Ep 18: Juan Soto Said WHAT?

[00:00:10] Little loud there but alright alright alright. This is The Diamond Geezers With Carlos, Vin, Peter and yours truly your home away from home where the game Never gets old but very loud very loud Already I'm already deaf. I'm deaf as it is and now I'm completely deaf. How you doing guys? I was frozen at the beginning. I didn't know what happened. I was like did I freeze? Did I freeze?

[00:00:41] No, you didn't actually freeze but you weren't saying anything so I'm like is he there with us? It's the freaking music. It's the freaking music. It overwhelmed me. Sorry. I'll try to fix that next time. It's been a while since we did this. So we're already three weeks into the baseball season. I have egg in my face with regard to the Twins predicting them to win the division so far.

[00:01:04] But we have a fan out there somewhere in Portugal who has called me, who has referred to me as Ray Stradamus for predicting correctly the decline of the Atlanta Braves. So, of course, Peter, Peter, the Braves fan is going to disagree. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. Okay. I mean, I really thought the Phillies would be good but I thought the Braves would be good. Wow.

[00:01:33] They're only 20 games guys. Yeah. Right. And it's similar to my prediction for the Yankees who will not make the playoffs this year. Oh, you mean the Goldsmiths prediction? I mean, your first Mets Yankees, same record as the Mets Yankees. Those Yankees? By the way. All right. Okay. Okay. We'll get to that. Okay. By the way. Here's my magic fortune teller cup. It has the QR code. That my wife got me. Right. It has the QR code.

[00:02:03] And I didn't know. You know, so it says here, April 1997, Major League Baseball held its first regular season game in Hawaii. I don't remember that. I don't either. All right. But apparently the Padres played the Cardinals at Aloha Stadium for a three-game series dubbed the Padres Paradise Series. So who knows? Maybe that's where – by the way, they had 40,000 fans at every game.

[00:02:31] Maybe that's where – maybe that's where Tampa Bay will go. Which has to be weird watching – you've been watching Tampa Bay play the Yankees, right? It has to be weird watching the Yankees. Can you talk about that? By the way, anybody's week? Have a good week? Funny starts from the week? Nothing? Okay. Yeah. Just talk about the – I'm sorry. Nobody wants to hear about stuff. You know. So go ahead. Share. Share. Share, Yankee fans. Share with us. Share with the world.

[00:03:01] What, the retrofitted Steinbrenner Field? Yeah. How odd it was to see the Yankees play there. They're still winning there, so that's good. I mean, I have to remind myself it's not a spring training game. You know. Yeah. It's interesting to see, like, where we say Yankees, where everything just retrofitted. But then it's got the big Tampa Bay logo in center field, but then right under it, Steinbrenner Field. That's weird. That just looks weird. But other than that, it's like –

[00:03:29] What about where they have the banner where it says Tampa Bay Rays and then you have the Yankee facade? Yeah. Right on top of it. That's what I mean. It's weird. It's just a little surreal. It's like something you'd see in, like, an apocalyptic moment. It's like, all of a sudden, it's like, this is how we rebuilt it. Tampa took over the Yankee Stadium. It just has that weird feel to it. But it's also good to know we're top on their payroll. They're paying us more than any other players that's on their payroll, so that's pretty good. Yeah. That's a good point. That's a good point.

[00:04:00] I said that's not good for baseball. Yeah. I agree with Carlos, though. That's weird to see the facade, you know, the tradition of the Yankees, to see that and the Yankees are playing an away game. And then the lighting, I thought, you know, these minor league parks or whatever you want to prefer. I guess they're minor league parks. They are. Same thing when the Mets went to Sacramento. Yeah. You can see when the night games are played, the lighting is just not as powerful, right? Correct. It just doesn't seem – it looks like it's a day game almost in a major league stadium.

[00:04:29] But in a minor league stadium, you sort of see, like, shadows. And I wonder if that affected – if that affects the players playing. I know I'd rather have it darker than lighter if I'm playing the outfield. But, you know, so it's just easier to see the ball that way. What was that? Cataracts? Yeah. Easy to see the ball in the dark? I wish you could blame it that way, but I was like that when I was 20.

[00:04:56] So, I remember playing in a Throg's Neck in a Little League game. It was an All-Star game. I was center fielder. And a ball was hit in the air, and it hit the lights on the way up, and I lost track of it. By the time I got track of it, I ran into the fence. I missed it. And I haven't been the same since. I was going to say, a theme that carried on. Right. So, look, I'm going to talk about the elephant in the room. Yeah, come on, come on.

[00:05:26] Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. I'm sorry. This thing with Juan Soto. Okay? If you watch his at-bats, first of all, he's hit some shots right at people. Okay. Leaving that aside. Mm-hmm. What the fuck are Mets fans doing booing Juan Soto 20 games into the season? I don't know.

[00:05:49] But clearly, some of you guys out there are followers because you listen to some schmuck on WFAN just to create a controversy. What schmuck Mike said? Oh, Sal Licata. Sal Licata. Sal Licata. Just to create controversy. And some guys in that fan, they just do. They just want to create controversy. So, they come in the next one, maybe in their pre-production meetings and just blabber on about how to create controversy.

[00:06:19] Well, because he's too emotional as a Mets fan. But then, you know, if you're that emotional, you can't control yourself as a host. Don't be a host. And just come on and say. I mean, the thing is, should he have said what he said? Probably not. Was he saying the truth when he's asked? Which is what reporters seem to want. Yes, he spoke the truth. Could it have been a knock on Alonzo? Perhaps. But Alonzo hasn't said shit. Could it have been a knock on Alonzo?

[00:06:43] So, what it comes down to is when he comes out, I guess what really got my goat was when he and his partner, Brandon Tierney, who I respect a lot more because he's an actual professional. It's when they said that what Soto said was whining. He was not whining. He was not whining. He was answering a question. Okay? What was the question? Whining. That's what I was. They didn't say. I didn't see. What was the question? Peter, Peter, Peter. Peter probably knows this in better detail. Go ahead.

[00:07:13] Because he has a better memory. I actually know. No, no. You quoted him the other day. So, tell us. You have a better memory about this guy. I don't know what the actual question was. I think, look, I think, to raise points. Okay. Look. First of all, I stopped listening to FAN because I'm just, I understand. It's a great, listen, it's a good station to have some really good top-notch people there. Except for this guy. Stop listening to FAN.

[00:07:43] Okay. So, I understand you have to create controversy. I understand you have to do things to get eyeballs. I understand. 24-hour news cycle. I just don't have to practice a thing. Okay. So, Sal Akata, you know, just wants to run his mouth and start things because he thinks it's going to draw people. Or, he's just too emotional and probably shouldn't be on the app. They asked. He thought of the question. I don't know what the exact question was. He answered the question honestly. True.

[00:08:13] He had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind him now. And then, now, okay. That was a stupid thing to say. He should have kept his mouth shut. And especially since Alonso is doing okay right now. Much better than I am. You think? So, if that's your excuse, you know what I mean, for not, you know, it would stop. I think sometimes he says things, you know, that he should probably, he's 26 years old,

[00:08:43] and he probably should be more diplomatic about it. I mean, you want an example? Look at Judge's response. I think I copy and paste it in there, then, to you. You know? He's like, you know. Yeah, I mean, I have the question. The question is the difference in how he's being pitched in 2025 with the Mets compared to 2024 with the Yankees. So, he's being asked a specific question comparing the two teams. And could he have not answered? He says, you know, I'd rather not talk. Yeah, okay. But he's also a kid.

[00:09:12] I know it's hard to find him. He's a kid. He's a kid. He's a kid. He's a kid. He's a kid. I don't care if he gets paid a million dollars. He's not a kid. His mind does not have the life experience of a guy that's played for 10, 20, 30 years. Sorry. No, wrong. Listen. Who's talking? You can't hide behind that. Of the four of us. He was in New York last year. He knows exactly what to expect. Of the four of us, I am the teacher. Just shut up. Okay? What does that mean? All right.

[00:09:42] I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Yes, that's exactly how I talk to my students. That's what they did so well. No, but listen. Listen, it wasn't the smartest thing to say, but the quote was, I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. True statement. Okay? I was getting more attacks and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks. I was pitched differently last year. Probably a true statement. Okay? And again, the only problem I would have with this is if Alonzo got offended.

[00:10:12] Otherwise, I have no problem with it. He's telling the truth. Well, I'm sorry, because Alonzo maybe isn't stupid to even respond to that. In fact, you know what? The thing is the irony. I, listen. Yeah. I'm sure the answer. How Judge, like, he prays on Alonzo basically having Soto's back as he did the year before. Right? It's like, here goes Judge again to the rescue, Soto. I mean, seriously. It was stupid. If you just think about it, it was just so dumb. I mean, I'm Steve Coleman. I'm like, oh, you only hit like that because you had the best hitter behind you?

[00:10:40] And Alonzo's just killing the crap out of the ball? And that's still not good enough for you? You know what the right answer was? I'm not doing my job right now. It'll be fine. Give me a few minutes to adjust. That's the right answer. That's a better answer. It was stupid. That's a better answer. But how many, let me ask you guys, how many other languages do you speak? Exactly. Right? So this is a guy, the English is the second language. English is the second language. I'm not making excuses. It's a fact.

[00:11:10] I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. It's like when you talk. It's like when you talk. Look, can I make my point? Because it's a fact. All right? If you have a second language, if you're speaking in a second language, you're bound to make mistakes in your language. Okay? Number two, you guys don't even understand that because you don't speak a second language. But if you did, you would make a mistake similar to this. Maybe it could be what he meant to say. I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more into it.

[00:11:40] Maybe he meant to say that differently. Maybe he meant to say it like. You're embarrassing yourself with this. I'm not embarrassing myself. 100%. Our bilingual viewers know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not like he misspoke a word or phrase. It was an entire statement that he made, and he was very clear in his statement. I had the best hitter sitting behind me last year. That's why. And he was correlating his slow start to not having Jim Judge behind him.

[00:12:09] Hitter. Pete is right. Pete is right. He simply, all he had to do was say, I'm off to a slow start right now. You know, I'm working through it. I'll be fine. But it's a matter of just syntax. Right. To the Mets fans out there. This guy is not a 300 hitter. He's a career, I think slightly, I think he's a 284 career hitter. So if he was to hit 275 with a 400 on base percentage,

[00:12:37] that'd be probably in line with his career numbers. He's doing just fine. I think there were expectations because Alonzo's hitting so well that if he's your, this is not, he's a fan expectation. That you should be hitting well too because he did get off to a fast start with the Yankees last year. So there's the big contract. The guy hitting behind you is doing well. So why aren't you doing well? What's the reason you're not doing well? And why can't it simply be?

[00:13:07] Well, let me ask you something, guys. Come off to a slow start. Explain exactly. Explain exactly to me. Since Alonzo has to complain, Alonzo's not complaining. Maybe he will. Leading that aside, what exactly is wrong with this statement? It's a true statement, is it not? All right. Is that what we're going to go through? It's a true statement. I'm asking a question. Is it true or not? Who's the one that's coding? Who's the one that's coding him? The press.

[00:13:36] The commandment is a man. Dallas should not talk about the Yankees. But where did they go to him? Goating him would say, you know, last year you had the best – or they would have somehow alluded to – When he's asked that question, it's 17, 16 games into the season. What was the question again? By the way – Read the question again. Read the question again. Differences with how he's pitched in 2025 with the Mets compared to 2024 with the Yankees. Where's the go-to? Who's making the comparison? The question –

[00:14:06] Where's the going? The person asking the question. Why not ask what's different this year than last year? Why mention the Mets and Yankees in it? I'm just saying. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. 17 – and by the way, by the way, the same members of the press ran over the judge to say what it is – because that's what they want. They want controversy. They want to create controversy. He said the right thing. He said the right thing. That's right. You know why? Because judge –

[00:14:35] Judge is not bilingual. I'm just saying. You know what? Oh, okay. All right. You know something? Before I just turn this computer off and go about my name, and you say bilingual one more time – Bilingual! Bilingual! Bilingual! That's very good. He has to do this.

[00:15:01] But this idea that as a 26-year-old man who speaks perfect English – No. He doesn't speak perfect English. He's going to make excuses if the press is goading him. You know what the goading him – That's not excuses. It's a fact. He's going to – The head and breath coming out of my mouth. So you know what goading him would have been? Goading him would have been like, hey, Juan, do you think you were getting better pictures

[00:15:26] when you had Aaron Judge behind you versus now Peter Lonzo who's not nearly as much there as Judge? Something like that. He gave them a big – He had a simple – It was a simple layup answer that he could have given. You know what? He messed up. It's not that big a deal. Us talking about it makes it a bigger deal. Us talking about it makes it a bigger deal. Okay? It – It's – He's fine. You know what I mean?

[00:15:56] It's not – You know, the Mets fans get – Like they booed him yesterday and then they gave him a standing ovation, I think, when they realized how stupid they sound. I'm not talking about that. That's his own individual thing. I'm sorry. I thought I was talking. What was that, Ray? That's all right. We all interrupt each other. But that's not what I'm talking about. I know. It's – I know. It's his bilingual fault. It's the press's fault. No, I'm just saying – All I'm proposing –

[00:16:24] All I'm proposing is that he's bilingual. His English is not perfect, but that's what you said. He's also young. He's young. He's young. And when you're young, think of the things you said when you were young, guys. You said stupid things that you shouldn't have said. You're more mature today. You know about to say certain things. The only thing you can say is that – This is like the first time in three years he's not a hired gun. Now he is the man. And now he's – There you go. Now you're hitting it. That's exactly – Exactly.

[00:16:54] I'm learning, but it's not because of language. Well, I don't know. Look, I don't know. I'm posing that as a possibility of a cause. You hit the nail on the head. That's the issue. The issue is what Francesa said, which if you heard Francesa, he said – He said – Of course, he's a moron. The guy's a moron. Okay. You live with that. Francesa said something that was insightful, which is that Soto is the headliner. He is the guy. In fact, the Mets promoted Soto, Juan Soto, and the New York Mets.

[00:17:24] Juan Soto – Everywhere you look, it's Juan Soto. So when he – I mean, I actually heard this last night. Judge went up to him last year and said, Listen, just be yourself. We got a lot of stars here. We got a sign. Right? You're just another cog. He was a drug in the process, and he was fine with that. Because, look, frankly, it's Judge, right? That's Judge's team. So he's the star, and he felt more comfortable in that. That's not the case this year. So the question is, how is he going to handle being headliner? Those are legitimate questions. Those are legitimate reasons. That should have been a question someone asked him.

[00:17:54] Right? Right? But no one – Right. And what are you saying? The press is too stupid to ask that question? No. They asked it this way on purpose to create a controversial issue. Don't think that the press is like – they're just these innocent people that ask questions. No way. There's – Well, there's an agenda that they have, and it's to further perpetuate this Yankee-Mets controversy, which is good for writing, good for selling papers, good for selling media. That's what it's about, and he fell for it. That's where his fault is. He got sucked into it.

[00:18:24] And what I don't want is that now he keeps quiet. He becomes a malcontent and says, you know, that would be a bad thing. But he's got to do a better job. I agree. But, again, in and of itself, unless Alonzo has a problem with the statement, no one should have a problem with the statement. I'm sorry. That's all my point is. No. No. No. No. I'm sorry, Carlos. No, no, no. Go ahead, Pete. Go ahead, Pete. Yeah. I'll listen to you. I understand this.

[00:18:53] I understand this. Juan Soto, who is, you know, whatever, was one for 25 at the time that they asked the question. Asking the question, do you think you're being pitched differently this year than last year? It was a question that was just used to spark controversy. Absolutely. Absolutely. 100%. 100%. 100%. Nope. It was absolutely. You know why? Because you could have asked the question, what's going on?

[00:19:23] Why are you struggling this year? Period. Period. Period. Period. Period. I don't know. Listen, you want to give the press a break in that. I'm not going to. I've seen shit. I mean, the press does a lot of shitty things, and they always, members, certain members, have an agenda to create controversy. That's a fact. That's a fact. Fact. Okay. Yeah, it is. It is. We understand that. Okay, Carlos. No, I'm saying it's not fake news, buddy. That's all I want to say. No, it's a fact. I mean, do you agree that some members are the press? Of course.

[00:19:52] Okay. All sports. And that some people, when you realize you're getting angry at how they're acting, you just realize, eh, they got me. They suckered me into their little game of what they try to pull me into. But in this case, I think I'd say where Pete's going here. That's a legitimate question. Are they pitching you differently this year than last year? And you could easily have said, maybe. Maybe. How many years did you in this town judge?

[00:20:22] They give you nothing. Even when they went back to judge the second time, Pete, I don't know if you saw the second quote. What did he say? Toto will be fine. Don't worry about it. Basically, he said Toto's going to be fine. Like, basically, he gave no air to furthering Ray. Going to your point, Ray, they tried to further. Okay, let me see if we can get judge in again. They tried it the first time. He didn't do it. They tried it the second time. He was even shorter with his answer. He'll be fine. Don't worry about it. And guess what?

[00:20:51] Met fans, he will be fine. Not you two. Anybody watching. Don't worry about it. So we're not going to cut a break to the young bilingual ball player. No, I'm sorry. Wait, hold on. Let me, I'm going to say, to the young bilingual ball player and saying, well, he could have answered that question. He could have answered that question definitely. But we will give a break to the press, which asked the question and could have asked that question differently. That's what we're doing. Some other press is getting a pass.

[00:21:20] And it's a legitimate answer. It's a legitimate answer. It is. It's a legitimate answer. All right. But you have to take the heat. Are you guys, all right. My apologies, then. I thought you guys said it wasn't a legitimate answer. No, no, no, no, no, no. It was a spoken answer because you opened up your teammates. It was a legitimate answer. It was actually probably the correct answer. Yes. Okay? Yes. Yes. Yes. But here's the difference, right? Okay? You have to understand. You know what? Here's the thing. You're like, I don't make excuses for this thing.

[00:21:49] I think the question was a legitimate question. I think that going back to judge three times is trying to create the controversy. But that question's a legitimate question. Okay? And he gave probably the correct answer. Where his 26-year-old comes into play is not his answer. It's not his bilingual thing. It has to do with the fact that he might not realize yet, and maybe he will today,

[00:22:15] that when you say something like that, it looks bad on your teammate. And so he could find – and somebody – I'm doing it. And a publicist probably sat there and said, Juan, great answer. Okay? But here's the difference between saying this and saying that, and he'll probably flirt, and next time we'll do it better. That's it. But it was a bad answer from the –

[00:22:44] And I think you have to understand that there is something to be bilingual and not understanding that – the syntax is one thing, but not understanding – You're wrong. It isn't bullshit. It isn't bullshit. He did it when he was interviewed a few weeks ago. He did it when he was interviewed a few weeks ago. Let me ask you this question. Great, Carl. Didi Gregorius, by the way, speaks three or four languages. He can't have to care of Jeter.

[00:23:11] He got plenty of hard questions, and he was just fine. There was no controversy. Right. Again, each person's different. But, Ray, what if this is just the way he is? We might find that out. Remember, he's made some statements, even when he was talking to Spanish press, when he was talking about what he did to the Cleveland pitcher, when he goes, I owned him. I had him. Maybe that's who he is. Maybe he's just going to overfell you what he thinks. Exactly. If that's how he is, we'll learn that soon enough. Okay.

[00:23:38] You want to minimize the bilingual thing? I'm fine with that. I'm just throwing that out there as a possibility. What I'm saying is that if you're not going to cut him a break on his answer and say he should have said it back, which is amazing, I'm not going to cut the person a break, that they could have asked that question differently. But they asked it in a way of purpose to create the controversy, which is evidenced by the fact that they went to judge three times because of the contrary. Bro, if you open the door.

[00:24:08] But it started with a question, not with them going to judge three times. It's a legitimate question. It was a legitimate answer, but it wasn't the best answer to give. And it wasn't the best question to ask. That's all my point is. But the question is not horrible, right? That's right. And the answer's not horrible. And the answer's not horrible. That's not the best. Yeah. That is my point. My point is that you guys are deflecting off the press and focusing on him. No, no, no. Absolutely. Yes. All right. Let me ask you, Pete.

[00:24:38] Could that question have been asked differently? It doesn't have to be asked differently. But could it have been asked a better way and differently? Hold on, Pete. You're a little low. You're a little low, Pete. Okay. To hold a ball player's hand. They ask a legitimate question. Are you being pitched differently? Juan Soto gave what was probably the right answer. I didn't say that to hold his hand. That's it. I didn't say that. The people who decided, who went back to judge to see what he said, the first time, I get it.

[00:25:07] The second and third time, now you're just trying to stir shit up. No, it started with the first question, Pete. The first question was intended. Are you being pitched differently? I didn't say it. Again, I'm not saying there's something wrong with it. What I'm saying is it could have been asked differently to not create the controversy. Why did it have to be asked differently? Why? What is wrong with that question? And in response to that, why did the answer have to be answered differently? I didn't say it, Pete. You said so. You just said what I was saying. I said the answer is right.

[00:25:36] But, hey, Juan, you might not realize this, but it sounds like you're insulting Pete Alonso. Okay? That's all. I said exactly what the answer is. Okay. And my response to that, okay, my response to that is that the question was asked, the answer was fine, but it could have been asked differently so as not to create the controversy. Why are you being pitched differently? Because they're trying to create a controversy. They could have asked it differently.

[00:26:06] I don't want to know the answer to the question, are you being pitched differently? Okay. Yeah. You want an alternate question? All right. What issue do you have this year in the first 17 games? What's the issue you have with having your numbers? Okay. Whatever. Yeah. Last year I had Judge hitting behind me, the best hitter in the game. Maybe. Maybe. The same exact answer. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. Wait a second. But I don't know if he would have. Wait a second.

[00:26:33] What issues are you having this year that you didn't have last year? It's not anywhere in the same stratosphere. Are you being pitched differently? That was very specific. No, it was, are you being pitched differently in 2025 with the Mets as compared to the Yankees in 2024? Right. That's a bait. That's a bait for a question. That's baiting him to go and make a comparison between last year's team and this year's team. Ray, what was your question? If he wants to voluntarily say that, that's a different thing. What was your question again, Ray?

[00:27:03] Say it again. You asked me to come up with the question off the top, man. All I'm saying is that the question would be, what issues are you facing? Who knows? Why are you hitting so poorly 17 games into the season? Yeah. And what's the obvious answer? Something like that. Something like that. I don't know what his answer would have been. What is the obvious answer? I don't know. I don't know. I'm asking you, if you, anybody objectively looking, what's the biggest difference between this year and last year? Again, I don't know how to answer.

[00:27:33] I'm not him. No, it doesn't have to be that. It doesn't have to be that. But that's the obvious thing that people are going to point to is who's hitting behind you. Listen, again, you're trying to justify the press, not creating a controversy. I'm not, you're not going to, you're not going to convince me that you were trying to create a controversy. All right. What do you want me to say? It was legitimate. The end. I'm going to repeat what pizza. It was a legitimate question. I don't think it was a leading question. It was a legitimate answer. It wasn't. Hang on. All right. That's what we disagree.

[00:28:03] But that answer, you got to realize you can give the right answer. I mean, look, how many times your wife has you something, you know, there's a right answer. And there's a wife answer. The right answer is going to be, you know, you can get in trouble for the right answer. Right. But you have to give the wife answer. The same difference. You got to be, how many times did Jeter over the years? And nowhere to go. Judge gives them no Alonzo. Are you going to compare Soto to Jeter? And I mean, Alonzo, I'm right. I'm all hang on. Soto now is the man. Judge was the man. Right. And that's,

[00:28:33] and again, that's the point. Again, you're that last thing you said to me, and cause, I think to some extent, that's the point. That now he's the man. And now he's got to be even more careful, perhaps, with his answers, even more careful about what he says. Even he's going to be targeted. If they're losing in a losing streak, he's going to be the guy to go to. And he hasn't hit well. Right. And again, I'm not debating. All I'm saying is, let's have it say the same for both sides. But Peter doesn't agree with me. I think,

[00:29:01] I think that the question did have a bait aspect to it. They were baiting into, because, because one of the things that's been going on, let's not forget for the first three weeks, is this Yankee Mets comparison. And it's going to go on. So this is just, this is just another question along the line, because the press doesn't want to let it go. This idea that some of the Mets voluntarily, you know, make these comparisons, is bullshit. It's the press that perpetuates this. They keep on perpetuating it, and perpetuating it, on WFAN, on ESPN,

[00:29:30] on Major League Baseball Channel, with the press. They keep on perpetuating, because it's newsworthy. A lot of people, even our own episode, that talked about Juan Soto. Our own episode is one of the highest viewed episodes, because of that. That's all I'm saying. And did he, could he have answered it differently? Absolutely. Could he have answered it better? Absolutely. My hope is he will. But what I, what my concern is, is that this is going to go so far afield. He's going to, I think I told Pete this, that he's going to be like Eddie Murray. He's going to be this insolent, you know,

[00:30:01] miserable guy, doesn't want to speak to the press anymore. We don't want that. That's all. I don't think he'll do that. But do you think the baiting will stop? Do you think they'll stop baiting? No, that's what they do. They're going to try to get an answer. Right. So it's up to him. So it's up to him to learn. It's up to the Mets, you know, press people to teach him. But, but in terms of the answer itself, while we all could agree that he could have answered it differently, I don't, unless Alonso had an issue with it, nobody should have an issue with it. I don't say as far, he didn't say it publicly, which is, but he did have an issue. The fact that he said nothing, you're like, Okay.

[00:30:31] Can we talk about how the wrestling? There's one person that I was talking about, and they deserve credit. That's Zach Weber. Okay. Lover of movies, TV, and pandas. It's on his LinkedIn page. He's the current senior director of communications and publications for the Mets. The fact that he did not quit or bitch slap Soto after what he said, that man should be, give it applause, give it applause. It's not the easiest job. What he said was not bitch slap worthy. It was, I'm sure.

[00:31:01] Just, just for, just for, you know, violating the first third commandment. You do not, as a Met, you do not talk about the Yankees. Because the basis. Yeah, I got it. It was my first worry when I read about it was, oh shit. Now he, now he's pissed off Alonso. And now it's going to be an internal team thing. That's my, that was my worry. I don't know. On the good side, Alonso's very fluent in Spanish. That's it. So there you go. There you go. There you go. There is some, I give her some truth there. Cause I, I asked my wife who's,

[00:31:31] who's she's Dominican. And I'll say, what does that mean in English? She goes, it won't sound like this. Right. Some songs where you say it in English sounds horrible. Right. But in Spanish, it sounds a whole lot better. Right. Right. Right. Right. That's not that. Okay. I'm not. Yeah. B said, B said, that's not that. So it must not be that. I'm not agreeing. I don't think that was an issue in this case. No, you, you picked the wrong words, right? You do that kind of thing. I absolutely, I absolutely can understand that. Right. Sure.

[00:32:00] You meant to say I'm the worst teammate. You said, we're the worst teammates. I understand that a hundred percent. Okay. I understand, you know, the phrases don't, I get all that. Okay. And because they're so scared. That's why we have people who speak English, basically doing their, doing their interviews in their language. It doesn't give me. Why Soto speaks perfect English. Doesn't mean that he understands.

[00:32:26] He said nothing wrong with what he said. That was probably a product of, Hey, you know, maybe you don't realize that comes across like you're, and one sort of to sit there. Yes. Yes. I don't. That's, that's that, that part. Well, that part, but you're wrong. It could be. Hang on. Really quickly. The Jorge Lopez that did the glove throwing into it. Right. Is that the same guy who threw at McCutcheon's head? The other, is he on the nationals now? Yes. And he,

[00:32:56] and by the way, yes. And by the way, and by the way, and by the way, if you heard him speak, he speaks really good English as well. Oh, he doesn't. Yes, he does. You're watching videos. Put on a video. People. Put on, put on a video. Well, you spent the time there watching a bunch of soda videos. Go put on, put on, put on, put on, put on Lopez videos. What if Ben Wright's bad? You,

[00:33:25] you sat there watching a bunch of one soda videos. Go put on Lopez videos. Are you a little concerned? Yeah. We're, we got to move this on here. Let's let Pete watch a look at some Jorge Lopez videos. Move on. Yeah, we do. Hey, all our viewers, all our listeners and viewers, hit the SAP button, and it'll still translate into Spanish. We'll see if we sound the same. There you go. Exactly. Exactly. Right. Bring us to the, where are we going? I don't know. What do I get?

[00:33:54] Do you guys have any topics? I got, I'm carrying this show today. Let's go. What do you, what do you guys think? Yeah, your bilingual actually. We're going to start with Spanish. We're going to start with Spanish for a big month. So, where, where do you guys, as Mets fans, what do you guys think of what, where you guys are right now? you know, same record as the Yankees, but from what I'm seeing, I, I'm, obviously you definitely have played against the Yankees. I looked it up the,

[00:34:22] the cumulative record of the team. I think you guys have played one team with a winning record so far, but I think that's a good thing in a way, because you're doing what you're supposed to do. You're beating the teams. You're supposed to beat, and you're not hitting well, but I think there's only one guy in the whole team hitting over two 65. And it's Alonzo. So as a Yankee fan watching what the Mets are doing, I, I think if I was a Met fan, I'd be, and obviously not happy with the way the team is hitting overall,

[00:34:49] but the fact that you have 13 and seven and nobody, but Alonzo's hitting that. You know, if I'm other teams in a national league, I think that they should be fearful of that. Cause Vientos looks like he's starting to come around. He's been swinging a good bat. The last few days. Lindor hit the game winner last night. But all the solid cot is in the world. Alonzo is going to hit. So don't worry about that. And, and Luis on hell. He's starting to hit. I'm looking at my texts. Apparently,

[00:35:18] according to Ray Beatty starting to hit. I don't, I don't, I don't see that yet, but I, I think if I'm an Alonzo, Alvarez, I think had a setback in the minors, got hit in the hand again. No, did I see that? Was that just a precautionary that they took him out of that game? No, cause they said that they took him out of a game cause he got hit in the hand. But in any event, as a Yankee fan, watching what the Mets are doing, I, if I'm the other teams internationally, be fearful. Cause that team is going to hit way better than they're hitting.

[00:35:46] And they're still 13 and seven, which is, I think the third type of the third respect, third best record in baseball with the Yankees and the giant. I give you a question. Was that a question? That was, how do you guys feel? Like, what do you got? What are your opinions on, on the same or what you're seeing from the, that's what I'm seeing from the Mets. My opinion is that the Mets are playing terrible and they're going to win a hundred games. Okay. Good. Good talk. There you go. I understand. I understand. They're,

[00:36:16] they're playing so bad. Maybe, maybe I didn't translate it. I will, I will, but I might get attacked. Yeah. So, so, no, no, no, I'm just joking. But I look at 13, they're 13 and seven. I'm always, I'm a believer of the 25 game theory. The team that's at whatever your record is at 25 games is pretty much a good indicator of where you're going to be the rest at the end of the year. I do think the Mets are going to be close to win close to a hundred

[00:36:43] games because they've hit like crap and it's still 13 and seven. Their pitching has been outstanding. You know, again, I said it before the season started. I don't know what the Mets do with their pitching program. Compared to, I guess, other teams. I know some teams don't even have it, but the pitching lab that they use would, however way they apply it. There was a whole article about this. It's not just me. I'm not saying that, that I know, I know. I'm just saying that their pitching led, they do an outstanding job with it. I mean, even,

[00:37:13] I mean, look, right now, I think, I haven't even looked it up. I'm guessing they have top three pitching in baseball right now. They do. Right. So, and this is what, and this is sort of, you've also faced a pretty weak team. So, but yes, as of in 21 games in you, I think it's, I actually, it might be the best DRA in baseball. Maybe, maybe. And that's the starting pitching and the bullpen, which is correct. Right. So, so, and the hitting hasn't really kicked in. Now I'd see the hitting starting to kick in. Alvarez, like you said,

[00:37:42] is going to rejoin the team. Vientos, I think finally found, he worked through that struggle. He's got Lindor mentoring him the whole, the whole time. Beatty starting to hit. Even though I keep telling you to pick him up, you refuse to pick him up in our birth fantasy league. I don't see it. Okay. Look at him last night. And the problem, the concern I had, maybe people agree with me or not, is center field. They, they don't have really anybody to play. I don't, I'm not a big believer in Taylor being an outstanding hitter, but. Can Acuna play there?

[00:38:12] Is he at any outfield? I'd rather see him play second base. I'd rather see him than trade Beatty and put it. Well, it is why I say it. Cause Mauricio is starting to play now. You notice I didn't Italian his name this time. You keep an Italianizing. I said Mauricio. Mostly, mostly, mostly a bilingual thing. I think, I think, I would say, if Acuna could play center field, Mauricio playing second, you know, that's, that might be. I don't think they want that. I don't think they want that.

[00:38:42] Cause they have a stud center fielder in the minors that, that projecting to play there. But you know, Pete, what do you think? Acuna played center field in the minor leagues, nine games. They said, he might try him out in center field. So he had played center field. What do I think about Acuna? What do I think about the Mets? No, no. About what? Answer Denny's question from the beginning. What have you, what's your opinion of the Mets so far? I mean, I paid in English so we all could follow. Yeah.

[00:39:12] Say it in French. You learned some French when you were in Paris. I think, I think, I think the pitching is probably slightly overachieving. I think clearly the hitting is underachieving. I, I was worried about the hitting. I didn't think the hitting was as good as everyone was thinking. That's why I kept saying Alvarez being the key. But then I also didn't expect Alonzo to be as good as he is. Obviously he's not going to hit 350. I get that part, but he's, he clearly,

[00:39:41] and Ray Michael, he clearly is in a, seems to be in a different headspace right now. So, so I didn't expect necessarily. So I'm still, I'm still going to be suspect of the hitting. Okay. And I think the pitching is overachieving, but I'm happy with, I'm happy with, with, with, with, I think the entrance is coming out. I think Alonzo has been great.

[00:40:08] I think Lindor is light years ahead of last year. Thank God. Yeah. I mean, I think Soto is fine. It's, I mean, even when he slumps, he's freaking on base twice a week. I mean, you know, it's like twice a game rather. I'm not worried about center field. It's fine. You know what I mean? I don't, I can't expect that I'm going to start every spot, but I, but, but, but, but here's the thing that's going to happen now. So now McNeil's going to come back. And here we go again.

[00:40:38] So now we're going to plug him. Now they plug him in center field, supposedly in one of the games, uh, down in his rehab thing. So I don't know what's going to happen once, you know, comes back. You know what I mean? Now you're going to put him in second. And so baby, who is, who has started to hit a little bit, you know what I mean? I'm still not a baby believer necessarily, but he has started to hit. Um, there was a play yesterday at second base, uh, Torrance threw the guy out of one hop throw. So, and, you know, an experienced second base,

[00:41:07] he probably makes the things out. He doesn't make the play and they score the run there. But, um, uh, that's the part that's going to start to piss me off. When McNeil comes back, cause it's, you know, that now we're going to throw everything up in the air and, you know, and that's the thing. But I don't even gotta say, I love Mendoza. What do you think, uh, what do you think of this comment they made last night that, uh, even when Alvarez comes back, this idea of Torrance only playing once or twice a week is not going to happen. He's going to play more. Almost split,

[00:41:36] almost split time with the Alvarez. Who's the DH? Who's the DH? Cause I'm like, is there an everyone? Yeah. Yeah. But then I could have, then I could have put a catcher's DH. They did. The DH. Alvarez. Alvarez. Yeah, but it's not, but it's not, it's not, there's other guys that can play it. Plus it's not a good strategic move to have your catcher. A second catcher is the DH. I'm just saying, you know, if something happens, but it's Alvarez that good, a hitter where if Torrance is doing well, that you could play him. No,

[00:42:05] but I'm saying you don't want to put your, your second catcher. I'm not saying every day. I'm not saying every day, but if you're trying to get a post in a game. Once in a while. Once in a while. I mean, Torrance is a good defensive catcher and he's hitting well. I just don't believe the Torrance hype with the hitting. That's why, I mean, I didn't say they're going to play him more. I don't know who, I don't know who made that comment. It was last night's game. Last night's game. Who made, who made the comment? It was either the, who's the guy to replace Gary. Okay. So the other guy. Okay. Well, maybe,

[00:42:34] maybe it goes from the Sal Akata school of broadcasting, because that would make, how would you take a 23 year old kid. Who's like, was your prospect and, and, and split time with Torrance. Who's who I love the guy. Okay. But if he were this good, he wouldn't have been cut by the Yankees and picked up by the men. Yeah. It was, it was the same conversation. We were talking about, which I didn't know this, the Yankees had an outstanding catching program in their minor leagues. So it was that same conversation where they were talking about.

[00:43:04] What catcher? They were talking about, do you watch the games? Or why? Do you watch the same games? All right. So I'm just saying that last night they were talking about Torrance and how, how outstanding he was. He almost threw out Victor Cruz. What's the guy's name? Who's the guy? Victor Scott on the Cardinals. He almost threw him out. They had to do a replay in that. And that would have been the first time he was thrown out all year. And in that conversation, they were talking about how Torrance is so outstanding at throwing out guys.

[00:43:33] And he comes from the Yankees catch outstanding catching program. What about the outstanding catcher? I'm just telling you what they said. For God's sake. And then, and then, and then, and then, and then they went on to talk about, you know, when, when I think, I don't know who said this, but I think it was the guy, the field guy that, that replaced Gary last night. And he said, you know, when, when Alvarez comes back, Oh, it might've been Hernandez actually said, you know, when Alvarez comes back,

[00:44:02] they're going to have to give strong consideration to playing Torrance. Yeah. that's why he's up. And not really. Hey, you know, hold on, hold on. Wow. You're no position to criticize Keith Hernandez. All right. You're in every position. Stay in your, stay in your, stay in your, stay in your, stay in your burrow. Stay in your burrow. Stay in your burrow. Okay. Stay in your burrow. Maybe. All right. A little closer to those first base lines again. Yeah. What's up? What outstanding catchers have the Yankees produced?

[00:44:31] I am just saying. And Wells. I am just saying. Okay. I am just saying. I am just saying. That's what they said. I was surprised to hear that term. You got two Yankee fans, Ray, can't come up with the answers to that. I know, really. I started going through the years trying to feel like, what? I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I, I taped the game. If you want to go get the tape, you wait for an hour and I'll get to the point where they said it. I don't even have to tell you. I don't know where to get it. And it's been the same way. Elston Howard, Yogi Berra. I mean, I don't know. No, they said, they said, no,

[00:45:01] there's a catcher. It could develop a program. The Yankees had. So I don't know. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, I don't know. Maybe Austin Wallace was a horrible fucking catcher. He became a decent catcher. I understand. I don't know. What is it? I, I am just relaying what they said. And we're attacking them. All right. All right. I'm just the messenger. I'm just the messenger. You were the boss for this stupidity.

[00:45:30] So now you catch the heat. All right. We can't talk. Yeah. Maybe that, maybe it's because it's being translated through me bilingually. There you go. There it is. So this is going to be, this will be, ladies and gentlemen, this will be a running gag with us clearly throughout the whole year. Okay. So, on the Yankees side, let's talk about the Yankees a little bit. Jazz Chisholm got into a big argument with an umpire on a, on a cold strike three.

[00:45:59] It wasn't a strike three. It wasn't a strike three. The pitch before was strike three. Right. And then the guy, the umpire gave him, he called it a ball, and then the pitch that was a ball, he called it strike three. Right. But I guess my problem is this like Cole, like a big brother, you know, a dictatorship that Manfred has in place where a ball player can't even put on social media, something from the clubhouse. because it's banned. Yeah. It's like, it's like, be specific about what you can put.

[00:46:29] What was that? It's always been that way. Same thing with the NBA and the NHL. You cannot criticize the umpire's public. No, no, no, no, no, that's not, no, that's not what I'm talking about. There's a, there's a, there was, he's violation of two rules, that rule that you said. Right. And the other rule was you, you're not allowed to electronically transmit. This shows my age, you know, through social media, you can't go and at the chance you transmit anything from a clubhouse. And that has to do more with the cheating thing,

[00:46:57] not because of criticism on social, criticizing social media. So my problem is that Major League Baseball sort of overstepped that balance by saying he violated that too, even though it's a technical violation because he wasn't transmitting anything to cheat, to help, to help the team cheat with pitches or, or anything like that. it was after the game. Was it after the game he did it? No, during the, during the game, during the game. He went into the clubhouse. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what, that's what he's found. Didn't he just say not even close? I think that's all he tweeted. Yeah.

[00:47:28] Right. Right. But technically, in Major League Baseball, you're not supposed to transmit anything electronically from the dugout or the clubhouse during the game. Period. So he's hot. So he's hot. Yeah. So. No, no, no. But that's suspended a game. Didn't he throw in a helmet? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But his suspension, but his suspension for the game was in violation of both rules. Was that why he got suspended? Yes. Because he threw the helmet. He lightly threw his helmet towards the umpire. When he was thrown out of the game,

[00:47:57] the announcer said that, oh, he's going to, that's going to be a fine. Okay. Okay. Because he threw the helmet. Let's, for whether suspension or not, I know they claimed he violated that second rule. And that second rule, I thought is a little, a little exaggerated because that's not what the purpose of the rule is. The purpose of that electronic, uh, transmission from the clubhouse or the dugout has to do with the cheating scandal. Not because somebody's criticizing, uh, an umpire. So for, so for example, uh, for example, let's say he didn't say not even close. Let's say he said instead, you know,

[00:48:27] were they a home or away game? Was it a home or away game? It was away. It was away. So yeah, a home or away game in Tampa. Right. So he said, let's say he says instead, uh, get lost Tampa. That, that electronic transmission. You can't say you can't do anything. Right. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. I, I didn't, I wasn't aware of it, but when I read the, I didn't know that either. It was in the, uh, athletic. It's not surprising knowing who the commissioner is that, has that type of rule in place.

[00:48:57] No, I just want, I just thought that was a little absurd. It's like, I agree with you. A hundred. I didn't know that was even a rule. I didn't, I thought he got suspended because he threw the helmet towards the umpire. He didn't like chuck it at him, but by the way, kudos to the, yeah, kudos to the athletic. They, they're writing some really good, they, wherever they have writing for them, this group of, they're really doing a good job covering the baseball. Okay. There you go. That's right. Cause they connected. That's right. They connected to New York times. You're going to ask us anything about the Yankee season. What's your opinion? No,

[00:49:27] I'm asking. I'm asking. I'm asking. Go ahead. I gave my opinion. Ask us. What's the guy's opinion of the Yankees? Oh, oh. I think that the Yankees, um, I think I get credit, a lot of credit to the Yankees for starting off strong. Um, I give a lot of credit to the Yankees for, um, getting past the whole Soto thing, but I think it's easier to do when you have one of the best players in baseball. Right.

[00:49:58] Um, I give a lot of credit to, but I've always given credit to judge. I've always thought he was an outstanding person and outstanding Yankee, maybe even better than Jeter. Um, and, um, I, I think to that credit, you know, this is where, this is where the corporate, we're all in, in, on the same page in line, you know, is works to their benefit. That's why I was sort of against the whole, uh, anti, um, the whole shaving thing that you can't, you have to be clean cut.

[00:50:28] Uh, I thought they should have kept that policy. I thought that was part of their image. That's part of who they are. And it's something that, uh, you know, if you don't like it, don't go to the Yankees. You know, if you, if you're traded to the Yankees, deal with it for a year. Stop being a baby until you get traded or you go somewhere else. So I think it's part of the whole Yankees aura, uh, of everybody's on the same page. Judge kept people in line. Gina keeps people in line. Previous captains, Munson going back. They all kept players in line because it's the thing. That's what they do. In a way,

[00:50:57] the Cardinals do that as well. The Cardinals, I find to be the equivalent of the Yankees internationally. They have this long tradition of, this is the St. Louis Cardinal way of doing things. And I think when you have something like that, you don't have, uh, the controversy of, this is another thing they talked about last night. They had, um, Tim Robbins on last night. And they were talking about Jim Bowden's ball four, which I, I mean, probably all of us maybe read as a, when we were younger and that Yankee team totally broke right. The mold. That was not the typical Yankee team.

[00:51:27] That was like an insane Yankee team, the stuff that went on. Uh, but leaving outside that exception, I think, you know, uh, it's not surprising. And it's very, it's, you know, here's what I'll equate it to. And then I'll shut up. Okay. When I, when, when, as it, and I'll speak from a teaching perspective, the kids that typically will perform the best and take the biggest risks in life in terms of what they learn or what they explore or what they discover are the kids that have the best grounded situation,

[00:51:57] whether it's with parents, whether it's with parents, finances or otherwise. That's, that's just new nature. That's a provable fact through statistics. And it's the kids that don't have that grounding. And it's the kids that have a dysfunctional home and stuff like that. Those are the ones that, you know, it goes in different directions. The Yankees are the former, right? They're the team that has a grounding. This is the way we do things. So people don't really stray from that mold. And so when they face adversity,

[00:52:25] they overcome adversity better than the team that's dysfunctional. Like the Mets have been for many years that have not dealt with adversity well. And that, that's my, that's sort of the way I would compare the Yankees to the Mets of old, the Mets of the new Mets. I'm, I think they're, they're, they've broken that mold already. I don't, maybe Pete disagrees, but I think they've, they've broken that mold. All right. I'll ask you, I'll ask you, I'm not sure if I got an answer to my question from what that was.

[00:52:56] What is your opinion of how the Yankees have been doing so far this season? Yeah. I think, I think, I think again, as someone who predicted they were going to struggle to get there and obviously work more early, I think they've gotten some nice contributions. Look, I liked Goldschmidt. So I thought that was, we'll get back to Ray on that one, but go ahead. Right. I like Goldschmidt. I think, but, but Ben Rice is a little unexpected.

[00:53:26] Trent Grisham's a bit unexpected. Even Cabrera is a big, so, so I think, I don't know if everyone's going to hold on those things, but I think that's been a, that's been a nice unexpected start for the Yankees. The pitching has done. I mean, Rodon pitched a great game yesterday. The pitching staff has held together better than I thought they were going to do. Now, what I think is going to happen. I think the, I think,

[00:53:54] I think without making changes, the pitching staff might sort of level out a little bit. You know what I mean? So you might have some more things. And a couple of these guys are, but I think, I think the hitting is going to be better. I think they did a great job replacing Soto. They did a great job replacing Soto. And, and that clearly, you know, and that clearly shows. But I think some guys, you know, like Grisham, you know, I don't, I don't know if he's in a hole there. You know what I mean?

[00:54:24] Or, or that, but they've done, they've done a nice job. I think the pitching will come back down to earth, but the hitting might be, you know, but Volpe, how much longer do you, do you go, do you go with Volpe, even if he continues hitting under 200? You know, I don't think you bat him fifth. They, they got to move him. That's the problem. They got to move him out of the five spot. That's a big problem right there. I didn't really throw a batting fifth. Why would they? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:54:54] Oh yeah. It does not belong. That doesn't, that's, he's Carlos is right. That's not a fit at all. That's ridiculous. I wonder, but, but, but, but regardless, Joplin did not, I mean, look, he's not a good hitter. I mean, right now, he's still young. I mean, he might, he's good defensive, not a good, not a good hitter, but how long, how long do you, do you keep him? I mean, like, obviously not today, but I mean, are you okay with this for another couple of years? Good, good live with him in the order. He just,

[00:55:24] he just can't bat him fifth. I mean, he, he will have these flashes of offensive, you know, prowess, but other than that, he just, he's fine. They can go with it. He just can't have him that fifth hole. Just can't. Carlos Carrasco, baby, two and one. He's going to point that out there. Yeah. And, and we're going to had a, I see what you see. He had a really, he had a great start yesterday, but in his earliest starts, he always, he seems to have that one inning. He could be cruising along and I don't have that one. We're going to. Oh, Carrasco. Yeah. Yeah. Carrasco. That's just,

[00:55:54] I, that's gravy right now. We just got Schmidt back. Heels should be back probably after. It'll be, my guess is after the all-star break. We'll see. He had a little bit of a setback. I thought they, they, or they shut him down and never said, but he wasn't, it wasn't where they thought he should be. So they, they didn't push him along. Yeah. They're getting production at third base. I told you people for the season at Wells was, was going to be a top catcher. I think he's a good hitting catcher and he's actually been playing better

[00:56:23] defensively than even I thought. I'll let Carlos go into Ray on Goldschmidt. I know he's been holding on to that. Go ahead. We cannot end the podcast without Ray offering his public apology to Mr. Goldschmidt. And you will refer to him for now on only as Mr. Goldschmidt. So Ray, go ahead. Let's hear, let's hear this apology. To answer Benny's question. And which will also answer Goldschmidt. I still believe the Yankees currently constituted. They're not going to make the playoffs because the pitching is going to

[00:56:53] come back to earth. You know, let me tell you something. I saw Rodon pitch the other day. That guy has a curve ball. That's one of the best curve balls in baseball. I don't understand how sometimes you just let that curve ball hang over the plate. Like he's saying down to earth, the pitching is actually not ranked that well. Yeah. The pitching has not been doing it. I think it's going to get better. I mean, as guys get healthier, the only guy has really been what as advertised as free. Freed has been as advertised.

[00:57:22] He has been an ace. He's been doing well. Right. And even he has been. It's not as bad. Yeah. Yeah. Again, but I fully expect Cashman to do something to put the Yankees in position. The bullpen has really, I think, like, he always has. Williams has been good since he came back from. If I, yeah. Leiter. Fernando Cruz has been. I actually, I was watching the game the other day. Carlos, I don't know if you heard this where they said, cause he got rock crews in the spring.

[00:57:50] And they said he was just working on stuff. He was working on different pitches just to see, you know, if he could bring them into the season. And what, but once the season started, he went to his bread and butter. And he's been really good. And it's been outstanding. The lefties out of the bullpen hill is, and Yarborough been a little shaky. That worries me a little bit. Cause you know, you gotta have at least one, I think shut down lefty coming out of your pen. And like the Mets, I thought perfect. I, I thought the,

[00:58:20] that was the, the Minter signing by the Mets in the off season. I thought that went a little bit under the radar. Cause he's a, he's one. And I think he, last year he might've been one of them at the best lefty reliever. In the second half of the season. So that, that concerns me a little judge is going to hit. Dominguez. It looks like he's figuring it out. I agree with Pete. Totally. Yeah. Grish is not. Grisham is. Not going to. Yeah. If he does it, I'm, he should go play lotto, but they're getting production at a third base.

[00:58:49] Cabrera is hitting. Okay. Peraza is doing. Okay. I'm concerned. Why did you, who? Who? Who? What happened? Fernando Cruz. Why did he close? Oh, because they, the Yankees, I didn't, I actually learned this. They don't pitch their closes three days in a row. Oh, yeah. Weaver and Williams had pitched three days, two days before. Yeah. They were unavailable. So they, he had through, I think he threw 12 pitches, the inning, the setup inning.

[00:59:19] So they just left them in for the ninth, but that's why they, that's why he closed that game. But I don't know if third base will carry. I can't see them. If they do great, but again, it's 20 games. So we're happy with it now, but I, I see projecting these. Just, I think the concerns we had coming in is still the same concern. Still the same. I, I will say, uh, Goldschmidt has been a pleasant surprise for you guys. Uh, excuse me, Mr. Goldschmidt.

[00:59:48] What did call is just tell you. Mr. Mr. Goldschmidt for now, but he'll be, he'll be, he'll be goldie at the end of the year. Uh, Vinny, to your point about the Mets and the, uh, playing weak teams, I take offense at that. And I will call you on that because I've looked at the end of the year. I looked, I looked, I looked at the Yankees. Each team has played six teams. Three of those teams for each team play under five, play under 500 ball and one team at 500.

[01:00:18] Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. I'll tell you right now. The Yankees, the Yankees, uh, played the Brewers, the Diamondbacks, the Pirates, well, the Yankees, they played seven teams. The Brewers, the Diamondbacks, the Pirates, the Tigers, the Giants, the Royals, and the Rays. Uh, the, the Pirates, the, the, the Royals, the Royals, the Rays, the three teams under 500 and the Tigers are at 500, right? The Mets. The Tigers are 12 and 8. Hold on. 12 and 8 is not at 500. No,

[01:00:48] when they played them, they were 10 and 8. No, no, no, I'm going to talk about what they did today. No, when they played them, when they played them. The Yankees are 72 and 70. I'm not finished. I'm not finished. To call Pete, to call Pete. Am I talking? No, no, no. I don't care. Am I talking? Am I talking? Am I talking? I'm calling my cousin. Am I talking? I thought I was talking. Are there words coming out of my mouth? Thank you, Pete. 72 and 70.

[01:01:18] The Mets 54 and 54. I'm not finished. The Mets, the Marlins, the Athletics, the Cardinals, under 500, and the Twins 10 and 10. So, I'm just saying, I'm just saying, you know, you want to go, the Yankees. No, no, no. Spare me. Spare me. Spare me. Spare me. Everybody, I did it for, as of, I did it last night, when the last game finished. The Yankees, cumulative record of the teams the Yankees have played is two games over 500. Two,

[01:01:47] the cumulative record of the teams the Mets have played is 10 games under 500. But you're wrong on both counts. I have to recognize that. I don't know what you're looking at. I'm looking right here. I don't every Marlin game twice. I want, you tell me, tell me a Yankee game, where we're going to play in the Marlins. I still can't believe they saw this. I don't know if we talked about it. You know, you guys are incredible. All you guys want to do, you guys sit there and listen to me praise the Yankees. Sorry, the Yankees. They're playing, they're playing the Marlins. We gave you five minutes to talk to the soliloquy

[01:02:16] about nothing I even asked you. The Marlin manager, okay, he walks Soto to load the bases. So he's got the double play. Fine. But then he calls the infield in. And this is the pitch to Pete Alonzo. So now you eliminate the double play. But even better, the icing right there, is that then he calls the outfield in against Alonzo. Okay? The Marlins manager. I can't, I can't help with the Marlins. The Yankees haven't played any team like that. I mean, you cut the Marlins twice, man. It just,

[01:02:46] what a gift. What a gift. The Yankees haven't played any team like that. They played the Pirates, for God's sakes. Look at that team. No, you played the Marlins twice. You played a Twins team that is not very good. Yeah, it's very, it's very disappointing. It's very disappointing. No, it's a fact. The Tigers, D-backs, Brewers, and Giants all have winning records. Those are four of the seven teams. Those are real teams, buddy. And we played the Astros, the Astros, the Blue Jays, and the Twins.

[01:03:15] The only team with a winning record is the Blue Jays. Astros losing record, A's losing record, Twins. Well, I'm saying when they played them, they had a winning record. You can't give me the when they played them. The Yankees played the Brewers. They were zero and zero when they played the first. What are you talking about? Listen, I'm trying, I'm trying. Just like, just like I did, just like I did, just, wait, just like I did with the bilingual. I'm grasping, I'm grasping, I'm grasping for straws.

[01:03:44] So you gotta let me grasp the straws. Okay. All right. So, uh, listen, I know I was grasping for straws. At least I could fess up, but at least I don't sit back like you two guys and say, unless something, someone's praising the Yankees, you get all bent out of shape. You get all bent out of shape. We agreed with Peter. Anyway, the coming week, we got the coming week coming up. So we have the Yankees playing the Washington Nationals and the Toronto Blue Jays on the weekend series. And, right. And then we have, we have the Mets,

[01:04:14] uh, with, uh, with their division rivals, the Phillies and then the Nationals. So clearly the big, uh, series for each team is the Yankees Blue Jays, Mets Phillies. So, do we want to do a live, uh, podcast? We got to do Mets Phillies. We got to do, you have to do Mets Phillies. Mets Phillies? We have to do one of those games. Okay. So what guys are you playing a real team? How do we not be live when you're actually playing a real team? There you go. See, another thing. First time this season. Another thing. Well, besides Toronto. Okay. Toronto.

[01:04:44] Second time you're playing a real team. All right. Okay. Uh, yeah, we have, how did we not do Mets Phillies? We got to, we got, we got to do that. All right. Well, you know, we got to figure it out everybody. Uh, so keep an eye open. We'll see what we can do to, to, uh, please our, uh, thousands and thousands of viewers, which are subscribers. And, uh, we appreciate all, all of you for listening and watching and subscribing and, uh, Spotify and Apple podcast and, uh,

[01:05:13] going to our website, we shoot dgeezers.com where you can also watch our videos and listen to our podcasts. And, uh, more importantly, YouTube, right? We're all over YouTube. We're all over Instagram. And we thank all of you for liking and subscribing, uh, uh, throughout the year. Uh, we're always, uh, humbled by the number of people we see doing this, uh, actually wanting to listen to me, make up, uh, bullshit about, uh, excuses as to whatever it is.

[01:05:43] I make up half the time. I agree. I know. Hey, listen, I try, um, with that, by the way, I was very disappointed. I said, like, and subscribe twice and you guys dropped the ball. It's too late. It's too late. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't understand you. I know. I got, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's been a long, it's been a long episode. I get, maybe I got a short. It's working. Yeah. I'll try to show it a little.

[01:06:13] Anyway, uh, with that, uh, we are the diamond geezers and you are not. Yeah.