00:00I tweeted last night, you're a Marvel guy, right?
00:02Yeah.
00:03I tweeted last night the famous line from Thanos
00:07when the trailer came out back in the day,
00:11and he had that line where he said,
00:12dread it, run from it, and destiny still arrives.
00:15So I swapped out the word destiny with the Cleveland Guardians
00:17because that's what this team is.
00:20Every single year, it's like, I don't know,
00:24they're not going to be that good,
00:26or maybe this is a year they missed the playoffs,
00:29or maybe this is the year the White Sox are ready to win the division,
00:32which I don't know that anybody really predicted that.
00:34I think everyone thought the White Sox were maybe still a year or so away.
00:37Maybe the Twins, maybe the Tigers are really the darling of this division.
00:41They were supposed to be the team that won it,
00:43and then obviously we saw how that went.
00:44And no matter what you think, no matter how you feel about this division,
00:49whose turn it is, whatever,
00:51it's just always the Guardians' turn in some way, shape, or form.
00:54They're always there.
00:56Fifteen and a half games back in the division like last year,
00:58no problem, we're going to still come win the division.
01:01This year, you're leading the division for a while,
01:03you fall behind a little bit, you're like 500, what, 25 days ago,
01:07or whatever the hell it was,
01:08and then you finish the season as strong as ever,
01:11jump the White Sox, and you win the division again.
01:13They just are always lurking, and they're always there,
01:17and they're always going to get the job done.
01:19So, listen, I talked about this a little bit yesterday,
01:22but like, and this was before they obviously clinched,
01:24but we knew they were going to the playoffs.
01:26Like, these games were insignificant in the sense of like,
01:29all right, there's not the pressure of,
01:31you have to win these to win the division,
01:33or to, sorry, to make the playoffs.
01:35But yes, you wanted to see them still win the division
01:37and get the bye and all those things.
01:40But as much as we certainly rag on the Guardians
01:43for not maybe doing enough sometimes,
01:45or pushing the chips into the center of the table sometimes,
01:48they do deserve a lot of credit
01:50for just being the model of consistency in this town,
01:53and always, no matter what the circumstances are,
01:57finding a way to be in this conversation,
02:01be in the dance when it's all said and done,
02:02and give themselves a shot.
02:03And I'll say this, I know, and by the way,
02:06it's okay to say that,
02:08and then also still have expectations for the team.
02:10And in a year where you should have expectations
02:12for them to do more than they have in the past,
02:14I think this is an AL that is absolutely winnable.
02:17Like, this AL is wide open for somebody.
02:21I mean, think about it.
02:23The Yankees and their wild card series
02:25aren't going to have Aaron Judge.
02:27Like, they're beatable.
02:28I know my Red Sox, they're a flawed team.
02:31Like, it's been a remarkable season for them,
02:33for them to go on the run they went on
02:34to get back into this thing and to make the playoffs.
02:36I've enjoyed every second of it,
02:37but it's like, that team's flawed.
02:39Obviously, we know the White Sox are a young team
02:41that's never been there before.
02:42But the team that the Guardians play out of the West,
02:45which I think is Texas now,
02:48is going to be under .500 most likely.
02:51Like, there's a lot, there's an advantageous path.
02:54The one team I left out is the Rays,
02:55who we know the Rays are like the best team in the AL.
02:58But even they're beatable.
02:59So it's like, this is a year where it feels like
03:01the Guardians is legit.
03:02Somebody asked me the other day,
03:03do you really think the Guardians have a chance
03:04to win the AL?
03:05And I said, yeah.
03:06Because the AL just isn't that good this year.
03:08Like, anybody could,
03:09if you told me any of these teams won it,
03:11I wouldn't be surprised.
03:11Yeah, I was talking about it on Friday.
03:13Like, I wouldn't pick the Guardians,
03:15objectively would not pick the Guardians
03:16to come out of the American League.
03:17That's fair.
03:18But I wouldn't tell you they can't.
03:19Like, I wouldn't sit here and tell,
03:21like most years.
03:21Would you pick the Rays?
03:24Yeah, probably.
03:25Or the Yankees?
03:26Yeah, it's Rays or Yankees.
03:27Yankees just always find a way in the playoffs
03:29to be an irritant.
03:30Yeah.
03:30And I understand, like,
03:31obviously they haven't had the
03:32go to the World Series
03:32or win the World Series success in a long time.
03:35But they always find a way to be irritating.
03:37And if they get,
03:38I mean,
03:39Judge is potentially back for an ALCS
03:40more than likely.
03:41Yeah, I mean,
03:42I would imagine a run for them,
03:44like, you're envisioning that
03:45including Judge for most of the playoffs.
03:47Yeah.
03:47So that's the key thing here.
03:48Like, if they were to get bounced
03:49by the Red Sox in this first round,
03:51then it's like,
03:52all right,
03:54now it's really wide open,
03:55it feels like.
03:55Because the Yankees are the team
03:56that theoretically are built
04:00to,
04:01they would say
04:02they invested enough
04:03in, like,
04:03trying to get over that hump.
04:04I would say maybe they didn't
04:06because their offense
04:06is really just Aaron Judge
04:08and that's it.
04:08But, yeah,
04:10like,
04:10they're the team,
04:11they're going to be the team
04:11everybody picks
04:12because of the Yankees.
04:12Yeah, of course.
04:13I mean,
04:14they're going to be the team up there.
04:15But, yeah,
04:15I think the Guardians have a great shot.
04:16Yesterday was a lot of fun.
04:18There were times sitting there
04:19during the game
04:19where I was like,
04:20I don't know if they're actually
04:21going to do this.
04:22And then all of a sudden
04:22there was an 11 spot up.
04:23I was like,
04:23okay, no, they're good.
04:24I switched over to the White Sox
04:26game playing the Rockies
04:27and was sitting on the edge
04:28of my seat
04:29because you never feel safe
04:30when the Rockies are.
04:31You can give them a lead.
04:32It doesn't matter.
04:33And I was sitting there
04:34and I watched them put up
04:36a three-run shot
04:37and I was like,
04:38oh, it's sealed.
04:39Like, that's it.
04:40We're going to the ALDS.
04:42You don't have to worry
04:42about the wild card.
04:43And then all of a sudden
04:44the White Sox start off
04:45and get a three-run homer
04:46of their own in the ninth.
04:48And I was like,
04:48uh-oh.
04:49Yeah, they need to close the door
04:50and close it fast.
04:51I need to hurry this up.
04:52What's funny about that
04:53is I was sitting there
04:54watching that game unfold
04:56to see, like,
04:57I was flipping between that
04:58and, like, you know,
04:59obviously some of the
04:59college football games.
05:00And I'm sitting there
05:01and I was thinking about
05:02we had Al Palowski
05:03on our show yesterday,
05:05Earl and I.
05:05And the last thing
05:06Earl asked him was like,
05:07what do you think?
05:08Is today the day
05:09that the Guardians get it done?
05:11And Al was legitimately like,
05:13man, I don't know
05:14if we could trust the Rockies.
05:15He was like,
05:16I'm not trusting the Rockies
05:17to actually win one of these games.
05:19And lo and behold,
05:20the Rockies won one of the games.
05:21So I thought that was
05:21kind of a funny thing.
05:23But yeah, man,
05:24like just a cool,
05:24another great season
05:26that we can all sort of celebrate
05:27for what it's been.
05:28But I do think this year,
05:30especially with what they invested
05:31at the trade deadline,
05:32is a year where you have higher,
05:34you should have higher expectations
05:35for the Guardians
05:36than maybe you've ever had.
05:37And when you think about it,
05:37like the lockouts
05:38potentially coming,
05:39I know the President
05:41of the United States
05:41yesterday said
05:42that if he can step in
05:44and try to make sure
05:45the lockout doesn't happen,
05:46he's going to do it.
05:47I don't know what that looks like.
05:48I don't know how the President
05:48stops a lockout.
05:49But hey,
05:50more power to him,
05:51I guess,
05:51if that's what he wants
05:52to try to do.
05:53But with that coming too,
05:54it's like,
05:55enjoy every second of this
05:56because we don't know
05:57when baseball's going
05:58to be played again.
05:59Yeah.
05:59And listen,
06:00I think it's fair to say
06:01expectations right now,
06:04Guardians should be in the ALCS.
06:05I think it should be
06:06at least at the ALCS.
06:07Yeah.
06:08Because of what they did
06:09at the trade deadline,
06:10because they have a team
06:12that has,
06:13and I get it like record-wise,
06:14you might look and say,
06:14well,
06:15there's better teams.
06:16These teams should be in the ALCS.
06:17But I think for Guardians fans,
06:19I think that would be
06:21the level where it's like,
06:22after that point,
06:23it's like,
06:23okay,
06:24whatever happens from here,
06:25I'm satisfied type thing.
06:26I think the ALCS
06:27is a fair bar to set.
06:28All right.
06:29We got a lot to get into.
06:30Obviously,
06:31high vibes from the Guardians.
06:33Brown's trying to finish off
06:34the sweep this weekend.
06:35And they're going to be playing football
06:36against the Carolina Panthers.
06:37And you're in for a very nice day.
06:39Can I just say that
06:40right out of the gate?
06:40Let's go ahead and get to
06:41our kickoff conditions
06:43and start things off here.
06:44And those are brought to you
06:45by our good friends over there
06:46at Expert Renovations.
06:47Expert Renovations,
06:48lc.com.
06:49Right around game time,
06:50going to be about 70 degrees.
06:53Sunny,
06:53not a cloud in sight.
06:54Things are just going to be
06:55absolutely magnificent.
06:56People talk about football weather
06:57and they get into the nitty gritty
06:58and they're like,
06:59oh,
06:59it's 55 degrees.
07:01It's football weather.
07:02No,
07:02this is football weather for me.
07:0370 degrees.
07:04It's just a nice,
07:05even cool.
07:05You go ask anybody
07:06who's played the game.
07:07I think they would appreciate
07:0870 and nothing else happening.
07:10And the Browns will definitely
07:11take it after,
07:11you know,
07:12the 120 degree field conditions
07:14they've been playing
07:14in the last two weeks.
07:16Yeah,
07:17no kidding.
07:17Those two Florida trips
07:19are definitely hot.
07:19It really is like,
07:21I checked the forecast last night
07:22to sort of see like,
07:23all right,
07:23what am I wearing tomorrow?
07:26And when I saw like 68 degrees,
07:28basically the entire day
07:30and sunny,
07:31I was like,
07:31man,
07:32oh man,
07:32you couldn't ask for a better day
07:33to start the football season
07:35here in Cleveland.
07:35And I think Browns fans
07:36are obliging.
07:39I saw the videos
07:40and the pictures
07:41from yesterday
07:42of people already lining up
07:43outside the muni lot.
07:44I saw one this morning
07:45to somebody saying like,
07:46let us in.
07:47It's time to open the lot up.
07:48Like everyone's chomping
07:49at the bit
07:49to get in there
07:51and get ready
07:52to root on the Cleveland Browns.
07:54So we'll see
07:55how the vibes are pregame,
07:57but certainly a lot of people
07:58excited about the home opener
08:00here today.
08:00And again,
08:01our kickoff conditions
08:01brought to you by good friends
08:02over at expert renovations,
08:03expert renovations,
08:05LLC.com.
08:06Well, Spencer,
08:07you know,
08:07when they're waiting
08:07in the muni lot,
08:08as we all saw,
08:09they sent out their
08:10good yearly notice.
08:11No alcohol out
08:12in the muni lot.
08:13Okay.
08:13That doesn't happen.
08:14We're just good,
08:15sober tailgating fans.
08:16Okay.
08:17That's what happens here.
08:18But I didn't speed
08:20on my way here.
08:21No speed limit.
08:23It's the limit.
08:23Spencer's top.
08:24You never go ahead of that.
08:26But okay.
08:27So for the few fans
08:28that end up sneaking
08:29a little bit in Spencer,
08:30I don't know.
08:31Does that leave them
08:32maybe more likely
08:33to root on Deshaun Watson?
08:35Does it maybe leave them
08:36a little bit more likely
08:36to rain down
08:38the booze of Deshaun Watson?
08:40This could honestly be like a,
08:41we could do a case study here
08:43of people consuming alcohol,
08:47adult beverages
08:48before they go into the stadium.
08:51And what level,
08:53like what and why,
08:54I'd love to find out why,
08:56like,
08:56are you,
08:57are you doing this
08:58and getting inebriated
08:59because you're,
09:01you're,
09:01you cheer for the Browns
09:02and Deshaun Watson
09:03is your quarterback
09:04and you're just kind of like over it?
09:05Are you doing this
09:06because like,
09:07you're just want to get
09:07a little lubed up
09:08before you go in there
09:09and then just like,
09:11scream your face off
09:12as Kevin Stefanski would say,
09:13give a full-throated effort
09:14to cheering for the Cleveland Browns.
09:15I'd be fascinated to hear like,
09:17which people fall into,
09:17which can't because,
09:18and honestly,
09:19Jake,
09:19like that is a microcosm
09:21of I think where this
09:22fan base kind of is right now.
09:24Like the Deshaun thing
09:26has made this
09:27such an awkward experience
09:28for so many fans
09:30because they don't,
09:31it's kind of like the,
09:33the Ron Burgundy,
09:34like I don't know
09:34what to do with my hands.
09:35Like I think a lot of people
09:36don't know what to do.
09:37They're like,
09:37do I root for the Browns?
09:39I love the Browns,
09:39but I don't necessarily
09:41like this quarterback
09:42and it's kind of put people
09:43in a weird spot
09:44where they have to pick and choose.
09:45And so I'm a little bit curious
09:47to see what today
09:47is going to be like today
09:48for that reason alone.
