The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 2: The Bucket of Death Returns

Episode Date: September 5, 2024

Dan is literally screaming from horror as the Bucket of Death returns, inexplicably with a Wizard to join our Grim Reaper, as Mike, Tony, Chris, Roy, Dan, and Amin pick NFL helmets from the bucket with the threat of suffering a punishment with that team's loss. Then, Laura Jedeed is here to share her reporting on James O'Keefe and Project Veritas, the entity that reported the story on Washington Commanders VP of Content Rael Enteen. She explains O'Keefe's history and the politically motivated war he has waged under the protection of "journalism." Plus, it's time for a new episode of The Pitch Clock. Mike Schur is this week's expert, and he joins Jeremy and Chris for Taylor's trivia on 1990s Hit Leaders. Then, Jeremy and Mike chat about the best playoff races heading into September, MVP candidates NOT named Judge or Ohtani, the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., the best unit in Major League Baseball, Mike's favorite bad teams to watch, and MLB players that make them each feel old. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. In the NFL, there is no margin for error. One mistake can change the outcome of a game. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, and overall athletic performance. As the official Sleep Wellness Partner of the NFL, Sleep Number's mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. Sleep is essential for recovery and we all have unique needs.

That's why Sleep Number Smart Beds are perfect for couples with individualized settings for each side. Since 2018, Sleep Number and the NFL have teamed up to bring quality sleep to elite athletes. 8 out of 10 NFL players, including 80% of Kansas City Chiefs players trust Sleep Number for their best rest. And now, during Sleep Number's biggest sale of the year, save 50% on the Sleep Number Limited Edition Smart Bed, plus special financing for a limited time, only at a SleepNumbers store or sleepnumber.com. SleepNumber, official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL.

See store for details. Now's a good time to remember where the story of tequila started. In 1795, the first tequila distillery was opened by the Cuervo family, and 229 years later, Cuervo is still going strong. Family owned from the start, same family, same land. Now's a good time to enjoy Cuervo. The tequila that invented tequila. Go to Cuervo.com to shop tequila

or visit a store near you. Cuervo, now's a good time. Trademarks owned by Becle, S-A-B, the C-V, copyright 2024, Proximo. Jersey City, New Jersey, please drink responsibly. This is the We are back. I hate this thing. Come on.

That's right. It's the bucket of death and it's time to go to it. If you're new around here, we pick a bucket. All the NFL teams are in there. There's a few random helmets also in there. We don't pick a bucket all the NFL teams are in there there's a few random helmets also in there. We don't pick a bucket Chris. We pick a helmet out of the bucket all right either way we're doing it and there's bad shit in there. Why is the Reaper so short? The Reaper supposed to tower over people with a sickle. Shrinking the wash Dan-o. Doing the dryer, that's what happens. Tony's going first, I really hate this thing and Mike thinks I like it because I like to dress in costumes.

You do. Oh you like when other people dress in costumes. So the people that are new, you get two chances to pick a helmet, you can pick which one you want, that's your team for the weekend. If they lose, you have to do an embarrassing punishment the following week. There are also random helmets also in there, you know, the Big Apple where you have to pick a New York team. We'll cross those bridges when we get there. What the hell is this thing? That's a, the wizard of a football. Why is there a wizard in here?

I like to dress things up, Dano. And last year we had the Reaper. So now what could we add? We're adding the wizard. So next to a wrinkle here, Dan. All right. I'm going to the bucket. Here we go. First pull of the NFL season. God, it feels good to have my hand in this. I don't understand why there's a wizard Just pretend it's not there. All right first pick the Las Vegas Raiders. You don't want that I don't care who they're playing goat though Raiders are at the Chargers There are three-point dog at the Chargers To figure out we don't know how Justin Herbert said he didn't have plan in sure you want mint You I didn't say I wanted mint you I'm just saying they've you know, I'm gonna put it back All right

You're gonna put it back and that's the last time he gets to put it back The next one is automatic and we've already gotten to the dropping of things watch him for cheating. No, no, Mike There were a lot of cheaters last year Mike around Mike Ryan. So what do you mean? You call the Reaper Mike? The Giants oh All right, so the Giants are where the Giants Vikings and they are plus two at home against the two point dog I like the idea of calling the Reaper just Mike as if he's a work pal our pal Mike Reaper I still don't understand why there's a wizard The wizard seems to be lost. I don't understand. Why is there?

Menacing it. I don't understand. All right, Mike you picked from the bucket. All right first pick San Francisco 49ers, I'll keep it Monday Night Football against the Jets. All right, that is good That is a four and a half point favorite the 49ers are against the Jets last we saw Aaron Rodgers actually throwing the ball He was trying to throw to a double covered Devontae Adams with Alan Lazard wide open underneath coming off of his worst season as a starter In Green Bay been a while since we've seen him be a good quarterback I think they can still be a good team if he's a different quarterback But let's not pretend I think they're going to be a good football team this year. I really do.

I think they're going to win more than 10 games. Roy, go ahead. I have the Indianapolis Cubs. They're at home against the Texans, plus three. No. I'm going to put this back and get a new one. Why not? Anthony Richardson has started 17 games since high school.

He's for sure starting this game. Thank you for your service. OK, so you got to choose. Oh, Army's in town. They're playing FAU. We'll circle back to Roy on which one he's choosing. Here we go with the messiness again. By the way, we are not doing this this year

with everyone who's not here. So this isn't gonna be as messy as it's been in years past where we're picking for everybody. It's just gonna be the people who are here. Chris, go ahead. All right, love a good rummage. All right, here we go. I'm gonna go with this one.

No, I want this one. I don't understand why there's a wizard in here. The Texans, so anti-Roy. I'll go with the Texans on the road at Colts. I'll keep that. All right, so the Texans are a three-point favorite at home, on the road against the Colts. Yep.

Is anyone going to explain to me why there's a wizard in here? No, Dad, but I've got a top five wizards for you list. Oh, wow, okay, a little surprise in the middle of things We'll get back to it. We'll end the segment with that little bonus I'm gonna pick first if you don't mind while you prepare. I've got the Panthers. I'll go ahead and put that I've got the Steelers the Steelers are at the Falcons the Steelers are three and a half point dog I hate it.

Yeah, well, yeah. You had lateral moves. Same spread for both. 3.5 point dogs and don'ts. One's against Kirk Cousins, the other one's against Eric Gar. The Browns? Or the Reds? What is this? Those are the Browns. The Browns are hosting the Dallas Cowboys. That is Tom Brady's first broadcast. The Browns are a 2.5 point favorite at home against the Cowboys two and a half point

favorite on it back our friend Andrew Siciliano now named play-by-play voice of the Cleveland Browns, I think I could do better the Wizard of Oz That means I'll pick a lion tigers in or bear in college or football The Lions are a four-point favorite at home against the Rams or football. The Lions are a four point favorite at home against the Rams. The Bears are a three and a half point favorite at home against the Titans.

What are the Tigers? Bengals are eight and a half point favorites against the New England Patriots who are terrible. And you have to, in college you have the rare cow-bears at Auburn Tigers. He's going with Bengals. I'm going with Bengals. In the NFL against the Patriots.

Yeah, and because I picked the Wizard of Oz helmet, I've got your top five wizards here. Number five, the Wizard of Oz. I don't understand why this wizard is here. Because we pulled the Wizard of Oz helmet. Number four, Merlin. A flying wizard, yes. Number three, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Space wizard. Number two two Gandalf the Grey and number one Gilbert Arenas I have decided to go with Air Force of playing San Jose State they are a five-point favorites Air Force congratulations closing a loop for your service I don't understand why there's a bearded wizard in here it's In the NFL, there is no margin for error. One mistake can change the outcome of a game. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time,

recovery time, and overall athletic performance. As the official Sleep Wellness Partner of the NFL, SleepNumber's mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. Sleep is essential for recovery and we all have unique needs. That's why Sleep Number SmartBeds are perfect for couples with individualized settings for each side. Since 2018 Sleep Number and the NFL have teamed up to bring quality sleep to elite athletes. 8 out of 10 NFL players including 80% of Kansas City Chiefs players trust Sleep Number for their best rest. And now, during Sleep Number's biggest sale of the year, save 50% on the Sleep Number

Limited Edition Smart Bed. Plus, special financing for a limited time. Only at a Sleep Number store or sleepnumber.com. Sleep Number, official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store for details. Don Lebatard. It's a Judge Coach, sweetie. Stugats.

How'd you go sail off? This is the Don Lebatard Show It's a Judge Coach, sweetie. Stugats. How you gonna say hello? This is the Don Lebatard Show with the Stugats. We do real and serious journalism around here, even though every once in a while it seems silly. We are compromised never. We don't have any conflicts of interest. So many of you who have seen our big week now because we're in our 20th year anniversary and we signed with Peacock and you accused us

of being flattering to the Olympic coverage for weeks beforehand just because we signed with Peacock, you're idiots. We didn't, we're not compromised, we are objective. And the reason, because many of you are gonna ask, why there's so many apples all around here, is just because we love apples. It's not because Apple has us as the most celebrated podcast

in the land all month. It's only because all of us really like apples. So I don't want to get any more accusations about us being compromised and biased and not actually doing journalism around here. And the way I'm going to prove to you that we do journalism around here is we have Laura Jadeed with us from Rolling Stone, and she has done what I would consider the comprehensive piece on Project Veritas and James O'Keefe and this operation. And now this commander's VP of content has been fired Ra'el Entine I don't know how to pronounce his name. I don't know if I have it right, but he's been fired. I'm almost certain you don't

Thank you I appreciate that but we do accurate and good journalism around here and she Laura Jadeed did An amazing piece on all of this absurdity that's happening with project veritas uh... her newsletter is called band in your state a couple of months ago as i said the definitive piece in rolling stone in which uh... she says uh... among other things quote james o'keith help transfer transform u.s. conservatism into a war machine

then it all imploded thank you so much for joining us laura uh... This story is complicated. Your investigation was thoroughly reported. Can you take us through, please, what this entity is that has just gotten this commander's VP of content fired? Because this does not seem like ethical journalism in any way that was done here. And it seems to me that Antin is a victim here. Do I have this wrong? I mean, I think victim is the correct term. The ethics of the journalism involved, you're going to get a lot of different opinions. I think this qualifies as real journalism. It's not journalism

that I particularly care for. I absolutely think this was a gotcha. Antean was on a date with somebody that he met on Hinge and was doing something that I think we've all probably done over drinks once or twice, which is shit talk his place of work. And what's getting reported is essentially O'Keefe's exact spin on it. James O'Keefe being the founder of Project Veritas, an outlet that's been doing stories like this

for about 14 years. O'Keefe is on his own now for reasons we don't need to get into. But O'Keefe is reporting that this man insulted players, said that they were all very dumb, insulted fans, said they were a bunch of high school educated alcoholic mouth-breeders. Now, he did say that last part. What he said about the players, or the fans, or sorry, the players, is that there's a spectrum of intelligence and some of them are dumb as hell. That's the thing that he said.

Over drinks with a person that he met on Hinch. He also talked about how some of the players are homophobic. And I think something that's interesting here, what was this quote unquote undercover journalist asking about Pride stuff and why the commanders? Like this person was targeted. This person was targeted for being a James O'Keefe story. And it's because I believe the commanders are the most

politically correct woke team in the NFL on account of changing their name. And I think that probably if Entine had answered differently on the Pride stuff, if he'd said everyone was all in on Pride and everyone loves gay people, they would have done to him what they did to Disney a month or two ago, which is say that they're pushing an LGBT agenda on kids. The thing about O'Keefe is that as soon as he's got you in his sights, you're going down. It doesn't really matter what you say.

Whatever it is, it's gonna be a bad spin because essentially this kind of journalism, they're just declaring war on whoever they decide needs to be exposed or punished or what have you. Laura, when you say this kind of journalism, they're just declaring war on whoever they decide needs to be exposed or punished or what have you. Laura, when you say this kind of journalism, what do you mean? This isn't, you don't go on a date, a second date and film somebody without their knowledge

only to entrap them. Like, I'm not, if this is journalism, it's not a journalism I recognize. Yeah, I mean, the accepted ethics of journalism would be that some people think you don't go to undercover at all. Some people would argue that you can go undercover if it's a story that you just can't get any other way. I'm not really even sure this is a story.

Never mind a story you couldn't get another way. Again, man, shit talks and the NFL is place of work on a date. This is not breaking news. I'm so sorry, but he has been doing this for about 14 years. He got his start. This is ancient history, but if anyone remembers Acorn, which was a large activist group for low and middle-income Americans, helped them get things like welfare benefits, helped them register to vote. His very first story was essentially doing an undercover video of them posing as a pimp with

a prostitute girlfriend who was trying to start a brothel. And the ACORN volunteers, low level, helped them do that. And it ended up destroying ACORN. The Senate defunded them, and it was the end of really quite a good organization. In 2016, I don't know if anyone remembers the Democracy Partners story where O'Keefe released a hidden camera video that suggested that a Democratic PAC was enticing MAGA people to punch them, basically asserting that all of the violence of that year was a Democratic up. This is the kind of stuff that they do.

It's almost always from what I would characterize as a right-wing perspective. It is almost always tapping into whatever the right-wing bugbear of the day is, I guess because the NFL is starting, perhaps. This was a good time to try to reignite the woke wars or what have you. But yeah, this is what they do.

Yeah, and Laura, the other thing they do is they provide either redacted or edited videos, I remember reading in your very, very excellent article in the Rolling Stone, about this, about for instance, you brought up the Acorn employees, they did not reveal that in most cases, they called the cops as soon as those people left. Right, they said, oh yeah, we'll help you do this,

and then turn around and call the cops, like hey, someone's trying to human traffic in here. And so these are all things that are convenient left out, which again, goes back to what Dan is saying, this isn't journalism. This is an ax to grind, and you're gonna go through any means necessary to achieve it.

Laura, you did journalism. This Rolling Stone piece that you did is extraordinary. I imagine, I don't know how long this took you, this must have taken you a year, right? I don't, I mean. It's about must have taken you a year that the right i i don't i mean that right now okay that's journalism how how can you call what was just done to this person journalism tabloid journalism

i'd not journalism that i enjoy uh... i think the edits is a an interesting question i think i mean a lot of a lot of journalists a lot of video journalists do at it i think that if you look at this particular video you'll notice some jump cuts in between the questions asked and the answers, which to me raises some questions. I think that this is, again, not certainly not journalism that I approve of. And I think it's unfortunate that the NFL has fallen into the same trap that the Democrats did in the first few years of Project Veritas existing, which essentially was to go, oh my God, PR emergency, we got to fire whoever, temporarily suspend damage

control. No, stop it. Stop it. Do not fall into that trap. And it's unfortunate that they did. Again, Ray Al-Entine talked shit about his place of work on a tinge date. And if that is the standard for us not deserving our jobs, I'd guess about 90% of people in America should be unemployed

right now. Before we let you go here, Laura, can you please, because I'm holding in front of me your work, and it's, I'm going to say it's 50 pages that I'm holding in front of me from Rolling Stone, which I didn't know, given the thinness of Rolling Stone these days, from the glory days that I remember, that they even did things this comprehensive because it's a thick piece of work. What would you tell our audience who isn't familiar with what it is that you've written and reported here is the most important parts of this story that are dangerous to a lot more people than just this VP of victim. So I would argue that James O'Keefe was on the cutting edge of the pivot of the Republican

Party from conservative to a war machine. He was calling out fake news before Donald Trump coined the term. He was doing drain the swamp stuff before Donald Trump did it. He was presenting alternative facts before that became a major issue. And essentially the goal is to control the narrative. The goal is to wait in, kind of throw in an anecdotal story, some kind of anecdotal undercover conversation, and then say that it's indicative of some larger conspiracy, some larger thing. One VP of marketing said that some NFL players are homophobic. I guess everyone in the NFL thinks all NFL players are homophobic. And it's just you don't have to fall

for this. People do not have to fall for this in sports and out of it. This is the first sports program I've ever done. But in politics, this works really well and it's worked really well for years and it's unfortunate because I think good journalism is supposed to explore what people believe and just try to see things from their point of view. And the problem with this kind of journalism, which has spread, is that you assume whoever you've targeted is a bad person and then you go looking for evidence of it. And to me, that's not good storytelling and it's the kind of storytelling that's tearing this country apart. Well, you start with what it is that you already believe and then the reporting you do is just to confirm what you started believing. And in this particular case, it seems really wrong.

The reporting seems worse than the crime committed by the person on the other end of this. And now that person has lost their job. Laura, thank you for joining us. We appreciate it. We appreciate both the time and the work. Thank you. Well, thank you very much. Great to be here. Guys, we finally made it. Oh, I've been waiting for this day, longing for this day. The NFL week one is here and a new season means new ways to get in on the action of DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. Score big with DraftKings Sportsbook, the best place to bet touchdowns.

Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code DAN, that's code DAN, D-A-N, for new customers to get $250 in bonus bets when you bet just $5 and one month of NFL Plus Premium. Only at DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. In New York, call 877-8HOPENY or text HOPENY467369.

In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-77777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, You know what's great about ambition? You can't see it.

Some things look ambitious, but looks can be deceiving. For example, a runner could be training for a marathon, or they could be late for the bus. You never know. Ambition is on the inside. So that road trip bucket list? Get after it. Drive your Ambition. Mitsubishi Motors.

Don LeBattard. Punctuate this segment with what is your strike three call. Strike one would be strike and then you stand up and you give a good point to the right. Stugats. That's same for strike two but strike three you get down low you got your hands behind the catcher all right the right arm goes up into the air. Yah! And then you finish it with a punch. The right arm flings way up into the air. Yah! Yah!

And you finish it with a karate. I wish I could see that. It's terrible. The audio's great. Yah! Yah! This is the Don LeBattar Show with the Stugats. ["The Stugats Show Theme"] Welcome to the Pitch Clock.

Here's the pitch. A two-part baseball segment combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert. This is the Pitch Clock. We're ready for another wonderful game here in September. I'm Jeremy, obviously. We have Chris Cody with me here in the room in the studio

Hello, and our expert this week is Mike Shore and he's actually going to play this game with us So Taylor, yeah Why don't you go ahead and introduce us to this week's game here on the pitch clock again today? It's three strikes and you're out the people love it where you guys will alternate It's three strikes and you're out the people love it where you guys will alternate guesses last person standing wins The question today is top 20 players that had the most hits in the MLB in the 90s So between 1990 Oh my The betting odds courtesy of our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook Currently have Mike sure as a minus 10,000. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense

Okay So do we want to straight up most hits in the 90s? Most hits, not in a single season, most hits in the 90s. 90 to 99. 90 to 99. And I would have been better in the next decade. I will start with Tony Gwynn.

Mr. Projerry's number four. All right, number four. All right, Chris, you are up here, 20 seconds on the clock for the pitch clock. I am going to go with. I'm struggling right now. This is bad. This is not good. I'm already. I have some names, but I just don't think the wind came off the board

and you just touch your Tony with how much time left. Five seconds. I'm going to go with. Craig Beasley, it's a great guess. No, three. go with Craig Bezio. That's a great guess. No. Number three. Bezio.

Yeah. Mike, sure. Your guess. Your first guess here in round one. I'll go Ken Griffey Jr. Number six. All right. You know what?

Mike just gave me a hint there. Just go with the best player. I'm like overthinking this with like specifically pitch. Just like the best players. Okay. And now for our guest portion of the Pitch Clock, we bring in our MLB expert, Mike Scherr. Mike, thank you as always for joining us

and for sharing your baseball expertise as we're here in September. Thank you. It is ridiculous to refer to me as a baseball expert. You are a baseball expert. No, I'm not. I'm refer to me as a baseball expert. I think what you should refer to me as. No, I'm not. I'm just a guy who likes baseball. And I think if you introduce me as a guy who likes baseball,

it'll take some of the pressure off of my half a hair brained analysis. All right. So Mike, how's it going? We're headed toward the playoff race in Major League Baseball, obviously is it September. And I'm wondering whether it's a division race or the wild card. What race are you looking forward to most

watching down the stretch? I think the biggest, like this is weird to say, I think the most interesting race is Braves Mets for the wild card in the NL East. Yes. This is like, I predicted a long time ago that the Mets were going to make the playoffs even when it looked like they were down and out.

But I just kind of weirdly believe in that team. They're currently what I had there a half game behind the Braves for the wild card and the Braves like if the Mets if the Mets turn into the scrappy upstart team with a $480 million payroll who managed to beat the Braves for a wild card spot this year, that's gonna be amazing. I mean, right now, Braves 75% to make the playoffs, Mets are 36%, so it's not looking super likely, but I think to me that's the most fun race heading down the stretch.

Mike, we've talked a lot here about Shohei Otani, about Aaron Judge, their unbelievable seasons that they've each had. I wanna know, is there an argument that you could make or would make for another player not named Judge or Otani to win an MVP this season, whether that's the American League over Judge or the National League over Otani? Yeah, there's a pretty decent argument for both, actually. The argument in the A.L. would be Bobby Witt Jr. who had the Royals are in all

likely making the playoffs when no one really thought they would be this good. He plays a premium position. He plays it incredibly well. He's a great base runner. He's like, you know, he's within shouting distance of Judge. I think Judge probably still has him because Judge has also been playing center field, which is obviously another premium position. I don't think it would hold water, but you could make that argument that Bobby Wood Jr. has been the actual most viable player. The problem with that argument, however,

really isn't just that Judge plays center field and plays it pretty well. It's that the Yankees have two hitters in their entire lineup. Two, it's Judge and Soto. And if Judge weren't doing every single thing that he's doing, they certainly wouldn't be in first place and they'd be like a borderline playoff team.

You know, like they'd be a borderline, they'd be where the Red Sox are. They're two games over 500. So it's hard to make the argument you could, if you're a Kansas City sports writer, you'll be making that argument in a couple a couple of weeks in the National League. I think there's actually a pretty good argument that it's Francisco Lindor. And he's not going to win Ohtani, especially if Ohtani gets to 50, 50.

And it's going to be unanimous. But he's not pitching and he's not playing defense. And Lindor is playing really, really good defense at a very important position for a team that's fighting for a playoff spot. And very quietly, that contract, which looked like a massive albatross when he first signed it, that guy's, you know, we're talking about one of the best players in baseball

without question. And his right now, like, you know, Otani's war is at 7.1, which for a D.H. is insane because he's only getting saved. He's only getting more from deep from offense. But Lindor is six point to Lindor's right behind him. He's going to have 30 homers. He's playing incredible defense. He's leading that team, especially in the second half.

And that that is a legitimate argument that you could make in the NL through round one. Each of us have gotten somebody. Tony Gwynn, Craig Vigio, and Ken Griffey Jr. My first guess of round two will be Cal Ripken Jr. Number seven. All right. Chris, to you. This is fun.

I'm gonna go with the big hurt. Big hurt is number 11. So we're doing what? Yeah, no, we're good. We're good, we're good. Top 20. Top 20. Mike Schur, you are up.

Paul Molitor. Ooh. Paul Molitor, number 10. Wow. I would not have ever been able to get Paul Molitor. You said that one because I was, holy cow. You hit 3,000 hits. Yeah, but I don't think of him as somebody in an era in which I was watching baseball

But I guess I was born halfway through this decade So that makes it a bit more difficult how much time is left on the clock I'm trying to think of guys who got hits in the 90s. I have a weird one He's not one of the best players, but he got a lot of hits Kenny Lofton, I was actually That's a first strike. Ah, that's a strike. Yeah, all right. That's surprising. I would have thought that he would have been in the top, you know, after what, number 19, he might have been in there. All right, now

I feel- Chris, you're up. I feel a little better now, now that Jeremy got a strike. I just feel better about getting one wrong. So I'm gonna, ugh. Roberto Alomar. Number five. Wow. That's a great one. I can't believe we don't have the first two. So we don't have one and two? How is that possible? Correct. In the 90s.

It's in the 90s. Who has 3,000 hits? Oh, Palmiro. Rafael Palmiro. Number two. Number two on the board. All right. So this is where it gets even more difficult.

We're missing number one? I'm trying to think here. I got it. I got it. I got it. Let me go ahead and guess. I will say, this shouldn't work. Alex Rodriguez?

That's a strike. I knew it. Oh no. Wait, you both just thought of it? I just thought of somebody, I think. Let me look at your face. Oh, I might be wrong. I might be wrong, Chris. I'm gonna go with 90s.

You mean, oh wait, this is easy. It just hit me. Barry Bonds? Number 19, just needs a little. Whoa! Wow. Wow. I actually almost went with one of his teammates, and then in my mind I'm like,

wait, one of his teammates? I'm not gonna tell you which one. Well yeah, now I'm confused. The San Diego Padres, obviously they have been playing spectacular baseball in the second half of the year, and now they've just added Fernando Tatis Jr. back into the fold. With that addition, what do you think

that he really does for them? Does he give them a bolster to say, hey, this is one of the teams that could legitimately win the National League? Yeah, oh, no question. I think they, assuming, I mean, they're gonna make the playoffs now, barring catastrophe, but that guy has had one of the weirdest careers of all time.

Crazy. He is. It is so bananas, everything, all of the ups and downs and the weird motorcycle accidents and the 80 game suspensions and the like just flashes of being the best player in baseball and then long stretches of like he forgot how to play. It's just very weird. I don't I actually think that there's a little this is not real statistical saber metric analysis. I think there's a like sure I think there's a little risk in him coming back right now because they've been playing so well and he is an agent of chaos

and I don't know. I think look he's incredibly talented. I think his defense alone should help them but I just it's a little risky to put like they're cruising man. They're playing incredibly well and they've overtaken the they've held off the Diamondbacks who are the best team in the second half and I think that heading into the playoffs you you've got to like ride with this, this wave of momentum. And I just worry that he's going to do something insane and there is going to derail the season. Now, in all likelihood, all that will happen is like he'll play good baseball and it'll help. But it's just a little worrisome if you're a Padres fan and long cursed Padres fan, it's a little worrisome to just drop this bit of

nitroglycerin back into the composition of your team. He is always absolute chaos, either in the best way or sometimes in the worst way for your franchise. Last week, Mike, we asked Tim Kirchian, and it actually did not make our episode, the greatest strength of any baseball team remaining. So, for example, a team's bullpen, or someone's heart of the order, or a starting rotations one or two. Ironically, Kirchens answer was actually basically the power of friendship with the Philadelphia Phillies

and just how much those guys like each other. Which for Kirchens is just the funniest thing for me to hear coming from him. I thought it was awesome. Is there something that sort of stands out for you as, Hey, that unit is one that can just, you know, lead a team to a world series this year. I think the like the youth of the Orioles that I think they're like, we don't know any better of the Orioles,

which is sometimes for a team that's sucked for a while. You need a bunch of just like young people who like don't literally don't remember the long period of suckage of the team because they were all like two years old or is before they were born. Like that's a, that's a big deal for them. I think the number of guys they have on that team who are 22 or 23 and are out of their mind playing well. I think that's a big thing.

I think the under the radar-ness of the Guardians and the Brewers is a big deal. Like the Brewers especially, the Brewers have the second best record in the NL right now. No one has spoken a word about the Milwaukee Brewers in the national sports media all year, not one word. Like it is all been about Atlanta, Philly, the Mets, the Dodgers, now the Diamondbacks, the Padres,

even the Cubs recently, cause the Cubs scored 99 runs over a 10 game stretch and like stormed back into the wild card. But like the Cubs are still 10 games behind the Brewers, even despite that run, because the Brewers have just quietly been like plotting along playing incredible baseball. And I think that actually really matters.

Here's the stuff for you. The Brewers have the best run differential in all of baseball. All baseball. They're plus 139. The Phillies are plus 110. The Dodgers are plus 117. The Yankees are plus 125. Nobody else is over 100. So, yes, the Brewers by one metric are without question the best team in baseball.

And no one I literally I host cohost a baseball podcast with Joe Posnanski. We have not talked about the Brewers once in six months. And I think that there's something to that. Like nobody expects anything out of them. And they're going to sail into baseball playoffs. Maybe as the one seed or probably the two, if not the one. All right, Mike, sure you're up. That's not my guess.

That's not your guess, but that's who it would have been. If it's the guy I think it is, this is insane, but it's a guy who doesn't have 3000 hits, which is Mark Grace. Number one from the decade. Wow, that makes sense. Mark Grace is number one. It makes all the sense.

Oh my lord. He was like the Jack Morris of the 80s where like he just happened to have his best years like from 90 to 99. I cannot believe this. Okay. That opens up a whole like that Mark Grace door has been opened.

Mark Grace has changed everything. Now I'm seeing so many more players that I wasn't even thinking of. My brain is falling apart on this and I'm really embarrassed, but I have the excuse of not being alive for half this decade. So we don't have number eight.

We don't have number nine. Well, I'm about to be out. Yeah, eight, nine, 12. 12 through 18 and then 20. I'm gonna go ahead and say. Oh boy. What are the live odds on this? Cause I don't have a strike yet.

You don't have a strike. You have one strike. Oh I do? I'm going to say, What was my strike? I'll go back. Omar Vizcal. Steer right!

That's strike day. Damn! My next guess, I think this is a strike though. Ready? Am I up? Yeah. Jeff Ken. Steer right! That is a strike. It's a strike, okay. That the guy. I was like thought of him. Yeah, wait Barry

No, that would have been just it's just Mike sure and Chris now yep Mike you're on I I'm gonna guess Edgar number 18. That's great. I'm it Chris with one strike Stink it balls in your court. Um I am going to go with in the 1990s I can't believe that I got three strikes that quick. I'm really embarrassed guys keep filling for me actually keep talking This is a weird one. I'm going to tie. I'm going to take Fred McGriff whoo number nine crime dog Wow Wow

Panic guess that was a panic guess. That was such a panic guess. What an incredible move by Chris. We've mentioned it already. Mike, you love baseball. You watch as much as just about anybody that I know for sure. Who's been your favorite bad team to watch this season? Maybe one that you're looking forward to here in September

playing spoiler or, you know, there is a certain team, obviously that's on track for one of the worst seasons ever. One of my favorite bad teams is the Reds, partially just because of Ellie Dillacruz because he's an insane baseball monster who does something wild every game like he does something offensively or defensively in every game. That seems impossible. And I actually I don't have a large collection

of baseball jerseys, but I actually got an Ellie Dilla Cruz Reds jersey. I almost wore it for today's proceedings. Next time you're on the pitch clock, we gotta see it. Next time I'm on the, remind me, I'll wear it. But I just love that guy. I love him so much. What works out great about that Reds pick

is that down the stretch, they play the Mets for a series, they play the Braves four times, and they play the Cubs for a series as well right at the end of the year. So they can potentially be involved in sort of playing spoiler in some of these races as well. It's worth watching them play down the stretch, which is exciting. Last question for you, Mike.

Darren Baker was called up earlier in the week. The son of Dusty Baker, who for those who remember, he was the one who was saved by JT Snow in the slide at home plate in 2002 in the World Series. Another play at the plate for the Giants in a playoffs was in 2003 when Jeff Koenigne threw out a player at the plate. It's the Epic Pudge collision. Jeff Koenigne's son, Griffin Koenigne, called up's the epic pudge collision. Jeff Konine's son, Griffin Konine, called up to the major leagues this week. A couple of names like that that have now made me feel very, very old.

I'm wondering who's the first name that you remember in major league baseball that made you feel ancient? The first one I don't remember, Mike Yastremski made me feel old because he's a grand kid. Right. That's great. Like I saw Carl Yastremski play at Fenway in the early 80s. And then it was like Mike Yastremski and you're like, oh, wow, Carl's kid is in the majors now.

No, Carl's grand kid is in the majors. That was bad. All of the all of the the Blue Jays, the Blue Jays, Kevin Biggio and Boba Shed and Flattie Jr. That's bad. Jackson Holliday is really bad because I think of Matt Holliday as like being still in baseball. Like I think he's still playing.

He's in shape enough to do it. He's gonna have a second kid get drafted this year, an Ethan Holliday. Yeah, that's bad. Every time it happens, it's terrible. I mean, Cody Bellinger was bad because I remember Clay Bellinger because I hated the Yankees. And when Cody came up, I was like, there's no way that's Clay Bellinger's kid. And then remember, Cody Bellinger was interviewed about Jerry Seinfeld came to the stadium and they were interviewing him about Jerry Seinfeld. And he was like, yeah, I don't know who that is.

And I was like, oh, man, that's going to continue to hurt over time. There's going to be more and more of those that are just people who don't know staples of pop culture for us. Mike, thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the Pitch Clock. Let's head back into the studio to see how our game wrapped up involving another one of our shipping container members. All right. Only one strike to Chris. Mike, can you keep it going? I will guess, Bagwell.

Oh wow, it's a strike. I am going to go with one strike to each of you. What is he on the board? Is he at top 50? He must be like, I just have the top 20. Hey, yeah. Oh, one strike to each of you. What is he on the board? Is he at top 50? He must be like, I just have the top 20. Hey, yeah. Oh, okay. What do you expect? This guy was more at 2000.

So I'm going to get this wrong. Chipper Jones. Chipper Jones. Okay. Strike two to Chris. Mike, now to you. There's a guy that comes to mind, but for me, but he came up too late in the nineties. Barry Larkin.

Stee-ri! Wow! Whoa! Okay, so- So he has two strikes? Two strikes to each of you. Chris, if you get a strike- Andres Calaraga.

Andres Calaraga. Stee-ri! Oh, strike three! Mike, can you win this? Can you get one of the players remaining and ice this game? Mike Shore, it is to you. If he gets this wrong, it's just going to be a draw.

All right. We don't have enough time left in the studio. All the excitement. No, but he needs a win. I know Mike wants a victory here. Mike. Here's my problem. I think there's a couple of Yankees who must be on this list

and I hated those players so much. I don't want to guess them and have it be a positive thing I get it so I'm trying to figure out a non Yankee which limits my 5 seconds left you have 5 seconds left to figure it out Albert Bell number 17 Mike sure is victory on the pitch the way am I right let me ask you this Derek Jeter on this list? No. No, I don't. Jeter didn't come up till too late.

But I'll bet you that some number of Bertie Williams, Chuck Knoblok and Paul O'Neil are on this list. Dante Bichette was number eight. Chuck Knoblok was number 12. Steve Finley was number 13. Marquise Grissom was 14. J-Belle was 15. Paul O'Neil was 16.

Wow! Lance Johnson was 20. Lance Johnson! Almost went Dante. What a game. In the NFL, there is no margin for error. One mistake can change the outcome of a game. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, and overall athletic performance. As the official Sleep Wellness Partner of the NFL, Sleep Number's mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. Sleep is essential for recovery, and we all have unique needs.

That's why Sleep Number Smart Beds are perfect for couples, with individualized settings for each side. Since 2018, Sleep Number and the NFL have teamed up to bring quality sleep to elite athletes. 8 out of 10 NFL players, including 80% of Kansas City Chiefs players trust Sleep Number for their best rest. And now, during Sleep Number's biggest sale of the year, save 50% on the Sleep Number Limited Edition SmartBed. Plus, special financing for a limited time.

Only at a Sleep Number store or sleepnumber.com. Sleep Number, official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store for details. Now's a good time to remember where the story of tequila started. In 1795, the first tequila distillery was opened by the Cuervo family. And 229 years later, Cuervo

is still going strong. Family owned from the start, same family, same land. Now's a good time to enjoy Cuervo. The tequila that invented tequila. Go to Cuervo.com to shop tequila or visit a store near you. Cuervo. Now's a good time.