Indoor Stars

What's the state of the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers post-All-Star break? Get the inside scoop on how the Cubs plan to build on their strong finish and why the Dodgers might be shaking up their roster. We're also diving into trade rumors, strategic planning for October, and the potential impact on the teams' futures. From promising young talent to seasoned veterans, we've got all the latest updates you need.

Ever heard of a 44-year-old state representative pitching a winning game? Meet JD Scholten, who went from a park event to the pitcher's mound for the Sioux City Explorers, leading them to an 11-2 victory. His journey back to baseball is nothing short of inspiring, and we'll break down the mental and physical preparations that made this comeback possible. Plus, we'll take a look at the quirks and charm of Independent Baseball, featuring stories like Pablo Sandoval's time with the Staten Island Ferryhawks and some tasty new ballpark treats.

We're celebrating the highlights and heartwarming moments from the Home Run Derby, including Tay Oscar Hernandez's win and possible contract extension with the Dodgers. Highlighting emerging talents like Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunner Henderson, we explore the youth movement in MLB and the emotional significance of first-time All-Star appearances. From unique attire to mental health advocacy, this episode blends baseball insight with passion and support for the community. Join us for a lively, heartfelt conversation that goes beyond the game.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:20

Hello everyone, welcome inside Three Crow Studios. Beautiful Morristown, tennessee. We got another nice summer day. The heat has calmed down a little bit for us here, which is very nice. This is two guys talking baseball. As always, I'm Dallas Danger, joined by my best friend and colleague, brian Logan. Brian, how's it going over there, man? Oh, it was a great week for baseball this week.

Speaker 2: 0:41

It really was, it was. We took a little rest and got a little excitement. Super baseball this week. It really was, it was, we took a little rest and got a little excitement.

Speaker 1: 0:45

Yeah, absolutely, the all-star break has been good to us and we're going to talk all about that later, as well as some other cool stuff that's going around the world of baseball. But yeah, the stars were out indoors. I guess it was too hot to have the roof open, but we had some stars indoors and that was a wonderful time. But we'll get to that later. Brian, we're coming out of the All-Star break. As we're recording, tonight are the first games after the All-Star break. How are you feeling about the Cubs now that you've had some time away from seeing them play every day?

Speaker 2: 1:18

Well, I think they ended the first half strongly. The pitching didn't look bad, the offense was scoring some runs. Uh, they play, and they played some good teams. It wasn't like, oh, they, they played the basement teams, you know, they played the orioles and they, they did pretty good right yeah so I'm feeling a lot better and I'm hoping that they took this rest period to to actually rest and build upon what they had already started coming going into the All-Star break.

Speaker 1: 1:46

Yeah, and I think that's the key for this Cubs team is, you know, the bullpen is kind of what it's going to be. That's not really something that gets addressed at a trade deadline just because nobody wants to give up any sort of equity, whether it be prospects or major league players for bullpen help, um.

Speaker 1: 2:07

But if those strong starting pitchers can go deep into games and the offense can score some runs, they got a shot to win ball games and they looked very good against baltimore, which I think was a little surprising, yeah, very surprising to me for them to go to baltimore and, yeah, you know, get what they got out of that series. So yeah, I mean, I think there's reason to feel good about the Cubs coming out of the break, for sure.

Speaker 2: 2:31

Yeah, I mean they're doing what they should have been doing all along Now. Granted, it was for a short period of time, but I will take it. I will definitely take it because them just doing what they're supposed to do is a miracle in itself. Um, and there hasn't been a lot of trade rumors in either. There's been more buying rumors and I like hearing that because I like the team. We just need to play better yeah, yeah, I don't.

Speaker 1: 2:57

I don't look at the cubs as a big player one way or the other. I'd be surprised if they made a big pickup. I'd be surprised if they let anybody go. I think they might just be riding it out with, you know, maybe one or two little under-the-radar type deals, you know, shape some things up, but I think for the most part this is what you got with the Chicago Cubs this year. So, yeah, hopefully they'll keep it up.

Speaker 1: 3:20

I mean, yeah, the trade rumors are all in my direction, I think, because any time the free agency or the trade deadline looms, the Dodgers are always the first team anybody wants to talk about, because this is a team that spends and has a lot of prospect capital. And something that not a lot of people have talked about with the Dodgers is there's a traffic jam on this roster. Even if we don't go out and get the big blockbuster, we're going to be making some trades because we got to shore up some room on this roster. We just got too many guys prospects that are right there that either need to make it with the Dodgers or go somewhere else and get a shot. We got a lot of guys on the 60-day IL that eventually we're going to have to have 40-man roster spots for, to come back, there's just a lot of, you know, technicalities with the roster construction of the Dodgers. So I think it's going to be busy. But you know there's already rumors about package deals with the White Sox to bring Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet and maybe even Michael Kopech and like a big, big deal which would in theory solve some problems. You know of top-of-the-line starter assuming his innings don't get up and he gets hurt with crochet and a guy that can play center field and hopefully be a good bat for us. But you know, we'll see.

Speaker 1: 4:36

I think the Dodgers are going to be very active at the trade deadline. I think the team is going to look very different than it does now in two weeks and I mean the. Here's the thing the dodgers know they're going to be there in october. They've been, they've been playing 500 ball for two months and still have like a seven game lead in the division. They're, they're gonna, they're gonna be there right. So now the goal is who? Who helps us in october, who makes us better in the playoffs? Uh, going for that world series. So you know, I feel pretty good about it, but it's hard to say, because this team is going to look a lot different in a couple weeks, I think.

Speaker 2: 5:08

A lot of moving parts over there aren't there, yeah, and I imagine whoever's playing in the south side of Chicago is wanting to get the hell out of there, no matter where they go.

Speaker 1: 5:19

Yeah, I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to go from whatever the White Sox are these days to a team like the Dodgers, who, at least, are putting forth the effort, yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:32

So yeah, I think we're both feeling pretty good coming out of the break. I'm just happy that we got a little bit of a break. The Dodgers were awful going into the break. Just two ninth inning meltdowns in a row to go into the break. You know we we got some excitement We'll talk about later with Tay Oscar and the home run Derby, which was kind of nice, you know, to be able to celebrate something in Dodger land after after a couple you know, a couple of rough weeks. Really, you know, but those last two days were just like, come on, you gotta be kidding me. So yeah, looking forward to having games that count again and looking forward to talking about the All-Star festivities. But before we do, there's a story in independent baseball that's been it's kind of been breaking and developing for a couple of weeks. We just haven't got around to talking about it. So we're going to do that today.

Speaker 1: 6:20

There's a gentleman in Iowa by the name of JD Scholten who is a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in the 1st District. He's 44 years old. He pitched professionally for the Sioux City Explorers, who are now in the American Association of Professional Baseball. He pitched there from 2003 to 2007. So a week and a half two weeks ago, steve Montgomery, the current Sioux City manager, his scheduled starter, jared Weatherby, was sick, I think. Couldn't get a lot of info on that, but he was unable to pitch.

Speaker 1: 6:54

Sort of last minute Right Montgomery's calling everybody, anybody he can think of, right. He finally gets a hold of the 44-year iowa state representative, jd shulton, and is like hey man, can you come pitch? And based on the interviews and reports I've seen, shulton was at an event he was at like a like a evening in the park type of event and he said he'd had a beer and you know, he was just hanging out and he said he had to get a shift covered. So I guess he was doing some kind of volunteer work, maybe pouring beers or serving food or ushering, I don't know something at one of these public events. And so he's scrambling and he got added to the roster a little after 3 o'clock. He actually said I saw in his interview he answered the phone at 3.15.

Speaker 2: 7:42

Right.

Speaker 1: 7:42

And first pitch was like a little after 6 o'clock that night, so this all came together very quickly. Yeah, just really fantastic outing for him too. He pitched six and two-thirds, threw 100 pitches, struck out two and got a win. Sioux City won 11-2. He only gave up the two runs. And I got a quote here from his manager, who made the, the call and, you know, kind of talked about in in this interview as well.

Speaker 1: 8:10

Um, quick shout out to ktiv channel four. They're locally covering this and and doing a really good job getting me some quotes and some info. I really appreciate that. So shout out to them. If you're in the Sioux City area, check them out. But here's this quote from Montgomery, the Sioux City Explorers manager. He's mature, so he's just going to throw strikes and let guys get themselves out. So that's what he did, and he did that his second start too. He's not trying to trick anybody, he's not trying to strike anybody out, he's trying to make you get yourself out. And I think brian, at 44 years old and having not pitched for that long, that was probably the way to go for him, right? Oh, without a doubt.

Speaker 2: 8:53

Don't go up there and try to, you know, outsmart them with heat. Uh, go up there and outsmart them. Outsmart them, yeah you know. Don't just go up there and think that I'm gonna blow up past these guys, because he's probably not going to be able to do that. But on the other side too, the batters are probably thinking, well, we got this guy and they don't.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Maybe. Yeah, I mean, there's certainly a mentality when you know and Indy Ball is so wacky anyways, you know, like one of the interviews I saw kind of opened with hey look, everybody in IndieBall has a story. You don't get to IndieBall, you know, that's not the. You were the top prospect. You did all the things you were supposed to do. There's probably some failure involved in your story if you're playing IndieBall, regardless of your age or your experience or what else you do. So, yeah, there had to be a mentality of you know. But there's also that like we don't have a game plan on this guy, like you've not seen him pitch, you don't have tape, you don't have anything really to study on him, you just got to go up there and do your best and who knows what he's gonna throw right and uh, yeah, it sounds like he did good.

Speaker 1: 10:05

But you know, the thing that struck me the most because this has kind of been presented, at least on the surface is like this guy was sitting on the couch and got the call and just got up and pitched a good game. No, he's. He's been at this for four years. He said, yeah, uh, training, preparing um, working on his body and his mechanics, but also also the mental side of baseball. Which, at his age and in this opportunity, I think was the most important thing, Brian, was the mental aspect of convincing yourself I can do this, I belong on this mound. There's a reason they called me, other than desperation, and nobody else would pick up the phone Right. And even if you don't believe I belong here, you have to convince yourself. There's a reason I'm on this mound.

Speaker 2: 10:50

Well, I mean, he's got to be mentally in the right spot with his circumstances. So he talk about ultimately psyching yourself up to go do this. I mean this is a study in it. This guy could possibly be a movie, I agree. I mean I think it would be a really, really good movie to show. You know, the guy coming out of the, the, the legislature, and still has it and he's playing very smartly. I'm telling you we're going to see this in the next 10 years on the, on film somewhere yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:24

so I've just pulled up his baseball reference page and he was not an especially good pitcher when he was in Indy Ball. Before I'm just going line to line ERA 646, 424, 791, 554, 825, uh, in his last year, um basically allowing a run, an inning in 10 games you know not particularly good.

Speaker 1: 11:58

But now he has, um, you know he's got two starts under his belt, 213 ERA in two-thirds innings pitched. You know just really has only given up three earned runs in those 12 innings pitched, got two wins, you know, which I think at that level means as much as anything else. I mean, what else are you playing for? Right, you know he knows he's not going to get signed to a major league contract. This is the big leagues for him at this point right and the money's not exactly spectacular I bet he makes more as a representative than he does pitching the game.

Speaker 1: 12:33

I mean, let's be honest, this is a hobby, so yeah, uh, kudos to jd shulton, though that's pretty cool. I don't know anything about his political platform, but I he'd have my vote if I was in iowa, just because he's a baseball guy and I'm into that.

Speaker 2: 12:47

We're moving to iowa.

Speaker 1: 12:48

I don't know a lot of baseball guys have some pretty shitty political views, but we're not going to get into that.

Speaker 2: 12:53

Not the time and place. We're definitely not getting into that this would make a great movie.

Speaker 1: 12:59

It would make a fantastic movie.

Speaker 2: 13:01

I hope somebody gets a hold of it, um kevin costner plays this guy at the age he is now it's a hit yeah, you're probably right, costner could play the manager too.

Speaker 1: 13:11

Yeah, I could see costner really good in that desperate like calling around, like freaking out who's gonna pitch today no, bill murray's gotta play the the coach so now it's a comedy? No, we're doing.

Speaker 2: 13:25

It's his straight work. It's. He does straight stuff every now and then yeah, sure he does, sure he does.

Speaker 1: 13:32

We need to get kyle bandujo back and see what he thinks about all this we do.

Speaker 2: 13:36

We need to see what he thinks, and uh, murray's brother, uh, brian doyle murphy can play like the front office guy. I mean I'll cast this whole thing out here, my goodness.

Speaker 1: 13:49

So, yeah, so that's the scoop on JD Shulton. And listen, if you are anywhere near independent baseball, I recommend going and see it. You know it's a cool thing and it's a low-budget type of business. It's not easy for these teams to make it. They have to pay their players, which is really challenging. So if you are anywhere near or you're on vacation anywhere near an independent league team, please go, support them. It's good baseball. It's guys that are just hanging on to a dream and just doing it for the love of the game, honestly, and you'll never know who.

Speaker 1: 14:24

You see Staten Island Ferryhawks this year, uh, in the uh, atlantic league, I think. Have, uh, pablo sandoval, the panda. You know world series mvp three time. You know he got in really good shape in the spring and actually went to giants training camp, okay, and just didn't, you know, didn't make the cut. You know, just it's.

Speaker 1: 14:41

It's such a young man's game. We've talked about that right every week here about the, the, the swell of young talent at the major league level. Youth movement, yeah, youth movement for sure, but yeah, so Pablo Sandoval is just hanging out playing in Staten Island and you know, you just never know who you're going to run into at the, at these Indy ball games. And you know Brandon Phillips was a major leaguer for the Reds most notably, and you know he was a star in Indy Ball and you know wore 42 and talked about how important it was for him to be able to wear the number 42 for Jackie Robinson, which he obviously was not able to do in the big leagues Right, with good reason. But you know a lot of great stories in Indy Ball. So, please go support independent baseball, or summer league baseball, or minor league baseball, or minor league baseball. Um, they're all, they all. They all benefit a lot from ticket sales and merchandise sales and concessions. You know sales. So, uh, we're actually going to be doing a lot of supporting of next week.

Speaker 2: 15:38

Yeah, yeah, you are.

Speaker 1: 15:40

Yeah, We'll talk about that when we, when we wrap up and talk about Patreon because I almost said Patron the Patron Shout out Tony Schiavone on that one. It got in my head. But yeah, we'll talk about that. We're going to do some Patreon content from some games next week. But, Brian, I got a few quick hits this week, very quick, quick hits this week. Are you ready? I am ready, All right. So over the last couple days I've seen some new concession items and this one has made the rounds more than any other. The Rockies have a new concession item that would appear like it is spaghetti and meatballs. It kind of looks like spaghetti and like an Alfredo sauce and big, like dark, well-done meatballs. It's actually vanilla ice cream and donut holes with some mint and some strawberry syrup. I don't know, Brian, you know what. I'm going to very quickly see if I can find it. I should have done this in my research before, but I want to see if I can find a price on this. Okay, well, I'm all over this.

Speaker 2: 16:45

Okay, no matter what it costs, I'll mortgage the house. I've got to have this. This is a brilliant idea. It's a beautiful food item and it just looks so yummy.

Speaker 1: 16:56

I mean it looks intriguing, I think would you try it. I want to know how much it's going to cost.

Speaker 2: 17:09

Yeah, Well, I mean, it's ice cream, so it's probably comparative to the helmet full of ice cream, which is what like five, six bucks, I think somewhere around there. This has got to be more than that. Okay, it's pretty big, it's huge.

Speaker 1: 17:24

I mean there's like this has got to be more than that, okay, but it's pretty big, it's huge. I mean there's like five of those donut holes.

Speaker 2: 17:29

Well, that's true, there's a lot of donut holes.

Speaker 1: 17:31

You know it's only available in Section 119. So if you're going to Rockies Games, Section 119 for this, I can't find a price without spending more time on this than talking. I'm contingent on price. Okay, you know, for a dessert. I'm weird with dessert at games anyways, because of my health stuff and my inability to counteract it with medication while I'm at a ballpark. So I'm picky about my dessert items at ballgames anyways. But if this thing is like I don't know if it's more than 10 bucks, I don't know that I'm in well okay, if it's more than 10 bucks, I've got to try it.

Speaker 2: 18:13

It would make a great sixth inning treat, sure, um, which follows my ritual of how I eat. I don't know if I would come back to it if it was over 10 bucks. Um, I mean, I guess it depends on how big it is. Yeah, I mean you want to eat ice cream in the sixth inning, but you don't want to eat so much of it because if you're drinking beer that's a disaster.

Speaker 1: 18:34

Well, how about this? We go to a Rockies game and we'll split one. Okay, we can do that We'll split the cost. We'll A little bit for both of us. We can both try it.

Speaker 2: 18:42

I like it I think we should do that.

Speaker 1: 18:43

That's our polar pasta plan Mark it down.

Speaker 2: 18:46

2gtb is coming, coors Field.

Speaker 1: 18:48

Watch out, we're on the way, speaking of baseball trips that we would love to take but will never be able to afford, the 2025 MLB schedule was released yesterday. As we're recording, and Brian and I are both very excited because the season is opening in tokyo, japan. Yep, and it's shohei otani, yoshio bu yamamoto and maybe roki susaki and my los angeles dodgers against shota imanaga, seya suzuki and brian's chicago cubs for two games. That's going to be a blast fight for the death to find out who will be.

Speaker 2: 19:21

Two teams enter, one team leaves.

Speaker 1: 19:26

Unbelievable man. Second year in a row, the Dodgers are going to start the year over in Asia, which is huge. A lot of people griping that it's the Dodgers again. Well, get over it, because the Dodgers ownership group is paying for this. It's sponsored by Guggenheim and I mean, you know, if Babe Ruth played in Japan and they did a series in America, the team he was on would have been in it, whether you liked it or not. Just the way it goes.

Speaker 1: 19:54

Right, this guy is Elvis and Michael Jordan wrapped into one, but like times ten over in Japan. I mean, he's a huge celebrity, not to mention Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was a three-time MVP in Japan when he came over to the Dodgers. And then you look at the Cubs, imanaga Suzuki. I think these two teams make the most sense. They're two of the classic franchises, so they have global support anyways. Right, I just think it makes a lot of sense and I'm really looking forward to this series. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully we'll see Shohei pitch. I mentioned Roki Sasaki, who is expected to post to the major leagues this coming offseason and the Dodgers are already heavily linked to him. So whether Sasaki signs with the Dodgers or not. Excuse me, it's going to be a lot of Japanese star power from these two clubs.

Speaker 2: 20:47

Right, I mean I wish we could do it tomorrow. I mean, can we get those guys over there and go ahead and play one? Yeah right, I mean I can't wait for this. Not just the entertainment value of it being our two teams, but exactly what you're saying about the players being back in their country. I mean it's going to be huge business. It's going to be huge fun all the way around. Again, the only downside we have to wait till next year.

Speaker 1: 21:12

Yeah, absolutely, and every time Major League Baseball does something like this, it's amazing because it really magnifies and celebrates the baseball culture wherever they are, like last year in Korea they had the dance teams, which is a big thing in Korea, and it's just a different culture of baseball over there and that gets celebrated. They don't go over and whitewash everything and make it just like it is over here. They let the city and the country and the region they're in. Even when they went to London this year with the Cubs and the Phillies, that was really cool because that's a growing, maturing baseball culture, and so for them to get the chance to see Major League Baseball and see two teams like that, that was really great. So this is going to be wonderful for the game. It's going to be really magnificent, magnificent overall, I think, uh, for for everybody involved, and I'm really looking forward to it I am too.

Speaker 2: 22:09

I so much fun. I mean I words cannot justify how big this is going to be for me and you yeah I mean it's going to be a blast. And when I say a fight to the death, it's on in my living room. The living room is not big enough for both of us.

Speaker 1: 22:26

I don't know that I'll be coming over to watch this series I'd probably rather communicate via text. What if I get to?

Speaker 2: 22:33

get the ice cream flown in from the rockies. It would melt pal well we'll. We'll get a refrigerator truck to drive it, okay, okay, see and send it.

Speaker 1: 22:43

we'll have to, we'll haveended, we'll have to negotiate off air on this one. We don't have time to go through this now. Other good news, especially if you're a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays the St Petersburg, florida City Council has approved their new ballpark, set to open in 2028. So it looks like, despite some rumors and some rumblings about relocation, perhaps even to Montreal, it looks like the Tampa Bay Rays are staying right where they're at.

Speaker 2: 23:07

And I'm glad. I'm glad they're staying there. I'm glad they're getting a new ballpark. They do need a new ballpark In my opinion. The other one is not old but it's outdated and they need a better facility to play in. And I'm glad they're not moving to Montreal, because you know I'm all for the Expos coming back, but I think we need to create a new team. Yeah, I don't think we need to transplant from somewhere else. I like the Rays a lot. I watched them a lot last season and I'm glad they're staying there where their fan base is, because they have a dedicated I mean, every team has a dedicated fan base, Sure, but they have a really good and fun dedicated fan base. There's not a lot of arguing amongst the fans. It's a lot of team support and that's big online because a lot of teams you don't get that.

Speaker 1: 23:57

That's very true and the Rays have a very specific way of doing business and for their whole fan base to get on board with that and get behind it and support it is huge. Because, you know, being a Dodger fan, I have to ignore a hundred people a day on Twitter talking about how Dave Roberts is the problem. Right, it's just like you know, if you're paying attention and you have any sort of education past kindergarten, you can see that Dave Roberts is not the problem, right, you know, and things like that. And of course, with the Cubs, it's all Jed Hoyer's fault.

Speaker 2: 24:31

Oh, that's true, because he's not Theo Epstein, that's true, I don't know about this other poppycock, but this that's true, yeah yeah, so good for St Petersburg, good for the Rays.

Speaker 1: 24:46

You know, obviously big news there. So that's going to do it for our quick hits. I told you I only had a few this week because we want to talk all things All-Star. Yeah, and Brian, we're just just gonna get right into this. Um start with, um monday night, the home run, derby. Um, wow, just I. I think I tweeted out on the on the podcast, uh, twitter, uh, what a magnificent night for the game of baseball.

Speaker 2: 25:16

It was super, super fun and very competitive, and that's what I like. I like that it's automatically a fun atmosphere with the Home Run Derby, but it was competitive this year and you really didn't nobody ran away with it. It was down to the very last pitch. Yeah, and that was great.

Speaker 1: 25:37

I was literally on the edge of my seat every at bat you know and um, you know, first off, uh, really exciting to for me to see tay oscar win it. Um to oscar hernandez, who's on a one-year deal with the dodgers. And um, one thing dodger fans, pretty much universally, are agreeing on right now is that we need to put an extension in front of that guy ASAP. He has been a major difference maker. He is the most lovable guy I've seen in a long time come to the Dodgers and that's huge. As a fan base, you want guys like that that it's easy to cheer for, not just personality-wise but with their performance on the field. And um, but you know, uh, bobby witt jr great showing, I mean one of the excellent showing one of the great young stars that's rising from this young crop of players.

Speaker 1: 26:31

There were a few of those in this and and and there were, so there were some complaints that there weren't quote, unquote bigger names participating in the derby, but I think this was a good group. Oh, it was a great group.

Speaker 2: 26:43

They, they didn't need. They had big names in there. I mean, come on, uh, they're they. Oscar's a a good one. Um, you know the uh, bobby witt jr. You, you're really high on him yeah you have been talking about him before, but Henderson also.

Speaker 1: 27:02

Yeah, Gunner's another one of those young stars that's really rising to the top right now.

Speaker 2: 27:08

Yeah, so I think it was the perfect field. I think it was evenly matched. No one outshined anyone else on paper Right. No one outshined anyone else on paper Right, and that's what made it so interesting in application is the fact that everybody was kind of equal, so it was anybody's game to win.

Speaker 1: 27:27

I think you're right and I know there was talk of Gunner and Pete Alonzo being favorites and things like that. But this is such a weird competition and it's right in the middle of the season. It's not like they've had months to months to train for this. They have literal like days, yeah, you know. So it's all about and I think one of the things that was that was successful for tay oscar, um, shout out to dino ebel, who was uh, he's the dodgers third base coach, best third base coach in the major leagues. I'll fight you over that. And um, you know, uh, was was his pitcher, his VP pitcher, and I think for Teo, he just said you know what, I'm not going to try to change my approach, I'm not going to change my swing. I'm going to have Dino put it where I know I can hit it out.

Speaker 2: 28:09

Right.

Speaker 1: 28:09

And then for Vladimir Guerrero Jr in between or on his timeout, I think in one of the rounds to come over and say, hey, hit. I think in one of the rounds to come over and say, hey, hit it to that bullpen over there, that's your power spot. And then Tao goes off. You know so, um, you know, cool to see Vladdy in the Tao Blue Jays jersey support his old teammate.

Speaker 1: 28:28

Yeah, the throwback. Um, just a really cool night man, just really fun. Um, I saw some complaints about how long it was. I never noticed. I didn't notice it either. I was in it the whole time and I remember telling you that night I actually had trouble getting away from the screen to go to the bathroom or get something to drink because there was so much excitement.

Speaker 2: 28:51

So much going on I didn't want to miss anything. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:53

I don't think it went on too long. I like the new format. It's a little bit more reminiscent, I think, of the old days. Um, shout out ken griffey jr, who you know, didn't want to be on camera and all he did was bitch about how it was different.

Speaker 2: 29:08

Yeah he did not want to be there on the on the set, did he?

Speaker 1: 29:12

he just wanted to be there in spirit man and and eduardo was just grabbing anybody, that anybody, anybody. And griffey just was like man, these guys they don't even know. We got 10 outs. They get to, they get so many swings. We got 10 outs, you know, but it was a lot of fun. You mentioned gunner henderson and I think, um, one of the things that really struck you was that was the scooby-doo stuff with gunner henderson.

Speaker 2: 29:38

Yes, I mean, I am a huge scooby-doo fan and I'm here to tell you.

Speaker 1: 29:41

Currently in brian's living room there is a box set of dvds that looks like the mystery machine.

Speaker 2: 29:45

He's not kidding, he's a huge scooby-doo guy yeah, I, I keep that ready to roll it in a moment's notice. I watch it with my puppies um the late. Jazzy loved watching scooby-doo, so weved baseball loved Scooby-Doo, so she was a good girl. But yeah, I saw that and I was like, oh my gosh, I loved it. He was my guy, that's who I picked. I was disappointed. I switched on the next round because I had to, but the bat was awesome.

Speaker 1: 30:17

Yeah, if you don't know what we're talking about. Um, so for events like this the all-star game and the home run derby they let the guys kind of have some fun with their bats and they have these nice design bats. And gunner had a scooby-doo themed bat and he got pulled over to the desk like everybody else that just happened to walk by and uh actually did his scooby-doo impression and it was uh, it was damn good. I mean, uh, I, I, you know, I think it's nickname worthy, yeah oh yeah he could be scooby in the clubhouse.

Speaker 1: 30:46

It's so good or shaggy. Yeah, one or one of the two. Yeah, uh, brian, you got a scooby-doo impersonation. Okay, that's, you know. Fair to midland, I'm not even gonna try because I know I ain't got it. Um, but that was fun and, and you know, um, you know, that just kind of goes into the next day's events.

Speaker 1: 31:07

I didn't watch any of the red carpet, but I did see a couple of pictures and the most striking thing for me was alec bohm on the inside of his uh jacket. On the inside of his suit jacket had the logo of every like minor league team he had played for leading up to getting to the majors and then, obviously, becoming an All-Star. He apologized for not having his college logo on there, which was Wichita State, but I thought that was very cool and that's one of my favorite things about the All-Star game. For instance, I'm not a big fan of micing guys up while they're playing yeah, me either. But there was a couple years ago I think it was jose trevino, the catcher from the yankees. It was his first all-star game and he's literally on the mic catching and talking about what a surreal experience it is and that was very cool, like In the moment, hearing what's going through his head. This was very similar Alec Boehm shouting out everybody that got him there. That's just one of the great things about All-Star Week is the first time, all-stars and their reactions and just what it means to them. This is a big deal. The Major League All-Star Game was the first All-Star Game. Everybody else is copying the Major Leagues. It's copying baseball, because this is a baseball concept and I think, to this day, major League Baseball does it better than any of the other major sports.

Speaker 1: 32:34

I'm a little biased, but that's just me. I agree, nba's getting there. Nba needs more star power. Yeah, with with their events. But um, that and that's the other great thing about the home run derby is, if you're not an all-star, you're not in the home run derby. So these are actually, these are star players. They're not. It's not otani, it's not harper, it's not the guys that you maybe would dream in the in the home run derby. But, like you said, these are star players. I, these are guys that, while they're not the faces of the league, they're right underneath the faces of the league. This is going to help grow the game, because I'm way more interested in Gunnar Henderson. Now, after seeing a little bit of his personality, I'm way more into Bobby Witt and I've been high on Bobby Witt for a long time.

Speaker 1: 33:15

But he plays in Kansas City. I don't see him a lot, right, and that's no dig on the royals, it's just they've not been good so they've not done nationally televised games, they've not. You know, um, the dodgers see him once a year, twice a year, whatever you know. So to see him up close and in person and and, uh, just just kind of be in awe of him. And you know all his family there because you know he grew up there in there in Texas, because his dad played for the Rangers for so many years, just a really cool experience. Brian, we've talked a lot about this youth movement in the major leagues. Skeens from the Pirates, who we've talked about on the program Eleven career starts and he started the All-Star game. He's a phenom. Yeah, I mean he's taken the baseball world by storm. Yes, he is, you know. And beyond the great stuff and the good pitching, you know he's got the mustache, which is a little interesting Of course Gotta have the mustache Livvy Dunn his girlfriend, who's a gymnast, I think.

Speaker 2: 34:25

Yes, I was going to mention her and I thought is he going to get hot if I mention the girlfriend?

Speaker 1: 34:30

Because she's a bigger star on social media than he is. Yeah, she's a lot bigger star.

Speaker 2: 34:35

Yeah, so, yeah, I popped when I saw her. When they put her on screen, they were like you know, she was cheering for him and into it. Yeah, so, total youth moment.

Speaker 1: 34:49

So the most striking thing for me with Paul Skeens, I saw this right about the time he got picked as the all-star starter. He's the fourth pitcher in Major League history to have multiple games with no hits allowed and 10 or more strikeouts in a single season. Nolan Ryan did it in 1973. That was like his fourth or fifth season. I want to say Max Scherzer did it in 2015. He's an established big leaguer by that point. Justin Verlander did it two years ago and it was like his 17th season in the league. Paul Skeens did it in his first 11 starts in the big leagues.

Speaker 2: 35:23

Yeah, that's amazing, unbelievable, unbelievable, and he seems like he's handling all this success well.

Speaker 1: 35:30

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:30

That he fits right into the mold.

Speaker 1: 35:32

Yeah, I wanted to bring that up too because they interviewed him after the fact and he faced some heavy hitters and some big stars and was around a lot of big stars Guys that just a couple years ago he was watching on TV probably emulating or trying to be like, because you've got to remember, a year ago he was just a draft pick. This guy was drafted literally a year ago, number one overall and he's already starting the All-Star game and I love what that says about the current game because again, we've got to stop with this country club reputation that baseball has given themselves who don't come from country club backgrounds. That path from drafted to the major leagues has got to be shorter. Yeah, and this is an exceptional player.

Speaker 1: 36:25

This is not the rule, but if a guy at that level can skip in a year from draft pick to starting the All-Star game, then a guy a little bit further down can go. He goes. You know what? I can pick baseball and I can. I can live for two years in the minor leagues to get to that big payday right, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 36:46

I think that's a good way to look at it and baseball should start looking at it that way and they are and that's what's led to this and I'm I'm so glad and, um, yeah, paul skeens is is the right guy because he really handled the, the moment and the pressure about as well as could be expected. I hope he had some fun. I hope the pressure wasn't all he was feeling. I hope he had the chance to enjoy himself, because it's a big deal. And here's the thing you know, especially right now, with the level of play, injuries can happen. You're not guaranteed you ever get to go back.

Speaker 2: 37:19

Right, you've got to enjoy every moment of it because you know it may last that game or it may last 20 years. I mean, they don't play 20 years anymore, but you know what I'm saying yeah, no, I'm with the ride may be a lot longer, but it may be a lot shorter and you got to enjoy every second that you're there, absolutely um some other, and that's a key in life.

Speaker 1: 37:37

Sorry to interrupt but you've got to enjoy every second in life, because it might be your last. Right, You're not promised the next breath, so you know whether you're Paul Skeens or you're two broke guys talking about baseball into microphones Some really nice microphones.

Speaker 1: 37:52

Very nice. We were actually just talking about how much we love our microphones before we went on the air. Another cool thing I wanted to mention Brian and I both are baseball card advocates me a little bit more than him lately. I've gotten back into collecting a little bit the last few years. But Matt Strom, the reliever from the Phillies, one of a couple relievers that were on the team from Philadelphia. He had a belt that he wore for the game and for the home run Derby night that was made entirely, I guess, out of baseball cards real baseball cards, yeah, and they're very cool.

Speaker 2: 38:25

I had seen similar items like that for sale and I don't know if they were the actual cards or if they were replicas in the belts. But there's a company and I wish I knew the name of it. I will research that and have that next week. But they're very cool, very collector-ish and everything but his was his cards, is my understanding.

Speaker 1: 38:47

Yeah, it was his baseball cards and Topps has now already made a card commemorating the belt made of cards. That's awesome, you know, if you're kind of new to cards or you're wanting to get back into it, tops Now is a great place to start. Anything that they think is worthy of being commemorated on a baseball card, they will just put it on a card. You can go to Tops' website, topscom, and look at the Tops Now. They basically sell it for a limited amount of time. What they sell is what they print and I've got one. I've got a few, I've got one. The most recent one I got was when Shohei Otani signed with the Dodgers. They made a Tops Now card and I said, well, I got to have it. It's the first Shohei Dodger card. I got to have it. Absolutely, I've got one.

Speaker 1: 39:35

There was that great moment last season with Clayton Kershaw where they got that great picture where he's just coming off the mound roaring and they put that on a card and I said, got to, got to have that on a baseball card, because that's one of my favorite pictures of all time. I love Clayton Kershaw, obviously. But yeah, so cool on Tops for bringing some attention to that and cool on Matt Strom for getting a little creative. I think that there's Bryce Harper influence when you see Alec Bohm with the jacket, matt Strom with the belt. Bryce Harper's a really flashy guy and he's always very creative with his suits and the way he looks, and I think there's some Bryce Harper dust being sprinkled, maybe some competition, some one-upsmanship.

Speaker 1: 40:19

Maybe. Yeah, I didn't put this in the format, brian, and I don't even know if you saw it. Did you see Shohei Otani's jacket on the red carpet? No, I didn't. He had his dog decoy stitched on the inside. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, I'll send it to you when we get off air. I should have thought about it, but it just occurred to. Yeah, so Shohei had a really cool decoy deco-pon, famously Shohei Otani's dog. It was featured on his and it reminded me so much. A couple years ago, tony Gonsolin the cat man made the All-Star team and he had cat paws all over his suit. I can't remember another Dodger All-Star bought it might have been Kershaw bought him that suit, took him to get the suit made and, like you know, welcome to being an all-star. You know I've done this a lot, but this is your first one and I want again. You might not get another one. So we're going to make sure you enjoy this one and you get everything you can out of it.

Speaker 2: 41:09

So well, and you know how much we love suits also. That's right down our alley too, and the more wild the better.

Speaker 1: 41:15

Absolutely. We love any kind of formal occasion, just standing out.

Speaker 2: 41:27

Yeah, it's what it's all about.

Speaker 1: 41:28

Sometimes we just go to Walmart in a suit, or at least I do. I wear a suit for business a lot more than you do, so I don't really wear it for fun. I wear it in my backyard, sometimes just because I can Just run the lawnmower and the weed eater in the suit. Hey neighbor, they're just looking at you, like what is this guy's deal?

Speaker 2: 41:44

what is wrong with him that? Trust me, I don't need the suit for them to think that yeah fair enough, uh.

Speaker 1: 41:50

Moving on to the actual all-star game, uh, you know the al gets the win, of course, because they always win. Now, um shohei otani, on the national league side, hit a three-run home run and had a walk. He's the first player in major league history, uh, to have all of his team's walks and all of his team's rbis in the all-star game. So you know, thanks for the help guys.

Speaker 1: 42:12

Yeah, I mean well, he's gotta do it all himself well he hit that home run and I texted you, brian, and said well, teo won the derby and now shohei's going to be the mvp. Yeah, but the team let him down.

Speaker 2: 42:22

They didn't do anything after that? Nothing, nothing. Were they even playing? Were they on the field?

Speaker 1: 42:27

they, they were. Uh, jaron duran was on the field. He had a two-run home run that ended up being the game winner and he won the mvp. Not mad at that, you know, would have loved to seen a dodger win the MVP, but Jaron Duran is very cool and he is very open about his battles with mental health and has taken some heat and some fines for a shirt he wore.

Speaker 2: 42:50

Okay.

Speaker 1: 42:53

Basically, the shirt just said F them, yeah, and he was talking about his demons and his, his demons and his, his, his anxieties, and you know, whatever else he deals with, uh, mentally, you know and, and, and, and you know we talked earlier, uh, with JD Scholten a little bit. The mental part of the game is really important and you know, uh, joey Votto has famously opened up about his anxiety and mental health and I think he's been a much more likable person since he was open about it, you know instead of holding it in and carrying it all himself.

Speaker 1: 43:26

He's a weirdo, but he's like a really likable weirdo.

Speaker 2: 43:29

Well, and on one of my many trips to Cincinnati I got to photograph him signing some balls and stuff, some programs and gloves for some kids, and he was very uncomfortable and you can tell he wasn't being rude, but he wasn't being nice either. Then you flash forward and he's talked more about his mental health and everything. He's out there. He's happier, yeah, and he's in. The next time I saw him then he was, he was just happier to be there. Affect you in that way and other ways too.

Speaker 1: 44:05

You can't you know you can't hold that stuff up and obviously if you're dealing with mental health, there's a lot of help out there. My DMs are always open. I say that every time we bring up mental health. I know you probably don't know me, but I've been through it and I still do all the cool things I do in my life and battle it every day and I feel like I have a very good handle on it and I'm very self-aware and I love talking about it with people and helping people through it. So you know, if you're having a rough one, just just holler at me on Twitter. You know, at Dallas Danger DMs are always open, so so holler at me if you need, if you need somebody to just kind of listen, or, you know, want, want to talk about how to, how, how I deal with it. You know, um, maybe it'll help you a little bit.

Speaker 1: 45:03

But uh, brian, we um you and I have talked a little bit off air maybe a little bit on air too, about how the KBO in Korea does their All-Star. Oh yeah, and one of my favorite things I saw this year was David McKinnon former Angel, former major leaguer, is playing in Korea now and he actually got a base hit in the All-Star game dressed as King Kong. Yeah Wasn't wearing the mask, but he had the arms and all the other shit on. Yeah Wasn't wearing the mask, but he had the arms and all the other shit on. But there's something they do in Korea that you want to advocate to bring to the Major League All-Star events.

Speaker 2: 45:38

I'm all about some small ball and some bunting. There's nothing more. I mean, I like home runs, but when I see a bunt in a game I lose my shit. Yep, every single time. To where? Like when Ashley my wife sees them square around, she goes oh God, here we go. So I think they should have a bunting contest as part of the home run. Derby.

Speaker 1: 45:59

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 46:00

And, you know, put the targets out on the field. The bullseyes. Yeah, you know you've got to get it past the pitcher's mound and hit it in this thing. Oh man, I think it would be tremendous if we did be wild right they do it, they do it in korea.

Speaker 1: 46:13

You can, you can if you. If you do a little searching around on twitter, you can find video of it. Um, bunting is obviously way more prevalent in the kbo, right? They don't have aaron judge and shohei otani over there, so they got to play a little bit differently, right but, yeah, I and and here you know I'm I'm getting ready.

Speaker 1: 46:30

um Monday, a few days from now, I will be heading to the ballpark in Johnson City and enjoying the Appalachian League All-Star Festivities, and they have a skills competition. So I'm interested to see if bunting is a part of that.

Speaker 2: 46:45

Yeah, that would be awesome if it is. Man, I'm all about some bunting. You know, I think back to my first Little League experience and I want to say I mean and we're going way back there, you know 40-some years I want to say the first thing they taught us to do was bunt Really, instead of hitting, because none of us could hit. I mean, we were little kids. I think they taught us to square around and bunt. So I think that's where I get it from, is my fundamentals. Go back to that and you know, you can always bunt man, always. I mean, just get it past that pitcher, it's undefensible.

Speaker 1: 47:18

Yeah, no, I mean, it's almost a lost art in this country because we've gotten so enamored with, you know, the three true outcomes. Yeah, homer Walker, strikeout outcomes. Yeah, homer walker strikeout. Um, I like that. The new rules in the majors have are starting to not change that necessarily, but there are guys that don't fit into the three true outcome that are able to thrive now. You know we're seeing running the bases a little bit more, which is exciting. We're seeing less of the downtime and the throwing over 20 times and you know, taking 15 minutes to throw a pitch and you know that's all behind us and I'm glad. I think it's made the game more exciting. And, who knows, you know we could start to see Bunting become a bigger part of the game in the majors again.

Speaker 2: 48:09

Yeah, it was the now I might be wrong, so correct me if I'm wrong. I think it was the 86 cardinals that had, uh, ozzy smith and mcgee and templeton and all those guys they would just and that was when there was astroturf, right, and they would just bunt hard and let it spike up in the air and then they would just outrun it. Yep, you know, and that's so exciting. Yeah, you know, and that was, and that was they weren't home run hitters, that was they were speed yeah, that team was all, I think it was 86, I'm yeah, it was around that time frame.

Speaker 1: 48:42

Um, I know 80, I think 85 was the year ozzy smith hit the homer and put the dodgers out that people you know a little bit older than me still talk about as their most disappointing Dodger moment. Right yeah, those 80s Cardinals teams with Ozzie and Vince Coleman and that whole bunch it was just all speed. Mcgee and Herr yeah, mcgee and Tommy Herr man, they just started the engine and went, man, yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:07

Went, yeah, and I see a little bit of that in some players when they're coming hunting the bases now. And I'm glad we don't have AstroTurf anymore. I love that that's gone. Yeah, and not to get on a tangent, but to get on a tangent that this new dirt they have is amazing the rubber-dirt combo thing. We need to talk about that at some point when we know what we're talking about.

Speaker 1: 49:32

For sure, and you know the mud they put on the baseball is interesting too. Yeah, maybe we'll cover that in a future episode, maybe we'll cover it for Patreon, maybe you never know. But yeah, I mean I think overall, end of the day, brian and I both really enjoyed the All-Star festivities, loved it. Yeah, it was great for baseball and I'm happy to see the game as healthy as it is. I know there are going to be detractors and that's fine. I'll just continue to ignore you and focus on reality, because the game is at an all-time high right now. We are living through a golden era of Major League Baseball. There is so much talent at the top. There is so much talent at the top. There is so much talent all the way through, and the All-Star is that game and the home run, derby and everything surrounding it. That's a big celebration of all that talent.

Speaker 2: 50:25

It's a nice break for the teams that need it, like the Cubs and the White Sox. They might want to just take the rest of the year off. They might just need to cut their losses right now, but yeah, no, it's a good break and then it's fun for us fans to see everybody playing together and having a good time, and the Home Run Derby is awesome and you know we love the uniforms which we talked about last week. It's just a fun time of year.

Speaker 1: 50:55

Yeah, and that's something you just touched on that I think we maybe take for granted is you get to see Shota Imanaga pitch every five days. I get to see Shohei Otani hit every day. We don't get to see them interact until the All-Star festivities. Them interact, yeah, until the all-star festivities. Right, you know, unless they're, unless it's like a short clip from batting practice when the cubs and dodgers play each other. Right, but obviously they interact, but we don't get to see it on a stage on a level like the all-star game and that's always so cool, you know. And you know seeing um corbin burns kind of half-assed tackle william contraris because I used to be teammates, you know and just having fun and showing that listen, at the end of the day, these are guys that not only get to play a kid's game for a living, they get to make a very good living doing it and they're being celebrated and honored as the best to do it. So for them to go out there and interact and have fun and us to get to watch it. And so for them to go out there and interact and have fun and us to get to watch it and experience it.

Speaker 1: 51:54

You know, um, and the home run derby is just a classic event. I mean, I remember I remember being a a teenager and watching sosa mcguire bonds griffey even later in his career um, just unloading at the at the all-star game in the home run derby. You know when the home run was like king, more than it is now even. Yeah, I mean, say what you want about steroids and all that, but it was a magical time when baseball needed it. And I'll never forget some of those man the one in Coors Field, I don't remember what year 01 maybe was just was just crazy. I mean, some of the greatest home run hitters of all time having a home run derby at the easiest place to hit home run yeah, it's yeah was there's something about it, you know, and that was something they talked about.

Speaker 1: 52:43

Uh, with texas and this year's home run, derby was, it's a big part. It's not easy to hit home runs in that ballpark Right. So the strategy was so important and I think that's again, I think that's what won it for Tay, oscar and yeah, just a really great night, a really great couple of nights, and you know I'm still beaming about it. You know I just it was so fun, it was so good for the game. I'm still giddy about.

Speaker 2: 53:11

Yeah, I am too.

Speaker 1: 53:14

About what went down for for the all-star game this year.

Speaker 2: 53:15

Yeah, I am too. I mean it was. It was just plain fun and it was a good, uh, stress-free couple of days it sure was, brian.

Speaker 1: 53:24

Is there anything else you would like to cover before we wrap things up today?

Speaker 2: 53:28

well, you think we should say anything else about the white socks?

Speaker 1: 53:32

you've been all right.

Speaker 2: 53:34

You know what they're 32 games out of first they're, they're bad, they're very bad.

Speaker 1: 53:38

I want to bring this up and I want to get your take on this. So, um, again, there were people that complained about the length of the home run, derby okay. There are now also people that are mad that teoscar hernandez's dodger teammates did not stick around to see him win and celebrate with him. Now freddie freeman has kids and they were apparently not feeling well. Okay, will smith has a very young child and a pregnant wife. Okay, um, I don't know if you've ever been around a pregnant woman, but when they want a pickle, you got to go get them a damn pickle right, or some peanut butter, or something you know like, and shohei otani famously has a very strict sleep regimen that

Speaker 1: 54:19

involves some nights getting 10 to 12 hours of sleep. Okay, um, as a dodger fan, I don't think it says anything about the team's chemistry or their ability to win together. No, um, but I'd like to get your take on it, because everybody's like well, the Phillies, bryce Harper and everybody stuck around for Alec Bowman, it's like, but you don't know what their plans were. And also this was a point that was made on Locked On Dodgers this morning. Shout out to Jeff and Vince. They do a great job with the Daily Dodgers podcast. If you're a Dodgers fan, check them out.

Speaker 1: 54:50

Locked on Dodgers Monday through Friday, every day, about 30 minutes on the Dodgers, whether they're playing or not. My favorite thing about them is they're great at keeping me calmed down in the regular season when games don't matter. But I'm getting frustrated. They're very good at that perspective of like, hey, just enjoy it, because October's worse. Okay, you got it, you're right. Okay, you got it, you're right. But anyways, they were talking about Tay. Oscar was the last guy to get announced, so by the time he's announced, freddie and Will and Shohei might already have other plans. Right, right, you know the All-Star is. Yes, the events are going on, but it's a break. It's a break for these guys, even the guys in the game in the Home run derby. It's a break for them. So they're with their families, they're in a city for a few days and they get to enjoy it, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Brian, I want your take on this. What do you think it means, if anything, to the team chemistry?

Speaker 2: 55:44

I don't think it means anything to the team chemistry. It looked like to me that it was a family affair because kids were running around everywhere. Kids were involved with bringing the Gatorade and the towels, yep, and that's awesome. And I'm pretty sure Bryce Harper had his children there, because there were kids climbing all over him Right, and I assume he knew them. I hope he knew them or somebody knew them. Where did these random kids come from?

Speaker 1: 56:12

hey listen, if anybody pops out kids, it's baseball players.

Speaker 2: 56:16

Oh yeah, good grief so no, I mean the wife. You got to get the kids home. If she's pregnant, you you're definitely doing exactly what she says and nothing more nothing else.

Speaker 2: 56:25

You know, uh, you know, and then if you've got a sleep regimen you've got to do, you've got to stay on that, because, let's say, he stayed up and it messes him up for tonight, right, you might screw his whole week up, sure. So yeah, I don't think it means anything or says anything. I think it just happened and he didn't seem bothered by it.

Speaker 1: 56:48

Well, I read an interview where he said he didn't even think about it until the next day, when people were talking about it online. He was like what do you mean? Like I don't care. Vladdy Jr was there. Soto was there. Tyler Glass now stuck around, but he was there by himself. I don't think he's married yet. I think he just has a girlfriend and no kids less obligation family-wise. So he stuck around. I thought it was a great night and I didn't think about it either until the next day when everybody was bitching about it.

Speaker 1: 57:17

Cool, All right. Well, that's going to do it for us today. Thank you all, as always, for listening. We really appreciate you. You can follow the show on Twitter at 2GTBpod. You can follow me at Dallas Danger Brian is at Three Crows Bri. New address for the store. Just want to make sure everybody is aware Our merchandise store, which has a little something for everybody Jerseys, T-shirts, hats, but also notebooks, phone cases stuff for your dogs, leashes, bowls, all that good stuff.

Speaker 1: 57:47

2gtbstore is where you'll find all that. Now Great way to support us directly and show your support for the show. I'm probably going to be rocking some 2GTB gear when I go to the Appy League All-Star stuff this week, so get you some of that gear. We are really working hard on our Patreon. This is something that we did not really do back in 2022, the few weeks that we were around back then, but we've decided to really go gung-ho on the Patreon now. If you like our show, we really want to give you a little something extra for not a lot of money. We just put all of the original. Is it 11 or 12? 11. Yeah, 11. Original 11 episodes we did two years ago are now on our Patreon video and audio and we're really proud of those episodes. We didn't stop because we thought we were bad at this.

Speaker 1: 58:36

We stopped because life kind of got in the way and it just wasn't a priority at the time and as much as we're making it now. But yeah, in addition, again I'm going to be going to the all-Star Festivities for the Appalachian League in Johnson City, tennessee, this week and the next day. We just found out Rintaro Sasaki, the all-time Japanese high school home run leader, who opted to not play professionally in Japan and come over here and go to college at Stanford. He's going to be finishing the Appalachian League season right down the road from where we're recording in Greenville, tennessee. So next week we're going to go hopefully he plays, because we're going to go catch a Greenville Flyboys game in hopes that we see a Rintaro home run. That would be amazing. And we're going to be taking pictures and video and posting our thoughts and what we're seeing and feeling on Patreon. So please go give that a look. Patreoncom slash 2GTB.

Speaker 1: 59:39

And finally, our YouTube. Youtube is our exclusive home right now. We are very close to getting on our other podcasting platforms, but the YouTube just find us. Search for Two Guys Talking Baseball and you'll see our ugly mugs. Please subscribe, even if you're not going to continue to listen and watch on YouTube. As long as you don't hit the notification bell, you won't even notice. But subscriptions mean a lot to us and are going to help us do some things on the YouTube that we really want to do, but we can't because of our current subscriber count. So please help us get that up there. Spread the word, tell your friends if they like baseball or if they just like hearing two goofy guys talk to each other once a week. We're your guys, as you know.

Speaker 2: 1:00:24

We are your guys.

Speaker 1: 1:00:25

But for Brian, I'm Dallas and until next week. We hope you stay well. And again, if you're going through anything mental health-wise, please give me a shout. I would love to try to help you through it and just remind you that there are brighter days ahead for sure. So, with all that said, thank you, as always, for listening and we will see you next week. See you at the ballpark.