PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - How can Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo build on the Diamondbacks success in 2024?

Episode Date: November 9, 2023

The Arizona Diamondbacks remain a connected team as they try to build on the success of their Postseason run towards the 2024 season and beyond. We have more from Mike Hazen at the GM Meetings and Torey Lovullo on his contract extension now that it’s official. Is Lovullo the greatest manager in Diamondbacks history? We also take a look at more potential free agent targets for the D-backs and our thoughts on some interesting comments from Scott Boras.An ALLCITY Network ProductionSUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsports PHNX Events: Get your tickets to D-backs Takeovers, Knockout Nights & Suns Watch Parties at BetMGM, and MORE here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/phnx-56002330273 Desert Financial Credit Union: Open a free checking account online with Desert Financial Credit Union and get $200 in bonuses https://www.desertfinancial.com/200Get 10% off your first order of Hero Bread at https://www.hero.co/ by using code PHNXSchedule a free in-home estimate with Empire Today! All listeners can receive a $350 OFF discount when they use the promo code PHNX. Restrictions apply. See EmpireToday.com/PHNX for details.Check out all Gila River Resorts & Casinos has to offer from fine dining to Arizona’s largest casino sportsbook. Visit https://www.playatgila.com to learn more.Go to https://saturdayneon.com and use code PHNX for 10% off your order today. Free shipping for orders over $200!Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase.Pins & Aces: Check out https://pinsandaces.com and use code PHNX to receive 15% off your first order and get free shipping.Circle K:  Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you!OGeez!: Score 25% off a bag of your favorite OGeez! Fruits or Creams. Go to https://zenleafdispensaries.com, add a bag of OGeez! to your cart, enter promo code “PHNX” and pickup at a local Zen Leaf Dispensary. Must be 21+. Enjoy responsibly. Four Peaks: Follow them on social @fourpeaksbrew & @fourpeakspub! Must be 21+. Enjoy responsibly. When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello and welcome to another edition of the PHNX D-BACs podcast. Right here on PHMX. My name is Derek Montia, occasionally known as your bearer P-AKNX, and that drove the logo crazy. This band X me, of course, is still working hard and for some reason wants some days off, I guess. That's not happening, but I am thrilled to be back in this small. studio with him. It's the one and only Thunderstick and my vice mayor, Jesse Friedman.

You were out there at the MLBGM meetings today. And of course, that's very excited. I know we have some more from Mike Hazen on that. Shout out to all of you guys for being here, of course. Ryan H just yelled wagon. We are still a wagon. And that wagon never stops rolling even during the off season. Of course, get yourself the official shirt of a wagon, by the way, over at our PHNX Locker.com.

If you are a diehard member, you'll get that shirt for free, or not for free, for 20% off. If you're a new diehard number, you'll get it for free. So make sure to check that out. But we do not stop around here. We never stop. And, of course, baseball doesn't stop here in Arizona. Mike Hazen was at the GM meetings today.

What did Mike have to say? And was he in good spirits, first of all, after this postseason run that. Like, the reason why I ask that is because I know they're proud of it, but it's still probably a little sensitive, painful about the, you know, how close they came, you know? Yeah, I think. I think Mike has progressively gotten more and more. Like there's just more perspective that comes with time, right? You have a chance to kind of reflect on on everything that you were able to accomplish.

And yeah, Mike Hayeson at one point, he was asked about, you know, his relationship with Tori Lavello, which is something we'll get into later in the show. Of course, Tori Lavello, that extension has now been made official. And yeah, yeah, he talked about how him and Tori had numerous moments throughout the month of October. or they were just looking at each other like it's October 24th and we're playing a baseball game. It's October 27. Like it's November 1st and we're playing a baseball game. So yeah, you can absolutely tell it's just talking with Mike that he, you know,

he's had more of a chance to reflect and appreciate what the Diamondbacks were able to accomplish. That said, there is a flip side to going as deep as the Diamondbacks won in the postseason, which is that all of this offseason stuff is happening very quickly. Now, immediately. And yeah, we have a clip from Mike talking about how he was basically asked, do you feel behind? And his answer was yes. But I'm also wired and really want to plan very, very far ahead and kind of see things coming down the road. And I've tried to like step off of the, you know, being so hyper-focused on being planned out ahead and just trying to enjoy that what this was this October.

because it meant a lot personally and professionally and trying to enjoy it a little bit more rather than log down those days with meetings and there's so many smart people in our front office that are working on these things that we would catch up very quickly and we've worked pretty hard since that stopped to refocus and reprioritize what we're doing moving forward

but yes I personally if you're asking me yes I feel behind I imagine for a front office that it is kind of like as far as a metaphor or a comparison is concerned that I can relate to is like me and Damon trying to do a post-game show for some of these World Series games and some of these playoff games, right? Like we have work to do, right? Work that we know needs to get done.

But we're also just taking a moment to stop and watch what the team is doing. And it was time to think about work when you're watching this team do what they were doing in the postseason, right? And so there is work that the front office essentially has to do regardless of if they make it into the postseason. They have to start planning ahead. but I imagine it's hard to start thinking about that work at all when you're in the middle of the postseason run, you know? How do you, I mean, how do you justify, like, doing a deep dive into your offseason goals when, like, there are World Series games being played right in front of you and you're trying to strategize and you're trying to, you know, there's obviously Tori is the one in the dugout making the decisions in those games, but those decisions are very much informed by the front office, right?

you know, there's a lot of analytics and a lot of information being passed down. It's not like Mike Hazen, you know, once the World Series roster is set, it's not like Mike Hazen is just, you know, while you guys got this, I got to go do stuff. Like, yeah, I've got some other stuff to work on now. But yeah, that answer came right after I asked Mike about Josh Barfield and his departure from the organization. I think we touched on this a few weeks back, but Josh Barfield is now an assistant GM under Chris Gets with the Chicago White Sox.

congratulations to Josh Barfield. The White Sox got a real one. That is probably their best move so far that they've had as far as personnel goes. Yeah, yeah, you could make that case. But yeah, Mike talked about how the Diamond Bat, like that is a very big role to fill. And the Diamondbacks are looking to start interviewing candidates for that role next week. The Diamondbacks, as of right now, don't have a farm director. And that is a pretty important thing to have in place going into the off season.

But yeah, it sounds like the front office has been. working overtime here over the last few days since the end of the World Series to try to make sure that the team is in good position here heading into the offseason. I'm glad I never got that old Josh Barfield had a farm graphic ever done because that wouldn't be used. That was, that was a thing. Behind the scenes, there was a graphics request that was put in at one point. Yes. Yeah, no, but of course, now like, you know, again, there is a lot of things to address. rest they're going to be losing some personnel.

Obviously, they've got to figure out a way to regain that production. And obviously, the hope there is that not only do they find somebody able to produce the same way that some of those players that they're losing can produce, but can maybe even help this team, you know, get to that next level, which, I mean, what is the next level after you make it to the World Series? I guess it's just a matter of trying to win the damn thing, right? There has to be an understanding, though, especially when it comes to this team. that, you know, that again, you know, there's the regular season,

and then there's a different mode in the playoffs. And I think that that's something that everybody involved got to experience with this entire process. And it's kind of like, you know, when I don't want to say the Diamondbacks were like an eighth seed in basketball making it to the championship or whatever. But they're like one of those middle of the, you know, a couple of games above 500, you know, and they made it into the playoffs. But they, like, kind of sandbagged a bit.

And then when they got there, they knew that that was the thing. time that you really, you just need to get into the playoffs and anything can happen, right? The Diamondbacks understand that now. So it's not like the goal necessarily needs to be, you know, a hundred win season now based on what they did, but just maybe, you know, a little bit, you know, more, getting down in the line a little bit more, maybe just getting to the playoffs the next year and seeing what happens again. Yeah. And one other note is as far as staff is concerned, as you mentioned, the Diamondbacks will be

losing some players, presumably, to free agency. agency. We touched on some of those guys the other day, possibility of, you know, Evan Longoria, Tommy Fan, Lotus Gray, are returning to this team. Something interesting that did happen today is, I believe it was a reporter covering the Houston Astros came and joined the scrum for a couple minutes and asked if the diamond backs have had any inquiries about Jeff Bannister and his availability to manage. Obviously, there are still a number of managerial openings around the league.

No, no. No. No. No. It was wondering if the diamondbacks have been. He contacted about, specifically from the Houston Astros, if the Astros wanted Jeff Bannister to be their new manager. No. And Mike Hazen, of course, did not actually give a firm answer to that question. He wasn't willing to address specifically whether the Houston Astros have inquired.

But he did speak very highly of Jeff Bannister, and he said that Jeff Bannister absolutely deserves to be a major league manager at some point soon. And maybe that is something. Maybe that's another job that the Diamondbacks have to. find a way to fill, you know, when it's all said and done. But as of right now, Josh Barfield is really the only major, from a staffing standpoint, the only major loss that the Diamondbacks have. And I think that that's such a good point is he's not wrong. Bannie is an excellent manager. And I don't know his reasons for stepping away from managing the way he did, right? Because he was

working for school in Colorado, right? Like before the Diamondbacks had him join Tori Lovolo's staff. So it almost seemed like maybe he doesn't want that level of stress perhaps or something of that, you know, nature, right? Like, I can't speak to it. I'm just speculating. But, you know, of course, this man was the AL manager of the year at one point in his career when he was managing the Texas Rangers. So, like, this is a guy that a lot of people respect and obviously has a lot still to give. I mean, we've made the jokes all season long about how deep the Diamondbacks are at manager. position because of Jeff Bannister.

You literally have a very capable manager, able to step in at any moment. Tori, you know, and the few times Tori's gotten tossed from a game or just to be there as a confidant to Tori and give Tori that feedback. But, yeah, I mean, this particular coaching staff, I think will not get the credit that they deserve for being the reason why this team made it as far as they did this year. But I really think that Bannister, Brent Strom, which Thunderbolt 47,

says please tell me strom will be back yeah i think all indications are that brent strom will be back yeah um yeah he said there i won't let him leave yeah damon even if brentstrom tried to leave i don't know what i would do but i would figure it out damon would find a way to make that happen so for anyone concerned about brensroman leaving don't worry damon is on your ass houston astros damon's coming what else you got from mike today though yeah so a few other things uh mike was asked about the corbin carroll extension in retrospect and how, you know, is it too early at this point

to say that there are some tangible benefits of the Diamondbacks making that big of an investment in Corbin Carroll? Or are we at a stage already where you can really feel the benefits of the Diamondbacks making that move? And here's what Mike Hazen had to say about that. Knowing that

to the question that we were talking about, you know, what does the World Series mean? The World Series means, means a lot. Having somebody like Corbyn Carroll, who is one of your best players, knowing that he's going to be here for a long time, those two things to me go hand in hand. It's not just saying that for one 30-day period or for one season we went to the World Series. Yeah, we went to the World Series, and that was awesome. And we did it with a guy who's now going to be here for a long time that's

going to be anchoring a team that has the chance in the future to do it again. Being able to speak about it in those terms, I think makes it more powerful. I think that's a, you know, at this point, if we didn't have a deal done, we'd be talking about we have five years left, right? Now we don't we have eight. And I think that's a major thing in my mind, at least, to be able to think about what we have moving forward, how we're going to attack acquiring players externally. I think that that is such a, I mean, it's such a great point. And like at least known baseball GM says he's like, I saved at least the $50 million. with this decision.

Yeah, he didn't say that, but that is. That's basically what it is right. You're not getting Corbyn Carroll for 8 and 111 million at this point. You're not. You're just not after the season he just had. And here's the thing is that obviously Corby and Carol is the right kind of guy to give that contract too because motivation isn't going to be a problem for somebody like him. Yeah.

Which honestly could be for a young player that you give that much money to and secure their future for that much, right? Like it's a common problem in baseball where you kind of see guys that get those big contracts. Like, why aren't they performing like they did in those two seasons where they had those monster seasons? Well, the mindset's differently different for them. And I think that with Corby and Carroll, he's just different, right? Like, he's just a different level of competitive where he just, he wants to be the best out there that he can be at all times. And when you're making an investment like that and a guy who's played, what, 32 games, I think it was, you're investing in the person.

just as much as you're investing in the player, right? You're investing just as you're saying that like, you know, that the pressure that comes with that contract isn't going to have, you know, this enormous negative effect or it's not, it's not going to cause the player to be complacent. And it's also not going to cause the player to put too much pressure on themselves and not be able to perform. And I think the Diamondbacks had a lot of confidence that Corbyn Carroll was going to be

able to handle everything that came along with that. And he certainly has in this. first year. So yeah, I think we can all agree. The Diamondbacks made a pretty good decision at least right now. I mean, that contract looks extremely team friendly, even though it was still a huge investment in a player that had only played about 32 games at the time. He obviously had an incredible rookie season all the way around. Nicholas said, this is why it might be a big deal to wrap up Gabby this offseason, which would be nice, but Gabby might have nest technically. He might have had that season that Corbyn, you know, he might have had that breakout season that we want

to extend them before he has. He really was excellent for this team, you know, this season. Yeah, I guess the equivalent extension would have been like the Diamondbacks trading for Gabby Moreno and then extending him back then extending him right away, right? Because he had just played not that many games with Toronto Blue Jays last year, just his Corbyn had and played that many games with the Diamondbacks. But I did ask today a question also to Mike Hazen about Gabby and the possibility of signing him to a similar extension as what the Diamondbacks gave Corbyn Carroll prior to the start of the season. As expected, Mike wasn't really willing to address this head-on with Gavin Reno in particular,

but he did have some interesting comments along those lines. And here's what he had to say. I've never answered that question. I'm not going to start doing it now. What we discuss internally is we'll stay that way. I don't think talking about who we're going to want to extend or why or when. or how it just kind of boggs down the process for us. I think we would like to keep a group of players here for a long time.

We see the value in the fans being able to associate the Diamondbacks with specific players. And I've referenced this before when I traded Goldie. That was the negative flip side to that equation. That people are seeing really get excited about Corby and having Corbyn Carroll here for a long time is an important piece to that for us to be able to build around moving forward. We have other younger players that we feel like we would like to have here to build that team, that team identity around. Pretty similar answer, right, to what he was saying earlier about Corby and Carroll.

He didn't really talk about Gabby much in particular, but you can tell that Mike really values continuity on this Diamondbacks team and the idea of fans being able to fall in love with a select a core of players and know that those players are going to be around for a long time. And we've heard Mike go time and time again back to the Paul Goldschmidt trade and how he seems to have some regret over trading away. He still has nightmares about that trade. It kind of looks that way. I think he has nightmares about Carson Kelly and Andrew Young and Louiever.

It wasn't the kind of return that would justify trading away franchise player. And I think Mike is very cognizant of that now. and is very aware of what comes with trading away a player or not being able to keep a player that fans really like. And there's no question. I mean, I think you and I have a pretty good sense of kind of the fan base and how people who really like this team feel about different players.

People love Gabby Moreno. Like, people have really... He's Mr. Diamondback. I got my sash guy making him a sash right now as he speak. Are you kidding me? Next time I see him, I'm going to put it out of myself. Maybe with a little crown. I don't know.

Just what Gabby does defensively, I mean, winning a gold glove in his first full major league season is an incredible accomplishment. And the man was hitting third in the World Series. I don't know how you could have drawn up Gabby Moreno's first major league, first full major league season a whole lot better than this. I also want to say something, and this is a football-related comment, but it comes back to this. Josh Dobbs was a quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals,

was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and had a magical first game where he led the team back to a comeback victory at the end. The next day, Jesse... Are you making a Josh Dobbs, Gavin Reno, comparison? Wait, I'm gonna get there.

I'm gonna get there. It's like here and here right now, but these are two who are gonna connect. The next day, the next day, Jesse, Josh Dobbs jerseys were available in the team shop for people to purchase, right? People have fallen in love with new members of this team.

And yet when you go to the team, the Diamondbacks team shop, there is still Madison Bumgardner jerseys, but no Gabriel Moreno jerseys. Randy Johnson Serpientis, but no Alex Thomas team Mexico jersey. Do we not like money? Like, okay. Wait, is that, that's not true, is it? You're telling me that there are Madison Bumgarner jerseys right now in the Diamondbacks team shop. In a Serpientish jersey and a Randy Johnson one in a Serpientis jersey, but you will not find a Gabriel Moreno jersey in the team shop. A Corby Carroll jersey. Well, and I mean, I talked to the manager there and he said that the Corby and Carol

Carol jerseys have just been selling out. Yeah, but the fact that they can't keep them in stock would mean that you should maybe order them like in a Costco size bulk deal and maybe not. Maybe I'm just saying because people, especially during the World Series and the NLCS, Jesse can attest to this. People were standing in line with money in hand. I saw a guy walking in. Yeah, the team shop lines were insane.

I saw a guy walking in that basically said as he was walking in the door, I'm going to buy everything. That's what I heard from him. And it was just funny as I was walking out to hear somebody be like, I am going to buy everything. Right. So, you know, there is something to say about getting people to fall in love with these players and all that. But, you know, again, people do fall in love with them fast. And I have heard that feedback about not being able to purchase their jerseys in the team shop and things like. that. If the Minnesota Vikings can get Josh Dobbs jersey up the next day, then damn it, tomorrow when I go

in the team shop, there should be Mr. Diamondback, Gabriel Moreno, jerseys available on the shelf immediately because this guy has been become beloved by the team. And there's already, like, you know, like you guys were saying here in the chat, like you were saying, there's this thing, Elise said it best. Like, I want to know when I buy the players jersey that this guy is going to be here for a long time. And I want to be able to have that confidence. We know that with Corbyn Carroll now. Everybody can go buy Corbynman Carroll jerseys. You could just waive that jersey insurance that some of those sellers buy.

You're not going to need a new one, right? But some of these other guys, you know, we want that commitment. We want to know because we really haven't had that as a fan base to like that team that we could, you know, root for for a number of years because it was mostly the same team. Yeah. I mean, the Diamondbacks have had, you know, there have been some young players who have come up and fans and I think got attached to. but yeah, there's some situations

where those players eventually just kind of stopped performing or got hurt. Some situations, I think back to Justin Upton where the player got traded

in kind of an ugly sort of fashion. So yeah, I think the, you know, the front office right now is looking at this young core of players

that the Diamondbacks has and the Diamondbacks have and they want to keep those guys around, right? Yeah. So yeah, Mike didn't specifically address

the Gabby Moreno, the idea of a Gabby Moreno extension, but it's clear that that is the kind of thing that he values, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's something the Diamondbacks were considering this offseason. And the terms could be pretty similar to Corby and Carole. I don't think the number would be as high,

but, you know, eight years, adding on a couple years to the deal that he already has, plus, you know, maybe an option for an additional year after that, and then it can make a lot of sense for both sides. Well, I do know that the Diamondbacks have to add some guys. they're going to be losing some guys, but more importantly, they still don't have a full starting rotation. So there's been some talk that free agency is pretty slim pick-ins, right? But how do things look for free agency for starting pitching? And are Diamondbacks going to turn to that or they're going to have to turn to a trade in some way in order to make that happen?

Yeah, Mike did say at one point today that the Diamondbacks will be aggressive on both fronts in terms of starting pitching, both in the trade market and, via free agency. And when it comes to free agency, he was asked specifically what kind of tier of starting pitcher are you looking at? The Diamondbacks, it appears, from what we heard from Ken Kendrick the other day,

it appears that they're going to have some money to spend. We still don't have a whole lot of specifics there. We'll send you this. Yes, Derek is willing to contribute from the swears jar in order to, you know, try to sweeten whatever the debakser are able to bring back this offseason. But yeah, Mike was asked about, you know, what sort of tier are you looking at?

Are you looking at like a frontline starter? Are you looking more at a mid-rotation starter? And here's what he had to say about that. Yeah, we're looking to add to the talent on our roster. I'm not exactly sure how all that's going to come together. We have multiple things that we need to satisfy. We are going to be looking at starting pitching market. We have two top of the rotation starting pitchers,

and we think Brandon Fott has the ability to get into that mode. So I think we're starting in a pretty good spot where everybody's, you know, like who the number one or two or three, I don't get too bogged down into that. Where they slot in, we need to improve our rotation. I would prefer to have somebody given the team that we're instructed right now to have somebody that we get back on. But that doesn't mean that we wouldn't take chances on guys that are like bounce back candidates who are too. I just thinking what we're trying to do, I think we have to stay flexible and engaged in the entire market. Yeah, there was a time where he was kind of. shopping a bit in the bargain bin,

seeing if he could find any last minute, you know, holiday deals. But, you know, now, now we're going for the A gift, right? We're getting, we're getting a PlayStation 5 or something this Christmas, it feels like, but no, it really does feel like, I mean, I understand,

like they don't have a particular, like, we're not going after an S-tier guy, but it also doesn't feel like that's not off the table, right? Yeah, it goes along with, I think, Gambo from Arizona Sports 987, tweeted something earlier today. about how the Diamondbacks are looking for a starting pitcher that will push Brandon Fott down to number four. So someone who is someone who is clearly a more reliable, more established starting pitcher than Brandon Fought,

which granted, Brandon Fawt's only had about 20 major league starts and technically has a career R.A. of almost six. So he's going to be our, he's going to be our star next season. He's going to be our one pitcher next year. He's clearly perceived better than that, right, though based on how well he pitched in the postseason. So, yeah, is it a number one? Probably not. You know, is it, you know, Aeronoa or, you know, Blake Snow, one of the guys at the very top of the market. It seems unlikely, although technically that hasn't been ruled out.

According to our chat, everyone in the comments is convinced that Show Heyo Tani is going to the Diamondbacks, which he's not going to pitch next year anyway. So I don't know how that factors in this conversation. He's going to play third base and DH is what he's going to do. There you go. Yeah, it fits somehow. But yeah, the diamondbacks are, the second part of that clip that you heard was him being asked, are you looking for, you know, like kind of a bounce back guy? There are a number of those out there.

We've talked about Lucas G. Alito and Jack Flaherty and some guys who had really poor second halves in their walk years and might be looking for more of a short-term deal to try to get things going and bounce back and maybe get a bigger deal later on. And as you heard there, Mike basically said, we want someone who's more. We want someone that we can really count on. So, yeah, it's hard to really read into exactly what the what the diamondbacks are looking at here. But it appears that they're not, they're not just looking for a number five starter. They're not just looking for, you know, maybe a Zach Davies type like they got last year.

It appears that they're shooting a little bit higher than that. The thing, the thing I told you was going to happen with Trevor Bauer is happening, Jesse, because people are actually suggesting that in our chat right now. And I just want to point out that I knew this was going to happen with him. I knew he was going to go away. I didn't know he was going to make a weird video about like the charges and try to explain what happened. And I'm not here to even address that because that was still very strange. But this team is just such good vibes.

Get that guy away from me. Regardless of whether the allegations are true or not, he is just a complete asshole. I want nothing to do with rooting for him. I mean, it's interesting because right, like Tommy Fam brought a certain like, negative kind of reputation with him, but we love Tommy fan. And I mean, again, sometimes it's how you fit into the clubhouse and sometimes that stuff gets overblown. Sometimes, I mean, honestly, sometimes people deserve to get slapped in fantasy football.

That's the truth of the matter. Tommy fam's reputation, though, for as controversial as it was, very different place to check it out. Yeah, nowhere even in the same. Yeah, not even in the same. I was just, you know, especially addressing what Damon's saying just more about his, forget the allegations side of it, just the way he is perceived as far as a teammate and in the clubhouse.

But yeah, I think that that is something very important to take into consideration with how they move forward and who they acquire because this team is a connected team and a big part of that, obviously, is Tori Lovelo, manager of this team, the man that deserved to be at least a finalist for National League manager of the year, in my opinion. But his contract extension is now official.

And we have some more from Tori, who once again just to let everybody know is out of the tent. He's back to being clothed in regular clothing. I don't know what he was wearing before, but he's returned to society. And he actually talked here about when his contract extension, when the talks started happening and what this extension means to him. When way back, I think, in early May,

Mike had talked about an extension through the 24th season. and obviously I accepted that and he said, look, if we get to a point where we can circle back and we end up getting to a point where we all feel like we can get to, I will reenter this conversation. And I told them at that time, I'm not good at that. You know, I'm just good at, I'm explaining you guys,

I'm good at honoring my contract. I'm good at understanding my position and the gratefulness that the D-backs have shown, show me. So I told him, it's up to you. And literally the day the season ended, he reminded me that we were going to have this conversation. And I asked to give it a day or two. I needed to decompress a little bit. And sure enough, he did. He was very consistent and came back with a phone call and said, look, I want to get this finalized and done as soon as possible. And I basically accepted what he was saying. And I told him, I just want to discuss with my wife and just get her

looped in and then within the next 12, 24 hours, we had an agreement. But the other way I looked at it was I am grateful. I'm very thankful to Ken and Derek for showing the faith in me and the belief in me that I could run things from the dugout level despite some very rugged circumstances. And I'm just honored by their generosity and their trust in me to continue moving this ball forward. Tori with the flowers on his shirt, which he absolutely deserves in the flowers. He was given by this team and this contract extension. He's such a humble guy. And I feel like, again, he honestly approaches things in a way where he wants to deserve these contract extensions.

We talked about it. I think he should be extended until the end of time. Jesse was a little bit more reasonable about it. But we definitely understand why, you know, obviously the Diamondbacks aren't giving him some sort of crazy long detail or deal. They still want to work towards something and they want to make sure that he continues to be the right man for the job. And I think Tori probably is on board with the timeframe of this deal, you know,

considering that he maybe want to reassess his future at that point. And, you know, who knows, where he's at after 2026. Yeah. We did talk with Mike a little bit about the Tory extension. And he basically just said, yeah, he deserves it. We're lucky to have him. That was all that Mike had to say. And I mean, he also talked about fighting Tori a lot.

And Tori talked about fighting him where they've been like budding heads like brothers because these two are so close. Unfortunately, my audio was a little messed up for this portion of the Mike interview. But yeah, Mike was asked about his relationship with Tori and how that's developed over the years. And yeah, he described him and Tori as being an old married couple and how they have a lot of how they fight every day. And yet they also understand each other. And, you know, Mike has the final say in terms of, you know, the roster decisions. And Tori has the final say in terms of the on-field decisions and how those players are used. And they understand each other.

And they've had a really good thing going ever since 2017 when this, when this partnership between them started here in Arizona. So, yeah, there's something to be said for having, you know, that kind of chemistry, have, you know, having a GM and a manager. who know each other well and are obviously really good friends with each other as well outside of the game. And, you know, Tori's putting up Mike's Christmas lights. And, you know, they're, they've been really, they've been close for a long time. There's a lot of value. Well, there's some, there's some problems with that. But I mean, that and that was caused by the postseason run, right?

But the postseason run for these two is just, I feel like it's such a acknowledgement to them of the, hard work they've put into building this team and that their efforts of trusting the guys that they invested into paid off right now they're to the point where they saw how close they could get how good this team could be on a postseason run and they know they have something special so they can kind of continue working together that's what's so important about this postseason run is just to know that they were able to do this whether it was what you know I know people have called it a fluke but it's no fluke what they did in this postseason run. and run, right? And you know that you can build on this going forward. Like, are they going to get to

the World Series next year? Who's to say, right? There's no way to say that they're not, depending on the moves they make and the way things happen. But they know they have a team that's capable of performing this well in the postseason and that they can continue with this extension of Tori and the extension that Mike, you know, received himself to build and then to continue the plan that they've set in place that has probably been, you know, kind of a blueprint started back in 2017 that, you know, had its ups and downs, had its, you know, terrible season in 2021. And yet here they were able to get as far as they did. It's just, of course, it's a reflection of the two of them, especially considering the youth of this team and what they were able to do.

But Tori did make one interesting comment, something there was a negative, there was a negative side to the postseason run. And that is. is that playing so late in October, playing in the World Series, having a World Series game occur on November 1st, cut into Tori's Christmas decorating time, which is very important to Tori. And here he is talking about how this postseason run cut into his Christmas decorating time. Yeah, I'm driving through the neighborhood,

and I'm kind of freaking out. Everybody has some of their stuff up. So, you know what's funny? Everybody put everything on hold. I heard Mike Amiel and Fitsy talking in my office, like, you know, we got to make sure we're catching up. We got to catch up because things are going to turn pretty quick as soon as the World Series is over. And like the day after the season, I got COVID. Like, COVID was just like waiting for me until the season was over.

So everything got put on hold and I got to get going here. I got, I'm panicking driving through the neighborhood around. Two neighbors have up with lights, and I'm like, uh-uh, I'll get after it. But we have a wedding here this weekend, and after that I'll get going. I love that, man. By the way, Damon and I were willing to get in a fight with Bo Brock today over that man. Like physically, we were going to fight. Like we were about to throw down.

What did Bo Brock say? He said he didn't deserve to be nominated for manager of the year. And we weren't having any of it. Because to be honest, I think it's time to have that discussion about Tori being the greatest manager in Diamondbacks history. Well, I think Tori might be the best manager in Diamondbacks history, but the main thing working against him right now is the fact that he thinks it's okay to decorate for Christmas in late October and early November, which is objectively not true.

You don't understand the commitment level that a man like that has to decorating his house. Jesse, you don't just start in November. There's not enough time. You got to get, there's, there's. Yeah, but that just means you need a more. efficient decorating process. Thousands and thousands of lights. There's LED boards that have to be set up. He probably

hand paints characters, you know, like out of wood. That takes a lot of time. It's one man. I mean, I mean, he has a family behind him supporting him, but can the kids get like Donald Duck's face right on the, you know, on the plywood? I doubt it. Tori is very, you know, he's very, very high

up there when his quality on his Christmas decorating, but he is. I heard a Christmas, I heard a Christmas song played in a TV ad a few days ago. And that in itself Vile made me angrier, more angry than like anything that's happened to me

in like a month. Yeah, that's disgusting. And people in the chat seem to be backing me up on this. It's a problem, Derek. We need to tell Tori that it's unacceptable. It is unacceptable to be decorating for Christmas prior to at least like Thanksgiving.

Black Friday. Maybe, yeah. Yeah, like probably the weekend the weekend after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is really when all those decorations should be going on. You guys obviously don't live in a neighborhood where they have a decorating contest. So I will say the house that I grew up in, my parents' current house, it exists on Google Maps as a destination for Christmas lights. There are tour buses that go down the street that I grew up on. And you know when they put up their Christmas lights, Derek?

Yeah. Right around Thanksgiving. Yeah, I don't know. I'll tell you. Can't do it this early. Not allowed. Yeah, look, I'm just telling you that Tori has a lot of things going on in his life besides baseball and that it's pretty inconsiderate for his team to go on this late postseason run and get in the way of his decorating time.

That's all I'm saying. But thoughts, though, honestly, on Tori being the best manager, the greatest manager in Diamondbacks history. And I guess, like, my main thought, obviously, is longevity and his win-loss record, all that kind of stuff, right? But a lot of it, I think, has to do. It's obviously influenced by this particular run that they had. Like you could say a lot about a lot of postseason teams, this Diamondbacks franchise has had. But I really feel like the way he was able to get this particular team

to the World Series and have this postseason run was pretty special. And not something with the payroll that they currently have that a lot of managers are able to do. Yeah, I think Bob Brenley, you could make a case. I mean, I know Bob Brenley's tenure wasn't particularly long, but the man did win the only World Series in this franchise's history, right? And that comes with, you know, he had an incredible roster. He had a more talented roster than what the Diamondbacks had this year in the World Series.

But, yeah, if someone were to make the case that it has to be Bob Brenley at number one, just because of that, I probably wouldn't argue with it. A World Series is a World Series. A Ring is a Ring. Yeah. I get it. outside of Bob Brenley, though, I think it's pretty clear. I think Tori Lavello is probably the best manager in Diamondbacks history.

He's the longest tenured. He is the winningest manager in franchise histories. He's had that title for a while. And this is a team that has cycled through guys, like, pretty consistently. Like, it's for a while there. It kind of seemed like every couple years, the Diamondbacks were going from one manager to another to another. You know, I know Kirk Gibson was here for about four years. years than chip hail just a couple of years uh you know guys haven't necessarily lasted very long

in that role here in ari levello has and very well very well deserved that he's made it this far i think i would agree with you 100% on that i think bob brunley definitely has a special place that that it's hard to replace it's hard it's hard to succumb that it's hard to get over the manager that basically brought this city its only major championship when i'm it comes to those four major sports. But yeah, Tori, Tori's just different. And I think it's hard if you've met Tori, if you've talked to Tori to not think very highly of him. And there's a lot of quality character guys within the organization right now, including Mike Hayes and including Tori Lavello. And I think those guys are able to identify guys that have high quality of character

like Corbyn Carroll. And that's why, you know, investing in him made that sense and now look at where they're at. So just a great overall job by these guys, but it's going to be interesting to see how they can basically roll this success into continued success in 20, 24 and beyond. They have the core to build around, and there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to do it, especially with the economic windfall that they got from this particular postseason run. So now's the time to invest that money back into the team. And, you know, let's see how many, let's see how good this team can be. Let's see how you can, you know, kind of support that core that you're building around with some very talented additions that can help you get right back to that that place that you got to

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Caleb, Caleb, Lindsey says, the tree doesn't go up until after Thanksgiving. Them's the rules. Yes, thank you. You guys have put me in a weird spot here. Like, I'm just defending Tori's dedication to Christmas decorations. Derek, you can defend Tori on however many fronts you want. I have watched the Great Christmas Showdown or whatever the hell that show is on ABC they have with all the lights going up and everything. Like there's a lot of work put into those things.

These people have to start putting up LED boards in like August. It's crazy. But of course, you just got to respect the hustle that the man is putting in to his holidays. And with holidays right around the corner for all of us, things are getting hectic, including when to put up those Christmas lights. But thankfully, our buds at OG's brands are back at it with exclusive deals for PHNX listeners. and they made it super easy for you to score these savings around this time of the year. Maybe you want to share them. Maybe you don't.

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discount code once again is PHNX and is active until November 30th. Well, the free agent frenzy does not stop because we continue to take a look at potential candidates for the Arizona Diamondbacks who they might want to target. Today, we have a couple of pitchers. One you are probably very familiar with and one, maybe not so much. Yeah, one you might have completely forgot this man ever even played in major league baseball. And we'll start with that guide is one. Eric Fetty. Everyone knows Eric Fettie.

Everybody knows the great Eric Fettie. Who doesn't know Washington Nationals legend Eric Fetty? Yeah, Eric Fetty was non-tendered last off season right around this time a year ago by the Washington Nationals. And then he went and pitched in the KBO for a year. And he won the KBO equivalent of the Cy Young Award and went 20 and six with an ERA of two. We have his full numbers for the season in the KBO. These are some pretty good numbers.

20 and 6 record 2.00 ERA, 180.1 innings pitched, a 0.95 whip, Jesse? That's amazing. 10.4 strikeouts per 9 and 1.7 walks per 9. Those are some impressive numbers for, he put up for my favorite KBO team, the Dinos. Yeah, you've been a big Dinos. I'm a big Dinos fan. Absolutely. That's Tucson's KBO team.

I don't know if you knew that, Derek. Oh, God damn it. They train at high corbett where the U of A plays. Shut up. You're ruining it. They do. Many times. So, yeah, so these are KBO numbers, right?

I want to make that clear. Can you imagine how much money Eric Fetty would be made? He put up these numbers in the majors last year? Oh, my gosh. That would be ridiculous. Well, he does have Scott Boris for an agent, so maybe we will get that kind of money. And truth be sold, that's the major is. That's how his name came on my radar for the show today.

Scott Boris was asked at one point during his extremely long press conference that he did at the GM meetings today. And yeah, he was asked like, you know, what's the, what's the interests like in Eric Fetty right now? And he said everyone is interested in Eric Fetty. I believe he said that he is the most popular, the most popular free agent, which feels a little bit like hyperbole. What? But yeah, he said he's getting a lot of phone calls about Eric Fetty. He's the best. Scott Morris is the best.

He's an incredible salesman. He is. There's a reason that he's like the most influential sports ages of all time. You guys all need to get your edict. Eric Fetty now. It's going to sell out before the holidays. So make sure it's the hottest toy. Eric Fetty.

Eric Fettie. Yeah, I don't know about that. But those numbers are impressive. And again, we do know that the KBO is very competitive. So it's not to take anything away from that league. And we also know that he has been kind of called as once again, known baseball GM Elise coined it the next Merrill Kelly because people have said, obviously his time over there,

he got better and now he's coming back to the United States and could have that kind of season or that kind of career that we've seen Merrill have since he returned. Yeah. And I mean, so these are KBO numbers, but like if you look at Merrill Kelly's KBO numbers, he never had a season like that. No. Merrill Kelly's lowest ERA in his four seasons pitching in the KBO is three.

He basically had an ERA between, he had an ERA between 360 and 413 every year that he pitched in the KBO. Eric Fetty going out there and putting up a two ERA with, you've right, a lot of strikeouts. I think it's 10.4Ks per nine, only 1.7 walks per nine. Those are, they're really impressive numbers across the board. And it would be one thing if Eric Fetty, you know, had the season that he had last year with the nationals where he was not good all. And then went over to the KBO and had a good season, but didn't really make any like tangible changes. It would be like, all right, well, clearly the KBO, the level of competition there is not the same as the level of the competition in the majors. So maybe we don't read much

into this. But there's an article on the Washington Post that kind of does a deep dive into Fetty and some of the changes that he made. And there are some pretty significant things here. He didn't really throw a change up at all in his last season with the nationals. Now he's throwing that pitch. It's revamped. He's throwing that pitch about a quarter of the time. He also throws a sweeper now, which, of course, everyone knows the moment you learn how to throw a sweeper, you become an elite dominant pitcher in baseball. Everybody throws a sweeper.

That's just the dem's the rules, right? That or Robert Bessions football sliders. Yeah, one of the two. One of the two. I was waiting for that. Stiff wrist, throw like a football. But yeah, there are some arsenal changes here and, you know, some usage changes as well. So I think there are some teams that are going to be interested in Eric Fetty.

And I would understand if the diamond, we don't have any clear confirmation that the diamondbacks are in on him. But it sort of makes sense as a guy that could very well come over in the same way that Merrill Kelly did and be a lot better than maybe some of the other free agent pitchers that are on the market that are a little bit more well known. Also, I will say this, that a lot of the free agent pitchers, as we've discussed, are most likely looking for a lot of. a longer term deal, but I imagine that Boris, Eric Fetty, and whatever teams offer up to them, they're going to not want to commit to a long-term deal with a guy coming over from the KBO like this until they see what he really has to offer, right? So I imagine that shorter-term deals are probably going to be offered and maybe a little bit more acceptable rather than maybe some of the other pitchers available on the market.

Yeah, I mean, MLB trade rumors doesn't even have Eric Fetty in their top. I think it's their top 50 free agents. So, yeah, I mean, you're not, you might need to give Jordan Montgomery $5.120 million. Yeah, I don't know if that's actually true. But yeah, you're not going to have to give Eric Fetty Jordan Montgomery money. Like, we know that. And, yeah, I mean, we talked earlier about how Mike Hazen wants someone who's, you know, that you can count on. He's not looking for like a bounce back guy.

This isn't really a bounce back situation with Fetty, but I guess it, I guess it's someone who maybe you can't. can't count on quite as much as you could, the guys who actually pitched in the majors last year. But it's an interesting idea in someone that I think would cost substantially less than a lot of the other starting pitchers on the market. Well, the other guy we're taking a look at is probably going to count, cost a bit more and demand that longer term contract. But he might have that consistency that Mike Hazen is talking about, not looking for a guy bouncing back, but a guy that has been very good for his team. And that would be Eduardo Rodriguez from the Tigers. and of course I've talked a lot about my admiration for him and how good he's been. But let's take a look at the stats from this season because even on a fairly mediocre Tigers team,

he was a very, very, very, very bright spot for them. Yeah, I'm getting a sense of deja vu here because I feel like we talked about Eduardo Rodriguez like three, four months ago. As a trade deadline target, we're kind of circling back to a lot of the same guys. But yeah, Eduardo Rodriguez had a really good season for the Tigers, 13 and 9, a 330 ERA, a 115 whip, decent strikeout and walk numbers as well, 152 and 2 thirds innings. He's a guy that you feel like you can count on. He's not a number one, he's not a number two, but he would sort of fit the mold of what Mike was describing, someone who would shift Brandon Fought down to number four in the rotation and, you know, fit in nicely as a mid-rotation starter.

Not necessarily be the ace that some of these guys are potentially going to be on the new staffs that they join, but somebody that fits in right now with the guys they got compliments them well. And honestly, I think the most impressive thing here is that he just seems kind of different from what the Diamondbacks have as far as his traits. You know what I mean? Like there's something at times that, you know, like Merrill Kelly and Zach Gallen, they bring a certain level of consistency. see, but none of these guys aren't Erod, you know? Yeah, yeah. And Erod, ERO is interesting in that he had a 330 ERA.

If you do the savant page thing, you're not going to be like that impressed. Like his chase rate, his whiff rate, neither of those were above average. I think they're both slightly below. I don't think he's a 330-pitcher. His expected ERA was a little bit over four. I think that's probably more in line of what you. should expect from him moving forward. Sure.

And the track record on these kind of deals isn't that great. I think of like, I don't know, like Jordan Zimmerman is one, one random name that comes to mind. The Detroit Tigers signed a number of years ago to a deal that I think is maybe similar to what it'll take to get Rodriguez and that deal did not go well at all. These like mid-rotation kind of a guy's kind of guys don't necessarily work out so well. So, yeah, there are some, you know, some reason to be cautious. I wouldn't sign Eduardo Rodriguez expecting a number two starter,

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This is probably actually what's going to happen here. Carlos said, watch Otani sign a 10-year contract with the angels like Trout. and just have wasted everyone's time. That honestly would be hilarious. Our definition of hilarious are two different things, Carlos. Much like Damon, my sense of humor is not like yours when it comes to this, but you're probably 100% accurate when it comes to that. And we all know.

I don't know if it would say probably 100% accurate. It would not shock me at all. Right. But of course, we do know that Otani really is the free agent that everybody is talking about the most. And Scott Boris's comments at times can be absolutely insane. but crazy like a fox maybe because that man is always selling his clients and always trying to make sure he can do what's best for them. But he did make some other interesting comments.

And I know one of them was about the milkman himself, Zach Gowan. Yeah, I asked the obligatory question today to Scott Boris, have the Diamondbacks and you had any conversations about a Zach Gallen extension. And he didn't really say much, which is sort of what I anticipated. He said he hasn't had a chance to discuss an extension with Mike Hazen and the Diamondbacks at this point. I followed up and asked if the Diamondbacks have expressed interest in that. And he basically just said, I think every team would want Zach Gallen, right? So, yeah, you know, he played, he did the Scott Boris thing pretty well and didn't give a whole lot of information.

We are still, right, Gallen has two more years with the Diamondbacks, not one. So this will be a more a more weighty discussion to have next off season. Correct. I suspect Scott Boris will find the time to have those conversations with the Diamondbacks next off season if the Diamondbacks are interested. So as we learn more about that situation, we'll be sure to pass it along. He also wants a neutral site world series, Jesse, for seven games? Just one neutral site? What are your thoughts on that?

I think it's an outrageous idea. I think it's awful. And that's coming from someone who believes that Scott Boris actually is kind of on point at times with the way with some of the changes that he wants to see. But yeah, I mean, the thinking here is going off of the Super Bowl, right? And the spectacle at the Super Bowl is the fact that it changes cities every year. The Super Bowl is not just the NFL championship game. It is the Super Bowl. It is this big event.

It is this big thing. Right. And the World Series is is not that, right? The World Series is a big event, as we have seen. You're going to sell out all the tickets. It's going to be a big thing. There's going to be a lot of people there. But it's not, it is not what the Super Bowl has become for the NFL.

And I think some people like Scott Borris would like to see it get there. I just don't know if I see it. Okay. So like there are some benefits to this, right? So certain cities that have franchises that might not ever participate. in a World Series would allow the World Series to come to their city. It would cut down on travel for the teams and for the people like yourself involved who constantly have to do two games here, three games here, maybe two games back here again, right?

So logistically, there's some things that make sense about it, but it doesn't make sense because no other sport that plays a seven-game series like this has all seven games played at like a neutral site, which would just be crazy. The fact that there's seven games, you're right. That's a pretty big difference from the Super Bowl and the way that the NFL operates. I guess one benefit would be that you could make sure that the World Series is played in a town with decent weather in late October, early November. That's fair. You know, you could avoid the sleet of like the Northeast or whatever at times.

Philly's fans aren't going to like this idea one bit. Yeah, but like talk to those fan bases. Like they're not, they're not out there hoping, you know, wishing that the World Series was held somewhere else just so that they didn't have to. deal with the weather. Right. I do think Major League Baseball would still be able to sell out the games. It's not like if they did a neutral site, no one would come. But I still think it's just a really bad idea because like Diamondbacks fans who got

to experience the World Series this year. If the World Series was held at a neutral site, that probably doesn't happen. And we're just not going to have that thing of us coming together, of us, of our fan base being all together in one building and supporting a team. And I know, you know, at times there was a lot of discussion about that this postseason run, right about you know the dedication of diamondbacks fans oh my god i can't believe there's 12 tibald tickets available for an nLCS game and all of that kind of stuff right but on a tuesday yeah that was on a thursday at 2 o'clock in the afternoon don't have games at

thursdays at 2 o'clock in the afternoon uh i don't know i mean obviously not going to happen uh and i don't really think that that's a great idea but he also wants to move the amateur drafter right after the college world series and that makes sense yeah that's that just that just kind needs to happen. From the conversations that I've had, there is not a, there is not a baseball person on the planet that enjoys having the amateur draft during the All-Star break. Scouts don't like it because these players have just been kind of sitting around for several weeks, possibly more in some cases.

And the media doesn't really like it either. I don't think it's really good for baseball because it's kind of buried by the spectacle that is the home run derby and the All-Star game and everything. else that happens. It would be best served kind of having its own spotlight a couple of weeks earlier. I think this is something that Scott Boris is not alone on. I think this will probably happen at some point because it seems like everyone sort of feels it should be this way. So not all of his ideas are terrible. No, no, just the one of the World Series being at an initial site, which I still think is outrageous. I don't know about Eric Fetty being the most popular free agent

picture. That's fair. Yeah, but everything else kind of tracks a bit. But, but, but, but, but, But MLB does have some things that they do need to get under control. He's not wrong when it comes to that because they may have, may have sent out the list of all of the award winners in the order of who won the award. Is that what we're seeing? Well, the award, yeah, I think it was Jeff Passon, right? He tweeted out the finalists. Yeah, the finalists for each award. for all of the different BBWA awards.

And it certainly appeared that they were in order of who won. And then Jeff Passon deleted the screenshot, that's my understanding. He never does. That man is the bravest man I've ever met in my entire life. He just doesn't delete tweets. He simply doesn't do it. That's fair. That's pretty off brand for him.

And so someone tweeted this out today and was like, this is actually, this is the order, right? Like, these aren't just the finalist. This is absolutely the order. Showing, Corey Zeger. I can see you, I mean, this is it. Corby and Carol, Kodi Senga. Of course, James Outman is also there. But yeah, no, this.

It actually surprises me to see Zach Gowan second, to be honest, just a little bit there for the NL. James Outman is last. That's the correct answer. Oh, okay. Just wanted to make sure. So, I mean, maybe, I don't know, maybe maybe. I mean, but like, do any of these surprise you? Like, no.

This has to be the correct order because every single one of these is how I would expect them to go. The only one that surprises me is an L manager of the year. And this isn't my. Shumacher over counsel. Is that what you expected? Yeah. I mean, honestly, either guy there over counsel, to be honest, I just, I still don't even. Nicker over counsel, that I don't agree with.

Well, I don't, I just don't understand what Craig Counsel did to get here. Like, I don't, I mean, is it consistency? Because he has been a consistently good manager for the brewers. I do not want to take that away from him at all, right? But like what really changed for the brewers that they haven't already kind of been doing? The Brewers weren't expected to win the NL Central. The Braves had like the best offensive season in major league history. And I'm pretty sure that you or I could have managed the Braves.

I definitely would have at least found our way to the playoffs. David and I talked earlier. We could have co-manage the Braves to a World Series together if you put us in charge of that team for sure. Yeah. No, I agree with Skip. I just, I don't know. It was, it's weird. I don't know.

I don't know, but. The brewers have been in the playoffs a lot recently. Like, that's not, it's not shocking that they got here. The only shocking thing was that the Cardinals were as bad as they were. That's the shocking thing. Yeah, not that the Brewers were like particularly good. And that the Cubs kind of like. I didn't have the Brewers.

I didn't have the Brewers winning 91 games this year. Okay. I still think they had a good season. But Tori also was the manager routine that was expected. Yeah, Tori still should have been. Tori still should have been a finalist, in my opinion. And yeah, Skip Schumacher, I still think has a better case than Craig counsel. So I'm with you on that from.

All right. Well, I'm glad we can agree on something. Yeah, it's the only thing. It's the entire show. I mean, in a week since you've been back, it's the first thing we agreed on. So have you already decorated, have you already put all your Christmas decorations? No, definitely. No, I was just defending Tori.

I haven't even taken my Halloween decorations down yet because I don't have the time. But I was just, I was just defending. How do you get all of your LEDs up in time? I'm not that. You need at least like two months to, like you must have started in June. My are blowups, and they mostly just need to be tacked down to the ground. So that shit can be done in an afternoon. I'm definitely not to worry.

But of course, he still is a connected manager. We are still a connected team. And we're still a fucking dangerous team. So make sure to get that shirt over at the PHNX Locker.com. You can get that shirt for free with your diehard membership. So if you have not signed up for a dired membership yet, sign up to stay. You'll get Jesse's newsletter. You get access to our Discord lounge.

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She will get 10% off. Well, we thank you guys again for being here tonight. We will be back tomorrow with a more normal time, I believe. 1 p.m. episode tomorrow? 1.m. I have to check with this guy because I don't know when he has GM meetings or little side things planned with Mike Hazen. But, of course, we will be back. In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter.

I'm at Kapp underscore Keman with a K. Jesse's at Jesse N. Friedman. Some of us in this room are Damon's dogs. Not all of us. He's still the people's producer, but I don't know if me and M. are still a connected team. You can follow him at Damon Dogg. It's DAWG.

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