Speaker 1: And we continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on a
Speaker 1: five to seventy LA Sports. Hey, if you miss any
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Speaker 1: the East coast and check in with our Laker insider.
Speaker 1: Our good friend writes for the LA Times and does
Speaker 1: a damn good job of it, Dan Wiki and Dan,
Speaker 1: good afternoon to.
Speaker 2: You, bred To. What a wonderful introduction. Thank you all.
Speaker 3: True Anyway, what are.
Speaker 1: You currently part of it? Where are you?
Speaker 2: I am in my hotel room in Washington, d C.
Speaker 2: I am on the fourteenth floor, and I am near
Speaker 2: the elevator. That's what I'll tell people. If you want
Speaker 2: to go have an adventure, come find me there.
Speaker 1: It is you're near the elevator.
Speaker 3: Yep. Do you like always being near the elevator?
Speaker 2: Absolutely not, Rodney, It is not my preferred. But I
Speaker 2: will say, like a little a little bit of traveler
Speaker 2: news here, I'm willing to make just about any sacrifice
Speaker 2: when it comes to a room, provided I can get
Speaker 2: into the room when I arrive at the hotel.
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, like.
Speaker 2: It does not matter. I do not care. Like I
Speaker 2: would stay in a closet if it meant that I
Speaker 2: didn't have to wait.
Speaker 4: Good nothing worse than getting off a red eye or
Speaker 4: getting in early to a place and you got to wait,
Speaker 4: Oh the room's not ready till four o'clock or no,
Speaker 4: thank you, I have to wait. No, no, no, no.
Speaker 3: No thank you.
Speaker 2: Not for insurance.
Speaker 4: Traveler like myself, I have often spent the money to
Speaker 4: book the room the night before if I'm taking a
Speaker 4: red eye, just to avoid having to wait.
Speaker 2: Dan Wakey, I mean I think that's I think that's
Speaker 2: a humble brand about me. That actually is.
Speaker 1: Yeah, have you ever done that, Dan, I.
Speaker 2: Have absolutely not. I have booked a room. I've done
Speaker 2: versions of it. I've done versions of it like I
Speaker 2: have booked a I've had how my bosses are listening,
Speaker 2: I've had concurrent hotel rooms at two different properties so
Speaker 2: I could get closer to the airport for an early
Speaker 2: morning flight.
Speaker 3: I like that.
Speaker 1: So that that's your feet of success. You don't need
Speaker 1: to stay in the middle of town. You just want
Speaker 1: to be close to the airport to get out of there.
Speaker 2: Depending yeah, I mean, just depending on the depending on
Speaker 2: the situation, you know what I mean. Like when you're
Speaker 2: in you know, a great city like Washington, d C.
Speaker 2: When you're in New York City, I'm me around the
Speaker 2: Action Front.
Speaker 1: Sure, I think Washington's a great city.
Speaker 2: It's awesome, gorgeous day to day to I had a
Speaker 2: nice walk, went to the Air and Space Museum, only
Speaker 2: to find out that space is completely under construction, just air,
Speaker 2: just half of air. But it was still fun. It
Speaker 2: was a nice day and.
Speaker 3: The weather's not too too cold, Dan, right now, gorgeous.
Speaker 2: It was gorgeous, like fifty degrees Sonny.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, all right, well one gorgeous last night in Philadelphia.
Speaker 1: No we do we say it's back to backs and
Speaker 1: that's what got them, or do we say the Sixers
Speaker 1: didn't even play anybody and they just got beat.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think it's all true, you know. I
Speaker 2: think you know, also you're right, like, I mean, we'll
Speaker 2: get to Anthony Davis. You know, you lose Anthony Davis early.
Speaker 2: You know, I think there was some bizarre substitution patterns
Speaker 2: we can say early in the game that may a factor.
Speaker 1: And why don't you address that right now.
Speaker 3: To start with it?
Speaker 2: I think it was I think, I mean obviously, like
Speaker 2: I have the power. I think it was a mistake
Speaker 2: to play Bronnie James last night, particularly when they played him.
Speaker 2: And I don't think it's as crazy, like I don't
Speaker 2: want to, like, you know, be like a pundit about this,
Speaker 2: like really like I don't think it's like a totally
Speaker 2: unforgivable thing. I actually think the logic of it isn't
Speaker 2: like outrageously off base, right like, so this is what
Speaker 2: you do, Like you have young players, and when they
Speaker 2: play well in the G League, and BRIANDIY James played
Speaker 2: much better in the G League, right like, should an
Speaker 2: opportunity to present them present itself for them. You look
Speaker 2: to find those opportunities, right to because it's important for
Speaker 2: players development not just to log minis an experience, but
Speaker 2: also to succeed and fail at the highest level. Right.
Speaker 2: I thought it was a really really difficult situation last
Speaker 2: night on a couple fronts for Brownie. I mean one like,
Speaker 2: he hasn't really been around the team a lot lately. Uh,
Speaker 2: he's been in the G League more, wasn't with the
Speaker 2: team on the start of the trip. The team didn't
Speaker 2: practice on the second end of it back to back,
Speaker 2: so there wasn't like a shoot around to go through
Speaker 2: to like go over stuff like. It was like kind
Speaker 2: of on the fly, right and for a player, I thought,
Speaker 2: within seconds of him being in the game, it looked
Speaker 2: like everything was happening too fast around him, right, Like,
Speaker 2: it just looked overwhelming. I understood sort of kind of
Speaker 2: where the roster was at with you know, Shake Milton
Speaker 2: has not played well for the last few weeks. Uh,
Speaker 2: he's not been a viable option as sort of an
Speaker 2: extra guard and give Vincent is out, so the need
Speaker 2: for having you know, a physical point of attack defender
Speaker 2: against Tyrese Maxie. Uh, you know he's sort of next
Speaker 2: one up on that front. That being said, I would
Speaker 2: have played camera Camrad just has a ton of experience.
Speaker 2: He can help you handle the ball a little bit.
Speaker 2: It's not perfect situation, That's where I would have gone.
Speaker 2: But I don't think it was like totally outrageous. I
Speaker 2: do think when Bronnie James came into the game, it
Speaker 2: was clear that he was out of sync. I think
Speaker 2: pretty quickly the Lakers became out of sync. And I'm
Speaker 2: not blaming Bronnie James for the game, right like they
Speaker 2: would have lost the way they played, you know, for
Speaker 2: massive chunks of it. But I but I do think
Speaker 2: that you know, Tyre's Maxie gets hot and we're sort
Speaker 2: off to the races.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it was a perfect storm against him.
Speaker 4: To be honest with you, as you said, you know, look,
Speaker 4: you know everybody's looking to tear him down. First of all,
Speaker 4: he's not traveling with the team. He flies in, doesn't practice,
Speaker 4: just throw, and then gets thrust into.
Speaker 3: The game.
Speaker 4: On a back to back where the Lakers were not
Speaker 4: at their best. They couldn't wait to get out of
Speaker 4: that building.
Speaker 2: It found You're right, right, Yeah, you can see that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you could see the bottom language.
Speaker 4: Everything was like this one is a wash lost Anthony Davis,
Speaker 4: so you know it is a wash.
Speaker 3: And then you throw him in there.
Speaker 4: And again, like you said, it's not like he is
Speaker 4: a five year vet that can just kind of pick
Speaker 4: up where he might have left off after being out
Speaker 4: for a minute. He's still learning how to play at
Speaker 4: that level. And yeah, throw him into that situation. Not
Speaker 4: make an excuse for him, because when you put on
Speaker 4: a uniform, you gotta go out and you got to perform.
Speaker 4: But it was not an easy situation for him. And
Speaker 4: they attacked him and you said, Max, he got hot,
Speaker 4: and it just made everything look you know, it magnified
Speaker 4: everything that anyone ever wanted to say against Bonnie James.
Speaker 4: It made it ten times worse because he did look ugly.
Speaker 3: It didn't it did.
Speaker 4: It did look, like you said, like the game was
Speaker 4: moving too fast for him and it could happen.
Speaker 2: He hadn't played yeah, I mean, he hadn't played real
Speaker 2: NBA basketball in a month, yeah, in multiple months really actually,
Speaker 2: like basically since you know, Opening Night, it was like
Speaker 2: sort of the last time he played, right, and you know,
Speaker 2: I think like that's obviously it's like it's gonna if
Speaker 2: you're gonna use him, it's gonna happen. But I mean,
Speaker 2: I think he was the second the second player in
Speaker 2: the game because they wanted to keep connect with his
Speaker 2: sort of rotational minutes that he's playing.
Speaker 3: It was.
Speaker 2: It was just a really hard spot and in some ways,
Speaker 2: you know, having the sixers be as diminished as they were,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe it's like they'reright at the seconds back back.
Speaker 2: But look, I think like holistically, if he's not on
Speaker 2: the team, he's on the team, and you need to
Speaker 2: be available. And like the hope is and hope should
Speaker 2: be that this prepares him for whatever happens next. And
Speaker 2: kind of like how he's been in the G League,
Speaker 2: by the way, where like he has gotten better, He's
Speaker 2: absolutely gotten better as he's gotten more comfortable. You know,
Speaker 2: you get more comfortable than this, and you get more
Speaker 2: accustomed to the speed in the physicality, and you know,
Speaker 2: down the line, maybe he's someone that can that can help.
Speaker 1: Okay, aside from Brownie, the club turned the ball over
Speaker 1: twenty two times and that is the recipe for disaster.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was an unserious performance. That'd be the word
Speaker 2: I would do. Uh, brain fog what video Redick called
Speaker 2: it the other night in Charlotte. I do think, like
Speaker 2: I talked to one player who you know, Will Nameless,
Speaker 2: who told me he bleeping hates the East Coast that
Speaker 2: it's just sort of like, uh, you know, it's hard
Speaker 2: to It's just a hard it's a hard trip on
Speaker 2: the body, and like being it and living it these
Speaker 2: awesome like excuses, you gotta do it, you got to
Speaker 2: get right. But yeah, it's weird. It's weird, right, Like
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm talking to you right now and I'm
Speaker 2: staring at the clock and says it's like four fifteen,
Speaker 2: like I'm thinking of dinner, you know, while like my
Speaker 2: homemase is you know, like just wrapping lunch. Like it's strange.
Speaker 2: It's just strange. And I think like that that a
Speaker 2: part of it, and it kind of like that allows
Speaker 2: you to be a little more mentally fatigued and you
Speaker 2: make worse decisions. I just thought everything was like wasn't
Speaker 2: quite firing, you know, as quickly as it should be.
Speaker 2: Like look, I think to a certain degree, like you know,
Speaker 2: in some ways, it was kind of predictable despite the
Speaker 2: roster stuff. I mean, the Lakers haven't won a game
Speaker 2: in Philadelphia since like twenty seventeen. I think it's been
Speaker 2: a very long time, and they usually get blown out there.
Speaker 2: Lebron has never won in Philadelphia as a Laker. Just
Speaker 2: kind of a weird It's just all it's a place
Speaker 2: where weird stuff tends to happen to this team. You know,
Speaker 2: I expected better, a better performance, especially with how they've
Speaker 2: been playing as of late, and you know, it's it's
Speaker 2: just like kind of like another day in this Lakers
Speaker 2: season where you know you are, you know, when you
Speaker 2: go to the like they say, it's like a roller coaster, right,
Speaker 2: and I would agree, except like you know, you kind
Speaker 2: of in roller coasters, you gradually get to the top
Speaker 2: and you do quickly descend, but it's not like a
Speaker 2: flat like they just don't you don't just drop you
Speaker 2: on your butt. And that's like what this feels like,
Speaker 2: because like you get to the top and then you
Speaker 2: go right back to now you start to climb again,
Speaker 2: you go right back to the bottom. Like that's the
Speaker 2: way this season has sort of been for the Lakers,
Speaker 2: and you know, it feels like another bottom is sort
Speaker 2: of incoming, you know, like I'm looking at the injury
Speaker 2: of poor guys. That just got as we've been talking,
Speaker 2: and Dorian Finney Smith is questionable with the shoulder bruise.
Speaker 2: Lebron James is questionable with injury. The injury manager's foot
Speaker 2: gave Vincent upgraded to questionable with his knee issues. Obviously
Speaker 2: know Anthony Davis, it's yeah, I mean they're bened up now.
Speaker 4: Yeah, And so it's bounding on Anthony Davis, what can
Speaker 4: you tell us? How long do you think he's going
Speaker 4: to be out? I know he's out to night, but
Speaker 4: what do you think he's going to be out?
Speaker 2: I think that I think that people just in a
Speaker 2: general sense should be encouraged because like the initial sort
Speaker 2: of the initial sort of timeline given is like he'll
Speaker 2: be reevaluated in a week, right, so we know he's
Speaker 2: going to miss a week, which you know, we know
Speaker 2: then because of that, we know he's not going to
Speaker 2: play before the NBA trade deadline, right Like so, but
Speaker 2: like in talking to my sources, I'm having some story
Speaker 2: that's about to to get posted Early Times dot com.
Speaker 2: But you know I can share it with you guys.
Speaker 2: We're close friends. You know that it's it's certainly not
Speaker 2: presenting as an injury serious enough where like the Lakers
Speaker 2: are gonna have to like significantly alter their approach at
Speaker 2: the trade deadline, right Like, it's not like, oh my god,
Speaker 2: we don't have anything of us, like we need to
Speaker 2: we need to we configure a front our front off
Speaker 2: our front court. Sorry, you know, it's it's not being
Speaker 2: viewed as that kind of a thing. So I'm serious
Speaker 2: enough for him to miss games now, guys, But like,
Speaker 2: I don't think it'll be a big issue.
Speaker 3: All right.
Speaker 1: So Dan Patrick had Adam Silver on this morning, and
Speaker 1: Adam Silver was talking about considering I'll shorten you the
Speaker 1: quarters to ten minutes for TV. What do you think
Speaker 1: of that?
Speaker 2: As someone who has not paid hourly? That sounds terrific. Now,
Speaker 2: it's interesting, I think, right, Like, I do think that
Speaker 2: you know, we've seen certain elements of time sort of
Speaker 2: tricked up in other sports, right Like, I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: certainly baseball games have been shorten now with like the
Speaker 2: pitch clock and the extra inning rules and stuff like that,
Speaker 2: and like that does have some like statistical bearing. I
Speaker 2: don't like totally love the fact that like what this
Speaker 2: would do for records right in the end, but I
Speaker 2: will say, like I think that's a bad reason not
Speaker 2: to make changes, you know. I mean, like the league
Speaker 2: already has done this and multiple times, Like they've added
Speaker 2: a shot clock at one point, they've added a three
Speaker 2: point shot. They've seen the three point shot like completely
Speaker 2: revolutionized basketball. I mean, the records are are very different, right,
Speaker 2: Like had there been a three point shot, would Kream
Speaker 2: have been working the skyhook or even doing catch and
Speaker 2: shoot threes in front of the bench, right like who knows?
Speaker 2: And who knows? Then if he would have been the
Speaker 2: all time leaving score. I didn't hear like a lot
Speaker 2: of complaining about Lebron breaking that record because he shot
Speaker 2: a lot of pres you know what I mean. So
Speaker 2: I think you could. You could do it. Sure, I
Speaker 2: really actually don't see a great argument against it, and
Speaker 2: if it meant, you know, a little bit of a
Speaker 2: recalibration about things like scoring and stuff like that. But
Speaker 2: but I mean to Adam Silver's point, I mean, the
Speaker 2: Olympic games were awesome, Like like the timing of them
Speaker 2: was great, the flow was great. Also, A nice little
Speaker 2: thing about doing this, your better players would play more minutes,
Speaker 2: would be on the court for more of the game.
Speaker 2: They wouldn't maybe necessari playeral minutes, but they would spend
Speaker 2: less time in the game on the bench conceivably, you know,
Speaker 2: so you the product that would hopefully go up. And
Speaker 2: I do think that's important. So yeah, I like it
Speaker 2: medical idea, And like I said, I don't think you're
Speaker 2: paid hourly. That sounds awesome.
Speaker 4: There you go, speed up the game, and I agree
Speaker 4: with you. You know, your stars would probably play you
Speaker 4: see them on the court. More, Dan, how big is
Speaker 4: this game against the Wizard given the fact that the
Speaker 4: Lakers kind of been on a roll, they have been
Speaker 4: playing well, they you know, kind of feel like they've
Speaker 4: got into a rhythm and then you know, they lose
Speaker 4: the game to Philly in an ugly fashion to get
Speaker 4: them back and bounce back. I mean, isn't it a
Speaker 4: perfect team to have on the schedule right now to
Speaker 4: help them get Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I mean and look, the Wizards are playing
Speaker 2: at night here to in Washington too, right, so it'll
Speaker 2: be a second night of the expect for Washington. You know,
Speaker 2: I think it's important, but not maybe for the reasons
Speaker 2: that you mentioned money. I mean, like, I think these
Speaker 2: are important games because you know, tougher days are coming.
Speaker 2: You know in terms of like for instance, like obviously
Speaker 2: this is not a big deal in the grand theme
Speaker 2: of things, but you know, as a result of the
Speaker 2: fires in the game against San Antonio that was canceled,
Speaker 2: you know, the Lakers had to have their schedule rearranged
Speaker 2: a little bit. And like, you know, we talked to
Speaker 2: JJ Redick about it last night and he said it
Speaker 2: was like, you know, this was it was gonna be
Speaker 2: our hardest sort of schedule here in March, and like
Speaker 2: now it's harder, right, Like they're going to play six
Speaker 2: games and a nights in March, which is a not
Speaker 2: ideal situation, like a pretty rough situation actually for NBA team.
Speaker 2: So yeah, like you get these ones now so you
Speaker 2: don't have to steal ones later. I think it sort
Speaker 2: of should be the approach. And then look, I mean
Speaker 2: even even I think, you know, in a more micro sense,
Speaker 2: like you know, you win this game, you've you've assured
Speaker 2: yourself a winning road trip. The vibes, like even if
Speaker 2: you don't play well certain against the next like the
Speaker 2: vibes should still be pretty good on your way back
Speaker 2: to LA to face the Clippers. And you know, I
Speaker 2: think the front office to see if if there's a
Speaker 2: way to make the team better here at the deadline.
Speaker 1: Well, the question becomes how much better a you're gonna
Speaker 1: make it? And what are you going to give up?
Speaker 1: All right, Dan, thank you appreciate it. Enjoy Washington, d C.
Speaker 2: Thanks you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3: All right.
Speaker 1: There was our buddy, Dan Woiki of the La Times
Speaker 1: as the Lakers are now settling it in Washington.
Speaker 3: Rodney. Yeah, yeah, fifty degrees in DC right now.
Speaker 1: And you got good restaurants in Washington.
Speaker 3: It's a good They got great everything in Washington. It's
Speaker 3: a great city. It really is. Yeah.
Speaker 1: If you've not had a chance to get to Washington,
Speaker 1: d C. You should at least try to get there
Speaker 1: and experience little history of our nation's capital and also
Speaker 1: a pretty damn good city. How many roster spots do
Speaker 1: the Dodgers have? Try to figure that out.
Speaker 4: Come on, let's keep it moving. Two hours show today
Speaker 4: Rodney Pete Fred Rogan on a hump date Wednesday, January
Speaker 4: twenty ninth, lying by.
Speaker 1: So Kirby Yates is in the fold. He signed a
Speaker 1: one year deal with the Dodgers thirteen million bucks, so
Speaker 1: they pretty much maxed out. They've pretty much filled everything up. Boy,
Speaker 1: do they have a bullpen?
Speaker 3: Do they max out? He said they maxed out?
Speaker 1: Yeah, well they've maxed out with a number of players
Speaker 1: on the forty man roster.
Speaker 3: Okay, got you maxed out?
Speaker 1: Oh no, they can never max out money wise, but
Speaker 1: they've got the best bullpen in baseball. Right now done,
Speaker 1: Let's not even have a conversation or a debate. While
Speaker 1: other teams are saying, thank god we signed Class as
Speaker 1: our closer, or Devin Williams acquired by the Yankees. Good,
Speaker 1: he can close games, the Dodgers have like five people
Speaker 1: that can close. Now think about that for a minute.
Speaker 1: Most teams are trying to get a closer, someone that
Speaker 1: comes in in the ninth inning and you believe can
Speaker 1: shut the opponent down. It's a valuable weapon to have. Well,
Speaker 1: the Dodgers have like five of them. They have so
Speaker 1: many they can't all close, so they are put into
Speaker 1: situations where they match.
Speaker 3: Up the best.
Speaker 1: Well, other clubs need one person back in the Kenley
Speaker 1: Jansen day, Just give me that guy that can shut
Speaker 1: it down.
Speaker 3: Give me that guy.
Speaker 1: Would give me that guy. The Dodgers have those guys.
Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, almost anybody in their bullpen
Speaker 1: can close. So if you want to go into spring
Speaker 1: training and try to debate, well, who's got the best
Speaker 1: bullpen in baseball? The Dodgers, if everybody stays healthy, they
Speaker 1: are the best bullpen in baseball. And here's why. Come on,
Speaker 1: give me the bullpen for Saint Louis. Anybody let me
Speaker 1: know that bullpen isn't Cincinnati. I'm listening the Royals. Who's there,
Speaker 1: long guy there? The Dodger. The Dodgers have bonified closers
Speaker 1: in their bullpen. They've invested in it, by the way,
Speaker 1: trying in Scott Yates, there's three Vessia, there's four grato
Speaker 1: of healthy. I can't I can't even remember all. I
Speaker 1: can't remember all of them. Now, Evan Phillips, there's five.
Speaker 1: Those guys can close. Trying Did I mentioned him six? Yeah,
Speaker 1: every one of those guys can close. So other teams
Speaker 1: look for one guy. They have every guy. Every guy,
Speaker 1: when you put them in the game, is like a closer.
Speaker 1: That's a pretty good bullpen. Well, the Yankees are pretty
Speaker 1: good good. Who's in their bullpen? Who are they? San
Speaker 1: Diego had ten or Scott Well, they did, they don't anymore.
Speaker 1: Now we with the Dodgers, who's in their bullpen. Nobody
Speaker 1: knows who's in their bullpens. Let's just be honest. You
Speaker 1: don't know, but you know these guys because they can
Speaker 1: all close. It's mind boggling, so much so that right
Speaker 1: now the Dodgers are maxed out on the forty man
Speaker 1: roster and they have seven veteran relievers with no minor
Speaker 1: league options. So what does that mean. Nobody's going down
Speaker 1: unless they go onto the injured list. Pretty simple. If
Speaker 1: you're healthy, you're up. If you're down, in no case,
Speaker 1: he keep throwing. We'll get to you when we can. Wow,
Speaker 1: but we got no place. We have nowhere to put you.
Speaker 1: They have seven veteran, top notch relievers with no minor
Speaker 1: league options. So who you see is who you get
Speaker 1: now unless somebody gets hurt. I can't remember when that's
Speaker 1: ever happened before. Nobody has an they're here and you
Speaker 1: say loaded with capital L fred le mean, think about
Speaker 1: that for a minute. They have so many guys, you say,
Speaker 1: can't send him down. The only way somebody's not on
Speaker 1: the rosters if they get hurt. Otherwise there's your bullpen,
Speaker 1: which tells me Andrew Friedman will not have to go
Speaker 1: shopping at the trade deadline, and that is what he
Speaker 1: was trying to avoid. That was the goal, right, yep.
Speaker 1: I don't want to go shopping in July. I want
Speaker 1: to do it all. I want to go to market.
Speaker 1: I'm buying bulk. He went to Costco. Fred He didn't
Speaker 1: go to Whole Foods. You know what he did. He
Speaker 1: bought that palet of pickles.
Speaker 3: There he did. He just loaded up.
Speaker 1: We are set to go now. And it's funny because
Speaker 1: at the beginning of the year every baseball season, Dodger
Speaker 1: fans or baseball fans in general, when you look at
Speaker 1: your roster going into spring training, who says, I'll tell
Speaker 1: you one thing. A bullpen set. You figure the bullpen
Speaker 1: out as you go along. That's how that usually works.
Speaker 1: These guys are going to be down there and let's see, well,
Speaker 1: you know, kind of move this a little bit and
Speaker 1: try that, and let's see who gets hot and who's
Speaker 1: not their set. They are as set as their everyday
Speaker 1: lineup is right now. That's how ready they are.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 1: Sure they spent a ton of money, no question about it,
Speaker 1: and they have a lot of money.
Speaker 3: We know that.
Speaker 1: We mentioned it earlier. Hell Steinbrunner, Yankee owner, he basically
Speaker 1: cried poor when asked about the Yankees competing with the
Speaker 1: Dodgers financially. You know, it's difficult for most of us
Speaker 1: owners to be able to do the kinds of things
Speaker 1: they're doing. We'll see if it pays off. That was
Speaker 1: the most honest thing he said, We'll see if it
Speaker 1: pays off, because you don't know if it's going to
Speaker 1: pay off. You don't know what happens last year with
Speaker 1: that lack of pitching. They got hot in one, but
Speaker 1: years where they were so loaded and won over one
Speaker 1: hundred games, they lost because they weren't hot at the
Speaker 1: right time. So what you're hoping is you've got a
Speaker 1: group of guys now, all of them together, that if
Speaker 1: somebody's not hot, four.
Speaker 3: Other guys will be.
Speaker 1: That's kind of thing, right, And if those four guys
Speaker 1: go cold, then the other five will be fine.
Speaker 4: I mean, think about it. As great as Otani was
Speaker 4: during the regular season, and you know, he had a
Speaker 4: good opening series, but he wasn't the guy against the
Speaker 4: Mets or the Yankees in the World Series. Obviously, Freddie
Speaker 4: went crazy and got hot, Mookie got hot, other guys
Speaker 4: Taioscar were hot, and like you mentioned, you know those
Speaker 4: other years when or the year before that, when Mookie
Speaker 4: and Freddi weren't hitting, it was all over for the Dodgers.
Speaker 4: Nobody else got It was like they got cold and
Speaker 4: took everybody with him, you know. But last year it
Speaker 4: didn't matter because the seventh, eighth, and ninth hinter he
Speaker 4: throw Tommy edmand in there. You know, it doesn't matter
Speaker 4: if Otani's hitting home runs or not getting on base,
Speaker 4: because there are four or five other guys that are
Speaker 4: gonna be hot.
Speaker 1: All nine ain't gonna be cold in a particular series.
Speaker 1: Where's the out in the Dodger lineup? Where's the out? Net?
Speaker 1: Coludius told us that's what you look at if you're
Speaker 1: the opposing pitcher. Okay, where's the out? Where's my best chance?
Speaker 1: So where's the out? Do we think Will Smith will
Speaker 1: have the kind of year he had last year? No,
Speaker 1: he was hurt. Didn't tell anybody He's not gonna have
Speaker 1: that year again. Do we think Freddie will struggle in
Speaker 1: a regular season? But he did not have a good
Speaker 1: Freddy year during the regular season. There are other things
Speaker 1: going on, and I think what he did in the
Speaker 1: World Series gives him an enormous spoost. No, I think
Speaker 1: you'll have a Freddie Freeman year. Well can get a struggle.
Speaker 1: I don't think so. Kim the second baseman they signed
Speaker 1: from Korea, they say he's a little light in the bat,
Speaker 1: but he can run, so they'll work with him. Confordo,
Speaker 1: who's going to play the outfield, Well, they wouldn't have
Speaker 1: signed him they thought he wasn't going to hit. I
Speaker 1: can tell you he's always been a pretty good hitter.
Speaker 1: Tommy Edmund didn't tear the cover off during the regular season,
Speaker 1: but certainly showed what he can do in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: And he's not an easy out to Oscar. Well, they
Speaker 1: just sign him for three years. I don't think he's
Speaker 1: going to be the out. So who's the out month?
Speaker 3: See?
Speaker 1: Well, the thing about Max is he's hot or he's not. Okay,
Speaker 1: Well we know that, so where's he out? Kim the
Speaker 1: second baseman, nine guys, that's the one. Wherever that guy hits,
Speaker 1: you should be okay. And in the flip that okay,
Speaker 1: there's no outs on the offensive side. But okay, now
Speaker 1: when we're in the rotation, okay, God Lee we got
Speaker 1: a four game series against the Dodgers.
Speaker 3: We're gonna get that win. We're gonna get that win. Oh,
Speaker 3: y'amamotos on the hill today? Oh wait, now we.
Speaker 4: Got glass now glass now's oh oh, we'll get it.
Speaker 4: We'll get him on a We'll get him on Saturday. Oh,
Speaker 4: Blake Snell's throwing. Oh no, oh no, what are we
Speaker 4: gonna do. Blake Snell's throwing on Saturday. We'll get him Sunday.
Speaker 4: That's s Sazaki.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what's he gonna do?
Speaker 1: All right, let's say it's a five game series. It's not,
Speaker 1: but let's say it was. Well, ship, it's June. We'll
Speaker 1: get him in June. Here, it's a five game series. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we'll get Otani. That's our guy.
Speaker 3: We're hit. Yeah, we're gonna get after Otani. Boy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're gonna make him pay. Where's the out? Where's
Speaker 1: the win? Where they have to do it on the field.
Speaker 1: They have to do it on the field. And hal
Speaker 1: Steinbuner said, we can't afford it. We can't afford to
Speaker 1: do that. We can't be the Dodgers. Oh yeah, the
Speaker 1: Dodgers will put their money where their mouth is. The
Speaker 1: Dodgers have gone out and told the marketplace we're in
Speaker 1: it to win it, and we want you to be
Speaker 1: with us. Thank you for your support. But we're more
Speaker 1: obsessed with winning than you are. It's it's sort of
Speaker 1: like everybody runs their team as a business, but the
Speaker 1: Dodgers operate their team. Is winning is our business? Does
Speaker 1: that make sense?
Speaker 4: Yes, it makes sense to us out here. Winning is
Speaker 4: our business. But in Pittsburgh, not in Cincinnati, not in Chicago. Hey,
Speaker 4: we're just trying to break even, Ricketts, the owner of
Speaker 4: the Cubs. We're trying to break even. Show you how
Speaker 4: invested we are. We just want to break even. We
Speaker 4: don't even want to make any money. We'll break even. Okay, Well,
Speaker 4: that obviously doesn't work the Dodgers. So Ricketts is running
Speaker 4: a business. Hell Stein runners running a business. Ar they
Speaker 4: Moreno's running a business. Everybody's running a business, and their
Speaker 4: business is to not lose money, where the Dodger's.
Speaker 1: Business is to win. When they show up every day,
Speaker 1: their meetings are about winning. Well, everybody else is trying
Speaker 1: to figure out how not to lose money. Really, doesn't
Speaker 1: that tell you all you need to know? Who else
Speaker 1: Isn't they are honest to God, they're in the winning business.
Speaker 1: I think the Rams are in the winning business. I
Speaker 1: think the Clippers would like to be in the winning business.
Speaker 1: I know Steve Balmer thinks that way, mm hmm. But
Speaker 1: who operates that way? Does Jerry Jones? Is he in
Speaker 1: the winning business? Or is he in the branding business?
Speaker 1: He's in the branding business. Let's keep the evaluation of
Speaker 1: the franchise rising.
Speaker 3: Really? Who else is to be in the winning business? Though?
Speaker 1: Yeah, but he's not anymore?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Who's in in professional sports? And we don't have time today,
Speaker 1: so we'll do it tomorrow. Who's in the winning business?
Speaker 1: Where every day you show up and your meetings are
Speaker 1: about winning and how to win? Who in professional sports
Speaker 1: is like that every single day? Because I got to
Speaker 1: tell you the way business works as you have meetings,
Speaker 1: where are we financially? What do we need to do here? Okay,
Speaker 1: how are we doing with the margin over there? It's
Speaker 1: like the margins don't even exist For the Dodgers, what margin?
Speaker 1: What are you talking about? They just show up and
Speaker 1: have meetings on how to win? And I don't know
Speaker 1: any other business that operates that way? Rodney maybe Apple?
Speaker 1: How are we going to create and sell their businesses.
Speaker 4: They operate that day. But in sports wise, there's there's
Speaker 4: not a whole lot. Can't see the Chiefs.
Speaker 1: Do they show up and.
Speaker 4: Figure out how to win with Kansas City? Yeah, he
Speaker 4: will consistently try to win. You know, I don't know
Speaker 4: if the Rams do.
Speaker 3: I don't know. I go back to that letter. We're
Speaker 3: not you know, don't don't expect much out of us
Speaker 3: this year.
Speaker 1: He was just fooling. He was just funning.
Speaker 4: Yeah, would that come out of Andrew? That come out
Speaker 4: of what would that come out of Andrew Friedman's mouth?
Speaker 4: Oh god, no, exactly, exactly. No, he'd leave town before
Speaker 4: he'd say that. Mm O care, we're back to wrap
Speaker 4: this up. Yeah, let's get back to it down the stretch.
Speaker 3: Rodney p.
Speaker 1: Fred Brogan, come on, Freddy, you know we talked about
Speaker 1: it earlier just before we go on again. Your thoughts
Speaker 1: do you think there are too many golf tournaments? Do
Speaker 1: you think that's a problem. Do you think that's part
Speaker 1: of the reason why the sport is seemingly struggling with popularity?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Probably probably.
Speaker 4: You know, obviously you got the Big Four that that
Speaker 4: everybody looks forward to with the Masters, and p g
Speaker 4: A and with the other two the Players Championship and
Speaker 4: in the US Open. Yeah you got those, So those
Speaker 4: are those are main stays. But yeah, I think throughout
Speaker 4: the year because you're seeing not everybody's playing in them all.
Speaker 4: And I I get it. You know, these tournaments in
Speaker 4: certain cities that that that actually make money, you know,
Speaker 4: and and do well. The problem is which ones do
Speaker 4: you cut out? You know, which ones are you gonna
Speaker 4: cut out because players are cherry picking obviously cherry picking
Speaker 4: uh tournaments now and you know, these tournaments have to
Speaker 4: are having to pay more and more for these guys
Speaker 4: to show up and play. You know, their mainstays that
Speaker 4: guys are going to show up and play anyway, But
Speaker 4: there's other ones that you know throughout the year that
Speaker 4: you know probably gets it's tough to get attendance and
Speaker 4: if the top players are not playing, then nobody's really
Speaker 4: going to watch, you know. I think the LA Open
Speaker 4: is has been a mainstay and people want to come
Speaker 4: and play in the La Open. It's usually at Riviera,
Speaker 4: so it's pretty cool. But some of the ones, other
Speaker 4: ones around the country is just you know, it's just
Speaker 4: a whole hum on a February weekend that they're playing.
Speaker 1: In Muddlesburg, South Carolina. That who really cares?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 1: I just think there's the more, the more of anything.
Speaker 1: And I talk about this all the time, the less
Speaker 1: sense of urgency. Yeah, I mean, the leagues don't want
Speaker 1: to hear this because it's bad because they make their
Speaker 1: money from TV and TV needs so many of events
Speaker 1: and that's why they pay the way they do. There's
Speaker 1: too many games in everything. There's just too many. Too
Speaker 1: many in baseball, too many in basketball, too many in hockey,
Speaker 1: too many golf tournaments, too many tennis tournaments. The problem
Speaker 1: is when that's the case, they only get special at
Speaker 1: certain times and it doesn't create a sense of urgency.
Speaker 1: And ultimately, despite the fact you need that number of
Speaker 1: events to be paid for television and the rights fees,
Speaker 1: I think it's it actually is destructive to the product.
Speaker 1: But we'll talk more about it tomorrow. All right, Ronnie,
Speaker 1: thank you, Kevin really appreciate it. And Rodney, let's do
Speaker 1: it again tomorrow.
Speaker 3: Let's do it