Softy & Dick 6-3 Hour 3: Jon Wilner, Brian Schmetzer, Larry Stone

In the third hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain talk to Jon Wilner about conference shifting in college sports and the new football playoff model then chat with the Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer before diving into Mariners baseball with Larry Stone.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for a weekly Pac twelve conversation with San
Jose Mercury News reporter John Wilner, brought to you by
Simply Seattle. Our friends at simply Seattle dot com have
the most amazing collection of all things Seattle Seahawks gear.
You w had some of the largest selection of Sonnix
gear anywhere in the world. Learn more at simply Seattle
dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, we're back on a busy Tuesday from Meameral
Quigasino normally on Mondays, but back here on a Tuesday.
Back at Jimmy's on first Tomorrow, but joining us right
now on the radio show. Courtesy of our friends at
simply Seattle dot com. Whatever to have your eye on,
be sureing use Cokee KJR fifteen for fifteen percent off
anything at simply Seattle dot com. Our friend Johnny Wilner

(00:40):
from the San Jose Mercury News.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
John, how are you.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
I'm good. It seems like you've been around the world
for like eighty days.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
I have I feel like youon I feel like it, man,
I mean my body feel you know what. Traveling at
the age of fifty two years old is not like
it was when I was twenty two years old.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
I got no idea. Why. Oh, maybe it's because I'm old.
By John.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Let me ask you about this Texas State to the
PAC twelve thing.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Is that gonna happen?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
And if it does happen, why should Cougar fans or
Beaver fans be excited about it?

Speaker 5 (01:13):
I think there's a good chance that Texas State is
going to be the eighth football play in school. They
need one more and there aren't very many good options, right.
UNLV is an option. Uh, Dipping into the FCS ranks
as an option, and I think Texas State might be
the best option. So we'll see if if you're a
Cougar fan, Look, you want to be in Vegas, right,

(01:38):
I think you want to be in Vegas, But you
don't really want UNLV.

Speaker 4 (01:40):
I mean, they're not anything special, but you do.

Speaker 5 (01:44):
I think for the long term success of the conference,
you want to be in Texas.

Speaker 4 (01:49):
You want to have your flag planned in Texas.

Speaker 5 (01:51):
It gives you Central time zone kickoff opportunities, but it
gives you access to Texas recruiting. You know, there's a
lot of money in Texas. Football is a huge sport.
The sport in Texas Texas State itself is in a
booming area right between Austin and San Antonio. I think, like,

(02:12):
if you're a Cooper fan, you want the PAC twelve
to be the best it can be over the course
of five six years. Texas State helps you get there
better than UNLV does.

Speaker 6 (02:22):
Did I read where Memphis was a candidate and I
mean maybe that makes.

Speaker 4 (02:25):
Well, yeah, I mean.

Speaker 5 (02:28):
There's one option in theory is to go try to
raid the American and get Memphis, two lane South Florida.

Speaker 4 (02:37):
You know good you know good.

Speaker 5 (02:39):
Markets, pretty good basketball football schools. The issue, though, is
going to be the money, because the average American school
gets about eight million in media rights, but those schools
the top tier get more than that. And so the
question is, well the PAC twell be able to offer
enough that would make it a profitable opportunity for the

(03:02):
top tier schools like Memphis when you factor in travel
cross as well.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
John, in ten years from now, will you dub and
Washington State be playing for the same championship.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
Which sport football?

Speaker 5 (03:17):
Because I think that I really think we're gonna see,
you know, a separation of the Olympic sports. I think
there's a chance Washington Washington State are gonna be the
same conference in ten years in you know, Olympic sports, basketball,
probably not football, probably not. Will they be playing for

(03:38):
the same championship?

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (03:43):
I think so.

Speaker 5 (03:44):
The only way they wouldn't is if there's a super
league that Washington is in.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
In Washington State.

Speaker 5 (03:51):
Is not right, and I think that there's a decent
chance that will happen. But I would bet I think
it's better in fifty to fifty that everybody currently in
major college football is that the conferences will be different structures,
but they'll still be playing for the same title.

Speaker 6 (04:07):
As we see the split, the chasm get larger between
SEC Big ten and everybody else, and particularly Power four
and everybody else. Why would teams like that, I'm not
just singling out Washington State, I mean Nevada, New Mexico.
Why would they want to compete for the same championship
as Ohio State and Michigan.

Speaker 5 (04:29):
Well, I think that it's because you got If you're
a president of the university and you're gonna tell your
donors we're out on football, the backlash is significant, right,
and then you're you're dealing with regents and trustees and
university presidents like to keep their jobs.

Speaker 6 (04:48):
And well, I'm not talking about gay football, John, I'm sorry.
I'm not talking about getting rid of football. I'm talking
about those teams all banding together and having what we
had in the FCS like the next level above the
f SCA yes, but below whatever the top forty teams
are well.

Speaker 5 (05:05):
But I think you're still talking about them willingly backing
out of competing at the highest level right now. It's
one thing if there's a super league and they don't
get invited, but it's another thing I think to willingly say,
you know.

Speaker 4 (05:19):
What, we're out of football at the highest level, you know,
on our own.

Speaker 5 (05:25):
And I don't know that that would play well with
the constituents for those schools, but they may not have
a choice.

Speaker 4 (05:31):
I mean the other pieces.

Speaker 5 (05:33):
We don't know how this revenue sharing is going to
play out with you know how, Sharon twenty million bucks
a year.

Speaker 4 (05:40):
That's going to cause a lot of schools.

Speaker 5 (05:42):
To have to rethink with football and rethink all the
sports that they sponsor.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
John Wilders with us So I thought Greg Sank came
out the other day and you can refresh my memory
because it's a little fuzzy right now. That he said
his goal is for the Power Forward to have complete
autonomy over the way they govern themselves and splinter off
from the NC DOUBLEA.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
Am I reading that writer? Is that nonsense that I
that I saw?

Speaker 5 (06:06):
He said that there are there are administrators in the
SEC that wonder why they're still part of the NCUBLEA.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
Got it?

Speaker 5 (06:13):
And to that I would say that the NC DOUBLEA
does a lot of things wrong, but one thing it
does right is it runs national championships very very well.
March Madness, College World Series, Women's College World Series.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
I mean, they do championships well.

Speaker 5 (06:32):
And if you're out of the NCUBLEA and you're the
Big ten or the SEC, then you've got to put
on like twenty five national championships, and I don't think
they want to do that. So what I think may
end up happening, and what Sankee really I think wants
is that the Big four conferences can kind of set

(06:52):
their own rules, especially when it comes to football, but
their other sports are still operated under the NC DOUBLEA
and umbrella because of the postseason championships.

Speaker 6 (07:06):
John, If I'm Greg SANKI I want the five eleven
playoff model because I'm so arrogant that I believe that
my champion will get in as one of the five,
and then I can get six other teams in that
in that playoff, Whereas if you go four four two
two one, that limits the amount of at large teams

(07:28):
my conference can get. Is that what Greg Sanki and
also the Big Ten are thinking?

Speaker 4 (07:32):
Oh man, I could do like five segments on this topic.
I love it.

Speaker 7 (07:37):
So.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
First of all, if you do an hour.

Speaker 8 (07:38):
At your run, the four the four to four.

Speaker 4 (07:43):
Two two one is actually the four four two two
one three. We can't forget about that three. That three
is at large Berth.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Okay, right, John, hang on, let me stop me for
a second. I think people are tuning in and have
no idea what that means. What is the fourth four
two to one meaned?

Speaker 5 (08:00):
It means four automatic bids for the SEC, four automatic
bids for the Big Ten, two each for the ACC
and Big twelve, one for the best team in the
group of five, and that would include the PAC twelve.
Then three at large bids. Notre Dame's gonna have like
this special pathway to get one. But there's still two
other at large perths odds are the Big Ten and

(08:21):
the SEC are gonna get them. So it's really like
four almost five bids for each. Now the five eleven
model that the SEC is pushing for, yeah, they could
get six at large person if they want it right.
Seven absolutely, and that's what they're thinking. But here's the problem.

(08:44):
If you're the Big ten and this is the clash
of titans that is getting set up right because the
Big Ten and the SEC control what the format is
gonna be starting in twenty six. The secs were once
one model, the Big Ten once another. And the difference
is that the SEC in the eight game conference schedule,

(09:04):
the Big ten looks over there and they think, if
we have a playoff model where it's unlimited at large bids,
the SEC is going to have a huge advantage because
they only play eight conference games. So the Big ten
is digging in on the fourth on the automatic bids
four each because they think that will help level the
playing field. If the SEC is willing to go to

(09:27):
eight nine conference games, then that would change the dynamics.
I think that the Big the Big ten would maybe
be more willing to do the five to eleven if
the SEC plays nine conference games.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
So okay, so refresh my memory. How many teams are
going to play for a championship this coming season?

Speaker 3 (09:45):
Is it still twelve? Or is it's sixteen? Now? What's
of that?

Speaker 8 (09:48):
Now?

Speaker 4 (09:49):
Wait? Have you been out of town? You haven't been
paying attention to?

Speaker 2 (09:53):
How many teams are playing for the title this coming
season in the playoff?

Speaker 3 (09:57):
How many? Twelve?

Speaker 4 (09:58):
It's twelve?

Speaker 3 (09:59):
How many?

Speaker 4 (10:00):
How long you are gone?

Speaker 3 (10:01):
Okay? How many is set to be in twenty twenty six?

Speaker 4 (10:04):
Okay? We don't know, Okay, but it's probably sixteen. I
don't remember when you left.

Speaker 5 (10:11):
But at some point in the last three weeks, they
they made a change for this coming season. They kept
it at twelve, but they went to a straight seating model.
So the teams are gonna be seated based exactly on
how they're ranked. That we don't know anything about twenty
six and beyond, but they are leaning toward having sixteen.

(10:33):
They're gonna skip over fourteen and go straight from twelve
to sixteen. And they have these two models that are competing,
and the Big ten wants one thing, and the Big
twelve and the SEC and the ACC wants something else.

Speaker 6 (10:45):
See John, I think the Big Tension want five to
eleven as well. Because even if the SEC still still
plays eight games, because if if my ninth game is
if I'm in the Huskies and my ninth game is
Indiana and Alabama's ninth game is Firm, how does that
help Alabama to play Furman? It doesn't help the basketball teams.

(11:06):
When you play teams like Furman in college basketball, you
get penalized when it comes to the net rankings, So
why wouldn't the same They don't.

Speaker 4 (11:13):
Trust the committee.

Speaker 5 (11:15):
The thing is that they don't trust the Committee because
the Committee has shown time and again.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
That it cares more about your record.

Speaker 5 (11:23):
And your number of losses does about who you're playing.
And the SEC feels burned by that this past year,
and the Big Ten has been burned by that over
the course of years. And the committee's process is so murky,
even though when you look at what it's supposed to do,
number one is strength of schedule, it doesn't always.

Speaker 4 (11:45):
Account for that, And so the Big Ten.

Speaker 5 (11:47):
Is worried that the SEC team that is ten and
two and played a weaker schedule is going to get
in ahead of the nine to three Big Ten team
that played a stronger schedule.

Speaker 2 (11:58):
Okay, so here's a follow up to My last question,
at what point do we get to a number of
teams where we stop with expansion and we can sit
down and say, all right, this is what it is.
It'll be this way for five years, ten years, fifteen years.
How long until they stop goofing around with this thing
and we get some consistency over the course of at

(12:19):
least a few seasons.

Speaker 5 (12:22):
Well, I think it'll get to sixteen, and that's where
we'll stay until the end of the contract, which is
the twenty.

Speaker 4 (12:28):
Thirty one season.

Speaker 5 (12:30):
Got right, there's a six year deal that starts in
twenty twenty six. I think they will not get beyond sixteen.
They've got a big problem. Even with sixteen, where are
you going to put those extra games? Right right now,
they're playing four games. The opening round games are that
weekend before Christmas, when there're three NFL games on Saturday.
How are you going to put more games if you're

(12:51):
at sixteen?

Speaker 4 (12:52):
You can't. So here's what they're gonna do. They're going
to start the playoff the weekend.

Speaker 5 (12:56):
Of the Army Navy game and the Heisman, and they're
gonna have number sixteen play thirteen and fourteen play fifteen.
It's like a play in the week of Army Navy,
and then the next weekend they're gonna have the two
winners play other twelve other teams, and then you're gonna

(13:17):
have the champions of the SEC and Big Ten are
gonna have double buys and they're not gonna play until
the quarterfinals. And here's the reason they gotta do the
double buys because if they have a sixteen team playoff
and they got automatic bids, why would you play a
conference championship game?

Speaker 9 (13:35):
Right?

Speaker 5 (13:36):
Who would watch a conference championship game? Who would play
their starting quarterback in the conference championship game?

Speaker 4 (13:41):
So they got to make that valuable.

Speaker 5 (13:43):
And the way they're gonna make the championship game valuable
is by giving the winner a double buy into the quarterfinals.

Speaker 6 (13:50):
Well, John, how about for this next year? That will
that we know what it's gonna be like. Do you
like the new playoff seeding rules and remind us what
they are and are you better off being a one
through four seed or maybe are you better off being
a five through eight seed this year?

Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (14:05):
So the new rule is basically same amount of teams twelve,
but instead of reserving the top four seeds for the
highest ranked conference champions the top four seeds.

Speaker 4 (14:15):
Are gonna be the top four ranked teams. It is gonna.

Speaker 5 (14:18):
Follow the twelve the last rankings that get announced the
day after the conference championship game. The seeds are gonna
be correlate exactly to those rankings. So you're not gonna
necessarily have an advantage for being a conference champion.

Speaker 4 (14:33):
I think the sweet spot is being five through eight,
because you get the home game, and you're gonna get
the same amount of.

Speaker 5 (14:40):
Money that you would have, and you're gonna get not
have three and a.

Speaker 4 (14:45):
Half weeks off. Right, we saw what happened to Oregon.

Speaker 5 (14:48):
Ohio State played an opening round game one, then had
ten days off before they played the Ducks. Ducks had
three and a half weeks off. They were clearly rusty.
I think you want to host the home game. It's
awesome for your campus and it's the best competitive situation.

Speaker 3 (15:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:02):
Well, John Willner again as well as courtesy is simply
Seattle dot com from the San Jose Mercury News, and John,
I thought, I saw where the number of Big ten
Friday night games in the Fox package are less today.

Speaker 3 (15:16):
Than they were a year ago.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
That doesn't necessarily mean less Friday games. That just means
less Friday games on Fox, or does it mean less
Friday games?

Speaker 4 (15:25):
This year for the Big Ten, though there are fewer games.

Speaker 5 (15:30):
I think the Big twelve is filling a couple of spots,
but overall, there are fewer Friday games, and I think
that there's the main reason is that they is the
Saturday schedule. So going into the weeds, just briefly here,
some years the calendar works out that each team has

(15:51):
two buys, right, and some years it works out that
every team has one. By this coming season, there's two bys,
which means there's a lot of Saturdays when there aren't
very many games being played. And if you pull one
of those games out on the Big ten schedule and
move it to Friday, there's even fewer games on Saturday
for the TV networks.

Speaker 4 (16:11):
To pick from.

Speaker 5 (16:12):
And I think that that was an issue last year,
so that's why they're backing off. When we get to
twenty six, I believe that is a season which there's
only one by, and you'll see more games on Fridays
because there'll be a longer list of options on Saturdays.

Speaker 6 (16:28):
Now that we've seen some of these games slotted in
time wise, what's the percent chance that Ohio State U
DUB is twelve thirty on CBS.

Speaker 5 (16:38):
I think that is almost a lock because the late game,
the NBC game is Oregon at Penn State. Right, that's
a whiteout game. It's at Happy Valley, and they can't
play the Big Noon. They can't play Big Noon in
Seattle because the kickoff time. So I would be very

(16:59):
surprised if it is not the CBS game.

Speaker 4 (17:02):
At twelve thirty.

Speaker 2 (17:03):
John, before you go, the College Football Hall of Fame
is lowered their win percentage for entry, and they've done
it for one reason for Mike Leach.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
Did they make the right call?

Speaker 6 (17:14):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yeah they did.

Speaker 5 (17:15):
I just think first of all, the cutoff was six hundred.
He was at five ninety five and they don't round up,
you know, so or no, he was at five ninety
six and you don't round up. So it's basically one
win if you take one loss and move it too
the win column for him, he would.

Speaker 4 (17:34):
Have been in.

Speaker 5 (17:35):
But his system has changed football at every level. And
so when you're talking about both his success at places
that are traditionally hard to win Rubbock, Starkville and Pullman
and the impact he's had on the sport. I mean,
he's a he's a first ballot Hall of Famer in

(17:56):
my mind, and they had to change the formula or
else he was never going to get.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
In, right, John, Great stuff. Great to hear your voices.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
I'm sitting there looking over the GNC enjoying a nice
class of Greek wine with my wife.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
I said, Honey, this is great, but it'd be so
much better if I could talk to John Wilner. So
I'm glad that we finally got a chance to catch up.

Speaker 8 (18:16):
Man.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
We'll talk in a week, buddy.

Speaker 4 (18:18):
Thanks, welcome back. I'll see you guys all right.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
John Wilner with us on the radio show.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
Brian Schmetzer is going to join us at five forty five,
and apparently the Sounder players are not happy with how
much they're getting paid for this Club World Cup thingy.
We'll address that with him at five point forty five
tonight right here on ninety three to three KJRFM.

Speaker 9 (18:38):
On casting live from the R and R Foundation specialist
broad JAST Studio. Now back to Softie and Dig, powered
by Emerald Queen Casino, the Betty and Capital of the
Northwest on Sports Radio and Netties three point three kjr FM.

Speaker 3 (18:53):
All right, so we're back at the Americal Queen Casino.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
I think we should kind of edge McCay people guys
on what's happening with these gree Sounder players. I got
a whiff of this when I was overseas. Club World
Cup is a big deal. In You're a big deal man.
They're fired up for they think the Sounders are going
to be a problem for the Club World Cup. I
have no idea, but I did see some pictures of

(19:20):
the Sounders wearing these t shirts calling out their pay
that they're getting for this tournament.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
And this tournament starts in what eleven days? Jackson? Is
that right?

Speaker 10 (19:29):
That's right?

Speaker 2 (19:30):
You get this team from Brazil that is coming in.
Oh damn it, I wanted to let have you let
me pronounce.

Speaker 10 (19:36):
Oh sorry, I'm so sorry. You can try the other ones.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
Brazil is going to be here on June the fifteenth.
Are we carrying that game, by the way, on the radio?

Speaker 3 (19:44):
Can we do that?

Speaker 9 (19:45):
No?

Speaker 10 (19:45):
We cannot. FIFA has all these weird rules.

Speaker 7 (19:47):
So we're just gonna have a Sounders stream on the
Sounders FC website and that's all we can do.

Speaker 3 (19:53):
So This is not the World Cup.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
This is the Club World Cup where different clubs from
around the country, not country or excuse me, world play
for this thing, not countries playing for this thing. That's
the difference right right with this in the World Cup.
So the big World Cup is next summer in Seattle.
Is this gonna be a yearly thing or excuse me,
every four years?

Speaker 10 (20:12):
Every four years?

Speaker 7 (20:13):
Yeah, they're basically taking the thirty two best teams from
the previous four years around the entire world and saying,
who is the best club right now?

Speaker 3 (20:20):
Gotcha? And how did they qualify for this?

Speaker 7 (20:22):
You win your basically continental tournament. So the Sounders won
Conca calf in twenty twenty two. You remember that big,
huge game, seventy thousand people, Alloeman, Yeah, exactly. But that's
why it takes twenty two, twenty two to twenty three,
twenty four and twenty one as well, and then we
put them in the tournament here in twenty five and
we find out the best teams.

Speaker 3 (20:39):
So this would be.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
Like the Mariners qualifying for the playoffs but having to
wait four years to play on the playoffs.

Speaker 7 (20:45):
Yeah, but I mean like the Sounders there, the team
is totally different, Not exactly because the Sounders then because
they'll play in the playoffs every single year. This is
just taking the accumulation of I mean various teams. You
obviously know, like our core right now is Julio cal Rawley, right,
and this pitching staff. So like that if they were
to have won the World Series in twenty twenty two
and then gotten a run, they would have obviously done that.

(21:07):
But then in this tournament they would have been able
to be on the global scale in this tournament.

Speaker 10 (21:12):
So you can't do that every year.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
Yeah, so let me ask you this, So, how much
different is this Sounder team than the one that we
saw when Conker CAF three years ago?

Speaker 10 (21:19):
Not too different, It's pretty similar to yeah.

Speaker 6 (21:21):
Okay, so but you could have a massively different that
so happens that the Sounders aren't that different?

Speaker 2 (21:28):
Would that team have had a better chance to advance
than this team does?

Speaker 10 (21:32):
Good question?

Speaker 6 (21:32):
Three years ago?

Speaker 3 (21:34):
The whole thing just sounds weird to me.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
It's just a totally it's a totally different approach, and
I get it, Like I'm you guys know, Adam Nathan right,
And I flew back through London and we made a
detour and had dinner with him and his wife, had
a great time.

Speaker 3 (21:48):
Whole thing costs me a thousand.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
Dollars just to stop in London because the ubers were
one hundred and eighty bucks a piece.

Speaker 10 (21:54):
Come on, Adam, were you forcing soft to take you
to dinner?

Speaker 2 (21:57):
He was ninety minutes away from gatwichh We flew into
gain so two ubers. The dinner was like three hundred
bucks apiece. Split it, and then the hotel was like another.

Speaker 3 (22:07):
Four hundred dollars.

Speaker 2 (22:08):
Wow, we dropped a thousand bucks just for that son.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Of a bitch. Okay, and it was fun, all right,
We had a good time.

Speaker 6 (22:15):
I wouldn't do that for you and Jack, you wouldn't
do that for your wife for crying out, I wouldn't.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
But the point is.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
Is that he's a he's a Tottenham fan and to
them in the EPL, they suck this year.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
But they just won some trophy. I don't know what
one they won.

Speaker 10 (22:32):
It's the it's the equivalent of the US Open Cup.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
They're having a terrible year in their league. The trophy
they want to So he's literally going bananas. He's crying,
my god, Oh my god. Co're in seventeenth place at
their league Champions League. Buddy, Come on, so soccer does
weird stuff.

Speaker 11 (22:52):
We did.

Speaker 3 (22:52):
I get that. I totally get that.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
But the issue at hand that will talk to Brian
about it is the Sounder players are unhappy with.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
How much they're getting.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
We won't get into details, or if you want too,
we can, but I don't want to make this a
big thing. They're not happy with what they're being compensated
for this Club World Cup. So is there a concern
that they're gonna either protest and not play in this.

Speaker 3 (23:14):
Game in eleven days or half.

Speaker 2 (23:17):
Asset and maybe not give the appropriate effort because they're
not getting compensated.

Speaker 7 (23:21):
The simple answers are no and no to both of those.
There there's no legal standing for them to sit out
and not participate. And I really don't think when you
when you get them on a pitch that they're gonna
be less competitive because these are three behemoth clubs. I mean,
I'm gonna go we have Sounders weekly. Actually tonight, I'm
gonna go into the full details at seven o'clock on
the numbers and the finances. But they have a point,

(23:44):
I mean, the players do have a point when Ultimately
it breaks down to making about twelve thousand dollars for
each player for each of these three games, for a
total of about set thirty seven thousand dollars. And you
compare that to like what the Sounders are. You know,
a middle of the range player is making for a
random Wednesday MLS game and they're on par But like,
that doesn't make any sense a Club World Cup game

(24:06):
against a bohemoth club like the new UEFA Champions League winners.
The best club on planet Earth is PSG from Paris
San Jerman in Paris, France. They're the best team in
the world. They're coming here to face the Sounders. And
the amount that the Sounders players will make from playing
in that game is the amount, you know, for a
lot of players, for some players, middle arranged player, the

(24:28):
same amount they be making from a random Wednesday MLS game.

Speaker 10 (24:31):
That doesn't exactly make sense.

Speaker 3 (24:33):
Why why is it like this? Whose fault is it?

Speaker 7 (24:35):
It's the fault of the CBA that the players agreed
to in twenty twenty one when they said quote or
the exact languages for tournaments outside of league play that
includes Leagues Cup versus Mexico Open Cup, other tournaments they
can make up to a million dollars as a collective. Well,
that million dollars divided by your twenty seven players on
the roster, he equals thirty seven thousand dollars divided by

(24:55):
three games. There's your number. So ultimately it's the CBA
in two one, which was done by the way, before
the Club World Cup was updated to its amazing modern form.

Speaker 10 (25:08):
It was.

Speaker 7 (25:08):
It was a minor tournament. Now it's a major tournament.
So that CBA was done long before this tournament is
what it is today. But nonetheless, the CBA says what
it says, and they agreed to it.

Speaker 6 (25:19):
Will they be as fired up to what's this team
called that we're playing is fired up to play Boda
Fogo in eleven days as they would be to go
down to Providence Park and play Portland in an MLS
rivalry game.

Speaker 7 (25:37):
That is an amazing question. And honestly, I mean, here's
the thing, Well, yeah, I think, I mean, it's a
good question for Brian, but also it's the element for
the players. Like the players will tell you absolutely were
so fired up for this, but you'd really have to
get you know, Christian rolled on Stephen Fry an honest moment,
in a truly honest moment, and given the pay situation.
I mean I asked, I asked both Christian and Steph

(25:58):
postgame when the two players and they were joined by
basically the entire team, they stood in front of lockers
for twenty minutes as a team and talked about these
pay issues, and I asked that question, are you less
excited for this tournament because of the pay issues that
you're facing? And in a roundabout way, they basically kind
of said, yeah, so, Dick, I think they'd be more

(26:19):
fired up for Providence Park at this moment given the
pay situation.

Speaker 4 (26:23):
Right.

Speaker 10 (26:23):
Well, that's my two cents. I can't stand for him.

Speaker 3 (26:26):
I gotta be honest with you.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
I am more curious now about this game in eleven
days than I was yesterday. Yeah, just to see what
kind of performance they put out there and if they
played poorly when we look back and say, well they
just didn't give it.

Speaker 6 (26:36):
Damn Well, should they get thrashed anyway? Jackson?

Speaker 7 (26:39):
Yeah, I mean, like, well not in this game in
eleven days Botafogo, I think should be a good game.
They even have, they have a chance. I think this
is the most winnable game, they have a chance in it.
I think a draw is a good result. But Bodafogo
is one of the best teams in South America, so
it's it's an enormous test. But then after that you
face Atletico Madrid, one of the best teams in Spain,

(26:59):
who have maybe the best defense in the world. And
after that you face PSG, the best team on planet Earth.

Speaker 2 (27:04):
So text line, why does it take five freaking decades
to play a tournament? Two five three? Crime me a
freaking river, get a better union? Move on two five three?
Nobody cares where it's dick. Why is Softy still talking?
Three to six? So do they have a pep talk
from Rapino?

Speaker 3 (27:19):
Just dumb?

Speaker 2 (27:19):
You have a choice player or not? Most people could
give two frog farts or to five Just another dumb
mid season tournament.

Speaker 3 (27:26):
So there you go.

Speaker 7 (27:26):
I mean, listen, soccer haters, as we know on the
text line, are everywhere. You all can continue to hate
soccer and deny the world's game, and that's fine.

Speaker 10 (27:34):
You're entitled to be a you know, I don't know
what you are. But no, I'm Dick. I'm not talking
to you.

Speaker 7 (27:38):
I'm talking about the techs weird.

Speaker 10 (27:41):
Of course it's weird, Dick Soccer.

Speaker 7 (27:43):
You grew up as an American sports fan, which with
these mid season tournaments not being a thing. I would
also ask Dick this NBA mid season tournament that they
just started a couple of years ago, right, But in
fifty years is it thought of differently?

Speaker 2 (27:57):
But the US open up is yes. Okay, it's only Tuesday.
I don't want you to have an aneurism yet. Wait
until Friday. Brian Schmetzer will join us. We're going to
thoughts on all of this, and then Larry Stone will
be with us at six pm. Get his thoughts on
the Mariners back out of tonight against the Orioles coming
up on ninety three three kJ RFL.

Speaker 9 (28:14):
Casting live from the R and R Foundation specialist broad
Jazz Studio. Now back to Softie and Dick powered by
Emerald Queen Casino, the Vetty and capital of the Northwest
on Sports Radio Natties three point three kJ r FM.

Speaker 2 (28:30):
All Right, we're back here on a busy Tuesday from
the Emeral Queen Casino. Lots to get to here for
Brian Schmetzer talking about the matchro Vancouver coming up on
Sunday two wins over Dallas and San Diego. But Brian
and I got news for you. That's not what Sounder
fans are talking about right now.

Speaker 11 (28:48):
I know, I know what they're talking about talking.

Speaker 2 (28:51):
Yeah, we're talking about why you were late for your
conversation with Jackson Feltz last week.

Speaker 11 (28:58):
I mean, man, I felt so bad. My phone was
blowing up. I had a set over there on the
counter and I just was like in my zone doing
something else and I apologize to Jackson. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
Well, I think we should start talking about a fine system,
by the way, because we let you skate the one time,
but second time that's pushing the envelope.

Speaker 11 (29:18):
Man.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
So we'll have to get our people with your people
and have a conversation off the year.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
No, I'm kidding.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
Obviously, we always love having you on and look forward
to this every single week. But let's talk about this
Club World Cup. Right eleven days from now, Buttafogo from
Brazil is going to be at lumen Field, big match,
obviously international stage, and all we are hearing about is
these t shirts that the players wore in pregame warmups

(29:44):
that said Club World cash grab, and the guys are
concerned about how much they're getting paid to compete in
this event. So as a coach, as a former player,
what do you make of this current predicament your guys
are in.

Speaker 11 (29:58):
Well, look here's the deal, selfie. I see both sides.
I mean, look, I'm sympathetic to the players in many
ways because look, nine point five, it's a big number.
Everybody's getting excited and you know all that sort of stuff.
Oh yeah, and if we go further, there's more prize
money tacked on, and you know they want to pieces

(30:20):
and if there's any more, And I get all that
sort of stuff. I get where they're coming from. I
get the fact that the union had to make the ask.
I mean, the union has to represent the players. They
had to make the ask. But the facts on the
flip side, you know, on the ownership side, I mean,
there is a collective bargaining agreement that the players agreed to,

(30:41):
and you know the language is in there. So I
see both sides. It's kind of a bummer, you know
that it had to come to this. You know, I
was kind of bummed about it. But look, the players
expressed how they felt. You know, I know this. I
can tell you this that there are talk ongoing between

(31:01):
the league and the players Association, and I hope they
can come to some agreement. I mean, that's what I would.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
Hope for, Brian.

Speaker 6 (31:10):
I'm just wondering about the motivation. I mean, when you
have T shirts like this, it would no reason to
believe that, you know, the motivation might be less than
it would be for an MLS game. Will it be
if you would if you had to coach this or
play in this game versus playing in a Portland rivalry
game in the MLS at Providence Park? What's you are
more fired up to play in.

Speaker 8 (31:32):
Deck?

Speaker 11 (31:32):
These guys are. Look, it's a little bit of an
issue right now. When the guys step on the field
against Botafogo, When the guys step on the field against
Athletico Madrid, one of the biggest teams in Spain, when
they step on the field against the European Champions League winners,

(31:53):
they ain't thinking about the bonuses.

Speaker 8 (31:54):
They're gonna think.

Speaker 11 (31:55):
About playing and playing up to their potential.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:58):
Yeah, So the idea of these guys, I guess Jack Brian,
for lack of a better word, half passing it, not
playing with the same motivation they typically play with. You're
gonna go to bed the night before that match and
not have that concern whatsoever.

Speaker 3 (32:12):
Is that fair?

Speaker 11 (32:13):
No? No, I trust our players. We got a good guy,
we have a good locker room. They're a good bunch
of guys. When they when they go step out on
the field in front of our fans, they're gonna perform.

Speaker 6 (32:27):
Brian, have you had conversations with Adrian about this situation?
Obviously it doesn't seem like there's much he can do because,
as you mentioned, it's a CBA agreed to in twenty
twenty one. I'm wonner out. He's handling all of this internally.

Speaker 11 (32:39):
Well, I mean, look, we've had talks. Obviously, it was
a surprise to us. And you know, what does our
media response? How do we respond internally? What's what's what's
the deal? How can we help solve the situation?

Speaker 8 (32:52):
Uh?

Speaker 11 (32:52):
And Adrian has made his thoughts known to the league,
so the league can go and negotiate with the players association.
It's not just him, It's obviously not just me. I
mean all have conversations with you know, some of the players,
just to check in and say, hey, let's make sure
we're focused on Vancouver. I get it, you know, some
of the things I said after the game, I get it.

(33:14):
You know, you guys gotta you guys gotta do what
you need to do. But we've got a job to do,
and it's Vancouver first and then Vodafogo.

Speaker 9 (33:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
Well, Brian Schwetz was with us, and before that, obviously
he got Vancouver. But before that, let's go back and
talk about last week two wins over Dallas and San Diego,
wrapping up with a loss at Minnesota or against Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (33:34):
What happened in your mind in that match on Sunday, Brian.

Speaker 11 (33:38):
Well, we didn't put them under enough pressure offensively, because
I hate just pinning it down to the defense, but
we didn't put them under enough offensive pressure in the
first half. Min Rothrock got its foot on the end
of across with some half chances that we really couldn't
generate too much. And then the three goals in the

(34:01):
second half offteed. Those were not good goals to give up.
I think they were all preventable. I think our guys didn't,
you know, make plays in certain moments. And it wasn't
just one guy. I mean, look, Jonathan Bell gave up
the penalty, but there was a bunch of stuff that
happened prior to that. You know, the first goal, you know,
the transition moment, but we get back the third goal.

(34:24):
You know, Steph, I best shot stopper in the league.
I keep telling everybody that. But he parries that ball
right right in front of the net. So wasn't our
best performance defensively? And you can't give a team like
Minnesota three goals at home.

Speaker 6 (34:40):
Well, you got Vancouver up next. They've been fantastic this
year in the Western Conference. But man, they got killed
by cruz Azul five to nothing in the Comic to
Cap Championship and now they're losing nine players to international duties.
So what type of Vancouver team are you actually getting
this week?

Speaker 11 (34:56):
Well, a dangerous one because they're gonna have nothing to lose.
I mean they're certainly, they're certainly going to be down.
I mean they put a lot of effort and I congratulate,
yesper and in the group Vancouver, the franchise. I mean,
they did it. They had a hell of a run.
That was one hell of a run. It ended up,
you know, obviously not in their favor. And you know

(35:19):
Cruzzol who we lost to for nothing, that's a great team.
But you know they're going to be dangerous. They can
play free. They're not expected to win. They're missing nine guys,
they'll be dangerous.

Speaker 6 (35:30):
Well.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
Brian Spetzergan is with US Sounders Vancouver on Sunday five
thirty pre game six pm kickoff right here on ninety
three to three KJRFM. Right injuries, Jordan Morris, it's all Jackson.
Last week, I think he might be on the bench
for this game. What is his status for this Sunday
versus Vancouver.

Speaker 11 (35:47):
We've got a We've got a four day lead into Vancouver,
normal because we had a couple of back to back
three game weeks. So Jordan's gonna be in full training.
If he can get through the four days of full training,
I'll get him in the game.

Speaker 3 (36:04):
Love it.

Speaker 6 (36:04):
How about your defenders kim kih and Jaimargomez Androte, how
are they doing?

Speaker 11 (36:09):
They're probably not ready for Vancouver. But kim Ki he's
doing a little bit better than we thought. You know,
that calf injury wasn't quite as bad as we thought.
So there's a slim chance that he might participate in
the Club World Cup. Yamar is doing everything he can
and he wants to play. He tells me he's gonna
be ready, but you know he did. His injury is

(36:32):
a little more severe.

Speaker 2 (36:34):
All right, listen, great stuff, Thanks for some difficult answers
to some hard questions.

Speaker 3 (36:40):
But as you know, it's a big story right now.

Speaker 2 (36:42):
So let's hope we can put this behind us and
see these guys go out and kick ass in eleven
days against botha Fogo man and then go get Vancouver
on Sunday.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
Great stuff, and we're talking a week all right.

Speaker 11 (36:53):
All right, Thanks Dick, Thanks Softy.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
All right, Brian Schmetzer with us on the radio program
We're Gonna Break Larry Stone courtesy of the Ram, Mariners
and Orioles Tonight, game one of three. How big a
start is this? Tonight for George Kirby. Next on ninety
three to three KJRFM.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
It's time for our weekly conversation with legendary sports writer
Larry Stone, brought to you by the Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Bigger, better,
and fresher since nineteen seventy one, with eight digitsund locations
from Marysville to Lacy and everywhere in between. There's a
Ram there you Now, with Softy and Dick, here's Larry Stone.

Speaker 2 (37:30):
Thanks to the RAM for sponsoring this normally Wednesdays at
five o'clock, but we got NHL Stanley Cup Hockey tomorrow
game number one, Edmonton, Florida. So we worked with Larry's
people behind the scenes to make sure we had them
on this week, and after long negotiations, he agreed to
come on the radio show today at six pm.

Speaker 3 (37:50):
He's with us right now, Curtesy at the RAM.

Speaker 8 (37:52):
Larry, how are you man, I'm doing good. Welcome back,
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
I appreciate that. So we're sitting here at the Emerald Queen.
I look up on the tea and they got the
MLB network on. I don't know who it was that
was on TV, but the topic on the screen was
is tonight I must win for George Kirby. Tell me
about from your perspective, the importance of tonight's start for George.

Speaker 8 (38:16):
Well, the notion of a must win in early June
is kind of ridiculous, right, But I would say it's
a very important to show that he can put together
a good outing start for him. I mean, if he
has three bad ones in a row, you got to
sort of wonder how long they could stick with him

(38:37):
without maybe having him tune up some more in the
minors or something, So I would agree that it's a
very important start for him. You know, he's got an
EER sitting over what six, you know, after two starts,
and I've actually thought his stuff had looked pretty good.
I'm sort of thinking that he's not that far away.

(38:59):
He just needs to refine some things. Actually, the IRA's
eleven point four two, so it was way off, even
worse than I side. You know, he didn't have a
spring training, didn't have much of a minor league rehab deal,
so you know, maybe it's explainable why he's not sharp,
but they can't keep having him give up five or

(39:22):
six runs in five or four any each time out
and have been be non competitive.

Speaker 6 (39:27):
Well, Larry, we are a ninth inning one run win
and a tenth inning one run win away from having
what would have been probably the most miserable week of
the year. But they were able to scratch out those
runs doing it old school manufacturing runs, which is not
the way of twenty twenty five baseball. What is your

(39:48):
take on how the Mariners won those games and manufacturing
runs in this day and age, particularly in extra innings
when you got a guy on second base.

Speaker 8 (39:58):
Yeah, well, another way to got a dick is that
they're one Andre's munnos, saving a protecting a three run
lead from sweeping sweeping the Twitters too. I, you know,
at home if the other team doesn't score.

Speaker 6 (40:15):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (40:16):
I'm a proponent of bunting, uh the leadoff guy bunting.
You only need that run in the towns. But you know,
I know a lot of people wanted uh uh a
Rose Arena to bunt in in that first game on Friday,
I think it was Friday, And you know you're saying, uh, Duran,

(40:41):
that guy throws one hundred and one miles an hour,
which it makes it really hard to bunt. And I
looked at a Rose Arena in his professional or his
major league career, he's never had a sacrifice BUTNT So
you know, it's got to be the It's got to
be the right person up there too. Uh. Tavares laid
down a beautiful bunch on Sunday and it ended up

(41:02):
leading to the winning run. So I think there's certain
guys that you just don't ask to bunt, but it's
provided it's not one of those guys. My feeling is
that the best way to go in the bottom of
the tenth. If it's still a tie game, it's the
bunt and then you've got you can get the guy

(41:23):
home with a fly or with a dribbler like they did,
you know, with with with Young and you know that's
the way to manufacture a run and they work well.

Speaker 2 (41:35):
Larry Stone is with us on the radio show, and Larry,
I gotta tell you, Hora Polanko since I took off for.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
Europe has been terrible.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
I mean it's like I took his bat with me
and maybe he's going to get it back tonight because
I'm back home. But one fifty three ops in the
last fifteen games, he's got a fifty three, Not one
fifty three, but a fifty three batting average. How concerned
are you? Not concerned? Are you about the last couple
of weeks we've seen from Hora Polango.

Speaker 8 (42:02):
Yeah, I think I think it dates back to a
couple of weeks before you want to to Europe. To
be honest, concerned, I don't think. I got to think
there's some health issues going on with him. He's still
not batting right handed, which which is suspicious, and when

(42:24):
he does he tries to bunt, you know, so there's
obviously something going on. I mean, he had won thirty
nine for the months of May, the entire month of
May with three extra base hit after after being close
to the player of the Months in April three eighty four,
So I don't think he just lost it like that.
I think there's got to be some health reasons. But

(42:46):
you'd think that if that was the case, they just
kick the opportunity to put him on the I L
and let him get healthy.

Speaker 4 (42:53):
You know.

Speaker 8 (42:53):
I think it would be preferable that there was some
health reasons, because then there would at least be some
explanation for it. I think it's probably at least time
to move him down the order, if not give him
a few days off to just sort of regroup, because
as much of an asset as he was for the
first month, he's kind of become a liability.

Speaker 6 (43:14):
Larry. When you sit back and watch these games, how
many Mariner relievers are there? When you sit back, you
can cross your legs and exhale and feel good about
them pitching in a close game, and.

Speaker 8 (43:29):
Well, we've got Mooney for sure, Brash. I feel fairly
good about Vargas well, and that's inspired and inspired and inspired.
You know, those are the four go to guys. I think,
you know the the other one, you know, the Bizarros,

(43:51):
Lego Mina when he was here. You know, they're they're
just kind of across your fingers guys. Even Colin Snyder,
although I was impressed with the way he came back
after the last Nationals game that he just completely fell apart. Uh,
he came back to the next time it had two
scoreless innings the next year innings, which is hard to do.

Speaker 6 (44:12):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (44:13):
So there, you got to give him credit for that.
But uh, you know, I I think a leverage bullpen
arm has got to be up there high on the
list of needs for the for the trade deadline, and
those guys are always available, so I would not I
would be surprised if if de Poto didn't go out
and get a leverage arm, which always hasn't been successful.

(44:35):
I mean, you know, Jimmy Garcia last year was supposed
to be that guy and he did nothing. And of course,
uh Santos was supposed to be that guy and he's
been He's he's just been missing in action. So you know,
they haven't always been successful in trying to get that guy.

Speaker 3 (44:54):
Well, Cal Riley has been very successful.

Speaker 2 (44:56):
He's on pace food obliterate Salvador Perez his record for
home runs in twenty one of forty eight in this season.
He's on pace for sixty five, one hundred and twenty
six ribbies. I mean, the pace he was on the
last two weeks was a ninety seven home run pace,
which obviously is insane. But is he a legitimate I mean,
you're right, you know, I don't know if you have

(45:17):
an MVP vote yet or not, but or still or not?
Is he, in your mind a legit MVP candidate or
is Aaron Judge just running away and hiding with that thing?

Speaker 8 (45:27):
Well, I think they're both. They're both true. I have tick,
and I talked a little bit about this last week.
I voted for MVP multiple times, probably fifteen times, but
I don't I'm not eligible anymore now that I'm retired.
But you know, if Judge keeps up this pace, I
just don't see how he could be denied. But he

(45:49):
threatening four hundred, He's on a pace to hit sixty
home runs himself. What Cal has going for him is
that he's a catcher, and he's probably the best defensive
catcher in the league in addition to being historic offensively
for a catcher. So I mean, right now he's the
strong runner up. The only thing I worry about is, uh,

(46:13):
the toll of that playing every day will have on
Col down the stretch. Will will he keep this be
able to keep up this pace for for the whole year?
And you know, I'd like to see them give him
a few more days off and a few more days
d hing uh, And I think that would preserve him
for the long haul. But I understand why Dan Wilson's

(46:36):
penciling him in there. How can you take him out
of the lineup now? You can't. The way he's hitting,
He's got to be in there every day. So but
if you look at it right now, Judges clear cut
number one, Col clearcut number two. But that could that
could change. You know, who's to say that Judge isn't
going to hit a swamp at some point and Cal

(46:58):
could go past him.

Speaker 6 (47:00):
Lara, I think my biggest question long term for this
franchise is whether the stud pitching prospects that we have
had over the last five six years come up marry
up with the stud offensive prospects that are supposed to
come up within the next one to four years, but
most of them are still pretty young. So and because

(47:21):
you know, we're not going to spend three hundred and
fifty million dollars on a player, that's just not the
Mariner way, So it's got to be this way. Do
you think there's enough in the Mariner farm system to
feel the World Series Championship team with that combination of
pitchers and hitters that are young.

Speaker 8 (47:39):
I mean, optimally, if everyone progresses. I think Cole young
is is an example of how fast these things can move.
He's twenty one years old and he's he's the starting
second baseman and he'll probably have that job if he
shows anything, which is for the foreseeable future. I think
Emerson Emerson could be on a similar path where maybe

(48:03):
he's up by the middle of the next year, and some
of those other guys aren't that far behind. So the
question is whether that stud pitching is gonna that which
is already showing some signs of wear and tear. Three
of them are on the IL this year, whether they're

(48:23):
going to be still primo by the time all those
guys hit, Which is that you know the question you
asked me. It's hard to say whether that will happen.
I think there's potential for that to happen. The pictures
that are still young themselves. They still all have a
lot of service time left before their free agency years.
So I mean, if everything hits, yeah, I think that

(48:43):
could happen. But there's there's also certain lots of room
for that to fall apart as well, and I think
they will have to go at some point sign some
more people.

Speaker 2 (48:53):
Yeah, Larry Stone is with us again on the radio show.
I want to go back to the Kyle Raley thing
for a second because I remember saying on the air
when the contract details came out for him, I thought
the Mariner's got a steal with the cal Rowley contract,
And it looks even more like a steal now. If
cal Rawley was going into a contract meaning he had
not signed and it held out for one more year,

(49:16):
maybe even just two more months, and signed a deal
in June or July, how much more is he making
right now?

Speaker 8 (49:22):
Yeah, I mean it's got to be significant. And you
look back to last I think it was last offseason
when he fired Scott Boris and changed agents. I'm sure
I'm not sure, but my hunch is that Boris was
advising him exactly that, you know, telling him what he
could be worth, right, And I think it's an indicative

(49:45):
of the fact that Cal wanted to be here. It
didn't want to play that game. So you know, kudos
to him for that. I think fans should be grateful
for that. But I think he did leave probably some
money on the table, but I think there's enough money
there where he doesn't see bad about it. He had
a lot of players want security over the risk playing

(50:05):
that risk game of waiting and you know, who knows
if you get injured or whatever. So I mean, I
think it may have cleared his mind and allowed him
to have the year that he's having right now.

Speaker 6 (50:17):
That's exactly what I was gonna say. I think there's
there is a reasonable chance he doesn't have twenty three
home runs right now if he still doesn't have that contract.
So I think that's that's something you got to look
at as well. But they're going to keep him a
catcher for at least I don't know, a couple three
more years, which means poor old Harry Ford down there
in Tacoma, it doesn't have any place to play. Unless

(50:37):
you move him to a different position. So is Harry Ford?
Should Harry Ford be legitimate trade bait over the next
seven weeks?

Speaker 8 (50:46):
Yeah, it's such a fascinating situation, particularly with the way
he's just tearing up the PCL right now. He's hitting
like he's never hit before in his career. Three twenty
with an on base of four forty. That's elite stuff. Yeah,
I think he is legit trade positively trade bait. I

(51:07):
think I think you only trade him in a blockbuster though,
uh he's he's a top prospect, they should be able.
You only trade him if you get somebody who's a
star kind of player, who has more than he's not
just a rental player, who has a year at least
beyond this one, or maybe two years beyond this one.
Then then I would deal him. Just even if he
turns into a star. There's just he's blocked here. It's

(51:31):
just the facts.

Speaker 3 (51:33):
How much? How much longer?

Speaker 11 (51:34):
No?

Speaker 3 (51:34):
Sorry, go ahead, go ahead?

Speaker 8 (51:36):
Oh, I'm just interested in at what point do you
call him up? If you're the Mariners and even though
Cow's going great, do you catch him a couple of
times a week? Do you h him three times a week,
and and you know that that could be a potent
bat that you add to this this team. I think
you've got to think about that at some point, uh,
you know, and say goodbye to Garber.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
I would feel much differently about that if a pitching
staff was dominating right now, taking cal Rawley away from
those guys. But they're struggling a little bit, So I
think you're onto something, man. I mean, Horay Polanco is
your long term answer for the rest of the year.
They may have to jump ship on him at some point.
You know, Harry Ford dhing three days a week, catching

(52:19):
two days a week whatever? Is that a ridiculous proposition?
I mean, you just brought it up so clearly you
don't think it's not nuts? Is do you think the
Mariners would do something like that and start to back
off on the amount of days that cal Raley's behind
the dish?

Speaker 8 (52:34):
You know, I can't answer that. The question I think
that they're going to have to answer is is he
ready defensively because you know, he's been pretty raw from
what I've heard from from people on the inside, that's
not until this year. I don't I haven't heard any
feedback from this year, so maybe. I'm sure he's making
steps forward, but you know, for all his faults at

(52:58):
the plate covers a pretty good defensive catcher that the
guy's like throwing to, and if you throw a rookie
in there, you know it could be problematic. So I
think they they would consider doing that strongly. I think
if they decide he's ready defensively, But then you he's
a young prospect who needs to play. Are you stunting

(53:20):
his growth as a catcher by only catching him twice
a week? Those are tough questions to answer, and I'm
sure they're throwing all that around right now in the
in the conference rooms and deciding that. And then the
trade part, maybe are you worried about hurting his trade
value if he comes up and you know, suddenly hits

(53:42):
eighty nine for a month, and then you know, you've
turned this guy who was hitting three twenty in triple
A and everybody could dream on and now suddenly they've
seen him struggle, And I think that that's a worry
as well.

Speaker 6 (53:55):
Yeah, Jared Kellenick's trade value was the highest when he
was his last stretching to go, that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (54:02):
The guys, Yeah, the spring training with the mats.

Speaker 6 (54:05):
Spring training with the match. You're exactly right. Yeah, but Larry,
yesterday's big story surrounding the organization was Randy Johnson. They're
going to honor him next year. I'd be interested to
get your take on how the number fifty one was handled.
You think was handled right from the get go by
the Seattle Mariners.

Speaker 8 (54:24):
I mean back to when the retirement of it, or
just the bestowing of it, to.

Speaker 6 (54:28):
The bestowing of it to each Row, and the timing
of the retirement of each ro versus Randy in number
fifty one.

Speaker 8 (54:37):
I think the bestowing of it was handled fine. You know,
each Row wrote him a nice letter, which, you know,
asking him permission. I think that's fine, and Randy didn't
seem to have any problem with that. I mean, the
number hadn't been retired yet. It probably they wouldn't have
given out to just some run of the mill player,

(54:58):
but each Row was was a celebrated player who ended
up having a Hall of Fame career. So I don't
think there's anything wrong with that. I mean, the retirement thing,
I don't know. I mean, I don't have any huge
problems with it. Again, I think Randy deserves some credit
for not wanting to range overshadow each row's moments with

(55:22):
the retirement. I'm cynical enough to think that maybe part
of that is because he wants his own moment as well.

Speaker 11 (55:28):
You don't.

Speaker 8 (55:29):
He doesn't want his moment overshadowed either, to which you'll
get next year. It's a tricky situation when you got
two all time players wearing the same number. I don't know,
it's not that common situation. So I mean, do you
guys have problem do you have issues with it?

Speaker 9 (55:47):
No?

Speaker 3 (55:47):
I don't at all.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
I think there's more meat on the Randy bone with
some of the comments they made their day about how
things ended in ninety nine or ninety eight, whatever year
it was, So.

Speaker 3 (55:57):
We won't yeh yeah. I we'll discuss those next week
when you come on.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
So get ready all right, because that's coming next week, man, Larry,
great stuff.

Speaker 3 (56:05):
Appreciate it, and we're talking a week

Speaker 8 (56:07):
Man, all right, Thanks guys, Thanks