Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / MLB talk with Matt Snyder, Hawkeyes with John Bohnenkamp & Trent's Picks Presented by Circa Sports

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MLB talk with Matt Snyder, Hawkeyes with John Bohnenkamp & Trent's Picks Presented by Circa Sports · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

0:00
Hour number two, Miller and Condon welcome back.
0:02
Iowa Sports Radio Network with you until the top of the hour.
0:05
Turn things over the drive at that point and there Lucas, take
0:09
you up until 5:00. Overtime Iowa from 5:00 until 6
0:13
bottom of the hour, John Bowen camp, Associated Press, amongst
0:16
others. We'll talk talks with John.
0:18
But right now, as we do every Monday to kick off our second
0:21
hour, it's our friend Matt Snyder from CBSSports.com.
0:24
Matt Trenton, Ken, thanks for coming on.
0:26
How are you? I'm very good.
0:29
You guys both are on a bit of a winning streak here, so hey
0:33
everybody happy. Yeah, that's for sure.
0:35
I think Trent Squad feels a little bit better than the
0:37
frauds that I was hoping John Snyder would defraud.
0:41
Snyder would make the list of fired managers this week, but
0:44
sadly can't have everything. But we'll go from there.
0:48
So, but Black, did they do him a favor?
0:51
Did he approach ownership and say, you know what?
0:54
I I just can't take this anymore.
0:56
This Colorado team, I'm just shocked how bad they are.
0:59
And if you look at the schedule the next month, my God, it's the
1:03
who's who of baseball. Shelton and Black, first two
1:06
managers to walk the plank. Are you surprised?
1:09
That exact thought crossed my mind.
1:12
Like, I mean, I know I'd seen a few people kind of almost
1:16
feeling sorry for him, for lack of a better way to phrase it.
1:19
And I know Dave Roberts came out and made a comment like Casey
1:23
Stengel couldn't have seemed going good.
1:25
And it's like he's getting paid through the year, he's had the
1:28
jobs started 2017, they won a game.
1:31
So he went out on a high note. Like that thought specifically
1:36
crossed my mind. Like dude, they did him a favor.
1:38
They've had three different 8 game losing streaks this year.
1:41
And by no means I think this is his fault, but by no means I
1:46
think he should be bulletproof either.
1:48
I mean, it's they had a winning record in each of his first two
1:52
years. He they won one playoff game,
1:55
which was the wild card game in 2018.
1:58
They haven't had a winning record since.
2:00
So we're talking about six straight losing seasons where he
2:04
didn't even come close. I mean, they the closest they
2:06
came was either 2020 when they were 2634.
2:10
But if you wanted a full season, it was 74 and 87 the next year.
2:14
The Farakis had never lost 100 games before, but they lost 103
2:18
in 2023. They lost 101 last year.
2:20
They're definitely going to lose 100 this year.
2:21
So you're going from never having 100 losses to three
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straight years of 100 losses. I don't know how the manager
2:28
could survive that. Yeah.
2:31
There's nothing you can point to and say he deserves more time.
2:34
Although Trent pointed out the attendance numbers.
2:37
Yeah, people are showing up to watch these bums.
2:41
Do you have any any idea why? Yes, it's a it's a great
2:45
location. It's a gorgeous ballpark.
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I think it's just it's it's not a small market, It's a it's a
2:52
good fan base. I think they've Denver's always
2:54
been a good market in any sport as long as they're good, but
2:57
they're desperate for a winter there.
2:59
And again, it's a the ballpark is walking distance from like
3:03
the main stop at the train station.
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I don't it might be Union Station, but I know the names
3:08
are. Different.
3:08
It is Union Station, but yeah, and.
3:11
It's right in the lower downtown area, which they just called
3:15
Lodo. It's a great area.
3:17
It's an easy place to get to. It's a great place to watch
3:20
games, though their attendance is never going to bottom out or
3:23
be horrible or anything like that.
3:24
But by the same token, you still need to do right by the fans,
3:29
and you can't rest on her laurels.
3:31
And they've been resting on their laurels for a long time.
3:33
I want to go a little negative as we got some good vibes going
3:36
here with our teams playing better.
3:38
I want to go here, 2 very disappointing teams in each of
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the Eastern divisions, The Atlanta Braves, still under 500
3:44
as we hit the quarter point of the season, and then the
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Baltimore Orioles, both disappointing.
3:50
Who's been more disappointing to you?
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Orioles. I mean, the Braves are like,
3:55
they're still, it's funny, every time they get close to 500, they
3:57
lose again. They're Owen 5 when they have a
4:00
chance to even up to 500, but they're still only two games
4:05
under. You're another hot streak for
4:07
me. And right in the middle of the
4:08
mix there, they've got plenty of head to head left with the best
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Phillies and they've looked really good since that O and
4:14
seven start. If you do put 19 and 14 instead.
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So that's that's fine. It's just it's tough to overcome
4:19
the over O and seven start. But they're they're they're in
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the process of doing that. The Orioles, there's hope
4:27
offensively for them. They have a lot of good talented
4:30
hitters who got off the slow starts who look like they should
4:33
be better hitters. And they started to maybe get a
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little bit going yesterday. Rushman and Henderson both did.
4:37
They need more than them. But if you look at that pitching
4:41
staff, I don't see hope there. I don't see a proverbial light
4:45
at the end of the tunnel. They got F1 back off the injured
4:47
list, but they're not getting crashed back.
4:49
I don't think they're gonna get Grace Rodriguez back.
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Are you really going to make a big trade when you're 15 and 24?
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They'd have to climb back into it.
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But this is a team that they went through such an extreme
5:01
rebuild. Then they won 101 games, then
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they won 91 last year. They looked like they were a
5:06
playoff caliber team again this year.
5:08
That's an awfully small window if they missed the playoffs here
5:11
to to go through a five year rebuild with it.
5:15
The three worst seasons in franchise history.
5:19
I mean remember when the Sports Illustrated cover O and 18 where
5:22
they started Owen 21, 2018-2019 and 2021 they had worse records
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than that year when they started Owen 21.
5:32
Jeez, unbelievable. And that's just not acceptable
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to win no playoff games after that extreme of a rebuild.
5:38
Yep, I agree. Are you buying the Saint Louis
5:41
Cardinals, who've won eight in a row?
5:42
Granted, Pittsburgh and Washington, but you know what?
5:45
Bad teams. But you're supposed to beat bad
5:47
teams. And they did.
5:48
Yeah, you are. Yeah.
5:49
And that's exactly what you took the words right out of my mouth.
5:51
It's it'll be interesting to see moving forward because at
5:55
Philly's, at Royals this week and then after that they go
5:59
home. But then they come home and they
6:00
face the Tigers and then Diamondbacks.
6:03
So tough sledding here for two weeks.
6:06
If they get through the two weeks and let's say in these two
6:09
weeks they play above 500 ball, I think you've got to say
6:12
they're legit. If they what are their twelve
6:15
games there? If they go something like 4:00
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and 8:00, then I think we could say, yeah, that was a short
6:19
little blip of them just playing well.
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I I'm inclined to think that they're not much better than 500
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or a few games over 500, but you never know in the NL Central,
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that might be good enough to hang around.
6:31
I know the Cubs have had a really, really tough schedule
6:33
and have looked good, but keep in mind Justin steals out for
6:37
the season, even August out for another six weeks probably
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they're not going to because we're not going to be able to
6:43
trade for anybody here in the meantime.
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So there's a chance they could hang around and nip at the Cubs
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heels for sure. So we saw Horton come in after
6:50
an opener on Saturday. He pitches 4 innings, looked out
6:53
standing outside of leave, one pitch out.
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What do you think for him going forward here and the thought
7:00
process of using the opener? Just not just what the Cubs
7:03
think about it. But why do teams do that?
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And why do they seemingly do it a lot of times with young
7:07
pitchers? And I think haven't really,
7:12
yeah, the Cubs haven't done it much.
7:14
A lot of times if there are platoon heavy type guys, teams
7:18
will try to put some heavy teams.
7:20
Teams will try to throw like a lefty before they bring in a
7:23
righty for the bulk of the inks just to try to best with the
7:26
other team flying up or something like that.
7:28
In this case, I think it was just as simple as Lindor Soto,
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and it was Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonzo in the
7:36
first inning, and hey, let's let him get his feet.
7:39
What, before he sees those guys? So he's got to face.
7:43
Yeah. So he got to face the rest of
7:44
the order. Then he got to face them instead
7:47
of having it be the first 3 hitters of his Major League
7:49
career. I think it was just as simple.
7:51
As that and he looked good he. Looked really good overall.
7:54
He looked really good overall. I don't know if that pitch to
7:57
Baby was that terrible. And Speedy hit another home run
8:00
later than the night. He's just really locked in right
8:02
now. There's good stuff there.
8:04
There's good stuff. The problems probably going to
8:08
be workload and we we discussed that last week, I believe.
8:13
Maybe it's just as simple as trying to keep him in the
8:16
rotation until Imanaga comes back and then see where
8:19
everything looks. And in July at a starter, then
8:21
you can bump right to the bullpen.
8:23
Then you can take it easy with Harden.
8:25
But to get him experience here is great.
8:27
And you never know if he just does the job here for six weeks
8:31
with Imanaga out and they get to a point where they don't want to
8:34
throw that many more innings. And they are playoff team.
8:37
They could do something like heaven, be a reliever in the
8:39
playoffs, kind of like David Price was for the Rays when he
8:42
was a rookie. This Detroit Tigers team, I keep
8:46
waiting for them to, you know, come back a little bit to the
8:48
pack and they've lost two straight, lost their last two
8:51
games, but and, and the Royals are playing well or had been
8:54
playing well. And then this weekend happened
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against the Red Sox. Certainly the Twins are playing
8:59
better. So let's go to the Central
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Division. I I hope the Tigers aren't home
9:04
free from here. Do they feel like that to you?
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I think there's an argument that they're the best team in the
9:12
division, but there's also a good argument that this is going
9:15
to be a four team race at this point.
9:17
Now that the Twins have their slumber that started in mid
9:20
August, there's no way I would say like hey, they're a sure bet
9:26
to hold on. Especially that was it only
9:27
being a 2 1/2 game lead. The Tigers are a much more
9:31
well-rounded ballclub than they were even in the playoffs last
9:34
year. The rotation is so much deeper
9:36
now. They got Jack Flaherty back.
9:38
Jackson job is up and shows flashes of being very good.
9:41
Casey Mize looks like the guy that they drafted number one
9:44
overall. So they're 5 deep in the
9:45
rotation instead of, you know, like tariffs.
9:48
Google and pray for rain and pitch a bullpen game.
9:51
The bullpens really, really good as we saw last year and AJ Hinch
9:54
is as good as anybody at home what strings he needs to pull
9:57
with the bull 10 and offensively it's a lot deeper because
10:00
they're getting, it's not just Riley Green now Spencer
10:03
Torkelson looks legit. Javier Baez seems to have
10:06
knocked something loose there and swinging the bat, they have
10:08
Glaber Torres now. So it's a lot deeper lineup and
10:12
a lot deeper rotation than it was last year.
10:14
So I think they're legit, but I don't think the Guardians are
10:18
going anywhere because they always play above what feeling
10:20
we think they have. I don't think the Royals are
10:23
going anywhere because they have a very good pitching staff.
10:25
Benny Pasquantino has started to hit a little bit to help Bobby,
10:28
but Junior in the line up there. And the Twins have a lot of
10:31
talent, a lot of the projection systems like them early in the
10:33
season and now they're winning games.
10:35
So there's got kind of a swagger going to them right now.
10:38
So could be really really fun. I think it's going to be and I
10:41
think we're going to have all these teams all have different
10:43
levels, but it's good, you know, the central, they're all teams
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that are built kind of the same and and that's another reason
10:48
that that was. They're all going to have ebbs
10:51
and flow, so we're going to see a lot of inconsistency and a lot
10:55
of shuffling and back and forth. And you know what?
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That's very fun from an outside observer's perspective.
11:01
One team I want to get your perspective on, as I was looking
11:04
at the West. So the Mariners get swept, the
11:06
Astros, of course, hanging around the Rangers.
11:08
I think all three of us like the talent of that Rangers team.
11:11
It just hasn't, hasn't quite lit up, can't it?
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Here's the A's, and the A's are over 500.
11:18
We know that ballpark in Sacramento is goofy and in
11:21
during night, it's going to have some big, big run totals.
11:24
Can this team hang around? Can we be talking about the
11:27
Sacramento? Yeah, at least a conversation by
11:30
the time we get to August. I, I, I'm inclined to say no,
11:36
they are kind of hopefully this works the the nationals of the
11:41
American League and that I think they have enough talent to push
11:45
teams and to annoy them, but I don't think they have staying
11:49
power in the race necessarily. Maybe that would have worked
11:51
before the nationals really fell apart last week.
11:54
But I think you see where I'm going.
11:56
It's a team that can get hot at times.
11:58
As we talked about, it's a marathon of a season.
12:00
You're going to have ebbs and flows.
12:01
They just looked really, really good for a quick second there.
12:04
They've got power in the lineup between Soderstrom Linger
12:08
leaders. I assume at some point Nick
12:11
Kurtz is going to hit a home run.
12:12
Sometimes it just takes a little bit.
12:14
Hey, remember Chris Bryant took a while to finally hit one.
12:18
You know, you've got to look. Brooker.
12:19
Florence Butler's very exciting. I don't know about the pitching
12:22
staff. JP serves has been so good to
12:25
this point. Probably too good.
12:27
Not sure. I'm a big believer in Severino
12:30
and the rest of the rotations kind of piece together.
12:32
Jeffrey Springs, I think he just had lightning in a bottle for
12:35
the Rays and that little quick stretch.
12:38
I don't think that they can stay in contention for the long haul,
12:40
but I do think, as I said, they can annoy the living hell out of
12:45
the Mariners and Astros and Rangers.
12:48
That's a fun division as well. So the six divisions, I, I by
12:53
default, I think the Dodgers are going to remain on top, right.
12:56
We're we're 1/4 of way through the season.
12:59
So let's do the other Yankees. Do they stay there?
13:03
Probably. They're probably the surest bet
13:06
to win it. Yeah, in terms of stay there.
13:08
I'm sure it'll get passed at some point.
13:10
You know, it's only A2 game lead over the Red Sox, three over the
13:13
Blue Jays, Tigers. No, I don't think they'll stay
13:19
there. See, I can totally see them
13:20
winning it, but I don't. No, I'll say no to that too.
13:26
I think the Phillies are giving the Mets all they want, fair to
13:28
say. Yeah, yeah.
13:31
No, that that there'll be some shuffling there.
13:33
Cubs schedule softens up, Cardinals gets loaded up, and
13:37
Cardinals, as we mentioned, gets a little tougher.
13:39
Only one game lead though. It's only one game lead.
13:42
I'm inclined to think at some point the Cubs will fall out of
13:45
first, even if it's temporarily. But I just mentioned the
13:49
Cardinals schedule this week is at Philly.
13:50
At Kansas City. The Cubs only play the Marlins
13:53
and White Sox for a week and 1/2 here, so maybe not.
13:57
That might be the shortest bet to just stay put.
14:01
Chelsea and the Dodgers and the Dodgers.
14:04
Only one gave lead for them. Yeah, but it's only one.
14:06
It's only one. I do think you could make an
14:09
argument that all six of the teams in first place right now
14:12
are going to win their division, but none of them are going to be
14:16
in first the rest of the way. I don't think all six are going
14:19
to win their divisions. By the way, I still have the
14:21
Phillies over the bets in the East.
14:24
I don't want to bail on the Rangers just yet in the West.
14:27
I don't know about the Tiger. I mean, yeah, look, this is fun
14:33
because they're all, they all seem like they're up in the air.
14:36
And the biggest lead right now is the Central Tigers at 2 1/2
14:41
is the biggest lead in all baseball.
14:43
That's good. Absolutely nuts.
14:45
So I saw the little bottom line thing popped up on ESPN last
14:49
night, Aaron Jotts back over 400.
14:51
OK, it's, well, it was May 11th when that one was up there.
14:56
But Matt, you and I are around the same age, Ken.
14:59
He's got a couple years on it, but we remember, what, 90?
15:01
8 being kind. What then 98 meant to baseball
15:04
repairing and and getting people involved.
15:06
The home run chase and and what that turned into?
15:09
What would a 400 chase do? What chicks dig the log ball.
15:13
I get it. What in New York?
15:15
No Trent, New York. It's Aaron Judge too.
15:20
I, I don't think it's as mainstreamed as the home run,
15:24
but man, that that would be so much fun.
15:26
And I tell you what would be the most fun aspect of it for me
15:30
would be that it's not a Louisa Rise type, which goes back to
15:35
like the Tony Gwynn type or Ichiro when he was in his prime.
15:39
To have it be a hulking home run hitter hitting over 400, man,
15:43
that would be and, and you know, it is interesting because the
15:47
the last hitter to hit 400 was a power hitter in his own right.
15:51
Obviously Ted Williams was so, so, so much more than just a
15:55
power hitter. I think a lot of people think of
15:57
Aaron Judge as just a power hitter.
15:59
So it would be fun if he was the one that was hanging around at
16:02
400. Is there a an old timer that you
16:06
wish you were alive to see? Or you saw if you were maybe
16:08
born, but you weren't old enough to remember.
16:10
No, there's so many, man. But who would be at the top of
16:13
the list? I I, I probably Willie Mays.
16:21
I mean just the, the, the all around 5 tool superstardom.
16:25
But you know, Ted Williams up there from from working the bats
16:30
and the plate appearances, I guess you should say, because
16:33
there's so many walks. I always loved watching Joey
16:36
Votto and the way that he would work plate appearances.
16:39
And it feels like Ted Williams is to the is Joey Votto to the,
16:43
you know, NTH power, somebody like Josh Gibson, who never got
16:48
to play in Major League Baseball but was only in the Negro
16:51
League. And so mostly it's war with him.
16:54
And, hey, how good could he have been?
16:56
How good was he? Somebody like that is always
16:58
towards the top of my list as well.
17:00
Just the curiosity and how amazing it appears that he was.
17:05
Yeah, Clemente, what? How would Roberto have been
17:09
there's? So many different types, so many
17:10
different types of players in there, Yeah.
17:13
Fascinating stuff. Good stuff.
17:14
Matt Snyder, thanks for doing this.
17:16
Love our Monday conversations, talking baseball with you, and
17:18
we'll do so in seven days. Thank you, bud.
17:20
Appreciate it. Thank you.
17:22
Good to talk to you. CBSSports.com for Matt Snyder.
17:25
CBSSports.com as we talk baseball on a weekly basis with
17:30
Matt Snyder. Who's your guy?
17:32
It's Babe Ruth. Yeah.
17:33
Just because we hear about the hulking nature of him, how
17:36
different, how different sized he was, You look at some of
17:39
those Hope run totals in comparison to the rest of the
17:41
league, just how different that had to look, you know, in
17:45
comparison, Uncle Joseph Maggio, I mean.
17:47
You've write a song about a dude.
17:48
You must be doing something right.
17:49
It's good, right? I remember as a kid Mickey
17:54
Mantle, but I don't remember the player.
17:56
Mickey Mantle. I mean, I don't remember it's.
17:58
More of the stories the. Right.
17:59
Yeah. And by you know, he was broken
18:01
down so much from self-inflicted wounds after off the field.
18:06
Absolutely. Speaking of what ifs and Tony
18:10
Gwyn came up so it popped into my mind again is the what if of
18:13
the 94 season. Oh.
18:15
Geez. I mean that one is still just
18:18
sits in the back of your mind of what could have been.
18:21
Well, the Expos won the World Series.
18:23
They're up six games on the Braves, 74 and 40.
18:27
I'm looking at it right here. Just an incredible season you
18:31
had. The Yankees were just entering
18:34
what they would have eventually become.
18:36
So they were turning it around at that point.
18:38
They were 70 and 43 themselves. Oh wow.
18:40
Yeah. So they were having their a
18:43
great season that went there. We had the race though, or 400,
18:48
because what did they do? You remember the day when they
18:51
came to August. I want to say like August 9th
18:56
for some reason 6 in my head. August 11th.
18:59
Was it August 11th, 1994? And I just kept waiting.
19:02
Now at this time, I'm fourteen. Yeah, that's going to come back.
19:07
This isn't going to happen. I was living in a baseball town.
19:09
I was living in Denver. It was awful.
19:11
What, are we going to see that again?
19:16
In the in season we have had, you can't do that.
19:19
If you're going to strike, strike before it gets.
19:21
Going because I'm sure young people are listening to us right
19:24
now and say what are you talking about?
19:26
Yeah, this was a thing. This was a baseball stopped.
19:29
Baseball stopped the the season didn't conclude.
19:32
Nope, they didn't come back. There's no World Series winner
19:34
in 1994. It's football's not going to be
19:36
that dumb. Well, we shouldn't say that
19:39
we're talking about millionaires versus billionaires so either.
19:42
Side the the money grab that it is right now.
19:44
If you're going to have a shutdown or a work stoppage, it
19:47
has to happen before the season start.
19:50
Hopefully it never happens again.
19:51
What's the sport that it's most likely to happen?
19:53
Well, I think. Is it baseball?
20:01
Is baseball such a long? Season.
20:04
I don't know. I didn't want to think about it.
20:07
But we've been pretty lucky we've had there's been one
20:09
decades now. Well, we, we lost two NHL
20:13
seasons, did we? Yes.
20:15
One was, one was we lost one and one was cut in half or
20:19
something. I forgot about that.
20:20
Yeah, it just moved your sorry, didn't mine, but not as it would
20:23
because The Jets were gone. They were in Phoenix at the
20:25
time, so it didn't piss me off like it would have.
20:27
Yes. Anyways, I don't know the
20:30
answer. I think hopefully none.
20:32
Right, but 1994 was dismal. August August 11th I still
20:38
remember Sports Illustrated. They wrote an article that
20:42
played out the season. Oh, they did.
20:44
And it was like 345 pages. I don't remember if you wrote
20:47
it. You know, did you get to the
20:48
last page and see what the conclusion was?
20:50
Well, I. The things that I remember the I
20:52
think the Expos did win. I think it was the Expos against
20:55
the Red Sox. I came out of nowhere that year
20:57
to get there because of the curse.
20:59
One part of it that I remember though, as a Twins fan is yes
21:02
the Tony Gwen go for 400 but is Chuck Knoblock was on pace to
21:07
break the double S record and then they had a funny line in
21:10
there like towards the end of the regular season he had a home
21:12
run just stopped on second base. That that was in there.
21:16
Yes, yeah. But just playing out the season
21:18
now, I want to go back and read that thing.
21:20
Yeah, I want it as well. That's that's pretty cool.
21:22
I, I got to look for that. All right, we'll do this.
21:24
Let's give you an opportunity to win $1000.
21:27
Head to kxando.com. This Nationwide contest is open
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now. The keyword this hour is Bank.
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Bank at KX and o.com. Your chance to win $1000.
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Bank at KX and o.com. This promotion is brought to us
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by our friends at Suntan City. Suntan City locations throughout
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central Iowa. Well, we talked baseball and
21:51
baseball. Benny gets drawn into the
21:52
conversation. What's on your mind?
21:55
Good to see you the other night, by the way.
21:57
Yeah, it was great seeing you as well.
21:58
Good seeing your old stomping grounds.
22:00
And he gave out some good pics so I got to give.
22:02
Credit that a boy. There will be a work stoppage
22:06
after 2026, they've got to rein in the salaries and they're
22:10
going to try to get either a salary floor or a salary cap and
22:14
they will be locked out. But but not in the middle of the
22:17
season. They'll Yeah, that's the way to
22:19
do it. I'm with you.
22:20
And you know what? I'm not.
22:21
I'm not this. I am disappointed because I
22:23
don't want it to happen. But within the last 10 minutes,
22:26
I saw on X guess who's going to be involved heavily in Kyle
22:30
Tucker? Any guesses why?
22:32
It's the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gross.
22:35
Is that gross it? Is enough's enough.
22:38
How much they going to defer? Most of it probably right.
22:42
Drives me nuts. And I know my Braves were one of
22:45
the first teams to defer pavement.
22:47
That was the Bruce suitor, not at the extremes that we're at
22:53
now when you got a billion dollars deferred for the next 30
22:57
or 40 years and their revenue never goes down and they draw
23:01
50,000. They're they're playing chess
23:04
while everybody else is playing checkers because the rules just
23:08
pertain to them. Now we know they've only won one
23:11
true World Series in the last 40 years other than the COVID year.
23:16
So that tells you how hard it is to win a World Series, though,
23:19
when you can just keep piling on superstar after superstar and
23:22
just kick the money down the road.
23:24
And we already know the farm system gets blown away and blown
23:27
up by Baseball America. Oh, this guy's the next greatest
23:30
prospect. They trade four or five of them,
23:32
none of them paying out. I'm talking about Jeter Downs.
23:35
I'm talking about Alex Verdugo that they've shipped off in
23:38
trade. They don't trade anybody worth
23:40
of who they just get blown up by by Baseball America and all
23:44
these guys, The next greatest thing they got to by the name of
23:46
by ear hope right now that's an A ball.
23:49
Then he'll probably be their next trade ship and then he'll
23:51
probably go to another team or not.
23:54
A guy that they traded that they ruined the day is a guy by the
23:57
name of Yordon Alvarez. Go back and what they traded
24:00
Yordon Alvarez for. Go back and look what they
24:02
traded Pedro Martinez for. Usually they don't lose, but
24:06
they've lost, and they lost on the Yordon Alvarez trade, but
24:09
they usually win every trade when they're trading prospects
24:12
away because they're getting a superstar of the deal.
24:15
Good to talk to you, Benny. Let me see you.
24:16
Yep, have a good one buddy. Baseball, Benny, talk a little
24:18
baseball again. The keyword this hour was bank.
24:21
Bank at kxno.com, your chance to win $1000.
24:24
I'll talk to John. Speaking of the Dodgers.
24:27
Yeah. Gross.
24:27
It is, isn't it? Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers come.
24:31
On he finally came to my side. Yeah, that's just not.
24:34
Enough is enough. They are.
24:35
Yeah. I mean, we were pissed off at
24:37
the Yankees, remember The Eagle Empire?
24:39
This is nothing compared to that.
24:42
I wonder if Steinbrenner would be in an arms race.
24:44
Would he? Oh, absolutely.
24:45
I think he would be, wouldn't he?
24:47
It's coming up on 130. Miller and Condon.
24:49
John Bowen Camp. Next.
24:50
Iowa Sports Radio Network. I'm Miller and Condon.
24:53
Welcome back. Iowa Sports Radio Network Just
24:55
passed 130 on a Monday. Transplays of the Day Circus
25:01
sports sponsor. Those.
25:02
Those are coming up here at about 10 minutes or so before
25:06
2:00. John Bowen Camp, Associated
25:08
Press, iowacollegehoops.com, etcetera, etcetera for John and
25:12
he joins us Little John Bowencamp, how are you?
25:15
I'm good. How you doing?
25:17
Doing pretty well. Disappointing weekend for the
25:19
Hawk baseball team who's downtown Des Moines lost the
25:22
first two and a draw, Yeah, tie at the end of it is so they had
25:28
to make a flight, which is crazy.
25:30
But that's my new. It happens in AAA too.
25:32
So it's not like this the first time it's happened, as you well
25:35
know. But disappointing, I would have
25:37
to say, is how the weekend turned.
25:38
Now. Again, they packed the place.
25:40
It was over 7000, I think, most of the weekend each day.
25:44
So that worked out well. But the success on the field
25:47
wasn't there, John. No, I mean they really needed to
25:50
get one. I mean that to help their NCA
25:53
tournament hopes and, and, and, and maybe and, you know, even
25:56
win the series would would have been a big step for them.
25:59
But you know, now it is you've got to win this weekend to win
26:03
the Big 10, you know, regular season title, you know, and you
26:06
got to go to Omaha and you've got to play well over there.
26:09
And then. So I mean, it, it was a chance.
26:11
It was an opportunity missed. I think more than anything else.
26:14
You had, you had a chance to to get a couple of signature wins
26:18
and they didn't do it. And so that really makes this
26:21
weekend very, very important for them.
26:23
Well, and I think a lot of Hawkeye fans may be seeing the
26:26
team for the first time are starting to follow here the last
26:28
few weeks. See that gap.
26:30
Yeah, I was having a great season and they still very well
26:32
could win the regular season crown.
26:33
But that gap between those top 1015 type teams and what Iowa is
26:38
in a really nice season for them.
26:40
That gap is significant, John. Yeah.
26:42
Oh, yeah. And I mean, and that's, you
26:44
know, that's the way college baseball is, you know, and I
26:47
mean, when when you when you think about it, I mean, you
26:50
know, the vast majority of your teams are the really, really
26:53
good teams in college baseball are down South and, you know,
26:57
and on West and on West Coast. And so, you know, Big 10 teams,
27:00
I mean, there's a relative good to it.
27:04
I think it is the way you put it is they're really good for the
27:07
Big 10 nationally. You know, that's some kind of a
27:10
different story, I think. So yeah, this would have been a
27:13
weekend to really make a state, but in my mind and they didn't
27:16
do it. John, you obviously followed
27:18
baseball for a long time down in Burlington with the Bees.
27:20
You talked a lot of people inside baseball, the divide
27:24
between the Southern teams and what we have up here.
27:27
Would pushing the season back, would that help?
27:30
Would it, would it be anything significant, even a month?
27:34
Yeah, push it back a month. Is is that something?
27:36
I know it would help a little bit, but is it even worth the
27:39
time? Is it even worth doing it?
27:40
Because still in the grand scheme of things down there,
27:43
they can play 365. That's never happening up.
27:46
But then, you know, as I, you know, and I was talking about
27:49
that with somebody this winter and we were talking about, you
27:51
know, pollution. Well, you know what, to help the
27:53
northern teams, absolutely. But the southern teams now all
27:56
of a sudden you're playing in June, you know, in Louisiana, in
27:59
Alabama, where it's going to be 100°, you know, so, so they may
28:04
not want to, they may not want to make that trade off.
28:07
You know, they're they're the ones that in, you know, in late.
28:10
February. Yeah, in late February, they're
28:13
getting 10,000 people. They don't care what goes on up
28:15
north. You know, in LSU's mind, they
28:19
don't care what's going on at Michigan.
28:20
They don't care what's going on in Iowa.
28:22
They, you know, they're going to do their thing.
28:24
And I mean, you know, those southern teams and the West
28:27
Coast teams run the game. I mean, when you really think
28:31
about they're they're the power brokers like, you know, like the
28:33
Big 10 and SCC are in college football.
28:36
That's what they are in college baseball.
28:37
And so I don't see it changing anytime soon as much as the
28:41
northern schools would like see a change.
28:43
I just don't see it App. Speaking of change, change might
28:46
be coming to to men's college basketball, John, with a a
28:50
challenge system which each, each coach would get a one
28:53
challenge. You know it works.
28:54
If you win it, you keep it. You lose the time out.
28:57
If not, if you lose your challenge and it's not
28:59
overturned, don't get another one overdue.
29:02
Will it happen? Does it make too much sense for
29:04
it to happen? I, you know, I, I was trying to
29:08
just kind of picture the logistics of it, my head, you
29:11
know, are you going to have somebody there, you know, on the
29:14
on the sidelines watching, you know, the replay and saying,
29:16
hey, challenges like like they do in Major League Baseball.
29:20
I it's one of those things I think it would be yeah, I don't
29:24
know how it would work. And, and that's why I'll be
29:27
honest right now, it doesn't work.
29:28
You know it is I. Challenge coach you.
29:31
I'm glad you brought that up. Never entered my mind.
29:33
You know, and it's like, I mean, you know, and there's going to
29:37
be, you know, officials right now are relying too much on this
29:40
play and I think that's a problem.
29:44
And so I don't know what the solution is, but I don't think
29:48
this is it. And, you know, so I there's some
29:52
other things I think they need to worry about, but at the same
29:55
time, I do think the officials have got way too rely on a
29:57
replay. You know, guess what, you're
29:59
going to miss some calls, you know, you're going to miss
30:01
calls. You know, you're going to miss
30:03
ball strike calls in baseball, you're going to miss holding
30:05
calls in football, you're going to miss them.
30:07
It happened. You know, it's just a matter of
30:10
when they happen. I think sometimes that you know,
30:13
and so that becomes for as a coach, you know, do you burn 1
30:17
early in the game when you think it might affect momentum?
30:19
You burn a challenge, let you know or save it just late in the
30:22
game, who knows, you know, So it would just put a lot of
30:25
different things in the game and I just, I don't know how it
30:28
would work. Speaking of basketball, as we
30:32
still await for, you know, Emily Rodriguez visiting the women's
30:35
program, the men's side kind of slowed down a little bit.
30:39
Is it just at this point they don't have the roster full?
30:43
Is it finances? Is it one side waiting for that
30:46
check and the other side saying we're we're out of money?
30:48
Why have we suddenly seen this portal?
30:50
Just kind of screech to a halt and and there just hasn't been a
30:53
whole lot of activity even though there's a ton of kids out
30:56
there still searching for homes. Oh, there's a lot of kids out
30:59
there and that's why, you know, and when I, when we talked about
31:01
this the last time, I said, you know, there's going to be, you
31:03
have to kind of do some bargain hunting at this point because
31:06
they do think the money isn't there.
31:08
Now you've, you've spent your money on both teams that really
31:11
in my mind, you've spent your NMO.
31:13
So now you don't know what the house settlement is going to be.
31:16
You don't, you don't know where that's going.
31:18
I think maybe maybe you're waiting to kind of see that so
31:21
you can go to a player and say, hey, this is what you're going
31:24
to get. I don't know.
31:26
But like I said, it really has slowed down nationwide.
31:29
It's not just a little, you know, it's not just an Iowa
31:32
thing. It's a nationwide thing.
31:34
You're really starting to think because I do think a lot of
31:36
people right now are at the end of their money when you think
31:40
about it. So there might be some guys that
31:42
you're going to have to go get and say, hey, look, we'll take
31:44
care of you. You know, you, you're just going
31:46
to have to find that guy that really wants to come there and
31:49
doesn't mind that he's only going to get X numbered and
31:52
those guys would be kind of hard to find at it.
31:54
John, as we bounce around with a lot of different topics here, I
31:58
find it hard to believe that that we that you would have been
32:02
out and about making your rounds, whatever you're doing
32:05
that you know, in the last few years, people would want to talk
32:08
Hawkeye offense when it comes to football in the off season.
32:12
I mean, that had just hasn't been there, right?
32:14
Right. But this?
32:15
Year in a negative way. Well, sure, there was always
32:19
that, but from an optimism standpoint, is it I'm and I'm
32:23
guessing it's the same and the East, maybe it's even more
32:25
overblown out there. I sense there's a great deal of
32:29
optimism when it comes to the offense that Tim Lester's going
32:32
to have to work with this year. Well, I I think there is, but I
32:35
also think too there, you know, there is that OK, we're still
32:39
not quite sure because it is Iowa still it is Kirk parents,
32:43
but I don't think they realize, I don't think a lot of people
32:46
realize how good Mark Gronowski really is.
32:49
And you know, and I mean, I know of him, you know, at his time at
32:52
South Dakota State, I know what he can do now.
32:55
How's that going to translate to this level?
32:58
I think it's going to translate just fine.
33:00
You know, so I'm more optimistic maybe than some people are
33:03
because I know what he can do And and and I truly think this
33:07
is probably one of their best quarterback options in a long
33:11
time. And so I, I do think once people
33:14
realize and, and really breakdown what he's done numbers
33:18
wise, resume wise, they'll realize that this is probably
33:22
going to be a pretty good offense.
33:23
I mean, obviously everybody's going to stay healthy, but it's
33:26
still a pretty good offense. I think if.
33:28
They're going to have a special season.
33:30
They're going to have to win a game 31282720.
33:33
They can't. 1413 games just don't work that often.
33:37
I think they've squeezed all the toothpaste out of the tube that
33:39
they can. Is the offense at that level
33:42
that they can go out there and and they get in a shootout and
33:45
they can win at 3734? Are we at that quarterback,
33:47
Trent? Yeah, I do.
33:50
I mean, I think, I think you can win games that are in the high
33:53
20s and low 30s. I don't think you're going to
33:56
have 4441 or something like that because I think Iowa's defenses
34:00
is still pretty good. You know, I bet.
34:03
I mean, I think you can get to that level because I, I think
34:07
you're, you're really good at running back.
34:08
Even though you've lost, you know, one of your best running
34:11
backs you've had in a long time, you're still pretty good at that
34:13
spot. You're going to be always good
34:15
up front. Your receiver group is probably
34:17
the best it's been in a while, and you've got a quarterback
34:20
who's won national title. I think you're in pretty good
34:23
shape to where you can put up some point.
34:26
Yeah, I agree. Did you see Kyle Tucker's?
34:29
The Dodgers are going to be involved with Kyle Tucker.
34:31
Of course, I mean, I, I said that the other night to Alex
34:35
Cohen when he was talking about comparing Tucker's number to
34:38
Bobby. We'll wait till next year when
34:40
they're teammates. So man, anyway, I mean, we
34:44
because I mean there's going to be a lot of money coming off the
34:47
books and you are we're going to need a right just.
34:50
Saying who comes off the books next year?
34:52
Do you know off the top of your head?
34:54
Not right off the top of my head, but I mean there is going
34:57
to be obviously some changes here and there.
34:59
I mean, I don't know if Max months he returns, I don't know.
35:02
They've got the money, they're fine.
35:04
Yeah, Freddy Freeman's fine. And yeah, I was going to say,
35:07
he's your MVP right now. It's unbelievable.
35:11
I mean so I mean it on a surgically repaired hang.
35:14
Right. Look at their record right now.
35:19
And again, I've said that they still, they still haven't played
35:23
their best baseball yet. So, and Kershaw's coming back.
35:27
They'll be fine. Indeed they will.
35:29
John Bowen Camp. Good to catch up with you buddy.
35:31
Talk to you in a couple. Of weeks.
35:32
Thanks for having me. Yeah.
35:33
Thank you, John. Bowen Camp as we talk Hawks with
35:36
John. Good stuff, yet they haven't
35:38
played their best baseball trend.
35:40
Let's be nice. Is it?
35:42
Yeah. Maybe if you're a fan, yeah.
35:45
For the rest of us, no. The other 2019 but.
35:47
Even if you're a fan, fan don't you want?
35:50
Well, he hadn't seen a real world championship since the
35:52
80s. You know, till this last year.
35:56
We've seen plenty of people sell their soul for things a lot
35:59
different than a championship. You can always talk your way
36:03
into it. That's what fans do.
36:06
They're the overwhelming favorite to repeat by all means.
36:09
I mean, it's a short price. We'll take your time out.
36:12
Speaking of prices, Trenton, we'll try and find some prices
36:15
going on his favorite circus sports sponsor that that segment
36:19
is coming up next, Miller in Condon on the Iowa Sports Radio
36:21
network. All right, final couple of
36:25
minutes here on a Monday. Miller in Condon, Iowa sports
36:27
radio Network. The drive is coming up next.
36:29
Heather and Lucas take you until 5 O clock overtime.
36:32
Iowa 5 to 6 NBANHLMLB on the docket tonight.
36:39
Where are you betting your hard earned money?
36:42
Well, I'm going to kick things off with one play in the NBA.
36:46
Don't you think the Knicks have to be better tonight?
36:48
Grabbing them plus. That's the team you're taking.
36:51
So I'm doing that and I'm also playing a player prop in the
36:54
Timberwolves Warriors matchup. OK, I'm going to take Anthony
36:58
Edwards over 26 1/2. Got going the other day, didn't
37:02
he? He finally did.
37:03
He's been so poor for a full 48. I just feel it's going to click
37:08
here. I think the Warriors are going
37:09
to hang around again. I think it's going to be a game
37:11
and I think he's going to be out there a bunch.
37:13
So I'm going to go over 26, 1/2. The number on Anthony Edwards
37:17
with my first player prop of the week baseball, I couldn't get
37:22
any hockey. Nothing jumped off to me in the
37:25
hockey. Didn't like the numbers.
37:27
I'm going to play the Brewers. Peralta back on the bump for
37:30
Milwaukee. Just like that dude.
37:32
You know, if you would have told me five years ago he'd turn into
37:34
the pitcher he has. No I.
37:36
Agree. So just solid, right?
37:39
Just a really solid pitcher -119 it's Circa on the Brew Crew.
37:43
And then two huge favorites. And I hate to do this, but my
37:46
number said I had to burst the Cubs -250 against Cal Quantrell,
37:52
who is awful. And who pitches for the Cubs
37:54
today? Colin Ray.
37:55
OK. And then I'm going to do the
37:57
same. Well, Tyler Malley is the best
38:00
DRA in baseball against doesn't does he?
38:03
The bad, bad, you know, if the Rangers got any offense at all,
38:07
this team. Maybe under is the play.
38:09
Yeah, could be. What are you doing?
38:11
8 1/2 But we're gonna play the easy one, hopefully the Rangers.
38:15
All right, that will do it for us.
38:16
Appreciate you being with us more.
38:19
Iowa based program still to come.
38:21
In fact, 3 hours next the drive. Heather and Lucas are coming up
38:24
where Miller and Condon, Trent and I talk sports with you every
38:27
Monday through Friday from noon until 2 on the Iowa Sports Radio
38:31
Network.