MLB HOF and the Durham Bulls 2024-25 season

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Call us at 1-888-FREEDOM. Interesting, I saw the email yesterday. The Durham Bulls have a new manager. His name is Morgan Enzberg, a former big league all-star.

Fourth in the MVP voting in 2005 with the Houston Astros. Did you just laugh at that, or were we just listening to background noise? Congratulations on becoming the manager of the Durham Bulls. How are you? Hey, Adam, I'm great.

Thanks for having me on. It's funny. I guess I remember that I played in the big leagues and things like that, but when you start hearing back some of the things or stats and so forth, you're kind of like, was that me? I felt like I stunk. Well, you stunk to the tune of 36 home runs and 101 runs batted in in 2005. That ain't that bad.

Yeah, I guess it's not that bad. I mean, didn't you guys win a World Series? Well, we went to a World Series, but we lost to the White Sox. It was a pretty incredible, incredible season. We started that season 15 and 30, Adam.

15 and 30. It's a long, how many times did you hear it's a long season? I mean, okay, that's what, yeah, I mean, that's code.

Sometimes that's code for we're not very good and maybe we'll pull up. But, you know, interestingly enough about that specific team, we had the horses, meaning, you know, it's a Roy Oswald, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettit, Brad Lidge. I mean, we had weapons on the pitching staff, so it was an incredible year.

I was very thankful for it. Yeah. And Hall of Famers on that team. And so we'll get to the Hall of Fame and the voting yesterday in just a second. But first, you've got pedigree. You were the manager in double-A in the Rays organization and you made the playoffs basically all the time. And the expectations here in Durham are win the league all the time.

What does it say about the organization that the standards are so high? Yeah, you know, I'll tell you, I think that what ends up happening is you use this word culture, right? I mean, it gets kind of played out, but it's hard for me to think of a different type word. So don't take me too seriously in this using that word. But when you I believe that you learn how to win.

OK, like you are taught how to win. And the Rays do an incredible job of identifying players. You can't do it without players.

You cannot do it. You need the horses. Now, second to that is that once you have them, you have to make sure you have a process in development that can teach them how to develop their individual skills and teach them how to win. And I think that's where the Rays are are truly the best in the game. And I think, you know, the proof is in the pudding. Right.

I mean, all of our teams go to the playoffs. We make runs at it. But I think it's definitely just a byproduct of having great players and having an excellent system up and down and how we teach the game.

There's also a reward. It seems like we don't see this in a lot of other organizations throughout their minor leagues with managers and coaches. But there's a reward system, it seems, for Tampa Bay and throughout the system, because so many of the men who came before you as managers with Durham are now in the big leagues as coaches. How much of just how much of that plays into a decision to stay within an organization?

I'll tell you, I don't I have to think about that idea. I can give you my perspective in terms of you're a coach in the minor leagues or a manager in the final leagues. And then, you know, hopefully your ultimate goal is to be in the big leagues. I'm in this kind of unique situation and that I made it to the big leagues as a player.

And I'm very thankful for that. I didn't expect to be that. I was a walk-on at SC, the real SC out in Southern California. But I was a walk-on.

And I just kept on being offered a year to play. So I got to the big leagues and I've experienced that. And I think that I naturally have always been a teacher.

My mom is a retired teacher and I've always had that sort of bent. And what I really care about now is doing everything I can to help these people, these guys, get to the big leagues. As for me, I think I don't have control over where I'm placed, you know, whether it's the big leagues and the minor leagues. And I'm very content and know that I'm exactly where I need to be at the time. So I go to the park super pumped. And you know, I think I'm excited to go to the park.

I'm excited to watch these players. I'm a very encouraging manager. I don't yell at players.

It's not like that. I encourage them and remind them that they can do it. But I teach them technique and I teach them, along with the other coaches, how to win. And that's where I really feel the most worth. And hopefully, you know, down the road, the long-term goal is to be a major league manager. But I'll tell you what, I have the best job in the world. I could do this every day of my life going to a ballpark and help the players reach their childhood dreams. Yeah, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, by the way, is a great place to go to work every day. Morgan Enzberg is joining us here, just named the new manager of the Durham Bulls.

All right. Let's let me ask you real quick because you're, you know, you're at an age where a lot of the guys you played against are now, you know, up for Hall of Fame. And a few of them got in yesterday. Adrian Beltre goes in. I mean, I know the early voting was like almost unanimous.

It wasn't unanimous, obviously, but he goes in. Todd Helton and Joe Mauer. Give me an, what are your thoughts on Joe Mauer as a player? Let me tell you something just period about these Hall of Fame guys. These dudes are really good.

I mean, these guys are playing a game that I'm not familiar with. Joe Mauer is incredible. I mean, the fact that he can be a catcher, I know later in the Prairie moved to first just to wear and tear, but we're talking about a special individual. I mean, an all state basketball, football, baseball player.

I mean, wrap your mind around. Yeah. So, I mean, the guy is an incredible player and I think deserving of it. Belton, Beltran, you know, Beltran has a third baseman, meaning I'm a third baseman or was a third baseman.

He's a third baseman. The guy's incredible. So I'm happy for those guys. I think that a lot more guys should get it. I think the fact that Billy Wagner's not in is a travesty.

He'll be, I just, you know, I played with him. He certainly, in my opinion, deserves it. I think that I would like to see some reforms in the way the system, how they vote, because some people won't put in a ballot. You know, and, you know, these guys need those votes.

So I'm, you know, people smarter than me can figure that out. But I, I really wish that we had a different system because I know Billy deserves it. Interesting, different system in like not having as many or like changing the voting block. Should there be more, should it be X players that vote? Because, I mean, my own personal feel is that because there's so much gray area with the performance-enhancing drug era. And you have, I mean, two teammates from that year, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettit, and certainly one, maybe, maybe the other, but certainly Roger Clemens, one of the greatest we've ever seen. I mean, his accomplishments as a pitcher, they belong in the hall.

So does, you know, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez for what we know the reasons why they're not in. So would you say players should vote? I think it should be, listen, much smarter people than me can figure out how this vote thing works, but my knee-jerk reaction is something like, um... Luckyland Casino asking people, what's the weirdest place you've gotten lucky? Lucky? In line at the deli, I guess.

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No purchase necessary. If certain people don't vote on the ballot, somehow the current votes get more, what's the term, like power, more weight. Right. Right? Like, somehow.

And again, I'm not a math, I don't know how this would work, but somehow where it's not that those people that didn't vote would get penalized, but you would take the votes and weight them greater somehow. To allow for these guys to get in. I don't know about the answer. I think in terms of, you know, performing enhancing drugs and stuff, I don't know how to tackle that. Like, I just don't know. It's not something that I think about.

I'm just a, you know, I'm a Norwegian who had power, so that was never something that was attractive to me. In fact, the irony was that I didn't realize that there was as much PED use, because you have to remember, I came into the game, I got drafted in 98, got into the big leagues in 2000, and that was, you know, whoever was doing it was already doing it. So I just thought that's what a pro ball player looked like. I didn't realize guys were using, I had no clue. Because also remember, if I'm in the minor leagues producing and, you know, producing at or above the people that were using them, I'm like, well, this is certainly possible to hit this amount of home runs.

So it just, it didn't show up on my radar. But I don't know how to answer that. I don't know how to deal with that. All right, well, before we let you go, Morgan Innsberg is the brand new manager of the Durham Bulls.

We have to have as many conversations as possible about baseball throughout the season. But when you say I'm a Norwegian who had power, my natural follow up is, did you ever consider one of those World's Strongest Man competitions? Because it seems to always be won by Scandinavians. Absolutely. I mean, these are my people, right? I mean, it's just the natural strength, and then you get dad's strength, and then you're able to just kind of like lift up a car. It's awesome.

It's a it's a competitive advantage. I'm thankful both sides of my family are Norwegian. So you got a Viking coming to North Carolina. Oh, man, this is gonna be great.

Morgan Innsberg. I thank you so much. Congratulations on getting the gig. We will talk to you soon.

I appreciate your time. Hey, thanks for having me. I love him. Holy cow.

It's totally unexpected. I love him. I have I have that in my family as well, too. So we have something in common. Can you lift a boulder over your head? I can, actually. That's my specialty.

Very nice. And by the way, credit for him to him for saying the real S.C., meaning Southern Cal. We didn't get into the real Carolina, meaning UNC, but we'll do that when he comes to town. You can play for free anytime, anywhere, and each day brings a new chance to collect daily bonuses. So join me in the fun. Sign up now at Chumba casino dot com.