00:00So, yeah, I was listening to you guys yesterday just in preparation of jumping in today.
00:03Wanted to make sure I wasn't re-
00:05But I did hear this comment that we're going to play once again from-
00:10And the Rome talking about the Astros and their offseason, and it just bugged me.
00:15And I'll explain why.
00:16It's a whole thing with the Astros that I just don't like, and I think it's screwed up the whole roster.
00:20But here was Chandler Rome talking about the Astros.
00:23I think they're done adding to the room.
00:25You never say never, and I don't think they would ever just completely turn their-
00:30nose at pitching.
00:30You can never have enough pitching.
00:32But I think with what they've done, I think if they-
00:35wanted Justin Verlander, I think if Jim Crane wanted Justin Verlander, I think it probably would have been-
00:40done by now.
00:41I think there was some interest in that maybe earlier in the offseason, but now that the Astros-
00:45Astros have made all these additions, I'm just not sure that fiscally-
00:50they're going to get where Justin maybe wants his contract to be.
00:53He made $15 million last year.
00:55Had a very nice second half.
00:57You could maybe make the argument that he deserves maybe-
01:00the same salary, if not maybe a little bit less.
01:02But, you know, I-
01:05right now, I don't see that happening, but I'll always say with the caveat, if Jim-
01:10Crane wants it, because he and Justin Verlander are that close, if he decides that-
01:15you know, he can make it work and he wants to make it work, you know, it surely could happen.
01:20That's- and I think that's where- it's interesting with the Astros, you know-
01:25so they- they've got anywhere from 10, 11, 12 guys who are potentially starting pitchers.
01:30And that's something that- we got spoiled for a while because for a long time it was that-
01:35they had- they had seven start- like rock-solid starting pitchers on the staff.
01:40Five of whom could be aces on other teams and we're not- we're not there yet anymore.
01:45The biggest thing that I really- I- I- I have to fight against this myself, Luke-
01:50is that the injury luck has been so bad the last couple years-
01:55that I feel like we as a fan base have almost fallen into-
02:00thinking that that's the norm and that that's how it's gonna be forever and that you just-
02:05always wait for the other shoe to drop almost-
02:07but into our- to the credit of the Astros fan-
02:10base and I'll say to the credit of the Texans fan base as well-
02:13compared to say-
02:15there's a lot of Chargers fans this year who would not shut up about their offensive line injuries and why-
02:20oh-
02:20we would've been Super Bowl champions if we hadn't lost our two offensive tackles.
02:23I think that-
02:24people don't really-
02:25we don't really have an appetite for just excusing things away because of injuries.
02:28But if you look at the Astros by injury-
02:30it's just two or three guys with one few injuries-
02:34uh-
02:35one-
02:35one less injury per guy and they're in the playoffs at the very least.
02:39and it-
02:40it's-
02:40it's-
02:41I-
02:42it-
02:43it's a valid excuse but I think people are hesitant to-
02:45for a-
02:46for a-
02:47for a third year in a row say-
02:48well they can't possibly be as injured as they were-
02:50last year.
02:51You know?
02:52I have no problem though adding pitching.
02:54Yeah.
02:55My issue-
02:55from that clip-
02:56two things.
02:57Number one-
02:58I don't like the idea that Jim Crane-
02:59I know he's the money-
03:00guy he's the owner.
03:01It's his team.
03:02It's his quote unquote company.
03:03I get it.
03:04But let the baseball people do-
03:05the baseball things.
03:06I don't like the idea that-
03:07if Jim Crane wants Justin Verlander-
03:08he likes him-
03:09they're that close.
03:10Like those-
03:10sign him.
03:11I don't like that.
03:12Don't make the decision.
03:13But number two-
03:14enough-
03:15my biggest issue with the Astros-
03:15is enough with these reunions.
03:17You're going to bring Verlander back for a third time and pay him 15 million-
03:20dollars when he's 43 years old.
03:22Yeah.
03:23You brought Neres back last year.
03:24You bring-
03:25you bring all these guys-
03:25I think that's the reason why you brought Carlos Correa back last year is more-
03:30just because like you liked him and it was emotional thing and he was available and you thought about all the-
03:35fun times-
03:36it was like when you get divorced and then sometime apart and you realize like actually-
03:39we have-
03:40we had a lot of fun.
03:41We should get back together just because of the time apart.
03:43I thought it was an emotional thing and-
03:45and now because you brought in Carlos Correa-
03:47we're talking about trading away Isak Paredes, a 20-
03:50six-year-old back-to-back all-star to make room for Carlos Correa who I thought should never have been-
03:55headed to the roster to begin with but I just think we get all these reunions with the Astros-
03:59they already brought Verlander back-
04:00previously-
04:01that there are all these emotional ties that Jim Crane just wants to bring back like-
04:05these players that he likes maybe personally and I think it digs the Astros into these holes where right now-
04:10you look at the roster today-
04:11this is a poorly put together roster where you-
04:15you have too many players, not enough spots and you might have to get rid of-
04:19one of your most-
04:20talented bats just to appease Carlos Correa because of what he's done in the past.
04:25that's what- the- the sentimentality danger is- is- is real I think.
04:29and I think with-
04:30I mean, El Tuve was kind of where a lot of people had fallen-
04:35on- okay, look, there's your sentimental deal right there-
04:38the extension to- to be sure Jose-
04:40El Tuve retires in Astro, et cetera, et cetera. At the time it looked like it was a-
04:45a pretty-
04:45smart deal because it-
04:46at the very least it was front loaded and at the back end of it-
04:49it doesn't hurt you as much.
04:50and we'll see how he plays this year, but-
04:52bringing Correa in gave you an immediate-
04:55bump, but you do now also have this congestion that you may or may not be able to-
05:00trade your way out of in the infield and-
05:03bring in-
05:04bring in Verlander-
05:05back-
05:06I-
05:07just-
05:08it-
05:09it makes sense-
05:10situationally.
05:10it- it's just-
05:11it's gotta be-
05:12it-
05:13for me to be cool and comfortable with it-
05:15it would have to be after there were already some injuries-
05:18I don't want you-
05:19I don't wanna bring some-
05:20when you've already got concerns about injuries and you've swapped out your medical staff-
05:23and you've had all these-
05:25issues with the pitching staff to begin with-
05:27I don't want a sentimental signing at the beginning of the season-
05:30that ends up making it even harder to overcome an inevitable injury to the old guys like Justin-
05:35Verlander-
05:36yeah, they already tried it with Verlander two years ago-
05:38he had a five and a half ERA here in Houston-
05:40you know, now he's 43-
05:42so I-
05:43I just-
05:44like I said for Correa-
05:45and I said-
05:45I heard this previously on the airwaves-
05:46but it reminded me of in the office where Michael Scott runs into Timothy-
05:50Oliphant's character-
05:51yeah-
05:52actually during the commercial break-
05:53we were just talking about salesman-
05:54and Timothy-
05:55Oliphant's like this great-
05:55great salesman in Scranton-
05:56and he's-
05:57you know, he's a good-looking dude and everybody loves him-
05:59and Michael-
06:00is-
06:00so infatuated with him-
06:01that he's like-
06:02we have to hire this guy-
06:03and he does everything he can-
06:05to hire-
06:05to hire Timothy-
06:06and then they-
06:07at the end of the episode-
06:08Michael Scott's in his office and he goes-
06:09oh wait-
06:10we-
06:10we already have Todd Packer-
06:11we don't even need this guy-
06:12like we don't have a spot for him-
06:13and it just reminded me of like-
06:15Carlos Correa's available-
06:16getting so infatuated like-
06:17oh let's bring him-
06:18bring him back-
06:19last year-
06:20you didn't make the playoffs anyways-
06:21and then now you look at this season-
06:22it's like-
06:23oh wait-
06:24because of that Correa addition-
06:25like-
06:25we have too many people-
06:26the Correa-
06:27and the odd man out is Parades-
06:28but the Correa one at least-
06:29also makes sense-
06:30the Correa-
06:30financially because his old team's paying a big chunk of his salary that so it's like
06:35that one if you're in the checks and balances and everything at least it balances out a little bit
06:39more
06:40with with Verlander it would if for me to be comfortable it would have to be oh you're
06:45getting a genuine hometown discount because Verlander likes playing for the Astros and he
06:48likes it in Houston
06:50and everything else because you can't ignore the age and everything else that goes along with it
06:54yeah the other
06:55the other part too where I think we've gotten a little bit cynical
06:57I'm including myself in that with the Astros
07:00fan base and and maybe it's the realistic way to be it's that I don't feel like we have the faith
07:05in the Astros pitching car wash that we used to I feel like I you know
07:10Kikuchi tested me because I was skeptical of the Kikuchi trade and then lo and behold
07:15the Astros pitching car wash worked and you got a much better version of Kikuchi that
07:20you're immediately and and now I still find myself doing it with EMI I'm like
07:25all right there was a day where I would have I would have heard about the EMI signing and been
07:28like oh hell yeah
07:30Cy Young candidate sign him up there you go now I'm more of a like all right we'll wait
07:35and see I feel like back in the day I would have looked at Jason Alexander or something and be like
07:39yeah
07:40here's your next Garrett Cole right here and now I'm more like all right I know that's how it used to be but I'm not
07:45so I'm not so sure about it right now yeah I I hear you by the way pitchers and catchers for the Astros are
07:50important 13 days baseball will be here before we know it uh real quick Seth I do have to
07:55get your take on this because of the whole Watergate thing somebody on the text line said I'm with Luke on this gate
08:00thing thank you but they said alcoholic is another one workaholic uh
08:04shot
08:05alcoholic a-holic is uh part of alcohol they said we should not use that for
08:09you
08:10other things
08:10oh
08:11what's your take on that
08:12that's an interesting one
08:13I feel like that's just getting a little
08:15too touchy-feely like uh sensitive about like hey let's not diminish the disease that alcoholism is
08:20that's uh I uh if anything it makes it hmm no I I I I
08:25I never thought about that a single time in my life you're right a workaholic it's it's
08:30like people know the deal like yeah your dudes it's it's like alcoholism except you're using words
08:35Yeah, it becomes the term for any sort of addiction.
08:40I guess. Negative addiction, right? Negative connotation.
08:42He's a work addict versus a workaholic.
08:45It's more fun to say workaholic.
08:47It is.
08:48I guess, you know what it does, though, too, is...
08:50I think that it, because of the connotations of alcoholism, if anything, even though...
08:55it's a fun little way to say it, it does make it serious.
08:57Like, no, it can ruin your life if you're a workaholic.
09:00You're forsaking your family and everything else, and that's the only thing you care about.
09:05No.
09:06I approve.
09:07It stands.
09:08Okay.
09:09That one still stands.
09:10I'm gonna...
09:10I try to consider your gate thing.
09:11I try to look at my blind spots and my prejudices, my biases...
09:15and everything else like that.
09:16And I don't want to just, you know, say that's stupid that you...
09:20I think that nothing should be called gate.
09:22That not every scandal should be called gate.
09:24But, uh...
09:25I'll reflect on it this afternoon.
09:26Yea, we'll take that back.
09:27Because we live back to time.
09:28I'll reflect on it this afternoon.
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