OverDrive - OverDrive - March 23, 2026 - Hour 1 - Richard Griffin

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 1 on OverDrive! They discuss O-Dog returning from vacation in Florida with a dark tan, the Maple Leafs' downfall in the standings, Connor McDavid's comments on the Lightning's coaching mindset and John Schneider and Ross Atkins' contract extensions. Plus, GriffsThePitch.com Columnist Richard Griffin stops by to dive into the Blue Jays' outlook for the season.

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All right, here we go, Overdrive, off and running. TSN 1050 on the TSN app, your home smart speaker, up on TOSM. S.S. 4 up on YouTube live on TSN's YouTube channel, Brian Hacy, O'Dog Jeff O'Neill, Jamie Noodles, McClennett, and George Hamilton. Yes. Looks phenomenal. Sleeping on the sun. I love it. How's your tan game these days?

Holy smokes. Guys, we're not doing the L, the Mexican one, and it is wild. That is... That face is sunny. No. I haven't seen you in what? We haven't seen him in what?

Ten days. I've been up here in the abyss, man. I've been crying. I haven't seen the sun in months. It is looking a little brown on the monitor that I'm looking at. George Hamilton. Oh, Neil. I love it.

I teed it without a hat because I'm like, I just want to... And speaking of golf boys, I just want to say, this first my trip ended with us losing a very popular guest of ours oh what does that mean here we go i just want to start with this i sat with my buddy at a restaurant in the tampa airport and i was getting up to use the bathroom and i see this familiar looking guy with a computer and he's on the phone i take a second look And it's Steve Sands from the Golf Channel. Yes.

All right. So I'm right in front of Sanzi. My buddy loves the guy. He would like to meet him. And I'm staring at Sanzi, and he looks at me, and he goes, like, he shoes me away. He gives you a chaparone. This guy has, I text with Sandsy all the time. We brohug.

Like, we do all these things. Like, I thought me and Sanzi were tight. We saw each other, be like, hey, brother, what's up? he shoes me away and I'm like Sansy and then he hung up the phone and I look at him when I go Sansey he goes Can I help you? We got to recognize you

No way it's because of the tan dude It's because I didn't recognize I thought that was Tyson Nash sitting in that's right You look like Tyson Nash. You do look like Tyson Nash right now That's right Steve Sands gave you the chapel rhone Wow and I still I'm like Sansey do you not recognize me?

And he goes, no, I don't. I go, it's O-Dog from Overdrive. We talk to you on TV all the time. He goes, oh, and he's still like, what the hell? Oh, no. And then, yeah, like, and I was. That's really disappointing, man. If we got time at the end of the show, we got a cold call this guy and say,

is everything okay? Did something happen? Well, I mean, remember, he joined us at the Canadian Open a couple years ago, and was it you that spilled? like Pepsi all over his computer. That's what he said to me. He goes, oh yeah, you're the guy diet Pepsi on computer guy. Wow, that is so disappointing because Sanzi is a guy who will send us text messages all the time about different stuff. Yeah, how about those leaves? How about this? How about that? He loves Washington. He loves Washington sports. He goes, what do you think of Ovi?

He just scored his, I think, what was it, 1,000 regular season in playoff goals, and only he and Gratzky have ever done that. And that's very disappointing. So basically what you're saying is we can't have Sanzi on anymore because either he has been completely disingenuous in the past, you know, pretending that he loves being on the show where really he's like these guys are a bunch of losers and I guess I'll do it. Dude, if we have time, let's clear the air with this stuff. Okay, we got to clear the air.

Or he's mortified by, you know, being out in public with you. You know, or he saw the tan. He said this guy. There's something going on with this guy. Yeah, this guy is, like, doing porn shots on the side. Like, who knows what he thought. It was something else, man. Wow, what a scene.

I'm shocked because that would be the last person. Last person. Exactly. Sansi, I thought the guy would stand up and give me a brohug. And it would just proceed like that. Wow. He probably wasn't expecting to see you, though. Like, when you're some, like, if he was in Toronto, he'd be like, oh, I run into Odon.

Nudels. I know the deal with people's reaction. The way he shooed me off when he was on the horn was like I was a scumbag that wanted a selfie, other picks, autographs, and a five-minute stop and chat. You got Chaparone. You got Chaparone, man. The Chaparone story is a wild story. That is an outrageous story.

The fact that her security went and, like, chastised the kid and the parents, too. That's where the line draw. I don't care. If I'm the guy's dad, I sucker that security guard. Complete loser move. Exactly. I don't know if you know the story. Oh, yeah.

Oh, was the equivalent of an 11-year-old kid who saw his favorite, in his case, sportcaster instead of a singer and just waved, waved at Chapel Sands. And Steve Rohn. So what a Chapel Rone to? She basically said, get the hell away from me, allegedly, and sent her security over to be like, don't ever, you know, she's a private citizen, she's out having breakfast. I'm having breakfast. And some kids are and, like, waved and was like, hey, it's Chaparone.

I love Chaparone. And she got blasted for it online. Like, how dare you? It's a kid. And now she tried to spin it and posted this, I thought, ridiculous statement. Like, you know, I'm entitled to this, which, yes, we get it. Totally. But it's a kid.

Like, if it's old dog, yeah, give them away. Get the hell out of here. You're too tanned and you're bothering people. But an 11-year-old kid, it's crazy. You didn't wear a hat for 10 days. 10 days, right? You didn't wear a hat, nothing. No sun tan, lotion, nothing.

Let's hear the tweet. Someone tweeted in it. Well, do you know the tanning mom or tan bed mom? Have you ever heard of this woman's story? Magda? The one from something about marriage? No, this is the real life one. It's a long story.

There's pictures out there. It's being tagged online. So, anyway, we'll get to the bottom of all that. But we might have to call Steve Sands. Go ahead, noodles. Last thing. I'm just saying, when do the Leafs play at home next? Who cares?

Why? I wanted to go behind the glass. I wanted to go behind the glass with the tanning bed king there. That guy who owns the restaurants and that, the wealthy good-looking guy, you go sit with him. Yes, you go sit with him. Octagon and Teddy who owns Harbor 60. Those guys are. Just get the three of them right behind the best.

But I got to tell you a bunch of great people down in Tampa. and Patty Maroon made peace with the Toronto media because that guy, I called him up down there and he treated me and my family like gold. Took me out golfing, no hat, no hat. There you go. And he's just, you can see why, being around that guy, why everybody loves him.

The cat he's at his course told me everybody lines up to get him. He told me he's like, I'll pick you guys up to go, like, I'm around the corner of a little. What a beauty. Yeah, he picks that. us up and he's a great guy and another thing hazy i'm going to friend steal from you because i met your boy simmer down there and me and him are going to be peas and carrots as you should be great guy simon we all meet a lot of people of hayes's buddies yes remember i sent you the

great is a great peacock yeah gregg had known gregg for a long time so funny everyone i get a stop and chat at these rings they're all like i played hockey with hazy grew up with hazy oh yeah that's right i got the honest noodles it was the first time i'm I met simmer before we got in the carts, and I was like, this is the, I'm not trying to be rude, but it's the truth. This is the first nice thing, hey, is it ever done. I'd be serious. Like, you've never hooked me over the guy. I don't do much.

I know. You're right. As far as stuff away from work. I would do anything, but I don't really, you know, I don't go out of my way to think that. No, you're like, because you're like, no, I don't want this guy meeting that. You kind of really think about things a lot. And I was like, this is the first nice thing that this guy's ever done for me. That's right.

So thank you very much. Happy to, buddy. Anything I can do for you guys, like you got to ask. I'm not going to go out of my way for it. Oh, that is for sure. Like, that wouldn't have come out of left field. Hey, I got to got you. No.

Someone's got to ask you for a favor. Yeah. I'm concerned about the comment, though, hey, the who cares? I know. I know. Well, the answer is Wednesday night. The Rangers are in town. But it is the truth with the leaves.

Like watching the games or, you know, You guys got away from it. They're in Boston tomorrow. I watched every moment. I mean, again, the reality is it just doesn't matter because they haven't, they don't have kids that they've called up that they're playing. You know, Quillen's up here and, you know, Cowan is going to be a part of the future. But they're, you know, they're losing a lot, which they're legitimately the worst team in the league right now.

Like them in Vancouver, Vegas is actually really close, although that was a big win in Dallas yesterday. But you look at winning percentage. Like the last 25, 30 games, the Leafs are basically the worst team in the league. And I know that there is an understanding now. It's like they're tanking. They're actually not tanking. Like tanking is shutting guys down. They're not doing that.

You know, like Matthews. Why wouldn't you, though, and just go all in on it? Well, I think the answer is Craig Barubei's not going to do it. Because if you're a dead man walking, which I kind of feel is inevitable at this, I just can't picture Craig Barube's surviving. I know, but he doesn't decide if guys shut it down or not. That's above his pay. Like other people decide whether a guy's getting shut down.

You're right. But I guess what I'm saying is deciding who's going to play. You know, like this was a conversation on Friday, Matthew Nyes. Why is he playing? He's banged up. He played 24 minutes the other night. So in other words, Barubei is trying to win. I'm playing everybody.

Now they're going to lose. But Barube is not going to be like, all right, I'll play Yarn Croke 25 minutes tonight to tank. He's not going to do that. Right. Because this is the difference with like Babcock and the original tank, 11 years ago, Babcock was in on the plan. Babcock was 100% secure. Babcock knew exactly what was in the best interest of his future in Toronto.

Barouba is probably looking at it and saying, why am I doing this for you guys? I'm not shutting guys down. I'm not playing players on the power play. What do you really? What is quality play at this point? Like, yes, there has to be some integrity. Like we called the Leaf Tank back in the day 12 years ago,

the dignified tank. What is the dignity in, like, putting up points and showing face now? Like, it's always like, it's like a game in itself where a team's getting smoked, 7-1, and then the third period they show up and score two goals, and it was like, really? The competition element of the game is over, and then you want to show up, and some guy grabs a little guy and fights them and tries to act tough. What's the sense? The competition element of it's over.

And if you look at it as a season whole, the competition element. is basically gone. Can they get to the bottom five in your opinion, Brian? I don't think they can. They have to lose out. That's the whole point. They have 11 games left. They have to lose at least nine of them in regulation, I think.

Because I think if you get to 75 points, like I don't see Calgary getting 10 more points. They might. They're actually playing okay recently. They had a really good weekend. I know. Using them as an example, looking at the board. Use the Rangers. I don't care who it is.

Chicago. It doesn't matter which one. couple of teams will get hot for a few games and then they'll lose three or four in a row. But if you get to, I think, 75, 76 points, you're probably not going to end up there. It's possible. But that's, I'm with you. I mean, I think most Lee fans would say just lose every single game. It's not the way it works.

They're going to play. The goalies are going to play. They're going to try to make saves. Yeah. You know, they're veteran guys. They're too good to be there. I'm sorry. They're awful right now.

I understand that right. I understand that, right. But I'm saying this respectfully. I think they're too good. Like to say, the goalies, I don't know if Stolars is. I don't know what the deal is there, shot in the neck or whatever. Well, you guys speak to that because, like, as a kid, you're told in warm-up, do not shoot at a guy's head in warm-off.

I know, but it happens. Sometimes it gets away from you. If it's a slapper that goes into his collarbone neck area, it's like, Not really necessary, but a wrist shot that goes off your clavicle, like you're the one that decided to play net. I don't know how a wrist shot like that, and I don't know what kind of protection he has, but to wheel out, and somebody texted me and said the guy went to the hospital.

Is that true? Yeah, that's precautionary reasons. I don't know, it was, again, without knowing the nature of the injury, whether it's clavicle or his throat. It was his neck. But he's fine. He's in Boston. He's ready to play.

But I, that's tough. I mean, Joseph Wall played the night before back to back. You know Ottawa was chomping at the bit to try and get those points, right? But that's the thing. Like, if he's ready to play in Boston or like, so how bad was it after the game? Like, was that, I'm just not getting into it. It's just such a gong show. I guess back to my original point.

If Nielander goes off, if Nyes with his 25 minutes goes off or Tavares, who's, you know, all of a sudden, stuck back on the score sheet again. chasing 30 goals, man. So now all of a sudden, like, they might have a little bit too much to get to the fifth spot. You mentioned, I mentioned Calgary's one three in a row. They've got Colorado three more times. They've got a six-game road trip coming up. Like, I do believe Calgary will end up in that bottom five,

and even though they've played very well recently. But you look at it, I just don't, I'm worried that the Leafs ended up like seventh. Yeah, that seems like the likely outcome here. And the most leafy outcome possible is you hand over the sixth or seventh overall pick. You know, you tank just enough to not actually keep the pick. And that's the dance they're playing right now. And it's, you know, it's just an added element of kind of disdain and just disappointment. And, you know, it's just been an awful season.

That's just what it's been. Everything's gone wrong. Right from the get-go, Brian. Right from the get-go. Everything has just gone wrong. It's just been a really awful season. You get to the end, you throw it out, you reset as an organization. They've got a lot of things to decide in terms of what they're going to do.

And we're talking the pillars of the organization. Who's the GM in the future? Who's the coach? What do you do with your best players? There's a lot that they've got to figure out. But in terms of just being in the muck and getting to the finish line, everything has gone wrong. But the one saving grace could have been, hey, they might end up with a really good play.

here in the draft. And if at the end you hand over the sixth of the seventh peg, it's just the biggest kick in the junk ever on top of the disastrous season, the what have you done for me lately?

There's usually a nugget at the end of a disastrous season. And for that, that is just insult to injury. Yes. Yes. It's as bad as it could possibly get. It's just cruel to a fan base that I know the rest of the league and the rest of the country will bask in, because, you know, leaf misery is something.

It's like oxygen for everybody else. But it's a weird year. You know, and I know the leaves are lumped into that, but it's just been a weird year. Look at Overdrive Winnipeg is going through it, you know. Calgary's expected. Edmonton, Vancouver. Tampa, and like they just rolled through Edmonton

and, you know, Coutra put on a clinic on Saturday night. But did you not find the comments, and I watched this through my phone or looked at this through my phone? I found it awfully weird how Connor McDavid went to the extent he did mentioning the coaching on the other side. Well, we have the clip, and he's made a point of coming out today and saying, hey, nothing to see here. But this was McDavid Saturday night after Tampa had beat them 5'2. They're extremely well coached. They're extremely well organized.

They're very, very rehearsed and everything that they do. It's very impressive. Very, very impressive. and when you do break them down, they got a heck of a goalie to backstop. Is that just a bunch of time doing the same things over and over again? Like, how do you guys get to that, to be that rehearsed and to have that system they can rely on and all those things? Where does that come from? How do you guys get that?

Yeah, well, that's a coaching question. We can ask another question. You know, obviously we've been playing together a long time, and we feel like we're somewhat rehearsed and organized, but not to their level. I'll tell you what. It's true. I understand what players mean when they speak. And him saying they're very well coached, they're very rehearsed, everyone is organized.

And if you do break them down, they've got a goaltender back there. That's as much as what his team does not have as the compliment towards the Tampa Bay Lightning. I'm telling you right now. Well, he has to own it, too. He's playing for that team. And he's not a defensive juggernaut. Like they are Tampa outclassed them the other night because any team that plays Edmonton right now and for the last little while is if they have structure, they can break them down. Evanton can outscore some stuff and they can outdo like, but when you look at it, I'll give you an example, my own personal experience of what I saw in the finals last year.

I went to game six in the finals in Florida. Florida won the cup that night. I watched both morning skates. Florida was like a machine, 20 minutes, crisp, dialed in, drills tight, Mo just blow a whistle here or there, and the guys just knew. I went and watched Edmonton's morning skate, and it was a million miles an hour and all over the place, stopping drills. Like, to me, they were on two different planets, and we saw what Florida did,

dismantled them in the finals. Tampa and Florida for fun the other day, who doesn't care about their season whatsoever, decided to roll it back one last time to do that to Edmonton. Yeah, you're right. But Tampa is that well-oiled machine this year. They are like, and the goalie was, if you look at it, the goalie was ridiculous the other night. He was so good. He was so good the other night.

But that being said, I know what you're saying. Oh, I don't disagree. Like I think with what they did last year, it's a different year. It's a weird year. But they haven't improved on tightening things up. If anything, they've gone the other way. And I know they've had turnover and all that. But they have to own some of that.

Connor McDavid, you know, he's not a defensive stalwart. And he's not a guy that his attention to detail in his own zone is always dialed in because he's been able to outscore things the other way. That group has to own it. And so does the coach. So does everybody in that organization. He's not wrong. But like I say, they've got to look in the mirror.

They can't just go, you can't point fingers. Those are the guys that are playing there. They had a five on three the other day. McDavid gave up the puck and Kuturoff went scored the other way. Yeah. Well, a lot of people are pointing that out that McDavid, he's just trying to do it. He's trying to do too much. And listen, that's likely going to continue with dry settle out.

He's not back during the regular season. We'll see if he returns in the playoffs. And he said, hey, it's like a pillow fight in the Pacific. And he's right. And they're lucky they're in the Pacific because them in Vegas are going to make it. But if they were in the Central, they'd be in big, big trouble. If they were in the Atlantic, they'd be,

I think they missed the playoffs, basically, in the East. But it doesn't matter because they're in, you know, they're in the position, they're in the position they're in. So I just, I think they're running out of time for the idea that they're just going to snap out of it. There's been that, they've been granted that luxury because they've earned it the last couple of years, slow starts and they snapped out of it. And by the end, you looked at them and said, wow, they're, they're chugging. They're not going to be chugging come playoff time.

Like, that's not going to happen. They're, they're going to have to really flip. a switch and I don't know if they're capable of doing it. I think they're a second-tier team. You know, I think Vegas is that. I look at the out west. I don't know how you guys feel, but I think it's Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota. Clearly.

Kind of in a league of town. Yes. And then that second tier is the Anaheim's, Edmonton, Vegas. Who else are going to throw in there? Nashville's all of a sudden just woke up. Nashville's red hot. Utah has been playing well, too. Utah's a good team.

I watched them last night. But they're not, I don't think, risking a cup run. The other guys. And then on the East guys, who do you think? Like, I think Tampa is still unbelievable. We forget about this Buffalo team that just, I mean, they lost last night. Buffalo, Carolina and Tampa are the only one that is. Scary, I think?

At all. At all. Now, I mean, if that's Sorokin could get hot, maybe the New York Islanders could do some damage. But other than those three teams, there is not a lot out there. What about Columbus? What if Columbus, you know, stays in? Uncle Ricky Bonus, man. They're in.

What a run? They're in. What about the Habs? They're in. Like, to me, if they get, I could see something weird, not weird, but something happening there if, like, Fowler comes out of nowhere and gives the goal tent. They're going to need goal tent, clearly. I mean, I actually kind of think, Jamie, you could tell me what they're, but do they want

that Fowler to be in the net and opening night of the playoffs? I'm starting to get that feeling that they're just Because they're throwing them in In some really tough situations Like here, you know, playing the minors And then okay, back to back, you're coming up and playing And then, hey, you know, Doebusch is good goaltender. He's 24.

Like, he's good too. But I think Fowler has that ceiling that has potentially That next level. And I like him. You know, are they trying to spot duty him? But I just thinking like outside the box year. Like maybe they're trying to build something so that, you know, they place them in that situation and, hey, let's get lightning in a bottle and this kid takes off and, you know,

they're all saying, hey, look at what Carrie Price did, look at what, but it could be Carrie Price, who's Fowler, but it was Halak that took them to the, which is dopeish. That's the more likely analogy. Like Habs fans will tell you what they're hoping for is the Patrick Gawken-Dryden analogy. That, I think, is far-fetched. but obviously, we all recall Halak and Price, and I think we're in a conference final that year. And there was no disputing who the man was. It was Kerry, and that's why they traded Halak,

and obviously they made the right choice. Now, they're not in a position where they have to do that right now, and they're not going to do it. It's more likely they move off Montembo than anything else. But anyway, we've got Craig Button coming up. Craig will join us just after five. We've got Richard Griffin coming up. We've got a couple of extensions here with the Blue Jays we'll touch on.

And the Jays are going to be back in town before you know it. Spring Chaining's officially a thing of the past. Season beginning later this week, it's crazy they're going to be back in town. So we'll get to that and more still to come. And Craig Baroube on Easton Cowan's comments from Saturday night. We'll play them. We'll get into it. Overdrive continues.

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There's a big day on Fandall Futures Day for Major League Baseball. The J's win total keeps dropping. It was, yeah, I think it was at 89.5, then it was 88. And a half by late last week, and now it's at 87. Just because of the injuries? Like, you know, what do you think? It's just money's coming in on the under, I guess. And to be fair, you know, the J's and they would know this,

you've got to prove that last year was not just a flash in a pan. And you're in a very difficult division. Baltimore has gotten better. The Red Sox, I think people expect to be pretty good again. You know the Yankees are going to be good. So, yeah, I guess that's reasonable. I would bet the over personally. I think they set up well.

I think there's clearly a lot of continuity with this team. Today they announced the extensions for Ross Atkins and John Schneider. Atkins gets a five-year extension. John gets two more after this. So like Atkins and Shapiro are going to be here for 15 plus years as the two kind of head honchos of this club. That's an eternity in sports. That is a long, long time. And, you know, I would say, and I think this will be established.

Listen again, anything's open to change, because who knows, maybe in two years they get fired or they want to leave or whatever. But if they play out their contract extensions, the two of them, and they're here for 15 plus years, then they're two of the most influential, well-known figures in Toronto sports history. Yeah, that just goes to show you what a little bit of winning can do because it's not like they've been, you know, ripping off victories. And they went to the World Series, man, and they benefited from it.

So good on them. Well, that's it. I mean, public perception, it's fickle. There's still, you know, a lot of people that don't love these guys. No, and it won't take long for the hatred to fire right back up if they stink to join out early on here. It will not take long. The love affair from last year would just go up and smoke. With your instinct, what is this team?

Like, you know, do you think they're closer to the team that we saw, you know, go to the World Series? Or they're closer to the year before where it was 86 win or 83? Oh, 74, 74 wins a year before. So somewhere in the middle. Are they 86 to 90? That's probably reasonable until they prove otherwise. And again, that's a really good club. Like you win 86, 87 games on average.

You're going to be kicking tires on the playoffs and then it's thin margins. Listen, they've lost Bichette. That's a significant bat. It's a significant personality in the clubhouse. We'll see. They've obviously got injuries to their rotation. But with that said, I think they're in a better. place this time, like this year than they were this time last year with the rotation.

Their bullpen looks pretty good. Again, that can fluctuate year over year. But I'm pretty bullish on them. I'm pretty confident that they're going to win games and be competitive. I think they set up to be a playoff team. But, yeah, I mean, they have to prove it. And when it comes to Shapiro, Akin, Schneider, they should be in the good graces of people.

They were in game seven of the World Series. Like, to hold a grudge against that is crazy. I have been critical. We have been critical. we've also praised them at other times. But if that wasn't worthy of you get more runway and you're getting an extension, what the hell are you expecting? Exactly.

Like, of course they're going to get more security and more money and a chance to top what they did last year because they got as close to the final goals you can possibly get. So, you know, these guys, they're established, they're comfortable in their roles. And again, you look over the last 30, 40 years in the city, the biggest names in terms of the architect, Masayuji Uri obviously comes up, and Brendan Shanahan comes up, Pat Quinn would come up, Fletcher comes up, and then you're talking Shapiro Atkins, you know, like Anthopoulos left a long time ago.

We all love Alex, but, you know, that's a thing of the past. So it's been a roller coaster ride, but it's pretty crazy that these guys all set up, the three of them, but in particular, Shapiro and Atkins to be here for 15 plus years. That's a really significant amount of time for any team. In eternity in sports. Yeah, it really is. Eighty.

Yeah. But they, you know, I agree, Hayes. I think given them the, not the benefit of the dope, but at least this is the most success they've had. So at least give them an opportunity to ride the wave here and continue to build on what they put together last year. For sure. And like they figured out a good way, like Shapiro is clearly involved in the baseball

activities. I mean, that goes without saying. Like, they're not making any significant moves without it going through Mark. Mark is a baseball guy first. but he's done obviously great work with Duned and I think they've done a really good job with the park you know like the renovations and all that other players including Blue J players obviously

continue to talk about this culture that they've created here not as much for the players but for the families the kids you know how they go out of their way to make them feel included and welcome and comfortable and you know that that's an avenue that every team you can go down that road if you want It's just, it's going to take some work, get a mom, maybe cost you some money. But if you do it right, it can really pay off.

And I do get the impression of the Blue Jays have struck a really positive chord on that front. Dude, it's a massive part of the game. When me and Jamie were in the NHL, if there was a guy playing that was waving at kids and parents and doing high fives and stuff during warm up, it would not be well received. But that's just the way it is now. Like guys want to see their kids and warm up. That just wouldn't fly 25 years ago, man. It would not fly.

Like, it would be like get your head in the game. That's a difference. It's different. But, you know, Brian, you just talked about it. I think it comes back to that word culture. They've, you know, that's part of the culture now. They've developed that with the Blue Jays is, this is the guys want to be here that, like, the city, the organization, treats them very well. Not just the player, but the whole package that comes with the player.

And that has to be factored in with pro athletes nowadays. It's not just, hey, we like you as a player. It's, you know, what comes with you as a player is the parents involved, you know, the wife or the girlfriend or the spouse, they got kids, what are you doing? Like, how they embrace the city. That's part of the culture of the team. And it sounds like you said, you know, again, I'm not part of it, but it looks like they've developed a pretty good, you know, culture there.

That's a big part of their pitch. You know, like obviously you have to put forth the opportunity to. win. It's the number one thing in sports. You've got to pay the money, which is probably actually number one. You have the money to pay the guys and do they have an opportunity to win? Once you check off those two boxes, then it is fair game for every other team that is included in that, which is Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, you know, whoever, how can you separate from the thinest margins there? And if it's a guy who says, you know what, my wife and kids, they love this because of this. Do that.

You know, like it's just a grand slam. It makes sense. And again, that can, that might get it over the finish line of keeping a player or getting a player done or making sure that the player's comfortable resigning or opting back in or whatever it is. And by all accounts, they put a huge emphasis on that. And I think it's something that I'm sure every other team certainly in the city should be learning from, you know, because there's always this chatter. Well, you know, you're the only team in Canada or what about up here and you can point to different things that maybe. Americans look at and say, I don't know if this is working for us. Well, make their lives as comfortable as possible.

And then the players have to go out and perform. And last year they did, and, you know, we'll see what they have in terms of performance this year. But Shapiro Atkins and Schneider are sticking around. Vladie's sticking around. Vladis going into one year one of a 14-year deal. You know, it's kind of crazy. 50 million year, is it? Yeah, yeah, it's a little, I think it's a little bit less than that.

The math works out. Maybe Jerry that he tips his cap as a Blue Jay and walks off. off the field for the last time. Never plays for another team? Yeah. I think 10%. Yeah, it's just such a long, you know, 14 years.

14 years is such a long run. That's a zillion years, man. Whoever state, like there are some guy. I mean, obviously Mike Trout's going to do that with the Angels. Judge is only going to play for the Yankees, I think. I'll go a little bit higher. Forty, 45%. I think there's a chance.

Now I've drawn blank on his name. I met him in the 90s when I, played in St. Louis. He ended up out in... You're talking Pools, Albor Pools. What a great guy that guy was. Well, he was an incredible player, Poolews. He took the bag, man. He shoved some cash in his jeans, that guy. Huge deal to go to L.A.

Huge contract. Yeah, good guy, too. Yeah, he was a great, great player, man. He's an all-time great, right-handed back. He wasn't exactly moving gingerly around the bases. No. Near the end of that. By the end, it got awkward.

He looked like a monster. Yeah, he had the Stanton going, man. like that's what he looked like, basically. All right, Richard Griffin coming up on the legacy of Shapiro, Atkins Schneider, what we expect to come from this upcoming season. We'll catch up with Griff. We got Craig Button coming up as well. I do want to play the Cowan comments and Burubei comments in response to those from over the weekend.

We'll get into that at 5 o'clock. Leif's in Boston tomorrow at home against the Rangers on Wednesday. And, yeah, there's a lot going on in the league. Like we're almost through March, Stanley Cup playoffs right around the corner. The master's right around the corner. It's like 17 days away, man. Yes. We are getting real close to go time.

Your boy Fitsy with a huge redemption yesterday at the Wells Bar. 17 Skechers, size 17 Skechers. He's the best with a great man. He was close at Sawgrass and he got it done. Yeah. When he gets hot, man, that's him like in a nutshell. He'll give you a three or four week run where you like this guy could win every single time. He peers it, man.

Like he hits some good shots. Oh, dude, that's Stinger Drive. He hit on 18 yesterday was close. And I love the way that guy puts, too. He's got that upright grip and that upright stance, and it's just through and through. It's Fitsy with no braces on, by the way. He can roll the rock. Yes, he can.

Yeah, he's going to be in contention for that green jacket, I think. All right. So that more still to come, maybe Chapel Rhone, aka Steve Sands, coming up just over. Surprise me. Surprise me. I don't want to know about it. Just surprise me. Okay.

Overdry. continues up on YouTube live. With corporate traveler, you get a dedicated travel expert and 24-7 support. So business travel feels effortless. Big meetings land. Business grows. With corporate traveler, the booking is just the start. Search corporate traveler today.

If Bellfib TV is now streaming, is it still TV? Is it still TV if there's no TV box? If I can stream all my favorite channels and pause and record shows, that's TV, right? A new era of 5 TV. It's streaming, but it's still TV. Well, glad that's settled. Bell, connection is everything. All right, Craig Button coming up in about 20 minutes.

Getting closer and closer to the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs, the Masters in a couple of weeks. and the Blue Jays back in town. Blue Jays back in town later this week. It does, man, that was a quick offseason. Happ, it's quick. That was a quick, quick off season, which is not surprising when you go to Game 7 of a World Series. But there was a lot of action, man,

and they were active early on, right? Like they jumped on the Dillon C. Steel, Cody Ponce pretty quickly, Okamoto pretty quickly. Yeah, Scherzer came later once Camp had already opened, but a lot of the heavy lifting was done. Kind of right when the gates open in the offseason. Dude, it's all about that chemistry with the hitting and the mojo. It's like, did that go up and smoke in the winter months,

or can they get it back quickly? And we know exactly the guy to ask. Absolutely. It's the question. Everyone wants to know the answer to. Are they better today than they were four or five months ago, let alone 12 months ago? Here's our main man, Richard Griffin, from griff's the pitch.com. And he's got his podcast out there.

He is. Griff, how would you answer that? Are the Jays better today than they were 12 months ago? Well, I would say they're better than they were on opening day last year. I mean, opening day last year we were talking about Max Scherzy. We debated whether he'd ever get to 15 starts for the year. And he seems healthy this year. I think, I mean, I've made this point that they learned from the Dodgers and they went out and signed more pitchers.

And as you guys pointed out, they signed them early in the process. and you look at the Dodgers, Yamamoto was the only starting pitcher to go more than a hundred innings. So the fact that they've got three guys, the Js have three guys on the IL to start the year, I think that they looked at the model of the Dodgers and went, oh, but we'll get the right five by October, and they'll be healthy, and we'll roll. So, yeah, they're a better, they have a better chance at the beginning of the year of repeating a playoff berth. So Richard, how big of an impact losing Bo will be on this team in the organization? Well, I think it's going to be dependent on Okamoto.

I think Varsho will provide power if he's healthy all year. They were missing him a lot early in the season. It's interesting how they went out and got Hazel Sanchez. I think a guy relying on a guy like Lucas for an entire season might have been a stretch. So they went out and they filled a void with somebody who's been there and done it. So I think they will miss Bo. I love Bo as a player. But in terms of defense, they're better at shortstop.

In terms of finally at 30 years old getting Ernie Clement an everyday position where he doesn't have to move around, that's positive. Barger is going to have to play in right field almost every day with moves to third base when Okamoto needs a day off. and yeah, so I really don't think that they will miss Bo's offense and they're better on Bo's defense. Griff, I first got to tell you, you've got to get to some ball games and get some tanning in. You and Noodles and Brian are looking a little pale. You guys might want to go catch some games and catch some race.

George Hamilton's asking you that question right now. Griff, I wanted to touch on Vladie. He kind of slid under the radar with, like, his offensive numbers last year because of the team's success, which is fine. But after the monster contract, I mean, how many homers did he have? They did have 23 bombs last year or something? Like, what are your expectations? Do you think he'll get to that point offensively? I think for those types of players and that level, you're just looking to have a season, and it's like Judge does it every year,

where they don't talk about your salary because they put up the numbers where it becomes almost a really. Do you think he can do that? Yeah, I agree with you, O'Dag. In terms of salary, you don't want to be talking about how much money he's making. And I think the turning point for him is going to have been when we look back the postseason, from start to finish of the postseason, the fact that we know as professional athletes, Hayes, you should learn from this, is that, is that, is that, is that, confidence is 50% of the battle.

I mean, you can have mechanics, you can be a great athlete, but Vlad was always pressing to be in that group of the 10 best hitters, the 10 most productive hitters, because the extra pressure then of his contract. And then carrying it through the postseason and then into the world baseball classic, I think that confidence is there. You can almost see it in the spring broadcast while I'm under my tanning lamp here at home. But the fact is,

I think he can carry it through. I think he can, from day one, be one of the 10 best power hitters in the major leagues. I mean, he walked twice and struck out zero times during the entire WBC. So his knowledge of the strike zone, his confidence, I think the ABS system is going to help him because he's always complaining about the strike zone. So now he's got a chance to back that up. And if he's right, he's right. but I think he's going to be one of the top hitters.

And there's another aspect of replacing Bo that's going to really be good. Something to chew on. Brought to you by Boston Pizza, Canada's favorite sports bar. Enjoy $15 lunch at BP where you get an entree of sight and a drink and you get it all in 20 minutes or less. So fast lunch doesn't have to be fast food. So for a $15 fast lunch,

your local Boston pizza, Griff, want to ask you this question we've been posing online. Now, these are our own projections. These are not courtesy of like Fandul or Vegas or anything. and they're extreme projections. They're like everything went well type of stuff. Which Blue Jay season long projection is most likely to happen in your opinion?

Vladi hits 40 plus home runs. Dylan sees 220 plus strikeouts or Jay's win 95 plus games. Well, I'm going to exclude the 95 plus out of the equation because that's a killer division again. I mean, Boston, Yankees, and Baltimore all, I think, got better. The Yankees are going to get better because they got money to spend and they always do. So I'll take 95 out of it. Vlad, we were talking about, I think Vlad for 40-plus home runs,

he should be in that equation. But I'll take Dylan C's at 220Ks. This guy takes the ball. He's like a burrios with more strikeout ability. Takes the ball every five days. He goes out there. And the difference between him and Scherzer came here to lead. and CIS came here to learn and to get better.

And I think that working with Pete Walker is going to help. I think that not having to be the acclaimed number one guy and his staff is going to help. And 220 is my choice. Griff, you just mentioned Burrios, where do you see that story going? Because it obviously was a really disappointing ending the way things were handled,

just with the way he handled his own situation, and the way he performed at the end of the season, if you could put your thinking cap on to where it goes, where does it go? Oh, we've been putting our thinking cap on for exit philosophy for all winter. And I thought for sure that he was going to be traded because of bailing out on the postseason on the World Series. I thought they had an agreement. You guys have mentioned it.

There's no way he's taking his opt-out and leaving 24-4. 24 million on the table. So he is there. I thought he was going to be traded either before spring training or during spring training when somebody had an injury. Now the monkey wrench is that he's got an injury, which has never happened. So I think as soon as he's healthy and ready to pitch, he will not be in the equation after the trade deadline in July.

I think that if he proves himself healthy, that they'll move him because of sort of the feeling in the clubhouse. he's no longer. You see television shots of the starters together and he's not in that group. He's never in that group. So I think the die has been cast there and that he

will be somewhere else by the trade deadline. With Richard Griffin, griff's the pitch.com, exit philosophy is the podcast. So today it was announced, Ross Atkins gets an extension, John Schneider gets an extension. Both of those were formalities. You knew they were coming. Final year of their deal.

They just won the World Series. But this sets up for Shapiro and Atkins to be running the operation for 15 plus years if Ross and Mark get to the end of their deals and John Snyder to be here for a long time as well. Finish this sentence. In five years, the legacy of Shapiro, Ackin-Schneider will be out of Cleveland. They will have forgotten about Cleveland. At that point. And to me, they are like Beeston, Gillick, and Cito Light.

a trio of guys moving forward together. They're now under contract. It's, you know, to see Mark Shapiro basically is rewarding Ross Atkins. And to me, Ross is still the same Ross that we thought should be run out of town. But I think the complex in Florida is like a Lamborghini to an introvert. You know, you go into a bar all of a sudden, you're more popular. you're more, you know, you're likely to have more success. And this is what has happened in the recruiting thing.

You've got the new facility, the new ballpark, winning, the reputation. And that got Ross his extension. And John Schneider is a big part of that because he was a success too. Griff, it's always great catching up with you. We're going to be doing it a lot moving forward. We look forward to it. Jay's back in action later this week, so enjoy opening day. and we'll do it again soon.

Thank you for this. 54th opener in a row. Oh, boy. There you go. Keep a rolling, Griffith. There he is, Richard Griffin. Great seeing you. The Exit Philosophy Podcast and griff's the pitch.com.

He was obviously with the expos for a long time. People love, we've got to have Griff on more often. People call me all the time. They love having Griffith. Oh, he's the best. And as far as the extension, Hayes, I sometimes, like, we talk a lot about the coach bumps and how coaches are getting fired. I have no problem with consistency in those positions in an organization.

You're going to have some misses. You're going to have some down years. But if you've got good people that are smart and that you believe in and they're going to get it right sometime, I don't have a problem with them being around for a long time. But obviously things change. Things get ugly and things change. But I don't have a problem with it.

Well, and again, this time last year, the mob was out, right? get rid of these guys. They're the worst. We don't like them. We don't like the way they operate. Their PR isn't great. You know, and all that kind of stuff. And then 94 wins in a World Series. Last year with the way the Leafs played against the Florida Panthers, I'm like, you've got the coach. Sign him long term and you say he's the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a year later, look where we're at. I know. And that's what makes it difficult to project and predict too, because there's no guarantees in this whole thing. More on that into the next hour. Overdrive continues.

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