Opening Day Roster Predictions, Final Battles, and March Madness

00:00:22
Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Habit Territory Podcasts, Episode three four six. My name is Brad Rowinds. I'm coming to you here mid March. It's that time I can hear the music. Scott Coleman is here. Scott, how are you on a Sunday evening? Selection Sunday even to us?

00:00:37
Speaker 2: Hello, Brad, I am doing well. It is such a fun time of year on the sports calendar. We are less than two weeks away for opening day for the Atlanta Braves and the rest of Major League Baseball. It's Selection Sunday, and we're going to talk about the bracket at the very end of the show. I promise you they will be bracket talk, but I mean just in general, man, Like, it's a great time of year. The NBA and NHL are in the home stretch, NFL free agency, the Draft is coming up, springball starts soon for college football. Like, there's all kinds of good stuff going on as a sports fan. And best of all, of course, baseball is about ten days away when most folks are going to be listening to this. Yeah.

00:01:15
Speaker 1: Absolutely, And if you are new to our podcast, dating back to the old talking shot Battery Power, days. We once a year, literally once a year, talk about college basketball at the end of a podcast and will give you the fair warning to say, hey, if you don't want this hop off, we appreciate you later on the podcast. Until then, we have an interesting show about the Atlanta Braves today, and you know, we're a week and a half, ten twelve days away from actual baseball that counts. I know, I saw you on Twitter and then you and I were talking about this privately as well this week, about how this is kind of the epitome of the dog days of supreme training in some ways. WBC store rolling along right now, that's getting done in the next couple of days, talk about whether or with Fox one and all that as well, But a good time to kind of take stock of where the roster battles are, because that's really the only thing going on. There isn't a lot of news. Maybe the Braves will add someone to the roster of the next week plus, but until they do, it's about monitoring who is on the team roster battles, and in particular the end of the roster that's inevitably every year. It's like, hey, the number one story borring injury is like, who's going to make the team, who's not going to make the.

00:02:21
Speaker 2: Team, At least for me, Yeah, yeah, I mean, there's always a lot of intrigue on who is going to break camp with the major league team to begin the year. And you know, we're going to go over the twenty six man roster, but to me, it feels like probably twenty or so players are guaranteed for a spot, assuming health over the next ten days. And let's all cross our fingers, but there are some very real position battles and pitching battles that are going to go down over these last week and a half, and who knows, with a good week, a player might be able to work himself onto the roster. With a bad week, the Braves may opt for another option. And as you said a minute ago, this is generally the time of year where there is some roster turner were across the rest of the league. Who knows, maybe the Braves make a transaction of some kind to just kind of give themselves the best chance to go out of the gate. Right, We're almost to the point where guys start to shake loose. We're not quite there, but maybe maybe by the end of this week, you started to see a guy here, guy there that might be interesting enough, and the bar is fairly low for you know, being a potential upgrade on the likes of Dom Smith or Kyle Farmer or whoever is available at the end of the position player roster for the Brave.

00:03:26
Speaker 1: So TVD on that. But stuff has happened, like you and I did one of these a couple of weeks ago, and a lot has happened since then, namely Jerks and Profar and the whole saga happened since then. A couple of guys have been a side of the miners, officially kind of maybe not officially ending their run towards the toward the actual roster, but probably ending it, like James Karen Shack and Hayden Harris, et cetera. Dont start with the position players. I feel like it's a little bit easier in some respects, so we can start there if that's okay with you.

00:03:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I think so. I mean, I think the the starters are pretty set, which is a good thing. That's not always been the case. I mean, remember couple of years ago there was like open shortstop tryouts up until the day before the season, and it was like, oh, or Lando Arcia is the Atlanta Braves starting shortstop. Sure, let's go.

00:04:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, there is. He's not quite as firmly set as it was pre profar suspension, but you're right, most of the stuff is kind of set, So stop me if you want to hear Scott. But at catcher, I obviously Drake Balwin will be on his baseball team. I think Jonaheim is basically assured as long as healthy. He's not Baldwin assured, but he has a real contract and he's been fine in the spring, and he's a number two catcher. It seems like correct.

00:04:34
Speaker 2: Yeah and yeah. Jonaheim always got really good reviews from his teammates with the Texas Rangers, well regarded behind the plate especially, and who knows, he was a better hitter a few seasons ago. Maybe he can give the Braves just a little something on offense. Whenever he is behind the plate.

00:04:50
Speaker 1: I would describe him as a perfectly adequate backup catcher. Usually the Braves have a super overqualified backup catcher, which is what Sean Murphy will be when he comes back. Sew Murphy is like a starting sure as a number two catcher, high. It's like a normal backup catcher, which is fine. The baseline is very low and that's it's meat Todic on this podcast for literally a decade at this point how bad catcher is around the league, and he's he's a pretty good one through that wins. As you mentioned, the starting infield is pretty much written in Penn Borring injury, Matt Olsen, Ozzi Alby's, Austin Elliott third, and then Marisio Dubon is the starting shortstop until Hawson Kim comes back. There's a really a debate about that, and Dubon's been good in the spring. Certainly it's the glove is the carrying tool for Dubon his versatility, but even the bats looked like kind of frisky, which is encouraging.

00:05:35
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think as the season goes along, I think Mauricio Dubon is really going to India himself to Braves fans, and I think Stephen was talking about it. He posted a clip of Marisio Dubon hitting a home run the other day and Astro fans were weighing in and said, yeah, we love this guy. We were sad to see him go. In some ways, I think Mauricio Dubon is going to be Martin Prato like now Martin Prato like a legitimate All Star for a couple of years. And Racio Dubon's never going to hit the way that Martin Prato did, but the versatility a guy who's beloved in the clubhouse. I know that was something multiple people talked about when the Braves acquired Dubon, a player who I think is really going to fill in and hopefully do a nice job at shortstop until Kim comes back, and then you're gonna have this chess piece that you can move all over the board, all over the field. With Dubon, I think it's gonna work out for the Braves, and I'll hopefully be solid enough at shortstop just to keep the Braves above water until the lineup. Look's a little more normal compared to what we were hoping for a couple of months ago.

00:06:36
Speaker 1: Obviously a pre lofty comparison with Martin Proto, and I think people will maybe remember like the starting, second basement version of Martin Proto where he was mashing, but you're round, Like the original idea of Partin Proto was utility guy. It's certainly more of a bad guy than Dubon is, but loves even better than Proto's. Honestly, you can play shortstop way out feel all that stuff intriguing, and he does have kind of the feel of a beloved Brave not as an awesome player, but like a guy that fans tend to like. And I would cut myself among that. I think I am I was. I like that addition quite a bit. You don't necessarily love having to play every day short stop, but he won't have to at a certain point, so that'll be nice to the outfield. Ronicque Junr It's pretty good. I would say Michael Harris is showing some encouraging signs in the spring, and then Mike Babe Ruth Ustremski as the UH I would say, mostly permanent corner ottfielder in the absence of Profar mostly permanent. I will say, any thoughts on that. I mean, obviously the DH spot kind of adds into the outfield conundrum, but those three guys are going to play and play a lot obviously.

00:07:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think the most encouraging, Like, if I had to pick one thing that was the most encouraging sign for a Braves position, player this spring. It's the Michael Harris in a small sample, but has walked about fifteen percent of the time in his spring training played appearances so far. That is a terrific sign. And that's been the name of the game with Michael Harris since day one. He has power whenever he makes contact with the ball, he drives the ball well. But he is such a free swinger and his on base percentage is impossibly bad. And we saw that last year when he bottomed out as one of the worst hitters in all the baseball and then we saw just how good he can be when he turned into Barry Bonds for a month, but then he got back to his free swinging ways and just he wasn't walking, he wasn't getting on base. So the fact that Mike has clearly at least somewhat altered his approach the spring. Now we just have to hope that by way of a fifteen percent walk rate in the spring, I mean, even half of that, we are I mean we're cooking with gas. If we can get a seven percent walk rate out of Michael Harris this year, I feel so much better about his outlook for the upcoming year.

00:08:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, that you know that's still not good. What it's compared to what was it two percent last year? Three percent something like that. It was a very low number. So yeah, I would I would sign up for seven percent walk right in a minute for sure with Michael Harry and feel pretty darn good about him. Every time we talk about Michael Harris or not even just us, like other podcasts, other written articles, man, it is clear to me how polarizing he is right now. Obviously not a guy that people just dislike, like he's a local guy. I like Michael quite a bit as a personality, and you know, when he first came up, it was like jubilant about him. But I think there are people that believe in Michael Harris people that do not believe in Michael Harris. And it's pretty firm on both sides. I can see both sides. But hopefully there's a kind of a step forward and the Pluit disciplint as you kind of allude to there. I think there are probably two pretty much locks beyond those nine, and it's Eli White and Jorge Matteo. It seems like I use pretty much because you know, the only absolute locks I think are the nine. We just talked about even Heim. I don't know if he's an absolute lock. Probably I'm a stickler for the word lock. I would say he's ninety seven percent or something like that. I think Mateo and White though, are like ninety percent plus.

00:09:59
Speaker 2: To make the team, definitely, And both are very very fast on the bases, like ninety fifth percent. Tiland above sprint speeds for those guys over the years, So that's going to be a weapon in latent games. If you know one of your slower guys gets on base, well, you have Jorge Mateo, you have Eli White to come in and run the bases. They also, of course, Eli White can play all three outfield positions, could play center field in a pinch if you had to. And Mateo is I think clearly the best defensive shortstop who would be a backup option, could also play second, could also play third. So yeah, I think, like you said, I mean one hundred percent lock. Probably not, but very high nineties that Eli White and Jorge Matao will be on the opening day roster.

00:10:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, makes a lot of sense. The versatility. You know, White as the astra outfielder. Actually you can fake it somewhere else if it needs to as well, beloved guy, all that stuff. Your note here, Actually I totally forgot that Britt wise is on the forty minut roster until you wrote it on this document that we have. I don't think he's gonna be on the team, that's my guest. But we'll see Nacho Alvarez, the other guy that people know. He was already a sign to the minors. You know, he did go play the WBC, so maybe that was part of this. But I still don't think he'll be up early in the year. Unless you get another injury like he get one more injury, he's up for sure. But if not, I think he probably sells into Gwinnette and we'll see if it at some point this year. I'm pretty sure Natcho will be up for some period of time to back up somebody or do something. But in the meantime, probably goinget, I would.

00:11:24
Speaker 2: Guess, And hopefully this year brings better health for a Nacho. Yeah, he was somebody who dealt with a couple of injuries last year and no to me. So let's say there's two bench spots open. You mentioned Brett Wisely, who was on the forty man nothing spectacular. He is having a pretty decent spring, and he's played a lot, especially when the Braves have been on the road. I think Brett Wisely is in the mix. Dominic Smith is in the mix, especially as a potential left handed DH bat. I think just pure hitter. Of all the names we're going to talk about, I'd probably take Dom Smith against right handed pitching over most everyone else. Although you know Smith, he's not slugger by any means. Kyle Farmer has supposedly won some favors with a good spring. I know. Mark Bowman wrote the other day he expects Kyle Farmer to make the roster as somebody who can bounce around the infield. It's probably even your third emergency catcher if you needed him to be. Ben Gammele was also actually on Mark Bowman's latest prediction for the opening day roster. A veteran, a guy who used to be able to hit a little bit, but again very twenty sixth man has a feel of that. And then also Luke Williams is also in camp for now. These, of course, are all subject to change as folks listen. The Braves may make a change with their spring training roster, and they could also acquire someone. Again, I'm not holding my breath for a big time hitter, but there's usually a decent amount of movement where the braves can go, you know what, this guy's better than Kyle Farmer, Let's go acquire him for a seventeen year old prospect in the minor leagues or whatever the situation may be. I don't know if they will do it, but that is a position where it is not that hard to find someone else tick a shild So maybe they just like what they have, I mean, like is relative here. Obviously you're patching it together. No one was planning on Profar not being around, but Smith, Farmer, and gam Will all have major league track records. They're not great, but they are like not embarrassing to be at the end of a roster, is what I would say. And maybe the brands find someone else on the on the market that comes available, either for a very cheap trade or someone that's waived or whatever, you know, DFAD or whatever.

00:13:23
Speaker 1: It's going to be, So stay tuned. But this is why we're again saying this right now, twelve days ahead, eleven days ahead of the actual opening day. There is some flexiblity at the end of the roster, but that's kind of where they where things stand on the missions player side. We'll get to the pictures later in this podcast, and there is a lot to talk about with the pitchers, but Scott, I do want to take a bit of a short detour. I talk about the WBC and that is brought to you by our friends at Fox one over War but Class covers actually by friend at Fox one, which is live right now, stream all your Fox favorites together in one place, including all the WBC games, and after that the best MLB action all season long. And you know, if you were following the WBC closely, most of the Braves are eliminated from the WBC. But there is one shining light, Scott, and his name is Ronald Leccuna Junior, who homeward in very fun fashion in the quarterfinals and then was part of a comeback. You know, I candidly stopped following it for a little while. I had stuff going on, was basketball on. They fell behind in Japan and I was like, Okay, it's probably gonna be and then they came back and they're still alive. So Venezuela is still alive. I don't know about you, I've just been invigorated watching Ronald Acuon to play baseball in a setting that matters, which you know baseball will matter again for the Braves in twelve days. But Ronnie is obviously fired up, and the way he plays with energy is like I think, for me, prot typical of the whole events like Ronnie like almost he's not just him like the whole Dominican team for example, Like these guys play with a lot, a lot of energy, and Roy just loves baseball, and I just like watching him play baseball.

00:14:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, there is so much passion and just will to win in the World Baseball Classic, and it's become such a fun event. Folks missed the game Saturday night, sold out stadium in Miami, which is weird to see because usually the Braves play the Marlins with like fifteen people in the stands and eleven of them are Braves fans. But Acunya leads off the game with a homer, and then in the bottom of the first show, Heeo Tani matches with the solo homer. I mean, two of the four most naturally gifted baseball players on the Earth, and they trade lead off home runs for their respective teams just so much passion. I mean, these guys play these games like their livelihood depends on it. It was so much fun. It was just a great night for baseball. And I'm rooting for Acunya in Venezuela as far as they'll go. They'll play Italy on Monday night. It's just been The World Baseball Classic has been such a fun watch and I mean it's got me even more excited for the upcoming baseball season.

00:15:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, and so we do. That's the semi final. It's going to be happening on Monday. Take you behind the curtain a little bit. We are recording this during the USA the Minican Republic game, so let's just be honest with with o audience, Scott. We don't know who won the game yet, but someone will win, and that's probably the best. That's probably the game of the tournament so far on paper, those two teams, So no matter who wins, I know people a rooting for the US. I am two. The MIKA team's also awesome, so it would not be a shock of the US loss. They were only small favorites I saw today, so we'll see what happens there. And then the Championship game is Tuesday, March seventeenth at eight pm Eastern Time, and I will be ballied in, to say the least, alongside the first four of course. But look, Fox one is the place to go for all, and I mean all of your WBC WBC needs and much more in fact, from the WBC through the World Series, the World Cup, to NASCAR, IndyCar, et cetera. With Fox one, you get it all live. Start your seven day free trial Today offers a subjects to change doublin. Fox One Today is stream the World basse Plac Classic live through March seventeenth. Go to foxone dot com for complete terms and conditions. Fox won streaming Now all right, Scott, let us dive back into the roster battles and the projections that we're doing right here on Sunday evening into Monday in mid March. The starting rotation has a few pretty much locks to make the team. It seems like again, barring injury or barring a wild outside acquisition, you have the four utter locks if they're healthy. Chris Saale, Butcher Schreider, Grant Holmes, Rononda Lopez. It seems for all the world like Bryce Elder is gonna be on his baseball team. I don't know if i'd go to lock on Bryce Elder, but it does seem he's in the ninety plus percentile just because of the situation. We've talked about Bryce a number of times. It is what it is. But I don't know if you agree with that. The other four locks, if they're healthy Elder, I will not use the L war on Bryce Elder, but I think he's very highly likely to be on the team.

00:17:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, We're gonna close our eyes, cross our fingers, say a prayer, and hope that Bryce Elder can even come close to replicating what he did a few seasons ago where he made the All Star team. We're not going to rehash it. Everyone knows incredible first half and ever since then, over the last two and a half years, it's been pretty rough for Bryce, but man alive. I mean, if the Braves can get even decent production out of Bryce Elder as their fifth starter, it will help so much in keeping things on track and getting this team to the back of the back to the top of the n L East.

00:18:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I do think we are I think accurately described by some as maybe too low and Rice Older. That's fine. There is a world in which he is a helpful major league player. I think there's a world where he's an okay fifth starter who doesn't get hurt and eats innings, and that's actually has some value. I'd like for that to be someone better than him, honestly, to where he's more of a fill in. But that's where things are right now. A couple of notes on this. Gret Holmes look really good in his last outing on Thursday. That's a good sign he's But for all the world looks like you know, knock On Wood's still the injury coming back from non surgical like, it looks like it's going well. I don't want to jix it, but it's going well, it seems, say with Bernald A. Lopez, like, it's men fine so far, health permitting, we'll see. But the guy we have to least, you know, in the battle those we just talked about. That's five guys, right, if you can include Elder. There is a battle going on. It includes some interesting types of pictures. On the young exciting side, you have Jerr Richie and did your friend says, both of whom are young and exciting talented arms. Then you have Martine Perez as an old guy, and you have Jose Suarez as a guy with options, and we know Alex loves an option. You know it is what it is.

00:19:35
Speaker 2: He's around. We'll see.

00:19:38
Speaker 1: We should rely said knowledge though Jerr Richie on Sunday, as we're talking right now, Sunday night, he threw four perfect innings today, like twelve up, twelve down innings with six strikeouts. I know it, kid gets backups.

00:19:52
Speaker 2: But.

00:19:54
Speaker 1: I mean he can't really do more to impress me and everybody else than he's done so far on this. And I know Alex's mo is to leave as much pleshibility as possible. I get it, man, Jero Richie looks really good to me, and I'm not I'm trying not to get too excited, but I am. I am pretty excited. It's gotta got be hoes with you about.

00:20:11
Speaker 2: That really nice bounce back today by Jerr Ritchie, who five days ago pitched against Toronto and was okay, he labored a little bit. It was I caught some of the innings and it was kind of a tough homeplate zone and all that, And I mean it's spring training for everybody, I guess, but the fact that Richie was so dominant against the Phillies on Sunday, I mean that turned some heads. I caught a clip where the Phillies broadcast booth was like enamored with Richie and They're like, wow, we are gonna see this kid pitching for Atlanta this summer. The big question is is how fast will that happen? And I don't think it's a total zero percent that Richie or even Ditty or Fuontest could open the season with the Braves. But even if they don't give it, give it two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, that more likely than not, these guys are gonna make quite a few starts through a lot of innings for this team this year. And if if the spring is any indication, especially the way that Richie has grown and Diddy or Frontest has really grown, yeah, I think we're going to feel a little bit better about this rotation, even with all the injuries that they have.

00:21:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that, you know, we beg the strumball with or long but I know people are just kind of getting back to baseball now. I know we have listeners that are just returning and welcome back. But you know, it's like you need twelve thirteen. Last year it was like sixteen the brave starters that they needed. That's that's probably an outlier, but you probably need double digit starters. That's just that's the reality. And even if let's just say Schwalbach comes back at a reasonable timetable, let's just say Hearst and Walter comes back at a reasonable timetable, you still need more. Even if those guys do come back. And I think over the course of the season, it would surprise me if we didn't see Richie, if we didn't see Diddier at some point, maybe not for two months straight, but like spots start here or whatever, not surprising. And you're right, there is a little bit more. It's not a blessing in this guy necessarily, but like there is a little bit more wiggle room for Alex if you wanted to like plant his flag and say, you know what, Jared Ritchie opened a roster. I wouldn't be stunned by that. And the way I would have been two months ago. I mean the schwall, I'm not going to wad up injuries opened the door for that. If we're being honest. But I think that because they have this stretch of the game of season where they play all these games in a row, and they really might go with six arters. If you go with six arters, one of them might be Jared Richie, and that would not blow me away. I think one of them would be Writellar probably, But if it's like, if your choices are Jared Richie, Martin Perez, even Alex might be like, you know what, let's just do this thing, you know.

00:22:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, It's going to come down to how do they want to navigate the first three weeks of the season. And as a reminder, the Braves play thirteen games in a row, including a West Coast trip to open the year, who they finally get a day off, and then they play six more so they play thirteen in a row and nineteen out of twenty, and teams, not just the Braves, everybody is cautious with pitching early in the year. Got it so, like, do you think Chris Sale is gonna start on normal rest five days into the season. I don't.

00:23:12
Speaker 1: I mean he might, but it's a great point to bring up, like even Strider, like they might want to give these guys an extra day, and that's if all it is on the margin is like you're talking about one Richie start or one start. It's like they're probably gonna just do that. I mean, we've seen the Braves do this before, even when they had better situations, And I'm okay with that personally. I know there are hard o's in our audience in other places that are like, these guys gotta be able to pitch every five days? Okay, like cool, but in reality Chris Sale is like my age and specials riders had two elbow surgeries and like, if they want to be careful for these guys, I don't mind that in the slightest in March and April, yeah, so cool.

00:23:50
Speaker 2: And early on the schedule is really soft. I believe the first time the Braves will have to make a choice, but the rotation will be against the Oakland Sacramento Athletics.

00:24:01
Speaker 1: Like I guess where wherever they are? Where are they are these days?

00:24:03
Speaker 2: The A? Yes, that's right, Yes, what a shame. But anyway, speaking of pitchers who I think eventually will be on the roster, I don't think Diddyer Fuentes is going to make the opening day roster I think it probably would be best for all parties involved for him to at least make a couple of starts in Guinet. But Didyer Fuentes made a start a couple of days ago that caught on like nationally, how nasty he looked. He has increased his velocity. It also looks like Didier, who is still very young, has started to really put on some of that like grown man's strength where I mean he looked like a kid out there. He was a kid last year, but it looks like in the off season Didier was very serious in the weight room put on some weight. His velocity is up. I know after his start where he just mowed down the Yankees lineup on Friday, which did have a couple of their regulars in there, said that he not only worked on his fastball, but also his change up, which is kind of moving like a sl at this point, which is really exciting. Change up is like eighty seven eighty eight. So there's something to work with you. And I know it didn't go well a year ago, but did heer really talented. Can make a case he is the best pitching prospect in the organization for the Braves right now and again, I don't think he's going to be with the Braves on opening day against the Royals, But same story with Richie. Give it a month, I would not be surprised in the least.

00:25:22
Speaker 1: For sure, the velocity being up. Every single person I trust on the Brave system was screaming about how like, do not forget about this guy because of last year? And I agree with that all the way through. And he looks the part so far in the spring, and it's the spring. He's really young. He's still twenty right now, which is very very young. I could be his father. I'm not, but I could be anyway. It's one of those things where they have options. I think I think I said this wrong earlier. Hoss Suarez does not have options. That's why he keeps getting put in these conversations because he doesn't have options. He like, he's like Bryce Silder, So I misstated that earlier. He doesn't have options, but guys like Diddy or and Richie obviously do. Martine Perez I don't know what to make of honestly, Like they brought him in as veteran competition, which I was totally fine with. It made total sense to me. Minor league deal. I don't know what they think about him. Now, there's not been a while of reporting about Martin Perez, even the beat guys, I don't. I don't know where they stand on Martin pres So I won't like I do know because I don't. So that's let's be being transparent here in in mid March, I'm just like, huh, Martin Perez still around?

00:26:22
Speaker 2: No idea. Yeah, there's there's a very fine line between roster management the first three weeks of the season and what gives you the best chance to win yep, And I don't think those are necessarily always a one to one correlation. They're not. But you know what, if the Braves decide that Martin Perez should make the sixth start of the year against the Athletics, you know what, like I won't. I won't roast them for it. I should fine. I hope to God that it's not going to continue into you know, much longer than that. But yeah, it's such a long year, one hundred and sixty two games over six months. I mean, you have to be especially early in the year, and who knows, maybe they end up carrying two of these kind of long man sixth options with both Martine Perez and Jose Suarez if they really are worried about it, And I feel like that would almost be being too careful. But yeah, yeah, but they may say, you know what, we're going to cover our butts. And on the chance that you know, Grant Holmes has to leave in the third inning because he's getting hit hard his first start of the year, well you got to just kind of I mean, someone has to throw those pitches for you. Yeah, and you know, I might save my longer version of this rant for later. There is a big discussion happening, and I get why in Braves fandom right now about you know, Alex's philosophy on versus you know, Russ versatility and flexibility, and I get all that.

00:27:42
Speaker 1: What I would say is it's not one to one, which is what you just said. That's a hundred percent right. I have argued, I think we've argued as well. We have argued that maybe Alex was a little bit too far in the direction as far as you but it actually does make sense to do some of that. So like it's it's really a nuanced like if you have two comparable options, and I should use comfortable pictures and one of the has the options on when them doesn't, it makes total sense to prioritize the guy that doesn't and give yourself an option one of those things, so that the challenge becomes let's just say in your hypothetical there, Scott, if Bartiperez pitches in week one, gets destroyed and JR. Ritchie is in Guinet and it's clear he's way way better. Fans don't take kind into that, you know what I mean?

00:28:32
Speaker 2: And I get it.

00:28:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, so like it's kind of this back and forth and I don't. That's one of those tough situations. That's why people like Alexe get paid a lot of money, is that those are hard decisions. All I will say is there, it's not crazy to take that into account. In fact, I would as well. I would take into account who has my way options.

00:28:50
Speaker 2: To who doesn't.

00:28:50
Speaker 1: That has to be taken into account. The argument is whether you take into account too much if you're Alex, and that is a fair one. So I see all the times like, no, all that matters is who's the best picture. I'm like, I don't know if that's true. I would not go to all that matters if it's close. I could stuff with see the only promise if you go too far the other directions. So that's a different podcast. Maybe will have that and done in ten days. But just it was probably with me today. I was like, guys, it's not quite as clear cut as like, oh, Richie's just better than Martin Perez, so it has to be Richie, Like I wouldn't I wouldn't go quite there yet.

00:29:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, personally, it's fair to say that, sure, a win on April third counts all the same as a win on September twenty third, Like, right, that's oh my god, good news, Brad. We will not be throwing Hector neris out in a one run baseball game.

00:29:40
Speaker 1: Listen here, listen. You don't know that.

00:29:45
Speaker 2: I will quit the podcast, but you know we're not to put a ball in this conversation. Am I overly optimistic that Martin Perez is going to have a great year if even makes the Braves? No? Am I confident when Jose Suarez goes on the mound. No, not really, But there is a world where those guys are at least serviceable and could give you a couple of decent innings, and you just kind of re evaluate, and it's pitching is a day by day situation. We'll see who ultimately makes the opening day roster, and it's all the ceremony and they come out on the field and they have cheers to varying levels from the fans and then give it. I mean, if Martin Perez is your sixth starter and he gives up nine runs to the Athletics over four innings, well, I'm going to guess that Martin Perez will not be with the Braves for Game seven.

00:30:29
Speaker 1: I think you're right on that. Okay, Scott, we'll get to the bullpen in a second and that'll be a little bit more of a breezy conversation afterward from our partners all on today's show. In the pharmaceutical world, there's no room for air quality. Cleanliness and consistency are everything. Fasten All supports pharma operations with controlled inventory solutions, clean room ready products, and a supply chain built for traceability. Our local teams help you reduce contamination risk, eliminate surprises, and keep production moving. Fastenal where precision and supply means confidence in every batch.

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00:31:10
Speaker 1: All right, Scott. The bullpen has its own set of challenges and question marks and uncertainties. There are a bunch of pretty much locks, obviously, right, So Iglesias, you got Suarez, You've got kin Lee, you got Piomps. I think it's pretty much close to a lock. Dylan Lee is an absolute lock. Aaron Bummer is healthy is an absolute lock. So that's up to is that?

00:31:31
Speaker 2: Six? Yeah?

00:31:32
Speaker 1: Six guys pious we've talked about before as being like one of those ninety five percent versus nine to nine percent locks. With every passing day, I'm getting higher and higher on Pioms being on the team. He has, he is, he has a guaranteed contracts. You know, he's a mount team.

00:31:48
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure. But yeah, and for a guy who's maybe not in the mix for like the eighth and nine innings, yo, all, Pioms has thrown the ball really well, this brank and like his stuff plus has looked good. And again we're talking about like four appearances so far, but sure, Pioms looks good. He talked about having a weird off season a year ago. Whereas this one was more normal and he was a pitcher who is very, very talented and capable a couple of years ago. I think the Braves are hoping to kind of catch lightning in a bottle. And if you tell me the Piams has a nice season in the Braves bullpen, I would absolutely believe it one hundred percent.

00:32:20
Speaker 1: I'm with you on that. So that leaves basically two spots again health pending available. One of those could be the extra starter. So we just don't know. That's why, Like you're almost putting Jose Suarez, Martine Perez, even Rich like some of these guys in the same bucket as the relievers. It's like they're kind of it's kind of give and take there. I don't know about you, it certainly seems to me like if they're going to keep another pure reliever, Dylan Dodd is the favorite for that right now. I mean with talks about Karen Shaq, you and I we could go who look good? But he was on my sixth of the miners this week, Like he has options of it. I think he'll be up at some point, but it seems like that was a decision against him on the roster. Most likely you got il you got Ian Hamilinson. Like Dylan Dodd's still major league camp. He was good last year. I was a lefty like I would be. I penciling Dylan Dodd in, not Penn, but I'm penciling him in right now to say, if they keep another reliever, it seems like it's probably gonna be Dylan NodD.

00:33:22
Speaker 2: I don't know, Yeah, yeah, I would agree. I think Dodd is both the best mix of he's He was good last season, yeah, he was good, fine, legitimately good, and back in the day, of course, Dylan Dodd was a starter, So I don't know how many innings Dodd could throw, but in theory he could probably cover two three.

00:33:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, and initially multi multi inning at least, like He's not like a one inning reliever only for sure, which matters.

00:33:47
Speaker 2: And he was good enough last season that I think Dodd could get some like real leverage spots out of this bullpen, especially not knowing from the left side, how good is Aaron Bummer going to be after a down twenty twenty five season. So yeah, I think is the easy leader in the clubhouse to be maybe the seventh man in the bullpen. It's just really a matter of do they carry another reliever or do they carry that sixth starter designated long man. And I think that's the way they're going to go.

00:34:13
Speaker 1: I did too. You got Ian Hamilton, who's had been bagged up in spring I know more Bowman projected him to be on the IL potentially once he begins. I don't know if that's gonna happen, but it could. Day's Bell. I saw you ask about him today on Twitter. Would you get any any any responses that were interesting because I didn't see any responses, But it sounds.

00:34:31
Speaker 2: Like, yeah, you know, Daves Bell. Hernandez as of recording this has not appeared in a spring training game. It sounds like he is with the team. I was like Twitter searching days.

00:34:42
Speaker 1: Where is does Hernandez Google search?

00:34:44
Speaker 2: Please? He is, But it sounds like he was in camp. I know some people said they saw him on one of the behind the Braves spring training videos that they do every week, but he has not appeared in a game, and it sounds like he was a few weeks delayed to start again. I I think the take of this podcast is that Day's Bell, We're probably lower than the consensus on Day's Bell. But he is a name, and he throws the baseball in a way that a lot of people on this planet cannot, and maybe he can win a spot. But this morning, when I was prepping for the show, I was like, whenever Day's bell is, And then I was like, is he pitching? Is he healthy? Is he is he with the braves in camp? I don't know, So anyway, that's the Day's Bell Hernandez updating case anybody was eagerly awaiting for it.

00:35:27
Speaker 1: Well, he's a name people know as well, he's been on the team before. He wouldn't look out of place as the eighth guy in a bullpen. Like, even as I think you're right, we've been a little bit lower than some on him, and I think have been proven right so far on that. But even with that said, I think he would be totally like normal looking at the end of a bullpen. It's just I think DoD is like considerably better another different pictures, but like that's way better than Day's Bell, And I would probably go with the extra starter slash long man if I had to yeah earlier this season, especially given what you said. Again, given the uncertainty not necessarily because of right now, but like when you have guys like Lopez and Holmes coming off of injury, like the chances of those guys having to come out of a game or not being able to go deep in the game in April, like first week of April was higher than normal, I would guess. So even you're safer established starters, if you know, I use the word safe, are not as safe early in the season. Nobody is so in it.

00:36:30
Speaker 2: More like I will say, I gotta be honest, Brad, I feel really good about this bullpen. I do.

00:36:36
Speaker 1: I do too. I mean, I know, I mean, I'll get flamed, I'm sure about you know, Aaron Bummer is not was not good last year, but even his not good, but it's like not embarrassing, like he was fine. He's overpaid, but like he's still a real reliever, like he's fine.

00:36:49
Speaker 2: Well, and there's a real chance that Aaron Bummer is like your seventh best Opta.

00:36:53
Speaker 1: Well, that's what I mean. Like, I know he's he's making a lot of money. He's making too much money, even as an Aaron Bummer guy. He's making too much money. But like in Glaces and Suarez are awesome, Kinley. I really like the Braves, Foss himself something in him. I think Piomps is a real guy. Dylan Lee's always been good the last couple of years. Like they have some real I feel pretty good. Like I mean, it's it's not like the number one bullpen in baseball on paper, but like it's the top ten bullpen in the league, and maybe higher than that, especially if things go if things break right, if Aeron Bummer is like what he was two years ago, that's he's really good again. Like, you know, Piomps has upside. I think they're you know, the bottom of the back two or as good as anybody's back to in all of baseball.

00:37:27
Speaker 2: I mean it's it's it's a good spot to be in. I would say, yeah, we will do a formal Bold prediction show later in the spring, but my hot take here we go lock it in. I'll say this is a top five bullpen in baseball and has a chance to be like top to top three. I really like this group. I just I do. I feel good about the bullpen. I feel better about the bullpen position group as a whole comparative to the rest of the league. Then I do the rotation because of the injuries and the lineup, which I think we're optimistic and hopeful is going to bounce back. But look, it's been two very down years for this Brave's lineup. Like it's almost like foolishly just if you say the Braves are going to mash the baseball this year, I don't think you can say that. There's been a three hundred some odd game sample of them not hitting the baseball very well. And I think ultimately the lineup is going to be better. But I do feel really good about this bullpen. I did two and we will keep an eye on things. It's another spot, like so the two easiest places to add at the end of spring, because these guys just shake loose. Are you know that DH spot that the Braves kind of have available now? And relievers?

00:38:38
Speaker 1: Those are the two spots that are like, guys just come available and they won't be sexy in the names, probably, but it would not stun me if the eighth person in the bullpen is someone who's on the team right now. That's just kind of the way things tend to happen sometimes, like guys will just get released or get traded for nothing. Tyler Kinleer'll fall on somebody's lap, you know what I mean, somebody like that. It's like, oh, okay, we'll take your three million dollar a year reliever because you're a terrible team. That is, she's trying to save money and the Braves want to spend some money. Like that kind of thing can happen. But all we could do right now on March fifteen, sixteenth is who's on the roster, and that's where we are. Scott, I feel pretty good about, like you said, twenty twenty one, twenty two guys out of the twenty six and the other four or five spots are fluid, but which is, by the way, extremely normal in the middle of BArch. Like that's most teams in the league are not like fully set right now, which is fine.

00:39:25
Speaker 2: And in theory and wishing the Braves are going to be healthy or even remotely healthy feels like a fool's er, But does the bear with me for a second. But when you get Hasan Kim back, hopefully early May, if the Brave's new timeline is accurate, and when you get Sean Murphy back, who feels like is kind of ramping things up down in Florida, is going to be delayed for sure. But when you get Murphy back, and when you get Kim back, and maybe at the end of May or early June, some point over the summer, Waldrip or Schwallenbach or both are able to pitch for you. And again no guarantees on that, but maybe they didn't have Tommy John. You know, they had a cleanup procedure in their elbows. The depth of this team, assuming they don't get just ravished by injuries again, should be better than what it is on opening day. And let's just cross our fingers and hope that maybe they catch a break with the injury gods and just don't have half the team on the injured list again.

00:40:22
Speaker 1: That would be helpful for the team, for the fan base, for our sanity on this podcast, and many things. So it's been a nightmare spring. I did hear our good pal Grant McCauley, who's been on the show many times. He was the Braves guest on effectively Wild this week doing the Braves preview, and you could tell in Grant's voice it's like this, it's been a kind of a rough spring for everyone. Like he was they were asking him like, hey, what's going with the Braves? Like, are they just broken forever? And Grant's like, I mean no, but it's been another one of those fun months here in the Atlanta Braves system. So anyway, optimism, Scott. We just talked about the team fairly positively for I don't know, forty minutes. I feel pretty good about things. We'll see. Yeah, me too, less good than I would have felt a month ago. But you know that's Beggar's cape.

00:41:06
Speaker 2: But choosers sometimes, you mean, it's it's not a good thing when you lose two of your five starting pitchers and your DH and you're like and.

00:41:15
Speaker 1: Not, really, I don't. I wouldn't. I wouldn't like that. I wouldn't prefer that. Hey, but we got to watch around a coud to play baseball in the World Baseball Classic. So check it out on a Fox one. Everybody watch it. Okay, Scott, let's put up the warning right now. Unless you have more to say on the line of Braves are once a year annual. If you don't like college basketball, feel free to sign off right now. Please subscribe to the podcast Hammer Territory anywhere you find podcasts Autoritory Network. We cover the brands all year round, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, et cetera. We appreciate all of your support. After a break from our sponsors, we'll come back and talk about college basketball because we just are sickos. It's what we have to do this time of year or so be right back after this word. All right, Scott, it's time. We're sickos. Only here late in the podcast. And uh it's s Luction Sunday and you and I mean I will speak for I don't know about you. I think I know this about you. Is college basketball your favorite sport?

00:42:14
Speaker 2: Oh man? It is clearly my one A one B with baseball. That's what I thought. Okay, uh yeah for me. NFL, Yeah, I enjoyed college football. I'll watch the playoffs in the NBA and the NHL. But if like a an evil demon came and said, Scott, you can only watch two sports the rest of your life, I would watch baseball and the Braves, and I would watch college basketball in Arizona.

00:42:36
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I love college basketball. I do a lot, a lot, a lot of work on the NBA, so I do watch more NBA than college basketball out of necessity. I also cover the draft, which is they different kind about college basketball watching, so I haven't watch the college of college basketball too. And I love March my favorite event. I think we agree on this one. My favorite event of the year is the NCAA Tournament. Even now, it's the best. So that's why we're doing this. We'rese it cost it is what it is now. I will also give the caveat the bracket came out a couple hours ago as we're talking. Now, I have not done any of my prep. Look, I know these teams. I have not done. I will do an exhaustive look at some of these teams. But we had to cover baseball and stuff on this podcast, so I have it in front of me. You might have the advantage though on knowledge right now as far as the brackets concern Scott advantage advantaged Scott right now.

00:43:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I will say maybe I will set up a tournament challenge for listeners and viewers of the show, and maybe I'll tweet out that link if people It'll just be for fundzies for bragging rights, no money or anything. I'm not collecting zel's and venmos from four hundred people. But but yeah, maybe I'll set that up if people are interested, give it a couple of days, check the Twitter account and I'll fire up a So you can beat brad Roland beat brad Roland Invitational.

00:43:52
Speaker 1: That's not hard to do. We will not talk about every single game on the horizon. That would be a long podcast. Do you want to go reagion by region? Let's do that. Yeah, let's do Okay, dealer's choice, you know what, not deer's choice. We're going to the West aka aka the Arizona Wildcats region. For those people that don't somehow know this, I don't get out anybody doesn't still listening. Scott is an Arizona alum and works at Arizona so and still listen to son so U no one is closer to the college basketball program of Arizona. That's got called unless you're on the team.

00:44:25
Speaker 2: Basically, that's right, bear down. I want every single person in that tournament challenge to pick the Wildcats to go all the way.

00:44:31
Speaker 1: It wouldn't be a crazy pick whatsoever. So m I'll ask you this, who are you worried about? You there, you're an Arizona fan. Who are you worried about? In the in the West and just starts to refresher if you don't have it in front of you. This is the region that has Wisconsin the five seed, Arkansas is the four seed, kenzagas the three seed, and Purdue is the two seed. If you want to go deeper than that, you're on your own. But who are you worried about?

00:44:53
Speaker 2: As an Arizona fan, I think both the four and the five seed in this region, assuming they win their first round games, are really scary. Arkansas just won the SEC Tournament. Wisconsin has some bad losses but also has as many good wins as like any team in the country, which is a little weird.

00:45:12
Speaker 1: They beat Michigan at Michigan and then almost beat them this week, so I've seen quite a bit of Wisconsin in my dreams this season.

00:45:18
Speaker 2: So yeah, so you know, in high Point as a twelve seed is going to be I think a popular pick to maybe upset Wisconsin as well. But to me, I think, I mean, I think Arkansas Wisconsin could be one of the games of the tournament. And then of course I think, I mean Arizona. I don't see any problems with Villanova or Utah State famous last words, but if Arizona can get past Arkansas or Wisconsin, you know, the bottom half of the bracket. I don't know. I don't think this Gonzaga team is as good as recent years. They also were without one of their I think their second leading score is unexpected, is not expected to play in the tournament. And then Purdue, which just one the Big Ten Tournament, was kind of on the downslope at the end of the year, and I think that Arizona is a bad matchup for Purdue with the way that Purdue wants to play. So I'm taking Arizona in this region. Call it a homer pick. But if folks haven't seen areas, they're just such a good basketball team. I mean that they are. I mean it's all season long. It's been Duke, it's been Michigan, it's been Arizona, and I mean they feel and then probably a tear drop below that to a couple other teams who we're going to talk about. But Arizona's just I mean, they are a wagon in every way imaginable. Yeah.

00:46:32
Speaker 1: I'm not saying this because because you're here, I think you know that I would tell you this no matter what if I had to pick a single team to make the Final four. Now that I have seen the bracket. I would take Arizona, and it's not because of you. I think they're really good and I'm a little bit low run for Doue. Purdue's got veterans, they played great this week and the BIS of tournament.

00:46:53
Speaker 2: They want it.

00:46:55
Speaker 1: I do like in Zaga, but you're right, they are not full of full strength right now. Well, Arkansas, you know John Calla Perry and the tournament I'm not enthused by. They have a lot of talent, but he's not exactly the best schmatic coach in the world. Wisconsin, as you said earlier, kind of they have some bad losses that they're pretty bad defensive team. Yeah, I feel good about your Wildcats. I'll be in Indianapolis. I hope to see you there, and I think you're only going to show up they if they're there, So I hope they hope to see you there, and we'll see how that goes.

00:47:24
Speaker 2: And there is there is a local team in this region. Kennesaw State is gonna Yeah, look at you, Look at you, Look at you pulling out the local in Atlanta, Georgia.

00:47:34
Speaker 1: I mean you're not from here at all. Yeah.

00:47:37
Speaker 2: A good, good buddy of mine played at Kanessas State and I think is the all time leading rebounder there or something. So shout out there and look at that. Yeah, I will be I think zag is going to be tough, but yeah, I haven't seen the line yet.

00:47:50
Speaker 1: They're gonna be a large under dog. That's okay. Hey, good season for kind of sail. Shouts to them. I know a lot of alumnis well, nobody's famous as you apparently, but trust your guy. No, I don't see a lot of you know. I think it was about saying anything can happen in a single limitation tournament. We should have least give that caveat right now. This is not the NBA where you're playing seven game series. Like, if you have one bad day, Arizona could lose. We could lose to Utah State in the second round. Yes, they're not gonna do that, I don't think, but they could Utah State. Actually, I was sad to see Utah State where they are because I was like ready to like that was one of my teams.

00:48:25
Speaker 2: I like them.

00:48:26
Speaker 1: This year. It's like, oh, you gotta play Arizona in the second round. I don't want that to happen to you. So yeah, Arizona in the West. We are in lockstep there, and if I had to pick a team to go against them, I think I'm gonna take Gonzaga still, but Produce, Produce got a lot of veterans. I don't know, I'll say. I'll still say Arizona over Gonzaga in the Elite eights in the West, how about that?

00:48:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, And a quick note, then we'll change regions. But by you unfortunately their second leading score, second best player, Richie Yeah, Richie Saunders towards ACL about a month. So if folks are looking BYU is still pretty high up on like Ken Palm and then the computers, but those generally don't account for injuries or they it's tough to kind of encapsulate an injury into a computer metric. But just a note that if folks are looking to pick, I think BYU probably wins one. I think Aj Debonts in a one game setting is hard to pick against him, and BYU has other players too, But just as a note, if BYU is fully healthy, I think they'd be a trendy team to make a deep run, because I mean they had win healthy, as good of a trio as anyone in the country, but they are not healthy.

00:49:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, they are seven and ten in the last seventeen games, and when Sawders went down, I think they're four and five since then. Still a decent team. Obviously, Debonce is a monster and will be a top five pick in the draft, top three pick in the draft. But yeah, I don't trust them right now, but they do. They do have the badge of playing playing a first four opponents in the first round, so that'll be hopefully get make a win. But yeah, I'm with you. All right, Let's go to the Midwest, which is my team. I'm we're in a hoodie right now. Uh, this is the Michigan region. I don't feel as good as I would have a couple of weeks ago. Michigan has a injury to their in my mind, the best offensive gard on the team, not a deal off of the season, and they've looked not as good without him, unfortunate for me. I'll you know, I'll let you do the honors of this one because I just grilled you on your region, so you could you can ask you whatever you want to on the one that I'm most invested in.

00:50:24
Speaker 2: So Michigan is the one ioway stayed as the two. Virginia, who had a nice run in the a SEC Tournament is the three, the four is Alabama, the five is Texas Tech, and the six is Tennessee. So of those six teams, Brad, which one makes you most nervous to get to Indianapolis and make a final four for Michigan Number one?

00:50:46
Speaker 1: I have to just say this before I ate this question. Our our colleagues are co hosts on this podcast. Sean is a Tennessee fan and Steven's an Alabama fan, and all three of our teams are in this region. So that's gonna be interesting. Which team scares me? I think it's Iowa State for sure. Which is Chalk? I know they're the two seed. They're extremely well coached now, they are also prone to playing down at times. They play some ugly games at times, like they lost to They also be like one hundred air zone of the second time, but that was Cincinnati in a game that I just looked terrible. But they only have one home loss this year. The rest of them member road losses. I do like Iowa State too much. Actually, they're a top five defens in the country. I'm worried about that.

00:51:34
Speaker 2: Game.

00:51:34
Speaker 1: Can Michigan score on Iowa State is a question that I don't want to have to answer. I hope they lose before them, but that would be the team that I'm most afraid of by a lot. But I will say and not you know, in me, I'm a pessimist. I think Michigan got the best draw of anyone, which is unfortunate. I mean, it's fortunate, I guess for me, but I don't say that lightly because you know me, I'm a pessimist. But Texas Tech has their best playeroff of the season. Alabama is dangerous, but not like peak Alabama in the last couple of years before this. And Virginia I like, but if you watch them play Duke in the Riverses in game a couple of weeks ago, you will know that they are capable of being blown off the floor. They were absolutely torched on national TV. So same thing. Michigan lose to anybody, and I'm feeling worse about them than I have in a long time right now, honestly. But number one seed and should be, and they they're the favorite for a reason.

00:52:30
Speaker 2: I would say, yeah, I think in this region, the most trendy upset maybe of any region and it is going to be twelve seed Akron over Texas Tech. And it is such a shame because JT. Toppin was maybe the second best player in the country this year, but Top and tore his ACL about a month ago as well. And Tech just I think they're three and three since Top and tours ACL. So again, if you look at the computers and go, wow, Texas Tech is really up there, but they do not have Toppin, who is a walking twenty and ten whenever he got off the butt. Yeah, I mean, I think Alabama, that Alabama Hofstra game could be a lot of fun with just the tempo and speed. I think Alabama's always terrifying because if you get them on a night when they make twenty three pointers, yeah you're in trouble. You were in the soup. But you can also get a night where they go eight of forty on threes and you win by twenty five points. I mean that's kind of the interesting draw. And then you mentioned Iowa State's a really good basketball team. I think if anybody in this region would be able to take down Michigan, you know, potentially in an Elite eight situation, Iowa state's really really good. I agree with you about Virginia. I think a solid team, a team that should get to the Sweet sixteen. But yeah, I think then and even even Saint Louis. Georgia is like a really fun I think. I saw it has the maybe the highest or second highest over under of any game in the first round, so that should be really high tempo as well. A fun region. A lot of offense in this region, but I do think it's a pretty favorable draw all thing is considered for Michigan.

00:54:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, this is for our guy, Steven. Alabama is terrifying, the number three in the country and offense per KEMPOM. They also have the worst defense of any a top seven seed at KEMPOM this year, so not a peak Alabama team. And I've seen some dms from Steven that will tell me howel is about his team right now on defense. But no, I'm with you, should be fun. I am not looking forward to the internet experience that will emerge for me if Georgia beats Saint Louis and it's Michigan Georgia, just because of where I live, it won't be a lot of fun for me. Now, it's better if Michigan wins, but I don't particularly enjoy the online discourse that will happen for two days there people can be coming at me because then if it's all downsid for me. If Michigan loses, this like the end of my life online and a lot of fun there. But hey, it'll be an interesting region. Okay, let's go to the South, shall we. This is the wide open region beasted on paper. Florida's the one seed, but they have the best two seed in the region, which is here Houston. That's what it should be. The worst one seed should be with the best two seed. That's happening here. Four and five Florida and then Houston. Illinois is the other team in the with a great offense, bad defense. They're Alabama, but a little bit better probably this year welst is. In this region, you have Nebraska, who got seeded lower than I thought. I think they maybe a three seed they were four seed, But they've also been playing pretty not badly, but not as impressively for like the last month or so.

00:55:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's Nebraska's six and six over the last twelve games.

00:55:30
Speaker 1: And one of the storylines that you probably have already heard or and I promise you you will. Is that Nebraska has never ever, ever won NCAA tournament game.

00:55:40
Speaker 2: Ever.

00:55:41
Speaker 1: They are the only team in a power conference one that's never one, Northwestern one a couple of years ago for the first time ever. Now it's only Nebraska. They're the only team that's never won one. They're gonna be favored to win. I honestly hope they do win because it would be like so brutal. They were twenty and oh, if you don't Bill follows, they were twenty and oh this year. They were like number two in the country or something like that at that point. So anyway, yeah, they're in that region. And then Vanderbilts the five seed. They've been really fun. I really I really like Washington play great guards, et cetera. So a fun region, and uh, I would be boy, I'd love to watch Florida in Houston. That would be a game that I would be interested in in partaking in.

00:56:17
Speaker 2: We'll say yeah, And you know for Houston, the Sweet sixteen and Elite eight would be played in downtown Houston.

00:56:25
Speaker 1: That is correct.

00:56:25
Speaker 2: I was.

00:56:26
Speaker 1: I was at the final Ford Houston. It's not actually at that same place because that was the football stadium, but I could tell you they took so last year was a San Antonio and Houston fans were everywhere in San Antonio, right yeah, oh of course. And it's a lot closer to be in Houston than s Antonio. It's still like you have to like, it's still a couple hours away in San Antonio. It is literally in Houston. So if if I'm if I'm a Florida fan, I kind of knew this was gonna happen. Honestly, going into the day, I was like, this is this is why I was projected. But if I was a Florida fan, I would not be terribly enthused about having to play a probably a full on road game, but like, certainly a semi road game in the lad eight as a number one seed is not a lot of fun.

00:57:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, tough, And I agree. I think as the conference tournaments progressed, it felt like those two teams are really the final two teams battling for the one seed, and that would be a great matchup. Of course, two teams that that was the championship last year, right, Florida and Houston. You know this region is interesting. You know, Illinois can really score, but they are very vulnerable defensively. They really have struggled over the last couple of weeks. You know, I would almost say that Illinois is a three seed. Would be a trendy upset pick for a top three seed to not make this Week sixteen. But they got a pretty friendly draw in North Carolina. Of course does not have Caleb Wilson, which is such a bummer for that team. And then I don't know if VCU has the juice to win two games in March, let alone one. But yeah, I mean I think I will say this Houston team is not as good as the last five years of Houston teams. They're pretty reliant on freshmen, which can be I mean, both good and bad. I mean, it hasn't exactly slowed down Arizona Duke this year with all the freshmen that they play out there. But Houston is I think more vulnerable than they have in recent years, where it's like literally the last four tournaments. They just wrote Houston into my Final four and as they I'll figure it out later. I don't think Illinois can take them to I think we're probably headed here for a Florida Houston Elite eight, which could be a. I mean, it would be a phenomenal rematch of last year's title game. I just checked this in the four years before this one at Ken Palm, which is a good proxy. Houston finished second, second, second, and second in the country four years in a row. Yeah, this year they're fifth. So they're still really good. But to your point, they're not quite as good on paper, and that tracks to me. I was literally at the game last year where they lost it, where they lost to Florida in the final game. They're up twelve with like fifteen minutes ago. They were honestly probably the better team in the game, and they just kind of imploded at the end. And that's been the Florida That's been the Houston story in recent years, although they did the same thing the Duke last year, if you recall Duke blue a lead to Houston in the same building. Anyway, I still like Houston, I think, but not in the same way. I'm with you like I last year, I was very confident in Houston going I picked the in the wor champiship last year they almost did. I don't feel that way this year, but I think i'd still pick them. If you maybe pick one team in the South. I think I think I would take Houston. I don't buy Illinois. I don't think the deft is good enough. They have one bad offensive game, They're probably gonna lose. Nebraska is kind of the same thing. I do think, you know, with with due respect and look, this is all gonna be wrong, but I don't feel terribly threatened by the three through five seeds in the South. I think it really is Florida and Houston, and uh, I'll say Houston. I think, yeah, I think Vanderbilt.

00:59:52
Speaker 1: I like Vandy. I do like Vanny Moore than Nebraska and Illinois. Honestly, Yeah, I think van I mean Vandy just beat Florida handedly in the se tournament conference tournaments. I mean, there's no direct correlation. Of course you would.

01:00:05
Speaker 2: It was also it was also in Nashville, which is worth noting, which is where it is. Yeah, and if there was some immediate one to one where if you win your conference tournament, you're you know, ninety eight percent of the time you go to the final four, obviously that you know, there's there's nothing like that. Yeah, that'd be an interesting rematch if we get Florida against Vandy. I do think it's going to be the rematch of the title game from last year, and man, Florida's been playing really well. Houston Kelvin Samson is as good of a in game coach as there is. I mean, that would be fantastic. My initial lean would be Florida. I think I'd like their bigs a little bit more than I like Houston's. I think they could. They'd be able to withstand just kind of the physical gauntlet that Houston is for forty minutes. But that would be I mean, that'd be that might be the best one to two game in the entire tournament if we get it in a couple of weeks.

01:00:56
Speaker 1: Let's go to the East Duke. This is the reason that they revealed first on the broadcast. I don't know if you watched it live, Scott.

01:01:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, Duke got no favors from the committee and everyone was like, WHOA, Duke's got a loaded reading. There's always kind of a region of death on paper coming in and I think Duke sc gott it this time, even though they're their one overall seed, which is interesting. We'll see.

01:01:16
Speaker 1: Also, the big thing we should say this Duke has major injury concerns so they have the best part of the country in Camp Boozer National Player of the Year is wonever award, as you should, but they have two of their top five guys missed the Holy Ac Tournament. One of them, Cale Foster is probably out for the year. They said he might be able to play in the final four at the best, and that usually means he ain't playing in the final four. Yeah, and then Patrick and Gomba, they're starring center is also out. I don't know how long he'll be out, but that's a big loss. They're not the same team with all these two guys. With that said, best part of the country on the team. But to say why they're loaded. Saint John's is the five seed in this region. They were supposed to be four in some people's brackets, like they're really good. Twenty eight win team Kansas is the four seed, which Kes has a lot of losses, but the Big twelve, as you will know, Scott loaded beyond belief and they had Darren Peterson who's really good, and Bill self and all the things. I wouldn't want any part of Kansas. Michigan State I don't enjoy for obvious reasons, but good team, well coached, play defense, et cetera. Louisville has a lottery pick guard and Michael Brown. They're the sixth seed in this region, and then Yukon is Yukon as the two seed. Yukon Dan Hurley is a gauntlet in the tournament. Even last year they had kind of a terrible season, they still almost upset someone and like made a run. They almost beat Florida. So I don't know, man, if I was John Shire, I would not be particularly thrilled right at this moment.

01:02:41
Speaker 2: Well, and you know, even in that second round, I think Ohio State's gonna be TCU Ohio State from playing really good basketball. A quick look here at the computers, Ohio State is the second best rated team of the eight to nine seeds. They're twenty sixth in the country, so that is definitely not a cake walk if Duke is not going to be one hundred percent, you know, looking at the rest of that region, Yukon is a weird team. They were like awesome in the non conference, but kind of stunk in Big East play. For being honest, but I also wonder if it was like I never know, if teams are really good and they've made deep runs in recent years. If there's almost like a complacency with with Yukon a little bit, and you know, going against early in the tournament is I mean, that guy's an incredible in game coach. But even you know, Michigan State I thought was going to be a two seed. So the fact that they drew a three is tough for that bottom region. You mentioned Louisville talented team, a little jekylin Hyde, and then you know Saint John's is playing as well as anybody, and Kansas has all the talent in the world. They're almost I gotta be honest, they're a little bit of paper tigers. They Kansas was unbeatable at home, like genuinely Kansas at home in fog Allen is impossible. But away from home they have really struggle at times. They got whooped by Houston in the Big twelve tournament. Yeah, yeah, again, there's no shame in losing the Houston Arizona beat Kansas by like twenty points a couple of weeks ago. There's no shame in losing by a bunch to really good teams away from home. But I think I think it's setting up for a Rick Patino Saint John's against Duke in the Sweet sixteen, and that would be I mean, that might be the best Sweet sixteen matchup there would be in the entire bracket.

01:04:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think if you flipped Saint John's to a four at Kansas to a five, which doesn't matter, like it would probably be more accurate to how I feel about those teams. But still, I mean they're playing each other probably in the second round. Yeah, I'm Duke. I have to see how they look without Foster and hopefully and gog Woa plays if God was out. I don't know if I would even pick them to win the region. I mean I would pencil them in right now. Still, as I'm a little bit lower on Yukon than some, I will also say I covered the end of the culture and every year there were tiers in a row before before last year where they won the championships back to back years. I also saw them in the regional two years in a row. So I saw him play eight in San tournament games in two years and they blew out eight teams. They had eight blowout wins at the end of the tournament two years in a row, Like it was unbelievab. I'm not seeing all like my They're just different team now obviously, so I tell myself that more than anything else. But I would be really fascinated to see any number of these matchups. I mean, Ripotino's like maybe the best question of all time as far as like tac tactical stuff. Him facing Duke. Wow, Michigan State, I think like can beat anybody. They can also lose anybody because they can't score. But like, yeah, I'll be fascinated. That's one where I'll be kind of surprised if we get Duke Yukon just because of the as the one and two, just because of all the quality in that region. I still like those teams.

01:05:53
Speaker 2: But Wowpen So yeah, I mean this sometimes the number one overall seed, you look at the region and it's like, I'm not even gonna look at these. I'm just gonna move it into the final four.

01:06:02
Speaker 1: Oh you mean like Arizona this season? Oh no, I'm I already met Michigan. Michigan has the easiest road. I'm still more confident in Arizona because they're healthier than Michigan, is right.

01:06:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think fully healthy. Duke was the best team in the country, I agree, but they're they're not healthy. Yeah, yeah, so that that at least opens I mean not that Duke with some like Unstoppable forty and Ogauntlet fully healthy, they're really good team.

01:06:28
Speaker 1: Yeah. There's the thing, like I think you said the very beginning of this that I think there have been three teams this year that or better than everybody else. Duke is one, and then our two teams if we're being honest, Duke and Michigan have injuries and Arizona doesn't. And that right now is like why I'm leaning Arizona over everybody else. And it's not a Zona versus the field. They're not that kind of favorite to me, but they are in my mind. If there is a team, I was like, Okay, someone said you have to be only on logic in your brain pick the team within the tournament. I would pick Arizona. I feel comfortable saying that to you on this podcast.

01:07:03
Speaker 2: But I believe that.

01:07:05
Speaker 1: I think I think they're the best current team the team is currently available because it's their team, they have the whole team like that. That plus their region.

01:07:14
Speaker 2: Please knock on wood Brand, I know I know that.

01:07:16
Speaker 1: Plus you're not saying I am that plus the region and Tommy Lloyd's really good, like I would pick Arizona. So I'll just say this that I'll let you give your final four.

01:07:25
Speaker 2: Two.

01:07:25
Speaker 1: I am going to pick Arizona to make the final four. I'm gonna take Iowa State over Michigan reverse jinks if you want to everybody, that's you make in your minds, if that's why I'm doing or not your call, I'm gonna take Houston and I'm going to take I'm going to take Duke still, even though I don't like it. I wish Saint John's was in Michigan State slot in the bracket because I take Saint John's. I don't want to take Saint John's to have to beat Duke and yu Can who has played them well before. So it's kind of chalky. I'm not making any bold predictions. Someone you know, usually someone crashed through the glass. But just one more time, Arizona, Iowa State, Houston and Duke. So two onets two two's boy, that's choky. I don't like that at all, but here we are.

01:08:24
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think the early rounds have some real potential for some upsets. I think like the the four or five, six, seven seeds. This year kind of down compared to previous years, but I think the best teams are are just so good, especially on the one line. I think it's going to be pretty chalky as well. I will say I wish we, you know, were doing this on Sunday, so stuff can change in the next few days. But having a little more clarity on some of the injury situations would be helpful. But to make our very official, I usually fill out of bracket like just my intuition, like what am I doing? And then I'll do a second bracket where I really kind of research it and go, Okay, this team is gigantic, this team is tiny. Let's pick the you know, the team that is going to be able to overwhelm. I'm gonna take Boy. I will go with the assumption that Duke is mostly healthy other than Foster. I will say that Duke beats Michigan State in the Elite eight. I will take Florida over Houston. In the South, I'm gonna take Arizona Purdue. I don't love Purdue either, but I think they have a pretty easy draw. Miami. Actually, you know what Miami, Florida is a little feisty Miami might be able to give Purdue some problems as that it seems like every year there's a seven or a ten that beat a two seed. But again, I'm gonna be boring in Chalky, I think Purdue has enough veterans. I'll say Arizona over Purdue in the West. And then I was really hoping you were going to pick Michigan because I wanted to be a little different than you. But I actually think Iowa State. Iowa State, it's a really good basketball team, and they have a really good point guard. They have one of the best players in the country that no one knows about with Joshua Jefferson. And they have literally the best shooting wing in the country with Milan Manchilovich. Who he is. He's insane. Yeah, I know Iowa State fans call him Mommy.

01:10:14
Speaker 1: Uh so I hit that he hit that big three. Uh this weekend in Kansas City. That was probably not fun for you. It didn't matter in the end, but yeah.

01:10:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, really really good team. So let me ask you, then, Brad Roland, the resident basketball expert on this show, your national Championship game, pick.

01:10:33
Speaker 1: Please Arizona over Arizona over do I want to be mean to Houston. I really like, I really like Kevin Sampson. I don't know if I can wish another another National final loss on Houston back to back years. That would be just disgusting, but I kind of want to kind of want to pick it. Okay, Now I'll go Arizona. I think Duke we'll at least having gone but back if not Foster as well. I will go Arizona over Duke in the final, which is incredibly chocky and I hate it, but yeah, true to myself at this moment in time, You're right by the way you said Imber, I should say there's always a two seed that feels like that loses pretty early. I do trust Perdue the least. I wish I like Ucla more than I do. Donovan Dent is their guard who I really really like at UCLA, and they play Yukon second round and they win. If Donovan Dett was healthy, I might take Ucla over Yukon because I think Yukon's got some downside. Potentially they have some upside too, because Harley is awesome. If they had a better seven seed than I trusted, I would probably take Yukon to lose in the second round. I just UCLA has been terrible away from home. Their best player's hurt right now, it's like kind of a tough sell. Maybe UCF SEC, I'm sorry, SEC, Big twelve Supremacy Scott. Unfortunately, I think the most likely top seed to lose early is Michigan. I'm I'm not trolling you. If Michigan plays Saint Louis, I'm gonna be terrified right now. Oh yeah, I love I love Saint Louis. That's the other two teams that I love coming into coming into the tournament that I wanted to make runs if they were not in bad spots, Saint Louis and Utah State, and they're both nine seeds against Arizona Michigan. It's like, well, I don't want that to happen if they were playing Yukon, If they were playing even like Iowa State, who has trumple scoring, sometimes I might be like, you know what, Saint Louis to the window. Anyway, those are my two favorite, like non top five seeds are those two teams, and they both are in bad spots.

01:12:43
Speaker 2: So yeah, the NCAA Tournament is great and amazing in one of the best sporting events in the world, if not the best, except for when your team is playing, and then it's two and a half hours of just absolute misery, of clenching every part of your body and just saying a prayer.

01:13:01
Speaker 1: You were so right about the college, but uh, I would say the commers sortment's even worse, which which I know you said on Twitter today. If you were a fan of a really good a really really good team, like a top seed like Arizona the conference tournament, it still matters. You want to win it. Arizona won THEIRS today. Michigan lost THEIRS. Sorry, last night, Michigan lost THEIRS.

01:13:19
Speaker 2: Today.

01:13:19
Speaker 1: I didn't enjoy watching them lose today. I also am not heartbroken. What I didn't want to happen was an injury and the accident. Lin the Borg, Michigan's best player, was limping around for three minutes ago, and I was like pulling. I was fine, they were losing. I was like frustrated, normal frustration. When when you Ax turned his ankle, I wanted to run out the door screaming. I was furious. Yeah, hopefully, but it's like, come on, just get through the weekend, please.

01:13:46
Speaker 2: There's there was nothing for Michigan or Arizona or Duke or even Florida to really play.

01:13:51
Speaker 1: For you get to hang a banner for the commerce san It matters. I mean, I want to win the COMSGCE tournament. Everyody want, everybody wants to. But you're right as far as like teams that have clearly all the seasons along been like you know what I have. We have a more than ten percent chance to win the national championship this year, which all those teams that you just listed do. It's like get for the weekend man.

01:14:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, to give my very official prediction. And I hate that we agree on this, but I'm gonna go Arizona Arizona Overduke.

01:14:16
Speaker 1: Yeah are Yeah you are? Scott call your shot on this podcast spare down objectively.

01:14:21
Speaker 2: I think again, we talked about it. If Michigan and Duke were fully healthy, you know, it'd be obviously they're a better team when they're fully healthy. And I still think both Michigan and Duke are really good teams, but the injuries matter. And you know you mentioned the conference tournament thing Arizona and the Big twelve championship. Jayden Bradley, their point guard, Big twelve Player of the Year. I thought broke his wrist.

01:14:43
Speaker 1: I wish, I wish I had the technology to put your your text to me on the screen. I won't reveal what you said. It was very funny to me. I wasn't I was watching the game. I got touched from Scott, but I can't repeat, and it was just the abste We just talked about this, the absolute agony. I couldn't even hear. It was literally just text, and I'm like, Scott is dying right now?

01:15:04
Speaker 2: Yes, it was fine, nothing's wrong. I was. I was ready to jump off the nearest bridge with four hundred pounds of weights on my ankles and just just let it rip. But yeah, so many times it comes down to health and also just who gets the bounces right. Like you can have an amazing five month season and then you just have one bad night, one bad forty minutes, and a great season goes down the toilet. It happens. You know, it's been twenty five years since Arizona's been to a Final Four. They've lost five Elite Eight games by a combined like eleven points in that in that twenty I mean right again, And that's how it works. You know, like last year, Duke should have been in the championship game and they had a bad two minutes at the end of the game against Houston, Florida should have lost to Texas Tech, and Texas Tech had the meltdown of all meltdowns. Florida wins in a week later their national champions It's just it is a it's a great tournament, but it's also just an absolutely cruel tournament because you can have really good teams have just three bad possessions, or a ball goes in and out and then bounces off the backboard and goes in right, and that's how that's how games you won, that's how championships are won. And regardless, it should be a really fun tournament. And you know, hopefully I would. I would love to have the the Hammer Territory Invitational in Indianapolis, Arizona, Michigan. Let's let's speak it into existence. That would be fun.

01:16:23
Speaker 1: Michigan won the national title in basketball when I was two years old, and they are zero to four in title games since then. So there's that too much.

01:16:37
Speaker 2: Eight.

01:16:37
Speaker 1: I was, I was, I was, I was a kid for the first two the Fab five, the two Fab five, teams. I was a kid for those, I was an adult for the last two, and I did not enjoy those games. I was at one of them. In fact, Michigan lost the title game in Atlanta in twenty thirteen. I was there, didn't enjoy myself. The other one that they lost was twenty eighteen and I was in England watching the game in the middle of the night, so that was fun. Anyway, Scott, thank you for being here. Hopefully people made to the end of this conversation. We love the tournament, honestly, this is why we do this. It's only once a year, and we might jab each other for two minutes at the end of the podcast over the course of the next three weeks, but we'll not do another thirty minute discussion on college basketball on the show. But hopefully people enjoy this out of people either hate it or don't. It is what it is, but keep it locked. We will be back with more Braves coverage later on this week, and there are real games coming up soon, which is fun. I'm looking forward to that. Scott. We'll talk soon. Anything else to add for you out.

01:17:40
Speaker 2: Here, We will indeed talk soon, Brad. That's what we do on this show, lots of stuff, lots of brave stuff coming soon. Of course we said ten days or so it's opening day. We'll have plenty of Braves content. It should be a lot of fun. And again, if folks want to get into that bracket challenge, I will set that up in the next day or so. I'll put it, We'll link to it in the show notes on YouTube and on audio, and then I'll tweet it out as well a couple of times if people want to get in. It should be a lot of fun.

01:18:05
Speaker 1: Absolutely, keep it locked. Everybody. Please subscribe to hemmorh Territory anywhere you get your podcast. If you're a video watcher, that's great. Please also subscribe on on the audio platform as well and download the show. Help us to spread the word as well, Sam and Reverse. If you're an audio listener, which I always am on podcast, like on YouTube, all that fun stuff. Tell your friends we appreciate you being here as always, and we'll see everybody next time.