00:00By the way, in this segment, we're going to talk a lot about the WBC,
00:03and we talked about it ad nauseum for months,
00:05but it's finally here, and they're actually playing in pool play.
00:07But before we get there, other news and notes here and topics
00:10from Major League Baseball, which includes Chris Sale.
00:13He's talking about his teammate.
00:15Well, I guess you can call him a teammate who's not going to be this year,
00:17Jerickson Profar.
00:19What was your reaction to the news about the suspension?
00:22It was tough.
00:23You know, I think, you know, obviously, this time of year,
00:28we're all getting kind of prepared for the season,
00:30and, you know, there's a lot of stuff we've got to do to get prepared.
00:34And, you know, not good news, not what you want to hear.
00:39Last year, you guys kind of had to bite your tongue,
00:43and, you know, you know when he's coming back.
00:45At this point in time, are the emotions a little bit different, you know,
00:50with this being twice?
00:53I think the main thing right now for this clubhouse
00:56is just really to focus on what we can control
01:00and focus on the important things, no matter what happens,
01:03no matter, you know, whether it's a situation like this
01:07or, you know, an injury or...
01:10What do you want him to say at this point now?
01:12I hate that guy.
01:13Throw him out of here.
01:13Not going to happen.
01:14But, Joe, you know what I took out of that interview there?
01:16Braves have a beautiful uniform
01:17and a bright yellow patch on their right sleeve
01:20because they just want to have some more money in their pocket.
01:23Tough scene down there, huh?
01:24I mean, like, we're making this guy out like he's Otani.
01:29Like, who cares?
01:30He wasn't anything prior outside.
01:33I mean, unless he, you know, needled himself up here.
01:36And he's...
01:36They'll be just fine without him.
01:39They're not going to be any better or any worse
01:41by not having him there.
01:43So, I'm with...
01:44Just, yeah, big deal.
01:47We'll just...
01:47We control what we can control.
01:49And, you know, the bigger issue for them
01:51has nothing to do with Profar.
01:53It has to do with, can you get some guys healthy?
01:56You know, from what I hear,
01:58Strider's only throwing 90 miles an hour,
02:00and that's not a good thing, Donnie.
02:02Ooh, that's not a good thing at that point.
02:04That's one of the better power pitchers in baseball
02:06before the injuries here.
02:07See if he can return back to form.
02:09But the one thing I will say, Joe,
02:10on the national stage, let's say global stage,
02:13Team USA men's basketball at the Olympics
02:15when the superstars go,
02:16it's fantastic theater.
02:17We just watched the Olympic hockey finals
02:20finish up there with Canada and the United States.
02:22It was sensational here.
02:23I wonder if we get the same vibes
02:25because previously in the WBC,
02:27the Americans were like,
02:28yeah, we'll send some good players.
02:29We'll see what happens here.
02:30But that's not the case anymore.
02:31Front office sports points out here, Joe.
02:3378 Major League Baseball All-Stars
02:35are taking part in the WBC.
02:37It feels like we're going to rise this up a level,
02:39and I'm here for it.
02:41Yeah, I am too.
02:42I mean, listen, we saw a game the other night,
02:45I think, that had total excitement, you know,
02:49before the group play action and what's going on here.
02:52I think the level's ratcheted up
02:53because of the investment by the superstars
02:56in Major League Baseball here.
02:58And ride that momentum into the season, man.
03:02Take every opportunity you have
03:03to take center stage over the NBA,
03:06the NHL college basketball, Donnie,
03:08this time of year.
03:09There should be no reason we don't go into opening day
03:13and a lot of teams and a lot of fans
03:15really pumped up about what just happened
03:17with the WBC there.
03:19I'll tell you who's not pumped up about the WBC.
03:21It's Tarek Skubal.
03:22Well, give me one, give me three or four innings.
03:24Give me the hell out of here
03:25so I don't have to be around these boys anymore
03:27at this point here.
03:27See if his attitude changes just a little bit.
03:29But by the way, Team USA is doing some work out here,
03:32albeit against bad franchises
03:34that maybe don't have their starters playing.
03:3614 to four, another tune-up here
03:38as Team USA knocks off the Colorado Rockies, Joe.
03:40How about that?
03:41Yeah, rather easily at that fact.
03:45So yeah, and listen, you keep scoring runs like that.
03:48You keep hitting and that lineup is stacked, Donnie.
03:51We know it.
03:51It doesn't matter.
03:53Skubal, it doesn't matter who's pitching.
03:55You can throw Yarbrough out there for nine times.
03:58It doesn't matter.
03:59You're not going to catch them
04:01because of the bats that they have there.
04:03But hey, listen, it's, I think,
04:05I'm glad to see they're at least taking it serious enough.
04:08At least the majority of them.
04:10And they look like they're actually having fun out there too, Donnie,
04:12which is also great.
04:14And by the way, Colorado Rockies fans,
04:15you see that score of 14 to four?
04:17Get used to that this year as well here.
04:19We'll see if you can even get to close to 60 wins this year
04:22with a terrible roster there.
04:24Double-digit loss yesterday to Team USA.
04:26We'll keep it moving here, Joe.
04:27We do a pool game starting
04:29and playing live as we are right now.
04:31A, B, C, and D here.
04:33If we take a look at some of the odds
04:34for those teams to win in Pue,
04:36it's Puerto Rico, Joe.
04:37Minus 110 as a favorite here,
04:39followed by Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama.
04:41And by the way, Team Canada
04:43knocked off the Phillies' B-list team yesterday here,
04:46tuning up here.
04:46Could they be a chance to,
04:48or excuse me, should I say,
04:49because Canada have a chance to knock off Puerto Rico.
04:51Slay favorite, though, for PR.
04:54Yeah, why not?
04:55They should be, right, Donnie?
04:56When you think about it here,
04:57there's no reason for them not to be
05:00at least the small favorite here,
05:03but you still got to get the job done.
05:04I know some guys, though,
05:06talked to some of the guys in the risk room,
05:08and, you know, Canada out of this group
05:10has been sneakily being bet a lot,
05:14they were saying.
05:15So could that be a bit of a slight upset
05:18coming out of group play?
05:20You know, it's funny.
05:21You take a look at some of these opportunities
05:22to invest, let's just say, in pool B.
05:24USA's minus 650.
05:25That's too high.
05:26I'm not going to take that.
05:27Mexico plus 600, Italy 18 to 1.
05:30You get the point here.
05:31But this is the reason why, like,
05:32hey, I'm going to invest in Bitcoin
05:33and buy 1 20th of a Bitcoin,
05:35and it goes up $75 that day.
05:37You really didn't make any money.
05:39But rich people will say, like,
05:40well, I'll buy 17 Bitcoin today,
05:42and it goes up $75.
05:44I made myself some money.
05:45Joe, I can't see Team USA losing in pool play.
05:48I think they're going to advance.
05:50And the question is, can they win the thing?
05:51That's a whole nother thing.
05:52Minus 650 price seems like a bargain.
05:55But for us, you know, common folk,
05:57$650 to win $100 doesn't seem like a ton.
05:59But it might be free money, and it's coming to you fast.
06:03Yeah, but at a group play, Donnie, let's face it.
06:06I mean, they are the overall favorite for a reason, right?
06:10They're not going to get bounced out in group play.
06:13It would be, they would, that would be absolutely horrific for me.
06:17That would just not be good.
06:20So, yes, I mean, they're going to play, what,
06:22four games in pool play here, Donnie?
06:24And, yeah, I mean, what, Mexico, Italy?
06:28Although I'll tell you this, Mexico and Italy have a pretty good amount
06:32of Major League Baseball and former MLB players.
06:35So it'll be competitive.
06:37It's not going to be like what you just saw against a real Major League
06:41baseball team in the Colorado Rockies.
06:43They might be a little bit more competitive, Donnie,
06:45but I don't see them losing and going down.
06:48Might have some changes in odds.
06:50Why?
06:51Because we have pool play already underway here in Pool C, Joe, Japan,
06:54minus 450, Korea, plus 800.
06:56Chinese Taipei, plus 950 with, right now, the Republic of Korea,
07:00up 11 to 3 in the seventh inning here in the World Baseball Classic.
07:05So live action here, Japan is the favorite.
07:08Yeah, Japan is the favorite.
07:10And, you know, Chessie, it's hysterical, Donnie.
07:13The guys on this team are, like, all semi-pro, like, beer league guys
07:18that have day jobs.
07:20Like, so it's actually pretty funny.
07:23But you know what?
07:24Sometimes those guys, if you're not careful, yeah,
07:27they could sneak up on you here.
07:29So I think some of these pool plays are going to be very interesting
07:33to see how it works out because some of them have great stories.
07:36They really do.
07:37No, specifically, Joe, in Pool D here, you've got the Dominican Republic
07:41at minus 210 price with Venezuela right behind them at a plus 170.
07:44And if you've seen any of the crowds for any one of these tune-up games here,
07:47those atmospheres will be absolutely electric once we get underway in Pool D play here.
07:53Then the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Israel round out at 50-1.
07:58Yeah, this looks like, let's face it, this looks like a pretty chalky pool as well there, Donnie, right?
08:05I mean, they should be able to run away with it, the Dominican, based upon the guys that they have,
08:12not only in that lineup.
08:13But don't forget, they've got a pretty good pitching staff going on there, too,
08:17with Alcantara and Bayo and Duvall.
08:20They've got some guys that can throw, too.
08:23So a lot of people like them to win it all, Donnie,
08:26and I can't argue with it with that firepower they've got coming.
08:30We do have some odds movement here, at least from FanDuel.
08:33Team USA is minus 110 to win the WBC, but it used to be Japan following the U.S.,
08:38but now catching a lot more of that excitement here.
08:41We've heard their name being thrown around a lot.
08:42The Dominican Republic now, Joe, sitting at a plus 360 price,
08:45followed by Japan now a plus 380 price.
08:48So we do have some odds changing here, even before some of these teams
08:51actually get onto the playing field themselves.
08:54Yeah, well, I mean, looking at some of these lineups and these pitching staffs, Donnie,
08:57it's kind of hard not to go, you know what, maybe a little less chalk.
09:02I think you're going to see some odds movement,
09:05certainly in the predictive markets.
09:06I think you're going to see a lot after today.
09:10Team USA gets underway, Joe.
09:11On Saturday, Tarek Skubal is going to take the mound against Great Britain.
09:14Should be an easy victory.
09:15In a way, Team USA goes into WBC.
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