The Josh Innes Show - Astros Are Like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers

Episode Date: September 25, 2024

I'm fresh off our trip to Baton Rouge and ready to roll. When did the Houston airport become so boujee? Why are airports ever boujee? For some reason I try to understand inflation. The Astros have locked up another division title. They truly are the Michael Myers of baseball. Every time you think they are dead, they come back. I saw a Detroit media person say an Astros/Tigers series would be an "AJ Hinch Redemption Story"...WTF? AJ Hinch screwed himself. There is no redemption to be had. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Howdy, Jamokes! What's going on? It's Josh, as you know. A little, um, horse, sort of, from the weekend. Um, I really, I don't know if it was, if I have a cold or if I have, uh, I don't know if I've got the tenderona, which I'm fairly certain I don't, uh, or if, um, if I'm just horse or if it's allergies or what. All I know is I went to the Dome on Sunday and I did not sound like this. I left the Dome on Sunday and I sounded like this. So really, I'm just going to say I have the Superdome flu, which means I was yelling and screaming and going nuts the whole game.

And it was fucking awesome. Even though the Saints lost, it was a hell of a time. And the Dome is the best place to see a game game out of all the NFL venues I've been to and I haven't been to as many NFL venues as I have MLB venues but I've been to I've been to for an NFL game now because I've been to Cowboy Stadium haven't seen an NFL game in the new Cowboy Stadium but I've seen NFL games at NRG I've seen an NFL game in Kansas City I've seen an NFL game in Philadelphia I've seen an NFL game in DC I've seen a Jets Eagles game at the New Meadowlands which I just I don't remember much about but I know it was nothing spectacular I really hated it nothing was around it like that is the most unimaginative uninteresting stadium for a new stadium that I've ever been to

um really I haven't been to a lot of different NFL stadiums for NFL games. Chicago, I guess I've been a couple times to Chicago to see games, but I haven't been, well, I did see the Super Bowl in Minneapolis, so that counts. That was a cool stadium. But the Dome has something so charming about it, and that's a nice way of saying it's old and it's pretty much a dump, but it's charming, right? I'll say this. You look at these beautiful brand new stadiums. Didn't even look like you're watching a football game. It looks like you're going to a mall. Like I wouldn't want new Orleans to have a new stadium. If I were Kansas city, I wouldn't want a new stadium. Why? Because you're going to a stadium

to watch a football game. It's not a fucking shopping mall. Like I'm walking through the, um, the airport. I was in the airport in Houston with Jilly last night. That's not a fucking shopping mall. Like I'm walking through the airport. I was in the airport in Houston with Jilly last night. That's where our connecting flight was after we left Baton Rouge. So we're there for about an hour and a half and we're like, hey, let's go walk around, try to find something to eat. And yes, I'm aware that airport food is expensive. I get it. So no matter where you turn, it's going to be more than it normally is. Even if you go to McDonald's or something, it's going to be exponentially more than it would be if you just went to McDonald's in your neighborhood. I get that. But we're walking from terminal to terminal just looking for something reasonably priced to

eat in the airport in Houston. The Houston airport is among the bougiest food option airports on the planet by my estimation. You're walking through the mall. Basically, it's a the planet by my estimation. Like you're walking through the mall, it's basically, it's a mall because there's an Eddie, like you walk by, there's an Eddie Bauer, there's, you know, a store selling all sorts of shit. And I get that you're looking for people to kill time and you're hoping that while they're killing time and they're bored on a long layover,

they'll spend way too much money on a sweater vest at Eddie Bauer or a puffer vest at Eddie Bauer, fine. But I'm in there and I'm like, like give people reasonably priced options. And there are some in certain spots, but we're walking in terminal E. I think it was terminal E at the Houston airport at Bush. We're not at hobby. We're at a Bush hobby is pretty much all reasonably priced, like low end type stuff. Hobby is, you know know which is the smaller

airport for people listening to have been to houston hobby is kind of the smaller in the city airport and you know things in there aren't nearly as bad you know oh here's wendy's here's the the shitty chinese here's pink's pizza you know that type of shit there's a buffalo wild wings in there i think it's not a huge airport uh but that's why you find decent options there are dunkin donuts in there and that's kind of normal people shit that's what you get when you go to hobby that's what most people do most people who are flying from baton rouge to saint louis are not looking to go to tau while they're uh while they're waiting for their connector they're not hoping they see the kardashians at a club where you have to put

on a parka because the bar is made of ice or something. This isn't Vegas. This isn't like you're on the strip. You're not going from club to club. You're at a fucking airport. I don't need like fancy barbecue joints and shit. But like I'd walk by just to see what the prices were and there'd be little an Italian restaurant. I forgot what it was called. It was in Terminal E in Houston, I believe is where it was. I think it was an E. Or it might've been C. Whichever one, whichever one is like a bigger, newer one.

I forgot which one we flew out of. But we're over there and I walk by this little Italian restaurant. And I'm like, I wonder how much it costs to get like a pasta or whatever. Pasta is like $35. Like a chicken fettuccine is like $35. A pizza is like $29.99.

I'm like, well, we're not doing this. Walk by, you know, fancy burger place. Not even a Five Guys, not a Burger King, not anything you've ever heard of. It's called like Fire Burger or some shit like that and you walk by it's like hey would you like a hamburger for $29.99 no I don't I just want to find a McDonald's or something just to get something to snack on but everything in the Houston airport is bougie as shit the barbecue restaurants in there bougie as shit there's a papadeau and that's like the least

bougie place in most of this airport like yes if you go to certain spots you'll find like a chick-fil-a and you know there's a bunch of starbucks and all that shit there was a windys that was under construction a lot of panda express which i'm not a big panda express guy jilly likes panda i'm not a big panda express guy. Jilly likes Panda. I'm not a big Panda Express guy. But it's amazing how bougie that airport is. And I get that you're looking to kill time because some people might be stuck in an airport for three hours. But I've never felt compelled when I'm in an airport to go into an Eddie Bauer and buy

something. But there you are in the airport and Eddie Bauer. In Detroit, they have like a whole damn shopping mall. And I guess it's cool to kill time, but like, I'm not going to buy anything in there. Give me some reasonably priced options. Give me places that I can sit down and watch sports and get a reasonably priced beer. That's what I'm looking for. So eventually, we found Pink's, which is a local Houston pizza place, and got a slice there. Slice of pizza was about $8 a piece for a slice of reheated pepperoni pizza. And then it was $4 for a soda.

Actually, it was like $5 for a soda that we shared. Again, I'm not breaking news that it costs a shitload of money to be stuck in the airport. But it's way too bougie. And it kind of goes into what we're dealing with in Houston in general. And Houston is my town. I love the people of Houston. I'd move back there today if it were all possible. I believe that a perfect, great, fun podcast would be huge there. I love it. Houston is a place that I consider home. That said, Houston's far too fucking bougie now, man. That ain't the same Houston that I moved to back in 2009. 15, 16 years has changed that place.

It used to feel like a big city that was kind of a small town. And I know that's kind of trite. I know you hear about that all the time. People talk about, well, you know, it's a big city. It's the biggest small city there is. Houston always had that kind of vibe. And like, we'd look at places like Dallas and be like, oh, there's all their big glass ranches and they think they're big shit and $30,000 millionaires.

That was the one we always used to hear. The big knock that Houston people had on Dallas was, oh, they're $30,000 millionaires and they drive their fancy cars and they all think they're JR Ewing and they're,30,000 millionaires and they drive their fancy cars and they all think they're JR Ewing and they're, oh, and everywhere you go, you got valet parking and they all think they're richer than they really are. Brothers, sisters, that's what Houston felt like when I went last time. It just felt like a different place, man. As we've talked about, when you have to valet park to go to Pluckers, shit ain't right right now. Traffic's terrible in Houston, like worse. And there's always been traffic. It's a major city with five, six, seven, eight million people in it. It's a major American

city. You're going to deal with traffic. That's not breaking news. However, when you're dealing with traffic all fucking day, not a break in the traffic, bumper to bumper all day. That's what I dealt with seemingly the three days that we were there. Everything's bougie. Everything's expensive. Steak night used to be the shit in Houston. You'd go down to like front porch over in Midtown. I forgot how much a steak and a baked potato was.

I know it wasn't like $29.99 like we're dealing with now. Also, I don't really understand inflation. I'm not a smart economical guy, but I'm watching like I'm on a plane, Jilly falls asleep. So I have the shows that I have for us in movies are for shows that we will watch together because we're either already watching them or it's a show Jilly wants to watch. I also have reserves, which are shows that if Jilly falls asleep on the flight, these are shows that I'll just watch because she has no interest or it's something I've already seen. So like in that category, I'll have certain 30 for 30s from ESPN that I've already seen or a movie that I don't think she'd feel left out if I watched it on my own.

So I started watching Jersey Boys on the first leg of flights. Kind of enjoyed it. It's about the four seasons. Frankie Valli, you're too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you. Sherry baby, all that. It was fine. One of the greatest movie I've ever seen. Really wasn't even close, but it was passable and I watched it and the musical numbers were fine. So it was cute, whatever. And at one point, Frankie Valley sitting in a diner in like the late sixties, early seventies, whenever it was. And on the window, it says hamburger lunch special, 25 cents. And I'm like, what has changed about cows and the way cows are murdered and turned into hamburgers. What has changed about this to the point that a hamburger goes from 25 cents

for a burger plate lunch special to like, oh, by the way, if you go to Five Guys today to get a hamburger, it'll cost you like $17. What has changed? Help me understand inflation. I understand that I sound stupid right now. Many of you are sitting there like this dipshit, but many of you are probably thinking the same thing I'm thinking. A hamburger is still a hamburger. A house is still a house. A sody pop is still a sody pop. How did a sody pop in a glass bottle go from being a quarter or 20 cents, 15 cents? Remember that scene in Caddyshack whenever Danunzio is getting, he buys a Coke from the

Caddyshack where Noonan isn't doing a loop. He's not jocking. He's in the room there and he's like paying people out for their loops or whatever, right? And for their rounds that they're playing, you know, with Miss Haversham or whomever. So DiNunzio goes up to the window and he cashes out his card. And then he goes and says, give me a Coke. So Noonan gives him a Coke

and then he gives him like 50 cents back or whatever. And he goes, I ain't paying 50 cents for no Coke. Now you're never gonna find a Coke for 50 cents, right? And that was in 1980. So help me understand what has changed. Again, I get that I sound stupid. I'm aware that I'm a moron. I'm not an economically sound individual.

I get that inflation's a thing, right? So you go, hey, if you, let me give you another example. So I was reading about a radio job opening in LA, KLOS, which is formerly a huge giant of rock broadcasting and now like a lot of radio stations, it's there and it's got a name, but it's not what it used to be. And they fired an afternoon show and they have a job opening for afternoons on this classic rock station. And they said the job will pay 70,000 to 90,000, which in theory sounds awesome

until you realize you're living in Los Angeles. And if you compare the cost to live in Los Angeles to the cost to live in St. Louis or Des Moines, Iowa, it's night and day, so 70,000. Like a buddy of mine did the math on it. He says, if you made $70,000, given that in Los Angeles, I think the minimum wage is now like, what, $17, $18, $19. I don't know what the minimum wage is there, but it's pretty close to that.

He said, basically, you'd be making minimum wage to work at this radio station. I'm like, holy shit, never thought of it that way. Pretty fascinating that that's kind of where we are. And so again, that job isn't interesting to too many people because you're not going to make any money. But that same job, if you look at adjusted for inflation, that $70,000 to $90,000 in 2024 would have been like $150,000 or $130,000 back in 1978. Because that is the same salary that a lot of disc jockeys were making back when disc jockeys were the shit. So like in 1977, if you're making $70,000, you'd have to be making like $200,000 in today's money. How does it work?

Inflation, man, it's trippy to me. And I get that this is the dumbest I'll ever sound, and I sound really dumb on a lot of these podcasts, but usually it's because I'm drunk. Actually, when I'm drunk is when I sound the most intelligent, when I'm watching giant cockroaches walk across my dad's deck and other things. But it's just fascinating to me. So to go back to Houston, like the airport is super bougie.

The city is now super bougie. Like the charm of Houston's kind of, it's kind of worn off a little bit. I'd still move there in a second because it's my favorite place and I got a lot of friends there and I think I'd do great there. So it's like, it's just weird how these things change.

Now some might say, Josh, you're anti-progress and like, what the hell, bro? Things grow up. Yeah, but I kind of like the charm that Houston used to have. I kind of like the grittiness that Houston used to have when we'd sit around and say, oh, Dallas, the $30,000 millionaires. Austin's the same way. I talked to people who lived in Austin 15, 16 years ago versus people who visit there now, it's not the same fucking place. Part of it's progress. Part of it's just it's lost its charm. Nashville's the same way. I lived in Nashville for two years in the era of the boom of Nashville where you can't go anywhere. Traffic's terrible. Broke country Disneyland. I used to make fun of people who'd

be like, man, I miss Nashville the way it way nashville the way it was seemed like it was fucking awesome just dive bars country music dudes fucking george jones getting duis on a lawnmower driving to the liquor store like that's the shit or speaking of adjusted for inflation like look at movie tickets they're like you know well the highest grossing movie of all time is you you know, whatever movie that's recently made a billion dollars, right? That's the highest grossing movie. But adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind has made $7 billion. And you're like, how is it that a movie cost 30 cents to attend in 1939, but now a movie costs, you know, $40 to see. Well, the movies cost more to make.

Sure, I get all that. But still, a movie is a movie. In 1939, when you see The Wizard of Oz and a ticket cost a nickel, fast forward to 2019, like 80 years, or 2029, which would, I guess, be 90 years since the wizard of oz came out the wizard of oz came out 1939 right i think like what's the biggest difference like you could watch the wizard of oz today and while it doesn't have the big glamorous effects that you know you get from avatar or beetlejuice beetlejuice or whatever it's still a movie it's in color there's

a good story. It's the same shit. So it costs a nickel to see that. And it would cost after all told, you go to the movies and buy everything on a cheap day. It's $6 like we go to on Tuesdays here on a normal day. It's 15 to $20 for a ticket. Inflation is fascinating. And I get the cost of making things as different. The cost of rent is different, so people have to jack up the prices, but what the fuck happened to us when we were a decent society when a burger could cost a dollar versus a burger?

You know, like, look, Five Guys is good. They're solid. Hey, here's an idea, Five Guys. Maybe if you actually stopped just filling the entire bag with fries and just gave people cups of fries, maybe you wouldn't be losing so much on your margins that you wouldn't have to charge so much for a fucking burger.

And listen, I appreciate the fact that at Five Guys, you order a meat. Here's a hack. Five Guys hack. Never order large fries and never order two orders of fries if you're getting for two people. Because for whatever reason, they'll give you the small cup of fries and then they'll just pour thousands of other fries into the bag. There's absolutely no reason to ever order multiple fries. Like at McDonald's, you order a large fry, you get about the same number of fries you get in a small fry. I've seen the videos on Instagram.

Some people say it's a scam, whatever. But like you order a large fry at McDonald's, how often do they actually fill up that large fry? They don't. Same with over at Chick-fil-A. Hey, I'll get the large fry. Then why is my large fry container only half fucking filled? I could have gotten a medium for this because they always fill up the medium. Yet somehow it's like they made a special container for their large waffle fries that was impossible to fill to the top. And then what happens is you go over to like Five Guys where they charge you a billion dollars for a hamburger, right? It's a tasty hamburger. But they charge you a shit ton for a burger there.

And then you're like, hey, me and my wife got a burger. Let's get two orders of fries. Then you go to the bag. And the bag is like a duffel bag filled with fries. And you're like, well, this is cool. Well, maybe you charge me less for the burger. If you followed your own goddamn rules, just put the cup of fries in there. I'm not trying to hose myself out of delicious fries,

but also they put too much Cajun seasoning on those fries when you get the Cajun fries. All you taste is fucking seasoning. There's no fries. I want some potato in there. What are we doing? I hate flying. Every now and then it's okay. A short flight's fine. This one to Baton Rouge was okay because we went St. Louis, which is about two hours to Houston. Houston is about 40 minutes to Baton Rouge and that's fine. But sometimes when you really get the cheap flights, they're like, listen, all right, you want to go from St. Louis to Baton Rouge?

Where are we going to fly you up to Bangor, Maine, get a connector, and then you're going to go back down to Baton Rouge. We had to go to Carolina to go to Baton Rouge the last time. I'm like, why am I in Charlotte? This is stupid. Jilly saw a guy pass out. Well, we both saw the guy pass out on the plane, but he warned Jilly that he was going to pass out.

We told that story. He, like, tapped her on the shoulder, and he was like, Hey, what are you doing? And I'm about to pass out. And she goes, Well, what should I do? I don't know. I'm going to pass out. Then he passed out.

Then he refused medical attention. But he did pass out. It was interesting. He was just hunched over. I'm like, Is this gentleman dead? I've never watched it never watched it oh my god a dead person breathed on me audrey yeah but flying sucks like it's fine but like and for whatever reason like i actually i really enjoy flying the planes that have like one seat on one side and then the two on the other the smaller planes once you get to the bigger? I don't enjoy them that much. But I know you have your own problems in life.

Hey, the Astros won the division. They have now made the playoffs eight consecutive years. I saw a guy that I know who's a wonderful dude. I met him at one of these radio conventions. It was at the radio thing that I attended in L.A. like two weeks before I got fired in Houston. His name is Jim Costa. He was like that I attended in L.A. like two weeks before I got fired in Houston. His name is Jim Costa. He was like a nighttime guy in Detroit. Now he's their morning guy in Detroit.

Super good guy. He does a good job on the radio there. He's in Detroit. And the Tigers are currently firmly in a playoff spot right now. I don't know. I think they may not fall into a position where they'll play the Astros now. I was hoping that was going to happen. I was rooting for the Astros' B. A.J. Hinch in the first round.

But as I look at it now in the wild card, because the Astros are going to finish with the third-best division-winning record, so they're going to face the third wild card. And currently, well, I guess it's possible because Kansas City and Detroit are both tied at 83 and 74 so it is quite possible although Kansas City's fallen off the planet they finally won a game but they had a stretch where I think they lost seven or eight in a row and that's why they find themselves in the spot they're in Baltimore clinched a playoff spot so they're in as well uh Detroit Kansas City the

twins are hanging around Seattle's hanging around but Seattle ain't gonna do it because Seattle does what Seattle does. And that's what's so great about this. When the Astros started like 7-19 and they were chasing, they were big time down to Seattle. And Seattle's thinking, oh boy, this is everything. We're finally going to usurp these guys and be the cock of the walk. And then still the Astros did it.

As far as the American League West goes, and really you could argue the American League in general, the Astros are it. As far as the American League West goes, and really you could argue the American League in general, the Astros are like Freddy Krueger. They're like Jason. They're like Chucky. They're like Leatherface. You think they're dead. You think you killed them.

You shot them six times. And then they keep coming back. You're like, we finally killed them. It's like the end of Freddy's Dead, the final nightmare, where it's the 3D sequence. And then, boom, we finally killed him we're like it's like the end of freddy's dead the final nightmare where it's the 3d sequence and then like boom they finally take him out and they go freddy's dead and then you're like freddy returned like two years later in west craven's new nightmare that's the astros you feel comfortable you think you got them like the astros are like a typical end to any of those 80s or 90s slasher movies you know like in um i guess look at the first nightmare on home street is a great example like nancy after the whole thing's over where she's got

freddy trapped in the house and the stairs like start melting and then freddy dies and then the mom dies in the bed in that weird scene but then like she opens the front door and like the mom is alive and and johnny depp and and and the chick from Better Off Dead and all those. They pull up in the car, Rod. They all pull up in this red convertible and homegirl's wearing a sweater vest, Nancy, and her mom's alive. And the mom's like, hey, I think I'm going to quit drinking. And it's sunny and everybody's having a good time.

And you're like, I guess they killed Freddie, right? Then they get in the car and the rag top comes over the top of the car. And as it turns out, it looks like Freddie's sweater. Windows roll up. She can't get out of the car. The mom's waving. The kids are doing the jump ropes. One, two, Freddie's coming for you.

Mom gets sucked through the door in the window on the door. And you're like, ah, shit, I guess Freddie's not dead. That's the Astros. When they're 7 and 19 and you think, well, there's no fucking way, they come back. When Dr. Loomis shot Michael Myers six times and he falls off the house and it's like, oh, it was the boogeyman. As a matter of fact, it was. And then you're like, he's dead. But then Halloween 2 comes around and the motherfucker's running around even though he got shot six times.

That's the Astros. When that fucking shark blew up at the end of Jaws, when they threw the tank into his mouth, and he says, smile, you son of a bitch, and the shark blows up. Turns out, shark's not dead. There's another shark. Jaws 2. That's the Astros. That's who they are. Every time you think they're dead. They're like Cher's career. There's been 10 different times Cher's career has been dead. Cher was big in the 70s. I'm going to give you a Cher tutorial

because inside, I am a gay man. I will give you a Cher tutorial. Cher was big in the late 60s with Sonny and Cher, I Got You Babe. They had the Sonny and Cher TV show. Then it was just the Cher show. But then there was a stretch in the late 70s to early 80s when she's getting plowed by Greg Allman and shit. And they had a kid. That Cher was kind of out of sight, out of mind. Nobody

really gave a shit about Cher. Her music wasn't winning anything or selling anything, her movies. But then she makes Mask. I think it's Mask is where it turned around, like an 84, 85. So Cher's back on the scene, around, like in 84, 85. So Cher's back on the scene, right? Cher and Mask, critically acclaimed. Then she's making Moonstruck, where she wins an Oscar. And she's doing Witches of Easter, where these whores are banging Jack Nicholson as the devil. And it's great. And then all of a sudden, her music starts selling again.

Little I Found Someone, a little bit of all that action. Then Cher is back, right? Every time you think Cher's dead, Cher comes back. Then the mid-90s happen after Cher has her Cher renaissance and no one cares about Cher anymore. But then like four or five years later, she discovers autotune. Does a Do You Believe in Life

after love, after love, after love, after love, I can feel something inside me say. And then you know what happens? She's back. Number one song in the country. Then she's touring.

And I went to see her like in 2002 or 2003 on her farewell tour at the New Orleans Arena, now called the Smoothie King Center. It was a great time. Cyndi Lauper. But she comes back. Cher's had like four or five comebacks. Every time you think Cher's dead, the reports of her demise are greatly overstated, over-exaggerated.

That's the Astros. Until proven otherwise, they're that team. They now have the fourth longest playoff streak in baseball history. Now, some of it's unfair because like up until 30 or so years ago, only two teams would make it to the playoffs. That's why it's like, it's not really fair. You know, now, you know, everybody makes the playoffs, so it's become easier to make the playoffs. But still, I think they're only behind the Dodgers who are currently in one of these

streaks, but the Dodgers are a joke. You you know congrats on your Rona World Series outside of that um then I think the Yankees from the late 90s I think like 95 to like 07 maybe was a run for the Yankees and then the long ass 14 15 years the Braves did it but the Braves only won one World Series in that stretch. So the Braves, who had this amazing staff, and they were the class of the National League for as long as they were the class of the National League, they only won one World Series in that one. And even though Maddox and Smoltz and Glavin and all these guys didn't matter,

they only won one. The Astros have won two in this eight years. They should have won three if not for A.J. Hinch. Now thatros have won two in this eight years. They should have won three if not for A.J. Hinch. Now that brings us back to A.J. Hinch in Detroit and why I started this conversation talking about Detroit and my buddy that works there. So he tweets about the Tigers making a run to the World Series, which I don't think is going to happen, but whatever, dream big. So he says it would start with the A.J. Hinch redemption series. What does A.J. Hinch need redemption from? A.J. Hinch is arguably the reason why this cheating

scandal went on as long as it did and the reason why people view the Astros as cheaters, because by his own admittance as the leader of the ball club, he couldn't stop them from cheating. The most he could do is take a baseball bat and smash a monitor and passive aggressively be angry. He didn't have the stones, didn't have the guts, didn't have the intestinal fortitude to step up to these players and say, cut the shit. I'm the manager. So what redemption is he going to get?

Like the idea that it's an A.J. Hinch redemption. Boy, it's going to be a great series. I hope that series happens and I hope they get their dicks knocked off by the Astros in Minute Maid Park. And I hope it's swift and short and sweet. I don't know if any of that's going to happen if your Don's not healthy and your Don is it seems worse than they let on. And if he doesn't play, I mean, there's no fucking chance. Um, and this is almost, this almost kind of feels like the end of the run, at least the end of the first part of the run. Right. Because I think we all kind of get the vibe that Bregman may be gone. Um, you know, there's still Tucker and your Don, but you start

to look at the roster top to bottom and you're like, who are the next generation of guys going to be? Who are they going to sign? Like this kind of feels like, hell, eight years, epic run. You know, Verlander's not going to be back after this year. So you're going to lose some key parts of that. Like really some of the biggest names of this run, some of them have already gone, obviously. Like they survived losing Correa and they survived losing Springer and all that and

the Pena and all that. They've lost those guys and I get it. But by the way, speaking of the pineapple man, I was unaware that Uli Gurriel was still playing and that son of a bitch cost me a parlay a couple days ago. I had a parlay going of no runs to be scored in the first inning of like three games. That son of a bitch got a two-out RBI hit that cost me a damn parlay, and I owe him a knuckle sandwich. But anyway, it just kind of feels like it's kind of hitting a crescendo, and they're going to have to not reset in the sense that after this run is over, they're going to have to tear it all down and build it back up because they still have some good pieces. I mean, awesome pieces with Tucker and you still have you still have Altuve, but who knows how much longer he's got. But you still have a good core of guys. I'm not saying the run of winnings over. It just kind of feels like once Bregman goes, it's kind of like like he's almost outside of he and Altuve.

They're kind of like the last of the Elm Street children. Right. So basically the only person you're going to have left from like the first leg of that run, that 2016 making the playoffs or the 2015 making the playoffs, then into 16. Then you got 17 winning the whole damn thing. And then, you know, making that run, that first kind of run culminates in a way with the Rona season. Right. The Rona happens. making that run that that first kind of run culminates in a way with the rona season right the rona happens really i guess the line of demarcation for that might be when out to when korea left that might be like that's kind of where you go you start to lose a lot of these guys that first run but then there's the bounce back so you know maybe i'm just speaking like a dipshit

right now but it feels like this is kind of like the end of the original crew, right? It's going to be Altuve and a lot of guys that came on later, not much later, but later in the process of this team being a winning franchise. But the idea that A.J. Hinch at this point is going to have a redemption arc. A.J. Hinch is his own problem. A.J. Hinch at this point is going to have a redemption arc. A.J. Hinch is his own problem. A.J. Hinch got fired and suspended because A.J. Hinch, as the guy running the team, did not have the cojones to stop the cheating. And the cheating did happen, and I don't give a shit. They're not giving the World Series back, nor should they.

But he couldn't get the job done in terms of keeping it under control and he admitted that so like the idea that it would be redemption for him against two for redemption it would have to be a situation where you were done wrong by somebody who was AJ Hinch done wrong by the players the owner what's the going to do in that situation? He had to fire the dude that built the team, who, by the way, you want to talk about a redemption arc, the dude that built that team, the guy who's responsible for all of us sitting here eight years later

talking about the Astros being the dominant team, really, of the last damn near decade. Jeff Luno is still sitting at home washing his tights. He can't get a shot in baseball. Yet A.J. Hinch got a job almost immediately when he was available to do so. So let's cut the shit about A.J. Hinch redemption arc. You want to hear redemption? Get Jeff Luno back in the front office of a team and let him build a roster again and take that team to the World Series. That, my friends, is redemption. He's been fucking ostracized. A.J. Hinch,

we're blowing him for taking the Tigers to the playoffs. Speaking of Luno, I mean, what have the Cardinals done since he rolled out in 2011? Not much. That guy's a fucking savage. Yet he's sitting at home, can't get a gig, and A.J. Hinch, redemption. I hope they play the Tigers, and I hope that the Astros, for one moment in time, just find the ability to score 12 goddamn runs a game and win 12 to one each time. Won't happen, but that's what I'm rooting for. Goddamn A.J. Hinch redemption arc.

You can't have a redemption arc when you fuck yourself. Redemption happens when someone's done you wrong. Well, maybe that's not totally fair. Like, you know, if Scott Norwood misses the kick in the Super Bowl, then next year makes the game winning kick. I guess that's redemption and that's something he did to himself. So but generally speaking, in this moment, it's not like A.J. Hinch was done wrong by someone. I don't believe that he was wronged by the Astros, and I don't believe he was wronged by baseball. He deserved to get suspended. He couldn't cut the shit with the team.

You could say maybe the team screwed him by cheating. Maybe so, but he could have stopped it. He's the boss. He didn't do it. So there's no redemption for A.J. Hinch here. He might view it in his own mind as getting screwed. I don't know if he does or not, although he went on TV and fell on his sword a couple years ago in that interview with Verducci. But the idea that there's a redemption arc for the most part I feel like I've gotten screwed but I've screwed myself to a degree but like if I were to go back to Philadelphia and beat WIP after they fired me I guess you could call that a redemption arc right if I were to go if they said today Josh

we're starting a rock station in St. Louis and we want you to go up against Casey and I beat them like I would truly view that as a redemption arc. I'd be like, fucking right I did. Same in Houston with 790. Look, I am a redemption story. A.J. Hinch is not. Also, for betting purposes, bet against the Astros today, but I

think they play this afternoon, so the odds of this being out there and you guys being able to do it probably not great. But I do have, and I wish I would have told you guys this yesterday, and I didn't because I didn't get a new pod in. I recorded on Monday night for those two the other night, so I didn't get one in yesterday. But you should always bet against a team that just clenched a playoff spot after they clenched the division or whatever and they celebrate.

Bet against them the next day. You want an example? The Cubs. Last night, they beat the shit out of the Phillies. The Phillies clinched a playoff spot the night before, and I wish I would have told you guys this. Even though Kikuchi's pitching tonight, this afternoon here, right now it's 11 o'clock Central.

That game's in about two hours and ten minutes. And Seattle's actually a relatively heavy favorite, so there's not a ton of value in Seattle minus 138. But after you celebrate and clinch, especially with a day game to follow. Now, but this is a unique spot, though, too. Here's why this is a unique spot. Like, the Cubs are out.

So it's not like they had a massive letdown the night before when they lost to the Phillies and the Phillies clenched, right? I think the Philly. Wait, I don't know if they I don't think those two play. It doesn't matter. But when you look at Seattle, Seattle was still in the race against these guys and thought they were going to win the division or had a chance to win the division. So to have their division hope shot while the other team celebrated may have them different mentally, but they have to rebound because they're still alive for the wild card. So again, generally speaking, a little rule of thumb when it comes to gambling, what you need to make sure of is you bet against teams that just clenched a spot the

night before, especially in a day game. The value's not great, but Seattle's probably going to win. Just keep that in mind. There you go. Alright, we'll try to do some more stuff later. Jilly's doing her job right now, so maybe she'll join me later on, but I hope you guys consume this. You're great. I love you.