[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I have to go to the next time. Yeah. Well, either way, it certainly can finish as low as the six and maybe the seven. It's still wide open there. They have to win Friday. I'm about to say Friday is a must win game. Who do you want to play right now in the first round that gives you any chance with Donovan looking a little better? Uh, I mean, I got, I don't think anybody has any faith in this team, but


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're a trash team. I mean, I just can't watch them. The Donovan thing was weird. The whole thing's been weird. This whole, all of this has just been really weird. Glad he played better last night.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's really, it's hard to just stomach their games right now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 99.9% of the time I keep it real. Yeah, I was not watching the Cavaliers. And I will not watch their last two games. Obviously I'm watching the playoffs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't, I probably couldn't name when they were healthy more than two players on Memphis.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, so, white guy is less likely to be in the NBA.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Because some slappy that nobody ever heard of can come off and score 32 points.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, this is crazy because usually guys with the last name white are black, and guys with the last name black are white. This doesn't fit the narrative. Incredible. Go ahead.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If you had to bet right now, let's say they play, let's say they play Orlando or Indiana, would you bet them to win that series? Yes. Those two teams? Yes. Yes. You have faith that they're going to play well enough even against those two teams? Indiana, Mike and I talked about on the podcast, Indiana plays fast and they can score a lot of points. Uh, but- Mike, are you picking them? I don't trust them.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] As bad as they play, you think they have the ability to flip it. I think they beat Orlando. Because again,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm sorry. No, no, no. Cavs win the series against the Celtics, or the Cavs lose all four to the Celtics by 25 or more points. More likely.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I can talk over Mike if he's doing a commercial. We can't talk when he's doing a commercial.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's the way. Oh, if Mike talks, I am polite enough to just shut up. I appreciate that, Jason. You are not. Well, in fairness, let's be honest.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Most days, I'm better than Jay in terms of shutting up during those commercials. But today I've had a rough one. I've had an off day. Hayden, how you doing buddy?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I am on Instagram. I don't follow him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I won't let him on TikTok. I won't let him on Snapchat. No, my son doesn't. I don't let him on Instagram. Some little girl asked my son if he's on Snapchat. No.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We know about you, Jason. No, I got, I got crazy stuff in my email from athletes sending snaps to people who wanted me to write about it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I did write a book, it about broke me. I don't know if I got another one in there. We do have some crazy tales to tell.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well could you be, I mean they're true, you couldn't get sued. I don't know, I don't know. I told you, we may have some, when LeBron retires, there may be some, there may be some stuff.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think he was him briefly. I think still LeBron. In 2018 LeBron. And then Lindor.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think it was Lindor when the All-Star game was here.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So. If Jose put himself out there more. And Donovan Mitchell not committed to the city right now. So now if Donovan Mitchell signed an extension, it's still miles. It's Brownstown.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 798. Bell and LeBron are the two athletes in Cleveland that went from the most beloved to the most despised. Yea, like that. Because they loved them so much, they then hated them so much. Although some people still never came back around LeBron. What about Kyrie? He went from loved to hated.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And his upside is higher than any quarterback the Browns have ever had frankly.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, yeaah, I mean that could happen. And Nick Chubb could get it back. I would have definitely said Nick Chubb before the injury. But I feel like he missed the whole season basically. He can't be the face right now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If you ask the fans who's your favorite player in Cleveland, he would win. He would win, there's no doubt. I mean, there's literally nothing not likeable about it. Yea, exactly. It's just hard work.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know what it is about Nick Chubb too, and this may totally be nonsense? It feels like he doesn't care about the money like other guys do.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who is that dude for, I just saw this clip, it was like the sixth year anniversary, the guy from the Lakers.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The only guy, the only guy I'd heard of was the guy who played for the Cavs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's it. Alright Mike, what's your next question? Go ahead.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you would have thought for them to get off to a good start, they had to have great starting pitching. Outside of Bieber, they really haven't.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well they got like, I mean, uh, what's his name? Well Hunter Gaddis is obviously great.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Which is, yeah. As Mike said yesterday, that's their biggest acquisition of the offseason. And I think De Los Santos has pitched pretty well, if I remember correctly. Yeah, I mean he's been good. I didn't understand that trade.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I loved that they sent Straw down. To me that was eye-opening difference. I don't think that happens if Tito's still here.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, if you had to pick one team in the East to beat the Celtics, who would you pick? Milwaukee Bucks.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're not playing well right now. They can flip the switch. Miami. Miami.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] By the way, the guys he went up against... No, no, no, that was a different guy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was at, no, I'm, I'm mistaken. When I was at a, I was at a Monsters game like a month ago, and they did, and he wasn't there, but they did a perogating contest with just fans.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] With professional eating, where we see all the time, the hot dog contest, it's always the skinny guys that win, the fat guys never win. But!


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He packs his chairs into his van and drives all over the country to do his halftime shows. I've seen the Simon Says guy 8,000 times. He's good. He's good. I like him. I think they need to bring him to Cleveland more. He's only been here like once or twice. Simon Says.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Turk played it, and Turk played it perfectly. Okay. So I faked up.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I tried to go back for the lob and I said, it's not open. It's not open. So I just came to the ball.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, this will be year 25 of the team, and I started as an intern with the team in 2000, so all but the first one, in some regard. I haven't been there, but, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 2017, yeah, I felt like I've been to every game but one, you know, everywhere.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] First of all, kudos to the owners for finally sticking with someone. Picking the right people and sticking with them. Uhm, Andrew Berry's not perfect, but he's pretty darn good. I think he trusts the people around him. He and Kevin work together well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, you know, Kevin is again not perfect, but he's really good. I think the record reflects that. I think some of the changes he's made that even when maybe he didn't want to reflects that, right? Did really well last year. Go and find Schwartz and go and find Bubba Ventrone.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, and adapting to what he's had on offense. Having to change. So yeaah, I think they're smart people. I think there's good people. And I think that's reflected. Now, can they get to the next step? Can they actually hang a banner of some sort? We'll see. But yeaah, I think you should, as a fan, have a level of faith that you probably have not been able to have.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't think so. I think it's just tiny on that. I think, you know, I think that has almost about three, four weeks ago at the meetings came out and said.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think he should be. I mean, I think when you frame it like that, you could say that usually goes to people who have won deep in the playoffs or something like that. But yea, people like Kevin Stefanski, he paid his dues. Um, kudos to the Browns and to Paul Deep at that stuff for finding him. You know, he only got one other coaching interview ever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He wasn't one of these guys that's on these lists for six years or you know, is a hot name because he has an agent plugging in or you know, something like that. He's very low key.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, but I really think that he, over the last couple of years, has earned the respect of that locker room. And it's not a straight line. It's dealing with what they went with. I mean, he and Baker had a really ugly breakup, and a lot of people didn't want to talk about it, and he certainly didn't want to talk about it, but then he went into this, which has been a mess with Watson.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The guys have played hard. Miles Garrett has grown up. David Njoku has grown up.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm just telling you last year there was a different vibe in that locker room. Is that the reason that this team stuck together and won in December? I don't know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But from the older guys to the younger guys, the new guys that have been around, there was a completely different vibe and we trust what's going on here. You know, we're not going to be perfect every week. Before they went on that winning streak in December to get high, they lost those two road games.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, they had to change three quarterbacks in four weeks and bring Flacco off the couch. So even when you take out what Flacco did, I think that speaks to the organization and specifically the head coach and the guys buy in.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, they're so secretive about everything that they won't give a full answer on that. But, Paul DiPodesta is the guy that you connect the dots that have identified him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, through that. So, when you look at what Stefanski did, coming from basically the secretary for the head coach in Minnesota to position coach to coordinator. He worked for respected guys, uh, for Brad Childress, for Mike Zimmer, very different guys in that regard. You've got his chance to be the coordinator.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was first called up in December, like in a madness situation, right? And then he did it for a full year. So, um, it's good, good scouting, you know, and then it's saying, and this has been the biggest thing here. Okay. We know what we've done hasn't.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So how does it work? How do we connect the dots? And I think that started with putting bearings to fans to get together. And obviously that first year, it was, it was wild. It was COVID. It was all those things. Nobody saw that team win 11 games, but they did. And then what's most impressive is they kind of crashed back to reality a little bit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think what they did last year is they validated the roster. Everybody who said this is the top 6, 8, 10 roster is probably right because they did it last year with five quarterbacks, right? And now can you get to that next step? I think you have to have at least a little bit of trust in the guys.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I would think the number one takeaway as far as judging that was he did feel like he's in a


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right, he did feel like he's on the same page with the doctors, with his team, with the Browns team, uhm, that he's gonna be ready. So,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We're long past the ideal world situation with this guy and his contract and whatever. And it's not ideal for him to miss the spring. But in the realm of a team that's goals are way down the road and those months we already talked about, it's fine. You know, so it's not comfortable, not knowing, quarterback throwing shoulder.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Talking about an injury that's not a football injury, because pitchers come back and they struggle with it and they don't get blasted by 280-pound defensive errors all the time, right? But like, we're not judging this team on the second week of training camp if he suddenly needs a day off, right? Nobody wants to see Jameson there throwing it to the other team. You know, nobody wants to see four quarterbacks having to play again.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right. Right. But, you know, we know this team's ceiling is Deshaun Watson. Yes. Being healthy, being almost fully available, and getting progressively better. And, you know, all the things that have been, we hadn't seen it. We finally saw him play well last year. This is a significant injury. It kind of dampens it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But there is like some real, we've seen it. But see, you know, if he's in there, if he's healthy with this team they put around him, this can be an AFC contest.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Totally, I don't even think it's that. They're in the position to take the best player for the future.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There's not a guy barring a bunch of injuries or a sudden change that's going to start for this team on day one. That doesn't mean they won't, they'll close the door if a guy's great and that includes the second, third round, you know, down the list, but they're looking for good players, premium positions, right?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But when you look at defensive line, the value of that in Schwartz's defense, the old guys they have on the current defensive line. And then you look at the state of the receiver position where Amari is great and probably is still going to be great, but this is year 10. This is the age 30 season. And realistically, he didn't finish last year. I mean, he got back out there, but he wasn't the same guy. So, you know, they're


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're hoping Cedric Tillman takes the lead. He might. They're obviously banking on Jerry Judy doing what he hasn't done before. They might be right, but I'm not closing the door on defensive line wide receiver. That's where I kind of start.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I fell out of my chair, like, what are they doing? So. That's how I felt. I just felt like this. I, I'm gonna, again, this is where the benefit of the doubt comes in, compared to past regimes.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Trading two third day picks and taking a shot on Jerry Judy, especially because that was probably your most realistic option, that makes sense. I just think, let him be hungry, let him play for that contest. To do it before he ever sets foot in the building, that really struck me as strange.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Deep at dust doesn't bury the long-term vision. That doesn't discount, you know, sitting down and saying, we know the cap's gonna rise. We know there's tricks you can do with contracts and all of that. There is a long-term vision. There are things you have to do to build a contender, but flat out they have more money available and they're doing it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And last year, what made it so good, Garrett, they picked out Myles Garrett. They pushed that money forward. He had a great year. Najoku finally had the big year. They pushed his money forward. But Tony Owen Teller, solid again, as they've always been. They come out healthy. You feel good about that there. Right? You do it with the wrong guy, you get in trouble.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, and we'll see, eventually it's not gonna work, and eventually you can't pay everyone and you're gonna have to really think about trading off Greg News. All that stuff is just conversation points now, they don't have to. But they've picked the right guys, but they are outspending, they have outspent, and you know, they've found guys in their prime that were on the roster.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Miles Garrett, the best example, they just did it with Denzel Ward, who's going into year seven, but it's still top of his game, premium position.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And when you have that, that kind of money to do it, you might as well do it and figure it out. They didn't, they haven't restructured Deshaun yet. They don't have to. They can, they might for the rollover, but like, they're going to have him at a $64 million cap number and right now they're comfortably, they're $14 million under the cap.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Let me tell you a story, Bull. So in a good year for the Browns, they're not firing everybody or something doesn't go totally off the rails. We'll only talk with the Haslams on the record twice a year. Once as a training camp, the first two or three days in a group interview. So there's six cameras around, there's 20 media people, whatever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The second is at the owner's meetings, where it's usually in a side room, no cameras, four, five, six of us depending on the


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And they know what we're going to talk about, the stadium, Deshaun Watson, the salary cap, whatever. So there's kind of like a, I don't want to say it's awkward, but it's, they know what we're going to ask. They have their answers key and whatever. So we finally kind of break down the wall this year. We're in some room at the basement of the hotel in Orlando.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I forget what was asked of Jimmy, but he starts laughing and he says, you can criticize us for a lot of things. And I understand. He said, for spending money and commitment to the community, you cannot. And I just noted that right there. Like, okay, you know, I'm going to, I'm going to go deeper with the analysis. I'm going to say more, but I'm going to make sure this is there because that's what he's saying.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I think what they would want is a dome down here. But I think we're at the point where it's probably not feasible, right? So I think...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Brook Park is probably what is going to go. And I just, and I think it just makes sense. So Jason is more in the weeds and in the details of how it'll go, who will bend first. There's going to be negotiations on all that stuff, but I'm pretty confident specifically coming out of Orlando when they basically made public what we thought. There's two options.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To do a billion dollars down here, still be outside, still have traffic problems, still be stuck on the lake and the highway, all that. I just think, I'm not saying it's ideal, I think it makes the most sense.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's, it's worth discussing, you know, and a lot of times right there in the NFL quarterback gets hurt, you get tanked, right? So there's a roster or two every year that everybody thinks they're good and they get old in a hurry or they were never that good or whatever. But like last year it lived up to it, right?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Everybody thinks Pittsburgh is clearly the fourth best team in the division. They win the playoffs again, right? When the Bengals got Borough healthy and got hot in October and early November, it was like they can win the Super Bowl. Well, they end up finishing fourth, but they get hot at the end of the year with Jake Browning.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, I mean, realistically, I think the Browns prove they're a good roster. I think the Browns approve they're a good organization. And I think if things go well, that they are a real AFC contender. That being said, you asked me to pick right now, I pick them third in the division. That's how good I think it is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right, it's the Denver Broncos, we're stunned. But when it happens in the AFC North, like any team is 7-11 wins and they might all 4-B right there again, you know? The Ravens are a lesser team. Lesser on personnel, lesser on coaching, they're still darn good. Right?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the Steelers and Browns are there. They've made their moves. They were playoff teams. The Steelers might be a ton better.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think they're both semi-realistic. Yeaah. Yeaah. I think they are.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think the Steelers could win the AFC North. I think they could. I think if they get the kind of quarterback play, just average plus, and they solidify their lines, which they've been known to do over a 50 year period, right?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think there could be, but I mean, I think he's in his own galaxy. Yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, you know, I just, I think he is really an elite corner.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He's never missed more than four games in a season, even though people call him injury prone. I think the Schwartz scheme really allowed him to take off, you know, last year. He missed some time early in the summer, but I think once he found himself, I think that was the best version of Denzel Ward. And I really think the best version of Denzel Ward is nearly as good as any.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right. We're not talking about 10 and 7. Right? We're talking about Super Bowl. Yes. Yes.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I would consider Jay okay there, but here's why I would put Denzel clearly ahead of him. And this is probably more for what the Browns need in reality. But did you see how the other two corners played in the playoff game? It was not great.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, so I definitely would have, if J.O.K. is in 2, I'd definitely have to go with Mario at the start of 3. I will say Nijoku 2. I finally have seen the leap. I was a non-believer for a long time and I was right, right? But I finally saw him put it together for multiple games, for doing the little things right.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then, you know, you want it to be the quarterback. I think it's Dalvin Tomlinson. I think he was so important the way he just held down the anchor inside there. They went from having the worst defensive tackle group in the league to Dalvin being there every single game and playing his butt off every single game.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I think both guards there, you know, and then Dalvin Tomlinson who I picked there is for sure. Then it gets interesting. Is it Grant Delpit? Is it Jerry Judy? Is it Martin Emerson? It's certainly for me. So how many guys, are four guys going? Four guys, four guys. So I'm going to go both guards, Tomlinson and Martin Emerson.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, that's a good question. I don't have an exact answer.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Why is J.O.K. flying around? Well, J.O.K. is really good, but he's eating up those blocks. He's, he's holding down the point there and allowing Schwartz to mix and match the, the pass rushers and allowing J.O.K. to fly around, allowing Grant Delpit to take his chances. That's what he's doing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, it's not how that's right. Uhm, I like the Zedarius talk. I mean, I think when you look at Zedarius and Oboe, they're different players. They're asked to do different things, but you're right, Garrett. If one of those guys pops 10, 11, 12 sacks and Miles still plays the whole season, that probably means that they went crazy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, and I like the Newsome thought too, because behind Chubb, he's probably on the one that maybe you're uncertain about, but has to be. Right? He's playing for a lot of money. He's playing inside and outside.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He's a guy that they drafted in the first round. They want him to be here. They want him to play better than he did last year. They need that there. So yea, Delpitt's there, Chubb's there, Newsom's there. Then you start debating. I don't know. I need to see it from Jerry Judy before I leave it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You started debating which offensive lineman is it. I mean, it's Jed Wells, same deal, playing for money. Has to do it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I think Jed is playing for the most and plays the most premium position. You know, as the blindside guy there, uh, we haven't seen it from Jed quite frankly. You know, Zedarius is the most proven of those guys, no doubt. He's been a really good player for a long time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, you know, I think it says a lot that they brought him back. Because they said this is not Clowney. Where we knew we stayed, stayed one. Right, right, right, right. His sack numbers weren't huge, but he was a good citizen, he was available every game, and we want him there. They look and say,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Finally they've built to the point where they can say, we're not just projecting, this is how we want to play. We want Darius to play here on this down, here on this down, Oboe plays this role, then Alex Wright fills in, like that's what they want.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the fact that they made another two year commitment to Zodarius even though they could get out if it doesn't go well, like says that they're counting on a big deal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] After the Niners game, I was like, I'm not doubting this defense. This defense is that good. It can carry you in many ways it did. It wasn't after that. The numbers are skewed. Here's the backups they beat the crap out of, and here's how they performed on the road and against good quarterbacks. And there is a wide, wide gap there.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They bring in Heinz, who's been a good player, but he's also coming off an ACL. You know, Foreman's been that short yardage back on like six different teams. So I don't know how that goes, but I think Jerome Ford's another one.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He could be, he could end up having a really good year. We just don't know exactly what the role is going to be. Right. Or like in week four, are we asking Jerome for 20 touches or is Nick Chubb that?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He is so fast. Actually, Ruler's Mach that came out today, takes Piers, another guy from Piers College at 7th round running back Isaiah Davis.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think they might take Audrick Estime from Notre Dame who played for Tommy Reese, who's a big, just like, battering ram type guy. That's a name I would look at.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, I don't see them trading up at all. I think most likely they trade down at a fourth rounder and then go about their draft.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The kid from Western Kentucky, Malachi Corley, who's not like a traditional wide receiver, he's built like a running back, he can play the slot. Very poor man's Debo Samuel, right? Let's let him play in the NFL before we make that comparison.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Elijah Moore's in the last year of his deal. David Bell's on a rookie minimum, so if you moved on from him, it wouldn't cost you anything. So that's a good question.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Man, the size makes him different. I don't have any hope outside of that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, that's a big if. You know, I don't know. Conklin's only got guaranteed money for one more year, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think Dewan starts week one, and then we see what happens from there. Cause I think you can kinda couch that as, we're not gonna push Jack back, we know Jack can play.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Or was that two seasons ago when he came back? Two seasons ago. Yeah, they just, they let him just kind of hang out and go through the motions the first few weeks and then they got a full season out of him, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They were getting ahead of the market. It was the same thing as Jerry Judy. They were saying we want to reward our own guy. And they do love him as a person and a player. But, you know, we're talking about a second major knee injury on an older player.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I agree that Dewan has a high ceiling, but a knee injury on a guy that size is scary.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, Ian Rappaport, the Browns have signed former Jets core special team Justin Hardy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just to give people a little context and a little more background on Justin Hardy. He was a 2022 Pro Bowler on special teams. He's been in the league since 2017. He is from Cleveland, Ohio.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He has very little actual stats that aren't special teams. And by very little I mean...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Ozwski, I always pronounce his name wrong. Ozwski. Ozwski, when he was playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, so he already hates Pittsburgh, so that's a great thing. Yeah. To add it to the locker room.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, he had 14 tackles and one forced fumble and 17 regular season games on special teams in 2022. And on October 14th of 2023, he was placed on IR with a hamstring injury. Uh, did not record many stats, but Justin Hardy, special teams ace. Welcome home. Good for him. It's gotta be, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] One more thing that I gotta read. Yeah. Hardy was the special teams captain for the Jets. He was the one that told Joe Flacco.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To go win a championship for my city when he signed with Cleveland. I'm just giving you guys the last little, last little bit of context here. And I'm curious if the new special teams rules and the kickoff specifically has any impact on how they view using Justin Hart.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Let's get it rolling with the show. Big show today. And as always, our show is sponsored by FanDuel. The sports calendar is loaded and FanDuel is making it even more exciting to get in on the action because right now new customers get $200 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's 200 bucks you can use to bet the tournament, Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, and so much more.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just visit FanDuel.com slash UCSS and make your first bet a big time win.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] FanDuel America's number one sportsbook. And check out this winning parlor we got sent in from Jamie over the weekend.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They hit an eight-leg parlay on opening day. Eight money lines. Hit them all. Turn $10 into $1,135.20. Eight money lines. Yankees, Reds, Twins, Dodgers, Padres.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, Tigers, Blue Jays, and the Guardians. It all hit. 10 bucks wins 1,135 bucks and 20 cents. Congratulations to Jamie. If you have a winning ticket, make sure you send it to us on Twitter via email. We will feature it on the show in the coming days.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Dallas D Robinson was the writer who ranked


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Heading into next season. One Sean McVay to Kyle Shanahan, three John Harbaugh, four Mike Tomlin, five Jim Harbaugh, the rookie head coach second time


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] At 6, Matt LaFleur 7, Sean Payton 8, Dan Campbell 9, and Mike McDaniel at 10.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Here's the top 10 in QBR, just so you guys know where it goes. Uh, Purdy was first, Prescott second, Allen third, Lamar fourth, Herbert fifth, Stafford sixth, Cousin seven, Mahomes eight, Jordan Love nine, two of ten, and the next five, just so you understand,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] His QBR was 42.9, which then if you go to the QBR rating, that would have ranked 25th. Alright, that sucks. That's terrible. Uh, excuse me, 24th. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Oh, well, that's his.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So to put a bow tie in this conversation, to tie it back to Stefanski real quick, does he just simply have to win playoff games? Is that all he has to do to put himself in that conversation with people outside of Cleveland when they're evaluating the top head coaches in football?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We're gonna move on, talk a little stadium here. But first, today's episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is sponsored by Better Health. What's the first thing you do if you had an extra hour in the day? Would you go for a run? Would you take a nap? Would you read a book? Shop for a friend? A lot of us spend our lives wishing we had more time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Question is time for what? If it was unlimited, how would you use it? The best way to squeeze that special thing into your schedule is to know what's important to you and help make it a priority. Therapy can help you find what matters to you so you can do it more often.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So if you've been thinking about starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Flexible and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. Learn to make time for what makes you happy with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on to get 10% off your first month.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's better help, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We talked yesterday, we talked yesterday, Deshawn on his podcast said that he wants a dome and we had a discussion whether or not players should have any say in this. And then as we were having that discussion, it was announced that a city councilman was holding a press conference at 1pm to discuss future


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah. His name is Brian Casey, a city councilman and we have the sound for you. This is a snippet from Darryl Ryder, uh, from what Brian Casey said and you can play it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who do you think would give you the most unbiased and just down the middle straightforward factual both sides of the equation?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So to put a bow on this, the art model law or whatever. Jason, you say that technically could apply, but you don't think it would ever get.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We're going to talk some guardians in a sec, but a quick reminder and schedule update. Today's ultimate cap show, usually at five, it's going to go live about two, two 15 today. As soon as we wrap up here, Jason, myself heading home, setting up and we are going to go live.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, it should be a fascinating show, a deep dive into Evan Mobley and what his ceiling could be moving forward. That's coming up about 2-2-15 today on the UCSX.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's not true. We've done plenty of deep dives on Darius Garland already on The Ultimate Cav Show. Today's focused on some stuff with Donovan, some


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Evan Mobley ceiling talk, and how badly the Cavs missed Dean Wade, which I don't think any of us expected to ever say before him. But before we talk Cavs on this show, let's talk a little Guardians Bowl. Tristan McKenzie made his season debut last night. Not.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Great is how I would describe it. Velocity down, gave up four earned runs, five runs in a three and a third innings. What'd you make of Styx in his debut?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was more than the injury, I just think the velocity being that low.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You guys mentioned Gavin Williams. Uh, Andre Knot reported he threw a bullpen. 15 pitches felt great. Quote, he's close to going out on a rehab assignment.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And we talked about The Guardian's opening weekend. Now if you missed the Ultimate Guardian show, make sure you check it out. Great second episode yesterday, but-


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Give us your overall thoughts on what we've seen through five games for the Guardians. Now, they've got a whole...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Cycle through the rotation, for lack of a better word. Yeaah. They're three and two. Hit the ball hard yesterday, got some unlucky, uh, backbip.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If you do go Kwan and then Jimenez, 1-2?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Some managers make a bigger deal of this than others, some don't care at all, but they're both lefties back to back. Do you like staggering lefty righty in that 1-2 spot and just get your two best hitters? Or obviously Jose's your best. Two of your better hitters. I don't really care.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, last thoughts on the pitching matchup tonight. Shane Bieber, Luis Castillo, two of the best arms in the world.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We're gonna talk Cavs here in a sec, but a quick reminder today's show is sponsored by FanDuel. A sports calendar is loaded and FanDuel is making it even more exciting to get in on the action right now. New customers get $200 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's 200 bucks you can use to bet on the NCAA tournament, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, NHL games, and so much more. Just visit FanDuel.com slash UCSS and make your first bet a big time win. FanDuel, as always, is America's number one sports book.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On Sunday, it was an ugly performance from the Cavs. They got beat by 29 by the Denver Nuggets tonight. They're in Utah, continuing their five-game West Coast roadship kickoff, or tip-off, excuse me, is set for 9 o'clock Eastern time. And Steve, you take this graphic full of the Cavs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They have no incentive to win, so Paul, I wanna ask you this before we start with the real question.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well Tyvis, let me ask you this, to get back to the game. We know it was an ugly performance on Sunday.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, Donovan afterwards said we all gotta play better, including myself. Do you expect an inspired performance tonight from Cleveland to right the ship against Utah, or do we just have to adjust our expectations of this team on a night-to-night basis now?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're half a game up on the Knicks in the fourth seed and they are one game ahead of the Magic for the... What are the tiebreakers?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And if it's conference win percentage, the Knicks have five fewer conference losses than the same amount of wins.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The Cavs Magic is 2-2. Oh, I thought the Cavs wasn't.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're a game and a half back from Sacramento. They're a game and a half ahead of Golden State for the 10th and final playing spot.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The Clippers, well, the Clippers and the Mavericks and the Pelicans are all in that 4-5-6 range. Depending on how the next two games go, it just depends on the next two games. That could mean something. It could be a relatively meaningless game. I don't even think the Clippers are particularly gunning for the record advantage, Jason.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] How irrelevant they are in the Staples Center. I'm not sure home court advantage really benefits them or not against Dallas. Memphis is a train wreck.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Charlotte is a train wreck, but they beat Cleveland two weeks ago, so never know what's gonna happen. Indiana, that game's obviously, uh, loaded and it's gonna mean a lot, so they really only have two games remaining outside of tonight. If you count tonight, three games.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think they lose that game. It's a back to back, west coast, Durant and Booker need it. It's a loss.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I like, Cas to play the Bucks really well this year, actually. That's true. I can tell you if you give me one sec.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, I got two things. Let me just give one more little tease to what's coming up on Ultimate Cavs tonight. Then I got to tell you where we're going to be on Saturday and we want you guys to come join us. But on the Ultimate Cavs show tonight at 2-2-15, whenever Jason and I get home, I looked at the last 11 drafts, top three picks in the last 11 drafts and tried to figure out by year three, and there's still seven games left for Mowgli. Are you kind of who you are or does history say you can still make a jump?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So we went through 33 top 3 picks over the last 10, 11 drafts, going back to the Anthony Bennett draft. Alright. And tried to figure out were they immediate stars? Where'd they get to? What can they get to?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And there are exceptions. There are guys who weren't. Alright, I'll be interested to hear what you think.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] U-Bowl. Earl the Pearl and G-Bush will be at the Great Lakes Collectors Convention.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Presented by the Greenie Sports Card Company. It goes on all weekend, April 5th through the 7th at the Independence Field House. Hundreds of tables of ball card bliss, live sports talk, athlete appearances, your favorite sports, media personality appearances, including us.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And interactive skills area. So make sure you bring your memorabilia for the comC consignment center. TNT will accept grading submissions and you can even search dealer inventory ahead of the event with mascot.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Great cards, great location, great show. For more info, visit greeniesportscards.com. Like I said, myself, Earl, G, and Bo will be doing a panel from noon to 1. We'll be there a little before, a little after, hanging out, interacting with you guys, so make sure you guys come out to the...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Independence Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 6th. And come hang out with us from noon to 1.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So we're going to have Howard Megdahl on in five minutes. He is locked on expert women's basketball analyst to talk a little Final Four.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But before Howard comes on, I want to ask your guys' thoughts. It was a incredible night of women's basketball last night. The Final Four is set to take this fall. The four teams coming to Cleveland for the Final Four, undefeated South Carolina.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Caitlyn Clark in Iowa, you have Paige Beckers in Yukon making their 14th trip to the Final Four in the last 15 seasons. They've lost five players to season ending injury this season.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They have seven girls or women suited up each game, still made a final four. And you have NC State who played in a crazy elite eight game against Texas where the three point line on one end of the court was a different distance from the basket on the other end of the court. An absolute travesty, but this is your final four heading to Cleveland.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's not the perfect ideal four teams he got in there, but you have three mega super teams in terms of overall interest in South Carolina, Iowa and Yukon. NC State a little bit of a wild card, but what were you guys thoughts? I know you watched the game last year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, he's driving back from Albany right now. He was at the game last night between, uh, Iowa and


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Go ahead. We're going to get to our last topic in one sec, but a quick reminder that today's episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is sponsored by Better Health.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What's the first thing you do if you had an extra hour in a day? Go for a run, take a nap, read a book, show up for a friend. A lot of us spend our lives wishing we had more time. The question though...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's time for what? If time was unlimited, how would you use it? The best way to squeeze that special thing into your schedule is to know what's important to you.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Learn to make time for what makes you happy with BetterHelp. Just visit BetterHelp.com slash Locked On today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash Locked On.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I asked you guys to create your ultimate Cleveland baseball hitter. You could only use a player once and I gave you guys six different categories. Batting stance, which is really just your favorite batting stance.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Contact, power, approach, base running, and the clutch gene. Now you can use any player that ever played for Cleveland baseball to create your perfect Cleveland baseball hitter. If you're in the chat listening, please drop your versions of this. We'll read some at the end if we have time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But each of you three gave us your combination of the perfect Cleveland hitter. And Tyvis, I want to start with you my friend.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Lofton for his speed on the bases, Albert Bell with the clutch gene, Bayerga for contact, and Sandy Alomar for the approach.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Let's do it in reverse. Let's create the worst all time cleaver baseball hitter.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So a couple, couple from the chat real quick, Coco Crisp, Jason Kipnis, Ken Keltler.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alright, so worst contact hitter you've ever seen. Austin Hedges.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We gotta get some super chats in before we welcome Mud Farron to the show on this extra long edition of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. Mud says, Browns now have the 17th richest owner. We always talk about the advantage of Haslam's big cash spending to help us work the cap. Is the advantage disappearing?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, he also said when Tyvis was crying earlier, it was like, TO, that's my quarterback.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The home field advantage in a dome with all our fans barking would be epic. Love the show. Go Browns. And with that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Let's welcome in the smartest baseball person on the panel, not out of the bowl. His name is Mike Farron of MLB Network. MLB Radio Network. What's up, Mike?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On Monday, Friday, your days are, are they fixed? They've been a little weird, but starting, starting next week, I'm pretty much on Tuesday through Friday.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For April, the rest of April, May and June. Okay, very good. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I always find this funny because people would say this to me with, with Dustin sometimes, not that we argued that much, but, uh, or people say, but the reality is of all the time we spent on the air, how much time have we actually spent arguing? Oh, five percent. Yeah, right. If that, if that. But we've had some classic arguments.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Spent unbelievable. Back to first place? Unreal. I was listening to MLB radio, my guy Mike Theron this morning on the drive in, and their conversation was, what is the biggest surprise of the first three weeks of the baseball season? It's got to be the Guardians. And he said it's the Guardians, but not only the Guardians, but how they've been winning. Right.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's just, he's pitching and that's fun to see. Real quick, I gotta do a shout out actually to my friend Joe and his wife Christina. They asked me to shout out Jay because my friend Joe's wife Christina is obsessed with Jay. She's got a major crush on him. Alright.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He handled it as well as he could. Right. I mean, obviously they're not thinking about a new contract for Deshaun Watson right now. They want, they got to see him play well before you, that's even, you know, I mean, at this point,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's more likely they're gonna move on before the five years, then sign to a new contract. Hopefully this year will change that perspective, but obviously there's no thoughts of an ex- If there was anything they were gonna do there with the contract, it would just be to move the money around. Right. Not to add, you know, not to add to it, uh, at this point. G, what are you making?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, definitely. I think, assuming these extensions get done, we had Zach Jackson on the other day and he said, it's just a matter of time. It's basically a done deal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Once those are official, assuming, I mean, I would assume they get large, long extensions, five years.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Both would get, and they would probably be concurrent, right? Yes, I would think. That, that absolutely puts both Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski in a place that we have not seen a Browns coach in forever. No. With a fantastic job security. Well, when was the last time a Browns coach


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What are we thinking in terms of going forward? On the other hand, he's also thinking quietly that he's not talking about too much to too many people. Right. We better start looking at quarterbacks in the 2025 draft. Sure. 100% gotta be doing that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't look at him as the starter of the future. I think it's possible, but I think he's a long shot. Let's face it. In general, most of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL are drafted in the first round or early in the second round. There's not a lot of starters late in the draft. It happens, but it's a long shot for those.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I just think that, you know, and again, none of us wanted to come to this. We all want Deshaun to bounce back here and be the guy we thought he was going to be when they traded for him. If that happens, then it's smooth sailing going forward.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But just like they have to think about a potential contract down the line, they also also got to think about, hey, if this doesn't work, we've got to find a quarterback next year. We've got to go into the draft. Even if we think DTR has a chance to be a good quarterback, we have to have other options.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, Andrew Berry went to the same, you know, how to talk to the media school as Antonetti and Chernoff. They all talk the same way.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's like they were pro-programmed by the same computer.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, no, we didn't learn anything, nor should we. Uh, I wouldn't want my general manager to give away any potential secrets. First of all, how can you? Who knows?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I always think you don't, you have to draft the best player, even if it doesn't seem like an obvious need. I've heard a lot of people saying since they traded for Jerry Judy and signed Jerry Judy, that now the Browns won't draft the wide receiver. I don't believe that. I don't either. I'm not saying they're definitely going to, but I think they definitely should. Yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think linebacker needs to be addressed more than wide receiver. However, wide receiver is more important to me, so I would still go wide receiver. To me, Elijah Moore is a nothing. He's a jack. Yeah, he has been so far. And Jerry Judy, they paid him. I don't love him. I think he's got potential.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You can put up with strikeouts for a guy who's gonna be a great hitter. Like, the guy's gonna get a ton of hits, take a ton of home runs. I don't really care how much he strikes out. You're right. It's the same thing in football. If my quarterback's gonna throw 30 touchdowns, he's gonna throw a ton of touchdowns, make a ton of plays, I can live with pretty much whatever he does in the turnover. Yeaah. But if he's not gonna put up the big plus numbers,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Then I can't put up with you. So the better the quarterback is and the more touchdowns he's throwing, the higher I can live with a number of interceptions.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, Chris, no doubt. I completely agree. I was so angry about what the Cavs did in that game. I hate that. Like the Knicks went out there and they played that game and they were like, we don't care. We gotta play Philly? Who cares? And I like that toughness and that attitude and especially the way the Cavs played so poorly.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] At the back end of the season, I hate that. I feel like it's a loser mentality, Chris.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who's the, you know, for the casual fan? Who's the guy of the magic?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, we know Bankero, uh, but who's the guy kind of off the radar maybe for the casual fan? That's really important to the Magic success.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Chris, Darius Garland's had a, you know, for him a terrible season. If the Cavs wanted to trade, let's say in a crazy world that Donovan Mitchell did resign here in Cleveland and the Cavs in turn decided to trade Darius Garland, does he have a lot of trade value or no?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Chris, before we let you go, I gotta know, I mean I know what it was like on the air, but off the air, how insufferable.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You're saying this is unlike anything we've seen. Last year ended all of it because we were critical of them the whole season.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So no matter how poorly, let's say they play poorly again in the regular season this year, there's no way you're going to say this year, oh, they can't win. Because we just saw it last year. We made that mistake last year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You did it really well. I appreciate that, Jay. And uh, I will say


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Any debate on Mitchell? No, not at all. I mean, not. I think the only thing that makes you hesitate at all is because he's had, you know, he still may be dealing with his injury a little bit, but ultimately...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] See, I have garland way later because Mike specifically said...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's Franz Wagner. Wagner, right? Like a V, yeah. Yeah, so the guy, uh, the shooting percentage is not great, but he scored over 20 points a game. He's a big rebounder. He plays good defense. So I, I, I just, Gary Scarlett had a terrible season.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He's a good, he's a very talented player. Mobley played better at the end of the year. Right. So that's why I have him, I have him four. Okay. Way ahead of, uh, Darius. But ultimately I think Wagner had the best season of the three. So who breaks the tie?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Now, when you said you had him way lower, I'm curious how much- I have Garland 8. Wow, really? Yeaah. I just thought he was terrible this year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, who you got? Six. Who's next on your list?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I just don't trust him on offense at all. Not at all right now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mike, I would, I would like, please like to be referred to as Mr. NBA for the next week.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mike, Suggs is going to be defending Darius, right? I think, I think primarily.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, I am concerned about the starting pitching right now. Uh, Carrasco has done a nice job, but if you look at his strikeout to walk ratio, if you look at his whip, I mean, those numbers are alarming. It eventually will be tomorrow. It's smoking mirrors for me. Yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, Bieber has been very under, uh, Bieber. Uh, Bybee has been very underwhelming so far. Where's the, like, even when, like his last start was fine, but last year he looked electric when he was on the mat. I thought he had more moxie to him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Gavin Williams hopefully be back in early May, but, you know, he hasn't even had a rehab start yet. So I am a little concerned about the starting rotation, but the bats.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For the most part have been so good to start the season. It's unreal. And they are, we talked about this the other day with Mike, it's not just, they're making hard contact. If you look at the exit velocity, it's way up for the guardians. And they never did that last year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 15th and home runs per game. I like to do it per game. I can think of two. Whatever, same.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're hitting with way more authority. I talked about this a little bit the other day, Jay. I think Stephen Kwan is setting the tone right off the, I know he didn't play yesterday. He is hitting with way more authority this year and he's not, he's like, okay, I'm going to strike out a little more.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's a- Kwan's not gonna strike out 150 times, but I'm okay with him striking out a little more if that means he's gonna hit with some more authority.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Josh Naylor, who, who reached that next level as a player last year, has continued it so far this year. He's been great. Uh, he's really been their best, their best hitter. Jimenez kind of looks like the guy we saw two years ago again.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, it doesn't have the home runs obviously, but, but he's hit the ball really well. I, I, I just like a lot of what they're doing. They're running the base as well. They're playing good defense and the bullpen for the most part has, has been excellent. I think bullpen's been very good.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It is interesting, uh, you know, cause they have some spots where there isn't a guy who should play every day. And so that makes sense to do that. And he's, what he's doing, I like this and some managers don't do this, believe it or not, is


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't care what you're getting paid. I don't care about your contract. Play well, you play. Don't play well, you don't play. I thought that was a good message. And I'll tell you something else. I think you said, Jay, about like these late inning wins. We didn't see any of that last year. When the Guardians fell behind, it was like, well, game over. See you next game. How many times in the first three weeks have they not only come from behind,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It feels that way right now. They're a fun baseball team to watch. We talked about it the other day, but I'll tell ya, they're gonna need to make a trade at some point.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] By the way, for the first time since, was it 2012 they traded for Ubaldo Jimenez?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think it was 2012, wasn't it? Yes, that sounds right. They haven't really made a significant starting pitcher trade since then. They haven't needed to. No. But there, you think about it right now, there's nobody coming from the minors. Well, unless Gavin Williams. Well, besides Gavin Williams. But even still, like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We don't know if Mackenzie's gonna make it through the season. At some point they're gonna have to bring in another, I'm not saying they gotta go crazy and get the best guy on the market. And I wanna see them get one more Alfie.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I, I just, we know what the, like the guard, beyond the off the field stuff, the guardians had enough of him. So I can't see him going down that road.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're in jail. Hey listen, I said as much as I don't like Bauer and I don't like him personally, if I were a team I would certainly consider bringing him in because there's very little to lose. The PR stuff, you know, that doesn't really negatively impact.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Trophy. That's right. By the way, two guys I got an eye on in the next couple of months for the Guardians of Pitcher. Paul Blackburn of Oakland and Jesus Lazardo of the Marlins. I thought you was going to say Paul Bird.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That you do for the organization, for this community, but for the locker room. The guys talk about it every day.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Talk about it all the time. I think that is a big testimony to what you and AB is doing for this organization, for this community. And it's something special. And we talk about it in the locker room and I think that's why, you know, we go out there every Sunday or whenever we're playing and we give you 110% because


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You treat us like men. You give us our flowers where we need to, but also you push us hard enough to go out there on the practice field and compete. And then once we get out there on Sundays, it make it a lot easier.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What's up guys, before we get into reads, uh, bull you didn't make a bracket. Tyvis, did you make a bracket?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, Kentucky lost to St. Peter's as a two seed. Two years ago, they got knocked out early. Last year, John Calipari has a lifetime contract in Kentucky. He's on the hottest of hot seats right now. This is, I don't know what they're gonna do because he's a lifetime contract. What do you do with a lifetime contract?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, so Anthony actually, of all the people in the UCSS bracket that work on UCSS, Anthony's in first place after one day. Uh, but he's not anywhere near first place. Oh, you guys get a pool?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This is, I mean, this is such a crap. I feel like the more college basketball I watch, the worse I do in the bracket and the less and the more I just pick off random.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, shout out to Coach Damrot in, uh, in Duquesne by the way. Right. Used to coach LeBron, Cleveland guy, so shout out to him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think Oakland is- I think it's Duquesne. Duquesne hasn't won a game in forever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Either way, congrats to you. Everyone wins. Hopefully your brackets do very well today. And if you are betting on


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets if their first $5 bet wins. That's 200 bucks to use on point spreads, money lines. You can even pick who's gonna win it all.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just visit FanDuel.com slash UCSS and bet on college hoops until they cut the nets down.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And shout out to our guy Darren Smith from Kansas City for a winning ticket yesterday. He bet on the Kansas Jayhawks.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And uh, Darren turned 10 bucks into 344 dollars. Shout out to Darren.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And their player had 10 threes yet. It was... How many did he finish with that kid? 10. He had 32 points. No, total points. 32 points, 10 threes, 2 free throws. That was incredible. Game 6.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He did it last year, it didn't go well. So he got redemption this year. That's why he was so excited this year because his first time doing it at the Big East Tournament with Red Panda last season did not go well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On Good Morning Football the other day, Jason McCordy, who's one of their regular panelists now, was asked who the biggest threat to the Chiefs are in the AFC. And here's his answer. Steve, take that work role.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So Jason McCordy says the Browns, the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC. What say you?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He had three touchdowns, no turnovers, 186 passing yards, 72 rushing yards.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In his playoff career, this is just passing. He has 21 touchdowns, 4 interceptions.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Josh Allen's played five playoff games, so he's, he's five and five in the playoffs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Can you tell me how much Gabe Davis got in free agency, Mike? He got 39 million. They replaced him with Curtis Samuel who got 26 million.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They re-signed De'Quan Jones, re-signed, uh, Dion Dawkins, their left tackle.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They brought in Ty Johnson as a backup running back. They brought in Mac Collins as a third receiver. Nicholas Morrow, a linebacker, unfamiliar with him. Uh, Carl, uh, Cam Lewis, excuse me. I'm not sure who he is. Mitch Trubisky is a backup. Oh wow. They're really getting it done. They signed Taylor Rapp.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They'll be the receiver. Lamar Jackson, so Josh Allen has 21 touchdowns, 4 interceptions in 10 games. Lamar Jackson in 6 games has 6 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 52% say they are not the number one threat to the Chiefs. 52% is correct.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alright, if you guys want to check out a Cavs game or a Guardians game this season, or go to a concert or a play over at Playhouse Square, make sure you're buying your tickets on the Game Time app. There's no easier way to find and buy tickets for every kind of event.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In your area, they give you the view from the seat so it takes all the guesswork out of what you're getting with your ticket plus their lowest price guarantee.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Have a event cancellation protection plan just in case something comes up at the last minute.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But always use game time if you're buying tickets, no matter what the event is. And it's simple, just download the game time app, create an account.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And use promo code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Once again, create an account redeem code locked on for $20 off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I do, I do gotta get a read. We still got another FanDuel, another game time before 12.30. So let me hit you with one more FanDuel read. Say goodbye to busted brackets because FanDuel.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Is allowing you to bet on every game of the NCAA tournament, whether you're betting on a big upset or a one seed. It's time to go dancing on America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets if their first $5 bet wins. That's 200 bucks to use on point spreads, money lines. You can even pick who's gonna win it all.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just visit FanDuel.com slash UCSS and bet on college hoops until they cut the nets down.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alright Bull, lemme ask you guys this, lemme set this one up. I asked you guys this yesterday after the show, and you and Tyvis had different answers, so I'm curious where G's gonna put on this. We know Donovan Mitchell is the most obvious answer to who did the Cavs need back from injury the most, so take him out of the equation.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Can't go get through that fast enough. Go ahead. Just about a month left. Just about a month. So taking Mitchell out of the equation, he's the obvious number one. Gee, I'll start with you. Actually, you know what, Gee, we're going to end with you because I know how these two are going to answer. You're the tiebreaker.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who are the Cavs missing more right now? Evan Mobley or Max Deuce?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, right now, yeaah. I mean, I think Mobley still has a lot more room to grow. I didn't think we'd ever get this level of Jared Allen, so maybe there's another level he can even go to, but, you know, I think we're at 60 to 70% of what Evan Mobley could be. Could be, gee. There's a chance this is it. Like, I thought he was gonna be a perennial All-MBA guy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I've kind of re-evaluated on my confidence level of that from being...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I felt really good about it. I'm not sure anymore. Still certainly could get there.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He's actually had a better season than I think he gets credit for, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The fact that him and Alan can't play together. It's just a giant knock. It's a giant knock in his game right now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I would not want to see the Lakers. I just don't.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We, uh, because we got to move on, but we asked the chat, Shrewster Mobley, two thirds went for...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And they have tickets online and available to events all around the greater Ohio area, but it's not just Ohio. This is a nationwide deal. Last minute tickets, flash deals, zone deals. It's easy. And you can find them by tickets for events all across the area. You get views from your seats and their lowest price guarantees. Make sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You're getting the best deal possible when you use the Game Time app.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just download the app, create an account and use promo code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Once again, create an account, redeem code locked on for $20 off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] BD, uh, Brian Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, David Fry, and Gabriel Arias.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So Zach follows this tweet up saying, this would seem to leave one spot available for either Will Brennan, Deveson De Los Santos, or Estevan Florial.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Floriel being a guy to potentially block the ladder of her moving up. Right. And obviously he's been sent down to AA, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To see both Brennan and Floreal in jeopardy of not making the roster, like... Yea, I don't care. I don't think any...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You can't send De La Santos down either, G.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't know who that last person is. So anyway, some interesting moves. We'll put a bow tie on this real quick before we do super chats and end with the Jameis Winston topic, but we started the topic as are the guardians kind of wasting the prime years of Jose but not putting a more competent lineup around him? Tyvis, yes or no?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We do, I'm gonna read three super chats first though, so we have the rest of the time for Jameis Winston. First one comes from Mud Alus Devidand.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It says 52% of the chat are haters, Browns to the Super Bowl.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mark Tringheves, T-R-I-N-G-H-E-S-E says, I feel like Darius Garland is a liability, too weak for me, looks lost at times, give Mitchell anything he wants in order to keep him in Cleveland.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Darryl, our guy says UCSS is lit on Fridays. Tune into WKYC at 12.30. Love you guys. Everyone should listen to DOW. 12.30 we move from YouTube to WKYC channel three. Make sure you guys tune in either on your television or on the WKYC plus app. So we're going to do this Jamus Winston topic. If you don't know a lot of Jamus backstory,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You probably don't have him as one of your favorite Browns. But I promise you by the end of the season, Jameis will go down as one of the more popular Browns players over the last 25 years. Put together a little compilation of clips from his previous stops.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That you'll enjoy. And a couple he's already, a couple of gems he already has. Inkley. List a little minute compilation of some of his best moments with the New Orleans Saints. Steve, play it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hitting him like gold, that ain't done. It is pure gold, pure gold. So he made his way to Berea to sign his official contract and there's just a few clips already. This is all from the last two days. Uh, some of these are very short. Steve play the first and this is Jameis Winston introducing himself to the dog pound.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That was real foreign around. So he's awesome. Then he came and did a little walk and talk to the Browns facility.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, I, I, I sliced a dice there. He was asked why he picked Cleveland.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the best clip of all, the best. Gee, if you didn't see this, I need you to pay attention to the outfit he's wearing while doing this. So he signs his contract. I'm not sure who suggested he did this, but he went over to the workout room and already started getting to work with his new teammates. Gee, make sure you're watching the outfit Steve played last week.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I did it on cold pizza when I was getting up at three in the morning. I never got used to it. It's not normal. I had a meeting with, you guys remember Bryant Gumbel? Of course. What do you mean? Well, listen, young kids today don't know him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And he said, you're gonna have a million questions on how to manage a morning show and your life. Here's Bryant's number. And he was awesome. We talked for like an hour.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And he said don't ever expect it to get normal because it never is. Getting up at three in the morning is not normal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Welcome to the show! Hey! Happy Friday! It's Good Friday, if you're of the faith. Uhm, we hope you enjoy your holiday weekend, if that's, uh, if that's what you do.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Now let me ask you this. Do you guys, like in the 90s, the Indians used to have titanic battles over control of the music in the club office? Sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Albert Bell in particular liked his certain style of music. He did not like what some of the other guys played in there. And it was, they were constantly battling for control of the knob.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I can say that more often than not, it was, uh, let Albert have his way. His nickname for a while was Mr. Freeze because I think, I think the story goes, he liked it super cold in the clubhouse.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right. And the temperature was being ratcheted up so everybody else could be comfortable. Yeaah. And the legend is, and I've never confirmed this, but I've heard it from several people, the legend is he took a baseball bat to the thermostat in the progressive field, then Jacobs field. I mean, it fits the profile.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm working on a series upstairs at Channel 3 for May where I'm going to sit down. This is the 30th year, uh, the 30th, 30th anniversary of the turnaround of Indians baseball.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They went 40 years where they were just abysmal. They wanted, of course, in 54, the American League pennant. And then they didn't do anything again for 40 years. And so I want to get together with four or five of the key figures involved in that Indians team. And obviously we know who they are. Albert Bell is chief among them.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I've been having some e-mail correspondence back and forth with him. He's still as cantankerous as ever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I used to, and I'm not kidding, I was a young reporter then, I used to be terrified to go into that clubhouse after an ugly loss.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, uh, busy show. We're gonna talk a lot about the Guardian's home opener last night, or season opener, rather. And then we're gonna get into some Browns issues and also the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell's coming back. Boy, do they need him. Oh, God.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was talking to Jimmy Donovan on Channel 3 Wednesday about the Jekyll and Hyde that they are when he's in the lineup and when he's not.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, uhm, lot of fun last night. We have to do a read first right before we dive into the Guardian. So Earl, I'll pass it back to you and then we'll dive into the Guardian. Bye, man.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] My goodness. Another 30 point win. The question now is, I saw them debating this yesterday at ESPN. The question isn't are they going to win. The question is, is anybody going to play them within single digits? That probably would be one close. Jay Williams firmly believes no.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Seth Greenberg, who I know and love and work closely with for a long time, said that he thinks that perhaps Illinois


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] With the way they play, more upbeat tempo, tempo that they can possibly play them within tempo. But I think the drama's gone. I think they're going to punch their ticket all the way for two in a row.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alright, uh, I'm gonna let you start. Uh, I know you're pent up and ready to go about this. What's your reaction?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You were, I loved your, it's funny when you look back on things, you're like, you were concerned about the middle of the lineup in Bull with good reason, there's not a lot of punch there.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That score, scoring decision was like the least crazy thing from last night because if you were watching the game, the one shot that was, is going to be burned in my mind forever. Oakland's a great baseball town. In the seventies, they, they won world series. They were always competitive.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There was an organized protest. That fan base has been very organized throughout the turmoil over the last couple of years. They're great fans. The city of Oakland has been playing hardball with the owner. The owner is out to lunch, doesn't know what he wants to do. It's rumored that they're going to build a new facility in Vegas for them and they're going to move the team there. Although I wouldn't bank on that yet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Also, I think because there was no drama in the game, you wanted to get some bullpen work. I totally get it. I understand the six innings. I wouldn't even second guess that decision. I'm just saying as a pitcher, you gotta drag off the mound. I think he wanted another inning and I as a fan wanted to see it for another inning.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Two of them were opposite field. To that point, Bull, after the first three outs, he struck out the side. I said, watching at home, he could throw a no-hitter tonight.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that's going to leave Steven Vogt in a really precarious position. Because the Cleveland Guardians.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] After the first three outs are made, I'll go no hitter.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Steven Vogt could have been in a really difficult position in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. Yeaah. Cause as he watched his starter, who's coming off injury last year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Get into a deep pitch count situation, but he has a no hitter, you can't take him out. The only no hitter thrown in the history of Major League Baseball on opening day was done by Bob Feller with the Cleveland Indians.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So to have an opportunity to go into that kind of stratosphere,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Steven Vogt would not have been able to pull him out. So early in the second inning when they got the cheap base hit the other way, I immediately said, I'm sure Vogt wasn't even thinking that way yet. But I'm like, well that takes one really difficult decision.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He did have one. 11 K's. He joins a group of about 5 or 6 other pitchers. All of them who are going to the Hall of Famer in the Hall of Famer.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Double digit strikeouts on three different opening day occasions. For whatever reason, and everybody gets amped up on opening day. You want the baseball in your hands to start the season. So all the pitchers are aces or A plus front of the rotation guys.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He's now one of about five guys that is second on that list. Only once or only one pitcher has four times on opening day had double-digit strikeouts. Bieber rose to the occasion and did it again.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sure, because it would have been stretched out by then. Funny you said that about the complete games. In getting ready for this series on the 94 Indians.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was doing some research about some things that stood about that team. You'll remember what stands out about 94 was they didn't have a World Series that year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The Indians got to 113 games. They were one game behind the White Sox for first place. They were in the wild card spot and


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They had, at that point in the season, bowl 113 games in.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They had 17 complete games by their pitchers.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You won't find a staff that gets to double digits in complete games.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I wrote some notes. I'll go through them quickly because we got a lot to get to today. Uh, Shane Bieber obviously lights out, um, six scoreless, 11 strikeouts, one walk, four hits. None of them were loud. None of them. They didn't even really record loud outs. He got a lot of ground ball outs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Patient, aggressive, it's a veteran move by him to wait for the hand to come off the bag. I noticed, and we talked yesterday in the chat, I, like you, did not like


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I said in the chat, and I'll repeat it here, I'm gonna give Steven Vogt a two month honeymoon. That's fair. I'm not gonna nitpick all of the little things. I'll talk about them, but I'm not gonna harp on them because


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He's new, he's figuring things out, he's clearly going to be a manager that does things differently.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Tito, I think it's safe to say, was a buy the book guy. He used analytics, but he was for the most part


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Jose Ramirez is a three hitter. You hit him in the threes.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No question Tito was in love with Miles straw. A couple of things I didn't like. I'm not going to harp on. I just would have done it differently.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and now it's only one game, small sample size, but the way it played out last night is exactly the way I felt it would play out. He's got Hosey in the two spot. I don't like it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't like it. I know the idea is put him behind the guy that gets on base a lot. He's gonna see better pitches. If you looked at the game and the way it played out, Juan was 0 for his first 4.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Prior to that, his at bats look middling. I know it's five. It's a very small sampling size. I just want him in a, in a position because you look at this lineup and you say, where are the runs going to come from? If he does hit 30 home runs and he's hitting in the lead or in the number two spot, his RBI total will be down. Here's what I, here's the


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I can't remember exactly what it was. I think it was like .5 per game. And the reason


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Also, like you, uh, I was in agreement with you when you sent the text to the group about, boy, that, uh, the burner, burner's row in the middle of the lineup, Brian Freeman.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I thought for sure that they were going to struggle to score runs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hemi way down in the bottom and four and five or five and six, I think, or five and five. And I just thought that's not going to work. Five of the 11 hits came from Fry Freeman.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Now to that point, one of the things I jotted down was I did not love that Josh Naylor tried to steal a bag immediately after getting hit in the wrist.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There were a couple of times, and we may have been chatting about it during the game in the text chain, there were a couple of times where I thought they would run, and I wanted to see them run, just to get something going, and they did.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, that was odd. Yeah. Why? It worked. It worked. It was one game. It's a small sample size. And again, it's against Oakland. They're pitching. It is like they're playing a minor league team. I'm not going to make too many decisions based off this series. No, it's just two games, right? Four. Oh, it is four. Yeah. They have four and three at Seattle. Three and three.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then they come home. So a 10 game road. That's like, they started on the road seven straight years.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, it's kind of better weather wise. No, I understand that it's, it's good. You want to get the Midwest and the Northeast teams into warm locales. Oakland's not a warm locale by the way. But what was, what's interesting is I was talking to, um,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To Bart and to Curtis at Spring Training about this.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I wanted to know whose genius idea was it to have opening day on the day of the eclipse. And they said it was an accident.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, normally would have had them home before that, but the guardian said, we're going to need the extra time because we're renovating, right? So we need every second, every minute of every day. So can you put us on the road for a little longer? And the way it worked out was we'll give you three series on the road to start, which is good if they can come home six and four.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On a 10 game swing like that. 7 and 3. 7 and 3 would be even better, but I'm saying that because the west coast swing is always brutal. If you get those 10 road games out of the way early, what that means is


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You have 81 of the last 152 on the road.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] at home. So you know that gives you a back end of the schedule should be home


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then everybody's like, uh oh, what do we have? Right. And I think that will really jump start the season.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We've had long discussions about boy, look at that beautiful sky. That would be nice if we had a day like that. And look, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not going to piss on that forecast. Maybe it is going to be great. I hope it is. But Betsy has told me that


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Forecasting is a very tricky game. Uhm, you can, with pretty good certainty, give you 24 hours. When you start to get to 72 hours,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, there's a lot of variables that could change. It's weather. By definition, it changes. But when you start getting to 5, 7, and 10, it's a crapshoot. What really, what you're really looking at, there is some model play that comes in, but what you're mostly looking at are averages.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I think on the weekends they give you 10 days. Yeaah, okay. I think. Or maybe it's at 11 o'clock we give you 10 days. I'm not sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, one other note, because I know we got to go. I thought, and this is maybe it is confirmation bias. When I was in Arizona, I heard a lot of talk that there's going to be a pivot in their offensive philosophy. They're going to be more aggressive. They're not going to, you know, they're not going to be so afraid to swing and miss.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I thought, and maybe again it was confirmation bias, but to me it felt like


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In past years, and this was Tito's message, they were spittin' on pitches that were too good to spit on.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I thought last night when there were down the middle fastballs to open a count, guys were going for it. And I hope to see that trend because that's, that's, leads to more offensive production in my view. Don't be afraid to strike out. Okay, Earl, we probably went a little longer than planned, but my bad.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A shock if that happens. A couple of weeks ago, we had the discussion. Yeah. Which of the Guardians five starting pitchers. Right. You know, in other words, like handicapped the Cy Young race just amongst the Guardian starters. And we were all like, I don't think it would be a shock if any of these guys won it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't know how often this happens. Boy, you can help me on this. I don't think it happens very often.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] My bold prediction was very simple, that they would have three starters win 15 games. That, you know, 15 is kind of the new 20.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] My other bold prediction is Shane Bieber is going to pitch a no-hitter this year. The drought will end. That's definitely bold. Yeaah, it is bold because you're predicting, you know. Something that hasn't happened over 40 years. Hasn't happened for a long time for this, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Weird. But they got no hit, I think three or four times. It was crazy that year. Might be a record. Yeaah. How much they were no hit. I got a question. Okay.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, uhm, Arias not in the starting lineup. He's going to get at bats.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I've got a number in mind. I, if it were me, I'd have him catch 30 games. I want Bo Naylor to play 130 games. Right. I want, I want, and if it's going to be a little more, Jay,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's what everybody's saying when I complain about it. And vote, vote was a catcher in his career. He handled pitchers. I'm sure if there was a, a Bieber type pitcher on the staff that went to vote and said, look,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I only feel comfortable with X, then the manager would be prone to maybe not every start, but he's going to oblige. But it is rare.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I think it was more common 15, 20 years ago. I thought back in the day they used to do it all the time. It was more common back in the day. But I think today if you, if you, if you're a major league catcher, you can handle a pitcher. And again, unless it's just a knuckleball.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's, it's not that low, is it? I think it is. No, it's not that low. It's gotta be in the twos. Please check that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm gonna say the Guardians are better strictly because they're paid. They only won 76 last year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, hell, last year, look at the Rangers and the Diamondbacks.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, I, I, I like the plan for this team. We ran part of my interview with Stephen Vogt yesterday on the 5 o'clock show that I did when I was out in Goodyear about, and I, it was a very pointed question, 2024 will be a successful season if, and he was, and I asked that question to all the guys.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was the one that answered it most directly and the only one that used either the words playoffs or World Series. And he started his answer with...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If we win the World Series. Yeah. And I like that. Absolutely. And you know what? I mean, I know that no one I don't think is going to pick them, but if you want to throw a flyer on a long shot at the start of the season,