Tip of the Cap to Stu, Congrats to Lou, ABS & new owner on the way

316 BaseballBiz

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. Mr. Mat Germain's here and I'm Mark Corbett, but Mr. Lou Schiff isn't here. Dang. Gun it. Lou, we were waiting for you, man. We had a big party going on here talking about your book and everything else and Mat, I hear he is got something else going on. 

[00:00:19] Mat Germain: Yeah. You know, when your family's about to receive a, a new, uh, member, you, you kind of want to be there.

[00:00:24] You want to be, you know, part of the, the group that greets that little being into the world. And, uh, we don't blame 'em at all. We, we wish 'em all the best, uh, with, with this huge event in, in their lives. 

[00:00:38] Mark Corbett: Indeed. And I tell you what, Lou's always welcome here. And I, I can't imagine, well, I can't imagine excitement.

[00:00:45] I had it about eight months ago, our first grandchild. So, uh, we wish the Schiff family all the best. And uh, I know he'll be smiling more than I've ever seen him before. It'd be bigger than any time of anything we've ever seen of all time. No. Okay, I'll cut that. [00:01:00] 

[00:01:00] Mat Germain: How, how do you think he's gonna spin it? That, that if it's a girl, that the, the name still has to have Lou in there somehow.

[00:01:06] Hmm. Oh, it's gonna be like Betty Lou. Who, 

[00:01:09] Mark Corbett: who? Louisa Louise. Yeah. There's, there's, there's all kinds of possibilities, you know? Uh, uh, is, is he, is, are they such baseball fans that they would find a, a name for a player that they might, uh, put in there? I don't know. 

[00:01:24] Mat Germain: Or a lawyer that's been part of baseball more than likely.

[00:01:27] Mark Corbett: Wow. You know, 'cause that's what we were gonna talk about tonight. He'll be back soon. Uh, we were, he had a, has a book out right now and it's about the Hall of Famers that have made it. Who have also become lawyers. So probably not necessarily in that order. Yeah. I became a Hall of Fame and I thought I'd get a law degree.

[00:01:46] No, he's, it is really interesting. There's some one that I really enjoyed reading was about, uh, Tony La Russa. I mean mostly 'cause I guess he's from around this area and all that he achieved. There's some great stories. So I look forward to [00:02:00] talking with him about those. Mm-hmm. But you know, one of the things I want to ask him when we get him on here is, which baseball player?

[00:02:07] Maybe I should save this, but I'll put, we will play it here, you and I. Which baseball player right now do you see out there, do you think should become a lawyer? 

[00:02:16] Mat Germain: Oh man, that is a tough one. As a lawyer, you know what Aaron Judge? Ooh. 'cause if he's gonna become an actual judge, you gotta be a lawyer first.

[00:02:25] That's the road. That's the road. So, uh, yep. I think Aaron would be intimidating in, in that seat across the way from you. And, and, uh, you know, he, he still has the kind enough eyes that any witnesses or anything going on, he'd be able to, , smooth them over with a. With a slight smile and a, and a nice, uh, nudge and wink sort of thing.

[00:02:47] And then, um, I think, I think he'd be good. He's got the smooth talking voice. 

[00:02:52] Mark Corbett: I like that. You know, I come back closer to home and I think of Pete Fairbanks because I [00:03:00] think of the piercing eyes, you know, looking straight at whoever, if he's a judge of, of looking at down, at whoever he's speaking to, who's speaking to him, whether it be, uh, the plaintiff or the defendant, whoever.

[00:03:11] I mean, he's gonna be right there in front of him. But then you gotta remember, he is actually a very giving and loving man because. Who, who is the Roberto Clemente nominee from the Tampa Bay Rays? Pete Fairbanks. You know the man I jokingly call the assassin just because of his eyes when that closer is up there in the ninth inning, bringing the, the game to an end.

[00:03:36] And, but he's, uh, we gotta get him on the show. You and I've talked about this before, 'cause he's gonna be judging some things real soon, uh, with, with the CBA coming up. 

[00:03:45] Mat Germain: That's right. So he's uh, he's been part of one before, so he's been there and, and done that and he's got some lessons learned from that ordeal, I imagine.

[00:03:55] Yeah, I'd be really curious to see what he would be able to tell us in terms of [00:04:00] what the priorities are over overall, because things morph and they change over time. And things that we probably don't even hear about are, are actually prominent within a lot of players' minds. I'm always baffled by the fact that.

[00:04:13] A lot of what seems to get out in press, it really addresses or pertains to like 10 to 20% of the players because it's the high, you know, breadwinners that, that get the benefit of the majority, right. Of the work that's done. Whereas the 80% of the players are actually, you know, they're still. A significant part of the league.

[00:04:37] Right. And, and you would think a lot of their, uh, burning issues would, would get addressed just as highly and be talked about just as, as you know. Intensely. So you're looking at right now the, everybody's talking about the, the salary cap, right? Yeah. Salary cap is the issue. It's the one thing that everybody, you know, players are adamant they're never gonna allow it, it's never gonna [00:05:00] happen.

[00:05:00] And the owners are almost, you know, teetering on the edge of we're not signing anything that doesn't have it in there. Yeah. So, so you know, like that gets all the play. But then there's a multitude of issues beyond that that we need to talk about. 

[00:05:14] Mark Corbett: Well, I hope we get him or somebody else likes, you know, Pete on here.

[00:05:18] But I just wanna mention too briefly, last week I was at the Tampa Baseball Museum and lo and behold, I get a phone call and this gentleman says he'd like to come in. Plus I have somebody with me. I said, well, who, who is this? He says, he gave me his name, his name's Tom Brasuell. Tom, forgive me if I said your last name incorrectly, but, uh, the gentleman he's bringing with him is the son of Roberto Clemente.

[00:05:41] Ooh. Yeah, that's right. It was, uh, Luis Roberto Clemente, and they were in town here in Tampa to, uh, receive a donation from the Hard Rock Casino, the Seminole, Hard Rock Casino. And they knew we were close by. I wanted to see what was what. And it [00:06:00] was really cool to meet him, man, you know. To be there and you shake hands with history again, you know, right there.

[00:06:06] And this, you wonder about somebody who's achieved so much like Roberto Clemente. Mm-hmm. And you gotta wonder in life what comes, what is their legacy. The legacy is what that family, what baseball is doing beyond that. And that means that they're continuing to give. Back to the communities. Uh, one of the things that they're doing is, uh, it's called Little Legends.

[00:06:32] Little Legends 21. So, you know, there's Roberto's number and it's about working with young children too, a very, very young age, and helping, giving them support and direction and, uh, strength behind them so that they're. I guess take away some worry in their life. There's, there's a lot to it more than that.

[00:06:50] And we'll have to have somebody on here from that organization sometime, because to me it's encouraging to see that kind of action being taken. So there are a lot of great things that can come from sports, [00:07:00] you know, with the right people out there. So I wanna say thank you to Luis and Tom for visiting and uh, we will have them on the show here in the future.

[00:07:08] Mat Germain: That's awesome. 

[00:07:09] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah. It's, uh, I, I'm ready to go out there, man, and help 'em, I, it's like, okay, what can I do to help too? You know, after you meet these people, it's just so engaging and you wanna be able to go out and do something with the kids too. So, I'm gonna find out, I mean, there's things around here at the Boys and Girls Club, and Tom had actually been with them, but prior to this, but, uh.

[00:07:29] This is something, I think after he had actually retired from A MLB working with the Boys and Girls Clubs, and then it wasn't long says, hello, this is the Roberto Clemente Foundation. We're looking for somebody. And they, they found him and it looks like it's, uh, working out real well for both of them. So I'm happy to hear that.

[00:07:47] Oh, let's see. Was there anything else happening this week, man, it seemed like, geez, I'm trying to remember.

[00:07:55] Tampa. Tampa. Tampa. Oh yeah. We, we've lost a, a major league [00:08:00] baseball field this week. It's, it's gone. I, I've, I've gotta go over to George Steinbrenner field and see if they're taking down the 3000 pieces of Marketing that they put up at the beginning of this season for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

[00:08:12] Mat Germain: I wa I want to hear about what the Rays left behind, hidden somewhere to jinx them.

[00:08:18] Right. That, that's the, that's what I want to hear. Like what are they, you know, the little voodoo doll somewhere. Mm-hmm. A little coin that's, uh, you know, whatever it is. Like, I don't care. I just want to hear the story Eventually from the Rays that they did leave something behind that. Uh, that is supposed to bring some misfortune to the, the Yankee, right?

[00:08:37] Because that's the only opportunity you're ever gonna see in baseball where you literally take over somebody else's, spring facility , or whatever it is that, that they end up playing in. But I, uh, I, I like the fact they started off there with the wind. They ended with a win. They had a higher than 500 record.

[00:08:55] I think most people believed. That they would have a hard time [00:09:00] adjusting from the Trop to there. But hearing from Brandon Lowe and a lot of the Rays, they loved playing on real grass. Yeah. And, and for a lot of them, it kept them healthier. So it begs the question, what are they gonna be like next year and are they happy to go back to the Trop?

[00:09:17] Like that's, that's the big question I'm wondering. 

[00:09:20] Mark Corbett: Yeah, I, I don't know that anybody would say that they're happy to go back to the Trop. Uh, I think that it is going to be seen as just a bus stop, you know, from one bus stop to the next. And it's something where we're just gonna have to do for a year or two and, 'cause we're not gonna be able to grow a stadium right away with a new ownership, things will probably take, uh, hold quickly.

[00:09:46] Um, one thing I've told you a little bit offline, I'm doing a lot of research. On stadiums, and I'm looking at the history of what the Rays had been through my gosh. You know, ever since Stu came [00:10:00] in, um, you know, he was looking toward the future and they had the one that they were looking over in Ybor.

[00:10:07] They were looking at one over in St. Pete at Al Lang. And there's been a couple of more over at St. Pete and yet another visitation to Ybor in Tampa. So. I'm going to assemble some things on that and it's, I'm hoping that the new ownership can move quickly on a decision for a new stadium. Just saying, I want to put it here.

[00:10:27] Start with that. You know, just, just get that point done. You know, they're talking about placing it near George Steinbrenner, almost adjacent to it with the Dale Mabry Hillsborough Community College campus over there. You know, I don't know how it's gonna play out, Matt, but, uh, those are some of the variables in play.

[00:10:47] Mat Germain: Yeah. I, I have to believe that with the connections that they have land-wise, that yeah, I, that they have more opportunities available to them than Stu did. Um, so I think that's what they're gonna lean towards, you know, lean on [00:11:00] to, to actually get something done. Yeah. And like we said before, I think we've said this a couple of times, I don't expect it'll take very long.

[00:11:06] I, I think there's already, you know, hands in the jar and, and they're gonna grab a cookie pretty soon. Um. The, the big question is really is how many more years are they going to spend at the tr while this build is going on? How much can they speed up that build? Um, so I anticipate they'll have to sign a, a, an add-on lease.

[00:11:27] To the Trop. Mm-hmm. Which is probably the only reason that the St. Petersburg was happy to, you know, go ahead and, and fix that roof. I don't know if anybody's done any air tests, air quality tests inside the Trop, because that mold issue with all that stagnant water would be, you know, kind of concerning as well.

[00:11:47] But, uh, it, it's, hopefully they've added the drainage that they need in case anything were to happen again. But, um. Yeah, I, I don't know. Uh, I'm curious to also hear, you never know. Maybe [00:12:00] there's a way where this new ownership can say, you know what, we're gonna move some of our affiliates around and we're gonna put somebody in the Trop.

[00:12:08] So, for instance, if they put their a high a team in the Trop, and then they move over to Tampa. Co-locating, it makes a longer use of that TR Canada site. How that fits into the St. Petersburg plans for development. That is the big question there. Right? How many more years does St. Pete now I, who are honestly probably going to have to pivot?

[00:12:34] How many more years? Do they want a tenant in there or do they just want to tear down the, the Trop when the lease is over? At which point. Steinbrenner field could come back into play again. Yep. Right? Yep. Yep. So I'm not, I'm not closing the books yet completely on Steinbrenner Field. I think there are still reasons that they could end up having to knock on that door again and say, can we please come in for one more year?[00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] Mark Corbett: Well, I go back to what you were thinking earlier on about. Let's just take Stein Brenner field over. I mean, just go ahead and make modifications. It's simple, it's quick, you know. And, uh, I could you, would you, would you use Steinbrenner for both your spring training and for your regular season field? I would.

[00:13:22] Does anybody do that? 

[00:13:23] Mat Germain: Yeah. I mean, as long as you, so it depends right now, like you were talking about your research you're doing for stadiums. Mm-hmm. So what, looking at around at the stadium builds, what have they been? They're not just the stadium, they're, they're the community around the stadium. So that's what the genius was behind Eboard, because e Ybor had that opportunity to grow a whole.

[00:13:47] Community around it that could actually, you know, become a bigger business model than just simply a stadium and make it a year long attraction. Um. I think that's the way of [00:14:00] the future is just to be like concessions. Whatever restaurants go in there should be accessible from the outside so that you can use them year round.

[00:14:07] Um, all the facilities in there, whether they're, uh, weight rooms, whether they're, uh, you want to add a museum in there, you want to do whatever it is, it should be seen as. Amping up the community overall. And I think when, when you're looking at Fenway, I think that's why it'll never move or change or, or, and the outfield will never get extended is because that whole street is full of bars where people, you know, it grows the ambiance around the stadium and it makes it a community feel when you're there and you have something to do before and after the game.

[00:14:41] Mark Corbett: No, it, it, that's I think what a lot of people. Liked and what St. Pete liked about the Rays Hines, uh, proposition. You know, they were looking at building a whole business development round where they didn't have as much, and pardon me. So that, that makes sense to have it. [00:15:00] That makes sense. The whole Gas Works project and Ybor channel side made sense.

[00:15:05] I gotta watch out though, 'cause when I talk about gas works, WORX and then there's the gas plant plan, which is over in St. Pete. So folks, if you hear those words being used, double check, uh, whoever's delivering the news, which one they're actually talking about. Oh my gosh. Well, here we are. Tell, tell. I want to, I want you to read for me your post earlier this week about blue on, excuse me, on Blue Sky, uh, about the investment that Sue Sternberg made and what it reaped as far as what he could put in the bank.

[00:15:43] Mat Germain: So I think we need to also add to that, that that post, um, Stu Sternberg was worth about $800 million when he bought the Rays. So he wasn't a billionaire yet, right? So he takes a chance on the Rays and, and [00:16:00] pays, you know, up to $200 million, uh, which was what was estimated, and, and nobody knows exactly what was included in there.

[00:16:08] In terms of a percentage, um, but over time he adds a little bit. To that slice, uh, by buying out some minority owners. We don't know the exact details. A lot of it is because a lot of those minority owners feel like they got fleeced and they ended up having a, uh, lawsuit go up against Stu Sternberg.

[00:16:29] Eventually they settled, I think in 2024, uh, about that lawsuit. They came to an agreement. Nobody knows all the financial details and, and whether or not anything was paid out. Uh, but anyways, they gave him. , Security over the fact that yes, the stakes that he did hold are his. So 200 million is down a tiny bit more, but then.

[00:16:49] You know, and, uh, 21 years later, he sells them for $1.7 billion, despite not getting them a stadium, despite [00:17:00] having nothing concrete, you know, in, in play in terms of a deal, having destroyed every single one that he ever came up against. He ends up with 1.7 billion. So. $1.5 billion over that 21 year span ends up being $71 million a year, or 71 and a half pretty much.

[00:17:19] And then that's not even including the annual profits that he raked in from the owning the Rays because they were getting, uh, MLB um, balance. Uh, competitive balance transfers. Uh, they were getting lottery money. They got TV deals where every single owner got ended up getting, I don't remember what it was, $50 million each, uh, from that big deal that they had, um, you know, in 2023.

[00:17:45] So. He's raked in so much money, so, uh, from, from this deal, or he is going to, and then he still owns a minority share. We don't know exactly how much that is, but you, you stand back and you, you think of it from [00:18:00] a, you know, if, if I was sitting there and I had $800 million and somebody told me, okay, with that $800 million, you can make 71 and a half million dollars a year for the next 21 years.

[00:18:14] Right. That's an insane return , on investment. , You're talking about, . Averaging just under 10% a year, , of your net worth, , and so there aren't many investments out there that can actually do that and, and make it, um, you know, him and Jeffrey Loria will go down in history. Two of the most successful investors, , in Florida businesses of all time.

[00:18:40] And, and they kind of prove the concept that, you know. Franchises a lot of times if they are hot potatoes and you get to walk away and enjoy the money. So I'm curious to see what he does with that $1.5 billion. Uh, plus, you know, he, he paid off that 200 million, so let's make it 1.7 billion that he'll be sitting [00:19:00] on.

[00:19:00] Um, and I'm curious to see if he decides to reload and, and, uh, be part of another ownership group down the road. 

[00:19:08] Mark Corbett: That's interesting 'cause I'm curious, I hadn't really dug into one part, but I, and I haven't even, pardon me, I haven't even confirmed this, that the part of the deal was that the rowdies were also a part of this sale.

[00:19:21] So that means Stu would be divesting himself of both the rowdy's and the Rays, and so did. 

[00:19:30] Mat Germain: Yeah. The curious part of the rowdy is, is does he envision, you know, MLS, uh, role or MMLS feeding role basically for the rowdies? 

[00:19:41] Mark Corbett: Yeah, that's what I'm curious about too. And you know, there's a lot of change going on around here as far as soccer slash football.

[00:19:48] You know, we've got, uh, that has been part of the development over in Ybor for the women's soccer, uh, and being able to put together a stadium around that in the whole business thing because the developer. Who was going to [00:20:00] be putting all that together for Ybor and the Rays, you know, has had to kind of pivot a couple times figuring, oh, I'm gonna be doing it with the Rays.

[00:20:07] Oh, now I gotta find something else. Oh, the Ray wanna do this now. So there's a whole lot of movement going on, and we're not gonna get into the long journey today on the Rays stadium. But I do wanna salute, uh, Stu Sternberg for a great investment. I'm, I'm sending my four oh k 401k money to him right now, and maybe he can do a little better job for me than I've done.

[00:20:27] Uh, but I, I gotta say, man, you know, it's, it's been practically a, uh. An activity, if you will, uh, for people to say how much they hate Stu over the years. And it's been, I've enjoyed watching this past week, his attendance at the game, his enjoyment of the game, his playfulness with the game, you know, he was out there as the ball boy.

[00:20:55] On the field this week and after [00:21:00] George Steinbrenner, and I loved it. You know, he's, he's not taking him as himself as seriously as some other people do in this world. He's and enjoying it. The, the, I believe that the tip of the hat from the team was heartfelt. Um, you know, they, they, within that organization, they see a person that fans don't see, you know, I dunno about you, but I, I've had friends in the past.

[00:21:25] Say, yeah, well, he's a real SOB at work, but you know, he's my neighbor and, oh, he's a good guy. Go out and play softball with him. You, you're saying he's a, an SOB because of this, that, and the other. Hmm. I didn't know that. But Stu I think is gen, genuinely loved by the people, people closest to him in that organization.

[00:21:42] And I was happy to see him departing in a very positive manner. 

[00:21:48] Mat Germain: Yes, he brought a lot. Well just look at how the Rays are viewed across Major League baseball. He brought respect to the franchise. Yeah. In all variety of ways, he [00:22:00] brought respect to the front office by hiring the very best and, and making them the in demand.

[00:22:05] Of the league. He brought respect to the team because of the record. He's one of the top five records as an owner over his time. How like with the budget, regardless of the budget, just look at those two facts. Best front office in i, major league baseball bar, none 'cause they get poached left, right, and center and.

[00:22:24] Their top five in Major League baseball, knowing all the money and, and efforts that go around in, in Major League baseball to get to that level. Right. Just those two facts alone make it, you know, you, you can, you can complain about certain aspects of anything Stu Sternberg did, but the respect and allowing the fact that everybody is welcome at the stadium.

[00:22:48] Yeah. Regardless of whatever, you know. Group, they're a part of Rays, ethnicity, language, it doesn't matter. They were welcome. He had [00:23:00] events put on. He had, you know, some miscues on, on certain things, uh, Marketing wise, especially when it came to the aggravation of the stadium issues constantly. Yeah. And then the St.

[00:23:11] Petersburg, you know, the tiffs that he had with the mayor and Rick and yada, like all of that nonsense was all, you know, uh. A business guy trying to work his position into, uh, the more prominent of the two, depending on which one you're talking about. So. I think there's a lot to learn from his journey with the Rays.

[00:23:33] Like even for him, he would admit he probably learned a lot along the way. Would he regret any of it? Not if you're walking away with that much money and not if you had all that success. He took him to the World Series. He had five years in the playoffs in a row. He, he got, you know, ma, major league baseball that changed three or four rules because of how they operated.

[00:23:54] Yeah. Like that's how significant he empowered the. The, the [00:24:00] team to actually compete in whatever way they, they had to. So I'll, I'll definitely miss, you know, that side of it. I'm curious to see what Mat Silverman and Brian Auld do next. Uh, I am imagine that if there's expansion, somebody will look at Silverman as a potential, you know, addition to their team.

[00:24:18] Um. It'll be interesting to see, you know, if Nashville comes calling and a couple of others. 'cause Dumbrowski doesn't seem like he's gonna leave Philadelphia and go back to Nashville. No. So yeah, there, there's a lot to like about the, the Sternberg era and I think it like history will be kind to him. 

[00:24:38] Mark Corbett: I think so as well.

[00:24:39] Like I said, it's, it's. Few owners are loved by their fans, and they, they never a, a agree with everything that they do. I mean, it is part of the friction and part of the fun, quite honestly, of the back and forth, sitting at the bar, talking to the guy next to you as you're grabbing another. Group of peanuts and throwing [00:25:00] them in your mouth and being able to say, oh, this is great, or all that terrible.

[00:25:03] What in the world were they thinking of, you know? And, but Stu like you said, he's leaving the team better than he got it. Uh, he's done a lot for the community. He's not been afraid to stand up for organizations where other people shy away. Uh, whether it's be supporting something with, , pride and that sort of thing.

[00:25:20] And it's like, I, I respect that more than, you know. I mean, to me that says so much more about a person off field that, uh, this, that to me is where we really get measured. So for that too, uh, thank you Stu. 

[00:25:35] Mat Germain: Yeah. And, and there, I'll leave you with two other things on this subject. One, how do players talk about the organization when they leave?

[00:25:42] Mm. They all rave about it and they all were, would love to come back in most cases. Right. And number two is, is the, I don't know, maybe I'm just sentimental because it's the, it's one of those things that [00:26:00] I've been monitoring so closely for, for so long, but, but if you're looking around at the other owners in Major League baseball, right.

[00:26:08] How many of them would you have actually preferred? Over what Stu has done over the last 21 years. You know, like, are there any out there that are, you know, so great, they're such a great owner that you're like, oh, well that guy definitely gets it right, or whatever. Like, so those things are, are what stand out to me.

[00:26:29] There is nobody else. Through his era that I would say, you know what, I need that owner personally because I monitored Toronto before. I would say Alex Anthopoulos is one that I would say, okay, I, I enjoy the way he operates, but it's not, um, uh, an owner. This is, this is a, a front office guy, right? Yep. 

[00:26:49] Mark Corbett: Yep.

[00:26:50] Mat Germain: Yeah, I, I think that it's, uh, it's going to be interesting to see how fans like the transition, how smooth the transition is. If they don't have success right away, [00:27:00] and people start leaving the front office and there's disgruntled things as they're waiting for their new stadium, the, you know, the tides could turn very quickly against any new owners.

[00:27:12] So we'll see how it goes. 

[00:27:16] Mark Corbett: Well, we will, you know, and it's the, it's interesting. I was looking at the new owner, Zalupski, and I may not be saying his name properly. The name kept tagging and tagging and tagging at me, and I was thinking, where did it come from? And years ago with like a Tampa Sports Authority.

[00:27:32] There was a gentleman who was leading it up and his name was Zalupski, but I don't think it's the same family per se, but I kept thinking there's some kind of connection. I gotta do a little bit more homework on that and find out. But, uh, you know, he's actually from Jacksonville. He, he's wanting to stay here, which man, that's always good news.

[00:27:50] Uh, 

[00:27:51] Mat Germain: I don't, that's another question I had was, do you think he tries to make Jacksonville their AAA affiliate? Hmm. You know, that's an [00:28:00] option. That way he already has a rapport there. He already, , has the stadium. Everything else that's a, you know, I, I'm almost positive, , Durham being what it is, the Marlins would not be opposed to doing the swap.

[00:28:13] So that's something to throw out there as the potential, you know, change to the operations. Um, that way he doesn't have to relinquish his ownership or stake in that organization either. 

[00:28:25] Mark Corbett: I like that. That would, that would be neat. You know, we'll have to talk with, uh, Lou about his Marlins when he gets back.

[00:28:30] But going to the minor lease for a moment, we'd like to talk maybe about a fellow we had here a couple months ago. Mr. Kevin Boles, manager for Montgomery Biscuits, and they are, what is it, the one, the third game in a championship series they playing at right now. 

[00:28:48] Mat Germain: That's what they're doing. And TJ Nichols is on the mound and, uh, trying to lock it in, I think it's going to be an all hands on deck style game because a lot of these guys are warm [00:29:00] and um, a lot of them, you know, want to get into the game.

[00:29:02] Like Austin Vernon has come back from AAA and is. Part of that group. So is Ty Johnson. There's a lot of firepower in that, uh, pen. And it's a winner take all tonight. So it's a, for anybody that doesn't know, it's a rematch of last year's championship in the Southern League, uh, which Birmingham ended up winning.

[00:29:22] So, um. Hopefully the, the Biscuits come out on top tonight. I'm, uh, monitoring the game here on the side. So, uh, will Simpson, uh, has been the hero so far, and he just singled. So he's, he's still having an amazing playoff. I think his OPS now is 1 7 2. Um, so when you're up near two, 2000, you're, you're having a heck of a series.

[00:29:49] Mark Corbett: And how are the Rays doing right now? It's Wednesday night, by the way, folks. And they're playing the Orioles. Um, 

[00:29:55] Mat Germain: couple of interesting thing on the, on the Rays, the Brandon Lowe hit a home [00:30:00] run tonight and it was his 31st and he's 31 years old, so he hit his number, 

[00:30:06] Mark Corbett: hit his age. That counts, brother. That's great.

[00:30:09] Wow. I know. I've been watching Junior and I got a junior Caminero arrow, and I've got to wonder, in that young man's mind. He's, you know how close he is to Carlos Pena's number, what? I think junior's at 44 home runs this year, this far, and I think Carlos is 46. And it's like, doesn't become something that's in front of your mind every time you go up to plate.

[00:30:33] Are you still just the same cool guy you were? You know, midseason. 

[00:30:39] Mat Germain: I, I don't know. I Junior. Yeah, it's definitely on his mind. Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm sure he's eyeing it up. So for anybody that doesn't know tonight, including tonight, there's five games left of the season. Mm-hmm. So you've got four more.

[00:30:54] I haven't looked at the pitching for the Orioles in the Js, but here's the thing. The Jays are [00:31:00] going into the playoffs. So usually what that means is that there's some finagling of pitching staffs, right? Like you're, you're burning up the back end of the pen that you may or may not carry on your 26th man roster.

[00:31:13] So my, I am leaning towards him at least reaching 46. Hmm. I don't know if he gets beyond it. It would have to be, you know, the right situation. And, and I, I had called that he would get the 51, so, or 52, I can't remember which asked you said, I think I know. 

[00:31:33] Mark Corbett: Yeah. I I don't think he said 52. I, I re my mind this morning I was remembering.

[00:31:38] 50. Maybe he did say 51. But, uh, 'cause I was thinking dag man, I was really looking forward to him hitting your number. I remember that. I was saying, geez, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough. Well, maybe, maybe in the Orioles Park, maybe up there at Camden Yards, he'd be able to do it. Oh, that's right. They pulled that dag on f uh, stands back, didn't they?

[00:31:58] He had a, where he had a shorter [00:32:00] distance. I think it was over left. Field maybe. And they, uh, moved those boxes back. Uh, no. We'll, we'll see. 

[00:32:08] Mat Germain: Jake Mangum just hit his third homer of this season. Ooh, I 

[00:32:12] Mark Corbett: love that guy. I mean, there's things about him. I look at him, I think Joey Wendle about being able to place him just about anywhere, uh, the intensity that he plays the game with.

[00:32:23] And, you know, we, we wanna see that with all their players, but to me it is just outstanding to watch him play. And with the intensity and commitment to the game, it's huge. 

[00:32:35] Mat Germain: I, I think the, the other nice thing to point out tonight and, and I know he had some rough starts, uh, especially late in the season, but Shane b finished off the season with a no hit three walk effort over four innings, and, and he struck out three.

[00:32:51] So the no hit part is, is really nice to see from, from him. Uh, I didn't look at the velocity to see if he still had the gas, but all I want [00:33:00] for Shane right now in the off season is a healthy off season. Please keep, you know, bubble wrap 'em, put him in the, do whatever you gotta do to ke keep Shane healthy for next year so that, uh, he can be part of that staff.

[00:33:15] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Wow. Oh my goodness. Well, you know, as, as we're coming to the close of the season. Most folks will tell you the, the big decisions aren't made until then. So the, the new ownership decisions being made now, and then the also the confirmation, a lot of us thought was gonna come is next year a, b, s, you know, pat tap on the hat there, or whether or not calling into question balls and strikes.

[00:33:46] I don't know. I, I get. I don't know that I really like this one. I, I've agreed to virtually everything else that's come with the, the new rules and all this, and I just like the ability [00:34:00] for the umpire to determine where that strike zone is. From their perspective 

[00:34:06] Mat Germain: Personally, it's my pet peeve, Mark. The, the umpire strike zones is my pet peeve.

[00:34:11] It's the one thing in the game I absolutely hate, and I'll tell you why. I've seen it ruin careers. Yeah. I've seen it amp up careers that didn't deserve to be amped up. Uh, and, and I, I don't think it's right. An umpire is. Usually somewhere, you know, above 55, 60 years old, needs glasses, can't see half the time.

[00:34:33] And you're asking 'em to judge where that pitch is, is breaking at a hundred miles an hour. Give me a break. We have the technology now to actually get this right. It's, it's time to just, I, they, they gave them the two challenges. I'm like, give them 12, give them 12 challenges. No takebacks, no whatevers, however they want, because.

[00:34:54] All I want in reality is the majority of those tight calls to be called [00:35:00] right? And it's so fast now. It doesn't slow down the game. Barely at all. They, they do it. They go, they go, yeah, it said this. That's it. They move on. And if you watch it in the minors. It, it's a blip. It's the, it's faster than the automatic walks the first base.

[00:35:15] So just get it over with and stop ruining people's careers. Like you're, you're, you're a rookie. You're making your first start and the umpire knows it, and he's behind the plate and he's squeezing you for every ball and strike. And he's like, you haven't earned this. Well. I'm sorry, but that's horse shit.

[00:35:35] It's like you shouldn't have to earn balls and strikes. They should either be a ball or they should be a strike. End of freaking story. This whole madness about saying they're human element. I don't want the human element. If it's gonna lead to bad decisions, throw it out. It'd be like saying if, um, I don't know, the, we have automated driving.

[00:35:59] We can [00:36:00] cure all accidents around the world, but we're not gonna put it in because we like the human element of driving and people falling asleep and driving into your lane, and running into you in the middle of the highway, in the middle of the night like. Like we've put in the, you, you've driven Mark.

[00:36:14] You have that little, uh, alert that comes up b when you're going into the, the other lane. Be, and, and there's somebody there. My 

[00:36:21] Mark Corbett: wife does. Yeah. I got my car's too old. 

[00:36:24] Mat Germain: Has that prevented from happening? 

[00:36:27] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:36:27] Mat Germain: Imagine we didn't use that, right? Like we're, oh, but what's the human element of driving? You know, I dunno.

[00:36:35] I'm like, what are we doing? Like, no. Oh, all the powers. I don't, the umpires have an a tough enough job as it is to do other things. Right. It's fine. It, you don't have to do, uh, un humanized the entire game, but balls and strikes, the velocities and the amount of move. Can you imagine trying to call a, a, a mad brash, a slider and know when it crossed [00:37:00] the plate?

[00:37:00] I mean, that thing drops like 14 inches. What do you really, you're gonna tell me exactly where that broke and went across the plate? No, you're not. I don't care who you are. You can't make that distinction. It, it moves too fast. And especially when you're crouched down behind somebody trying not to get nailed by that ball.

[00:37:19] Like, I'm sorry, it's, it's just not that I'm surprised, Mark, that it's 2025 and it's taken this long to get here. Like that's what I'm surprised about. I was ready in , 2004, 2005, watching the New York Yankees and Red Sox put on four and a half hour games because of these balls and strike issues. Oh 

[00:37:41] Mark Corbett: Lord.

[00:37:42] Yeah. Well, how many times could you step away from the plate back then too? I mean, oh, that was, I mean, Yandy, who I love Yandy, he was merciless about that too, before we had that in place and Oh gosh. Oh, 

[00:37:56] Mat Germain: and Big Papi Ortiz had this whole, you know, stand back, [00:38:00] look around, brush yourself off, uh, pat the belly, put gloves.

[00:38:05] Never. Yeah. It's ridiculous. 

[00:38:07] Mark Corbett: No, I know. And, and there's, there's, yeah. Some things needed to change and this, eh, continuity will help. But, um, we'll see. Matt, let's see. I got 

[00:38:18] Mat Germain: my soap box for a minute. 

[00:38:19] Mark Corbett: Oh, I like it, brother. Keep it lively. Geez. Gives us some, give some perspective. It's not yes or no hot or cold.

[00:38:26] Let's, well, maybe it is a little hot or cold on that one. 

[00:38:30] Mat Germain: I remember, and I honestly, I can't remember the. I, I, I wanna say it was Dustin McGowan, um, who had, had, uh, he was a hot pitcher for the Jays, but it was another pitcher that had come on and, and I can't remember the name for the life of me, but I, I clearly remember he was going up against.

[00:38:49] John Smoltz or somebody else that had like all the veteran aura around him. And for some reason the, the pitcher he was going up against kept getting [00:39:00] calls, kept getting calls, kept getting calls, and the rookie that was on the mound was getting torn to bits and we never saw him again. He had one start.

[00:39:08] That was it. He got, you know, I think he got through 1.2 innings or something like that, and I, I had followed him through the minors and I was like. This kid can do it. Like he was just demoralized by all of the calls that were going against him. You could see him gritting his teeth on the mound and shaking his head and getting angry, and, and you're like, why is that happening?

[00:39:29] That should not be a part of the game. Yes, overcoming adversity by all means, but you face enough adversity as a pitcher with them trying to knock your head off of a spindle, right? Like that's, that's enough adversity in itself. So. Take it easy on the pitchers, give them credit where it's due. When that ball crosses the plate, by all means give them the strikes so that they don't have to go crazy on the mound.

[00:39:55] And, uh, and if you're not gonna allow the managers to kick sand on the umpires, [00:40:00] they shouldn't get to make the calls. That's my other thing. So if, if the, um, if the managers aren't able to vent and, and get it out and, you know. Then, you know, take the calls away from the umpires. And I, I'm happy with the way they're easing it in.

[00:40:13] I do think it'll grow over time. Sort of like some, some of the other things, um, going full out. And I think they said, which I like that they took the players', you know, interest into account when they made that decision. Yeah. Instead of going full, you know, full ABS, which that I think would've been a mistake, you would've had a lot of pushback.

[00:40:33] And then the CBA fight that would've came out of it. Would've been a lot about that as well as other things, it would've been added onto the pile. 

[00:40:44] Mark Corbett: We've definitely gotta find out more about these, the CBA and what the players are concerns are in the future here. I really want to get that on. Um. Threw in there in the middle of all that mentioned Yandy Diaz.

[00:40:55] And man, I tell you what, the last part, these last few weeks, [00:41:00] I've enjoyed the Rays more than ever. Just watching Yandy, if nothing else. I mean, Jonathan Aranda has been out of circuit 'cause of injury. God bless him after I still can see that image of him on first and Giancarlo Stanton and him reaching over to get him out.

[00:41:16] And that just looked so painful. But Jonathan was just right on the way and that, uh. We're looking at what, what is the batting average and the on-base percentage for Yandy has been phenomenal. I think he's right at 400 or over with it, just even the average right now, and he has just been outstanding and watching what that man can do when he comes up to the plate, it, it has to.

[00:41:42] The rest of those players, you know, that it, we've talked before about the seniority of, of having Brandon Lowe and Yandy on there to be leaders for this group, but the performance that he's given, you know, goes above and beyond just being a leader on that team. 

[00:41:59] Mat Germain: Right. Well. [00:42:00] So you brought up really good points where, what impact has Yandy Diaz had on Jonathan or Aranda's development?

[00:42:09] What impact has he had on Junior development and how many years did the Rays benefit from his presence and what he passed on to those players? You know, over time you're looking at it 6, 7, 8 years, you know, depending on how much extensions they get. Uh, maybe more so. His legacy is going to be a really, really, really positive one.

[00:42:32] With the Rays. Yeah. Yeah. Whether or not he's able to stick around even longer. I think he loves Tampa, he loves the area he loves, you know, where he is, the team. I don't think he's seeking other employment like in other teams. Um, he's a professional hitter. He's hit with 25 home runs. He's hitting 300. How do you.

[00:42:52] Rate value that across Major League baseball. And how does the new ownership decide to play that? Um, he's gonna be 35. [00:43:00] You know, historically bats really start to slow. 36, 37, 38. So how much money do you want to dedicate to that for a DH slash verse baseman. But Yi's played really solid D as well. 

[00:43:17] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:43:18] Mat Germain: So it's going to be really interesting what they decide to do this off season.

[00:43:21] Do they decide, okay, he's passed on what he needs to pass on. Now he can. We can. Because the Rays are all about maximizing assets. Do they decide to dangle him to a team that's really going for it next year? Right? Like, um, you know, the Padres for, for instance, would be a team that I could see saying, you know, knock on the door, you know what we really want you, Andy, this year because we're sick of the Dodgers.

[00:43:45] We wanna knock 'em off, y yada yada. Something like that. Right? Um. But the Q, the package would still have to be really solid for a player his age making a decent amount of money because he's put himself [00:44:00] there. So, I don't know. I think it's going to be very hard for the Rays to not maximize that investment.

[00:44:06] And, and Brandon Lau, I mean, I would say at least one of the two sticks around between Brandon and Yandy. One of them I imagine will stick around, but I could see the other moving on. 

[00:44:19] Mark Corbett: Yeah, I mean, you and I were talking when trade season was round with deadlines. We talked about both those gentlemen and we talked about Pete and uh, fortunately as a fan, I'm glad to see all three of 'em are still there.

[00:44:31] And I think with what we were able to bring up from some other trades, what we've had in the system and the young people, I mean, there's a dearth of grid players in the farm system and bring it up, you've. Uh, talked about time and again, and hey gi, give us another glance here at the Biscuits. What's going on with the game right now?

[00:44:50] Mat Germain: Um, the Biscuits are right now, uh, still zero zero and TJ Nichols. Um. You know, I [00:45:00] was able to get through two unscathed. Um, I think the, the hits are coming like in, in small amounts on both sides. Um, so I think we have, or the Biscuits have one and the other side has five. Uh, but they've been spread out enough to not allow any scoring.

[00:45:19] He's thrown 53 pitches so far, um, and he's managed to keep them. From crossing the ple, but he's got two on and one out right now. Mm-hmm. So he's getting in, uh, trouble. 

[00:45:30] Mark Corbett: Wow. Oh wow. Well, we'll see. But we wish Kevin and the boys, you know, all the good fortune they can have because I, I know he's worked at it.

[00:45:38] He's been great about developing talent and, you know, I still have to think when you're talking about Simpson with the Biscuits. 'cause I know we got Simpson with, with the Rays and another Simpson, you know, in the system. So that's, uh, that's pretty cool. Oh my gosh. Any other nuggets we should be thinking about?

[00:45:57] Matt? 

[00:45:58] Mat Germain: Um, I just wanna [00:46:00] to point out the, the playoff picture. Like, um, the, you know, I think Rays fans right now obviously are, are thinking about next year, but you should also. Want to monitor, you know, what is happening in the league and how teams are winning and why teams are winning. And also cheer on another team that's going to be part of the playoffs just to be a part of it and actually, you know, enjoy the process and, and hopefully see somebody that, uh, that you half admire at least.

[00:46:33] Right? Yeah. That end up hoisting, a trophy. So. When I'm thinking about the last places in the wild card right now, there's one in play that is very intriguing. So at 81 wins are the New York Mets. At 80 wins are the D backs, and that 80 wins are the reds. So I'm thinking Terry Francona, like you're sitting there and you've driven this team, which you know, they've [00:47:00] had a lot of obstacles thrown at them this year and before.

[00:47:04] If he's able to actually pull it off and get that team into a playoff spot above the Mets. 

[00:47:10] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:47:11] Mat Germain: Oh my goodness. Like that's just a, a feather in his cap that I think he would really enjoy. So I would really cheer them on if they got in there and they have very intriguing playoff style pitching that that could actually allow them to get a little bit further in than people would think.

[00:47:27] Um, so yeah, they're an intriguing team, but other than that, the brewers are who I am cheering for a hundred percent because I just think, well, everybody like I, I. I talked to a lot of other reporters that that kind of, um, cover Major League baseball very closely and, and I. I always rub the salt in the wounds of a few that are so name friendly and name heavy friendly.

[00:47:55] So if they, if they got the names, they spent all the money, oh, they're the favorites. They're the ones that are [00:48:00] gonna win it all. They're the ones that are gonna go, you know, those types. And so I love the brewers because like the Rays, they go against the grain and a lot of times they're proven. Right. And Matt Arnold, who came from the Rays is a huge.

[00:48:14] Part of that mentality and success in Milwaukee. So I admire that. I admire the fact that he has a piece of the Rays with him and he's brought in a lot of players from the Rays because of that, 'cause of his links, probably people he talks to. And, um, and I like the players. I like William Contreras. I like the, the aura around the team.

[00:48:36] Christian Yelich has been there for a long time. He deserves to have a little bit more, uh. You know, positivity in the playoffs, et cetera. So I, I wish them all the best. Caleb Durbin is one of the guys that I love that they brought in when they delve Devin Williams and he's a, you know, an electric little player that I think is, is really helping them balance their lineup overall.

[00:48:56] And, um, I think he's gonna be a lot of fun to watch. So who are you [00:49:00] cheering on for, for the playoffs? 

[00:49:02] Mark Corbett: I've got, you know, the beginning of the year. I was thinking a at least it's gonna be Rays and Orioles at the top of the division. Geez, who was I wrong? But you know, I, I, I, I have, I was enjoying watching the Brewers, especially when the Adames and Bauers were there.

[00:49:21] Bauers was there, but I hometown boy from Louisville and right up the road to Cincinnati and seeing Elle De La Cruz has just been a phenomenal, and, and Terry Francona, you gotta love. Terry and to be able to see him come to another place like that and doing so well, I, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna go with you on the, on them.

[00:49:41] I think bef before that I was looking at Detroit. Um, I kinda like what the Tigers have been doing. Uh, the Mets just again, 'cause Peter Alonso, there's somebody I like on the team and then they took that deep slide of like six or eight games. It's like, who are we? They had to be asking, [00:50:00] but Cincinnati. Yeah.

[00:50:02] How was Cincinnati? Go Reds, I think. 

[00:50:06] Mat Germain: Yeah. Well we, we called that whole slide from the Mets Yeah. Before the season started in terms of the fact that it has to do with their pitching and then their pitching, you know, the investments they made in the off season was never going to be enough for, and I don't think they ever really added enough beyond that to actually reload.

[00:50:24] And, and I think they're kind of. I think ownership decided we've invested enough in this team. We need to see to let it ride and see how it goes. And, and, and welcome in some younger players to help us balance things out a little bit. 'cause they've realized how reckless this whole pedal to the metal thing is going to be in, in terms of making it hard for them to build a team for the long run.

[00:50:51] Right. Yeah. So I think that's part of what happened, and they're paying the price for it now because Wow. I, I [00:51:00] don't know, but I, I think if it keeps going the way it is, you're gonna have a new manager and a new coaching staff in, in New York, uh, for next year. What's happening? 

[00:51:09] Mark Corbett: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Does that's, I don't know.

[00:51:11] There's been a threat for that for so long. But changes have to be made. So we will see. Well, we hope you enjoyed yet another good time here with the good boys and girls here at Baseball Biz on Deck and we send our well wishes to Lou Schiff and his family and grandbaby to be great times ahead.

[00:51:29] Lou, we wish you were here, but we're so happy you're there and having a, a great time, I'm sure with everybody and maybe getting round of golf in between. Feedings? 

[00:51:38] Mat Germain: I don't know if he's a cigar smoker, but if, uh, if, if it's a healthy boy or healthy girl, you gotta get out there and have a cigar outside the, the hospital afterwards and just bask in the glow of the fact that another one's arrived.

[00:51:50] And you get to have a bigger Thanksgiving when it comes around in terms of the joy at the table. So yeah, all the best to him and his family, for sure. 

[00:51:59] Mark Corbett: All righty, [00:52:00] well, thanks again, Mat. We're, uh, have another good time here, my friend, and we wish you all the