Bruins Beat Blue Jackets in Return from Olympic Break // Marcelo Mayer and the Red Sox Lineup // MLB’s New ABS System - 2/27 (Hour 1)

Oh, right, of course, because I should know who that is. I don't care what you think. I'll tell you something that rubbed me right. Felger and Maz, on 98.5 The Sports Hub. As the Blue Jackets lose it coming through neutral ice, good Branson, now it'll be dumped in by Wood. Corpus Allis tears it to the near corner. Yoki Haru throws it out to neutral ice, tipped ahead by Corrali. And the crowd here at Tini Garden rises as the final seconds tick off. And the Bruins return from the three-week Olympic break and do some damage to the Columbus Blue Jackets who are trying to catch them in the standings. A 4-2 victory here on home ice for the Bruins tonight. Hi there, everybody. Welcome to the program. Felger Maserati coming to you on Friday, February the 27th. Friday means only one thing, Mass. Agenda-free. Agenda-free Friday brought to you by Catches Law. at Catches. They specialize in helping those who have been injured, not only from a one-time incident, but from a lifetime of hard work and labor. Does this sound like you? Visit CatchesLaw.com. Format's the same. The agenda is set by your wonderful phone calls. You can go wherever you want. Anything we've done during the week or anything we've yet to get to, it is all up to you. I can already see some calls have populated the call screen. So the Hounds have been released at 617-779-0985. Quick opening thoughts. We'll do some Bruins talk today. They have their restart last night you would say coming off the olympic break pretty entertaining night of hockey i thought it was yeah it was a good good game to watch they played hard like right out of the shoot i thought both teams sort of brought it right out of the shoot i think so that first period was great i've watched some of the games around the league because i will say and i want to circle back to this the uh the the olympics kind of horned me up for hockey i gotta tell you sort of wet the whistle for my hockey fandom so i've watched some of the games around the league and they haven't all looked like that. Maybe I had the mistake of watching the Maple Leafs the other night who might tie into this whole thing and this whole thing being NHL trade deadline a week from today. And listen, I thought you got outplayed for much of last night. I thought your goaltender was tremendous. Korpisala was terrific. So wherever the decision was made not to play Swayman, it was the right decision. I still think it's kind of pathetic that he didn't play and the only time we saw him is in that stupid jacket waving to the crowd from the bench but um the goaltending was terrific i mean you could have lost that game easy last night if not for corpus allo so i'm not sitting here saying like you're any great shakes but you came out engaged and on the ice uh you know you want to make the playoffs there's no doubt about it off the ice i'd still be a seller andrew peake the defenseman was held out last night his first healthy scratch in his career i read that and went oh i didn't even realize that so peak was healthy ready to go but he was held out of the lineup he is on some trade boards he is a uh has an expiring contract i think the bruins should still be in sell mode small s sell mode the only big name that i well look i take that back if someone wants to take um elias lindholm off my hands i'll take i'll let someone do it someone wants to take campus lindholm off my hands i'll do it someone wants to Like Jeremy Swayman. So, like, when I say small S sell mode, there are big names that I would move. I just don't think they're doing that. But the Andrew Peaks of the world, the Victor Arvidsons of the world, yes, sell, sell, sell. And keep doing what you're doing on the ice, which is maximizing what you got and make the playoffs. And give me something to watch here down the stretch. I'll watch it. So that's my opening take. Who wants to go next? Murray, go. For those that haven't been paying attention to any spring training action in baseball or haven't seen the clips floating around on social media there has been a theme big talking point to all of it and that is the use of the abs system automated balls and strikes which thankfully is going to be used in the regular season starting this year this abs based on these clips i can't get enough of it because in each and every one of them all these clips it is torturing these incompetent umpires in front of these crowds in florida and arizona The most glaring example, Red Sox game against the Pirates on Tuesday. It's like a two-and-a-half-minute clip. I mean, it's just one after the other, but ball thrown right down the pipe. Clear strike. Nope, dummy behind the plate calls it a ball. Catcher taps his head, challenges the terrible call. They go to the ABS. It's pretty quick. Boom, right up on the big screen. Shows the strike. Call reversed. Crowd gets all over the ump. Shames them. Oh, it's the best. And the home plate umpire has long been the most egotistical and almighty position in sports when it comes to officiating. The rent's due, you a-holes. This season, we're going to get to delight in them getting their reckoning. And more importantly than the shaming, which I'm going to enjoy, it's going to make them better. It's going to make them better. They're going to get a better command of the strike zone, especially the outside. There's going to be less challenges eventually after they get shamed, but it's going to make them get better because the batters and catchers have a better feel for the whole thing, a more consistent zone. It's happened in spring training since they've been using this, or not so much spring training, but the minors. Yeah, the minors. So the umps don't want to be wrong and be shamed, especially like this, because that's the best part. Nope, they've got to go up there, take the mask off, fine, show it, show that they've got it wrong. Oh, you suck, you lose it. Oh, it's the best. So they're not going to want to deal with that. It's going to eventually make them better at their job, so this will be a good thing. But in the meantime, oh, man, it's so great in terms of comedy. Maz, your thoughts? Marcelo Meyer is making his spring debut today, playing second base for the Red Sox against the Atlanta Braves in his first at-bat against left-hander Chris Sale. Sucks against lefties, right? Interesting. He sucks against lefties, and his first game is against one of the toughest lefties to hit in all of Major League Baseball. Isn't that a coincidence? It's almost like they want him to go out there and suffer right out of the gate. not that it was done a purpose or anything i'm just saying that that's what it feels like two pitches took a fastball for strike one right down the middle then hit a little dribbler to third base and that was it now i think he has another back coming up i have a hard time believing he's been pulled from the game in his first start he's due to hit here on the bottom of the third so we'll see what happens in the second at bat and uh in case you i just want to add on to this quickly in case you didn't know there was an outfield collision in the first inning between roman Anthony and Sedan Raffaella that was relatively minor in nature. They both got up. They both stayed in the game. A lot of people held their breath, including Millican, which I get. Roman Anthony means that much to the Red Sox. At the same time, can I just say it was a nothing collision. I mean, it really wasn't that bad. They kind of. So what's your point here? My point is Roman Anthony missed half the last season with an oblique injury and then was laying on the field like you get hit by a sniper. So your question is toughness? No, I'm just saying. Drama? No, the drama is a little of it. I guess what I'm really saying is it has more to do with the current youth in Major League Baseball than it does anything else. Marcelo Meyer has always hurt. Roman Anthony now feels like he's rolling around on the ground. Tristan Casas is always hurt. Do any of these guys actually want to play or do they just want to roll around on the ground like soccer players? So, look, again, I'm telling you, I understand Roman Anthony's important to the team. I'm really not trivializing that part of it. But if you see the collision and how long it took for everybody to get back up and start playing, you're really going to say, well, gee, you know, they might have hit elbows. They might have hit knees. But everybody stayed in the game and everybody's okay. So what took so long? I just something about it didn't sit right with me it's not a huge thing I'm just telling you it wasn't a bad collision and it took freaking 10 15 minutes to however long it took to get the game going again can we play can and can all you guys stay on the field independent of today's collision can you stay on the field part of the challenge in baseball is being out there for 145 games can you do it it's just spring training but if they're going to put them on tv and ask us to consume them, then we are allowed to get annoyed by little things that we see in the game. I'm just getting out ahead of that, Maz. Wow. Tell you, it's been a comedy era so far in the bottom of this third. They are getting their asses kicked. They've been giving up some runs this week. Okay. So, put Red Sox on the board. 617-779-0985. Your calls as promised opening segment. Frank the Tank joins us. What's up, Frank? Okay, boys. Look, congratulations to the men and women of the hockey team. tremendous feats that goalie for the girls she should have been the mvp of the entire olympics as far as i'm concerned but can we please get the reporters in america and canada to lay off the men it was a joke let it go i'm sure the girls have heard worst and for and for the guys who are starting to apologize for it shame on you show some balls Mike, I'm with you. I think come this trade deadline, anybody who is going to have an expiring contract, get rid of who you can, get what you can for it, because even if you do make the playoffs, I don't see this team going past the first round. I just really don't. Collect on your assets that you've got now and make a splash at the draft. So I'm not going to put a ceiling on what they're going to do, but we all can see the roster and see the team, and that's not a Stanley Cup team. But I'm not going to say like, well, they're not going to do anything in the playoffs. I don't know what they're going to do in the playoffs. Hockey's hockey. Upsets happen all the time. But they shouldn't go all in at this deadline. But they're in a phase of their program, if you will, where they're resetting the roster. So keep resetting the roster. They've done a decent job with it. They won a couple trades last year. I mean, they really fleeced Toronto. They really fleeced Colorado. I mean, they sent Charlie Coyle to, he's already on Columbus. He already you know Colorado already blown him out of there Toronto might be trading Brandon Carlo in the next week You got real assets for those guys Do it again Do it again Do that for a couple of years and win on the ice as they doing Perfect sweet spot. And to me, that's just how I'm feeling about that. By the way, you know who could use a goalie? Columbus. Well, there you go. So that team last night, give them Swayman. They look pretty good to me beyond the goalie. Merz Lincolns was good last night. The goaltending last night was good on both sides, but Merz Lincoln's isn't any great shakes. Oh, man. And all that ancillary stuff about the U.S. team and the joke and Trump and all of that has not even entered my thinking or entered my rates the first time it's been mentioned all week on this show. I'm going to leave that to all you people. All you people who want to get outraged and then all you people who want to overreact to them getting annoyed and then you're just in the same pool ping on each other on Fox News and CNN. And you all can do that over there. And I just care about the hockey. I just care about the hockey. Like 1980, I just care about the hockey. And you all can do that thing on your own time. That's the first time it's been mentioned all week, blessedly. Dean Shrewsbury here on an Agenda Free Friday. Go ahead, Dean. Mavs, who do you think the best pitching staff of the MLB is? Is it the Dodgers, the Mariners, somebody else? and where do you think the Red Sox rank? No higher than second because the Dodgers are it. Yeah, and look, Seattle's really good too. I mean, I think Toronto's got a good staff. Detroit. So, yeah, they're right. They got Valdez and Scooble now at the top of their rotation. So, look, I mean, I'd have to go through and really look at it. But the Red Sox, you know, they've got to be top ten. I mean, there's no question about that. So, let's see how it shakes out. I like what they have on the pitching side. It's good. I still don't think they have what I would call a true number two starter. I think they have a couple of guys that are like two and a halves, but whatever. But how could you say it's anything other than the Dodgers? Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Otani. Correct. And I don't know who their fifth is, but does that matter? No. I mean, but Seattle's really good too. Really? You put it up against that? Seattle staff is good. Yeah? Really good. Again, the Dodgers have bigger names. And I'm not telling you those guys suck. They're all good. They are probably number one. If they are, Seattle might be second. I just think that Mariners staff is really, really good. We continue with your calls. We are off and running on Agenda Free Friday. Back to you after this. Now more of the show that gets Boston home. Dugger and Mass on 98.5 The Sports Hub. I'm not going to get into any specific players today. You know, there are certain conversations that we're having. and, you know, we'll see what happens with everyone. Elliot Wolfman being asked about Steph Diggs this week at the Combine. Cold fish response, which a lot of us have taken to mean he's gone. Or they're at least negotiating and they don't want to get trapped into saying anything about Steph Diggs and his future with the team when they're about to cut him, which they might be about to cut him. As Chad Graff wrote in The Athletic today, that, well, given his contract, which is $20 million in real money, six of it, which is guaranteed starting two weeks from today, one league source expects the Patriots to cut Diggs unless they're able to dramatically lower his cap hit with a reworked contract. And again, the cap hit, it's not the issue. The cap hit is non-factor. The issue is the money, $20 million in real money, That will be guaranteed if he's on the week one roster. Six million is guaranteed if he's on the roster two weeks from today. The real money is the issue. And so unless Steph Diggs gives back a significant amount in real money, because dummies, he could give back as much cap money as he needs. That's an easy thing to give back. Just play around with some of the money and you give back cap money. No, no, he's got to give back real money, actual dollars. And if he gives back real money, I guess he's got a chance, but it's got to be dramatic. There was some other reporting there from Karen Garishan and Mark Daniels that had sort of different sources giving him different things. One source said that if Diggs wants to remain in New England, he must restructure his contract to, again, lower the cap hit. Again, come on, Karen, you know better than this. The Patriots are willing to give him an incentive-laden deal that allows a veteran to earn back the money if he produces. Ah, there you go. There you go. It's not about the cap hit. It's about the guaranteed money they're going to have to give him if he's on the week one roster. Well, give us back that money and we'll put it in the form of incentives and then maybe. That kind of makes sense to me. Absolutely. Steph Diggs is going to weigh that against what other teams are offering him in terms of non-incentive money and make up the best. I'm sure he's canvassing the field right now. A second source predicted Diggs would be unwilling to restructure his contract. The team has discussed how they would replace his production. That's a sticking point due to a poor receiver class in free agency and the Patriots holding the 31st pick in the first round. So if Steph Diggs has said, I'm not restructuring my contract, the Pats have said, okay, we'll take a look at our options, and actually the options aren't so great. That's why a third source said the team was willing to keep Diggs on his current deal and swallow the cap hit. okay will they trade for a.j. brown writes kg and mark daniels there's internal interest for in trading for a.j. brown and it's not just dependent on digs according to our sources there's a scenario where the patriots could have both receivers on the roster no way well i can see the yeah well digs agrees to play for nothing uh here's the scenario digs agrees to a minimum base salary tied entirely to incentives. And, yeah, there you go. Yeah, what are the odds of that happening? That's the scenario. I know. Well, that's what I mean. I just don't see that happening. The scenario is... Maybe I'm wrong. The scenario... Okay, there's a scenario where the Patriots could have both receivers on their roster. Sure, yes. There's also a scenario where I'm banging Elizabeth Hurley. It's just not going to happen. You know what I mean? Sure. And not that I would want to, lover. No, but I know what you mean. You know what I mean? Like, yeah. So there's a scenario... That Elizabeth Hurley wants to bang her. Right. That's a more realistic thing. Okay. There's also this scenario is that Steph Diggs and A.J. Brown both allow themselves to get bent over by the team and take horrible team-friendly deals. So, yes, of course. Then you could also, in that scenario, have Tyree kill too. I don't mean to mock Aaron Goreshian and Mark Daniels, but let's just call this for what it is. There's a money consideration. Not cap consideration. Money. Money consideration. Definitely there's a money consideration. Diggs is due real money. A.J. Brown is due real money. The scenario of them both being on the team, I would assume entails them giving back a lot of that real money. Yeah, unlikely. I think that they can say there's a scenario. And as you said, you can come up with one in your head. But the more I think about it, if Diggs is out and Brown is in and the money is close to a wash, the Patriots come out ahead. as much as I think Brown is slipping, I think he's a more versatile receiver than Diggs. So listen, if Diggs is out, I would absolutely bring in A.J. Brown. It's another elite top-end guy, and I would do it. Okay? This isn't me saying don't do it. I actually think you're worse. I do. I think that the inside stick-moving possession receiver that Diggs is more of, is more valuable than another guy down the boundary. And when I say another guy, I mean, you kind of have Kayshaun Booty, and I know that A.J. Brown's a different caliber of player, but who's going to do that other thing I'm talking about? That other thing, to me, is more valuable, but I'm kind of biased. I prefer the chain-moving over the middle of the field guy versus the big boundary receiver down this. That's just me. I actually think that's a net loss to go from Diggs. Diggs from last year to A.J. Brown. There's no guarantee Diggs is going to be what he was last year. You know, Steph Diggs, guys like that tend to go bad like milk. So who knows what you're going to get from Diggs next year. But Diggs last year, I would predict that A.J. Brown would give you less than Diggs did last year. But we'll see. No, you might be right. I mean, again, their totals from this past season were closer. You know, I think Diggs had 85 catches. Brown had 78. They were both just barely over 1,000 yards. but Brown has not been a huge volume guy in his career. Okay. Back to your calls here. As promised, Dan in the car on the Patriots. Hi, Dan. So, Hey, how you doing? So with the NFL player report card coming out yesterday and you know, what we went through with the, uh, with the hall of fame vote and craft being passed over, the bottom line is I think we have to focus on the fact that craft ultimately is the greatest owner in NFL history. And I'm not a, I'm not a hog for craft. I'll tell you, but there are eight owners that are in the Hall of Fame that have owned a team in the Super Bowl era. And if you go by Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl appearances, no owner even comes close to the success that Kraft has had. Okay, so listen, Dad, I'm just going to stop you. He belongs in the Hall of Fame, and I think at the root of it, he's a good owner. I think there's plenty of things to pick apart. I think the Krafts could have invested more in their team and the whole operation than they have, which isn't to say that they haven't invested in it or that they're bad owners. I just don't think they've gone the full distance in terms of spending money on the field or off. And I think, like any owner, they deserve to be scrutinized over that. And so, unlike a lot of other people in town, we're going to scrutinize them for it. Because I think the owners deserve the same scrutiny that we give players and coaches. So that's what I would say about Robert. But he is obviously a good owner. He is. Rusty in Chicago on the hockey Go ahead Rusty I believe this show once had a discourse about Helsinki syndrome Well I actually been diagnosed after the Finns lost that lead to Canada and ultimately lost at the end of that game. I was thinking that it was a choke, and I realized you can't choke when you're 5-1 underdogs. That would be like if the Rams came back and won that Super Bowl in 01. Rusty, I can't believe we're still talking Finnish hockey. They ended up exactly where they should be and where they've always been and where they will always be. The bronze medal game, sometimes they'll win it. Mostly they'll lose it. But that's where they will always be is the bronze medal game because there's something in the Finnish water and air that causes them to choke. It's just I don't know what it is, but it is. It's not an underachievement. They're doing exactly what they're supposed to do. Like, underachievement is a choke. They're being exactly, they're the fourth best hockey nation in the tournament. They're in the third. You would think then once, then they would break through. What is this guy's obsession with Finland? I don't know why we've got to keep going back to it. I told you what they are. I've told you what they are for years. And that's exactly what they were. They are a bronze medal game country. Always, always, always, always. Talking yourself into being excited about winning a bronze medal might be the saddest thing I've ever heard on these airwaves. I mean, Finland is a hockey-playing country. Isn't that far off from us? And we've passed them because we've dedicated ourselves to it and the national program and all that. But on top of it all, we also have balls. And there's something, maybe there's little ones in Finland. I don't know what it is. They won the gold the last Olympics when no one played in it. Like, that's when they'll win. Otherwise, they are in the bronze medal game. Usually they're to lose it. Sometimes every now and then like this one, they'll lose. I mean, they'll win it. They had a good squad this year. They led Canada 2-0. You choked. They're a good team. How many people do you think spend this much energy on Finland? You know, I don't know. I started it, and Rusty can't let it go. Let's just let it go, Rusty. Matt New Bedford, go. Do they have a Finnish KGP, and is that guy just a secret agent over here? two quick points on the Bruins guys. Number one, I'm so disappointed in Bruins fans. I know they introduced Swayman and McAvoy together for their gold medal and to cheer and whatever. But even if they did it separately, they still would have cheered that freaking loser. Oh, he couldn't even dress to be the backup. He had to rest. Oh, that pissed me off so freaking much. I can't believe it. And I had to watch this guy parade and get a gold medal. Do you think he actually believes he actually did anything for that? Yes. He definitely does. Yes, he does. Yeah. For sure he does. Absolutely. He's peacocking around with that medal like you read about. They could have picked anybody to be on that team. He got picked. Well, I would say anyone could have been in net in that game that he was in. I mean, you could have let in those goals from the Italian red line there, Miss. Definitely. Easy. Yeah. No problem. I don't look better than him doing it. And you wouldn't have blamed the background, the fact that the seats weren't up against the boards. And I have bad eyes. For the dark half boards. Give me a break. Ben in the car on the Red Sox. Hi, Ben. Hey, guys. Thanks for taking the call. Curious to hear your guys' thoughts on who you think the fifth starter is going to be. I think one through four is pretty locked in. My guess would be OV8 to start the year. And if you think the same, how long of a leash do you think he gets? And then quickly on Meyer, it seems like we're trending towards a Meyer-Monasterio split to start the year at second. But that's probably the best option we have at this point. We're going to update you on Meyer here in a second from his first spring training appearance. the uh give me the rotation mess okay so uh the rotation is going to be uh let me go slow now uh crochet and then then in no particular suarez sunny gray sunny gray bayo and then probably oviedo okay what why shouldn't it why can't it be totally early it could be but it probably won't why because uh oviedo has been a and i'm not telling you i like it Oviedo, by the way, I'll just say in general that with the, I understand your point, give it to a young guy, which I like the idea of. But the general topic of who the fifth starter is bores me to death. But it doesn't mean because I'll tell you why. No, I understand what you're saying. They're young guys. I'm interested in the young guys. Why are they, and it ties into Meyer. Why are they dicking around with some of their young guys? Is it back to the service time thing? Maybe. The fifth starter is a perfect spot to run your young arm in. The best spot. And see what you got there. Yep. So, how old's Oviedo? 28-ish. So, he's not like... 26, maybe. I got to look it up. But you had a couple guys there, totally in early, come up, pitching some big games. Yep. Show some promise. I mean, early pitched the effing deciding game of the playoff series, didn't he? He did. But he's going to start the year in Pawtucket over a sort of journeyman guy? Why? I'm with you. I don't understand why Oviedo is even here. If you want to know the truth, I don't understand the urgency to get them. I think they're so obsessed with operating like a mid-market team that they're doing the service time thing. Maybe. Unless, I don't know, the kid can't hit the side of a barn this spring. I don't know. I haven't followed that close. But that's sort of aggravating that you're going to – Marcelo Meyer, and again, he just went deep. He did. He hit a home run. So you're going to have some sort of like Montessario or Mikey – who? What's his name? Romero. Romero. Or kind of Falefa, who's how old? in there instead of Marcelo Meyer, and you have like a journeyman Oviedo instead of one-year good young arms, who you could just sort of bring along in that fifth spot. I agree. That would frustrate me if I were a Sox fan. I mean, I got to see more of Oviedo. I don't like the profile, though. I can tell you that. He had trouble throwing strikes the other day, and that's who he's been. I can't stand guys like that. They're a waste of time. I'm going to get you interested in the fifth starter spot, Maz, because it's another opening to rip the Sox. Yeah, so look, again, but to me, it's less about the fifth starter than it is about the philosophy of what they're doing with the young guys. Their approach. So I'm interested in that. That part I am interested in. But whether it's, you know, if it were Oviato and who's the lefty they have? Patrick Sandoval? Who gives a rat's ass? Why are we doing that as opposed to one of those young kids? Yeah, so I would rather have one of the young guys in there too. Here's an update with Big Jim, and then we come back again. Marcelo Meyer, who they've buried so far, goes deep. We'll react to that coming up after the headlines. Now more of Belker and Birds on the Sports Hub When Marcelo like I said yesterday or two days ago we'll give him the baton but he has to run if he wants to be the start of the second baseman in Cincinnati there's a lot of work to do. It's not a given that he's second baseman or third baseman for this team. There's a lot of things that he needs to show us this spring and we expect him to do that because he's that talented but at the same time there's a lot of guys here that can do the job. What's important for him? There's a lot. I mean, baseball related. He wasn't great offensively last year. He'll be the first one to tell you that. Defensively, he was excellent. Base running-wise, he's really good. But offensively, there's more. We know that, but he has to show us that he can handle this. How much of that is hitting left-handed pitching? I think he's hitting at all. It's not only lefties, you know. It's just be consistent out there. And he'll be the first one to tell you. And if he doesn't, he's lying to you guys. So I know he has a lot of confidence in his ability. He'll tell you that he can hit at this level. But last year in the small sample size, he was okay. He wasn't great. I think he was doing an outstanding job towards the end. We need to control the zone, not chase so many pitches. So we will see some trends. And if we feel comfortable with him, he'll be the guy. Alex Cora, who hates Marcelo Meyer, because the Red Sox, for whatever reason, hate Marcelo Meyer. They're busting the kids' balls all spring. And in his second at-bat today, he goes opposite field, right? No, no, pulled it to right. I'm sorry. It's going on as I'm watching. No, don't worry. I didn't see where it went. Was it against a lefty or a righty? Right-hander. Okay. Either way. But the guy he hit it against is a legit reliever, Raysal Iglesias, who's been around for a long time. And I've always liked. He's a pretty good pitcher. So, look, he got a 3-1 pitch, Jimmy said, because I just looked up and saw him circling the bases and then saw a replay of it, but he got himself into a 3-1 count. The ball was tailing away, and he belted it in the right field seats. You know, but just the way Cor is talking about him, it's like in this day and age, it's almost unprecedented, especially in baseball, for a manager to, you know, so that's just, well, you know, so Alex says he needs to get better. We'll give him the baton, but he's got to run with it, you know, and he's got to improve on a lot of areas. Well, it's just against left-handers, right? no actually he sucked against everybody and you know as he worked out last year he was okay said Corey that line in there he was okay he drafted this kid fourth overall okay but should they just give him the job no but he can play even a dummy like me watches him and says he can play and does he struggle against lefties yeah sure bad at bat sure he's young put him in there and get him to learn to hit left-handed hitting you drafted him as a special guy and you haven't even given him a chance to to to do it and the reason mass i'd be happy i'm fine with busting uh busting the balls of a young player who might not get it i'm all for it in fact but i don't trust him I don't trust the Red Sox if that's what that's about. I don't, because he hasn't signed their contract, so there's a service time thing with him. And if he had signed a contract, would they treat him differently? I'm dubious because of who they are and how they operate. It's a good question. So I don't trust them that they're just doing this because they feel it's the best way to reach this young man and who we believe in, but we want to, no, it's, oh, you're not going to play ball with us on the contract? F you. and that's where I think they're coming from. It's a joke that you're talking about Montessario, kind of Falefa, or any of these guys over Marcelo Meyer at second or third I don care where it is but why you wouldn start the year with him is beyond me unless it the money And it the same reason why early or totally won't start the year with the team because are we talking about service time? What are we talking about? Maybe. I don't trust him. Long story short. Well, and you shouldn't trust them. You know, part of the thing I want to see this spring is like, where's the line? In other words, what does he have to do to make the team? So last year, he had a good spring. He had, you know, I was looking it up this morning, 36 at-bats. He hit over 300. The OPS was like 940 or 950. I mean, he hit for power. He knocked in runs. He played good defense. Cora praised him for the way he ran the bases. And then it was all ignored, and he started the season on AAA. Exactly, and Campbell made the team. Who sucked in the spring. So usually they've made their decisions before they show up. Right. Usually. So let's see. And the other thing is that, you know, this is, I think, their seventh game of the spring, maybe their eighth game of the spring. They only have 30. And he's not going to play nine innings every time he goes out there. So how many at-bats does he get? Like, ideally, if you want him to break with the team, he's got to get 40 at-bats. You know, most of the leaders will get 50. And there's some minor league games in the air that don't show up and stuff like that. But ballpark is like 40 at-bats. So let's see how they use him. Like, let's see how they – how often is he out there? Who's he playing against? Is he going to play tomorrow after playing today? I doubt it. So, like, I want to see. But that thing today with that second at bat was encouraging. I mean, let's just see what they do with it and see how they manage it. Grab a couple more phones here. Here's Mac in Marshfield on the Celtics. Hi, Mac. Hi, guys. First of all, I just want to say Celtics look very impressive during their West Coast road trip, even with the no-show in the second half in Denver. But I believe it raised some concerns about Jalen Brown's efficiency. Over the last 20 games, he's shooting 24 shots a game with only 43% from the field and 29% beyond the arc with four turnovers. And I just want to hear your thoughts on how important Jason Tatum's return can be to managing the workload. and um it's okay what do you mean managing the workload of brown or tain i'm gonna work him back in it should make everybody better and adding a first team all nba player helps and any suggestion otherwise makes me want to blow my brain out or brains or just singular either way is preposterous than the stuff that we've heard this week uh but the first thing about Jalen Brown and his efficiency. He's turning into a true number one, which is I'm going to get mine if it takes me 30 shots a game. Chuck and Duck. Isn't that the way that that goes? Yeah, pretty much. This whole idea, too, of how it's going to affect the dynamic, it should make Brown better. He shouldn't take as many shots. Right, and he shouldn't have to deal with as much ball pressure and everything else. It should free him up to play the game that he's suited to play, and if he gets a better matchup than Tatum gets, which in the playoffs he usually does, it should free him up to be the MVP of the finals. Well, the thing I saw in the game that I watched, it's unfortunate that the Denver game was the first game I've really watched in anger in a while. I think Bruce Brown exposed him on the handle, and that's sort of a thing in the playoffs. You get defensive pressure, and Jalen Brown has a hard time with that. His handle is still not high end, right? But the whole thing about his efficiency, He's their number one scoring option, and he's the guy. So he's going to put up the shots it takes to get what he needs to get. Absolutely. Welcome to the NBA. We got a long commercial-free segment coming your way next. We'll have a review here. Our first ABS challenge of the day. The call of the field is a ball. The catcher is challenging. We will take a look, and it is a strike. So the catcher was right, and that one kind of right down the middle. Yeah. Gets the call of strike on the inside, and Contreras wants an ABS review, so we will get a chance. The call of the field is a strike. The batter is challenging. We get the look, and that's a ball. Oh, yeah, he's right. You've missed two, and one was right down the middle, and one was two inches outside, Now you're like alright I'm having a bad day and everybody knows he gave up. The call the field is a ball, the catcher is a challenger. Was the call and it is another successful challenge. 2-1 pitch here from Harrington. The call the field is a ball, the catcher is a challenger. And it is a strike so a successful overturned call. Trier is here with two on and two out. Takes called strike, struck out back. Call the field strike the batter's chance they make the challenge they shall overturn Boston change their challenge ball is indeed the call overturn Boston keeps the challenge missing there it's a ball but they will challenge catchers challenge Pittsburgh has one challenge The crowd gives the cheer Oh the Fenway faithful are undefeated Even here in Fenway South So you like that Murray? Oh it's the best when the crowd gets on them too Hey you loser how about that You need the robot to do the job correctly You blind idiot behind the plate It's the best And it's going to make them better I'm convinced of it it's worked in the minors. They're going to learn the strike zone a little bit better rather than being the lazy pigs they are behind the plate. So I am interested in some of the mechanics of it. Like, so if you want my opinion, I think umpires are airing early in these games, especially on the side of forcing a challenge. That's just my opinion. Oh, they're practicing missing calls? No. Yeah. I think they are honestly. Interesting. Because I think the managers want their starters to do it, and the only chance they're going to get is early in games. To test it. Yeah. To test the system. They want to test it. So they're faking sucking Murray. Well, it comes easily to that. Given some of the strikes that you see, maybe there is something to that. Some of these are right down the middle. Yeah, they're right down the middle, ball. Oh, go at yourself. Throw up the ABS. Show it again. So maybe the whole thing's practice. I'm going to practice sucking. I think they're saying. I'm going to practice calling you out on it. I bet the managers are saying, look, if it's close in the first three innings and you have a chance with nobody on, like, give us a chance to challenge it. Interesting. And also, just quickly, like the Red Sox and many teams are telling when they're on defense, when their pitchers are on the mound, they don't want their pitchers to call for the challenge. They want their catchers to do it. And, you know, Chris Sale has said, like, half the time when he finishes delivery, he's not even looking at the plate anyway. so like i'm interested in some of that like who's going to call them and when and chorus says he doesn't want his hitters generally to do it early in games he wants them to do it late in spring training they're doing it differently again for the reason i said but you know i'm eager to see how they handle it when it comes to nut cutting time and for the first time too i should have sent the clip so walker bueller who's now at the phillies was here it was the first time i've seen a player really bitch about it and his whole thing was well you know if you've been around long enough there's certain calls you're gonna get buddy I don't want balls and strikes called on seniority because you've been in the league 10 years go f yourself I want them called correctly so uh I will let it I'll judge it fairly uh but as I'm sitting here today I'm still against missed balls and strikes to me are not a problem in the game it doesn't bother me at all I think they've largely addressed the problem in the game which is pace of play uh they've have yet to really address another big problem, which is there's just too many strikeouts and not enough balls in play in traditional baseball action. That's still a problem. I think those are the two biggest problems in the game, the pace of the play and balls in play. They've gotten the first thing, and I'm worried that this is going to impact the first thing. It's just a slow drip. You know, five seconds here, 10 seconds there, 30 seconds here, 30 seconds there. It all adds up. And so I don't care that it misses a call. and I don't, and frankly, Maz, it's a 10-2 game, and it's freezing, and it's time to get the hell out of there. So the umpire's going to widen the strike zone. Let's get the F out of here. I don't want him sitting there circumcising the mosquito on the corners. Swing. Let's go. And I want the umpire to manage the game like that. This is going to prevent him from managing the game, so get ready for, and I thought you'd just turn the TV off, I know. Well, in cases of something like that. 10-2 April 20th, you're freezing your balls off. And I don't blame the player. Every at-bat matters for him and his earning. He's not going to take it. So we're sitting here challenging plays in a 10-2 game on April 20th at 32 degrees. Okay, great, neat, get it right, good, excellent. In cases like that, there has to be some sort of gentleman's agreement that, look, we need to get the F out of here. Yeah, I don't know how they legislate that out. But, look, that one's a good point. I mean, I don't want that either. They don't have unlimited challenges. I mean, I think that I don't even have to look it up. I don't know if they get two or three. Well, if they get them right, they do. Yeah, I'd have to check. I thought as long as they – It's two challenges, and if you get them both right, you keep going. Right. Okay. Yeah, so if you're right, you keep going. It's like being hot at the craps table. But look, listen, I'm fair. If it doesn't slow down the game, if the game time remains the same and it's unobtrusive and it works, I'll say it works. but as I'm sitting here today, I don't need it. I just don't. But your thoughts, okay? I promise. Write your calls after Big Jim Murray's update. 90 seconds. No commercials here.