Episode 258
The French Open and Knicks Playoff Basketball: Special Guests Jamie Loeb and Rob Werdann
Hosts Mike Guidone and Chris Caputo begin the show by welcoming professional tennis player and New York native Jamie Loeb, who discusses life on the Pro Tour and gives her thoughts on the French Open. Later, former NBA player Rob Werdann joined the program to break down the New York Knicks series loss to the Pacers and gave his thoughts on the NBA finals.
Takeaways:
- Professional tennis player Jamie Loeb shared insights on her experiences on the Pro Tour, highlighting the challenges and triumphs faced by athletes.
- Loeb elaborated on the significance of American players advancing in the French Open, emphasizing the growing depth in American tennis.
- Rob Werdann provided an analysis of the Knicks' playoff series, discussing critical moments and tactical missteps that affected their performance.
- Werdann noted that the Knicks' loss to the Pacers was partly attributed to defensive lapses and the Pacers' ability to exploit those weaknesses effectively.
- Loeb discussed her mentoring efforts with young athletes, showcasing her commitment to supporting the next generation of tennis players.
- A discussion on the NBA Finals, with Werdann sharing his insights on the strengths of both the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Transcript
The views expressed in the following program do not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgbb.
Speaker A:Live from the WGPB studios in Merrick, New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:From the crossroads of Merrick Road and Sunrise highway in beautiful Merrick, Long Island, NY.
Speaker B:This is Long Island WGBB Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B: : Speaker B:516623.
Speaker B:1240 is our number again.
Speaker B: That's: Speaker B:1240.
Speaker B:Got a lot to go over tonight.
Speaker B:All sports, all the time with a New York flair.
Speaker B:Gonna talk a little tennis.
Speaker B:Also French Open with a little New York flair, talk playoffs Knicks with Rob Verdan.
Speaker B:And then later on in the end of the show, we'll have Brian Palermo on our Yankee expert to talk a little New York Yankees where they're at.
Speaker B:And I'm sure we'll sprinkle in a little New York Mets.
Speaker B:But before we get to any of that, let's welcome in Cap Chris Caputo.
Speaker B:Cap, good to see you again, Mike.
Speaker C:Thanks for having me.
Speaker C:Good to see you again.
Speaker C:It's June even though it still, Mike, does not feel like it.
Speaker C:But hopefully this week will turn the corner.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Certainly not June weather out there, but yeah, June flavor and everything.
Speaker B:You got Stanley Cup Final playoffs.
Speaker B:We will get to some Islanders talk, I'm sure in a couple of weeks when we talk about their new GM and some Rangers things.
Speaker B:Was was talking a little hockey with a few hockey fans this weekend, but there's too much basketball, baseball, high level, you know, Mets are back in first place.
Speaker B:So all is good with the world.
Speaker C:Yeah, nice to sweep the Rockies, get that out of the way, fly to the west coast and four with the Dodgers, then three more with the Rockies.
Speaker C:So, you know, I would say if you're trying to take those seven games, you have to go, you got to go four and three.
Speaker C:But you could go better than that.
Speaker C:And I think you come back and start heating things up.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know, nice to see, you know, Juan Soto at least getting a little, little bit of bat on the ball.
Speaker B:You know, he's, he's walked, he's struggled obviously putting the ball in play, but when he does, he's producing.
Speaker B:But man, how about Francisco Lindor, huh?
Speaker C:Yeah, I don't care what team it's against, it's nice to have him there at the top of the lineup.
Speaker C:And then also when you have a tie game, a guy that you can count on to put the ball in play, hit a home run.
Speaker C:And you know, more importantly for me, Mike, this bullpen has been absolutely stunning.
Speaker C:No matter who you put out there, they've been great.
Speaker C:Finally today, after 30 consecutive outs, Edwin Diaz finally gave up a hit.
Speaker C:You know, he was almost chasing a batter, you know, 33 in a row that deGrom had done at one point.
Speaker C:But pretty much he's been unhittable this year and I think he's healthy and throwing strikes after he walks a battery, I think he throws like 8% strikes to the next batter.
Speaker C:So he, I'm sorry, balls to the next batter.
Speaker C:So he knows, yeah, once he's done that, he's going to throw strikes and maybe a guy steals on him.
Speaker C:But it's been nice to see, you know, the Yankees have hit a rough patch, but they've been good.
Speaker C:So it's been good.
Speaker C:If you have a chance, get out and watch some baseball, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and enjoy the weather.
Speaker B:You know, one thing I was, I was pretty surprised yesterday.
Speaker B:I watched a little bit as I was telling you before early of the Yankee game and I know it was early in or you mid afternoon in Los Angeles.
Speaker B:They had a great, they had a good crowd, but not full by any stretch of the imagination out there.
Speaker B:I mean, I guess there's just too much to be doing in LA on a beautiful day like that.
Speaker B:But yeah, what a man.
Speaker B:That, that's a place.
Speaker B:I gotta go see that stadium.
Speaker C:You do.
Speaker C:But I have to say you, you have to drive there.
Speaker C:There's no public trans and it's, it's also not the greatest of areas.
Speaker C:So when you're going, that's what you're going for.
Speaker C:And remember a 7:15 game for us is really a 4:15 game there.
Speaker C:So these guys are out in the sunlight as opposed to tomorrow night.
Speaker C: A: Speaker C:So hopefully the, you know, the matchups work in the, in the Mets favor and they start hitting the ball.
Speaker B:So if I were to ask you, this is probably an easy one, but what do Derek Jeter and Francisco Lindor, how are they linked today today?
Speaker B:Surprised you don't know.
Speaker C:This one probably has to do with homers, the amount of homers they have.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So Francisco Lindor passed Derek Jeter for fourth on the all time list, home runs for shortstops.
Speaker C:There you go.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And interesting because, I mean, Jeter was never thought of as really as a power hitter, but, you know, hall of Famer, had some pop.
Speaker B:Lyndor, still a very young guy, at least, you know, in my circles, has a lot of tread left on the tire.
Speaker B:I'm just thrilled for him.
Speaker B:He's to me, you know, I mean, I don't know, you talk leadership on the Mets.
Speaker B:You talk character and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker B:I just love Lindor.
Speaker B:He just goes out, does his thing, smile on his face, loves the game.
Speaker C:It's nice to hear that he checks in on every player after all the series are over, which I think is just great clubhouse stuff.
Speaker C:So I'm excited here to talk a little bit of tennis because, you know, it's an American thing going on here right now.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And we have, we're joined right now for the second time on the show, Jamie Loeb, who is our, if it's okay, Jamie, we're going to call you our Sports Talk New York Touring Pro because you always give us great insight.
Speaker B:And once again from the WTA Tour, Jamie Love.
Speaker B:How are you, Jamie?
Speaker D:I'm good.
Speaker D:Thanks for having me again.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker D:It's a pleasure.
Speaker D:It's a pleasure.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:The pleasure is all ours.
Speaker B:You know, Chris and I were talking before you came on.
Speaker B:It's about, we looked at your schedule and of course, we follow you every tournament.
Speaker B:And Chris, your brother, actually met up with Jamie in one of the tournaments this year, right?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Down in Charleston and got to see you play a couple qualifiers before you played in a round of 64.
Speaker C:So it was nice.
Speaker D:Oh, I didn't even know that.
Speaker D:That's awesome.
Speaker B:Yeah, he's got a great, he's got a great picture.
Speaker B:So we're not stalking you, but we are, we are following you.
Speaker B:And you're our favorite pro.
Speaker B:You know, just again, to kind of remind the audience, Jamie's out of Ossining, New York.
Speaker B: She was the: Speaker B:And Jamie, I know, you know, springtime for you means clay season.
Speaker B:So that Charleston, you know, that's a WTA 500.
Speaker B:That's a great event for you.
Speaker B:And I know you've been kind of going, you've been staying mostly, I believe, if I'm correct.
Speaker B:Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker B:You know, pretty much in the United States and you know, this half of the hemisphere for Your play, is that correct?
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:This year I've been in the US And Dominican Republic, so I've, you know, stayed quote unquote local even though I've been doing a lot of travel.
Speaker D:But, you know, I just, I feel right now just, you know, there's a lot of tournaments in the US and you know, just kind of want to be a little bit closer to home, you know.
Speaker D:Yeah, I've been doing this for 10 years now, so, you know.
Speaker D:Yeah, I've definitely put, put the miles in and you know, I still am, but just a little bit more domestic.
Speaker B:Well, I tell anybody who ever wants to know anything about travel, especially sports related, but anything about travel, you.
Speaker B:Your Instagram is fantastic for, for really telling the ins and outs of how to travel internationally, domestically, what airlines are great, who are terrible.
Speaker B:If you're traveling with bags full of equipment, you always have interesting stories, it seems.
Speaker D:I'm so glad that someone likes it.
Speaker B:I'm talking.
Speaker B:Oh, are you kidding?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker D:I definitely try to show all sides of it.
Speaker D:The good, the bad.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:The ugly.
Speaker D:It's not all glamorous at my level and especially, you know, I'm the one running the show and I'm my own boss, agent, travel planner, you name it.
Speaker D:So, yeah, I definitely do like highlighting all of it, the behind the scenes and things that, you know, people don't really know or understand that goes on.
Speaker D:It's not just about hitting a tennis ball.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:When we spoke with you last year around this time, you were starting to work and develop something with mentoring younger athletes.
Speaker B:Are you still involved with that?
Speaker B:Is that something you're still developing?
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:And it's definitely developed and you know, now I have a nice little website too.
Speaker D:But yeah, I've been mentoring, you know, a few girls and parents and I feel like I should probably, you know, I definitely can make it more or advertise a little bit better.
Speaker D:But I'm also still trying to play, so it's hard to juggle it all.
Speaker D:But yeah, it's, it's great.
Speaker D:It's fun for me to also put myself back in their positions and even working with beginner players and helping them and even finding the right coaches and how to go about things and how to help in their development and be that female influence and impact on them.
Speaker D:And that's something that I had my sister growing up.
Speaker D:But to have someone that's really gone through all these stages, that's what I'm here for.
Speaker D:And you know, I've even gone to some junior tournaments and, you know, meeting girls from all over.
Speaker D:So, yeah, it's definitely developing and, you know, I'm really enjoying it, and it kind of gives me something else to do when I'm on the road.
Speaker D:And just, like, I don't know, I also feel useful.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, absolutely.
Speaker C:So, Jamie, we've got the French Open going on.
Speaker C:I'm sure you're at least keeping an eye on it.
Speaker C:And, you know, for us, obviously, we see, at least at this point, four women have moved on to the fourth round.
Speaker C:We have Jessica Pegula, we've got Madison Keys, we've got Haley Baptiste, we've got Coco in there as well.
Speaker C:What does this mean for the American women at this point, to be advancing this far with so many.
Speaker D:Yeah, I definitely think it shows the depth of, you know, American tennis, even the men are doing.
Speaker D:But just on the women's side, it just really shows the depth from, you know, all ages, levels, rankings.
Speaker D:And, you know, I think in the past, it always was, you have to be, you know, 18 to 20 years old to really make it, and now it's, you know, it's any age, and so it's really great to see that and very encouraging and motivating for, you know, players like myself to keep fighting and believing out there, because, you know, it only takes a couple of tournaments to really turn things around.
Speaker D:And, you know, say someone like Haley Baptiste and, you know, she's been on the ITS circuit for quite some time and then made a jump and has been doing well in WTA's, and now she's making that jump in Slams.
Speaker D:You know, it can be anyone, and you just got to keep putting yourself out there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I wanted to ask you about Haley Baptiste.
Speaker B:You know, obviously somewhat of a newer name to the general tennis populace.
Speaker B:Can you give us a little.
Speaker B:Do you know, I mean, I know you've been following her, and she's played on the same tour that you've been playing on a little bit.
Speaker B:Can you give us a little bit of a scouting report on her?
Speaker D:Yeah, I mean, you know, she has a great forehand, and, I mean, lately she's been moving a lot better.
Speaker D:I think in the past, you're able to exploit her movement a little bit.
Speaker D:I played against her in singles and doubles, honestly, if not in, like, the last.
Speaker D:Yeah, one to two years, so not.
Speaker D:Not too long ago, and.
Speaker D:But, yeah, her forehand is definitely a powerhouse.
Speaker D:And, you know, she has a good, good serve, you know, great slice and really great hands and, you know, really moves well, too, at the net.
Speaker D:So, yeah, she's definitely putting the pieces together, but overall, you know, she.
Speaker D:She has her weapons.
Speaker C:So looking at the.
Speaker C:The women right now, Sabalenka is getting a lot of love as.
Speaker C:As the 1 seed, but Wiatek has won 25 straight matches at Roland Garros.
Speaker C:And, you know, she.
Speaker C:She's had a little bit of a down year this year.
Speaker C:Can you kind of compare and contrast those two as to maybe why Swiatek does well at the French?
Speaker D:It's funny when people say she's had a down year and she's still like, five in the world.
Speaker C:She's five in the world, right?
Speaker D:That's crazy.
Speaker D:You know, I think.
Speaker D:I mean, clay, like, definitely, she moves really well on clay and very natural.
Speaker D:And I mean, she had a.
Speaker D:She had a tough match today.
Speaker D:I was watching it, and Rebakka and I was, you know, really striking the ball well and, you know, just moving her around, but it was almost untouchable.
Speaker D:And then IGA just really, you know, clawed her way in.
Speaker D:And I think, you know, IGA's so mentally tough, and I think she just believes so much on this.
Speaker D:On this surface, but, you know, Sabalenka is playing great, and she's proven to be dominant, so that would be interesting if they end up playing each other.
Speaker D:But, you know, I just think also it's like a confidence factor, and people that, you know, think is.
Speaker D:It's kind of like, you know, when people see Rafa, like, play Rafa and clay, they're like, oh, boy.
Speaker D:Like, you know, this is gonna be tough.
Speaker D:And maybe it's like, maybe to a certain extent, it's similar with iga, but, yeah, she's a great athlete and all court player, so, you know, just makes it tough.
Speaker D:You have to.
Speaker D:You have to play.
Speaker D:Like Rybakina did that first set for two sets or even three sets to beat her on clay.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a.
Speaker B:That's a tough task.
Speaker B:It's funny how you were.
Speaker B:We were all kind of laughing about, you know, being number five in the world, and that's, quote unquote, a down year.
Speaker B:Because I was listening to Andy Roddick's serve podcast, which is fantastic, and they were saying the same thing.
Speaker B:I mean, this.
Speaker B:This is someone who's won, you know, four of the last five French Opens, three in a row, as Chris said, 25 matches in a row.
Speaker B:And she was coming in as really almost a dark horse.
Speaker B:I mean, that's just outrageous.
Speaker D:Yeah, it's crazy to, you know, even think that.
Speaker D:But also just shows how dominant you know, she is.
Speaker D:But also the rest of the tour, I mean, the level just rises every year.
Speaker D:Everyone's hitting the ball harder and is more physical and, you know, just not missing as much.
Speaker D:So I think it's also just a credit to how deep women's tennis is right now.
Speaker D:And, you know, but I'm excited to see how the rest of the tournament unfolds.
Speaker B:I know there's another full week, really, until, you know, this tournament is complete.
Speaker B:But out of the four American ladies left, you know, Jess Pegula, Matty Keys, Haley Baptisten, you know, who's really more of the.
Speaker B:The underdog at this time, and Coco, who would you pick at this time to really have the best shot to win this tournament?
Speaker D:Ooh, that's a good one, because I feel like all these players are kind of hot at the moment.
Speaker D:I mean, Matty Keys, you know, Clay has never been her best circus, but.
Speaker B:She'S, you know, coming off a Grand.
Speaker D:Slam break in the boxes.
Speaker D:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker D:So she has that confidence and that swagger going on.
Speaker D:I feel like Jess is one of the most consistent players on tour, just all around her game.
Speaker D:Her results also, I mean, Clay, I don't think is her favorite service, but I feel like she's very reliable.
Speaker D:You know, Coco's done really well, so.
Speaker D:Especially on clay.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:I honestly, I want to.
Speaker D:I want to say yes.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:I'm going to say Jess on this, and I don't have an exact reason why, but that's just what my gut is telling me.
Speaker C:She won the tournament down in Charleston, so maybe it's some.
Speaker D:Maybe that's what.
Speaker D:Maybe that's why.
Speaker B:Good call.
Speaker C:So, Jamie, there was some.
Speaker C:Some talk from Coco about criticizing the French Open for not scheduling women's matches in primetime slots.
Speaker C:I guess you probably saw a little bit about that.
Speaker D:Yes, I did.
Speaker D:I also, I think saw ONS wrote about that as well.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:And then Amelie Murraysmo, who's the tournament director, kind of came out and disputed that notion because people are saying they're putting the women's matches in the noon slot, which typically has the lower attendance, and it's, you know, the girls are not worthy at night.
Speaker C:Is there a message kind of being played there to the women not being able to fill the stadium?
Speaker D:I mean, I can't really speak on that because I feel everyone that I talk to really enjoys watching women's tennis and thinks it's more exciting than men, to be honest.
Speaker D:You know, I think men's tennis, a lot of times it can just be about the serve.
Speaker D:But a women's tennis, I feel like, you know, there's a lot more depth, like I mentioned earlier, so I don't know, I mean, look, I, I play this sport, so I feel like, you know, it's always fun watching women's tennis and especially even doubles too.
Speaker D:So I don't know, I don't really know the ins and outs of the scheduling per se, but I don't feel like there's a reason to not put women prime time.
Speaker C:It would not happen at the US Open, I'll tell you that much.
Speaker C:The women at the US Open, I think it just brings the most flair.
Speaker C:People want that at night and, and I like the way they do it at the US Open.
Speaker C:They usually put one women's match, one men's match, and not necessarily in that order, in the night session, which I think gives people a good chance to see some up and coming players of both male and female, for sure.
Speaker D:And also going back to Charleston, I think that's one of the best WTA's on tour and you get so many fans and it's great attendance and from qualifying, there's packed stadiums and, you know, people just like love to watch women's tennis and I think that's great and it really shows that, you know, women's tennis is what people want to see.
Speaker D:So I think also maybe the location, but regardless, like, you know, if you give us, give us women more of a chance, we'll put on the show.
Speaker B:I think the rest of the world, Jamie is unfortunately, is still a little behind the United States in terms of, you know, being fair to all and absolutely recognizing that the women's game is just as exciting, if not more like you mentioned, and we're not, trust me, you know, we don't talk tennis all that much here.
Speaker B:We talk, you know, with you and we talk around the US Open, but you have a couple of people here.
Speaker B:You know, I, I've coached high school and college tennis.
Speaker B:Chris, his brother's been a college coach.
Speaker B:So we follow the sport.
Speaker B:And by far, you know, the women's game, as you mentioned, is something where it's not just about the serve.
Speaker B:There's still strategies, especially on clay, when the ball is just a little bit slower.
Speaker B:You know, if anybody's going to, gonna show it in primetime, it should be the French Open.
Speaker B:But I guess for whatever reason, and it is odd that, you know, they have a female that's their tournament director, but I guess she kind of takes her marching orders from whoever, but we're all about it and we love it and you know, we're psyched about.
Speaker B:And again, we're talking to Jamie Loeb, who's our tennis touring pro and former NCAA champion.
Speaker B:So I wanted to ask you this.
Speaker B:This is a question I wanted to get to the last time we had you on, but we ran out of time.
Speaker B:So you've played main draw, US Open.
Speaker B:Now, if I'm correct, you've at least played Qualys in the, in the other three Grand Slams, is that correct?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:Okay, so if you take US Open out of it, out of those three, out of Wimbledon, you know, French Open, Australian.
Speaker B:Out of those three, which one did you enjoy your experience the most?
Speaker D:Probably Australia because it would have been Wimbledon, but we don't play on site for qualifying as off site.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:Yeah, it is off site.
Speaker D:And unfortunately they don't really treat us the same as name trail players.
Speaker D:So you just like there's a hierarchy and you're kind of like lower on the totem pole.
Speaker D:I mean, granted you're still playing Wimbledon, but just the setup and everything, it has a different, different feel.
Speaker D:And you know, Australia, great crowds, it's an amazing venue.
Speaker D:I mean, it's massive compared to French Open, which is a lot smaller.
Speaker D:So yeah, I would say out of those three, it would be Australia.
Speaker D:I mean, I also, I think I've had my best results out of those three in Australia and Wimbledon.
Speaker D:I think French, I made it to second round of qualifying where the other two had made it to the last round of qualifying.
Speaker D:So yeah, I'd say Australia.
Speaker B:So speaking of grass courts, I know this year the tournament up in Newport, Rhode island is actually opening up.
Speaker B:I believe it's dropping to 125 or 100.
Speaker B:But it's both male and female this year.
Speaker B:Any thoughts about trying to qualify for that event or are you strictly now preparing hard court?
Speaker D:It's a great question.
Speaker D:I feel like my schedule changes by the week, so, you know, maybe ask me that question in three weeks.
Speaker D:We'll see where I'm at, what part of the world.
Speaker D:But yeah, I think it's on one of my tentative schedules, but it's also difficult because I'm not playing a grass court schedule leading up to it, I'm going to be on hard court.
Speaker D:So just to play one tournament might be challenging, but I've been to Newport, Rhode island before and you know, it's beautiful and the hall of Fame is there, so wouldn't be a bad place to play.
Speaker D:But you know, right now I think it's on the tentative side side of things and also depending on ranking and such.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm a little partial to Newport because my daughter actually went to school.
Speaker B:She just graduated from South Vietnam University, which is in Newport.
Speaker B:So we were there all the time visiting.
Speaker B:I'm a tennis nut, so I would go to the hall of Fame all the time.
Speaker B:I mean, I just.
Speaker B:It's a wonderful facility.
Speaker B:It is so unique that it's, you know, it's the only grass court tournament we really have, so I'm partial to it.
Speaker B:But I could imagine trying to prepare for just one grass court tournament would have to be really difficult.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:Grass, you know, it's a very short season as is, and even for a week, it's also not the easiest to find grass courts or good grass courts, depending where you live.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:Yeah, and you definitely don't want to go and play, show up and play first round without even touching the grass before.
Speaker D:That's a recipe for disaster.
Speaker D:So, yeah, there'd be a little bit more thought process of training that would go into that.
Speaker D:So we will see.
Speaker C:Okay, so Jamie on the men's side, Francis Tiafo and Tommy Paul both advanced to the quarters.
Speaker C:I believe for the men, that's the first time there's been two men in the quarters since 96.
Speaker B:Were you even alive in 96?
Speaker D:I was one years old, so I don't really remember a whole lot.
Speaker B:Yeah, we're not going to ask any specifics from that tour.
Speaker C:And then the last American to make it there was Agassi in 03.
Speaker C:So we're looking at over 20 years.
Speaker C:Is there something now with the men that, you know, they're pushing their way back into, you know, playing the French Open?
Speaker D:Yeah, I mean, you know, like, like I said earlier, I mean, there's a lot of depth on the women's side, but there's also a lot of depth on the men's side.
Speaker D:And, you know, Francis and Tommy have really climbed their way up and not only you know, on other surfaces, but just on clay.
Speaker D:And clay is notoriously, you know, especially red clay hasn't been a fan favorite for Americans for a while.
Speaker D:So, you know, I think it's.
Speaker D:It's great to see and, you know, players adapting and growing, but also too, just having a good core group of guys just pushing each other.
Speaker D:And I think it's motivational for everyone to see that and.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And, you know, wanting more.
Speaker C:Well, I guess if the American men don't have to run into Rafa Nadal anymore, maybe they do have a shot to get to the quarters.
Speaker D:That's right.
Speaker D:I mean, now that Rafa retired, you know, people have a little bit of hope.
Speaker D:But then you have Novak and Carlos.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, that I was going to mention Ben Shelton, you know, he hadn't had a great clay season, but he was playing very well.
Speaker B:And he ran into Alcaraz today.
Speaker B:Still was a four setter.
Speaker B:Yeah, he played well.
Speaker C:Lost 108 in the first in the tie break.
Speaker C:So he had a shot.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's exciting to see that.
Speaker B:But the women have been carrying the banner on the American side at the French for quite some time.
Speaker B:So all props to that.
Speaker D:Yeah, you know, it's great to see it and you know, I love how the women are just paving the way here and the men are just trying to catch up.
Speaker B:So we got two quick questions before we let you go.
Speaker B:Number one is, I know I kind of already asked you a little bit about your schedule for the summer, but do you have anything set in stone in terms of where you're playing and what your lead ups are?
Speaker D:Well, currently I'm in Sumter, South Carolina and I play tomorrow at 10am so that I do know.
Speaker D:Other than that, I'm not sure.
Speaker D:I'm not sure if I will go abroad at all end of June or if I'll stay stateside.
Speaker D:Are you still playing Dallas, even stateside?
Speaker D:There's just, it's kind of all over the country a little bit.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:Yeah, look, everyone always asks me this question, like, oh, where are you going to be this week or that week?
Speaker D:I'm like, I will let you know when I know.
Speaker D:And nowadays that tends to be like the week before.
Speaker D:So I wish I can give a more clear schedule for you guys so people listening could actually follow along, but.
Speaker D:Okay, well, I don't have that at the moment.
Speaker B:Well, you're busy.
Speaker B:That's safe to say you're busy.
Speaker B:And are you, are you continuing with doubles as well?
Speaker B:Are you playing a lot of doubles?
Speaker D:Lately I've just been playing singles.
Speaker D:I do, you know, I do play doubles as well, but a lot of these tournaments this year I've had to qualify for and that just takes a toll on the body and just wanting to give it my best shot on singles.
Speaker D:You know, a lot of times too, playing doubles, it, you know, depending on the location, there's just long days and right now I've just been wanting to, you know, try to build up my singles ranking and once I hopefully get that in a better place, then play some more doubles.
Speaker D:But Also finding a partner that I play with consistently because I think for a while I've been playing with some different people the past year, year and a half, and it's hard to really build something together when you're playing with different people.
Speaker D:So just.
Speaker D:Yeah, right now focusing on singles and then I think in the near future play some doubles and hopefully with a consistent partner.
Speaker B:Gotcha.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:And then here's the last thing.
Speaker B:Are you still.
Speaker B:I know you were doing this for a while where people could send kind of videotapes of themselves and you're able to break down almost like a, like a coach virtually how their game is and different things.
Speaker B:Are you, are you still involved with that?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I love how you follow me on social media and like, remember these things.
Speaker B:I think it's cool.
Speaker D:I mean, yes, it's actually an online coaching platform called Tandem.
Speaker D:So, yes, I, I am still on that.
Speaker D:So you ever want to send me a video of your serve?
Speaker D:Well, I was gonna advice.
Speaker B:Here's, here's.
Speaker B:I am gonna, I think I'm gonna send you a tape.
Speaker B:But here's the thing.
Speaker B:I'm pretty consistent.
Speaker B:Forehand serve is decent.
Speaker B:I can volley the ball well.
Speaker B:But my backhand, I, I've struggled with my backhand my entire life.
Speaker B:I hit a two hander, I can slice the ball really well one hand.
Speaker B:But if you were going to teach somebody just basics off the two hand backhand, what's the biggest mistake that people make on their two handed backhand?
Speaker D:Well, first off, to see it.
Speaker D:Second of all, I love my backhand, so I'll gladly help you with that.
Speaker D:I mean, I think one thing is, I mean, it really depends, but I would say a lot of times people kind of come out of the backhand too soon with their right arm.
Speaker D:Like the arm supposed to be more tucked.
Speaker D:And I feel that's kind of like a hidden, not secret, but really emphasizing like that shoulder turn, but like not allowing your right arm to be the one leading.
Speaker D:Like you want that left arm to come around taking notes as you're talking to track the ball.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:Yeah, I know.
Speaker D:Look at this.
Speaker D:This is like free advice.
Speaker B:No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker B:I'm going to send you.
Speaker B:I'm, I'm going to, I'm going to go.
Speaker B:I'm going to go via the platform, I promise.
Speaker C:But I hope Margaret Sones is not listening.
Speaker C:You're.
Speaker C:Is your opponent Margaret Sones listening for tomorrow's match?
Speaker D:Honestly, I just saw the order of play as well.
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:You have no idea if she is too good.
Speaker D:I mean, she doesn't know a whole lot about me, I guess right now, but I can teach her how to hit a backhand if she needs.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:Well, hopefully, hopefully after the match you school her tomorrow and you take care of it.
Speaker B:Jamie, it's been a pleasure talking to you again.
Speaker B:Really, thank you for joining us.
Speaker B:All the best.
Speaker B:Hope you have a great, a great summer.
Speaker B:I am going to send you a tape and I'm going to go through that platform because if anybody can help me on my backhand, it's definitely you.
Speaker D:Oh, I appreciate it and hopefully we'll get that backhand to be laser sharp.
Speaker B:I would appreciate it.
Speaker B:Jamie Loeb, everybody.
Speaker B:Jamie, all the best.
Speaker B:Have a great summer and we'll talk soon.
Speaker D:Thanks, guys.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:We'll be back in just a minute.
Speaker B:Talk a little NBA Playoffs with Rob Verdant.
Speaker C:Foreign.
Speaker A:You are listening to Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A: FM and: Speaker A:You're listening to Sports Talk New York on Long Island's wgb.
Speaker A:And now back to the show.
Speaker B: : Speaker B:1240 is the number if you'd like to call in.
Speaker B:Had a great half hour talking New York based tennis and French Open with Jamie Loeb.
Speaker B:But now we're lucky to be joined once again by Rob Verdan.
Speaker B:Former Saint John Red Storm player, was a member of the Denver Nuggets and the warriors and Bobcats coaching staff.
Speaker B:Talk a little NBA playoffs.
Speaker B:Rob, welcome back to the program.
Speaker B:Great to have you on.
Speaker E:Hey, thanks for having me back, guys.
Speaker B:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker C:Appreciate it.
Speaker C:So this time of year we're not used to here in New York talking about the, the NBA playoffs, but I think people were surprised to see the Knicks get that far after beating the Boston Celtics.
Speaker C:But then I think a lot of people around here thought the Knicks were the favorite in that series.
Speaker C:Can you give your insights into really what happened in the, in the Knicks Pacer series?
Speaker E:Yeah, sure.
Speaker E:But first, you know, if you'll indulge me, I haven't been associated or affiliated with team in a bunch of years and I got some, some young boys here in the house, and my wife and we basically adopted the Knicks over the last few years.
Speaker E:And so it gave us something to do together as a family.
Speaker E:And, you know, basically tried to watch every single game.
Speaker E:So, you know, these.
Speaker E:These games, these playoff games were very meaningful in my house.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker E:And it was.
Speaker E:It was.
Speaker E:It was a joy to watch them.
Speaker E:You know, Coach Tibbs and The Knicks put two 50 games win seasons together in a row, two of them.
Speaker E:And I think there's a lot to look forward to.
Speaker E:First and foremost, we're not even talking about what just happened, but I think there's a lot to look forward to in New York with the Knicks, and I know we're excited about it here, so.
Speaker E:Yeah, go ahead, shoot whatever questions you got.
Speaker C:Yeah, so I think let's start with game one, because I believe that the series definitely took a change.
Speaker C:Knicks up, double digits, three minutes to go.
Speaker C:And, you know, I think they agreed that they took the foot off the pedal.
Speaker C:How does something like that happen in an NBA, you know, Eastern semi, Eastern Conference final game?
Speaker E:Yeah, that was tough.
Speaker E:That was tough to deal with, you know, but so much happens within a game.
Speaker E:There are so many games within the game where momentum plays a major role.
Speaker E:And, you know, there's offensive momentum and there's defensive momentum.
Speaker E:And there were plenty of times, not only in game one, but throughout the series, where the Knicks kind of lost defensive momentum.
Speaker E:And you can see it in their communication, in their misrotations, not communicating on switches and things like that.
Speaker E:So that was the.
Speaker E:That.
Speaker E:That Game one was the first kind of telltale sign that this was gonna.
Speaker E:This was gonna go.
Speaker E:You know, if you're a Knicks fan, you want it to go.
Speaker E:If you're a Pacer fan, it's gonna go a bunch of games.
Speaker E:Because when they took game one in New York, I mean, I was like, well, this might be a long series.
Speaker C:Yeah, that was a microcosm of the series, because then you have another game where the Knicks, you know, last Sunday, Mike and I were on the air.
Speaker C:Knicks are losing by 20, and they come back and win that game.
Speaker C:So I think you kind of had the other way, too, where guys like Karl Anthony Towns would show up and say, this is my game.
Speaker C:But I felt like that first game was the toughest for them to recover from.
Speaker C:And then, you know, last night, the second half, it just kind of got away from them.
Speaker C:Is there.
Speaker C:Is there a part of the Pacers game or a part of the Knicks game that you think maybe was the key?
Speaker C:Because I know for me, Watching them pick and roll, Karl Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson was just awful to watch.
Speaker E:Yeah, that was tough.
Speaker E:That was tough.
Speaker E:And I think that's something we could talk about a little bit later in the interview.
Speaker E:But the three things that the Pacers have going for them, you know, is speed, number one, speed, number two, shooting.
Speaker E:Okay?
Speaker E:And you know, and those are momentum things.
Speaker E:So if you, if you keep scoring on the fast break, if the Knicks did not get back multiple times last night, and those are momentum builders, and that's something that you got to try and, you know, put the brakes on.
Speaker E:You use your timeouts or whatever.
Speaker E:However you do that, you put your defensive specialist group in there to stop it.
Speaker E:But the Knicks weren't able to do that, so.
Speaker E:And then there's the Pacer shooting.
Speaker E:I mean, they're timely shooters and, and you know, we saw that throughout the season, throughout the series.
Speaker E:I'm sorry.
Speaker E:And then lastly, their depths, they had fresh guys, you know, in the fourth quarter and you know, the Knicks, you know, Brunson was fighting 94ft every time they took the ball out of bounds, every time the Knicks took the ball out of bounds, those guys were up there pressure, and that wears on you.
Speaker E:So the shooting, the speed and the depth of the Pacers ultimately were the things that did the next thing.
Speaker B:And we're talking with Rob Verdan.
Speaker B:Rob, you mentioned, you know, Coach Tibbs two back to back 50 win seasons hadn't been done in New York and we can't even tell.
Speaker B:But I'm a big Tibbs fan.
Speaker B:I think he's done a great job.
Speaker B:He's been catching a little bit of heat here.
Speaker B:I mean, it is New York.
Speaker B:You're familiar with that.
Speaker B:I think, you know, anytime that a team here doesn't perform to the top level, the coach is always going to catch a little heat.
Speaker B:Do you think there's anything that he deserves even the slightest bit of criticism on, maybe with his rotations or trying to develop the bench a little bit sooner or, you know, are you pretty much in the camp that he did everything pretty much correctly?
Speaker E:No, I think he did a lot of things right.
Speaker E:I think he's, you know, we're always evolving, we're always learning.
Speaker E:And I'm sure that he was sure he would say the same thing.
Speaker E:I mean, and you saw the last three playoff games against Indiana, he started utilizing his bench more because he realized he needed those, some of those fresh legs, some of those guys produce.
Speaker E:But with that, he'll walk into the off season with Confidence, yes.
Speaker E:Saying I can go ahead and play nine, 10 guys and let's start the season off possibly next year like that.
Speaker E:But I'll tell you this, when you look at the history of Tibbs as a head coach, players improve with him, they get better.
Speaker E:So, you know, you look at Jalen Brunson when he came over from Dallas where he was a sixth man coming off the bench, and now everybody was talking about him as an MVP candidate right.
Speaker E:This year.
Speaker E:So he's improved under tips.
Speaker E:Tips is a great start.
Speaker E:A lot of guys I know, and I know they're toilers, they're workers.
Speaker E:Everybody there works.
Speaker E:So the same can be said for the type of player Tibbs wants.
Speaker E:He wants workers.
Speaker E:So when we talk about Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Townsend, some sort of confusion on pick and roll coverage, well, guess what, they're going to work on that and they're going to improve on that.
Speaker E:And that's what gives me and should give New York all of New York excitement for what's to come in October.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:So the, the other, the other side now, you know, you have, you have Oklahoma City, who just has done minus really one kind of hiccup in the, in the Western Conference finals, really was very dominant, you know, had a great season.
Speaker B:Now they're matching up with Indiana.
Speaker B:How do you see the finals playing out?
Speaker B:What's your thoughts on that?
Speaker E:You know, well, it's going to be unique.
Speaker E:Two small market teams.
Speaker E:It's going to be interesting because Oklahoma City brings something different to the table.
Speaker E:I would have said if you asked me at the beginning of the season, I said, oh no, they're not ready to contend yet.
Speaker E:But they've grown so much just within this year and within these playoffs that they're there.
Speaker E:Okay, so what do they have?
Speaker E:Well, they have the mvp, Shay Gildis Alexander.
Speaker E:What's he doing?
Speaker E:He's bringing back the mid range game and he's effective.
Speaker E:They have great defenders.
Speaker E:They have deep, deep team that can switch defensively.
Speaker E:They have length at the rim.
Speaker E:They don't have necessarily great girth and size other than New Dort, but they have height at the rim, so they'll protect the rim.
Speaker E:Now on the other hand, you got the Pacers, the things we talked about before with their speed, their shooting and their depth.
Speaker E:If they get hot, they have just as good a chance.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker E:So it's going to really be something watching these two small market teams battle this out because this is a series that I think can go seven games.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I Think you know, Oklahoma City likes to run unlike the Knicks who were trying to slow the game down.
Speaker C:Do you think that the Pacers are going to use their bench and press up 94ft against Oklahoma City or do you think that Rick Carlisle changes things up a little bit?
Speaker E:Well, I imagine he'll change things up.
Speaker E:I think we will see some of that.
Speaker E:However, you know the.
Speaker E:Let's face it, Jalen Bronson is the head of the snake for the Knicks.
Speaker E:You take the head of the snake makeout by pressuring the heck out of him for three quarters in the fourth quarter.
Speaker E:He struggled a little bit.
Speaker E:I don't know necessarily only because, you know, I've watched Oklahoma, but I haven't studied them as much as I have.
Speaker E:But you know, they have a pretty deep team as well.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker E:And they have capable ball handlers and decision makers and they play very, very well in drawing kicks.
Speaker E:So more or less whoever brings the ball up for them probably can initiate in the offense.
Speaker E:So I think we will see that from Rick Carlisle, that pressure defense.
Speaker E:But I think he'll recognize if he has to pull back from it and be a little bit more solid in the half court.
Speaker C:So we'll probably see some high paced games here just like the Pacers have former Nick Obitoppin.
Speaker C:The Thunder stole away Hartenstein for three years.
Speaker C:$87 million I believe the Knicks offered 472.
Speaker C:So it's interesting to see some of these Knicks play on a different team.
Speaker C:I'm not sure how much you saw him play this year, but he definitely is having an effect on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaker C:And I think, you know, they were the best team in the NBA this year and partially because they brought him in.
Speaker E:Yeah, yeah, he's made a huge difference.
Speaker E:And you know, Chet Holmgren was hurt I think beginning of the year and then he, you know, Hartenstein held the, held the position down and then Hartenstein got hurt at some point towards the end of the year and Holmgren held the fort down and then both of them together.
Speaker E:Though they did play together a lot during the middle of the season and you know, there's a good chemistry there between the two of them.
Speaker E:And if I'm not mistaken, I think the only number the Knicks could get to in terms of securing Hartenstein next following season was the number that they offered him.
Speaker E:Yeah, it's just Oklahoma City gave them more and you know, at this stage you gotta, you gotta go, you gotta go.
Speaker E:I mean you just gotta take that and secure that for your family.
Speaker B:Yeah, that, that That's a tough one to turn down.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:I was reading something trying to.
Speaker B:They were trying to explain, you know, the early bird rights and the guys who are able to negotiate contracts in the NBA.
Speaker B:I mean, you have to have like an MBA from Wharton School of Business to understand that stuff, but you don't have to have an MBA to understand the difference between what Oklahoma City was able to offer in New York.
Speaker B:One last thing I just wanted to ask you.
Speaker B:If you're the gm, let's play gm.
Speaker B:Let's go back to the Knicks for a second.
Speaker B:So, you know, a lot to be excited about and the things that they need to improve on.
Speaker B:Of course, from a technical standpoint, if there was anything you would like to add to that Knick team for next season, is it more shooting, another defender?
Speaker B:If you had a crystal ball and you could basically just kind of do what you want or bring in somebody, make a deal, what would you see would be really a huge key for the Knicks next year to kind of.
Speaker E:Take that next step, I think, right off the bat, starting with what you already have.
Speaker E:A healthy Mitchell Robinson for 82 games would have been great, you know, because when he was coming off the bench towards the end of the year when he came back from injury, and then all of a sudden he and talents are starting together in the playoffs, and that's tough.
Speaker E:That's tough to, you know, develop that type of chemistry.
Speaker E:Because this is really Talent's first season with the Knicks, right?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker E:So, I mean, you know, here we go.
Speaker E:He didn't have Mitchell Robinson.
Speaker E:Now he's playing with a guy who's bigger than him.
Speaker E:It does cause a little bit of unrest and confusion at times.
Speaker E:So, you know, that would be, first and foremost, I would like to see him healthy, and then I would like to see them go out and get a really, really veteran, you know, smart, capable backup point guard, somebody who can spell.
Speaker E:I mean, Johnson got some really long rest in the last three games.
Speaker E:I don't know if you realize that.
Speaker E:And, you know, that's the type of.
Speaker E:Those are the type of types of refs he needs throughout the 82 games.
Speaker B:Sure, without a doubt.
Speaker B:And yeah, and when you bring someone in, like you said, a real capable guy who can give, he doesn't have to.
Speaker B:Then, you know, he's not picking up his fourth and fifth foul out of fatigue and where he's got to go to the bench early, you know, and in bunches.
Speaker B:I'm sure you know, you, as you said, you would know better than us.
Speaker B:That's just a huge advantage to have.
Speaker E:Yeah, real big.
Speaker E:It just gives you confidence as a coach.
Speaker B:So you said your family's been following the Knicks.
Speaker B:Is Brunson the favorite in your household?
Speaker E:Well, you know what?
Speaker E:We love Anunoby.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Gee.
Speaker E:And you know, another guy who improved on the tips, we didn't talk about him.
Speaker E:He wasn't even getting off the bench in Toronto.
Speaker E:And the Knicks bring him in and he's doing some great things.
Speaker E:And then he came.
Speaker E:You know, he was very solid this year and very distance or not.
Speaker E:So, I mean, yeah, he's.
Speaker E:He's the guy we kind of root for the most, but we yell at everybody.
Speaker B:Fantastic.
Speaker C:Well, again, Rob, we appreciate your time tonight.
Speaker C:You know, the Knicks were near and dear to a lot of people's hearts.
Speaker C:People were waiting for a Game seven.
Speaker C:It didn't happen.
Speaker C:But, you know, your expertise tonight was great and hopefully we can have you on in the future and whatever it might be, St.
Speaker C:John's or the Knicks or something like that.
Speaker C:We could talk that again.
Speaker B:Little NBA draft maybe coming up.
Speaker E:I gotta start reading on these guys.
Speaker E:I don't like much college basketball, but I'd be happy to do that.
Speaker B:Well, and I'm sure we could talk a whole hour probably on the difference of college basketball these days.
Speaker B:But, yeah, like Chris said, we appreciate everything.
Speaker B:Great catching up with you again, and we'll talk soon.
Speaker E:All right, guys, thanks very much.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Robertan, former NBA player with the Nuggets coach and St.
Speaker B:John's just a great job.
Speaker B:It's really interesting how he kind of said early in.
Speaker B:In the interview how his family was so Knicks oriented and they kind of adopted it.
Speaker B:That that's.
Speaker B:That that's cool.
Speaker C:And even though they're living down south, you pick up a team and.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker C:The way it goes and.
Speaker B:Well.
Speaker B:And he doesn't sound like he's living down south.
Speaker B:He still has that.
Speaker B:Yeah, he's got the Queen's accent, but not Queens.
Speaker B:Now we're going to the Bronx and we're going to bring in our friend Brian Palermo, who's going to fill us in here a little bit.
Speaker B:A little late Yankee talk tonight.
Speaker B:I know that they're up in this game, hit a little bit of.
Speaker B:A.
Speaker B:Little bit of a rough stretch.
Speaker B:But that's, you know, saying that against the relatives, the Dodgers.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Is all relative, but.
Speaker B:Brian, welcome in.
Speaker B:How's everything going?
Speaker E:Good.
Speaker F:Good to talk to you guys.
Speaker F:It's been a while, but happy to be back on here.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:We haven't talked in a while.
Speaker C:And the Yankee season has started off pretty well.
Speaker C:Obviously, first and foremost, you have to talk about a guy that's hitting close to.400 and dominating any pitcher that he sees.
Speaker C:And can you talk about this year's dominance of Aaron Judge and where that puts him on the pedestal?
Speaker B:Oh, it wasn't Juan Soto I thought Cappy was bringing up.
Speaker B:That's the wrong guy.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker F:I mean, it's on.
Speaker F:Anytime you're talking about any hitter, you know, hitting, hovering their average around.400 when it's June, that's just crazy to begin with.
Speaker F:But then you talk about someone who slugs and hits for average, hits for power.
Speaker F:His strikeouts are down.
Speaker F:You know, earlier in his career, he had a little trouble laying off that slide or down the layout always get him.
Speaker F:And, you know, he's really focused on that.
Speaker F:The last couple of years really improved that.
Speaker F:But he is just.
Speaker F:It's unbelievable, you know, two home runs yesterday, even though they didn't have a good game.
Speaker F:But he's just, he's truly something to watch.
Speaker F:And, you know, anytime he's up, you gotta.
Speaker F:You gotta make sure your eyes are glued to the screen.
Speaker C:Unbelievable.
Speaker C:The power that, you know, out of nowhere, just, you know, homeruns.
Speaker C:And I'm just, I'm surprised that people don't walk him more, but I guess maybe this year with a little bit of Ben Rice and Jason Dominguez, the Goldschmidt's hitting above him.
Speaker C:But I'm just surprised that people don't walk him more than they actually do.
Speaker F:Yeah, I think that, I mean, they're gonna start, obviously.
Speaker F:I know Ron Washington.
Speaker F:It's hard to watch these, these west coast games when they're starting at 10.
Speaker F:But, you know, I did check up on Twitter the next day, and the Angels walked him twice in the first two innings the other day.
Speaker F:So if there's a spot to pitch around him and there's a base open or something early in the game, like, he's not, he's not getting anything to hit.
Speaker F:So you're going to start seeing that more and more with just.
Speaker F:I mean, obviously Soto is not there to protect him.
Speaker F:You know, there's not another guy like that in the lineup, but there's plenty of guys are contributing very well.
Speaker F:But, yeah, it's judges way far out in front of the pack.
Speaker F:So you're going to take your chances with someone else.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Give me your insight into the Yankees starting pitching.
Speaker C:Highs and maybe a couple of lows, but for the most part, I think you got to be pretty impressed.
Speaker F:Yeah, I mean, they started out, you know, April was a little up and down, but, you know, in the month of May, they were unbelievable as a starting rotation.
Speaker F:I know Warren had a really tough start last night, but he had a bunch of starts, you know, strung together in a row where he was really good.
Speaker F:Some of his, you know, analytic stuff, his spin rate and his breaking ball, that sweeper he throws is just nasty.
Speaker F:Even he was contributing.
Speaker F:And I got to give the Yankees credit, you know, someone like Warren, he's had some rough starts and at times I'm like, you know, can we run someone else out there?
Speaker F:But they stick by their guys and someone they believe in.
Speaker F:He gets plenty of chances.
Speaker F:It kind of reminds me of, you know, what they did with Clark Schmidt a couple years ago.
Speaker F:You know, he's struggling a little bit, but they let him figure it out at the major league level and he turns into a really solid pitcher.
Speaker F:So I kind of see Warren having that same pass that Clark Schmidt had.
Speaker F:But how about those two lefties at the top when you got Freed and Rodin?
Speaker F:You know, they're been unbelievable this year.
Speaker F:Freed, what a signing.
Speaker F:With Garrett Cole going down the way that he's kind of just assumed that that ace role and he's been unbelievable.
Speaker F:And he was a little shaky the other night, but you know, he's human.
Speaker F:Everyone's going to have a bad start and then Rodan's been unbelievable.
Speaker F:He's striking everybody out.
Speaker F:And his ERA was a little inflated early on, but even those starts, they were really good.
Speaker F:And then I think there was a couple in April where right at the end, you know, he gave up a three run home run, which just kind of inflated his numbers.
Speaker F:But he's brought that way down as the Ras and the Twos strengthen out a ton of guys.
Speaker F:So those two guys at the top, you know, you feel really good about things.
Speaker C: ,: Speaker C:Goldschmidt, Bellinger, what's your thoughts so far?
Speaker C:You know, now you have three MVPs on the same team.
Speaker C:Your thoughts on them so far this year?
Speaker F:They've been awesome.
Speaker F:They're awesome players.
Speaker F:I mean, Goldschmidt, you just, when you hear someone say just a professional hitter, he's up right now as we speak, but he's been awesome with two strikes.
Speaker F:It's almost like when Jeff Nelson, one of the Yankees color guys, he always talks about, he Just looks like right center and he just keeps his approach.
Speaker F:He does not stray away from his approach.
Speaker F:And he's just getting base hits to the right field.
Speaker F:He's getting a little older, maybe his power's down a little bit, but he's just a great hitter.
Speaker F:You know, his average, what is he hitting?350 or something?
Speaker F:And then Bellinger, you know, little slow start in April, but he's been really good in May.
Speaker F:And that's just someone, he's so athletic.
Speaker F:He runs the bases well.
Speaker F:You put him in center field, you put him in left field, you put him in right field, you put him at first base and he's going to be, you know, a plus plus defender.
Speaker F:So those guys have really, you know, fit in well so far this year.
Speaker C:Any worries in the bullpen?
Speaker C:I know, you know, Williams had some tough parts, you know, they had to go to a different closer.
Speaker C:Are you okay with the way it's setting up right now?
Speaker F:I mean, I feel comfortable with Luke Weaver closing games.
Speaker F:So, you know, obviously Williams is very high expectations, is one of the lowest theores for elite pitchers, you know, in the history of baseball.
Speaker F:You know, come into the rc had very high expectations and even when he was struggling, you know, his, the underlying numbers were okay.
Speaker F:So, you know, these guys, they're, they're people, you know, he's in a new city and you know, you got to adjust all that stuff.
Speaker F:So I still think he's going to figure it out and he's going to get some really big outs down the line.
Speaker F:You can never have enough pitching.
Speaker F:So, you know, when you talk about what they may add in a couple months of the trade deadline, you're going to probably look for some high leverage relievers, maybe a right handed bat.
Speaker F:But yeah, the bullpen's been solid.
Speaker F:The Weaver's been great.
Speaker F:You know, he looks like he's his old self again, so, you know, some encouraging stuff.
Speaker F:You got guys like Tim Hill and they're all contributing.
Speaker B:Brian, I made a little bit of a joke about Juan Soto, you know, before, but I wanted to ask you, were you, were you surprised that, I mean, obviously the Yankee fans were going to give him, you know, a rough welcome, but the whole turning their backs to him while he went out and do you think they were a little harsh on him or was that really, you know, deserving?
Speaker F:I mean, maybe, maybe a little bit.
Speaker F:I mean, I don't really feel bitter towards him.
Speaker F:You know, he was there for one year.
Speaker F:He was a great player.
Speaker F:You know, I probably would have been A little more hurt, if that's like a guy who came up through the system and was there for a long time.
Speaker F:But I would, I wouldn't say that me, but, you know, the Bronx is a tough place, so to say.
Speaker F:I'm surprised with the reception he got.
Speaker F:I would be, I would be lying.
Speaker F:But, yeah, I mean, it is what it is.
Speaker F:The fans want to have fun with it too, you know, so if they get him a little more into the game, you know, they're gonna do it well.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker F:I thought he, I thought he handled it very well, though, you know, tipping his cap and.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker F:And everything.
Speaker F:You know, he.
Speaker F:That's, that's Juan Soto for you.
Speaker F:So I thought he handled it very well.
Speaker B:Well, he, he, he, he does pretty much, you know, most things correctly.
Speaker B:And yeah, I thought he did a good job with that.
Speaker B:And it is hard, though.
Speaker B:I'm sure if the she was on the other foot as a Met fan, if he didn't come to the Mets over, you know, I mean, listen, the money was incredible, no matter who and which team he was going to go to.
Speaker B:But, you know, in essence, it really wasn't that big of a difference.
Speaker B:And especially when he starts to talk about that, at least through back channels, that he misses being on the Yankees, I'm surprised they weren't harder on him.
Speaker F:Yeah.
Speaker F:I mean, and it's like, Obviously he's a 15 year deal.
Speaker F:You can't judge anything too quick.
Speaker F:But if you look at where the Yankees are, and obviously Soto is an unbelievable header, generational talent, but, you know, with Garrett Cole going down, can you imagine what the Yankees would look like now if they didn't have Max Reed and, you know, it allowed them to pivot.
Speaker F:And I'm not saying Cody Bellinger is Juan Soto, but when you add a Devin Williams, Max Freed and Cody Bellinger as a pivot to not getting Soto, I think Catherine did a very good job.
Speaker F:I'm not saying, you know, they are Juan Soto, but I don't even want to think about what they look like without Max Freed toeing the slab every five days.
Speaker C:All right, so this is not JV baseball at East Rockaway, but this is New York Yankees in the Bronx.
Speaker C:Let's say in two weeks, a guy by the name of Giancarlo Stanton is looking really good hitting some balls down to the mic.
Speaker C:Where does he fit in?
Speaker C:Do you pull somebody?
Speaker C:Do you make him the DH and put Ben Rice in the field?
Speaker C:Do you pull Dominguez?
Speaker C:A little bit.
Speaker C:What, how do you put.
Speaker C:How do you.
Speaker C:You make that stand up.
Speaker F:So a key thing here that is going to make that even more tough is the season that Trent Grisham is having.
Speaker F:You know, that's the name we haven't mentioned today, but he's just been unbelievable when he's playing every day.
Speaker F:You know, he was.
Speaker F:It's hard to transition to that role.
Speaker F:Like, you know, he was a little down last year, but when you're playing sporadically, you can't find that rhythm.
Speaker F:That's tough.
Speaker F:So that's, that's a tough question.
Speaker F:You know, like if you ask the way you see Boone talks, like these things always have a way of figuring themselves out.
Speaker F:So you don't want to, you know, stress and worry over it too much.
Speaker F:But it is tricky.
Speaker F:I know Goldschmidt, was he 38 years old?
Speaker F:So, you know, they can, they can spell him and play Rice at first to get Rice from at bats, but I think when Stanton's back, you know, he's going to get the majority of the DH at bats.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because I don't think he deserves it.
Speaker F:And they won't rush him back, you know, with all his injuries, maybe they'll play him four or five times a week.
Speaker F:But, you know, Ben Rice has been great this year.
Speaker F:And a nice piece of, you know, versatility that Ben Rice has, believe it or not, is that he came up as a catcher and, you know, having just a third guy who can catch, it's very valuable and barely.
Speaker F:They need it.
Speaker F:But, you know, it's a nice little luxury as well.
Speaker C:Well, with a win tonight, getting yourself the 14 games over.500 I think is a good spot.
Speaker C:You know, you're going to have, you're going to have some downs here, here or there.
Speaker C:So I think it's been a good start for the Yankees and, you know, we'll see where we are at the All Star break for sure.
Speaker F:I mean, you can't win the division in April and May, but you can sure as heck lose it.
Speaker F:So, you know, I think coming into this week, and obviously the Dodgers are a very good team, but coming into this weekend, they had the biggest big lead in baseball.
Speaker F:Probably not anymore, but, you know, they're in a very good spot.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:Oh, it was good catching up, Brian.
Speaker C:We appreciate your time.
Speaker C:We'll definitely have you on again to talk a little more Yankees a little longer segment.
Speaker B:I know we're met centric here, but we'd love to have you back on for a little bit deeper dive for sure.
Speaker F:Sounds awesome.
Speaker F:Good talking to you guys.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Brian Palermo.
Speaker B:Big, big show tonight, Cap.
Speaker B:We had Jamie Loeb.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Talking to lots of tennis.
Speaker B:We're gonna have her on again soon.
Speaker B:Rob Rodan will probably have him back for at least NBA draft.
Speaker B:Brian Palermo there.
Speaker B:We'll be back two weeks.
Speaker B:We'll see where the Mets and Yankees are at and enjoy, everybody.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:Have a good night, everybody.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Thanks to Brian Graves.
Speaker A:The views expressed in the previous program did not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgb.
