Playoff Bound Pens, Pirates Heat & Steelers Draft Dreams!

Unknown Speaker (0:00): And 321.

Unknown Speaker (0:02): Is the sports porch black and gold with your hosts, the technical director, the grand Schwabini, and hockey Jesus. Come on, Pittsburgh. Let's show a little steelers, penguins, and pirates love. The sports porch black and gold starts now. Yes.

Technical Director (0:29): It does. The sports porch black and gold starts right now all over the world. I'm your TD. Thanks for being here. Over here, this is hockey.

Technical Director (0:37): Jesus is with us across from me is the grand Schwab beanie, we have a special guest tonight, the counselor.

Unknown Speaker (0:43): The counselor. Welcome.

Unknown Speaker (0:45): Welcome. Say

Unknown Speaker (0:46): hello. Benz. Say hello.

Unknown Speaker (0:48): Benz. Hello. Hello. Hello.

Technical Director (0:49): So the counselor is with us. He is a huge, huge, huge, felon. No.

Unknown Speaker (1:01): No. The counselor huge felon.

Technical Director (1:03): If you've if you've followed us at all, you know that the counselor steps in from time to time to opine on the penguins and the pirates and the steelers, and we got a big shoe for you tonight because, hey, guys. The penguins. Yes. The penguins, they are in. They're back in the playoffs.

Unknown Speaker (1:21): Yeah, baby.

Technical Director (1:22): And yes, we are going to talk about that ad nauseam because, I feel like I have the two biggest hockey fans in the world right here

Unknown Speaker (1:30): next to me. Certainly penguins fans. That's that's absolutely

Technical Director (1:33): true. Listen, as far as I'm concerned, if you're really, really into your hockey team, you're probably really, really into hockey in general.

Unknown Speaker (1:39): Well, it is true. We were

Unknown Speaker (1:40): talking about Jimerson.

Counselor (1:42): We were talking about the frozen four the other day in a in a conversation which you would just be absolutely clueless on.

Unknown Speaker (1:48): I of course.

Unknown Speaker (1:49): Yeah.

Counselor (1:49): I said frozen four, and you're already thinking like Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:52): Right. No. I'm not thinking pizza, but I don't know what I'm

Unknown Speaker (1:55): thinking.

Unknown Speaker (1:56): Sort of Trader Joe's.

Unknown Speaker (1:57): Some snack. Some PJ's snack.

Technical Director (1:58): Alright. Yeah, the TJ snack. Yes. Now I'm hungry. Alright.

Technical Director (2:03): So we got the two biggest hockey fans in the world right here. Hockey Jesus, the counselor, the pens are in, and that's really exciting. I you got tickets to the first two games, man.

Unknown Speaker (2:13): Two tickets to two games.

Unknown Speaker (2:15): So let's talk about this.

Grand Schwabini (2:16): So when is the first game? Do they have a day for it yet or no?

Unknown Speaker (2:19): TBD.

Unknown Speaker (2:20): To be d. Likely Saturday.

Counselor (2:22): To be determined. Likely Saturday.

Technical Director (2:24): It's true. Likely Saturday.

Unknown Speaker (2:25): That's a long ways to go. Like like I thought maybe they start Thursday.

Unknown Speaker (2:28): The flyers need a break.

Unknown Speaker (2:30): Okay.

Counselor (2:30): No. They already announced that first games are gonna be on Saturday.

Unknown Speaker (2:33): Oh, really? Interesting.

Unknown Speaker (2:35): We don't want to play during the

Technical Director (2:36): week. We got some comments coming in. Derby. Welcome back to the city sports purgatory podcast. Thank you very much.

Unknown Speaker (2:43): Derby's my guy. He's he's always on. Good to see you.

Unknown Speaker (2:46): Jot is in the house again. The Pittsburgh Ponzi's are down one to nothing. Hey, what can I tell you?

Unknown Speaker (2:53): Is that the start of the fall?

Technical Director (2:55): Yeah, we'll see. Yeah. And we're going to get onto the pirates as well. Of course, is there surge for real? That'll be an interesting discussion too, But first let's start with this hockey thing.

Technical Director (3:07): The pens are in, they clinched a spot in the Stanley cup playoffs counselor. Do you think that this roster is built for them to go? Well, let me ask you this. Did you listen to our show last week? Nope.

Technical Director (3:19): No, you know, demerits for not.

Unknown Speaker (3:21): I did not.

Technical Director (3:22): Okay. So I said I had a feeling the Penguins were going to win the Stanley Cup.

Unknown Speaker (3:26): He already did it to us.

Technical Director (3:28): I well, I mean, if you want to be that way.

Grand Schwabini (3:30): Well, also. He also doesn't know a Canuck from a maple leaf.

Unknown Speaker (3:36): He doesn't know what the frozen four is. So that's his that's his opinion.

Technical Director (3:40): What I'm saying though is just just and and no, I haven't watched a lot of the penguins this year, but I've I've followed almost every single day, you know, on radio, sports podcasts. I, I know what was going on. I feel like this year is special enough that their, their biggest kid, their Achilles heel is goaltending in general. If you're going to break it down really, you know, and make it really simple,

Unknown Speaker (4:05): real,

Technical Director (4:06): but I, but I do feel that the playoffs being the second season and the season accounts that they do have a chance to go to the finals. I really believe that barring serious injury, you know, something like that. So, you know, was gonna

Grand Schwabini (4:21): Would you say that that's based on your analysis of, for example, the Canadians roster? Yes. And, you know

Unknown Speaker (4:28): I think the color of the uniforms. I think that's what he's going.

Unknown Speaker (4:31): Oh, yeah. Well, it's black and gold all the way.

Unknown Speaker (4:33): So Basically, it's a gut feel. It's a gut feel. Am I right?

Unknown Speaker (4:36): Two things.

Unknown Speaker (4:37): Yeah. Please.

Hockey Jesus (4:37): One, Stewart Skinner's been to the finals two times now.

Unknown Speaker (4:41): Two times.

Hockey Jesus (4:41): So a goalie can get hot. You don't know. I mean, all these guys are really good. You know, some goalies are falling off. I've read read a analysis of how much Vasilevskiy has fallen off, basically, his save percentage and Yeah.

Hockey Jesus (4:55): The analytics, that are used, which are goals above expected, he's fallen in that category. And that's an analytics, that I'd have to look to my engineering friend over there to explain.

Grand Schwabini (5:08): What's your thought on Vasilevskiy, Chris?

Unknown Speaker (5:11): But It's just high danger shots.

Unknown Speaker (5:13): I'd I'd like to allow the counselor to finish his thought.

Unknown Speaker (5:16): So so so a goalie can get hot. I I actually think that luck is a big part of this. So Puck luck.

Unknown Speaker (5:24): I think, for example,

Unknown Speaker (5:25): if if

Unknown Speaker (5:26): if Ottawa if Ottawa were to upset Carolina and that were to go seven games

Counselor (5:32): Well, they're still not guaranteed to come over yet either.

Hockey Jesus (5:34): If if the if the Penguins could get through the first round in four or five games and their opponent played seven games, then they can advance. And I think that, you know, once you get once you get past the semis to the conference final, anything can happen.

Counselor (5:51): Yeah. And the thing is in with playoffs, you don't know who you were playing yet. I mean, it looks pretty positive. We're gonna play the flyers. Right?

Counselor (5:58): Well, traditionally, against the flyers, you know, in opening rounds, we're two and two against them. Lately, we've been better than, you know, the early two thousands and the late early nineteen nineties, but you just don't know. I mean, teams, you're absolutely right. Goalies can get hot and, you know, the flyers actually are pretty good at having shutouts. So then that's one thing that the penguins are not good at, But we're much better at scoring goals.

Counselor (6:24): And so I think it's really gonna come down to, if you're looking at that matchup, it's gonna come down to defensive blunders. You know? Will Latang make more blunders than, Drysdale, York? You know? That's really what it'll come down to.

Counselor (6:39): And and and will will will the teams be able to capitalize on it? The one thing I love about this team, and this is unlike most Pittsburgh Penguins teams who have been in the playoffs lately. I mean, by lately, I mean, in the last two and a half decades. They still have the superstars, but the superstars aren't what's really running the show. I mean, you got your highest goal store scorer in Anthony Mantle basically shucked on the third line, And that's amazing.

Counselor (7:06): I mean, he's the only guy who scored 30 goals on this team. On a team did you hear this today? On a team that this is the most amount of goals that this team has scored in the Sydney Crosby era. Yeah. It's All the teams that Sydney Crosby has played on for the Pittsburgh Penguins, this one has scored the most.

Counselor (7:24): And it wasn't because they had, you know, somebody score 50 or 75 goals. It's because their first line scored 79 goals. Their second line scored 59 goals. Their third line scored 66 goals, and their fourth line scored 33 goals. That's an amazing amount of goals, especially on the fourth line.

Counselor (7:42): I mean, you know, Flyer's fourth line only has where's the number? It's they only have 15 on their four.

Grand Schwabini (7:51): And I guess Quintoria has 12.

Unknown Speaker (7:52): Yeah. Quintoria, I think, has seven. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (7:55): Something like that.

Unknown Speaker (7:55): Yeah. And

Unknown Speaker (7:56): Oh, well then Hathaway is in there too. Well, they don't count. What Quintoria wasn't always on the fourth line. Yeah. I mean, he's playing with it.

Unknown Speaker (8:03): Yeah. Yeah. It's it's hard. And that's the thing. Like Mhmm.

Unknown Speaker (8:05): You have to pick guys that who said they're gonna be playing on the fourth line right now.

Hockey Jesus (8:09): Big difference there rolling the four lines is that the top line is only playing seventeen, eighteen minutes a game instead of twenty, twenty two minutes. And over the course of the scene season, that's a huge difference. It's it's just enormous. But, you know, Stevie, I can remember years when we were cup contenders where the fourth line had had 12 goals or 10 goals. I mean, we had Craig Adams back there at one point centering the fourth line.

Hockey Jesus (8:35): I don't think he scored a goal at one point in, like, 97 games.

Counselor (8:38): Well, and it's who gets hot too because remember, like, Benino got hot in the playoffs. He scored almost as many goals in the playoffs as he did all season.

Unknown Speaker (8:47): Right.

Counselor (8:47): So, I mean, that's that's the other thing. You don't know what's gonna happen. Like, I mean, the Flyers have some good young talent in Martone. I mean, that guy can get hot. I mean, out in you don't know.

Counselor (8:58): You just don't know. He's never been in the playoffs before. And or he might just shrink. You it it's just that it's it's really difficult. So to say they're gonna make it to the finals is more difficult.

Counselor (9:08): I actually think it'd be better for Boston to flip over because I think if Boston could beat Carolina, Pittsburgh have much easier time beating Boston

Unknown Speaker (9:18): And then

Counselor (9:19): they would Ottawa. Yeah. They just can't win in Ottawa, and that they don't like the way the Ottawa plays, they like to play that uptempo, and they can play a physical game too. That's where the penguins kinda lose it because they don't really have an uptempo game anymore. So, yeah, I just I'm so excited about them being in the playoffs.

Counselor (9:38): This is, you know, this is the first time Hockey Jesus will get to talk about That's Hockey Jesus. Playoff games

Unknown Speaker (9:45): Yeah. It's been a while.

Counselor (9:46): To my brethren because I started the year they missed the playoffs. So I'm no longer a jinx. That's right. I am no longer a jinx.

Technical Director (9:54): And hopefully, I'm not as well.

Grand Schwabini (9:56): And your flock can now believe in you completely.

Unknown Speaker (9:59): Have not. They can't.

Unknown Speaker (10:00): I have

Hockey Jesus (10:00): not been to a home penguin game playoff game in a very, very long time. So coming off of my exodus to Minnesota. So

Unknown Speaker (10:09): Have have you been a bit at one of PPG?

Unknown Speaker (10:11): Yeah. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (10:12): Yeah. Probably when it was console. And

Unknown Speaker (10:14): I'm I'm excited to get the boys down there too.

Unknown Speaker (10:17): So Yeah.

Grand Schwabini (10:18): Much more so than the Minnesota wild playoff games.

Technical Director (10:21): Chris Chota. Chris Chota has a has a question here, guys. Do NHL teams have playoff rosters? If so, will there be recognizable names left off or out of for the pens? Do you

Unknown Speaker (10:33): wanna take this one, Scotty?

Unknown Speaker (10:35): Go ahead.

Unknown Speaker (10:35): Okay. They

Counselor (10:37): get to they get to increase their roster size. I don't know by how many. I think it's like five or five or six. It's it's a it's a bigger number because it you can't bring more people on. So they have to announce who's gonna be on their final roster.

Counselor (10:51): So there they actually will see more names on the roster than less names.

Unknown Speaker (10:55): Right.

Counselor (10:56): The question the question is, who are they gonna start when they get healthy? Like, are you gonna play Lazard, or are you gonna keep Soderbloom in there? You know, that's but that's probably one of the bigger decisions that Muse is gonna have to make. And I don't know what he's gonna do. The other thing that Muse is gonna have to decide is how long is he gonna keep Chinnikov up on the first line and or when is he gonna send them down to the second line and play with Gino and Tommy.

Counselor (11:21): So I think but I love that. I love having that problem because they're they're two totally different lines when you do that. Yeah. And sometimes you might need to mix it up.

Hockey Jesus (11:30): Doer Doer may take care of that for us. So Doer's week to week now, so I don't know if he

Unknown Speaker (11:35): That's true.

Unknown Speaker (11:36): Misses the first couple games. Well, Really interesting. I don't I don't I haven't heard any reports on Lazard as well. No. I We we talked about

Counselor (11:44): He's probably two weeks away still.

Hockey Jesus (11:46): Lazard is just too important for the penalty kill. The penalty kill's been very pedestrian this year without

Unknown Speaker (11:51): him. Pedestrian.

Unknown Speaker (11:53): Yeah.

Hockey Jesus (11:53): I think that's that's the difference. I, you know, I I just wanna go back a minute. I I don't think they're gonna win the cup, Chris. I I was kinda laying out what what, you know, would be necessary for that to happen. They're gonna have to have some luck.

Unknown Speaker (12:06): They're gonna have to stay healthy above all else.

Unknown Speaker (12:08): Mhmm.

Hockey Jesus (12:09): And then the third thing to this I would say is if you look at the Penguins record since the December funk, they have one of the best records in the in the NHL. Right. And remember here just for a second, they were an abomination in overtime in the shootout.

Unknown Speaker (12:24): True.

Hockey Jesus (12:24): If they would have just been fifty fifty in the shootout, they would be tied. These games would have mattered because they would be battling Carolina for top spot.

Counselor (12:33): That's true. But you know who else has been hot since the break? The Philadelphia Flyers. They've been really hot, and they've been riding the hot goalie in Vledar. So I don't know.

Counselor (12:42): I think it's gonna be a classic matchup. I think it's gonna be, you know, the first four games are gonna tell you. I if they split and they split, then it's gonna go seven. I don't see it going any other way, but I don't know. I I really don't know.

Counselor (12:55): I think it's I I'm just so much looking forward to to watching them play the play play it out because I mean, what's the alternative? The alternative is flyers lose two games, then we have to play against OVN in the capitals.

Hockey Jesus (13:08): Yeah. The Flyers the Flyers really struggle with that top defensive pair. And if you if you look at the goal differential of the defensive pairs Yeah. That's a clear advantage for the Penguins that top defense defensive pair because Ristalinen is really, really not a a a top a top

Counselor (13:24): guy. Yeah. But Sandheim's Sandheim's pretty good. And you could you could probably say the same thing. Like, Carlson is the is the is the good guy to to Watherspoon stay at home.

Counselor (13:34): But, you know, Shea can play up there too. So, I mean, that's the thing. I think we're a little bit deeper. I think they fall off with Sealer and Andre. I think that's their last Yeah.

Counselor (13:43): Their parent's name. So I think that's where they actually, I think they're probably better than Drysdale and York. Their plus or minus is better. Drysdale, York's plus or minus combined is zero.

Hockey Jesus (13:54): Yeah. If you if you look at the I looked at the athletic had a breakdown, and they were looking at it goals for 64 and against. And the the Wotherspoon, Carlson pair. And what I really found is interesting is Wotherspoon played with Carlson at the third highest rate of any pair in the NHL.

Counselor (14:14): That's interesting.

Hockey Jesus (14:15): So, you know, that was on a consistent basis, but they had they had, I think, the fifth or the sixth best differential.

Counselor (14:22): That's my buddy, Derpy. You gotta throw that con you gotta throw that comment up there.

Unknown Speaker (14:27): I did.

Counselor (14:27): The flyers are the flyers. They'll choke because Philly sucks.

Unknown Speaker (14:31): Yep.

Unknown Speaker (14:31): I mean, I mean, that's science. I mean, that's just science. That

Unknown Speaker (14:34): is science.

Unknown Speaker (14:35): Yes. That is science.

Counselor (14:37): Very good analysis, Derby. You get an eight plus.

Technical Director (14:39): Yeah. Listen, if you're watching us on YouTube and you haven't already hit that subscribe button, that would really help us out. Click notifications. You'll know we're on every Monday night, 9PM Eastern time. I dropped this show into a podcast on Spotify, I heart apple podcasts, anywhere you get your fricking podcasts right after the show, you can catch our reels on Tik TOK and Instagram and all that good stuff.

Counselor (15:00): So can we do one more thing, hockey?

Unknown Speaker (15:02): Oh, we could do as much as you want, man. They made they made the playoffs.

Counselor (15:05): Tell me tell me, Scotty, what is the biggest surprise in the NHL this year? Either a player or something that's happened. Not it doesn't have to be the penguins. It can be it can be anybody or anything.

Hockey Jesus (15:15): Very clearly the biggest surprise is the penguins. And if Dan Muse isn't coach of the year, I don't know who is. You know, just to see see the difference in some of the players. And Carlson said it very early on in the season, and there was some funky juju going on there with Carlson and Sullivan. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (15:31): I don't know what it was, but I don't know how that this guy's gotten this out of these players.

Unknown Speaker (15:35): That's

Hockey Jesus (15:35): true. And and the amazing thing about it is, I think, rolling four lines and to see the fourth line consistently getting twelve minutes a night instead of six or seven, which is what it always did under Sully is remarkable in that production because as you said, 33 goals out of the fourth line. You know, most most teams are lucky if they get 12 to 15 out of the fourth line. And these guys these guys have brought it. And if you look if you look at the data, you know, the expected goals data and the shot data, it's been it's been off the charts.

Counselor (16:04): Amy wants to know what does the fires expert say?

Technical Director (16:07): Yeah. You're the other big hockey guy here, Grand Schwavening. What what are your thoughts on

Counselor (16:12): Also, I wanna hear about your, you know, what you think the most surprising in NHL was.

Technical Director (16:18): Yeah. And and and what are your thoughts on them? How far they can possibly go? And then, and then we don't know who they're playing yet.

Unknown Speaker (16:25): No, we don't.

Unknown Speaker (16:25): Because the flyers are winning

Unknown Speaker (16:27): right away. Flyers just got to win one game. So it's looking pretty good.

Grand Schwabini (16:30): I will give you kind of a different approach to the most surprising thing in the NHL this year. I'm going to say how far the Maple Leafs have fallen.

Unknown Speaker (16:42): I agree with

Unknown Speaker (16:42): that.

Unknown Speaker (16:43): You know, that's that's

Grand Schwabini (16:44): a team that, you know, had aspirations of the cup for the past couple of years.

Unknown Speaker (16:51): Totally fell apart.

Grand Schwabini (16:52): They totally fell apart. They're talking about, you know, trading Austin Matthews. You know what I mean? So like, you know

Unknown Speaker (17:01): I know.

Grand Schwabini (17:02): I mean, they're just they're just a complete mess. Yep. And as far as the Flyers are concerned, it it it's hard to really get a gauge on it because, you know, look, they they have the second best record in the league since returning from the Olympic break.

Unknown Speaker (17:23): I know.

Grand Schwabini (17:24): So they've they've obviously played really well. Dan Vledar, I don't think anybody thought that he was gonna be as good as he is. He's actually got the best save percentage of any goaltender in five on five hockey. And I wouldn't have said this probably two weeks ago. But with the return of Tyson Forster Mhmm.

Grand Schwabini (17:55): And the emergence of Porter Martone

Unknown Speaker (18:00): Mhmm.

Grand Schwabini (18:01): All of a sudden, they're pretty stacked as far as scoring, you know, because they've got now they've got Martone, Forster, Zigress, Tippett, Kanekne.

Counselor (18:11): Yep.

Grand Schwabini (18:12): I mean, Mitch Koff has come on lately. So they actually do have and and that since they moved to the fourth line, the fourth line has been really productive. So they're actually moving four four lines pretty well similar to the Penguins. The the difference I think where the Flyers, I don't think they'll be able to get by the Penguins is just the Flyers power play is just horrible.

Counselor (18:43): Yeah. And their penalty kill is not good.

Grand Schwabini (18:45): And their penalty kill is not that great

Unknown Speaker (18:46): either. They're not they're they don't jump into it.

Grand Schwabini (18:49): Yeah. And so when I've when I've seen, you know, Flyers Penguins games this year, when when they're on the penalty kill, they're they're terrible against, you know, Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh can just pretty much just set up and move the move the puck around at will. Yeah. So I think that'll be their downfall.

Grand Schwabini (19:09): But overall, I'd say if they do make the playoffs, so they still have to win one of the last two games, then one might say Rick Tuckett could be coach of the year.

Unknown Speaker (19:25): I don't think so.

Unknown Speaker (19:26): Interesting.

Counselor (19:27): Well, here's here's my take on NHL, the biggest surprise. For me, it's not a it's not a huge surprise, but how far he's gone this year. Cole Caulfield scoring 50 goals is absolutely incredible. Yeah. The the guy was good before the Olympics, and everybody's like, oh, he's just showing that, you know, he should have been on the Olympic team.

Counselor (19:46): He's been on fire since then. He could still he could still win, you know, most goals. So I don't know. I think to me that and I'd I'd love that Montreal team. I think they're I love to watch them play.

Unknown Speaker (19:58): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (19:58): They play really tough, solid game.

Unknown Speaker (20:01): It's a brand of hockey.

Counselor (20:01): Yeah. And I'd so I think I think those games, if if I was Buffalo sorry, Pat off track. If I was Buffalo, I would not wanna play against that team in the first round. I can tell you that because they're gonna be a hard out 100%. And nobody knows who's gonna be in first place.

Counselor (20:20): So I mean, that one, two, and three over in the Atlantic is is up for grabs. But, yeah, as far as the flyers in the in the in the Penguins go, I agree. It's gonna come down with special teams. Pittsburgh special teams. When we play well on the special teams, we were unstoppable.

Counselor (20:36): We really are.

Unknown Speaker (20:37): Yeah. That's that's where they've been really good all

Counselor (20:40): that's when the flyers are kind of off. If they can pick up their special teams play and they can hold the penguins to maybe one or two two: power play goals in the series, then they're going to have a chance. I'm telling you, they're going to

Unknown Speaker (20:52): have a chance. Got to stay out of the sin bin.

Technical Director (20:54): There you go. You gotta you gotta look in. If you're not watching, if you're listening, you gotta see hockey Jesus. He's so relaxed back there in his corner. Aren't you relaxed?

Counselor (21:03): I just feel great. You know, you know what's funny? Since you said relaxed, my wife actually said something to me the other day for the first time ever.

Technical Director (21:13): I'm gonna apologize to Susan right now. Write this down. Yeah.

Counselor (21:16): Okay. She said, you know, when you do your hockey Jesus and you're just relaxing, you just talk in your regular tone, you do much better. I just don't think she likes my yell.

Technical Director (21:25): Yeah. Well, I mean Mhmm. I'm not sure that she can differentiate between your regular voice. Probably. Yelling.

Unknown Speaker (21:31): Well, she did. Because my wife can't.

Counselor (21:32): Means she was actually listening, which is, you know, kinda shocking. Kinda shocking. If I can get my wife to listen to hockey, Jesus, I can get anybody to listen

Unknown Speaker (21:41): to That is absolutely a 100%

Unknown Speaker (21:43): true. Pat

Technical Director (21:44): off track is in the house. Thanks for being here. Pat off track. We love you, buddy. Just happy to break the streak.

Unknown Speaker (21:49): Go sabers.

Unknown Speaker (21:50): Hey, amen, Pat.

Technical Director (21:51): Let's let's give Pat off track just like thirty seconds of love here. Counselor, the sabers. What do you think about the sabers this year?

Unknown Speaker (21:58): Yeah. I, love it. I, you know, I love watching Tage Thompson skate because nobody should be that large of a human to be able to skate that way. I just like, what else can I say? No.

Unknown Speaker (22:08): I love it. I mean, I'm happy.

Unknown Speaker (22:10): It's great

Unknown Speaker (22:10): for the league.

Hockey Jesus (22:10): I mean, Pat Pat and Pat and his bros up in Buffalo, man. You deserve some love.

Unknown Speaker (22:15): Yeah. Pat's down in Florida, but yeah. Right. I know. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (22:17): You get it.

Unknown Speaker (22:18): You get it.

Unknown Speaker (22:18): He's a Buffalo boy at

Unknown Speaker (22:19): this place. This place Buffalo.

Grand Schwabini (22:21): My my take on the Sabres is there's your prototypical one seed first round loss.

Unknown Speaker (22:27): There you go.

Unknown Speaker (22:29): They they may get the third.

Unknown Speaker (22:32): Long has it been since they've been in the playoffs? It's been a while. Right? Like ten years or something?

Unknown Speaker (22:36): Eighteen years. Yeah.

Technical Director (22:39): Listen, Pat, I feel your pain. I felt that way when the,

Unknown Speaker (22:42): you know, when the Orioles

Technical Director (22:43): made the playoffs. Felt that way when the, when the Commanders made the the the championship game and then it went right back to crap.

Hockey Jesus (22:51): So, Chris, I felt that way when the Pirates swept the Orioles this year for the first time since 1893.

Technical Director (22:56): Really? And really? That's the first time since eighteen

Unknown Speaker (22:59): ninety ninety three. Three.

Technical Director (23:00): And I am ashamed even more. Pat Offtrack says fourteen years.

Unknown Speaker (23:03): Fourteen years.

Technical Director (23:05): That was hockey. Jesus, impressive counselor. Impressive. We'll wait to see who they play in the first round. First game is probably Saturday.

Unknown Speaker (23:15): Probably Saturday.

Unknown Speaker (23:16): Okay.

Unknown Speaker (23:17): So CBD right now.

Technical Director (23:18): So Monday of next week, we'll have some more updates on Penguins hockey.

Unknown Speaker (23:22): Hopefully, they're not playing Monday because you won't see me here.

Technical Director (23:24): That's for Dan. No. No. I mean, Monday, we'll have, you know, we'll have a little bit more on this as far as, playoff hockey is concerned.

Unknown Speaker (23:31): I mean, it could be Saturday.

Unknown Speaker (23:33): Thing one more thing here.

Unknown Speaker (23:34): Go for it. Go for it. TD. Esteemed barrister guest.

Hockey Jesus (23:37): So, Stevie, tell tell me the one thing you worry the most about, the penguins in this series.

Unknown Speaker (23:43): Getting goalied.

Unknown Speaker (23:45): Getting goalied.

Counselor (23:46): Getting goalied. They get frustrated. And it hasn't happened all year. I've I'll maybe saw it in a handful of games, and that was during that that eight game losing streak. I haven't seen it since, but they can get frustrated and they can grip their sticks a little too tight and then they're missing the net.

Counselor (24:02): And then before you know it, you know, Volar has got, two shutouts, in Philadelphia and, you know, they're up three one. That's what that's what I'm worried

Technical Director (24:11): Yep. Well, I mean, you know, gripping your stick too tight, that that seems to be a problem with a lot of people.

Unknown Speaker (24:15): Yeah. No. I You're gonna hurt yourself if you do that.

Hockey Jesus (24:18): I worry I worry about managing the puck in the neutral zone and getting loosey goosey and then having odd man breaks. You know, if they have if they have twelve, fifteen, 18 odd man breaks a game, they're in big trouble. I mean, I think they've Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (24:30): But they haven't done that.

Unknown Speaker (24:31): They've all

Unknown Speaker (24:32): They've seen

Unknown Speaker (24:32): Well, they've

Unknown Speaker (24:33): I mean They did for

Hockey Jesus (24:34): a while after Kulak was gone. And, you know, Gerard, when we had the Frenchies together for the first six or eight games there, they were terrible together, and they've they've cleaned it up a lot.

Counselor (24:44): Well, we'll see because Saint Iovy's back. I think there's gonna be a lot of defensive pairs that are gonna be mixed on that bottom, including Gerard and Latank.

Technical Director (24:52): All right. There's your hockey talk for the evening for right now, but I do have a poll up on YouTube. Do you think it's possible? Are the penguins good enough to reach the Stanley cup final? Just give us a yes or no.

Unknown Speaker (25:03): 67% saying yes. Right now. Very interesting.

Unknown Speaker (25:08): A lot of love for the penguins. I

Unknown Speaker (25:10): love it. Yeah.

Technical Director (25:10): Hit that subscribe button, click notifications. You'll know when we're live every Monday night at 7PM and hockey. Jesus is going to have a lot of fun with the penguins in the playoffs. You'll know when he's live because he preaches after every single penguins game.

Unknown Speaker (25:23): Next one's

Technical Director (25:24): Tuesday. Win or lose. And it's always a good time.

Counselor (25:28): Penguins playoff preview this week also.

Technical Director (25:30): Alright. I'm gonna I'm gonna put this up here right now because, yes, we're going be talking about the pirates. Yes. We're talking about the pirates before we talk about the Steelers, which even during the summertime in baseball season, the last seven years, we never did. We never did.

Technical Director (25:46): We always talked about the Steelers first, but they deserve it right now. They deserve it right now. And, and I said a couple weeks back, and I have been saying for a long time that O'Neil Cruz is a bum. Now I know there's going to be people that disagree with me right now and I get it. And I do get it because at this point in the season, he leads the team three thirty nine.

Technical Director (26:07): Now we've got an update on tonight's game, but three thirty nine average, five home runs, 13 RBIs.

Unknown Speaker (26:13): Ryan He's hitting left handed pitch

Unknown Speaker (26:15): and he's hitting left handed pitching. We talked about that last week, go back and listen to the show.

Technical Director (26:19): Yes. And I gotta tell you, it is surprising, but is, is it going to last

Unknown Speaker (26:28): by way?

Technical Director (26:29): Is it going to last And, oh, look at this. We have the hello, How are you?

Unknown Speaker (26:35): Hello divas.

Technical Director (26:36): The D the well, I would be remiss if I did not introduce the Pittsburgh property diva.

Unknown Speaker (26:41): You got to put her up on the screen

Technical Director (26:42): and her, her lovely daughter, Julia. Hi, guys. How was your how was your thingamabobber? It was great. It was great.

Unknown Speaker (26:52): It was great. Everything good? Yes. It

Unknown Speaker (26:54): was lovely. Are you ready for playoff hockey? My God. Okay. Yes.

Counselor (26:59): You'll hear me from my house screaming. I promise you.

Technical Director (27:02): Oh, yeah. From Greenfield?

Unknown Speaker (27:04): Yeah. Get back.

Unknown Speaker (27:05): Here to to say hi to us.

Unknown Speaker (27:07): Yeah. There you go. Yeah. Hear the news about Well, go upstairs. Put us on

Unknown Speaker (27:12): Play off the hockey.

Unknown Speaker (27:13): Come join the crowds. Come join the porch.

Technical Director (27:16): Thank you. You both look lovely. We appreciate it. Thank you.

Unknown Speaker (27:20): Have a great show.

Technical Director (27:21): The Pittsburgh property diva and diva et, if if I may. 75%. 75% now say that the Penguins are good enough to reach the cup finals. So listen guys, you know, I'm not going to retract what I said about O'Neil Cruz. I'm very interested in hearing what the counselor has to say.

Technical Director (27:42): You know, what I do think is encouraging right now about pirates baseball and kind of watching it as we're doing the show, you know, schemes must be, he got off to a shaky start. He gave up a home run early. It was one to nothing. The end of the second, the pirates come back four runs. They're up four to one now.

Technical Director (27:59): So I mean, I, I think that these

Counselor (28:03): just like that give us four runs.

Technical Director (28:05): I think that they, well, they didn't do that for schemes for two years.

Unknown Speaker (28:09): I mean,

Technical Director (28:09): he get, he, you know, he gives up a home run. He might not give up another hit for four innings. He might strike out seven people, but they couldn't score any runs for him. So to see them respond this way, it is pretty good. And Cruz who's Owen won this game so far, he walked and Griffin was on, on base.

Technical Director (28:29): I think he walked then low singles to left Reynolds singles. So you got these professional hitters in here. Now you've got, you've got, you know, Ryan O'Hearn, you've got Brandon Lowe and, and Ozuna everybody's on his ass right now because he's not, he's not hitting the ball. Look, he's, he's a professional hitter. He's going to come around.

Technical Director (28:49): You know, they talk about it all the time. You got six months, maybe you got six months basically in your baseball season. One of those months is gonna be super hot. One of them is gonna be really bad. And, and it's what do you do with the ones in between?

Technical Director (29:04): You know? And I think he may come around. Remember Carlos Santee? He's not Carlos Santana. He's not as bad as Carlos Santana.

Technical Director (29:12): So

Unknown Speaker (29:12): Can't play guitar like him.

Technical Director (29:13): I I think that the addition of these guys, it gives a little bit more of a winning attitude. It's culture. To the team. Yep.

Hockey Jesus (29:21): Yes. And It's baseball culture. I think Ohern and Lau and and Ozuna, I think, you know, too for for the Dominicans, I think, you know, make making a big difference. And, you know, the you have the base of of really solid pitching. But what really makes a difference for me, Chris, is playing winning baseball, winning games.

Hockey Jesus (29:41): You know, the the other day against the cubs, I mean, you know, you know, forcing, you know, forcing pitcher out. I'm sorry. I'm forgetting the the Japanese pitcher who pitched the other night. They got him out on a 100 pitches in the sixth inning. And, I think, you know, Reynolds Reynolds hit a home run.

Hockey Jesus (30:02): You know, the pirates had three hits three hits in that game. They were getting no hit going into the sixth inning, and they won three two with three hits. Right. You know? Couple games ago, I don't remember when this was, they had they had eight opposite field hits.

Hockey Jesus (30:16): They had 10 hits in the game. Eight were to the opposite field. You take what the pitcher's given you. Yeah. You know?

Hockey Jesus (30:21): And if you if you win the game, with, you know, runs with with with, walks and singles, they count just as much as Lyle's, grand slam.

Unknown Speaker (30:30): Absolutely. And they lost that game. They lost yesterday.

Unknown Speaker (30:33): Yeah. So so to me

Unknown Speaker (30:34): They still won the series.

Hockey Jesus (30:35): That's winning baseball, and that's that's what I've been excited about, you know, playing playing differently and playing winning baseball, getting those long at bats. I mean and and, you know, Cruz showing more patience and holy crap, hitting the left handed pitching.

Unknown Speaker (30:49): That's the that's the key right there.

Hockey Jesus (30:51): It's unbelievable. The thing that really frustrates me and for those who watched the game yesterday, what was Brian Reynolds do doing? Like, in beat that in between throw, it was just I mean, it lost him the game.

Technical Director (31:04): He said he he said he didn't he he when he when he got when he fielded the ball, he didn't really wanna throw it, and his explanation was that he kinda came out of his hands. Yeah. Terrible. Which I I I

Hockey Jesus (31:16): Was it was it he was under the control of, like, AI control?

Unknown Speaker (31:19): I have no idea. I I don't know.

Hockey Jesus (31:21): His his his throwing arm now is controlled by AI. I mean, is that

Unknown Speaker (31:25): By the other team,

Unknown Speaker (31:26): I think.

Technical Director (31:26): Well, I'll I'll tell you the one thing that does continue to confuse me is how little, how low on the priority list defense in the outfield for this team seems to be?

Counselor (31:39): Oh, they gotta be the worst defensive team in the league.

Technical Director (31:42): I don't know if they are totally. I I don't know.

Hockey Jesus (31:44): Will put I will put a caveat on there. I was at the game, the the second game on on the fourth. So couple Saturdays ago, and O'Hern made an unbelievable catch. Right. And he's played, I think, before this year, I think he's played a total of, like, 46 games or something out in right field.

Unknown Speaker (32:03): He made that catch, and for what it's worth, again, analytics.

Unknown Speaker (32:06): Okay.

Hockey Jesus (32:06): They put they put a 17%

Unknown Speaker (32:09): That's a bad penalty. Catch probably

Unknown Speaker (32:11): on the catch that he made. Right. So, you know, I think, like, that could surprise, but but Reynolds, like, they just have not have they have to avoid the boneheaded stuff. They don't even have to be they don't even have to be a average. They can still be below average, but avoid the boneheaded stuff.

Unknown Speaker (32:26): The really dumb stuff.

Unknown Speaker (32:27): Yesterday was just a boneheaded thing to say that I don't know what happened. I kinda just threw it. Yeah. That that's a concentration issue, dude. I mean, you you need to go maybe you have ADHD.

Unknown Speaker (32:37): I don't know. They they

Unknown Speaker (32:38): make drugs for that. Yeah. Right.

Unknown Speaker (32:39): But Right.

Unknown Speaker (32:40): They make good drugs for that.

Unknown Speaker (32:42): Right. Like and and Reynolds used

Unknown Speaker (32:44): to be good in the in the That that that's that's

Unknown Speaker (32:46): the confusing thing. That was his number one thing.

Unknown Speaker (32:48): He is. He's gonna

Unknown Speaker (32:49): be good in the field at least if he can't bat.

Technical Director (32:51): Yeah. And and he's a seasoned veteran. I mean, he's a this isn't a, you know, this isn't a guy who's new to the outfield. Right. So it's, it's kind of like you need to be on your game.

Technical Director (33:00): And I don't know is that, you know, I heard last week we were talking about how O'Neil Cruz, you know, he brought in a left handed pitcher to pitch to him all off season. Kudos to you, man. You're crushing left handed pitching right now.

Unknown Speaker (33:13): Good. His average is up.

Unknown Speaker (33:15): Let's hope. Let's hope that sticks.

Counselor (33:16): And he's walking. That's amazing that he's walking. He's also striking out

Unknown Speaker (33:20): at a pretty good clip.

Unknown Speaker (33:22): I mean, he's he's epic at that. We already know he can do that.

Technical Director (33:25): Yeah. My my concern really is his defense, and and it it's still not good. I mean, he made a pretty good catch the other the other day. But I mean, you know

Grand Schwabini (33:35): You think O'Neil Cruz in game one lost the Cy Young for Paul Skeens? Possibly.

Unknown Speaker (33:44): I know. They weren't heirs. Right. Right.

Technical Director (33:47): The grand Schwabini making another prediction. No Cy Young for Paul Schemes

Unknown Speaker (33:51): because of

Unknown Speaker (33:52): day one opening day. Open day with

Hockey Jesus (33:54): the with the 62.3 ERA or whatever it was.

Technical Director (33:58): So let's let's dive into let's dive into this because this is classic Pittsburgh pirates baseball in the sense that in the last few years, early in the season, now, now some of them, they started off hot, others, they look like crap and then they got hot. But early in the season, they always give us hope, you know, and, and everybody is now us, you know, us old guys who've been around a while, you know, we've got that little bit of hope inside of us, but really the bottom line is we don't really believe it anymore. We want to believe it. Do you think, can they sustain this early season, you know, surge because of the culture that you're talking about? I mean, I worry about the fact that I think they need another pitcher on their, on their bullpen staff because they got a couple of guys like Lawrence is not performing the way he performed last year so far.

Technical Director (34:54): And then you got that Erkitty guy who doesn't seem to belong, you know, because he's a disaster. They don't, they don't really have anybody long relief. So they're, they're blowing through their bullpen early in the year. Can they sustain this? Can they do it?

Hockey Jesus (35:12): Well, ideally ideally, you you know, if you have Majinski in there for that long relief slot that he can throw three innings, that's probably what he's best suited to. I mean, his ERA, I think, is two five, and, you know, they've been winning games with him, you know, starting. So, you know, kudos to that. But, I mean, I I just I just wonder, you know, I I wonder if Baylor Falter was still on this team.

Technical Director (35:37): Bailey Falter? Bailey Falter?

Hockey Jesus (35:38): To throw to throw a lefty in there and if they had Majinski. And I don't know what's gonna happen with Jared Jones. You know? Is Jared Jones gonna come back and he's he's really gonna be able to throw like he could be four? I mean, that's, you know, that's a that's a big question too.

Hockey Jesus (35:55): But but I I agree with you, and I I think they need another lefty in the bullpen too. I mean, I think that, you know, situationally, they they just need another another lefty, and that to me is a big big gap for them other than their defense. So I think the the bats, I mean, you know, we just we just grumbled and grumbled and grumbled about the bats. So, you know, they they did it. Yeah.

Hockey Jesus (36:15): These guys are hitting. And, you know, if you have, you know, if you have Horowitz batting seventh in your lineup given where he was the last half of the season last year, That's a pretty strong lineup. You know, the catchers catchers, the other issue is all the catchers are hitting, you know, well below the Mendoza line. So I

Technical Director (36:34): Yeah. Davis is at one nine four.

Hockey Jesus (36:36): Bring back and and and can I can I just say rest in peace, scrap iron? You know? But we could we could use Ed Ott or Duffy Dwyer right now because those guys would be batting higher than than, Joey Bart or

Unknown Speaker (36:49): These guys don't know who scrap iron is.

Unknown Speaker (36:51): Yeah. Lost You lost us. Us. Yeah. Sure you need not sure we need

Unknown Speaker (36:54): to track on. I'm not

Unknown Speaker (36:55): sure we need to know.

Unknown Speaker (36:57): Yeah. So scrap scrap scrap iron was scrap iron was Phil Garner. Phil Garner. Yeah. Second second base on the night.

Unknown Speaker (37:02): Sure.

Unknown Speaker (37:03): I know Phil Garner. Champion. You know, seventy, ninety.

Hockey Jesus (37:05): And, you know, coached, I think, for, I don't know, three, four teams. I think the Astros, the Brewers. I can't remember who else.

Unknown Speaker (37:12): Yeah. He must have coached the Astros

Hockey Jesus (37:13): and the Brewers. Passed away last weekend. So Yeah.

Technical Director (37:16): Rule of 54, Chris. Everybody wins 54. Everybody loses 54. It's what do you do with the other 54 that decides your season?

Unknown Speaker (37:23): I've heard that

Technical Director (37:24): before. That's Pat off track giving us a comment there that is actually kind of on track. There you go.

Unknown Speaker (37:29): Every year

Grand Schwabini (37:30): question here. I don't, I don't think we've raised this and I do think it's an important question with Connor Griffin hitting one thirty eight and pretty much looking lost up there. What do you do? You know, obviously I think he's, you talk about the culture. He's a big part of that.

Grand Schwabini (37:47): I mean, you know, it's, you know, whether or not he is performing on the field, I think the team believes that they have a superstar on the team. Yeah. Right? But the question then becomes, how long can he hit one thirty eight without sending him down to the minors? Counselor?

Hockey Jesus (38:08): Yeah. I don't I don't know. It's a great question, Mark. I don't think you send him down yet. Don't either.

Unknown Speaker (38:13): I think you Give me another two weeks?

Unknown Speaker (38:15): You have to give him you have to give

Unknown Speaker (38:16): him Four more series.

Unknown Speaker (38:17): Month. I think you have to give him at least a month, and he's he's been up for what? Two weeks now?

Unknown Speaker (38:22): So Sounds right.

Hockey Jesus (38:23): I think it's at least another two weeks, maybe maybe a little bit longer. I think the question is, you know, the question is, do you do you wanna sit him a couple for a couple couple games? I think he's only sat once. Right? And, you know, I think do you wanna sit him a little bit more and, you know, and what, you know, what do you do?

Hockey Jesus (38:41): And I mean, developmentally, I mean, there's been a big knock on the pirates the last, you know, ten, fifteen years. So I think that's what concerns me when you talk about Griffin and, you know, doing the right thing, doing the right thing by him.

Counselor (38:53): Well, he might not be all that. I mean, you know, he came up in a big in a big huff because of his size and, you know, what he was doing where he was. May maybe he's just not ready yet. Maybe he needs to go back down and get some more work.

Technical Director (39:07): I don't know. I I don't think so. I I I think that they're gonna they're gonna keep him up here for a while. They just signed him to the biggest contract.

Unknown Speaker (39:15): Yeah. But should they?

Grand Schwabini (39:16): That's the thing. Contract adds to him being kept up.

Unknown Speaker (39:20): Right.

Unknown Speaker (39:21): Right.

Counselor (39:21): And even if that's bad for his development,

Technical Director (39:23): I think they should because when he goes back down to triple a, he's going to tear the shit off the ball. And it's kind of like the Henry Davis debacle, you know, he's number one overall pick.

Unknown Speaker (39:33): Well, it's not that

Unknown Speaker (39:34): bad. They, well,

Unknown Speaker (39:35): they're not at least playing him at shortstop.

Technical Director (39:37): What I, yes, but what I mean is Henry Davis was the number one prospect, the number one pick one,

Unknown Speaker (39:44): one overall, and they bring him up here and then they they've been

Technical Director (39:48): playing this game with him up, down, up, down, up, down. And the mystery was every time they sent him down, he would tear it up. So they would bring him back up, and then he wouldn't do well. He wouldn't adjust, then they send him back down. I I think that was the mistake.

Technical Director (40:03): I think a kid like Connor Griffin, it's like he's already conquered triple a ball. He's already conquered it. He he he's caught up to the speed of that game. He's 19. He's got incredible talent.

Technical Director (40:15): You signed him to a huge contract. There's going to be an adjustment period for him that I think he can handle. And if you remember guys like Ken Griffey junior, they came up in their first week, got a couple hits and then they were, they looked like garbage for two months. Baseball was a game about consistency. And I think you got to start with these guys.

Technical Director (40:37): Like, look, I'm I I was a 100% against leading off with O'Neil Cruz. Look look how he's playing this year so far. Okay. So I was wrong about that, but they're consistently he's batting consistently in the lead off spot. They're not playing that lineup game with him.

Technical Director (40:54): You know, Griffin

Grand Schwabini (40:54): has I did see one game he was hitting like sixth or seventh.

Technical Director (40:57): Yeah. And it was early when he was struggling. But but Griffin has moved down the lineup a little bit to, to give him a little better chance to, adjust himself. And he has trouble with the fastball. So I think he's going to come around.

Technical Director (41:12): I, I, I really like this kid as far as whether or not he's a future hall of famer and all that kind of stuff. Who the hell knows?

Unknown Speaker (41:18): Well, may maybe

Technical Director (41:18): I say, sorry. I say leave him up here. That that's my opinion.

Counselor (41:23): Maybe they just don't have the right coaching for him.

Technical Director (41:26): And that's very possible.

Counselor (41:27): And if that's the case, he's never gonna get better until they do get a good coach for him. Right? Yes. So maybe they'll invest in the coach for him. I say go hire Derek Jeter.

Technical Director (41:36): Oh, well, all due respect to Donnie Kelly. I I I said this last week and I'll continue to say it. I'm I'm kinda tired of this Pittsburgh pirates. We gotta hire somebody who was from Mars or moon or Robinson Township or, you know, wherever it's like, look, find. Yeah.

Technical Director (41:55): There you go with the steelers, but find

Unknown Speaker (41:57): my neighbor

Technical Director (41:57): best coach. I mean, you know, could they have had Terry Francona now? Isn't he from Ohio or some Western Pennsylvania too?

Unknown Speaker (42:03): Yeah. He's from Western VA.

Unknown Speaker (42:05): I don't know where

Technical Director (42:05): exactly. He's better.

Counselor (42:07): He's probably Beaver County.

Technical Director (42:08): He's better. So yeah, I I I think that this is a tough time to be a pirates fan. I mean,

Counselor (42:16): it's not. It's a glorious time. I they just signed a big contract to a young kid. Yeah. They got a great pitcher.

Counselor (42:24): Go out there and win some damn games. That's it. That's all you have to say. Let's not say it's hard. Let's just say it's fun and let's enjoy it.

Technical Director (42:33): I, I agree. So that, that being said, prediction here at this point right now, counselor, do you think, do you think they make the playoffs? It's early two weeks, but, but based on what you've seen so far,

Unknown Speaker (42:48): they'll make the wild card. You do?

Technical Director (42:50): Okay. I had them at 88 wins. I mean, I that's where I had them now. I kind of didn't believe myself five to one pirates right now. How about you?

Technical Director (43:00): Do they make do they wildcard or not? They when we can change this prediction as the CC. No. No. Okay.

Unknown Speaker (43:05): How about you?

Counselor (43:06): No. Did you see the new city connect uniforms? What do you think?

Unknown Speaker (43:10): I think they're way better than the other one. I can know. Way better than the other ones.

Unknown Speaker (43:13): Yeah. I don't need an, I don't need to give you a reason. Yeah. You don't. I'll give you a reason.

Counselor (43:17): Thirty five, forty five years of failure. There you

Technical Director (43:21): go. That's the problem. That's the problem. So, so when we dig into that, you're, you're a believer. You're a believer.

Technical Director (43:29): I'm gonna believe. Are you cynical about this at all? Because of I mean, we've all been watching them same amount of time, basically.

Hockey Jesus (43:36): Cynical I'm cynical about the bullpen a little bit, and I just I I don't know if it's I don't understand the mechanics of so many more pitcher injuries compared to when we were kids and when we were growing up. Right. And They

Unknown Speaker (43:50): stopped taking really

Unknown Speaker (43:51): I look at I look at crap like

Unknown Speaker (43:53): Big problem.

Hockey Jesus (43:54): I I look at crap like Keller, you know, a couple nights ago being at 75 pitches and knowing you have a shit ass bullpen and taking Keller out at 75 pitches rather than pitching him at least one more inning and letting me get to 90 or 92. Right. You know? So I I like like, that bothers me a little bit. Mhmm.

Hockey Jesus (44:12): So I'm a little cynical around the edges. But, again, I, like, I I'm I'm bought in on on culture, and I've, like, I, you know, didn't know a ton about Wow before, didn't know a ton about O'Hearn, but but those guys are baseball guys. Yes. They're winners. And, like, I've watched them enough again.

Hockey Jesus (44:32): And when a team when a team hits has 10 hits in a game and eight of them are to the opposite field, That to me is winning baseball.

Unknown Speaker (44:41): That is.

Hockey Jesus (44:41): An example of winning baseball. Take what the pitcher will give you. And Yeah. They won the game.

Technical Director (44:46): Yeah. We shall see in the coming weeks what happens. Currently, Henry Davis is up to bat. It is Let's

Unknown Speaker (44:52): go. Hey.

Technical Director (44:53): It is the bottom of the third with two outs. The pirates have now given Paul Skeens a five to one lead. And what I would say is

Unknown Speaker (45:03): Will this be his third win?

Technical Director (45:05): Believe so. Yes. He has now pitched schemes has now pitched three innings. He gave up that home run with a walk in four case. So what I said earlier was, you know, pretty true.

Technical Director (45:15): I mean, schemes is probably going to settle down and he should pitch a schemes game. Now, of course, Henry Davis just struck out. So, you know, as, as, as far as the, this is concerned for me, I am not sure where to go with this. I have a different feeling about the team on the field. That's the way I feel.

Technical Director (45:36): I have a little bit of a different feeling about the way they handled the off season. I did see Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen show. He went nuts and said, Oh, Pirates fans, you guys should be, you guys should be happy as hell.

Unknown Speaker (45:50): This guy,

Technical Director (45:51): this guy will, would never spend any money, would never do anything like this. And he literally went out and said, this kid could be a generational player. We're going to put him here. We're going to

Unknown Speaker (46:01): build around them. And, you know, and he brought

Technical Director (46:04): in some bats and, know, but, but the point is on a national stage, they're looking at the pirates and they're saying, look, they're doing something. We just don't really believe it's going to work out here.

Grand Schwabini (46:18): Well, what, what they're saying though, I think you're kind of over inflating it a little bit. They're basically saying, no, you're saying like, wow, they're doing something. I think what they're saying is, Hey, they're, they're trying.

Technical Director (46:31): That's not the way go back and watch that rich eyes and clip. It's not the way he talked about it. He talked about it as if this was a super exciting thing and it was great for the city of Pittsburgh and great for Pittsburgh pirates fans and all that stuff.

Unknown Speaker (46:44): Well, how else would you talk about it?

Technical Director (46:46): Well, I mean, if he thought if if he thought they were just trying, I don't think he would have said it

Grand Schwabini (46:50): the way he said it. Well, I think he was saying, hey, Pittsburgh, be excited. The team is finally trying.

Unknown Speaker (46:57): Did you watch the clip?

Grand Schwabini (46:58): I'm making the clip up myself.

Unknown Speaker (47:02): He is the clip.

Unknown Speaker (47:03): Okay. The the clairvoyant. He doesn't need to watch it.

Technical Director (47:09): Alright. Join the conversation. We wanna hear from you. Drop your comments in the chat. Subscribe on YouTube at the sports porch podcast.

Technical Director (47:17): You can also email the show OGsportssports@Gmail.com. Visit porches live dot com. Go ahead, Scott.

Unknown Speaker (47:23): Go

Unknown Speaker (47:23): ahead. Do we have to talk about the draft?

Unknown Speaker (47:26): A little bit. Of course.

Unknown Speaker (47:27): A little bit. Yeah. We're gonna talk a little bit We're about really gonna do

Unknown Speaker (47:29): another mock draft. I'm gonna hurl.

Unknown Speaker (47:32): We're not gonna do a

Unknown Speaker (47:32): mock draft here. Yeah. We don't we

Unknown Speaker (47:35): don't we don't really do that.

Unknown Speaker (47:36): We just give our opinion as who we want.

Technical Director (47:38): So on the clock, the NFL draft is taking over Pittsburgh, and I mean

Unknown Speaker (47:45): Good seats still available.

Technical Director (47:46): Listen, guys. We live basically. These two live in the city of Pittsburgh. Mark lives way out in the way out in the boondocks in a farm town. And You live in the barracks

Unknown Speaker (47:56): in Monroeville.

Grand Schwabini (47:57): I live in I I live in Amish lifestyle.

Unknown Speaker (47:59): And I and

Unknown Speaker (48:00): I live in a I

Technical Director (48:01): live in a compound in Monroeville. So so but anyway, this is, you know, this is the most exciting thing to happen to Pittsburgh in our lifetimes. I think so. It's from a sports perspective other than you would think winning the Stanley cup.

Unknown Speaker (48:14): Right? No. From an, from an app, from a fan

Unknown Speaker (48:17): perspective. I've been

Hockey Jesus (48:17): couple of super bowls, including one that the team wants.

Unknown Speaker (48:20): But they haven't been here in Pittsburgh. Yeah.

Technical Director (48:23): Yeah. This is, this is the biggest thing to happen and, and yes, they are on the clock and there was, you know, I think it was Derpy or somebody made a comment about Mike McCarthy and all that kind of stuff. I mean, what do you, what do you guys think? Are they leaning? I've been making the case that I actually believe, that the Steelers should take alignment.

Technical Director (48:47): That that's what I think. Mostly offensive, but I would settle for a a a great defensive tackle.

Unknown Speaker (48:53): You did say

Unknown Speaker (48:53): that. You know?

Hockey Jesus (48:54): You know, if you look if you look at the value kind of I I mean, I think I think you try to you try to take that guard that they need probably in the second round. And I I think I still think with McCarthy, there's gonna be double dipping at wide receiver. So I I would be shocked if they don't take a wide receiver in the first round unless unless they feel like they're not gonna get value. You know? I mean, you could, you know, defensive lineman is an area of need.

Hockey Jesus (49:23): I just don't want them to go for an edge rusher. We have way too much money tied up now.

Unknown Speaker (49:28): You need a big fatty

Hockey Jesus (49:29): If you if you get an edge rusher, then that's recognition that TJ, you think that he's not just on the tail end of his career, but he's on the backslide to the, you know, to the seventeenth hole Mhmm. In a hurry.

Unknown Speaker (49:41): So Which I think I think he is.

Unknown Speaker (49:43): Yeah. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (49:44): He might be.

Hockey Jesus (49:45): I I I, you know, I I don't I don't know I don't know what you do, but but I know that there are a lot of people who have looked at this and, you know, there was a good column or a good piece in the PG about the need to get draft capital for next year to have an opportunity at quarterback. So I think it's critical that they try to get a third or a second round pick next year. They have three third round picks. So, you know, what you do with those third round picks to me are really important because that's where you get real value.

Unknown Speaker (50:13): They they that that that's actually pretty interesting you bring it up because

Technical Director (50:16): they don't they have the most picks in the draft this year? They have 12.

Hockey Jesus (50:20): Yeah. They're and they're, like, they don't even have enough roster spots to use 12 picks. I mean, there'd just be garbage throwing them away. So I I looked to package these up, somehow, and and I think they'll try to they'll try to get an extra second round pick next year.

Technical Director (50:34): I I I think it's gonna be, well, let's let's just put it this way. If there was a shot at them trading up to get, you know, what's his name? Mendoza. Do you think they would do it? No,

Counselor (50:50): no, So you're getting Mendoza anyways. I definitely take it.

Unknown Speaker (50:54): Speaker I said if there was a shot,

Unknown Speaker (50:56): I see

Hockey Jesus (50:56): a bigger, question, bigger question included TJ Watt. If it included TJ Watt and only given up one first round pick this year, your first round pick this year and a first round pick next year, then maybe. But

Grand Schwabini (51:09): The bigger question quarterback wise is, will they draft Ty Simpson if he's available? Yeah. I hope not.

Counselor (51:16): I think they'll go wide receiver instead.

Technical Director (51:19): See, that's why I argue for the line because I look at this and, and again, the elephant in the room once again is perhaps the quarterback who shall remain unnamed and is currently unsigned. And, you know, a lot of people say the Steelers or he's holding the Steelers hostage. And I, I don't think he's holding the Steelers hostage. I think the Steelers are holding themselves hostage. They they they Tomlin left a mess at the quarterback position, which we all talked about years before it even happened.

Technical Director (51:50): Like what's going to happen when Ben retires? Is he going to be able to develop a quarterback? The answer was a resounding no. And, know, we're not even talking about McCarthy as a new coach right now, but that position is a mess. So to me, a wide receiver number one, and then bringing them into a situation where the quarterback, you know, room is a, is a total is in really look guys, it's in total shambles,

Unknown Speaker (52:14): Chris, you

Unknown Speaker (52:15): know, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl.

Unknown Speaker (52:17): Well, I know, but that he's the only one.

Unknown Speaker (52:19): Well,

Unknown Speaker (52:20): he's the only Trent Dilfer. He

Hockey Jesus (52:24): can't help me out here. Nick Foles won the Super Bowl.

Unknown Speaker (52:26): Yeah. I know. But those aren't those

Unknown Speaker (52:28): Twenty seven and two.

Unknown Speaker (52:30): Aren't those the exceptions? They are not the rule. Right? Of course

Unknown Speaker (52:37): Yeah. But I I think Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (52:38): They are

Unknown Speaker (52:38): more accepted. Sam Darnold did end up playing

Hockey Jesus (52:40): a super. The quarterback position is in shambles in in the entire league. If the league the league functions as haves and have nots with the quarterback position. I mean, tell

Unknown Speaker (52:50): me

Unknown Speaker (52:51): tell me it doesn't.

Unknown Speaker (52:52): No. I I agree with you.

Unknown Speaker (52:53): Have nots.

Unknown Speaker (52:53): I agree with you.

Hockey Jesus (52:54): You know? And, you know, there's there's a lot there's a lot of luck involved. Oh, yeah. There's there's a ton of luck involved in it. I mean, it's a bit of a crapshoot.

Unknown Speaker (53:02): It's well, you just have to you have to pick a number one quarterback, like, two or three years in a row, then you hit the lottery.

Technical Director (53:09): Unless you're Cleveland or the Jets.

Counselor (53:12): Well, Cleveland had one, and then they let go.

Grand Schwabini (53:15): But part part of it, though, is, I mean, there is a skill to it. I mean, the good GMs can identify a guy like, you know, a perfect guy like that would be like a Bo Knicks. You know, like, they identified that Bo Knicks could be an elite quarterback, and they went up in the first round to get him. And I believe he was outside of the top 10. Was he like 12 or something?

Grand Schwabini (53:35): You know, like that's that you know? So what I'm saying is this, I don't

Unknown Speaker (53:39): For every Bo Knicks, there's a Sam Rosen. Oh, sure.

Unknown Speaker (53:41): Right? For sure.

Hockey Jesus (53:42): But Ryan Lee. Maybe for every Bo Knicks, there's two Sam Rosen.

Grand Schwabini (53:46): Right. But what what I'm saying is if Ty Simpson turns out to be a great quarterback, somebody knows that. And if the Steelers That's true. And if the Steelers don't know it and he turns out to be great

Unknown Speaker (54:00): So this is a little problem.

Hockey Jesus (54:02): This is a little bit to me like the Pirates criticism criticism of Pirates from a development standpoint and and hitting and a development coach. And you've gotta put the quarter the quarterback in the right system. And if Boenix isn't playing, I mean, I think one one thing, Mark, I would agree with you on. If if he's not playing for Sean Payton, Sean Payton devises an offense around him. I mean, I think that's important too.

Hockey Jesus (54:25): Yeah. Yeah. That's true.

Unknown Speaker (54:26): Yeah. But McCarthy would do that if he brought in a quarterback.

Unknown Speaker (54:29): McCarthy would do that.

Unknown Speaker (54:30): He doesn't need

Unknown Speaker (54:31): to because he has Will Howard.

Unknown Speaker (54:33): Yes.

Unknown Speaker (54:33): Maybe you got Will Howard.

Unknown Speaker (54:34): Yeah. You got Will Howard.

Unknown Speaker (54:35): Tell me you're

Counselor (54:36): Don't forget about Mason Rudolph. He's still available. Right.

Unknown Speaker (54:39): Tell me you're

Unknown Speaker (54:39): still He's on a roster.

Technical Director (54:41): Yeah. Yeah. I mean, to me, the Steelers have

Unknown Speaker (54:45): Maybe that's what he's doing right now. He's a mastermind.

Unknown Speaker (54:47): Man, I'm looking at my friends

Unknown Speaker (54:48): in Minnesota who have so much pain right now.

Unknown Speaker (54:51): Oh, god. Remorse.

Hockey Jesus (54:52): I mean, it's Kenny pick. It's Kenny Pickett do over, you know?

Unknown Speaker (54:56): Yeah. I mean. It's true. Yeah.

Hockey Jesus (54:57): I mean, it's it's terrible.

Unknown Speaker (54:59): Plus, they traded away the guy that that was great for them.

Unknown Speaker (55:02): Yeah. It's worse.

Unknown Speaker (55:03): And then he wins a Super Bowl.

Unknown Speaker (55:05): Yeah. Well, they let he was a one year deal. They let him sign somewhere else.

Unknown Speaker (55:08): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (55:08): Yeah. Because they thought they had somebody.

Unknown Speaker (55:10): Right. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (55:10): They did.

Technical Director (55:11): Yeah. And you know what? We talked about that at the end of the year last year and I think all of us agreed. We were like, why would you, why would you let Sam Darnold go somewhere else and rely on a rookie who who who who who barely played when he won 14 games for you? Right.

Technical Director (55:27): Yeah. And and and I think they were thinking, well, McConnell. McConnell is the guy that did it. McConnell will do it for McCarthy.

Unknown Speaker (55:34): He's the quarterback whisperer. Right.

Technical Director (55:36): And Darnold Darnold went to Seattle and guess what happened? So it turns out that things kind of clicked for him and then you can't, you can't deny it. So, you know, I think the Steelers right now have some very, very glaring problems. And obviously the biggest one is quarterback and the sec, the second one is defense

Unknown Speaker (56:01): and they need a wide receiver.

Technical Director (56:03): I don't know. I mean, they have DK and they have

Unknown Speaker (56:06): come on. You already said that DK's a wide receiver three.

Technical Director (56:10): No, I never said he was a three.

Unknown Speaker (56:11): You never said he was a one.

Unknown Speaker (56:13): I said he was a one a, he was

Unknown Speaker (56:15): like a one a or a one. Recall that. Yeah. I never recall you calling him a one.

Unknown Speaker (56:19): He's so the problem is they have two one B's.

Technical Director (56:22): That's exactly. We've talked about that. That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

Counselor (56:26): But that's one more than last year,

Technical Director (56:28): but I'm, but look, I look at the George Pickens experiment and Pickens had his own issues, but they also brought this kid into a situation in which the quarterback room was a mess. So it's kind of like, as soon as he ends up in a place and Dallas, well, but in Dallas, you know, they've had their issues, but as soon as he ends up at a spot where there's no question who the quarterback is, he had a pretty goddamn good year.

Unknown Speaker (56:53): So And he still ain't getting paid.

Hockey Jesus (56:54): You know how many playoff wins Dak has?

Technical Director (56:56): Yeah. None. So I yeah. Well, whatever. One.

Unknown Speaker (56:59): Close enough.

Unknown Speaker (56:59): He's got a little more than the Steelers.

Unknown Speaker (57:01): But I I think you understand what I'm saying, though. You do. You you please

Unknown Speaker (57:04): tell me. What what I would what I would say though.

Unknown Speaker (57:06): Position is a mess.

Grand Schwabini (57:07): What I what I would say though is this. I mean, assuming I don't think that Ty Simpson is gonna be a good quarterback, I would make my first on draft pick, a tackle to to replace, Broderick Jones.

Technical Director (57:21): Alright. So you're with me on that.

Unknown Speaker (57:23): Yeah.

Technical Director (57:23): You're with me on that. Yeah. And that's the that's the issue that I see. You you you have Broderick Jones.

Unknown Speaker (57:29): I'd roll with Cook,

Unknown Speaker (57:30): He's not paying. Yeah. But you got it. You got it. They probably will.

Technical Director (57:34): I mean, I'm maybe,

Grand Schwabini (57:35): maybe you move cook to guard.

Technical Director (57:37): Yeah. I don't know guys. I think, I think they have a lot of draft picks. They could surprise us too. You never know with all that draft capital.

Technical Director (57:45): I mean, it's it's kinda like, you know, they wanna have a win now mentality. So

Unknown Speaker (57:49): They always do.

Technical Director (57:50): You know, why do we why do we wanna, you know, set ourselves up for the draft next year when we have all these picks?

Unknown Speaker (57:56): Why would you wait till next year?

Unknown Speaker (57:57): Right. Right. Right. So I Wouldn't shock

Unknown Speaker (57:59): me if they move up in round one this year.

Unknown Speaker (58:01): Yeah. Wouldn't shock me at all.

Unknown Speaker (58:03): They got the draft picks.

Unknown Speaker (58:04): Mhmm. Yeah. They

Hockey Jesus (58:04): they I think I'm telling you, I think they're gonna move back.

Technical Director (58:07): Do you really? That would really disappoint us.

Unknown Speaker (58:09): I think they're gonna try to get picks for next year.

Unknown Speaker (58:11): No way. They're not moving back. No. They might if it if the draft wasn't in Pittsburgh, but there's no way.

Unknown Speaker (58:17): No. If it unless

Unknown Speaker (58:18): They gotta have a pick in the first round.

Unknown Speaker (58:20): Unless they get who they want.

Unknown Speaker (58:22): You

Counselor (58:22): know? They're not gonna disappoint the fans like that.

Technical Director (58:24): Chris Shawna has this question here. Which month do you think Rogers says he's coming back? August? You know what? Chris Shawna?

Technical Director (58:30): I don't care anymore.

Counselor (58:31): August or September, Chris.

Unknown Speaker (58:33): I really don't care. I

Unknown Speaker (58:34): thought it supposed to be before the draft. Yeah.

Counselor (58:36): Yeah. You know? Before, after. Right. Somewhere after before the season starts.

Technical Director (58:42): Technically, it's still before the draft. So, you know

Unknown Speaker (58:46): Hey. Still got time.

Unknown Speaker (58:47): How about how about

Technical Director (58:48): Kirk Cousins signing that humongous deal with the Raiders? I mean, you wanna talk about a guy who's knows how to play the goddamn system.

Unknown Speaker (58:55): So, I mean, does that does that mean that they're not going to start Mendoza out the gates?

Unknown Speaker (58:59): I have no idea. Right. Because he's going to learn from a

Unknown Speaker (59:02): winner. Right.

Technical Director (59:03): I mean, five, five years, 172 football winner. I mean, he's,

Unknown Speaker (59:09): you know, none of it's guaranteed.

Unknown Speaker (59:10): Oh glory be to God. His cousins would say

Counselor (59:13): it could, it could be ten years for a billion dollars. If it's not, if it's not guaranteed money, it doesn't matter.

Unknown Speaker (59:20): It's all voidable.

Grand Schwabini (59:21): He's the best fantasy football quarterback of all time.

Unknown Speaker (59:23): Three avoidable years. Yeah. Did you

Unknown Speaker (59:26): hear that upstairs?

Unknown Speaker (59:27): Yeah. I don't know what she's saying.

Counselor (59:28): I think she's, she's, you know, wanting to join the porch, but

Technical Director (59:30): Oh, do you want to come down here, honey?

Unknown Speaker (59:32): Speaker No, she doesn't want to come down. The move to the porch.

Technical Director (59:38): So, so yeah, next week, Monday night, 7PM Eastern time, we're going to have our draft preview. We're going to talk about who we think the Steelers are going to draft any moves they're going to make. We're going to talk about the draft in general. Obviously we will keep you updated and talk about Penguins playoff hockey, what the pirates are doing, but we're going to be warming up into that draft because Thursday night, we're going have live draft coverage all Thursday night throughout the draft, here in the basement studios. Think the hockey Jesus and I are going to be heading down to the draft during the day.

Unknown Speaker (1:00:15): Sure. Definitely 100.

Technical Director (1:00:16): Try to pull some video down there and talk to some people, see what they think about the city and who they're I wanna find some jets fans.

Unknown Speaker (1:00:23): You know what? I wanna find I always think a giant's fans.

Hockey Jesus (1:00:26): Tell tell Chris tell Chris Chada that he can get a spot at Rivers Casino for $500.

Unknown Speaker (1:00:31): $500. Lot lots a day.

Unknown Speaker (1:00:35): It's for

Unknown Speaker (1:00:36): all It's it's it's

Unknown Speaker (1:00:37): it's for all day.

Technical Director (1:00:38): Yep. Hey, Steve McNair, Saturday, you're learning from the legendary Cody Carlson. Remember that? I I do remember that. Air.

Technical Director (1:00:46): Good one. Pat on air air McNair. Alright. Join the conversation. Let us know how you think, how you feel.

Technical Director (1:00:54): We're going to move on to something now that is near and dear to Mark Schwab's heart.

Unknown Speaker (1:00:58): You do realize just one quick

Unknown Speaker (1:00:59): question. Caveat.

Grand Schwabini (1:01:00): 5500 a day. Carolina to Philadelphia. $500 for the day. It's only $20 an hour.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:07): Yeah. Yeah. That's not too bad. It's not bad.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:08): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:09): So you can do it.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:10): I I I have

Unknown Speaker (1:01:11): a business relationship with a guy who lives in Green Bay. His his family, you know,

Hockey Jesus (1:01:17): his history in hospitality industry, family, like, you know, hospitality, described when I talked to him about recently about the draft and said, you know, how did the draft end up working out? He said, biggest bust ever.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:29): Really?

Hockey Jesus (1:01:30): Yeah. Yeah. So I I mean, I I don't know if something's changed, but these reports today about the hotel vacancy because

Unknown Speaker (1:01:37): 40%.

Hockey Jesus (1:01:38): Even myself Really? Even myself and and you you guys you guys know I'm a Steelers season ticket holder. Yeah. Yeah. What the Steelers have offered me as a season ticket holder is I can access the 2nd Floor at Stage AE where they're gonna have some kind of tables or something where, like, Chris Hoke is gonna be there and sign autographs.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:55): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:55): Right. That's it?

Unknown Speaker (1:01:56): That's it. So like As

Unknown Speaker (1:01:58): a season ticket.

Unknown Speaker (1:01:59): Thank you, mister Rooney. But honestly, I don't even think I'm gonna go down because Really? Chris Chada's point, why do I wanna deal with the traffic and the hassle?

Unknown Speaker (1:02:07): You you you can walk with us.

Technical Director (1:02:09): When he says when he says biggest bust ever, can you give me some context on that?

Hockey Jesus (1:02:13): Yeah. In terms of in terms of the economic activity generated and a lot of people just drove in for the day is my understanding. So, you know, I don't know what's gonna happen here. I mean, I think the great thing about it is Pittsburgh has used it as an opportunity to do things like Arts Landing. Right.

Hockey Jesus (1:02:30): Probably should have happened twenty five years ago.

Unknown Speaker (1:02:32): Oh, that's true.

Unknown Speaker (1:02:33): Easy. So

Hockey Jesus (1:02:34): Yeah. You you look at something like that and and Arts Landing, cleaning up Market Square, doing something new for Market Square.

Unknown Speaker (1:02:40): That took forever.

Hockey Jesus (1:02:41): That that that's great. And if Pittsburgh is gonna be a showcase, I'm all for it. But in terms of the economic activity and what might become of it, I mean, do you guys really wanna deal with the with the bridges? You know, the No. Of course not.

Hockey Jesus (1:02:53): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:02:53): I'm gonna walk over it.

Hockey Jesus (1:02:54): The primary throughput is you you guys know that the bridge of Point State Park, the pedestrian bridge is gonna be closed. Right? Right. So the primary throughput is gonna be the Clemente. Clemente.

Hockey Jesus (1:03:03): So everybody's gonna be going on over and and back on the Clemente.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:07): Hopefully it doesn't fall down.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:08): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:09): So no, it's a suspension bridge. It's good. I checked it.

Technical Director (1:03:12): That's an interesting take because I think there are an awful lot of businesses here that are gearing up and hoping that they make a lot of money. Yeah. Yeah. And he's saying no.

Hockey Jesus (1:03:20): I mean, Rivers Casino, I'm sure they're gonna do good. Chris shot is gonna be there, you know, shun, shun, shun, shun, shun, shun. Obviously.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:36): Yeah. It's way different.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:37): It's a little bit up on an island because, you know, I think the differences here, I think there are

Counselor (1:03:41): It's in the middle of the neighborhood.

Hockey Jesus (1:03:42): 11 franchises that are within a six to seven hour drive.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:46): Uh-huh. Tippets hurt.

Unknown Speaker (1:03:48): So, you know, but but anyway, for for what it's worth.

Technical Director (1:03:51): Yeah. I mean, I could see a lot of people from from I could see people from Buffalo, people from Philly, people from DC, people from New York. Cincinnati, Cleveland. Even Indianapolis. Nashville, Indianapolis, maybe North Carolina, you know, possibly Atlanta.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:11): They're not driving though. They're probably flying

Unknown Speaker (1:04:13): about Nashville.

Technical Director (1:04:14): I did say Nashville. So yeah, we'll see, but that that's an interesting take because I just assumed this is somebody who's just misery.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:23): This isn't somebody who's just a jabroni off the street.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:26): Yeah. So,

Counselor (1:04:27): yeah. Well, that was the first thing that I heard about the draft that was pretty negative. That 40% still available in in the hotels.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:35): That blows my mind.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:36): Yeah. That's a well, I mean, not really. Did you see how much they want for a room?

Unknown Speaker (1:04:40): Well, I was gonna say they're jacking the price.

Grand Schwabini (1:04:42): The price is up. The prices are ridiculous.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:44): $1,500 a night.

Unknown Speaker (1:04:45): Yeah. That's

Grand Schwabini (1:04:46): that's the one thing that I've learned. Now that, you know, I'm in a city that's hosting the draft is that it's it's terrible in terms of it's you know, when you look at it on TV and like, you know, you see the fans reacting, you know, that that looks fun and that looks like genuine, but it's pretty clear now that those are people that have a ton of money.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:10): Yeah.

Grand Schwabini (1:05:10): You know, it's, it's, it's really, it's a, it's a big money. It's just like going to a concert. It's like you can't you can't get close for less than a thousand dollars.

Hockey Jesus (1:05:19): It's not a game. I mean, the Super Bowl is pretty epic too, but Right. You know, you're going to watch your team play a game.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:25): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:25): Right. This is just like, I don't need excuses to go just get shit faced drunk. You know what mean? Yeah. Seriously.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:31): Not not anymore. We're way past that, boys.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:33): Not anymore. Yeah. For now. Just go do that tonight. For now.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:36): I don't need a reason.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:37): I imagine there's going to be a moment in my life between now and the time I die where I might need to. You might need a. Maybe. I mean, one more. I mean, come on.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:46): Yeah. One more probably.

Unknown Speaker (1:05:48): Well, it's like thirty years.

Counselor (1:05:49): I think it'll be interesting to see how many locals are going to be here, you know? Yeah. That's not really going to be our take when we go down. We're going to be looking for people coming in from outside. I think we're gonna be that's gonna be what we're looking for.

Counselor (1:06:01): But we'll be able to think it'll still be interesting to see how many how many, you know, Ginsers are down there.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:07): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:07): You know?

Unknown Speaker (1:06:07): I I think there's gonna be a lot.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:08): I think there's gonna be a lot too. But in they're not they're not gonna buy a hotel room. But they'll walk around down there all day with their beer. You know?

Unknown Speaker (1:06:16): Yeah. That's true.

Counselor (1:06:17): Yeah.

Technical Director (1:06:17): That's true. So we will be there and then we will be back here and we will have the greatest show, the greatest draft show ever. That's what we're going to call it.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:28): Yes. Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:29): I like it. It's great. I'm falling in.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:31): No. We got Mel Kuiper on hold though.

Technical Director (1:06:34): Joe, your your golf buddy, Joe Theismann. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (1:06:39): Alright.

Technical Director (1:06:40): Brand Swabini, let's take us out. You want to tell us what we're doing here? Sure.

Grand Schwabini (1:06:46): It is now time for the most important part of the show. Forget about sports for a minute. What do you do when there's no sports on TV? You gotta watch something. Right?

Grand Schwabini (1:06:57): And there's such good TV out there. I mean, series, good movies, documentaries abound, which, you know, our famous TD wants to see everyone before he, you know, goes six feet under. And what we're gonna do here is this is this is our way of giving back to you, you know. You've been so you've been so good to us, we give back to you. You don't have to spend time watching trailers.

Grand Schwabini (1:07:25): No. No. You just listen to the guys at the sports porch, and if the guys at the sports porch say two thumbs up, that means it's an automatic lock. If we say two thumbs down, that means if you watched it, it's your fault. If we give you one up and one down, that could be, you know, hey, if you like rom coms, you'll like it.

Grand Schwabini (1:07:47): If you don't, you'll hate it. Right? But the bottom line is we are here for you and we're going to start you off right now. Might as well get the documentary out of the way with our TD.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:01): There you go. Let's get

Unknown Speaker (1:08:02): the documentary out of the way. The TV, which is me

Unknown Speaker (1:08:06): What plate, sir.

Technical Director (1:08:07): Has has watched on Hulu.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:11): Somebody died in an apartment.

Technical Director (1:08:12): Death in Apartment 603.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:14): Die in apartment? What?

Unknown Speaker (1:08:15): They do occasionally.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:16): I can't believe this.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:17): This one must have been special.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:19): This is a shocker.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:20): This must have been special.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:21): As it said in West Philly.

Technical Director (1:08:22): As best it it it actually was set in Manayunk. What did Yes. Yes. I watched this for you today. Mhmm.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:31): Yeah. What happened to Ellen? Wait, wait.

Grand Schwabini (1:08:33): Did you watch the Peaky Blinders movie?

Unknown Speaker (1:08:35): No, I did not. Oh boy.

Grand Schwabini (1:08:37): So you're not a man of your word.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:38): No, I'm not.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:40): So all right. Go ahead with your apartment story.

Unknown Speaker (1:08:42): Something we already all said.

Technical Director (1:08:43): Alright. Ellen Greenberg, apparently committed suicide in her apartment

Unknown Speaker (1:08:49): Or so

Technical Director (1:08:49): they After her could not get it. Her fiance left the apartment around 04:50 in the afternoon, went downstairs to the, apartment complex gym. He worked out. He came back about forty minutes later. The door was latched from the inside.

Technical Director (1:09:07): Was it

Grand Schwabini (1:09:08): a, was it a crisp fall day?

Technical Director (1:09:10): Couldn't get in, went down, complained to the concierge. You know, I think my fiance latched the door and she's taken a shower or something. I don't know what's going on. Concierge says, I can't leave the desk unless it's, you know, we have to call law enforcement. He basically goes up and back a couple of times complaining more.

Technical Director (1:09:29): Finally, he breaks the door down only to find that she has stabbed herself 20 times and committed suicide. That sounds a little fishy

Grand Schwabini (1:09:41): about that. That's an odd way to kill yourself.

Unknown Speaker (1:09:43): Yeah. That's not little fishy about that.

Unknown Speaker (1:09:45): It like it would hurt

Unknown Speaker (1:09:46): even in mani junk.

Technical Director (1:09:49): Yes. So now here's the, here's the thing. The Philadelphia police classified it as a suicide in 2011. Then two days, two days after during the funeral, they decided to reclassify it as a homicide. And then not that long after that, they said after looking at evidence that, nah, it's a suicide.

Technical Director (1:10:15): So this family has fought for fifteen years. They finally won in court, Philadelphia. They settled in court because it was a civil lawsuit because once a case is a suicide, it's not investigated. They got Philadelphia to agree to reclassify it again as a homicide. And yet they have still done nothing.

Technical Director (1:10:34): So what's compelling about this is listening to the explanations of some of these medical examiners and how they explain. She had a knife sticking out of her chest. She had stab wounds and surface punctures

Unknown Speaker (1:10:49): in her back

Technical Director (1:10:49): on her back and on the top of her skull and some blunt force trauma. And you're telling me that's how she killed herself.

Unknown Speaker (1:11:00): There you go. There you go. Got one back.

Technical Director (1:11:02): Death in Apartment 603. What happened to Ellen Greenberg? It's actually a pretty good story. The only bad side of it is that it's open ended up until this day, her poor parents who are now in there, I want to say in their late seventies and are fighting like hell. They still have not gotten any resolution.

Technical Director (1:11:19): All they want is the city to reopen the investigation, but of course the crime scene, because it was a suicide, the apartment manager led a crime scene cleanup crew in right after the crime. So now there's Mitchie. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's, it's a mess, but I thought it was pretty compelling and I didn't have time to watch peaky behinders today.

Unknown Speaker (1:11:39): So definitely Apartment 603 Hulu, but I do love Hulu, man. Yeah. I do

Unknown Speaker (1:11:44): love Hulu. Hulu's back. Do you got the premium so you don't have to watch the commercials?

Technical Director (1:11:49): I, yeah, I must because I don't get any commercials.

Grand Schwabini (1:11:52): Nothing like a documentary that doesn't, that doesn't have an ending.

Unknown Speaker (1:11:55): There you go. That's exactly right.

Unknown Speaker (1:11:56): Well, most of them are open ended.

Unknown Speaker (1:11:58): Right. Right.

Unknown Speaker (1:11:59): All right. Let's move on.

Technical Director (1:12:00): It sounds like the grand Swabini would like to finish this out tonight. So I'm going to go with, I'm going go with HJ right now. This please, please tell me that this is worth watching the chosen,

Counselor (1:12:14): the chosen. Everybody knows what the chosen is.

Grand Schwabini (1:12:16): This is HJ, the Bible channel. This is the story of HJ.

Counselor (1:12:20): Yeah. The story of me. Yes. If I was a savior of the world, which I'm not. So it's not really a story about me.

Counselor (1:12:27): The actually, this is really well done. If even if you're not religious. Okay. Let's just say you don't care a lick about Jesus Christ.

Unknown Speaker (1:12:36): Sure.

Counselor (1:12:37): Okay? You don't you don't care about him. But you're interested in the person, Jesus. Like, what did he do when he was around? You know?

Unknown Speaker (1:12:43): Who did

Unknown Speaker (1:12:43): he drink beer with?

Unknown Speaker (1:12:44): Yeah. Why did he's pee why did these people wanna follow him?

Unknown Speaker (1:12:47): Where did

Counselor (1:12:47): what was his relationship like with his mom? You know? Mhmm. Those sorts of things. Yes.

Counselor (1:12:53): This is really excellent.

Technical Director (1:12:54): Did he ever go to the Red Light District in Amsterdam?

Counselor (1:12:57): They did not show that scene yet. Okay. And being that he's about to be crucified, I don't think it's gonna happen.

Technical Director (1:13:03): I have a question. Did Jesus eat ham?

Counselor (1:13:06): They no. They don't no. He's a really he was a devout Jew. Jewish people do not eat ham.

Unknown Speaker (1:13:12): Good people. Thank you.

Counselor (1:13:13): In the year '40. If I if I

Technical Director (1:13:16): had had ham here tonight from Easter, would you have eat? You eat ham. Right?

Grand Schwabini (1:13:21): No. You know what? I'm I'm all things ham except ham. Exactly. Yeah.

Grand Schwabini (1:13:26): Seriously, like I like like I like bacon. I like I like sausage. I like pulled pork

Unknown Speaker (1:13:31): pork pork.

Grand Schwabini (1:13:32): Yeah. But, but the actual ham, I don't like that.

Unknown Speaker (1:13:36): I think it's like the spiral, right? It's gross, but you're not, you, you don't care.

Unknown Speaker (1:13:40): It's dirty

Unknown Speaker (1:13:41): if it talked, But if it tasted really good to you, would you eat it?

Grand Schwabini (1:13:47): I might, but it's it's I've never really had a great piece of pure ham.

Unknown Speaker (1:13:52): No. Ham. Ham's kind of just salty.

Technical Director (1:13:55): Isn't isn't ham pork? And pork is ham.

Unknown Speaker (1:13:58): Yes. Yeah. Yes, it is.

Unknown Speaker (1:13:59): Well, but it's the way you prepare it in different ways. Yeah, it's

Unknown Speaker (1:14:03): going to get back to the chosen.

Unknown Speaker (1:14:04): Yeah, let's go there.

Unknown Speaker (1:14:05): So like I was saying, if you're interested in the life Just

Unknown Speaker (1:14:09): jump into this. Probably.

Counselor (1:14:11): Let's say. There's absolutely no way for the people that know if this is what really happened. You know? They're just hitting the highlights, and they're filling in everything between the highlights. And you know what?

Counselor (1:14:23): I think it's I think it's excellent just because it's a different take on the story that everybody knows about Jesus because they fill in all these gaps in kind of an interesting way, and they make, like, the disciples seem like some of them actually don't like each other.

Unknown Speaker (1:14:39): Mhmm.

Counselor (1:14:39): And some of them were like, you're stupid, you know, and there was kind of like a power struggle. I I love it. I think it's great. There's only one more season left. I did watch all five seasons.

Unknown Speaker (1:14:50): Good God.

Counselor (1:14:51): And there's one more season left. It'll be about it'll be about the passion, you know, when he gets, you know

Unknown Speaker (1:14:58): Named on the cross.

Counselor (1:14:59): Yeah. Captured by the Romans. Yeah. You know, the Jewish people are involved.

Technical Director (1:15:03): When he's betrayed by his own people.

Counselor (1:15:05): Yeah. Well, I mean, partially. I mean, there's there's some Rome in there's some Rome, you know, happenings. It's I think they tie it together really well. Mhmm.

Counselor (1:15:16): Okay. And and it's a story that everybody knows, but yet it's still very interesting.

Unknown Speaker (1:15:21): Pat off track is on track tonight. I what happens at the end.

Unknown Speaker (1:15:26): Oh, we don't know because that's gonna come up.

Technical Director (1:15:29): You know what it was? I think what happened is he ate an eyes and Eisley's chipped ham sandwich. And they were like, we can't have that a

Unknown Speaker (1:15:36): chop chip ham sandwich.

Unknown Speaker (1:15:37): Hey, Hey, Pat. Flash. It doesn't end.

Technical Director (1:15:42): Oh my God. Here we go. Here we go.

Counselor (1:15:45): Alright. Two thumbs up for the chosen, by the way. I you have to you have to watch it even if you're not religious. It's worth your time. It's really good.

Counselor (1:15:53): It's well done.

Technical Director (1:15:54): What is it what is it on? What is it on? I can't I can't remember if you said.

Counselor (1:15:58): Actually, you it's it's on a lot of things. It's it's on Apple TV.

Unknown Speaker (1:16:02): Okay.

Counselor (1:16:02): Or you know what? It's just in an app, like the chosen, the app.

Unknown Speaker (1:16:06): Good God.

Counselor (1:16:07): You, you could just download the app and watch it off the app.

Unknown Speaker (1:16:10): All right. The chosen

Unknown Speaker (1:16:11): it's everywhere.

Unknown Speaker (1:16:12): HJ hockey. Jesus says you should watch it. I feel like I've already watched it. Grand Schwab beanie.

Unknown Speaker (1:16:19): You should watch it. You need to watch it.

Technical Director (1:16:20): This is interesting. I need a lot of things. Tell us about it. Grand Schwab beanie.

Grand Schwabini (1:16:27): The grand Schwab beanie made his way to the theater

Unknown Speaker (1:16:31): again

Grand Schwabini (1:16:31): and enjoyed project hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling. And guys, it was as good as advertised.

Unknown Speaker (1:16:42): Oh, yeah. It was getting a lot of advertising.

Grand Schwabini (1:16:44): I mean, was big marks. You know? This this was Rotten Tomatoes, like, you know, 96 critics, 94 viewers. You know what I mean? Right.

Grand Schwabini (1:16:52): And, you know, I've heard some talk of, you know, he should win the Oscar for this. I honestly will be surprised if he does not win the Oscar for this. I feel like Wow. I feel like this is the movie to get him over the hump and get that award. It was really really good.

Grand Schwabini (1:17:10): I would say it's probably worth it to see in the movies because it is a lot of it is in space with some pretty cool alien life forms Mhmm. And alien ships.

Unknown Speaker (1:17:20): Mhmm.

Grand Schwabini (1:17:23): And it was really, really good. I mean, you know, look, I went into now, of course, I did go into this with extremely low expectations. Smart. Because I kind of looked at it and I kind of said, know, if you can see on the screen there, the the alien is kind of like a rock.

Counselor (1:17:37): Yes. I was gonna ask you about the rock. I hear that the rock was supposed to be, like, personable. Is this Like, yeah, it's just a rock.

Unknown Speaker (1:17:45): Bit like Ryan Reynolds' arm just

Unknown Speaker (1:17:46): I mean, I have to I have

Unknown Speaker (1:17:48): to tell you It's like Wally.

Unknown Speaker (1:17:49): The rock was really cool.

Unknown Speaker (1:17:52): Oh, really? Like the

Unknown Speaker (1:17:53): Rock I would almost like It was all AI. I I would almost equate The Rock to like an r two d two character. Okay. You know what I mean? Mhmm.

Unknown Speaker (1:18:01): And it

Grand Schwabini (1:18:02): was a really good story and it was, you know, you were kind of on the edge of your seat the whole time and and it was a really cool look at, you know, alien life. And, you know, of course, we got to save the planet. That's always important. And Ryan Gosling, who better to do it than such a good looking guy. And

Unknown Speaker (1:18:24): Yeah. I agree.

Grand Schwabini (1:18:25): You know, it was a no. In all honesty, was a two thumbs up, big time winner. I I would say anybody who likes sci fi is gonna love it, and anybody else will probably like it just as much.

Technical Director (1:18:36): I love sci fi, so and I love

Unknown Speaker (1:18:37): anything aliens. Yeah. You you would love it.

Unknown Speaker (1:18:40): Oh, yeah. That's a total TV.

Unknown Speaker (1:18:41): I will say though. I I do have sort of one off kilter series thing that I do just wanna bring up.

Unknown Speaker (1:18:48): Okay. Bring it up.

Grand Schwabini (1:18:49): You know, I had mentioned before that I am watching Vikings.

Unknown Speaker (1:18:54): Oh, yeah. That's right. You did.

Unknown Speaker (1:18:56): It's a good one.

Grand Schwabini (1:18:56): And I really love it. I really love it. However, something happened on Vikings that ticked me off. Uh-oh. Okay?

Unknown Speaker (1:19:06): Let's hear it.

Grand Schwabini (1:19:06): It took now Vikings as a whole is six seasons. Yes. Yeah. And some of the seasons are long, like twenty twenty episodes.

Unknown Speaker (1:19:14): It's a lot.

Grand Schwabini (1:19:14): Okay. I'm on I'm on season five, I believe.

Unknown Speaker (1:19:19): Okay.

Unknown Speaker (1:19:20): I believe episode like 18. Wow. So Yeah. Yeah. It's long.

Grand Schwabini (1:19:24): Season five episode, I'm gonna say 17. I might be wrong, but could be 16. Mhmm. Are you telling me? Thought we finally alert.

Grand Schwabini (1:19:37): I thought we finally got to the point where we could have a medieval show without freaking Peter drinkage in it. Sorry.

Unknown Speaker (1:19:48): I think that's a blink. And like

Unknown Speaker (1:19:50): an 80 episodes in, I gotta see that guy. He's got, he gets his part. Come on, man. I I'm tired of him. It annoys me.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:00): All right. Well, that's fair.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:01): Alright. Still a good show.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:03): Hey, I'm watching the handmaid's tale, by the way.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:05): Are you watching the handmaid's tale? Good. I'm not with season one.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:08): I'm gonna

Unknown Speaker (1:20:09): stick with Josh Gates.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:10): Are you gonna Expedition on

Unknown Speaker (1:20:11): Yeah. Expedition on none. No.

Technical Director (1:20:13): That is a great show, but you've never watched the handmaid's tale? No.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:17): Oh, boy. Oh. I'm I'm in season two already. That's how much

Unknown Speaker (1:20:22): Might change your life. Yes.

Technical Director (1:20:24): It might. It might absolutely change your life. Listen, guys. If you haven't already, hit the subscribe button. Thanks for being here so much.

Technical Director (1:20:30): We're trying to grow this channel every day.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:32): Praise be.

Technical Director (1:20:33): Wanna hit 500 subscribers before you know it. You could pay attention to our reels, our shorts. I'm gonna drop this in the podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, Spotify, anywhere

Unknown Speaker (1:20:42): you get your brand podcast. Let's go, friends.

Unknown Speaker (1:20:44): Let's go.

Technical Director (1:20:45): And you can catch up with us next week, 7PM eastern time right here on YouTube. Thanks, guys. For actually, for the counselor right over here, right over there, for the grand Schwab beanie for hockey Jesus, I'm your technical director. Thanks for being here. We love you.

Technical Director (1:21:00): We'll see you next week. I am out. Jablons.

Unknown Speaker (1:21:04): Jablons. See you too. Jablonski.