OverDrive - OverDrive - December 9, 2024 - Hour 3

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 3 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins to discuss the biggest storylines from the NHL Board of Governors meetings and Michael Andlauer's soft tampering views from the Rangers. The guys discuss Ross Atkins' comments on the Blue Jays' pursuit for Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract outlook and the next steps for the team and Bryan hands out his FanDuel Best Bets.

It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal. Plan. Portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN

or visit askkelvin.ca final hour overdrive continues brought to you by fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line of the final score brian hazy o'dog jeff o'neill jamie noodles mclennan chris johnston coming up from the board of governor meetings down in florida catch up with CJ. We'll get to our best bets later in the hour. We'll get to Monday Nighter tonight. Rappler's playing tonight. You've got Scotty Scheffler loving life again.

He won down at the Hero. Dude, that's, I don't know. He just dummies everybody. He dummies everybody. But the one thing that's crazy is that Tigers kind of got those Gretzky stats behind him where they were talking on the Golf Channel. They were like, for him to stay anywhere close to Tigers' reign at number one, he would have to stay this hot until like 2035.

I know. It's absurd. Isn't that crazy? And that's just not going to happen. I don't care how good this guy is. He is not going to continue to play this good. No. No, not like Tiger.

But he went 10 for 10 on putts inside 10 feet, I think it was yesterday. With the clock rip. Why wouldn't anyone try the clock? Like, if this guy said, I've got to get better from 10 feet and in, I'm going to put my ego aside. The best player in the world said, I'm going to put my ego aside. The best player in the world said, I'm going to put my ego aside. And Hayes, I know you're one guy who's like, I'm not going on that putting green in front of my friends.

I'm not. My buddies are ruthless. You know them. They won't allow me to play. What if you start drilling? What do you mean they won't allow you to play? They would not allow one of us to play with a claw grip. I believe that.

No way. I believe you would be outcasted. And I think I would spearhead the outcasting if one of them to play with a claw grip i believe that way i believe you would be outcasted and i think i would start i would spearhead the outcasting if one of them started it what if you had the akshay bata with the butt hold it like you like you held it like a broom i think it would be even worse although i'm obviously joking about actually telling people they couldn't play but you do bring up a good point It would be ridiculed until that guy started rolling the rock like crazy and then everyone would be like, I might have to try that. Because if you start beating

everybody, even if you're all 10, 12, 15 handicaps, if you start making big putts and winning matches, ego gets put aside pretty quickly when you're collecting cash. Damn straight. Feeling pretty good about it. So maybe I'll give it a shot. We'll see. Let me get up to TaylorMade or something. Do they have any of those on TaylorMade?

Do they have the big ones? They got the spider and everything. I think you should try a broom. Like a Bernie Langer. I don't think I could do that. I really don't. I don't think TaylorMade would want me associated with that. They don't want you

for a broom. No, I don't think they have any interest in me with a broom. But I'd try it to see what the stats would look like. Anyway, CJ coming up here in a moment. This Bill Belichick in North Carolina stuff is wild, too, man. Dude, I can't see that guy as a college coach. I can't see it. It sounds like he was on with McAfee today,

and he admitted he's met with the chancellor of the school for hours and he's been talking to him and you know what's crazy about this is we just went through the LeBron and Bronny stuff I have seen reports I don't know if it's accurate and Belichick's never going to admit to it publicly that the plan is he gets there takes over the operation

for a couple years then his son takes over for him and like it's just crazy to think any university that wanted would want to get in bed with that type of that comment is crazy crazy i'm gonna get it kick-started and then my son comes in that like the rear end of it right no way i'm not getting into bed with bill belichick man it's crazy running a university program like how could he connect to an 18 yearyear-old kid showing up at that school? Can't.

Bill Belichick. Sorry. Although he's dating a girl who's like 24. Maybe that's his only connection. Maybe it'd actually be a really easy connection for him. I don't know. But, yeah, Belichick at North Carolina is wild. Because that's not even a massive program.

Like, with all due respect, I know you're Mr. North Carolina. That's the crazy thing. Is he doing it for his son? Is he doing it for his son? Only thing I can think of. Because watch, as soon as the son would get in there, he'd be like, check, please. It's his program.

It must be some guarantees in that. Like, if you're going to pass the baton on, the school would have to give the son a long-term contract fully guaranteed the whole night. There's a guy that's just addicted. I don't know if it's addicted to competition, addicted to football, addicted to the power of coaching, but that's not even the highest profile

gig, as we just mentioned. Not even close. And you had to circle the wagons on that. I know. Just do some media and ride off into the sunset. I know I have no right to tell someone how to live their life but you want to get back into that kid get serious i know north carolina north how old is that guy is he 65 oh he's older than that yeah isn't he 70 he's in his 70s now belichick yeah he'd be early look that up doogie but i think he's 70, 71. Like, he was coaching. He was a coordinator for the Giants in the early 80s.

Dude, go. Man, oh, man. Stop sneaking around people's houses outdoors and go to the beach. 72. He's like my dad's age. No tarpon. Yeah, he's got no tarpon outside his girlfriend's house. And he's still dating her.

Like, he's still, by all accounts, they're still together. Like, there's Billy Belichick. He's out on the town. He's probably doing midweek Christmas parties. You know, if you're in your early 20s, you know what that's like. Wednesday night, yeah, let's get together. Next thing you know, it's 2 in the morning. Belichick must be waking up some mornings thinking, I am so exhausted.

I was out on Saturday. Just a friend of mine had this event, and we were out. And I woke up the next day i'm like i'm so tired like i'm an old guy now just from talking to people few drinks nothing crazy yeah i can't even imagine 30 years from now what it's going to be like if i'm out until midnight be done for a month and throw in a 24 year old girlfriend into the mix like that's exactly the other thing that's a whole different story exactly whole Like, that's the other thing. That's a whole different story. Exactly.

Whole different story. That's back-to-back nights. That's a lot of other activities. There's a lot going on there. And Belichick is doing whatever he's doing. All right, so we were talking about this Thatcher Demko story where Thatcher has been out for months and recovering from an injury that is incredibly unique to hockey players.

The buildup to his return has been really, really strange. Like waiting for him to practice. Then he practiced. Then he's maybe going to play. And then he gets activated last week. He backs up on Friday at home against Columbus. And then there's a backup yesterday at home against Tampa. Activated and not playing.

This is Thatcher Demko. Let's get into this story here with our TSN Hockey Insider, Chris Johnston. And CJ, you're down at the Board of Governors, and you're joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. I want to get into a lot of different league-wide stuff. But what do you make of this? What can you tell us about what is going on with Thatcher Demko and why he's activated but he's not actually playing in Vancouver.

Why did he come back? Why come back? Why activate him if he's a backup? Well, I mean, I think it's a reflection of how unique the injury is, as you mentioned, and it's not as clear-cut maybe as a bone that breaks for a player and there's a certain healing process and you get back in. And they're working with him too.

And one thing Rick Dockett has you know they're working with him too and one thing rick docket has said is you know they're they're consulting with with thatcher about what he's comfortable with and yeah but cj what happens if the guy like and what happens if lincoln and blew his knee out and warm up and he just had to play like if you're saying that he's not quite ready why the hell would he be on the bench well i think he is ready i mean that that's what it comes down to i mean they're obviously you dress them as a backup you're comfortable playing them if it gets to that point and you know i know one of the games that they played here recently was a weird start time i think that was factored in a little bit that they want to reintroduce

them on a full game day i mean look i i'm you the the question is coming from a good spot it's a it's a weird or an unusual look it's a little different but you know this has been a strange injury and it's been a long layoff for for thatcher all the way back to last year's playoffs and so i think that they're easing easing them back in uh to their career yeah i mean my my biggest thing cj is like this isn't like thatcher Demko is a superstar goaltender for me. Like, and we saw, you know, for example, Austin Matthews comes back off of an injury, and it's, you know, hey, we didn't bleed him into the lineup and play six minutes on the fourth line. It's like you jump in and you go. And I understand the unique start time, especially the Tampa game.

You want him to have his regular routine i just feel like you know whether it's the player whether it's the organization like i would love to know behind the curtain you know who's controlling it is is thatcher's not 100 comfortable or is the organization trying to say hey you know lankan it's played well let's just bleed you back back in slowly and find you the right start. Because to me, the right start was Columbus on a back-to-back situation on home ice. And the fact that they chose to back him up that night, and then Tampa, you're right, yesterday, unique start time.

But this is Thatcher Demko. In my opinion, he's a superstar. but this is Thatcher Demko. In my opinion, he's a superstar. When he's at the top of his game, he's a top-five goaltender on the planet, so you would think they'd want to be chomping at the bit to get him back into the lineup and him himself if he's 100%. For sure, but I think you can use the same logic to explain what they're doing. If he's not quite fully believing he's ready to be there, then you want to force it, right?

You want to do that. And I think, you know, it kind of reminds me, it's totally different circumstances than obviously that Austin Matthews injury, but, you know, when it got to the last few games, it was like, is it going to be the next game? Is it going to be the next game? And it really came down to when Austin, you know, felt most ready to get back. I think they're relying a lot on the player for his feedback,

and obviously they feel he's right at a point where he could play, but not all the way there, and I don't think they want to force him into a situation where he's not entirely comfortable. With Chris Johnston, our TSN Hockey Insider. So Michael Ann Lauer, the owner of the Ottawa Senators, has accused the Rangers of, quote-unquote, soft tampering on Brady Kachuk

based on that Larry Brooks report last week, Larry Brooks of the New York Post. What is soft tampering? I don't know. Maybe, CJ, you can answer that. What is soft tampering, and do the Ottawa Senators actually have a leg to stand on here? What is the league possibly going to do about this? Well, I think ultimately the league isn't going to do about this well i think ultimately the league isn't going to do anything in this case you know bill daly you did speak with michael anlauer and and the rangers both after you know this the story from pierre lebrun our colleague came out today

and i'm going to borrow drags his line from earlier when we did a tv hit down here like what is soft tampering either you're cheating or not right it is it's kind of a you know a weird in between phrase i can appreciate where the senators aren't happy where we're clearly michael anlauer Either you're cheating or you're not, right? It's kind of a weird in-between phrase. I can appreciate where the Senators aren't happy and where clearly Michael Anlauer isn't happy. They just feel that this is the third time since he's owned the team a little over a year ago that they've had to come out and put out a fire

not of their own making, of something that isn't based in reality. Anlauer couldn't have been more unequivocal with Pierre. They've never discussed with another team about the track, that they have no interest in reality, Anlauer couldn't have been more unequivocal with Pierre. They've never discussed with another team about Pichock that they have no interest in that, that if anything, they just want to protect him as much as they can. And so I think that that's where those comments come from. But yeah, it's a pretty serious allegation. And when you make that kind of allegation, obviously some alarm bells go off at the league level.

And so in the end, I don't think much will come of it. I don't think Michael Anlar regrets what he said, maybe the perception of it. But really, you know, he just doesn't think his players should have to deal with this when he's under contract for a couple more seasons. You know, they're happy with him in Ottawa. He's happy in Ottawa. And, you know, it doesn't matter what any other team might think if they want him. I mean, in this case, he's property of the Senators.

Yeah, exactly. I mean, I understand why they'd be, I guess, rattled or think that this has come from the Rangers. But like we said, I don't know how the league can do anything about a report from Larry Brooks. He's not going to tell you who he heard that from. That's never going to come out. And, you know, at the same time, it shines a light back onto the story you know like it was

a report last week and then it died on the vine and now it's come full circle and it's alive again and i don't i'm one i'm curious how you think that's going to play in ottawa like do you think people do you think sense fans want this to be something and laura's attacking or would they prefer to move on what do you make of him catering to the market, so to speak? Well, I think it's a reflection of the genuine frustration internally in their organization. I mean, you know, even their PR guy, Ian Mendez, when that story came out on Friday, put sort of a veiled tweet out there,

you know, basically disputing the report. You know, it's a strange one, right? You're talking about Larry Brooks as a reporter that's been honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame, obviously been around the league a long time, broken a lot of stories. I don't think there's any reason to, you know, question his reputation here. You know, I think he's just doing his job and reporting what he knows. But, you know, the Senators don't like how that looks and smells. But you're right. It doesn't go anywhere from here because, you know, he isn't going to say where he heard that from.

And nor should he even really be asked to, frankly. And there's no way to prove anything. So, you know, if anything, I think that this is tampering as an idea has been an issue that's kind of simmering around the league right now. The GMs were warned about it in November. I don't think the league liked a lot of what they saw last year on July 1st around free agency. They just felt things are getting looser maybe than ever when it comes to tampering. And so there's been a memo sent around recently, you know, warning teams. They're reminding them about the rules around this.

And so I wonder if it's a little bit of a confluence of events where you have that as an issue broadly that's simmering. And then obviously in this case, you know, the Sens just don't like that their player is being drawn into that kind of story when there's really no basis to it in terms of them wanting to move him or him wanting to move on. With Chris Johnston, what are you hearing on the Leafs injury news this week? Domi, McMahon, you know, Camp, if he's going to start skating and playing again, what is your understanding of the way this could play out over the next week or two with the injured players returning? You know, I don't have a firm feel for exactly who is when, but, I mean, obviously at this point it is getting closer with everyone there and some decisions will come out of that in terms of who's going to be available.

But, you know, I don't have the exact timeline and I've been away from the team here for a couple days, so I don't have a good update on know how that's all going to play out board of governors then what what is at the forefront down there well today you know that there was some talk i think broadly with some of the exclusive owners about cba issues and obviously that's a huge issue you know it's coming to the league in terms of those kind of negotiations starting here in the new year and so um you you know, there's some talk with that with owners tomorrow. I think we'll get more of an update on where the salary cap's going to go next year,

which I think has a lot of, you know, interest from the GMs as they make decisions. Obviously, some key players this summer that are eligible for contracts, and I'm sure they and their agents want to get some more clarity there. I mean, those are, you know, the big ticket items. You know, today there was some talk with the canadian rights deals too which you know up after next season and you know sports that's been the exclusive national broadcaster but we'll see if whether it's amazon whether it's tsn or we work or how that's going to shake out and so those are some of the things that have kind of been

been highlighting the agenda here any uh rules uh that they've been dealing with or have they any they've been bantering around this uh three on three you know maybe some rule tinkering to that you know you can't take it back type of thing i i know that people are getting frustrated and watching ot where you know the cycle back cycle back type of thing is there any thought process on that it that is not something that really gets dealt with here. I know one rule that sort of caught the eye or potential rule tweak is they don't like the way teams have been passing the puck back to the goalie necessarily to basically get a change.

But really, the GMs kind of kick that around more. And so this is the owners and the business people. And so it's a lot more focused on that side, the financial side of the game, and some of the bigger picture items that way. All right. All right, CJ. Well, we'll see what comes out of it. And, yeah, it's going to be a busy process down there.

So enjoy it. We'll do it again soon. Thank you. Thanks, boys. Appreciate it. Chris Johnston, our TSN Hockey Insider, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. How come those boys never head up to Ottawa or something for those types of meetings?

I often wonder that. Can we not get that somewhere in northern Saskatchewan or something like that? Cheyenne, Wyoming. Yeah, let's get a little bit. It's always down in Florida, all the Board of Governors down there. And don't they have another one in March? Yeah, they have the GM meetings. They do multiple Board of Govern governors, then the GM meetings.

Yeah, you got to clarify that kind of stuff. And yeah, I'm curious where the salary cap and what that's going to mean. I mean, you hear it all the time. It's going to explode. It's going to explode. I guess I'll believe it when I see it. That's like Demco coming back. Yeah, exactly.

Every year for years, it's been, we're going to reset. It's going to explode. Getting through COVID. COVID's over, now it's go time. And then it seems like every year, Bettman, you get to the cup final, and he's like, that's actually not going up as much as we thought. But we'll see. That Danco guy, still I find it bizarre. Like, Jamie, what do you think?

He said, I'm good to go, but don't play me for a couple games? How would even that work? I don't know. You know what? The mental makeup of coming back and trusting something coming off of an injury. But that just means you're not ready. Well, either that or you're physically ready, but maybe you've got to get your head wrapped around the timing of it and all of that. When I look at certain things, from a player, I've said this all along. for a player you can skate harder you can hit harder you can shoot harder you can do

things a little bit differently to to settle back in for a goalie you can't stop the puck harder you just you've got to make saves or not and if you're you know bleeding back into the lineup you know i i think it's hey you, you're jumping on a moving ship. This guy has not played forever. He hasn't played at any point all year. No preseason, nothing. First round of last year's playoffs. Right.

So I would have to think that there's probably a level of like, okay, when I'm ready, I'm ready. I'll jump in there. I hope it's next game. I'm sure there's a plan in place. This is the thing. These people do this for a living. The goalie coaches, the coaches, the goalies, and all that. So there's behind the scenes, talk has a plan for him.

He has a plan for it. It's just when we're sitting on the outside going, okay, that looks weird. Again, this is Thatcher Demko. This isn't, you know, McLennan or back of you guys like that who are traditional backups like this is a guy that they can use he's a superstar so they're probably chomping at the bit to get him back and hopefully it's next game i and then maybe it'll be a moot point but it just is was a little bit weird i don't think this is going away though even after one start i mean let's yeah this will be hanging over him and the team

until you get through basically the season. Dude, we've done this for six, seven years around here with Leaf goalies. Every time they literally went down, I was like, how long is this guy going to be out? Yeah. Like, penalty shot against Brad Marchand. I don't know which one of them, Jack Campbell or Samson. I fell backwards, and I'm like, that guy's going to be gone.

Every time they were hit, either in the head or they were gone. They were gone for a while. I think the concern is Demko, he's got to get back in. He's got to start playing. Then he's got to prove that, okay, I'm officially back. We're easing him in with back-to-back backup games where anything could have happened to Lankan, and then you've got to go in cold

to me. It's just crazy. I would have understood it in a way if he started Friday, then they said, all right, he's not even going to dress on the Sunday. It's a weird day. He's not going to back up. No setbacks. He's played. It's all good. We'll see him again on Tuesday or whatever.

He backs up twice, and I guess we'll find out again on Tuesday or whatever but back up he backs up twice and I guess we'll find out again they're on a homestand until like next later next week so he's they're in town they're not going anywhere no travel nothing and Demko has been reactivated but he hasn't played so we'll find out I'm sure he will start at some point and then once he gets through that then it's like okay how does the body feel how does does it react? Do you trust yourself? What does it look like? And then at some point, you've got to get to a question, are you playing well? That's another thing about it.

Injuries hanging over guys. It's more about the recovery and whether or not they feel okay and where are you mentally. Then eventually you get to a point where you pass that, and you're like, are you actually playing well? Are you performing and producing at the level you are supposed to? Because Demko is a star. And if he is playing the way he's capable of playing,

then that changes the whole complexion of the organization and the way that they operate. And they need him. They do. They need him. And, you know, Lankanen's been very good. Very, very good. He's been excellent for them.

But it just also, like, that was the one thing I hope that they were trying to pour cold water on is, hey, Lankanen's played so well we don't need you that's not the case there's no chance just think of that as a tandem that could be you talk about tandems that they get cooking that thing cooking that will be the best tandem in the nhl that could be i mean that could be tomorrow night uh um you know alan's got two shutouts markstrom's played very well you know, Allen's got two shutouts. Markstrom's played very well. You know, we talked about it last week. The Leafs tandem is nice. You know, there's a lot of good goaltenders in this league, and the Leafs goaltending is right there statistically

and the way they've played. Yeah, they've been outstanding. And they're going back and forth, back and forth. We'll find out who – Stolarz will start tomorrow because he's from the Jersey area. He didn't get to start night two of the season because he had to play in Montreal the night before. Stolarz will start tomorrow because he's from the Jersey area. He didn't get to start night two of the season because he had to play in Montreal the night before. Stolarz will play tomorrow.

All right, we sent Al's brother out somewhere in the city with a pair of Leaf tickets, and you have to guess where he's hiding for your chance to win them. You guys ready for the first clue of the week? Go ahead. Hey, OD fans, how we feeling on a Monday? It's time for me to buzz off to a new location for another set of Leaf tickets to

give away to you this time. It's to a game, Leafs-Islanders on December 21st. Here is your Monday clue. Last week, I froze myself hanging outside at Graffiti Alley all week, so I've decided to head back indoors, and there's a chance that

I still might see some snowflakes while I'm inside this new establishment. Very interesting. Al's brother getting very creative here. Tune in tomorrow for another clue. The first caller through on Friday with the correct location will win a pair of tickets to see Leafs Islanders December 21st. Find Al's brother

is brought to you by McAlpine Ford in Aurora. Our family, the Ford family, and you. Full details at tsn1050.ca. All right, Ross Atkins is down at the winter meetings speaking on the Juan Soto pursuit. And what else could come of the Blue Jays' off-season plans? So we'll tell you what Ross had to say and how he described it. I actually want to hear him.

We're trying to get the audio. I mean, I don't know if we have it. He just spoke, so it's a turnaround thing. But I would like to hear him. We're trying to get the audio. I don't know if we have it. He just spoke, so it's a turnaround thing. But I would like to do the same. I'd like to see it. I'd like to hear it. And something to chew on brought to you by Boston Pizza on Vladi and the Blue Jays and the two of their futures together.

So we'll get to that as well in our Best Bets still to come. Overdrive continues, TSN 1050 and on TSN 2. It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year.

Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Overdrive continues, brought to you by FanDuel,

bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. Our best bets later in the hour. Ross Atkins has spoken to the media down in Dallas at the winter meetings. And there's a couple of quotes that are starting to go viral. We don't have the audio or the video yet. We will have it by tomorrow, I'm sure. I don't want to hear it tomorrow.

I want to hear what the viral comment is. Tell me now. This is the thing about Ross. Ross gets talking and he talks himself into corners and bad places. He doesn't answer questions. He's just like, by the time some of his answers are done, you're like, hang on a second.

If you pay attention, you're like, that has nothing to do with the question I just asked. Yeah, it is kind of a weird way of just finding a way to get into a place that no one wants you to get to. Basically. And this is how he described the Jays' process with Juan Soto. Quote, he said, the Blue Jays were grateful to be a part of the process.

End quote. Grateful. How can you be grateful when you didn't get the guy? That's the thing. I can see him saying that. And that's a raw. I can see him saying that. I hear him saying that. He's being polite.

He's being polite. Yeah, and it's like you're trying to spin it. I know, but here's what people want to hear. It was kind of cool to get in the hunt, but we didn't get the guy, so it ultimately sucks. Yeah, exactly. Chris Tann of the other night. Hey, great pass to John.

Who cares? We lost. Yes, there you go. I like that answer. Good answer. Like, who cares? Why are we. Who cares? We lost. Yes. There you go. I like that answer. Good answer. Like, who cares? Why are we talking about this? We lost.

And it would have been so much easier for Ross. Again, we don't have the whole clip, so maybe there's more context to it. But to just say, hey, listen, yeah, we were in. We'd love to have a one-sutter. We didn't get them. He goes somewhere else. We move. We move on.

We're confident in who we are. Even if they don't really believe that or you don't believe that, he believes that. But, yeah, grateful to be a part of the process is just never going to land. And it's one of those things. It doesn't matter what the Yankees say, but there's no way Cashman would say that. You know what I mean? There's no way the GM in L.A. with the Dodgers would be like, yeah, really grateful that they picked up the phone.

Dude, Cohen would probably say, you know what, we weren't even in on it. Or they'd just go right live and be like, I'm not talking about that guy. He's a loser. We didn't even want him. Just go the opposite way. But Ross Atkins was also asked about financial flexibility and whether it could be used immediately elsewhere. And Atkins said, quote, every player, every acquisition is unique.

I would say that those two are incredibly unique, end quote. He's talking about Soto and Otani. So in other words, those guys were a completely different beast, and just because we're willing to spend that much money on those two, we will not be spreading that wealth out elsewhere. That's how I read that. That's how I interpret that. And again, I'm not surprised by that because of what happened last year.

They were willing, allegedly, to offer Otani $700 million, and then when he didn't take it, they signed Justin Turner and Kiermaier and Kiner Falefa. You know what I mean? They're staying after that. Yeah. And I think that is what is terrifying if you're a Blue Jay fan. If it's Soto or we have restraints on what money we're going to spend,

then the rest of this offseason may be very deflating again. And I can't imagine it could get to that point, considering how much pressure's on them and how much they've talked up a big game, Japyro and Atkins, of making sure they bring in talent. And you look at their lineup. Again, it's December 9th. They don't play ball for a long time.

They need at least a power bat in the outfield, at least. Possibly someone to play third, a backup catcher for sure. They need a ton of help in the bullpen. Like Jordan Romano, they didn't tender him, and then they're like, yeah, we'll probably circle back on him. He just signed with the Phillies today. For $7 million. I don't understand that move.

I'm sorry. Did they not want to keep him? That would suggest they didn't want to keep him. Exactly. That's what it would suggest to me. It wasn't that long ago. This guy was an ace. The Rockstar is from Markham, too.

I know. He's up the road. Just because he's a local guy doesn't mean he's got a job for life. I get it. This is pro baseball. This is a major league sport. Right. But really, you couldn't get to 8 or 8.5 and keep him on a one?

Maybe Romano wanted to change. By the way, that's what boggles people's minds, and it's going to be fascinating, the trickle-down effect, but we'll never know because we're not in the trenches as far as negotiations. His agent in Romano got to be sitting in a coffee shop saying, they're going to 700 for one guy that's never played for this team but they won't go to 8.5 for you i know that's when you want to give them the middle finger and say go stuff it that that's a really good point that like this is like 700 they went to with a guy that's

never played for the team and you're talking about an extra million yeah and that's when you take it personally you're like for the principal, I'm not signing with them. They can go screw themselves. Two years in a row. Two years in a row, they put like $1.4 billion on the table, spread out over two years, for other guys who didn't even accept it. That's what's crazy. Like, Otani was a different beast because he's Otani and the unicorn element. They did it

two years in a row. Soto's a great, great player. He's a phenomenal player. He doesn't have the vibe of Judge or Otani. Even you look at a guy like Bryce Harper, you look back on his contract. Harper's got a vibe

to him that just is like, man, I want that guy to be playing ball for me. Not that I wouldn't love Soto here. He's got an attitude. Like, Harper's got a vibe to him that just is like, man, I want that guy to be playing ball for me. Not that I wouldn't love Soto here. Yeah, of course. He's got a beard. He's picking fights. You know, clown question, bro. Where, like, Soto is just, he's going to go out there

and be unbelievable for you. No question. But he's not, like, he's not a blockbuster, like, A-list celebrity. He's a player that matches that, but he's not. This isn't DiCaprio you just signed or Tom Cruz. It's a weird

kind of way of all these teams approaching it where all of them, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, I'm sure the Sox and I would guess the Dodgers were like, we'll do it. 700 plus. Crazy, man. Here's another one. Ross Atkins was asked whether Vlade Guerrero Jr. was asked to help recruit Juan Soto.

Two of them are very close. Vlade posted an Instagram story today congratulating his friend Juan Soto on signing that deal. And Ross said, quote, we actually didn't ask him to go to an unnatural extent or have him be a part of a presentation, but I'm sure that because of the relationship, there was influence, end quote. What? What is an unnatural extent? Well, basically, I think he was trying to,

like, isn't there the tampering type of thing? Like, you could go behind the scenes and be like. It's not tampering when he's a free agent. Yeah, you could say, let's fly up and go play a round of golf with Juan Soto. It's not retrospective tampering if you admit that Vlade was a part of it. What I'm saying is, if you admit that Vlade's a part of it, then people will go, well, we saw them for dinner during the season. You know, like, it just, I think it puts him in a tough spot.

That would be my, that's why I think Adkins is trying to keep him out of it and go, we didn't go to an unnatural, like, hey, that's the tampering mode. That's that. Like, I think he's just trying to protect the player. Keep Vladdy out of it. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. And I think he's also lying because he probably went to Vladdy 50 times to go,

I need your guy here. Get on the phone. Text him. What do you think? Now, the uncomfortable truth could be that they couldn't ask Vladdy because Vladdy knew if Soto signed here, he's leaving. That could be a part of it, too. How do we get Vladdy to tell him to sign here and then tell Vladdy we're not paying you

and we're not going to keep you you know or how do you have vladi like one way or the other represent your team's future if you don't know if you're going to sign him and ross did say today to be fair to him he said our plan is still the to sign vladi to an extension like that's what they want to do and you know we'll see if that ends up happening. But I guess Vlade was not a part of this. And, again, Aaron Judge wasn't either, I believe, for the Yankees. I'm pretty sure Judge said, I'm out of it. Like, generally, the player's code is like, I'm not getting involved in this. Like, I don't want to be involved in this.

But, yeah, Keegan Matheson tweeting out all this from MLB.com that, I guess, Atkins said, quote, the Blue Jays need to stay disciplined to how they view extension talks with Vlade and that nothing has changed in terms of our pursuit of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And we are very hopeful to extend him. I just can't believe, like, I like the guy. He's a nice guy.

He's been good to us. He's come on. But I don't understand how he doesn't have a PR guy that says, Ross, the way you address some of these things is completely ridiculous. Like people, A, you direct traffic where you're asked a question and you take it to a place where you're not even answering the question. And it's a bunch of mumbo jumbo. And people in Toronto just said they don't want the nonsense. Like they would rather him come out and just be truthful and just dead honest and cut the crap.

Grateful to be part of the process. rather him come out and just be truthful and and just dead honest and and cut the crap grateful maybe it's just process grateful to be a part of losing out on soto and otani yeah who the hell's grateful for that grateful that scott boros used our deal to get more to stay in new york and be a met um that's a crazy thing to say grateful and and i think clearly he's he and the organization are sending a message here when it comes to Vladi. Like to say we have to be disciplined, that is their message. That means that we're not going to –

Don't think you're getting all this money. Don't even think. Just because you know now that we were willing to give Soto 15 years at 760 or whatever it was. That's what John Heyman's reporting, that we're willing to do anything crazy with you. And something to chew on is brought to you by Boston Pizza's new game day menu. Stop by your local BP for $7 touchdown pints, shareables for the whole crew, and weekly prizing up for grabs.

Football game days are better at your local BP. We've been asking, will the Blue Jays sign Vlade Jr. to a contract extension? And it is so split online. 52% saying no, 48 48 saying yes wow we i haven't had a i haven't seen a vote like that that's been that evenly split in quite some time and my concern is this guy's going to hit the market now like you've just you've gone you've gone this far without extending him you're saying that you're going to be disciplined. You're kind of admitting publicly that you really like Vladi, but do you love Vladi?

And Vladi probably knows that. And this is another example. We mentioned it earlier. A couple years ago, Juan Soto was offered 15 years, $430 million or whatever. He waited it out. He played it out. And now he's made an extra $300 million. Vladi's not going to get anything crazy like that.

But would I be shocked if he had a great platform year and became a free agent at 26, 27, and got $450 million from somebody? No. Maybe they have tossed around numbers like that, and Vlade said, don't even think about coming at me with that. That's possible, too. So that's why the comment would come out like that. We have to stay disciplined.

Maybe the Blue jays feel if he wants that like giant money that we just mentioned he's gonna some other team's gonna pay it to them yeah well and and listen if that's the reality here's another reality that blue jay fans i think need to be prepared trading them is either you're going to trade them or if he goes like bichette's gonna go like but bo bichette's the whole conversation around him i don't recall the last time something changed the way it has changed around bichette what i mean by that is he had such a bad year injury related but also performance related wasn't great the year before that this guy's couple comments too and a couple of weird comments both ways you know

wouldn't be surprised if i got dealt. He was saying that before the deadline. And then by the end, he's like, all I want to do is be with Vladdy and be in Toronto. It was like a complete reversal. But no one's even talking about Bichette. Like, what happens with his future? And he's up at the end of the year. And we live in a world now where we could be 10 months away from Vladdy and Bichette both being done and leaving.

Maybe Atkins not being here. Maybe Schneider. Maybe Shapiro, and just a complete turnover of the organization. That is in front of them, especially if they do nothing the rest of this offseason. They'll sign guys, but if you don't make impact plays, where are we going to be in a year?

What would you rather want? Would you rather them spend money and put some kind of fake contender together that you know deep down is probably not going to do anything? Or would you like what you first mentioned to happen, everything just play itself out and everything's gone and there's a blank canvas for someone else to come in? Oh, man. I think... You want a fake contender, you fraud.

No, I don't want a fake contender. Yeah, you do. Because you're fake and you're not a contender yourself. I would do everything I possibly can to keep Vlade Gouraud Jr. I think Paul Bichette's a different story. But what if loading up on Vlade signifies being a fake contender? I don't know. Is he a guy that can lead the charge and be a difference maker like a

soto or an otani he's a guy that fell asleep at second base in a massive game yeah that's just a straight fact listen he's not he's not otani or soto and i i don't believe he will never be those guys okay so why do you want to hit your wagon to it because i think you can have your cake and eat it too he's he's young enough that even if you have to take a dip or retool for a couple of years, he's still going to be an impact player two years from now. It may be a scenario where they're like, okay, Gosman's deal, we've got to figure out what we're going to do with that.

What are we going to do with Bassett? How are we going to replenish talent in the minors? But you can do it in conjunction with having Vlade locked in and knowing that he's going to be a part of the process. I but you can do it in conjunction with having Vladdy locked in and knowing that he's going to be a part of the process. I think you can do both. But if he walks, what do you have left? If Vladdy leaves next year

and Bichette leaves next year, it's literally like George Springer and Dalton Varshow. And Barrios and Gosman. They're not committed to anybody long term. It does open the door for a complete retooling of the organization but what has been proven the last two years is you're not going to get the big dogs to just miraculously come up here they're not coming soto's not coming up here otani's not coming up here the next big gun guy that's 25 26

he's not coming here either so you better make sure sure when you draft, develop, sign, whatever, and you've got a guy and you believe in that guy, you better find a way to pay that guy if he wants to stay. And listen, we don't have the answer from Vlad. He's always said the right things, loves Toronto. I've always believed that. But he may have someone in his ear saying, man, get to free agency. You know what these guys are going to pay you?

You know what it's like to be the king of baseball for a month where everyone's buzzing about you well guess who's in his ear his best buddy who just signed for it could be Juan Soto he's talking to him over dinner going what was this process like he's like dude it wasn't that bad and in the end they turned down 440 and got 760 or what would what did he turn down 440 he turned down yeah 1540 and got $760. What did he turn down? $440? He turned down, yeah, 15 years, like $440 from Washington with a lot of deferred money and all that stuff. And now stuff. Imagine having the stones to say, don't even think about that. $440. Think about that.

Like, we're looking at a $440 million contract and bringing up the deferrals as if that's insulting. Yeah. Oh, deferrals on a 440 like what are you serious washington and steve cohen just said i'll write the check right now fully guaranteed what do you need lock it in 15 years of commitment to juan soto and i wish i could press fast forward because they might win a world series like matt metzen cohen is just going to spend and spend and spend. Like, he's just going to keep going until they try to win. And that would be just incredible if you're a Mets fan.

But what if they don't, and in 10 years this guy just can't bring it anymore? What is that going to look like? He's got the bad knees. Yeah, I mean. Dude, that's coming, man. Nobody stays good for that long. I don't care who you are. No.

That guy will be Jake Taylor, and the Mets fans will hate his guts. That's what's crazy, man, is you would think he should have more pressure on him than any athlete on earth to perform. It's Juan Soto. And if you're Otani, think about how you're just breathing easy. Now you're no longer the highest paid guy, and you already won a World Series in your first year. Year one.

Yeah, World Series. Year one. Check, MVP check. I'm good. Dodger fans are just going to let him. But that's the kind of guy that will not kick his feet up and say, that's good enough for me. I did what I was supposed to.

He'll want to win back-to-back and then three out of five. That guy's a machine. Yep, that's what he'll want. He'll be pitching by next year. He's just going to get better and better for the next few years. But he will fall off as well. I mean, there will be a point where he just can't do it anymore. Wow.

All right. Got a lot going on on a Monday, man. Man, holy smokes. Big money. I don't know. This Vlade thing is fantastic. Uncomfortable, that much money. For me, it's really interesting.

Because I just don't know where V Vladdy thinks he's going to fall. I'm telling you right now, Boris or somebody has gotten in his ear and said, I'll get you $500. Whoever's agent, I wouldn't be surprised. If you're his agent, you think, listen, this is your platform year. You go out and perform. Go out and just have a really good year. Stay healthy.

Yes, you play first base, all that kind of stuff. But you're a homemade name to everyone knows Guerrero. Everyone knows him. Everybody. And if he has a great year, someone is going to offer him an exorbitant amount of money. You can't be stupid. You can't just say,

here's $600 million because Soto got it. You still have to run a business. We all understand that. But if it's $400 million, you've got to sign them if you want to keep them. If you believe in Vladdy and you feel you need him to keep the whole marketing campaign alive, that you're going to be competitive and people are going to come down to the Dome, and it cost you $400 million and it would have cost you $300 million a year ago, that's on you guys.

But you better pay them. Don't be vindictive and say, well, we could have got you for this. Well, you screwed up. You didn't pay him. You know who's on their high horse right now? It's your boy Jonas. Juan Soto's his boy. Because that's his boy, right?

Favorite player. Greatest batter these eyes have ever seen. That's a quote directly from Jonas. Jonas is strutting right now. Yes, he is. Because he's like, my guy got paid. He got paid. It's true.

He got paid. All right. Best bets still to come. We've got the Raptors in action. Monday night or tonight. Timo and Wilson laying the points. Bengals minus four and a half in Cowboys Stadium. Sun will be down.

No issues with the sun for Jerry Jones and his crew tonight. Cowboys on primetime. Can't wait. We'll see what comes of it tonight. We'll get to our best bets on that game and more. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 2. It's a brand new year. Time to review

last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions and three make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan goal plan portfolio contact kelvin the money guy and set your plans in motion call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca

all right today's best bets are powered by fandando. Make your picks and assemble a same-game parlay in seconds on the Fando Sportsbook app. Riding with Luke and Owen Wilson here. Bengals laying four and a half. You know it. Chase Brown, anytime touchdown score tonight. Jamar Chase, eight-plus total receptions on the alternate reception line.

That parlay paying plus 511. Today's best bets are powered by Fando. Fando is the home for popular parlays this NFL season. Please play responsibly. 19-plus, physically located in Ontario. Yeah, Joe Burrow's been lights out statistically. How's that Bengals coach avoided the firing line? That guy must be in tight with somebody, man.

Good question. What are they? 4-8. 4-8. 4-8. Yeah, they're Four and eight. Four and eight. Their defense is so bad. Their defense is so, so bad. Oh, it's over. Yeah, they're finished.

But the NFL season moving quickly, man. That's it, I believe, for the bye weeks. I think this past week was the end of it. And now everyone's playing tons of games. You're going to get some Saturday games coming up soon. See that college playoff? People are going nuts that Alabama didn't make it in. Is that Matthew McConaughey's team there?

No, he's Texas. He's a Longhorn fan. Did you see him walking off the field? He looked heartbroken. Well, they still made it in. I think they're ranked, I want to say they're fifth. I think they're fifth. So Texas is still good.

And Arch Manning has kind of come and gone a little bit. But talk about a guy making money. Do you know how much money that guy's going to make next year if he stays in Texas? Crazy. He'll make $25 million. He very well could make that kind of money. He may very well make that kind of money.

Probably win a Heisman, be a rock star, and then leave for the NFL first overall. That appears to be the plan. Another Manning, I guess, not brother, but member of the family going first overall. Can you imagine that? It seems very likely. Yeah. All right.

Good stuff. Appreciate all the help. We're on the panel tomorrow night, so we're not going to be here tomorrow. Leafs-Devils tomorrow. James Duthie hosting, and the Overdrive boys will be there. We're bringing it all. It's going to be a blast tomorrow night. And we're looking forward to that. So there'll be guys in here

tomorrow, right? Is Mark Rowe in here? Mark Rowe's going to be in here hosting tomorrow. Awesome. We'll see Mark and the boys here tomorrow. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes for helping out. We appreciate it. Everyone for tuning in today. TV, radio, podcast, web. We appreciate that. We're out of here. Death Row and the boys are back tomorrow

at... Let's throw down to ringside with Mark Masters and Sheldon Keith. 4 p.m.? We'll chat then. TSM Plus is taking game day to a whole new level with NFL Red Zone. Absolutely incredible! Subscribe now

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