Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It rates me ap lot.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Well. If you've heard me say it once, you've heard
me say it a thousand times. If it's February, it
must be baseball season, right it is. On the college level,
long run's off to a four and oh star, number
three in the country, number two in the National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association rankings in Texas, will take on Michigan
(00:23):
State this weekend at UFCU Dish far Field. But Major
League Baseball in the throes of spring training and joining
us from Arizona, home of several teams, including his own organization,
the Chicago White Sox in spring training. Our MLB insider,
our Temple High School graduate and super Syntex native. Our
(00:47):
good friend and my friend for over forty years now,
Jeane Watson. I'm sorry to even bring that up because
all it does is make both of us feel older
when I say that. But I'm glad to have you
on anyway.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Good to see Craig. Everything good. I'll tell you what
it is freezing out here right now?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Is it really?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It is some kind of cold we got, We got
layer upon layer and it's still it's still freezing. So yeah,
we're making our way today.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Do you recall many times when you were at spring
training down in Florida. Had I always remember the afternoon
showering ed occasion. Again when I was covering Ranger spring training
in the late eighties there to early nineties. I went
six straight years from like eighty seven through ninety three,
and I remember, I remember we'd get the afternoon shower
(01:36):
and it had to get humid as all get out,
but I didn't remember getting really that cold. Do you
remember a lot of employment weather when you were in
Florida before your time now in Arizona.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Oh, my gosh, a lot, and covering the Florida State
League just out of spring training, it was standard four
o'clock VP was going to be sprained out because of rain.
But they always seemed to get their games in. And
that was one of the bigger turns when Tampa moved
over to time for the field last year, was how
would they deal with the daily rained And they actually
did a great job with it. But out here in Arizona,
(02:08):
this this does not happen much. We had a little
bit of snow a couple of years ago, but it
is some kind of cold here today.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
One thing I wanted to ask you and it got
some other topics to get to. But I was reading
the story this morning about the Mets deciding to hold
out Francisco Alvarez. You're the guy you know very well,
Luis Robert, who just the Mets picked up from your
ball club from the White Sox, and then Hora Polanco
(02:37):
and Lake Travis and Brett Batty. They're not going to
play in at least not the early games in spring training.
Corny to their manager Carlos Mendoza, Batty felt something is
right hamstring a couple of weeks ago, so they're going
to slow play this deal. And my point, my question
for you is we do see teams do have a
(02:59):
great you up here. That's what spring training is all about,
is the gradual in clide on that. But how important
is it for ball clubs too, eventually, while still in
spring training, get their chief guys on the field and
get them into spring training games so that they can
be ready to go for the coming season. Is there
(03:20):
is there a point a game number, a week number
that did you think about that it's kind of important
to get those guys on the field.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Well, I think it's really important, especially if you have
a group of twenty six to thirty that are in competition,
and you know, they are in together. And that's kind
of the situation we have here. We have a number
of new players into our camp, Loue Angel Lacuna, you know,
Maria Commy.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Picks.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I mean, we got a number of new players, and
so getting those guys together and spending as much time
together as possible to kind of, you know, get the
culture and the makeup going is really really and that's
one of the dynamics of the World Baseball Classic is
players are going to be leaving next week from camp
and some may not be back till the nineteenth or
twentieth of March, and so when you're trying to formulate
(04:12):
that chemistry and that team aspect, it can sometimes be
very difficult. And that's what a lot of teams are
going to be facing this year. But early on, you know,
for your regular guys that have been together, it's not
that big of a deal. It's more of a workload
management standpoint and just getting them ready for the last
five or six games. But from a team standpoint, it's
really important. It's going to be a real struggle for
(04:33):
a lot of teams this year. Who's you know, when
you think about the Dominican, Japan, the United States, those
teams that have a chance to really advanced and work
late in the spring training, it's gonna be hard for
your team to get that chemistry going. All right.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
You brought up what I wanted to get to next,
and that's the World Baseball Classic because you were very
very closely involved with in an advanced band and you'll
be out in California this weekend with things going on.
And the first thing I wanted to ask you about
it with regard to the US team, is uh, how important?
(05:08):
I mean, we're talking about guys who are veterans who
know this thing in and out or know what it likes,
what it's like to get themselves ready. But how important?
And is the chemistry element and is it something easily
put together or does it? Does it take a little
time for all of these mega stars to kind of
(05:31):
fall together, not just with the US but also with
the international teams.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, I think with US, with the Japan, with the Dominican,
Mexico Venezuela, I don't think you have the same uh
issues that you might have with a team like Team
Italy and great Britain were these guys Brazil where these
guys are literally coming together for the first time and
not really knowing each other. The thing and doing a
(05:56):
lot of research early on, especially the huge pockets, which
is where I'm going to be, is that every team
has one guy that can beat you on any given night,
and some of these rosters, I mean, there's guys that
can get big hits, and every team has some big
name players that can beat you. So this isn't going
to be a walk in the park for any one
(06:17):
team to win this tournament. This is international competition where
on any given night you can get beat by a
good pitcher or you can get a big hit from
a hitter, and so I think it's going to be
a really fascinating event this year. I think everybody would
tell you that the United States and Japan would probably
be the favorites to be in the final, but the
Dominican Republic, Mexico, they're no jokes. Their rosters are very
(06:39):
very good, and Italy kind of loves the underdog tag
and they've got some really good players, and so it's
going to really be exciting event, especially coming off the
Winter Olympics, where there's a lot of international competition flavor
in the world. Right now, I think this World Baseball
Passic has a chance to be one of the best ever.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
What did you expect from a guy like Paul.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Skins, Well, I mean, first of all, you know, Paul
schemes to rescoogle those guys. They know who they are
as pitchers. There's really no like telling them how to,
you know, pitch to hitters. They're going to pitch to
their strengths. I would tell you that early on they're
probably going to be working about a eighty five to
ninety percent workload. And then every now and then reach
(07:21):
back he gets.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, yeah, And and uh, I would say to your
point about the international guys. Uh, I was reading this
story about a key player for each of the teams,
and it's weird to look and see Jack Tagley, known
who we just saw playing for the Florida Gators, and
then and then of course get into the Bigs and
(07:44):
and and he's playing for Team Italy, and and uh,
that'll be interesting to see.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, Jack Kagle old Vinnie pas Patino at our starting
catcher Kyle Till, who is no walking the park. Kyle
Till has a chance to be one of the more
impactful players in all all of Major League Baseball this year.
There's the middle of the order line up this capable
of beating you on any given night. So, uh, they're
gonna be really really fun to watch.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Another example of a guy and a team that to watch,
maybe uh Gino Venezuela Rangers. Suarez is going to pitch
uh for them. Pablo Lopez, the Twins starter, we learned
yesterday as a torn ucl so he's likely gonna need
Tommy John surgery. So uh, here's a Venezuelan team that
has uh, your old pal, Salvador Perez is the captain.
(08:30):
You have Ronald Lecunia, Junior, Jackson Curio. Uh. And there
it looks like this Venezuelan team will be competitive.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Very strong offensively, and you know they're gonna descend Salvador
Perez as a captain on any field. Uh, and they
give me a night. Rangers Lorez can beat any lineup,
and so again you know the Dominican Venezuela, Japan, and
the United States are probably throw Mexico in there. There's
five really good teams that anybody can give a night.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And what have you learned from your old pal Bobby
Witt Junior. How he feels about this and being a
part of the US team.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Well, I think he's excited because he's going to be
a bigger part of it this time around. Last time
you didn't get a lot of playing time, got minimal
playing time him and Brady Singer both. I think him
being a bigger part of it, getting more at bats,
and you know, this is a guy that's going to
be a part of this one, the next one, and
probably the one after that, and so, you know, growing
(09:24):
up as a Team USA guy and being a part
of all the USA Baseball junior teams, I know he's
got to be super excited to be on the field
with this caliber of talent that they're.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Going to have talk of baseball with Gene Watson here
on thirteen unders. All right, let me shift back to
the bigs. We do know that Tony Clark has resigned
as the head of the Major League Players Association, and
there's internal investigations and all that sort of stuff, and
all of that will be sorted out and found out
over time. What I'm interested in getting your thoughts on, Gina,
(09:56):
is how this impacts the Union, how it impacts what
you think might be down the road. Obviously, everybody's pointing
the twenty twenty seven is a critical date because of
what's happened with free agency. The Deputy executive director today,
Bruce Meyer, says, it's not going to weaken or distract
(10:19):
the Players Association as they prepare for the negotiations with
MLB on this new collective bargaining agreement for last year.
How about your thoughts on that.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Well, I think both sides ultimately want to get The
most important thing is to get a deal for the
fans and to you know, keep the product on the field.
Major League Baseball is absolutely thriving right now in all facets.
It's a very young, very talented game. And I think
the Tony Clark situation doesn't erase the fact that that
(10:49):
both sides are hopeful to get a deal done and
they're going to work tirelessly to get that done. The
issues are what the issues are, and so I think
that players this is probably going to work hard to
find the right leadership. I think the player's voices are important.
Obviously the Veterans Committee will have a big say in it,
(11:10):
but but it doesn't change anything in the fact that
this game is clicking on all cylinders. They've incredible bright
young stars, Attendance is high, TV viewership is high, and
so they'll they'll work tires to try to get a
deal done. That's guss for everybody involved.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
So it sounds like gino. You're not surprised to hear
this quote from the deputy executive director Bruce Meyer, because,
of course the CBA is going to expire in December. Uh,
it is thought the owners may lock out the players
without a new deal. But here's the thing I thought
was pretty interesting. Meyer was asked if the union would
(11:50):
at least listen to offers that could involve a salary cap.
Of course, they they've never really entertained that peasant. His
quote was, and here's the quoto. We have a duty
to the players and otherwise to listen to anything the
league offers. We will evaluate analyze anything that's offered. Our position,
and the historic position of this union for decades on
(12:12):
the salary cap is well known. It's the ultimate restriction.
It is something that owners and all the sports have
wanted more than anything in baseball in particular. There's a
reason for that, because it's good for them and not
good for players. But the mere fact he said, we
will listen to anything the league offers. We will evaluate
and analyze anything that's offered. It sounds like, even though
(12:34):
we know that's kind of the big boulder in the
road between the two, with regard to the possibility of
a salary cap, it sounds like they're at least open
to listening to what it might entail.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I think I think as long as the revenues continue
to remain similar. I mean, if you have a salary
cap and you have a floor, and it forces teams
that are spending you know, forty to sixty million dollars
to spend a hundred million dollars, that's that's more generated
revenue for the player. If you look at you know,
arbitration after two years instead of three, because players careers
(13:10):
are shorter now than ever, if you look at that,
if you look at free agency after four years instead
of six, I think there's a way to appease the
whole as opposed to, you know, everything is working for
the veteran of eight or plus more years. I think
when you come up with revenue streams for the players,
that's practical as a whole for all seven hundred plus players.
(13:33):
I think that you have to stay open minded to it,
and I know that they're certainly going to work towards
working on all those minor details that won't impact the
overall players revenue as a whole.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
He's Gene Watson, our MLB insider. I bet you can't
wait to get to California to warm up, right.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I'm going to go see Rock Schilawski on Friday and Saturday.
TCU is going to be in town, and then we'll
head to California next week to see Tyler Spangler and
then head off to Houston for the World Baseball Classic.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Looking forward to visiting with you. We'll talk again next
week about what's coming up in the WBC, and I
appreciate the time. Geno, thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Okay, Greig, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
That's Geene Watson, our m LB insider. He joins us
each week to talk baseball, especially now that we're into
the throes of spring training and just around the corner
from the WBC the World Baseball Classic. All right, we're
more coming up