May 28, 2025 • 38 mins
Larry Stone joins the show to talk Mariners postseason chances, Cal Raleigh's historic season, and more. What was the best era of NBA basketball, and where does the current era rank? We hear from Dan Wilson.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now from the Star Rentals Sports TOAs Jordan ninety three
point three JJRFM Sports Headlines.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Sports headlines of five o'clock Live from Jimmy's on first
ahead of Mariner baseball against Washington.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
It was all ms last night, My.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Goodness, nine to one, eight great innings from Logan Evans,
two bombs from Cal Rawley. And what does eight great
innings give you, Logan Evans, It gives you a bus
ticket back to Tacoma. He was optioned back to Triple
A to day. Jackson kar has been brought up by
the way with Jackson Cohr. He of the career two whip.
That's not point two whip, that's two whip, meaning he
(00:38):
allows two base runners every time he has fits in
his Major League Baseball three year career. My Goodness, Mariners
and Nats Game two of three game set tonight. George
Kirby gets his first home start of the year. Kirk
Cousins did not report for the Falcons first day of
OTA yesterday. PGA has eliminated the staggered starting stroke system
(01:00):
from the season ending Tour championship. For the last few years,
the players with the most FedEx Cup points would actually
start with a stroke's advantage over the rest of the field.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
That will not happen.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
In twenty twenty five, Pacers One went away from the
finals after taking Game four last night over the next
Tyres Halliburton, absolutely unbelievable. Thunder hosts the t Wolves tonight,
trying to advance the NBA Finals. They play Game five
of the Western Conference Finals. Let's get to our friend
Larry Stone, presented by the Ram Restaurant.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Right now, It's time for.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Our weekly conversation with legendary sports writer Larry Stone, brought
to you by the Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Bigger, better
and fresher since nineteen seventy one, with eight Fugit Sound
locations from Marysville to Lacey and everywhere in between. There's
a RAM near you. Now with Softy and Dick, here's
Larry Stone.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Larry, I'm guilty is charged of not only going to
the RAM once during Memorial Day weekend.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I went twice during Real Day weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So I have I have absolutely had a great food weekend.
Hopefully you're able to go down there, and we appreciate
the RAM for bringing you every single week to the show.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
How you doing, I'm doing good beautiful day today, baseball
coming up doing great.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It is a great day for baseball, no question about it.
And before we dive deep into this, Hugh, you got
the numbers we were looking for at the end of
last segment for.
Speaker 6 (02:27):
Yeah, yeah, Larry, we were just kind of saying, what
are some of the weakest World Series teams? And I've
got three over the last twenty years that are kind
of conspicuous.
Speaker 7 (02:39):
The twenty twenty one Braves.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
They they won eighty eight games and won a World Series.
The twenty fourteen Giants they won eighty eight as well.
Then that's a five forty three win percentage. And then
the worst in the last twenty years is the two
thousand and six Saint Louis Cardinals. They won only eighty
(03:03):
three that's a five sixteen win percentage. And if you
want to go one more at the turn of this century,
the two thousand Yankees. They only won eighty seven games
in the regular season. So those would be three or
four of the shall we say weakest contenders, yes, and
they would end up winning the World Series.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And Larry, the reason we're bringing that up because I
was kind of bulking at the odds that the Mariners
were sixteen.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
To one to win the World Series.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I was like, wow, that seems like really low odds,
sixteen to one. I would not put my money on
sixteen to one. But then you know, Anders and Hugh
were like, well, you know, it's baseball. You don't have
to be just the juggernaut to win it every single year.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
So he was doing a little research there.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
So you are you optimistic or pessimistic not only on
this team's chances of winning the division but doing some
damage if and when they do get into the playoffs?
Speaker 5 (03:57):
Well, but more so of the latter, Dick, I mean,
how long how many years in a row have we
been saying that all they have to do is get
in and with that pitching they could make a run.
And I mean that's what That's what allows teams with
eighty five wins or whatever to to to make a run.
It's like the hot goalie in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
(04:22):
You ride the pitching and the Mariners has provided these
guys who are hurt come back and are strong, and
there's there's two thirds of the season for them to
get back to where they were. I think this is
most definitely a team that could run the table if
they get in. I think it's a big it's a
bigger issue about whether they're going to get in because
(04:45):
they've shown that they have a history of kind of
fading down the stretch and falling just short. And so
until they proved that that that's not going to be
the case, I think you have those concerns.
Speaker 7 (04:59):
Well, uh in Larry Stone with us. Larry, let's have
some fun with this.
Speaker 6 (05:02):
Let's suppose you get a call from Caesar's palace, all right,
and they say say, look, you know, you know the Mariners,
you know the league, You're you're, you're, you're the foremost
authority on all this.
Speaker 7 (05:15):
Look, Larry, you set the odds.
Speaker 6 (05:19):
Dick just talked about sixteen to one, but the but
you've been given the directive by like, hey, just give
us the odds where we don't lose money. You got
to you got to give us the most probable, the best,
that one one that's most likely.
Speaker 7 (05:33):
And I guess that's slightly different than how it did
invoke betting, but we'll ignore that factory.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
The most likely odds.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
Yeah, you set the right now, on this date, the
chance they win the World Series. If it's not sixteen
to one. In Larry Stone's view, it's.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
What I'd say, it's it's more like twenty to one,
just because you've the field. He's got the field to
contend with, and I it's a little bit of dispoint.
And yeah, and there's so many rounds nowadays too. It
used to be you'd win I'm old enough that you've
won the Pennant and you went right to the World Series,
(06:12):
and then they keep adding layers to it. Now you've
got to win three or four rounds, depending on whether
you get a first round by so I you know,
there's a lot of pitfalls potential along the way. So
I just think it's it's hard to say that any
team has good odds, even the Dodgers, who everyone regards
as the best team in baseball. I don't think, you know,
(06:33):
I think there ares are long too, just because so
many things can go wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So, Larry, they're three games better right now than they
were last year after this number of games, But then
they won seventeen of their next twenty two. This is
when they started again, like right now, like this date, Yeah,
is when they started to get hot, and they went
seventeen and five over a twenty two game stretch, they
got the forty four and thirty one, they're ten games up.
(07:00):
Is is this what you've seen so far a more
sustainable start to the season, or what you saw last
year a more sustainable start to the season.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Honestly, I would have said last year, uh if I
didn't know what was what was coming, because the pitching
just looked so good that I didn't it was It
would have been hard to envision the kind of collapse
that they had after they built that ten game lead.
When you're throwing a quality starter out there every day,
but their their offense was so uh uh inadequate last
(07:35):
year and this year it's probably made it may turn
out to be more sustainable because they have a better offense. Uh.
If it's all gonna to me, it's all going to
swing on just how those guys come back, Kirby Miller
and Gilbert that's gonna that's gonna be the difference maker
for me. Is uh. You know, if if they sustain,
(07:57):
if they keep having arm issues. You know, we've seen
that they have more quality depth I think than we
suspected with Logan Evans and Emerson Hancock. But those are
the guys, those are the horses they need to ride.
So if those guys revert to their old selves, I
think this is sustainable. I do.
Speaker 7 (08:18):
Yeah, Larry with Larry Stone with us, Larry.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
When I came on the show today, you know, knowing
that there'd be three hours and we'd be talking some Mariners.
My strongest Mariner take for today, the twenty eighth of May,
is that the most important thing that happened last night
was not cal Rawly hitting two home runs. We know
that he's capable of doing that. It wasn't Julio going
(08:43):
three for five. We know he's capable of that. The
guy that we learned the most about by far, because
we've seen him the least is Logan Evans. And for
him to face all those lefties and you know, he
like it seemed like he made one mistake, one middle
middle pitch and it got knocked out of the ball park.
But everything else that was in the middle was low.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (09:04):
And other than that, he was on the sides. He
was a backdoor and breaking pitches. He was in on
the hands on breaking pitches, and and given uh, given
the fact that we've seen so little of him, but
how good the Mariners are at finding pictures. Man, if
this guy can be a big league pitcher, Well, that
was a big step forward for him yesterday given the
(09:25):
sample size that he's shown us.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
Yeah, and now he's in Tacoma.
Speaker 6 (09:31):
Yea armas, what's her reaction to all that?
Speaker 5 (09:35):
I agree with you, Hugh, that was that was super impressive.
I mean, he looked like he looked like a seasoned
pitcher out there, a veteran, you know, uh, guy who
knows how to use the stuff. And uh, he was economical.
I about the fourth inning, I started to think he
had a chance to throw to throw. You know what
they call him addox, which is a shutout of one
(09:57):
hundred pitches, a complete game, shut out of a fewer
than one hundred pitches, right, And I don't know if
they have a name for if you do that giving
up one run, but I think he could have done
that if they had left him in there. I think
he had eighty eight pitches through eight, but he was
he was on the borderline of that. I mean, nowadays,
to flirt with one hundred pitch complete game is almost
(10:20):
unheard of, right, and he was just in complete control.
I agree with I agree with your assessment. That was
you know, even though he's not with the team anymore.
I think the comfort of knowing that they have him
in reserve if and when another pitcher goes down is huge.
And you know, not many teams have six or seven
(10:43):
starters like like they appear to, because Emerson Hancock has
been pretty impressive as well, and you have to kind
of wonder if maybe they might be one of them
might be trade bait come the trade deadline. That's a
position of strength, and you know, you use it. They
really have. We talked about this last week, but they
really have the ingredients for making a blockbuster trade. They've
(11:07):
got all this talent down on the farm, They've got
exits starting pitching. They ought to be able to make
any trade they want to come come July or earlier.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Well before we get to the trade deadline.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
There is sevente consecutive games without arrest and so, and
you've got a number of your pitchers that will be
just fresh off the disabled list.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
So what do you do, Larry?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Do you go six man rotation, particularly during that seventeen
game stretch, or do you just say no, we got
five horses. We're gonna put both Emerson Hancock and Logan
Evans back in TRIPAA and just go our with our
five guys and see if we can put together a
similar type run that's seventeen and five run like they
(11:53):
did last year at that time.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Well, Justin Hollander, the general manager, said yesterday that they've
for now they've decided against a six man rotation. It
sure seems like if it was ever going to happen,
this is the time to do it. You've got guys
with arm issues that you maybe want a baby a
little bit and a little extra rest, and you have
(12:16):
a sixth and a seventh. You have guys who look
like they've earned the chance to be in the rotation
one or the other. But Justin said that for a
couple of reasons, One, they don't want to mess with
the established routines of five man rotation, which you know
with days off. Not only if you go to six,
(12:37):
you might end up going to seven or eight days
between starts with days off and stuff that he felt
that was just disruptive. And if you go to a
six man rotation, you are also taking a bullpen arm away,
and they don't like the going short in the bullpen.
You're not allowed to go more than thirteen pitchers by
rule anymore, you can't just say, oh, I'm going to
(12:58):
go with one fewer position player. So I mean that
that's why they're not going to do that. But we'll
see what happens as time goes on these I dare
say that we are going to see either or both
of Evans and uh Hancock again this year in the rotation,
whether you know, by injury or or whatever. I don't
(13:22):
think they're just going to go to Tacoma and and
languish there.
Speaker 7 (13:27):
Where are you on Jorge Polanco? Uh and and where
we are?
Speaker 6 (13:31):
Obviously he's had had a slide, you know, the typical Okay,
this is the regression that we would have anticipated, or Larry,
do you see something else? Just kind of where's your
take at this juncture of the season for him.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Well, I just wonder, Hugh, what the health situation is
with him. I just find it curious that he's still
not facing left handed pitchers. And you know, there was
about three or four span it seemed like where he
was truly switch hitting, you know, after not doing it
for the early part of the season. You know, he
(14:07):
had that that oblique or side injury that they said
was worse when he patted right handed, and then he
stopped doing it again, so obviously it's still bothering. I
just think it's kind of taken him out of his
rhythm a little bit, just you know, not playing every
day and only hitting left handed. Uh, and whatever it was,
(14:27):
the magic that he had the first month of the season.
I mean I was looking at his stats today. He's
he's got ten homers and thirty RBIs, which is, you know,
a pace for nearly thirty homers and undred RBIs. And
he's got almost one hundred fewer plate appearances than Julio
and col. So he did tremendous damage and limited a
(14:48):
fairly limited amount of time. And they need to get
some semblance of that back because he sure seems to
have kind of lost the whatever it was that he
that he had. And I you know, I'm not I
have no idea what it is, honestly, but I just
wonder I can help, but wonder if it's health related
in some way.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Well, Larry, before we let you go, and speaking of
tremendous damage, Uh, there is a backstop for the Seattle.
Speaker 7 (15:15):
Mariners that is doing historic damage.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
And we'd love to get your take not only on
just historic the historic nature of what he's doing at
the catching position vis A Vi Piazza, Pudge, Johnny Bench,
all those guys that we have all seen in the
in the past, but also we were having a little
fun earlier in the show. We're like, where does Col's
(15:38):
peak that we're seeing right now rank as far as
in Mariner history of the greatest Mariner hitters, Like, where
would we rank Col's peak versus the peaks of the Ichirosz, Edgars, Juniors, Buners, Boons, Seegers,
those guys the greatest hitters in Mariner history.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Yeah, well, today happens to be the fifty fourth game
of the year, which is the exact mathematical one third point.
You multiply fifty four by three, get one hundred and
sixty two. So easy mass to take any counting stat
after today's game and multiply it by three, and that's
the pace. So, I mean, with one game to go,
(16:19):
he's got fifty fifty seven homes with fifty seven is
that right? Yeah? Fifty seven plus and one hundred and
eleven RBIs I mean, obviously that would be the greatest
season in Mariner history. But there's still two thirds of
the year to go catchers way down. I don't know
if you could just extrapolate out and say he's going
(16:42):
to keep that pace up for the rest of the year,
but I think it has a very good chance of being,
you know, up there with Griffy's MVP season. Edgar had
a couple of seasons where he should have won the
MVP or could have won the MVP. You know, the
season I think when I think a great Mariner offensive
seasons is a Rod's ninety six breakout season, which was
(17:07):
just incredible. So you know, it has a chance if
that pace is maintained, I think, well, you could put
that one up right up there, but I think you
have to matt match it also against if you mentioned
the great catching seasons of all time, and I'm old
enough to that, there's one guy I think of sort
(17:29):
of on a level above everybody else when I think
of catchers, and it's Johnny Bench. To me, he's the
gold standard at the position, and I mean the numbers
he's on is on a pace to be up there
with the best of Johnny Bench. You know, Bench drove
in one hundred and forty eight runs one year. I
think but he also had Joe Morgan and Pete Rose
(17:52):
and Tony Perez to knock in. So you know, RBIs
are a function in a large part of the team
you have around you. But when you look at slugging
percentage and all that, I think he's right up there
with the best of bench, which is, to me, is
the highest praise that you can give.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
And you mentioned Alex Rodriguez, a rod in ninety six
got to hit on that fast track in the Kingdome,
and then calt Rawley has to languish here at the
worst hitters park in baseball. So that's that's something to
take into consideration as well. Larry, always a pleasure enjoy
watching the game tonight.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
All right, thanks guys, Thanks Larry.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Stone, joining us plenty to get to when we come back.
What are you laughing at.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
When he started going through the Reds lineup?
Speaker 6 (18:39):
You know the Seinfeld episode where they where they say,
you know, there's times shall we say that you want
to think about baseball?
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yes, yes, I do remember that.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
Yes, poor Seinfeld ever even came into existence. My go
to was the Cincinnati Reds lineup. It was Joe Morgan
a second okay president first, uh you know Rosa, the
Griffy's right with the Caesar Geronmo's you know right, and
then oh god, the black bat, who's uh uh shoot
(19:11):
the left fielder.
Speaker 7 (19:12):
I used to have it all down, but I.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
Used to have the line up and and uh it
was just difficult enough for me to really distract.
Speaker 7 (19:22):
It was a good with the big no.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
I was one on.
Speaker 7 (19:27):
Somebody help, We'll get it.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Next coming up on ninety three point three kjr f.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
F casting live from the R and R Foundation Specialist
Broadcast Studio. Now back to Saftie and Dig, powered by
Emerald Queen, Casino, the vetting capital of the Northwest, on
Sports Radio ninety three point three kJ r FF.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Thanks to Larry Stone in the Ram Restaurant and Brewery
for bringing us Larry Stone on a weekly basis. At
five o'clock on Wednesday, we're here at Jimmy's on First
across the street from T Mobile Park, where George Kirby
makes his first home start. We'll hear from Dan Wilson
in the next segment on George Kirby's second overall start,
(20:15):
first start here at home, also his take on what
Logan Evans did yesterday and why they ended up sending
him down. But I do want to I want to
get anders. I want to get your take here on that.
I don't know if it was a basketball debate he
and I were having.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
He was, you know, he was he was mentioning.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
You know, he threw the flowers, right, He threw the
flowers at Tyreesh Halliburton. I think we can throw flowers
at just scores of NBA players today on how they have.
The advancement in versatility and skill level is unbelievable if
you were to just transport somebody from nineteen ninety five
(20:52):
and take him to twenty twenty five. But it's also
a different game. And some people, like you, don't like
the plethor u of threes being shot today versus how
they were shot in the past.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
And you know, my argument to that was, well.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
If it's if it's scoring more points for you, because
you got so many players that can shoot them, the
coaches want to shoot them, but it doesn't necessarily make
for a better product in Hugh's opinion, where do you
kind of stand on all?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
So?
Speaker 8 (21:20):
I guess the question I'm asking in your question is
what are you looking for? Are you looking for a
more entertaining product or are you looking for an easier
way for your team to win, Because I think those
are two different answers.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
I'm looking for both, and I don't see it. I mean, yeah,
I see a problem with when when Boston shoots fifty
threes in a game like they did many many times
off the course of the year, that's not good basketball.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
What I'm seeing.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Personally in this NBA Playoffs has been fabulously entertaining. Yeah
for me, because I look at the skibble level and
I go, my god, look at all these six nine
to seven foot guys that can hit fadeaway jumps with
guys right in their grill.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Yeah, it's unbelievable. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (22:03):
So for me, like I'm a younger guy, and Hugh
talked about kind of his golden era of basketball in
that way, mine would be the twenty tens. I think
the entire decade of the twenty tens, when you got
the Spurs in the first couple of years, then the
emergence of the Warriors, and then their thing with Lebron James,
all the way through the end of the twenty nineteen
(22:24):
season when they had the wonderful series against the Raptors,
and the Raptors ended up winning. There was just I
think that's the perfect marriage between the two styles during
that era. And like full disclosure, Steph Curry is my
favorite player that I've ever seen play basketball. He resembles
as a soccer guy, someone who looks like a soccer
player on a basketball court, just by how much he's
(22:44):
moving everywhere, the grace that he plays with. It's so
crazy to me. And I loved watching him play. But
I feel like what he did to the game and
revolutionizing it has made everyone kind of lean towards that
part of the game and look more in the statistical like, oh,
let's just jack up a bunch of threes. So I
can see where Hugh feels like. It's it's not the
(23:07):
most entertaining watch anymore because it was weird. Like I said,
during that twenty tens, like ten year period, you were
getting elite defense, you were getting great shot making, you
were getting ball movement.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
KD wasn't just a jack up three guy. He was
the mid range king.
Speaker 8 (23:24):
Like, it wasn't just these three points and layups and
dunks every single time.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
So right, and I want you to finish though, but
you know, what what the old guard was saying in
twenty fifteen, This basketball sucks. It's true, that's what the
old guard was saying. You're talking about an era that
you think is better than this, and the old guard,
the eighties guard, the nineties guard was saying, Oh, that
basketball that you're talking about right now as being the
perfect marriage.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
They're like, oh, it sucks. It's not as good as
in nineteen eighty eight.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Well, and I would just say it's not binary for me,
like it's either great basketball or it sucks. It's very
shades two hundred and fifty six shades of gray. And
for me, we don't have time to go through two
fifty six. But let's just say on a scale of
one to ten, the entertainment for me, you know, I
would say, you know, seven, eight, like it's pretty high
(24:10):
because basketball is a great game, and these are beautiful athletes,
unbelievable other than Carl Anthony Towns, that guy, there's no
beauty in his game whatsoever. But everybody else, you know,
the other nineteen starters and backups, reserves that are remaining
on the on the final four, I think are tremendous.
(24:31):
So yes, the skill set and some may not have
heard it, but you had seventy eight threes in just
the game alone, the last Oklahoma City game seventy eight
by two teams. The greatest series I've ever seen, the
eighty four Celtics Lakers series had forty two in seven games.
That's obviously six per game. There's a big difference between
(24:52):
six and seventy eight. So spread your arms is why
as they can go as why does you can reach them?
One is six on threes per game? One is seventy
eight threes per game. To me, it's it's it's not
I'm not saying it should be six, but it seems
like a horse contest. When it's seventy eight threes. It's
just like kick it out for somebody to play horse, like,
(25:13):
oh okay, behind the line, you know, call it out,
so and and yeah there was comebacks before when you know,
as long as we've had the three, we've had the
potential for great comeback.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
So I think you just had you had you just
had fewer players. Actually you had any storeic comeback the
other night.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
We've had multiple then this play.
Speaker 6 (25:35):
Yeah, yeah, we've had this has been a year now
was it last year? And the year before and the
year before, so the potential has been there. I would
just say the two issues again and again, I'm entertained,
but I would be more entertained by less threes, and
I'd be more entertained by more defensive resolve.
Speaker 7 (25:53):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
One twenty six when I'm taking my TV and I'm
pausing after I see a land and I could somebody
have come off their man and contested that shot? And
I think I believe the answer is yes. And there's
only one guy on on Minnesota with four fouls. Everybody
else is three or less. Like to me, I the
basketball that I loved, it's like, hey, the playoff basketball,
(26:16):
You're gonna have to earn it.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
So what's the reasoning behind it?
Speaker 5 (26:19):
To be?
Speaker 6 (26:19):
It had to job in the lane? You know what
send the guys to the free throw a million times?
But I just thought the LANs came too easy, Like dude,
they're like what call time out?
Speaker 7 (26:29):
Say? So what's the f LANs?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So what's the reason.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
There has to be a reason, because I honestly do
not believe that players are less tough now than they
were thirty years ago. I think it's a preposterous assertion.
That the players are less tough now than they were
thirty years ago.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
What is the reason then?
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Is it because they don't want to get on viral
Twitter instantaneously as soon as they get posterized. That didn't
happen thirty years ago they called it posterized. You know
how long it took to get a poster from a
picture actually up onto somebody's wall.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
It took months. Now it takes seconds and you're on
everybody's phone. Is it?
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (27:04):
That?
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Because Hey, we're just gonna go down and hit a
three and a race that dunk anyway, I'm not gonna
go challenge that.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
I mean, what is the reasoning behind it?
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Do you think, well, there's the obvious I don't want
to get in foul trouble, right, he could start with that.
But I think it is just slowly crept into the
culture where the coach is back back in a in
another generation where there was a no layups mentality. If
you didn't see a real resolve to step up and
(27:33):
contest a freaking laying there or a dunk, that coach
was calling time out and saying, hey, this is unacceptable.
So there was a it's just an acceptance. So to me,
it's like the coaches accepted, the players accepted, and then
the next scene, you know, you look up and it's
one six. It's still a hell of the game. There's
still incredibly beautiful athletes, and because of basketball. Even when
(27:56):
basketball is bad, it's good because basketball is a really
good sport. And when you when when you've got these
high stakes, but I just expect.
Speaker 7 (28:04):
More defensive resolve.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
Was at times at double digits double And then you said,
wait a minute, okay, Millan, you don't like the three
and you don't like the lands, Like, what the hell
do you like? I'm just gonna say that I saw simultaney.
Here's the facts. I saw seventy eight three three point
shots in one game. I saw one hundred and twenty
eight for one team, one twenty six for another. That's
(28:29):
not defense. And I saw weight and I saw nobody
in foul trouble. So those are three facts that that
you're gonna have to reconcile to me. And again, don't
I don't think that I'm I'm from a point of oh,
this game sucks. It used to be great, now it sucks. No,
I'm just saying it's not as good as it was
for the reasons I thought, in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
I can reconcile the last two one. There were no
fouls being called. That's why nobody was in foul trouble.
That's I mean, they were hand checking all the reason.
That's not your there. If you were watching that tape,
you're a coach. If you were watching that tape and
you had to write a nutch to take a pen
in a blank sheet of paper and do a notch,
and you know, like when you get to five and
you got it, the fifth one is the line through.
(29:11):
Just not every time you say there was a laying
or a dunk that could have been contested by a
nearby defender that wasn't with vigor, you would be into
well into double digits, pushing twenty or more like two
dozen or more like way too many just give them
the rim for what for conference final basketball?
Speaker 7 (29:36):
Way too too little resolved to protect the rim.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Okay, And I I was looking primarily more like the
defense on the perimeter, the hand checking that was allowed,
the defense on picking rolls. I mean, I thought it
was fabulous because I thought most shots were challenged to
the nth degree. But the shot making in that game
was so unbelievable that guys were just knocking it down.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Guys, yeah, all over them.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
So what we'll agree to disagree on that, we won't
disagree that the fact that Dan Wilson is coming up
right after this on ninety three point three KJRFF.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Casting live from the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio.
Now back to Safie and Dick powered by Emerald Queen Casino,
the Vetty and capital of the Northwest on Sports Radio
ninety three point three kJ r FM.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Well less than an hour away for first pitch from
George Kirby. As the Mariners get set to try to
take another series.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
They get a win tonight. They got another series against
you what looked like a hapless Washington team.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
We'll see if they're truly that hapless at the end
of the at the end of the series.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
There but Logan Evans sent down today. It's a big news.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Jackson Cohar brought up from Triple A Tacoma, so they
add another arm to the bullpen. Logan Evans eight strong
an yesterday and uh Dan Wilson meeting with the media
just moments ago from t Mobile Park.
Speaker 9 (31:05):
Game two of the series came to the homestand you know,
looking get off on the right foot last night, no
doubt offensively, Uh, doing a lot of good stuff, you know,
Logan Evans on the hill. Uh just pitched a gym
and and a chance to follow it up tonight, Rossell
move just Announcedand obviously tough decision there with Logan coming
(31:26):
off obviously a great outing last night.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Just kind of what went into that decision.
Speaker 9 (31:29):
Yeah, it's you know, it's always tough and and uh,
you know, especially after he has pitched so well and
and you know, gave us so many you know, strong
innings and strong performances and uh, you know, always a
tough thing to do that. But you know, as we
talked to him, you know, I hope he's garnered a
lot of confidence from from what he has done here
(31:50):
and and uh, you know all the success that he
had and and uh, you know, taking that as as
a as a foundation to continue to build on and
and uh, you know, exciting for him that that he
was able to come up and and uh, you know
make such an impact early and uh, you know, just
looking forward to his continued development as he as he
builds the confidence, how much more eager are you to
(32:11):
see what he can do for you guys down the road,
especially given you know, the promise that he did show
over the past few weeks. Yeah, I mean, I think, uh,
you know, pitching has been a strength here for a
long time, and and you know, he has certainly, you know,
been a guy that has continued to make huge strides,
you know, throughout the minor leagues and throughout his development,
and this was obviously a huge step for him. And yeah,
(32:34):
I mean, I think you know, we all know that
you know, he can he will continue to get better
and better as he as he performs down Intocoma now
and and uh, you know, just looking forward to to
see where he continues to develop.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Coming off the Houston game, George was talking about taking
a few things into his next start, whether it's innings,
whether it's arsenal usage, what interests you in most here
for him tonight?
Speaker 9 (32:57):
Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, getting you know, being
able to broaden the pitch count a little bit will
be a big thing for him. And then you know,
just getting more comfortable. You know, this is his first
outing back after being out for for quite a while,
and just getting more familiarity with being out there today.
You know, you look at you know, just all the
stuff that goes into a start for for a guy,
(33:18):
and and uh, you know, whether it's his arsenal or
or you know, making adjustments to the game plan, whatever
the case may be, just getting more and more comfortable.
And you know, I think, uh, I think we'll see
you know, a different Gervy tonight than we did in Houston.
And because he's just going to you know, have another
uh start behind his belt and more experience and and
more familiarity and comfortability once he gets out there tonight.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
That's Dan Wilson and uh Intrepid KJR reporter Mike Bent
with a question there for for Dan Wilson, guys, I
would go to a six man rotation, but I wouldn't
do it right away.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
Here's what I'm talking about. I'm taking a look at
the schedule.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
You got a day off next Monday, June the second.
You got another day off Thursday, June the twelfth. You've
got another day off Thursday, June the nineteenth, So you've
got plenty of rest days between now and June the nineteenth.
But then starting on June the twentieth, that is when
(34:18):
you start your seventeen consecutive games in a row, which
takes you to July sixth, one week shy of the
All Star Break, and I would have no problem whatsoever
in that seventeen days just to just to not overtax
the guys that have just not pitched a lot this
year and still maybe in kind of like spring training
(34:39):
plus mode, just to throw a Logan Evans once, to
throw at Emerson Hancock once in that mix, and kind
of go into a six man rotation for that stint,
and then hopefully by the All Star break, everybody is all,
you know, fully loaded, ready to go, and then you
can start your regular five mint rotation at the on
the back end, it will start with you, what do
(35:00):
you think of that?
Speaker 7 (35:01):
Well, when when do you get Gilbert back?
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Spot? Miller's first, then Gilbert? So what are we looking at.
We're looking at this homestand for Miller and then probably
the road trip for Gilbert Anders is that where we're looking.
Speaker 8 (35:12):
I think it's more sure thing that it's for sure
that Miller's coming back during this homestand so at some
point in the next week or so, maybe even sooner,
but Gilbert probably maybe two weeks away is what I
would say.
Speaker 6 (35:24):
Yeah, and have they done this recently? Have they gone
periods where they've they've gone to a six man.
Speaker 8 (35:30):
Well, I don't know if they've been a while since
they they haven't.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Had this many injuries where they're you know, they're they're
trying to rehab this many guys in a row.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
But it has been a while.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
There might have been a stretch in twenty twenty one
where they did uh. But yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:43):
The other thing is the pitchers like their routines, and
they like kind of keeping in those routines. And I
know for a fact, especially five kind of dogs like
the Mariners have in their rotation, they don't like having
the extra guy having to wait that extra day before
you're pitching.
Speaker 4 (35:59):
Again.
Speaker 8 (36:00):
I understand if you like have some injury like Christ involved,
but I'm.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Just talking for a short time, just for that seventeen
games and then and then hey, let's your five dogs
eat for the last three months.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
Of the season.
Speaker 8 (36:11):
Yeah, I could see that for sure, because like, if
you have questions, well, we'll see what George Kobe looks
like tonight. He had rust in Game one, but I
don't think he looked injured by any stretch of the imagination.
We'll see what Bryce Miller looks like, how he deals
with his thing that he's been going on. Yeah, and
same thing with Logan Gilbert. I think if all of
those guys are able to come back and look like
they're former versions of themselves, you have to go back
to the five man.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
Well, I'm I'm a little I just want more information
from you Anders because when you say pictures don't.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Like that in general, I should say.
Speaker 6 (36:43):
Right, it's like, okay, what I'm imagining, Okay, you got
if you got six different guys, you know, do all
six of them not like it?
Speaker 4 (36:51):
Sure?
Speaker 7 (36:52):
Is it possible that they in what.
Speaker 6 (36:54):
Regard do they not like it? Is it one of
those Hey, I'm a dog on a bone. I want
want to compete as much as possible, because that's just
I'm just a competitor. But if you, if you, you know,
if you get pushed me to try and reason it
through and you and you press me, does my arm
feel better after six days? I guess I would concede.
(37:16):
But I'm just I'm a competitor and I want to
go every fifth like like like you, you'd have to
define it. Plus I'm not certain that all pitchers think
the same. I know this, you know, as a quarterback,
we don't have the same concerns about arm present preservation
as pictures, but there is some commonality.
Speaker 7 (37:35):
And I would.
Speaker 6 (37:36):
Experience a dead arm in August, you know, every year.
Was usually right around the third preseason game. I could
feel that I just I didn't have as much zip
on the ball, and then and then you just get
it back. And then The other part that I have
experienced with is in lifting weights, and a lot of
people out there would would know there there's a certain Hey,
if you lift too frequently, you're not going to peek out.
Speaker 7 (37:58):
If you rest for too long, you're not gonna peek out.
Speaker 6 (38:01):
There's a there's an ideal amount of rest where you
when you get under that barbelle, you go, man, I
feel really strong right and and and it often has
to do with many factors, but certainly rest is one.
I'm curious where pitchers feel like, WHOA that ball is
jumping out of my hand. I feel great, and and
so if if it's six days rest, then give them
six days rest.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Top of the ar headlines coming up Mike Florio at
six ten on ninety three point three kjr FM,
Now from the Star Rentals Sports TOAs Jordan ninety three
point three JJRFM Sports Headlines.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Sports headlines of five o'clock Live from Jimmy's on first
ahead of Mariner baseball against Washington.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
It was all ms last night, My.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Goodness, nine to one, eight great innings from Logan Evans,
two bombs from Cal Rawley. And what does eight great
innings give you, Logan Evans, It gives you a bus
ticket back to Tacoma. He was optioned back to Triple
A to day. Jackson kar has been brought up by
the way with Jackson Cohr. He of the career two whip.
That's not point two whip, that's two whip, meaning he
(00:38):
allows two base runners every time he has fits in
his Major League Baseball three year career. My Goodness, Mariners
and Nats Game two of three game set tonight. George
Kirby gets his first home start of the year. Kirk
Cousins did not report for the Falcons first day of
OTA yesterday. PGA has eliminated the staggered starting stroke system
(01:00):
from the season ending Tour championship. For the last few years,
the players with the most FedEx Cup points would actually
start with a stroke's advantage over the rest of the field.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
That will not happen.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
In twenty twenty five, Pacers One went away from the
finals after taking Game four last night over the next
Tyres Halliburton, absolutely unbelievable. Thunder hosts the t Wolves tonight,
trying to advance the NBA Finals. They play Game five
of the Western Conference Finals. Let's get to our friend
Larry Stone, presented by the Ram Restaurant.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Right now, It's time for.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Our weekly conversation with legendary sports writer Larry Stone, brought
to you by the Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Bigger, better
and fresher since nineteen seventy one, with eight Fugit Sound
locations from Marysville to Lacey and everywhere in between. There's
a RAM near you. Now with Softy and Dick, here's
Larry Stone.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Larry, I'm guilty is charged of not only going to
the RAM once during Memorial Day weekend.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I went twice during Real Day weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So I have I have absolutely had a great food weekend.
Hopefully you're able to go down there, and we appreciate
the RAM for bringing you every single week to the show.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
How you doing, I'm doing good beautiful day today, baseball
coming up doing great.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It is a great day for baseball, no question about it.
And before we dive deep into this, Hugh, you got
the numbers we were looking for at the end of
last segment for.
Speaker 6 (02:27):
Yeah, yeah, Larry, we were just kind of saying, what
are some of the weakest World Series teams? And I've
got three over the last twenty years that are kind
of conspicuous.
Speaker 7 (02:39):
The twenty twenty one Braves.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
They they won eighty eight games and won a World Series.
The twenty fourteen Giants they won eighty eight as well.
Then that's a five forty three win percentage. And then
the worst in the last twenty years is the two
thousand and six Saint Louis Cardinals. They won only eighty
(03:03):
three that's a five sixteen win percentage. And if you
want to go one more at the turn of this century,
the two thousand Yankees. They only won eighty seven games
in the regular season. So those would be three or
four of the shall we say weakest contenders, yes, and
they would end up winning the World Series.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And Larry, the reason we're bringing that up because I
was kind of bulking at the odds that the Mariners
were sixteen.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
To one to win the World Series.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I was like, wow, that seems like really low odds,
sixteen to one. I would not put my money on
sixteen to one. But then you know, Anders and Hugh
were like, well, you know, it's baseball. You don't have
to be just the juggernaut to win it every single year.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
So he was doing a little research there.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
So you are you optimistic or pessimistic not only on
this team's chances of winning the division but doing some
damage if and when they do get into the playoffs?
Speaker 5 (03:57):
Well, but more so of the latter, Dick, I mean,
how long how many years in a row have we
been saying that all they have to do is get
in and with that pitching they could make a run.
And I mean that's what That's what allows teams with
eighty five wins or whatever to to to make a run.
It's like the hot goalie in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
(04:22):
You ride the pitching and the Mariners has provided these
guys who are hurt come back and are strong, and
there's there's two thirds of the season for them to
get back to where they were. I think this is
most definitely a team that could run the table if
they get in. I think it's a big it's a
bigger issue about whether they're going to get in because
(04:45):
they've shown that they have a history of kind of
fading down the stretch and falling just short. And so
until they proved that that that's not going to be
the case, I think you have those concerns.
Speaker 7 (04:59):
Well, uh in Larry Stone with us. Larry, let's have
some fun with this.
Speaker 6 (05:02):
Let's suppose you get a call from Caesar's palace, all right,
and they say say, look, you know, you know the Mariners,
you know the league, You're you're, you're, you're the foremost
authority on all this.
Speaker 7 (05:15):
Look, Larry, you set the odds.
Speaker 6 (05:19):
Dick just talked about sixteen to one, but the but
you've been given the directive by like, hey, just give
us the odds where we don't lose money. You got
to you got to give us the most probable, the best,
that one one that's most likely.
Speaker 7 (05:33):
And I guess that's slightly different than how it did
invoke betting, but we'll ignore that factory.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
The most likely odds.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
Yeah, you set the right now, on this date, the
chance they win the World Series. If it's not sixteen
to one. In Larry Stone's view, it's.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
What I'd say, it's it's more like twenty to one,
just because you've the field. He's got the field to
contend with, and I it's a little bit of dispoint.
And yeah, and there's so many rounds nowadays too. It
used to be you'd win I'm old enough that you've
won the Pennant and you went right to the World Series,
(06:12):
and then they keep adding layers to it. Now you've
got to win three or four rounds, depending on whether
you get a first round by so I you know,
there's a lot of pitfalls potential along the way. So
I just think it's it's hard to say that any
team has good odds, even the Dodgers, who everyone regards
as the best team in baseball. I don't think, you know,
(06:33):
I think there ares are long too, just because so
many things can go wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So, Larry, they're three games better right now than they
were last year after this number of games, But then
they won seventeen of their next twenty two. This is
when they started again, like right now, like this date, Yeah,
is when they started to get hot, and they went
seventeen and five over a twenty two game stretch, they
got the forty four and thirty one, they're ten games up.
(07:00):
Is is this what you've seen so far a more
sustainable start to the season, or what you saw last
year a more sustainable start to the season.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Honestly, I would have said last year, uh if I
didn't know what was what was coming, because the pitching
just looked so good that I didn't it was It
would have been hard to envision the kind of collapse
that they had after they built that ten game lead.
When you're throwing a quality starter out there every day,
but their their offense was so uh uh inadequate last
(07:35):
year and this year it's probably made it may turn
out to be more sustainable because they have a better offense. Uh.
If it's all gonna to me, it's all going to
swing on just how those guys come back, Kirby Miller
and Gilbert that's gonna that's gonna be the difference maker
for me. Is uh. You know, if if they sustain,
(07:57):
if they keep having arm issues. You know, we've seen
that they have more quality depth I think than we
suspected with Logan Evans and Emerson Hancock. But those are
the guys, those are the horses they need to ride.
So if those guys revert to their old selves, I
think this is sustainable. I do.
Speaker 7 (08:18):
Yeah, Larry with Larry Stone with us, Larry.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
When I came on the show today, you know, knowing
that there'd be three hours and we'd be talking some Mariners.
My strongest Mariner take for today, the twenty eighth of May,
is that the most important thing that happened last night
was not cal Rawly hitting two home runs. We know
that he's capable of doing that. It wasn't Julio going
(08:43):
three for five. We know he's capable of that. The
guy that we learned the most about by far, because
we've seen him the least is Logan Evans. And for
him to face all those lefties and you know, he
like it seemed like he made one mistake, one middle
middle pitch and it got knocked out of the ball park.
But everything else that was in the middle was low.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (09:04):
And other than that, he was on the sides. He
was a backdoor and breaking pitches. He was in on
the hands on breaking pitches, and and given uh, given
the fact that we've seen so little of him, but
how good the Mariners are at finding pictures. Man, if
this guy can be a big league pitcher, Well, that
was a big step forward for him yesterday given the
(09:25):
sample size that he's shown us.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
Yeah, and now he's in Tacoma.
Speaker 6 (09:31):
Yea armas, what's her reaction to all that?
Speaker 5 (09:35):
I agree with you, Hugh, that was that was super impressive.
I mean, he looked like he looked like a seasoned
pitcher out there, a veteran, you know, uh, guy who
knows how to use the stuff. And uh, he was economical.
I about the fourth inning, I started to think he
had a chance to throw to throw. You know what
they call him addox, which is a shutout of one
(09:57):
hundred pitches, a complete game, shut out of a fewer
than one hundred pitches, right, And I don't know if
they have a name for if you do that giving
up one run, but I think he could have done
that if they had left him in there. I think
he had eighty eight pitches through eight, but he was
he was on the borderline of that. I mean, nowadays,
to flirt with one hundred pitch complete game is almost
(10:20):
unheard of, right, and he was just in complete control.
I agree with I agree with your assessment. That was
you know, even though he's not with the team anymore.
I think the comfort of knowing that they have him
in reserve if and when another pitcher goes down is huge.
And you know, not many teams have six or seven
(10:43):
starters like like they appear to, because Emerson Hancock has
been pretty impressive as well, and you have to kind
of wonder if maybe they might be one of them
might be trade bait come the trade deadline. That's a
position of strength, and you know, you use it. They
really have. We talked about this last week, but they
really have the ingredients for making a blockbuster trade. They've
(11:07):
got all this talent down on the farm, They've got
exits starting pitching. They ought to be able to make
any trade they want to come come July or earlier.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Well before we get to the trade deadline.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
There is sevente consecutive games without arrest and so, and
you've got a number of your pitchers that will be
just fresh off the disabled list.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
So what do you do, Larry?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Do you go six man rotation, particularly during that seventeen
game stretch, or do you just say no, we got
five horses. We're gonna put both Emerson Hancock and Logan
Evans back in TRIPAA and just go our with our
five guys and see if we can put together a
similar type run that's seventeen and five run like they
(11:53):
did last year at that time.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Well, Justin Hollander, the general manager, said yesterday that they've
for now they've decided against a six man rotation. It
sure seems like if it was ever going to happen,
this is the time to do it. You've got guys
with arm issues that you maybe want a baby a
little bit and a little extra rest, and you have
(12:16):
a sixth and a seventh. You have guys who look
like they've earned the chance to be in the rotation
one or the other. But Justin said that for a
couple of reasons, One, they don't want to mess with
the established routines of five man rotation, which you know
with days off. Not only if you go to six,
(12:37):
you might end up going to seven or eight days
between starts with days off and stuff that he felt
that was just disruptive. And if you go to a
six man rotation, you are also taking a bullpen arm away,
and they don't like the going short in the bullpen.
You're not allowed to go more than thirteen pitchers by
rule anymore, you can't just say, oh, I'm going to
(12:58):
go with one fewer position player. So I mean that
that's why they're not going to do that. But we'll
see what happens as time goes on these I dare
say that we are going to see either or both
of Evans and uh Hancock again this year in the rotation,
whether you know, by injury or or whatever. I don't
(13:22):
think they're just going to go to Tacoma and and
languish there.
Speaker 7 (13:27):
Where are you on Jorge Polanco? Uh and and where
we are?
Speaker 6 (13:31):
Obviously he's had had a slide, you know, the typical Okay,
this is the regression that we would have anticipated, or Larry,
do you see something else? Just kind of where's your
take at this juncture of the season for him.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Well, I just wonder, Hugh, what the health situation is
with him. I just find it curious that he's still
not facing left handed pitchers. And you know, there was
about three or four span it seemed like where he
was truly switch hitting, you know, after not doing it
for the early part of the season. You know, he
(14:07):
had that that oblique or side injury that they said
was worse when he patted right handed, and then he
stopped doing it again, so obviously it's still bothering. I
just think it's kind of taken him out of his
rhythm a little bit, just you know, not playing every
day and only hitting left handed. Uh, and whatever it was,
(14:27):
the magic that he had the first month of the season.
I mean I was looking at his stats today. He's
he's got ten homers and thirty RBIs, which is, you know,
a pace for nearly thirty homers and undred RBIs. And
he's got almost one hundred fewer plate appearances than Julio
and col. So he did tremendous damage and limited a
(14:48):
fairly limited amount of time. And they need to get
some semblance of that back because he sure seems to
have kind of lost the whatever it was that he
that he had. And I you know, I'm not I
have no idea what it is, honestly, but I just
wonder I can help, but wonder if it's health related
in some way.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Well, Larry, before we let you go, and speaking of
tremendous damage, Uh, there is a backstop for the Seattle.
Speaker 7 (15:15):
Mariners that is doing historic damage.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
And we'd love to get your take not only on
just historic the historic nature of what he's doing at
the catching position vis A Vi Piazza, Pudge, Johnny Bench,
all those guys that we have all seen in the
in the past, but also we were having a little
fun earlier in the show. We're like, where does Col's
(15:38):
peak that we're seeing right now rank as far as
in Mariner history of the greatest Mariner hitters, Like, where
would we rank Col's peak versus the peaks of the Ichirosz, Edgars, Juniors, Buners, Boons, Seegers,
those guys the greatest hitters in Mariner history.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Yeah, well, today happens to be the fifty fourth game
of the year, which is the exact mathematical one third point.
You multiply fifty four by three, get one hundred and
sixty two. So easy mass to take any counting stat
after today's game and multiply it by three, and that's
the pace. So, I mean, with one game to go,
(16:19):
he's got fifty fifty seven homes with fifty seven is
that right? Yeah? Fifty seven plus and one hundred and
eleven RBIs I mean, obviously that would be the greatest
season in Mariner history. But there's still two thirds of
the year to go catchers way down. I don't know
if you could just extrapolate out and say he's going
(16:42):
to keep that pace up for the rest of the year,
but I think it has a very good chance of being,
you know, up there with Griffy's MVP season. Edgar had
a couple of seasons where he should have won the
MVP or could have won the MVP. You know, the
season I think when I think a great Mariner offensive
seasons is a Rod's ninety six breakout season, which was
(17:07):
just incredible. So you know, it has a chance if
that pace is maintained, I think, well, you could put
that one up right up there, but I think you
have to matt match it also against if you mentioned
the great catching seasons of all time, and I'm old
enough to that, there's one guy I think of sort
(17:29):
of on a level above everybody else when I think
of catchers, and it's Johnny Bench. To me, he's the
gold standard at the position, and I mean the numbers
he's on is on a pace to be up there
with the best of Johnny Bench. You know, Bench drove
in one hundred and forty eight runs one year. I
think but he also had Joe Morgan and Pete Rose
(17:52):
and Tony Perez to knock in. So you know, RBIs
are a function in a large part of the team
you have around you. But when you look at slugging
percentage and all that, I think he's right up there
with the best of bench, which is, to me, is
the highest praise that you can give.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
And you mentioned Alex Rodriguez, a rod in ninety six
got to hit on that fast track in the Kingdome,
and then calt Rawley has to languish here at the
worst hitters park in baseball. So that's that's something to
take into consideration as well. Larry, always a pleasure enjoy
watching the game tonight.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
All right, thanks guys, Thanks Larry.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Stone, joining us plenty to get to when we come back.
What are you laughing at.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
When he started going through the Reds lineup?
Speaker 6 (18:39):
You know the Seinfeld episode where they where they say,
you know, there's times shall we say that you want
to think about baseball?
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yes, yes, I do remember that.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
Yes, poor Seinfeld ever even came into existence. My go
to was the Cincinnati Reds lineup. It was Joe Morgan
a second okay president first, uh you know Rosa, the
Griffy's right with the Caesar Geronmo's you know right, and
then oh god, the black bat, who's uh uh shoot
(19:11):
the left fielder.
Speaker 7 (19:12):
I used to have it all down, but I.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
Used to have the line up and and uh it
was just difficult enough for me to really distract.
Speaker 7 (19:22):
It was a good with the big no.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
I was one on.
Speaker 7 (19:27):
Somebody help, We'll get it.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Next coming up on ninety three point three kjr f.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
F casting live from the R and R Foundation Specialist
Broadcast Studio. Now back to Saftie and Dig, powered by
Emerald Queen, Casino, the vetting capital of the Northwest, on
Sports Radio ninety three point three kJ r FF.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Thanks to Larry Stone in the Ram Restaurant and Brewery
for bringing us Larry Stone on a weekly basis. At
five o'clock on Wednesday, we're here at Jimmy's on First
across the street from T Mobile Park, where George Kirby
makes his first home start. We'll hear from Dan Wilson
in the next segment on George Kirby's second overall start,
(20:15):
first start here at home, also his take on what
Logan Evans did yesterday and why they ended up sending
him down. But I do want to I want to
get anders. I want to get your take here on that.
I don't know if it was a basketball debate he
and I were having.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
He was, you know, he was he was mentioning.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
You know, he threw the flowers, right, He threw the
flowers at Tyreesh Halliburton. I think we can throw flowers
at just scores of NBA players today on how they have.
The advancement in versatility and skill level is unbelievable if
you were to just transport somebody from nineteen ninety five
(20:52):
and take him to twenty twenty five. But it's also
a different game. And some people, like you, don't like
the plethor u of threes being shot today versus how
they were shot in the past.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
And you know, my argument to that was, well.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
If it's if it's scoring more points for you, because
you got so many players that can shoot them, the
coaches want to shoot them, but it doesn't necessarily make
for a better product in Hugh's opinion, where do you
kind of stand on all?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
So?
Speaker 8 (21:20):
I guess the question I'm asking in your question is
what are you looking for? Are you looking for a
more entertaining product or are you looking for an easier
way for your team to win, Because I think those
are two different answers.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
I'm looking for both, and I don't see it. I mean, yeah,
I see a problem with when when Boston shoots fifty
threes in a game like they did many many times
off the course of the year, that's not good basketball.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
What I'm seeing.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Personally in this NBA Playoffs has been fabulously entertaining. Yeah
for me, because I look at the skibble level and
I go, my god, look at all these six nine
to seven foot guys that can hit fadeaway jumps with
guys right in their grill.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Yeah, it's unbelievable. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (22:03):
So for me, like I'm a younger guy, and Hugh
talked about kind of his golden era of basketball in
that way, mine would be the twenty tens. I think
the entire decade of the twenty tens, when you got
the Spurs in the first couple of years, then the
emergence of the Warriors, and then their thing with Lebron James,
all the way through the end of the twenty nineteen
(22:24):
season when they had the wonderful series against the Raptors,
and the Raptors ended up winning. There was just I
think that's the perfect marriage between the two styles during
that era. And like full disclosure, Steph Curry is my
favorite player that I've ever seen play basketball. He resembles
as a soccer guy, someone who looks like a soccer
player on a basketball court, just by how much he's
(22:44):
moving everywhere, the grace that he plays with. It's so
crazy to me. And I loved watching him play. But
I feel like what he did to the game and
revolutionizing it has made everyone kind of lean towards that
part of the game and look more in the statistical like, oh,
let's just jack up a bunch of threes. So I
can see where Hugh feels like. It's it's not the
(23:07):
most entertaining watch anymore because it was weird. Like I said,
during that twenty tens, like ten year period, you were
getting elite defense, you were getting great shot making, you
were getting ball movement.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
KD wasn't just a jack up three guy. He was
the mid range king.
Speaker 8 (23:24):
Like, it wasn't just these three points and layups and
dunks every single time.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
So right, and I want you to finish though, but
you know, what what the old guard was saying in
twenty fifteen, This basketball sucks. It's true, that's what the
old guard was saying. You're talking about an era that
you think is better than this, and the old guard,
the eighties guard, the nineties guard was saying, Oh, that
basketball that you're talking about right now as being the
perfect marriage.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
They're like, oh, it sucks. It's not as good as
in nineteen eighty eight.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Well, and I would just say it's not binary for me,
like it's either great basketball or it sucks. It's very
shades two hundred and fifty six shades of gray. And
for me, we don't have time to go through two
fifty six. But let's just say on a scale of
one to ten, the entertainment for me, you know, I
would say, you know, seven, eight, like it's pretty high
(24:10):
because basketball is a great game, and these are beautiful athletes,
unbelievable other than Carl Anthony Towns, that guy, there's no
beauty in his game whatsoever. But everybody else, you know,
the other nineteen starters and backups, reserves that are remaining
on the on the final four, I think are tremendous.
(24:31):
So yes, the skill set and some may not have
heard it, but you had seventy eight threes in just
the game alone, the last Oklahoma City game seventy eight
by two teams. The greatest series I've ever seen, the
eighty four Celtics Lakers series had forty two in seven games.
That's obviously six per game. There's a big difference between
(24:52):
six and seventy eight. So spread your arms is why
as they can go as why does you can reach them?
One is six on threes per game? One is seventy
eight threes per game. To me, it's it's it's not
I'm not saying it should be six, but it seems
like a horse contest. When it's seventy eight threes. It's
just like kick it out for somebody to play horse, like,
(25:13):
oh okay, behind the line, you know, call it out,
so and and yeah there was comebacks before when you know,
as long as we've had the three, we've had the
potential for great comeback.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
So I think you just had you had you just
had fewer players. Actually you had any storeic comeback the
other night.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
We've had multiple then this play.
Speaker 6 (25:35):
Yeah, yeah, we've had this has been a year now
was it last year? And the year before and the
year before, so the potential has been there. I would
just say the two issues again and again, I'm entertained,
but I would be more entertained by less threes, and
I'd be more entertained by more defensive resolve.
Speaker 7 (25:53):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
One twenty six when I'm taking my TV and I'm
pausing after I see a land and I could somebody
have come off their man and contested that shot? And
I think I believe the answer is yes. And there's
only one guy on on Minnesota with four fouls. Everybody
else is three or less. Like to me, I the
basketball that I loved, it's like, hey, the playoff basketball,
(26:16):
You're gonna have to earn it.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
So what's the reasoning behind it?
Speaker 5 (26:19):
To be?
Speaker 6 (26:19):
It had to job in the lane? You know what
send the guys to the free throw a million times?
But I just thought the LANs came too easy, Like dude,
they're like what call time out?
Speaker 7 (26:29):
Say? So what's the f LANs?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So what's the reason.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
There has to be a reason, because I honestly do
not believe that players are less tough now than they
were thirty years ago. I think it's a preposterous assertion.
That the players are less tough now than they were
thirty years ago.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
What is the reason then?
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Is it because they don't want to get on viral
Twitter instantaneously as soon as they get posterized. That didn't
happen thirty years ago they called it posterized. You know
how long it took to get a poster from a
picture actually up onto somebody's wall.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
It took months. Now it takes seconds and you're on
everybody's phone. Is it?
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (27:04):
That?
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Because Hey, we're just gonna go down and hit a
three and a race that dunk anyway, I'm not gonna
go challenge that.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
I mean, what is the reasoning behind it?
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Do you think, well, there's the obvious I don't want
to get in foul trouble, right, he could start with that.
But I think it is just slowly crept into the
culture where the coach is back back in a in
another generation where there was a no layups mentality. If
you didn't see a real resolve to step up and
(27:33):
contest a freaking laying there or a dunk, that coach
was calling time out and saying, hey, this is unacceptable.
So there was a it's just an acceptance. So to me,
it's like the coaches accepted, the players accepted, and then
the next scene, you know, you look up and it's
one six. It's still a hell of the game. There's
still incredibly beautiful athletes, and because of basketball. Even when
(27:56):
basketball is bad, it's good because basketball is a really
good sport. And when you when when you've got these
high stakes, but I just expect.
Speaker 7 (28:04):
More defensive resolve.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
Was at times at double digits double And then you said,
wait a minute, okay, Millan, you don't like the three
and you don't like the lands, Like, what the hell
do you like? I'm just gonna say that I saw simultaney.
Here's the facts. I saw seventy eight three three point
shots in one game. I saw one hundred and twenty
eight for one team, one twenty six for another. That's
(28:29):
not defense. And I saw weight and I saw nobody
in foul trouble. So those are three facts that that
you're gonna have to reconcile to me. And again, don't
I don't think that I'm I'm from a point of oh,
this game sucks. It used to be great, now it sucks. No,
I'm just saying it's not as good as it was
for the reasons I thought, in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
I can reconcile the last two one. There were no
fouls being called. That's why nobody was in foul trouble.
That's I mean, they were hand checking all the reason.
That's not your there. If you were watching that tape,
you're a coach. If you were watching that tape and
you had to write a nutch to take a pen
in a blank sheet of paper and do a notch,
and you know, like when you get to five and
you got it, the fifth one is the line through.
(29:11):
Just not every time you say there was a laying
or a dunk that could have been contested by a
nearby defender that wasn't with vigor, you would be into
well into double digits, pushing twenty or more like two
dozen or more like way too many just give them
the rim for what for conference final basketball?
Speaker 7 (29:36):
Way too too little resolved to protect the rim.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Okay, And I I was looking primarily more like the
defense on the perimeter, the hand checking that was allowed,
the defense on picking rolls. I mean, I thought it
was fabulous because I thought most shots were challenged to
the nth degree. But the shot making in that game
was so unbelievable that guys were just knocking it down.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Guys, yeah, all over them.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
So what we'll agree to disagree on that, we won't
disagree that the fact that Dan Wilson is coming up
right after this on ninety three point three KJRFF.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Casting live from the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio.
Now back to Safie and Dick powered by Emerald Queen Casino,
the Vetty and capital of the Northwest on Sports Radio
ninety three point three kJ r FM.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Well less than an hour away for first pitch from
George Kirby. As the Mariners get set to try to
take another series.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
They get a win tonight. They got another series against
you what looked like a hapless Washington team.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
We'll see if they're truly that hapless at the end
of the at the end of the series.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
There but Logan Evans sent down today. It's a big news.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Jackson Cohar brought up from Triple A Tacoma, so they
add another arm to the bullpen. Logan Evans eight strong
an yesterday and uh Dan Wilson meeting with the media
just moments ago from t Mobile Park.
Speaker 9 (31:05):
Game two of the series came to the homestand you know,
looking get off on the right foot last night, no
doubt offensively, Uh, doing a lot of good stuff, you know,
Logan Evans on the hill. Uh just pitched a gym
and and a chance to follow it up tonight, Rossell
move just Announcedand obviously tough decision there with Logan coming
(31:26):
off obviously a great outing last night.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Just kind of what went into that decision.
Speaker 9 (31:29):
Yeah, it's you know, it's always tough and and uh,
you know, especially after he has pitched so well and
and you know, gave us so many you know, strong
innings and strong performances and uh, you know, always a
tough thing to do that. But you know, as we
talked to him, you know, I hope he's garnered a
lot of confidence from from what he has done here
(31:50):
and and uh, you know all the success that he
had and and uh, you know, taking that as as
a as a foundation to continue to build on and
and uh, you know, exciting for him that that he
was able to come up and and uh, you know
make such an impact early and uh, you know, just
looking forward to his continued development as he as he
builds the confidence, how much more eager are you to
(32:11):
see what he can do for you guys down the road,
especially given you know, the promise that he did show
over the past few weeks. Yeah, I mean, I think, uh,
you know, pitching has been a strength here for a
long time, and and you know, he has certainly, you know,
been a guy that has continued to make huge strides,
you know, throughout the minor leagues and throughout his development,
and this was obviously a huge step for him. And yeah,
(32:34):
I mean, I think you know, we all know that
you know, he can he will continue to get better
and better as he as he performs down Intocoma now
and and uh, you know, just looking forward to to
see where he continues to develop.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Coming off the Houston game, George was talking about taking
a few things into his next start, whether it's innings,
whether it's arsenal usage, what interests you in most here
for him tonight?
Speaker 9 (32:57):
Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, getting you know, being
able to broaden the pitch count a little bit will
be a big thing for him. And then you know,
just getting more comfortable. You know, this is his first
outing back after being out for for quite a while,
and just getting more familiarity with being out there today.
You know, you look at you know, just all the
stuff that goes into a start for for a guy,
(33:18):
and and uh, you know, whether it's his arsenal or
or you know, making adjustments to the game plan, whatever
the case may be, just getting more and more comfortable.
And you know, I think, uh, I think we'll see
you know, a different Gervy tonight than we did in Houston.
And because he's just going to you know, have another
uh start behind his belt and more experience and and
more familiarity and comfortability once he gets out there tonight.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
That's Dan Wilson and uh Intrepid KJR reporter Mike Bent
with a question there for for Dan Wilson, guys, I
would go to a six man rotation, but I wouldn't
do it right away.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
Here's what I'm talking about. I'm taking a look at
the schedule.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
You got a day off next Monday, June the second.
You got another day off Thursday, June the twelfth. You've
got another day off Thursday, June the nineteenth, So you've
got plenty of rest days between now and June the nineteenth.
But then starting on June the twentieth, that is when
(34:18):
you start your seventeen consecutive games in a row, which
takes you to July sixth, one week shy of the
All Star Break, and I would have no problem whatsoever
in that seventeen days just to just to not overtax
the guys that have just not pitched a lot this
year and still maybe in kind of like spring training
(34:39):
plus mode, just to throw a Logan Evans once, to
throw at Emerson Hancock once in that mix, and kind
of go into a six man rotation for that stint,
and then hopefully by the All Star break, everybody is all,
you know, fully loaded, ready to go, and then you
can start your regular five mint rotation at the on
the back end, it will start with you, what do
(35:00):
you think of that?
Speaker 7 (35:01):
Well, when when do you get Gilbert back?
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Spot? Miller's first, then Gilbert? So what are we looking at.
We're looking at this homestand for Miller and then probably
the road trip for Gilbert Anders is that where we're looking.
Speaker 8 (35:12):
I think it's more sure thing that it's for sure
that Miller's coming back during this homestand so at some
point in the next week or so, maybe even sooner,
but Gilbert probably maybe two weeks away is what I
would say.
Speaker 6 (35:24):
Yeah, and have they done this recently? Have they gone
periods where they've they've gone to a six man.
Speaker 8 (35:30):
Well, I don't know if they've been a while since
they they haven't.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Had this many injuries where they're you know, they're they're
trying to rehab this many guys in a row.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
But it has been a while.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
There might have been a stretch in twenty twenty one
where they did uh. But yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:43):
The other thing is the pitchers like their routines, and
they like kind of keeping in those routines. And I
know for a fact, especially five kind of dogs like
the Mariners have in their rotation, they don't like having
the extra guy having to wait that extra day before
you're pitching.
Speaker 4 (35:59):
Again.
Speaker 8 (36:00):
I understand if you like have some injury like Christ involved,
but I'm.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Just talking for a short time, just for that seventeen
games and then and then hey, let's your five dogs
eat for the last three months.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
Of the season.
Speaker 8 (36:11):
Yeah, I could see that for sure, because like, if
you have questions, well, we'll see what George Kobe looks
like tonight. He had rust in Game one, but I
don't think he looked injured by any stretch of the imagination.
We'll see what Bryce Miller looks like, how he deals
with his thing that he's been going on. Yeah, and
same thing with Logan Gilbert. I think if all of
those guys are able to come back and look like
they're former versions of themselves, you have to go back
to the five man.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
Well, I'm I'm a little I just want more information
from you Anders because when you say pictures don't.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Like that in general, I should say.
Speaker 6 (36:43):
Right, it's like, okay, what I'm imagining, Okay, you got
if you got six different guys, you know, do all
six of them not like it?
Speaker 4 (36:51):
Sure?
Speaker 7 (36:52):
Is it possible that they in what.
Speaker 6 (36:54):
Regard do they not like it? Is it one of
those Hey, I'm a dog on a bone. I want
want to compete as much as possible, because that's just
I'm just a competitor. But if you, if you, you know,
if you get pushed me to try and reason it
through and you and you press me, does my arm
feel better after six days? I guess I would concede.
(37:16):
But I'm just I'm a competitor and I want to
go every fifth like like like you, you'd have to
define it. Plus I'm not certain that all pitchers think
the same. I know this, you know, as a quarterback,
we don't have the same concerns about arm present preservation
as pictures, but there is some commonality.
Speaker 7 (37:35):
And I would.
Speaker 6 (37:36):
Experience a dead arm in August, you know, every year.
Was usually right around the third preseason game. I could
feel that I just I didn't have as much zip
on the ball, and then and then you just get
it back. And then The other part that I have
experienced with is in lifting weights, and a lot of
people out there would would know there there's a certain Hey,
if you lift too frequently, you're not going to peek out.
Speaker 7 (37:58):
If you rest for too long, you're not gonna peek out.
Speaker 6 (38:01):
There's a there's an ideal amount of rest where you
when you get under that barbelle, you go, man, I
feel really strong right and and and it often has
to do with many factors, but certainly rest is one.
I'm curious where pitchers feel like, WHOA that ball is
jumping out of my hand. I feel great, and and
so if if it's six days rest, then give them
six days rest.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Top of the ar headlines coming up Mike Florio at
six ten on ninety three point three kjr FM,
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com