2 Guys Talking Baseball
The Stage is Set!
Ever wondered whether stilt-walking pitchers and flaming bats could revolutionize baseball? Join us at "Two Guys Talking Baseball" as we embark on a wild ride through the dynamic changes and quirky phenomena shaking up the sport. This week, Brian sets the stage with a surprise homage to the LA Dodgers by donning a Jackie Robinson Cooperstown Collection jersey, sparking a spirited debate about the Dodgers-Cubs series and the resilience of David Ross' squad.
We then journey into the whimsical universe of the Savannah Bananas, a team redefining baseball with their showman-like antics. From inventive rules that allow fans to catch foul balls for outs to the spectacle of a flaming bat, we discuss how this team is bringing a Harlem Globetrotters flair to America's pastime. Amidst the laughs, we ponder what it would be like to rename the team after our friend Hannah, highlighting the joy and creativity that the Bananas inject into the game.
Finally, we take a nostalgic stroll through baseball uniform history, from the vintage charm of the Montreal Expos to the controversial aesthetics of the Padres' brown and yellow jerseys. Our discussion ventures into the excitement of the upcoming All-Star festivities, complete with a heated debate on snubs and a detailed analysis of both American and National League rosters. With a nod to the Braves' playoff potential and a spotlight on iconic players like Shohei Otani and Miguel Cabrera, this episode is a grand celebration of baseball's quirks and timeless appeal.
Ever wondered whether stilt-walking pitchers and flaming bats could revolutionize baseball? Join us at "Two Guys Talking Baseball" as we embark on a wild ride through the dynamic changes and quirky phenomena shaking up the sport. This week, Brian sets the stage with a surprise homage to the LA Dodgers by donning a Jackie Robinson Cooperstown Collection jersey, sparking a spirited debate about the Dodgers-Cubs series and the resilience of David Ross' squad.
We then journey into the whimsical universe of the Savannah Bananas, a team redefining baseball with their showman-like antics. From inventive rules that allow fans to catch foul balls for outs to the spectacle of a flaming bat, we discuss how this team is bringing a Harlem Globetrotters flair to America's pastime. Amidst the laughs, we ponder what it would be like to rename the team after our friend Hannah, highlighting the joy and creativity that the Bananas inject into the game.
Finally, we take a nostalgic stroll through baseball uniform history, from the vintage charm of the Montreal Expos to the controversial aesthetics of the Padres' brown and yellow jerseys. Our discussion ventures into the excitement of the upcoming All-Star festivities, complete with a heated debate on snubs and a detailed analysis of both American and National League rosters. With a nod to the Braves' playoff potential and a spotlight on iconic players like Shohei Otani and Miguel Cabrera, this episode is a grand celebration of baseball's quirks and timeless appeal.
Hello everyone, welcome inside the Three Crows Studios in Dandridge Tennessee Beautiful, lovely Dandridge Tennessee and welcome to this week's thrilling edition of Two Guys Talking Baseball. My name is Dallas Danger and I'm joined, as always, by my friend and colleague, brian Logan. Brian, how's it going this week?
Speaker 2:It's been a great week for baseball.
Speaker 1:I love it you always yell at me. First thing I know I gotta get that in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, just like the kids today, I gotta get my shit in, man, yeah, believe it. We call all the spots in the back on this show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we sure do we? Sure, sure do. Well, it has been a week and we are happy to be back with you once again. We want to thank everyone right at the top for tuning in each and every week. We really appreciate your listenership and viewership. If you're with us on our YouTube channel and if you happen to be one of those people on YouTube, we do a segment every week at the top of the show called who you Reppin', and we'll get right into that right now. And what we do with who you Reppin' is we. You know, we like to bring our A-game with what we wear on the show hats, jerseys, t-shirts, the like. So this is our opportunity to tell you about what we're wearing and where we got it. And, Brian, I'm telling you, man, you are looking about as good as I think I've ever seen you this week.
Speaker 2:Well, I thought that this would please you. I'm wearing your team's jerseys. I have the Jackie Robinson Cooperstown Collection jersey and my LA Dodgers hat, and it's a very comfortable hat. I really like this hat a lot, so I dressed this way in homage of your team this week. I love it, even though this week was not very friendly to my team from your team.
Speaker 1:When was the last time the Cubs beat the Dodgers? Oh?
Speaker 2:gosh, I don't know, it wasn't this past week, it wasn't this year either, but we came close. I mean we really did. We had, you know I'll say, one game. We had a bad call. You'll disagree, but I think we did. But we were in there and we had a fighting chance. We just could not pull it out.
Speaker 1:Okay, a couple of things. First off, I never disagreed that it wasn't the best call. That was not the issue. The issue is you tried to say that if it hadn't been for that one called strike three on a two-strike count with the game on the line, in a game that literally for nine innings the outside corner had been wide when Nico Horner should be protecting the plate, that's what made all the difference. That one call is the reason the Dodgers won that game. I disagreed with that.
Speaker 1:But I will also say it was a really fun series to watch very fun it was a sweep and I know that that's not that that makes it sound like it was domination on one side, but it really was a good competitive series. There was a lot of fun. You know, fun, exciting baseball. I mean that. What would it end up being? 11 to 9. The last game of the series. Yeah, I mean, that was just you couldn't blink, no, or you missed something. Yeah, it was a very exciting day, so a great series, you know man.
Speaker 1:I think the Cubs are a lot closer than people are giving them credit for. I mean you have to remember that at the beginning of that series it changed by the end of the series, but at the beginning of that series the entire opening day starting rotation for the Chicago Cubs was on the injured list, right, I mean that's impossible to overcome. I mean really really difficult to overcome for anybody. So, especially when you're in a rebuild, you've got a lot of younger players, unproven players, and you've kind of traded off a lot of your stars and a lot of your pop in your lineup, that's tough to deal with. So I think the I mean the Cubs have some fight in them. I like David Ross as a manager. I think he's done a phenomenal job. I think it was big of the Cubs to give him the vote of confidence right in the middle or sort of at the outset of this rebuild period and say, hey, we're going to go ahead and give you the extension because we need somebody that can get us through this. We need somebody that's not going to lose their mind or lose their clubhouse when things aren't going that great. But you know, the winds aren't there right now, but I think they will be. I mean they've already committed to say a Suzuki, you know, long term and that's a good piece to have.
Speaker 1:He's been a little banged up. He Suzuki, you know, long term and that's a good piece to have. He's been a little banged up, you know he's getting used to the breaking stuff here in the States but all in all pretty solid pickup for them. You know, proved he could hang at the major league level pretty quickly. And I mean there's just so many good young pieces there and they've moved some around which has been disappointing. Just so many good young pieces there and they've moved some around which has been disappointing. But you know again I think I think the cubs are gonna have be in the conversation in that division quicker than a lot of people are going to give them credit for well, I hope so.
Speaker 2:I mean, that'd be nice if they, uh, would pick it up and start playing a little bit better.
Speaker 1:That'd make me feel a heck of a lot better, and who knows, maybe we'll go another 86 years.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no, no bueno.
Speaker 1:All right. So this week I'm taking a page out of your book and I'm repping us this week. Excellent In my Beware of the Cursed shirt, just because I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to wear it, given the circumstances. But I like that. You added to the sound effect. That was a nice touch. But yeah, so nice, comfortable shirt and I wasn't sure what I was going to wear today. I said, you know what, I will rep us in true Brian fashion and my cap this week is the Savannah Bananas of the Coastal Plain League Summer Wood Bat League. But there's so much more than that now.
Speaker 1:Before their official season started, they did a whole tour. They have their own brand of baseball, now called banana ball, with different rules and it's all for the fans. And you know, uh, it's all about entertainment and and not as much about who wins and who loses. And you know some people don't like that and I get that, you know, I understand, but it's a pretty cool deal. And they actually took it on the road and, you know, recruited players to play in the games and, you know, went through the whole process of tryouts and auditions and whatnot and took it on the road and it seems like it was a success and they did well with it and, yeah, they're just always looking to do innovative things over there.
Speaker 1:Jesse and Emily Cole the owners have a mind for just kind of doing things their own way and blazing their own path, so to speak. So you know, easy, easy group to support. Honestly, I had the fortunate privilege a few years ago, when I was writing my short-lived blog during the COVID times of 2020, to speak to Emily Cole and she talked about how they look for inspiration and influence outside of just baseball. They look for inspiration and influence outside of just baseball. You know they, they, uh, we, we, we talked a lot about pro wrestling because they, they look at the WWE as someone that you know they want to emulate, because you know it's all about. You know smiles on faces and you know all the cliches we've heard you and I have heard, especially from WWE over the the years, and so, yeah, just a just a fun experience.
Speaker 2:it's apparently impossible to get tickets to see their games, which kind of stinks, but I'm sure at some point I'll try anyway well, I'm glad you brought those up because, um, I've been wanting to bring them up to you and I just haven't had a chance, so, so now we've got a chance, let's talk about them for a minute. Yeah, let's do it. Okay, so they have become the Washington generals of the baseball minor leagues. I mean, is what they're doing a shoot, or is the other team in on it?
Speaker 1:Okay, so they play in a collegiate wood bat league and that's as legit as it gets because they're in a league. But they also do the banana ball thing and I think the outcome is legitimate. But the way that the rules are structured it's not really designed for the highest level of competition. You know what I mean. It's not really designed for the highest level of competition, you know what I mean. It's designed so like if the guy at the plate hits a foul ball into the stands and a fan catches it, he's out.
Speaker 1:Okay, you know they have lots of kitschy rules like that. You can steal first base. Okay, explain that to me. Okay, so you know there's the third strike rule, right. If the ball gets past the catcher on the third strike you can take first base. It doesn't have to be the third strike. Oh, dude throws a wild pitch and it's the first pitch of the at-bat. You can run to first and if you beat the throw to first, you're on first base. You stole first base, right? So a lot of kind of fun, unconventional rules, goofy, yeah, fun and silly and you know fun I mean.
Speaker 2:Like the guy that's on the stilts. I've seen him. Yeah, Huge strike zone.
Speaker 1:And that'll make him the pitcher.
Speaker 2:Right. And then I've seen the guy that does the flaming bat. He comes out and then hits with the bat on fire. So that's pretty wild.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So they've created this environment where, if you have a talent like that, like walking on stilts, or a crazy idea that you think you can pull off, like going at the blade with a flaming bat, you can try out for this team and say, hey, I'm going to bat with a flaming bat and they're going to go. That's crazy, let's do it. You're hired, you're signed, you know. So they've just garnered this environment of fun. And, yes, they play legitimate games still, and that's all board. So they play normal as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, and then they just do the Hannah Bananas, some other, like a specialty exhibition.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they have a lot that they do outside of just being in the Coastal Playing League and playing those organized games those competitive games Right and they're big on the idea that letting players express themselves, even in the legitimate league games. Again, I think all their games are legitimate as far as the outcome, but when you add rules like if a fan catches a foul ball, you're out and you can still first base on any count, you know does it really matter?
Speaker 2:who wins who?
Speaker 1:wins what the score is.
Speaker 2:And that's very interesting. The fan catching the foul ball. The traditionalist in me is like, well, this is not baseball. But the showman in me is like man. I got to see these guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, traditionalists hate it by and large, but, heaven forbid, a child's game is fun. I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in, you know the, the integrity of the sport or whatever the hell, and and we, we lose sight of the fact that this is just a game that we've all played since we were, you know, little kids and you know the, the, the, the idea that someone has to stop having fun playing baseball because they're a fully grown adult and they get paid, you know a decent amount of money in some cases to play baseball. I mean I just don't know that. I mean I don't vibe with that, I don't agree with that. I mean I think players should be able to express themselves, they should be able to have a good time. Baseball should be fun.
Speaker 2:Did you see the umpire? The spot where the umpire trades places with the batter and he bats.
Speaker 1:No, I haven't seen that one. That's pretty good. It's hysterical.
Speaker 2:They have an argument, and then the batter hands him the bat and he becomes the umpire, and the umpire becomes the batter, and then he fouls it off and they catch it. Oh okay, yeah, so that's that's pretty cool yeah, pretty cool stuff.
Speaker 1:I mean it's a, it's a little globe trottery. You know it is a little, you know, and that's okay though, but I love the globe trotters also 100. There's a place for the globe trotters in basketball, so there's a place for the savannah bananas and banana ball in baseball. As far as I'm concerned and you know, I'm also a firm believer in, you know, prop up and hype up the things that you love and shut up about the things you don't. So if you don't like it, just don't watch it. You don't have to watch it or follow them on twitter and see the, the clips and the videos and stuff right like. It's as simple as that. If you stuff right like it's as simple as that, if you don't like it, don't pay attention to it right trust me, the major leagues are stuffy enough for you old heads all day long.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's one of the biggest issues with major league baseball right now that there is is kids don't want to play baseball anymore because it's fucking boring, because they've taken a lot of the fun out of it at the highest level. Fortunately, we have exciting young players that are expressing themselves and showing that you can play at that level and have a good time and be yourself. Yeah, man, I'm all for the Savannah Bananas.
Speaker 2:I do, I like them, but they should change their name to Hannah Bananas. Why do you say that? I don't know. I know this girl, Hannah. Shout out to my girl Hannah and she's a sweetheart and she deserves a baseball team.
Speaker 1:Is she any relation to Tracy and or Tiffany?
Speaker 2:No, but she does know them. She used to be their boss.
Speaker 1:Okay, that answers my question just fine. All right, so that was a cool little talk.
Speaker 2:Nice and prompt to topic.
Speaker 1:It was. We talked about current uniforms. This week we're going to turn the clock back and talk all-time uniforms with our second edition of the fashion show. Then we're going to well, we're going to keep talking about the curse, even though it's technically been broken. We've got to fill time, we've got to talk about something. So we're going to talk about the curse some more, but now it's with a question mark because you know it's technically been broken. I don't know. I'm doing my best here to come up with stuff to talk about.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, you know okay, so how did the guy? When we get to it, we'll find out how the guy did. I'm not convinced that the curse has went away.
Speaker 1:I think the curse may be just a little more selective. Okay, all right, but we can talk about that when we get there, for sure. And a main event today on the program going to california with an aiken in my heart, we're going to be talking all-star game rosters. Obviously there are some pretty obvious names left off of the list and every year there's talk about snubs who's not there that should be there, who's there that shouldn't be there. All that we're going to dive way into that in grave detail later on in the program.
Speaker 1:But, brian, I'm going to hand the floor over to you so you can give us your top five all-time favorite major league uniforms. So if you weren't with us last week, we talked about our current favorite five and brian was just so he's just chomping at the bit to talk about all-time uniforms Because Brian is a bit of an old head and likes some of the ugly 70s retro stuff. So we opened it up this week to a little bit more wide, you know viewpoint on this. So, brian, give us your top five. Don't need any particular order, you know. Just go down the list and give us a little bit with each one and kind of tell us what you like about them.
Speaker 2:All right, my number five counting down is the Expos Home with the red, white and blue hat that, as a kid, I thought said E-L-L-O instead of M.
Speaker 1:Hello, hello. Did you think that's how people in Montreal spoke?
Speaker 2:Yes, because I couldn't understand what the hell was on that hat.
Speaker 1:I still don't think I know completely there's a lot to that logo, but that I mean, come on man, that's an all-time hat.
Speaker 2:I mean that thing's just awesome it is very awesome and it just looks so good with the, the logo on the shirt and the all white. I'm not a fan of the all white too often, but there are some exclusions there. There are some other ones that just break out of the pack yeah, yeah, no, that's a really good one.
Speaker 1:I I not on my list, but definitely if we had gone to six would be a contender for the next one.
Speaker 2:Well, and if we had went to six, my number five position there because I was just writing it down as we go and I couldn't really decide, so maybe honorable mention partially five as well is the baby blue 1980s Atlanta Braves.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:Where you know Bob Horner and Dale Murphy and all those guys in that, all blue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that didn't have a lot of red on it, it was just like the dark blue lettering on the white blue jersey with the all blue cap. Yeah, the navy on the baby blue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is also and I'm getting way off topic, no, go for it. You know the Dodgers have a throwback Brooklyn uniform. That's almost the same color.
Speaker 1:We will get to that and I will explain the differences. Okay, All right, cool, we will get to that and I will explain the differences.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right, cool, because that should be on the list too. It's hard for me to narrow it down, but all right. Number four is the Houston Astros rainbow jersey.
Speaker 1:Oh, the old tequila sunrise. Yes, yes, yes, got to love those they look like a lifesavers package.
Speaker 1:You know, one of my favorite things nowadays too is seeing all the college teams and minor league teams that have their own version of that with their colors and it. It doesn't really look like a sunrise or sunset, like the astros. One was kind of, I think, meant to look right but um, yeah, you know, very, very cool concept and yeah i's. You know, the Astros have gone through a history of some ugly looks and uniforms and uh colorways and logo sets and that that's one of the highlights of the hit their history of uh of uniforms, not to be outdone by the Houston Colt 45s, where there's just a gun on their chest yeah, so, okay.
Speaker 2:So my next one is one that I know you're gonna love. Oh god, it is the padres brown and yellow. Yes, I loved that as a kid. I love brown and kid, I love brown and yellow together. I love brown and orange together, but I love brown and yellow and that's one of my all-time favorite jerseys. In fact, I just got one and we're going to be wearing it very soon here on the podcast.
Speaker 1:That is only acceptable if the back of it says Garvey 6. Other than that, I don't want to see that bullshit. It's hideous, it's ugly. It says Garvey six. Other than that, I don't want to see that bullshit. Um it's hideous. It's ugly and um, it's befitting a team that has never been any good Wow.
Speaker 2:Wow, so no love for the Padres again this week.
Speaker 1:I mean shouldn't be surprising to anyone. So my number two, the great, the greatest third place team of all time, oh wow I'll give them that, okay, they're, they're just, they're just.
Speaker 1:The hype bus just rolls through town. They have parades every time they do anything you know worthwhile at all. They are parading people. You know, beat, beat, the beat the dodgers in a regular season series throwing a parade. Get the last wild card spot when the playoffs are expanded in 2020. They're throwing a parade. Man, they're just, they're all about celebrating over there. Um, you know, but um, it's interesting now, two, two years later, you know, 2020 was sort of the first year of this hype machine behind the Padres, and I get it. They're a solid roster. I mean, they've just stacked that roster. They've depleted their farm system to do it.
Speaker 1:So again, you know, is it worth it to lose your whole farm system to be in third place every year? Eh, I don't know. But I don't know man. They just, you know, the dodgers played a series in san diego already this year and it's already turning back into dodger stadium, south, I mean yeah the.
Speaker 1:the fairweather fans have moved on to something else already in a lot of cases. Now, if they make the playoffs, everybody's going to be there, acting like they were there the whole time, and that's fine, because that's just part of being in the Padres fandom. I guess, I don't know, I don't get it because I'm not a part of it. So yeah, man, unless that ugly jersey's got number six and Garvey on the back of it, I don't have much time for it.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't think it does.
Speaker 1:That's a shame. Yeah, okay, listen, 19, gwynn also acceptable. That's what's on there, okay.
Speaker 2:That's exactly what's on there. I'll let it slide just this once the Coco Beware of professional baseball. They were both built the same.
Speaker 1:Stocky and could throw a hell of a drop kick brother.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was gonna say I, I don't know that coco could hit like tony gwynn man. Nope, nope, nope. But uh, all right. So my number two is the big red machines from the 70s, the cincinnati reds, white with the logo, the pullovers. Yeah, necessarily, the the button ups, but has the big red logo right there on the, on the breast and uh, again, it's a white that I don't usually go for, all white, I like the colors, but it just that red pops so well and that is a uniform that, by and large, you can't wear any socks other than stirrups with oh, without a doubt, because those red stirrups on the white sanitary sock like that's the, that's the, that's the footwear with that uniform.
Speaker 2:Well, they all. I think they should all be wearing the stirrups. Still, I love the guys that come out and properly wear the stirrups. Yeah, gotta have them up about knee high. You gotta have them down now. You can have them thin or you can have a little fatter. I don't care either way on that. But you, this whole having the stirrups and then pulling the pants down over it no, no, I can't have that well, I mean, most guys nowadays don't even wear stirrups, they just wear the high socks right and I mean I'm cool with that too, because there's some pretty cool sock designs out there now too there he is, and I like that.
Speaker 1:I like that they get the option now, like that, like you can have a whole team of guys and there's three or four different. You know, um, variations of different socks and you know things like that. Um, you know, I mean, the dodgers had a kid make his debut this year, ryan Peppio. We probably mentioned him at some point on the show he comes out. He's got the kind of long hair Looks like he's 12, but man, he's rocking those stirrups.
Speaker 2:Yeah, got to love it. Man Looks great. As soon as I saw him, I texted you. I was like look at this cat man, he's cool. He immediately was over with me and was one of my favorite players. Just from seeing him literally a second, I didn't even care how much he was a geek, how well he could play. Right, yeah, all right. So my number one favorite all-time uniform is the light blue pinstripe Chicago Cubs with the cubby bear on the breast. We believe that it was the road uniforms. It was going back so far we couldn't remember how they were using them.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah.
Speaker 2:We remembered the iconic uniform, obviously, but we couldn't remember exactly, you know, if they were the Holmes or the Away.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But those are my favorite because it is so ugly.
Speaker 1:It's cool, man, and that was that same time period that, with the braves, you were talking about the light blue. The light blue was really in then and, uh, the pullovers were in then too. That was a big thing, and it's not like the cubs really wore much at all, um, but yeah, it's just, it's just a very different look because, again, there's not much red on them, if any at all. Right, you know, and you've got the, the yellow of the, the older, you know, uh, cub logo and um, you know, I, just, I, I, I always picture ryan sandberg he's the guy.
Speaker 2:I mean that's the thing. Is r Sandberg wearing that jersey? I mean that's the image that I would say most people associate with it. Andre Dawson is seen a lot in it Not as much, but still that's the two guys you would think of.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. I mean that time frame for Cubs baseball is defined by those two guys, so it makes sense.
Speaker 2:But now that I'm sitting here and I've done the list and I know we've already done six, but I got to throw a seventh in there, because what about the Baltimore Orioles and the Orange man?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, we talked about the retro ones when we did the other episode, but that's an iconic uniform as well yeah, and I I considered that for my list, but it's hard to pin down because there's been a variation of that throughout pretty much their entire history. Um, they've always kind of had an alternate orange uniform, um, through, you know, the cartoon bird and then to the more realistic bird and now back to the cartoon bird. You know, there's always, orange, is always a prevailing color in that, in that uniform set. So, yeah, yeah, I think that that deserves at least a mention here, even if it didn't make it onto either list.
Speaker 2:I mean, basically, we could just rank them all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we could keep going, we really could I mean, we are the fashionistas of retro baseball looks. We sure are.
Speaker 2:I mean and there's some that I know you're going to put on here that should be on my list, that would be in my top ten.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, I mean it really could go on forever, but I will. I will yield to you my yeah and I. Actually I had a ton of fun with this because with the current uniforms I kind of had the frame of reference of that that one day of seeing parts of a lot of games and going, man, that's a great uniform. Damn, those look so cool. That's a great uniform. And with this I expected to have more off the top of my head and I just didn't. Or I would have had the same five, you know what I mean. Right, right. And I didn't want to do that because number one, you know, are the five current, the five favorite of all time? Probably not.
Speaker 1:So I started looking around and really, really like digging and doing some research and I decided to try to represent some. I mean, I've got one or two on here that a lot of people might have on their list, but my list, a lot of it is forgotten or underappreciated uniforms. There's one on here I don't even remember, but when I I found it it fascinated me so much that I just couldn't leave it off the list. So, with that said, I'm going to start with the Pittsburgh Pirates from the we Are Family days in the 70s, those yellow jerseys with the pillbox hats yeah, man jerseys with the pillbox hats.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, the mustard color with the pillbox man what a great look and just such a defining moment in that entire franchise's history. There's a great picture online if you just um google you know pittsburgh pirates 70s yellow. It's like dave parker smoking a cigarette, wearing that uniform and there's a bunch of teammates standing around him and they just look like this rough bunch of guys that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley and they're all just like in these pristine major league uniforms. It's incredible. Man Classic stuff. A really important team in the history of baseball.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know the first all non-white, starting nine. You know a lot of history there. You know, through again, dave Parker, the Cobra Clemente, willie Stargell. I mean just so much history in that uniform in that time period.
Speaker 2:I couldn't leave it out. Well, you know, what I loved about Dave Parker was later on in his career, of course he played for the Reds too is he would do one of two things when he batted at the end he would either hit a home run or fall down. And as a kid, you know, I'm waiting on these moments, right, right, I'm just, you know, got to watch him fall down, oh man.
Speaker 1:Got to love the Cobra.
Speaker 2:Yes, he was awesome man. My childhood was not that bad man watching all this stuff looking for people to die on tv watching the cobra fall down and yep good times man, how often did you see someone die on tv?
Speaker 1:never, yeah, not once. Not one, never happened but I was.
Speaker 2:I was convinced that the tv was real, not like movies and tv shows, but like wrestling and some of this other stuff and some of the sports where people were really going to get hurt. Well, I'll tell you why. I'll tell you exactly why, and this is a little off topic, but it's the whole Evel Knievel, the agony of defeat that played on the Wide World of Sports every Saturday, right? So I just assumed that someone was going to, you know, meet their maker for my television viewing pleasure, right?
Speaker 1:right.
Speaker 2:But I'm glad they didn't.
Speaker 1:Let me get that out there.
Speaker 2:I don't you know I'm an adult now, but as a kid I was like, yeah, this is going to be bad and I can't wait to see it.
Speaker 1:It's live, anything can happen.
Speaker 2:Anything could happen. I mean, I was on the battle of the network stars thinking that somebody was gonna die. Yeah, ed asner's gonna turn that canoe over and that'd be it. Yeah, it would yeah, anyway, baseball yeah, don't get me started on the 70s man, I know I've got you wound up, I know it's a good time, good time, all right.
Speaker 1:Well, so for my number four, I'm going to throw it back a little bit earlier than the 70s, to those Brooklyn Dodgers light blues you were talking about. Now here's the difference In the day that we're talking about, when these uniforms were being worn by the Dodgers. You know it's like that heavy cotton uniform. You know this is even before like the mesh or. You know the stuff they have now is like that performance fabric.
Speaker 1:That's like sweat wicking and it breathes. It's just incredible, but back then it was. You know, baseball uniforms were probably not great to wear in the middle of the summer, so the Dodgers thought they had an answer to it with satin. The Dodgers light blues and there's not a ton of photography out there of them, but there is a little bit, and they're reflecting like the flashbulb. I mean they're reflecting the light Right Because they're reflecting like the flashbulb. I mean they're reflecting the light Right Because they're satin and man. What's cooler than that?
Speaker 2:Nothing's cooler than that I mean where do we get a satin Dodgers jersey now?
Speaker 1:Well, you can buy the light blue. It's not satin, no.
Speaker 2:I mean a satin. We're going to have to get someone to make us satin shirts, satin jerseys. Okay, like they had. I'll let you look into that for me. I'm going to get Tiffany on this one.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And have her find her cousin who used to be a seamstress and see if she can make one. But what of Tracy? Well, Tracy will handle the shipping and the packing and the receiving Got.
Speaker 1:But what of Tracy? Well, Tracy will handle the shipping and the packing and the receiving.
Speaker 2:Oh got it Got it Okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's twice. They've come up this week.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, that's what she's good at is receiving.
Speaker 1:Okay, I couldn't do it. I couldn't hold a straight face, damn it. Okay, we're going to move on. Now I've got next up the Anaheim Angels from 1997 through 2001.
Speaker 1:So this was the period of time that the team was owned by the same people as Disney, okay, and they had the real Disney cartoony A with the white wing on the side. It kind of looked like it was moving, you know, and they had the two-tone jersey. So I went with the home whites, so it was like a vested jersey with the navy blue under it, but white with the pinstripes and angels in that cartoony font. Um, really, really slick. A have aged really well and and I remember at the time even thinking like oh, wow, this is a really 90s look. But as you look back now all these years later, like that look actually has aged pretty well, I mean it's a, it's a really cool um logo set and uniform and I just really I mean I can just see Jim Edmonds in center field laying out for a ball wearing those uniforms and, you know, two angels come down from the heavens and pick him up by the sleeve of his jersey.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I couldn't, you know, I couldn't leave those off. And you know, every now and then, like I'll just I'll be watching a game. Or, even better, if I'm out somewhere, like at the mall or something, and I see somebody in person wearing that cap, it's just always like man, what a cool cap.
Speaker 2:It is a cool cap.
Speaker 1:It is a very cool look. So that was my number three. Number two is a team that doesn't exist anymore. They only existed for one year in this identity. The Mariners have worn these as a throwback, even though this team became the Milwaukee Brewers. But I'm talking, of course, about 1969 and the Seattle Pilots, oh wow. And the Seattle Pilots, oh wow. A uniform and a look that was maligned by Jim Bouton in his famous tell-all book Ball Four. Apparently, the players on the team thought they looked like clowns, maybe a little bit.
Speaker 1:Well, in 1969, those were pretty out there, maybe a little bit. Well, in 1969, those were pretty out there. I mean, the hats looked like actual pilots' hats with the wings on the bill of the cap like an airline pilot's hat. It was pretty revolutionary in a lot of ways and I like that blue. That blue just pops with the yellow on it and it just just to you know. And the logo set is really neat because there's a lot you can do with the name Pilots. I mean you can really get creative with that and they did and unfortunately only stuck around for a year. But you know, then they moved to Milwaukee, became the brewers and um, and got a terrible logo. Then they were really ugly. I mean, if you thought you looked like a clown in the pilots uniform, right, holy cow, those, those brewers, uh, 70s, that's just hideous. Is the word hideous?
Speaker 2:boy scouts. They did. They look just like the Boy Scouts.
Speaker 1:They definitely do now, but we talked about that last week we did.
Speaker 2:Okay, we don't want to repeat ourselves.
Speaker 1:So now the moment you've all been waiting for my number one on my list this week. That's a pretty good drum roll. It was not bad. I'd give it a six out of ten.
Speaker 2:I'd give it like a six out of ten. Oh, I'd give it like a six out of seven. Okay and well, that's like and a half.
Speaker 1:That's like your opinion, man. Um, dave's not here, man.
Speaker 2:Dave's not here, man this podcast has went all to hell. We've gone off the rails this week, ladies and gentlemen, we have gone off the rails okay.
Speaker 1:So I don't remember this uniform existing until I was poking around doing research and trying to figure out the five uniforms that were going to go on my list. So in 1995, the Detroit Tigers pretty boring logo set looked the same as they have since, like the 20s by and large. They had an alternate third uniform that was navy blue and it had the old English D but the tiger was coming through the middle of the D on the jersey, the D on the Jersey and these things fascinated me so much that I put them at number one on my list because I don't even remember these existing.
Speaker 1:I just I don't know that I had ever seen these until I found them doing research for this very segment. So if you're like me and you don't remember these, please Google 1995 Tigers, alternate uniform and there's still not even a ton of pictures. I don't know how frequently they wore these, but they are just magical and 90s. But they are just magical and 90s. And for a franchise that has stuck to a classic look and I'm not dissing that I think it's great. I'm big on traditional-looking uniforms. Obviously I'm a Dodger fan. They've had the same uniforms for all of time, basically Right. But that little bit of variance in one season, I mean just chef's kiss, just incredible stuff. And I love the logo. That's the old English D, but the tiger is like crawling through the middle of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the tiger's cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just a very, very cool look and I felt like it was worth talking about on the program today. So that's my five man.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a pretty good five. I'd like to throw up another one in there, from the 70s, of course. How about the Oakland Athletics? Green and yellow with the elephant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, those aren't bad. The A's got some consideration for me. The it was another one, like the orioles, where I had trouble pinning down a specific time period or year, because they've always kind of had this. You know, they've always kind of done a lot with the green and the yellow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, um outside of just like a home white and a road gray, um, but yeah, I mean that would be on a lot of people's lists raleigh fingers, with the, with the, you know that that uh uniform and the mustache and all that and the big kick and yeah, man, yeah, that's baseball man, that's marker, that's marker, all right, okay, you said it. Marker.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, we hope you had as much fun with that as we did, because clearly we had a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:We did, we really did With that segment.
Speaker 1:That was cool. I mean two weeks in a row. We kind of did that. You know, next week we'll do favorite cleats no we won't.
Speaker 2:No man I made that list for nothing.
Speaker 1:If you got a list, it better be a long one, because I don't have one. It's got 30 teams on it. Okay, great, great, right. So we talked last week about our National League Player of the Week curse potentially being broken by Paul Goldschmidt and subsequently Freddie Freeman. So, again, we've got to fill these segments, we've got to fill some time. So I decided you know what? Let's just see how Reese Hoskins did. Let's take a look. Let's take a look at him, and if he has another player of the week type week, it's probably time to just let it quietly go by the wayside and find another way to fill time on the podcast.
Speaker 2:Agreed.
Speaker 1:But Reese Hoskins hit 235 during his time as the reigning player of the week. Now I've found this too, while we've been doing this they're not super consistent with which day of the week they announce the new player of the week on. Sometimes it's Monday, sometimes they don't get around to it until Tuesday, at least best I can tell. So this was one of the weeks where they were on top of it, and Monday they made the new pick, which was great, because Monday night Reese Hoskins went two for four in Holmard, which would have totally blown this up, but he was no longer the reigning player of the week. Right, so to me it still counts. Now I want your opinion, brian, on the state of the curse.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't think it's over, I think it's being selective. I think there are some people, some players, that are maybe curse proof, because it shows this week that that it's still effective out there yeah I mean, look, I want this thing to go as much as anybody else, but I'll also be the first one to say it's deader and damn it when it's done. Right, but I think there's some life left in this thing. I said it last week. I thought it was going to come back.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Not this soon, but you know, I thought it was going to come back. You did say that I was very optimistic about it. Yes, yes, yes, I was.
Speaker 1:No, you did say that and here we are. I mean, reese Hoskins did not have a player of the week type of week, so I don't know, maybe there's something to it. I guess we'll keep an eye on it and talk about it every week, because again got to have something to talk about.
Speaker 2:Got to. I mean, we'll keep an eye on it. There's a lot of baseball out there, there's a lot of players of the week, yep, and we'll see if there's a curse.
Speaker 1:So with that, the new player of the week is the Braves' Austin Riley Wrestling tie-in, because we love those. His walk-up song is Stone Cold, steve Austin's music.
Speaker 2:Nice. I don't know if you were aware of that. I was not aware of that, but that's nice yeah and they have T-shirts that look like the Austin 316.
Speaker 1:I think they say Riley 316, you know a little play on the name and all that. I think his Player of the Week campaign is off to a better start than Reese Hoskins. I haven't looked closely. I know he has homered uh, since he was named player of the week. But uh, we'll, you know, we'll keep an eye on it. You know Austin Riley is, you know, honestly, for a team that won a world series uh last year and has been in contention to do that for a few years, uh, austiniley's a pretty underappreciated guy. Uh, you know, people talk about the braves. You know, uh, they've talked about freddie freeman in years past. Obviously, uh, acuna jr, even ozzy albies gets a lot of publicity as one of the right. You know the stars there. But man, austin riley is as important to that lineup as anybody else. He's one of those guys that really gives that lineup length. You add guys like Azuna and Darnot and you start to look top to bottom and go, man, there's not a lot of easy outs in that one through nine.
Speaker 2:No, they're a tough team. Every team's a tough team, but they're a a tough team, but they're, they're a really tough team, you know, and he's part of that, yeah, for sure, he's a big part of it.
Speaker 1:And I, and with the brave, specifically, not to get too far off the beaten path, um, I'm not brian or anything, but they, they take that one through nine dangerous hitter after dangerous hitter, and add pitching to it, because that pitching staff is, I mean, just great. I mean they've got a great set of arms over there. I mean they're, I mean they're a pretty all-around solid crew, uh, in atlanta. So, um, will be a tough out again, I think this year in the playoffs it's gonna be, oh, they're gonna be there in the this year in the playoffs.
Speaker 2:It's going to be, oh, they're going to be there in the end in the playoffs for sure. I mean, they're going to be part of that picture. Yep, absolutely, it goes without saying, even though we just said it.
Speaker 1:I mean with the new alignment. I don't know how that's going to, how that's going to look as far as the alignment or the bracket, I guess when we get to the playoffs. But I mean it wouldn't surprise me if it was Dodgers-Braves third year in a row. Right, you know, to decide who's going to the World Series in the National League.
Speaker 2:So but yeah, it wouldn't surprise me either. I can see that happening.
Speaker 1:But we'll keep an eye on this curse business and, you know, kind of take it at a week-to-week basis. Now, you know, I mean Sandy Alcantara hasn't lost any steam. He was the first guy that we thought might have broken the curse Right, so maybe he was curse-proof, like you said. Maybe.
Speaker 2:Well, with that, I think he's a pitcher. With that, I think he's a pitcher.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we've got enough of a sample size since he was named player of the week. I mean he hasn't lost a beat. Okay, I understand what you're saying and I'm sure he'll come up.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean curses get tired too. Maybe they had to take a week off. Maybe it got on the injured list.
Speaker 1:Interesting.
Speaker 2:Maybe it stubbed its toe in the hotel or something trying to make a hasty exit? Maybe so Could be.
Speaker 1:Maybe so, but we'll keep an eye on it and report back, like always. But in the meantime, you can go right now to 2gtbstorecom, brian, and get one of these nice Beware of the Curse t-shirts.
Speaker 2:They're very nice. They're very comfortable. The material that it's made of is just incredible. It's very soft, very yummy feeling. It's very comfortable and yet still manly. So it is a beautiful item there at the store, but what else do we have in the store?
Speaker 1:a little bit of everything. I mean, we've got all sorts of different t-shirts. If you're, if you're not feeling the curse shirt, you can definitely just get the basic 2gtb logo on red or blue. You can get something for your significant other, you can get something for your pet. You can get something for your pet. You can get something for yourself. We've got phone cases. We've got a nice Bluetooth speaker that you can listen to the show each and every week on A little bit of everything, something for I mean, we say it every week.
Speaker 1:It gets redundant to us but honestly, it doesn't cost you a thing to look and this is the best way to support us financially. And we really have tried to build a store where, no matter who you are or what you're into or what your style is, there's something that you could find um to to support us. And you know, show off that you're a fan of the show, uh, at 2gtbstorecom. So don't't hesitate, go check it out, pretty please. We appreciate all the support, you know. And beyond the money, obviously, you know we make a little bit off of everything we sell. But also it's just cool to have people out there wearing our logo and starting those conversations with their friends and their families, excuse me and even strangers, about what that logo means and and you know what the show is. So yeah, 2gtbstorecom, something for you, something for everyone, something for your pets.
Speaker 2:Something especially for the pets. There's a wonderful mat there that they would love to lay on, and I know that Rex uses his collar. And I tell you what he did. The other night we had a thunderstorm come through, and we all know that pets do not like thunderstorms. They're very sensitive, especially since it's came right after the fourth. So what I did was is I put his little jersey on his what I call the pet jersey, which is really the pet t-shirt, and uh, it was like his little Thunder shirt and it helped him calm down because he felt all, you know, all wrapped up in it. Yeah, swaddled, all swaddled, that's the word I'm looking for.
Speaker 1:There, you go Swaddled.
Speaker 2:I've never used that before, but I can now. Is it a word? We'll make it one.
Speaker 1:And yeah, so he loved it and it was very practical and, uh, we were glad we had it. 2gtbstorecom for all of your two guys talking baseball merchandising needs. Okay, so big news this week in the game of baseball obviously was the announcing of the full all-star Game rosters for both National and American League. And we made our picks back when voting had kind of first opened of who we would vote for to start the game. And now we have the roster. So I'm going to sort of briefly go down through here, just rattle off the names and then we can talk about who we had there and all that and then just kind of discuss names that are missing, that we think maybe should be there. So we'll start with the American League. First, the starters Catcher is Alejandro Kirk from the Blue Jays, who I had in my picks. First base, also from the Blue Jays, Vlad Guerrero Jr, who Brian had on his team. Second base, Jose Altuve from the Astros. I don't know, we both had Trevor Story.
Speaker 2:We did have Trevor Story. We did not have him, we didn't give no love to the Astros. And.
Speaker 1:I'm going to continue to not do that. Third base from the Red Sox, rafael Devers, who I said was a close second for me. If you all recall, brian picked anthony rendon, which I just still can't believe missed it by that much. Yeah, about you know that much. Uh, shortstop tim anderson from the white socks, who I had on my list, and in the outfield aaron judge from the yankees we both had. Mike trout from the angels we both had, and giancarlo Stanton from the Yankees Brian had. So we're doing pretty good. Yeah, we were pretty close there, weren't we Right? And then the DH, shohei Otani, who you also had Right, he also got a pitcher. Here's the thing I don't understand they announce Otani twice as if he gets two spots on the roster. But does he actually get two spots or do they just act like it? Because he's a pitcher and a dh, they just act like it because it's marketing.
Speaker 2:Because you can't occupy your space at one time. That goes back to uh you know physics in your your high school, uh science class where two spaces cannot are two objects can't occupy the same space at the same time. Mr mcdonald from uh, my science class that I failed, would be very proud that I could give that information.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, good for you, man.
Speaker 1:That's pretty good stuff. I thought about counting, just like counting the number of players, but I didn't feel like doing that so I didn't. Cool thing this year that we found out was in the new collective bargaining agreement the commissioner now has the ability to add one player to each league's roster for the All-Star game called a legacy selection. Basically, it's a legend who maybe doesn't have the numbers to be considered as a traditional All-Star, but somebody that it's cool to have in the All-Star game. So for the American League this year that was Miguel Cabrera from the Detroit Tigers. We've talked about him a lot, got his 3,000th hit this year First ballot Hall of Fame guy pretty easily. So I don't think you're hearing a lot of argument from anybody that he's included.
Speaker 2:No, not at all.
Speaker 1:So the reserves catcher from the Yankees, jose Trevino a name that shocked me a little bit. He wasn't really on my radar but apparently having a pretty good year Louisa Rise, first baseman from the Twins, a guy that you're starting to hear more and more about as the year goes on. Second base, andres Jimenez from Cleveland, who again a guy that maybe you're just now hearing about a little bit, but an exciting player. Third base, jose Ramirez, from Cleveland. He was my pick to start at third base, another guy that I think is underappreciated. I mean, he's just, he's there every year. He's leading the league in RBIs every year. It seems like I mean just in a triple crown threat to some degree every year and just a steady, kind of a quiet superstar. You know, I think if he was flashier or gaudier he'd get talked about a lot more, but you know, definitely an all-star. I'll say that.
Speaker 1:Shortstop from the Red Sox, xander Bogarts. Outfielder from the Twins, byron Buxton, who I think I had yeah, I had him as a starter. You picked Stanton over him, right, I did. I had him as a starter. You picked Stanton over him, right, I did.
Speaker 2:I had him down originally and I went back and I took him out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there's been some controversy With Giancarlo Stanton Because Jordan Alvarez, who was voted, who was selected as a reserve, he's not going to play because of injury but he, so he has actually played more games in the outfield this year than Giancarlo Stanton has. But you weren't able to select Jordan Alvarez as a candidate in the outfield but you could pick Stanton. So there's some people a little butthurt about that, and I get why. Because Alvarez is having a monster year, just really, really solid for the Astros.
Speaker 1:Also, in the outfield, from the Astros, kyle Tucker, young, rising star and that's a theme you'll see is there's a lot of first-time All-Stars this year, a lot of young, up-and-coming, exciting players, and that's great. That's good for the game. It is good for the game. So, from the Blue Jays in the outfield, george Springer, you know, don't have to say much about him, just a solid guy, he's there every year. Andrew Benintendi from the Royals I've started to hear some chatter about him switching uniforms by the trade deadline, so that should be interesting. Speaking of young, exciting, up-and-coming players, julio Rodriguez from the Seattle Mariners Now, this is a guy to keep your eye on because he is doing historic things as far as hitting home runs and stealing bases simultaneously Really exciting, young guy. The Mariners have finally woken up a little bit and are in, you know, in playoff position if the season were to end today, and that's where most people expected them to be this season. So hopefully this year they can stick it out and end the longest reigning playoff drought, I think, in professional sports.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure about that, but that does ring a bell.
Speaker 1:Definitely in the Major League Baseball.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I want to say you're right, but that might be something for the Google machine.
Speaker 1:It's been a while since they were in the playoffs is all I'm trying to say. So we already mentioned Jordan Alvarez and that he is injured. He has already been replaced by JD Martinez from the Red Sox. So the pitchers for the American League, we don't yet know who the starters are going to be. We can talk about that until we're blue in the face, but we just don't know the answer yet.
Speaker 1:So, from the Tampa Bay Rays, shane McClanahan, who, if I'm not mistaken, was Brian's pick to start for the AL and I've heard that pick from a lot of people. Justin Verlander from the Astros you know, perennial all-star guy, one of the better pitchers of this generation. Alec Manoa from the Blue Jays, who I think was my pick I you know I had a hard time nailing down one guy, but I think I went. Alec Manoa from the Blue Jays. Nestor Cortez from the Yankees, whose stats I've seen side-by-side with Dylan Cease from the White Sox a lot, because Cease didn't make it and when you look at the numbers, there's no question Cease is having a better season. But you know, when you play for the Yankees you get that PR machine behind you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you get a little special treatment you know.
Speaker 1:Speaking of which, garrett Cole is going to be an all-star again, which is surprising, since sticky stuff is being cracked down on. Shohei Otani, again represented as a DH and a pitcher, paul Blackburn from the a's, because, well, somebody's got to go for the a's and it might as well be somebody's got to go I wasn't available so they got him.
Speaker 1:There you go. Martin perez from the rangers, having a bit of a career resurgence there. You know, and it's so funny, I've seen a lot of people talking about the amount of money that the rangers this offseason spent on cory seager, mar Simeon and John Gray, and they have one representative and it's none of those guys. And Frambois Valdez from the Houston Astros rounds out the starting pitchers in the bullpen. Clay Holmes from the Yankees Emmanuel Classe, I think, is how you say his last name from the Guardians. Jorge Lopez will represent the Orioles and Gregory Soto for the Tigers. So, brian and I, neither one super familiar with the American League, so I don't know how well we can speak to guys that got snubbed in the AL. Again, I've seen Dylan Cease's name come up a lot, and that's mostly in comparison to other pitchers that are on the roster. But, brian, is there anybody you could think of in the AL?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm just not astute enough in the AL I should be. I mean, we do a podcast.
Speaker 1:we ought to know what the hell we're talking about, but I I really am not familiar enough with it on that level well, and here's the thing too, in the american league I don't know that the field is as deep right in the al, because when you look at the national league, which we will hear in a second there's a lot of guys that got picked as reserves, that you're looking and you're going. Well, they'd be a starter if it wasn't for so-and-so, and that happened over and over again. And there's a couple of guys in the National League that I think it's criminal aren't on the team I mean. So let's get into that.
Speaker 2:Let's get to the.
Speaker 1:National League. As far as the starters go, we did pretty well here Catcher Wilson Contreras, who we both had from the Cubs First base. Paul Goldschmidt, who I had from the Cardinals Second base. Jazz Chisholm, who I also had from the Marlins Third base. Manny Machado, who Brian had from the Padres Short stop. Trey Turner, from the Dodgers I had. Is that who you had in the NL2?
Speaker 2:I think so, yeah, no, no, no, because I made my wish list of Niko Horn.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right.
Speaker 2:Yes, I said he probably won't go, but I'm throwing it on there just because I could.
Speaker 1:No, nico, but we did get a cool surprise for the Cubs that we'll get to in the reserves in a minute. In the outfield, ronald Acuna Jr, who Brian had, from the Braves, jock Peterson from the Giants, who I had, and then Mookie Betts from the Dodgers, who we both had, and then the DH Bryce Harper, who I had. So we did pretty well with the starters in the National League. I mean, we did well in the American League too.
Speaker 1:I think we did pretty good All things considered, considering we don't know as much about the American League as we do the NL. Right, the legacy selection by the commissioner in the NL was Albert Pujols. Duh Right. I mean this guy is top five's, top five in like every offensive category that there is, and he's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer and he has announced this will be his last season finishing it up with the team that made him famous, the Cardinals. So no issues there whatsoever. I mean, he's a guy and again, this legacy selection thing is so cool because there's so many young guys, so many first-time All-Stars, that it's going to be great for them to be able to rub elbows with guys like Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean to share the dugout and the clubhouse with those guys. It's a learning opportunity and a little bit of status is going to rub off and make stars of the future.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you're right. I mean, I think it's really going to help some of these younger guys and it's going to be a cool experience for them, like you said, to share a clubhouse with guys like pool, holson, miggy. So the reserves in the national league at catcher travis darno from the braves we'll talk more about that in a minute. Uh, first base, pete alonzo from the mets and cj crone from the rockies. Second base, jeff mcneil from the mets. Third base, my pick to start at third. From the cardinals, nolan arenado. Shortstop. From the braves, dansby swanson. Outfielders. From the phillies, kyle schwarber. From the mets, starling marte. Uh. From the nationals, juan soto. And from the cubbies, ian happ.
Speaker 2:Absolutely an all-star. Man ashley is so excited. Her baby boy, her favorite player, is now an all-star. That's all she cared about. Was is, is her baby boy gonna make it? And we were able to tell her heck, yeah and so well deserved man he really had a good year.
Speaker 1:You know gets lost in the talk of the cubs being not that good and you know being in a rebuild, but I mean he's a guy that's been there for them for a while now.
Speaker 2:Oh, for a couple seasons now. You know three or more. You know um, maybe not more, but uh, he's doing great. I mean he's just really honing his skills and really being there for the ball team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, turning into a leader. I think in that clubhouse Absolutely, which could get really important if the rumors are true and Contreras is on his way out.
Speaker 2:Yes, if Contreras leaves, ian Happ needs to step up into that role. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think you're right, I mean that lead by example kind of guy, for sure. And then DH is William Contreras kind of guy, for sure, um, and then dh is william contraris from the braves, who you had, I think. Right, I did, that was my pick. He's gonna start because harper is injured and taking harper's spot, uh, on the roster, is garrett cooper from the marlins, which is even more baffling when we look at the snubs which we will do after I give you the pictures for the National League. You know, and a big story too with William Contreras is he and Wilson will become the fifth set of brothers to simultaneously start an All-Star game. Super cool, very cool. They're tight-knit guys, yes, and that's going to be a big moment for them.
Speaker 2:They're bringing their entire family in to take a look at it and their brother I can't remember his name um willie wilson wilmer wilmer is coming to the united states for the first time. Very cool for this.
Speaker 1:So the whole family will be there. Yeah, that's awesome, man, such a moment. So, starting pitchers for the NL Sandy Alcantara, who we've talked about a lot with our curse segment from the Marlins, corbin Burns from the Brewers. Joe Musgrove from the Padres. Max Freed from the Braves, tony Gonsolin from the Dodgers A lot of people think he should be the starter and I would agree if it weren't for his teammate Clayton Kershaw Right, that's who should start.
Speaker 1:The sentimental favorite Kershaw has never started an All-Star game and that's criminal. It's crazy, right, absolutely. I mean, it's one of those things that like it's only a thing because we say it's a thing, so it's not really a thing, but it's a thing, so it's not really a thing. But you know, it's wild to think the years of dominance he's had. I mean, he won an MVP as a pitcher and he's never started an All-Star game on the mound. That's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1:So Luis Castillo from the Reds, who some think will be a Dodger by the end of the month. And then Carlos Rodon, who we would be talking about as a snub, except he was one of the first injury replacements named and that's good, because Rodon should be there. He's had a really great year. The relievers Josh Hader, who won't be playing. That's who Rodon should be there. He's had a really great year. The relievers Josh Hader, who won't be playing. That's who Rodon replaces from the Brewers. Edwin Diaz from the Mets Do you know? Edwin Diaz, the Mets' closer this season, has struck out more than half the batters he's faced.
Speaker 2:Wow, I didn't know that Crazy.
Speaker 1:Just insane what he's doing. That is insane. Ryan Helsley from the cardinals, who I got a good look at uh recently when, uh, when the cardinals played uh the dodgers for the first time this year, just throwing smoke, I mean just consistently, 101, 102, just a monster, uh. David bednar from the pirates, who I also was impressed with when the Dodgers saw him. And Joe Mantaply From the Diamondbacks. Now let's talk snubs in the National League. Alright, let's do it and I'm gonna. I'm gonna talk about one myself and I'm gonna pass one on to you Because I know you'll make a case for him, okay.
Speaker 1:Because he was your pick to start the game at first base. Okay, I'm going to pass one on to you because I know you'll make a case for him, because he was your pick to start the game at first base. Okay, and here's one reason I'm not making the case for both because I don't want to sound biased. Because I'm going to sound biased because they're both from the Dodgers you do every week. Well, it's not changing here. Because Will Smith okay, Wilson Contreras should start at catcher. He's had that kind of year. No one's arguing that, not even me.
Speaker 1:Will Smith the idea that he is not one of the two best catchers in the National League is insane to me. It's crazy. He has come so far so quickly. He's one of the best clutch hitters in all of baseball. It's just I don't want to be that guy that says, oh well, Darnot's going because his manager's the one picking the team and I guess if you really put them side by side it's kind of close. But I don't think it's that close. I just don't know how you make an argument for Darnot over Will Smith. Now, if you're listening to this or you're watching this and you think otherwise, I'm at Dallas Danger. Lay it on me. Tell me why I'm wrong. I would love to be proven wrong because I want there to be some level of integrity involved with picking these teams, and I think I heard somebody say last year there were four catchers on the National League team.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they're only taking two, right, you know, like it's a playoff roster, right you know? I don't know, will Smith is that dude? And the fact that he's not been an all-star yet is pretty sad.
Speaker 2:I would have to agree with that. That is sad and I would put him up there in the conversation for the top catchers in the league. I mean, he's an excellent player, he's crucial to the team and there's definitely an argument that can be made about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I was so shocked when you know Bryce Harper's injured can't start at DH. William Contreras, who doubles as a catcher, takes his spot. Why do we have to? I mean, do we have to pick a guy who's predominantly a dh? Because I feel like that's the only way garrett cooper gets that spot. You know it, we've already got every team represented, so it's not like he's the only guy from the marlins or whatever. I mean, why can't will smith take that spot?
Speaker 2:no, I agree that.
Speaker 1:Is it just Brian Snitker, hearing people like me say, oh well, you're taking your guy when it should be somebody else and digging his heels in? I don't know Brian Snitker, I don't know if he's that type of guy. I know Dave Roberts is on his staff, right, so you know how much input is he giving the rest of his staff? You know, I know dave roberts was asked last week about that very thing and he said that, you know, in in the years that he's had the pleasure of being the manager of the national league all-star team, he he didn't get a lot of uh, input from other managers or other guys on his staff as far as who should be on the team. So you know, maybe Dave is just, you know, only given the feedback he's asked for. I don't know, but you know Will Smith should be an all-star.
Speaker 2:No, he absolutely should. I mean without a doubt, and that is probably the biggest snub I think I mean. Well, I don't know, maybe the next guy could be made an argument for a big snub too.
Speaker 1:Okay, I want you to make a case for the other guy from the Dodgers, and then we're going to go back, because I just thought of one in the American League.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, I mean, without a doubt, freddie Freeman's got to be in there, right? Without a doubt, I mean the year he's having. He's a team leader. He should be a perennial all-star. I mean, how is he not there? I mean the way he's been batting lately. I mean he's impeccable in the field. I mean he should have been named to the team. It's criminal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have to agree. And again, I hate sounding biased about the Dodgers, but it's crazy. You know Paul Goldschmidt's the starter, no argument there. He's probably the NL MVP right now, Excuse me. So you got two first basemen who are in the reserves. Cj Krohn I get from the Rockies because he's their sole representative and he should be with the year he's having. Pete Alonzo is an all-star guy. I get that. They want him there because they want him in the home run derby again, I get that.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:But if you put his season and Freddie's side-by-side, is Pete Alonzo still an all-star? I don't know, man. These are tough decisions to make and I'm glad I'm not the one who actually has to make them. But it's just wild to see an all-star roster and not see Freddie Freeman's name on it. Yeah, I mean, it's almost unbelievable.
Speaker 1:It really is yeah, a little bit, a little bit. And again that goes back to it's almost like Snitker has gotten over-pos with it right, rather than taking the best guys and saying, well, we'll figure it out. I mean obviously, you mean you can't take a team full of first baseman, because who's going to play the middle infield and who's going to play the outfield, who's going to catch? You know you've got to have all positions represented, but I don't know, man. Again, these are tough decisions to make and I'm glad I'm not the guy making them.
Speaker 2:No, and it just hurts the game and the fans. I mean that these guys aren't playing. I mean it's still going to be good. I mean it's not. You know it's going to be a great game and everything, but you just want to see your favorites out there, and those are two of your favorites. That's what the All-Star game is all about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. So. In the American League I did think of a snub. I can't believe I didn't think of him sooner or already have him in my mind to make a case for. And that's Ty Franceance, first baseman for the mariners, who was my pick to start over vlad guerrero jr. Right, because I thought at the time he was having that good of a year. You know, uh, figured vlad would be there anyway. Um, so the only way to get ty france in would be to vote, and clearly I was right, because Ty France isn't there Just having a great year. And then back to the National League, tommy Edmond from the Cardinals. He's third in war in the National League among position players and he's not there. I mean, it's just, you know, there's a finite number of spots.
Speaker 2:Right, that's what I was just thinking. Is it boils down to everybody's going to have their favor and everybody can lean towards well, I want this guy or I don't want that guy. But the truth is is there's only so many spots and there's only so much time to play them, and you know you just got to do the best you can with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and, and, and, and. I'm not here to say that Dusty Baker or Brian Snickers are not doing their best, because clearly they are. Obviously they are. I don't have bad things to say about either one of them and I don't want it to come off that way, but that's what we're here to do. We're here to talk about it. Yeah, we're talking about it. What I do know is that the all-star festivities kick off this week and we will be talking all about it next week. We got the draft, we got the home run derby, we've got the game, the all-star game. I mean it's gonna be. Uh, I'm not gonna have trouble finding topics to talk about next week.
Speaker 2:no, we're we're going to have a full week and also we have a little trip that week. That's when we're going to Atlanta.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right. That's right. So we'll be. Let's see, we'll actually be going. We'll be doing an episode between the All-Star Game and our trip, so the All-Star game and our trip, so the all-star games on tuesday. We we record and post new episodes on wednesdays and then that weekend we'll be going to atlanta. So we'll be seeing a couple games, hopefully getting to see shohei otani pitch, hopefully definitely, yeah, I mean, that's one of the reasons I wanted to go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, we'll get to see him hit either way. Yeah, absolutely. And Trout, the whole Angels squad will be in Atlanta playing the Braves, and a Cubs fan and a Dodger fan who host a podcast about baseball are going to go for the weekend.
Speaker 2:That makes no sense whatsoever, does it? Well, we could tell the story.
Speaker 1:We could tell the story, but I look like an idiot.
Speaker 2:Basically, I got the schedule mixed up. I couldn't read the fine print and we thought it was two other teams, but we decided we're still going to go because we love the game and you know, tickets are tickets and they're great seats, so we're going to go, yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1:I like the.
Speaker 2:Braves, you know, and Angels aren't bad. We want to see Ohtani, so we're just going to go have a good time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're going to go have a good time. And by the fine print, brian means that he saw Los Angeles and got excited, thinking it was the Dodgers.
Speaker 2:I did I got excited and completely forgot about the Angels. And I'll tell you why because I still think of them as the Anaheim Angels.
Speaker 1:Which they are. I still think of them as the Anaheim Angels, which they are. So it goes back to something that I could do another hour on by itself, and that is how ridiculous it is that they're the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They're the Anaheim Angels.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they should have been duly noted as such. But here's the thing If they would have been duly noted as such, we wouldn't be making the trip, and I'm pretty excited for the trip that's a good point.
Speaker 1:I hadn't thought about it that way, so it was meant to be.
Speaker 2:It was it was. Bill is a vacation of a lifetime and what we got was a epic mistake. From the ashes will grow the phoenix of a new fandom well, that's what we will be covering next week.
Speaker 1:I know we don't always sort of billboard the the following week's episode, but I mean it's not. You know, unless something crazy happens, there's not really gonna be anything else to talk about next week other than all-star festivities. Oh yeah, that's the thing also week.
Speaker 1:You know I'm excited. I I love All-Star, I just love it. Baseball does All-Star, so right, yeah, home run derby is always a good time. The game is so much fun. Because here's the thing Baseball is the type of sport where you don't have to take anything off of what you're doing. You can just bring it like you do in a regular season game and you don't have to take anything off of what you're doing. You can just bring it like you do in a regular season game and you don't have to risk. You know there's no risk of guys getting hurt or anything like that. You can just play good baseball and you know it's exciting, man, it's for the fans and we're fans of the game as much as anybody else. So I'm really excited just to see the all the festivities.
Speaker 1:I love that they do the draft during the all-star break now, because that becomes a part of it. So that's a whole nother thing we get to talk about next week. Um, brock jones from stanford fall to 40. Andrew friedman, you're you're never gonna hear this, but if by some chance you do, nothing will make this Dodger fan happier for you to get Brock Jones from Stanford in the draft. Man, that would just. I've gotten my hopes up now, which is a huge mistake.
Speaker 2:Yes, huge mistake, Huge mistake. You can't mess around with those drafts man.
Speaker 1:You know what's crazy is the last mock draft I looked at. He was projected to go 39. Oh wow, and the Dodgers pick at 40. Listen, the Dodgers may have no interest in him, but I do. I want him in the Dodger organization.
Speaker 2:Well, we need to message the team and tell them what you think and wait back to hear from them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, get Tracy and Tiffany on that.
Speaker 2:We will get Tiffany on that. I think that'll be something good for her to do. Okay, great, yes, great.
Speaker 1:Well, we're going to go take care of that, Brian. Is there anything else you wanted to get off your chest this week?
Speaker 2:No man, it's going to be another great week next week and I can't wait.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm right there with you. We're all-star, all-star week. All the festivities and the game, the home run derby. We'll have plenty to talk about next week. And in the meantime, check out 2gtbcom. That's got links to all of our social media. Link to the youtube channel as well. If you want to check out the video stream here in the nice studio that we have decorated, I I added a decoration this week.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Straight.
Speaker 2:Hold that up and let me get that on camera view there. You're on this camera right here.
Speaker 1:Straight from Dodger Stadium. This is the Chris Taylor giveaway bobblehead that commemorates his walk-off home run in last year's hopefully last ever wild card game in the National League, and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one for the studio, and now he lives here.
Speaker 2:With all of his new friends.
Speaker 1:With all of his new friends With little Manny, little Jackie little Ohtani. Yeah man, we got a nice array of little friends here, but he's our first bobblehead.
Speaker 1:He is our first bobblehead, which is kind of surprising, with as much stuff we have on the desk here, that he is our first bobblehead. So yeah, 2gtbcom, that's got links to all the socials, links to the YouTube channel and even links to everywhere you can listen to the podcast audio only as well. 2gtb store If you want to take a look at some of the merchandise we have available and support us financially. But that's all we've got this week. So, brian logan, my name is dallas danger, happy baseball, everybody. We'll see you next week. We'll see you at the field.