The #minnesotalynx won the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup Championship over the #newyorkliberty and are sitting third overall in the standings, but how good are they, really?
The #minnesotatwins are nine games back of the #clevelandguardians but control the second Wild Card Playoff spot. What should be their 2024 MLB Trade Deadline plans? We’ll also provide live commentary on the Twins’ game versus the #arizonadiamondbacks. Watch along with us!
it again we are Live on YouTube at fplay byplay welcome to anyone who’s joining us live uh we have over a 100 subscribers now we’ve made it to the centry mark uh many thanks to those of us who follow us for just the PIP the greatest playlist in the world for the best fans in the world I do the painstaking work recording the picture and picture from aw shows for you every week and then I put that [ __ ] up on the YouTube for you to watch in case you missed it and uh people seem to love it so we’re gonna keep doing it as much as I can uh out of town this weekend so you’ll just see the dynamite Pips but here we go we got a lot to talk about all of a sudden because things are happening Minnesota sports teams are making moves all over the place it’s a month from the deadline trade deadline Mike uh yeah for baseball and sadly uh sadly my uh two lesser not that I don’t the Timberwolves and the Vikings I mean the twins are my hold a special place in my [ __ ] heart you’re dark black but like watching the mov killing you it’s not the cigarettes or the booze it’s the [ __ ] Minnesota Twins well no like after watching like the moves the tea wolves which that franchise has made like a 180 over the past like decade it’s like awesome oh they’re going all in all of a sudden and with that’s because Glen Taylor’s like you on the verge death well I’m just like their brain trust is awesome and I would say the same thing about the Vikings like I am very excited excited with the front office not you know yeah all of the moves they’ve made um the twins are H just leaving me uh defeated feeling defeated um depressed uh watching other franchises really [ __ ] play amazing baseball and I’m just sad yeah sad it wouldn’t have anything to do with your your uh upcoming birthday would it oh yeah tomorrow yeah actually buddy how you feeling I am that was good news to hear that uh fest’s getting called up so he’ll pitch up my birthday which is amazing okay um well let’s start the show okay oh hello welcome to this thing we call Minnesota Foul Play byplay I’m your host Anthony varano I’m J today bye our twins expert on the eve of his birthday Mr Michael J HW Esquire Michael how’s your B on this eve of your birthday Hello Anthony I am doing well um you sound robotic just go to the emotions are we I can’t wait I mean tomorrow I turn 31 it’s gonna be amazing um finally getting closer to that 40-year-old uh body it looks like I have yeah but I mean I mean as you said before uh we went live um we got 100 subscribers so now I only have to work 55 hours a week at my job as opposed to 60 so it’s nice yeah we’re doing so well we’re making so much money so much so we can’t even talk about the Twins game that’s going on yeah right uh what is the score in the Twins game currently three- Zer twins are up all right against the Diamond Backs who are Dreadful I wouldn’t say Dreadful they’ve been playing they’ve been playing better do you remember F but I mean they’ve been D they’ve been they were dormant now they’re starting to play like they should I mean they’ve got some young [ __ ] studs on that team so I mean they play that style that the Guardians play too that should allow them to have pretty good regular seasons over 162 game sample I would I would totally agree the why I and we’ve talked about this just over the phone and stuff why I kind of want the twins to be soft sellers the deadline is I watched the Guardians every game they played against the Orioles Orioles Jesus Christ um you that drunk already ore I am or I about a half case of Corona in me already man I’ve been drinking since that’s amazing I’m drinking Pacifico yeah except minees are empty my my refrigerator empty already no but uh the Guardians sad to say he a twins fan they’re legit they have not slumped at all this year like which I don’t understand how like they even good great teams will go through a slump they have just they have played so damn well the whole season I there’s no way we catch up to him well we were we were boasting about the bullpen this season for the first time ever we thought we had a great Bullpen and we don’t even have the best one in the division it sounds like um well the guards bull is yeah I mean that’s a wash between us but I I would say they’re they’re bullpens overperforming ours I mean they definitely have better contracts on their on their roster I mean Jose Fernand Jose Ramirez signed a pretty team-friendly deal to be a superstar for them um they always develop pitchers I don’t know where they pull these guys out from but it always seems like they’ve got better starting pitching than we do um but it seems like they put the ball in play and run the bases well and and defend and that’s what the twins used to do and I really enjoyed watching them do yeah and I mean they’ve got players that I think are overperforming but I mean they just keep hitting the [ __ ] ball uh bo Naylor like I don’t think he’s one of the best first basemen in the game but he’s [ __ ] playing like it Samson was is like yeah apparently we like that guy go a little too early uh I don’t know you know it could still be just streakiness like it’s still not even halfway through the season yet um I mean they I mean they’ve made some mistakes over the past couple years with money I mean they spend so little money and they’ve taken some gambles I forget uh because now that I think of it I’m of course I’m gonna forget they threw some money at the center field mil straw like he’s not even on their 40 man roster they cut him loose hoping somebody else would pick up his contract nobody did um so so they’ve had some misses but I mean their hits I mean with Jose Ramirez I don’t yes I can hate the Guardians Allstar guy’s a professional hitter the guy’s in my mind a top 10 player in the league hardly misses work either like is always there he’s he’s amazing to watch he’s a fun player to watch too um he’s their V version of our like Royce Lewis I mean that’s exactly God there’s my boy he’s playing to my notes too Miranda’s just [ __ ] on fire this game that is nice to see him being The Hitter we thought he was going to be uh finally so that’s that’s good news um except for it makes for a a little bit of a log Jam on the infield still it’s crowded and that’s the they need to make some moves which I doubt they will um I think everybody a lot of the stuff I read and I think you would probably share the same sentiment um lot of writing it I probably would yeah yeah a lot of us wna get rid of farmer and a lot of people just want to release him I think we could actually trade to a contender that needs a little help at Short Stop second Dodgers Dodgers would be a good pick um and I would just trade I think glean wrote about this in the athletic that’s one of the articles I saw it and I agree with it is trade for a [ __ ] young pitching Prospect like 1819 sure it could blow up in your face but take a gamble we don’t need Farmer on our team anymore no he’s doing he’s doing more harm I think than good even though came in handy last season but right now we are we’ve got guys knocking down the door Triple A uh maybe even in double A well we know we want Brooks Lee up that’s that’s what everyone wants I think I want Brooks Lee up and that uh when it gets closer to the all-star break and getting closer to September I want julienne back up I mean that’s a guy fixes the twins do this with hitters all the time I think have him protect the play a little more they almost ruined Austin Martin and thank God they let him revert back to hey not everybody on the [ __ ] roster needs to be a power hitter right some people just need we need slap ball too I mean um and that’s what I would like to see Julian I’d like to see him cover the plate better yeah it’s fun to watch him hit home runs but it is boring as [ __ ] watching him strike out when a [ __ ] fast ball is a quarter inch off the plate and it’s just like yeah I get it that’s a [ __ ] ball but come on you got that up two strikes he’s such a good bat to ball guy you would imagine that would play into his game not the Home Run hitting the the the just get on basee any way you can type of baseball that we used to play you know put it in play make them make a throw make them make a play uh that’s what I’d like to see he I don’t think he runs particularly well but he runs okay um Austin Martin is a guy you definitely want to see run my God pal no and that’s Austin Martin he’s great he’s like the Willie Castro of the Outfield he’s a super utility outfielder he can play all three positions I’d love to see him get except he doesn’t make Willie Castro Expendable somehow he doesn’t I mean I think you could the moves I think he could make to a lot of young people to come up you could still keep Castro on the team we have him for one more year um but in my notes for tonight I did say like if we actually want to get something back in a trade I mean some of these dumps like if we wanted to dump uh Manuel Margo who’s actually been playing better he’s been hitting the ball better yeah but he’s he’s a he’s holding up positions in the Outfield um but they’re not going to bring back anything thing I mean somebody like somebody like Willie Castro could bring back think pieces yes really he’s young he’s got one more year of control after this Kepler’s year of control is this year right last year keper this is his last year he’s free agent yes he’s also not very a very valuable trade Chip he’s I would say he’s the second most valuable trade ship that we’ really realistically get rid of other than maybe Matt walner which I love Matt walner but for his sake I hope we trade him just because he deserves to be playing in the majors um and he’s not going to now the twins have decided larck is going to be I think their future replacement for Kepler and lck’s earned it as well I mean he doesn’t he’s got power he doesn’t have as much power as W walner and he doesn’t have the [ __ ] throwing arm that Wallner has but he covers more he’s better defensively and he’s turned into a pretty damn good consistent hitter the major league level our problem um My Little L feel on this is and when you look at our Prospect list in our 40 man roster we have too many damn prospects that are left-handed hitters I mean when we look I don’t like when I play uh my stupid baseball game it him be the show always trade back for Spencer steer because I’m like huh a righty bats that we let go God damn it and and Brent Rooker too right where it’s at the times at the time like I I was investing in the twins but I’m not I wasn’t as big as a nerd junkie where I’m going through knowing who plays at single a high a freaking double A like every level and it’s just you gotta keep some right-handed bats yeah that’s why thank God for Miranda like if they would trade him before the All-Star break I maybe we just pick a new team because I’m like we need righty bats he’s he’s great because he can fill in at third when freaking if L Lewis gets hurt or needs a day off and they need to transition and have him play more at first base which they’ve been doing I mean the first base the future I’d love to see is Miranda and then freaking Julian and then Julian can do some DH as well julan is too bad defensively anywhere else to play I think um yep yeah and B I think he’s like a a a worst version of Luis R arise with a little bit more power perhaps and I don’t know what they’re waiting for with brooksley I really don’t um it’s is it can’t be like uh serving time at this point like that usually is at the end of last month I thought that that you know yeah because they change those rules so teams can’t fully screw players like they used to I mean they can still screw them but yeah um the only realistic alternative unless moves are made why they wouldn’t want to bring them up is if they think they’re still gonna if they’re not gonna let him like play fulltime so he’s getting bats every day which right I think if we call him up he better be playing close to time because you’re wasting his development by keeping him on the bench but flip side of the coin as well I mean at his age I I kind of think we’re wasting his development at Triple A though too where it’s like I would agree yeah that’s why that’s why he was our number one pick that year I mean get him up here well maybe maybe the standings is what forces that decision like I they’re eight games back in the division but they’re they hold the second wild card in the American League right now um maybe they’re scared if they put him into the lineup they’re risking losing a playoff position and perhaps if they were out of playoff position that’s when they would make that move I don’t know it just doesn’t make any sense to me that we would have Manuel Margo still on the roster when we’ve got a guy like that um no and that’s the I think it’s actually with us being God what is it now I can I don’t the Guardians just thankfully lost a game to the freaking Orioles oh so today we could be seven back with I mean this is where you want to be right around this time of year I mean you’re in it nothing’s over yet they’ve yet to beat Cleveland though the problem they yet to beat anyone good no that that is a problem and that’s why I think actually leading or um trailing as far as we are I think it gives the twins actually better options of actually selling off on some of these older players letting the Young Bucks come up doing exactly what you want the soft sell because they’re not gonna they’re not gonna play any I’d be surprised if they played worse than farmer right Margo yeah um still will still be in the race since they added the extra freaking wild cards I mean that’s the every team’s in the [ __ ] race it seems like I mean you look at the national league everybody’s in the race and we getting up I think half of them are like below 500 but there’re still like four games out of the wild like yeah remember when everybody was talking about how like the uh the Indiana Fever were terrible you know there’s a reason why they had the first quick picking the draft like a week and a half ago I texted uh my pocket aces group chat basically my sister and my brother-in-law who live in Las Vegas and our season ticket holders that Indiana would be a playoff team and have the hardest Pace to play and probably end up upsetting someone in those playoffs well it’s a 12 team league and eight eight team top eight teams get in so there’s a pretty good chance that Indiana is gonna be there in the end uh they’re starting to play a lot better and uh I think Aaliyah Boston is starting to figure out how to play with Kon Clark uh but you got anything more on the twins because I really want to talk about the links yeah I think that the last thing I just wanted to say is they’ve got a I don’t know if they ever will I think one of the things that frustrates me while why I don’t have the same kind of excitement about what’s I mean the Brain Trust of the twins is doing like the Brain Trust of the Vikings The Brain Trust of the Wolves is is I understand sometimes we get too overly hyped for young players and maybe Royce Lewis is probably bad for us on that um just because he’s [ __ ] so good yeah um but we’ve got our young guys position players coming up like Brooks Lee he can be a star I’m not saying I don’t know if he’ll ever be a superstar I doubt it but he could be a star for our markets and for the American League as just a good consistent baseball player Austin Martin is turning out to be a great everyday player I mean that trade the beros trade looks like it paid off with Sim W Simeon Woods Richardson and then freaking him I think we came out all right since they’re finally giving him a chance but our second well Jenkins he’ll come up probably in two years he’s gonna be a [ __ ] Superstar but our other outfielder Emanuel Rodriguez this kid’s only 21 years old kid’s a freaking stud like he is knocking on the door and that’s it’s good for base if he if he’s ready at 22 bring him up yeah like I don’t know why we just keep signing we drag our feet so much with these guys and it’s probably the history of the franchise right like they’ve ruined so many guys thinking they brought him up too early and I I think maybe they’re just scared or I don’t know it’s they’ve made a I mean they really put a plug in like people coming up though and it’s an annoying plug over and over and over again yeah just a bunch of Aging veterans and Carlos Santana is doing playing all right I mean I’m not going to lie I’m comfortable when he takes bats when we got runners in scoring position yeah guy’s a professional hitter but still for 2025 I’m like we got to be getting other people some playing time at first I mean we need to have a two-player option there and I think it’s GNA be Miranda and Julian yeah um but who knows I hope they I hope they sell off some stuff before the deadline um and pick up some young young like gamble pitching prospects um because those never hurt wor thing they do is they don’t pan out but yeah that’s my twin Spiel they’re in the Run they’re playing decent baseball um your boy buxton’s he’s been playing good he’s been his my boy’s Ry guy Ryan Jeffers baby I mean what am I saying Byron buckon I I was at a bar and some guy said that we should release Byron and I GA it was the most ridiculous [ __ ] I ever heard in my life no no I’m not saying contract even if he only plays like 80 games is still a pretty [ __ ] Team friendly contract the way salaries are going it’s I mean it’s him Roy and Korea that are the faces of the franchise right now and if you look at Korea’s contract I find it very funny that him and buckton are tied their contracts end at the same time yeah so it’s like I think this window they’re trying to create is tied to those two players I still don’t I’m still not mad about I I would argue three uh Pablo Lopez being one and I gotta did you know I got it did you know did you know or do you know the only player have to allowed more home runs than Pablo Lopez this season I don’t have a clue Jose baros he’s actually gonna be on the trade market too pick him up that’s what I’m saying is actually not bad he actually hasn’t pitched that bad this year that would be [ __ ] hilarious if we could trade back for him yeah and keep all of our pieces we got for trading him oh golly that would be terrific actually yeah we’re gonna move on my last thing is two things varland they need to turn him just to a bullpen arm this I would say that about Paddock too that’s the second guy I was just gonna say p wow look at that great mines whether whether he wants to or not it’s I’m sorry he’s better in that position than he is as a starter he throws hard got he’s got good stuff yeah his fastball becomes more Liv more yeah if he’s only thinking about pitching two to three Innings I mean that’s I think that’s where he’s destined to be I understand I can understand pitcher not wanting to move on to that role because you would move make a lot less money yeah the best relievers in baseball make a hell of a lot less than the best starters in baseball it’s like the worst starters in baseball they make a hell of a lot less than the worst starters in baseball fair I mean because you’re you’re pitching 80 Innings instead of 180 Innings yeah all right well let me tell you how good the links actually are um if y’all didn’t know the Commissioners Cup champions are the Minnesota leags the goddamn state of Minnesota is putting together pretty good basketball teams these days uh this is the fourth year of the Commissioners Cup Championship it was what inspired the NBA inseason tournament if are familiar with that um so all these ladies got to split up quite a bit of money uh especially for most of that roster um I mean there’s only two or three players where uh that kind of money doesn’t you know make a big difference for them um they’ve beaten the Liberty twice this season which is just shocking uh I believe they played in it was a true home yeah it was it was a true home game for the Liberty because they were in Long Island um so it was hostile environment it was a terrific I only saw the fourth quarter and it was one of the best fourth quarters of WBA basketball I’ve seen some of the best shot making some of the best offense I’ve seen run and the timber wolves play or sorry the links play just like the timber wolves play a a defense that just turns you over like crazy and turns those uh turnovers into Point points over and over and over again they had 27 points off turnovers in that game against New York um they do that against almost everybody um they I mean this is how good they are I’d say they’re one of the top three teams in the league out of 12 obviously and USA Today would say the same thing yeah I mean they’re GNA struggle with Connecticut who they lost to an overtime by one and now that Las Vegas has Chelsea great back they’re gonna struggle with Las Vegas um that’s pretty darn good uh if you could beat one of those teams you’re in the finals uh and anything can happen in the finals somebody can get hurt and all of a sudden well I mean fee nefisa klier against Asia Wilson is a great great matchup something that I would love to see just a physical battle I want to get to that the physicality of the game also I want to touch on all this [ __ ] that people are talking about that how they they somehow are discovering the game and didn’t realize that it’s physical and it’s just like well okay let’s think about this um the game is basically a throwback to late 990s basketball right uh these women weren’t before uh like Sabrina yancu and Caitlyn Clark showed up shooting Steph Curry 3es uh so the game’s played closer to the basket which means there’s going to be moreo people are going to be closer together and there’s going to be more physicality so you know don’t be surprised when there are flagrant fouls called as all I’m saying because this shit’s been going on forever forever since the game started it’s always been physical it has to be because everyone’s right on top of each other but Tony ladies shouldn’t act like that oh yeah ladies ladies in competition shouldn’t act like that huh uh sure okay um yeah satu sa kissed blew a kiss to me as she shot a free throw after I got thrown out of a WNBA so uh should ladies act like that I I thought it was [ __ ] awesome he made me laugh no I don’t I don’t follow the WNBA like you do um but I I do find it offensive that people are surprised because now they’re just watching it because Caitlyn Clark’s there and they’re realizing that this game just as in competitive atere just as or if not more physical than their counter product in the NBA except for maybe in the playoffs I mean the playoffs I think the NBA gets very physical regular season I find kind of boring to watch it is boring to watch WNBA games are the exact opposite it’s physical all the time and like it’s living you while you live in Minnesota I live there for a while watching Female Hockey they get just as physical if not more physical than the boys so well I mean the pwhl exists because they they wanted to fight for the right to check they wanted to check each other um which is shocking and made the game great uh especially since the referees swallowed their whistles for most of the game and we’ll get to the pwhl believe me but I think the links look like they’re a team that can legitimately win a championship I can’t believe I’m saying this uh they might I they they might be the best basketball team in the state what you saying in the off season that this is gonna be like a year they they’re gonna [ __ ] play horrible okay well let me explain to you why they’re why they’re great they’ve made [ __ ] roster changes that are just I who could have seen this coming okay so Caleb McBride is fantastic he’s always shot the three as well as she shot it this year um but who’s Cecilia s from Milan Italy I mean she hasn’t played in the WNBA since uh let’s see here 2018 2018 was the last time she played in the league uh she averaged 16 and a half minutes and she was shooting 40% from the field and 38% from three uh this year she’s averaging 12 and a half minutes and shooting 41% from the field and 46 and a half% from three and this is why I think they might not have a sustainable offense uh their defense is certainly sustainable what they’re doing defensively is sustainable they are great rebounding team they’ve got length everywhere they can affect shots all over the floor this Alana Smith played Immaculate defense yesterday she doesn’t score much but goddamn she still shoots it at 45% and she turns the over like crazy she a averaging uh 2.3 Steals and 1.4 blocks a game uh just dogs just dogs all over the court uh Bridget Carlton again okay so here’s an perfect example of why the links might not be as good as the Liberty the aces the sun if if Bridget Carlton scores 23 which she did in that New York game you should win all of those games that’s like when Jaden McDaniels gives you 25 in the NBA like but Bridget’s not gonna defend as well as McDaniels is but when she shoots 80% from the field you should win that game right prob more than five points so yeah they are shooting an insane uh rate from three-point land uh they’re hitting like 45% from three-point L as a team Jes uh sorry 40% from three and uh they’re shooting more threes than anyone they average 25 attempts per game so they’re hitting 10 to 25 I don’t know that Caleb I mean Caleb McBride’s going to hit 46 and a half percent of her three-pointers then you’re be in trouble she’s been doing that around that for years but I think she’s like a 43% shooter from three for her career but I mean God dor juas 40% from three Bridget Carlson 43 and a half perc from three Alana Smith 45.5% from three uh Cecilia Xander lini 46.4% from three they’ve got one two three four five they got five players shooting over 40% from three man like yeah you’re gonna probably be pretty good if you can do that that’s that’s pretty good yeah so I don’t I don’t think that part of their game is sustainable um but they’re still going to shoot a lot of Threes And you know what their ball movement is [ __ ] fantastic uh they’re averaging 24 assists on uh 30 point 31 field goal uh M field go makes so I mean that means they’re shooting a lot of wide open shots and if you got that going for you then yeah that explains a little bit of the the increase in three-point uh field goal percentages for a lot of their Shooters but I’d imagine that’s going to regress a little bit to the mean but their defense is still going to make create problems for anyone so yeah they’re going to be in games against the top tier they they’ve entered themselves in the top third of the league well no the top quarter of the league they’re definitely in the top quarter of the league so I would sus to see them make the semi-finals and potentially maybe the finals this season God damn we are blessed we are blessed in Minnesota with contenders baby speaking of teners how about we talk about some Champions holy [ __ ] pwhl Minnesota has been a minute since uh they won that championship and we didn’t get to talk about it much uh nine days later the league made the team get rid of their general manager who put together the championship roster holy [ __ ] how does this [ __ ] [ __ ] happen they lost their coach for personal reasons before the season starts days before the season starts they had two uh International breaks where they had to play uh on Team USA team Canada against each other they had to play against each other then come back and play with each other they go and play against each other then come back and play with each other again and they somehow find a way despite losing their last five games of the regular season to be chosen by the best team in the league chosen to be faced in the first round by the best team in the league and they whoop them and they whoop Boston they win the championship and the GM is out it’s just like the [ __ ] is going on we just put together a championship roster and now the GM is out so from what I’ve read yeah explain it a little bit oh well I I would love to know what exactly would make this happen um I have an question out to David Samson hoping he will shed some light on the subject because all it says is that there were uh she didn’t she didn’t agree with well kendle coin scoffield and Coach CLE um who was basically handpicked by scoffield the captain for pwl Minnesota uh they weren’t on the same page with the general manager that doesn’t explain why the league would step in to remove the general manager it has to be something the nature of the nature of like disrespect uh a special or I don’t know like it’s just I can’t even think about what would happen in a corporate setting like did they get in a fight did someone slap someone is this straight up professional wrestling [ __ ] is this a [ __ ] professional wrestling Feud cuz that [ __ ] awesome I want to hear about all these details now I want the juicy gossip I want to this is a great story and no one seems to be covering it well so maybe I had to get my ass up no because it’s so it’s so odd like I don’t that’s why you should get a whole hell a lot more attention than it did like it wasn’t on ESPN [ __ ] I don’t even I didn’t see it on the scroll the league asked them to fire their general manager didn’t ask mandated and I’m just like oh my my God so yeah well the pwl Champions are going into next season uh with a new general manager and uh yeah that general manager made the first trade in league history the trade that kind of decided the championship I mean Sophie Jakes ended up being kind of pivotal down the stretch for Minnesota who was uh lacking defense uh All Season up until that point and she really and she provided an offensive spark from the defensive side too uh one of the leading uh Shooters on net from uh as a Defender goes in the league uh and that’s what she’s known for uh they needed a lot a hell of a lot more of that because they’re a breakaway team that found out that they weren’t getting many breakaways um and the way that the games were being called were not in their favor let’s just say that uh there are a lot of instances where I think they probably could have gotten penalty shots uh in Breakaway situations that they didn’t um but yeah they let a lot of [ __ ] go and that’ll Slow Down Speed all the time that’s the type of that’s the type of hockey the Florida Panthers have played in order to shut down the edmont Oilers is that physicals you know keep the ball uh keep the puck on the boards and um check finish your checks goddamn it and that’s the that’s the kind of hockey that it takes in the pwl to win and I was surprised by that the open Ice did not serveice well there wasn’t a lot of it uh even in the on the power play we were the worst Power Play and penalty kill team in the league champions doesn’t sense Champs that doesn’t make sense I know I know that’s crazy the goddamn Florida Panthers though had a negative Point differential on the power play too I think they were negative one when they were on the power play they gave up more goals than they scored that’s insane yeah it’s a crazy game they’re running around on razor blades on ice with [ __ ] armor on and sticks in their hands and it’s just wild and crazy and the puck bounces and the ice is not perfect except for that first second of the [ __ ] period after the zambon driver gets off oh I love that sport so much I’m gonna miss it a lot no it’s uh I don’t that’s the pro that’s the problem with hockey um yeah go damn random well no and you just brought it up I mean the the Panthers series I mean that’s why that sport is so great though even if your team’s not in it talk about one of the best seven game series ever I mean to go from gloating to go from gloating until after they lose two and it’s just like no nervous you guys are done McGregor you’re done McGregor you mean McDavid yeah that just pulled a Cody you just pulled a great Cody yes uh MC Jesus [Music] yeah you know it and you know it oh God I just love that Edmonton will let him put up those Billboards hey can we give a shout out to Roy who [ __ ] worked blue and did a [ __ ] terrific some of his best work him slur words needs to be a [ __ ] regular segment for him like he he makes that show so much better when he’s drunk oh my God I could not stop we are made it oh my God terrific work Roy thank you sir oh God great r i still laugh just [ __ ] the camera right in his face thank you thank you there’s nobody there strangers walking around it’s a terrific bit it’s a terrific thing he’s got going on in his old age he’s gonna live forever because of all the joy he gets from from these young people oh he’s one of my favorite parts of that show though really is yeah love Tuesdays everybody does when I was down in Las Vegas for their live show he absolutely killed every I both days the guy just [ __ ] knocked it out I was shocked because a man is notorious for [ __ ] showing up to work and doing it poorly yes and getting like praised for it because it ends up being hilarious and he didn’t miss a beat he was on point ah God what a guy to Great Cody three oh God what does he oh my God not the um you know it and you know it yeah and you know it what’s the [ __ ] thing when he like his sexual innuendo one the [ __ ] uh be yeah we gotta this just should not be a right godamn leard [ __ ] Fanboy show happens uh what else do we got to talk about uh we talked about pwl Minnesota Champions we talked about uh I think you need you need to do some of your I mean you’re a journalist you need do some of your investigative work I I want to know more about what’s going on with pwl Minnesota from how are you Champions and then going who knows what’s going to happen next year I mean like who’s running the ship right now like they don’t need anyone apparently to run the ship I mean they’re already they’ve got the ship well I mean I it’s wild man it’s the wildest story in sports I’ve ever heard of like this is the first year of the league and all this [ __ ] went down shit’s wild Minnesota baby dude I I’m very excited about next year we got three Russians that could be playing together by the end of the season H that are just all terrific and hopefully we’ll hope we got a goenda back so that’s fantastic go tenders are kind of um important I mean you saw that just a little bit little bit important and if we don’t get a goal tender we’ll still get to see Mark Andre flurry’s last game which I’ll be at and I will make sure he gets some flowers um yeah it’s gonna be a fun season regardless I mean I’m just happy that we got to that got that I got to see that guy play on my favorite team that’s awesome for multiple years for Four Seasons that’s terrific man I I fell in love with the sport because I saw him play for Vegas like I thought he was the best thing in the sport at that time I still think he’s one of the best in the sport just to watch in terms of entertainment value like from a pro wrestling perspective if I’m gonna watch somebody perform on the ice he’d be the guy him McDavid yeah those are the two and yeah I mean you got to put kill thrill up there too I mean he’s he’s terrific to watch uh McKinnon probably for Colorado would be another one um but yeah I don’t really do a lot of appointment television watching four other teams in the NHL I joke that I follow four teams but yeah I’m wild through and through and now that the pwl started it’s it’s like God there’s just so much [ __ ] hockey especially in the state of Minnesota man [ __ ] then now you gotta watch [ __ ] high school games you gotta watch the state tournament I’m just like man [ __ ] I gotta watch War Road man they’re [ __ ] terrific there just so much great hockey here oh God you really like sports Tony you really do a bit of a problem uh thinking about getting back into sports uh writing um we’ll see though I I’d like to keep this house so it can be like our summer home you know so we can you know have Minnesota Twins dates and just walk down to the ballpark have a nice day day drinking Day game we’ll see maybe a yeah I don’t know I’ve just got a continued midlife crisis going on maybe I’ll just maybe I’ll move back to Minneapolis or say I don’t know just the only one feeling his age man [ __ ] I played tennis today after work and I [ __ ] hit I tried to be stupid and young and I tried to swing left-handed and [ __ ] ended up hitting my elbow with the racket just absolutely hurt so bad right now got a pretty good weal going on but I can’t complain too much I mean I get to golf pretty regularly um and uh my insurance rock is so like I just put my back out the other day digging a sun pump pit and uh yeah apparently I don’t have to [ __ ] pay anything out of pocket anymore so that’s [ __ ] fantastic uh so physical therapy going great heading to South Dakota for a a mixed martial arts fight twins must have scored oh Miranda I think he’s got his [ __ ] I think Miranda’s three for three two doubles [ __ ] I think three or four RBIs he’s just it was just Health with him he was not healthy well and he’s got protection that’s my thing is when the lineup starts playing better I mean you get protection in the lineup I mean Kare has been he won’t I don’t know if he’ll get it cra’s been playing like an All-Star I think he should be an All-Star I don’t know if he should be the starting shortstop because American League’s got a [ __ ] [ __ ] ton of great um shortstop depth but no I mean we’ve got you build up protection for hitters that’s allar Kepler no no Jeffers no no he started off good he kind of fizzled out I mean he’s he’s still Jeffers he’s still hit really well for a catcher though yeah um and it’s a [ __ ] the way they’ve changed the All-Star game I mean where fans have more God that’s kind of where you’re torn fans have almost more power than the writers now so it’s it’s like a popularity contest you look well the starters have always been popularity contest but what I mean the reserves have always been chosen by coaching staff right yeah coaching staff gets to uh pick the reserves I would like to see I think it would be as a twins fan I’m a little scared because every time he steps on the diamond I’m like please just don’t get hurt today Royce please no Royce Le can stay away from all exhibition games it I think it’d be good for the game and good for Minnesota to have him on the allstar team though I mean he’s he’s what I don’t want him doing anything that he’s not being paid for goddamn it like I don’t want him riding a scooter that goes more than 30 miles an hour I’m just I’m not comparing him to like I’m not comparing him to the kid Ken griffy Jr but it’s just like he’s just one of those players that brings joy to you when he watchs the game so he’s home run derby I will let him do the ding or no I dude the guy just hits home runs anyways so I don’t think he’s gonna screw up a swing any and I don’t he gonna hurt himself no he can’t get hurt it’s just like a couple swings it freaking 60 Max swings oh yeah back might break out yeah you’re right that that might be harder than actually playing the game it might be now that the new format they do take like 150 swings no I’m say you know how awesome that would be to see just a one point in the allstar game him at third base and freaking uh Jesus what Bobby junor next to it God God damn it’s an AL Central wet [Laughter] dream oh [ __ ] oh [ __ ] um I did want to interject even though the other boys aren’t here and I understand you don’t like to we gotta talk about the [ __ ] Timberwolves trade still we got to talk about the Timberwolves I just wanted I read one quote that I wanted to bring up um did you read the Cameron bam I’m told [ __ ] the Press I’m confident when I say I expect us to be a Super Bowl team this year oh boy I love it when players say empty [ __ ] like that I don’t know I expect us to be I’m just saying I just got paid today I might go down to the gambling machine tomorrow and be like Vikings to win it all that would probably be Uh I that would pay pretty well I’d imagine that would pay very well yeah until we find out who the actual quarterback is I imagine just going into the season with Sam darnold Pro actually if we found out that um uh the new guy would was what’s that guy’s name again McCarthy yeah JJ McCarthy we name the starter it would probably go up wouldn’t it because that would be an indicator that they know or feel that he’s better I don’t know I don’t know how you could say at this point you think he’s better than uh Dar I don’t know either I mean I yeah that’s what I’m saying though is like you would that you that’s what you your takeaway would be is if the coaching staff thinks he’s the starter then he must be better I don’t think either one I don’t think it matters which one of those two quarterbacks when you look at the NFC North and the [ __ ] powerhouses are going up against I mean the Packers I don’t know who’s better between the Packers and the Lions I think the Packers scare me more um the Packers are a more complete team I would say uh the Lions actually the Lions scare me more because they’re they do desperate crazy [ __ ] all the time and they have [ __ ] guys who can score touchdowns all over the field they got two running backs they got two wide receivers who can score on you at any given moment um they don’t have the secondary at least they didn’t last year um and their pass rush isn’t as scary uh offensive line yeah I would definitely give Green Bay the the nod there quarterback definitely Green Bay there like my uh I’m not not this is purely a hypothetical God damn it Willie I was just saying good things about you keeping you on the team and you hit a two-run home run baby oh God that’s that’s my problem with these guys too is like they all seem to get hot at the same time or they all seem to get cold at the same time no and that’s the thing it’s like save little offense for the next game like it’s neat to see you score 10 15 runs in a game but like then the next game it’s GNA be like [ __ ] edging out straight um three hits would be hard to get quick quick hypothetical because some people have played around with this Vikings fans and I get it everybody’s on the well not not everybody but most Vikings fans are on the JJ McCarthy train I mean I help on the bandwagon because he meditates yeah no I like it’s I mean we’ve talked about them before he’s got a good attitude he’s got work at ethic I mean he’s confident as hell all the intangibles he’s got and it’s I mean as a fan of the vi what else do you do are you you’re kind of forced to buy into it anyway yeah I mean after the years of cousins so um but my hypothetical and some people have talked about it what would you do if you’re the Vikings if Let’s Pretend darnold starts and he plays well he’s finally in a good system yeah great weapons pretty pretty decent offensive line I mean we got some we need some help there a little bit in the guard position but what do you do if you make a run and let’s pretend in a weird fantasy that Sam darnold is is the quarterback nobody ever thought I mean Minnesota’s had some pretty good quarterbacks takes to the promised land and wins a Super Bowl what do you do after you just wasted a top 10 pick on McCarthy what do you do um [ __ ] um I guess you run him out there one more I don’t know what you asking me for I don’t know like what do you do how much money are we going to have to give Sam darnold if he wins a single Super Bowl he won a Super Bowl you going to probably pay him 30 to 4 got to let him go because you can’t afford to keep him he it’s another Kurt cousin situations except for this guy actually in fact after they I wouldn’t mind if they blew up the [ __ ] team if they won a Super Bowl they don’t need to win nothing ever again like stadi get out here out of here Justin Jefferson thanks but see you later let our Jers just get rid of the team we got what we wanted yep 6 now thank you very much yeah no that was just my hypothetical you can you can move on to uh the actual breaking news in Minnesota which is the biggest news in Minnesota right now I would say I don’t know I mean okay so my Minnesota timber rolls despite not having a a well they did have a first round pick uh at 27 which they just used on a guard um but they traded up uh to well they traded for Rob Dillingham out of Duke I believe uh who they are calling the most dynamic scorer in the draft uh which from what I know is a very weak draft um but the fact that uh they gave up a first round future first round pick and a pick swap to San Antonio for this player uh and that San Antonio actually I’m more most excited about it because we didn’t draft him San Antonio did I mean I know we got Anthony Edwards but that seemed like a pretty easy like decision to make at that situation U but uh yeah if San Antonio sees something in him then I got no problem you know giving up picks that I mean we’ve already leveraged the future anyway so what the hell and it it see this is the thing is like despite not having first round picks or you know the ability to trade first round picks in the immediate future doesn’t seem to stop anybody from making [ __ ] crazy ass deals like the goddamn Nicks did with [ __ ] uh Bridges uh from the Nets today so I mean yeah it’s the cost of everything has gone up like Mel bridg is not an All-Star ever hold what four three first round picks something and it’s just like wow Rudy grar looks cheap now know and no that’s exactly what I was thinking I was thinking the same the deal does not look bad compared to other deals that are going on and it does provide them a little help in depth and then immediate I would say even in the future um some very fun card play between him and ant um well and that’s they needed another guy who can get his own shot and they you know Carl isn’t that guy um they tried to make uh nikil Alexander Walker that guy he’s not that guy um Mike Connelly isn’t that guy Mike Connelly is basically a Bonafide shooting guard with that has a good handle now um yeah they got a lot of Shooters they don’t have a lot of guys who can take guys off the dribble and they need more than one guy to do that and and this will help alleviate some of Conley’s minutes too I mean bring this he’s [ __ ] getting old he is bring his minutes down but I’m I still like I still like the guy and I still want on the team absolutely I want him on the floor yes uh he’s a great leader also in the clubhouse you can’t measure that but he he’s worth every penny that they they pay him just for that like the team got a measurably better just by adding him because he knew how to play with Rudy goar like that’s how they they figured out um that offense you know they basically figured out the lot because Mike Conley showed up like this is where you need to get the ball to Rudy you know not just where he is on the floor but where he likes to accept the ball right um so yeah that that’s only going to improve next year I’d imagine um and then having another guy off the dribble I wish we I should have invited Joel to talk about this but Joel doesn’t really follow college basketball much uh so I don’t know how much he would have to say about Dillingham all I gotta say is that I like the guy because he’s he’s got the most unathletic name I’ve ever heard uh I think he sounds like an accountant um well no and that’s that’s what I was hoping you could kind of explain to me I mean I could have put in the time to do the research and blah but like you already should know this stuff like what’s what’s the deal with luxury tax Kentucky he’s not out of Duke so yeah I was wrong about that what’s the what’s the deal with the luxury tags in in the NBA what are the tier levels what do they mean because that’s what I was wondering because this puts the stuff I listen to um about the Wolves yeah their cap situation is dire man and this puts us even in worse um yeah um basically you just you’re in a you’re in the top tier for tax so you’re just going to pay more for the this is this is exactly what golden state did to win all their championships they paid an immense amount of tax for being uh a top tier in um salary cap so the more you spend the more tax you pay that split a bunch amongst the leagues um and they’re going to have to pay that and I think Glen Taylor has no problem doing so because like I said he’s old as [ __ ] and he wants a championship before he dies um but he might not even own the team uh when the season starts next year there so much crazy [ __ ] going on with Minnesota franchises right now we don’t know who the owner of the [ __ ] Timber wols is we don’t know who the general manager of the championship women’s hockey team is um the ler apparently the best [ __ ] basketball team in the state despite the [ __ ] Timberwolves making the Western Conference Finals the first ever time in Fran history oh no making it to the Western Conference finals for the first time in quarter Century right 20 years um [ __ ] the only thing the only consistent thing in Minnesota right now is the Minnesota Twins are consistently mediocre slightly above mediocre slly a playoff team a mediocre playoff team D see this is my problem with that team you bring them up though because now I’m just going to defend him that’s all I do is defend him because I’m watching s SWR pitch and I’m like this has been such a bright shiny spot for the twins Pablo has let me down at times this year I get it he looked great in his last start Simons Woods richson has looked amazing this year something we didn’t expect I mean I didn’t expect him to outperform [ __ ] Paddock I didn’t you’re right yeah expect him to pitch on par with um Ryan it’s like he he’s pitching like now like he could be the number third starter in the playoff series which is insane wow look at that what happens when you call up the young kids to play okay so I’m already in love with this kid uh he’s a freshman uh in 32 games he averaged 23 and a third minutes uh shot at 47% shot the three at 44% uh that’s a really good [ __ ] three-point percentage for a [ __ ] freshman oh my God I wonder if that means they’re gonna trade C then oh I would I I think that’s that’s how you alleviate the cap space situation I mean the guy we’ve said it on the show Joel’s said it he’s told you you know you’re not going to if that’s your third best offensive player you’re not gonna win [ __ ] no your second best offensive player you’re not gonna win nothing no but it is the NBA you do need three-point threats and um yeah you do he’s the best shooter on the team like it’s sad to say but he’s the best shooter on the team Jen McDaniels is one of the best rebounding uh Wing players in the game like we’ve got those guys we’ve got plenty of rebounds the rebounds you can replace those um what you you can’t replace his shooting and except for when and that that was obvious when he couldn’t hit a shot in the goddamn uh finals against the Mavs and that was the difference in it in that series we’re just we’re just going back and forth there’s too many teams in Minnesota to keep up with man there’s too many teams Instagram breaking news Instagram breaking news boy you know who JJ McCarthy’s throwing passes to oh God [ __ ] Adam Thelen he’s posting on his Instagram catching passes from JJ McCarthy is he coming back come back home is he gonna come back home baby that we’ve been missing the Hall of Fame hands of Adam th we need a number three we need number three he is terrific you know inside the 20 you know the closer that the goal line gets he he just gets better um yeah I I do miss him he’s and he’s a he’s a guy that you can be confident throwing the ball too right it’s not going to bounce off his hands my thing is and if it is it’s probably going to bounce out of bounds we got that Vikings got I think 25 or 26 million in cap right now just waiting to be spent I mean you could get him you could get him if you want him from the Panthers I mean Panthers aren’t gonna do [ __ ] yeah but they paid God that’s a lot that’s a lot of salary to pick up they’d have to pay some of that salary and they well no and they got to give Min they got to give their white fan basee something since they pushed Kirk off you know that little Christian Target fan base that they lost losing him bring back the bring back the Homegrown boy you know oh God that would be amazing US Bank Stadium would go [ __ ] wild if they brought him back it sure would yeah all those white people lose their [ __ ] minds Jesus Christ man this guy averaged 10.5 three-point attempts per H possessions that’s a lot is that good you shot 160 wait 144 threes shot 44% um that’s that’s quite a bit that’s quite a bit the 40% of 140 would be over 30 so that’s at least 90 points is probably 11 15 points oh man effective field goal percentage was in the 60% range I believe that’s really really good um yeah I mean that’s the thing is like who’s he playing against we don’t know if if the entire class is garbage but you know what there’s always one there’s always one in the class that just blows everybody’s mind um so why can’t he be the one holy [ __ ] yeah his numbers are real good like San Antonio obviously you know saw something for a reason guy’s [ __ ] terrific oh whoops that’s why I clicked on the wrong [ __ ] person I’m like I was looking at Anthony Edwards numbers and I’m like holy [ __ ] this guy’s good nine assists per 100 possessions too damn so pretty good distributor of the ball 33 steals in 32 games averaging a steal a game 124 assists over 32 games [Music] damn at Le that made the Tim ruls and now I wonder if they play him on the I imagine this guy is not GNA start with the team um I wonder if he ends up in the G League I don’t I see now I really want to go to uh NBA league Vegas I mean would they do that with a top 10 pick in the NBA though to the gague in the G League yeah yeah if it’s like you say in the at the MLB level if you want him to play regular then you put him in the g-league um if you think he’s you know you think he needs to develop more then yeah you play him against grown man grown ass man and that’s the thing the Iowa wild team is or the uh Iowa wild Iowa wolves are damn good too so and they run the same exact system as the the Timberwolves do so it’s you know you’re learning the NBA system so when you get thrown into the fire you’re you know oh God you’ve got to watch this highight highlight re highight reel it’s [ __ ] watching him off the dribble and flying or yeah him him and are gonna be fun oh I do love that sort of basketball my friend yeah attack the rack baby attack the rack and turn him over God he’s gonna look sexy in that Timberwolf Jersy it’s he’s my new favorite Timberwolf gotta say Rob Dillingham just a just a boring ass name but just wait till he jumps out of the gym man not cool of a jersey that’ be though Dillingham Dillingham it really makes me hungry for Dilly Bars frankly like all I want to do is [ __ ] eat some ice cream every time I hear his name I’ll wear my old Willingham Jersey from the twins next week you go there you go you could you could put tape over the W and put a d there oh God no he’s uh God he can shoot from the outside and he can [ __ ] he got a good crossover outside shoots 44% from there nice work oh [ __ ] well should we call it huh Tony yeah I think so I gotta be up in uh about six hours so that would be a good call I’d like to thank anybody who joined us I’m Anthony your host this has been fou play byplay that’s Michael J Esquire I’m Esquire of theas join us next time as we talk as I break the news on what exactly got Natalie darwitz out of pwhl Minnesota I am gonna follow up on that I’m Gonna Get Us answers damn it answers all right Mike you don’t want to cheer for the twins cheer for the Saints I actually I need to go see them play on a Thursday when [ __ ] ml MLB team down there right now I know yeah very exciting I I got to get out there all right well hey I hope you have a happy birthday tomorrow my buddy yeah I hope you have fun uh working all right I’ll try all right love you bye
