MLB Trade Deadline, Sliders, Slutters, and Toaster Ovens | with Hunter Pence

Summary

Casuals with Katie Nolan: MLB Trade Deadline, Sliders, Slutters, and Toaster Ovens | Featuring Hunter Pence

Release Date: July 31, 2025

Overview

In this engaging episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan, host Katie Nolan and co-host Chris Brady delve into the bustling MLB trade deadline, analyze team strategies, and explore the evolving dynamics of baseball. Joined by former San Francisco Giants star and current NBC Sports analyst Hunter Pence, the trio offers insightful commentary, personal anecdotes, and lively banter that caters to both sports enthusiasts and the casually curious.

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1. Celebrity News and Personal Updates (00:00 – 05:00)

The episode kicks off with Katie Nolan sharing updates on celebrity relationships, including rumors about Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson confirming their romantic involvement (04:53). The hosts humorously discuss other high-profile pairings, such as Ana De Armas and Tom Cruise (05:22), highlighting the often tumultuous nature of celebrity romances.

Notable Quote:

Katie Nolan [04:53]: "I hope that they're in love. I hope so, too."

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2. Introducing Hunter Pence (12:30 – 18:16)

Katie Nolan introduces Hunter Pence, celebrating his illustrious career, including two World Series titles and induction into the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame. She recounts her experience watching Pence’s electrifying performances at the Giants’ games and acknowledges his current role as an analyst.

Notable Quote:

Katie Nolan [13:30]: "Hunter Pence is here. Very excited to have him."

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3. MLB Trade Deadline Insights (18:17 – 33:05)

The discussion shifts to the MLB trade deadline, with Chris Brady expressing excitement about potential moves and their implications for various teams. The hosts analyze recent trades, such as Rafael Devers moving to the Giants, and discuss the Red Sox’s strategy under their current front office. They highlight the importance of acquiring starting pitchers like Merrill Kelly to bolster team performance.

Notable Quote:

Chris Brady [21:04]: "Merrill Kelly has done extraordinary in the playoffs... he's like Inspector Gadget and he just dissects you."

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4. Team Performance and Future Prospects (33:06 – 43:25)

Katie and Chris delve into the performance of teams like the Red Sox and Mariners, debating their chances of winning the World Series. They discuss key players, recent trades, and the overall trajectory of these teams, providing fans with a comprehensive analysis of the current baseball landscape.

Notable Quote:

Katie Nolan [19:35]: "How excited are you for the Red Sox this season?"

---

5. The Impact of Gambling in Baseball (43:26 – 56:14)

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the growing influence of gambling in baseball. The hosts express concerns about how betting affects the integrity of the game and the relationship between players and fans. They discuss incidents like Bryce Harper's confrontation with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the potential implications of a salary cap on the sport.

Notable Quote:

Chris Brady [72:03]: "It's a dangerous thing to have, you know."

---

6. Player Injuries and Management Decisions (56:15 – 74:57)

The conversation turns to player health, focusing on Ronald Acuna Jr.'s recent injury and the criticism Manager Brian Snickers faces for his handling of Acuna’s participation in games. The hosts debate the delicate balance managers must strike between pushing players to perform and safeguarding their long-term health.

Notable Quote:

Katie Nolan [57:26]: "Do you understand where Acuna is coming from?"

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7. Personal Anecdotes and Behind-the-Scenes Stories (74:58 – 85:00)

Hunter Pence shares heartfelt memories from his playing days, including unforgettable moments from the 2012 World Series and interactions with teammates. Katie Nolan and Chris Brady add their own stories, providing listeners with a glimpse into the personal lives and camaraderie of professional athletes.

Notable Quote:

Chris Brady [67:04]: "When he did it, he did it like he was literally like an eight-year-old boy."

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8. Closing Thoughts and Future Episodes (85:01 – End)

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reflect on the enduring magic of baseball and its ability to create unforgettable moments. They encourage listeners to support their favorite teams and tease upcoming episodes featuring more in-depth analyses and special guests.

Notable Quote:

Katie Nolan [68:55]: "Baseball is a relationship game. You share the memories, you share the moment."

---

Conclusion

This episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan masterfully blends expert analysis with personal storytelling, making it a must-listen for baseball fans and casual sports enthusiasts alike. Hunter Pence's presence adds depth to the discussion, offering unique perspectives drawn from his professional experience. Whether debating trade strategies, addressing the impact of gambling, or reminiscing about historic games, Katie, Chris, and Hunter provide a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of the current state of Major League Baseball.

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Notable Moments and Highlights

• Hunter Pence Teaching Isabella to Throw (29:02 – 30:25): Hunter Pence engages in a humorous segment where he instructs producer Isabella on pitching techniques, blending technical advice with playful antics.

  Quote:

  Hunter Pence [29:35]: "You can't miss if you go for the Cyclone pitch because no one expects it to go to the right spot."

• Discussion on Player Trades and Emotions (44:22 – 47:38): Chris Brady shares his emotional experience of being traded, highlighting the unexpected nature and personal impact of such moves in a player's career.

  Quote:

  Chris Brady [44:42]: "It was an emotional shockwave because I'd been with the Astros at the time for eight years."

• Gambling’s Influence on Player-Fan Relationships (70:08 – 73:40): An in-depth conversation on how gambling alters the dynamic between players and fans, emphasizing the need for a healthier approach to betting in sports.

  Quote:

  Katie Nolan [73:34]: "It's definitely scary, and a lot of things could happen, but hopefully somebody smarter than us figures it out."

---

Final Thoughts

Casuals with Katie Nolan excels in creating a relaxed yet informative atmosphere, making complex baseball topics accessible and enjoyable. This episode stands out for its comprehensive coverage of the trade deadline, the nuanced discussion on gambling, and the heartfelt stories shared by Hunter Pence. Whether you're deeply invested in baseball or just tuning in for the first time, this episode offers valuable insights and plenty of entertainment.

Stay Connected: For more insights and updates, listeners can reach out via email at [e-mail] or follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok @CasualsThePodcast.

Transcript

[Katie Nolan]

You know, casuals is for all kinds of sports fans. We talk about soccer, we talk about football. Parentheses American. We talk about rugby. Sometimes the podcast has a little something for everyone from sports obsessed to the sports curious. You know what else brings everyone to the table? I know you do. It's a handcrafted summer beverage from Starbucks. Have you tried the Strato Frappuccino blended beverage yet? It's an instant all star. You thought nothing could top the classic Starbucks Frappuccino. Who doesn't love a frozen coffee? But the breakout rookie this summer season is the Starbucks Strato Frappuccino blended beverage. It's a smooth Frappuccino topped with creamy cold foam and it's sure to become a home run with your entire friend group. And how fun is that? Just sitting in real life with your friends under one of those green Starbucks umbrellas, all with your Strato Frappuccino blended beverages, talking about I don't know what you think's gonna happen in the upcoming NFL season. IRL hangs brought to you by Starbucks. Your Strato Frappuccino in is ready at Starbucks. Summertime is here and nobody wants to spend all day cooking in a hot kitchen. I know I don't. And that's where Gorton Seafood comes in. For over 175 years, Gorton Seafood has been serving up restaurant quality seafood that's unbelievably easy to make and ready to eat in just a few minutes. Whether it's their classic fish sticks and crunchy breaded fish filets for a quick weeknight dinner, or their awesome coconut shrimp and double Crunch shrimp for when you want to impress without the stress, they've got you covered. Enjoy quality seafood in minutes and at a fraction of the cost. It's perfect for summer grilling, seaside snacks, or even quiet nights in. I mean, Gorton's has been around for 175 years and they've gotten it right. You can throw that fish fillet on top of a light summer salad. You could put together quick and easy fish tacos. You just can't go wrong. Visit gortons.com to learn more, find a store and get recipe inspiration. Trusted Gordon's Fishermen Hey Isabella, did you see what got thrown on the court at the Valkyrie's dream game? The sex toy. Oh, you did? Yes, I did. Not just any sex toy, a lime green sex toy. And did we find out who threw it? A police officer could be seen removing it from the court with a towel. Smart. Never know where it's been and because that's one of those things, you don't want to reach down, grab that, and then you go, well, that's wet. What's happening here? What's that wet with taking it away before the game continued. Ultimately, the Valkyries beat the dream. Some are saying it's because of this. Not everybody, though. The WNBA and sports announcers did not say whether the culprit who threw the object onto the court was caught or what kind of consequences they might face. So I guess we, they may know, but we don't know. I have a question for security at this location. Don't they have like an like a little X ray? They didn't spot this dildo in a someone's bag. Well, interestingly enough, there is a dildo shaped spot. You could hide it well. Like the water bottle. I'm wondering. Oh, oh, yeah. You know, it's actually. Of all the things you could sneak in in that little pouch, it's the. Probably the least weird. That's a tough walk from the entrance to your seat. That's true. That's true. Hi, welcome to Casuals. It's a sports podcast, but like so barely. But I guess today it is really sportsy. Every time I use that in the cold, and this isn't the cold open. This is the intro. Anytime I use that in the intro, it's like on a very sportsy podcast. But it's a sports podcast that's chill. And if you don't listen to sports podcasts, you're welcome here. We love you and we mean it and thank you for being here. I'm Katie Nolan, your host, lover of sports, joined however briefly by my casualties. Chris Brady and Isabella are all here today if you want to reach out to us. Casuals with Katie. Nolanmail.com is our email. 646-801-0043 is our voicemail. And on IG and tick tock, we are at Casuals, the podcast. Normally we start off the pod with a yap where I just go blah, blah, blah, blah, blah about something that's bothering me. But I think I've already said this. Between the radio show this week, two podcasts this week, we also did some other stuff. I am. I got. There's not really anything crazy to yap about. I am excited to update a story that I know you guys heard that I really cared about, which is that Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, who have been like jokingly kind of seeming like maybe they're dating. Um, one of you told me yesterday they confirmed they are Actually romantically involved with each other. Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

It's one of those, like, obvious, like, publicist leaks or, like, we are told.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, so maybe I still shouldn't believe it. You're saying I should still be skeptical of it in terms of it being they both just deserve love and they seem so in love, and I just am like, yes. Also, I don't feel like Pamela Anderson right now is necessarily, like, in, like, in need of a PR relationship. Right. You know what I mean? What's she faking it for? Her whole thing was like, I faked it too much. I don't want to fake it anymore.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So I hope that they're in love. I hope so, too. We have other couple updates, though. Anna De Armas and Tom Cruise spotted together holding hands. That's been rumored for a while that those two are dating. And then now they're out in public holding hands.

[Chris Brady]

I worry for her. Well, she's a big girl, just, I guess. But this seems, like, very coded in the same way that the Katie Holmes thing went down with Tom Cruise, that, like, she, like, was cast as Tom Cruise's girlfriend. It feels like I don't love this. I worry for her. I feel like she's done way too many movies with Keanu Reeves. She should have gotten good advice from Keanu by now.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

She's like, that guy has nothing but good advice to give.

[Katie Nolan]

There's a lot of movies with Keanu.

[Chris Brady]

Reeves, Luciano, the John Wicks.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, she's the ballerina or whatever of the. Of the John Wick world. But he wasn't in John Wick wasn't even in the movie, was he? I never watched John Wick.

[Chris Brady]

I should probably watch all the John Wicks before I assume who's getting good advice?

[Katie Nolan]

I can't believe you haven't seen all of the John Wicks. That's crazy. That's actually more upsetting to me than these two dating. Really? Yeah. That feels like right up Brady's alley. That's a must. Must watch for a boy. Boys love John Wick. Boys love John Wick. I watched the first John Wick and I was, dude, you cannot kill a dog without telling me. And then the rest of the movie, I was like, this is justified violence because you killed a dog. Which is exactly why they did it. But I just remember walking into it and going, how did nobody tell me ahead of time? I was going to sob.

[Chris Brady]

So that's how you create a villain.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. And they did a great job. They absolutely did my stance on this. These two dating Is like, I thought she was past this. She's like. I thought, like, respected actress. She doesn't need to be doing this. Need to be signing a contract, entering into Scientology relationships. It's like how I feel about Sydney Sweeney doing so many commercials where I'm like, I don't even need to talk about specifically the commercials and the undertones and how it. It is crazy that you're from the part of Idaho where you'd be like, those undertones are prevalent, but I don't even care about any of that. I'm saying too many commercials. You're too available. I thought you were a movie star. I thought we were like, this is a big star. Stop saying yes to putting your bathwater and bar soap and, like, those. Those hey dude shoes. Nobody likes those.

[Chris Brady]

You almost called hey dude shoes ugly.

[Katie Nolan]

They are hey dude shoes. Hey Dudes are ugly. Am I not allowed to. You love it. Are you wearing hey Dudes right now?

[Chris Brady]

Got to look down to check. No.

[Katie Nolan]

Do you usually wear hey Dudes?

[Chris Brady]

Oh, I own, like, four pairs.

[Katie Nolan]

Four pairs of hey Dudes.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, absolutely.

[Katie Nolan]

They're not Sperry. They're not Sperry's. How many pairs of Sperries do you own?

[Chris Brady]

One.

[Katie Nolan]

That's crazy.

[Chris Brady]

My ratio is way off.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes. And how many bars of Sydney Sweeney bath soap do you own? Three.

[Chris Brady]

None.

[Katie Nolan]

Three.

[Chris Brady]

None.

[Katie Nolan]

It's just Anada Armis Arnador Amos. You don't need to do this. This is below you. You. You're famous enough. This is like a rite of passage that you are past. Okay. And then last relationship we do have to deal with. What are. What are our thoughts on Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry?

[Chris Brady]

Isn't Trudeau past this also?

[Katie Nolan]

I don't know what's going on. I don't know how these two or why they. What's this? Don't like. I don't know.

[Chris Brady]

Trudeau de Armas actually makes way more sense to me.

[Katie Nolan]

Huh. Interesting. And it is Trudeau. We. We've confirmed that. Because I heard people say it may have been.

[Chris Brady]

There's an R in there.

[Katie Nolan]

Here's Trudeau. Here's the crazy thing. Everything now I'm like, this is probably AI. It is so. Oh, my God. I saw a video of Bunnies. The bunnies on the trampoline. And I saw that, too. Did you see the guy who writes a song every single day on TikTok, and he wrote a song about how the bunnies being on the trampoline being AI Sent him into a spiral? It was pretty funny. I mean, I've been seeing AI. I keep getting people sending to me Angel Reese quotes that. I'm like, hey, that's not real. I don't know how you could possibly think she said that. That's obviously not real. And they go, but I saw three accounts post it. And you're like, yes, that used to be the standard. You used to see three accounts post it. And you'd go, there's no way fake news made it this far. But you're completely discounting the way the Internet is now and the way nobody gives a shit. I have taken so many screen grabs from over the last few weeks of things that show up in my Instagram, like timeline. So it's based on what I click on. They know that I like sports and that I'm interested in sports content. I've taken pictures of stuff that I'm like, there's no chance that's true. How is this being published to the world as if it is? It's everywhere. And maybe that's Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry. I didn't know Justin Trudeau was single. How long has that been the case? I don't know that either, but maybe sparks are flying. Maybe they're going all the way to space. Maybe they're. There's fireworks. That is one of her songs. I don't know. I guess I wish everybody. Five, four. He's. Brady's. Something may have happened. It's also the trade deadline. MLB trade deadline's happening, like, as we speak. So Brady has been empowered to break in at any moment and tell us a big move. That's. I have a baseball in my hand, guys. We bought Isabella baseball. Sixteen dollars at the. At the flagship MLB short. Sixteen.

[Chris Brady]

Okay? So I put the hand up because I had a headline that says, katy Perry's next space flight mission confirmed.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Chris Brady]

Damn it. Now I can't find it. Now it doesn't go to anything. I thought we had breaking news that Katy Perry was going back to space.

[Katie Nolan]

I would. There are very few moves she can make next that would make me go, all right, I'm in. Let's see. And one of them is go to space. Legitimately. If she were to come back from all of this and go, I got bit by the space bug, and I can't give it up. So I am actually training to become an astronaut to get back up there, I'd be like, okay, I love that, actually. Yeah. Like, maybe she realized, like, this is something that she's interested in and she wants to dedicate her time. And I Love that. Can a girl have hobbies? If, though, she just went up there for 30 seconds, is calling herself an astronaut, and continues down her road of just destructive, pretending to be feminist, anti feminist things to do, then I will continue my dislike for her.

[Chris Brady]

Can you imagine if on the first date with Trudeau, just if all she talks about is space just sitting there and all she just wants to rattle on is like, well, when I went into space, let me just tell you.

[Katie Nolan]

You'Ve never been for a long time. That feels.

[Chris Brady]

And then they both went to Bezos's wedding. It was weird.

[Katie Nolan]

No, I don't think Katy Perry.

[Chris Brady]

Perry. She didn't go. She didn't. She was in Australia.

[Katie Nolan]

She had a show that is us correcting the record because we mentioned it.

[Chris Brady]

On the show with her daughter.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, the show. I thought you meant the wedding. I was like, your cousin went to the Bezos wedding and we haven't talked about it yet. Forget Hunter, think about it.

[Chris Brady]

The Bezos wedding not being in space. Kind of a miss.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, that and having gray carpet laid down in the woods. Two big misses, I think, of the Bezos wedding. But like I said, we're sports podcasts, so none of this is either here or there. We are here today to talk about baseball, and we're gonna do that with Hunter Pence. Hunter Pence is. He's won two World Series. He's been inducted into the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame. I actually got to go to that game and watch him run. Ride around the infield to. Uproarious. Is that a word? Uproarious? Applause he's beloved. He is a beloved former San Francisco Giant who currently works as an analyst on some Giants games. He works with NBC. What is it over there? NBC Sports Bay Area.

[Chris Brady]

Yes.

[Katie Nolan]

Also was the. Was my color analyst when I did a season of baseball, which, unless we edit it out, I believe does come up in this interview. Just a. A perfect ambassador for the sport. Has always played with so much joy and passion. Everybody loves Hunter Pence. His wife, Alexis Pence was also here, sitting, like, right in front of me. I just love Alexis. So I think half the time I was talking to her. But if you're on social media, you may have seen them. They're one of those. They're very good with, like, making social media content. That's, I believe, all Alexis. But we give Hunter credit because he could hit a ball. Well, um, but. So Hunter Pence is here. Very excited to have him. We talk about the trade deadline, which, like I said, is unfolding as we're sitting here, um, he talked about his outlook for certain teams, what he thinks about the Red Sox. He seems very interested in talking about the Red Sox, which, you know, I love and will allow. Um, we get into gambling a little bit. We get into the potential lockout. Lockout, lots of baseball stuff with the absolutely wonderful Hunter Pence. And we will get into that right after a quick break. Foreign delivers a new perspective on performance apparel with pieces designed to look great beyond the gym. Whether you're running errands, heading to the office, or meeting up with friends, Vuori is perfect for whatever your day brings. Take the Vuori Performance Jogger. They're great for fitness, but they're also stylish enough for everyday wear and comfortable enough for lounging around. As part of the dream knit connection, they are made of Vuori's softest premium stretch fabric. They're lightweight moisture wicking and feature a four way performance stretch. Mine, I got them in like a teal green color. What I really love about them is that they're thin. So in this time of the year, sometimes when you put on like a bulky sweatpant, it's too much. These are perfect. 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It's an instant all you thought nothing could top the classic Starbucks Frappuccino. What? Who doesn't love a frozen coffee? But the breakout rookie this summer season is the new Starbucks Strato Frappuccino blended beverage. It's a smooth Frappuccino topped with creamy cold foam and it's sure to become a home run with your entire friend group. And how fun is that? Just sitting in real life with your friends under one of those green Starbucks umbrellas, all with your Strato Frappuccino blended beverages, talking about, I don't know what you think's gonna happen in the upcoming NFL season. IRL hangs brought to you by Starbucks. Starbucks. Your Strato Frappuccino is ready at Starbucks. Summertime is here and nobody wants to spend all day cooking in a hot kitchen. I know I don't. And that's where Gorton Seafood comes in. For over 175 years, Gorton Seafood has been serving up restaurant quality seafood that's unbelievably easy to make and ready to eat in just a few minutes. Whether it's their classic fish sticks and crunchy breaded fish fillets for a quick weeknight dinner, or their awesome coconut shrimp and double crunch shrimp for when you want to impress without the stress, they've got you covered. Enjoy quality seafood in minutes and at a fraction of the cost. It's perfect for summer grilling, seaside snacks, or even quiet nights in. I mean, Gorton's has been around for 175 years and they've gotten it right. You can throw that fish fillet on top of a light summer salad. You could put together quick and easy fish tacos. You just can't go wrong. Visit gortons.com to learn more, find a store and get recipe inspiration. Trusted Gordon's Fishermen Hey, I want to talk to you about a podcast called Comedy Bang Bang. In every episode, host Scott Aukerman interviews a famous guest like Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, or Jon Hamm. And they're joined by a few ridiculous characters played by the best improvisers around. People like Paul F. 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[Chris Brady]

Hunter Pence, Katie Nolan, thank you so.

[Katie Nolan]

Much for being here.

[Chris Brady]

I am so excited to be here. I'm so excited to see you.

[Katie Nolan]

I haven't seen you in forever years since we worked together.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, but I mean, I feel like I still see you because I still follow and catch you on all the cool things that you're doing and I.

[Katie Nolan]

See everything you do with the likes.

[Chris Brady]

And you're always like hitting up such cool comments and all of the little social media stuff that we're doing. So I appreciate that you're the best.

[Katie Nolan]

I love you guys. You're my favorite couple on social media by far.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, my gosh. Well, I. I have to give all the credit to Alexis. She's hilarious. She's the comedian.

[Katie Nolan]

I know.

[Chris Brady]

And I'm like Sheldon from A Big Bang Theory, so.

[Katie Nolan]

You don't give yourself enough credit. You're also very funny. You are also. You were on Fuller House.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. You know why?

[Katie Nolan]

Why?

[Chris Brady]

Because she had a connection with the people that worked there.

[Katie Nolan]

It was you again. Everything comes back to Alexis.

[Chris Brady]

Everything.

[Katie Nolan]

And it's nothing. She actually taught you how to play baseball. I heard you had no idea.

[Chris Brady]

Okay, okay. Now we're going too far. Now we're going too far. Baseball, you know, we have a lot of fun where she thinks she could be the greatest GM of all time. And she might be able to, but so far she's losing a couple. She's losing a couple points.

[Katie Nolan]

I mean, at the very least, she could be a manager, I think.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. We have a lot of fun with it, though. But. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Sick. We have you here on the trade deadline.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So I feel like we have to talk about.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Things.

[Chris Brady]

You're in a little hot water with me, though.

[Katie Nolan]

Why?

[Chris Brady]

Well, how excited are you for the Red Sox this season?

[Katie Nolan]

Very well. Okay. It's done. This a bunch. Was very excited to start the season. We had Danny Wexelman in here. I don't know if you know her, but she told me.

[Chris Brady]

I know. I work with Danny Wexelman.

[Katie Nolan]

Of course. Of course.

[Chris Brady]

I love her. She's awesome.

[Katie Nolan]

She told me she was like, get excited about the socks.

[Chris Brady]

They're really cool.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. And then they trade. Right after I bought a City Connect Raphael Devers jersey for $200, they traded him to the Giants.

[Chris Brady]

Look, look. Have you paid attention to how they've been doing?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

Since then.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

Have you paid attention to how the Giants have been doing? And I'm not saying.

[Katie Nolan]

I know.

[Chris Brady]

I'm not saying it's his fault.

[Katie Nolan]

I would never say that. And I would never allow it.

[Chris Brady]

Is not. And we are very excited to have Deborah. Deborah's is amazing.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes. But.

[Chris Brady]

But the Sox are doing well. I really, really think that your front office is doing an amazing job, not only. And this is like me being super nerdy and in the weeds, but, like, I think you destroyed the draft. You got two of the guys that I absolutely love.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Tell me about them, because I can't. My brain doesn't go that deep into baseball, a draft, even for football, any sport, I can care.

[Chris Brady]

I Mean, it might be too, like, too in the weeds for this, but in particular. So first of all, that trade, you got some guys that are really good. Let's start with the Devers trade. You know, Harrison is going to. It's going to be a long term thing, but I think they understood that they had the depth to kind of make this happen. You had a Jordan Hicks, who's going to be like 102 in the bullpen. Kyle Harrison is going to be really good. He's a. He's got a magnetic. He's got a charisma. Magnetism. I can't even say that word, magnetism.

[Katie Nolan]

But it's okay.

[Chris Brady]

Thank you, Katie. That's why, that's why we need smart people like you to help us out. But Tibbs is like, he started off really slow and then made some adjustments and was showing kind of the promises, like a 30 home run guy in college baseball, huge draft pick. Figured it out. They. They strike when it's hot, when he's, they bought him when he was low. So you got, you're building all this stock. You got Bregman. Don't give me all this.

[Katie Nolan]

I just, I get like, okay, and then like, when does the, when does the winning of the World Series happen? This year?

[Chris Brady]

It could happen this year. Now, what you're missing right now is y', all, the Red Sox need to make a move. All right? They haven't. I haven't seen it yet.

[Katie Nolan]

Maybe it's happened at time of recording right now. It's. What time is it?

[Chris Brady]

And I'm going to tell you exactly who I think they need to get. Even though he's like the number one. Merrill Kelly.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

They need a starting pitcher. Merrill Kelly has done extraordinary in the playoffs. I've watched him pitch in our division for a long time. He's just like the doctor that just. He's like Inspector Gadget and he just dissects you because he has every pitch in the world and he knows exactly where it's going. And it's not like this big sexy thing, but it's really awesome. Yeah, that makes sense.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, it makes perfect.

[Chris Brady]

It's not like electric. It's like, I am gonna be here and I'm gonna dismantle you to eat your vegetables. Yeah, he's gonna eat his vegetables and he's gonna make you eat, you know, your, your cereal, your spaghetti with a, with a, with a spoon and left handed. And he's gonna, you know, put you to sleep and win the game.

[Katie Nolan]

Who is gonna get him? Who else wants.

[Chris Brady]

I think the Red Sox need to get out there and get a starting pitcher, and I think he's. He's a big target. And guess what? You guys have acquired all these really great trade pieces because you get this equity through this, like, talent that you have that are going to be great big leaguers. We're talking two, three years down the line, which is going to really matter. But you're also really good right now. Have you seen what, like, Alex Bregman's season's going good. You have a very, very deep lineup. You have a good, solid bullpen. You've also added some, some nice depth. But I really think that your front office is doing a lot of the right things, and you are sneaky in that mix. And if you add a starting pitcher, because the starting pitching, you have like, two guys that are, that are doing well. Bellow. And who's the other one that's doing really well?

[Katie Nolan]

Probably crochet.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, crochet.

[Katie Nolan]

So nasty.

[Chris Brady]

You need three.

[Katie Nolan]

I know. And it's. The pitching's been kind of an issue beginning of the season, at least. Listen, I was watching every game. I was like, I'm going to watch every game this season until they traded and then they traded Devers. And I was like, what?

[Chris Brady]

But, but look at the trajectory. Yeah, I know, I know, I know. And like, and like the marketing and like, he's the big name and I know that the Mookie Bets thing and all of this stuff has happened. There was a lot of. There was some mistakes there. But this year, the, the, the, the chemistry of the team. Look, what's their record since trading Deborahs? Can we look that up? Is there anyone I know?

[Katie Nolan]

They went like 100 at one point right before the, the break. And they probably went. It's. It's decent, it's good.

[Chris Brady]

So let me give you another thing to get you really excited. Red Sox nation. Katie Nolan, all you casuals out there that are not going to understand because this is not casual. I was absolutely in love with Kyson Witherspoon, your number one overall pick. He is an extraordinary talent. So I'm interviewing like, I have a little college radio show where I get to interview the SEC head coaches and the different players. So I've interviewed him. Super sweet kid. He definitely like electric talent. He has room to grow, if you ask me. 99 with ease. 98.99 starter. This is a top of rotation guy. Command of a cutter, command of a change up. He tips his curveball, which got exploited A little bit with a couple of errors. Didn't. You know, I don't think he had the greatest things around him, but he had like a two something through the SEC and was cutting down all of the best teams. Like, there was this, like, traveling. Like their number one, number two seeds were just, like, rotating. It's because, like, they're running into Kyson Witherspoon and like, the. The managers and SEC are like. Yeah, sometimes you run into Kyson Witherspoon and you just get dismantled. It's a funky arm action. So this, in my opinion, makes it more fun to watch.

[Katie Nolan]

So, like. Like, what's his name? One of the Twins Rogers? Doesn't he do, like a funky.

[Chris Brady]

Well, that was a giant. Tyler Rodgers, who just got traded to the Mets.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, who. What's his. Is it down or is it, like, middle? What's his arm?

[Chris Brady]

Tyler Rodgers is like.

[Katie Nolan]

No, the guy you're talking about. Witherspoon.

[Chris Brady]

Okay, so Witherspoon is like alligator throw.

[Katie Nolan]

What?

[Chris Brady]

Like, imagine an alligator throwing 99. It's like.

[Katie Nolan]

And then I get just one more.

[Chris Brady]

Time for the science you need. Yeah. The scientific. So he, like. Like, he, like, throws it from here. It's like. It's like he throws a short arm and then. And it's. Just book it out. Yeah, like that.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Chris Brady]

Can you make that noise? Can you.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Chris Brady]

All right, so alligator, alligator. 99, 91, cutter. Change up, curveball. Good afternoon, good evening, and good night. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night. All the rest go to bed. And you're welcome. Yeah. You got them.

[Katie Nolan]

This feels like I should pitch. Yeah. So. Okay, I'm glad you brought that up. That's Isabella. She's our producer. Part of the point of this podcast is to get her into sports. So she's new, she's a Mets fan. Is the. Is the team that she has chosen. I know. Tough. Damn. Is that. Is that bad? But she.

[Chris Brady]

No, no. It's actually ultra exciting. You have, like, another. Honestly, Mets and Red Sox might be two of the most exciting teams this.

[Katie Nolan]

Year, and legally, I wasn't going to let her root for the Yankees. It's like, you can't. I can't have you. Yeah, a lot of people warned me about this. I can't just. I just didn't. It would be rude and then I'd have to fire you.

[Chris Brady]

The Mets are so much more fun and creative. Like, Isabella, you. You seem like you got the Mets vibe for sure. Like, you're like, compliments, you know, you Art and like, you can, you know, like, they're a fun team. Their owner is like. Was a childhood. It's like his childhood team that is cool. Was a super business successful guy, and he just wants to see his childhood team succeed. So he's buying all the most, like, expensive players. You have Juan Soto for 700 million, who's, by the way, putting together a really great season. Y' all just traded for, like, I believe it was three different amazing relief pitchers. But you got my guy from down under. He's incredible. Tyler Rogers. You also got Helsley, who's like 1000-000000-00000, an hour. So that's literal.

[Katie Nolan]

He's being literal. Oh, okay.

[Chris Brady]

Okay. Yep. Completely literal.

[Katie Nolan]

So we got her. The Brooklyn Cyclones, for whatever reason, have agreed to let Isabella throw out a first pitch. She said, because they're called the Cyclones. She was like, maybe I'll do a little spin on the mound and then throw. And I said, I think what we need to focus on first is how to hold a baseball. I think knowing how to hold a baseball would be helpful. So I was. We got a baseball. Of course, I got it from the MLB shop down the street, but I got the Red Sox because I rep, and I was wondering, can you show her on camera? And then maybe we'll have her come in here and take my seat and you can show her how to throw. But just how would you recommend a brand new person to holding a baseball? Hold the baseball for their first.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, boy. So first and foremost, I want to back it up because I don't agree with you. I think Cyclone spinning throw is going to be awesome.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Chris Brady]

It is the Cyclones. Please throw us your best Cyclone pitch. Maybe even throw it sidearm. What do you got to lose? You know, like, we'll just tornado and then, like, heads up in the stands and maybe crazy not helping it. It's a lot harder than you think. But, like.

[Katie Nolan]

But who cares? It's only one. You don't have to throw multiple pitches. It's just one. I'm not hitting it. I'm not hitting it. I'm not throwing it towards someone who's gonna hit it. Right. So, you know, I'm just pitching it.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So I might stand there.

[Chris Brady]

Well, if I was to give, like, real, like, how I would. Yes, but I mean, please should practice, by the way, Unless you really don't mind it being funny, because it's harder.

[Katie Nolan]

Than it looks and it's.

[Chris Brady]

And being funny is great.

[Katie Nolan]

Unless you don't mind everybody laughing at you. I think you should practice. Probably Okay.

[Chris Brady]

A little bit. I mean, it's not. Yeah, just. I think the Cyclone idea is just. Just get up there and be like. And then just start. Tornado in and then just rip it. But you want. So. So see the seams? Like, you want to try to. It's called a four seamer. So it's like, 1, 2, 3. There's four seams, right? And you want to get them to go kind of vertical. Like, so I don't know what. Where the camera is or if you see.

[Katie Nolan]

Perfect. This camera's perfect.

[Chris Brady]

But a boom, Bada boom, bada boom. So you would, like, kind of grip it like this and have it come off your fingers like that. But now I'm imagining Cyclone, so you still grip it like this, and instead of it going end over in, like, this sideways end over end. So, you know.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

So, like, if I could turn. If I wasn't down.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

If I wasn't turning here. So instead of going over the top, I want you to three spins.

[Katie Nolan]

She doesn't even know how to go.

[Chris Brady]

So you get up there and then you just go wave to everyone and then just start tornadoing. And then you're just coming from. Pow. And, like, if it goes in the dugout, heads up, you know, everybody should be. The fans are gonna love it. Like, see, you'll make a. You'll make a memory. You can't miss. You can't miss.

[Katie Nolan]

Hunter Pence told me to do that.

[Chris Brady]

You can't miss if you go for the Cyclone pitch because no one expects it to go to the right spot.

[Katie Nolan]

This is the opposite of the advice I thought we'd be getting. I was like, hunter's gonna show her how to throw a ball. Katie, elbow and then follow. But you said to do this.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's crazy. It's the Cyclones. The Cyclone pitch, the first pitch. And, like, here's the thing. Baseball's entertainment. That's entertaining. We've seen a million billion first pitches.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

We haven't seen a million billion Cyclone throws that could or could not hit the catcher's match.

[Katie Nolan]

I regret this. I don't. Sounds awesome.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. Let's go. Isabella, you know, you get it. This is a show.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, exactly. Okay. When we're at. When we wrap up this podcast, you'll come in here and we'll. And we'll have you try it. Okay. But you won't throw the ball. I was gonna say I might break. I might. You won't throw the ball, but you will hold the ball. Because she thought she was supposed to go on the seams. Yeah, I thought so.

[Chris Brady]

That is a. That is a. It's called a two seam.

[Katie Nolan]

Show the world.

[Chris Brady]

Okay, so you know how I said the four seams, and you want them to kind of. Because these seams grip the wind and the air, and it's like physics, and it makes the ball move. So this is less movement. If you grab a two seamer, the. The seams are kind of going to kind of grip, and depending on, like, if you. Which finger has more pressure, it's going to go this way or this way. Like, if you're throwing a cutter, you put more on, like, this finger. If you're throwing a sinker, you put more on this finger and it.

[Katie Nolan]

And if you were to describe a cutter, you know, what is that?

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, it cuts. So. Yeah, so. So cuts away. So it's like. It's like cutting the wind. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, but, yeah, sink, you know, like. Like. Yeah, like, down. Sinks into the ground and meatball.

[Katie Nolan]

Is that in tomato sauce?

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, there is a meatball, and that is kind of the four seamers considered a meatball.

[Katie Nolan]

If you put it right in the middle. Middle.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, that's a meatball.

[Katie Nolan]

It's a meatball.

[Chris Brady]

Look at you. You know all the baseball terminology.

[Katie Nolan]

So I'm gonna go for a cutter. Meatball, sink. That's three with a. Three different. Yeah, yeah.

[Chris Brady]

Spladoonker.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, exactly. She'll figure it out. You can mix a splitter and a cutter and have a slutter.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

If you wanted.

[Chris Brady]

That is a real pitch.

[Katie Nolan]

I know.

[Chris Brady]

They.

[Katie Nolan]

What do they call it instead of it? Because they don't want to call it a slutter.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, wait, what is it? The sinker and the cut?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Is that like a. Do they call it a clinker? There was something. I remember us having this discussion.

[Chris Brady]

There's a slombio.

[Katie Nolan]

What is that?

[Chris Brady]

That's a slider. Change up.

[Katie Nolan]

Slombio.

[Chris Brady]

Slam bio. Leclerc is the master of the slam bio. But. But combio is like, change up in Spanish. So it's a slider in English and then change up in Spanish. Slumbo. Yeah. Baseball's fun.

[Katie Nolan]

Baseball's the best.

[Chris Brady]

Right now is such a fun time. I'm actually thinking, I think this season, and granted, it's not going great for my Giants. Yeah, we're struggling.

[Katie Nolan]

I know what's up.

[Chris Brady]

It just hasn't been pretty. We're not playing really good fundamental baseball. We have a talented team, but we have not done the little things right. And it's cost us because, like, we are built on pitching and defense and those kinds of teams. And it's a pitching defense, ballpark. It's a big ballpark. We're just base running mistakes. Little errors here. Just so when you're trying to win in the margins, you got to do all the little things. Right? And that hasn't happened.

[Katie Nolan]

It feels like a lot of teams are having trouble with fundamentals in terms of fielding. I know the Yankees are struggling with random errors.

[Chris Brady]

It's a hard game.

[Katie Nolan]

Is it that the game is not focusing on fundamentals younger? Is that the sense you're getting that they're, like, not making sure everybody's drilling home these. These fundamentals of fielding and base running young. Because it feels. I don't know, am I just a recency bias that it feels like it's happening more these recent seasons that, like basic things?

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, I don't know. That's a great question. Honestly, I wish I had an answer for you because I feel like every team goes over it. Maybe, maybe there's a little bit of. There's like so much money and so much like a little bit of this. Like, you know, like, everyone's so focused on the things that get you paid in the game where they're like, trying to hit homers and steal bases, that they like, kind of don't hyper focus on the little things which end up. I mean, we watched the World Series, the Yankees lost on fundamentals and doing the small things. Right. Which it is very difficult.

[Katie Nolan]

Right? Oh, a hundred percent.

[Chris Brady]

But like. And like, I, I don't. I don't want to put anyone on blast because I actually love Garrett Cole and he's like, amazing pitcher, but, like covering first.

[Katie Nolan]

But if you could put him on blast, here would be the place to.

[Chris Brady]

No, no, but covering first is like, that's, you know, and it. But you, like tired and there's a lot of pitches and there's airs happening, which happen. It's a lot harder than it looks out there. And then that kind of escalates and it kind of deflates everyone. So it's just like. I don't know. It's a. It's a lot of games, too.

[Katie Nolan]

It is so many games. Like, it took me working in it to realize that it's like, this is every day. It's so much playing. I know everybody likes a game and it's. They get paid a lot, but crazy. The schedule.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. That actually might be more my answer than anything because it takes a crazy amount of mental fortitude because you go over all that stuff in spring training and like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then you're, like, playing game playing, man. It's, like, happening so fast. Like, these players have, like, two hours, maybe free time in between games and travel and. And maybe you get, like, one or two off days a month, and it just kind of gets put in the back because you're focusing so hard on fighting the best pitcher in the world and the best hitter in the world. And it's like, there's a lot of pressure on these guys.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. And every day, you can't be, like, front of mind, thinking of everything. You have to have what you're focused on that day. And so if it's not feeling or.

[Chris Brady]

Whatever, it's a massive amount of data.

[Katie Nolan]

I don't know how any of you do it. It's so much information in your brains at all times.

[Chris Brady]

If anyone could put a lot of information in their brains, it would be you. Katie, I've seen your spreadsheets.

[Katie Nolan]

It goes in and then it goes out. That was my experience with baseball, was having 9,000 sheets in front of me, and when it came time to talk, going, where's that thing? I wanted to say.

[Chris Brady]

It's impossible.

[Katie Nolan]

That was my. But you've been. I mean, it's been fun listening to you in the booth. And I'm like, oh, I'm not with them, so it doesn't stress me out anymore. Are you having fun doing it on this side of the. I know you must miss baseball as, like, from, like, playing it, because I know that was where your body just probably was the happiest. I know you used to say that, like, mentally you would just, like, disappear into the game, but are you having fun calling it?

[Chris Brady]

Yes, I am. I am. And honestly, I know we had our, like, I loved our team, and that was such a. That was such a. Like, such fond memories. But it was a very difficult task, like, what you had to do and what we had to do with Apple tv, which was an amazing thing. It's a national showcase. Jumping and parachuting in on two teams each week is so much harder than, like, following one team and being in the rhythm and calling multiple games in a row. It is just night and day different. And it's so much more enjoyable when you get to kind of be a part of the soap opera of the team and relax into it a little bit. There's, you know, you're still walking in all the preparation, but most of it kind of builds on itself and the story unfolds as you follow One team. But, like, you do all this work on two teams, and then the next week, you got to figure out two teams that's going to completely be switching every day, and it's. It's. It's way, way different.

[Katie Nolan]

For me, it was really tough.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. Well, I was joking about this, about kind of how. By the way, I was very. I got to give you so much credit for why the situation that you were put in was. It was incredibly tough. Like a. That's the hardest thing. It's our first time to do it. You're trying to, like, make all of this happen in the middle of even a three. A three team broadcast booth is a lot harder. Like, finding your windows, finding our rhythm. We had to figure all that out on the fly. Yeah, it was crazy. And like, for me, especially with your point of view with baseball traditionalists, like, they have to go to a new channel. They've never had to do this before. They're used to. They want to hear their same voices that they've heard. So they're already cranky.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

And this is the baseball. This is the crankiest of the cranky. They want the same thing.

[Katie Nolan]

They like it the way that they like it.

[Chris Brady]

And then. Yeah, so. And then it just put us in this really tough spot. I felt like I told Alexis this, and I was like, can I say this on there? And she was like, it makes sense. The metaphor is you were like, in the Salem witch trial, where it was like. It was like, they throw you in the water, and if you float, you're a witch, and we're gonna kill you. And if you drowned and you don't float, well, you weren't a witch, but you're dead anyway.

[Katie Nolan]

But you're dead. Oh, that is a good thing.

[Chris Brady]

That's the metaphor of where Katie Nolan was. But you still, like, listen, you made it.

[Katie Nolan]

If it weren't for you and Steven and Heidi, like, we had such a great team that, like, I would have. I mean, I would lost my mind. So, like, it. So much credit goes to you guys being like, no matter what was happening or what any of the feedback was or the days that we were like, what are we supposed to be doing? You guys were always just like, you're supposed to be here. We love that you're here. Let's watch this baseball game. So thank you.

[Chris Brady]

It was so fun. I definitely love the energy of when we all showed up and then, you know, and you put the work in. It was just like. I don't know how to explain that. Like, Almost like.

[Katie Nolan]

Like.

[Chris Brady]

Like that wonderful feeling of everyone being together and we've done all the work and doing, you know, it was like. I don't. How. How would you explain that feeling of, like, our synergy? Because it was really good.

[Katie Nolan]

It really was just like, I was trying to always remember on the times I would get, like, caught up in the. The bad of it. I was like, you're getting to travel to a different ballpark every week with, like, Hunter Pence and, like, watch a baseball game from the best seat in the house and, like, just, like, enjoy it. If it's not what everybody's gonna want it to be, you should at least enjoy it. And, like, you guys made it so easy to do that. We just truly would show up with all of our prep, and then most of it would go out the window because a game would happen. But, like, it was just. I have a lot of fond memories of what at the time, I think if you had asked me, are you gonna have fond memories of this year? I think I would have been like, no, this is terrible. It's so hard. But I do. I have such fond memories of it, and I am so grateful to you and to Stephen and to Heidi and to the whole. Just making sure that it was always fun and I had a blast.

[Chris Brady]

Agreed.

[Katie Nolan]

And now I'm, like, so far back into baseball that it's, like, crazy. I'm, like, more of a baseball fan than I even was before we did that. Like, it. It reignited in me a love for what I think is the greatest sport on earth.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think you said it perfect. Yeah, it was awesome.

[Katie Nolan]

I also got to see you get inducted into the.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, what is it?

[Katie Nolan]

Circle, ring, wall. The Wall of fame wall.

[Chris Brady]

Wall of Fame, Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

At the Giants. That was awesome.

[Chris Brady]

We had the Aaron Judge game, which was crazy.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes, crazy. I mean, he didn't hit it, but we thought he might. And everybody got really upset with us that we were gonna call it, but we didn't because he didn't do it.

[Chris Brady]

It was. Yeah, it was. That was. What a beautiful journey.

[Katie Nolan]

Did you. Were you in Colorado when we did the pitchers duel at that stadium? That was crazy.

[Chris Brady]

Was that. Was it Freed? Who?

[Katie Nolan]

I think, yeah. Yes, it was Freed. I remember being like, we're gonna see dingers. I'm finally going to Colorado. We're home runs. And then we, like, went into extras tied at zero. It's like, this is crazy. Somebody hits.

[Chris Brady]

That's baseball for you.

[Katie Nolan]

It's. I love it. It's just the greatest sport and as we're here at the trade deadline, I know things could be happening while we're talking. I think right now as we are discussing the biggest move that we've seen. I mean, Ayo, Henio, Suarez. I was terrified he was going to go to either the Yankees or the Dodgers, two teams that I just don't want to get any more players. And so the good news is he didn't go there. He went back to Seattle, which is actually where he was when we did that season.

[Chris Brady]

Did he hit the walk off off of Sergio Romo?

[Katie Nolan]

Yes.

[Chris Brady]

We have history with, with Suarez. He's. He's having a great year and he's hit a lot of home runs off my Giants this year. It's a very dangerous at bat. The Mariners lineup is really scary right now. They have pitching too, by the way.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

But that division is very exciting because the Rangers are sneakily same record as the Mariners.

[Katie Nolan]

Really?

[Chris Brady]

Yep.

[Katie Nolan]

Yep. Huh?

[Chris Brady]

Yep.

[Katie Nolan]

Sneakly. Indeed.

[Chris Brady]

Sneakly. You know, Simeon's doing Simeon things. He's just like solid. Seeker's doing his thing. They have degromio, Valdi, Mal. I don't know how to say his name exactly. Me, H, L E. He's actually low key, killing it. So that's a real division. And the Astros are up by quite a bit. But both those teams depending on the. The Rangers need to make a move. I think maybe a bullpen arm. But the Mariners lineup is like crazy Julio Rodriguez. And then you got Naylor and Suarez.

[Katie Nolan]

Like, yeah, that's hitters.

[Chris Brady]

That's a scary team right now.

[Katie Nolan]

Are they finally going to do it?

[Chris Brady]

I hope so.

[Katie Nolan]

They're fans. I just feel so bad for them. They're like a beleaguered fan base.

[Chris Brady]

They are going to do it this year because, you know, Rally's doing like insane. Oh, he's like on judged kind of trajectory. Not Quite judges like 1100 OPS but.

[Katie Nolan]

But, but for a catcher, you're like, this is crazy.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. He worked with my guy, actually.

[Katie Nolan]

Who?

[Chris Brady]

Doug Lotta swingtech guy.

[Katie Nolan]

Shout out Lotta.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. So all offseason and it worked. Seems pretty like pretty good.

[Katie Nolan]

Sounds like everybody should be going and seeing.

[Chris Brady]

I think there's going to be a lot. A lotta.

[Katie Nolan]

If you don't got a lot of nice stuff to say, that's a. A very easily punnable name. Who else? Shane Bieber. From the Guardians to the Blue Jays. Does that excite you?

[Chris Brady]

I haven't looked at Bieber's numbers, actually. I didn't see that trade. When did that did that just happen?

[Katie Nolan]

Because that just happened probably while you were on your way here.

[Chris Brady]

So from guardians to Blue Jays. So you know, the Blue Jays are weird for me.

[Katie Nolan]

I, I, they should be doing better than they, well, they are doing.

[Chris Brady]

No, the Blue Jays are winning the ale.

[Katie Nolan]

That's right.

[Chris Brady]

Because the Yankees, they're doing crazy good. I actually like a little, I mean Springer's doing Springer things. They obviously have the Vlad Bochette Bichette. But yeah, you like them, you're into.

[Katie Nolan]

Them, but you're more red.

[Chris Brady]

So I haven't, I haven't done, no, I haven't done enough research on the Blue Jays because I was looking more Yankees, Red Sox. I, I am not a believer in the Blue Jays, which nobody is. And they keep doing it. They're doing kind of like the Tigers ish thing last year where they're just like kind of just playing ball.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It's like they don't really care what you think about.

[Chris Brady]

They don't care whether I believe in them or not. But I do think that the Red Sox are, are low key going to be. But that's a. What's Bieber's numbers this year? Does anyone have any idea?

[Katie Nolan]

He has yet to pitch in the majors this season because he's recovering from Tommy John.

[Chris Brady]

Okay.

[Katie Nolan]

That's why I was like, rehab starts.

[Chris Brady]

Okay.

[Katie Nolan]

He just dropped an album. Or was that Justin? That was Justin dropped an album. I'm hearing that was Justin Bieber, not the Shane.

[Chris Brady]

If Bieber comes and is, you know, the Bieber fever that he's been for most of his career, that's. That makes the Blue Jays a real threat.

[Katie Nolan]

I mean also they love Bieber in Canada. Yeah. So that makes perfect sense.

[Chris Brady]

Lauer and you know, got, got punched by Scherzer. That was interesting.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh yeah.

[Chris Brady]

And he took it like a champ. He's like, yeah, I wasn't supposed to mess with Scherzer on his start day. And five stitches is what I get for testing the waters. That was cool, actually.

[Katie Nolan]

That is cool.

[Chris Brady]

And then went out and pitched like eight innings in like one run.

[Katie Nolan]

You got, you've been traded at the deadline twice.

[Chris Brady]

Twice.

[Katie Nolan]

So one was to you went to the Phillies, from the Astros.

[Chris Brady]

To the Phillies, from the Astros.

[Katie Nolan]

And then what was the second one?

[Chris Brady]

Phillies to Giants.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh yeah. Okay. What is it like finding out when you find out, like leading up to it, are you like, I think I'm about to get traded at the deadline or is it like everybody's preparing and nobody knows what's the experience like Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

I think it's kind of like. Like, it's hard to explain, but you.

[Katie Nolan]

You.

[Chris Brady]

There's definitely, like, you're. You're answering questions for media. I never thought. I didn't think I was gonna trade. It happens kind of like, it starts, like, when you're in the minors and you have, like, some teammates that you've been playing with for, you know, a year and a half, two years. They're like your best friends, and then they're, like, just gone the next day, and you're just like, I miss. I miss my buddy.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

And. But then you kind of carry on. And for me, in the. In the majors, like, they were talking about it, but I definitely didn't think I was like, that was happening until, like, 30 minutes before game. They're like, hey, you're not in the lineup. You just got traded. And I was like, what? And like, it was like this emotional shockwave because I'd been with the Astros at the time for eight years. Like, it was like. It was like three in the minors. Like four, I guess. Seven. Seven and a half. About eight.

[Katie Nolan]

It's okay to say eight somewhere in there. Give it to you?

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, thanks. It's an acceptable answer.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes.

[Chris Brady]

And. But then they, like, 15 minutes later were like, oh, it didn't go through. You're back in the lineup. So. God, yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, my God. I could not handle that. The, like, immediate emotional rocking back to forth.

[Chris Brady]

I literally like it. That was the beginning of anxiety for me.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, my God.

[Chris Brady]

For sure. And it. I mean, I was young and, like. But I definitely, like, how'd you do in that game? I don't remember, to be honest with you.

[Katie Nolan]

I don't think I would do very well.

[Chris Brady]

I think I was, like, one for four or something. Very better than being over exciting. Maybe. I might have been.

[Katie Nolan]

Still managed to make some contact. But then what? The next game, they traded you?

[Chris Brady]

It was so. It was like three days later. So then it was like something fell through. I don't know what it was, but then they were like. Everyone was like, kind of like, you're going to. Philly. And Ed Wade, at the time, had had this thing with Philly, and then they started kind of prepping me a little bit, but I don't know. Like, they don't really tell you, but anyway, so it's.

[Katie Nolan]

That's wild. I think people think, like, the fan. I mean, the player must know. The player must have some sort of insight. I. I think a lot of fans would be surprised to know that most of the times you guys find it out. When we find it out. Yeah, it just kind of hits you.

[Chris Brady]

Honestly. People like. It was on the tracker before I was called by the gm when I went from Philly to San Francisco, it was like ESPN tracker. And the day before, by the way, Red Sox fans did a fake trade where they said I was going to the Red Sox, which.

[Katie Nolan]

Which we were hoping would just. Somebody would just do it, you know.

[Chris Brady]

Or maybe it was. Maybe. Maybe they. They were the ones that said I was going to the Giants. But then I did go to the Giants the next day, which was weird. Something like that. I don't even remember. But anyway.

[Katie Nolan]

That's sounds like a wild experience.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, it's a roller coaster. But it was really like, once you, like, are like, whoa, I'm going to. The Phillies at that time was probably the most talented team I ever played on. And it was just the energy in Philly at the time. You know, east coast baseball, Philly, Boston, New York.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, Philly fans are awesome. They're like. They're a lot, but they're awesome. They're, like, very tuned into the game. They know what's going on. Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

So it was super fun. It was, like, immediately jolted in from Texas country boy, kind of where you grew up. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

To rock star status where, like, the. The athletes are, like, on this pedestal where it was. It was wild.

[Katie Nolan]

It's cool. I think it's cool. What happens with. I feel like this is probably an Alexis question. When you find out that you're being traded, all of your stuff and all of the logistics of going to a new city, I imagine so fall to a.

[Chris Brady]

They would have. But me. And I never got traded when I was with Alexis, so I met her in 2014.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, well, good.

[Chris Brady]

She didn't have to deal with.

[Katie Nolan]

You didn't have to deal with it.

[Chris Brady]

But she was, like, prepared. It would have probably been a lot smoother if I had gotten traded with Alexis.

[Katie Nolan]

100.

[Chris Brady]

But it felt like you got a.

[Katie Nolan]

Lot of social content somehow would have come from it as well.

[Chris Brady]

But I. I have to still give. Yeah. I would have way more social content for sure. Because she's. She's all really good at it.

[Katie Nolan]

The best at it.

[Chris Brady]

The best. She. She has definitely helped me out a ton of. Yeah. But it was like my parents and my brother that were just like, you go. They were really good at this. Like, I would. I like, you need a lot of support to be a big leaguer. Whether it's a wife or whatever. Family members. There's a lot of people that help you out, and they understood. They were like, we want you to focus on baseball. Go get with this team. Like, they loved watching it. They. They did so much for me. And they were like, we'll take care of all of the apartments and stuff. So I was very lucky. They just, like, you know, I took care of them and they took care of me, and it was my parents and my brother. I was lucky. I don't know how. That's probably why most players take, like, two or three days where I just, like, got on a plane and was.

[Katie Nolan]

Like, dad, mom, throw my stuff in boxes is crazy. That's crazy. But you did it and it got done.

[Chris Brady]

I mean, a lot of people are doing it. There's a lot of trades going on.

[Katie Nolan]

It's so much. And then, like, the taxes.

[Chris Brady]

How.

[Katie Nolan]

Figure out the taxes.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, you have to have a.

[Katie Nolan]

It's confusing.

[Chris Brady]

It is. The professional baseball taxes are like, every day that you're in a city, you pay the taxes of that city. Did you know that?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I only found that out when I was, like, working sometimes in LA and sometimes in New York and having to pay LA taxes.

[Chris Brady]

And you have to do your own taxes. You have to hire a really.

[Katie Nolan]

My dad was an accountant, so he was doing them, and. And then they got too complicated, and I was like, I'll just pay somebody to do this. I don't want to get into a fight with my dad when I owe the government $30,000. So we figured that out. But shout out to my dad for doing my taxes all those years before that.

[Chris Brady]

You know, just, you know, the Casuals podcast definitely thought about talking about taxes here today.

[Katie Nolan]

It's important we talk things that matter to the people, I guess, kind of. Speaking of taxes, conversations happening now about a potential lockout because of the CBA coming up in what, two years? We got a headline this week about Bryce Harper apparently telling Rob Manfred to get the out of the clubhouse and talking about a salary cap. Now you. Though I did bring up taxes. I do not have a business mind, so I don't know the smart arguments for and against a salary cap. I imagine players are like, we want to be able to make as much money as possible. And I imagine owners are like, we don't want to have to pay you more money every single year. Is that basically what it boils down to? The argument against the salary cap? Do you feel like the two sides, it seems like they're already very contentious very early. Are you feeling like we're going to run into an issue where we don't have any baseball in a couple seasons.

[Chris Brady]

You never know man. I, from, from my experience it's just like, it's just wild. And that's always been kind of the players thing is like no matter what, no, no salary cap. The owners are very smart and, and I, I think that you can look at this as like we can find a win win. But in negotiating you just have to be kind of nasty like that it's just kind of unfortunately the way that the business is and how it's been built. But the players thing has been kind of like let's have a share of the profits. So like 50 of the profits to the players, 50 to the owners. Everyone's going to argue that they're not getting that. It's just kind of the way the negotiating. But the salary cap, they kind of snuck it into the draft and they've snuck in these like luxury taxes and things that are sort of salary capish. Unless there's just like crazy cowboys like, like the Mets owner or whoever's just like don't care. You know the Dodgers team that has you know all these like wild. Like there's so much creativity within contract making. There's a lot of like, just like I guess like I don't even know what you would call it like equity within the players. And how can you like the Ohtani contract in and of itself is just like a mind wreck.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. And the way they like delay the money and sometimes they'll front load a contract.

[Chris Brady]

None of that to get more like. Yeah. To get more like like talent on the field. That's work. Cuz like the, the thing come it boils down to somewhat of a math problem. It's like X amount of homers and ops and WAR or whatever equals X amount of dollars equals. You know, how can we get more WAR on our field for less dollars? If that makes sense. And it takes like those weird contracts if unless a cuz like you look, you look down upon. This is super weird and not casual but like if you're a player and you like sign for less than you're worth, you just like ruin the players coming behind you.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Chris Brady]

So it's like, like you have to sign for your value or try to get your value but then sometimes lift everyone up.

[Katie Nolan]

A fan will be like take a deal so we can keep you. And it's like they're not thinking about the all the other players because as.

[Chris Brady]

Soon as you get that deal that makes that value of Your performance less to every other player. So it's like, it's sort of like you have to honor your value a little bit.

[Katie Nolan]

Even if everything in your body is like, I would give up anything for this team. It's like, you do still have to have. That's why you have agents and stuff to go. Like, he deserves this. He's worth this.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. That's why you need someone to negotiate for you. Cuz I was like, kind of like that. Like, I was just a loyal. I'll play for anything. I'll play for bubblegum.

[Katie Nolan]

I'll play any position at any time.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. So it's a weird. It's a business, unfortunately. It is unfortunately, but still also a fun business. That is fun to watch. It's fun to also watch. Like, as I learn that business side, how. How these gms, you know, my friend Buster Posey's now president of operations and so learning the challenges of all that. And I'm not like, I'm not working with him, I'm the broadcaster, so. But just watching how he does it, learning a little bit more of that, it's wild.

[Katie Nolan]

It sounds too stressful for me.

[Chris Brady]

It is.

[Katie Nolan]

When you hear that story about Bryce Harper, though, I feel like as a player, does that make you go like, hell, yeah.

[Chris Brady]

I mean, I don't know. I mean, kind of a little like, I don't know, the. The situation. Like, if he's coming in, like players were going to have to have a salary cap, there's obviously going to be someone that's like, you can go ahead and leave.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, I believe it was get the out. Was the quote, get the out of our clubhouse.

[Chris Brady]

So, I mean, is Rob Manfred just coming in the clubhouse, like, salary cap and apparently like, see you later.

[Katie Nolan]

Though Manford never explicitly said the word salary cap, sources said the discussion about the game's economics raised the ire of Harper. So he didn't actually say salary cap, but he was probably dancing around it the way you do to sort of hint that that was something that they were gonna need to.

[Chris Brady]

I also saw what was Manfred's response. Did he just get out?

[Katie Nolan]

No. I guess he was like, I will not be getting out. And then he just kept talking about it. It's interesting, actually. It was an interesting. You never really hear about them being like, Bryce Harper got in Manfred's face and said square up. Like, that doesn't.

[Chris Brady]

Did he say that?

[Katie Nolan]

No, but you don't normally get that sort of an interaction.

[Chris Brady]

I kind of like, I've seen a player and a Manager or a general manager. Like, I, I, you know, I saw, like, I had to, like, break up.

[Katie Nolan]

Like, get in the middle of a fight.

[Chris Brady]

Well, break it up.

[Katie Nolan]

Like, yeah, like, like physically push two people away from each other.

[Chris Brady]

I think Sean Chacon threw Ed Wade and he landed on a table and, like, fractured his back.

[Katie Nolan]

That's like WWE threw him on a table.

[Chris Brady]

But it was a while. It was a tough. It was like he was, like, yelling at him because, like, it was like, he didn't want to go into the bullpen. He wanted to start. And he was like, you're going to go where you want to go. And he's like, don't raise your voice at me. And he kept raising his voice. He's like, don't raise your voice at me, me. And then, you know, you don't always know where everyone's from. And then it happens quick.

[Katie Nolan]

It's true.

[Chris Brady]

He told him very.

[Katie Nolan]

He told him very calm, Know where everyone's fun. We're from.

[Chris Brady]

He told him very calmly, don't raise your voice at me. Raise the voice again. Don't raise your voice at me. Raise the voice again. And then it was like. And then I was like, this happened too quick.

[Katie Nolan]

And, oh, no, it's escalated.

[Chris Brady]

You definitely didn't think that was gonna happen, but it happened.

[Katie Nolan]

It's like you never. You don't always, always don't eat at everyone's house. You never know how they cook or where their cat's been. Similar situations. You get it?

[Chris Brady]

Yeah. Perfect.

[Katie Nolan]

This also kind of reminds me, as you're saying this, I don't have any cats. I just have my dog. My sweet little Myrtle. There was something.

[Chris Brady]

Myrtle, sorry to distract you, but these are the more important things.

[Katie Nolan]

I know. I can show you all the pictures that you want as I need. As soon as we're done, we need.

[Chris Brady]

We need to share puppy pictures.

[Katie Nolan]

This reminds me kind of of what happened with the Braves. So did you see the. What's happening with Snicker and Ronald Acuna Jr. Because he was injured. I'll just read what it says. The Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. Left Tuesday's game with Achilles soreness and has now been put on the IL with a grade one calf strain missing at least two to three weeks. Manager Brian Snicker is being criticized for not being safer. About Acuna, who has missed time with injuries this season and is recently coming off an ACL tear, reporter Mark Bowman tweeted Tuesday. Acuna held back tears as he talked after tonight's game, said he'll be further evaluated likely in MRI tomorrow. Felt discomfort when he scored from first on Monday. Lobbied to play today because in his mind he had missed too much time already this season. People obviously being mad at a manager for letting a player play when they're hurt. I feel like as a player, do you understand where Acuna is coming from? Because I think I. That seems like the most logical is that you guys go, I want to be out there and I want to be playing. So what do you think is the right course of. Is the manager supposed to say like, no, you can't.

[Chris Brady]

It's. It's a very difficult thing to do and it's a very. One of the reasons that being a manager is very hard. Even you know, I learned a valuable lesson because I was kind of taught like play every day, play through anything and let there's an injury and there's hurt. But I started learning that a lot of these hurts turn into injuries very quickly and your body changes as you get older. And this is so many games and for me, I think the Giants, because this is one of the teams that I've done it a lot with and I think they do a great job is they play it safe a lot of the times because it's like you'd have a longer term vision on the whole thing. Right. Even if they sign a one year player, they're not just they're going to look out for. They just do a good job of that. It's. It's difficult but. So I guess I will say the Angel Pagan in 2014. We as players like he's so good for us and we were like barely like climbing into the playoffs and he was dealing with some kind of hamstring thing. He was extremely smart with his body and he understood it. He knew when to take a day off. There was a lot of players like I thought Crawford was really good at this. He was very consistent at being out there. Buster was amazing at. I was just like play every day, burn through. And then I just blew out my hamstring. It just gone, you know, like the whole tendon ripped in half.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh my God.

[Chris Brady]

So that's just like ignoring the signals that your bodies are telling you is not smart is what I've learned is basically what I'm saying. And so we like, we need you in there even if you're not 100% like you're gonna help us out. Sure enough, he hits this like walk off that like it was like to walk the game off. He tied the game and it ricocheted off the fence in Oracle and they're sending him home inside the Parker and he's supposed to be taking it easy and he did the same thing. So, like, we lost him for the rest of the season.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh.

[Chris Brady]

And this is because we're like, like, come on, you can do it. Get out there. We need you. Just your presence helps. And yeah, could have ended his career. We, yeah, I can take some blame. And that's kind of probably what Arcun is feeling because he's so good in there, like having troubles and he wants to be out there for the team, but he probably knows his body is not capable. But he's like, I'll just like, try to figure it out. And it long term is really bad.

[Katie Nolan]

I know. How do you, like, tell an athlete to get over the mentality that they've. That got them to where they are? Like, he's playing for a big league club because he probably has this mentality of like, get out there, play through it. How do you, like, talk them off of that into being like, think long term. I can just imagine athlete being like, I don't care. I want to get out there.

[Chris Brady]

So, like, think about it though. Like, there was a time where like Strasburg didn't pitch in the playoffs. They made the playoffs and Strasburg was like, I'm gonna. My arm just come off of Tommy John. I can't throw any more innings. And all players are like, what are you doing? You know, he ended up having a great career winning a World Series. But I think it just comes with like, you have to have someone that understands this and has been doing it for a long time to step in and, and maybe even, you know, Snicker does has always been just like, play through it. But I think as it's played out and data is kind of a thing that you look at, you need to start backing them down. And so like I said, I learned this a lot from the incredible team like Dave Greshner and them where they're like, when you think you're ready, we're going to make you wait three more days because you're a psycho.

[Katie Nolan]

You are a psycho. At least they read you, right? Who's like, the. What position of like within the organization of a baseball team is somebody that the players are dealing with a lot. But we never acknowledge or talk about, like, who's somebody within the organization that you're like underrated hero of every baseball organizations, like the trainer or like the mental health. Like, there's got to be somebody in the staff that we're never talking about, who, like, on a day to day basis is affecting the players.

[Chris Brady]

Well, there's a lot. I mean, obviously the trainers, the whole training staff, like, and. And each team kind of does it differently and has a different arsenal. This is kind of like getting an advantage before you take the field is how do you take care of your investment? Right. You know, what equipment do you have? There's different equipment at the different teams that I was on as far as, like, you know, the Giants. And in my opinion, they invest heavily in, like, science and like, and all of that stuff to try to get the most out of their investment they'll put more money into. They have a massive amount of people, like physical therapists. And so there's a lot of that going on there. And I think. I know. I'm sure other teams are doing it. The Phillies were pretty good as well. I think. The Astros have obviously changed a lot. It was a different ownership since I left.

[Katie Nolan]

Left.

[Chris Brady]

But, yeah, I think that that is something that really affects the players is giving them the right nutrition. I think the clubhouse manager is. Is an absolute madman. This person doesn't sleep sometimes for, like, 48 hours. Like, just. They, like, move all the stuff to make sure that, like, the players have. Don't have to deal with, like, emotional stresses of whatever the case may be. Like, sometimes a player will leave a glove and he's like, finding a way to get it to the field, you know, just like, like, because players are just like, we're a little bit airheaded. You know, we're the talent or whatever.

[Katie Nolan]

You're very good at the thing you're good at. Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

But there's a lot of other things that we're not. And so, like, everyone else takes care of, like the adulting.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. So, like, I want this. I need a clubhouse manager.

[Chris Brady]

You want this. Until your husband comes home and doesn't know how to do laundry or take care of himself or anything. This is like, mind wreck. Like, who.

[Katie Nolan]

How did you get this far in life?

[Chris Brady]

I'm like, everyone kind of was like, just play baseball. And I just did a lot of baseball and a lot of workouts, a lot of, like, discipline, but it was no real life thing at all.

[Katie Nolan]

That's okay.

[Chris Brady]

I appreciate you saying you're doing real life.

[Katie Nolan]

I would never, because I can imagine it's exhausting. It's okay because I don't have to deal with it. I'm okay with it because it's not my problem.

[Chris Brady]

I'm working on it. Though I'm trying to get better, Katie.

[Katie Nolan]

I had to teach Dan how to make toast in a toaster oven.

[Chris Brady]

No way. How did that go?

[Katie Nolan]

I gave him the benefit. I also told him the toaster oven.

[Chris Brady]

Is a little bit weird.

[Katie Nolan]

It's not a toaster. That's where I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I also told him I wouldn't ever tell this story, and now I'm telling it to one of his favorite baseball players of all time. But it was just. I was shocked at first. I was like, what do you mean? You don't know what to set it to? And then I realized that he'd only ever used, like, push it down toasters so we didn't divorce over it. But there was a moment.

[Chris Brady]

Did he figure out, like, does this toaster oven, like, be like, do you want it lightly breaded? Do you want it crispy?

[Katie Nolan]

I feel like any toaster oven, you're like, they're never consistent. You can tell it to do it dark, and it'll do it light. So I was like, you're just gonna have to twist this knob and keep going until it's as dark as you want it. But it was a shocking. He is 42 years old. It was a shocking conversation. It was shocking. And he doesn't play baseball professionally.

[Chris Brady]

I don't care. I don't think he should feel bad about that. Because us men, we just don't understand things.

[Katie Nolan]

Sometimes we just don't get how to taste.

[Chris Brady]

We are men, and we're not as awesome.

[Katie Nolan]

I truly think he would die if anything happened to me. I'm just like, what are you going to eat something? It's a joke to say, I. Well, I can make toast. It's like, I can't cook, but I can make toast anyway. Now, rehashing this entire argument.

[Chris Brady]

This is the content that you didn't know.

[Katie Nolan]

This is the casuals. This is what's up. You had an amazing career, obviously. What now as many. How many years removed are you? 4, 3, 5.

[Chris Brady]

20 was my.

[Katie Nolan]

There's no change.

[Chris Brady]

5. 5. I'm getting old, Katie. I'm 42 as well. We're older.

[Katie Nolan]

How do we stop time from moving?

[Chris Brady]

I thought. I thought it was really funny when you were saying, like, why am I still interested in, you know, these child playing their child children games? But this is like the best of the best. You know, that's the window of where they're the best.

[Katie Nolan]

100.

[Chris Brady]

So I thought. I did think that that was a funny comment. But I still think that I'm always gonna love sports and I'm always going to appreciate the greatest. Dancers, artists, shows, singers.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Baseball. Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

Baseball players. There's all sports.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

So anyway, because sports is the best. Yeah. We're getting old though. These young kids playing games.

[Katie Nolan]

What, what stands out in your mind now as like one of your favorite moments of your career? Honestly, if you say all of it, I'll kill you.

[Chris Brady]

No, I'm not gonna say that.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, good.

[Chris Brady]

It's moments where like, some of your like, teammates that you've seen work really hard be in a very huge moment. So the two World Series runs were like, extraordinary, I think it was in 2012. One of my favorite moments was the sun was setting in San Francisco and it was like this like most beautiful purple pink sky. We were in game six. We were winning by a ton. Vocal song, was pitching, an absolute gem. And this is a dude that like, you know, went to Japan, had a lot of stuff and then like had it, you know, and then came back and had these like crazy, intense, awesome years. And now we're having a playoff run and he's kind of answering the call with his back against the wall. So the, the stands are chanting, vogey. It's. The sun is setting. They're literally shaking the fence behind me. There's like this fence where like they just let people rotate through and they can watch. And they like shook it where it was like halfway down. They almost broke the fence down. And we're coming off and we're up a lot going to game seven. And you just felt the momentum and the energy of our city, of our team, of everything. Like, we're coming for the World Series. So that was one in 2012. And I mean, obviously the Ishikawa home run walk off to go to the World Series was absolute chaos. It felt like the world was shaking. Like, everyone's in pure jubilation. But it was when Morse hit the homer off a Nishik because he almost wasn't even allowed to come onto the team. And he was like, my bash bro. We were in the back of the plane talking every, the whole season and I, I, I have the, like, I like, you know, whenever he wasn't going to be on the roster for that series, I was like, Morris, you have to go in the office and like, get on. We need you. You're a guy, you're ready. And his first at bat was against a right handed sidearmer who had a 170 RA. And Boach was literally told him he's like, look like this is the worst matchup I could ever put you in, but you're my best chance to tie this game. Go hit a homer. And he hit a homer.

[Katie Nolan]

Crazy.

[Chris Brady]

And he went absolutely bananas around the bases. And I know we just tied the game, but like his enthusiasm of like the boy who like, did it and like the us, we just like, we just like felt like we had already won the game because of how crazy he went. And like, he literally had no shot. And we're like, ah, Morse versus Nishik. This is tough. Like, no, nobody hits him. Righty on righty, and he shot him. And it was just like, it was perfect.

[Katie Nolan]

That's what it is. That's what it's for. That's what we're here for. Those moments when you're like, there's no way he could do the thing that would make this the greatest day.

[Chris Brady]

When he did it, he did it like he was literally like an eight year old boy, you know, just like jumping around the bases and it was just like authentic. It was not like. It was just like, what? And he just jolted us, he lifted us.

[Katie Nolan]

What is it about baseball that's so magical?

[Chris Brady]

Those moments? You suffer through so much torture and you get beat up and nobody believes that. Nothing. And then when that moment does happen, when you're down and you're up, like no chance at all, it's like, it's a slow burn. It's a drama. It's a build up. It takes time. And then when that moment hits, you never forget. It lasts forever. You will never forget when the Red Sox won the World Series and they reverse the curse. And it's like your family and it's your parents and it's the relationship. Baseball is a relationship game. You share the memories, you share the moment. You share the players and you share the city and the community and it's all tied together. It's beautiful.

[Katie Nolan]

It was really beautiful.

[Chris Brady]

Thank you. Baseball's the best.

[Katie Nolan]

It is the best. It's the greatest. I wanted to ask you about Verlander because when we did a game, I remember you just being so respectful and in awe of what he does and how hard he works. And I know he's been having. He's having a tough first season than he probably would like this year. But I know he got his first win the other day. Have you had conversations with him behind the scenes, like how he's feeling and how he's doing or. No.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, not like a lot of long conversations because he's very focused and Very, like. Like, yeah, doing his thing.

[Katie Nolan]

Doing it his way. For how long?

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, he is very methodical. Very like. And we're talking about one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He's had two great starts, actually. He's, you know, he's had a couple of really big clankers, you know, that kind of made his numbers. But I think he's going to be someone that you might want to pick up because. Because what's funny, Katie, is like, you think Justin Berliner, how. How long he's pitched, what's going on? And I. I think I got to call one of his games. He pitched really well. He didn't get the win. I think he went, like, six innings, gave up one run in Chicago. And, like, he was literally on the corners with every pitch. It was just like an absolute gym. We lost the game. We didn't. We've been having some trouble scoring. But I went up to him, I was like, man, it was really fun to call your game. Like, you were locating you really, you know, your slider was like, nobody had a chance. He's like, yeah, I think I figured something out. Out. And I was like, wait, you're still figuring things out? Like, it was just so cool to see that, like, he's still trying to figure things out each year with the new him that, you know, it's just like, baseball's crazy. One of the greatest of all times is out here figuring things out.

[Katie Nolan]

Right? Like, you think he's at the. Towards the end of his career, that he must be just, like, out there knowing it's got. And. But he's still going like, oh, if I do this.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, yeah. The timing that it's so. Such a hard game.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

You're always. It's it. I thought Justin Turner had this really cool quote to. I got it through Doug Lotta, actually, who we mentioned earlier.

[Katie Nolan]

Shout out. Lotta, Lotta, Lotta.

[Chris Brady]

In this podcast, who, like, was the transition for Turner as well. But he was saying, we're searching for an answer to a question that has no answer. And that's what makes baseball crazy, is, like, it's uncontrollable. It's wild things will happen that you've never seen before. And sometimes you trade Rafael Devers and you get better and you play good. And it doesn't make any sense because Devers is awesome.

[Katie Nolan]

Because. And you still miss him. And you still miss him. We love him so much. He's just. His smile, it brought me a lot of joy. Gambling has made its way into the.

[Chris Brady]

Sport oh, my gosh. Katie, don't.

[Katie Nolan]

I just don't know if you have any thoughts on it. I don't. I assume you don't, but I don't judge if you do. I think you're. Are you allowed to. I don't know how it works with.

[Chris Brady]

I'm not a gam. I'm not a gambler.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

I don't really like gambling that much, so, like, I don't, like, bet on games or never have, like, really been into that at all. Yeah. Any sports. But, yeah, it is definitely a thing that's going on in our country, and I think. So. It wasn't as big a deal when I was playing. You obviously go through the meetings and stuff, but now people are betting on, like, balls and strikes thrown that don't necessarily, like, change the game. And it seems as though, like, what they're saying is that they're throwing these balls where there's too much money. Bet on a certain pitch, which is this. It's a dangerous.

[Katie Nolan]

It's bad.

[Chris Brady]

It's a dangerous thing to be have, you know?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

To be out there and we'll see. I played with Clase. I got to play with him on the Rangers. I think that he's an incredible talent.

[Katie Nolan]

I love him.

[Chris Brady]

These are things that you hope aren't true.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

But they. Very well, they could be. And unfortunately, we'll see, I guess. Right. But yes, don't. I think it's bad. I think fans like. Fans like it. It's a lot. A lot of gambling.

[Katie Nolan]

I can't relate to it. I wish I could better the pull to do it, and I think that might. I already love the game. I don't need something else to make me feel invested in it. It might be that the thing I'm.

[Chris Brady]

I'm concerned about as well, Katie. And, you know, baseball's an entertainment. It's a, you know, it's a show. All right. Players, we're trying to work on them, like, marketing themselves, getting the stories of these players because they're interesting people. But, like, when people are betting money and losing a ton of money, they're blaming the player who's giving their all. Like, this is the game. You made the bet.

[Katie Nolan]

Bet. Right.

[Chris Brady]

Players playing the game. So I think that there's a lot of, like, them being afraid to even go on social media because they're getting a lot of this hate and blame for not getting the job done. But, like, guess what? That's part of gambling. You win or you lose.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Chris Brady]

Don't blame the Player, Blame yourself. Which nobody really ever does. Yeah. Because that's the game. That's the sport. And guess what? Like, so I, I, I don't like this, like, weird attention that a lot of the players and pressures even college players are getting from that. That's. How do we unpack the reverse engineer this into a healthier way of being. I don't know if it's possible.

[Katie Nolan]

I don't either. But you're absolutely right. It has changed. Almost like the dynamic of a fan, where you're like, I don't know if I'm being approached because this person likes baseball and me, or if I'm being approached because I somehow cost them $10,000. I never even knew they put down on a pitch I threw that I didn't even think twice about. You know what I mean? So it's a, it's definitely scary, and a lot of things could happen, but hopefully somebody smarter than us figures it out.

[Chris Brady]

I mean, it's a business, and I think that they're making a lot of money, and a lot of people like to make money, so we'll see.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Your favorite ballpark of all time, Oracle. It is really beautiful. It is really one of the more beautiful parks.

[Chris Brady]

It is. And I have a lot of very fond memories there.

[Katie Nolan]

Would you say your least favorite park to play in?

[Chris Brady]

Would I say my least favorite park to play in?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

I don't like to do.

[Katie Nolan]

Right. I know, I know. You're like a sweetie pie siping on that hanger. I put a gun to your head and I said, what's your least favorite park to play? You wouldn't answer. You'd let me shoot you.

[Chris Brady]

Just shoot me. They're beautiful ballparks. They're good dogs.

[Katie Nolan]

You wouldn't just say, like, the White Sox stadium, which sucks.

[Chris Brady]

That one's not that, like, honestly, for the player experience, a lot of it has to do with the amenities, I guess, you know?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Just as a broadcaster experience.

[Chris Brady]

So I will say this. Some of them are very stressful as a player. So I actually love this ballpark, but it was extremely stressful because we had no batting cages at the time. We, There was pitchers, mounds on the field. It was windy and it was sunny. So it was like, always, like, the sun in my face. So I just have, like, I play there a lot. It's one of the most fun ballparks to go to. I love calling games there. I love watching games there.

[Katie Nolan]

All of this before he even says what the park is.

[Chris Brady]

I'll let you try to Figure it out.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Chris Brady]

What?

[Katie Nolan]

Which park is it?

[Chris Brady]

I can't say it. I can't say because I. I can't say it.

[Katie Nolan]

You just gave me everything about it.

[Chris Brady]

That sucks. Just imagine those things, and that's all you get. I'm sweating now. I'm the wet guy. I'm the wet guy. Oh, gosh. No.

[Katie Nolan]

Dodger Stadium.

[Chris Brady]

No, I like Dodger Stadium. I love the Rock. It feels like that was either Oakland or Tampa. Neither. Way out, way off. Couldn't be.

[Katie Nolan]

Couldn't be further off. Off.

[Chris Brady]

It's a very lovable ballpark. I loved the ballpark. That's why I can't beat my least favorite. But it was just the most stressful to play in as an outfielder. It was very difficult outfield. Wrigley Field.

[Katie Nolan]

Hey, we got it.

[Chris Brady]

It's. It's just the most difficult outfield beside, like, Colorado is also very difficult. But I love playing there because you're hitting, but, like, it's a big outfield with altitude, and you, like, get dizzy, and it's just tough.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. Colorado is like. You got to chug water the second you land.

[Chris Brady]

It's, like, hard to get ready for a game in Wrigley because back then, you didn't have a cage. They have a cage now, so we had no batting cage.

[Katie Nolan]

That's crazy.

[Chris Brady]

You had a small window. You're, like, cramped in. You don't really fit anywhere. You hit your head on the, like, cement ceiling. It was tough.

[Katie Nolan]

Do you just call it cement? Is that. He always does that.

[Chris Brady]

Is it cement? Cement.

[Katie Nolan]

It's crazy how much more that sounds like semen than it has to. You could have easily just called it cement and nobody would be uncomfortable.

[Chris Brady]

How was tot seeing?

[Katie Nolan]

Unfortunately.

[Chris Brady]

You see the mint over there?

[Katie Nolan]

Cement. Do you remember when we did. Were you at the game when we did the. When we had to go to Chicago and Heidi. We were interviewing. They must have been playing the guardians.

[Chris Brady]

Shout out, heidi. She's the coolest, the greatest ever.

[Katie Nolan]

We were interviewing Terry Francona before the game, and there was no. The office was so small and the AC was broken. Heidi had to sit in a chair and hold a fan, like a box fan, towards Terry and like us, because it was so small. I was like, this is crazy.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So that's my.

[Chris Brady]

That is a great memory. I. I also remember you sipping on some beers with a straw. That was fun.

[Katie Nolan]

That was in Arizona. I had to. I had to. The first time that. That he did that. That Lelo lined up those beers because of The Madison Bum Garner viral video or whatever, I laughed and I didn't touch him. And then when we did a second game with the Diamondbacks, I said to Stephen as we were walking in, I said, if he does the beers thing again, I have to drink one. It feels rude to throw six beers away.

[Chris Brady]

I respected you for it.

[Katie Nolan]

And we recorded it and then I think we tried to show it.

[Chris Brady]

Have you drank Dusty's wine yet?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, it was great.

[Chris Brady]

By the way, his son is killing it right now. He needs to be in the big leagues.

[Katie Nolan]

What's he. Where is he?

[Chris Brady]

He's in Triple A with the nationals. He's batting like 380 over the last like two months. Anyway, I don't too much about baseball.

[Katie Nolan]

If somebody didn't like baseball and they wanted to get into it now for the second half of the season, which team, other than the Giants, which I think you would have to say because it's your job, what team would you say? Hey, get in on this team. I think that could really be something to enjoy for the rest of the season.

[Chris Brady]

Well, one of the fun things in baseball is like seeing teams like win that haven't won in a long time. You know, like, like even when the Mariners just made the playoffs like quite a few couple years ago and it was like the first time in forever, like how crazy the city went. And I think that they made a real push and they're going to need to. They have a lot of things going, really. Right. I think it's going to be fun. Fun to watch them the rest of the way because that whole city is going to go bananas. If they deserve it, if they make it, they have a real lineup. I don't think they're a shoe in. I don't think it's. It's going to be stressful, but I think if you want to kind of bandwagon a new team, it's a fun ballpark, It's a fun city. They have a really like a. Rosa arena is having a great year. They have like 40 billion home runs from Rally. I like to add billion because that just emphasizes how extraordinary his season is. Some. And then you added Suarez who has like 30. Some. A lot of homer's about to happen. They have some good pitching. Castillo's fun to watch. I mean, I love. Oh gosh, I can't even think of his name.

[Katie Nolan]

Gilbert.

[Chris Brady]

Gilbert. The Gilbert Nader. He's like, he's fun. They have another picture. Oh, my. My man. From the. From. From Norcal. Woo. Oh, yeah, yeah, he's Disgusting. So he had a bad outing yesterday, but.

[Katie Nolan]

But that's okay. We all have bad days.

[Chris Brady]

So that would be kind of if you needed to, like, jump on a bandwagon. The other one that might be fun is the Red Sox, because the Red Sox. But they're. The Red Sox have expectations. They're like, we're supposed to be good.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. And if not, we get upset.

[Chris Brady]

You're in, like, a similar spot of the Mariners where you both have a great chance, and you kind of come from nowhere, and you have some young players that people don't know about, and they're just playing, like, chemistry baseball right now. So the Red Sox are another one. But it's. Y' all done it too much, where it's, like, boring. Give me the Mariners.

[Katie Nolan]

How dare you? How dare you?

[Chris Brady]

Do you. Do you or do you not expect them to be in the playoffs?

[Katie Nolan]

I do.

[Chris Brady]

Every year. Yeah. And you're a little bit grumpy that they're not. Not already just in it.

[Katie Nolan]

Well. And I get annoyed when they say, like, we. We traded this guy and. But we saved a lot of money. Like, I do not care. It's not my money.

[Chris Brady]

Go spend your money.

[Katie Nolan]

Spend it. Don't be like, well, we saved a lot of money on the back end of that Devers deal. I don't give a. Money's not gonna get me a World Series unless you spend it on players.

[Chris Brady]

That's right. That's right, man.

[Katie Nolan]

Frank.

[Chris Brady]

Spend that money on players.

[Katie Nolan]

Get the. The. Out of my locker room. I'm just kidding. Please don't be mad. He didn't say it. I said it. We'll cut you out of that part of the clip.

[Chris Brady]

Yeah, I didn't say it.

[Katie Nolan]

No, you didn't. And you didn't even sign off.

[Chris Brady]

We're just, like, talking about an event that may have happened.

[Katie Nolan]

That's right. We're just doing a scene. We're reenacting a scene from a movie that may have happened. All right, big thunk. Thanks. Big thunks. Giant thunks. To Hunter for being here and for coming through teaching Isabella how to throw a baseball. Chris, what were you just saying?

[Chris Brady]

I was saying that now, after that interview, I think Hunter Pence has jumped up from number three on my list of all time favorite baseball players to number two on my list of all time favorite baseball players.

[Katie Nolan]

And I. A list I've just found out existed but now need to know more about who was two before.

[Chris Brady]

Probably Buster Posey.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, well. And they're friends, so I'm sure that would be. They'd be fine with it. And then who is up at the top?

[Chris Brady]

Tim Lincem. We've spoken about my love of Tim Lincem. He is the reason why I got into baseball in the first place. I don't think anyone will ever take them overtake the mantle of my favorite baseball player of all time. But two was wider open than I had expected. And after this interview, that spot belongs to. Hunter Pence.

[Katie Nolan]

Damn. So Buster Posey, you've been put on notice. You'll have to come do makes a better move.

[Chris Brady]

He made the Refy Devers trade happen, so that's, you know, a point to Buster. But Hunter Pence taught Isabella how to throw the slutter, so.

[Katie Nolan]

And he also just really was supportive of what I thought was a crazy idea to spin around before you throw your first pitch. I was shocked by how he was really supportive of that. Now you have to do it legally.

[Chris Brady]

You are not allowed to do anything else. Yes. We can get everybody interested here. Tim Linceum's mother is Filipino.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Now we're Tim who? Tim Linceum.

[Chris Brady]

Lincoln. Chris's favorite player.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, okay. Okay. You would have liked him too, Isabella. But it's not really, really relevant because he has it play like L, I, N, C, E. Yes.

[Chris Brady]

Correct.

[Katie Nolan]

So that was 100 pence. We love him so much. Very busy guy. Happy that he stopped. I'm. Have we said out loud or is it only on the blackboard that our AC in here is broken? This is the world's hottest studio and making Hunter Pence sit in here for an hour. I felt pretty bad, but he's a great sport and he did it for us. And we appreciate you, Hunter. Before be. Before. What's going on? Be sure to check him out by watching Giants games. That's the way to support him. Or follow him on social media. His name's Hunter Pence. That. That's it. Right? And today is Thursday, so Chris doesn't get to do his little presentation. No presentation from Chris. If you want to watch sports this.

[Chris Brady]

Week, too bad, go back to Tuesday's show.

[Katie Nolan]

Go back to Tuesday show.

[Chris Brady]

I think we've still got one or two things left on the agenda. TBT coming up. And the Red Sox game tomorrow night. No, no, this one's for Tuesday. No.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Chris Brady]

No more things.

[Katie Nolan]

Brady won't allow you.

[Chris Brady]

No, just reiterating. Reiterating.

[Katie Nolan]

Not allowed to say day.

[Chris Brady]

Okay. My apologies to everyone out there.

[Katie Nolan]

We love you and we mean it, and we will see you on Tuesday. Casualswithkatynol@gmail com 646-810043@casualsapodcast&IG&TikTok is what I always forget to say at the end here. Love you, mean it. Bye.