Episode 110: Aaron Goldsmith (Mariners Broadcaster), And Reacting To The Signing Of Ryne Stanek

[00:00:00] At Parker, our purpose is simple. We want to make the world a better place by working more efficiently,

[00:00:07] by using more sustainable practices, by developing better technologies, we keep moving forward

[00:00:14] with each new idea, innovation and partnership. We're one step closer to fulfilling our purpose every single day.

[00:00:22] To find out more, visit parker.com slash purpose. Parker, engineering your success.

[00:00:30] Welcome to episode number 110 of the Marine Layer Podcast. We welcome on Mariners' broadcasts

[00:00:35] or Aaron Goldsmith, a conversation about his hair. Yes, his hair we had to ask about it,

[00:00:40] his broadcast prep, the Mariners' off season and his journey to the big leagues. We also react

[00:00:46] to Ryan Stannick signing with the Mariners. Here's your reminder before we start the show,

[00:00:50] if you're listening to the podcast, make sure to download our episodes, rating review, five stars,

[00:00:54] you're doing us a huge favor. That's across all our audio platforms and if you're watching on YouTube,

[00:01:00] make sure to like, comment and subscribe. The big subscribe button just click it,

[00:01:03] it takes one second to do, it's free, it's easy. Check us out on social media too. We've got a

[00:01:08] bunch of spring training stuff coming up and you can find all of that on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter,

[00:01:13] and YouTube shorts at Marine LayerPod. Let's get it rolling.

[00:01:30] And we welcome you to this episode of the Marine Layer Podcast, part of the Just Baseball

[00:01:34] Podcast Network, recording here on Monday evening March 11th. And if you're watching on YouTube and

[00:01:40] can tell by my sunburns, we're back from spring training.

[00:01:45] Oh, I had sunburns too. They were just earlier in the week. Man, I underestimated that 70

[00:01:51] degrees sun so bad. 70 degrees isn't that hot, but that air is not a sun. It's no joke. We should know

[00:01:58] that obviously, but somehow I underestimated it. Can I knit? Can I just say I nailed the

[00:02:03] prediction on last Friday's episode? We had to record it way in advance and release it when we're

[00:02:07] in puria. But man, I listened to my opening monologue on that episode. I crushed it.

[00:02:13] I did. I just left out the fact that I would also find a way to get sunburned right up here where I

[00:02:18] missed the sunscreen. What did you say on the opening line again? I said, oh, you'll be listening

[00:02:25] when you listen to us will be in puria. Allow will probably already be sunburned by now. He was.

[00:02:32] Again, usually I'm so good at avoiding it. So somehow TJ just peaked right into the future

[00:02:36] because I'm a huge sunscreen wear, but not that day, I guess. I really, really underestimated it.

[00:02:42] And what's up with the 70 FPS? And I'm still getting burned. I know. What's up with that?

[00:02:49] I don't know because again, like I buy the high SPF sunscreen because I don't want to get sunburned.

[00:02:56] But Arizona is, I mean, we should know that right. The Arizona Sun is very real. But anyway,

[00:03:01] I would say we are flying back here today on Monday early in the morning, especially you going

[00:03:07] straight to work. I'd say in the best way possible, we're both exhausted from everything we've done

[00:03:13] this past week in the best way because it was a blast, but I would say we're exhausted. Speaking

[00:03:17] of that, we'll go into everything about spring training on Friday. We had a long conversation with

[00:03:23] Aaron Goldsmith today. So we want to leave enough time for that. But if you want to hear us do a full

[00:03:27] spring training recap, there's two things you can do. We're going to do a special speak your

[00:03:31] mind on Friday's episode where we go into detail about everything and give you guys a real peak

[00:03:36] behind the curtain about what we were up to, what our favorite parts were. But also,

[00:03:42] there are going to be three vlogs coming out. There's one out already by the time you're listening

[00:03:47] to this podcast. And there will be two additional ones. So we were there six days total. There'll

[00:03:52] be three vlogs each of them two days. If you want to check that out from spring training,

[00:03:56] you can do that too. So spring training on all very fun. We will save all the details for later

[00:04:01] in the week. You won't see this in the vlog. So I'll just mention it. It's not even like kind of

[00:04:06] a bragg when Lyle mentions were exhausted, we're recording this a little bit past nine o'clock here

[00:04:11] on Monday evening. Our day today, Lyle started at 245 in the morning and here we are still going

[00:04:18] strong. All I needed was a large nitro cold brew from Dutch brothers and I'm still going.

[00:04:25] Wow. I'm on I should be falling asleep right now. That's what I should be doing.

[00:04:30] Listen, when a Sunday night flight is like $250 more expensive than the early Monday morning flight,

[00:04:38] you say, you know what? We're going to suck it up for one day and get on the early morning flights.

[00:04:43] And that's what we did. And now we're back here recording the podcast. So in the best way possible

[00:04:48] once again, it really never stops. Let's get to some of the news that happened while we were in

[00:04:53] puree on Friday. It came out right there in the morning when you and I are walking around there

[00:04:58] on the patio, the Mariners finally listen to me. They add Ryan Stannick off the free agent pile. He's

[00:05:04] going to join the Mariners bullpen after it was announced this weekend that Jackson co-ar will go

[00:05:09] on the injured list. He'll get Tommy John. He'll be out for quite a while with the addition of Ryan

[00:05:15] Stannick as I phrase before they have a chance to unlock something here with Ryan Stannick and

[00:05:21] peace together this bullpen into into dead serious. The best bullpen in baseball. There's there might

[00:05:26] not be any if ands or buts anymore. This might just straight up be the best bullpen in baseball now.

[00:05:32] Not just the best bullpen in baseball, if it all pans out with every guy. This is what we talked about

[00:05:37] in our little reactionary video, which is up on social media right after they made the signing,

[00:05:42] but there's a lot of what ifs, that brash needs to get healthy. Gregory Santos needs to get healthy.

[00:05:47] The unit as a whole needs to stay on the field all year. But man, if these guys all do what they're

[00:05:55] supposed to do, you're not only talking about the best bullpen in baseball, but of all these

[00:06:00] Mariners bullpen over the last few years have been so good. This can be the best one. Like when you

[00:06:05] talk about name brands and this bullpen, this is the most legit one. And obviously they found guys

[00:06:12] that were not highly valued by the rest of the league that they've turned into stars over the

[00:06:17] last couple of years. But when you look at the arms in this bullpen, there are six guys currently

[00:06:22] that are studs. You've got the four varieties with Munoz, Brash, Santos and now Ryan Stanich

[00:06:28] and you've got the two South Pauses and Gabe Stryer and Taylor Sausato who often get

[00:06:33] forgot about this bullpen because you think of the four varieties and how high power they are

[00:06:37] as arms with their hard fastballs and all the swing and miss stuff. Gabe Stryer and Taylor

[00:06:41] Sausato are legit stud relievers and often they just get forgot about in this bullpen. So

[00:06:48] you're talking about six guys that are true dominant forces in this bullpen. And if it all pans out,

[00:06:54] yeah, this can be the best bullpen of the Mariners bad. This might also be the best stuff bullpen

[00:06:59] in baseball too. I mean my god, like listen to who you just listen to who you just rattled off.

[00:07:05] And you and I can tell from like in person standing next to Gregory Santos and then standing back

[00:07:10] and watching him rip, grip and throw a baseball. I mean, holy shit. Like seriously. Oh yeah.

[00:07:19] I mean you're talking about Ryan Stanich is huge. Yeah. So Gregory Santos when he threw his

[00:07:25] bullpen that we were watching, he wasn't even going full strength because it was the first true

[00:07:29] bullpen he thrown. So he was throwing what did they say? 92 93 but they let him rip one sinker

[00:07:35] at the very end that they said had ridiculous movement hit 97 miles an hour. And like every

[00:07:42] pitcher was standing around and watching him throw to like everybody made their way over to the

[00:07:46] mound. They wanted to watch Gregory Santos throw and you could tell guys were like, oh yeah,

[00:07:51] like this guy, this guy's legit. So yeah, that was pretty cool. And when you talk about the stuff,

[00:07:58] it's right in front of your eyes. Here's what Ryan Stanich brings. He came off a down-year

[00:08:05] last season. He had an era a little bit over four. It was a disappointment from his 2022 season when

[00:08:10] the Astros won the World Series. He had an era of 1.15. You look at that and you say, oh my goodness,

[00:08:17] that is amazing. Ryan Stanich certainly is not a perfect reliever. He has his flaws. He walks a

[00:08:23] lot of batters results wise compared to the rest of the league. His off-speed pitches are inconsistent.

[00:08:31] He has had one ultra amazing season. There's a couple of outlier factors in that season. You only

[00:08:37] give up two home runs in that season. It was by far a career low and home runs per fly ball allowed,

[00:08:43] home run to fly ball percentage, which I think is a good stat to use to track. Is a guy getting

[00:08:49] lucky with the amount of fly balls he's allowing yet not allowing home runs. You allow enough fly balls.

[00:08:54] You're gonna allow home runs. What's a prerogative of this Mariners bull pet? Not allowing home runs.

[00:08:58] That's why they have so many sinker ballers in this bull pet. He also walks a lot of guys too. The

[00:09:03] Mariners had the second highest first pitch strike percentage of all time last year, second highest

[00:09:10] ever in the history of baseball and the pitch tracking era, the second highest. If Ryan Stanich comes

[00:09:16] out and is walking a lot of guys, that's not really up their prerogative of dominating the zone.

[00:09:21] It's interesting because he's not a total Mariners mold. Not initially.

[00:09:28] And he's a little bit older than the guys they will take in off the scrap heap and try and rehab

[00:09:33] and try and find something. And he's a guy who's already had a ton of big league success.

[00:09:37] He's already shown he can be a very successful big league reliever.

[00:09:42] He kind of think there's something the Mariners can find there to fine tune Ryan Stanich in his mid 30s

[00:09:48] a little bit. And again, he's been around the block. He knows what works for him. Can the Mariners

[00:09:53] find a happy medium there? I think so. When you've had as much success as he's had in his career

[00:10:01] in the bullpen, you'd have to think first off as we know, the Mariners don't sign relievers,

[00:10:06] especially to the money they're giving Stanich, which isn't crazy, but it's not nothing. It's

[00:10:10] four million bucks with incentives that can get up to six million. They're not spending that

[00:10:14] money on him if they think he's going to be off the team mid season. No, they think he can be

[00:10:19] a legit, impactful pen arm. And when you look at what he's done in his career, 2023 was his worst

[00:10:24] career season. I'm throwing out the 10 innings he threw in 2020. That doesn't count. He has been

[00:10:30] really, really good in his career. Like you look down obviously ERA doesn't tell you everything,

[00:10:36] but the ERA is year by year up until 23 say this guy has been a dominant reliever for most of his

[00:10:43] career. So you would think the Mariners see at least that at the very least and say they know

[00:10:48] there's things to work with there. Even if he walks guys at a high rate. And also when you look

[00:10:53] at his pitch by pitch results, there's there's things there too. So when you want to talk about the

[00:11:00] actual value of each pitch compared to the rest of the league, there's one that stands out. His fast

[00:11:05] balls is best pitch. There is no question no doubt about it. His forcing fast balls is best pitch.

[00:11:11] But when you look at something like his split finger, which he has three offerings,

[00:11:15] the split finger being one of them. The value in it of itself compared to the rest of the league

[00:11:20] can be a little bit hit or miss. But when you just talk about what opponents hit against that

[00:11:25] pitch makes you raise an eyebrow in a good way. Last three years, Ryan Stannic's split finger has

[00:11:32] garnered results of opponents hitting a buck 33 in 2021 189 in 2022 189 in 2023. That's pretty good.

[00:11:41] And that's not his primary pitch either. So I would guess that's another area where the Mariners

[00:11:45] say, oh, well, he gets some results with that pitch. There's something to work with there.

[00:11:50] Again, it's going to be about throwing strikes on all but he's got the stuff certainly has the

[00:11:55] stuff in speak of stuff. I was curious to the stuff plus. It's like so how does it play?

[00:12:01] Is there something to work with there or was he did he have a season of like outlier good location?

[00:12:10] His stuff plus overall last year in the Astros Bope and despite the mediocre

[00:12:14] run the ERA, the run prevention 131 overall like 31% better than league average pure stuff

[00:12:24] coming out of his right hand 131. That's pretty good. Now the Astros had a pretty good bull pin last

[00:12:29] year. So he was only third behind Ryan Presley and Brian Abraew. But if you're going to be behind

[00:12:33] two relievers on your own team, those are two pretty good options. Those are two of the best

[00:12:38] relievers in baseball. So there's no shame there. And if you look at the breakdown of all three

[00:12:44] of his pitches, I mean, all three of his pitches, you can make the argument. The stuff on it is good

[00:12:50] enough for those pitches to be either good or elite. His split finger 117 stuff plus his fastball

[00:12:58] 128 fastballs by the way, there are not many 128 stuff plus fastballs. There's, you know,

[00:13:05] it fastballs are a little little closer to the medium or the 100 league average more often than not.

[00:13:13] This is 128, his fastball that can go well over 100 miles an hour. And then here's the most

[00:13:20] interesting one because this seems like at least percentage used throughout his career. He's

[00:13:25] primarily known for his fastball and his splitter. His slider has the best stuff plus by far 153

[00:13:34] and he only throws it the third most of all of his pitches. It's about 18% for the last three years combined

[00:13:43] to 153 so 53% above league average in terms of pure stuff on what has result wise been his first pitch.

[00:13:51] You know, everything we've heard from these bullpen guys this winter from talking to Topa from

[00:13:54] talking to sauce, talking to fire. We heard the story about Trent Thornton too saying when these

[00:13:59] guys walked out of these pitcher meetings with the Mariners crew and they'd be like, wow, I haven't

[00:14:04] had conversations like that before my eyes have been so open. I'll bet you that's slider something

[00:14:09] they're looking at with Ryan standing. They say the stuff on it is that good but it's not quite

[00:14:14] getting the results it should. That says maybe he's putting it in the wrong spots but I'll bet you

[00:14:21] like at least for now he's been putting it in the wrong spots at least in some of his down years

[00:14:25] which is why maybe it hasn't quite gotten the results. I'll bet you we're going to see more

[00:14:29] Ryan's standing sliders this year you can take that to the bank and the Mariners are going to say

[00:14:33] when you throw this pitch and put it in the right location this can be a weapon. What do what are

[00:14:39] the Mariners love with their relievers? They love fastballs and sliders. Stannic has that

[00:14:44] and I will bet you you're gonna see him throw some sliders this year and I would not be shocked

[00:14:48] in the slightest if his slider results jump way up in 2024. It's I think all going to depend on

[00:14:56] how many strikes he throws. He can't walk more than 10% of the guys like he's done in his career

[00:15:04] like that his you know average per nine innings first career is about four to five. Like

[00:15:10] that's way too many way too many for what the Mariners like so that's a lot of what it's going

[00:15:16] to come down to throwing strikes because the stuff plays but if Stannic's dancing around the

[00:15:21] strike zone instead of throwing in it that might be an issue and it would be harder for Scott

[00:15:26] service and Jerry deported to trust him later in games if he keeps walking guys and let him

[00:15:32] guys on base because they know guys like Matt Brash like Andre's Munoz like gave Spire like Taylor

[00:15:38] Saucato won't do that and they and Scott trust those guys a lot. I'm curious to see how long

[00:15:44] it will take them to trust Stannic. He's a vet but he's the first year M so how's that going to play out?

[00:15:51] I'll tell you why like seriously this is like truly unique for this regime and what they're

[00:15:56] doing with relievers they have they have taken relievers like off the scrap heap and put them in

[00:16:02] and had them earn their trust. This is a proven guy proven like a truly unique circumstance

[00:16:11] which is why it is a little difficult for you or you and I to predict how he gets used this year

[00:16:17] does he instantly earn that trust or not right. I don't know and it's not just a proven arm it's

[00:16:22] been a proven star pull pen arm in the past like star pull pen piece of many very good teams

[00:16:30] so you're right there's a lot of places Ryan Stannic could probably sign where he'd be the guy

[00:16:36] he'd be maybe the second guy in the bullpen behind a closer but you're right in this bullpen

[00:16:41] there'll be some trust to be heard because there's guys in this bullpen that are proven like you said

[00:16:45] that being said one way or another however it's gonna play out I'm excited to see it you were

[00:16:52] banging the drum on this for weeks I was on board with you we know what Stannic can do

[00:16:56] we didn't think he was gonna cost that much he didn't and this bullpen group man they are locked

[00:17:02] and loaded we said that about Gregory Santos and if Ryan Stannic does what he can do oh it just got

[00:17:07] a step better I cannot wait to watch this bullpen group I really can't two weeks until opening day

[00:17:13] little over two weeks two and a half I'm I'm looking forward to it even if we're not getting all

[00:17:18] of them on opening day we're probably we're getting Stannic on opening day it seems like that so

[00:17:23] buckle up I agree and that'll be his chance to prove it too if if if rash and Santos are gonna miss

[00:17:29] a couple weeks they're gonna put Stannic in some leverage situations and if he pitches well

[00:17:35] in those situations he's gonna pitch and leverage a lot of the year so he had a lot of be fascinating

[00:17:39] to see how it all plays out all right we had an awesome conversation with Goldie before that

[00:17:45] let's talk to you guys about our great friends over at Pagatius Pub-85 that's over in Kirkland

[00:17:51] Pagatius Pub-85 who we love to hang out there their spring training games still going on and

[00:17:56] better yet opening day like T-Judges mentioned is so close it's just a couple weeks away so if you

[00:18:01] want a place to go hang out with your friends and watch the Mariners game go there head over to

[00:18:06] Pagatius Pub-85 there's 22 TVs in that place and you can get great food some great drink specials

[00:18:11] you can go play a game of pool and watch the game at the same time if you're going to ring happy

[00:18:15] hour two you want to show up with some friends before seven o'clock game and get started a little

[00:18:20] bit early get some great happy hour specials those are on Monday through Friday from two to six p.m.

[00:18:25] if features three dollar domestic beers four dollar manny flamoons four dollar mac and jacks

[00:18:29] four dollar wells and four dollar house wines all of that is over at Pagatius Pub-85 in Kirkland

[00:18:36] I am thrilled that we got to talk to Aaron Goldsmith obviously he is somebody that I think is a

[00:18:42] like-minded thinker to the two of us in terms of how he watches baseball he has a fantastic

[00:18:46] conversation and he is filled with stories my biggest thing taking away from this conversation

[00:18:54] with Goldie like pay attention to how he prepares major league baseball players prepare

[00:19:00] like professional athletes Aaron Goldsmith prefers like a major league baseball broadcaster it

[00:19:07] is incredible the amount of detail he will explain of how he prepares for a baseball game all

[00:19:13] the stuff you never hear about on route never hear about on the radio that goes into his mind when

[00:19:19] he's studying these guys to get ready for a baseball game is fascinating it is a baseball nerd's dream

[00:19:27] to listen to what Aaron Goldsmith has to say about just getting ready for any normal Tuesday night

[00:19:32] baseball game awesome Goldie is the man he is the man I loved this this was an he's he's he's just awesome

[00:19:42] yeah for every sense of the word from talking about his perfect hair to his journey as a broadcaster

[00:19:50] which I thought was really interesting like if you want to hear what it's if you want to hear

[00:19:54] what it's like to go through an interview as a big league broadcaster listen to this conversation

[00:19:58] with Goldie we talk about it and he gives a full breakdown of what it looked like when he was

[00:20:03] going through the interview process it's so interesting and I think you guys for everything we talked

[00:20:08] about in this conversation conversation between those two things between baseball the marriage

[00:20:12] off season saber metrics you're going to love this conversation all right let's get to our

[00:20:17] conversation with Aaron Goldsmith at Parker our purpose is simple we want to make the world a better

[00:20:23] place by working more efficiently by using more sustainable practices by developing better

[00:20:30] technologies we keep moving forward with each new idea innovation and partnership we're one step

[00:20:38] closer to fulfilling our purpose every single day to find out more visit parker dot com slash

[00:20:45] purpose parker engineering your success all right we have mariners broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith on

[00:20:55] with us Aaron appreciate you taking some time to join us so just to start off a lot of people

[00:21:02] recognize your voice they love your voice they covet your voice they really want your voice they

[00:21:06] want to find a way to replicate it but I have something even deeper as it relates to myself

[00:21:12] how can I replicate your hair how is it possible how how is it possible to replicate

[00:21:17] that hair like I need to know the secret well tj liles great to be with you thanks for having me

[00:21:23] yeah it's like like having a good voice and having a good head of hair is like being tall

[00:21:30] like I did nothing to earn either thing and I'm just trying to maximize both to my greatest abilities so

[00:21:38] I'm glad this is on camera right so I can write go check out the youtube page just to see I mean

[00:21:45] even here we are it's a Monday night at seven o'clock and Goldie looks like he's ready to get on

[00:21:49] television like it's like it's April on Rootsport so he's ready to go well I am I do wear a good

[00:21:55] amount of hats in the offseason so you I you did catch me on a good day I was prepared I assume

[00:22:01] there was going to be a video component here so couldn't be all bedheadie for you guys I mean come

[00:22:06] on but there's no I I see no after effects of the hat I put a hat on and it looks like someone just

[00:22:12] sat on my head for a week and if I had a hat on earlier today it would look like I had a hat on

[00:22:18] like it's like once you put the hat on it's game over like the bomb is exploded there are no

[00:22:24] survivors it's there's nothing they can be salvaged you just got to start over again I'm convinced you

[00:22:30] can just shake your head like this and it just snaps into place I wish man like I will say

[00:22:37] not the dwell on this because I know that people don't really care but it is a pretty well-trained

[00:22:43] beast at this point you know like it doesn't take like divish this will surprise you the divish and

[00:22:48] I kind of go at it every once in a while outside the manager's office but divish always gives me a

[00:22:53] hard time about my hair which I fully enjoy and it's like it doesn't take very much it I've been doing

[00:23:00] this for a while now so like the hair and nose where should go you know that's good which is good

[00:23:06] that's a good thing I'm glad you brought up divish because he said does this past week yeah it's fake

[00:23:11] so I was gonna give you a chance to talk about that yeah I think he's caught at the hair helmet before

[00:23:15] which like then I'll take a pot shot at his hair and then like there's nobody who will make fun of

[00:23:23] their own hair more than divish well so I'm like the amount of money that he spends on his haircuts

[00:23:28] might rival mine simply out of volume he gets his haircut like every four days practically

[00:23:35] so how do you keep it so perfect when you go down to the heat in Arizona like your head and down

[00:23:39] this week no problem whatsoever I get a cut right before I go I get a cut right before I come back

[00:23:46] and nobody ever notices anything you know and we've been doing this for a while guys

[00:23:50] got a system down okay I've had haircuts in Arizona before they've never gone well

[00:23:56] so I do everything I can to avoid that take care of business on the homeland and it's turn out okay

[00:24:03] speaking of the homeland Goldie I would imagine this has been a one-of-a-kind

[00:24:07] offseason for you since you've been with the Mariners just after everything that happened last

[00:24:12] offseason for you and you really sort of starting to dial back on the national stuff and calling

[00:24:19] college basketball in such in the offseason has it felt a little different this offseason for you

[00:24:25] yeah it's felt like a one-of-a-kind off season to date and it will be my new normal going forward

[00:24:32] but you're right like I've done I didn't know football again this year my second you're not doing

[00:24:35] football my basketball has been cut like more than half I normally did about 20 some games low 20s

[00:24:43] and this year I don't think I hit 10 I think I did about eight and I'll tell you what man

[00:24:49] like I'm exhausted like being Mr. Mom with three kids and a wife like it is so much work it's

[00:24:58] like so much more work than the baseball season so I'm ready for a little change of pace it's been

[00:25:04] awesome being home so much it's exactly what I wanted but it's a lot of dishes a lot of bedtime

[00:25:11] stories a lot of picking up right like all the things like all the things that any parent is listening

[00:25:17] to right now can relate to I coached my boys basketball teams this winter which was a ton of fun

[00:25:24] so it was everything that I dreamt and I'm exhausted so I'm ready for some baseball did you get teed up

[00:25:31] I you know I never got teed up at our last game one of the officials did bark over at our bench and

[00:25:38] told us that only one coach can stand at a time which I don't think was actually in the rule book

[00:25:43] but within that guys rule books so we obliged did you guys what was your guys record or did they

[00:25:50] do they are they even at the age where they keep a record so my two boys are very are fairly

[00:25:55] different ages my youngest is four so no record there it's just pandemonium right like nobody

[00:26:01] dribbles nobody passes there's really nothing that resembles basketball and then my oldest is

[00:26:07] nine he's in third grade and it did keep record we we were nine and one we came in second place it

[00:26:14] was a really fun season we had like an offensive set we had an in bounce play so like we did some

[00:26:20] things we did some things you know all my years in the on the college basketball circuit helped after

[00:26:26] watching all those shootarounds over the years so it was fun which coach you model your game after

[00:26:30] your coaching style Dana Altman guy good day all my guys get in the honey hole you know

[00:26:36] Dana's got all the Nebraska sands that I try to duplicate as fellow Midwesterner so Dana like

[00:26:44] I try to wear like the dad Nike shoes like Dana wears so that's that's my role model I would say

[00:26:53] another part of your offseason it seems outside of like you said the whole

[00:26:57] stay at home dad aspect you know I mean you've been doing some content here in spring training we're

[00:27:02] trying to be the content people here Goldie but then your face keeps showing up on on TikTok and on

[00:27:08] Instagram and on the Mariners social media pages and almost blowing us out of the water where is

[00:27:13] that creativity come from you know they have a conference room at team mobile park called the

[00:27:18] the Griffey room and it's got junior all over the walls and autographed memorabilia it's where the

[00:27:23] highest level meetings with the Mariners take place and all the heads of state gathered together and

[00:27:28] they said we gotta go after those marine layer guys we gotta take them down they're taking too much

[00:27:34] of our content um by the way time out my wife saw this on our family calendar marine layer pod

[00:27:43] cast and she for like one second was super pumped that I was going on a podcast with the clothing

[00:27:49] line marine layer which unfortunately you got that what have been great but even better um so

[00:28:00] I really enjoyed it early on you know we've only done a handful of videos at the time we're

[00:28:05] recording this they're all like a minute I think the idea is try to find another platform another

[00:28:15] another creative outlet to just tell them air in their story right whatever it might be um

[00:28:23] I think it's a little more difficult right now right I'm not yet in Arizona so I don't have access

[00:28:28] to the players a number of them I did talk to on the hot stove show which I've been able to use some

[00:28:34] of that sound and at least one of those videos which has been great uh but I can't just like walk

[00:28:41] up to machanica and talk to him and then go make something based on that but that'll change once

[00:28:47] I get down there and of course once the season starts but I think the hope is to continue to do this

[00:28:53] with some frequency a couple times a week once the season begins and hopefully if I find something

[00:29:01] that I think is interesting other people will find it interesting as well that's kind of how I

[00:29:06] base almost anything I say on the air like if I trust myself if I think it's interesting then I

[00:29:12] think there's a good chance you guys will find it interesting so I kind of take that curiosity

[00:29:16] and that mindset into these I've only done a couple of them really in the grand scheme of things um

[00:29:21] hopefully there's a lot more to come but they'll evolve I'm sure they'll change they'll get better

[00:29:26] but uh overall I think it's been a pretty smooth take off and hopefully people have enjoyed them

[00:29:32] my hope is I'm sure very similar to what you guys do is I hope that in 60 seconds when somebody

[00:29:38] watches one of these that they just find like some red meat that they can sink their teeth into

[00:29:43] right something that they can walk away with where when they go grab a bite with their buddy later

[00:29:49] that evening they can say hey I just found out this cool thing about this mariner right or about

[00:29:54] the team or whatever and it's just something to hold on to and they feel like they're smarter

[00:29:59] or entertained or more informed or a combination of all those things so we'll see where it goes but

[00:30:03] so far it's been pretty fun how much would warm your heart after somebody took away from watching

[00:30:09] your video like you said they go and have lunch with a friend instead of sitting down and talking about

[00:30:14] a player's RBI total they're talking about Mitch Garvers pull side locks yeah well first of all I

[00:30:19] would never talk about RBI's let's get that out there right now so um I'm kidding but I'm not

[00:30:25] but I'm kidding yeah I like I think hopefully I guess I think I kind of have maybe to some people

[00:30:32] like a quirky baseball way of talking or thinking and I bring that out on the broadcast here and

[00:30:40] there and when I think it might be appropriate or might be fun but obviously this is an avenue where

[00:30:46] I can do more of that and uh yeah I've worked quality airborne contact into two of them so far

[00:30:51] so one of my personal favorite based ball isms like that should be a t-shirt quality airborne contact

[00:30:57] uh so we'll see we'll see on the bangle card how many of those I get worked in over the course

[00:31:01] of the full season do you think is that more of a radio terminology or are you gonna have to

[00:31:06] to wait until you're on route to do that I mean I personally feel like that's more of a route thing

[00:31:10] hey look look Mike Mike Flowers quality airborne contact here look at that yeah I think Mike would

[00:31:17] say is that right? Well the visual would help right like to be able to see what uh Q what

[00:31:28] was that quality airborne QAC okay what QAC look like um yeah so I think I've worked it in

[00:31:36] once or twice before but maybe it'll be a more regular thing now that's a good segue because

[00:31:42] you're somebody that like you just mentioned you're very very tuned in on analytics as are we like

[00:31:46] we don't really talk about our BIs or batting average either for whatever it's worth but I'm always

[00:31:52] curious how people a little bit older than us and their baseball fandom have kind of accepted

[00:31:57] analytics and kind of like at what moment they kind of sat and said to themselves oh this is really

[00:32:02] unique fans should understand this baseball people should understand this so like in your time as

[00:32:08] a broadcaster even just as a baseball fan what was your moment where you said oh I really like the

[00:32:13] sabermetric stuff yeah it's funny years ago I remember I when WRC Plus started coming out I remember

[00:32:24] barking at the wind and being like what what is this like this looks dumb it sounds dumb

[00:32:32] it's got to be dumb and for I don't know like maybe a year a whole season I just kind of

[00:32:39] brush it under the rug and dismiss it and then finally during the off season I remember thinking

[00:32:46] like this thing keeps coming up like I keep reading people that I really respect

[00:32:52] and who I think are very smart baseball people writing using WRC Plus hey here's an idea maybe I

[00:33:01] should learn what it is and my biggest takeaway from that that I would share with everyone and

[00:33:08] probably most people listening to this are like on that path and probably maybe already know what

[00:33:14] that is but I think it holds true for anything right any any stat that we're talking about or

[00:33:20] measurement like almost all these things are really simple to understand they're really not

[00:33:27] complicated I'm sure you guys will vouch for that as well they just look different because we're

[00:33:31] used to all the other things and like RBI's and home runs and stolen bases and adding average

[00:33:37] when you said that for a hundred years and this stuff looks like it landed from some other planet

[00:33:43] and it's wonky and it's got uppercase and lowercase numbers and there's a plus sign or a minus sign

[00:33:48] sometimes but like it's been five minutes like Google it it's been five minutes and you'll be like

[00:33:56] oh no that makes a lot sense and if I were a player I would want to be measured on that I mean

[00:34:03] that's one way I think about it a lot like if you were a player okay Mr. Joe Mariner fan

[00:34:10] wouldn't you want to be rewarded for hitting the double versus a single wouldn't that be worth

[00:34:17] wouldn't you feel better when you stood up at second base and when you stood up at first base

[00:34:22] and when you want to be rewarded for drawing a walk because you won't be in batting average

[00:34:28] so I think the constant challenge for all broadcasters is how to incorporate it how to educate without

[00:34:40] patronizing or making a broadcast feel like a lecture or classroom I always keep in mind the person

[00:34:50] who just worked a full nine to five at a job that they can't stand they curse their boss in the car

[00:34:58] ride home they get home to their family and children they got a cook dinner they're trying to put

[00:35:05] food on the table kids are screaming and they're outlet is just to flip on the M's game like they

[00:35:12] just want to hear the crack of the bat they want to hear the crowd they want to see the uniforms

[00:35:18] and there are some times where the last thing you want to hear is me going well 100 is league average

[00:35:24] and WRC plus right and so like that's a if she did like a pie chart of our fans like that's a percentage

[00:35:34] of them right so I want to be sensitive to that but I also can't ignore it so it's just constantly

[00:35:42] trying to find the balance choosing the right time trying to keep them into inventory of how many times

[00:35:48] you've got over this what was the last time you talked about it um I think we've been pretty

[00:35:53] progressive in the broadcast and I give our our producer Curtis Wilson a lot of credit because

[00:36:00] if your producers not willing to get into the analytics that's not gonna happen like everybody's got

[00:36:07] to be on board with this to get it on the show it's not a radio broadcast where if the three of us do

[00:36:13] a radio broadcast like Fintija calls any his earnings he can just talk about RBI's and batting average

[00:36:19] and when Lyle does his earnings he can just talk about well but I want to do mine I'm talking X

[00:36:24] to all of us right like we can all do our thing on TV like we all have to hold hands we have to

[00:36:31] and if we don't we all look foolish so it really starts with the producer if he's not on board with

[00:36:37] it like the graphics won't be made and if the graphics aren't made then it's just me

[00:36:43] win-banging about it with no other support so really around the 2020 season Curtis came to me

[00:36:49] and said hey I really want to get into this more what do you think we should do it should

[00:36:52] be WRC plus should it be OPS plus should we do Wova so we had a lot of conversations we talked to

[00:36:59] a number of people internally with the analytics department with the mariners and we just kind of

[00:37:04] went with WRC pluses are kind of go to while still incorporating weighted on base average when

[00:37:11] appropriate Scott uses weighted on base in game on his cards like if you guys seem with the dugout

[00:37:16] holding the cards all of his matchup numbers are all Wova I think WRC plus ones to get past the name

[00:37:25] and the look of it is like the easiest thing to understand right that everyone can relate to

[00:37:31] instantly so I give Curtis a ton of credit I'm just really grateful that we have the the structure

[00:37:38] in place where like him bringing that up was accepted me jump on on board with it was double

[00:37:44] accepted and then it was just like broth and I don't know how many other broadcasts use it not

[00:37:49] many that I've seen but hopefully more and more starts incorporated where they think is appropriate

[00:37:55] the root setup is is pretty sick I mean you guys are really as you said all on board with putting it

[00:37:59] on there I mean I really don't think bad averages even come up on the root graphics anymore I don't

[00:38:03] think so like it more more often than not it is WRC plus on there so it's a little bit easier for you

[00:38:10] to mention it bring it up and constantly talk about it how do you approach on the radio

[00:38:15] bringing it up you guys have such a diverse set of people in that radio booth rotating throughout

[00:38:20] the year and not everyone uses it so how do you make your decision on where you'll insert that

[00:38:27] in in something where you need to be keeping track of everything at once.

[00:38:31] That's really good question um what I have learned the hard way like I don't know if there's a

[00:38:38] way to learn in broadcasting without just falling on your face like that's that's just how you do it

[00:38:42] unfortunately and hopefully the longer you do this the more the falling on your faces and the

[00:38:47] rearview mirror are not looking through the windshield I have really dialed back

[00:38:56] how many numbers I give on the air now if we're on root and there's a graphic that's different

[00:39:02] I like I'm probably perceived like if you didn't I'll like uh if you put like all of our headshots up

[00:39:10] to mariner fans of all the broadcasters and you're like which ones the numbers guy like probably

[00:39:15] everyone will point to me or Gary right or both of us um and like that's fair I do love the numbers

[00:39:22] and I'm not put off by that at all that's great I'm almost flattered by it but I have found again

[00:39:30] the hard way that just saying numbers whether it's WRC plus or home runs or ribbies or whatever

[00:39:36] man I just really gets lost in the traffic of a broadcast so easily people tune out when I listen

[00:39:45] if I hear too many numbers like consecutively and I do this for a living I kind of start to be like

[00:39:52] well hold on wait what was that what was the second number again and so when I prep

[00:39:57] but I will write a lot of numbers in my book but instead of saying them on the air I'll just say

[00:40:08] Jorge Palanco has hit for much better power left handed than right handed like I could say to you

[00:40:17] he's slugging this versus varieties this versus lefties but let's face it for like 98% of the audience

[00:40:26] they don't know what a good slugging percentage is right so what I figured out is simply by

[00:40:34] talking into a microphone I have authority like Dave has authority Rick has authority Gary has

[00:40:41] authority now don't get me wrong like it comes part of that authority comes with being

[00:40:48] someplace for a duration of time like in Rick's case forever right like he used the greatest

[00:40:54] authority because of that but because you are a known broadcaster and people trust you and

[00:41:01] believe you in as long as you don't break that trust if you just say they've had a really hard

[00:41:08] time hitting his fastball but his breaking ball has been susceptible to being put in play like done

[00:41:15] done right done the the really nerdy numbers that I love to just like just dig into and analyze

[00:41:22] and break down I email those part of me I email those to our graphic guys as we build graphics on

[00:41:29] because you can put it on the screen and people have time to look at it and they hear me saying it

[00:41:33] and those two things at once overlapping help you consume it and digest it

[00:41:40] don't get me wrong I do say numbers but I just find ways

[00:41:45] to avoid them or when I say them say them in like great generalities like TJ's hitting 100 points

[00:41:55] higher off of lefties than righties now he might be hitting 97 points higher right but just like

[00:42:02] just say a hundred just say nearly 100 points better off of lefties than righties it just washes over

[00:42:08] yours better you know so like I think the whole numbers thing on a broadcast is you could talk to 10

[00:42:15] people and you get 10 different answers to what people want there's power in the numbers there's

[00:42:21] education in the numbers it explains why managers are making decisions right like that's why this

[00:42:27] is why Mike Ford is batting right now going back to last year right this is why Gabe Spire is pitching

[00:42:34] right now okay so I like to use them to support decisions that are made or to try to predict some

[00:42:44] type of outcome but that doesn't mean I have to specifically say those numbers hold me to that

[00:42:51] hopefully I'll continue that this year I will say I echo everything you said a couple minutes

[00:42:57] ago about this stuff not being that hard to understand and the elevator pitch I always use

[00:43:01] to people that don't want to learn it as I say to them well is the single as valuable as a home

[00:43:06] run and they'll be like well no and I'm like batting average tells you it is like there's other

[00:43:11] things that can assess the stuff a little bit better if you ask me you know it's funny I agree with

[00:43:16] all that obviously um so last year I was coaching third-based and my sons little league game

[00:43:24] and there is a kid who put a ball in play and he smoked it like smoked it

[00:43:32] and out loud I go wow hit that hard and it's like yeah even in little league the guys who hit

[00:43:40] the ball hard stand out and like you want yeah you want him to hit the ball hard right but like

[00:43:48] there are people who will say oh hard hit rate I don't care is put it in play it doesn't mean

[00:43:53] anything no hey go grab a glove stand on the left side of the infield when a right-handed batter is

[00:44:00] hitting and we'll get a guy who hits the ball hard like I who doesn't hit the ball hard you tell me

[00:44:05] which one you think's got a better chance of being a hit when you put the glove on and stand by

[00:44:08] the back right like I don't care if it's little league or the show hitting the ball hard is a skill set

[00:44:14] and has value that doesn't mean that it's the most important thing like I always think of it as

[00:44:20] like two elevators passing each other and where is the meeting point of consistent contact or as

[00:44:27] consistent as kind of feasible for that player while also being able to hit the ball hard right

[00:44:34] like obviously Joey Gallo hits the ball harder than almost anyone who makes no contact at all

[00:44:40] he is such an extreme in the elevators being like ones in the penthouse and ones in the parking garage

[00:44:45] it does almost no good right it's like where is the equilibrium of those two things and

[00:44:52] the numbers are nuanced in that regard and I love that like I love that conversation

[00:44:56] do I think batting average is the end all be all no do I think it has value yeah it has value

[00:45:01] like almost everything has some value like I would choose a different stat as my I can only choose

[00:45:09] one stat it's for me would be w rc plus but that doesn't mean that this whole thing is in a tapestry

[00:45:17] right like different guys have different skill sets I don't want to line up of all Stephen

[00:45:23] quans right but I also don't want to line up of all Edwin and Kronossiones right like I want to

[00:45:32] I want to mosaic of all of them that's that's how a good lineup is made up and we have different numbers

[00:45:38] to be able to recognize the gifts the qualities the skill sets that make players valuable and

[00:45:45] I love that we have all these measurements to celebrate that like I love when we play the guardians

[00:45:50] and I can talk about Stephen quans contact rate like it's incredible right it's unbelievable how well

[00:45:57] or or arise like it's otherworldly when we played the marlins last year when the marliners play

[00:46:02] the marlins I was so fascinated by how they were going to pitch arise every at that like he's

[00:46:09] gonna throw right down the shoot like just get it over with he's gonna put the ball play what are

[00:46:13] they gonna do and so being able to talk about contactability right how much in the zone contact

[00:46:21] he makes like there are all these avenues as a candy shop being able to research this put

[00:46:26] into graphics and then watch the play out in front of us it's all so much fun I can't imagine calling

[00:46:32] baseball 20 years ago 30 years ago like it would not for me and what I am curious about it would not

[00:46:40] be nearly as gratifying um I love that every night I can as the games playing out I can look something

[00:46:48] up on savant band graphs reference whatever might be and and like validate how special something

[00:46:55] is right like show a fan how unique a player is that's up to me so much fun and it's really so

[00:47:02] accessible fans have never been smarter even if they want to just arc of the wind at some of the

[00:47:08] stuff it's never been easier to be an informed fan than it is right now and what I look at during

[00:47:14] a game and to prep is what anybody in the world can look at right like there's nothing proprietary

[00:47:19] about it so if you're into this stuff teach yourself that's what I did so do you guys did

[00:47:25] and it's to me it's just one of the great joys of the game right now we've talked a lot of

[00:47:29] hitting is there pitching stat you like so yes there's a there's a lot of like rate stats that I enjoy

[00:47:39] for pitching um so for a starting pitcher out of my prep I always write out the repertoire

[00:47:46] and then I'm always curious for each pitch um what the ground ball rate is like is this a

[00:47:53] ground ball pitch because it's funny like I used to think all this guy's a ground ball pitcher

[00:48:00] so like anything you throw is because the ground ball right well like that's just not true

[00:48:04] and it's also not true that it's a ground ball as frequently too a lefty as it is too a righty

[00:48:09] like my eyes have really been opened up in recent years about just platoon splits and how

[00:48:15] how different the ball can change based on is it a lefty or righty right and the same is true for

[00:48:21] strikeouts like if munoz is like you'd have to look this up to confirm it but if munoz is sliders

[00:48:31] the best swing and mispitch like I'm sure it's better to write ease than it is to lefty so

[00:48:37] like is that a better strikeout pitch to write ease than it is to lefties like to me that's intriguing

[00:48:42] if the game's on the line on the 9th inning and he's facing a righty versus facing a lefty

[00:48:47] so I look at ground balls I look at strikeout rate on the platoon side of things

[00:48:54] and then I do I'll kind of like just click around and I kind of just go fishing is what I call it

[00:49:00] just see what I can find especially on pitch types individually

[00:49:05] like because there are one that's getting hit especially hard right um

[00:49:09] I like to see changes in usage from year a year if that stands out

[00:49:13] um those are some of the ones at the top of my head like I think

[00:49:18] I don't really get into spin rate too much I think we lose a lot of people on it

[00:49:23] and I haven't found part of me I haven't found enough um

[00:49:30] data that shows that like oh if you if your spin rate is this you're a better pitcher

[00:49:35] like maybe but maybe not like that might not be the case um so and I think there's certainly

[00:49:44] I think buzzwords that I think you just lose fans on um like launch angle is one of them

[00:49:50] I think people just like change like mute the TV immediately um

[00:49:54] and I think is another one that they'll just mute it um and then they'll like go on twitter

[00:49:58] and tag me and tell me how terrible I am so I try not to use those and and I don't look at

[00:50:04] them either so it's not like I'm restraining myself but those are a few of my do's and don'ts

[00:50:10] I would say on the pitch inside up top of my head you're talking about prep and how you prepare

[00:50:14] for games how many screens are you up to in the booth now yeah it's um I've I've three screens

[00:50:23] one of them is my scorebook I keep scoring an iPad I've done that for a long time now um

[00:50:28] seven years maybe eight years so like I guess that is a screen um and then I have my laptop

[00:50:36] and then I keep a small iPad up there on in fan graphs you can create customized leaderboards

[00:50:47] where it's really cool like I haven't looked at a stat pack in like five years once I discovered this

[00:50:53] so with the customized leaderboards and fan graphs you can just choose the stats that you like

[00:51:00] and put them in any order that you want so I have like four tabs open

[00:51:08] that I can navigate and toggle between so it'll be the mariners individual batters

[00:51:14] the opposing individual batters the mariners bolt pin and then the opposing bolt pin

[00:51:20] and so a lot of the batter stuff I use before the game that I'll write in my book like I'll write down

[00:51:28] average on base wrc plus home runs stolen bases cost dealings is that a word cost dealings um

[00:51:40] and then strike out rate and walk rate so that's what I write I physically write that down for hitters

[00:51:49] and then for the relievers I really like it because if you name some random other team reliever comes in

[00:51:57] during the commercial break I can toggle over to the angels bolt pin look at his name and I can see

[00:52:06] like I put a leverage index in there so I can see does this guy pitch when it really counts or is

[00:52:12] this a mop up guy which is great because it's like oh man he's a mop up guy but he's actually pitching with

[00:52:18] the tie and run on deck they're oh it's because the angels are short tonight right um

[00:52:24] it will also tell me I also have down uh ground ball rate I have some more like

[00:52:30] so I have like fifth and x-fifth I never use it on the air like that it would be an instant mute

[00:52:37] like I uh we don't talk about that enough for me to use it on the air enough but what it does tell me

[00:52:44] is his e-r-a legit or not right and then I can kind of like if it if there's a big discrepancy one

[00:52:52] where the other now I can start to quickly research and dig into why that might be I look at his

[00:52:57] hard hit rate I look at his ground ball rate I look at his repertoire which I'll either get on

[00:53:02] fan graphs or I'll do more digging uh on sabote especially when it comes to the left through righty splits

[00:53:08] um and then like I like to know how many what's his walk rate and how many bombs is he given up

[00:53:16] like to me for a reliever if you can limit dingers and limit free passes you're probably going to be

[00:53:21] a pretty okay reliever right and just have like a league average strikeout rate and you're going

[00:53:25] to be like probably really pretty good so that's kind of my like my quick I've got 60 seconds

[00:53:32] how do I summarize this guy without giving a bunch of numbers like that's a great example

[00:53:37] you know here's here's liel out of the astros bullpen sorry you're an astro

[00:53:42] out of the astros bullpen you know hey this year it doesn't throw hard sorry lael you know he's

[00:53:48] he's barely breaking glass he's thrown 89 miles an hour on average but I tell you what

[00:53:52] he's got the highest ground ball rate on of any astros reliever this year and because of that

[00:53:57] he's given up the fewest home runs and he barely ever walks anybody he's had a really good year done

[00:54:04] like done like I've just given you the cliff notes on while the astros reliever in like 15 seconds

[00:54:13] and then it's great like what if Julio takes him deep right or conversely what if Julio rolls over

[00:54:20] one to pregnant you're like well yeah okay there it is this is what he earned just said so like

[00:54:25] you can't from me like I can't lose either way because either it plays into what he does or it's

[00:54:31] like wow Mike look at that that's only the third home run he's given up this year so

[00:54:37] like I like being able to look at those quickly try to summarize it paint a picture and then see how

[00:54:45] it plays out so looking at the numbers is super cool but finally this week you're going to head down

[00:54:50] the spring training when this comes out I believe you'll be down there the day after this episode drops

[00:54:55] what's the first thing you're looking at who's the first person you're talking you're gonna talk

[00:55:00] to when you get down there well you know it's funny my my first broadcast will be the telecast of

[00:55:07] the breakout game which I'm really looking forward to pardon me for those who aren't aware it's a

[00:55:15] new thing major league baseball is doing this year a matter of two of them we're televising the first

[00:55:19] one it's gonna be like a vast majority of the mariners top prospects versus the pydres top

[00:55:26] prospects so I've really been doing a ton of homework and the weeks leading up to it so I'm really

[00:55:32] excited to like I haven't seen Cole Young in person like I haven't seen Johnny from L.O.

[00:55:39] person you know you name it any of these guys so that's I'm really pumped for that like

[00:55:46] I'm excited that there will be something unique and different about a spring training game

[00:55:50] in terms of a guy I'm really excited to talk to Machina again I love that guy he's taught me so

[00:56:00] much I've loved talking with him over the years so Mitch will be very high on my list Cal Raleigh is

[00:56:09] this like one of my favorite dudes on the team so I'm eager to to talk to Calligan

[00:56:15] um those are probably two off the top and then like all the new guys I'm I found again by

[00:56:21] learning the hard way that it's so important to establish some type of just

[00:56:28] baseline working relationship with a guy in spring training before camp breaks like just have

[00:56:34] a conversation introduce yourself maybe have a follow up conversation a couple of days later to

[00:56:39] kind of cement it trying to do that once the bell rings is hard guys their whole mindset shifts

[00:56:46] compared to spring training so I've talked to some of those guys over the phone for the hot

[00:56:51] stove show like Garber and Rayleigh both I just could not have enjoyed more as interviews um

[00:56:58] but I'm excited to meet those guys Palonco and others in person

[00:57:03] what have you how have you evaluated what the mayors have done this offseason speaking of the

[00:57:07] new guys that you want to get to talk to and when to get down to Arizona get to know a little bit

[00:57:12] I mean it's obviously been a very interesting offseason but I think all said and done I think

[00:57:16] Jerry and Justin both deserve a ton of credit for the guys they've been able to bring in and

[00:57:22] get this roster for what looks to be marginally better than where I think it was a year ago but from

[00:57:26] your perspective on how you've watched it play out like how would you evaluate how the offseason's time

[00:57:31] you know it's funny I was just I was just randomly thinking the other day man who saw Hannager for

[00:57:37] Robbie Ray coming right like that's a curveball big time it's if there's one thing that this

[00:57:48] front office is especially a lead ad it is just coming up with ideas man like they've got a lot of

[00:57:57] creative people and a lot of those people have been working together for a long enough time to

[00:58:01] have some real synergy I think that's something that can't be lost in kind of the mariner's story

[00:58:08] over the years is just from Jerry to Justin to our analysts

[00:58:17] and really down to a lot of the on field coaching staff obviously obviously Scott but even

[00:58:24] um guys like Trent Blank on the pigeon site and people would worth I mean all these people have

[00:58:31] been together long enough that like the systems and the processes not only have they found footing

[00:58:36] like they've really taken roots and they've they've really found what works in terms of communication

[00:58:44] and so because of that I think ideas flow right like there's comfort there's trust there's belief

[00:58:52] with your circle of people that you work with that you're all relying on and for them to come up with

[00:58:58] the ideas that they did to get done and then to actually pull them off right that's the biggest

[00:59:03] the hardest part has been incredible an incredible I can't realistically think of a better offseason given

[00:59:12] what they had to work with than what they did and there was a point and you guys know as well

[00:59:21] as I do there's a point whatever was three months ago maybe right now where you're like

[00:59:28] what in the world is going on and what's this team gonna look like you know felt like jumping

[00:59:35] out of an airplane like just holding the parachute back and just hoping that you could put it on

[00:59:42] and pull the cord I like that's kind of what it felt like um but they had a plan they always have

[00:59:47] a plan like whether whether you're yelling at your TV because of the bullpen move that Scott's

[00:59:54] making in the seventh inning or you're yelling at the at your buddy over the phone about who they

[00:59:59] just traded like there's always a plan with these guys and it is not cooked up by one guy like

[01:00:08] Scott's bullpen move in the seventh isn't just him working in isolation now he's the one who makes

[01:00:14] the decision he's the manager but you can be guaranteed that there was somewhere around 10 people

[01:00:26] on a video conference call that day at one o'clock spending 45 minutes going over what are we

[01:00:34] gonna do in the seventh inning when Kirby needs to get pulled and Alvarez comes up there was massive

[01:00:43] synergy and roundtable conversation about that and it's ultimately Scott's call right the same

[01:00:49] was true with any of these trades any of these reagent acquisitions it is one of the things that

[01:00:56] really blows me away about the mariners and I'm sure there are other organizations that are

[01:01:00] structured this way now

[01:01:03] it is such a collaborative effort and I mean there was remember the the denards band trade with the

[01:01:10] rays yons and heons and heons ago like that idea was cooked up by two interns

[01:01:18] a one of which at least one of which is now and has been a full-time mariners analyst for

[01:01:23] like a while so they're open to ideas like if you are on the payroll and you are in

[01:01:31] those conversations like you will be heard you will be listened to it's Jerry's call eventually

[01:01:37] it's Justin's call eventually or Scott's call eventually but they're taking an ideas and they

[01:01:42] clearly took out a lot of ideas this winter and it paid off do you the live the broadcasters have

[01:01:47] any input I let me tell you I've given my input okay be a text message be a in-person conversation

[01:01:57] Scott Hunter who's in charge of the drafts for the mariners I've given him plenty of scouting tips

[01:02:03] um and you know what guys I think they take them really seriously you know it's great I was

[01:02:10] gonna say er you know it's great like we're down there last week walking around amongst the players

[01:02:15] you know watching them play look I mean just looking at the lineup up there on the board in the mariners

[01:02:20] facility outside the clubhouse and sitting there looking and seeing the mood of all these guys

[01:02:25] you couldn't tell like December ever happened like you couldn't you you would have no idea that

[01:02:30] was ever that was ever a thing walking around looking at that lineup looking at these guys interact

[01:02:35] looking how they work and looking just like it's sort of the workman like slash happy attitude everyone has

[01:02:41] it's amazing it's amazing the the turn around something like this can do to the morale of a club

[01:02:50] I I can't speak with the grandest authority because I've never worn the uniform but if I were to

[01:02:57] put myself in any of those players shoes of course you're always disappointed when you trade

[01:03:05] a brother right when you trade somebody who you really like and your friends with and you feel

[01:03:10] like helps your team win but I'd have to imagine like you feel significantly more at ease about it

[01:03:22] when you look around and you go okay I get it like we're better now like we're now better right

[01:03:29] like guys love Robbie Ray they love Marco Gonzalez right those were really popular guys in the clubhouse

[01:03:37] obviously Paul C Waldo's beloved um but when you look at the team now

[01:03:45] I think you can say there's a better team than they rolled out on opening the last year

[01:03:50] and I thought the team that rolled out on opening day last year was a better team than they rolled out

[01:03:54] the year before so okay like I think it's better team uh and that's all they want like all these

[01:04:02] guys want is to win all they want to do is win the division and win the world series so

[01:04:06] get me to that point is what I'm saying if I'm one of them and I think that's how they generally feel

[01:04:11] so we've picked up for example about wanting to see just better guys acquired in the clubhouse

[01:04:16] even if you lose a friend so like we've picked up like Justin Topa gave Spire Taylor Sausato those

[01:04:20] three guys were really good friends and I think both of them were pretty sad just from a personal

[01:04:25] standpoint to see Topa go despite the impact that they got back form in Polanco when we talk to

[01:04:30] Gabe Spire after the Santos trade we preface it with all that and said all that being said

[01:04:35] yeah add an arm like that like what's your reaction when you see that trade and and Gabe says

[01:04:39] obviously like you're fired up to have three dynamite arms like that at the back of your bullpen with

[01:04:44] munoz with rash with Santos how could you not be fired up about it so to the point of like these

[01:04:49] guys are watching what happens they understand there's a process behind all this and then from a

[01:04:53] fans perspective like that Santos trade for example felt like icing on the cake like after the

[01:04:57] Polanco trade I said this was a really good offseason but then you go acquire a reliever like that

[01:05:02] with that much club control like if you're a fan you have to be fired up and I think for players it's

[01:05:06] the same thing 100% like Topa was beloved I I really enjoyed learning his story telling his story

[01:05:15] being around him is a young dad his wife and his little baby were on the family trip like he's just

[01:05:22] he's just like the most normal guy ever because he's gone through so much adversity he's just so grounded

[01:05:27] but like this is what happens this is how it works right and if you can the mariners gave Topa a shot

[01:05:34] and he gave them more than they could ever hope and he had a far in a way career year both sides

[01:05:41] on that right and now the mariners got maybe what turns out to be the best year of Topa's career

[01:05:46] maybe not we'll find out when it's all said and done and you help use that to flip to Polanco I mean

[01:05:52] like that's just that's just a great baseball move obviously more was in the deal but he was a big part

[01:05:57] of it is just a great baseball move and like everyone should be happy about that right everyone should

[01:06:03] be happy about that I understand sauce and fire lose a buddy but you know what I have empathy for

[01:06:11] that but they know this is the way this is everybody loses friends via trade man sometimes like

[01:06:16] Mitch they come back Goldie want to get to you in the booth a little bit before we wrap up and

[01:06:22] I want to preface this question in terms of the entire broadcast booth of the mariners what is a

[01:06:29] different trait a different style just sort of a different impact on the broadcast you would say

[01:06:37] each one of you bring to the broadcast stay in and day out.

[01:06:44] That's a good question.

[01:06:48] Boy different something different that each one of us brings.

[01:06:51] Let's see okay well you know Gary I've never met anybody who's more prepared than Gary and has more

[01:07:02] just I wish I would have found that type of nuggets like Gary's just I think Gary really does a nice

[01:07:08] job balancing the stories like unique stories about players and also like baseball Gary is the

[01:07:19] smartest baseball person I've ever been around who didn't wear a jock like that's my best way

[01:07:26] to some Gary up and we're just like super blessed to have him because he's a Tacoma guy

[01:07:33] mariners through and through and there's so much stuff for our broadcasts I mean

[01:07:40] from producing an engineering to actually calling a play by play to hosting

[01:07:49] to doing the wheelhouse podcast with me to producing the mariners podcast which there's like

[01:07:55] 850 episodes of he's just so curious and so smart like I he's one of my absolute best friends

[01:08:04] he's like a brother to me and I'm just there's not enough success for Gary how do I say this like

[01:08:14] Gary could have the more success Gary has the happier I will be like he deserves the world

[01:08:19] he deserves the world couldn't think any higher of him like Dave and Rick I think both bring

[01:08:28] a kind of like an old school baseball vibe to the broadcast which is really fun and has a good spot

[01:08:35] in like in any broadcast TV or radio and I think that is something that is really appreciated by

[01:08:43] a large percentage of our fan base and I completely understand why

[01:08:49] and what was you say you bring I mean I hope honestly if if somebody flips on and here's me

[01:09:02] talking and they say to themselves man Aaron sounds like he's really having a fun time

[01:09:08] like that's that's what I hope now hey the season is long the games can be long this game

[01:09:13] can be good the games can be bad right I'm not so naive to think that I'm going to sound like I'm

[01:09:18] jumping in a bounce house for nine innings every night for six months but I really baseball brings me

[01:09:26] so much joy broadcasting brings me just so much happiness and I genuinely feel a connection

[01:09:37] both to the club and the fan base and I want to just bridge that gap right it's very best as I can

[01:09:47] and do it with a smile and do it with some laughs and like I'll freely admit that there are things

[01:09:53] that excite me in a game that everybody else is just like Aaron that's super mundane and dumb and

[01:09:58] you shouldn't be giddy right now like anytime a pitcher catches a pop up like I lose my top I

[01:10:04] just think it's the greatest thing in the world and I lose I call it like a Julio game winning home run

[01:10:11] and like I want to apologize for that I think it's great it never happens and for the pitcher like

[01:10:16] I know how much pride they get when they can put a squeeze on a pop lie so stuff like that I hope

[01:10:22] even if fans don't share my exact enjoyment I hope they can at least get a kick out of me getting

[01:10:29] a kick out of it we should probably throw a macular inning into that category too right oh I mean

[01:10:34] there's no greater achievement in sport than the macular inning and I still have never seen one

[01:10:39] in person I think I called us spring training one but I I don't know exactly what I'll be like

[01:10:49] when that does happen but you might have to scrape me off the floor what was the can you give us a

[01:10:55] little bit of a peek behind the curtain what it was like I know it wasn't a real broadcast but

[01:10:59] in your house this winner when you threw the immaculate inning with Matt brash

[01:11:02] like they're gonna camera on you well it was um so my my oldest son who was playing he's nine

[01:11:10] I think the only reason he knows what an immaculate inning is just because he watches so much mariners

[01:11:16] but I wasn't going to bring it up because I was like he has no idea what this is and after I

[01:11:20] struck out the first two guys he was like that there's three pitches away from an immaculate inning

[01:11:26] I was like oh my gosh I love you eat all the ice cream you want um I was pretty stoked man

[01:11:32] like that's the closest I've ever been doing immaculate inning in any capacity and he was I did it

[01:11:37] against the Phillies which is legit like that's legit so what's the pitch why why are immaculate

[01:11:43] and it's so important like what's the the context you have why that should be so much more exciting

[01:11:49] than the general fan thinks of it yeah no it's a good by the way uh the ninth strike was a

[01:11:54] slider obviously from brash of course of course um okay let's start with the basic premise

[01:12:02] nine pitches all strikes if you put any big league pitch up on the mound and just said

[01:12:12] I need you to throw nine straight strikes like it's hard throwing nine strikes in a row

[01:12:19] is hard so like that in and of itself we taking for granted because we see guys for strikes all time

[01:12:25] nine in a row that's a very difficult thing to do especially when there's a hitter up there

[01:12:29] so that to me is one number two because I've had the debate with people of what's better the

[01:12:35] immaculate inning or the three pitches three outs right which doesn't have a name

[01:12:42] if anybody ever thinks of a name I'd love to have one I just call it the really good inning um

[01:12:49] like you can get three outs on three pitches and it'd be a total rocket show

[01:12:56] like you could display no level of dominance because it could be three scrimers at 110 miles an hour

[01:13:04] right and they all found a fielder nine pitches all strikes good morning good afternoon good night

[01:13:11] is like the the ultimate form of dominance I don't know if there's another if there's a greater

[01:13:17] form of dominance in any sport than the strikeout like you can talk but you can tell me like posterizing

[01:13:22] some dude right but like something that's actually a recorded statistic in a game

[01:13:27] like I don't know I'm open but to me the strikeout is maybe the greatest

[01:13:35] display of dominance over your competition so to do it three in a row on the minimum number

[01:13:42] of pitches and just be like get out of my way I'm better than you bike

[01:13:49] and the fact that there's been so few of them just speaks the point of how how difficult it is

[01:13:54] that I win many have their bidding well there's only been one recorded one in mariner's history

[01:14:02] now did Randy have one I can't mind of but I won't keep track of them then Felix has the only one

[01:14:09] I mean there's been there's been more no hitters than I believe there's been more no hitters

[01:14:14] in Macletan it's been again and I I will acknowledge the whole you know pitch tracking era

[01:14:21] right 1988 I think was the year so like we are we are looking past a lot of

[01:14:29] emaculonines that very well could have happened and we just don't know sorry the none we can do about

[01:14:33] it but I acknowledge that is until a little bit of a hiccup in the whole thing

[01:14:38] okay golly this is about to be your 12th year with the mariners and one of the things I really wanted

[01:14:43] to make make sure we asked you during this conversation was taking you all the way back to when

[01:14:48] you got the job because I feel like there's a lot of people out there that probably don't know

[01:14:52] what an interview process looks like to get a big league broadcast job and especially what it looks

[01:14:57] like when you have to travel out there and meet with all these different people so I'd love to pick

[01:15:01] your brain about that a little bit about what your interview process look like to eventually get

[01:15:06] the mariners job sure absolutely um I'll start by saying just like a path to getting a big league job

[01:15:15] the interview process there's nothing standard about it I have whether it be my own experience

[01:15:22] or my own experience comparing to friends and colleagues who've been through similar

[01:15:28] I mean they can run the gamut I had once that a friend tell me the interview for job this is

[01:15:33] a long time ago well well over probably like 15 years ago and they gave him the Wonder Lake test

[01:15:38] which like let me tell you some of the man hey no way I'm getting a job if you give me a

[01:15:45] wonder like test I mean I am straight back to put tuck it by the time they get through great

[01:15:50] and half of it they're like Aaron just get on plane it's goodbye goodbye I mean I would be terrified

[01:15:58] I would flank that thing in a heartbeat um so the mariners were super professional about it

[01:16:05] and very buttoned up which keep in mind like the position I interviewed for was on the total

[01:16:16] pull of broadcasting it was the it's the lowest rank like I was the number two radio guy

[01:16:21] I'm gonna call three innings of play by play it's not like I was interviewing for the lead radio

[01:16:25] voice or the lead TV voice so for them to be as professional about it given how low it was in terms

[01:16:34] of a resume or in terms of profile is a better way to put it speaks even more um well first of all

[01:16:44] hi I sent them a CD there's in the still in the days the CDs and uh I got an email back

[01:16:53] a short while later that basically said in so many words we have heard your demo tape

[01:17:02] and we have put all of our applicants in one of two piles a pile of those who we think stink

[01:17:09] and a pile of those who we think don't stink and congratulations you're in the pile that we don't

[01:17:15] think stinks you'll hear from us more shortly and I was like over the moon like I couldn't believe it

[01:17:24] I mean it was the first big league job I'd ever applied for I just had done call on my first season

[01:17:30] of trip lay ball for the red socks organization in Rhode Island like I had no business applying

[01:17:35] for this job I was I had stink pile written all over me and to make it into the don't stink pile

[01:17:43] I mean I had already won like I had won this is incredible um that's not actually what the email said

[01:17:50] but that was the gist of it obviously so I then had a phone interview and then after the phone

[01:17:55] interview they flew me out was my first time ever to Seattle I arrived on like one of the

[01:18:03] seven that might be high five just pristine sunny winter days right like blue skies

[01:18:14] 49 degrees mountains are popping lake is glistening sound looks amazing I'm like what this place

[01:18:22] is it amazing um I got an email from Randy Adamak who was the gentleman who eventually hired me

[01:18:32] who's recently retired but for the mariners just a sweetheart of a man who I'll always owe so much to

[01:18:39] and he said tomorrow we will be doing a mock roundtable in the radio booth with you

[01:18:47] Rick Rizz and Mike Flowers and the topic will be the outlook of the American League West in 2013

[01:18:55] so be prepared to talk about that with those two guys which was great that he gave me the heads up on it

[01:19:03] um that morning I had breakfast with two top executives for the mariners which was like

[01:19:10] the most terrifying way to begin like can you give me some like media relations intern or some like

[01:19:16] you know social media higher new hire that I could talk with first um I'll never forget when we had breakfast

[01:19:24] I was the first one to order and I really wanted the pancakes

[01:19:29] I really wanted the pancakes but I thought that would send a bad message like just wolfing down some

[01:19:33] pancakes like with some like like older older gentlemen that I was dining with like like more mature

[01:19:39] let's put it that way and so I was like man like nobody wants to eat oatmeal but I think oatmeal would

[01:19:45] send a better message of just like I'm like mature beyond my ears you know so I'll take the still cut

[01:19:51] oats please and uh one of the gentlemen one of the executives has with said you know what that

[01:19:59] sounds good I'll take the oatmeal as well yes I was like so pumped that's like now we're talking

[01:20:06] I've already influenced a breakfast order this is mine um so I felt pretty good about that I did

[01:20:12] not enjoy the oatmeal but I felt like I thought this might pay me dividends uh further down the process

[01:20:19] eventually had moved on to um meeting with like all the heads of state it was like pretty intimidating

[01:20:27] honestly I'm just this pipsqueak minor league broadcaster who like doesn't know anything basically

[01:20:34] and it was Randy it was Kevin Martinez who's now my boss who was uh you know senior VP

[01:20:46] Rick Kevin Kremon who was the forever producer engineer for the Mariners on radio he did he

[01:20:53] was the producer and engineer for the Mariners on radio for from remembering correctly 35 of the

[01:21:00] first 40 years from the Mariners so he's got a little bit of weight now he knows the thing or two

[01:21:08] are at the time our director on tv for the Mariners was there as well and uh there might have been one

[01:21:15] other person but bottom line it was like more people than I thought we're gonna be there right

[01:21:22] right and they're all very nice but they were just like just wisdom questions at me I mean just one

[01:21:30] after another about everything from your favorite player growing up to your style broadcast in a game

[01:21:37] um it was I remember being fun challenging but fun and it'll just like kind of an out-of-body experience

[01:21:44] that I just couldn't believe that I was here doing this I just I didn't think that this would maybe

[01:21:49] ever come let alone this early in my life I think got lunch with Rick uh I got lunch with Rick

[01:21:55] later on the day I guess but then after that we went to the home radio booth and we did the round

[01:21:59] table with Mike my first time meeting Mike and um I remember walking into the home radio booth I'd

[01:22:06] only been in one other big league radio booth before in my life and it was not nearly as spacious as

[01:22:12] this one at T-Mobile Park and we're like walking in and looking through the windows and looking at

[01:22:21] the grass and just kind of like panning my head from left to right from foul pole to foul pole and

[01:22:28] just looking at the ballpark my first time ever seeing T-Mobile Park in person and just being like

[01:22:35] man this is just gorgeous and I was picturing myself calling games there

[01:22:46] and then I started to like really feel myself kind of mentally spiraling so I I turned my back

[01:22:53] to the field we put the headset on we did the round table which I over thought more than anything

[01:22:59] in my life it's like well I don't want to say too much because then I'm hogging the conversation

[01:23:05] but if I talk too little the whole point is for me to talk like if I talk if I don't talk enough

[01:23:10] they're not going to know what I sound like so trying to like balance this sweet spot with two people

[01:23:17] that I've never talked baseball with before and Mike and Rick um and we got oh and like half the

[01:23:24] people from the boardroom came up to the radio booth and sat in the like the producers tier of

[01:23:31] the booth so they're like right there just looking down on you which made me more nervous and I had no

[01:23:39] idea how it went when we were done as like I could have been great that might be the worst thing

[01:23:44] they've ever heard I have no idea I've no feel for how that went um then we got then I got

[01:23:49] lunch with Rick which was great and remember Randy gave me a full tour of the ballpark

[01:23:56] uh Randy now he got dinner later that night and uh then it was like fly back to these coast and

[01:24:04] crushed fingers and I really I really convinced myself that I was not going to get it I had heard

[01:24:12] of some other candidates and all of them had big league experience I obviously did not and I was

[01:24:17] like totally at peace with it you know this it's not my time yet um I still got a lot to learn

[01:24:24] and I was just over over the moon and beyond belief that I got an interview at that early in my

[01:24:31] career with the big league team I remember telling Heather my wife I remember saying hey

[01:24:37] the next time I get one of these like I'll be ready I'll be prepared I'll have a better idea

[01:24:42] as to what's coming at me I'll be calmer I'll be less nervous and and maybe I'll get that one

[01:24:48] and uh when they offered me the job it was it was a moment I'll never forget and

[01:24:56] it was outside of like the gender of our three children which were surprised with each kid

[01:25:02] it was the biggest surprise in my life like honest honest to goodness couldn't believe it

[01:25:08] so I have one last question for you Goldanne I know Lyle has one more as well I want to like

[01:25:12] take you back to then that first season and I loved the way you described yourself because

[01:25:18] you I feel like you are you were honest with yourself and you've you've grown so much through now

[01:25:23] into your twelfth season with the Mariners but back then you called yourself quote the least polished

[01:25:28] broadcaster in baseball do you like think back at that and laugh a little bit now oh yeah it's

[01:25:34] the hundred percent right like I was I just didn't know anything like I just I was so bad um

[01:25:41] and the I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing I kind of feel like it's a bad thing

[01:25:45] honestly I knew it like there are people who stink and they don't know they stink and so

[01:25:53] their confidence is still high right like they feel good about themselves I knew I wasn't great

[01:26:02] and I knew I was kind of just faking it like I was in a real fake until you make it situation

[01:26:08] and because of that I was super critical myself really hard on myself I was so scared every night

[01:26:20] of messing a call up I would I really thought that there was a chance that I would finish this

[01:26:27] first year and the im's would say hey Aaron you know we're you're a nice enough guy but

[01:26:34] this just isn't working out and so because of that I just called every game not to lose right

[01:26:42] like I never got too excited on a big play I never wanted to show any personality

[01:26:49] and basically just called balls and strikes would give an anecdote a story here or there

[01:26:55] but it was pretty vanilla man like everything everything was vanilla in a paper cup

[01:26:59] and I just wasn't comfortable I was scared I was nervous and it took more than two years it took

[01:27:10] more than three years like it legitimately took in the neighborhood of five years for me now

[01:27:15] could we totally remember somebody else but it easily took five years to feel like okay you know

[01:27:21] like I'm getting better I'm learning I'm smarter now like I can I can be more me like the fans know me

[01:27:31] I feel comfortable with them it was it was not easy my level it's funny I

[01:27:41] I enjoy my job more every year and I'm so grateful for that like I'm looking forward to this season

[01:27:48] more than any season I've ever done and I enjoy prepping for spring training this year more than

[01:27:53] any season I've ever done and I really hope that like my just upward a sense of enjoyment just

[01:28:01] it never peaks I just hope it keeps going and I just ride the wave all the way to the very end

[01:28:07] but it wasn't like that those first few years it was just just survive it man just be grateful

[01:28:13] you got the gig survive it and try to figure out a way to get better and so it's like a lot of

[01:28:17] desperation of just trying to like listen to myself I can hear what was bad of course my self to do

[01:28:23] something different and and get smarter at the same time so I'm fortunate I'm happy to say that

[01:28:31] I've fought through that part hopefully I am still getting better I know there's still things

[01:28:36] that I hear that I want to work on that I know like I shouldn't I shouldn't have said it that way

[01:28:41] should have said it this way or whatever so that'll never leave but I now feel like okay

[01:28:48] like I got something really good here and I feel like I got a good vibe with

[01:28:54] at least enough of the fans like not I always tell myself

[01:29:01] not everybody likes ice cream so like when when somebody shreds me on Twitter my wife always says

[01:29:06] me like how how can you read that and laugh I say not everybody likes ice cream babe like

[01:29:11] like there are people who just won't like me and there's nothing I can do about that but I've

[01:29:15] been said to say that I don't want to be liked to be the biggest lie ever like this job is really

[01:29:21] hard to do if you're not like like I want people to like my call I want people to like my broadcast

[01:29:27] I know it will not be everybody but I hope it's at least 51% so I feel I feel comfortable

[01:29:35] with that now and that makes me sleep much better at night well I think I can speak at the two of us

[01:29:41] can speak for pretty much the entire fan base to say Maris fans are big airing ultimate fans

[01:29:47] and fans of your calls so to wrap up I thought this would be a good way to kind of wrap it all

[01:29:52] where you are where you are in your profession you're not really for what I assume putting together

[01:29:58] broadcast tapes anymore but for the sake of the exercise I thought it'd be fun to give you a

[01:30:03] scenario where if you had to put together a broadcast tape right now and you had to start it

[01:30:08] with three mariners calls of yours what would it be okay can I be like I'm sorry that you guys

[01:30:16] are the guinea pigs for this I'm gonna be like totally honest with the both of you

[01:30:20] I have learned the hard way through like honestly just self-reflection

[01:30:25] it's just my opinion okay that like nothing can make a broadcaster sound like more of a snob

[01:30:33] than to say let me tell you my favorite calls of myself okay I just I don't like how I feel when

[01:30:40] I do that and unfortunately you guys are the first ones to ask me since I've had this this epiphany

[01:30:48] so I will I will avoid that because I don't like how I feel when I do it but I will say

[01:31:00] I never have more fun than calling a big Julio play like a Julio play is as great as it gets right

[01:31:08] because of how much it means to everybody like any player on the team can have a big moment

[01:31:17] but when I think about Julio and it's first two years and 2020 is a rookie right

[01:31:25] and then last year 30 home runs 30 bags the whole thing

[01:31:32] when I think about Julio calls somewhere in the back of my mind

[01:31:38] I always have in my thought there's a chance this gets played on Mariner vision

[01:31:46] 20 years from now when he goes in the Mariner's Hall fame right and so

[01:31:54] does that come into play when he hits a solo home run in the second inning in April

[01:31:59] for his second home run of the season like no like not not so much but when he has

[01:32:05] either big in game moments like say he had a four home or game right or when he breaks

[01:32:13] a substantial barrier like the 2020 season for example like when when he was sitting on 19 home runs

[01:32:20] I remember it was a I say I remember and now I'm like wait a second let me think about that

[01:32:29] haha we were playing the Mariners were playing the nationals I think it was a scoreless tie

[01:32:36] late seventh eighth inning and Julio comes up

[01:32:42] and he's got 19 home runs and in my mind is he's walking to the plate I'm thinking to myself okay

[01:32:50] if he hits a home run here it means two things it means the Mariners go up late

[01:32:56] in a back of the season game that they really need right but it also means that he's the first

[01:33:04] Mariner since my Cameron with the 2020 season how am I going to approach that because Julio's 2020

[01:33:15] call will be archives like it will be archived for this season it will be archived for his career

[01:33:23] right so in that moment I remember thinking I'm not going to worry at all about the game

[01:33:34] if he homeers here I'm not gonna say the Mariners take the lead it's one nothing Seattle

[01:33:42] everyone on TV I was on TV everyone can see that everyone knows it right the story right now

[01:33:49] is Julio's the first Mariners since 2002 to have a 2020 season go with the story and so

[01:33:59] that was predetermined and he did it he hit a home run like I'm glad I thought it out I milked

[01:34:06] to 2020 and I'm so glad that I didn't say somewhere in the call the Mariners now lead the nationals

[01:34:16] one to nothing right like if that call ever gets played again for some archival something

[01:34:25] having won nothing Mariners over the nationals of the call would in my opinion ruin the call

[01:34:32] it just would like nobody cares nobody cares so I love the fact that his calls have such great

[01:34:41] significance from a franchise timeline standpoint and his historical standpoint but I also love

[01:34:48] the challenge that it's given me it's really open my eyes and my thinking in game as to how am I

[01:34:57] going to handle if he does something someone historic right now how am I gonna call it

[01:35:04] as it pertains to him and the game what am I gonna lead with and happen again last year

[01:35:11] when he hit his 30th home run and became I joined the 30 30 club it gave it tied the game against

[01:35:19] the angels in a super late inning eighth inning ninth inning and again I just went with Julio

[01:35:28] like I didn't go with the score because we all could see it and right now

[01:35:32] everybody in the ballpark is celebrating Julio we like the fact that it helped the Mariners but

[01:35:37] it's the Julio milestone the count of the most so he's taught me to think on the fly in a way like

[01:35:42] that that I had never done before so he's made me a better broadcast right thing

[01:35:48] to wrap it up oh go ahead. Oh I was just gonna say that that's all a really good answer and it

[01:35:52] makes sense you don't want to pick three calls I was going to say I had to pick for you I probably would

[01:35:56] have picked the dog can zone Homer against the Orioles last year and then a couple of those plays

[01:36:00] from the extra inning game in 22 against the Yankees with like the what a silly hack and then the

[01:36:05] behind the backstab by brash like those are a couple of mine if you want them. Okay the what a

[01:36:10] silly hack is the one of the only things I've ever said on the air that I immediately was like oh my

[01:36:14] gosh is somebody gonna be mad at me about that like it's another player like his labor Torah I

[01:36:20] actually remember thinking during the commercial break I'm glad it's the final game of the series

[01:36:26] and I'm not gonna see labor Torah's again this year like the Mariners have already played the Yankees

[01:36:30] ones in New York so I because somebody was gonna say to him yeah that Mariners guy could said what a

[01:36:35] silly hack he probably wouldn't have cared at all but I remember I do remember thinking that the um

[01:36:42] can zone home run was one of the most surprising home runs I'd ever seen like

[01:36:48] that's the last guy you thought would park one off the windows he hit it so high I couldn't judge

[01:36:53] the trajectory of it at first so like in my call like off the bat I'm kind of like oh that's a

[01:36:58] right field right and then I whoever was in right field for the Orioles I remember them not only turning

[01:37:05] around but like their head cocked back like a pesdist Spencer so high like they couldn't they couldn't

[01:37:12] have looked any higher in the air and that was my cue to just let it rip you know I'm like okay

[01:37:18] this thing is to the moon I'm just gonna let it fly and I'm gonna trust this this Orioles outfielder

[01:37:24] he might hose me but if he's right this thing's gonna be good um the back to the New York game

[01:37:31] I've never enjoyed a game more in my life that's the greatest game I've ever been a part of

[01:37:40] who was honestly I might have enjoyed it more than the playoff games that I got to call a couple

[01:37:46] years ago which is like ridiculous to say because it's the playoffs but that game was just

[01:37:54] incredible and it was like a pitching display on both sides like I had never seen just ultra

[01:38:01] Velo show right I remember going on Savant go into the game feed you know how like a Savant you

[01:38:07] can go to um like all pitches and it's just like a running catalog of every pitch and if some were

[01:38:14] like in the six of the seventh inning and I clicked on sort by velocity descending

[01:38:21] and I just started scrolling like scrolling on my iPad like 99 99 99 98 98 98 98

[01:38:29] to 97 96 and there was not a fastball thrown under 95 miles an hour at that point in the game

[01:38:35] and it was late it was late in the game um it was for the Yankees and it was a packed house and

[01:38:40] it was calling Castillo and just like the juice on the yard um I've just I if I could create a

[01:38:47] machine to go back in a relive a game that's the game out of it. I do want to get a ranking out of

[01:38:52] you to wrap it up though Goldie so instead of calls as a noted Taco Bell enthusiast it's your top

[01:38:58] three Taco Bell menu items. I'm going to pretty hard to rut for the cheesy Gordita crunch with steak

[01:39:06] like spin the extra 73 cents it's different in your precinct but just spin whatever just

[01:39:15] it's better than the ground beef okay like I don't know what animal that's coming from

[01:39:20] get the steak. Uh I say that about the ground beef but I do consume it in the Mexican pizza

[01:39:26] no Mexican pizza went bye-bye for a while and then they brought it back and uh

[01:39:32] I do have a lot of nostalgia as a kid crushing some T-Bell Mexican pizzas. Um

[01:39:39] if I'm like trying to not completely pig out and I'm trying to have like a little bit of a lighter

[01:39:47] meal I'll get the um the chicken cheese chalupa. I do enjoy the texture of the chalupa shell.

[01:39:55] Um I've my son would it makes me very proud like he loves T-Bell like we will we will go on

[01:40:04] late night T-Bell runs with some occasion but I just I've tried to cut back boys to try to

[01:40:10] it's hard it's hard I know what about you guys. Cheesy Gordita crunch is foreign away at number one

[01:40:17] I'm like a pissed at the case of Rito like it's been gone forever and that was that thing was the

[01:40:22] best. I have had a case of Rito they're really good uh I couldn't indulge in that level anymore

[01:40:27] but I respect that I respect that greatly. It was just like a Friday tradition in high school

[01:40:33] every Friday. That's a good one. So uh man it's disappointing at this point it's gone it hasn't

[01:40:39] been considered to come back they bring something back but it seems very labor intensive to make

[01:40:44] maybe it slowed down the production line. Correct yeah that won't make sense but the cheesy Gordita crunch

[01:40:49] just carry a ton of weight and you like you might not be as big of a fan of the ground beat but

[01:40:54] that combination soft and hard shell. Yeah oh yeah it's unmatched. Oh it's great it's a

[01:40:59] tight real taste sensation. You can't you can't yeah I agree well Goldie this has been awesome we

[01:41:06] appreciate you take it some time to join us here really looking forward to hearing you on the radio

[01:41:10] and on root sports this season it's gonna be a bunch of fun and it's gonna be even more fun with

[01:41:14] you on the call so I appreciate you taking some time to join us here today. Absolutely guys thank

[01:41:18] you for having me I really appreciate it. Incredible conversation with Goldie he's he's the best

[01:41:26] uh like literally I don't know how else to describe that he is the best before we wrap up the show

[01:41:31] let's hear a word from BetterHelp is something interfering with your happiness or preventing you

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[01:42:37] That was a fun show. Alright that'll just wrap it up for this edition of the marine layer podcast

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[01:43:04] that's TJ I'm Lyle as always we thank you guys for tuning in we'll talk to you soon