An Ode to MLB Opening Day

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:25):
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y Couple. I'm Chris Brussard alongside my partner Rob Parker,

(00:46):
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I told you we're not going anywhere. We will be
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seven Pacific, and all of the times in between for

(01:09):
Middle America, throughout this strange situation, for all of us,
and beyond that. We will be here myself and Rob Parker.
We're happy to do it, so keep it locked with
us for the next three hours. Fox Sports Radio dot Com,
serious XM Channel eighty three, the iHeartRadio app. However you

(01:29):
may be listening, it's gonna be a special baseball version
of the Eye Couple in honor of what should be
and would have been Opening Day. And with that said,
let me welcome in my partner, mister Rob Parker. What's up, man,
what's happening to mister Chris Bussard? How are you? I'm great,
I'm great. I imagine you are crest falling today, no

(01:54):
doubt about it. Not the best of days, especially as
you just mentioned it would have been Opening Day. So yes,
I'm gonna deliver a message for uh MLB America as
we move along here. But let's first welcome in everybody,
uh for the Odd Couple crew and Chris. Real quick,
let's send out a birthday's shout out, a very special

(02:16):
fortieth birthday to our sneaker guy Rolling from Palmdale. Rolling's
fortieth birthday today. So let's he's a great guy and
uh he takes care of me and Chris, and uh
he's he is a great guy exactly, and that's a
big birthday, big family man everything. Yep, yep, great guy,
great guy. All right, Well, um, we got the I

(02:38):
Couple crew in with us today as we do every day.
As DJ Alex tischert a k a. Alex the vegan
on The Ones and the twos and this is a
TV theme show Thursday, so he'll be doing this thing.
In that regard, we got the super producer, Rob g
and who we got on the updates today Steve Di Sager,

(02:58):
the always professional superb mister Steve de Seger. So gonna
be a great show. Like we all said, keep it locked.
We got a self successful fielder at the bottom of
the hour, of course, the World Series champion, three time
MLB All Stars, so will be great to catch up
with him. And Rob you are You've been a member

(03:19):
now of the Basketball or I'm sorry, Baseball Writers of
America Association for thirty years. You are a Hall of
Fame voter. You covered baseball both as a beat writer
and a columnist closely, and because of that, you're associated
with baseball like I'm associated with the NBA. And so again,

(03:42):
I know this is a tough day for you, but
you have something you want to share with all of
MLB America. As you said, absolutely Chris. This is Rob
Parker's open letter to MLB America. I have just one
word for you on this day. It's heartbroken. No opening day,

(04:06):
I understand the circumstances. I'm not blind, I'm not crazy.
And the coronavirus has stopped many things, many things we
love and admire and enjoy, But it doesn't soften the blow. Still,
it's so cruel, so disappointing. Today is not just any day.

(04:29):
Today usually marks the best sports day of the year
for me and so many others. If you're old enough
to even remember this, the Reds always had the traditional
opening Day in Cincinnati. It used to be the greatest
Monday of the year because Major League Baseball would open

(04:51):
with the Reds playing their first game, and then we'd
have the NCAA champion crown that night. This is deep rooted.
It's deep, it's deep down. It's a part of our DNA,
it's who we are, and it dates back. Early Opening

(05:14):
Day for me was like my Christmas, my present. Nothing
could stop my joy on this day. There was nothing
more I wanted to hear than wait. And it's not
just me, no way, no how, it's millions of Americans.

(05:36):
MLB cells seventy million baseball tickets a year, more than
all the other sports combined. So much of my love
for baseball started at an early age and My family
knew how much I loved baseball, even my mom, who

(05:56):
was a stickler for school and about getting your work done.
But when I was in junior high school, my mom
used to write a fake doctor's note for me so
that I could leave school early so that I could
get home to watch the Mets On Opening Day. I
had to see the first pitch of the season on TV.
I couldn't come home in the third or fourth inning.

(06:19):
I had to see it from the beginning. And back
then I was a Mets fan. I wasn't a reporter.
I was a fan. Opening Day that stands out to
me the most dates back to college nineteen eighty three.
I was a student at Southern Connecticut State University. Me

(06:41):
and my three buddies. We hopped in the car. We
barely had money for tickets, but we had to see
Tom sever returned to the Mets. We drove from New Haven, Connecticut,
and I can remember standing up in our seats in
the bleachers and watching Tom Sever walked from the bullpen

(07:02):
and to the mound. What a moment it was. And
even as I got into the sports writing business and
I wasn't a Met fan anymore, I was still a
baseball fan, still blessed to work in some of the
greatest baseball towns in America. In New York to why,
I covered the Mets and the Yankees, and it was

(07:24):
awesome to be there, to be on that field where
Babe Ruth once played, and and John Sterling, the Yankees announcer,
would give any big baseball fan goosebumps with his baseball
play by play calls Swann and Drevin and eat left
toward the line, jeers Aaron Judge line, run right down

(07:49):
the line, a judging and blast all rise, here comes
the judge. And when I left my hometown of New
York to go to Cincinnati, I had a great job
covering the Knicks for the Daily News, but I wanted
to cover baseball. I went to Cincinnati, one of the
all time great baseball towns. And when I got there

(08:14):
on opening Day to see the spectacular that always heard about.
It's a holiday in Cincinnati. People are given the day off,
some people, there's a parade, people take TVs in the work.
That's how big baseball is in Cincinnati. Don't forget the

(08:34):
Cincinnati Reads, with the first professional team in sports history
in his country. Yes, the Cincinnati Red Legs, and I
was honored to go to Detroit to work, to work
at the Detroit Free Press and then the Detroit News,
and to cover another charter member of the American League,

(08:57):
the Detroit Tigers. And people loved the Tigers and the
old Tiger Stadium. There was nothing more amazing than the
sound of the crack of a bat at Tiger Stadium
and the roar of the crowd. And in Los Angeles,

(09:18):
where I am now and work, there's nothing better than
the voice of Vince Gully to get the game going
time for Dodger Base and as a reporter, you always
wanted to get to opening day hours early, four hours
early to enjoy BP take it all in, usher in

(09:42):
a new season, see friends from the past, winter gone by.
Smell the fresh cut grass hot dogs with spicy brown mustard.
You could smell them from the field. This has nothing
thing to do with the other sports, but this is tradition,

(10:05):
part of who we are, part of our fabrics. Kazuski
Campanella talking days, the Man and Bobby Fella, the scooter,
the bomber, and the nuke. They knew them all from Boston.
Damn you coronavirus. Today was supposed to be our day.

(10:32):
Today was supposed to be Opening Day where we would
stand and remove our caps all over America to honor
our tradition. And we would do it to all over
Canada and in the bottom of the seventh inning, hanging

(10:54):
out with your buds or your family or your favorite
girl in the seventh inning, you know what we would do.
Today is a dark day. There's no other way to
look at it. There were no hot dogs, there were
just there was no beer. Worst of all, there was

(11:15):
no baseball on Opening Day in America. And this man
here before you on Fox Sports Radio, I am just heartbroken.
Well done, Roy Parker, well done. That was great man,
That was great. I know you are heartbroken. I missed

(11:37):
baseball as well. I'm not feeling like you are, I know,
but uh, that was well put. You did a great
job with it. You mentioned Cincinnati as one of the
all time great baseball towns, and you know, you know
that you grew up there there. Yeah, and there was
a parade on opening Day. Yeah, we went to. My
best baseball memories are going to Reds game with my

(12:00):
father and my brother and we'd sit through as I
said yesterday. One time we sat through a doubleheader that
went one of the games went in the extra innings
the second game, and we were there when they were
the best team in the league. That when they had
Pete Rose and Johnny Bench teams ever friends, yes, all

(12:22):
those guys, and it was a big deal to me.
When I was in second grade. You know, if I
did well in school, my dad took me out to
a restaurant. And of course the restaurant I requested when
I did I got a's in the second grade was
Johnny Bench's home plate. So base baseball was my first

(12:43):
Football was my first love, but or the sport that
I loved the most. But baseball was the first sport
I played organized you know, t ball at seven years old,
and then went on the Pitching Machine League at eight,
and then you know real pictures at nine, played in

(13:03):
the league. Remember Gary Thurman ye ended up playing in
the majors. He was a few years older, but he
played in the same league I did in Indianapolis, and
he was smashing home runs all over the place even
as a kid. And so yeah, I have some great
memories from baseball, mostly as a young boy. But this

(13:27):
is a tough day for everyone, especially all those hardcore
baseball fans out there. So I'm glad you did that, man.
That was that was an excellent job you did, all right,
eight seven ninety nine on Fox eight seven seven nine
nine six sixty three sixty nine. What does Major League
Baseball's opening Day mean to you? And how are you

(13:49):
coping with it today? That it's not here? We will
continue the conversation with you. Next, it's The Couple, Christ
and Rob Fox Sports Radio. Be sure to catch live
addition of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob
Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app. You know,

(14:11):
we had to open up with this one for Rob Parker.
His favorite song, his favorite sitcom, his favorite cruise of course,
make me feel a little bit better today? Yes, yes,
on the TV theme show Thursday. The only way to
open it up, all right, we got three time. We're

(14:31):
coming by from Discover Just Rob, g what what what? Read?
Read the uh rundown and tell me what you think.
But anyway, let's get to the calls. What's your favorite
Opening Day memory? She'll turn the way in eight seven,
seven ninety nine on Fox. All Right, Cordell in California,

(14:54):
You're on the odd couple of Fox Sports Radio. What's up, hey, Rob?
How's it born? I love you guys. You and Chris.
You remind me of myself and my buddies when we
used to wrap on the corner and talk sports and
whatever was going on. You guys would fit right in
there with us. Yeah, and I love this show. I
ride home with you guys every day. But let me

(15:15):
get to the point, Rob, you got me fired up
with this baseball today. I missed, you know, I missed
the times when I was able to go to these
games and I would try to get the best matchups
I would look for. I grew up in Camden, New Jersey,
so Phillies were the team that we would go to
see as the home team, and whenever the Reds came
to town, whenever the Dodgers came to town, the Giants,

(15:39):
the Mets. The Mets were hot, so we would get
to see these players. Pete Rose Pittsburgh when Pittsburgh would
come to town with Big Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, all
the great players that the Cubs, you know, all these
great players. You just wanted to see them, even if
they didn't play on your team. You wanted your team

(16:00):
even to compete against them. And you know what, he
were in the seventies. I graduated high school and seventy six.
So when the Phillies were in the seventies, that's when
Mike Snitt came in. Larry Bower was there, Steve Carlton. Yeah,
and let me say this, I get it. And you're right.
Remember every game back then, Chris wasn't on television. So

(16:21):
if you wanted to go see Willie starred or some
star player, you used to have to go to the
ballpark that might. Every game wasn't on like we we
get to see every afternoon. It was only one game
of baseball. Game go Joe Garret, Joela, I mean I
Tony Coolpett. Yeah, I used to love watching baseball on

(16:42):
Saturday afternoon. It was a game of the week. You get,
you know, yeah, you get every game on now and
and maybe there's some oversaturation, but those were great memories.
You could you couldn't You waited all week to watch
that game, no doubt about it. Let's go to weed
Man Hippie in Miami. Here's one of Ben Malo's callers
that correct that that trick. I love to do both.

(17:04):
I rested to you both every night. Rob. What you
just did made me call you grabbed my heart. I
used to go to every White goodding game. I would
care for these two sixteen strikeout games in a row. Man,

(17:24):
I wrote first ball, Yeah, hey, you know what touched
me today and I had to get that out there.
We appreciate your support. We know you're a Ben Malla guy.
Thanks for the support. We met, Hippie. How about Mark
in Virginia, You're on the odd couple of Fox Sports Radio.
Good afternoon, gentlemen. How are you doing Okay? I'm the

(17:44):
Cleveland transplant here in the rural area of Virginia. I
don't miss the potholes. Rather than that, I certainly missed
the beauty of opening day, and as best as I
can sum it up, it's a real gut punch. But
let me say kudos on a very poignant and well
versed production. Well done, Well done. My favorite memories back

(18:08):
in circles sixty seven Indians fan. They only sold out
one day of the year in the giant casm called
Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Ten years old, we'd save our quarters up,
get on the three buses to get to cleveand municipal
and if you recall, seventy eight to eighty thousand showed
up for opening day. The next day, we're back to

(18:30):
ten thousand nine. My real concern is that this is
a gut punch, But I'm also a real Brownies fan.
I hope it's not a double gun punch. Gut punch
when it comes to football season. Yeah, we hope that
it won't last that long. My good. We gotta wait
and see. I remember Rob we you know, obviously I

(18:51):
moved around a lot YEP. Moved to Cleveland toward the
end of my junior year of high school, the last
quarter my junior year, and Matt, you know, you meet
new people at school and stuff, and we went, I
mean I had probably only been there a few weeks
and we went to an Indians game and it was
probably this was nineteen eighty five, so it was probably

(19:18):
twenty two thousand people there, right, and we actually could
go all the way down. We sat like we ended
up walking down and sitting in like the third row. Right.
It was crazy, and that place was big, right, That
place was huge, huge, unbelievable. Um, I want to bring
up you know, we were just talking. I was talking
about how fortunate I was to work in these great

(19:39):
baseball towns in New York and Cincinnati, in Detroit. But
I still say, Chris, and I say this with uh,
without ever working there, I still think Saint Louis is
the best baseball town in America. I would just I
can't get over, like, how rabbit the fans are there,
everybody that get three million a year every year, every

(20:00):
everybody wears the city. No it's not at all, and
everybody everybody wears red. Everybody's into it. And just think
about this. Two football teams have left that city and
which is unbelievable. And a basketball games ago, yes, the Hawks,
so so hats off to Saint Louis. I called Saint
Louis the baseball capital of America. Hey, Bill in New Jersey,

(20:23):
you're on the odd couple of Fox Sports Radio. All right.
All I got to say is my friend Rob Parker
just gave me goose bumps with that beautiful monologue. Or
kudos to you, Rob, Thank you, Bill, my second favorite
baseball writer after you. Rob. Thomas Boswell once wrote a
book called White Time begins on opening day, and that's
exactly the way I feel about it. The new year

(20:45):
doesn't start on January first, it starts on opening day.
And man, do I miss it? Ah beautifully said to Bill.
Appreciate that. How about Mark and Sacramento. You're on the
odd couple of Fox Sports Radio. Mark there, what's going on? Gentlemen?
What's happening? And Rob? That was great? The previous color

(21:05):
took the words out of my mouth. You said that,
beautiful brother, that was that was well done. I got
I got some. I got some for you that a
little love I think you'll like. On April fourth, nineteen
seventy four, my dad took us over to my granddad's.
We all got around the television because on April fourth,
nineteen seventy four, we were anticipating Henry Aaron tie in
Babe Ruth that day, and he wanted us to see

(21:27):
a black man do that. It didn't happen that day.
It happened the next day. But four days later, on
my seventeenth birthday, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he broke
the record. So I the opening day was probably that
was spost exciting thing. That I've ever been in in
my family because we were all together, house full of
us watching him kind of a fall television and was

(21:48):
anticipating him breaking breaking that record. So that's that's that's
my story about Opening Day, and I'll never forget it.
So this is good stuff for him. But you just
gave me goose bumps, seriously, because it was that big
of a deal, Chris. And like families, we crowd around
the little TV set. We didn't have these seventy inch
squeaves and most of them were black and white, and

(22:11):
people would would this is what they would watch they wanted. Yeah, No,
we had the illuminum foil on each other, right right,
no question about it. All right, Baseball fans like Rod
Parker are clearly devastated without Opening Day, But can we
say the same thing about the players on the field?
World Series champion Cecil Fielder has the answer. Next, But first,

(22:34):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeart Radio app search
f SR to listen live. All right, we got three
time MLB All Star Cecil Fielder coming up right now
on the Discover Car celebrity hotline. Discover matches all the

(22:54):
cash back you earn on your credit card at the
end of your first year. It's amazing because discovers accepted
at ninety nine percent of places in the United States
that take credit cards. Learn more Discover dot Com Slash
Yes twenty twenty Nielsen Report limitations apply. Cecil Welcome to
the Eye Couple. What's having Hey? Thanks Manos, It's great

(23:18):
to have you on. It's always How are you doing
a family? Everybody? Rob Parker? Are you? How's the family doing? Everybody? Okay, man,
you're good man. We hunkered down, man, we ain't going outside.
This stuff is crazy, man. Yeah, you got be careful
out there for sure. How do you feel? I mean,

(23:39):
this is the day, the opening day, you know, would
have been today. Are you Rob? Just read a great
essay about how heartbroken he is that baseball is not
going on the day. Do you feel the same way
or is it different now that you're not, you know,
not playing. No, it's it's a little different since I'm
not playing. But again, uh, this is a bad situation

(24:04):
we got going on right now. I mean people are dying, man,
and I you know, baseball is the number one concerned
right now. I was trying to get rid of this
virus and get people healthy so we can go back
to playing baseball, because if we don't, if we don't
not this thing down, it's gonna be a bad summer,
right about that, no doubt about it. Such and and

(24:25):
me talking about Opening Day and how I grew up,
how my mom was a stickler for school and everything,
but she used to as a kid, used to write
me a note so that I could leave school early
I was in junior high school to get home to
watch the Mets opener as a kid in New York.
Just to talk about you as as uh, I think
that the story you once told me too was about

(24:48):
watching uh Hank Aaron. Uh you know when I was
a kid growing up in La Man and you know
the Dodgers were in the playoffs and my team in
nineteen seventy nine, I can remember like it was yesterday.
We are family, the Pittsburgh Pirates. When I first set
Willie Stargo, When I first seen Willie Stargio man, I

(25:11):
was a kid in the candy store. It was most
unbelievable things that I ever seen. And uh, you know
him and William McCovey were like my two favorite first basements.
You know, so when I when I had the opportunities
to come home from school or play six to watch
you know, the Pirates play. I mean that was that
was the greatest days of all time? Cecil, what you

(25:34):
what was your favorite opening day memory as a player?
What was the maybe your best game or whatever memory
stands out to you. Well, the best opening day probably
was probably was eighty Probably was eighty six the Blue Jays.
I was in the starting lineup as a you know, rookie. Really,
that was probably my best memory as an opening day.

(25:56):
Every other opening day was good because I was a
starter and I got to play every day. But I
really think back on it, that was really my first
time to really be in the starting lineup as a
as a as a rookie. How about nineteen ninety seven,
after you guys won the World Series in ninety six?
What about that? I remember, like, I think you're the

(26:18):
only guy hit three hundred for the for any team
I think in that World Series. But what was that like?
Once you're a champion, you come back to crowd Yankee Stadium. Well,
you know when I came back in ninety seven my agents,
which I should have probably not agreed to, but my
agents demanded a trade. So they were boring me when
I first got back, That's right. I do remember that

(26:42):
for me that especially after the World Series I had
and then I came home and they were boring, So
that wasn't a good thing. No, no, no, you're right
about that. We are joined by World Series champion Cecil
Fielder Cecil when they come back, you know, assuming they
start playing this summer June or July or whatever it

(27:04):
may be. Uh, they're talking about, um, maybe playing into December,
uh in neutral at neutral site, so maybe a dome
or going to a warm weather series, right, it would
be played right in La or Arizona or something like that.
What do you think about that plan? Well, they're gonna

(27:24):
have to do whatever. They're gonna have to do, whatever
they have to do. They're gonna have to They're gonna
have to do whatever they have to do to make
this be a real season. I mean, whether whether that's
a hundred and twenty games, whether that's one hundred and
forty games, I don't think they're gonna be able to
get one hundred and sixty games out of it. But
you know when we had that shortened season, uh in
ninety five, when we get when we were on striking

(27:45):
ninety four, you know, they cut the season down a
little bit, and this made it work, so they can
make it work. How about playing double headers where you
offended them? I mean they when you played, you know,
double headers were a part of base ball, and they
still played some day night doubleheaders with a you know,
empty the stadium to have a one o'clock and a

(28:06):
seven o'clock or something like that. Did you like doubleheaders
or normally did you get that second day? I didn't
like to sit. I didn't like to split doubleheaders, right,
Like the double headers we played, you know, they were
back to back, the split night day night double headers.
They were terrible because that's just a whole different animal,
whole day at the ballpark, like really a whole day. Yeah,

(28:29):
and that's what they're talking about, rob right, split doubleheaders, right,
because that's usually how they make them. The reason they
went to that is to make money because they get
two different crowds. You know, we as kids, Chris and
I were both talking about it. We should sit there
at the ballpark and go there for eight hours and
not think anything of it. Do you know what I
mean as a fan? Right, But I didn't like to

(28:49):
I didn't like to split. I like the double heads
when we played back to bat right, Yeah, I can
imagine it for a player. Yeah, I like to back
to back. And you're gonna be there. You're gonna be
there eight hours anyway playing it. You're gonna be there
eight I was anyway playing back to back doubleheader. I mean,
you really think about it, Yeah, I think they just
want that extra lude. But it'll be interesting. One last

(29:11):
thing for me, the Red Sox against the investigation is done. Uh,
what do you make What do you do you think
it's gonna be uh? Or have you heard anything about
the severity of it or not as severe as Houston?
And is this gonna be another open wound or will
people kind of not think about it as much because

(29:31):
of what we're going through here? I don't know. I
think once baseball starts, everybody's gonna get what they deserve.
I mean, when baseball starts, they're gonna let them know
what time it is. I mean I would because at
the end of the day, you know that's a part
of the game that you know what they did wasn't right.
I mean, I don't care what to say what happened,
what happened with the Astros was not right. I don't

(29:53):
know as far as what they're gonna come down on
Boston down, but right, and don't know. You know, you
hear Rob, you hear that. A lot of people been
doing it, you know, not just them right now? How much?
How much would that have helped you as a hitter.
Obviously you had a lot of success not knowing what
was coming. But for real, man, if you was coming,

(30:16):
I know you you hit one out of you hit
one out of Tiger Stadium? Could you hit it any
further if you knew what was coming? No, I wouldn't
have hit it though further. But can you imagine what's
coming every of that? Oh? Man, I can't believe. I've
heard people try to say that that isn't a big advantage.
It might not be an advantage for me or Rob

(30:37):
before a professional hitter. Man, come on, the only thing,
the only thing I wanted to do it so a strike,
that's all man, I hear you. All right, We appreciate
the time. Man, take care of yourself by family. Yes,
you got it, Thank you all right, All right, we
got a special edition of Bruce Art's Fat I have

(31:00):
a baseball edition and it's coming your way next. That's right, Rob,
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(32:07):
A deductible may apply. Be sure to catch live editions
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weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. It's The Eye Couple
Chris Brussard and Rob Parker On a TV theme show Thursday,

(32:29):
DJ Alex Tyson's showing off with the Scooby Doo Remix.
And it is time, folks for a special baseball edition
of brus Arts Fab five. Are you ready the heat?
Like lepron, We're going big. It's gold Town, It's Brusard's

(32:51):
Fab five, all right. These are my most memorable Opening
Day performances during my lifetime. Most memorable Opening Day performances
of my lifetime. Number five, two thousand and seventeen. Madison
Bumgardner goes deep twice against the Arizona Diamondbacks to become

(33:13):
the first pitcher ever to hit two home runs in
one game on opening day. Bum Gardner had a perfect
game on the mound through five innings, but gave up
three runs in the sixth. No problem. In the seventh,
he steps to the plate and hits his second home
run to tie the game before turning the ball over
to the bullpen. The Giants lost the game, but it

(33:36):
certainly wasn't a fall to Bumgardner, who also struck out eleven.
Number four, two thousand and thirteen, Clayton Kershaw hits the
only home run of his career period, the only home
run of his career in the game in which he
was terrific on the mound and at the plate. In
addition to the dinger, Kershaw through a complete game shutout

(34:00):
to lift the Dodgers over the Giants. It was a
precursor to things to come for Kershaw that season. He
drove in check it out a career high ten runs
that year at the plate and more importantly, though, he
went on to win the second of his three Cy
Young Awards. Number three. Nineteen eighty eight, George Bell becomes

(34:22):
the first player ever to hit three home runs in
a game on opening Day. All three came off a
two time cy Young winner, Brett Saberhagen. The performance came
fresh off the only MVP season of Bell's career, and
if you're wondering, three other players have gone on to
hit three home runs in an opening day game Toughie Roads,

(34:44):
Dmitri Young, and Matt Davidson. Number two nineteen ninety nine,
Raoul Manda c goes four for five with two home
runs and six RBI in the Dodgers victory over Arizona.
So the Dodgers are down sixty three, two men out
in the bottom of the ninth, all appeared loss mind

(35:07):
Disy steps to the plate smacks a three run homer
to tie it in force extra innings. Then two innings later,
with two outs and one man on, he goes yard
with a walkoff homer to give the Dodgers the eight
six win. Number two nineteen seventy four, Mark stole a
little of my thunder Mark from Sacramento Hank Aaron, receiving

(35:31):
hate mail throughout the entire offseason. Homers in his first
at bat to tie Babe Ruce record of seven hundred
fourteen home runs. Aaron wanted to sit out the whole
three game series in Cincinnati so he could break Rus's
record in Atlanta, but under pressure from Commissioner Bowie kN

(35:51):
Aaron played two of the three games. He went hitless
in his other game in Cincinnati. He definitely he wanted
to break it in Atlanta. In the first game the
Braves home opener against the Dodger. Dodgers Aaron homers and
becomes the new home run king. Those are Bruce Sart's
five five for this week. What do you think, Rob? Wow?

(36:15):
Very impressive. That was some good stuff. Surprised you. I
was like Steve Mark from Sacramento stole a little bit
my thunder No, but I was like, hey, no, those
were those were all good as Steve the saycre there, yeah, yep, nod.
Both of those are on the list. Yeah, Chris had

(36:36):
a good list there, and uh, the Hank Aaron. Things
keeps coming up, Chris, And that is interesting that through
the tumultuous off season and you remember the death threats
against his kids. Oh it was really bad. It was.
And it was like he knew though, that's how great
he was. And remember obviously he was a little he
was later in his career, but he knew. Like the

(37:00):
three game series in Cincinnati, He's like, I don't want
to play because I don't want to break the record. Right,
He's like, I'm gonna hit three, I'm gonna hit two
homers in Cincinnati if I want to, you know, and
you know Chris mentioned Joe Garagiola in the Saturday Game
of the Week. They'd scheduled the Braves at Cincinnati for
that opening Saturday, and of course it was a full

(37:21):
house and no Hank Aaron playing because it didn't happen
until Monday night baseball at home. Yeah. Yeah, and that's
another one. Yeah, and and and it was it was
Joe Garrazziola, right. Tony Kolbeck would have been on the
Saturday call on that Saturday, Yeah, on the Saturday, but
it wound up being like you say, uh, Monday. Yeah.

(37:42):
Those those were some great times. And remember people really
cherished watching games back then because every game wasn't on,
so it was great to get a game on TV.
Everything was huge back there. I mean watching the All
Start the All Star Game was huge, Hue. And they
played too sometimes too hard as we as we remember
with uh was it Rose? Yeah? Yeah, So all right,

(38:07):
it's the eye couple. We got two hours left on
this special baseball version with Robbing Chris. Keep it locked.
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeart Radio app. Search
f SR to listen live. It is the Eye Couple.

(38:29):
I am Chris, he is Robbed. We're coming you live
from the Geico Fox Sports Radio Studios. Fifteen minutes can
save you fifteen percent or more on your car insurance.
Visit Geico dot com for a free rate quote. You
can also follow robbing Me on social media. Robbins at
Rob Parker F S one on both Twitter and Instagram.

(38:50):
I am at Chris Underscore, Bruce Art on Twitter, Chris
Bruce R sixty eight on the Grand We'll be joined
at the bottom of the hour by our man Martin
White for trolling or rolling. So it's gonna be a
fun sixty minutes with you, of course, as always, keep
it locked, all right, Rob sticking with baseball. You know,

(39:13):
they're obviously talking about all types of different scenarios for
when they start. Rob Man Fritz said the day I
saw him on CNN, he said, he hopes, he says,
you know, his aspirationally he's looking at a May mid
May start, but he he seems to understand that that's
probably unrealistic. Could be yeah, a pipe dream, yeah yeah.

(39:37):
And same with Mark Cuban talking about that for the NBA.
I don't see anyway, and that's happening for either league.
Tim Kirchin from ESPN, he was on TV recently saying
he thinks it might be July wow, and then of
course there are those you know, it could be even later.
So we don't know. But you know, people around baseball
are throwing out all types of possibilities for whenever they

(39:59):
do start. And the Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins,
he tossed this out. Now, he wasn't saying it was definitive,
but he was just saying it was something that's gone
through his mind because they are talking about doubleheaders, and
he said, maybe they have seven inning doubleheaders so they

(40:21):
could get more games in. And you know, I assume
the single game would be nine innies. To me, with
all due respect to Ross Atkins, that's asinine. You can't
play half the games seven innings and half the games
nine innings. That makes no sense. So unless you're playing

(40:42):
every single game seven innings, which I don't think anybody
wants to see, you better play nine innies. If you're
gonna play doubleheaders, they gotta be nine inning games. And
I look, if they really want to experiment with seven
inning games as a you know, They obviously have been
talking about speeding up the game game, and if they
wanted to really go to seven inning games eventually, that's

(41:04):
one thing. But to half half your game seven innies,
half of them nine, that's ridiculous. Robe with you. You
cannot bastardize the game, Chris, that's the only word I
could use. And that's what you would be doing if
you do that, either you're playing all seven inning games
or all nine inning games. Right, it's going and of

(41:26):
course nobody wants seven inning games. That's what softball's played
in seven innings, right, that's not that's not baseball. It's
nine innings. And I don't understand why people just can't.
You know, we're experiencing, going through, enduring something that most
have never been through, which is the country has been
shut down, stopped. Everything we know to be normal is not. So.

(41:51):
The baseball season in twenty twenty will not be normal.
But but it doesn't mean that you change the game
and the way we play it. That's that's what has
to stay the same. Yes, we could play one twenty Chris,
I'll take a hundred games season as long as they
keep it intact, and if everybody plays one hundred games.

(42:11):
The best team in a hundred games should be the
World Series. You know, after it's all over the playoffs,
I'll accept that championship not no problem with that, no
question about that. Would be a far more acceptable than
a season in which half the games were seven innings,
or you came up with some special rules that totally
changed the game just to try to fit in more games.

(42:33):
Look when the NBA in nineteen ninety nine, they came
off their lockout, they had fifty games and eighty two
and it was fine. It still was legitimate because everybody's
playing under the same rules. And that's one of the
benefits rob of baseball and basketball playing so many regular
season games. Heck, if they played an eighty game baseball season,

(42:55):
I know nobody wants to see that, but if they
played eighty games, would still be legitimate. That's a lot
of games. Still, it's not what we're used to, right,
but it's still a lot. It's eighty games, right, If
you can figure out who's good and who's bad in
eighty games and it's legitimate. It would be different if
you were playing baseball and you said, Okay, the season's

(43:16):
gonna be sixteen games. Then then it would be like
Baseball's not that kind of sport, do you know what
I mean? That wouldn't work exactly because maybe the Seattle
Mariners might win the World Series. There's right. But but
I'm with you. If it's a hundred, if it's eighty five,
if it's ninety, I'm cool with that. I really am,

(43:36):
considering the times and the circumstanced. Same thing with the NBA.
If we only want and Chris, some teams have already
played one six in the sixties, right, yeah, there, the
average team has played like almost sixty five games. Yeah,
so some have played like sixty seven. Some have played
and it's only eighty two. I could season with the
playoffs from here. Oh yeah. My only thing with that

(43:58):
is just the guys are out of shape. They will
have to do that or maybe have like a little
uh or you know, if you either need to play games,
you know, regular season games, or have you know, maybe
a two week training camp and then you go right
into the playoffs, you know what I mean? But but yeah,
I agree, they've played enough games. We know who the

(44:21):
best eight teams are in each conference. You know, Washington
is not getting in, They're not making a run the Wizards. Okay,
sorry Wizards fans um and you could easily do it
the way it is. But yeah, baseball, and it's gonna
be interesting because you know, you saw this with the
NBA in two thy twelve, the first year Lebron win

(44:42):
his championship. That was a shortened season because of the lockout.
It was sixty six games and they were playing triple
back to backs. They were playing games, and you know
we talk about now players don't like playing back to backs.
They were playing three games and three nights on occasion.
But rob, the sense of urgency was tremendous and every

(45:04):
game felt like it mattered. Everybody was into the games.
And that's what you're gonna see in both of these sports,
Basketball and baseball if they come back. Baseball's games are
going to be so there's gonna be such a sense
of urgency. People are gonna be into it. If they
play a hundred games, they're gonna mean more than one
hundred and sixty two. So I think that and fans

(45:27):
are gonna they're gonna be missing the sport, So it's
going to be wildly popular, I believe whenever they do
come back. No, I agree First of all, it'll be
the thirst of not having it right, like we just
went through today with opening Day, no opening Day, And
if it were to come back in a couple of months, Chris,
people would be just be all excited and then you're right,

(45:52):
you know, like you'll be like, well, I missed forty games,
I'm not missing anymore this year to view everything, Chris
would be through the roof because people will be like,
you know, I need my fix. I've already missed forty
games or fifty games. I want to see as much
as I can. And I think it would be different.

(46:13):
And if it's a situation where they're playing I don't know,
you know, who knows what's gonna happen. If they're playing
the empty stadiums, then everybody's gonna be at home watching them.
There's no question about. Let me ask you this, would
you if they and perhaps this is what Atkins meant,
but if you played, say you played seven games, you know,

(46:34):
aning doubleheaders, and you made every game seven innings and
you got in one sixty two, would you prefer that
with every so every game is seven innies, even when
they played single you know headers, if you want to
call it that or would you rather a hundred games
that are nine innings? I'd rather a hundred games at

(47:00):
nine innings. I don't want because of the way the
game is broken up. And and I'm talking about stats wise, uh,
records wise. Do you know what I mean? Like you
would you would totally change that that there's no reason
to change that. That would be like the NFL saying, uh,
we're gonna play Arena Football League and a smaller field,

(47:23):
you know what I mean? Yeah, or something like that.
I just don't. I don't think that's that's acceptable or
good enough. Play the regular game, play the way it
was originally meant to play, and just be accept less games.
I know why they don't want to accept less games, Chris.
It's not because the quality of the games. It's because

(47:43):
of money. We all know it, am I right? They
want to they want the money. This is gonna be
devastating to all these leagues to have to not what
was the money that came out today about the NCAA.
What what wasn't their story? I can't remember. I didn't
say that, but I know I know if you can

(48:04):
find a story about what do you have it? What? Chris?
Listen to this. It's because of no March Madness that
they're gonna have still the distribution in June to their
Division one members, but it's gonna be three hundred and
seventy five million dollars less than what was budgeted, and
what they are able to distribute will mostly come from insurance.

(48:25):
Yeah right, I do, Steve. They usually make like nine
hundred million dollars from March Madness, yeah, minus operating expenses.
But yeah, they have a lot to distribute usually it's
not going to be six hundred meal this year. Well
that's the thing too that these leagues might have to
recognize is when they do come back and fans are
able to go, if the economy at least for a

(48:47):
few years is you know, somewhat decimated because of this,
people aren't gonna be their first you know, priorities. Not
gonna be going to a game for season tickets, you know,
so they may have have to drop the prices. That's
something else that they may have to consider. Who knows
what could happen going forward. So there, I get it.

(49:08):
It's their business for them, so it's hard to say
money can't be their first priority. Obviously, that's what they're
in the business for. But things could change in many
ways for these owners of these teams. So we have
to see how it plays out. But I agree with you,
Rob though I would rather a hundred games at nine

(49:29):
innings because part of the game, and this is true
for all sports, part of the game is stamina as well.
Like it's you know in basketball, a bad team might
be able to hang with a great team for two
and a half or three quarters, but they can't do
it for four. It's the same in every sport. Remember

(49:50):
when the golfer that wanted to he was handicapping, he
wanted to ride in a cart about twenty years ago
to thirty years ago. I can't remember that guy's name.
K you see something. I remember that story. And they
didn't let him. If people figured, well, he's hand he gotty,
can't walk the course, so why shouldn't he be able

(50:10):
to ride in the cart. But they didn't let him
because part of the game is walking the course. Like
if you don't as a professional, if you don't walk
the course, you got a big advantage over the guys
that are walking the course. And so part of finding
out who's the best team, and and all of that
is it's a nine inning game. You got that. That

(50:34):
guy's name was Casey Martin. I remember that, and they
said he would have an advantage over the other golfers
walking if you ever walk eighteen holes. I mean, it's
a it's a whole, no question. And so it's all
a part of the game now, and so with the
bullpens and the closers and especially now with all the specialists,

(50:56):
nine innings is what it is about. It shouldn't he
go to seven? Not at all? And and I just
can't imagine that baseball purists have been through the ringer
Chris with you know, wild cards and all these other
changes and whatnot. And I do not believe that there's
any way that the people who who what they said

(51:20):
watch over the guardians of baseball or to happen. And
I don't think you, as a commissioner, would ever want
to be a part of that, because that would be
a part of your legacy, right right. I mean he's
already had a rough goal, you know, a big rough
rob Manfred all right, with Major League Baseball be bastardizing
the game. If they implement seven any double headers this season,

(51:42):
you're turned away in eight seven, seven ninety nine on
Fox eight seven seven, nine, nine, six sixty three sixty nine.
We will continue the conversation with you. Next is Chris
and Rob the Eye Couple. Fox Sports Radio by Fox
Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the name.
Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot

(52:03):
com and within the iHeart Radio app search f SR
to listen live. See I Couple Chris and Rod Parker
on a TV theme show Thursday. Do you own a
rent your home? Sure you do one or the other. Fortunately,
Geico makes it easy for you to bundle your home

(52:24):
and your auto insurance is a good thing too, because
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you can save. And aren't we all looking to save money?
Especially right now? Geico dot com they make it easy.
Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox eight seven seven
nine nine, six sixty three sixty nine. We want to

(52:46):
know what you think about possible seven inning games when
Major League Baseball returns. You're turned away in all right,
let's kick it off with Patrick in Chico, California. You're
on the couple of Fox Sports Radio. What's up, Patrick?
He love the guy, love the show, love the dynamic
you guys get going. Thank you. The biggest deal that

(53:10):
I see with a seven inning game versus a nine
inning I'll take the short season if you give me
nine inning games, because if you go to a seven
inning game, you're gonna lose all of your bullpen action.
So you know how many starters are gonna be able
to push to six and then you just throw in
the closer at seven, so then you know, then you're
then you you give all those guys just they're just

(53:32):
sitting out there doing nothing. So that's that's my that's
my idea on it. No, no no, no, I mean, I
gotta be honest. I wouldn't mind seeing fewer pictures used.
Thinks a good number of people feel that way, right,
but but but just play the game the way it
was originally supposed to be played. Uh, let's go to
Thomas in Indiana. You're on the odd couple of Fox

(53:54):
Sports Radio. What's up Thomas? Hey, guys, that's going it
great man, We're good good. Um. I don't like the
seven and the doubleheaders. I might have a baseball fan.
It is the only sport that I watched religiously and
I think that the shortest season will engage the general
sports public more and it will help the SAW on

(54:15):
a national sale. But the only problem I have with
what you two said is every game doesn't matter, and
that is absolutely not true. Now we're gonna have to
have a shorting season, but after Washington Nationals of last year,
and every game doesn't matter because if they lose two
games in April, they're not in the World Series. No,
that's my point. No, No, your point is well taken.

(54:38):
I get it because they needed every single game just
to get there to get the wild card spot. So
it did matter, right, no question about it. And but
he's he hit it on the head though. With the
general fan, the casual fan, or even a little more
than the casual fan, they are gonna be more engaged
into one hundred games than one hundred and sixty two.

(54:59):
And even myself, I'm thinking, do I really need to
watch a Tuesday night game in June when they got
you know, one hundred more of them? And to be honest,
there's a feeling like that with the NBA two. It's
not just the you know, baseball, and so when you
have so many games like football, that's their advantage, and
obviously the sport, the nature of the sport. You can

(55:20):
only play so many but every single game is huge.
It's an event. Basketball and baseball, every game's not an event,
no matter how important they are, because in both of
the sports, generally a playoff spot comes down to a
game or two. But to the average fan, it just doesn't.
It's not an event. Right. But you also, the one

(55:41):
thing is you could cater to the casual fan, but
you don't want to turn off your You know, you're
diehard fans who make up the sports, so you gotta
be It's a it's a it's a difficult thing to do.
I get it. You want to, you know what I mean,
try to please as many people, but you don't want
to piss off the people who actually are there all year,

(56:01):
who buys season tickets, Not the people just tune in
once in a blue moon. All right, choice, No not
this year? Right, Tony and DC, you're on the odd
couple Fox Sports Radio. What's up, Tony? So it's what's good.
It's always good to talk to y'all. Hope you your
families are saying season healthy, Thank yo. Man, give me

(56:22):
the one hundred games for nine inning, simply because it's
a lot of traditional baseball. The seventh and stretch. You'd
love to hear the announcer saying here, here they come
up in the bottom of the ninth for the last chance.
It doesn't sound like the fifth inning stretch or something
like that. Right, Yeah, the seventh en you refreshing drink,

(56:42):
go get another hot dog, whatever, and you know, just
leaves softball to the Rob Parkers of the world. You
really want to see you remember that the highlight a
couple of years ago, Chris where Rob hit that single
that went to the third basement's leg ball shortstop almost
got first show the King of the World. He doctored

(57:07):
his videos. No, you don't remember the game winning knock?
I got column played on the Herd. It was on
national television, A two out knock to win the game.
I don't remember. Is that true? Yeah? College show, I
don't remember that. Okay, I'm gonna send it to you
during a break. I know you got it. I know
you gotta save Adam in Kentucky. You're on the odd

(57:28):
couple of Fox Sports Radio. Gentlemen, appreciate your time. Uh uh.
He kind of hit me in the stellmate right there
with that whole deal with Rob earlier a softball comment,
but that being said, I played ball in college, man,
and when he did doubleheaders, you know, we had to
do seven innings. But the only reason it could be
for the fans. That's where he got the idea from.

(57:50):
So college, Yes, and yeah, we do devilheaders seven innings exactly. Yeah,
because I mean, you know what your kids, you know,
still maturating. And but that being said, maybe we make
it and nothing's gonna be what it's gonna be, we
all know that now, but maybe we make it more
for the fans. If if it's for if it do

(58:10):
seven innings, two back to back doubleheaders, imagine making taking
your son to the game and we get two games
if you gotta leads, gotta lead, but you get seven.
But when we get it like that way, Because there's
gotta be some financials in this, right, you would like
to say, no, that's that's what they're thinking about more
than anything. But well, they want to get all the
because if they want to get all the games on TV,

(58:31):
that that's the money. Chris, you know what I mean,
Like that's the whole premise. It's not because you're not
gonna get a separate gate. If you do a double header,
just a regular double header, you're not getting a separate gate.
I mean understand that. Yeah, if if we came up
and we were used to the doubleheaders or seven innies
the regular game, you know, one off games or nine,

(58:55):
we'd be used to it, and it'd be fine. Probably.
What was it like for you as a player? Did
it seem odd that some of the games were nine
and some were seven? Did we lose him? Maybe he's
gonna Yeah, I think we lost it. Just you know,
like I said, I guess you'd be used to it,
you know what I mean. That's just how That's what
they did in college, is right. How about Joseph and Indiana.
You're on the odd couple of Fox Sports Radio. What's up, Joseph?

(59:17):
I'll tell you guys doing to night? Doing great? All right?
You're safe? Yeah. Before I get to my point here,
I still don't know a chance to talk to Rob
g about get my art couple hot. But okay, make
sure that we get your address, Joseph. We will get
it to you, Okay. I promised that, So just hang
on after we hang up with you, Okaya, I folloed

(59:41):
up the ringing that up. But to my state, I
don't lay wrect the idea of double headers with two
two with two seven innings because I'm a person who
works every day and I don't have time like when
I work, I don't have time to check baseball starts
or work untross that I thought increase baseball prices. I

(01:00:02):
want to be able to if I go home or
some of the game call, I wann't be able to
watch it or go to the game and just joy
when I have free times. I have to doubleheaders in general,
because you just don't have time to sit through two games. Nouse. Yeah,
because I'm gonna hear average working American and I have

(01:00:24):
to have to work to make a living. So yeah,
I think it's I guess it's a full day doubleheaders
a day, those days, those days, just that's why they
people used to do it back in the day. You
know why we didn't. We didn't have anything to do. Seriously,
there was no phone, no But I'm let you ready

(01:00:45):
for this weekends and and Cincinnat you won't believe this.
And I think I might have told you this before.
Uh when the big Red Machine and I don't know, Chris,
if this is in the seventies, maybe probably a little
before you got there, when you started going to Reds games.
You know what the starting time was of a Reds
game was? This is no, lie, dead serious? What time

(01:01:05):
do you think the game start a regular season? Middle
of the weekend for the Rands, um six eight forty
eight forty during the week eight forty, No, lie, that
was the starting time. People would go home from work, Chris,

(01:01:27):
eat dinner at home, right, go have dinner, and then
you would go to the ballpark. They started at eight forty.
How McCoy is a Hall of Fame baseball right who
covered the Reds there until midnight thirty? Some are know
the games were much they weren't on television. Game was
over at ten third the games which over at ten thirty. Yep,

(01:01:48):
because they weren't always on TV. You know, a game
on TV is much longer, right, right, right, commercial breaks
and all that. Okay, As if baseball fans needed another
reason to hate Justin her Lander. We will get into
that and so much more controlling a roll than that's next,
But first be sure to catch live editions of The
Odd Couple with Chris Brussar and Rob Parker weekdays at

(01:02:11):
seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
and the iHeartRadio app. You see I Couple coming you
live from the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios. It's easy
to say fifteen percent of more on your Cornsturmers with Geico.
Go to Geico dot com or call eight hundred and
nine four seven auto. The only hard part is figuring
out which way is easier. It's time for trolling a

(01:02:34):
rolling with Martin White, Tom Brady, He's done. Aaron Rodgers
did not have a Pro Bowl season. China gets me.
It's trolling or rolland that's right. Stroller Rolling Special Quarantine Edition.
I don't know about you guys, but not leaving the

(01:02:55):
house not a problem for a guy like me. All
I'm missing is basket ball and obviously opening Day, which
would have been today. Well, you're a couch potato anyway,
so you're you're like, you're like attached to the couch,
aren't you. Okay, I may be attached to the couch,
but from the couch today. Chris I remotely produced Undisputed.

(01:03:18):
I signed up for Spanish lessons. I got in two
workouts in the living room. And now I'm only now
I'm talking to y'all. I feel like we're a very
promot from the couch lift lifting, I got a big
living room area Chris lifting lifting, a big bag of
funians and a cherry and a and a and a
red hot and a red hot exercise. Well, I know

(01:03:42):
you two guys may not have seen this. There's a
thing called Instagram, and every single gym trainer in America
right now is working out for free on Instagram Live.
I just followed along, all right, very nice, I got
it all right. I'm having no problem staying at home either.
I got plenty to do and I'm I'm good. I
know Robin is losing his mind. He has to be.

(01:04:04):
You know, I'd like to get around. I'm I definitely
like to get around and travel. This is a little
different from me. And now my apartment is so clean
it's predicul. You can eat off the floor. I can't.
I can't. I can't clean my apartment anymore than I have.
I mean, I mean, Chris, rob hasn't posted a dinner
or a lunch with seven random guys. I'm preticul week

(01:04:27):
and at least week, right, that's hey, in order to
get everybody in sometimes I have to do a mass lunch.
Is anything wrong with that? I am all right the
case it's your first time going. This is trolling to rolling.
If Rob and Chris like the story that I read,
you hear the roll sound. And if they don't, you're

(01:04:51):
hear the troll sound. Oh man, hey, hey, hey, hey hey. So,
like we were saying, everybody's im heviously stuck in the
house and if you're not, you should be a shame
on you. And there's no sports on so obviously we're
all struggling to find entertainment. Justin Burmer and the post
on Instagram that he was forcing his wife, paid Upon

(01:05:12):
and their child to watch his two thousand and seven
no hitter, which MLB decided to stream earlier today, he said, quote,
you'll sit here and watch it and like it with
a smiling emote, So he was obviously joking. But Chris,
are you trolling or rolling making the family watch your
old highlights? I'm rolling with that's I mean, that's a

(01:05:34):
great time of his life. I mean, obviously he watches
what she does, so they should all watch his glory
glorious performance he had. And yeah, I'm totally with it.
I'm sure the kids. I don't know, was he had boys, girls, whatever,
but whatever they are, I'm sure one kid, don't they one?
He just had one and whatever it is, it's brand new,

(01:05:56):
it's a new boy. It's just her. Yes, definitely, that's
sitting there all day. I'm with it. I'm cool with it.
I'm rolling with it too. I mean, it's just in
fun and it's one of those things where you know,
sit back, not much going on. He's normally would be
ready for the season, they'd be at the ballpark all that. Hey,

(01:06:19):
let's sit back. It's again some of those things. You know,
you would think that when you're playing, you're not sitting
around watching your old games or watching stuff that you did,
so now you could actually sit back and admire what
you were able to accomplish or whatnot. And I think
that's cool. I just want to know if Kate Upton
is forcing Justin Verlin to watch old like outtakes from

(01:06:41):
like those you know, the key shots and article that
she took from years. I don't think you have to
be forced to watch that exactly total roll couple of
Fox Sports Radio, so obviously it would be Opening Day,
the baseball seasons on hiatus and fans are dying to
watch the national past time. Fox Sports Detroit made an

(01:07:03):
interesting decision. They've decided to run some of the games
from the twenty nineteen season this weekend to celebrate what
should have been The Only thing is the two thousand
and nineteen Tigers lost over one hundred games. People didn't
watch it when they were actually playing rob Are you
trolling or rolling replaying games? One of the worst seasons

(01:07:23):
in Tiger's history. Trolling is oh man, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,
this makes no sense. How about twenty thirteen when they
should have won the World Series and they had that
great team and they lost in the ALCS to the
Red Sox. Go back to that season when Miguel Cabrera
was the best hitter in baseball and Prince Fielder was

(01:07:47):
was like unbelievable with the Tigers. That was a fun
team to watch. Why in the world with Fox Sports
Detroit put those games on. I just do not get that.
That's a bad, a dumb decision. That's the only thing
I could call it. I'm trolling it as well, oh man,
hey hey said, it's absolutely ridiculous. Whether it was twenty thirteen. Heck,

(01:08:10):
the year before they lost in the World Series, that
was a great year as well. You go back to
two thousand and six when they got to the World Series.
I mean they've had They're not the Lions, all right,
you got a few series you can pick from. It
had even go back. I don't know how far they
can go back, but eighty four. Of course they want it,
you know, show some of history. I mean, let the

(01:08:31):
young kids, the millennials learned. That's ridiculous. No way anybody
wants to watch those games from last year. Terrible. They
absolutely should have done going back to nineteen eighty four.
This is a lost opportunity in my opinion. Do you
know what you could You could have actually shown the
millennials Chris and Martin like people who didn't see the

(01:08:51):
Tigers ever win. Do you know what I mean? And
what kind of history this is. This is one of
the charter members of the American League. They've been around forever.
This is actually a time when young people can catch up.
I mean, you know, we always joke about millennials not
really knowing the history of the games, and this is
the time you can go back and watch Michael Jordan's

(01:09:13):
Magic Johnson Pete rolls you know whoever you know? The
allegis you've heard about what you've never seen? Yes, troll
their own odd couple of Fox Sports Radio. Since it's
baseball season, time for the age old baseball debate. Pitchers
are terrible and hitting, and owners are becoming more and

(01:09:34):
more hesitant to see these expensive arms risking injury doing
anything but throwing fire. The National League has still yet
to adopt the destonated hitter rule, aligned for a position
player to bat instead of the guy on the mound.
While the National League adopting the rule is highly likely,
a lot of fans are against the idea. Chris, are

(01:09:55):
you trolling or rolling both leagues having tod age? I'm
rolling with more offense, baby, what what? What is the mantra?
Chicks dig the long ball. Everybody digs a long but
especially now they dig it more than ever. Now they
don't even care if you strike out, as long as
you hit a homer every once in a while. So yeah,

(01:10:15):
I'm totally with it. We look, I don't want to
see a picture go up there when I know he's
only gonna get a hit once out of every ten
at bats if that so, Yeah, I'm all for the
DH in both leagues without question. I'm trolling it. Stop man, Hey, hey, hey,

(01:10:36):
I love the way that the game is. I love
that there's two leagues. They play different brand of baseball.
I'm not that big of a fan of the DH.
I get the offensive thing, Chris, but I've also seen
some great two to one games and three to two
games whereas a great play it doesn't and and all
the dhs, it's not always coming down to that. I

(01:10:56):
get the pitching thing. The thing that you might have
to do is in a tight game, it might force
you to take that picture out the game, which could
help the other team. Could they finally get him out,
go to the bullpen and then the team can get
to that picture. So there's more strategy and National League
games than there is in American League games, all Rob,

(01:11:17):
I'm watching American League baseball watching National League Baseball, two
different games, and National League baseball is just more to watch.
There's more from happening all his years in Detroit with
the DH. All right, that's it trolling our role in
our man, Martin Wiss, good job, brother, Get off that
couch every now and then that's right. Hey man, I'm

(01:11:41):
gonna sorry, I'm I'm gonna record my workout in the house.
I want to see it. I definitely all right. That's
our man, Martin Wise. We got more of The Eye
Couple coming up. Keep it locked Fox Sports Radio. Be
sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with
Chris Brussar and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern
four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

(01:12:06):
It's The Eye Couple of Christ and Rob on the
TV theme show Thursday. One of my favorite sitcoms, King
of Queens. Do it right to say five percent every
day by shopping at Lows in store on one line,
say five percent on eligible purchases, just by using your
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(01:12:27):
the Lows subject to credit approval. Can't be combined with
other credit offers exclusives upon see your store for details.
That is in the United States of America only. All right, Rob,
We are sticking with baseball here on this special baseball
edition of The Eye Couple, and you and I both
are in agreement on the notion that and we asked

(01:12:51):
Cecil Fielder about this earlier, he disagreed with us. He
thinks that whenever they resume baseball, the Houston ash throws
will still be you know, booed and mistreated and just
you know, public enemy number one in every stadium they

(01:13:11):
go to. We saw they were thrown at, players were
thrown at, they were booed. Players might still do their business.
I don't doubt that. I just wonder, and you wonder too.
Even with players, if you only play a hundred games,
every game means a little bit more than people giving
up a game. But you know what I mean, Yeah,

(01:13:32):
you could be suspended somebody on base, Yeah you get suspended,
But but also you just put guys on base because
you hit them on purpose and right right, So that's
that's a good point. I didn't think about that. Yeah,
I think that fans are gonna be so excited that baseballs.
But I mean even now, like now, when when we

(01:13:52):
two months ago, no matter what else was going on
in base baseball, when we really talked about it, it
was all about the scandal. No matter what other good things,
Mookie Betts going to the Dodgers, it was all about
the scandal. It not many people, Chris and even not

(01:14:15):
just baseball fans, but people who are into sports and
and fair play like like it. It's struck a nerve am.
I right, no question, no question. And a big part
of it is, at least for me, and I think
for a lot of people, is that we all have
this innate desire for justice to be served. Right. You

(01:14:37):
do something wrong, you pay for it now. And we've
been a forgiving society too, so if you pay your dues,
you know you come back, people forgive you and give
you a second chance. But in this case, people feel
like they didn't pay their dues. There was no justice. Okay,
you find them five million dollars, you're fired the coach

(01:14:59):
and all that stuff or the yeah, but um you didn't.
There was no justice served on the actual guys that
were cheating, which was the players. And I think that's
why people are so upset. But again, I think come
June July, whenever we get started again, people are just
gonna be so excited about having the sport back that

(01:15:21):
I'm not saying they won't get booed here and there,
and they you know, players may do something here or
there to them, throw at them whatever, But I don't
think it's gonna be anywhere near what it would have
been under normal circumstances, I agree, and also the climate
of the country, Chris, we don't know what's gonna emerge, right,

(01:15:43):
we already know financially, people are gonna be and ruined.
We lose Rob. He's having technical difficulties. I don't know
what he's doing, but uh yeah, I you know, look,
I think so nobody's a winner in this thing, obviously,
but just in this little small world of baseball, it's

(01:16:07):
gonna benefit the Astros, I think, and Rob thinks more
than any other team, just because it takes the focus
off of the Astros, off of their cheating. And speaking
of that, the Rob Manford announced I believe it was
yesterday that they are done with their investigation of the
Red Sox and they now whether they haven't released anything yet.

(01:16:32):
He said that he's been so tied up with the
coronavirus and the implications of that that he hasn't had
time to get to it yet. But we should find
out in short order just what happened with the Red Sox,
whether there was cheating, you know, and whatever what the
punishment would be. I really get the strong impression that

(01:16:54):
the punishment is not going to be anything close. Chris
don't bury the lead. Their attorney said in court earlier
this week that they are not admitting any kind of
signs dealing in twenty eighteen. Yeah, nobody believes that he's
a lawyer, you know. I mean, seriously, that's his job.
They cheated. We'll see what the punishment is. I Couple.

(01:17:17):
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports
Radio dot com and within the iHeart Radio app. Search
f SR to listen live. It's the Eye Couple coming
to you live from the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios.
It's easy to say fifteen percent of more on your
car insurance with Geico. Go to Geico dot com or
call eight hundred nine four seven Auto. The only hard

(01:17:39):
part is figuring out which way is easier. We are
joined by two time World Series Champion, three time All
Star David Justice. David, Welcome to the Eye Couple. Dave,
what's up? What's up? What's up? Rob? What's up? Chris?
Are you? What's up? Man? How are you? Rob? What's up? Rob?
Every time I think about you, Man, I think of

(01:17:59):
how you try to term me on a Frank Sinatra.
That's all right. It could have been worse, David. It
could have been worse listening to some of his musical
taste on this show. But you know what I did.
I bought I bought Dave the box set of Sinatra,
trying to get on my set. Man, I want you
to just listen to the music. I was sew into Sinatra,

(01:18:22):
and I was trying to get Dave to just widen
his listening a little bit and uh, Sinatra, And it
didn't work. David. We're obviously the day would be Opening Day. Um,
what's your favorite Opening Day memory? And we should say this, Chris.

(01:18:42):
He grew up in Cincinnati, uh, David, and was born
in Cincinnati, and you know it was a holiday in Cincinnati,
Opening Day. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, Hey listen, my my
favorite are you there? Yeah? Well here? Yeah? Yeah yeah.
My favorite Opening Day memory is always probably seriously coming
from being in like the fifth grade, sixth grade, they

(01:19:04):
used to bring the TV into the classroom so we
could watch the Cincinnati Reds. Wow, that was like that.
That's how big of a day that that people either
got the day off, Chris, you or they bought TVs
in the Workers School. That's how big Opening Day was.

(01:19:25):
Oh yeah, yeah, man, Cincinnati Reds Man, I'm I'm I'm
the biggest Cincinnati Reds Sam. I mean my whole life,
even in the big League when I first got into
probably my first five or six years in the big leagues,
I used to root for the Reds except when we
played them, Right, I get it. That's how much I
love the Red Wow. Wow. And and Dave. When you

(01:19:46):
look at where baseball is in the stuff that's floating around,
you know, they're trying to come up with ideas. Obviously,
the coronavirus, it's day to day. We don't know how
long this thing is gonna go. Uh, there was some
stuff thrown out, maybe that base Fall would play some
doubleheaders where the first game would be nine innings, in
the second game would be seven innings, or both would

(01:20:07):
be or both would be seven. I'm sorry, right, Uh
what about ideas like this to try to get all
the games in depending on the delay. Are you with that? Well,
I'll tell you this, Rob, there's gonna be a lot
of tire guys if they do that, you know, guys,
they that'll be something totally different. Could you imagine managing
where you'd have to do a doubleheader consistently. I mean

(01:20:28):
that's what managers would would lose their minds and try
and decide how to use the bullpen for both games. Uh,
it would be harder, I think from a pitcher's perspective
than probably a players, But I think they're gonna try
to do. I mean, these are crazy times right now.
They're they're just trying to figure out something to get
as many games played once they start the season, which

(01:20:51):
as of right now, I don't think they even know
when they're gonna start, right No on anybody knows. The
NBA doesn't know. Nobody knows, even the NFL. There's some
think the NFL could be delayed the start. So well
played baseball, they should just started regular whenever they decide
to come back. Just have an abbreviated season, however many

(01:21:11):
games that may be. If it's nineties, if it's a hundred,
just whatever it is, and then whoever is the best
after those games, just roll with it. What do you
think about the notion of playing say you played playoff
games in December, Obviously you can't play everywhere in December,
So they take the playoffs to warm Weather City, so
basically neutral site. C could what do you think about that?

(01:21:34):
You obviously had a lot of playoff experience playing home
in a way, what do you think about that in
the neutral site? Well, I'll tell you one team that
would not like that, as the Yankees, Because the one
thing about the Yankees I thought was that made them
special was the fact that they had the ultimate tenth man,
that Yankee, that Yankee Stadium in the playoffs, that's a

(01:21:54):
different crowd, man, that's a rated bunch of people, and
it matters. I mean, when I played against the Yankees
in the playoffs, it was a very tough environment to
play in. And I'm sure every opposing team would love that,
But I don't. I don't like the neutral site. I don't.
I don't like that. Um, and then where would it be?
Who would get the depths on that? Right? Right? Where

(01:22:15):
you talking about money? Yeah? Yeah, yeah right? I mean
that that. There's no way they're gonna do that. I mean, so,
like I told you, I think you should start the
season whenever you started and have an abbreviated season, shortened
season and just playing regular I don't there's no way
in December You're gonna play in New York, that's for sure.

(01:22:36):
So I don't know, no, no, no doubt about now, Dave,
you played in Atlanta, Cleveland, of course, the Yankees with
the Yankees in New York and the Oakland A's And
when you talk about baseball towns, I say, Saint Louis
is the baseball capital of America. I can't get over
the support. Obviously, Cincinnati is a great baseball town. Obviously

(01:22:57):
New York and Boston and also Detroit, and I'm missing
to another city, but there's a lot of them. What
was the best place that you played and what's one
of the greatest play even if you didn't play their
greatest baseball town in America. Well, I'll tell you this,
I don't know if you can play in a greater

(01:23:20):
all around baseball atmosphere from April through October then New
York with the Yankees, because I lived in a Yankee
neighborhood and it just felt like baseball in the Northeast
was just different. Man Like people based their whole day
around those Yankee games and my morning routine going to

(01:23:44):
get a Starbucks and going to my local Delhi. I mean,
people were always talking Yankees and the game I think
on the road. I gotta agree with you, man, Saint
Louis is a great towns a tremendous fan base. They
were the easiest fans in terms of heckling the opposing team,

(01:24:06):
Like I can't then Saint Louis, be honest with you,
But they showed a great appreciation for their home team,
and I can definitely see how guys have a great
time playing for the Saint Louis Cardinals. David, what you
want to say, Chris, Chris, let me let me, let
me just squeeze in real quick. I'm sorry when you
were talking about the New York thing, Chris and I

(01:24:26):
have talked about this before. You're right about the baseball
in New York. From this standpoint, even on sports talk radio,
where most cities are talking about the NFL or NBA,
you could turn on the radio New York and hear
them break down the Yankee game and talk about the
entire game for two or three hours. Oh yeah, yeah, man,

(01:24:46):
it's a big deal. It's a big deal in New York,
and I really got a chance to see it when
I became a Yankee. I mean, the Yankees fans are
some of the most knowledgeable fans that exists. I remember
when Alfonso Soriano, I think he hadn't walked in about
seventy something at batool something like that, and all of

(01:25:08):
a sudden he got his first walk and got a
standing ovation. I was I was lost. I was lost
in the dugout, like, what what's going on? I was
the first walk? How the henck does the whole stadium
know that's the first walk? I'm telling you out and
I tell nothing. I tell by people that in New York.

(01:25:29):
Let's say if I'm hitting and uh, let's say I'm
facing a right hand or with with first base open,
and there's a right hander behind me, and the Yankee
fans totally know what's going on. They totally know that
they're gonna put me on first base. That's how they're
planning there. They already see in the game. Whereas in
other stadium they're like, hey, swinging the bat, you know

(01:25:50):
stuff like that. Yankee fans are going are going, oh, yeah,
we know what's going on. Hey, don't swing a one
day they're trying to walk you you say the base
it's I was amazed by the knowledge of the Yankee fans,
but war when it comes to cheering on your team
and really really coming down on the opposing team. I
don't think anybody does it better than the Yankee pans m.

(01:26:13):
That's David Justice, two time World Series champion, and man,
we enjoyed your time. We appreciate you joining us. Thanks
a lot. Oh man, Hey, Rob, no no doubt about it,
and we will once everything clears up. Man, we'll get together. Man,
all right, brother, all right, stay well, piece more I

(01:26:35):
Couple coming your way. Fox Sports Radio. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris Brussar
and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app
very appropriate song to end the show and cheers, right,

(01:26:56):
Sam Malone was the you worries Boston as in the show,
and Coach the Bartender was one of their coaches, right,
so very approgram. I don't know if Alex knew that
just got lucky. I had no idea. Chris, all right,
I totally got lucky. But that's a good one. Characters,
that's right, that's right. Well, look stop waiting to see

(01:27:18):
what happens when life gets back to normal instead, take
control of your future. Now go to my computer Career
dot edu and take the free career evaluation today. Live
online classes meet just twice a week. It's not rocket science, y'all.
It's computer Career dot Edu. All right, Rob, you gave

(01:27:39):
a great old to Opening Day, had a brother little
teary eye. I gotta admit, UH really really touched the
heart from the heart man, Yes, yes, I could tell
it was from the heart. A lot of your listeners,
our listeners, were touched, and I was touched, and I

(01:28:02):
do wish they were playing baseball today. But I gotta
be honest. I for me, opening night of the NBA
season and the first Sunday, the first weekend of NFL
football for me, are bigger than Opening Day in baseball.

(01:28:29):
I'm sure you your favorite Opening Day is MLB. I'd imagine, yeah,
only because of the tradition and the stuff that I
talked about. I don't think the other sports. I get
it the first game of the year. You're excited, but
there was a real tradition about it. And I talked
about it in that old Chris about and you know
this growing up because you're you know, not that much

(01:28:51):
younger than I am. But the whole Cincinnati thing. You
remember those Mondays, the first Monday that I should say
that Monday and when up when it used to be
March Madness in the Championship was that night and the
Cincinnati Reds would play the first game of baseball. You
remember that used to be a big night because it
would be a day game in the afternoon, the first

(01:29:11):
baseball game. Whoever was playing Cincinnati in Cincinnati, that would
be the game. And then that night And that's a
kid that just grew up with that and it did.
It was always one of my favorite days. And that's
why I mentioned it because it was a double header
two different sports and I used to love it so
baseball to me that it was a traditional thing in

(01:29:32):
how I viewed sports. Well, I agree with the tradition,
you know, right, And that's opening day, isn't it's it's
it's not viewed as an opening day, you know what
I mean. It's great first game of the yea. Yeah,
it's just the first game. And every single game because

(01:29:52):
there's only sixteen now seventeen means a ton basketball. Every
team doesn't play on opening night. You know, you gotta
few big games that they play. So there's no question
that as far as tradition and history, Opening Day in
baseball is number one in that regardent. But I and

(01:30:13):
I'll say this too. I want to make the point
because I've said this to you before. Nobody. When I
was in high school, Chris was a bigger football fan
than me. Nobody. I refuse to work at the Queen
Center mall at Stride right on Sundays during football season.
I'm telling you. My boss was Shelley Zimmerman, and I

(01:30:34):
would go up to Shelley every you know, start a
football season and say I'm gone, I will not work
on Sundays. I work any day you want me to work.
I would work as many hours as you want. But
Sundays during football season, Chris, I wouldn't work. That's how.
That's how big. And you know, working at a mall
and working at the retail business, they want you to

(01:30:55):
work on the weekends, right right, right, Yeah, it's yeah. Basically,
it really probably depends on your what your favorite sport is.
You know, Like for me, the best regular season day
for the NBA is Christmas Day because you always get
the great teams playing. It's become that's really like the

(01:31:18):
opening Day, even though it's not technically Opening Day, that's
the NBA's opening day, you know what I mean, where
that that has the tradition, just like Opening Day in
baseball has that tradition. So it's unfortunate that that was lost.
And um, I want to say one thing about our
show real quick. It is the most different radio show

(01:31:39):
on national radio. And I'm proud of everything that we
did today to honor Opening Day and do an all
baseball show. I'm proud of every single one of the
gods were involved in this. I'm serious. They couldn't get
this anywhere else national show in the in the America right.
A couple Chris and Rob pe

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}An Ode to MLB Opening Day