Andrew and Cole discuss the legacy of Clayton Kershaw

Andrew and Cole discuss the legacy of Clayton Kershaw

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
At fourth of July three day vacation. You can almost
taste the brats on the grill. Cole Dixon on the
ones and two is making it sound pretty in Austin.
He's also our incredible producer making sure that we get
the podcast up after the show. If you miss any
of it, call are you at charcoal or a pro
pain individual? When it comes to grilling.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Charcoal, charcoal, for sure, it takes a little bit more
effort and I like to taste better.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
I agree, I like the taste as well. My only
problem though, what would Hank Hill say? What is Hank
Hill going to say that you are using charcoal not
a pro Paine and propane accessories?

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Right, pro Paine and pro pain accessories.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yes, we got a lot to talk about former Longhorn
potentially in a seven team deal now with Kevin Durant
going to the Rockets, but what are the other five
teams doing? How does that work with the salary? Capell
talk about all that coming up later in the show.
We also have Cam Newton getting shots from Paul Finebaum

(00:59):
and didn't actually having the most coherent take on Arch Manning.
We'll talk about that as well this hour, But we
got to start here. It's the story of the day.
It is Clayton Kershaw. Last night, fifteen Occasions Wednesday, Kershaw
had two strikes with the opposing hitter in front of
fifty three thousand Dodger fans on their feet, excited, clapping,

(01:22):
yell and cheering. And this is what it sounded like
when he got number three thousand.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Ravine risers ready to erupt.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
And you gotta love it when a guy is able
to do that in front of his home fans. That's
to be the biggest deal here is that Kershaw was
able to do it in front of the Dodger faithful.
He did it on his one hundredth pitch, a backdoor slider.
White Sox third baseman Vinie Caperera will look in Kershaw
now the twentieth player all time for three thousand strikeouts.

(02:09):
He said, it's a little bit harder when you're trying
to strike people out. He said, I really have never
done that before. He's obviously a flamethrower. He had an
incredible career to this point. World Series Champion, VP, CY
Young Awards, Era titles. He's pretty much doone everything you
can do in the sport except for join this hollow group.
He is only the fourth left handed pitcher ever to

(02:32):
have three thousand strikeouts. He joins Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton,
CC Sabathia. He's one of three active pitchers to get
three thousand strikeouts, of course, joining Justin Verlander, the former
MVP and World Series winner, and Max schurz Aer, the
former World Series winner. Those two are often lumped together
among the greatest of this generation. He's won of five

(02:53):
to do it with one team, Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson,
Steve Carlton, and John Smoltz. Among the group, only Johnson
and get Since spent their entire career with the same franchise,
and Kershaw says he will do that as well. I imagine
that he's getting closer and closer to that retirement age
and the Dodgers sitting where they're sitting, very good in

(03:14):
the National League West, potentially the team to beats the
odds on favorite to win the World Series after winning
it last year and having a payroll out the Gills
and talent out the Gills. The Dodgers are the team
to beat, but it is impressive. It matters to me
that he is still doing it. He's still doing a
strong and I absolutely love the fact that he is

(03:37):
a the fourth fastest to get to that mark. The
only guys who got there in fewer winnings were Johnson
sure as their Peedro Martinez.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Those are the only three guys.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
And look, when you talk about the dudes who are
in the Hall of Fame, you talk about the guys
who have done it for as long as Kershaw has
done it, and pitched as well as Kershaw has pitched.
There's guys who for the longest time in Kershaw's career,
he's a playoff choker, couldn't get the job done, struggling
in the National League Divisional Series, struggling in the NLCS,
lost that World Series to the Houst Nationals in twenty seventeen,

(04:11):
so he had this almost puck on top of him.
And then in twenty twenty the Dodgers win the World Series.
But it's the Bubble Championship, which nobody really respected.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
It kind of came and went.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Winning the title last year as a starting pitcher meant
something for Kershaik has two World Series rings. He's going
to go down as one of the best pitchers of
this generation. In fact, you could make the case for
him to go down as one of the best left
handed pitchers of all time, which when he came into
the league almost twenty years ago, now he was expected

(04:44):
to be a guy that was in this type of position.
But any time that you meet, when you get to
that point and you meet those expectations and now you
go into the Hall of Fame with three thousand strikeouts,
there's not a doubt, a shadow of doubt in my
mind at least that he will be a first ballo
Hall of Famer. And there's only a handful of guys
ever to get that ninety nine percent tile. When it

(05:06):
comes to that Hall of Fame voting, it's weird, hardball
hard and I go back and forth about it all
the time, the difference between being a first ballot Hall
of Famer and being a second or third ballot Hall
of Famer. I think we're at that point now with Kershaw.
It is going to be very easy. I imagine for
people to put him in on that first ballot. How
close will he get to that ninety nine ninety eight

(05:29):
ninety seven percent on that first ballot. That is time
that will will see what happens. Obviously, when he retires
and he sits out for the I think it's like
five seven years to be Hall of Fame eligible.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
We'll see what that looks like.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
That first ballot, but I imagine he is a sure
a lock at this point to get in. And it's
incredible the amount of talent that the Dodgers have had,
obviously coming through the LA pipeline. And of course you think,
if you think Dodgers, you think about Sandy Kofax, and
with Kershawe now getting his three thousand strikeout, I don't

(06:06):
think anybody in their right mind would put him ahead
of Sandy Kofax. But historically speaking, he is getting into
that conversation to be mentioned in the same conversations with Kofax,
which is again something that we thought he was gonna
be good. We did not think he was going to
be this level of good coal and I'm excited for him.
He missed time for stretches over the last couple of years,

(06:28):
dealing with injuries and stuff, but it's very cool to
see him hit this mark.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Without a doubt.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
And that's someone who you know has a strong distrain
for the Dodge Dodgers.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
I know, Craig, Yeah, for the Dodgers.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
I know, Craig and I go back all the time,
back and forth, but this is someone you gotta tip
your cap to, just as a fan of baseball, and
you got to respect him. Even when he was going
through his postseason struggles. It's still Clayton Kershaw. He is
nasty on the mound, and again he deserves it. He
the longvity of course two does play a factor into it.

(07:03):
And the fact that you know he's stuck around and
he's played the game the right way, no controversies.

Speaker 3 (07:08):
That's a big thing for me.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
And it's just yeah, that does play a factor and
for me, but it's just one of those He's the
only Dodger in my modern you know, in my thirty
years of existence that I'm like, Okay, that's the only
Dodger I will tip my cap to. And I do respect.
Other than that, I don't care for the Dodgers. I
you know, you said earlier, you know they're the front

(07:30):
the front runner to win the World Series. Well, yeah,
with that roster in those pockets, yeah you should so
I go. I tell Craig all the time, like, you know,
you have to win at least four out of the
next six World Series. I said this last summer, and
you know, sure enough they won last year. But again
it's the ceiling, you know, they they have to win
four out of the next six.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
I think it's disgusting their their roster, and uh, you know,
it is what it is. But he is the one.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
Dodger that I will Hey, you know, good for you,
and I'm happy for him. I'm happy for him.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
That's about it.

Speaker 1 (08:05):
That's the only good thing I'll say about the Dodgers.
That's all I can get that. Now the fun thing
is all right, let's let's talk here. So Kershaw now,
eighteen seasons in LA he finishes now again, you gotta
think he's thirty seven years old. He probably will be
wrapping it up here. I don't think he plays to
twenty year twenty. I think that this might be the

(08:26):
final seasons of Clayton Kershaw. All right, So three thousand strikeouts,
twenty two, sixteen and ninety four all time, all right,
three Cy Young Awards and an MVP. Ironically, in twelve seasons,
three Cy Young Awards and the MVP. Sandy Kofax. Kofax

(08:47):
won sixty five and eighty seven. Okay, so you could
make the case, and again the guy won two World
Series MVPs, four World Series titles in a Dodgers' uniform
kofax to me, the greatest picture of all time. I
don't I don't think that there is much of a
debate there. But yeah, I'm not gonna speaking statistically speaking, though,

(09:07):
kershawt now is in very rare air, I'm telling you,
And it's ironic that again, eighteen seasons compared to twelve.
You got to imagine that if Kershaw continued, or I'm sorry,
if Sandy Kovaks continue to pitch. Let's say he gets
to fifteen seasons, if he doesn't deal with that elbow injury,
then he would have had again, maybe another Shy young Ward,
maybe another World Series championship. But man, Kershaw is gonna

(09:31):
go down on that Mount Rushmore now of all time
Dodgers pitchers, which is saying something like, this is an
organization that has a ton of talent. It's an organization
that has a ton of historic and Hall of Fame players.
So again, it's it's one of those things where I
look at it and I go, I'm glad that I
got to see it from start to finish. I'm obviously

(09:52):
super pumped that he was able to hit this historic mark.
And anytime you put yourself in the same conversation as
guys like Bob gets In, Sandy Coofax, Randy Johnson, you
are a no doubt Hall of Famer, which I think
if you told people when Kershaw got drafted that he
was going to be this spot, I think a lot
of people would have said, I hope he gets there,

(10:13):
But those are very lofty expectations.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, when you look at from when he came in
at two thousand and eight, can you from the time
he was drafted to now if you look at the
Dodgers organization and throughout the years, do they get to
where they've gotten to without Clayton Kershaw? On the answers, No,
I'm looking at all the highlights and awards here, ten
time All Star, Worldsters, MVP or sorry, World Series Champion,

(10:39):
n LV, n L MVP, all these things, it goes
on and on. That's a first ballot Hall of Famer
in my mind, because you can't write the story of
the Dodgers from when he was drafted. He made that
big of an impact with the Dodgers to now, you
can't write about the Dodgers without really mentioning Clayton Kershaw homegrown.
That's big too. Yeah, he stayed put. I'm sure he

(11:02):
had a ton of other options. I know he's a
Dallas native and he stayed in LA for all his time.
But he with his accolades and everything that's gone around
him without a doubt, even like the with the story
of baseball and pitching two from let's just say two
thousand and eight, he was really dominant.

Speaker 3 (11:20):
I mean he was a giant killer and.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
He was he was unhittable for the longest time, the
lefty and you, I don't think you can write the
story of baseball from I take it from when he
was drafted to now without mentioning Clayton Kershaw without a doubt,
First ballot Hall of Famer.

Speaker 3 (11:37):
And it pains me to say it, but credit where credits.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
Do first eight seasons one, twenty six, and sixty three.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
Cy youngs in an MVP that is historic.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
All right, speaking historic, Kevin Durant, he goes to the
Houston Rockets. They're saying now that the trade could be
expanded not one, not two, not three, but potentially seven
teams involved. What does that mean for the NBA. What
does that mean for the Rockets? All coming up next.
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