[MUSIC] >> Man, morning show, 4.5.9 is a band, man, and it's Frank Gunning. >> Happy Wednesday morning, Brent. >> Good Wednesday morning. >> Good morning. >> It's a happy end of good Wednesday morning. >> Except it's not, because only half my headset was working. And now it is working where I got I'm afraid to move though. It's like one of those things where like the connection is there. So barely touching. And it's finally like, I'm in a perfect spot now where it's working. Do you mind if I do the show like this with my neck crane? >> I prefer it actually because you look super uncomfortable. >> Yeah, no, it's definitely my preference. This is harkening back to the days for me of walking to school in grade seven. And I have like a headphone that like, it's like, hey, your birthday is coming up. You don't just get new headphones to get new headphones. And I'm like, but I have to have it in just a way so that I don't get the cutting out of the music. >> Yeah, it's okay now. >> Are you all good? >> I've moved my head. I have like a backup headset here. >> Yeah, I was gonna, man, you asked for something and it happens around here. You're like headset now as a party. >> It's kind of important. You know, it's a radio station. >> You're not wrong. >> But I don't know, like maybe check it before the mic flips on. We wouldn't have had that. >> No, it's my mistake for assuming that the radio equipment would work and allow me to provide radio in the radio studio. >> Here's what I'm so clear of, not my fault. Certainly not my fault. Not Jeff has a party's fault. He came, you said, you said, fix it. And he, I don't even know, he got here so fast. >> Yeah, just appeared with another headset. So again, it's not my fault, it's not just fault. I'm gonna leave Santos out of this, I don't know. >> It's whoever's in this studio after we leave. Okay, so it's not, I don't think it's J.D. Bunk is his fault because he doesn't use this headset. >> Yeah, this is true. >> I don't know, who is in after him? >> Okay, I often wonder- >> This is a big mystery. >> I often wonder what goes on in here at night. Sometimes I'll come in and there's just like three chairs on one side of the table. Like everyone's been sitting here having a pizza party or something. I don't know, weird, I don't wanna know what goes on in this. >> It's those people, it's pizza party people. >> Pizza party people. >> I just to clarify your mileage may vary, I could always be a pizza party person. If you wanna give me pizza, I'll take it. >> Obviously, I'm just saying. >> How many times a week, we'll get to the sports. >> Yeah, whatever. >> There weren't any local ones, so. >> Yeah, because of Mother Nature. We'll get to that, just like the Leafs, capitulating weeks ago. >> It seems like that second round would be fun to be a part of. >> Boy, Euler's, Canucks, what a series. Anyways, what I was gonna ask you is, how many times a week is too many times for children to eat pizza? Because my kids have pizza day on Tuesdays. >> Okay. >> And then it's hard to avoid a night of pizza. >> It happens. >> It happens, it really does. >> And then every once in a while they'll go to a friend's house, it's like pizza. Or it's a birthday, it's like pizza. There's definitely been some recent weeks where it's been three days a week of pizza, which feels like too much, but it feels like it also can't be avoided. So I have no free ads, but there is a pizza place that prides itself on having pizzas that are ready when you walk in the door. There's a certain chain. >> I'm familiar with that one. >> I have to pass one of those chains while walking my child home from daycare every day. So you can imagine the siren song of pizza, especially of like, dad's got a cooked dinner a lot of nights, I don't want to cook. It's so- >> I'm a master of the hot dog. >> Yeah, well, no buddy, I actually like, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you I'm like, I'm really gossy here, bam, but you're not not. >> You're not gonna get down in the kitchen a little bit, keep people alive. But what I say that to say that I still have a lot of pizza. Like, I don't know, my child, he's like, he's three. There's definitely been times I've been looking at him and it's what is it? What percentage of the body is supposed to be water? It's like a lot. >> 70%. >> Okay, 80% feel like it's- >> Maybe between there have been times where it's been 70% marinara, cuz it's just so much pizza. >> That's good. >> I don't, don't take this to say you're doing it right, but you're not doing it different than me. >> Okay, I don't know. >> I appreciate that. >> We are either together in our failure or we're doing it fine. >> Honestly, how different is pizza to like a sandwich with meat and cheese? >> Right, yeah, no, the super healthy sandwich. >> Well, then it's like, if my kid's not eating pizza, he just is like, I'm gonna house a bagel, which is six slices of bread. So that's so much- >> You say bagel. >> Yeah, I do, I say it weird my whole life. Everyone's gotten on me, feel free, just like join the line. >> I just did. >> Yeah, a lot of people, bagel. >> Polking around the GTA is saying, yeah, I've been kicking him in the shins about that forever. >> Anyways, Oilers, Canucks, what a series, man. >> Yeah, four straight games where it's been a one goal game. The Oilers heavily favored in the series, despite the Canucks being the division winner. They're down to their third string goalie. The Oilers sort of kind of down to their third string goalie, at least their second string goalie. 32 year old Calvin Pickard, his first career post season start. Imagine telling an Oilers fan before the season's like, yeah, your season's gonna be on the line because they're down to one, going into game four at home. Calvin Pickard is gonna be the starter in game four because Stewart Skinner has a career save percentage of like 8.70 in the post season. Anyways, Pickard did a good enough job. >> Mm-hm. >> It was a thrilling finish as the Oilers fritter away a two goal lead in the third period. The Canucks score with under two minutes to go, six on five to tie it up. And then the Oilers salted away in the final minute, and yeah, this is the series of the post season. I mean, you can make an argument. We'll talk about the Panthers and Bruin series as well, but for obvious reasons, this being an all Canadian matchup because of the divisional opponents, because of the star power involved. This has got to be the series of the Stanley Cup playoffs. >> I don't disagree. I think the Canadian, any tie goes to an all Canadian series, like I don't want to discount what's going on in Florida Boston, again, we'll get there. There's plenty of fertile ground there that we'll get to. But I think it is just a clear, much like teams have a top six and a bottom six, there are two good series and there are two other series and the hurricanes have made it one against the Rangers here. I don't say that to say that the Avalanche and Stars hasn't been good, but it just in terms of storylines, intrigue. >> I mean, it could get good. >> It could. >> But I think in terms of storylines, intrigue, it's like the two series we saw last night have kind of dwarfed the others and again, it's not what those other series aren't doing. It's just that these two have been so good. I mean, you throw in the suspension, you throw in the McDavid in the middle of it. You, Nikita Zadorev is shooting off at the hip. >> Yeah, there's just, there's so much to like about this series. You have the greatest star in the game, and Conor McDavid, you have stars that we are at the point in their career, where you start to ask questions about what they are. If they don't come through it this time, be it Elias Pedersen, be it a Quinn Hughes who has come through a little bit more in that regard. So yeah, I think that in terms of just like an outsider's perspective, so many juicy storylines in that Edmonton Vancouver. >> Yeah, earlier in that game, will Oilers start off guns of blazing, obviously, back against the wall down, two games to one, get the power play and do the thing that the Oilers power play does, where it just creates a spectacular, glorious chance that Shiloff like gets a piece of, like on the initial shot, on the initial dry side of goals, like oh, well, there it is, top corner, like you had the half the net, he kind of shoots it off. She loves his face. >> Yeah. >> And into the net, by the way, the Oilers power play this postseason, clicking along at robust 46.7%, if there's one, okay, it's actually going to get to this later. Like, if there's one trait you want the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs to have, how is it not making this power play into the thing that it should be that it has been for brief leading moments, that it could be and changes everything in the postseason? >> Cuz I don't think you hire a head coach for that. That's not what the head coach is supposed to do. The head coach is there to install your culture and your five on five systems. >> This isn't to take anything away from the Leafs in terms of everything we've dumped on them, but the Oilers power play clicks along at 46.7, whatever, 46.7, see, I had them both there. For one reason and one reason only, Leon dry side was great. And the play that McDavid makes to worm his way into the middle, that is, I'm not saying nobody else can make that play. I've seen. >> I am not saying that you can't have a good power play, but watching the Oilers and saying why can't the power play be good is like watching Arnold Schwarzenegger and saying why can't I be a little bit strong? It's just, it's heaven to be. >> To go back here. >> Also a weight lifter. >> To go back. >> God. >> Who's the guy that the Hulk, the incredible Hulk? >> Oh, Lou Ferrigno. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Look at us being a thousand years old that that reference. >> Oh, I mean, Schwarzenegger and Ferrigno. >> I know. >> Pumping iron. >> No, I'm just saying like it's like that they're both aged men now. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Perigno still with us? >> I believe so. >> Okay. >> I hope so. >> Put him in the grave. >> Okay. >> That's fine. >> I won't just ask him questions. >> Uh-huh. >> What are we talking about? >> Right. >> The power play. >> Yeah. >> I think that much like the myriad of assistants, they've brought in over the years, be it Manning, a whole chart. >> A head coach should not have some power play ideas and should not be able to, you know, empower an assistant to do better. But that is not what I want my head coach coming into a team to do. I don't think you hire a head coach to make the power play click. >> You don't put any of the power play failures on Sheldon Keefe. You're like, oh, you get that. It's other stuff Sheldon Keefe, not the power play. That's not you. I know that's not your fault. That's Sheldon Keefe. >> Sheldon Keefe. >> No, no, no. >> Sheldon Keefe, because he obviously in the whatever it was, seven years, he was behind the least bench, had some say in who his assistants were. So the manager. >> I mean, he can also supersede them. >> Yeah, of course he can. And then he wasn't able to find the right mix between an assistant. So Sheldon Keefe ultimately wears the power play failure. So of course he does. It was one of the biggest reasons that this team got sunk and he was never able to figure it out, kind of regardless of personnel or the coach who was helping him along with it. So he ultimately wears it. But I don't want the, I want so many more things out of the Leafs next head coach than power play wizard. Because guess what? I think the Leafs power play is going to go because of the five guys that are going to be out there or heaven forbid they're going to go then because we've seen it not go. >> No, no, there is obviously a way you can set these guys up and we have seen it go. If you want to look at the playoffs, I mean, say for one series against a guy that eventually had off season surgery. And that is why that Sheldon Keefe ultimately wore it. I'm not saying the head coach doesn't wear it. I'm just saying that when I, when I'm putting together my checklist for Leafs head coach, I don't think, I think you would, I think you'd be prioritizing the wrong thing if you start from from a point of this guy has to make the power play click. I think that's how they wear it. They're a part of it. Of course. I just think that I just think you have to prioritize other things. >> I don't know. One of the first questions I'm asking if I'm Brandon Channing and Brad for living to Craig Barouba or Todd McClellan is like, what did you think of the power play in the playoffs? Like, why do you think did that? What do you think some of the changes they should be making, like how do we, how do we change this? >> I think the answer you're going to get from a lot of those people, and I don't know, maybe this changes how you feel that it may be is just, I think the system that Craig Barouba or Todd McClellan or whoever would put in on the power play would be a system of competition would be the idea of two units. >> Sure. That's something different. >> Okay. And I'm not saying that that, but I don't look at that as a coach having a tactical bent on the power play. I look at that as the way he coaches his team and divvies up ice time and isn't beholden to his star players. So I don't disagree with what you're saying, but I just think that you get that, you get that via other traits that are kind of more important and because I think the best thing for the least power play is to have two units and is to have competition. And then if you need to, you can load it up from time to time, but you should have two units that compete. And I think if you're doing that, the idea of pitting stars against each other, having a true kind of competition up and down the lineup, that speaks to so much more of the Craig Barouba of it all than just the power play is going to click because of it. At least that's how I look at it. >> Yeah. I don't know. I guess we're kind of like six and one half of them. >> And we arrived at the same point, I just think of it in a different way. >> Yeah, you're about process. I'm about results. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> I mean, I guess my results is like I care about the whole game. >> Yeah. >> So, you know, the results of the game. >> But the whole game isn't like it's, if you're pointing to one thing that's been just like routinely bad and the number one leading cause of Maple Leaf, are you suffering from Maple Leaf playoff failure? >> Yes. >> The number one leading cause of Maple Leaf playoff failure has been failure score on the power play, failure to score. Period. >> Yes, but I mean five on five, it's been pretty equal to their opponents year over year over year in these postseason series. It's essentially coming down to goal tending and special teams. >> Yeah. >> Anyways, we got lots to say about the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. >> We do. It's weird. I don't know. >> It keeps coming up. >> I don't know. >> Until they officially officialize whoever the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs are is, there's only one guy I imagine. >> That's, yeah, the tandem, maybe hire both of them. Hey, you got all the money. How about like, yeah, an associate head coach? >> The two of them, it's like, you have, you have the players coach and the, the dictator and it's just a matter of, it's like, oh, oh, teams in good spirits, Gabby's coming out today and he's like, hey boys, how are we doing? And then it's not going so well and it's just Ken Hitchcock coming back to, to yell at them all. >> It's just, God, I had a head coach, God only the Leafs, yeah, like someone gets the home game, someone gets the road game, they're like, oh, crowds turning on him, you gotta switch it up, you gotta switch it up. Why not? If the Bruins can do, you know, tandem goal, then it's like you have the coaches doing the hug in the, in the room, it's so, it's, it's easy to beat up on the Maple Leafs, right? Not the postseason failures, but I can't help but watch, like just from a coaching perspective, like the play perspective, it's obvious and even, you know, the Canucks and their power plays, even though they haven't scored, they're creating chances, it's just, I'm just talking about the head coaching here for a second. Okay, the Vancouver Canucks, despite the fact they won the division, they're not supposed to compete against this generation of Oilers team, they were going to be easy cannon fodder. They battled back from down to nothing in the third year, they're down to Archer's Shilovs. How many people outside of the city of Vancouver could have told you who Archer's Shilovs was before this postseason? No, just his parents, that's it. But now they have a chance to knock off what is, if not the Stanley Cup favorite, like one of the two, I would think, especially now with the abs down to the stars, anyways, you know, who's not satisfied with that, Rick Talkett, who after the game, like again, taking his players to task. Yeah, we've been a resilient group all year, but we need five or six guys that get going here. I mean, it's the Stanley Cup playoffs. I had some guys, I don't know if they thought it was the playoffs, so we can't play 12 guys. So we got to figure out, quick, it's 2-2, obviously it's a tough one. Heavenly came to play, they wanted it more early. The second goal at the end of the period was a killer, another couple of given mistakes and then the last goal. So I mean, it's just, can't do that. Yeah, it was also very critical. The power play, saying it's not good enough, they had a four-minute power play on the Evander Kane. They did. Four-minute high-stick cross-channel. High-stick cross-channel. I know and freedom of saying, I don't know if they did ask Rick, talk it after the game, why he was upset that his team went on a four-minute power play, but I guess the contention would be that there is no such rule as a high, a four-minute cross-checking penalty. That it's a major in a game, if that's what it was, but they called it a high-stick in a two-minute minor. I feel like they kind of got that right, I got to be honest, that was not a game. No. If that was a game, that was a make-good for Carson Soussey, if that was a game. Yeah. Anyways, it's hard to hear stuff like that considering, no, the Canucks haven't overachieved, right? They won their division, and they beat an inferior predators team in the first round, again, down to the third string goalie, and not that a head coach is ever going to be like, "Yeah, we're just happy to be here." But God, what a departure, Brian. Like, what a departure, "Oh, you're going to defend." No, no, no, no, this isn't a defense. I think it's very interesting, you're right, it's a departure, but it's not lost on me, and I didn't go through the whole talk, it pressed her, maybe he did put a particular individual on butt. Feels like a lies-petersonist. Involved. Involved. It feels like it. But did you hear his name? Did you hear his name? I think he said six skies. I said that. Six skies in the power play. We all, look, this is the- Pederson has one goal, one point in the series, he had two shots in the game. So, say his name. So, say his name. If you want to have that point- He said his name throughout, like, there's some moments in the season where he said his name. Yeah, you're right. And they're in the season. And now the games matter to them. Like, if we want to do the thing of, like, look it, that's what a man's head coach looks like. I like it. I didn't say that. Okay, you're right. But you inferred it. You put, you puffed out your chest when you said it. You inferred it. I look at that, and I say that, yeah, that's the right way to go about it. This isn't me defending Sheldon Keefe. This isn't me saying, "Huh, you think Tockett's got the balls?" He doesn't really. No, he does. But I think that that's an intelligent way to go about it. You shield them collectively in shame. Pretty harsh. No, no, no. Hey, we got some guys who don't even realize this to play offs here. Pardon me. Pointed criticism. But some guys. Now there are not 15 reporters walking over to Elias Petterson saying, "Hey, the coach called you soft and purposeless." And again, I'm not saying you can't do that if that's what you need to do. Probably should have happened here and not walk back. This isn't me. Again, don't take this as a defensive Sheldon Keefe. I take this as a hat tip to Tockett. That's a great way to go about it in terms of everyone knows what you're doing. There's pointed criticism. Guys in the room can point to that. They all know who the five or six are, and it's all the guys who are making the money. And I think that's just a very intelligent way to go about it. And I think that when you're Tockett and you have coached your team this way throughout the year, you don't need to do it with Bluster. It doesn't need to be like my favorite clip, this super niche, but the old Michigan basketball coach running in and slamming his notes down and going, "That's how I feel." It doesn't need to be performative like that. You're just answering the question. So I think that you're right to point it out. But it's a guy who is coached his team that way from the instant he got there and he has the credit or the credence to do it with that group. And he does it with a spotlight, yes, but it's a spotlight on five or six people, so it doesn't turn into a one man story. I think he did a masterful job of that. Elias Patterson knows who he's talking about. Of course he does. Of course he does. There's no point in saying it if the person who you're talking about doesn't know. So I know you thought I was going to say, "Oh, but it's so hard for poor Sheldon here in Toronto." That's actually not where I was going to go with it. I say that's a guy who has coached his team that way all year long and has the ability to continue to do so well, not making too big of an issue out of it. I was talking about the other series quickly. Bruin Stave alive thanks to 28s from Jeremy Swamann. It's bizarro land this series because Bruin's go down 3-1. And I know they lost Brad Marchand in another game that they lost. But yeah, without their best player, they stave off elimination. Is he going to be back for game six? Maybe not. Are they going to do it again? They're getting killed on special teams. They're 1 for 24 on the power play. And the Panthers are 6 for 25. Do you need a refresher course on what the Bruin's did on the power play against the Maple Leafs? 6 for 17. That's not a good power play, okay? The Bruin's do not have a good power play. It was bad hitting into the playoffs. And I know, and I still believe this, the focus on the Leafs failure should be on their very inability to score on the power play, but yeah, that penalty kills so horrific. You know how little the Panthers cared about the Bruin's power play? That they challenged that McAvoy goal and they're like, yeah. And I think the correct call was made, especially considering the Bennett goal that we've seen in this series, Jim Montgomery may be locked up behind bars if they take that goal off the board yesterday. Anyways, but the Panthers call that one. Montgomery might be locked up, whatever NHL goal judge, I wanted that goal to be card back. So the things I want in this world, like we got a, we got a major coming up this week. I would love to see Rory win another one of these things, new single Rory, we'll we'll be discussing. But what I would have given in this world to have seen the reaction shot to the GM box after, after that goal, again, they, I'm with you, I think they made the right call on allowing it to stand. But I wanted that call back so, so badly. Anyways, Bruin's power play stinks against normal teams, not the Leafs because they have a horrible penalty kill. This is true. And yeah, I mean, despite Jeremy Swainman have a couple of off nights in the middle of that series, they kind of easily, I guess, gone back like if ever there was a pivot back to Linus Allmark, it would have been for that game. And how do you feel about like the guaranteed victory that Jeremy Swainman, I mean, he didn't exactly say guaranteed, but it's like, hey, we just got to play our game, go back to Florida and we'll be coming back to Boston because we're going to win that game. I didn't say it explicitly, but backed it up with an incredible performance, especially at the end of the six on five Panthers had like myriad chances to tie that game up. Yeah, it's almost like Jeremy Swainman's very, very good and everybody who is like, see, you could score a hundred goals on him yet. It's like he had a bad game, but Jeremy Swainman is a very good goal. You mentioned the point of them going back to Allmark, not to say they can't, they won't, but they know where this is going in the future, right? So you got to pump this guy's tires as much as you possibly can. And of course, why wouldn't as one good goalie departs the Atlantic, we think, in Allmark next year, there be another guy rising from the ashes just ready to be among the league's elite. Yeah, Swainman has given them every chance. I think that the guarantee, whatever you want to call it, is one of these things that if they come back and win the series, it takes on a life of its own and it becomes legend. But when they ultimately lose this thing in six or seven, it just kind of gets lost to the sands of time. Yeah, maybe truly bizarre land to win game six and then go to game seven on the road and go to overtime and lose with Brad Marsh and back, like playing like in a shell version of himself. Jim Montgomery miming diving on the bench, did you see that? He is very animated. Yeah, he's good. You know who else is animated? The guy on the other side. Paul Murray in the second period down one nothing does the thing that he is want to do that we saw at the end of the regular season last year. Remember when the Panthers were just like barely hanging on a playoff spot and they did require the Penguins to lose to the Blackhawks in the second last game of the season to even make the playoffs. But yeah, in a game against Maple Leafs, Paul Murray's did a similar thing to what he did last night. And then I don't recall if they scored 11 seconds after he did it in Toronto at the end of the regular season. I don't remember either. But that's what happened yesterday. And then Paul Murray's and as his want was very good at the podium after the game talking about his rant is tirade against his players. He just thought they needed some profanity in their life. I brought some. I don't like sell a lot of things in life but f*ck me, I might get it that. You see how I did that. Okay. Yeah. Funny guy. Yeah. That's funny. Paul Murray. Yeah. Oh, look at that. He's got the little catnip out for us. We're all going to come over and eat out of his hand. Yeah. Like that. That's funny. I laughed when I heard it. But then every person that has ever thought about the game of hockey rushing to a microphone or Twitter to be like, Oh, that's funny. Paul Murray's like, okay, relax. He told the joke. It was good. But we don't need to turn him into Don Rickles here. Yeah. I know you're not. It would have been. It would have been. I mean, I get what he's doing with the like, see what I did there? Like, yeah. Like maybe if you just left it, that would have been funnier. This is like Michael Scott, like walking around boom roasted after his roasting people. It's like just let just let the roast stand. You don't need to boom roasted after it. The funniest part, yes, Maurice screaming at his team, but it's beginning of the period. So the camera is cutting between the two and Montgomery looks like he is the injured guy on a beer league team that has put on a suit for fun. He's just yucking it up with the guys. He's like giving thumbs up, they're laughing and then immediate cut to Maurice and he is just screaming and man, guy knows his team like I know I don't just say that because of the result. I forget who the defense was. I want to say maybe it was Michela, but afterwards on the bench, you see, there's a few guys kind of nodding their head like, yeah, all right, let's go. And I think it was me. It could have been another defense man. He just has that like look of like a soldier ready to charge out into the Colosseum or something. He's shaking on the bench. Like jittery man, you tell it clearly guy knows his team, man. Yeah, you could see a world in which a professional athlete making his many millions of dollars might hear that and roll their eyes. But this is a sport unlike others, right? There is more closely, more closely related to football so much, right? In that like that, you can have a tangible effect on performance through eliciting emotion where I don't necessarily think it's in Sean Schneider's best interest to be like, come on, guys, you stink screaming his team in the dugout. You never see that in baseball Cubs would have never won the World Series if it wasn't for that speech in the race in Hayward, Jason Hayward. Yeah. Yeah, but I don't think Jason Hayward was like, come on, you losers. And then, you know, swearing out maybe was no, you're right, because the other, the other most famous baseball speech that I can think of is show hay for the world baseball classic and that was not respected. That was the most eloquent, eloquent address of all time. And yeah, and then he's like, I know these guys are our heroes, but maybe, and also maybe yours, not mine. I'm so much better than all these guys. Oh, God. Yeah. Anyways, now you're right. It's it is much more of a raw, raw sport and like, you know, there's other ones that come to mind like, again, it's funny looking back at them when you're not in the heat of the moment, but the famous Boudreau one, don't go out there and say you want to go out there and believe and want it is just, it's great. And you got to know your group though. There are groups that they're going to be guys that roll their eyes at that. And I also think it's so much to who you are. You can't, I shouldn't say you can't grow into that. I think anybody can evolve in any role. But if that's not who you were, it's a little, you know, there is some element of, whoa, coaches really, he's not so animated and he is there is, you know, use your bullets there. But you got to be true to who you are as a coach. And I think that that's part of the thing with somebody to bring it back to Keith, somebody who's in a space for so long. You have to try so many different things that you kind of do get away from exactly what your kind of core identity is as a coach or the way you want your team to go. And Palmer is a little more established than Sheldon Keith also and just took this team to a stand like a final and got them into the playoffs because of again, like this motivation thing that was happening on the bench and they're the penguins. They're good too. And also the penguins losing a game 81. Anyways, all right, this talk about a what the Leafs should be expecting out of their next head coach. It's going to be a constant theme throughout today's show, we'll get back to that at seven o'clock. But when we come back, no Blue Jays game yesterday, so give me a chance to delve into some reasons for optimism. I'm doing better here, Brent, like I know I was struggling to come up with some reasons for optimism. Okay, I'm going to try and sell you on some reasons for offensive optimism surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays. I am a pessimist by nature and this is the Blue Jays we're talking about, so I can't wait. Good luck. Okay, wish me luck. You already did. All right, that and more next, as the fan morning show continues, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, Sportsnet 590, the fan. Hey, it's Aylish Forafar. And I'm Justin Cusforth. Join us as we discuss the most important sports stories of the day and tee up the biggest games of the night. It's the fan pregame. It's 6 p.m. weekdays on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590, the fan and wherever you get your podcasts. Good morning, Sportsnet 590, the fan, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, Blue Jays, an oriental stunt, didn't get to play a baseball game yesterday. Just good for the Blue Jays. I was going to say, they're at Death's door, half of them. Oh, right. Just because of that, I was going to say it's like hard pressed for it to go as well as it went in the first game. Well, I mean, if they don't just erase those games, like they will have to play the Orioles in a double header in July, you know, but it's like tomorrow's misery is tomorrow. Oh, okay. Not today. That sounds like you're Mr. Procrastinator. Yeah, obviously. Got to change my winter tires. Oh, really? Yeah. It's like, it felt like 30 degrees. Yeah. Yeah. Your winter tires are going to like dissolve into it into a soupy goo. I know. It also takes two seconds, like you go to one of those instant lube places. Oh, I thought what you did was you like pull the jack out in your driveway and then after five minutes, you go like, I'm not a man. No, I told you I did that. Yeah, I know. I thought that was a recipe. No, no, no. You drive the five minutes to your instant lube job, where are you? I actually we talked about it. It's like the same one. Yeah. Go to that one. Okay. 50 dollars later. So change, Joe, yeah, you're out of your stone pod. Yeah. Wow. Found out by exciting day. Blue Jays Orioles reigned out yesterday. There's rain in the forecast today. At last check, it looks a little better than yesterday. But anyways, the Orioles, they're playing a beautiful ballpark, but it doesn't have a roof. But baseball is an outdoor sport. I don't disagree, but it's like, can we, I don't know, like there's technology. Well, what about that thing they use to block out the sun in the Simpsons? Could we not just repurpose that to have it be some type of like roof, but it's still outdoors? Like, this is a thing with like doesn't doesn't like Arizona have this where like you can open up the walls. So you still feel like they're like big windows. You feel like you get the outside feel, but you still have a covered roof. That's not the same though, man. Like, have you been to one of these beautiful ballparks that are built into the city? I've never been a Camden, but I've been to Patco Park. You can't build a roof over. No, no, no, no. Like, buddy, I've been to Fenway is like great experience obviously. Comerica. Yeah, yeah. But like, no, no, I don't I don't think you should go back and retroactively slap roofs on these things. I just think grand fob, they should all be grandfathered in. I also think there should be immediate jail time for someone who builds a ballpark going forward without some type of cover. I just agree. That's fine. You're glad. That's fine. Yeah, baseball is an outdoor sport. It is funny though that we play for six months under conditions that are the best that we get all year. And then the most important games are played in October where it's very marginal and very different. Yeah, well, I'm active. And November when dudes are wearing puffer jackets and like five batting gloves to stay warm. Anyways. Ultimately, Bluejay is very much shaking hands with the Orioles and saying, yeah, let's not play today. Let's get these guys back to their hotel room so they can sleep and try and get healthy. Because George Pranger was not in the lineup again for yesterday's game have they played because he's still dealing with an illness as is Justin Turner. Anyways, okay, so I've tried to look for the silver linings in this Bluejay's team offensively. Like, you know, I don't know overall sense. Like the most reason for optimism is because the pitching's good, starting pitching good. And when it's fully healthy, I think the bullpen's a lot better than like dead last. Eventually, baseball, I think Jordan Raman is quite good. I think Jimmy Garcia is the best reliever in baseball. I think Chad Green when he comes back is a huge deal. And and Yariel Rodriguez now that he's not needed, perhaps out of the starting rotation, like maybe your multi inning high leverage guy as well. That's the real reason for optimism. I'm talking about offensively talking about the fake ones. And record wise, okay, I've labeled this segment. Are you buying? Okay. So the Bluejay's off to a rough start as far as the record is concerned, right? There are three games under 500, but did you know that the Bluejay's have a 15 and 17 record against teams above 500, which isn't great, but compared to last year's 43 and 50 record against above 500 teams, it's okay. And really, if you just go 500 against good teams and then beat up on the lesser lights, you're going to be okay. But did you also know that that's the most games played against above 500 teams by far in the American League? So 32 games the Bluejay's have played against teams above 500. The Orioles have only played 19, the Yankees 19, the Red Sox 23, the Rays 16. The Rays have only played 16 games against teams above 500. Brent, are you buying? No, I think that's an interesting point that you bring up. But I am not buying that. I think part of it is that, and these things is that early on in the season, you can have teams that are above 500 below 500 that when we look back at these things, that they won't necessarily be viewed in the same way. We see teams all the time get off to every single year, get off to a hot start that is not sustainable and they Peter off to exactly feel like this is and not that the Jays have played this team yet. But I feel like this is the pirate's MO every other year of like having a hot May and then just falling right back to the core of the earth. So I think it's an important thing to bring up. I think it provides a lot of interesting context, but am I buying it? No, I think it, I mean, it's buying it is making it feel like, hey, well, that's the entire reason why they've disappointed. I just mean that this is a reason why you might expect the record to improve, especially when they got the White Sox, two series upcoming against the White Sox and a Tigers team that's falling flat on its face after it's start hot start. This is kind of a co-related, okay, standings thing. So they were notably 21 and 31 inside their division a season ago. They were rancid awful, not very good against the American League East, highlighted by their three and ten record against the Baltimore Rose, who they're one and oh against this season. They're also six and five in 11 games against the American League East, of course, took a series at home against the New York Yankees split a series against the Tampa Bay Rays. I mean, are you buying them being better against their own division? Now they haven't played the Red Sox yet who have the best ERA in baseball, by the way, which is a notable thing. They've only played the one game against the Orioles who are the toughest task of the group. But Brent, come on, six and five, am I selling you? Hey, man, if you, if you were to just, as you mentioned, it's like the one game against the Orioles have not played the Red Sox yet. But if I told you they had that record against the Yankees and the Rays alone, you would shake hands and sign up for that in a heartbeat. So that, I think, is something to be, you know, to take note of. Obviously, the Rays are always going to be a, at worst, crumulent organization, bringing it back. And the Yankees are good. Like the Yankees are a good team this year that are going to be in the mix for a playoff series or a playoff spot. And you've handled yourself pretty well against them. So that one, I think, is good to point out, because I don't think that's Fugazi. Like, I think the Rays are okay, and I think the Yankees are real. The Red Sox have not won a game within the division. They were swept by the Orioles. Speaking of which, okay, here's the real one. This is the one that I think people really need to think long and hard about. Did you know that the Blue Jays this season, with their early season schedule, have played, okay, here are the teams that played their rank in Major League Baseball in ERA. Yankees second, Dodgers third, Phillies fourth, they played the Orioles one game, sixth, they played the Mariners who are eighth and the Royals that are tenth. They've played a million top 10 teams in Major League Baseball in ERA. Now the counter would be, they've also played one series against the Rockies who are thirtieth in Major League Baseball in ERA. They've also played one series against the Astros who are 27th in Major League Baseball in ERA. The Tampa Bay Rays are 23rd, but they have played all, like, all the top four teams in ERA. They played three of them already this season. Are you buying that that is outsized, has an outsized impact on the Blue Jays' sputtering offensive start? I don't think it helps, but I don't think it changes anything either. I think there's a world, so I'm not buying it just to quickly answer your question there. I think the, I think there's a world where the inverse happens, where you start off the year against non-quality pitching and you get rolling and the ball looks a little bigger and hitting is contagious and, you know, all that, all the things that baseball people roll their eyes at when I say, but I do kind of believe in them. I can see a world where that happens, but I don't think that this is a good offense or even a decent one that has been shackled by the elite pitching that they've faced. All of the problems we have spent the, I don't know how long this season is going on for, 30-some odd games. All those problems we've been talking about, maybe Vlad and Bo coming out of it, but outside of that, all those problems are still super real. So that one, not buying as much. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not buying it. I do think it's possible that this is like a closer to middle of the road offense than it's shown and part of it, part of the slow offensive starters guys yet not looking the way they're going to look by the end of the season, but part of it is also like the opponent. It's not just that teams are good, it's that they're playing some of the best pitching teams in all of Major League Baseball. There is also an advanced stat argument you can make, it's like you're kind of grasping at straws here. If you don't want to make it. They have the seventh worst difference between their expected batting average and their actual batting average. It's still not good, but like they're expecting expected batting average is higher than their actual batting average and they have the eight worst difference between. So they're expected weighted on base average and they're real. Okay. That second one I'm just going to park because once weighted gets into the equation, I get a little confused. But with the expected, is that just like babbip stuff in terms of like barrels that can be low all that kind of taken into, we think that's that's that cast stuff, right? Don't strike out a lot and they take a bunch of walks and they look at your what your actual batting average and what it should be given the parameters you input into the computer. And yeah, they've been slightly unlucky in that regard that I do take away that one a little, but that's also been the story of every non 2021 season from flat of like, look how hard and look at this. So maybe I shouldn't. I don't know. Okay. Blue Jays might play a baseball game today. Hey, they might turn it around. They might make the playoffs. They might win a World Series. Okay. I mean, you can't dare out the possibility, you're right, you're right. You can not because what if all of a sudden lad and bow become their normal selves or perhaps better, David Schneider keeps doing what he's doing. There are enough pieces that yeah, like everything goes right. Yeah, it could all fall into place. I think the more likely scenario is that they missed the playoffs and do a light sell off of the guys that are pending free hands up. That's where I think this is going. If the Blue Jays don't make the playoffs, what would the best development be coming out of this season? So like, obviously the best development is, yeah, you make the playoffs and you're going to run and not necessarily win a World Series, but like you look like a team that could win a World Series and everybody will tell you if you get into the playoffs, that's anybody. Even the Blue Jays is currently constructed. But say that doesn't happen and the Blue Jays have this light sell off and you're looking for other reasons for optimism this season. What's the number one best development for this team out of a season that has lost as far as the playoffs is concerned? It's the guy who got the ball on Sunday and Alec Manella. If he and maybe you feel the two things are tied part parcel, I actually think there's a world where Alec Manoa can come back and be awesome for this team and it doesn't change their fortunes a ton just because they've got such a leap starting pitching already. But I think if you're going to, whatever you're hoping to take out of this scenario where they don't make the playoffs, it's about future. It's about what happens. And, you know, I suppose the answer could be you get an awesome haul for somebody at the deadline and set yourself up, but no haul you get at the deadline is going to involve anything close to a peak of his powers, Alec Manoa. And I'm not calling my shot on that yet. I need to see a lot more before I'm ready to do that. But you see that guy that they saw on Sunday, if you can see that guy come back to form and he is just a part of the furniture again and he can be part of the long term plan, there's nothing again, playoffs matter more, of course. But in terms of long term development for this franchise, the only guy that has a big, big say in it. And I feel like has the room to kind of take this step as Manoa. >> Yeah, Alec Manoa is closer to the top 10 American League, Cy Young Award, vote getter Alec Manoa. You can afford to trade away, you say Kakuchi who's a pending free agent, you can afford to lose him and not resign him next season and still have a really good top four in your rotation going into 2025. That would be a great development. I think that the pitching is still gonna be the strength of this team no matter what. I think the more important thing is that, and listen, I've been banging the drum for David Schneider since he arrived and did the things that he did at Fenway Park and looking at the minor league numbers and wondering whether they would translate to the major leagues and they have. And now he's finally earned an everyday spot, whether it's out of the leadoff spot, we'll find out if George Sprager is healthy enough today to return and whether he's at the top of the lineup or it's David Schneider. But having a full season of sample of David Schneider being this would be, I mean it'd be like found money. >> Yeah. >> And you'd be, it would kind of be a leaf situation which is, oof, this is a lot of fun. >> It's good. >> Okay, stay with me. >> Okay. >> So, leaves are supposed to fall along, they were supposed to win a Stanley Cup, right? Like, and anything short of Stanley Cup is not so good. >> But you look at the core, right, like you could do worse than Austin Matthews, William Nieland or Matthew Nye's, Easton Cowan, Joe Wall, like that's, you did pretty good. >> Mm-hm. >> I mean, if the Blue Jays miss the playoffs this season, but Bo and Vlad don't look horrible. And I do think Bo is gonna look good and I think Vlad at worst is gonna be an up quote on quote above average hitter. So you got Bo and Vlad, you got Dalton Varshow, you got Davis Schneider who, okay, we're talking about, what I'm talking about is playing 150 games with an OBS in the 800s, maybe the high 800s, like 30 home run power, big walkability. And the secondary core layer to this would be like one of these guys, whether it's Addison Barger or Orelvis Martinez arriving, and then you add that to the core, you could do a lot worse in 2025 than that proof of concept offensively. I believe in Davis Schneider's ability to do so. >> Yeah. >> Obviously, Orelvis Martinez is just like a black box of unknown. >> Yep. >> I think Dalton Varshow is very capable of this because he did this in 2022 before he arrived in Toronto. I think getting a full season though of Davis Schneider showing the world that he's a very capable offensive player, that he's a part of the new core of this baseball team. Be a huge development. >> Yeah, I mean, this team, I mean, you're right to point out that, hey, for everything Minoa would give this team, it's found money in an area where they already have it. They need position players to hit to supplement this group, because again, Bo and Vlad, we understand what they are, you know, we can hope and wish for more at one of them. I don't think it's coming. You need to have guys that kind of come up and you're right. The idea of whether it's Davis Schneider or, man, maybe Orelvis Martinez really does have this, you know, prodigious power and you'll see it up at the major leagues one day. If one or two of those guys can hit, and I mean, you know, both in terms of hit at the major league level and, you know, be a hit and be a player for this team, it does kind of change the math because every offseason, until you start to see these guys hit every offseason, you're going in and looking to piece together five, six new bats to the offense. And there's just no way to live life. You just can't go out and put a team together that way in free agency, your trades every single year. You need some of those guys to hit. So yeah, I think Schneider is, I mean, like a very obvious that you would go there, but you're right to bring it up. Yeah. And I think it's, it's like, it's, it's not like dreaming on Orelvis Martinez who we have no idea, or Addison Barger, despite the fact that he is the second fastest swing on the Blue Jays, which is intriguing and I don't, I'm not like discounting his ability to be a major league player. It's just, you know, he didn't pick up enough hits when he was here. But yeah, it's different with those guys who are like pure projections, as opposed to like, David Schneider doing it at the minor league level, doing it in a 30 game sample last season, doing it in another 30 game sample this season, that's, I'll put my hand up and say, even I understand that's different than doing it for 130, 140, 150 games during the course of a regular season. I believe in his ability to do so, but seeing it happen is a different deal than believing in it. One, I think the other thing, and I, I would hope he has garnered enough goodwill or enough of a track record now, but he's a baseball player. So there's going to come the two week, three week blip where he just can't, like these things happen for even the best players in the game, and I would hope he has garnered enough goodwill with the manager now that he's not going to kind of lose his spot, get Wally Pip the little if he, because he, he is still like, I'm sorry to say this right to your face. He is still David Schneider, and there's going to be the blips here or there, because again, it's a baseball player, like failure is a massive part of the sport. Yeah, he has lots of swing and miss in his game. And I just hope that he has done enough now to have kind of firmly put himself here and not to say that he's going back to Buffalo or anything, but that Schneider doesn't start making dole eyes at, you know, somebody else, the kind of in that spot. Yeah, you would think that he'd be a little impervious to a bit of a slump, which happens to everybody. It's happened to a lot of guys on this team, and he's, he hasn't had his yet. All right, when we come back, maybe they've still making their decision as far as the next head coach is concerned, what do they want as far as the next guy's interactions with the media? Talk about that and more next as the fan morning show continues, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, Sports Net 590, the fan.
