Skip to content
PMTPMT DB

Jayson Werth, Xander Schauffele, Mt Rushmore Of Round Things And Fyre Fest

Friday, July 26, 202420 takes

Training Camp is in full swing and Harbaugh is all the way back. Jayson Tatum’s aura has become a national discussion. Intern Huey has a TV Show he’s been writing for 6 months (-). Mt Rushmore of round things (-). Jayson Werth joins us in studio to talk about his career, winning a World Series with the Phillies, his years with the Nats, hitting dingers in men’s slow pitch and tons more (-). Open Champion Xander Schauffele joins the show to talk about winning his second major, his dad being a hoss, what he can fix with his outfits and maybe getting hired to his staff as motivators (-). We finish with Fyre Fest of the week (-).

Jayson Werth on the 'Month of Hate', Xander Schauffele's Claret Jug, and Round Things

Training camp is finally here, which means Jim Harbaugh is back in our lives giving quotes about being born out of a football womb. While the NFL world wakes up, the NBA world is apparently obsessed with the concept of "aura." Big Cat and PFT Commenter pointed out that they basically started this Jayson Tatum discourse just to annoy Hank, but now that it's reached Stephen A. Smith and Carmelo Anthony, it's officially a national crisis.

Void
Jul 26, 2024
#26745
Big CatBig Cat

Jaylen Brown has an aura rating of +1000

Jalen Brown actually has overflow of aura. He's got, he's got aura. He actually has overflow of aura—plus a thousand aura.

The concept of 'aura' is entirely subjective and part of a running show joke.
Void
Jul 26, 2024
#5541
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Jayson Tatum's aura rating is currently -650

If you were to do like statistics on Jayson Tatum's Aura? I'd say he is like negative six 50.

Aura is entirely subjective and impossible to measure.

Beyond the vibes, the sports world is getting hit with the reality of new media deals. With the NBA spreading across Disney, NBC, and Amazon, the cost of being a fan is hitting an all-time high.

Win
Jul 26, 2024
#26746
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Sports leagues are pricing out fans by fragmenting media rights across too many streaming platforms

This is what the leagues are doing. They're just chopping it up and they're cutting it and they're selling a bunch of NBA to us that we have to buy individually. I feel like that's the real inflation in the United States right now. It's becoming expensive to be a sports fan. They're pricing a lot of people out of watching sports. And that shouldn't be right.

This is a widespread industry sentiment backed by the proliferation of streaming deals (Peacock, Amazon, etc.), though the exact 'price out' point is subjective.

Mount Rushmore of Round Things

Hank returned from his pre-vacation vacation to join the Mount Rushmore of Round Things, and things got contentious immediately. Big Cat led off with pizza, arguing it's the ultimate utility food compared to other circular treats.

Void
Jul 26, 2024·Mt. Rushmore
#5544
Big CatBig Cat

You would choose pizza over donuts for the rest of your life because you can't eat donuts every day

If it's pizza or donuts for the rest of your life, you'd have to take pizza. Like, I'm just being honest, like I love donuts, but you can't eat donuts every day. You could eat pizza almost every day.

This is a matter of personal preference.

As the list went on, the debate shifted to the desert category. PFT and Big Cat formed a rare alliance against the traditional birthday cake, opting for superior circular options.

Void
Jul 26, 2024·Mt. Rushmore
#5545
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Pie is vastly superior to cake as a dessert

I'm more of a pie guy than I'm a cake guy. I think pie clears cake all day. Birthday cake. Pretty decent pie. Vastly superior.

Subjective opinion on dessert quality.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

Ice cream is vastly superior to cake for birthday celebrations

Ice cream is better than cake. Why don't they just do ice cream at every birthday? No, they do cake way more than ice cream at a birthday. [Ice cream] is better.

Dessert preference is entirely a matter of personal taste.

Hank tried to get technical with the physics of a "bullseye" vs a "dartboard," but he did make a solid point about which ball is actually the most fun to play with when you're just killing time by yourself.

Void
HankHank

The tennis ball is the most versatile ball for individual use

Tennis balls I think are more versatile than a baseball or a golf ball. If you had the option to be left alone with a tennis ball, a golf ball or baseball... it's tennis ball all day. You throw it against the wall, bounce it off the ground, throw it up to yourself.

Subjective preference for sports equipment utility.
Void
Jul 26, 2024·Mt. Rushmore
#5546
Big CatBig Cat

A bowl is a perfect delivery vessel because you never have a bad meal served in one

There's nothing really that you have a bad bowl of. You know what I mean? When you're getting, when you're getting a bowl out, you're getting just good. It's like soup, ice cream. Cereal. A bowl delivers great things.

Subjective take on kitchenware utility.

Jayson Werth on the DC Strangler and the Month of Hate

MLB legend Jayson Werth stopped by the studio to talk about his 15-year career and his new life as a Belmont-winning horse owner. Werth was incredibly candid about his transition from being a 6'5" catcher to an elite outfielder, mostly because he hated the physical toll of being behind the plate.

Void
Jul 26, 2024
#26749
Jayson WerthJayson Werth

Catching is a miserable position, especially for players over 6'4"

Catching fucking sucked. I'm six five... I did not even like catching. You're always getting second guessed by the pitching coach and if somebody hits a home run, it's your fault. Stand out in the outfield and picking daisies that sort of thing is more my style. Save your knees and your back. I caught over a hundred games four years in a row in the minor leagues. It's terrible.

This is a subjective reflection on his career experience, though the physical toll of catching is well-documented.

Werth also gave us a masterclass in clubhouse dynamics, specifically regarding the infamous 2015 incident where Jonathan Papelbon—aka the DC Strangler—tried to choke Bryce Harper. According to Werth, these things are inevitable when the calendar hits August.

Win
Jul 26, 2024
#5547
Jayson WerthJayson Werth

August is the 'Month of Hate' in Major League Baseball

August is always the month of hate in the MLB. So no matter, you know, if your team's good or bad, you get, everybody wants to fucking kill each other. And it's literally, it's the month of hate just from being around each other for so much.

Commonly accepted sentiment among players about the mid-to-late season grind.

He didn't hold back on his former NL East rivals either. Despite his success in both Philly and DC, Werth still finds the entire Mets organization to be a total mystery.

Void
Jul 26, 2024
#26750
Jayson WerthJayson Werth

The Mets are a fundamentally confusing and failing franchise

The Mets do things sometimes that I think would probably fall under [hating each other], you know, but they're the fucking Mets. So that's just what happens. I just don't, I don't get their franchise at all. I played the East for too long and played against them. They just suck.

The Mets' lack of success relative to their spending is a common observation, but 'sucking' is a subjective descriptor.

Beyond the beefs, Werth emphasized that the modern game is moving away from the things that actually make baseball great: chemistry and contact hitting.

Void
Jul 26, 2024
#5548
Jayson WerthJayson Werth

Clubhouse chemistry matters more than individual talent for winning championships

I think the Yankees have proved you can have all the best players, but If, you don't have the chemistry. It doesn't matter. You know, you gotta, you gotta gimme a, gimme a, a group of guys that might not be the best players, but they get along and they're all moving in the right direction and we'll go win.

The importance of chemistry vs. talent is a subjective and ongoing debate in sports management.
Void
Jul 26, 2024
#26752
Jayson WerthJayson Werth

MLB is losing fans because hitters no longer prioritize batting average

The game's changed... now it's like everyone's throwing a hundred and wearing oven mitts. No one hits for average. I don't know, it's the game cycles through these things... but it is weird that batting averages have plummeted. I feel like we're losing fans [because of it].

The decline in league-wide batting average is a fact. Whether this correlates directly to losing fans is a debated opinion.

Xander Schauffele: Two-Time Major Champ

Fresh off winning The Open at Royal Troon, Xander Schauffele joined the show to discuss his second major of the year. Xander talked about his dad (the ultimate hoss) drinking red wine out of the Claret Jug and how his win at Valhalla calmed his nerves for the back nine at Troon. Big Cat, ever the fashion critic, decided to pivot the conversation to Xander’s questionable footwear choices.

Void
Jul 26, 2024
#5549
Big CatBig Cat

Xander Schauffele's black Adidas shoes look like server shoes and make him look slow

The all black shoes are tough because you kind of look like a server. Like you look like you're gonna ha pass me some like bacon wrap scallops. I'm telling you, you look slow. White shoes look faster.

The 'server shoes' comparison is a visual opinion, but physically, shoes do not change his actual golf speed.

With the Olympics on deck, Xander explained why playing for a gold medal changes the strategy for a professional golfer compared to a standard tour event.

Win
Jul 26, 2024
#26753
Xander SchauffeleXander Schauffele

The Olympics place a unique emphasis on finishing top-three that is not found in other golf tournaments

In the Olympics everyone's fighting to finish in the top three more so than any tournament. You know, you podium versus if you don't do well and you come in second or third. I think the emphasis on second and third is a lot more than a normal tournament.

The medal structure of the Olympics inherently creates different incentives than standard stroke-play events.

Big Cat ended the interview by placing the ultimate jinx on Xander, declaring that the drought is over for good and the floodgates are officially open.

Loss
Jul 26, 2024
#5550
Big CatBig Cat

Xander Schauffele will never lose another major championship in his career

Xander Schauffele has lost his last major ever. I'm gonna see if I can parlay all four. You've already lost your last major. That's crazy.

PredictionGolfScorchingSarcastic
It is virtually impossible for a golfer to never lose another major for the rest of their career.

Fyre Fest of the Week

We wrapped things up with Fyre Fest, where Intern Huey’s first foray into coaching softball was described as a total disaster involving three beers and a lot of unnecessary chirping. Big Cat finished with a relatable dad moment, realizing his kids have officially clocked his bathroom habits.

Void
Jul 26, 2024·Fyre Fest
#5551
Big CatBig Cat

Taking a long time to poop is a masculine dad move

I actually kind of feel like this is like my first, like I'm feel like a masculine dad because I feel like that's a very big dad move for the all the kids in the house to be like, yeah. Dad goes and takes long shits. Being like, I'm going to the shit or I'll be back in three hours.

Subjective view on the masculinity of digestive habits.

It’s officially fatherhood when your kids define you by the length of your scrolling sessions on the porcelain throne.

mlbgolfmount-rushmorenationalsphilliesthe-open

More Takes

Void
Jul 26, 2024
#5542
Big CatBig Cat

Clutch performance is a real and verifiable factor in sports

Clutch 100% exists. Like there's no way to explain how some people are just better and like rise to the occasion and other people don't.

The existence of a 'clutch' gene is a perennial sports debate that cannot be definitively proven.
Void
Jul 26, 2024
#5543
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Yankees should extend Aaron Boone to show the clubhouse they believe in him

I think that you have to give Aaron Boone an extension and show that you believe in him. And then the rest of the clubhouse is gonna truly believe in him too. Then you'll be fine.

Boone was ultimately retained through 2024, but whether an extension 'fixes' the clubhouse is subjective.
Win
Jul 26, 2024
#26751
Jayson WerthJayson Werth

Quality nutrition is the foundation of athlete performance

I think [food] is everything. Would you stop at McDonald's and feed your racehorse a Big Mac on the way to the track and expect him to win? Or would you wanna feed him the best food in the world and make sure he has everything he needs from a mind, body, spirit type of approach? We changed the medical, we changed the food and the clubhouse [in Washington] and did a lot of good stuff.

Modern sports science heavily supports the link between nutrition and performance.

PMTDB Comments

This generates your username. Same passphrase = same name. Make it unique and memorable!

Search

Search takes, episodes, and speakers