(upbeat music) - Man, Morning Show Sports at 5.9 in the fan. - Bad honest, Brian's gunning. All right, there's very few things in life we have definitive answers on. Good morning, by the way. - Yeah, good morning. - Very few things in life we have definitive answers on, okay? - Right. - So much can be changed day to day. So much is wishy-washy. - Yeah. - So many shades of gray. - Yeah. - Here's what we know for sure. - Okay. - The blue jays are better than the Chicago white socks. - I mean-- - So you can stick that in your pipe and smoke it. - All right. - Yeah. - All right, put it on the board. Yes. - Series sweep. - Where is Hawk Harrels on God? Like listening to him call this series would be something else. - I actually was like, I did a little deep dive of Hawk, just like how to get into it of like, yeah, where is he, what's going on? And just all of the great ones I've, so I remember his, the perfect game by Mark Burley. - Do you wait a while? - Yeah. - Yeah, that's the part I remember. I don't remember him ending the eighth inning with, call your wives, call your daughters, and call your sons, get to a TV. He's pitching a perfect, like he said the words-- - Perfect game, yeah. - Before he did it, Hawk's the best. There was a moment, Todd Frazier got hurt in a game and he just went, huh. - But whoever's partner is. - Yeah. - I'm gonna go check on. - Check on Todd, and then he came back later. And guess what, Todd Frazier was hurt. The medical expert, Hawk Harrelson, was not able to fix him, was not able to use his healing powers to get him back in the game. Hawk's the best, and yes, I would have loved to have, would have loved to have heard his take on that, I guess. - It's a proud franchise, the Chicago White Sox, okay? They are World Series champions of recent vintage. - Yeah. - Some all-time players. - I always remember Aussie Geon calling for Bobby Janks by the really tall and really wide guy. - That was great. - They're off to the worst start in the history of their franchise. - Ooh. - They're 15 and 41. They have lost seven consecutive. They have a robust run differential of negative 125. - Oh, that's not. - Yeah, so I would hope you could beat the Chicago White Sox. It does still remain the only team the Blue Jays who want a series against in a month. But whatever scoreboard, they have a chance for the sweep today. I mean, you sweep today, you sweep the pirates at home, and it must be said, you have a spectacular 13-game trip through all these teams. I mean, that's four games away. - Yeah. - You can't assume anything. - No, the closest thing you can come to assuming is any game, then the result against the White Sox being a victory for your side. But yeah, it's okay. It must be said, the further away we get from losing the final three of the four-game series in Detroit, the more it feels like, all right, taking care of business or the Blue Jays against this crappy White Sox team. - Yeah, there should be a big gulf between it. Whatever I think of this Blue Jays team and whatever we've all said about the offense and the questions we have around it, there should still be a huge gulf between you and this White Sox team. You know, say what we will and what we have about Vlad and Bo and Davis Schneider. Those guys are not walking through that door and the non-pinstripe uniforms of the White Sox there. Like it is just you look at what the Blue Jays have, you're supposed to be taking care of teams like this, throw in the pitching advantage that you obviously have as well. And yeah, like I don't think anybody is sitting here making more of this than what it is, but you got to give them credit. They're beating who's in front of them. Can they continue it beyond this stretch of abhorrent teams? Jerry's still out on that, but you have to give them credit for taking care of business against these guys. - The series against the Orioles looming. - Yeah, after the Pirates series, whatever. Just that's why these wins are important because like the good teams. - Yeah, the good teams are coming up after that, but so far so good against the very bad teams. Blue Jays get themselves to four games under 500 at 25 and 29. - So, listen, I've been on the David Schneider training since the get go. - No, I don't. - Yeah. - You have, you're right. - He was on base four times yesterday. He had three RBIs. He had a couple of doubles. He had another base hit. He had an incredible slide at home plate. - It's the same plate. - Brady's slide. - What a slide. In the moment it looked like, oh, he was gun. - I thought he was done, done. - Yeah, but no, it was a great, great slide. - Anthony Bennett intended to shot put that ball to the moon. - It was weird because you watch it in real time. You're like, wow, right on the fly, good for him. It's no hop strike. - Yeah. - Efist pitch, more like it. - Yeah, it's, I mean, that's half the battle is like getting it there on the fly. I'm sure the White Sox would have preferred if it like had a couple of bounces if it was a little, you know, harder throw, a little lower to the ground. Anyways, that's not his game. Apparently hitting is not Andrew Bennett and he's getting this season either. So like, what exactly would you say you do here? Good question. - You know what he does? He plays for the White Sox. He fits right in. - Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Do you know where David Schneider sits right now in Major League Baseball in an overall sense when it comes to OPS? - I bet I mere seconds from finding out 'cause I don't know. - You are correct sir. Anyway, so his OPS is 836. His OPS plus is 139 again, 100 league average with 39% above league average again. OPS 836, that puts him 24th in all of Major League Baseball in all of Major League Baseball. He now qualifies because he's an everyday player. - Yep. - Obviously. Blue Jays do have Vlad who was doing his Vlad thing again yesterday. It seems like he's leaned fully into being the singles guy, Boba Shett with a big RBI single yesterday as well. But this feels like, I mean, the longer we go along with the David Schneider thing that they, I'm not comparing the two as far as performance. Like Jose Vauti says, the greatest find in the history of this franchise. Just like a journeyman guy who you're like, oh, is this a 25th man on a roster that can play a bunch of positions and take a walk for you, but is not even an everyday player turned into the best slugger this franchise has ever had. He was free money. - Yep. - Edwin Encarnazzio, kind of the same thing. Like they got him in trade, but they did factually DFM for a second. He was an Oakland A until they also DFA'd him in the off season. Like, so that, again, free money. - Yep. - Two of the best sluggers in the history of this franchise were just, they just fell from the sky right into their laps. David Schneider was drafted by the Blue Jays, but in the quadrillionth round. - Mm-hmm. - He is, I mean, the way he's hitting right now, again, it's a top 30 player in all of Major League Baseball. They've just fallen into having another key part of, if they're going to be a winning franchise, if they're going to be relevant over the next couple of years, half decade, that guy being at the top of this order with his on base skills and the ability to put the ball over the fence. And it must be said, like his positional versatility, like he's not winning any gold clubs in left field, they're second base. I mean, have you watched him play and thought, "Oh my God, that's untenable." - No. They haven't, they've done it again, they just fell into a guy. And I guess every franchise does it, but like to the degree that it's happened a couple of times in recent vintage for this Blue Jays team, they didn't even know what they had, obviously. Like he did initially get the call up because of the performance was overwhelming and AAA, but going into the season wasn't even assured of a job coming in a camp and then was a part time player to start the season. And all of a sudden he is in the middle of everything when it comes to anything positive when it comes to this Blue Jays team. - Yeah, and this, the player you're describing there obviously has a ceiling that's so high that it doesn't matter how many positions he can play, but especially the way this team is built where seemingly every guy on the roster is looking around going, you know, I wouldn't mind a DH day, like I'll go out there if you want, but I could get off my feet for a day, just a springer, Vlad, Turner. Okay, the last Volobaka bats the better, but you understand what I'm going with this, that a guy who can be popped in a corner out field spot, throw 'em at second, okay, third, maybe you'd like a little less, but he can handle it there. That is why there's always gonna be a home for him here that is good. Let's say the Blue Jays are able to flip the switch and it's a super quick retool on the fly. There's still always gonna be a home for Davis Schneider because of all the different ways he can kind of fit into your lineup one. This isn't the guy who needs to be a lead-off hitter, right? There's a home for this guy at other spots in the lineup. He needs to be, this team's lead-off hitter right now 'cause there's no other option, but that is another thing that I think is super encouraging. You know, you pull up the baseball savant page, it's red everywhere. The one place that's not new metric for this year is bat speed, but his bat speed hasn't declined in the time that we've seen him here. He's been able to do it with limited bat speed. So yeah, I think that this is just a perfect player for an org in this spot right now, where you need some found money, guys. He has proven to be it. And now you can continue building forward your team without having a, okay, Davis Schneider must play. Davis Schneider must play, but he doesn't have to be your lead-off man. He doesn't have to be your second baseman. There's just so many different ways you can use him. And yeah, do I expect him to be a top 30 bat in all of baseball? No, I don't. - You don't? Because I'm gonna ask by Nicholson Smith this question later on. Like, so every team in major league baseball has to have an all-star, right? - Yep. - It's an all-star. And there's no voting on pitchers. The pitchers are selected by, I think, the managers and players. Anyways, that's- - Angel Hernandez, it's gonna be the last thing to let them do. They're like, you pick, who's a Blue Jays all-star right now? Like, isn't it him? - No, you know who it is. - What, it's Vlad? - It's Vlad. It's the name recognition fact. Like, do you want me to live in the world of meritocracy and just the absolute greatest player who gets named to the all-star gamer? Do you want me to live in a real world where Vlad, hitting like this with a month he's had and everybody dying to fall over himself in baseball? - Yeah. - I mean, you're not, like, I'm not sitting here and telling you David Schneider. - But neither of them is gonna be voted in as a starter, right? Like, that's the thing. It's going to be the selection by, again, okay. - I'd have to go to- - No, no, no, but then go talk to every person we talk to in baseball that is not, like, every person that does not watch 162 Blue Jays games a year that you talk to about this team, they will talk to you about the great story that David Schneider is, but then they're gonna still talk about Vlad. Like, he's just sitting there waiting to go into Cooperstown one day still. Like, it is just, like, the perception of the player has not changed in such regard. I'm not telling you you're wrong. You're banging the table and making the case for David Schneider. I am telling you you're wrong. If you're saying it's not gonna be Vlad over him, if Vlad continues anything close to this. - Okay, well, let's, I mean, I'll ask it this way then. - Okay. - Who's having the better season? - Oh, David Schneider. - Yeah, despite the fact that that Vlad is having a good season. Like, he's, you know? If all he is is a singles hitter, like, if we've just made our piece with that and I'm getting closer to that point, then yeah, he's having a fine season, but David, like, there's just no metric that's gonna tell you that Vlad is having a better season than David Schneider. - Nope. - War, he's got him beat, OPS, he's got him beat. Obviously, power numbers, he's got him beat, and like, there's no positional advantage that Vlad has. He plays the lesser position defensively. So yeah, I mean, I guess it's not everything, but the way he's playing right now, he's playing like an all-star. He salvaged the Blue Jays lead-off spot, and it must be, we gotta give Kudos to George Springer, who was what, on base five times yesterday, including three walks. That's all well and good. It's, you don't wanna be the, as much as I did want him removed from the lead-off spot, you can't be wishy-washy with these things. It can't be just like, oh, well, you had a couple of good games, and now back to the top of the order right now. I think you go with what's rolling right now. - Four-hour leader. - And a big part of the reason for the Blue Jays success when they've had it, is that guy at the top of the order setting the table for everybody else. - Yeah, it's been David Schneider. He's been the best hitter on the team, and I think that you're right to bring up Springer, 'cause that is my concern there. It all depends on how they felt the move, or why they felt they were making the move in the first place. If they were putting David Schneider in lead-off, because that is the best thing for the Blue Jays, then yeah, there's no real world where they even think about changing it for one second. But if they put George Springer in the seven-spot, because of the same reasons they put Boba Shed in the seven-spot, solely to get that guy going, then I do worry about that. I do worry about the clout he has within the clubhouse, and the respect he has of manager John Schneider, sorry, the way Schneider feels about him, I would be concerned that they're going to be quick to pop him back up if this continues. It's the wrong move to make, but given the way this team has handled George Springer, and I don't think it's been like a grievous mistake, but it has been holding on to him in spots of importance too long, why would they not be quick to go back to it? I disagree with it. I think it's the wrong move. You ride this thing out so long as it's working, but I don't know, can you not easily see a world where they look at Springer and go, "Ah, perfect. "He's back, it's wrong, but I can see it." I mean, they went through all the consternation, all the hand-ranging, all the hard conversations with George Springer just to flip flop a week later. I don't know, I think, yeah, yeah. You almost want to feel like it was worth something. I'm having all that internal discord, which obviously existed because it took forever for him to be lifted from the lead-off spot. Just ask anyone. You know who's tied with the David Schneider for third on the team in war? Isaiah Kiner-Folefa. Wow. (laughs) Man, do with that what you will. Yeah, it's true. There's like a damning with faint praise thing, and he's been, you know, a pretty good defender, and he's got positional flexibility, which does play into war as well. But like, he's also providing this team offense. He might have hit a homerun in Detroit. Yeah, like we saw the swing. We didn't see the ball go over the offense. Dan would never lie to us, but I've never seen it either, yeah. It's amazing, like, so some of the thoughts we have about this team now are gonna be so stupid and irrelevant by the end of September. Some of the thoughts we had in April are already stupid and irrelevant. Remember, like Justin Turner, Mr. Professional Baseball hitter? Just exactly what this team needed. Everybody watched Justin Turner what he does when there's a runner in scoring position. Now, it turns out he's a calcified statue who yesterday took some swings that look like a person that's like on his last legs. That needs to be taken behind the woodshed and sent to Old Yellerville. >> Okay. >> And then Isaiah Kiner-Folefa, who I mean, was a very curious signing to begin with than giving him more than one year and, you know, looking at a track record offensively and saying, okay, he plays some defense. Lots of guys can play some defense. He provide anything offensively for a team that clearly needs offense. And he would reply, well, for the first couple of months, the answer is yes. >> Yeah, he's been hitting. It's remarkable to see. I, it's kind of scary how high he is on the pecking order of Jay's hitters you feel confident in. Like, when you look at the guys that are available on this team, he's kind of the one who's, or one of the ones who has come through. Like, yeah, it hasn't been what David Schneider has done or Janssen or even Bo were Vlad, but I don't know, like beyond that, it's kind of him. The idea of a found money free agent for this offseason when they didn't do much of anything and we were looking so squarely at it, you have to look at it as a bit of a positive. You got to give them credit where credits do, but this is also, this is a guy who looks great given what's around him, right? If the offense was anything close to, forget what we expected it to be, but like what we had hoped it to be built out to, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about the good story that is IKF. I'm not, I'm not knocking him for that, but it is just he is a, well, not a victim. Like he is a benefactor of the circumstances surrounding him that he looks, he looks 10 feet tall next to a whole bunch of shortcuts. Sorry, David Schneider. - Yeah, no, he's that no worse. Yeah, that like, it feels like the fifth best hit. I don't know. It depends on what you think of Dalton Varshow and the season he's having who can run into one, but yeah. No, certainly like not the offensive black hole that I expected him to be. - Not the worst considering, you know, his entire track record as of everything we've ever seen. - Other than that though. - Yeah, Kudos to Kevin Gossman, who puts together yet another quality start, got the ERA closer to four at four, one, four after his six innings, given up one run, only the three strikeouts. But yeah, the process is there. Boy, this bullpen looks a lot different with Chad Green, which brings us to honestly the story of the day in Blue Jays Land. The Chad Green is activated. And among the potential candidates to be removed from this roster upon his re-elevation to Major League Baseball. I mentioned it on yesterday's show that like, if we're going on meritocracy, it would be Eric Swanson, but I had to believe considering, well, one, the trade equity that went into acquiring Eric Swanson, and two, the performance that we've seen from him, as recent as last season, and his performance beyond what he did with the Blue Jays, like, well, Seattle before that. Like, this guy's been a really good Major League reliever. He has a track record that I did not think he'd be the guy showing the door. And I gotta say, at every turn, where the Blue Jays, a couple of weeks ago, three weeks ago, we're not making moves. I didn't think in the best interest of winning baseball games. There were other things on their mind that was like making sure George Springer was happy, Matt and Sassy, and enjoying himself. And yeah, they were keeping Eric Swanson in leverage, because, well, we can squint and see, and our first version of ourselves, is him being the guy he was a season ago. Things have changed significantly, and there's no greater indication of that than the guy they traded for the now Dodgers cleanup hitter, waving goodbye to him for Chad Green, when you have, even outside of Eric Swanson, statistically one of the worst bullpen in baseball. Like, I would have disagreed with Nate Pearson being sent down. I would have disagreed with Yannes' Cabrera being jettisoned, but I could see it because those guys are not otherworldly. I would have disagreed with Zach Pop being sent down, but it's not like he's been overwhelmingly good. Eric Swanson has been overwhelmingly bad. He's the right decision to be sent down, but it's heartening, honestly, and no offense to Eric Swanson, who's been through some horrible stuff this season. But it is heartening to me that a decision was made on him that was just baseball-related, just in the interest of winning a baseball game today. - You've been clamoring for it all year long, meritocracy, meritocracy, meritocracy, let performance dictate who is on the club, let performance dictate what role they take in the club. And Swanson's role has been, or should have been, quite honestly, non-existent this year. You mentioned the personal tragedy that happened in spring training, it's entirely possible. The guy just never gets off to the right foot. You try to let him reset now. The other thing is with Swanson, and I don't know, maybe some of this is like the Kevin Gossman of it all burned my brain, that when a guy who throws a splitter and it just ain't splitting, there's just not much you're gonna get out of that guy. And that's kind of what's been happening with Swanson this year. You know, I am, relievers are weird. I am not remotely throwing away the possibility that he goes away and comes back at a different point. And you've got something approaching what Eric Swanson's been in this league. But right now, you had to, had to make the move. It's what we've been complaining about with the offense all year long is the guys are in spots because of their name or what happened two seasons ago on a baseball reference page. You need to have guys who are performing now in roles. It's what we've talked about with the bullpen in terms of slotting guys in. Man, like we've had conversations about should Romano be closing necessarily. It's like your mileage on that conversation may vary. But if we're gonna have that conversation and Jordan Romano has been as locked in as a closer as anything has been locked in on this team that yeah, you can wait bye bye for a week or two weeks or who knows how long to Eric Swanson. And you're right, like that is the right way to look at it that this is clearly a team that understands the last standing nature. I know we've been through this million times the million different teams in this market, but this really does feel like it for at the very least this front office. So you have to go out with your best moves. You said it. Hey, relievers are, you know, wishy washy and you know, who knows performance can change on the dime and one season to the next. You never know what you're gonna get. That's why you don't trade for them. Unless they're Marianne Rivera, unless they are automatic lockdown. Oh my God. Now you got the best reliever in the sport. That guy's untouchable. And unless he gets hurt. And I don't know those like the list of those guys. I mean, like I'm sure the Mets thought it was Edwin Diaz and for a moment there, okay. If the trumpets out, yeah. Sure, but okay. No, those guys are few and far between if they exist at all. Then the guys who do do it, it's like they just explode, right? Like Bautista felt as untouchable as anybody and. Yeah, his arm fell. Duran, even Duran. Duran, yeah. And Felix Bautista, he was a guy that they found out the scrap heaps, same with the junior canola. Like sometimes these guys just emerge instead of spending again, the guy who's now hitting in the middle of the best lineup in baseball, maybe in the middle of the best lineup in baseball history. It's like in the conversation, what's happening in LA. And I understand he's been a free agent since then. So it's okay. Well, you can't talk about Eric Swanson's performance. Today compared to Teoska Hernandez today. Yeah, you can. Okay, but even Eric Swanson, as good as he was last year, like give me the guy that hits home runs for the team that did not hit a home run. Like a ballpark figure, the blue just hit no home runs last year. It's, yeah, and Eric Swanson could figure it out in Triple A, can he return to some reasonable facsimile of what he was in 2023? Sure. So what? So freaking what? Like he's a middle reliever now. Okay. He's clearly not the setup man. Well, and even when Garcia is the setup man, and even when he was at his best, it's like, look at how easily Seattle was able to just replicate whatever else was going on. It's like, bring me a Munoz, bring me a bush. Like the ability for other orgs to find those guys. And, you know, it's one thing too. I am very on board for the, in the middle of the season, like, God, don't, don't call him Aaron Hicks. And Jordan Hicks, when they trade it for Jordan Hicks, it's like, yes, bring me the fireball or in the middle of the year. Go get me the reliever when you can see who they are in this calendar year because there is no understanding or belief that that will continue for anyone other than the top 1% of relievers in this sport. So yeah, just the idea. That was a trade not made to get Eric Swanson. That was a trade made to, yes, get Eric Swanson, but to change culture and to move on. We all know, and free up all the money that they went out and spent on like the other. Oh, wait, no, I never really know. That was, man, in the moment, it's amazing how our perception of this front office has changed. In the moment, I think we all said, okay, well, this one's a little bit of a head scratcher, but we got-- - Let's see the other move. - Let's see the other move. - Come on. Okay, all right, in a vacuum trading for a prospect who has Canadian ties, and that's cool. And like, Eric Swanson's good, but like, why didn't the Mariners use him in leverage when they had him? - That's fine. - For a guy that, okay, has his warts, but he does the best offensive thing you can do in the sport, which is put ball over fence. And I guess he had too much fun. You didn't want to change the culture, but let's wait, let's wait a second until we see the other move and none came. - Nothing. - So yeah, it's hard not to-- - Pretty tough. - We have viewed that trade. I mean, in the light that it should have been viewed at, and many people did, I must admit, I was the guy that was like, okay, on its own it doesn't make any sense, but like, the next move is gonna make sense, and it just never came. - I know this isn't the conversation we're having here, but that is, oh, I'm trying to think, is it back-to-back or two of three off seasons in a row? 'Cause it's like, you have that, and it's like, well, the other move's gonna come, and it never came. And it's like, oh, Tani. And it's like, well, they're gonna do something else. That wasn't us, though. That was like, people. - Yeah. - And it didn't happen, so I don't know. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, apparently, shame on me again. I will not get full of the third time. I will not. - Good for you. - I probably will, just being honest. - Just view the moves as they come, instead of like the next step of the move. - Quit playing nine-dimensional chess with the Blue Jays off-season. How about just check this? Honestly, maybe that's how I should start looking at it. - It does feel like Chad Green, though, was a huge cog to what this pull pen is amazing for a guy with an arm stitched back onto his body. He's apparently worn a Blue Jays uniform for all of eight minutes in his life, but he is, I feel the exact same way that it's like, all right, Chad Green is back. Everything slots in according to plan, now. - Yeah, so I do think Jordan Romano is still the closer, and your mileage may vary on how confident you are when he steps through the bullpen gates in a safe situation. But it must be said, in a safe situation, 'cause he's usually pretty good to tie game, not a safe situation. I'm sorry, he only has one blown save this season. Obviously Jimmy Garcia won bad outing, quote unquote, where he gives up a bloop with two outs, and then a base hit that ends up tying the game against the Tigers does not mean that he's all of a sudden foul, but no, he's great. That's two, again, mileage may vary on Jordan Romano. You got Zack Pop emerging, I think, 'cause the Mr. Groundball specialist, like he needed double play, like he's not a perfect reliever. Tim Maysa, again, against lefties, you feel pretty good about, I don't know, about the righties thing. But like, Chad Green throwing him into the mix, as like, okay, your seventh inning guy, Jimmy Garcia, your eighth, and Jordan Romano, your ninth. Now, man, now it all makes sense, because all these starters seem to go six. You know, you can pencil just about every single one of these guys, it's a rarity when you don't get a quality start out of what the Blue Jays have put forth from the rotation. If you can get six, now all of a sudden, 789 all make sense. It all fits into place, and there was a massive hole in the seventh inning without Chad Green. - Well, and I don't want to make this about Zack Pop, but I'm going to. - It's that having him there, as he's actually the perfect guy for that other option, because let's use God'smen, okay. So he gets into a jam, but it's the eighth hitter coming up, and there's a man on first, man, there's a man on first and second. You feel if it's a guy in the bottom third of the order, you feel pretty good about, okay, Zack Pop, like get us a ground ball, get us out of this jam. If it's higher up in the order, then, okay, you go to Chad Green, and then you can start Pop with the clean inning, if that's the way you want to do it, if Green only needs one batter, he can go a little more than one inning there. Like, it does really kind of suit yourself up. The thing with Romano is, and I'm with you, like, I think so long as he's your closer, you should feel comfortable about him, but it's that if it ever becomes a conversation, I don't know what they have in that guy if he is not locking down ball games. And it is just such an odd place to be, because most closers, it's like, oh, you'd in theory feel even better about them in a less tight spot, one that doesn't matter as much, but for whatever reason, he just, it has to be as hard as humanly possible. Like, I'd say this all the time to you about the guy who comes in here after us JD, it's like, he's great at his job, but he's truly great when he gets in a screaming match with us or somebody before. He, like, needs the agitation to do the job well. It's Jordan Romano, the exact same thing. It's like, oh, what? No man on a two run, that's easy. He needs a little agitation, needs it to be a little tight. He needs to be stalking around the bullpen as well. Like, it's hilarious every time, you know, Dan and Barker, Dan and Joe are like, "Oh, there's Jordan Romano walking around." He's always walking around. It is the take that I finally had to just let go of, but like, can you imagine, and I'm a guy who, like, could be told to chill out and stop pacing around every once in a while, but it's like, can you imagine the energy it must take to have yourself worked up in a lather, the guy's like, looks like he's drinking a espresso, a red bull or whatever, he's drinking out there, and then he's got, he's just pacing around like a lunatic from, it's like, there's a man on in the third inning, and he's like, pom in the ball, getting it ready, raw. It's like, Jordan, go take, go, honestly, go read a book. Go to Kakuchi, ask him if he's got some good, little short story, give you an hour, and you're out. They gotta find a way, 'cause it is, like, obviously, it works for him, whatever it is, but it is among my favorite visuals of, like, Blue Jays' Bagel of Jordan Romano walking around like a crazy person in the fourth inning of a ball game that he is not gonna come in two for hours. Looks like a guy who's like, hours from having his last dart, and like, hours away from having his next dart. - Next one. (laughing) - Which, maybe, the reality, there. - Maybe, those cross-country flights must be very difficult for Jordan Romano. - Anyways, can we crack a window? - It doesn't work that way. - After reuniting for the first time in 14 years, Jane's addiction, along with love and rockets, are going on tour to celebrate. We're giving away tickets to their September 18th show at Budweiser's stage to enter. All you do is tune in to the Fan Morning Show, listen to the code word. Then you text that code word to 59590. Today's code word is Jane's addiction. Text Jane's addiction to 59590 right now for your chance to win. Give it away another pair of tickets tomorrow, but if you don't win with us, make sure to secure your tickets on Friday, 10 a.m. Eastern, on Ticketmaster.ca. When we come back, Panthers finally rewarded for being the better team in a game against the New York Rangers. There's only so much Igor Shisturkin can do, and the Wolves stay alive. Are they gonna be the first team in NBA history to come back from 3-0 down? That and Morning X as the Fan Morning Show continues, Ben Anis, Brent County Sportsnet 590, the fan. (upbeat music) - Hey, it's Aelis for a fire. - And I'm Justin Kussrich. - 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, 6 p.m. weekdays on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590, the fan, and wherever you get your podcasts. (upbeat music) - Fan Morning Show Sportsnet 590, the fan, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, so I'm doing a lot of ball parking figures today, here's a ballpark figure. - Okay. - Through four games of the Eastern Conference final in the NHL, the Panthers are out-chancing the Rangers seven quadrillion to five. - I was gonna go cajillion, but yeah, I like it. - Quadrillion sounds more than, what did you say? - Cut, cajillion. - Cajillion. - Cajillion. - K-A-J-illion. - Are either of those real numbers? - Mine sounded bigger though. - I don't, I disagree, actually. I think cajillion sounds more made up, and then once you get into the absurd, then theater of the mine just takes over and drags you into a place. - I'm not gonna fight you on it. - Anyways. - We'll save that for when Adnan comes on, and I tell you all that Adnan did your friend and killed his wife again. - Oh boy. - Just save that fight for them. - Can't wait. - I took to Reddit to get some help from my people as well. - Really? - Yeah. - I got some stuff for you. - Okay, don't spoil it. - Yeah, I'm very interested to hear that nonsensical argument. - Anyways, so yeah, Panthers have just like, on balance been the better team, but who cares? 'Cause it's hockey, and the goaltender is an important position in the sport. - Yep. - And as good as Sergey Babrowski has been at times like Igor Shisturkin, younger, better. - Yes. - And has been, and the Rangers had been unbeaten in overtime until they weren't losing a 3-2 in Sunrise Florida yesterday. Alexander Barkov taken down by Blake Wheeler in the overtime session. - I haven't seen a guy that upset in a penalty box since Mitch Marner against Montreal. Now it looks very different, 'cause like Mitch Marner looks like no offense, like he did like no facial hair, looks a little like a child at that point in time, like the welling up in his eyes, and like Blake Wheeler looked like he was about to be like put down under an overpass or something, like the mangy hair is not looking good for our man Blake Wheeler in the box there. He did not seem to enjoy himself. - Yeah, returning to the lineup for the Rangers and not a great return. - Anyways, before we get to anything further, I mean, Paul Murray's was ass afterwards, hey, like, that should have been a penalty shot, right? And he's like, yeah, I don't know if it was, like if we had our choice, what would we take? Like our power play's been so good. This is the strength of our team on. You know what I'd like? Or we need to have the choice. This seems like such an obvious rule change. It's not gonna be, you know, it's not gonna impact many games, obviously. There's not a thousand penalty shots over the course of an 82 game regular season or under the postseason, but doesn't seem like such an obvious change that should be made. Like the most obvious scenario where you would take the two minutes over the penalty shot, and that should have been a penalty shot. Like, I think pretty clearly when you're in a loan, you get slashed, like, no argument. Why do we have penalty shots? If not for that exact purpose. I mean, the breakaway wasn't super long, but it still like passed the defense. But now the clear utilization of the two minute power play over the penalty shot would be at the end of regulation when you're up a goal. Bleed it out, yeah. Or like, are you set or bleed the clock? Yeah. The idea that you can't do that is stupid. Why, this isn't like, who's against that? Me. I'm gonna put my hand up for now. But you're an idiot. No, no, here's the thing though. It's like, what are you asking me for? Is it for what is like better for the sport in terms of like, what's fair? Sure, that's a great idea. I like that. Do you know what's fair? Hold on, hold on, hold on, imagine whistle blows. And then buddy, Eric Ferlatt burned to my brain forever is an NHL ref for calling that pick play on Justin Hall. Eric Ferlatt points to center ice, penalty shot. And Maurice like, I don't know, presses the coach's buzzer or whatever is the thing he does. He just says, hey, no one's doing minutes. And then it's like, no penalty shot. Like, imagine taking that moment away from a game. It's like I'm having flashbacks to the great cinematic film, Adam Sandler, Big Daddy. It's a penalty shot in the overtime in playoffs. Happens once in a thousand years. It's like, you can't take away that moment. If it should have been a penalty, I'm with you normally. I mean, I'm the guy who had the great idea that the Leafs should just be able to bank power plays. Like they get no power plays. They get to take penalties of there. It's like, that didn't actually happen. We're just gonna keep playing five on five. I love the idea of letting teams have more choice. But if that's supposed to be a penalty shot in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Eastern Conference final, point to center ice and tell Paul Maurice to shove it. And I'm not saying that, like, you think for the electricity of that moment to take, it's like, what's more fair? Sure, it's not fair that Igor Schusterkens involved in all this and he's just gonna steal this series. It looks like a time. So normally I am wholly on board with you, but I cannot live in a world where that should have been a penalty shot last night. And then it's like, well, the Panthers have decided to go to a power play low that low that low that you're right. It's the correct thing to do. It's more fair for the sport. It is more punitive for the team that committed the penalty because of all those reasons, it makes sense. But if I don't get to see the point to center ice, big X above the head, what a moment. You're gonna take that away from me. But what I'm gonna hand to you is incredible discourse. Can you imagine that he does defer? And then they don't score. And they don't score and it's like your best player, Alexander Barkov, with a chance to win the game on a breakaway, you deprived him of that opportunity? Come on, think of the takes. Okay, discourse would be good. How can you, how can you just brush off the potential takes of that situation? You're right, like penalty shot in overtime and a playoff game is spectacular. But imagine somebody having the guts to say, yeah, thanks, but no thanks. We'll take our chances five on four for two minutes. It would be, the discourse would be good. I still, I just still think I like the moment better. I am, maybe I'm just an old soul at heart. I like to still watch the games, not just talk about them, like all you kids out there, that it's like discourse, discourse. Give me a moment in time, I want it. Like you're, you make a great point. The discourse would be incredible. I could not sit here and tell you, I wouldn't slosh around in the discourse pit, loving every second of it, bathe in it. Just drink it in, loving every second of it. But I need that moment. If it exists and there's any way it's ever taken away from me, can't have it. Well, I suppose the other thing could, now do I get the other one? Like if a team commits a penalty, but it's not, it's like, can they, can they have a penalty shot instead? There's the only go one way. I think you don't get to choose. You don't get anything advantageous if you're the team taking the penalty. No, no, no, but I'm saying, like, okay, it's beliefs. They're atrocious, they're, they're God awful power play. And it's a holy standard hook, God Austin Matthews in the corner. It's like, does the Leafs get the, even though there's no world where this is a penalty shot, it's like you could just convert any penalty into a penalty shot. Are you like, 'cause I don't want that either. They have to remain special. We can't just be giving them out like candy, but if we're just, I mean, I feel like, we have to have to leave the inverse. You would, would change every power play into a penalty shot. Yeah, sorry, Nick Robertson, like, UC Yolkenin would have your roster spot new, but just be the shootout specialist. No, we're not doing that. Okay, all right, I just ate. It's your world, I'm just trying to understand that's too much. Changing the fabric of the game. Agreed, agreed. Because power plays are important. Special teams are important. Both of these teams, the Rangers and the Panthers have good ones. The guy that scored the eventual game winner, scored 27 power play goals during the regular season, 27 of his 57 on the man advantage. And boy, like Sam Reinhardt is also available in free agency. So if you believe he is this guy. Yeah, that's not happening. No, but like, if there was a guy that his one thing was, and it's not, he doesn't exist in a vacuum, right? Like it's not like, oh, Alexander Ovechkin with the one timer, you know, on the power play. That's like, you don't need anybody else around. You just throw him in with anybody and it's to the back of the net. And all of a sudden, your low sum power play turns into one of the best ones. I don't think it quite works that way. But if this theoretical person existed, I mean, that would be the number one area to target for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason, wouldn't it? Two things on that. They just live with me in a world where the Leafs tell Mitch Barnard, like, hey Mitch, look, it's just not working. You got to wave here in no move. We can't be spending this much money on forwards. Sam Reinhardt, 11 million dollars. Dang, I would like to see camera on that guy when that happened. The other thing is that, yeah, and I'm not blind to the reality that yes, in the time that this Leafs team has been together, they have scored a power play goal that looks like that. But they never score power play goals that look like that. The quick pass into the bump. Like, that was when Tavares was scoring all the power play goals. That's where they all were coming from. That's where the martyr point, well, you're low, look at the martyr point. They're all looking at it. And that is the, that gave me such flashbacks to Tampa. I've seen Brayden Point score that exact same goal 10 billion times. And this is not a goal line. And then back and front. This is not, and this is not a problem with the Leafs. It's just like, those two teams specifically in Florida and Tampa, I have seen them terrorize the Atlantic. With that exact little power play set up. And I know it was a little different in that it was kind of a broken play last night. But why can't, like, no one can pass a puck to John Tavares in that spot or Austin Matthews, apparently. The only Sam Ryan Hart and Brayden Point are allowed to occupy that spot on the ice. It is infuriating every single time I see it there. And those two guys specifically like, why? Why is it so hard? Why is it so hard? It makes no sense. It doesn't. It doesn't. Really, Mark Sivar, it's going to change it all, though. Don't you worry. What's the hold up on, like, waiting to announce that? Like, are they waiting for, like, a day off for both teams and the Stanley Cup playoffs? Maybe Katie, an open week. Savvy's busy. Yeah. So does he have some business? Yeah, he doesn't want the perception of being on the golf course while he's employed by the tournament. And he's just like, let me get a couple of August rounds. One ounce of August. I don't know. But that's obviously coming. The team will stay alive with the win in Dallas. Quickly, very good to team. It will be tough for, if it's not savvy, for just, like, Hockeyman X. It's like, oh, this is Bill Stevenson. He's coached X, Y, and Z. He's going to be running. It'd be pretty tough if it's not savvy at this point in time. I think mostly because he tore up his contract with the Calgary Flames. They don't have a job right now. Yeah, he's happening. [LAUGHTER] Yeah, I think Mark Sivar, while he's made many millions of dollars throughout the course of his playing career, wants to have, like, his hockey career continues-- Like, to be gamefully employed, generally speaking. Yeah, and the idea of him just walking away from a job where he has a guaranteed contract to float in the ether? Probably not. No, I know he loves golf, but even that's all right. Yeah, and that's he is making a real goal of it to try and gear himself up to make the senior tour, whatever champions tour, whatever the call on it these days. I do think there should be, like, they have, like, the schools for, like, college guys to get their PJ Tour cards quickly. I would like a world where all retired athletes can very quickly get a-- Dude, you're a golf sickle. But, like, what would you watch more? Like, the Champions Tour or, like, the retired half of the tour? Yes, no, that's the thing. It's like, the Champions Tour should just be a bunch-- like, half of it should be made up of John Schmoltz, Mark Sivar, every baseball broadcaster in whatever city they're in, put them in the tournament for three days, 1,000% would watch that. Yeah, I would, too. I would certainly watch it more than the Champions Tour, because I don't watch the Champions Tour at all. No offense to Stephen Amps, picked up a win there. OK, way to go. Canadian. Yeah, all right. Congratulations. Also, congratulations to the Minnesota Timberwolves who get themselves off the mat. Man, this series has been great. Like, every game has been dramatic back and forth. Like, lots of superstars, a lot of narratives. Like, Carl Anthony Townshe's an absolute train wreck at the end of Game 3. And then, you know, the guy that's a 40% career shooter from 3, going 4 to 5 from beyond the arc and trying some huge ones down the stretch. After Rudy Gobeir missed a pair of free throws, after Luca Doncic had a chance-- The 4-point play. --to good. When it seemed like the game was all over, converted on a 4-point play that he misses the free throw. Like, this series has been great. And obviously, the Timberwolves had a great regular season, but I think most people expected them to be not cannon fodder, but not ready for prime time when we get to the postseason. And then, even after they take the 2-0 series lead on the road against the Nuggets, Nuggets winning three straight and going to game seven. People mostly giving them no chance, and they blow them out. Like, it's just mind boggling. So it hasn't happened in the NBA. A team coming back from down 3-0. God, it really did feel like last year, the Celtics against the Heat was the most obvious way that was going to happen is that the Celtics had a home game, Stefan, after being down 3-0. But they couldn't convert there. So it's not-- the opportunity is not as great as the Celtics had a season ago. But how do you evaluate the Timberwolves' chances of being the first team to do it after picking up the win in Dallas, heading back to Minnesota? Big old 0. You're not beating Luca in prime time 4-straight games. It's just not happening. You see how hard that is. The Mavs didn't have it last night, quite frankly. And they were still right there. If you are able to beat Luca in Kregstein, the next best closer in the game, sorry, Anthony Edwards, is right there in Kyrie Irving. I'm giving him a 0% chance. Now, what do I want? Oh, my God, what I would give for a Kyrie team to start imploding a little bit. And like, I don't think that would send him off the deep end or we'd be all the way back to like 2018 Kyrie. But I'd like to see. Maybe we get closer to it. I don't think it's happening, though. I think those two guys specifically are just so locked in. We talked about it with Chuck yesterday, the idea of the role players, what they're able to give you on that team. It's too impossible. The beta guy as good as Luca is four straight times. So it ain't happening, it ain't happening. I agree, but Anthony Edwards had a long two yesterday at the end of regulation and didn't go to overtime. So at the end of the game, at the end of the shot clock where I was like, what offensive set are you running here? Where it was like they didn't get into anything until they were playing. Five seconds left on the shot clock. I was like, oh, you're not going to make that shot with the defender draped all over you, and he did. He is. And he is capable of that. But in this series, he's been kind of absent in crunch time. Like, that's been the issue for this Timberwolves team. It's just they've had late fourth quarter leads and they've all just disappeared because they can't find offense in the last five minutes of these games where the Mavericks can. Like, if that's starting to change, and specifically with Anthony Edwards, and yeah, if Carl Anthony Towns isn't going to just go away and hide, and like he's back to being a capable scorer, not like the guy again. We saw at the end of game three where his head coach was like, I fell mad for him. Like, yeah, I don't think it's likely, obviously, he's never likely to come back from three out down. But men, who would ever thought that the Timberwolves, again, despite their great regular season, would knock off the champs in the way that they did, going up to nothing. - This is the thing. It's like so much of that was Anthony Edwards being a singular force. And, you know, I'm not like, this isn't me sitting here. - And the matchup game, like the two bigs against the team that thrives with their big. - Well, and it's like so much of the big to big passing. Like, how many, how many oops has, as Yoakich throwing Gordon over the past two years, and it's like having a guy like Go Bear in Towns that could just kind of break that up. But then also, and again, I don't say this is a knock on Yoakich, but it's like having the biggest alpha in the series. Like, I think it mattered in a way for the Timberwolves. And I don't say this is a knock on Anthony Edwards. I don't know that they have it. It's like, there's the kid, Luca Dodge, and she's had a Bengal Tiger tatted on his arms. She was 16 years old, playing against men in Eurobasket. It's like, he ain't afraid. I'm not saying Anthony Edwards is either, but it is not the clear advantage that they had in that regard in the last series either. - You got a tattoo at 16 years old? - Yeah. 16 years old, he's playing over in like the Eurobasket. He's got this like, this Bengal Tiger, like tattoo on his arm, 'cause he's like, got the eye of it or something, I forget. I remember it was all part of like the draft profile reading the story about him. - That's not even good parenting. - Yeah, you can't allow your 16 year old to get a giant tattoo on his arm. - I'm going the other way. Luca Dodge's parents, great job by you. No tattoos for my kid, but I don't know. If he wants to be doing that at 25 in the NBA, I think I would have done a few things right. - I'm not gonna disparage his mom. - No. - Sure. - Yeah, I don't need your 16 year old get a tattoo. In my opinion, but it's like, if the 16 year old is making like 500 grand a week or whatever, I guess he's like, who's the adult now? Who's in charge? - I'm the captain. I'm the dad and I'm getting this tattoo. - Yeah, I don't know. - It looks great. It doesn't look like he got it in like a prison yard or something. - Yeah, look, his mom's in charge. - Okay. - When we come back, Justin Turner did get the base hit the other way. But boy, he's looking a lot like a 39 year old with the slowest bat major league baseball. And it also kind of coincided with these publicly available swing speed metrics coming to light. Is there a correlation? That and more next is the fan morning show continues. Ben Ann Esprentke on ExpressF590, the fan.
