Canada Day Celebrations, Alli Shroder, FIFA, Blue Jays & Happy Birthday Dad

364 BaseballBiz

[00:00:00] 

Mat Germain: Oh no, we're being recorded. 

Mark Corbett: It's the culture we live in, my friend. It's fantastic. Once again, we're being recorded. Hey, this is Mark, and Mat with me, and once again, we are ready for yet another BaseballBiz On Deck. And this week we wanna start out in celebrating as July is unveiling itself. And you know what?

I, the start of July brings a lot of things, Ma- Mat, when I, I think of it. The, the first one is, oh, by the way, it's my father's birthday. Happy birthday, Dad, July 1st. And, and I think of course, I think after that, I think, oh, oh, Princess Di. Princess Di's birthday is July 1st. 

Mat Germain: But then there's- really? 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: I didn't know.

Yeah, 

Mark Corbett: Princess Di's birthday- Yeah ... is July 1st. So, you know, you put that right in line with, oh, my goodness, Canada. I'm getting ready to break out that Lee Greenwood song, you know, about "Oh, Canada! God bless Canada." And 'cause it's Canada Day. [00:01:00] Oh, my gosh. Woo. I've been waiting for 4th of July to come up here shortly there- thereafter, but right now it is Canada Day.

It's, it's time to get out the grill, go out, play ball, and have fun with the family. And what's going on with the Germain family today,

Mat Germain: uh, we're just... Honestly, my, my wife's a teacher, and school just finished literally today. Oh, wow. So, like, for her, it's like the first zen day. I think she had set up a little jungle under the, uh, deck in the, on the back porch, and she was basically hiding there, just recuperating from the year that's been.

There you go. And well deserved with the work that they do, so. Kids are the same way. I think my, my daughter's actually out refereeing a soccer game right now. And, uh, my other one has a soccer game tomorrow during Canada Day. Oh, my gosh. So, uh, we're gonna be busy with that. But basically it's barbecue, relaxing, fire pit, s'mores- Mm-hmm

things like that. Just basically chilling with the family. And if the weather holds up, we'll see some fireworks, so that's [00:02:00] always a great time. 

Mark Corbett: Fireworks are always fun. And Canada, well, there's a lot with Canada and the culture across all the provinces to celebrate. You've got some things right now as far as in the sports world that are just popping out.

I mean, some things you said, "Well, will the Canadian team actually make it, you know, into FIFA?" And of course they did. And as of the other day, they won once again, putting them in the Sweet 16, if you will, of FIFA. That's, that was quite an achievement. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. It's, uh, honestly I never thought I would see it, M- Mark.

I think the, the sport of football really hasn't been huge in Canada, you know, historicAlli. But you could see it coming over the last 10, 12 years, and a lot of that has been, you know, with some investment, but the women's team actually being so much at the forefront. Martine Saint-Clair is one of the most famous female soccer players ever in the [00:03:00] world, and she elevated Canada's female team up to second overall, I think, in the world.

They won championships. They won all kinds of things. And, and that brought the sport in general to the forefront o- of Canadians' minds. And then eventuAlli, you know, the, the boys picked it up from there, because before what used to happen is everybody had links to somebody. There was Owen Hargreaves, for example- 

Mark Corbett: Right

Mat Germain: who had a grandmother that was from England, so he went and played for England instead of Canada, 'cause he didn't wanna be the best player on a low-down team, essentially. Oh. So but now that's changed, and now they are actually able to, because of the MLS and a whole bunch of other leagues that are elevating Canadian players, they're competitive in other leagues and are bringing that to the national team.

By the way, is, is led by an American, , and he's the coach who,, came in and actually , helped the team, , start believing in itself. And so it's a, it's an [00:04:00] example of cooperation between the two, between a coach that has, , the firm belief in them , and, and guides them into fearlessness basically, and you can see that on the field

They're playing above their experience level basically. And we see that in a lot of sports, right? Even in baseball. If you can get a young team to believe in itself- Yeah ... the sky's the limit. 

Mark Corbett: Well, that's encouraging, I mean, it, to see all this coming to be. And, I mean, you've seen this long enough to know that soccer, football, whatever you wish to call it, has been, like you said, it has just grown in popularity, and the talent as well.

I know, you know, when I was growing up, it was something that some of the kids at the, at the Y played, you know, the YMCA. But baseball was still the king. And it's, uh, it's amazing how much soccer has come into its own. I mean, even here in Tampa, we have a, a women's team, and across the water over in St.

Pete, you know, we've got a men's team the Rowdies, you know, for part [00:05:00] of the- Mm-hmm ... Rays organization too, which has, has done quite well. So I'm glad to see those things happening. And when you look at some of the other, um, other words... Oh, I know what. Let's talk about, as far as Canadian impact, we're gonna get to the Blue Jays here in a minute.

But, but right now, I wanna take a look also at the Stanley Cup this year. Was it the Carolina Hurricanes? Yay, Carolina Hurricanes. You know, I wanted to see Tampa Bay win it, let's face it. I know you had some, had some, uh, other ones in, in line, but that wasn't it. But If you look at the number of folks on the NHL roster, the Carolina Hurricanes, 10 of the players are from Canada, and I thought that is impressive.

It says a lot about where top quAllity is being found and brought into the program 

Mat Germain: Yeah. And, , the funny part is I can remember watching , the, the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Canadians were playing the Hurricanes, and the crowd was [00:06:00] chanting, "USA, USA," and the, because the Ca- the Carolina Hurricanes were winning.

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: And I was thinking, so you're cheering on the, the stars on the Montreal Canadiens roster, which are much more high up the rankings basically than any American on the Carolina team- 

Would be. Right? Which is ironic that they're cheering the Canadiens on. 

Mark Corbett: Oh. 

Mat Germain: There is just a bit of fan ignorance sometimes.

Mark Corbett: Oh, yeah. Oh. 

Mat Germain: Okay, what are you really cheering for here? 

Mark Corbett: Well, y- y- you know, a- and it's interesting, too, when you, you look across World Baseball Classic each year, people who come to play for their country a- and some who do choose not to as well. I mean, I always look forward to seeing, well, I thought, well, Freddie Freeman, you know, maybe he would be playing and maybe he wouldn't, depending on what the Dodgers- Right

are telling him. And then Vladdy Guerrero, Jr., you know, who also got, he goes and, and, uh, it's been the [00:07:00] face with the Dominican Republic, I believe. Well, but he coulda just- Mm-hmm ... as easily be there for, for Canada, and maybe he will in the future. So where we think we would place some of these people in our own mindset, if we're not finely attuned like, uh, some of those folks at that particular hockey game, you know, you may not reallyze who, who you're, uh, supporting.

So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Geez, Manees brother. 

Mat Germain: I, I can also remember, uh, talking about the Rays and, and how they have, like, international days. So they'll have, like, an appreciation day for all their Greek fans, all their Cuban fans, all their Canadian fans. And so I'm curious, I d- haven't looked, but they, I think the last time they had poutine served at- Yeah

the Trop. You know? Like, things like that, they're, they're pretty fun to have. The, I think the Beaver Tail's another one that we do in Canada- ... that, that gets spread around a little bit, and I don't know if any- everybody knows what that is. But essentially, it's like a piece of dough deep-fried twice and rolled in sugar [00:08:00] and whatever else, right?

So depending on what toppings you put on it, sometimes it's Nutella and, and bananas, and sometimes it's- Mm ... cinnamon and sugar and all kinds of things. But this thing is, like, maybe , the size of two plates basically. Mm-hmm. And, and it, it's, it's pretty heavy, but it's easy to eat. It's a little bit like, not as, as soft as a Krispy Kreme, but close, right?

Somewhere between a donut and that. Right. 

Mark Corbett: Okay. I've, I've gotta ask you, I just discovered today, 'cause I, I've been looking, you know, time and time again periodicAlli to see if I can find a Tim Horton's near me. And today I discovered there is one in Florida, and it's only one hour away from my house. So it is now a destination.

It, it, it's... Would I find a, a beaver tail there? 

Mat Germain: No, not at, not in Timmies. Not yet, anyway. They might [00:09:00] eventuAlli put them in, in the Tim Horton's. actually, you know what? That would not be a bad idea for them to buy them. I know there's mergings of some Canadian companies sometimes and, and they kind of get put together.

But if you, if you look at how many, uh, Tim Horton's there are worldwide, I think there's about 600 of them in the United States- Yeah ... overall. I, 

Mark Corbett: I think I saw the number- So that's how big they are ... 641, and, and- Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Yeah ... a- 

Mark Corbett: a- and it's, you know, you're gonna find most of them up and around, like, Ohio and Michigan and such, you know, closer to the border.

But I can tell you that I was... I thought, well, if there's only one in Florida, probably it'd be in Dunedin where the Blue Jays ... It's actually in, you know, Bradenton. But yeah, it's ... Anyway, I, I digress, but it, it is fun and the, the national foods that come along with some of these and those associated with certain teams, uh- 

Mat Germain: You wanna hear a good one about Tim Horton's, though, Mark?

When- Please ... when [00:10:00] we went to the Middle East for, after 9/11, and I was going in Dubai, we had a base there, there and in Qatar and, or in Bahrain as well. But we had a actual Tim Horton's store established there so that they could serve Canadian troops. Like, that's how embedded it is in it. And when we would depart, like, a port, you would have, like, a room stocked right up to the ceiling with Tim Horton's coffee all the way up to the top.

Like, that was just, you know, a must-have, basically, when you were going around. And, and so you weren't running out of Timmies at any point. And the, the ship that I was on for a while, the Preserver, it had a, a server from Tim Horton's on board that would actually serve coffee- Jeez ... for a short period of time.

So when you talk about a company being tied to Canada, like- Oh ... absolutely. Tim Horton's is pretty, uh... And now, so Dunkin' [00:11:00] Donuts is making an attempt to come back into Canada- ... 'cause they were ousted by Tim Horton's way back when, and Starbucks, and we have another company called Second Cup, which isn't as big, but they're still around.

But the, the Dunkin' Donuts is apparently wanting to open about 400 stores across Canada, so I don't know. They're trying. But I, I've, I can personAlli remember Dunkin' Donuts, and it was basically a watered-down version of Tim Horton's in terms- Yeah ... of the taste. Okay? They, great donuts. Better donuts than Tim Horton's.

I will tip my cap to them on that. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Mat Germain: The powdered ones with the chocolate inside, the chocolate cream, my favorite. But the, they're, that's where I used to hang out after work when I was a kid was at Dunkin' Donuts, and then they suddenly, they all disappeared, and all you could find anywhere in Canada was Tim Horton's, and it happened very fast.

I'd say in the course of- Wow ... four or five years. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Well, I'm, I am glad to see I'm gonna have one here close by, man, because like I said, that's one thing, Mat, I have missed [00:12:00] with my travels to Canada or up in the, the northeast of this country. So we'll see how that goes. Looking a little more if we're going to celebrate Canada, one of the things I wanted to mention too is Alli Schroder.

This woman is an amazing baseball player, and she comes into a unique category that I see, uh, one, having played for the international team for Canada in the Women's Baseball Cl- Classic, which people you'll be able to see in. You'll be actually be able to see her and the Canadian team in Rockford, Illinois here, I think July 22nd through the 26th.

Now, what's really cool about her is has ... She- she's been on teams that have won the bronze a couple times. She's an outstanding athlete. She's also in the Women's Pro Baseball League. So she's gonna be doing that in the following month, and that's gonna be in Springfield, Illinois. But the first thing when I heard [00:13:00] about Alli was a couple years ago She came into a very unique category because she is a firefighter as well.

Mm-hmm. A lot of the fires that were going up, and sh- she was doing a lot of the fighting of that then. There are a couple of women, actually a few women I can think of who have done many of the same thing. Uh, one of the first guests and a friend of mine, Tamara Holmes.

She's from, she lives out in California. She is actually a captain of the, uh, a fire department there. But she was with the US team and played there. Veronica Alvarez, who's also now I believe with, with the A's organization and, and does some coaching, she was also a firefighter. Uh, Valerie Perez. And, and Valerie, not only did she play nationAlli for the USA, she is now a Savannah Banana.

And don't you know that a- after she became a Savannah Banana, they started a team called The Firefighters. So- [00:14:00] Mm ... I love it. I mean, absolutely. They got a firefighter, woman firefighter on the team, and you know, an outstanding athlete and, and ballplayer. So it's, it's kinda cool. But Alli Schroder, you know, she definitely checked off all the marks as far as, to me, that, that's a hero.

Mat Germain: Yeah. She, she works extremely hard, and if you've ever seen pictures of her doing the firefighting, the, her forearms are huge. Yeah. And, and you just know that the strength that they have in terms of swinging a bat, doing whatever it is they do with baseball, comes from that. I remember pictures wh- when I was first watching hockey of Bobby Hull- 

Mark Corbett: Hmm

Mat Germain: who used to go home on a farm in Saskatchewan, and you could see him using a pitchfork, and his forearms would just be massive. And he'd just be hauling hay all summer long. Same thing with Gordie Howe and a whole bunch of other people. But when you're active and you're using your arms like that, Maurice Richard used to work in steel factories.

He could pick up, like, whole things of steel with his hands and just [00:15:00] carry them over, like, very easily. You get that, that grip and that strength that kinda gets you to, to be more, more capable in whatever sport you're doing after it, after that. So I firmly believe that when you look at her and a bunch of other players that are coming through that women's league, there is going to be a point in time, Mark, I would bet within the next 10 years, where a woman will be playing baseball in Major League Baseball.

Within the next 10 years. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, I, I don't see why that wouldn't happen at all. I mean, I, it, it just seems inevitable. And, you know, sometimes I point back to, uh, all the days, I may have mentioned this before on the show, the Indianapolis Clowns in the, the Negro Leagues.

And if you take them as a team that when you bring the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball together, anybody that was on that team that would now be part of Major League Baseball. And the story, if you've heard me say this before, I apologize, but Hank Aaron was on the [00:16:00] team with the Clowns, and when he left, they brought in Toni Stone.

Toni Stone was a, a woman, and she was an excellent ballplayer. After her, there were a couple other women who came in, but including, was it Mamie Peanut Johnson and another name, later, lady's name escapes me at the moment. But the thing is, would we consider them Major League Baseball players? I don't know, simply because if it was the Clowns, were they more of a, a touring team that weren't part of it?

But the important part is s- sustainability. So if today, if someone like Alli or one of the other of these great women playing the game are out there on a Major League team in the next, sometime in the next 10 years, , I look forward to seeing them not be just the first woman, but being an athlete, you know, who's able to p- show their stuff and who has not, who does not have a roadblock in front of them saying, "No women allowed."

Mat Germain: I think it'll be a Shohei Ohtani s- type of deal, where it'll be [00:17:00] somebody that is so talented that you just can't hold them back. Like, they're just beyond what the women's league can maintain. So if you're dominating at that level, then you're gonna wanna take that next step and challenge yourself, right?

And I feel like that's gonna happen, whether it's somebody that's hitting, the high 90s as a pitcher. I could see a second baseman possibly, even somebody in the outfield. , There's positions in baseball where, , the performance of the players on teams in that, those positions is honestly oftentimes subpar, right?

Mm. So where a woman could probably elevate it, if you get the right woman, you know, involved. And so why wouldn't you at that point? Yeah. You know, if your team's struggling to find a good second baseman and you find one in the women's league that's better than what you have, you're gonna make that call, and you're gonna, you know, decide.

I, honestly, Mark, the first one who does it probably will [00:18:00] appreciate the marketing that goes along with it. A- and that'll probably be a calculation in terms of pulling the trigger on it. But imagine being the first owner that does it, right? Yeah. You're, you're cutting red tape at that point. The, there's the first front office, the first everything, right?

Like, you're, you're literally crossing into a boundary that nobody else ... So how will you be perceived by, uh, all the other baseball fans? How many women are gonna come to your team now because you've done that? What are you attracting? What are you keeping out? Like, it'll be a huge momentous shift, but I think the, the opportunities far outweigh the, fear of, of having

It's not like, like, uh, in, in basketball for instance. You're getting physical. You're in close quarters. There's a, you know, soccer, the same thing. Like, there's a, a more ... Not saying that a lot of them couldn't handle it. I'm just saying that there's a, a more intense physicAllity to it, whereas now baseball, the way it's run- 

Mark Corbett: [00:19:00] Mm-hmm

Mat Germain: you're not running people at second base anymore. You're not challenging the catcher anymore at the plate. Like, you're literally pretty much hands off of each other all the time. The only time where I could see it being a problem is the first time that a woman gets hit by a pitch and how her teammates react, right?

That'll be the first, like, "Oh, oh." What do they what do they wanna do at that point? So, um- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, I would, I would hope that would be the same. One, that it didn't happen, and two, that they're, they get out there and they support their person, period. You know, I, I would ... Right now Kelsie Whitmore is a person of, uh, great interest.

She's actually played pro ball. You know, I know she was out in California doing some of that. She's, she's held other positions. And guys, I'm gonna suggest if you haven't looked at Kelsie Whitmore, please go online. K-E-L-S-I-E Whitmore. You can probably figure it out. W-H-I-T-M-O-R-E. If you haven't seen anything about this young woman, you're missing out a lot.

She's a woman of [00:20:00] great character. She's a woman who's had challenges, and she openly talks about them, and she talks a lot about her strength coming from, from the young girls that she meets, and they're, they're wanting to participate with the game too. So check her out. She is the type of woman that I would hope that we would see.

And Alli, Alli is definitely has that as well, that kind of courage a person has to be, to carry with them to take on the role as a firefighter. So kudos to Alli. And geez, let's see. Like I said, this'll be, uh, July 22nd through 26th, and that's gonna be going on in Rockford, Illinois, and go to the iwbc., what is it?

Yeah, iwbc.com website for more on that. You know, let's, uh, let's pivot to , looking at what's happening as far as the Blue Jays, it was interesting the other s- day seeing them play the Mets, and lo and behold The return of [00:21:00] Bo Bichette and the crowd, the, the Canadian crowd, they endorsed him with such applause as he came to bat. And he kind of had his head down.

And if you looked out to the field, you would see Vladdy Junior taking his hat and kind of tugging at it. You know, not taking it off, just kind of tug it and say, "It's a signal to, to Bo. Bo, go ahead, do tip it. Tip of the hat." And then he picked up on it, tipped his hat to the crowd, and it was a great moment.

And I know it has to be difficult for Bo, you know, having ... not being part of that team anymore. And my goodness, man, it's gotta be hard being part of the Mets too. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: It's the, it's not turning out like Roy Halladay's debut with the Phillies went, right? And- No ... that's the other thing I would say is, is the Blue Jays fans have always been loyal to people that have crossed over and gone to other teams.

Not like the Red Sox. The Red Sox tend to say, "Hey, if you go across the line, you're burnt at the stake- [00:22:00] That's it ... forever." 

Mark Corbett: That's it. 

Mat Germain: So the Blue Jays fans are a lot more thankful for, , what you did while you were with them. Bo , I remember watching him at the Olympic Stadium when he was just a, a kid, not even in majors yet, uh, alongside Vladdy.

And, and he was playing shortstop and Vladdy was at third. , And you thought that duo could do their whole career together, basically looking at them. And it's too bad that that didn't come to fruition. There's a lot of, of reasons for that. Economics is one of them. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: The other one is the, the, the health concerns that Bo has in various different ways.

And the position that he plays, he's not exactly the best defensively. When you look at the Mets, their problem is that they're a horrific defensive team. Oh, they are. Like, not just bad. Like, horrific. They tried to elevate it with Marcus Semien and others, but it's, it's just a sad state of affairs.

Like, they need a Ron Washington type person in there to, to clean that up and get [00:23:00] them changing things. I suggested a long time ago when they first acquired him, they should put Juan Soto at first base. Yeah. That's where he belongs, especially when they let Pete Alonso go. Like, put him at first. That's where he belongs.

Yeah, he'll cry, kick, scream. He'll pull a Rafael Devers. I don't care. It's where he belongs. He, he can't field the outfield. 

Mark Corbett: No. 

Mat Germain: So, you know, eh, do what you need to do to make the team better. It's your team. Like, make those hard decisions. You're Steve Cohen, you're signing the checks. Put him at first base.

But back to Bo, , we just heard today, Mark, Kawhi Leonard is coming back to Toronto. Hmm. They made a huge trade. They sent Grady Dick over with another player, two first round picks. They, they're swapping another first round rounder, and there's two second round picks going to the Clippers.

And Kawhi Leonard, who won the first championship with the Raptors, is coming back Could Bo Bichette do the same? Nothing says that the Mets can't pick up the phone and say, "Hey, [00:24:00] listen, we think we might have made a mistake. Bo wants to go back. We're willing to take on 5 million per year off his deal. You know, give us the, this package of prospects and we'll make it so."

And I think the Blue Jays would be much better off for it. How he would fit into the roster now and with the changes they've made, et cetera, I have no idea if they have room for him and if they would, uh, be willing to move some pieces around to make that happen. But I feel like the Blue Jays are not the same team without him.

Mm-hmm. They don't have that, that steady bat that can support and, and grind out the opposing pitchers the same way that he could. They're a little bit better with Alejandro Kirk being back and healthy, but I think you can see on their lineup that they're looking for consistency and being able to be, you know, pesky, peskier than they have been otherwise this year.

Mark Corbett: I think it'll be a good thing for both of them. I, I certainly believe that. I mean, the team and him. And, you know, he, he brings a certain [00:25:00] energy there. Uh, it's what? Right now, if you're looking in the AL East, I think the, the Blue Jays are about 10 and a half games back, and that puts them at third.

So if you look, let's see. But if I take a look at... Oh, what do you want to see, Mark? The MLB wildcard standings. They are how many games out? 

Mat Germain: Mm. Let's 

Mark Corbett: see here. They're 

Mat Germain: 10. They're, they're two and a half games out of a wildcard spot. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: Right. But they're 10 games behind the Rays. 

Mark Corbett: Correct. 

Mat Germain: So that's a, you know, what do you bet on?

Now, having said that, last year they, they were in a much tougher spot, I think. No, sorry, not last year, the year before, and then they flipped it around in the course of less than a year. So I, I don't think they're a bad team. I think they're much closer to being a great team than the Red Sox. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: So I don't know.

I don't know what they do this year, Mark. I really don't. 

Mark Corbett: It's been interesting. I mean, it's been looking at, [00:26:00] looking at the Rays and the AL East and the Yankees. Good Lord, what have they lost five or six in a row now? Oh my gosh. I mean, it has just been dumbfounding to me to, to see how they quickly erode.

Well, let's see though. I think they, what? They haven't had Judge, I believe, for a bit. I think he's been out. Right. And that's been part of it. Yes. But still man, it's like they just can't

Mat Germain: yeah. 

Mark Corbett: I mean, put a blow pop in everybody's mouth out there and maybe they'll figure it out because J- Jazz Chisholm hasn't yet, evidently.

I mean, there's, there's, there's things that need to be done with that team and I don't know what it is. I'm glad they're not my team. And, but the Rays, Rays have just been showing so much sunshine, brother. I mean, the three home runs from Junior in one game, and his continuously doing so well at bat, you know, game after game after game.

Yandy doing his business. Aranda seemed to get back into the groove. He seemed like he was falling [00:27:00] out a little while ago c- a few weeks back, but looks like he's getting right in there. My gosh, when you start out with those three men, Yandy, Aranda, and, and Junior, it, it is impressive what those folks have been able to put together.

Mat Germain: That's the consistency I'm talking about with the, with the Blue Jays that they're missing, is that they don't have that third guy that's- Yeah ... that's able to, you know. So the Rays could use another one, actually, like, that, that could bring them... 'Cause I still don't think, like, you talk about the Dodgers, the Braves, a couple of other of the top teams, I don't think they're to that level yet.

Yeah. They're just the most consistent team, because they're willing to play small ball. They know who they are. They're asking, like, one thing I've noticed is everybody's bought in, whether it's Cedric Mullins bunting, whether it's, you know, how many bunts do you think Cedric Mullins attempted with the Orioles last year?

Oh. You know, compared to what he's done with the Rays. 

Mark Corbett: So they- And yeah, I mean, what he's done with the Rays with that, and then on top of it, he's starting to put home runs [00:28:00] on top of it, too. He's mixing it up. He isn't just one thing, and that's, that means a lot. 

Mat Germain: Because you're not a one-track pony. You're not trying to do, do...

You're, you're having fun playing the game. You know, like in sandlot, you do a little bit of everything. Squeeze plays, this, that, the other thing. Like, you're, you're, you're making the game fun again and interactive, and I feel like the Rays have done a great job of, of keeping the games interesting. Even, you know, the, the, the cold stretches that they go through, they're still staying true to themselves.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Uh, they're never really too far down on themselves. So the interesting part will be, you know, I, I started hearing rumors this week about where Tarik Skubal is gonna get traded. And, you know, everybody's talking Yankees, the Dodgers, the, you know, the, the usual suspects. So I'm like, do the Rays have enough to deal for him?

Yeah. Would they deal that much for him? I don't know. If I think back to what they traded for Nelson Cruz, [00:29:00] and I think back to what they, you know, there's a track record of them saying, "You know what? We'll throw caution to the air once in a while." Is this another one of those years that they do something like that?

I don't know. 

Mark Corbett: Well, you know, it depends. Like, you and I talked about this before, and I truly believe the new owners have something to prove during a time while they're trying to build consensus and support behind the, the request for funds for the, the new stadium. And if there was ever a time to spend the money, this is the time to do it.

If you think you're gonna get to the World Series again, if it's gonna take that extra little boost, yeah, they, they, they may be more open to that than, than Stu would've if it was just him this year. And that's not anything against Stu. It's just saying that it's in the unique circumstances with new owners and not that they're going to be blowing money all over the place.

Otherwise, uh, they wouldn't have Neander there so anyway, looking at that, I, I do want to come back and talk a little bit more about the, the Blue [00:30:00] Jays and the All-Star game too, Mat. Because this, it's coming up, and I've never been completely surprised when I see the first round of all the voting for the All-Star ballots and seen so many Blue Jays, you know, popping up there as well.

Some of it because they're great talent, and some of it because they're a Blue Jay. What I mean by that, I, I love it. I love watching the opening of a Blue Jays game, and the, the network starts out, I don't know if they say the same intro or not, but they show all these beautiful vistas all across Canada, our national team,

and then this line, it takes them and they land and right there in Toronto, but by that point, you understand that this is your country's team. I mean, this is our face as a Canadian is, is what it looks like to, to win. And guess what? Let's support them. So that by that, all the provinces, all the folks, you know, are going [00:31:00] to go and go to that All-Star ballot and they're gonna vote for their guys.

And I think that's wonderful, but it also makes it kind of curious when you look across, compare the, who's coming up. And, uh, okay, just for fun. Now, national pride, I was looking at a Gallup poll that just came out recently, and for C- Canada, it said, I think, 84% of Canadians said they were extremely proud or proud to be a Canadian.

And that's actually, not that it was less, but I think it was like a few years back ago it may have been 76%. So that pride has continued to grow. And if you look over the last few years as far as voting in the, for the All-Stars, this, I think, is the first year where every one of the positions has had the, a Blue Jay right there in, in the one- first or second spot for the ballot.

And I said, "Hmm, some folks are very proud about being [00:32:00] Canadian, and they're gonna support their team." I said, "Yay, yay, yay."

Mat Germain: You know, population wise it would be like as if you had only one team in California. Yeah. And everybody in California was cheering for that team. So it, it, it gives them just so much more leverage when it comes to voting for All-Star, uh, players. I joked before we, we started talking about the, you know, letting AI decide who is in the All-Star Game, and I don't know what the algorithm you would ask it to use in order to, to get the decisions, but All-Star Games are, are kind of a, a funny, , thing to have in the middle of the season to me.

Yeah. To me, the, the, football gets it right in that it should encompass everything that you do for the entire season. The reason that they have it in the middle of the season is to give players a break because you're playing so many games. Supposedly that's why they do it the, in the middle of the summer.

Whether or not that's the best time to have it, I [00:33:00] don't know. Like, maybe in the middle of the dog days of summer would be better. Maybe before the September call-ups and all that stuff. I don't know. But I think it wouldn't be bad for them to modify the All-Star Game, to be honest, Mark. Like, there's some things about it, I think I've told you this, this idea before, where I think, uh, Hall of Fame inductees should be giving their speeches at the All-Star Game.

Yes. And they should be, you know, that should happen there, where there's more people, there's more exposure, there's more... You know, imagine being in the crowd of that All-Star Game when it comes around and, and the, these All-Stars are being inducted and they're giving their speeches and everybody there has to listen to it.

How many people go to the Cooperstown to listen to them? Not, uh- No ... not 40,000, you know? No. Like, so, so it would be way better. And then you get the, the prospects that are there for the Prospects Games would be rubbing shoulders with them, would be listening, would be paying attention to the lessons, the stories, everything that these people are saying, and seeing the [00:34:00] importance in, , some of their heroes, basically.

I think that would be so much more beneficial to the entire sport, to the sentima- sentimentality of it. A- and it would also behoove the Hall of Fame voters to do it while people are still alive. Amen. So that they can give those speeches, right? And not make the process so encumbered that you can't really, you know, get the most out of, out of your, the stars that have dedicated their lives to the sport.

Mark Corbett: Indeed, indeed. I, I like that 'cause we, we talk more and more about trying to find, you know, the, the marketing niche, what's gonna bring this in, and I, I w- we need to look more... I, I wonder, we mentioned Caitlyn Clark earlier and all the controversy that's going on around her right now. I'm wondering as much as anything, is that also a great marketing tool for the WNBA?

And [00:35:00] the, I, I don't wish all the controversy that's circling around her right now, but I do invite the, uh, appe- the, what do I want to say? Attention, the attention that's coming to the game and to a great player, and there's gotta be a way of finding that with a positive spin and doing more of that with, with us, meaning with MLB.

I don't know what that is, but we, we need to find it, and I think steps like you're talking about with, uh, you know, bringing Cooperstown to the All-Star game would make it be a big part of that. 

Mat Germain: Absolutely. Yep. I think the, the, I'm watching the World Cup right now and, and France is, uh, is winning three-nothing against Sweden.

Mm. And I, I've been wondering, you know, all the marketing things that go along with FIFA and all the, the things that work and the things that don't work, the things that go for it, the things that go against it. But I think that the, the great thing about all-star games is that they're a little bit like the World Cup, where everybody is sort of neutral.

Everybody is on board just to [00:36:00] see the stars and be a part of it and be a part of the, the love of the game. That's one thing that, that baseball got right when they did the Field of Dreams game, is they brought the sentimentality of the sport, and it didn't Mater there were no fences out there. If the ball goes into the field, who cares?

You know? Just let it roll in and then, you know, throw another one onto the field and we'll use that one. 

, Yeah, I think it, you know, society as a whole needs those things now. Like we're searching for them. That's why nostalgia is such a big part of what happened during COVID, is it just brought everybody to stand still and look around and say, "What did I really love about-

you know, what's happened so far in the world," right? And, and when we do that with a sport and we really reflect on what it is that brings us in, like you were mentioning before in a previous show of having your whole family there with you at a game- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: that is special. You're seeing it [00:37:00] in the World Cup, they have the same thing.

Whole families, whole communities at the games together. They've saved and they've scrounged and they've traveled, and they go there and they, they experience something that they'll remember their entire lives. That is, you, you can't put a price on it because it's a, a binding feeling of a special moment that is so rare and fleeting that you can't help but focus on it.

And so I, I hope baseball is able to capitAllize on a lot of these ideas. And the good thing is, Mark, they're open to ideas. Yeah. They're open to change. They're open to... That's one thing I tip my hat to baseball, is that they're actually making changes and they're actually, you know, willing to dive in, even with the, the, uh, ABS system, like, and, and the speeding up the games, things like that.

Like I, I like some of the things that they're doing, so that's why I'm suggesting so many of them, because I think you need to keep the momentum going in the, in the right areas and get them to think of [00:38:00] things without, you know, stepping backwards in, into the, the trophy's a piece of metal timeframe. 

Mark Corbett: Let me ask you something.

Do you watch the MLB Network at all? 

Mat Germain: I do, yep. 

Mark Corbett: Because what you were saying about as far as what the, the changes that have happened and that have helped the game and the ABS system, et cetera, have you seen the commercial spot that MLB is talking about, "Hey, you know, we've heard you. We've listened to you.

You said make the game faster. Hey, the pitch clock is there. You've asked for this and that, and we know what you're really looking for, and that's putting a cap on salaries. So let's get involved, and here's our website to talk about it more." 

Mat Germain: They're right. They're right. The majority of fans want a salary cap.

They understand that the Dodgers are winning because they outspend everybody. That's why they're winning. There's nothing brilliant about what the Dodgers do. You give me that money, Mark, I [00:39:00] will take them to the World 

Mark Corbett: Series- ... more 

Mat Germain: than they've been so far. I'm sorry, but it's, there's nothing brilliant.

Like, I can't congratulate the, the Dodgers for winning World Series when they literally go and purchase them. So my thing is always to To be objective about it, when I see a team like the Washington Nationals, , who did spend some money, but they, it wasn't a ridiculous amount. The Nationals,, had a, a special mix of players , and had worked really hard to gather them at the right time, went out and got the extra pieces, didn't spend an obscene amount of money, and they won a championship with it.

That, to me, is impressive. When the Dodgers do it after spending billions of dollars year after year after year after year to get to those special, quote-unquote, moments, nothing impresses me about that. I, I, it's just, it's just the reallyzation that the sport has gone [00:40:00] too far. Yeah. And, and, you know, I think back, way back to when the NHL first started and there were just six teams.

Imagine if one of those owners had been, like, a multi-billionaire and was outspending all the other ones, and saying, "Oh, I'll throw caution to the air. I'll just grab all the stars, put them on my team." What would it have done if the same team won year after year after year after year after year 

Mark Corbett: after year after 

Mat Germain: year?

It, it would have killed the league. Yeah. It never would have existed. The NHL would have ended, and that would have been it. You could argue the same thing with the women's baseball, right? If one team had dominated the entire time and nobody else ever won, would it have been interesting to anyone? They would have said, basically, it's like the Globetrotters, right?

Mm-hmm. Where they go out, they win, and the other team loses. And at that point, you're, you're more of a, a, I don't wanna call it a joke, but you're, you're facilitating a, a capitalist endeavor that is not really worthwhile paying for, right? Yeah. The majority of the time. You'll see some neat tricks. You'll see some neat things, but it's not [00:41:00] really memorable.

When you're sitting there, I'll, I'll relate it back to the Dodgers, okay? So take it way back to , the '80s, and Kirk Gibson is on one leg Right? They haven't outspent everybody by billions of dollars. And, and, and he hits a home run on one leg. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: That is a spectacular moment that you can throw pride behind and say, "Wow."

Like, we put him in in that moment. The, the manager had the faith in Kirk Gibson going at the plate. It was a baseball call. You knew you had it in him. You weren't gonna sit him. You weren't gonna pull him out of the game. You let him take that at bat, and, you know, he wasn't getting paid 10 times more than every other player in the league.

Mark Corbett: No, no. 

Mat Germain: It's just, to me, that's the soul of baseball, when you see a team sort of overachieve in big moments. And it happened last year in the playoffs, where players were playing hurt. People knew they [00:42:00] were hurt. And, and you guy- saw them grinding it out. Yeah. George Springer was one that was grinding through it and just kinda trying to find any way to help his team win.

That gathers, a special moment and, and respect, right? And, and I find, like, when you're winning with that respect, you're building moments that the MLB can, can't really put a price on. It's drama that is infectious and attracts- Mm-hmm ... people, like constantly. And you're like, Mike Brosseau was a great moment for the Rays.

Oh, yeah. Was he getting paid millions, you know? That's a moment that we talked about it with the Red Sox blogger. He was like, "That was a great moment." Everybody remembers that moment. 

Mark Corbett: Yep. 

Mat Germain: Nobody is going to forget it. And it wasn't because they overpaid for a player. He was literally making the minimum.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: You know? So I, I hope that they do get a cap in, and I hope they do get a floor in. I hope both of those things come in at the same time. All I want is the brilliance of [00:43:00] the front offices and the team aspect of each individual franchise to be evaluated one against another. So then it's a real fight.

Yeah. I'm not using a, a 500-pound gorilla to beat up on a baby. No. Like, I'm, I'm literally letting two fighters of the same weight, right, go up against each other and may the best person win. That's, that's what it should be, and that's what every other sport is. Every other sport has figured that out. Well- And I don't understand the greed 

Mark Corbett: of baseball.

I, I agree with you. I mean, I'm trying to figure, though, the evolution of this spot You know, I could say yes, it, it would serve them, but they... There's bound to be teams that would be resistant to that message. You know, those that are s- want to spend and have it. Now, the other thing is, the- it's certainly gonna be offensive to the Players Association, I would think.

They're, they're never l- looking for a cap. PersonAlli, [00:44:00] I think there should be a cap c- just 'cause it gets stupid. Either that or you, you t- you tie Steve Cohen down, said, "You can't go ahead and defer payments for 30 years into the future. I'm sorry." That's the, the insanity of it.

The other part of me thought, "Well, let's see, the Major League Baseball network, it's their network, so I guess they put on whatever they want." But in a political climate, you know, should you have to give equal time to an opposing viewpoint on an ad that has maybe some political spin, if you will, to it on baseball?

So say, should the MLBPA have to come, be able to come on and give their statement about the love of the game and what should be done? I don't know. I don't know. It's gonna be interesting to watch as this, this CBA emerges 

Mat Germain: I think the, the political aspect of it should be, how do we open up the books- Yeah

to make it the 50/50 that they state? So who oversees that? Is it gonna be somebody that the MLB side ha- uh, trust [00:45:00] only, or somebody that the MLBPA, you know, fully supports? And, and how corruptible are they- ... in terms of working the numbers, right? What are you including in that 50/50? Are you including the gambling?

Are you including the parking concessions, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, or is it strictly for certain things like the ticket prices and TV deals? Like, there's things that they're gonna have to work out that are very cumbersome, I guess, is the best way to put it. Oh, 

Mark Corbett: yeah. 

Mat Germain: But I think we've all known that this was coming.

Players should be realistic to reallyze that they don't have any leverage left. They really don't. Like, they, they're at the point right now where I think if MLB doesn't get what they want from the players, they wouldn't cancel the next season. No. They would simply hire minor leaguers, and they would do away with whoever is in, you know, they, they'd basically start with scabs.

You know, if you wanna call it that, a- and, and continue on until the players start kind of limping back [00:46:00] into the league, and they would have to eventuAlli. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: I think, if I'm not wrong, before the NHL had a union, th- this happened, essentially, where they had players walking in and out of the league because they were fighting with what was then called the WHL, I think it, it had Winnipeg.

It had Edmonton- Right ... Hartford, a whole bunch of other teams. And, and there were players that were jumping back and forth, on and off the bandwagon, because there was a tug of war, a little bit like Beta VHS did for a while and, and- ... you know, for, for tapes. So but I don't know that baseball players could survive very long without their income next year if MLB went that way. And I think it would be a huge loss to the sport. I'm hoping they find a way to, to come to a resolution that actually works for everyone, and I do think if you're telling the players, like, I think, uh, if I'm not wrong, they also wanna reduce games, [00:47:00] uh, for the regular season, but they wanna increase games for the playoffs.

They want a whole bunch of things to be added as well. So I'm curious to see, like we've said before, if I'm the players, I say, "Sure. Okay, well, bring in the salary cap, the floor, and the ceiling, but I wanna get the free agency a year earlier." 

That's, that's what you do, and especially for the pitchers, because they get injured so young and so fast That to me, that would be one of the keys that I would put into the deal.

Mark Corbett: Yeah, because let's face it. I mean, a pitcher is being paid for what they've already done. By that, I mean, if they've had a fantastic record and you're hoping you get more out of them, by the time to where they can actually have serious arbitration or free agency, you're going to be paying them for that.

The time that they were doing all those first five, six, seven years, they're not getting paid for what they're performing. And the potential of them not to ever see the money, the value of what they've given to that team, [00:48:00] it's never been right. I mean, I don't know. There's a lot to be said and done with that.

I hope they figure it out. And the last thing I hope is that, or the last thing I want to say, see, is a stoppage, you know, from either side on this because the game is just starting to get some legs back. I think you talked recently about seeing an increase in attendance and viewership. And that sort of thing will stop real quick if MLB and the Players Association don't find some common ground that's going to serve the fans.

Mat Germain: I'll, I'll add one more thing, Mark. In, in the last strike, which hit the fans hard- Yeah ... don't get me wrong, okay? But the living standard in, in terms of what you could afford was way higher back then than what it is today. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: So if you're gonna s- step out right now, in today's day and age, where the price of everything has gone through the roof, people are scared about their jobs, they know AI and robots are coming around the [00:49:00] corner, and you're gonna start nickel-and-diming everybody about salary caps, this, that, and the other thing, you're gonna lose the league.

Yeah. You're not just gonna lose fans. You're going to kill yourself, basically, at the stake if you end up doing a strike or a lockout this time. I firmly believe that. It will kill the league. We're seeing soccer right now taking off like, like crazy. 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. 

Mat Germain: It'll replace it outright. You, you won't see, baseball will be-- Remember that, uh, what's that, that show about the re- reporter who ends up being the commissioner of the league because it's gotten to be so meaningless to people?

Brock, uh, Brock, uh- 

Mark Corbett: Oh, I know what you're talking about. Uh, geez. 

Mat Germain: Brockmire? 

Mark Corbett: Brockmire. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: Yes. 

Mark Corbett: Brockmire. 

Mat Germain: So that's what it'll become. It, it'll go down that road, because it'll become such a fringe sport that people just won't buy into it anymore, and especially when they're already paying too many of the stadium's costs and, and, and the rest of it.

Like, at some point, [00:50:00] you know, fans have to be realistic about their lives- Yes ... and, and, and decide, you know, what's too perverse. Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Well, it's gonna get weird, I tell you that. And, uh, you brought up Brockmire. It reminds me of an episode where they had a Pokémon Go-type game, where the pers- would come to the game and there would be players on the mound of their, on their little handsets.

And guess what? You know, it's kind of doing that now. I went to the Marlins game. Hey, I was able to- Yeah ... get a Marlins Pokémon Go hat. And there's a, a special event coming up with the Rays here let's end on a positive note. A couple of little things. One, Junior Caminero, AL Player of the Week, as well he should be.

And see, tonight we're starting a game, it's actually Tuesday. We're selling this as if it's Wednesday, but it's Tuesday night and we're it- 

Mat Germain: He's going to join the Hur- Home Run Derby as well in the All-Star game. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, he is. Yes. I've got mixed feelings about it, but [00:51:00] it's gonna be exciting with him there.

There's no doubt about it. Well, that's great. That's good to hear. So Junior, oh, wow. And then Yandy, who was, had, it looked like maybe a little shoulder trouble a couple days ago, I hear he's back in the lineup tonight, so that's good news. And that's, it's, there's things are moving positive for us and not so good for the Yankees, and we elevate.

Mat Germain: Couple of other ones. Jake Fraley's starting a rehab in, in AAA, so he's- Oh, wow ... close to coming back. Cadin Bodine got promoted to AA, and that's his second promotion in a month. Wow. And he was tearing the ball off, the cover off the ball in A+. Like, it just wasn't even fair. So they didn't wait long. They got him up to AA.

So honestly, the way he's hitting, if he keep, keeps this up, you know, I'm not saying that it'll be this year, but you can't discount him now for next year in terms of making the Rays, which is pretty significant based on, on where they got him. So just to [00:52:00] recap, they got the 33rd overall pick, which they'll be making soon, right?

They got Michael Forret, who's their, one of their two top pitchers in AAA right now, who's- Yep ... knocking on the door. You know, he might come up sometime, I, I predict probably in August. And then they have, , Caden Bodine now in AA, and they also have Slater de Brun, who's, uh, who hasn't started yet in, in, in the rookies.

But when they made the deal, a lot of people were saying he was the best player of them all in that deal. So the Rays really, you know, did well in that trade, I think. I think- I think they're gonna benefit a lot for a lot of years 

Mark Corbett: Good things, all good things to hear, my friend. So tomorrow, Canada Day, sounds like you're gonna

You got some fun planned. I'm glad to hear that, and I hope everybody else there e- enjoys and celebrates. I wish you all the best. And, uh, let's see. Thank you very much. I'm, I'm gonna ask you to say ... I say, well, we say look, and thank you all for coming and visiting with us today, and look forward to seeing you real [00:53:00] soon.

But I wanna hear you say that in French. Can you do that? 

Mat Germain: Merci beaucoup de nous avoir rejoints aujourd'hui. On espère de vous voir encore bientôt. Bientôt. 

Mark Corbett: All right, brother. Thank you very much for joining us, folks. We'll talk with you again, just like Mat said. Have a great day. Bong, 

Mat Germain: bong, ba-bong. 

Mark Corbett: All right, brother.

All right. Yeah. That's fantastic. Oh, my gosh. Woo. Well, that was fun. Should've