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Out here don't know about you, but my morning commute is filled with thinking about who won, who lost and who was going to light up the next game, the last thing I want to be thinking about are my car lights. That's why I swung by advance, not only to their experts, set me up with two Silvania Silver Star ultra headlights with the furthest down low visibility. I save 15 bucks by mail for better vision during these dark winter mornings.

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Adventure Auto at Advanced Auto Parts and participating Carquest locations see stores for details. Many thanks to David Samson, host of Nothing Personal, check out that podcast. He joins us every week here on the local hour as a special gift. Dan Levitan also joining us here on this week's episode. Back again, back to back. Enjoy whenever Dan makes the time to join us here on The David Thompson Show. David, historic weekend, not just for the Miami Marlins, but for the sport of baseball.

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Derek Jeter has named his Michael Hill replacement, and it's coming the first the first female GM of a Major League Baseball club and a professional sports franchise here in the United States.

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Your take away from Kim Áng being named GM have had the worst struggle this week because the people at CBS were insistent that I that I talk about this because of my past with the Marlins. And so I did. I spent a lot of time, but nothing personal talking about it.

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And I came super close to explaining what really happened. But I haven't gone all the way.

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Well, this is the place to do it because I can imagine your conundrum, right. This is being universally applauded, this entire move. But I thought of you fairly immediately because you've sort of been boxed in. Anything that you say that questions whether or not this is a power position.

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He's literally rolling up, his sleeves rolled up. He is rolling up his sleeves on a pink dress shirt because he's ready to give away the goods. So explain this to us, because it's hard for you to be in a position where you don't sound embittered or whatever or ax to grind. If you have anything that questions a decision that's being universally applauded across baseball, sports and really outside of sports everywhere.

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I'm so let's talk about the macro point here. The Marlins made a great PR hire. That's the bottom line, and I'm really happy for Kim if she knows what she got herself into, which she doesn't.

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I'm really happy for baseball because they get to use the narrative that there's now a woman, GM and four people in the regular world, like the national TV shows and the Clintons, Chelsea Clinton and everybody else get to say, oh, my God, progress.

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I just want to please understand one thing, and I don't normally caveat on this show, this is not about me saying that women should not be in a position of power in baseball because they should. This is not me saying that I'm upset that a woman was hired because I'm not. I think it's great. It's me trying to explain to your listeners something that they're not going to get anywhere else. And I don't give a shit. I'm going to just say it.

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The hire by Derek Jeter was straight eyewash.

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Bottom line, and if Kim knows going in, then I'm OK, but if she was somehow bamboozled into thinking that she's going to have the power to actually be a baseball decision maker for a Major League Baseball team. She's just not that team is run by Derek Jeter and Gary Denbo, period, hard stop, Kim is really good administratively and Denbo can't do it and Jeter can't do it. And this is not me being bitter. This is a fact.

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This is what my kids did. They fire a black guy and they bring in a woman. And that makes baseball happy. It makes Bruce Sherman happy because he needs things from baseball, like revenue sharing in 2021 going forward, lots of it.

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So there's a lot of layers to this onion that no one is ever willing to discuss. Dan and Mike. And why not tell your listeners the truth?

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Well, we're going to discuss it here, because that is something that people aren't going to hear anywhere else. And I would say it's probably going to end up being controversial just because you're not hearing anyone question or ask any hard questions about this. Now, she is credentialed. OK, she has the resume to merit that position. But when you say it's eyewash and when you say if she knows what she has gotten herself into, you are uniquely qualified to know not just because you've worked in that job, but Mike Hill is a close friend of yours.

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So, you know, the job he just got out of. So explain to us what she's gotten into.

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So if you have a if you're a general manager, there's several types of general managers out there these days in baseball. You know, there's president of baseball operations and general manager Theo Epstein is an example. It's a president base of operations. Jed Hauerwas is GM and now Theos out and yet has been promoted.

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What a president baseball operations does is lead scouting leads, player development leads, pro scouting leads international and leads. The Major League team works closely with the owner informing the owner, here's where our roster is. Here's what we're thinking about doing in terms of call ups, in terms of the draft, in terms of where certain players are going to be, at what level of the minor leagues.

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Here are the trades that we're thinking to get to the payroll that you, Mr. or Mrs. Owner, have given us.

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On top of that, there's running the baseball business. That's a huge budget side of a company. That is the job of what you and everybody else says. Oh, you're the GM. That's what you do. But with the Marlins, that's not the case with the Marlins. Gary Denbo is in charge of where every minor league player plays. Gary Dembo is in charge of all of scouting, all of pro scouting, all of development, and doesn't answer to the GM.

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Period, no matter what they tell you, Gary Denbo works directly with Jeter, what Gary Denbo can't do is the business side of it, which Kim is incredibly qualified to do. Now, Kim, was it Major League Baseball for since 2011? Having her out of Major League Baseball's central office. It is very good for baseball because what it means is that they have gotten a woman or any person of color comes into this category. And when you are a woman or person of color in baseball, there is a study that's done for central baseball that is a minority inclusion percentage workers study.

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Baseball is always looking to get better numbers because it's good PR. They get to do a press release that says we've got 40 percent women and 50 percent people of color.

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But they're also looking to cut expenses and they're also looking to get people of color and women onto teams because that's the PR that you guys use in the mainstream media. You say, look, there's four black GMs, there's two black head coaches or managers. You use those stats. So getting Kim onto a team means they get to say there's another minority, GM, and that is a great PR, even though even though you're telling us she's not the GM, she's going to be on the on the business side.

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Her title is GM. So take to the world. She's the GM. That's why she's on Good Morning America. That's why she's getting all these interviews that and that's why baseball gets to say if Michael gets another job running one of these teams, then baseball gets to say there's been an increase in the number of diverse candidates who are running teams because regular people who don't listen to the show, of which there aren't many but regular people, just look at the stats that's given out in terms of the total number.

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Now, please understand and you can edit this, cut this however you want. This is not about Kim. Kim has paid her dues. Kim has interviewed Kim has never been put in this position before. Of course, she was going to take it because 50 years from now, she goes down in history as the first woman, GM, but she happens to be working for a particular team where she has no chance to actually be the de facto GM.

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So what was Derek Jeter s pitch, do you think? Was he transparent about what's going on there in the front office?

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According to David Samson, it took two seconds to make the pitch right. You go to Kim and you and this is done in conjunction with Major League Baseball. By the way, this is not something that Derek Jeter just thought of, like it fell from the sky. This was a totally calculated move, which is what Derek does. He's been doing calculated moves since he was a player. And this is not bitter. This everyone knows this. So if I'm in Derek's position, I make the exact same higher.

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It is the perfect higher. I complimented him on nothing personal because it really is the perfect time to look at all the attention the Marlins are getting.

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Good attention, rare, positive, rare, good attention it say it again in rare good attention.

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It is both rare and great. It was the perfect, perfect hire. I just want to make sure and I have no way to know what Kim was told. If Kim spoke to Michael Sheen, she went eyes wide open. If Kim spoke to anyone around baseball about how Derek runs the Marlins with Gary, then she went in eyes wide open. But if I'm Kim and I have the responsibility of all women that's been on my shoulders for the last twenty years, of course, I'm going to take this job because I am able to then open the door, hopefully for other women to be hired up the chain and grow and to be GMES.

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My Jita really checkmated all of Samso.

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Yeah, he just checkmated him because there's no way, no matter how logical it is, no matter how fact based, what he's saying is it's going to be white. Executive criticizes higher is the only one to criticize, hire and you don't.

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I'm just. No, no, I'm just I'm not criticizing. I'm explaining.

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I'm I know. But what I'm telling you is what you know how these things work. David, you call it I was like and you explained it with all the context that was necessary. And I know that you're informed on this and you touted her qualifications and and you bent over backwards saying that this is not about her, but you know how this stuff works. You know how this game works.

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And I'm not playing a game.

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I'm trying to add value to your audience and on a platform that you're nice enough to give me every week and that I'm nice enough to give you every week and just trying to inform the audience. This is great for women. There's no doubt about it. And Kim is terrific, by the way. Look how she's handled the PR. She's done all the interviews. But take a look at the things that she's doing. She's she's playing that part, which is exactly what the Marlins wanted.

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It's what baseball needed. It's really good for baseball. And if you ask the commissioner and he doesn't lie to you, he would say the exact. But but, David.

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So it's so strange because you're striving you're straddling the line with the facts that you're using on almost sounding like it's a token hire. And you're you're the executive, you know, formerly of the Marlins. Mike, he's. Checkmated here, right, there's no the publicity of the move, there's no way to move around it. I think he's doing his best to explain it. And I want to jump off of that. You mentioned previously that if she spoke to Mike Hill, she'd go into this job with eyes wide open.

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While you explain in great detail Mike Hill's possible frustration with the situation coming to an end with the Marlins.

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You've never really described what Michael Hill's absolute power was within the Marlins. You always mentioned that Jeter wasn't whoever you would hire as a replacement because that was inevitable. He wasn't really going to cede power. It would just be increased power for Derek Jeter. So what was a power dynamic with Michael Hill in that front office?

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So let's be clear on this. According to Jeter. Everything good that happened with the Marlins was because of Derek and Gary, and that may be true or false because there's no doubt they have moved a ton of money. There's no doubt that they have a great young pitching and they've got some position players who could end up great. They were over 500 for the first time since two thousand nine. I spent the last three, three years more seven years of my career not being able to win 80 games and they won 31 games.

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So whatever they do is currently working for the moment. But according to Derek, it's all him and not my kill.

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But I just happen to know differently, which is all the transactions that were done were Michael generated the ability to trade away money the way he did with Stanton, which is, by the way, the greatest trade in history. The fact that he got Stanton traded to the Yankees will go down in history as franchise saving because of the money situation with the ownership. But in terms of you are either Gita's guy or you're not.

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And Jeter did not ever, ever embrace anyone or anything from the previous regime because he assumed they were all poisoned and they all didn't know what they were doing. And this went on the business side and the baseball side. So everybody felt they were outsiders. And so if you're not inside Jeter small, tiny circle, which is Gary and Caroline, then you're simply not happy. You're not in the room where it happens.

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I follow what you're saying, but I sort of want to get down to brass tacks. Who has final say within that organization? Everything has to be run through Derek Jeter.

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And what are brass tacks when we get down to brass tacks? Why are we getting down to the brass tacks? Because I've heard that expression before. I have no idea why we'd be getting down to brass tacks, but get down to them.

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I always pictured them as thumbtacks and I always pictured that is painful. Why would you want to get down onto brass tacks? Because it would hurt. So I think it's a terrible expression, actually.

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Final say, though. Yes. So final, says Jeter. And no hard stop. Hard stop.

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And what can you tell us without betraying any confidences about how frustrated Mike Hill was about the power not really being real when you've got veto power above you?

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I think all GMs and presidents baseball ops have that to a degree when you have an owner. I think that and Mike's been used to that because a lot of that happened with with the Marlins as well. Under Jeffrey, Jeffrey had people who he listened to far more than Larry or Mike or me. He had a group of people close to him, some who worked for the team, some who didn't, who had great influence over him. And many owners have that.

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Jeffrey is not alone. Derek's not alone. So, again, paint this. However you want to publicize it however you want, people will listen or they won't. Derek is not alone in this. He's not a monster for doing this. This is how many people work in baseball. But it's important to know whether you're on the inside of that decision tree or the outside. Stuck out here when you're looking for a new home, I'm sure you imagine yourself in every space you want to relax in that you're can you use that shower every day?

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When you're looking for a new home, I'm sure you imagine yourself in every space you want to relax in that yard. Can you use that shower every day? You want to know the house fits you, but there's more to it than that. With rocket mortgage, you can see your loan options, closing costs, tax estimates and more online in real time. To get the full picture before anything is finalized. You could plan with certainty knowing you have a mortgage solution that works for you.

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Can you help us understand when you talk about the Stanton contract and you say it's the best trade in the history of baseball? Explain to me what happens exactly if Stanton can't be moved, if that contract can't be moved? What are the ramifications? Let's just assume he's still on the team.

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Then he's at a payroll of three million dollars. He's making 30, 32 million dollars. And the team total payroll is 65 or 70, and they have no chance to win 31 out of 60 games. And by the way, that's the threat that Michael used on John Carlo when he turned down the Cardinals deal and the Giants deal, he called up Giancarlo and said, listen, you want to exercise your no trade clause, which I'm so regretful of giving.

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It's the only one we ever gave in eight years. If you on a multi-year deal, if you don't accept a trade, it's going to be you and 24 first time minor league players making the minimum totally up to you. But we're going to trade everyone. You hang out with everyone and you're going to be sitting here as miserable because you have no chance.

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And that ruins the franchise because they just lose a lot, because they lose a lot and they don't get what they have now, which is in theory, the beginning of momentum. Remember, this next season, there's no more important season since 2012 in Marlins history is the 2000 2001 season, because over 162 games, if it turns out that 20 was just an asterisk, an aberration, because it was only 60 games, then they're right back into the crap the way we used to be.

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So. So this is critical. And if they still had Stanton at thirty two million dollars, they would have no chance to be winning. All right.

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So the etymology of brass tacks, there's a hardware store origin that seems a little far fetched, but I like the ones from the old West. There's two.

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So one possibility is there was a practice in the 19th century where brass tacks were used to spell out the initials of the deceased on top of a coffin. I don't really understand how that context applies to how I used it, but it seems pretty bad ass, doesn't it, Dan?

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And then there's another one, because brass could be easily Polish and didn't rust that the practice of adorning one's gun stock with brass tacks. So when you get down to the brass tacks of cleaning, my God. Right. That was the easy part. But that was really the core of cleaning. I'm glad we got down to brass.

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That's really awesome. When you think of someone like from the Old West in movies, who's the first person you think of right now? Sam Elliott had Clint Eastwood.

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I think of Kevin Kline, why that's some wild, wild West from in and out from the spider movie with Will Smith.

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That's why you have so little experience with Westerns that Kevin Kline from a terrible Will Smith spider vehicle. Mike's got a great story about that. Have you ever told Samson the the spider?

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This is according to the the documentary, the fans source documentary that Kevin Smith was a part of that detailed the failed Tim Burton Superman film that would star Nicolas Cage as Clark Kent Superman. And there was a Warner Brothers movie exec that would sign off on the film and give it a massive budget, the budget required as long as there was a spider put in the movie, there was a big fight scene with the spider. You look at the canon of Superman comics, it really isn't a spider villain to choose from.

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So they would just create this villain to appease this Hollywood exec that has a thing for spiders. So that movie fails and never gets off the ground. The Wild, Wild West appears and there's a tentpole summer movie that needs a spider as a villain. So Kenneth Bronagh, his villain, what did I forget, Artemis or something? Whatever. No, I think that's Kevin Kline. Either way, the villain in Wild West, Wild, Wild West has a giant mechanical spider, even though that technology really doesn't seem to exist in the Wild West.

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But that's why there's a confusing giant spider in that film.

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These movie execs, man, they've got their weird proclivities.

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David, I think I've told you this before and one of the best books I've ever read in terms of stunning me. And I've got to find the title to the book because it's about how a couple of movie producers not bilked Sony Pictures out of many millions of dollars. But the stories in there are unbelievable. And one of them because movie executives in Hollywood can be just super dopey. One of them involves and I always get this confused, whether it's it's the sidekick of the owner of the Golden State Warriors who was also Barbra Streisand's hairdresser, and he became an executive producer in Hollywood.

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Goober, I think that's the name. Yes. I read the book like 20 years ago, so forgive me for not having the details. But, Mike, if you can find the title of that, I think the audience would like it to. But one of the stories in that book that I'm just sitting there reading it with my mouth open, was that guy Gruber coming on to it? Not the Warriors owner, whoever it is that the sidekick was to these two producers, it hit and run.

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God, I don't know. All right. Forgive me.

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I mean, the title of the book is Hit and Run How John Peters and Peter Guber took. Yes. Sony for a ride in Hollywood.

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That's it. That's the book. Yes. And in the book, David, one of the stories available in paperback is David is going to want to read this book for sure. As interesting as he is in business in Hollywood is you've got this guy, this producer, Klown Peters, coming onto the set of Rainman and having seen some screenings and whatnot, seeing portion of the movie and just like sort of clapping his hands and hey, it's great. Love it, love it entirely.

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But can we get the and then SLU for slow person to throw out the at the end of the movie, the winning pitch at Dodger Stadium. Can we get, you know, Dustin Hoffman character at the end of the movie? Yes, you're right. Yes, that's correct. That's that's why you're going to love the book, David, because of that stupid story, things like that in there where you're like, how the hell did Sony give these guys money?

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So obviously, it didn't get in the movie, by the way, he didn't win. I just did a rain man scene on nothing personally yesterday. So it's pretty funny you bring that up, because I'm not sure you would have had the time nor the inclination nor the interest to take 45 minutes of your day. But I did. I recreated a rain man scene with Theo and trying to decide whether he wanted to spend a year playing in the sandbox with his children and give up ten million dollars or run the Mets and get an ownership under.

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Steve Cohen.

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I appreciate the setup because I do want to ask you about Theo, but I have one last question before we get there. What exactly is the nature of Judah's contract? Because I think the end game here for Derek Jeter is always to be a principle owner. What else does he have? He's not going to lose any money on this endeavor because he's he's an owner and title, really, because he's he's paying himself a salary which covers his investment in the franchise.

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What can you tell us about his future with this franchise?

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This is year four coming up. So he's got two years left on his deal. He is a five year deal to be the operator of the team. And the question is, will the board? It's owned by it, by Bruce Sherman. And then he's got a bunch of co-owners. They have a board. Are they satisfied with the direction of the team? Because the reason why Jeter was in this position is because Bruce Sherman simply just loved him, literally genuflected in his general direction, gave him a blank check, do whatever you want, didn't question anything, wasn't involved nothing but the best of the board.

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When they get letters saying, hey, you got to put more money in, hey, we got to put more money in. Hey, there's no naming rights. Hey, there's no TV deal. Hey, God, we're in trouble here. The question is, will they resign? Jeter and will he want to keep doing this job? It's not a particularly cushy job. What Jeter does. Right. Running a team is not all that fun.

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It's way more fun to own the team outright and then not have to come into the five others, run it, have others do the bullshit, the dirty stuff.

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Exactly. So I just don't think I don't know if Jeter is going to want to do it. And by the way, here's how the exit will go. Will not be that the board fires Jeter. It will not be the PR of it will be very simple.

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It'll be Jeter looking at the camera and saying, I want to spend more time with my family. I've got young kids, I want to step aside. But that narrative won't be true.

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All right. So I appreciate you getting that out of the way. Now, let's talk about Theo. Theo, surprising to some, not not to those that follow your good friend Jeff Passan said this wasn't at all surprised Theo stepping down from his role with the Chicago Cubs. A lot of people sort of linking him to the Mets. Some people theorizing that he may actually indeed take a year off your spin.

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He's not going to take a year off. You don't give up ten million dollars of salary just because you're tired or grumpy. This was all planned, all calculated. Theo Epstein made a decision to leave the Cubs that was completely premeditated. He's not going to leave ten million dollars on the table without a plan. And when Steve Cohen finished the transaction with the Mets. It became obvious that Theo needed to get into the FreeAgent game and Ricketts family owner of the Cubs, were happy to get his salary off the books and bring up jet wire to do the job.

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No problem. Theo was happy to be a free agent, quote unquote. And whether he signs with the Mets officially or not for this season so he can claim, I didn't lie and I did take the year off. He will be intimately involved with.

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Oh, wow. So you're saying it ain't family. This is baseball and business. He saw that there's a big there's a guy out there who came in as a swinging dick and he's like, I'm I'm given the good press conference. And now all of a sudden Theo saw that and he's like, I got to get into free agency because if that guy's bidding with others, I'm going to get my salary up. It's that cold.

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It's not just salary. He wants ownership and then he wants to be after that commissioner, like he's got a full plan in his life.

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And he can't keep being with the Cubs worrying about having Baez and Kyle Schwab or he already won the World Series with the Cubs. He could go to another team like the Mets and have the trifecta and go into Hall of Fame. Isn't Commissioner.

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And I hadn't heard that. Have you heard that? No. I wanted to seize on that. Commissioner, you say he wants to be commissioner.

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You know, one of the one of the rules is very simple.

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If you ever want to be commissioner of baseball, you do not let it be known to anybody that you have aspirations to be the commissioner of baseball. You just don't do it. Well, how do you. Because because I. An excellent question, Mike.

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Mike, that's such a good question. That's right. Don't let anybody know. How does David Simpson know? There is no one who is on the inside of baseball who does not feel the same way except for the fact that no one talks about it publicly when you are around Theo, when you are around Theo. It is just sort of one of those things.

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There's a bunch of executives in baseball who have said and have made it clear the reason people sometimes do not survive baseball is that the commissioner says, wow, you want to be commissioner. See you later. You're out of baseball. So if you take a look at executives who have left, many of them have left because their path to commissionership has been snipped like a nine day old Jewish young boy.

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I would put Theo Epstein as commissioner right now. I would put if I'm if I'm baseball, I don't know how that I don't know who would hire somebody to replace Manfred or how that would work. But I would take him on as commissioner right now.

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Then why would he do that, though? It pays less. You have to do it. It would pay less than what he gets that first of all, it pays less.

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That's funny, except the powers more. And the power is an aphrodisiac in that position.

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But the fact is that if he could do a coup, remember how Fay Vincent used to be the commissioner of baseball? You know, they Vincent got disappeared because the owners said, we don't want FAI to be commissioner anymore. So they got together and made Bud Selig, the interim commissioner, one of their own owners. So you can do a coup, but you need twenty three votes to do a coup. There are not 23 owners who would remove, Rob and install anybody.

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Forget Theo, anybody. Theo's best chance is to get an ownership piece. That's logical. Next step, not to be commissioner, becoming part owner of a team, get a World Series with that team, and then ten years from now, start worrying about the next step.

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It's interesting because you could absolutely see a path to it. It's harder to fire up an owner than it is a game, even though Theo Epstein is not one of these interchangeable parts that can just be replaced and you're out of baseball. There's always going to be an owner that wants to chase a title that's going to bring in the best ever.

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Theo is Rick Pitino or Larry Brown is how he's looked at within baseball a mercenary?

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That's that's a word, that's it, that's I that is such a pejorative connotation, I don't use that word for that.

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But that's what I think of when I think of when I think of Patiño and Larry Brown. I think of guys who are nomadic for a variety of different reasons. One of them can be impatient, but there are a name you hire if you want to immediately polish your stuff. So he's a PR mercenary.

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If you see, I would give away more credit than that. Theos someone you hire when you want to win a World Series and you promised your fans you're going to win one within three to five years. But, you know, Theos not going to be there for five to 10 years.

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That fits exactly one Major League Baseball team.

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Will the Mets pay him? Do you imagine the Mets? Because if he gives that press conference, I wonder if there's a direct correlation between Theo watching that Mets press conference and saying, hey, get my ass out of here like right now because I got an owner right here who would absolutely want to make the splash of hiring me for fifteen million dollars.

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And David, now you're off. And he knew this before. No one learned anything during the press conference of Steve Cohen except the fans. Everyone knew what Steve Cohen wanted. Steve Cohen had made it clear throughout the process of buying the team that he was interested in a GM or president baseball ops like Theo. It was this was not a secret within the industry by any stretch. Does not watching the press conference saying, oh, my God, I've got the best.

[00:31:34]

I like my way better. I like my way, I like my way.

[00:31:38]

Going to resign right now. Look at the press conference. I'm resigning now. That's not how it actually works in real life.

[00:31:44]

Do you think he follows the Jeter template of having ownership percentage? But you'll pay me a salary that covers my investment. You better believe it.

[00:31:53]

That's interesting. Well, let's say on the Mets a little bit, because Robinson Cano just got suspended for an entire season as a repeat offender violator of Major League Baseball's performance enhancer policy. Steve Cohen, fist bump. Oh, my God.

[00:32:07]

Everyone's so happy with the Mets organization. I'm doing a whole segment on today. Nothing personal about this, because it just it's I want to do the dance that was done and then talk about the statement that Sandy Alderson made, which was such an absolute joke, because the reality is they were thrilled Robinson Cano was so overpaid. Think about how happy Jeter would be if weigh in. Chen had done steroids. That's the equivalent. Yeah, they saved twenty four million dollars, it's so they're not going to save it.

[00:32:37]

So that's another statement that is open 24.

[00:32:41]

They get to reallocate the 24. That is the most important part of making the team better. I want to also ask you about the vaccine developments and Major League Baseball's role in this, everyone says it's going to go to first responders first and then essential workers. Rob Manfred, obviously, commissioners were on the call in the White House believes that. Look, know, David, I don't want to betray what that was. Skepticism. That was that was.

[00:33:15]

No, but I've never seen such profound skepticism on his face. He's not buying that one either. That's part.

[00:33:22]

I had a eureka moment last night when watching Adam Silver get interviewed. Oh, the leagues are going to get this first.

[00:33:29]

I don't know about that. Let's not create yet early. OK, say first. OK, earlier than earlier than most before the SEC, but like.

[00:33:40]

Yeah, that's problematic.

[00:33:42]

That's a PR crisis there that the league if the first person to get this is LeBron James, but if the first person is coming then we're good.

[00:33:52]

God bless. And the power of sports as an economic driver in the U.S. and as a way for our country to feel good is not to be underestimated.

[00:34:04]

And the commissioners of the leagues take that power out for a walk from time to time.

[00:34:08]

And what's going to happen there, such as what's going to happen here? It is critical for it's not it is critical for players to get vaccinated and their families and the support staff and anyone in contact with players. It's critical.

[00:34:26]

But it's critical for money reasons, it's not critical for humane and decent and moral reasons.

[00:34:33]

So, Dan, you're so smart. Look at how sad you are. Can you imagine when decisions are made by a company for money reasons? What kind of company would ever do that?

[00:34:43]

I know, but the country isn't supposed to be a company. I understand what's happening with corporate America and everything else in terms of running our government. But the country is not supposed to be a company.

[00:34:55]

I mean, if it is going out of business. Mike, Mike, can you play some some really nice music, like from from an Ang Lee movie like Brokeback Mountain?

[00:35:02]

Not not royalty operational, not royalty free music, but you could do a lot of good with that money that they're going to get from their network partners than you do a lot of good. And the montage of how they brought America together at opening day is going to be amazing.

[00:35:16]

Unbelievable. It's that crass. I guess it is that crass, right? If baseball is going to crawl to the finish line to get to its money and its mutated season, then why not elevate the crassness to a place of I've got a I've got to make sure you know that people with money, I've got to make sure that, hey, Susan Aguilar gets his vaccine before grandma does.

[00:35:40]

And it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable.

[00:35:43]

What's unbelievable to me is you acting like you've just had an epiphany.

[00:35:48]

I'm like watching that press conference that Theo Epstein was watching that Cohen gave. I'm like, I can't believe that the country is run like a company and that we're going to go out of our way to make sure that Martin Prado gets the vaccine before somebody else does.

[00:36:04]

Now, he's retired. He's not at all really sure.

[00:36:08]

They're not going to they're not going to grandfather him in. They're not going to give it to minor leaguers or people who have dedicated service, just people who could play shortstop.

[00:36:16]

Right now, Nick Marcus, to be called minor leaguers. Nick Markakis gets it before North Dakota, apparently.

[00:36:24]

David, let's get to your review this week. Every week you do a review for us here on the local hour. Make sure to support David with his podcast. It's good podcast. Nothing personal. What is on deck for this week?

[00:36:35]

Hold on a second. So Miguel Rojas is going to get the vaccine before I.

[00:36:39]

Well, I like the game that that's where we're going to keep trying to pull random names. You can't you can't do it that way because it's not just, by the way, we have created an editor's dream during this show because you could screw me so hard.

[00:36:58]

But keep in mind, I mean, entering into free agency here. So I'd ask you not to because I did not say that baseball players specifically are going to be the only ones to get vaccines. That's what you're now.

[00:37:11]

You didn't say that this show. You didn't say that. But this is what's funny about what just happened during this. Nothing personal. And they're all great. I'm sorry. Not this. Nothing personal. No. 2.0, because what we're doing around here with David Sampson, the information every time is is like your mouth hangs open in terms of how good what we're talking about is. And I want to get into this other stuff. But you're actually relaxed around this.

[00:37:37]

The earlier thirty minutes of this is as careful as I've ever heard you speak publicly, like you were being cautious around a couple of the things. But this is the one that's going to get you in trouble, the one that you're laughing about as as America gets sick.

[00:37:49]

Well, because there's going to be a headline, Fernando. Rodney gets a vaccine before grandma.

[00:37:54]

No, he's a free agent. He has to make it a minute. You're not going to get the vaccine if you're a valuable free agent. You just said that minor leaguers who are valuable are going to get it.

[00:38:04]

That's because they're associated with the team. OK, so Matt Joyce is going to get it, man. Joyce is going to hit. Wait a that will on the show you just come up with naturally also because they're funny. That's the game in Microplane.

[00:38:19]

I'm presently upset Kevin Koosman Off hasn't played in six years.

[00:38:24]

We're just playing funny names. The idea of well, of being sick and needing the vaccine. And you look up and it's Prince Fielder because he's still on contract with the Brewers, even though he hasn't played in three years. But he's you know, well, actually, it's OK because he's happy and it might be a dangerous business.

[00:38:40]

I got to be honest, I haven't heard a word any of you to have said for the last three minutes. I'm just looking up random baseball names.

[00:38:47]

There's so many. There's so many. Oh, my God.

[00:38:51]

You guys are funny. That's going to be good. By the way. It's NBA to an NFL. Amadei So you can come up with a million NBA players. John Contac will have access.

[00:39:01]

Wow. Oh, no, he will not. He's been retired for twenty years. Although that is also funny.

[00:39:06]

David, the whole birth of this show, I would say, Mike, this is accurate, is playing this game like just fooling around, just trying to top each other with this particular game. It is the first seeds of this show. Let's review your movie here, because I've got a million steroid questions I want to ask you, but we'll do that next week. Yeah, we got to talk about what happened with Canal. I mean, it's I just can't imagine how much interesting stuff you have there.

[00:39:32]

But, Mike, we don't have time.

[00:39:33]

Yeah, I was actually texting with with Dan when we discuss him coming in. And I've had as my ripcord for several months. I want to talk about the congressional hearings, the BALCO scandal with David Samson. And his perspective as someone in baseball would have been fantastic. But it keeps being a fascinating interview. And I have so many paths to follow with David.

[00:39:53]

That's what happened here. So next week, just put steroids in the calendar because you never know.

[00:39:58]

There could be a second female GM and Major League Baseball, right? Well, then review your movie so we could get out of here.

[00:40:04]

I just want to tell people to watch a show. I touched on it on yesterday's show and nothing personal, but I want to repeat it. It's a TV show I found called Friends from College. All right. Yeah, it's Fred Savage with Key and with Kobe Smulders, who is the beautiful woman from Avenger's.

[00:40:24]

It is a very difficult show to watch because it is funny, like out loud funny, and it is tragic and sad, not in terms of people getting run over by a car and all of a sudden die in a plane crash. It is what happens to a group of college friends when they some of them get married. Some of them are having affairs. Some of them know about it, some of them don't know about it. And what can creep in to a very close unit.

[00:40:50]

And it is written beautifully. It's a great movie.

[00:40:53]

It is a really great show. And it doesn't get enough attention either. Like it's not one of those shows that gets buzz, but it's it's an interesting watch for all the reasons Dave mentioned.

[00:41:04]

Yes. So I finish season one and I watch the first four episodes of season two and season two gets quite a bit darker, but not in terms of all of a sudden someone, you know, gets run over by a car in terms of the fallout, when people discover what had been going on in their lives, it is very interesting. I still haven't figured out why it only had two seasons. It is sometimes hard to watch Fred Savage because for me, he's the wonder years.

[00:41:27]

For me, he's Princess Bride, but he's really good in this. And I don't know that he made it as an adult actor, although I guess by being in the show he actually has. So if you have time friends from college, it's a thirty minute episodes, eight per season, well worth your time.

[00:41:43]

Our library of stuff around here that is meant as a menu item. You should check out outbids sessions with Mike. Sure. On the subject of Netflix, because David was just confused by why it is that there would only be two seasons of that. And Netflix is doing some stuff with how they pour money into things where they are just trying to see what a demo is. It's not really for the value of the artistic content. Ozark is about to end here after a couple of seasons has been wildly successful.

[00:42:14]

Popular shows leave Netflix because they get all the information that they need about the demographics of the show. According to Mike Shaw, who's a big, you know, Hollywood showrunner, Ozark was canceled.

[00:42:27]

Well, it's got two seasons left, but they're done with it. They've announced that they're done with it. And well, when I say two seasons, it's actually going to be one season. That's two seasons long. But yes, Ozark was canceled then that happens a good amount with Netflix, a popular show.

[00:42:41]

I think I also prefer this sort of way. Remember, in the past there was a show that was popular. It would hang around for twenty years. I mean, Grey's Anatomy is still going on and Dexter is coming back because they got the ending wrong.

[00:42:53]

Yeah, I mean, Sons of Anarchy is another show that was really good early on, but then it was popular and it just hung on a little too long. I like going into a series saying this is really going to be two or three seasons, Max or I even like mini series. We've got a story to tell and we're out onto the next project. I'm both happy and sad to hear that's how it works, because if I knew in advance, like with Schitt's Creek at six seasons and it ended on top and friends from college may do the same, I'm not upset with Netflix.

[00:43:22]

I just wonder if they're not interested. What you said that bothered me is they're not interested in the artistic quality of the show. They're interested in the information they glean from, oh, David Mallett.

[00:43:32]

Now, who's the naive one? David, I'm naive because the country's a company. Oh, Hollywood's not in it for the creativity. They're a business. It's not the fantasy world.

[00:43:42]

You think we should be speaking like a member of the Mafia? We should make one correction. They prefer the shows to be good because they like going to the parties and the awards.

[00:43:51]

They like the awards. They like they like the awards that get them into the party. Yes.

[00:43:56]

Hollywood baby.

[00:43:58]

I'm despondent, that epiphany. So that's why I don't want to invest or be a part of movie making because I love them so much. I don't want to know that they're filmed out of order. I don't want to know that they're not real. And now you're telling me that Netflix was a great content provider, doesn't care about the content.

[00:44:12]

It provides a level playing field because you take great joy in sucking out all of the the whimsical fantasy from sports when you really do.

[00:44:20]

That's what he does. He is that is that should be on your business cards. Whimsical fantasy destroyer, David Samson, you you danced around three pockets of land mines in this in this conversation, so.

[00:44:34]

Yeah.