July 15, 2022 • 41 mins
Eric Stephen from TrueBlueLA and SB Nation joins us to talk about the upcoming All-Star game at Dodger Stadium and potential trades the Dodgers may make as the deadline approaches
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Let's get This is ghetto broadcasting livefrom the studios of AM five seven day.
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I am a god. Now whatwhy don't you get out of that jumpsuit
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It's Kevin Figgers and Adam Alston withyou Friday Friday Edition. You want
to get in touch with the show, many ways you can do that.
You can call leave us a voicemail. Nine four nine four seven eight eleven
ninety seven is the number no voicemailson the show today. All right,
for sure, we'll get some tricklingit over the weekend. Come on,
it's the talk as Hotline. Wehave the Open Championship coming up, so
I'm sure our golf expert Tory wouldchime in on that, although usually he
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would chime in with a preview thisteram, it's already started. I don't
know what his odds for Tiger Woodswould have been going in, but uh,
yeah, I think didn't go well. No, do you have his
worst round? I wouldn't call sixopen, wouldn't call six over going Well,
No, I mean I just couldn'tget the ball in the hall.
I wanted to, but I justcouldn't do it. Yeah, it's tough
stuff out there, but it's justgood to see him out there. That's
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all that matters, right, Andhe's won two opens. I think that's
all most of us are watching for, to be honest with you, so
tomorry help us out. Thankfully theyhave these lib guys involved, because I'll
be honest with you, if alot of these lib guys were not able
to play in the majors, Imean I'd watch because I guess I kind
of have to or at least keepan eye on it, but certainly not
as close of an eye if it'sa bunch of dudes I've never heard of.
Yeah, I thought Tiger brought upa pretty good point, saying the
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incentive to go out there and winwhen they've already paid you. I mean,
yeah, there's no earning it outof the dirt. There's no cut
to make, there's no there areno cuts. You just go to compete.
It's a showcase more than anything else. And having those guys played pretty
bad so far. I know,Michelson was really bad. I don't know
if there's going to play for theydon't have to earn the money. Yeah,
I don't know if there's any correlationto any of that. But one
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of the guys made it pretty deepinto the tournament a couple of weeks ago,
I forget, forget exactly who.I was also out of the country,
so I was in and out ofit, just keeping half an eye
on again. Torrey Pines, WanPatrick, please update us. You're our
golf analysts. Clearly we don't haveDave Dusk or anybody like that. So
that's going up this weekend. Buthere on the show, as I mentioned,
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nine four nine four seven eight elevenninety seven to call and leave a
voicemail and you can hit us upon social media as well. I amak
fig one on Twitter, Adams thatfollow Adam May on Twitter. We are
at at f NA show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook got an exciting show
lined up. It's All Star weekAll Star weekend in LA, although it's
not really a weekend. It's onTuesday. It's weird. Yeah, it
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doesn't make a lot of sense.Why, I don't think isn't it the
only All Star game that is playedlike during the week I think so an
HL takes place on like Saturday Sunday, NBA Saturday Sunday, Friday night with
the celebrity tournament. I don't justTimberlake takes Kenny Smith off the dribil.
Yeah, and it's like you're talkingabout, like I'd rather why not just
have everybody play their last game likeyesterday or whatever, do all your stuff
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through the weekend, have like Mondayoff completely, and then restart on Tuesday.
Baseball can never forget it right out? And whose fault is it?
Evening? Whoever is the commissioner?I mean, yeah, I was gonna
say Grant. I can't blame manfor it. But all before that,
they're all screwing it out. I'msure they there's a rhyme or reason for
it. I don't know what rhymeor reason, but I just want to
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call it a primetime TV slot ona Tuesday in July. I mean sure,
but I mean when you get betternumbers if it was on like say
a Sunday afternoon or a Sunday night, maybe it's because I don't know.
Nothing else is going on. TheNBA and the end HL have both finished
right now. There's no other sportscompetition to go up here. They don't
want to go up against the Open. That's where it is. I like
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the way you think, because you'reprobably right, all right. So we
got old people in this corner maywant to watch baseball, and old people
in this corner and may want towatch golf. Let's not separate the two
audiences. We just got old people. We just split it up everywhere.
Well, you know what, Iguess we're old too, because we love
the All Star Game and we're gonnabring on one of our favorite guests who
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loves it to Adam. Let's getto it. Alan Drinking Dude and now
joining the f Anda podcast. Hereis a man with integrity and conviction and
belief, at least in his tweets. He covers the majors for True Blue
LA and sp Nation and it's thesole proprietor of puns on Runs, which
you can see on his Twitter accountat Eric Stephen not Eric Stevens with an
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S for slapshot, because that guywrites about the Anaheim Ducks. No,
there can be only one Eric Stephen, and we have him here on the
show today, Eric. How areyou pretty good? Guys? Always glad
to be on. Good to haveyou now, just because I'm not over
it yet and I still think itwas weird and somewhat unprofessional. What do
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you think Freddie Freeman regrets more notbeing a brave or the way things played
out in Atlanta a couple of weeksago where Kershaw had the question whether or
not the Dodgers were second fiddle.Yeah, I just that whole thing was
weird or maybe like having to likego through the whole like La Times columnists
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rigamarole afterword two that probably hasn't helped, but yeah, like this is one
of the this is the least theless fun version of the Jack Peterson Tommy
Sam's story that just kind of keptgoing and going and going, except this
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one is like more like annoying thananything. Like, for instance, yesterday,
Freeman's former agent Excel Sports Casey close. They're they're suing Doug Gottlieb over
a tweet regarding uh, what youknow, the agency reported the Freeman during
contract negotiations all that. So,you know, it's just it's weird from
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a from the Dodger standpoint, right, I get it if you're Freeman or
the Braves, but like, itwas very clear from the start that that's
that split. Was shocking that hewas it was pretty clear that he wanted
to be with the Braves, thatthe Braves wanted to resign him, and
that they didn't get it done waswas truly shocking. But then the Dodgers
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just pounced on a newly available guy, right Like that was it? Like?
But now it just it just seemslike the the link is still obviously
there. It's just it's just it'smore annoying than anything, like just from
a I guess a LA standpoint,but not not from I think the Braves
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aspect, the Freeman aspect. He'salways going to be there talking Freddy Freeman.
Let's talk all Star snubs in particularwhen it comes to the Dodgers.
I know every team has to havea representative. The Dodgers are well represented
with you know, Mookie and TreeTurner and Clayton Kershaw and obviously Tony Gonslin.
But of the Dodgers who are perceivedto have been snub do you think
is who do you think is thebiggest one, Whether it's Will Smith,
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Freddie Freeman, Tyler Anderson? Evenafter last night I had another spectacular outing
who the aureus has gotten a lotof juice? Who do you think is
the most deserving Dodger who is notin the All Star Game? Yeah?
I go back and forth on thisbecause, like I think it's pretty clear
that I like Freeman should have beenthere or like should be there, but
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just the way the sort of systemis set up is sort of gamed against
him a little bit in this regard. But I think it's Will Smith.
Like it's weird, like he's sortof he's highly regarded, right, like
you know, always sort of thoughtof as either the like the first or
second best catcher in the league.But like the players voted Travis Darnel ahead
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of him, the fans voted TravisDarnel ahead of him, So like Travis
Darnaut got the second spot. LikeI will say this, it's closer than
like a lot of people think Darnauldis like actually a better catcher, Like
if you go by like catcher,framing, receiving skills, catcher defense,
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like Darnel does great out much betterthan Smith in that regard. You know,
Smith is better offensively. But likeif you always wonder when the players
voted, because if you go ifit was like the last couple of days
of June, Darnel had a higherslugging percentage, a higher ops, like
you could easily make an argument forhim. But like I wonder if the
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timing of Will Smith's sort of hotstreak hurt him a little bit. But
I think if I had to chooseone, like I think I would argue
for Smith. But like, inreality, it is the All Star Game,
if you if you're if we're goingthere, And Freddy Freeman is clearly
one of the more most popular playersin the sport, Like he started for
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the Nation League at first base thelast three All Star Games. For this
he's a five time All Star,former MVP, all that stuff. He
got hurt in the fact that,uh, just the nature of the voting.
So like because Bryce Harper got herwell first, I don't think my
sort of solution to all this isthat there shouldn't be a DH like that
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people vote for, mostly because nobodyuses their DH like old school like there
there's very few true DH's in theleague, but they a lot of teams
use it to sort of rotate playersin and out. So Bryce Harper was
voted by the fans to star rightfully, so he's awesome at DH, but
he was only at DH because heat elbow surgery or like, yeah,
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he has like a herd elbow andthen now he's out with with thumb surgery.
So there's fifteen listed DH's on theballot, but hardly any of them
actually played DH. Like Nelson Cruzfor the Nationals plays every game at d
H, but everyone else is likeoccasional. Like Max Months, he was
listed as a Dodger's DH. Hestarted their thirteen times like so just because
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of the voting rules. William Contreras, who's the backup catcher in Atlanta,
was listened as DH's hit great,but he's he's batted like half as many
times as will Smith and like fortypercent of the time of Freddie Freeman.
He was he had like the secondbest numbers among dhes because the hs are
terrible uniformly just early that the crew. So so Harper gets the starting spot,
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he's out. They got to goContraras into the starter spot because he
was number two by the players,and then to fill that spot they have
to go with the next in linefrom this group of dhs who aren't really
DH's and then they pick Garrett Cooperwith the Marlins, who's a first baseman
who's not having as good of ayear as Freddy Freeman. So like that's
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one spot. The cj crone spotis another that was a commissioner's pick.
Because the Rockies have to have anall Star. You can't really avoid that.
I sort of get it, butyeah, I think Freeman should absolutely
be there. And it is funnybecause like, since you got the quote
unquote bad news on Sunday of notbeing an all start, I think he's
made three outs in four games,so like not that that means anything,
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but like it is, it's justfunny how the timing of his going supernova
is pretty incredible. Yeah, he'scertainly been in a zone. Eric Stephen
is our guest here on the fAnda podcast. Eric, we had Rob
Parker on earlier in the Week,who definitely had some strong opinions about this,
wanted to pick your brain on it. Should Kershaw get kind of a
legacy start at the twenty twenty twoAll Star Games since it's at Dodger Stadium,
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or should it strictly be based onthe numbers where Tony Gonslin has obviously
been the best picture. Yeah,well I would it's the other way.
I think it's either like the obviouslybest picture has been Sandy all Contra of
the Marlins. Like he well,now he has a better R than Gonslin,
but he also has like forty fivemore innings or something. It's crazy.
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But that said, I sort oflean on this like it's got to
be Kurt's out right, like it'sit's at his home park. This is
a legacy think he's he's not likehe's not a special All Star selection like
Albert Poohol's right. He's actually doingincredibly well. He just missed a month
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because of a lower back thing.His if you go like whatever, I
think minimum sixty innings, he's liketop five or six in like R a
fifth, so I got minus walkratio. He's been incredibly effective. So
he's still excellent, and he's Claytonfreaking Kershaw, right, it's at Dodger
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Stadium that this is like a nobrainer. It's an exhibition if you want.
You know, we talk all aboutall the time about why doesn't baseball
market itself better? Like, uh, yeah, Clayton cursh House starting at
his home park, that's rab likeand also, you know, Sandy al
Contra certainly deserving. Tony Gonslin,you know, in that same boat,
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those guys would also you know,get their due by pitching right after that,
right, Like you look, youlook at it like it's it's not
always like the best first half,right that you should have encountered. Like
Jack Armstrong started the nineteen ninety AllStar Game and nobody knows who Jack Armstrong
is because he didn't really do anythingafter that. Like not to say that
wasn't deserving, but it's like,you know, you don't these aren't like
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always like that. I don't know. I think we just put too much
important on it. I don't thinkit necessarily goes to like has to go
the best picture. But yeah,it's it's certainly like there would be a
career achievement type award. But Ithink it's a no brainer that Kurshaus starts.
How do you feel about the Homerun Derby? A lot of criticism
over the years that there has tobeen enough star power in the derby?
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A lot everybody in the derby isan all star this year, some of
the faces of the sport. AndI'll show Yotani unfortunately when I participate this
year in his home market, whenhe did last year and didn't do extremely
well. Do you think that alot of these players just having a version
to quote unquote embarrassing themselves for lackof a better term, if they don't
do well in the Home run Derby? And that's why we don't get because
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why isn't Jack Carlo Stanton he's backhome. Why isn't he in the Home
run Derby? Aaron Judge one ofthe faces of the sport. We're having
some star power, Eric, butstill doesn't seem like we have the star
power that we need. Mike Troutis another. Yeah. I think the
surprising one was standing because he wasone of the first names, like a
week ago to be like, yeah, I think it's it's you know,
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it's probably gonna happen, you know, you know he was sort of talking
around it. But and he's doneit like three times before or something ever
remaining he's and obviously you obviously wantto watch him hit home runs like what
he was built to do. Butyeah, like the other thing would have
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been, you know, say whatyou want, like, is Jack Peterson
really worthy of like starting in theoutfield for the max in the league?
That's cool. So like having himin the home runner we would have been
pretty rad at Doctor stayed him too. I mean I've used rad like twice
on this podcast. I can't believethat exactly. I guess they're the one
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Dodger fans of bone with Corey Seeger. I guess as a late ad there.
Yeah, exactly, so he sortof filled that former Dodger void,
like I guess Will Smith said hewould have done it had he been an
All Star, although I don't knowif he was ever like formally invited,
but again didn't make the All Starteam whatever, that's fine, But yeah,
I will say peterlans So makes upfor a lot. He's he seems
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like sort of built for the homerun derby in a way, and especially
he's got Dave Jauss. I didn'trealize this. Dave Jaos was the Mets
Dutch coach last year. Now he'slike a special advisor with the Nationals,
but he's still gonna come out andpitch for for Pete Alonzo. And like,
I don't I don't know if youremember this, but last year,
like I've never seen a pitcher likehit their spot more than Dave Jaos did.
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He was just like constantly hitting thewheelhouse for Pete Alonzo as he was.
It was so awesome. But thenyou have, like you have the
star power like Ronaldo Comuy Junior obviouslymissed a lot of time this year.
Superstar, Juan Soto superstar, youknow, Kyle Schwarber not a superstar,
but like also a big beaky boyhis bombs so like he's sort of built
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for that too. Julio Rodriguez alike up and coming rookie star. Like
that's kind of cool. Like there'sa lot of things to like about it.
But yeah, I was surprised aboutno Stanton. I get why Shoe
Aotani is not doing it sort of. I think last year was such a
showcase for him. It seemed likethat whole weekend it was probably exhausting,
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like he's also going to be like, it wouldn't surprise me if he's also
starting the Ulcar Game this year,especially since I guess Burlander is not going
to pitch so and he's gonna behitting, Like I can I can see
a situation where he's like, thatwas a that was a hefty two days
last year going through that, notto mention like his whole season, but
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maybe maybe he just wanted the dayoff, So I kind of get it.
The Bodacious Eric Stephen is with ushere on the f and A podcast
from True Blue LA and sp Nation. Eric, what was worse just alternating
home field every year for the WorldSeries or the winner of the All Star
Game determining it? Yeah? Uh, I get yeah, it's always weird.
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Like I hated the fact that thethe whole this time it counts thing
like with the All Star Game wherethey determined home fields, So I think
that was worse. But then thenagain, like you mentioned, like it
really was just every other year.Like if you look back at eighty eight
for the Dodgers, rights obviously seminalyear for them. They were they were
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an excellent team, but they alsobeat two hundred win teams to win it
all. But part of that wasbecause that was the nlst year to have
home field in the NLCS, sothey got Team seven at home against the
Mets, and then they at homefield against the A's because it was the
National League year for the World Series, so they won the first two games
at home. So yeah, it'sit's weird how that we just sort of
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accepted that as like, oh,yeah, that's just the thing we do,
no, no big deal. Andback then too, you know,
the draft used to be now it'sa straight worst record that used to alternate
league. So the from a Dodger'sperspective, the year like the one truly
terrible year they've had in like acentury. I think it was the first
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time they had finished last place inlike the hundred years or whatever ninety years.
In nineteen ninety two, they lostninety nine games, worst record in
baseball. But it was the AmericanLeague's year to have number one pick next
year, so the Mariners got it, and obviously the Alex Rodriguez went number
one and the Dodgers Darren Drive atnumber two. So not not quite Alex
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Rodriguez. But what can you do, Erica? So what changes would you
make if you're a rob man forit, and you can make some tweaks
to the All Star Game and thefestivities around it. Oh okay, so
I would I would eliminate DH votingboth fans and players for starting spots or
just for roster spots, and thenstill have the position obviously, but you
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just you just leave those uh asextra spots and used to put anyone there
like more deserving guys. Like ifyou look at it, like the way
the rosters are set up, itused to be that managers, the All
Star managers had to say in therosters, that's that's gone away the last
like five or six years. It'sleague office now that sort of fills in
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the last spots. But there's reallyafter the fan and the player voting,
there's really there's only six more spotsto fill for the league office. So
but this year, I don't knowif this was like a weird year or
what, but only ten teams arerepresented in those first twenty six spots.
So each league had had five teamsthat needed one player, so the league
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like that was their whole thing.They had to pick players from those teams.
So the only like variable spot forthe national League was Kershaw and the
one that the league actually made achoice on, right. The other ones
are like, well, we haveto get someone in from these teams.
So I think if you eliminate theDH, it leaves a little more wiggle
room there. So if you do, you have to bring in you know,
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certain players need to need to play, certain teams need a player.
It becomes a little easier, andthen he can put in, Like you
can argue that Freddie Freeman is likehitting well enough to be starting at like
DAGs for the National League, rightbecause he's the he's probably like he's the
second best like first baseman behind PaulGoldschmidt, and he's probably that he might
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be like in that like second besthitter overall or whatever, but he's not
going to be at the game becauseof the way the sort of roster still
shakes out. But other than that, like, I don't know, I
think that would free up a lot. Yeah, I can't really think of
anything else. They they've got itof the tying it to the World Series,
So that's good. What about theone that you just brought up,
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the fact that every team needs tobe represented in the All Star Game?
Do you like that rule or shoulddo you like the fact that certain players
you know, who might be havingmaybe on a stacked baseball team, like
Freddie Freeman has earned his way ontothe roster and he should get there as
opposed to someone who's having not asgood of a year, but it's forced
onto the team because they have tohave representation. I do kind of like
that rule. I mean it,you know, because the ulctar game is,
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you know, you do want peopleto watch. They're gonna watch for
stars obviously, but I would imaginethere's at least some like Rockies fans who
are going to watch for CJ.Crone. Now I guess the flip side
of that is, are the piratesreally going to tune in to see like
David Bednar pitch an inning later?Like I don't know, leis Yeah,
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So it comes down to, like, you know, a lot of these
are like these weird like middle relieverchoices like Joe Mant applies the lone d
back for instance. Now I'm lookingforward to that obviously, so I can
make puns. But not everyone hasa warped brain and it's going to be
watching the game like that. Soyeah, I can see both sides of
that, but I kind of likethe every team gets a gets a player
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rule, even if it's it's probablyflawed in a lot of ways. That's
All Star one for me there,Eric, And that's the Dodger Stadium first
time since nineteen eighty they have hadthe All Star Game. Now. I
know they were supposed to have ita couple of years ago and then COVID
hit, But why is it anAngel Stadium had it twice in a thirty
year span and Dodgers before Dodgers Stadiumcould get it back once. I'm sure
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there's a reason for it, andI've tried to find it and I cannot.
Why has Dodger Stadium not hosted anAll Star Game since nineteen eighty but
at stadium like Angel Stadium get hostedtwice in that in that same time period.
Yeah, it didn't didn't make alot of sense. Like he was
pretty like sad that it took solong for for like Dodger Stadium to get
back to the to the All StarGame. I think a lot of times
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what happens is, you know,when uh, for lack of MLB like
for lack of a better term,helps teams like hold their city's hostage to
to like give him a new stadiumor make improvements or whatever. A lot
of the benefit that comes with that, like uh, sometimes a new stadium
goes to the front of the line, or I believe if if I have
(24:00):
this right, Uh, you know, the Angels hosted in eighty nine and
then they had I don't remember whentheir renovations were they they don't I don't
think they were that close to twentyten, So I don't know why they
got, you know, to thefront of the line. Again, I
feel like were around the time theRams left in the mid nineties. I
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think, yeah, yeah, sothat I guess I'm just trying to think.
So it's a It's also one ofthose they try at least to alternate
American and National League, although it'sbeen a little wonky the last few years
so they've gotten away from that.But maybe that was part of it.
Maybe they were they ran out ofAmerican League teams to cycle through. But
like you saw that with like Clevelandthey got a new stadium, they they
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got in. But yeah, Iat the Braves when they got a new
stadium, they they hosted, solike or they were going to hosts and
then and then uh, you know, uh, other stuff took over.
But yeah, I it doesn't makea lot of sense to me. I
don't know why it took that long. I wish I did, Erica.
What's your favorite All Star Game memory? Me? Being from NorCal, it
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was Bonds hitting a home run inninety eight and hitting a banner. Of
all the banners that were up therefor each and every team being represented,
he hits the one that's the SanFrancisco Giants banner. It was just this
weird thing that happened. What isit for you? So I was trying
to think of a game itself.I really enjoyed Mike Piazza winning MVP in
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ninety six and in Philadelphia, hishometown at the time. But my favorite
Ulstar Game memory, I think hasto do with something that was like or
it was on the field, butit was how I was watching the game.
So I was only ten. Iwas with my older brother at his
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wife's parents' house. There was likewe had a party, and so he's
twenty five at this point. Mostof the people there were around that age
and I team winning RBI was abig thing back then. It was on
the back of baseball cards for likefive or six years, and that gave
me American League one, three ortwo. And I remember betting one of
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my brother's friends. I want tosay, like ten bucks. Looking back,
that was probably a lot too much, Like maybe it was five bucks
or something today. That's right,that's exactly more. But it was more
a prideful thing than anything. ButI knew what the game winning RBI rule
was. He argued, the AmericanLeague scored all three runs first and then
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then Nationally rallied, including like aSteve Sachs RBI single, and they lost
three to two. So he arguedthe third run should be the game winning
RBI because it was the one thatprovided to win. But I knew that
it was the anything that gives theteam the lead that they don't relinquish.
So I have successfully argued about thegame winning RBI rule and one money off
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of an older person. So that'smy favorite circuit memory. Yeah too,
that stand out for me Adam's boyBarry Bonds being robbed of a home run
by Tory Hunter and the Tory picking, you know, picking Tory Hunter up
in the in the field, havingfun and it's funny. So The second
one actually transitions me into my nextquestion about the current Dodgers. But the
second one I remember, and Idon't know if it was in the midst
of Eric Gagner's Cy Young season orthe year after, and he was still
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riding the wave of it hadn't blowna save, and god knows how long
he comes in to get the savein the All Star Game, Garrett Anderson
is what the Angels at the time, hits a big I don't know if
it was a double or a homerun, but he hits a giant hit,
clears the base. Is Eric Gangierblows the save in the All Star
Game, but because it's an exhibitionhas no bearing on the regular season whatsoever.
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This time it doesn't care. Thatdidn't count at all. But that
was the only say that Eric Ganyerblew that year, I believe, or
one of the few that season.I think that was the year he won
the Cy Young Award, which iscrazy. Now, if we fast forward
to the current Dodgers, there Ericissues maybe nine issues. When it comes
to the closer position. We've kindof seen Evan Fubbs gets to be put
in in some very high leveage situationsover the last week or so, Craig
Kimbrill has struggled a bit, hasbeen very up and down. How do
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you see this thing playing out asthe season goes if if Kimberrill remains,
you know, kind of up anddown and inconsistent, do you think there's
a realistic possibility that Evan Phillips slidesinto that role, especially not knowing when
or if. I think there's alot of confidence that Blake trying to will
return, but no one really knowsif or when he does. Do you
think it's possible Evan Phillips slides intothat role if Kimbroll continues to struggle,
(28:33):
can you slide into the pictures man? But yeah, before I answered the
current Dodger's closer thing? Going back, so, Garrett Anderson did hit a
double against Ganya. So Ganya wasfifty five for fifty five that year.
It's saved wow, except for therewas the one blown save in the aulcar
game like you mentioned crazy, feellike you just lost five bucks to Eric.
I know exactly you had it right, except the key blow. So
(28:57):
Vernon Wells open one run with adouble and then Hank Blaylock hit a home
run which actually blew the save,but like, yeah, a stunning,
a stunning occurrence for that for thatpeak, heret Gannier, But for this
year's bullpen, I think it's likethey're gonna keep riding Kimbrell. It's basically
(29:21):
that everything we've we've seen with KenleyJansen in the last four years, they're
gonna hease their closer till he's notyou know, they're gonna keep giving him
chances and chances. But then likeif in like August and September or you
know, in October, like ifhe's not faltering, they're not going to
give him the ball. Like,but I think they're going to give him
every chance to get out of it. Now in the games, they don't
(29:45):
go to Kimbroll. I think there'slike a handful of guys they're generally okay
with. Now one of those isbruised. Our graderol who right, who
just yesterday went on the injured listwith shoulder inflammation, So that's troubling.
They did backdate it, which sortof suggests that they don't think it might
be that long of a thing,so he could be back relatively soon.
But yeah, like Phillips is oneof those guys they're decently okay with like
(30:08):
Gainsty Almonte, and then you know, I guess it depending if if it's
a bunch of lefties up there,they're probably fine with Alex Desia too,
like, but I think they're moreinclined to like sort of just whoever's available
and ready, and but like ofa group of guys like Evan Phillips certainly
(30:29):
is rocketed to the top of thatlist. But yeah, I don't think
it's gonna be like a set closerper se if it's not Kimberll. But
yeah, it's just weird. Uh, it's been. This has been an
odd an odd here. I willsay that for closing, even even after
like the last three years of KimleyJempsen, like this has been a little
(30:49):
bit weirder from my perspective. Andwe'll see what happens when Blake Trina comes
back. Dodgers and Angels though tonightFreeway series in Anaheim. I just want
to ask you this, since we'retalking about star power and how much marketing
means to the league right now,do you think Shoho Tani is long for
(31:10):
staying with the Angels. Eric,Yeah, that's a good question. So
this is one of those things wherenow he's he's not a free agent till
after twenty twenty four or twenty twentythree, so he's got a year and
a half now. That always bringsup, well, will the Angels trade
him? And I think then yougot to look at like, you know,
will Hardie Moreno agreed to trade him? And I don't think that would
(31:33):
be the case. So that said, like, like he came over with
remarkable leverage, like if he wasa real free agent and not like subject
to the the sort of capped baseballinn like amateur rules, he could have
like easily signed like over one hundredmillion dollars contract, and then he ended
(31:55):
up having to sign like, youknow, a relatively small deal with the
Angels. So like he was choosingwhere he wanted to go. And so
is it the is it a matterof does he still like it there?
And like they're obviously not winning.Yeah, it's a tough question, Like
they haven't been able to develop pitchingout outside of him. I guess,
(32:16):
uh in forever, So if Ihad to guess, I think he's gonna
leave as a free agent. Butyou know, who knows, Like it's
hard to sort of speculate there,but yeah, I just it's just not
working there, and and it's nothis fault at all. It's not my
(32:37):
cops fault at all. They justthey don't have enough like players around them.
And I think that's it's the frustrationthat's got to be just only growing.
You know, if they're not goingto win this year, like who
knows what's gonna happen next year,But like if they go through another year
of just like the middle of thepack not competing and he's you know,
(32:59):
putting up historic members, I thinkhe's just gonna walk. Trade deadline is
coming up in a couple of weeksthere, Eric, what do you see
the Dodgers needing most? What doyou think they'll do? I know Louis
Castile's name has been folded out there, but sounds like the Reds will be
asking for a pretty big prospect haul. What do you think the Dodgers cannon
should do as the deadline approaches?Yeah, so they I've been saying this
(33:22):
for a couple of weeks. Theyneed everything. I think still it's weird
to say because they're like, asof right now, they're the Padres have
fallen off. So the Dodgers hadlike a nine and a half GAMI league,
They had the best record in theNL. They're playing really well.
That said, like you know,they're got Blake Tryin and you got Bruise
the graderle on the IL, TommyKamley's on the ile is going to be
(33:44):
a while, Daniel Hudson's out forthe year. They definitely need bullpen help.
I would argue they still need toacquire like a semi regular type bat,
especially like you know, Edwin Riosnot going to be back till August.
Chris Taylor are not going to bethat probably until August. Obviously,
(34:07):
those Chris Taylor especially would qualify there. I think Edwin Rios probably does too,
But I don't think you can likecount on that necessarily. So I
think they should put themselves in aposition they've been in previous years where you
have like a starter Let's say youjust have a you add an extra starter
level bat, whether it's outfield orthird base or whatever, and then it
(34:31):
doesn't force you to have to notforce you to. This is a choice
they're making. But you don't haveto play max monthly every day. You
don't have to play Cootie Bellinger everyday, even though his defense is incredible
and he's just not hitting. Butlike, you can judiciously sort of set
those guys because you have better options. Like it's it's one thing to not
(34:52):
to keep playing Monthly and Ellinger.Now it's just like they don't have better
options necessarily, So I think Ithink you need to give Dave Roberts like
better options, like and then theupside of that is if you do acquire
that extra bat Like yeah, it'slike it's the funny part about this is
going into the season, like theyshould have just kept AJ Pollock. But
(35:14):
then again, like AJ Pollock hasn'treally hit right, so it's a you
know, you sort of you can'talmost can't win with this either way.
But like I think you get astarter level type person who's can at least
play part of the time. Andthen when Chris Taylor comes back, when
Edwin Rios comes back, all ofa sudden, your bench is a lot
(35:36):
better than like it was last yearwhen they had like Billy McKinney and Steven
Seuza Junior hitting in the playoffs,Andy Burns after Justin Turner had hit he
batted in the playoffs, like whatwhat are we doing here? So I
think they need to improve that andso and then you know, starting pitching.
If you look at the Reds,like Luis Castidio is the biggest name
out there obviously, but they alsohave Brandon Drury who kind of fits that
(36:01):
extra guy bat So like you coulddo like a package deal there. I'm
not really sure about what relievers areavailable from them. I don't expect them
to get three for one, likeall three in the same deal, but
like that something like that would wouldtotally work. So yeah, I think
I think they just kind of needit all. And pitching, it's like,
(36:22):
you know, you can't really counton Bueller at this point from a
roster sampoint obviously, like the longterm you can, but like this year
you just don't know. And Kershaw, like you know his injury history,
like you have to sort of manageit. Gonsalin's coming up on a career
high endings. Tyler Anderson's been fine, hol your yours is coming off a
(36:43):
career high endings. He's been reallygood. But like you want to,
I think they're gonna need like extrastarters they have Mitch White in the rotation
right now, which is fine,but it would be nice to have like
a little bit more of depth beyondthat. So even if it's just someone
to fill innings like, I thinkthat would be fine too. So yeah,
I think they need just about allthree. Eric Glass, one for
(37:06):
you because your baseball knowledge is unmatchedand you gotta mind like a steel trap.
Let's play stuff. The Steven herewho won the first home run derby
back in nineteen eighty five. Ohman, Okay, So my those early
home run derbys are weird to mebecause I thought they had like it was
(37:29):
like league versus league or something.So it wasn't. But I'm trying to
I'll give you four names. I'llgive you four names. Yeah, Jim
Rice, Eddie Murray, Dave Parkeror Dale Murphy. Oh man. Okay,
So I'm obviously my favorite player ofall time is Eddie Murray. So
(37:51):
I want to see him, butI'm not going to see him because I'm
just I don't remember him winning.So I'm gonna I'm gonna go with the
Cobra. I'm gonna go to DaveParker. That is correct, got it?
Oh? Well done? Eric,can't stop him? Man, it's
Stio. Good Eric, thanks fordoing this to day here at the Fiday
(38:13):
Podcast. We love you, weappreciate you man, always a pleasure of
feb Guarde Weekend guys. Stump theStephen. It's tough and is I I
wouldn't even have ventured a guess whowas even in it? Yeah, to
be honest, So that's like youlike, I don't think it was draft.
I also didn't realize that it wasas recent as nineteen eighty five is
(38:34):
when it started. I thought thatthe home run Derby would have been around
at least since the seventies, soI was surprised at it began in the
eighties. Yeah, what was thatthing they used to do with like Willie
Mays and some of those older guysthat was in black and white. I
thought they did a little home runderby with them, did they? I'm
not It's not something that I followedvery closely, like the history of the
Home Run Derby, But definitely surprisedat eighty five would have been the first
(38:58):
year unless it was called something elseor stage differently, and they didn't want
to grandfather it in and just changethe format. Maybe that's what it was
and it was something completely different.That's certainly interesting. Still not the concept
that many have had of having pictureshit in the home run derby. To
make it more a quote unquote fun, it was kind of like having Shack
and Michael Olowa, Candy and RafLafrinz. I guess the friends can shoot
(39:21):
a little bit, but big classiccenters just stand out there and have to
shoot the other three point shots wesaw? Was it Karl Anthony town one
Cat. Yes, it's a newerror, and he did say he's a
better shooter than Dirk Davinski if youjust go off the numbers. But Dirk
didn't take as many three pointers backthen either. Today Dirk's taking ten a
(39:44):
game. Yeah, I think thathas to be and then Dark can create
his own shot off the dribble inthe mid range. If you're talking shoot
her and not just three points killshooting as a whole. Yeah, I'm
still taking dirt Cat with all duerespect one legged fall away from Dirk exactly.
It's all tough to beat, alldue respect the cat. And whoever
(40:04):
said that t Will wasn't win anything. There you go, you want a
three point shoot out, So congratulationsthey won the Rudy Gobert stream sticks their
team. Did they win? Right? I guess time we'll tell nine four
nine four seven eight eleven ninety sevenis the number to leave us a voicemail.
We'll get your voicemails next week.Yah, leave us some over the
weekend. Let us know what's onyour mind. Hey. Training camp starts
(40:25):
on Monday for all youth football fanatics, which we know what many of you
are. I didn't know that.Yeah, well, I mean rookies report
to a couple of places on Mondayand they will start slowly trickling in over
the next ten days. Has thatalso made hold out start on Monday?
Hold Outs really aren't as much ofa thing anymore as they used to be.
Yeah, with the new CBA,but there's an Orlando Brown situation with
(40:45):
with the Chiefs that's a big issue, so we'll see. There's always a
one, one or two lingering around, so we have that if you want
to get to us. Matt Fellowout of A he's a k pig one
at F and A's show on Twitter, Facebook and the Gram. Yep,
So do that to hit us up. You guys, have a great and
safe weekend, Stay cool out,there because it's going to be a hot
one for sure in the Los Angelesarea or wherever you are. Thank you,
(41:07):
guys for listening to the ANA podcast. We appreciate you guys supports,
and we will talk to you nextweek. Tufty
Let's get This is ghetto broadcasting livefrom the studios of AM five seven day.
It's on a website. This isFNA man yeats out dot com.
I am a god. Now whatwhy don't you get out of that jumpsuit
and let me smack that FATS.That's a scary crew. As far as
(00:21):
the product goes, the voice ofa new generation man. He has a
young guy to school. Really atthe top of their games. The two
of them had something in common.We bring you radio ecstasy. Oh it's
beautiful. Broadcasting live from the studiosof AM five seven day. Let it
happen. This is the FNA PodcastFriday edition of the f and A Podcast.
(00:43):
It's Kevin Figgers and Adam Alston withyou Friday Friday Edition. You want
to get in touch with the show, many ways you can do that.
You can call leave us a voicemail. Nine four nine four seven eight eleven
ninety seven is the number no voicemailson the show today. All right,
for sure, we'll get some tricklingit over the weekend. Come on,
it's the talk as Hotline. Wehave the Open Championship coming up, so
I'm sure our golf expert Tory wouldchime in on that, although usually he
(01:07):
would chime in with a preview thisteram, it's already started. I don't
know what his odds for Tiger Woodswould have been going in, but uh,
yeah, I think didn't go well. No, do you have his
worst round? I wouldn't call sixopen, wouldn't call six over going Well,
No, I mean I just couldn'tget the ball in the hall.
I wanted to, but I justcouldn't do it. Yeah, it's tough
stuff out there, but it's justgood to see him out there. That's
(01:30):
all that matters, right, Andhe's won two opens. I think that's
all most of us are watching for, to be honest with you, so
tomorry help us out. Thankfully theyhave these lib guys involved, because I'll
be honest with you, if alot of these lib guys were not able
to play in the majors, Imean I'd watch because I guess I kind
of have to or at least keepan eye on it, but certainly not
as close of an eye if it'sa bunch of dudes I've never heard of.
Yeah, I thought Tiger brought upa pretty good point, saying the
(01:53):
incentive to go out there and winwhen they've already paid you. I mean,
yeah, there's no earning it outof the dirt. There's no cut
to make, there's no there areno cuts. You just go to compete.
It's a showcase more than anything else. And having those guys played pretty
bad so far. I know,Michelson was really bad. I don't know
if there's going to play for theydon't have to earn the money. Yeah,
I don't know if there's any correlationto any of that. But one
(02:15):
of the guys made it pretty deepinto the tournament a couple of weeks ago,
I forget, forget exactly who.I was also out of the country,
so I was in and out ofit, just keeping half an eye
on again. Torrey Pines, WanPatrick, please update us. You're our
golf analysts. Clearly we don't haveDave Dusk or anybody like that. So
that's going up this weekend. Buthere on the show, as I mentioned,
(02:35):
nine four nine four seven eight elevenninety seven to call and leave a
voicemail and you can hit us upon social media as well. I amak
fig one on Twitter, Adams thatfollow Adam May on Twitter. We are
at at f NA show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook got an exciting show
lined up. It's All Star weekAll Star weekend in LA, although it's
not really a weekend. It's onTuesday. It's weird. Yeah, it
(02:57):
doesn't make a lot of sense.Why, I don't think isn't it the
only All Star game that is playedlike during the week I think so an
HL takes place on like Saturday Sunday, NBA Saturday Sunday, Friday night with
the celebrity tournament. I don't justTimberlake takes Kenny Smith off the dribil.
Yeah, and it's like you're talkingabout, like I'd rather why not just
have everybody play their last game likeyesterday or whatever, do all your stuff
(03:21):
through the weekend, have like Mondayoff completely, and then restart on Tuesday.
Baseball can never forget it right out? And whose fault is it?
Evening? Whoever is the commissioner?I mean, yeah, I was gonna
say Grant. I can't blame manfor it. But all before that,
they're all screwing it out. I'msure they there's a rhyme or reason for
it. I don't know what rhymeor reason, but I just want to
(03:45):
call it a primetime TV slot ona Tuesday in July. I mean sure,
but I mean when you get betternumbers if it was on like say
a Sunday afternoon or a Sunday night, maybe it's because I don't know.
Nothing else is going on. TheNBA and the end HL have both finished
right now. There's no other sportscompetition to go up here. They don't
want to go up against the Open. That's where it is. I like
(04:06):
the way you think, because you'reprobably right, all right. So we
got old people in this corner maywant to watch baseball, and old people
in this corner and may want towatch golf. Let's not separate the two
audiences. We just got old people. We just split it up everywhere.
Well, you know what, Iguess we're old too, because we love
the All Star Game and we're gonnabring on one of our favorite guests who
(04:26):
loves it to Adam. Let's getto it. Alan Drinking Dude and now
joining the f Anda podcast. Hereis a man with integrity and conviction and
belief, at least in his tweets. He covers the majors for True Blue
LA and sp Nation and it's thesole proprietor of puns on Runs, which
you can see on his Twitter accountat Eric Stephen not Eric Stevens with an
(04:48):
S for slapshot, because that guywrites about the Anaheim Ducks. No,
there can be only one Eric Stephen, and we have him here on the
show today, Eric. How areyou pretty good? Guys? Always glad
to be on. Good to haveyou now, just because I'm not over
it yet and I still think itwas weird and somewhat unprofessional. What do
(05:09):
you think Freddie Freeman regrets more notbeing a brave or the way things played
out in Atlanta a couple of weeksago where Kershaw had the question whether or
not the Dodgers were second fiddle.Yeah, I just that whole thing was
weird or maybe like having to likego through the whole like La Times columnists
(05:32):
rigamarole afterword two that probably hasn't helped, but yeah, like this is one
of the this is the least theless fun version of the Jack Peterson Tommy
Sam's story that just kind of keptgoing and going and going, except this
(05:54):
one is like more like annoying thananything. Like, for instance, yesterday,
Freeman's former agent Excel Sports Casey close. They're they're suing Doug Gottlieb over
a tweet regarding uh, what youknow, the agency reported the Freeman during
contract negotiations all that. So,you know, it's just it's weird from
(06:16):
a from the Dodger standpoint, right, I get it if you're Freeman or
the Braves, but like, itwas very clear from the start that that's
that split. Was shocking that hewas it was pretty clear that he wanted
to be with the Braves, thatthe Braves wanted to resign him, and
that they didn't get it done waswas truly shocking. But then the Dodgers
(06:36):
just pounced on a newly available guy, right Like that was it? Like?
But now it just it just seemslike the the link is still obviously
there. It's just it's just it'smore annoying than anything, like just from
a I guess a LA standpoint,but not not from I think the Braves
(06:58):
aspect, the Freeman aspect. He'salways going to be there talking Freddy Freeman.
Let's talk all Star snubs in particularwhen it comes to the Dodgers.
I know every team has to havea representative. The Dodgers are well represented
with you know, Mookie and TreeTurner and Clayton Kershaw and obviously Tony Gonslin.
But of the Dodgers who are perceivedto have been snub do you think
is who do you think is thebiggest one, Whether it's Will Smith,
(07:19):
Freddie Freeman, Tyler Anderson? Evenafter last night I had another spectacular outing
who the aureus has gotten a lotof juice? Who do you think is
the most deserving Dodger who is notin the All Star Game? Yeah?
I go back and forth on thisbecause, like I think it's pretty clear
that I like Freeman should have beenthere or like should be there, but
(07:42):
just the way the sort of systemis set up is sort of gamed against
him a little bit in this regard. But I think it's Will Smith.
Like it's weird, like he's sortof he's highly regarded, right, like
you know, always sort of thoughtof as either the like the first or
second best catcher in the league.But like the players voted Travis Darnel ahead
(08:07):
of him, the fans voted TravisDarnel ahead of him, So like Travis
Darnaut got the second spot. LikeI will say this, it's closer than
like a lot of people think Darnauldis like actually a better catcher, Like
if you go by like catcher,framing, receiving skills, catcher defense,
(08:30):
like Darnel does great out much betterthan Smith in that regard. You know,
Smith is better offensively. But likeif you always wonder when the players
voted, because if you go ifit was like the last couple of days
of June, Darnel had a higherslugging percentage, a higher ops, like
you could easily make an argument forhim. But like I wonder if the
(08:54):
timing of Will Smith's sort of hotstreak hurt him a little bit. But
I think if I had to chooseone, like I think I would argue
for Smith. But like, inreality, it is the All Star Game,
if you if you're if we're goingthere, And Freddy Freeman is clearly
one of the more most popular playersin the sport, Like he started for
(09:15):
the Nation League at first base thelast three All Star Games. For this
he's a five time All Star,former MVP, all that stuff. He
got hurt in the fact that,uh, just the nature of the voting.
So like because Bryce Harper got herwell first, I don't think my
sort of solution to all this isthat there shouldn't be a DH like that
(09:37):
people vote for, mostly because nobodyuses their DH like old school like there
there's very few true DH's in theleague, but they a lot of teams
use it to sort of rotate playersin and out. So Bryce Harper was
voted by the fans to star rightfully, so he's awesome at DH, but
he was only at DH because heat elbow surgery or like, yeah,
(10:01):
he has like a herd elbow andthen now he's out with with thumb surgery.
So there's fifteen listed DH's on theballot, but hardly any of them
actually played DH. Like Nelson Cruzfor the Nationals plays every game at d
H, but everyone else is likeoccasional. Like Max Months, he was
listed as a Dodger's DH. Hestarted their thirteen times like so just because
(10:26):
of the voting rules. William Contreras, who's the backup catcher in Atlanta,
was listened as DH's hit great,but he's he's batted like half as many
times as will Smith and like fortypercent of the time of Freddie Freeman.
He was he had like the secondbest numbers among dhes because the hs are
terrible uniformly just early that the crew. So so Harper gets the starting spot,
(10:52):
he's out. They got to goContraras into the starter spot because he
was number two by the players,and then to fill that spot they have
to go with the next in linefrom this group of dhs who aren't really
DH's and then they pick Garrett Cooperwith the Marlins, who's a first baseman
who's not having as good of ayear as Freddy Freeman. So like that's
(11:13):
one spot. The cj crone spotis another that was a commissioner's pick.
Because the Rockies have to have anall Star. You can't really avoid that.
I sort of get it, butyeah, I think Freeman should absolutely
be there. And it is funnybecause like, since you got the quote
unquote bad news on Sunday of notbeing an all start, I think he's
made three outs in four games,so like not that that means anything,
(11:35):
but like it is, it's justfunny how the timing of his going supernova
is pretty incredible. Yeah, he'scertainly been in a zone. Eric Stephen
is our guest here on the fAnda podcast. Eric, we had Rob
Parker on earlier in the Week,who definitely had some strong opinions about this,
wanted to pick your brain on it. Should Kershaw get kind of a
legacy start at the twenty twenty twoAll Star Games since it's at Dodger Stadium,
(11:58):
or should it strictly be based onthe numbers where Tony Gonslin has obviously
been the best picture. Yeah,well I would it's the other way.
I think it's either like the obviouslybest picture has been Sandy all Contra of
the Marlins. Like he well,now he has a better R than Gonslin,
but he also has like forty fivemore innings or something. It's crazy.
(12:20):
But that said, I sort oflean on this like it's got to
be Kurt's out right, like it'sit's at his home park. This is
a legacy think he's he's not likehe's not a special All Star selection like
Albert Poohol's right. He's actually doingincredibly well. He just missed a month
(12:45):
because of a lower back thing.His if you go like whatever, I
think minimum sixty innings, he's liketop five or six in like R a
fifth, so I got minus walkratio. He's been incredibly effective. So
he's still excellent, and he's Claytonfreaking Kershaw, right, it's at Dodger
(13:07):
Stadium that this is like a nobrainer. It's an exhibition if you want.
You know, we talk all aboutall the time about why doesn't baseball
market itself better? Like, uh, yeah, Clayton cursh House starting at
his home park, that's rab likeand also, you know, Sandy al
Contra certainly deserving. Tony Gonslin,you know, in that same boat,
(13:28):
those guys would also you know,get their due by pitching right after that,
right, Like you look, youlook at it like it's it's not
always like the best first half,right that you should have encountered. Like
Jack Armstrong started the nineteen ninety AllStar Game and nobody knows who Jack Armstrong
is because he didn't really do anythingafter that. Like not to say that
wasn't deserving, but it's like,you know, you don't these aren't like
(13:54):
always like that. I don't know. I think we just put too much
important on it. I don't thinkit necessarily goes to like has to go
the best picture. But yeah,it's it's certainly like there would be a
career achievement type award. But Ithink it's a no brainer that Kurshaus starts.
How do you feel about the Homerun Derby? A lot of criticism
over the years that there has tobeen enough star power in the derby?
(14:16):
A lot everybody in the derby isan all star this year, some of
the faces of the sport. AndI'll show Yotani unfortunately when I participate this
year in his home market, whenhe did last year and didn't do extremely
well. Do you think that alot of these players just having a version
to quote unquote embarrassing themselves for lackof a better term, if they don't
do well in the Home run Derby? And that's why we don't get because
(14:37):
why isn't Jack Carlo Stanton he's backhome. Why isn't he in the Home
run Derby? Aaron Judge one ofthe faces of the sport. We're having
some star power, Eric, butstill doesn't seem like we have the star
power that we need. Mike Troutis another. Yeah. I think the
surprising one was standing because he wasone of the first names, like a
week ago to be like, yeah, I think it's it's you know,
(14:58):
it's probably gonna happen, you know, you know he was sort of talking
around it. But and he's doneit like three times before or something ever
remaining he's and obviously you obviously wantto watch him hit home runs like what
he was built to do. Butyeah, like the other thing would have
(15:18):
been, you know, say whatyou want, like, is Jack Peterson
really worthy of like starting in theoutfield for the max in the league?
That's cool. So like having himin the home runner we would have been
pretty rad at Doctor stayed him too. I mean I've used rad like twice
on this podcast. I can't believethat exactly. I guess they're the one
(15:39):
Dodger fans of bone with Corey Seeger. I guess as a late ad there.
Yeah, exactly, so he sortof filled that former Dodger void,
like I guess Will Smith said hewould have done it had he been an
All Star, although I don't knowif he was ever like formally invited,
but again didn't make the All Starteam whatever, that's fine, But yeah,
I will say peterlans So makes upfor a lot. He's he seems
(16:03):
like sort of built for the homerun derby in a way, and especially
he's got Dave Jauss. I didn'trealize this. Dave Jaos was the Mets
Dutch coach last year. Now he'slike a special advisor with the Nationals,
but he's still gonna come out andpitch for for Pete Alonzo. And like,
I don't I don't know if youremember this, but last year,
like I've never seen a pitcher likehit their spot more than Dave Jaos did.
(16:29):
He was just like constantly hitting thewheelhouse for Pete Alonzo as he was.
It was so awesome. But thenyou have, like you have the
star power like Ronaldo Comuy Junior obviouslymissed a lot of time this year.
Superstar, Juan Soto superstar, youknow, Kyle Schwarber not a superstar,
but like also a big beaky boyhis bombs so like he's sort of built
(16:52):
for that too. Julio Rodriguez alike up and coming rookie star. Like
that's kind of cool. Like there'sa lot of things to like about it.
But yeah, I was surprised aboutno Stanton. I get why Shoe
Aotani is not doing it sort of. I think last year was such a
showcase for him. It seemed likethat whole weekend it was probably exhausting,
(17:14):
like he's also going to be like, it wouldn't surprise me if he's also
starting the Ulcar Game this year,especially since I guess Burlander is not going
to pitch so and he's gonna behitting, Like I can I can see
a situation where he's like, thatwas a that was a hefty two days
last year going through that, notto mention like his whole season, but
(17:36):
maybe maybe he just wanted the dayoff, So I kind of get it.
The Bodacious Eric Stephen is with ushere on the f and A podcast
from True Blue LA and sp Nation. Eric, what was worse just alternating
home field every year for the WorldSeries or the winner of the All Star
Game determining it? Yeah? Uh, I get yeah, it's always weird.
(18:00):
Like I hated the fact that thethe whole this time it counts thing
like with the All Star Game wherethey determined home fields, So I think
that was worse. But then thenagain, like you mentioned, like it
really was just every other year.Like if you look back at eighty eight
for the Dodgers, rights obviously seminalyear for them. They were they were
(18:22):
an excellent team, but they alsobeat two hundred win teams to win it
all. But part of that wasbecause that was the nlst year to have
home field in the NLCS, sothey got Team seven at home against the
Mets, and then they at homefield against the A's because it was the
National League year for the World Series, so they won the first two games
at home. So yeah, it'sit's weird how that we just sort of
(18:44):
accepted that as like, oh,yeah, that's just the thing we do,
no, no big deal. Andback then too, you know,
the draft used to be now it'sa straight worst record that used to alternate
league. So the from a Dodger'sperspective, the year like the one truly
terrible year they've had in like acentury. I think it was the first
(19:08):
time they had finished last place inlike the hundred years or whatever ninety years.
In nineteen ninety two, they lostninety nine games, worst record in
baseball. But it was the AmericanLeague's year to have number one pick next
year, so the Mariners got it, and obviously the Alex Rodriguez went number
one and the Dodgers Darren Drive atnumber two. So not not quite Alex
(19:30):
Rodriguez. But what can you do, Erica? So what changes would you
make if you're a rob man forit, and you can make some tweaks
to the All Star Game and thefestivities around it. Oh okay, so
I would I would eliminate DH votingboth fans and players for starting spots or
just for roster spots, and thenstill have the position obviously, but you
(19:53):
just you just leave those uh asextra spots and used to put anyone there
like more deserving guys. Like ifyou look at it, like the way
the rosters are set up, itused to be that managers, the All
Star managers had to say in therosters, that's that's gone away the last
like five or six years. It'sleague office now that sort of fills in
(20:15):
the last spots. But there's reallyafter the fan and the player voting,
there's really there's only six more spotsto fill for the league office. So
but this year, I don't knowif this was like a weird year or
what, but only ten teams arerepresented in those first twenty six spots.
So each league had had five teamsthat needed one player, so the league
(20:38):
like that was their whole thing.They had to pick players from those teams.
So the only like variable spot forthe national League was Kershaw and the
one that the league actually made achoice on, right. The other ones
are like, well, we haveto get someone in from these teams.
So I think if you eliminate theDH, it leaves a little more wiggle
room there. So if you do, you have to bring in you know,
(21:02):
certain players need to need to play, certain teams need a player.
It becomes a little easier, andthen he can put in, Like you
can argue that Freddie Freeman is likehitting well enough to be starting at like
DAGs for the National League, rightbecause he's the he's probably like he's the
second best like first baseman behind PaulGoldschmidt, and he's probably that he might
(21:22):
be like in that like second besthitter overall or whatever, but he's not
going to be at the game becauseof the way the sort of roster still
shakes out. But other than that, like, I don't know, I
think that would free up a lot. Yeah, I can't really think of
anything else. They they've got itof the tying it to the World Series,
So that's good. What about theone that you just brought up,
(21:45):
the fact that every team needs tobe represented in the All Star Game?
Do you like that rule or shoulddo you like the fact that certain players
you know, who might be havingmaybe on a stacked baseball team, like
Freddie Freeman has earned his way ontothe roster and he should get there as
opposed to someone who's having not asgood of a year, but it's forced
onto the team because they have tohave representation. I do kind of like
that rule. I mean it,you know, because the ulctar game is,
(22:08):
you know, you do want peopleto watch. They're gonna watch for
stars obviously, but I would imaginethere's at least some like Rockies fans who
are going to watch for CJ.Crone. Now I guess the flip side
of that is, are the piratesreally going to tune in to see like
David Bednar pitch an inning later?Like I don't know, leis Yeah,
(22:32):
So it comes down to, like, you know, a lot of these
are like these weird like middle relieverchoices like Joe Mant applies the lone d
back for instance. Now I'm lookingforward to that obviously, so I can
make puns. But not everyone hasa warped brain and it's going to be
watching the game like that. Soyeah, I can see both sides of
that, but I kind of likethe every team gets a gets a player
(22:55):
rule, even if it's it's probablyflawed in a lot of ways. That's
All Star one for me there,Eric, And that's the Dodger Stadium first
time since nineteen eighty they have hadthe All Star Game. Now. I
know they were supposed to have ita couple of years ago and then COVID
hit, But why is it anAngel Stadium had it twice in a thirty
year span and Dodgers before Dodgers Stadiumcould get it back once. I'm sure
(23:15):
there's a reason for it, andI've tried to find it and I cannot.
Why has Dodger Stadium not hosted anAll Star Game since nineteen eighty but
at stadium like Angel Stadium get hostedtwice in that in that same time period.
Yeah, it didn't didn't make alot of sense. Like he was
pretty like sad that it took solong for for like Dodger Stadium to get
back to the to the All StarGame. I think a lot of times
(23:37):
what happens is, you know,when uh, for lack of MLB like
for lack of a better term,helps teams like hold their city's hostage to
to like give him a new stadiumor make improvements or whatever. A lot
of the benefit that comes with that, like uh, sometimes a new stadium
goes to the front of the line, or I believe if if I have
(24:00):
this right, Uh, you know, the Angels hosted in eighty nine and
then they had I don't remember whentheir renovations were they they don't I don't
think they were that close to twentyten, So I don't know why they
got, you know, to thefront of the line. Again, I
feel like were around the time theRams left in the mid nineties. I
(24:21):
think, yeah, yeah, sothat I guess I'm just trying to think.
So it's a It's also one ofthose they try at least to alternate
American and National League, although it'sbeen a little wonky the last few years
so they've gotten away from that.But maybe that was part of it.
Maybe they were they ran out ofAmerican League teams to cycle through. But
like you saw that with like Clevelandthey got a new stadium, they they
(24:45):
got in. But yeah, Iat the Braves when they got a new
stadium, they they hosted, solike or they were going to hosts and
then and then uh, you know, uh, other stuff took over.
But yeah, I it doesn't makea lot of sense to me. I
don't know why it took that long. I wish I did, Erica.
What's your favorite All Star Game memory? Me? Being from NorCal, it
(25:08):
was Bonds hitting a home run inninety eight and hitting a banner. Of
all the banners that were up therefor each and every team being represented,
he hits the one that's the SanFrancisco Giants banner. It was just this
weird thing that happened. What isit for you? So I was trying
to think of a game itself.I really enjoyed Mike Piazza winning MVP in
(25:33):
ninety six and in Philadelphia, hishometown at the time. But my favorite
Ulstar Game memory, I think hasto do with something that was like or
it was on the field, butit was how I was watching the game.
So I was only ten. Iwas with my older brother at his
(25:55):
wife's parents' house. There was likewe had a party, and so he's
twenty five at this point. Mostof the people there were around that age
and I team winning RBI was abig thing back then. It was on
the back of baseball cards for likefive or six years, and that gave
me American League one, three ortwo. And I remember betting one of
(26:17):
my brother's friends. I want tosay, like ten bucks. Looking back,
that was probably a lot too much, Like maybe it was five bucks
or something today. That's right,that's exactly more. But it was more
a prideful thing than anything. ButI knew what the game winning RBI rule
was. He argued, the AmericanLeague scored all three runs first and then
(26:38):
then Nationally rallied, including like aSteve Sachs RBI single, and they lost
three to two. So he arguedthe third run should be the game winning
RBI because it was the one thatprovided to win. But I knew that
it was the anything that gives theteam the lead that they don't relinquish.
So I have successfully argued about thegame winning RBI rule and one money off
(27:03):
of an older person. So that'smy favorite circuit memory. Yeah too,
that stand out for me Adam's boyBarry Bonds being robbed of a home run
by Tory Hunter and the Tory picking, you know, picking Tory Hunter up
in the in the field, havingfun and it's funny. So The second
one actually transitions me into my nextquestion about the current Dodgers. But the
second one I remember, and Idon't know if it was in the midst
of Eric Gagner's Cy Young season orthe year after, and he was still
(27:27):
riding the wave of it hadn't blowna save, and god knows how long
he comes in to get the savein the All Star Game, Garrett Anderson
is what the Angels at the time, hits a big I don't know if
it was a double or a homerun, but he hits a giant hit,
clears the base. Is Eric Gangierblows the save in the All Star
Game, but because it's an exhibitionhas no bearing on the regular season whatsoever.
(27:48):
This time it doesn't care. Thatdidn't count at all. But that
was the only say that Eric Ganyerblew that year, I believe, or
one of the few that season.I think that was the year he won
the Cy Young Award, which iscrazy. Now, if we fast forward
to the current Dodgers, there Ericissues maybe nine issues. When it comes
to the closer position. We've kindof seen Evan Fubbs gets to be put
in in some very high leveage situationsover the last week or so, Craig
Kimbrill has struggled a bit, hasbeen very up and down. How do
(28:11):
you see this thing playing out asthe season goes if if Kimberrill remains,
you know, kind of up anddown and inconsistent, do you think there's
a realistic possibility that Evan Phillips slidesinto that role, especially not knowing when
or if. I think there's alot of confidence that Blake trying to will
return, but no one really knowsif or when he does. Do you
think it's possible Evan Phillips slides intothat role if Kimbroll continues to struggle,
(28:33):
can you slide into the pictures man? But yeah, before I answered the
current Dodger's closer thing? Going back, so, Garrett Anderson did hit a
double against Ganya. So Ganya wasfifty five for fifty five that year.
It's saved wow, except for therewas the one blown save in the aulcar
game like you mentioned crazy, feellike you just lost five bucks to Eric.
I know exactly you had it right, except the key blow. So
(28:57):
Vernon Wells open one run with adouble and then Hank Blaylock hit a home
run which actually blew the save,but like, yeah, a stunning,
a stunning occurrence for that for thatpeak, heret Gannier, But for this
year's bullpen, I think it's likethey're gonna keep riding Kimbrell. It's basically
(29:21):
that everything we've we've seen with KenleyJansen in the last four years, they're
gonna hease their closer till he's notyou know, they're gonna keep giving him
chances and chances. But then likeif in like August and September or you
know, in October, like ifhe's not faltering, they're not going to
give him the ball. Like,but I think they're going to give him
every chance to get out of it. Now in the games, they don't
(29:45):
go to Kimbroll. I think there'slike a handful of guys they're generally okay
with. Now one of those isbruised. Our graderol who right, who
just yesterday went on the injured listwith shoulder inflammation, So that's troubling.
They did backdate it, which sortof suggests that they don't think it might
be that long of a thing,so he could be back relatively soon.
But yeah, like Phillips is oneof those guys they're decently okay with like
(30:08):
Gainsty Almonte, and then you know, I guess it depending if if it's
a bunch of lefties up there,they're probably fine with Alex Desia too,
like, but I think they're moreinclined to like sort of just whoever's available
and ready, and but like ofa group of guys like Evan Phillips certainly
(30:29):
is rocketed to the top of thatlist. But yeah, I don't think
it's gonna be like a set closerper se if it's not Kimberll. But
yeah, it's just weird. Uh, it's been. This has been an
odd an odd here. I willsay that for closing, even even after
like the last three years of KimleyJempsen, like this has been a little
(30:49):
bit weirder from my perspective. Andwe'll see what happens when Blake Trina comes
back. Dodgers and Angels though tonightFreeway series in Anaheim. I just want
to ask you this, since we'retalking about star power and how much marketing
means to the league right now,do you think Shoho Tani is long for
(31:10):
staying with the Angels. Eric,Yeah, that's a good question. So
this is one of those things wherenow he's he's not a free agent till
after twenty twenty four or twenty twentythree, so he's got a year and
a half now. That always bringsup, well, will the Angels trade
him? And I think then yougot to look at like, you know,
will Hardie Moreno agreed to trade him? And I don't think that would
(31:33):
be the case. So that said, like, like he came over with
remarkable leverage, like if he wasa real free agent and not like subject
to the the sort of capped baseballinn like amateur rules, he could have
like easily signed like over one hundredmillion dollars contract, and then he ended
(31:55):
up having to sign like, youknow, a relatively small deal with the
Angels. So like he was choosingwhere he wanted to go. And so
is it the is it a matterof does he still like it there?
And like they're obviously not winning.Yeah, it's a tough question, Like
they haven't been able to develop pitchingout outside of him. I guess,
(32:16):
uh in forever, So if Ihad to guess, I think he's gonna
leave as a free agent. Butyou know, who knows, Like it's
hard to sort of speculate there,but yeah, I just it's just not
working there, and and it's nothis fault at all. It's not my
(32:37):
cops fault at all. They justthey don't have enough like players around them.
And I think that's it's the frustrationthat's got to be just only growing.
You know, if they're not goingto win this year, like who
knows what's gonna happen next year,But like if they go through another year
of just like the middle of thepack not competing and he's you know,
(32:59):
putting up historic members, I thinkhe's just gonna walk. Trade deadline is
coming up in a couple of weeksthere, Eric, what do you see
the Dodgers needing most? What doyou think they'll do? I know Louis
Castile's name has been folded out there, but sounds like the Reds will be
asking for a pretty big prospect haul. What do you think the Dodgers cannon
should do as the deadline approaches?Yeah, so they I've been saying this
(33:22):
for a couple of weeks. Theyneed everything. I think still it's weird
to say because they're like, asof right now, they're the Padres have
fallen off. So the Dodgers hadlike a nine and a half GAMI league,
They had the best record in theNL. They're playing really well.
That said, like you know,they're got Blake Tryin and you got Bruise
the graderle on the IL, TommyKamley's on the ile is going to be
(33:44):
a while, Daniel Hudson's out forthe year. They definitely need bullpen help.
I would argue they still need toacquire like a semi regular type bat,
especially like you know, Edwin Riosnot going to be back till August.
Chris Taylor are not going to bethat probably until August. Obviously,
(34:07):
those Chris Taylor especially would qualify there. I think Edwin Rios probably does too,
But I don't think you can likecount on that necessarily. So I
think they should put themselves in aposition they've been in previous years where you
have like a starter Let's say youjust have a you add an extra starter
level bat, whether it's outfield orthird base or whatever, and then it
(34:31):
doesn't force you to have to notforce you to. This is a choice
they're making. But you don't haveto play max monthly every day. You
don't have to play Cootie Bellinger everyday, even though his defense is incredible
and he's just not hitting. Butlike, you can judiciously sort of set
those guys because you have better options. Like it's it's one thing to not
(34:52):
to keep playing Monthly and Ellinger.Now it's just like they don't have better
options necessarily, So I think Ithink you need to give Dave Roberts like
better options, like and then theupside of that is if you do acquire
that extra bat Like yeah, it'slike it's the funny part about this is
going into the season, like theyshould have just kept AJ Pollock. But
(35:14):
then again, like AJ Pollock hasn'treally hit right, so it's a you
know, you sort of you can'talmost can't win with this either way.
But like I think you get astarter level type person who's can at least
play part of the time. Andthen when Chris Taylor comes back, when
Edwin Rios comes back, all ofa sudden, your bench is a lot
(35:36):
better than like it was last yearwhen they had like Billy McKinney and Steven
Seuza Junior hitting in the playoffs,Andy Burns after Justin Turner had hit he
batted in the playoffs, like whatwhat are we doing here? So I
think they need to improve that andso and then you know, starting pitching.
If you look at the Reds,like Luis Castidio is the biggest name
out there obviously, but they alsohave Brandon Drury who kind of fits that
(36:01):
extra guy bat So like you coulddo like a package deal there. I'm
not really sure about what relievers areavailable from them. I don't expect them
to get three for one, likeall three in the same deal, but
like that something like that would wouldtotally work. So yeah, I think
I think they just kind of needit all. And pitching, it's like,
(36:22):
you know, you can't really counton Bueller at this point from a
roster sampoint obviously, like the longterm you can, but like this year
you just don't know. And Kershaw, like you know his injury history,
like you have to sort of manageit. Gonsalin's coming up on a career
high endings. Tyler Anderson's been fine, hol your yours is coming off a
(36:43):
career high endings. He's been reallygood. But like you want to,
I think they're gonna need like extrastarters they have Mitch White in the rotation
right now, which is fine,but it would be nice to have like
a little bit more of depth beyondthat. So even if it's just someone
to fill innings like, I thinkthat would be fine too. So yeah,
I think they need just about allthree. Eric Glass, one for
(37:06):
you because your baseball knowledge is unmatchedand you gotta mind like a steel trap.
Let's play stuff. The Steven herewho won the first home run derby
back in nineteen eighty five. Ohman, Okay, So my those early
home run derbys are weird to mebecause I thought they had like it was
(37:29):
like league versus league or something.So it wasn't. But I'm trying to
I'll give you four names. I'llgive you four names. Yeah, Jim
Rice, Eddie Murray, Dave Parkeror Dale Murphy. Oh man. Okay,
So I'm obviously my favorite player ofall time is Eddie Murray. So
(37:51):
I want to see him, butI'm not going to see him because I'm
just I don't remember him winning.So I'm gonna I'm gonna go with the
Cobra. I'm gonna go to DaveParker. That is correct, got it?
Oh? Well done? Eric,can't stop him? Man, it's
Stio. Good Eric, thanks fordoing this to day here at the Fiday
(38:13):
Podcast. We love you, weappreciate you man, always a pleasure of
feb Guarde Weekend guys. Stump theStephen. It's tough and is I I
wouldn't even have ventured a guess whowas even in it? Yeah, to
be honest, So that's like youlike, I don't think it was draft.
I also didn't realize that it wasas recent as nineteen eighty five is
(38:34):
when it started. I thought thatthe home run Derby would have been around
at least since the seventies, soI was surprised at it began in the
eighties. Yeah, what was thatthing they used to do with like Willie
Mays and some of those older guysthat was in black and white. I
thought they did a little home runderby with them, did they? I'm
not It's not something that I followedvery closely, like the history of the
Home Run Derby, But definitely surprisedat eighty five would have been the first
(38:58):
year unless it was called something elseor stage differently, and they didn't want
to grandfather it in and just changethe format. Maybe that's what it was
and it was something completely different.That's certainly interesting. Still not the concept
that many have had of having pictureshit in the home run derby. To
make it more a quote unquote fun, it was kind of like having Shack
and Michael Olowa, Candy and RafLafrinz. I guess the friends can shoot
(39:21):
a little bit, but big classiccenters just stand out there and have to
shoot the other three point shots wesaw? Was it Karl Anthony town one
Cat. Yes, it's a newerror, and he did say he's a
better shooter than Dirk Davinski if youjust go off the numbers. But Dirk
didn't take as many three pointers backthen either. Today Dirk's taking ten a
(39:44):
game. Yeah, I think thathas to be and then Dark can create
his own shot off the dribble inthe mid range. If you're talking shoot
her and not just three points killshooting as a whole. Yeah, I'm
still taking dirt Cat with all duerespect one legged fall away from Dirk exactly.
It's all tough to beat, alldue respect the cat. And whoever
(40:04):
said that t Will wasn't win anything. There you go, you want a
three point shoot out, So congratulationsthey won the Rudy Gobert stream sticks their
team. Did they win? Right? I guess time we'll tell nine four
nine four seven eight eleven ninety sevenis the number to leave us a voicemail.
We'll get your voicemails next week.Yah, leave us some over the
weekend. Let us know what's onyour mind. Hey. Training camp starts
(40:25):
on Monday for all youth football fanatics, which we know what many of you
are. I didn't know that.Yeah, well, I mean rookies report
to a couple of places on Mondayand they will start slowly trickling in over
the next ten days. Has thatalso made hold out start on Monday?
Hold Outs really aren't as much ofa thing anymore as they used to be.
Yeah, with the new CBA,but there's an Orlando Brown situation with
(40:45):
with the Chiefs that's a big issue, so we'll see. There's always a
one, one or two lingering around, so we have that if you want
to get to us. Matt Fellowout of A he's a k pig one
at F and A's show on Twitter, Facebook and the Gram. Yep,
So do that to hit us up. You guys, have a great and
safe weekend, Stay cool out,there because it's going to be a hot
one for sure in the Los Angelesarea or wherever you are. Thank you,
(41:07):
guys for listening to the ANA podcast. We appreciate you guys supports,
and we will talk to you nextweek. Tufty
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