The Bill Simmons Podcast - A Boston–New York Baseball Holy War With the Kid Mero, JackO, and Bill's Dad | The Bill Simmons Podcast (Ep. 424)

Episode Date: October 5, 2018

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by his pal JackO to talk about the upcoming ALDS between the Red Sox and the Yankees (6:35). Then Bill calls up the Kid Mero of the Bodega Boys for more Sox...-Yankees trash talk, and some NBA preview insight (32:25). Bill also gives some NFL picks (1:05:13) before calling his dad to talk about Josh Gordon and the New England Patriots, Kyrie Irving and the Celtics, and, of course, more Red Sox–Yankees (1:13:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Today's very special Yankees Red Sox Holy War edition of the Bill Simmons podcast brought to you as always by ZipRecruiter. You know what's not smart? Giving up on Sonny Michelle after one bad game. That was stupid. Nephi Kyle did it too. It wasn't just me. You know what else isn't smart? Job sites that overwhelm you with tons of the wrong resumes.
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Starting point is 00:01:04 when it's the MLS. Use promo code BS. Download the SeatGeek app or go right to SeatGeek.com. We are brought to you by Halloween Unmasked, our new narrative podcast about the movie Halloween and it's the making of, the effects it had on 40 years of horror movies. We have put two episodes up
Starting point is 00:01:24 all about how it was made and why it was made. And it's pretty cool. Hosted by Amy Nicholson. Check it out. Subscribe now. Speaking of podcasts, Matt Damon was on the last BS podcast. If you missed that one,
Starting point is 00:01:38 I got an unusual amount of really good feedback for that one. I think that might've been a hall of famer. The people really, really, really good feedback for that one. I think that might've been a Hall of Famer. Did people really, really, really seem to enjoy that one? So if you didn't hear it yet, check it out. It's a deep dive into 90s Hollywood and just trying to break in when you're competing for roles
Starting point is 00:01:56 against a slew of different actors. Also some great Ben Affleck stories. And we talked about a whole bunch of stuff. It's a really good one. Finally, last piece of housekeeping business. We launched a new Twitter feed today at Ringer NBA. We did it for the basketball season. We obviously love NBA. We have a lot of NBA DNA. We talk about the NBA constantly. We didn't want it to overwhelm our Ringer Twitter feed as the season went along. So what we thought was we would launch
Starting point is 00:02:27 Ringer NBA. We would be able to put all the links to all our different NBA stuff there. All the videos, all the memes, all the different things we're doing. Live tweets, some games, link to stories we like, and basically just do a deep dive on the Ringer NBA fan
Starting point is 00:02:44 slash media experience. It's a huge part of what we do. We are very excited for the season. We have Ringer NBA Preview Palooza coming the day of the games, actually. Tuesday. I think it's October 15th, Philly-Boston that night. We're going to be live watching Philly-Boston after we're done with the Palooza. You get to watch the Philly-Boston game with me and some Philly-Boston after we're done with the Palooza. You get to watch the Philly-Boston game with me
Starting point is 00:03:05 and some Philly fans, and we're going to be making fun of each other. It will be a little second screen experience for you. So check that out. Get ready for Ringer Preview Palooza. Follow us at Ringer NBA and at Ringer. Follow us on Instagram. Follow our YouTube channel. We have a lot of great stuff coming up. I'm in a few of the things. Be ready. I was just in New York City for the last four days. That's the only reason this Red Sox-Yankees this whole thing was a little bit late. My apologies.
Starting point is 00:03:40 It should have been up already, but I flew back last night. I timed the flight on JetBlue to watch the Patriots-Colts game. And it landed at like, I don't know, 745, something like that, LA time, which I figured it would be in the fourth quarter. And I just thought we were going to kill the Colts. Once I saw those injuries, I wasn't worried about it. I was like, oh my God, we're going to have to sleeve through the fourth quarter on my
Starting point is 00:04:03 iPhone and freaking out in a cab or something. And I landed and it looked like the game was over. And then all of a sudden the Colts started getting a little frisky and I was in the exact situation I didn't want to be in where I was on my iPhone watching the game on some crappy signal that kept cutting in and out. And then finally the Pats finished them off. The Pats look better, obviously, than they did two weeks ago. I still don't feel great about where we are this season. So we'll see. The cornerbacks were okay yesterday, but the safeties and the linebackers, which just continue to get torched.
Starting point is 00:04:41 Casey, Casey's the next one, right? I think so. I'm a little worried about Travis Kelsey and Tyreek Hill and our Lord and Savior, Patrick Mahomes. I'm worried about all that stuff. I worry that the Pats can have enough offense. But yesterday was the first time the Pats actually looked like the Pats. So did that happen because the Colts were banged up?
Starting point is 00:05:03 Did it happen because Edelman came back it was nice to have him back by the way Josh Gordon getting a little frisky Nephew Kyle injected into my veins very close
Starting point is 00:05:13 very close to bag of Josh Gordon jersey we have like a month left with Nephew Kyle we are announcing on the One Shining Podcast today they are doing
Starting point is 00:05:21 a world tour of the Midwest at the beginning of November tickets are going on sale today Titus and Tate are doing a world tour of the Midwest at the beginning of November. Tickets are going on sale today. Titus and Tate are doing four podcasts in, what is it, Louisville, Columbus, Bloomington, and Chicago. Nephew Kyle, over under on him, making it probably two and a half cities. The question is, are they going to make me drive the van? That'll affect my whole game plan.
Starting point is 00:05:48 One of the worst and scariest ideas I've ever had. That's all happening. Check it out on the OneShinyPod Twitter feed or on their podcast. Coming up, we're going to talk to the Kid Mero. We're going to talk to Jacko. We're going to talk to my dad. I'm going to do
Starting point is 00:06:04 a couple NFL picks with my dad Joe House is traveling today he went 2-0 yesterday so maybe we can't call him the mush anymore so NFL picks at the end Red Sox Yankees coming up first our friends from Pearl Jam On the line right now, we recently celebrated our 30th anniversary as friends.
Starting point is 00:06:40 We met in college at the tail end of August in 1988. And he was wearing a Yankee hat. I was probably wearing some sort of Boston thing. And we were natural enemies, but somehow fell in love anyway. Jacko, how are you? Good, my friend. How are you? I'm good.
Starting point is 00:06:57 We haven't had a blood war in a while. Sometimes you and I, we have to go to the mattresses. We can feel this coming for a while. I really enjoyed when you were a sad sack loser on Twitter. I'm just going to say sad sack loser. We're not good enough. Pitchers. Sunny crying.
Starting point is 00:07:18 For you, the originator of the reverse jinx, to call me out on that is really hurtful. You were my mentor in these things. The master to the pupil and you're mocking me on this. By the time we get to that A's game, you're tweeting about Luke Tober.
Starting point is 00:07:32 You're ready to buy a dog just to name it Luke. What happened? Why the 180, Jacko? I might change my dog's name to Luke. You should. Just do it.
Starting point is 00:07:41 It is Luke Tober. I have two daughters, so, you know, they're already Miguel and Glaber. So now I can name the dog Luke. That would be fitting. You're in. You're back in on this team. Severino looks good.
Starting point is 00:07:55 Luke Voigt, he gave them a little jolt. Give them a little Voigt energy. He's got a little swagger. He's got a little Nick Swisher swagger. But he's actually, unlike Nick Swisher, he's actually pretty good. Is that what we're calling PD abuse now? Is swagger?
Starting point is 00:08:09 That's the name for it? Oh, well, swagger PD abuse. Come see, come saw. You know, I was really nervous about that wild card game, and then I started watching the game, and I don't really follow the A's that are on the West Coast. I'm more of an exclusive Yankees guy. I was like, wait a second.
Starting point is 00:08:26 Their starter is one from Australia and two was DFA'd in June? Yeah. I was like, wait a second. I feel better about this. And then I kept hearing about the strength of the A's bullpen, and they were going with a quote-unquote opener instead of a starter because their bullpen was so strong. And I was like, wait, isn't Fernando Rodney a key component in this bullpen,
Starting point is 00:08:47 as well as the former Met Familia? And I'm like, I'm not sure this is like the greatest bullpen in the history of mankind when those two are prominently involved. Their closer was really good. So I started to feel a little better. You got to the closer, too. You got to everybody. We did.
Starting point is 00:08:59 I had the same reaction as you. And as you know, I'm in the crazy AL Keeper League. Liam Hendricks couldn't start for any of the 10 teams in an AL only fantasy league. So I saw that he was a starter and I was just dumbfounded and I figured they were using
Starting point is 00:09:15 him as the opener, but I didn't understand if you're going to do that process, why do it with him? So I was on the Ringer MLB Slack and I'm like, why Liam Hendricks? I don't understand it. This is what they do. They're going to pitch eight pitchers. And I'm like, this is where new wave baseball thinking
Starting point is 00:09:31 just goes awry. I get the whole opener thing. The Rays did it. They had success. The A's did it. They had success. When you don't have enough good starters, you kind of patch it together and you try to go with matchups. I get all of it. But you don't start Liam Hendricks in a winner-takes-all Yankee
Starting point is 00:09:48 stadium game. That's not the guy you tried out there in the first inning. What made anyone did anyone think he was going to just go 1-2-3 through the top of the lineup? I certainly didn't. No, I didn't. I mean, I don't know what they were thinking. I thought, well, if they really have this lockdown bullpen
Starting point is 00:10:04 and this guy's, you know, they have some like wonderful reliever who's going to do that. It's going to go one, two, three in the first, but obviously he didn't do that. And in retrospect, it was kind of crazy to think that he would.
Starting point is 00:10:14 I thought they should have done Trevino. And like, you know, Eckersley and Eckersley and Darling made a good point the other night. I forget, I forget which one of them it was, but when you go with this bullpen game, you're counting on all eight of those guys you're bringing in having a good night.
Starting point is 00:10:28 Yeah. Like being the guy. Like if you go with a starter and, you know, you're counting on the starter, he just has to be one guy that's good for five or six innings. If you're going with eight different guys, you're counting on eight different guys to be great that night or be adequate that night. And they couldn't rely on not only Hendricks,
Starting point is 00:10:45 but the couple other guys, the best guy they had was Lee Trevino. He's called for Lee Trevino. Don't call me Lee Trevino. They should have started him. He was good this year. That was the guy that started it. He made the Yanks look ridiculous. So anyway,
Starting point is 00:11:01 you, you came out of that game, ton of confidence. Severino looks great. Pedro insinuated that Severino was hiding some sort of injury, which makes sense because he definitely fell off a cliff and didn't look like the same guy. Yeah, there was no other explanation for it.
Starting point is 00:11:17 It does make sense. It would almost be like if Chris Sale was only throwing in the low 90s and only intermittently pitched the last two months. And like, if we were like, wow, in retrospect, that's weird. Maybe something's wrong with him. It would almost be like that. Well, that's the interesting, that's one of the many interesting subplots of this because when they, when the Red Sox put sale on the shelf a couple of times this season, late in the season, and they, you know, they were running away with the AL East, it was a foregone conclusion. So I figured the sale thing was just, you know,
Starting point is 00:11:48 they were trying to rest him up for the postseason because he hasn't done well in the postseason. They wanted to say wear and tear on his arm and made all the sense in the world. But then they brought him back and he was only throwing in the low 90s. And I don't know, for what it's worth, Steve Phillips was sounding the alarm on Mad Dog's radio, Sirius XM radio show the other day
Starting point is 00:12:05 that people don't think that Sale is right. And so that's going to be interesting to see. I mean, if he lights out, you know, he's unhittable. So if he's on his game, he's unhittable. So I don't know how legit that was. So we're taping this right now. It is 9.13 a.m. Pacific time, 12.13 ET. The game's not for like eight, nine hours.
Starting point is 00:12:27 What worries me is he's pitching at home and there's going to be an incredible amount of energy in that ballpark, but also probably, you know, four to 5,000 Yankee fans, I would guess, spread around all the place. Maybe. If he comes out and he doesn't pitch well and gets hit and just is laboring or
Starting point is 00:12:45 whatever the worst case scenario is, the energy in the ballpark is going to shift in a really bad and dangerous way. It's almost like I would almost rather he was pitching Yankee Stadium. Now, he might be fine. He might be on cruise control, but I actually liked how the Yankees laid out the
Starting point is 00:13:02 rotation starting Hap today and then game two, Tanaka, who I think is your best money pitcher, going against Price, who even though he has shed a lot of demons during the season, I don't 100% trust him in a playoff game against the Yankees. I still can't get over that hump mentally.
Starting point is 00:13:22 And I could see, you're up 1-0. Let's say you win tonight. Now it's Tanaka versus Price, and I'm shitting bricks. It'd be so fantastic. I mean, it's an uphill climb for the Yankees. They're facing a big money, high payroll team in the Red Sox.
Starting point is 00:13:40 Second highest payroll in baseball. You know, the Yankees... Oh, shut up. Stop it. Yankees just try to catch lightning in a bottle with guys off the scrap heap like Luke Voigt. You know, just reclamation projects. They don't have the money. You know, they want to stay under the luxury tax.
Starting point is 00:13:55 They can't go out and sign a J.D. Martinez or a Chris Sale or a David Price, $217 million. The Yankees don't have anybody in that ballpark. So, you know... You have scientists. You have money for your scientists to give out out of the performance-enhancing drugs. Your team's a team of monsters. If this gritty, gutty, scrappy group
Starting point is 00:14:15 could ever steal one against Chris Hilton. Gritty, scrappy. And then, if we go into tomorrow, with David Price 0-8 in the postseason, a complete mental midget pitching. Oh, come on. Probably after a late night of Fortnite gaming. Oh, stop it.
Starting point is 00:14:32 And then he has to go out there and try to salvage your 130 win or whatever it was season with all the pressure in the world on you. I mean, the Yankees barely got into the playoffs right down to the final. He won like 98 games. What are you talking about? The Red Sox I think clinched the AL East like July 5th or something this year. Yeah, somewhere around there. You know, one of the,
Starting point is 00:14:53 could be one of the all-time teams in the history of Major League Baseball. Not really. Home field, everything else. I mean, you know, but if the Yankees could ever turn the tide tonight, boy, that would really be something to see. I did worry about Price
Starting point is 00:15:07 when they announced the new Fortnite game last week. They upgraded the, they blew up Loot Lake and had like a hovering house and I was like, this is bad for Price.
Starting point is 00:15:16 This really could send him into a tailspin. Is he really, he's really 0-8? That's the actual record in the postseason? I believe so. That can't be true.
Starting point is 00:15:27 I saw something the other day where, you know, Sale's only postseason experience might be last year with the Red Sox, right? He never... No, he had the 0-8... No, the 0-8 Tampa. He was the hero in the 0-8 Tampa Red Sox series. Yeah. That was, I mean, that was like his great...
Starting point is 00:15:44 That was his breakout moment. Because he has a high ERA, apparently, in the Sox series. Yeah. That was, I mean, that was like his great, that was his breakout moment. Because he has a high ERA apparently in the postseason. I saw that. And then I, I think Price is like 0-8 in the postseason. And, or he's never had a win. I know that. It's a deceiving 0-8. And then, and then Porcello is not very good in the postseason.
Starting point is 00:16:01 His record. Ah, he's fine. So your big three. He's fine. Is a little shaky, but these things can always turn around. You know what's interesting about these games is
Starting point is 00:16:11 I don't think home field really matters. The thing about it is they play each other so often. It's just like, yeah. They play 18 times a year and, I don't know, the fans are always, there's always fans of the other team in the park. Let's say, worst case scenario, Red Sox, they go down 2-0.
Starting point is 00:16:35 And normally in basketball, it would be like, wow, that's insurmountable. Now the next three, next four are on the road. We're not coming back from that. And in baseball, I don't think it matters. I really don't. I think it mattered in the one game off with, with, with all the random A's relievers having to pitch in Yankee stadium.
Starting point is 00:16:54 I think that mattered. But for this, I don't think, I think the Red Sox could win any game in Yankee stadium. I think you could win any game in Fenway. It'll be great. It's really, it's kind of amazing that it's happening. I think you could win any game in Fenway. It'll be great. It's really, it's kind of amazing that it's happening. I felt
Starting point is 00:17:08 like after, I don't know, after we got through last decade, it just seemed kind of inconceivable they would play again. I don't know why. I don't know. I'm not quite ready for it. I'll be honest with you. These series, you look back, 99, the Red Sox weren't quite the Red Sox that they became, so 99 was sort of a foregone conclusion. We had Pedro, though.
Starting point is 00:17:31 We were like, oh, Pedro's gonna just get to a Game 7, Pedro, and then we got to a Game 5. But 2003 and then the other one, those were just full-blown wars and just, you know, bloodbath for every fan involved. So, um, that wasn't great for our friendship.
Starting point is 00:17:51 I'm not quite sure I'm ready for another one of these knockdown drag out, you know, Yankees, Red Sox brawls basically. So, um, I have a big documentary the other night on something called sports illustrated TV about the Bucky Dent game in 78, which was well done. And, you know, back in the day, fans were different. Willie Randolph was talking about, like, standing on the field and watching fistfights in the stands and things. So we're not like that anymore, I don't think. But, you know, it's a war, Yankees, Red Sox, and the rivalry. So, you know, I'm a little impensive about it.
Starting point is 00:18:24 I'm going to be honest with you. So I'd much prefer to be like playing the Indians in this round and, and having the Red Sox lose to somebody else. That's what I would much prefer. But here we are. So. Yeah. You think about 40 years ago, how uncivil everybody was and how crazy that was. It would be the, I mean, our president back then was condoning sexual assault. Oh wait, that's, that's 2018. I forgot.
Starting point is 00:18:49 Well, you know, this documentary they talked about, you know, in the Yankee stadium was as bad or, you know, it's not worse than Fenway, but Jerry Remy and Burleson talking about like the, you know, the batteries that would get thrown at them in the field, you know, beer poured out of them and everything else. And, you know, it's not like that anymore. I don't think so. No, it's a little nicer. It was a crazy time.
Starting point is 00:19:11 I remember being really mad at you in 03, because I think you texted me after the Aaron Boone game and I just didn't like the tone of the text. It was, it felt patronizing. And I don't think I talked to you for like three weeks. You put it in your book actually, but when the rest of, when the, you're now I can die at peace. And you said, I think I said something like,
Starting point is 00:19:27 I'm a cadaver now. And you were like, he's a cadaver, but he won, so fuck him or something like that. I think that's in your book. That's a paraphrase from your book. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:19:35 It was like, you're talking about all your, all the mental anguish you suffered. Meanwhile, I just had like the second worst loss of my entire life. And it was up until four in the morning writing a column about it.
Starting point is 00:19:46 And then I actually left work the next day. I was working for Jimmy's show that year, and I was so upset and traumatized from the night before. It didn't really totally hit me until like three o'clock. And then it was like, wow, we're just never going to win. I'm just going to live my whole life and never see it happen. But now you're a virtual dynasty. The world has been flipped on its head.
Starting point is 00:20:07 And you guys are ascending. And we're scrappy, gritty, small market guys, rookies, just trying to make a name for ourselves. If both sides peed in a cup, who's in more trouble? I don't think there's any of that anymore. I mean, this day and age with testing and everything else guys were in the minor leagues
Starting point is 00:20:29 they actually test down there and it's more rigorous so the Yankees are clean as a whistle baby I don't know about the Red Sox I mean J.D. Martinez nobody saw these numbers coming and Mookie Betts had a down year last year and now he's an MVP I mean those things just don't happen
Starting point is 00:20:44 I'm ready for the P.E for the PD accusations part of this podcast. The one thing that really concerns me is if there is some fisticuffs, some chicanery, some violence, the Yanks have one of the better bench-clearing brawl teams of all time, if not the number one. You know, the Yanks are big guys. You don't really want to mess with the Yanks have one of the better bench clearing brawl teams of all time if not the number one the Yanks are big guys
Starting point is 00:21:07 you don't really want to mess with the Yanks between Stanton and Judge and Potensis is like 6'8 Voight's a big fella you don't really want to mess with the Yankees Chapman will come in doing something sneaky trying to take out people's ACLs he's a big fella too
Starting point is 00:21:24 absolutely you don't want to mess with the Yanks they're like a football team trying to take out people's ACLs. He's a big fella too, absolutely. He's like 6'6". So yeah, the Yanks, you don't want to mess with the Yanks. They're like a football team. The best bench clearing brawl. Joe Kelly better watch his step. He should just,
Starting point is 00:21:32 hopefully Joe Kelly will just give up home runs and not be trying to throw haymakers and throw at people. I mean, I'm just flat out terrified of Joe Kelly. You're both had, aside from Kimbrough, I mean, you guys have a better, I would say you have a better, certainly a better starting rotation.
Starting point is 00:21:49 Your lineup with Martinez and Betts and Benintendi probably has more guys that you can count on coming through. But the, you know, the Yankees bullpen is probably superior. Although there's guys, I mean, I still have a question marks about Chapman and his health. He looked pretty good the other night. He was throwing 100, which was good. But, you know, Batances has been lights out, but could he fall apart? Absolutely. And the thing with the bullpens, I mean,
Starting point is 00:22:14 I had a legendary rant about Mariano that time. The Red Sox see the Yankees, they see each other so many times that, like, there's no real advantage. It's like, you know like they brought in Mariano and the Red Sox were able to hit him and they can do the same thing to Chapman
Starting point is 00:22:27 as they've already done this year. And the Yankees could arguably do the same to their bullpen because they've seen it so often. It'll be interesting. It's an interesting series from a lot of different perspectives. We have the best two hitters in the series. You have a better bullpen.
Starting point is 00:22:42 I'm not convinced Judge is healthy. I think he's probably 80% he's not 100% the home run was good the other night and he hit that seeing eye double that moved about 18 different directions which was a weird swing
Starting point is 00:22:56 I'm not 100% sure that he's 100% healthy either I don't have any confidence frankly in Stanton to come through in a big situation in the postseason I mean he, he hit a home run the other night, but they were already up 62. So I would like to see it, but I just, I don't have any faith in him being a clutch guy at all. You know, I hope that Judge is healthy, but you know, Judge could come through, but the Yankees problem has been for about the past 10 years that they just can't get a clutch hit when they need it.
Starting point is 00:23:28 Even the other night, they had first and second, nobody out. You want to pour on there some more runs to sort of relax everybody, and they couldn't tack on until later. So I don't know. That worries me. Here's my list of guys I'm most confident in on the Red Sox right now. In a big spot. JD, one. Mookie, one B.
Starting point is 00:23:49 I'd have them one A, one B. Bogarts, three. Okay. I like the way he's been swinging the bat, especially in September. He's another guy who was terrible last year and had an interesting comeback year. He got hurt. He was playing hurt half the year. I think he's been much
Starting point is 00:24:07 more reliable. He had one of those wrist hand injuries. I would say... Plus, that's true to Germany in the offseason. Oh, stop it. Luke Voigt flew him there. Without a plane. I would say what's interesting is
Starting point is 00:24:27 after those three, it gets a little messy because Benintendi hasn't hit for power basically since the All-Star break. I don't know what happened. Well, these things are cyclical. They go through cycles.
Starting point is 00:24:38 Hopefully he comes back. I know you're afraid of him at Yankee Stadium. There's something about his swing at Yankee Stadium. But what's weird is Brock Holt has been one of the most reliable guys in
Starting point is 00:24:49 the team for a few weeks now. And he's done this before where he has these little hot streaks and they last for a while. But I actually think they're in a weird spot with him because Kinsler's kind of been a corpse. He's a respected vet
Starting point is 00:25:05 Well he's been there before you gotta put him out there But I actually think It would be crazy not to play Brock Holt over him So You know the guys I think Swihart Oh my god Wait a second
Starting point is 00:25:20 You're not really gonna say you're all in on Swihart are you? I like Swihart. I think he is good at bats. He's had moments where he comes through in these big spots. I think he's the best catcher that we have. And for whatever reason, they don't play him all the time. But I weirdly trust him in big spots. He would be my weird Red Sox guy to watch out for. Who's your weird Yankee guy to watch out for? Well, Aaron Hicks. Yeah. Who's sort of sneaky
Starting point is 00:25:51 good. He put up good numbers this year, but he kind of flies under the radar because they have Judge and Stanton and nobody really thinks of Aaron Hicks. But I think he could come through in a big situation. I have an inordinate amount of confidence in Aaron Hicks for some reason. He's been good this year. He's another big guy, by the way. He's like your seventh best guy to have in a bench. I really like, I like that they added McCutcheon. I really like McCutcheon.
Starting point is 00:26:15 He just seems like a solid guy, like a good leadoff guy. I really like him. I think he adds something to the team that they didn't have. And I love, I yield to no one in my love of Brett Gardner, but McCutcheon, I like that they added him. I feel good about that. So I was excited that they did that because, as you know, I'm terrified of Brett Gardner. Are you really? I don't know. He's been terrible this year. He's scary against the Red Sox. I know he's been bad, and I know there's rumors
Starting point is 00:26:43 of his demise, but he's just one of those guys, especially in playoffs, these games just slow down. That's why when the A's did that bullpen by committee, it's a great idea in July, but man, in October, you're just sweating out every pitch.
Starting point is 00:27:00 You almost need that starter to get you in a rhythm for a couple innings. The same thing goes with the long at the long at back guys. And you have these games where it's like, we're at the three hour mark already. It's the seventh inning. We have Joe Kelly in, he's just on two strikes forever with Brett Gardner throwing 99 keeps getting fouled off. And then finally he thinks one over the second baseman's head.
Starting point is 00:27:21 I hate rooting against guys like that. And he's, he's that guy for you. But, um, if he's on the bench, great. I hate rooting against guys like that. He's that guy for you, but if he's on the bench, great. I'm delighted. I want to pitch to Gary Sanchez in any situation. Of course you do. He's been brutal. He's your worst guy? I would put in Romine.
Starting point is 00:27:36 Sanchez, he was actually okay on defense the other night, which was surprising. He's in there for his bat. For whatever reason, he's had a down year this year and he's come back from injury and he hasn't really set the world on fire. And so it's like, you know, I have more confidence in Romine as a hitter to be honest with you. I think Gary Sanchez is a black hole this year. And it's just, you know,
Starting point is 00:27:56 you hope it's just one year and next year he bounces back, but I don't think he has it this year and it's not worth it to have, you know, one in a hundred chance of him hitting one to the moon when the other times he's going to ground into a double play or, you know, fly out weekly to center. So I'd put in Roman over Sanchez at this point, but I don't think they'll do that because they're, you know, they're convinced that there'll be an upside to his bad at some point.
Starting point is 00:28:19 And Gleyber, Gleyber Torres, we don't have to, uh, make the hall of fame plaque yet, it doesn't look like. No, but we can make it for Miguel Andujar. Okay. We can make it for him. We may just move Torres' wing of the Hall of Fame over to Andujar. Ground ball, ninth inning, you're up one, second and first, two outs, ground ball to Andujar. You feeling good about it?
Starting point is 00:28:42 Well, he's not going to be in there. They're going to put in Hecheivaria like they did the other night. Like the other night, everything Boone did worked. They put in Hetchivaria for defense. Oh, but the much maligned Aaron Boone, you're back. Yeah, I know. He was right the other day. I know.
Starting point is 00:28:54 I don't love him, but he was right the other day. I am. Maybe he's riding the hot streak of one game now. He's just going to carry that through the postseason. He did get the dare in the headlights a couple months ago, and I'm looking forward to that coming back. Yeah. Is Greg Bird on the playoff roster?
Starting point is 00:29:11 Mercifully, he is not, absolutely, no. Wow. Luke Voigt has Wally Pipped Wally Pipped Bird to the point where it might have to be called Greg Bird from now on instead of Wally Pipped. Jesus. Luke Voigt, I like this kid. They went out and got him.
Starting point is 00:29:28 He has the second most home runs in the majors since August, only behind Yellich. He brings this swagger with his open shirt and his haircut and the way he carries himself. I noticed the other night when he tagged up from third and scored, running with a piano on his back, and, like, all the Yankees on the bench, CeCe was, like, standing on the railing, like, doubled over in laughter. He's, like, one of these guys that's, like, you know, they all kind of, like,
Starting point is 00:29:56 ragged, you know, they must love Luke Voigt. Like, CeCe's laughing at how slow he was running from third base. CeCe Sabathia was laughing at him for being slow. Like, he's kind's like one of these guys like you need this young goof that like everybody kind of like you know rallies around or whatever so I was like I don't see that so I know it's all horseshit but I always eat up that team chemistry thing and like you know they all have the inside jokes you know Frazier last year with the thumbs down thing and now they kind of have Luke Boyd as their mascot, who also can hit the ball a mile.
Starting point is 00:30:26 The biggest hit in that other game. So we're going to, there's a Friday game and a Saturday game and then a Monday game. And you and I are going to hop over to the Ringer MLB Show podcast probably on Tuesday after game three and shoot the shit. No matter what happens, Let's make a pact. Of course, yeah. I've never,
Starting point is 00:30:47 come on. I came out in August after the four-game sweep and the inks were dead and buried. I'm not going to duck these things. I'm here for good or ill. So we have plenty of time and so we'll do Tuesday
Starting point is 00:30:57 on the Ringer MLB show and then maybe next Friday on this pod, assuming this series is still going. Jacko, I wish you the worst of luck. And to you, my friend. Talk to you soon. See ya.
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Starting point is 00:32:25 All right. I Googled his name to see what he was described as on Google. And it said, the Kid Mero is a Dominican American writer, comedian, TV personality, voice actor, YouTube personality, music blogger, and Twitter personality. It did not say 2018 ALDS loser. But here he is anyway. The Kid Mero. How are you? That's because that's going to be on your Wikipedia
Starting point is 00:32:53 in about a couple days. It's going to be on one of ours. So what's going... Your show ended on Viceland. You're doing a new Desus and Mero show on Showtime. That's not up yet. You must be going, the Yankees are in the playoffs
Starting point is 00:33:11 and you don't have a show. You timed this terribly. Quality over quantity. You know what I mean? We could pump out whatever right now and have it be like, eh. Or we could wait until the Yankees win the world series and even more gloat even more because that's the level of confidence that I had to my
Starting point is 00:33:33 team. Bill, let me tell you something. I knew, and I knew the moment that CC plunked Sucre in the thigh, that the Yankees are going deep in the playoffs. Wow. I knew it right then and there. That energy,
Starting point is 00:33:48 that attitude, like, if you watch those last couple of games, and even the series against the Sox, that last series, it was kind of like a blah, you know what I mean? The bullpen was kind of like blah. There was like no energy or whatever, but like, yo,
Starting point is 00:34:04 CeCe, shout out to him he brings that like you know that like yo fuck you energy you know what i mean like like when you look at kevin cash and you say that's with you bitch right you know what i mean like come on like this guy's cursing out coaches and shit. He's like, he forgoes half a million dollars because, you know, to defend his teammate. Like, that's the guy you want on your team. So, I just have a... I don't know that Mookie Betts is running out of the dugout
Starting point is 00:34:34 to punch somebody if somebody says something bad about J.B. Martinez. Don't sleep on Mookie. Mookie will throw down. But I was just talking to my college buddy, Jacko, who's a Yankee fan. We've been friends for 30 years. I was talking about how this is the
Starting point is 00:34:48 scariest bench-clearing brawl team that the Yankees have ever had. It's a bunch of behemoths and all with attitude. Yeah. Just that one still photo of Aaron Judge holding back
Starting point is 00:35:04 the entire Tampa Bay Rays bullpen, like keeping them at bay. Like Sergio Romo looked like one of my kids standing next to Aaron Judge. Oh my god. Stan, Luke Voigt, these guys, these are some big dudes.
Starting point is 00:35:19 Yeah, these are like big, it's like the Bushwhackers times 10. Do you agree with my theory that if there's a bench-clearing brawl, Chapman Yeah, it's like the Bushwhackers times 10. Do you agree with my theory that if there's a bench-clearing brawl, Chapman is the most dangerous guy because he'll do anything? He'll blindside somebody? I feel like he's the Mickey Rivers of this bench-clearing brawl Yankee team. I feel like, I absolutely feel like he will, he will like,
Starting point is 00:35:43 I don't want to say fight dirty but he'll do like remember how Dwayne Wade did that I know I know you remember how Dwayne Wade like turned Rondo's elbow inside out yes in that series yeah like I feel like he'll do something like that like on the low like he'll just grab a guy by the
Starting point is 00:36:00 wrist and just like flip him around like you know what I mean not actually throw a punch so he doesn't actually get in trouble and get fired just like grab a around like you know what I mean not actually throw a punch so he doesn't actually get in trouble and get fired just like grab a guy like step on a guy's ankle like really hard well that was one of the great brawls of all time
Starting point is 00:36:15 was the 76 brawl when Lupino and Carlton Fisk at home plate and it's just complete mayhem and Mickey Rivers is just hopping around, sucker punching everyone in sight. He's just a complete maniac. You always need that one guy in a bench clearer.
Starting point is 00:36:32 Strawberry was that guy, what was that, in 96? Yeah, 96. Armando Benitez. I'll never forget it. Armando Benitez went high and inside. Darryl didn't like it. And then he did the Mortal Kombat scorpion flying punch across the entire dugout. Who do you trust the most on this Yankee team? Let's do pitching first.
Starting point is 00:37:02 I like San Marino, and it's not just my Dominican bias. I really think that he's like a stud, you know what I mean? Like, and him, him and Tanaka, I trust because Tanaka is like a different, like he's different in the postseason. You know what I mean? And then the bullpen is just the bullpen. Like Rob, you know what I mean? Robertson.
Starting point is 00:37:20 Yeah. You know what I mean? Like those who's coming out, like I trust that pitching staff enough to say like, Oh, well, you know, the starter doesn't have to go four innings. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:37:31 Like you can, he can go four innings, he can go five innings and then, and then you can take them out and then just bullpen it the rest of the way. Something that I feel that the Red Sox cannot trade. Yeah. We cannot say that.
Starting point is 00:37:42 Well, that's one of the reasons you got Hap, right? Francesa was saying he just pitches six. He'll give you a good six. He can't go seven, but you don't care. Yeah, we we're in a weird spot with our pitchers because we
Starting point is 00:37:53 have Sale, nobody who's supposed to be our ace and the biggest advantage we would have in this series and nobody totally knows what to expect. Yeah, nobody exactly. His ERA is higher than me in California with a medicinal card.
Starting point is 00:38:11 You don't know. David Price, come on. Even as a Sox fan, you got to admit, we own him. Or at least a couple of guys own him on the team. I like to think that you've leased him repeatedly, but I,
Starting point is 00:38:28 I'm hoping you don't own him. I just feel like I'm hoping it's like an Airbnb where you've just stayed there a few times, but it's not an actual ownership. At least he's pitching. He's pitching in Boston, which makes me feel better. I think in Yankee stadium,
Starting point is 00:38:41 uh, that's shaky. Yeah. That's a hard attack. Our top three hitters, I think, are better and more reliable than yours. So it's weird. I do. I think
Starting point is 00:38:53 Martinez and Betts and Bogarts I just think are just better than your top three, just flat out. You don't think that the white Mike Tolbert, Luke Voigt is on a tremendous tear. He is. He's going to like
Starting point is 00:39:09 just be like the postseason hero that nobody ever hears of. Like Scott Brocious of 2018. Listen, I was very excited that he had a big night against that embarrassing A's team that got trotted out in a do or die game.
Starting point is 00:39:22 They started some their eighth best pitcher. Thought it was a good idea. I'm glad, I'm glad it boosted everyone's confidence. I don't even know. I don't, I don't know what they were thinking. Like that manager got to go.
Starting point is 00:39:35 Like you got, I don't even know who their pitching staff is, but all I know is that as soon as I started talking ALDS Yankee Sox, here comes the A's fans, you know, all 12 of them. And they're like, oh, well, we got A's. We got A's. We got a strong rotation. I'm like, who's, I've never heard of these dudes.
Starting point is 00:39:55 That's the thing about baseball. It's like a pitcher comes out and it's like, he's a starter. And, you know, he's expected to be an A's. He is an A's. But this guy came out of the clear blue sky. Like, I've never heard of these dudes. I was like, I watched the Yankees and I watched the NL East. The ALEs.
Starting point is 00:40:12 Yeah. And then I watched the NL East to make fun of my friend. Well, they were doing their new wave baseball where it's like he wasn't a starter. He was the opener. He's going to pitch one inning and they're going to match him up against the top three and we're going to win this game with eight guys. It's like, you can't do that in a do or die game. What are you doing?
Starting point is 00:40:31 Yeah, you test series like that when there's five games in the regular season. In the finals if the Warriors were like, we're going to start Sean Livingston as our opener and then we'll bring in the other guys. We're going to start Sean Livingston as our opener.
Starting point is 00:40:47 Then we'll bring in the other guys. We're going to run plays for him first. We're going to hurry around the third quarter. What are you doing? It's funny because there was a couple of Oakland fans at the game, which I don't know why you would do that to yourself. That's got to be rough. I was just thinking to myself,
Starting point is 00:41:05 dude, what are you hoping to accomplish? yeah, like that's, that's gotta be rough. And I was just thinking to myself, like, dude, like, what do you, what are you hoping to accomplish? Like, even if you win, like,
Starting point is 00:41:12 you're not, it's not like you're going to be able to like walk out of this stadium into the Bronx and be like, yeah, we beat the Yankees. Like, blah, blah, blah. Like,
Starting point is 00:41:22 Tim, someone's going to throw you on the train tracks. Like they did the fat Joe in prison song. Like like Sam someone's gonna throw you on the train tracks like they did to Fat Joe in prison like it's gonna happen like it's wild
Starting point is 00:41:31 yeah I know like I think but I mean okay I'll give credit to Mookie I'll give credit to JD I'll give credit to you know
Starting point is 00:41:39 but I feel that Gary's gonna wake up I really do I feel it in my bones Gary Sanchez Gary's gonna wake wake up. I really do. I feel it in my bones. Gary Sanchez? Gary's going to wake up. Gary Sanchez?
Starting point is 00:41:50 Yes. He's going to wake up. Wow. This is the funniest moment of the podcast. He's going to wake up. He's going to learn how to keep balls in front of him. And it's going to happen. Trust me.
Starting point is 00:42:04 And remember how Johan Santana sacrificed his entire right side of his body up. He's going to learn how to keep balls in front of him and it's going to happen. Trust me. Remember how Johan Santana sacrificed his entire right side of his body to throw a no-hitter? Yeah. Sissi's on a one-year deal. I think he retires if they win. If they win at all, he retires. I feel like he's going to
Starting point is 00:42:20 retire about. But if they win at all, he's definitely retiring. I feel like he will give his entire right side of his body to win like a world series game. I'm fast forward into the world series. Cause I'm already assuming we're going to be, that's ludicrous. I can't believe you're doing that.
Starting point is 00:42:39 Um, can we go backwards for a second? What was it like as a proud Dominican American who loves all Dominican baseball players to watch Dominican baseball players completely flip the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry? They flipped 86 years. We used the Dominicans and we flipped it.
Starting point is 00:42:58 It was a weird time in my life because I had a lot of family members that were Red Sox fans and I didn't understand it. I was like, you're from New York. Why are you a Red Sox fan? And then like, like my aunts would just be like, oh, well, I'm just a fan of the team with the most Dominicans on it. And I love David Ortiz. I love Manny Ramirez. And I love Manny Ramirez because Manny Ramirez is like my comedy,
Starting point is 00:43:26 the baseball version of me in comedy. You know what I'm saying? Like I'm giving you, I'm giving you offense. I'm giving you offense. I'm giving you offense. But you know, I'm defense.
Starting point is 00:43:38 You know, I might go into the wall a little bit. I might fuck around in the outfield. I might sit down, you know, and start counting sit down, you know, and start counting the stars, you know, whatever.
Starting point is 00:43:48 He's like, I liked the fact that he didn't care. Like he didn't care. Like he was like, people would say like, Oh, he's hot dog and blah, blah,
Starting point is 00:43:56 blah. He didn't give a shit. He was, he went out there, he hit bombs. He like, he, he,
Starting point is 00:44:03 he drove runs in, He did his thing. And he didn't give a shit what anybody said. That's why I respect him. One of my favorite athletes of all time. It was so much fun to root for that guy day in and day out. He was the craziest person of my life.
Starting point is 00:44:19 I loved him. I felt like he was a family member. I never knew what he was going to do day to day. He kept everyone on their toes. He made every game fun. I'm about to do the same thing just to see if we're related. Mostly. Well, we also had Pedro. Don't forget him.
Starting point is 00:44:37 Yeah. And I love Pedro. Me and him have the same last name. So it's highly likely that we are related in some way. You know what I'm saying? And you know what what I'm saying? So like, and,
Starting point is 00:44:46 and, and you know what? I'm going to, I'm going to say it. I'm going to say it. A lot of Yankee fans might not like it. I wasn't really a huge fan of Don Zimmer.
Starting point is 00:44:54 Wow. So I wasn't really, I wasn't really super upset when Pedro threw him, you know what I mean? Like, what did you think was going to happen?
Starting point is 00:45:01 You're like a 90 pound, you know, you're a 90 year old bowling ball coming at a guy who grewpound, you know, you're a 90-year-old bowling ball coming at a guy who grew up, you know, in a developing nation. What do you think is going to happen? You think this guy's going to be like, hey, let's talk this out. No, he's going to grab you by your bald brown head
Starting point is 00:45:18 and he's going to throw you across the pitchers' mouth. That's exactly what happened. But fun fact, which I'm sure you know, this is the first time the Yankees and the Red Sox are meeting since, you know,
Starting point is 00:45:30 when. I'm well aware. It's crazy. It's been 14 years. It's revenge time. It's revenge time. It's, it's,
Starting point is 00:45:39 14 years is nuts. Can't believe it. And that's what I tell people. That's when I get into these Twitter arguments with Red Sox fans. I'm like, dude, talk to me when you win a playoff series. And they're like, well, we wouldn't have won in 2014 or whatever. And you guys haven't won since 2009. That's almost 10 years ago.
Starting point is 00:46:04 Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, yo, dude, baseball is 8,000 years old. There's teams that haven't won a championship in 90 years. You know what I mean? Because after the Cubs won, who's the next in line as like, we haven't won shit? I think it's the
Starting point is 00:46:20 Indians. The Indians. And they got a good team. That's actually the, that's the team I'm the most afraid of. And it's not rational. I just, they have the highest number of guys that I'm just, I'm just scared of.
Starting point is 00:46:34 I always judge the playoff teams by how many, how many guys, you know, it's, it's just, you're breathing every pitch in the playoffs. It's so great. It's so intense.
Starting point is 00:46:43 And which team has the most guys I'm afraid of? It's weirdly the Indians for me. That team scares me. Kluber scares me. I think their two relievers, Hand and Miller, I think are really good. Ramirez is
Starting point is 00:46:59 scary. Lindor is scary. Josh Donaldson's always killed the Red Sox. How pissed off would you be if you were the MVP over one of your guys? No, that would be ridiculous. Mookie's had one of the greatest two-way seasons
Starting point is 00:47:17 in baseball history, basically. He's been unbelievable. He's offensively and defensively has been at it. It's ludicrous. It's like a Mike Trout season, but on a 108-win team. In the regular season. I love your
Starting point is 00:47:33 in the regular season thing. What else do Red Sox fans come at you with on Twitter? What are some of the best Red Sox insults? Oh my God. Gary Sanchez is a bum. He's never going to turn come at you with on Twitter? What are some of the best Red Sox insults? Oh my God. Oh my God. You know, Gary Sanchez is a bum.
Starting point is 00:47:47 You know, he's never going to turn it around. Oh, all the rings you won were before integration. Oh, that's a good one. That's one of my favorites.
Starting point is 00:47:57 Yeah. Yeah. Oh, asterisk rings. You had no black players, no minorities. Congratulations. You weren't born
Starting point is 00:48:04 for half of those. Blah, blah, blah, et cetera, et cetera. That's. Congratulations. You weren't born for half of those. Blah, blah, blah. It's not bad. It's not bad. The integration one's a really, really strong argument that I held onto in the late 90s and early 2000s when it got really dark. You keep throwing all these titles at me.
Starting point is 00:48:21 There are no black guys. Congratulations. I had Dominicans to come to take over the entire sport. And now, by the way, in 2018, there's still no black guys. There's like 10 of them. But we have. And we got one of them. Yeah, we have all the Latinos and all that other stuff.
Starting point is 00:48:39 But I'm always amazed by, you think about like basketball versus baseball and just, I don't know how many of the best players in the NBA are black, but probably, I don't know, 75, 80%. And then in baseball. In the NBA? In the NBA. Yeah. And then in baseball, it's like Mookie Betts. I feel like higher than that. I feel like 80.
Starting point is 00:49:02 Yeah, like 80. Are you counting like JJ Redick as like, you know, a superstar? Well, I was thinking there's so many foreign guys in the league now. I don't know what the exact
Starting point is 00:49:12 rate that is. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You got Don Kitsch. Yeah, all those. Yeah, Don Kitsch. Yeah, KP. But, yeah. I told you that about those guys.
Starting point is 00:49:21 I thought you meant like the Zellers. The Zeller family. The Zellers are now full. They're full-fledged bald now. One like the Zellers. The Zeller family. The Zellers are now they're full fudge bald now. One of the Zellers. The one on Charlotte. He looks like a 48 year old man. It's classic.
Starting point is 00:49:34 Hey, I have to ask before I forget. Are you in on this whole Durant coming to New York thing? Did you start this? Where did this come from? Is this real? Somebody tweeted that somebody next to him said that he wanted to go.
Starting point is 00:49:50 But again, this happens to Knicks fans every year. If there was a such thing as the friend zone, every marquee free agent has the Knicks and the quote-unquote friend zone. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:50:05 It's like, oh, New York. It's huge. It's beautiful. It's like the Mecca. Blah, blah, blah. But then you go there and James Dolan is your owner. And the team blows. I like the team that we're building now.
Starting point is 00:50:24 Knox, I don't know if you've been watching Knox. No, I'm in on Knox. Knox is good. I'm in. I'm all in on him. Yeah. Like, I think that Frank is a true point guard, and they're playing him out of position.
Starting point is 00:50:36 And also, I think it's like the preseason. Because people are already talking about Fizdale and like, oh, what is he doing and blah, blah, blah. At one point during that game, he had Ron Baker, Knox, Trey Burke, and Frank the Tank
Starting point is 00:50:55 on the floor with McRapid being the tallest guy on the floor. And they were doing great. I'm like, dude, this is pieces and they're testing lineups. You know what I mean? This is not your starting five for opening night at the Garden. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:51:13 And I like this. I met him at a thing, and I like him a lot, which is something that I could not say for any of the last three or four Knicks coaches. Well, I think he's in New York as a coach that makes sense because he's so good with the media. And unfortunately, that's a huge part of the job when you're the Knicks coach. You have to butter up the media.
Starting point is 00:51:33 Everybody's so bitter and angry. You have to make inroads with them. I was thinking about you and your buddy, how Mitchell Robinson's kind of everything you wanted from a random Nick player. The second round pick, he has so many personal problems. He falls like 35 spots, but naturally gifted. The social media disaster potential is off the charts with him.
Starting point is 00:51:59 It's just going to go up and down. He might have a game where he might have 11 blocks. Yeah, he's like a JR in training almost. Yeah, it's good going to go up and down. He might have a game where he might have 11 blocks. Yeah. He's like, he's like a Jr in training almost. Yeah. It's good for you guys. And I can't, and I can't wait. And I said,
Starting point is 00:52:10 I was sort of yesterday. I was like, this dude plays with such a chip on his shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised if he led the team in blocks over KP and KP is 12 people. Right. When, when does KP come back?
Starting point is 00:52:23 When is, when is Porzingis back? He's on the Kawhi plan. Oh, no. Listen, I'm not mad at them tanking another season. I wouldn't even be mad at that. But of course,
Starting point is 00:52:37 they're exploring rule changes when the Knicks are in rebuild. Which has been the last 25 years. This should be... If I were the Knicks, I know in rebuild right which has been the last 25 years this should be if I were the Knicks I would tank this one and actually try to
Starting point is 00:52:51 complete the tank unlike they did the last two years where they tanked and then like the last two weeks guys got hot they knocked themselves out of the top four
Starting point is 00:53:00 but after this I mean they really have to be thinking about you know next summer, all the free agents. The problem is, and we've talked about this before
Starting point is 00:53:10 on the pod, it's the James Dolan thing. These guys all read the internet and they know what's going on. They know what's going on with basketball. Nobody wants to play for that guy and that's a tough thing to overcome. Social media made it so that
Starting point is 00:53:23 a dude who has no exposure to new york and doesn't know anything about new york except like the glitz and glamour like portrayal of new york yeah hate new york because you know he reads all these articles about james nolan and like you know carmel anthony was unhappy with the ownership and this and that and discord and blah blah blah and like the fanbase will turn on you in an instant and da da da da all that stuff scares the agent
Starting point is 00:53:52 but like like I said we just wrapped up the Bodega Boys podcast and we posited the question and I'm going to posit to you now if Kevin Durant goes to the Knicks and wins the championship,
Starting point is 00:54:10 does all that other, like, Golden State, you're a ring chaser, does that go away? Is he now in the conversation for GOAT? Well, as you know, 87% of the people who write about basketball
Starting point is 00:54:28 live in Brooklyn. And a lot of those people have been murdering Durant for the last couple of years. If he goes to the next, that flips instantly. I think we're in the era now of, we're going to remember this whole LeBron generation dating back to the decision where it's like, this was the era now of, we're going to remember this whole LeBron generation dating back to the decision where it's like,
Starting point is 00:54:47 this was the era where there's no connection to a player and a specific team anymore. It's the fans have the connection to the player. And a lot of the times they just follow the player from city to city, wherever they go. And you still have people like you and me, we, you love the Knicks.
Starting point is 00:55:01 You're always going to love the Knicks. I love the Celtics. I'm always going to love the Celtics. But I think the under thirties, I think a lot of them just follow the player. So the player, yeah. So if the ring,
Starting point is 00:55:12 cause now it's like the players are branding themselves. Like before it was like the Knicks, the Bulls, you know what I mean? Like if they had their star, like it was like Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Patrick Ewing and the Knicks, Larry Bird and the Celtics, Magic and the L star. Like, it was like Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Patrick Ewing and the Knicks, Larry Bird and
Starting point is 00:55:25 the Celtics, Magic and the Lakers. Like, that's done. Now it's just like, dudes are like branding individuals. Like, I'm LeBron James. Like, I wouldn't be surprised if players started like keeping their team names off social media. Like, you know how like, like a player will have a Twitter account and it'll be like, you know, Jimmy Butler, shooting guard, Minnesota Timberwolves.
Starting point is 00:55:50 Like, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just like, Jimmy Butler, NBA player. You know what I mean? NBA stars have basically become bartenders, where it's like, oh, what happened to that bartender at that place on 22nd? Oh, he moved to the place at 36th.
Starting point is 00:56:05 Oh, so I'm going there now. Yeah, I was like, all right, I'll go over there. I like that guy. And they just kind of drift around. Honestly, I could see Durant, I could see him leaving Golden State this year, going to the Knicks, putting in four years there, and then finishing his career with the Seattle expansion team and playing on four different teams where each time
Starting point is 00:56:24 it was this strategic career choice. I just think that's where we are with basketball. Like LeBron goes to the Lakers and the Lakers are the biggest, in my opinion, the biggest brand in the NBA. I think they're bigger than the Celtics and they're bigger than the Knicks.
Starting point is 00:56:37 They're in a bigger city and they've had, they're a bigger city than the Celtics. They've had more success than the Knicks. They've had- Their Spike Lee is Jack Nicholson. Right. They have the most celebrities by far at every game.
Starting point is 00:56:50 They've employed seven of the 14 biggest stars ever. But LeBron goes there, and it's the first time that they've had a player that feels like he's bigger than the actual franchise. I don't even think Kobe... Kobe never felt bigger than the Lakers. LeBron just feels bigger. So, it's weird.
Starting point is 00:57:10 Because of that whole... You know what I mean? LeBron is LeBron. He's the face of the NBA. Whether you like it or not, he still is. There's other people that might beat him or pile on him and he's not the GOAT and blah, he still is. There's other people that might beat him or
Starting point is 00:57:25 pile on him and he's not the GOAT and blah, blah, blah. But he's the face of the NBA. And the dude is squeaky clean. And his kid is good at basketball. Yeah. His kid's really good. His kid's amazing.
Starting point is 00:57:41 I'm like, yo, if somebody tweeted in the year 2031, it's going to be Sharif O'Neal, Ronnie James, I hear Wade. Wade's kid, yeah. Wade's kid looks good. You know, some other kid,
Starting point is 00:57:58 and then Ronnie Turiaf in his 59th season. Bob Turiaf, Ronnie Turiaf in like his 59th season. Bob Turiaf. Ronnie Turiaf's son. I think LeBron on the Lakers is... I just can't get used to it. I've seen him now
Starting point is 00:58:14 in multiple games. It looks so weird. It looks so weird. And you know Kobe's got to be going fucking crazy, right? He's got to be going nuts. He's got to be out of his mind. I have this theory that he's going to come
Starting point is 00:58:26 back for the Christmas Day game and I'm like half kidding but half serious. Kobe's going to suit up and play for the Christmas Day game? I just, I don't feel like we can rule out the Kobe Bryant comeback. No. It can't be crossed off. Like when Bird retired
Starting point is 00:58:43 for the Celtics, it was like, that guy's retired. Like he can't move anymore. Kobe... Kobe's like a boxer. It's like when those boxers they're like, I'm done. I don't want to take any more hits. I've made enough money. And then two years later, they're like, I'd like to
Starting point is 00:59:00 announce my fight for the junior welterweight title. Imagine Kobe just sitting in his basement playing NBA today. Putting his sliders all the way on Legendary or whatever and just being like, man, I can do this. I can still do this.
Starting point is 00:59:16 In that weird moment where it was like, are the Warriors going to be the winningest team of all time, plus Kobe's last game as a Laker, period. Yeah. Or Kobe's last game, period, was happening at the same time.
Starting point is 00:59:33 I, like hours before tip-off, I was like, Kobe is going to score 60 points no matter what it takes. No matter how many shots. And he did. If he has to put up 80 shots, he's going to get 60 points. I think he did put up 80 shots, actually. Yeah. Like, and then, but then you pan out to the crowd.
Starting point is 00:59:53 And like you said, like Snoop Dogg is there. Next to like David Lynch. Next to like Jack Nicholson. Next to like fucking Steven Tyler. And it's just all these random like super A-list celebrity people like you know like Drake is like
Starting point is 01:00:08 bringing Gatorade over to Kobe and shit like it's nuts I do think the Laker fans love Kobe so much and
Starting point is 01:00:16 it really it really turned into an us against them situation with Kobe last decade but now you have LeBron they were always
Starting point is 01:00:24 in arguments that Kobe was better with LeBron for basically the last 10 years now you have LeBron. They were always in arguments that Kobe was better with LeBron for basically the last 10 years and resented LeBron. Now LeBron is basically using their franchise to set up his whole post-NBA life and live in LA and start a company. Which is smart. It's very smart. But,
Starting point is 01:00:39 but, but, important but, I do wonder if it starts out slow or if there's stuff they don't like. I could see there at least being a segment of Laker fans that are going to be like, fuck this guy. Why'd he come here? You're not a real Laker.
Starting point is 01:00:55 You're just using us. I could see that happening. If they lose. If they lose. I actually think they're going to be really good. They're going to be like, he's the new magic. Yeah, yeah. I actually think they're going to be really good. They're going to be like, he's the new magic. Yeah, yeah. I actually think they're
Starting point is 01:01:08 going to be good, and I like Lonzo, and I think LeVar is trapped. I think he's in like a meat truck in Anaheim just with a lock on it. I think they just got rid of him. I don't think he's going to be heard from. They're like, where's
Starting point is 01:01:24 LeVar? He's not returning his calls. Oh, he went on a trip. He'll be back. The LeBron would just sneakily check his phone and be like, is that it? Right.
Starting point is 01:01:35 Is that it? I'm under arrest. Hey, we got to go. When is your Showtime show going to launch? We are launching this winter. So get ready. We also have the Madison Square Garden show
Starting point is 01:01:49 November 11th you know what I'm saying 11-11 make your wish has come true tickets are still available and it's the Madison Square Garden so two New York boys from the Bronx born and raised you know what I mean
Starting point is 01:02:03 this is like Kanye performing at the Chicago Theater. You know what I mean? Kanye is probably a short topic right now, but it's big. How many people is it going to be? 5,000. Oh my god!
Starting point is 01:02:21 Yeah. You guys are... That's insane! Yeah. There's still tickets available. Guys, Ticketmaster, yeah you guys are that's insane yeah so there's still tickets available guys Ticketmaster
Starting point is 01:02:29 go hit it up for Diggah Boys Live nice and uh it's gonna be it's gonna be a shit show by the way by the way
Starting point is 01:02:38 Kanye is not a sore topic I I it's I think I'm punting I think I'm out I think I'm out I think I'm out completely
Starting point is 01:02:45 he's too crazy I've been out since the MAGA I've been out since like I've been out on Kanye since for a while but it's just like he just keeps reappearing it's just like it's like herpes
Starting point is 01:03:01 it's like it's forever I was like okay this was never like like, herpes. It's like, it's forever. I was like, okay, this was never, like, okay, this was, I got this. I found out I got this. This sucks. And then it just keeps popping up every couple months. Like, hey!
Starting point is 01:03:17 Like, did you see that Saturday Night Live performance where he was dressed like a bottle of Perrier? All of it was terrible. I don't know what, I've never seen anything like this. It would be like if LeBron just showed up next season and was the worst player in the league I don't understand it
Starting point is 01:03:31 yeah like it it blows my mind I don't I don't either but listen I like I'll be your shoulder
Starting point is 01:03:38 to cry on once we sweep the Red Sox out of the ALDS I wish you I wish you the worst of luck. I'm going to be coming at both of you on
Starting point is 01:03:49 Twitter the entire series. Get ready for the gift storm. The gift storm is coming. Gift storm coming your way. You and Deezus, I'm coming after both of you. This is going. This is happening. This is going to get... Let's do it. May the best team win. May the best team win. This is going to get... Let's do it.
Starting point is 01:04:05 May the best team win. May the best team win. All right. Thanks for coming on. You got it. All right. Take care. Yes.
Starting point is 01:04:11 Be a showman. Halla. Let's take a break to talk about G Suite. It's a suite of cloud-based productivity tools that includes Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive. These tools improve your work life, both in terms of your experience and the outputs you create. Hence their new campaign, Make It With G Suite.
Starting point is 01:04:29 You know when you have 20 identical versions of a document labeled final and no clue which is the latest one? That happens to me a lot. Well, you make another version, you name that one final final, right? I do that. Well, with G Suite by Google Cloud,
Starting point is 01:04:43 a range of work apps like Gmail, Gmail Docs, and Slides let you make real-time updates to the same document without having to keep track of version after version of a project. And since all the tools are cloud-based, your whole team can access the same document and work on the same page at the same time. To find out more about G Suite's productivity tools, visit gsuite.com. That is gsuite.com. Make it with G Suite by Google Cloud. All right, we're going to call my dad in a second. Wanted to do NFL picks really fast. By the way, the cousin I on Monday, Cousin Sal, I think Monday or Tuesday before, yeah, it was Monday. We got Dodgers Indians on the world series at 23 to one. The Indians are my hedge bet, my emotional hedge in case the Red
Starting point is 01:05:33 Sox get bounced. I think they're the, I actually think they're the scariest team in the NL That was 23 to 1 at the time. And now, I'm looking at it right now. Now, now it is plus 800. It's a good job by us. I can't wait to see how we screw that one up and lose it. NFL picks. Joe House is traveling today, so he can't be on this. I have a couple.
Starting point is 01:06:08 My big one is the Rams. I went 3-2 last week, just for the record. My big one is the Rams. I want to work the Rams into a whole bunch of scenarios. The Rams are minus 380 at Seattle, minus 7.5 against the spread. I think Seattle is finished, done, kaput.
Starting point is 01:06:28 And I didn't even think they were that good to begin with. Earl Thomas goes out. He was playing better than anyone on their defense. Their defense wasn't even that good. I think the Rams are a juggernaut. This feels to me like a classic run up the score. If you remember, they killed them near the end of the season last year. So what I'm going to do
Starting point is 01:06:45 is I'm going to take the Rams minus seven and a half, and I think they win by double digits. But I'm also going to put them with a couple other games that I like. I'm just going all in on the Rams this week, and if they screw me
Starting point is 01:07:01 over, so be it. I really like the Falcons plus three. I'm going to parlay that with, actually, no,
Starting point is 01:07:15 I'm going to parlay that with the Rams minus 380 to get a little extra juice on that. That gets that to about plus 150, something like that. Atlanta plus three, here's why. Now, Atlanta's defense has been a mess. They lost Deion Jones.
Starting point is 01:07:34 They're giving up a lot of points. They just can't get stops, basically, which should make them not the greatest matchup in Pittsburgh. But I also don't think Pittsburgh's going to be able to stop them either. And as weird as this sounds, it's more of a must-win game for Atlanta than Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh loses, they drop to 1-3-1. If Atlanta loses, they drop to 1-4.
Starting point is 01:07:58 1-4 is pretty deadly. 1-3-1 is kind of manageable. It might be a case where 9-6-1 can get Pittsburgh where they need to go in the playoffs. I don't think they're even going to get there. I don't think Pittsburgh's very good. I have not felt like they were good all season. Atlanta, there's a scenario where they win this game by 14-whatever. I don't see that scenario with Pittsburgh.
Starting point is 01:08:23 I like getting the plus three. I think either team can win this game. So that's my first one. Second one, Rams-Moneyline parlay with the Lions. Plus one against Green Bay. There's an overwhelming chance that Green Bay's just not good. I'm looking at these parlays.
Starting point is 01:08:42 So it would be plus 141 if you just tease a straight up team with the Rams minus 380. So this one, same thing. Lions plus one. I think the Lions can move the ball and make things happen. They got screwed over last week.
Starting point is 01:08:56 They should have beaten Dallas and just kind of fell apart in the last two minutes. But they're always kind of hanging around in these games. I don't think Green Bay's defense is good. They did not seem happy even after they beat the crap out of the Bills last week.
Starting point is 01:09:12 Just doesn't seem, something doesn't smell right with Green Bay this year. So I'm jumping on that. Third one, Bengals. This one's easy. This is just a teaser. Bengals are minus six at home against Miami. Rams minus seven and a half at Seattle.
Starting point is 01:09:31 Teasing that. I like this Bengals team. Miami is not as bad as they looked against the Pats last week. I could see this being close. The Bengals, they lost Eifert last week. Mixon's probably still going to be out, but I just think the Bengals are good. They're a 10 or 11 win team.
Starting point is 01:09:50 I think they're the safest bet to win the AFC North. And if they're going to win the division, you have to win a game like this. And I think they're a playoff team. So that's my third one. And then my fourth one, I can't believe I like this one, but I do, and I can't explain it. It's Niners minus 185 and the Rams minus 380.
Starting point is 01:10:32 You put those two together, that gets you to minus 106, which is about even. The Niners are home against the Cardinals of Arizona. The Niners are one of those teams people wrote off when Garoppolo got hurt, and I was one of them, actually. C.J. Beathard, he's not dramatically worse. The Niners have been in all these games that they've been playing. If you go look at their schedule week to week, they're actually a pretty good football team, and they're really well coached. And I think Arizona is a disaster.
Starting point is 01:10:54 So those are my four. I got the Rams straight up. Then I have the Rams money line with the Falcons plus three. I have the Rams money line with the Falcons plus three. I have the Rams money line with the Lions plus one. And I have the Rams money line with the 49ers minus 185. Those are my four picks. And just for the record, because House was hot. House has Panthers minus six and a half against the Giants.
Starting point is 01:11:20 Thinks they win by double digits. Atlanta plus three at Pittsburgh. So we're joined on that. He points out Steelers 0-6 against spread their past six as home favorites. Falcons 7-0 against the spread or 7-0 straight up 5-2 against spread in their past seven games on the road against teams with losing records. Pittsburgh's D allowed an average of 451 per game over the last three weeks. Look, we do this every year. We wait for certain teams to turn around.
Starting point is 01:11:46 I was worried the Pats were going to be one of those teams, the contender that we kept expecting to be a contender, and it just never happened. I really think there's a chance it's Pittsburgh. It really does seem like they might have the stink on them. But at the very least, I think that's a back-and-forth game either team could win. So those are our four picks.
Starting point is 01:12:01 All right, we'll call my dad right now. Hey, you've heard me talking about this for weeks. Some of you are still watching football from the sidelines. Whether you're an expert or rookie, you should be betting at my bookie. If you're the kind of guy that likes to bet a little and win a lot, my bookie gives you the chance to create a big parlay,
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Starting point is 01:12:31 Will he win straight up? Or will Khabib deliver a first-round K? You can bet on any result. McGregor, pretty significant underdog right now. He's like plus 160. If you're on the sidelines, now is the time to get in the game.
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Starting point is 01:12:58 You play, you win, you get paid. All right. Last but not least, this is his time of year. He's a retired guy with a Twitter feed, Dr. Bill1947. That's the Twitter handle. He's got the Pats in action. He's got the Celtics exhibition season rolling toward the regular season and a possible juggernaut.
Starting point is 01:13:17 And he's got a Red Sox-Yankees playoff series. He even has the Bruins. He was tweeting about the Bruins the other day. You love this. You love October the most, Dad. It's the best month of them all. I mean, last night, last night,
Starting point is 01:13:31 obviously the Patriot game was on, and it was a great game. We got to see some things we haven't seen in a while, including a wide receiver, actually muscle defenders and go up and catch a pass at the end zone. Yeah. But at the same time, the Celtics were having this special event for season ticket holders.
Starting point is 01:13:52 I didn't get to go because I didn't. I decided not to go because I wanted to watch the Patriot game. But I saw the tape of, I'm sure you saw it also. So I kind of wish I was there. They said only 3,000 people were there. And Kyrie makes the big announcement that he's definitely re-signing here in the summer. And then there's an article today that he's trying to recruit Anthony Davis
Starting point is 01:14:20 to come to the Celtics. Oh my God. I mean, really? He was never not re-signing with the Celtics. Oh my God. I mean, really? He was never not resigning with the Celtics. He did my podcast last summer and it was obvious he loves Boston and loves the Celtics. The guy wants to win. Why would he leave a team that has the best chance to be the best team over the next six years other than the Warriors?
Starting point is 01:14:38 It'd be crazy. You and I always felt that way, but you kind of want to hear it from the player. True. You don't want these stupid rumors all season long, especially that the New York Knicks put out that he wants to go to New York because he's from New Jersey and da-da-da-da-da-da. You want it not to be an issue. You want it to be settled so that Celtics can move on and talk to Anthony Davis about coming here.
Starting point is 01:15:04 Anthony. We'll do our recruiting pitch for him another time. On a scale of 1 to 10, how nervous are you about this Yankees-Red Sox series? So 10 is the highest? Yeah. Okay. Give me a
Starting point is 01:15:17 9 and 3 quarters. What are you the most nervous about? Sale, I think. The sale that we had until the middle of July, for the most part, was unhittable. I mean, when he bore down and came at you with that 99-mile-an-hour fastball and then threw his slider after that, he was unhittable. And now you just don't know what you're getting.
Starting point is 01:15:47 And, you know, you throw him tonight, and we haven't really hit Hap very well. And you just hope that we don't have the 92-mile-an-hour sale whose shoulder's not really right. It worried me when it leaked out that he had had the cortisone shot in the shoulder. Yeah, I don't feel like I've ever been happy with a cortisone shot leak.
Starting point is 01:16:12 Me neither. It's never a good sign. It's always a good sign if it's the pitcher on the other team that you're facing. But when it's your ace who has to go if this series goes five then he's your first game and fifth game starter and
Starting point is 01:16:31 we just don't know what we're getting so that worries me and obviously the second thing that worries me is the same thing that worries you our bullpen sucks it's so unpredictable, inconsistent I feel today that sucks. It's so unpredictable, inconsistent. I heard today that they sent Embry out to
Starting point is 01:16:52 the pasture, but they did keep Joe Kelly on the roster. Joe Kelly, I mean, really? Oh yeah, I'm worried about those two things, I think. Joe Kelly throws 99 and has a really good change up. And yet somehow neither of us have any confidence whatsoever in him. And so how everybody, you know, other people throw 99,
Starting point is 01:17:13 they run hittable. Joe Kelly throws 99 and people hit it out of the park. It's like a straight line. It's in a video game. He'd be unbelievable. Uh, what about, how do you feel if we lose this game one
Starting point is 01:17:25 and then we got Price at Yankee Stadium against Tanaka tomorrow in game two? No, it wouldn't be Price at Yankee Stadium. I mean, I'm sorry, Price at Fenway against Tanaka. Yeah. I feel better. You like Price. Price has grown on you a little bit.
Starting point is 01:17:40 Well, it's not just that. We've hit Tanaka. Yeah. And we've especially hit him at Fenway Park. So, and we know they can't throw Severino in there.
Starting point is 01:17:54 What's up with your dog? Jesus. Red Sox Yankees getting everyone fired up. It's the mailman. You know, we hit Tanaka. You and I have the same worry about, with the Yankees, if the Stman. You know, we hit Tanaka. You and I have the same worry about with the Yankees. If the starter goes five. Yeah, then you're in the gauntlet.
Starting point is 01:18:11 You might be in trouble. Yeah, you're in the gauntlet. They have to get to the starter in that second, third inning when they have to bring in their long-term relievers and you can start hitting people. But I think if we go down zero to one, it's not just going down zero to one. It's did sale not look good and that's why we lost the game or did we pitch great and the bullpen lost it? You know, if we lose it, it's how we lost it that would worry me.
Starting point is 01:18:41 I'm optimistic. I mean, he's such a warrior. And, you know, he really wants to be in Boston. He really wants to pitch tonight. I just hope he's healthy. Who is your MVP, Mookie or JD? That's a really tough one. If you'd asked me three weeks ago, I might have said J.D., but now I think I would definitely say Mookie. I thought Martinez had a tough month of September. that low outside pitch. And the pitchers seemed to realize that he was going to go for it. And they inevitably, you know, he'd get into two strike count and they seemed to be able to get him out. And what do they have only three homers the month of September? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:19:36 I always wonder though, like the stakes were so low in September. I wonder if that flipped it a little bit. I think even the energy at the home games was kind of off. It was just kind of once we got to mid-August, it seemed like this team was just starting to think about October in a lot of ways. That's a valid point. I still feel
Starting point is 01:19:56 like in second and first down a run in the eighth inning needing a hit, he's still the guy I want up more than anyone else on the team. I thought Mookie was the MVP. I think he was the best player in baseball this year. But JD came through so many times. I just feel like he's always going to come through. It's incredible. I saw the odds with each player who might win the MVP.
Starting point is 01:20:22 Mookie has slightly better odds, but it's not overwhelming. It's very close. I think the Boston fans would be very comfortable with either one. I just think Mookie has done more. And yet, as I say that, I'm thinking, you know, this team isn't very different than a year ago, except for the fact that JJ Martinez is in the lineup.
Starting point is 01:20:44 So you could easily make a very strong argument on his behalf. We know it's going to be one of those two, and that would be great. And we know the other one will probably come in second. How did you celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1978 playoff game. It wouldn't have been so much on my radar except for the fact that Boone is managing the Yankees and it kind of gets thrown in your face by all these analysts when you watch the MLB channel. You know, they keep bringing it up.
Starting point is 01:21:21 Why Boone? I don't get the Boone part. Just like all the bad trauma things that have happened in the Yankees-Red Sox? they keep bringing it up. And why Boone? I don't get the Boone part. Um, just like all the bad trauma things that have happened. Yeah. You know, he was bad karma. What? How many years later?
Starting point is 01:21:33 2003. And so they bring him up in the conversation with Bucky Dan and, and it, it's the conversation of, these are all the bad things that have happened to the Red Sox. And, uh, Boone reminds me of Dent and we killed that
Starting point is 01:21:49 we came back from 3-0 we killed all the demons we did you know I'm not complaining how could I complain we've won 3 championships in this last 10 yeah last 14 years and the Yankees have only won 1
Starting point is 01:22:04 what do you remember of the 1978 playoff game I just remember last 10 yeah last 14 years and the Yankees have only won one so right what do you remember of the 1978 playoff game I just remember I feel like we got the day off from school I might be imagining that part but I do remember
Starting point is 01:22:13 watching it at our place in Brookline and I remember crying afterwards those are my two memories I remember you crying afterwards and me having tears in my eyes and thinking that it was
Starting point is 01:22:28 never ever ever going to happen that was our one and only chance and we'd never get that close again we watched a lot of baseball that year there were no cable channels back then you just watched every Red Sox game so we watched that team just disintegrate
Starting point is 01:22:44 and then they kind of rallied back. It was over, and then they rallied back and forced the playoff game. You know, you remind me of that a little bit. On your Matt Damon podcast, you were talking about ER and how popular ER was because you had four channels going at the time. And obviously the same was true when you watched baseball. We watched on Channel 38 i remember and and it didn't come in real well because we had rabbit ears and yeah so sometimes the picture kind of went out a little bit but um i what i remember is the month of when i'm
Starting point is 01:23:20 thinking that this team is really got a strong possibility of winning. And then Rice got hit in the wrist. Yeah. He didn't play in the World Series. That was 75, yeah. Yeah, that was 75. 75, I mean, we came so close a couple of times that decade that I just never thought we'd win it.
Starting point is 01:23:45 So it was fun to hear you and Damon talk about the euphoria. Well, especially him. He's such a fanatic baseball fan. Yeah. How meaningful it was that we finally got over the hump. Yeah, it definitely removed. It was like having a tumor removed from your ribs or something where you're just like, wow, I feel so much better.
Starting point is 01:24:06 This is great. It's so much more light. You know, I think if we were all honest about it, I still feel like we're playing with house money. We've won three times. We won five years ago.
Starting point is 01:24:22 The 13 team, nobody ever thought that team was going to win a World Series. I can still see Ortiz's home run against Detroit going in the bullpen. You know, a lot of things had to go right. That was unbelievable. Which is going to be true this series. You know, to get past the Yankees in a five-game series, I almost would feel better if it was a seven-game series.
Starting point is 01:24:44 The hot team takes a five-game series. I almost would feel better if it was a seven-game series. The hot team takes a five-game series over and over. So I don't know who the hot team is. I didn't like to see Stanton and Judge get home runs the other night. But, you know, hopefully they're not the hot team. What Yankee scares you the most? You know, it's going to sound weird because they had such a shitty season. I think he hit in the 180s. But Sanchez has our number, especially when we throw two lefties at him.
Starting point is 01:25:19 He worries me. We seem to pitch well against Judge and Stanton, but Sanchez hits us pretty well. How about you? You know, the guy that always scares me the most is Brett Gardner, but it doesn't seem like he's starting. He always hits us, you're right. But if we start the lefties games one and two, he's not going to be out there, right?
Starting point is 01:25:44 That Luke Voigt kind of scares me now. He's just been red hot for like seven weeks and it's not stopping. Why did they have to get him, by the way? Because it was supposed to be Greg Bird's job and Greg Bird just shit the bed for two straight months and they just kind of threw this other guy in and he started hitting. And he really was a thrower. I mean, Cashman obviously made a great move picking him up.
Starting point is 01:26:10 He has that old Yankee power hitter look to him, doesn't he? Yeah. Which team is the closest to winning a title, the Celtics, the Red Sox, or the Pats? I'd say the Red Sox. I would say the Celtics. You'd say the Celtics? You mean this year? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:26:37 Oh. I think a lot has to go right for this Red Sox team to win the World Series. Sale not being sale and not knowing what we're getting from him, I think really throws us into flux in a lot of ways. We don't have that one stopper. The recipe for this team as a World Series champion team
Starting point is 01:27:01 doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not saying they can't win, but to me, I look at the Celtics, the East is, it just seems like they can own the East. I think they have a real chance to get the best record and against, you get to the finals, who knows? So I would actually
Starting point is 01:27:18 put them, I would put them even and I would put the Pats third because I think that defense is pretty scary that the Pats have. Yeah, I'd put the Pats third because I think that defense is pretty scary that the Pats have. Yeah, I'd put the Pats third because the defense and the defense doesn't look any different than the defense we had
Starting point is 01:27:33 out there for the Super Bowl. No. The real test, you know, last night was great. Did you ever have one moment of doubt that we were going to win that game? Because I certainly didn't. But their big test,
Starting point is 01:27:48 their first big test of the year is a week from Sunday. Kansas City really looks good. Right. You bring Mahomes into Boston and it's going to be a great game. I look forward to that. Kelsey's a bad matchup. Tyreek Hill's a bad matchup.
Starting point is 01:28:04 You'll be happy to know nephew Kyle is ready to buy a Josh Gordon jersey. Oh, you know it. He's so fired up. I actually can see the two of them hanging out. I don't think there's any doubt. My last two jerseys I bought were Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, so I'm right there. I'm ready.
Starting point is 01:28:22 I got two jerseys hanging in the closet that I never wear. Well, you know, I know wear. I don't know who they have living with them. Usually the Patriots are smart enough to have somebody living with a player like Josh Gordon. Like a babysitter, kind of. You know who they wouldn't be asking
Starting point is 01:28:40 to live with Josh Gordon? Nephew Kyle? Cousin Kyle. You guys are on the same page. So great. Yeah, that would be asking to live with Josh Gordon. Nephew Kyle? Cousin Kyle. You guys are on the same page. So great. Yeah. So great. Yeah, that would be a mistake. I got super excited. And I still don't trust this Josh Gordon thing.
Starting point is 01:28:54 My guard is up 100%. I got super excited when Brady just heaved it down the field into the end zone and Gordon just caught it with two guys out of him. Because it was like Brady throwing a moss was like one of the great sports experiences of my life. It really was. I just loved it so much. He didn't just throw it up. I know he threw it up there.
Starting point is 01:29:14 No, I mean, obviously he saw that there were two defenders and one receiver, but Gordon did, you and I texted about it. He did something that we haven't had a receiver do since Randy Moss, which was he went and got the ball and didn't let the defenders anywhere near that ball. We don't have that guy. We haven't had that guy. I mean, the guy we let go to the Rams.
Starting point is 01:29:39 Brandon Kutz. Who had all those yards last year, Cook. That was the big complaint about him. Brady threw the ball up there. You never saw Cook going aggressively to get that ball. And that's exactly what Jordan did. And he really showed his athleticism. You just, you don't know.
Starting point is 01:29:58 Nobody knows. Can he stay on the right path for three more months or four more months or the rest of it. You know, who knows? But he certainly looked great last night. I just enjoyed that you called him Cook and then Jordan in the same explanation. It was great. Josh Jordan, he's much better than Brandon Cook. Did I get the names wrong?
Starting point is 01:30:22 Yeah, you might have. The Cooks, Brandon Cooks. Juju Sweezer. Josh Gordon. Juju Sweezer. Juju Sweezer. That was the one on Sunday. You're really, really, October, you're in playoff form.
Starting point is 01:30:35 This is great. I, he brings something, Gordon brings something to the table, and this is why they traded for him. And what bothers me is he's sucking me in and we're heading to week 10, week 11. We're like, man, our offense looks great. This Gordon thing really worked out.
Starting point is 01:30:53 Then you just get the ESPN news ticker. Josh Gordon has left the Patriots. Don't say it. I know it's like an 80-90% definite chance that's happening. So it's hard to get that invested. There's a very funny and kind of cute story in the paper the other day.
Starting point is 01:31:11 It was a Sunday when they read over the weekend, the Red Sox had that one of their final games against the Yankees. And Jordan was supposed, Gordon was supposed to be at the Patriots stadium for practice to look at film. And he got there like an hour and a half early. I think he's living in a condo like five minutes away. And they asked him, you know, why did he get there so early? And he said, well, he left early because he didn't want to get stuck or caught in the Red Sox traffic.
Starting point is 01:31:44 And somebody said to him, do you know the Red Sox traffic. And somebody said to him, do you know the Red Sox don't really play near here? And he said, well, you know, Boston drivers, you know, I had to leave early. So I thought that was a good sign and kind of a funny story, actually. That's great. Given that Fenway Park is about an hour away from where the Patriots play. They should have one of those trackers on him
Starting point is 01:32:04 so they know where he is at all times. I'd offer to have him live with Molly and me. Oh, in your house. That's great. Yeah, somebody needs, he wouldn't want to go up and down the stairs. So he'd be pretty, and he probably likes dogs and he'd do fine.
Starting point is 01:32:19 All right. That's exciting. So Josh Gordon, you have an offer to live in Beacon Hill with my dad, if you're interested. So you had your, this whole sports month started out, last weekend you were here, and you went to my son's, my son's playing travel baseball this year,
Starting point is 01:32:37 you went to his doubleheader and he had three hits for you. So I thought that was a good omen for the playoffs. The greatest thing was, you know, he had two, they split the doubleheader. The first game they lost 9-8. They killed the team in the second game. He played wonderfully, gets in the car, we're driving home. And I think your wife asked, you know,
Starting point is 01:33:01 what did the coach have to say to all of you? Because the coach took all the players out to the outfield for about 20 minutes after the second game. And he said, well, you know, they all cheered for me. And so one of us said, what do you mean they cheered for you? And he said, because the coach told the team that I was the MVP of the day. And he wasn't even going to tell us that. You know, it just kind of came out because we were asking him what they were doing
Starting point is 01:33:28 in the outfield. So I like that he's a humble kid. And I hope he maintains that part of his personality. But he played great. He was really terrific. And your daughter was terrific the day before in soccer. It was a good grandparent weekend for you.
Starting point is 01:33:45 Great grandparent weekend. It sucks that you chose to live 3,000 miles away. I don't get to see this very often, but maybe you'll come back to Boston someday. Well, we need baseball to come through for him because it's his one chance to get into a college, I think. Might be it. Well, yeah, I worry about college only because when he's in that special program at McLean's Hospital for kids addicted to Fortnite, I'm worried that he's not going to be in college.
Starting point is 01:34:19 Well, you'll be happy to know since you left, he has not played one game of Fortnite. It's been completely banned. He's probably sneaking it somehow. Although my mom now thinks you're the narc that you narced on him. So, after the Parent Corner story and the podcast on Monday. You know, I feel like you threw me under the bus in the Parent Corner, by the way. I hope your son doesn't listen to Parent Corner. No, he definitely doesn't listen to it.
Starting point is 01:34:43 He's too busy watching other people play Fortnite on YouTube because that's the closest he can get. And I did not follow my grandson into the bathroom. You continue to have a nice way of exaggerating. Well, I got that from my mom's side, though. Just like your mom. I know where that came from. I take most
Starting point is 01:34:59 of the story and then I turn it into my own story. Well, believe me, I remember 45 years ago that happening all the time. story and then I turn it into my own story. Well, believe me, I remember 45 years ago that happening all the time. Yeah, we had like a year and a half ago, I got you and my mom in the same
Starting point is 01:35:18 room and she told her versions of stories from the 70s and then you told the actual story. And it honestly should have been televised on like Facebook Live. It was incredible. All the stories that she has just added things that didn't happen to over the years and
Starting point is 01:35:33 just perfected into these blend of fiction and nonfiction. And then you just coldly telling us what was true and not true. It was amazing. Well, I don't get that opportunity often. I mean, she's telling your kids these stories that are kind of interesting. Right.
Starting point is 01:35:50 And they would have been kind of funny if they ever happened. But of course, you can't think that they happen 100%. Right. I think every, probably once a year, we need to get in the room and the truth needs to come out on these stories. My dream podcast would be the two of you together as she tells the story.
Starting point is 01:36:09 And then you, you, you tell whether it happened or not. She never wants to come on though, for some reason. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know.
Starting point is 01:36:16 I don't know what's going on. All right. I look forward to FaceTime you 40 times over the next couple of days. Um, sounds good. Talk to you soon. Thanks for coming on. All right.
Starting point is 01:36:24 Talk to you. Take care. Bye. you soon. Thanks for coming on. All right. Talk to you. Take care. Bye. All right. Thanks so much to Jacko. Thanks to my dad. Thanks to the Kid Mero. Thanks to all the Red Sox fans out there.
Starting point is 01:36:37 We're going to need to band together. We need to make this happen. I'm officially concerned. Red Sox, minus 150 favorites in this series. Best of five. And I'm concerned. What else can I say? Enjoy the weekend.
Starting point is 01:36:52 Enjoy the baseball. Enjoy the football. Enjoy the basketball that's coming. Enjoy it all. Enjoy the college football. You name it, enjoy it. I will be back Sunday night with the Cuzz. Until then
Starting point is 01:37:20 On the wayside On the wayside I don't have

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