Baseball Characters plus World Baseball Classic at Spring Training

341 BaseballBiz WBC MLB Spring Training

Mark Corbett: [00:00:00] Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. I'm Mark Corbett, and with me of course is Mr. Germain. And we are going to dig deep dives into what's happening with spring training and even we're gonna have a little fun too. We're gonna talk about the characters in baseball.

Larry Rothschild brought up some real interesting ideas on that, the last show we had here. So Mat said, Hmm, mark, maybe we ought to slice and dice these and see what we come up with. So, hey Mat, how's it going today, brother? 

Mat Germain: I am living, the spring is coming. Dream and, and, and spring trainings arrived a long time ago, but I say a long time ago, a short time ago, but now it's starting to feel like spring temperature wise and everything is shifting and I'm excited for baseball.

Mark Corbett: Yep. 

Mat Germain: The, the World Baseball Classic begins tonight. 

Mark Corbett: Yep. 

Mat Germain: There 

Mark Corbett: you go. Uh, you know, and it has been amazing to watch these teams. I have taken the advantage of having, living in Florida and being able to see basically scrimmage [00:01:00] games between MLB uh, teams here in Florida, and also with the, some of the World Baseball classic teams.

For instance, yesterday I went to Dunhedin, Florida. Watch the Toronto Blue Jays there. They are playing at their little, you know, at their home, uh, spring training facility there. Mm-hmm. And who are they facing off Canada? Yes. I'm glad I got tickets in advance. That place was packed. It was absolutely packed.

I mean, there's a lot of good Canadian folks who come down here and live in the area during the, uh, cold, what, colder months up north. Mm-hmm. And, but even so, it was such talent, you know, to be able to see all those good folks out there. Uh, I gotta tell you though, Mat. I didn't sustain. I, I did not, brother.

Uh, it was 81 degrees and I think it was 70 or 80% humidity, and I was in the sun. I sat in the sun for an hour [00:02:00] and a half before the game started. I don't know what kind of masochistic tendencies had me do that, but, uh, you know, yeah. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Mark, I am so pale white at this point after a long Canadian winter that I would've.

Love to switch spots with you for just that, that hour and a half or extra that, that I could have gotten. I'm, I'm like on the brink of, of severe vitamin D deficiency to the point where I need to go into, you know. Remission and, and kind of start all over from scratch again because I'm, uh, I'm feeling it.

I need, I need some sun. I need some warm weather. And, uh, I did watch, uh, some highlights of that game and I, I saw the, the game today for Canada against the Phillies. And they finally pulled off a win. So they get some good feels before the, the World Baseball Classic. But it's, it's, it's interesting because we've been watching spring training and you can see like, it's like watching a turtle, [00:03:00] turtle, turtle hare, you know?

And so it, it, all of a sudden all the games have meaning. It's like, oh, we just got here. What do you mean the games have meaning? They're not ready for it. . Somebody threw out there, , all their favorite teams and everything else. What are your feelings , on the World Baseball Classic and, and what you're expecting?

Mark Corbett: Well first I'm hoping and praying for safety. Okay, I'm gonna start, we will go into deeper, maybe deeper on that. I, I'm looking forward to the excitement of watching what's gonna happen with the Dominican Republic team. Uh. I mean, there's maybe only three positions that don't have a Major League baseball player on there.

And that's only because they're professional baseball players in other countries. They're this, this isn't some college kid that they just added. And that is just, I, I, I'm looking forward, I wanna see them do well. Um, you know, we all, a lot of us talk about pulling for our own home team or. Country. But I, the, the beauty of seeing those kind of [00:04:00] players out there is, let's see.

Just go down a list here in a moment if I can find it. Uh, who's gonna from the Dr. Amazing, amazing group of people. Oh, here we go now. Pitchers. Albert Abreu, who from the, uh, dragons and Sandy Accon? Elvis Alvarado from the Athletics Bray and Be or Bello from Red Sox. Who else? I'm not gonna say all of them. Let's see. Uh, Juan Mejia from the Rockies. Juanie Peralta from the Padres. Luis Severino from the A's, uh, Gregory Soto over the Pirates.

Christopher Sanchez from, uh, the Phillies. And Abner Uribi from the Brewers. Then we get to the infield and you see Junior Caminero from the Rays, Vladdy Junior from the Blue Jays, Manny Machado from the Padres, Ketel Marte with the diamond backs. Geraldo Perdomo from the diamond backs, Jeremy Pena with Astros, Ahmed Rosario from the Yankees, and Carlos [00:05:00] Sani with the Diamondbacks.

Let's, and here we go. I'm gonna give you the last part of it. Boys and girls, the Outfielders, O'Neill Cruz. Junior Lake, Julio Rodriguez with the Mariners, , Juan Soto with the Mets and Fernando Tatis Jr. With the Padres. I'm sorry, does it, it sounds like an All Star weekend to me. 

Mat Germain: Yeah, the biggest equalizer that I see, 'cause I got that exact message, , today that, about the Dominican Republic team being so dominant on paper, and it was the same thing last year, but the big equalizer is the Japanese pitching.

To me, those are the two most dominant of, uh, like when you're looking at the WBC overall, if you were to pick a lineup to dominate everyone, it would be the Dominican Republic and the pitching. So it's a battle of wits between the two. And at this time of year, unfortunately, pitching always gets the edge.

Mark Corbett: Oh yeah. 

Mat Germain: That's why [00:06:00] Japan has so much success in the WBC. And, and the names that you said for , the Dominican Republic are okay. Like they're good, but they're not ramped up to the same level as the Japanese ones are going to be. And they're, sort of more concentrated to be quite honest on, on the season and making sure they don't over exceed their innings, pitch, their velocity, all that kind of stuff.

And the pitch usage might be a little bit different than what they would normally throw, so. All that to be said, like the US is still gonna have a very, , potent team they have an intriguing mix of lineup and pitching. Uh, you have teams that I like on paper that are kind of interesting just because they're a bunch of.

You know, blue collar guys that I think can pull some things together, like Team Italy is fun to watch. Great Britain actually has some interesting characters as part of it. Um, I want to see Australia do well. They have a couple of guys that are up and coming that are very young, but in, no, on those stages, [00:07:00] you know, if they get to push their team to a surprising win, that's a huge notch in their belt for, for that country.

Those are the kinds of moments that I enjoy through the WBC. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: , I do think that Japan and Dominican Republic are gonna be pretty hard to stop

but I'm, I'm drinking a, I don't know if you can see it. I'm drinking. 

Mark Corbett: What are you drinking? 

Mat Germain: A Sapporo. Because I do think that Ja Japan is gonna, actually, it's, it's gonna pull it off. I do think, , that, , Yamamoto and Ohtani leading the way. Like they just have such a, uh, cohesive group. 

Yep. 

The Canadian team is young.

The kid, like, I wish I could cheer louder for the Canadian team. And they have, you know. Remember the, the Boston Red Sox and the idiots, like, they didn't know they were supposed to lose, and they just kept winning and kept winning. Like, so the, the Canadians could pull off some [00:08:00] surprising wins because they do have talent on board.

, But the pitching would have to show up at a higher level than what I'm expecting right now based , , on the names that I'm seeing on paper. 

Mark Corbett: , We look at these and yet at the youth of some of these teams, like you're saying with Canada, and you will see how they grow into it.

And I, I really wanna see them succeed. I feel like Japan and the USA both have strong teams each year no Mater what. And after watching part of that game last night from the Dominican Republic and the Tigers, oh my gosh. And to see Junior Caminero perform the way he did. It was just absolutely stunning and I said, I want more.

Gimme, gimme, gimme. I want more. I wanna, I wanna see them as a team. You know, let's get the WBC to be a whole dag on league in itself. I wanna see these guys standing up for their own country and, and the kind of great performances that they were giving. 

Mat Germain: I don't know what's [00:09:00] preventing the Rays from extending Junior Caminero, but I'm telling you right now, if he keeps going in a trajectory that I think he's going, he's going to exceed what Vladdy Guerrero just got.

. 

So the more they sit on their hands and wait, the more expensive he's gonna get. And, and, 'cause I don't see him slowing down the way v Laddie did for a couple of years. V Laddie had kind of like this. , Conditioning moment where he needed to reset things after his MVP year. I don't know if he partied too much or if he, he kind of slowed down or had some adjustment issues, but I, I don't anticipate the same kind of deal , with Junior Caminero and the more, when you're looking at the second half of his season last year, it just speaks to an All star, you know.

Coming into form. , I expect him to have a huge year this year, like 50 plus home runs. So the exit velocity on that, in that game that you're talking about, uh, was a hundred and eighteen, a hundred sixteen, a hundred and fourteen, like consistent, like [00:10:00] just hammering the ball. And at his age, at 22, 23, whatever he is, I mean, come on, it's, it's only gonna get worse as he gets closer to 30.

Mark Corbett: Yeah, yeah. You know, you treat him right now. If he build love with a young man now, then hopefully it'll go easier by the we, he gets the free agency and I don't know what, what arbitration would look like, but man has definitely got the numbers and he's definitely got the attitude to keep going there.

, As long as we're talking about Rays. It was interesting 'cause the day I decided to go yet to another spring training game, and this one wasn't out there in 82 degree heat with 70% humidity like it was in Dunedin. But I was in the shade and I'm in Lakeland and I'm watching the Tigers and there they are facing Panama.

Two rays, two rays are out there. The one I was expecting. The other one I didn't realize was going to be there, [00:11:00] and the one I was expecting was the base stealing champion from last year. Who's a Yankee these days? That's Jose Caballero. And man, anytime I could watch him on the field, I'll be there. It was just fantastic to see him.

He didn't have his best day, but it was still good to see him out there. Now the other fella today played first base, but he started out playing catcher. We're talking about Christian Bethancourt. I hadn't thought about him in a while. I think he's got some kind of business somewhere around here in the Tampa Bay area.

But, uh, to see him playing as well, that was pretty cool. 

Mat Germain: That's awesome. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, 

Mat Germain: anytime you can see some guys that are familiar, like sometimes you'll show up to a game on occasion and not really be a hundred percent familiar 'cause it's a team coming from away. They called somebody up that you didn't expect, you didn't even know they were on the team, and then suddenly they're in the game.

You're like, oh man, I remember that guy. Where has he [00:12:00] been? 

Yeah. 

And then you look into it and you, you find out all the, all the things that he's been up to. And it, it's always interesting to see where they wind up and, and who they hook up with in terms of teams and, and minor leagues, uh, down the road.

Mark Corbett: Austin Meadows' Little brother is with the Tigers. Remember that when Austin left the Rayss, he wound up being with the Detroit Tigers, and then he pretty much decided he needs some time. Well, Parker, his younger brother, was up and coming and he's still playing with the Tigers, so that was

pretty cool to see him there as well. But man, I love spring training. I mean, for one reason, the games, I don't worry about 'em much. You wanna see players try different things. You wanna see teams bring in the, the, the younger players and put them out in the field and mix it up a little more. They're gonna be conservative in their use of some of their BA best players because they don't want anybody being hurt before the, uh, real season begins.

And, uh, it's. It's a different kind of feel, but [00:13:00] I think if you're there just because you enjoy baseball, you're gonna be okay if you're there. 'cause you're expecting your team to just knock it out and you wanna see your best players in every inning, then wait till the regular season, but 

Mat Germain: Yep, I agree. , The season is shaping up to be an interesting one.

I don't know if you feel the same way that I do, mark, but I feel like. There is so much talent right now that is coming through all at once. And I don't know if it's because teams are bringing them from the draft more quickly into the show, if that rule that they've put in where everybody's competing for a rookie, um,

draft pick or whatever you want to call it, like if they're all competing for that. But I feel like you've got the veterans, you've got the Jacob de Groms, the this, that, and then you've got a huge mix. Like there's such an intriguing mix of people and it, I was doing some of my drafts this year and I had a really hard time separating my feelings for historically great [00:14:00] guys.

Yeah. And my feelings for up and coming guys, and I was just like. It's a balance. Like I don't, I think the last time that I felt like this was when Joey Votto, Ryan Braun and all those guys were coming through and be, and they were rookies, it was like 2008 or something like that, where they had this amazing draft class and everybody was coming up at the same time.

Kershaw was part of it. Like that group, that draft class was just so amazing that you had this. Big glut of people coming through, and then all the old guys hanging around like Jeter Rodriguez, yada. So the mix of all those guys were still impressive. And I feel like right now with, I could go through names, I mean some guys that are just coming into their own of being mega stars at Cal Raleigh, for instance.

What a character, right? You, you talk about the dumper like. Not only does he have great statistics and a great personality and everything else that goes, but he is got the great nickname. Like it just, it's one of those [00:15:00] things where, um, I find this season has a lot of those kinds of guys that you're just cheering for regardless of whether they're on your team or not.

And, and the rookies coming through, like you just spoke about Junior Caminero, there's uh, Paul Skenes and the new. Guy that's gonna be on the field with him, with Connor Griffin, uh, who's impressing a lot of people in Pittsburgh, and he's putting them on the map like they are becoming a magnet for media attention, which I love to see.

Um, I mean, we, we can go through like the, the list that we were, we were developing, but I think , . The 2026 season, if it goes and it doesn't have so much concentration on CBA talks outside of a surprise, surprise, we signed a five year deal. No, that's not gonna happen. I know. Yeah. I'm hoping it does Mark and, , I just feel it the 2026 season now with the WBC coming out tonight, it feels [00:16:00] good.

Like outside of politics, outside of everything else going on around the world. Baseball wise with the A BS coming in with all the youth talent, with all the characters that we're gonna talk about, it feels like there's an opportunity this year to have a really amazing season. 

Mark Corbett: Well, you're talking about looking, you said a unique year because of having some, a lot of great youngsters coming in, and then you've got some very seasoned folks.

So what are you thinking when you're looking at Verlander and Scherzer? What, what are, what, what do you, what's your mindset with them? 

Mat Germain: My, my mindset is sort of like what we talked about with Larry Rothschild, where we're like, there's a lot of. Of, of living, uh, work experience, et cetera, that needs to be transferred or downloaded from one generation to the next.

And the more those guys hang around, we saw with the Rays with Rich Hill and a bunch of guys that would kind of sit on the bench and, and, and you would see them [00:17:00] literally holding court, like talking to everybody around them. And they were, everybody was gravitating to them. Uh, Charlie Morton was another one.

There's a lot of of. You know, really good information and I love where they're going. So Verlander with the Tigers, you know, he is got a glut of youth that he can influence and be a part of and and get them exciting, excited about being a part of the history of the game. I don't think baseball has ever changed in that way, and that's why Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and all those guys still.

Yearn to be in the Hall of Fame and no Mater what they say publicly, they wanna be in it. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Because everybody cherish that. That's part of what makes baseball special. Outside of the commissioner of the league, everybody cherishes the history of the game and they want to be a part of it in a positive way and learn from the past, be a part of the future [00:18:00] and, and be.

You know, as best as they can be in the present. So when Verlander and Scherzer and those kinds of guys continue to play and they're part of it, it excites me. 'cause I, I think it only good things can come out of that. And watching Scherzer in the mound during the playoffs last year was, was special. Right?

And, and he performed well. He wasn't a complete bust. , The more of those kinds of stories we can have to tell, the better. 

Mark Corbett: Well, and that's you, your challenge to me, I guess, and really to everybody is who are the characters of baseball? You know? And you say, Hey Mark, can you come up with five? I'll come up with five.

Actually, I couldn't stop coming up with characters, but I, I, there's a few that I, I gave a little depth to that we could talk about and. The one I actually, are you, you ready to do this p part of the 

Mat Germain: Absolutely no. Throw one out there and I, I could bring out 500 characters of the, no, I'm just kidding. 

Mark Corbett: You probably could, brother, but I mean, well, the one that I, I first [00:19:00] always think of with a lot of color, and that is Mr.

Joe West. I mean, my gosh, that man is been, he's a persona that, you know, the idea is, I think. In most cases that umpires are supposed to disappear. They're not supposed to even be really a visual part of the game, , that is it, but. But that ain't never gonna happen when Joe West and, but he, he gave so much entertainment.

I mean, some of the things I was looking up today, and I saw a video when he was down there as the first base umpire and that foul ball comes up and bounces or hits him right in the chest. And Joe doesn't, doesn't move. He just makes the gesture for foul and gets it right onto it. And, and one of the commentators said something about, well, there's Joe.

He's, he's, he's a sturdy fella. And then you see Joe, he just, he takes his upper body, he sc scratches it up and he pulls his arms together and he flexes muscles and says, yeah, here I am. So I, he, I guess part of it [00:20:00] is the unexpected from an umpire, unless you're Joe West. So, you know, moments like that.

Let's see what else we had here. Uh, I'm trying to think of some of the other things that we said about him. One of 'em was of course, his music. Take from What do you like? Country, Joe West. I know he's got, I love the, the title of the song. It's, it's, it's maybe a little political, but walking on the fighting side of me and I'm thinking, what's he talking about?

Taking a walk. Is he talking about going side by side? But the whole idea of walk walking on the fighting side of me, I said, well, Joe is ready for a fight at any time. Not actually "fist-a-cuffs", but he certainly would have an argument with any manager or player , who wanted to challenge him on the field.

, He's my first one, who's one of yours? 

Mat Germain: So I'm gonna start, because last year I'd been hoping for Milwaukee to, to win it all because of Bob Uecker, right? Oh yeah. And I think when you're talking about baseball, to me the [00:21:00] characters of the game starts with the announcers. Yeah. And, and, and I am privy to having grown up with a.

Earbud in my ear, or, uh, headphones on my ear, I should say. And, and listening to baseball as much as I could, whether I was mowing the lawn, walking on my bike, uh, going to sleep and supposed to be sleeping, but hiding headphones under my pillowcase so I could continue listening to the game. Radio announcers and announcers in general, I have a lot of respect for because of that, and it's what got me, you know, you, you learn so much from these people and they are so.

Energetic in a lot of ways that you can't even bring yourself to do. Even if you're faking it in front of the mirror sometimes and you were just on your own, you would be almost embarrassed to do what it is that they do. So when I think of the characters of the game, I think of Tom Hamilton. You could show me highlight after highlight, after highlight, and, and he is one of those guys that just every time I, I could be.

Uh, doing something else and the highlight [00:22:00] comes on where his voice is on because he's the one announcing it. And I know right away it's him. I get excited about it. He has a way of painting the picture in a way that gets you automatically involved in thinking. So to me, that's one of the characters of the game that I'm still kind of drawn to.

And I wa I look around the, the league and whenever I see him, you know, a, a part of it, it, I think it, it only enhances the game overall. 

Mark Corbett: I get that. I, I like that. I mean, there's certainly announcers who've captured my attention and they sit, hear their voice. But that is neat. I mean, as, as a youngster, you know, you were gonna be there, man.

You were gonna be in that game, whether it's sitting there in bed with a, uh, headphones or ear set, whatever to catch 'em. And I, I, those are the people who bring us back. I mean, there's. There's the players, but the storytellers and radio did so much of that. Uh, TV does does it as well, but there's the, the, when you have [00:23:00] just the voice, man, it kept you, I mean, Vince Scully, my Oh, and Harry Caray.

Harry Caray, my gosh, jumping from one announcer to another Harry Caray, while he's a character, one of my other characters. Was, uh, Bill Veeck. And the story goes that he actually asked Harry to start singing that song, take Me Out to The Ball Game. So, you know, we're talking about the Master Showman and all that sort of thing.

So that was one piece. So Bill Veeck was on my list, and that was one of the pieces. Why? The other was that when Wrigley was trying to figure out some things about how to make his park more beautiful. He, he talked to Veeck and Veeck said, why don't we put some ivy on the walls?

Now Wrigley Field's the only field that isn't padded. Uh, it's the, [00:24:00] because the ivy is actually, I think, part of, historically something that can't be touched and in and of itself. But the, uh, the one more part of that is they actually tried to grow it on the outset of the, of the building. But people kept clippings and, and taking pieces with it, so they gave up.

On doing on the app part outside of that, but he also, he was instrumental. When you think of, uh, players coming into the game, we always talk about Jackie Robinson, you know, the first, um, person to cross the color barrier. And he was in the, but if you say in Major League baseball, if you say National League and American League, it wasn't.

Probably not even three months later that you've got Larry Doby with Bill Veeck sounding him with the Cleveland Indians,, he also brought in, I guess, Satchel Paige years later as a, the MLB oldest [00:25:00] rookie into the, the league. But the one I enjoyed the most about him was with Minnie Minoso.

Now, Minnie Minoso had such a career. And he'd had three decades of games going on. Veeck brought him in and had him so that he would have. He would have a record for into a fourth decade. So he, I don't know how many games or at bats, it was limited. And then later on he brought him back again in a fifth decade to, I think as a, as a manager or maybe even had an at bat.

And to me, while is showmanship, it also shows how much he cared about people and trying to put some kind of equality into the game as well. So I, I'd have to put Bill Veeck into that mix as well. 

Mat Germain: Absolutely. No, that's a great one. It, it's one of those things where you, uh, you're able to look at the game from all different angles and you find, some guys that are really interesting and, and put their [00:26:00] stamp on the game that's longer lasting than you would ever expect.

Um, so I, I like that. Like that's, they're guys that you never actually will forget because of, of what they left behind. Once , , they're done, , being a part of the game, for their period of time. , The next one that I'll go into is, is sort of , the infectious smile, the, the, when you see them, you know, they're enjoying the game and, and they're just kind of, uh, lighting up the field.

, And I always think of Ken Griffey Jr. Right? Ah, as, as part of that mold where you're like, okay, this is where the core of baseball comes from. It's a sandlot. They're just throwing dirt around. They're happy. It feels like they're doing what they were born to be doing. So when I think of that, I think of Vladdy Guerrero, Jr.

And I think , when you're watching him hit the baseball, he's is been doing it so much for so long with so much good instruction that if you could teach a swing to make damage on a ball, you would teach that, right? That [00:27:00] there's a certain, uh, smoothness to his swing and his ability.

, So Vladdy Guerro Jr. Obviously being from Montreal, I got to see him with his dad, back when he was just eating ice cream on the bench.

, But I think, , when you're talking about the history of the game, he also ties those roots also from generation to generation and,

So Vladi Guerrero, Jr. Just, I can imagine, like if you're going around where the Blue Jays travel, right? If people see the Blue Jays are on their schedule. That's automatically who they're going to gravitate to in terms of, oh, should I get a ticket for this game?

Oh yeah. 

Do I want to see Vladdy Jr. Play And, and I think a lot of people make that decision, like, yeah, I want to see Vladdy Junior play. Like you feel like you're watching a part of his history in terms of his father and what he's doing, and then. Continuing on that tradition and, and also like just the joy and the pure, uh, [00:28:00] abilities, uh, of what he's done.

But he also makes everybody around him enjoy the game more. They, you see him chatting with the other players. You see the way he interacts with his own teammates. There's a little uniqueness about everything that he does on the field that you can say, yeah, that's a Vladdy style thing to do.

So, so I think that he, that makes him one of the characters of the game that we can actually, , enjoy when we, whenever we watch him. 

Mark Corbett: Well, he definitely captivates most fans. There's no doubt about it. I know he is a, he's an energy on the field and I was disappointed when I knew he wasn't gonna be there.

I knew he was already gonna be, you know, playing with his team with uh, uh, and not gonna be there with the Blue Jays, but it was still, , fantastic. But to see somebody like him in his, the family history of the game, his commitment to it, and his involvement with fans too, it's, uh, I get it. I get it. [00:29:00] You brought up somebody the other day and kinda stuck with me.

We were talking with Jane Leavy and baseball is fun. We're you, make me the commissioner. Baseball is fun. And you know, we think about Jesse Cole sometimes as well, but Jesus. But, I was thinking of Joey Votto. I thought you mentioned him.

I can't remember if you did or not, because when he was on rehab mm-hmm. You were talking about being up in the stands with the fans and he was, he, he would go up there and he would do, that was part of what he did. I, I liked him because he was a franchise player too. He's a guy who spent 17 years. Of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, he had a no trade clause and, but I mean, he could have left, but he chose not to.

And what was, oh my gosh. There was one in instance where, who, who's Mad Dog? Who I can't [00:30:00] think of Mad Dog's name. The, the sportscaster with the ESPN. Uh, 

Mat Germain: yeah, I know who you're talking about. Okay. Honestly, every time that I'd heard him, I was like, oh, 

Mark Corbett: so Joey's talking with him. Joey's must have been quite the cut up, but Joey is standing there in the middle of the field with a Canadian Mountie of uniform on 

Mat Germain: Chris Gru.

That's it. 

Mark Corbett: What is it? 

Mat Germain: Chris Russo. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, Chris Russo. Thank you. So he's talking with Mad Dog, Chris Russo, and he's wearing this mounts uniform there, the full brim hat. All the whole shebang, that whole red suit. Oh my gosh. I dunno if the buckle, if the buttons were polished or not. But he looked good and he called himself the red surge.

And I said, yeah, I thought, I didn't know if he was going into a world wrestlings match or, or what, but the, his, uh, well, you know, and him being Canadian, I, I felt like he certainly had his heart there as well. And [00:31:00] he was not afraid to show that he, I think he played, I know he was MVP one year, he was all Star for like six years.

Mat Germain: Yeah. I, I think he's definitely on the, uh, on the list of guys that'll probably get into the Hall of Fame, to be honest. Like in, when you're looking at the hits, totals and the performances and the average and everything else, like he did everything that you would need to do to be on that, in that conversation anyway.

Mark Corbett: . Well, . I hope so. I mean, 'cause to me, he's, he's a fun fella. He, he did a lot for the community. If you go on YouTube, you'll find all kinds of things where if there was some sick child or somebody who was up there in the front row, he made special effort to go over there, talk with 'em, give 'em a jersey, give 'em a ball, and you know, making made their day.

So I'm always glad to see a player who does all that, who has a sense of play, sense of, of being able to self deprecate and still, you know, enjoy the game. Mm-hmm. And I, I [00:32:00] think he's done that, so I, I haven't followed up to see what he's doing these days. I have to check that. 

Mat Germain: I, I would add to him, and, and he is a great call, uh, is how he got to the games and, and using the scooter and, and having like quirks about his personality and what he liked to do and what he didn't like to do that made him unique.

Yep. And, and drew fans to him like that made him, . Definitely a character of the game, and somebody that I, I think Canada wishes he'd played more, , with the Blue Jays, , through his career, just because he is, he's so close, but so far but yet so close. Yeah, so far. And, and, but he definitely Took honor in being with the Reds his entire career. And, , I think that's great. It's great that you don't see it, like you said, you don't see it very often, and he's one of those guys , that earned it, right? Mm-hmm. They, he could have asked for a trade many times when it, the Reds were not that good, but he, he.

Took on that leadership role with the [00:33:00] team and stuck around, , longer than some might have, , just because he was so happy with his role there and the team and being part of the center. Sort of like nowadays you could say Jose Ramirez is that guy with the guardians. Like he's taken on that same kind of role.

Even though he knows the struggles of the team and he knows that,, he could go into a team full loaded, full of all stars in Los Angeles if you wanted to, but nope, he's deciding to wear that cap proudly. And, uh, I tip my hat fully to any player that does that for, for the right reasons. 

Mark Corbett: One of the reasons that do Votto, if you check him out on YouTube, and it was another conversation with Chris Russo and it was playful, but he is giving you grief. He says, y'all never give any small markets any attention. I know how you feel about us. You know? And he goes, let's, and you got that great hair.

And he's just Oh, oh, [00:34:00] oh. But 

Mat Germain: that's funny. 

Mark Corbett: No, it, geez. Nope. I, the other ones I had on my list, I didn't really do any research with those, uh, any depth who I had. I had, was it Max Max Patkin the Crown Prince of baseball? 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: San Diego Chicken. That was another one I had on there. I mean, we could do a whole show on that.

There's a whole story behind, you know, when he was part of the team and when he wasn't, and all the stuff that happened afterwards. And, and then I thought if you actually talked about people of character, that would be Oh, other show. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. No, I, I had Tito Francona as my next one on the list. And I think like when you're Tom about characters of the game, like people that you would sit around a campfire with and like the sun would be coming up and you'd be like, no, no, no, no.

Tell me another baseball story, like. You know, that kind of individual. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: If you told me I had to pick four guys to have steaks with and talk baseball for, you know, two hours while having dinner, he would be [00:35:00] one of the guys I would pick at the table just because it. Like, like we, I said with the announcers, it's, it's the knowledge and the breadth of stories and the storytelling ability and making it from an angle that isn't like self-inflating.

It's more of a sharing. Right. That's what the way I see Tito is he's sort of like one of these guys that has a human element to him that you can't really teach it. It just is he is. Tito and, , people gravitate to that for a reason. , So , I think he's one of the great characters of the game that we have around.

I hope he sticks around for as long as he can. 

Yeah. 

I know that's not always, you know, easy to do health wise, but, uh, the more that he's around, the better off MLB is and, and the, the reds are, are lucky to have him. Yeah, 

he's 

one on my list. 

Mark Corbett: I was so happy to see, after he left the guardians, I thought, well [00:36:00] damn, that's a hell of a loss for baseball.

And then I hear him pop up with the reds. I said, he is just the dynamite they need to make this thing continue on. And I cannot wait. I'm, I was so excited to hear he is coming, you know, came back into the game. 'cause usually some of those great guys that have been there for a while. Uh, they're not necessarily respected enough to brought, be brought back.

I mean, we had some of that type of conversation with, uh, a couple of weeks ago, but, uh, 

Mat Germain: yeah. Geez, Tito, 

The other one that I had on my list was Logan Gilbert. Mm-hmm. And that one, that needs a little bit more explaining because 

Mark Corbett: young, 

Mat Germain: I know as a race fan or as general fans, you may not know, but he uses an alter ego when he is on the mound.

Detail, he changes into Walter. Thats his alter-ego and, and, and he becomes a fierce competitor and he switches off, you know, the Logan do no longer exist. I am Walter and [00:37:00] he, he pitches as Walter. And, and to me that is, there's something awesome about that because I know a lot of athletes have that thing, and Roy Halladay was one where, don't talk to me on pitching day.

Right? Like this just, it's my day. I'm no longer. Approachable, like, you know, distance and there's a lot of pitchers that are like that. Yeah. But again, it speaks to the characters of the game. Pitchers are quirky. Sort of like I, I think back of hockey with Patrick Wahl used to talk to his posts, right? He was thanking them because they were saving him from get, letting in more goals.

He was like, thanks guys. Thanks guys. Keep the fuck out. You know, talking to his posts. Well, it's the same kind of thing with the pictures talking to themselves like being. I've gotta switch on the game mode and become a different personality to focus. On what it is that I'm doing and there's something so like Major League esque about that.

Oh yeah. Whenever I [00:38:00] think of that, that's what it brings me to is I'm like, this is Major league. This is like, you know, unless he's reading a magazine, you know. With stories like, this is the only thing that could be more major league. Um, so I enjoy it. I, I think that we need more of that. I want to know what the pitchers quirks are.

If ever we start interviewing a, a bunch of them. I want to know like, are you eating cheese every morning because you wanna do the, all right. What is your, your, uh. Your tradition in terms of how you approach the game and, and why? Like I want to know where it came from. I wanna know how it's benefited you or how it's hurt you in some cases.

But being Walter is just so, like of all the names Mark that you could pick, is there one that is more beige than Walter? 

Mark Corbett: I can't imagine that man. I I, oh, I love the, yeah, it's about as plain Jan as [00:39:00] you can get. But do you think that immediately after the game, are they talking to Walter? 

Mat Germain: Just say, how long does it take to turn that off?

I don't know. That's a good question. Oh man. Does he use it at home? That's what I wanna know. 

Mark Corbett: Well, you know, he lives about a half hour, an hour right down the road. 

Mat Germain: There 

Mark Corbett: you go. And, and I know the pitching Academy here he is. During the off season, I'll just, I'm gonna see if I can get a push. We may not be able to get him on during the regular season, but we definitely need to get him on him and Walter, you know.

Mat Germain: Yeah. The other guy that I had on my list was Randy, Arozarena. Oh. Just because any, any guy that'll go, like you were mentioning before when we interviewed, uh, you did an interview recently when you're able to be a player and have your own section named after you 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: After the team trades, you, you have the audacity to go and sit in the crowd and become a part of, I mean.[00:40:00] 

You know, there's a lot of Randy Arozarena stories to go around. Spanking home plate, uh, the going back and forth, the, the dancing with Brett Phillips,, we could go on and on, but the, the performance that he put on in the playoffs and just his general fan friendly personality. We need more of that.

Um. Where it's not just being willing to sign autographs, it's being willing to be present. 

Mark Corbett: Yes. 

Mat Germain: In the moment with the fans and being mindful. Right. So a mindful. Part of baseball. I think he represents that and, and we need more of that, I doubt. So he's a definite character of the game that I, I think, needs to be cherished for as long as he has left.

And, uh, I'm glad he is having some success. He's finally getting paid well in, in Seattle and that team is going to do some damage this year. So, uh, he's one of the great characters. I, I love it. At some [00:41:00] point when you come back to Tampa, we've gotta get him and Brett Phillips together to have another dance off.

Mark Corbett: Oh, oh, I love it. I love it. Oh, um, if I was gonna put another one on there and I didn't think of it this morning. It would be Tommy Pham. And because of one his intensity and Yeah. And, and, and his willingness to stand up. He had lived by his own principles, you know?

Mm-hmm. He, you know, he, he gave one of the people, uh, one of his opponents all lot of grief for talking back to the ump, and then, so I think it was JomBoy goes back and says, well. I wanna look at Tommy Pham's history. So he goes back and sees all these instances with Tommy. He says he never talks back to the ump.

He never does this. So it wasn't a Mater of hypocrisy , and the things he did because of, , his own, issues with his eyes that he, challenges he has, and then meeting with groups of kids [00:42:00] who's maybe going through the same sort of thing. Those sort of pieces, you know, really feel good about Tommy, but the intensity that he brings to the game, he reminds me when you're talking about how some of these pitchers are about being locked.

In, I think Tommy does that when he, he goes to the field, but my gosh, Logan Gilbert, we gotta have you on here, brother, and you and Walter and Oh, 

Mat Germain: yeah. And, and I think the last one that I had picked out, uh, was Bryce Harper. Yeah. Just because I think the, uh. The leadership of M-L-B-P-A and being that kind of kid that had all of the pressure in the world on his shoulders in Washington to be the guy.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Right. And, and then again, sort of like what you're talking about with Joey Votto, he had the option to stay in Washington long term, decided to go somewhere else, but, [00:43:00] but I mean, he adopted Philly. The way that Mike Trout never did. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: And that says a lot for somebody to kind of go in there and he could have gone to the Yankees, he could have gone to the Mets, he could have gone where he chose Philly.

And he is wearing it like a badge of honor. And, and the way that he's fighting for the players and, and the, you know, the talking with the commissioner and the, the leadership that comes out of him and the take no prisoners and all the ups and downs that he's gone through. I think he's the grind. Style of character that baseball needs, where it's like, you know, he's blood, sweat, tears, ups, downs, pressure.

He is like when he takes his jersey off and he retires. He's gonna be like that catcher that Tom Beringer plays in Major League. He's just gonna be like, all right, I'm done. I've left it all on the field. I got 

nothing left to give. 

This is it. [00:44:00] So, uh, he's one of the last characters that I had in the game because I, there's other ones we could bring up, like Mookie Betts, Frankie Lindor, um, yeah.

You know, a whole bunch of. Pitchers and everything else, like there's so many characters. Addison Barger is another one. Sleeping on people's couches and, and you know, I think we have a couple of guys that live in Vans in the off season and just travel around and, and so there's so many good stories in baseball and I wish that people.

Had a better chance of getting to know all those quirks and that baseball did a better job of bringing those out. Sort of like in the same style that the NFL used to do with their ml, uh, NFL films, , series. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, yeah. 

Mat Germain: Got to know the players that way. And I don't understand why baseball has never gravitated to that because there's so many great characters.

There was a Japanese player with the Jays that used to like, they're the funniest, happiest guy, always making everybody around him laugh, like. Where, why aren't we highlighting [00:45:00] these guys more? Geez. And that's what Larry Rothschild kind of brought out in me when we had that interview with him, was we need to do a better job of highlighting those guys and, and showing their value to the game and to being part of the spirit of baseball.

And that will keep baseball alive forever if we do that well. 

Mark Corbett: Agreed. Agreed. Wow. Talk about Brett Phillips baseball is fun. And that's the, uh, the attitude to keep, um, Jesse Cole, fans first. Those are the things that we hope are instilled inside of the owners and Rob Manfred for the future.

But I like what you brought about the NFL films because I, I remember y years ago with Bally Sports, they would go out and they would. Take a day with a player, you know? Mm-hmm. Things of that nature. And I, I don't even know if I can find that anywhere on YouTube anymore, but those were great little stories.

, I remember, um, can't think of her name at the moment, but she did part with Mike [00:46:00] Zunino and got in the truck with him and they talked, they talked about his kids and how his day started, and it's like, you've got me babe. You've got me. I'm into the story with you and 

Mat Germain: exactly. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, madness. 

Mat Germain: It's fun.

It's fun to kind of dig in there. So, , I think the, , the point that we should do is somewhere around mid-season, around the All-Star break time. Look back at the last, you know, three months or whatever it ends up being beforehand, and say, okay, well who are the, the most character like moments that we've had so far in the season.

And we'll, we'll do a, an episode like that. 

Mark Corbett: I like that. I like that. And God knows we've had a few characters on here too. That's true. Oh, brother. Well, I'll tell you a few things I've got going on. I'm going to try to make maybe another one or two spring training games. Um. Women's Pro Baseball League will be the middle of this month.

They're going to be down at [00:47:00] Fort Myers for a couple of days. Nice, nice. They're, they're gonna have a, I think it's, uh, you look it up folks, you'll find it there. I can't remember if it's JetBlue or not, but they also have a, a fan fest for two hours in the middle of all of that. So it's spring training, two games, two days.

I think it's like a Wednesday and a Thursday. And, uh, I'll put up more on that. So that's kind of cool. Um. I'm trying to think what else is going on. I've gone to a couple of the little league, uh, opening days, if you will, here the last month, and those are always fun. And, you know, the parents getting up there, the, uh, the coaches and telling the stories and talking about what happened last year and all those sort of things.

Baseball is fun and I, I love. Because those are the ones with community ball where you can revere and love all those moments and cherish them. And Mat, you know, you've got, your kids have had mine and sports is a great part of them, understanding how to enjoy the company of others [00:48:00] and do for others as well.

So, all right. Enough preachy time. 

Mat Germain: My preachy time Mark is just, this is me for the rest of the spring training period. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, Mat there with his arms crossed. Fingers crossed. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. I'm hoping that the 96.7 miles per hour I see coming outta Shane McClannahan and other pitchers through the spring training keeps them healthy.

As I know Hunter Green is going in for an MRI and there's the constant parade of pitchers that end up getting injured at some point. So yeah. I'm just hoping that, that as many people as possible stay healthy. So this beginning of the year, uh, works out well for most, and then, um, we, we can enjoy the season, uh, to take off without having too many guys go under the knife.

Mark Corbett: Yeah, well, I'm right there with you. Well, folks, there's always more to talk about. We're, we're gonna break it here anyway, so hope y'all are enjoying the World's [00:49:00] Baseball Classic as well as the spring training going on now, and hoping you have the team that you want. And if not, make sure you complain to, to the front office of your team.

Please go ahead and like, love and subscribe to Mat and I wherever you're at, and if you got a chance. Send us off an email or a text and let us know who your favorite characters are in the game. 'cause we're gonna start building that list for three months from now and we'll maybe we'll get, uh, some of you on the show as well.

So thank you all again for joining us here on Baseball Biz. Mat, uh, on deck. Mat, do you got any other final words? 

Mat Germain: No final words. Just get out there and enjoy the games if you can get to them. 

Mark Corbett: All righty. Okay. We look forward to talking to you guys again real soon. 

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