Hour 2 - Takeaways From Philip Rivers, What To Make Of The Mariners First Homestand, Blue 88

Get in the freaking auto! From the Quantum Fiber Studio, this is Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports. I don't read the internet guy. Take the bowl by the hands. And Brooke, you are. And Brooke, you are. Now here are your hosts, Brock Heward and Mike Saul. At the fire! Morning, buddy. Good morning, Michael. Decided to talk to Daniel Jeremiah this morning at 8.30. Excited about here's the thing. An hour from now is the Seattle Sports app. We'll take center stage. We will do a lot of baseball talk. And I'll hold some of that till 7.30. I'm just thinking, and we just re-listened to the Phillip Rivers interview. And thank you again for making that happen. We may need to figure out what goes on next with Kirk Cousins because he just signed a deal this morning to go to Vegas. That was supposed to happen. I know. But I did learn it. I did really enjoy Phillip yesterday. And I learned a lot in listening to him. I felt. We talked about some of it yesterday, right? We talked about using the full defense and how if everybody is in sync, you can confuse the quarterback that way. I thought that was very cool. Here's a little bit of that from Phillip. Here's where I thought at Seahawks Defense, a handful of these teams have really improved. The Jaguars, I thought were this way as well. Is when there's one guy disguising or there's a guy that's like, oh, he's jacking with you and all that. But the other guys aren't in sync. It's kind of like, hey, man. I know you're not coming because this dude over here already told me what the coverage was. You know what I mean? And so, but the Seahawks Defense, the Jaguars, and I say the Jaguars again, they were really good. But because I played them, I got to see them up close in that week, week 17 game. But they were in sync and doing it together. And it's like, man, these guys are on it. Like, yeah, it did look like man. And everybody made it look like man, not just two guys. You know, or these guys, I thought they were there. It wasn't just witherspoon given the disguise. They were all given it. Yeah, that was interesting, Brock. That was not something that we've ever really talked about before. No, and I've been watching Chase Daniel, the old quarterbacks, doing a good job and trying to grow his media profile. And he's tweeting out different just kind of football one-on-ones and talking about coverage and how to really understand coverage. You got to understand the safeties and their rotations. And he's doing a really good job at kind of the basic level for football fans if you kind of want to dig a little bit deeper. And you hear people say, wow, like everybody runs the same coverage, everybody runs the same place. There's nothing new under the sun. And even Phillips sort of said that yesterday. To a degree. To a degree. Right, he said like, hey, there's only so many coverages. That's right. There's only so many ways that these 11 chess pieces. But it's how those 11 chess pieces disguise. It is how they work together. It is how when an offense shifts and moves. And I'll share some of this in Blue 88 because I had such a fun football conversation with my football coach here at Valor. They had football coach, Mike. I said, man, you got to go listen to this. It was so good as he was talking about formation and the boundary and then we're going to motion and all of these tells that you're supposed to get. Right. When you do these things, Salk, this move is supposed to come. When I make these pitches, I'm not I'm supposed to set it up. So now you swing at that pitch. It's off the plate. Right. When I change your eye level in baseball, now it's supposed to do this. And when Mike McDonald just confounds you and the entire group does it, even a guy that's played 250 games like, yeah, that's not a comment. That's pretty good. And you know why they do all the walkthroughs, Salk? Do you want to know why they do more practice time on the field and walkthroughs than the predecessor did? And most teams do. It's for those reasons, those reasons. So that when the offense does something and throws you a curveball, you don't freak out. You don't tell. You know, when you get two aces or three aces in your poker hand, you don't solve a sudden give that opponent a tell. Like, no, we're good. We're good. We're unfazed. And again, as I said to yesterday, to do that really in what? Year one with a bunch of pieces. Year two for for maybe the majority, you could call it. Why he loves Julian Love the way that he does. It's because that guy is the master manipulator. And this guy's around the back. Makes sense. So so that was one of the big takeaways. We talked a little bit about that yesterday. It was very clear in listening to him how much respect he had instantly for Nicky Menhore. He mentioned number three a couple of times. Here's one. Early in the week, you're worried about yourself and your own game plan. And then it's like, all right, man, I got where's this thinking? Nick, I gotta make sure I know where three is. It's in the game like a linebacker all the time. And then here's there's witherspoon that obviously is a heck of a blitzer as well and a great DB. And then there's defensive front. He goes on from there. But but not a surprise. The first person he mentioned was witherspoon. We've heard that now a few times from quarterbacks. And then he went on to mention him again later. So here's my question. How dependent is this thing on Nicky Menhore? Well, what did it look like without him? Not as good. Not quite as good. And that was early in the season and you're still figuring out kind of your linebacker situation and your D line rotation and, you know, other components to that. I mean, you you weathered it. I don't think all of a sudden you fell off a cliff. You still did some great things. I think Spencer Rattler and some of those boys would say that was no fun playing that group. But, you know, it changed it. Put spoon there. I think it kind of accelerates. I know why you asked that, rightfully so. I think that may make, accelerate what you do in this draft. I don't think there's not another Nicky Manhore. I'll ask DJ about the safety from Toledo because he's the one kid that's got some specs of as far as size and length and speed. They're not quite to Nick's level. And they'll probably be overdrafted because of E-manhore. But when Phil said, yeah, it's that box that that defense is built first and foremost, it should have been music to your ear, Salk. I mean, that's what you want. Line scrimmage in that box and he throws E-manhore into that mix. It probably does reinforce. You could use a little help on the back end. You could use a little help at corner. Maybe another creature that's kind of this hybrid guy that's a safety linebacker. Right? I'll get to that in blue 88. But yeah, I think there's probably a little, probably a little more need to replenish the back end of that defense with Reek out, with Kobe out. Yeah, that's not actually where I was going with that. Brock, it's funny. That's not really where I was going with it. I don't disagree. Like you do need to do those things. But I was more thinking like, man, this guy just is so special in this ability to play the nickel in the way that he plays it. There just aren't that many people with the size, speed, strength, combination that he has. How dependent is their system and the success of it on having a guy like that? Mike McDonald had his breakfast presser this week at the owners' meetings. And he even referenced him there and bringing back to Anthony Bell a safety that they lost midseason to Arizona. Well, you know, Panthers kind of stole him from us there at the end. So that was a bummer. But yeah, D'Anthony, he's been an asset for me. You seem like you probably rattle off some big plays that he's made for us. The punt block. He's a guy that gives us safety flexibility, but also some big nickel flex as a backup to Nick. So that's going to be something we want to make sure that like if something if Nick can't find his helmet for a series or two, we can we can still go in and operate our defense. You know what? So I must say this now. It is a 707 Thursday, April 2nd. This is no April Fool's joke a day later. I must say this now. You never ever got the credit you deserve for big nickel. Thank you, Brock. You never did. So nice of you. You know, you never did. He was kind of a lot of other things that you say that kind of get in the way of some of your brilliance at times. Right. There's some of your own narcissism that gets in the way. But not in this case. Not in this case. Why would you say that? So you were a big nickel guy before ever there was big nickel. I'm able to play nickel. He's played special. He's played the big nickel and I gave that one to him. He never gave you the do that you deserve with this thing. Very sad. You seriously, you had some genius. Thank you, Brock. I appreciate that. You're a man of genius, Saul, before many others. Real man of genius. That's me. But to bring it back, like even here, Mike, say it in that, in that cut there, like in case Nick's out for a series or two, we still need to be able to operate our defense. Yep. I'm fascinated by that. And, and, you know, I don't think, look, I'm sure if Nick even worries not around like McDonald's smart enough, creative enough and has enough backup plans. I mean, he is, he's got plans upon plans. That seems to be one of his real strengths and is ready squad and all that that he can survive without Nicky Manwari. But it is, it is interesting to me anyway and noteworthy that without him, this defense does not necessarily function the same way. Yeah, you can ask the folks in Baltimore, what was life like at the end of the year when Kyle Hamilton, what was life like in Week 17 in a winter, go home game? They win that game. And they probably beat Pittsburgh if he doesn't get knocked out of that game. And then that whole group got picked apart. So, no, those unique players with unique traits, there's a reason they get drafted where they do, why they went up and got Nicky Manwari. That, thank goodness he was still available there in the early 30s to make that happen. And yeah, kind of again, excites me. Why did I have a rookie on my list of hard knocks guys? Why do I think there can be an impact rookie sulk? Because I think this group has a real eye for exactly what? Well, you're going to have to ask DJ about that. Daniel Jeremiah, I'm going to join us at 830. I am curious whether or not that's possible again this year to find a rookie that is going to contribute and be a starter and have a major role. And even if they do, is it going to be as big as Nicky Manwari? I mean, you're talking about this guy being the center point of the defense. That's pretty crazy. All right. Coming up here in 20 minutes, we'll talk some mariners. They are first home stand is in the books. What did we learn? Some good, some bad. We'll do that right after. Need to know next. Highlights don't win games. The full box score does. I'm Brock Huird and most business leaders aren't short on data. They're short on clarity. Numbers are scattered across ERP, CRM and spreadsheets, making decisions reactive instead of confident. And that's not how great businesses are built. Marquis 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. The wins dot com to see what Marquis IQ can do. Stream every Seattle sports show with the Seattle Sports app brought to you by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Get new videos, podcasts and articles on the Seahawks and mariners from your favorite Seattle sports personalities daily. Old windows cast you money and security. Lake Washington Windows and doors installs energy efficient, high security windows that lower your bills and increase protection with leak armor installation and lifetime warranties you're protected for life. Choose Lake Washington Windows dot com today. Need to know. 15 minutes past every hour with Brock and Salk presented by Marquis data. Here's what you need to know. Up first, ugly finish to the home stand as the Mariners just again couldn't muster much offense against the Yankee starter. This time, Cam Schlittler doing the honors Brock. He was very good. Six and a third innings did not give up a run. Only two hits, no walks, struck out seven. They really couldn't do much against him. Well, at all. Tough one today. You know, I thought, you know, we couple days in a row now we face some pretty good starters over there. A couple of good outings, you know, with freed yesterday and then Schlittler today, I thought had had good stuff again and made it tough on us offensively. He certainly did. And they got to him or once he was out, they got to the bullpen a little bit. Cal had a two run single canzone battled in the nine stretch and the one one pit swing and a line drive to right field down the line at base hit. Randy rounding third, heading home. He will score, judge up with the ball to throw in his second. Holy smokes, Dom can zone with a base hit. The Mariners still have a pulse here in the bottom of the ninth. It's now the Yankees five and the Mariners three. Unfortunately, that's how it would end. George Kirby was good other than the three run shot that he allowed. He gives up four runs. It's a two walks to kill them. Yeah, I can't do that. Even if you give up a solo shot there. Yeah. Right. He just, and he's not a guy that ever used to walk people. So, but we've kind of wanted him to walk a few more people. Yeah. Right. So you're not always living in the zone. It was Kirby afterwards. It just stinks. Yeah, I felt really good that whole game and yeah, just kind of two walks there in the six and then the Homer really stinks. So I just got to recommit. Find a way to just get back in the zone and just keep battling. I do wonder, Salk for as much as we talk rightfully so about how hard it is to hit and how hard it is to hit and certainly Julio and Josh and Cal are not off to the start that any of us wanted and certainly that they wanted. We don't flip it around and talk about how great it is to pitch. And I do wonder the Max Frieds and this guy yesterday and even certainly some of the Cleveland starters like, man, those Mariners pitchers are really good. It's not to diminish them, but it's like having an elite defense as a quarterback like, yeah, Sam Darnold won it, but it's really nice to have that defense. And I think old Slitler and Max Fried like, you know, if I got to pitch in that place all the time and not in the band box in New York, then I do. Especially in March. My numbers. Yeah, with my pitching here in March. March, April, May, maybe even in June. That doesn't sound too bad. Dan focused on some of the positive afterwards. I really am proud of the way the guys came back tonight. You know, it's offensively, you know, what they were able to do to the bullpen there, put up some really good at bats late in the ball game. And, you know, I thought gave us a chance to win and pushed it to late. So really good job by our guys fighting back. And it's good to see, you know, Cal pick up a double there with in a big situation to get us, you know, a couple of steps closer. And, you know, I think it was just, you know, although we lost the ball game, a good way to end it for us and, you know, give us a little bit of momentum as we head out onto the road. Tax machine not surprisingly, Brock, a little frustrated today after the home stand. And I think I understand why I was kind of given some people grief earlier. But, you know, look, I think the goal and the thought process was we wouldn't be hearing those kinds of comments as often this year. Right. The hey, we play, you know, the kind of, well, we battle back, unfortunately, didn't go away. Like I think, you know, the hope was that that just wasn't going to be a big part of the season. We're only a week in, obviously, but I understand there's some frustration, no chance for JP to get into another rehab game. Last night, Tacoma got rained out, so he should be back in there tonight. He's the second thing you need to know a little bit more from Mike McDonald, Brock, from the breakfast press conference that he did with reporters at the owners meetings. He was asked about where they're at edge wise after losing Boy Moffay. If there was a right opportunity, probably would have done it. It's just like the right like matchup like hasn't happened yet. You know, so it's kind of one of those things like don't press it. And maybe there'll be another like either through the draft or maybe after the draft free agency or, you know, something through training camp or or our guys, you know, our guys rock and roll and they play great and the role of the guys we have. What's that old saying? So patience is the shortcut. I think we've seen that with our clubs in town quite a bit. I think we've seen that with Seahawks at times. They just kind of waited out first way. We're not going to overspend. Second wave. OK, some of these veteran players think that they still have more value than than what we believe. And we'll let the draft happen and transpire. And I'm sure the clownies and the Vaughn Millers will look at that and see and hope that maybe the Seahawks, if they want to end up here, don't end up taking a guy in the first or second or third round. So you just kind of let you're in a position of power. Well, I agree with that, Brock. I also think I'm a little relieved to hear him say it. I feel like I have been the only person in Seattle concerned at all about Boy and Moffay leaving everyone else. Like, whatever. And that's fine. Like maybe he didn't need 20 million dollars a year. I'm not sitting here saying they screwed up by letting him go. But he was a pretty valuable piece and did a I mean, having those waves of past rushers is a pretty big deal. Who would he have been the equivalent of in that 12, 13, 14 run? Bruce Irvin. Yeah, I think that's probably right. Is a is a pass rusher. Yes. Bruce was a little more of a of a of a stud. Set the edge, Sam, you know, stop the run. They're not exactly the same player, but if you. But as far as a rotational piece, when he came in and pass rushed, yeah, along with yeah, along with Bennett and along with Averill, that'd probably be the DeMarcus Lauren. Yeah, that's probably right. All right, thanks. Appreciate it. Nailed that one. He also managed genius this morning. He also asked about energy or was asked about Riley Mills. Could he be a part of the situation on the edge? Yeah, yeah. Well, it depends on what's the sweet spot. Weight wise and like. Just right now, I think we're working through that on like where we want him to be. But like sometimes we do like a bigger guy on the edge. And I think Raleigh could do that. Yeah, he's not a he's not a speed. He's not that he's not a nickel edge. What could he be? I mean, if you have to go back to 2013 again, could he be some rip, Brian? That's right. Can you play some of that edge when you need to get big? You could do that. Here's the third day you need to know. Are we buying this or is this just PR from Puka Nukua? So he is apparently checked into a rehab clinic. In Malibu, his lawyer, his name is Levi MacArthur. And here's a little bit of Steve Weiss, who received a statement from his lawyer. This is according to his attorney, Levi MacArthur, who provided me. I'm going to read a part of a statement that Puka's taking responsibility for his well-being and is focused on improving his performance during the off season. His own well-being, Brock, not the well-being of people around him. Puka voluntarily entered a private facility to focus on his health, personal growth and overall development. He is committed to using this time constructively so he can return to the best possible position, both personally and professionally. He will complete the program in time to fully participate in all of the Rams OTAs. And Puka is very deeply grateful for the support he's received from his family, friends, coach Sean McVeigh and teammates. All right, so a couple of things here. One, do you buy that this is a real thing or is this a PR thing? No, I buy that he was out of control. And the videos show that and the pictures show that and the words show that. And the immaturity, right? It was spinning out of control, totally out of control. So I buy that whether it was his agent, whether it was his brothers, you know, he lost his dad as a teenager from what I understand that was really impactful in their family and brothers have had a hard time as well, kind of spinning out of control. So I believe that somebody has gotten the organization. There's like, dude, you go down this road, the next move you may make, the next video you may make, the next incident that may happen, you may be done. Or maybe they said, Hey, we're not, we're not signing you to a big contract unless you do something like this. But I think two five three has the right question here. I'm sorry, but can you go to rehab for being a jerk? That's kind of what this feels like. He's not saying it's drugs. He's not saying it's alcohol. He's essentially saying I need to be better as a person because right now I'm a jerk, so he's going to rehab for it. It is bizarre. We'll see if it works out. Kraken host the mammoth tonight. Three points out, but also seventh worst record in the league brought closer to fifth than the playoffs. So we'll see. They got nine to play. That's everything you need to know. Quarter past every hour here on the Brock and Salk show. Let's talk some baseball. We haven't had much of a chance to do so yet. Mariners go three and four, not the homestand they were looking for. And yet ESPN still has them at number three in the power rankings. So what do we learn? I got a few things next on Brock and Salk. Highlights don't win games. The full box score does. I'm Brock cured and most business leaders aren't short on data. They're short on clarity. Numbers are scattered across ERP, CRM's and spreadsheets, making decisions reactive instead of confident. And that's not how great businesses are built. Marquis 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 Marquis IQ can do. We are Seattle Sports 7 10 a.m. on your radio streaming through the Seattle Sports app. Get new videos, podcasts and articles on the Seahawks and Mariners from your favorite Seattle Sports personalities daily. Old windows cost you money and security. Lake Washington Windows and doors installs energy efficient, high security windows that lower your bills and increase protection with leak armor installation and lifetime warranties. You're protected for life. Choose Lake Washington Windows.com today. For decades, Seattle has lived and breathed baseball. The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the memories made at the ballpark. At Levitt Group Northwest Insurance, they get it because they call Seattle home just like you. They know this community. And they know what it takes to protect it. That's why they listen, shop around and tailor coverage for your home, car or business. Call 877-4-LEVITT. Levitt Group Northwest Insurance. You can count on season after season 877-4-LEVITT. From the Quantum Fiber Studio, this is Brock and Salk weeky 6 to 10 on Seattle Sports and 97 3 FM HD 2, 3 and 4. Homestand Brock, not great. Against two likely playoff teams makes it sound a little bit better. Probably could have and should have taken three of four from Cleveland, but also could have easily been swept by the Yankees. Thankfully, they had the walkoff win in game one of the series. So what did we learn? What did we learn from now? The first week of the season from the opening homestand seven straight games. Obviously, all of this with the gigantic caveat that it is very early and that all takeaways from a first week of baseball. Need to be taken with a grain of salt. But look, this is our job. We're here. We have to, you know, comment on what we see and try to extract a little bit. So here's where we're at. First thing for me is actually not a Mariners take, but that Yankees pitching is legit. It really is. They're better than they were last year. They're going to add Garrett Cole back to this. They're going to add Carlos Rodin back to this. Like the conversation we had last year of, hey, the American League is wide open. So this is a great opportunity to take it. I don't know whether the American League is as wide open as it was last year. We talked about that before the season started. And after watching the Yankees, I feel even more so. Like I think that's a very good baseball team. The offense is good outside of Aaron Judge. It's not great, but the pitching is actually spectacular. Yeah, I would, I would tend to agree with that. And I think they would cosine in San Francisco where they scored one run in three games down in the bay. You didn't do a whole lot more. Right. Yeah. I mean, you scratched out, you competed, you got to their bullpen. You did some damage late. You were competitive, obviously. Cal delivers in a big moment in game one to get you that one. And you got one of the three, but those two starters on back to back days absolutely murdered your offense. And really all three starters shut you down. I mean, you didn't do much against Weathers. You're able to win the game because you got a dominant performance from Castillo. But I mean, it's not like you got a tremendous amount going against Weathers either. So really all three guys got you and they got a lot more in reserve there as well. So I was actually, and as much as I think, you know, it pains me to say it, very, very impressed with the Yankees, their pitching. And it also does matter that the rest of the American League is better. I think than it was a year ago. It's not as wide open. Second thing for me, Brock, I think Brandon Donovan is going to be just fine in T-Mobile. I mean, that was my one question, right? Sometimes starts to a season are totally irrelevant. But for a new guy to the Mariners coming here in chilly weather in March and starting his Mariner career by killing it at home, that is absolutely relevant to me because we know how new players at this park can fare. And if he had a bunch of balls that hung up or Marine layered or whatever it is, and then he starts, you know, trying to overcompensate or change a sweat. Like we've just seen how it gets in people's head when they show up here for the first time after an entire career somewhere else. He was on base in every single game. I think that's great news. Yeah, to your point, we're four percent of the way into the season with seven games. These are 20 something bats for Donovan here. So to to rush to any grain conclusion and say, yep, yep, perfect fit. Be very, very careful. But you said this about Max Fried after that start. If you were to pick the perfect kryptonite to the Mariners offense and kind of pitcher and the kind of stuff and left handed, you'd you'd look a lot like Max Fried. Yes, I think if you were to pick the kind of just approach and style and swing and spray and everything else to counteract the challenges of team of T-Mobile in April and May, he'd look like Brennan Donovan. Yeah, except I mean, look, I agree. Obviously, it's worked out really well. So the the answer to your question is, yeah, probably. But we do hear sometimes that the line drives hang up. Yeah, but I don't think he's just a straight. I mean, he pounds the ball into the ground. I know you're right. He leaves them up and he will close line something and put it over that right field porch a couple of times. So yeah, and just the mindset and just the approach and how like every doesn't hit line drives that hang up. It's really nice. No, I agree. Based on what we've seen so far, that doesn't seem to be his game. So and Dan Wilson, pretty happy with what he's seen. That's what, you know, what we saw during spring, you know, was was Donny just putting up those those good at bats, especially at the top of the order, making it tough. And when he's getting on, you know, lead off double today to kind of set the tone for us. We just weren't able to back it up too much. But he, you know, he is he's a tone setter. He's he's a guy that's going to get you on base. And if he doesn't get you on base, he's going to put up a tough at bat. And that's what that's what you want at the top of the order. And all our guys are going to do that. They're going to put that tough at bat on you. So it's, you know, one guy after another. But but, you know, Donny, I think is starting to feel comfortable out there at the top. Well, that was clear. Now, there are going to be some questions about his defense, certainly at third base. I think we're all going to have few. You have all three years. I think they have three years and he has all of them. Cal has one right for the bad throw the other day. So I know Cal has one. But yeah, I mean, look, I mean, that doesn't look comfortable. No, he doesn't look comfortable there. And that is definitely going to be on the watch list. Their defense because of it has been a little bit of a challenge. And Randy's had a tough start, I think, defensively and left. And yeah, I think there are a couple of things to watch there. Overall, big, big picture takeaway. I feel pretty good about their ability to score runs. I really do. I know that it didn't look that way necessarily during the seven game series, but you did face tough pitching. You did it in awfully cold weather. And you essentially scored runs without your three biggest stars doing anything. I mean, like those three guys all had a lousy week. And your offense was still good enough to survive. And by the way, those three stars, I know there's a lot of negativity around it today. And you can certainly point to all the bad numbers that the three of them had for the week. But it was just a week. And those three guys do have a track record that tells me they're going to be OK. This group is again, seven games, but this is what we do. We've got to look at the home stands and road trips and maybe not game by game. But we can kind of evaluate a home stand by home stand and road trip by road trip a little bit as you kind of pile these games together. This group is still going to be very much homer independent, I think, offensively for all the Donovan is and the Cole Young, who I'd arguably the best segment right there, those two hit and lead off a ninth, kind of set the whole table and got your three wins along with some, you know, excellent starting pitching. This is going to be group that's homer independent. And when they don't hit any, these three games against the Yankees, it's going to be hard to win a series. You know, it's and I know that's baseball in general and at large. But I think for this crew with Josh and Cal and Julio and the guys in the middle there that we talk about, they got to do damage, go do some damage. And yesterday, Paul Goldschmidt did and you didn't. And that ended up kind of being the difference in the game. We had a texture saying he was really mad that Cal and Julio weren't playing small ball after a Donovan double. And it's like, well, I don't want them playing small ball. I might want Leo Rivas doing some of that at the bottom of the lineup, because I don't think he's going to hit that many home runs. JP Crawford, even, but I don't want Cal and who I want them doing damage. And unfortunately, they weren't able to do it during this home stand. That doesn't mean it's not going to happen. I don't have a lot of fear there. I was really impressed with sauce, you know, with Luke Rayleigh series, with Dominic Kanzone, see, like some of those X factor guys, even, even Victor Robles, like there was some, some really nice things you saw outside of the stars. So actually, I kind of feel pretty good about where their offense will be. But of those three guys that struggled, Cal, Julio and Naler, I think if you, if I have to, you know, answer the question, who were you most concerned about? It would be still a matter of small degrees, but probably Cal. We've seen this every year from Julio. I'm not going to like, oh, my God, Julio is off to a bad start. Like, yeah, no kidding. What else is new? But don't we want to change that? I know we want to, but I'm not going to panic over it. I mean, that was a immense amount of reaction. I know my little Twitter yesterday as I post and these are the facts and it's not ripping them, but you just, you're instantly going to say that. Like, that's how you are. Stop. That's how you are. I love those green eyes. I love so much of what he brings. But if you're working to say, I'm darn old, stop fumbling, stop fumbling. If you're working to change narratives, can't win the big game. Right? If you were, if you're working to end those, the one big hit Julio had was a big hit to tie the game. Like, I don't know. I'm not that just it's Julio. He looks like Julio and we've seen this before and there are, there is going to be some streakiness to Julio. Josh Naylor has been so consistent in his career. I just don't have a tremendous amount of worry, such a smart, heady player. And he's, and he's a, I don't know. I just am not that worried. But a one for 27 is a one for 27. It's bad. Don't get me wrong. But the question was how consistent. Was how concerned are you not concerned about either of those two guys? Cal, I'm not that I'm concerned with him, because I'm not concerned with him either. But he is the one guy coming off of something new, something new. Naylor's traded teams before like he's, this is none of its new. None of it's really new for Julio. It's a little new for Cal Raleigh coming off the wind of last year. Yeah, I'd argue there's a little new with Naylor. I'd argue that after you've been traded a bunch, after you've gotten the free agency, after I, you know, living with now a hundred million dollar contract and that kind of expectation that comes with that, Salk after you're chasing and you're chasing and you're chasing and you're proven and you're proven. I don't think so at all. You don't think that's a little new? Not for him. No, I don't think that's a new world. I don't think so. I don't feel like he's going to, just based on what we've seen from him and who he is and my impression of him, I don't think that's going to be a thing for him. Cal has to react to what coming off of last year and a lot of pressure, new pressure that's put on him as now the guy everybody is focused on and trying to repeat it. No, I would still say it's Cal one. I'm not trying to argue Naylor. It feels like you are. No, you stop it. You're just being, why do you think I make the comments I do? Okay, I give you men of genius, but I have to, I have to give the other side of that. Okay, fair. Just, no, no, Cal is absolutely the one in this argument. There's no question about that. He's living what Julio did after Julio's breakout. And what is it like to be the face and what is it like to have your own bat and what does it like to be, to have your own honey bucket? What's it like to be in every commercial and what's it like to, you know, have all the attention to come off the WBC, which was new. And then there was the stress and he was trying to catch up. And again, I'm not that worried about any of these three guys. Five oh nine says Mike, those three stunk and it wasn't a couple of games. It was a week. I'm not denying that. I'm not sitting here saying they had a great series, all three that were awful for the week. And I don't think it's going to continue all year. And frankly, if one or two of them were great, they go five and two on this home stand, possibly, you know, I think if one of them were Cal hits a couple of home runs and Naylor goes, you know, nine for 27 and not one for 27, they probably and probably win a couple more of these games. So now there are a couple of things that I saw that I thought were somewhat concerning because I'm not concerned about those three. I'm a little concerned about, as we said, the defense at third, little concerned about this lineup against left handers. I think there's some something to watch for there. We were worried about it heading into the year and I still find myself worried about it now. I'm a little worried about this bullpen. I think there are some real questions there as Brash still kind of coming off injury and how often can he pitch and, you know, I just think that was load last year. WBC, the Zardo worked so often last year. Load last year. And yep. I am a little, I am a little nervous about where that bullpen is at. So, you know, Logan Gilbert, not really nervous yet, although at some point I'd like to see him, you know, put together a complete start. Brian Woo was tremendous. Obviously, Hancock was awesome. We're waiting on the right. Yeah. I mean, so like there was a lot to really like, but if there were a couple things where you're like, okay, like careful with the bullpen because there's not a lot of depth there and the guys that you're counting on really need to be good. Hey, Lyle, Lyle, can I ask you a question? You shot us a little note last night as you do. Do you ever get to bed early, by the way? No. Do you ever just, you ever take a melatonin and just crash out at 9 p.m.? No. No, okay. All right. So I appreciate it when I wake up to see your late evening thoughts and you had mentioned last night, like just to watch again, not any great conclusion, just to watch of who's pitched the like the late innings and the eighth inning and everything. Isn't that more about the game and where some of these games were than it was you're leaning into and all of a sudden this is going to become your eighth and seventh inning leverage guys. Are you talking about me saying how like Amina and Chris Walthrowne, the eighth inning a lot so far? Yes. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Isn't that more about the game condition and the fact that you weren't pitching with the lead and those guys weren't leverage guys. They were, hey, let's try to get through this kind of guys. I guess so. And yeah, obviously that comes with a three and four road trip, but I've just been a home stand. It was a home stand. Oh, sorry. Home stand. I don't know. I've just been of the belief they've been a leverage bullpen arm short ever since the off season. I've said it all winter. I've said it all spring. Even with the guys coming back, there was a reason they tried to trade for Joe on to ran last summer. I thought they were going to go add somebody like that this off season. Maybe Jose Freer turns into that, but he's pretty unproven to this point. I think they like, I think of the deadline, they are probably going to need a leverage bullpen arm. I think that's pretty true. And they're still going to need some optionable, non leverage bullpen arms in there potentially as well. So how do you think, how good do you think it felt when they got off the plane in California? I think it probably felt really good. Off day going to feel yeah, hanging out at Disney today. Some of the cold bats are like stretching. Nice little warm up. Like, Oh, it's not 38 degrees when I'm waking up. Cool. Let's go. This is Brock and socks. Blue 88. We're going to go red, right, tight, close, sprint left, G, U corner, half back, flat on one, on one ready. Brock Heward tackles three football questions as only he can. Now here's your hosts, Brock Heward and Mike Salk. All right, Brock. After talking to. Corrected, by the way. On what? I said 70. We're kidding. And then I'm, it's going to be 83 86 and 82. It sounds nice. Why do we live here again? Uh, I know 70 on Monday here. I saw it's nice for a day. I know that after the Phillip Rivers conversation yesterday, you probably wanted to dig into that with some of your friends in the football world. What did you learn? I did. So this whole McVay, McDonald, this whole comp, then we're still getting it and we'll get it in the next year. And now with McVay Bay, Bay, you know, doing what he's doing and continuing to not let some things rest. I think you're going to hear more of that link. We talked through some of that the other day, but yes, I was verbally processing with two football guys yesterday and trying to think what really is the most direct comparison between these guys. Cause it's kind of hard. One's offense, one's defense. But you know what they are? They're the tip of the spear of evolution in the NFL. They are the two that when people on offense turn to innovation, where do I want to look and who do I want to study? I want to study what Sean's doing. When people on defense want to turn and want to look and they want to study, they're going to study the scheme of what Mike McDonald is doing. For sure. So I think they're both tip of the spear in that way. And right along with that, okay, that's the obvious. Take it next level. So what are they doing? Well, what, what did Sean do earlier three, four, five years ago? When I was calling NFL games, you know what was then saw condensed formations. It's shrinking the field and we're going to get all these condensed formations. What did he do and what did he evolve next? How we're going to get to a lot of 13 and we're going to get into these personnel groupings and we're going to really like he is constantly moving and evolving and never sitting still. What is Mike McDonald doing on the defensive side? You know what? I'm going to, I'm not just going to do these simulated pressures. I'm not just going to do some of these different looks. I'm not going to disguise. I'm going to take Nicky memory and really make a legitimate big nickel that even a Philip river says, geez, that was a problem. What's the next evolution with that? Could it be adding more Nikki memories, become even more positionless at that second and third level, right? If teams are going to combat and more offenses are going to look for tight ends. And this is a deep tight end draft and you're going to see 12 and 13. How am I going to counter to that? Am I going to keep Ernest Jones on the field and let them pick me apart in 12? Is the Rams in the title game? Or am I going to try to find another Nikki man worry that can really run and cover like what is the next evolution? Those two guys are on the very, very front end of it. All right. Question number two. I am buying a lot. What? Well, I think what I was thinking was it was actually making me think about moneyball, like everyone thinks moneyball is about on base percentage, but moneyball is about finding the thing that is going to give you an edge. Yep. And I think I hear you say the same thing. Everyone thinks Sean McVeigh was about condensed formations or about 13 personnel, but he's not. What's next? It's about making the change to stay ahead of the curve. And that's actually what I was thinking about. That's a pretty interesting point by you. Question number two, Brock. Love this one. Leadership. Yep. All right. What are we learning about leadership? You'll love this. You think all the time when I ask you, Salky, and when Jane and I are talking about you behind your back. Good. Hey, you know, like this has nothing to do with vanity. Okay. I don't care about how you look, whether you're fitting into your clothes. I care about your wellbeing because you think, oh, Brock's got all these new exercises and Brock just does his workout routines and Brock and G tech. Like it's not about vanity completely. It's about feeling good. And I have been, I've been digging into this awesome leadership podcast. A big, he's a, he's a big mega pastor, Salky out of Oklahoma city, but it's not, it's not faith based. It's leadership based. And he brings all these great leaders in all these different fields of sports and business and everything else. And it actually echoes every leader. If there's one through line that I've listened to about half a dozen of these, it's actually what Mike McDonald said at the little breakfast table the other day about why he works out the way he does in the mornings. If I don't, I'm a charge. I get really fat and angry. So let's not do that. Yeah. We just, so we work out. We've, I'm not like a crazy morning person. I don't like run around and tell everybody how early I wake up. But basically we just, we've, we call it the barbell overgated. It's pretty cheesy. It's a great group. Like, but we work out at six and that goes for like 45 minutes. And then I'm at my desk and off we go. So there is a like for me personally, I mean, this is just a totally personal song. Like if I don't work out for a few, I don't feel right. Like just endorphins released, feeling good. Like my body, it just, it helps. And it is really remarkable. Honestly, in this, in this podcast I'm listening to of how many of these leaders are just like, I've got to have that routine and it sets the table for my day. Mike is routine oriented. He is a tremendous leader in that workout. Isn't just so he can wear his T-shirt and look good in the front row of the coach's picture. It's because it sets the table for the rest of his work day. Pretty important. I have a routine. It just doesn't involve doing that. Question number three. You are really good. Honestly, you are really disciplined. I'll give you credit on this. When it comes to your nutrition, you do understand that the work that you do and the doctor you talk about, like you see it. It matters to you. And you're diligent about that. So I want to give you credit. Appreciate that. Thank you. You're welcome. Um, you learned a little something from Phillip Rivers yesterday, huh? I did. I had never, yes, I had never heard the term and we'll ask DJ about this in 35 minutes. And you know, much like we steal stuff from DJ and we give him credit. I'm going to, I'm going to give him the term that Phillip used yesterday of accelerated vision. I didn't think the words accelerated vision were going to come out of Phillip Rivers mouth and then some of the description and the detail about it of what that means. A quarterback's talk, you know, so when he scans and very rudimentary, you get to the NFL or college as I got a chance to do and you hear your quarterback coach talk about, Hey, start with your eyes and scan the safeties first and then the second level. And those are your tells and those are how they're going to dictate some of their coverage and is it man or is it zone? You listened to Phillip yesterday and I know you were blown away by it. Like you can see and hear Ernest and Drake have a conversation. Like, yeah. Yeah, that's kind of accelerated vision. Like I'm, you can look at that, you know, corner that's out there and he's not engaged and he's not making eye contact. Yeah, that guy's just playing man to man. You know, so having that accelerated vision to slow things down to see so much of what's going on and what others frankly can't do because they're more concerned with, can I get myself lined up? Can I make my own reheats? Right. Do I know my own play call? Do I know my own protection? They don't even get to the vision part of the other side. Cool. All right. That is today's blue 88. Very, very feisty text toy this morning. Oh yeah. Oh, very feisty. After you guys said it's hard to hit home runs when it's cold against tough pitching. You then said you don't want Cal and Julio playing small ball in the first inning. Really? Get him over, get him in early in those conditions to get on the board. No, no, I still going to want my guys who can hit home runs to try to hit home runs, even if it's hard, even if it's hard, I want them to swing and swing hard. Great analysis by Brock. If they scored more, they'd win more. Oh, I don't know. Sure. That's exactly what Brock was saying necessarily. But OK, please leave Salk. You complain constantly. It's so annoying. All right. Well, Salk, baby. I don't know what to tell you. I'm here. It's it's our show is the Brock and Salon. Oh, and I want to tell you that you were the positivity of the show. I am. Mike's home, baby. Can we just get to here's a thing then? All right. If it's a feisty text toy, then we probably know it's feisty. It's feisty. That's for sure. And it's next on Brock and Sal.