Tim Kirchen (4:05)

Free pass during that era of the Yankees evil empire and all the spending.

Dan Patrick (4:11)

The Chicago Cubs had the like second.

Tim Kirchen (4:13)

Or third highest payroll, sometimes the first highest payroll in all of those years and did nothing.

Dan Patrick (4:17)

They were terrible or at least didn't win any ranks. Well, you know, if you look back at the Yankees when they had Jeter and Bernie, Tino Martinez, like they were really good at drafting players, but the difference was that they kept their players. I mean, that's really like if Pittsburgh could keep all their players or the Reds could keep all their players, then they could build something that's sustainable. It just, they haven't been able to. They can't. You know, the Big Red machine wouldn't have stayed together because they would have gone elsewhere. The Reds couldn't have afforded all of Those hall of Famers. But the Yankees drafted. Well, we have them. We'll resign them, and then you'll sprinkle in a couple other players. And they did it better than anybody for a long period of time. But Tim Kirchen will join us coming up a little bit later on. All right, so you have basketball tonight. You have Bama, byu. Wally Zerbiak, who's part of the coverage for March Madness, said, that's the game. He said, that's the BYU is the team you want to watch. Maryland against Florida, Arizona against duke, and Arkansas versus Texas Tech. Our good buddy, Russell Wilson Jr. III. He was introduced yesterday to the New York media, and nobody is more positive than Russell Wilson coming here.

Greg Sankey (5:37)

Obviously, being in New York, it's exciting place to play. It's a place that wants to win.

Dan Patrick (5:42)

As a place that knows how to win and has won before. And so for, for me, it's, it's bringing everything I know, all the experiences, all the touchdowns, all the wins, but.

Greg Sankey (5:51)

Also all the love and passion for.

Dan Patrick (5:52)

The game to this locker room.

Greg Sankey (5:54)

And that's what I'm really excited for. And it's going to be a special, special thing. And we, we, we got to go.

Dan Patrick (5:59)

Go work for it every day and go do it. Who, who's with me? The Giants are going to win the division. Oh, if you've seen the movie, the cartoon, the animated movie, up Russell. Russell's the little scouts. I got balloons on a house. Yes. He's always in a good mood. He's always cheering up the old man. That's Russell Wilson. He's always positive, but he's been this way. But he had a mentor who helped him think this way. And it did work for a long period of time. But now with the New York Giants, and nobody's more positive about the Giants than Russell Wilson. He's the SEC commissioner. He's Greg Sankey back on the show. Commissioner, thanks for joining us. When did the SEC first start to focus its resources, maybe on making the conference a basketball powerhouse? Was there, you know, a moment where you said, why don't we just take the headlines in other months?

Greg Sankey (6:58)

Well, yeah, I can speak to when it became really raw for me. And it was March of 2016. That was the end of my first basketball season as the SEC's commissioner. And we had three teams selected to the NCAA Tournament. On the men's side, Dan, that was the fourth time that had happened in the prior 10 years. So it's not like we had a great trend going. But when you're in the commissioner's chair. That moment was pretty raw, and we had to do some things differently from. From our end in the conference office.

Dan Patrick (7:31)

Okay, but what. What was the plan that you put in place?

Greg Sankey (7:34)

Yeah, a couple things. One, we had had some consulting relationships where we really weren't talking about the right things. You remember the old rpi, which is now the net? We would spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to game the RPI and scheduling. We weren't talking about hiring the right people. We weren't talking about facilities. We weren't talking about recruiting. The day after that Selection Sunday, I transitioned away from one advisor, and I brought Mike Trangisi in the next day. And what Mike did is help us talk about the right things. The other bonus with Trangisi and I grew up outside Syracuse, New York, so watch the Big east form was like when Mike said, you're good at basketball to the media, you were automatically good at basketball. But one of the things he did was he talked to our ads as they were going through the hiring of coaches and not tell them who to hire, but talk to them about perhaps who not to hire, who may not be ready for the stage that we have. Those kind of conversations became much more relevant. We had some other tweaks we needed to make, but that was a big part of the conversation.

Dan Patrick (8:44)

Did you take the same approach to football at any point where you guys have been successful winning titles, but now with more teams in the playoffs? And is there any a different shift in philosophy?

Greg Sankey (8:57)

You know, the reality of this job? And a long time ago, I was Southland Conference commissioner. I was like, way off Broadway. You never called me for an interview, so I never had the opportunity. I made a decision that every day in that role, you had to think about football one way or another. And I think the reality of the Southeastern Conference is football is dominant on a daily basis. We have 21 other sports, but we also have to recognize the conversation allocation, the time allocation. So football's a bit more natural. Do we talk about issues? Absolutely. We're talking about scheduling in the conference. We talk about non conference scheduling. We talk about CFP impacts. That's daily. We had to be a little bit more intentional on the basketball front 10 years ago.

Dan Patrick (9:46)

Are you in favor of more teams qualifying for March Madness?

Greg Sankey (9:51)

Yeah, I'm in favor of fully exploring that. I think there's advantages to doing so given there's. There's more Division one members right now. There's one less conference. But what we're doing is excluding from participation some of the top 50 teams. And I think when you look last year at North Carolina State, 11 seed makes it to the Final Four. You've had two or three teams play in Dayton that have made it to the final Four or made it into the elite eight and sweet 16. What that tells me is there's a competitive balance at the high end and we have to think about providing access. Now I wouldn't just run to expand for the sake of expansion. I've never put a number on it. I think. And I've been clear that it needs to be fully explored and I'm pleased that the NCAA leadership and the the committees involved are doing so.

Dan Patrick (10:41)

Talking to Greg Sankey SEC commissioner more concerned about transfer portal and nil with college football or college baske ball.

Greg Sankey (10:49)

I think both are relevant. You know, I watch the rhetoric right now, Dan, and I mean we forget that we just seen coaches transfer, right? We've seen head coaches leave a program last week to go to another program. I've had it in my league, I've had it in my league a year ago where a coach leaves program A in the SEC to go to program B. That's reality. The commentary about young people doing the same thing needs to be in the context of the adults have that advantage now. There needs to be an orderly process. So when you watch coaches move, it's a pretty tight time frame. There are anomalies to that and I think we need to tighten up the time frame. Don't forget like three or four years ago, the transfer portal was open 365 days a year. It's been narrowed, it's been moved back a week. Plenty of opining that we shouldn't have the transfer portal open during the NCAA tournament, I'll give you that. But I also know there's a lot of backroom conversations that take place. And at least right now with the portal open, everything's on the table. If somebody's looking to leave, they go in the portal and it's known and people can deal with that. It makes it busy for 16 teams and I'm empathetic there. But we ought to just think contextually about what happens. Big picture in the game. The nil front we've got, we're going to see in a week and a half the outcome of a lawsuit settlement and whether that provides meaningful oversight of third party name, image and likeness activity. It can be a much healthier environment.

Dan Patrick (12:24)

What if we cap the number of transfer portal players that you can bring in? Or like I'M just trying to. Everybody, you know, says we have a problem. I just haven't heard solutions here. How can we make this better for all involved?

Greg Sankey (12:39)

Yeah, we've. We've talked about solutions. So I think some of you have to go back. There used to be an NCAA limit on the number of entering team members in a year or over two years. The basketball community really ended up railing against that. Miles Brand was the president when that came in. We go right back to that and create some continuity. I do think you have to remember that we have had attorneys general in states file lawsuits over transfer policies, even common sense transfer policies. We also have to remember the NCAA has a habit of being asked for waivers and granting waivers, which I think magnifies the problem. So if we. If we came to a point where he said, hey, the rules are the rules, here's the timeframe, you can engage in certain behavior and there are no waivers and there are no lawsuits out of those waivers, that would be idyllic for us compared to where we are now.

Dan Patrick (13:32)

12 teams in the college football playoffs. When do we go to 14?

Greg Sankey (13:37)

We'll see. Not. Not this season. It's a topic of conversation. My view is it took us a heck of a long time to just get to 12. I think 12 was a success by all accounts. You saw continuing interest through the playoff. We actually took a deeper dive as a CFD management committee. So that's like gobbledygook for the commissioners and the Notre Dame ad. Looking at an analysis of viewership throughout the playoff, a lot of positive stories. You would hear this, like, year over year comparison of a particular game being down that didn't tell the full story. So I think it was the right time to expand. I think it worked well. I think we learned a lot. We've got some work to do before the 25 season to make some adjustments. I think the bracketing, where we had these seeds that got moved into the top four and people lost home games, I'd like to see that change. I think that's immediate. I do think there's some relevance to thinking about expanding the number. Whether it stays at 12 or 14. I think even 16 is a relevant conversation in advance of the 26 season. That doesn't mean we just go there, but like that NCAA Tournament expansion, we should be looking at what are the impacts and what are the opportunities.

Dan Patrick (14:56)

Give me an alternative to the selection committees.

Greg Sankey (15:02)

Well, we had the old BCS computer anchoring. Remember those days? And everybody said, you know, how can we have computers making these decisions? We need people and what we have now is how can we let people make these decisions. We need computers. So it's the full on pendulum swing. Maybe there's something in the middle where the combination of a committee and better informed data help support decisions. What I do think is really important from a Southeastern Conference perspective is, is the number on the left hand side of wins and losses the most important or the right hand side and what happened last year and maybe the, the last couple of years causes, at least among my athletics directors, the question of we need to lose fewer gains. That creates thinking about non conference scheduling that kind of dumbs it down. I don't think that's good for the game. I don't think Nebraska canceling the Tennessee series is good for college football. And the citation was that members of the CFP selection committee said well it won't hurt you that much for dropping the game. I think that's problematic. I tend to think we should play nine conference games. But to get there we have to have more clarity on the CFP selection process. So in answer to your direct question, there's, there's likely a balance that can be struck between the human thought process and the, the analytics. We, we know that people didn't like just analytics and now they're trending towards we just don't like humanity as much as we thought we did. So where's the middle ground? Is is another one of those works?

Dan Patrick (16:41)

Do you be in favor of a college football schedulings? Are.

Greg Sankey (16:47)

Some of these outside ideas have said that I'd welcome a conference commissioner having more authority over just deciding conference and non conference schedules. I don't think the culture of college football lends itself to czars. I've probably said to you like the Russian czar thing didn't work out very well over time and remember like the 80s drug czar and we still have problems. So I don't think just identifying that one mechanism solves the problems I'd welcome. If people said hey you go set my conference schedule, pick the number of games in this league and our non conference opponents, I'd pursue that in a different way. But that's not something that resonates within a room of athletics directors and head football coaches quite the same way it does on a, on a, on a, on a. Zoom with you.

Dan Patrick (17:36)

One other item, and this is off topic with football and basketball, but it does relate to it. Can we, can you see where we separate college football, college basketball and then you have these other sports that we don't want to Lose. They're not revenue producing, but softball and lacrosse and soccer and, and we make them regional so they're not flying. You know, Cal and Stanford aren't flying cross country for wrestling or volleyball, that we make this regional. So, you know, your budget is not at stake here and you can still keep these smaller, you know, sports, Olympic sports maybe.

Greg Sankey (18:17)

I don't know what kind of awards you give for genius decision making, but I think you just gave me a gold star because we are a regional conference and for example, last.

Dan Patrick (18:27)

Well, you guys are. Yeah, yeah, but college, college sports is not.

Greg Sankey (18:31)

Well, that's because others made different decisions and they have to, to live with those decisions.

Dan Patrick (18:37)

Yeah, but you're running college sports to me, so that's why I'm asking, you know that. That's. I'm making you the college football not czar. You're, you're running college sports. Why don't we let these other sports, smaller sports, non revenue producing, stay regional while football and basketball, if you want them going cross country, great again, I'm.

Greg Sankey (18:59)

Gonna, I'm gonna hold the Southeastern Conference up as the bright shining example of decision making. And here's a why I actually think. I'm not going to speak to everybody else. They made their decisions for different reasons. What I made those decisions. I think you can look at what we've done and say, no, they wouldn't have done the same thing. We had a packed stadium for LSU at Texas last week in baseball, packed. We had a packed stadium for Auburn at Texas and softball. I think those build on each other. I think those build on each other. So your question kind of the foundation was take football and basketball. I think if you're going to do something in basketball, you're doing it for men's and women's basketball. We have to acknowledge that. And I'm going to have baseball programs, first round draft picks in baseball who say, wait a second, I play in front of more people for conference baseball games than my basketball team plays in front of. And I'm going to sign an eight figure contract with a signing bonus that's enormous right up. Why don't I deserve the same treatment as my basketball colleagues, men or women? I think there are distinctions that can be made, but I think some of that has to play out in decision making. So for the Southeastern Conference, I think what we do in football has great meaning in what we do in basketball. And you saw it with our environments in basketball this past year. I think what we do in football and basketball plays out in baseball and softball. In meaningful ways. I think people want to be in those environments. If you want to spend your time preparing, learning and competing not on airplanes, you're going to come and challenge yourself here at the highest level. That's my recruiting pitch. Others may have to make different decisions because I think you've seen with these coast to coast conferences, people opine about, hey, maybe we need a central hub for competition so we're not flying all over the place. I think they're probably all learning from this first year as they go. But I really like the way we've configured ourselves because it meets the exact question that you've asked me on a sport by sport basis.

Dan Patrick (21:02)

He's the former great commissioner from the Southland Conference. He's Greg Sankey. Great to talk to you again. Enjoy the rest of the tournament. Good to do visit with you again.

Greg Sankey (21:12)

I certainly hope I do.

Dan Patrick (21:13)

Thank you, Greg. All right, Tim Kirchen, It's a baseball opening day. We'll talk to Timmy coming up here in a little bit more of your phone calls as well. We'll recap what we heard from the commissioner there. We're back after this. On the Dan Patrick Show, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lot up in the nation. Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.

Tim Kirchen (21:44)

You can catch us weekdays from 5.

Dan Patrick (21:46)

To 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe, no Rich.

Tim Kirchen (22:30)

Wherever you get your podcast.

Dan Patrick (22:31)

And of course on social media, that's Kavino and rich tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road, and they're responsible for everything acceleration, braking, steering, handling. Tread confidently with new tires from Tire Rack Whether you know exactly what you want or you're looking for expert recommendations, Tire Rack has everything you need. You get started. They are shipped fast and free. Free road hazard protection, convenient installation options, including mobile tire installation. They bring the tires to your home or office and install them on site. And, of course, the best selection of the full lineup of Goodyear tires. And they don't just sell tires, they test them on the road. On the test track. Learn how the tires you want tackle evasive maneuvers, drive and stop in the rain, or just handle your everyday commute. 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Greg Sankey (27:57)

The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.

Dan Patrick (28:02)

I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to Under Yazu Clay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. One thing about Greg Sankey before we get to Tim Kirchen, the commissioner of the SEC, saying yes, they're going to get to 14. I wouldn't be surprised if they go right to 16 because he said we might eventually get to 16. I wouldn't wait. If you're going to go to 14, just go to 16. And I think what he wants to do is fix the seating so a school like Arizona State and Boise State don't get first round buys. That is going to be changed here probably a lot sooner than people think. Tim Kirchen of the Mothership and a Hall of Famer. He joins us. Opening day double dip with the Mothership, brewers, Yankees at 3 Eastern, Tigers and the Dodgers 7 Eastern. Joe Buck will be on the call for the game in New York and you can catch Timmy on Baseball tonight following the brewers and the Yankees. Let me hit you with a poll question. Are the Dodgers good for baseball?

Tim Kirchen (29:03)

Yeah, I think they are, Dan. Now, the way they do business, as we know, is completely legal and if everyone else had the same advantages of them, they would do the same thing. I think they're great for baseball because wherever they go, they're gonna draw a lot of people. I think every great drama needs a hero and a villain. And to some people the Dodgers are the villain. There's also a chance they will be so good this year that they potentially could make history in some kind and of course be the first team since the potentially Yankees 98 through 2000 to win back to back World Series. So look, I understand this isn't fair to smaller market teams that they can defer all of this money and I think it needs to be changed. And it will be changed, I believe. But to say that they're, they're terrible for baseball. I'm sorry, I'm just not buying it, Dan. Those two games in Japan were really cool and the Japanese players are so good and rookie Sasaki is going to pitch in the big leagues this year. I think it's good for baseball. I do.

Dan Patrick (30:11)

Was it good for baseball to have opening day in Japan? And the reason why I bring this up is couldn't you play two spring training games over there and accomplish the same thing? Did it have to matter to the Japanese baseball fan.

Tim Kirchen (30:25)

Look, Dan, I'm older than you, okay? I'm 68. And I enjoyed a parade in Cincinnati, and that was the first game to lead to the season. Still do a parade in Cincinnati, but I believe they should all start on the same day. We should start in this country. However, I'm also a realist. This is all about money, Dan. We're growing the game. Those games in Japan were tremendous. And the more and more growth that baseball can get, the better it is. If you're asking me what would I like, I would like every team to open the same time on April 1st in this country. But am I going to argue with what we saw and the Ohtani show and the Sasaki show? No, I'm not arguing how many teams.

Dan Patrick (31:11)

Can win the World Series, Dan.

Tim Kirchen (31:15)

I'm again in the big minority here. The beauty of this sport is its unpredictable nature. I think the Dodgers are the best team, and I think there are six other teams in the Nash. Five other teams in the National League, maybe six that have a chance to win the World Series is if, of course, everything goes right. I'm not so sure about the American League. I don't see a great team in the American League, although the Rangers can just mash when everybody is healthy. But the beauty of the sport, Dan, is that there are so many teams in the American League that are pretty good and not great. It's going to be a free for all. And there are so many really good teams in the National League that's going to be an equal free for all to see who maybe gets to play, say, the Dodgers in the nlcs.

Dan Patrick (32:05)

Okay, let's run down the teams. You got the Phillies and the Braves. Are you. You're clutten. The Mets in there?

Tim Kirchen (32:12)

Yes. Now the Mets have to get their starting pitching healthy. Sean Maniah's got to be as good as he was down the stretch. So those are three teams I think could win it from the East.

Dan Patrick (32:22)

Who else?

Tim Kirchen (32:23)

All right. The brewers are a pain in the neck to play, Dan. They catch it. They're hungry, they're young, they're aggressive. They steal more bases than almost anyone. They are a dangerous team. So I'm going to put them in there. And then in the National League, of course, you have the Dodgers, you have the Diamondbacks, who are vastly underrated, especially with the pitching they have now. And I know the Padres aren't spending much money right now, but they're going to be a nightmare also if everything works there. So I think you could find six, seven teams that could win the World Series from the National League.

Dan Patrick (32:59)

How much does Ohtani pitch this season?

Tim Kirchen (33:03)

I thought he would be ready sooner than this. I was told in spring training he might be ready on May 1st. We don't need him until then because of all the off days. In April they could go to a six man rotation. I'm not sure when he's going to pitch, but I promise you when he does pitch, he's going to be really good. Let's say it's. Let's say it's mid, let's say it's the All Star break. When he gets back, he's going to be really good. Because as you know, Dan, he is a machine in getting his body and everything else ready to play in the big leagues and be like no one we've ever seen.

Dan Patrick (33:39)

But because of that, I don't know how he doesn't factor into the MVP every year if he's still able to pitch and hit. He's like Travis Hunter at Colorado. He's a two way player that nobody is like that. So he has a decided advantage. It feels like every single season going in, you know, for the mvp.

Tim Kirchen (34:00)

He does, Dan, and I'm sorry, I don't like it that way. When I first started voting for these things in 1980, it depended on whether your team won or not. Chipper Jones won in 1999 because he carried his team the last two months into the playoffs. I refuse to believe that we're just going to give it to Ohtani before the season starts, even though he's the best player in the game, period. But let's say Juan Soto hits.370 and hits 40 homers and carries the Mets into the playoffs. You're telling me that's not an MVP season and it's going to get aced out just because the most remarkable player we've ever seen is really good? Again, I'm sorry, I can't look at it that way. I want to watch the season play out.

Dan Patrick (34:52)

Give me the next player to make 600, $700 million.

Tim Kirchen (34:59)

I'm not sure anyone's going there anytime soon, but I think Gunner Henderson of the Orioles has a chance to get somewhere near there because he's so young, he's so good. He plays a premium defensive position, shortstop, exceptionally well. Louie Gonzalez, remember him from the Diamondbacks? He met Gunnar Henderson. I was standing right next to him last year and he shook Gunnar Henderson's hand at the, at the batting cage. First time he'd ever met him. Gunner walks away and Louie Looks at me and goes, I think that's the biggest shortstop I've ever seen. And I think he's got the biggest hands of any shortstop I've ever seen. That's what we're dealing with here. And Dan, great high school basketball player, tremendous athlete. He's going to figure everything out. And an absolute dirt dog when it comes to playing the game and playing it properly. He would be next on my list.

Dan Patrick (35:55)

Can we do anything about those elbow things that these guys wear when they go to the plate?

Tim Kirchen (36:01)

I think it's a little too late for that. Dan.

Dan Patrick (36:04)

We.

Tim Kirchen (36:05)

What we really care about is protecting our players and making sure they don't get hurt. Dan, we have healthy scratches now. I got three hits last night, but he ran an awful lot last night. So one of the people are saying he might be a little tired. We're going to give him the day off. So as long as we're trying to keep our players healthy, I think they're going to allow gear and armor and stuff like that. And yet the irony is, or the paradox is the more we protect them, the more it seems they get hurt. It's a little confusing to me.

Dan Patrick (36:42)

And I rail on this and I have for a while, and then nothing can be done about it, I don't think. But the White Sox had six pitchers go down in spring training and they all need Tommy John surgery. And, you know, this is. It's concerning that. You know, maybe, maybe it's analytics that got us to this point here. But if you're the commissioner of baseball and you're watching, I mean, it's. It's not a question of if. It's when this happens. And it's a health issue for Major League Baseball. So what do you do about it?

Tim Kirchen (37:16)

Well, Dan, you have to go all the way back to Little league. And I know it sounds corny, you gotta stop the 1012 year old from throwing off a mound 12 months out of the year. That's how guys are getting hurt. Dan, you know, when you played baseball as a kid, November 15th came around and whatever you were doing at that time, you picked up a basketball. And that's what we should be doing more often. When you play this game, which is so diabolically difficult to play, and you're throwing off a mound 12 months out of the year, no wonder you're going to get hurt. Plus, the industry has demanded that our pitchers throw as hard as they can on every pitch, and when they don't throw a heater, they want them to spin a slider or a curveball at the highest RPM ever. And we wonder why they're getting hurt. The reason you were a good high school pitcher is you played other sports that made you a better pitcher when March came around because you just got back from the basketball season. I am really worried that we are specializing with our young kids. We have to go back to little league and make those changes. Otherwise we're going to have keep having these Tommy John and other arm injuries.

Dan Patrick (38:29)

What would Pete Rose's stats be? Tony Gwynn stats Rod Carew stats Wade Boggs stats if they played in today's game?

Tim Kirchen (38:41)

Well, with the shifting a little bit different, I, I think first off they would be great players today because great players transcend all eras. If you're going to play Rod Peru the way that they play certain guys, he's going to get two bunt hits a game and I'm not making that up. Brett, who's a very humble man, told me a couple years ago when everyone was shifting all over the place, he said if I played today, I'd hit 450. He would see where to hit it. Tony Gwynn was a magician.

Dan Patrick (39:15)

But would they be power hitters because of the analytics though, Tim, when they're coming up in the minor leagues, they, you know, the emphasis is, is on power.

Tim Kirchen (39:24)

Yes, I'm well aware and it really bothers me that we would take a player like Wade Boggs at 328 lifetime walks well over 100 times because he can hit a hard line drive single to left field better than any left handed hitter I've ever seen. And they would tell him, Wade, you're unbelievably strong. You need to hit 40 homers. That's, that's what they would do with him today. And he wouldn't hit.328. He probably hit.288 with 35 homers. But I would rather watch Wade Boggs hit it to all fields and be just another guy who hits a million homers.

Dan Patrick (40:00)

When was your first opening day?

Tim Kirchen (40:03)

My first was in 1982. I count that Dan as my first one, even though I did 81. But 82, I was the full time beat writer hovering the Texas Rangers and the first three games of the season got snowed out in New York. So we had to open in Cleveland. 74,000 people in Cleveland for opening day. The next day they had like 3,000 people. So it was memorable for a lot of reasons. And this is so George Wright was the rookie leadoff guy for the Rangers. He got three hits on opening day. I went to George, rookie from Oklahoma City. I said, george, did you have a good time today? He goes, yeah, I've never been to a major league game before. So the first game he had ever attended in his life, he got three hits. And I just found out like six months ago that Mickey Rivers, the mischievous center fielder, baked an injury in spring training in order for George Wright to make the team. And that's how George Wright ended up on the roster on opening day. Because Mickey loved George Wright. He said, I'll fake an injury and you can play center field on opening day. And then he got three hits in the only game he'd ever attended in his life. That is the beauty of baseball.

Dan Patrick (41:26)

Have fun today. Tim. Great to catch up with you as always.

Tim Kirchen (41:29)

Well, good to see you, Dan. Take care.

Dan Patrick (41:31)

That's Tim Kirchen, ESPN baseball analyst and a member of the Baseball hall of Fame. You know, you talk to certain guys in certain sports and they are just big cheerleaders for their sports. When you have Tom Verducci on or you have Timmy on, they just, they champion baseball. The glass is 3/4 full. And I always appreciate that because it's easy to look and find the negatives there because we're always tweaking, complaining about something. But Tim, well, he might complain. We'll try to find an answer for you as well. We're going to take a break. I believe the back room guys led by Dylan are going to give us some ballpark franks. Yes. Not sure I trust them, but they, they have some ballpark franks coming up here shortly. We're back after this. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app. Tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road and they're responsible for everything. Acceleration, braking, steering, handling. Tread confidently with new tires from Tire Rack. Whether you know exactly what you want or you're looking for expert recommendations, Tire Rack has everything you need. You get started. They are shipped fast and free. Free road hazard protection, convenient installation options, including mobile tire installation. They bring the tires to your home or office and install them on site. And of course, the best selection, including the full lineup of Bridgestone tires. And they don't just sell tires. They test them on the road, on the test track. Learn how the tires you want tackle evasive maneuvers, drive and stop in the rain, or just handle your everyday commute. They think of everything@ TireRack.com Dan See the Bridgestone test results, tire ratings, consumer reviews and check out the current special offers. That's TireRack.com Dan the way tire buying should be in the NFL, there's no margin for error. One mistake can change the outcome of a game. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, overall athletic performance. As the official sleep and wellness partner of the National Football League, Sleep Number's mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. And did you know 80% of NFL players have a Sleep Number Smart bed? I've been partnering with sleep number since 2008. My sleep number setting is 75 and sleep plays such an important role in recovering and we're all unique in what we need from our beds. Why choose a Sleep Number Smart bed? So you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. It's the only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like your Sleep Number setting. Sleep Number Smart beds start at $999. Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you. Sleep Number Official Sleep and Wellness partner of the NFL see store or sleepnumber.com Patrick for details. The average time to hire for most organizations? 30 to 45 days. Are you tired of A costly, lengthy hiring process will simplify and speed up the recruitment by using the experts at Express Employment Professionals, reduce the time to hire, cut down on multiple interviews and lower your recruitment cost. Whether you're looking for contract workers or a new team member, the streamlined job posting, they are able to help you with that candidate searching. Also, the hiring process is more efficient than hiring on your own. Let Express Pros do everything for you. And if you haven't used a staffing company before, this is the year to do things differently. Businesses are navigating a hiring landscape that's never been more expensive or regulated. Draft the experts and get the next pro for your team. Start@ExpressPros.com to find the location nearest you. For all types of jobs and a variety of reasons, choosing Express Employment Professionals is the move to make more than 860 locally owned offices. You'll get the hiring support you need@expresspros.com Expresspros.com Cars today are built to last, but how are they going to look? That's up to you. That's where Mako comes in. They specialize in cosmetic repairs or as they like to call it, cosmolision, affordable paint jobs, fixing those annoying dents and dings. Mako Makes it really easy to refresh your ride. Maybe your car's paint is fading or that scratch from the grocery store parking lot still bugs you. Whatever Mako has you covered. The best part, Free estimates. You stop into your local Mako and find out just how simple it is to protect your ride, your investment. Keep your car looking sharp for years to come. Proud to be trusted partners for drivers across the country, helping get vehicles back on the road and looking their best. This year, they're hitting the road with a brand new van that showcases the many ohs that your vehicle might experience over its lifetime. Scratches, dents, dings, faded paint. So we have the Mako van on the road at the Super Bowl. Also drafts at the draft at Green Bay. This road trip is taking Mako to New Orleans for the big game and then from there, drafts at the draft in Green Bay. Also Iowa for this summer. You can follow Mako's journey. Check out the van@danpatrick.com Mako proudly bringing new life to vehicles and helping drivers get back on the road. Visit your local Mako for a free estimate today. Uh oh, better get Mako. There's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo clay. It's thick, burnt orange, and it's got a reputation. It's terrible, terrible dirt. Yazoo clay eats everything, so things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not. In 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking discovery. 7,000 bodies out there or more, all former patients of the old state asylum. And nobody knew they were there. It was my family's mystery. But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets. Nobody talks about it. Nobody has any information. When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think.

Greg Sankey (47:56)

The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.

Dan Patrick (48:01)

I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to Under Yazu Clay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Charles Barkley on the show tomorrow, Dylan surprised us with some ballpark franks. He really surprised us with he had an apron on and no shirt on underneath. That stopped some people's appetites. But I just said, I'll take a Ballpark Frank. Tastes good. Little mustard on it. Yeah. Okay. We don't have a problem. When we go to a game and let's say you're in the middle of the row, and then all of a sudden you go, hey, I'll take a hot dog. And then seven people are handling your hot dog.

Greg Sankey (48:44)

Whoa.

Dan Patrick (48:45)

As it comes down. What? Hey, when it comes down to you, we're okay with that. Yeah. Here you go.

Greg Sankey (48:51)

Here you go.

Dan Patrick (48:51)

Here you go. Here go. Thank you. Get a pretzel. Yeah, yeah. Here you go. Everybody's grimy. Hands all over. Make sure you go to danpatrick.com almost everything is on sale under $20. Great items there. Stat of the day has been brought to you by Panini America. Let's see. So we got games coming up tonight. Oh, here was something. We talked about this before the show. CD Lamb is going into the NFL rule book. The league made a rule change this week and it targets CD Lamb. He has a signature nose wipe celebration and if he does it again, it's called a violent gesture. So the exact wording on this celebration is any violent gesture which shall include but not be limited to a throat slash simulating firing, brandishing or gun or using the nose wipe gesture or an act that is sexually suggestive or offensive. Now, pro football talk notes that the nose wipe is a gang sign associated with the Bloods to indicate someone is untrustworthy. He was saying that's an untrustworthy first down. He has been using the nose wipe since he was drafted in 2020. Lamb appears ready to adjust accordingly according to Yahoo Sports and has indicated on social media he has other celebrations in mind. So the nose wipe gesture that I did not know was somehow affiliated with the Bloods to indicate someone is untrustworthy. Now, can I do that? If I point towards Todd, what did you learn today? Todd, famously a crip, does not appreciate that. No, Todd is trustworthy. He is. He's very trustworthy. A couple of phone calls in here, we'll do this day in sports history. How about Kenny in la? Hi, Kenny. What's on your mind today? Hey, Dan, you had that interview with the possibility of Cooper flag going back to Duke and I think Wally's your react who I love poo pooed that and most people have and I agree. But going back to my era, Ralph Sampson, of course was a three time player of the year and he was going to go out in 82. But the Clippers and Lakers had the coin flip and rather than going back and or going into the draft, he did not want to risk being drafted by the Clippers. And so the Lakers ended up taking Worthy, which worked out real well. But you'll recall in the all star game, Matic played with Sampson.

Greg Sankey (51:51)

He was tremendous.

Dan Patrick (51:53)

You sound like Tom Arnold. Never heard that one before. Yes, you sound like. You sound like the actor Tom Arnold. Well, thank you, Kenny. Thank you, Jeremy in Texas. Hi, Jeremy. Good morning, sir.

Greg Sankey (52:09)

Just wanted to maybe showcase the brilliance.

Dan Patrick (52:12)

Of my hero, Nolan Ryan. Or maybe just.

Greg Sankey (52:14)

He was just a freak of nature and maybe too late to get a stat of the day 1974 for a bad California Angels team. He was 22 and 16, 2, 89 ERA, 26 complete games, 332 innings, 1392.

Dan Patrick (52:33)

Batters faced, and no Tommy John surgery. All right, thank you, Jeremy. This is the Richard in Riverside. Hi, Richard. What's on your mind? Morning, Dan.

Greg Sankey (52:57)

First time, long time, £200, 511.

Dan Patrick (53:01)

I have a. I have a suggestion for a specific sound bite for stat.

Tim Kirchen (53:07)

Of the day in honor of baseball.

Greg Sankey (53:10)

I was hoping that you guys could get a hold of Will Ferrell and.

Dan Patrick (53:15)

That he do a rant as Harry Carey for a baseball stat of the day. Well, I already have Will Ferrell doing a stat of the day song, so I don't want to ask too much of. He does have another job. Just he's always very helpful and I think he wants to go to Iowa with us. He. I think he's shooting a movie with Zac Efron. But I did say to him, why don't you think of my career first? And so maybe, maybe he'll join us for a day or two in Iowa. This day in sports history. Paulie. 1989, Sports Illustrated exposed Pete Rose's gambling.

Tim Kirchen (53:51)

Activities in a cover story they alleged.

Dan Patrick (53:53)

He bet from the dugout during games with a hand gesture to associate in center field. I know you know a lot about this. And Magic Johnson, 1994 became head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He coached the final 16 games of the 9394 season. On this day, 2011, LeBron, D. Wade and Chris Bosh all had 3010 games, 3310 rebounds, 3010 rebounds, 3112 rebounds. They. And that's the first time in 50 years that that happened. At least three teammates with 30 and 10 in a non overtime game. I saw where Ryan Clark of the Mothership was mistaken for D. Wade on a plane flight. I think. Does that happen yesterday, Todd? That is true, yeah. You know, people gushing all over you, man, I loved you. You were so great. So many great memories.

Greg Sankey (54:47)

You're so happy.

Tim Kirchen (54:48)

Wow.

Dan Patrick (54:48)

They follow me NFL live.

Greg Sankey (54:49)

They really know who I am.

Dan Patrick (54:51)

Then all of a sudden they go, yeah, D. Wade, great to meet you. Todd, what'd you learn today? Wally Zerbiak says the hardest player he ever had to defend was Paul Pierce and of course Kobe Bryant Seton. Wally Zerbiak had a hell of a collection of coaches in college. Marvin Fritzi is about self care. Paul we're eating hot dogs. Todd what did I learn? It's hard to hate the Dodgers or call them an evil empire when their players and manager are quite likable. The voice of March Madness, Clark Kellogg will stop by, as will Charles Barkley. Hope you'll join us as well for a meet Friday. Have a great day everybody. Enjoy the games. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real, and so is the relief from Evglis. After an initial dosing phase of 16 weeks, about 4 in 10 people taking F glyce achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Lebricizumab LBKZ a 250mg per 2ml injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebgliss can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about ebglis and visit eglis.lilly.com or call 1-800-LilyRx or 1-800-545-5979. In Mississippi, Yazoo Clay keeps secrets.

Greg Sankey (56:28)

Seven thousand bodies out there or more.

Dan Patrick (56:31)

A forgotten asylum cemetery. It was my family's mystery. Shame, guilt, propriety. Something keeps it all buried deep until it's not. I'm Larison Campbell and this is under Yazoo Clay. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, y'all? I'm A.J. andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. On my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds, we dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights and conversations that inspire and Empower. It's time to Drop Bombs and Diamonds dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner.

Tim Kirchen (57:29)

Of iHeart Women's Sports Network.

Dan Patrick (57:31)

Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBGLIS. After an initial dosing phase of 16 weeks, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Lebricizumab, LBK, a 250mg per 2ml injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with eiss before starting epis. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about epis and visit epis Lily.com or call 1-800-LilyRx or 1-800-545-5979. In 2020, a group of young women found themselves in an AI fueled nightmare. Someone was posting photos.

Greg Sankey (58:39)

It was just me naked. Well, not me, but me with someone else's body parts.

Dan Patrick (58:44)

This is Levittown, a new podcast from iHeart podcasts Bloomberg and Kaleidoscope about the rise of deepfake pornography and the battle to stop it. Listen to Levittown on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. Find it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.