OverDrive - OverDrive - July 8, 2025 - Hour 3

Episode Date: July 8, 2025

Join Jim Tatti, Dave Feschuk and Michael DiStefano for Hour 3 on OverDrive! MLB Analyst and Flippin' Bats Podcast Host Ben Verlander joins to discuss the Blue Jays' successful winning stretch, the team's trade deadline outlook and the stance in American League. TSN Raptors Reporter Josh Lewenberg joins to dive into Bobby Webster's incoming tasks for the roster, Masai Ujiri's departure's impact and the Summer League roster taking shape and Doogie gives his FanDuel Best Bets.

Unmistakably Canadian. It's the music that raised you. The artists raising the bar. Hi, this is Bryan Adams. Hey, my name's Brett Emmons. I'm from the Glorious Sons. Hi, I'm Nellie Furtado. Made in Canada.

The station that champions Canadian music. Loud, proud, and all yours. No passports required. Just press play. Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca or the free iHeartRadio app Thank you. Thank you very much Elvis invades the hour number three of overdrive who did that who requested that not I must have been must've been JP Happy birthday, JP. Oh, yeah. Happy birthday. JP. No Now it's doogie doogies a big Elvis guy. Well, sure the cologne does he have Elvis cologne?

Not really his demographic but some of these like he's trying to bring back Elvis fandom to whatever the was he Ken Zed or Jen? Whatever he's known for two things one the outrageous cologne Cocktail that he unleashes on his body each and every day and on us being a nice guy Yeah, really nice guy Look we ran into Sarah Davis in the hallway and we the word in the newsroom and Sarah came over and I asked her specifically You know she's talking about sense that and I said if you were going out you would use a sense said yes I said would you ever blend them like doogie does he said no guy no guy

No guy was a firm no guy to that. Yeah, would you like to defend yourself on your cologne cocktail? Mr. Producer Josh Poulos absolutely boys like this has been the talk of the building the town show for the last this is a podcast here and I Believe it's rightful. Let's get a poll going. Let's get a poll. 100%. I believe it's rightful to have different blends of clone on. And you guys have talked about it. We've talked about it. Like, do you guys wear clones on day-to-day basis? No. No, I don't. Why not? The little thing called the showers seems to take care of that. The shower sort of handles that.

Is there a reason for that? No, just not part of my daily routine. If I'm going out, I'll put a couple sprays on it if I'm going out, but outside of that, no. Okay. That's not part of my routine. Not a thing, do you? But I respect your choices. Thank you. Even though O-Dog told you to X-Ned, you still persist, which is kind of remarkable.

It's the cocktail of cologne That gets me like when using three different colognes in one day. Here's the ultimate question Have you ever put together a mix that that you didn't like yourself that you went? Oh, this is all the time Really? I'm just trying out Just so how do you get rid of that is that like a quick shower or what new shirt guy yeah right a new shirt or just play it off that that just brings up another another storyline dookies laundry bag you got the but the blend of all these

different cologne cocked together when it has that's got a little more considering this been their work they crammed a small booth together it's jps hr complaint yeah yeah he gets it all in here. Going to bring in Ben Verlander very shortly but let's finish off with your your power ranking on the most startling sports story. Yeah so we had David Beckham coming to the MLS at five, Andrew Luck's sudden retirement at four, Luca Doncic traded to the Lakers at two, the Gretzky trade, or at three, sorry,

the Gretzky trade comes in at number two. At number one, Michael Jordan's retirement. Oh, well that's good, yeah. In 1990. Which one? The original. The launch into the baseball career. I'm done.

I don't think that I can do this anymore. I don't have the drive to do this anymore. I want to go play baseball instead. Coming off of back to back championships with the Bulls. Madness. Absolute madness. It was. Yeah.

And then he came back. He came back and won a couple more championships. Yeah. Pretty solid stuff. I like that. It's a good list. Very good list. Thanks, Tat Man. There's a couple other things good list. Yeah That man's they be a stat man

There's a couple other things that you know honorable mentions like what I have Kevin Durant when he signed with Golden State That was kind of a big shock. It's like whoa He's joining the super team of the Golden State Warriors ruin the NBA ruin the NBA, right? There's a lot of ramifications from that the koi trade that yeah Nowhere at 1 a.m. in the morning all of a sudden your franchise superstar damar de rosen who a week earlier going casey is like ah we're going to keep this guy right he's not going anywhere and all of a sudden quad becomes available oh all right we'll make that deal and it worked out obviously but i remember waking up in the next morning after

the kawaii trade and and i was beside myself like they did what they got who? Craziness those those two moves the Kawhi trade and doing Casey. Yeah getting aced as he wins the coach of the year I mean you might never see that again. It's it was remarkable gamble. It was a gamble. That's for sure It was definitely a game. It's sort of see that one coming. There was a gamble. It was a gamble. That's for sure. It was definitely a gamble. You can sort of see that one coming. There was a tension in the air. But you think you'll see it again? Coach of the Year and star player ace? Coach of the Year can be a curse that, man. I know a few that want it that wonder why. To go from Coach of the Year to fire that guy and hire his underling? Yeah, well that's like a double-edged sword that that's that's interesting that it worked out that way

uh... let's deal with the jays who are off to chicago uh... bassett goes tonight they were looking for win number ten there at nine team record is eleven ben verlander is here and will be analyst in post of the flip and bats podcast then how are you and they're great thanks for having me then we're just talking about some of the most shocking moments in sports history one where you get the notification or you know back In the day it came across the ticker on TV

Is there one that sticks out to you from a baseball perspective where your eyes almost fell out of your head when you saw the breaking news? Yeah, that's a great question I think the the Soto trade a couple of years ago comes to mind when him and Josh Bell and that crazy package deal going to San Diego. I would say that's the big one. When it comes to the Yankees as well, I think the Garrett Cole acquisition a few years ago, I remember where I was when that happened. I was like, oh, well, that's a pretty big pickup.

But yeah, it's always funny where you remember where you are when certain things happen. I thought maybe you're too young for this but when the announcer on Major League Baseball's American Network, I can't remember the network, said the World Series will go north of the border for the first time. That had to be stunning for an American. 100%. Yeah. We going back there, Ben? We going back north of the border for the World Series this year? How do you feel about these Blue Jays right now? They've won nine in a row and looking like, you know, the bell of the ball when it comes to baseball, but certainly the AL East.

Yeah, you know, I think this team that's been the same core and essentially, you know, for the most part the same team for the last couple years is a team that I really believed in a couple years ago. And I remember I kind of went out on a limb, I guess in 22 and said, I think the Toronto Blue Jays are going to win the division. And it just kind of didn't work out for whatever reason. It feels like that's been the same case with this team for the last couple of years is there's just a lot of potential in my opinion

with a team that's built around pitching in a really good young core. And look, for whatever reason, they just haven't figured out how to win. And I talk about that often around the league as teams. You just have to know how to win. So it's not like I've just given up and believing on this team and the core that they've built

and the team that they are. I do still really like the talent and a lot of the acquisitions that they've made over the last couple of years. And it just seems, and all it could take is really a winning streak like this that includes sweeping a team like the New York Yankees in your own division and obviously a rival and a competitor at the top of that division so it just seems like so much confidence has been gained over this nine game win streak and yeah I absolutely believe with the way this team is built with really good solid pitching and obviously

some stud bats in the lineup this team could absolutely do some damage you have you got to get to the playoffs but come playoff time I believe they could do damage. You talk about you know knowing how to win learning how to win a year ago this Blue Jays team was 19 and 30 in one run games this year they're 16 and 10 and it's the Yankees that are struggling in these close games there I think they're 12 and 18 in one runners. Uh, you know, how do you sort of quantify that? What makes a team good in close games in your observation?

Yeah, there's a degree of back into the bullpen guys, right? Like when you, when you're winning or losing a game by one run, it's oftentimes being the, the decisive run is scored somewhere in that seventh, eighth, ninth inning. So there's a degree of it being like you needing good back into the bullpen guys, but a lot of it is mental. You know, everything changes in a tight game, not just for pitchers, but when you go up to the plate, let's say it's a tie game runner on third, less than two outs.

I remember the feeling all too well, probably because I punched out too many times in those situations, but it is, it's a tight situation and everything changes mentally in a tight baseball game and you put a little more pressure on yourself. So I think what's changing is the confidence to be able to win the confidence of that guy in the box to be able to drive in a run, the confidence of the guys in the eighth, ninth inning that they've done it more often than not this year. So why can't you do it again? So yeah, you know, I think it's that. It's a combo of back end guys and just the confidence to be able to win those games is huge. So bear with me here. Your power rankings have Detroit number one, Houston number two,

Dodgers number three, Philadelphia number four, Chicago number five, Toronto number six, the Mets seven, the Yankees eight, ninth is Tampa and tenth is Seattle. How do the Jays move up? Yeah, well one, the week prior they were right on the cusp for me, right around that 10, 11, 12 spot and I think what won a nine game winning streak pushes you way to the top, especially when you sweep the Yankees in there. And I think now, you know, I absolutely think if we're talking about hottest teams in baseball right now, they're they're number one, right? Like they're the best team in baseball over the last couple of weeks.

And I think just continuing to play the way they have, it doesn't take an 18 game win streak to go higher in the rankings. It just takes continuing to play well. And going from outside of the top 10 to number six is quite the boost. But you look at the teams that are right in front of them in terms of the Cubs and the Phillies, you know, I think they can absolutely can, can compete with those teams. So just continuing to play well, continuing to pitch and with George Springer doing what he's doing that offense and the pitching just keeping them in games, they can win on any given night. And right now it's been nine in a row and who knows how long it

could go. But absolutely, could see them moving up next week, honestly. Yeah, Springer's a guy a lot of people upset with here in Toronto that he didn't make the All-Star game. And you know, you go, you look at the numbers to get the second best OPS among all outfielders in the American League. I mean, when you talk about guys who are amongst the biggest snubs, where does he rank for you? Yeah, glad you asked. Number two, I literally just came out of the list. I can't believe that George Springer isn't an All-Star. I love George Springer. I got to know him well when he was in Houston. He's a great, great, great human and he's a great baseball player and he absolutely deserves to be an all-star.

I can't fathom that he's not. You know, you mentioned his ranks second when it comes to the American League and outfield in a lot of categories and you just immediately know that that's behind Aaron Judge. I mean when you're saying you're second and number one is Aaron Judge. I mean you're in really good company. So I can't quite, I can't believe it. I guess if I could put a reason to it it's that his really really hot stretch has come in the last couple of weeks and the reserves are voted for by players. I imagine a lot of guys already cast their vote by the time he really got hot. But you know, he was having a really good year even before this stretch. It's just been on another level lately. So absolutely should be an all-star.

Hey, Ben, when you look at your power rankings and you look at the landscape of the American League, I mean, we've been in this conversation, we're gonna be in this conversation until the trade deadline on July 31st of how aggressive the Blue Jays should be, how wide open the American League may or may not be for them to walk through the door and finally win it after a long, long time.

Like, how realistic is it in your mind that a team like the Blue Jays could be the American League champions by the end of it all? Yeah, look, the American League is wide open. And I don't think coming into this year I would have put them in that top two or three, but you have to imagine that's where they are now. I think they're in that top three conversation,

certainly in top five teams that could win the American League. Houston doing think they're in that top three conversation, certainly in top five teams that could win the American League. Houston doing what they're doing, Detroit doing what they're doing, and then it's kind of a free-for-all from there. And you could put the Jays in that number three spot right now and it'd be tough to not agree, especially with with the pitching the way it is. Over on the National League side, it's kind of a different story. It's like an arms race over there and every there's, there's, you know, a lot of teams and every division that's capable of, of winning a lot of games in the playoffs.

The American league is a bit weaker this year. And that's why I think when it comes to the American league and it comes to this trade deadline, I really don't see a reason to not be aggressive. If you're a team that you believe in Already that has the potential and is playing well, and I think the Jays are in that spot if you ask me I think this team has the makings and the blueprint of what it takes to win in October It just hasn't worked out for the last couple of years. Well things things just feel Different right now and I know we're in the midst of a nine- game win streak and there's a lot of highs and there's a lot of lows

and there will be more lows, but it just feels different. And it feels like this team knows how to win. And it feels like in a weak American league, in a winnable division right now, in a winnable American league as a whole, it feels like a no brainer to go all in at the trade deadline and really put yourself in a position to do some damage come October. I mean, really, if you look at this, over the last six weeks, this situation has changed remarkably. A lot of things that couldn't happen are now happening. And literally everybody on this roster is contributing, including, I mean, you almost want to look at the call-ups

from Buffalo because as soon as somebody gets in that Blue J uniform, they deliver. Is there any part of this that you're somewhat, or at least maybe a little bit skeptical about? You know, yes to a degree, I guess, just because I think it's easy to get excited when you're on a nine-game winning streak. And I think they do have weaknesses if I were to look around, but like so does everybody. There's not a team out there right now that you can't say they need some help here.

I mean, every team that's really good and in contention would love some middle relief help or a dominant back end of the bullpen guy or some starting pitching depth. And I do feel like those are some of the, some of the concerns I would want to address it if I'm the blue Jays. So do, do I think any, by any means that this is just some lucky winning streak? I don't,

I have no, I really don't have any concerns that this team is legit and that they're good and that they have the makings of being what, what I believe is a really good baseball team, which is some stud arms at the top of a rotation check, some dominant, you know, Vladdy Jr., George Springer doing what he's doing, a better year from Beau Bichette. I think the offense has the makings of being really good.

And you know, back into the bullpen is getting it done so you know I do have some worries with the team and with the roster but I don't think by any means this is a fluke the Toronto Blue Jays are legit there's no way around that. Yeah what's kind of crazy is like you look at that date May 28th since then the team 27 and 10 and Vlagaro jr. ranks just sixth on the team in wins above replacement like that just speaks to the depth that this roster in this team has right now. 100% I think when you look around they're getting they're getting a lot of production really up and down the lineup and that's

what it takes right now obviously with this winning streak you're getting production from everywhere and to the staff that And that's what it takes right now. Obviously with this winning streak, you're getting production from everywhere and to the staff that you just mentioned, it's huge. I mean, and coming into this year, you're expecting Vladimir to be the guy that if you're gonna be any good, you need him to be great. And he has been really, he has been good. But the fact that he is where he is

in terms of team's overall offense, it tells you everything you need to know about where this team is. I've said it really since he signed there. I know there's been and some down years, but George Springer is huge for that team. As George Springer goes, that offense seems to go. So having somebody on base, having know hit at the top of the lineup with with some pop and with And can run the base as well and can get you four hits a night if you know Like he's capable of going for for for he's not just a power guy. He can get on base He can hit for a high average. So this year

I think we're seeing him be that catalyst that I thought George Springer could be for this team when he signed So maybe so far in his blue jays tenure i haven't exactly gone as people have hoped but this is what i imagine when he signed there and i think the team is reading the benefits of that and and saying how big a catalyst can be you can have a bladie jr hit in the middle of the lineup and if you're not getting guys on base if there's not much around and it's really not going to matter but to having george to what he's doing at the top of

the lineup I think has been huge. The offense is obviously clicking here in Toronto and you know the pitching's been fine but I think everyone expects them to add another arm as we approach the trade deadline. There's an interesting name that's kind of popped up in the last couple of weeks and it's Jacob DeGrom, the Texas Rangers, four and a half games back out of a wild card spot like what's the likelihood of them falling out of it and selling to a point where that guy could become available and what type of haul would it take to land at deGrom? Yeah I think the Rangers are in a really

tricky position where you know you're expected to be a really good team you're expected to be great offensively, and then it was kind of like, what are you gonna get from a pitching perspective? And it's really been the opposite of that. They've pitched really well and the offense just hasn't been good enough, whether it be underperformance or just injuries,

but you're sitting here now and the Texas Rangers, I believe, are in fourth out of fifth place. There are a few games under 500 in the American league West, which is a weaker division. So at a certain point, I mean, we're a couple of weeks away from them deciding, you know what, like we have to sell, we're getting, we're getting Jacob de Grom pitching at a level that maybe we didn't even expect him to be at this point after, after this injury. So I do think, look, it's not going to be the hall that it would have taken a couple of few years ago when he was with the mess and dominating because of his injury concerns,

but it's going to take a lot. Especially with the contract he's on. So I don't know if it takes a lot as in players or taking on the financial structure of that contract. But one way or another to get a guy like him I do think he could be a name available at the trade deadline. And I just think with what's out there this trade deadline and how many teams are trying to win right now and it's gonna take a lot to be at the top of that at the top of that list with what you're able to offer

Then you look sort of game wide here You look out to the West Coast where the Dodgers have spent so much money and and been so dominant at times You know, they're still pretty dominant still in first place in the NL West But you know, they've obviously been decimated by injuries to the pitching staff And yet show hey Otani continues to be Shohei Otani the overwhelming favorite to be National League MVP not only as the best hitter in the NL but you know getting back to pitching now I guess it's only been about four stars for Otani but what have you seen there and what do you think it means for the

Dodgers? Yeah I mean so far I've seen dominance on the mound which Isn't a guarantee when it comes to a guy coming off of his second elbow surgery, right? Like I think with what we know at this point with with numbers and what the data says one elbow surgery You know, you're you're in okay shape that it sucks. It's gonna be a year-long process But you're you're most you're most likely gonna be able to get back the data says with two Man, it's a real struggle from that point. So to see him get back and to be dominant now It hasn't been the innings yet. He's not built up. We're saying two innings I think one time we've seen three innings, but to me it's the stuff that's there. We've seen him throw the hardest pitch of his MLB career, which again, take it a bit

with a grain of salt because he knows he's not throwing six, seven innings. He's throwing one or two. But to me that says the stuff has returned and that's what's not a guarantee after a second elbow surgery is that the stuff gets back Is the velocity gonna be there is the off-speed stuff gonna move as much and that answer has been? Yes, and and really I guess we shouldn't be surprised when it comes to to show a surprise as everyone But I think pitching wise he's gonna continue to get built up I mostly him be one of the most dominant pitchers in the league in the second half as the Dodgers push closer to the playoffs and offensively, I mean everybody

sees what he's doing. It's remarkable. So we mentioned DeGrom earlier, what is the very least the Jays should do at the deadline and do the Yankees get in their way? Yeah, I do think the Yankees get in their way. I think I think the Jays need an arm, right? I think they need a rotation arm I think they need a guy to really add some depth to that rotation and you know I think you feel super confident going into the playoffs with an arm like a Kevin Gozman at the top of the rotation but I think what needs to happen if I'm them is adding to that rotation for the second half

and putting yourself in a position to have a one, two, three that you can go into a playoff series feeling super confident about. I would love to see them add there. I would love to see them add an offensive bat. Look, if you're asking me in a perfect world as somebody that just can sit here and talk about what the J's should do, I can name you a bunch of things. What's realistic, I don't know, but I think that offense needs another bat as well to add some more depth there. Can you count on George Springer to do what he's doing all year long? Can you count on Alejandro Kirk to do what he's doing all year long? I don't know, but if you add another bat in, it sort of takes pressure off of those guys

where it's not, okay, if I don't keep doing what I'm doing, the team is going to suffer. You add in a bat, and I think it's huge, not just for what it means to the offense, but for what I think adding anything at the trade deadline shows the team that the front office is fully committed. And that's a huge thing, I think, for a team, for a locker room is to say, okay, end of July is here. We've put ourselves in a really good position as of right now leading the

AL East by a couple of games. Okay, we've put ourselves in a really good position. What's going to come from it? And when the front office goes all in and believes in what you guys have done and supplements that with maybe an arm or maybe a bat that can extend the lineup. I think it goes I think it goes a long long way for the confidence of the team. Ben thanks for your time really appreciate it very thorough. Of course thank you guys for having me appreciate it. Okay thanks it's Ben Verlander Fox Sports MLB analyst and flippin bats podcast host I mean that's thorough. So let me throw this idea if the bat was catching depth as well. Doesn't that doesn't that work? Yeah, I like that actually

Yeah, I think that they could use you know another guy like to go along with Heinemann and an Alejandro Kirk like as someone who can maybe platoon With Heinemann maybe it's someone who's more of a defensive or an offensively driven catcher for Heinemann you know more defensively driven so you know once you get down to it you're gonna want to have three guys just in case come playoff time so you're adding another batting that's a pretty good spot to look. It's a nice luxury to have but I'm not sure it's a priority. No I don't think it's priority but if you are adding somewhere that's you can tinker and take a peek at that. You can take it from a lot of places for sure but you know if you're

concerned about adding something like Josh Nailer because it conflicts at first base I mean I'm not sure adding a third catcher is also a conflict I mean you're gonna have to sort of shoehorn somebody in right well for sure you would have to I don't know if Tyler Heineman is necessarily someone that's I'm worried about disrupting what Heineman's doing. I think you could find an upgrade there, far as more significantly than it would be an upgrade at first base or DH or in the outfield where things are pretty stacked and deep at that point. Catching, it's not a very deep... You got Alhondra Kirk. You love him, obviously, but I think you could probably upgrade on

Heineman as the backup look I mean they've not been struggling with power lately but they have at times right which is why they brought in Santander and and why they are where they are so I mean you know more pop it would be a nice addition pop is always good it is always good but I still think if you're gonna push the chips in I would be aiming high for an arm more so than I would a bat for Blue Jays. Probably a fair you can never have enough pitching. Coming up next talking basketball with Josh Lewenberg on the way out TSN 1050 giving you a chance to win VIP Club Access at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.

Today's Indy insider keyword is podium, podium. Starting right now you have 10 minutes and 50 seconds to text podium along with your name and city to 105050. Next Monday first up we'll be calling one listener with a VIP package including seats in a covered suite, located trackside at turn 11, food and beverage, access to the Indy Carpatic to get up close to the teams cars and drivers and a note standard message rates apply full details at TSN 1050 dot coca dot ca TSN 1050 dot ca overdrive continues TSN to TSN 1050 the biggest songs in the world you've heard them countless times now learn the details of how they came to be

Join Ruby car for encore the stories behind the songs you love New interviews and newly unearthed archive footage make for a fascinating weekly deep dive stream and newly unearthed archive footage make for a fascinating weekly deep dive stream encore the stories behind the songs you love on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Jim Taddy, Dave Fest, the Toronto Star, and Al's brother Mike DiStefano and the summer league for the NBA is about well it started the the Raptors will be involved on Friday I'm now in the departure lounge getting set to hit the Vegas is Josh luenberg our rap is insider judge welcome how are you time happy to report what good now happy to report that yet i will be heading to take it

uh... didn't look so good a few hours ago when i went to check in and realize that my passport expires to know but yet uh... fortunately i have a new one everything is done everything is settled and I will be in Vegas tomorrow. How did you get that passport done right away? He's an important man, Tati. He knows people.

Yes, they rushed it just for me. Apparently it happens, they said no big deal. They deal with it every day, multiple times. Apparently I'm not the first one or the last person to allow this to happen to myself. I just hope that when you're on the other side of the border, things are okay. You might end up in the news somewhere. But anyway, let's move along.

So without, with the change at the top, without Masai Ujiri, how do you think this thing tracks forward? Is it gonna be drastically different or status quo? I mean, it'll be interesting to find out well first of all we're gonna have to find out eventually who's running the show like right now we know that it's Bobby Webster in the general manager position but at some point it sounds like the plan is to hire a president we know that Bobby is gonna

get an interview and be considered for it we talked about this back a few weeks ago that the dynamic internally if he gets an interview, doesn't get the job and then has to report to whoever does get the job could be pretty awkward and I'm not sure that that's a sustainable working environment. So let's assume that at least for the foreseeable future that the basketball decisions are going to be made by Bobby Webster. I mean, I think the assumption that a lot of people will make is that Bobby, as a guy that has been the top lieutenant for Masai for many, many years now, will have a similar,

if not the same vision. And certainly the early returns would suggest that as well. I mean, Masai believes that this team is ready to make the next step, to take the next step, and he also believed that Yaka Pertle was going to be a significant part of that, an essential piece in making that happen. It's why just about every time that anybody has checked in on Yaka Pertle over the last year plus, he's turned them away. The Lakers were interested at the trade deadline. Masai said no. And when they were talking to Phoenix about Kevin Durant over the last couple months, Phoenix was interested in

Pertle. Masai said no. So the fact that Bobby was the point person in making this contract extension that was reported obviously last week and became official today, that was Bobby that kind of took it over the line. But of course, Masai has had a lot to do with not only drafting Pertle, bringing him back here and putting him in position now to get that extension. So it would seem as though the vision remains alive with Bobby Webster and this leadership team that has worked so closely with Masai over the years. But I would caution with that assumption

just to say that like, I think that's what a lot of people assumed that was gonna happen when Nick Nurse took over for Dwayne Casey. It's like, okay, well, if this team needs a new vision, why are you promoting the guy that worked underneath the other guy? And the irony, of course, is that Nick Nurse couldn't have been more different from Dwayne Casey, both in terms of approach, coaching style, personality. And I think we might see something similar here, too,

in the sense that, yes yes Bobby has worked very closely With Messiah he has been involved to some degree in every decision that has been made But he has had almost no economy in those decisions or at least he hasn't had the final say in anything So I'm really interested to see what a Bobby Webster run team looks like, what his philosophies are and ultimately where he sees this team going. And I think we'll find out here if not immediately over the next few weeks and months because I do think this roster is pretty much set certainly over the next few years if this reporting structure remains the way that it is.

I hope he gets a shot because like I said, if nothing else, I'm interested to see what he does in the main chair, in the main seat. I think he has earned that chance. And I mean, I think if he doesn't get it here, he's gonna get it somewhere. He's become one of the most highly sought after executives in the league.

I know Chicago was sniffing around before they ultimately come up ultimately hired a former after exact mark ever's we a few years ago other teams have been stepping around as well so i think you've earned this opportunity and i'm excited to see what he does with it josh we look at the you know the landscape and you have a search firm brought into find a replacement from the side gerry it's the c a a executive search firm brought in to find a replacement from Masai Ujiri. It's the CAA executive search firm, you know, affiliated with the CAA agency. CAA runs the Knicks right now, essentially. It's, you know, we know how incestuous that business can be.

You know, there are really qualified presidents out there without current work. Bob Meyer is obviously one of the lynchpins of building. The Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Clay Thompson Warriors is out there currently working in the media. Are you getting any sense of who else might be in the running? I mean, Bob Meyers would be an expensive ticket. Cost would probably come into play there, but you getting any sense of who else might be on the radar?

Yeah, let's start there, because that's the name I've heard pop up a few times not like from anybody inside of the league but just in terms of like people speculating because yeah that that's the biggest name that's out there. First of all like I don't get the sense that he's interested in leaving what seems like a pretty cushy media job right now to get right back into it at least at this point. But beyond that the most important thing to consider here is the other factor that you mentioned is cost. Like he would not come cheap. I don't know that it would be quite at the level of the Messiah's reported what 15 million dollar a year salary but it would be

pretty darn close and I mean we talked about this after the Messiah firing is like they could justify it however they want and and to be fair Keith Pelley didn't really even justify it he didn't have an answer to the why was Messiah let go question because the answer to it was money cost I mean P Peli was pretty clear in that, like from a qualification standpoint, Masai is at the very top of the executive hierarchy. Like it doesn't get much better than that. He checks off just about every box that you would want from an executive except for affordability, at least in

this case. So it's a pretty safe bet that whoever they hire to replace Masai is going to be paid a fraction of what Masai was getting paid. So I think that crosses Myers off the list initially. So it's probably somebody that not a lot of people have heard of, maybe not like a household name brand, maybe somebody that's younger, not quite as experienced. What interests me is you mentioned what we've seen in New York over the last few years, but even around the league, like the trend in this modern MBA has been agents turned executives. We've seen a lot of that recently, including Bob Myers. So I

wonder here if you look at the Raptors front office and they have a little bit of everything. I mean Bobby has a lot of experience unlike the CBA side of things, tactically, strategically. They have people that have played the game before. I think you need that perspective as well. They have people with scouting backgrounds. The one thing that they don't have that a lot of teams have now and seem to be working pretty well is that agent perspective. So I wonder if that's something that they would consider.

It's something that I have heard in league circles that a few different names have popped up. People that have experience working individually with players like agents would have and I think that that's something that could be a possibility if they don't go the internal route to Bobby Webster. Josh, the Summer League kicked off in Vegas a couple of days ago. Raptors they got their first game coming up on Friday against the Bulls. What expectations do you have for the Raptors this year at Summer League? I mean, it's a fun team. It's stacked from a Summer League perspective. I think there's seven players on this Summer League roster that suited up for the Raptors last year,

which tells you a couple of things. One, this is pretty good for a summer league roster. And two, a lot of guys suited up for that Raptors team last year. And that particular team wasn't very good. But I like the fact that we're going to see a lot of guys that have NBA experience that are going to be a part of this young core moving forward. I'm not sure how much we're going to see of them. Like I know for the real basketball nerds among us is like okay well this is a team that could win the summer league if that sort of thing interests you. I don't know that they'll ever be in position to do that because it's something that we've seen

over the last few years with players that are part of the NBA rotation or have NBA experiences. They generally play the first few games and then they shut them down pretty early. So like Jacoby Walter, who was already dealing with injury issues last year, like I'm not sure how far they let him get into this tournament. Jamal Shed, same thing, even prize rookie Colin Murray Boyles. But for however long it lasts, I'm interested to see what those guys look like, particularly CMB. I mean, Murray Boyles, I think that was a surprise pick for a lot of people, including apparently Colin Murray Boyles, given his reaction.

But he's an intriguing player. Somebody that I'm not sure how well his game will translate to the Summer League in that, like, you've got a lot of guys in the Summer League looking to take a lot of shots, put up big numbers, and he's a guy that is pretty good on the margins, does a lot of the little things well, the hustle things, defensive plays, and I'm not sure that that's going to show up necessarily in summer league, but I'm interested in getting a look at him seeing how Jacobi looks after the first part of his off season. Yeah, and I think they're going to have a pretty decent shot for as long as those guys play. It could be fun. Josh, you know, as I look at this lineup, I mean, obviously there was the big names

that were out there that the Raptors were interested in and that didn't happen, but this is a deep roster. Is it top heavy? Is it I mean the second unit the third unit everything looks good there but is there a trade? Well yeah in terms of the depth this is as deep as I think this team has been since just well I was going to say just before the championship when they consolidated a lot of those depth pieces in order to go out and get Kauai and get Marcosol. But I mean, let's not sell the championship team short because even once they made those trades that was a pretty deep team in and of itself. But certainly that has been a weakness that has been an area of need for this organization

over the last few years is depth and to their credit, they've done a pretty good job, especially in the draft last year of finding guys that look like they can be contributors to a winning program. We don't know that they will be necessarily just because Jamal Shedd looked good in games that they were trying to lose in the second half of last year and that Jacoby Walter looked good in a small sample every time he was healthy but was not really healthy all of that much. So I'm gonna be more interested to see now that, to your point, like you've added Brandon Ingram,

presumably guys are gonna be healthy this year, and all of a sudden, somebody that might have been starting last year, let's say like Grady Dick, for most of the year, is now all of a sudden not only coming off the bench, but he's gonna be fighting for minutes with Jacoby Walter and with Ochai Abadji. So this is a good problem for Darko Royakovic to have,

assuming that all of these guys develop at the rate that we've seen so far. That's another reason why Summer League is intriguing, to see where these guys are at, kind of halfway through their off season. To your question about the trade, yeah, I mean, the Raptors have been front and center in trade speculation up until this point. I don't think it's a coincidence that we were

hearing a lot of noise, a lot of smoke in the lead-up to what turned out to be Masai Ujiri's dismissal. I think it's kind of hard to nail down the timeline of how things happen and when things happened. I mean, I've heard different stories even just from what we heard publicly from the MLSC side from Keith Pelly at the press conference That it's something that's kind of been in the works for the last two months and that Messiah has been aware maybe not of the date that something was going to be happening But that something was going to be happening for about a month and Again, like the timeline, I'm not sure specifically that that's how it happened,

but it does sound like Masai would have had some sense that change was, if not imminent, likely, or at least a possibility. And that's why you wonder, like, was he trying to maybe save his job by taking a big swing, by going out and potentially landing a Kevin Durant or a Adeta Kumbo, the ultimate pipe dream. It has quieted down, yes, since the firing of Masai Ujiri, but I just think in general,

now that the draft has passed, it's a bit quieter around the league. The one name that keeps coming up is RJ Barrett, somebody that, yeah, I mean, I think the Raptors have been shopping to some degree leading up to the draft, probably will still continue to shop to some degree leading into the season and even during the season for a couple of reasons. I mean, right now the Raptors roster is almost full and they're projected to be a little bit over the tax. I don't think they are going to want to pay the luxury tax for a team that is currently constructed is probably projected to be a play-in team. Now, they do have until the end of the season to get under the tax, so maybe that's something

that they look to do at the trade deadline. At least you go into the season, get a look at this group, see what they're capable of, and then pivot from there if needed. But also specifically in terms of RJ, and this is why his name keeps coming up, is he's got a couple years left on his contract. He's eligible for an extension right now. I think it could probably talk him into waiting it out, playing out another year, but certainly if you let it come to this next summer, he's going to be expecting an extension and just based on how expensive this core is, they're not going to be able

to pay him. So at some point they've got to make a decision there. I don't get the sense that there's a ton of league wide interest in him. I mean, it's kind of obvious to say if there was, he'd probably already be gone. And in a way it's sort of unfortunate because I do think he has shown that he is a better player than a lot of people thought when he came here from New York. I think his value has gone up. But, and I think this is the case in life too. It certainly in a lot of professions is once you've got a reputation, once you've got a label, that's kind of the way that people look at you. It's kind of hard to shake that.

And rightly or wrongly, he was kind of known as somebody who was a negative asset. And I don't mean a negative player, but a negative trade asset before the Raptors traded for him. And even though, like I said, I think he's done a lot to raise his value, there are still probably a lot of teams that are looking at him and saying,

okay, well, this is a neutral asset at best so I don't think they're not going to move them just for the sake of moving him and unless there is an interesting offer out there for him and you're actually getting something back for somebody that I mean was a major contributor for them last year I think you kind of ride it out for now but at some point you've got to make a decision when it comes to our chip. Josh thanks very much and best best travels best of luck in the travels. It can't go anywhere but it's gone to this point. Phone's always on just give me a call I'll set it up for you. Alright guys take

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All right, let's end this way. Today's best bets are powered by FanDuel. Make your picks at a several of the same game, Parley, in seconds on the FanDuel Sportsbook app. Dougie, what do you have? All right, boys, let's fire it up. We were one strike out away from Jose Barrios from our parlay cashing yesterday, but we'll try to bounce back in a much better way tonight.

Let's go with the Toronto Blue Jays minus one and a half on the run line against the White Sox. I expect this win streak to hit the double-digit mark. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit a home run. He has not hit one since June 29th against the Red Sox The boys are smashing these balls around so it seems like tonight that Tonight could be the night for Vlad and boba shat to record a hit I expect him to get one tonight plus 507 on the FanDuel Sportsbook app today's best bets are powered by FanDuel

The first inning means as much as the ninth when you bet baseball on the FanDuel Sportsbook app, please play responsibly 19 plus and physically located in Ontario. I was brother. I like the bet on Blatty because this guy's he's gone deep on Savale twice already in his career. Five for 14 with two dingers. I like I like like that better 1256 OPS against Aaron Savall. It seems like tonight could be the night to break out of the slump. We are on Addison Barger yesterday to get two plus bases he took it out of the park so I expect Vlad to do the same. Still the Fuddles. Nine straight games that this team has won we've only seen one home run from Vlad. Yeah yeah crazy good sign, right? Great sign. That means he's due. That does mean

he's due. I'm going with Kirk tonight as the hero. Kirk-y? Yeah. I could see that. Yeah. See that? Some more George Springer magic. Could be anybody really. You wouldn't be wrong. That's the thing with the Jays. Who saw Loper Fito being the guy last night. Not I. Not I. Not Doug I do you surgical bad not even his family saw that We came close came close to cash in the parley. I haven't lost faith in do you surgical surgical best just yet Who's on the now we got Bassett on the mound tonight. Yeah, sir. I like Bassett over in his innings Over out seventeen half outs. I like that and that is good for six six innings every start And we're pretty sure they're gonna smash the 11 game streak

Right. I hope so. Yeah, I hope so if it doesn't happen here. I mean this is it's it's set up for that Well, you've done you've done 11 in a row five times in franchise history Including twice in 2015. So why not now perfect timing we got to go. So tomorrow we're back at 4. Yes, guy Seasoned gamer or just video game curious? This Week in Gaming is the podcast for you. We break down the latest in the world of video games, from basics to beyond. The hottest gaming news, insight and industry leaders and more weekly. Join me, Naomi Kyle, and stay ahead of the game with all the latest updates. Even if you're a total newbie. Stream This Week in Gaming on the free

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