All-star clothes are Kenley Janssen, we have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? This part isn't boring, baby. I'm Rob Radford, 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, it's 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 as I'm boring, presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. He's been so good for us throughout the baseball season. We had to keep him even while we were out here in Oxnard, California for Cowboys training camp. We're joined by Brett Boone, host of the Brett Boone podcast and Odyssey original, featuring the most notable names in baseball and all around sports every week. And he's even joining us on the fan camp, Twitch, and YouTube. Good morning, Brett. How are you, sir? Good. How are you doing? I'm in Hawaii, so it's 4.20 in the morning. Whoa. I'm just dedicated. Look at this background. It looks like he's a, look at that. He's in a hut. What is that behind you? Well, it's a cabana. The ocean's behind me. So my wife's sleeping, so I went out here under the, I don't know, what do we call it? No, Lenai, the porch, whatever you want to call it. Sure. Pretty critical place, pretty cool place of little hidden gem in Kona. Wow. The man didn't even take off a three hour time difference from out here in California. During the MLB trade deadline, Brett, we're kind of split here on the show. Bobby is upset that the Rangers did not sell more because he does not believe in them winning anything of consequence this year. Choppy wanted them to stay around because no one was the face to Grum and of all the, how do you feel about where the Rangers are now? You know, I'm kind of splitting somebody out there, but I wouldn't, I would have done it kind of what they did. They kind of stood pat, you know, and didn't go out and make any real moves, you know, you move Lorenzo. But you had the luxury of doing that because you have so much starting pitching with the hopes that the Grum is coming back. You're right. The Grum, Evaldi, occasionally, I think you can get a, that type of start from a Scherzer, obviously, not last night. But I don't know, I watched this division, I watched the Seattle Mariners. Who knows what they're doing? They made some, they made some trades at the deadline that maybe we'll, we'll add a little life to that clubhouse, the fact that they actually went out and did something. Houston, the team that's been dominant in that division, but I just look at this division, you know, the, the Rangers are seven out in the wildcard. So they're, they're, they're path. If they get back to the postseason, going to be through that division. A lot of what ifs for the Texas Rangers, you know, Jung is back now. You got Melee coming back recently, you got Brad for Dunning. So Lorenz, and like I said, was expendable. You let him go. But they key for me. And I think a couple weeks ago, last time I was on the show, I told you, it's got to be a de Grom. It's got to be a healthy de Grom. It's got to be the de Grom Evaldi Scherzer type three, something that just rattles off. And they go on a really good run this second half. But you look at that division. I mean, it's up for grabs. It seems like nobody wants it, you know, Seattle was up 10 games five weeks ago. They get, they came all the way back and ended up being the Houston. Now they're at top of the division again. Texas only four and a half out. So I can't really complain. This line, I can't, I don't see them out there by, you know, to add to this team. But at the same time, I don't see them selling off too much. You still got an opportunity. Four and a half out. That's not that moment. I think we've seen in this division what a lead really means. It's, it's not that big a deal. First time in a long time, this division's been very vulnerable. Brett, I think I know your answer to this, but I want to ask it anyway, being a former player. Were there times when you knew like the Rangers are three and a half out, but like at no point in time this year, have we felt that they're a true legitimate threat? So do you act if you're Chris Young from the player mindset of yo man, three and a half, we're in this. Or do you act from the GM mindset of, we know, you know, you have teams in sports whose record is better and worse than they actually are. Or do you act from that GM mindset of, but we know deep down, we're not good enough to win the championship. So we don't need to be major buyers. Did you ever recognize as a player? We're not, we're not as, we're not as good as our record this year. We know we're overachieving like statistically. Oh, without a doubt. I mean, I think you have to be a realist at the end of the day. A lot of times as players though, it's tough to live in reality. You always want to think you have a chance. Chris Young has got a player's mentality. He always wants to think he's got a chance. He's got Bruce Bocey in that dugout. And he's got a team, pretty much the majority of this team that's been put together. We're world champions a year ago. So the last two months of the season, his hopes are, who knows if these guys can get, they're going to reclaim that magic a year ago, they could make a run and, I don't put it out of the realm of possibility. And like I said, it's a de Grom. If de Grom comes back, that changes the whole formula. And he's de Grom that we're used to seeing that dominant number one starter. So I think he's just kind of sitting up there in the GM box going, let's see what happens here. And let's see how bad Houston and Seattle, or how mediocre Houston and Seattle continue to play. And this division at all, the divisions at baseball, I think this division is still the most vulnerable, because you just don't know what you're getting. You've got you look at Houston, it's like, what is Houston doing, really? You know, they added Kakuchi. Is that going to be a big deal? Verlander's been out with had neck injury for a long time. You still have Valdez, Brown, Blanco, not proven entities, but have had decent years. I don't know Houston's vulnerable too. I just look at this division and nobody's out of it, you know, with the exception of the Angels in Oakland, but it's going to be a three team fight. And I just wouldn't give up at this point if I'm the Texas Rangers, especially coming off a world championship. These guys know what it's like to be facing adversity. And if anybody can do it, these guys can do it. Like I said, four and a half out. It's not that big of a deal. This season isn't over. But a lot is everything has got to go right for these Texas Rangers to make another run. But I wouldn't quit at this point. I was surprised to see a team like Tampa Bay at the trading deadline. They pretty much traded their entire team. And they're three and a half out in a wild card race. But that seems to be what Tampa Bay does. They recalibrate, they reset their roster on a year in a year out basis and usually find their way to the both season. Not that exciting of a trade deadline. No huge names, the scoobles, the crochets of the world. They didn't go anywhere. Vladimir Guerrero was probably the one I was surprised that the Blue Jays didn't sell more than they did. That starting rotation with a Gasmus imperios. They didn't move any of those guys have bats it. They ended up moving kukuchi couple small deals. They made a trade with the Mariners for Garcia and a bullpen relief. But it was interesting to see none of the real big names out on the market really, really went. So a little bit of a dud trading deadline. Nevertheless, there was a lot of action with good, solid players. So it'll be interesting with this new formula, with this new postseason, moving the trade deadline back, giving them two months when they got to make that deal. It's a different dynamic in majorly baseball. Honestly, inside of Brett Boone, Jonas here 105, the fan, if you were to choose what you would rather have in a playoff series, would you rather have like the top offense and like a mediocre starting pitching or would you rather have like two tremendous frontline guys in the rotation and there's like a league average offense? Well, I think I think how this game was played has changed. In my day without a doubt, I'm taking starting pitching all day long, going back to, you know, I'm dating myself here, but go back to like an old ones scenario where Randy Johnson encouraged Schilling on a diamond back steam that basically carried them through the postseason. They were both going on three days rest and they just dominated and steamrolled through the postseason. Today's a little bit different. They played the bullpen game. The power bullpens tend to have the chance in the postseason. But for me, at the end of the day, if you're going to make me choose between offense and pitching, I'm always going to take the pitching is someday if you have that dominant pitching that goes out there and and yeah, offense out there and even a ball game. If you've got a mediocre pitching, that's going to get crushed. You're never going to have a chance to win. So I'll always take the pitching before the author. So Brad, here's my here's my contention. Here's my issue. We talk a lot and this is the line that everybody's given similar to the one that you talked about where it's like, you know, there are only three to four games out of the A.L. West. To me, the question is not the A.L. West. The question is, can you contend in the A.L. Can you contend for a world series? I just, I don't think that we've seen an offense that can contend for a world series this year. So, to me, the way I looked at yesterday was they sacrificed an opportunity to contend in a stronger way in 2025 in the name of potentially just winning a division title. Is that too strong of a reaction for me? Well, the reason now in yesteryear, yeah, I would I would go with your theory. I've just watched now the game the way it is. And for me, more entertaining, keeps a lot of more cities involved, a lot more playoff spots, a lot more seats at the table in 2024. But I think it's been easier. Well, I know it's easier than it's ever been to get to the postseason, but to get through the postseason and to win a world series, I think it's tougher than it's ever been just because of the land mines you got to go through. You know, if you barely get into the postseason, you got to go through four series. I think a year ago, I don't think I don't think a year ago going to the postseason, if you told me it was going to be the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, I would have told you you're crazy and there's no chance because they're not even close to the two best teams. Well, next thing you know, the Texas Rangers are in the world series. That surprised the heck out of me. The fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks even got there, it would surprise me even more. I think if you look at the Vegas odds, a year ago going to the postseason, they wouldn't have been very good for the outcome. I think the Dodgers teams of recent times that have won 111, 106 games in getting bounced in the first round. It's a different climate now than it is in 2024. You've just got to get to the postseason. Years ago, usually that marathon meant a lot more. You got to the postseason because you were the best team and usually the best teams got to the world series and most of the time the best team won the world series. I don't think that's the case now. I think you've just got to get in at all costs and you've got a chance. Get hot at the right time, get some pitchers rolling at the right time, the offense rolling at the right time and you've got the parts here. Yeah, this offense isn't even close to what it was a year ago, but you still got the need. You still got the simians, the seagurs, the Garcia who seem to have a flair for the dramatic when they get on the big stage. So I think at this stage of the game, this time in history, just getting a seat at the table always gives you a chance. And I think that's what Chris Young, Bruce Bocey, the inner workings, the upper manager, that's what they're thinking. Just get us a seat at the table and who knows what can happen. Is Hawaii worth the hype? I'm not really a vacation guy. I do it for my wife. She's nice for her. I like it. It's relaxing. You know, I'm not going to say, I'm not going to act like this royal brat. I'm in a beautiful place, a beautiful climb, but I find myself chomping at the bit like, all right, when we going home. So I'm really a couple of days. I get a little restless. I can only do so much beach time. You know, I like the golf, but I got no buddies here with me. It's a couple's trip. So I'm not going to go play golf by myself and be that boom solo. Yes. Can I join threesome? No, I'm not into that either. So I'm kind of, you know, I'm smiling. I'm having some nice meals. I'm getting up at four in the morning doing some some calling shows, but other than that, I'll be red. Don't tell him. I'll be ready to get home in a couple of days. Your beef for joining us out there with a three hour difference. Honestly, baseball is there. Thank you. And enjoy the rest of the vacay for your wife's sake. Brett Boone here on 105, three of the fan. He had his little circle spotlight. What do they call that? The little light ring light ring light. Yep. The ring light was great. He set up traveling like a professional and he was on the Uber one fan camp getting it done even while on vacation in Hawaii on the couple's trip. Let's get it done with crosstalk with the KMC masterpiece. Next on Sean and RJ.
