- 7 weeks ago
Lou Merloni Talks Red Sox Stretch Run and More!
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00:00Lou Merloni, we're going to demote you to the number two celebrity in Framingham after Craig.
00:05Yeah.
00:06But you've spent a lot of time doing these telethons over the years, raising awareness, raising money.
00:12What's the experience been like looking back?
00:14Well, you know, first of all, you grow up here, so you knew all about it.
00:16And then I got to be able to live it as a player, you know, and visit the clinic and be part of that.
00:20And then after, I think 2009, Glenn Woodway brought me in here for the first time, you know, and then ever since.
00:27And I do remember, because about three months later, my son was born.
00:31And I would say the next two, three, four years, you guys know, young ones, it changed.
00:35It does, yeah.
00:36Kind of, you know, and you come in here and it's hard, right?
00:38You meet the patients, you see the families, you talk to the doctors, you hear what they have to say about it.
00:43And it's, you start feeling like you're putting things in perspective.
00:47But at the same point, you realize what you're doing, you know, and I did it for what, 15 years, I think, of these telethons.
00:52And the money that's raised, the stories early on, there was a lot of sad stories.
00:58You know, you're interviewing these families going, what are you going to do?
01:02And I would say the last five years or so, it was, doctors were saying, you know, five, six years ago, there was no help.
01:08You know, and now because of telethons like this, the money that is raised, they're better endings.
01:13And I think I could just see it just in that time.
01:16I know, Keith, you've only been doing a little, you know, not as, but I don't know.
01:18How many years have you been doing?
01:2017 was the first one, 2017.
01:22And like you said, each year is getting a little bit better.
01:24Oh, no doubt.
01:24Yeah, it's definitely gotten better.
01:26You also get to see, both as a player, but then now also just being around the team, seeing the players interact with the kids is one of the cool things.
01:34Some of the players just really take to the kids, go over there, plenty of like unannounced visits, you know, not trying to be publicized visits.
01:40But that's a real special relationship that a lot of the players have.
01:43And they understand that when they come in, obviously some embrace it.
01:46You know, maybe more guys like Brock Cole, what Garrett Whitlock does.
01:49I mean, it doesn't really surprise you when you get to know some of the people that get really involved because they're just good humans, you know.
01:57But I think they all enjoy it.
01:59I think these two days here kind of before the game, they understand that they're coming up here.
02:04They're going to be talking to the media, talking on the telethon.
02:06And I think they just, they accept it.
02:08They're excited for it.
02:10Because anytime, even in spring training, when the kids come down, like it is awesome.
02:14Like some of the players, that's their first introduction to it.
02:17And they talk about it for days, like meeting these kids down there and what it means to them putting a smile on their face.
02:22So I'm trying to remember now.
02:23We talked to, at the top of the 11 o'clock hours, Carolyn was on that trip, put on by the Jimmy Fund.
02:29You know, funds from this, and we just updated the Tote Board, $3,753,057 has been updated.
02:38So again, please continue to donate toll-free, 877-738-1234.
02:42Or you can text to give any amount by texting KCANCER to 56512.
02:47But yeah, that's one of the many places where that money goes.
02:50And I know, you know, for the ballplayers, the day off can be kind of a sacred thing, right?
02:56And something where, hey, we want to, it's a grueling season, it's a grind, and you get some time off.
03:03Maybe it's not always front of mind to go over there and do that.
03:06But a lot of these players decide to take their time to do that.
03:09They do.
03:09And, you know, even when I was playing sometimes, because it can be hard out there.
03:14You know what I mean?
03:14Like guys are in, they're in it for two or three weeks.
03:17They can't find a way out of it.
03:19You know, you've got a family at home, but really this is like the focus.
03:22And this is your world.
03:23And everything sort of evolves around how you perform.
03:26And then you take a visit.
03:28And it just can change a lot of, you know, your perspective.
03:31I'm like, man, I'm worried because, you know, I'm one for my last 20.
03:35You know?
03:36And you see what some of these families are going through.
03:38I was always amazed that the kids that came walking through here that are battling cancer and have for years, the strength that they have.
03:45Oh, they have a better attitude than like all of us.
03:47Like, yeah, not even close.
03:48You just sit here and you're like, what kind of life is this person going to live when early on in their lives they face this challenge?
03:54They met it head on.
03:56And they've taken this attitude towards it like there's nothing stopping them.
04:00You know?
04:00And it's just that always amazed me, the kids.
04:03All right.
04:03As for the team on the field, Lou, how are you feeling about it?
04:06There's been a couple of tricky bullpen situations here over the last.
04:09That's one way of putting it over the last few days, whether guys are available, unavailable.
04:14The number of guys that you're confident in in a big spot is sort of dwindling.
04:19Yeah.
04:19Overall thought on the – specifically the bullpen right now.
04:22The bullpen is leaking.
04:23Yeah.
04:23That's how I would say.
04:25And, you know, the high leverage guys like Witt has been great.
04:28You know, he throws a game.
04:30Maybe he needs a day.
04:31They're still kind of dealing with – he did have surgery last year.
04:33But you'd love to have three or four guys at the back end, you know, that you could use to set up Chapman.
04:41But when it's only one or two and they get used all the time, you know, like Weissert was fantastic.
04:46Right now he's just sort of fighting it, right, trying to find it even though he's been okay.
04:50You know, so it's like you're trying to find those guys at the high leverage spot.
04:53And that's why Slayton's going to be so important if they can get him back in a week.
04:56But, I don't know, do you expect them to be lights out right away?
04:59Probably not.
04:59Yeah.
05:00It's that back half of the bullpen that's caused some issues, right?
05:05Like last night, you keep that thing 2-0, maybe you walk it off.
05:07Or you're up 8-1, there's no need to bring in Whitlock and Chapman into those games.
05:11And that's happened a few times.
05:12So, there are some guys – I know Bernardino's back up.
05:17There are some guys down in AAA that I've talked to people that are there all the time that think they can truly help.
05:23Like the kid Tully's fastball is like in play.
05:26It doesn't matter lefty-righty.
05:27It doesn't really matter.
05:28That's the piglet, right?
05:29You've dubbed him the piglet?
05:30The little piglet.
05:31The piglet would be a good –
05:32I do love the piglet.
05:34The pig and the piglet, that's great.
05:35The piglet work.
05:36Those are good.
05:36The little piglet.
05:37The one that fascinates me is Richard Fitz.
05:39Like it's been a wild year for him.
05:41Kind of like hurt or not hurt, suspended games, one inning, sent back down.
05:45Like to me, this is like this time of year you look at – you got depth down there at Chris Well and Harrison.
05:50Like Fitz, like what is he like for an inning or two throwing 98-99?
05:54Like this is the time of year I think you start thinking about it.
05:57So I think we have all wrapped our heads around the way they handled Chapman or didn't use him on Sunday.
06:03I think we all get it.
06:05Do you like it?
06:06I mean, do you like that that's where baseball's now at where you can't go on a third day?
06:10Do you think that's a positive advancement?
06:11Or is that something you look back and say, I don't know, 15, 20 years ago he's going to throw on a third day if the team needs him?
06:16Yeah, I think with him, 37 years old, you know, and he's having a career year.
06:23And I think one of the reasons why may be because they haven't used him on three days rest.
06:28That he hasn't gone an inning and a third, inning and two thirds, two innings.
06:32You know, I think the idea is I understand you got to get there, right?
06:36And Sunday's game was a big game.
06:38They're all big games from now on.
06:39But you got to get there.
06:40But when you get there, and if you don't have him, what are we doing?
06:45You know, so it's like it's 35 games left.
06:48It's still a lot.
06:49And I would say like the last week or two of the season, in the postseason, you know, you take the chains off of everybody.
06:57And we saw that in the postseason before with how he uses some pitchers.
07:00Guys are just out there throwing every day.
07:02Nobody has an off day.
07:03But in order to be able to do that, I think you still have to kind of be careful.
07:07Well, the bottom line is it's like someone else other than Chapman has to go out there and throw the ball and get out, right?
07:14Like it's eight-man bullpen.
07:16Guys have to do their job, you know.
07:19And Whitlock's done a nice job of it.
07:21Wilson, Matt's has done a nice job.
07:23And he just gave up a two-run homer the other day.
07:24So it's just – it's one of those things.
07:26But you can't overuse them now.
07:28I still think it's too early, even though as important as all these games are.
07:31Are you more worried about seeding for where they are?
07:35Or do you think they could fall out of it?
07:36Like do you look at Cleveland as a team that's going to snipe one of these spots?
07:40Or do you think it's just sort of reordering the three?
07:42I actually – it's funny because I think it was Texas beat Toronto the other day.
07:46And I wasn't rooting for that.
07:47Like I want Cleveland, Kansas City, and Texas to go away.
07:50Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:51You know what I mean?
07:51Yeah, yeah.
07:52And you want the number one seed.
07:54Yeah, right.
07:55There's such a good home team.
07:56Wild card here, three games, it's going to be tough to beat.
07:59I honestly – you're just at the point where you've got to get in.
08:01Yeah.
08:01You know what I mean?
08:01That's step one.
08:03Like I've always said, I feel like you're in phase 2016, you know,
08:06where you went and got Price and Kimbrel, and you made the playoffs,
08:09and you didn't do well.
08:10Right.
08:11And then the next year, you've got somebody to go with Price.
08:13You know, like this offseason, maybe you've got somebody to go with Crochet.
08:16And then it still took J.D. Martinez, you know,
08:19to kind of get the offense going.
08:20And then it still took Nate Ivaldi.
08:21So it's like a little build.
08:23But I want them to get there because I want these young kids to feel it.
08:26If it's on the road, so be it.
08:28You just want to get in.
08:29That's why I'm rooting for those other teams to go away.
08:31Well, and you mentioned the other teams to go away.
08:33Is there a team – I keep as a big believer in this,
08:36and we've seen it in the playoffs.
08:37If you just get in, you have a good chance to go to a World Series,
08:40maybe win a World Series.
08:42Is there a team in the American League you look at,
08:44and it is head and shoulders better than the Red Sox when they get there,
08:47or is it a pretty level field once you make that postseason?
08:51I think Seattle's the best team in the American League.
08:53And honestly, in my own mind, I don't know where they're going to end up
08:56in the final standings.
08:58I don't think it's close, you know,
09:00because I think, you know, Brian Wu can match up with just about anybody.
09:03Yeah, they already had the pitching, and then they went out and got that.
09:05And then they come right back with two or three other guys.
09:07Yeah.
09:07And then they come – you know, now all of a sudden it's Suarez and Naylor.
09:10I just feel like that is – they finally become what you've been ripping them
09:14for not becoming, you know, like you went out and got some offense.
09:17You know, because you got Scoble, you got Crochet, you know,
09:21you've got these guys, there's veterans up in Toronto.
09:23But I just – I feel like Toronto can match one, two, three.
09:28You know, it can match a one and can kind of two, three dominate there too.
09:31So they're a team I worry about, but I actually worry about Texas.
09:37Yeah, if they got in.
09:38And they just can't get out of their own way.
09:39Yeah, no, they don't.
09:40They can't get out of their own way.
09:41No, so I don't know what's going on there.
09:42This is more of a question, I guess, probably for next year,
09:45but, like, how do you – like, the log jam in the outfield,
09:48sort of the role of Satan Raffaella, and even, I guess, for this year,
09:51like, do you want to see him more in center field
09:53because of how dynamic he's in center field,
09:55or because of need, you got him at second base?
09:57I think they want him in center every day.
09:58Yeah.
09:59But the Marcello injury really impacted a lot.
10:01And it might have impacted a trade deadline, you know,
10:04because there was no jam anymore,
10:05and there was no need to trade anybody anymore, you know.
10:09They want him in center.
10:10It's just that right now I think Romy Gonzalez is a guy that, like,
10:14I think if you play him every day, you're going to find him on the IL.
10:17You know, I just – I think you got to pick your spots with him
10:19and kind of keep doing what you're doing with him.
10:21And I think other than that, he's your best option.
10:22So it's not perfect.
10:24It's because of injury.
10:25I think he's your center fielder for a long time, like, moving forward.
10:29Does Meyer concern you at all?
10:30Yeah.
10:31Just because every year it seems like he gets shut down with something, you know.
10:34And some guys in all sports just have that, like, buzzard's luck,
10:38and they're just, like, always hurt.
10:39And it just seems like, unfortunately, it's another year where he goes down.
10:41It does because it's hurt his, like, kind of climb.
10:44Yeah.
10:44You know, even though we got here this year with everybody else,
10:46but it was like when everybody else finally got the AAA last year
10:49and were, like, competing and playing at high levels, he was hurt.
10:51He's missed so many at-bats.
10:53Yeah.
10:53And, you know, just development time in the minor leagues.
10:55Yeah.
10:55And, you know, you see guys from, like, well, this guy was in Meyer's class.
10:58He's already in the big leagues.
10:59Why isn't Marcella?
10:59Well, that guy played 130 games for two or three years in a row.
11:03Yeah.
11:03Jackson Merrill.
11:04Yeah.
11:04That's the big example.
11:04Yeah.
11:05For years in a row.
11:06When you're playing 75, you're just missing those A-Bs at the next level.
11:09So, for him, yeah, there's a little bit of a concern.
11:11I mean, it's kind of fluky things, but this is one of the things with prospects.
11:16They could come up and not be good.
11:17They could be injury-prone.
11:19You know, it's just a lot of different things.
11:21He's obviously showing what he can do.
11:23Yeah.
11:23It's just kind of trying to see if he can keep them healthy.
11:25All right.
11:26Lou Merloni, thanks for helping out last night, today, these last 15 years,
11:30all the help over the years.
11:31We appreciate it.
11:32What do we got, 4.9?
11:33That's the number we're circling.
11:35That's the one we're chasing.
11:36We're all around it.
11:37And thank you to you guys, because I know this is very, very important.
11:40You guys are fantastic.
11:41Great job today.
11:42Thank you very much.
11:42Continue to donate toll-free, 877-738-1234, onlinejimmyfund.org.
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