Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Caitlin Beat Up, NHL over, NBA Game 6, Vikings & Twins talk with Dane Mizutani

Transcript

Caitlin Beat Up, NHL over, NBA Game 6, Vikings & Twins talk with Dane Mizutani · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

0:18
All right, good afternoon. Welcome to Miller and Condon.
0:21
On a Wednesday. It's the Iowa Sports Radio
0:24
Network. Back to two hours of Iowa based
0:26
programming. Trent Condon and Ken Miller get
0:29
things off and running here at noon.
0:31
At 2:00 we'll turn things over the drive.
0:33
Heather and Lucas Till 5 overtime.
0:35
Iowa follows that. Here's what's coming up on our
0:39
program. We're going to talk to Dane
0:42
Mazatani, our buddy from the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.
0:45
The latest on the Vikings OTA S Vikings roster I think is as
0:49
good as well. It's certainly a lot of teams
0:51
that have playoff dreams, maybe with one exception.
0:55
No, Trent, you're not. You're not too influencing me.
0:59
I'm still on the McCarthy bandwagon, but we will see Den
1:02
Mazatani on that, on the Twins as well.
1:05
He will join us at the bottom of the hour.
1:07
It's Wednesday. That means we'll catch up with
1:09
the cap man. Look forward to talking Chicago
1:12
sports with Cappy. They are spar.
1:14
Cappy is sponsored by Centurion Stone of Iowa.
1:17
Centurion Stone of iowa.com, Cappy coming up on those.
1:22
Unbelievable Chicago Cubs PCA last night.
1:25
What a game, what a sequence that he had just an unbelievable
1:29
catch in center field and crushed one off the scoreboard.
1:33
The top of the scoreboard just under the Bud Budweiser sign out
1:37
in right field 400 and what 70 or 90 feet, whatever it was so
1:41
Cappy coming up here in our number 2 and then Nick Athen.
1:45
Yes, the Chiefs are going through some OTAs, but kind of
1:48
an interesting scenario and I think it's obviously a long shot
1:53
and getting way ahead of ourselves, but apparently
1:55
Patrick Mahomes wants to buy WNBA franchise for his adopted
1:59
home city of Kansas City. You see where I'm going?
2:04
I do you know it's. Just me who's a big Kansas City
2:07
Chiefs fan. Well, she grew up as a Chiefs
2:09
fan and I don't know when her free agent status would be.
2:12
I don't know when if Mahomes is going to be able to pull it off.
2:15
I don't think money is going to be have be a problem because if
2:18
that's the case, he just reaches out to his tight end who you
2:22
know, might be able to influence his girlfriend who's got a
2:24
little bank in her own right. But we'll see.
2:26
But kind of fun summer topic nonetheless is we are down to 1
2:32
winter sport remaining and that is tomorrow night as the Stanley
2:36
Cup has been passed out for the second straight year to the
2:39
Florida Panthers, the best team in the NHL.
2:42
And they looked like it again last night.
2:43
They looked like it all series long and hockey goes into the
2:49
offseason and I already miss it. And you don't have to worry
2:53
about getting in a fight with your weight on wife on Friday
2:55
night. That's a great point.
2:56
Yeah, great. A great point.
2:58
Another good reason that it ended in six.
3:01
The better team just won. They did they're better team, I
3:03
mean, and and Matthew could Chuck summed it up, I think in a
3:06
perfect and I'm paraphrasing, he said.
3:09
When when they got in trouble, they turned to one guy, you
3:13
know, and that's kind of unfair to dry sidle, but but you get my
3:15
point. And Florida's just a better
3:18
team, better goaltending. Said it yesterday.
3:20
When you're going back and forth, you know who's starting,
3:22
Your starting goalie is David Goes another year without a cop
3:27
and he's a free agent. Not this coming year, but the
3:29
year after Bully. We shall see in another year
3:34
without the Cup heading north of the border.
3:35
Now the streak continues on since 1993.
3:40
The Montreal Canadiens. Canadians, yeah, with the last
3:43
team to do it. And Edmonton's been close to the
3:46
last couple of years, but a terrific series.
3:48
And the Panthers are, they've now made their way to, oh,
3:51
what's the street right in front of the ocean.
3:53
And in Miami, No, the main drag that we were all partied on when
3:57
the South Beach, South Beach, Yeah, South Beach, that's where
4:00
they are. They're they're a bar called the
4:01
Elbow Room and they're on the balcony and they got the cup and
4:04
they're pouring beer out of the cup on people below them.
4:07
And the people can't get enough. They're drenched in beer at 8:00
4:11
in the morning. But the fan just absolutely love
4:14
it. So good stuff.
4:16
Terrific, terrific series. The right team won the Stanley
4:19
Cup. And away we go to tomorrow night
4:21
and we'll have the end the NBA. And I have a feeling it's going
4:24
to curtains going to fall tomorrow night as well.
4:26
Halliburton says if he can walk, he can play.
4:28
I'm not sure he can walk. Yeah, that's a problem.
4:31
And if he's walking, he's certainly not a hop of the step.
4:34
If that's going to happen. I just keep going back to you,
4:37
though. They're home.
4:39
We know role players. What they do.
4:41
Yep. Now are you going to get the
4:42
same game out of McConnell? No.
4:43
Well, you know, it's going to be different if indeed it if
4:46
Halliburton can't go and and it's McConnell, you know,
4:49
McConnell's going to see, he's going to see an awful lot of.
4:51
Lutor. Here comes Lutor.
4:52
That's a little different animal.
4:55
So before you jump on your props, when you see McConnell's,
4:58
she's going to play a lot and then his total is 10, well, this
5:02
is a cinch. Keep that in mind.
5:04
Yes, absolutely. That's still the lingering hope
5:07
for me is that we will be able to get.
5:10
On Sunday night. That will get be able to get a
5:12
Game 7 on Sunday that I don't think it'll matter.
5:14
I think Thunder will win by a billion.
5:16
But for tonight that Indiana has an opportunity because it's an
5:22
old Conseco, it's in the field house and that is the reason
5:26
that at least have a glimmer of hope, not a high level of hope.
5:29
A glimmer of hope is because it's in India.
5:32
And the point spread is what you said six, 6 1/2 and it's staying
5:36
there, staying flat 6 and a. Half Well, I just saw it this
5:38
morning again at six and a because it was 4 1/2 yesterday.
5:41
So Halliburton. And that was before the report
5:44
from Shams. And that was what late afternoon
5:47
it was. Right after we went off the oh,
5:49
was it, yeah, like 1:45 that Shams report came out.
5:52
But yeah, it was 4 1/2 until then, two points.
5:55
You can understand that with a limited at best Halliburton, and
5:58
probably worse than that. It was a really good night of
6:00
sports and worked out well. I'm not a multi TV set up guy.
6:05
It just confuses me trying to jump around from one to the
6:08
other. But it worked out perfect
6:10
because I saw a ton of the Indiana Fever game and I got
6:13
back over there and I saw the brouhaha as I was watching it.
6:17
I saw PCA make his catch and then his home run.
6:20
So let's start with the Fever and and and then I think in
6:24
particular afterwards and, and, and Stephanie coming out and
6:30
saying what she said the the Fever's coach, Stephanie White,
6:33
right? Yeah, the coach and she called
6:37
out the officials and they said and she said and she knows
6:40
because she played and she's coached.
6:42
This isn't her first stop. The players are getting bigger,
6:44
the players are getting faster. The the play in the league is is
6:47
so much better than it once was. Everything is improving.
6:50
They accept the officiating and she's right.
6:52
And these officials lost control of this basketball game last
6:55
night. And look it, we are Katyn Clark
6:59
fans. I'm being we're not trying to
7:01
hide this. The reason I watched it was
7:03
because one reason 22 and if she goes to another team, that'll be
7:07
the team that I watch. But it was very apparent that, I
7:12
mean, what, what does she do to get her technical help me out?
7:15
She shoved a girl. Well, JC Shelton poked her in
7:18
the eye, then got in her face, and she kind of just sticks in
7:22
her arms. Get away from me.
7:23
She did, but you still you can't do that and that's.
7:26
When you get a poke in the eye, you can't do.
7:28
That you can't. It's not about the intent.
7:31
And now if it was deliberate, I mean, if we're talking about
7:33
1950s wrestling here and he got an eye gouge, that might be a
7:37
different conversation. It was also an accidental.
7:39
This is not what that idiot in Indiana thought he was Adam
7:43
Woodbury. What's that moron's name?
7:46
Oh, I don't remember, but yeah, there.
7:48
Was a dockage. And yeah, right.
7:50
And I mean, there wasn't there. Didn't he get a Gopher at what
7:54
in the eyes? It was a Wisconsin player.
7:55
Was it? But I don't think that was the
7:57
only time he poked anybody in the eye.
7:59
Just clearly. He had a body of work and I was
8:01
too. He was too uncoordinated to be
8:04
able to. I agree.
8:05
Put a hand up and be able to do it and just get enough of a
8:07
fingernail in there to get them in the eye not too come.
8:12
On No I I I liked his game. So how does Mayberry stay in the
8:15
game? Help me out with that.
8:16
That's the one that you can't, right?
8:18
I mean, not only do you have a player that is holding her eye,
8:23
you come up out of nowhere. She was holding her eye and
8:25
can't see you because she's got her eye.
8:26
Covered and then you go with the shoulder bump and knock her to
8:30
the floor. And and the Kinetic, and I get
8:32
it, he's their coach. He had no problem with it.
8:35
She was just trying to get in the middle of the two.
8:36
Sure she was, but but anyways, and then later on in the game,
8:41
it continued to be chippy. They they got the franchise out
8:45
of there and she was on the bench and Sophie Cunningham is
8:48
in the game and Sophie Cunningham that's a was a
8:51
turnover and it was an uncontested for the most part.
8:54
She was going to score. I'm talking about JC Shelton.
8:56
And it was a hard foul by the I don't wanna call her a goon.
9:01
Not a goon. Bye.
9:03
Bye. She's the enforcer.
9:04
There you go. Of this Fever team and and it
9:08
was on and I didn't know this about Sophie Cunningham her game
9:12
she's got a black belt Taekwondo yeah yeah and and she's the.
9:15
Youngest ever in the state of Missouri.
9:17
That's wild. And you could see where he she
9:19
grabs Shelton right away behind the neck and pulled her head
9:22
down and that was over at that point.
9:24
But I want to see what the what the league does today.
9:27
What do they have any pushback? Do they have any comeback?
9:31
Do they have anything to say about went on last night?
9:34
Because Stephanie White said, look, this has been percolating
9:36
kind of under the surface, not just with Connecticut but with
9:39
other teams. Oh, absolutely.
9:41
And you know what? I don't have a.
9:42
Problem with it for the most part if it's on the up and up.
9:45
I mean, don't treat her with kid gloves.
9:46
I'm talking about Caitlin Clark. Make her work for what?
9:49
And she would want that, I would believe.
9:52
But when it does get as chippy as seemingly it was, I mean, the
9:54
Mabry thing, there was no, that was uncalled for, Uncalled for.
9:59
I'll be interested to see how the league commissioner handles
10:02
this today, if at all. And there's more to it.
10:04
You go back and it was a game I don't think we were seeing
10:06
because it was I think when Caitlin was out.
10:08
Oh yeah, we didn't care. But the last time that they
10:10
played in that. Connecticut beat them.
10:13
Well, I don't even know, but Shelton injured 2 of the
10:17
players. So you have yeah, that component
10:20
to it. She was behind that huh?
10:21
I know that there was 2 injured including Cunningham.
10:24
Yes, Cunningham, yeah, as they were going head to head and and
10:27
Mitchell, no, it was the backup point that they brought.
10:29
Signed. Yeah, yeah.
10:30
Yeah, Coulson and she was injured in that game and Shelton
10:34
is believed in probably the reason for it playing dirty.
10:36
Was she that way at Ohio State? Oh yeah.
10:38
Was she? Yeah.
10:38
There's a reason that Ohio State and Iowa women's basketball hate
10:41
each other. First, their coach is weird.
10:43
Secondly, there's always been. That's the way the Buckeyes are
10:46
coached and that's the way that they play.
10:48
They play with an edge. You've seen it lately with Ohio.
10:53
What was her name? Good inside player that went off
10:56
against them in the loss last year and she was again around
10:59
this year, but she was in the transport.
11:00
They're regardless, that's how they play.
11:02
They're dirty, it's bad. And this is the time now and
11:06
this is where I wanted to go with you.
11:08
So 13 months ago when we watched the WNBA for the first time.
11:12
And we're not alone. No, our first.
11:17
Reaction. Holy crap, this is physical.
11:21
I remember that vividly Trend. When we hearken back to when the
11:26
NBA went through a bad downturn was the physicality was a huge
11:29
part of that late 90s into the early 2000's, the physicality
11:33
went too far. And we're at that point now with
11:37
the WNBA. This is your time.
11:40
You have a chance to change the course of your sport, of your
11:44
league, of maybe the next quarter century, of the way that
11:48
we look at the WNBA. But if you don't clean it up, if
11:51
you allow this kind of crap to continue to happen, it is going
11:55
to push people away from your sport.
11:57
You already have enough negativity around this league
11:59
and the back and forth that's happening for a multitude of
12:01
different reasons, from race to who you're with, those kind of
12:06
things. Jealousy.
12:07
Absolutely matters in a big, big way in this league.
12:10
So you got that component and then on top of it, you're going
12:13
to put a bad brand of basketball.
12:15
Physical basketball, for the most part, is not something that
12:18
the casual sport fan wants to watch.
12:21
So the time is now either. Clean it up.
12:23
Last year, right in the middle of the season, the NBA, who owns
12:28
the WNBA, they changed their sport because it was getting too
12:32
ridiculous. On the other way, offensively,
12:35
teams were scoring at a rate that became unfun, so they
12:38
brought physicality back into the game.
12:40
You can do it. You absolutely can.
12:42
Even the middle of the season. It's been done before.
12:44
It's been done within the last year in the NBA.
12:48
The time is now. You have to do this because if
12:51
you continue down this route, you're going to turn off so many
12:54
casual viewers. They're not going to want to
12:56
watch this garbage. No, I don't disagree.
12:58
I mean, I saw a lot of pushback that that very take that you
13:01
have as I saw that I saw that a lot yesterday.
13:03
Well, game was fun. She did, she did her thing.
13:07
There was that aspect of it as well.
13:10
And look, she talks trash to. Me Caitlin is a first class.
13:14
She get get off me. Uh huh.
13:16
I can find somebody's I. Can do whatever I want.
13:18
Yes, you. Drop an F bomb you.
13:21
Like that, she pulled out the Kirk Cousins.
13:23
I now who was that to? I think it was to the coach.
13:26
Oh yeah, I think it was to Connecticut's coach.
13:28
I don't think it was to Shelton cause the way she was looking
13:31
Shelton was over the other way. I don't know who was too.
13:33
But she did play that card and and good for her for doing so.
13:39
But look at she is the league's meal ticket.
13:42
There's no if ands or buts about that and and what she means to
13:47
this league. Do want to get the PCA and his
13:49
night last night with this Cubs team so fun to watch.
13:52
They really are so much fun to watch.
13:54
But let's take a call. Let's get Danny in here.
13:56
By the way, Cappy who will join us at 1:00 had Jed Hoyer on his
14:00
show today. So we'll get some Intel perhaps
14:03
from Cappy if if Hoyer showed any of his car and I doubt that
14:07
he did, but maybe we can get some timelines from Cappy's
14:10
interview with Hoyer that took place earlier this morning.
14:13
Dan, welcome to the program. How are you?
14:15
Good afternoon, guys. How are you doing?
14:16
Good. Hey, I don't know if you guys
14:19
watched the game last night. But a lot of people have rented.
14:23
There was 2 calls that stuck out.
14:24
One was when they called the foul on Caitlin Clark.
14:27
She didn't even touch the girl. She.
14:28
Didn't even she was a good 18 inches.
14:30
Away from touching her. And they I surprised they didn't
14:33
replay that. And why didn't they let me stop
14:35
you for a second? Because Caitlin wanted Stephanie
14:37
White to do so. The shot from the camera on top
14:40
of the backs basket is absolutely vividly clear that
14:44
she wasn't, as you said, with it.
14:46
So what? What would have been the reason?
14:47
Do you think that she didn't challenge that any?
14:49
Idea maybe. Maybe it was too early in the
14:52
game. Yeah, maybe.
14:55
Then the call that blows my mind, being a former basketball
14:57
coach, high school basketball coach, you teach your kids if
15:00
you need to get it and you throw it to your back court, which
15:03
they did. And they called over in the
15:04
back, which is a legal play to throw the ball in from your
15:08
court. And not one official caught
15:11
that. Even the announcer said that's
15:14
not over the back, over and back.
15:17
I didn't see that part. I must have been back to the
15:19
hockey player. I didn't see that part.
15:20
Well, Caitlin was throwing the ball into Boston and she kind of
15:24
threw it to the back court and Boss went and got it and they
15:26
blew the Russell right away and called over and back and
15:29
everyone's looking at each other.
15:30
Like what? Was it?
15:32
And what if they're so caught it?
15:34
Was it one time after they advanced the ball?
15:37
It was in the, I think the fourth quarter.
15:39
If because I think if you advance the ball to midcourt and
15:43
then you cannot throw it to the backcourt.
15:45
It wasn't after a timeout. The ball.
15:49
That got there was a ball that got hit out of bounds and they
15:52
they kept possession or it was a foul, right, that happened.
15:55
So they kept possession and everyone's like looking what,
15:59
and not one official. Got it right.
16:01
Like that's unbelievable. Where?
16:02
Are they getting, I mean, are these these officials coming
16:05
from like the YMCA or something or what, you wonder?
16:08
Honestly, gone honest to God. Dan, thanks for the call.
16:11
Appreciate it. Thanks guys.
16:12
Have a good day. You do the same.
16:13
Good to talk to you. It's just it's, it's, it's, it's
16:17
worse this year than I think it was last year or certainly
16:20
hasn't gotten any better. And Stephanie White's 1000%
16:23
right. I'll, I'll take her word for it
16:25
because again, she coached in the league.
16:26
She played in the league and she can, you know, I'll defer to her
16:30
when going back 20 years as to how much better the game has
16:33
gotten, how much better the athletes, how much better the
16:34
players are than when they were. And the officials have stayed at
16:38
the same level, which was bad back then and it's worse now.
16:41
I just saw the angle you were talking about on the Caitlin 3
16:44
when she's hollering. Yeah, it's the coach.
16:46
It's. From this angle, I'm going to
16:48
retweet it on the Miller and Condon show page.
16:50
You can find it at Miller and Condon on Twitter.
16:52
I'm going to retweet it right now because yes, this was
16:55
absolutely, this is not JC Shaw. This was directed right at that
16:59
house. What?
17:00
I thought too, who again after the game had no problem with
17:03
Mabry, what Mabry did, because after all, she was just trying
17:05
to get between the two of them. Sure she was.
17:08
Caitlin's got her right eye covered.
17:09
She's coming in out of her periphery on the right side so
17:12
she can't see her. Next thing she knows she's on
17:14
her ass and, and, and got the same got the same punishment, I
17:19
guess technical foul as she did, but but you know what?
17:24
Here's the bottom line and, well, not the bottom line, but
17:28
everybody's talking about this today across the.
17:30
Yes, absolutely. Yep, Yep.
17:31
Local shows, I'm guessing, that have an interest in college
17:35
basketball, don't have a, you know, a AMLB team.
17:39
You get the drift. This is getting a lot of
17:42
conversation, generating a lot of conversation.
17:45
We're talking about the WNBA here today across the country.
17:49
And, yeah, you can say that, you know, there is such a thing as
17:53
bad publicity. I'm not so sure.
17:55
Here's Joe. We, we, we've, we.
17:58
We've coined him. Thunder Joe.
18:00
I like it. You're good with that, right
18:03
Thunder Joe? Hey, we can do it.
18:04
That's that's that's how I notify myself now to you guys.
18:08
Hey, here's the thing, here's what I don't here's what I don't
18:11
understand is that hard foul in the back that knocked her to the
18:15
ground. How do these gals not understand
18:19
that you if you injure her during a basketball play, that's
18:22
fine, that happens. But if on that play, if she
18:26
blows out an ACL, does some to her Phillies, you're taking
18:29
money out of your own pockets. And I don't like look, I'm a
18:34
girl dad and I'm a boy that girls dad.
18:36
Honestly, raising girls is easier.
18:37
There's a lot of unwanted drugs drama with it, but it was easier
18:41
over overall. I'm like one of the old people
18:43
to ever say that, but it's the fact that you guys don't you
18:45
ladies don't understand the ramifications and what Sophie
18:49
Cunningham did. Absolutely.
18:51
That was a you know what that was?
18:52
AI got my gals move. I got no, no problem with that.
18:56
And she got she got an Angel Reese's face about 3 weeks ago.
18:59
But these gals, somebody, the lady's got to sit these gals
19:02
down to like look you, we saw it when she was injured.
19:04
You take her out of the lineup, we're losing money.
19:07
Yes, yeah, think, think back to when you're travelling coach and
19:10
one of you might got the B row or the E ticket, right, You're
19:14
in the middle. Seat you get a layover that you
19:17
miss. Layovers.
19:18
Now you're travelling, you know you're on.
19:21
No more commercial there, you're on a private jet.
19:23
And Thunder Joe brings up a good point.
19:24
What if it is an ACL tear? So she's out the rest of this
19:27
year. She comes back next year.
19:29
For how much they're a depleted team that is impacting your
19:34
bottom line. It's not thoughtful.
19:37
And it needs to change. I don't have any confidence
19:41
though in the head of the no. I don't either.
19:44
Is she bigger than the leak? Yes, she is.
19:47
Yeah. She is the leak.
19:49
Yeah, we saw it. You need any more proof in the
19:51
pudding? Look at when she was out.
19:53
Fascinating really is. PCA is fascinating.
19:55
To watch play to. Trend, you know my good God.
19:58
So I was trying to figure out why he just bothers me to know
20:00
what we've talked about. This.
20:01
He's so good and he knows it. No, it's.
20:03
Not that he's so good. I've seen good players.
20:06
It's his mannerisms, it's his weirdness.
20:08
And maybe I just need to embrace the goofiness he is.
20:11
He beats to the March of his own drama.
20:13
He shows up with blue hair training camp.
20:15
He's just a different kind of cat.
20:17
Guess what? I don't need to go have a bear
20:19
with him, right? I don't have to talk to him.
20:21
I don't have to interact with him.
20:23
I just to watch the guy play baseball and as a baseball
20:26
player, I'm over it now. I'm over it.
20:29
I'm going to stop. Yes, he bothers the crap out of
20:32
me. His personality is not.
20:34
What do you if he was a twin? Yes.
20:36
Oh yeah. I've had plenty of twins that
20:37
I've hated too. Well, I mean, pretty much a
20:39
whole team right now. But that aside, there's been but
20:43
I. Liked them two weeks ago.
20:45
There's plenty of personalities that I just don't like.
20:47
I mean, I've talked about that, the Twins, the Bears, the
20:50
Hawkeyes, there's there's those players that are on your team
20:53
and you just don't like because I'm not that kind of there are
20:56
people that are built that way. Their guy can do no wrong.
20:59
That's not me, however, I got to get over it because this guy's
21:03
going to be a part of our life. He's so freaking talented.
21:06
He put the team last night on their on his back to win a game,
21:10
a game what, 78 of the Seas, whatever it is, but it doesn't.
21:14
He just is so Dang. Made a phenomenal catch and of
21:18
course he leads off the top the bottom of the next inning.
21:20
And you know what was going to happen.
21:21
Absolutely. And he crushed that ball 470.
21:25
Feet. I had a home run, but you know
21:26
he was getting on. If I had my app open, there was
21:30
no doubt he was getting on. He's going to and if he if he
21:33
didn't hit her over the fence, he's going to steal the bag.
21:35
He's just so much fun to watch. Here's my question for Kathy,
21:39
because they're about to throw a whole bunch of money at Kyle
21:42
Tucker and they throw him at the right field at the, at the, I
21:46
can't say the right fielder, he's the right fielder, the
21:48
correct fielder. Where would you rather spend
21:51
your money? Because PCA, they tried to not
21:53
low ball him, but give him one of those contracts before they
21:56
had to. He still had to, you know, his
21:58
clock was ticking. They didn't have to go and
22:00
approach him and try and sign him to a long term deal.
22:03
And PCA said thanks, but no thanks.
22:06
And he's obviously really good businessman too, because he bet
22:09
on himself. Within a month, we realized
22:12
that, you know, you made the right decision.
22:14
You got to have PCA over Kyle Tucker as a cub.
22:16
Well, here's the thing, you don't have to worry about PCA
22:19
for another six years. I mean he's arbitration
22:22
eligible, not for another 3 next year's.
22:25
The next two years of pre arbitration years.
22:28
Arbitration starts in year #4 you got two more years after
22:31
that. Don't worry about Kyle Tucker as
22:34
it pertains to be Crow Armstrong, because be Karma
22:36
Armstrong. He's under team control.
22:38
Yeah, Fairpoint, you can pay him off.
22:40
You can pay out and buy out of those years and with the wink
22:44
and a nod, hey, we're doing this because we want you here for the
22:46
next 15. Years.
22:47
Well, they tried to do that, Yeah.
22:48
And he said no. And a lot of young kids have
22:50
done that because it's life changing.
22:51
Money, sure. When you do that now now.
22:53
What's his family? Is his mom an actress?
22:55
Something like that. There's some, yeah, another
22:57
weird connection, right, that I think family has money,
23:01
something like that. There is some kind I don't know.
23:04
Yeah, I don't know if I'm pretty sure.
23:08
Anyways, we'll take a time out. We'll come back.
23:10
We're going to head north. His mom?
23:12
Yeah, was the mom in the movie Little Big League?
23:15
I don't remember the picture it. So the kid that took over the
23:18
Minnesota Twins as the manager? I kind of remember this part.
23:22
At the Metro. And, and mom was part of it,
23:24
yes. So she's obviously had other
23:26
roles, right? I would hope so.
23:28
Ashley Crowe is her name. 64 years old was in Dark Angel.
23:34
How about a woman named Jackie? No.
23:36
Silk Hope No, not a lot of hits. Not a not a deep resume, but a
23:41
resume nonetheless. Nonetheless, absolutely 1225
23:45
Miller and Condon to the Twin Cities next our friend Dane
23:48
Mazatani. We'll talk Vikings, we'll talk
23:50
twins with with with Dane Mazatani.
23:54
Kappy kicks off hour number two. We had Jed Hoyer on his program
23:58
this morning. We'll find out if Kappy was able
24:00
to glean any Intel from that as stuff pursuant to what direction
24:04
they possibly could be going. I don't think they need to
24:07
address the bullpen. No, I, I.
24:09
Watched it again yesterday. Keller was lights out.
24:13
Obviously Palencia coming in and doing what he did at the end of
24:17
the field. Bar was really good.
24:19
Who came in after after Brown, there was one more the lefty
24:23
that they just Cabrera. He was good.
24:26
Bullpen was terrific. I guess starter, right?
24:29
And I said 3-4 weeks ago, you know, go out there, not a high
24:33
leverage guy, but just start to take a couple of looks at some
24:36
veteran arms. You know, a guy from the
24:38
Rockies, a guy from the Marvel, whatever it is, guys that are
24:41
even going through. That's where I thought because
24:44
we've seen this relievers. It just takes a good couple of
24:47
weeks and all of a sudden they get on the right track and you
24:49
find it. They don't need that.
24:51
You're right, it's starter. And do they even need to look at
24:54
3rd? No, Nope, I don't think they do
24:57
it. Matt Shaw's pencil him in
24:59
perfectly fine, great with the glove.
25:02
And that was the concern. I mean, is it got a strong
25:05
enough arm to get it from the hot corner?
25:06
Well, the answer is yes. And we've seen some of the plays
25:09
that he's made since he's got his call back to the bigs.
25:12
Since he's been down here, he's been unbelievable.
25:15
Nico Horner. No, he's not hitting home runs,
25:17
but he's doing a lot of other things great.
25:18
Swanson's kind of in a bit of a slump right now.
25:21
Ian Hap is Ian Hap. They're good behind the plate.
25:24
I mean, they're overachieving behind the plate is what they're
25:26
doing. Miller and Condon Mizutani next.
25:29
Iowa Sports Radio Network. I'm Miller Condon, welcome back
25:38
just past 1230 on a Wednesday, David Kaplan.
25:41
We'll head to Chicago to kick off hour number two, catch up
25:44
with the cap. And he's caught up with Jed
25:46
Hoyer on his program this morning.
25:48
We'll pick his brain on that. Right now.
25:49
The Twin Cities is where we go to find our friend Dane
25:52
Moussutani, St. Paul, Pioneer Press,
25:54
twincities.com for Dane, Dane Trenton.
25:57
Ken, thanks for doing this. OTAs with the Vikings, know we
26:00
got a glimpse of them, plenty of opportunities to listen to them
26:03
press conference wise, etcetera. I guess the million, another
26:07
question when it comes to this franchise, because I think
26:09
they're loaded, I really do. But it's JJ McCarthy, right?
26:13
And it continues to be what has kind of been the other reviews,
26:17
if you will? And what kind of what kind of
26:19
June has McCarthy had? Yeah, I think he's had a really
26:23
good June. I think it's one where it's a
26:27
little hard to judge because we don't have a baseline of last
26:30
year. All we have is what we saw in
26:33
training camp, what we saw in that one preseason game, and
26:36
then we kind of pushed pause. The best thing about JJ McCarthy
26:39
throughout June, even going back into May, is that it looks like
26:43
we just pushed play after pushing pause.
26:45
It doesn't look like he's shaking off any Ross.
26:48
It doesn't look like he's having to relearn any of the
26:52
fundamentals and basics that that were being thrown his way
26:55
this time last year. He's really just picked up right
26:58
where he left off. The arm looks live.
27:00
And I think the best way I've been describing JJ McCarthy is
27:05
you just watch practice and it looks like an NFL practice
27:08
sometimes with quarterbacks. Kellen Mon comes to mind.
27:13
When he would go in into reps, everything would stall.
27:16
It would be, you know, let's start, start this thing over.
27:20
That didn't go right. Not the case with JJ McCarthy.
27:23
Everything is going smooth. Some ups and downs along the
27:26
way, but I think by all accounts very successful spring for him.
27:31
You know, I was surprised. I saw a colleague of yours, guy
27:34
that know, I know, you know well, and Kevin Seaford over at
27:36
ESPN, he had an article talking about McCarthy and there's still
27:40
questions about his arm strength, which is baffling.
27:43
If you watched a guy at Michigan, that was never the
27:44
problem. Now, he might only throw at 8 *
27:46
a game, but it was never an arm strength thing.
27:49
Is that a real knock, Elise, on the national scene that people
27:51
wonder if McCarthy's got the arm to be this guy?
27:55
I think it was coming out like coming out of Michigan, I think
27:59
people and we asked JJ McCarthy this actually our colleague does
28:03
Olga asked him this. You know, you watch him throw
28:06
for five seconds and you can tell his arms live.
28:09
And he asked the McCarthy straight up like, why do you
28:12
think that our strength has come into question for you or been a
28:16
knock on you coming out? And I think JJ McCarthy summed
28:19
it up pretty perfectly. He said, I I think it's just the
28:22
stigma that comes with playing at Michigan.
28:24
But he handed the ball off to Blake quorum a lot.
28:27
He handed the ball off to Donovan Edwards a lot that you
28:30
play for Jim Harbaugh and you play a prostyle system.
28:33
So I think people just looked at him as a game manager who didn't
28:37
throw very often. Well, maybe he didn't throw as
28:40
often as some of the other guys that came out in his class, but
28:43
when he did throw, he let it RIP.
28:44
And I can promise you, arm strength is not going to be the
28:47
reason this kid failed. He has as live of an arm as I've
28:51
seen in my time covering the Vikings.
28:53
But yes, I think it was a knot coming out and then I think when
28:57
he disappears for a year because of that torn meniscus, people
29:01
just kind of pick up right where they left off in terms of the
29:03
rhetoric and and what he was perceived to be coming out of
29:07
college. But anybody who's been at PCO
29:10
Performance Center throughout the spring and anyone who's just
29:12
really watched him and paid attention to him, arm strength
29:16
is not an issue. You know, even if he's like a
29:18
mid tier quarterback, right? And I think the upside is
29:23
clearly is is is clearly that he'll be better than that.
29:26
But when you look at the cast of receivers, Hawkinson, a tight
29:30
end, the changes that they've made to their offensive line,
29:33
bringing in a couple of guys, drafting one with their first
29:36
round pick in Donovan Jackson. What's the weakness on the Aaron
29:40
Jones to run the football? I think there's something left
29:42
there. What what's the concern about
29:45
this offense other than just they don't know?
29:48
You just don't know about your starting quarterback in
29:50
McCarthy, you know, until the actual we get to the regular
29:54
season. Yeah, I have very little
29:59
concerns of any part of their offense outside of quarterback
30:03
and I really don't even have large concerns about that.
30:06
I think that's just JJ McCarthy exists more or less is an
30:09
unknown right now, but I think they're what you're hinting at
30:13
is correct. There is no weakness on this
30:15
offense. I could, you know, go through
30:17
and nitpick and I would struggle to find a weakness like
30:20
everything that they were last year, for better or for worse.
30:25
You know, they they looked at their team last year and the one
30:28
that won 14 games but got railroaded in the playoffs and
30:33
they were really intentional about what their weaknesses
30:35
were. Well, it was the interior, the
30:37
offensive line. What did they do?
30:38
They went out signed Ryan Kelly, drafted Donovan Jackson and
30:41
signed Will Fry. So then you zoom out outside of
30:44
that, not really that much weakness.
30:46
So I think with JJ McCarthy, he he steps in and he doesn't need
30:52
to feel like the way of the world is on his shoulder is
30:54
really just manage the game. And I don't mean that in a a way
30:59
where I want him to be a game manager his his whole career.
31:02
But don't feel like you have to be a superhero because you
31:05
don't. They they the Vikings have done
31:07
a really good job, I think, surrounding him with talent.
31:11
And it really goes back to, you know, this statement that quasi
31:14
off of Mensa and Kevin O'Connell has kind of reiterated
31:17
throughout their time. It's teams don't fail or
31:20
quarterbacks don't fail teams. Teams fail quarterbacks before
31:23
they ever, you know, before the other way around.
31:25
So essentially that means if you're not ready for a
31:27
quarterback, well, taking one, it can be detrimental to both
31:31
sides. The Vikings, they were ready for
31:34
a quarterback. They ensured that this kid is
31:36
going to have, you know, a ramp way to succeed.
31:39
And I'm excited to see where. That goes but.
31:42
Yes, if if they get above average quarterback play, I
31:46
think they'll be one of the best teams in their division.
31:48
On the other side, you got Brian Flores.
31:50
And when he took over his DC two years ago, looked around, you
31:55
could tell it wasn't a group of guys that he wanted.
31:58
It was not comprised of the kind of skill sets he was looking
32:01
for. Well, now in Year 3, it feels
32:03
like this defensive roster is at least kind of in the image that
32:06
he wants. How much upside is there in this
32:08
Vikings defense that they can take another step forward like
32:11
they did in your number 2? Yeah, I think it's on.
32:14
I think it that goes back to, you know, in a similar vein to
32:18
what their weakness was on offense.
32:21
It was in the interior, their offensive line.
32:23
Well, if you want to look at what their weakness was on
32:26
defense outside of cornerback play, which I do think exists as
32:29
a question mark still 1. I think they're they're content
32:33
to kind of play out the string and see how the summer goes.
32:35
But if you look back at last season, what did they really
32:38
lack? Well, it was an interior pass
32:40
rush. It was, yeah, guys like Jonathan
32:43
Bullard and and Harrison Phillips, who's still here, and
32:47
even guys like Jalen Redmond, they did the job, but they
32:50
didn't generate that interior pass rush that has really become
32:54
king in the NFL. So what they do?
32:56
First day of free agency, they went out and got Jonathan App
32:58
and Jayvon Hargreave. You're seeing the curtains here.
33:02
They they, they analyzed their team from last year, the one
33:06
that won 14 games. They didn't just say, hey, let's
33:09
run it back. We'll be fine again.
33:11
And they were no, they were really intentional about where
33:13
they lacked and they went out and spent money on it.
33:16
So on the defense I think has a ton of upside.
33:18
I think when you add two players like that, like Jonathan Allen
33:21
and Jayvon, great to fill out the rest of the the room.
33:25
You have Jonathan Bernard, you have Andrew Van Ginkle, you have
33:28
Dallas Turner, who I think is ready to take the next step in
33:31
his to girls. You keep zooming out.
33:34
You have Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace junior Harrison Smith
33:37
decided to come back, Josh Metalis.
33:39
I think he's going to get a contract extension sooner rather
33:41
than later. I could just keep going and the
33:45
only way I would stop is well outside of Byron Murphy.
33:48
Junior, what do you look like at cornerback TBD?
33:53
We will see. But they didn't sign Jair
33:55
Alexander. He just signed the Baltimore
33:56
Ravens. So I think if they, if they
33:59
really were worried or so concerned that those guys
34:04
aren't, aren't going to be able to get it done, they would have
34:06
been active. I think they want to see what
34:08
they have in that cornerback room.
34:09
So the defense has taken the image of Brian Flores trying.
34:12
You're absolutely right about that.
34:14
Yeah, and Alexander, it's not like you broke the bank.
34:16
I agree with you. If if the Vikings would have
34:18
thought that they certainly could have afforded him the the
34:21
front 7 is totally legit. I again, I struggle to see why
34:26
Vegas has put their over under win total.
34:28
You know what it is? It's the quarterback.
34:31
I get it, but I'm telling he's better than that.
34:34
They're going to win more than 8 1/2 games.
34:35
They just are. This is A10 win minimum football
34:38
team in my nut stain. No, I don't think so.
34:42
I, yeah, I'll do whatever you want with, with betting out in
34:45
Iowa. I know you can do it from your
34:47
couch, but I would hammer, I would hammer that over 8 1/2.
34:51
I, I think they're too good. I get the schedule's tough.
34:55
You got to, you got to host Lamar Jackson, you got to host
34:57
Joe Burrow, you got to host Jayden Daniels this year.
35:01
But man, they are they are as talented, you know, quarterback
35:06
notwithstanding. I think if you you stacked up
35:09
every roster in the NFL, there aren't many that are better from
35:12
top to bottom than the Vikings on both sides of the ball.
35:14
So 8 1/2 wins. To me being over feels like
35:18
stealing. All right, so there is the
35:21
optimism because it's the offseason in Minnesota.
35:24
Let's go to something that's going on during the season and
35:27
come back to reality. The Minnesota Twins, boy they
35:29
stink. The injuries piling up once
35:33
again, A pitching staff that looked as deep as anybody in the
35:35
American League a month ago. Now it was about as bad as
35:38
anybody. Royce Lewis back on the IL
35:41
Speaking of hope, is there any hope for this Twins team to turn
35:44
around and and at least hang around in wild card contention
35:46
to get us through the summer? I.
35:49
Don't know vibes are bad right now.
35:51
It it really feels like a roller coaster with you all.
35:53
Like every time I come on, it's either the twins, 114 hour old,
35:57
they can't win a beat and right now they can't win a game.
36:02
So I, I don't know, I, I think that's Pablo Lopez.
36:05
Obviously that injury, it just looms so large.
36:10
And like he talked about the depth of catching staff.
36:12
Well, a lot of that's bullied because you have one of the best
36:15
pitchers in the game on top of it.
36:17
So everyone else is being asked to do a little more now, a
36:20
little more, a little more. And then you lose, you know,
36:23
even some of your depth guys Bailey over doesn't look like
36:25
he's right right now. And then you see you're starting
36:29
to rely on guys like Chris Paddock, Joe Ryan and then I get
36:32
it, those guys are good 3 and #3 and #4 starters.
36:35
But when you ask them to be your pseudo ace every five days, I
36:40
think that's what we're seeing right now is right now they
36:42
don't really have someone that can stem the tide if it's going
36:45
bad. And Lord knows because it's been
36:47
going pretty bad the last two weeks.
36:50
What I will say is there are 500.
36:52
They're still in punching, you know, spinning distance in the
36:56
in the wild card race. So it's not like the season is
36:59
over when you win. I don't even know how many it
37:02
was 1314 games like they did earlier this season in a row.
37:06
Well, that's going to give you some leeway and I guess some
37:09
wiggle room to have a stretch like this.
37:12
But they need to dig themselves out right now.
37:14
They can't continue to have this thing go in a tailspin.
37:17
Otherwise, you know, the thing will get out of hand and it will
37:20
be done. So there's time.
37:22
It's June, I think. I think the twins are going to
37:27
be at least relevant enough through the summer to care about
37:30
them, but man, they got to shape up right now.
37:33
Dane, we'll get you out of here on this.
37:34
Since it was your former beat the the Wild and with free
37:37
agency looming, and since I'm a fan of a team in the Central
37:41
Division, I want to kind of pick your brain on what the Twins
37:43
are. Aren't the Twins the Wild
37:45
potentially could do? I hear Rossi may be on the trade
37:48
block. Is there a big name that you
37:50
think Garen is going to go after once free agency gets it's here
37:54
in two weeks? See, I don't know, like because
37:58
I think everyone, it was like a pretty open secret.
38:02
They wanted Brock Nelson kind of hometown kid from Minnesota.
38:05
And then when Brock Nelson resigns in Colorado, I think
38:10
slowly but surely you're seeing you might have money to spend,
38:15
but there's not going to be a ton of options out there for you
38:18
on the open market outside of guys like Mitch Marner and Sam
38:21
Bennett, which I just don't think you're going to be in the
38:23
market with those guys. I don't think.
38:25
I don't think you're going to have enough money to spend.
38:28
And mind you, you have to you have to pay Kuro Caprice off.
38:31
And then I think that's probably the most important thing this
38:34
offseason. Just lock him up on July 1st and
38:38
maybe take a couple swings and free agency.
38:41
But I think it was when you when you look at the dead cap, that
38:46
Parisian suitor kind of cash strapped this team for so long.
38:50
And then when you see the shackles are finally off, I
38:52
think fans were expecting, well, this is the year we're going to
38:56
go out and sign all the good free agents.
38:59
I don't know. I think if you're hoping for
39:00
that, you might be a little underwhelmed on opening day of
39:03
free agency. I think they're going to make a
39:05
few moves here and there. Maybe Rossi gets traded.
39:08
I don't know about that anymore. Even when you when you when you
39:11
start to really look at the options you're going to have at
39:13
center, I couldn't even name guys for you.
39:16
They just because it's starting to dry up.
39:19
So I think first and foremost, sign growth, free stuff, keep
39:22
him happy, keep the money and save it for next year.
39:26
Full class in 2026 is going to be even better than it is in
39:31
2025. So we'll see.
39:33
But yes, I just don't know if there's a big name, big fish
39:36
right now that they're they're going to be in contention for.
39:38
Good stuff. Dane Mazatani, St.
39:40
Paul, Pioneer Press, twincities.com.
39:43
Again, Dane, thank you for doing this.
39:44
As always, always, we will talk to you in the weeks ahead.
39:46
Thanks, Dane. Anytime, guys.
39:49
Good to talk to you, Dane Mazatani, a buddy up in the Twin
39:51
Cities as we catch up on the Vikings and the Twinkies.
39:54
Take your time out. Come back.
39:55
Finish hour number one, Miller and Condon, Iowa Sports Radio
39:58
Network. Hi, Miller and Condon Final.
40:03
What do we got? A minute and a half?
40:04
Yeah, no sense getting into this.
40:07
I'll just ask you this before, so maybe we'll dig into it
40:10
tomorrow. 6 to 1 / 12 1/2 wins for the Vikings.
40:15
So that means 13 and four. Last year they were 14.
40:18
And no, you really don't like them, huh?
40:22
You really got that much concern about them?
40:25
Not the team, the quarterback. They don't have a quarterback.
40:27
Well, I think they do. I think you're underselling.
40:29
What is it about JJ? What is it about him that you
40:33
believe this guy? I thought.
40:34
That in the August of last year when when he was getting his
40:40
opportunity, I thought that you know what, he's got a chance and
40:43
obviously he didn't play and obviously I had to have another
40:46
surgery, but it was a pretty good rookie class overall last.
40:51
Year it was. You know, maybe he's as if he's
40:53
as good as the others. Or he's the.
40:55
Close. It might be he's a Steve.
40:59
Grogan of the 84 Grove. Yeah, all right, we'll do that
41:03
later. Six to one at DraftKings, over
41:06
12 and a half, 12 1/2, two and a 1 / 10 1/2.
41:10
And I can't take 2 to one. That's the no interest hour. 2
41:12
is next off to Chicago. Cappy kicks it off Iowa Sports
41:16
Radio Network.