Hour 3: Mariners Cather Cal Raleigh on Building off of Their Historic 2025 Season

Get in the freaking auto! From the Quantum Fiber Studio, this is Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports. Brock Huard and Mark, Matt, Marcus, sorry about just Mike. Huard, not exactly Joe Capp there in the pocket. Now here are your hosts, Brock Huard and Mike Salk. Alright, we roll on here. uh cl sports on 7 10 brock and salk and we are at mariner spring training complex peoria arizona pretty good place to be this week brock i don't know how you beat it that's for sure this is uh best week of my year every oh yeah that's for sure oh we all know that you've mentioned a couple times anybody that works with you knows if you if you want happy salk if you want joyous well i guess what i'm confused is you all content salk you all seem sort of annoyed at me for being so happy which i don't really understand absolutely not shannon said i don't know if i can deal with sulk on me. I would just like... It's not your brand. There she comes. Freaking top rope mora. Again. Just kaboom. Like Axe and Smash. Like Axe and Smash doing the decapitation. Brock from... Yeah, that's what it feels like. Yeah, it is in your brand. Alright, well, you know, maybe it is my brand and I'm just stuck with the wrong people at the wrong place all the time. Oh, maybe if you did of this show like from this table yeah maybe it's all you guys okay fine maybe it's you maybe it's not me maybe it's you have you ever thought about that maybe it's all you all right brock uh some tidbits from a couple little things we've seen in and around a couple fun little moment yesterday and i don't think i'm reaching here because i've watched this and witnessed this as a as a coach now coaching some high school players and everything yesterday and we saw it in the lineup with Cole Young and Colt Emerson, right, back-to-back, and Formello, and I watched Colt Emerson walk down the hall. He's just ahead of me. And he walked up, and Dan Wilson was still going in the coach's office. He said, hey, Skip. And it was like, hey, so we're going to drive to the game together. Like the young guy, you know, like just – you just remember, they're like 20 and 21 years old, you know. They're just still so – is it okay? Like, hey, it's okay if we drive to the park or leave the park, you know, together. I told Shannon about that. And it sounds like it probably was actually getting permission. Yes. She said the young guys are supposed to ride the bus. That's right. I think that's exactly what it was. It was like they were asking Dad. And I'm not speaking out to her, but talk to Dad. Hey, go chat with Coach. And, you know, if you ask nicely, can we kind of, the three of us, hey, you could trust us. I know we're young, but we'll drive over. We'll be mature enough to go there. And, yeah, it was just kind of one of those little windows into these are still some really young guys. Yeah. There's certainly some veterans that have made tons of millions of dollars and done a ton of things and big moments in all-star games at Gold Gloves. And on the other end of it, and if you listen to Amsinger, my gosh, he echoes Jeff Passan. He echoes so many of these national voices. Salk, like, man, Colt Emerson's going to be a dude. Going to be an absolute dude. Well, and he's going to be back in the lineup again today for the second day in a row. So they are giving him a lot of opportunity. You know, Greg said he doesn't think he makes the big league roster out of camp. He's probably right. They can afford for him not to and let him continue to kind of hone his skills. He said mid-August, I think it's going to be a little earlier than that, that we get an opportunity to see him. But there's no doubt. I mean, he's a special kind of talent. They're excited to have him, and they're really using him a lot this spring to give him every look and every opportunity to show that he's ready. I know some years ago, and it is fun, the Buff Dudes report, the origin was right here. It was sitting right here where I said to Salt coming out of the clubhouse one day, like, where are the Buff Dudes? Like, my optics and my eyes have been NFL locker rooms. And I'm sitting in this clubhouse and I'm looking at, you know, some faculty, high school basketball coach. I'm just like, where's Buff Dudes? That has ended. They got plenty of Buff Dudes. That ended two, three, four years ago, to be honest with you. Jerry DiPoto's interviewing right now with the MLB Network behind us. it ended with, and I was just chatting with Yonder and Greg off the air about this, and they said it's interesting because former baseball guys have started to, you've seen this little bit of shift. It's not about numbers. It is about athleticism. And there's a lot of places and organizations that you need a mix. You need the data guys. You need the non-baseball guys. You absolutely do. But you also need the baseball guys to go, no, athleticism matters. Speed matters. When Brennan Donovan yesterday was sitting down and you asked about the St. Louis Way and he points to some of those old St. Louis Cardinals and Willie and Oz. I mean, they're doing backflips and they're running real fast and they're really terrific athletes. And that whole buff dudes, I wouldn't say that today because I'd walk out of that clubhouse and I'd say to you, Salk, have you seen like – and there's about 15 different guys, you know, from Julio to Colt to Sloan to Arroyo to like Randy to – To Cal. To Cal to like almost all of them. You know, there's some aspect of it that are pretty dynamic athletically. And heck, look at the pitchers. Do you see Logan yesterday? Yeah. His arms. I love that. I like that. I also like that it doesn't have to be everybody. Doesn't have to be everybody. I like that about basketball. I'm not poo-pooing your point. It's very true. I like that Luis Castillo can still be a great major league pitcher. 100%. Now, there may come a time, we saw it with Felix, where, you know, you've got to work at it and you can't let it go. But I really do love that baseball has room for a couple of different styles. No, and they're not all 6'3", 230. I know. Right? Some of them are 5'9", and some are 6'5", and some are 6'0". So you can do it in all sorts of different body types. I just like that baseball has room for a lot of different ways to get to where you've got to be. But you would agree with me, though. There's no doubt. Honestly, just looking, and I do feel, and I want to apologize to the audience. I want to apologize to a lot of people. I think I had the same virus-like effect on my college football cruise where Jimmy Zeroli was on the field. He's like, I never once looked at ankles and calves. Thanks. I really appreciate that. And I do feel like your comment of K-9 at the Super Bowl to your own girls, to your own family. I mean, there are certain things you can't ignore. I hope Jane didn't. Like, Jane's not affected by my. No. Right? That was her own analysis. No, she'll be fine. Okay. Yeah, I don't, you know, I think that there are some. But you can't tell me. I mean, look at the refs night are walking in here. Look at, like, the lower half. They're all powerful, strong guys. So that does fit with one of my, it's something I was just watching this morning, and it jives with something I was hearing a little bit yesterday. And all the talk about Colt Emerson, all the talk, and Cole Young's going to be on this team, and the two young pitchers. I love the Cliff Lee comp for Kate Anderson that Ryan Divish gave us earlier today. That's a really good comp. I think I see that. I'm excited about that. Watching Feldenin Celestine, who is still an enormous upside guy. Was he on the wall over here? That was him, huh? Yeah. Yeah. So he was working. So the Mariners have always done work, ground ball work on this wall right behind us on the cement. But they've now expanded some of the field turf that they have so that they have a wall area kind of over in front of us where the guys can practice ground balls off the wall, but do it on more of a grass-style substance so it doesn't look so chintzy. Yep. like it did over here. So they have an actual wall built for that. And they were over there working on it for a while. And I had heard yesterday some guys talking about his defense. I just overheard it, so I don't want to give any details. It's not like somebody was telling me. It was somebody walking near me, and I heard them talking like, hey, we're going to do this with Felney and Celestine. I want to watch this. I don't want to help him with this. I was like, oh, that's cool, because he is a gifted athlete. He is an elite talent. We'll see if he puts it all together. But the talent level, the upside, is crazy, crazy elite. Just watching him work and do ground balls and put in the extra work. It's different. Perry Hill and all the fielding guys. And you see that body? Yep. Brock, he is young, and he is a grown man already. Yes, he is. And it was just two years ago, Salk, that you heard whispers of Julio's ceiling. Right? No, that's not what we heard. We heard his ceiling is higher than Julio's. Okay, well, I was trying to temper it a little bit. No, that's what we heard. We heard if he puts it together, he has more talent than Julio does. Which is. That was two years ago. Now, he's been hurt. He's been up and down. That doesn't mean he gets to that point. That's a very lofty comp. Baseball is baseball, man. Yep. But it's good to remember that those are some of the people that are walking around here. And good to see him doing the extra work on the things that are hopefully going to get him there. Yep. By the way, if Lyle, who's standing over here right now, is three plates legs. Yeah. Cal Raleigh's seven plates legs. I don't even want to talk about Cal's legs. I'm done. I can't even look over there anymore. Cal Raleigh is going to join us coming up in 20 minutes. We'll be back with everything you need to know next. It's Brock and Saul of Seattle Sports on 710. Highlights don't win games. The full box score does. I'm Brock Heward, and most business leaders aren't short on data. They're short on clarity. Numbers are scattered across ERPs, CRMs, and spreadsheets, making decisions reactive instead of confident. And that's not how great businesses are built. Marquee IQ brings all your data together into one clear view, even if it lives in disconnected systems or offline, so you can see what's really happening and act faster. Stop running your business on highlights. Get the full picture. Visit data that wins.com to see what Marquee IQ can do. It's spring training, and it's the perfect time to take a swing at Toyota of Kirkland and Toyota of Renton on a new 2026 Tacoma. At both stores, lease the Tacoma for $309 a month for 36 months with $39.99 due at signing. We're financed with 2.99% APR for 48 months. Like spring training, Toyota of Renton and Kirkland have standout opportunities with new prospects, except their prospects are vehicles that you test drive. They're not ballplayers, but hey, whether you're in the North or the South, they got you covered. This is the Toyota of Kirkland.com and Toyota of Renton.com. Offers out through March 2nd, 2026 on approved credit through TFS. Excludes taxes, titles, license dealers, accessories, and a $200 negotiable dealer documentation. Model 7540. Oh, Brian. When you're running the hurry up and don't have time for your favorite Seattle sports shows, listen to the podcast on demand. How about that? Unbelievable. What a thought. Every hour, every interview, every look behind the scenes. He is your new Seahawks head coach, Mike McDonald. We want to play a certain way, and you're just going to chisel away at it every day. Find us on seattlesports.com, the Seattle Sports app, or wherever you get podcasts. All signs continue to point to it being the right hire. Never miss a minute of Seattle Sports, the home of the Seahawks. Need to know. 15 minutes past every hour with Brock and Salk. Presented by Marquee Data. here what you need to know first well it our second day in Peoria We got a little opportunity to go watch the Mariners again yesterday as they brought a kind of a B-type squad with a couple of regulars over to see the Dodgers. And Dodgers had kind of a similar group. But it was nice to see Logan Gilbert out there and throw a couple of innings. And he looked very good. Free and easy, Saul. He was free and easy, Brock. He was free and easy. Well, I think that's basically what Dan said after. Here's cut one of Dan Wilson talking about his pitchers yesterday. I thought the guys threw the ball pretty well. Good to see Logan back out there. You know, I thought he, you know, a couple innings of good work for him. Threw the ball well. Did exactly what, you know, he was looking to do today. Found his own good fastball. The V-Low was there, you know, through his secondaries. So good stuff for him today. A tough one to take, but at the same time, you know, this is spring training and getting our feet well. Tough one because they've been absolutely mashing the ball. and what'd they collect? No runs and just a couple hits yesterday. So just kind of, I know it was a sour day for you and Mora. You guys had to walk a mile and a half around that stadium. Yeah, but we did get to pick out on Culver. It is quite a scene over there. Can someone tell me, can you make sense of this? Somebody make sense of this? The Mariners Padres. Hey man, it's the better cup. It makes sense, right? You see some of the pairings. The White Sox and Dodgers share a facility. It is hilarious. How could there be two more opposite organizations? I mean, it should be like the Marlins and the Dodgers or something, or the A's. Yeah, it is very odd. Well, we've got a lineup for today. All right. Have you seen today's lineup? Talk to me, babe. Talk to me. Well, I think you're going to like the way it starts. I'm going to be walking, by the way. I'm going to walk the berm. I'm going to sit with the people. Well, I think you're going to want to sit in your seats, like somewhere good for the first few innings. Okay. Brendan Donovan leads off at third. Okay. Cal Raleigh gets second, catching. Okay. Julio Rodriguez in center. Josh Naylor at first, Randy Rosarena in left, Luke Raley, the DH, Dominic Canzone in right. This kind of feels like an almost opening day lineup. So the first seven guys in your lineup are essentially opening day lineup. J.P. playing today? No. Okay. Eight and nine, Michael Arroyo, Colt Emerson. Okay. That is as good a spring training lineup from a fun factor. Arroyo at second. Colt Emerson at short. I like it. That is about as fun a spring training lineup as you were ever going to see with George Kirby on the hill. I'm in. Against the aforementioned White Sox. I'm in. I'm going. That is about as good as it gets. Here's the second thing you need to know. Brock, I really don't like this talk. I don't like this conversation at all. I don't want this to be on need to know. I don't want to keep talking about it. DeMarcus Lawrence cannot retire. He just can't. They need him. I love him. I don't want him to go anywhere. I love his game. I love his attitude. I love his personality. I love what he brings to the Seahawks. I love what he did last year. But you know what happens when you play a dozen years? You look in the mirror, especially when you're married with six kids, and you look in the mirror and you honestly, objectively say, can I do that again? And he can. No, no, no, no. Can I do that again? For 11 years, Salk, I was chasing. I finally left Dallas because I knew I couldn't win a Super Bowl in that dysfunctional organization. I had a run unlike any other. I played at a level and a standard. Can I do that again? Yes. So right afterwards, he's feeling good. He wants to be around his buddies forever and ever. He says, yeah, I think I can do it. A week or two later, he's like, I don't know. My body hurts, and I don't want to do this. In another couple of weeks, he'll have had his vacation, spent a little time in Mexico, hopefully not Puerto Vallarta, and he's going to be ready to go. He'll be like, you know what? I can't leave. I'm too good. I have too much to offer the game of football. He's not going anywhere. DeMarcus Lawrence has to stay. And why this is a little bit? I am wishing it into existence. But why this is a little bit time of the essence is because Combine's going now. I know. conversations already began last night with John and the free agents and their agents and everybody else. He's got to get a gauge on exactly what that decision is going to be. And hopefully DeMarcus can make that in the next few weeks. Here's the third thing you need to know. I'm just pumped to watch some hockey and tomorrow the Kraken will get going again. So if you enjoyed watching Olympic hockey all the last few weeks, the Kraken are in action on the road for two in a row. They got Thursday in Dallas and then Friday in St. Louis. Excuse me. That's Wednesday, Thursday. Wednesday in Dallas, Thursday in St. Louis. A couple of bronze medalists coming back, huh? Capo? Yeah. Lane Lambert, the coach of the Kraken, has Capo Caco and Ellie Tolfanen back in action. Yeah. Really, you know, an incredible experience for them. Something that they will always have and a massive accomplishment for them. And so we're excited to see them when we when we finally get them back. All right. That is Lane Lambert excited. And I know I know you're sort of laughing, Brock, but I will say I went to practice on Saturday. I went to crack and practice with Avery early Saturday morning. OK. And everyone except the four Olympians were there. And he's not he's not a wallflower, not a shrinking violet in practice. He is on it. He is energetic. There's some, you know, crosswords, I guess, at times. But it doesn't feel angry. He's just – I actually kind of enjoyed it. I mean, I really like going to hockey practices in general. It's just fun to see those guys move and their edge work and all of it is so incredible. Yeah. But he was – He has intensity. He's got a good intensity to him. I liked it. I liked it. And it's a playoff push. It's going to be a sprint, right? Everything was condensed on the front end coming in and on the back end. And, like, it's going to be a – what do they have? 20-something games? I think it's more than 30. Ah, 30-ish. It's about 30? Yeah. Okay. So it's going to be a sprint here, and they're right in the mix for one of the final playoff spots. All right. That is everything you need to know. Quarter past every hour here on the Brock and Salk Show. As you can see, if you're watching on YouTube, we're here. All sorts of activity all around us. We've got MLB Network behind us, which is why we talked to Greg Amsinger earlier. Looks like they're about to talk to Dan Wilson. They've had Jerry DiPoto on. They've had Cal Raleigh, Brian Wu. I don't know. Did they have Cal? Did Cal go over there? Oh, he didn't just finish? He was on during the last segment. Oh, he was? While you guys were talking. I thought we were the only people to have Cal Raleigh today. I was going to really tease. Well, you kind of pissed him off, too. Well, I will say. So let me say. He just marched over here and said, I have beef with you. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm going to play you guys. It wasn't me this time. I am going to play you the interview that we did yesterday with Cal Raleigh. Listen to 25 Minutes with Cal and see if you can figure out what made Cal come over to me today, a day later, and say, I have beef with you after that interview. Stuck his finger right in your chest. He did not do that. I got beef with you. In fact, he had a pretty big smile. But you guys can come up. If you can figure it out. I call you son. He sonned me. You can text in the show and tell us what you think Cal had beef with, and we'll play the interview next. It's spring training, and it's the perfect time to take a swing at Toyota of Kirkland and Toyota of Renton on a new 2026 Tacoma. At both stores, lease the Tacoma for $309 a month for 36 months with $39.99 due at signing. We're financed with 2.99% APR for 48 months. Like spring training, Toyota Renton and Kirkland have standard opportunities with new prospects, except their prospects are vehicles that you test drive. They're not ballplayers. But hey, whether you're in the north or the south, they got you covered. This is the Toyota of Kirkland dot com and Toyota of Renton dot com. Offers will out through March 2nd, 2026 on approved credit through TFS. Excludes taxes, titles, license dealers, accessories and a $200 negotiable dealer documentation. Model 7540. Highlights don't win games. The full box score does. I'm Brock Heward, and most business leaders aren't short on data. They're short on clarity. Numbers are scattered across ERP, CRMs, and spreadsheets, making decisions reactive instead of confident. And that's not how great businesses are built. Marquee IQ brings all your data together into one clear view, even if it lives in disconnected systems or offline, so you can see what's really happening and act faster. Stop running your business on highlights. Get the full picture. Visit data that wins.com to see what Marquee IQ can do. When you're running the hurry up and don't have time for your favorite Seattle sports shows, listen to the podcast on demand. How about that? Unbelievable. Who would have thought? Every hour, every interview, every look behind the scenes. He is your new Seahawks head coach, Mike McDonald. We want to play a certain way, and you're just going to chisel away at it every day. Find us on seattlesports.com, the Seattle Sports app, or wherever you get podcasts. All signs continue to point to it being the right hire. Never miss a minute of Seattle Sports, the home of the Seahawks. From the Quantum Fiber Studio. This is Brock and Sock. Weekdays, 6 to 10. On Seattle Sports and 97.3 FM HD2. Well, here's a spring training tradition, Brock. Unlike any other, our opportunity to talk to Cal Raleigh, Mariners catcher and 60 home run hitter. I don't know if you heard that he hit 60 home runs last year. It was kind of a storyline throughout the year. He did a few more in the postseason. Your whole world has to feel a little different now, no? Yeah, that's a little different than what it was last year this time. How come? How? How is it different? I don't know. I guess what you mentioned, the 60 home runs, probably brought a little more attention my way. So, yeah, I mean, last year it was kind of a whirlwind just with everything that happened. You know, you could start with the homers and then, you know, making all the way to ALCS Game 7, you know, home run derby, things like that. You know, some of those records that happened. And just kind of crazy things that you never really think were ever going to happen or even were in the mix. And for that all to happen all in one year, just a lot. In a good way, though, you know, it's all good things. And it's brought some pretty cool opportunities my way and towards this team. And it's been a lot of fun. You feel like this is a tradition like none other? It's like the Masters. Sitting down with us. Yeah, sitting down. Tiger putting, chipping in. Us just talking, talking shopping. I mean, you are not a look-at-me guy. I mean, you're like the exact opposite of a look-at-me guy, and all of a sudden everybody's looking at you whether you want them to or not. How have you dealt with that? I don't think I've really changed much. I feel like I'm still the same guy, same boring guy that I've always have been. And I'm not going to change. I'm just who I am. I come out here, and I have a job to do, and I enjoy doing it. So I'm going to keep trying to lead this team, keep trying to be the best player they could possibly be, keep trying to win games and take it one pitch at a time. I know it's a very cliche answer, but it's true. You can't set out to go do these crazy things or try to have these unrealistic goals. To me, it's just about winning the day, winning the pitch and focusing on that. And then hopefully when you do that every single day and you give everything you got for 162 you look up at the end of the year and be where you want to be Sounds like stacking plays Yeah exactly Stacking another one We get into the windshield here in a second looking ahead But still in the rear view, looking back a little bit, when did you know? You know, we talk a lot about the Seahawks, and we'll get to them because you were front row seat for a few of those games as well. We knew after that Thursday night game, like, oh, this could happen for these guys. Like, it's going. And was there a point last year as you were collecting home runs and stacking series and stacking months where you're like, yeah, this has a chance to be a little different? I didn't really know because, I mean, baseball is just so fickle. It's, you know, it's so hard and so tough. And you had no, I had no idea when it was going to, you know, when something was going to happen. Or, you know, I was just, I was literally just walking in trying to be as dumb as possible every single day. and just be like, all right, time to do my job, time to do the same thing that I did yesterday and try to be consistent as possible and try to stay the same guy every single day. And I think that was kind of the key for me was just consistency, you know, not changing, not trying to fix something that wasn't there or a problem that I made it bigger than it actually was. But, no, I didn't really know. I think it was kind of crazy. I guess the all-star break was kind of interesting because obviously I knew I was doing the home run derby and we were in Detroit and I think I hit a home run there or something. And I remember somebody saying, like, you know, Barry Bonds. I think it was Barry Bonds was the only one who had more home runs. And, like, that was just a crazy. I was like, what? I was like, that makes no sense. Was that in a zone? Like, go back to that derby when you're doing it. Was that like in a, I mean, truly one of those moments you hear where, like, everything around you just quiets and you're just there? or was it out of body or how would you kind of? Yeah, it was – the first round was the hardest. That was the hardest because I was like – I think it was the second to last guy. They saved Olsen for the last because it was his home stadium. But I was the second to last guy, so I got a little cold. I got a little – so I had to make sure I had to warm up again. And I got really tired. It was so long. It was three minutes. It used to be four minutes when Julio did it, I think, his first year, first two years. And I'm like, I couldn't even imagine. and I just got worn out. But then after that, I kind of snuck in. I was the last one to get in. And after that, I kind of hit my stride. I kind of got on a rhythm. And it was kind of like you said, I wasn't really focused. I thought that I would be more focused on the people around me and the situation, but I really wasn't. It was just me, my dad, and my brother. And he was just kind of grooving it in there. And once I hit that rhythm, it was kind of just off to the races. We've talked a lot to you in the past. I remember last year quite a bit about your family and about your parents and the role that they played in helping shaping you into being the player you are. How much did you lean on them as there was more attention put on you over the course of the year? Yeah, I mean, my dad is my is the ultimate, you know, person I look up to. Not just not just baseball wise, but life, you know, and every time that I seem to have something going on in my life, He's always somebody that I can just lean on, and he's a great, great coach, great human being, and somebody that just, you know, I'm sure you guys have had somebody in your life that's just like, they always seem to say the right thing, and they always have the right answer, even if you don't like it. And that's one of the things about him. He's not going to sugarcoat it. He's not going to make you feel good just to make you feel good. He's going to tell you how it is, even if you don't want to necessarily hear it at the time. And he's just kind of like that voice that I can always lean on. And I know I'm going to get a straight shooter from him every time. Yeah, that's what I am for Brock. I do a lot of that for Brock. That's funny. You were talking about it. Every morning. Yeah, so many times I've done that for you. Favorite at bat last year. At bat? That's a good question. I get paid to ask a question. That was a good... Well, now it's just like everybody always asks the same questions. I know. I have to repeat the same answers. and everybody calls me boring. I'm like, well. Yep, because they don't ask good questions. Oh, favorite at bat. Favorite at bat. That's a good one. Oh, man. Maybe, I don't know. That's a tough one. What are a couple that come to you that you're debating about? You got a little image, a couple images in your head. Well, I guess my first reaction is kind of thinking about maybe, maybe I had a tough at bat against Gosman in the playoffs where he had a home run out. It was on a splitter. And he's always been really tough. He's really hard. He's got that nasty wipeout splitter. And I feel like every time that I face him, it's always a mind game. It's like he's got two main weapons, splitter, fastball. And I feel like we're constantly – like I'm always trying to think what he's thinking. And I feel like he's kind of thinking along with me. And then I got Kirk back there. And I feel like this matchup has happened way too many times. I think they think that matchup has happened way too many times. I think everyone in Toronto is done with you. But that one was a good one. I think that we tied it or maybe went up one run. So that was a big at-bat. But then I think the other one, too, is just thinking about the home runs. Like I think when I passed Mickey, that was pretty cool. Griffey and then 60, obviously, which was – well, I thought 50 was cool at the time. And then getting to 60, I mean, that was kind of crazy. Remind me what was the 60th. Do you remember? I was there. I was there for a second. That was the Rockies game. Yeah. It was the same night we clinched. Yeah. And that's when somebody asks me a favorite moment. I'm like, you know, winning the division and 60 all in the same night. Like, first time in 20-something years. And how could you beat that? I just think it's cool. You pass Mickey Mantle and you can just start calling him Mickey. Like, you don't even need to say Mantle at that point. You're like first name basis because you've passed. I don't know about that. I've got a long ways to go until I get to there. So then, you ready to fast forward to the offseason at least? Yeah, let's do it. Yeah. Well, Brock is going to, I know, get into this, but a catcher's job is to really work with his pitchers. And it seems like all of your pitchers are having, like, major life moments. Have you learned to change diapers? Are you going to officiate a wedding? Like, what is the relationship with all of these pitchers and their new kids and their new fiancés and new wives? What's going on? I know. They're supposed to love the game, right? No, it's really weird looking at, like, Logan Gilbert and seeing him have a baby in his hands and thinking that that kid is relying on him is dangerous. So I keep joking with him. I said, I think I've changed more diapers than you have with my little brother just because of our big age gap. I was 14 when he was born. So, yeah, I don't know. I think he has a very good wife, and she's a saint. I think that she takes care of a lot and lets him do his pitching nonsense. But it was suggested to me that Logan was, Shannon was saying this earlier yesterday, that Logan was just really happy to be here. Just really happy to be around his teammates, happy to be around the rotation, just the whole group of them. How happy is that whole group when they get back together? Yeah, I mean, they really enjoy each other. I think they love just being in the locker room together. That's like the big thing is they just they love just talking crap and talking smack and just, you know, saying a bunch of nonsense and riling people up, you know, just, you know, trying to get in people's ear, trying to bother them every day. Because, you know, obviously, you know, they're not doing a whole lot in there. They're just kind of hanging around. So, you know, Logan, he really they've really gotten along him and Wu and Miller and obviously got George and Maipiedra as well. So they're just a good group. They're easy to – everybody's good dudes, and they're funny. They like joking around. They're not very serious half the time. I mean, you could take so much of that, what he just said, and you were around the NFC Championship game. You were at the Super Bowl, right? And how many times did I say to you, Salt, like, I know you were going to ask this question too. No, I'm watching Tucker pee on the mound over there. Sorry. That too. How many times did we say, like, good dudes? They just love each other. Like they just care about each other, like over and over. And it started, I think, a lot with Sam. Sam's a lot like you. A in the middle of three-letter first name. He's just down to earth. He's humble. He's just a good dude. And they got so many good dudes. So your takeaway from sitting there for the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl watching that Seahawk team do what they do? I mean, I think it was really special because I think, obviously, nobody thought they were going to get there. They missed the playoffs last year. They're in year two of, I don't even know if you'd call it a rebuild, but they're coming in, new coach, new faces all around, new quarterback, new leadership. And just seeing the buy-in that they had every single day, obviously now I'm closer to it and I'm around it every day, so I'm paying more attention. I'm watching more games. I'm listening to interviews, doing all this stuff, and just listen to them talk about the buy-in and the process of every single day, how their trust and what they do. And they're not letting the outside noise get in. They're not focusing on any of the nonsense. They're not letting any of that stuff creep into their team, creep into their culture, their leadership. And that's what really impressed me, too, and how consistent they were all year, just continuing that messaging and how, you know, from start to finish, it was the same thing every week. It was the same thing. They're trying to accomplish the same thing. They weren't changing based off who they're playing. They weren't changing based off of what was being said. And even when, you know, national media started creeping in, and obviously, you know, nobody cares about Seattle until they're in the NFC Championship because that's Seattle, right? Or the ALC. I know. No, it's East Coast bias. And then, but they didn't let anything, anything of that affect them, and it was really fun to watch. Yeah, the we did not care element of it. And it was the same for you guys last year. there wasn't a tremendous amount of national publicity. You guys weren't playing every Sunday night for Sunday night baseball and in front of the national audience all the time. But this year, going to be a little bit more attention, right? I mean, there's a lot of people looking at this lineup, looking at the staff, looking at what you did last year. Brock and I spent most of the day yesterday kind of talking through how it's been handled. And I think we've heard a lot from Dan and from the other guys. But from your perspective, this is probably one of those questions you've been asked a million times. But what does that look like? how do you handle the responsibility of the knowledge that you know you guys are one of the best teams in the league right now on paper right and i think um there's an expectation i should say yeah i think that what we wanted that what we wanted to build and and now that it here you know it you know I think Brian Wu said it really good the other day He said you know this isn a fun cute story anymore This is, you know, this is who we want to be. And if you want to get here and you want to do this, you have to have those expectations and those standards throughout your organization. And that's where we want to be. We want to face it head on. And, you know, we don't want to shy away from that at all. And, you know, we have noticed, you know, there's been a little more people around this camp. there's been a lot more buzz and a lot more of those things. But to me, it's about going out and executing every day, and I feel like that's kind of what we're focused on. We're not really focused on, you know, like, oh, can we do it? Like the hope factor, like, no, we know that we're good enough. We know that we have the guys here. We have the talent. We have the things. It's just about going out there and executing and playing hard every day. Gosh, you know what comes to mind? I think we talked about this last year. It was more pressing last year or two years ago. So, you know, when you were just like, we need more, you know, at that end of the season deal, like we just we just need more. When those words were voiced versus 24 months later or wherever long it was and we're sitting here, you feel like you've got enough now. Yeah. Yeah. I think like we've I think, too, is guys have started taking ownership, too. You know, we're not pointing the finger. We're not we're not trying to, you know, look outside for something else. And also, on top of that, I feel like our front office has done a great job. I think them going out and getting Ailer right away, what a great job that was. Noticing and listening to guys in the locker room, being like, this guy's a great player, great leader, great clubhouse guy, great off the field, great on the field, can help others. He's not just there for himself. He's not there for his performance. He's actually impacting the game on both sides of the ball and with other people. So, and, you know, getting creative, getting trades and bringing in some new guys to help our bullpen. I think it's been some great ads. And I thought that we had a really good offseason bringing in Donovan. I mean, another guy that really helps complement this team in a way that maybe we haven't had in the past. You know, looking at him and Naylor, you know, very similar type ballplayers, obviously with how they approach their at-bats and how tough they are to get out and the two-strike hitting and things you can't really quantify, but those are things that we needed and definitely needed to help complement some of our other pieces. I'll say to Salk all the time that the best clubhouses, the best teams, the best locker rooms, to me, just covering the game and playing in one a long time ago, is always player-led. It's got to be led by the players, right? Yeah. Is that kind of listening to you? Is that what, if we were in and behind these walls on a daily and into the season, would you characterize this as a player-led clubhouse? Yeah, I would. I mean, I think obviously we got a great leader, Dan, but Dan lets us go do our thing. And he understands that, too. He was a player, and he understands that it has to come from us. And I think we have a great rapport of guys in the room that want to do that. It's not one guy in the hierarchy of trying to, like, oh, we have to listen to the one. Like, we got multiple guys who kind of do it different ways and guys that work really hard each and every day and kind of set the standard in what we want to do. And like you said, having good players and good people, we have that here. We also have it on both sides of the ball. And I think that's kind of, you know, we've seen younger guys step up in the past couple of years and bringing in people like Naylor and from the outside coming in. So it's been very good. And like you said, we're not looking for that voice anymore. We have those voices in the clubhouse now. So Cal, you mentioned LaPiedra earlier. And as you're talking through some of that leadership, I am curious to his role in all of that. He's such an interesting figure that we don't get to know nearly as well as you guys do. What role does he play in the leadership structure, in just in that pitching staff, taking the ball every five days? Can you help me understand the role of The Rock? Yeah, I mean, he's been one of the most consistent guys that I've ever seen. you know especially in the big leagues like you know every five days he's gonna take the ball and he's gonna go out there and give you a chance to win every single time and you know it doesn't really matter how he's feeling what he's got that day uh how his arm feel like the guy's the same every day and he's gonna and I think that has instilled instilled in some of the younger guys it's like hey like you can get on a routine you can do these things you can show up every five days you don't have to feel perfect every start you don't have to feel uh like you have to have your a plus plus stuff like you can go out there and compete and be good even if you know something might not be right that day last thing for me here cal just a couple things to watch for you building on last season and you know i thought you were incredibly intriguing last offseason because i knew there was more in the tank did i know there was 60 home runs i didn't know i knew you're gonna bring this up do you know about that you don't know about this i got in trouble last What? I'll say it. What? You didn't get in trouble. Every year I try to create a most intriguing list for both the Mariners and the Seahawks. And it's like, I think it was the 15 most intriguing Mariners. Ten. Ten? It was only ten? It was only ten. You weren't on my list. I'm sorry. Ten? There's only 26 players. I know. Well, you know, not everybody. Everybody can't be in. But the point was a good one. The point's like, we know who we got with Cal. I know who Cal is. It's like, he's going to hit 35 home runs. He's going to hit the same. I know he's going to give you great defense and leadership. I know exactly who Cal is. He's not that intriguing. I held him accountable all year. I went to 40 and 45 and 50 and 55 and 60. It's kind of like a compliment. Yeah. I thought of it that way. But in retrospect, I would like to amend the record and apologize. You turned out to be fairly intriguing over the course of the year. I mean, that was consistent, though. I mean, yeah. It's what you want to be as a baseball player. So what's going to be intriguing about Cal Raleigh in 2026? I have no idea I don't know You stumped him on two questions I don't know What's intriguing about me this year Can you frame better Can you get engaged like all of your pitchers No no I did not do that No kids No wife I have been working On my defense I think The elephant in the room is 60 home runs I just don't think that's like, it's not something I'm setting out to do. I'm trying to, you know, to me, I'm just trying to be as consistent as possible. I'm trying to do what I did last year. Our pitcher's going to pitch me different probably based off of what happened last year. But that's out of my control. You know, can I take my walks? Can I help this team each day? To me, it's the little things. It's the little nuances of the game. It's keep finding ways to get better to help this team win baseball games. Is that by taking a few more mountain visits? is that by being able to help pitchers a little more on my end, improving my defense now with obviously the ABS, it's going to be very interesting. So it's like, you know, where's going to be the advantage there? And I have been working on some things, trying to get better at the bottom of the zone, obviously always trying to keep my body ready for the season. So there's a few things in there that I've kind of looked at. Are the quads okay, Brock? Pretty good, man. Have we heard about the quad god in the Olympics? Oh, the skater? Yeah. I don't know. These are quads in a different. I don't know. Sloan's got some quads. I guess we should ask him about those kids. He's a big boy. Jeez, those two got some stuff, huh? Caden, Ryan. Oh, yeah. I told Jerry the other day, I was like, you've done a really good job with what you guys have done here on the farm in just a short amount of time. I mean, obviously, you can start with those two guys on the mound. I mean, you know, they're – I think what's really impressive, because I've kind of – I've caught them a little bit and I've hit off them now, they can actually move the ball around. They're not just like, you know, just mindlessly throwing it down the middle of the zone and hoping that it gets there. Like, they actually know what they're doing. They can get the ball to certain places. Like, that's like a big kind of teller of like, all right, this guy's going to be able to do it for a long time. Like, you can see, like, it's going to be there for sure. More steals this year, Cal Raleigh or Josh Naylor? He had 30 last year. I know. 19 with you guys. I mean, if I played first base, maybe we could have a conversation about it. But if I'm catching every day, I don't know if I can catch up to that. He's a beast. Can you catch another 120 games this year? Of course I can. Good. I love it. I hope I can. Yeah. They pay me good enough to get it. Cal, thank you. Congratulations on a great year last year. The expectations for this year. I mean, you guys have earned them. I think that's a great way of looking at it. Earning the expectations that are now in front of this team. It's pretty awesome. It's great to be here and good to catch up with you, man. Continue good luck. Yeah, we're looking forward to it. Thanks, guys. Tradition like none other. All right, there you go. That was Cal Raleigh who sat down with us yesterday. It does sound like we're going to tape with Logan Gilbert right after the show today. So we'll have that for you tomorrow, probably at the same time. All right. So do people know why Cal had beef with me? I got a lot of text during the interview. None of them are right so far. Well, they had to hang on for the whole thing. None of them are right so far. Salk, was it about the Mickey Mantle thing? No. Cal's got a good sense of humor. He doesn't care about being made fun of. Was it about asking him about getting engaged? No. Cal didn't care about that. I think he had a pretty good answer on that one. No, it was not for getting Tucker in trouble for peeing on the mound. Although later we saw him do a whole lot more than that on the mound. And that wasn't great either. Not pretty. None of those things. Cal has beef because I asked him if he would catch 120 games again. It was not about leaving him off the most intriguing list either. He didn't care about that. He's like, of course, I'm going to catch 120 games. I believe he said, I can't believe you had the audacity. The audacity to ask me if I can catch 120 games. And then he just said, the motion's in the lotion. The motion's in the lotion. He's right. Sorry about that, Cal. My bad. I think we're okay. Don't do that again. All right. I think we're going to be okay. It's usually the one that I'm usually the one to embarrass you down here. I think we're going to be just fine. I'm usually the one that stirs the clock. You think I embarrassed you there? Yes. That embarrassed you. Because we're a we, so I don't want Cal to have beef with us. Oh, my God. And Maura. We got an hour to go here at spring training this morning. Shannon Dreher will join us during the next hour, of course. We'll catch up with her. All the guys are around us. The pitchers are all on the mound. The hitters are going to take BP. Answer the question, jerk. People have questions? No. Down here? All right. Come on. Okay, fine. We'll be right back. Brock and Salks, Yale Sports on 710.