Ben & Woods On Demand Podcast

Jesse Agler Joins The Show From DC!

Jesse Agler, The Voice of the Padres, joined Ben & Woods for his weekly conversation! Listen here as Jesse checks in from Washington DC, gives us his thoughts on this week's series between the Padres and Nationals, and we give him his "incorporator" word for this week!

Duration:: 20m
Broadcast on:: 23 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

You don't just live in your home, you live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, Homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like median lot size and a noise score. Homes.com. We've done your homework. Nice. Today's episode is sponsored by Nerd Wallet Smart Money Podcast. Get your head in the financial game with smart investing and budgeting tips straight from the nerds. Nerd Wallet's experts will set future you up for success. With dependable, fact-based insights, no financial misinformation allowed. Learn how to save on your summer vacation. Find your next credit card or loan for a big purchase and invest in your next index fund. Make smarter decisions in 2024. Follow Nerd Wallet's Smart Money Podcast on your favorite podcast ad. [music] Hi, Managarcia with True Crime News, the podcast. Every crime tells a story. Every story demands justice. True Crime News, the podcast covers breaking crimes, investigating high profile and under-the-radar cases. Every week, we dive beyond the headlines, exploring the effects of violent crimes on victims and search for justice. We hope you join us as your weekly source for True Crime News. Listen to and follow True Crime News, the podcast on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast. Now, we welcome Jesse in as the podcast continues. Longest road trip of the season, but maybe you were a little refreshed by the all-star break, makes it a little more bearable, Jesse. Yeah, no, I mean, it looks like you're going to have one 3-city trip. First of all, that's not bad. You know, most teams have multiple 3-city trips over the course of the season, I think, next year. As I peeked at that schedule that came out there, there are multiple 3-city trips. So, if you're only going to have one A, that's a win, and B, as you said, kind of coming out of the all-star break, not bad. And then the added bonus, I heard you say in a moment ago, you know, having to go from Washington to Baltimore is about as easy as it gets. So, you know, all things considered, you know, it's a long trip, certainly, but set up pretty well, I think. Now, you got remarkably good weather in Cleveland as well. Like, it wasn't too hot, it wasn't rainy or anything. I don't know, I would say that maybe some rain in the forecast later this week, but that's kind of almost a minor miracle when you're traveling east coast in July. Yeah, no, it was so nice in Cleveland, I feel like we weren't even able to enjoy it, because we know that, like, there will be a counterbalance to that. It's like, oh, okay, we're getting 73 in clear skies in Cleveland in late July, and yeah, there's rain in the forecast here all week. Now, it was like on and off yesterday, you know, it was one of those where it says 80% chance of rain, and it looks like it's going to rain every minute of every day, but that's not how it works here. You know, it's smaller storms, you know, that kind of pop up and move around, so it could be, you know, pouring at our hotel, but not at Nationals Park three miles away. So, you know, I mean, in terms of the baseball this week, we'll hope to get a little bit lucky and get these in without, you know, any kind of major rain drama, but, yeah, I mean, it's supposed to be raining at some point every day we're here, you know, again, whether that means at the ballpark during the game or not, we'll see. But, you know, yesterday, off day, I was out and exploring, and definitely had the umbrella with dodging some storms, and, you know, that's just how it is on the east coast in the summer, as you said. D.C. is probably a pretty good town to have an off day in. If you like history, and I know you do, and I do, I can't wait until my kids are old enough to take them out there and see where did you go? Yes, did you go to the Smithsonian or anything like that? So, yesterday, you know, I'm a big Smithsonian guy, but last year I was lucky enough I got a White House tour, which was really special. I'd never been there before. So, this year I went to the National Gallery of Art, which I'd never been to before, which was phenomenal. No, it's great. You know, I mean, that's the beautiful thing, right, about the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian, they're all free. You know, I mean, you just walk right in, there's a metal detector, and then, you know, you go off and do your thing. So, you know, if it's not your cup of tea, it's kind of on to the next. But it was wonderful, man. It's definitely an elite off day city. It's a great running city, which I like. It's a great museum city, which I like. So, yeah, man, things like that go a long way to kind of help you get through the craziness. God, I so appreciate a good running city myself. I just, the better the running city, the better it is for me. Why don't you, why don't you fly on here? It's like about, it's like four and a half miles from the hotel to the National Mall. It's easy, man. We've got it done in like 35 minutes. 35? Yeah. What's the worst running city? San Francisco? It's got to be bad. It's got to be bad. Oh, I love running in San Francisco. It's got a really good route. Well, still you have to be strategic. All right. The route I run from our hotel has been well planned over the years. It's one hill at the beginning, and then you're kind of downhill, and then down to the Embarcadero, and around the waterfront. It's beautiful. But the bad ones, and this is no shot, but like, you know, Cincinnati, you know, St. Louis, we stay in a nice neighborhood, so there's some running there. But like putting weather aside, if we stay downtown, but there's, it's like a lot of short little blocks, a lot of lights, there's not a lot of parks. I love the cities, but they're not great running cities. Do I? The Bayes cities. I just had a mental image of you. Are you this guy when you're running in, let's say, Cincinnati, and a lot of blocks, you've got to stop. Do you keep running while you're waiting for the walk thing to start? You know, you're like in place? Yeah, you're in a place. Oh, yeah. You are that guy. No. No, no, no, no, no, no. What I will do is, if I feel like I'm on a really good roll, and I don't want to stop, I'll like kind of like run the other direction. Yeah. Like you turn around. Yeah. But I'm not going to do running in place at the walk side. I'm so glad that we can still be friends. No, I'm curious about all these things. Do you wear, like, Padre's gear? Because they have Padre's gear when you're running from the club? No. You do? No. I have Padre gear. I have Padre gear. Yeah. I try not to generally wear Padre gear unless I'm working. Like a polo, you know, that I have. Yeah. Around the house is one thing, but like when I'm out and about, not really. Do you think he runs in like a pro far jersey or something? Not a jersey, but like one of the t-shirt tops that the players will wear. Like straight training. I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure. I was just curious. I'm trying to paint a mental picture for myself of Jesse running through the streets of Washington. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. I work out sometimes in the Padre's jerseys. All right. Jesse Agler joins us this morning. The city connects shorts they have. Yeah. The city can actually look so good in the house. Me too, with my creamy white legs. It's just incredible. Yeah. Yeah. Put the compression shorts coming out. That's a good look. That's a total give up, man. Jesse Agler joins us live from Washington, D.C. right now here on Ben Woods. And we were talking about it earlier. Jesse, I'm of the opinion that probably the fireworks that happened at Pet Capar. I just a gut feeling on my behalf. Just I feel like it's probably over. But then again, I've been wrong many, many times. Do you foresee anything carrying over? I guess is it game dependent? If they go high and tight to pro far, will it get the hairs on the back of the next standing up? It's a fun one to think about. And we obviously have been kicking that around amongst ourselves the last couple of days. Because it's definitely recent enough. And it was explosive enough that you can't write it off completely. I think what you just said is kind of the thing. As long as there's no further stuff. Yeah. I imagine, look, both teams need wins. So when you get into that position, if you want to distract yourself with that kind of thing, it can really go against you. And we may have seen that with the Nationals when they were in town last month. But like you said, even if one just gets away. Even if it's like a slider, right? And it gets away and it's a bad look. You know, there does come a point, right, where push becomes shove. I don't know that, like I said, my gut says nah. You know, the Padres swept the series. They took care of whatever they needed to take care of. You know, the Nationals obviously were upset after the first game. They did what they thought they needed to do after that. So it should be done. But again, yeah, if something happens in the game. You know, you figure maybe fuses could be a little shorter than they would be. You know, had this series been against any other team because of what happened fairly recently. So yeah, all eyes on K-Bear Ruiz, I guess, as the series begins. But my gut says, so long as there's nothing wonky that happens, you know, it's already done. You know, the Padres got the best revenge last month effect. They won all three games of those series. You know, they did so in dramatic fashion the first couple of nights. And that last game, remember the Nats attempted to come back. But it kind of fizzled out. And the Padres got what they needed, which was a sweep. And their best home stand of the season to this point. That was that 6-in-1 home stand against the Brewers and the Nationals. So look, at this point, you know, what are they now? Two games back over 500. You got the trade deadline bearing down in a hurry. Remember, the Padres will not play another home game until after the trade deadline. Now it'll be three and a half hours after the trade deadline against the Dodgers on the 30th. But like, there's a lot going on here that matters a lot. And so that's mostly why I expect, you know, kind of business as usual. But you never know. You don't just live in your home. You live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like median lot size and a noise score. Homes.com. We've done your homework. Nice! Today's episode is sponsored by NerdWallet Smart Money Podcast. Get your head in the financial game with smart investing and budgeting tips straight from the nerds. NerdWallet's experts will set future you up for success. Dependable, fact-based insights. No financial misinformation allowed. Learn how to save on your summer vacation. Find your next credit card or loan for a big purchase and invest in your next index fund. Make smarter decisions in 2024. Follow NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast on your favorite podcast ad. I'm Anna Garcia with True Crime News, the podcast. Every crime tells a story. Every story demands justice. True Crime News, the podcast covers breaking crimes, investigating high-profile and under-the-radar cases. Every week, we dive beyond the headlines, exploring the effects of violent crimes on victims and search for justice. We hope you join us as your weekly source for True Crime News. Listen to and follow True Crime News, the podcast, on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And Jesse, we're certainly expecting the Padres to try to add some pitching help yet. Arguing can be made that the last three games as good of starting pitching as the Padres have gotten all season long. They've had good pitching at points during the season, but that series in Cleveland, just your thoughts on what you saw from Waldron from CSUN from King. I mean, it's a really good reminder of what baseball looks like when you get great starting pitching. You know, and it's not easy, and it's not automatic, and those guys all deserve an endless amount of credit. But, you know, that old cliché about, you know, good starting pitching being good hitting, it's true, and if you're able to get not only quality starting pitching, but deep starting pitching, you're going to win so many games. That's what it's always come down to in the sport. A million things have changed, you know, since the days of Babe Ruth. But one thing that has not changed, and probably will never change is if, if, and I know it's a huge if these days, but if you're able to get that kind of starting pitching, you're going to win an awful lot of games. You know, we saw Pat Waldron just absolutely nasty with the knuckle ball. Cease was borderline unhittable in that second game, and then, you know, Michael King basically picked up right where Cease left off, which was remarkable in the final game on Sunday. You know, the Guardians were in a little bit of an offensive lull going into that series, you know, into the all-star break as the Padres were, but they got some really talented hitters on that team, including, you know, one of the guys I think is a top-free hitter in baseball, and Jose Ramirez, and the Padres just tied those guys up and knocked the entire weekend. It was, it was awesome, you know, it's a very kind of good tease of like, boy, what could a playoff series look like, you know, if those guys are pitching like that. But as you said, you know, enable, in order to get, to be able to get to a position where you're able to roll those guys out in a playoff series, you're probably going to need some help. And the reality is the Padres are not alone in terms of needing more when it comes to pitching. So it's going to be a fascinating, what is it, week now, you know, between now and the all-star, I mean, the trade deadline because, I mean, the supply and demand is way out of whack. And that creates kind of a fun chaos around baseball, it really does. Yeah, it absolutely does. Talking to Jesse Aguirre here on Bed & Woods this morning. And one thing you always hear about, maybe even worry about when you're a fan at least, and you say, man, the vibes and... You worry? A little bit. What? Less than I used to. Really, less than last year. I'm worrying, way less this year than I was last year. And that's kind of the direction of this question was, you know, you hear, hey, you don't want to remove this guy from the clubhouse because the clubhouse would crumble, or we, you know, you got to make sure that the chemistry is right. You're around this team way more than us in comparison to last year. Is there a palpable difference between the chemistry this year and last? Oh, for sure. Okay. Yeah, we see it. I don't think you're talking about it. You see it on TV, you hear, you know, stuff out of the... Just, you're hearing way less about anything, you know, dramatic going on this year. It does seem... It's like the only words Jackson Merrill knows. We had each other's back. We had each other's back. We're family. Yeah, we're family. It is pretty refreshing to see, and, you know, you do worry about chemistry being affected, but if you get the right piece, I don't think you have to worry about that at all. It's one of the really, really nasty variables that is almost impossible to account for before a trade. Because, look, the reality is, look at this, you know, from a purely mathematical standpoint, like ice cold numbers on a spreadsheet. The Padres want pitching. So they're going to go out, and they're going to look at who the best pitchers are, who are available, that they think they have the prospect and roster capital to go out and get. And you almost, in a way, can't think about personality. Now, do you check on a guy? Sure. You want to make sure he's not a total cancer, a total knucklehead, but, like, they need pitching. And that is the priority over chemistry, because you can have all the great vibes in the world, but if you have a couple of starters who can't get out of the fifth inning on a regular basis, it didn't get a matter, right? Because you're not going to get to where you're trying to get to. But that does matter, and, like, that stuff does matter. And it's, as you pointed out really well, it's not just, all right, what is the guy you're bringing in? But it's also, if there's a guy or two leaving, what did they provide? So it's a very, very difficult piece of the puzzle. You know, if we're going to call the roster construction a puzzle, you know, I think the trade deadline, you're dealing with a lot of pieces that are faced down, and you're really like, all right, I think this fits over here, but could also be totally on the other side of the thing, because, you know, I can't see the picture. And that's the "fun" of being a general manager in this league, because that stuff is huge, but really, really difficult to account for. Unless, you know, you know the guy personally, or somebody in your front office has been around him before, or that kind of thing. But, like, you know, whenever, you know, this team makes a move, or is getting ready to make a move, you know, they have in the past, I know for a fact, you know, gone to guys on the roster who have played with Player X, and been like, hey, talk to me about what kind of guy he is. And that's good to get that intel, but it doesn't always necessarily mean, you know, you're getting the right information. You know, just because two guys were friends in some other city doesn't mean it's going to work perfectly here. So, again, you're trying to get as much data and information as possible to try and make an informed decision, but it is still really, really difficult. You know, I remember you got us having a conversation a couple of weeks ago that could show you about sometimes the best trades or the ones you don't make. I mean, it's tricky. It's really, really tricky. But all that being said, I do expect action, I think everybody does, you know, and so buckle up. I mean, it could certainly start before the deadline, and then, you know, as I said, I think the deadline is a week from today. It's 3 p.m. San Diego time. So get ready. We'll see. All right, Incorporated time. And Jesse, since you're heading back to Baltimore scene of the original crime, I thought we'd do a little throwback, a food related Incorporated for today. But of course, they've gotten much more challenging over the years. So, Polly, if you would, please. Fenugreek, Fenugreek, an Indian spice with bitter seeds and aromatic green leaves that have a maple-like aroma and are less bitter than the seeds. Fenugreek. Fenugreek. Never had that, have you? You probably have. Oh, maybe I have. Yeah, you probably have. In a curry of some sort, in a huge curry. Yeah, chicken nuggets. You can find it in the supermarket if you keep sharp eyes out. It's not that exotic, but yeah. It's an exotic word. Yeah, I like that. But it's an odd word and one you wouldn't normally find. You're not going to find it at the ballpark. That I can promise you, right? You're not going to find Fenugreek there. Maybe it's Spiro's and one of their bowls or something. I don't know. You can find somewhere at Nationals Park, you think, as a Fenugreek stand. Maybe, you know, like an Indian food stand. You know, I mean, that's the, I love Indian food in the number of spices that goes into, like, every dish is remarkable. If you've ever looked at a recipe for Indian food, I mean, it's like thing after thing after thing, just delicious. It's a curry really is. It's a spice blend. Yeah, it's just a blend of spices. Yeah, you learn a lot on Ben and Woods. You really do. Jesse, have a great rest of your road trip. A safe trip back to San Diego next week for the trade deadline and the Dodgers. When we talk to you next Tuesday, it should be an interesting week. I'll be in Hawaii, buddy. So Aloha and Mahalo. You're taking the deadline off. Wow. Like I had a choice. I just go where I'm told. If it either one of us did this, I mean, we'd be able to do it. Well, Ben did it. I did it. When I did do it, he did. I got absolutely killed. Kill me. I'll be drinking a pina colada from a coconut. I don't care. Oh, let's let Jesse go. Thank you, Jesse. Bye, Jesse. All right. There goes Jesse Agler. You don't just live in your home. You live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like median lot size and a noise score. Homes.com. We've done your homework. Nice. Today's episode is sponsored by NerdWallet Smart Money Podcast. Get your head in the financial game with smart investing and budgeting tips straight from the nerds. NerdWallet experts will set future you up for success. With dependable, fact-based insights, no financial misinformation allowed. Learn how to save on your summer vacation. Find your next credit card or loan for a big purchase and invest in your next index fund. Make smarter decisions in 2024. Follow NerdWallet Smart Money Podcast on your favorite podcast app. Trying to figure out what to eat for dinner yet again? With no sides and bullion as you're not so secret ingredient, you can skip the drive-through and do dinner at home. No taste combos provide a menu of delicious, affordable, and well-balanced meals that you can prepare in 30 minutes or less. Visit nore.com to get quick and easy recipe ideas for your home-cooked weeknight dinners. It's not fast food, but it's so good. I'm Anna Garcia with True Crime News, the podcast. Every crime tells a story. Every story demands justice. True Crime News, the podcast covers breaking crimes, investigating high-profile and under-the-radar cases. Every week, we dive beyond the headlines, exploring the effects of violent crimes on victims and search for justice. We hope you join us as your weekly source for True Crime News. Listen to and follow True Crime News, the podcast on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get