Tim Kurkjian joins FT: Ruth v. Ohtani, Brewers slap, Yanks October path, PCA's rise, 9/11 significance

0:00The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted. There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league. I'm JJ Zacharyson, host of the award-winning Late Round Podcast. Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off. Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Mike Am. And I'm Trevor Sikama, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show. Are you ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind. Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:01Whether you're a seasoned NFL fan or new to the game, there's one place to keep up with all of it. The league's newest podcast, the NFL Report, hosted by me, Andrew Sassiliano. It is your home for everything football. Breaking news, expert analysis, game picks, and here from your favorite players too. Join me at an all-star cast of experts for everything you need to know from around the league. Get new episodes of the NFL Report, Monday through Friday, all season long. Listen to the NFL Report Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Music baseball royalty back on FT Tim Kerchian joining us on a Friday. Tim, great to see you and we love, is this a great game or what? Oh, Todd's so excited, but I'm going to get first question here and then Todd's going to have some fun. Tim, what are you guys talking about lately on the show? Like what has made you excited and what has received some instant fan feedback that we should go over here? Well, we're not the normal show.

2:02We talk about other things. We don't have any real hot takes. Todd knows this. We just talk about like last week we had the best players of all time whose last name start with why. So we had Carly Stremsky as the everyday player and Saiyung as the pitcher. Those are some of the things that we go through on our show. Needless to say, it's not like every other show, but we have a lot of fun doing it. We laugh and we learn the one thing I need to point out to you to Todd and to you guys. The base running in the big leagues is still bothersome to me. I can put up with anything. I recognize the game is the hardest game in the world to play. And if you can't get a hit, I get it when someone's throwing a hundred. I understand you can't throw a strike and I understand when you're standing even with third a guy hits of all 108 miles an hour at you. It's really hard to catch. But when you can't run the bases because you don't know how many outs are or you run yourselves into it out, that that's where I have to throw up my hands and say, sorry, this isn't good enough.

3:09The players are bigger, stronger, faster and better than ever. They should run the bases better than ever and they don't. And it just bugs me as a dinky little old man now that the guys getting trouble on the bases all the time. I don't understand it. Well, I don't, I don't either. I really don't understand it. I really am trying so confused. I'll tell you what Tim, listen, when you get a hit in the Little League World Series, you can say that for the rest of your life. I got a knocking Williams for it. No one will ever take that away from me. That's how every kid should look at Williams for it. They played there. That's enough. When you go there and get a hit, you go there and hit a home run that will be with you for the rest of your life. I love that place. Todd does the stupidest impersonation of me, but sadly, sounds a little bit like me, which is terrible. That's just terrible. I want to talk about something serious though. We talked about it beforehand.

4:10You got the hat on here for FDNY. Talk about, I want to know exactly 9-11. Where were you? Talk about the significance of this and how baseball played a big part in this whole tragedy that happened. Yeah, this was awful. I was out mowing the lawn on my writer, Moore. I was really terrible at that, by the way. My wife took it away from me and said, we're going to pay someone to do this because you stink at it. So, but I was out mowing the lawn. I ran in to do a radio show from San Francisco. There was on my answering machine that said, obviously, we're canceling today's radio show because of what's going on. And I had no idea because I was out on a writer, Moore. So I ran inside and saw what was going on. And then it was just complete bed loan from there. I had to go pick up the kids from school. It was a crazy time. The things I remember, oh, God, I remember Jack Buck, the great Jack Buck reading a poem that he wrote.

5:15And then wondering, should we be here? Meaning should we be playing baseball after 9-11? And it was just so inspiring that he would say something like that. And his answer was, yes, we should be playing. As for the one thing that stands out, and I wish I'd been there, was Mike Piazza's home or office Steve Carsay in the eighth inning, 10 days after 9-11. Bobby Valentine, who's going to be on the show, is going to tell this way better than I do. But there were armed guards with guns on the top of the ballpark, just trying to make sure everyone was safe. It was so charged emotionally. Liza Manelli sang the national anthem. And then Mike Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher of all time, hit this rocket shot for a home run. Bobby swears it's one of the greatest moments in major league history. And given all the circumstances, it's hard to disagree with that. But I also remember last thing, my daughter Kelly was 10 years old at the time.

6:20And she was doing a little cross stitch kind of thing that little girls can do because they're so clever with their hands. And I said, so what are you making there? And she showed it to me. She said, making an American flag. That's what I'm making. And it brought a tear to my eye at 9-11. That's how bad it was, but it was so, so great how we pulled together as a country and how baseball helped us get through that. Is there another moment in baseball that's like for me, the earthquake in San Francisco. When those games were happening, that directly affected baseball. But both cases when baseball got back to playing, was there something that you feel like healed the nation more than baseball in the sense of like the continuity and the like daily, the daily aptitude that we get with baseball? Yeah, um, the earthquake, uh, the way the A's and Giants pulled that together was remarkable.

7:23I was there for all of that. And I went from a baseball writer to a news writer because now I'm writing about people who have died, people who lost their homes. It was something I will never forget as long as I live. And that pulled the country together. And on a different level, of course, when Cal Ripken broke Lou Garrag's record for consecutive games played. Um, that pulled baseball together after the 94 strike. Uh, baseball was in big trouble at that point. And Bud Sealing told me years later, Cal Jr. saved us because that story was way more than a baseball story. That was a story of discipline and loyalty and neighborhood and family. And I was there that night. And when he took that 22 minute tour around the bases, uh, around the ballpark, uh, after it became official 2131, there were people weeping throughout the ballpark. Uh, I'll never forget those moments. And this is where baseball is still so important to this country because when things go wrong sometimes and when things go right sometimes baseball can pull a lot of people together.

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9:47She likes to control everyone and tell everyone okay, well control is a harsh word. I would say that's a harsh word. I am more outspoken. Growing up a lot of the times because she was so quiet, I would speak for like the both of us. Now I'm working on like thinking of mom. And Joey King. You know if you're like mom is yelling at your sibling and even if you're annoyed with your sibling, you just like won't let that slide. It's like you only can yell at your sibling. You can't do that here. That is not what I talk about her like that. I just talk about her. Plus we've been taking your calls listening to your voice mails and giving advice or at least trying to. So if you've got catching up to do now with the perfect time listen to Hey Jonas on the I Heart Radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. All right well that year 2001 was the year of cow he was supposed to be his last year I remember I actually went to what was supposed to be his last game. But the season got pushed so it wasn't his last game. Is the game in a better place from 20 from 2001 to 2026 in your opinion.

10:55Yeah I think the games in a better place. Well I hope it stays in a better place. What we're looking at starting December the first but teams are much healthier now attendances up ratings are up. Baseball is in a really good spot right now fellas that October last year was one of the great October's ever that might be the greatest world series I've ever seen played the WBC this year was great. The regular season despite you know a bunch of teams around 500 going for a wildcard spot this has been a tremendously interesting baseball season has all of them are but this one especially so I think baseball's in a great place right now with the young stars that we see and with some older guys still hanging on. There's nothing not to like about baseball which is why we're not going to get into this why we can't have a work stoppage for next year because there's too much momentum going in the right direction.

11:57I agree totally I we're not going to get into it because we're going to celebrate you and me we're going to have another conversation so let's talk about the Brewers. Is this the team to beat in the national league knowing what's going on with the Dodgers right now. Todd I think they are they just play a different game than everybody else you know and the last time I looked which was recently they were they had the best record in baseball and the fewest home runs in baseball now we all know in this day and age if you don't hit the ball out of the ballpark you usually don't win the Brewers are the opposite of that the last team to have the best record in baseball at the end of the season and the fewest homeers was the 1959 White Sox and you know they they had a great world series. That's what the Brewers are the Brewers it sounds corny and cliche they play the game differently they play the game better than the other teams do they run the bases better they put it in play better they strike people out they catch it better at the beginning of the year Pat Murphy who is so good at this job he goes to the everyday players and he tells them essentially this you're going to get 550 at bats this year 500 of those are going to be just for you.

13:11But they're going to be 50 at bats that are going to be just for the team I'm going to ask you to hit a ball on the ground ball on the right side I'm going to ask you to take a strike here I'm going to ask you to get a ball in the air and get that guy home so everyone buys in to things like that and that's why the Brewers are so impressive and then you add that monster at the top of the rotation who I've never seen anybody quite like Jacob Mizorowski throwing the ball. This hard was secondary stuff like that any throw strikes all the time he throws too hard to hit it and yet because he throws so many strikes you have to swing at it so their rotation is great I like their bullpen but mostly they just play the game differently than everyone else and that's why I think they're the best team in baseball and the team to beat once we get to October. And along those lines about show how tiny the injury that he's going through right now I think he's pretty much open up the MVP award I what do you think you think it's Pete grow Armstrong's to have at this time in the season.

14:19Yeah I think Pete grow Armstrong has I want to say I think he's got a clear lead right now I mean PCA is the first cup ever to have a 40 Homer 30 steel season ever and they've been playing a long time. But more important than his offense Craig council their manager told me more than once PCA is the best defensive player at any position on the planet and he told me PCA is the fastest guy in the game and he said and he's a different kind of fast than anyone I've ever seen meaning he's start and stop ability how quick he is meaning he can win a game on the basis he can win a game in center field with his glove and he's going to be a great player. And he's a really good hitter and he's only 24 years old which is remarkable so I think he's got the lead in the MVP I thought Otoni had a chance to seize it back if he pitch like crazy in September but that's not going to happen now Otoni's on the injured list so I think PCA is going to win the MVP.

15:25It's in you are the only one alive to watch Babe Ruth play. Babe Ruth and show Hey Otoni I need you to tell me who's the better who would you take first pick overall and it's between Babe Ruth and show Hey Otoni you saw him play let us know what you think. Alright Babe Ruth is the greatest player of all time okay show Hey is the most remarkable player we've ever seen but I think that's different because Babe Ruth did what show Hey is doing he did it essentially for 20 years and I really believe if they had a DH in the American League in 1920 Babe Ruth would have hit 50 homers and won 20 games when he became a full time hitter he was the best pitcher. He was the best pitcher in the American League he still has as many career shut out 17 as Pedro Martinez who for a short period at least five years is the greatest pitcher that I've ever seen then Babe decides he's going to go become a hitter and in 1920 he hit 54 homers and the next three guys in the league didn't hit 54 homers combined that's how good he was fellas when he got to 700 homers.

16:41No one else had half that many he was the first to 30 40 50 and 60 in a season and he did it while being a really good all-round player I mean he was a good defensive right fielder he had 136 triples he stole 123 bases in his career and I'll never forget asking my friend bird Hawkins in the early 80s when he was the PR director for the Texas Rangers the team that I covered and he really did cover Babe Ruth and I said. He said Hawk who's the greatest player you've ever seen he looked to be like he was insulted he said buddy boy I'll take Babe Ruth and you can have the next three that's how great Babe Ruth was now let me just finish with this Babe Ruth didn't didn't have to face anybody throwing 100 miles an hour Babe Ruth unlike Otoni didn't throw 100 miles an hour and even though Babe Ruth hit some mammoth home runs in the with a dead ball and a dead bat. He didn't hit it as hard or as far as Otoni did so it's apples and oranges but if you're asking me Babe Ruth is still the greatest player of all time someday it will be Otoni but right now it's still the Bambino.

17:56That's tremendous that's tremendous what a great solo the way of Babe Ruth and no we get it you didn't see him play just like Todd doesn't see see other people play but Tim question I got for you Jacob to grum assess not only the season he's having but his career if we think of him as a Hall of Famer or not does that change the criteria of what we're going to have for Hall of Famers going forward. Yet I think he's going to change the criteria for the Hall of Fame he will be the first guy to change he's got 108 victories which isn't even close to what you need to be a starting picture in the Hall of Fame does he need 150 games as a starting picture Sandy cofax one 165 to grum is that 106 however he's got a 268 ERA.

18:56He's got a whip under one he was the second he had the second fewest innings ever to 2000 strikeouts he won two Si Young awards his hits for innings pitched is a top five of all time and I think he's going to change we have changed the way that we value our starting pictures much to my chagrin we don't even allow them to be great anymore but I think to grum is going to make it to the Hall of Fame because all the numbers other than his victory total is are are are going to be Hall of Fame numbers so I think he needs a couple more years to solidify things but I think he's going to go in and I think he's going to be the one that we're going to look at and say this is where the Hall of Fame criteria really changed is that a guy in the low say 100s and victories is in the Hall of Fame. The postseason run is heating up for Major League Baseball teams crats so you can go see all these games all the important games whatever your team is they have a great chance almost all of them at being alive for the postseason so you can go on Seeky and find whatever team you want whatever game you want whatever match up you want to try to help cheer your team on to the postseason.

20:07Yeah look ahead of your schedule go on to Seeky essentially your teams either in the playoffs or the team they're playing as a chance in the playoffs so all these games in September you got to get on there get your green dot figure out where you're going to sit do it ahead of time and use the codes. And of course I have a code for you all you can use code territory 10 for 10% off your next set of MLB tickets at Seeky that's 10% off MLB tickets with promo code territory 10 make sure you click the link in the description to download the app and have the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later get ready for MLB postseason by getting the perfect ticket on Seeky. And I'm going to get a couple of friends while getting into what's really like to have sisters like Alex National. She likes to control everyone and tell everyone okay well control is a hard work. I would say that's a hard work. I am more outspoken growing up a lot of the times because she was so quiet I would speak for like the both of us.

21:13Now I'm working on like thinking a mom is really not thinking before I speak. And Joey King you know if you're like mom is yelling at your sibling and even if you're annoyed with your sibling you just like won't let that slide. It's like you only you can yell at your sibling. I'm like you can't do that here. That is not what I want about her like that. I just want about her. Plus we've been taking your calls listening to your voice mails and giving advice or at least trying to. So if you've got catching up to do now is the perfect time. Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartReadyWap Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. All right Tim I want to go back to MVP for a moment because we received a lot of fan feedback over the last few weeks. Like why is anyone on the Falt territory network even saying OPC is emerging or PCA is now becoming the front runner. When it appears like for the past say month it's been over I want to get your take like from a writer's perspective. Do you think it's closer than what fans are looking at or even like the sports books right.

22:14I think it's better. Jim has them at it was minus 10,000 which is about it's done as it can be and I think they actually even took it down which usually means like it's completely done. They see a zero percent chance anyone else wins. So curious. I mean you're around the writers and at the ballpark like is the temperament a little bit different where it's just become a thing in the past like week. Um I think it is I think it is gathered steam in the last two weeks. I don't think it was over a month ago because again I think we had to wait to see if Otoni pitched in September and if he did that and took the Dodgers into the or they're going to the playoffs but got them you know a number one seed or something like that that would have that would have weighed heavily for the voters but that's not going to happen which is why PCA is going to win this. Felas we used to we used to base the MVP on how did your team do and what did you do to help your team win specifically make it to the playoffs when Chipper Jones won in 1999 go back and look at his finish to that season.

23:17He carried the braves into the playoffs with an incredible last month and a half that's what I always look at who is carrying his team to the places where they need to go that's what PCA has done more than anyone this year in my mind is getting the cubs into a position where they're going to make the playoffs for sure and that that's why I think he's going to win the MVP because what he's done when the cubs needed him most. Solid solid anything you say is pretty much gold I trust you with everything my last question for you Tim American League in my opinion I feel like it's down a little bit this year would you say that it Yankees or bus to win the American League in the playoffs this year do you think there's another team that might emerge out of there. Yeah I never taught I learned a long time ago never under me as a star of eight the raise I still look at their line of certain days and say how do they have the best record in baseball how do they score enough runs and yet they always find a way to win especially because of their pitching but I I really like where the Yankees are right now assuming of course that Aaron judge comes back he's back but he becomes the best player in the American League as he has been for so long as he has been.

24:38He's been for several years and he is the best player in the American League when the playoffs begin if that is the case and they've got Luis Garcia Jr who has really helped them and they've got George Lombard at short stop and they've got you know Elliott in the outfield who just filled him with a three run homer the other day they have a really good offensive team now it's a different offensive team than they've had in recent years and we know when you got Schlitler and you got Cole and you got free. And you got will warn you can match up with almost anybody in the postseason with your starting rotation so to me that's the big question how good is judge going to get to how much rust can he knock off and what's he going to look like at the beginning of October because if he's right I think they're the best team in the American League. I like it. Okay yeah it's been a weird year for the American League we can do an hour on the last wild card there it's it's more than who wanted at this point it's like anyone anyone please.

25:41Oh easy stretch for this team they blow it so hey I like it though third wild card has been fun Tim great to talk to you appreciate the time and we love listening to is this a great game or what Todd Fathers given me the signal. No just just just one last thing Tim I love you you know that I got a great great thing for your new podcast with your son Jeffrey one of my favorite guys in the world you should do a starting nine lineup with last names in cities in New Jersey. Wow you know we do a team Tim every week and it's so weird it's it's the favorite thing that we do from our listeners and our viewers they love the team Tim's and they're so ridiculously stupid and so is this one Todd but on it now no I love it I love it the Dumber the better I've come up with so many stupid team Tim's you know we just got that we just got that guy lavender pitching for the meds so I just had the all color team because we added a new color so now I'm on a

26:46Todd I promise you I'll put my head down and I got I got two I got two for Tom River Tom Seever and Mickey River and Mickey River so there's two right there okay. I'll leave you with this in 1982 I'm covering the Rangers I've been on the beat for three weeks and Mickey Rivers comes up to me and he says Tim can I borrow two thousand dollars and I said Nick I'm making a month and thousand dollars year I don't have two thousand dollars in the bank to loan you even Mickey Rivers was making four hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year as me the dinky little 12 year old baseball writer if you can borrow two grand and buddy Bell pulled me over to Tim whatever you do don't loan Mickey any money he'll never pay back so I love Mickey he made me he made me laugh so many times and what a good player he was in his prime Tom Seever and Mickey Rivers I'm all over a Todd I promise you and he's got the stories for it too so stay tuned for a few

27:53few extra episode of the Todd father episode the Tom's River Todd father episode where they'll do team Tim thank you Tim enjoy the weekend talk to you soon. All right see you guys thanks. Here it is is this a great game or what that was a great segment you got that multiple times a week with Jeff and Tim as part of the FT network you are code right side otherwise just find it type it in have fun with it they're awesome. The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted there's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league. I'm JJ Zacharyson host of the award winning late round podcast before your draft are players to target players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off listen to the late round fantasy football podcast and the I heart radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

28:54College football will hijack your weekend ruin your sleep and break your heart and that's why we make the solid verbal college football show I'm Ty Hildenbrand he's Dan Rubenstein every week we preview the games that matter in the story lines that are going to ignite your group chat and you can join us in the aftermath as we react to what happened why it matters and how the sport went completely bonkers yet again listen to the solid verbal college football show on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts whether you're a seasoned NFL fan or new to the game there's one place to keep up with all of it the leagues news podcast the NFL report hosted by me Andrew Siciliano it is your home for everything football breaking news expert analysis game picks and here from your favorite players to join me and it all star cast of experts for everything you need to know from around the league get new episode to the NFL report Monday through Friday all season long listen to the NFL report podcast on the I heart radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your

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