February 27, 2025 • 29 mins
In the second hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain visit with legendary Seattle writer Larry Stone, down in Peoria, Arizona, about Mariners Spring Training, their off-season, and young players coming onto the scene, then discuss the top sports stories of 2024.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, joining us right now in the radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Apparently nobody told Larry Stone that in retirement he doesn't
need to go cover spring training. He can stay home
and just hang out and here are the games on radio.
He's got a streak watch the games on TV. But
he just you know, it's like you wake up and
you brush your teeth, and you jump on the shower,
you put your pants on.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
You just kind of make a habit out of it.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And apparently every now and then, every single February, Larry
Stone just has a habit of getting on a plane
and going to Arizona to watch baseball. And he joins
us right now from Peoria. Larry, how are you, man?
What's going on down there?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm doing great?
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Well.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
The keyword was cover, you said. No one told me
I don't have to cover sprint training. The beauty is
now I just go and I relax and watch baseball
and let division the other guys do do the work.
And that's the big difference. And I still love being
out there in the sprint time as the subject and
watching a little baseball.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Yeah, what's the streak, Larry?
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I know twenty twenty one doesn't count because it was
like shut down. But what is the legit Larry Stone
streak of.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Covering training thirty nine years? My first baseball job was
at the Belfue Journal American, long defunct, and they sent
me to Tempe, where the Mariners were training in those days,
to cover the Alvin Davis, Mark Langston, Danny Tartible Mariners
for about a week, and then I moved to the
(01:20):
Bay Area right after that, did ten years with the
A's and Giants, and then came back to Seattle and
been to every Mariner spring training ever since sin since
starting in ninety seven.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, so if it's thirty nine years, I used to
deliver the Journal American. By the way, I was probably
like thirteen fourteen years old when you were writing for them,
which means there's a good chance I delivered your columns.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
By the way. How's I mean?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Wow, you and I haven't met the limits of you
on your you and your sting.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Ray exactly like a Huffey by the way, But Larry,
why don't you, just because we haven't caught up in
a while, give us your thoughts on the off season
the Mariners had encapsulate if you can job that the
Mariners did or did not do making this baseball team
better over the off season.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Well, I mean, I think I've joined the chorus of
those who were disappointed. They had a clear need and
to beef up the offense, and you know, they just
did it incrementally, if at all, with Solano and Polanco
were really the only additions. They're they're they're counting a
lot on the the improvement when Dan Wilson took over
(02:29):
of being sustainable, you know, that's that's iffy, that's an
iffy proposition. So you know, with the with the pitching
that they have and the and the tools that they
do have in their lineup. Uh, you know, it just
seems like there was a there was a path to
being a really strong, contending World Series type team and
(02:52):
they didn't take it. So now it's going to rely
on a lot of things going right for them to
get there.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
Larry, I don't know if you heard the interview with
Chuck and Buck with Jerry Depoto last week, but the reasoning,
the explanation that he used for not picking up bats
in the UH in the off season was, Hey, we've
already we've already made our moves. Our twenty twenty five
moves are a full season of Victor Roblace, a full
season of Randy Arosa, rain up bounce back season for
(03:19):
Mitch Garver. How much credence do you give to those
reasons slash excuses?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Well, I think that's something you say after the fact
when you when you can't pull off a deal. I
think they tried. I think they tried really hard to
to make a few acquisitions. It just didn't work out
for whatever reason. But again, you're that could be the case,
but you know you could. You could have removed the
a lot of the doubt by getting a couple of
(03:47):
sure thing bats, and they did They didn't do that. Now,
a lot of things have to go right. You just
named a few of them. That means uh and Victor
Roebliss and Garver and Pulong and you've got to get
something from Dylan More at second base, and JP has
to make a comeback, and you know, on and on
(04:07):
and everywhere. The pitchers have to remain healthy and some
of the bullpen guys have to come back. There is that,
I mean, there's the seeds of a of a good
team there. One thing that kind of amused me over
the off season was in reading the comments and listening
to the calls on your station and everything, there's this
almost this reality is or or this take reality is
(04:33):
set in that they're a bad team. That they're not
a bad team. That's what makes it, that's what makes
it even more frustrating to me, is that they're a
good team that could have been so much better. And
with that pitching they're going to contend. The floor for
this team is really high because you're going to throw
a good starter out there every day. It's just that
(04:54):
if you had just added a couple more solid bats,
I think everyone would have been excited, and I think
the chances of success would have been a lot greater.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Well, let's talk about Polanco for a second. Larry Larry
Stone is with us because it turned out that the
most money the Mariners spent on a player over the
offseason was Horay Polanko.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
They gave him seven point five million dollars, guy they
already had.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I mean, that's their big money move was to just
bring Horay Polanco back. And if I would have told
you guys that in November, you would have laughed in
my face. That the biggest contract they'll dole out over
the offseason is going to be given to Horray Polonko.
Now they're talking about playing him at third where he's
played twenty three games in his career. He's coming off
knee surgery, and he was two games away from being
(05:39):
a two hundred hitter a year ago. How much faith
do you have and Horay Polonko bouncing back and being
the guy that they were hoping they were getting when
they signed him before the twenty twenty four season.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, I don't have a huge amount of faith. I mean,
he does have a track record, and he was hurt
last year. You have to kind of cling to that.
But you know, learning a new position, relatively new position.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
He's got a few.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Games there, but not not much at third base. Uh,
you know, that's that's a challenge in itself, and uh
you know, anyone who watched him last year, I can't
be too confident in in in that. But that's one
of the things that they need to happen. Uh you
know I I I'm skeptical if if Polonco was foremost
(06:26):
in their plans when the offseason started, but it got
to a point where they had to bring in somebody and.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Everyone was off the table.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
You know, the names that were bandied about and looked
to be a good fit for the Mariners kept going
to other teams. So just kind of by process of
elimination if it came down to for a Polonco and
that's you know, not the best way to to add
to your roster.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Larry, do you have a guy? Do you have a
pick to click this year? On this on this offense?
And I'm gonna throw Julio and Cal out. Those are
too easy, So anybody else on this on this baseball team,
on this offense that you just either have a gut
or you've seen something down there, or you just think
the timing is right for this guy to actually step
up and be I don't know, an above average hitter,
(07:12):
which would be fabulous on his baseball team.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well, I haven't been here long enough to see anything
down here to catch my eye because I just got
just got off the plate this afternoon. The way to
so good, I guess i'd say, Luke Rayley, that's the
second half that he had. Uh, you know, he's settling
(07:37):
in to being I think he has the potential to
be a really good.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Major league player.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
And uh, you know, if you get if you get
that that production from Luke Rayley at first base, I
think that's a that's a good place to start. And
another guy's is a Rose Arena. I think he has
a lot more than he showed last year. He has
shown notes about his career. Uh, it was probably the
worst year offensively that he's had, but there was a
lot of disruption in the trade and everything.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
If he seems.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Comfortable here now, I know there was a lot of
speculation that he didn't want to be here last year,
but from what I've read and heard, you know he
likes it. He likes being in the outfield with the
Roblest and Julio.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
She has all star.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Potential and if you can get that out of him,
that would go a long way to her.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Yeah, what about the young guys?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
What about the young guys, Larry, Because it kind of
feels like it's starting to get to time for one
of those guys to get here, whether a Harry Ford
or a Cale Young, or an Emerson or a Ben Williamson.
I mean Jerry mentioned him, he's twenty five years old.
Is this the year where we see one of those
guys brought up early and actually contribute?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
I think so, Dave, there's a good chance of that.
It's probably a bad sign in a way if that happens,
because it means that somebody else either got hurt or
wasn't wasn't producing. But you know, Cole Cole Young, I
think we're going to see him at some point this
year at second base. And Ben Williamson, that's the name
that you just keep hearing, and I that the game
(09:09):
I saw today. He didn't do much at the plate,
but he made it great to play. Charging a slow
roller and throwing them out kind of look like you
know a major league player doing that, And that's the
rep on him. He's a Gold Gloff caliber third basement. Yeah,
I think we're going to see him at some point
this year, and perhaps Harry Ford. But that's the thing
(09:31):
about you know, their farm system. It's it's highly ranked
and deservedly so, but a lot of their best prospects
are are still you know that they're not ready for
the major leagues, with the exception of Cole Young, And
you know, Williamson is not on those lists, even though
he impresses everybody, he's not one of those top one
hundred guys because we're not going to see Emerson Hancock
(09:54):
this year. We're not going to see Selisin. We're not
going to see h Las A Montes. So you know
those guys that are extremely promising, but not for this year.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
Well, you mentioned Montesa, was going to ask you about
him because Randy rose Rena said today that Las is
going to be one of the best.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
In the game very soon. He said that, So, I.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Mean, I think that that's a guy that will be
asking you when we when you come on on a
regular basis before the start of the regular season, to
give us kind of a recap of what you saw
in spring training, because that's some pretty high praise from Randy.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Yeah, well he looks it looks the part. I mean,
he just looks like a power hitter, a guy who's
going to be a thirty five home run guy. The
thing to keep in mind, guys, is that a lot
of people expected the Mariners to dip into that farm
system in the offseason with trades to get to get
a bat. But you know, with a with a extra
(10:50):
wild card, everyone thinks they're a contender and nobody wanted
to give up major league talent for for prospects. But
it's gonna be a different story at the trade deadline, right,
if the Arners can hang in there, they have they
have tremendous depth with which to deal. I mean, they
have the they're in position to make a blockbuster trade.
So I don't think all those guys are going to
be around, uh, you know by the time the year ends.
(11:13):
They uh, if they really want to make a splash
and they're in position to do that, I would expect
a couple of those guys they have a very good
chance of being dealt. But but but then you hate
that when you look at a guy like Montez, you
hate to give them up because you just see the
potential that that's there.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Larry Stone with us, Uh, he's in Arizona, just hanging out.
He's the guy with a big, gigantic sun hat and
the sunglasses on right with the arm wraps on making
sure he doesn't get you know, the sun spots down there.
But he'll be with us again in late March when
the season kicks off. Courtesy the Ram and Larry, I
want to just ask you about Jerry to Poto uh
(11:55):
and his pr savvy if you will, you know, you
got Jock Schnyder on one side who's going on TV
and radio and saying how he feels bad for the fans.
We've missed the playoffs twice in a row. We got
to get our act together, blah blah blah, and Jerry
Depoto is just you know, saying things like.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
We have a good offensive team and just convincing everybody
that they're wrong. You know you're wrong. You know, we've
we've we've we've.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Done this, we've done that. We're one of two teams
to win eighty five games. It just seems like he
spends more trying, you know, time trying to convince people
to have his back and that they don't know what
they're talking about, and he's he's turning people off.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I mean, what do you make of just his approach
when he comes to the media.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Yeah, I mean when I heard about what he said
about the offense, I did a double take as well,
just like similar to the fifty four percent comment the
year before. Yeah, he just sometimes he talks himself into
into trouble. I mean it comes down to I understand
why people are frustrated the Mariners in a lot.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Of ways, like they were toxic.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And nothing they could do in the off season.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
Could satisfy people. There was you know, you read.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
The comments and and everything, and.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
It's just kind of you don't know if those are
just the vocal minority who are on Twitter and all that.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
But people don't want to hear anything, and Jerry gives
them as a knack for giving them a little bit
of ammunition for people who don't like them. So I
think you're right, we better serve just sort of taking
the Schnader route, and you know, our goal is the
World Series and we're doing everything we can to get
(13:41):
there and kind.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Of leave it at that.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Larry, how much do you make of the twenty one
and thirteen record at the end of last season under
Dan and Edgar? Is that just I mean, a lot
of teams get better when there's coaching changes. There's a
little bit of energy, you know, Or is there something
legit that you saw the approach of the plate being
different that you really think can carry over this year.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
I think it's possible.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Uh. You know, I was just talking to somebody today
that you know, you listen to what they say. Edgar
said and it's pretty simple, basic stuff, you know, Uh,
go up the middle, hit all fields that you know,
don't don't try to you know, make contact all that
stuff that you hear, you know, at every level of baseball,
(14:25):
but when you hear it from a Hall of Famer,
I think it takes root.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
And I think it certainly did with with with.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Julio, you know he I think he got through Edgar
got through to Julio or whatever it was he said.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
And that alone is, you know, gives you hope for
the for the future.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Uh, It's hard to say how real it was, but
you know, they were they it wasn't garbage time. They
were still they were still fighting for a for a
playoff spot. So you know, I give it some credence,
uh for sure. And but I don't know if I
would have based my whole offseason game plan on carrying
(15:08):
that success over without any changes. I think, you know,
I think that's a little bit perhaps overly optimistic. But
I guess we'll just have to find out how real
it is. But uh, you know, Dan Dan Wilson's a
guy who fits a lot of the bill for a manager,
(15:30):
you know, kind of quiet leadership type guy.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
And yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
You're right, Dick, that change, change does. Change often boosts
the team. But uh, you just have to wait and
see how this's inable it is.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Uh, Larry, before you go, uh, give us a take
on the back baseball scene from a national perspective. You
mentioned working for the Journal American back in the day,
and you once upon a time, we're a national baseball
writer and one of the best out there and still
could be again if you wanted to get your ass
off the couch and go back into that arena. But
there's been a lot of talk about, you know, the
(16:07):
Dodgers and just how much money they're spending. The league
is just kind of becoming more and more about who
can spend the most money. The salary cap conversation comes
up all the time when things like this happen. What
do you make of the state of baseball and what's
happening at Chavez Ravine with the Dodgers just going nuts
with their pay?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Well, yeah, well, perception becomes reality. I mean, I don't
I think that a lot of other teams could be
spending more than they do. No one's going to be
in the Yankee Dodger Mets category. But I mean, the
Yankees haven't won a World Series since two thousand and nine.
I think it is and they just they have. You know,
(16:46):
it doesn't guarantee success. Even the Dodgers, you know, they
make the playoffs, but they they've won what since eighty eight,
They hadn't won since the They finally won again at
the the COVID year and then and then last year,
but they haven't been dominating like uh, you know, like
(17:08):
other like the some some like the Patriots or or
the Chiefs. So I don't think it's as dire as
people think of it. I think there's a lot of
competitive balance in baseball, more than you think of teams
making the playoffs, teams not repeating. I mean, Jason Start
did a whole, big, convincing article on that. I don't
know if you saw that about how baseball has more
(17:29):
parody than people think.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
And I believe that. But uh and and you know, a.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Team like the Padres show that a small market team
can be aggressive and go for it and have success.
They uh, you know, they've been in the playoffs. They draw,
they draw close to three million. They're making money because
their owner decided he was he wanted to win a
World Series and he was going to go all out
to do it. And I think other teams could could
(17:55):
do that. I'm a little worried just for the industry
that the next contract situation it's going to be coming
up next offseason. I think there's two years left on
the basic agreement. It's going to get bloody, and you know,
the uh, it's sure set up for there to be
(18:18):
a work stoppage of some sort. I mean, I've been
around long enough to see about eight of these worst
work stoppages, and every one of them is basically the
owners trying to get a salary cap and they've never
been able to do it. And I don't think they're
going to be successful now because this is such a
strong union. But they're they're they're going to try and
(18:39):
and that's going to make for a long, protracted battle,
I believe.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Yeah, I'd be unfortunate, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
All Right, man, great stuff, Enjoy the sun and we'll
talk in a few weeks and get going for real.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Buddy, Glad to get back on the air with us,
and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
All right, my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Thanks all right, Larry Stone. With us, we're going to break.
We've got a lot more to get to. We're at
the Sports Start the year award banquet should have some
big names swinging by around five o'clock five point thirty tonight.
Buckle up on ninety three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 6 (19:08):
Live from the R and R Foundation Specialist broadcast Studio.
Now back to Softie and Dick One, your home for
the Huskies and the Creken Sports Radio ninety three point
three KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
All right, we're back here at the U Convention Center.
It's my first time in this building. Have you been
here before?
Speaker 5 (19:27):
By the way, I was not in this room, but
I was just here for the Seattle Golf Show about
two three weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
They could put a swimming pool in this room and
have bleatures room over for a football field, no question.
It's that big, and I always get bummed out there.
We're not bringing our golf clubs. If somebody would have
told me this room was this big, I would have
brought like a sixty degree wedge or something, had some fun.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
It could have worked on our short game. We could have,
man because it needs time.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
By the way, now, wow, who doesn't Who doesn't? Well,
we're here hanging out until seven o'clock tonight. Big Thanks
to our engineer Terry Ryan uh saved the day by
setting us up on time. Now he's picking up our garbage,
which really that's why he's here to pick up our trash.
Good good on Terry for finally realizing that. But we
gonna have some guests coming around through five o'clock from
between five and seven sports stories of the year. I mean,
(20:12):
you kind of rack your brain and think about the
big sports stories of two thousand and twenty four.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
It's tough. Well, I gotta tell.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
You, if you asked me what the biggest sports story
of twenty four was, it was the disappointment of the
Mariner baseball season. That was the biggest story. Like what
conjures up the most emotion. Huskies are resetting after the Boor,
Huskies are kind of getting finding their way after Hopkins,
the Seahawks are resetting after Pete Carroll, all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
You know, Sounders kind of started off slow and then
picked up some steam and then ultimately fell a little short.
The most emotion that I had as a sports fan
last year was being pissed off at the Mariners.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
I think that's fair, is that that's a longer term story.
Is the individual story of the Pete Carroll era ending. Okay,
bigger story than the emotional story of how pissed off
he were at the right. Well, so, okay, so the
Pete Carroll era. So Mike McDonald was hired in what
right about January?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
January?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
February of twenty twenty four starts over and takes over
in September, So the Carroll thing was pretty much already
done by that, right he got fired?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Win? When did Pete Carroll get fired?
Speaker 5 (21:22):
Must have been twenty twenty four because he coached all
the games and it went into January.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Right, But he coached all the games in twenty twenty.
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Three, correct, But the last game of twenty twenty three
was in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Right, So Pete Carroll was fired on December. No, he
wasn't fired on Christmas Day? What day was Pete Carroll fired?
January tenth of twenty twenty four? Yeah, I could go
for that. That that's the biggest story. I'm just telling you.
From my perspective, what got me fired up the most
was what the Mariners did to their fans.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Right, And I just.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Think, I mean, no, one, we will never have a year.
I stand firm in this. We will never have a
miserable a year in Seattle sports as we did in
two thousand and eight, and anything will be a massive
gap between that and second place. But twenty twenty four
might have been second place at least over the in
(22:15):
this century. Like the lack of success across the board
in the city was remarkable.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Well, the Mariners fell way short. The Seahawks were just
kind of blah the entire year. Husky basketball ended up
firing their head coach and hiring a new guy that
ended up finishing at least for now, in last place
in the Big Ten crack and fell on their face.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Had a bad year.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Husky football really kind of blah, but you know, not
bad considering the context of it. They came off a
national champion of a national championship game. Yeah, there really
wasn't anything. I mean again, I'm telling you, I'm guaranteeing you.
You're gonna tell me the the candidates right now for
the biggest sports stories of the year. Where is the
Mariners stabbed their fans in the net?
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Is that on there? I don't think they'd put that. Okay,
it should be. Is there supposed to be good sports?
I was positive sports lies?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Why does it have to be positive stories? Didn't didn't
time magazine named like Hitler.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
The Person of the Year eighty years ago or whatever
we're really going for're not saying they're going for that vibe,
but you know, I mean what what conjures up the
most emotion?
Speaker 4 (23:21):
Right?
Speaker 2 (23:22):
And for me, the story of the Mariners falling short
and doing nothing of significance over the off season. Uh
and and and completely rejecting the call to go out
there and help out one of the great pitching stabs
in the history of the franchise. That that, to me
is what I'll remember twenty twenty four to four.
Speaker 5 (23:42):
Now, how is how is what the Mariners did, yeah
in twenty twenty forty different than what the Kraken did
between twenty twenty three and twenty twenty Do.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
The Kracking have an elite front line? Do they have
an elite goaltender?
Speaker 1 (23:54):
No?
Speaker 5 (23:55):
But the playoff team sure, yeah, won a series and
almost won two series and then they didn't even make
the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Right, But again, they're also in year three, or they
were in year three. The Mariners are in almost your
fifty now for crying out, I know. And the Mariners
had one of the best pitching stabs in the history
of their franchise and they completely freaking ignored it.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
So I'm much more Jackson.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I don't know about you, but I'm much more apt
to give the crack in a pass than I am
the Mariners.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I'm getting me.
Speaker 7 (24:22):
I'm that for sure. Absolutely not to mention they're in
what year four right now?
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah, you're not made the playoffs a year two? Right?
Is that correct?
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Guys?
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Okay, Mariners took fifteen years.
Speaker 7 (24:31):
They had a big, big, big.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Frustrate. That's right.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
Sorry, it just got worse for me.
Speaker 8 (24:38):
The top story of twenty twenty four is is just
blatantly this the Carroll era ends, Like like Pete Carroll
was the face of the Seahawks for fifteen years. I mean,
this is the guy where you go to any random
Joe across the United States and say name one person
associated with the Seahawks. They're gonna say Pete Carroll, the
(24:58):
chewing gum guy on this sideline that people see every
single second of every game.
Speaker 7 (25:03):
And that era came to an end.
Speaker 8 (25:06):
Like for me, like twenty twenty four was just market
What does Seak football look like in the next era?
Speaker 7 (25:12):
And it's this kid, Mike McDonald.
Speaker 8 (25:14):
Yeah, and they higher they go from the oldest head
coach ever the youngest you know in Seak history.
Speaker 7 (25:19):
So that that's for me, is easily the number one
story of the year.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
See I just I mean for me, for the sports
story of the year, I tend to look at two
columns A what did teams accomplish? And like you said,
there really wasn't much. That's last year, Okay, So if
there's not much there in the accomplishment category, then let's
look at what preoccupied our time the most in twenty
twenty four And what preoccupied my time the most was
(25:42):
being angry at the Mariners period, bitching about the marriagin
Y day.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
In reality, it lasted. I mean, I don't know what
what date our high water mark was was like mid June.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Well they were ten games and so how could you
forget that?
Speaker 5 (25:55):
And so really from the back half of June, all
of July, all of August, and all of September, that's
three and a half months that we just spent pissed off. Yes, yes,
I mean during the nicest time of year in Seattle. Yeah,
we were just kicked in the mid section almost on
a nightly basis.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Well, you can say nuts, it's fine and we got
kicked in the nuts. I know you want to watch
your language because there are some professional TV people here,
But I have a reputation that I have to uphold,
so I won't be the one to carry that flag
for you.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
But yeah, I mean the whole ten games up thing
that we did.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Remember that on the air and all that with the
Tony soprano and blah blah blah. Yeah, I mean that
was it, right, I mean, oh my god, they're ten
games up. What day were they ten games up? Do
you remember where it was?
Speaker 1 (26:37):
In June?
Speaker 2 (26:38):
They were ten games up? Because I'm gonna bring this
up and I'm gonna go back. I remember thinking Jason
Stark was on with Ian Fernest and said, there's never
been a team in the wild card era that was
ten games up on any at any point and missed
the playoffs. June the eighteenth, they were ten games up,
and we're thinking, oh god, we're going to the playoffs.
(26:59):
This done, ten games up. It's over now. It's like,
what see a week on again? We're gonna see Logan
Gilbert and George Kirby and all these guys in the playoffs.
So let's go ahead and get a bat to compliment
these guys, let's kick ass and make the World Series.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Yeah, and then it was and the rest of the way.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
And it didn't take long because by July thirty first,
we were like, are we even gonna make a move?
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Well, they were up ten games on June the what
I say, June the eighteenth, and they were two games
up on the fourth of July. Two weeks two and
a half weeks later, they were tied a month one month.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
July nineteenth and lasted a month.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
It was done. They're tied, tied thirty one days later,
the Tide. So yeah, I mean that was just toying
with the fan base and the emotions of the fan base.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
That's kind of what stands out for me. But what
are the canidates?
Speaker 5 (27:43):
There are four candidates, and they're all positive stories because
they're not gonna put negatives. Of course, bad teams on here.
And I think the first one, the first one, resonates
with me the most because January first was really cool day.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I went to T Mobile Park.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
I watched outdoor hockey The Eye of the Hockey World.
We're on Seattle at T Mobile Park with the Kraken, right,
and then I went home, you were down there. I
went home with my family and watched Michael Pennix play
for a birth in the National Championship game, and we
won one of the more exciting Husky football games in
recent memory. That to me, that's that's number one on
(28:19):
my list. That's a that's on here.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
It all went downhill from there.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
January literally January literally the best day of the year
was the first day, and the rest of the year sucked.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
That's what you're saying.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Yes, Story number two is the Seattle Sea Wolves dominate
the Western Conference.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
Story number three that a rugby team, it is, Okay,
Story number three the Uba.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
By the way, I'm being half a Smartes's I'm sorry, sorry.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
You men's crew winning their twentieth national championship. And story
number four is Jessica Campbell making NHL his three as
a female coach.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Well, look, those are all fun stories, but I think,
like you said, they're just that's the best we can do.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
That's kind of a lame year. I'm sorry, that's just
a lame year, right.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
I mean, you need you need titles, you need division championships,
you need playoff pushes and things like that, and these
are the kinds of stories that you gravitate to when
you don't have all that stuff. And hey, good for
the Sea Wolves, good for the U rowing team, and
good for Jessica Campbell. All that stuff is great, fine, awesome, whatever,
But like you said, that's not.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
What we're all looking for. We're all looking for.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
Championships, you know, deep runs, you know, World Series, Super Bowls,
Conference title game appearances, Heisman Trophy winners, things like that.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
So it was kind of a bill year. You're exactly right.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
It was kind of a Bli year when it came
to sports. So hopefully we got it out of our system.
We've coughed up the hairball in twenty twenty five is
gonna be freaking awesome. All right, we're gonna break text
them audios four nine, four to five to one. Next
we're at the Sports Star Bank, which should have some
guests rolling in around five is isch or so
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Right here on ninety three three KJRFM
Well, joining us right now in the radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Apparently nobody told Larry Stone that in retirement he doesn't
need to go cover spring training. He can stay home
and just hang out and here are the games on radio.
He's got a streak watch the games on TV. But
he just you know, it's like you wake up and
you brush your teeth, and you jump on the shower,
you put your pants on.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
You just kind of make a habit out of it.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And apparently every now and then, every single February, Larry
Stone just has a habit of getting on a plane
and going to Arizona to watch baseball. And he joins
us right now from Peoria. Larry, how are you, man?
What's going on down there?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm doing great?
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Well.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
The keyword was cover, you said. No one told me
I don't have to cover sprint training. The beauty is
now I just go and I relax and watch baseball
and let division the other guys do do the work.
And that's the big difference. And I still love being
out there in the sprint time as the subject and
watching a little baseball.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Yeah, what's the streak, Larry?
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I know twenty twenty one doesn't count because it was
like shut down. But what is the legit Larry Stone
streak of.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Covering training thirty nine years? My first baseball job was
at the Belfue Journal American, long defunct, and they sent
me to Tempe, where the Mariners were training in those days,
to cover the Alvin Davis, Mark Langston, Danny Tartible Mariners
for about a week, and then I moved to the
(01:20):
Bay Area right after that, did ten years with the
A's and Giants, and then came back to Seattle and
been to every Mariner spring training ever since sin since
starting in ninety seven.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, so if it's thirty nine years, I used to
deliver the Journal American. By the way, I was probably
like thirteen fourteen years old when you were writing for them,
which means there's a good chance I delivered your columns.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
By the way. How's I mean?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Wow, you and I haven't met the limits of you
on your you and your sting.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Ray exactly like a Huffey by the way, But Larry,
why don't you, just because we haven't caught up in
a while, give us your thoughts on the off season
the Mariners had encapsulate if you can job that the
Mariners did or did not do making this baseball team
better over the off season.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Well, I mean, I think I've joined the chorus of
those who were disappointed. They had a clear need and
to beef up the offense, and you know, they just
did it incrementally, if at all, with Solano and Polanco
were really the only additions. They're they're they're counting a
lot on the the improvement when Dan Wilson took over
(02:29):
of being sustainable, you know, that's that's iffy, that's an
iffy proposition. So you know, with the with the pitching
that they have and the and the tools that they
do have in their lineup. Uh, you know, it just
seems like there was a there was a path to
being a really strong, contending World Series type team and
(02:52):
they didn't take it. So now it's going to rely
on a lot of things going right for them to
get there.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
Larry, I don't know if you heard the interview with
Chuck and Buck with Jerry Depoto last week, but the reasoning,
the explanation that he used for not picking up bats
in the UH in the off season was, Hey, we've
already we've already made our moves. Our twenty twenty five
moves are a full season of Victor Roblace, a full
season of Randy Arosa, rain up bounce back season for
(03:19):
Mitch Garver. How much credence do you give to those
reasons slash excuses?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Well, I think that's something you say after the fact
when you when you can't pull off a deal. I
think they tried. I think they tried really hard to
to make a few acquisitions. It just didn't work out
for whatever reason. But again, you're that could be the case,
but you know you could. You could have removed the
a lot of the doubt by getting a couple of
(03:47):
sure thing bats, and they did They didn't do that. Now,
a lot of things have to go right. You just
named a few of them. That means uh and Victor
Roebliss and Garver and Pulong and you've got to get
something from Dylan More at second base, and JP has
to make a comeback, and you know, on and on
(04:07):
and everywhere. The pitchers have to remain healthy and some
of the bullpen guys have to come back. There is that,
I mean, there's the seeds of a of a good
team there. One thing that kind of amused me over
the off season was in reading the comments and listening
to the calls on your station and everything, there's this
almost this reality is or or this take reality is
(04:33):
set in that they're a bad team. That they're not
a bad team. That's what makes it, that's what makes
it even more frustrating to me, is that they're a
good team that could have been so much better. And
with that pitching they're going to contend. The floor for
this team is really high because you're going to throw
a good starter out there every day. It's just that
(04:54):
if you had just added a couple more solid bats,
I think everyone would have been excited, and I think
the chances of success would have been a lot greater.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Well, let's talk about Polanco for a second. Larry Larry
Stone is with us because it turned out that the
most money the Mariners spent on a player over the
offseason was Horay Polanko.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
They gave him seven point five million dollars, guy they
already had.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I mean, that's their big money move was to just
bring Horay Polanco back. And if I would have told
you guys that in November, you would have laughed in
my face. That the biggest contract they'll dole out over
the offseason is going to be given to Horray Polonko.
Now they're talking about playing him at third where he's
played twenty three games in his career. He's coming off
knee surgery, and he was two games away from being
(05:39):
a two hundred hitter a year ago. How much faith
do you have and Horay Polonko bouncing back and being
the guy that they were hoping they were getting when
they signed him before the twenty twenty four season.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, I don't have a huge amount of faith. I mean,
he does have a track record, and he was hurt
last year. You have to kind of cling to that.
But you know, learning a new position, relatively new position.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
He's got a few.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Games there, but not not much at third base. Uh,
you know, that's that's a challenge in itself, and uh
you know, anyone who watched him last year, I can't
be too confident in in in that. But that's one
of the things that they need to happen. Uh you
know I I I'm skeptical if if Polonco was foremost
(06:26):
in their plans when the offseason started, but it got
to a point where they had to bring in somebody and.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Everyone was off the table.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
You know, the names that were bandied about and looked
to be a good fit for the Mariners kept going
to other teams. So just kind of by process of
elimination if it came down to for a Polonco and
that's you know, not the best way to to add
to your roster.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Larry, do you have a guy? Do you have a
pick to click this year? On this on this offense?
And I'm gonna throw Julio and Cal out. Those are
too easy, So anybody else on this on this baseball team,
on this offense that you just either have a gut
or you've seen something down there, or you just think
the timing is right for this guy to actually step
up and be I don't know, an above average hitter,
(07:12):
which would be fabulous on his baseball team.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well, I haven't been here long enough to see anything
down here to catch my eye because I just got
just got off the plate this afternoon. The way to
so good, I guess i'd say, Luke Rayley, that's the
second half that he had. Uh, you know, he's settling
(07:37):
in to being I think he has the potential to
be a really good.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Major league player.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
And uh, you know, if you get if you get
that that production from Luke Rayley at first base, I
think that's a that's a good place to start. And
another guy's is a Rose Arena. I think he has
a lot more than he showed last year. He has
shown notes about his career. Uh, it was probably the
worst year offensively that he's had, but there was a
lot of disruption in the trade and everything.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
If he seems.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Comfortable here now, I know there was a lot of
speculation that he didn't want to be here last year,
but from what I've read and heard, you know he
likes it. He likes being in the outfield with the
Roblest and Julio.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
She has all star.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Potential and if you can get that out of him,
that would go a long way to her.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Yeah, what about the young guys?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
What about the young guys, Larry, Because it kind of
feels like it's starting to get to time for one
of those guys to get here, whether a Harry Ford
or a Cale Young, or an Emerson or a Ben Williamson.
I mean Jerry mentioned him, he's twenty five years old.
Is this the year where we see one of those
guys brought up early and actually contribute?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
I think so, Dave, there's a good chance of that.
It's probably a bad sign in a way if that happens,
because it means that somebody else either got hurt or
wasn't wasn't producing. But you know, Cole Cole Young, I
think we're going to see him at some point this
year at second base. And Ben Williamson, that's the name
that you just keep hearing, and I that the game
(09:09):
I saw today. He didn't do much at the plate,
but he made it great to play. Charging a slow
roller and throwing them out kind of look like you
know a major league player doing that, And that's the
rep on him. He's a Gold Gloff caliber third basement. Yeah,
I think we're going to see him at some point
this year, and perhaps Harry Ford. But that's the thing
(09:31):
about you know, their farm system. It's it's highly ranked
and deservedly so, but a lot of their best prospects
are are still you know that they're not ready for
the major leagues, with the exception of Cole Young, And
you know, Williamson is not on those lists, even though
he impresses everybody, he's not one of those top one
hundred guys because we're not going to see Emerson Hancock
(09:54):
this year. We're not going to see Selisin. We're not
going to see h Las A Montes. So you know
those guys that are extremely promising, but not for this year.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
Well, you mentioned Montesa, was going to ask you about
him because Randy rose Rena said today that Las is
going to be one of the best.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
In the game very soon. He said that, So, I.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Mean, I think that that's a guy that will be
asking you when we when you come on on a
regular basis before the start of the regular season, to
give us kind of a recap of what you saw
in spring training, because that's some pretty high praise from Randy.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Yeah, well he looks it looks the part. I mean,
he just looks like a power hitter, a guy who's
going to be a thirty five home run guy. The
thing to keep in mind, guys, is that a lot
of people expected the Mariners to dip into that farm
system in the offseason with trades to get to get
a bat. But you know, with a with a extra
(10:50):
wild card, everyone thinks they're a contender and nobody wanted
to give up major league talent for for prospects. But
it's gonna be a different story at the trade deadline, right,
if the Arners can hang in there, they have they
have tremendous depth with which to deal. I mean, they
have the they're in position to make a blockbuster trade.
So I don't think all those guys are going to
be around, uh, you know by the time the year ends.
(11:13):
They uh, if they really want to make a splash
and they're in position to do that, I would expect
a couple of those guys they have a very good
chance of being dealt. But but but then you hate
that when you look at a guy like Montez, you
hate to give them up because you just see the
potential that that's there.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Larry Stone with us, Uh, he's in Arizona, just hanging out.
He's the guy with a big, gigantic sun hat and
the sunglasses on right with the arm wraps on making
sure he doesn't get you know, the sun spots down there.
But he'll be with us again in late March when
the season kicks off. Courtesy the Ram and Larry, I
want to just ask you about Jerry to Poto uh
(11:55):
and his pr savvy if you will, you know, you
got Jock Schnyder on one side who's going on TV
and radio and saying how he feels bad for the fans.
We've missed the playoffs twice in a row. We got
to get our act together, blah blah blah, and Jerry
Depoto is just you know, saying things like.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
We have a good offensive team and just convincing everybody
that they're wrong. You know you're wrong. You know, we've
we've we've we've.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Done this, we've done that. We're one of two teams
to win eighty five games. It just seems like he
spends more trying, you know, time trying to convince people
to have his back and that they don't know what
they're talking about, and he's he's turning people off.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I mean, what do you make of just his approach
when he comes to the media.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Yeah, I mean when I heard about what he said
about the offense, I did a double take as well,
just like similar to the fifty four percent comment the
year before. Yeah, he just sometimes he talks himself into
into trouble. I mean it comes down to I understand
why people are frustrated the Mariners in a lot.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Of ways, like they were toxic.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And nothing they could do in the off season.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
Could satisfy people. There was you know, you read.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
The comments and and everything, and.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
It's just kind of you don't know if those are
just the vocal minority who are on Twitter and all that.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
But people don't want to hear anything, and Jerry gives
them as a knack for giving them a little bit
of ammunition for people who don't like them. So I
think you're right, we better serve just sort of taking
the Schnader route, and you know, our goal is the
World Series and we're doing everything we can to get
(13:41):
there and kind.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Of leave it at that.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Larry, how much do you make of the twenty one
and thirteen record at the end of last season under
Dan and Edgar? Is that just I mean, a lot
of teams get better when there's coaching changes. There's a
little bit of energy, you know, Or is there something
legit that you saw the approach of the plate being
different that you really think can carry over this year.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
I think it's possible.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Uh. You know, I was just talking to somebody today
that you know, you listen to what they say. Edgar
said and it's pretty simple, basic stuff, you know, Uh,
go up the middle, hit all fields that you know,
don't don't try to you know, make contact all that
stuff that you hear, you know, at every level of baseball,
(14:25):
but when you hear it from a Hall of Famer,
I think it takes root.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
And I think it certainly did with with with.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Julio, you know he I think he got through Edgar
got through to Julio or whatever it was he said.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
And that alone is, you know, gives you hope for
the for the future.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Uh, It's hard to say how real it was, but
you know, they were they it wasn't garbage time. They
were still they were still fighting for a for a
playoff spot. So you know, I give it some credence,
uh for sure. And but I don't know if I
would have based my whole offseason game plan on carrying
(15:08):
that success over without any changes. I think, you know,
I think that's a little bit perhaps overly optimistic. But
I guess we'll just have to find out how real
it is. But uh, you know, Dan Dan Wilson's a
guy who fits a lot of the bill for a manager,
(15:30):
you know, kind of quiet leadership type guy.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
And yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
You're right, Dick, that change, change does. Change often boosts
the team. But uh, you just have to wait and
see how this's inable it is.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Uh, Larry, before you go, uh, give us a take
on the back baseball scene from a national perspective. You
mentioned working for the Journal American back in the day,
and you once upon a time, we're a national baseball
writer and one of the best out there and still
could be again if you wanted to get your ass
off the couch and go back into that arena. But
there's been a lot of talk about, you know, the
(16:07):
Dodgers and just how much money they're spending. The league
is just kind of becoming more and more about who
can spend the most money. The salary cap conversation comes
up all the time when things like this happen. What
do you make of the state of baseball and what's
happening at Chavez Ravine with the Dodgers just going nuts
with their pay?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Well, yeah, well, perception becomes reality. I mean, I don't
I think that a lot of other teams could be
spending more than they do. No one's going to be
in the Yankee Dodger Mets category. But I mean, the
Yankees haven't won a World Series since two thousand and nine.
I think it is and they just they have. You know,
(16:46):
it doesn't guarantee success. Even the Dodgers, you know, they
make the playoffs, but they they've won what since eighty eight,
They hadn't won since the They finally won again at
the the COVID year and then and then last year,
but they haven't been dominating like uh, you know, like
(17:08):
other like the some some like the Patriots or or
the Chiefs. So I don't think it's as dire as
people think of it. I think there's a lot of
competitive balance in baseball, more than you think of teams
making the playoffs, teams not repeating. I mean, Jason Start
did a whole, big, convincing article on that. I don't
know if you saw that about how baseball has more
(17:29):
parody than people think.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
And I believe that. But uh and and you know, a.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Team like the Padres show that a small market team
can be aggressive and go for it and have success.
They uh, you know, they've been in the playoffs. They draw,
they draw close to three million. They're making money because
their owner decided he was he wanted to win a
World Series and he was going to go all out
to do it. And I think other teams could could
(17:55):
do that. I'm a little worried just for the industry
that the next contract situation it's going to be coming
up next offseason. I think there's two years left on
the basic agreement. It's going to get bloody, and you know,
the uh, it's sure set up for there to be
(18:18):
a work stoppage of some sort. I mean, I've been
around long enough to see about eight of these worst
work stoppages, and every one of them is basically the
owners trying to get a salary cap and they've never
been able to do it. And I don't think they're
going to be successful now because this is such a
strong union. But they're they're they're going to try and
(18:39):
and that's going to make for a long, protracted battle,
I believe.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Yeah, I'd be unfortunate, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
All Right, man, great stuff, Enjoy the sun and we'll
talk in a few weeks and get going for real.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Buddy, Glad to get back on the air with us,
and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
All right, my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Thanks all right, Larry Stone. With us, we're going to break.
We've got a lot more to get to. We're at
the Sports Start the year award banquet should have some
big names swinging by around five o'clock five point thirty tonight.
Buckle up on ninety three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 6 (19:08):
Live from the R and R Foundation Specialist broadcast Studio.
Now back to Softie and Dick One, your home for
the Huskies and the Creken Sports Radio ninety three point
three KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
All right, we're back here at the U Convention Center.
It's my first time in this building. Have you been
here before?
Speaker 5 (19:27):
By the way, I was not in this room, but
I was just here for the Seattle Golf Show about
two three weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
They could put a swimming pool in this room and
have bleatures room over for a football field, no question.
It's that big, and I always get bummed out there.
We're not bringing our golf clubs. If somebody would have
told me this room was this big, I would have
brought like a sixty degree wedge or something, had some fun.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
It could have worked on our short game. We could have,
man because it needs time.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
By the way, now, wow, who doesn't Who doesn't? Well,
we're here hanging out until seven o'clock tonight. Big Thanks
to our engineer Terry Ryan uh saved the day by
setting us up on time. Now he's picking up our garbage,
which really that's why he's here to pick up our trash.
Good good on Terry for finally realizing that. But we
gonna have some guests coming around through five o'clock from
between five and seven sports stories of the year. I mean,
(20:12):
you kind of rack your brain and think about the
big sports stories of two thousand and twenty four.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
It's tough. Well, I gotta tell.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
You, if you asked me what the biggest sports story
of twenty four was, it was the disappointment of the
Mariner baseball season. That was the biggest story. Like what
conjures up the most emotion. Huskies are resetting after the Boor,
Huskies are kind of getting finding their way after Hopkins,
the Seahawks are resetting after Pete Carroll, all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
You know, Sounders kind of started off slow and then
picked up some steam and then ultimately fell a little short.
The most emotion that I had as a sports fan
last year was being pissed off at the Mariners.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
I think that's fair, is that that's a longer term story.
Is the individual story of the Pete Carroll era ending. Okay,
bigger story than the emotional story of how pissed off
he were at the right. Well, so, okay, so the
Pete Carroll era. So Mike McDonald was hired in what
right about January?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
January?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
February of twenty twenty four starts over and takes over
in September, So the Carroll thing was pretty much already
done by that, right he got fired?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Win? When did Pete Carroll get fired?
Speaker 5 (21:22):
Must have been twenty twenty four because he coached all
the games and it went into January.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Right, But he coached all the games in twenty twenty.
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Three, correct, But the last game of twenty twenty three
was in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Right, So Pete Carroll was fired on December. No, he
wasn't fired on Christmas Day? What day was Pete Carroll fired?
January tenth of twenty twenty four? Yeah, I could go
for that. That that's the biggest story. I'm just telling you.
From my perspective, what got me fired up the most
was what the Mariners did to their fans.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Right, And I just.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Think, I mean, no, one, we will never have a year.
I stand firm in this. We will never have a
miserable a year in Seattle sports as we did in
two thousand and eight, and anything will be a massive
gap between that and second place. But twenty twenty four
might have been second place at least over the in
(22:15):
this century. Like the lack of success across the board
in the city was remarkable.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Well, the Mariners fell way short. The Seahawks were just
kind of blah the entire year. Husky basketball ended up
firing their head coach and hiring a new guy that
ended up finishing at least for now, in last place
in the Big Ten crack and fell on their face.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Had a bad year.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Husky football really kind of blah, but you know, not
bad considering the context of it. They came off a
national champion of a national championship game. Yeah, there really
wasn't anything. I mean again, I'm telling you, I'm guaranteeing you.
You're gonna tell me the the candidates right now for
the biggest sports stories of the year. Where is the
Mariners stabbed their fans in the net?
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Is that on there? I don't think they'd put that. Okay,
it should be. Is there supposed to be good sports?
I was positive sports lies?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Why does it have to be positive stories? Didn't didn't
time magazine named like Hitler.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
The Person of the Year eighty years ago or whatever
we're really going for're not saying they're going for that vibe,
but you know, I mean what what conjures up the
most emotion?
Speaker 4 (23:21):
Right?
Speaker 2 (23:22):
And for me, the story of the Mariners falling short
and doing nothing of significance over the off season. Uh
and and and completely rejecting the call to go out
there and help out one of the great pitching stabs
in the history of the franchise. That that, to me
is what I'll remember twenty twenty four to four.
Speaker 5 (23:42):
Now, how is how is what the Mariners did, yeah
in twenty twenty forty different than what the Kraken did
between twenty twenty three and twenty twenty Do.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
The Kracking have an elite front line? Do they have
an elite goaltender?
Speaker 1 (23:54):
No?
Speaker 5 (23:55):
But the playoff team sure, yeah, won a series and
almost won two series and then they didn't even make
the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Right, But again, they're also in year three, or they
were in year three. The Mariners are in almost your
fifty now for crying out, I know. And the Mariners
had one of the best pitching stabs in the history
of their franchise and they completely freaking ignored it.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
So I'm much more Jackson.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I don't know about you, but I'm much more apt
to give the crack in a pass than I am
the Mariners.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I'm getting me.
Speaker 7 (24:22):
I'm that for sure. Absolutely not to mention they're in
what year four right now?
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah, you're not made the playoffs a year two? Right?
Is that correct?
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Guys?
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Okay, Mariners took fifteen years.
Speaker 7 (24:31):
They had a big, big, big.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Frustrate. That's right.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
Sorry, it just got worse for me.
Speaker 8 (24:38):
The top story of twenty twenty four is is just
blatantly this the Carroll era ends, Like like Pete Carroll
was the face of the Seahawks for fifteen years. I mean,
this is the guy where you go to any random
Joe across the United States and say name one person
associated with the Seahawks. They're gonna say Pete Carroll, the
(24:58):
chewing gum guy on this sideline that people see every
single second of every game.
Speaker 7 (25:03):
And that era came to an end.
Speaker 8 (25:06):
Like for me, like twenty twenty four was just market
What does Seak football look like in the next era?
Speaker 7 (25:12):
And it's this kid, Mike McDonald.
Speaker 8 (25:14):
Yeah, and they higher they go from the oldest head
coach ever the youngest you know in Seak history.
Speaker 7 (25:19):
So that that's for me, is easily the number one
story of the year.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
See I just I mean for me, for the sports
story of the year, I tend to look at two
columns A what did teams accomplish? And like you said,
there really wasn't much. That's last year, Okay, So if
there's not much there in the accomplishment category, then let's
look at what preoccupied our time the most in twenty
twenty four And what preoccupied my time the most was
(25:42):
being angry at the Mariners period, bitching about the marriagin
Y day.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
In reality, it lasted. I mean, I don't know what
what date our high water mark was was like mid June.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Well they were ten games and so how could you
forget that?
Speaker 5 (25:55):
And so really from the back half of June, all
of July, all of August, and all of September, that's
three and a half months that we just spent pissed off. Yes, yes,
I mean during the nicest time of year in Seattle. Yeah,
we were just kicked in the mid section almost on
a nightly basis.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Well, you can say nuts, it's fine and we got
kicked in the nuts. I know you want to watch
your language because there are some professional TV people here,
But I have a reputation that I have to uphold,
so I won't be the one to carry that flag
for you.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
But yeah, I mean the whole ten games up thing
that we did.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Remember that on the air and all that with the
Tony soprano and blah blah blah. Yeah, I mean that
was it, right, I mean, oh my god, they're ten
games up. What day were they ten games up? Do
you remember where it was?
Speaker 1 (26:37):
In June?
Speaker 2 (26:38):
They were ten games up? Because I'm gonna bring this
up and I'm gonna go back. I remember thinking Jason
Stark was on with Ian Fernest and said, there's never
been a team in the wild card era that was
ten games up on any at any point and missed
the playoffs. June the eighteenth, they were ten games up,
and we're thinking, oh god, we're going to the playoffs.
(26:59):
This done, ten games up. It's over now. It's like,
what see a week on again? We're gonna see Logan
Gilbert and George Kirby and all these guys in the playoffs.
So let's go ahead and get a bat to compliment
these guys, let's kick ass and make the World Series.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Yeah, and then it was and the rest of the way.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
And it didn't take long because by July thirty first,
we were like, are we even gonna make a move?
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Well, they were up ten games on June the what
I say, June the eighteenth, and they were two games
up on the fourth of July. Two weeks two and
a half weeks later, they were tied a month one month.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
July nineteenth and lasted a month.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
It was done. They're tied, tied thirty one days later,
the Tide. So yeah, I mean that was just toying
with the fan base and the emotions of the fan base.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
That's kind of what stands out for me. But what
are the canidates?
Speaker 5 (27:43):
There are four candidates, and they're all positive stories because
they're not gonna put negatives. Of course, bad teams on here.
And I think the first one, the first one, resonates
with me the most because January first was really cool day.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I went to T Mobile Park.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
I watched outdoor hockey The Eye of the Hockey World.
We're on Seattle at T Mobile Park with the Kraken, right,
and then I went home, you were down there. I
went home with my family and watched Michael Pennix play
for a birth in the National Championship game, and we
won one of the more exciting Husky football games in
recent memory. That to me, that's that's number one on
(28:19):
my list. That's a that's on here.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
It all went downhill from there.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
January literally January literally the best day of the year
was the first day, and the rest of the year sucked.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
That's what you're saying.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Yes, Story number two is the Seattle Sea Wolves dominate
the Western Conference.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
Story number three that a rugby team, it is, Okay,
Story number three the Uba.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
By the way, I'm being half a Smartes's I'm sorry, sorry.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
You men's crew winning their twentieth national championship. And story
number four is Jessica Campbell making NHL his three as
a female coach.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Well, look, those are all fun stories, but I think,
like you said, they're just that's the best we can do.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
That's kind of a lame year. I'm sorry, that's just
a lame year, right.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
I mean, you need you need titles, you need division championships,
you need playoff pushes and things like that, and these
are the kinds of stories that you gravitate to when
you don't have all that stuff. And hey, good for
the Sea Wolves, good for the U rowing team, and
good for Jessica Campbell. All that stuff is great, fine, awesome, whatever,
But like you said, that's not.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
What we're all looking for. We're all looking for.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
Championships, you know, deep runs, you know, World Series, Super Bowls,
Conference title game appearances, Heisman Trophy winners, things like that.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
So it was kind of a bill year. You're exactly right.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
It was kind of a Bli year when it came
to sports. So hopefully we got it out of our system.
We've coughed up the hairball in twenty twenty five is
gonna be freaking awesome. All right, we're gonna break text
them audios four nine, four to five to one. Next
we're at the Sports Star Bank, which should have some
guests rolling in around five is isch or so
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Right here on ninety three three KJRFM
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
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