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You are now listening to PHNX D-backs after Darker.
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How's your world baseball class, the Kang over?
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Mine's pretty fucking devastating.
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Man, I'm still mad about the ending of the DR and Team USA game.
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But that's that's a hard one to get over.
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Our boy Jerry Perdomo put together a Jerry Perdomo at that and got hosed by the fucking ump.
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Horrible. You can't end a fucking baseball can't like that, man. He's can't do it.
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I've had I've heard a lot of shit about the ABS system. Yeah, good, bad.
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You know, we got our guy, Ryan Thompson, he fucking hates the ABS system.
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He wants the ABS system to go directly in the basura, but you know,
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moments like this, we already had one moment that was kind of funny during spring training,
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where an umpire missed a blatant, blatant call down the middle of the plate.
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Right? Just a blatant strike.
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I believe it was Jen Powell, if that's how you say her last name, I forgot.
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But she just missed it and they had to do the ABS thing and it was,
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you know, you kind of heard a chuckle out of the crowd because when you go to the board,
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it like showed up dead center, right?
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These are the fucking moments that this is for.
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The true umpire blinked and missed it and it's a blatant, you know, missed call.
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Like I had the weirdest reaction from people when it came to this call.
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I heard people saying that the umpire was calling the zone that low all night,
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which is bullshit because I went back and looked at other bats and that just wasn't factually correct.
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I was calling a low strike zone, but I don't give a goddamn about this low strike zone.
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We are past the days of the umpire being able to control the zone in that way,
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where they can expand it, right?
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And that's, that's what the purpose of the ABS system is.
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The purpose of it is to ensure that we have just a more universal strike zone that everybody can understand.
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But more importantly in these big moments, like this fucking game, this fucking moment,
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with Jerry P up there that we're not missing the call.
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And I'm not mad because I'm not mad because like the DR lost that I'm mad that,
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you know, it was something that it just it just shouldn't happen, man.
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Like I'm not mad at the DR loss of the USA.
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I don't care about that.
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The DR had plenty of opportunities to be in a better spot at that point in that game.
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Sure. They should have been winning.
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But I just hate to say I just hate.
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It was a classic, by the way.
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I mean, it was a great game.
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And that's another reason why it's like a solid by the final out being that call.
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Like you said, even if Fernando Tete's junior gets up there and pops straight up in the air.
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Because then because there was also the potential for that matchup to happen.
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If you go over it's on base, you got toddy against Mason fucking Miller.
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You actually have almost not on the same level.
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But you have a moment like you have a trout in Otani in 23.
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You got teammates in a game that decides.
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This isn't decided championship.
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This decides who goes on.
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What's a big moment to have teammates face off like that would have been fucking great.
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But no, we've been huge.
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We got robbed of a moment.
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That's that's what I said.
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Like we got robbed of a moment.
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I don't want to out you as a as a casual Padres fan.
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But you you are a big fan of Fernando Tete's junior and I know you wanted my guy.
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But hey, you know what I mean, you know what we could have had too.
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And again, no disrespect to team USA here, but we also could have had an incredible final.
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Between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, which we've had all the bat flips and all the celebrating.
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And everything would have been great.
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It's good to have a ride back and forth.
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This is way off from winning?
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Gotta give credit to them.
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That's the incredible lineup are guy.
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Erod did the thing out.
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We get that so that brought in the 26 please.
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Having right now third in the rotation.
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So I think they're hoping the same thing to because.
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here we are. Here we are just in this low of spring training, which spring training feels
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insignificant all the time. Yeah. Has there ever been a time where spring training has felt
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less significant than this gap that we live in right now between the end of the WBC and opening
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day? I hate it here. And the thing is we don't think about it because we only get the WBC every three
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years, maybe four years now, but every like three years. So it's not an every year thing. So
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normally we're all about spring training. We were we're fucking in the thick of it. We can't wait.
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We hate when it's over, but then we're happy because the season's about to start, but now you got,
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like you said, you just came off of WBC that put baseball on this wonderful stage.
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And now you want us to go back and watch a bunch of guys that are going to be in the minor leagues
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most of the time. Just come a season like I love my baseball. But come on, man. I mean, even even
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the most die hard baseball people say it during this time of the year. This is when spring training
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wanes. It's I mean, it's even worse that prices for spring training games are what they are. And
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the heat is what it is, right? Like it is. It's just a cocktail for, you know, non attendance. I
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guess you should say around spring training in baseball. So again, again, if you like attending
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games that don't have a lot of people at them, this time might be perfect for you. But I think
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a lot. I saw so many people posting on social media that were that went to spring training,
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like the day after everybody that mattered left for the WBC. And they're like, nobody's here.
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And then my head, I'm like, how do you not know this? Yeah. How are you so unaware? I could see
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casual fans not really date on exactly what date they were leaving for the WBC. Because I'm like,
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dead ass, bro, like most superstar star level players that are worth a damn were playing for
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their respective hundreds in the WBC. They were playing in good year and surprise and very true.
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Blendale. Yeah. I mean, the Diamondbacks had two of their starters in the WBC. And neither one of
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them were Merrill Kelly or Zach Galen. So there's that, you know, so, but I, I'm so excited for this
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week. I'm so excited for the Diamondbacks to take on the Dodgers in LA. I mean, it's a hell of a test.
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It could, I mean, it could literally go from excitement to misery in three days,
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depending on the results of this first series in Los Angeles. And I hate to, I hate to speak
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loser talk. You know, I fucking hate loser talk. But if they can come in and just went on opening day,
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I don't give a god damn that they lose the series. I just want them to go in and ruin the Dodgers
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like opening day. Oh, because they're going to do their operation trophy there. They're going
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to do the whole thing. Oh, yeah, if you're going to win any of the three games against the Dodgers,
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I love you to win all three or two of three. But if you're only going to win one,
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I deal opening fucking day. Do it like smash them, too. Do you know what I mean?
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And there is them and there is them have have Galen come out and give those performances that
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he gave last year that were second half Galen. I'm not even talking about second half Galen.
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I'm talking about New York City, Galen. I'm talking about okay. Post road trip at night,
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Galen. I'm talking about 15 Ks. And what the milkman was delivering. Yeah. Let me let me use that
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milkman video that I made. Let me let me use that fire that guy off on day one because it would
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just set such a tone. And again, I don't even I don't even care if they lose the series. I don't
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think that matters. I think that confidence that they could gain from winning on opening day
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is incredible. Yeah. But it's tough. Is that place going to be a zoo? It is going to be
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packed. It is going to be loud. It is going to be annoying. I'm going to hate every second of it.
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I think it's a 530 star. Chances are that that stadium is only going to be 40% full at first pitch.
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You might be right. You might be right. Like L.A. is good. Like just if you're if you're attending
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take the day off and start heading your way to the stadium at 10 a.m. Just just get there right now.
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Yeah. Go right now. Go stay at one of those hotels by the Hollywood bowl or somewhere near there
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and that takes walk to the stadium. Do yourself a favor. It's quick and a walk.
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I am excited for the diamond backs to be on this stage. But taking a step right backwards.
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This takes me right back to the WBC where it is a huge stage. And going into this.
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Again, loser talk. I'm going to admit it. I just don't want them to get embarrassed.
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You know what I mean? Like that's for me. It's what I thought of when E-Rod was going to start for
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team Venezuela in the championship game. It's what I felt when her although Predomo came up to
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for that at bat with two outs. And I like like that's what I thought in both instances.
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Like I just want our guys to have a good showing and I want them to you know perform well.
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And I felt like that was robbed from from Predomo because that was just a classic
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Jerry P at bat that he was. It was. It was. And E-Rod shocked the hell out of many of us.
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Right. Bro. And also let's also he's no longer with us. But he is still our guy.
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Congrats to Gino man. Like Gino. E-Rod. I miss Gino. I love Gino. Yeah.
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But to see Gino. Right. And that championship game. I wanted to get that big hit. And he got it.
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He got it. Yeah. And just just and then his just emotion. His emotion is why the WBC is fantastic.
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Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. The big big shots to Gino man. I mean who else was I think it was
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Luis arise if I'm staking. Yep. Was he. I might be messing this story up if it wasn't
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arise. My apologies. But this is the metal with it. Yeah. Was it a rise metal? Yeah.
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Then you didn't have it. And he's one of the only guys that didn't wear it because he gave it to
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his mom. I mean, I don't like again, I hate that people take rooting against team USA in the WBC
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as like anti patriotic anti American. And it might be a little of those things. But I would argue
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that it was more about, you know, seeing the difference in how these teams were taking this
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tournament, right? And even a team like Italy started playing in a way like it meant everything to
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them, meant everything to their country and everything to, you know, you know, the players that
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were a part of that team. And the one team in the WBC that just didn't seem to mean that much to
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at times is team USA outside of Paul schemes. Paul schemes was the one guy that was kind of a
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leader. And the guy who, you know, said all the right things when it came to how much it meant
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to him. But, you know, unfortunately, a lot of it too, man. It's the fact that, you know, a lot of
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these, these smaller like countries that the DR Venezuela, Puerto Rico, all these smaller Cuba,
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like these kids, these guys grew up poor. They grew up struggling. So for them, it's different
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because, you know, to put on their country's colors and play for their country and mean something
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to them. It means more because they had to, they had to overcome more to get to where they're at.
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You know, I wish, honestly, and a lot of it is the fact that the team USA just, it felt like they
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didn't really give shit. They're like, oh, we're team USA. We're supposed to win this shit.
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And I think that that carried over to how they were perceived. I don't think the whole team felt
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that way. But, you know, I don't mean they did themselves any favors because you, you, you
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watched the joy that all these other teams are having with celebrations. Everything is so big and
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just, it's happy. It looks like it's fun. And team USA is so business. Yeah. Yeah. It's baseball,
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man. Have fun. It's baseball. I will say in their defense, I felt like team USA was like more
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under the scrutiny of course, the MLB teams than other teams, right? Like so other teams could
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get phone calls and suggestions from the organizations that, yeah, players are a part of and ask them
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nicely. Hey, please don't use our guys three days in a row. And they're like, well, we're getting
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the championship game. I'm going to use your guys three days in a row. Like that's just the way
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this is going to work, right? So for, you know, different levels scrutiny there. And for fans of
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team USA baseball, you can look forward to this. Mark Dorose is not going to be your manager in
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them four years. You got that to look forward to. Very true. So there's a reason Mark Dorose doesn't
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manage in the big leagues now. Just leave it at that. He might, he might not even be back at MLB,
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not work for all we know. You know what? They might have said I'm taking the next few plays off.
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And I like Mark Dorose. I don't have a problem with Mark Dorose. So I just think he's not, he's not
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the guy that's going to get it done for team USA. Yeah. I don't know who, and I don't know who,
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I don't know who it is because they're not using active managers. So I don't know who you get
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to manage team USA. That's not, you know, maybe at maybe and maybe at that point. I don't know. I mean,
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for a lot can happen in four years, man. How long until we to see Salvatore LeVolo manage
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team Italy, maybe that might be something we see in the future. Hey, hey, hey, I never know. I'm
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interested. As we sit here on the, on the cusp of the, you know, on the cusp of opening day,
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we could be seeing Tories last season as manager. So I guess, you know, you don't say that. Well,
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I'm not saying, but I know I have perspective. It's the final year of his contract, right? I mean,
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he could, he could do what he's done. This team could be exactly what it's been. And I mean,
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at the end of the day, it might not be perceived as a failure, but it might not be enough to
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bring him back. It might just be that the Diamondbacks want to change direction at the end of the year.
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But it's, I wouldn't be interested. I would venture to guess that if they don't have
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a decent playoff run, maybe a substantial playoff run, that you're probably not going to see Tories
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back. And, and, and, you know, at that point, it is what it is because I mean, he's been here and
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he's, I mean, he got us, he got us there once, you know, so I love Tories. I hate that this is
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going to be hanging over his head. And it's going to get brought up throughout the season,
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depending on how well the team plays. But hey, I love the guy. And I, if he's here after this season,
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I'm all for it. If he's gone, it is what it is, man. But I'm happy for 2026 baseball.
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This is his 10th year, essentially, as manager of this team. So he's the longest tenured.
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He is. He has long this tenured. In fact, he's one of the longest tenured professional managers
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in the Valley, I believe, or head coach or anything like that. So trying to think who else
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cotton could send his has to be on it list has to be for coaches. There was an old, there was an
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old son's coach whose name escapes me right now. I think that had a pretty long tenure. But I think
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that honestly, if Tori gets this team to the playoffs, I think that a contract extension
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is on the table, especially when you consider, I mean, you, you, you, you hate that he has this little
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like caveat, but I mean, he's in a division where he's there's really no expectation of the
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debacks winning the National League West. Correct. So I mean, there's just, that's just this
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be realistic, unless the Dodgers like lose everybody to every possible injury, they're going to win
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the West for probably the next three to four years. It just is what it is. I mean, it's just
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what it is, unfortunately. So the expectations have to be low and realistic. Yeah, but yeah,
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I play off run. I mean, a wildcard and then you know, get to the forget through the wildcard,
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get to the first round and maybe beyond who knows, man, anything can happen in October. So,
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but and we're talking about this in fucking March, but hey, oh, yeah, we are. Yeah, brother.
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We got, we got the first pitch just a few days away and I cannot wait for it. Bro, I have the day off,
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like I normally do because I will be watching major league baseball all fucking day on Thursday.
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I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised. It's a fucking holiday. My dad, my uncle are coming over.
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Yeah, it's a holiday, man. It should be. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. We should all get it off.
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I shouldn't have to do a show that day. You really should. I completely agree with you. Yeah,
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but we are going to have a party. That's going to be fun. We're going to be having a private baby,
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having a good time watching that. Of course, if you're listening, you should join us. And of course,
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if you are listening, you should also follow us on social media. I am at cap underscore caveman
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with a K. He is at rock knowledge, which is RO knowledge everywhere. You can find him.
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But our show most importantly is at phnx underscore debax and all roads do lead to at phnx underscore
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sports on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. See you guys next time. Appreciate you listening and
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remember kids. Baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun on opening day.