry August. Angry August.
Everyone's in it. I mean, the.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Announcers are traveling these teams. You know, they're traveling these teams.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
They're on the grind, too, bro. Yeah, they're on the grind, man.
They love their players.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And, you know, I just, you know, we got to
apologize anytime you hurt people's feelings here lately. And I'm
just like, Just own it and move on, you know,
unless your job's a jeopardy.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Go get fired. Well, it's good. It's in a setup
for a nice, hopefully, three-game series in the Bronx. That
would be sick. Red Sox Yankees in the Bronx. They
had it last year. So, I mean, look, I remember
the great Tim Buss, who we do our Tim Buss
Ball Bag Questions of the Week, which you can send
in to rossandrizzo at gmail.com. But he said, you don't.
(32:16):
really find out who you are and who real teammates
are or coaches until about midway through August. That's when
the real season starts. That's what he always says. Because
everyone is pissed off. You've been around the guys for
150 days, if you're including spring training. And now these
last six weeks of the season, you really find out
(32:36):
who the real ones are and who the people are
just cashing it in are. So it's, you see a
lot of drama around the league and I love it.
I love it. It's good for entertainment. It's good for
the program.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Let's get into the rankings now that we're in September.
September 1, we're starting to get to the, we got
this last month, and who are your teams, bro? Give
me your American League top couple teams. Give me your
National League few teams, ranking them. Because there's a lot
of teams that, I mean, Dodgers don't look real good,
(33:07):
and I know everybody on paper wants to keep going
back to them, but The offense has struggled a little bit.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Who you got in each division? Who's your horses? For
the AL, it's got to be the Rays. They just
haven't been talked about enough because they're a smaller market,
but they just keep doing it, man. They have good pitching.
They have guys you've never heard of that are just
throwing 100 out of their bullpen. The only thing with
the Rays is that they don't play these big primetime games,
(33:36):
so that could hurt them maybe in October because they're
not used to all that noise. because they just go
under the radar. And then you got Yankees, Red Sox.
Raise Yankees, Red Sox in the top. And then these
bottom three, four teams that are all fighting for this
last wild card spot, the Central. I like the White Sox, man.
(33:58):
They seem like they have a little bit of magic.
If they can get a home playoff series, I think
they can maybe make it to the DS and even
go beyond that. Who knows once they get in. But
sleeper team for me, I think. Shout out Will Venable.
Shout out Will Venable, our guy. Sleeper team is the
Orioles right now. They're playing with just house money. They
seem to be playing really free. So we'll see how
(34:19):
that plays off. And then the NL, look, the Dodgers
are number one. People can say what they want, but
the Dodgers are coming off two World Series championships. Virtually, like,
no hangover either. Okay, they're struggling for a few weeks.
Who cares, right? I know they care, but this is
(34:40):
what the Dodgers– They're built for October. You got Glasnow back.
You have Snell back. Otani's going to be back. Otani's
slumping right now. Otani's been pretty bad offensively, which his
bad is better than everyone else. It's only a matter
of time before he goes off. Mookie's a big game player.
(35:02):
Then you have Kiki, who's going to just turn into
Babe Ruth in the playoffs. If you're a Dodgers fan...
Don't worry. They'll be just fine. It's hard to win
the World Series, but they will be ready come October.
So they're number one for me. Then it's Brewers Braves.
I mean, the Braves are legit, bro. That performance by
(35:23):
Chris Sale, bro, going complete game shutout versus the Dodgers
was sick. Hitting 100. I love him.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Speaking of turning back the clock, talking about an old
guy's performance, that performance is right up there with Scherzer's,
if not better, and against the team.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
I'm with you. I think we differ.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Paying attention to the Dodgers and those guys, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I shouldn't say this, but they just look old right now.
The Dodgers have the fourth easiest schedule, though. They have
the fourth easiest schedule. So that's perfect for them. All
they need to do is just... They don't need to
do anything, honestly. They've done it. They literally walk the walk.
They've done it.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Well, and the Phillies and Cubs, who I would put
above the Dodgers right now, just in this moment, have
got the second, third hardest schedule to finish out the season. Obviously,
the Brewers, I'm like more Brewers, Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, bro.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
I'm like... They're scuffling. You know what I mean? It's... Dude,
the National League playoffs is going to be must-watch television.
Every pitch. It's going to be... The National League is
going to literally come down to inches every single play. Yeah.
It's going to be really good. And the Yankees need
(36:42):
to get judged back.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
The Yankees, I feel like, if he can come back
and be in rhythm and timing and, you know, be
a version of the guy, you know, that's a long
time off to come back and be dialed in offensively.
But if he gets enough plate appearances that he feels
good and comes from the box, man, the Yankees are
going to roll this offseason.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Yeah, their pitching is deep, man. They're– This is September baseball, bro. Remember,
I don't know if you remember this, Rossi, but every
September 1st, I would be playing the song, Wake me
up when September ends.
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Speaker 2 (38:12):
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tickets to the U.S. Open. Got to get to Arthur
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Weather's turning. Shout out SeatGeek for always, always, hooking up
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Speaker 1 (38:32):
We need to give a shout out to SeatGeek for
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Speaker 1 (39:11):
Hey, speaking of fun, I want to mention... Tully, for
the Red Sox, hugging. Did you see the swinging butt.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Of the guy who was hitting? Dominic Canzione. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
And he goes over, and he's waiting on him, and
they just hug. That brought back the memory of YouTube.
down Freddie Freeman in Atlanta in a rundown.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Going, Frederick, Frederick. Dude, totally. You were the king at it.
We already talked about the hand sanitizer the other day.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
But, my gosh, like, the guys that can have fun
and compete their tail off, but also just– make these
moments within the game exciting. I always thought Adrian Beltran
and these guys, Beltran, did a good job of making
the game.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yeah, Beltran. Adrian Beltran, Carlos Beltran. Carlos Beltran, there we go. Yeah, yeah.
He's old, sorry, guys. He's old. He was a teammate
of mine. I should get it right. But, yeah, when
those guys.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Would go out there and have fun and just make
these moments, it just makes me laugh when I.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Watch the game. It's so cool. The Red Sox, too,
coming off a tough three out of four losses to
the Yankees. They walk off yesterday versus the Mariners. Trevor
Story getting Roman Anthony back and Trevor Story back. That's
big for this team. You know what I mean? Let
them get their feet wet.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
And they got some hits in the Yankee series, and
they came back ready to go. That lineup has gotten
even deeper.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
If Crochet can come back and pitch out of the bullpen,
I mean, dude, this is going to be Get your popcorn, Rossi.
Let's go. We're almost in playoff baseball.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
I feel like we should be. We're knocking on the door.
We've still got a whole month left. It's going to
have a lot of drama. We're going to start doing
more shows.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
We'll get to talk about it even more. It'll be good.
I can't wait. It'll be really good. Let's get into
our Tim Buss ball bag questions of the week. Bussie. Again,
you can ask questions via YouTube comments or email us
at rossandrizzo at gmail.com. We really do. This is probably
my favorite segment. I love answering the fan questions. We
(41:20):
got an email from Chris Blair.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah, let me get this one.
Speaker 2 (41:25):
This is for you.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Chris Blair, Rizzo, how did you and Aroldis Chapman squash
your beef when you joined the Cubs in 2016? What
I'm referring to is when you charged the whole Reds dugout,
by the way, in an iconic moment. And you talked
about this a little bit on air on Sunday night
with Votto and some of the back and forth. Tell
us that story and what you found out about Aroldis
(41:46):
after the fact.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Yeah, I mean, I did charge them. We were playing,
I believe we were playing four games in five days.
We had a make-up game, and it was a four-game series.
And I was, I don't know what I was thinking.
It was the dog days of July. It was right
before the All-Star break, and Aroldis throws over Nate Schrold's head.
Go at him. We have this beef. I find out literally...
(42:10):
that day after the game, Hey man, you know, he's
a boxer, right? Like he boxed in Cuba. I was like,
Oh fuck. He's going to kill me. He's a giant.
He's literally like next time I face him, he's going
to drill me. He throws a hundred. It's already the
most terrifying at bat ever facing him. Um, so it's,
it's actually a funny story. We were at the all-star
(42:33):
game in Minnesota, literally a week later, both on the
national league. So we squash it right away. Right. um
at the all-star game we come up hey poppy like
how you doing we dap up he to the moment
he has a translator we're talking he's all right cool
like awkward you know still don't like him because he
(42:53):
strikes us out every time and every single time we
go to cincinnati they always get the free pizza the
uh you know what i'm talking about in cincinnati roses
the roses if they strike out 11 they would get
free pizza. And from 2012 to 2021, but really 2012
to 2014-15, every single time the Cubbies would roll through Cincinnati,
(43:18):
at least two out of the three games, they were
getting free pizza, right? Chappie would come in. If there'd
be nine punch outs in the game, he'd punch out
the side. If there was 10, like it was clockwork.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
Yeah, you're tired of everybody cheering every time somebody punches out.
It gets louder and louder because they know they're getting
a free pizza. It's like in the minor leagues when
they had the beer batter of the game. The beer
batter of the game if you strike out. Yeah, I
strike out like 25 sip beers or something. You're getting
heckled in the on-deck circle. I was in High Desert
one time and I got picked for the beer batter competition.
(43:54):
punch out guy i'm as a hole hitter so like
it was a good chance and as soon as i
stepped foot on on the odd egg circle they're start
they're like ross i'm about empty i'm about empty let's
go bro imagine imagine if the big leagues.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Did that oh my gosh that would be like for
say like the sixth inning if this batter strikes out
everyone gets four dollar beers instead of 24 beers back
back in your minor league days they were 25 cents
now yeah this guy's Yeah, they couldn't do that now. But, bro,
so then we get to the All-Star game, and we're
in the shower, and it's just me and Chapman in
(44:26):
the showers. And Chapman's just standing there with his arms crossed,
staring at me, right? And I feel him. I'm like, oh,
my God. He's going to kill me. Like, he's going
to kill me naked. Like, this is where I die.
So I'm, like, washing myself. I'm facing the wall, and
I just feel him staring at me. And I turn back.
(44:49):
And just give him like a, what's up, Poppy? How
you doing? And he just gives me this little smile
and chuckle. I'm like, he's going to kill me. And
then when he gets traded over, I mean, it's water
under the bridge two years later. But, I mean, Chappie
was one of my favorite teammates. He did anything for
the boys. He hung out all the time. I love
seeing him everywhere we go. And now after the fact,
(45:10):
and the fact that he's still doing it is just,
he's first ballot all-famer in my opinion.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Well, there's always those guys on the other team that
you hate. You're like, oh, my God, I hate this
freaking guy.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
And then he's on your team, and you're like, oh,
my God, I love this guy. Well, that's why I
try not to judge anyone that I think from afar
that rubs you the wrong way because there's been too
many guys you play with where then they become your
best friends. All right, next one. Good job, Chris. Corey Whitaker.
(45:43):
Going back to the 2021 season, how much did the
trade of you, Darvish, and Caratini affect the psyche of
the team going into the season? I've heard you guys
say how much a big trade acquisition can boost the team,
but does trading away important players have the opposite effect? Absolutely.
You were the manager of that 2021 team.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Yeah, I remember when Jed called me and told me
we were trading Darvish. After 2020, I think there was
just some payroll stuff that they were trying to to
clean up from there. And I wasn't real privy to
all that, but I think the, you know, you get
it sometimes it sucks. I mean, that was him and Kyle.
I'm just going to say Carl every time, but the professor,
(46:26):
you know, where our two best pitchers in 20 and
the ones that made starts for us in the post
season that year and helped us win the division and.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Like crazy season, big season, crazy, crazy.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Yeah. But, you know, we still got out there and
grinded and we had those guys taking the bump. And
when you lose your horse, you know, it's, it, it's
never a good sign and, um, them kind of trading
him over. And then the Caratini part of that is,
was a big one too, because he was such a
good dude and look at the career he's had, uh,
being kind of that, that hybrid, uh, not really a
(46:58):
starter all the time, but not really a true backup.
This guy, this guy's a real bat and a great teammate.
And so, You lose some of those guys that are
the boys and you go to battle with, and they're
good players, it definitely can take effect. And starting pitching
is everything. Starting pitching, those guys that you can rely on,
(47:18):
the horses, they're hard to come by.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
Yeah, I love Darvish. Darvish, I love getting to know him.
I've been to his house for dinners. We've gone out
to dinners. We hung out a lot in the car.
the hotel after games. So that was tough for me.
And then Caratini too, man. Caratini was just an ultimate professional.
Always loved it. Always happy. Always asking questions. Always picking
(47:41):
my brain and just other guys' brains. Ross, you remember
when Alec Mills threw the no-hitter? Yeah. In Milwaukee. In Milwaukee.
And Alec Mills was on league minimum. Caratini was catching.
And Caratini catches a no-hitter. So I'm messing with Caratini saying,
Hey man, you're going to get a fossil watch. Cause
(48:01):
when you throw a no hitter, usually the pitcher gets
you a, um, a nice watch, get you a nice watch,
a Rolex or something. Right. So I bought Caratini, a
fossil watch. And then, and what also you do is
you get an engraved. So instead of getting it engraved,
I got like a label maker and just put the,
(48:25):
I put the thing and I, and I, and I,
Mess with them saying, hey, this is from Alec from Millsy.
And I saw Caratini recently. We were doing a game
on Sunday Night Baseball. And I go, hey, bro, you
still have your fossil? He was dying laughing. He's like, yep,
still have it. That's sick. I got a nice one
from Marietta. When you trade these guys away, you're in
(48:47):
the trenches with them. It's always hard because they become friends. Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Corey.
Good question. Good question. Luke. One more. Yep. McCalick, I believe.
Email from Luke. Rossi, it was said Shota may have
been tipping his pitches over the season. What do batters
look for to gain the advantage? And also, I'll add
(49:10):
to that, what do you do as a manager if
your pitchers are tipping?
Speaker 1 (49:16):
Yeah, I think the first thing when you find out
that's a possibility, your pitching coach is doing a deep dive.
And usually you have a guy on staff that is
good with that or with all the technology we have,
the information can come down of what may be a
little bit different. So when you find that stuff out,
(49:37):
you try to You watch the game in situations where,
how is this guy sitting on a breaking ball in
this cow after this sequence? And, you know, maybe hitting
a breaking ball, especially veteran guys. And every team is
trying to gain an edge. If you're not trying to
gain an edge, like, you know, that's just, you know,
you're not going to be around really very long. Because
(49:59):
any little edge.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
Especially against a pitcher. That's all I did. As a hitter,
all I did. And with Shota, I know Shota throws
a split. So I'm looking just to take fans away.
a little insight of what I would look. First off,
before the game, we're going to have maybes. If we
don't have a full tip on him, maybe he does this.
So there's already a few cues that you're looking at.
So right when the game starts, I'm looking at glove positioning.
(50:21):
I'm looking at his forearm. I'm looking at the way
he grips the ball. I'm already looking at all these
potential cues. So with Shota, I know he throws the
nasty split. Does he grip his split right away? Because
a lot of guys who throw nasty splits have to
pre-grip it Because they can't get to it in the
glove or they have to dig too much. So I'm
(50:42):
looking at that. If he does do that right away,
then I'm looking at, okay, does he wear sleeves? If
he grips it right away, I'm looking right at the forearm.
I'm looking like right here. Because then a lot of
guys will move the ball in the glove. But if
they don't move their, if this forearm muscle doesn't move,
that means he's not really moving the ball. So there's that,
that little cue can tell you if he's going to
(51:05):
throw a split or not. And guys do it all
the time. So, I mean, I remember that's all I did.
Me and Judge were in the dugout. Golf height, guys
breathing too much. There's so many things. Squeezed versus flared, right?
Speaker 1 (51:19):
Like a lot of guys change up, we'll flare it.
The other part that I think is new on the
back end of my career, and once they started implementing
the pitch comms, Guys at second base are trying to
get in the glove if you're able to see anything.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
Just a little bit wider where the height is, how
you can see. You get a back camera angle where
you'll see.
Speaker 2 (51:43):
The grip, maybe like this or like that.
Speaker 1 (51:45):
I mean, guys are trying every angle they possibly can
to get just a slight advantage. Hitting is extremely hard,
and if you can pick up something on the opposing pitcher.
Speaker 2 (51:54):
You're the plus. There was one year Kevin Galsman was
moving his pinky every time he was throwing a fastball,
and you saw it in his glove because he was
so over it. So you saw his pinky get off
his split. And those are my only hits off Kevin
Gosman in my career. The year I had a– you
know what I mean? Oh, it's a fastball.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
And there's nothing more frustrating as a manager in a
team that like knowing that you gave something away. And
so when we talk about like just worrying about your
own team and yourself and your group, that's the stuff
we're talking about. It's like just have all your stuff
buttoned up. and all the details, and giving away no advantage,
and then go play that way. When you feel like
(52:35):
you're giving something away, and you didn't lose just on
your talent, and that day's play, you lost on not having, or.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
Giving away something to the other team. It drives you crazy. Rossi,
what did I do if.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
A catcher set up inside early? You were having everybody
scream out of the dugout. You were like, hey, Larry! Yeah,
if a catcher set up early, yep. Do you set
up early inside on me? You're basically telling me what
pitch is coming in the count. And if I know
the pitchers sitting inside and I hear the come on
(53:08):
Riz from the dugout, I can just start doing the
math in my head what he's going to throw me.
Speaker 2 (53:12):
In that count. So those are little things where you
have to be buttoned up and clean it up throughout
the game.
Speaker 1 (53:20):
Some good stuff today.
Speaker 2 (53:22):
I love the Tim Buss ball bag questions of the week.
This is my favorite part of our show is, answering
the question.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Mine is my blue chew ad read mine's my blue
chew ad read.
Speaker 2 (53:34):
Uh next next week rossi and i will be coming
to you not live but we will be coming to
you from ireland going on a little golf trip together
can't wait for that rossi we gotta we gotta we
gotta put some money up on We need to. We
need to get the fans. We need a nice wager.
We need to chime in of, like, what the bet
(53:54):
should be. Yeah, what should our bet be? What's going
to make you uncomfortable, Rossi? Your pocketbook would definitely make
me uncomfortable, bro. That's for sure.
Speaker 1 (54:05):
And we're about even golfers, too, so we're not giving
strokes to anybody.
Speaker 2 (54:09):
We're about the same. He kicks my butt sometimes. We'll
have to keep our scorecards, and we'll sign them, and
we'll take pictures, and we'll divvy it up at the
end to show everyone. That'll be good. Well, good show, man. Yep.
That was a good one. Thanks, everyone. God, that flew by.
Thanks for the questions.
Speaker 1 (54:24):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
Next week, we'll be coming to you from Ireland. And
then the week after that, we're going to start probably
twice a week with our coverage going into the playoffs,
the September stretch. And then once October hits, it's on, Rossi.
Speaker 1 (54:41):
I can't wait for October. Thanks, everybody, for tuning in.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
We love you guys. And keep those questions coming.
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