D-backs After Dark: WBC > Spring Training

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The world baseball classic has been fucking incredible.

Only four days in.

It's wild, right?

Four days.

Literally four days in.

It feels like so much longer.

It's just, you know why?

It's because there's so many games.

I mean, they've literally jam-packed games from like 3AM to like

5PM.

And I fucking love it.

I do not matter.

I love it.

I got up, I shit you not.

I said this the other day on the show.

I got up at 2.45 AM.

Just randomly because I'm old and sometimes my back

causes me to get up at 2.45 AM.

And guess what?

In 15 minutes.

In 15 minutes, baseball game was starting.

No, I don't think it was Japan.

I want to say it was

Chinese Taipei versus Korea possibly.

Okay.

Something like that.

But regardless, it didn't matter.

It was starting in 15 minutes and I wasn't going anywhere.

Actually, I think it was Chinese Taipei versus Czechia.

Now that I think about it.

This has been just a fun tournament.

And it's funny.

You say it's only been on for four days because

it feels like spring training is two months ago.

I'm glad you had that.

It's like the fact I've never been so

checked out of spring training.

At this point in training.

Exactly.

I don't even know.

No, but the thing is too.

It's like these are these games matter.

But these aren't even like the games where it's like

you win or you're out.

Like this isn't even like elimination.

This is just the initial round.

And it's just been

outstanding.

Sure.

But with pulling what it is, right?

Like every win matters, right?

We already have teams eliminated.

The Netherlands has already been eliminated.

Chinese Taipei has been eliminated.

They got their shape.

They got slaughtered by the Rappurra Kato Mini.

Guy on out this morning.

Oh my god.

That happens anytime you play.

The Rappurra Kato Mini Kato.

Well, what we also have is the scrappy Australian team

that their catcher won't shake hands with people.

And I thought that energy.

I fuck with that energy.

I'm not mad at it.

We'll be friends later.

Yeah.

Fuck off.

Yeah, we can shake hands, you know,

after the game in the tunnel.

I get it.

But like, we're going to war right now.

So fuck you, bro.

You fucking play for Czechia.

You are a plumber or a civil engineer.

Or perhaps in some cases, a nuclear response,

a monitor,

a buddy who probably shouldn't be playing baseball.

No offense to this man.

No offense.

Brother.

And then on the flip side.

And then on the flip side of that,

you got 17-year-old Brazilian kids

throwing a hundred plus against

Aaron Judge and company.

Oh, yeah.

That's insanity.

17.

Diamondbacks Mitch Bratt, right?

He got his first start at Chase Field

ever playing for Canada

against Team USA.

And he got his ass kicked.

But 17 years.

He was 19 at the time when he did that.

So like, yeah, impressive.

And Brazil's got two 17-year-old hurlers.

Well, Brazil's in a weird spot.

Brazil was like,

they barely fielded a team.

And I think that that's probably

the only thing that's been a disappointment here.

However, you have to kind of have it

that way in a tournament like this.

You have to have the good teams.

You have to have the bad teams.

If this was the world MMA classic,

I think Brazil would run the table.

Well, sure.

But the world baseball classic Brazil's getting

the asses slaughtered.

I mean, also maybe the world BBL classic.

But that's a whole category that you shouldn't say

don't even know.

And excuse my ignorance.

I had no idea that so many Japanese people

had migrated to Brazil so many years ago.

And there's like a population of Japanese

like Brazilian people.

I had no idea.

Because some do name like Kawasaki

or something on the numbers.

I'm like, what?

And they got some news that look,

they look like they're Japanese,

but they're on the presidency.

It was crazy.

I feel like that's not a surprise anymore.

I mean, you know,

you know, I mean, like you see that everywhere.

You have great Britain doing everything they can

to qualify anybody.

You know, uh,

hey, Tomson's brother in right field.

We own islands.

We colonize.

We'll take whatever place you guys might have come from

that might also be attached to Great Britain.

You can come play for our world baseball classic team.

Yeah, because the Great Britain,

I mean, they're one like,

they're super star players.

Jazz Chisholm, right?

That's the best.

That's the best player.

Yeah.

Anybody else is major league that's currently in the majors?

I know they have a couple of guys.

I can't just probably someone.

Some random ass reliever because usually what it is.

Some random ass reliever.

You've heard of like once.

They they that's exactly what it is.

I mean, I think you could say that probably

about the majority of the teams that aren't outside of.

Yeah.

I was like, Dominicans, Japan.

Yeah, all the teams that insurance wouldn't

ensure, you know, those things.

Well, speaking of insurance, let's talk about your team

Puerto Rico.

Oh, man.

How are you doing all right?

Honestly, man, I wish I could have been there to catch your reaction

to that walkoff.

Oh, that walkoff was wrong.

Incredible.

And you know what?

I heard Aussie Albee say that his walkoff

even though it was against, it was Nicaragua, right?

Yeah.

That's who it was against and it was in the bottom of the ninth.

And that was the first one in WBC history.

And for his his was the first walkoff ever.

And he said that that is the best moment of his life.

Like he basically said it was better than the World Series.

And that's that just goes to show that this isn't like

this means some of these guys.

Right.

This isn't just an exhibition thing.

This isn't just these guys getting to go fuck around

and play for their country and just kind of have a good time.

But you know, play meaningful games

representing where they come from.

These guys take this seriously and it means a lot to them.

No, and they're the fact that you have samurai Japan

that is now a juggernaut

in this in this world baseball classic.

The only team you imagine being

in the Times.

Can you imagine being at a game in the Tokyo Dome

while during the WBC?

I can't.

Okay. You imagine sitting in a cheering section

as they're cheering for say us is okay.

The way they imagine.

Imagine me sitting next to Benito.

Oh, it's there.

Other in the time.

Other Timothy Shalamet.

He's the Benito.

Me Timothy Shalamet Benito.

I'm asked the fucking reason we never knew we needed.

Taking more pictures.

You know.

Oh, you would be a photo.

Oh, God.

And my my phone has a terabyte of memory

and I would have used it all up from that.

The every single they would they I mean,

they probably would have liked me in the first place,

but they would have ended up aiding me

before the end of that.

Hey, speaking of photos,

I just want you to know that the birthday gift

you gave me a couple of years ago,

the frame photo of you and Rosario Dawson

still sits on my desk.

Good.

Good.

And I look at it and I smile

and then I get a little angry at you

every time I look at it.

Yeah.

Well, when when you when you talk about the greatest

days of someone's life,

meeting Rosario Dawson and being in her embrace,

embrace because I got in the good graces of her boyfriend.

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

WBC.

It's like it's like Benito says in Monaco,

Sophie of Agara also,

prettier in person when you get to see her.

Anyway, when it comes to race ball classic,

there one thing obviously that is happening here

is nobody cares about spring training anymore.

Not to say anyone would have in the first place

but there is so little interest in spring training games.

Yeah.

I would like you as a man of logic and common sense.

Thank you again.

To explain to me why they think they can get away

with charging what they're charging

for spring training games right now.

Rock, you and I could get in plenty of seats

as you've seen during the World Baseball Classic.

Almost criminally underattended as far as what you see on TV, right?

I've seen some of my friends there.

They're sitting in sections where the seats behind them

are all empty.

Doesn't make any sense to me.

Part of it is because the games aren't cheap

to get into World Baseball Classic games.

Definitely not what they should be.

They shouldn't be.

They shouldn't be.

They should be.

They should be, right?

Like when you have space to have people in,

then I feel like you should do everything

that you can do.

And this is a universal common theme

here between spring training

and the World Baseball Classic.

You should have people in there.

If not only would it be amazing

to be sold out of your game.

Right.

And I mean, obviously you have that in Japan

and you have that in Puerto Rico, right?

But you do not have that in Houston.

And that's the contrast.

And you don't have that Miami.

Just to me, it just looks bad.

It does.

It does.

Because I'm like at that point, you know what?

Fucking every, every 200, 300 level ticket, $10.

Pack that bitch.

I feel that exact same way when I sit there

at a spring training game.

And there are like less than half

of the fucking seats available, right?

And or like it filled, right?

But when I say this, I say this because right now, you and I,

I did the math on this.

You and I could get in to watch a World Baseball Classic game

tomorrow for $191.66 for two tickets.

I'm not saying that's, it's not great.

It's not great seats.

It's standing only.

That's in Houston, right?

So we are, are we going to rain to flight

after this?

We're going to figure it out.

We're going to get there.

We're going to get there.

The tickets have been purchased.

Basically, they're in the cart.

All right.

They're in the cart.

That's not even that, that's not even that outrageous.

$79 a piece, right?

And then taxes and fees.

However,

rocked for us to go sit in the cheapest seats

tomorrow at Salt River Fields to watch the Diamondbacks.

Minor leaguers take on human Seattle Mariners.

Humanity.

It's going to cost us to sit in seats $114.

That is outrageous.

It's going to cost us $114 to go to a free training game.

And it's going to cost us $191.66

to go to a World Baseball Classic game.

Now, sir, I ask you, what time are we leaving?

And how can we get the fucking Houston?

That is outrageous.

The pricing is so high, especially considering

that if you're going to that game to watch the D-backs

in the Mariners, you're going to see nobody that matters.

No offense to my D-backs.

I love you guys.

None at all.

I mean, you'll probably see a start area that you're not going to see could tell.

And on the flip side,

you're not going to see Hulu, you're Rodriguez,

you're not going to see Kat Raleigh, you're not going to see Josh Taylor.

Right.

But Randy Arosa Reina is not going to, nobody's there.

Great point.

Great point.

I was thinking of it just from the D-backs perspective,

but you're absolutely right.

You go to see them take on the Mariners to see those guys as well.

Yeah.

I don't know, man.

I mean, I know that they don't do dynamic pricing in Major League Baseball,

but maybe they should.

And I know that this isn't controlled by the D-backs,

and I want to defend them just a little bit for people that I think is.

Salt River Fields.

It's controlled by that by Salt River Fields.

It's not because I would go on the logic of, let's drop ticket prices.

Let's get these people in here because chances are,

100%.

These people are going to buy concessions.

They're going to buy merchandise.

We're going to make, we're going to make our money on the back end.

Just get them in here.

If I get a free ticket to an event,

I am going to, at least by food at the concessions.

Well, if I get a free ticket,

in my career, that's beer money, I just say.

Oh, I know.

You're going to go hog wild anyway.

Even if you had to pay for these premium tickets, right?

If I pay you, you are a person that does not go to events often,

but when you go, you enjoy the shit out of it.

I've seen you, right?

I fucking forced you as you should.

And I mean, I've seen, I don't want to get put your personal business out there.

Your personal finance is out there.

But I've seen the amount of money you dropped just on a single game at chase field

with your incredible sister.

Yes.

And I will say that that's how people should do.

If you're only going to do it every once in a while, right?

But you're so much more likely to spend like that.

If you're not getting strapped for $140 for tickets to a spring training game, right?

And also, I will say that like Diamondbacks games,

I mean, at this point, I would just feel like as a fan,

that I would wait until regular season games started.

You could get $9 tickets to a regular season games.

Yeah.

I mean, it's just wild, right?

Yeah, you buy that $9 ticket and then you just act like you've been there before

and you just snake your way down and sit lower level.

It's not hard.

But it cares.

We just want you to fill in anyway.

We just wanted to look full, right?

That's all right.

I'm glad you brought that shit up because I was going to mention the lack of crowds that I saw

and then you sit in Miami.

I'm like, why are there empty seats galore?

Well, and that goes for them too.

These tickets that I looked up are $79 standing room only tickets.

You have plenty of standing room only, bud.

You don't need to be charging $79 for standing room only because that goes for that.

Someone say, I don't want to spend that much to just stand.

You and I know that that just is the price to get in the door.

And with that many empty seats, it's going to take maybe three innings

until you and I are sitting down somewhere, not to give away our secrets,

not to encourage people to do things they shouldn't do.

But I feel like this is what sports teams,

more importantly, not to team themselves,

but the venue, whoever runs things, makes us do these things, right?

And again, when you don't have the money to attend an event like this

that only comes around once every four years,

I say, get in the door and figure it out once you're inside and do it for as cheap as possible,

right?

$79 for standing room only still seems outrageous, even for something, you know,

as incredibly rare to attend as a World Baseball class of game.

I feel like we didn't, I feel like we took it for granted when it was here.

I didn't know.

I'm at a World Baseball class of games here.

I'm at it myself for not going when it was here in 23.

And hindsight, I'm like, I'm an idiot.

Yeah, just didn't know how good we had it.

We just didn't know how good we had it.

But hey, let me ask you this, I know we talked about this on the last show

about the baseball and the Olympics.

Did you catch Bryce Harper's comments?

I think it was last night talking about hoping that when they start discussing the new CBA

that they talk about allowing, possibly allowing the MLB guys to play in the Olympics.

Because he was saying how great this is.

And he was just saying it needs to be seen by everybody.

And he basically alluded to the fact he hopes that when they go to talk to CBA

that it gets brought up and positive it could happen.

What a nightmare.

What a nightmare.

I mean, you know, I mean, and we talked about how much of an nightmare it would be.

You'd have to put the season on pause.

I mean, it's once every four years.

I mean, I get it.

But if they could find a way to make it work, I wouldn't be mad at it.

I guess not.

Again, I think that at the end of the day, what the Olympics always needs to be

is the top competitors in the world.

They found a way to do this for the World Baseball Classic.

But it feels like this is really the only period of time in which you could do that.

You're right, though.

It's only four, once every four years.

Yeah.

I just think about how much of an issue Edwin Diaz and.

No, I know.

No, trust me.

I'm sure teams are like, just, I don't know.

Just two injuries caused them to completely rethink this entire thing.

And they caused insurance to completely change their, their,

and then you also figure it's the summer Olympics.

So that's like July, August, which is like,

you could be the Lieutenant race.

Right.

I mean, maybe it's, it's probably, maybe it's what happened.

Right.

That's, I mean, like it's, it's nice to want that.

But I think that the World Baseball Classic has figured it out.

And the best part about it is that the WBC takes the center stage here.

It's, it's not part of the rest of the Olympics.

I love this, though, because of how much it is like the Olympics.

Like you said, my favorite part about the Olympics is waking up at random times

and having sports beyond.

I love sports being on at 2 p.m. on a Thursday.

That's what I love.

I love that shit.

And it's, even if I have no interest at all, no rooting interest at all,

even if I can't even bring myself to pay attention to who's winning

in a, in a game or in a sport during the Winter Olympics like that.

I'm still having a good time with it on in the background.

And I'm still enjoying sports being on.

So.

Hey, did you, for you a little, or were you holding your breath on Friday night?

What could tell got pumped on the elbow?

I was and then I was going to fly.

I was ready to fly somewhere and attack anybody.

And see, that's the problem with it.

That's the problem.

But you could also say the exact same thing about.

So having a drink and you could say it at a live BP.

Look at Corbin Carroll broke his hand mate bone swinging a bat.

Yeah.

Like not getting hit in the hand, not sliding up doing something.

Just swinging a bat, right?

Man swung the bat so hard.

Swung his bat so hard he broke a bone his hand.

What a guy?

What a guy.

And now here he is saying he's going to,

he's going to play 10 spring training games before regular season starts.

I don't know.

Meanwhile, those other bombs that broke their hey may bones.

The fuck are they at?

They're, they might not be back until April.

I'm not going to call loser.

I'm not going to call it until April or a bomb, buddy.

Oh, I can't call Indora bomb down.

Sorry.

I can't do it.

Sorry.

And doesn't heal as fast as Corbin Carroll's.

Chomp.

I can't, I can't, I can't slander Lindor.

I love Lindor.

I know.

I can't, I shouldn't be either.

But you really shouldn't.

You didn't make the WBC team.

So because it was because it was goddamn Hammett bone.

Yeah.

Exactly.

To weak ass Hammett bone.

Don't you dare come for Corbin.

The biggest heel of 2026 is the Hammett bone.

Oh god.

You know what?

I'll take that over fucking Tommy John being the

fucking the major cause of injury this year.

Say it louder for the training staff.

Well, you can follow me on social media.

Cap underscore caveman with the K.

You can follow him at rock knowledge.

And I'll let you figure out how to spell that.

Of course, this show is at phnx underscore dbacks.

But as always, all roads lead to at phnx underscore sports

on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you guys for listening.

And remember kids baseball is fun.

But it's so much more fun.

After dark.

Water usually wins.

It rots wood and tears docs apart.

Unless you build with treks.

Treks marine grade decking is 100% submersible.

Built to resist rod and salt and fresh water.

Water has met its match.

Treks decking.

Visit treks.com slash docs.

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