Episode 11 - It's Been a Rough Sports Week

FivetoNine Podcast: Been a few weeks, but we're back here. ⁓ five to nine podcast. Missing Todd. We should be back to full strength next week. But ⁓ welcome into the five to nine podcast. Just got off my nine to five. Gonna try and make your nine to five maybe tomorrow or well tomorrow Saturday, but Monday, ⁓ feel a bit a little bit more like your five to nine. ⁓ some ⁓ devastating baseball results for the two of us and and Todd is a Cubs fan as well, so he's just as w devastated. But ⁓ the Phillies and the Cubs, ⁓ what the Cubs putting up one run and Well the Phillies not exactly doing much else. They scored a few more, but they also allowed maybe a few more than they should have. So ⁓ if you want to go first with your your Cubs situation with the Padres, considering it it went two and then ⁓ the Phillies obviously able to force that third game, but nothing ⁓ it was basically all for naught. So ⁓ your your thoughts on the Cubs, Diggs. Yeah, I mean, you know Maybe a few more runs scored, but maybe a situation for you and for the Phillies that's perhaps even more frustrating, ⁓ in terms of what the future looks like, how the loss happened, ⁓ the lack of fight it seemed in last night's game, ⁓ on Thursday. But yeah, no. The Cubs ⁓ were not good, but I would say it's kind of unfortunately what I expected. It's a little bit easier to stomach. ⁓ I've discussed my fandoms in the past. I'm also a Pats fan. It kind of felt like that Pats game when they made the playoffs with Mac Jones, ⁓ and then immediately played the Bills and lost by like forty points. ⁓ it was fun to see them in the playoffs, but I didn't really have too high of hopes. I didn't have hopes of the Cubs going to the World Series. I would say going into the year, ⁓ if you're asking me about where the game went to now where I feel ⁓ I think going into the year I I think World Series ⁓ was definitely a potential, but through a string of injuries and, you know, as the season kind of went on, I knew that the pitching was not where it needed to be. and then the offense did the thing that they always do. Cause I expected the pitching to be bad. It wasn't great. you know, it you know, the second game was a little bit better. I like to see the bullpen. The first game went as expected, but the offense is just, you know, and that's the thing is the Team that's or the side of the ball that's gonna be looked at a lot in the offseason is going to be the pitching and addressing the pitching. But the fact of the matter is that, you know, we can address the pitching all we want, but the offense has just got to be better in the top guys, PCA, Bregman. I Bregman was dealing with, you know, pretty much one eye that series, ⁓ after he got hit by a a foul ball earlier, ⁓ like a week or so ago. But yeah, it was just disgusting to watch. There's nothing to write home about. The Padres ⁓ were really hot coming in. The Cubs were not, and yeah, they came out flat. It was it was pretty hard to watch. Yeah, it's funny, I think that's like the exact same thing that happened to the Phillies. You know, they had to win on the last day of the regular season because they had a awful September after having a really good August. And it was just such an up and down team. ⁓ the guys are obviously aging, ⁓ the offense was not what it needed to be. I mean, even though they lost six two but they scored Two runs. Like the the three run home run for Michael Harris in the first inning was the game winning home three run home run. You know, so it's it's nothing that you can hang your hat on. I mean you won a game, sure, but yeah, I I didn't like the decision of starting Nola over Wheeler. ⁓ I think in a game three of a wild card, I really care that you're on short rest, especially after what he did. ⁓ he gave up a two run shot, yeah. But at that point it was he wasn't pitching for really anything. It was three zero. And then it was five zero. And then it was I'm pretty sure it was s five one. I think the Phillies scored once before Matt Olson solo homeward. But again, there's three the the three run home run was two walks by Nola because he couldn't find the strike zone. And then a three run home run. And the same thing I'm pretty sure for the two run shot was the the batter before it was a walk. ⁓ obviously solo shot nobody on base for Matt Olson later in that game to make it six one. but it's just the the pitching was terrible. ⁓ and it was You were trying to throw as many starters as you could because the bullpen had been so awful. Mm-hmm. Like the bullpen for the Phillies, I don't know the stat excuse me, after I think it was game including games one and two of the series, but not game three. ⁓ and I don't remember when it started. ⁓ maybe since the World Series run in twenty twenty two. ⁓ the Phillies bullpen has a a twelve point one three ERA when pitching with a lead. that's just awful. Like it's terrible and I I really like Alex McFarlane, who they called up. ⁓ I'm hoping in my best case scenario, instead of just ta saying all the same things you just did about the Cubs and iterang that for ten minutes, because that's exactly what the Phillies did. Cold, bad pitching, offense didn't show up. ⁓ I'd like to think that next year they bring Bohm back. ⁓ he he's a free agent. Exactly. ⁓ so I think he'll be back, or at least I hope he is. ⁓ unfortunately, I did see something about ⁓ Dave Dombrowski getting an extension to the same level that the new manager has a contract. So say it is Alex Cora, which has been the talk literally ever since Ron Madding or ⁓ Ron was fired. Yeah and Don Mattingly took over. But you know, if he gets a three year contract, you're gonna extend Dombrowski for two years. ⁓ I really hope that's not the case. He has not been able to though for the last five years the team has gotten worse and worse. ⁓ I believe it was well, I know. It was World Series loss in twenty-two, NLCS in twenty-three, twenty-four and twenty-five were both DS losses, ⁓ and then obviously a wild card loss here in twenty six. Yeah, that's not like one game of Red October, one game of your whole whole Red October bullshit. One game in the in October. So it it's what I what I think is that pitching wise, I mean, I don't know what they're gonna do in terms of Like double pent arms. Brad Keller will come back. Obviously, you're familiar with him. He was okay. ⁓ he was good at the end of two seasons ago. One season ago for for you guys and had some moments for for the Phillies, but obviously season ending in ⁓ surgery. Again, Alex McFarlane. ⁓ Deron is gonna Daron, he was thirty-three of thirty-five and save opportunities. Obviously, he gave up that home run in game one that lost the game. But ⁓ it's just a team that needs to look a lot different, but I don't know if they will look a lot different. I mean yeah. As someone that's not a Phillies fan, what the biggest move outside of Arias in your mind in the last five years is what? Like Harrison Bader? You know what I mean? Like there's just nothing big. When y'all made the move for Castellanos, it was helpful at the time. And he was originally one of those main spark plugs ⁓ for the team back in the 22, the 23, those different runs, and the team that actually felt formidable to play in the playoffs. The other biggest move I can think of, I mean, ⁓ was getting Trey Turner. And that hasn't 'cause that was I think about three years ago. But that has not worked out at all ⁓ how any Philly fan thought it would go because coming over to y'all, he was one of the more dependable players because he had speed. He had a decent glove ⁓ at shortstop. ⁓ he could give you thirty ish steals or more every single year. And that was before ⁓ the bases were enlarged and we saw stolen bases start to go up. ⁓ and and his bat was reliable. He was almost always a three hundred hitter with the Nationals, ⁓ when he was with the Dodgers as well. And that has just not been the case. He has not been I remember at the top of the lineup, I mean, he was about as good as a, you know, number one on the ⁓ first player on the lineup card player you could ask for with his speed, ⁓ how he could consistently get balls and play and get hits and Those have not come and I think that's really been ha that's been hard for the team because it's just put a lot as the roster has kind of waned and maybe some of the top prospects or guys ⁓ that have come over have, you know, ha been up and down, but have overall not per you know, per se panned out exactly how you thought it would. It's just put so much pressure on Bryce and Schwarber. ⁓ and again, Schwarber had forty five home runs this year. Bryce had a solid season, but You know, it it takes more than those two guys ⁓ to get it done. And especially when, you know, the injuries are starting to happen and ⁓ with the pitching staff as well. ⁓ you know, Wheeler and Nola have been at it for so long now. And I I guess my question for you, because that's where I think maybe the differences between our two teams, looking at it honestly, because I've seen some things come out, you know, people have talked about Dombrowski. And I honestly I don't know and things are now being said about Craig Counsel as well. Our manager as, you know, the Brewers with Pat Murphy continue to steamroll teams and do what the Cubs were supposed to do when they went out and got Craig Counsel. ⁓ I don't know with the Phillies, you know, what coach would be able to get more out of that roster. Like I I I you know, I I don't think that he's completely faultless, but I'm not sure I'm not sure what changing him is going to do. I think that there may be some long term questions that you guys have to start looking at. And so I'm curious what you, you know, think going in, not just next year, but as the roster continues to age, what do you think some of the next steps are? Yeah. I I think the problem is that Dombrowski can't build a bullpen as a a GM. That's always been the problem for the last handful of years. ⁓ it's not for a lack of effort, I guess. Yeah. ⁓ whether you're talking about the bullpen or you're talking about players that he brought ⁓ brought in, ⁓ Harrison Bader, ⁓ Brian DeLacruz, stuff like that. ⁓ they had moments, but they weren't enough to support ⁓ the the Schwarbers, the Harpers, and ⁓ whenever Turner feels like he's having a good day. ⁓ but i it's it's a matter of constructing the team, I feel like, more than it is coaching more out of that team, if that makes sense. ⁓ 'Cause I mean, again, like the the bullpen was just awful. Like they're McFarlane was good. Duran obviously close are good. And then a couple other guys had their moments, but like O'Rian Kirkring pitched way too much. He was awful. He had like a over like a nine ERA in the second half of the season. And that's like a bullpen guy. Like it's just that was bad. And when so when it it gets to the point where if your starters aren't giving you seven good innings, yeah, you don't know what you're gonna do. ⁓ and Playoff baseball's different. Obviously, Nola could have had two good innings and they still might have pulled him. He had not obviously not two good innings and they pulled him. But like you just never know, especially in an elimination game. But regular season, I mean, i if something happened and Wheeler went five and a third or or five giving up two, either A, the offense didn't score runs to support him and and get back in the game, or B, the bullpen made it too hard for the offense to do it. Yeah. Trey Turner specifically Had one of the worst seasons of his career offensively and defensively, right after he had the best defensive season of his career and won the batting title in the NL. Yeah. ⁓ so that's not even something you could coach or plan for. Obviously, I I don't like our hitting coach, Kevin Long, I believe his name is. I know it's Long. ⁓ last name. I'm pretty sure it's Kevin. He I don't like him. ⁓ Aries was objectively worse as a Philly than he was as a giant, ⁓ batting average wise, RBIs, that type of stuff. ⁓ obviously an injury for him. I hope he gets re signed as well. But ⁓ I mean Harper literally a couple hours after the game said he thinks the team's gonna look very different. I hope that he's right in certain ways. ⁓ I don't like we need to bring back certain people, whatnot, but I I hope that there is serious change. I mean I I'm so torn about like Brandon Marsh and Alec Boehm like flip spots for me. Like first half of the season, I was like Boehm can walk. Yeah. Yeah. Mar Marsh is unbelievable. And then the all-star game hit. Yeah. He batted like he's batting end of the season batting like 260 when he was batting over like 310 in the first half. Like just a complete fall off, and Boom did the opposite. So it's just a ⁓ there's a reason I'm not the general manager for any baseball team, let alone the Phillies. But I would like to see a couple new bullpen arms. ⁓ there's Like some people are saying like you have to trade Schwarber or trade Harper because your farm system's t twenty-six out of thirty, ranked by the ML. That's what I was gonna get at. You sim you can't trade Schwarber or Harper. I you don't have to blow it up that much. Like Schwarber gave you 45 home runs. ⁓ obviously it's either usually a strikeout or a home run. I I'm more shocked to see an RBI single or double on my phone than I am to see a Schwarber home run. ⁓ Harper, ⁓ obviously I feel like he had a pretty good season. I think he batted two seventy With a thirty something home runs or right around thirty home runs. ⁓ and I'll take that from him. He had had a switch from first base to right field. ⁓ I expect him back at first base, which I think he's a better position player there. Obviously, after the blunder in game two, ⁓ you can kind of see as to why that was a routine fly ball. ⁓ early target for me would be Randy or Rosarena. ⁓ you need a righty bat in the outfield, and he kind of fits that description along with just his vibe. For the city of Philadelphia. but yeah, the farm system is i it's in shambles. I mean, your your best prospect on the MLB one hundred is number thirty, and that's Gage Wood. ⁓ and he's in double A, maybe triple A. I'm excited about him, but I mean he's not so I guess so bad that you were thinking about pulling him up from double A in the playoffs or like the end of the regular season. Like that speaks volumes to the situation. So I guess that's kind of my question too. Is like, because I know it has been mentioned in, you know, especially in combination with the farm system being not the best. Like there's not really a lot of help on the way. What can inject a spark into this team? Because I do think that at its core, the bones are really good. It's you know, it's an older roster, it's aging. ⁓ but you know, you have a lot of the core pieces that you need to get to the World Series. And we saw this a lot, you know, there's still a lot, ⁓ a good amount of pieces. You know, their performances have gone up and down from that 22 team. It had World Series capability and it took big blows in the other years to prevent them from going back to the World Series. ⁓ I know there were several years in 23 or 24, ⁓ where I myself, you know, believed in y'all a good bit. Like I would, you know, put money on the Phillies. ⁓ I think one of those two years, because I was like, dude, this is a great roster. It's got the pitching, it's got the ⁓ home environment. It's got the energy, the spark. And that has just it's been almost sad to watch how it's kind of fizzled away. Like it, you know, this was a team I mentioned it earlier that was formidable. So I'm like, what? Cause I don't think, you know, I don't think you need a complete blow-up. It's hard now when you have some of the other teams like the Dodgers, like ⁓ the Padre's, like the Brewers ⁓ like the Braves, I mean, the Cubs, I still think, while they exited pretty early this year, obviously, are going to be a team that is still going to compete over the next five years. I still think they're kind of entering their window with this core. And it's like, so what can the Phillies do to kind of catch up? Or does there need to be a look in the mirror? Like, hey, we gotta get younger, we gotta get, you know, depth spread out, maybe hitting across the order. What needs to change in your opinion? ⁓ for the long term to extend this window with these guys. Yeah. ⁓ younger maybe in like the later spots. I I think ⁓ when the Phillies were at their best, it went ⁓ Turner struggled all year, so I won't even mention that. But and Schwarber, like I said earlier, either a K or a home run. But Harper started playing better. ⁓ specifically if we're looking at the month of August, Harper was playing better. Bohm was playing really well ⁓ and he did consistently like we mentioned Stott was playing really well. That was a key too. Right in the middle of the lineup, ⁓ a a bat that could kind of start things over. Like in a in a perfect world, you're looking at the lineup card, you're seeing Trey Turner gets on base, Schwarbaum home run ⁓ ho it's two zero. Like in in a perfect world, and then you kinda go Harper, I think they went Harper, Bohm, Stott. Like ⁓ those guys get on base and and they all kind of play like obviously Harper has power, he can hit solo home runs or if Schwarber gets on base, whatever. ⁓ any combination of those guys to make it kind of two zero and then from there it's it's not small ball, but it's like they don't really have a lot of power back there, which is fine. Obviously the Brewers love small ball and it's made them to be one of the best teams in the NL, if not baseball. ⁓ so it's possible, but there's just there wasn't anybody getting on base. ⁓ I I like Justin Crawford. ⁓ I think he had a good rookie rookie season. JT stinks. He is so bad. And it's like you Yeah. And it circles back circling back to the management. Perfect example of the, you know, aging and fizzling out. Like we it's kind of coincided with JT Romuto's aging and kind of fizzling out himself as he kind of nears the end of what seems like his career. Yeah. Well, he's got two more years on a somewhat expensive contract because for some reason we signed him to a three year extension. And that's the same thing with Trey Turner, too. Like it's still millions of twenty thirty four. Yeah. Twenty-two or twenty-seven. I think it's twenty-seven million dollars a year until twenty thirty-four. Nola's the same way. Yeah. And you can't really move off of them like Nola or Turn because they haven't shown chips for that contract. Yeah. You especially show anything to get any terms of you know value back from them. ⁓ so it's kind of it feels like y'all are just stuck. ⁓ yeah, and and there's those there's those situations, and then on top of that. There's points where, for example, we brought three catchers on our playoff roster and only JT played. Yeah. The only reason that I would even consider bringing three and I think you should have just brought ⁓ Stubbs is the backup because Nola pitched a lot better with Stubbs. ⁓ I thought that was gonna be the case in game three. I thought you're gonna start Stubbs and then you didn't. So why even waste that spot when you didn't use either of those catchers? So situations like that on top of obviously the age ⁓ on top of Nola can't stop giving home giving up home runs because he just throws everything in the zone, minus yesterday when he threw nothing in the zone. ⁓ there's just it it feels like the Phillies are hard to talk about because there's so many issues and it's like you ask me, What do you do? And it's like you wanna be like, ⁓ you can fix the farm system by trading one of your guys and getting good prospects, but then There goes your lineup even more than it already was because you have to rely on so many people, whether that's batting or pitching. And then you're saying, ⁓ how you you fix that? ⁓ maybe you look for some young guys to develop. That you have four prospects, I think it was, in the top MLB 100 as a franchise. And one of them's 17 years old. So he's not he's gonna be good, but he's nowhere near ready. Gage Wood probably still a couple years away, unless you guys really stink it up. And you decide to bring them up at the end of next season. But it's like i there's just there's nowhere to go is what it feels like. A little bit like just trying to arrange the chairs, the deck chairs on the top of the Titanic a little bit. Like Yeah, it's like there's no point. And it's the same thing. You go you can compare a a Derrick Hill pickup to a Harrison Bader pickup. You can compare a Dela Cruz pickup to an Adoles Garcia who was injured all year. Like It seems like everything they tried to do to fix a problem, either A didn't pan out 'cause it was a bad way to go about it, B, you let him walk after he did well, aka Harrison Bader. Or C, i i it's just an injury or or something else happened. And I'm not saying Adolas Garcia was raking, that's why I'm mentioning with the injury. But he was a right handed at bat and was a good defensive right fielder that pushed Harper in the right field and all that. He's had obviously massive moments. ⁓ But I I can't say, you know, for either of our teams kind of expanding a little bit that it was too shocking for me. For me personally, the wild card all four series went ⁓ maybe not necessarily ⁓ the amount of games, but the results were the four results I expected. I expected I did not expect the Cubs to get past the Red Hot Padgeries on the road. I did not expect the September flat Phillies to get past the Braves on the road. ⁓ I did expect the eighty-one and eighty one Astros to fall flat against an up and coming young team where that was essentially their Super Bowl. For a team that has had no success at all to speak of, and in fact three straight a hundred loss seasons. Yeah. I really liked the spark of the White Sox, especially in a you know, in a three-game series where you only need two wins. That wasn't shocking to me. And then ⁓ the Yankees kind of Manhandling even without Judge, the Red Sox was also not ⁓ very shocking. To me, I still thought that was maybe the most 50-50 series. But the thing is the Red Sox, when they had their amazing run, whatever it was, 35 and 5 in the middle summer months of the season, ⁓ it was buoyed by a massive offensive performance and the team was red hot. But the fact is that since then it has not been the same offense. ⁓ the pitching has not been as good. Crochet, obviously, as we saw, was hurt for much of the season, came back and did not look like the same pitcher. ⁓ and so that was not very shocking either to see the Yankees move on. I'm really excited for that Yankees raise series. ⁓ so I'm interested to think as we move on to these next rounds, our teams have gone by the wayside ⁓ and have kind of cleared the carpet ⁓ or cleared the runway for everyone else to roll. I'm now Trying to turn towards who do I think is going to win and hopefully take down the Dodgers. ⁓ because I have some few thoughts and and I would I would start with in the NL potentially that Padres team that just took down the Cubs. ⁓ because I'm certainly not going to be rooting for the Brewers and I'm certainly not going to be rooting for the Dodgers either. Yeah. I mean I I'm rooting for the Dodgers in the Braves series for personal reasons, obviously. But beyond that, ⁓ the team that I would want it to be that I don't think it will be, but I'd want it to be, is that Chicago White Sox team. That team is so much fun to watch. Yeah. I mean it it's and they're so they're young, ⁓ even like the post game locker room celebrations with like Murakami s calling Chase my draw short, but so good. Like yeah just like stupid stuff like that is fun. I'm hungry that I'm drunk. Yeah. Yeah. Like it's just it's funny. You know what I mean? Like it's and they're a good baseball team, although Murakami's kind of cold right now. But it it's like It's a well built baseball team to turn around in such a quick fashion. I do think they have a little bit of luck on their side, a little bit of magic. Yeah. ⁓ Cinderella run. That's the team I'm rooting for now, ⁓ that the Phillies are are out of the postseason. Yeah. But ⁓ I I the Padres are probably where I go in terms of the NL. And then ⁓ I want it to be the Rays just 'cause that's another team ⁓ that's kinda like hasn't really been that good, you know. ⁓ they're also fun to watch. ⁓ I like Rasmussen a lot, Nick Rasmussen. ⁓ so that would probably be my AL pick would be the Rays to to down the Dodgers and then the NL would be would be the Padres, but ⁓ everything we say is gonna be moot here in about three months or so when the ⁓ O B goes into lockout and ⁓ we're talking about rebuilding the Phillies and the Cubs and ⁓ they're just not gonna do anything at all because ⁓ O B is gonna be suspended. So Yeah, maybe maybe ⁓ the lockout you the one fan base it could be good for is yours. Maybe the Phillies just need a break. Just put us in timeout, let's get a lockout, let's reset our heads, you know, start the whole book over again. ⁓ and I don't mind that for the clubs either, just to kind of take a internal evaluation of what needs to happen. I don't know, what process needs to change. But I'm glad you brought up and I want to talk about the lockout in a second, ⁓ and how it pertains to the World Series and the conversation that it's had, but I I I do want to give the White Sox a moment to shine because I mean they just really flat out impressed me in that series. You know, I I I like them in game one. I thought they were gonna come out hot. ⁓ again with the energy with them having so much to play for and the Astros, again, the first division winning team that was five hundred or worse. ⁓ just whatever. It seems like it's the end of their own run in general. With some of the players, I know they've tried to reset things and extend their window, hasn't necessarily worked out. ⁓ but still coming into that, I mean, you have a team, as you mentioned, off of three straight a hundred win a hundred loss seasons, and you know, probably a a lot of guys on that roster, you may know the story of the White Sox this year, but the average fan may not know, you know, a lot of the names besides Murakami. Like maybe not a Mydraff. Maybe you know about Montgomery ⁓ and his strikeouts, but you may not know about some of the other guys on that team. And with the Astros, you have this long history of Making the playoffs and having success. They're such an experienced team with guys like Altuve. ⁓ you know, they have the best pitcher in that series, at least it looked like going into it, with Hunter Brown. So it was impressive enough to take the first opening game, but I I kind of assumed that the Astros would punch back, and instead they came out extremely flat, got punched in the mouth for nothing in that first inning off of their ace. ⁓ and so the White Sox really impressed me. And then Even then as the Astros started to get a couple runs and slowly climb back, that just felt like a game where a young team like the White Sox would lose. And instead they have probably one of the best moments of the playoffs so far in my drafts three run home run to kind of put things away. ⁓ so I I think they really impressed me and I think that they're the team that I would look at, you know, again, I I think winning over that Guardians team. It it came down to the final week anyways for that guardians team to Clinch up that division and the two seed, maybe the worst two seed of all time, ⁓ is the Cleveland Guardians. But I I I really would like to see the White Sox win that series in the AL against the Guardians, ⁓ because I think they'll put up more of a fight against either the Rays or the Yankees. And and I think what you said about the Rays is interesting too. ⁓ obviously they had a phenomenal regular season. It's been a little bit since they've been ⁓ a threat in the playoffs, but the last time they really were a a main threat in the playoffs, they did take it to the World Series against the Dodgers. ⁓ I think that Ray's White Sox would be an a phenomenal series ⁓ and would be a lot of fun for the people at home. But what you said about the lockout to kind of ⁓ put a little bow on things here is interesting because as we steamroll towards what looks like the inevitable lockout, a World Series matchup that looks more and more possible now with teams being eliminated Is the Brewers versus the Rays. So you have all this talk about, you know, big market teams, and granted the Dodgers have won the last two World Series, but there's a pretty strong chance that looks even stronger now that we could see two small market teams who have kind of beat the big boys that are spending the big bucks. ⁓ and I don't know if that would be good or bad. I don't I you know I think as a fan, I I you know, I don't like the Brewers. I can't argue that it would be a fun it wouldn't be a fun series. But I'm interested to hear what you think that'll do for baseball if we get in for the lockout, if we get Brewers versus Rays. Because I think it's definitely a chance. Yeah. ⁓ obviously I think ⁓ as a fan that doesn't have any ties to the Brewers or the Rays, it would be a fun one to watch. ⁓ but I I think it would be something that would be used in regards to going against the lockout, ⁓ for the owners and say or or for the players or whoever it may be, just be like, well look, you know, the last World Series it was two small market teams. ⁓ so it you know, there might be a a situation where I mean like you just said it you you look at these teams being small market. ⁓ if I was trying to think of a synonym, but small market's the only way you can really describe them. ⁓ they've built their teams the right way over the last couple of years and gotten themselves back into a position to to win the whole thing really. ⁓ without necessarily paying people ⁓ twenty in twenty eighty ⁓ eighty percent of their salary. So ⁓ it might be used as an example of the right way to do it slash it's already being done and we don't need a lockout. Yeah. ⁓ but ⁓ the way that the lockouts been talked out ⁓ talked about because it's been like here's the MLB season in like a timeline and then like right along with it, kind of just like under it, being consistently talked about, but not the main point, has been this lockout. And every time it's been you know, the players are are holding fast and the MLB PA is like we need this or the lockout's happening. So ⁓ I don't think anything could really sway the lockout happening at this point, even if it were to be the Brewers in the in the Rays. ⁓ so it's just a matter of can they reach a deal in two months ⁓ or is it gonna be, you know, no baseball next season slash for the foreseeable future until something's figured out. Yeah. I think, you know I go back and forth because, you know, those teams like the Brewers and the Rays do prove that it is possible, even in this era to build competitive teams and to compete with big markets that spend a lot of money, ⁓ even ones like the Dodgers. ⁓ I mean, the Rays and Dodgers have very similar win counts this year, but when it comes to the postseason, it's been a different beast. I think, you know, if you're the Dodgers and my mind the villain and the leader of the lockout. You know, your best case scenario if you don't win is, you know, probably for brewers and the raise to happen. You know, that makes that just helps your argument to kind of get the smoke off of your back. ⁓ I think the worst case for them and the best case maybe for the lockout and for potentially getting some things done is the Dodgers do make the World Series again and they play the rays. And, you know, a team that they've beaten before. I think that just kind of proves, okay, you know, we have Big market versus the underdog who can, you know, kind of outthink everyone and and use smart moves and smart decisions and a good form system and coaching to kind of get the way to the top, but they just can't knock off the team with big money. And that, you know, showed itself in the past back in ⁓ twenty twenty. and if it showed itself again, I think that would kind of be the final nail in the coffin that would really help things ⁓ get moving forward. Yeah. I was thinking if you had You know, another big market team like the Yankees make it all the way, but ⁓ even more so ⁓ the argument that you made ⁓ with ⁓ the little market team just not being able to beat these guys that are yeah deferring money and and have you know bottomless pockets. ⁓ Yeah. If you if you listen for for thirty two minutes, it's been a lot of griping. ⁓ I apologize only because it's been probably the worst week in Philadelphia sports history. Case Keenum destroyed the Eagles on Monday on Tuesday the Phillies lost a three run home run to Austin Riley. Wednesday they did win a game. That wa they did it in a cool way. I'll admit game two game two was cool to watch. Schwarber, Harper, back to back, and then Bolman. 100%. ⁓ and then obviously, of course, losing yesterday and the Flyers also on opening night lost seven zero to the Penguins and then lost three two last night in overtime to the Devils, who they did not lose to once last season. ⁓ the Eagles are without Zach Bond and Devontae Smith for Sunday versus the LA Rams. And while the Eagles do tend to own the LA Rams without your star linebacker and star receiver, ⁓ it is not looking too good because also what is Puka the best recipe receiver in the NFL? Top two, top three? Yeah. Top three. ⁓ Is because no matter what sport we talked about, I probably have something to say so far as my fantasy team and having to start Michael Pittman over Devontae Smith. So it's been a rough week sports wise, but ⁓ you know, here we are. I was saying it could get worse. We got two Pennsylvania schools playing tonight. We have the Pitt Panthers and Penn State coming off their loss against Wisconsin. ⁓ but yeah, no, ⁓ sitting here, you know, maybe i if you ask me these questions. About how am I feeling about my sports teams back in I don't know, let's say March or a week after the Super Bowl. Probably the most confident I felt in a long time between looking forward to what was potentially the last season for the Game Cox and Lenora Sellers and making some noise in the FCC. I was coming off of a Drake May Super Bowl in his first or his second year. I was ⁓ getting ready to go into baseball season and feeling good about how PCA looked last year and going into the season that would eventually lead to an MVP season. Sitting pretty high with my sports teams, and I can ⁓ tell you today on October second, things are feeling pretty bleak. ⁓ the Gamecocks and Lenoris and Shane Beamer look pretty look very much in doubt. I'm not sure ⁓ about our game on Saturday against Kentucky. ⁓ not where I thought it would be, considering I kind of thought that was a free win before the season started. ⁓ Drake May looks like the worst quarterback in the in the NFL right now. ⁓ that has not gone well. And then the Cubs ⁓ bow out in two games and score one run. So yeah. But with the NFL specifically, it's been kind of a topsy turvy situation. I mean, we have the Patriots, in my opinion, likely going to go to one and three. You mentioned ⁓ a couple Eagles players that are gonna be out this week. ⁓ it was announced today for the Patriots that they will be without top three corner in the NFL, Christian Gonzalez, as well as our best interior lineman in Christian Barmore. ⁓ And yeah, that's going into a game where we were already seven point underdogs. May has one touchdown, six interceptions, and about twenty five fumbles. So I'm not feeling good about our prospects to ⁓ get a win. And it so it's been weird that we have the Browns at three and one after last night's win and the Patriots potentially at one and three. We've got three and ⁓ Raiders. ⁓ it's been a wild start to the season. Case Keenum beating the Eagles, throwing more touchdowns than Drake May. ⁓ I don't know what to make of the NFL so far. Yeah, it's ⁓ It's an interesting one. But hey, you know, the Gamecocks had a good week at practice. So you know that's what matters, right? They're the practice champions. Yeah. ⁓ yeah. I mean we'll see. And you know, I'm I'm hanging my hat on even if the Eagles are to lose that the twenty twenty four team had started two and two and they made their way to the Super Bowl. So ⁓ won it. So there's that, I guess. That's true. But that's ⁓ that's where we're at right now if you can if you could get any feeling. So prayers out to To both of us in our situations. But you know, w when you're upset like that, it means you care. Right. That's I saw I had a a friend of mine who was also a a Philly sports fan, actually worked ⁓ at the Oilers where I work before I did. So I was actually called his name's PJ. I was called PJ two point ⁓ because I'm from Philly, kinda look a little bit the same. Good nickname. love that guy. Great guy. Yeah. ⁓ he had sent me something that was this little AI ⁓ father and son talking, more of like a Older, like adult son, yeah, that was saying, ⁓ you know, really want to see a world series with you, specifically Phillies, and it just says it means you care, right? And all I did was just laugh in his face because it means I care, but ⁓ it it sucks. It's yeah, it sucks. Not just the Phillies, but every sport. It feels like you're in the same boat. It's funny because it's like where like take our group chat for example, where do you look for like a a good season right now? Focus on the NFL. Sure. We have the Packers fans. That's not going well. No, Eagles ⁓ probably could derail. It's a long season. I I'm I'm not trying to overreact here, but I mean in this moment specifically. Patriots could be a one and three. Eagles are without a couple players. The the Packers aren't doing good. Jackson Dart season ending surgery. ⁓ Commanders, they beat the Seahawks, but ⁓ they might be something, I guess. They're projecting. Yeah, I mean the Cowboys. Like it's Yeah, it is one fan ⁓ one friend Kevin, ⁓ shout out Kev, ⁓ Seahawks fan. There you go. But ⁓ I mean even their ⁓ they're coming off. Yeah, roughly our grip chat's looking bleak. There there's just nothing there. No Raiders fans, ⁓ thank God no Chiefs fans. ⁓ I'm around a lot of those. So that's unfortunate. I feel like fantasy, ⁓ you mentioned that at the top, has also been about just as weird. as the NFL season has been. And and especially and I feel like this is said every single year ad nauseum. ⁓ but it feels like injuries are just even worse this year, ⁓ with quarterbacks, with running backs, with wide receivers. And I'm not even just talking about the Niners who we go through this every year. ⁓ but I mean, you know, I I ended up with I think a pretty bad draft pick in a lot of my fantasy drafts. I happen to have number four. So I have Puka on about like three different teams. ⁓ and ⁓ you kind of don't really have a choice at four. Jamar went three in every draft and Bijan and Gibbs go one and two. ⁓ so it kind of was like Puka or bust. I guess I could have gone JSN, but you know, I was not as sure about JSN repeating his success as Puka. And here we are, you know, Puka's barely played. ⁓ you know, he has more more doors walked into than fantasy games over twenty points, you know, and he was been he may come back this week, but like I just don't know. And then we have the Rams themselves sitting at one and two, ⁓ which they were a team that was plus five hundred, plus six hundred to win the Super Bowl before they were ⁓ have we had a start to the season, in your opinion, in recent memory, where we have more of a crapshoot in terms of who could win the Super Bowl? I mean, I could probably name ten teams right now. They could win a Super Bowl and I certainly would not have the Rams as the favorite like it was going into the year. Yeah. And I mean to to continue your your you already mentioned the Raiders, but Kirk Cousins having a resurgence. Yeah, ⁓ Justin Herbert being the if man again. ⁓ here I was picking up Herbert and McConkey thinking that was gonna bring me all the way to an undefeated season. Deshaun Watson is out playing Drake May and Justin Herbert. Who would have thought about that going into the season? It's been it's been one of the wilder seasons in recent memory. I mean, I can't think of anything outside of like What first comes to mind and it's a little different, but like Nick Foles after Carson Wentz went down. So week thirteen of twenty of twenty seventeen, eighteen onwards. Yeah, well yeah. But it it's that's like the only thing I can think of of have anything that's been so so weird and so different from what we expected, I guess. there's so many teams around the league that are looking good and you thought they were gonna be bad, or I mean looking bad and you thought they were gonna be good. The Houston Texans, man. That is yeah, that's brutal. And and it's not a guaranteed win this week either. No. I would say that's a pretty fifty fifty game ⁓ between them and the cowboys. Yeah, I would agree. And that's not you wouldn't say that preseason. I mean, I wish now I'm sure I could look up your ⁓ preseason Super Bowl favorites. Well, it's it's it's really interesting too, because we talked about in one of our episodes right before the NFL season got underway. And talking about different storylines coming in, and obviously one of the main offseason storylines was CJ Stroud, and one of the main, you know, people to pile up on in terms of hate, and you know, CJ Stroud sucks coming off of his season. And I was like, you know, maybe he's actually gonna be pretty good with the wide receivers around him. I think the Texans are gonna be really good. CJ Stroud has actually looked pretty solid through the first three games. He hasn't lit the world on fire, but he's not having four turnovers a game. The defense and the rest of the team has been what's bad. You know, and CJ has looked good, and yet they're still 0-3, maybe 0-4. ⁓ so that's been weird. And and it's hard to even separate the favorites. You know, like right now, I I would say that the AFC has some pretty strong contenders. You know, the Chiefs look to be back, actually now having a running threat with Kenneth Walker, the best running back, easily at least through three weeks that it looks like Mahomes has ever had. Their defense looks to be back. Eric Biename calling plays for them again. They seem refreshed, you know, and maybe we should have seen this coming. You know, you have the Bills where in a game where you turn the ball over five times, the Chargers were a very popular, trendy pick, and yet you still win and cover that game. That just may show to me that this is the season for them. Like everything is kind of coming together. They're gonna have one of those years where we get to the end of the season, it's gonna be like, ⁓ the Bills went seven and one in one score games this season. Maybe they capitalize, ⁓ and and then the Ravens as well, I think, have looked pretty good. so far under Jesse Mentor. ⁓ and I would say those teams have stood out, and then you still have the Niners and the Seahawks ⁓ and the NFC. So I think you have some favorites, but no one has really separated. Like ⁓ you know, I I wouldn't favor say like, ⁓ it's definitely gonna be the Bills. Yeah. ⁓ I mean, you look at the top ten in fav ⁓ in odds preseason. Yeah, what ⁓ it varies a little bit because I got, you know, five different books ⁓ stat wise, but it goes Rams. Bills, Ravens, Seahawks, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Eagles, Packers, Niners. And immediately on that list, the Rams should drop huge. The Chargers, the Patriots. Unfortunately, as it stands right now, the Eagles, the Packers, and probably the Niners too. That's what six out of the ten that are at least dropping In the rankings. I mean the thing is the Niners are also three and ⁓ They haven't played the hardest schedule ever, and you know, their Rams win doesn't look quite as good as it did when it happened plus Australia game. But I mean Purdy was just named the offensive player of the month ⁓ earlier this week. But the thing is it's the Niners, you know, and they've already had injury horror stories. I think, you know, there's been talks about them trying to sign Tyreek Hill. They brought back ⁓ somebody else earlier this week, like for the practice squad. So Yeah, you know eventually it's gonna collapse for them. They're just not gonna be able to stay healthy enough. We'll see, you know, CMC, whatever. ⁓ so I I don't I certainly don't still see them as a major threat. But I think week four is, you know, going to be a very telling week. You know, when you have a team to kind of figure out who the pretenders are and who the contenders are, who's going to sink and who's going to swim. ⁓ and you know, I I think a matchup like Raiders versus Chiefs is pretty telling. You have the Raiders at three and ⁓ You have the Chiefs at three and ⁓ You know, are the Raiders going to do what may be expected and just fold and, you know, go back to the pumpkin that it looks like as we approach Halloween now? ⁓ or are they gonna compete with the Chiefs and this year is just gonna be crazy as shit? Yeah, I mean, for fantasy purposes, I benched Justin Herbert and picked up Kirk Cousins, so I hope that it's a shootout. Yeah, I could see that it is. You know, I mean, he's projected fourteen, which is just disrespectful after dropping twenty two. Back to back weeks, but as you drafted ⁓ and clicked the button on Justin Herbert, did you foresee yourself as earliest week four saying I'm actually going to bench him and be starting Kirk Cousins? Here I was with my backup being Baker Mayfield and he's been just as terrible and now injured. ⁓ so that's a mistake that I made there. But I'm I'm three and ⁓ staring down three and one as it stands. Yeah. We'll see. ⁓ another surprising one as well, the Bucks being ⁓ and three, especially in that division. Definitely. Yeah. It's just It's so funny that I watched the Vikings Bucks game maybe a little bit more than I would watch a normal Bucks game just because it was on ⁓ at the the place I was watching the games at and they just like nothing was working for them against a Vikings team that w what's the Vikings record? Two and one? Three and ⁓ three and ⁓ there's another one. Three and ⁓ Okay. Yeah. So i I mean, what they beat the Browns? ⁓ wait, no, this is twenty twenty five. They I hate how they mean the NFL they I said earlier. I said earlier in our group chat this week, I mean, the Vikings and the Niners, if you had to ask me to rank my favorite unders ⁓ before the season started, probably my two favorite single unders them and the and the Falcons as well. You're on camera on this podcast saying you stake the overunder on their wins for Buffalo. I and and yet the Vikings just keep finding a way. I was wrong about Brian Flores. I thought what he did last year was a bit ⁓ gimmicky with the blitzes, and you know, he's just Blitzing other quarterbacks into the depths of hell ⁓ and winning these games. I do think that they have been a little bit lucky. ⁓ you know, with the Bucks and getting a punt return touchdown, Baker getting hurt. ⁓ that Bears game is one of the weirdest and going to be one of the worst ranked games of the entire season. ⁓ but that Packers one was impressive. I don't know what to make of them. And then, you know, the Niners have ⁓ enjoyed beating up the they've played what, the Dolphins and Titans or I believe that was correct. But yeah, definitely Dolphins. Yeah. Now they play the Broncos. So that'll be Okay. See, that's another that's another testy game, you know. Yeah. ⁓ they played the Cardinals, the Dolphins, and then obviously the Rams in Australia. Yeah. So I'm very interested to see what happens this weekend. Do you have any ⁓ any locks you'd give out for the weekend? Any team that you're like, yep, they're a hundred percent winning. ⁓ I mean a hundred percent. I I'm taking the Vikings over the Dolphins. Those are teams going in opposite directions. That's fair. That's fair. Good survivor pick, probably. Yeah. I would say Brian Flores revenge game or Brian Flores Arma game. Yeah. ⁓ I mean if you look at the other games. I mean, this is a this is a ⁓ you know, people say must win game all the time. You know, we talked about the Texans a few minutes ago. This is Actually a must win game. Yes, they made the playoffs last year when they were ⁓ and three and ⁓ this year they would go to ⁓ and four and it kind of is for the Cowboys too. I mean, one and three is horrible for a team that I thought could win that division. I mean it's hard not to Don't sleep on that Chiefs Raiders game, man. I'm telling you. I know. It's it's hard not hoping that I'm right on that for the sake of good football. It's it's hard not to bite the cheese and be like, okay Time for the Raiders to return back to Raider form. Hundred percent. Yeah. But at the same time, like I wanna root for the Raiders. I'm not gonna sit here and root for the Chiefs. ⁓ and you know, it's in Vegas. It's it's in Vegas. In Vegas as well, because I would imagine ⁓ that a lot of people will be taking the Chiefs this week, ⁓ to kind of knock the Raiders around. So the Raiders doing anything close to covering or winning would be hilarious. I agree. I think it it's not till Monday. I think the Saints, ⁓ Hurricane Katrina game twenty years ⁓ will beat up on the Falcons team that just pulled off a miracle versus the Packers, or maybe the Packers just suck. I mean, look, it may just be that it may just be the parlay of old. You take the Bills and Josh Allen to beat the depleted Patriots who have sucked, and you take the Chiefs to lay it down on the Raiders and ⁓ kind of poo poo on their start. Yeah. Well We'll see if it's a ⁓ the way this week has gone, we could just everything we said could have just been the opposite. Yeah. ⁓ or not this week, but this season specifically. I mean it's been a crazy win. The Dolphins may just win. That would suck. Drake may all of a sudden throws five touchdowns and the Bills lose. Like I literally don't know what it's it's hard to foresee and ⁓ forecast results on a podcast when it's been such a crazy start as we've mentioned. Yeah. Well we'll definitely recap the week. Hopefully on Tuesday. Well hopefully we back to a more normal schedule, full videos, full cap. I've been Mr. Worldwide. That's on my f that's my mistake. Yeah, I mean that pulse action just never slows down. It's just about a pick up, man. Home opener October seventeenth. We're we're gonna get going. But ⁓ bac back next week, w Todd will be back, so we'll have a little bit more ⁓ discourse between whatever the heck happens out to a couple days. Vin some frustration towards the top of the podcast on our negative episode. More than just the top. That was about seventy percent. Yeah, true. I was saying we'll be a little we'll be a little bit more chipper next week, but we hadn't had some airtime to ⁓ get the shit out of the way and we've cleared it and ⁓ we should be back on track ⁓ next week early. Yep. All right. It was good catching up with you, Jackson. Like I said catching up for the third time next week. Look out for that. Episode eleven. Yeah. Enjoy your weekend. Yep. And ⁓ hopefully a good Slato football. Yes, sir.