Back on with Albert Belle! Today, Bret and Albert share their thoughts on participating in the HR Derby, the current version of the All-Star Game, stories of Albert getting hit by pitches and more. Plus, plenty of takes on the current happenings around Major League Baseball. Which teams need to make a splash at the deadline? Are the Mets for real? Can the Dodgers overcome their recent problems?
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Plenty of seating options from cozy daybeds to private temperature controlled cabanas stadium swim book your spot today at circa Las Vegas calm looking for a financial institution that has fewer fees better rates and gives back to the local community as one of Colorado's largest credit unions Belco offers great rates on products like our free boost interest checking and lower rates on loans including our home equity choice line bank virtually anytime anywhere through online banking and our mobile app becoming a member has never been easier visit belco.org or stop by any belco branch membership eligibility required equal housing opportunity all-own subject to approval ensured by NCUA belco banking for everyone following podcast is hashtag boom approved it's time for another edition of the breadboard podcast ever made you almost with the blows loose and me down three times too so I know what you're talking about your host MLB All-Star Brett Bull on the line is you will become a successful major league hitter by hitting a tourist mistake as he sits down with his sports entertainment friends from around the world you are not going to be a successful major league hitter if you hit that your fit this isn't just any former jocks podcast to change outcome you got to change the income you got to change what goes in and that changes what goes out often duplicated but never replicated just like his bet flip okay now the party starts the responsibility starts now now in its fourth year this is the one and only Brett Boone podcast welcome to the Brett Boone podcast I'm your host Brett Boone today on the program I'm joined by a friend of the podcast we've had them on several times love catching up with them Cleveland Guardians Hall of Famer and I'm gonna name this segment Albert before I bring it's we're gonna go every once in a while me and Albert get together we just talk the game but it's gonna I'm gonna name this segment podcast it's around the horn of Major League Baseball with Albert Bell Albert thank coming on the program sure thanks for inviting me I know you know the home run derby was yesterday I had a lot of people you know comment about it and you know they hate the format they like the old-school format back and we had like ten outs right try to hit as many as you can and they asked you know they were asking me are you watching a home run derby and I said no I said I haven't watched a home run derby since I participated it in back in 1994 so you know things have transpired since then I know there was a time when like Maguire and you know Cal Ripken put on the show but at that particular time I was just you know when I made y'all start to I was just trying to get some extra sleep in cuz you know I pretty much played every game and you know and every chance I had to to get some rest I took advantage of it well last night I called you and you're like you kind of gave me the booney I'm giving my head a rest on on baseball for a minute which I completely understand we're constantly during the season as much as I love it and I know you love the game you do need a rest once a while I popped in I watched the home run derby for a minute you know what I notice now Albert you participate I think in three of them in 90 93 94 95 does that make sense well this 93 94 93 94 all right I got to do them in 2001 2003 I'll tell you and I want to ask you about yours when I when I got asked to be in my first home run derby for me I was like a kid in a candy style it's like the first time I made an all-star team I like man it's like it was the next step I made an all-star team that was special for me the all when I got asked to be in the home run derby I think I had 22 or 22 most home runs I ever had the break before and I got asked and back then the criteria was the top four in each league get invited to the home run derby there was some you had to earn it's not anybody that wants to do it so I was always honored to do it I got to do it again in 03 I was terrible I got I got the doughnut hole I hit none in 03 you had a couple yourself but last night I'm watching it you know what I noticed not only is it rapid fire and there's a lot more home runs hits because like you said we had 10 outs if you got 10 outs you got out of there so if you hit five or six homers you were doing something back then but you know what I noticed last night they're throwing BP from like it seems about 15 feet it's almost like it's overhand soft toss and it's just putting it on a tee and it's Homer and it's Homer and it's Homer now it's all about the fans if the fans love it well and that's what pays the bills that's fine but that's what I notice the difference it wasn't like the the the normal BP distance that you hit BP what what what have you noticed about it your time versus current day well back when I when I did the contest it was just whoever volunteered to the throw batting practice and then you know as a couple years evolved you know players would bring their batting practice pitcher with them so the the couple of years I was in it it was you know guys throwing BP I had never seen before so it was it was challenging and I know in 94 I hit the most home runs but you know I lost by one but you know it was fun and exciting you know to be able to perform and hit home runs for the fans but you know obviously the game has changed you know it's all about the fan and now it's all about the you know the international fans now we have to you know accommodate them so you know they they put on a show I I did not want to watch it at all and I just and and you know everybody was texting me and they were like you know or you know Tiosco wanted so I'm like you know what good for him you know you know it like you said these guys are just throwing like you know a little overhand soft toss you know it's a lot easier to throw strikes and and you know kind of get in a group but when you hit when you take batting practice from regular distance of somebody you don't know it's it's very hard because you know you're so used to one guy one or two guys pitching to you know up until then I was like you know 85 90 games and then there's this guy out of the blue you know throws to you it's hard to kind of like size them up like you know he doesn't know your sweet spots you know where you like the ball and so you know that was an element you know that we had the battle and you know it's a lot it's a little different nowadays I'll tell you it's and you by the way if you win it now it's a million dollars million dollars to the winner they put up so that's a little incentive and still people are like nah I don't need it because the money's so so big nowadays a million bucks is like not that big a deal to people I'll tell you I my first one I had my BP guy you know how you get comfy with the guy that throws you BP during my first over in Derby was in Seattle and John McLaren who was our bench coach was at that game and he so he got to throw me BP so I was comfortable I mean I was nervous because all I wanted to do is is kind of put on a decent showing I didn't even think about winning and just not embarrass myself so I had my BP guy but the big difference and I don't know if this is a big deal for you I think the guys today might might prepare for but not having that cage over our head for me was was huge I didn't have the kit in BP you know I figure and I wasn't a guy that had hit a homerun every about BP there's guys you know Albert you played with that or BP guys that can just launch and then there's guys that work I was okay I could hit homers but that wasn't my thing but you took that cage away and I felt like is out of place as you can I think I ended up hitting three or four in the first round tied with Sammy Sose he went on because he he had more home runs than me at the break and that was a tiebreaker I was fine with it I'm like I don't really care I did okay I hit one in the upper deck crowd went crazy because it was my home crowd so I was cool with it but I really noticed the cage was a problem for me do you have a problem with that I did in 93 because it kind of seems like you're just like out in the open it and you're just like oh my god just don't embarrass myself just you know put on a halfway decision show so by time I did at the second tab in 94 you know I felt more comfortable and I and I kind of knew what to expect and you know so that's you know that's you know some elements you know you have to battle but I thought it was I thought it's pretty cool to you know to do something different without the cage you know that way you know the the cameras were close and you know they got a chance to kind of see your face you know some guys you know you know didn't wear hats some guys wore hats so it was just pretty cool to give the fans like a different looking a different perspective and and you know we got a chance to wear like our own uniforms and you know you you know the you know if you were the American League team and you're on the road you wore your gray outfit and you know if you're at home you wore the white outfit and you know we we love that you know packing our own gear and stuff but I think now you know these guys have a uniform for like every different you know there's you know special occasion coming like once a week so you know they have different uniforms and it's just kind of hard to keep up when you know everybody's kind of wearing the same uniform and I'd rather you know each player wear his his particular uniform that he's played in all year when you talk about unis okay you have a great point when I was playing I like the home whites road gray I didn't like that alternative jersey that some pitchers would take on Sundays we were I never liked that I felt like I wasn't getting it getting hits with that jersey on I don't know how you felt about some guys love wearing them I didn't love where now as an older guy that watches the game as an ex-player I got admit some of the unis the retro unis and the black pants that as a player I would hate to where I like to I like the home home whites road grays I kind of like some of the unis I don't know why maybe I'm maybe I'm getting a little senile my old age you like him you still hate him well you know what in 94 when we moved into you know Jake's Field the new stadium we had you know we had the traditional great great top great pants but we got a blue top and I think a couple of starting pitchers really like pitching in the blue top so we kind of knew what to expect but at home we just pretty much wore the all whites but I think now they might have like a red top and then I know it may be a 97 98 there was like a turn back the clock yeah you know some of those pretty uniforms are cool and then knowing Baltimore we did the turn forward the clock and then that was the game with the Haas and Galway incident where I refused to go to first base and you know that was their uniform we're gonna get to that too okay you guys watching the the Brett boom podcast if you're checking it out on YouTube this is worth it the story we got coming up with Albert we got a little footage we're gonna cover that in a second all right few more things about the all stereo all right gator rate everybody out there you see in between during the home rendezvous there's a timeout or a break in the action or moving on to the next round it's kind of been it's it's now normal you go do an interview you've got you've got somebody brings you a towel and a gatorade I think Albert Bell might have started that tell me you're the Gatorade story and how it came to pass this was this was in Texas and I mean it was it's hot in Texas I mean obviously I'm from Shreveport Louisiana so I'm basically wrapped down a road from you know Dallas Fort Worth so I was used to the weather and I mean it was hot you know the stadium was packed and it didn't seem like there was a breeze and then Kenny Lofton you know brought out a Gatorade in the towel and and he's like here you know he got big dog and I was like oh this is kind of cool like thanks I mean it was it was hot so he kind of started that tradition you know so maybe he you know he should get credit for but I thought it was cool and you know definitely needed to Gatorade I mean we were we were sweating like dogs I mean that place was hot you know it was probably like 100 to 105 but oh it or like it or like that was like no that was like no breeze coming through there normally you can kind of you know depends on what time of the year you may get a little bit of breeze but for that all-star week there was there was no breeze it was just smoking hot so to be able to you know to get a nice cold Gatorade you know in between the rounds that was pretty cool so you know Kenny Lofton has kind of started something all-star game I mentioned my first one was in 1998 and I was really like excited yeah I felt like wow I I'm finally an all-star I get to hang out the with the get with the best players in the game the guys I play with the guys I get to play against and you're still kind of a young player so you get to you get to meet guys in the other team that you maybe never interacted before I remember my first all I went in I was kind of quiet I just listened to the guys that I kind of grew up in the minor leagues watching and I got a chance to kind of hang out and talk baseball with them I had to fight they had to teach me the ropes I said what what's the deal I want to get my stuff signed my all-star jersey I booney you go in there and you put it in the room but get it in there early because once the guys come out they don't go back in their room right it kind of learned the ropes but I thought I really cherish the all-star game it's not like I got to I know some guys get to go to eight nine ten I got to go to three and each one I was honored to to go sometimes you see in today's game guys don't go I got a sore hamstring it's not that big a deal I always thought you know when I grew up in the game I've been around this game a long time but I still thought you know I don't get to play this game very long we got a real short window in our life where we get this life so I kind of cherished that talk to me about the first time you got picked for your first all-star game and how that experience was for you it was it was 1993 you know it was you know got selected you know we weren't having a real good year but to be able to represent the Cleveland Indians you know I was excited you know obviously you know three River Stadium wasn't like you know state of the art park like it is down but by you know then you know going to it you know you thought it was like the Taj Mahal you know all the the great players that that came you know and played in that stadium and then you got a chance to meet some of the old-timers and you know to be able to rob the old boys and just talk and you know there was photographers taking pictures you know I wish I would have you know gotten all those photographer names and and be able to get copies of those pictures they're probably circulating around I have a few of them but but not as many as I should have had so to be able to you know to talk and that's what we wanted to do is we wanted to get there and get to the ballpark and kind of hang out with each other and you know mingle with the old-timers and you know whether it's you know you know we were married the league we go over and talk to nationally guys and the old-timers and it was just a big camaraderie and you know so to be selected you know it was a great honor and and a funny story is I think it was either the 94 to 95 and I know Roger Clemens was pitching and he drilled bonds and so like you know you know we became off the field I'm saying you know what happened I was like why is he dream and everybody was like that dickhead wouldn't sign our murder you know he wouldn't sign up right I say you know drill him again right I say come off and you know you could be a you know a dick to everybody else but don't you know be a dick to us so it was kind of funny that and I always wanted to give Clemens high-five for that but I thought it was pretty funny because I wasn't expected and I did know until you know you asked somebody what happened you know what's amazing about that story in 2001 is the first time I started in the All-Star game so Joe Torrey was our skipper and I was amazed I got to the game and Joe Joe came over to me call me in the office said Boonie I want to talk to you and I said all right he goes I just want to tell you you're gonna hit fourth tomorrow in the All-Star game and I said fourth I said that's pretty awesome because hey man you've deserved it you know I'm looking at the numbers I mean to me you know I was a second baseman and and and I was thinking now you know I'm never gonna hit the Albert Bell is gonna hit fourth but this particular All-Star game I had those numbers that kind of warranted and I was in between Alex was in front of me and Manny was behind me and I said Joe I said that's cool I said you've got to give me that scorecard because this probably the last time I'm gonna hit fourths in the All-Star game so I got that card and I put it in the room and that was like a big ticket item for me that was pretty cool okay and I had everybody sign it everybody signed it from the coaching staff to everybody that was on the extras I sent it over to the to the National League sign got it signed by everybody I got it back guess who didn't sign it one person on both teams he didn't sign it was empty and I said I almost felt like Sam Barry I don't give a shit about your autograph I really don't you just happen to be on the scorecard that I'm collecting so I appreciate you sign it one day if I if I see him again I'm gonna give him the card I'm saying sign the damn card yeah you know that's what we kind of do is players looking at this All-Star game and the All-Star games recently how they're held you know there's there's there's more roster spots you know I think it's 30 30 plus versus the normal 25 I don't know you know it adds I guess there's expansion teams now and there's extra players but anything what are your thoughts of the modern day All-Star game do you like it the way it is should they change the rules what would you do if you you could change one thing about the current way they handle All-Star weekend well you know what I went back and look at the roster of when I played and it was basically you know 25 guys and I'm looking at the roster and like it didn't matter if you pitched on Sunday like a complete game like you would be available on Tuesday if needed to pitch like everybody wanted to pitch it didn't matter like how many energy through you know Friday Saturday and Sunday obviously you know somebody would get the start who's probably like the freshest and you know you were pictured two innings and and you know the game kind of plays out but like there was no like okay this guy's hurt and then now we have to replace them and then you know now you end up with 36 guys like I saw where like Carlos Carrera like he was just doing just fine and all of a sudden on Saturday you know they're in San Francisco and all of a sudden all he has that planter Vaciata's for his foot so now he's gonna miss two days you know Saturday Sun is like oh you know I'm not available for the all-star game so he gets replaced but he's like yeah you know me and my family we're gonna go to the all-star game and my son wants to meet you know Aaron judge and then I'll be ready to go Friday and I'm like really like like he should have you know this this kind of stuff shouldn't happen if you if you you know I understand Kyle Tucker you know he has a serious injury you know I don't know how much long he's gonna be out but he's gonna be out for a while like you know he got voted in but you know that that needs to replace him but these guys who get selected and then whether you know you're pitching or not and all of a sudden you come up with these in like divers you know he's talking about his shoulder I watch him hit a double in Sunday he's like sliding in and first you know not worried about his shoulder and I was saying hmm okay but you know that's the excuse so but you know these guys are named all-stars and they just gonna sit there and watch not playing that's that needs to change if you if you can't play then you shouldn't be there take your business further with a smart and flexible American Express business gold card it offers flexible spending capacity that adapts to your business you can also earn up to three hundred and ninety-five dollars in annual statement credits on eligible purchases at select business merchants that's the powerful backing of American Express terms apply learn more at American Express comm slash business gold card it's the most anticipated WNBA season in history so you know what that means court is back in session with Queens of the court a WNBA podcast I'm your girl Cheryl Swoops and I'm Jordan Robinson all WNBA season long will bring you interviews with star athletes analysis on your favorite teams and lots of hot takes order in the court follow and listen to Queens of the court free on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts looking for a financial institution that has fewer fees better rates and gives back to the local community as one of Colorado's largest credit unions Bell Go offers great rates on products like our free boost interest checking and lower rates on loans including our home equity choice line bank virtually anytime anywhere through online banking and our mobile app becoming a member has never been easier visit belco.org or stop by any belco branch membership eligibility required equal housing opportunity all-own subject to approval insured by NCUA belco banking for everyone no I agree and and it to me and I don't want to be that guy that old guy that yells about the current game all the time but I just think an all-star it's an honor it's not something that it's something that's on your resume that a hundred years from now you were an all-star so I think by the amount of injuries and the guy that bow out and then there's replacements replacements replacements by the end of it you know if there's 70 all-stars by the end of everybody claiming they're injured and getting replaced there's 90 all-stars so now 90 guys every year get to say I was an all-star so I think not that it's a big deal but I think that the it becomes watered down a little bit like you're a four-time all yeah but you should have probably been a two because two times you were replacement you know you're still an all-star I get it but but I don't know if it cheapens it a little bit that the more spots we open up because for me it's like man that was an honor you you were that top 25 guy I was big time well you know what I you know I you know I realized that the game has changed and you know things are different and some of the stuff that happens I think it's hysterical like I know you know you talked to Goose Gosses you know he you know he he's very upset about it but he's I laugh at the stuff I see on the field you know and you know I sit there and I'm at home like Sunday I was watching the game I like to watch the game mix you know where there's the eight games and I'm just like you know I text my buddies I was like okay I'm watching game mix I just can't I'm gonna see how many trainers are gonna run out on the field so I know who's gonna run out on the field and I couldn't even get the text out Malay dance from Kansas City hits a ground ball short he's hustling the first base you know to beat out the double play all of a sudden he comes up limping and I was like well he's like okay we know he's gonna come out the game okay we know he's gonna need an MRI is gonna come back negative and then there he goes waving off the field and it's just like this is what keeps happening I say why why do we keep letting like these trainers like run out on the field I was like it just like you know you have like 30 seconds to check you know if you want to challenge something right you know the players should have like 30 seconds okay make a decision you want to stay anyone get out of the game you want to get out of the game all right you can replace them but I think it's funny and and then there's another one where it's like there's most of the time there's not really a clean well played baseball game and I call them there's like bad news bears events and in that same game we can't see in Boston like an inning later they hit a pop up to the second baseman for Boston and the ball comes down and hit him in the head and I was like how did you I said how did you miss I said how did you miss a fly ball to you and hits him in the head and I was like I haven't seen a player get hit in the head since Conseco got hit in the head and old municipal stadium in the ball when I flew home run so these guys they they make mistakes there was a play where the guy from the Mets hit a brown ball to the second baseman at Colorado I think it was on Friday guy has a chance to you know you know feel that get a double play he boots it right so then he rushes it then he throws it to left field you know doesn't get close to a second base throws in the left field and then nobody you know the right the left field is not even backing up the play and I was like oh my god it's like bad news bears again it's just it's like one event after the other and I don't think baseball is stressing fundamentals I I watch these guys they the routes they take in the outfield you know Verdugo ran in and misplayed the ball there's a guy for Toronto against the Diamondbacks he spun the wrong way and had to make like a diving kid so you know these guys don't know how to read balls in the dirt and they just kind of stand there they don't know how to take a lot of extra bases where the you know the infielders are kind of nonchalant so that but that's just a game that just the way the game is played I think it's a Larry's I laugh off time I never laughs so hard but I know you know there's some old timers who get upset about it but I'm not gonna waste you know I'm gonna laugh I'm just gonna be happy I was like you know what hey if that's how the fans and then that's how the international fans wanted you know it's a very bad product is on the field and I'm just gonna stay at home and I'm gonna watch the game on TV I'm not you know gonna go to a game I'm gonna take my kids I'm not gonna take my family I just sit at home and laugh and have a good time it's you mentioned the hit by pitch and we're gonna cue this up in a second but you're right it's see I've never seen in my life more times hit by pitch come out of the game I don't know if I've ever I got hit by a pitch here and there I don't remember ever coming out of a game for a hit by pitch but it seems like sometimes now you get hit by a pitch these guys just walk into the dugout it's just I'm out of here and you're right MRI negative and then we're gonna miss a few more days it's the injury thing that drives me crazy and I want to talk but you know what we've got Mike the producer he's gonna cue up speaking of getting hit by pitches it's it's been circulating last couple weeks I don't know was the anniversary of this but I'm gonna have him play this clip for you watching listen to the boom podcast watching it on YouTube check this out the Zalbert Bell guy getting a hit by a pitch from Hasagawa who is a teammate of mine in Seattle eventually Mike cue it up I love it Albert's last one came to home one day that is in the Cleveland Indian uniform and Hasagawa came up and in and hit Albert Bell and Albert obviously not please or didn't hit him yeah Ed Hitchcock is saying you've got to go to first base we've seen this in the past there was an occasion where Albert Bell swore he wasn't hit by a pitch and refused to take first base he's saying I'm staying in the box I'm not going I think the ball went off his back but he's not going to first base can't remember exactly who the pitcher was but he didn't he refused to go to first base after being hit I want a hit now this could get very volatile here now as he and wall Becker in one another's face that's a bad man right there that's a bad man I remember that I remember that dude I was I wasn't scared a lot of people were scared yeah I wouldn't scare you but set that up tell us tell us what's what's the story behind that what was the game you you tell it best you told me the other day go ahead okay so that was the you know the turn forward the clock we had these pretty cool futuristic you know looking uniforms on and I had hit three home runs that day and so Hasagawa comes in a game and I own Hasagawa and I knew the first pitch wasn't gonna be a strike so I didn't know where he's gonna throw the ball so I just kind of stood there and it just grazed me and and and I was like damn I was like I want a hit I said I it's been a while since I had a chance for four home runs like I want to hit four home runs so I tell them up I say I'm not going to first I say just tell him strike one you want to call the ball and strike one I said I want to hit I said I want to hit four homers and while back kind of comes out and I said while back you go tell him and I said if you can't speak English you go get your interpreter and tell him throw the ball over the plate I said I want to hit I want this fourth homer and you know I took you know told while back you know you know fuck off like let's let's do this I say I'm not going for I don't want to go to first let's play some baseball I was like we'll we'll we'll worry about all this other stuff later and so then that's when you know Ray comes out and kind of wonder what's going on and I was like hey I was like you know I have I want to hit four home runs in a game I want to at least a shot at it and he's like he's like yeah I know he said you know but you got to go to first and I was like well you know can you you know tell the you know the up like basically you know hey just you know give the guy a strike give the guy a ball whatever I was like I want to stay in the box and you know so he you know we were talking to the obvious say no he said he hit you he's like you were the first and I was like all right and so I you know I you know I get the first and you know so Dan during the game you know I didn't know if we were you know I want you know I wanted one of my pitch to retaliate you know because and then Chuck McElroy comes in and you know you know because he you know I was in center field we make up pitch and he comes in he's like you know what don't worry bro he's like I got this and you know but he comes in drills first guy and he stands there on the mound like Dan the guy's like hey like oh you and so I'm like sprint I didn't know what's gonna happen but I was like okay I got Chuck McElroy's back in case something happened I want to be there so you know the guy just goes to first and nothing happens so I said okay that's fine I said they hit me and we hit them okay we're all squared same you know back to business so and that's how we policed ourselves back in the day and you know sometimes you you know you can or you can't depends on the situation in the game but you know sometimes you get some pictures they don't care there's like I don't care what situation is you know we're gonna retaliate and we're like okay you know thanks for letting us know we'll be ready because today it is it's so the the umpires take so much control that they're really monitoring the like you said in our day it was an eye for an eye and that doesn't mean any any of us are ever happy to get hit but I knew there were certain times where one of my guys drilled their guy and and maybe I didn't agree with it because the first thing I'm thinking is man I might be wearing one tomorrow now if I did I was hitting the butt and and I understand and I respect that side it's like that's what I would want my guy to do to have my back so I wasn't necessarily happy about it but at the time I thought all right we're square eye for an eye it's over and it's squashed now if it continues on you know we might have a brawl whatever happens but that's how we monitored each other back then it wasn't people think oh these managers give you know I don't know if some dude the managers I played for stayed at it it was those guys in the bullpen and usually they didn't tell you about it they just were talking in the bullpen and they kind of have their own little group where they took care of business when they deemed it was their time that was my experience was yours any different it's not like the manager calls and says we're going to drill somebody usually those pitchers get together as a staff and kind of you know behind closed doors they they decide on their own when they're going to take care of their guys and and or be taken care of yeah you know most of the time the pitchers will get together with the catchers or something and you know they didn't really let position players know it was between yeah you know the the catchers and in the in the pitchers but I remember getting hit in Cleveland Jose Mesa hit me and it wasn't that bad I knew he was going to come hard and in and you know he hit me and stuff and I was like okay you know but you know I didn't want to leave the box I was trying to stay in there and you know Tony Pini was behind the plate he said you know he was just you know he you know Mesa he wasn't trying to just say you know I said but but I you know I'm following this way so we didn't get a chance to hit anybody that day so Jim Parquet you know he was just rookie he comes up to me the next day and he was like what do you want me to do and I said well I said remember now if you hit somebody and they charge you've got to make sure you can handle him because you know he wasn't very big and he's like okay I'll hit Omar I said okay perfect because Omar was pretty much closed to his side so you know first hit bad he drills Omar he stands there wait for him and Omar didn't charge the mound and that was pretty much it you know they had hit me on a you know one day and and you know went up with the White Sox we came back and hit Omar the next day and that was pretty much it you know nobody issued any warnings but every you know Cleveland knew it was coming you know they hit me we're going to hit somebody and you know you know Parquet I just told Parquet you know just hey you know pick on somebody your side because if somebody charged a mound and they too big you know then it's gonna be you know not good for you at least you're gonna handle Omar you know while you know waiting till we get there yeah these these back and forth and and you know what I see now because I'm sure you get this a lot too there'll be a brawl out of nowhere we'll turn on a game somebody's getting drilled for some reason we don't know why and everybody wants to jump jump to conclusions and say oh well he shouldn't have hit him this and that I said wait a minute wait a minute there's always a backstory right and we we as non-players ex-players we're not privy to that on the ground in the clubhouse where those guys know what's going on it and and my rec it could be from a B game in spring training this year where something went down that pitcher that hitter knows exactly the circumstances but us as fans and just watching the game we're hey why did he drill him you know he shouldn't have drilled him in that situation well we don't know it could be some it could be two guys from the Dominican that one guy was dating his sister and they had a bad date it could be as much as that we don't know and everybody likes to jump to conclusion I always say listen there's always a backstory we just don't happen to be privy to what that backstory is I found that a lot to be the case well here's another interesting thing and I remember in spring training with the Indians the pitchers would set up it would look like a cushion silhouette of like a hitter and they would work on you know pitching inside and like you know you know hitting you know they had to hit it you know hit a batter you know it's like throwing a big cushion and you know so you know we kind of take a break and the pitchers be like hey watch this I'm a drill this guy he's like boom you know he drills a little cushion and we just thought it's a big thing and they were like okay let's switch the guy over you know it's like a reversible you can make him a left handed hitter and then you know he drilled a left handed guy so it was an art that they worked on and they didn't want to do we didn't do head hunting you know it was pretty much you know you know shoulders ribs you know down to like the knees and and I know we played a game with men against the twins and Dennis Martinez one ball got away from me and he hit Kirby in the head and I think Kirby ended up going blind I mean he wasn't trying to hit him at all and we definitely weren't trying to hit Kirby in the head but one just got away in but but other than that most of the time when when our pitchers hit somebody it was pretty much like in the ribs or in the back and but that one just got away so it's an art it you know I seen these guys nowadays I was like how are you that bad where you're hitting guys in the helmet like that's what I mean like that's hard to do and but but these guys just don't have any control and that's when you're max effort and you know you don't know where the ball is going so but I saw a interview with with Glavin and you know it really bothers him now the way they teach in these pitchers he says well instead of you know throwing a hundred percent all the time why don't you throw the ball like 90 percent of what you can and work all hitting your spots because that's how you got to pitch longer to the game and that's how you're going to have more success and and I was like you know I know the pitchers back then they they repeated that all the time but you know it they just keep doing the same thing and they keep max effort and they keep having arm troubles and and you know people are having Tommy Johns left and right I'm just trying to think when we played like who's the first guy that I really knew about they had like Tommy John surgery I'm just trying to think you know we went into the new statement as 94 95 96 I don't recall hearing anybody having Tommy John surgery it's every other day now I mean it's it's unbelievable the amount of injuries and I think today with the rosters and and and yeah let's not the talent the physicality of the player they're every bit what we were they just go about it a different way but today with the playoffs you know being 12 spots and and a lot more teams make it to the playoffs it becomes so crucial that your team whoever that team is is healthy and I just see the guys today having a real tough time consistently pitchers with the Tommy John but also on the hitter side of just staying in the lineup to get to that to get to the end of the season to get to the tournament in the postseason right and you know what it's it's you know when you look at it right now it's second half of the season it's kind of hard to predict like what's going to happen because these guys you know and I'm sure you know the next couple weeks in July we're going to see guys going down like flies whether they're actually ended or faking injuries they just they're you know they're just tired and they don't want to grind and you know it's the dog days of summer and this is when you have to be mentally tough and you know they just need a vacation you know we you know that they have the mic trow where he's talking about happy for the July why he's hitting off a tee like bro like you you turn to three to four-week injury into like three to four months so like what are you coming back you know Jacob de Grom you know when is he coming back you know Kershaw said he's coming back and in July but you know he's gonna have a setback and one of his rehab starts and but all these guys like they're ready to play and like September after you you know missed a bunch of games in July and August so it's hard you know and I look at like the Cleveland Guardians and they have probably had the least amount of injuries and you know they explained their record so it's a matter of like who's going to stay the healthiest but they're pitching staff those guys are basically going about five innings you know every now and then they'll go six but when your relievers have to go four innings and in through July and August that's going to catch up with you especially by the time you get your playoffs so you know some of these starting pitchers they're just going to have to suck it up and start at least going six innings maybe seven and and start keeping these bullpen guys fresh because you're gonna you know you're gonna wear mine to playoffs because you're gonna start you know soon as some happens in third inning you know you got your two guys you know about the match up and the third and fourth inning because you know the manager's panicking and savor the savor match of guys are telling them what to do so you know so I just I just know like whoever's the healthiest is going to make proud of me to playoffs yeah without a doubt I mean health I think more than any time in the history of the game is at a precedent or at a is most important at this stage in 2024 major league baseball getting drilled you ever worry people ask you as a hitter all the time did you worry about getting drilled I said you know I never it never bothered me I never thought about it I laugh when people in the game talk about oh Bob Gibson if you look at him wrong he'll knock you down Roger Clemens you know I got knocked down I got Roger hit me in the head my first the first starter ever had against Clemens and I didn't worry about like I used to laugh at people when they knock knock me down because all I thought in my mind is that's ball one I'm ahead of the count and and the fact that they think they could intimidate you as a hitter it made me laugh you come up and in I know you're probably going down and away so the last thing I was was ever intimidated Albert Bell do you ever worry about getting hit could anybody get you in a frame of mind where you were a little tentative no I loved the crowd to play and you know they the way my stance it looked like you know it's crowding the plate I didn't have an elbow pad but the you'd have one now what's that would you have one now everything now yeah everything and multi-colored yeah you know so I never had an elbow pad I just you know I'm just like I'll dare anybody to hit me and you know obviously when you're lifting weights you know I'd get a hit in the triceps and then I just go to first base and I've stored flexing my triceps I was like you see this horseshoe right here you can't hurt this horseshoe this is a horseshoe right here you know I'm showing the horseshoe though but there is a small part like right above your elbow there's like a little tender part and if it hurts if you get hit there but most of the time you know it's up here off the horseshoe but a couple times you get hit on that that tender part and it hurts but you know with the adrenaline going and stuff you know I was you know not coming out the game you know you had to ice it you know a couple times but there was one time in the playoffs we were playing Seattle and Norm Charlton hit me he threw a split finger and it hit the top of my right foot and it's like right on the part where there's no there's no you know not a lot of you know a lot of skin and I was like I mean I was like please don't be a broken foot do not break these bones and I was mad and but I wouldn't let him know it hurt because that was like one of the really like vulnerable parts of your body is right on the top of your foot and you know I walked to first and I mean I was cursing up a storm and you know a good thing the drill was going because as soon as the game was over and I you know kind of came down to earth I mean it was it was it was painful and I know I ice like two times you know in the in the clubhouse then when I got home I ice the ice the next day and it was it was sore like I couldn't that was like a playoff game that I missed we were in we were in Cleveland and I missed that game but we end up going back to Seattle and Randy was pitching I was like there's no way I'm missing this game I am not missing playing against Randy and you know we end up beating Randy that game and game six and end up going in World Series yeah pretty cool Mike Mike the producer he wants to know he's in my area he goes he got to ask Albert about getting hit by David Wells is there a story about David Wells because there's something he said he's got another video he's been watching is that when he was with Toronto I don't know okay he hit me and when we were in Toronto somehow another we hit one of their players I can't remember who we hit and so I was like the first guy up and I was like okay is he gonna hit me or is he just gonna go after the young guys Manny or Tony right so you really don't know and he comes out booby hits me you know first pitch in the tie I'm okay all right I get it you know so I go to first boom still second right and I you know Roberto's covering second and he wasn't really close and bad because I went in hard and then I got another good lead stole third and you know so I was pissed and then somebody come up behind me and get a basic and I score and I was like you know that was it that was the end of the situation you know we hit one of their guys they hit me that was it but you know I understand what David Wells is coming from is like hey you know you hit our guy I don't care who you are right and he was probably mad at me because I owned David Wells like I had really good success off of him but he was like he was like kind of I saw the ball real well out of his hand and he threw strikes and you know he could move the ball around and stuff but he really liked to pound his own with fastballs and I was like well I'm not gonna sit there and let all these fastballs go and and you know the first chance I got up was jumping on fastballs and you know the guys behind me they were like you know he because he beat us twice in 96 in Baltimore we had a losing record against left handed pitching and first game we faced David Wells and I'm over here getting two hits in the home run and and he just mowed us down and you know they were like we you know I can't pick up the ball and I was like oh well it looks like a you it looks like a softball coming up there and and then we faced him again and I think it was game five and he beat us again and you know we're going home you know after we won 100 games in 96 and Baltimore ended up doing pretty good in the playoffs all state wants to remind fans that mayhem is everywhere like when your fantasy league meets up at your house everything's great until the hot plate gets too hot for the tablecloth now your kitchen's up in smoke and if you don't have the right home insurance coverage the cost to fix this is anything but a fantasy so switch to all state save money and get protected from mayhem like this not available in every state based on coverage selected subject to terms conditions and availability savings vary Tankini's bikinis monokinis Walmart is the best kept secret for stylish summer swimwear make a splash with hot summer essentials like beach bags sandals and more find your style at Walmart yeah David I was teammates with him for a minute I'll tell you the one thing about David Wells he's a big game pitcher I mean he's a you know I talk about big game it's not necessarily how good your stuff is but there were so I'll tell you what Jamie Moore I played with Jamie Moore couldn't couldn't break a plane of glass but I'll tell you what I want him out there in a big game because he's not scared of you and if he gets beat it's not going to be he got beat because he was scared and nervous he got beat with his best stuff and that's baseball sometimes you win sometimes you lose yeah David Wells was a big he was big time he wasn't scared of you no he didn't have the craziest stuff in the world yeah but he was he's a guy I'd want as a teammate on the big stage all right that's a that's great stuff right there the little inside on what it's like being in the box a lot of getting drilled talk Albert we're looking here we got cleaving your guardians are in first place got the Baltimore Orioles who are I know they won 100 games a year ago and I was a skeptic going into this season I didn't think they were as good as they were a year ago I'll tell you what they're better they're good they're young they're talented they got burns came over from the Brewers and then you got the Seattle Mariners in the west leading their division really great pitch here what do you see with the divisions in that we'll start with the American League what do you see with those three divisions and there's anybody that you're looking to the second half that could be a spoiler or some of that nobody's talking about you know what when you look at Baltimore situation and for the Milwaukee Brewers the trade-away and ace when everybody every team in baseball needs a a workhorse on the mound and you just you just gave up on this guy just gave him you know to the Orioles yeah I mean I would have made that trade and obviously he's you know he's pitching well he has great experience you know we'll see how he does at the end of the year but the kind of like the key to like the American League is where's this kid from the White Sox going to go crochet crochet crochet you know there's talks that the Yankees are willing to trade for him so it's kind of curious because he could swing the whole American League where he goes and then you look at the White Sox and they have a terrible record it's like okay well you gave away Dylan Sees to San Diego all of a sudden they're a whole different team and I watched Dylan Sees and I was like with this guy stuff how is he eight and eight he should not be he should be worst case scenario he should be 12 and 4 with the stuff he has I mean he has you know throws the ball 100 miles an hour he can go deep in the game got a nasty slider change up he can move the ball all around the plate and I'm just like how is this guy eight and eight I haven't really sat and watched him but you know I see him on the highlights I say how is this guy losing games but so you gave away Dylan Sees you about to get you want to give away crochet they should trade Luis Roberts and Eloy and try to get some some prospects give those two guys away and try to trade them with the Dodgers you'll get some good prospects they're they're probably dumb enough to make this trade I'd get rid of those two because can't depend on them can't play those two guys if they play they'll be hurt before the trade they'll add July 31st they'll be hurt and that's what they've done they've been hurt you know most of the year they came back they've played a few games they're so-so but you know it's time to look for the future you you've waited on them but the key is you know you look at the Seattle Mariners they have the worst hitting team in the league and and I think San Francisco has won a World Series before with the world I think they're twenty ten team twenty one of those twenty ten or twenty fourteen they had the worst hitting team but they had a great pinch to have won a World Series but that's going to come back to bite them you know it you know Julio needs to get hot Raleigh needs to quit striking out so much you know just you know hey I don't have a problem if he just cut down on swing put the ball in play like he's a big strong kid and that's why the Guardians are in first place like look at quant I remember I did a show in Cleveland in the off season they were everybody and Clee was upset because the outfield total hit like ten homers all year and I see it it's not about hitting home runs they need to get base hit straw was hitting like 199 200 uh quan kind of had a uh so so year but now the sudden quan is leading league and hitting he's putting the ball in play it's not striking out uh and I watch him he's not taking a lot of pitches like he's putting the barrel on the ball and guess what happened he gets on base they scored a lot of runs and they're winning a lot of games and they're and they're starting pitches not that good but but that's the that's going to tell you and then we'll say uh you know it acts to people in Cleveland I said well y'all learn word about the home runs now are you right because base hits solve everybody's problems keep the line move when you get base hits put the ball in play it's going to put pressure on the defense and the way these guys on defense they don't have any kind of fundamental uh you know what to do so you can put pressure on defense easy uh and and score like some easy runs and win some games so uh you know and that's the guardians they they're not doing anything special they're just stand healthy putting the ball in play got a great bullpen the best bullpen and getting mediocre starters yeah you look to uh and we'll go here and then we'll go to the national league but you look at the Yankees they've they've been they went on a rough run for about three weeks got out of the gate unbelievable and that was surprising to me with missing their ace Cole Cole's back now you need Giancarlo Stanton he went as Albert would say he's been on vacation for a while now but you got the Yankees you got the Minnesota twins who showed in the postseason last year they're a good team the kid the young kid Lewis is a real talent he can't seem to stay on the field they got guys they got buckston and and uh jeffers and patek and a korea who's who's now hurt but korea's coming back having a pretty good year that twin seems so i want to talk yankie twin and a surprise i don't know if you're surprised but i have some red songs the boss and red songs they they they can pitch they can pitch and that's going to go a long way uh you know devers has been hot uh the the one kid uh i'm trying to think of the key o' kneel was leading off oh i can't think of his name uh not uh is it Dalton it might be Dalton yeah yeah so long's the catcher he's done a nice job and o' kneel's been a been a uh a production uh yeah so they they have been kind of hot they've kind of snug up on some people uh you got to keep your eyes on them Kansas City is kind of like an interesting story you know they have a really young team what are they going to do at the time i don't think they can pitch enough yeah they got some they got some young guys has got to do some amazing things the second half for them to to kind of uh make waves but they're they're you know said luko uh came out of nowhere he's from Shreveport Louisiana having a phenomenal year um so it's it's interesting you know so the twins you just never know you know Houston's kind of like they're hanging in there i mean they've had some guys banged up but they're still kind of hanging in there so um you know that's kind of like the exciting thing about the second half is like you know what somebody's going to do with the trade day line and then how healthy is your team going to be you know going down the stretch run if you look at those six we just discussed who has to get who has to make a splash to the deadline of those six seven in the american league you see if they want to have a chance to go deep in the postseason you know what the the Yankees were on a nice roll until soto kind of got dinged up and then they've kind of been in a tail spin um they could they got to make it they got to make a deal at the trailer at the deadline they got to get a picture because uh it doesn't look like Baltimore and Boston is slowing down so um and the guardians have beat i think they beat the Yankees two out of three and they beat the Orioles two out of three so they beaten the big guys and they can they can pitch with anybody so the Yankees really need to pull something off of the trade deadline and get a picture you know if they can get this kid crochet um they have a chance but if they're going to go with those guys and you know the guys they have now they're just kind of limping to the finish line and um i i don't know if they're going to make it yeah if you got a go like kohl at the top of the rotation and you throw a guy like crochet in the two hole it makes a nester a road Don Schmidt will be healthy by the end of end of the season Strowman does a nice job but not at the top of the rotation so i agree with you there all right switch over to the national league got the three division winners that's Philly my opinion is the best team in baseball when healthy pitching and offensively you got the LA Dodgers who are starting to be dinged up starting with Yamamoto uh Kershaw not coming back on time Walker Bueller's had some time he's been off for two years so it's been a long process for him and then you got the Milwaukee Brewers all the talk in the off season was hey we're getting rid of the greatest manager of the world he's going to the Cubs Milwaukee's all they do is keep winning the Cubs are in the last place what do you make of the top three in the national league well when you go back to the Dodgers they had another kid that was a top prospect Dustin May who was in the process of rehab and he's he's got to have some kind of throat surgery so uh yeah i don't know what's going on in LA those their pitchers are going down real fast they they need bodies too to go out on the mound um so it's going to be curious to see he's going to get crocheted and then with the Brewers because Pat Murphy used to be the head baseball coach at Arizona State and all of a sudden you know he's managing a big league team but i want to see how he manages down the stretch because that's a different animal and there's going to be some pressure because now um you have the the Cardinals are starting to play a little bit better kind of breathing down it uh you know on the Brewers next and then the interesting story i think is Pittsburgh you know what are they going to do and then when you look at the Pirates um and i they kind of like shot themselves in the foot i know i know why you didn't want schemes to start the season you know he missed eight starts because you wanted to push everything back his arbitration and his uh free agency obviously he should have started you know the season with the big league team but they're at 500 and he's missed eight starts their their leading guy has 19 he has 11 and they they have a pretty good winning percentage and his starts is 11 starts so if you have those eight starts and say okay if we were to one for those games and he got his 18 starts we'd be at 52 and 44 so we'd be pretty much we'd be in a good nice position we wouldn't be that far uh behind the Brewers and we'd be looking at a nice little wildcards by with a chance of winning division and possibly you know you know you're going to have to go out and make a deal at the trade deadline so i understand what they were doing from a financial standpoint but i i think it's going to take a miracle for them to to to pull that off and try to get a playoff spot or winning division but they should have definitely have been in better contention had they had Paul Skeeds up at the start of the year well it looks to me after the division the the team's leading the division i look at the second tier and that's the wildcard uh this thing's ever changing in the in the national league because it there's a lot more parity in the national league versus the american league yet the elana braves who pitch better than anyone in the national league st louis card knows who a year ago were in last place they've come out of nowhere they were off to a slow start they're winning in new york bets two months ago we're dead and buried by by all the new york media all of a sudden if it ended today albert the new york messer in the playoffs but when i talk about parity the arizona die mex getting hot again they're only a game out the pardres a game out your pittsburgh pirates game and a half out since an adi reds only three games out so you've got seven eight teams jockeying for those playoff spots in the wildcard whereas in the national league once you get past kc and houston it's kind of five and a half seven eight games out of the wildcard a little different over the american league but talk about it lana st louis new york talk about any of those guys what you see it's going to be a wild race in the national league because there's a lot guys a lot more guys in it from from a statistical standpoint i i know with the meds um they've they've kind of gotten hot they they switched lindor to the lead-off spot um so they hit the most home runs and baseball since then um and then i like you know hosey glaciers he comes out with his song and they kind of like catch fire and they you know they're singing and stuff and having good time uh and then they're they're pigeons they they need help on the picture stab but i don't understand why you want to trade pete alonzo like you have a a solid force in the middle of the lineup between lindor hitting first and you got a legitimate cleanup hitter who i know the trade rumors are bothering him so he's probably not playing but like he's out there grinded it out and i and i i give him credit for for doing that um but the the meds aren't aren't uh the meds aren't out of it um they're ready as of today they're in the playoffs yeah they're in the playoffs they're in the playoffs they got a couple young guys that are are performing so um they just have to you know keep you know with the pitching just keep getting a little bit better and they'll be just fine but i i don't understand why they want to trade alonzo like you know you're gonna have to pay the guy you know especially if you want to win you know if you make the playoffs you're gonna get all that money back and if you go deep into the playoffs you're gonna make even more money so um obviously you know uh and i think they could probably beat the brains uh the the failures you know obviously they got the pitching uh it looks like you know those guys are gonna pretty much hold up but you just you just never know and you know Arizona's gotten hot since you know Corbin Carroll um i'm not sure why he was struggling so bad but all of a sudden now he's starting to uh you know to hit some nice line drives and and and get on base uh you know they moved him down and line up um so he's you know hitting for a little bit more power i don't i don't know what's going i haven't heard anything you know why he was struggling but i i watched him and he was just beating outside pitches to the second baseman like it was it was going out of style and i was like bro you got to you got to make an adjustment you got to stick because he he was pretty good last year hitting the ball of left field he just take the little base hit you know get on base and steal some bags and and that's how the diamond bags caught fire and got all over the world series so um San Diego um they they got to probably go get another pitcher they've gotten some they got some work horses that have been banged up um must grow a garbage yeah yeah you know dar you know you can't depend on darvish you know you can't depend on yabamoto uh and i told you that was going to be uh accident waiting to happen you know with these Japanese guys throwing these split fingers you're you're you're asking for trouble um and you know he was transferred yabamoto transferred to 60 days you can see tommy john serge is coming up with him real soon so um they're probably trying to delay it but you know he's going to probably have it in november then he's going to miss all the next season and there goes your uh 320 million plus the 30 million you have to pay to the uh japanese team to bid on him so uh you could have just you know signed blake snail and got him at training cap at a you know for way less and got him on training cap on time and um and come out way better you know you talk about pita lonzo and you know over time i've come to really appreciate pita lonzo not for the fact that he's one of the few guys you can pencil in for 30 or 40 homers every year but this sucker grinds and he goes and he posts he goes to the posts every day rain or shine he gets hit he's not sitting out he's you know you could depend on him to be in the lineup and i think in today's game that's invaluable because it's not just the norm anymore and a guy like alonzo you know wasn't my favorite player all the time but the more i watch him i come to appreciate him you're out you're in and you're out you can you can depend on him and you know as as uh you've played a lot of years and had a lot of teammates those teammates you can rely on that that's really important alberbell the national league who is imperative they make a big deal at the trade deadline all those teams we mentioned well you you know the the Dodgers the uh the desperate Dodgers i mean you know you you spent you spent a billion dollars to solve problems a lot of expectations you got even more problems now and and i could tear right now uh show he old tawny is a perennial second half terrible player i mean i i think is terrible well he was hit like 175 second couple times in the second half so let let's see how he does since he doesn't have to pitch and hit but is he gonna or right now if you ask me is he gonna carry the Dodgers to the playoffs no not by himself their Dodgers gonna go out and they're gonna get help like they always do you know they they tried to bring up a couple young pitchers they were terrible they already sent them back down so you know you see how valuable mookie bets was because he was kind of like the engine that made the team go and then now you know you know you know he's out of lineup so you're like feeling in trying to feel in all these spots and you know i see the different lineup changes they're trying to they're just trying to find you know the right the right chemistry and uh i think the Dodgers are in trouble i don't see um you know San Diego and i don't see the diamondbacks going in going anywhere now it'll be interesting to see the second half well Albert i appreciate it man a lot of fun we're going to do this every couple months we're going to deem it around the horn with Albert Bell ladies and gentlemen i appreciate you tuning into the boom podcast once again i mentioned we're now on youtube check us out or tune into the Odyssey app or wherever you're getting your podcasts until next time keep it here thanks downward thanks guys thanks for having me all start closer kenley jans and we have a question what's the best podcast of all time this boy isn't boring baby i'm Rob Bradford and every single day i'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game it's my podcast it's my passion is a cause i started more than two years ago and it's now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is another fact so jump aboard the bib express follow and listen to baseball isn't boring presented by wasabi hot cloud storage on the free odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts
