Ohtani lawsuit, Bregman’s homecoming, Biggest q’s for rest of season

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Kratz dances back if you know, you know Kratz has been out for a minute, and some people comment almost every day on our YouTube video and say, Kratz dance. They look forward to it. Kratz dance is just a simple head nod. Sometimes little shoulders are involved.

00:00:19
Speaker 2: He's back, Yes, stay in your lane, you ges stany in your lane. AJ might need to stay right here and that's fine, but just put the songs down.

00:00:27
Speaker 1: Sometimes AJ does dance, so I can't confirm when I'm not with him, but when I do sit next to him, sometimes there's like a little bit of movement before the show starts, but.

00:00:36
Speaker 3: Then he usually gets in position. AJ factor of fiction.

00:00:39
Speaker 4: No, it's true. I've danced on the air before. I've danced for money before, Scott have you.

00:00:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, this past weekend. I dance for money all the time. A couple shout outs before we dive in. First off, shout out to FT fan Cody Moss, he got a trucker hat today. We don't shout the show the store out that often, but faul Territory shop dot com does have a ton of new gear. So this is your this is your trucker hat. I have a bunch of other things that I if I start reaching for, I'm gonna cause a lot of noise. But let's see if I can grab this with my foot without shutting off the Internet.

00:01:15
Speaker 3: There is all kinds of what's this called crats? I don't know, water bottle, water bottle? I mean, I thought there was a fancier word for it, but whatever.

00:01:29
Speaker 4: You guys call them some different up there in New Jersey, like I.

00:01:31
Speaker 1: Thought, yeah, after you dance changes water bottle anyway, foul Territory shop dot Com. Appreciate Cody for making a little purchase, and most of our team shows have shop accounts as well. Lastly, krats, you missed it yesterday. AJ was getting into it with one of our buddies in the chat. Nice healthy debate about the state of the Mets. We're not going to spend a segment on the Mets today, but I did want to shout out longtime researcher Bill Chuck. He has a newsletter. Part of its free, part of it is subscription based, but I'm going to take a couple of things from the free one on the Mets. Since June eighth, they've played fifty three games, they're twenty two and thirty one. In those games, David Peterson has made ten starts and pitched at least six innings in eight of them. No other Mets pitcher has pitched six innings in the fifty three games besides David Peterson, and during that stretch, the Mets have a four eight Oera starters ZRA of four to seven to eight.

00:02:35
Speaker 3: Relievers RA for eight to three.

00:02:37
Speaker 1: Lastly, on the stats, you see superstars struggling. He pointed out how Francisco Lindor actually broke his right pinky toe on June fourth, after he was.

00:02:48
Speaker 3: Hit by a pitch.

00:02:50
Speaker 1: Through that game, eight forty three ops since then, six thirteen ops.

00:02:56
Speaker 2: You play through stuff, you play through stuff like that. So so it's all part like you go through grinds of the season. But the gist of that whole article, gist of all those stats, the pitching. You don't want to sit here and say I told you so, but I think some of the starting pitchers that they've had to throw out there because of injuries, you know, four to seven EER not many innings. You kind of knew that's what you were going to get. The issue is, beginning of season that bullpen was banging. They were hitting on all cylinders. They were fresh. What do we always talk about End of July, Hall of August, then September, everybody gets another shot of adrenaline. They have to figure out how to weather, not just I think they're one to nine in their last ten, but not just the losses. They have to figure out how to weather. Hey, you know what, let's get our guys all set for the postseason. But then you're like, wait a minute, I still still have to make the playoffs. I don't think they're in danger of not man I see them being able to pull this turn this around. But the pitching. The pitching falters because you're starting pitching, in my opinion, wasn't built, especially when Manaya went out. It wasn't built to with stand a full season. Now it's kind of leaking into the bullpen, as all those stats show.

00:04:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, the wild Cards look fun.

00:04:23
Speaker 1: In the American League, entering Tuesday Nights games, the Mariners have a nice little cushion at the top.

00:04:28
Speaker 3: They won seven in a row.

00:04:30
Speaker 1: The Red Sox followed, then the Yankees, who are just one game clear of Cleveland and two and a half up on Texas.

00:04:36
Speaker 3: On the other side, you.

00:04:37
Speaker 1: Have the Cubs and Padres with a healthy advantage for those first two spots. Then the Mets have a two game lead over Cincinnati red loss to the Phillies yesterday, and the Saint Louis Cardinals are only three games out of a playoff spot despite their dump dumped on negative run differential. Yes, the Cleveland Guardians also have negative run differential AJ and they're just a game out.

00:05:03
Speaker 3: So we are in mid August and we have multiple.

00:05:06
Speaker 1: Negative run differential teams with a chance at making the postseason.

00:05:11
Speaker 4: Scott, let me ask you this question. Do we really think that the New York Yankees are going to not make the playoffs over the Cleveland Guardians? And if it does happen, is it more of a failure of the Yankees or a great job by the Guardians? Because I think you could lead one way more than the other, Because I mean, if you look at the Guardians, they're you know, listen, they're doing great. Voters been great. They're pitching like always has been unbelievable. They still don't really hit, they don't really score a lot of runs, so it's not like they're banging the ball out of nowhere and oh wow, look at the Guardians. How good of a hitters there? They're five games over five hundred, five sixty one and fifty six. The Yankees are seven games over five hundred. So I'm gonna ask you to is it if this happens, is it more a failure of the Yankees or a great job by the Guardians.

00:06:01
Speaker 1: I mean both, But if I have to pick one, then I'll go Yankees failure. Just like last year, as great as the Tigers were down the stretch, the Twins crumbled, They fell apart, and without that, you don't have the Tigers magical run. So I'll go with the negative side of things.

00:06:19
Speaker 4: Kratz, what about your Yeah, I go the same way.

00:06:22
Speaker 3: Okay, fair, All right, we'll see what happens.

00:06:25
Speaker 1: Let's actually hit the Red Sox, who went to Houston last night for a game that had a playoff vibe to it. Let's charge charging about Astro's top the Red Sox. This game had everything. Carlos kore Is first game back with them playing I'm Coming Home for his walk up music. Alex Bregman returns to Houston. First AB, two run, home run, second AB. They're booing him and he's.

00:06:53
Speaker 3: On the opposition. That is exactly how you do it. Oh. Also, Garret Crochet had his worst.

00:06:57
Speaker 1: Start of the year, season high tying five runs allowed to electric innings and then he fell apart. Also, Christian Javier makes his return for the first time since May of twenty twenty four from Tommy John surgery. He looked pretty good. And lastly, Josh Hater was unavailable some shoulder discomfort. They used him a lot. What was that a couple days ago in that series against the Yankees had a thirty six pitch outing. Hopefully he's okay. Astro's bullpen bent did not break. This had to be cool for you Kratz to watch all this. It feels like twenty seventeen, eighteen nineteen.

00:07:32
Speaker 2: Again, I mean, this is the we didn't think. We didn't think when the season started that with all the subtractions that the Astros had, they would be in this spot. But why do we ever question him. They just figure out how to win. And then they went and Jim Krane said, yeah, sure, I'll take on Korea's contract. And Correa has gone out and I think he's got a nine game hitting streak. They got to in my opinion, three pitchers in the American League right now in Crochet he dominated him the first time through the order. They made some adjustments, they picked some things out, they got to them. To me, this is like this is throwback to the to Yeah, like you said, the eighteen nineteen like these teams and fortunately they could be coming down to the end here where they could be battling for a wild car position if the Mariners catch the Astros, which I think they might if haters out, but they could be battling. This series is this series is huge and it has all the storylines that you want to see. And at this point in the season.

00:08:45
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00:09:07
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00:09:22
Speaker 3: Scott.

00:09:23
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00:09:46
Speaker 4: Here's here's my thing. This is a bonus one for the astros for me because if you would have told them going into this game is how does the manors have been? And it's bad, I mean not bad, but the Oss have been playing great. You'll lose, you know, people here and there, left and right, left and right, left and right, but you go back to Houston. Correa's back, great, everyone's excited. You're facing Garrett Crochet, who's one of the best pitchers in the league and has been dominant, and you're pitching Christian Javier, so you're not one of your main guys. Yes, he's been there before, but he hasn't been great for him and he hasn't pitched for a long time. He wasn't even great on rehab and they win this game. This is like two or three wins for the Astros because this is a game. Going into it, you would have been like, you Astros have no chance in this game. And they win this game. It's a big deal. It is a confident confident boost, confidence boost for these Astros to win that game last night, especially after you fell behind two nothing in the first two hitters, whack whack, You're down to nothing. You're like, oh boy, what do we got ourselves into. You come back and you put a big number up on Crochet hold on to win this game. This is a big win for the Astros, and.

00:10:51
Speaker 3: They were avoiding a bray.

00:10:52
Speaker 1: You pitched twice this past weekend, and he also warmed up in the one game he didn't pitch in. Hater had the situation like I'm talking about shoulder comfort. They're going to check him out. So there's your two best relievers who have been two of the best in baseball this year, and Bennett SUSA had to shut it down against Roman Anthony, who had homeward earlier in the game. Anthony steps up tying run at second base and they shut it down, so it's a one run win. I mean, that's a fun game to attend. If you're an Astros fan. You also find out before the game you're one of your top few prospects. Jacob Melton is getting the call for Houston to see what he looks like. He had an eight eighty ops in triple A. He was a second round pick in twenty twenty two. How about trades? Ramona Reus was kind of one of the smaller pickups. Kratz boom to run Homer. His first bit the Astros comes off Jordan Hicks, who was acquired in the Rafael Devers deal.

00:11:38
Speaker 3: So yeah, I mean this was an all around awesome day.

00:11:41
Speaker 1: If you're a Houston fan showing up to the yard when your team's in a fight for the division.

00:11:46
Speaker 4: Yes, it is to me.

00:11:48
Speaker 2: To me, the Red Sox question, I got to ask it to aj though, the Red Sox side of this. When you guys were a young team with the Twins, what kind of like were you guys just when you made the playoffs? Were guys just playing with house money kind of thing? Because to me, if if the Red Sox hold on, and I feel like the Red Sox may falter here and be the one on the outside looking in at the end of the playoffs. Here, I don't think, like, how do you how do you learn during this time, the pressure packed situation. I get it. Romin Anthony had a big time dinger in a you know, in an environment in Houston that was kind of hostile to the Red Sox to Bregman when he comes up the next daying and he's getting.

00:12:29
Speaker 4: Booed, What do you mean, what do you when you're young?

00:12:36
Speaker 2: This team, this team is super young, the whole position player corp. How do you get like, how did you guys come together in the sense of like, hey, you know what, We're gonna make the playoffs because nobody, nobody on your team had any playoff experience. Nobody on their team had any playoff experience, Like here's my well, yeah, but.

00:12:56
Speaker 4: See we had We had all come up together through the minor leagues, a lot of us with the twins. So I just think that you know what, we just we just expected to win.

00:13:05
Speaker 3: Now.

00:13:06
Speaker 4: Listen, two thousand and one, in our first full year altogether, we had a lead on the Indians at the time now the Guardians, but they had Tony and they had all the I mean Kenny Lofton and Roberto Alomar and they had a squad right and we lost. We kind of blew it. We faded because it was our first full year. We didn't know what we were going to do. Two thousand and two, we went into it and said, we're winning the division and we're going to make a run in the playoffs because we just felt we were that good. And we win the division handily. We lost in the Alcs to the Angels, but we never there was never like a doubt in two thousand and one. I mean, we honestly thought we were going to make it that year, and we kind of I mean, I don't want to say we choked, but we just fell off because we didn't really know. And how do you learn. You learn through that experience. The difference in the Red Sox is you got Bregman, you got Trevor's story, you got some guys that have been through it before. It's not like this team is totally young. I mean they have some guys that have been through some stuff before. They can relate it. When I was in the Twins, we had nobody. I mean in two thousand and one, we didn't have anybody. Brad Radkey never been in to the playoffs. Eric Milton, our starting staff had never been to the playoffs. Kyle Los, Joe Mas, these guys had never We had, like literally not one guy on our team that never been to the playoffs. Two thousand and two, we brought in a little couple, Rick Reid and some older guys and made some adjustments and that was when we got better. But we Until you go through one hundred and sixty two games with that intensity, you don't really know. I think the Red Sox are going to be fine, though, because I think they're better and they've gotten better through the year, which is nice. And Roman Anthony's going to be a stud.

00:14:26
Speaker 3: Yeah, he looks like it. He's got it all working right now.

00:14:29
Speaker 1: One more thing on the Astros side, Chas McCormick hit his first home run since August of twenty twenty four. I mean, this was a total throwback Glory Days game for the Astros because it's been a rough go for Chaz over the past year or so, but good for him to get back on the board. He had a big game yesterday for Houston. So the Astros take game one of this series. We'll be watching more of this. Yeah, for me last night, this was an easy pay light attention to what's going on during that time period, but heavy attention to the game in Houston was really fun playoff vibes.

00:15:03
Speaker 3: Hey AJ, why are you talking about your Twins days?

00:15:06
Speaker 1: I still can't understand or believe this stat when I see it, So you nailed it. Yankees got back on track with win over the Twins yesterday six to two. Will Warrene shoved The Yankees are one hundred and twenty four and forty four against the Twins including the postseason since two thousand and two, one twenty.

00:15:25
Speaker 3: Four and forty four. That is, that is a number ahead to head matchup you really don't see in our sport.

00:15:34
Speaker 4: Except of the Yankees in the Twins. And I'm proud to say I was there when it started, because in two thousand and three we lost to him. We won game one in the in the DS and we lost the next three, so that was where it kind of started. We were never intimidated. I remember we went and played them. I don't know we played them one year. We used to hit me your scenea fairly decently, I think. But in Pettit, we hit Pettit decently, I think. But we I don't know, we just we when I first came up, like oh one oh two, we did okay against him, and then it was in three and once they beat us in the postseason that we were like okay, and then I was traded away. Maybe it was me, I don't know, but they couldn't beat him since.

00:16:11
Speaker 2: Curse of aj Perzinski.

00:16:14
Speaker 4: I don't know, because we did okay with him when I was on the White Sox too, so I don't know. Maybe it was. Maybe it was, though.

00:16:20
Speaker 1: It's just crazy for an organization that obviously has had endless turnover as any team does over that twenty year span. But you know, it's not like Minnesota's got the same players rolling for a long period of time and change that he shuffles in and they just can't beat the Yankees.

00:16:36
Speaker 4: It changed, I mean the whole team turned over, like when now or more no, that whole team took over Kadai or was there a little bit with us or with me. He was there for a year, I think, but it turned over and stayed the same. It's the pole ads.

00:16:56
Speaker 1: That's when's juicy. We received many requests to cover it. So here we go show Otani and his representation as Billlelo are being sued and they are being accused of sabotaging a two hundred and forty million dollar real estate deal in Hawaii.

00:17:12
Speaker 3: It's big lawsuit, it's filed.

00:17:14
Speaker 1: It's filed by a couple guys that have been involved in this project apparently for many many years.

00:17:19
Speaker 3: They brought in Otani. I'm going to do my.

00:17:21
Speaker 1: Best to summarize and remember that these are all allegations that are going on in a lawsuit. Okay, the sant Court of law. This isn't the law podcast, but I'm going to read the best I can here. So these guys and their names are Tomoko Matsumoto and he's a real estate broker, as well as a developer named Kevin Hayes said that they were getting increasingly demanded concessions from Otani's agent and as Bilelelo, and they, I guess weren't answering to all of them. And then they claim that Otani and really representation got them out of the project, got them fired from this massive project that they've been working on for a long time. Many of you are going to look at this and go fufuo. Rich people fighting over real estate, no doubt. But sho Heotani was involved in a massive, massive scandal last year where his interpreter Epey was betting on games and stealing money, stole a ton of money from Otani. He and that case is done right, he's going to prison or he's in prison already like that he was convicted.

00:18:27
Speaker 3: So here we go.

00:18:28
Speaker 1: We're a year later. Stars get sued all the time. AJ I'll start with you, what's your initial thoughts of this? Because for me, I doubt that sho Heo Tani is involved in the day to day of a real estate project.

00:18:40
Speaker 3: And I read it as much as I could.

00:18:41
Speaker 1: I even read Japanese articles this morning about the coverage of this. It sounds like they were disagreeing, and maybe they on Otani's side, thinking that he was using you know, marketing materials like photos and stuff that they didn't agree to, and that they were even potentially promising people that they could like spend time or eat with Otani if they bought some of these spots. And these are like seventeen million dollar homes, on average. But it also does sound like Otani either gets paid or a discount or something like that for putting his name or his face or doing a voiceover for this project. Right, if you want to avoid everything with a private home, you don't get involved in the marketing side of things that part. I know there might be a lot of wrongdoing, and you pull out of a project you never know, right, you might have trusted the guys. Now it's a problem. But I don't know of many stories where guys are putting their names on real estate projects, you know, if they don't need to.

00:19:32
Speaker 4: No, most times, if Atony's money, I just buy the buy the whole area, right, two hundred and forty million. He's making seven hundred million. Just buy the whole island if he wants to. At this point, I don't know, man, this is just such a weird story. And why why is he involved? Why is he? Does he need more money than what he's got maybe, but it just sounds like he's getting bad advice from somebody. I don't know who it is. But would you say, Scott, there's a video of him promoting this, and they're there's pictures of him promoting this and he didn't like that they were using certain pictures of him, and it gets real petty. So I don't know. Is this maybe this is the group trying to get attention. I don't know, the real estate group trying to get attention. I don't know. This whole thing is just weird, like I don't get it. You know, I don't understand and listen. We can say whatever we want, but guys lose money, make bad investments, make bad decisions. It happens all the time. So I don't know what's happening on the show Hayes World. I wish we could hear from him, but he doesn't speak very often. He definitely won't speak on this, so I just don't know. I wish there was some answer that it was magical answer, but I don't know. Maybe we get a magic eight ball and shake it it says yes, no, I don't know.

00:20:41
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00:20:53
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00:21:03
Speaker 1: Globe browse privately by encrypting your Internet activity and block ads and malware that may disrupt your experience. So go to surf shark dot com slash foul or use the code foul at checkout at surf shark dot com to get four extra months of surf Shark VPN. It's a risk free, thirty day money back guarantee and the ftfam is hooked up with four extra months of surf Shark VPN when you sign up at surf shark dot com and use the code foul. It is time to take control of your online security. Try surf shark today. Well, my thing krats before you jump in, you know. And again some of this stuff is going to come out when we actually get to the court case if we do. But within the articles last month and what the suit called a quote coordinated Ambush Kingsbarn, which is the group that ended up firing those two guys who are suing Otani in his rap, openly admitted during the call to them that Bilelo had demanded the agent for Otani the terminations of those two and said that they were, and they said that they were being replaced and fired solely because of Otani's camp. So my thing, even on that side of the equation Kratz, is, if you get involved in all of this and you don't want to be involved anymore, why are you then taking the next step to get these two guys fired, Even if you don't like them and you think that they're doing you wrong.

00:22:30
Speaker 3: It just it sounds like you should just get out of all of that because of who you are as a public figure.

00:22:35
Speaker 1: And again, my guess, Otani is not very aware of what's going on here, and he's handing a lot of things over to someone. I also will say if I'm him and I don't pay attention to anything, but someone's telling me, Hey, I'm going to get you a deal on a real estate spot. I need you to voice something over if that part is true, I'm.

00:22:52
Speaker 3: Like, ey, you know what, I'm going to avoid that. I don't think that sounds like a great idea for me.

00:22:57
Speaker 1: It could become messy, or you know, that's really putting my name on a property that I want to live in and kind of be private with, right, And if I'm putting my face and my voice on something.

00:23:06
Speaker 3: I'm probably recruiting people that want to be there around me. I don't know that's me, but.

00:23:11
Speaker 1: Maybe I'm seeing this completely wrong. I just I just think that we've got two big stories in the past year, and if you really want to lay low, this is not the way to do it.

00:23:22
Speaker 2: And I think my hope is that it just comes out that it's another case of Shoho Tani's naivety. He's very naive in financial things. Because then it's like, okay, yes, he's he's clear of all this. But I've also played with guys who are superstars and have been taking advantage financially of people, and I've never heard I've never heard of it happening twice, let alone like once it happens, it's like, hey, I really have to close my circle. I really have to close the things I want to get involved in the extra things. But we've heard all the time Shoheo Tani is a advertising mogul Japan over here la that like new Balance is you know, he's the face of new Bounce. When you're a star and you're able to make this advertising money, nez Bulelo is never going to get him another contract in baseball, so all the advertising money, it's a short window. And so when he gets an opportunity to make some for his client, who knows. Maybe he's trying to dip into this too. I don't know, but I think if you're making as much as people are saying, Shoho Tani is making and advertising and the team is probably making that much more, how do you even keep track of all of it? How do you even say? Okay, I'm not going to be his naive, I'm gonna get involved in it. But I also have to go do my throne program. I have to do my rehab. I have to be the leadoff hitter. I have to do like pick me.

00:25:05
Speaker 3: I know I know the answer. I know the answer, crats.

00:25:07
Speaker 1: I know the answer this one because I sit next to someone most days who taught me about this. If I was ever in his position, I'll I'll call a friend aj Przinski. If you're constantly getting hit with all of these offers and things, right, obviously, you pick and choose your spots. Some are great and some are trustworthy. It's it's blue chip stock companies, all of that, right, But then you get thrown a lot of other things like real estate projects. What do you do, especially in your playing days, because this is something that you did, aj what do you do? It's it's a really complicated word that you throw out there. It's one two letters, one.

00:25:38
Speaker 4: Word check your jump.

00:25:41
Speaker 3: No, that's way longer. Two letters that you taught me.

00:25:44
Speaker 4: And oh no, you know some of this crap. So now you know how much do you know how much Junk I said no to in my life? You know how much Junk I said yes. I'd just gotten this thing with my buddy Pickle. I don't know why, but hopefully it works out. I should have said no, but I didn't. Okay, but it'll work out. Why because he's Pickle. I mean, listen, do you not trust a guy named Pickle? Right? So, I mean I gotta trust Pickle. But here's the thing. You just say no, Just say no. Here's here's one thing I've learned about athletes over the years, and I've had a conversation with people about this. You play, you're highly competitive. Everything is going, you're pushing, pushing, pushing. You get out and you're like, okay, let's say I'm gonna throw random numbers out there. You make a hundred million in your just random numbers. Okay, Well then you go to your country club or you go to your yacht or your plane, and there's a guy who made five hundred million and he's got a bigger plane in a bigger boat. Well, the competitive side of athletes says, I want to be like that guy. Be happy with what you got. Don't chase two hundred million, five hundred million. If you got a hundred, try to keep your hundred, let that grow and then work on that. But be happy with what you have. Guys, you don't constantly need more unless the guy's name is Pickle.

00:26:50
Speaker 2: But you need to.

00:26:51
Speaker 4: But you need to do what you like.

00:26:53
Speaker 2: I mean, aj Prasinski was doing ww was a WWF or WWE when you did it, you were doing you were the only player active player doing Fox games in the playoffs the years. You wouldn't make it like, but those were things that you liked doing. So to me, Otani needs to do things he likes doing and he's actually like invested in in like watching and doing those things.

00:27:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is very different to me.

00:27:19
Speaker 1: This is this is a pretty intense case going on here, and again it could get dropped, but these are like one guys of forty years of experienced developer. Another guy is a longtime listing agent, and they said, I mean they went after them, and then they said there's even a neighboring development that they were trying to pick up, and then they went after that. So I'm like, damn, like, if any of that is a semblance of truth to it, get out a board a board, and if you don't know about it, you got to reevaluate your team.

00:27:42
Speaker 3: That's all.

00:27:43
Speaker 1: Some people are going to look at this think we're going after show as best player on the planet, one of the best players of all time. So don't do that. But we're going to bring this stuff up because nobody else does and I like to hear the player perspective. We'll give it a follow as we're.

00:27:54
Speaker 4: Gonna be fascinating to see what becomes of it, is what I mean. I want to just see what becomes of it, because let's say, I mean, how much can I don't know the numbers, but what are they suing them for? How much are they seeing?

00:28:04
Speaker 1: It's a massive project, so it's going to be many millions of dollars.

00:28:08
Speaker 3: It's a two hundred and forty million dollar real estate project.

00:28:11
Speaker 4: No, I understand that, But if you're Otani, why don't you just write a check and be like, dude, here's one hundred million feet it.

00:28:17
Speaker 3: He might, but I mean ant one hundred I don't know.

00:28:19
Speaker 4: I'm just I'm just saying, like what you I don't know how much you're suing them for. That's kind of my point. Like it's and then again, like you said, Scott, if you're not knowing what's happening, then you got to you got to make tighten your circle and scratch it and make people pay attention. Like I said, check your junk and don't have friends name Pickle.

00:28:38
Speaker 3: That's all's going to happen too.

00:28:40
Speaker 1: If you do take it to a case, you start to learn more information, right, I mean that's where the opposition, the plaintiff for there is going to lay out emails, exchanges, whatever. They're not going into this with nothing that I'm not saying that as a fact, but they clearly have i'm ammo that they think is wrongdoing and they are going to bring it out in a court case and see if that holds up. So does it get to that point for someone who is very private? That was my big thing When I read this, I'm like, this is one of the most private people I've ever covered in sports. Why is he putting his face on a real estate project? That's like one of the most public things you can do. Hi, I'm buying this. I'm going to be around here. I'm going to be opening or they said in the one of the brochures, like some type of hitting facility or whatever for himself. Like, you're clearly making a spectacle of this development. You're not hiding things. So again, if someone told you that you're you're just doing one voice over and then everyone's going to leave you alone, You're getting got You got to reevaluate who's who's doing those kind of decisions for you.

00:29:47
Speaker 4: That's bad advice that goes back to your team. His team.

00:29:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you're doing a commercial for a shoe company. Good.

00:29:54
Speaker 1: Fine, There aren't many cracks in that one, you know, unless you're doing a commercial for the Sea through Jerseys last year and.

00:30:01
Speaker 3: Then you get out of that.

00:30:05
Speaker 4: Just can't let it go, can.

00:30:08
Speaker 3: I haven't brought it up in months.

00:30:09
Speaker 1: I kind of keep a counter in every three months, krat said, I can say something. It's been three months. He Jake four times a year.

00:30:17
Speaker 4: I'd may fixed for a minute.

00:30:20
Speaker 1: Hey, we love ripping slab packs on Arena Club. I just ripped one in a Ruby pack. Those are fancy, schmancy kip and I pulled a matt Shaw twenty twenty three Bowman Draft Aqua Lunar Crater refractor card.

00:30:34
Speaker 3: And I guess what. Guess what?

00:30:36
Speaker 1: I got a little offer. You get the instant offer right away. Okay, so they're offering me one hundred and twenty one bucks, sell it back and then I can get a new slab pack.

00:30:44
Speaker 3: What do I do?

00:30:46
Speaker 6: I want to see this thing. Hold on, look at that. That's a beautiful card.

00:30:50
Speaker 4: You know what.

00:30:50
Speaker 6: I think that's a safe bet. I think it's gonna make you a little bit of money. I think the more more big league time he gets, I'd almost take the deal, though, I'm in it for the chase. I like opening more packs. I think that one hundred and twenty one can buy you a couple more slabs to open, and I think you keep chasing until you get someone you really like.

00:31:08
Speaker 3: But that's the best part about it for me. That's right.

00:31:11
Speaker 1: You can sell it back one hundred and twenty one bucks and then open up another slab pack Use the code foul to receive twenty percent off your first slab packer card purchase at arenaclub dot com.

00:31:19
Speaker 3: Slash foul.

00:31:27
Speaker 1: Better than box scores. Let's run through some things from yesterday. Let's actually start with the Rangers. I know, we were just talking to Browdy Telez. So they pull off a big walk off win yesterday. Aj whyat Langford a huge three run home run to get the mac involved in that game against the Diamondbacks. Diamondbacks are going to pushover team here down the stretch because they still got bats. I mean, you could score against them, but they have Batallen.

00:31:49
Speaker 4: You would think at some point Gallon's going to pitch good at starter three, right, you would think it's still pretty good. I mean they still have some dudes on that team. It's not like they got rid of everybody. Corbyn Carrol's still there last time I checked. I mean, Alec Thomas is having a better year. They still have some dudes there.

00:32:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, you got could tell. I mean there's some good bats. I mean it's one of the best lineups, or it was one of the best lineups in Bass. But obviously they lost Geno and Josh Naylor, but there's some good bats in there. Bullpen is pretty crappy, but anyway, Rangers pull off the walk off win.

00:32:20
Speaker 3: Also, you know, sorry S put.

00:32:21
Speaker 1: Out an article yesterday about Nathany Baldi having the best season of his career. I know it wasn't as good yesterday, but still, I mean, he is still a sub to e through twenty starts this season, best era in baseball minimum of twenty starts. He's got a one seven one in twenty starts. And what he pointed out is just the evolution of him being tough to guess against. Right, he's a full blown pitcher now, he said, he's throwing slower than ever, but the crafty right. He has transitioned from the rookie that used to throw one hundred and see his fastball get blasted anyway, to now being a pitcher with the most even mix he's ever had. Fifteen percent forcing fastballs, six percent sinkers, so that's twenty one percent heaters, twenty two percent cutters. So if you count that in the fastball range, then you've got the curve and the splitter as your other pitches for out. Curve twenty four percent splitter, thirty four percent. So what do we think about the pitch mix here? Catchers who wants to run first with this one? From what they're seeing from you, Baldy all year a Jay, I love it.

00:33:28
Speaker 4: I love it. He's been unbelievable this year. I love it. I love I love Nate. I mean it's awesome. Good for you. He made adjustments. He's throwing a little bit slower. So what do you do he start throwing that nasty split and cutter more. Duh, that's pitching, that's pitching. Good job, Mike Maddix. Mike Maddicks went out there, gave him the old claw in the arm. I was like, let's gow different pitches here. He is have a great year.

00:33:49
Speaker 2: Name of the game is win, Name of the game is win, and he's pitching to win ball games. You know, Sarus, I'm not saying like this is his fault. This is a baseball thing, like everybody's. Everybody's so worried about velocity, and like he even put kind of like a little bit of a crafty, righty name on him, like jokingly, but you know, essentially the whole game is now about just velocity and don't worry about where it goes because you have such a bigger margin for air when your pitches are ninety six miles an hour in Bult and above. Zach Wheeler threw, in my opinion, a decent start just the other day after they had shoulders a little bulky. It wasn't coming back and he was sitting ninety four in that start. Oh my gosh, everyone's so pa I don't like to see that out of Wheeler. It's like, yeah, you don't, but sometimes you just have to do what it takes to win the game. And I think Ivaldi's seen what happens because when he first came up, his fastball was kind of a light fastball. Yes it was one hundred, but guys would hit it. And now you're talking about ten plus years later, he's doing what it takes to win the games. And I love it. I love seeing it because as a catcher, those are some of the most fun games to call when dudes are like putting it where you want it to go on the plate and not just gunsling in it all over the strike zone.

00:35:22
Speaker 1: Follow up here, Why don't younger pictures embrace methods like this earlier in their career? And I'm not saying that they should shy away from a strength. I mean, if you've got the vel awesome, although maybe Vold you had the VLO when he was early in his career and it didn't necessarily produce great results with the heater. So my question, AJ is why doesn't a young pitcher pick up tendencies like this? Some do, of course, but many don't. Many just throw.

00:35:53
Speaker 4: Why what gets you drafted? Velocity? What gets you to move up in the minor leagues through the minor leagues of the big leagues. Velocity? They were like, we can teach him to throw strikes in the big leagues. Just got those one hundred. Let's just get him to the big leagues and we'll figure it out. That's why if more guys were rewarded for being good pitchers, then they would go back to being good pitchers. Now they're rewarded for velocity and stuff and spin and vert and horizontal and extension and this and that and carry and all that stuff. If it mattered to be a good pitcher, we'd see more of it. But it doesn't matter. It's all about the numbers and how hard you throw. It's good or bad. However you look at it. That's the way it is now.

00:36:31
Speaker 2: Look at his pitching coaches, Mike Maddox, He's able to teach pitching. There's a lot of guys, and not just in the big leagues, but coming up through and now they're being hired and high positions in the organization. I have no idea how to teach pitching. So if you're an organization and you have somebody who's able to teach how to pitch, how to navigate a game, how to locate pitches, how to lean on one when you need to, that is a valuable hire in your organization. A lot of organizations, a lot of youth programs even don't have that. All they have is guys who really never pitch that much and are like, the best way for you to get seen, the best way for you to keep getting job after job after job is to throw the ball as hard as you possibly can, and that's what they're taught. But if you want to make the most money, we had Jesse Chavez on the show the other day a few weeks ago, if you want to make the most money, it's about staying out there on the mound. It's about reinventing yourself it's about throwing strikes getting outs. If all, he's doing it right now, and he probably wishes he had done it sooner, but maybe he didn't have guys that said, hey, it's okay if you get hurt at ninety four to ninety seven, you don't need to be ninety seven to one hundred all the time.

00:37:56
Speaker 3: Hey, we got crats really flowing. Now he's cooking, he's talking, all right.

00:38:00
Speaker 1: So while we're on this, Kratz, I'm gonna set you up for a layup last one here in this segment. The Phillies won yesterday against the Reds, team fighting for a wild card spot. Taiwan Walker, who Phillis fans wanted sent to the Moon to play baseball last year, put together six innings, one run, two punchouts and now has a three three one ERA in the fourteen starts that he's made this season. Paul Casella, covering the team, said, for a little perspective, Rangers Suarez has a three two five ERA since the start of last season. He said, I'm not comparing the two. I'm just saying Walker has made an unbelievable improvement from a seven point one zero ERA last year and this is why teams do not cut high priced track record guys so quickly.

00:38:47
Speaker 3: What do you see in Kratz?

00:38:49
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm seeing the angle of his pitches. Everybody wants to talk about in spring training his velocity. You know, he touched a few ninety three, ninety four in the season. His velocity, to me, hasn't been the thing. It's the angle of his pitches. He's always when you're a fastball splitter guy. Yes, I know he's got the slider too, it goes away, but essentially he's whatever sixty six, six', seven and he's a fastball slider. Guy you sit there and you, go how are you going to hurt this guy when you're? Hitting how are you going to get a hit against? Him you need to see the ball. Up he's been able to land his splitter in the strike zone and throw his fastball off the same, plane and then they're. Chasing it felt like it was backwards last. Year WHEN i watched games last, year it was, like he's going to throw the splitter out of the zone and he's two to, oh and then they go and they're getting something media in the middle of the plate and all the analysts are Going, oh, well it's only ninety two. Anymore you can still get outs at ninety. Two you just have to be able to make both your pitches look the exact same coming in at this. Angle and to, me a tall athletic pitcher like, him he needs to create that down angle with his fastball and that down angle with his, splitter so they both look the same and guys aren't able to differentiate. It that's the biggest THING i see from him last year to this.

00:40:13
Speaker 3: Year quick follow, Here.

00:40:14
Speaker 1: Kratz last, thing does he crack the playoff froster as a? RELIEVER i mean he's not going to, Start so is he going to be like the last reliever on the team that can eat?

00:40:25
Speaker 3: Innings? Maybe you, Know.

00:40:27
Speaker 1: Bridge you if you have a problem with the, STARTER i mean he's not going to be a. STARTER i, mean if they've got the rotation.

00:40:33
Speaker 2: Intact it depends ON i think it depends on How nola comes. BACK i think everyone's. Talked Oh Taiwan. Walker you know he's going to see a velocity uptick when he goes to the. Bullpen, Maybe but right, Now Aaron nola has to earn a spot in the starting. Rotation he's coming off of. Injury he's gonna build, Up he's gonna have plenty of. Time but right, now It's, sanchez It's, ranger and it's Wheel. Er are your three guys so to? ME i Think nola gets that. SPOT i Think taiwan might get a. Spot, also it's just tough to have two long guys in your bullpen that aren't necessarily like a three out.

00:41:17
Speaker 1: Guy, yep, fair good, Stuff, krats good. Breakdown good to see you back.

00:41:24
Speaker 3: In the. Weeds big questions.

00:41:26
Speaker 1: Remaining in the twenty twenty five stretch, Drive tamany we can get, Through Eric, Kratz you and me ready to?

00:41:32
Speaker 3: Go he's a peasy how much home.

00:41:35
Speaker 1: Run history will your friend Cal roley? Make currently leading the league with forty five home runs this, season and he just Matched Johnny bench for the second most home runs by a, catcher the top name on that list of all time With Salvador perez a couple of years ago with forty eight home.

00:41:54
Speaker 2: RUNS i mean that's the first one that's a. Lock, yeah HE'S i, mean catching catching. HISTORY i think he's gonna go After Seattle mariner's. HISTORY i think it's fifty two If i'm not, correct If i'm not, MISTAKEN i think A rod at fifty two one, YEAR i think he's gonna get The mariner's. HISTORY i think we're gonna stop there as far as. HISTORY i don't think he's going to catch to Catch, judge here's here's my opinion for The American league. RECORD i think he would have to Be it just would have to be a different. SCENARIO i think guys used to feast In september sometimes in these home run chases because Of september call, ups you don't quite have that they're gonna be in a playoff. Hunt they're gonna be playing division team their. DIVISION i don't think he quite gets To Judges American league.

00:42:52
Speaker 1: Record you, know that's a great. Take that's something that not everyone would. CONSIDER i didn't think about, that but it's a great. Call, remember, Folks september call ups. Kids back in the, day it was this thing where you could basically call up anyone from your forty man roster for the last month of the. Year our resident manager on The, Show Buck, showalter used to basically say that the season was split. Up you had spring training to get. Ready that was one, portion then you had the regular. Season then you Had. September you called that a completely different. Seasons suddenly you go from twenty five at the time to forty man rosters and, then, yeah that exactly Winter. Ball that meant you, could of course and back then not also get hit with the three batter minimum. Rules so it was just, pitching change city and sometimes it worked out, great and for crappy teams it was auditions and it was bad. Pitching so you're not going to see. That but, Anyway cole's had forty five homers and you're, Right krats fifty six homers set twice By Ken Grippy junior in nineteen ninety seven and nineteen ninety eight are the most home runs In mariners franchise, History so you think he tops. That so you think he's between fifty seven and sixty?

00:44:05
Speaker 4: Two, YEAH i THINK i think.

00:44:08
Speaker 2: Sixty If i'm, setting If i'm setting the, Overender i'm going sixty and a.

00:44:12
Speaker 3: Half got.

00:44:13
Speaker 1: It, okay that's still incredible that he's gonna. Get you think you'll get to sixty home?

00:44:17
Speaker 3: Runs it's.

00:44:19
Speaker 2: CRAZY i, mean you're only. Talking you, know basically he needs seven seven per month yet and we're already almost halfway Through. August so it's gonna be it's gonna be. Tough it's gonna be. Tough But i'd love to see him hit. Sixty it's such a such a sick number for a catcher to do. It lock up the AL.

00:44:39
Speaker 1: Mvp, yeah also no offense to A, Rod But i'm not putting much stock in any of the records with. Him if we're gonna give flak for bonds and, that yeah you had them right, right you.

00:44:51
Speaker 3: Still have to pass.

00:44:52
Speaker 1: IT i, AGREE i, Understand BUT i think in the same realm of how we looked At judge with the home run, chase and it was about sixty, one, RIGHT i got getting to sixty, two not getting to seventy. ONE i, Mean i'm A rod is firmly in the same category. There there's there's really no disputing that it's.

00:45:10
Speaker 3: A very Ped mard.

00:45:12
Speaker 1: Career next, up this one's for Aj, well The rockies catch the twenty twenty Four White. Sox The White socks had one hundred and twenty one losses and The rockies currently sit with eighty eight.

00:45:24
Speaker 3: Losses, yes they're going to catch.

00:45:29
Speaker 2: Them they're going to catch them in the sense that The White sox are still going to have the worst. RECORD i THINK i think The rockies are Gonna they're going to figure out how to get forty it's forty two. Wins they need to make sure that sounds. RIGHT i was ON i WAS i got caught up To phillies in twenty fifteen for a month just to be the third, catcher just filling In september, calls like we just, said and the talk was we are not losing one hundred. Games AND i just remember, thinking, man where were you guys talking about this? Earlier like why are you guys not chatting about this In may when you're, stinking like don't just try to turn it all at the end of the. Season that just is gonna. Happen it's gonna. Happen they know they have to get twelve, wins six wins and six wins a.

00:46:22
Speaker 3: MONTH i don't.

00:46:23
Speaker 2: THINK i think The White sox BECAUSE aj wants it to, happen The White sox are going to still have their. Record THE i think The rockies win forty.

00:46:32
Speaker 3: Three, okay last.

00:46:33
Speaker 1: One how do you see THE Nl west shaking out with The dodgers and The. Padres it is a one game separation as of this. Conversation The dodgers are.

00:46:45
Speaker 3: Five and five In.

00:46:46
Speaker 1: August how about going back to the beginning Of, July, krats they're fifteen and nineteen since the beginning Of. July nobody is doubting that this is a very good ball, club but The padres might be the best team in. Baseball this is the closest The padres have been to The dodger in the second half of the season since twenty. Ten and for, me it's not just the, bullpen it's the bottom of the. Lineup When i'm watching AND i watch a lot Of padres games this. Year When i'm watching, them it is completely.

00:47:14
Speaker 3: Changed right And freddy for. Me and yesterday is a good.

00:47:16
Speaker 1: Example that was more of a dead spot for them for, me and had to go ahead home run and the bottom of the lineup changed everything for. Them and yesterday's went over The giants on A Logan web, Day so credit to. Them bullpen has obviously. Insane Mason miller was on fire. Yesterday they are currently in a stretch of thirteen games against The. Division seven include games against The, giants six against The.

00:47:36
Speaker 3: Dodgers who wins The.

00:47:37
Speaker 2: West The, dodgers AND i don't think it's a bad. THING i think they. ARE i think The padres are gonna make their built to win in the, playoffs BUT i think The dodgers still do it because some of these starting pitchers are now coming. Back they're getting their first three four starts out of the, way AND i think some of these starters will help mitigate some of the. Issues AND i Think Max munsey hasn't been in the lineup until, recently and since he's been, back The dodgers have started to win a few more ballgames than they were, before and that slide that they, HAD i Think Max munsey is a huge part of. THAT i think The padgers are really, good BUT i also think they've just kind of been middling a little bit against good, teams teams over five. Hundred they're under five hundred against teams that are over five, Hundred SO i THINK i think they're gonna come up. Short but it's gonna be an, awesome awesome final stretch to.

00:48:35
Speaker 1: Watch in a, minute let's slap first, off the postseason schedule, announced so wildcard round Starts september. Thirtieth World series can go up Until november, first so we could have a postseason From september To. November think about, That, Kratsats, NO.

00:49:01
Speaker 4: I, GOTTA i.

00:49:01
Speaker 2: GOTTA i, MEAN i got this sent to, me SO i gotta make sure THAT i get it. Right but it is the it's a prospect league and will be prospect league now it's a wood bat. League The Champion City kings From, Springfield. Ohio the boys sent me the hat and it's kind of. Sick it's a sick. Logo it's kind of tough to see because it's pretty. Intricate but this is where the college guys go to try to get.

00:49:26
Speaker 4: SEEN i like.

00:49:27
Speaker 3: It good.

00:49:27
Speaker 1: Stuff quick one on matchups to watch Tonight skeens Versus Freddy, Peraltak can The pirates stop The brewers ten game winning? Streak Dustin may Against Spencer arraghetti In houston With bregman back For round two Against Korean, company among many other good. Ones tuesdays got the pull. Slate good to see you, Back.

00:49:47
Speaker 4: CRATS i need another week off now not?

00:49:52
Speaker 3: Allowed, okay get.

00:49:53
Speaker 1: Tomorrow if you would like to place a bet, tonight you can swing big on your NEXT mlb. Parlay you can use a parlay boost token if you've got it in your BET mgm account score a bigger. Payout if your baseball parlay hits gambling problem or, concern call one one hundred gambler