00:00Roman Anthony spoke a little bit yesterday, didn't he?
00:03Yeah, he sat down with Cooper Boardman, who even calls some games right here on WEI,
00:08and talked about hitting home runs off of certain pitchers,
00:12and when people ask him about it and things of that nature.
00:15Here was our guy Roman Anthony.
00:17People always ask, like, what's it feel like to hit a home run off of this guy or that guy?
00:21It's like, you know what, I actually have no idea.
00:23Like, I just, you know, ran into something, was doing the right things at that point in time.
00:29But when you're in it, you don't really think about it, right?
00:31You home run off of a guy, it's like, all right, next I bet.
00:33Like, all right, next game, you know, next inning defense, whatever.
00:36Like, there's so many, I think that's why it's such a funny, like, amazing, unique game.
00:41Like, you just constantly keep going.
00:43You know, you play 162 games, and, you know, you play nine innings every day.
00:46It's like, you know, we got to honor the next pitch, honor the next play.
00:48It's such a unique game to where you don't have time where, you know, maybe football, you know, once a
00:54week.
00:54Like, you know, let's sit back and think about what we did, you know, for the next five, six days.
00:59And so, yeah, for me, never really had time to sit back and think about everything.
01:04I do love his attitude.
01:06And I hope he's aware that the entire hopes and dreams of a region rest on his gigantic, well-defined
01:14shoulders because he's got to – we need a bunch of dingers from him.
01:19So, you think he is the one, if you were to – if I were to ask the room, most
01:22pressure on a player on this Red Sox team?
01:26Yep.
01:28I would put that on, like, Garrett Crochet.
01:31That's who I put all, like, the pressure of the team on him.
01:34Yeah, I mean, I guess.
01:35Roman Anthony's still so young, like –
01:37Yeah.
01:38I mean, the expectation is certainly high for him, but he, you know, other than the injury, I think during
01:45his time here last season, he delivered very well for the baseball team.
01:49So, would you think he has the most pressure on him this year?
01:52I don't know if it's pressure.
01:53Like, I feel like Trevor Story has a lot of pressure because he was good last year.
01:56This team doesn't have a lot of pop.
01:58If he's not – if he goes back to what he was two years ago, I think this team is
02:02in deep trouble.
02:03And I feel like I want to ask Alex Gora this when we talk to him next week, but I
02:07feel like he is, whether asked or just doing it on his own, is trying to step in a little
02:15bit to that veteran leadership void that was left by the departure of Alex Bregman.
02:20And maybe the way I've heard him talk so far.
02:24Yeah, that could be true.
02:24And the other thing, I was driving around last night, I heard Arkan talking about how this is all on
02:31Breslow.
02:32That Arkan's point of view was that Breslow decided how to allocate these resources and that it was all –
02:38he has to, quote, own the offseason, unquote.
02:41And I just don't put any of it on Breslow.
02:43Like, I don't think it's his decision to do anything.
02:46Well, I think it's all on Cora with the season because Cora is the one who told us that he
02:50believes that he has a better team this year than he did last year.
02:54Well, yeah, well, the seam heads, the nerds tend to agree.
02:59Like, I think you have to acknowledge that.
03:01Like, when those guys are – when the bots are crunching the numbers, the Red Sox are number two when
03:08it comes to teams that improved in the offseason.
03:12They are number two.
03:13So I – that's what the number crunchers, the data crunchers will say about this Red Sox.
03:20And I think the pressure is not – because I've already told you, like, yeah, I don't know if the
03:24manager's a major, like, has a lot – you know, like, it's a big factor into what your team looks
03:31like.
03:31I think it's just really about, you know, when do we go get a guy, relief pitcher, or set in
03:35the lineup.
03:36I don't give a lot to a Major League Baseball manager.
03:40So I would say the pressure – when I say pressure on Cora, like, this might be the year for
03:44him where if they don't do well, are they looking to get a new manager next year?
03:50You're right, because if they don't do well this year, he's entering the final year of his contract, and we
03:54know that that's not something he wants to do.
03:56So either you're a lame duck, which he doesn't want, or they'll extend him.
03:59If they have a poor year, maybe they just stop it a year before it's done.
04:03Yeah, I mean, listen, I am – I agree with – whether it's Craig Breslow or those that are looking
04:10at the team and saying,
04:11you improved when it comes to pitching.
04:14You absolutely have improved when it comes to pitching.
04:17And you've got to figure out who that fifth starter is rotation-wise, but you've got a bunch of good
04:23options.
04:23You're going to see your guy tomorrow, the stash, and you've got Brian Baio that's up first.
04:29So I'm not – pitching I'm not worried about.
04:32It's really where does the offense come from.
04:34But then you have – and we're only two weeks into it, but you have somebody like Braew, who is
04:42knocking the cover off the ball currently.
04:45So you're going to have to string together the offense from a bunch of different guys.
04:51If the Red Sox are not performing well this season, it's because their pitching didn't live up to the expectations.
04:58Expectations, right?
04:59That's kind of the way – because you talk about big stash for the fifth starter.
05:04It looks like we always talk about you've got your number one, you've got a legitimate number two,
05:09and maybe you've got even a number three because you don't need five guys, right?
05:13Well, listen, the naysayers are going to – like that text there on the Subaru of New England text line,
05:19which is that no team has won a championship without a 30-home-run hitter.
05:25So, you know.
05:27Yeah, I would also say, though, just a year-to-year – I know you said people think they improved.
05:32You lose Devers for nothing.
05:35You lose Bregman for nothing.
05:37And you're sitting here, and I don't know.
05:41It's unfathomable that they would bring in a guy in Bregman who would ruin your relationship with Devers to the
05:48point that he's gone.
05:49He was here for 10 years.
05:50Now, poof, he disappeared.
05:52And Bregman, the guy that you moved him for, is gone as well.
05:55Which – and this is what I said last year.
05:58You should have just left Devers at third and put Bregman at second.
06:03Knowing that, okay, there's a chance we could lose Bregman because we gave him a contract where –
06:09Honestly, Rafael Devers, unfortunately, would have found something else to be annoyed by.
06:15Like, let's be –
06:15No, Greg, before last year, he never pouted and didn't play.
06:18He always played.
06:19Yeah.
06:20He never was an issue.
06:21Nope.
06:21He played 150 games a year.
06:23He was never an issue.
06:24If you would have just said – and I get it.
06:26Why is he suddenly so gung-ho about playing first base out there for the Giants now?
06:31Because he is pissed at the people here and he wants to rub their face in it.
06:35Right.
06:36And when you give –
06:37We would all be the same way.
06:39Right.
06:39And when you give Bregman a deal where there's an option for him to be out after one year,
06:44why would you ruffle the feathers of a guy that you had eight years on the contract
06:49or however many years left Devers had?
06:51A guy that you did everything you could to say, throw the glove away.
06:58You're the DH.
06:59We're not going to move you around.
07:01We're going to just – you're just going to hit.
07:02That's all we need from you.
07:03And that's clearly something Devers didn't want.
07:06And then, boom, an injury occurs and it's, no, you need to learn first base.
07:09And while we all would play, Devers is the face of the franchise at over $300 million
07:16and he feels like he's been disrespected the entire offseason.
07:19And I don't think it's a crazy thing that – I think other great players in baseball
07:25would have reacted in a similar way.
07:28Right.
07:28Unless you –
07:28Brett Norton in the Twitch chat is asking if I have a shrine,
07:33an Alex Bregman shrine in my closet.
07:36I do not.
07:37You love Bregman.
07:37Huh?
07:38You love some Bregman.
07:39Yeah, I did.
07:40Yeah, you're like, give him $40 million for being like –
07:42He's a lunch pill guy like myself.
07:44Hey, Techie Chinon, when we said that to Veritech, he almost fell out of his chair.
07:48Yeah.
07:48I was like, wait, wait, $40 million for him to be like, all right, tuck your chin in?
07:53For a leader?
07:54Right.
07:54For a locker room guy?
07:55Right.
07:56It wasn't tuck your chin in.
07:57It was barrel positioning.
07:59Okay, barrel positioning.
07:59If you know anything about the game.
08:01Well, guess what?
08:01Veritech probably said, hey, your barrel position is a little bit up.
08:04It was like you're a little tight on the barrel.
08:07Well, then pay –
08:08Save that.
08:09Pay Veritech some money then.
08:10That's like –
08:11And by the way, Devers –
08:13Loose and lower barrel grip.
08:15I mean, you don't get those kind of tips every single day.
08:18Devers played 163 games last year because he was traded and played an extra one with the Giants.
08:25The year before, he played 138, 153, 141, 156.
08:29The guy was not someone who didn't actually suit up and play.
08:34Cora should have, from day one, should have said, hey, listen, Bregman, here's what we're going to do.
08:39We're going to move you to second, you know, and we're going to keep Devers there.
08:43And they – I bet you if they do that, even if you lose Bregman, you still have Devers.
08:49And now you're saying, okay, where's my 30 bombs going to come from?
08:53And there it is.
08:55They could come from Roman Anthony.
08:56Like, everybody immediately discounts that Roman Anthony could get you 30 this year.
09:00He could.
09:01Devers has hit 30 home runs.
09:03Does Cassis hit better with a shiesty on?
09:05Do we have any indication on that?
09:08He looks better.
09:09Is he going to wear that thing during his at-bats?
09:13I don't think you're allowed.
09:13I mean, I think that would be –
09:15Nobody's –
09:16Is it allowed?
09:17I doubt it.
09:18I think you could.
09:19Really?
09:19Right.
09:20They wore them in the cold weather games.
09:21They wear the poo shiesties out there.
09:22Who is the guy, Rip Hamilton, who kept the mask on even though his nose was no longer fractured?
09:26Yeah, yeah, from the Detroit –
09:27Well, you might be thinking of Hannibal Lecter.
09:29Oh, that's true.
09:30Yeah.
09:31I think he should do that.
09:33Might as well.
09:34Might improve the swing.
09:35I have an idea.
09:36You guys wear poo shiesties, whatever they're called, when he's interviewed with us.
09:40We will.
09:41Absolutely.
09:41Looks like you're getting ready for the town part two.
09:43All right.
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