The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Inside the Parker -MLB's Gas Station Viagra Problem; Astros' -500 Line; Bill Walton's MLB Debut; Guests: Frankie Rodriguez,

Episode Date: August 22, 2019

This week on Inside the (Rob) Parker, Rob checks in from on the road has he tours ballparks across the country. He has takes on the MLB's warning to players about using over the counter sexual enhancement drugs, why the upcoming player weekend is good for the game, Vegas making the Astros -500 favorites over the Yankees. He also names his Top 3 MLB Teams of the Week, this week's 'Twitter Trash Talk' Winner, 'Fair or Foul' and the Analytic Stat of the Week.Guests: Frankie Rodriguez - Former 7-year MLB pitcher stops by to discuss the changes in the game since he last pitched, why he dislikes spin rate as a stat, and the work he's doing to promote baseball for underprivileged youth in New York; Mark Gonzales - Chicago Tribune Cubs Beat Writer discusses the Cubs leading the NL Central despite season long struggles, and if Joe Maddon will be back in the dugout next year. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hip since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip.

Just a little bit bigger. hips. This is a podcast we're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they hit a bogo. Well, then you got it. Listen to soccer moms on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This clip is brought to you by State Farm. At State Farm, they know what it takes to ensure your home and ride with surprisingly great rates. That's why it's a good idea to consider State Farm. Because with State Farm, you don't have to give up what you love for great insurance.

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Journey into the future with Ford's lineup of electric vehicles with many affordable options to choose. from. Head over to fort.com to learn more. Built Fort Proud. From the Berkshires to the sound. From wherever you live in MLB, America, this is Inside the Parker. You give us 22 minutes and we'll give you the scoop on Major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame voter number 103, Rob Parker. All right, welcome into another edition of Inside the Parker. Coming up on the program, we'll talk with former Major League pitcher. Frankie Rodriguez, who's doing a lot of great things with the young kids in Brooklyn, New York.

We'll talk to him about that and ways to get young kids interested in Major League Baseball again. Plus, Mark Gonzalez, the Chicago Cubs beatwriter from the Chicago Tribune. He stops by. We'll do that and much more coming up. Stick and stay. I'm Rob Parker. Hear, you there. Let's go.

Better up. To lead off, it's getting robbed. And keep him up. Rob's hot take on the three biggest stories in Major League Baseball. Number one. Major League Baseball has issued a memo about, quote, a very real risk, unquote, about over-the-counter sexual enhancement pills after at least two. players this year were suspended for performance enhancing drugs and said the banned substances

found in their urine came from the unregulated products. This is sources familiar with the situation told ESPN's Jeff Passen. This is an interesting story that some players took some stuff and they got positive drug tests. So now Major League Baseball is telling players that they need to monitor what they're putting into their bodies. This is just, when you talk about performance enhancing drugs, I don't think you were talking about it on a sex tip.

But now Major League Baseball is saying that, yes, indeed, it has happened to a couple of players and that they need to be careful in using these things. As you know, over-the-counter sexual enhancement pills are part of an unregulated supplement. industry, which is estimated to be worth, are you ready for this? More than $30 billion a year. So there's a lot of this stuff out there.

There are the licensed physician prescription drugs like Viagra and Cialis and Lovitra, those things, but there are a lot of other things that are unregulated that people are buying. So Major League Baseball, according to ESPN, has put out this memo. to the players, telling them to be careful about stuff sold online, sold at retail stores, and on the black market, both in the United States and internationally. And the quote in the memo also said, quote, for this reason, we strongly urge players against taking any sexual or male enhancement product from any source, end quote. So players need to, again, think about what they put in their bodies if they don't want to test positive.

Number two. This weekend in Major League Baseball will be a lot of fun all over diamonds, all over America, because it's the Players Weekend nicknames on jerseys. It returns August 23rd to August 25th. So instead of players having their regular last names on the back of their uniform, they'll have their nicknames. And I think this is a fun thing. People can get involved in it.

People can have fun with it. The kids seem to like it. The players really like it. It's one of those things that baseball, trying to break out of that, it's stodgy, old school, never wanting to do anything new or fun, have decided that they want to do it.

Some of the names that'll be on the back of some of the jerseys are cool. Miguel Cabrera will just go by Miggy, which is his nickname. Lorenzo Kane has three kids with a dollar sign for the S. Curtis Granderson, who was nicknamed the Grandy Man by Yankees announcer John Sterling whenever he hit a home run, has Grandy Man for the back of his jersey. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will have L.K. Even LaGoria will have Longo. C.C. Sabathia will have Dub.

Max Scherzer, who has two different color eyes. I think green and brown. We'll go by brown eye. And Trevor's story is going to go by True. So it's pretty cool. And one more, Adam Jones is going by roots. So there are some of the guys who are going to be out there. Everybody will have a chance to pick anything that they want.

I think it's really fun. This is the kind of stuff that baseball... Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway. hard way and listen now. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's

going to be exhausted this series. because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the bomb.

So listen to Point Game on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedapostal chin here you do.

So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my GenX squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden I'd had hanging happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that?

I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try.

So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultur Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I should continue to do, continue to try to have fun with the fans, do something that people can hold on to and look forward to, so I'm loving this.

Number three. When you talk about baseball, very seldom. you really talk about gambling. It's not like betting on the NBA or the NFL where the point spreads really makes sense. But here's an interesting piece about

the Astros coming into Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Tigers. As you know, the Astros are one of the three best teams in baseball, poised to make another run for a World Series. And then you have the lowly Detroit Tigers who are pretty bad. Justin

Verlender was going to to be on the mound for the Astros, of course, the former Tiger starter. And according to ESPN, the Houston Asteroos were poised to be one of the largest favorites in an MLB game ever when they sent Verlander to the mound. Ready, the Astros were listed as a negative 500 home favorites at Caesar Sportsbook. and as high as negative 550 at other sports books. If the price were to hold up, Houston will be the heaviest favorite in the game in at least the last 15 past seasons, according to the sports book data companies.

And this is just crazy. It just tells you that how bad the tigers are and how good the Astros are. So it'll be funny to see how this thing plays out. They say the last time it was this lopside, it goes back to 2016, when the Dodgers faced the Atlanta Braves and were negative $4.85 in a game. So there you have it. The Dodgers have, I should say the Astros have a chance to set sports book history if the line holds up in the game Wednesday night in Houston.

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I can't do that. I can't feel sexy in my own skin. And those are the things that I want to break because there are so many women like me. And I want to be and represent us, you know. Obviously, there's always room for improvement. I always want to look better. I want to work out. I want to lose weight.

But in reality, this is the body God gave me. And I've never really been skinny. Listen to the MyCultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. These days, it can be. hard to find and hire the right candidates for your small business. That's why LinkedIn jobs made it easier to find the people you want to talk to faster and for free. Create a job post in minutes on LinkedIn jobs to reach your network and beyond to the world's largest professional network of over 770 million people. Focus on candidates with the skills and experience you need.

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Terms and conditions apply. Here comes the big interview. Listen and learn. Oh, it's so good. All right. let's welcome into the podcast now. Frankie Rodriguez, the former Major League pitcher who pitched for seven years in the big leagues, including forward Minnesota, played a year in Cincinnati, Boston, Seattle. Frankie, welcome to the podcast. How you doing? Hey, man, good to be here, brother. Man. Hey, let's just first, as a pitcher, let's just start with the major leagues and the difference between when you were pitching in the big leagues and what it's like to pitch now. It just seems like every.

everything is a home run or a strikeout. How much is the game change since you've been out of it? A lot. And I think the difference between now and then when I played, I think there's the really unrealistic stat of spin rate on the ball. That's where you're getting all these pitchers, like trying to put a little bit extra, trying to get a little bit extra out of the arm,

put more spin on the ball. And that's why you have so many pitchers, which is unbelievable by me, throwing balls inside the other batters box, which is unbelievable to me. And the brand of baseball, I mean, a lot of people, you know, they dig double home runs, and I get why people get excited. Are you surprised where the game is gone or, I don't know,

surprised by all the home runs? What surprises you the most, I guess, about the changes? Start with the obvious change, though. The ball's being juiced up. So what? It's been juiced up every year on off, on. a year, off a year, on a year. So that's really not a big thing. That's just the

inflation of baseball. You know, that's just the way things go. Does it work for both? Does it work for hitters and pitchers both or just for hitters? The ball being wound a little bit tighter is definitely in favor of the hitter. But to me, like, I ran through all my friends

and spoke to the former teammates. The days were better when pitchers were able to just use pint hard and not care about it. Umpires not care about the other team not care about it. The other batters not care about it. Now you can get that substance on the board that allows you to control the ball. And any hitter would love that. So that's where we are.

It's amazing. I mean, how about some of the teams? How closely are you following baseball? And, I mean, what do you think of the Yankees when you consider your guy who grew up born and raised in Brooklyn? Were the Yankees your favorite team or were you a Mets fan? Where were you growing up? To me, I was just a fan of baseball, but my uncle has season tickets to the Mets, so we went there often. So I guess I would say I'm a Mets fan.

But, you know, it's just the state of baseball right now is awesome, man. There's just so much parity. It's just at any time anybody could be beat, you know, and you make it to the playoffs hot, then that's a different season. You can turn your whole year around. So that's good baseball going on right now. Yeah, that's the thing that is surprising. And there are a couple of really good teams when you look out there. They're the Yankees.

there are the Astros, there are the Dodgers. Those are probably the three best teams. Would you agree with that? Yeah, definitely. I mean, clearly they have the best records, the best talent. But, you know, like I said, any given day, man, you get to the playoffs, that wildcard game or that series, a lot of things that happen. A couple of injuries or one pitcher and not knowing well,

it could change the whole status of everything. How about this weekend Major League Baseball's having where guys get to put their nicknames on the back of their jerseys. I think that's a neat thing. They've been doing it for a while. What do you think of that? I mean, cool for fans. You could buy a jersey with a nickname

instead of a full last name on it. Listen, that's the tip of the arrow, man. It's awesome for the players, awesome for the fans. I just think they need to do a couple of more things where the younger fans anyway, where they can just be a little bit more interested. Like what? Please tell me.

I want to hear your take. What should baseball do? this is the one thing I want to sit in front of Tony Clark and talk to him about. I know it's tough because players, sometimes they might be a little sore or whatever, but that infield outfield in college before the game, how about doing that, you know, open up the gates early, have the fans see everybody's talents, you know, everybody throwing to the bases, backing up bases, everything that a coach is going to the game

and teach their kid about. I think that would be fun. Right. to try to try to get fans, younger fans more interested? Yeah, definitely. I mean, they're doing it in high school and infield alpha before the game. They do it in college because I'm also a college coach, a SUNY Maritime. You know, I mean, these are things that the young kids want to see.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so rapidly. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard

watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life, one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal

chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood, as we know. navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex?

Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves,

I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends,

stop by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get to fly. He run up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that I say, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. So they see that going out there and MLB players going out there and doing something like that. They get to see, you know, something they might not see during the game.

They might be a third baseman watching that third baseman. He might not get a ground ball. But they get to see it before the game and see how, wow, I remember before practice, how he practiced before the game and, you know, stuff like that for me. How about the Little League World Series is underway? And, you know, when I was a kid growing up, they only showed the championship game, the last game on a Sunday afternoon on ABC Wild World of Sports. And now they're almost broadcast in every game.

and it could be real cool if you were a kid who hit a home run to win the game. But what about the kids who make errors and lose games and then have to go back? You know, we're talking about young kids under 12 years old. Is that really, should every game be broadcast? Is that cool? I'm okay with it. I think it's cool. I don't think the kid that makes the error to lose the game's problem is going to be him being on TV.

I think the problem is the transition from 12-year-old to being on that big field to 60, you know, 60-foot-6-inch field. So I think he has a lot of other things to worry about than the era that he made on TV. So I think it's fun for everybody. Okay. And tell me about the baseball program that you run, and what are you trying to do as far as getting kids,

especially black and Hispanic kids, into baseball? Yeah, it's throughout my community in Brooklyn where I grew up. And just giving back, man, just giving back every knowledge, every bit of knowledge that I have. I'm different from other organizations because there's multiple teams and organizations. I just have one that I'm going to stay with until they get to high school and hopefully to college. So I just geared on, you know, life lessons, every bit of experience that I've had that might help them on and off the field. And it's really important, man.

And, you know, I sleep well at night because I'm giving back and giving back everything that I've ever actually or never had growing up. I just had to figure some things out of my own. So I feel like we're doing that in Brooklyn. And the website is 33rods baseball.com. We're a non-for-profit organization. And we're just doing the right thing by the kids, man. That's all it is. We're just trying to get some kids that might not have played baseball before that might want to now.

So that's where I am right now. That's awesome. I'm hoping, and tell me what you think about this, that Kyla Murray's, even though he picked football over baseball, he was the first guy to ever be drafted in the first round by Major League Baseball and by the NFL that never happened. And I think too many kids have been steered towards playing one sport and specializing instead of good athletes playing as many sports as they can. And Kyla Murray proved that you could play more than one sport

and excel in both. Is that something we need to break out of these kids so that they don't just play one sport and put all eggs in one basket? No, I agree with that. You know, Kyle Murray, he's... He's a great exception to that rule, but kids need to be aware of just their body and how to move. And playing multiple sports gives them better agility to be able to perform in all their sports. I think that used to be the case.

And if you look at great athletes all over the place, most of them play more than one sport. But the specialization of it now has really put kids to where they have to pick. And a lot of times baseball gets left out. No, it definitely gets left out. It definitely gets left out. It's just, kids, it's not about picking for me. I know from my point of view, it's not about picking. The sport will pick you and the success you have will pick you and eat the sport. It's what you put into it that's going to be very important. No doubt about it. Well, Frankie, we want to appreciate you joining the podcast. And again, give everybody your website and how to reach your baseball program and what you're doing in Brooklyn with.

with the kids. No problem, brother. Thanks for having me. It's Frank Rodriguez 33 rods baseball. www. www.33rodsbysbletcom. Come check us out. Give us an email.

We'll help your kid out if we need it. And one last thing. What was in your career, your seven years in the big leagues, what was your best moment? Where was it? Do you remember? When was your best moment in baseball? Special for me, man.

Kid growing up in the projects, making it to the major leagues, playing on the under the spotlight in front of 50, 60,000 every night. That's, I guess, the best moment for me was just being able to play with a bunch of Hall of Famers, man, every day waking up, going to the park like a little kid and just trying to absorb some of the knowledge that they were going to give. So, yeah, in a nutshell of that. No, I hear you. Hey, hey, I'm not poo-pooing it. No doubt about it.

To make it to the major leagues is, what an honor that is. And Frankie, we appreciate your time. Thanks for joining the podcast, my man, a continued success. No problem, man. Thank you. Thank you. Miller Light has always been a great tasting light beer for people who love beer. Sometimes what you need is simple. A few good friends, a beer, and a taste you can depend on.

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Miller Light, great taste, 96 calories. Go to Miller Lite.com forward slash Rob Parker to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Come on, it's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Do you own or rent your home? Sure you do, and I bet it can be hard work. You know, it's easy, bundling policies with GEICO.

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central. The analytic numbers you need to know, well, maybe. FS1's Anthony Masterson is his name. BS Analytics is his game. Anthony, what you got for us? Hi, Rob. It's finally time to give the catchers some love.

The new age of analytics means we have innumerable ways of evaluating players, and the men donning the tools of ignorance are now getting their due. Catchers are arguably the most important position on the diamond, and one way we're able to see the effect they have on a pitching staff comes to light in terms of catcher framing. Now, framing is the art of a catcher receiving a pitch that makes it more likely for an unpleasure, empire to call it a strike. We can see which pitches that might have come in just outside the stack cast strike zone that a catcher caught in such a way to earn a call from the umpire. There are eight numbered zones just outside the strike zone. And out of all the strikes

earned by the catchers, you get a catcher's strike rate. Now, with a minimum of 1,000 pitches caught this season, the Indians, Kevin Polecki owns a league high strike rate of 55.3 percent, including an incredible 81.8 percent on zone 16, which is the specific zone on the outer half to a right-handed hitter. There's another metric called runs from extra strikes as well, which accumulates the stolen strikes and converts them into runs. This season, Padre's defensive wizard Austin Hedges leads all of baseball with a plus 16 mark. Now, for catchers, it's not just throwing out runners anymore. A great backstop can be many, many things. Anthony, I'm going to try to digest that and see if I could use that somehow, some way.

I appreciate you. That ball is. It was a big week in the big leagues. Who's up? Who's up? Or is it fair? And now, here's shadowleague.com MLB insider, J.R. Gamble. When Yassio Puege burst on the scene, man, he was a superstar.

And now here we are. He's been traded twice in less than a year. Is it foul or fair to say he's bottomed out as a superstar now that he's in Cleveland, J.R? It's fair. It's a fair ball. Definitely. That's how he'd stormed the league in 2013 with the fanfare and the drama of his dangerous

affection from Cuba and the lascivious characters that helped him arrive here. You know, he hit like Hank Aaron and captivated fans with his Latin passion for the game. during that what two-month run he had as a rookie and unfortunately it turned out to be the greatest two months of his life rob and not indicative of the type of hitter he would become he had a high of 28 homers a few years back but he's been a solid guy a guy who has in my opinion a low baseball IQ he's never hit 30 bombs in an era where balls are flying out the park he's been a very good player and he's a success story as far as how he made it to the united state and everybody loves the guy, but he's been a huge disappointment overall as far as superstar status is concerned. Fasten your seatbelt. Give me fuel, give me five, give me that what I desire to. Here comes Parker's top three MLB teams this week.

Number three. The Houston Astros. I know, I know everybody was so excited when the Astros made the trade to get Zach Grinky to to bolster their rotation. Everybody made them the favorites to win the World Series. And they're still going to be in the mix. They're still going to be there. It just hasn't been as electrifying as people thought.

Because actually, their record going into Wednesday was 79 and 46, which wasn't even as good as the Dodgers or the Yankees. Actually, the Astros have flipped or slipped in the last. couple of weeks, but obviously they're going to be in the mix and they will be there. But the Astros still, when you talk about the top three teams in baseball, I still have them at number three. Number two. The Los Angeles Dodgers coming into Wednesday night, they were 82 and 44, continue to win at

an incredible pace. And yes, they have a great rotation and have been pitching. lights out. And I don't know. How could you not look at this team and think that they're not going to get to the World Series for a third year in a row, which is really hard to do?

But again, it still comes down to whether or not the bullpen is going to be good enough. The Dodgers have now even considered that they will try to put their prized top pitching prospect Dustin May and that Dustin May will be as used as a reliever this weekend. They want to determine whether or not they'll be able to use him in the postseason roster. It says a lot that they would do that.

That's how much bullpen pitching matters in the postseason. And maybe they might catch lightning in a bottle. And Dustin May can provide what they need in the bullpen in the postseason. Number one. It is still the New York freaking Yankees. I'm sorry, I've been saying it all year. Think about where they are coming into Wednesday night, 83 and 43. Yes, they have the fewest losses in Major League Baseball, the best winning percentage.

You can question their starting rotation, and I understand why a lot of their starters. just kind of give you ho-hum starts, but their bullpen is rock solid, their hitting is unbelievable, they're getting contributions from everybody. I still say they will be tough, because when you think about the idea that almost 50% of the innings

in the postseason a year ago were pitched out of the bullpen, it tells you that bullpen dominance is big, the Yankees should still be scary to people, and I think the New York Yankees are the best team in baseball. Again, they are number one. It's time for Trash Talk Twitter.

Your chance to trash anyone or anything in Major League Baseball. This week's winner is PR man, Jay, tweeting from Canton, Georgia. And he tweets this, I want to trash the Atlanta Braves. How does a first place team start off the game with their best place? are getting hit purposely, not only in the first inning, but in the fourth inning also, and no one charges the mound. The Miami Marlins are in last place and could use a butt-whooping. How can you be such a nice team?

And so much so that you're giving the starting pitcher extra warm-ups. If you want to be a winner like Jay and win a new era snap, back, just hit us up on my Twitter at Rob Parker, FS1, and just trash anyone or anything in the world of baseball. When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this motto. If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer or broadcaster, old or new. All right, let's welcome to the podcast, one of my favorite people, one of the best baseball

writers in the country, Mark Gonzalez. from the Chicago Tribune, he's the Cubs B-Writer since 2013, also covered the White Sox, also covered baseball for the Arizona Republic and the San Jose Mercury News. What's up, Mark? How you doing, bud? I'm doing well, Rob. Always good catching out with you.

No doubt about it. Let's talk about those Chicago Cubs. Where are they? You know, I think people thought at one point after Mark they won the World Series that it was going to be like an every year occurrence, obviously it's not that. They were in a tough

battle in the National League Central. They've had some good moments, some down moments. Where are the Cubs right now as we almost head out of August? They're really in a battle, and I say that because of a lot of things that haven't gone right for them that people assume they would.

Mostly it's been the home and road split. The fact that they've really struggled on the road the whole year. You wouldn't expect that from a team that has a great chunk of the nucleus still intact from that 2016 World Series team. They just really struggle for many reasons on the road. It seems like they play just well enough to lose on the road. That's been one big thing.

The other thing has been that these young guys that were young when they won the World Series, you think they would start a linear path toward improvement. They really haven't. everybody's been off in one way or another. You know, Albert El Mora, he's down in the minors. Now he used to hit left candidate pitching pretty well. He hasn't done so he's in the minors. And that's been a real, I want to say a puck on their resume,

the fact they haven't hit Lefty's well. You know, Ian Hap, who was up here for most of the last two years, he started in the minors. He really struggled with now. It's turned it on. He's up now. David Bodie, he was a great contributor last year off the bench. He's down in the minors.

They're going with nine men in the road. in the bullpen right now, which is really odd, but this is how they feel their strongest. And the bullpen had its share of struggles, you know, early in the year. But now you've got nine guys, so they're hoping to get enough quality out of that group. Tell me about Hugh Darvish. Was that good or bad move signing him

and do they expect to get their money's worth? Or can he still turn, you know, pitch well enough to where it was a good deal? Yeah, I think there's plenty of upside with him. seen it right now in his last seven stars. I believe he's walked two and struck out 57. And out of those seven starts, he's allowed more than two runs only twice. He's been become the dominant pitcher. They really needed and thought they were going to get last year. It turned out last year. You know, he signed late, you know, just prior to spring training. Everything was a circus Thomas spinning a carousel. And he was hurt too and only gave him eight starts. And there was

some doubt as to whether this was going to be a good signing. And it started off bad, too, his first start at Texas, where he walked seven and didn't get past the third inning. But since then, he's really ratched up pretty much and really been their most dominant pitcher. And it's something that they thought they would get something they needed because of the rest of the staff, you know, guys like Lester and Hamils and Kyle Hendricks, they pitched a contact a lot and rely on their defense. So Darvis definitely was a needed addition at that point. And now that he's healthy, you're seeing what he's capable of doing.

How about Craig Kimbril, and obviously the Cubs signed him? He didn't get signed in the offseason, and they waited, and a lot of teams just didn't bite, but the Cubs did. Give me an update on him. It's been kind of choppy for him. You mentioned earlier him signing late, and then he was getting hit around a little bit. His velocity is still there, you know, 96, 97.

but his location wasn't so sharp. And then he went on the injured list for a couple weeks with a sore right knee, came back, pitched twice since then. The second time was better than the first time, which he gave him a Homer, Stirling Montaia, the first pitch. But he pitched Tuesday night and was back to his old self, you know, throwing 97, 98, great sharp breaking curve. They feel that, you know, this might be his May where he starts ascending

in late September, and it's like mid-season him, with arm strength and being able to go back-to-back nights. We got less than a minute to go. Is Joe Madden going to be the manager of the Cubs next year? Because I don't feel like he will be, even though he's made the playoffs four years in a row, and no Cubs manager has ever done that. I'm not so sure either, Rob.

A lot has to happen for him to come back. I kind of look at it as a Johnny King situation. I know I'm dating myself there, but that was 1964 department. He won the World Series and then went over to the Yankees the next year. There's a lot of balls in play. You know, this roster might change if they don't go all the way, and it might mean that.

They want a younger guy calling the shots with a lot of help from the front office upstairs. You know, Joe worked well with kids too. We saw his job he did in Tampa Bay, but this is a different environment here where, you know, you're expected to win every day and they don't aspire to be average. No doubt about it. Thank you for your knowledge. his name. Mark Gonzalez, one of the best baseball writers in the country,

covers the Cubs for the Chicago Tribune. Buddy, thank you so much. Anything for you, Rob? Buddy, see you soon. Take care. Now bring in the closer. Track one. Strike two. The right three. Here's why MLB is better than the NFL or NBA.

And it isn't even close. Here's Reason 100 why Major League Baseball is better than the NBA. and the NFL. Did you catch Bill Walton serving as a guest color commentator this past Friday on the White Sox Angels game in Anaheim? Come on. The basketball legend had a ball being a color analyst for Major League Baseball. He got to call a Grand Slam, a Mike Trout home run.

He made all kinds of funny references. Take a listen. Look at this defense. field from trout. Garcia's not going to have a play. Oh my god. That's Trout? It is. Swimming upstream, avoiding all the flies. And sending one ricocheting through the universe.

And look at this crowd. Rockies is going to be one of the most successful franchises. Just packing them in here at the Big A. There it goes. Dave. Deep to love. There it goes. Called the Gaffers.

Is that what is called? That one. you called. I called the Grand Slam. Oh, my gosh. Put Ricky in the Hall of Fame today after his contract extension. And there you have it. Again, Bill Walton did not disappoint.

And he can't disappoint. When you're calling baseball, watching the game, enjoying the action of Major League Baseball, there's always going to be something to work with, something to have fun with. and Bill Walton, the basketball legend, just proved that by having fun with Major League Baseball. In the words of New York TV legend, the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your time, this time until next time. Rob Parker, out.

He can't get it. This could be an inside of Parker. See you next week. Same bad time. Same bad station. If you work in IT, you'll want to check out Changemakers, a podcast, profiling IT, and leaders, we dive deep into IT profiles and learn what it takes to drive large-scale IT transformations for successful businesses. Visit changemakers.freshworks.com.

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businesses. Visit changemakers.freshworks.com. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife-Live 12 and the TikTok podcast network on

TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get, your podcasts.

What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes,

Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to him. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.