[00:00.000 --> 00:17.000] Welcome to Episode 100 of the Marine Layer Podcast. We welcome on Mariners broadcaster Dave Simms. If you like stories and especially stories about baseball, I think this interview is going to be for you, so stay tuned. The Mariners also acquired Gregory Santos from the White Sox over the weekend.
[00:17.000 --> 00:22.600] Here's your reminder before we start the show. If you're listening, make sure to download our episodes,
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[00:45.640 --> 00:48.040] Layer Pod. Let's get it rolling.
[01:01.440 --> 01:05.440] I mean, welcome you to this episode of the Marine Layer Podcast, part of the Just
[01:05.440 --> 01:12.360] Baseball Podcast Network recording here on Monday evening, February 5th. And did you
[01:12.360 --> 01:16.960] hear the three digits at the beginning dog? We have made it to 100.
[01:18.400 --> 01:21.240] It's pretty wild. How are you going to start reading out the shows in your intros
[01:21.240 --> 01:26.040] moving forward? Are you going to say 101 102? Or are you going to go 101 102?
[01:27.720 --> 01:31.880] I guess that's a decision for a Thursday when I have to say it for the first time. I
[01:31.880 --> 01:35.880] think the best people, they'll just go out on a whim and they're going to, they just, it's
[01:35.880 --> 01:38.320] right off the top of their head. I got to make it catchy though, right?
[01:39.200 --> 01:42.640] Well, whatever flows best. That's what I'm saying. I just didn't know if you've given it any thought
[01:42.640 --> 01:46.240] or if you've decided to just, like you said, kind of wing it when the time comes.
[01:46.960 --> 01:53.520] All right, dog, I had some last minute inspiration. This is if there's anything to make you go watch
[01:53.520 --> 01:59.280] the show on YouTube, it's to see what I'm about to do right now. There's a very famous photo when
[01:59.280 --> 02:07.120] it comes to 100 in sports, a very famous photo of Wilte Chamberlain sitting in the locker room
[02:07.120 --> 02:15.680] after he scored 100 points. And dog, I just got to say, oh, upside down. There we go. Look at us.
[02:15.680 --> 02:22.080] No, no, you had it right the first time. Oh, this looks right for me. Well, for me. Oh, one.
[02:22.080 --> 02:25.440] There you go for the listeners. Now it looks like 100. There you go.
[02:25.440 --> 02:30.400] So whichever way you view this, if it looked right for me, or if it looks right for Lyle,
[02:30.400 --> 02:34.560] now you got 100 baby. All right, we're going to get one last one of this,
[02:34.560 --> 02:40.960] just in case it flips around like this. But we did it while we did it 100. Smile.
[02:42.720 --> 02:47.520] Smile for the photo. We're going in the paper tomorrow because we hit triple digits. How about
[02:47.520 --> 02:52.720] that? That's exciting. Yeah, it's pretty cool. Look, we kind of did our yearly wrap up at the end of
[02:52.720 --> 02:57.200] December. So we don't have to spend a whole 20 minutes or whatever diving into all of it.
[02:57.200 --> 03:02.880] I will say though, I think we've mentioned this before that most pod, the stat is 90% of podcast
[03:02.880 --> 03:08.000] episodes. Don't get past the third one. And then an additional 90% beyond that,
[03:08.000 --> 03:14.080] I believe, do not get past the 15th or 20th. So yeah, we're sitting at 100. Not everybody does that.
[03:14.080 --> 03:18.000] And the fact we've kept this going and the fact people are interested enough to follow along
[03:18.000 --> 03:21.840] is really, really cool. So I know we always talk about it when this stuff comes up. But it's
[03:21.840 --> 03:26.480] really all a credit to you guys who are nice enough and who are nice enough to take the time
[03:26.480 --> 03:31.600] and listen and which we are very, very appreciative. And it's very on brand that we're about to hit
[03:31.600 --> 03:37.120] at 100 right as we're about to dive into season number two. So it's exciting. And we could be at
[03:37.120 --> 03:44.480] episode number 200 by sometime sometime. I can't do math, but we can figure it out.
[03:45.280 --> 03:51.920] Well, it should be weeks in a year, two episodes a week, probably a little over a year from now,
[03:51.920 --> 03:58.880] but you know, given an emergency episode or two, you never know, right? Yeah, it should be about a
[03:58.880 --> 04:04.160] year. So yeah, it's exciting. Give or take. And lucky for us, a lot of emergency episodes because
[04:04.160 --> 04:11.120] of Jerry DiPoto doing what he did this weekend. Well, sources are telling me that one of the best
[04:11.120 --> 04:15.360] bullpens in baseball somehow managed to get better this weekend.
[04:16.480 --> 04:21.280] Does it feel like an eonsense that trades happen to that trade happen on Saturday,
[04:21.280 --> 04:25.280] like two days ago at the time of recording this four days ago at the time that this episode gets
[04:25.360 --> 04:29.920] released. It feels like it was forever ago. I know we didn't do an emergency episode about it,
[04:30.800 --> 04:36.000] but it feels like forever since we've hopped on this mic since the trade happened because I feel
[04:36.000 --> 04:39.200] like I've just been itching to talk about it. Now we're finally going to sit here and talk about
[04:39.200 --> 04:44.400] it because don't undersell this move, people. This is this is a big move that the Mariners made,
[04:44.400 --> 04:50.560] because it's a move that makes their bullpen go from good to a legitimate threat, like a deadly
[04:50.560 --> 04:57.440] threat. And he honestly replaces the, he replaces what the Mariners lost in the Jorge
[04:57.440 --> 05:03.280] Polanco trade just days earlier with Justin Tilp. But the more I look at Gregory Santos,
[05:03.280 --> 05:07.280] which they acquired from the White Sox in exchange for a Pralander Barroa,
[05:07.280 --> 05:12.720] Zach DeLoch and the 69th overall pick in this upcoming draft, you draft, you can trade
[05:12.720 --> 05:15.360] compensatory draft picks. And that's what Jerry did to make this happen.
[05:16.240 --> 05:21.840] Santos was expected to be the closer in Chicago this season. However, bad teams don't really
[05:21.840 --> 05:25.920] need closers, which made him expendable. I don't know how many people thought he was going to be
[05:25.920 --> 05:33.120] available, but man, oh man, according to our friends over at the Pinwheels and Ivy podcast,
[05:33.120 --> 05:38.400] who wanted a wanted a synopsis on the trade from our side, Lyle went on them with them earlier this
[05:39.120 --> 05:45.200] off season when he got dragged through the mud for his Luis Robert trade package idea,
[05:46.240 --> 05:51.040] went on there and sort of settled the water down with, with a lot of White Sox nation. But
[05:51.040 --> 05:54.560] they were, they were mentioning to us, hey, like this guy Santos was supposed to be the
[05:54.560 --> 06:00.160] closer this year for the White Sox. And it's a deadly combination. He's got a sinker that gets
[06:00.160 --> 06:05.920] up over 100 miles an hour. He's got a slider that grades out run value wise as the second best
[06:05.920 --> 06:12.320] slider in all the baseball behind Clayton Kershaw. He's got a got a pretty good slider himself and
[06:12.320 --> 06:20.800] Kershaw through over 300 more sliders than Santos did this past season. And he only had one more
[06:20.800 --> 06:28.000] run value and run value accumulates in volume, not on a, on a, on a rate basis. So I kind of
[06:28.000 --> 06:34.560] tells you how good that pitches. And the Mariners did it for trading a minor league reliever,
[06:34.560 --> 06:40.320] a minor league outfielder, and a draft pick for him. And all of a sudden that Justin Toparole,
[06:40.320 --> 06:49.440] it seems like it's filled right back up again. Gregory Santos is 24 years old. He has five years
[06:49.440 --> 06:54.320] of club control for people that are upset about losing prelander Baroah, a guy who is
[06:54.320 --> 06:58.640] essentially unproven has barely thrown any big league innings. And even though he has high upside,
[06:59.520 --> 07:04.080] is a guy that you hope becomes Gregory Santos. That's what everybody's saying. And I agree,
[07:04.080 --> 07:09.360] the Mariners, if they kept Roa, hoped he would turn into Gregory Santos. Instead, now they have
[07:09.360 --> 07:16.000] Santos. And instead, you just sacrifice one year of club control. He can five years of control at 24
[07:16.000 --> 07:21.600] years old for a guy that has absolutely disgusting stuff like Santos does. You talked about the slider.
[07:22.560 --> 07:28.000] He throws a sinker that was in year one of its debut. He had not thrown a sinker before this year.
[07:28.960 --> 07:36.080] And it gets up to triple digits, often 101 102 miles an hour. So you're throwing bullets
[07:36.080 --> 07:41.200] like that at 101 102. And then you're dropping in that deadly slider that not only misses a ton of
[07:41.200 --> 07:49.840] bats, his slider. Yes, his slider gets up to 95 miles an hour. Paul Seewald's fastball basically
[07:49.840 --> 07:53.840] topped out at 95 miles an hour. This guy is electric, dude.
[07:56.400 --> 08:04.000] Yeah. Yeah, that's a pretty good, that's a pretty good way to put it. And just to remind people,
[08:04.000 --> 08:10.080] Prolander Baro is only one year younger than Gregory Santos. Prolander Baro is 23 years old and he
[08:10.080 --> 08:14.320] was going to be making his full season debut with the Mariners this season. We assumed he's going to
[08:14.320 --> 08:18.880] make his full season debut with the Mariners. Santos already has an entire year under his belt.
[08:18.880 --> 08:25.280] So this will be the 2023 Gregory Santos year for Prolander Baro on the south side.
[08:25.280 --> 08:31.200] I don't know if that's a great comparison though, Lau with with saying, it was really easy for people
[08:31.200 --> 08:38.080] to throw around and say, Hey, you know, Santos is the what Prolander Baro wishes he's going to be at
[08:38.080 --> 08:43.840] his peak in the big leagues. They're not really the same pitcher, to be honest. Santos has
[08:43.840 --> 08:50.640] unbelievable stuff, but Prolander Baro is the guy with the 37% strikeout rate in double A this
[08:50.640 --> 08:58.160] year. While Santos was about the he's about a league average strikeout guy with below a better
[08:58.160 --> 09:05.200] than league average walk rate at about 6%. Meanwhile, Baro was walking over double that 14.4% in double
[09:05.200 --> 09:12.000] A this past season. It's it's not really an apples to apples comparison. But for what the Mariners
[09:12.000 --> 09:17.680] have sort of archetype to their bullpen around. It fits right in. I mean, you got a sinker baller
[09:17.680 --> 09:23.600] in Taylor, Salcedo. Andres Munoz has transformed into a sinker baller and the focus really of the
[09:23.600 --> 09:29.040] Mariners bullpen last year, especially was to not allow any home runs. Speaking of not allowing
[09:29.040 --> 09:34.800] home runs, Lau, do you want to guess how many home runs the top three, the trio and the Mariners
[09:34.800 --> 09:38.880] bullpen, Munoz brash and now Santos have combined to allow last year.
[09:39.440 --> 09:55.880] So the answer for Santos is two. He does not give up home runs. He doesn't give up barrels and we can get to that in a minute. But it's two for Santos brash. I'm going to say four and Munoz. I'm going to say five. It's lower.
[09:55.880 --> 10:03.880] Okay, they gave up a combined. The three of them gave up a combined seven home runs and 189 innings.
[10:04.680 --> 10:12.800] Wow. Yeah, that's ridiculous. It's hard to hit those dudes. I mean, man, is that man? Is this bullpen going to be good?
[10:14.080 --> 10:33.840] The way to protect against volatility as a bullpen is to not give up home runs. Bullpins are notoriously year to year, streaky guys will have bad years just out of nowhere. You know, a big reason why guys have bad years because they let a couple balls go over the fence. Well, if you just don't allow any home runs, man, it's really hard to get blown
[10:33.840 --> 10:40.840] up as a reliever because odds are if you still have great stuff, then your stuff's going to win out if they can't just poking over the wall.
[10:40.840 --> 10:52.840] So can I piggyback on that with Santos here? Because to read his full season numbers from 2023, his ERA was 339. It's a really good season for a reliever.
[10:52.840 --> 11:01.840] But when you talk about not allowing home runs and all the expected stats that Santos held over to over the course of 23, it represents exactly that.
[11:01.840 --> 11:12.840] Because all of his underlying numbers say he should have been even better than his 339 ERA. X ERA 311, fit 265, X fit 331, Sierra 332.
[11:12.840 --> 11:21.840] So all those numbers say for as good as Santos was, he actually should have been even better. And a lot of that forms from well, he didn't give up a lot of home runs.
[11:21.840 --> 11:26.840] So the things that were in his control, he did to the pinpoint of his ability.
[11:27.840 --> 11:31.840] Do you know how many extra race hits he gave up on his slider this past year?
[11:33.840 --> 11:39.840] He gave up one home run on his slider, right? Just one, I want to say? Oh, he didn't give up any.
[11:39.840 --> 11:50.840] He gave up one double on his slider this year. He allowed on his slider a 196 batting average in a 203 slug.
[11:51.840 --> 11:53.840] That's so wild.
[11:53.840 --> 11:59.840] And we talk about the sinker as being the pitch that doesn't allow extra base contact.
[11:59.840 --> 12:03.840] Well, his slider actually like flat out didn't allow anything. Period.
[12:03.840 --> 12:09.840] The only thing you could do with his slider is hit it for a base hit. That's it. Period.
[12:09.840 --> 12:19.840] And now he's going to go to a pitching development staff that has worked miracles on some of these relievers over the past year.
[12:19.840 --> 12:24.840] These relievers over the past two seasons to form what is arguably the best bullpen in baseball.
[12:24.840 --> 12:32.840] It is crazy. The imagination is crazy of what the Mariners could do with this guy, this upcoming season.
[12:32.840 --> 12:36.840] What kind of tweaks would they want to make with his slider? What about his sinker? A pitch that again?
[12:36.840 --> 12:39.840] He was just, he was just trying to feel out this year.
[12:39.840 --> 12:44.840] Jason Benetti went on Brock and Salk today to talk about this today being Monday.
[12:44.840 --> 12:48.840] And Benetti, he's now the voice of the Tigers, but he called games to the White Sox last season
[12:48.840 --> 12:52.840] and was up close and personal watching Gregory Santos out of the bullpen.
[12:52.840 --> 12:56.840] A couple of really just amazing things came out of that conversation, I thought.
[12:56.840 --> 13:04.840] First off, like he mentioned, he's like crazy how efficient a guy can be when he's literally just trying to learn that pitch.
[13:04.840 --> 13:13.840] He spent last year, he ditched his four-seamer because the pitching coach who was in San Francisco with him came over to Chicago with Santos.
[13:13.840 --> 13:17.840] And they're like, all right, Santos, I don't really love your four-seam fastball.
[13:17.840 --> 13:22.840] Let's have you learn to throw a sinker. And that's essentially what he spent last year doing.
[13:22.840 --> 13:30.840] And then second, I know he only had a 6% walk rate, but Benetti goes like he wasn't even very good ahead of hitters.
[13:30.840 --> 13:33.840] I think his control and command can be way better.
[13:33.840 --> 13:41.840] Like with a 6% walk rate that's already there, that's pretty crazy.
[13:41.840 --> 13:45.840] And last thing, the quote that left a memorable impression with me.
[13:45.840 --> 13:50.840] He made some of the best hitters in baseball looks scared at the plate.
[13:50.840 --> 13:53.840] Luis Arise doesn't strike out ever.
[13:53.840 --> 13:56.840] And what do Gregory Santos do in year one of learning a sinker?
[13:56.840 --> 14:00.840] He threw 101 down and away to Luis Arise and made him look stupid on a strikeout.
[14:00.840 --> 14:04.840] Arise doesn't strike out, like he doesn't strike out, period.
[14:04.840 --> 14:05.840] But he did against Santos.
[14:05.840 --> 14:10.840] And to your point about the slider, this is why Santos is primarily
[14:10.840 --> 14:14.840] a slider first reliever. He throws his slider more than any other pitch.
[14:14.840 --> 14:16.840] He throws it just over 52% of the time.
[14:16.840 --> 14:20.840] Sinker comes next, which is normal as everybody knows nowadays in baseball.
[14:20.840 --> 14:23.840] You don't have to throw your fastball as your primary pitch.
[14:23.840 --> 14:25.840] Throw your best pitch that's your primary pitch.
[14:25.840 --> 14:29.840] Sometimes that's the case with starters too, but that's certainly the case with Santos.
[14:29.840 --> 14:34.840] We should contextualize his sinker a little bit because you're talking about how it was a pitch he was learning.
[14:34.840 --> 14:38.840] As he was learning it, while the actual velocity on it is very good,
[14:38.840 --> 14:40.840] it did get hit around a little bit last year.
[14:40.840 --> 14:44.840] And this is the one kind of downside with Santos's arsenal.
[14:44.840 --> 14:49.840] Now, before I even read it out, he may just totally have a 180 this upcoming year,
[14:49.840 --> 14:52.840] learning with the Mariners staff and getting a new change of scenery.
[14:52.840 --> 14:54.840] It could be amazing this year.
[14:54.840 --> 14:57.840] In 2023, opponents hit 343 against the sinker.
[14:57.840 --> 14:58.840] That's high.
[14:58.840 --> 15:00.840] That doesn't change the fact that he had a great year overall.
[15:00.840 --> 15:04.840] But with that pitch, there's still things he needs to learn and kind of feel out the tweaks for.
[15:05.840 --> 15:06.840] But you know what?
[15:06.840 --> 15:11.840] I wouldn't be shocked at all if come 2024, both those pitches are just nasty.
[15:11.840 --> 15:15.840] And sinkers aren't really supposed to be a swing and miss pitch.
[15:15.840 --> 15:25.840] If we're thinking about this, I wouldn't be shocked if Santos stays as sort of a 22, 23, 24% strikeout guy.
[15:25.840 --> 15:28.840] Because in the end, he's trying to generate ground balls.
[15:28.840 --> 15:30.840] And that's what Topa did so well.
[15:31.840 --> 15:39.840] I wouldn't be overly shocked if that slider becomes like a 2022 Andres Munoz slider and just decimates opponents.
[15:39.840 --> 15:46.840] But I think a realistic way to look at this is saying, sure, he could be significantly more effective on the mound for the Mariners.
[15:46.840 --> 15:49.840] I just don't know if that's going to come in the form of strikeouts.
[15:49.840 --> 15:59.840] I think it might come more in the form of a Justin Topa level of just pure run prevention and just throwing a wet blanket on whoever's at the plate.
[15:59.840 --> 16:08.840] Because his sinker, while it's hitable, hitable, meaning you can put the bat on it, you're not going to do anything with it once you actually hit the baseball.
[16:08.840 --> 16:12.840] It may not come through strikeouts, but the run value on it last year was minus eight.
[16:12.840 --> 16:13.840] It can improve.
[16:13.840 --> 16:16.840] And it probably will, because again, he's throwing it for one season.
[16:16.840 --> 16:18.840] So I think it will improve.
[16:18.840 --> 16:20.840] And I'm sure the Mariners think it will improve.
[16:20.840 --> 16:22.840] That's the other part of this too, right?
[16:22.840 --> 16:25.840] When the trade went down, there was a select group of people.
[16:25.840 --> 16:29.840] And of course, you shouldn't judge how people feel online for the most part.
[16:29.840 --> 16:33.840] But there were people saying, why did they go out and give up a rowa?
[16:33.840 --> 16:35.840] Why did they go out and trade for a bullpen arm?
[16:35.840 --> 16:44.840] Why didn't they just either sign somebody or stick with the knowledge they have and keep these guys that they just find for League minimum and turn them into good relievers?
[16:44.840 --> 16:54.840] Guys, don't you think if the Mariners of all teams who have been just impeccable with reliever development, don't you think if they're identifying this guy to go out and try to get out.
[16:54.840 --> 17:01.840] You'd have to think they believe he is going to be not just good, but probably elite.
[17:01.840 --> 17:04.840] Otherwise, they're not giving up all these guys for a reliever.
[17:04.840 --> 17:16.840] But to have five years of control for a 24-year-old with this type of stuff, how could you not trust the Mariners at this point to believe what they're seeing in Santos and say, yeah, this guy's going to be a weapon for us.
[17:17.840 --> 17:26.840] And I don't really understand holding on to prelander, when you see what the Mariners can do with relievers.
[17:26.840 --> 17:30.840] You're like, okay, well, broa looks great in the minor leagues.
[17:30.840 --> 17:38.840] They've still been, again, the Mariners have been frustrated and they've shown their frustration with his inability to control the strike zone.
[17:38.840 --> 17:44.840] He would have been up last year, Lyle, if he could throw more strikes and not walk a bunch of guys.
[17:44.840 --> 17:46.840] Like, I think that's pretty simple.
[17:46.840 --> 17:49.840] He still ended up walking over 14% of his batters last season.
[17:49.840 --> 17:52.840] If that's below 10%, he's a big leaguer last year.
[17:52.840 --> 17:58.840] And the Mariners don't have as much bullpen struggle down the stretch because they have another lockdown arm in the bullpen.
[17:58.840 --> 18:01.840] But they couldn't do that because they didn't trust him.
[18:01.840 --> 18:07.840] And I don't know if they trusted him any more now than they did back in August and September of last season when they really needed that help.
[18:07.840 --> 18:08.840] So what's a great way to fix that?
[18:08.840 --> 18:13.840] If someone else thinks they can do something with him like the Chicago White Sox, you make the best of the situation.
[18:13.840 --> 18:14.840] You wish him well.
[18:14.840 --> 18:25.840] And he's going to get all the opportunity in the world to work out all of his problems at the big league level next year in perhaps levered situations because the White Sox don't really have much else.
[18:25.840 --> 18:30.840] They had Gregory Santos and they didn't have much else, especially with Liam Hendrix on the shelf.
[18:30.840 --> 18:31.840] So it's good for him.
[18:31.840 --> 18:37.840] And it's also good for the Mariners that they get someone who they feel looks a little more proven and a little bit more ready to slide into a role that they do.
[18:37.840 --> 18:42.840] That they feel like has been left in their bullpen and that void that Justin Toba left.
[18:42.840 --> 18:49.840] And they insert someone right in with Gregory Santos who has better stuff than Justin Topa does.
[18:49.840 --> 18:51.840] Yeah, this is really exciting.
[18:51.840 --> 18:57.840] Also, I wouldn't be shocked if I was closing games by the end of the year for the White Sox, maybe halfway through the season.
[18:57.840 --> 19:00.840] That has to be one of the worst bullpen in baseball, the White Sox.
[19:01.840 --> 19:03.840] Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked either.
[19:03.840 --> 19:07.840] And Zack DeLoch probably going to get a good chunk of playing time with the White Sox.
[19:07.840 --> 19:14.840] They don't have the outfield depth, especially in the sort of style that DeLoch was stuck behind.
[19:14.840 --> 19:19.840] Cade Marlow and Taylor Tramell and Dom Canzon and the Mariners organization.
[19:19.840 --> 19:29.840] I mean, seriously, like Cade Marlow Taylor and Zack DeLoch were all sort of in the same mold of outfielder where it was like somewhere between AAA.
[19:29.840 --> 19:38.840] AAA and the major leagues, left-handed hitting, above average power, strikeout problems, could play multiple positions in the outfield.
[19:38.840 --> 19:41.840] And I mean, that he was last on that list.
[19:41.840 --> 19:44.840] So he's going to go to Chicago and he's probably going to play a little bit more.
[19:44.840 --> 19:51.840] I, thankfully, while there were enough rational people online that it didn't see people be like, we're giving up on Zack DeLoch already.
[19:51.840 --> 19:53.840] Yeah.
[19:54.840 --> 19:56.840] Even, you talk about those three.
[19:56.840 --> 20:02.840] If you want to look at the Mariners entire outfield depth as a whole, it was just, it just felt like DeLoch was stuck.
[20:02.840 --> 20:03.840] So you take all the starters.
[20:03.840 --> 20:08.840] You have Julio, you have Hanagar, you have Rayleigh, you have Dom Canzon, you have Marlow, you have Tramell.
[20:08.840 --> 20:09.840] That's six guys ahead of them.
[20:09.840 --> 20:15.840] And then if you factor in the, not the platoon guys, if you factor in the utility guys in Demo and Sam Haggerty,
[20:15.840 --> 20:18.840] there's a lot of guys ahead of Zack DeLoch that are playing the outfield.
[20:18.840 --> 20:22.840] It made sense to give him a new opportunity, especially if you're going to get an arm that's like,
[20:22.840 --> 20:26.840] we're going to get an arm that's this good out of the bullpen in Gregory Santos.
[20:26.840 --> 20:28.840] That's pretty good.
[20:28.840 --> 20:29.840] That's pretty good.
[20:29.840 --> 20:31.840] Now I have a question for you, Lyle.
[20:31.840 --> 20:35.840] There's a couple of things that you spurned a discussion of that.
[20:35.840 --> 20:39.840] I want to throw to you and we can bounce my ideas off each other.
[20:39.840 --> 20:42.840] We're thinking of how good this bullpen trio is with the Mariners.
[20:42.840 --> 20:47.840] And there's another notable bullpen trio in the American League West with Josh Hader, Ryan Presley,
[20:47.840 --> 20:49.840] and Brian O'Brien of the Houston Astros.
[20:49.840 --> 20:53.840] Is this current Mariners trio better than that trio now?
[20:53.840 --> 20:55.840] Better than the Astros trio?
[20:55.840 --> 20:57.840] Yes.
[20:57.840 --> 21:01.840] Is the current Mariners trio better than the Astros current trio of relievers?
[21:01.840 --> 21:03.840] Yes, correct.
[21:03.840 --> 21:05.840] Give me the Mariners.
[21:05.840 --> 21:11.840] I'm taking the Mariners and maybe, look, maybe some people are going to scratch their heads.
[21:11.840 --> 21:13.840] Can I give my reasoning behind this?
[21:13.840 --> 21:16.840] Yeah, you can give your reasoning.
[21:16.840 --> 21:20.840] So this trio of Gregory Santos, Matt Brash and Andres Munoz,
[21:20.840 --> 21:25.840] finished almost a full win better than the Astros trio in 2023.
[21:25.840 --> 21:27.840] That's by war.
[21:27.840 --> 21:29.840] The Mariners were almost a full win better.
[21:29.840 --> 21:32.840] They're projected war in 2024.
[21:32.840 --> 21:35.840] The Mariners sit at 3.4 with that trio.
[21:35.840 --> 21:36.840] Santos ranks first.
[21:36.840 --> 21:38.840] Munoz ranks 10th.
[21:38.840 --> 21:39.840] Brash ranks 11th.
[21:39.840 --> 21:42.840] The Astros sit at 2.1.
[21:42.840 --> 21:44.840] Brian O'Brien ranks 17th.
[21:44.840 --> 21:46.840] Hader ranks 20th.
[21:46.840 --> 21:48.840] Ryan Presley ranks 37th.
[21:48.840 --> 21:50.840] Oh, but it gets better.
[21:50.840 --> 21:51.840] The Mariners.
[21:51.840 --> 21:55.840] The Mariners trio had the better combined fifth than the Astros last year.
[21:55.840 --> 21:57.840] The Mariners were at 2.5.3.
[21:57.840 --> 21:59.840] Astros were at 3.0.1.
[21:59.840 --> 22:01.840] The Mariners had the better combined...
[22:01.840 --> 22:02.840] Sorry.
[22:02.840 --> 22:06.840] The Mariners had the better combined walks per 9 than the Astros bullpen last year.
[22:06.840 --> 22:10.840] The Mariners trio combined for 3.34 walks per 9.
[22:10.840 --> 22:13.840] Astros trio combined for 3.62.
[22:13.840 --> 22:16.840] And the XCRAs between these two are almost neck and neck.
[22:16.840 --> 22:18.840] The Astros have the slight advantage.
[22:18.840 --> 22:19.840] Houston's at 3.10.
[22:19.840 --> 22:21.840] Mariners are at 3.12.
[22:21.840 --> 22:23.840] You got the war.
[22:23.840 --> 22:24.840] You got the fifth.
[22:24.840 --> 22:26.840] You've got the walks per 9.
[22:26.840 --> 22:27.840] Look, it's close.
[22:27.840 --> 22:29.840] This Astros bullpen is really good.
[22:29.840 --> 22:34.840] For the record, I think Brian O'Brien is the best singular reliever of these six.
[22:34.840 --> 22:37.840] But of the trio, I'm taking the Mariners.
[22:38.840 --> 22:40.840] That's a really good argument.
[22:40.840 --> 22:42.840] That's really good.
[22:42.840 --> 22:50.840] I can't get over the fact that of the trio of Astros relievers were comparing against.
[22:50.840 --> 22:54.840] One had an area of 128.
[22:54.840 --> 22:55.840] Let me repeat myself.
[22:55.840 --> 22:57.840] 128 last year.
[22:57.840 --> 22:59.840] That was Josh Hader's ERA last year.
[22:59.840 --> 23:05.840] The other one, Brian O'Brien, you had an area of 175 last year.
[23:05.840 --> 23:13.440] And the third guy, Ryan Presley, is the longest tenured and most consistent year-to-year
[23:13.440 --> 23:15.840] reliever of the three.
[23:15.840 --> 23:22.840] I mean, this dude had a sub three ERA for every season since he's been an Astro until last season,
[23:22.840 --> 23:23.840] of course.
[23:23.840 --> 23:30.840] And he had wins, wins above replacement since 2018, 1.8, 1.6, and the COVID season, 2.4,
[23:30.840 --> 23:32.840] 1.4, 1.1.
[23:32.840 --> 23:37.840] He's getting a little older, but reliability factor is unbelievable.
[23:37.840 --> 23:39.840] Here's how I'm going to frame this.
[23:39.840 --> 23:44.840] I think this Mariners trio has better stuff than the Astros trio.
[23:44.840 --> 23:47.840] That's a hot take-in of itself.
[23:47.840 --> 23:54.840] But I think the Astros trio in the past has executed better and has proven on the field that
[23:54.840 --> 23:55.840] they've been a better trio.
[23:55.840 --> 23:58.840] That can change this year with different results.
[23:58.840 --> 24:05.840] But for now, I'm going to still slightly go with the Astros trio.
[24:05.840 --> 24:06.840] Just the trio.
[24:06.840 --> 24:08.840] We're just talking three guys.
[24:08.840 --> 24:09.840] That's all we're talking about.
[24:09.840 --> 24:10.840] We're going to talk whole bullpen.
[24:10.840 --> 24:13.840] That's a different discussion.
[24:13.840 --> 24:16.840] Josh Hader walked a lot of guys last year.
[24:16.840 --> 24:19.840] I know his ERA was low, but he walked a lot of guys.
[24:19.840 --> 24:21.840] That isn't the greatest sign in the world.
[24:21.840 --> 24:24.840] That signals there could be some regression next year.
[24:24.840 --> 24:25.840] I don't know.
[24:25.840 --> 24:26.840] He had a regression year.
[24:26.840 --> 24:28.840] He had one in 2022.
[24:28.840 --> 24:29.840] He had an ERA over five.
[24:29.840 --> 24:34.840] But the year before that, he had another sub-one-five ERA.
[24:34.840 --> 24:40.840] At the end of the game, at the end of the day, Lyle, it is about run prevention.
[24:40.840 --> 24:49.840] We do love our expected numbers, but once the season has come around, Josh Hader has not allowed very many runs.
[24:49.840 --> 24:51.840] It's true.
[24:52.840 --> 24:56.840] But I told you I was going to save this argument for the show because again, there's a lot of categories.
[24:56.840 --> 25:00.840] You go down the list where this trio of Mariners guys is ahead of Houston.
[25:00.840 --> 25:05.840] I think most people will look at Hader, they'll look at Abreu, they'll look at the sub-two ERA's and say,
[25:05.840 --> 25:06.840] yeah, it's them.
[25:06.840 --> 25:09.840] And then you throw in Ryan Presley, too, who's been a model of consistency.
[25:09.840 --> 25:12.840] But I think this Mariners trio has a case.
[25:12.840 --> 25:13.840] I really do.
[25:13.840 --> 25:15.840] I'm sure it'll all play out during the year.
[25:15.840 --> 25:20.840] And this is just supposed to be a fun exercise and a good way of saying both these bullpen are going to be very good.
[25:21.840 --> 25:25.840] But that's how much better I think the Mariners pen just got with Gregory Santos.
[25:25.840 --> 25:27.840] That's enticing.
[25:27.840 --> 25:29.840] Let me throw one more thing in.
[25:29.840 --> 25:33.840] I think I said it before, but just to make it clear.
[25:33.840 --> 25:38.840] Gregory Santos has the highest zips projection for all relievers in F war for 2024.
[25:38.840 --> 25:39.840] Highest one.
[25:39.840 --> 25:40.840] He is number one.
[25:40.840 --> 25:41.840] He's ahead of everybody.
[25:41.840 --> 25:43.840] Ahead of Edwin Diaz.
[25:43.840 --> 25:45.840] Ahead of everybody.
[25:45.840 --> 25:47.840] That's pretty exciting.
[25:47.840 --> 25:48.840] That is pretty exciting.
[25:49.840 --> 25:51.840] There's one more argument I think you want to make.
[25:51.840 --> 25:52.840] I do.
[25:52.840 --> 25:54.840] After everything the Mariners have done.
[25:54.840 --> 25:56.840] And I know we said it after the Jorge Polanco trade.
[25:56.840 --> 25:58.840] I'm going to say it again here after the Santos trade.
[25:58.840 --> 26:01.840] Jerry DiPoto and Justin Hollander.
[26:01.840 --> 26:06.840] I want to get better about giving Hollander a lot of the credit for this because he deserves a ton of it.
[26:06.840 --> 26:07.840] He's the GM now.
[26:07.840 --> 26:08.840] He negotiates a bunch of these deals.
[26:08.840 --> 26:11.840] Jerry and Justin deserve a ton of credit for what they've done.
[26:11.840 --> 26:13.840] Again, this offseason.
[26:13.840 --> 26:14.840] Trade it for Luis Eureus.
[26:14.840 --> 26:16.840] We'll see how he does.
[26:16.840 --> 26:18.840] Trade it for Jorge Polanco.
[26:18.840 --> 26:19.840] Sign Mitch Garver.
[26:19.840 --> 26:20.840] Trade it for Luke Rayleigh.
[26:20.840 --> 26:21.840] Trade it for Mitch Hanniger.
[26:21.840 --> 26:23.840] Now trades for Gregory Santos.
[26:23.840 --> 26:27.840] And they've got a bunch of money left to spend at the deadline or throughout the year.
[26:27.840 --> 26:32.840] So that being said, after all the moves the Mariners have made this winner.
[26:32.840 --> 26:34.840] Can they win the A.O. West?
[26:34.840 --> 26:35.840] They can.
[26:35.840 --> 26:39.840] Do you know the Vegas projections aren't that far apart?
[26:39.840 --> 26:44.840] The bubble of the top three teams in the American League West.
[26:44.840 --> 26:47.840] Rangers according to Fandall are at 92 Rangers.
[26:47.840 --> 26:51.840] The Astros according to Fandall are at 92 and a half.
[26:51.840 --> 26:56.840] The Rangers are at 89 and a half and the Mariners are at 86 and a half.
[26:56.840 --> 26:59.840] I do believe they took Gregory Santos into account with this.
[26:59.840 --> 27:01.840] It said it updated that day.
[27:01.840 --> 27:03.840] So we're going to roll with that.
[27:03.840 --> 27:09.840] So that is six wins separating the three teams per the Vegas projections.
[27:09.840 --> 27:12.840] There's two teams on the end and one team in the middle.
[27:12.840 --> 27:13.840] And you know what?
[27:13.840 --> 27:16.840] Over the course of one 162 game schedule.
[27:16.840 --> 27:22.840] Six wins is almost definitely within the margin of error for a season.
[27:22.840 --> 27:23.840] So that's it.
[27:23.840 --> 27:24.840] That leads me to say yes.
[27:24.840 --> 27:26.840] I don't think the Mariners are a favorite.
[27:26.840 --> 27:31.840] I still think the Astros should be a favorite because they have the best combination of hitting
[27:31.840 --> 27:32.840] and pitching in the division.
[27:32.840 --> 27:37.840] I don't know how much people can dispute that because they are that they're pretty loaded.
[27:37.840 --> 27:41.840] But there is no perfect team in the American League West.
[27:41.840 --> 27:43.840] This isn't the 2019 Astros shit.
[27:43.840 --> 27:46.840] This isn't the 2017 18 or 19 Astros.
[27:46.840 --> 27:50.840] This isn't the 2022 Astros who won the World Series.
[27:50.840 --> 27:54.840] I mean last year's Rangers team by no means was a juggernaut in the regular season.
[27:54.840 --> 27:56.840] But they got it done when it came to postseason.
[27:56.840 --> 28:02.840] I think there are three equally flawed teams that could win the American League West next
[28:02.840 --> 28:05.840] season pick pick whatever strength you want of any of these three teams.
[28:05.840 --> 28:07.840] The Mariners have the best starting rotation.
[28:07.840 --> 28:09.840] The Mariners have the best bullpen.
[28:09.840 --> 28:11.840] The Rangers have the best lineup.
[28:11.840 --> 28:14.840] The Astros have the best combination of the two.
[28:14.840 --> 28:18.840] So it all depends on what you favor and how you're going to pick this starting lineup.
[28:18.840 --> 28:23.840] But there's a real case that you could definitely talk yourself into the Mariners winning the
[28:23.840 --> 28:24.840] American League West next year.
[28:24.840 --> 28:30.840] Now if they went out and went made one more marquee signing or one more marquee acquisition.
[28:30.840 --> 28:33.840] Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman.
[28:33.840 --> 28:36.840] They did one of those three.
[28:37.840 --> 28:40.840] Then you and I would be on here carrying the water for the Mariners to win the American
[28:40.840 --> 28:43.840] League West this season flat out.
[28:43.840 --> 28:47.840] I might already be talking myself into the Mariners winning the American League West.
[28:47.840 --> 28:50.840] I just look at where they stood at the end of last year.
[28:50.840 --> 28:54.840] They were two wins shy of catching both Texas and Houston.
[28:54.840 --> 28:59.840] This is a team that had problems in the rotation with injuries a lot of the year.
[28:59.840 --> 29:01.840] They relied on rookies who were awesome.
[29:01.840 --> 29:04.840] The offense could not get out of its own way half the time.
[29:05.840 --> 29:10.840] They were six and fourteen in extra inning games last year, which was one of the worst
[29:10.840 --> 29:12.840] records and extra innings in all of baseball.
[29:12.840 --> 29:14.840] I don't think that's going to happen again.
[29:14.840 --> 29:19.840] There's a lot of reasons to believe this team can win the West with their pitching with
[29:19.840 --> 29:23.840] their bullpen and with the offense now I think marginally improved or sorry.
[29:23.840 --> 29:26.840] Marginally signals that it's only slightly improved.
[29:26.840 --> 29:30.840] No, I think it is a full step improved than where it was at the end of 23.
[29:30.840 --> 29:32.840] I think they could win the West.
[29:32.840 --> 29:33.840] I do.
[29:33.840 --> 29:36.840] Am I going to be shocked if Texas or Houston wins it instead?
[29:36.840 --> 29:37.840] No.
[29:37.840 --> 29:40.840] I think the Mariners can absolutely win the American League West.
[29:40.840 --> 29:41.840] Can.
[29:41.840 --> 29:42.840] Yeah.
[29:42.840 --> 29:43.840] I just can't talk them above Houston.
[29:43.840 --> 29:44.840] I can't do it.
[29:44.840 --> 29:49.840] You know, like I wanted to I wanted to and then and then I took a peek.
[29:49.840 --> 29:52.840] Did you know the Astros in their their current lineup?
[29:52.840 --> 29:54.840] I'm not even going to get to their pitching staff yet.
[29:54.840 --> 29:59.840] Their current lineup, they have three players in Jordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Jose Altuve
[29:59.840 --> 30:04.840] who have multiple peak seasons higher than any peak season of all, any of the nine players
[30:04.840 --> 30:07.840] in the Mariners lineup, three players.
[30:07.840 --> 30:11.840] That's a that's what we call an aircraft carrier.
[30:11.840 --> 30:14.840] And this is, I don't think this is a hot take.
[30:14.840 --> 30:16.840] Like Julio, love you, dude.
[30:16.840 --> 30:22.840] He's been an air, an air, a real aircraft carrier in the lineup for about a month in his majorly
[30:22.840 --> 30:26.840] career at like in a true, unstoppable force in the lineup.
[30:27.840 --> 30:33.840] I think a lot of 2022, he was that you look at his numbers from May and on air craft carrier,
[30:33.840 --> 30:39.840] like age, may and on of 2022 by WRC plus he was a top five hitter in baseball.
[30:39.840 --> 30:41.840] I would call that an aircraft carrier.
[30:41.840 --> 30:42.840] Hmm.
[30:42.840 --> 30:44.840] No.
[30:44.840 --> 30:51.840] I think he is not not to the level of his counterparts would try just who I just mentioned.
[30:52.840 --> 30:53.840] Okay.
[30:53.840 --> 30:54.840] He's not your on Alvarez.
[30:54.840 --> 31:02.840] I like, I know what makes him so superior to Kyle Tucker or sorry, inferior to Kyle Tucker.
[31:02.840 --> 31:06.840] Because he has not had the production at the plate that Kyle Tucker has had in the same years
[31:06.840 --> 31:08.840] that they've been playing.
[31:08.840 --> 31:12.840] Again, Tucker is a better hitter by WRC plus.
[31:12.840 --> 31:13.840] Okay.
[31:13.840 --> 31:14.840] Sure.
[31:14.840 --> 31:16.840] He was last year, right?
[31:16.840 --> 31:17.840] Yeah.
[31:17.840 --> 31:20.840] And when Julio was in the minors in 2021, it was like Kyle Tucker's gone one.
[31:20.840 --> 31:24.840] Kyle Tucker's gone one forty one twenty six and one forty four.
[31:24.840 --> 31:28.840] I think I have that right in the last three seasons.
[31:28.840 --> 31:32.840] Again, you throw out that month of April for Julio in twenty two.
[31:32.840 --> 31:34.840] I don't know how you're calling them anything else.
[31:34.840 --> 31:36.840] I mean, I could throw out months of Kyle Tucker too.
[31:36.840 --> 31:37.840] I'm not trying to slight Julio.
[31:37.840 --> 31:39.840] I'm just saying what the numbers say.
[31:39.840 --> 31:40.840] Okay.
[31:40.840 --> 31:43.840] We can agree to disagree on that one.
[31:43.840 --> 31:49.840] I think that the Astros again, obviously are on paper, a better offense than the Mariners.
[31:49.840 --> 31:51.840] Obviously, you didn't even talk about Alex Pregman.
[31:51.840 --> 31:53.840] You didn't talk about how good yine or Diaz was last year.
[31:53.840 --> 31:54.840] Right.
[31:54.840 --> 31:55.840] It's a good offense.
[31:55.840 --> 31:59.840] That being said, the Astros, the only reason the Astros won the division last year is because
[31:59.840 --> 32:03.840] George Kirby shut out the Rangers in a meaningless game, one sixty two.
[32:03.840 --> 32:05.840] That happens and the Rangers win the division.
[32:05.840 --> 32:06.840] Astros come in second.
[32:06.840 --> 32:09.840] I don't know what their run looks like from there on out.
[32:09.840 --> 32:11.840] Otherwise, maybe they play somebody else.
[32:11.840 --> 32:15.840] Maybe it was again, maybe they would have lost to the Orioles if they had played those guys.
[32:16.840 --> 32:19.840] But if that and if that had happened, would you be saying anything different about Houston
[32:19.840 --> 32:20.840] right now?
[32:20.840 --> 32:21.840] I don't know.
[32:21.840 --> 32:22.840] Maybe.
[32:22.840 --> 32:25.840] But all we have to do right now is look on paper.
[32:25.840 --> 32:26.840] That's all we got.
[32:26.840 --> 32:30.840] That's why we, I know you and I just can't wait until I start playing games so we can start
[32:30.840 --> 32:33.840] formulating opinions on what actually happens on the field.
[32:33.840 --> 32:35.840] It's not out of the question.
[32:35.840 --> 32:40.840] It is within the margin of error right now for the Mariners to win the American League West.
[32:40.840 --> 32:45.640] And if you think the Mariners can win the American League West, like that is a completely fair
[32:45.640 --> 32:47.640] logical idea to have.
[32:47.640 --> 32:54.640] I would not like, I could disagree, but it's not, it's not crazy.
[32:54.640 --> 32:55.640] I'm with that.
[32:55.640 --> 32:57.640] I think it's going to be another really fun year in the ALS.
[32:57.640 --> 33:00.640] I think there's going to be three teams that are going to be pretty neck and neck all year,
[33:00.640 --> 33:02.640] which makes for some fun baseball.
[33:02.640 --> 33:05.640] I just wish it wasn't still about two months away.
[33:05.640 --> 33:06.640] I'm itching for it.
[33:06.640 --> 33:09.640] I know we're getting close to spring training, but I think I'm already itching for real regular
[33:09.640 --> 33:10.640] season baseball.
[33:10.640 --> 33:11.640] I think everybody is.
[33:11.640 --> 33:12.640] Okay.
[33:12.640 --> 33:13.640] Let's take a quick pause.
[33:13.640 --> 33:18.640] Let's talk about our friends over at Pagach's Pub 85 because what do we like to do?
[33:18.640 --> 33:21.720] We like to go hang out there because they have great food.
[33:21.720 --> 33:22.720] Make sure to try their pizza.
[33:22.720 --> 33:23.720] They have a full drink menu.
[33:23.720 --> 33:25.440] They got a pool table in the place.
[33:25.440 --> 33:27.880] They got 22 TVs in the place.
[33:27.880 --> 33:29.920] It's just a perfect spot to go hang out with your friends.
[33:29.920 --> 33:30.920] You want to watch games.
[33:30.920 --> 33:33.920] You want to just sit back and talk, catch up again.
[33:33.920 --> 33:35.760] You want to go out to eat.
[33:35.760 --> 33:36.920] It's got it all.
[33:36.920 --> 33:40.320] And if you go during happy hour, they've got some good drink specials, some really good
[33:40.320 --> 33:41.480] drink specials.
[33:41.480 --> 33:43.040] They are from Monday through Friday.
[33:43.040 --> 33:45.360] That's happy hour from 2 to 6 p.m.
[33:45.360 --> 33:51.440] They feature $3 domestic beers, $4 manis, blue moons, $4 mac and jacks, $4 wells and $4 house
[33:51.440 --> 33:52.440] wines.
[33:52.440 --> 33:53.440] Those are some pretty good deals.
[33:53.440 --> 33:57.160] So you want to catch some of those and hang out with your friends and over to Pagach's
[33:57.160 --> 33:58.800] Pub 85 in Kirkland.
[33:58.800 --> 34:04.480] Well, I think we had another pretty good guest on this week if I can say so myself.
[34:04.480 --> 34:08.320] Another member of the Mariners broadcast team.
[34:08.320 --> 34:10.480] And I mean this in a very polite way to Dave Sims.
[34:10.480 --> 34:12.920] I've always forget how old he is.
[34:12.920 --> 34:20.040] So I don't really, it never really dawns on me how much sports and how much baseball
[34:20.040 --> 34:21.720] he's seen in his life.
[34:21.720 --> 34:22.720] It's truly incredible.
[34:22.720 --> 34:25.480] And I think a lot of it comes out here in this discussion.
[34:25.480 --> 34:31.760] I mean, there's a notable photo that I bring up in this interview of him interviewing a
[34:31.760 --> 34:38.120] very, very famous baseball player that just like, and it looks from eons ago.
[34:38.120 --> 34:42.760] But like, what Dave like remembers it like is yesterday and brings out some of the, some
[34:42.760 --> 34:47.600] of the really cool stories of the people he, he grew up watching in, in Philadelphia.
[34:47.600 --> 34:49.240] And it just, it's so cool.
[34:49.240 --> 34:53.160] And Dave is, he's such an awesome dude and, and nice guy.
[34:53.160 --> 34:57.960] And really, as I said in the beginning, if you like stories, like this is a conversation
[34:57.960 --> 35:01.840] for you because he, he has a ton of them.
[35:01.840 --> 35:04.280] You want stories about old time baseball.
[35:04.280 --> 35:05.280] He's got them.
[35:05.280 --> 35:08.080] You want stories about the nicknames he comes up with for players.
[35:08.080 --> 35:09.080] He's got them.
[35:09.080 --> 35:12.880] You want the stories about those broadcast cameras being inside the booth for some of
[35:12.880 --> 35:16.120] his iconic moments, that's in this interview too.
[35:16.120 --> 35:20.000] And to your point, I'll say about the age thing, you never know it listening, listening
[35:20.000 --> 35:22.880] to him call a game, especially when he calls a big moment.
[35:22.880 --> 35:28.060] He sounds like he's, he's just broken basically by the energy he has, which is a credit today
[35:28.060 --> 35:34.720] for how much he captures the audience at every big moment that makes him so, that that's part
[35:34.720 --> 35:36.800] of what makes him so great at what he does.
[35:36.800 --> 35:40.760] And he's just like that in the interview too, which is, which we really appreciate it.
[35:40.760 --> 35:41.760] All right.
[35:41.760 --> 35:46.640] Let's get to our interview now with Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims.
[35:46.640 --> 35:48.720] All right.
[35:48.720 --> 35:51.400] We welcome on Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims.
[35:51.400 --> 35:54.880] Dave, thank you so much for taking some time to join us here today.
[35:54.880 --> 35:59.240] So off seasons, you spend broadcasting basketball back on the East Coast.
[35:59.240 --> 36:01.960] So question to start you off here.
[36:01.960 --> 36:06.160] While you're calling basketball, which one of your catch fridges from baseball do you
[36:06.160 --> 36:08.160] miss using the most?
[36:08.160 --> 36:12.600] DJ and Lyle, thanks for the invitation.
[36:12.600 --> 36:16.160] I appreciate it.
[36:16.160 --> 36:20.400] I've not, I can't use Giddy up because nobody's hitting the ball out of the yard, but I throw
[36:20.400 --> 36:22.680] on a hay now and there was a game.
[36:22.680 --> 36:23.680] I did.
[36:23.680 --> 36:25.640] Oh gosh, I can't remember.
[36:25.640 --> 36:30.240] Oh, it was the Creighton, the Seton Hall triple overtime game Saturday a week ago.
[36:30.240 --> 36:34.920] And a kid came down for Creighton at the right side and he had been hot and he caught it rhythm
[36:34.920 --> 36:35.920] and let it rip.
[36:35.920 --> 36:39.120] And I know, you know, so, but that's about it.
[36:39.120 --> 36:40.120] Yeah.
[36:40.120 --> 36:42.400] You can use Giddy up on a dunk, right?
[36:42.400 --> 36:44.760] Yeah, I'm not trying to work it in Saturday.
[36:44.760 --> 36:50.080] I got, I got Marquette at Georgetown Saturday in Villanova hosting Providence Sunday.
[36:50.080 --> 36:52.360] So maybe we'll work it in.
[36:52.360 --> 36:54.640] Had these calls come to fruition over the years?
[36:54.640 --> 36:56.120] Did you just think of them on the flyer?
[36:56.120 --> 36:58.120] Did you give it some thought?
[36:58.120 --> 37:01.320] That's a really good question.
[37:01.320 --> 37:03.720] I wasn't like, I got to have a catchphrase.
[37:04.080 --> 37:06.080] It was just like going with it.
[37:06.080 --> 37:10.080] It's such a, I think I'm very, I'm quite visceral in my broadcasting.
[37:10.080 --> 37:14.880] I really get him to feel the flow and, you know, hay now was something, you know, with
[37:14.880 --> 37:16.600] that, you know, with that cussing or anything.
[37:16.600 --> 37:23.720] And I remembered that from, I know Howard Stern uses it, was on the Gary Shandling show
[37:23.720 --> 37:28.720] years ago, Jeffrey Timbore, who played Hank Kingsley, who was like an epic man announcer.
[37:28.720 --> 37:32.840] You know, here's, you know, here's Gary in one of those kinds of things.
[37:32.840 --> 37:36.080] So I remember that and one, and I threw it out there one time.
[37:36.080 --> 37:38.520] I think that was one I ran by my two sons.
[37:38.520 --> 37:40.800] I said, yeah, go for it, why not?
[37:40.800 --> 37:45.800] I think I remember correctly with your Nelson Cruz one, your boomstick baby that you didn't
[37:45.800 --> 37:48.680] even going into the season have one for him.
[37:48.680 --> 37:49.680] I think that was correct.
[37:49.680 --> 37:53.440] And it just, it came up the first time he hit a home run and you stuck with it.
[37:53.440 --> 37:59.800] Well, you know, when his time in Houston, in Texas, when we walked to the clubhouse, you'd
[37:59.800 --> 38:06.960] see this big, you guys remember Oscar Meyer Wiener, but it was like a golf cart with this
[38:06.960 --> 38:15.120] big old oversized, you know, million times bigger hot dog, hot dog bun thing and a head
[38:15.120 --> 38:16.120] boomstick on it.
[38:16.120 --> 38:17.120] And that was his name.
[38:17.120 --> 38:26.120] Long story short, Slick Leonard, who was a good player and a coach in the NBA, when Reggie
[38:26.120 --> 38:29.680] Miller had hit a shot from three, boom, baby.
[38:29.680 --> 38:34.640] So I put it all together, I ran again, ran it by my sons, ran it by Nelly, and then
[38:34.640 --> 38:35.640] he loved it.
[38:35.640 --> 38:36.640] He absolutely loved it.
[38:36.640 --> 38:41.560] I remember his first year with us was 15, I believe it was, and he had a good month
[38:41.560 --> 38:46.120] of April and I saw every day, you know, like going to clubhouse and coming here and he
[38:46.120 --> 38:49.800] gets his iPhone out and he starts throwing somebody to have done a mashup and all the
[38:49.800 --> 38:50.800] heroes.
[38:50.800 --> 38:52.360] Boomstick baby, boomstick baby.
[38:52.360 --> 38:57.040] Nelson Cruz and he showed all these home runs, he was like, ah, enjoyed it.
[38:57.120 --> 39:04.080] Boy, I tell you what, I miss him, not only, you know, those calls are, you know, are done,
[39:04.080 --> 39:05.080] but just a great guy.
[39:05.080 --> 39:09.440] And he was such an incredible part of what we had this for four years.
[39:09.440 --> 39:15.040] How much do the players remember and maybe repeat back your catch phrases to you?
[39:15.040 --> 39:18.720] Because I was reading a Daniel Kramer article that I think he wrote last season and he
[39:18.720 --> 39:24.800] was saying that Cal when the Mariners put the GoPro in the booth to capture you and you're
[39:24.800 --> 39:30.000] saying, hey, now at the top of your lungs and Cal comes up to you and he was quoting
[39:30.000 --> 39:31.000] that article.
[39:31.000 --> 39:34.800] He's like the pitch to Acevedo and that's why he's got the whole call memorized.
[39:34.800 --> 39:35.800] Right.
[39:35.800 --> 39:40.240] That's funny because my wife, my wife even said what she saw it, she said, why were you
[39:40.240 --> 39:41.240] like singing Acevedo?
[39:41.240 --> 39:42.240] I don't know.
[39:42.240 --> 39:43.240] Oh, he's just going.
[39:43.240 --> 39:48.320] Why did he do the pitch from Acevedo and Cal said his whole family does it now or did
[39:48.320 --> 39:50.840] it, you know, right after that.
[39:50.840 --> 39:59.800] I thought there was one time last year I was either at a day off or I wasn't on TV.
[39:59.800 --> 40:01.840] Tae Oscar Hernandez hit a home run.
[40:01.840 --> 40:03.080] So I see him the next day.
[40:03.080 --> 40:08.520] Hey, man, I wanted to hear you call my home run and I thought that was hilarious.
[40:08.520 --> 40:14.240] That was, so I think the next time he hit a home run, I may trade some bad day on the next
[40:14.240 --> 40:17.400] day and say, hey, I nailed that one for you.
[40:17.400 --> 40:20.240] Did you run by the Murph by Tom Murphy before that one started?
[40:20.240 --> 40:22.000] Because that's what I always loved.
[40:22.000 --> 40:27.040] Now, you know, Kevin Lockery, who was a coach of the Nets years ago when I was covering
[40:27.040 --> 40:30.320] the NBA and he was a pretty good player, a good shooter.
[40:30.320 --> 40:34.360] And I never knew why, but his nickname was the Murph.
[40:34.360 --> 40:36.280] And so I just sort of fit.
[40:36.280 --> 40:41.920] It was just like, I get the speaker that's going to buzz over here.
[40:41.920 --> 40:43.400] That was just sort of a natural career.
[40:43.400 --> 40:44.400] It just felt good.
[40:44.400 --> 40:46.360] I mean, baseball's all about nicknames.
[40:46.360 --> 40:48.520] You got to have fun with that.
[40:48.520 --> 40:53.960] I mean, we got great nicknames in the history of the sport and the Murph and I know a lot
[40:53.960 --> 40:54.960] of Irish guys.
[40:54.960 --> 40:56.960] So I mean, it just sort of fit.
[40:56.960 --> 40:58.600] I'm going to miss him too.
[40:58.600 --> 41:00.000] It was a good guy.
[41:00.000 --> 41:01.000] Really?
[41:01.000 --> 41:02.000] Yeah, he was.
[41:02.000 --> 41:05.000] Do you have any inklings on some new ones for this season?
[41:05.000 --> 41:07.000] I haven't thought about it.
[41:07.000 --> 41:08.000] I haven't thought about it.
[41:08.000 --> 41:09.000] What happens?
[41:09.000 --> 41:10.000] It happens.
[41:10.000 --> 41:11.000] I'm not sitting here.
[41:11.000 --> 41:14.680] Like before I hooked up with you guys, you know, I'm trying to work ahead.
[41:14.680 --> 41:18.120] I get these two games at the end of the week.
[41:18.120 --> 41:24.680] So I like to be, I had a schedule, I'm here, there's a house by myself, my kids have grown
[41:24.680 --> 41:25.920] my wife's visiting her mother.
[41:25.920 --> 41:29.160] So I got time to jam and get my stuff down.
[41:29.160 --> 41:30.640] Yes, I'm not even thinking.
[41:30.640 --> 41:35.880] I'm not even really thinking that much about baseball because when we get to it, it's going
[41:35.880 --> 41:36.880] to be immersive.
[41:36.880 --> 41:38.880] And it's going to be fun.
[41:38.880 --> 41:43.200] If you come up with some more nicknames, so be it.
[41:43.200 --> 41:49.880] So I want to jump to the 2021 season and you, I mentioned the GoPro aspect, I'm sticking
[41:49.880 --> 41:55.920] the GoPro in the booth and your two calls, the first one of the midst single in 2021.
[41:55.920 --> 42:02.800] And then of course, the Cal clincher in 2022 were two of the most viral moments in Mariners
[42:02.800 --> 42:03.800] history.
[42:03.800 --> 42:08.800] And it's accompanied by you on video and it's really fantastic.
[42:08.800 --> 42:11.960] But the day, the first time they walked in there and said, Hey, we're going to set a camera
[42:11.960 --> 42:17.400] up and pointed at you, instead of at the field, what was your reaction?
[42:17.400 --> 42:18.400] Well, I got it.
[42:18.400 --> 42:20.240] They said, listen, we haven't been in playoffs in the end.
[42:20.240 --> 42:24.360] So we got a document that this could be an historic, historic occasion.
[42:24.360 --> 42:29.840] Tim Walsh and his crew, and he was new to the club that year.
[42:29.840 --> 42:33.720] And you know, we got to, we got to memorialize this.
[42:33.720 --> 42:34.720] This is a big deal.
[42:34.720 --> 42:37.200] I mean, you're talking about, oh, one since the last playoffs.
[42:37.200 --> 42:41.520] And I thought it was a great idea, but I never thought, you know, I wasn't playing to the
[42:41.520 --> 42:42.520] camera.
[42:42.520 --> 42:43.520] Who was it?
[42:43.520 --> 42:50.840] Dick Bremmer, twins TV, veteran TV guy, good guy and good bridecare, very good bridecare.
[42:50.840 --> 42:55.680] He says, was that you that put the, I said, dude, come on, you know me, listen, it's not
[42:55.680 --> 42:56.680] how I roll.
[42:56.680 --> 42:57.680] Come on.
[42:57.680 --> 42:58.680] And it was a social media guys.
[42:58.680 --> 43:01.120] He went and I talked to him and say, Hey, this is okay, good.
[43:01.120 --> 43:03.280] This was really good at work.
[43:03.280 --> 43:06.240] And so that's how it came about.
[43:06.240 --> 43:08.960] And it was great.
[43:08.960 --> 43:09.960] I was driving home.
[43:09.960 --> 43:13.120] My phone was going, it was just buzzing and going crazy.
[43:13.120 --> 43:16.520] And the same thing happened that, you know, a year later when Cal, you know, they got
[43:16.520 --> 43:18.080] us into the playoffs.
[43:18.080 --> 43:24.120] So yeah, it's been fun and I'd like to think I was pretty much on a map, but that's certainly
[43:24.120 --> 43:25.120] reinforced it.
[43:25.120 --> 43:28.840] That's a dark chair.
[43:28.840 --> 43:33.360] I am curious about the Cal rally home run call and one reason I wanted to ask you about
[43:33.360 --> 43:37.240] this is because big league ball players are big league ball players for many reasons.
[43:37.240 --> 43:40.360] But one reason why, because they're not phased by the big moment, it's the same thing with
[43:40.360 --> 43:44.400] big league broadcasters you live for and when it happens, you're not phased by it.
[43:44.400 --> 43:49.240] That being said, and you didn't know was going to happen by a walk off home run, but when you
[43:49.240 --> 43:52.840] started to get the inkling that, okay, the Mariners were going to clench, whether it's
[43:52.840 --> 43:57.560] a day before or a week before, whenever, was there any little extra signal going off in
[43:57.560 --> 44:00.200] your head saying, all right, when this happens, I got to nail it.
[44:00.200 --> 44:04.360] Well, yeah, you got to nail, don't screw it up and, you know, don't, don't trip over your
[44:04.360 --> 44:06.440] tongue.
[44:06.440 --> 44:11.360] But you know, that happens in a moment, you're not thinking about like, had I rehearsed something
[44:11.360 --> 44:14.920] and then I had been trying to cut and peck to try to remember to screw that, I mean, if
[44:14.920 --> 44:18.840] I was that good remembering, remembering lines and all that stuff, I would have gone
[44:18.840 --> 44:19.840] on and been an actor.
[44:19.840 --> 44:26.520] I mean, I think there's a, you know, one of the actors slash, you know, stand up comic
[44:26.520 --> 44:30.920] in my deep in my bones, but that was just a reacts.
[44:30.920 --> 44:33.440] And those, that's the best way for me.
[44:33.440 --> 44:37.560] And I think a lot of guys would probably agree with that, the best way to go with it.
[44:37.560 --> 44:39.760] I mean, let it come from your heart and your soul in your head, man.
[44:39.760 --> 44:40.760] And that's what I did.
[44:40.760 --> 44:45.800] And Lord knows, I've been around long enough with the Mariners to know the situation
[44:45.800 --> 44:52.720] and know that this appointment and certainly I anticipate, I always wondered what the joy
[44:52.720 --> 44:54.800] would feel like.
[44:54.800 --> 44:57.440] I think I showed it on that.
[44:57.440 --> 45:00.520] Are you able to put into words like the emotions you felt at night?
[45:00.520 --> 45:05.520] Like we've talked to so many fans about what that night meant to them and the drought
[45:05.520 --> 45:06.520] and et cetera.
[45:06.520 --> 45:11.840] And you come over from the East coast in 2007 to take this job with the Mariners.
[45:11.840 --> 45:17.200] Like no, the just like Scott told the players, say the drought's not on you.
[45:17.200 --> 45:18.200] Don't worry about it.
[45:18.200 --> 45:23.400] Just like you came in and the drought was already started and, but you saw a big bulk
[45:23.400 --> 45:24.400] of that.
[45:24.400 --> 45:28.640] So, so when that night happens and everyone's in the stand celebrating, what's going through
[45:28.640 --> 45:31.240] your mind as well as that night goes on?
[45:31.240 --> 45:35.960] The adrenaline was in the left lane doing 95 in a 35 mile an hour zone.
[45:35.960 --> 45:39.680] I mean, it was, it was tremendous.
[45:39.680 --> 45:45.360] Those are, I mean, I could be, you know, those are once in a lifetime moments and you savor
[45:45.360 --> 45:47.480] it and you enjoy it.
[45:47.480 --> 45:52.520] I think probably my biggest thanks is I didn't cuss or anything.
[45:52.520 --> 45:56.200] It was like, you're going to buy a friggin bowl, what are you doing, something like that, some
[45:56.200 --> 45:57.200] stupid.
[45:57.280 --> 45:59.080] And that was, you know, it wasn't a case.
[45:59.080 --> 46:04.160] I nailed it and I feel good about it to this day and what was it?
[46:04.160 --> 46:07.160] So Cal said it was a 22 scene.
[46:07.160 --> 46:12.360] So last, yeah, last year we go to Chicago and play the Cubs early in April, unseasonably
[46:12.360 --> 46:19.880] warm day and the first day and I'm down in the field and Cubs are taking BP.
[46:19.880 --> 46:23.040] And I'm walking up towards the cage and David Ross and I was, I said, I got to meet David
[46:23.040 --> 46:24.040] Ross.
[46:24.040 --> 46:29.160] I'm once before very briefly and I come and he turns around.
[46:29.160 --> 46:32.320] He's walking back to the dugout and he didn't even say hello.
[46:32.320 --> 46:36.000] He, he reads that, shook my hand, tapped me on the chest.
[46:36.000 --> 46:39.040] He says, dude, that call was the best.
[46:39.040 --> 46:48.240] He says, I play it to get fired up and I've had Aaron Judge, Kevin Kiermeyer, it's my
[46:48.240 --> 46:51.240] boy's name, Kyle, with the, with the Phillies.
[46:51.240 --> 47:01.520] She's the swabber, a whole bunch of guys after the, like the, the hand of your call elicited
[47:01.520 --> 47:03.160] a lot of response.
[47:03.160 --> 47:08.880] But because the Cal clincher got us into the playoffs, it's so many people saw it and to
[47:08.880 --> 47:15.800] have players who, you know, who you had, like watching and admire from afar, come up, they
[47:15.800 --> 47:18.200] said, dude, you crushed that call, you killed it.
[47:18.200 --> 47:21.400] And I, and, and judge and other guys, and Kiermeyer said, you know, when I'm going to
[47:21.400 --> 47:27.000] get jacked up, I, I play that call, I said, whoa, that's, that's really cool.
[47:27.000 --> 47:28.000] That's something.
[47:28.000 --> 47:31.080] Did Aaron judge, oh, did Aaron judge come up to you and say something about it?
[47:31.080 --> 47:34.680] Well, I, you know, I know, I know him, know him just high, how wide, but, you know, we
[47:34.680 --> 47:36.880] would always chat every time we played a Yankees.
[47:36.880 --> 47:42.480] And then, so I think it was, I think that year they came to us first.
[47:42.480 --> 47:44.920] So that was the first time he had seen me since the call.
[47:44.920 --> 47:45.920] Yeah.
[47:45.920 --> 47:50.520] Yeah, I, I have a picture and he was like, dude, I was so happy for you and it was great and
[47:50.520 --> 47:52.160] really enjoyed it.
[47:52.160 --> 47:54.160] I know you're big on before the game.
[47:54.160 --> 47:59.960] I mean, outside of the numbers and anything else going on in whatever given matchup is going
[47:59.960 --> 48:05.280] on that night, you like going down on the field pregame and talking to whoever possible.
[48:05.280 --> 48:06.520] Where, where did that start?
[48:06.520 --> 48:11.120] Where did the curiosity of wanting to talk to a know as many people as possible?
[48:11.120 --> 48:15.600] We got to start talking about the foremost, I learned that as a newspaper guy when I, you
[48:15.600 --> 48:22.200] know, when I put any sport and, and especially, especially baseball because you have entree
[48:22.200 --> 48:25.000] that you don't quite have, you don't have any MBA.
[48:25.000 --> 48:28.800] Well, you do, we can go to the clubhouse.
[48:28.800 --> 48:32.560] But here in baseball, you can go out and fill them, hang out at the cage and hang out in
[48:32.560 --> 48:35.280] the dugout, hang out in the clubhouse.
[48:35.280 --> 48:38.160] And you'd be crazy not to do that.
[48:38.160 --> 48:43.440] I mean, and I don't believe in, you know, the numbers are the numbers and the analytics
[48:43.440 --> 48:46.920] getting into, you know, third and fourth level.
[48:46.920 --> 48:52.680] I don't, I try not to get into that quite too deeply because the game's going on and
[48:52.680 --> 48:55.120] you don't want to throw out some stuff that needs an explanation.
[48:55.120 --> 48:59.160] Meanwhile, the guys hit about 400 feet, you know, you're talking about, you know, the
[48:59.160 --> 49:04.880] numbers are the numbers, they're great and they have a purpose and, but it's all about,
[49:04.880 --> 49:09.360] for me and what I've been growing up with and from what I've learned at the various places
[49:09.360 --> 49:12.200] I've worked with, you know, that's story telling.
[49:12.200 --> 49:22.200] And it's, it's about who's hot, who's not, why, what was, what's XYZ players' motivation,
[49:22.200 --> 49:26.640] what was, what were some moments that they had that, that was a jump off point for their
[49:26.640 --> 49:27.640] success.
[49:27.640 --> 49:29.520] And it's all about humanity.
[49:29.520 --> 49:31.440] And that's, that's what I believe in.
[49:31.440 --> 49:33.760] And, and that's why I'm down there all the time.
[49:33.760 --> 49:36.560] I mean, it's great to say, Hey man, hey, what do you got for me today?
[49:36.560 --> 49:37.560] Hey, what's going on?
[49:37.560 --> 49:38.560] Hey, what happened last night?
[49:38.560 --> 49:42.160] You know, hey, that slider really sucked in, in the seventh inning.
[49:42.160 --> 49:43.160] Yeah, I know.
[49:43.160 --> 49:47.200] It's like, and I lost, you know, you get explanations and you get stories, little nuggets like that,
[49:47.200 --> 49:51.680] and they don't have to be long stories, they can be 10 second stories, 15 second stories.
[49:51.680 --> 50:01.760] But that kind of information, et cetera, accentuates the viewing pleasure and elucidates the viewer
[50:01.760 --> 50:05.960] as to, you know, and especially fans when you're home team guy, people want to know as much
[50:05.960 --> 50:09.960] as possible without, you know, getting too personal, not asking anybody for the pin
[50:09.960 --> 50:10.960] number.
[50:10.960 --> 50:15.520] But I mean, you know, you want to, you want to bring, be able to bring their personalities
[50:15.520 --> 50:18.040] up front and people really like that.
[50:18.040 --> 50:19.480] And I know as a consumer, I like it.
[50:19.480 --> 50:26.880] I like to hear, you know, what kind of guy, like, like, today or yesterday, oh, I was,
[50:26.880 --> 50:30.760] I had, I had my Twitter or something, I was watching the football, I said, Mariners
[50:30.760 --> 50:35.840] were trending, and I clicked on it and I saw that they signed Cole Tucker, who I get,
[50:35.840 --> 50:38.280] kid I met when he was with Pittsburgh.
[50:38.280 --> 50:41.480] And really fine, really good guy.
[50:41.480 --> 50:46.440] And just if he, if he ever makes it, if he ever becomes a, you know, a good hitter, it
[50:46.440 --> 50:47.440] can be a starter.
[50:47.440 --> 50:51.360] I mean, he's got the look, he's got the charisma, he's smart, he's bright, he's got the whole
[50:51.360 --> 50:52.360] thing.
[50:52.360 --> 50:56.160] And you know, those kind of kind of kids, you want to bring to the thing and I love to meet
[50:56.160 --> 50:57.160] those guys.
[50:58.160 --> 51:02.800] I'm going to put you on the spot a little bit, but is there ever been a story or two in your
[51:02.800 --> 51:06.120] time with the Mariners that over the time you spent down on the field in the clubhouse
[51:06.120 --> 51:09.880] talking to guys, you got something from somebody where you said, that'd be a great story to
[51:09.880 --> 51:10.880] tell on the air.
[51:10.880 --> 51:12.880] People would be fascinated by that.
[51:12.880 --> 51:17.800] Well, you know, my growing up as a newspaper guy, you know, I worked at the affiliate in
[51:17.800 --> 51:19.400] New York as a newspaper guy.
[51:19.400 --> 51:23.240] My days of being, of admiring, or still admiring, would were in Bernstein.
[51:23.240 --> 51:31.720] But in terms of breaking stories that have more of a negative bent or, you know, I'm not
[51:31.720 --> 51:39.840] trying to take down anybody, I've probably anything that I don't really look for that
[51:39.840 --> 51:40.840] kind of information.
[51:40.840 --> 51:44.920] I've fallen to some things here and there, you know, I know what to put on the air.
[51:44.920 --> 51:47.440] I know what not to put on the air.
[51:47.440 --> 51:50.640] I was actually thinking more in like a positive light, like, is there anything you picked up
[51:50.640 --> 51:53.240] from guys in a positive light where it's like, oh, this would be fascinating to share with
[51:53.240 --> 51:54.240] fans.
[51:54.240 --> 51:56.520] I generally, you know, I generally put it on the air.
[51:56.520 --> 51:58.960] I get something good like that.
[51:58.960 --> 52:03.240] It's going to, it's, you know, I keep a notebook with me, I'm, you know, even if I just have
[52:03.240 --> 52:07.880] a, maybe not, I'll have an indirect quote or put a couple of key words that I'm going to
[52:07.880 --> 52:11.160] stimulate the old noggin here to the conversation.
[52:11.160 --> 52:16.840] But yeah, I mean, generally, if, if, if you hear me talking about it, I generally either
[52:16.840 --> 52:19.960] read it or talk to the guy directly.
[52:19.960 --> 52:22.960] Seven years, David, at the, oh, go ahead.
[52:22.960 --> 52:23.960] Wow.
[52:23.960 --> 52:24.960] No, go ahead, DJ.
[52:24.960 --> 52:29.760] I was going to say, Dave, so seven years at the New York Daily News and then you really
[52:29.760 --> 52:33.240] push your chips in and you went all in on sports casting.
[52:33.240 --> 52:38.480] What was the moment where you made the dedication, this is what I'm going to do full-time and
[52:38.480 --> 52:40.200] we're going to, we're going to go chase the dream?
[52:40.200 --> 52:43.320] Well, I always wanted to, I mean, it was the dream all along since I was 10.
[52:43.320 --> 52:47.120] I mean, I was broadcasting, well, you know, dice baseball games and card baseball games
[52:47.120 --> 52:51.240] and, you know, electric football, you know, where the men go, you hit the, you know, you
[52:51.240 --> 52:54.040] should Google that, you know, we used to actually get off of that.
[52:54.040 --> 53:01.160] The football games, you set up all 11 guys, press a switch and the table, the field vibrates
[53:01.160 --> 53:03.160] and the players go like that.
[53:03.160 --> 53:05.160] So I've been doing this all my life.
[53:05.160 --> 53:10.960] So when my first, uh, uh, uh, uh, TV job satellite news channel, it was doing sports
[53:10.960 --> 53:12.320] news at 15 and 45.
[53:12.560 --> 53:17.000] My first play by play job, um, huter, huter, huter, huter, huter, huter, huter.
[53:17.000 --> 53:18.000] One was that.
[53:18.000 --> 53:23.860] I came after I had done three years at WNBC radio, 50,000 Lots, 48 States at night, clear
[53:23.860 --> 53:29.920] channel, uh, uh, that why I think the thing that really fired me up was getting a Temple
[53:29.920 --> 53:30.920] radio job.
[53:30.920 --> 53:35.000] And I got to do, you know, division one football and that led to ESPN, et cetera, et cetera.
[53:35.000 --> 53:36.480] So I've known all along.
[53:36.480 --> 53:38.080] This is what I wanted to do.
[53:38.080 --> 53:42.420] You know, and from my standpoint, you know,
[53:42.420 --> 53:47.220] as you probably realize, I'm the only African-American
[53:47.220 --> 53:50.720] doing play-by-play on TV, and maybe fifth or sixth
[53:50.720 --> 53:52.520] ever in the history of the game.
[53:52.520 --> 53:55.660] And Robert Ford's the only other African-American black guy,
[53:55.660 --> 53:57.620] American black guy who's still in play-by-play,
[53:57.620 --> 54:00.260] full-time he does the Astros.
[54:00.260 --> 54:01.700] Good guy, great broadcaster.
[54:01.700 --> 54:03.300] New York guy, went to Syracuse.
[54:05.800 --> 54:08.040] So just a big deal for both of us.
[54:08.300 --> 54:09.900] To be able to do this.
[54:09.900 --> 54:12.440] And I knew, you know, I thought I was,
[54:12.440 --> 54:14.040] I knew I was ready at like 30.
[54:14.040 --> 54:15.720] I got this job, I got the Meredith job.
[54:15.720 --> 54:17.840] I was in my mid-50s for crying out loud.
[54:17.840 --> 54:22.840] So, I'm glad I was able to stick around and persevere
[54:23.560 --> 54:26.200] and I've had, I'm having a good run.
[54:26.200 --> 54:30.840] I've had some unbelievable jobs, learned a lot, seen a lot.
[54:30.840 --> 54:34.360] And I tell you what, it has all been a great foundation
[54:35.360 --> 54:38.940] in this gig, to a man in baseball for sure.
[54:40.160 --> 54:41.440] I kind of want to pick your brain
[54:41.440 --> 54:44.480] about something you learned when you were at WNBC.
[54:44.480 --> 54:47.120] There's a picture that in that Daniel Kramer article
[54:47.120 --> 54:48.880] that he put on MOB.com.
[54:48.880 --> 54:53.200] You getting to interview Willie Mays on WNBC Sports Night.
[54:53.200 --> 54:55.880] First of all, love the mustache.
[54:55.880 --> 55:00.360] But as someone who grew up watching Willie Mays
[55:00.360 --> 55:03.040] and Hank Aaron, I mean, how cool was that
[55:03.040 --> 55:05.480] when you got to sit him down and talk to him in person?
[55:06.880 --> 55:09.040] I was amazed, I was able to breathe.
[55:10.040 --> 55:12.960] And it's funny, prior to that,
[55:12.960 --> 55:14.960] there was a charity softball game one time
[55:14.960 --> 55:16.040] and a friend of mine called and said,
[55:16.040 --> 55:19.640] hey, we need you to come up to New Rochelle,
[55:19.640 --> 55:21.760] get this game going on and Willie Mays is going to be there.
[55:21.760 --> 55:23.280] And I said, excuse me?
[55:23.280 --> 55:24.480] See, yeah, Willie Mays is going to play.
[55:24.480 --> 55:26.360] I think it's the hell out of here.
[55:26.360 --> 55:28.760] So I drive up and I get it and I pull in the parking lot
[55:28.760 --> 55:30.120] and I see this guy play in first place.
[55:30.120 --> 55:32.400] I said, that can only be one guy that way he throws
[55:32.600 --> 55:34.640] and catches, I actually played a softball game
[55:34.640 --> 55:36.000] with Willie Mays.
[55:36.000 --> 55:39.600] Interviewed him on the core sports night show,
[55:39.600 --> 55:43.440] which was a simulcast WNBC radio and MSG network.
[55:43.440 --> 55:46.560] And we, he was pumping a book
[55:46.560 --> 55:48.200] and we knew about two, three weeks out
[55:48.200 --> 55:49.920] that he was coming on.
[55:49.920 --> 55:54.280] And we, you know, when I was doing WNBC radio,
[55:54.280 --> 55:56.040] I always talked about growing up,
[55:56.040 --> 55:57.440] my father took me to the games.
[55:57.440 --> 55:58.880] And I said, matter of fact, in three weeks,
[55:58.880 --> 56:00.000] Willie Mays is going to join us.
[56:00.000 --> 56:02.160] And people went nuts.
[56:02.160 --> 56:06.480] Flash forward to that date when Willie came in the studio.
[56:06.480 --> 56:09.040] We, and the Guardian said this hall of fame buckle,
[56:09.040 --> 56:10.760] it's really a nice little room.
[56:10.760 --> 56:12.520] And we probably, you know, at a normal night
[56:12.520 --> 56:14.400] we'd had, for the simulcast, we had 50.
[56:14.400 --> 56:16.480] We might have had 200 people.
[56:16.480 --> 56:19.760] Growing men stood and cried when Willie Mays came in.
[56:19.760 --> 56:21.680] And the same thing happened, we had Mickey Mantle
[56:21.680 --> 56:22.340] stood up and go,
[56:22.340 --> 56:23.960] so you're told to Willie Mays, you know.
[56:23.960 --> 56:27.120] And it, those were two of the coolest,
[56:27.120 --> 56:29.720] coolest moments I've ever had.
[56:29.720 --> 56:31.160] Another time I interviewed Hank Aaron,
[56:32.080 --> 56:34.120] because I worked at WNBC with Billy Rock.
[56:34.120 --> 56:36.480] David Letterman was at 30 Rock at the time.
[56:36.480 --> 56:38.600] And Hank Aaron was, was on it.
[56:38.600 --> 56:39.720] I remember going upstairs,
[56:39.720 --> 56:42.000] and my show was on the 730 Letterman,
[56:42.000 --> 56:43.360] tape 5.30 or 6.30.
[56:44.480 --> 56:46.680] So we had the in-house feed.
[56:46.680 --> 56:48.600] And I saw that, you know, Mr. Aaron was coming on.
[56:48.600 --> 56:50.280] So I ran upstairs and I basically said,
[56:50.280 --> 56:51.960] I said, which store is Hank Aaron going to come out?
[56:51.960 --> 56:52.960] And I got pulled it right over there.
[56:52.960 --> 56:53.800] I waited for him.
[56:53.800 --> 56:58.800] I all the tackling when he came out of the studio.
[56:59.440 --> 57:00.800] And I told him who I was.
[57:01.560 --> 57:03.080] He said, give me a couple of minutes downstairs
[57:03.080 --> 57:04.440] we can record something.
[57:04.440 --> 57:05.840] He said, yes, we did a half hour.
[57:05.840 --> 57:07.400] He got a spectacular.
[57:07.400 --> 57:08.240] Do I have to tape?
[57:08.240 --> 57:09.920] No, I don't know where the tape is.
[57:12.200 --> 57:13.320] I have it somewhere.
[57:13.320 --> 57:14.160] I just can't find it.
[57:14.160 --> 57:15.240] I got a million tapes.
[57:15.240 --> 57:19.880] But those days, you know, the only guy from my youth
[57:19.880 --> 57:22.960] that I wanted to interview that I haven't had a chance
[57:22.960 --> 57:25.840] and I sure would like to get it done.
[57:25.840 --> 57:26.960] A Sandy Kotak's question is,
[57:26.960 --> 57:31.960] sorry, it's 88, maybe 89 on December 31, I think it was.
[57:32.240 --> 57:34.280] So I've interviewed Brown, Chamberlain,
[57:34.280 --> 57:36.840] Kareem, Magic, Ron, Mike.
[57:38.840 --> 57:41.280] I'm not Tiger, but Arnold Palmer,
[57:41.280 --> 57:43.600] Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player,
[57:43.600 --> 57:46.240] Mack and Row, I mean, so many.
[57:46.240 --> 57:49.120] Ali, Fraser, Foreman, I mean,
[57:49.120 --> 57:51.240] so I've been, I've interviewed a million guys
[57:51.240 --> 57:54.040] and I've been very lucky in every year.
[57:54.040 --> 57:55.880] Are a bunch of those interviews from your show
[57:55.880 --> 57:59.160] with Coach K, or did they come from some broadcast too?
[57:59.160 --> 58:03.760] That was stuff, a lot of that was stuff we did at WNBC and WFAN
[58:03.760 --> 58:05.720] and then with the,
[58:05.720 --> 58:06.880] that's won't be on with Coach K.
[58:06.880 --> 58:11.440] We had, this is Barbara Bush.
[58:11.440 --> 58:12.960] We've had CEOs.
[58:14.520 --> 58:18.680] I mean, heavy hitters, most of the Duke guys.
[58:18.680 --> 58:20.520] We've had pretty much everybody in sports.
[58:20.520 --> 58:24.520] I mean, Nick Saban, Belichick, LeBron, Kobe,
[58:24.520 --> 58:26.040] Chuck, the Chuckster.
[58:28.560 --> 58:31.360] No, we didn't have Larry Bird, but we've got Bill Walton.
[58:31.360 --> 58:35.120] So I've had entree to a lot of guys,
[58:35.120 --> 58:38.320] who's who, the sports world over,
[58:38.320 --> 58:40.160] of course, in my career and during the, what,
[58:40.160 --> 58:42.680] 19 years I worked with Coach K, yeah.
[58:44.720 --> 58:47.640] That's, I mean, that's an incredible list, Dave.
[58:47.640 --> 58:51.000] Like that, that the,
[58:51.000 --> 58:53.320] I couldn't even imagine like,
[58:54.200 --> 58:56.600] how you prepare for one, let alone,
[58:56.600 --> 58:58.240] all those lists of guys.
[58:58.240 --> 58:59.080] So that's, that's.
[58:59.080 --> 59:00.240] Yeah, it's been good, man.
[59:00.240 --> 59:01.080] It's been good.
[59:01.080 --> 59:02.560] And I've worked with like a hundred guys
[59:02.560 --> 59:04.160] that have been able to work with James Willis
[59:04.160 --> 59:07.720] and Mike Tao, Billy Packer and,
[59:07.720 --> 59:09.960] you know, a lot of good doings, man.
[59:09.960 --> 59:12.600] Danny, the late grade, Danny Green.
[59:12.600 --> 59:17.600] I did a game with Dan Reeves, Jim, Jim Mora,
[59:19.960 --> 59:22.000] Hall of Famers, James Lofton,
[59:22.640 --> 59:26.640] John Riggins, Rod Woodson.
[59:26.640 --> 59:28.880] I mean, I've been, I've been unbelievably lucky
[59:28.880 --> 59:30.520] in that regard, yeah.
[59:30.520 --> 59:33.440] So when you were growing up in the, in the Philly area
[59:33.440 --> 59:35.320] and you're getting into sports broadcasting,
[59:35.320 --> 59:37.320] was baseball at the top of the list?
[59:37.320 --> 59:38.800] Was it always number one?
[59:38.800 --> 59:39.920] No question.
[59:39.920 --> 59:40.760] Okay.
[59:40.760 --> 59:41.600] No question.
[59:41.600 --> 59:45.880] I, every, every form of baseball,
[59:45.880 --> 59:48.280] taking a stick, a bat and hitting something with it.
[59:48.280 --> 59:51.800] I've done a half ball piece of tennis ball,
[59:51.800 --> 59:52.880] a wiffle ball.
[59:52.880 --> 59:54.040] I played four years of baseball,
[59:54.040 --> 59:56.040] four years started baseball in high school.
[59:57.400 --> 59:59.920] Co-captured senior year, two-time MVP.
[59:59.920 --> 01:00:03.880] It was a catcher and played what a couple years in college.
[01:00:03] So I mean, baseball, I mean, people always,
[01:00:06] somebody asked me that the other day,
[01:00:08] all the sports that you've done.
[01:00:09] I mean, football, baseball, basketball, I did a one-time,
[01:00:11] I done boxing.
[01:00:13] I did a sumo wrestling meet one time,
[01:00:17] which was really weird.
[01:00:18] But of the three main sports that you've done,
[01:00:21] which one do you love most?
[01:00:22] And I said, it's like asking which one of my kids
[01:00:24] I love most, they're all great, they're different,
[01:00:26] they're exciting as heck.
[01:00:28] And I've been blessed to be able to do all that stuff.
[01:00:33] So with that, before you even started to have the inkling
[01:00:36] that you were in the running for the Mariners job,
[01:00:38] like growing up in your early stages in your career,
[01:00:40] how much was Seattle as a place?
[01:00:42] I guess even on your radar,
[01:00:43] because you're a Philly guy, New York roots,
[01:00:45] went to college in West Virginia,
[01:00:46] like you're an East Coast guy at your core.
[01:00:48] My 95 baby, my 95.
[01:00:55] Oh, let's see, I knew,
[01:00:58] no, see, I was always good at geography.
[01:01:00] What was coming to the NBA was out there three, four times.
[01:01:03] And 99 NBA All-Star Game was there, it came out,
[01:01:08] and I think I just went to that as a fan.
[01:01:11] I don't think I was working that.
[01:01:12] The 95 Final Four came out as a fan.
[01:01:15] So, and my wife almost went to UW for post-grad.
[01:01:22] So that, and then, oh yeah, when I was doing ESPN,
[01:01:26] I know I had, I did one game,
[01:01:28] I did a couple games at the Kingdom,
[01:01:30] one I'd worked with Jerry Royce.
[01:01:32] Aaron has got a whole,
[01:01:34] really roughed up Roger Clemens in an April game we did.
[01:01:37] I want to say 93, 94 probably came out,
[01:01:41] middle five, oh four or five,
[01:01:43] something like that, I was out there for some games.
[01:01:46] But, yeah, I mean, who knew it was going to be,
[01:01:50] working at Seattle and going into your 18.
[01:01:52] I had never thought, why would there have been?
[01:01:58] So how did it start to come about,
[01:01:59] like when you started to get the rumblings
[01:02:01] that it was going to be open
[01:02:02] and you may be somebody they consider?
[01:02:08] The guy who's not my boss, Kevin Martinez,
[01:02:10] I knew him from his days at Syracuse
[01:02:11] with my brother-in-law,
[01:02:12] I did liners for them when they were doing radio
[01:02:14] at baseball in Syracuse.
[01:02:16] And then, like I said, I came out there a couple times
[01:02:19] for ESPN, and I said, I liked it.
[01:02:22] It's good looking town, I wasn't an amateur, the kingdom.
[01:02:25] But I mean, I think the second,
[01:02:27] two times I was out there was at Seiko Field.
[01:02:32] I said, it's pretty cool.
[01:02:33] I said, if anything ever happens, let me know.
[01:02:35] And then, you know, flash forward to Halloween 06,
[01:02:40] get a call, send it in a tape, got the job.
[01:02:44] I mean, you know, long story short, so.
[01:02:47] And I enjoyed the heck out of it.
[01:02:49] I mean, I should continue to enjoy it.
[01:02:51] I'm root like heck that, you know,
[01:02:54] we can get something done this year.
[01:02:57] So diving even a little further into it,
[01:02:59] I've always been really, really curious
[01:03:01] how an interview for a big league broadcaster goes.
[01:03:03] Like I'm assuming you have to fly out there
[01:03:05] at least once or twice.
[01:03:06] And when you do that, like who are you sitting down with?
[01:03:08] What questions are they asking you?
[01:03:10] Like what, or they haven't you do any type of other things
[01:03:12] other than sitting around answering questions?
[01:03:16] You know, they'd seen the tape.
[01:03:17] They liked the tape.
[01:03:18] I was a finalist.
[01:03:19] I sat down in a board room, you know, a long board room,
[01:03:22] you know, a long rectangle, I was sitting in the middle
[01:03:24] and there must have been 12 to 13 people in there.
[01:03:26] And I had some questions find at me.
[01:03:28] How would you handle this situation?
[01:03:29] I know what your philosophy on this, that type of stuff.
[01:03:33] And I think basically it was just,
[01:03:36] you know, they wanted to get a feel.
[01:03:39] It was, I mean, it wasn't like a prosecution,
[01:03:43] but you know, they were throwing questions
[01:03:45] and it's funny, Mike, the little school
[01:03:47] I went to Bethany College, that's that week
[01:03:48] to graduate, you had to go through a written exam
[01:03:52] and oral comprehensive.
[01:03:54] And when I sat down and saw all these people in the room,
[01:03:57] I said, I got this because I've done this before.
[01:04:00] And I wasn't, I wasn't freaked out at all.
[01:04:02] It was comfortable.
[01:04:03] And it just was myself.
[01:04:05] And I would go from there.
[01:04:09] I mean, obviously, you know, again, they liked the tape.
[01:04:12] I think my references were extraordinary.
[01:04:15] I mean, I had a lot of, you know,
[01:04:18] top shelf people bouncing for me.
[01:04:20] And, you know, here we are.
[01:04:25] So Dave, I want to fast forward then to 2012,
[01:04:28] a very memorable year for Mariners fans
[01:04:31] and especially for you as a broadcaster.
[01:04:34] How long did it take to set in
[01:04:35] that you became the first television broadcaster
[01:04:39] to ever call two perfect games in one season?
[01:04:42] Wow, you know, every time I hear that,
[01:04:43] I was thinking Scully had to have beaten that.
[01:04:45] I find it hard to believe I hold that distinction,
[01:04:49] but no, it's cool.
[01:04:52] I mean, I had called the umber perfecto against the Mariners.
[01:04:58] We were only on in Seattle and Chicago
[01:05:00] and then they came to us to buy out a couple of three outs.
[01:05:03] They were front two outs and that was in April,
[01:05:06] then August Felix throws the perfecto.
[01:05:09] And that was, that was amazing.
[01:05:11] And I had never been in a situation.
[01:05:16] We, you know, I didn't even call it a no, no, at that point.
[01:05:19] So a perfecto by umber was pretty cool.
[01:05:22] It was really cool.
[01:05:23] It's working Eric Carros into this day.
[01:05:24] I mean, we had that in common every time I say,
[01:05:26] maybe it's not funny.
[01:05:29] But then obviously Felix was at his prime.
[01:05:31] He throws at no, no, one nothing against Tampa Bay.
[01:05:34] Later on in August was August 15th, I think it was.
[01:05:37] And that was special.
[01:05:38] And I remember,
[01:05:42] I mean, when umber threw the perfect game,
[01:05:46] it was a Saturday.
[01:05:48] And I remember my wife and I went out to dinner
[01:05:50] at Hoppenasau, first avenue.
[01:05:52] And my phone was blown up with a good friend of mine
[01:05:55] called me and said, the brothers at the lodge
[01:05:58] want to tell you, you're first black guy
[01:06:00] to call something like that.
[01:06:01] I was like, hey, thank you very much.
[01:06:03] Yeah, you know.
[01:06:06] And then the emotion from the Felix,
[01:06:08] because you know, he's our guy.
[01:06:10] He was the king.
[01:06:11] And he was the best thing we had during those years.
[01:06:14] I mean, never forget it.
[01:06:15] And until,
[01:06:18] let's see, when I first got to Seattle,
[01:06:20] I thought the biggest broadcast moment I had
[01:06:22] was 2006 George Mason upsetting Yukon
[01:06:26] to go to the final four.
[01:06:28] That was number one.
[01:06:29] And then the umber was number one.
[01:06:31] And then the Felix was number one, but now,
[01:06:33] and then the Hanagar was my number one
[01:06:34] called the Nouts at Calrali call.
[01:06:36] So, it was just some good moments there.
[01:06:39] I have to just go start at the umber one
[01:06:42] because we could probably spend the rest of the day
[01:06:44] on the Felix one.
[01:06:46] Did Bryn Ryan swing?
[01:06:51] It's awfully close.
[01:06:52] Really close.
[01:06:54] Really close.
[01:06:55] I was gonna say, I'm sure you were glad
[01:06:58] for the calls sake that he decided to argue
[01:07:01] instead of running out, because he would have been out.
[01:07:04] Yeah, I mean, baseball justice, I guess.
[01:07:07] And Bryn is a good dude.
[01:07:08] And, you know, he's a really good guy.
[01:07:11] I enjoyed having a career.
[01:07:12] He was what a personality.
[01:07:15] Well, that was an incredible moment.
[01:07:16] And I don't think Philip Umber,
[01:07:19] well, he's got that memory for a life that forever,
[01:07:21] because I don't think much, you know,
[01:07:23] he didn't have a whole lot of success after that,
[01:07:25] but he's always got that moment.
[01:07:28] So then if we're gonna fast forward to the Felix one,
[01:07:30] when you guys start to get the sense of what's going on,
[01:07:32] are you guys silent between innings in the booth too?
[01:07:35] Like, do you guys not wanna say no?
[01:07:36] No, no, no, no.
[01:07:37] You know, I don't believe in that stuff.
[01:07:40] You know, my newspaper background and as a consumer,
[01:07:44] if a guy's throughout a perfect game,
[01:07:46] I don't believe in this, you know,
[01:07:48] I don't want you copying off my test,
[01:07:50] even fourth grade.
[01:07:51] It doesn't, you know, you know,
[01:07:54] broadcaster, broadcaster, not narrowcaster,
[01:07:58] that whole thing about not saying anything,
[01:08:00] that's what the boy's doing to dug out,
[01:08:02] got blessed them, let them have it, no problem.
[01:08:04] And Aussie Smith, I remember there was a charity golf event.
[01:08:07] I told Aussie, I did that,
[01:08:08] what'd you do to him for a minute?
[01:08:09] You go missing or is that, hey, please?
[01:08:11] So if I had that kind of power,
[01:08:12] you know what I mean, rings I would have right now?
[01:08:14] If I had my words for determining the fate
[01:08:17] and what's going on in the field,
[01:08:18] I said, dude, I have as many rings
[01:08:20] as Yogi Berran, Bill Russell, get out of here.
[01:08:23] You gotta tell the story.
[01:08:25] Lake Ray Tim McCarver, he came up to me one time
[01:08:28] after Doug Pfister had a no-no broken up
[01:08:30] by Nick Marchekis, seventh inning at our place.
[01:08:33] And it was a Friday, Tim was there to do a Saturday broadcast.
[01:08:37] And I know him a little bit, you know,
[01:08:38] really, love his words,
[01:08:39] a huge fan, he and Joe Torrey were my guys going,
[01:08:42] anyway, because I was a catcher.
[01:08:43] He says, hey, what's this all you're about?
[01:08:45] You're talking about a no-hitter.
[01:08:47] I said, really?
[01:08:48] And I was getting ready to like,
[01:08:50] really, we're gonna, we're gonna do this.
[01:08:51] He says, no, I'm just busting the chops.
[01:08:53] He says, I'm glad you did.
[01:08:54] That's where you're supposed to do it.
[01:08:56] He said, let me tell you something.
[01:08:57] It's the one time I came home after a game,
[01:08:59] I put my bags down and turned on the TV
[01:09:01] and I get, there's a game on and I go in the kitchen
[01:09:03] and I'm doing what I gotta do.
[01:09:04] And then I come back, it's the ninth inning.
[01:09:06] I said, so it's got a perfect game.
[01:09:08] Now, I know that in the sixth inning
[01:09:10] I'm gonna set my butt down and watch the game.
[01:09:13] So, I mean, that's the way I look at it.
[01:09:16] And the other thing too,
[01:09:17] Mr. Scully said, Mr. Enberg said,
[01:09:21] Mr. Marty Brennan, all these guys are Hall of Famer's.
[01:09:24] David, call what you see.
[01:09:26] Tell us what's happening on the field.
[01:09:28] End of story.
[01:09:30] I've already, yeah.
[01:09:32] No, so I'm with you on that.
[01:09:34] And there's two people who have some broadcasting background.
[01:09:37] I'm with you, you have to tell the story
[01:09:38] when you're on the air.
[01:09:39] I guess I was just curious if off the air
[01:09:41] you were getting a little like, superstitious
[01:09:44] in your own right now.
[01:09:45] No, I wasn't getting superstitious.
[01:09:46] And I was trying to keep from hyperventilating.
[01:09:48] I mean, I remember I threw the break one.
[01:09:50] I mean, it's on the edge of mortality.
[01:09:52] Fell into that.
[01:09:53] That's a perfect game.
[01:09:54] It was sexy.
[01:09:55] You know, I was like, it's crazy.
[01:09:59] When the eighth inning and ninth inning
[01:10:01] of that game is rolling around,
[01:10:02] are you thinking like this can't like,
[01:10:06] am I crazy?
[01:10:07] I think this is happening again.
[01:10:08] Like this already happened four months ago
[01:10:11] and this is happening again.
[01:10:13] Yeah, and again, I tried to compose myself
[01:10:17] and I had an idea.
[01:10:20] Now I will say, let me just sort of put a little shade
[01:10:24] on a little bit what I said earlier about having something
[01:10:26] we thought about to say.
[01:10:28] I just wrote down, you know, first time
[01:10:31] and I kept telling the producer,
[01:10:32] I said, this would be the first.
[01:10:34] I said, I want to make sure I got this.
[01:10:36] And I wanted to put it in sort of, you know,
[01:10:39] say what happened.
[01:10:40] It's like when I was a newspaper writer,
[01:10:42] and especially as for an AM paper game ends,
[01:10:45] you got to write a bullet and lead 30,
[01:10:47] you know, maybe two paragraphs or something.
[01:10:48] So basically, I was just repeating history
[01:10:50] which I had been trained to do.
[01:10:52] And that's what it did.
[01:10:53] Hey, you know, 30, four years, 100, 90,
[01:10:55] whatever, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[01:10:57] Or the game throw by a matter of done by the king.
[01:11:02] Yeah, I sort of, I won't say I rehearsed it,
[01:11:04] but I had those nuggets in there about first time at all.
[01:11:09] I made sure I had that, yeah.
[01:11:12] David, if we were going to start to wrap this up,
[01:11:15] I wanted to put you on the spot a little bit again.
[01:11:17] And I know you've highlighted a few of your favorite moments
[01:11:20] in your time with the Mariners,
[01:11:21] but if you had to pick three calls that you've had
[01:11:24] in your time in Seattle, do you have a top three favorite?
[01:11:28] Well, it was at 18, 18, we flirted with the playoffs.
[01:11:34] Game 161, Nelly hits a home three,
[01:11:37] I think it was a 300 and a hundred tied at seven, seven
[01:11:40] in the seventh against Oakland.
[01:11:42] That's a moment, I absolutely loved that moment.
[01:11:48] There was a 15 extra, 15 inning game at home
[01:11:54] on a Sunday, the day, holy,
[01:11:55] we wanted to walk off home run against
[01:11:57] who's that left hander, I just thought.
[01:11:59] Deep in, right?
[01:12:01] Jake Deepman.
[01:12:06] And then of course, you know, Cal and Mitch.
[01:12:08] Iwakuma's no hitter was pretty cool.
[01:12:11] I remember us and Jackson went into the left center field,
[01:12:14] sort of shallow left center field gap for the final outs.
[01:12:17] So those are the ones that sort of,
[01:12:19] there was another one, Jose.
[01:12:22] There was a Jamie Burke game winning home run
[01:12:25] like my first year.
[01:12:29] Each row hit a walk off against Mariano Rivera at our place.
[01:12:35] Couple of Hall of Fabers going to battle here.
[01:12:37] Each row is the feet and Mariano Rivera
[01:12:41] and the eight Mariners won the game.
[01:12:44] That was, so those come to mind.
[01:12:50] So Jose Lopez had a game one or one time
[01:12:52] into an extra inning game that went forever.
[01:12:56] And I tell you, it was a loss.
[01:12:58] Then lost the Houston, we had the 18 inning game.
[01:13:00] It was one of the most exciting games
[01:13:01] I've ever been around at any time.
[01:13:03] I mean, everything was on the line trying to stay alive
[01:13:07] and that's a series looking back on it for,
[01:13:11] I mean, I always tell Dusty, Dusty Banker,
[01:13:14] she says, yeah, you let us go.
[01:13:16] I mean, Mariano Rivera's been all three of those games
[01:13:19] and had they won,
[01:13:20] they could have done some damage that year.
[01:13:22] And another year that Chris Young
[01:13:24] who's the, you know, that GM of Rangers
[01:13:27] when he was with Mariano's in 14,
[01:13:29] Mariano's pitching was really good, deep staff.
[01:13:32] I think everybody made their starts,
[01:13:34] no injuries, didn't hit really well
[01:13:36] but the pitching was really good.
[01:13:38] And I remember seeing Chris the next year
[01:13:40] and he said, man, there were so many guys out there
[01:13:43] so glad we got eliminated
[01:13:44] because they were afraid of our pitching staff.
[01:13:46] I remember he told me that story.
[01:13:48] I remember it to this day.
[01:13:50] Because he had Felix, he had Kuma, he had CY
[01:13:53] and a couple of other guys were getting it
[01:13:54] and I can't remember the rest of the staff
[01:13:56] and bullpen was solid.
[01:13:57] So those are some,
[01:13:59] those are some really good moments
[01:14:01] that come to my, you know, at the top of my head right now.
[01:14:05] Last thing for me, Dave,
[01:14:06] what are you most looking to at spring training this year?
[01:14:09] Well, just seeing it, you know, like everybody says,
[01:14:11] you want to see the guys, you want to see, you know,
[01:14:13] get to see Rick and, you know, and Gary and Aaron
[01:14:15] and, you know, seeing them players, the new guys,
[01:14:19] looking forward to seeing Julio.
[01:14:20] I'm, you know, I'm sure he learned a heck of a lot last year.
[01:14:26] Glad to have Hanigar back.
[01:14:27] I'm praying that he can play 157 games again
[01:14:29] like he did those two great years that he had with us.
[01:14:35] Who we got? We got Luke Railley is the new guy.
[01:14:37] We got a risk.
[01:14:40] I'm hoping that there'll be big contributors.
[01:14:43] You know, everybody has, you know,
[01:14:45] it's been relatively quiet.
[01:14:47] So hopefully, you know,
[01:14:49] Jay Pete can come back and have another big year.
[01:14:52] I would, I hear, I've always heard so many good things
[01:14:54] about Ken Zonas at Hitter.
[01:14:55] So now he's going to be with us from day one.
[01:14:57] It's going to get a great opportunity.
[01:15:02] You know, see, you know, see the coaching staff
[01:15:04] and see all the guys who was a Brent Brown
[01:15:07] is with us, look forward to meeting.
[01:15:08] I think I've met him before,
[01:15:10] but looking forward to talking to him about his philosophy,
[01:15:13] you know, scat service and Jerry and Pete Woodwith.
[01:15:15] I mean, you're going down the line.
[01:15:16] So, you know, get back into the baseball routine again, man.
[01:15:20] It's, you know, it's a little bit different
[01:15:23] for us being where we are, you know,
[01:15:25] the travel we have to do it, but it is what it is.
[01:15:27] You know, we travel first class.
[01:15:28] We stay in first class.
[01:15:29] So tell us I'm not beefing, but at all.
[01:15:32] So now I'm looking forward to it, man.
[01:15:34] It's going to be fun.
[01:15:36] Well, Dave, we really appreciate taking some time
[01:15:39] to join us here today.
[01:15:39] As you said, spring training right around the corner,
[01:15:42] it's going to be sunny, it's going to be warm.
[01:15:44] Vibes are going to be good.
[01:15:45] So we're looking forward to it.
[01:15:47] So appreciate you, Dave, again,
[01:15:49] taking some time to join us here today.
[01:15:50] It was awesome.
[01:15:51] That's, I really appreciate it, guys.
[01:15:53] And yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
[01:15:54] We had a bad weather day here in New York.
[01:15:56] It looked like it was dark at two o'clock
[01:15:57] and it was cold and windy all day.
[01:15:59] So I'm sure you guys have weather similar,
[01:16:04] weather pattern out in Seattle.
[01:16:06] So you guys stay warm and try to get as much light
[01:16:09] on yourself as possible.
[01:16:10] Soak up the light and looking forward to Arizona.
[01:16:14] Good to see you guys.
[01:16:14] Be well, thanks a lot.
[01:16:17] Really appreciate Dave Sims taking some time to join us.
[01:16:20] Before we wrap up the show, let's hear a word from BetterHelp.
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[01:17:32] Well, that'll just about do it for this episode
[01:17:34] of the Marine Layer Podcast.
[01:17:36] You guys know the drill.
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[01:17:38] make sure to download, rate and review, five stars,
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