Episode 263
Exploring Mets Memories: An Evening with Butch Huskey
Hosts Mike Guidone and Chris Caputo welcome former New York Mets outfielder Butch Huskey to the show for a lively and wide-ranging chat. They cover everything from how players grow and develop to how the game has changed, especially around the All-Star break and what it means for teams and players. The guys look back at the All-Star Game’s golden years, comparing it to today’s flashier version, which, while fun, might not resonate with old-school fans in the same way.
They also talk about the usual All-Star snub drama, questioning whether the media’s focus on who didn’t make the roster sometimes takes away from celebrating those who did. Throughout the episode, there's a strong sense of what makes baseball so special—the shared passion, stories, and community that unite fans and players.
Huskey offers some valuable behind-the-scenes insight into his time with the Mets in the '90s, sharing personal stories that provide a vivid picture of the era's ups and downs. The hosts also take a look at the current Mets team, breaking down performances and offering thoughts on what needs to happen moving forward. They highlight the importance of mental toughness and consistency, demonstrating just how significant the mental aspect of the game is.
All in all, it’s a great mix of baseball nostalgia and honest talk about today’s game— exactly what Sports Talk New York is all about. Whether you’re a lifelong Mets fan or love the game, there’s something here for everyone.
Takeaways:
- The show featured insightful discussions about the current state of Major League Baseball, highlighting the All-Star break and team performances.
- Butch Huskey shares his experiences as a former professional player, emphasizing his enduring connection with the New York Mets organization.
- The hosts engage in a thoughtful analysis of managerial decisions and their impacts on team dynamics during the season.
- Listeners gain valuable perspectives on the challenges of player development and the mental aspects of transitioning between positions in baseball.
Transcript
The views expressed in the following program do not necessarily represent those of the.
Speaker B:Staff, management or owners of wgbb.
Speaker B:Live from the WGBB studios in Merrick, New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A: FM: Speaker A: -: Speaker A: -: Speaker A:If you'd like to call in.
Speaker A:Have a great guest this evening, Butch Huskey, former New York Met, will be joining us.
Speaker A:Hopefully in a few minutes.
Speaker A:He'll be checking in.
Speaker A:We're talking baseball, we're going to talk a little NBA basketball.
Speaker A:I know we gave you a full dose of hockey last time.
Speaker A:It would be nice right now to talk about some cold weather stuff, but no need to do that.
Speaker A:Not crazy hot out there.
Speaker A:But before we do any of that, welcome back to the program.
Speaker A:My co host, Chris Cappy Caputo.
Speaker B:Cap, how you doing, Mike?
Speaker B:Thanks for introducing me again.
Speaker B:It's been a fun summer and glad that we are at the All Star break.
Speaker B:Got some things that we could talk about.
Speaker B:Weather has been pretty good and yeah.
Speaker B:Enjoying it so far.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, it's funny, the All Star break to me, you know, when I was a kid it was always, I don't know if it worked out a certain way or if it was a little bit early.
Speaker A:But you know, it's the midway point.
Speaker A:You look at it that way, all these teams have played more than half their games, so it's a little bit past that.
Speaker A:But it is really kind of the litmus test of a team at this point and we'll certainly be getting into that.
Speaker A:You know, the last time I was on, you were, as I said, on assignment watching a really rough Met series out in Pittsburgh.
Speaker A:But you know, I'm curious.
Speaker A:I spoke to Johnny Sticks, Johnny Santa Maria, he was on and he was out there as well.
Speaker A:He kind of gave me his impressions.
Speaker A:I know you did a little bit of a deeper dive into Pittsburgh in the area.
Speaker A:Is that a road trip that you would suggest for any baseball fan?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's not that bad of a ride, depending on when you leave and things like that.
Speaker B:As you know, Mike, you've kind of done that.
Speaker B: I went there In, I believe,: Speaker B:The year the MLB All Star Game ended in a tie.
Speaker B:We had made our way to Milwaukee after that.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:Watched.
Speaker B:And we actually stopped in Chicago and saw a quick game at the White Sox.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Comiskey.
Speaker B:Comiskey.
Speaker B:And then continued on to Milwaukee.
Speaker B:Watch that.
Speaker B:So, Pittsburgh, nice things to do.
Speaker B:A nice little museum there, if you're looking for something like that.
Speaker B:Where has a lot of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area stuff as far as sports and, you know, Heinz ketchup And, you know, Mr. Rogers and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker B:But the park itself, I know you were wondering what I like the most about it is you can kind of walk anywhere you want and.
Speaker B:And the ushers are not going to really blow you off and tell you you can't be here, can't do this.
Speaker A:They're not checking tickets.
Speaker B:We got there at poured, sat through a rain delay, and then it was exhaustingly hot the next day.
Speaker B:And when your team's not doing well, it's not that great.
Speaker B:The first time I went was just like, you know, Pirates and a random team.
Speaker B:So I didn't really care.
Speaker B:And I enjoyed the park a little bit more.
Speaker B:I think this time when I went and the Mets weren't playing well, I was devastated.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:It just brought me down so much.
Speaker B:When you have some kids, you can find some things to do with the kids there.
Speaker B:There is a variety of food.
Speaker B:Not great, but I would say what it helps you understand is it helps you play Citi Field kind of in a higher bracket than maybe what you were thinking before you go to some of these places, because Citi Field really does have a lot of variety of food and things for people to do.
Speaker B:You can walk from home plate to home plate, kind of stop in different places.
Speaker B:So I think it helps you reflect on what you're looking for.
Speaker B:I would say I like a lot of the older ones, like going to Boston and going to see Chicago, Wrigley.
Speaker B:Those are nice.
Speaker B:One of the ones I really like is San Francisco.
Speaker B:At the time it was Pac Bell.
Speaker B:But those stadiums are right on the water, and that's kind of what Pittsburgh gives you.
Speaker A:Yeah, they had the cookie cutter, Three River Stadium with all that, like, with the vet in Philly, you know, the Cincinnati.
Speaker B:It was hot on that turf on some of those days.
Speaker A:I can't imagine how they did it.
Speaker A:But, you know, I have.
Speaker A:I've heard great things.
Speaker A:But you make a very good point about Citi Field.
Speaker A:I think that it kind of got a bad rap earlier on in its inception with the Wilpons, because it was kind of generic.
Speaker A:It wasn't Met centric.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think they were looking to appease certain people with that park, and I don't think it was necessarily for the everyday fan.
Speaker B:I like how you got people like Alex Cohen who walks around and grabs somebody from the top deck and tells them to come down.
Speaker A:That's pretty wild.
Speaker B:To the first deck and, you know, come hang out, you know, meeting up with people.
Speaker B:She's very social media friendly.
Speaker B:Send her a message.
Speaker B:She sent me one back.
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:It's nice to have owners who kind of care about the upper echelon, then also cares about that person who's taking their kids to the game for the first time and in three years.
Speaker A:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker A:You know, you've gone way, way more places than I have recently.
Speaker A:Back in my younger days, traveling well, yeah, I did a little bit.
Speaker A:I was Houston, I did the Astrodome.
Speaker A:You know, I was kind of into those older stadiums before they went to the new one.
Speaker A:So we did Tiger Stadium, Astrodome, places like that.
Speaker A:You know, when you went to Milwaukee, was it.
Speaker A:It was the new stadium.
Speaker B:New Home Run Derby did not stay for the actual All Star Game, but really nice.
Speaker B:Thought it was nice.
Speaker B:Miller park, they got that slide, you know, for them when they hit the home run again, a nice newer park.
Speaker B:And that's kind of what I thought of, you know, with the Orioles when.
Speaker B:When they first came up with that stadium, they were like the first.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker A:That stadium's 33 years old, isn't it?
Speaker A:Kiba Lua.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was 92.
Speaker C:That.
Speaker A:That stadium.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And that was.
Speaker A:That was the first one.
Speaker A:And now it's kind of.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:33 years old.
Speaker A:You're like, wow, Is it.
Speaker B:I think they were saying Kansas City is the fifth oldest ballpark now, which is crazy.
Speaker A:And it's beautiful.
Speaker B:It's still nice.
Speaker A:Yeah, Well, I, you know, I've been down to Philly, and Philly's a tough one to talk about too, because as a Met fan, you kind of take your life in your.
Speaker A:In your own hands there.
Speaker B:Agreed.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, I like the stadium.
Speaker A:I don't like.
Speaker B:I like the.
Speaker B:The area.
Speaker B:The fact that you have, you know, it's kind of like Pittsburgh, too.
Speaker B:You have different stadiums within walking distance of each other, and they have like, the area that you can go to beforehand and just kind of hang out.
Speaker B:But yeah, it's really tough as a Met fan to go to a state when they first opened up.
Speaker B:I don't Think it was like that, but it's gotten to be that way over the last five to ten years.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, you literally have to, if you have any Met gear on, you have to just stay to yourself.
Speaker A:Not, you know, not getting through with anybody.
Speaker B:And listen, even going with a thousand people, the one time it was really bad, they kind of came in our area looking for something.
Speaker B:So that's a tough place to go.
Speaker B:But there are some good stadiums out there and I'd still like to hit a few more.
Speaker B:It's fun to take the kids.
Speaker B:I think the kids enjoy going to different places.
Speaker B:Like, you know, I've gone to D.C. and you know, you know, even Tampa before the stadium fell apart.
Speaker B:Like those are nice to just go and see.
Speaker A:I wish that it was.
Speaker A:I wish that it was easier to get to, but I've been to Truest park in Atlanta.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's not really Atlanta.
Speaker A:No, it's not.
Speaker A:It's on this.
Speaker A:It's in the suburbs.
Speaker A:It's a, you know, I would say, I'm trying to remember it was a while ago, but probably 20 minutes.
Speaker A:Yeah, 20 minutes.
Speaker A:I love how they made that stadium though, where if you go there, if you've been there before, I mean they have.
Speaker A:It's all mixed use stuff.
Speaker A:They have.
Speaker A:They have apartments, they have restaurants, they have.
Speaker A:It's its own little city.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:And if you want, you can before the game go grab a beer at a bar nearby and just walk right in with it.
Speaker B:They don't tell you you can't bring that in.
Speaker B:So a nice stadium and All Star game going to be down there and no real worries.
Speaker A:I mean, the Southern hospitality is pretty much as advertised.
Speaker B:I think that's right.
Speaker B:One thing I'd like to bring up is a little bit of the All Star selection.
Speaker B:Do you think that the All Star, when the All Star selections come out and then eventually you get the replacements for the guys who are going to pitch on Sunday and the injuries.
Speaker B:Do you think that the social media, media is more about the snubs or about the guys who make the team?
Speaker B:Do you think it becomes more about, you know, this guy didn't make the team versus maybe not pushing as much a guy who actually does make the team?
Speaker A:That's a great question.
Speaker A:You know, as time has gone on here and sports have evolved or devolved, however you want to put it for professionals, I think so much focus is put on these guys like a Juan Soto now we can get into that on its own, but who have these bonuses in their contracts.
Speaker A:You know, for making an all star team.
Speaker A:So, you know, I mean, take Juan Soto out of it, but each team has to have a representative.
Speaker A:I mean, that's.
Speaker A:That's been forever.
Speaker B:Correct.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Which.
Speaker A:Which I get.
Speaker A:But then the snubs, you know, some of these guys really, you know, it's costing them some dough.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And they.
Speaker A:They deserve to be in there.
Speaker A:I remember when the Mets, I think it was 79, were so bad, and, you know, I'm going way back now, but Lee Mazzilli.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And he actually hit a home run in the Kingdom.
Speaker A:But I was, like, so excited to see Liam Mazzulli.
Speaker A:But they, you know, I'm sure there were a lot of guys at that point who were ahead of him.
Speaker A:But just to get back to your question.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think.
Speaker A:I think that it is.
Speaker A:I mean, there.
Speaker A:There were some interesting choices here for replacements.
Speaker A:I know that people are upset.
Speaker B:Well, you got a guy who started five games.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I don't get that.
Speaker B:And I don't care if he's 4 and 1.
Speaker B:I understand there's, like, publicity around him, but there wasn't publicity around him the way there was around Paul Skeens.
Speaker B:Paul skeens only had 11 starts, but let's be honest, Paul Skeens had publicity around him, and he was dominant over that time period.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I think, you know, for the Phillies, though, to come out and be so negative.
Speaker B:Hey, Christopher Sanchez.
Speaker B:Christopher Sanchez had three starts where I believe he gave up 13 hits or more.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:In each of those three starts, like, come on, you want to be an All Star, but you have to be a Zach Wheeler.
Speaker B:You have to be a guy who is dominant.
Speaker B:I mean, it's nice to see David Peterson, but David Peterson earned it because he consistently, every start, did what he was supposed to, and when somebody wasn't going to be able to pitch, that's what he did.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I almost think, I mean, that David Peterson almost got his nod this year based on last year.
Speaker A:I mean, he's continued what he did and.
Speaker A:But you make a great point again.
Speaker A:He just.
Speaker A:He takes the ball every five days, and when you need him, maybe one.
Speaker B:Terrible start the whole time.
Speaker B:Otherwise, it's.
Speaker B:You know, we could talk about this, but he got taken out the other day after 90 pitches, and it blows up.
Speaker B:Like, that guy is a baller.
Speaker B:Put him on a mound and give him another batter and he'll get a mound.
Speaker A:Yeah, I didn't understand that.
Speaker A:And like you said, I mean, I can tell by the look on your face that we Could.
Speaker A:We could talk about that for a while.
Speaker A:Some of these interesting decisions and, you know, last start before the break.
Speaker A:Why are you pulling them early?
Speaker A:To save him.
Speaker A:For what?
Speaker A:For the All Star Game.
Speaker B:I just don't get it.
Speaker B:And I'm going to get off in a second, but just quickly.
Speaker B:He's not going to.
Speaker B:Maybe he pitches in the All Star Game, maybe he doesn't, but that's beside the point.
Speaker B:He hadn't even.
Speaker B:At this point.
Speaker B:He hadn't even been named to the All Star Game.
Speaker B:He got named after the game was over.
Speaker A:Correct.
Speaker B:In the beginning of the second one.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because it was a double header.
Speaker B:He goes out there and he's just throwing and throwing and throwing.
Speaker B:There's nothing wrong with him.
Speaker B:What are we saving for?
Speaker B:Like, he's.
Speaker B:The announcement is.
Speaker B:Well, we were already going into the eighth inning, and I had told him after the sixth that he was going batter by batter.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And he already hit 90.
Speaker B:At the end of the day, he did his job.
Speaker B:Do I have to hear Mendoza keep saying that stuff?
Speaker B:He didn't do?
Speaker B:He didn't.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:And if you were going to do that, then start somebody else the previous inning.
Speaker B:But you had another guy up there that I thought he was capable of getting out.
Speaker B:And next thing you know, Ryan Steinek implodes.
Speaker B:We didn't even talk about the fact that he walked four guys in and gives up a home run.
Speaker B:And you could have pulled Ryan Stanek after maybe two walks and a hit.
Speaker B:Not four walks and a hit.
Speaker B:You know, you could have.
Speaker B:You could have actually managed that game.
Speaker B:But I just.
Speaker B:Some of the decisions that he's made recently just don't make sense to me.
Speaker B:Even today.
Speaker B:I thought that, you know, Shomaniah did what he had to do.
Speaker B:The ninth inning was three righties in a row, and they said that he was only going to go 65 pitches.
Speaker B:So they were taking him out after that last batter.
Speaker B:Who won the game anyway?
Speaker B:Why then, if you got three righties up, bring a righty from the bullpen, win the game.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:It just.
Speaker B:There was.
Speaker B:You did a nice job with Mania.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:End him.
Speaker B:What we wanted to get him is four ups.
Speaker B:He doesn't need to have four ups.
Speaker B:He did three ups and did fine.
Speaker B:He struck out, what, six of his first eight batters?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I just get so frustrated with that stuff.
Speaker A:Is it analytics?
Speaker B:I mean, what's too much?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker B:There's no feel anymore.
Speaker B:And I understand there was a feel that Mania was doing well and put him back out there, but there was just no need at that point.
Speaker B:Yeah, you're in the ninth inning of a tie game.
Speaker B:It doesn't have to be Diaz, but if you want to bring him in, fine.
Speaker B:Because the Mets have gotten away from being on the road and saving your closer.
Speaker B:They've gotten away from that.
Speaker B:They'll put him in if they need to, but I just felt like there was so many other guys there, but they have such a mess.
Speaker B:We could talk about this later in their bullpen situation with guys now needing Tommy John surgery and guys that are just not able to be out there, that it's going to be a haul going from now to the All Star break and then we'll see what they have from the All Star break on.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, between the Mets and the Yankees.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:No, I don't know what you meant.
Speaker A:I think between the Mets and the Yankees, they're single handedly keeping, you know, surgeons in business of Tommy John because it's, they hit some rough stretches as well.
Speaker A: -: Speaker A: -: Speaker A:We're waiting on Butch Husky, former New York Met, Boston Red Sox and a few other teams to join us.
Speaker A:Hopefully pretty soon.
Speaker A:But getting back to the All Star Game, Chris.
Speaker A:So for me, you and again, I'm in my mid-50s and the 70s, early 80s when I was really, really into baseball, the All Star Game was fantastic because there really wasn't.
Speaker A:ESPN hadn't started.
Speaker A:If you were, it was still Monday Night baseball game of the week.
Speaker A:You didn't have major channels.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You didn't have streaming.
Speaker A:I mean, literally, it was like Saturday afternoon on NBC with Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, they had that one.
Speaker A:Then Monday Night Baseball on abc.
Speaker A:So you didn't see a lot of these guys.
Speaker A:Yeah, you did.
Speaker A:It was highlights.
Speaker B:So the All Star Game was then your chance.
Speaker B:And I say your chance because you're slightly older than I am.
Speaker B:Your chance to watch a guy that you basically get to see once in a while.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like for me, the guys, you know, out in the west, the West Coast.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:They're on late and the games on tv.
Speaker A:Yeah, the Fernando Valenzuela's, the Steve Garveys, you know, I liked, you know, Rodney Carew, Rod Carew, I was just gonna say the Angels, Freddie Lynn when he went out there.
Speaker A:You know, those, those teams, there were no, you know, there were no Colorado Rockies, there were no Arizona Diamondbacks.
Speaker B:It wasn't a Home Run Derby back then, was it?
Speaker A:There wasn't.
Speaker A:There was not.
Speaker B:They had that show where the guys like the Harmon Killer Bruised did it.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah, that was kind of a made for whatever back in the 50s and 60s.
Speaker A:But two things.
Speaker A:One, I think major League Baseball has done a really nice job of making it a two day event.
Speaker A:You know, why not?
Speaker A:The Home Run Derby is what it is.
Speaker A:You're not getting Shohei Ohtani, you know, Pete Alonso didn't want to do this year, but it's still, it's interesting.
Speaker A:Yeah, what the heck.
Speaker A:If you like baseball, you see how far a guy can hit the ball.
Speaker A:It is now the game itself.
Speaker A:That's kind of where I was going to this now.
Speaker A:I personally could care less who wins the game.
Speaker B:I was always that way.
Speaker B:Even when the game so called, when.
Speaker A:It mattered, when did it have to matter when they want the tie.
Speaker A:Okay, but I mean, is anybody watching the game at that point anyway?
Speaker B:I don't get it.
Speaker B:I don't think so.
Speaker A:Am I just a dinosaur when it comes to this?
Speaker B:You know, they tried to change something that was an exhibition game and I just felt like there was just no need to.
Speaker B:Because what people for the main part came to watch was the superstar you don't normally get to watch and the one guy from your team who got named to the team in a year when you stunk.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:And that's why you're watching.
Speaker B:You want to see him be introduced.
Speaker B:At 8:05pm the game starts at, let's say, 8:15.
Speaker B:And if you watch it, you watch it.
Speaker B:And if some random San Francisco Giant makes an error in the eighth inning and the National League loses one.
Speaker B:Nothing.
Speaker B:You don't care.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:You know, it's over and you move on and it doesn't matter.
Speaker B:But I think at some point they tried to make it, I don't know, matter in some way where the winning team get home field advantage in the playoffs.
Speaker B:Which for a lot of teams like at the time, you know, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Colorado Rockies, that meant nothing to them.
Speaker B:No, meant nothing to them.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:You know, but I do want to say this.
Speaker B:I think that the Home Run Derby has become more, the more watchable thing than the actual game.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think people are tuning in more now to see these bombs.
Speaker B:Now they had to change the game because these were going till midnight.
Speaker B:You had guys waiting an hour and a half between their first at bat and their next at bat.
Speaker B:So they had to now change it up to a certain amount of swings and a certain amount of time period, but I still think it's good.
Speaker B:And the guy who is leading, like Cal Raleigh doesn't always win, but I think it becomes fun.
Speaker B:It gives people a chance to watch.
Speaker B:I used to watch liking like, you know, whatever guy won, whoever was attached to them would win a new house.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like some random person.
Speaker B:But I just feel like the Home Run Derby has become the All Star game.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's kind of like, I guess.
Speaker A:Would you compare it to the slam dunk contest with the NBA?
Speaker B:Very much, yeah.
Speaker A:Because the NBA game is unwatchable and.
Speaker B:People would watch the three point contest for years when, I don't know, a guy like Craig Hodges wasn't even on a team but was winning it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But really it was, who's going to be in the slam dunk contest?
Speaker B:But think about it.
Speaker B:When guys like Jordan and Dominique Wilkins stop doing the slam dunk contest, people stop caring.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:When guys like Ohtani and Pete Alonso don't do it, people are going to stop caring about the home run contest.
Speaker B:But let's leave it at what it is.
Speaker B:It's an exhibition game in the middle of a season.
Speaker B:Nobody wants to get hurt.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Which is the same as the NBA All Star game.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:The NFL, what did they do?
Speaker B:They put it after the season and they stopped playing the game.
Speaker B:They turned it into like beach football.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:So until somebody blew out, somebody blows.
Speaker B:It down and they go to flag football.
Speaker B:So I just think that people have to understand this is exhibition.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:But for most of these guys, it's a paycheck.
Speaker A:True, true.
Speaker A:The last point I was going to make was, you know, are they still, and I feel bad not knowing this, but I know they're still going with the, with the same jersey for each.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:They have jerseys for the National League in America.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I, I think this year they made it.
Speaker B:Let's see, they're playing in Atlanta.
Speaker B:I think the jerseys kind of look.
Speaker A:A little like the Braves.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like the old.
Speaker B:Like they made the N and the A and the A. Yeah.
Speaker B:A little bit different.
Speaker A:All right, so here's another pet peeve of mine.
Speaker A:Now I understand that they are trying to sell merchandise.
Speaker A:Thank you for bringing that up.
Speaker B:The AL and the nl.
Speaker B:Mike and I are looking at the jerseys here.
Speaker B:They have that like script look, which to me I still don't like.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And yeah.
Speaker A:It's just, it's a complete turnoff.
Speaker A:I love guys wearing their own jersey.
Speaker B:Why not?
Speaker B:Come on, you Know, so the National League should be wearing white and the American League should be wearing.
Speaker B:That's it, a black, a blue.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter that they're not all wearing the same color.
Speaker A: watching highlights from the: Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I believe it was in Cincinnati.
Speaker A:Doc Gooden's on the mound.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Darrell Strawberries in right field.
Speaker A:They have their all white pinstripe Mets, white cleats.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Terry Steinbach from the A's comes up, takes, takes Doc deep.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was weird, but you see all these guys that there were still Expo uniforms.
Speaker A:I mean, that's cool.
Speaker A:Who wants to see this garbage?
Speaker B:So why do you think they wear the jerseys?
Speaker A:Money.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:You gotta sell.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, you know, you have to sell an extra jersey.
Speaker B:Why do you think the teams have Citi Connect?
Speaker B:You got to have something new.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:With all of that, then just.
Speaker A:Are they really making that much money at the game?
Speaker A:And I mean, no.
Speaker A:You go into Dick's Sporting Goods in three weeks and they're on the discount rack for five bucks.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:Especially the guy who gets traded after he plays in the game and goes from the National League to the American League.
Speaker A:I mean, I know everything is based on money.
Speaker A:It's just such a.
Speaker A:You're trying to grow the game.
Speaker A:Are you doing it with all this stuff?
Speaker B:I mean, I'm interested to see a couple of players out there and it's nice to see guys like Pete Crowe, Armstrong.
Speaker B:I know you talk about him a lot, but think about who he was traded starting.
Speaker B:The starting center fielders were traded for each other.
Speaker B:The National League is Peter Armstrong and the American League is Javi Baez.
Speaker B:He's actually the center fielder for the American League.
Speaker B:They were traded for each other.
Speaker B:So that kind of is an interesting situation.
Speaker A:Rebounced back, huh?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, you know, that's all it kind of takes.
Speaker B:So I think that's going to be interesting to see is some of these guys that don't normally get a chance to get out there.
Speaker B:You know, Lindor hasn't done it for the Mets.
Speaker B:This is his first time.
Speaker B:I think that's a little bit of a story there.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, Pete Alonso doing it for the first time without the Home Run Derby.
Speaker B:Let's see how much he enjoys it.
Speaker A:So let's go to that real quick.
Speaker A:Good thing for the Mets that Pete made the All Star team.
Speaker A:Not a good thing for the Mets.
Speaker A:Let's look long term.
Speaker A:Why I'm saying that is all right, good thing, obviously, because he's playing well enough.
Speaker A:But then does that, you know, make quote, unquote.
Speaker A:I'm doing the air quotes here.
Speaker A:He's an All Star.
Speaker A:That much more difficult now again, to sign him back?
Speaker B:I don't think so.
Speaker A:I don't think so either.
Speaker B:He's either in or out.
Speaker B:You know, I don't think it matters whether or not he was named an All Star.
Speaker B:I think Pete deserved it.
Speaker B:I think he was one of the top.
Speaker B:Freddie Freeman is there and I think Pete deserved it.
Speaker B:And there's some good names out there.
Speaker B:I think people will like to watch.
Speaker B:Tarek Skubal, pretty good pitcher.
Speaker A:Paul Skeens.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:To see Skeens out there, but I don't need to see Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Speaker B:I don't think, you know, to see him in the Home Run Derby.
Speaker B:You know, there's a lot of guys that get named when other guys are hurt or can't pitch.
Speaker B:Guys that are on the trading block, like Carlos Estevez, those type of guys.
Speaker A:Now, Jacob deGrom made the Al team, right?
Speaker A:But he's not.
Speaker A:I don't believe he's.
Speaker A:Did he give up his spot?
Speaker B:Jacob deGrom?
Speaker A:I think he gave up.
Speaker A:He's either not pitching or he gave up his spot.
Speaker A:One or the other.
Speaker B:He is a pitcher.
Speaker B:He's on there.
Speaker A:Oh, he is.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:He doesn't have A plus next to his name, which would mean that, you know, he's a replacement.
Speaker B:I think Carlos Rodone is a replacement.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So maybe he gave up his spot, but he's on there.
Speaker B:You know, Shohei Ohtani, I think people are still there.
Speaker B:He's there only as a dh.
Speaker B:Acuna is not going to be in the Home Run Derby, but he is going to play in the game, has a little tightness.
Speaker B:Eugenio Suarez, I think, is a name that, you know, has bounced around and then all of a sudden is back out there.
Speaker B:But how about the legend pick Clayton Kershaw?
Speaker B:I think the, the league is allowed to pick somebody.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Great idea.
Speaker B:I think it's good because here's the thing.
Speaker B:He's not terrible.
Speaker B:No, he's like 40 with a 3 era.
Speaker A:Yeah, he's okay.
Speaker B:So it's not like you're picking Albert Pujols when he has one leg.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:But even then I, I'm okay as long as that doesn't count as one of your picks.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Yes, one of the things I would propose is to, to expand the rosters.
Speaker A:Yeah, put four, who cares?
Speaker A:But here's the thing.
Speaker A:40 dudes on the team put a.
Speaker B:Put a timeline in and say, hey, these guys are the ones that are going to be in.
Speaker B:And anybody named after that.
Speaker B:Sorry, but you're not getting your bonus.
Speaker B:You're not getting your $200,000 bonus.
Speaker B:You were named because we expanded the roster from 30 to 37.
Speaker B:Because, listen, if the game goes extra innings, you got a whole bunch of guys that can still play.
Speaker B:We'll see.
Speaker B:I mean, it's nice to see guys like Trevor McGill and, you know, guys that just don't.
Speaker B:Don't make it most of the years, but to see 4 Mets, I think is nice.
Speaker B:I guess maybe I'll tune in for a little bit.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, would.
Speaker B:Do you really want to see Peterson or Diaz on the mound?
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker B:Because if they blow the game, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Then everybody's all over them and then they come back and it's like, oh, did Diaz blow the game?
Speaker A:It's a no win situation.
Speaker B:Did Peterson give up the home run to give up the lead?
Speaker A:Because even, even if, I mean, seriously, let's say Diaz comes in, right?
Speaker A:You know, top of the ninth, he strikes out the side.
Speaker A:The base is low.
Speaker A:He comes in, he strikes out the side.
Speaker B:Who cares?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I mean, I still need you Friday night.
Speaker A:I mean, there'll be arguments, you know, American League fans.
Speaker A:Oh, they weren't trying.
Speaker A:I mean, it's just a no win.
Speaker A:And that's why, I mean, we could get.
Speaker A:We'll be talking about the baseball.
Speaker A:The World Baseball Classic soon.
Speaker A:But yeah, it's, it's just as.
Speaker A:Do I want to see him?
Speaker A:No, I mean, it's, it's different.
Speaker B:Well, hopefully people enjoy the game.
Speaker B:Tuesday night you have the game.
Speaker B:Monday night you have the, the Home Run Derby.
Speaker B:So it gives people a chance to watch.
Speaker B:Look for your favorite players out there and we'll see how it goes.
Speaker A:Yeah, you know, I hope it makes a big number and everything's great and the game is, you know, 14, 13, and usually not.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, it's always.
Speaker A:It seems to be more of a pitcher's duel, but yeah, it's always, always very interesting.
Speaker B: -: Speaker B:We'll take your calls if you guys want to chime in on anything.
Speaker B:NBA, mlb, wnba, big game today, Whatever it is on your mind.
Speaker B:If there's something you want to talk about, soccer, hockey, we'll discuss that with you.
Speaker B:We're here for another half hour and we'll see if maybe we can get in the second half.
Speaker A:Yeah, we're, we're having.
Speaker A:I'm in contact with Butch Husky right now, trying to, trying to get him through.
Speaker A: k in the, in the dark ages of: Speaker A:The script Mets, Jeremy Bernitz, Dallas Green.
Speaker A:I'm sure he's got lots of Bobby Bonilla, he's got lots of stories.
Speaker A:I'd love to hear about that.
Speaker A:He's out in Oklahoma, so he was coaching today, so we're just kind of waiting on him.
Speaker A:But second half, irregardless, will.
Speaker A:We'll go more into a deeper dive on the Mets and the Yankees.
Speaker A:We will talk a little NBA draft.
Speaker A:Just as we kind of close out the first half hour here.
Speaker A:Las Vegas, the summer league is going on.
Speaker A:I spoke a little bit about it the last time I was on.
Speaker A:I went out there about 10 years ago.
Speaker A:It's absolutely exploded now.
Speaker A:I mean it's basically sold out almost.
Speaker A:But they do a fantastic job out there in Las Vegas.
Speaker A:Thomas and Mack center, which is on the campus of UNLV and they have a side gym which is more of a women, I hate to say it, the women's gym there, it's a little smaller, but every game's on TV and they still sell it out.
Speaker A:If you are a die hard NBA fan, try to get out there if you can.
Speaker A:It's dirt cheap to get out there.
Speaker A:Las Vegas in the summer, they're basically begging you to come out there.
Speaker A:You take a cab, you're outside for five minutes, you have a great meal, you know, in the casino and you watch a couple of games.
Speaker A:I mean, I saw Giannis, his first professional game and I just at that point, I still have the magazine, you know, the program from that day.
Speaker A:Yeah, I was like, it was pretty wild, you know, good, good stuff.
Speaker A:Get out there, take a trip.
Speaker A:You know, you get to see, you know, 95% of the guys will never wear an NBA uniform.
Speaker A:Maybe some of them will be back in the D league or whatever else.
Speaker A:But you know, Cooper, flag number one pick, he played two games, had two great games and, and did himself proud.
Speaker B:Gotta get there early because these guys get shut down.
Speaker A:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker B:Yo, we're in the playoffs.
Speaker B:Well, who do we have?
Speaker B:We have the guy who played at D3, Wisconsin Lacrosse and you know, some other guys.
Speaker A:So yeah, so second half we'll go a little bit into, into that and hopefully we'll have Butch Husky.
Speaker A:If not, though we're certainly on the More baseball here on Long Island's WGB Sports Talk New.
Speaker B:You are listening to Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B: FM and: Speaker B:You're listening to Sports Talk New York on Long Island's wgbb.
Speaker B:And now back to the show.
Speaker A: FM: Speaker A: is your number: Speaker A:1240.
Speaker A:As we mentioned, still waiting on and hoping for Butch Husky, former New York Met.
Speaker A:But before we get to a little bit more baseball, we were talking about NBA on the way out, Chris.
Speaker A:And a little news on the Knicks front coaching hire this past week, Mike Brown.
Speaker A:Excited?
Speaker A:Perplexed.
Speaker B:Am I excited or are Nick fans?
Speaker A:He's excited.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, I guess, right?
Speaker A:I mean, he seemed it.
Speaker B:He was available.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like he wasn't owned and hired.
Speaker B:Did you see the press conference, though, how we Himself.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker B:Very awkward.
Speaker B:I mean, and then to get asked questions like, hey, Wally Zerbiak's back in the studio.
Speaker B:Can you tell me a little something about his game?
Speaker B:Did you hear what he said after that?
Speaker B:No, what he said, it was a little bit awkward.
Speaker B:First he said something about, you know, you want me to talk about his defense?
Speaker B:Because the only defense he had was all the women that were on staff at the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to date him.
Speaker B:And I think at the time he was married or had a girlfriend.
Speaker B:So he like he pushed them away or something like that.
Speaker B:And at that time he was married.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Not anymore.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:Now he's remarried.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly beside the point.
Speaker B:It just was very awkward.
Speaker B:And I just felt like they did what they could with a guy who wasn't their first, second, third or fourth feeling of a pick.
Speaker A:If you Google Mike Brown and you go to the video section, one of the first things that comes up is him basically dressing down the Sacramento Kings, like going nuts during a practice.
Speaker A:How that video even exists is a head scratch.
Speaker B:And that was recently.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's not a long time ago.
Speaker A:But I think that that's out there because, you know, you want to look at him as tough.
Speaker A:You know, Tibbs was tough, obviously, but Maybe.
Speaker A:I mean, yeah, why get excited about him?
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:You mentioned it.
Speaker A:He was probably their fifth choice.
Speaker A:You know, he's got energy, said all the right things, you know, about the Knick fans and whatever else.
Speaker A:But, yeah, very awkward to have no James Dolan.
Speaker A:Was he going to show up?
Speaker A:Probably not.
Speaker A:But Leon Rose, I mean, has he made a public appearance since.
Speaker A:Since they fired Tom Thibodeau?
Speaker B:Most of those guys don't, you know, I mean, how many times have you really even seen the Yankees general manager Cashmen out there?
Speaker B:I mean, you just don't.
Speaker B:David Stearns puts his face out there, but a lot of these guys just kind of hide and.
Speaker A:But when they hire a manager or.
Speaker B:The owner of the GM shows up and they.
Speaker A:It's a photo op if nothing else, you know, and they, they warn the, the guys and girls beforehand, don't ask certain questions.
Speaker B:I think he was hired on like a Friday or Thursday, and then they waited to have the press conference till like the next week.
Speaker B:So it was like nobody cared at that point.
Speaker B:But here's the biggest part is expectations are there.
Speaker B:Whether they're, you know, number one as for the east, or behind the CAVs as number two in the East.
Speaker B:No matter who the coach of the team is, the expectations are for the Knicks to be one of the hot teams, not a four seed, not a six seed.
Speaker B:We're talking a one or a two seed and have a chance to go to the NBA Finals.
Speaker B:Like to do what?
Speaker B:If you're going to fire Tibbs losing in the Eastern Conference Finals, what are the expectations for Mike Brown?
Speaker B:Because if he doesn't make the Eastern Conference finals, I think that's a step back.
Speaker B:And at that point, are you going to fire him again?
Speaker A:The whole thing has just been bizarre from the beginning to, you know, to the end.
Speaker A:It seemed like a very impulsive move by the New York Knicks to fire him.
Speaker A:No matter if you talk to.
Speaker A:You've seen it.
Speaker A:If you listen to Mike Francesa, it was, you know, it was, it was Dolan.
Speaker A:If you listen, I'm sorry, it was Leon Rose.
Speaker A:If you listen to the Mad dog, it was dull.
Speaker A:So, you know, of course everyone has their own opinion.
Speaker A:So who really was it?
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I'm going to.
Speaker A:My opinion was it was all Dolan because he has an inflated sense of what should be happening and doesn't know diddly squat about basketball.
Speaker B:And how about Rick Brunson possibly getting relegated from, you know, a high assistant coach to maybe not even being on the squad, if not a low assistant coach.
Speaker B:You gotta look, Mike Brown has had a long, successful career in the NBA, okay?
Speaker B:He was the head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
Speaker B:People know him for being coaching LeBron James in Cleveland, being an assistant coach with the warriors when they made their run.
Speaker B: He was hired in: Speaker B:So it's like, you know, how much do people really want this guy?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:He was a good assistant coach, but.
Speaker B:And a pretty decent winning percentage.
Speaker B:But as far as him being the guy to take the Knicks to the promised land, what has he shown to get them there?
Speaker B:And I don't know that.
Speaker B:I don't know that we even know what his style is going to be.
Speaker A:That's a great question.
Speaker A:Yeah, I was thinking, you know, I mean, Mike Malone won a championship in Denver not long ago.
Speaker A:You know, he had obviously issues with the general manager, but both of them got fired in Denver.
Speaker A:He's a New York guy, former assistant, son of Brendan Malone.
Speaker A:Very well thought of coach.
Speaker A:I thought he would have been really the pick, but I don't think they brought him in even for an interview.
Speaker A:So why they went this route?
Speaker A:I mean, the embarrassment also of calling every team and asking to talk to their coach and being turned down.
Speaker A:Do you think somewhere down the line they really thought that Jason Kidd was going to be able to get out?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't think they had.
Speaker B:You know, as we've.
Speaker B:We've had this conversation before, I don't think they had an idea.
Speaker B:I think this was literally making a decision and hoping for guys to be available.
Speaker B:And I think they would have probably gone through almost every NBA team to try and see if somebody with a somewhat decent record was willing to leave their team and come to the Knicks.
Speaker B:And it wasn't going to be Steve Kerr and it wasn't going to be Jason Kidd and it wasn't going to be some of the other names out there.
Speaker B:So I think they were stuck.
Speaker B:So Brown is basically known for a lot of breaking down tape.
Speaker B:I guess he's good in the video room and trying to find things that other teams do.
Speaker B:The other thing is his relationship with players and you know how that works.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker A:Well, that's got to be the thing because anytime you make a change, even if it's on a junior high school level, you bring in the polar opposite.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:If it wasn't bringing the guy that's going to connect with someone when the guy before him was in the huddle, you know, ripping people apart.
Speaker B:But how long is that going to stick?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I honestly might could see this go in one of two ways.
Speaker B:One, the Knicks go out and get themselves a couple of extra players to put themselves over the top.
Speaker B:I'm not talking LeBron James.
Speaker B:I'm just talking a couple of other players here or there.
Speaker B:Option two, 40 games into the year, he's gone.
Speaker B:Yeah, gone.
Speaker A:It's a Don Nelson scenario.
Speaker A:Yeah, I could see that, too.
Speaker A:I don't know how much they're paying him, but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue for them anyway because they extended Tom Thibodeau last year.
Speaker A:I think that the Knicks organization, let's just say what it is.
Speaker A:James Nolan, I think he just completely overrates New York and what it means.
Speaker A: I mean, this is not: Speaker A: This is not: Speaker A: This is: Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Madison Square Garden is fantastic.
Speaker A:It's the place I saw my first basketball game.
Speaker A:It's New York, the Mecca, all that jazz.
Speaker A:But every stadium is wonderful, for Pete's sake.
Speaker A:I mean, Oklahoma City just won the title.
Speaker A:So, you know, it's not like the NBA is geared for big cities anymore.
Speaker A:It just.
Speaker A:I don't know, maybe he thought that everybody was going to just be super psyched to take the job.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:It doesn't work that way.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think time will tell.
Speaker B:I think either the Knicks will put up and people will be happy with it, or they're going to have to make major changes.
Speaker B:And that might mean getting rid of the coach pretty quick.
Speaker B:It might mean making trades.
Speaker B:And I don't know if guys like Mikhail Bridges or guys, you know, that could be on their way out or guys even like, you know, call Anthony Town says was not talked about in the press conference.
Speaker B:The guy who was talked about in the press conference was Jalen Brunson.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I think that's the focus, is that this is Jalen Brunson's team.
Speaker A:Safe.
Speaker B:And if they make a trade, those guys could go.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Well, we're going to welcome in right now to change gears a little bit.
Speaker B:James Shiano from the Mets podcast.
Speaker B:James, thanks for calling in.
Speaker C:Hey, thank you for having me.
Speaker C:Happy to be here.
Speaker B:Well, we have officially hit the All Star break, and, you know, the Mets are hanging around close to that first place in the NL East.
Speaker B:Give us a little bit of your feeling for the first half of the season.
Speaker D:I mean, I think first feelings.
Speaker C:Grateful they Built up so much of.
Speaker D:A cushion through those great months of.
Speaker C:April and May because it's been like a.500 team since the beginning of June.
Speaker C:So it's kind of hard to forget about that.
Speaker C:You just watch that baseball for six or seven weeks heading into the break.
Speaker C:But this team still has everything in front of them, like anything they want to do.
Speaker C:They're just finally, as of today, the day before the All Star break, have their set standard rotation the way it was meant to actually be constructed, ready to go for the first time.
Speaker C:I think that's something that we could probably hang our hats off for the next few weeks.
Speaker C:And really the only problem with this team is finding consistency with the lineup, which is ironic because we didn't really think wi get that's a whole nother, whole nother can of worms.
Speaker C:But we kind of thought that would be the thing that would be most consistent.
Speaker C:So I don't know, I figure like law of averages will come back.
Speaker C:If these pitchers stay healthy, this lineup will hit better and the team should be ready to do battle against anchovies, try and get first place.
Speaker B:It's a pretty interesting word used there.
Speaker B:I think you said grateful.
Speaker B:I think, you know, they did really well out of the gates and gave themselves a nice lead.
Speaker B:And then all of a sudden things start to fall apart and the Mets, at some point, you know, I'm going to make numbers up, are like 3 and 13 and 16 games.
Speaker B:And the big thing has become the Mets.
Speaker B:And it's never been, you know, it's not just something.
Speaker B:This year the big thing has become the Mets.
Speaker B:Hitting in the clutch, runners in scoring position, you know, is that a hitting coach thing?
Speaker B:I know for you you've talked a lot about that.
Speaker B:Or do you think it's a mindset?
Speaker C:I definitely think it's more of a mindset than a hitting coach thing.
Speaker C:I think there might be something to the Chavez Barnes regime.
Speaker C:I know that as the Mets keep converting these pitchers into these and there's more of a Barnes thing than a Chavez thing, but as the Mets keep converting these pitchers and minor leagues to getting on the doorstep of the major leagues and a real crew of guys that we look at, like you look at the Mets AAA and AAA stats, you could probably identify eight future major league pitchers.
Speaker C:They're that good.
Speaker C:They have that deep of a pitching foundation right now in the system.
Speaker D:When you look at the hitters, you.
Speaker C:Don'T see that same conversion.
Speaker C:And maybe that's just the fact that pitching development seems to be a little bit More straight line than hitting development these days.
Speaker C:But there probably just is something lacking there.
Speaker C:Also, with that being said, it doesn't seem like anything that's happening in zone score position has anything to do with the hitting coach.
Speaker C:Like Juan solo has about a 150 batting average on balls in play runs the score position while having almost a 45% heartache rate.
Speaker C:Like that.
Speaker C:Those two numbers don't work together.
Speaker C:Like that's something that will change.
Speaker C:So Cisco and Door the same way, under.200 batting average, runners in squad position.
Speaker C:And we know those are two good players, great hitters and players that for the course of their careers elevate themselves.
Speaker C:Situations like that, I wouldn't, I can't point to the zip situation and be like, yeah, this is a big problem.
Speaker C:Like it's just water has to find its level.
Speaker C:But it is frustrating to watch it day after day.
Speaker C:When you put runs one position in the first inning and you can't come out of it with any runs and you wind up losing or like falling behind.
Speaker C:Some of these games you gotta have heroic weights.
Speaker C:That again, that's like my first point I made.
Speaker C:Like, if that's the biggest problem with this team, to me that's a good problem to have.
Speaker C:That's just a law of averages.
Speaker C:And it has to.
Speaker C:It has to find this level at some point.
Speaker B:Hopefully you're right.
Speaker B:James Sciano with the Mets podcast.
Speaker B:James, I'm going to go back to one other thing.
Speaker B:We sent down Francisco Alvarez.
Speaker B:Just like, you know, we've sent guys like Acuna down.
Speaker B:He's now hit eight home runs in 13 games.
Speaker B:Is that something that maybe he went back to an old style and now it's starting to kick in and when he comes back up to the majors after the All Star break, that things might fall back into fruition, or is it just triple A pitching?
Speaker D:Probably a little bit of both.
Speaker C:Looking at just the videos that get put out of ALVAREZ Taking those 20 wings in the minor league, you see more of a toe tap, which Alvarez had earlier in his career.
Speaker C:He got away from that.
Speaker C:But also you just, you never know with swim mechanics like that.
Speaker C:Some guys can use that toe tap against pitchers with worse breaking stuff, lower velocity, worse command in my league because easier to time up and you know that you're taking a split second before and that's always have some point anchor timing.
Speaker C:So I don't really know maybe that for a guy like Cisco Alvarez, he does need to go down to just find that comfort.
Speaker C:So at the end of the day and it is kind of a sad.
Speaker C:It is kind of a sad, you know, symptom of Major League Baseball and where it's at that Francisco Alvarez did go down for service time manipulation.
Speaker C:I think, I think most, I think it was a good reason to send him down.
Speaker C:The focus was waning, the defense was bad, the offense was not good either.
Speaker C:But then I think it's an added bonus that you can send him down and you can get an extra year Francisco Alvarez's clock until he becomes free agent.
Speaker C:By sending him back to these teams, I think that was a big part of the decision making process and definitely a big part of the decision making process to keep him down for these extra weeks that he's still been down there.
Speaker C:Also, it's not the worst thing to have some of these pitchers down AAA like McLean and Sproat be called by Francisco Alpha because this presumably will be their catcher as they progress to the major leagues.
Speaker C:And you've seen two guys, McLean and Sproul had some of their best starts the entire season with Francisco Alvarez behind the place.
Speaker C:That's like a fun little caveat to the whole thing, but confidence builder refocus.
Speaker C:Kind of like, hey, you're not.
Speaker C:Maybe you're not the chosen one.
Speaker C:Still a lot of work needs to be done here.
Speaker C:But also service time manipulation, sadly excellent.
Speaker A:So, James, this is Mike, Just one last thing for you.
Speaker A:How are you, buddy?
Speaker A:If you're David Stearns coming out of the All Star break, obviously we're not at the trading deadline yet, but what's the first move that you're making.
Speaker C:If the levers.
Speaker D:You probably need two or three relievers.
Speaker C:To add on to this news that Danielle's going for Tommy John surgery, the news that Max Kranik probably also going to Tommy John surgery.
Speaker C:Like, we've done really well this season with using just the glob of chaos, as I've called them in the past, to get by.
Speaker C:But if you're not able to get high leverage, reliable innings like Ryan Stanek, that's a huge throw to where the back end bullpen's supposed to be losing.
Speaker C:Minter, you're getting back Brooks Rich, but I don't really know you're supposed to get back through those two.
Speaker C:But like, none of these guys really seem like high leverage guys.
Speaker C:I think the Mets have to shop in probably a slightly more expensive range of relievers than David Stearns often like to find themselves shopping in.
Speaker C:But at the same time, this team definitely needs at least one more legitimate impact reliever to get where they have to go.
Speaker C:But also like is there a world kind of like what David Stearns used to do in Milwaukee where just like Brandon Woodruff early in his career, just like Freddy Peralta early in his career, career, like we see some combination of sprout and McLean getting like taking that Wadell Hagen role that we've seen over the last few weeks, play football could be this as well and just start ripping.
Speaker C:Let these guys rip for 2, 3, 4 innings at a time, see what they can do and see if they can get their feet where they get comfortable before we actually have these huge games.
Speaker C:September, hopefully October, they have to be ready for it.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:James, sorry to cut you off.
Speaker B:We appreciate your time.
Speaker B:We're just going to get Butch Husky up and hopefully we'll be up, we'll be in touch in a couple of weeks when the Mets are hopefully making some runs and trade deadline as well.
Speaker B:So we appreciate your time, of course.
Speaker C:Scott, thank you guys for reaching out.
Speaker C:Happy to come on anytime.
Speaker A:Okay, thanks very much.
Speaker A:So as Chris mentioned, we're very lucky and happy to be joined right now by former Met Butch Husky.
Speaker A:Butch, this is Mike and Chris here in New York.
Speaker A:How you doing tonight?
Speaker D:Hey, how you guys doing?
Speaker A:We're doing fantastic.
Speaker A:You're out now, Oklahoma, is that correct?
Speaker D:Yes, sir.
Speaker A:All right, just came off the field.
Speaker A:You were coaching, I believe your 10 year old team today.
Speaker D:I have a 12, UT 12.
Speaker D:We got a tournament this weekend, a little bit of baseball, boys.
Speaker D:Baseball.
Speaker A:Very good for you.
Speaker A:You're still very well thought of here in New York.
Speaker A:We're very pleased to have you on.
Speaker A:My partner Chris, he met you at amazing day with the Mets.
Speaker A:My first question, our first question is what's your relationship now with the Mets?
Speaker A:Do you still follow them?
Speaker A:How often do you get to New York?
Speaker D:Oh, I love the Mets and that's the first team that drafted me and gave me an opportunity to play.
Speaker D:I'll be a Met until I die.
Speaker D:But I also, I get back two or three times a summer.
Speaker D:It's, I mean it's fun when I get asked to come back.
Speaker D:I stay in contact with Jay Horowitz.
Speaker D:He's still with the Mets and Jay keeps me in the loop with the Mets.
Speaker D:So it's still a fun time for me when I get back to New York.
Speaker B: Mets, you got a little bit in: Speaker B:And then you know, the 95, 96, 97, things kind of change for you.
Speaker B:When you came up with the Mets, did they originally want you to play third base, first base, or what did they tell you?
Speaker D:Oh, they.
Speaker D:I was originally just going for the third baseman.
Speaker D:And, you know, the year they.
Speaker D:I forget which year, they asked me to move the first, and then that's when I just had to learn how to play first base.
Speaker D:And, you know, in the long run, all that.
Speaker D:It kind of hurt me, I think, learning how to play all those different positions because then I was labeled as a platoon player and still instead of an everyday player.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Which is a real shame because rather than looking at someone like yourself who wanted or was willing to move to be in the lineup.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I can understand how looking at it as a platoon player was not good for you.
Speaker A:And learning a position on a major league level, I mean, had to be just almost impossible.
Speaker D:It was crazy.
Speaker D:I think the first time I was asked to move the outfield, Dallas was our manager at the time.
Speaker A:Time, Right, right.
Speaker D:And that's when I decided to make the decision.
Speaker D:I mean, I wanted to be in the big leagues, and if that was going to keep me in the big leagues, then I was going to learn how to do it.
Speaker D:And, you know, that was my thinking at the time.
Speaker D:Not thinking about the future and what it would do in the future.
Speaker D:At the time it happened, I was all for it to move though first base, so.
Speaker B:But you eventually you're up with the Mets and, you know, they.
Speaker B:They think of you as a hitter and.
Speaker B:And then you move on to the American League and at some point you kind of become a dh.
Speaker B:Do you think if you were strictly a designated hitter that that would have prolonged your career?
Speaker D:Probably if I could have done that.
Speaker D:But I'm going to be honest with you guys.
Speaker D:I didn't like doing that.
Speaker D:I wasn't the type of guy that could sit around a couple of innings and wait till my next turn up in the game.
Speaker D:It was almost.
Speaker D:I wanted to be in the flow of the game and I couldn't get in the flow of the game.
Speaker D:Being a da, my mentality would allow me to do that.
Speaker B:And you did a lot of that in Minnesota behind David Ortiz.
Speaker B:Big papi.
Speaker B:Correct, Right, right, right.
Speaker D:I mean, those guys hit and I just didn't.
Speaker D:It didn't work well with me at the time as being an everyday dh because I wanted to play so much.
Speaker D:I mean, I thought I could help the team playing on defense a little bit.
Speaker D:I didn't ever think I was a liability out there.
Speaker D:But, you know, things just worked out the way they did.
Speaker D:But I would never complain about the opportunity I had of playing major league baseball because it is what it is.
Speaker D:A lot of people don't get to that level.
Speaker D:And I made the best with what I had.
Speaker D:And when I was asked to do something and you know, I'm okay with that.
Speaker B:Can you talk a little bit about teammates and coaches, maybe some of your favorites?
Speaker B:I know you played for Dallas Green, you played for Bobby Valentine.
Speaker B:Any guys that stuck out to you that either had an impact or were kind of comical in the dugout for you?
Speaker D:One of my good buddies end up being Bobby Jones.
Speaker D:The white Bobby Jones.
Speaker D:Not the black Bobby, the white Bobby.
Speaker B:The right hander who threw a, I believe a two hitter in the.
Speaker B:In the playoffs.
Speaker D:In the playoffs, yes.
Speaker D:He became one of my good friends.
Speaker D:You know, I really, I.
Speaker D:But I tried to keep in touch with a lot of guys.
Speaker D:For the most part, I kept with a lot of guys.
Speaker D:But I remember Bobby Jones and I, we just clicked together.
Speaker D:And I had fun in Seattle with Ken Griffey Jr.
Speaker D:I mean, he took me under his wing in Seattle.
Speaker D:And for the time I was in Seattle, I mean, he was like a big brother to me because I was still learning how to play the game still.
Speaker D:I mean, that's when I, I think I left.
Speaker D:I can't remember where I went from the Mets.
Speaker D:And that was in 98, I think.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:And then like around 99, going to Seattle.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker D:And he took me under his wing and that just made the transition so much easier for me.
Speaker A:So Butch, you, you retired at a relatively, I mean, honestly young age, 29.
Speaker A: In: Speaker A:But you're 29 years old.
Speaker A:@ that time, were you thinking retirement or were, you know, we.
Speaker A:Were there some other options on the table at that point or were you kind of like, you know what, I had my time in the majors and let's move on.
Speaker D:You know what, I had my time, but I was really disappointed because of what I had done in Colorado and Colorado didn't try to resign me.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker D:And they kind of beat me down mentally because I had been traded so much.
Speaker D:But then you go to a place you traded to and you do.
Speaker D:You do what you thought was a good job and thought you might get re signed by them.
Speaker D:But at the time I was just mentally beat down.
Speaker D:I was mentally beat down and you know, my fire wasn't out, but I just said, I'm going home.
Speaker D:And so I'VE experienced what I've experienced.
Speaker D:I've played a little while since, I mean, I got drafted when I was 17, so it was a great experience.
Speaker D:But I just got mentally beat up by the.
Speaker D:When I went and left the Rockies that I couldn't get re signed for what I had done in Colorado.
Speaker B:Well, you hit.348 in 45 games, so I think that's pretty good.
Speaker B: nted to ask you, you know, in: Speaker B:Why was the number 42 such a big number for you throughout your career and even today?
Speaker D:Well, that goes back to when I was in high school that I was told by a teacher to do a term paper over Jackie Robinson.
Speaker D:And you know, I had all.
Speaker D:After I did the paper, of course, I got an A on it.
Speaker D:The teacher loved me, but she after me reading his because I. I didn't know about Jackie Robinson until I was a senior in high school, really, and that's a shame.
Speaker D:But this teacher brought it to my attention to make me do the paper over him.
Speaker D:And I vowed to, if I ever made it to professional baseball, that I would wear number 42.
Speaker D:And it's.
Speaker D:It's a big, not only a big number for me.
Speaker D:My daughter wore 42 when she was in school and high school, and there's a couple kids around here that wear the number 42 now because of that.
Speaker A:That's fantastic.
Speaker A:So, you know, we mentioned before, you're working with 12 and under team, now you're coaching a little bit.
Speaker A:Has that kind of been one of the highlights of your retirement?
Speaker A:Are you looking to go a little further in coaching, or are you just happy with the young kids and just giving back that way?
Speaker D:You know, I'm happy with the young kids.
Speaker D:For a while there, I tried to get back in baseball.
Speaker D:It just seemed like the doors were closed everywhere I turned to.
Speaker D:So, you know, once my daughter was of age to start playing softball, I started coaching her teams.
Speaker D:And then I got into baseball after that with my godson's team.
Speaker D:So I've been coaching his teams for the last few years.
Speaker D:I enjoy it.
Speaker D:I enjoy it.
Speaker D:And that's the way for me to give back.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And that's what I like doing right now.
Speaker D:I mean, at one time I wanted to get back into baseball and try to see if I could go coach somewhere, but it just didn't work out.
Speaker A:So butch.
Speaker A:I was doing a little research, as we always do, and, you know, growing up in Oklahoma Am I correct in saying you were a Texas Rangers fan?
Speaker D:I love the Rangers.
Speaker A:Who was your guy?
Speaker D:That was the only thing we were able to watch.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker D:And once I got old, our family got a little bit.
Speaker D:You know, we had tv, but that's when TBS came out.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:And we were get.
Speaker D:We were able to get the Braves Superstation.
Speaker D:But I was.
Speaker D:Yes, I grew up a Rangers fan and they were.
Speaker D:I thought they were going to draft me, but they were going to draft me after the Mets drafted me, so that's that.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Was there.
Speaker A:Was there one guy.
Speaker A:Was there one guy on that Texas Rangers team or players that you really kind of was like your guy at that time?
Speaker D:No, no, actually, it was more the Braves when they started at that time.
Speaker D:It came up because I watched the Braves more.
Speaker D:And then, you know, that's when they had Dale Murphy and Claudell Washington and Bob Horner and Ozzie Virgil.
Speaker D:All those guys.
Speaker D:That's who I really started watching.
Speaker A:Well, Butch, we appreciate you joining us.
Speaker A:We're up against the break.
Speaker A:Can we have you on another time to go a little deeper?
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker A:We'd love to do that.
Speaker A:And we appreciate you calling in all the best out in Oklahoma.
Speaker A:Stay safe through the weather out there and thanks for joining.
Speaker A:We'll have you on again soon.
Speaker D:Thank you so much.
Speaker D:Appreciate it.
Speaker A:Butch.
Speaker A:Husky.
Speaker B:Go Metz.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Butch.
Speaker A:Husky.
Speaker A:We had James Chiano tonight, thanks to Brian Graves behind the glass.
Speaker A:We'll be.
Speaker A:Be on in two weeks and stay safe and enjoy the weather, everybody.
Speaker B:The views expressed in the previous program did not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgb.
