00:00I've got to go over to the race side of this thing.
00:02You and I at the beginning of the year,
00:04we thought this was going to be a transition year, Bob.
00:07And here they are sweeping the Yankees.
00:08They win the East.
00:10They win the regular season series against the Yankees.
00:14And, Bob, maybe there's only one team in baseball right now
00:17that might give the Dodgers a run for their money in the World Series
00:22if they're so lucky to get there.
00:24But, Bob, how shocked are you of where this race team is?
00:28They're in the American League Championship Series.
00:31With that payroll is astounding.
00:35Well, let's say right now they're in the World Series, Dan.
00:38They've got to buy to the World Series.
00:41It's all set up.
00:43And this is the best thing that can happen to the White Sox
00:45and Cleveland beating themselves up.
00:48So, no, they're in the World Series.
00:50Let's count that out.
00:51I already made my hotel reservation for St. Pete.
00:55But, yeah, unbelievable.
00:56They weren't gearing up for next year.
00:58Even the trades they made, and then they traded away Lowe to Pittsburgh
01:02and traded away to Shane Boz and everything else.
01:05So they've surprised themselves.
01:09But, yeah, my hotel franchise, so they're just going to get better,
01:12better and better.
01:13So, no, they're sitting pretty.
01:15They have a realistic chance to win the World Series,
01:18win the first World Series in their franchise history.
01:22So it would be unbelievable as the Rays against the Brewers, you know,
01:26two small market teams that have never won anything before.
01:29Absolutely.
01:30And, Bob, by the way, I'll give you some hookups there in Tampa,
01:33that are my old stopping grounds.
01:34I've got some restaurants that will take care of you down there.
01:38But how wild is this, too?
01:39Andrew Friedman, Eric Meander, these are the two general managers that have been
01:44really instrumental in building the foundation of what the Rays are.
01:48They build a foundation over now also with the Dodgers.
01:51I mean, it's truly one of the great organizations, the Rays,
01:55and how they do business isn't really – this is the real money ball here,
02:00isn't it?
02:00These are the guys that take players, like back in the day,
02:04that just you didn't think anything of, and all of a sudden they get the most
02:08out of them.
02:08And look at what Junior Caminero is doing.
02:10Look at what they're doing at the leadoff position there,
02:13Yandy Diaz and all that.
02:15I mean, I never saw any of this coming.
02:18Well, the best-kept secret in baseball is that the Tampa Bay Rays have more
02:22scouts than anybody in baseball but the Dodgers.
02:25They blanket coverage.
02:27So people talk about analytics and stuff.
02:28Yeah, they have that.
02:30But they have – yeah, like you said, the number two in baseball and scouts.
02:34Their scouts are everywhere.
02:36So they believe in that.
02:37So you've got the scouting world that pull big time for Tampa for just what
02:42they do.
02:42Yeah, like you said, Freeman and Neander, how many managers have spun off there
02:48from Tampa, how many GMs have spun off from Tampa.
02:52So they do a tremendous, tremendous job.
02:54It's a très slow Biden point.
02:54Excellent.
