PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Level up and ring the bell! The Phillies and the Astros advance to the World Series

Episode Date: October 24, 2022

It’s time to crown a champion! The Philadelphia Phillies take the NLCS and prepare to lock up with the ALCS winners, the Houston Astros. Is it possible for the team with the higher payroll to be the gritty underdog everyone can get behind? We’re about the find out. 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-Backs podcast right here on PHNX. World Series time, baby. We know who's going now. So, of course, this show is brought to you by the fine folks at the Drafking Sportsbook app. I am your mayor, PHNX, occasionally known as Derek Montia. He is your vice mayor. He's occasionally known as Thunderstick, Jesse Friedman. And, of course, we are here to talk about some World Series action.

Let's go. Padres done. Yankees done. the Yankees lose. That's for Ben. But of course, Jesse, what are your thoughts on the Astros sweeping the Yankees? The Astros utterly own the New York Yankees. That's pretty much the story.

I think it was Jeff Passen had a ridiculous stat the other day. Over the course of every game that the Astros and Yankees have played this year, regular season and postseason, the Yankees have had a lead after like eight innings or something. and the Astros have had the lead after like every other inning in all of those games. So it's just crazy how much the Astros have sort of bullied the Yankees over not just this season, but over the last few years. They've just kind of had their number. And it's a fascinating World Series matchup.

In the American League, you've got a team that won 106 games, right? A team that is arguably the best team in the American League and was kind of always the favorite to represent the American League in the World Series. And on the other hand, you have the first ever third wildcard team in Major League history ascending all the way to the stage of the World Series. And we also have to wait four more days to even see one of these games happen. So there's all sorts of interesting things happening here. What are ridiculous teas? Like what are ridiculous teas to have like the playoffs in so many of these series be condensed down so much to have things going so fast.

And now five-day layoff. Yeah. Figure it out. guys. I mean, it's sort of like the calm before the storm, you know. It makes sense. It allows both pitching staffs to fully recover and, you know, all of the pitchers will be available. Teams will be able to line up their starters the exact way that they want to. So, I mean, there is a benefit to that. But yeah, it is weird for us to just kind of sit around here and wait for, you know, five days after the, after the last game of the championship series was finished. So a weird situation. But I'm excited for this matchup. I think,

despite the fact that the, you know, the Phillies were 87 and 75 and the Astros were 106 and 56, based on how good the Phillies had been in the playoffs, it kind of feels like a sort of even matchup, which is something I never thought I would say going into the postseason. Alex Bregman might go down as one of the best third baseman in postseason history. He has now the most home runs for a third baseman in postseason history, as well as being the driving force or the person that got to go ahead, had run in the final game against the Yankees.

And it's just been an impressive thing because Alex Breggman doesn't really get, I don't feel like the credit he deserves. I don't know if any Astros will get the credit they deserve. I think it's easy to just bang on a trash can, make jokes about Oscar the Grouch and disregard what they're doing. But the Astros have been incredible. Their dominance over the Yankees, it's not surprising considering, like Jesse said, how good they've been against the Yankees, but it's surprising because, you know, here we are in the

postseason. You had two of the best teams in Major League Baseball going up against each other, and the Yankees looked like they were just flailing to keep up with the Astros. They get swept. The Astros sweep their first series. They are perfect seven for seven so far in the postseason and could go on potentially to roll over the Phillies. Could you imagine if the Astros went 11 and O? It's very possible because they are a dominant team. And honestly, speaking of the Phillies, it's very funny that the Phillies are the, you know, downtrodden underdogs when they actually have a much higher payroll than the Astros. But, I mean, seriously, is there a better team to be up against in the World Series than the Houston Astros?

The ultimate villain, more so than the Yankees. They've passed the Yankees for being the biggest villain in baseball because of the whole cheating scandal and how you can kind of slap that label on But now they definitely, even though they're not the team with the higher payroll that's spending the money to do the thing, they are the team that is easily seen as the biggest villain in baseball. Yeah, I mean, the Phillies are going to, Phillies fans are going to have so much fun with this, right? They don't play the Houston Astros very often. Yeah, Phillies fans, they have an entire, like, we have new material. We've been working on some stuff. Wait until we get here, right?

There were a chance in the streets of Philadelphia last night. that we want the Astros, or we want Houston, something along those lines. I think trash troves was maybe. Yeah, maybe that's what they said. But, yeah, I mean, the Phillies are getting an opportunity on a really big stage against a team that basically everyone hates. I know we have a poll that we put out to all of you guys, which team you were going to be rooting for in the World Series.

And it is not close. Not even close. And there's a reason that when I tweeted this, I said, pretends not to know how you will answer because, yes, we all knew that, you guys were going to root the Philly. It's actually that 19% that's more surprising. Yeah, I'm actually surprised it's that high. But I will also say that John Boy put out a poll of their own that was very similar that was, you know, who are rooting for in the World Series. It was very similar to ours. It was like 75 Phillies, 25 Astros. So it's not just you Diamondbacks fans who are rooting for the Phillies in the series. It's pretty much all of baseball. It's everybody. It's rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies in the series, which is crazy because like you said, they spend a lot of money. They're not like your prototypical. typical underdog story.

They're getting away with it. They're absolutely getting away with it. And honestly, it's very indicative of Philadelphia, right? Philadelphia is very much a blue-collar, hardworking town. You would know, Derek. You were there like two weeks ago. I was there. I blessed them with my presence. That's why they're in the world serious.

But of course, I want to say nice try to you guys trying to get us to root for the Padres. You'll get us next time, but not this time. National League West is done with the loss. Does that bring you joy? Does that bring you joy? I mean, does it? Because there are some people that come from the point of view that they want to see the team that beat them go on to win the whole thing. And then there's petty people like myself who just can't wait to see them lose, right?

And get their revenge. But I don't know. I feel satisfied that the National League West spent as much money as they did and still weren't able to come out with the World Series. title once again. Yeah, that's understandable. I mean, I think there is something to be said for, you know, not watching one of your NL West foes march into the World Series and, you know, have as big a stage as there will be on Friday night. But, yeah, I mean, unfortunately, I don't think the Padres that the Dodgers are going away anytime soon. So, you piss them off more. Yeah. It's just going to, it's just going to tempt A.J. Preller to go spend more money and it's like we hit a hornets nest with a baseball bat and ran

inside the house really fast. They're just going to be pissed now. It is sort of terrifying in a sense, right? Anytime that the Dodgers or the Padres fall below the goal that they're shooting for, you know that their front offices are going to try to make it right. They're not going to turn around the next year, most likely, and just run it back with the same team. They're going to try to make improvement.

So there is a side to this where, you know, you are sort of tempting those guys to come out and make some big moves this winter. But at the end of the day, you know, if you're going to be. If the Dodgers aren't going deep into the postseason, I think Diamondbacks fans are pretty happy about that. And if the Padres aren't going all the way into the World Series, I imagine that's a good thing for a lot of people as well. Ben in the chat said I was happier about the Dodgers losing than the Padres. Yeah. Yeah.

I think probably everyone feels that way. They got away the same thing the Phillies did of somehow being the underdog in the situation, even though they don't spend that much less. Right. So really it comes down to feeling like, you know, like a team that's closer to the Diamondbacks, I think. Like that's the thing about the Phillies. Of course, besides the pH thing I pointed out to you guys that makes me feel closer to them is that the Phillies just didn't have that good of a record. Really, when it came down to it, they barely got into the playoffs. The Phillies, this stat, this stat blew my mind.

The Phillies in the regular season were below 500 when not playing the Washington Nationals. They just like clown the nationals and we're actually a pretty bad team outside of that. So wild stuff. That's a good team to pick on if you can. Of course, Jesse will be keeping you updated with what the Arizona Diamondbacks do to keep up with these other teams. It's not just the Dodgers and the Padres by the way. All sorts of rumors circulating about who the giants are going to be interested in this offseason. And you know they are not going to just lay down and roll over either in this division.

So it's going to continue to be hard. I'm purposefully leaving the Rockies out of the conversation. to hurt people's feelings. And, of course, we got to do what we got to do. So make sure to keep up to date with Jesse over at go phnx.com. You can get an annual membership and you'll get yourself a free t-shirt from the PHNX Locker.com. Of course, there's this good boy, Cody.

Or this one. Or this guy, Cessarvesa, no affiliation to any particular player, by the way, in history or known, right? That's right. Yeah, yeah. Checks out. Go get yourself a t-shirt over at PHNX Locker.com. If you get a membership, you'll also get member-only discounts over at the PHNx Locker.com.

And if you get a month-to-month membership, you'll still get those discounts. You'll also get your first month for just 50 cents. Regardless of your membership status, you will get members-only access to our Discord and members-only invites to our events that we're doing all fall long, all winter long. Next year, when baseball comes back, we'll be doing that as well. And don't forget, we are doing our meetup at the home run derby for the Arizona Fall League, the Fall Stars game. So make sure to check that out. We will be out there at Sloan Park on November 5th.

That starts at 635 p.m. I believe tickets are $5. Really? Five bucks. Whoa. Five dollars. So no reason to not come out to one of the most beautiful spring training ballparks in all of Arizona, as well as one of the most exciting events.

We're going to catch some fly balls. We're going to have a good time. So, Sloan Park is like a close second to Salt River Fields. Salt River Fields is the best spring training facility out there. Sloan Park, very, very close. It's a very, very nice place. I can't argue with that.

Of course not. We spent a lot of time there too, so we know. Although you're obsessed with like camelback, ranch or something, right? Is that the one you really like? No, no, no. I like my fate. No, no, I'm not obsessed with cats. I hate Camelback Ranch. Oh, is that the one you hate? That's the one that there's no, there's no shade during a day game.

Okay. It's awful. Surprise. I also hate surprise, but no offense to anybody out there might be a fan. I just don't like traffic. I'm not a fan of traffic. Of course, if you're here right now on the PHNX YouTube channel, make sure to subscribe to the channel, sign up for notifications, leave us a thumbs up.

That way we know you like us. Also, if you're listening right now on your favorite audio, podcasting app, make sure to subscribe there. Leave us a five-star review. And that's only if you feel Jesse deserves it. Obviously, I am beyond repair at this point. Or Leah, right?

Or Leah, yeah. These two deserve it. Me, old dog, can't teach him new tricks. So there's no amount of reviews that are going to make me change my ways or how I am. But that's because I'm very much set in my ways. I'm the mayor of this place. I don't have to change. I got elected. I'm going to get reelected.

And that's how things are going to go. But the reason, there's a good reason for it. There's a good reason for it. Jesse knows because every week around this place is Shark Week. And that's because of me. And every day is Earth Day, again, because of me, because we recycle. And of course, every Monday on this very show, we go to the mailbag. Let's go.

I'll have to be something interesting in my mailbox. I try to get to everything in my mailbox. And then once in a while there's a letter that makes we go out. Cannot hear the word mail without that song pop it into your head. But of course, we are here with Mailbag Monday. Let's get some questions going. Leo, what do we have for our first question? Jay Shoe Sports gets right into it.

We have so many days to figure this out. But J-Shoe Sports asks, Who do you have winning the World Series this year with the matchup now set? I have Phillies and seven, which, wow, I like that. I wish I could feel that way. And I cannot. I can't bring myself to that. after watching the Astros do what the Astros have done with a fully rested pitching staff,

I cannot help but say Astros in four. Astros in four? That's, oh my gosh. I'm doing it. I mean, so you're predicting the Astros to not lose a game. Perfect playoffs.

Perfect playoffs. Whoa. Yeah, I'm sorry. I can't help it. The Phillies, it's not like the Phillies were a bad team, but the Phillies were like, we're playing in these games.

I mean, Don't get me wrong. They have some power, but so do the Astros. I think more than anything, though, I'm convinced by the pitching of the Houston Astros. I don't think any other team can keep up with their pitching staff, both starting rotation and their bullpen. I mean, to be fair, the Astros in the postseason, you want to know what their ERA is? Let's hear it. It is 1.88.

It's delightful. It is a little bit hard to bet against a team that has done what the Astros have done. And I think I also am going to pick Houston in this series. I think it's going to be closer. I think it'll go six games. Okay. I have Astros in six. But the Astros have just been a juggernaut throughout this entire season.

And I think the trash can thing made a lot of people think that the Astros were not as good as the way that they performed that year. That's a great point. And people have just overlooked them. Yeah, it just credits them. Oh, now you can't cheat. You're not going to be as good. You know. The Astros were really freaking.

without the trash can thing. That's the reality that people don't want to believe, but I think it's 100% true. And they're showing it right now in the postseason, just how good they can be. The biggest thing, again, is the pitching staff, though. There's just no way to get over that. And the pitching staff didn't have shit to do with the cheating, though I'm sure that there's some ways that they're figuring out to get an advantage. Because that's, if you're not cheating, you're not trying, right? Rest in peace, eh, Dore.

Jose L. Tuvae is hitting 0.94 in the playoffs, and the Astros still have not lost a game. It's like a lot can go wrong and the Astros can still just pummel everyone that they play. Josh Hudson says in the comments, not that I thought they weren't good, but I didn't want them to be good. And that's, yeah, that's a great. Yeah, maybe people are just kind of in denial more than anything else. I wish it was the cheating. I really wish it was the cheating that made them bad. But it's not.

They're a well-constructed franchise. That's really what it came down to. They were able to lose key pieces and still rebuild and get better or at least maintain how good they were. And so much of it, to be honest, besides the cheating stuff, obviously, is still somewhat of a blueprint for a team like the Arizona Diamondbacks because of the amount of building that team that they did with their farm system and internally. Like, yeah, they get to that point where they start picking up free agents and adding those pieces because they know the core of the team. The team that they have there is good enough should they be able to just add some pieces here or there. And they've been right about that. Yeah.

Jeremy Pena also, I think it's worth giving him a shout. out he's basically like the replacement for Carlos Correa and Carlos Correa was a guy coming into the year that you felt really couldn't be replaced. Yeah. And Jeremy Pena, he wasn't Carlos Correa during the regular season necessarily, but he was still a really good player for them and in the postseason he has like a 1,000 OPS. Jeremy Pena has been really, really good for the Astros and that's a name that I don't think a lot of people are familiar with yet.

Ben says, why can't the players the Astros trade to us be this good? How dare you be smirch the good name of Josh Rojas? How dare you? All right, next question. What we got, Liam? Rick Hughes asks, is the answer to Dback's back end of Penn Woes Landon Sims could be ready by spring training if I recall? I hope. We hope.

And I think, to be honest, the answer to the debacks back end of Penn Woes are going to come from the minor league system. Yeah. That's something that they really need to improve that more than just about anything else is how do we develop relievers in-house, right? A lot of these guys that you've seen dominate. in the post season this year that these teams have are not free agents. There are guys that they signed or guys that they just developed in house over the years that became really, really good back-end relievers. And that's something the debacks just haven't done, right?

They've had a few guys with some potential. I still think Kevin Ginkle, you know, is a guy who has a shot at becoming an effective back-end reliever at some point. But you need to have some of the types of relievers that we've seen in the postseason on this Diamondbacks team at some point. whether Sims is the guy, I don't know. He's not going to come in and be a major leaguer right away, especially coming off of Tommy John's surgery.

It's going to take him some time. So I wouldn't expect to see Landon Sims in the big leagues this year. Even 2024 might be a little bit bullish to have him, you know, having an impact in the big leagues. But it's certainly possible. I mean, he was a really, really good pitcher in college. Landon Sims was sort of like the Craig Kimball in some ways. college baseball. He was a very, very good back-end reliever. And that's why the diamondbacks took him,

hoping that, you know, he had incredible stuff. And if he comes back with that same stuff after Tommy John's surgery, there really might be something there. Brett Johnson says, my best BFF, Justin Martinez in the pen. Well, we know about your guys' relationship. He's rooting for Brett Johnson to finish his and ridiculous card collection that involves Justin Martinez. The color spectrum, I believe, as he called it, a full rainbow. I don't know. I don't know that much about cards. We need to bring Rock in here to assess your entire addiction with Justin Martinez baseball cards. Ben says I'm predicting a Balancing a Blanson rebound hot take. Wow. What do you think? I don't think that's that hot of a take, honestly. I mean, whether rebound means like leading the

league and saves again, that's a pretty, that's a hot take. But being a valuable part of the bullpen. Yeah, being a valuable reliever who could be a viable closer. I don't think, I think that's fairly, I don't want to say likely, but I think that's very possible. And it's something we've seen Melanson do before. It's not like Mark Melanson has had as long of a career as he's had without ever having a down year. If you go through his career numbers, he's had not as great seasons every once in a while, and he generally follows it up by bouncing back the next year. So I know he's in his upper 30s now, but I still think that's possible.

I hope so. Being a top five closer. Wow. Ben's drunk. That is a hot take. It's 11.20 a.m. and I want Ben needs to. have a breathalyzer taste.

What else we got, Leah? What are Derek's thoughts on the criticism stone at Taylor Swift on various PHNX pods the past few days? This one's all you. All right. I don't. I get it, right? Because when you're one of the biggest stars in the world, you're going to be criticized. Everything's going to be thrown your way.

But one day, you people that through criticisms that Taylor's, Swiss way are going to understand that she is the songstress of our era and of our lifetimes. She is one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever, and that's all there is to it. You're just jealous. That's all it is. Sure, is she jaded by a world that didn't love her back as much as she loved them? Probably. Is she jaded by a music industry that did nothing but tried to pick the bones from her carcass?

Absolutely. Has she changed as a person because of these factors? Yes, has it changed her as a songwriter? writer absolutely not she is one of the greatest and i will not stand for this criticism that people like lea threw her away lea do you want to get in on this what i will say i don't so so craig was like trying to tee me up for a taylor swift hatred rant yeah and on our show on saturday if you watched south was biased but then you listen to lavender hayes no no no no no i haven't listened to a single song on the new album i literally never will um but but but if you

watched Sean on Southwest Bias last week. Like he talked a lot of shit. Sean despises Taylor Swept. I do not like her music, but I respect her as an artist. I don't. I've never, like I like some of her old school stuff. Sure.

Like you belong with me sort of vibes. I just don't care for her music. It really, I just have to change the station every time she comes on the radio. I don't have any of her songs on my phone. Like I just, I don't connect with her music. I don't like her music.

I think she's a talented songwriter. I think she's a talented artist. That's why I don't want to disparage her because I never want to disparage like a female artist who's like created an amazing career for herself. I just cannot stand her music and I will not be listening to Midnight. See, that's the fine. That's fine. That's a valid opinion.

That's entirely too rational. I understand. Yeah, exactly. Right. You're not allowed to have a rational thing on Taylor Swift. I'm sitting here agreeing with you. Elizabeth says follow up question. Jesse, can you name?

name five Taylor Swift songs. Love story. It's the only one I can. That's a good song, though. It's a good song. I'm cool. I'm fine. I don't like love story, by the way.

Matt Cuff says, who's more overlooked as a talent? Taylor Swift or Stone Garrett? The 2014 draft. Oh my God. Now, Taylor gets her due. It's definitely Stone Garrett. That's for sure.

That's right. That one easy. But by the way, Lavender Hayes, an absolute delight. 11 out of 10. That's all, I think. There's nothing else that needs to be said. You said everything.

Go listen to the new album. Midnights. It's great. I don't know what you guys are doing. I don't know how you can hate this woman. But here's the thing is maybe, maybe you stay up till midnight. You listen to Midnights. You take some OG's gummies.

And maybe it'll change your perspective on what this woman has gone through in her life and how she's sharing, opening herself up like a book to all of you. And you don't even respect it or deserve it, to be honest. But the important thing there is try friends at OG's Gummies Gummies. They are the Arizona's top selling. gummy. And of course, they've launched their brand new sleep edition gummy. It's been just absolutely incredible. And for those of you that are turning to edibles for a good night's sleep, it is the exact thing you're looking for. It's a two to one THC to CBN ratio. It helps flavor your dreams

and make them delightful, but it also helps you fall asleep and stay asleep with that CBN compound. We highly recommend you check them out. That new flavor is Aquaberry, as well as their entire variety of flavors over at OGs online at OGsbrands.com and on Instagram at OGs Brands. You can also find their products at your local dispensary. Must be 21 years or older to purchase. And also, it's almost over. Halloween's almost here. Spooky season is almost gone.

Then we're on the like Thanksgiving and family coming into town and stuff. So before that, make like Saul Bookman, go to the haunted brewery tours, scream like a small child and run the whole time through there. He knows how terrifying is. He's standing in the room right now. And he can agree. But of course, make sure to check that out. Monday through Wednesday, they have two tours per night. at the 8th Street pub.

If you don't get a chance to do so, find Fort Peaks Brewing Company beer near you. Must be 21 years or older to enjoy and enjoy responsibly. Saul, did you have any thoughts on Taylor Swift? Let's go, because I heard everybody on this network had negative things to say about her, and I'm here defending her, so let's hear it. What are your thoughts?

Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, my only thought on Taylor Swift is that I never have had one. All right. Wow. Well, well said. That's Saul Bookman, ladies and gentlemen. Short and sweet. What else we got, Leo, for Mailbag Monday questions?

Wait, I just have this comment for Ben. I can't believe Derek is more of a Taylor Swift fan than a Diamondbacks fan. That is entirely possible. Hold on. Hold on. I only cover one of these things for my job, right? And so I have to stay unbiased and fair. The other thing I can be as irrational as I want to about it.

But what else we got for questions here, Leah? Brian Bobbitt says, the Phillies just made the World Series with a bullpen. I like how you spelled that, that ranked 11th of 15 in the National League and the ERA. Obviously, the two teams are way different from an offensive standpoint, but how does that make us feel about the debacks going into 2023? I don't feel like the Phillies bullpen was a liability for them in the playoffs at all. I thought that they did a good job of closing out games and not necessarily having things slip away from them where they had to come back or, you know, kind of make up for the bullpens in efficiencies, right? So I'll say that I it's encouraging because it does show that when it comes down to crunch time, the guys that you know you can count on the guys that kind of throughout the season you've been able to call on kind of can step up and play at a higher level.

It's just still not even knowing where the diamondbacks are with that, not even knowing really who they can count on. Obviously, Joe Mantiply and a few others kind of come up. But it's still, you know, we still saw, you know, I don't know if we saw anybody be. reliable as a reliever out of the pen. No, not really. Not for the Diamondbacks, not consistently. Joe Man applied a great first half and then, you know, kind of faded down the stretch, unfortunately. The Phillies, you're right, like in the regular season.

I mean, again, we talked about it before. The Phillies were not that good of a regular season team. And they were 87 and 75. They wouldn't have been a playoff team literally any other year in Major League history other than this one, right? And now here we are. And now here we are. They're in the World Series.

But I still think there's a decent size difference. between the Phillies bullpen and the Diamondbacks bullpen. The Diamondbacks don't have Jose Alvarado. They don't have a lefty who throws, you know, 100 miles an hour with sink. And they also don't have Sir Anthony Dominguez, who has a 1.170 RA in the playoffs, and his stuff is just flat out nasty, right?

They still have, like, those two key back-end guys that you really need in the playoffs. And they've had enough of their other middle relievers kind of fill in and do well enough to get them to the point that they're at right now. So I really think it says more, about how well their bullpen is kind of turn things around in the postseason than it does what they did in the regular season.

If you're the Diamondbacks, though, you can't count on that, right? Like, you can't count on having a subpar bullpen during the year, you know, just being good enough to get you to the playoffs and then being able to turn things around in the playoffs. And I don't think the current cast of characters they have would do that anyway. They just don't have the level of back-end stuff that Alvarado and Dominguez do for the Phillies. So they're just different. They're just different types of relievers than what the does. Diamondbacks. And like you said, they know who they can rely on. They know those guys that

have kind of proved to be locked down and they've leaned on them heavily. It's the reason why it feels like the Phillies are kind of in a worse position than the Astros. But with the five-day layoff, you can't help but think that that kind of evens the playing field there a bit for the Phillies on how tax they've been and what their road has been like getting to the World Series versus how easy the Astros Road has been. And I'm not saying that based on opponents. I'm just saying The Astros had a first round by. They've played seven games in the postseason, and here they are at the World Series, right? Yeah.

The Phillies could definitely use the break, I think, more than the Astros, which makes this, you know, World Series. The layoff makes it very interesting to me. I've talked about in the past what I've thought about layoffs and how it can kind of be a disadvantage, but when both teams are getting time off, it'll be very interesting to see how they match up. Leah, what else we got? Other than the Falle, how will you pass time in the evenings without D-Bax games? Oh And fall league's not going to be around for that much longer, you guys

That's another thing We got until like November 12th November 12th until the fall league is over. Jesse about three more weeks What are you doing with your time? I have no idea. Suns games? Yeah, I will probably watch every single Suns game

Every single one. I will too. The sons are insanely entertaining Yeah And they showed that again last night Don't watch the coyotes They lose six two every night I wouldn't have any way

But against the coyotes Unless And bet they've hit the over five out of six games this season by the right. And here's the thing is the puck line is always a puck and a half. A goal and a half? A goal and a half. A goal and a half. A goal and a half. So make sure to bet against the coyotes, just like last year.

We're going to ride on this. We're going to make some money. Except when they're playing the Toronto Maple Leafs for some reason. So it's basically, as long as the coyotes don't lose by one or win, then you win that bet, like automatically. Yeah, but no, but you bet you've got, they're losing by two goals or more. Right. Exactly.

You take the, you take the, it just seems like such an easy win. Well, it's because in hockey they set the goal, they set the puck line at one and a half on every game. Just like, I think, I want to say baseball does it too. I think it's a run and a half. Yeah, it's a run and a half. So it's a goal and a half every game. So make that money.

Make that money over the drafting sportsbook gap. We'll do that later, but I'm just telling you now. What else, what am I going to do? I'm going to give you some TV shows I'm really into right now because it's spooky season. I've been watching what we do in the shadows. That's an incredible show. If you haven't had a chance to watch that,

it's about vampires living in the modern day era. It's very fine. Nice. There's also a Welcome to Rexham, which is a show about the Rexham documentary about Ryan Reynolds and

oh God, his name escapes me right now from... I'm not looking at you. Anyway, it's a great show. Check it out, definitely. But I don't know. I mean, I guess that's the wonderful thing about it is without baseball.

There's still plenty of sports to watch during this year. Rob McEloney, thank you. They bought the Wrexham team. They become the new owner. And it's a documentary about that and it's pretty pretty damn good. It's pretty enjoyable. It's kind of like Ted Lassow But in real life in a small way, you know so if you're a fan of Ted Lassow Which this guy I'm sure hasn't watched you guys can go check that at least I saw I saw the look in your eye when I said you're like who's Ted Lassow? I will be watching the There's like a peanuts

Halloween Yeah, right yeah, yeah Great pumpkin Charlie Brown. Yeah, yeah, yeah I'll probably watch that at some point. That's a stellar it's a stellar way to spend your house Halloween season, of course. That's the beautiful part about Halloween. And honestly, streaming services are top-notch. Like, streaming services do the work for you.

You go in there now and they're like, we got our spooky season collection right here where you can watch all the movies in a row. That's why it was hilarious because the day that you got labeled as Iqabod Crane, I just watched the Disney cartoon the day before. So I've been more delighted by that comparison. Charles Woodall-Pyke says, love welcome to Rex. Yeah, it's incredible. definitely. And Elizabeth says, oh my God, I forgot about the great, great pumpkin. Jesse saves the day. See, we're helping you out. We know baseball's over soon, but that's what we're going to do. What else we got, Lee? Oh, here we go. We're doing. We're doing this. We're doing this. If you had to recast the Avengers original using D-Backs players, who would play who. All right. Well, Jesse, I'm going to, Jesse was a little bit worried. Jesse has seen the Avengers, right? I have. And then I saw like every other Marvel movie there. They're at. And then I saw like every other Marvel movie there.

after and so I'm just utterly confused about everything. Okay, that's fine. We'll get it straight out. Avengers is easy though, right? So we have our Avengers cast. We have Tony Stark as Iron Man, right? We have Captain America. We have Hulk.

So, Jesse, who are you casting as the Playboy millionaire that would be smart enough to make a robot suit like Iron Man? I feel like Alec Thomas kind of fits the bill. Sure. Okay. You can see Alec Thomas just having some cool gadgets at home. Yeah. He's kind of a tinker.

I could see him in a tuxedo with a martini too. Yeah. We've talked about him being a good James Bond, so I think that that kind of crosses over. Yeah, Tony Stark. Sure. What do we got for Captain America, the good old, lovable Boy Scout type? What do you got for Captain America? For Captain America, I got Jake McCarthy.

I got Jake McCarthy. Are you asking me if you're so sure. Because I know who should play these roles. It's more of a test to see if I know. I get it. I'm testing you. I'm testing you. Jake McCarthy.

I mean, come on, right? I fully agree with that, actually. He's very wholesome. He's very wholesome. He's very heroic. I mean, not always at the plate. But you get what I'm saying. Right. I mean. Is Captain America as goofy as Carson Kelly is? A little bit. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Captain America is, he's a bit. I'm not going to say goofy, but he's a bit like you, right? There's a lot of stuff he doesn't know because he's... Much like, Jesse, Captain America was frozen for 50 years. I am uncomfortable with how appropriate this analogy is right now. He knows that he doesn't know stuff and he's okay with him, right?

Like he was like, I was saving the world when your grandparents weren't alive, so that kind of thing. So I should play Captain America. That's basically what I'm getting around to, yes. I'll play Tony Stark. Who do we have for the Hulk? The uncontrollable... It's probably Stone Garrett, right? I mean, that's...

Just the general physique? Yeah, I'm getting that, but I'm like, there's got to be like a Bruce Banner that he is before he turns into the Hulk, right? And it needs to have the uncontrollable rage of a man known as Caleb Smith. That's who I'm putting as Bruce Banner. I've seen Caleb Smith turn into the Incredible Hulk on the field, at least in two occasions. So I feel like it's it's very appropriate Rounding out the cast do we have what we're gonna do Hawkeye and Black Widow too? I don't know

Who would you have here for For Hawkeye A dead eye Archer? I don't know Hawkeye doesn't get the credit he deserves the show is excellent check that out but Hawkeye Don Varshow has all the tools He has all the tools so that probably had a bow and arrow You probably could have a lot of success with the bow and arrow

I would think I like that It's a pretty good arm too, you know? Like as far as like aiming in general, like throwing it where he wants to. That's a good point. Yeah. Archery, you know. Zach Gallen.

Zach Gallen, glasses. Again, the, the precision, you know, his ability to aim and get it there. And then I don't know. Black Widow. What are we doing here? What are we even doing here? Ah, man. I mean, we're going to have to go this.

We're going to have to go based on like just the description of who she is. Assassin. Mysterious. Mysterious. A mysterious assassin on the Arizona Diamond Pass. Corbyn Carroll. Corbyn Carroll. The man is a mystery. He is enigma wrapped inside a conundrum.

And I don't understand him sometimes. And yes, he seems he's too cerebral. Like, I feel like he's always... That's fair. Even though he takes his time to answer the questions, he still feels like he's too smart for the situation. Yeah. Corbin Carroll is a think.

He's no question about that. There we go. And we got Faj staring at me from out the door. I can't really concentrate because he's just fogging up the glass out there. He's fogging up his own glasses. This is weird. Ben says Corby Carroll's Black Widow because he's so fast. We got it.

There we go. I think Jacob is advertising for the smile movie. Yeah. Is that what happened? It's good advertising. They have a good thing going on with that whole thing. By the way, I gave you guys earlier the stuff about the Drafking sportsbook app. Go get down on the Drafking sportsbook app.

Bet against the coyotes. That's the valid. way. Just because they don't win doesn't mean you have to lose too. New customers can bet and make, excuse me, bet $5 on any NBA money line bet and get $200 if your team wins and free bets instantly along with your winnings. You can boost your winnings up to 100% with Draft King's stepped up same game parlayes. It's this simple. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app. Use promo code PHNX. That's promo code PHNX on the Drafking Sportsbook app. Minimumage and eligibility restrictions apply. See show notes for details.

Matt Huff says Granky is Groot and I can't stop thinking about that That's exactly I know he's not on the team before We're giving it to him I am Granky More furniture by the way Also hooking us up

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So redo the house Get yourself some free gift cards And then add all those little pieces that of course you know you're going to forget over at more furniture. And shout out to you guys for our questions. Of course, Mailbag Monday wouldn't be the same without you guys. We thank you guys so much for being here in the chat and for sending us questions. And of course, we will be out at Arizona Fall League this week.

So make sure to join us for that as well as, you know, this thing we do called a PHNXDbacks. In the meantime, you can get us on Twitter. I'm at cap underscore caveman with a K. This guy's at Jesse N. Friedman. Our show is at PHNX underscore Dbacks. but of course all roads lead to at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Can I say one more thing about Phillies Astros? Please do.

People like to say that, you know, like baseball is a little different. Like one player can't carry a team through an entire postseason. You know, like it really takes everyone on the team. But have you seen Bryce Harper in the postseason? Do you see that two run home run? That go ahead two run home run that put them in the position they are right now. He's picking up like 12 guys and putting them on his back and carrying them right now. He's hitting 419 and slugging 907 in the entire postseason.

I'm going to say this about Bryce Harper. When the Arizona Diamondbacks played him, played the Phillies, he made his return. And it was the first time I had seen Bryce Harper in person in a long time. And the man looked like an actual monster. Like he just, he looked like a hulking beast that I was terrified to see back playing against anybody in baseball. And of course, he is one of the few people, I think, that have lived up to the huge amount of hype that was behind them as a young player, as a draft pick, as a minor leaguer.

Bryce Harper continues to be a difference maker in baseball. And we're seeing it on the biggest stage, I think, for the first time, which is very exciting. So he's making a decent Hall of Fame case right now. Just with like how monstrous of a postseason he's had, obviously has a long, long way to go in his career before he could possibly get there. But like, these are the kinds of defining moments that that puts you, you know, in the thick of the conversation for the Hall of Fame. and you really can't ask for anything more than what Bryce Harper has done in the postseason for the Phillies. It's insane. Well said.

Well, again, we thank you guys for joining us so much on behalf of Leah, Jesse, and myself. We always appreciate your time. Thank you for stopping through. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when you understand the genius that is Taylor Swift. Oh, my.