[MUSIC] >> Fan Morning Show Sportsnet 5.9 of the fan, Ben Addis, Frank Gunting. >> Leeve Stevels tonight from Scotia Bank of Rayna on Sportsnet. Sportsnet 5.9 of the fan. Devels just playing hockey for kicks. >> Yeah? >> Cuz what else are you gonna do? >> Well, I mean, you know, like if you had a milestone, you could reach. But they don't have any of us. >> No, they don't, I'm sure there is some guy sitting on 19 goals. It's like, but what about me? We don't care, that's what about we certainly don't. >> And guess what? They don't really care either. >> No, they don't. And the Leafs are also like as far as, you know, points that they can accumulate during the regular season. Also kind of playing for kicks, although there is like technically things to play for. But I don't think that's priority number one for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's staying healthy and it's getting Austin Matthews to 70 goals. >> But did you know, and Damien Cox just mentioned this, he didn't have the exact numbers in front of them. He's like, yeah, Leafs have been like really good over the last couple of months. I have the numbers, but mostly because Damien Cox retweeted them and then they just pulled it off his feet. So whatever. >> Shut up. >> Shut up. >> So he did the work. >> I love hitting retweet on somebody else's tweet. >> Dog up the numbers for you. >> All right. >> Speaking of which, I have a gripe to pick with sports at stats. I sent them an email about that thing yesterday about how many times last year a picture started and inning after completing the previous one, not even a response. >> I love that. Good. No, honestly, good job sports. That's you got to keep this man in check. >> Not even a, hey, man, that's like, do you really need that? Like we have other things we need to pour resources into issues, it was like ghosted. >> I don't know that this is definitively true, but I feel like the second baseball season starts that department gets indefinitely busier. >> Yeah, well, because there's, yeah, just statistics are more important in that sport than any other. Anyways, okay, now I guess I pose it to you, rest of the listening audience to find your friend. >> To find your friend. >> Because I don't know how to do it. I thought there was like a baseball reference thing that you have to subscribe to that you can do it. Anyways, what was I saying? Do you have the Maple Leafs? >> Yeah. >> Really good? >> Yes. >> Over the last 28 games. How about this? 27 and one over the last 28 games, leading the NHL in wins, points, and goals scored during that span. So not everything's going great right now. >> Do you know what this start of that span was? >> The Morgan Riley, really great. >> It was the game after the game. >> Of course. Of course, because of course, well, that also coincided with what the seven game winning streak, right? As long as winning streak of the season, Morgan Riley, leader of men, galvanizing his team. >> It's true. So not everything's going 100%, 100%, like the power play needs some work, penalty kill has been better. Could be even better than it's been. I think goal tenning's been pretty good. But are the Leafs not peaking at the exact right time right now? >> Yeah, it feels like they are. I mean, peaking at the right time is always such a precarious thing because I mean- >> You're just afraid to say something that indicates that they're going to have postseason success because it feels like jinxing them. >> Yeah, yeah, there is some element to that. But it's also like they could stop peaking at any given moment. Like the thing about peaking at the right time is the longer the peaking goes on for the more likely it is about to immediately fall on. >> It's about to end. >> Too long a peek. Hey, we anointed the, how many different definitive Stanley Cup champs that we had this year? Like the LA Kings were going to win the cup and then they fired their coach, okay? And the LA Kings and the Leafs slightly different animal. But yeah, I think that these hot streaks, it's great. You would never say you don't want to have it. But the longer it goes on, the more likely it is to stop any time soon. >> Mm, yeah, that sounds like- >> Scaredy cat thinking fan behavior. Agreed. >> Yeah, all right. This insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom, visit DonValleyNorthlexus.com. Today's insider is the insider, Frank Seravelli, president of hockey content at dailyfaceoff.com. How's it going, Frank? >> I am good. What's going on? >> Are the Leafs peaking at the right time? >> I think they are. Nineteen, seven, and one, since the Ridley-Greg empty net, turning point of the season. >> I mean, seems clear, right? >> Sometimes you just need to kick in the pants. Honestly, I'm not being funny like- >> Or a clock check in somebody else's head. >> Hey, whatever it takes, it's only weird if it doesn't work. >> Yeah. >> And what I would say is that's not a joke. That is, you can point to something in every season for a team that goes on a run. Last year for the Florida Panthers, it was when Keith Kachuk called them soft on Toronto Radio. >> I wonder if he has any thoughts about this year's Leafs team, he would like to share with them on Toronto Radio. >> Well, his kid doesn't play on this team, but yes, I mean, that's what made it even more unbelievable. That team lost its, and talk about peeking at the right time, that team lost its way into the playoffs. >> Yeah, no, it doesn't matter. >> No, I mean, well, that's a counter to the Leafs are peeking at this. >> They're playing too well. They should be playing horrible. >> Well, this is the problem is that this is the point I was making, Frank, is that you would never say, oh, you're playing too well, heading into the playoffs. You want to be rolling, but no team goes on a streak like this that's six months long, or three months long, or four months long. And I, there is definitely some element of like, yeah, I'm trying to like protect myself here. >> The Boston Bruins did this last year. They won the entire season. >> And then they peaked at the exact wrong time by switching their goalies back and forth. And Tyler Bautous, you haven't like 13 points and it didn't matter, didn't, didn't matter a lick. So what do you think? How do you think? >> What I'm saying is, okay, go ahead. >> It doesn't matter what you do. There's something you can point to all, hey, most of the time it is. But what I would say is there's, there's million examples to point to for both. You could cherry pick whatever you want. >> Well, I think the bigger storyline for the Leafs is the pressure is off. >> Is it? >> The pressure is off. Interesting. So in what respect, because like, I mean, I guess they want around, they'll be underdogs against a team that went all the way to the cup final of season. Although it's not like the Panthers look like world beaters, so they're not peaking at the right time. Like what, in what way is the pressure off? >> Because I think at least what I see on social media, which isn't everything, and the tone I grasp and understand from conversing with you and others, is there's not really much expected of this team this year. >> Maybe, I don't feel that way. >> No, I think honestly, what I think you've hit on Frank is that there is not the like gurgling anticipation of last year. They load up at the deadline and you're like, Oh my God, they didn't try to weigh any first round picks for cons Mike winner, no, and but because of that, I also think there's some element of having been through the rodeo so many times before. Having said that, I do think the sky will be falling if they drop game one of the series. >> It's relative terms, right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, as far as this, this market, yeah, I guess the pressure is off by which, I mean, it's only like a complete nightmare and not like riots in the street if they lose in the first round. >> Yeah. >> I think you guys are way too hard. >> What do you mean? >> In the sense that like, who is realistically expecting this team to go on a run? >> I don't think it's an unrealistic thing to think about. >> But that's not what I'm asking. Who is saying this team this year has to win? >> I mean, this group has to win at some point and if not this year, but you're changing the answer to the question. >> Yeah, but if it's not the season in which, you know, the best player scores 70 goals. >> That's not what I'm asking. Who is saying this team has to win this year? >> No, okay, I do understand what you're getting. >> Management isn't saying that. >> I do understand what you're getting at a little bit because I think with the fact that Matthews got locked up, there was the sea change in GM. I think there is a less of a last dance all in. >> There's zero part of that. None of that exists. >> Not for Sheldon Keef, though. Sheldon Keef is like, we got to win this year, we got to win, please. >> That's why I stopped myself. I said management isn't saying that, and I was thinking, okay, well, the coach is probably saying that. But that's because the coach is feeling it. But he gets worked up in church on Sundays and feels like, so that's a whole separate side issue. >> Well, I think the other thing too is the stakes of, and maybe this doesn't matter. I don't know how much this enters most people's thinking. It's entered a little bit of mine is, and you want team success for team success sake. Like you don't need another reason to have it. But the idea of stamping home this Austin Matthews season, whatever it ends up being, 66 goals, 68, 70, whatever the number ends up. >> 66, he's got a score again. >> Stranger things have happened and may be good because he's saving some for the playoffs. But I think there is an element that a lot of people have of the kind of doomsday scenario of them bowing out in the first round in this historic season by a guy who's going to go down as the greatest player in franchise history is kind of all for naught. I think there's pressure on this season specifically, because I agree with a lot of what you're saying that there is. >> From who though, is that honestly what people are saying? I haven't heard that once. >> Well, I think I don't think anyone is saying it in the moment now. But I think that when we look back on the Matthews era, I think when we look back on the Matthews era, if it, if, you know, somebody's bringing up the 70s goal season was so impressive. The first thing of like comma to that will be, but they've lost in the first round. >> Holy crap, you're putting it on, you're putting it on them before we even get there. >> Well, I know that's what the job is sometimes, but what I'm saying is you still haven't given me or agreed with my premise yet, which is of all of the last five years, this one is the one with the least pressure, true or false? >> No. >> Yeah, okay. >> I would agree with that. >> I would disagree. I disagree. I think the bubble year against the blue jackets where they tried to sell off of the deadline, they're like, any takers for Tyson Barron, the league was like, no thanks and they were losing to a Zamboni driver. I know it was the blue jackets, we viewed them as like some, some horrible team. They were, I think, tied on points with the Leafs going into that bubble five game series. That to me was the lowest expectations. >> I don't know, okay, so since they entered the cauldron then, I guess, maybe we'll shorten the timeframe. >> Yeah, okay, sure. >> The pressure cooker has literally been a deep fryer. The last four years, three years, whatever it is, my only point is it's not, the temperature isn't quite as hot as it was. And maybe that means nothing, maybe it means something, but for me, when I watch this team in the playoffs, when the switch flips and all of a sudden, you know, the play goes to the next level, it feels like this team just clenches up and they're going into whatever first round series they play, whoever they play, wherever it opens, as the underdog. >> Yeah, and they've been there before. It just about everything. >> But not the last few years. >> I mean, yeah, they had home ice advantage. I mean, not two years ago, they didn't against the lightning. Yeah, I guess, I mean, it's debatable. >> They played better than than they did last year, like it's wacky. >> Yeah. I don't know. >> So again, you could come up with a million things one way or the other. Maybe if the pressure's off, maybe it means nothing. All I'm saying is for a team that can play, and for a team that when I see and look at a lot of the different markers about trying to translate your game to playoff hockey, I'm actually quite bullish on the way this team has played on the second half of the season. And I think they've got an opportunity to surprise. >> Well, I agree. And to me, it wouldn't be a surprise. And to me, the biggest differentiating factor is like you can talk about some of the principles in the core of this team, maybe not having the best postseason. Although it should be stated like awesome Matthew scored five goals in the six game series against the lightning before, yeah, going goalless in the Panther series, but a huge reason why they were able to win that series and their first in this iteration of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But it's the ancillary guys that they acquired the Max Domis and the Tyler Bertuzzi's and Bertuzzi. It's a shorter track record in the postseason as pretty good, though, at 10 points in seven games a season ago. And Max Domi, he's been there before and also raised his game. And yeah, that there is a belief in Joel Edmondson, who we might see again tonight. There's some guys that have, and I guess you could have said the same thing about the consomite trophy winner that they got last year. But I do think that there's enough guys that they've acquired that have done that and raised their game in the postseason that there is a belief by me, at least, that this is going to be different. I guess you're right about the pressure thing. But I, I really look at the flatness of talent in the Eastern Conference, especially, and say there's absolutely no reason why the Leafs can't, can't go to the Stanley Cup final this season. Well, I wouldn't say no reason, like I think the big thing that stands out to me is the defense still, and, and I think they're not a perfect hockey team. Injecting truth serum, like no one is looking at the Leafs defense and saying, yep, better than the Rangers, Carolina, Florida, or Boston, no one's saying that. But who can score with them? And over the last 30 games, no one, they have the most goals in the National Hockey League. And what was the issue in the second round series against the Panthers couldn't score? Um, also got their heads caved in by physical play. Well, that's, and see, that's what I would, when I was talking about marker, that's what I'm looking at. Guess which team has the second most hits in the NHL since the All-Star break? I assume it's going to be the Leafs. Your Toronto Maple Leafs, again, not hits, but hits aren't the answer, I guess, is what I'm saying. That's not the differentiator. No one's, no one's put together a game plan going into the playoffs and said, that's it. Hits. Yes. We need the guys upstairs to keep clicking the buttons in the press box. We need more hits. No one, no one's saying that, but I look at raising your game, the physicality, how much, um, way more physical playoff hockey is to compete in that environment. Like, if you're going to go toe to toe with Florida at some point, they're going to try and run you through the second row of the stadium. Yeah, I don't, I don't like the sounds of that, but you're very right that that is going to happen. We saw it in spades in the, in the series last year and I'm, I'm with you. Like, I mean, one of the biggest pieces of found money in the league this year, let alone on this team has been Simone Benoit and that's been his claim to fame. It's been his hallmark on this team is that it, I mean, he literally had a game where they gave him their like player of the game belt and he said, I can't score a bleep and goal, but I'll hit the bodies for you guys. Like he's very aware of, of what his, uh, his job is, you know, we're, we're talking about, uh, about this team's chances and, you know, we can talk about the defense or the goal attending, but just to bring it back to Austin Matthews for a sec, it is going to ride a lot on him has your opinion on the heart kind of evolved or changed it all in the last couple of weeks. I mean, we've done the thing where 70s seemed like a bit of a long shot, then maybe realistic than a super long shot again. And now, I don't know, it's very much in the cards. If he gets there, does that change the way you look at MVP voting or, or, or has the die already kind of largely been cast for you? Oh, I would say for the most part, it's not that the die has been cast, like I'm open to change in the sense of how I'm looking at my ballot, but Austin Matthews isn't very high on it. And he may not end up being in my top five. I mean, that's insane. What are you talking about? Like he, he might not win the silky, but he might be number five for me. Why? Like that makes no sense. I mean, primary points, five on five points again, like the, okay, maybe not the best defensive forward in the end of the jump, but like, you don't know my ballot, though. Okay. So let's hear it. Okay. And then Austin Matthews. Yeah. I mean, that's a whole separate side argument about goalies when we can have that at some point. But right now I'm looking at something like an order subject to change, Nikita Kucharov, Nathan McKinnon, Artemi Panerin, Connor McDavid, and then the fifth spot is up for grabs right now. And Austin Matthews would probably be number five. Oh my God. All right. So what's, I, yeah, I understand the argument for the other, like what's the, you're based, you're making an argument against Austin Matthews and I'd love to hear it. Against Austin Matthews. Yeah. No, but you're, you're, you're making an argument against Austin Matthews putting him fifth. No, you want me to make it argument against Austin Matthews. No, you are. You're not saying like he's in the mix, even you're saying he's fifth, like that's different than saying somebody else deserves it, which I can understand. But when you say you're putting him fifth, you're making an argument against Austin Matthews. But you're asking me if he gets to a round number of 70 that should he rock it up my list. That's, that's what you asked me. Now Brad asked you that. Yeah. That's, that's this room over here. He said it's 66 and it nothing changes. I, I, what, what does the significance of getting four more goals or the number? It doesn't, it doesn't. Because he got to 60 a few years ago, a lot of people believe he won the heart based on that specifically. And then last year, Conor McDavid had 64 and everyone shrugged. Yeah. Yeah. Here's what is. So now Matthews is two goals ahead of where Conor McDavid was last year and all of a sudden every game. You're right. It's breathless. Holy smokes. This is the most in the salary gap era. It's two more than McDavid scored last year. What's like, and what are we talking about? We're talking about him being like 20 goals up on the second place finisher in the rocket trophy. Okay. And I'm talking about Nikita Kuchra being 53 points clear of his next closest teammates. So what? He's also like a couple of points up on a couple of other guys like yeah, like McKinnon and McDavid are right there as far as the art Ross is concerned. We're also talking about like, it's not all about the art Ross. No, it's not. That's not what's doing it for me. No, it's not. It's not all about, hey, 70 goals. It's not all about 80% of your points being primary points. It's not all about 80% of your points being five on five points, but it's like part of the discussion. It's not about being a top three finisher in the Selkie, but like you add all that up. You're talking about like, yeah, maybe Austin Matthews is the fifth place finisher on my heart trophy body. How do you know he's going to be a top three finisher for the Selkie? I mean, I'm saying that there he finished 14th last year in the Selkie. Yeah, he's been a top 10 finisher, I believe, before as well. Okay, he was 10th year before that, 27th year before that and 16th year before that. Okay. He didn't get votes for either of the two years and then he was 38th. Yeah, I also, but I mean, I can make the argument that he's a winner, right? Because it's a two way, it's a, it's an award for the best two way forward. One of those ways is also offense, right? Like you can't argue with the offense, you can't really argue with the defense to even the nerd stats would tell you that he's been one of the best defensive forwards be nice to them. I am. I'm at times I'm a nerd as well, but I don't know, just the fifth thing most of the time he's a nerd. Yeah. I, I, you can't, you can't say, you can't say what you can't tell me because he gets to a number. No, here's what I said. Let me finish. I said, you can't definitively tell me that he's not going to win the Selkie. You can, you can, you can have whatever opinion I can't definitively tell you I'm not going to get hit by a bus later today. There's a million things I can't definitively tell you that he's like in the Selkie conversation, he's going to have 70 goals and blow everybody away as far as primary points and five on five points. Like that's a pretty damn, I can tell you he's likely definitively going to win the Lady Bing Award. Yeah, which I mean, that's part of it. I'm just, I'm looking at a guy that not just the nice round number of 70 might by the end of 82 games have the best, like a top five season in the history of the sport to not be top five in heart trophy voting at the end of the year is kind of nuts to me. That's all. All right. We're done. I want to get coyote's thoughts from you as well. I don't know what to say. Like I, I think his year has been excellent. I'm not taking one thing away from it, maybe. I think compared to those others. Yeah. I do. All right. I disagree. But that's the beauty of sports. We can disagree. Apparently not. What do you mean? What? Well, I'm just flat. Like you guys are making me out to be a moron. No, I'm just what do you think his finish will be in the heart race? Am I seeing this differently than everyone else? No, I think you're seeing it pretty similarly. Although I think he's more like Panerian. Yeah. Yeah, fourth is like usual, but yeah, it's like the more I think about it, the more irked I'm getting at everybody. No, I don't think I think you're actually the Rangers might win the president's trophy this year. Good for them. Don't hang a banner yourself, proud of it. They might win a president's trophy this year, and Panerian is 40 points clear of his next closest teammate. Yeah, that's good. Seven good year. It's not awesome. Matthews, you know, that's two way forward in the whole league's going to score 70 goals. Seems good. Okay, you're all over this coyote's thing. And again, like I'm still very trepidacious in saying this thing is done. You would know, was there ever any other consideration other than the Utah's is as far as a relocation for that franchise? Not to my knowledge. So it's done. So it's happening. It's not done, though. I mean, it's well down the track. It's substantially complete is what I would say. I believe that they are either close to agreeing to terms or have agreed to terms. And the biggest thing is that they have to go through the legal and paperwork process and then get signatures. And I think everyone is nervous about declaring anything definitively done until there's ink on paper. Yeah. Or at least. Yeah. I'm certainly scared to I'm certainly scared to bury them until it happens because like Frankenstein's monster. It's not burying them. It's it's they're they're on their way like the the U-Haul trucks are backing up. It's does this owner get cold feet? And is he the wildest of wild cards in the league? I think many people would say that's a strong possibility that he might win that award. We're not. We're done. You would be number one on my ballot. Of that, there is zero debate. Frank, I love the spirited debate. Thanks for doing this, buddy. Have a good one, guys. You too. Frank Cervelli, our insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom, visit DonValley North Lexus dot com. I can't believe I'm the guy that's that needed about a leaf's topic. You are pulling me. You are pulling me to your your side. I just honestly what it is is I really should stop viewing sports this way, but I am and I can't stop myself. It's like, I'm worried if I win that argument, they'll be like, okay, there you go. He got his heart. You'll never win anything again in your life like I just I can't I'm just like good for go the heart. I refuse to believe. I forget who we had always had this. I refuse to believe two good things would happen in the same year to the Toronto Maple leaf. So I just like forego the heart again, like I know, I know the snow way to live life. I know. It's so silky. I think people forget to, right? It's like the best defensive for it. It's best two way forward, right? Two way. There's two ways. Right. Yeah, there. Yeah. You go on offense and on defense better than the way that is as good as he is the other way. Nobody. Nobody. I also you've been doing the thing of Gretzky and Mario. I did look this up as well in because I I more wanted to see because you're talking about the pressure and obviously when you go to leafs caps or sorry with the leafs and pressure, you go back to the Vatican capital teams and how did it feel for them? And I think there is an element of what Frank said that every single year of the Ovechkin era from the outside from the inside, I guarantee you in Washington alarm bells are ringing and you got to find a way this year is the only year. But from the outside, I don't think we all looked at it like it had to be the capital's year every year. So I looked and like, what did the capitals do in that 65 goal season? Well, the thing that does change the math of it is that it was Ovechkin's second or third year. So that changes what is expected. He then had nine points and a seven game loss in that first round series. So nobody can sit here and quibble with it. And I don't think anybody's going to sit here quibbling with Austin Matthews at the end of this. But if the first round series looks like the Panthers one last year, it will be something that gets brought up as a bit of an asterisk or whatever. And I don't want to live in that world. That's why I do think it is so important. I do think that adds a little bit of the impetus. It's the national hockey league. You want to go win the cup every year if you have a team this good, but I do think it adds a little impetus to needing at least a modicum, a team success. So that it isn't thrown in your face as the asterisk on the 70 year, whatever it ends up being goal season. Was it his fault that the Leafs lost in seven games and won two to the to the lightning where he had nine points, including four goals in seven game series? Absolutely not. No. And that's during the 60 goal season. And that's why nobody talks about that with the 60 goal season because they did it despite having lost. So I think that's kind of proof of concept right there. People say none of those goals came in game seven and we're still waiting for the first goal in a game seven. I got a better idea. What's that? Don't play any. Yeah. That's what they did. I know last year. Yeah. Cause we all know how that would have gone if it went to a game seven. And what other thing on the, I know we got to add them, but I want to do. Yeah. The idea of, well, he has so many more points than his teammates. Do people realize that Austin Matthews and William Neelander don't play together? Right. Like I think we do this thing and yeah, okay, Marner, if you do a per game, he's up there and there wouldn't be the gap. But remove William Neelander because I don't know what, what was the last time those guys played together? Was it November? Feels like it has been ages since those guys played together and Matthews and Neelander. The next highest leaf point getter is Marner with 79 points and but beyond that, who I should probably mention because people are going to do the extrapolation of, well, point per game Marner as much closer. He wasn't there. Well, so you can't say point per game Marner. He did this all without his primary assist man. So the arguments, look, I just want to give you one more log for your fire that you're right. It's already raging. Bonfire here. I know. And I'm like, I'm like your kid. I'm like, I found this belief in the woods. Can I put it here? And you're like, sure. Showing by you're really helping. But I think that that is if we're going to do the gap between Kucharov and his teammates and Panerin and his teammates, do I do it with Matthews and the guy he's the guys he's played with for the bulk of this year and Marner is a part of that. Beyond that, it is a big older between the points he has and what Bertuzzi has. Also, like, you know, defense men are a part of the game too. Lightning. They have a Norris guy back there. Yeah. And hey, Morgan Riley's been. Imagine how much more awesome Matthews could cheat if he didn't have to be a silky, silky center. Uh-huh. Oh, but the reason I brought up the Ovechkin thing at the very beginning of this, he was 30th in silky votes, the year he had 65 goals, which is hilarious. That is fun. It's like he has like two guys in Washington put him like seventh on their ballot. That's outrageous. That's ridiculous. It's actually a war crime. Yeah. Anyways. No. I tried at the Hague for that. Again, like, I mean, we're just in lockstep here. But yeah. I mean, I agree, agree, agree. His goals per 60 percentage has gone up since he's been separated from Mitch Marner. Like, yeah, the team's best setup, man. Yeah. All right. Anyways. Fire pass. He has done so. All right. When we come back, I have an Enverk, MLB Network, Cinephal podcast. The fan morning show continues. Ben Enner's Brent Gunning Sports F 590 the Fan. The best Blue Jays show out there, period. Blair and Barker, be sure to subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Fan morning show Sports F 590 the Fan, Ben Enner's Brent Gunning. Ben gets me more fired up than when I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Like I'm experiencing something like I'm in a different plane of reality. It's been like a habit for you the last couple of weeks. The Davis Schneider thing. I was like, what am I? Are you okay? Am I missing something? And like, the smart people kept coming on the radio and saying like, yeah, I'm probably not. Like, probably no good. And I was like, but like, but yes, the ball. But like, Ben Ross, Ben Good throughout his minor league career has been good at the major leagues. Like at some point, don't you have to like explore the possibility of him being good and the Austin Matthews heart trophy thing like it's now become my new hobby horse of like, Oh, I just live in the upside down. You're a jockey. You're smacking that hobby horse. Yeah. Yeah. I just don't understand how a guy with a historic goal total being one of the best, if not the best defensive forward in the league is, is yeah, it's like fourth maybe in the heart trophy. Can I, can I pose this to you? What is it? And I can't believe it's taken me this long to get here. And maybe you've mentioned it and I just have missed it. But is this purely anti leaf bias? It's like, I mean, cause off the time, you have to squish the questions as you know, some people have said you got to at least ask the question. You have to. Let's ask the question of our next guest at an end work of MLB network, NHL network in the cinephile podcast. How's it going, buddy? I'm doing great. Ben, Brent, a pleasure with you guys. As always, yeah, I think there is a little bit of anti leaf bias. I think when you look at, you know, the major sports leagues, generally you love them or hey, you know, whether it's the Cowboys, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Leafs or the Habs. I mean, I think sometimes that people often look, to me, it's like coach of the year. You never actually give it to the best coach. It's the coach. It took the roster, which was supposed to be the most underwhelming and somehow it took some of the number seven C. Right, like it always should be the better guy, but like, it never happens anyway. So similarly, Matthews is a known quantity. He's known to be an elite gold scorer. He has been for some time and so you just start to, you know, you kind of wander around the shop looking for the other shiny new toy and when you see yourself, it really just should be him. Like why are we making it more difficult that it should be? And as you guys said, there's other guys having tremendous seasons. Of course, but David is the best player in the world doesn't mean he should win the heart trophy. Obviously, McKinnon's having a great year. But I'm like, for Matthews to not be a finalist is shocking if that is the case. But I'm with you guys. It could be a chance. I remember doing any show network a month ago and I remember talking to the analyst who off the top of my head. It might have been Dave Reed actually. So it wasn't like somebody who isn't familiar with Toronto and he was like, yeah, I got Matthews fourth right now. Like, what? Like, how would you not top three? He's got 70 goals. That hasn't happened in 35 years, but now you do nine three. So I do think it's a little bit of an anti-leaf vibes overall. Yeah, we just talked to a guy who was saying maybe even fifth on his ballot. So yeah, it's it is remarkable. I'm trying to think and maybe maybe I'm misremembering a tomorrow baseball phrase. Maybe I'm misremembering what happened, but I don't feel like we do this with Otani where we go. All right. Like he's the guy. But let's let's squint and contort ourselves in 15 other ways to give somebody else the MVP. Like it doesn't feel like we do that and again, like both of you, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe maybe that happened more with Trout where he was like the de facto guy and you start from other places, but that that I'm not saying it's just a hockey thing. But boy, it does not feel like a baseball thing. No, I think it goes into all sports and that's generally that bias that just exists, you know, again, for those major markets, you know, and and sometimes it's weird. Like it goes to your benefit sometimes like with the Bruins, I feel like there's like this pro passion, I can tinge it because it's like, well, the Bruins have been great for so long and he's a great planet. You know, original six market, one of great. But you could say all those things about Toronto, why do they take Toronto for Boston? So maybe they take care of it sometimes too. It's weird. But op online is anyone who's doing something historic, which hasn't been done in a few decades. It's got to be top three. Nothing has to win. Has to be top three. Yeah. No question about it. I mean, do you have any opinion? You can even take it outside of the sports realm where you like you, it's such a minority opinion and like it's so discounted your opinion, you're like, am I taking crazy pills? Like I assume you have some movie that you either like or dislike that nobody likes, that you're just like, what's happening here? Well, it's funny that the one for years then was of course, Forrest Gump, but there's enough of a contingent anti-forest Gump people for sure. So much so that in the big sick, there's this great scene with Ray Romano talking to me on Nanjiani and Ray Romano says, well, I never go on the internet. That's where you find all these people that don't like Forrest Gump, so there's even at the time there was like a, maybe a 10% go on, hey, me, Paul Fakes is pretty great. Shawshank Redemption is pretty great. I don't have a time to became a tunnel wave. I'll give you one which is very unpopular, which nobody has backed me up on is I wasn't crazy about Ozark. That's been a universally lauded show and my wife and I watched during the pandemic and I said it was like a watered down breaking bat. Like it was, you know, a bunch of guys here in the country and listen, I love, babe, I love the rest of development and I get what he was doing as a talented director in addition to being an actor playing against type. But I'm like, my wife was literally predicting every plot twist as it was happened. I got this and happened next. It's going to happen next. Garner wins all the Emmys, right? For supporting the actors to me. It's a very tired character. After a while, she just looks like angry, profane, loud and awful. Okay. I got it. I'm the one kind of world that's not crazy about Ozark. Okay. I don't, I can't speak to Ozark. I've never seen it, but here's the one for me when it comes to movies and I love Greta Gerwig. I have more time for the Barbie movie than you did. I didn't get Lady Bird. I didn't get Lady Bird at all. And maybe I just thought it would be funnier, but I was like, oh yeah, like things happened. It wasn't that interesting. Like I feel like I'm the only person that didn't get Lady Bird. Like I'm not like ardently against it. And I was like, but that just, I was like, I looked at the trailer, I was like, oh, this is going to be a funny movie. It's like, it's not funny. It seems like a new problem, not a, not the very surprising. Like I just, I didn't get Lady Bird at all. And I feel like that's such a, an out there opinion that like you're going to think differently of me now. And I won't go to that extent that will say it's probably will be more guarded towards women than men, particularly, you know, mother, daughter type relationships. But I got to be honest, I'm surprised for a reaction because I generally like that. And I went in with Ajita and I thinking, oh, why, what am I going to be appealing to this story? But you know, mother, daughter, son, kind of my jam. And I loved it. I mean, I'll say this in various, I've never seen it a second time. It's not a movie that I, I want to crank up on a TV player for a real watch, but, but I watched it once. I thought it was terrific. And I was particularly moved. That scene where Lori Meckoff drops her off at the airport. So she's driving away and she starts fighting back the motion that goes back and Tracy lets us to hug her husband says she's gone, she's gone like I was, I was emotionally worked up by that scene. And this is well before any of my kids have gone to college yet. I thought actually Meckoff should have won the Oscar that year for sporting actress and ended up being an actress. I also love Alison Janney, who was hysterical and I taught yet. She just wasn't in the movie very much. I taught you. She's in it. Maybe I want to say 20 minutes tops. But I thought Meckoff is great. Lady Bird. So I wish to get back up. Sorry. No, it's even, I like Lady Bird, buddy. And I don't even know. You saw Lady Bird. I know that would surprise you in and of itself. I feel like it hit me at a very particular time where I guess I just had a lot of sitting around it. Timothy Chalamet, like he's coming out party too. Yeah. No, even, even I enjoyed it. But as you say, it's like a movie more geared toward like mothers and daughters. It's like I grew up living with my mom and my sister. And so it's like, yeah, I watched those fights firsthand. So yeah, it like didn't resonate with me, but it was like, I was wincing a lot during it. I think it's probably my recollection of it. So yeah, I don't have like a move. I guess I had like a TV movie one go more TV than movie. It's the bear for me. It's like I tried it. I tried to get it. I kind of went on the bear. But I was going to say it don't feel like that counts because I feel like there's enough of us that are going. Yeah. It's okay. Where are you on the bear? No, I love that you guys said that because I watched, I don't know if I got to the first step. So maybe even just the first 10 minutes. And my wife was already on her phone and my whole point was to watch it together. And I said, if you're not feeling, let's forget it. And I haven't gone back to it. And it was everything, right? I mean, I was at the Critics' Choice Awards as you guys do in January. And I said, having a smoke was Jeremy Alan White. And I went up to him. I was like, hey, man, it's ready to bug you. I've got to be honest. I don't watch the bear, but I love, well, you don't have to say the first part. You can just send it like an iron claw. No, no, no, I'm not a fan of MLB network and NHL network. But Adnan nice to meet you all obviously. And also, when is that guy not having a smoke? I feel like he lives having a smoke. Is he allowed in doors in North America anymore, just like an animal. There's just like chain to a fence somewhere. I quickly figured out if you want to run the celebrities. And loiter outside the bathroom, which is where I met Paul Giamatti and John Hamm. Or you go to the smoking area, where I thought Jeremy Alan White once an hour every hour. [LAUGHTER] I love that. Yeah. No, I haven't seen the iron claw, but yes, I've heard great things. I'm sure I would love that one. All right. Let's talk blue jays, why don't we? I set off the top of the show with the last turn through the rotation, the top three guys outside of Kevin Gossman who will go tomorrow in the first game of this rocky series. And they've all been so good that I'm not afraid of the pitching regression monster anymore. That was part of the reason not to believe in the blue jays this season. I mean, the prime reason and still one that I am afraid of is that the offense won't be good enough because it wasn't good enough last year. And it's seemingly worse on paper this year. But the other one was like, well, look how healthy and good the rotation was last year. It can't be that again. I think it can be. Where are you on that? I do really like the rotation. And I was so surprised that Gossman got lit up against the Yankees because going in his numbers have been phenomenal against New York, something like a one one seven area and seven starts. So it just happened to be a bad performance. We know he's not 100% yet, you know, give a few home runs and happens. But generally this year's rotation, I start with Gossman, like he's elite, incredible splitter. He's a guy who has saw young stuff and should always be in that conversation, takes the ball deep ton of strength. That's everything that you want. I think burrios has found it. You know, when they made that trade, I remember talking to Alex Cora because he's tied with burrios. They obviously playing for Puerto Rico, WBC, Alex managed him to give this guy an absolute stud. Then he had that situation. You know, they sounded a big deal. Then he stunk it up. You're like, oh my God, what was it? Jay's thinking. And then last year, you got his mojo back. And we go, this guy's 1A, 1B. I think he's phenomenal. And it's clearly the season is up to a great start. You know, after that, I think Bassett, he's been a little bit up and down. But again, he's a guy that goes 200 innings, he'll be, he'll pitch again. I look at durability with this play, with this epidemic of injuries right now, seemingly every team, right? Their ace has gone down. I look like I like Bassett go, wait, you look one of five pitchers. It actually throws 200 innings. That is incredible value to me as far as resting my bullpen. I don't care if you have a four ERA, which he doesn't, but I'm like, you're able to help me in so many ways because you can go deep. Kakuchi, you know, I think he's better than the most expected a season ago, and I don't think there's any reason not to expect him to be a solid number four starter. And for like anybody questioning a number five story, you know, dude, come on, that's like looking at a starting five, the NBA go, eh, you know, a week of the small four position. I'm like, yeah, but, but if I have a dominant center and a point guard, then I think we're going to figure this out. So similarly, you know, whether Manoa is the answer, Yari Rodriguez at some point, you know, Bowden Francis, I know it's pissed a couple of stars and don't figure that part out. To me, that's not a major concern. But yeah, I, I feel very good about the starting rotation. Somebody who says, well, there has to be natural regression, I'd say, well, why? Okay. Maybe every fifth day, the fifth star is not going to be great, but, but I feel pretty good about four or five stars. And that's better than a lot of other teams can feel like you could make a case. Not only the best rotation in the American league east, but up there in the A.L. Like the Mariners are always pretty fearsome to me because of their depth with just you and Kirby and Logan Gilbert. But that's your rotation. I have no qualms with the offense is where I get very concerned. Yeah. I am, I am a little concerned about a slight step back from, from Bathett, but I don't think it'll be a step back where it's, you know, he's 10% worse every start. I just think he'll have the odd day where he's not kind of there. And for a guy who is your third or fourth starter, I think that you can totally kind of works to overcome that. You mentioned the pitching injuries there. I don't know if you have a thought on it. I mean, Ben and I were kind of banding around the thought of you can never put the toothpaste back in the tube, but you know, there used to be the thought of you'd start a game working at 93. Well, I mean, back then it was like 93, 94 and you'd work yourself up. Maybe it's saved 96 for the spot. You really need it. That just doesn't happen anymore. You're getting max effort all the time other than if it's a, you know, a Chris Bassett type. Do you think there's any way to change the way pitching is in baseball now? Cause yeah, you can sit there and tell one particular player, Hey, for the longevity of yourself or to give your team 200 innings, it's better to go at 90% all the time than 110. But if a guy needs 110 in that exact moment or he feels like it, he's going to do it. Like it just seems like it's such a hard kind of balance to walk and you, you need more Chris Bassett to the world. But I like watching Spencer Striders too. So I don't want to get rid of that. It's just, it seems like quite the conundrum for baseball. Yeah. So okay. The line down to the great breakdown with me is Sean Casey, the animal beach tonight and spoke extensively about it and he said, it really comes down to this in baseball. The greatest weapon is a well located fastball and Greg Maddox would teach him this would tell him, you know, that fastball down on the way to a right handed hitter, he grounds out rolls over a shortstop. Boom. Like you do that every time. And you're good. That's a bad fastball. That's fine. What has happened on the sport, those, everyone is obsessed with spin rates and feel it. So it's not just throw a heart for 97. It's so with a lot of break and he's like, you know, Ryan's sort of showing me if you just throw it to see him or you guys grab a baseball, obviously you run your fingers along the same or forcing her against it. You don't feel any stress when you throw it, but if you start to throw break sliders, cutters, sweepers, you start to feel a little bit of tension in your elbow and again, you're throwing at max speed. And I thought Justin Berliners comments were very smart in the day as well and the way that the game has changed. So he's like, Berliners, a perfect example of God, if you watch him, first couple innings, he's 92, 93. Yes. And when he really needs that giddy up in the six, Berliner throws 97, 98. So he's not going max effort all the time. But the way these guys are being taught, the way the front office feels, if no, still get it, like get out there and throw as hard as you can, as quick as you can, and that's it. And if you can just give us four innings of max effort as 100 pitches, whatever, we'll just get another guy and go to the bullpen. It's far gone from that idea of stars playing deep in games and that's what's caused this preponderance of interest. And the only way really to solve it is going to take time. It's going to take literally a generation because it's being taught at all levels, maybe not literally. But it's being taught like high schools, colleges, it's below plus spin rates. And not only throw as hard as you can, but throw it with as much break as possible. Look at those RPMs from 2700 to 2900, et cetera. So I look at like Lance McCollers who's a really good pitcher, but like hasn't been the same since like 2019. And I looked at like half of his pitches are breaking balls. Every time you're putting, you throw a curve ball. Every time you throw those pitches, it causes a lot of stress in your elbow. And it's pretty depressing when you see how many injuries it's failing. Nobody got one or two, right? But I'm like, when you say Garrett, all the best cases been, he's only gone for two months. When I say to you Spencer Strider and Yuri Perez and maybe from Brevaldez and Shane Bieber, it's a lot, man. It's tough. Yeah. I mean, we should just study Jose burrios, whatever he's doing because he's never spent a second on the injured list his entire career. So I don't know. Just like get him in the lab, do whatever he's doing. Um, because it's worked and, uh, to the benefit of the Blue Jays, uh, Adnan, buddy, it's always a pleasure. Thanks, man. Thanks so much, man. Brett will talk to him, fella. Take care. All right. You too. Adnan Berg, MLB network, NHL network in the cinephile podcast. That's, yeah. Oh, we didn't get to the Otani thing, but yeah, he's, uh, is it interpreters go under the clank, it seems? Yes. Uh, it looks like he's going willingly to plead guilty and Otani is testified under oath, but, uh, it be a Mizuhara, uh, apparently changed. There is a report that he changed Otani's bank account so that he would not receive alerts and confirmations about transactions. It might be north of four and a half million dollars that he stole as well. I would not be like overly happy about that if I was showing him just going to say that. Yeah. Seems like he was on the up and up in the story that he told is the truth unless, wow, some guys really willing to go away for, I mean, not an insignificant amount of time. No, I think I'm not going to pretend to know. But let me tell you. But sometimes he's going to go away for some time. One day in jail is more than I'd be willing to do for something I didn't do. So there you go. All right. So here's the good news. Masters is going to start. Oh, I know you hate it when I use scream before the mic comes on, I have to deal with that. So I know it's like kind of go from, I don't know, it's like a stretch. It's a stretch. A vocal stretch. Well, I stretch my whole body and yeah, a primal scream that I don't know exercises the demons that live within. Okay. And boy, boy, they're in there. I know 10 30 is when the opening round is going to start, which is honestly, I'm looking at one guy, it's good news for like tiger is not having to play like 36 holes in like a second and a half is good news for him. Oh, I disagree. He's going to have to jam in a whole bunch more golf tomorrow. He's going to have to like stop and start the tomorrow. You don't think they can get it all in starting at 10 30 not with tiger with how late he's going to be out there and I don't think yeah, he's at like one 30 or something like that. That was the initial time. So we'll see what that gets dark back to like I think there'll be and I'm just going off of what like people on the ground are saying. It seems like it'll be a bit of a trouble to get it all in today from from tigers perspective if that's the case. That's going to be that happen to have him play more than 18 holes in the day when he's played like 72 holes in like the year, it's going to be a problem. Shout out to Ricky Fowler who won the par three turn to see his face when he did it. No, he looked because he went out and posted like a four under and you figure somebody's going to do and they just did him stand in there watching as like every guy hands their putter to their wife or whatever and him holding it is just is perfect actually like he should win it every year. He really should. It was just is perfect. It was the world's most on brand winner of anything like forget winner of the par three contest just that like Austin Matthews going to win the rocket that'll be less on brand than Ricky Fowler winning the par three change things. If you get a lifetime exemption to the par three tournament if you win it for the players I wonder like at least you get on the grounds. I would feel that way, but I have feeling Ricky Fowler would like to think I mean he's wrong. He'd like to think he could win the Masters one day again. He's wrong. Yeah. I'll take his action. He's betting on himself. Pete Rose style. I will take that. He was never of course obviously as far as we in today's day and age and climate we would never make that joke. All right. I just did. Happy Masters Thursday. Yes. To you as well. We'll be back tomorrow is another edition of the fan morning show Ben and his friend gunning sports five night fan good morning. I love golf. Yeah. I do. I've always loved it. I'm going to be back tomorrow. (upbeat music) (dramatic music)
