- Emotional challenges of being a baseball fan during a tough season & highlights the importance of staying even-keeled, like successful baseball players
- Recent experience watching the Rays play the Braves in Atlanta, mentioning the hot weather & a humorous incident with a child kicking his seat
- Rays' pitching struggles, particularly with reliever Phil Maton
- Mat notes the Rays' unsuccessful history of investing in relievers & advocates for building the bullpen from within the system
- Mark & Mat discuss promising players like Cleavinger & Jason Adam, noting their contributions
- Pete Fairbanks' recent injury scare & relief that it's only a bruised finger.
- Importance of moving on from underperforming players & discusses the ups & downs of the Rays' bullpen.
- Braves shortstop, Orlando Arcia was underestimated early in his career
- Rickwood Event - Gray Sox/Montgomery Biscuits & Birmingham Black Barons,
- Chandler Simpson comparison to legendary base-stealer Ricky Henderson.
- Simpson's impressive stats & his potential impact on the Rays
- Need players like Simpson who place the ball well & steal bases contrasted with power hitters
- Basics of baseball: getting on base rather than hitting home runs, & avoid obsession with exit velocity.
- Tony Gwynn & Kirby Puckett, frustrated the pitchers
- Gambling & Baseball stadium health y foods
- Bi-lingual food vendors at Expos games – "cotton candy - barbe à papa"
- Rick Vaughn's book on Tampa’s baseball history.
- Babe Ruth's legendary home run at Plant Field
- U.S support for Finland during Russia's invasion & the All-Star game in Tampa.
- Willie Mays's passing & his contributions to the game & the Negro Leagues.
- Pitching Home run leaders for the Twins & Rays: Pablo Lopez & Aaron Civale.
- 2018 draft picks by the Rays: Taj Bradley, Joe Ryan, Shane McClanahan, & Matthew Liberatore.
- Shock of Joe Ryan's trade, happy to see his success with the Twins.
- Harold Ramirez being picked up by the Nationals after being DFA'd.
- Rays pitchers, Jeffrey Springs & Shane Boz potential return.
- Potential trades & team strategies, particularly regarding Dodgers & the Cubs.
- Changing routines for pitchers transitioning between starting & relieving roles
- Successful transition: Luis Urias with the Dodgers.
- Young players' aspirations focused on starting pitching rather than relieving roles..
- Yandy Diaz – wearing out pitchers
- Testing the Rays’ lineup - Siri is again making it happen at the plate
- Rays atrocious bullpen
- Yandy’s consecutive times on base
- When will Winning Streak begin?
- Depth in starting pitching
- 5 of the top 100 prospects are in Rays system
- From “quadruple A” player to MLB
- Mark & Mat discuss Papa Johns & Tim Horton’s trades
- You can’t buy coffee beans from Tim Horton’s – addictive?
- Taj Bradley & Joe Ryan face-off
- 22 days before the St. Pete vote on the Tampa Bay Rays stadium
Mat on Twitter x.com @Mat_Germain_
Mark can be found on Twitter x.com @TheBaseballBiz & and at http://www.baseballbizondeck.com
BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, and Spotify
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward"