PMT DB
PMT DB
Jake Arrieta Retirement, NBA Playoffs, and the Backyard Hole Mystery
Ball is life. The NBA playoffs officially arrived this weekend, and they brought a level of pettiness that only Kyrie Irving can provide. Between the middle fingers and the “suck my dick” chants directed at his former fans in Boston, Big Cat and PFT were absolutely mesmerized by the theater of it all. It’s the kind of high-stakes, personal animosity that makes a two-seven matchup feel like Game 7 of the Finals.
Big CatKyrie Irving giving the middle finger and yelling at fans is exactly what sports should be
Kyrie should do everything back to [Celtics fans] and that is what sports is all about... Fans hating a certain player, a player upping their game to stick it to the fans. I loved every second of it. I just want more of it.
PFT noticed a shift in the wind immediately, predicting that the usual suspects in the media wouldn’t be able to handle the heat of a genuine player-city rivalry.
PFT CommenterThe media will eventually try to make Kyrie Irving a victim and vilify Celtics fans
I'm just worried that what's going to happen is since all these quotes are being taken out by the media, people are gonna be like, they're gonna turn Kyrie into like a big victim and everything and then turn and then turn the Celtics fans into like the big bully.
While the Celtics and Nets provided the drama, Big Cat was busy praying for the downfall of a certain team in the Western Conference. He has officially seen enough of the Utah Jazz to last a lifetime, specifically calling out Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell as a group he's ready to see exit the stage early.
Big CatI am so sick of the Utah Jazz and want them out of the playoffs
I'm so sick of this jazz team. I want them out of here. I just don't want to be told that Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell are gonna have like an extended run in the playoffs. Get them out of my face.
On the flip side, the Timberwolves are providing the exact opposite energy. After their Game 1 statement against the Grizzlies, PFT is ready to abandon all logic and ride the momentum train all the way to the finish line.
PFT CommenterThe Timberwolves have momentum and I'm going to overreact to their Game 1 win
I'm a believer in momentum. And I am going to do the thing where we take game one and blow it out of proportion.
Jake Arrieta Retires and Goes Deep
Former Cy Young winner and World Series hero Jake Arrieta joined the show for a massive interview that covered everything from his peak dominance with the Cubs to his current life as a little league coach. He didn't bury the lead, making it official that his time on a professional mound has come to an end.
Jake ArrietaI am officially retiring from professional baseball
Well, I haven't signed the papers, man, but I'm done. It's time for me to step away from the game at some point. The uniform goes to somebody else. And it's just my time really... yeah man, I'm done.
Jake Arrieta walked the guys through that legendary 2015-2016 run where he was arguably the most untouchable pitcher in the history of the sport. He noted that the 2016 Cubs rotation was a complete anomaly in the modern era, mostly because they never had to worry about the injury bug.
Jake ArrietaThe 2016 Cubs had one of the rarest feats in baseball by using the same starting five all season
We had the same starting five all year. Like how many times does that ever happen? I'm sure it's probably happened maybe like decades ago, but can you remember back to another team that had the same starting five from the inner spring training to throughout the world series?
Big Cat, still mourning the 2015 NLCS, tried to pivot to a gear-related conspiracy theory. He’s convinced that if Jake Arrieta had just put on some sleeves during those freezing games at Wrigley, the Cubs would have another banner in the rafters.
Big CatJake Arrieta would have won the 2015 NLCS if he had worn sleeves during the cold games
I am convinced the 2015 NLCS, if you [Jake Arrieta] had worn sleeves, it would have gone differently. You were wearing sleeveless. That was like one of the coldest baseball games I've ever been to.
The conversation turned to the current state of the game, where Jake Arrieta didn't hold back on his admiration for Jacob deGrom. Even as a retired legend, he views deGrom as being in a different stratosphere than anyone who has ever picked up a baseball.
Jake ArrietaJacob deGrom is the best starting pitcher to ever play the game
I think [Jacob deGrom] is the best starting pitcher to ever put on the uniform... just what he's able to do with the baseball... it's just, I think he's in his own league. And I hope he stays healthy for another 15 years because if he can do that, I think it'll be the best ever.
He also gave a reality check to every armchair athlete who thinks they could make contact with a 98-mph sinker. When PFT asked if he could lay down a bunt against peak Arrieta in 100 tries, the answer was a resounding and violent no.
Jake ArrietaAn average person would not be able to lay down a fair bunt against a peak MLB pitcher in 100 tries
No [you couldn't lay down a bunt]. There's just so many things that I would do. Like I'd throw you high sinkers at your hands that it probably fell off your fist into your face... by the time you think you're going to swing, it's already too late.
Monday Reading: The Backyard Abyss
Monday Reading returned with a story that spoke to the very soul of the male psyche. A woman wrote in complaining that her boyfriend inherited property and has spent the last year doing nothing but digging a massive, reinforced tunnel in the backyard. While the girlfriend is worried about gas pockets and mental health, PFT saw a man who had finally found his true calling.
PFT CommenterMen have an innate psychological need for physical 'adventures' like digging holes
I think that like, as we're growing up, I was under the assumption that I would have just non-stop adventures. And I think that guys just need adventures sometimes. It sounds like he's found his adventure, which we should be applauding... guys will literally dig a giant hole in their backyard for years at a time, instead of going to therapy.
The guys agreed that if a man tells you he’s digging a tunnel and it has electric lights and a small table, you don't call a therapist—you call your friends and grab a shovel.
Chimpanzees hunt monkeys, and men dig holes.
