Episode 249
Building a Competitive Edge: Strategies from St. John's Coach Joe Tartamella
Show Summary
Host Chris Caputo talked with St. John's Womens' Basketball Coach about the NCAA Championship Victory for UCONN and their dominance in the Big East. Coach Tartamella spoke about playing them three times a year and the success of Coach Geno Auriemma. Chris Caputo then welcomed Georgia Tech assistant coach James Forrest to break down the Men's Tournament and preview the Florida-Houston final. Chris then discussed the Mets early success with Mike Guidone and John Hanson and finished by debating the future of the torpedo and the legacy of Alex Ovechkin.
Show Details
Host Chris Caputo begins the show welcoming Joe Tartamella, the head coach of the St. John's University women's basketball team. The primary focus of their discussion is the recent NCAA women's basketball championship victory by the University of Connecticut, which marks the school's twelfth title. Coach Tartamella provides an in-depth analysis of UConn's performance, emphasizing the unique attributes that set the team apart, including their formidable talent and the strategic leadership of Coach Gino Auriemma. He articulates how UConn's players consistently rise to the occasion, showcasing their ability to dominate in high-pressure situations.
Throughout the conversation, Tartamella reflects on his extensive experience within the Big East Conference, highlighting the challenges and competitive nature of facing UConn multiple times over the years. He outlines the intricacies of game planning against such a powerhouse, stressing the importance of mental preparation, tactical execution, and the necessity for his players to remain composed and focused. The discussion evolves to encompass the overall growth and visibility of women's basketball, with Tartamella acknowledging the impact of rising stars such as Caitlin Clark in garnering increased attention for the sport.
As the episode continues, co-host Mike Guidone joins by phone, shifting the focus to the men's NCAA tournament and providing insights into the dynamics of the upcoming championship game. The hosts engage in a thoughtful dialogue about the evolution of college basketball, the significance of coaching strategies, and the critical role that both men's and women's teams play in elevating the sport to new heights. This episode not only provides a comprehensive analysis of the championship but also celebrates the progress and future potential of women's basketball in the collegiate arena.
Transcript
The views expressed in the following program do not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgbb.
Speaker B:Live from the WGBB studios in Merritt, New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker C:Good evening, everyone from the studios of WGB here in Merritt, Long Island, New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker C:I am your host tonight, Chris Caputo.
Speaker C:I'll be taking you along the way.
Speaker C:My co host, Mike Boudon will be joining me later on tonight.
Speaker C:We hope to have a pretty good show for you tonight.
Speaker C:We have a couple of guests early on to talk some college basketball and then we'll be transitioning maybe to talk some Mets, Yankees and Alex Ovechkin from the National Hockey League.
Speaker C:So we're going to start out.
Speaker C:We have a couple of NCAA topics to talk about.
Speaker C:So we're going to talk both the women's and the men's NCAA tournament.
Speaker C:And our first guest tonight is the head coach of St.
Speaker C:John's women's basketball, Joe Tartimella.
Speaker C:He's going to talk to us about today's national championship, where UConn wins their 12th national championship over the South Carolina Gamecock.
Speaker C:So we're going to welcome in head coach Joe Tartamello from St.
Speaker C:John's University.
Speaker C:Joe, thanks for joining us tonight.
Speaker A:No problem, Chris.
Speaker A:Great to be with you, man.
Speaker C:All right, we appreciate it.
Speaker C:So, as you know, UConn wins the national championship.
Speaker C:They're in the Big east with you guys, so I figured we'd have you on to discuss a little bit about maybe what makes them so special and even as a two seed winning the national championship.
Speaker C:So can you talk a little bit about how familiar you are with that club?
Speaker A:Yeah, I've been in the league 22 years, going back to the original biggies, so very familiar with, with the program and the excellence that they've shown over time.
Speaker A:So they just have an ability to rise at the prize to every occasion.
Speaker A:In the biggest moments, they mentally wear you down.
Speaker A:They physically wear you down.
Speaker A:And obviously they've got great talent combined with probably the best coach in our game.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So you guys get to see them two to three times a year.
Speaker C:I'm sure it was nice when they left for the AAC for a couple years, but you did get to them last year, or, sorry, February of 23, you beat them 69, 64.
Speaker C:So that's a time where you beat them.
Speaker C:What is it that you could do to possibly slow them down and be competitive at some point?
Speaker C:I know this year they were like 70 to 40 games.
Speaker C:You guys played them about three times.
Speaker C:But what is it about UConn that you can possibly slow them down?
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, look, they want, I think, on average, like 32.8 points per game in the tournament.
Speaker A:I mean, I think it just shows, you know, their.
Speaker A:Their offensive prowess, to be quite honest.
Speaker A:You have to hope some guys maybe aren't playing in the game a lot of times, but.
Speaker A:But no, they do such a good job.
Speaker A:If you fuel their fire by trying to play at their pace, and if you're fueling them by giving live turnovers for extra points, they're.
Speaker A:They're going to put up 86, you know, in the game.
Speaker A:And so obviously, we were successful in two of the games we've played in my time here by being able to limit, you know, you limit possessions the best that you can.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:Try to give them fewer opportunities and make sure that you take care of the basketball.
Speaker A:Then you have to hope that you're in the game toward the end, and you've got to be almost pristine.
Speaker A:You've got to play your best game, and they've got to be off a.
Speaker C:Little bit Again, we're talking with Joe Tartamello, who is the women's basketball coach at St.
Speaker C:John's University.
Speaker C:Can you describe a little bit about this team this year?
Speaker C:I know you had Paige Beckers was out at one point with an injury.
Speaker C:Azzy Fudd was out at some point with an injury.
Speaker C:Can you talk a little bit about this team this year?
Speaker C:I know they were a two seed in the tournament, but really they rolled their way through.
Speaker C: first time, I believe, since: Speaker C:The Brianna Stewart era.
Speaker A:Yeah, look, I think they were.
Speaker A:And Gino even said it.
Speaker A:I mean, it's the first time they've really been healthy in about six or seven years and having a full team in the tournament.
Speaker A:And, you know, people forget how Paige was her freshman year, because when she played, she was in the bubble during COVID So a lot of people didn't get to see the greatness that she showed, and she was player of the year in the country.
Speaker A:And then you had AZ have a couple injuries, too, that shortened her seasons or missed a full season.
Speaker A:And so the thing that Gino and UConn doesn't get enough credit for is that, you know, as much as they get great players, they improve their players not only over the four years or three years that they're there or however long they're there for, but even during the season.
Speaker A:And this team got so much better from where it started at the beginning of the year.
Speaker A:The team that we had played the first time was so much further ahead the last two times we played them.
Speaker A:And they had three guys that could basically score 30 on you in any given night.
Speaker A:Sarah Strong is the best freshman in the country.
Speaker A:You had Paige and then Az and that three headed monster, as everybody learned in the tournament, is really hard to play against.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:And then you throw in, you know, girls like Caitlin Chen and you know, they, El Alfie, I believe her last name is, you know, El Alfie and Shen.
Speaker A:And then you have KK and Shade coming in off the bench who were starters last year.
Speaker C:And they didn't even have Caroline Ducharme for most of the year, who, you know, again was injured.
Speaker C:They're able to take an injury where maybe somebody at St.
Speaker C:John's going down would probably hurt you guys for a year.
Speaker C:They're able to kind of get past an injury, correct?
Speaker A:Yeah, they can absorb it much better in some ways.
Speaker A:But also it does affect them in the bigger picture as we've seen in the last number of years.
Speaker A:You know, it depends if you lose Page, it's, it's a lot different than maybe a player coming off the bench or you lose az.
Speaker A:But yeah, I mean, I don't think you can put a price tag on the, on the impact that, that Sarah Strong had for them this year.
Speaker A:And then obviously Caitlin Chan and then, and then Az Fudd played the best basketball she's played probably since she was in high school.
Speaker A:You know, not only just probably toward the end of the year, but in the tournament, which is why she was the MVP of the Final Four.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:So you guys play some good competition.
Speaker C:You have to go up against, you know, teams like Seton hall and Villanova, who actually made a nice little run in a different postseason this year.
Speaker C:But when you're getting ready to prepare for a game against Connecticut, what's the mindset of what you're telling your players?
Speaker C:I mean, you obviously as a coach, you know that the chance to beat them is slim.
Speaker C:You have to make sure you're playing a perfect game.
Speaker C:As you said, no live ball turnover.
Speaker C:What is it that you're kind of game planning as you're going into playing a team that's usually top five in the nation.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think the biggest thing for us has always been to have the belief that you can beat them.
Speaker A:And I think in terms of preparing your team from the mental side for the runs that they're going to see to really kind of focus on the next play and really try to drill down on whatever tactics we've put in in terms of our scouting report and game plan.
Speaker A:And like any other team, you know, let the plan fail.
Speaker A:You don't fail.
Speaker A:The plan, you know, is a big thing for how we approach it.
Speaker A:But you also have to have the mental ability to create the right type of toughness.
Speaker A:And you've got to have a team that's player led, that really understands what it means to.
Speaker A:To be able to get hit in the face and then get back up.
Speaker A:Even two years ago when we were winning, we were winning at half, they came out and went on a 130 run and we were able to come back and win at their place.
Speaker A:And so, you know, I think you've got to have a certain mental fortitude when you play them because teams just, I think teams get beat before they even get on the floor with them.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So this is the 12th national title for Geno.
Speaker C:I know you guys have coached against each other for many years.
Speaker C:What do you think his best attribute as a coach as he continues to win year after year?
Speaker A:Well, he's a master motivator and communicator.
Speaker A:I saw the beauty of their program when I was a 22 year old and I got to work their camp and just watching the competitive nature and the IQ just from playing with the players in the summertime, I got a chance to play an open gym back then with them.
Speaker A:I mean, they were playing those games like it was the final four.
Speaker A:So you saw the, the beauty of just the type of players that he's able to bring there in terms of not only their talent, but what their makeup is, their competitive nature.
Speaker A:And obviously he's an incredible teacher.
Speaker A:And so he's been a huge part of my coaching journey.
Speaker A:And every time I get a chance to sit with him, it's, you know, I look at it in awe a little bit, but I'm really able to have exposure to, as I said, I think one of the best coaches of our generation.
Speaker A:He has the ability to not only coach great players, but to challenge them enough to get better and have them rise at the biggest moments.
Speaker A:And I think that's the thing in terms of how he prepares his players on the floor is one thing, but the mental side of how he prepares them.
Speaker A:And if you look at his track record, every single one of his players has been a pretty much a successful pro or is ready for the pro game the minute that they leave from there.
Speaker A:I Mean, he's done things not only here, but globally with, with the US Team.
Speaker A:There's not much that he has not done.
Speaker A:There's not much that the UConn program has not done for the game of women's basketball.
Speaker C:Again, we're talking with coach Joe Tartamello from St.
Speaker C: John's a: Speaker C:You were a baseball and a basketball star there.
Speaker C:You started out as a grad assistant, correct?
Speaker C: About: Speaker C:John's started out, too.
Speaker C:Yep, at St.
Speaker C:John's Tim Barnes Rico, who now is at Michigan and three NCAA appearances at St.
Speaker C:John's last year was kind of like the Caitlin last two years, I would say, was kind of like the Caitlin Clark year for women's basketball.
Speaker C:South Carolina comes on the show and puts up a good show.
Speaker C:Can you talk about the evolution of women's basketball the last few years and maybe how it's been put on the map and where it's at now?
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, the exposure obviously is at its height, and I think Caitlin Clark gets a lot of credit for that in the last couple years.
Speaker A: I think that does go back to: Speaker A:But I just think the exposure, just from a TV standpoint, the eyes that are on the game, I think at a grassroots level still, it's at a tie point in terms of how many kids want to play the game.
Speaker A:But now you're seeing, you're also seeing the visibility on TV commercials.
Speaker A:And Caitlin Clark has a lot to do with that.
Speaker A:But there's a lot that came before her that probably won't get as much credit.
Speaker A:Those that started in the WNBA when it first began, the Lisa Leslie's and the Teresa Witherspoons.
Speaker A:And so I think, and I look back to I got in the game back then.
Speaker A:My sister was a player at Smithtown.
Speaker A:She was an all state player.
Speaker A:She ended up playing at Lemoyne and then Queens College.
Speaker A:And that's kind of how I got into the women's game.
Speaker A:And to see the growth that it's shown even from when I started as a GA and when my sister was playing at that time.
Speaker A:It's pretty incredible when you look at how teams are traveling and again, the TV packages that are now out there and just the fact that the league has now been sustained for this period of time in the wnba.
Speaker A:So there's a viable professional option stateside, where they're not having to go overseas as much.
Speaker A:So it's really.
Speaker A:When you see packed arenas, we've had the ability to play Madison Square Garden over the last number of years as well.
Speaker A:And so it's really been.
Speaker A:It's been exciting to watch.
Speaker A:And as someone who got into the game because of a female athlete in my family, I take a lot of pride in being able to be a part of that.
Speaker C:And it's nice to see the women's game on the stage.
Speaker C:I know it was kind of difficult.
Speaker C:They want the women to finish kind of in between the men's semifinal and final.
Speaker C:And I think because of his stature, Coach Auriemma had no problem speaking out about some of the, I don't know, I guess, fallacies or things that are not the same between the men's game and the women's game.
Speaker C:And I think he used that.
Speaker C:I'm sure you heard some of it saying how you finish on a Monday and then you got to play Friday on the other side of the country.
Speaker C:Do you think maybe he uses some of that because he has the ability to.
Speaker C:He's been around so long to maybe, you know, step up and say some of these things need to change?
Speaker A:I'm sure that's part of it.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:You know, I do know that certainly from somebody who's been in more Final Fours than anybody and has had to do that travel more than anyone, he has the most, I would say, experience and research in dealing with those situations.
Speaker A:And I know that it isn't easy.
Speaker A:And so when they went to two regionals, it was very hard for people, specifically from your school, your fans, your families, to be able to travel to these places.
Speaker A:And certainly your rest time is then shrunken from maybe an extra day or two to only a few days.
Speaker A:And so he's lived it, and so he probably knows better than anyone at this point in time.
Speaker A:So I'm sure that there's a lot of truth to what that feels like.
Speaker A:And we all know that when you've got to travel that far, if you're going cross country to come back, it will wear on you.
Speaker A:The one thing I always said he'll always say, too, I think, is that he doesn't really mind kind of where he plays.
Speaker A:He'll go where you got to go and play like most of us will.
Speaker A:But it is.
Speaker A:It is still a tougher experience for the student athletes when you're doing it that way.
Speaker A:And Some of those guys are doing it in their leagues now.
Speaker A:I mean, when you look at the Big Ten with USC and UCLA and you hear it even on the men's side from those guys, it's not an easy thing to do.
Speaker C:Again, we're talking with Joe Tartamella, St.
Speaker C:John's University women's coach.
Speaker C:82, 59.
Speaker C:The UConn women beat South Carolina.
Speaker C:Lastly, coach, the schedule.
Speaker C:I know Gino likes to schedule a pretty hard non conference schedule.
Speaker C:Do you think that helps his players in March?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think 100%.
Speaker A:You know, you know, the other thing that, that I hope this shines a light on even this year is that, you know, I think our league has been underrated, you know, since the realignment, you know, and so when we, you know, we have to face them usually three times a year, but you know, usually it's two, maybe you're facing them three times in the conference tournament.
Speaker A:And so, you know, it's, I think it's showing the country that again, you know, our league is stronger than probably what it looks like on paper at times.
Speaker A:But when you look at what they've done now to the rest of the country, to multiple number one seeds in the, in the postseason, I mean, I think it just shows how good they are and at times how competitive we can be.
Speaker A:Yeah, we haven't, you know, some teams haven't beaten them and they go undefeated.
Speaker A:But you know, we try to make it, we try to make it as hard as we can for them.
Speaker A:But yeah, I think without question, he's got to get marquee games.
Speaker A:I think he enjoys that part of it and that's why you see that happen in the non conference early in the year and then sometimes in the middle of the year.
Speaker A:So he's always done that and I think that's the other impressive part about what they've done.
Speaker A:If you look at who they've played, their strength of schedule is probably top 10 every single year that he's been there once he got going.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Well, we appreciate your time, coach.
Speaker C:I know that the off season doesn't really stop for you guys.
Speaker C:The portal opens up and you're always out trying to recruit extra players here.
Speaker C:So we appreciate the time that you've given us and we wish you luck moving forward.
Speaker A:No, absolutely, I appreciate you having me on and look forward to hopefully talking to you again sometime.
Speaker C:Okay, we'll definitely have you on.
Speaker C:Joe Tartamello, women's basketball coach at St.
Speaker C:John's University breaking down UConn women's basketball as they won the championship.
Speaker C:And we are going to quickly transition to the men's game as the men will be having their final on Monday night, and that game will be down in Texas.
Speaker C:So right now we're going to welcome in James Forrest, the assistant coach from Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets, who are in the acc.
Speaker C:Coach, thanks for coming back on.
Speaker B:How's everybody doing?
Speaker C:Oh, good.
Speaker C:How's everything?
Speaker C:You know, Coach, I know at Georgia Tech you have to face some of the best in the ACC this year.
Speaker C:One of them was Duke, who, I guess in my mind, I thought they were going to win and make it to the finals.
Speaker C:But that was a crazy comeback last night in that game with Houston, and Duke came up a little bit short.
Speaker C:I don't know what your thoughts are of the tournament so far, but I'd be interested to hear how you're thinking.
Speaker B:I was surprised as well.
Speaker B:I was really so, so surprised.
Speaker B:I thought they had it.
Speaker B:You know, normally when Buchanan's in league like that, they finish you off pretty well.
Speaker B:Koshai has done a great job with those gu, but you just can't never count out a Coach Sampson team.
Speaker B:You know, I've been watching him all year.
Speaker B:I've been watching him actually since he's been there and to see what he did in American Conference.
Speaker B:And then when they went to the Big 12, I was like, my goodness, he's just been annihilating everyone.
Speaker B:And those kids play extremely hard.
Speaker B:You know, when you play as hard as they do for him, you're always in a game.
Speaker B:And to be honest, I never.
Speaker B:I actually thought they would beat Duke.
Speaker B:And I just never thought that, you know, when you have six with a little over a minute, under a minute and a half left, I thought they would finish him out.
Speaker B:But those guys never quit.
Speaker B:You know, kudos to them.
Speaker B:It was a great game.
Speaker B:It was a great game.
Speaker C:Never quit.
Speaker C:Up 14 with 8, 15 to go.
Speaker C:Duke then up 9 with 2:15 left and then up 7 with a minute and 15, but only scored one field goal in the last 10 1/2 minutes.
Speaker C:I would say a lot of that has to do with Houston and the shooting from LJ Cryer.
Speaker C:He really was on the other night.
Speaker C:So I really thought that that was probably one of the best comebacks in NCAA Final Four history, especially considering who.
Speaker B:They did it to.
Speaker B:You know, like I said a few minutes ago, Duke normally finish you off when they have a lead like that.
Speaker B:But lj, he really.
Speaker B:He's been there before, actually, the same time last year.
Speaker B:You Know, and, you know, he had it on the string last night.
Speaker B:They played extremely well and hard.
Speaker B:When you play hard, good things only happen.
Speaker B:Those guys are really locked in in Houston.
Speaker B:They really are.
Speaker B:Duke had a great year.
Speaker B:They have no reason to hang their head.
Speaker B:You know, Cooper and those guys did a tremendous job in his freshman year along with Canopol.
Speaker B:Those guys had a tremendous year.
Speaker B:The better team won.
Speaker C:Yeah, they were a solid team.
Speaker C:I went to see them in Newark against Alabama.
Speaker C:They blew him out.
Speaker C:Can you talk a little bit about preparing for a team like Duke, who last Night only scored 67 points, which was their lowest output of the year?
Speaker C:You know, when you're playing a team like that that's got a freshman that's obviously up and coming and you also have some other guys that are, you know, a little bit more well versed and, you know, can shoot the ball and lob the ball inside.
Speaker C:What is it that you're doing when you're trying to prepare a team, you know, that winds up finishing their season 32 and 4?
Speaker B:Well, the best thing you can do is tell your guys you can't.
Speaker B:You got to try to take the head off the snake.
Speaker B:You have to try to focus in on their main guy or their main two and try to locked in.
Speaker B:You know, you can't shut everyone down.
Speaker B:And they got.
Speaker B:They got a big.
Speaker B:First of all, they're a big unit.
Speaker B:You know, they go 6, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 6, 9, 7 2.
Speaker B:So you have to just try to prepare to take the head of the snake off.
Speaker B:What we did a tremendous job of the last time we played in the ACC tournament.
Speaker B:You know, there I thought we were going to get beat by 20 plus.
Speaker B:I think that was the spread.
Speaker B:We ended up losing by eight.
Speaker B:But what we did, we tried to be physical with Flag.
Speaker B:We had a kid who just left and went to Georgetown and being physical with him and Knuckle, he was going to do what he did, which he did, and he actually won a game for him because Flag got during that game and you just got to try, which we took him out, but it seemed like it didn't work in our advantage because everybody else got off, Proctor got off, Knuckle got off.
Speaker B:Then they had to kick him off, which he's a.
Speaker B:He's a real weapon for him as well.
Speaker B:Kind of surprised he didn't play as much.
Speaker B:You got to try this, you know, game plan to take the head over there.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:I think we're losing you for a second, but we're talking With James Forrest, assistant coach at Georgia Tech.
Speaker C:Coach, if you're still with us there, Florida last night, obviously this kid, Walter Clayton Jr.
Speaker C:5 threes, 34 points.
Speaker C:He has been the most clutch player in the last four minutes of any game I've seen.
Speaker C:Can you talk a little bit about this Florida team and also a little bit about Clayton Jr.
Speaker C:I think, I think you're going into a bad cell service.
Speaker C:If you could start over.
Speaker C:I think we lost you for a second.
Speaker C:Go ahead.
Speaker C:Can you hear me?
Speaker C:Yeah, we're good now.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:He did a tremendous job for.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think we're, we're losing you for a second.
Speaker C:We had you for a second.
Speaker C:I know he was playing with Patino at Iona and now he's really been.
Speaker C:I was just hoping to, you know, before we finish up to be able to, to hear a little bit about Florida because now we have the championship game between Florida and Houston.
Speaker C:So if you got a second, you're still there.
Speaker B:You know, I'm saying about.
Speaker B:I was, I mean, I was talking about Clayton Jr.
Speaker B:Can you hear me?
Speaker B:The weather is terrible in Atlanta, guys, so the signals going in and out.
Speaker C:All right, I got you back in Atlanta.
Speaker A:Go ahead.
Speaker B:Yeah, so he did a tremendous.
Speaker B:I saw him play in Iona and Florida to still have that thing on the street.
Speaker B:He's a tough kid, first of all.
Speaker B:He's a hard nosed kid.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:But he's been making big.
Speaker B:He's making big shots for the Florida all year.
Speaker B:And for me, I think he's actually the best player that's in the tournament that's left.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Actually before he was the best kid by far.
Speaker B:You know, you got a mid range of three ball, you play D, things normally work out for you.
Speaker B:I'm happy for that kid.
Speaker B:Very happy for him.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Enjoy watching him play.
Speaker C:Good squad.
Speaker C:Watching them up against Auburn, I thought Auburn really in the first half pushed them to the limit, but I don't know after watching them the previous game where I thought they were out with a couple of minutes to go.
Speaker C:I'll never count Florida out and I just think that he keeps them in games.
Speaker C:He's got a couple other kids, you know, down low that play well.
Speaker C:And I just think that Florida's got to be the team to beat here as far as, you know, if the game is close late.
Speaker C:But I'm pretty excited for this game tomorrow night, you know, to be able to see Florida and Houston, two teams who seem to shine in the last four minutes of a game.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I'm looking for.
Speaker B:I'm looking forward to it as well.
Speaker B:Florida plays well.
Speaker B:If you're gonna watch two well coached teams that plays extremely hard and everyone, no one's trying to do anything that they can't do.
Speaker B:They play within the system, just like you said.
Speaker B:Florida bigs, they stay around the basket, they score, they got good hands and they're well coached.
Speaker B:I'm looking forward to as well because it's gonna be a very intense game.
Speaker B:I don't know if the score's gonna be high, but I expect a, well, a tough game.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker B:I'm looking forward to that one.
Speaker B:I think that matchup is probably going to be one of the best.
Speaker B:I hope it is.
Speaker B:Any one of the best final games that we've seen in a while.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker B:You know, close and it's come down to the last couple of possessions on winning.
Speaker B:I don't think it'll be a blowout either way.
Speaker C:Again, which team do you think tomorrow night would be able to handle adversity?
Speaker C:Like if a guy gets hurt or gets into foul trouble more than the other team?
Speaker B:I think Houston.
Speaker B:Yeah, I just, I think those guys are really locked in and they, you know, they're, they're a veteran team.
Speaker B:They got guys who've been there, but their leader has been there before.
Speaker B:And you know, with Calvin, with Coach Sampson, I mean, he has his squads prepared.
Speaker B:Man, he had from 1 through 15.
Speaker B:Those guys are prepared.
Speaker B:Everyone that comes in, they play with that intensity.
Speaker B:Florida, you know, they've been going as long as Junior Clay, junior carries something.
Speaker B:You know, they, he's been the, he's been their main guy, you know, Sharp, normally Sharp carried Houston a game before, you know, and last night, you know, he got in foul trouble and he wasn't the one, you know, elevated one who carried him over the top.
Speaker B:You know, Roberts normally has big, big games, which he was intense.
Speaker B:He was intense last night.
Speaker B:Made some big free throws.
Speaker B:I think if Florida, they can't afford to lose anyone.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know, I don't think they can.
Speaker B:Houston.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think, you know, like I said, they're deep, they're deep.
Speaker C:And even the kid Tugler, 6, 8, had four blocks last night to keep them in the game late.
Speaker C:And you know, game winds up going late till, you know, almost midnight.
Speaker C:But I think it was worth staying up and watching a game that, you know, maybe was at some point, maybe a six, 10 point game.
Speaker C:Next thing you know it's 14.
Speaker C:But you know, I think it's the system, you Know, it's.
Speaker C:It's the way that, you know, Coach Sampson coaches his team and does the shell drill and makes them work on defense.
Speaker C:He really has them playing his system, and therefore they know what they're doing at every time.
Speaker B:They never panicked last night, which was amazing.
Speaker B:Even when they were down 14, you saw Akeem Olajuan on the side smiling like no one thought it was over.
Speaker B:The guy was sitting next to him.
Speaker B:He was intense watching it.
Speaker B:And to be honest, I never thought.
Speaker B:I was kind of surprised they got down by 14, but once I saw they hit the three, a couple threes, I said, here we go.
Speaker B:Here we go.
Speaker B:And it just started going.
Speaker B:The momentum just started going their ways.
Speaker B:Then they put the full court press on, got steals, you know, had made Duke, forced Duke to call their timeouts, you know, where they didn't have any down the stretch.
Speaker B:It was pretty intense, and I think tomorrow would be the same thing.
Speaker B:But I think both teams would play with that type of passion.
Speaker B:I think they both will because Florida did a number on Auburn, you know, the same way Auburn's been great all year, the same way they play under, like how Coach Pearl coaches those guys, they're very intense.
Speaker B:You know, Broom is the head of that snake.
Speaker B:But, you know, the guards and Kelly and all the other guys, you know, they play their role well.
Speaker B:But to see them go at Auburn the way they did, that was special.
Speaker B:I think we're in for a great Final Four Manta.
Speaker B:Our final game, guys.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:Todd golden, the coach of Florida, Colin Clayton Jr.
Speaker C:The most explosive playmaker in America.
Speaker C:But we're talking with James Forrest.
Speaker C:I just want to finish with this, coach.
Speaker C:We got four number one seeds in the final.
Speaker C:I know for you guys, I was looking the other day, and I saw that the leading assist man in the ACC from Georgia Tech is heading to Syracuse.
Speaker C:The portal opens up on the Monday of the NCAA tournament.
Speaker C:Can we change something, coach, about this?
Speaker C:I mean, there's 1,700 guys in the portal.
Speaker C:Can we do something to change this?
Speaker B:I wish they would at least give Those guys the 64 teams that are playing.
Speaker B:I think that's kind of crazy.
Speaker B:They should wait until the tournament is over before they open it.
Speaker B:They can open it as soon as the last game is played.
Speaker B:The final four games over, they can go midnight, and the portal is open for 30 days.
Speaker B:But to be able to do it during the tournament, I think is crazy, because I think the teams that are playing, they're at a disadvantage, even though some of them had some big sign ins like even Auburn, they got to beat the kid from home from ucf.
Speaker B:It's just so tough to focus on when you're trying to, you know, if you lose, you go home.
Speaker B:So you got to stay locked in and focus.
Speaker B:You know, we didn't make it, but you know, we had some guys that hit the Portal.
Speaker B:Listen, those guys bust their butts, you know, Nate, we wish him nothing but the best.
Speaker B:Syracuse, they're getting a tough kid.
Speaker B:You know, he plays hard, he's a hard worker.
Speaker B:He passes the hell out of the ball.
Speaker B:The same thing with Duncan Powell.
Speaker B:He left and went to Georgetown.
Speaker B:It's just, hey guys, I think it's going to be this way every year with the Portal.
Speaker B:I don't mind it because, you know, I coach AAU for so long and I look at it as of aau, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:You know, you got going to have the same team every year, right?
Speaker B:Especially the way the type of money that's going out here now.
Speaker B:And it's just, you know, it comes at the end of the day, it comes down to coaching.
Speaker B:You know, you can, I mean, you could get all the top five kids you want.
Speaker B:You still have to finish the game and finish the drill.
Speaker B:Look at all those kids that Duke got.
Speaker B:You know, Duke got potentially three first round draft picks, probably three lottery picks.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, you know, Houston, the team that's been there the longest, those guys been together for a while.
Speaker B:Most of them been there three years and you know, they played under the system and they played.
Speaker B:They playing for a great coach.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:Well, we have hit the end there.
Speaker C:We got one more game, one shiny moment on Monday night after the game.
Speaker C:And you know, we had John a couple weeks ago to talk about the shot you hit and it was a lot of fun.
Speaker C:So I'm glad you were able to come back on and break down the championship.
Speaker C:Florida, Houston should be a good game.
Speaker C:So thanks for coming back on, coach.
Speaker B:Thanks for inviting me, guys.
Speaker B:Anytime.
Speaker A:All right, guys.
Speaker C:James Forrest, the assistant coach at Georgia Tech, who for ACC was able to go up against Cooper Flag and Duke many times.
Speaker C:We're going to come, take a break, come back and talk some baseball.
Speaker C:You listen to wgpb.
Speaker B:You're listening to Sports Talk New York.
Speaker D:Tune in every Sunday night at 8pm.
Speaker B: FM and: Speaker B:You're listening to Sports Talk New York on Long Island's wgb.
Speaker B:And now back to the show.
Speaker C:Welcome back to Sports Talk New york here on WGPV95.9FM 12am it's the second half hour of our show here tonight, Chris Caputo.
Speaker C:I am now joined with my co host, who happens to be on his way home, Mike Gwydon.
Speaker C:Mike, thanks for checking in with us, Cat.
Speaker E:My pleasure.
Speaker E:Heck of a job.
Speaker E:That's two tough guests to follow, I'll tell you, my man.
Speaker E:Getting some great insights there on the NCAA tournament, both from the women's side and from the men's side.
Speaker C:Yeah, it should be interesting to see the men's side and it was nice to hear from a coach that's coached against UConn.
Speaker C:They are just phenomenal to.
Speaker C:They dominated today, Mike and I didn't even really watch much of the game, but just from the highlights, they absolutely dominated the whole tournament.
Speaker E:Yeah, I caught a little bit of it.
Speaker E:But, you know, as we've talked many times, you have, you know, Coach Tartamello there at St.
Speaker E:John's we know coach Bozzella, Tony Bozzella, really well from Seton hall.
Speaker E:And these are guys who put these teams together and really, you know, across the nation, they're super competitive, but when they play UConn, I mean, it's just, it's almost impossible even make a game out of it.
Speaker E:They're just heads and shoulders above everybody else.
Speaker C:Yeah, it was interesting to hear him talk even about how they did beat him the one year.
Speaker C:And, you know, UConn still makes a run no matter who's on the court.
Speaker C:And, you know, I think the NCAA Men's tournament has been, has been kind of exciting, but it's been chalk.
Speaker C:You know, it's been the one season.
Speaker C:And just last night was an incredible comeback by Houston to pull that off, as everybody thought Duke was going to roll their way to the finals.
Speaker C:And now we're left with a Florida Houston final that I think is going to be competitive.
Speaker E:You know, in the Duke game, I think one thing you can point to is certainly, you know, Cooper Flagg and I'm sure Coach Forrest talked about this a little bit, just what an amazing player he is and what he brings to that team and what he's going to bring in the NBA.
Speaker E:But you kind of, you kind of saw the youth in him towards the end of that game in terms of just the foul call was a little rough, but he probably could have passed up that shot towards the end, forced it a little bit, you know.
Speaker E:Still, he's 18 years old and for Duke, that's always a polished outfit, no matter who's coaching the team, whether it's Krzyzewski or John Shire or anybody to kind of fall apart there in the later stages of the game.
Speaker E:I think that's the thing, when you read or listen to anybody talk about that game is the big shocker.
Speaker E:I think you see all these headlines in the papers, on websites.
Speaker E:You know, Houston shocked Duke.
Speaker E:If they're not talking about anything other than that, then they're really in the wrong.
Speaker E:They're in the wrong creek there because Houston was built really to beat Duke.
Speaker E:You know, size, rebounding, toughness, a little bit older dudes on that team.
Speaker E:Sampson does a tremendous job with them.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And a guy that was, has been there, done that, went to the NBA and you know, Coach Popovich loved him and then he came back to college and he's really done a great job there.
Speaker C:Mike, one last thing.
Speaker C:I'm going to say I love the 8:50 tip off time tomorrow.
Speaker C:I'm so used to the 9:18, 9:21.
Speaker C:We can get this done a half hour early.
Speaker C:I'll take 8:30, but for now I'm going to live with the 8:50 tip off.
Speaker C:Figure 2 and a half hours for the game.
Speaker C: We might be done at: Speaker C:I mean, well, they've been killing us.
Speaker E:You know, for those of us that have class and have to work Monday morning, that's the greatest news you could ever ask for.
Speaker E:But how about the women today playing early in the.
Speaker E:Yeah, early afternoon.
Speaker E:I'm kind of curious, what do you think was the thought behind that?
Speaker E:Other than, you know, of course there's Monday night or Sunday night baseball, I mean, on espn.
Speaker E:Why, why go so early?
Speaker E:For the, for the women?
Speaker C:I think that's probably it, you know, and I think they tried to touch on it last year when Caitlin Clark was there.
Speaker C:It was like, hey, we can get this game in the afternoon and beat some of the NBA things.
Speaker C:And you know, again, the game was down in Tampa, so I don't think it mattered what time you did it, but they were able.
Speaker C:I guess that's what they thought was prime.
Speaker C:And maybe, you know, a station like KBC doesn't want that on at 8:00 at night.
Speaker C:But I'm just happy that this game's a little bit earlier and maybe we can get ourselves to bed.
Speaker C:Before midnight and crown ourselves a champion.
Speaker C:It should be, should be fun.
Speaker E:Yeah, great, great stuff for both games.
Speaker E:College basketball, though, it's been, you know, really tainted.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:A lot of the payment level hasn't.
Speaker E:Hasn'T dipped one bit.
Speaker E:And across the country it's, it's going to hold its own.
Speaker C:Yeah, a lot of the, the other stuff is kind of for another night that, that really has irked me and you know, to see the amount of money and the amount of people leaving and even the coaches, I'm just, I'm not happy with the Willard situation and, you know, I'd rather somebody be honest, but one night we'll have to sit down and have one of those conversations with a, you know, you and I.
Speaker E:Could do an entire hour on Willard going to Villanova because it's just, there's more layers to that than people probably even realize.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:At this point, we're going to also welcome in John Hanson, who is going to talk a little Met.
Speaker C:So, Mike, I was out there at Citi Field, at least today.
Speaker C:That's what I'll leave it at.
Speaker C:And now the Mets have swept the home series with the Blue Jays and put themselves in a pretty good spot.
Speaker C:So I think, you know, this is a good time to kind of introduce where the Mets are at and maybe what we might be looking for.
Speaker C:So, Jon, good to have you in.
Speaker D:Hey, Chris.
Speaker D:Hey, Mike, how are you guys?
Speaker D:Nice to talk to you.
Speaker E:Absolutely.
Speaker E:John, good to have you on, buddy.
Speaker C:So Mets, you know, start the season a little bit slow.
Speaker C:Going out and playing some games in Houston and then, you know, scaring us with the, the getaway day at Miami, but pull off a win and you know, kind of at this point, John, what are your thoughts at, you know, the beginning of the season and maybe, you know, the overall thoughts of this team.
Speaker D:So I think they've gotten off to as good of a start as we could expect.
Speaker D:You know, the key to this, the key to any baseball season is win series, constantly winning two out of three.
Speaker D:Split your four game series.
Speaker D:And they've done a good job.
Speaker D:And we come here, you know, starting out six and three.
Speaker D:I think they're exactly, you know, where we would hope to be.
Speaker D:We all would have signed up for six and three after the first nine games, without question.
Speaker D:I think some of the bright spots, without question are the bullpen.
Speaker D:I mean, the pitching in general has been excellent.
Speaker C:Oh yeah.
Speaker D:Alonzo.
Speaker D:Alonzo getting off to the kind of start that he has.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D: , so, so far, so good for the: Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And Soto has seven walks.
Speaker C:So, you know, at some point, his.250 batting average will go up and his homers will go up.
Speaker C:But the Alonso on the offensive side, I would say is number one.
Speaker C:But pitching wise, I think the starters, eventually, maybe not now, but eventually, they need to go a little bit deeper.
Speaker C:Today, you know, Peterson was cramping on the mound.
Speaker C:There was nothing really wrong except some stomach cramps, but you got to get five or six innings out of somebody.
Speaker C:But, I mean, can we talk for a second about guys like Max Cranick and, you know, Reed Garrett out of the bullpen?
Speaker C:They've just been unbelievable.
Speaker D:They've been great.
Speaker D:I mean, all of them have.
Speaker D:You know, the two that you just mentioned, including Brazban, all have zero earned runs so far this year.
Speaker D:Brazaban, you know, his innings have been excellent.
Speaker D:He has come down.
Speaker D:He has shut people out for multiple innings.
Speaker D:You know, so far, seven innings pitched on the year.
Speaker D:Chronic, seven innings pitched on the year.
Speaker D:You know, no one in, you know, the middle of spring training would have thought that Cronic and Brazabath, through nine games, would have each given you seven innings and zero earned runs.
Speaker D:And like you said, Reed Garrett has also been excellent as well.
Speaker D:Diaz has been good.
Speaker D:He's had, you know, a couple of dominant performances and then a couple where he's, you know, you know, scared you a little bit, but so far, so good out of that bullpen without question.
Speaker C:Mike, your thoughts so far?
Speaker C:Have you watched a little bit of the Mets and are you scared or are you happy?
Speaker E:No, I'm very happy.
Speaker E:And I think, you know, as was mentioned before, to take six and three at this point, anybody would sign up for it.
Speaker E:If you think back to last year at 0 and 7 and, you know, nobody in the ballpark and people questioning whether they had made the right managerial choice at that point.
Speaker E:I mean, it's just besides having Juan Soto, you know, for this year, to start out like that, I think is so great.
Speaker E:Now, I wanted to ask both you guys, do you think that, you know, obviously, with Alonso getting off to a solid start, I think having.
Speaker E:It's probably an obvious answer of yes, but with Juan Soto in the lineup, I think it frees up Pete to just be a little bit more free and easy, you know, not the number one guy or one A, where you have to hit the ball out of the ballpark at all times.
Speaker E:And that, I think, for him, is probably going to improve his batting average overall.
Speaker E:But you think that has a little Bit to do with the start, especially coming off kind of an odd contract situation.
Speaker C:I'll let you go, John, first.
Speaker D:Thanks.
Speaker D:Thanks, Chris.
Speaker D:Yeah, I think it probably has let him take a little bit of a deep breath.
Speaker D:I think the fact that he did get paid, even though it's for the one year, then with the opt out, I think he's probably able to relax a little bit.
Speaker D:You do worry about eventually who's hitting behind Pete and is he getting the right protection there.
Speaker D:So far, Nimmo has done a pretty good job.
Speaker D:So the more that Pete produces, the better.
Speaker D:Because I think once he gets, if he can stay on a roll throughout the year, I mean, if we can get 260, 270 from him, you know, 45 home runs, 130 RBIs, that's an unbelievable season.
Speaker D:But I do think you're right, Mike, that with Soto in front of him, it probably has let him take a little bit of a deep breath.
Speaker D:And then, as Chris, you know, pointed out, with Soto's walks and being on base, that is going to force pitchers to give Alonzo, you know, to pitch him more aggressively because you're not going to want, you know, two guys on base.
Speaker D:But the nice thing that you've seen about Pete so far this season, if you watch his at bats, he's been very, very disciplined.
Speaker D:He's working a lot of three two counts.
Speaker D:He's not swinging it bad pitches like he was all last year, flailing at that outside slider.
Speaker D:So he's done a really, really nice job so far with his plate discipline.
Speaker D:And I think it's been great that he has gotten off to this fast start because I think that also has probably allowed him to take a little bit of a deep breath and, you know, kind of take this as it comes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And he can announce that his wife is pregnant and not have to worry about people saying, you know, you're in a slump and you're announcing this like that's what you're doing.
Speaker C:But I think it just eases everything for him.
Speaker C:But as you said, John, like, it's his plate discipline.
Speaker C:He's not swinging at bad pitches.
Speaker C:He's working counts.
Speaker C:He's.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker C:I think he really goes up there with a plan of, I am looking for this pitch in this spot and that's the one I'm going to hit.
Speaker C:But he worked so hard in the offseason on, if it's not there but it's over the plate, I'm going to foul it off.
Speaker C:And he's just really locked in.
Speaker C:And that's what he did the other night, hitting that home run to Ty.
Speaker C:It's really exciting being at the ballpark and seeing that stuff.
Speaker C:Now, I will have to say there are some spots that the Mets need to fix and they need to fix soon.
Speaker C:You cannot wait 30 games into the season to figure out some of the other stuff.
Speaker C:So on the other side, John, what do you think?
Speaker C:And then, Mike, I'll hear from you some of the downfalls that the Mets maybe need to fix.
Speaker D:Beatty is a major issue at second base.
Speaker D:I mean, Beatty had a great spring training.
Speaker D:He's come out here, you know, through the first nine games of the season, not, you know, not doing anything.
Speaker D:He has two hits and 21 at bats.
Speaker C:And, John, it's not like he hasn't gotten any at bats.
Speaker C:He's gotten 21 at bats in seven games.
Speaker C:He's got eight strikeouts.
Speaker C:He's not even making contact.
Speaker C:It's horrendous.
Speaker D:He's a four.
Speaker D:I mean, and I don't mean to, you know, I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but he's a 4A player.
Speaker D:He's a 4A player.
Speaker D:He'S.
Speaker D:He's probably a guy that's just going to need to go back down.
Speaker D:And then when the Mets eventually make a trade, there's going to have to be somebody that, you know, takes a look at Beatty and think, hey, we can, you know, maybe we can do something with him.
Speaker D:I'd let A Acuna play second base until McNeil comes back.
Speaker D:And then the other thing that you probably have to do is something with Vientos to kind of help him clear his head a little bit.
Speaker D:He has not had a good start to the season, or he had a couple of gaffes, you know, not running balls out, not, you know, not finishing plays on defense.
Speaker D:So I think he's.
Speaker D:He's had a tough start, but again, it's only nine games, and with the year that he was coming off of and the postseason he had, you're obviously going to give him a much longer leash than you would a guy like Beatty.
Speaker C:Mike, any thoughts from you on things that need to be fixed?
Speaker E:Well, the Viento situation, I think that to me was a major, major red flag when we're talking about the guy not running out, you know, a ground ball.
Speaker E:It was spoken about in spring training that this was his first spring where he didn't have to worry about winning a job and how relaxed he looked and how he was approaching everything professionally.
Speaker E:And then within the first week and a half of the season, you make just a.
Speaker E:That no one can do that.
Speaker E:Whether you're a 20 year veteran or whatever, you got to run the ball out.
Speaker E:So to me, that was, that was a little, you know, little questionable character wise.
Speaker E:I'm like, what are we doing here with this guy?
Speaker E:You know, is he hot dogging it already?
Speaker E:I think it was addressed within the team as they spoke, but I'd keep an eye on that for sure.
Speaker E:Yeah, second base.
Speaker E:You know, with Jeff McNeil out, I think what an addition is going to be when he comes back.
Speaker C:I thought we would have said that.
Speaker E:Coming out of spring training, but it really appears that way, that he is a 4A player.
Speaker E:You know, they almost have to send him down before his value just plummets to nothing, because if they had, his trade value was probably nothing higher than coming out of spring train.
Speaker E:And right now, like you said, it's not as if he hasn't had to work.
Speaker E:He's had plenty of time, he's had plenty of opportunity.
Speaker E:His glove, I think, has been a little bit better than average at that spot.
Speaker E:What we expected.
Speaker E:So those two things, the other thing, starting pitching, it's so tough going early in the season with two guys.
Speaker E:One you resigned, another that you signed, you know, hoping to eat up innings.
Speaker E:And they both hurt, you know, setback for Manaya.
Speaker E:And so, you know, is there, is there a depth issue?
Speaker E:Probably not.
Speaker E:I mean, you could probably get through it, but, you know, if one or both of them are going to be out for an extended time, you're going to have to rethink things because it's just, it gets early, you know, it gets late early, as they say with pitching, you know, and you can't always, you can't depend on what you have.
Speaker E:Although you were talking about the bullpen and what a job.
Speaker E:I mean, Stearns just does these last couple of years of bringing in guys to plug them in and do, you know, above what they normally do.
Speaker E:You can credit the pitching coach for that as well.
Speaker E:Hefner.
Speaker E:I think he brings these guys and just settles them in.
Speaker E:They do a fantastic job of getting each reliever to play their role and do it from day one.
Speaker E:I think, you know, give, give all credit to the manager on that, where it's spelled out exactly what you're going to do and there's, there's no waffling on that.
Speaker E:And I think when you, in any sport, when you're talking about guys who know what they need to do, Just takes all the pressure off.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:For me, the only downside in the bullpen is Danny Young.
Speaker C:I just don't think in a big spot any time between now in the All Star break.
Speaker C:Am I going to trust him?
Speaker C:And is AJ Minter going to be the lefty out of the bullpen?
Speaker C:Because they have so many options with Stanek and Budo and Garrett that they are.
Speaker C:And I love Cranac.
Speaker C:I just think he's a bulldog.
Speaker C:Goes out there and he'll give you two to three innings.
Speaker C:And right now, you can live with Peterson, Canning, Holmes, McGill and Senga because each of them is under a 4 era.
Speaker C:It's just you got to get a little more length out of them so that these guys aren't killed in the bullpen.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:But I think at this point, you have to be happy with what's going on, and maybe you just make some little tweaks here or there.
Speaker C:One other thing I did want to mention is I'm okay with the catching situation.
Speaker C:I really was worried about Alvarez going down, but we've gotten some good time.
Speaker C:Torrance is a little banged up.
Speaker C:This guy, Hayden Sanger, he's a professional.
Speaker C:I mean, he might work at Whole Foods in the summer, but man, he did a great job.
Speaker D:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker D:I was going to bring up the catching, too.
Speaker D:Chris Terenza has been very good.
Speaker D:His defense is extraordinary, and they've certainly been holding their own.
Speaker D:And, you know, not only Beatty has some stuff to prove, but when Alvarez comes back, you know, he better hit quick because, you know, with the way that Terence defends and throws runners out, you know, Alvarez better get off to a quick start whenever they do come out and see him.
Speaker D:And as far as Danny Young, I agree, no high leverage system, no high leverage opportunities for him, without question.
Speaker D:But remember, you also do have Nunez still down.
Speaker C:Oh, he'll be there soon.
Speaker C:He's throwing well.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And when he comes back, Danny Young's going.
Speaker D:That's going to be the move.
Speaker D:And I mean, the bullpen again, you know, when you're pitching as well as they are, you know that certainly they're not as great as that, but so far, so good.
Speaker D:And with another three games coming up here against Miami, you know, hopefully again, the Mets can win two out of three here and then hit the road.
Speaker C:And then you go to Oak.
Speaker C:Excuse me, you go to Sacra Tomato and you play the A's.
Speaker C:I mean, you.
Speaker C:You have to win those games.
Speaker C:I mean, I don't want Luis Severino having something over us we gotta take care of the next six.
Speaker C:Win, like, five out of six and, you know, see what happens from there.
Speaker C:Again, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker C:We're having John Hanson on Mike Godo and Chris Caputo here.
Speaker C: -: Speaker C:You know, the Dodgers have been hot.
Speaker C:The Phillies have played pretty well.
Speaker C:But there is one thing I want to talk about, and, John, if you want to stay on, it's great, this torpedo bat.
Speaker C:You know, what's the thought?
Speaker C:Obviously, right now it is legal.
Speaker C:The torpedo bat is taking on a size format of, let's say, 34 inches, 32 ounces.
Speaker C:But the wood is distributed differently in some type of geometric shape.
Speaker C:That's not the traditional form.
Speaker C:You're putting the fat part at the bottom.
Speaker C:So, you know, guys who normally were getting sawed off and hitting the ball in the wrong spot or hitting home runs.
Speaker C:Any thoughts right now as to what's going on with this new shaped bat?
Speaker E:You can go first.
Speaker E:Absolutely.
Speaker E:I'm sorry.
Speaker D:Sorry, Mike.
Speaker D:It's analytics, right, Chris?
Speaker D:It's all these guys, as our friend Mad Dog says, all the, you know, the Harvard.
Speaker D:The Harvard kids that, you know, think they know something about sports.
Speaker D:They're sitting there playing with the shape of the bat, and they're looking at the analytics.
Speaker D:And, I mean, is it a competitive advantage?
Speaker D:You know, you still have to hit the ball that's coming in at 92, 95 miles an hour.
Speaker D:I saw, you know, the commissioner today made a comment that, you know, he thinks it's good for the sport and just it's a competitive advantage and eventually other teams will catch up.
Speaker C:Do you think something changes because it says that the maximum barrel diameter of 2.61 inches and 42 inches in length is the only thing that.
Speaker C:That they have to stick to.
Speaker C:Do you think something changes this year, or do you think this is something for the future?
Speaker D:I think, again, we're nine games into the season, so I think you'll have to see the full effect, and I apologize.
Speaker D:You have to see the full effect throughout the 25 season to, you know, before they maybe do that.
Speaker D:This is the baseball version of the Tush push.
Speaker E:Yeah, yeah, John, I agree with you 100%.
Speaker E:I mean, any.
Speaker E:Anytime the commissioner says anything about he likes, you know, something.
Speaker E:Of course, it has to do with scoring runs, base hits, home runs.
Speaker E:I mean, they'll do anything they can do to get the excitement in the game.
Speaker E:From the offensive standpoint, they've already come Out.
Speaker E:You know, Chris, you had a great point right there with really what makes a legal and illegal bat.
Speaker E:And I would think through this year, they're just going to have to go with it.
Speaker E:And I'm surprised that it took this long, really, for anybody to catch up to what could be done in that setting.
Speaker E:The one thing is, as John mentioned, yeah, I mean, eventually, I think things will calm down just a bit.
Speaker E:Everybody has to hit this pitching.
Speaker E:It is a novelty here.
Speaker E:And I think it's.
Speaker E:Unless, you know, you see teams just, I mean, with the Yankees hitting nine home runs on opening day, I don't know if that had to do more with the bat or more with the pitching that they saw from Milwaukee, but it's definitely.
Speaker E:It's the flavor of the month right now, and I would think you're not going to see any kind of change on that for quite some time.
Speaker E:Unless, I mean, I hate to say it, unless someone gets hurt, unless you're going to get, you know, just a crusher back through the box that takes somebody out.
Speaker E:Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Speaker E:But so far, so good.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think it's going to wind up somebody's going to start making some money because guys are going to be asking for this.
Speaker C:I guess Lindor used it some of last year, as well as the October stretch for Giancarlo Stanton.
Speaker C:So I think these, you know, sledgehammers are going to be out more in the open and guys are going to be using them, but you still have to hit the ball and, you know, it's just more of a sweet spot.
Speaker E:Did anybody use these in spring training?
Speaker C:You know, basically the question came up of like, you know, when did this all come about?
Speaker C:And it basically says it's unclear, but Stanton used it last year, Lynn Dore used it last year.
Speaker C:Other people who have used it, Volpe Wells, Chaz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger, Goldschmidt, Tampa Bay Junior Caminero, and even Toronto's Davis Schneider, who was terrible today, supposedly is using it.
Speaker C:So I guess it's out there.
Speaker C:It's just a matter of now how fast are we going to get them in the dugouts.
Speaker E:Well, and how fast they can come.
Speaker D:And I think, like Mike mentioned the open day that the Yankees had, I think that brought a lot of attention to it, too, because really, when Lindor used it last year, it was never brought up.
Speaker D:So I think the extreme home runs on opening day probably brought a lot of this to light.
Speaker D:And if you don't see a dramatic uptick in home runs.
Speaker D:You know, the noise will probably die down.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:Well, hopefully the Mets are still pushing towards the top of the NL east and we can have you back on and chat a little more about that.
Speaker C:Mike.
Speaker C:Last thing before we finish up.
Speaker C:Ovechkin scores his.
Speaker C:Whatever it was 895@ the UBS today.
Speaker C:Is it okay, you know, people celebrating him on home ice for the Islanders?
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I mean, I'm okay with it, but I'm sure some people are probably a little bit upset.
Speaker E:Listen, I'm okay with it too.
Speaker E:You know, I had tickets to the game.
Speaker E:I was not able to go.
Speaker E:I had a family obligation.
Speaker E:And I'll tell you what, had I been there, I would have reacted.
Speaker E:I think as the majority.
Speaker E:I mean, you're looking at history.
Speaker E:You're talking about a record that most of us never thought would be broken done by, you know, a pretty solid citizen.
Speaker E:From everything that's told, Islanders won the game.
Speaker E:So that's the plus.
Speaker E:Would I have been sharing?
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker E:And someone said to me also, who's a big time Islander fan, they were very upset about the ceremony and how long it took and, you know, delayed the game.
Speaker C:Never happens.
Speaker E:It never happens.
Speaker E:I thought Wayne Gretzky was incredibly gracious about what he said, especially towards the Islander fans and the organization.
Speaker E:He couldn't have asked for anything more.
Speaker E:And then when the game kicked back off, it really was in the Islander's favor.
Speaker E:I think Washington was kind of flat.
Speaker E:It was almost like they were just waiting for that to happen.
Speaker E:They took a deep breath, Allen just jumped on them, won the game 4:1 in terms of people cheering.
Speaker E:Listen, that's a New York question, I think, because God forbid anybody roots for anybody else.
Speaker E:But just a great thing to see.
Speaker E:And two stats.
Speaker E:Number one, I think it was, I think one less game.
Speaker E:Gretzky had to score, which is just mind boggling.
Speaker E:You're a math guy, Chris.
Speaker E:I can't imagine what the stats are.
Speaker C:On that to be almost nil and also.
Speaker E:Yeah, almost nil.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker E:Final thing, you take Gretzky's goals away, he's still the all time leading scorer in the nhs.
Speaker C:That's crazy.
Speaker C:Thank you tonight, John Hanson for coming on.
Speaker C:Also James Forrest, Joe Tartimella.
Speaker C:Good job there.
Speaker C:Mikey, coming on from the phone.
Speaker C:We appreciate it.
Speaker C:We'll see you guys in a couple of weeks.
Speaker C:I'm Chris Caputo.
Speaker C:Have a good night.
Speaker A:The views expressed in the previous program did not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of WGB.
Speaker D: This is WGB AM:
