November 19, 2025 • 28 mins
In the second hour, Dave Softy Mahler chats with Petros Papadakis about the Trojans v Ducks game this week, Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, and UCLA’s situation and facing UW, then Dick Fain rejoins as they listen to Jerry Dipoto’s visit with Chuck and Bucky today.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for our weekly conversation with college football analysts.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Petros papaenikas that I'm a smart guy, I'm stupid.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Brought to you by Sweet James Accident Attorneys.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Forty one years.
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Speaker 4 (00:35):
Was a girls.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Here we go on a busy Wednesday afternoon right here
on ninety three three KJRFM. And it's our pleasure, our
honor hashtag blest as the kids like to say every
single Wednesday at this time, to welcome in one of
the founding fathers with sports talk radio in this country,
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(00:58):
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around great guy and what incredible husband and father, My
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(01:21):
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Speaker 4 (01:39):
Hello softy, what's going on down there?
Speaker 5 (01:41):
Man?
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Has to be exciting. Lebron's on the way back.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
USC's got a big game against the Ducks this Saturday.
You gotta be just a swimming in sports talk radio
topics until.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
You choke on him.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Man, Come on, I guess that is a big game
USC versus Oregon, probably the biggest game since the PAC
twelfth championship game that would have put him in a
fourteen playoff?
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Was that the Utah game a couple of years ago?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Right?
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Yeah, I got it.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
So we'll see what happens. They do not love the
way they are on the road. They lost to Notre
Dame on the road, as you know. They got beaten
by Illinois on the road, as you know, And they
probably would have lost to Nebraska if they didn't knock
the quarterback out in Lincoln, as you know, So this
(02:34):
team going up to Ottson Stadium seems like a pretty
tall order. But here you are in November, late November,
and the Trojans are still playing meaningful games in regards
to the college Football Playoff, so you have to say
that they are a vastly improved team. It still looks
(02:54):
like they don't practice nine on seven, but at the
same time, they have some unguardable receivers in Lemon and Lane,
and you could probably make an argument that Jade and
Mayava is college football's most improved player from last year
to this year, at least the most visible improved player.
So give them credit. Give Lincoln Riley credit. I hope
(03:17):
that the team's good enough for him to take another job.
So you are rooting for them to win the game
on Saturday because you believe it could potentially be I
didn't say that, okay, but yeah, I think the better
Lincoln Riley does, the more opportunities are going to open
for more people and the world will keep on turning.
(03:40):
Is it Lincoln Riley the coach or Lincoln Riley the
person or a combination of both that you can't stand.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Well, I wouldn't say I can't stand him. I just
don't think.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
But you know, I didn't think this is going on
a long time, like I didn't think I didn't think
that Lincoln excuse me, I didn't think that Lane Kiffen
was a fit when he was high hired when Pete
Carroll left. He hired somebody who was a big part
of the lack of institutional control, or at least he
(04:09):
was there while all of it was happening. And then
you bring him back as the coach after Pete Carroll
leaves and you get the sanctions, then the sark thing.
You know, I didn't think that was a great fit.
And obviously both of those things imploded in their time.
And I never thought Clay Helton was right for the job,
as you know. And I thought Lincoln Riley was going
(04:29):
to save USC with the way they ran the ball
when he was in Oklahoma, but that hasn't really been
their identity. So I mean, you could say that I
don't like anything, because it's fair. It's been it's been
over sixteen years that I've not been happy with what
they're doing. I mean, I like ed Ojeron and he
(04:50):
didn't get the job because Pat Ayden couldn't golf with him.
So and you know, within that time, we've also had
the Varsity Blues scandal, amongst many other things at the USC,
and it's it's been a disheartening time. But you can
say you're never happy with anybody and be pretty accurate.
(05:11):
I was gonna say a long time, is there anybody
down there that you're happy with at all?
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I mean, do you approve the job that Jen Cohen's doing?
For example? Down there? Well, I don't like the way
they're handling the Notre Dame thing. Okay, yeah, you've made
I think they.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Should play the Notre Dame game when it's supposed to
be played and like it's been played for the last
fifty years.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
So I like Jen Cohen.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I hope she hires Kaylin debor that he doesn't like
Alabama so much that he comes to USC. Do you
think that'll happen? No? No, no, no.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Oh geez, hit the wrong button. Sorry damn. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Well, I got a text from my buddy yesterday down
in Tuscaloosa who says he's on the short list for
the Penn State job. I was like, I don't think
he's gonna take Penn stay. I don't think Kalin's going anywhere.
I think he's gonna stay right there in Tuscaloosa. Try
to figure it out. Probably, they're not bad at all,
and I think they've improved a lot this year as well.
Oklahoma's got their number. But it will be a very
(06:12):
interesting carousel because there's so many jobs and there's not
as many coaches. There's probably a lot of coordinators that
are gonna get hired, and you can catch lightning in
a bottle with one of those guys. But anyway, we'll
see how it all shakes out, Softy, there is a
lot going on. Yeah, the USC Organ game is a
big deal. It kind of feels like the aftermath down
here still though, because of the Dodgers championship. It still
(06:36):
kind of feels like everybody's trying to get their bearings
to a certain degree.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
But yeah, there's half things happening. Yeah, Well, Lebron's back
under your jacked up for that. Yeah, no, I'm not.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Okay, you got to pick one. Only one can leave town,
Lebron or Lincoln Riley. Well, there's a shelf life on Lebron, Right,
he can't play forever?
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Well, maybe he maybe he'll try Lincoln O'Reilly.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Lincoln Riley would be easier because that guy could end
up being there fifteen years. Lebron's like forty or forty
years old now or thirty nine? H Yeah, I don't right, right, right?
But you but you would rather see Lincoln Riley move
on than Lebron James as soon as possible.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Is that fair to say? I don't know. That's a
great question.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Try to figure out which one you despise more, is
my point.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
I don't think either of them are a great fit
in Los Angeles. Hey, speaking of that, by the way,
great fit.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Did you see the latest on this Sam Levitt guy
at Arizona State. Yeah, he's a quarterback from the Oregon area.
He was originally at Michigan State. He is at Arizona State.
He had a great year last year and was doing
well this year. But he's hurt now, yeah, and he's
looking to move on. They might be looking.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
He's looking to move on like now, like he shot
himself now out for the year, right, Yeah, but he's
got his people looking for a new home for him,
like today. I mean he's not playing, the season's not
even over.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
His teammates are going out there busting their rump and
this guy's going out there looking for a new gig.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Yeah, and what are we doing?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
This is what we are now, this is who we are.
I mean, all these coaches got fired in September. Why
because somebody's out there shopping that job, and that the
coaches aren't very different than the players anymore, because everybody
has a number next to their name, and it's a
product of the situation. I think Levitt's a great player.
(08:37):
I don't know him as a kid, but he seemed
like a great competitor and a great teammate and all
of those things. Kenny, obviously Dillingham has a good thing
going in the in the Valley of the Sun.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
And it's kind.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Of weird the report that comes out about it, because
you have to imagine whether or not we hear about it.
A lot of this stuff happening behind the scenes twenty
four to seven with the transfer portal and players and
whoever their representation or family members are. This probably is
not something super unique, So yes, it's unsavory. Nobody likes
(09:16):
the taste in their mouth because the way that we
are sort of raised is college football in November is
when you gain your biggest points. It's when you strive
toward a championship, or to become eligible for a bowl game,
or to finish your season strong if things have been
(09:38):
a disappointment, or when your rivalry game. I mean, there's
all of those elements that come along with the sport
in November. So to hear somebody shopping around in November,
it's not a good feeling. But at the same time,
I think we can blame the widening playoff for this.
The coaches all get fired because it looks like if
you're not going to win the playoff, then we might
(09:58):
as well, and we want to get rid of this guy.
We can get somebody to pay him off and get
a leg up on the coaching carousel and start our
search committee and all of that stuff that that happens now.
And if your team's not going to the college playoff
or you're out for the year or something like that.
From the player's perspective, it's going to be similar. Guys
are going to try to move on early.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Well.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Petros Papadakas, who would never leave us, He's never trying
to move on, at least as far as I know,
with us on the radio program courtesy of Sweet James
every single Wednesday on the show, how about your guy,
Pete Carroll down there in Vegas. I'm so sorry for
US two and eight and that people think the old
man has just lost it, that the NFL has passed
him by, and this is going to be a total
(10:41):
disaster and he will have He's got no shot of
climbing out of his hole he's created. You think he
regrets any of this at all? And I don't know,
how do you see him turning this around?
Speaker 4 (10:51):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I mean, it's a little bit of a black mark
on his legacy, which has been pristine other than the
USC sanctions best So he cheated. So what, He's had
a great run at USC and then a great run,
a legendary run at USC and Seattle and ended up
getting fired in Seattle after having to move coordinators and
fire his son and all that different stuff.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
But that's pro football.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
And I think it's interesting Gino Smith wasn't good enough
for Pete to keep his job in Seattle, right, but
suddenly you signed that guy like he got you fired.
At your last job, and now he's older.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Why would he Why would he do that?
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I don't know, question, I don't, honestly, I don't know.
I think that I don't know. I don't know if
they're going to give him another year. I certainly don't
know about Chip Kelly, who's getting paid so much money
six and they're offensively INAPTU. There's always a lot of
blame to go around in these situations, but it starts
(11:58):
usually with the coordinators and the head coat, and that's
Pete Carroll and Tom Brady's floating around there. Who knows
what he thinks about it. But they're not good and
it doesn't seem like a good situation. And I wouldn't
be surprised if it comes to an end. And then
I'd be surprised if somebody else hires Pete. But is
(12:18):
he going to stay another year? I mean, you know
pro football better than I do. I think he stays
another year.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
All right, Well, then good luck to him. I hope
you improve. Yeah, you're just dripping with sincerity. By the way, No,
I like the Raiders. I don't. I don't, really, Well,
who cares about the Raiders?
Speaker 2 (12:34):
It's I'm talking I'm not asking about the Raiders because
of the Raiders. I'm asking because about Pete Carroll. Clearly, well,
I don't root for him to fail. Sure, he's had
success everywhere he's gone. Well, well that's responded be very
But you're frustrated to begin with. You hate everything us
he's done for twenty years. Well f you say things
(12:56):
like can't stand and hate and you use all these.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Eph in his you know, okay, okay, then you do
you not? Are you? I'm not thrilled with this situation.
Not accurate?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Uh petros is with us? How about what's going on
down at UC? Honestly, I've been USC has been so
mal uhh, such a such a h messed up place
for so long that I wouldn't even know what to
do if they were functional. Right here, they are on
the brink, the brink of the college football playoff, and
(13:32):
you could you could fool me.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
I don't know what's going on. Well, it's like it's
like when the Mariners, you know, who have never made
the World Series, as you know, partially because of that
stupid home run that you kept shoving down our throat
three weeks ago, which I haven't gotten over that yet
not like it didn't happen. Okay, fine, yeah, I'm just
choosing to ignore it.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
They they went at the deadline and they got a
couple of big bats, and you know, they did what
all of us finally wanted them to do, and nobody
knew how to respond. What I'd feel like that if
USC hired Matt Ants, you know, from Fresno or Talon
de boor or somebody like that, I wouldn't know how
to handle it.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
You'd be excited. The kind of felt that way when
they hired Jen.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Cohen UWCLA Saturday from the Rose Bull could be the
last time the Husky's ever played a regular season game
down there, Because this is this so fight thing happening.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
What's the deal man, Yeah, it looks like.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
It, but it looks like they're gonna have to pay
to get out of it, right, And it just I mean,
I think it's hard for people to understand, especially in Seattle,
let alone down here. People are just stupid if they
but this was a big story and people are paying
attention to this even though nobody goes to UCLA football anymore.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
So why is it hard to understand?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Because I think it's hard for people to understand why
you'd want to play indoors in southern California.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Well, but they've been bitching about the Rose Bull.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
For decades that it doesn't work. It worked under Jim Mora.
They were still putting sixty thousand in there. You know
what they need to do. They need to play their
biggest games at the Rose Bowl two or three times
a year, twice a year, USC and Ohio State or something,
and then they need to build something on campus like
UCF has or like Houston has.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
But you said they would never do that.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
They can't because of the homeowners in bel Air, the
Hoa's and their lawyer up the Sunset Boulevard on top
of UCLA campus and Westwood flows down from there, and
they tried it in the sixties and there was a
huge problem. And it's not like it's an everyday thing.
It would be like six events or four events, five events.
(15:35):
But it's just I guess it's a non starter in
West la which is a mess, and UCLA, let alone,
is such a bureaucratic mess. I mean, you need a
bunch of signatures just to get a new pencil sharpener.
We talk about this all the time. It frustrated the
hell out of your friend Jim Mora. So it's really
a problem without a solution. The deal at the Rose Bowl,
(15:58):
apparently for UCLA not a good deal. They don't get
pieces of the concessions that they like or parking or
so on and so forth. And apparently the deal at
SOFI is better to the degree that they're going to
have to pay sixty million dollars or something to get
out of the Rose Bowl deal and to go to
the Sofi deal. But it doesn't solve their problem of
(16:20):
being swallowed up by a bigger stadium. It doesn't solve
their problem of kids not wanting to commute to the
game because the four h five sucks. Even if you
are a few miles closer in the other direction. It's
actually worse in the other direction. There's just not there's
not a Yes, it's a more modern stadium, but it's indoors.
It's not exactly a place people love. Parking sucks there too,
(16:43):
as you know. And the whole thing is.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Just a mess.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
And it kind of smacks of corporate people at the
top of UCLA and corporate people at the top of
SOFI trying to fix their problem but it's not really
fixing their problem. Yeah, well it could be a sad
day Saturday because I love the Rose Boy, I love
going there. I love going there for the Rose Bowl
and for the UCLA games, and with the college football
playoff and the way this whole thing is set up.
(17:09):
Who knows the next time you double got a shot
to play there. But we got to deal with Nico.
I think he's playing. I know we missed last weekend
with a concussion. I think he's gonna go on Saturday.
Nico ia'ma Leavava malayava quarterback for UCLA. I mean, U
dub is a big favorite. Should they be on upset
(17:30):
alert with this Nico kid coming back Saturday?
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Probably?
Speaker 2 (17:34):
I mean, Nico's a good player, and he's played well
this year. The way the year started and the way
the Tennessee people got all over him, He's definitely the
best player on their team and they haven't done that
great of a job playing around him. And the Jerry
Neuheisel we Love You story is over and all that,
but we got we all got something out of it.
(17:56):
But football last days sure was Washington's gonna have. It's
a last game at the Rose Bowl and all that,
and that's going to be emotional. Washington is going to
have their own letdown issues to deal with because their
bubble was burst in camp Randall, Oh, no, you should
(18:16):
see the job they did against Purdue last Saturday, the
mighty Boilermakers. Well, I know, but put that behind them
and they focused up and they drilled those bastards.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Well, I wouldn't call them bastards. We don't know their lineage,
but bastards.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
But it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
I mean, I know they bounced back last week, but
we'll see how it plays out in the Rose Bowl.
It's a road game in a big, old stadium. There'll
be some emotion involved. I expect Washington to win. They're
the better team, they have a better identity. They top
to bottom are a lot better and improved from last year.
(18:54):
Ucla is not quite that. But it's a road game.
There's some emotion and and Nico is a really good player.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Do you think we'll see.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Fish will be extra motivated to put a whooping on
Ucla to show what he can do. I think Jedfish
is extra motivated to show what he can do all
the time, because he really wants people to know that
just because he was a tennis player not a football player,
he still has this figured out.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
That's my feeling.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Oh god, he's coming back next year, don't you think?
Speaker 4 (19:31):
I don't know?
Speaker 2 (19:32):
I mean again, I don't know. I don't know what
any of these guys are doing. I mean, it'll be
very interesting to see the way this whole thing rolls.
We'll have a lot of conversations about it, hopefully as
the weeks go on. But I really don't know where
the thing starts or where it stops. All I know
is there's a lot of conversations going on with c
AA and Sexton and people behind the scenes. There's a
(19:55):
lot of chirping doing. Yeah, all right, enjoy the return
of lebron A couple of days away Utah in.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
Salt Lake City. Was back yesterday? Oh he played yesterday? Okay,
yeah last night? Right? Yea, yeah, yeah? Six win. Wait
to stay on the story. You know what up? Yours
one for me and go for yourself? Wow? Okay? Yeah, Well,
good luck with your last game ever in the Rose Bowl.
(20:23):
See it man. Petros Popanaka is with us.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
We're gonna break a lot more to get to, including
Kevin Harlan. Yeah at five coming up on ninety three
three KJRFM from.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
The R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now back
to Softi and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ r FL.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
All right, you may have heard this morning Jerry Depoto,
president of Baseball Operations, was on with Chucking Bock.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
I did.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
As a matter of fact, I sat there listen to
it with my coffee in hand.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I was highly entertained. Well, I have not heard it yet.
I'll be the j if he was entertaining or not.
Here is a good five minutes. Bucky Jacobson starting a
conversation off with Jetty talking about how the Nailor extension
came together.
Speaker 6 (21:10):
How long were you guys working on this? How close
was it up until we actually got the news yesterday
the day before.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
You know, we've been something on our minds since before
we even acquired Josh. You know, as we were going
through the discussions with Arizona to make that deal, we
always talk about, you know, how we can govern the
long term, and this was something we were interested in.
And then you know, Lo and behold, he played even
better and we could have hoped. And you know, the
(21:39):
rare all star hitter who thrives in our ballpark and
just loves hitting there, and and and it shows. So
you know, shortly after the series ended in Toronto, we
we got together with Josh's representatives and and started working
through the details on a contract, made an offer, got
on a plane, went down and visited with with Josh
(22:02):
and his family and walked him through kind of what
we do. You know, he wasn't with us throughout, you know,
like so many of our guys, you know, Cal Julio,
George Logan, et cetera. Josh joined us in July, so
we walked him through what we do, how we got here.
I think he had a pretty good sense for who
we were from the time we all spent together, and
(22:25):
he had a natural comfort and from there it came together.
Kai didn't take two weeks or thereabout to get from
beginning to end, which I think speaks to first how
aggressive we were and how much he wanted to be here.
And it was a pretty good intersection.
Speaker 7 (22:40):
I know a lot of people think that, I mean,
you've announced it that our priorities is try to keep
some of the guys that are our own that are
entering into free agency. I've been operating under the belief
that that's probably Naylor and then Polonco or Suarez, but
justin kind of said yesterday that maybe it's Polanco and Suarez.
(23:02):
I mean, what kind of chance are you going to
give us that all three of those guys will be
back in Mariner uniforms next year.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
Well, a lot has to go right, you know, frankly
for that to happen, and you know, including markets and
trends and forces working in our favor. But we would
love them all to be back. And you know, at
various stages in our season, each one of those guys
you could prop up as a hero. Again, a lot
of things would have to go right for us to
(23:29):
keep the whole band together. But we're going to do
our best to make sure well, just to make sure
we continue to grow and get better as a team,
regardless of whod blocks in the door next Yeah.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
Well, I mean I think that's that's great to hear.
I think all Mariner fans are wanting you to grow
from where you're at last year, right, not just try
to stand patent is the idea to continue to move
forward in the way of spending or is it trying
to stay the same or is it trying to be
creative and move some things around.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
You know, we've been we've been moving forward for years.
I think we may not move forward at a pace
that that pleases every fan or listener, but we've grown
our payroll and that's impossible season, Yeah, it really is.
Speaker 7 (24:12):
They don't spend enough money.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
I'm guessing we're going to come just a little shy
of the Dodgers. But you know, we'll continue to grow
our payroll. It's it's what we do. And you know
we've and part of that is when you have you know,
good young players who are growing, they're in the arbitration system,
you know, obviously bringing in a free agent of Josh's status,
and we plan on continuing to play in the free
(24:36):
agent market and fill some some voids. But you know,
from a team building perspective, you know, I said at
the end of the season, our starting point for twenty
twenty six is where we finished twenty five, and we
finished twenty five with you know, the highest or second
highest payroll and the history of the franchise, depending on
where you put, uh, you know, the last dollar. It's
(24:58):
it's very close. But you know, we are growing, we
are aggressive, we are looking to get better. We'd like
to add at least another bat to that lineup, and
we really want to beef up the bullpen and add
to the middle and even the leverage arm if the
possibility exists, and whether that's free agency, trade, whatever, we're
we're just looking to add the best players we can.
Speaker 7 (25:19):
When you spend eighteen and a half million on one
player and you're also talking about trying to keep Polanco
and or Suarez as well, boy, that money that really
gets burned up rather quickly. So I wanted to isolate
the part of Bucky's question about whether or not you
feel like you might have to move some money around,
(25:41):
move a salary out in order to create some of
that leverage to add to the team.
Speaker 5 (25:48):
I mean, it guess it depends what we're adding. You know,
we're always open to any type of thought, but you know,
the idea of bringing the team back in some form
to what the twenty five team looks like moving players
off kind of defeats that purpose. So we're very comfortable
with the level of talent that exists.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
On our team.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
I think, as we sit here in the middle of November,
I do believe we're one of the most complete or
most talented teams in the American League. So pulling away
from that team would kind of defeat the purpose.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Well, I'm glad to hear that, right, I mean, why
go away from something that kind of worked last year?
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Right?
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Why don't you tweak it a little bit and give
yourself more spins at the roulette table to win that
Game seven and get to the World Series. But you know,
he was asked about Polanco, Gino, and Naylor all coming back,
which I'm fine with Gino not coming back. You know,
I think he served a great purpose while he was
here both times, by the way, with the way he
you know, carried himself in the clubhouse.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
But I think he's kind of a one trick pony.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
I think he's okay defensively, not terrible, but not great defensively,
and he's he's a one trick pony offensively. So and look,
I think we kind of have a one trick pony
offensively in our lineup, and that's Kyl Rawley. You know,
he hits a lot of one tricks by the way,
no doubt. But it's a pretty good trick.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
It is.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Yeah, And if Gino can hit sixty home runs, I'll
be fine with that, right. But look, I mean, I
just think in the end, his best days are behind him.
He didn't sound too optimistic that that Thresomee's going to
come back next season. You know, I'm hearing people talk
about like Kyle Tucker, which I would love to have
Kyle Tucker. That'd be great, But you know, knowing this organization,
Kyle Tucker Dick has projected to sign a eleven year,
(27:27):
four hundred and twenty million dollar deal, the Mariners are
not going to sign Kyle Tucker, to be the opinion,
he's not going to be the team's right fielder. I mean,
he's twenty nine. He's probably got a good five or
six years left in him. So whatever. Again, if you
win the World Series, you know, no skin off my back.
But I just think that they're probably going to do
what you said the other day and go out and
make a couple of minor moves to compliment the Nailor deal.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Well, I just want in the offseason, I want them
to pretend that they were the one pitch away that
they were from not even getting out of the first
round against Detroit.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I mean, you can make an argument that one pitch
was the difference in going to the Alcs, and you
could make the argument that one pitch was the difference
in not going to the World Series. So let's just
assume that you just barely made the playoffs, which you did,
and let's just assume you didn't win that first series,
which you almost didn't, and build from there. Don't just say, hey,
(28:21):
we're this close to the World Series, so we only
need to lea add just a little bit more.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
No, be aggressive and ad no more. I'd like to
see an infielder.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
I'd like to see a shortstop, second base, third baseman
broad in. If that means JP's days are over, then
I'm fine with that. I think you got to upgrade
your infield man, and you start with Josh Naylor and
they've done that, We're gonna break textimonials. Kevin Harlan joins
at five on ninety three three KJRFM
It's time for our weekly conversation with college football analysts.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
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Speaker 3 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:35):
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on ninety three three KJRFM. And it's our pleasure, our
honor hashtag blest as the kids like to say every
single Wednesday at this time, to welcome in one of
the founding fathers with sports talk radio in this country,
one of the more recognizable USC trojan alums, broadcast legend,
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Speaker 4 (01:39):
Hello softy, what's going on down there?
Speaker 5 (01:41):
Man?
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Has to be exciting. Lebron's on the way back.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
USC's got a big game against the Ducks this Saturday.
You gotta be just a swimming in sports talk radio
topics until.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
You choke on him.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Man, Come on, I guess that is a big game
USC versus Oregon, probably the biggest game since the PAC
twelfth championship game that would have put him in a
fourteen playoff?
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Was that the Utah game a couple of years ago?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Right?
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Yeah, I got it.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
So we'll see what happens. They do not love the
way they are on the road. They lost to Notre
Dame on the road, as you know. They got beaten
by Illinois on the road, as you know, And they
probably would have lost to Nebraska if they didn't knock
the quarterback out in Lincoln, as you know, So this
(02:34):
team going up to Ottson Stadium seems like a pretty
tall order. But here you are in November, late November,
and the Trojans are still playing meaningful games in regards
to the college Football Playoff, so you have to say
that they are a vastly improved team. It still looks
(02:54):
like they don't practice nine on seven, but at the
same time, they have some unguardable receivers in Lemon and Lane,
and you could probably make an argument that Jade and
Mayava is college football's most improved player from last year
to this year, at least the most visible improved player.
So give them credit. Give Lincoln Riley credit. I hope
(03:17):
that the team's good enough for him to take another job.
So you are rooting for them to win the game
on Saturday because you believe it could potentially be I
didn't say that, okay, but yeah, I think the better
Lincoln Riley does, the more opportunities are going to open
for more people and the world will keep on turning.
(03:40):
Is it Lincoln Riley the coach or Lincoln Riley the
person or a combination of both that you can't stand.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Well, I wouldn't say I can't stand him. I just
don't think.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
But you know, I didn't think this is going on
a long time, like I didn't think I didn't think
that Lincoln excuse me, I didn't think that Lane Kiffen
was a fit when he was high hired when Pete
Carroll left. He hired somebody who was a big part
of the lack of institutional control, or at least he
(04:09):
was there while all of it was happening. And then
you bring him back as the coach after Pete Carroll
leaves and you get the sanctions, then the sark thing.
You know, I didn't think that was a great fit.
And obviously both of those things imploded in their time.
And I never thought Clay Helton was right for the job,
as you know. And I thought Lincoln Riley was going
(04:29):
to save USC with the way they ran the ball
when he was in Oklahoma, but that hasn't really been
their identity. So I mean, you could say that I
don't like anything, because it's fair. It's been it's been
over sixteen years that I've not been happy with what
they're doing. I mean, I like ed Ojeron and he
(04:50):
didn't get the job because Pat Ayden couldn't golf with him.
So and you know, within that time, we've also had
the Varsity Blues scandal, amongst many other things at the USC,
and it's it's been a disheartening time. But you can
say you're never happy with anybody and be pretty accurate.
(05:11):
I was gonna say a long time, is there anybody
down there that you're happy with at all?
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I mean, do you approve the job that Jen Cohen's doing?
For example? Down there? Well, I don't like the way
they're handling the Notre Dame thing. Okay, yeah, you've made
I think they.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Should play the Notre Dame game when it's supposed to
be played and like it's been played for the last
fifty years.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
So I like Jen Cohen.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I hope she hires Kaylin debor that he doesn't like
Alabama so much that he comes to USC. Do you
think that'll happen? No? No, no, no.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Oh geez, hit the wrong button. Sorry damn. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Well, I got a text from my buddy yesterday down
in Tuscaloosa who says he's on the short list for
the Penn State job. I was like, I don't think
he's gonna take Penn stay. I don't think Kalin's going anywhere.
I think he's gonna stay right there in Tuscaloosa. Try
to figure it out. Probably, they're not bad at all,
and I think they've improved a lot this year as well.
Oklahoma's got their number. But it will be a very
(06:12):
interesting carousel because there's so many jobs and there's not
as many coaches. There's probably a lot of coordinators that
are gonna get hired, and you can catch lightning in
a bottle with one of those guys. But anyway, we'll
see how it all shakes out, Softy, there is a
lot going on. Yeah, the USC Organ game is a
big deal. It kind of feels like the aftermath down
here still though, because of the Dodgers championship. It still
(06:36):
kind of feels like everybody's trying to get their bearings
to a certain degree.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
But yeah, there's half things happening. Yeah, Well, Lebron's back
under your jacked up for that. Yeah, no, I'm not.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Okay, you got to pick one. Only one can leave town,
Lebron or Lincoln Riley. Well, there's a shelf life on Lebron, Right,
he can't play forever?
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Well, maybe he maybe he'll try Lincoln O'Reilly.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Lincoln Riley would be easier because that guy could end
up being there fifteen years. Lebron's like forty or forty
years old now or thirty nine? H Yeah, I don't right, right, right?
But you but you would rather see Lincoln Riley move
on than Lebron James as soon as possible.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Is that fair to say? I don't know. That's a
great question.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Try to figure out which one you despise more, is
my point.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
I don't think either of them are a great fit
in Los Angeles. Hey, speaking of that, by the way,
great fit.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Did you see the latest on this Sam Levitt guy
at Arizona State. Yeah, he's a quarterback from the Oregon area.
He was originally at Michigan State. He is at Arizona State.
He had a great year last year and was doing
well this year. But he's hurt now, yeah, and he's
looking to move on. They might be looking.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
He's looking to move on like now, like he shot
himself now out for the year, right, Yeah, but he's
got his people looking for a new home for him,
like today. I mean he's not playing, the season's not
even over.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
His teammates are going out there busting their rump and
this guy's going out there looking for a new gig.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Yeah, and what are we doing?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
This is what we are now, this is who we are.
I mean, all these coaches got fired in September. Why
because somebody's out there shopping that job, and that the
coaches aren't very different than the players anymore, because everybody
has a number next to their name, and it's a
product of the situation. I think Levitt's a great player.
(08:37):
I don't know him as a kid, but he seemed
like a great competitor and a great teammate and all
of those things. Kenny, obviously Dillingham has a good thing
going in the in the Valley of the Sun.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
And it's kind.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Of weird the report that comes out about it, because
you have to imagine whether or not we hear about it.
A lot of this stuff happening behind the scenes twenty
four to seven with the transfer portal and players and
whoever their representation or family members are. This probably is
not something super unique, So yes, it's unsavory. Nobody likes
(09:16):
the taste in their mouth because the way that we
are sort of raised is college football in November is
when you gain your biggest points. It's when you strive
toward a championship, or to become eligible for a bowl game,
or to finish your season strong if things have been
(09:38):
a disappointment, or when your rivalry game. I mean, there's
all of those elements that come along with the sport
in November. So to hear somebody shopping around in November,
it's not a good feeling. But at the same time,
I think we can blame the widening playoff for this.
The coaches all get fired because it looks like if
you're not going to win the playoff, then we might
(09:58):
as well, and we want to get rid of this guy.
We can get somebody to pay him off and get
a leg up on the coaching carousel and start our
search committee and all of that stuff that that happens now.
And if your team's not going to the college playoff
or you're out for the year or something like that.
From the player's perspective, it's going to be similar. Guys
are going to try to move on early.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Well.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Petros Papadakas, who would never leave us, He's never trying
to move on, at least as far as I know,
with us on the radio program courtesy of Sweet James
every single Wednesday on the show, how about your guy,
Pete Carroll down there in Vegas. I'm so sorry for
US two and eight and that people think the old
man has just lost it, that the NFL has passed
him by, and this is going to be a total
(10:41):
disaster and he will have He's got no shot of
climbing out of his hole he's created. You think he
regrets any of this at all? And I don't know,
how do you see him turning this around?
Speaker 4 (10:51):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I mean, it's a little bit of a black mark
on his legacy, which has been pristine other than the
USC sanctions best So he cheated. So what, He's had
a great run at USC and then a great run,
a legendary run at USC and Seattle and ended up
getting fired in Seattle after having to move coordinators and
fire his son and all that different stuff.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
But that's pro football.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
And I think it's interesting Gino Smith wasn't good enough
for Pete to keep his job in Seattle, right, but
suddenly you signed that guy like he got you fired.
At your last job, and now he's older.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Why would he Why would he do that?
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I don't know, question, I don't, honestly, I don't know.
I think that I don't know. I don't know if
they're going to give him another year. I certainly don't
know about Chip Kelly, who's getting paid so much money
six and they're offensively INAPTU. There's always a lot of
blame to go around in these situations, but it starts
(11:58):
usually with the coordinators and the head coat, and that's
Pete Carroll and Tom Brady's floating around there. Who knows
what he thinks about it. But they're not good and
it doesn't seem like a good situation. And I wouldn't
be surprised if it comes to an end. And then
I'd be surprised if somebody else hires Pete. But is
(12:18):
he going to stay another year? I mean, you know
pro football better than I do. I think he stays
another year.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
All right, Well, then good luck to him. I hope
you improve. Yeah, you're just dripping with sincerity. By the way, No,
I like the Raiders. I don't. I don't, really, Well,
who cares about the Raiders?
Speaker 2 (12:34):
It's I'm talking I'm not asking about the Raiders because
of the Raiders. I'm asking because about Pete Carroll. Clearly, well,
I don't root for him to fail. Sure, he's had
success everywhere he's gone. Well, well that's responded be very
But you're frustrated to begin with. You hate everything us
he's done for twenty years. Well f you say things
(12:56):
like can't stand and hate and you use all these.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Eph in his you know, okay, okay, then you do
you not? Are you? I'm not thrilled with this situation.
Not accurate?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Uh petros is with us? How about what's going on
down at UC? Honestly, I've been USC has been so
mal uhh, such a such a h messed up place
for so long that I wouldn't even know what to
do if they were functional. Right here, they are on
the brink, the brink of the college football playoff, and
(13:32):
you could you could fool me.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
I don't know what's going on. Well, it's like it's
like when the Mariners, you know, who have never made
the World Series, as you know, partially because of that
stupid home run that you kept shoving down our throat
three weeks ago, which I haven't gotten over that yet
not like it didn't happen. Okay, fine, yeah, I'm just
choosing to ignore it.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
They they went at the deadline and they got a
couple of big bats, and you know, they did what
all of us finally wanted them to do, and nobody
knew how to respond. What I'd feel like that if
USC hired Matt Ants, you know, from Fresno or Talon
de boor or somebody like that, I wouldn't know how
to handle it.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
You'd be excited. The kind of felt that way when
they hired Jen.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Cohen UWCLA Saturday from the Rose Bull could be the
last time the Husky's ever played a regular season game
down there, Because this is this so fight thing happening.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
What's the deal man, Yeah, it looks like.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
It, but it looks like they're gonna have to pay
to get out of it, right, And it just I mean,
I think it's hard for people to understand, especially in Seattle,
let alone down here. People are just stupid if they
but this was a big story and people are paying
attention to this even though nobody goes to UCLA football anymore.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
So why is it hard to understand?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Because I think it's hard for people to understand why
you'd want to play indoors in southern California.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Well, but they've been bitching about the Rose Bull.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
For decades that it doesn't work. It worked under Jim Mora.
They were still putting sixty thousand in there. You know
what they need to do. They need to play their
biggest games at the Rose Bowl two or three times
a year, twice a year, USC and Ohio State or something,
and then they need to build something on campus like
UCF has or like Houston has.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
But you said they would never do that.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
They can't because of the homeowners in bel Air, the
Hoa's and their lawyer up the Sunset Boulevard on top
of UCLA campus and Westwood flows down from there, and
they tried it in the sixties and there was a
huge problem. And it's not like it's an everyday thing.
It would be like six events or four events, five events.
(15:35):
But it's just I guess it's a non starter in
West la which is a mess, and UCLA, let alone,
is such a bureaucratic mess. I mean, you need a
bunch of signatures just to get a new pencil sharpener.
We talk about this all the time. It frustrated the
hell out of your friend Jim Mora. So it's really
a problem without a solution. The deal at the Rose Bowl,
(15:58):
apparently for UCLA not a good deal. They don't get
pieces of the concessions that they like or parking or
so on and so forth. And apparently the deal at
SOFI is better to the degree that they're going to
have to pay sixty million dollars or something to get
out of the Rose Bowl deal and to go to
the Sofi deal. But it doesn't solve their problem of
(16:20):
being swallowed up by a bigger stadium. It doesn't solve
their problem of kids not wanting to commute to the
game because the four h five sucks. Even if you
are a few miles closer in the other direction. It's
actually worse in the other direction. There's just not there's
not a Yes, it's a more modern stadium, but it's indoors.
It's not exactly a place people love. Parking sucks there too,
(16:43):
as you know. And the whole thing is.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Just a mess.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
And it kind of smacks of corporate people at the
top of UCLA and corporate people at the top of
SOFI trying to fix their problem but it's not really
fixing their problem. Yeah, well it could be a sad
day Saturday because I love the Rose Boy, I love
going there. I love going there for the Rose Bowl
and for the UCLA games, and with the college football
playoff and the way this whole thing is set up.
(17:09):
Who knows the next time you double got a shot
to play there. But we got to deal with Nico.
I think he's playing. I know we missed last weekend
with a concussion. I think he's gonna go on Saturday.
Nico ia'ma Leavava malayava quarterback for UCLA. I mean, U
dub is a big favorite. Should they be on upset
(17:30):
alert with this Nico kid coming back Saturday?
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Probably?
Speaker 2 (17:34):
I mean, Nico's a good player, and he's played well
this year. The way the year started and the way
the Tennessee people got all over him, He's definitely the
best player on their team and they haven't done that
great of a job playing around him. And the Jerry
Neuheisel we Love You story is over and all that,
but we got we all got something out of it.
(17:56):
But football last days sure was Washington's gonna have. It's
a last game at the Rose Bowl and all that,
and that's going to be emotional. Washington is going to
have their own letdown issues to deal with because their
bubble was burst in camp Randall, Oh, no, you should
(18:16):
see the job they did against Purdue last Saturday, the
mighty Boilermakers. Well, I know, but put that behind them
and they focused up and they drilled those bastards.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Well, I wouldn't call them bastards. We don't know their lineage,
but bastards.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
But it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
I mean, I know they bounced back last week, but
we'll see how it plays out in the Rose Bowl.
It's a road game in a big, old stadium. There'll
be some emotion involved. I expect Washington to win. They're
the better team, they have a better identity. They top
to bottom are a lot better and improved from last year.
(18:54):
Ucla is not quite that. But it's a road game.
There's some emotion and and Nico is a really good player.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Do you think we'll see.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Fish will be extra motivated to put a whooping on
Ucla to show what he can do. I think Jedfish
is extra motivated to show what he can do all
the time, because he really wants people to know that
just because he was a tennis player not a football player,
he still has this figured out.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
That's my feeling.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Oh god, he's coming back next year, don't you think?
Speaker 4 (19:31):
I don't know?
Speaker 2 (19:32):
I mean again, I don't know. I don't know what
any of these guys are doing. I mean, it'll be
very interesting to see the way this whole thing rolls.
We'll have a lot of conversations about it, hopefully as
the weeks go on. But I really don't know where
the thing starts or where it stops. All I know
is there's a lot of conversations going on with c
AA and Sexton and people behind the scenes. There's a
(19:55):
lot of chirping doing. Yeah, all right, enjoy the return
of lebron A couple of days away Utah in.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
Salt Lake City. Was back yesterday? Oh he played yesterday? Okay,
yeah last night? Right? Yea, yeah, yeah? Six win. Wait
to stay on the story. You know what up? Yours
one for me and go for yourself? Wow? Okay? Yeah, Well,
good luck with your last game ever in the Rose Bowl.
(20:23):
See it man. Petros Popanaka is with us.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
We're gonna break a lot more to get to, including
Kevin Harlan. Yeah at five coming up on ninety three
three KJRFM from.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
The R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now back
to Softi and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ r FL.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
All right, you may have heard this morning Jerry Depoto,
president of Baseball Operations, was on with Chucking Bock.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
I did.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
As a matter of fact, I sat there listen to
it with my coffee in hand.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I was highly entertained. Well, I have not heard it yet.
I'll be the j if he was entertaining or not.
Here is a good five minutes. Bucky Jacobson starting a
conversation off with Jetty talking about how the Nailor extension
came together.
Speaker 6 (21:10):
How long were you guys working on this? How close
was it up until we actually got the news yesterday
the day before.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
You know, we've been something on our minds since before
we even acquired Josh. You know, as we were going
through the discussions with Arizona to make that deal, we
always talk about, you know, how we can govern the
long term, and this was something we were interested in.
And then you know, Lo and behold, he played even
better and we could have hoped. And you know, the
(21:39):
rare all star hitter who thrives in our ballpark and
just loves hitting there, and and and it shows. So
you know, shortly after the series ended in Toronto, we
we got together with Josh's representatives and and started working
through the details on a contract, made an offer, got
on a plane, went down and visited with with Josh
(22:02):
and his family and walked him through kind of what
we do. You know, he wasn't with us throughout, you know,
like so many of our guys, you know, Cal Julio,
George Logan, et cetera. Josh joined us in July, so
we walked him through what we do, how we got here.
I think he had a pretty good sense for who
we were from the time we all spent together, and
(22:25):
he had a natural comfort and from there it came together.
Kai didn't take two weeks or thereabout to get from
beginning to end, which I think speaks to first how
aggressive we were and how much he wanted to be here.
And it was a pretty good intersection.
Speaker 7 (22:40):
I know a lot of people think that, I mean,
you've announced it that our priorities is try to keep
some of the guys that are our own that are
entering into free agency. I've been operating under the belief
that that's probably Naylor and then Polonco or Suarez, but
justin kind of said yesterday that maybe it's Polanco and Suarez.
(23:02):
I mean, what kind of chance are you going to
give us that all three of those guys will be
back in Mariner uniforms next year.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
Well, a lot has to go right, you know, frankly
for that to happen, and you know, including markets and
trends and forces working in our favor. But we would
love them all to be back. And you know, at
various stages in our season, each one of those guys
you could prop up as a hero. Again, a lot
of things would have to go right for us to
(23:29):
keep the whole band together. But we're going to do
our best to make sure well, just to make sure
we continue to grow and get better as a team,
regardless of whod blocks in the door next Yeah.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
Well, I mean I think that's that's great to hear.
I think all Mariner fans are wanting you to grow
from where you're at last year, right, not just try
to stand patent is the idea to continue to move
forward in the way of spending or is it trying
to stay the same or is it trying to be
creative and move some things around.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
You know, we've been we've been moving forward for years.
I think we may not move forward at a pace
that that pleases every fan or listener, but we've grown
our payroll and that's impossible season, Yeah, it really is.
Speaker 7 (24:12):
They don't spend enough money.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
I'm guessing we're going to come just a little shy
of the Dodgers. But you know, we'll continue to grow
our payroll. It's it's what we do. And you know
we've and part of that is when you have you know,
good young players who are growing, they're in the arbitration system,
you know, obviously bringing in a free agent of Josh's status,
and we plan on continuing to play in the free
(24:36):
agent market and fill some some voids. But you know,
from a team building perspective, you know, I said at
the end of the season, our starting point for twenty
twenty six is where we finished twenty five, and we
finished twenty five with you know, the highest or second
highest payroll and the history of the franchise, depending on
where you put, uh, you know, the last dollar. It's
(24:58):
it's very close. But you know, we are growing, we
are aggressive, we are looking to get better. We'd like
to add at least another bat to that lineup, and
we really want to beef up the bullpen and add
to the middle and even the leverage arm if the
possibility exists, and whether that's free agency, trade, whatever, we're
we're just looking to add the best players we can.
Speaker 7 (25:19):
When you spend eighteen and a half million on one
player and you're also talking about trying to keep Polanco
and or Suarez as well, boy, that money that really
gets burned up rather quickly. So I wanted to isolate
the part of Bucky's question about whether or not you
feel like you might have to move some money around,
(25:41):
move a salary out in order to create some of
that leverage to add to the team.
Speaker 5 (25:48):
I mean, it guess it depends what we're adding. You know,
we're always open to any type of thought, but you know,
the idea of bringing the team back in some form
to what the twenty five team looks like moving players
off kind of defeats that purpose. So we're very comfortable
with the level of talent that exists.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
On our team.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
I think, as we sit here in the middle of November,
I do believe we're one of the most complete or
most talented teams in the American League. So pulling away
from that team would kind of defeat the purpose.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Well, I'm glad to hear that, right, I mean, why
go away from something that kind of worked last year?
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Right?
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Why don't you tweak it a little bit and give
yourself more spins at the roulette table to win that
Game seven and get to the World Series. But you know,
he was asked about Polanco, Gino, and Naylor all coming back,
which I'm fine with Gino not coming back. You know,
I think he served a great purpose while he was
here both times, by the way, with the way he
you know, carried himself in the clubhouse.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
But I think he's kind of a one trick pony.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
I think he's okay defensively, not terrible, but not great defensively,
and he's he's a one trick pony offensively. So and look,
I think we kind of have a one trick pony
offensively in our lineup, and that's Kyl Rawley. You know,
he hits a lot of one tricks by the way,
no doubt. But it's a pretty good trick.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
It is.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Yeah, And if Gino can hit sixty home runs, I'll
be fine with that, right. But look, I mean, I
just think in the end, his best days are behind him.
He didn't sound too optimistic that that Thresomee's going to
come back next season. You know, I'm hearing people talk
about like Kyle Tucker, which I would love to have
Kyle Tucker. That'd be great, But you know, knowing this organization,
Kyle Tucker Dick has projected to sign a eleven year,
(27:27):
four hundred and twenty million dollar deal, the Mariners are
not going to sign Kyle Tucker, to be the opinion,
he's not going to be the team's right fielder. I mean,
he's twenty nine. He's probably got a good five or
six years left in him. So whatever. Again, if you
win the World Series, you know, no skin off my back.
But I just think that they're probably going to do
what you said the other day and go out and
make a couple of minor moves to compliment the Nailor deal.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Well, I just want in the offseason, I want them
to pretend that they were the one pitch away that
they were from not even getting out of the first
round against Detroit.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I mean, you can make an argument that one pitch
was the difference in going to the Alcs, and you
could make the argument that one pitch was the difference
in not going to the World Series. So let's just
assume that you just barely made the playoffs, which you did,
and let's just assume you didn't win that first series,
which you almost didn't, and build from there. Don't just say, hey,
(28:21):
we're this close to the World Series, so we only
need to lea add just a little bit more.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
No, be aggressive and ad no more. I'd like to
see an infielder.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
I'd like to see a shortstop, second base, third baseman
broad in. If that means JP's days are over, then
I'm fine with that. I think you got to upgrade
your infield man, and you start with Josh Naylor and
they've done that, We're gonna break textimonials. Kevin Harlan joins
at five on ninety three three KJRFM
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
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