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KGMZ-FM / 95.7 THE GAME
  • 4 days ago
Transcript
00:00All righty, it's crossover time, so let's welcome in Mark Willard and Dan Dibley.
00:05What is going on, guys? How are you today?
00:08Pretty excited to be your teammate today.
00:11Oh, wow.
00:12Both of you.
00:12Willard Love?
00:13Yeah, pretty excited to be a teammate of both of yours today.
00:18I'll tell you that.
00:19That was a hell of a listen with Jim Bowden.
00:23You guys did a bang-up job with Jim Bowden.
00:26He came in hot with the ski mask and the pitcher mask.
00:29Pretty funny.
00:30But everything he said, everything he said, he's right.
00:34He's right.
00:35This is the baseball version of Luka, I guess.
00:37Yeah, why do we need to tiptoe around it?
00:39The Red Sox made a mockery of themselves yet again.
00:42No doubt.
00:42I don't care if Rafi goes over four with four Ks tonight.
00:45Red Sox got fleeced.
00:47Dibbs, I just want to know where you were at because you were out of town when you got the news.
00:51I know where they were at.
00:52I was holding that.
00:53Where were you at when you got it?
00:55I was in between Santa Barbara and Ventura where I was staying.
00:58My son graduated UCSB.
01:01Yeah, thank you.
01:02And I wasn't totally checked out, but I was probably half in, half out.
01:06And I get a text from a guy named Mike Daly who played high school basketball with my brother.
01:12And he sent me a text saying, hey, we're having this event, this and that.
01:16You should roll through.
01:17It's coming up in two weeks.
01:18By the way, I love the trade.
01:20What?
01:21So I pulled my car over because I don't do the phone on the car.
01:25And then a message comes through the car or whatever.
01:26And I looked, I'm like, man, I like the trade.
01:29And so you open up Twitter or whatever.
01:31It's like, whoa!
01:33By the way, when it's that surprising, you can't be that vague in text.
01:38You got to tell your boy Mike.
01:39He thought he knew, though.
01:40He probably texted you right when it happened.
01:45Within probably an hour, I would guess.
01:47Oh, really?
01:47Yeah.
01:48Didn't our thread text about it?
01:49Y'all texted about it, didn't you?
01:51You guys had me off the thread.
01:53We did?
01:54Well, unless you texted after I found it from Mike Daly.
01:57I don't think so.
01:58Yeah.
01:59Well, on Monday, you guys had your own thing going because I wasn't there.
02:02Correct.
02:03And as an Android, whenever I'm out.
02:06This was a Sunday experience.
02:07I'll check it.
02:08Yeah.
02:09I could be wrong.
02:09Sunday evening right before my bed.
02:11It might have been your, because you guys go iPhone only, and I don't begrudge you for
02:14that because I'm the annoying guy who shows up in green.
02:18Or, I know, my droid texts are not always well.
02:21You're welcome in your iPhone world, and I get that.
02:23No, that's actually always the case.
02:25Yeah.
02:25Yeah.
02:25Yeah.
02:25So, Mark, can I...
02:26Anyway, whatever.
02:27Well, can I assume that you like the Bowden interview more than the Jonathan Papelbon interview?
02:33Well, those were different experiences.
02:35The Jim Bowden interview was, I would say, invigorating.
02:41Man.
02:41It was informative.
02:43It wasn't as funny as the Jonathan Papelbon interview.
02:46That was...
02:47I don't know what...
02:48I was happy.
02:49What time was that out here?
02:51That was at 4.15?
02:54It started at 4.15.
02:56It ended about two minutes ago, and he had three sentences.
03:01I thought, again, and Dibs wasn't here for it.
03:03I don't know if you heard any of it.
03:04It's the first time ever I've done an interview, and this happens a lot.
03:08It's the first interview in my career where the person on the other end of the line was
03:12having problems with their cell phone, and it didn't matter, because you could go through
03:16a dead zone and not miss a word.
03:19Oh, that is great.
03:20And if you don't know, just go listen to it.
03:22That was Dibs from Vegas.
03:24That was...
03:25Well, it was something like that.
03:27So, it was a quick interview is what you're saying?
03:28Oh, no, no, no.
03:30No, it was not over fast.
03:31Oh.
03:32No.
03:32Okay.
03:33No, the opposite...
03:34You know how you do.
03:34I'm having a good time.
03:35Oh, yeah.
03:36But I don't...
03:37See, here's the difference.
03:38When you call the show drunk, you're actually drunk.
03:41I don't...
03:42I think Jonathan's just...
03:44Oh, you think?
03:45I think he's just from a different place in this country, and I won't name it out loud.
03:48You can Google it if you want.
03:50But, yeah.
03:51Yeah.
03:51He's a different...
03:52Yeah.
03:53He's just a different man.
03:54And I love the sound you guys played from him from a different appearance where he's
03:57talking about clubhouse cancer, and I thought about it, like, isn't he the guy who choked
04:02out Bryce Harper in the dugout?
04:04And they got into it.
04:05Yeah, so, I mean, we get into the pot making phone calls to the kettle.
04:10It becomes, for me, a little bit of a step back.
04:13And I don't know if he's on the Red Sox payroll, but he...
04:15He is.
04:16He's on the payroll.
04:17Yeah, he's on the broadcast.
04:18So, I don't know how you comment on the trade and don't have some criticism for Boston
04:22because...
04:23And Jim Bowden said this so perfectly, like, with Luka and Dallas just took the first offer?
04:29Like, you don't want to shop this prized possession?
04:31You know what?
04:31I tell you, though, because...
04:33You didn't get Eldridge?
04:35No, but here's what I'm thinking as to why both of those teams, the Dallas Mavericks
04:40and the Boston Red Sox, did that.
04:42Play that out in your mind.
04:43Let's say they shop, and it does get out, and, like, if that goes public, what's your
04:50fan base do?
04:51The same thing they did after it was announced.
04:54But then it's done.
04:55But then it's done.
04:57If you...
04:58Oh, you said before.
04:59Oh, God.
04:59If you tell your fan base you're about to do this before you do it, good Lord.
05:04Like, from a PR standpoint, you're going to get cooked.
05:08I feel like Matt Jones in the draft with Trey Lance.
05:10Well, like, you gotta...
05:12I get why they might have done that, and I wonder...
05:15We were just playing with this in the other room.
05:17I wonder if Buster, A, played it correctly, but B, might have gotten a little lucky with
05:21the timing.
05:22In other words, you know that Devers is upset, and the Red Sox are upset.
05:26You know that you need a bopper, and so you make an early phone call.
05:31Hey, guys.
05:32Like, I don't know what's going on out there with Devers, but if this gets to a point where
05:37it's untenable for you, we're interested.
05:39So 29 other GMs you don't think we're thinking like that?
05:42I don't know.
05:43I don't know.
05:44You know what I mean?
05:44Wow, what a come up, man.
05:45If you make that call, then when it does become untenable, they call you first.
05:51You know what I mean?
05:52I wonder.
05:52I don't know that.
05:53I'm shocked, man.
05:54And excited.
05:54Yeah, I'm excited and a little shocked, and honestly, what Jim Bowden was saying is there's
06:00some truth to it.
06:00Like, if you wait another six weeks, you get to the deadline, you probably get more, and
06:05if you make other phone calls, you probably get better offers.
06:08But it happened the way it happened, and you've got to love the Buster Posey part of it, you
06:13know, and just being active in Manassian as well.
06:16They clearly saw a need, and you find out a player might be able to break free, and you
06:21get out of there.
06:22They're, you know, not total highway robbery, pending on what Kyle Harrison becomes.
06:26He's still only 23, but it was two prospects and a pitcher you didn't want in Jordan Hicks,
06:33and then a guy who might turn out to be great for eight more years of 900 OPS.
06:38Yeah, I tell you, that was one of the more interesting comments also from Bowden, was
06:44that he was like, you have to get Roop or Birdsong, not Harrison, which was like, oh, that caught
06:51my eye, at least through his eyes.
06:54Roop and Birdsong are more established or bigger prospects than Harrison.
06:59That's new.
07:01You know what I mean?
07:02He also said Devers was underpaid.
07:04He's right.
07:05Yeah.
07:05That's crazy.
07:06People who are worried about Devers' contract when he turns 35 years old, he doesn't even
07:10make $30 million.
07:11Like, that's going to be nothing eight years from now.
07:15So, when a trade like this happens, the one thing I always think about is, you know, how
07:20does it come together?
07:22And I have no idea how it came together.
07:25I just know that sometimes you'd be surprised at how the table gets set.
07:32And I was just thinking this.
07:33It's like, okay, so Dave Fleming's brother works in Boston, right?
07:37Okay.
07:38I mean, it's very possible that Dave's brother tells him, we're a mess here with Devers right
07:47now.
07:48You know what I mean?
07:48Like, there's stuff going on.
07:50Nobody knows about it right now.
07:51Anyway, gets back to Posey.
07:53And that's why you make the call kind of as things are maybe starting to percolate.
07:58Like, I, because I listened to the Manazian interview with you guys yesterday.
08:03Oh, you listened to it?
08:04Yeah.
08:04Was that you guys who did that?
08:06I thought you conducted it.
08:08Wait.
08:09Isn't that what you...
08:09Oh, I'm sorry.
08:10You guys weren't here yesterday.
08:11Isn't that what you told Jim Bowden?
08:13Let me just real quick ask you about, you know, Buster Posey and how a trade like this
08:17comes together.
08:18We had Zach Manazian on yesterday.
08:21And he said, you know, we touched base with him.
08:23I thought when he said that, you guys would think, like, we're such divas.
08:26So now we're going with the Royal Wee?
08:28So we're having...
08:29Wow, Stoddy, I got your back.
08:30By the way, just forward promotion.
08:31We're having Jim Bowden on today at 4 o'clock.
08:34It's awesome.
08:35I've heard y'all doing that.
08:36I knew when he said we, I go, I don't know what those other guys...
08:41Wee.
08:42I got your back, Stoddy.
08:43The Stoddy did.
08:44Do you have his back?
08:45Because you noticed.
08:46But I had the thought of...
08:48You're not my guys.
08:49They won't give it to them.
08:50It's sure enough.
08:51Wow.
08:52No, I told you I'm proud to be your teammate today.
08:55I am.
08:56Just want to make sure I'm still on the team.
08:57Yeah.
08:58Felt like we kind of got replaced there for a second.
09:00So Manazian said, when you asked him about the timing, he mentioned a three week...
09:06Yeah, three weeks about.
09:08Yeah.
09:08And that would have been right around the time or after Devers said, oh yeah, I'm not playing
09:15first.
09:15And so I do believe at that point, you call and maybe, no, I don't think 30 teams call
09:23on that day.
09:24I think maybe a few do.
09:26Hey, what's going on?
09:27And I'm sure at that point, Boston's like, we're fine.
09:30You know, we're fine.
09:31We'll take care of it.
09:32But they probably knew that he was going to have to go at some point.
09:37And it sounds to me like when the owner got involved, the owner was like, no, I'm not
09:43paying.
09:43That's totally the story.
09:46Yeah.
09:46Is that he got out there and they tried to sit down face to face with Devers.
09:50And I don't think that meeting went well.
09:52They just could not.
09:52It was too late.
09:54It was, they could not, well, they could not find common ground.
09:56And that's why, like, I, when people go, God, he's not going to play first base.
10:00So what's he going to do here?
10:02He's going to play first base.
10:03He never has in his career.
10:05So what?
10:05Yeah.
10:06Yeah.
10:06Like neither had Casey Schmidt, then he plays first base.
10:09Neither had Wilmer Flores, then he plays first base.
10:11Like he can pick up a ground or he's a third baseman.
10:14I'm not saying there won't be some sort of a fallout there, but that's likely.
10:19And by the way, he, in theory, has three weeks to ramp up to it too.
10:23I don't know if he's DH in or play.
10:25I would think he plays third tonight.
10:27Like you still want Wilmer in the lineup, right?
10:30So I would think he plays third base tonight until Chappie gets back.
10:33But I would bet DH.
10:36Well, but then what do you do with Wilmer?
10:38You put him at first.
10:39They've already very clearly stated they don't want him on his feet this year.
10:43Right.
10:43His knee is bulky.
10:45For a short period of time.
10:46When's Chapman coming back?
10:47What was the Friday update when he went to the hand specialist?
10:50The update was a good one, but still not quick enough to say timetable.
10:54But I think you're looking at at least another two weeks.
10:57Maybe three.
10:57Before the break.
10:58I think before the break.
10:59They got good news over the weekend.
11:03But there's still no specific date.
11:06Yep.
11:06But anyway, the larger point is this.
11:08I think Devers will be willing to do things here that he wasn't willing to do.
11:12No doubt.
11:12Just like Jimmy Butler.
11:13Yes.
11:14Yes.
11:14Because there's trust here.
11:16No doubt.
11:16That had been ruined.
11:18And I know we're not in Boston, but Stani and I had this discussion.
11:20I'm just a guy from Union City, California, but never in a million years would I give up talent
11:26like a Jimmy Butler or Devers because of stuff off the field or off the court.
11:31However, I got to believe the powers to be the FO in Boston would not have done the Bregman
11:37deal thinking it would cost them Devers.
11:39So why didn't you go talk to Dibs before you tried to bring Willard in?
11:44And if Dibs was saying, it's funky, I wouldn't go do that.
11:48Like, I just, I'm blown away.
11:50It's wild.
11:50Well, you needed right hand hitting offense.
11:53And so you're going to either go with Bregman or Arenado because they were the best options
11:58out there.
11:59So the big fault, and it's something we're going to get into on our show, is the idea
12:02of communication.
12:04And I think about Kyle Shanahan and Steve Kerr and what they do communication wise.
12:09If you're Jonathan Kaminga, you may not love the DNPs and the decision making, but by
12:13all measurements from the outside looking in, he talks to people and he communicates.
12:18And you get to this spot where there's no communication and Bregman's brought in and
12:24it's like, okay, you're not going to play third.
12:25We want you to play first.
12:27And then, no, I'm not playing first.
12:29And then the third baseman gets hurt.
12:30It's like, okay, you can play third.
12:31Now it's like, no, I'm DH.
12:32And you guys wouldn't let me do it when I wanted to.
12:36And, you know, Jim Bowden with a great answer on that.
12:38He's like, you know what I, what he did.
12:41Yeah.
12:41Yeah.
12:41He's like, I drew that line and said, okay, you can go home.
12:44You can go home and not put, not play and not be paid and not be a free agent.
12:49Not, you can do that.
12:50Yeah.
12:50I'm in a perfect world that doesn't get to either of those situations, right?
12:54You don't want to be forcing people against their will either.
12:56Like you'd like to have some common ground in the boardroom before you head out to the
13:01field.
13:02Doesn't always work that way, but yeah, man, Boston's front office and I don't know the timeline
13:06or like this is becoming their thing.
13:08Their thing is to have a great player and then kick him out the door.
13:14This is not the first time they got rid of Betts and Bogarts because of Devers, because
13:20they were going to build around Devers and now they've gotten rid of Devers and now they're
13:24all out there pitching.
13:25Oh, well, we got these next level of prospect.
13:27Good luck, man.
13:28You're going to tell me that these prospects you just brought up are going to turn into
13:31Betts or Devers?
13:32Got a home run last night.
13:33I mean, it's crazy.
13:37That's the Boston Red Sox and they have now three times in the last six years kicked great
13:45players out the door.
13:46And look what life you brought into the giant team that didn't need oxygen, but now this
13:50thing can, there's no telling where this thing is going.
13:52The NL West is as strong as it is because of the Red Sox.
13:56Because they keep giving them all players.
13:58You're listening to 95.7 The Game, KGMZ FM and HD1 San Francisco, an Odyssey sports station
14:05in the home of the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries.
14:07Always live on the free Odyssey app, coming to you live from the Laughing Monk Studios.
14:11Laughing Monk righteously brewed in San Francisco.
14:14Are you guys familiar with the Bill Simmons theory?
14:18Oh, no.
14:19Okay, so apparently the Red Sox, also the ownership group, owns Liverpool.
14:26And Liverpool's going after a big boy, apparently.
14:31Usually.
14:31Yeah, Forzia.
14:33Florian Wurtz.
14:34Yeah, thank you.
14:35Florian Wurtz.
14:36So they're just robbing Peter to pay Paul.
14:39It's possible, but if you own those two, well, and it's Liverpool.
14:43So if you own those two franchises, you're probably not like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
14:49You pay Peter and you pay Paul because Liverpool has got to be top five or six in the world in
14:57worth, net worth.
14:58And the Red Sox are probably top, top, what, 12 in all of sports or who knows what the number
15:04is.
15:04You got money if you are, do it, John Henry Williams.
15:08Levers is making about 28, 30 million bucks.
15:11You tell me, like, you're running the Red Sox in Liverpool and you can't afford a player
15:16because some bopper is making 30 mil.
15:19I have a hard time believing that this gets to that level of small-time thinking in major,
15:26major business.
15:27You know, the Niners have for a while now dipped their toe into overseas soccer.
15:33Like, I cannot imagine.
15:36And I know people have been like, ooh, they sell the portion to the team and all that.
15:39Well, you need to give it up if you got to start doing that.
15:42I think that there's a pretty big separation in those kinds of stories.
15:48This was dumb and dumber.
15:50You didn't go talk to Dibbs about his position.
15:53And I get Devers, like, dude, I want you a chip.
15:56I'm the man.
15:57And you want to move?
15:58Just throw me away.
15:59And it's respect.
15:59When you say communication, I think about respect.
16:02If you're going to take something away from me, talk to me first.
16:05Well, and beyond that, I'm sorry.
16:06But even if the PR is bad that you are, quote-unquote, shopping him, and you can do it somewhat quietly,
16:13although the more teams you talk to, the more likely it is to get out,
16:15I would be willing to take the PR hit as opposed to taking maybe not pennies on the dollar,
16:20but dimes on the dollar.
16:22And it all depends on Kyle Harrison.
16:24And I did think that it was noteworthy that he immediately got optioned to AAA.
16:29Not because he's not good enough, but he needs to develop more pitches.
16:32And so, if I'm Boston, that's probably what I do anyway.
16:36Get down there and learn a secondary and a tertiary pitch.
16:39That way you can be a guy who can come up here and be a real rotational pick.
16:43But my last thing, Harrison shouldn't be able to net you Devers.
16:47You know what I mean?
16:47You should be getting Elbridge or Wisenhut.
16:50That's what I'm saying.
16:51No, no, no.
16:52That shouldn't be enough either.
16:54This is baseball.
16:56You don't trade stars.
16:58Period.
16:58They do, right?
16:59Yeah, it's stupid.
17:00It's stupid every time.
17:02Do you know how hard it is to hit in Major League Baseball in 2025?
17:06There's like eight guys who can do it at this level.
17:09Seriously.
17:10You do not let them go.
17:12Not for any minor league.
17:14Bryce Eldridge is 20 years old.
17:17I'm not trading Rafi Devers because I've been told by the internet
17:22that Bryce Eldridge is going to be that dude next year.
17:25Remember when we did this for four years when Marco Luciano was going to be that dude next year?
17:30I just, I think it's crazy.
17:32I mean, it's nuts to get rid of a guy like this.
17:35Do either of you guys have any concern?
17:39What would be your biggest concern, even though it feels like it's probably going to be very small?
17:45Do you have any?
17:46I guess in this moment, my concern is that he is forced to be a defensive player this year,
17:53and he's not good at it.
17:55Not that he doesn't want to.
17:57I don't think that that's going to be an issue.
17:59I really don't.
18:00We'll find out today.
18:01I'm sure he'll be asked that.
18:02Of course.
18:02I don't buy Zach's answer yesterday of like, well, we haven't talked to him yet.
18:07Sure, yeah.
18:08Okay.
18:08Or at least the agent.
18:09Yeah, yeah.
18:10Like, he knows that he's not playing third base here long term.
18:15Right.
18:16So it's one of the other places.
18:18And I wonder about, you know, Bryce Eldridge.
18:20If he continues to push, and by next year, opening day, if he is your opening day, first baseman,
18:26well, then Devers is going to be your DH.
18:28And honestly, that's probably ideal, because everyone we've talked to, or you guys have talked to,
18:34Stiney, you guys are doing a great job with all the interviews, but everyone from Boston
18:38talks about a glove that's below average at third.
18:41And so a guy who's never played first in the bigs, I kind of don't want him over there anyway.
18:46I'm sure he can catch a ground ball, and he can put his foot on the base.
18:50They had Gerard Encarnacion over there missing throws.
18:53So I just worry about a team with pitching and defense if you put him at third, and he's
18:58a glove that you don't necessarily want out there short term.
19:00Bryce Eldridge hasn't played much more first base than Rafael Devers.
19:04Well, he hasn't played any in the bigs, but...
19:06But I mean, he hasn't even played very much in the minors either.
19:08Like, he's not a good glove over there yet either.
19:11So that's all.
19:12You know, that's next year.
19:14That's to be determined.
19:15There's plenty of time.
19:16Wilmer Flores' contract is up at the end of the year.
19:19That changes the calculus of the whole thing.
19:22But yeah, that's my initial worry, is a team built on pitching and defense puts a bad
19:28glove in the infield.
19:30All right, well, we've got to get out a little early, because you guys are going to the
19:33Rafael Devers' press conference, which starts at 2.15.
19:372.30.
19:382.30.
19:392.30, yeah.
19:39About 20 minutes away.
19:41But we're going to...
19:41I'm just going to...
19:43I throw it to you now.
19:43Yeah, yeah.
19:44You can...
19:44Okay.
19:45Seamless.
19:46We're getting a little...
19:47We're getting out a little early today so that we don't miss any Willard and Dibbs.
19:51No, well, no.
19:52You don't need to do it.
19:53I'll just see you.
19:54All right.
19:54See you later.
19:55Stiney, you can go.
19:56Go get yourself a cocktail.
19:59Listen, everybody, if you want to win a pair of tickets to see My Chemical Romance, this
20:04is July 19th at Oracle Park.
20:06We'll have that chance for you in the 4 o'clock hour today and every day all week long here
20:10on Willard and Dibbs.
20:11And by the way, of those five winners, one of them is going to be randomly selected and
20:16upgraded to two suite tickets for the show.
20:19This is all courtesy of Live Nation, so just keep listening.
20:22We'll tell you exactly how and when to win in that 4 o'clock hour.
20:27And for more info and to buy My Chemical Romance suite tickets, you go to sfgiants.com
20:33slash concerts.
20:35Also, from the ballpark to wine country, summer's better when your car's ready to roll.
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20:48Goo, any parting remarks or you're all good to go?
20:52Go Giants.
20:53Okay.
20:54There it is.
20:54All right.
20:55Willard and Dibbs is next.