Takes

Playing in empty stadiums will minimize the value of home field advantage

I think it's going to minimize the value of home field. Generally you get a lot of adrenaline and momentum when you're coming back in a game or when you're in a big situation and your home crowd is going crazy. So it's going to kind of level that out.

MLB owners hide revenue by investing in ancillary businesses like hotels and RSNs

What each franchise does is somewhat of a secret... you have ancillary revenue streams that are being created that under the rules they do not them to be a part of Revenue sharing some investing in hotels and restaurants and casinos... I'll pay my team 75 million for that $300,000,000 right [for the RSN], I'll own the RSN and I'll keep that money at the RSN so I don't have to share with my other owners.

I am very concerned about the physical toll on relievers during a 60-game season

What I'm most concerned about is through the bullpen. Because the frequency of use, the demands on them... the starting pitcher has to come out earlier... they are the backstop they are the in line for whatever irregularities occur in a game and it is those men that I have the greatest concern about.

MLB owners should take a financial loss this season to save the sport's long-term future

The owners will be making money forever. If they had any kind of foresight, the idea here would be take a loss this season but save the baseball season and dominate the ratings. This is the Long play: lose some money this year, but keep baseball going... instead they're taking the short-term approach, the dumb approach.

Managing will be more important than ever in a 50-game season

This will be interesting because this will probably be the hardest season for a manager and the most that managing will come into play a game to game because like you said, first sign of trouble we got to win this game. It's not going to be like a Sunday in the middle of July where you hey, we can let's get the fuck out of Cincinnati we can lose this game and recoup tomorrow.

Baseball fans who claim they are done with MLB are lying and will be back next summer

I see people saying that if baseball doesn't happen, they're going to lose me as a fan. How? I'm still going to—you gonna do next? I'm gonna be pissed off, don't get me wrong... But what are you going to do next summer? Like there's nothing you could—Hank's doing the crossing. I love when people make this Line in the Sand where like they lost me at '94, they're going to lose me again. What are you gonna do in July?

Lenny Dykstra's reputation is so bad that it is now a legal asset

Lenny Dykstra, it was ruled by an actual court of law in the United States that you cannot libel Lenny Dykstra because his reputation is already so bad that you can't make it worse... He shot the moon with his reputation. It's become so bad that it's actually an asset.

MLB owners are bluffing about canceling the season to force a better deal

I keep going back to the fact that it feels like the owners are okay threatening this year not having baseball, and that tells you everything. Because if they are, that means that they're probably not losing as much money as they're claiming they're going to lose. They're just trying to get a good deal.

Billionaire MLB owners should pay for their own rosters instead of asking for player concessions

Billionaires should pay for their own fucking rosters. It's also crazy because... there's no salary cap in baseball. So now you're saying there's going to be a salary cap for one year? ... I'm not going to be someone who being like, players, you have to take less just because the guys are saying that they're, the people in charge are saying they're losing money, even though they won't tell you how they're losing money.

The NC Dinos are officially the podcast's KBO team

So the NC Dinos, that's going to be our team. They actually have a nice logo, too. Some good colors... we got in on the ground floor here. We are the number one NC Dinos podcast.

I want the 2020 MLB season to be as weird and different as possible

If this season is going to be weird make it really fucking weird... I love this idea that they're going to restructure how the divisions are... it would be so disappointing if they did a shortened baseball season and nothing was different.

A-Rod used to buy three custom suits for every rookie on his team to teach them how to dress in the big leagues

A-Rod every year would buy every new player on the team, every rookie who was coming up, three new custom-made suits... he'd take them to his tailor, he'd buy them three suits and say 'this is how you have to dress, you're in the big leagues now kid.'

Alex Bregman's comment about getting beaned will bite him during the 2020 season

Alex Bregman said his favorite unwritten rule is the rules that get you beaned with fastballs when you deserve it. So that sucks for Alex Bregman that he had that quote. That's a tough quote hate to see it to now have an entire career facing an entire season.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's comments about the World Series trophy made the Astros scandal significantly worse.

Rob Manfred the commissioner made it even worse by getting in front of reporters and saying the idea of an asterisks or asking for a piece of metal [the World Series trophy] back seems like a futile act... he called the World Series trophy a piece of metal which is not... most dangerous trophy in all sports.

Jim Crane's apology somehow made the Astros' cheating scandal significantly worse

The Houston Astros have finally faced the media and I think they somehow made it significantly worse. They're all forgiven. This was a great apology. You trot Jose Altuve out there for 30 seconds... Jim Crane, the owner... said in his opinion, it didn't impact the game. Yes, they cheated, he admitted they cheated, but it didn't impact the game. Then, when asked whether it was crazy that he just said it didn't impact the game, he defiantly said, 'I didn't say that,' even though he said it 50 seconds earlier.

The Dodgers have to win one because their 'all-ins' are becoming pathetic

And now the Dodgers, I mean, how many all-ins can the Dodgers... The Dodgers are going to break the record for the most all-ins. This decade, this is like their fifth or sixth all in. You've got to win one, Dodgers. This is so pathetic.

Major League Baseball is 'fucked' because they restrict highlights on social media

Major League Baseball because they are very strict about what you can post on social media. They're fucked like you can't you can't take a highlight... their logic is they want to monetize all those views through their own proprietary feeds. The NBA is the exact opposite.

Derek Jeter was only the second-best shortstop on the Yankees

Second best shortstop on that Yankees team. Behind A-Rod.

Anthony Rendon's contract with the Angels is a retirement deal

This is a great move if you're Rendon because you don't like dealing with media, you don't like the spotlight that much, you don't have to worry about that. It's a retirement brilliant contract. You just move to Southern California and you get paid to just chill.

I don't want the Cubs to trade Chris Bryant

Chris Bryant is the word. And everyone's, you know, what happens is whether they trade Chris Bryant or not, I do not want them to trade Chris Bryant. But what pisses me off more than anything is fans who are like, well, you got to trade Chris Bryant because we have no money. Like, don't buy that bullshit.

The Astros' sign-stealing is blatant cheating and disgusting

The Astros have been cheating and cheating a lot... it's blatant cheating. There's I like baseball when there is like a little He's been ship a little this little that... but this seems like they were actually using high like high-tech cameras in the Outfield yet relaying it to The Dugout and real time... which is so blatant lie cheat ice gusting.

The 2019 World Series is a 'Cuc Sweep' because the road team won every game

The first ever cook [cuc] sweep in the history of American Sports for games won on the road and the other man Stadium. Yep, The cuc Sweep has occurred.

The Nationals are a team of destiny and will not lose Game 7 of the World Series

I think that we were right [Big Cat] I think was the first to report this will give credit to him that the Nats are team of Destiny. Yes, they are there and they are not going to lose game seven. If they do I will eat this podcast.

Justin Verlander can't win a World Series game and isn't clutch

Verlander can't win a game of the World Series which is kind of bullshit narrative... but that's not going to get in between me and we're hot takes. We are a Jose Jose has his own sick. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Right. I'm a results-based gato and six that I'd actually keep metal Hall of Fame me too agreed not clutch.

The Nationals aren't cursed, I just helped grow the game by popping 'official World Series beer'

I did not curse anybody... I popped a year-old Series beer. It was champagne. And I was asked to by Major League Baseball and I want to help grow the game... I've had a full day where I felt like I won the World Series... what is this for the Washington Nationals 2019 World Series champions for a day.

The Washington Nationals are a team of destiny

The Washington Nationals. We said it on Wednesday. It rings true today. They are a team of destiny. Big time.

You don't need a bullpen in baseball; you can just use starting pitchers

I also think it'd be hilarious if the Nationals somehow stumbled their way in ass backwards to figuring out that you don't actually need a bullpen in baseball. You can just put your starting pitchers in to be your bullpen the entire time. And you don't actually need three days rest or four days rest.

The Washington Nationals are a team of destiny

I think the Washington Nationals are a team of destiny. I really do. Tonight was a big game, 5-4. To steal one in Houston with Gerrit Cole on the mound... that's got to feel good. They're a team of destiny and the Astros are like America's villain.

The Astros are better than the Yankees in every facet: rotation, lineup, and relievers

As a scout, I am afraid of the Houston Astros. I will say it, I'm afraid. Their rotation is just as good as the Nationals and their lineup is better and their relievers are better.

The Washington Nationals are a wagon

The Nationals are a wagon. Especially, I saw this fact earlier, when they're wearing those blue... color rush uniforms, they're 20-1.

Clayton Kershaw is simply not good in the playoffs

I am starting to think that Clayton Kershaw is not good in the playoffs. Kershaw, yikes... He's not dominant Clayton Kershaw anymore. Still very, very good. But he's not like Clayton Kershaw of five years ago. To put him out there with everything that he had in his head about the playoffs and all the struggles and all the blow-ups... that's Dave Roberts' fault.

MLB changed the baseballs for the playoffs to reduce home runs

The baseballs are not going as far in the playoffs. There's a measurable wind resistance factor that was not there during the regular season... What they're saying on Baseball Prospectus is that they change the balls before the playoffs. Raise the seams... Get everyone to tune in for the explosive regular season and then they kind of have a sense of guilt like we're ruining baseball.

Fastball torque is the primary cause of Tommy John surgeries

They just found out that fastballs are the main reason for all these Tommy John's now. It's actually not curveballs and sliders like they were talking about... They did this whole study on all these Tommy John's and they're saying it's fastball torque. So really I don't have to worry about that.

The Nationals are a better team without Bryce Harper

Listen, the Nats are a better team without Bryce Harper. That's a fact. It is a fact.

The Nationals are a team of destiny

I'm beginning to think team of destiny. The oh the Nats. Yeah. Okay, prove me wrong.

Joe Maddon will not return as the manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Joe Maddon out as Cubs manager... Joe Maddon will not return as manager of the Cubs. What's your Source? My brain.

The Mets' season is officially over after their 7-run ninth-inning collapse

My hot seat is Mets... They blow a 7-run lead in the ninth... it's clearly over.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's gyroball was the biggest lie in sports

Daisuke Matsuzaka... I was promised the gyro ball. I was promised the gyroball. Okay, and I never got the Gyro Bowl. I was told that he had like 500 different pitches that he could throw that he was going to come over and do things that no human arm had ever done before... then he came over and he threw like 93 on the black.

Tim Tebow should retire from all sports

Tim Tebow is out for the year and he should probably just retire from all sports... It's over. PFT, it's over. I've firmly been in the Tim Tebow is not a baseball player. This is all a gimmick in a carnival act. And he should probably just stick to doing TV.

The Red Sox season is over because they have no pitching

I'm putting the Dunchain on the Red Sox... I mean, it's about time. They got no pitching.

The Yankees are only trying to win softball games by not acquiring pitching

I love that the Yankees just are saying, fuck it. We're going to try to win softball games for the fourth year in a row. And didn't do anything. Didn't get a pitcher.

You cannot fire Joe Maddon unless there is a clear replacement like David Ross

Whenever you fire a guy, you have to be able to say, hey, we've got the next man up. Like, who is the one lurking in the wings? I think people think it's David Ross... if it's Rossi, then I'm all in.

Baseball needs mic'd up manager arguments to be more interesting

When we get these sound clips [of Aaron Boone], baseball becomes more interesting. So figure out a way to have the manager mic'd up... Stop asking, why isn't Mike Trout a great star that we can all market? We don't care about Mike Trout's mammoth home runs. We want to see two grown men yell at each other.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. should be in every single Home Run Derby for the rest of time

I want Vlad Guerrero in every single home run derby for the rest of time. He is electric... if you watch Vlad Guerrero take any of his practice swings like a week ago, you knew that he was going to be a show. You knew he was going to be awesome to watch.

Pete Alonso winning the 2019 Home Run Derby will be a Slumdog Millionaire trivia question because Vlad Jr. dominated the aggregate

In about five years, you're going to be asked who won this home run derby. Just remember, it was Pete Alonso. I'm giving you money right now... [Vlad Jr.] didn't win the derby itself because of the way that they reset when you go into the final round.

Hitting a home run is the ultimate way to beat the shift

You learn the rules of baseball because isn't hitting a home run beating the shift every single time? You just actually blew my mind. You beat the shift when you hit a home run over everyone.

MLB baseballs are definitely juiced and it's stupid to deny it

Well, there's absolutely I mean, there's something different I don't think any I mean Manfred's the only guy that's denying this but i mean they're on pace record pace for homers... there's no doubt. I mean, it's juiced. I can't believe they keep denying it.

MLB draft caps incentivize teams to lose on purpose

When they put that [draft] cap in, what did it do for the game? It had a horrible impact because what it created is... teams say, 'Wait a minute, I don't want to be competitive at the big league level because I want these draft picks.' So one-third of the league says, 'Why win 80 games when I want to really only win 65 and get top picks?'

Only 66% of first-round MLB draft picks will ever end up playing in the major leagues

Even for the first-rounders taken last night in Secaucus, only 66% of them will end up in the majors.

A modern hitter will never hit .400 again because of the prevalence of specialized relief pitchers.

No, I don't think [hitting .400] is [going to happen again]. I think there's too much specialty in pitching... You've got a guy, a lot of the three, four, five starters, you get five innings... Then they bring in a guy that's making probably $6 million a year to pitch the sixth, maybe the seventh.