Latest / The No Good Sports Podcast / EP. 01 -The Analytics Mistake That Could Decide a Playoff Series.

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EP. 01 -The Analytics Mistake That Could Decide a Playoff Series. · The No Good Sports Podcast

• Julio A.: All right, we are here. This is the No Good Sports Podcast with your hosts, the two Pabones. We've got the elder and we've got myself. And yeah, this is a father-son sports podcast, and we are very excited to bring you just our thoughts and our takes on on sports all sports in the United States and and through throughout the world. Julio Elder: Especially. Yesterday was Julio A.: big baseball fans, right? Big baseball fans. Julio Elder: a baseball heaven for me, bro. In Puerto Rico. I was able to watch all the games and I didn't have to be in LA. No. Let's say, hold you, everything else Julio A.: Four games. Julio Elder: in the house. But that's what I did. Julio A.: That's all I did. Nothing, nothing. It's it's actually my favorite time of baseball because it's it all every game matters and there's four in a day. And living on the West Coast, it was easy. I know I don't know what time. What time did you go to bed last night? Julio Elder: 115 in the morning, watching the last strikeout of the San Diego Padres. And that game, I'll tell you what, at that time I usually want to start doing some other stuff. I'll sit there in my living room. I have my computer on and I'm looking at some emails that I have to look at. But yo, when I start hearing the crowds jump up, and when I start seeing things like, bro, I saw some key plays with the San Diego Padres that were not putting me to sleep. They were keeping me up. You know, Manny Machado and Fernando Dates, man, those two individuals, man. And then that picture they brought in at the last minute. I didn't know who he was, never heard of him. But the crowd in and I could hear the crowd here in Caborojo, Puerto Rico, man. Julio A.: that that game was that that game was incr incredible. you know, I think was it pitch number two, pitch number three, was it the first pitch that that Julio Elder: The first pitch ninety six, ninety seven miles an hour, and this guy had not pitched for two years. Julio A.: No, no, not not Joe Musgrove. I'm talking about the first pitch of the game for for the Julio Elder: No. Julio A.: Padres. Was it Tati's? Did he lead off? Was he second? Julio Elder: Yeah, he lit a let up I think he had a home run. Julio A.: He had a home run and they never looked back. They they they took the lead in the first inning and they never looked back. And they just kept increasing that lead, increasing that lead. And then you're talking about Joe Musgrove. When they brought out Joe Musgrove in the ninth, Julio Elder: man. Julio A.: it was emotional. He's a local hero. First guy to, you know, ever throw a no-hitter in Padre history. he he he he that was an emotional moment, but you take that moment aside, you know, you only have that moment because you gave you gave you know the guy an eight-run cushion. He hadn't pitched in two years. Eight runs against the best defensive team in baseball, which obviously Julio Elder: The Cubs. Julio A.: doesn't include their pitching, because they they didn't pitch well. They didn't pitch well and Going into the series, I kind of had a feeling that San Diego, who is one of the hottest teams the last month of baseball, I kind of had a feeling that they, you know, if you're gonna go into San Diego, they don't really lose in San Diego. But man, did they tattoo them? Julio Elder: Ho ho. I mean, it was incredible. And you know what I what what what really captures my attention on these games is that watching the other games, Philadelphia, watching, you know, Houston, Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: you you start hearing of players that I never followed that much. So players that I don't know too much and they're doing some incredible defensive and offensive plays that you know you get to appreciate. I remember a while back. one of the veteran players when when Clemente was when the Pittsburgh Pirates were in the World Series and finally they were getting national attention and in the Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: in in the in the press press room where all the reporters from around the nation were watching this World Series game, they saw Clemente do a couple of plays and this guy turns over to one of the Pittsburgh Pirates regular announcements and says, Wow, this guy's incredible. And the guy and the Pittsburgh guy turns around and says to him, he does this all the time. He says, You never seen him, because you never got national publicity until now that you see a world. Well, that's the same thing's happening to me, you know, and I'm sure Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: it's happening to thousands of other people. You don't know a half a lot of these guys. Julio A.: Happens every year. I remember the the World Series last year. Ernie Clement. Ernie Clement came out of nowhere the f and and had the best like World Series ever for the for the Blue Jays. and nobody knew who this guy was, you know, throughout the course of the season. He wasn't, you know, he's not Vlad. He's not Springer. He's not Bichette. He's not Gaussman. I they got some good, you know, certified stars Julio Elder: Right. Julio A.: on that team. And then Ernie Clement comes in and bats like 500 for the series against the Dodgers, you know Julio Elder: Bing, ping, ping, be. Julio A.: what I mean? And so, yeah, you know, I think what we're looking for is who's gonna be this year's Ernie Clement, right? That's that's what you're talking Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: about. I I'll tell you this: San Diego right now doesn't need an early Clement because their stars came out. Dati smacked one, Manny smacked one. Jackson Merrill did what Jackson Merrill was supposed to do. Julio Elder: Garth got his hit. He was over three. And then he came and Julio A.: Bogar's hit hit hit hit one and he you know. Julio Elder: he got his hit. So everybody seemed to have been hitting yesterday. Yo, and also kudos, Julio A.: Everybody's getting paid. Did what they were supposed to do yesterday. Julio Elder: kudos to MLP, Julio, because the way they scheduled this, where one game was already started or probably finished already. One game was at 10 o'clock this morning, my time. I don't know what time it was in your time. And then Julio A.: Right. Right. Julio Elder: another one after, and then another one after. So they seem to give you enough time. If you're a real baseball loving person, You can literally see off all all the games because they're spread out in a way they're not they're not competing with each other. So kudos to Major League Baseball. Julio A.: Well, I I also appreciate that and that it's all on it was all on one channel. Like I didn't have to search and go, well, the the the the this wildcard game's on Amazon, this one's on ESPN, the Yankee games Julio Elder: That's true. Julio A.: on it was all on MBC. It was all you know, and it was and you can switch from Julio Elder: I was afraid of that. Julio A.: one to the other. And to me that was it was it was very easy to follow. I did appreciate that. I hate that during the course of the season, you know, you buy the MLB package. But like you got so many blacked out games cause the team Julio Elder: But then you gotta go to Julio A.: you want you gotta go to Fox, you gotta go to ESPN, you gotta go to Apple for the Friday night game, you got or the Saturday game. You know, it's like every streamer owns a day of the week now, it seems. Julio Elder: Yes. And I don't know how they did it here, because I'm in Puerto Rico. And I was just happy that on Wapa Television, Wapa de Portes had a mall. I I was surprised Julio A.: At all the games. Julio Elder: because I saw that first game and then they said the Yankees at eight o'clock. And I said, I was looking at the watch. I said, shit, it's almost Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: eight o'clock. Sure enough, eight o'clock. The Yankee game came on. And then after that, sure enough, the San Diego game game came on. So Guapa de Portes in Puerto Rico. Thank you. Gracias, Guapa de Portes. Julio A.: Go go go Go Whoppa. so I I don't want to give too much of a recap because we're actually recording on a Wednesday for an episode that's gonna come out on Thursday. We we record Wednesday for Thursday air. but what I'd like is for you we we can run down you know the games today, where where the teams stand currently, who's down, who's up, and by tomorrow when this comes out, you can predict who's actually Gonna still be playing and who's out because this is a three-game series. It it it's just two Julio Elder: Who's going? Yeah, 'cause two out of three, mm. Julio A.: out of three. And and I'll tell you this right now: the the the Braves Phillies game is in the bottom of the first. It just started, and the Phillies are already up one-nothing. But the Phillies are losing to Atlanta in the series one-nothing. So if Philly wins Julio Elder: Exactly. Julio A.: today, they survive tomorrow. If Philly loses, Atlanta has a day off tomorrow. who wins that series and is Philly? Playing tomorrow. Julio Elder: They're playing they're they're playing in Philadelphia. So or the Atlanta, Julio A.: Right now they're in Atlanta. Right now they're in Atlanta. Julio Elder: but they'll play Philadelphia if if they if if if they tie the game, if they if they tie, Julio A.: They tired the series, yeah. Julio Elder: they'll that then that third game is going to be played in Philadelphia. And I always give Julio A.: Yeah. S so you think Philly wins today? Julio Elder: a i if Philly wins today and they go to Philadelphia for the third game, it's a wrap, I believe, for Philly, because Philly's advantage is not only The Bruce Hoppers that they have and all the great players. But the Philadelphia fans, people talk a lot about the Bronx Julio A.: Price Price Harper's. Julio Elder: fans. People talk about the Bronx fans. And and you know, we can get into that later. You know, they talked about the Bronx and all that stuff. I don't I don't agree with that, but the Bronx does have some really articulating, loud ass motherfucking fans. You know, you were part of that. I was part of that. I remember stuff in the bleachers that would be illegal today. But let me tell you something. I think Julio A.: I was a bleacher creature for a while. Yeah. Yeah. It not the same fan base. Not the same fan base. Julio Elder: I think next next to next to that crazy fan base, I think Philly fans, I think that they're up there. They're cra they're Julio A.: Are are crazier, or just as crazy? Julio Elder: crazy. They're crazy. Philly fans are crazy. I mean, I haven't seen too Julio A.: Yeah. Yeah. Julio Elder: much games in Chicago with the Cubs. I know that I heard those fans, you know, but w what Julio A.: Mm-hmm. Julio Elder: I've seen, and I've been to Philadelphia to watch like one of the World Series games, the last World Series when they were in, I was there, which by the way was cold as hell. I'll never do that Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: again. I don't care how much of a I don't care how much of a fan that I am for baseball. I will not wear ear muffins and and a scully too. Julio A.: Ear muff ear muffins. Julio Elder: I will never wear that shit again. It looked like if I had you know bow speakers on, you know, in the field, I looked Julio A.: Hair muffins. Julio Elder: like Mickey Mouse. Like I said, I'll never do that shit again. You know, but it was cold, bro. It was cold. There were no reporters on the field, bro. All the reporters were finding. Julio A.: Maybe that's why, you know, it's I I I their fans are sure, they're passionate, but I actually find them to be c rude and classless. It's not like Boston Boston fans are also very, very passionate just as much as the Yankees, just as much as but like Julio Elder: Yes, yes. Yes. Yeah. Julio A.: if I wear a Yankee hat at a Yankees Red Sox games at Fenway, I'm gonna get heckled, but it's like a smart heckle. You know, Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: they're gonna they're like they know the game. They know the players, they know the history, they're gonna heckle something, but it's gonna be like Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: us, you know, sarcastic, maybe a deep cut somewhere. I remember being at the game about a game back when during the A-Rod Jeter years, and A-Rod was dating Madonna at the time. And every time he came up on deck, he wasn't even batting it. Every time he came up on deck, there was his crew of dudes right behind the dugout. They all started screaming like a virgin, like the song. The Madonna song Like a Virgin, man. Arod struck out five times that game. Julio Elder: That's Julio A.: that had nothing to do with baseball. They Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: were smart, they're smart fans. They're like, this dude's dating this chick. We're gonna do you the deep cut. We're gonna give you a chance that, like, Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: you, if you know, you know. Kind of Philly fans don't have that kind of banter. They're just going out there, fuck your mother, fuck Santa Claus, you know, for it's just like I. Julio Elder: No, they they poo They're crazy they Julio A.: You don't want to go to a game. Julio Elder: it's crazy, man. Julio A.: You know, I I can go back and forth on banter if it's smart, if it's intelligible, if if you're willing to go back and forth. But if all you're just gonna do is just like scream and throw a beer because you don't want you don't like my presence, you don't like my Julio Elder: Yeah. Yeah. Julio A.: presence in your stadium, you can go, you know, you can go fuck yourself. and and that's my experience Julio Elder: Yeah, I remember once I Julio A.: in Philly and in Detroit, incidentally. Two worst fan bases Julio Elder: My my ex Julio A.: I've ever experienced. Julio Elder: my experience was a pleasant one, not knowing, of course, your father does these things once in a while. You know, you do things that you don't know what you're doing, but I I walked into Fenway and I had a Yankee hat on and I didn't notice that I didn't take the Yankee hat off. And I Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: had it and I was I was I had tickets. So I went and I'm walking. And I'm just noticing that as I'm walking throughout from like the left field field all the way towards where the reporters are so that I can take it off then because you're not you're not supposed to be wearing any steam paraphernalia. Julio A.: Sure. Julio Elder: So I I just had it on because I drove from New York. I was in a rush and I had it on. But I noticed that as I was walking, there was a long five minute walk. Bro, I was getting so many bad looks and I was getting so many thumbs down and I was getting like somebody looks at me. Like nobody said anything like, yo, stupid, or nobody called me ill, you get the fuck out of here. You know, but I just noticed Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: like, is it me because I'm Puerto Rican? I started feeling Like maybe it was discrimination, you know, right away because I grew up in the South Bronx, Julio A.: Could be. It's still Boston. Julio Elder: you know, and I was, you know, at the as discriminated so many times. I thought they were just didn't like me because I was a little bit darker and because, you know, I look like, you know, I don't look like one of them. But then when I got to the when I got to the door to get into the clubhouse to the reporters, then I took off my hat and Julio A.: Right. Julio Elder: I realized, shit, they were being polite, really. Cause in the South Bronx. At a time when there was a real rivalry, i it somebody would put, you know, like more than just a dirty look on me or like a frown. They would have said some crazy shit about me. And possibly one of them might have even pushed me or something. You know, take that shit off when you're here. But Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: kudos to the fans there. They didn't they didn't touch this older guy. Julio A.: I like it though. The rivalry's still alive. You know, I think this series, this series, you know, having Camp Schlittler be from, you know, Massachusetts area, growing up a Red Sox fan. and then coming to the Yankees and then just like, you know, just like dominating in like true ace ace fashion Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: at Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox. That that that was good enough for me. I don't need the fans to add to the rivalry. I like what's going on on the field. I don't need to see fights. I like to see just like people go at each other and Cam Cam win at every single one of them. Julio Elder: Well let me tell you something. The the word rivalry, we have a friend Julio A.: And I'll tell you that Ben Rice is also from Massachusetts. Let's not forget that. Ben Rice is also from Massachusetts. And Ben Rice grew up a Yankee Julio Elder: Rost. Julio A.: fan. He grew up a Yankee fan in New England. That's hard to do. So the fact that like this little smart Dartmouth boy ended up on the Yankees and smashing home runs. Yeah, he does. He just spent some time in the DR, speaks real good Spanish. We'll see if we can get Julio Elder: Who by the way speaks very good Spanish. Speaks very good Spanish. But Julio A.: get on the field to get Ben to say some stuff in Spanish for the pod. Julio Elder: But let me say something, Julio, before we we finish with this segment, you mentioned rivalry. And, you know, growing up in the South Bronx, all my life, you, majority of your youth and adult life in the South Bronx, we know what a rivalry is outside of the stadium. We know what a rivalry is outside the stadium. we have a friend, we're gonna have him on at some point. His name is Aris. Aris is like one of these, yeah, we're gonna have Julio A.: Well get to Eris when Eris is here. I don't want to talk about his Julio Elder: But but he wrote something about the fact that there is no that this is not the rivalry now. This is not a rivalry. This is not the Yankee Boston rivalry that we know. That's a c topic of conversation for another time. But the bottom line is I agree with him. this is Julio A.: I disagree. Julio Elder: not the same rivalry. So this is like two teams playing each other, you know, but I I don't feel that rivalry. I've been there. Julio A.: There's no there's no such thing as the same rivalry. I in the 80s they were saying the same shit about, this isn't the same rivalry from the 40s. And in the 40s, they were like, but this is nothing unlike when, you know, Babe Ruth was first a red side. Like, it's always different. Listen, all I'm saying is every Julio Elder: I'm not that old, bro. So I I'm not that old, so I can't talk about Babe Ruth and I can't talk about the forties. Julio A.: generation saying that the previous generation was like better, right? I Julio Elder: No, not better, but it was real rivalry. This is not No, but Julio A.: That's what I'm saying. Why? Cause they were fighting each other, 'cause cause Pedro Martinez threw Don Zimmer onto the floor and grabbed his head. I don't need that for it to be a rivalry. For me, a rivalry is you guys. Julio Elder: Or or or or or some players some players would will will say something about the other team that the other team then took it to the field, you know, talked about I don't hear that no more. I don't I I'm waiting for Jazz Chisholm. I'm waiting for Jazz Chisholm to say something. Julio A.: Well, Cam did that. Cam did that. No. You then you're not watching. Cause Cam did it. Cam Schlitler did it in his pregame press conference days before he pitched, talking about, Julio Elder: What do you say? Julio A.: he said it's something to the effect of like, I got receipts, you know, like I hear, I don't use it as fuel because you know I don't need it, whatever. I got my own mode of face. I don't remember the exact quote, but it's something to the effect of I know that they're talking shit. I know people in New England are talking shit because he's from New England. He's a New England guy. Julio Elder: Okay, I missed that one. Julio A.: And and so, you know, he he says he didn't need his motivation. I don't know. That game one looked like he was pretty fucking motivated to me. Cause he came out Julio Elder: Yeah, well. Julio A.: there and and and and basically shat on on what was, you know, the hottest team in the second half of baseball. So I I Julio Elder: Well we we're just h we're just lucky these days that bitches don't get to bat. Julio A.: But let's also just well they they haven't gotten to bat in a very long time, but in the American League anyway. But you Julio Elder: So that's that that's a good reason why you're not gonna see anybody trying to throw at him for something he said. You can't do much except unless you were Clemente, Clemente could Clemente could Julio A.: Yeah. Well Clemens No, Clemens Clemens was would talk shit and nobody ever, you know, he didn't bat. That doesn't go that far back. You know what I mean? So like pitchers have been talking shit for a lot. Pedro, it was the biggest shit talker there was for his five ten scrawny ass Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: frame. You know, thank God Pedro wasn't in the national league pre D H 'cause 'cause he might he might have been in real trouble by the time he Julio Elder: Ha ha Julio A.: you know he got to the Red Sox. But You never actually answered the original question and this is I guess why we're called the no good sports podcast because like we don't actually get to topics sometimes. But do the Phillies win today against the Braves and force a game three or is Philly out today? Julio Elder: I think the Phillies are gonna win today. Because yesterday, let's face it, bro, it was it was the last inning, last almost towards the end of the game, you know, spurts. If not, Atlanta would not have pulled that game off. That was Julio A.: I I think that there are two teams in this playoff right now that I don't maybe you can make a case that we we get rid of all of this together and do it kind of the way basketball does it and just do like an east west top six seeds make it bottom two seven and eight fight for a wild card because I actually believe that there are two teams that have zero business. Being in this year's playoffs. And Philly's one of them. Philly's Julio Elder: What? Julio A.: one of them. Philly got no business being in these playoffs. They suck. Their pitching has been disastrous. They rely on two stars that are aging. Luisa Reyes hasn't really done much for them since he got there. The ankle injury didn't help, but they stumbled their way when their expectation was so high at the beginning of the season. Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: I think the Braves win today. I think the Braves eliminate them. And I think Philly needs to go back to the drawing point. I don't see Philly making it tomorrow. The other team Julio Elder: All right. I I disagree because I'm gonna tell you Bryce Harper is the type of guy that you're not gonna hear about, but he's probably in that dugout right now or at the at at at talking to these guys and knowing Bryce Harper that the way Julio A.: A love razor. Julio Elder: he is, he yeah, I know, and I would say the same because I have issues with him on something else we'll discuss one day in the future in the podcast. But bottom line is I know he's I he's like threatening or motivating these guys. They're gonna be playing today like they didn't play yesterday. yeah, yeah. They they're gonna be playing. Julio A.: He wants to win. He wants to win. Julio Elder: I don't want them to win. T seriously speaking, I would root for Atlanta. But I think that the Phillies are gonna win today. Julio A.: I don't see it. I don't see the Phillies winning in either game in Atlanta. And as we speak, Atlanta just tied it up. It's one one. And the second inning is it's top of the second inning. Second inning just started. So I don't see it. I I don't think they have to bullpen. I I certainly don't think they're gonna be able to if if if if Atlanta can score five runs today. There is no tomorrow. Julio Elder: You think they're gonna score five runs? Julio A.: I mean, they scored they scored in the first inning. If they get their starter out of there, if they get him out, who's to say that they can't, you know, run it up? I think Philly wins if it's a close, low-scoring game. I think if it runs into if Philly runs into like a Braves lineup that can get real hot real fast. I mean, look, man, they got the stars who have underachieved this year for the most part. But they got the names. They got the stars, right? And if Ronnie Acuna and Matt Olson Ronnie Acunya and Matt Olson things. With the pitching they have, they got Chris Sale going today. You think Philly's gonna beat Chris Sale? I don't think Philly's beating Chris Sale. Julio Elder: Yeah, they ha you're right. Yeah, yeah, you're right. Well, I I gotta admit that. I mean, Acuna hasn't been, but Acuna can easily just snap his fingers and boom, he could be the Acuna that we know we all know he can be, and that would be disastrous for Philly fans. Julio A.: You saw what Ben Rice did yesterday, and no one Julio Elder: No, that was Julio A.: no one's comparing Ben Rice to Ronald Ducky. So one player can change all. I Ben Rice had six RBIs yesterday. You know, or but Julio Elder: I know. Julio A.: Ronald Dacunya has those, he has that kind of capability. So I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I'm not counting the Braves out at all. In fact, I think the Braves are gonna take a commanding lead today, and they're gonna, they're gonna wipe out Philly. The next game after. Julio Elder: But Julio, on that on that note, I just feel that analytics taking out the Boston pitcher and you know, that was a mistake. Taking out Boston Julio A.: We we're we'll get I don't wanna I don't wanna recap yesterday's game. Let's move on. And also you now you're mixing teams. Hold on. We're not Julio Elder: No, but yeah, you talk about, you know, b Ben Rice would not have been able to hit another he would not be able to hit a grand slam if they would have kept the pitcher there. The pitcher was not Julio A.: Toly. Julio Elder: yeah. Julio A.: Yeah, you know, that's another conversation for another day. I I don't know this manager. I I d the Boston manager, I don't know. Is he an analytics guy? I I I I know I know Joey Julio Elder: Yep, that's what I hear. Julio A.: Cora had a good mix of of feel for the game and analytics, but you know, if that's really the case and you know, he wasn't one ready to go. I mean, they slapped eleven hits around yesterday. He his pitch count was pretty high. I don't know. I don't know about yesterday. Julio Elder: Yeah, but his pitch count was high and they they his they slapped eleven hits. But how many runs did they score in those eleven hits? It wasn't six. Julio A.: No, they scored eight. They scored eight'cause of the Grand Slam, right? Julio Elder: No, not not but before they took him out. They took him out. No, it they they they got hammered more after he left. Julio A.: yeah, yeah, yeah. No, the relief the relief wasn't wasn't great. Julio Elder: Relief was the one that, you know, put it out out out there. Forget it. They still had a game going while he was there, but then when they brought the relievers, they lost it and that would have been it. But anyway, that's another conversation. Julio A.: Yeah. Well, on the flip side of that, but look, if you want to talk about this, talk about it. Cause on the flip side of that, you got Aaron Boone, who it by all accounts, I mean, I think one of the biggest critiques of his whole tenure as a Yankee is that he follows analytics too much and he relied Julio Elder: Exactly. Julio A.: on his bullpen too much. And he would take starters out often when, you know, prematurely, according to the general public. It got so bad that there was some conspiracy theories that he wasn't actually managing, that he was just taking orders from the front office and the statisticians that were sitting behind desks and saying, you need to start this guy and this at this time and against this pitcher or against these types of pitchers or whatever. No. Julio Elder: We lost the World Series because of that. Julio A.: Maybe, maybe not, but yesterday I I saw none of that. He let Cam Schlittler go for 117 pitches. The most this Julio Elder: That was surprising. Julio A.: guy's ever thrown in his whole career. He let him not only finish the inning, but then come out for two outs in the next inning. Cause he was like, this is my guy. And this is supposed to be one of the strongest bullpen. But Booney's got options coming out of the pen. And he said, no. Julio Elder: No, he he saved his boot, but he Julio A.: He said, no. We're not gonna, you know, we're not gonna touch any of them. and then the grand slant happened, and then you don't have to touch. Then you can bring in anybody, right? And you're up eight runs. Julio Elder: Exactly. Julio A.: It doesn't matter. But man, so you can't. You can't call Booney an analytics guy and then look at what he did yesterday with Cam Slitler and say that that wasn't a field move. Ain't no analytics gonna tell you that the third time through the lineup, the pitcher gets stronger. Or Julio Elder: might that might that was one of the reasons why I think I saw him on the phone a lot. He probably was arguing with some analytics guys saying no I'm keeping him in. I'm keeping him in. That's why he in order to in order to give give himself some time he sent his pitching coach I mean he put he sent his coach out there to talk to him just so that he can quiet some people down because he was probably arguing your point. I'm not going to follow analytics. I'm going to keep him on. Julio A.: Yeah. They were probably discussing a game plan. He probably went out there, he said, listen, go out there, let him know he's gonna finish the inning no matter what. You know what I mean? Maybe that's the conversation. Who knows? But it wasn't to warm up a bullpen. Because when he walked out there, there was nobody warming up. Nobody came out of that pen. So he knew, Julio Elder: No, no, nobody's warming up. Julio A.: he knew analytically, you can go shove it. I'm going with a feel. This guy's got the this guy's got the mojo today, right? Like we got. Julio Elder: He got it. He got it. Bro, he was you know you notice how many first pitch strikes he was throwing? That's how I I that's how I value that's how I evaluated a pitcher. I evaluated a pitcher at the first pitch. And he his first pitches were all strikes. Julio A.: Many. I think he was at like an 89, 89, 90% clip. He he he was on fire. He also cranked it up to a hundred and one and in the and when he was done in the eighth inning, he was still cranking like ninety-six, ninety-seven. I was going up. I mean, that's an ace. You know you're not gonna see him again in a three game series. I think it was really smart to just let him go out there and and and and you know, finish the job. I I Julio Elder: he'll have a rest arm. He'll rest his arm. Julio A.: I even remember Joe Girardi saying on the broadcast, I don't think I was ever going to see something like this again. Because you don't p managers just Julio Elder: Yes. I think I heard that. Julio A.: don't, managers just don't let their guys go through the third part of the you know the lineup three times. And if you do, you Julio Elder: Right, right. Julio A.: certainly aren't gonna let him throw 117. Maybe you let him go through the third lineup because he's got the third part of the lineup, because he's got you know, a feel for it, but he's also his pitch count is low, hasn't thrown a hundred pitches. Maybe, you know, the innings-wise, you know. They didn't get a lot of hits. So like he low pitch count, not a lot of hits. You can go into the seventh, maybe the eighth. No. I mean, this guy had a hundred pitches Julio Elder: Right, right, right. He kept them. Julio A.: in this in the in the i when he went into the dugout and he brought them back out. Julio Elder: Yeah, but that's what that's that's one of the things that analytics can't tell you. You don't know the conversations that were held in the dugout with him and and Boone. You don't know Julio A.: Right. Julio Elder: the feeling that Boone got watching him and seeing him when he sat down. Was you know, Julio A.: We don't know. Julio Elder: you analytics can't tell you that. Only only a person. You gotta have an eye. Julio A.: You gotta you gotta give him the eye test. Julio Elder: And I think Boone, to his credit, you know, he was watching that and Julio A.: Well, yesterday he did that. Julio Elder: he and he let him out there. Because I was surprised, bro. I thought he was coming out. Julio A.: Same. I Julio Elder: Atron coming Julio A.: mean, I think the entire stadium did. Everyone was booing the pitching coach. This poor guy was like, I can't, I don't have the power to take anyone out here. I'm just gonna go talk to my guy. They're about Julio Elder: It was it was Julio A.: to throw banana peels at this poor guy. You know what I mean? Cause but I think that just that goes if you Julio Elder: this is the Bronx bro, they don't throw banana pills, they throw freaking water bottles. Julio A.: if you're if you're a yan if you're a long standing Yankee fan, you you kind of expected boon to come out in that moment. That's why the Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: boos were were so strong. Because that's his MO. It's like, nope, you hit the pitch count, their third time through the lineup, most dangerous hitter. You know, the he let a he he the guy somebody got it. Was it Wilson Contrant? Somebody hit a single and he still let him pitch. He didn't take him out normally with a Julio Elder: Yes, yes. Julio A.: okay, you got the guy on base. No, now I'm taking you out. No, he let him finish. And so I think Julio Elder: Yes. We let her finish. Julio A.: that that's not a booney move. But listen, since we're on the subject, if Booney's gonna if Booney's gonna manage like this. And you got Max Fried going tonight. Do the Yankees win tonight or do they go back to fend does do do does the Red Sox survive today? Julio Elder: They just lost their I don't think their stars coming back on the on their roster. The that young rookie, Julio A.: Roman Anthony? Julio Elder: yeah. I had a a lot of faith in this kid. everybody did. That's why they paid him the money that they did to keep him. A lot of fanfare. But I noticed in his first at bat, I don't know if you Julio A.: That wrist. Julio Elder: if people saw that, but yeah. He was looking at his wrist, he was feeling it. And then he d he he he didn't come out again. That's a big loss for Boston, bro. That's a big loss for Boston. I don't think they have, you know, the Yankees have Mojo and the Bronx, especially when you got four guys that can easily Bellinger didn't do his thing. But between Bellinger, Julio A.: Not yet. Julio Elder: no, not yet. But Bellinger is easily one of those guys that can pop it into, you know, right field easily. Julio A.: And Luis Garcia only got one at bat. And he's had a wonderful tenure since the trade deadline. He's been a great Yankee. Julio Elder: Yes, yes, yes. Julio A.: Big RBI guy. He only got one at bat. We did it with the bottom of the line. It was Lombard. Julio Elder: Yankees have Yankees have the power. Julio A.: It was Lombard. It was Volpe, and it was Rice. It was the bottom of our, you know. Good. Julio Elder: The only thing the only thing that I think that can save Boston today and maybe head into game three in Fenway would be their pitching. Because Yankees rely a lot on power hitting. And if they can shut down the power hitting, Julio A.: They don't play small ball. You're right about that. Julio Elder: if they play and and Fen and the the Red Sox do play good, you know, small ball. They do play defense. Good defense. if their Julio A.: Yeah, yeah. Julio Elder: pitching holds up. And they could shut down the power hitters, then Boston can take this. We will only see that first three innings, you'll see that. After that, Yankees got the momentum. Julio A.: So you're not gonna call anything? You're not gonna call it? Julio Elder: I'm I I I I would call it I I haven't really checked out the stats of the of their starting pitcher today. Who's their starting pitcher today? Julio A.: Today it's pr it's Uh-oh, today is Sonny Gray, the Wiley Vet, former Yankee. Sonny Gray goes against Max Fried. That's good pitching line. Julio Elder: Well Sonny has something to prove coming from the Yankees. so he might have that extra, you know, momentum. I don't know. I I would like to Julio A.: He hates New York. I know that. I know he's gonna be motivated. Hated his time in the city. hated his time with the Yankees in general. it was Julio Elder: Yes, he did. Julio A.: probably some of the worst career years of of his career, which is otherwise a Hall of Fame worthy career. I think he's gonna have the extra motivation, but I kind of have to agree with you on. The runs. If Roman Anthony is not in the lineup today, I think Boston's done. I don't think they can win without him, regardless of the pitching, unless unless he just, you know, shuts down the Yankees. I think any amount of runs is going to be too much for Boston to overcome today. I think Max Fried holds it down. Our our bullpen was not depleted yesterday at all. And so Julio Elder: No. That's that's that's a that's the other factor, yeah. Julio A.: I I think our bullpen is gonna I think our bullpen is strong. They're ready to come out. Should Max Fried have a short outing. I think we're gonna be too much to handle. I say the Yankees are are gonna close it out tonight just the way the Braves and the National League are gonna close it out right now, today. So I got the Braves and the Yankees closing it out today. Julio Elder: I got the Phillies and Boston. Julio A.: You got Phillies in Boston. the I I really want to get to the other team that I believe has absolutely no business being in this playoffs. I the fact that you can Julio Elder: Houston, Houston, Houston, Astros, Astros, Astros. Julio A.: win a division with a 500 record is just preposterous to me. They have no business being in the playoffs. I am so glad that the White Sox wiped the floor with them yesterday. Just Julio Elder: Smacked them. Smacked them. Julio A.: Smacked them around. I mean, this is a team that has been to eight straight playoffs. They've got multiple championships. They've turned over their fucking Julio Elder: No, but I you gotta admit. Julio A.: lineup and still win and do it all over again because Altuvi and Jordan are their two mainstays. And they got slapped around by a team Julio Elder: And don't don't go too far, Jeremy. Julio A.: that hadn't won. I mean, we're talking about a team that hadn't been 500 in God knows how long. And now they They're one game away from winning their first playoff series since forever. I'm here for it. I love it. Julio Elder: Ha ha ha. Julio A.: I love the fact that it happened in Houston to the Houston fans. I think Houston fans have gotten too lazy. They've gotten too used to the winning. They've gotten too used to them just good enough. So many years they just needed to make it to the playoffs. Well, that ain't gonna work this year. Julio Elder: Well, that's what happens when you have they got a dome stadium so they can control the internal environment. Chicago, they don't have a dome stadium. You gotta play in the cold, you gotta play in the heat, you gotta play in the wind, you gotta Julio A.: You gotta play in the cold. Julio Elder: play in the water. You know, so so the the players in Chicago have a different Yeah. Julio A.: And Chicago's not a warm city either. Julio Elder: The players in Chicago have a little bit more different, you know, you're like Julio A.: A little a little tougher. Julio Elder: i style, you know, going into cle going into Houston and you have a dome stadium, everything is nice and put together and cute, but You're right. there I'm going with Chicago. Julio A.: So you think Chicago wins today in Houston? So th Julio Elder: yes, yes. Chicago's gonna win. Chicago's gonna win today. I mean they Julio A.: So Julio Elder: bro, they're hyped. They're hyped. This is a team that has the worst winning record in the last three seasons, and they all Julio A.: Terrible. Julio Elder: of a sudden are in the playoffs. Those guys are they're hanging on for their life, bro. They they're putting everything out. They're putting everything out. They're not gonna give up. You know, they won yesterday. You think that they're celebrating? Hell no, they are not celebrating, they are hungry to come out today. Julio A.: You think so? All right. Julio Elder: And prove no yes they are. They were not celebrating yesterday. Hell no. They were like saying, Yo, we're gonna celebrate when we leave Houston winning two out of three games. Julio A.: Okay. I I think they end up winning the series, but I think it's because they did party too much last night. They don't, they don't no well they're the Julio Elder: well, you have somebody in Chicago? You your one of your cousins told you something? Julio A.: they're in Houston. I think they they don't know what it's like to win. I think they did party too much last night. I think they thought, wow, we got this in the bag. I think Houston still has something up their sleeve. I don't think Jordan Alvarez is gonna let and and Jeremy Pena Are gonna let them go out just like that. So I think today Houston survives, but then they gotta play game three in Chicago. And that, like you said, that's gonna be outdoors, raucous. Those we're talking the south side of Chicago, okay? The south side, yes, Julio Elder: A little bit in the temperature, temperature in the sixties. Julio A.: yeah. The not right, not temperature controlled, And that environment, I think that's gonna be too much. The emotional toll, that's gonna be too much to overcome for Houston. I think that's gonna propel the White Sox. They lose today and they win at home and they win the series. But they lose today. That's that's that's so I got the White Sox losing today. I got the Red Sox losing today. Julio Elder: White Sox are gonna win today. White Sox are gonna win today. They did not party. How are you gonna party in Houston? They don't know nobody in Houston. They they they must take. Julio A.: They party in those, it doesn't matter. Listen, these guys are all making minimum wage except the Japanese guy. All right. These guys have no idea what real, you know, they they they they it's like you said, they're playing with house money. They have no idea the stakes that are in front of. They don't know how serious the severity of the situation. They think they got it in the bag because they smacked Houston around yesterday. Houston is not gonna go Julio Elder: Mm-hmm. Julio A.: down and take it out like that. They're gonna be like, okay. Let me let me show you what it's Julio Elder: I don't know. Julio A.: like to be in Houston for playoff atmosphere. I think they they fend off I think they fend off today and then they go back to Chicago and I think Chicago wins the series, man. I think Chicago Julio Elder: I I beg to differ. I think those guys Julio A.: wins. Julio Elder: I beg to differ. I think these guys are so hungry that they even got this far from those three seasons that they were booed and they were like laughed at, that they were like hung up. I mean, forget it. They they that energy that they have winning yesterday, they're gonna take it all the way through tonight. Julio A.: But what what what gives you, you know, I I don't know about their manager, but outside of this the Japanese signing, which turned out to be like we you know, Michael Down is one of the best signings ever, right? He literally turned around saying Julio Elder: Bing. Julio A.: their entire team is the same pretty much that it's been. These same, it's not like they wiped the floor clear, so let's start over, get in a bunch of people. These are a bunch of people that were there last. They won, they lost 100 games. So what was the difference? Julio Elder: Hey, I think that was it. They no you know that saying? You know that saying in Spanish, the grandfather used to say, no hay Marque por bien no venga. That was the Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: bat. They needed to lose all of that to now get all that energy here. And now they're here. And they're gonna prove to, they're gonna prove to you. They're gonna prove to a lot of fans outside of Chicago, because they already got the fans in Chicago online, bro. They're all supporting them. They are, they got a strong base. They're gonna come out today, bro. Watch what they're gonna do tonight. They're gonna come out strong. They didn't party. They save all that energy Julio A.: All right. We I we I disagree. Julio Elder: for tonight. They wanna go back to Chicago and they ain't gonna go back to play. They're gonna go back to the celebration. Julio A.: Listen, I I hope I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong or I would love nothing more than to see the I mean, the winner of that series plays Cleveland, am I r am I right? Or do they play Julio Elder: yeah, I think it's Cleveland. Julio A.: The winner of that series plays Cleveland or and then right? Or Tampa. Julio Elder: Yeah. Let me see. I don't have my my pad here. Let me see my pad. Hold on. I have it over there. No, I send it. Julio A.: I would love to see a Midwest division series, you know, I'd love to see that. But Let's see the MLB prelim. Julio Elder: I would dare say that just as much as we are analyzing all this, the financial people in Major League Baseball are also analyzing all this, because you know, Major League Baseball, you know, their prime their their their crown jewel is East Coast, West Coast teams. LA Dodgers, yank. Julio A.: Yeah, I was right. The winner, the winner, the winner of this ser the winner of White Sox Astros plays the Guardians, and the winner of Yankees Red Sox plays the Rays, which is hysterical because that means somebody from the American League East is gonna go to the championship series. Cause it's either the Red Sox, the the Yankees, or the Rays. Those are the only three teams in that bracket. so I Julio Elder: Yeah. Well that's that's one of the strongest brackets. Julio A.: I would love to see, I would love to see White Sox Guardians, I'm so sick and tired of the Astros, if I'm being honest, but I do think they they they come away with a win today. and then the la well, hold on, let's just go to the last Julio Elder: I think the Guardians, man, also they did they they deserve it. Julio A.: game. The la cause the Guardians are not in this round. The last game of the day is it just like it was yeah on Tuesday, the last game of the day is gonna be Cubs Padres. Do the Cubs stand a chance? Do they make it back to Chicago and go to Wrigley and get at least one? Or are they done? Cause I I gotta tell you, I from what I saw yesterday, I don't I I don't think anybody can beat the Padres. I think the Padres and the Dodgers are set for the NLCS, which would be lovely. But I I don't see the Brewers beating the Padres if the Padres are gonna beat up and score eight runs with ease. Julio Elder: Yeah, the Padres yesterday. I'll be honest with you, other than the fact that, you know, we're Machado and Tatis fans because they've won both and Latino MVP awards and I got to have a different relationship with those two, especially with Tatis. I know his father personally and Machado, the way he's been with our family, especially with my grandson, your son. And Julio A.: Sure. Sad how many. Julio Elder: and and the love that he shows to me every time he sees me. Even when especially when he doesn't want to talk to reporters, he just goes and hugs me and holds onto my hand so that he walks with me. And you know, the fact is that I follow those two guys. But listening to them yesterday and watching the way they were playing showed me something that I had not seen. Thatis has always been an exciting player. That is always, you admit, you gotta admit, he's yeah, he's Julio A.: MVP caliber. MVP caliber. Julio Elder: he's he's MVP caliber all the way, defensively and offensively. But yesterday, I don't know if you got to see from the dugout when he was not batting and Machado got a home run on this other one. We were able to score. You saw his face? He acted Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: like he reminded me of. of Lindor when he's in the dugout and Alfonso did something and he's the one Julio A.: It was almost like they were coming from behind and they they Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: hit them then and it like took the lead and 'cause he was he was hyped. Julio Elder: Yes. You saw yo, yo, he was hyped him in. I mean, Julio A.: Right. Julio Elder: either that or he took too much Red Bull. But the fact is, man, he was like, Whoa. I never seen him like that. And then with the one that also the one Julio A.: He's normally Joe Cool. Julio Elder: Yeah, yeah, you know, he he's just he does his thing with the bat, he does his, you know, he's he does his his thing when he hits, gets a hit. Right. Julio A.: No, he was jumping over the rails yesterday. Julio Elder: But this yesterday, boy, and but then the one that also was revealing was on that play that Machado did, which was a base hit no matter what, but he he actually being the great defensive player that Machado is. He grabbed that ball right over third base, the the the third base sack Julio A.: Right. Julio Elder: right there, right? The pillow. He picked it up and he was ready to throw it. He dropped the ball. But did you see his face? It was like he felt like he lost the game. Bro, they were already up, but he Julio A.: And they were already up. They were already up a lot at that point too. Yeah. Julio Elder: he he was like really, really disappointed at himself. He was Julio A.: Yeah. Julio Elder: He he went into the into the into the dugout. You can see reader's lips. He walked up to the pitcher and said, I'm sorry. The pitcher said to him, No problem. And then also I saw when he was batting up and he was really, really, really concentrated. He already hit a home run, but he's already concentrating and he got a ball. He took his bat, bro. He slammed it. He slammed, Julio A.: Yeah. He took a walk. He took a walk. Julio Elder: he slammed the bat right there and took a walk, which told you that he really wanted a hit. Julio A.: They're hungry. They're hungry. Listen. Julio Elder: Yeah, hungry. That's what I saw. And if they're taking that into game today, game two, I agree with you. We agree on this one. San Diego today. Julio A.: Yeah, I don't see Chicago going back to Chicago, unfortunately. Also, how awesome would it be if both teams ended up playing a playoff game in the same city at the same time? They could both the the White Sox and the Cubs could both be playing tomorrow if they survive. Well, Houston would have to win today for for the White Sox to do it. So the White Sox kinda wanna Julio Elder: That's right. Julio A.: close it out, but it it could happen. It could happen. Except I think San Diego is tough. If what you're saying is true and they're going in there with a little edge, because they're like a little salty about the way things have transpired, I think it's an they're another team with high expectations, just like the Phillies. Except they unfortunately they're just in a division with the fucking Dodgers that are never gonna lose again. So you know, it's like if they were in the East, they'd have run away with it. Yeah, you you forget Julio Elder: Forget it. Forget it. Julio A.: it, right? And so i it's not the same level of in consistency with San Diego as it is with Philly. They're in they're just in a tougher division. That said, Julio Elder: But you know, San Diego's at a stage, but San Diego's at a stage right now, Julio, that I've noticed also the number of times that we've been there. I also feel that for some degree, San Diego, they felt that they never have gotten the publicity, the recognition that they deserve, right? And now, Julio A.: Mmm. They do function like a small market team. Julio Elder: yeah, and now they're at they're at the prime time publicity, right? So you add that and and and the way I felt that was watching and hearing the comments from players about the fans. The fans in the stadium. Everybody feels this. It's almost like you don't, you Julio A.: Yeah. Michael King talked about it. Manny talked about it. Julio Elder: don't recognize us. You don't think we're a prime team. You know, we're always losing to the Dodgers. We're doing this, we're doing that. Well, watch. That's why I think Manny was angry when he couldn't hit. That's why I think, yeah. So I think that there's a different team that's playing. Julio A.: Listen, I I actually think they have the toughest route. Looking at this playoff bracket, I I they have the toughest route to the World Series. They they they have to beat the Cubs, then they have to beat the Brewers. And then when they beat when they beat the Brewers, right, Julio Elder: Which which is another we'll wait until that one. Julio A.: right, right. Then they have to beat the Brewers, which is the the best team in baseball. Even better than the Dodgers. They are the number one C. Julio Elder: Yeah, no, no, that's that that's and that's a different dynamic. They don't have superstars, bro, but they play some best, the best basic baseball that I've seen in years. Julio A.: Right. The bet it's it's fundamentally sound. It's it's the art of the sacrifice, it's the steal, the hit and run. I love it. The bunt, the chaos Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: that they cause, and the Rays do that too, but the chaos they cause in the base, it is the exact opposite of the Yankees Red Sox that are like, Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: you know, I know yesterday's game one of the announcers said, you know, the the Yankees are I mean, the Red Sox are only a bump and a home run away. Or a bloopin' a bloopin' a bop away from being back in this game. And that's what the Yankees depend on. You get a bloop single here, and then you get Bellinger, or you Rice, you get Judge, you get these guys up, you get the bop. Brewers don't play like that. And so the Cubs, I mean, the Padres are going to have a tough time when they beat the Cubs with the Brewers. But let's assume that they beat the Cubs and then they play the Brewers and then they beat the Brewers. Then they got to play the Dodgers, which everyone's assuming is going to beat the Braves or Phillies. Right. You just assume that they're going to win that series no matter what. So they're going to go to the NLCS and they're going to play the winner of the Brewers. Or the Padres. So I think the Padres have beat Chicago, then they gotta go beat Milwaukee, then they gotta beat the goddamn Dodgers, then they make it to the World Series and have to play whoever comes out of the American League. That's the toughest. But if this is their mindset, and if game one was any indication where they're scoring eight runs and they're still pissed off because they walked or they got an error and apologizing to the pitcher when you're if you've got that Julio Elder: Yeah, yeah, that's the that's the key. That's the key. Julio A.: if you've got that it you you have that feeling, then this could be a special This could be a special run, and I would love for it. Julio Elder: Yeah, it could be a special, yeah. Julio A.: I would I it could be a special, yeah, and I would love nothing more than to at the very least, I would love to see Dodgers, Padres, and the NLCS. No offense to the Brewers. I know they're great, but I the last thing in the world I would want to see is Brewers Rays in the World Series. And I and I think MLB would agree with me. Julio Elder: Bro, that would be MLB. Julio A.: Yes. Julio Elder: MLB is lighting candles, even though they might not agree, even though they might not be into that culture. I'm sure they're talking to their Latina secretaries and saying, yo, is there a way that we could do something existentially outside to make sure that this never happens? Because that would be the bombshell, bro. They would lose so much income, revenue, on advertising revenue. Julio A.: Could you imagine? Would it'd be a hard series. You couldn't market one player. Who who? Who's the star? There's no judge, there's no shohei, there's no tatties. Julio Elder: Chu Churio, you could Churrio sounds like Cherio's, so you can say Julio A.: Okay, sure. He did just come off the Venezuela national team won. He was on that team. So that would be a great for him. That's a great storyline. But like, how do you market the Brewers Ray? No one wants to see that, except if I guess Brewers are Rays fans, but that would be a hard watch, even for me. And I'm a big baseball fan. Julio Elder: Unknowns in the World Series. A world a World Series of Unknowns. Julio A.: Christian Yelich? I mean, he's already like past his he was he 34? Like, who do you? Julio Elder: Comeback player of the year. Julio A.: You know, you got the pitchers. you Ms. Rousey, I guess. Anyway, so I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but so the last game of the day, I I definitely based on what we just talked about, you convinced me. I thought I thought I was gonna come in here and say that P. Carr Armstrong is gonna be the MVP in the National League. He's not gonna let his team go down two in a row. But after what you just said, you saw that if factor, you have that feeling. You get mad when things are going your way that things didn't go extra your way. That that's that's gonna be that's hard to beat. I think I think San Diego Julio Elder: That that was shocking to me. That was shocking. That was shocking. Julio A.: wins tonight. I think the Cubs are packing their bags, they're going to Cancun. Julio Elder: That was shocking and that's what got me to believe that because I said, Wow, that's strange. I've never seen that. Julio A.: So you got the cub you got the Cubs losing tonight as well. Julio Elder: Yeah. Yeah. I mean I we have family out there in Chicago. I want one of the Chicago teams to win and I feel for the Julio A.: Well though they're White Sox fans, though. They're White Sox fans. Julio Elder: they're not they're not Cubs fans? Julio A.: They are not Cubs fans. They are White Sox fans. When I went out there, they have my our cousins, shout out to our cousins. The Romans, the Roman family. They got great seats. Andy Jr. had great seats. But it was at Comiskey. It was in the south side of Chicago. They are not Cubs fans. Julio Elder: White sucks. It's a different culture also. Yeah. Yeah. Julio A.: So they they Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a lot that goes into that. There's a lot that goes into that. Not too different than, you know, the way the Julio Elder: Yankees and Mets. Julio A.: well I was gonna know Mets fans are just losers. I'm talking about the Giants, Julio Elder: Yeah. Yo, yo. Well Julio A.: Dodgers, and Yankees when the two when the three teams Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: actually ran baseball in New York and it was either the Yankees versus the Giants or the Yankees versus the Dodgers. They were the best teams. Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: the Yankees were, you know, they were considered the white, buttoned up, celebrity driven, right? Marilyn Monroe with DiMaggio Mantle running around, being mantle. Julio Elder: Roger Maris winning his awards. yeah. Julio A.: And the Dodgers that were that blue-collar team that broke the color barrier, but you they were blue-collar. Yeah, Pee Pee-Wee Reese, and you know, you had Jackie Robinson, and you know, you had these guys that were like they they fought hard. Jackie Robinson wasn't the best Negro League player, right? That's been a step. And then you had the Giants Julio Elder: And then you had the giants who and and you had the giants, right? The giants. Julio A.: that they were like, we're going to go out and we are going to be the, we are going to Julio Elder: And they go and they promoted Latinos early. Julio A.: be the Afro-Latino, Afro-American team of New York. We are in Harlem and Harlem represent. And they went out and Willie Mays was the unofficial mayor of Harlem this entire time with the Giants in New York. And then they went to San Francisco and got that, you know, they got that real like hippie love stuff. And that's when you got the Marischals and you got the Lou's and you got these tears and you know, they they really represented hard for for for people of color and for that representation. Julio Elder: And they still got fans who are in their eighties who follow them from New York, believe it or not. Yeah. Julio A.: From New York. From New York. Yeah. Well that's cause those are real fans and they're not gonna leave and become a Met just because the Mets I'll take this color from you and I'll take this color from you and we get the Met. Julio Elder: They try, they try. Don't be too hard. Julio A.: Listen, my son and I saw, we watch a lot of YouTube video, and we watch a lot of YouTube sports video, and we saw the it was a 30-minute video on the most bone-headed plays of 2026 in the MLB. And the Mets just dominated that video. I mean, there must have been, I swear to you, it must have been Julio Elder: No way. No way. Julio A.: like not consecutive because they broke it up, but there must have been a total of like 10 minutes, a third of the video were Met highlights. You know, Juan Soto dropping the ball, and then he, you know, the ball goes all the way to center field. And then he's like kind of jogging towards the ball because he doesn't really hustle. Center fielder comes hustling, but instead of going down to grab the ball, he's hustling so hard he can't stop running. He kicks the ball with his foot. The ball goes, hits the fence, goes away from him. Guy gets a little league in the field inside the park home run. Julio Elder: Yeah. Somebody saw that and Julio A.: But sir Julio Elder: told me the same thing. They said the same they said, bro, you gotta see these highlights. It makes the Mets look I you like the Mets they told me, but you gotta watch it. It makes it look like a little league team. Julio A.: They're just b they just bumble their way through things. I felt bad for them, but I'm also like, this is what happens when you're a Met. This is like when you're a Met fan, that's the expectation. I don't think any true Met fan, any real Met fan walked into the beginning of this season like, this is our year. Julio Elder: Well, I I beg to differ. I think that a lot of Met fans Julio A.: I think they all do. Julio Elder: they thought they really felt that this year Julio A.: You lose Edwin Diaz, you lose Pete Alonso, and you think this is the year? Nobody thought that. Nobody thought. Julio Elder: Yeah, no, but that's yeah, that's that's what really hurt the most. Before those moves were made, Julio A.: Nobody thought. Julio Elder: when the end of the season ended, when the season ended, people were saying, yeah, we didn't make it, but we're gonna come back next year. But then those moves were made, and it just it just like knocked the it just knocked the air out of a lot of New Yorkers. And I'm telling you, bro, New Yorkers, f f hardcore Met fan New Yorkers were hit twice, especially with Alonso, because Alonso was a New Yorker. He was a New Yorker. He lived Julio A.: He Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Julio Elder: in the city. He talked to people. Every time that there was an event Yes. Yeah, yeah. Well he left the season with what Julio A.: He also had a really good season. He he he Julio Elder: is it, forty? He had over forty home runs, right? Julio A.: Over forty home runs he led the American League in RBIs. Julio Elder: National League. Julio A.: No, he's an Oreo now. Julio Elder: yeah, no, but last season before he left. Yeah, yeah, no, you're right, you're right. But the Julio A.: No, I'm talking about this season. Right now. This season. The reason why the Mets got rid of him is because they thought he was washed up and he wasn't worth the money. Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: All he did was sign with the Orioles, hit forty one bombs, and lead the American League in RBI. So Take that as you will. And who who did they get in his replacement? Who who Julio Elder: Bichette. Julio A.: who Julio Elder: Bichette. No, before Bichette they got a Julio A.: No, Bashe plays second. Julio Elder: Yeah, they got what's his name? who only played half of the games also damn. Come to think of it, Konyo. Julio A.: I mean, I know they finished the season with Aaron Young. I mean Jared Young, but who did they start with? Julio Elder: No, they started with someone else. shit. He only played a little bit and that was immediately you realized that. Julio A.: wait, I I shouldn't have looked it up. You can they just I can't believe you're a Met fan sometimes. You're like a part-time they tried to replace Pete Alonso with Jorge Polanco, who had never played first base. Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: I forgot about that. I forgot about that. Julio Elder: That was very disappointing. Julio A.: Jorge Polanco was is an infielder. At least they didn't convert like a pitcher. He's an infielder, but but he never played first. To replace a legend, to replace Julio Elder: And to think that he will replace the bat of Peter Alonso. Julio A.: a le we're not just talking just like we're talking about a guy that grew up a Met, man. The guy I d I was so happy when he hit his what was it, three hundred, four hundredth? He hit was he Yeah, yeah. Julio Elder: Three hundred ho in in City Field. Julio A.: As an away player. And if I'm not mistaken, you were there that night and City Field gave him a standing oath. Julio Elder: Yep. Which the which a lot of the younger Met fans did not understand that. no, Julio A.: Do you think that's like a big fuck you to the like to the front office? You think that was like Julio Elder: no, that was that was fuck you to Stern and to the Fekin Julio A.: To start. Julio Elder: Higher. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Every fan walking in, taking the train from the Bronx. Once you change in Manhattan and take the R into, you know, City Field, you start seeing Julio A.: Take the seven. Julio Elder: the number of fans come up, the number seven. Right. Well, you take the R and then you take the seven. Right. And you start seeing the number of Met fans coming on into the station. Like when you're going to Yankee Julio A.: Sure. Julio Elder: Stadium, you know, and I any conversation that I had with anybody on the train, just to strike up a conversation, bro, there was not one person, not one person that I ever got to speak to that was not not just pissed off, but angry that they got rid of Alonzo. They said the only reason I'm going is because somebody gave me a ticket. The only reason I'm going is because I promise this. Julio A.: Oof. Julio Elder: But you know what? Julio A.: Oof. Julio Elder: I promised myself there was this one woman that I read. She was on I think on Facebook, she said she had been a season holder for I don't know how many years, 20-something years. And she said that she decided this year, this season, she was not going to purchase a season at the tickets because of the fact she could not believe the stupidity, she said, the stupidity. of letting go of a homegrown town sa star. And she's not she just said she starts. Julio A.: Well, they they got rid of all of them though. They got rid of all of them. In in the Mets defense, somebody had made the decision that we need to start over. We need to get rid of the old crop. And Juan Soto and and Lindor represent the new crop. And they when they said they were gonna clean house, they clean house because it wasn't just Walker and it wasn't just Nimmo. They got rid of all of that. Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: And Pete Pete, I guess was The the a a part of that. Like they never they didn't see him. I guess the defensive liability was too much, but you can't even make that case because then they go out and sign a guy who's never played first. I honestly don't know what they were thinking with Pete. Julio Elder: No, no. Yes. And then he didn't play long. Where is he now? He never he never got to play long. What he played for a short period? Injured. Yeah, Julio A.: No, no he d he got Polanco got injured and then he was done. Yeah. Yeah. Julio Elder: he got injured and he was done. That was it. So, you know, all that fan fan. Julio A.: Well, the other thing, the other, the the other thing that you know, going back to the non-metrics, I think this is what happens when you focus too much on metrics. going back to what you were saying about San Diego, but let's flip it and on the reverse end and talk about, you know, that locker room in New York. But you got many alphas in one room. Somebody, somebody needs to be the leader. Whether it's the vocal leader or not, it doesn't matter. Derrick Jeter is not of Julio Elder: Whether official leader or not, right. Julio A.: Derek Jeter's not a vocal guy. He's not a vocal captain, at least not publicly, right? But that there was order in that locker room. And you got nine, four future Hall of Famers and nine alphas. You know, you got Paul O'Neill in that locker room. That guy is volatile. He's throwing water coolers left and right. But but Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: you know, but but there was order in the locker room. There was no beef. And I felt like when when when when it was understood that there was. Rumblings between Lindor and Soto. Julio Elder: And slot though. Julio A.: It it at least from the outside looking in, it was Pete that kept the peace. It was Pete that kept the press at bay and kept saying, not this is a non-issue. It was Pete that probably had meetings privately in the locker room. You lose a guy like that, regardless of the home runs and the RBIs and the on-field. This I'm talking about locker room off the field. influence you basically traded away your unofficial captain. Julio Elder: Yep. And he had that. His tenure, his tenure and his, you know, growing through the organization gave him that level of respect. It Julio A.: That's right. Julio Elder: had nothing to do with his bat. It had nothing to do with his glove. Just a mere fact, Julio A.: These the elder statesmen. Julio Elder: he's the he's the statesman of that team representing from the minor leagues, from the from the draft, the minor leagues through the organization into the into the freaking team and winning, you know, many titles in the way. I mean, two twice winning the home run, you know, and Julio A.: Yeah, they went to a World Series. They just lost to the Kansas City Royals, but they were there. Julio Elder: And and and winning twice the home run derby in the all star game, you know, w dramatics of of winning yes. Yo, yo, and Julio A.: He ran the derby. He represented the Mets, represented New York. He played in Italy in the fucking. He didn't have to do any of that. But he wanted to be the star. He wanted to be the one that said, I got the Mets badge. I represent New York. And he loved it. And they loved him. He was that, he was, Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: he was kind of like Jalen Brunson before Jalen Brunson. He was walking the streets. People knew him. Julio Elder: Yes. And yes. And he did some remember when they played in in in in London, he took he took the the what they called their subway, which is the tunnel, whatever they call it, and then he got to the stadium Julio A.: R Metro. Julio Elder: and and he he didn't go in through the player side. He went to where the fans basically went and then he flipped it and he stood there like collecting tickets. And this this Julio A.: Like Julio Elder: was this woman came over and she Gave the ticket and she took a look at him. Yeah, I see one of the players. So I interviewed him on that. I said, Yo, Pete, what got into you that you actually, you know, went to the stadium, but you also just hung out where the people normally go in and you were collecting tickets. And he said, Yeah, it's just like, you know, being in another country and being different. I just felt different. I just felt I'd I'd do something different. That's a cool dude, man. Julio A.: Look at that, you see? He's a cool cat, man. He was a cool cat. And they got rid of him. Boston's lucky to have him. Unfortunately, Boston also underachieved. So, like Julio Elder: No, you'd be Baltimore. Julio A.: Baltimore, sorry. So he didn't go to a winning team, unfortunately. But at least he's going somewhere, he's he's playing somewhere where he's he's getting the respect that he deserves. And Julio Elder: And I think Baltimore's gonna come back next season. They're gonna come back next season because they do have the players. Julio A.: Mean, we've been saying that for a couple of years now. You know, they yeah we'll see, we'll see. well on that note, we got one more topic that I'd like to bring up before we close out the episode. But yesterday was the first day of basketball training camp and media day. Julio Elder: Mm-hmm. Julio A.: Around the league, and which also means that a lot of experts are coming out with their analysis and their predictions and top 50 lists and all this stuff, and despite the fact that the Knicks won a title, they are not favored to Julio Elder: They're not Julio A.: repeat. And in fact, Jalen Brunson on most people's lists isn't even a top five player. My take is that none of that fucking matters because all of that is just more fuel for the fire. All you had to do was give him the respect he deserves. You didn't, and now you're poking the bear. Why are you poking Julio Elder: Thank you. Julio A.: the bear? Did you not see what he did in the playoffs? Did you not see what he did to Harden against Cleveland when he bodied him in the fourth quarter? Did you not see what he did to Wemby in the finals? Wemby's got his face on the he is the face of the NBA. He's on the cover of NBA 2K video game. He's considered the best player in the league. And Jalen Brunson took him to task in the finals. And Jalen Brunson doesn't get a top five consideration? Julio Elder: Yeah. W why why do you think that is it because of New York or because of the of the flesh? Julio A.: I think that there's a New York bias for sure in basketball. you know, everyone talks about the New York fans being the craziest and the wildest. That may be for the internet. We may be, you know, we may have been crazy for years and whatnot, but we've never gotten the respect we deserve as a team. And it was because we were the laughing stock for a long time. You put a guy like Brunson, who I don't understand why people are underestimating him. This man has done nothing but win at every level. Julio Elder: He's proven himself, but he definitely proved himself. Julio A.: But he also done it at every level of his career. In high school, he was the number one high school player in the state, in his state, in the state of Illinois. He was number one. He took his team to the championship. They won state championship. His high school team won state. Then he goes to Villanova. And then his basketball team, his college basketball team, wins two titles in his four years there. So he wins. He's player Julio Elder: He's a one Julio A.: of the, he won, he wins player of the year in college. And then he doesn't get drafted in the first round at all. He gets completely bypassed. Not a first round pick. Dallas picks him up. They think you know he could be Luca's backup. Luca gets injured. All he does is dominate those playoffs. Following season, playoffs, Luca's not injured. They go to the playoffs, they make a sick run. Luca gets injured in the playoffs. He carries the team. Luca comes back, they go to the finals. They don't want to pay him. He's like, yo, I'm worth this much money. They're like, no. He goes to New York. They pay him the money. Give him $100 million. The league goes crazy. The Knicks are giving $100, only the Knicks who can give $100 million to a player like this. And in four years, every year, they got better. They went to the playoffs in the first round, then they lost. Then we didn't make the playoffs. Then we go to the playoffs. We make it to the second round. Then we get eliminated. Then we go to the playoffs again. We make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Then we get eliminated. And then last year we make it to the finals and we win the whole thing. This guy's done nothing but progress and get better and better and better. Does that not count for something in the league anymore? Does it, does Julio Elder: Apparently it doesn't. Julio A.: it, does it, it's apparently all that matters that you have to be 6'6 in a f in a scorer? Or 6'8, you got to have height. I don't understand how you Julio Elder: They don't, they don't, they don't, they, they, they don't factor in hustle. They don't factor in, you know, heart. Julio A.: Heart. Julio Elder: You know, and what what anybody who looked at those games, those final games, whether you're a Knicks fan or not, you gotta admit he has hustle and he has heart. Julio A.: He's all hard. Julio Elder: And that counts that counts a lot in in in in in games Julio A.: You can't you ca and you can't yeah. Julio Elder: like basketball. You know, where you're it's c it's a c let's let's face it, basketball's a contact sport, okay? And he that's a contact sport, bro. That was a contact sport. Julio A.: It it was last year. Those finals were hard. He he didn't get the calls. He didn't get the calls either. Julio Elder: And he he survived all of those. Even when he was hit and leaning backwards and falling backwards, he still got the shot in. I still don't understand how those the those those those shots were going in as he was falling backwards on his ass and just threw the ball up. How did it get in? Julio A.: Yes. Julio Elder: You know, that that's heart, that's hustle. And to not not to get the publicity for it, you know, but I I guess we you know, like today is the day that Hortok what Hortoklemente's coming close to his three thousandth hit, I remember, never got no publicity for it. You know, there was a lot of players that we know that If you come to think about it, a lot them were of of color. They never got the publicity they deserved when they achieved a certain milestone milestone. Julio A.: Mm-hmm. Julio Elder: which just shows that a lot of things have not changed. Even though the game has changed a lot, the rules have changed a lot, the culture, unfortunately, in this country has not changed a lot. Because a guy like Brunson, man, he deserves a lot more respect and a lot a lot more, you know, publicity than he's been getting. And not to be picked as one of the top five players, that's an insult to the game. That's not an insult to Julio A.: He's a finals MVP. He's a finals MVP. He was putting up numbers that only one other man in history had put up in the finals. And that guy's name is Michael Jordan. And nobody, no, no, nobody wants to compare him to Jordan. Nobody wants to even compare him to Wemby. And he beat Wemby twice because they beat him for the stupid play-in tournament, the governors, whatever, whatever, cup. They won that cup. Julio Elder: But you don't have to compare him, but just give him the free but give him the respect. You don't have to compare him, but give him the respect because he played at that level. And the numbers don't lie. The numbers don't Julio A.: His highest ranking of any of these rankings. Julio Elder: lie. Julio A.: His highest ranking of any of these is sixth of the top ten NBA based basketball players this year. He's number sixth behind Jokic, Wemby, Shay, Luca, Giannis, and then Jalen Brunson. he beat all of them. I don't understand this. I don't understand this at all. I think I always thought you win the crown, you're the king until you no longer have the crown. So all they did was poke the bear. That all all they did was Julio Elder: That's the way it is the boxing. That's the way it is. Julio A.: poke the bear, and if you're gonna do that, fine. because as a team, the in the top five rankings, they rank third as the highest across many lists. And they have Vegas odds has Oklahoma still being the number one team, San Antonio still number two, and then the Knicks. And then you can Julio Elder: What about the what about the Phil what about Philadelphia seventy sixes now with these t these trades? Julio A.: They moved up. They moved up from ninth last year to fourth. They're right at right Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: behind the Knicks. Another team that I have little faith in. The the the the they remind me of do you remember Arsenis softball? And we would Julio Elder: Yeah. I still got the I still got the jersey. Julio A.: there were some games that we would play in Pelham, some games. This is before we joined the Central Park League. This is early Arsenis. We would play in Pelham. And sometimes. And then sometimes we go all the way out to fucking Mount Vernon or something. And then sometimes we would play right there in Washington Heights. And every Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: time we played in Washington Heights, it was against like those two Dominican teams that were like filthy. You know, I come in, I had the only girl in the league, my girlfriend who was not my wife at the time. She was the only girl in the league throwing fast pitch softballs. I had the oldest person in the league. I had you. I had two guys who had never played. Softball in their entire lives. I had Saj and Stefan on my team. Okay. And we were, we were going out there, and these Dominicans, you know, these guys are like, this guy played double A. this guy's a former, you know, trainer. You know, these guys were monsters. They were young. They would hit Julio Elder: These guys will let go. Julio A.: the ball 500 feet into the fucking light posts. But they didn't win because all they did was argue with each other. And you knew it. You see them, you're like, watch it. And the first error. Or the first time the guy didn't run hard the first, all right, but don't get to the you know, they start arguing with each other, they start infighting, and they they would implode, and then eventually they would lose the game because they would fuck up on their own. We didn't do anything, they would fuck up. That that's the 76ers. I don't know how you think you can pair a guy like LeBron James with a guy like Joel Embiid, who have come two completely different work ethics, who have two completely different belief systems on what this sport. Means to them, to one, it is a it is, it is, it is their livelihood and their life. To the other, Julio Elder: Right. Julio A.: it's a means to an end. I don't know how you put those two together and try to make it work and then throw in three other stars who all need the ball in order to succeed. Julio Elder: And expect that that's gonna be the changes that was required to bring from ninth to fourth into possible playoffs. Julio A.: They'll make the playoffs. I mean, you know, they'll make the playoffs. What they do in the playoffs, I I don't I don't I think by the time they get there, there's gonna be so much infighting and so much drama with that team. They're gonna have so much locker room issue that their play on the field is gonna be reflective of that and they're not gonna do well. I don't see Philly going for in fact, I at first I thought getting Jalen Brown from Boston. They fleeced Boston. I was like, you got the better end of this stick. And then they Julio Elder: Right. Julio A.: went out, and then they went out and got LeBron. And Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: I don't know if that necessarily made them better. Because now this is person number four that now needs the ball in his hands. And who's gonna tell a 41-year-old LeBron that this ain't his team? You? Him? None of those people won anything. So he comes in there with the resume, with the records. with the work ethic, but he's old. And he's he really shouldn't be your first option. Julio Elder: But he he's gonna want the ball. And he's a star. Julio A.: Does he know that? Do they know that? Who gets the ball when you got the but who gets the ball? Who who takes the final shot with four seconds left? Julio Elder: When you don't when you when you're a star at that level, the star doesn't lose the shine. Julio A.: But Jalen Brown, Jalen Brown won MVP of the finals with the Celtics when the Celtics won it all a couple years ago. So he's got a ring. You go tell Jalen Brown. He also carried the team last year while Jason Tatum was injured, recovering from his injury. He carried the team. Everybody thought that the team was gonna suck without Jason Tatum. They ended up having a better regular season record than the Knicks. Jalen Julio Elder: Right. Julio A.: Brown did that. And then they get rid of him. For reasons unbeknownst to you know were they even basketball related reasons? They've been trying to trade Jalen Brown forever and he's their arguably their best player. So now he goes to Philly with Tyrese Maxie and Edgecombe and Embiid. All right. I Edgecomb can play. Tyrese is a is a is a budding superstar, but he needs the ball. Jalen Brown needs the ball. Joel Embiid needs the ball. All right, you got three little stars, but Jalen Brown clearly is the star here 'cause he won the ring and he's the elder but now you just bring in LeBron? I don't know. I don't I Julio Elder: Who has rings from other teams, has you know, to start Julio A.: I'll see it working. Julio Elder: has to start has the rings from other teams, but Julio A.: But he's 41. Julio Elder: he's forty one. Julio A.: Does he take the last you know do you did you give it to you know who's running the show here? Is it the 41-year-old? Because if it is, I don't see them going that far. Julio Elder: Yeah, but he's gonna he's he's he's already gonna be on the level of a legend. And that's right. Julio A.: Right. He should be c coming off the bench, like giving you the spark, you know, give ten, fifteen minutes a game. I don't think LeBron's coming off. Julio Elder: I don't know if they're gonna play him like that. If they were to play him like that, that would be that could be the spark to give that team the motivation that it needs to go beyond, you know, being ranked f fourth or or fifth. Right? Julio A.: They're fourth right now. They're ahead of the Celtics. Julio Elder: Okay, they they they can do that. However, if you bring in LeBron and thinking you're bringing in LeBron a 35 year old, you'd bring in LeBron at a 38-year-old, And you wanna play him more and try to give him more, you know, than he really needs to get for the team. I don't know if that's gonna help or it's gonna be counterproductive for the team. And we'll Julio A.: LeBron's gonna be LeBron's forty one years old. He'll be forty two halfway through the season by December. Julio Elder: Yeah, but remember, you know, with the money he has, he has a private chef, he has a private trainer, he has a private this so yeah, he's Julio A.: no, no, no, no, no, no. He's the most fit forty two year old ever. Julio Elder: forty two by age, but he's really like in his in his thirties, mid thirties physically. Julio A.: Sure. He's probably a thirty four, thirty five year old physically, but thirty four, thirty five year old physically, you you know. Julio Elder: Yeah. And he wants to sh and and and knowing I'm not knowing too much about him, but I can imagine his ego, he's gonna wanna show that. He's gonna wanna show that people think because I'm forty one I can't play, watch. Julio A.: Well, he did admit on Media Day that his first choice for free agency was the New York Knicks. Julio Elder: He did? Julio A.: He did. He admitted. He said, No, I I I was gonna, I wanted, I was gonna my my preference was New York. which his agent had alluded to months prior, but his agent took it a step further and said, in order for LeBron to in order for LeBron to join the Knicks, the Knicks know what they have to do. Jalen Brunson's gotta make the phone call because they had already named Jalen Brunson Captain. So Brunson is the one that needed to call LeBron and say, We'd love to have you. Come through because it's it's Brunson's team. And LeBron would have come had Brunson made the call, is what they were alluding to yesterday at Media Day. As as you can imagine, Julio Elder: That never happened. Julio A.: Brunson never made that call. We're good. We're good. Thank you. He said, thank you, but no thank you. So Julio Elder: Thank you but no thank you. Thank you but no thank you. Yeah. Julio A.: I think that might be the best non-signing that the Knicks did in a while. Because there is a lot of parallel between Knicks and Mets. And historically, both teams were bumbling, meddling franchises for a long time. But my Knicks have since won. I'm not greedy. I don't care if we ever win another title again. I saw one in lifetime. I finally got it. I am good. I am not greedy. Julio Elder: I the the the the the young the young the young kid that I saw going through all the changes since his early teenage years practically almost crying. Julio A.: my God. Stark's going one for 17 and the Patrick finger roll and the the then the Spurs come and Julio Elder: Ha ha ha. Julio A.: so much heartbreak. And then those were the good years. Then we went through 20 years of just a bunch of no-names and has-bens and wannabes. And then we had the Carmelo years, and I had so much faith and love in the Carmelo years. Carmelo's Julio Elder: Yeah, yeah, me too. Julio A.: my favorite Nick. I didn't grow up with him and he's still my favorite Nick. But but you know, we had to we had to we had to gut the team. Julio Elder: Yeah, he's my favorite guy, period. I mean we have his dreams about that. We'll discuss that in a future podcast. Julio A.: We had to gut the team to get him. Phil Jackson didn't know what the fuck he was doing as a general manager. And then we get him and then we trade Schumpert and get rid of, you know, we never Mello never had a shot. And then, you know, you think you're going down again. And then, you know, the Julius Randle years, and you're like, all right, Julius and RJ Barrett, I guess is the best we can do. And then out of nowhere, they spent a hundred million dollars in one offseason with this guy named Jalen Brunson and everything changed. Everything changed. All of a sudden, mediocrity was no longer acceptable. And one man did that. And he got he got he broke a 52 year the longest drought in history. 52 Julio Elder: Yeah, I'm glad I wasn't Julio A.: years. And I was there for I saw every game. I saw every game. I saw every game. Man, the last game Julio Elder: I remember Julio A.: my son and I were crying. My son and I cry. Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: Cause it we he even he couldn't believe we were down every game. You never give up. The lessons that were taught in last year's playoffs can be relived forever. Julio Elder: Yeah. Yeah. Julio A.: Never give up, never count us out, never say never. those are things that I hope, you know, we can carry into us this season. Cause I think, you know, on paper, we're just not as good without Mitchie Robinson. That said, I still think we're the best of the East. I still think we can make once you get in the playoffs, doesn't matter what seed we are, we have Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: what I think is the best, most clutch fourth quarter player. In the league. When you fourth quarter starts, I don't want anybody else but Jalen Brunson. I don't care what. Yeah, well, Julio Elder: Yeah, that's and that's that's been proven. That was proven. Julio A.: these fools who who do these rankings don't get it. When he's your at the high. He is at the highest, he's sixth. At his lowest, they got him ranked at 16. He's the 16th best player. They're saying LeBron, Kevin Durant. And Steph Curry, these guys are damn near forty, are all still better than Jalen Brunson after what he did last year. I can't believe it. What what are we what are we even grading on? Julio Elder: I I don't know what what they are been eating, drinking, or seeing because even novices like myself when it comes to basketball know that that that is BS. That's bullshit. That's bullshit. That's bullshit. Julio A.: What are we talking about here? And so you're you as we do this podcast throughout the course of the basketball season, you'll you'll see, you'll start to see with your own eyes this New York bias that happens. They they just love to hate on us. And you'll see other media outlets specifically hate so much just to get the clicks. Because New York sells. You hate us, but you need us and you Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: want us, but you hate us, and you don't Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: give us the respect that we deserve. But that's okay. Because we're gonna come out this year. We're gonna do it. I hope we do it again. I don't know if we're gonna do it again. I hope we do it again. But we could make a run. We could make a run for the finals. We'll make a run. And we Julio Elder: Absolutely. absolutely. And we'll Julio A.: we we we got a good team locked in place. Let's try to get GTA on the podcast. We gotta get Grand Theft Alvarado on the pod. now Julio Elder: Yes. Julio A.: that he's a full time Nick, ready to go. He's another one. Took a pay cut just to stay with New York. And Julio Elder: Mm-hmm. Julio A.: he was like, nah, I'm I'm I'm good. Good mm, y Julio Elder: Yeah, we got we got a lot, we got a lot, a lot of surprises for a lot of people. We're making some good lists, people are reacting very good to this podcast. this father and son, West Coast, East Coast, West Coast, Puerto Rico. You know, no one's done this. And and and and Julio A.: And no one's done it. Why has there never been a father son sports podcast before? Julio Elder: everyone that I've called, I've I've called Omar Minaya, I've called Jose Luis Latos, Julio A.: Let's get Omar on the show. Julio Elder: he's a a great actor. I've called I'm reaching out to Brian Cashman, I'm reaching out to people that we know and Julio A.: Let's get Brian Julio Elder: Carlos Bayga, try to get them. We we're gonna have a lot of surprises here and there. And you know, Julio A.: on the show. Let's get Carlos. Julio Elder: when two people who are not who definitely admit that they are not sports, you know, experts and analysts, you know, I Julio A.: I ain't a journalist. Julio Elder: I I read, I, I, I act, I write, but it's like I'm not this is Julio A.: Not a journalist. Julio Elder: not this is not my my profession for life. I run Latino Julio A.: It is not Julio Elder: sports, but other people run it. Other people do it. I just guide it, you know, but I do have my history. And what I like to share, which with when Julio brings it out, is that we do have some incredible stories that we can share that are just that are just as exciting, have not been written, have not Julio A.: yeah. D we're just warming up. We kinda like Julio Elder: been written, have not been shared. But the experience of 36 years of giving awards and being around baseball has brought out some interesting details that we will eventually, little by little, you know, like when you're opening up a closet and cleaning it out, and you see something Julio A.: Yeah. We gotta get a name for the segment. It's gotta like the no good stories telly or the no good storytime or Julio Elder: And you you you you look at this box in your closet and you'd open it and say, shit, look at this. Remember this? Well, that's the way our podcast is. And each one of those things that we have, they have a history. They they have Julio A.: Or it's it's Papa Pa Bones, no good memories or something, you know. Julio Elder: a good history behind them. And one of the good things I have to admit, Julio, is that the way we've always been, we seem to have, you know, brought on a lot of respect on the work that we do. You know, even though we were very controversial. and though we did things that, you know, a lot of other, especially Latino organizations did, like when we, you know, went up against the issue of no no no accents on on last names on in baseball, no no interpreters, Julio A.: That's right. Julio Elder: no, no Spanish interpreters when you have thirteen, fourteen players in the minor leagues, but you got one Japanese and you got an interpreter. You know, we brought that out. Julio A.: And now it's standard. Julio Elder: Yeah, yeah. The fact that you're gonna have an all-star game in Arizona when they just passed the most anti-immigration law. You're gonna have an all-star game there, and we're the only ones saying, Yo, why don't you cat why don't you move that to a a a neutral city like Baltimore or Atlanta? Julio A.: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Julio Elder: And and because of you know finances, they didn't. And we had demonstrations. And and my how many times my my credential was Yank from Yankee Stadium, you know, for stuff that Julio A.: Chao. Julio Elder: so we got some history that those are the types of stuff that the while we might lack. Julio A.: Stories are coming out. We got receipts. Julio Elder: Yeah, well we have while we might lack the expertise at some of the particular, you know, titles. We have experiences that nobody else can even share. If you go into our Instagram, Latinosports Official, just look at the interview with Brian Cashman, just standing there. And that has gotten a lot of hits because, you know, he speaks from the heart. He tells us straight out if it wasn't for you guys, we would not be having these, you know, Latino Julio A.: I like B cash. Julio Elder: these Latino at the press conferences, which by the way, you know Julio A.: I like B cash a lot. He saved himself with the fan base this this trade deadline. He really did. Helio and Luis Garcia were great. Julio Elder: Yes he did. Yes he did. And he's a good friend and he's a down to earth guy. And he still walks from the stadium. Once in a while he walks to Giovanni's on a hundred and fiftieth street. You know. We we pr we we Julio A.: Shout out to Brian Cashman. Let's get Brian Cashman. Julio Elder: we prime we we we we promise that we're gonna have lunch at some point. And Julio A.: All right. Julio Elder: and and shout out also to Edwin Diaz man, that when we we saw him in your city, Dodge Stadium and Julio A.: Alay, Leigh, that's right. Julio Elder: He said to me, If if we go to New York, and play, you know, we should definitely, you know, see if we can, you know, spend some time. Let's go have dinner, 'cause I invited him to dinner. He says if he comes to New York, he'll do that. That's what we gotta do. Yeah. Because Julio A.: Well let's get on the pod. We'll get on the pod. We'll do the pod instead of the dinner. That's what we gotta do. Maybe we do p the pod at dinner. Julio Elder: No, I don't think I'm at dinner 'cause I like Puerto Rico, bro. I especially when it starts getting cold. I don't wan I'm Julio A.: you'd have to come back. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well Julio Elder: I'm going in November, but there's no baseball in November. Julio A.: Nope, not this year. well, all right. Well, we'll see you in a week. Julio Elder: We're gonna have football and I know you don't down with the Jets and the Giants, but I do like the Julio A.: Yeah, no well Julio Elder: Jets and the Giants. That's another issue. Julio A.: Well, we could talk about LA football too. You know, I I got two teams too. One of them is underachieving, just like you're one of yours underachieves. We can talk about that too. Julio Elder: Yeah. Julio A.: but yeah, until next time, we'll see you on Thursdays. Every Thursday, we will be coming out with a new podcast. Thursdays, 12 noon Eastern Standard Time on Latino Sports TV on YouTube. Don't forget to check us out. Like and subscribe. The more subscribers we get, the more content we can create, the funnier we become. I'm a nicer guy when more people are listening. So let's just get all of you listening. All right. Julio Elder: I'm here all the time, ready to just share experiences. I do the push hands express, you know. So we're there. And also, you know, this is a thing we gotta talk about, Julio. as I'm cleaning out the house in New York, I'm finding a lot of memorabilia stuff. Maybe at some point, instead of just me trying to find ways, maybe we can give out some of that memorabilia to some other people that watch the podcast. Julio A.: I like that little giveaway here and there. I mean, you got so much cool stuff. why don't we s we yeah, Julio Elder: Yeah. We got we got we got a lot of cool stuff. Julio A.: let's bring some of that on the live that we're gonna do too, because we're also gonna go Julio Elder: Okay. Julio A.: live once a week. and maybe we can get some audience engagement with with with with coercion, basically. Let's let's give them some free shit. People love free shit. Let's listen. No one never Julio Elder: Bribes, bribes, that's that's Julio A.: said that that was illegal on YouTube. I'll bribe you to get a like and a subscribe. Julio Elder: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We got we got we got a lot of stuff, bro. I look at these boxes Julio A.: All right. Julio Elder: and my wife is dying for me to get rid of some of this stuff. But it's not just because it's junk. It's not junk, it's memorabilia. No memorabilia. What I gave you for your son, what Julio A.: Let's do it. Some of it's just junk. But we will talk to you in a week. Julio Elder: I gave you for your son was not junk. Okay. That was legitimate leather gloves. And Julio A.: Okay. Goodbye. Julio Elder: Yeah.