Speaker 1: Oh there we go, big two hour show today, Fred
Speaker 1: Rogan Rodney Peak on. I am five to seventy l
Speaker 1: a sports Rodney. How are you? I am very very
Speaker 1: very good. Fred, had a good weekend? How about yourself?
Speaker 1: All good, all fun? Everything ready to go? Here is
Speaker 1: we count down to Tokyo? Count down to Tokyo. That's right,
Speaker 1: Rodger's opening in Tokyo. Yes, yes, yes, y'very exciting times.
Speaker 1: And I love the fact that they are. You know,
Speaker 1: they're gonna celebrate that that Tokyo trip and allow Yabamoto
Speaker 1: and Sazaki to go and and throw those games. It's
Speaker 1: just it's very cool. I can only imagine what that
Speaker 1: atmosphere is gonna be like when those two guys are
Speaker 1: on the mound and Otani comes up the plate. It's
Speaker 1: gonna be great, it really is. I'm so excited to
Speaker 1: be going. Uh, you know, it's a bucket list thing. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and we just said we're gonna go, do it, do it,
Speaker 1: We're gonna go. Yeah, Yeah, I agree, I agree. We'll
Speaker 1: see you there. Yeah, it's gonna be fun. That'll be
Speaker 1: a fun week. And uh, will we be doing reports?
Speaker 1: Probably not. There's a little bit of a time difference
Speaker 1: over there is gonna be a little bit different do reports.
Speaker 1: But even still, Fred, I think I think the Kobe
Speaker 1: beef and the sak and and all the things in
Speaker 1: between are going to affect our reporting on that trip.
Speaker 1: You know, I'm just thinking, No, isn't it like three
Speaker 1: in the morning there now something like that? Yeah? Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's uh yeah, I think it's like exactly around that time. Oh,
Speaker 1: because that's it's difficult. I mean, as y'all know, I'm
Speaker 1: talking about it a lot. My son lives there, so
Speaker 1: you know, to get a hold of him and it
Speaker 1: talked to him on a regular basis, it's difficult. It's
Speaker 1: actually five five o'clock in the morning there, five five am.
Speaker 1: So here's the deal. And if you're willing to do this,
Speaker 1: so you let me know. We can get up at
Speaker 1: five am and do the show from there. We can
Speaker 1: get up at five am and do it. Do you
Speaker 1: want to do that? Yes? Or no? No? Okay, all right,
Speaker 1: well no we not. Oh we can get up and
Speaker 1: you know at six red and do a one o'clock report. Here,
Speaker 1: we can do that just calling with a one o'clock report.
Speaker 1: See you threw it out there. Now we're gonna get
Speaker 1: calls after the show. Hey, hey, guys, make sure you
Speaker 1: make sure you bring your equipment and make sure you
Speaker 1: are ready to go, because we're going to do that
Speaker 1: great idea. Fred. Well, here's the thing, and since you
Speaker 1: brought it up, I'll just say it was Rodney's idea.
Speaker 1: Called Rodney and he's all over. But anyway, it is
Speaker 1: going to be a fun time and looking forward to that,
Speaker 1: all right. So let's get to the Lakers, and they
Speaker 1: beat the Clippers again last night. The Lakers are just
Speaker 1: red hot. They are on fire, and they were on
Speaker 1: fire before they got Luca. But let's be honest, since
Speaker 1: they've gotten him, there's a little more, a little more
Speaker 1: coming out of the afterburners. They are fun to watch.
Speaker 1: I have to be on I love watching Luca Dodgers.
Speaker 1: I just love watching them. I think it is really
Speaker 1: entertaining to watch this guy play. There was a point
Speaker 1: in time in the game he hit a three and
Speaker 1: he counted on his fingers one, two, three. Normally I
Speaker 1: don't like guys that complain to the referees. For whatever reason,
Speaker 1: I like this, and it might be it might be
Speaker 1: the our guy syndrome, you know, the our guy sent
Speaker 1: might be it is the ur guy syndrome. Of course
Speaker 1: it is read anybody does that against the Lakers or
Speaker 1: against one of our LA teams. You can't stand that guy.
Speaker 1: Why is he doing that? He's a show off, he's
Speaker 1: a distant Why is this guy always whining with a
Speaker 1: when there's a call against him, Go play basketball? That's
Speaker 1: what you'd be saying if he was wearing another jersey.
Speaker 1: But the fact that he's wearing a Laker jersey, it's
Speaker 1: all good. I love it, right, it's great when he
Speaker 1: when he's our guy, and that's what people think. You know,
Speaker 1: something you can't stand that a guy does with another team.
Speaker 1: What he becomes our guy, it's great, it's wonderful. He's
Speaker 1: got a point. Granted he winds after a seventy five
Speaker 1: percent of the place, but he's got a point. I
Speaker 1: get it now because he's our guy. If he was
Speaker 1: playing for Dallas, we'd hate it. But no, this honeymoon period,
Speaker 1: everything is great. I think it's just so much fun
Speaker 1: to watch. And if you last night against the Clippers,
Speaker 1: a couple of times Clippers shoot rebound, Luca grabs it,
Speaker 1: bam down to Lebron dunk layup, I mean, these guys
Speaker 1: are so good and they've never really played together, but
Speaker 1: Lebron is allowing him to be him. It's like they've
Speaker 1: played together for years because that's how good they are.
Speaker 1: It's just fun to watch him, it really is. There
Speaker 1: was a period of time a couple of years back,
Speaker 1: the Lakers had a better record, but the Clippers were
Speaker 1: more fun to watch, and I said that on the air.
Speaker 1: I said, if I could pick one team to watch,
Speaker 1: it'd be the Clippers because they were more fun. Now,
Speaker 1: the team that is the most fun to watch has
Speaker 1: not only the best record in the city, but most
Speaker 1: the best record in the in the conference. So it's
Speaker 1: just all coming together. Clippers made cut it down again
Speaker 1: at the end. So this has happened now more than
Speaker 1: once Lakers grab that lead, the opponent comes back, chops
Speaker 1: that lead, and the Lakers hold on. Clippers made a
Speaker 1: run late, the Lakers held on again. Do you realize, Fred,
Speaker 1: I mean that the Lakers now are the number two
Speaker 1: seed in the West, And and do you also realize
Speaker 1: that less than two weeks ago you were ready to
Speaker 1: get rid of Lebron and move on and and just
Speaker 1: move on from this whole thing, going on and we
Speaker 1: talked about if the Lakers can make a run at
Speaker 1: the Western Conference Final, what would you do? Would you
Speaker 1: try to keep them? And there was suggested that you know,
Speaker 1: they weren't going to be able to make a deep run,
Speaker 1: and let's just let's just rip it up and let
Speaker 1: it start all over with Luca. That was about two
Speaker 1: weeks ago, Fred, And now what you're feeling about keeping
Speaker 1: Lebron in his tandem together because they are playing well. Oh,
Speaker 1: I think this. We have to see how far they
Speaker 1: can go. We have to see what they can do
Speaker 1: right now. And it's sort of like the Dodgers were.
Speaker 1: The Dodgers hit their stride at the right time last season,
Speaker 1: and the Lakers are hitting theirs at the right time now.
Speaker 1: You know, it doesn't matter if you come out of
Speaker 1: the blocks and win every game. The law of averages
Speaker 1: will catch up with you. You're only going to be
Speaker 1: so good. But you've got to be hot when you
Speaker 1: need to be hot. You have to have momentum when
Speaker 1: you need momentum. I think the acquisition of Donjets gave
Speaker 1: the Lakers momentum just by virtue of the fact that
Speaker 1: he showed up and they were already playing much better.
Speaker 1: Now we'll see what happens. Now, we'll see if they
Speaker 1: have enough. Now, we'll see if Jackson Hayes can be
Speaker 1: the guy long term during this run. Does he have enough?
Speaker 1: Because as you keep going, it's going to get harder.
Speaker 1: I mean, and then when you get to the East,
Speaker 1: you'll see Boston maybe or Cleveland. And Cleveland is enormous.
Speaker 1: But I think Luca does so much that can take
Speaker 1: anybody out of their game just because of the way
Speaker 1: he is now. I think it'll be interesting, I really do.
Speaker 1: And it's all because they made that trade. Going to
Speaker 1: the Laker game now is you're going to see the Lakers.
Speaker 1: Before that, you were going to see Lebron because that
Speaker 1: was it. You got to see Lebron play again. A
Speaker 1: great thing. But that team wasn't gonna win. This team
Speaker 1: really has a shot to win. And I wonder for
Speaker 1: the back of their minds sitting in Dallas, maybe too soon,
Speaker 1: maybe a little bit too sopid. Kevin, you remember two
Speaker 1: weeks ago, he was like this, you know they'll be
Speaker 1: all right, They're not gonna get to the you know
Speaker 1: they're not gonna go deep into playoffs. Well, there's no
Speaker 1: chance for that, but you know, we vamp it. But
Speaker 1: they're not gonna They're not gonna do much this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the take was it infuses life into the franchise
Speaker 2: for the future. But the future is now and needs
Speaker 2: to start now. Right, They're likely not going to do
Speaker 2: much this year, even if they make a deep run
Speaker 2: into the postseason.
Speaker 3: You need to get rid of Lebron James.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 2: Granted, Fred, you did him in that take last week.
Speaker 2: I'll give you credit for that, although should I give
Speaker 2: you credit considering that it's smacking you right in the
Speaker 2: face right now?
Speaker 3: You sound like a moron if you stayed on top
Speaker 3: of that, kept with that take. So I mean you
Speaker 3: kind of you kind of were forced.
Speaker 1: You did change did change your tune? Yes, yeah, they
Speaker 1: got to give you that, Fred, You weren't you weren't
Speaker 1: dead set on on This is a disaster and it
Speaker 1: can't continue like this, and they need they needed to
Speaker 1: totally give the car keys and the whole car over
Speaker 1: to Luca and let's just move on. Well, eventually they're
Speaker 1: going to have to do that. Anyways, just one now,
Speaker 1: when are they going to do it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, which would never argue, Just why do you have
Speaker 2: to do it. Now, that's because I ugainst them.
Speaker 1: Did you really think it was going to work this well, See,
Speaker 1: my concern all along was they didn't have a center.
Speaker 1: That was my concern.
Speaker 2: Well, we thought he made the Mark Williams trade. I
Speaker 2: mean this was even before the Mark Williams trade even
Speaker 2: came down the pipeline.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I knew that was going to happen.
Speaker 3: Sure, of course you did.
Speaker 1: I knew that was going to happen, right, I knew
Speaker 1: one hundred percent that was gonna happen. And then it
Speaker 1: was going to be rejected. Yeah, No, I just I
Speaker 1: was looking at the way they were rolling Fred before Lucas.
Speaker 1: But I didn't think Rodney, even when they were rolling,
Speaker 1: they could win it. I really didn't. Yeah, but I
Speaker 1: didn't think even after the trade, you didn't think they
Speaker 1: could win it. Well, yeah, but then we started to
Speaker 1: see him play and you're going, oh God, these guys
Speaker 1: can play together and they can play well and you
Speaker 1: can't stop both of them. So I mean, we'll see, Yeah,
Speaker 1: we'll see. When it comes to Lebron, if you got
Speaker 1: a chance to win a title, then he stays and
Speaker 1: if you look at it and go, no matter what
Speaker 1: we do with the two of them. It doesn't work,
Speaker 1: then you build for the future. That's it. The goals
Speaker 1: to win titles here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and no one argued that, Fred, But the argument was,
Speaker 2: with Lebron and Luca together, there's a chance this they
Speaker 2: could really work out well, and if it does, they
Speaker 2: can't compete for a title. So if that is the case,
Speaker 2: why would you get rid of Lebron? I think that
Speaker 2: was the question people were asking.
Speaker 1: And the point is this, if they can win a title, great,
Speaker 1: But I think what did we say they got to
Speaker 1: go to the fight? I can't remember.
Speaker 3: Well, we just Briany and I threw out a hypothetical.
Speaker 2: If they make it to the conference finals and don't win,
Speaker 2: do you still blow it up? And I believe at
Speaker 2: the time your response was still yes, because you didn't
Speaker 2: win a championship. It's like, well, only one team wins.
Speaker 2: You're knocking on the door. Why not running back in
Speaker 2: the offseason and try to bring guys in to help
Speaker 2: them get over the hump as opposed to trading Lebron
Speaker 2: and blowing it up?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Well, I mean, now, if you trade Lebron or
Speaker 1: he doesn't we signed.
Speaker 3: He wouldn't opt out. You wouldn't trade, it'd opt out.
Speaker 1: Right, right, right right? Yeah, And you're not getting this,
Speaker 1: you're not really you're not really blowing it up. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but you're not. You're you're not. They're not doing as
Speaker 1: much as Luca and everybody's on the hype train with
Speaker 1: with Luca, much as that is, they're not in this
Speaker 1: position without Lebron, and they're not in this position without,
Speaker 1: you know, obviously, both of them playing together. So technically, yeah,
Speaker 1: you're taking a step back if you get rid of
Speaker 1: Lebron or he opts out and decide, Okay, we're going
Speaker 1: to bring somebody else in or two guys in. It's
Speaker 1: taking a step back from what they're doing right now.
Speaker 1: You think those people in Dallas have even had a
Speaker 1: resonate yet that, God, maybe we made a mistake. Is
Speaker 1: it too soon for them to say that? Yeah, they're
Speaker 1: I mean, he's hearing it all obviously, but I think
Speaker 1: they're they're they're banking on just wait and see, just
Speaker 1: wait and see. You'll see what I was. You'll see
Speaker 1: what we see and we saw and it looks good
Speaker 1: right now. But eventually you'll know why we made a
Speaker 1: decision we did That's what I think they're really thinking.
Speaker 1: Deep down inside, it's like, Okay, enjoy it, enjoy it,
Speaker 1: Why it last? Right now? But eventually you'll come to
Speaker 1: realize what we did. And how long do you think
Speaker 1: that'll have to take to happen? What five years? In
Speaker 1: five years you'll realize what we did? Well, that's five years.
Speaker 1: You'll watch five years old. Who knows? Who knows? I mean,
Speaker 1: they're on a run now, and it's high and everybody's
Speaker 1: high five and but it could it could go on
Speaker 1: at eight game skid here in a second, and it
Speaker 1: happens all the time, and or or or Luca get
Speaker 1: re injured the calf, or you know, just something happens
Speaker 1: and you just never know. It's unpredictable. And and so
Speaker 1: I think that they're embarrassed right now, Yeah, certainly, But
Speaker 1: I think deep down inside they're like, Okay, it's just
Speaker 1: like again, Joey, enjoy it? Why last? And and and
Speaker 1: and I'm not talking five years. I'm saying they're looking
Speaker 1: at it going, Okay, we'll see how it plays out
Speaker 1: at the end of the season in the playoffs. Oh no,
Speaker 1: that that will be a losing proposition for them. It's
Speaker 1: not going to play out poorly this year. It's gonna
Speaker 1: take you know, the playoff.
Speaker 2: Well, the only way they win is if they win
Speaker 2: a championship. Because you were any you were in the
Speaker 2: NBA finals last year. So however long this run with
Speaker 2: Anthony Davis goes for them. If they don't win a championship,
Speaker 2: it is a complete abject film. You're for them, regardless
Speaker 2: of what happens with Luca.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I Lakers. If the Lakers get bounced in
Speaker 1: the first round after moving up to get to be
Speaker 1: the second seed in the West, and they get bounced
Speaker 1: in the first round, it'll be it'll be some satisfaction
Speaker 1: for them as well. Can look up and go they
Speaker 1: can look up and go, well, you know that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was a it was a it was a trade
Speaker 1: that we we did for obviously off the court reasons,
Speaker 1: and then we didn't have we didn't really have Anthony Davis.
Speaker 1: And so get them a full off season and get
Speaker 1: going and then we'll make the assessment of whether the
Speaker 1: full trade worked. But you know, at this season, at
Speaker 1: this juncture, they're they're looking at it as we're at
Speaker 1: a disadvantage because our guy that we traded for is
Speaker 1: not is not playing, but that's who they traded for.
Speaker 1: They got to live with that, absolutely, But I don't
Speaker 1: know if they got to win a title to say
Speaker 1: it was a it was satisfaction. I don't know.
Speaker 2: Nico Harrison said defense wins championships and that's the reason
Speaker 2: why we're making this move.
Speaker 3: That's out of his own mouth.
Speaker 2: So you were knocking on the door of a championship
Speaker 2: last year and traded the head of the snake away
Speaker 2: for Anthony Davis, who's a great player when he's healthy,
Speaker 2: but right now he's not. So if you don't, how
Speaker 2: else do you measure it as other than anything as
Speaker 2: a failure if they don't win a championship when you
Speaker 2: said your stated goal was to win one and you
Speaker 2: actually you actually made it to the finals with Luca
Speaker 2: last year.
Speaker 1: Do teams consider Jersey sales, marketing opportunities, things like that.
Speaker 1: Do you think that factor's into their decision when they
Speaker 1: make a move. Have you seen Running Point on Netflix.
Speaker 1: I've not watched it, but I heard it's pretty good.
Speaker 3: I've started watching it.
Speaker 1: I watched it. Yeah, yeah, And Kate Hudson, who I
Speaker 1: think the character is based on Jennie, but.
Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely, yes.
Speaker 2: I mean Genie and Linda web Rambis I think are
Speaker 2: executive producer.
Speaker 1: They had they handpicked it. They hand picked Kate Hudson
Speaker 1: for that role. Yeah, there was a point where they
Speaker 1: were talking about spawn ships and Kate Hudson. You know,
Speaker 1: when you were talking about trading players getting sponsors. That
Speaker 1: factored into their thinking. That money factored into their thinking.
Speaker 1: So I'm wondering, if you're Dallas and you have Luka
Speaker 1: Doncic and you know he is a marketing machine for them,
Speaker 1: you know that jersey sales things like that, did that
Speaker 1: even enter in to their thought process? Because I got
Speaker 1: to be honest, with all due respect to Anthony Davis,
Speaker 1: who was a very good player and people loved him here,
Speaker 1: I think Luca's going to sell more jerseys than ad. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think, in fact, there's anfred, But I don't think
Speaker 1: it's the It's the thing that ultimately makes it and
Speaker 1: drives the decision. You think of all the great players
Speaker 1: that have been traded from places before. You think of
Speaker 1: you know, Brett farre getting out of Green Bay and
Speaker 1: his jerseys were through the roof Sakwan Barkley in New York.
Speaker 1: Nobody bought a jersey unless it was number twenty six
Speaker 1: for the Giants. So, you know, I think it's a factor,
Speaker 1: and it's something that they talk about, but I don't
Speaker 1: think it's a deciding factor at the end of the
Speaker 1: day that they said, well, Lucas sells so many jerseys,
Speaker 1: we can't trade him. And let's forget about all the
Speaker 1: other stuff. All right, the battles in Arizona. Who's in,
Speaker 1: who's out? We'll talk about that next. Oh ha, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's some money. Excuse me, it's a Monday because I
Speaker 1: get money. I'm a star. That's what Fred always tells him.
Speaker 1: I'm a star. Give me that money, Rodney p Fred
Speaker 1: Rogan on a Monday. Let's go. Okay, we have talked
Speaker 1: about this, and now the Dodgers are getting close to
Speaker 1: having to make some decisions. What do you do with
Speaker 1: a roster? Who's in, who's out? What are the sponsors
Speaker 1: are still available? Well, let's look at some of the
Speaker 1: guys who are battling. First. Chris Taylor's battling. He's gonna
Speaker 1: make seventeen million dollars this year. He's not going anywhere.
Speaker 1: He will make the roster. Dave Roberts did say, I
Speaker 1: don't really look at their hitting averages and things during
Speaker 1: the spring. I'd prefer to look at it track record.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, Chris Taylor has a track record, some
Speaker 1: of it pretty good and others a little shaky. Nonetheless,
Speaker 1: looks like Chris Taylor is going to be there somewhere.
Speaker 1: We know Key k Hernandez is going to be there,
Speaker 1: obviously they just resigned him. We know Mickey Rojas will
Speaker 1: be there, so now where are we? Where are we?
Speaker 1: Kim the second baseman, will probably go to the miners
Speaker 1: because he can't hit. I looked over the weekend. He's
Speaker 1: hitting seventy one for the spring, so they have to
Speaker 1: teach him to hit big league pitching. He can play defense,
Speaker 1: but he can't hit, so they got to teach him.
Speaker 1: He don't throw it out like that. He can't hit.
Speaker 1: He just got it. There's an adjustment phase that he
Speaker 1: has to deal with, and yeah, it's going to take time.
Speaker 1: But I wouldn't say the kid can't hit, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean? His first time facing major league pitching.
Speaker 1: I don't care who you are, it's going to be difficult.
Speaker 1: It's going to be a slow start for you. Let's
Speaker 1: not label any guy can't hit, Come on, let's not
Speaker 1: do that. Let's not do that. Fred, Okay, anyway, he
Speaker 1: really doesn't hit very well. So given that he doesn't
Speaker 1: hit very well, uh, they are gonna probably start him
Speaker 1: in the miners. That means who's gonna play second base? Well,
Speaker 1: you have a number of options you have. Key k
Speaker 1: can play second base, Chris Taylor could play second base,
Speaker 1: Tommy Edman could play second base. He's gonna be in
Speaker 1: the lineup every day, all right, So now if there's somewhere, yeah,
Speaker 1: he's in. So now if the Biggie Rojas can play
Speaker 1: shortstop or second base, be honest with you, even if
Speaker 1: he did to throw him at second base because of
Speaker 1: an emergency, Miggy Ross could be a very very formidable
Speaker 1: second basement. Okay, So who's gonna be on the roster too?
Speaker 1: One spot? Now? Who is it? Who's the guy piz?
Speaker 1: Because really I don't know, Yeah, that's the question. Who
Speaker 1: is it? Pi Haz? You got one spot on the roster.
Speaker 1: So the eliminated outman's going to be on the roster. Well,
Speaker 1: I think pi Haz beats out outmen. Yeah, and even
Speaker 1: though Dave doesn't really look at spring training numbers. Outmen's
Speaker 1: not killing the ball this spring. So and if you're
Speaker 1: looking at track record, being paramount, Pie has had a
Speaker 1: better track record than Outmen's. So I think Pi Haz
Speaker 1: makes it. If that's the case, that's how it all
Speaker 1: shakes out. And then you've got to look at the
Speaker 1: pitching staff. Is Landon not going to be there or not?
Speaker 1: Who might be there? If he's not Ben Casparrius, what
Speaker 1: happens to him? So those are some of the decisions Rodney,
Speaker 1: they're trying to figure out. As for Freddie Freeman, slow
Speaker 1: and steady wins the race. I got to tell you
Speaker 1: I was thinking about this earlier, and I don't want
Speaker 1: people to, you know, think, oh my god, what are
Speaker 1: you saying. But to be honest with you, I don't
Speaker 1: know if the Dodgers start the season like a ball
Speaker 1: of fire. To be very honest with you, I mean,
Speaker 1: if you think, well, they have this incredible roster, they're
Speaker 1: gonna win fifteen games in a row, I don't think
Speaker 1: that's gonna happen. It doesn't really matter if it does
Speaker 1: or doesn't, by the way, because it's a long term play.
Speaker 1: But I don't see them. I mean, Freddie Freeman's got
Speaker 1: to get back. O Tany's got to get back. Guys
Speaker 1: are working themselves into shape. The bullpen won't be completely healthy,
Speaker 1: So I don't know. I don't think they lower ten
Speaker 1: in a row. Lower your expectations for April in May?
Speaker 1: Is that what you're saying. Well, I've said all along.
Speaker 1: To me, the regular terrible to say. Regular season is
Speaker 1: not gonna mean much. It's you gotta win the division
Speaker 1: to get to the playoffs. I think they'll do that,
Speaker 1: but I just can't see them. I mean, there's too
Speaker 1: much that has to be done. And I also think
Speaker 1: they'll be an inordinate amount of pressure on the team
Speaker 1: because of the players they've signed, because of the money
Speaker 1: they I don't think the guys are going to react
Speaker 1: to that at all. Quite honestly, I don't think the
Speaker 1: organization is going to react to that. But I think
Speaker 1: the externally, all of that pressure will be on them.
Speaker 1: I don't think they're going to react to it at all. Though, No,
Speaker 1: they're not going to react to you. They're not going
Speaker 1: to react to it at all. And and then, and
Speaker 1: like you said, at the end of the day, it
Speaker 1: is about, you know, the playoffs. But suggesting that regular
Speaker 1: season doesn't matter. I don't. I don't buy that because
Speaker 1: I think it does. I think it matters. I think
Speaker 1: it matters, and I think there's a a level of
Speaker 1: success you want to continue to have throughout the regular
Speaker 1: season so it can it can build that momentum going
Speaker 1: into the playoffs. So I think if you you know
Speaker 1: you're you're always up and down and struggling in the
Speaker 1: regular season and think that it's going to turn on
Speaker 1: and in the postseason, that doesn't usually happen. So I
Speaker 1: think there's got to be a very high level of
Speaker 1: success in the regular season because also you want to
Speaker 1: put that pressure on everybody else. Everybody else is believing
Speaker 1: the Dodgers is gonna run away with everything, right. They
Speaker 1: believe the Dodgers are so stacked that wire to wire,
Speaker 1: they're going to be the best team in baseball, they're
Speaker 1: gonna be the best record, they're gonna have, you know,
Speaker 1: three or four guys, and the tops of all the categories. Offensively,
Speaker 1: you the pitching staff is going to be tops in
Speaker 1: Major League Baseball and all of the categories. That's when
Speaker 1: most people believe, and I think there's a level of
Speaker 1: proving that right in the regular season, I think there's
Speaker 1: a level of yeah, we are that good, and when
Speaker 1: you face us, you will find out how good we are.
Speaker 1: You don't want to give teams like Arizona and the
Speaker 1: Padres and the Giants and even you know, the other
Speaker 1: may be other contenders, you know, the Phillies and the
Speaker 1: Mets or anybody else any life, to feel like there's
Speaker 1: so many chinks in that armor throughout the regular season
Speaker 1: that we figure out we can beat them. And it's
Speaker 1: not because it's not easy just turn it on in
Speaker 1: the postseason. You got to make them pay. You got
Speaker 1: to make people when they come into Dodger Stadium knowing
Speaker 1: it's a tall order, beat this team and the lineup
Speaker 1: that we talked about at the beginning of the season,
Speaker 1: that is murderer's row. And I don't care if it's April.
Speaker 1: I don't care if it's you know, July and the
Speaker 1: dog days of summer or October. That lineup, that team
Speaker 1: is a mother you know what to beat. And you
Speaker 1: got to put that fear in everybody's heart throughout the
Speaker 1: entire season that they they step on the field in
Speaker 1: October and they got no chance, no chance to win,
Speaker 1: not a team that goes, you know, ninety and seventy
Speaker 1: two and you know, gets beaten several series by teams
Speaker 1: that are inferior, and then you know, figure out a
Speaker 1: way to try to turn it on in October. No,
Speaker 1: you got to dominate the regular season. That makes that
Speaker 1: makes a statement, and makes it and puts it in
Speaker 1: other team's minds that this team is the real deal
Speaker 1: and it's going to take a dog fight to beat
Speaker 1: them in a seven game series. We got to play
Speaker 1: our best every single game. And we've seen them when
Speaker 1: they have run the table. We've seen them when they've
Speaker 1: had the best record in the National League, and we've
Speaker 1: seen what happens. We've seen them when they were just
Speaker 1: cruising and murdered everybody, and then they get to the
Speaker 1: playoffs and lose. So I think the big picture here
Speaker 1: for me is a little different. Everybody knows the goal,
Speaker 1: and let's not say you would you would approach it
Speaker 1: any different. They're not saying, oh goud, we should have
Speaker 1: those those those years, we should have lost more games
Speaker 1: and not done that. No, you go out and you
Speaker 1: try to dominate those games d in the regular season too.
Speaker 1: I don't care if you end up short because you didn't.
Speaker 1: You know, you weren't as hot as some other teams,
Speaker 1: but that does not stop you from going out and
Speaker 1: trying to dominate the regular season. Fret I got it.
Speaker 1: But Nikola even said last year, know this team is different.
Speaker 1: It's gone through some adversity. It's going through adversity. I
Speaker 1: don't care how good you are, but that comes. You
Speaker 1: don't manufacture that. That comes and as it comes. I
Speaker 1: don't worry too much about stuff. I don't be what what?
Speaker 1: I don't mean that? Did you just hear that? He said,
Speaker 1: I don't worry about something? When net Clotti comes on
Speaker 1: here and said he's worried about you calling him at
Speaker 1: two am because you're sitting up and you can't go
Speaker 1: to sleep. Are you carried? Are you kidding me? You
Speaker 1: know you don't worry about stuff?
Speaker 3: Oh man, mister panic meter check over here.
Speaker 1: Panic meter check, both of you be fair? Did I
Speaker 1: do that last season? No? I didn't. That was the
Speaker 1: first season you really didn't do that?
Speaker 2: Correct?
Speaker 1: That is the season of record? Now, I mean that's
Speaker 1: our most recent season to judge by. No. I mean
Speaker 1: I I thought last year was a learning experience for everybody,
Speaker 1: especially me and I knew it all along. I said, no,
Speaker 1: they're too good that they've got. They gotta win. They
Speaker 1: gotta win. I'm not a panic. And this year, if
Speaker 1: they come out and they're a little dinged up to
Speaker 1: start and guys are getting themselves back into shape and
Speaker 1: they don't want a couple of games, I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: say anything. I'm just like, well, Okay, there's a bigger
Speaker 1: plan in place here. There's there's a script here. Now
Speaker 1: there are human beings. I don't know if it would
Speaker 1: go per script, but there is a plan. Get everybody healthy,
Speaker 1: get o'chani on the mound, let's get Sazaki settled. I
Speaker 1: don't think it's gonna be uh, you know, any bowl
Speaker 1: of roses with Sazaki or either. I think he's gonna
Speaker 1: have to learn as Yamamoto did. He's gonna have to learn.
Speaker 1: You know. It's Canfordo gonna hit? I don't know he should.
Speaker 1: He would be considered in fantasy baseball a sleeper. Is
Speaker 1: he gonna hit? Well, we'll find out. We just don't
Speaker 1: know when. Is Freddie Freeman gonna be one hundred percent?
Speaker 1: I don't know is he gonna be one hundred percent?
Speaker 1: We found out Will Smith had a bad ankle starting
Speaker 1: back in junior July and played the rest of the
Speaker 1: season with it is you watch you went? What's wrong
Speaker 1: with him? He's not hitting like he used to. He
Speaker 1: was hurt. He was hurt for months. Is he going
Speaker 1: to be one hundred percent to start? I don't know,
Speaker 1: but I know as the season progresses, everybody's going to
Speaker 1: get to where they're supposed to be. You do, Yeah,
Speaker 1: how do you know? He didn't know? Will Smith had
Speaker 1: an injury last year? He asked, what was wrong with him?
Speaker 1: So he didn't know that? No? You know? You say,
Speaker 1: you know people are going to get to one hundred percent?
Speaker 1: You don't know that? No, I said, did you know
Speaker 1: the fifty staff was going to take the injury hit
Speaker 1: that they took last year? No, you didn't know that. No.
Speaker 1: Can you sit there? Hey, you sit there and say,
Speaker 1: you know, I know they're going to hit their stride.
Speaker 1: I know they're going to do this, and I know that.
Speaker 1: You don't. You don't. What do you think about? What
Speaker 1: do you think they'll be hitting their stride? I don't
Speaker 1: have a crystal ball, Fred. If I did, I'd be
Speaker 1: in Vegas right now. I would be there on the
Speaker 1: craps table, knowing that I can throw a hard twelve
Speaker 1: and call it a day and bet everything in the ranch.
Speaker 1: But I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know
Speaker 1: how injury's gonna affect them. I don't know how guys
Speaker 1: are going to have an up and down type of season.
Speaker 1: I don't know when guys are going to get into
Speaker 1: a slump. I don't know. On paper, Yes, they have
Speaker 1: the talent, they have everything laid out for them to
Speaker 1: be the dominant team that everybody wants them to be
Speaker 1: and everybody expects them to be. You still got to
Speaker 1: go out and you got to play. And I don't
Speaker 1: think Philadelphia was a favorite. I don't even think to
Speaker 1: start that run to the super Bowl. But as game
Speaker 1: got closer, people started to look at this and go
Speaker 1: they might be the better team, and they got to
Speaker 1: play the game on Sunday. Nobody expected to blowout nobody,
Speaker 1: So you got to play it. You got to play
Speaker 1: it out. And this team is exceptional, which is why
Speaker 1: you go into the season as a player. You want
Speaker 1: to dominate. You do want to dominate the regular season,
Speaker 1: contrary to what you think of the regular season, and
Speaker 1: it doesn't matter and all that kind of stuff. Player wise,
Speaker 1: you want to dominate the regular season, those those things,
Speaker 1: and you know not that you're counting numbers and one
Speaker 1: of oh we got to be over one hundred this
Speaker 1: game and was there. Guarantee you they get close to
Speaker 1: the to the one to sixteen record of the Mariners,
Speaker 1: they gonna want to get that record, and and they
Speaker 1: gonna want to dominate every month of the season leading
Speaker 1: up to the playoffs. It is not one of those
Speaker 1: things where they want to be on cruise control and
Speaker 1: uh where you know this, these games don't matter. We
Speaker 1: don't care about winning this. We just got to get
Speaker 1: to the playoffs and we'll be all right when we
Speaker 1: get there. That's not a mentality of a team or
Speaker 1: a player. You as a player think about it as
Speaker 1: an individual player. And you're a player that that is
Speaker 1: a very good player. You want to hit a home
Speaker 1: run and you want to hit I want to hit
Speaker 1: ten home runs a month. If I can do that,
Speaker 1: that's that's I'm in my groove. That's what you want
Speaker 1: to do. You want to bottom line, Fred, you want
Speaker 1: a damn You want to win every game you go
Speaker 1: out to play, period.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because to that point, Riddney.
Speaker 2: I think what you're attempting to say, Fred is and
Speaker 2: this goes back to what Dylan Ornandez wrote a couple
Speaker 2: of weeks ago. Their stated goal coming into the season
Speaker 2: should not be to break the record or win one
Speaker 2: hundred and twenty games. Put yourself in a position where
Speaker 2: you're playing well and you're healthy when it matters the most.
Speaker 2: Is that where you're saying, Fred, don't try to chase
Speaker 2: after the best record. There was a Rodney's point. You
Speaker 2: can't control that. If you go out and just try
Speaker 2: to be about your business every day, you're hoping the
Speaker 2: wins will come.
Speaker 3: But we've seen teams do this before.
Speaker 2: When the Warriors got out to that you know, giant,
Speaker 2: I don't know what they were, twenty eight and one
Speaker 2: or something like that. They made it their stated goal,
Speaker 2: we want to beat the Bulls all time record and
Speaker 2: they ended up doing it. So I don't know if
Speaker 2: that's something to aspire to or not. That's each individual team.
Speaker 1: Yeah, when it's in your sites, I mean other than
Speaker 1: you know, Saquon Barclay and Barrus Sanders back in the
Speaker 1: day where you know you're you're concerned about health and
Speaker 1: you were gearing up for that, and it's the last
Speaker 1: game of the season, you don't do it, but as
Speaker 1: a team, as a team, just like the Patriots played
Speaker 1: that game against the Giants at the end of the
Speaker 1: season in seven. It's like they could have rested everybody,
Speaker 1: but they're like, no, going undefeated, that's that's historic, that's
Speaker 1: something that we want to do. We didn't come all
Speaker 1: this way and get to fifteen and oh to blow
Speaker 1: it off on the last game of the season when
Speaker 1: we could be historic. And so they played and they
Speaker 1: played their starters and they went out and won the game.
Speaker 1: And they didn't win the Super Bowl, but they went
Speaker 1: after it. And so when the game when it's in
Speaker 1: your sights, but it's in your sights, then yeah, you
Speaker 1: got You don't start the season that way, but it
Speaker 1: was in its. When it gets to be a point
Speaker 1: where this is attainable, then you start, Yeah, let's go
Speaker 1: play for it. Let's go get it. Angel CITYFC kicks
Speaker 1: off their twenty twenty five seasons Sunday, March sixteenth at
Speaker 1: home against rival San Diego. Everythan in a tennis will
Speaker 1: receive a souvenir flag and schedule magnet. It's before they
Speaker 1: saw a lot on Angelcity dot com and stream all
Speaker 1: games in HD on the iHeartRadio wipp the keyword Angel
Speaker 1: City f scene. Goodbye to a Landmark is next?
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, come on, Stevie. Today's Afternoon Delight. It's radio
Speaker 4: by Steve Aoki. Star producer DJ recruited Trippy.
Speaker 1: Red and Jessica BYO on this track that dropped over
Speaker 1: the weekend, and a statement Aoki said, working with my
Speaker 1: great friend Trippy on radio was a blast. We've been
Speaker 1: collaborating behind the scenes for years, and this track captures
Speaker 1: are shared energy and love of catchy pop punk anthems.
Speaker 1: Jessica's vocals brought a whole new dimension. We knew we
Speaker 1: had something special again. Today Afternoon Delight is Radio by
Speaker 1: Steve Aoki. All Right, if you're going up Los Angeles
Speaker 1: or wherever you are, there been there forever. Landmarks just
Speaker 1: identified part of the fabric of the community, part of
Speaker 1: the fabric of the city. And they've been there for
Speaker 1: a long time. So if you think about Los Angeles
Speaker 1: and restaurants, for example, Musso and Franks Hollywood Boulevard, that's
Speaker 1: been here forever. Yeah, Musso and Franks, right, it has
Speaker 1: that's a place that's been there forever. Dan Tana's Tana's yeah,
Speaker 1: right right there on Santa Monica Boulevard. Dantanna's Yeah. The
Speaker 1: Ivy Ivy, Yeah, still go to the Ivy and And
Speaker 1: you know, no matter what part of the area you
Speaker 1: live in, there are places that have been there forever,
Speaker 1: just forever, and they're part of the community. They're part
Speaker 1: of the fabric of the city, and they're like landmarks
Speaker 1: because they've been there so long and everybody knows them
Speaker 1: more often than not. Their old School, the Valley Inn
Speaker 1: and Sherman Oaks. You know, I'm just thinking about places.
Speaker 1: I don't get to Orange County a lot, but I'm
Speaker 1: sure there are places like that there. It's gone now.
Speaker 1: But remember the Sportsman Lodge Fred they remodeled it, Yes
Speaker 1: they did. Yep. Sports was another one. I'm sure in
Speaker 1: East LA there are many training So you know these
Speaker 1: places where did we go? We was our guy that
Speaker 1: we had, We had him on the show several times.
Speaker 1: I think we did some work with him. Sandwich Sandwich
Speaker 1: Cat that we're trying to keep a La Lang Langers Deli,
Speaker 1: Langers Deli, Right, these places exist. What's the place in
Speaker 1: uh Grandy Hills on the top of the mountain. I
Speaker 1: can't remember Castaways, I can't remember what it is, but
Speaker 1: it's been there forever. I think it burned down they
Speaker 1: rebuilt it. And Montes is another one. I know that.
Speaker 1: Mani's right, yeah, manis I mean, as we're talking about
Speaker 1: these I'm sure you know places are running through your
Speaker 1: mind and you've been to these places because you've lived
Speaker 1: here for a long time. Well over the weekend one shutdown.
Speaker 1: It is stunning, It is stunning. And if you've been
Speaker 1: a Staples now the Crypt downtown, you know this place
Speaker 1: all too well. People lined up around the block to
Speaker 1: get in. It was kind of a little all the time.
Speaker 1: The pantry, the pantry, the pantry closed. You imagine the
Speaker 1: pantry closing because you're said it fred every time. If
Speaker 1: you had spent any time downtown and you went to
Speaker 1: a Laker game, King's game, Sparks game, per game down there,
Speaker 1: it did anything downtown and you drove down Figaro and
Speaker 1: you saw, you like, what is that line? What is
Speaker 1: that line? One of the people around lining up around
Speaker 1: the corner, and it was for the pantry. Legendary place.
Speaker 1: Pantry always had a line around the corner to get in.
Speaker 1: You know, I went to the pantry first time when
Speaker 1: I came to USC and you know, it took me
Speaker 1: there the steamer, but Forarillo, Bud Farillo, you remember, But Forillo,
Speaker 1: Blud Forrillo, Yes, but Forerillo took me to the pantry
Speaker 1: and the rest is history. I love that place forever.
Speaker 1: And yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing that that that is
Speaker 1: closing down. Yeah, I mean former Mayor Richard Reardon owned it,
Speaker 1: he died. The Reardon Foundation took it over. They said
Speaker 1: they were losing money, had lost money there for years,
Speaker 1: and because of that, to contribute money now to their education,
Speaker 1: they closed the pantry. That is a sad, sad day.
Speaker 1: By the way, Mark Hustin texted me that place in
Speaker 1: Granada Hills, the Odyssey, the Odyssey restaurant at the top
Speaker 1: of the mountain. Yeah, I'm sure, but I you know,
Speaker 1: I saw that, and I just I felt really badly
Speaker 1: because that is a part of Los Angeles history and
Speaker 1: it had been there so long, and if you took
Speaker 1: a tour of downtown, you'd always go to the pantry.
Speaker 1: I mean they would take it to the pantry and
Speaker 1: see what it was like, and was it anything fancy?
Speaker 1: No food was good and people would line up outside
Speaker 1: to get in. And I just thought that was so
Speaker 1: sad that some place that had been there so long
Speaker 1: was suddenly closed. I think it was. I think it
Speaker 1: was a sad day for downtown. Yeah, for a sad day.
Speaker 1: Did they say any reason? Why? Why? Why is it closing?
Speaker 1: I mean, why now? Ownership? What? It? Just a place
Speaker 1: like that. Sometimes you wonder why they closed down. People
Speaker 1: get tired of it. The revenue wasn't the same. But
Speaker 1: I can't imagine when there's lines out out out the
Speaker 1: door like that on a regular basis that it shuts down.
Speaker 1: It's got to be some external, you know, type of
Speaker 1: reasons that it that it does that, you know, and
Speaker 1: we don't know. We don't know the details of the
Speaker 1: inner workings of their business and how they were able
Speaker 1: to keep up or couldn't keep up. Was it financial
Speaker 1: or was it just it was time. I don't know.
Speaker 1: We don't know, but it's it's a shame because that
Speaker 1: was a mainstay. Yeah, it really was. And what they
Speaker 1: basically said was, honest to god, it just cost too much.
Speaker 1: It just costs too much. And you know, labor went up.
Speaker 1: They weren't making a ton of money operating in the restaurant,
Speaker 1: and I'm sure they were trying to keep keep their
Speaker 1: their prices the same. That's was the draw that you
Speaker 1: could get those you know, remember those big giant plates,
Speaker 1: and you could get so much food at a at
Speaker 1: a reasonable cost, and trying to maintain that could have
Speaker 1: been difficult. And the people that that worked there had
Speaker 1: worked there for years, yeah, I think forever. Those people
Speaker 1: had been there forever and now gone just like that.
Speaker 1: You know, it'd be like the smoke house closing in Burbank.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. It'd be something like that. What restaurants come
Speaker 1: into your mind is you're listening, if it went away,
Speaker 1: you go, oh my god, I can't believe it. What
Speaker 1: was the sandwich place that Petros used to do the
Speaker 1: spots for Felipees? Yeah, Felipe's. I mean, if if that was.
Speaker 5: It's not Felipe's, Fred, get it right.
Speaker 3: It's been around for a long time. That's why I
Speaker 3: am well said Filipes again.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I don't need that, oh, Fred.
Speaker 5: I've been going to Phillip since I was a wee child,
Speaker 5: and to hear somebody call it. Felipe's is just it's
Speaker 5: it's very angry, right.
Speaker 1: Get the French dip there at Phillipe's right, that's what
Speaker 1: it was. Get the double dip, Fred Philippe's. I couldn't
Speaker 1: remember what it was.
Speaker 3: Fred's case. He'll want the triple dip.
Speaker 1: Right, Phelipe's not Philip. That's a difference. That's why I
Speaker 1: went a place. You're like, you don't live here anymore.
Speaker 5: Fred, You're in the desert.
Speaker 1: People in your house right now? I was, I was
Speaker 1: right there. I'll be in tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Are you going tomorrow?
Speaker 1: No? You know, I might go to I'm calling in
Speaker 1: sick Why because I make you physically ill my presence.
Speaker 5: I'd rather see you on the screen and not in person.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, No, I might go to Tom's tomorrow. Kevin
Speaker 1: were talking, Yeah, I mean, yeah, don't forget that defibrillator,
Speaker 1: Fred original Tommy's. Yeah, Baby, I.
Speaker 2: Mean if you wanted to get an extra chili cheeseburger
Speaker 2: and fries and bring them this way, I wouldn't be
Speaker 2: mad at you.
Speaker 1: You know, see Yeah, and you don't act that stuff.
Speaker 1: I really don't. I know, what about patties? What about patties?
Speaker 1: Pat Patty is still there, still there, still there, right there, Patty.
Speaker 5: They have they have one of the greatest tuna melts there.
Speaker 5: Every I love a good tuna melt.
Speaker 1: What are those restaurants? You know what? Maybe next hour
Speaker 1: we'll do it. We're gonna bring Dan Whitey in at
Speaker 1: the top of the hour and maybe we'll reintroduce it.
Speaker 1: What are the restaurants If they close, you go, oh, no,
Speaker 1: like your favorite neighborhood place that you've always gone where
Speaker 1: you just feel so comfortable there, you know what to expect.
Speaker 1: The people have worked there forever. Think about that, and
Speaker 1: maybe we'll do it next hour. And don't call now,
Speaker 1: Do not call now. Don't start calling yet. Yeah, you'd
Speaker 1: be on hole forever and then probably get hung up on.
Speaker 1: So don't call until we tell call yet. What we're
Speaker 1: gonna do is we'll bring Dan wiki and we'll get
Speaker 1: more into the Lakers. Then after that we'll come back
Speaker 1: and do this