It's the Mike Francesa podcast on the Bett Rivers Network. Hello again, everybody, and welcome to the Mike Francesa podcast, part of the Bett Rivers Network. We come to you on this February day, getting ready to do some emails, see what's on your mind, see if we can catch up with the mail. Good time to do it as we obviously go into that in-between period that February always brings. I know there is The romanticism of hearing Pitches and catches, etc And spring training beginning But as I've talked about in the past Spring training is not anything too exciting And we still have a ways to go We will be in the regionals Of the NCAA tournament Before the baseball season starts And I'll tell you, the way the weather patterns Have been around here Playing baseball up here in late March Is going to be an adventure It really will Now, as we said, emails, you want to send them to us, you want to get involved, MikeFrancessaPodcast.gmail.com. Send me an email and we'll try to answer it. We'll get to as many as we can today. And remember, sign up for the Mike Francesa newsletter for your chance to enter our February newsletter contest and win a personalized message from me or a prize pack. Now, if you haven't signed up, go ahead and do it. It's free. Just go to MikeFrancessaPodcast.com and sign up. You'll get the weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox. And away we go. Here we go. Mike Francis, a podcast at gmail.com for the emails. Doug starts us off. Obviously, the attention now shifts predominantly to baseball as we get ready. What kind of season is it going to be? hey, the Yankees will be expected to win over 90 games and compete for a championship. Are they good enough to win it all? They're good enough to make the postseason. There's a randomness to the postseason. Even if you think you are built for it, nobody knows exactly what that means. I mean, look at the Dodgers last year. It took incredible performances, clutch performances, from big players to win that championship. To pull a defeat, to pull a victory from a defeat. I mean, that's how special that was in what was some of the great postseason baseball of all time. All right, here we go. Doug, are the Yankees built to win in October? As currently constructed, or are they a regular season team that won't translate in the playoffs? There's no such thing. The bottom line is, this is the way baseball is. You can be built to win a spot in the postseason. The Yankees clearly are built that way. They can be, if everything breaks right and injuries stay away from their door, they can be a 95-win team. if they have injuries and unanticipated problems, you start chipping the wins away. Will they win 90 games? Yes. Will they win 95 games? Maybe. I think their number right now is 91 and a half. They have a chance to have spectacular starting pitching. They are not a great team, not by any stretch of the imagination. The way I look at this team is it's the same team that we've seen. They will beat up on bad teams. They will especially pound bad teams at home because of the friendly confines. They will hit a ton of home runs. And they will be shaky at times against good teams. they don't play well against good teams in recent years and they are going to have to play well against good teams to win a championship and that's what it comes down to you know baseball of all the big sports baseball has the most random playoffs it has the most predictable regular season but the most random playoffs and that means the teams that you count on going in win at a lesser percentage than they do in the other sports. But in the other sports, it's very hard to calculate. You know how hard it is to calculate who's going to make the playoffs in the NFL. You know that teams that were losing this year or at the bottom of divisions this year will turn it around next year. It happens every year. It doesn't work that way in baseball. The same teams get there, but we crown different champions every year. Now, Now, the Yankees have plenty. They are earmarked to be a 93-win team right now. Will they win at all in the postseason? It'll be the same thing we've had in the past. Can they play clutch, winning, smart, tough, good baseball when they need it? We'll see. That's the only answer I can give you. I can give you the answer that they'll make the playoffs. I can't give you the answer that they'll win a championship. Right now, I wouldn't be overly confident that there'll be anything more than they've been in recent years. I just don't see anything that would make me think like, oh, this team is going to be special. I don't see that. Wilson, if the Mets hover around 500, do you pivot to selling? or does Cohen's aggressiveness force them to buy anyway? I don't think selling is in any part of the Mets. Future plans, current plans, any kind of plans, okay? The Mets are trying to win, but Stern's plan is a little different than maybe even the owners. now you're going to go into the season even door injury doesn't bother me that much I don't think it's that long you're going to go into the season I think they still need a veteran bat I think they need someone who can be a solid middle of the line of RBI guy you're asking kids to step up both in terms of pitching and in terms of everyday play will they do that we know they have talent coming out of the minor leagues will they step up will the young players that you're counting on be there that will be this that will be the story of the first half of the season and if it's not up to your expectations then the The Mets are going to have to go moving and dealing in the middle of the season. I think the Mets' plan is to make the playoffs. I think anything short of that. I think that Cole wants to build in full. That's why you saw him get aggressive after they lost Tucker. The Mets will be aggressive, and they will be looking all season to be a postseason team. Kevin, which New York team is under the most pressure this year to win a championship and why? I think it's a silly premise. Listen, we haven't been hanging banners in New York in a long time. The Yankees, who have always been the standard, have gone into one of the great droughts of their history as far as championships go. I mean, one championship in the last 20 years, I mean, that's not Yankee-like in any way. Is that Yankee-like? And I always say it. We would have a very different configuration in terms of leadership, in terms of everything, if they had not won in 09. 09 saved a lot of careers. changed a lot of careers, enabled a lot of careers. There's no question about that. Now, all these teams feel pressure. The Mets clearly with their owner making promises being aggressive spending money wants to win The Yankees want to win but there is a satisfaction inside the Yankees that their fans don't feel. When the Yankees win 95 games and get to the World Series and lose, there is not chaos or abject failure in the halls of the United States. the Yankee officers does not. They're making money despite what they tell you. Their franchise is worth a complete fortune, a fortune. If you hear these other franchises being worth seven and eight, the Yankees are worth 10. That's a billion. And again, as I've told you on numerous occasions, and to me the subject it's not only mood it's boring the Yankee revenues are enormous it's just which pocket they put it in that's all is there pressure on the football teams yes there's pressure on them to be good now is there pressure immediately on those teams no because there has to be realism involved where they're not going to make the quantum leap Although I think there's going to be a lot of quiet optimism and real hope for Harbaugh. You know, Harbaugh's first year with the Ravens, if you remember, he won 11 games. He won a wild card. He won a couple of playoff games and lost the AFC title game in Pittsburgh. In a fairly close game. I think it was 23, 16, 23, 14, I think. Something like that. So there is a feeling and I think a hope, a quiet hope. They'll go in talking that they want improvement. They want to take a quantum leap with their young players, with their young quarterback, with their new, you know, really Hall of Fame coach. But deep down inside, they think there's a chance they could really have a big jump this year, make the playoffs this year. I do not think that's out of the question at all, and I do think they'll have a winning team this year. the Knicks hey of course they want a championship all these teams want championships they all hunger for championships they all hunger for production we know that so to judge which one wants it more or which one is feeling more pressure it's just fan talk it's utter nonsense okay Elliot people are acting like Jackson Dart is already a star in this league do you agree? he's not a star but he has star written all over him do I think he's going to be a good quarterback? yes do I think there's any chance he's a bust? I think it's close to zero I saw things out of him this year that you don't see out of rookie quarterbacks. Now, we all know he has to refine certain things, okay? But he did things in the pocket. He did things in the passing game that you don't see rookies do. He had an awareness that, He had an ability to make plays. He had a patience and a feel that you don't see from rookie quarterbacks. Do I think he has a chance to be very good? I do. Would I be disappointed if he wasn't? Extremely. I think he's going to be a star. I do. I think he's going to be here a very long time, barring injuries. Now, we all know that we can't predict those. But barring that, and I understand it's an issue, Because you're not going to take his running game away from him because it's a weapon right now. Quarterbacks in the NFL, for the offense to be ultra-efficient, the quarterback needs to be able to move and to run. And he can do that. He just has to do it. He has to learn that you go out of bounds in the first quarter when you got nine and you needed 10. In the fourth quarter, you go get the 10. You go get the first down. You go put your head in and make the play, but you don't do that in the first quarter. And you don't try to gain that extra three yards and then take a vicious hit along the sideline. Get out of bounds. Take your seven and get out of bounds. You don't have to get nine if it's going to mean taking a hit, and that's what he has to learn. As far as him running, he can run fine. He just has to protect himself a little better at the point of attack. That's all. And that will come with a little maturity. But yes, I think he's going to be very good. Andy, must win game, Brady or Mahomes as your quarterback? That's the first time I've been asked that question. So, gun to my head, game I have to win. Do I want Mahomes or do I want Brady? I want Mahomes. Now, I'm not telling you that Mahomes is better than Brady because that's going to be based on accomplishment. And Mahomes has not yet accomplished what Tom has accomplished. But if I'm going to use a requisite set of skills to try to win a particular game against a defense that's right now unknown, I'm going to use Mahomes' skill set to win. They both can make any throw. Actually, Mahomes can make some throws that Brady can't make, number one. He can also make some runs and have an escape level that Brady doesn't have. Nobody has more inside. A stronger will to win, a stronger will to prepare, better leader. Nobody has better qualities like that than Brady does. Nobody. but if you're going to give me all the different points on I'm going to use to attack the other team if it was for my life I would take Mahomes because he has he's a more versatile talent and he's got some skills that Brady doesn't have Danny Don Mattingly keeps taking bench coach jobs? He wants to work. Why hasn't he been offered a managerial role? I think it's a fair question. I think there's a couple of reasons. One is body of work as a manager is not very productive because of where he managed. Number two, I think they look at him as being old school. and number three I don't think they feel he's a disciplinarian but I think he's more of one than people think I think if you gave him like if something happened to Boone in season I think Mattingly would be a perfect guy to step in for the Yankees he would be ultra popular with the fan base he would be he would demand and command incredible love and respect from the players immediately because everybody loves Mattingly. Listen, I've seen this in person many times. Mattingly is more popular than Jeter with the Yankee fans. Now, he hasn't been as productive, and he hasn't won like Jeter won. But in my lifetime I say he the second most popular Yankee that I ever seen The most popular was Mantle It not even Mantle is the most popular player I ever seen Now, first of all, I loved him. But secondly, everybody loved him. Everybody worshipped him. They didn't even love him. They worshipped him. I've never seen anything like that. Mattingly comes close. He's incredibly popular with Yankee fans. but I think the things I gave you is why he winds up being a bench coach. I think Donnie is... I think everyone has great respect for Don Mattingham. As a player, as a person. And I think in the right spot, he'd be good but I see what teams think is lacking but I don't think it is. So I do think he'd be a better manager than people think. Bobby, don't miss Radio Row? I guess that means do you miss Radio Row or you don't miss Radio Row? I'm not sure if this was a statement or this was a question, but whatever it was, the answer is no. It is no longer like it was. you know when you're there at the beginning and you know a couple times i saw these features on how radio rose started it always starts the same way that you know there's a picture of dog and myself and we went and started it and blah blah and most of that's true now the bottom line is it was perfect for us in the beginning because of the the esteem and the way FN was regarded in the industry we were the gold standard so everybody wanted to be near us wanted to be like us wanted to have the same guests wanted the same treatment and everything else in those days it was fun it got to the point now where it's a convention it has nothing to do with what it used to have a feel for now you have simulcasts they're all over the place you have podcasts they're all over the place They it's very big. You have product. Where sponsors, NFL sponsors are into enormous product placement there. The rights holders are treated much better than the regular rank and file are treated. The there it's so big now that you don't get anybody about the game even near the place. So you've lost all those things that it used to have. I mean, yes, it's a different time. I mean, think about it. We would sit down, Dog and I, at an NBA championship game. Knicks, Rockets, in the 90s. and at 5 o'clock we would be courtside and Pat Riley would be sitting between us talking about that night's game for 45 minutes. That night's game. That doesn't happen anymore because of the bigness of everything, because of where these sports have gone. And in the NFL it's exploded so much more than that that half the time the announcers are interviewing other announcers they're interviewing people that have been built up in the media as personalities the nfl players come through selling things and then there's a whole bunch of stupidity and product placement and all different things like that and it's awful it's awful and so radio row is not what it once was but that's what happens things evolve and the bigness of the Super Bowl has killed the Super Bowl for the people who used to love to go to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has just gotten to be such an enormous national event and corporate event that the bigness has just swallowed the qualities that made it special. Nothing you can do about it. It happens. But we were there when it was great. And we had 10 or 15 years of great stuff with that. And after that, it was gone. Hey, you watch the stuff that goes on around the Super Bowl now? It's so ridiculous. It's almost like a wrestling event. Do I need? Now, I like Jon Bon Jovi. I've known him a very long time. I know John I know Richie Sambora I know those guys A very long time But there's John Do I need John And some other actor Or some other Rock and roll guy That turns out The other guy was an actor Introing the teams The team can't come out of the The team can't come out of the tunnel Without somebody Introducing them not to say that John's not only I remember when John was a diehard Giant fan when they were winning championships now he's a diehard Patriot fan I don't know when that transformation happened but you know I guess when the Giants stopped winning he decided that he was no longer a diehard Giant fan but he used to be a Giant fan from New Jersey what the heck he has to do with the I understand he was friends with Belichick Belichick's not there So, I mean That's It's just Theater Everything You got 14 Instead of a Whitney Houston Classic National Anthem With the backdrop Of the Gulf War And the patriotism in the building and all the stuff that went on that day down in Tampa, you have 42 songs. You had six different anthems or songs or this or that. It's so overdone. It's so boring and tedious. They've taken an event and taken all the spontaneity and all the purity out of it completely. with what they've done to it. It's awful now. Awful. And listen, I don't care who the halftime act is. I didn't even know who Big Bunny was. Okay? If you had asked me two months before the Super Bowl who Big Bunny was, I had no idea. Zero. I had no idea. Right? I wouldn't know one of us. I didn't even know he sang in Spanish. So, you know, what the heck did I know? The amount of time and effort that was put into that analysis of that halftime show. Who cares? In the old days, there were some really good halftime shows. And I got to see the halftime show of all halftime shows live. So when Michael Jackson did the halftime show, they were cheering into the middle of the third quarter. It was so good. Again, the game is so wrapped in can I sell this minute? Can I sell this? Can I sell that? Can I sell this? Can I sell that? Okay. Can I send this message? Can I send that message? Can I send this political message? Can I send this message to this group and this message to that group and this message to that group? Let's have an anthem for these people. Let's have this for these people and this for these people. And it's a joke. It's a football game. Be a football game. Okay? That's what it is. But it's not anymore. At least the NFC and the AFC title games are still football games I like to throw a little entertainment in there but you know it still a football game And that why you can appreciate those when you can't appreciate anything about the Super Bowl. At least I can't. I want to go to a Super Bowl now if they paid me. And I'll tell you, if you're in the building, it's the worst football experience ever. First of all, I've already told you that I can't watch a football game when I don't have replay. Secondly, it feels like you don't play three plays in a row without a break. It feels like you're breaking every two or three plays in the Super Bowl. It's just so tedious. You've got to be in your seat three hours or two and a half hours before the game starts. Nothing to do. nowhere to go really nowhere to go in those buildings unless you want to go buy a $42 drink and the bottom line is it's 10 o'clock before you get out of there and you feel like you've been there a month and when you get a stinker you know you're like why didn't i stay home and then the biggest thing is the competition is and you want to talk about excess here's the competition what number is my private jet getting out after the game you know the first 30 20 or 30 are either billionaires or senators congressmen you know guys with political government clout uh and guys who you know you know the chairmen's of the board or they're you know those guys are getting the first 20 30 slots so they're gone and then you're into you know and listen i mean we many times took a private jet because we didn't want to wait till monday and go home on that night we many times would pack up a you know a jet and go all right i flew i flew this jet for 20 years so um i mean And I know a lot of the guys, you know, Dolby I think still flies it now, still flies, you know, that way now. We flew that way always from the Super Bowl. But we'd have to wait an hour to get out. You'd be in line for an hour, hour and a half. There's 900 or 1,000 jets that have to get out after the game. That's the biggest thing in the world is to see how fast people rush to the airport, the private airport, to get, and the jets are lined up. to see how they're going to get out after the game. It is just the, it's an excess competition is what it is. But even if you're home now, you feel that. It's just like you're sitting there. I was sitting there about quarter of the six, and I'm like, I'm looking at my watch, and it's like quarter of the seven before the game ever kicks. I'm like, what are they doing? Nothing interesting. All right, the anthem and then a flyover. That's 20 seconds. I mean, and they have a guy already, just to show you what goes on here. You have a guy now already whose job next year is the production of that game, and he is already in place working on the next year's game. I'm not kidding. that's his full time job for the whole next year he is already in place for that game next year which is going to be on ESPN I believe for the first time I'm pretty sure that's the case I'm pretty sure it's next year that they get the game for the first time but it just shows you what goes on with this thing so with that you lose a lot of what made it special. And Radio Rose was a big part of that. So, I mean, the appeal of going there is not the same anymore. It's very, very different. And it changed while we were still doing it, as a matter of fact. And I think Dog's still there every year. I think he still goes. Rick, how many more seasons do Boone and Cashman get without winning? If you haven't figured out by now that they're pretty much not going anywhere. They're not going to win 75 games one year. It's not going to happen. Could they possibly have a year where they don't make the playoffs? You have one out of 10. They're going to make the playoffs. Last year, they were a dreadful team for about six weeks. Now, what happened was their last 30 games were so soft that you knew they were going to get hot and win a lot of them. They won basically all of them and wound up with 95 wins. 94, 95, whatever they wound up with last year. It was one or the other. They went over the last day of the season on their number. So I know because I had middle the number. Because the number moved a lot last year with the injuries. So I took them under 94 and a half or under 95. Whatever the number wound up being, it went over. It ruins my middle because I lost it the last day of the season. Because I had them over 89 and a half. That was the low number I saw. And I had a middle between 89 and a half and either 93 and a half or 94 and a half, whatever it was. And they wound up getting the win the last day of the season to beat me, to cancel the middle bet. I would have hit both sides. So because they won so many, and there was a point where they were not going over no matter what. And then they wound up winning. If you look, I bet you they won like 17 of the last 20 last year. They might've been better than that. They beat bad teams. They will do that again. They will win in the nineties. They will go to the playoffs and Boone and Cashman are going nowhere. If you haven't figured that out yet, they're not going anywhere. Yeah. They're happy with this existence. They would like to win a championship every now and then. But how is Owen going to react if he sees empty seats, empty luxury boxes, or people not buying signage on the building? Unless that happens, he's not going to get upset. It's not going to be not winning a championship that upset him. It would be those other things that upset him. because they're pretty much a machine the way they do it. They do it every year. They make the playoffs, right? What year don't they make the playoffs? They make the playoffs. Some years they go out in the first round. Some years they go out in the second round. Some years they go out in the World Series. I mean, you know, the bottom liners or the ALCS. Hey, what they haven't done is they haven't won championships in the last 20 years. But Boone and Cashman aren't going anywhere, at least not in the immediate future, or unless something, you know, unfortunate, you know, befalls one of them, which we sure hope doesn't happen. You know, one of them breaks their leg or something. So the bottom line is they're not going anywhere. I know Yankee fans want a change. They're not going to get one. Because their revenues are astronomical, and they're winning in the 90s every year. They're in the playoffs. they have a chance to win a championship. And as long as they have a chance to win a championship, ownership is fine. Despite, I mean, if you don't get that message. Now, this is going to be a very different off season as we head towards the fall because we're looking at a labor war. The collective bargaining agreement is ending. The owners, especially in the smaller markets, want a hard cap. I do not think they'll get one. So this is going to be a little bit of an Armageddon, maybe even to the point of it being shut down for a while. We'll see how that unfolds. Maybe we'll get pleasantly surprised and baseball won't get interrupted. That would be nice. I believe we have a very interesting guest for tomorrow's podcast. So look for that to take into the weekend. We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for listening to the Mike Francesa podcast on the Bent Rivers Network.
