The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Parker – Inside the (Rob) Parker - Hats off to Alex Cora; Ohtani's return; Chris Paddack's swagger; Guests: MLBPA Exec. Dir. Tony Clark, Mariners' voice Dave Sims
Episode Date: May 8, 2019Listen to Inside the (Rob) Parker in Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-rob-parker/id1460750158. This week on Inside the (Rob) Parker, Rob talks Red Sox Manager Alex Cora's dec...ision to skip the White House visit in protest of President Trump's handling of Puerto Rico disaster aid, the return of Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani after Tommy john surgery, and Padres rookie pitcher Chris Paddack's swagger. He also names his Top 3 MLB Teams of the Week, this week's 'Twitter Trash Talk' Winner, and gives the Analytic Stat of the Week. Guests: MLBPA Executive director Tony Clark on this year's recent massive player deals, and Mariners play-by-play announcer Dave Sims on if this year's Mariners team is different, and former Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez's future. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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.
Rob Parker here, you there?
Let's go.
On the podcast today, Players Union boss Tony Clark will talk with him
and Seattle Mariners TV broadcaster Dave Sims.
That and much more get started now.
To lead off, it's getting robbed.
And keep him on.
Rob's hot take on the three biggest.
Stories in Major League Baseball.
Number one.
Bravo to Boston Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, who said he will not, N-O-T, go to the White House on Thursday
with his team to celebrate his team's championship from a year ago with President Donald Trump.
And what I respect the most about Cora's decision, and of course he has the right to make
any decision he wants, that's why we live in this country.
But the thing I love is he didn't make up any excuses.
He wasn't vague or lame.
He said he wasn't going because of the way that Donald Trump handled Corr's Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Plain and simple.
We heard David Price say he wasn't going because it was baseball season, but the rest of the team was going.
But in this case, I love that Corr stated his reason why and moved on.
And it was a funny line by Steve Buckley, the longtime Boston Herald columnists who left and went to the athletic.
He said minorities and black players weren't going to the White House that basically the White Sox was showing up to Trump's White House.
I thought that was awesome.
Number two.
Shohei Atani returns for the L.A. Angels on Tuesday night, which is a big deal for Major League Baseball to get another star back in action.
He, of course, was injured last season, had Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
So he's back.
He's going to be batting third against the Tigers in Detroit, and he's only going to hit this year.
And I think that's a shame because it robs us, the fans, of seeing a guy who could pitch up with that kind of talent and hit as well.
First time we had seen something like this since Babe Ruth played Major League Baseball.
So he was a star out of the gate last year
and was something to watch.
People flock to see whenever he pitched
and whenever he was playing for the Angels.
Hopefully he will be able to bounce back this year,
just hit, let the arm recover.
Because I hope that they don't stop this
and make him just a hitter,
especially if he has a good year with the bat,
and then they could just say,
well, he plays well as a hitter,
we should just leave him as a hitter
and not go back to pitching.
I think that would be a shame.
He was that good as a pitcher in the major leagues a year ago.
So, Otani, welcome back to baseball,
and I hope and I wish that you will return to the mound,
if not this year, at least next year,
and be a double threat,
something that people want to see in Major League Baseball.
Number three.
I don't know about you,
but I'm all into Chris Paddock from the San Diego Padres,
Are you kidding me?
This guy not only has a fastball and can strike people out, and I love that about him,
but he's willing to stir it up a little bit, mix it up.
When he faced off against the Mets, Monday night in San Diego,
he was talking smack.
Paddock was calling out Metslugger Pete Alonzo.
Alonzo had earned a National League rookie at a month for April,
and Paddock made his feelings very clear.
He said he was coming for him.
We'll see on Monday who the top dog is.
And then Paddock went out there against National League's Cy Young Award winner Jacob de Grom.
And he turned in a brilliant outing, seven and two third inning, 11 strikeouts, including Alonzo twice.
And then afterwards, with all the swagger in the world, Paddock said, quote,
Would you rather be rookie at a month or rookie at a year?
Nothing against Pete.
Guy's a great guy.
And he well deserved a rookie of the month.
But I just wanted to have a little fun out of it.
Get me fired up.
Get my team fired up.
He did.
The Padres beat the Mets 4 to nothing.
Here comes the big interview.
Listen and learn.
Oh, it's so good.
Let's welcome in Tony Clark,
the executive director of Major League Players Association since 2013.
Of course, the strongest union in the country at a 15-year major league career.
Tony, welcome to the podcast.
Rob, thanks for happy.
Always a pleasure.
You know that, Tony.
So let's just jump right in.
What's the current state of the relationship between ownership and the union?
I think as much as anything, we have ours.
We would like to think that there's an intersection between a number of those interests.
But there's a lot of work that needs to be done.
and a lot of discussions that need to be had.
And so we'll work through those and see how they manifest themselves moving forward.
Earlier this spring, it looked like collusion was going on.
None of the big guys were getting signed.
You know, people were wondering spring training that started.
And then all of a sudden, boom, Mani Machado signs for 300.
And then Bryce Harper signs for 330.
Mike Trout signs for $430 million.
So the floodgates didn't open.
What happened?
Well, I think that's a very good question.
Every off-season, once the off-season expires, we sit down with agents and have a conversation about what their experiences were and their conversations were against the backdrop of how that particular market may have manifested itself.
These last two markets have been unlike any we've seen in a long time.
And so with Manny's agent, with Bryce's agent, obviously Mike was not a free agent, but with his agent as well, along with a number of other players who were able to sign during the course of the offseason.
We investigate each of those interactions and each of those discussions and each of those contract negotiations to determine how it all happens.
This offseason is no different.
Those investigations, those discussions are ongoing.
It seemed to demonstrate there at some point in time that teams actually did have money and we're willing to spend them.
We have no idea why the timing was, what the timing was.
We also have no idea why Dallas Caichael and Craig Kimball are still on the market,
which is another issue and concern that I know not just a –
is not just a concern on our side, but fans alike who are still trying to figure out why their team hasn't figured out a way to bring either of those two players in.
So a lot of concerns still remain.
A lot of questions remain unanswered.
But based on what we saw this offseason, which was different than what we saw the season prior, there's a lot of work that needs to be done in that regard.
Also, Tony, if I remember correctly, you were saying at some point there are two.
many teams not trying to win, i.e. to Miami, Marlins, that's my opinion, you know, where
they strip down the team, they don't sign any players. Is that like a bad thing for the
union as well where teams are looking at it? If we can't win a championship, basically, we're
not going to compete and we're not going to sign any players? Well, we think it's bad for the game.
There's so many different phrases that have been used over the years in regards to our game.
When teams show up in spring training, Hope Springs Eternal, everyone's excited about,
the possibilities.
You don't hear that near as much anymore.
And a lot of that stems from the inactivity that we see during the off season
and the inactivity that any one individual team seems to be focused in on or engaged with.
What I mean by that is you can't improve your club during the off season with the talent that's available out there.
And we seem to have fewer and fewer teams who are interested in or engaged in those conversations.
conversations. And so, whereas Hope did spring eternal for all 30 teams, what's manifested itself
over the last few years is much different. Tony, what about young players? And we saw Ozzie
Albies sign a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. And, you know, $35 million is
guaranteed, but long term, it looks like he sold itself short. Is that a good deal for players to
jump on some guaranteed money, or is it to weight it out a little bit before you put your name
on a contract that long for that kind of money?
Well, I think every player needs to make that determination for himself.
We engage the agent, we engage the player, and make sure that they have as much information
as possible against the backdrop of the decision that they're looking to make.
The system is flexible enough to where the players have that right and the teams have the
right to approach them.
As a result, there are going to be deals that have some folks scratching their heads,
and there are going to be some other deals that have folks nodding to suggest that that deal
made sense.
We've seen them all, and we've seen them all over the course of our game's history.
So with that flexibility still intact and with players still able to make those individual
decisions, it's going to continue in some fashion or another.
How about you, Tony, doing this job?
What do you like about running the players union?
And give me also what you don't like.
Well, I love our game.
I'm passionate about our game.
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.
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Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect.
We were God's chosen kingdom on earth.
He felt destined for greatness.
So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.
Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey.
I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal.
conspiracies I've ever come across.
When Jacob met Levant this went to a billion dollar fraud.
But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive?
The largest tax investigation in American history.
You need to tell me what you know.
Is somebody coming after me?
Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.
Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcast.
Welcome to my new podcast,
learn the hard way 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.
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Because people scoreboard watch.
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Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,
because you find it important to be a good person
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Are you a good person because you're afraid?
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And that's two different levels of trust.
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iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now life throws hurdles big and small the question is how do you conquer them on hurdle with emily abody we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness professional athletes coaches and olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going from the wmba standout kate martin and rising hockey star leila edwards if a boy can do it i don't see why a girl can't like i've never understood that like it didn't make sense in my
brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't
belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeke.
The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the
world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale,
like being able to fail in front of the entire world, like I can do anything. I can do anything.
because resilience isn't just about winning.
It's about showing up, even when it's hard.
Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports.
The opportunity is the most important thing to me.
So having an opportunity to breathe into and engage in discussion about our game
and how to move our game forward, I enjoy that to the extent that that also provides an opportunity
to protect and advance the interests of our members,
those that have come before,
those that have active now,
and in an attempt to provide opportunities for the next generation,
my son being one of them,
who has aspirations of playing pro ball,
I enjoy all of that,
and I'm grateful and humbled by the opportunity to continue to do it.
Tony, yes or no answer to finish up.
Kyla Murray, did he make a mistake
passing a baseball for football?
Yes or no?
No.
The answer is a little bit longer than that.
The no is so passionate about.
Tony, thank you so much.
Class Act, my man.
We'll see you down the road.
Appreciate you.
I appreciate it.
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It's time for the Pocket Protector Central.
The analytic numbers you need to know.
Well, maybe.
FS1's Anthony Masterson is his name
and BS analytics is his game.
What you got, Anthony?
Oh, you love acronyms, right, Rob.
Here's a fun one, bad dip,
or batting average on balls in play, which simply put,
measures how often a ball put in play is recorded as a base hit.
Most seasons, the league average on balls in play is about 300.
Now, the stat site Fangraph identifies three main components of BABIPs
as defense, talent, and luck.
Great defenses will keep hits from happening,
lowering the average on balls in play.
A talented hitter will hit the ball harder,
giving himself a better chance at base hits falling in,
and then luck takes its turn as well.
Now, for hitters, a large sample of batted balls with a high Babbip,
It means continued quality contact, but in the short term, a higher BABIP than a player's career mark can mean that regression is coming.
Take the White Sox Tim Anderson, who won player of the month thanks to a league-leading 435 BABIP.
His career mark entering this year was 326.
Don't expect that hot start to continue at the same rate.
Now, for pitchers, BABIP is useful because they have almost no control once a ball is put in play as defense and locks take over.
Take Max Scher this season.
He's struggling thanks to an unsustainable 380 BABB, which is the highest in the NL.
His career mark coming in was 292.
Look for Mad Max to get back on track once he finds a little luck.
All right, maybe we can use that information.
Maybe not.
Thanks, Anthony.
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, older new.
Let's welcome in Dave Sims, the TV play-by-play for the Seattle Mariners, a friend of mine.
What's happening, Dave?
How are you doing?
Thanks for joining the podcast.
Doing well, Rob.
I'm glad to hear you got the podcast working, and pleasure to be on with you.
No doubt about it.
Let's talk about those mariners right off the bat.
Started out 13 and 2.
Kind of faltered since then, but first, when they started the season, they started the season in Japan against the Oakland A's.
each year old got to play tell me what that experience was like dave well it's my first time in
Tokyo and that that was an experience in itself i mean the cleanliness the efficiency of how
they operate over there was pretty pretty impressive uh each row seeing the fans react to
each row i i liken it to mohaman ali frank sinatra Bruce springsteen elvis presley james brown
wrapped in the water wow
going absolutely berserk at the mere sight of them.
And I just kept, you know, they played two games against the Amiuri Giants.
And those were two games that didn't count the exhibition against.
But I was hoping that for you old timers out there,
somebody would do it, Denny McLean,
to his Mickey Mantle just lay one in there so he could hit it out and let the place go nuts.
He did have a couple pitches he could have hit, and it just didn't work out of it.
Last night, a blown call changed a game.
This morning, the internet lost its mind.
Highlights are trending, opinions are fly.
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 will.
wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who
live them. Listen to SportsSlice 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.
Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth.
He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an
extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.
Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey.
I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come
across.
When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud.
But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive?
The largest tax investigation in American history.
You need to tell me what you know.
Is somebody coming after me?
Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.
Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
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,
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.
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, Keir 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 and listen now.
Life throws hurdles big and small.
The question is, how do you conquer them?
On Hurtle with Emily Abadi,
we sit down with the most inspiring women
in sports and wellness,
professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions
to talk about the challenge
that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going.
From the WMBA standout, Kate Martin
and rising hockey star Layla Edwards.
If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't.
Like, I've never understood that.
Like, it didn't make sense in my brain.
It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you,
but don't ever feel like you don't feel like you don't feel on.
Don't let that be the reason you don't do it.
An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeke.
The ability to show a gold medal to someone
and have their face light up and smile,
that means the world to me.
and that's what motivates me to win more gold medals.
At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world.
Like, I can do anything.
I can do anything.
Because resilience isn't just about winning.
It's about showing up, even when it's hard.
Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.
I think he went hit list in an exhibition games.
and then he went hitless in the regular season games against Oakland.
But it was a thrill to be a part of it.
It was really something special.
Help me with King Felix Hernandez.
Is he done?
He got beat up by the Yankees on Monday, eight hits, six run runs,
seven runs total in five innings.
E.R.A. is now a chubby 5.20, 1 and 3 records.
Yeah, this is worst outing.
But he's hit the outing before.
He went seven in a one-nothing loss in San Diego.
and he had another one where he left the game with the 10-2 lead
in a bullpen, blew it, and the Mariners' Benzth inning,
Jay Bruce's pinch-hit single.
He's not the same pitcher he was, say, back in 2010 when he won the Shyam,
where he had the dominant basketball.
He doesn't have the dominant basketball anymore.
He's got to rely on the curveball at his best pitch,
curveball in a change-up.
And last night, the Yankees game plan was attacked early in the at-bat.
And they jumped them real early.
and I was 2-0 before he could even break the sweat.
And it was a lot of hard contact.
You know, I don't know how it's probably going to be an in-and-out kind of year.
The last year in this contract makes $27-0,
and I highly doubt that this group would be bringing them back.
This team is now 19 and 18.
This is as of Tuesday.
Are they filet or baloney, especially, Dave,
when you think about who they got rid of in the offseason,
Canoe and Diaz and Seguera, Paxton,
I mean, they just loaded up the truck.
When they got off to the Great Star, some fans hit me up on Twitter.
They're like, it's a mirage.
They're not that good.
Yeah, you know, it remains to be seen.
There was a lot of big names that were jettisoned,
and their whole deal is to look, as they call it,
they're reimagining, looking at the 20 and 20, 2021 season.
Because when they got rid of all those names that you just mentioned,
they replenish with a lot of guys who are highly,
regarded from multiple organizations to replenish the farm system, which was very low regarded.
So they're hoping that many of the guys that are here now will hold the fort and the guys
who are building up reps and gaining experience in the minor leagues that they're going to come
up here in the next couple, three years, and have to be a real contender.
So that's the hope right now.
But I tell you, right, you know, given a division, it's not real good.
I mean, I think they still have a real good chance to second spot behind Houston.
I mean, Houston should win this division barring injuries.
I mean, if they would have injuries like Yankees have right now,
maybe that's a different story.
But they are obviously the clear runaway favorite.
Dave, last thing, you're one of the few African-Americans who are doing baseball,
especially play-by-play and especially a non-former player, man.
You know, I'm very proud of you.
What is that like?
And tell me about your love in about a minute for baseball.
Well, I love baseball for minute one.
I mean, growing up in Philly, and I was lucky enough that my father was a humongous sportsman.
I grew up going to games with County Mac Stadium.
I see Wilk Chamberlain all the time at Convention Hall.
I would always see Jim Brown, and when the Browns had come to town.
I was a pretty good athlete, and I knew that if I could stay in it this way, you know,
if I didn't make it as an athlete to being as a writer or a broadcast,
and I've been able to do both.
I am one of the few lone rangers in baseball, as you say,
the non-former player division.
It's me, Robert Ford, radio voice of the Astros,
and Mike Claiborne does pre-posts to play-by-play from the Cardinals on radio.
It truly is a lone ranger situation because we only have,
out of what, 750 players we might have,
we might have 60 African-American players.
And sometimes I look at it, and it really bumps me out.
It's very depressing.
But I love the game and I enjoy the people that I work with.
And I get to travel first class all around the country and it's called baseball game.
So I don't think you don't have to worry about throwing a benefit for me.
No doubt.
You're one of the best who does it.
And Dave, we appreciate you being on the podcast, my man.
Dave Sims.
Anytime, Rob.
Thank you, bud.
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Parker's top three MLB teams this week.
Number three.
The Houston Astros returning its core.
They're getting good starting pitching.
The squad is getting healthy, and they've been more consistent than, of course, Boston and Cleveland.
So they're going to take the number three spot.
Here's the controversy.
Number two.
The Los Angeles Dodgers.
I know people in L.A. ain't trying to hear that.
The Dodgers have a 23 and 14 record as of Tuesday.
and Cody Bellinger is just running away with the MVP.
I mean, right now, aside from being second in home runs to Yelich,
he's first and everything else.
Average, hits, RBIs, runs, on base percentage, slugging, and OPS.
Number one.
But I'm still sticking with the New York freaking Yankees.
They're number one.
Look at the success continuing without their stars.
They have, they're a mass unit in the Bronx.
11, 12, 13 players.
We can't even keep track.
Yet they're 20 and 14 as of Tuesday,
and they continue to win despite not having their stars.
They are the best team in baseball.
Take out.
It's time for Trash Talk Twitter.
Your chance to trash anyone or anything in Major League Baseball.
This trash is from Jonah Aronson.
He's ripping the Red Sox.
They're flat.
Their stars aren't playing like stars.
They obviously have World Series hangover.
And it didn't sign Greg Kimbril.
Their stud closer.
And their bullpen is struggling.
It stinks.
And so do the Red Sox.
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Here's why MLB is better than the NFL or NBA,
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Major League Baseball sells 70 million tickets a year.
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He can't get it.
This could be an inside of Parker.
See you next week.
Same bad time.
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I don't know
