Red Sox Expectations in 2026 // Mazz’s Tiers - Biggest Busts in Boston Sports // Caller Reaction - 3/26 (Hour 2)

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And you can pretty much do it.

You're a man.

Imperpopetuity.

Yep.

It's a sports highlight.

All right, Lou.

It's almost game time, man.

We've talked all off season.

We've asked you all the questions.

What would you consider to be a successful season for the Boston Red Sox?

Ooh.

Uh, win a World Series.

There you go.

Anything but.

Anything but.

I think we'll get to the World Series, and you lose to the Dodgers.

I mean, you know, I don't know if Toronto, they're disappointed, obviously, but pretty successful

season.

Um, I think at minimum, you talk ALCS, you know, I mean, that type of season, you know,

it's no longer, you got to get a home playoff game.

Okay.

Last year was cute.

And I think even they say it, of course, said it all the time.

Three days in October.

It's not what we're looking for.

So, um, you should, you're a playoff team, get by the first round, get to an ALCS, get to

a World Series.

That's just what the expectation should be with these guys, and I'm sure it is.

That afternoon, full league slate, day baseball.

I want to say bunting.

They don't do bunting anymore.

I don't see the bunting on the field and Milwaukee, as I'm watching this game, we got

a couple up here on the monitors.

How can they don't do bunting anymore?

You got, I don't know.

I, you know, they used to bring a real festive atmosphere.

Bunting.

Yeah.

Whenever the bunting's out, you know, it's a special occasion.

It's so simple.

And it's also our.

What's the 250th anniversary called?

Oh, God.

I don't remember.

Quintincentional.

Oh, it's there's some big, long word, Quintin, Centennial.

Yeah.

Something like that.

Okay.

The 150th birthday.

Throughout the bunting.

Anyway, I love this afternoon.

I got three games ongoing right now.

It's just tremendous day.

And here the red socks are on the precipice of a season with a lot of expectation, Luma

Looney, on a competing network.

Talk to Joe Murray about this.

But either way, Luma Looney saying the expectation is ALCS, World Series, and that's the

expectation for the team.

That's your expectation for this team.

I think you're going to be disappointed.

I've been trending down the last couple of days.

I've been thinking about this mess.

I don't know if I want to take the under on them.

I was just looking this up on my Draft King Sportsbook.

Is it 87 and a half?

I think it is.

That's what I saw yesterday.

I don't know if I'm going to bet the under on that.

I'm tempted to bet the under on that.

But if you're expecting true World Series contention, I think you're going to be disappointed.

I guess I'm if that's what you have as the bar, I'm down on them.

I don't think they're going to get there.

I think they're relying on too many things that you've put in sort of you've put in the

bank that I wouldn't put in the bank.

So what constitutes a good season that Oh, what Lou said constitutes a good season.

So that's my feeling is like just because they didn't build the team for it, that's

their problem.

Yeah.

No, true.

Right.

Oh, right.

If they get there, I'm not going to say they exceeded expectations.

I'm going to say that's what they should be.

If they don't get there, it's a fail.

And I think they're going to fail.

I guess that's what I'm saying.

I felt at the end of last year, my feeling was if they are not a World Series caliber

team, right?

We're not talking about the World Series with them going into the season.

The off season was a fail.

And so I doubt do I think this off season was a success?

No, I don't.

But in the same breath, I look at them and say they looked like they had some of the

best players on the field during the World Baseball Classic.

And you can tell me that it's a meaningless tournament.

But the intensity level and that thing actually felt reasonably high.

Now, so I'm telling you, it's not just like another spring training game.

I think it was more than that.

I think that Anthony's the real thing.

I think Abraew should be at a point in his career where he's getting better.

Durand looked to me like he's embraced the idea of being in the middle of the order

and giving up the lead off spot to Anthony.

And so could they use another right handed back?

Hell yeah.

But you know what?

They got a lot of pitching.

They got a good back end of the bullpen at least based on last year.

And to me, there's no excuse.

I'm not giving them any outs.

This is it.

They should be at a point now where they are competing for at least being in the World

Series.

They should be competing for the American League Championship.

I agree.

The Dodgers are far and away the best roster in baseball.

We all know that.

So get there and see what happens.

They should be able to go nose to nose with the Yankees.

They should be able to go nose to nose with the Blue Jays and everybody else.

No free passes.

So you don't get to just right off another year because Alex Brickman told you to f off.

So you had plenty of options to get a bat if the team fails.

It's on you.

A great.

I anticipate them coming up short and hammering them for it.

And so just let me just back up where I'm coming from like too many things that I think

you've is Trevor story going to have another season with 96 RBI down it.

You know, here's Trevor stories games played the last four years 94 43 26 157.

What's the outlier?

The 157.

I mean, I'll go back to starting in 2020 games played 59 142 94 43 26 157 so you get

to throw out 2020 because it's a COVID year.

Sorry, my bad.

Very good.

Still, I just don't expect them to be on the field as much and have that kind of season

meeting either.

No.

And you know what?

Neither today because they went out and got Isaiah kind of for Isaiah kind of for Lefa because

they didn't have a true backup shortstop and they think he can do it.

No, he's starting today at second base, which is a whole other discussion, but you know,

they don't expect that from story either with what I mentioned this yesterday, a role

does Chapman.

Most people thought he was cash when he came in here last year and kind of a weird contract

and that's your solution.

And then out of nowhere, he turned back the clock.

Let me give you just a little statistical look at him here in a second, but I look at

I look at Chapman and say, what are the odds you're going to get that out of him again

at the age of 38, 38 years old, allegedly again, you don't know where, where he was starting

from.

Here is a role, this Chapman, his ERAs going back to 2020, I know COVID year, but I'll

just start there 309, 336, 446, 309, 379, 117.

You know, what's the real career?

Okay, so scary guy, shall I keep going?

Ranger Swarris.

I keep saying Ranger.

I know it's a different pronunciation.

I'm sorry.

I forgot what it is.

Yeah, but the American is Ranger.

Ranger Swarris.

You'll have worried that the last big contract he signed, he was one of the last guys on

the street.

You give him the money.

He has a horrible spring.

What's coming with Ranger Swarris?

Good question.

He got his freaking face ripped off during spring training.

Yeah, I'm going to sit here and tell you that some of those other guys had good world

baseball classics.

He didn't.

So we got to hold them to the same standard.

He wasn't.

I'm worried.

I'm a little worried about Crochet, too.

Not that I think he sucks, but that he could get off to a rocky start.

He did not have a good spring and every time someone says, well, it's a veteran guy and

I believe in the whole veteran guy thing, but every time that happens and then the guy

starts to season bad, everyone says, well, he had a bad spring.

So I need to see it today to believe.

I think it's, you know, I don't want to call it an important start, but I'd like to see

what he looks like today.

On the flip side with him, too, just innings pitch throughout his career, 654 12 146 205.

So this is a guy that went well and beyond the workload he'd ever had last year.

And now how does he bounce back this year?

I don't know why fans are putting that in the bank.

I wouldn't put Swarris in the bank.

Johnny Gray, 36.

He is pitched in Oakland, Cincinnati, Minnesota, St. Louis, and New York for one year, year

and a half, 40 games, okay.

So but it was spread over two seasons, right?

Yeah, that's right.

Okay.

They traded him relatively early in the second year.

So he over two years in New York, everywhere else.

In Oakland, he got Sai Young votes one year.

And Cincinnati, he got Sai Young votes one year in Minnesota.

He was second in the Sai Young in Minnesota in 2023.

Two years in New York, three, seven, two, ERA and 490 ERAs.

Crap his pants.

Sucked.

Crap his pants.

He's kind of a, I don't know if you would say head case mazes, but he's kind of flaky.

He's something E. You'll hear it when he talks.

He'll be like, oh, God.

And does that crap fly in Oakland and Minnesota and Cincinnati and St. Louis, but New York

and Boston, what's he going to be?

Soft.

So I would worry about Sonny Gray.

I just don't think this is his kind of environment.

Coming off a year, St. Louis with a 428 ERA, I don't know, like fans have put him in

the bank.

St. Louis.

I personally like Brian Bale.

I think he's got high end stuff and potential.

However, where are you on Brian Bale?

Complete Crap Shoot.

I had no idea.

Sorry about that.

It's okay.

Complete Crap Shoot.

No idea.

And look, the way he ended at the end of last season, to me was really worrisome.

He looked awful in the playoff game in New York.

So I didn't see the WBC start he had, but it was pretty good, but Bale scares me.

Mike, there's a reason why they went out looking for a number two starter because they don't

believe that Bale was hit.

If Bale were it, they wouldn't have gone out and gone in and looked for a number two

with Suarez or Greg.

I just think some of these things came together.

I mean, like the season they had last year, which again, was good, but it wasn't like

this next level thing.

And for that to happen, some things had to come together.

Story had to stay healthy for the first time in four years.

And a role just Chapman had turned back the clock like a decade.

And this sat in the end, and I don't know.

I just think some of those things are going to go the other way this year.

I also don't love, I don't think the Red Sack small market very well.

They big market very well.

And they went at a high level when they big market, when they, when they act like a big

market team, when they try and small market the thing, I don't, I don't think there's

good as, I don't think they're nerds, there's good as other nerds for whatever reason.

They just thought it's not in their blood.

It's not what they're meant to do or meant to be.

And when they, they do it.

So I look at Caleb Durbin.

I'm dubious.

I'm like the, like the, the, the brewers are used to operating on that margin.

Red Sacks aren't really, I think Durbin's hitting fifth today.

Yes.

I mean, he's, listen, fifth.

I predicted he'd be back in the Worcester by Memorial Day.

We'll see how that goes.

He had 11 home runs last year, he's hitting fifth.

So I, I don't know.

There's no excuse for them not to take another step.

And if they don't take another step, they deserve to be roundly criticized.

So that's where I am on it.

Like, you know, fine, prove it now, either you think you're good enough, that you didn't

need Braggman and that you think that this is the pitching and defense model, which was

a backup plan.

Let's emphasize that.

Thank you.

Wasn't their first plan?

They want allegedly wanted the bat, although they seemed unwilling to spend for it, whether

it was Peter Lonzo or Braggman, they didn't want to extend themselves.

Fine.

So what?

I'm supposed to lower my expectations.

Huh?

Nope.

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There's no guarantee that we just pick up where we left off at the end of 2025, right?

Just, you know, kind of expecting everyone to take a step forward.

We have to examine our defense and then, you know, we let the league in errors, and that's

not good enough.

They did an amazing job last year.

I know a lot of people don't give it credit, let him do this job.

John Heyman, our insider, the first to break its sunny grade going to the Boston Red Soft.

Ben Jeff Hasen with some more details via Twitter, sunny grade and cash, and that cash

is about $20 million going from St. Louis to Boston to help facilitate the deal.

When you think about, you know, what sunny has been in this league, it's a guy who's

pitched at the front of rotations.

Wilson Contreras goes to the Boston Red Sox and $8 million in cash considerations.

Alex Breggman has found a new home.

He was one of the big fish on that free agent market, and John Heyman broke the story.

It's with the Cubs, $175 million over five years.

There are some particulars to the deal as well, according to Mark Feid Sand.

The deal with the Cubs does not have any opt-out clauses, according to a source, and he does

get a full-note trade clause.

John Heyman and Alfred Alex Breggman, early in the off season, said, here it is.

And then his camp kept going back saying, that's not our market, our market's higher than

that.

And it made Alex a little bit mad and they would not move.

So then the Red Sox were like, okay, we'll take it or leave it.

They will not budge, then Breggman's camp with Boris goes back to him and says, hey,

we have a higher offer and we're going to probably take it.

And the Red Sox was like, we don't believe you.

If you can do it, do it.

And then they said, okay, well, we're going to sign, we're not telling you the number.

We're going to sign with a different team.

And that's on the Red Sox went to this 5165, but Breggman was already one mad, and two

had a higher offer, and the longer the more they tried to stretch it out, the longer and

farther down the road, the deferrals got.

So Breggman's like, I'm getting more money, you know, shorter amount of time, I'm going

to the cup.

What if he owed a Red Sox?

Nothing, that's what I'm saying.

But the Red Sox literally would not move and would not budge and really wouldn't negotiate

until it was almost, it wasn't almost related.

It was too late.

It's an untrained plus thing.

Is that an organizational policy that you don't give out full or partial injury?

Oh, look, if Alex Breggman wanted to be here, ultimately be here.

The Boston Red Sox weren't able to get the reunion with Alex Breggman, but they're

bolstering their rotation in a big way, reportedly, inking one of the top starting pitchers on

the free agent market.

John Heyman reporting the Boston strut could deal with Ranger Swaris.

The Red Sox have made a trade on the eve of spring training.

It is a six player deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, the biggest piece of the deal is Caleb

Durman.

He is an in-fielder who finished third in the National League, rookie of the year voting

last year.

Really?

Obviously, a year ago, you had Jefferson and Breggman, now you don't, and how do you feel

you can replace that hitting all of them?

Yeah, I don't know that you looked to replace one for one.

The production of a guy like Rafi or a guy like Alex, our goal is to, you know, as a team

to win more games.

And I think there's a lot of different ways that we can do that and then leaning into

pitching in defense is certainly one.

How would you assess spring training?

How's this going?

We're in a good spot.

We have a good baseball team.

We're going to be athletic.

We're going to hit homers.

We're going to hit homers.

We're going to play good defense and, you know, we'll see how the bullpen pans out.

Feel free confidence where we at, and we just got to, you know, get your Cincinnati and

get going.

Jimmy Stewart's fine look back at the Red Sox off season heading into 2026.

One thing just sort of teed me off in there.

I forgot.

Why is Sonny Gray here?

Why is Sonny Gray here?

Because he's cheap.

They sent back cash.

Correct.

20 million in the deal.

With Sonny Gray, be here if the Cardinals didn't agree to send back cash on his salary.

No, it's important to remember too that they brought him in before Ranger Suarez.

So if they really wanted Ranger Suarez over Sonny Gray, the reason they chose Gray is because

he was cheap.

I guess what I'm saying, Matt, is why I'm down on them or I'm taking the unders, I guess.

I don't believe in him.

I don't believe in how they built the team.

Sure.

Sonny Gray is just here because of the contract.

His last two years in St. Louis sucked.

His career numbers in Fenway Park, Barthie, given to me again, do you have them in front

of you?

Seven games, six starts.

He's on for the six eight four ERA.

He's allowed 37 hits and 20 runs and 26.1 innings.

He's 36.

He's coming off two bad years.

He has sucked when he's pitched here.

He sucked when he pitched in the AL East.

Why is he here?

He's cheap.

Oh, that's right.

Cash back in the deal.

I'm not getting behind that out of, you know, out.

And so that's, you know, that just, maybe that crystallizes why I'm down.

I don't believe that they really care to win at a high level.

And some of the rosters just piece together because of the deals.

All right.

Back your phones on everything.

Drew in the car, your thoughts on opening day.

Go ahead, Drew.

Hey, can you guys hear me?

Yes.

Hey, guys, so I'm just wondering if, uh, John Marshal, Myers, looking at the opening

day lineup and seeing that, you got Bench for IKF, Paul people.

And maybe this will be the big motivator we've been waiting for for him.

Maybe he'll get off the beat against the subject because, like, uh, you imagine, like,

you're the fourth row of a pig and you're getting Bench for, uh, freaking Isaiah, kind of

for Lepa.

So to me, it's not about Meyer, because I knew he wasn't going to play again.

I played it against a lefty, like that, that was, uh, not, I mean, I don't have a problem

them sitting him at the beginning of the year on that.

I do.

But it should have been Monasterio, like, guy, I'll take the bat.

Isaiah, kind of for Lepa can't hit.

So like, I give me a guy who can hit against lefty and a pitching for six innings and then

put Meyer in for defense.

If they're winning, Meyer is going to play today.

He's not going to start.

But core is still going to stick it to him here in the early part of the year.

So I, I'm just, I'm not that broken up over it because I knew it was coming.

I knew it wasn't going to be him.

But I didn't know was that it was going to be kind of for Lepa.

Andrew and Adelboro on the C's.

Go ahead, Andrew.

And I was just thinking, we've got this, uh, well, sort of Ricky Anderson conflict.

He's referring to himself in the third person and he's got his, you know, his home movie

going on.

Like, uh, you know, I'm not saying that he's obnoxious.

He actually seems pretty humble, but it's starting to get a little obnoxious.

What do you guys think?

Starting.

Starting?

You mean the five part documentary didn't serve as the caper for you.

It's a little third person reference or two and he did it last year.

Uh, no, and I think Maz, uh, I'm with Maz that if Jalen Brown is sort of the, I mean,

the way Jalen Brown was speaking in the last time the post game, it's like it was his team.

The way he talked about tandem about, it was a big game for JT and he showed this, you

know, sort of not talking down to him, but talking as if, you know, he's my, my mentee,

if you will.

Can you say equals that they're better off that way.

If Jalen Brown's, it's Jalen Brown's DNA versus Jason Tatum's DNA, they're just better

off.

I would say at a minimum, if they're, if Brown sees him as equal to Tatum at a minimum,

that's good.

I think that's good.

Uh, we have again, Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox opening day all on the board.

Here's Ron in Texas of all places on the Bruins power play.

Yes, Ron in Texas.

Hey, guys, uh, so I got extremely frustrated on two things.

One, Mason Laura getting on dress for the second game at a row, costing us a goal.

And then, and then committing a penalty at the end out of frustration and, or I'd like

to say, a maturity at that point, which led to another goal, but that flipped that game

upside down.

Um, he should have been benched for the rest of the third period.

I'm sorry.

The second thing is, why do we enter the neutral zone with the puck on the power play?

Then we have to turn around and throw it back.

They all do it.

We just don't know how to do it.

I mean, Buffalo was doing the same thing around.

If you watch it, the puck in the zone, every team has the same entry now, except you're

the one team that can't do it.

Yeah, right.

Exactly.

And it's, I'm blaming mostly Pasta knock because he's just such a turnover machine.

He's just so loose and soft on the puck that often it's him coming into the zone as

that drop pass, and he loses it.

But they all do it.

Their, their special teams are wretched, just absolutely on both sides of it.

And the worst part is they still take a lot of penalties, which leads to, which they

get a lot of penalties because the reps like to, you know, even it up, but you're probably

don't do any favors.

It's just so bad.

And I agree on Laura.

I don't know if you should have been benched in the game last night.

We need to finish that thing up, but he should be sat for the next game.

Just to reset the expectation for you out on the point on the power play.

The power plays another reason my haggins should be here.

Like that alone, he'd probably help him.

I know Ty said the second power play, whatever it is, first or second, get him out there.

Red socks opening day.

I love opening day.

Love it.

Jacob Mizorowski are big Z picture in a young picture.

He just set a Milwaukee Brewers.

Is it home opener, season opening record for strikeouts by a starting pitcher in a season

opener?

It's the fourth inning.

What does he have eight nine, which I think says more about the franchise than it does

about him.

But either way, were they playing?

They are playing the Chicago white socks as they're starting with the iron right back

to your phones after Alex Barth gets you updated.

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Are they?

100%.

Are they?

Yes, 100.

Did I do I study?

Do you consider them the periodic table of sports stars?

Put down your pipe and smoke, buddy.

Sorry.

We need to blow a gas.

No, no.

Blow it, baby.

Blow it.

Bellgurth and Mass.

I've accepted it.

The Patriots did have an easy schedule.

Well, my question is, would the Bruins or the Red Bulls have the ability to do it?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What do they do?

What kind of significance would the Bruins or the Red Socks, ever be labeled an easy schedule

and could it be possible?

Of course.

If your division blows.

Right?

You'll see, you know.

I'm alright.

It's lesser in those sports, but if you play in the NL Central, you play in, I don't

know what you mean, the Delta...

No, no, no, no.

Good example.

A.L.

Central?

Right.

You still get a 30-year games in there or something.

You used to be more.

But now, it's like a third.

Right.

the preponderance of your games are within your division. So if you play in a new division,

you have an easier schedule, like Cleveland and Detroit, for example, absolutely. Yeah.

The central divisions basically are Kaka. You get a lot of sludge in there. Yeah. It's

complete crap. I know he said Bruins and Red Sox, but how about the Celtics this year

for what the East is? Definitely. They're playing in a smaller pond. Right. You look at

them in the Thunder last night. And those are two of the best teams, maybe the two best

team in each conference. But the conference is very different. Here's our buddy Tom in

Quincy. Hi, Thomas. Hey, what's going on, guys? Hey, so finally, opening days here,

not that abomination of a baseball broadcast last night. But I mean, I'm excited that

the socks season is back, but it doesn't come with no concerns. As usual, I don't know

anything about this Durban kid. I'm convinced that that's going to be a drastic drop off

from what Bergman provided. Yeah, fighting may add to get into the lineup is kind of odd.

Did I have to listen to that? I say a kind of fall effort at the start and the lineup

of the opening day is crazy to me. So at some point, Chapman's not going to duplicate

what he did last year story most likely won't duplicate the health of last year. So I have

a hot time with the optimism that some other Red Sox fans continue to have. I'm hoping

they just don't ruin the summer. And we have baseball in October.

As your thoughts. Yeah, look, I told you, I don't like a lot of what happened during

the off season either, but you know what? And I admit, this is somewhere contrived.

Red Sox want to tell me that they're a better team. They're going to be good pitching

in defense. And you know, the extra right handed bad is, you know, too expensive. They don't

OK, I'm buying. I'm holding you to it though. You go, you got to find your way in in the

American League championship series and legitimately threaten to go to the world series.

That should have been the expectation this year after the way last year rendered. That

should be the expectation given the amount of time and emphasis they have put on their

farm system. So if this is what they want, fine. No problem. You better be right. I just

don't trust them. And when they try and small market it, I don't think they're good at it.

And the pitching, you know, Maz, it's like sunny gray. He's just another in the line of

Lucas Giolydo and Paxton and guys like this and you hit on Giolydo last year for one

year. You got a good year out of Giolydo. So that happened. But you got nothing out of Paxton.

The other years of Giolydo were the other year, whatever is use. I mean, you know what

I mean? So like you you stack up Paxton, Giolydo, sunny gray. I think you give me another one

or two walker, Bueller, walker, Bueller. Fine. Thank you. Good one. You get one good year

out of like six. And maybe that maybe that computes for them. Maybe that constitutes a suitable

risk. But I think the odds are those guys aren't going to work out because you didn't

sign them to work out. You sign them because of the contract and go. And so that's just

the way I think it's going to be in Caleb Durbin. Tom mentioned Caleb Durbin. I love all

these emails. I get from Red Sox fans when I talk about this when I said, well, one

day I said is that the brewers know what they're doing when it comes to this thing that moves

on this level, the Caleb Durbin's of the world. They're used to it's in their DNA. Camp

a raise. Well, one of these franchises that know how to pump and dump that guy. They have

Bryce Trang. They don't need to, they don't need Caleb Durbin because they have Bryce

Trang. Oh, they play different, I know they play different positions. Dork, I know that.

I'm just telling you, they know they, they're better at identifying that guy. Whether second

base or third base, it's not one for one. I'm just telling you, they're keeping Bryce

Trang in dealing Caleb Durbin for a reason. And I just think they're better at that thing

than you. So I think you're going to lose that trade. I'm watching their game right now,

David Hamilton's running all over the place. And it's like, you got Montessario and Caleb

Durbin from the brewers. We ended up with Hamilton. Was that the same trade I can't remember?

I'm sure it was. I just have a sneaking suspicion. The brewers are going to get more

out of David Hamilton than you're going to get out of Caleb Durbin and Montessario combined.

Why? Because you don't know how to small market. You want desperately to small market. You

don't know how to do it. And I think you're going to lose that trade. So that's just like

another thing that I think. Why is Sonny Gray here? Sonny, there's no reason that you would,

there's no baseball reason I can figure that that guy is here. 36 coming off of two lousy

years with a lousy track record in the A L East and horrible numbers at Fenway Park.

Why is he here? What's the why? Because he's cheap. Is there something that he does that you

think translate? Like I forgot the baseball reason, but I on the surface, I can't think of one.

No, I'll tell you it's even the opposite. No, long after they got him, Cory didn't interview on

the MLB network where he said, well, you know, he gives up a lot of fly balls to write center

field to a right handed hitters. That's going to be good for us. Oh, there's there's a reason

to take the guy on. I mean, so again, the whole idea is that happens when you play in New York,

right? Right. Right. So, but, but you know, they're going to pitch them at home a lot,

apparently, that's the plan. I hope he doesn't get to start in the road and the playoffs,

because that doesn't bode well. But as soon as I saw that, I said, well, that's what this is.

You know, they want him to throw sliders away at Fenway and they'll take the 380 foot flyouts.

That's what they're looking for. It's not exactly reassuring. It's Thursday, which means one thing

and one thing only, Maz is tears returns. We're putting Christian Campbell in the bus category,

aren't we? Yep. Maz no, no, not putting. He's already there. What tier does he land? What tier?

What level of bust is Christian Campbell? We'll find out in Maz's tears in our long commercial

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Yeah, thoughts, calls, emails.

Oh, yeah, I get my jolly son. I do. I'm not a good person. Go ahead.

Felgar and Maz, 98-5, the sports hub.

Let's go, Barthie.

On this Android.

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Maz's what we got.

OK, we have in the in the wake of the in the wake of the Christian Campbell

story, we decided to go with Boston prospects,

who failed to live up to the hype.

OK, that's that's how we're going to categorize.

Not quite busts.

Right.

Failed to live up to the hype.

Hype is an important part of the equation here.

I just want to give some ground rules.

Some free agents were offered up.

I stayed away from free agents, because that gets in a whole different area.

It does.

It gets very complicated.

So we're going to stick with basically young developing players

who started to get some hype and then sucked.

It's really when it comes to it's really when it comes down.

Christian Campbell being the jumping off point.

Yeah, so we're going to start with tier three.

And we're going to inch our way forward.

And obviously Alex Barthfield, free to disagree and mock as we go.

Because I'm used to it at this stage.

But tier three, I put the whole 2015 Bruins draft class together

because it's hard to pick one guy and say like Zaboral,

Godhyper, Sennish and Godhype.

And individually, the three of them were not really.

None of them were really great prospects.

But collectively, you sort of said, well,

they got three picks in the first round.

They'll get something out of it.

So I threw them in tier three.

Matt Pacher, 2022, and he first got here.

There were some anticipation for Pacher who's a second round pick.

But it was okay.

What's this kid going to be?

He's been a big zero, zero Bobby Dolbeck.

Hit some home runs in the minor leagues.

I remember some Red Sox media people who will go unnamed for the moment.

Go ahead.

Talk about Bobby Dolbeck like he was.

McCatum, Bradford.

Who was saying Dolbeck's appraises, he sucked.

Malcolm Suban with the Bruins.

That is a flat out bust.

Massive bust.

Oh my God.

No, again, he was a goalie that they took on the first round.

And there was some hype there in part because.

Couldn't play.

He's PK Suban's brother.

Like there was some hype around him.

So some of it is not his fault.

Reggie Dupard, Mike, I don't know if you remember this.

This might have been before your time.

A little bit, but I do remember.

It was the mid 80s when I say before your time,

I don't think you would move to your time.

Reggie Dupard was a running back out of SMU

BYU, one of those, SMU.

SMU.

SMU, OK, it was one of those acronym schools.

And he was like one of the better college, but he sucked.

Oh, did he suck.

He was horrible.

Mike Moffitt was a Bruin who I referenced him a couple of times.

He was brought up late in the year one year in the playoffs.

I think it was 1982.

And it had an amazing first round series against Buffalo.

And there was all this hype.

And then he cracked his pants against Quebec, and it was over.

So it's a tier three kind of thing, but I remember vividly.

And Kevin Morton, 1989, left-handed pitcher with the Red Sox,

drafted out a seat in hall after the Red Sox had run the same time.

The Red Sox had drafted Mo Vaughan and John Valentin,

Nick Caprado, whom I love, resting piece, Nick.

Nick Caprado used to update Kevin Morton in the minor leagues

like every week.

He got to the big leagues and he sucked.

He completely blew.

It was useless and never really turned in anything.

So that's a tier three.

Tier two, we'll go a little bit quicker here.

Michael Smith, Celtic Straff picked middle of the first round, 1989.

I remember a caller coming in saying, this was back in the,

you know, talk radio.

Someone called it on talk radio at the time and said,

you guys don't know who Michael Smith is.

He's the next bird.

Yeah, I remember it.

I remember that.

Okay, no, not quite.

Matt Jones, 2021 first round picking quarterback hard to escape.

I would put Tony Eason in the same class.

Again, they weren't, they were middle of the first round.

So they weren't high, you know, high in the draft high in the first round quarterbacks.

But nonetheless, there's hype with QBs all the time.

Fabian Lysel with the Bruins has been a freaking disaster.

Sam Horn with the Red Sox.

People named websites after him, really a complete bust.

Phil Plante here, another guy who became, he was like a fifth round pick who came up,

started to hit home runs.

Everyone fell in love with them.

Red Sox ended up trading him because he sucked.

He went to San Diego and hit 34 home runs.

Nikhil Harry and Mike, if you want to expand on Nikhil Harry,

please do first round.

I want receivers nothing really to say other than I don't know.

Did he ever get any hype?

You know, he was drafted the first round.

So you thought he might be something,

but I don't remember him being hyped.

So the only reason I put him there really is because he was a first round pick.

They hadn't taken a first round receiver in years.

That was the hype, but the whole talk around him was all the other guys in that draft,

AJ Brown and blah, blah, blah, that we thought they were going to take.

I only heard one guy go off on him.

Like, and that was the Lombardi, that famous Lombardi cut.

I never heard, like, pre-draft hype.

This guy's can't miss with exactly.

I never, I never felt he had that, you drafted the first round,

but I never felt he was like hyped or something.

Yeah, there wasn't.

I would agree.

There wasn't a ton of hype, but really in football,

if you're a first round or particularly if you've taken,

I would say, you know, outside of quarterback,

if you're taken in 20 or above or in the teens or above,

something is expected of you.

And Nikhil Harry couldn't play plain and simple.

And then last one I put on their tier two,

Sam Vincent was a first round draft pick with the Celtics in 1985.

I don't know how many people remember this.

Sam Vincent used to get all kinds of love.

They got a good pick in Vincent.

Wait till Vincent develops.

Vincent's going to be good.

Vincent couldn't freaking play useless.

Couldn't play in the league.

So tier one is reserved for a special, special talents.

So we'll do this quickly.

Christian Campbell.

I think Christian Campbell.

Christian Campbell is one of the all-time busts right now.

There was so much hype after his first year in the minor leagues

and then 40th slip.

Not high in bloom, Craig Braslow.

What's the difference?

Couldn't stroke himself enough

when they signed Campbell to a contract extension.

Campbell's going to get on as one of the great busts in history

unless it makes some sort of dramatic turn.

Kedrick Brown with the Celtics got all kinds of love.

I think he was the number 11 pick back in 2001.

People thought he was going to be some sort of superstar,

completely disappeared.

Chad Jackson, Mike.

I thought he had more hype than the Keele Harris.

So that's why I put in the email today.

It's like I consider Chad Jackson

like a bigger bust in this category than Harry

because Chad Jackson came in with some hype.

I remember when I was back when I covered the team.

He had this rookie camp where he lit it up

in some of these spring passing camps

and we watched him and we're like,

this is the next guy.

And he could not play.

Not even close.

I would agree the hype on him was way higher.

And again, in the NFL, to me to get on this list

it had to be about hype if you were drafted in the second round.

The Patriots also traded up to get him.

Did they not, if I remember?

Yeah, that's right.

And they put, was it Craig Jennings

that they left on the board there?

Barthrey, remember that?

I think they traded with the Packers.

They traded up, got Chad Jackson.

The Packers with the pick they got from Green Bay

took Jennings and got a much, much better play.

Jennings is good.

The two Patriots that are in in the top tier here.

Both number one overall selection.

Kenny Sims, defensive lineman,

was a complete total waste of time.

He was just didn't want to practice

when he got into the games, wasn't very good

and disappeared.

And then I put Irving Fryer on this list

and I'll tell you why.

Because he was never really good with the Patriots.

He got better when he went to Miami

but they ended up having a cup game with him

and move on, never really fulfilled his potential.

As a college player, he was absolutely dynamic.

Went to Nebraska, was the number one pick in the draft.

Irving Fryer was supposed to be the kind of franchise savior

that dare I say, someone like Travis Hunter

was supposed to be and did very little here.

In fact, it was more, it was more newsworthy

for some of the stuff that happened off the field in honor.

Okay, so Christian Campbell, being the jumping off point,

busts, if you will, but young players

that didn't live up to the hype.

What did we have wrong?

What did we miss?

There's always suggestions along the way.

So we'll get to them after Barthie gets you updated here.

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