September 19, 2025 • 15 mins
Gene Watson, the Chicago White Sox Director of Player Personnel, joins the Craig Way Show for his weekly conversation about all things MLB!
They discuss Clayton Kershaw's intent to retire, break down the Mariners' surge to the top of the AL West Standings, and preview potential playoff matchups with just over a week to go in the 2025 regular season.
They discuss Clayton Kershaw's intent to retire, break down the Mariners' surge to the top of the AL West Standings, and preview potential playoff matchups with just over a week to go in the 2025 regular season.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is at this time each week that we talked
baseball with our MLB insider, of course, a good friend,
Geene Watsman from the Chicago White Sox front office. Do
you know, and all of these things I wanted to
hit you up with about playoff chase and division picture
and all that other kind of stuff, and we'll get
to it. But the announcement yesterday by Clayton Kershaw that
this is it for him. You've known him a long time,
(00:23):
you know about him being the great pitcher.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
He was at a Highland.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Park and and you know we've seen him do all
of the things that that he's done throughout his career.
So I got to start with that. It was kind
of an emotional moment for him yesterday. And I love
how he told his teammates in a text, don't make
it weird. He said, let's let's just go and play
(00:48):
and all that, and then he said he was making
it weird later. But how about your thoughts on Clayton
Kershaw and his legacy to Major League Baseball?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Well, I remember the first time I ever saw him
pitch was at the Lake Travis Urnament in Austin. He
faced a left hander named Michael Houston from Temple High School.
And I was just blown away at the ability the curveball,
the pitch ability to make up the work ethic. And
you know that carried transpired over eighteen years in the
major league level. And you know, we talk about Sandy
(01:18):
Kofax a lot when you talk about the Dodgers and
Playton Kershaw is certainly going to go down as one
of the all time great Dodgers and great pitchers in
baseball history.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
And here's the interesting thing, and I know you know
this very very well. Here's a guy who, after coming
off the injured list this year, has been really good.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
He's ten and two.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Now he's going to make his final start at least
of the regular season ever at Dodgers Stadium tonight against
the Giants. And maybe that seems fitting and all that
other kind of stuff. But Gino, as the Dodgers get
closer to the playoffs, I think their magic number for
getting into the postseason is won, the magic number winning
(01:58):
the West to six. But as they get in there,
this is something that Dave Roberts and Mark Prior really
have to consider.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Isn't it about who they would like?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
They've been running with a six man rotation, which we
know isn't sustainable in the postseason. So with guys like uh,
you know, Yamamoto, Uh, you know, and you've got Ima
Chian obviously, Glass now is on a roll of late.
Blake Snell was incredible the other night. Do you see
Kershaw fitting in the rotation for the postseason for the Dodgers?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
If they are indeed there.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
I think, uh, Yatamoto, Glass down and uh and uh
Snell Snell, those three are gonna be the guys. And
then it's just gonna be pockets of how you want
to use them within the game. And you know, everybody
knows that starting pitching is what wins in October. Everybody
knows that power pitching is what wins in October, and
(02:51):
so I think they'll work very diligently to try to find,
you know, pockets where you know, if the starter goes out,
has a rough outing and your two or three runs
up are down.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
You know, you try to fit guys in certain scenarios.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
But this is where the creativity of the Dodgers and
the strength of their pitching is.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Really going to play out.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
When you get in these playoffs series and you've got
so many weapons like they do.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Oh and by the way, I didn't even mention Choe Otani,
who had five no hit innings the other night against
the Phillies. Is but he has been a starter largely.
Now you were with the Angels, when he was also
with the Angels. Can you see Otani being used in.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
A bullpen roll for the Dodgers? One hundred percent?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And I could see him being used multiple times in
the higher leverage situations where you know the game is
on the line and you need three big outs and
he's the guy that comes and gets it.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
It could be a six out safe situation.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
But you know, for all that goes into one hundred
and sixty two game season and the ebbs and flows
and ups and downs of the season, once you get
in October and you take that deep breath and you
look at the talent that you have on the field
and how you can manage it, that's when all the
strengths really come into play. And for all the you know,
ups and downs of this season for the Dodgers, you
(04:04):
look at them and they're still the favorite to be
there in the end of October.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
All right, Yesterday we were talking to Baseball and Jake said,
we got to give Geno his flowers, right because when
they were right Jake, she said, because of Gino talking
about Jonah Tong of the Mets.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
And Shane Boz of the Race.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, yeah, those are two of the better talented arms.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Those are those guys are the future for sure.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, and and the Mets are trying to kind of,
uh make sure they have their final kick to get
into the wild I know they they they took two
of three from the Pod race, and and and uh.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
We'll do.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What we'll do is when we get to the actual
postseason matchups, I'll get your thoughts on But right now,
with eight games, nine games to go, depending on which
team you are, uh in baseball, uh a potential potential
playoff matchups. And if I were to a to you
(05:01):
right now that if you had a choice of the
Yankees versus the Astros or the Cubs versus the Padres
as wild card series, which is the more attractive to
you Yankees Astros or Padres Cubs.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
I think I'd rather see Yankees Astros in a longer series.
I think that that the depth of those those two
teams will play out a little more in a longer series,
I think the Padres and Cubs, which that would just
be a dogfight, and that then the two venues Wrigley
Field and Petco Park would just be incredible. So for me,
(05:44):
I'll take Cubs and Padres in the wild cart.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah, and the Padres would have to win at Wrigley
obviously to make that work, since the Cubs now look
like they're they're all but clinching the number four seed
right now. And then in the American League, you've been
saying it for weeks, keep and Ale on the Mariners.
You said the Mariners were good enough to win the
West and the Asters and Rangers would fight it out
(06:08):
for that other wild how it looks like, you know,
the Rangers getting swept by the Astros looks like it
might have been the final death knell for Texas there
and Houston and Seattle are tied for first, but the
Mariners owned the tie break on the Asteroids. And what
a huge weekend series in Houston. This is this weekend
between the Mariners and Astrods, do you know?
Speaker 4 (06:26):
It really is?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And the Mariners starting pitching has really come through when
they needed the most. And just the incredible story of
Cal Rawley and the season that he's had behind the
plate and at the plate with the home run record.
But I cannot say enough about the Houston Astros.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
It's just incredible.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
You're you're facing a team that's won sixteen out of
twenty one.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
They're on an.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Absolute role and they come into Houston and you sweep them,
and it's just incredible what they've been able to do.
And you know, Texas is starting pitching, which has been
its strength during this big sixteen to twenty one run.
You know, they all give up six plus runs in
their starts, and so it's just an incredible testimony to
the Astros.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
And their resilience.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
And but I do still believe that the Marritors with
that starting pitching, are going to be the toast of
the division.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
I asked you a couple of weeks ago, we were
kind of doing an MVP watch, and at the time
I asked you about MVPs as you saw.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Them in the American League and National League.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
And at that time you said, probably still Aaron Judge
in the American League and Choe a Otani in the
National League.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Let me go to the American League.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Has the big dumper passed Aaron Judge, Will cal Raleigh
be the American League MVP?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
I did an ESPN interview this morning and I in
the same thing, I said, you know what, I think
you have to consider a crack cal Rawley. Where it was,
you know, a few weeks ago it was Aaron Judge
hands down and no questions asked. But what he's meant
to do team and the momentum he's given them offensively,
I think you have to at least give him strong consideration.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Do I think he'll win it?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I do not, But I think you're giving him more
consideration today than you were three weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I bet you've seen this commercial. I've seen it, Lynda
and I watched the other night. We were watching the
Mariners and Angels, I think, and it came on. Cal
Rally is doing commercials for a plumbing company and it's
like the Big Dumper is talking about commercial We couldn't
stop laughing out of that. How genius is that marketing campaign?
(08:33):
To have a guy whose nickname is the Big Dumper
doing commercials for a plumbing company.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
It's hilarious and he's made the most of it. He's
embraced it. Oftentimes, when you that it pays off in
the piccheck, so he's doing a good job of that.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
All right, let me ask you about that third wildcard
in the America. Le Guardians have won seven in a row,
nine out of ten. They just got through, you know,
sweeping the Tigers in Detroit. I don't think they're going
to catch Detroit, but they're only a game and a
half back of Boston for that third wild card slot,
and I think that's now where the dividing line falls off.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I think, you know, the Rangers four back. I doubt
they can get there.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
But can the Guardians catch and pass Boston for that
last spot.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I don't think they can. It's had been incredible. They
just kind of never go away.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
They just find a way to win every year and
it's truly a testimony to the way they do things.
But you know, you've got three in Detroit and then
what I can tell three three at home against Detroit,
and what I can tell you about Aja inches. No
matter what has happened both finals, seven to ten games,
he's gonna have his team prepared and ready to go,
and they haven't played great baseball. So you've got the
(09:43):
three versus the Tigers, and then you've got three versus
the Rangers who could still be playing serious baseball, and
so I still think it's gonna be kind of difficult
for them to get in and Boston and asknese ways
as they can beat you. You know, the interesting thing
about the Red Sox and the Mets is they're both
make these late runs with very very young starting pitching,
(10:03):
and that's incredibly difficult to do. But they're very talented arms,
and so you never know what you're gonna get every
night when they go out. It could be, you know,
a two to three hit shutout, and it could be
four or five runs in the first or second inning.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
So that's going to be.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
The wild card, is how Boston's young starting pitching plays
out the last seven to ten days, all.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Right, and then for that final Nation League wild card spot.
The Mets have the two game lead with nine to go,
two on the Reds, who won back to back including
a how about the one hitter from Green last night?
Hunter Green against the Cubs, and then the Diamondbacks are
still kind of hanging around. They're two back, they've got
(10:40):
a huge series with the Padres coming up, and the
Giants are three off. They've been falling off now of
late the Giants. Do you see the Mets holding on
to that third wild card spot or do the Reds
or d Backs have a shot to catch them.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
I don't think it's a lot.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
They've got the Marlins who played very good baseball the
last weekend of the season, and it's not necessary a lock.
And we can see a situation we're going into the
last weekend in this wildcard race, you could potentially have
a playoff in an extra one hundred and sixty third game.
So they have not played great the last two weeks,
so you hope that they can turn it around. But
(11:15):
certainly with the young pitching, it's a wild card and
it's not necessarily a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Where does the weekend find you this weekend?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I'm in Chicago, we are playing the Padres and I'll
be headed back to Houston on Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I know this goes against your family, blood and with
your son with a Padres organization, but for those of
us who root for the boys in Blue, we'd appreciate
a successful weekend by the White Sox.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Let me just say, well, I can tell.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
You this, We've got a bunch of very young, talented
players that play dumb and they're going to give them
everything they got for three games.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
There you go, Hey, Gino, I appreciate it. Thanks.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Next week we'll be looking at the final weekend of
the regular season. I appreciate you taking the time. Have
a great weekend, all right, Craig, thanks so much. Have
a great weekend you too. That's Teen Watson from the
Chicago White Sox front office. You have the White Sox
played the Padres this weekend in Chicago. Wish you could
be there to see a game.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
Speaking of the boys in Blue, Craig, can you remember
the last team to make the playoffs after suffering a
ten game losing streak in the same season.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
I gave you a good hint, eh.
Speaker 6 (12:15):
The Guardians this year lost ten games in a row
at one point they're pushing to try to make the playoffs.
When was the last time that happened?
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Tell me twenty seventeen the Dodgers.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Okay, ugh, and you would have to bring up twenty seventeen.
That's the Astros and that whole deal.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
I still happened three times.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I moved on, I forgave, didn't completely forget, but I forgave,
you know.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And it's funny I say that, I.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
You know who I probably hurt for the most out
of that whole deal, with the signs stealing and the
trash can deal and all that. Like I said, I've
I moved on, especially with the Dodgers winning in twenty
twenty and then again last year. That's that's faded into
the into the distance for me. But the guy that
I felt the worst for was Clayton Kershaw because he
(13:06):
was pitching really well, and they'd had all those ghosts
to the past of not performing well in the playoffs,
and he was performing well. But in that Game five
in Houston, which is the ground zero trash can banging game,
you could just see that look of despair on his face.
He could not understand why the Asteroids were not offering
(13:28):
it that slider. And if you go back and you listen,
you can hear it off in the distance. You can
hear it. It definitely happened. He's the guy I felt
for all that. Now he's gone on. He pitched great
in the twenty twenty World Series. Overcame that Dodgers won
that I know it was the pandemic here, but in
the once you're in the World Series, you're in the
World Series.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
I won't bring up twenty nineteen. Ope, just did.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, that's all right, that's all right.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I understand he pitched well against the Nationals in eighteen, right,
it was in the Division Series, but it was or sixteen,
I guess I'm thinking sixteen.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
Yeah, that was the series that ended after one thirty
am local time.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, yeah, but the but yeah, he had he had
pitched well then, and then of course he didn't get
a chance to pitch in the World Series last year.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
He was out injured off of that.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
But it's not going to tarnish what his legacy is
on Major League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
He's one of only four left handers to record three
thousand strikeouts in the career. He has a no hitter,
he has two World Series, he has three Cy Youngs.
He has an MVP. He was the first non position
player when he won the MVP Award to win it
in like forty eight years or something.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
It was some crazy number like that.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
He is a triple Crown.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
So you know, with the wins and the strikeouts, e
r as, he's so his mark is secure in Baseball.
He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I
don't think there's any doubt about that. And he said
the time was right for him, and I think it is.
It'll be interesting to see what he does next. I
think the television industry might be interested in him, so
(15:05):
we'll see. But he's got he and his wife Ellen.
I think they're expecting their fifth child. They have a
lot going on in their charity work, both in California
and in Texas, and also in Africa in their missionary work.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
So there's a lot going on there all right.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Our thanks to Gene Watson joining us every week on
the program. Up next, we're going to hear from Longhorn's
head coach, Steve Sarkisian from last night's edition of Longhorn Weekly.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
It's a little snippet from it.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Of course, the re airing of the program comes your
way tonight at seven o'clock, and so you can tune
in for that right here on sports Radio AM thirteen
hundred the Zone and on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
From the ABA Heating and Cooling Weather Center, this is
It is at this time each week that we talked
baseball with our MLB insider, of course, a good friend,
Geene Watsman from the Chicago White Sox front office. Do
you know, and all of these things I wanted to
hit you up with about playoff chase and division picture
and all that other kind of stuff, and we'll get
to it. But the announcement yesterday by Clayton Kershaw that
this is it for him. You've known him a long time,
(00:23):
you know about him being the great pitcher.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
He was at a Highland.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Park and and you know we've seen him do all
of the things that that he's done throughout his career.
So I got to start with that. It was kind
of an emotional moment for him yesterday. And I love
how he told his teammates in a text, don't make
it weird. He said, let's let's just go and play
(00:48):
and all that, and then he said he was making
it weird later. But how about your thoughts on Clayton
Kershaw and his legacy to Major League Baseball?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Well, I remember the first time I ever saw him
pitch was at the Lake Travis Urnament in Austin. He
faced a left hander named Michael Houston from Temple High School.
And I was just blown away at the ability the curveball,
the pitch ability to make up the work ethic. And
you know that carried transpired over eighteen years in the
major league level. And you know, we talk about Sandy
(01:18):
Kofax a lot when you talk about the Dodgers and
Playton Kershaw is certainly going to go down as one
of the all time great Dodgers and great pitchers in
baseball history.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
And here's the interesting thing, and I know you know
this very very well. Here's a guy who, after coming
off the injured list this year, has been really good.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
He's ten and two.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Now he's going to make his final start at least
of the regular season ever at Dodgers Stadium tonight against
the Giants. And maybe that seems fitting and all that
other kind of stuff. But Gino, as the Dodgers get
closer to the playoffs, I think their magic number for
getting into the postseason is won, the magic number winning
(01:58):
the West to six. But as they get in there,
this is something that Dave Roberts and Mark Prior really
have to consider.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Isn't it about who they would like?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
They've been running with a six man rotation, which we
know isn't sustainable in the postseason. So with guys like uh,
you know, Yamamoto, Uh, you know, and you've got Ima
Chian obviously, Glass now is on a roll of late.
Blake Snell was incredible the other night. Do you see
Kershaw fitting in the rotation for the postseason for the Dodgers?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
If they are indeed there.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
I think, uh, Yatamoto, Glass down and uh and uh
Snell Snell, those three are gonna be the guys. And
then it's just gonna be pockets of how you want
to use them within the game. And you know, everybody
knows that starting pitching is what wins in October. Everybody
knows that power pitching is what wins in October, and
(02:51):
so I think they'll work very diligently to try to find,
you know, pockets where you know, if the starter goes out,
has a rough outing and your two or three runs
up are down.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
You know, you try to fit guys in certain scenarios.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
But this is where the creativity of the Dodgers and
the strength of their pitching is.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Really going to play out.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
When you get in these playoffs series and you've got
so many weapons like they do.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Oh and by the way, I didn't even mention Choe Otani,
who had five no hit innings the other night against
the Phillies. Is but he has been a starter largely.
Now you were with the Angels, when he was also
with the Angels. Can you see Otani being used in.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
A bullpen roll for the Dodgers? One hundred percent?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And I could see him being used multiple times in
the higher leverage situations where you know the game is
on the line and you need three big outs and
he's the guy that comes and gets it.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
It could be a six out safe situation.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
But you know, for all that goes into one hundred
and sixty two game season and the ebbs and flows
and ups and downs of the season, once you get
in October and you take that deep breath and you
look at the talent that you have on the field
and how you can manage it, that's when all the
strengths really come into play. And for all the you know,
ups and downs of this season for the Dodgers, you
(04:04):
look at them and they're still the favorite to be
there in the end of October.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
All right, Yesterday we were talking to Baseball and Jake said,
we got to give Geno his flowers, right because when
they were right Jake, she said, because of Gino talking
about Jonah Tong of the Mets.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
And Shane Boz of the Race.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, yeah, those are two of the better talented arms.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Those are those guys are the future for sure.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, and and the Mets are trying to kind of,
uh make sure they have their final kick to get
into the wild I know they they they took two
of three from the Pod race, and and and uh.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
We'll do.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What we'll do is when we get to the actual
postseason matchups, I'll get your thoughts on But right now,
with eight games, nine games to go, depending on which
team you are, uh in baseball, uh a potential potential
playoff matchups. And if I were to a to you
(05:01):
right now that if you had a choice of the
Yankees versus the Astros or the Cubs versus the Padres
as wild card series, which is the more attractive to
you Yankees Astros or Padres Cubs.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
I think I'd rather see Yankees Astros in a longer series.
I think that that the depth of those those two
teams will play out a little more in a longer series,
I think the Padres and Cubs, which that would just
be a dogfight, and that then the two venues Wrigley
Field and Petco Park would just be incredible. So for me,
(05:44):
I'll take Cubs and Padres in the wild cart.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah, and the Padres would have to win at Wrigley
obviously to make that work, since the Cubs now look
like they're they're all but clinching the number four seed
right now. And then in the American League, you've been
saying it for weeks, keep and Ale on the Mariners.
You said the Mariners were good enough to win the
West and the Asters and Rangers would fight it out
(06:08):
for that other wild how it looks like, you know,
the Rangers getting swept by the Astros looks like it
might have been the final death knell for Texas there
and Houston and Seattle are tied for first, but the
Mariners owned the tie break on the Asteroids. And what
a huge weekend series in Houston. This is this weekend
between the Mariners and Astrods, do you know?
Speaker 4 (06:26):
It really is?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And the Mariners starting pitching has really come through when
they needed the most. And just the incredible story of
Cal Rawley and the season that he's had behind the
plate and at the plate with the home run record.
But I cannot say enough about the Houston Astros.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
It's just incredible.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
You're you're facing a team that's won sixteen out of
twenty one.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
They're on an.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Absolute role and they come into Houston and you sweep them,
and it's just incredible what they've been able to do.
And you know, Texas is starting pitching, which has been
its strength during this big sixteen to twenty one run.
You know, they all give up six plus runs in
their starts, and so it's just an incredible testimony to
the Astros.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
And their resilience.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
And but I do still believe that the Marritors with
that starting pitching, are going to be the toast of
the division.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
I asked you a couple of weeks ago, we were
kind of doing an MVP watch, and at the time
I asked you about MVPs as you saw.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Them in the American League and National League.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
And at that time you said, probably still Aaron Judge
in the American League and Choe a Otani in the
National League.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Let me go to the American League.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Has the big dumper passed Aaron Judge, Will cal Raleigh
be the American League MVP?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
I did an ESPN interview this morning and I in
the same thing, I said, you know what, I think
you have to consider a crack cal Rawley. Where it was,
you know, a few weeks ago it was Aaron Judge
hands down and no questions asked. But what he's meant
to do team and the momentum he's given them offensively,
I think you have to at least give him strong consideration.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Do I think he'll win it?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I do not, But I think you're giving him more
consideration today than you were three weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I bet you've seen this commercial. I've seen it, Lynda
and I watched the other night. We were watching the
Mariners and Angels, I think, and it came on. Cal
Rally is doing commercials for a plumbing company and it's
like the Big Dumper is talking about commercial We couldn't
stop laughing out of that. How genius is that marketing campaign?
(08:33):
To have a guy whose nickname is the Big Dumper
doing commercials for a plumbing company.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
It's hilarious and he's made the most of it. He's
embraced it. Oftentimes, when you that it pays off in
the piccheck, so he's doing a good job of that.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
All right, let me ask you about that third wildcard
in the America. Le Guardians have won seven in a row,
nine out of ten. They just got through, you know,
sweeping the Tigers in Detroit. I don't think they're going
to catch Detroit, but they're only a game and a
half back of Boston for that third wild card slot,
and I think that's now where the dividing line falls off.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I think, you know, the Rangers four back. I doubt
they can get there.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
But can the Guardians catch and pass Boston for that
last spot.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I don't think they can. It's had been incredible. They
just kind of never go away.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
They just find a way to win every year and
it's truly a testimony to the way they do things.
But you know, you've got three in Detroit and then
what I can tell three three at home against Detroit,
and what I can tell you about Aja inches. No
matter what has happened both finals, seven to ten games,
he's gonna have his team prepared and ready to go,
and they haven't played great baseball. So you've got the
(09:43):
three versus the Tigers, and then you've got three versus
the Rangers who could still be playing serious baseball, and
so I still think it's gonna be kind of difficult
for them to get in and Boston and asknese ways
as they can beat you. You know, the interesting thing
about the Red Sox and the Mets is they're both
make these late runs with very very young starting pitching,
(10:03):
and that's incredibly difficult to do. But they're very talented arms,
and so you never know what you're gonna get every
night when they go out. It could be, you know,
a two to three hit shutout, and it could be
four or five runs in the first or second inning.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
So that's going to be.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
The wild card, is how Boston's young starting pitching plays
out the last seven to ten days, all.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Right, and then for that final Nation League wild card spot.
The Mets have the two game lead with nine to go,
two on the Reds, who won back to back including
a how about the one hitter from Green last night?
Hunter Green against the Cubs, and then the Diamondbacks are
still kind of hanging around. They're two back, they've got
(10:40):
a huge series with the Padres coming up, and the
Giants are three off. They've been falling off now of
late the Giants. Do you see the Mets holding on
to that third wild card spot or do the Reds
or d Backs have a shot to catch them.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
I don't think it's a lot.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
They've got the Marlins who played very good baseball the
last weekend of the season, and it's not necessary a lock.
And we can see a situation we're going into the
last weekend in this wildcard race, you could potentially have
a playoff in an extra one hundred and sixty third game.
So they have not played great the last two weeks,
so you hope that they can turn it around. But
(11:15):
certainly with the young pitching, it's a wild card and
it's not necessarily a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Where does the weekend find you this weekend?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I'm in Chicago, we are playing the Padres and I'll
be headed back to Houston on Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I know this goes against your family, blood and with
your son with a Padres organization, but for those of
us who root for the boys in Blue, we'd appreciate
a successful weekend by the White Sox.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Let me just say, well, I can tell.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
You this, We've got a bunch of very young, talented
players that play dumb and they're going to give them
everything they got for three games.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
There you go, Hey, Gino, I appreciate it. Thanks.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Next week we'll be looking at the final weekend of
the regular season. I appreciate you taking the time. Have
a great weekend, all right, Craig, thanks so much. Have
a great weekend you too. That's Teen Watson from the
Chicago White Sox front office. You have the White Sox
played the Padres this weekend in Chicago. Wish you could
be there to see a game.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
Speaking of the boys in Blue, Craig, can you remember
the last team to make the playoffs after suffering a
ten game losing streak in the same season.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
I gave you a good hint, eh.
Speaker 6 (12:15):
The Guardians this year lost ten games in a row
at one point they're pushing to try to make the playoffs.
When was the last time that happened?
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Tell me twenty seventeen the Dodgers.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Okay, ugh, and you would have to bring up twenty seventeen.
That's the Astros and that whole deal.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
I still happened three times.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I moved on, I forgave, didn't completely forget, but I forgave,
you know.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And it's funny I say that, I.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
You know who I probably hurt for the most out
of that whole deal, with the signs stealing and the
trash can deal and all that. Like I said, I've
I moved on, especially with the Dodgers winning in twenty
twenty and then again last year. That's that's faded into
the into the distance for me. But the guy that
I felt the worst for was Clayton Kershaw because he
(13:06):
was pitching really well, and they'd had all those ghosts
to the past of not performing well in the playoffs,
and he was performing well. But in that Game five
in Houston, which is the ground zero trash can banging game,
you could just see that look of despair on his face.
He could not understand why the Asteroids were not offering
(13:28):
it that slider. And if you go back and you listen,
you can hear it off in the distance. You can
hear it. It definitely happened. He's the guy I felt
for all that. Now he's gone on. He pitched great
in the twenty twenty World Series. Overcame that Dodgers won
that I know it was the pandemic here, but in
the once you're in the World Series, you're in the
World Series.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
I won't bring up twenty nineteen. Ope, just did.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, that's all right, that's all right.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I understand he pitched well against the Nationals in eighteen, right,
it was in the Division Series, but it was or sixteen,
I guess I'm thinking sixteen.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
Yeah, that was the series that ended after one thirty
am local time.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, yeah, but the but yeah, he had he had
pitched well then, and then of course he didn't get
a chance to pitch in the World Series last year.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
He was out injured off of that.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
But it's not going to tarnish what his legacy is
on Major League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
He's one of only four left handers to record three
thousand strikeouts in the career. He has a no hitter,
he has two World Series, he has three Cy Youngs.
He has an MVP. He was the first non position
player when he won the MVP Award to win it
in like forty eight years or something.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
It was some crazy number like that.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
He is a triple Crown.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
So you know, with the wins and the strikeouts, e
r as, he's so his mark is secure in Baseball.
He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I
don't think there's any doubt about that. And he said
the time was right for him, and I think it is.
It'll be interesting to see what he does next. I
think the television industry might be interested in him, so
(15:05):
we'll see. But he's got he and his wife Ellen.
I think they're expecting their fifth child. They have a
lot going on in their charity work, both in California
and in Texas, and also in Africa in their missionary work.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
So there's a lot going on there all right.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Our thanks to Gene Watson joining us every week on
the program. Up next, we're going to hear from Longhorn's
head coach, Steve Sarkisian from last night's edition of Longhorn Weekly.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
It's a little snippet from it.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Of course, the re airing of the program comes your
way tonight at seven o'clock, and so you can tune
in for that right here on sports Radio AM thirteen
hundred the Zone and on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
From the ABA Heating and Cooling Weather Center, this is
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