Jeff Passan: I Think There Was Lingering Resentment Between Rafael Devers and the Red Sox

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance, fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home, and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it.

So your dollar goes a long way. Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.

Broadcasting to you live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. This is the Rich Eisen Show. He's possibly the most famous broadcaster ever. Rich Eisen. But Justin Field's best superpower may just be him internalizing everything and not externalizing a damn thing.

Today's guests: ESPN MLP Insider Jeff Passen, 49ers tight end George Kittle, X-Games gold medalist, skateboarder Deshaun Jordan, Greenlight podcast host, and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long. And now. Yeah. It's That's right, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show, fresh back from yet another weekend of being the best dad ever.

I am your humble host here on the Roku Sports Channel, as well as this. Terrestrial Radio Affiliate on Infinity Sports Network, Sirius XM Channel 375, and Odyssey, 844-204, Rich is the number to dial. Let's have a conversation. George Kittle and Chris Long, two of our favorites. We've got an ex-gamer, which you can see right here on the Roku channel starting June 27th.

Deshaun Jordan will be here. I assume he'll walk in here, but we'll see if he's going to have wheels. And Jeff Passon got a late-night text from me saying, What's up? And so he's going to join us in about 20 minutes' time. The NBA Finals is two games apiece because the Oklahoma City Thunder had a fourth quarter to finally overcome what the Pacers have been doing to them in two of the first, three fourth quarters of this series to take a two games to one lead.

It's tied to two games apiece. Game five is tonight. We've got that to talk about on this program. 844-2044 Rich Number Dow. Good to see you over there, Christopher Brockman, fresh back from your coat and tails and your debutante weekend.

And happy belated Father's Day to you, sir. And same to you, Rich. I've had better Sundays, but that's, you know, we'll talk about that. We shall in a moment. Good to see you, Jay Philly.

How are you? What's up, Rich? TJ Jefferson, candles lit. Candles lit, everybody. Good to see you, man.

Well, something happened to me this week. You guys can relate. I can't. My team lost the series, so I don't know how to act.

Well, my team got sweat. My team got swept. But we'll talk about that in a moment, actually, right now. Hey, let's start this show with apparently an unfortunate for folks like Chris Brockman rite of passage. The Red Sox have a generational talent.

And eventually, for whatever reason, it falls apart, and they send him to California to finish his career. That seems to be the MO. Certainly, if they won a championship. In 2018, I mean, Big Poppy wound up in Southern California just on television of his own volition. Of course, we all know he's going to wind up.

Um, in Cooperstown, New York, at some point.

Well, Rich, isn't the first instance of that they send them to New York? No, no, no, no, no. Mookie Betts went straight here to Los Angeles. Let's talk about babies. Um, and then Pedro went to New York.

Um, and then uh, you also have um. Xander Bogart to San Diego. And then now Raphael Devers is a San Francisco giant. Knocked me over with a feather. That the Red Sox trade, they're 28-year-old.

Three-time all-star. With 58 runs batted in, after his 90 millionth career home run against the New York Yankees, 58 runs batted in his third most in Major League Baseball. He's led the team in runs batted in. Five straight years and was slated to lead them again this year, had he finished the year. And he completes, helps the Red Sox complete.

A three-game suite of the New York Yankees to go above 500. uh on the season And the game's over, and now he's a San Francisco giant, traded for two current Major League pitchers. Or, I guess, we'll hold off on that. Categorization for the moment because they acquired right-handed. pitcher Jordan Hicks.

And left-handed. pitcher Kyle Harrison. Who was slated to start for the Giants? In Los Angeles last night. On ESPN, Sunday Night Baseball.

Half hour before the game, they pull him from the start and say, You have been traded to the Red Sox, who promptly then sent him to Triple A. And Jordan Hicks, he's going to start. For the Red Sox, one would think at some point. He's currently on the injured list with toe inflammation, plus. two prospects coming to Boston.

for Raphael Devers And I imagine the hall isn't What? Chris and Red Sox Nation. thought they could get for Raphael Devers. That said. Part of the reason I imagine that hall might not be as exciting for Red Sox Nation is because the Giants are paying every penny.

That remains on his contract that runs through 2033. And that's over 250. Million dollars. Yeah. And that's maybe part And parcel of why this happened.

Another reason why this may have happened is because of the money they spent in free agency this year after hardly spending a dime. of note over the past few. Winters? To acquire Alex Bregman, who plays the same position. As the one that Devers had been playing until Bregman arrived.

And when Bregman arrived via free agency, Raphael Devers. was pissed. and let everyone know about it. in multiple languages. He was a multilingual in being pissed off publicly.

Here was the moment. where potentially The trade conversations began, or at least. The smoke began. behind the scenes. When Devers was asked about playing designated hitter, Now that Bregman was the third baseman, or at least a third baseman, or at least somebody.

who uh you know is a gold glover at that position, which Devers, in order to have a gold glove, he would have to take his glove and plate it in gold himself because nobody who votes for that would ever consider Devers as such. But when you rake like he does, you kind of overlook all of that. But at any rate, this was the moment of truth back in February. Headed. Yeah, I mean, third base is my position.

It's what I've played. You know, I don't know what their plans are. Like, I know we had a conversation. I made it clear kind of what my desires were. And yeah, whatever happens from here, I don't know.

How would you react if they asked you to DH? How would you feel about that? No. Can you translate that, please? Yeah, that one didn't need to be translated.

So Devers was hooked on phonics on that one. Listen, um Chris, I don't know. How you're feeling? But In your manager, I trust. And we always say here on this show, when things like this happen.

And the only thing similar to this that you could say might happen, might have happened. is the LUCA trade, where somebody who is still quite in his prime. And it is viewed as the face of the franchise where the best player still remaining on the franchise gets sent. to California out of the blue. Out of nowhere, I'm assuming, and we'll ask Jeff Passon this shortly.

This wasn't like a pocket listing for the Giants. Were they shopping him? And they just found somebody that really could use him. I mean, the Giants are really going to enjoy Raphael Devers, and everybody's sitting in their boats and kayaks out there in McCovey Cove. Get ready, because he's going to send some splashdowns your way.

from the left side of the plate. And you know With all due respect to your former Met Wilma Flores, he wasn't cutting it with. The power stats, and he is, despite his excellence since leaving the Mets to go. To San Francisco. He's going to lose some ABs here.

That said, The Giants should be ecstatic. Their fans should be ecstatic. Buster Posey pushing buttons to say, We are in the mix here in this NL West and we need this bat, and we're going to go ahead and spend the money. And kudos to ownership, and kudos to the front office, and kudos to everybody in that organization. They are getting a stone-cold red.

Socks. Yankee killer. Which is the other thing here. We always say, you know. There's an iceberg.

We just see the tip. And if the Red Sox are trying to break in all of these young studs. That they're bringing up. And you got somebody there who's like, yeah. I'm not playing.

Anything other than the position that I'm playing, third base. and winds up DHing. And he clearly took some time to DH. To get a hold of it, right? One of the first weeks he was.

He was 0 for 17, you know, with a ton of stride pass or something. But he found his sea legs. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's third in RBIs in Major League Baseball. And.

You know, if you're if, and then he refuses once Tristan Cass is their stud young. first baseman goes out for the Rest of the season due to injury. Yeah, I'm not going to learn how to play first. Although that's and that ain't easy to learn how to do that in the middle of a season. Exactly.

And plus, you know, if he wasn't very. Good fielding at third. And that's the position he's been playing. First base could have been really ugly and You know. But if Whatever's going on behind the scenes and he's unhappy there, you gotta ship him out.

I guess. Do you do you? I don't know. This is so embarrassing on so many levels.

So many levels. Fans. Yeah. Fans have no reason to root for this team, you know, if ownership and front office is going to behave this way. Like, what are you teaching and what are you showing these younger kids?

Clearly, Devers was lied to in the offseason, right? He went into this year thinking I'm the third baseman. He was probably told, hey, look, we're going after. Alex, he's going to play second or short, right? And then all of a sudden, spring training hits, and now he's the third baseman.

I don't blame him for being pissed for that, but he did eventually take to being the DH.

Now you want him to relearn another position. You're asking him to shift his focus again. As we've heard all offseason, it's a different focus to be out on the field and then going to hit. And then, no, I'm not playing the field anymore.

Now I'm just a hitter.

Now you want him to go back to that again. I don't blame him for being upset. What's going to be disappointing is, maybe we'll hear it from Jeff already, but this week you're going to get all the stories coming out of Boston about how he was a malcontent in the clubhouse. They're just going to trash him on the way out. And that is going to really suck because this guy has been one of the faces of the Red Sox for the last decade.

He came onto the scene blasting a home run at 18 years old off of Raldis Chapman. And you're like, this guy is going to be with our organization. Until the end of time, as long as I will be a fan. And now we've seen it time and time again that from this ownership group, they care about other things other than the Red Sox. This is clearly just a salary dump, and they're gonna trash him for being a malcontent on the way out.

And that is really disappointing. It's really embarrassing. We're not the Pirates. We're not the White Sox. We're the Red Sox.

They've won the most championships this century. What are we doing? And on top of it, I will say this, speaking as a die-hard Yankee fan. See ya. To quote Michael Kay, see ya.

We will see you for three games. Absolutely at bats. That's all I want to see him. 12 at bats, maybe 14 per year. Out.

Standing news. Because if you're a Red Sock too. And you find a stone cold, I'll use that again, Yankee killer. You cannot Get rid of him. Garrett Cole, wherever he is, is kind of vibing, hopefully with his non-surgically repaired arm.

But this is the guy who, if you remember, last year, Wound up, I think. Coming up on his own too. Personally, come up with the idea to intentionally walk him and then fell completely apart after that. I have his numbers against Garrick Cole, the guy who the Yankees have spent a gajillion dollars on, and until You know, Max Freed, who gave up a home run to Devers, I think, to make it 31, if not 32, career home runs against the Yankees. The Ace, Garrett Cole.

14 hits, eight home runs, 20 runs batted in against Cole and his career. And that's the other thing that is so infuriating about the announcement of this. It came after a sweep of the Yankees in which he hits a home run. I don't know if we did catch the fact that you knocked Jay Felly's or somebody's. Um You knock something off the table by pounding the table.

I'm ready to flip over the table. I hear you. I hear you. I couldn't be. Happier.

Although this kid Narvaez, who the Yankees sold to the Red Sox, he's been a new Yankee killer. He's been great. And so, again, you're going to play all these kids, and you're playing for because apparently they're sitting against lefties. I don't know. Figure it out.

Uh it is a big shrug emoji. But as a Yankee fan, see ya. And that Will be that. Wally's hat stays, Devers goes. And the Devers, Bogarts, Mookie Bets trio that I thought would be sticking it to the Yankees deep into this.

decade will uh now are all California Baseball players. And speaking from the Bronx, couldn't be happier. And that's not to rub salt in it, but this is the rivalry. I would be happy to if I were you. Honestly, a died in the wall.

And Bregman is a Yankee killer, too. Good riddance. Couldn't get him out. Lefties, righties, junk ballers, fastballers, couldn't get him out. And he is now going to be a San Francisco giant, which is making the NL West even huger.

And the fact that this news, just to give you an idea of just how big this news is. In the middle of this Aftermath, we're all learning about it, and you're seeing it on Sunday night baseball. The Dodgers are like, Kershaw couldn't believe it. Nobody could believe it. The Giants themselves couldn't believe it.

We're learning about it in real time. You know? This is how big it is. The second biggest baseball news is Otani's going to pitch tonight. He's going to start tonight for the Dodgers against the Padres in a huge NL West matchup.

And the traffic's already starting right now to try and get to the first pitch tonight. Shoe Otani is going to throw his first pitch as a Los Angeles Dodger tonight. And Cooper said to me last night: this is crazy. He didn't even have. A rehab start and then caught himself.

He goes, Oh, yeah, if he did. He wouldn't be there to hit.

So no rehab starts because he's too All world of a hitter to send to Triple-A to get ready. It's all like simulated pitching, and he's going to start tonight against the Padres. And that is 100% going to be on the screen next to game five of the NBA Finals. Because this is why the Dodgers pay him all that money. And he's going to start tonight for the Dodgers.

I cannot wait to see what that looks like. The place is going to go nuts, and it's the Padres in town. While the Giants just acquired Raphael Devers, And the diamondbacks, if they could ever kind of get it together and not try and come back from being 10 down 10 runs successfully, I might add, in every single one of their wins. Yeah. And then there's the poor Rockies.

But that said. Crazy baseball news to start us off. Crazy. And I can't wait to, it's going to be awesome to watch Otani. And we're going to ask this of Passon.

I know you think, Chris, this is the wrong thing for them to do. Don't love it. Don't mess with it. But this is why they paid him 700 million bucks. To do this stuff, I can't wait to see it, is going to be like a Fernando Valenzuela Hideo Nomo type.

Festival Every time he pitches and in a way that With all due respect, was never that way in Anaheim. It was always it was always fun. And it was always... Um Interesting. But it's just going to be off.

the hook tonight in Dodger Stadium and once every five days when he's pitching at home. And I can't wait to see it. And we and they won a World Series without him pitching. Let's see how we could affect wins and losses now this year. George Kittle, Chris Long, we've got Deshaun Jordan, a professional skateboarder that you could be able to see work his craft in the X games here on the Roku channel starting June 27th.

He's in studio 844-204-Rich, number to dial. It is an Oval Reaction Monday. Monday, let's take a break. When we come back, the one and only Jeff Passon to answer our questions. That's next.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance, fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home, and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it.

So your dollar goes a long way. Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.

Even the safest drivers still encounter unsafe conditions, so it's important they do it in a safe vehicle. and Hyundai's offer available class executive advanced safety features to help keep you protected against the many challenges the road throws your way. Basically, in a Hyundai, you can drive as safely as possible and enjoy your journey in confidence and style. When you change lanes, signal check for traffic and enjoy the added safety of Hyundai's available blind spot view monitor. Constantly scan for dangers and take advantage of Hyundai's standard forward collision avoidance assist to help prevent accidents by alerting you of imminent collisions and automatically applying the brakes.

Stay alert at all times and be thankful that Hyundai's standard driver attention warning system monitors your attention levels and can bring your focus back on the road. Safety is all about making the right decisions on the road and when selecting a vehicle. Learn more at Hyundausa.com. Call 562-314-4603 for details. Let's talk O'Reilly Auto Parts people.

They're in the business of keeping your car on the road. OOOORILY Auto Parts offers friendly, helpful service and the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs. They've got thousands of parts and accessories in stock either in store or online so you never have to worry if you're in a jam. The team at O'Reilly Auto Parts can also test your battery for free in or out of your car. If it needs to be replaced, they'll help you find just the right battery for your vehicle.

Need your windshield wipers replaced, a brake light fixed, or a quick service?

Well, they'll help you find the right part or point you to the nearest local repair shop for help. I know because it's happened to me. The professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts are your one-stop shop for all things auto do-it-yourself. And you can find what you need in store or online. Stop by O'Reilly Auto Parts today or visit us at O'ReillyAuto.com slash Eisen.

That's O'ReillyAuto.com/slash Eisen. I mean, we didn't even talk about J.J. Spawn winning the U.S. Open and Desmond Bing being acquired for more than what the Lakers gave up for Luca.

So we'll talk about that still to come here on the program. But this is what happens when baseball knocks off its axis. I mean, Shoey Otani's starting tonight for the Dodgers. Raphael Devers is a giant out of the blue. And the Pope's wearing white socks.

I mean, so to make heads or tails out of all of this, ladies and gentlemen, Jeff Passon of ESPN back on the program. Good to see you, Jeff. Did I kind of sum it all up? What's happening? Good lord.

Yeah. I mean, what do we have to talk about at this point now? Like, you hit the news. We're good to go. I'll be on my merry way.

This was fun, Rich. Thank you. But in all honesty, normally with baseball, it's like, how do they screw it up? What's wrong with umpiring? What about the new rules?

But this is the good stuff, right? Like, this is great stuff. This is like football. Type of stuff. Who's starting at quarterback?

That's Otani. And then what about these trades? You know, it's like football, basketball stuff for baseball. This is good. This is, for the lack of a better, you know, analogy for Chris and Red Sox fans.

This is the good stuff. Jeff. This is great. It's exciting. You know, Major League Baseball season, Rich, lasts for six months.

And over the course of those six months, Not a lot of moments that really resonate with General fan, but I think the fact that a player, unlike any we've seen in the history of the game, coming back to do the very unique thing that he does, it's big. And it's not going to be all that exciting because it's only going to be one or two innings. You know, we're not going to see him like going out for a complete game or anything. But Johe Otani, after 22 almost months on the shelf, following his second major reconstructive elbow surgery, is going to be back on the mound for the first time in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. And you compound that with Rafael Devers, one of the 10, maybe 15 best hitters in all of baseball, going from one of the more key teams in the sport, the Boston Red Sox, to the San Francisco Giants, seemingly out of nowhere.

It's been a fun 24 hours for baseball. No doubt about it. Jeff Passon here on the Rich Eisen Show right here on Roku. All right, let's just jump right. Into it, Jeff.

Why was Raphael Devers traded on Sunday? It was a combination of things, Rich. And I think it all starts back in spring training when Raphael Devers was asked to be moved off of third base. And he said, no, I don't want to do that. He's been a third baseman his whole career.

And even though Alex Spregman is an objectively better defensive third baseman, the communication throughout the winter with Devers had suggested that he was in no danger of being moved off the position.

So you start with that poor communication. Then you move on to Tristan Casas getting hurt for the year and the Red Sox asking Raphael Devers to move to first base. And after moving to DH, planning on staying at DH the whole season, he was told you don't need a glove.

Now they're asking him to play first base. And look, he was under a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. And I think generally speaking, our perspective on athletes is when you sign that deal, the club gets to do whatever they want. Want with you, but he said, I'm not comfortable, I don't want to do that. And there was just this lingering resentment that I think went both ways.

From Devor's side, the lack of communication or of clear communication from the organization. And from the organization side, it's like, dude, we're. Paying you $30 plus million dollars a year, do what we ask.

Now, the Red Sox were not going around acting. Shopping him. But there have been conversations, sources have told me today. With other teams where Devers' name came up, they never really progressed, but with the Giants, this happened quickly. And I think Buster Posey, who's the president of baseball operations there, saw an opportunity.

After missing on Aaron Judge, after missing on Shohei Otani, they're still looking for that big bopper in the middle of the lineup. And if all it was going to take for them to get that is to give up Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, Jose Bayo, and Jordan Hicks and take on $250 plus million dollars, that was something that the Giants, who are right now fighting for first place in the National League West, thought was worth it. The Red Sox, in the meantime, looked at not just the relationship with Devers. But the fact that he is signed through 2033, when he's going to be 36 years old, for a quarter billion dollars and probably looking at mostly DA traps and felt like that money could be better spent elsewhere.

Okay, some follow-ups here, because there is a lot of talk about this being the, you know. Baseball version of the Luka Doncic trade, right? It's not.

Well, not even close.

Well, I mean, so in that respect, just real quick. They they shopped him? Or this was like a pocket listing for the Giants. Jeff. I I don't know if it was a pocket listing like specifically for the Giants, but I think when Raphael Devers' name was brought up to the Giants, Buster Posey was like, okay, this is our chance.

There are not going to be any big bats available at the trade deadline. This offseason, Kyle Tucker is going to cost $400 plus million dollars. And there really aren't any decent bats beside him that are going to be free agents.

So the opportunity over the next couple of years, you know, when Willie Adamas is still in his prime, when Matt Chapman is still in his prime, the opportunity to add to that felt urgent for the Giants. And, you know, I give Buster Posey credit. Like, he went against the math here. You talk to any organization in baseball, and they look at Raphael Devers' contract and say that it's underwater. Moving a guy like that, Rich, it's a difficult thing to do because so much of the money needed to be taken on.

And it was mitigated in part with Jordan Hicks' contract, which is about $30 million left on it. But even so, it's a $200-plus million dollar commitment for a guy who could presumably wind up spending the vast majority of his bats as a designated hitter. And that's a contract where if you were out in free agency, Asking for 200 plus million for a DH only, chances are you aren't gonna get it. But right now, He fits the Giants perfectly. And the real question, I think.

for Red Sox fans and for the Red Sox themselves is How much do you care about 2025? How important is this season to you? Because you're sure not treating it like it's important when you're trading your best player.

Well, and in that regard Um Another way this wouldn't be like the Luca trade is Luka wanted to stay and was stunned. Um Did Devers say he wanted to go? Is this potentially something that we don't see? We only see the tip of the iceberg that Alex Cora was managing his head off here and there was no hint of it publicly, but behind the scenes it was untenable. Jeff, is that possible?

You know, it depends who you talk with about the formality of a trade request. I don't think there was a specific. Trade me situation with Devers. I haven't gotten that. But I think both sides recognize that the relationship was not just fractured, but straight up broken and irrevocably so, it turns out.

And, you know, Raphael Devers, he loved Boston. He loved playing for the Red Sox. But one thing, Rich, that we've seen again, And again. And again. Is that when players are on their way out in Boston tends to get kind of nasty?

And this is one of those situations where I think inside the clubhouse and in the front office, they were just tired of it. Like, we're paying you this much money, and you won't even try. Try to learn a position that would help your team win. During the season, like really, that's the guy that you are. That's not the guy that we thought we were signing when we gave you $300 million.

But I get Rafael Devers' perspective, too. The Red Sox did not communicate well with him this winter. They didn't say to him, hey, these are the possibilities. This is what would happen if it. No, they said you're a third basement.

And so he comes into camp and all of a sudden he's not their third baseman anymore. Wouldn't feel great. Uh but hey. You're going to stick at DH. We're not moving you off that.

That's the plan. And then they go back to him and say, well, ah. Actually, and any time a sentence starts with, well, actually, It doesn't tend to end with something that you want to be here.

So, you know, when it breaks down like that, Rich, repairing a relationship like that is extremely difficult. And I think the Red Sox saw this as an opportunity not only to get that off the team, but also to get the money off the team.

Now, is that right? Is that smart? Is that worthwhile? You know, remains to be seen. And a lot of it depends, I think, on how Rafael Devers ages.

A few minutes I have left with Jeff Passon here on the Rich Eisen show. Moments ago, talking about Otani's first start as a Dodger, you mentioned just one or two innings. It's just going to be a cup of coffee, sort of like a bullpen game, you think? Tanik? Under normal circumstances, when somebody's coming off of reconstructive elbow surgery, he will go down to the minor leagues and make like five or six starts and build up to the point where he can throw 70, 80, 90, maybe even 100 pitches in a game.

Shohei Otani does not have that luxury because it just so happens that he's like the second best hitter in the world. And so this is the Dodgers' way of. Just getting him out there and saying, Hey, let's see what you got, kid. Let's see what we're working with right now. And nobody knows exactly how this is going to go.

I mean, I imagine they would not be putting him out there if the stuff weren't impressive. I imagine they would not be putting him out there if he hadn't said, I want to pitch in a game now. And look, the Dodgers are an organization that listens to their players and respects what they're saying. And they're giving Otani the chance to go out there and show, okay, yeah. He is big league ready, and he is, if not back to what he was beforehand, then at least a close enough facsimile that he can be pitching in the big league.

And they could use him too, right, Jeff? I mean, obviously, you could use Otani anytime, but in particular, their staff is not healthy. Here mid-June, Jeff. Rich, they could use you right now. I've pitched in a Dodger uniform, sir.

First pitch much better than Taylor Luan. I was going to say: if you throw better than you run, they can absolutely use you. Excuse me, you just denigrated two of my five tools, Jeff. What the hell? Come on.

It's my six tools. I'm a six-tool guy with my voice. You are a six-tool. You are a six-tool player. Thank you, Jeff.

Thank you. I appreciate that. It's a very handsome and athletic man. Thank you very much. That's what you're known for.

God bless you. God bless you for that. But yeah, I mean, this is going to be, plus, it's, I just mentioned, it's going to be a festival, right? Like Fernando, Nomo type stuff when he starts in Dodger Stadium. Jeff.

I mean, it's going to be a festival tonight, like against the Padres. Correct. You know, like they're facing their biggest rival right now. No disrespect to the Giants, but in recent years, the Padres have made that ascent to become that. And I I'm just as somebody who loves baseball.

I'm just really excited to see him back out there because Otani as a hitter. It's great. Otani as a two-way player. It's different. It's unique.

It's special. It's Paid Ruth, except in 2025. And every moment that he has out there trying to do both, I think we as baseball fans need to appreciate.

Well, let me tell you this: man: fun stuff. Otani Startin against the Padres. Giants acquire Raphael Devers from the Red Sox, who, by the way, are in San Francisco Friday night.

So this is not going away. It's only going to percolate and then. My gosh, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Red Sox at Giants. Let's roll. It's going to happen.

It's going to be great. Jeff, thanks for the time. Greatly appreciate it. You're the best, right? Right, back at you.

That's Jeff Passen of VSPN here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. I believe he's heading off to Pat now, our friend Pat. It's the little handoff. Um hey Again, it would have been cooler to talk to Jeff under better circumstances. That's all I'm saying.

Just Wrapping it all up here. If they only, I'm sorry to do this, but it's the truth. It's the truth. And this is not trolling at all. If only they gave the 300 million a Mookie Bets.

Uh they tried. It didn't seem like he wanted.

Okay, there you go. Uh if only they gave the some odd 300 million to Bogarts. Right. Right. That would have been a vast overpay, but I understand where you're going.

You see where I'm going on this? They paid the guy, they finally paid the guy. Why wouldn't you pay this guy? I know that.

Well, I mean, why wouldn't you pay the other guys? What happened with Mookie? Like, where he's just, he was seeing the writing on the wall? It seemed like Mookie wanted the trout deal at the time. And why don't they give it to him?

Because they thought he was too slight and it was just a flash in the pan. Is that what it was? This ownership group is cheap and only cares about their other assets, mainly Liverpool. Mm. Notice that they're selling the Penguins because they need cash to pay for their soccer team.

And eventually, the NBA team they want to bring to Las Vegas.

Well, it's working for Liverpool. They just, you know, they just had a parade there. Great. Yeah. Mm.

Let me know how the rest of the season goes. I don't know, but you're going to see all these kids, and I imagine you're going to see them against lefties and righties and the whole business. I mean, you're just going to see them. Didn't see Roman Anthony over the weekend.

Well, he's he's also struggling. Which is, by the way, how is he supposed to work out of a slump if he's not playing? On Friday night. On Friday night, when Judge hit that home run off of crochet in the ninth.

Okay, to tie the game at one apiece. He hit it on Lansdowne. He just, he hit it the hell out. Right. And Crochet's had his number, too.

And Crochet's been terrific. He's been stupendous. They paid the money for him. That was smart. That was a trade.

Okay. I know, I know. And then they gave him the extension, right?

So, um, And then Top of the tenth, Yankees. Try to steal third with Vulpi. He's safe. After further review, what looked to me as can you tell? Can you not tell?

They decided you can tell. He's out.

So Then, with two outs, up comes DJ LeMague, who hits one down a right field line that. Did it hit the line? Did it not hit the line? Sure, look to me that it hit the line. That said, he's out.

He gets. Boone gets thrown out. And then LeMayhew gets thrown out. And then, bottom of the inning, there's two outs. Narvaez is at the plate.

The lefty Tim Hill's here. There's an open base, albeit it's second base. And Brad Osmus, who's taken over for Boone, decides to pitch to the righty. with the lefty and Roman Anthony's on. Deck.

And Core is essentially out of moves. Mm-hmm. And they pitch to Narvaez, who puts one off the monster. And then the Yankees wind up getting swept. I snapped the television off.

And again, this is what's so great about our rivalry. Furious. Furious. Furious, I needed a cooling off period. Furious.

I cursed in front of my 14-year-old.

Something they've never heard before. But it's just, honestly, the salty language. And it's June, but we care so much. But, you know, now... After all of this, We're talking about this instead of that.

Yep. And what, Marcelo Mayer? Yep. And Roman Anthony and Christian Campbell. And it's great.

Okay, this is the young core now. Let's go. But in three or four years, when it's time to pay these guys. That's what I'm saying.

Now they can use those three to four years to find a great real estate agent in the state of California. Right. Why would those guys want to stay? They've been shown the blueprint by this ownership group. Huh.

It sucks. Like, I want to just be a Dodger fan now. Oh. Like, what are we doing? You and Del Tufo?

Wow. Why not? It seems like Dodger fans, O'Shea in general, doesn't know anything about baseball, comes in here every day talking about the Dodgers. It seems like they're having a great time rooting for their team that pays their stars. If we made a certificate, would you sign it?

I'm really thinking about it. Oh, I was in a dark place yesterday. Jay Fellon. I was in a dark place. Are you here tomorrow?

I'm here.

Okay, so let's. Work on that. Put the remediation aside once you're off the clock. We need the document here tomorrow. All right.

Okay. In the meantime, we're going to take a break. Here is Andrew Bogish with a sports update. And on the other side, let's talk about the U.S. Open.

What a story. By the winner in JJ Spawn. That's coming up next. Let's talk sleep number people. If you're like me, then you are just not yourself when you get a bad night's sleep.

Look, sleep plays an important, crucial role in recovery. We're all unique in what we need from our bed, too. That's where sleep number can step in. Sleep number smart beds are the best beds for couples because you can individualize each side. My sleep number setting is 60, my wife's is 70.

It's just 10 numbers apart, but we like our side of the bed the way that we like it. Being able to adjust your bed's firmness after working out, too. For recovery, it's game-changing.

So, why choose a sleep number smart bed? I just told you, but I'll do it again.

So, you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like, your sleep number setting. And now, it's the sleep number 4th of July sale. Save over $600 on the Sleep Number P5 King smart bed, the lowest price of the season, limited time, exclusively at a sleep number store near you. See the store or sleepnumber.com for details.

You're the perfect person to ask this, Bilbert. Why do New England fans? Act so miserable. Why must you be unhappy in order to be happy? You don't think so?

No, I think that that's everybody's reaction. To the jealousy of wanting to live through what we've lived through in the last 15 years because people always say stuff, yeah, they say stuff like, Don't you get sick of winning? Don't you're sick of it, right? Isn't it like boring? It must be like boring because that's all they have.

They all they have. No, it's awesome. I hope it continues, and I've enjoyed every second of it, and when it's over. You know, it's going to be over.

Well, I mean, this guy over there, Brockman, with his Red Sox cap over there, do you have the David Price sound where he was bitching about David Price after the Yankees beat him up in what was that, game two? Play it. Go for it for Bill Burr. I want him to quit. I want him to retire on the spot.

He's not going to do it. I didn't go there. That's what I want. He was terrible. Part of you, so furious at David Price.

He was so furious. But you were kind of feeling good, though. Like you're getting it off your chest. Like you couldn't. It was therapeutic.

See what I'm saying? That's what. What's with, is there something about you? I'm another sports fan that sees that guy going. I don't know.

Just like I'm, maybe I'm just a much more sunny disposition type guy. Were you screaming at Harvard? This is about him. This is about how great he is.

Now I see where this is going. I was confused. You know, Rich, I okay, you spoon fed it to me. I want to tell you something, Rich. Out of all the sports shows I go on, I think you are the nicest, most even-keeled, pleasant, respectful to other fan base.

No, I just think it goes back to like the tea party. You know, it goes all the way back to like you don't feel represented. You feel like you're taxed. You feel like it's taxed. Do you feel the jealousy?

You've never been represented in the sports universe. It's always when I have another teammate come into the studio because I'm teamed up against two-on-one with the New York. Don't you hate anytime, like, there's a big Boston game, what they show. They always show like lighthouses, lobster fishermen, and Paul Revere. Like, oh, yeah, that's Massachusetts.

I didn't see, I never saw any of that growing up. I didn't have any lobster fishermen friends. I never went to a lighthouse. And I never went to the Freedom Trail. I never did it.

I've seen the line painted on the sidewalk. You know, who goes to a tourist attraction in your own city? Exactly. You only do it when relatives come to town. I want to go to the USS Constitution.

Oh, do you? Here's where Cheers is. Stand in line down there. We'll have a great time. I'm going to go to a dive bar.

Where do you want to go next? You want to go to Cheers? Just to let you know, it doesn't look like that when you go inside.

So just take a picture outside. And Ted Danson's not there. Yeah, you want to get some chowder? I hate clam chowder. It's disgusting.

It tastes like somebody already ate it and then spit it back into the bowl. Looks the same way.

Okay. Um I love that. Oh, do ya? We should get that as a drop. We say that when we're not on the air.

We do. Oh, do you? I'm on it.

Okay. That's fun. Bill Burr finishing up his run on Broadway right now. And I think he did a set last night, too. Wow.

Yeah. I mean, Sunday is a performance day. Is Sunday the the two a day? What's the matter? No, Saturday and Wednesday and Saturday have are two a day.

Why Wednesday? I don't know. Okay. You're a Broadway guy. I don't know.

Oh, I Wednesday was excuse me. I am. Legit. No, I'm not. You've probably been to more plays than anyone in the show.

Maybe so, because I'm cultured. Look, there's so many sports stories. Championship runs that you don't expect, or championship runs that create dynasties. That's in team sports, right? We're talking about the Devers trade, where people are outraged, or surprised, or shocked.

And then you see moments where Boldface name players come through when everybody's hoping, expecting. Or rooting for because they're great in everything else, but missing one part of their crown. Rory McElroy, perfect example. In This year's Masters.

Some of the stories I love the most, we all do, is why we fondle sports, is you can't make it up. Uh And for that, we introduce to you JJ Spawn. twenty twenty five United States Open Champion. at Oakmont. which was 100% The course From hell.

With weather gods adding on top of it.

Okay. The conditions were downright unplayable, and there were some players who thought that was the case. And then The winner is a guy who nobody saw coming. And his story. The 34-year-old out of Los Angeles from San Dimas High School.

which is east of Pasadena. North of Pomona, if anybody knows the Los Angeles area. who did not have according to reports, any formal lessons growing up A Walk On at San Diego State University. who started on the PGA tour In Canada. and then got his tour card in 2017.

He was misdiagnosed For diabetes. He was being diagnosed for having diabetes two. Apparently, he had diabetes one. He dropped. He lost 40 pounds and dropped to 584th.

in career in the rankings. In the PGA tour, lost his tour card, went back and got it on the Corn Ferry tour. Mm-hmm. Thanks to finishing second at the Wakeford. Albertson's Boise Open.

Right. Yeah. Got his tour card back. And then in career start 147 on the tour, won the 2022 Valero Texas Open. He has two.

PGA Tour titles, titles since being on the PGA Tour. That 2022 Valero open. and the 2025 United States Open. Can you make it up? Wait for it.

There's more. He lost in the playoff. To Rory in the Players' Championship.

So, if the name sounds familiar to you in 2025. He's had a pretty darn good year. And He became Hold on a minute. This is crazy. He became the first U.S.

Open champ. to shoot 40 on the front. on a Sunday.

Now There was lots going on. The course is tough. Obviously, your knees knock when you're, you know. right there on the leaderboard. And then there's the weather.

And then... There's the fact. that apparently his three-year-old was up vomiting All night. Because A reminder, it's Father's Day. And the hashtag girl dad with two little girls you saw with his wife.

And you saw him celebrating with them with the trophy. This gets me right in the fields. Um That little girl, apparently on the left, couldn't keep anything down. And he's up with her. The night before his final round at the U.S.

Open. So, yada, yada, yada, that's how you can shoot 40 on the front, but he shoots 32 on the back. And rolls in 136 feet of putts in the final seven holes, including a 64-footer. To win it when all he needs is two putts, just get it close, and it goes in. And it goes in for him to win the U.S.

Open? To add this trophy to the 2022 Valero Open? Trophy case? You cannot make it up and apparently He was Maybe going to lose his tour card at this very point last year, as he pointed out on the victory podium. Last year in June I was like looking like I was gonna lose my job.

And kind of that was when I had that moment where You know, if this is how I go out, I might as well go down swinging. It's kinda how my coach Tells me about my golf shots or like my golf swing on the course. Like, if there's a challenging shot, he's like, at least you go down committing to the shot. Like, don't bail one outright because you feel uncomfortable. He's like, just go down swinging.

Like, if you're gonna, you might as well put the swing you want on it, and if it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. And that's kind of the mantra I've been having all year. One to root for. Love it. One, two.

To root for. Unbelievable story. Thirty-four years old. When's the US Open?

So your champions for the majors so far this year, Rory McElroy. Scotty Scheffler, J.J. Spahn. Come on now. This is why we watch sports.

A man Uh whose mom is from the Philippines. His father is of European descent.

So a son of Apparently, immigrants from Los Angeles winning the U.S. Open right now. Can't make it up. Unbelievable. Congrats to him and his family.

And you know, you want to talk about again, Father's Day, girl dad. Um, uh, we're gonna play this sound up, right? Here, here he is with his daughters. and the trophy roll it. Here.

Yeah. It's bedtime. We're staying up late. You and the girl. Yay.

We're staying up late tonight. Those two girls who, by the way, were signing his tour card with him. Perseverance, too. I mean, he was one of the leaders early in the tournament, and then he bogies five of the first six holes yesterday, and you're like, well, the moment was too big for JJ Spawn. It's just not going to be his day.

The course obviously defeated him, and then plays a flawless final 12 holes to win the championship. He hit the stick on two, and then it rolled a million miles away. 50 yards away. Part of the ball, part of all of that. Not his day.

And then again, in terms of one to root for Robert McIntyre. Yeah, Big Bob was awesome too. He was incredible. Maybe in a playoff. NBC Sports had a camera on him.

This was him clapping because watching the 64-footer roll in, I'm getting goosebumps. Getting goosebumps. Because he was waiting to see if there was going to be a playoff. Torrell, uh Tyrrell Hatton. Tyrrell Hatton.

was at the podium. You know, probably trying to shake off knowing that it wasn't going to eventually be his day. Yeah, he missed a couple of putts, could have been in a playoff as well. This happened, and so Spawn rolled it in while he was at the podium. What did you do during the during the rain delay to keep yourself active?

Um I sat in dining. Nice hold it. Unbelievable. What a part to win. That's incredible.

What do you think he's feeling right now? In shock, I would guess. Unbelievable. Still fair play. Fair play.

That's awesome. That's so cool. Love it, right? Yeah, love it. Love it.

It's why we root for sports. I mean, they're talking about the majors. Like, the last six champions have been heavy hitters: Bryson, Xander, Scotty, Rory, and then. Legacy stuffs, right? Yeah, legacy all-time.

These are all-time greats. Like, J.J. Spawn probably isn't going to go down as an all-time great, but it just shows that's what the U.S. Open is.

Someone like J.J. Spawn and the story that he's had and what he's had to overcome can win this championship in those types of conditions. Ah, it's why we love sports. Never give up. Yeah.

Tell your kids that and show them J.J. Spawn. I'm serious. That's what sports is a perfect mirror for what. We should be teaching people team sports, or this case in the individual stuff, never give up.

Uh George Kittle coming up. The United States Soccer Federation presents the U.S.

Soccer Podcast. Inside the opening, 45 seconds. What a goal! With that cannon of a Holly. Yeah.

Never miss a game. What a start for the United States. Shot for distance! What a goal! Never miss a moment.

Exquisite from La Sandiegan. Can he finish? Yes, he can! Yeah! The U.S.

Soccer Podcast. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.