What are your thoughts on Landon Roop?

Well, and I think you don't wanna see a pitcher do that when they've just walked the bases loaded.

And like you said, he's a guy who has had these innings where he just unravels and loses the strike zone.

[laughs] I wanna throw the same question back at you, Bill, 'cause you're the pitcher.

So you, you tell me.

I mean, how, how does a guy look so, uh, so in control for, you know, five innings? And then we've seen this, uh, multiple times throughout the season where it's just this one inning where he kind of loses the strike zone.

It kind of reminds me of Roki Sasaki with the Dodgers.

And, you know, we're all older, but those families were sure excited today for their dads.

every one of these guys had a piece of those puzzles of winning the world series and i think you probably saw that today

that's exactly what they all talked about it was cool to see pablo sandoval kind of lift off each guy's great moment that it was a good question i can't remember who asked it but basically you know what's what's one memory from your career that you really remember and you know pablo sandoval took it and mentioned all of those plays that that you had talked about.

And you're right.

I mean, I think that's what was really special about those teams is that it required everybody.

And so many different guys stepped up in different ways.

That was just huge.

I mean, they were truly the ultimate team.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about him.

Maybe, maybe just from being a baseball guy, I thought, I thought would have seemed a little bit more than what they got.

Yeah.

I, I think Skubal's actually a free agent at the end of the year from what, from what I've been reading.

And, and I think that that's why maybe the price was a little bit lower.

But I, I mean, I'm with you.

I...

The fact that first of all, the Dodgers have such a good farm system, and that's what allows them to make a lot of these deadline deals.

What do you think about, uh, Matt Chapman not being able to play yet?

Maybe, uh, maybe just from being a baseball guy I thought, I thought would have seemed a little bit more than what they got.

Yeah.

I, I think Skubal's actually a free agent at the end of the year from what, from what I've been reading.

And, and I think that that's why maybe the price was a little bit lower.

But I, I mean, I'm with you.

I, the fact that ...

First of all, the Dodgers have such a good farm system, and that's what allows them to make a lot of these deadline deals.

What do you think about, uh, Matt Chapman not being able to play yet?

Why did you go over there and chase?

So the main reason for being over there was we were with another group of Australians and they needed a couple more shooters to get a discount.

So they invited us, so we went there and we were shooting doves over there at one of the dove shoots.

And because it was August, the doves weren't very, like, they weren't flying that great.

I'd still shot over 1,000 birds in two and a half days.

Wow.

My shoulder was pretty sore firing that many shots.

How do you see the public views on hunting and hunters when you're chatting to people out in the public and you tell them that what you do is hunting?

watching his at-bats is

he is locked in at the plate.

I mean, you see him get into these deep counts where, as you mentioned, he's not afraid to hit with two strikes, but it's almost like some of these pitches he's taking, he's angry in there, you know, like he's, you throw him a ball, he's angry, he's ready to hit.

And it's just, I love, he's so competitive in the box.

I love it.

And I mean, yeah, I know that batting average is sort of a stat that, you know, a lot of people don't really view is as that important anymore.

Still guys hitting three 32, like you said, 119 hits.

I mean, again, he's a guy who

What have you seen out of all three of them? Because they're sure hitting the long ball all of a sudden.

Yeah, and it's crazy too, because I mean, you know, this offense got off to such a slow start this season.

But you're right.

I mean, to have this team we've seen over the years really struggle with the long ball, and now to have like three different guys and, and really more than that who have that home run capability is amazing.

I mean, Schmitt, I think, has been the huge surprise, obviously, with his 19th home run today, but Rafi Devers just continues to hit.

Um, Willie Adams.

But I, I think the other thing when you look deeper on this roster, I mean, you know, obviously Bryce Eldridge is still young and, and learning, but he's got all sorts of power.

How about you?

Take us through the, the evening and what happened, mate.

Yeah, it's quite funny that, uh, Wendell and I both had an arm wrestle for the NRL Footy Show.

Um, funny thing is we've never lost an arm wrestle.

Um, that's probably the thing.

Uh, going into it, I thought, "Oh, this is easy.

I, I could beat guys hands down every day." And then, um, we went into this match.

Uh, they gave us the proper equipment.

Oh.

What a start to his origin career.

He's brilliant.

It's like he's been there for many a year.

And as for things, second game, and by rights, he probably could have gone close to getting me in the match in the first game.

So looking at those two types of things, he's got a lot of confidence.

I know...

New South Wales would be frustrated with that.

How does that happen? Benny, did they want it more than the Blues, do you think? Because I'm just trying to explain those contrasting performances from both teams, especially in that second 40.

what do you make of the Queensland forward pack you said

and it's probably the thing is I like the Queensland forward pack the game's changed and we all know back when we were playing it was slower it was heavier it was more brutal now it's fast you have a look at all the forwards in Queensland they're fast feet and that's the thing that first 20 minutes of the first game yeah The guys were moving quick, though, really, really quick.

And if you look at it, okay, Britton Nickerow, I spoke to him and said, do you understand Origin now? And he goes, I didn't realise how fast it was.

And he was off the bench.

Imagine starting that first 20.

And so talking about those guys coming into the game and you talk about Cotter.

any time and you play with him aggressive mother like he is hard he's tough all day and that's why I think Billy's gone to his aggressive but fast mobile forwards as I said gone are the days of the bigger guys which we actually saw New South Wales they had a bigger pack but weren't as mobile.

And how did you go about warming up inside to sort of create that intensity?

What did you think about the management of the ninth inning?

Yeah, I mean, like everybody, I think, uh, frustrated, uh, disappointed.

I mean, I, I feel for, for Tony Vitello a little bit.

I mean, look, I think clearly, you know, uh, you, you gotta question going to Keaton Wynn for a third straight game for the first time in his career.

Um, but at the same time, you know, the bullpen was, was pretty taxed from the series in Chicago, you know? Uh, I think all his best options were essentially unavailable, and then, you know, do you, do you let Logan Webb stay in there at 99 pitches coming off the injury recently? I, I thought Logan Webb's answer, um, in the post-game show was, was pretty interesting, you know, when he was asked.

Right

... that's not necessarily the most convincing, right? It, it...

Like, you'd think that maybe he'd say, "Nah, I, I'm good.

What did you think about the management of the ninth inning?

Yeah, I mean, like everybody, I think frustrated, disappointed.

I mean, I feel for Tony Vitello a little bit.

I mean, look, I think clearly, you know, you got a question going to Keaton Wynn for a third straight game for the first time in his career.

But at the same time, you know, the bullpen was pretty taxed from the series in Chicago.

You know, I think all his best options were essentially unavailable.

And then, you know, do you let Logan Webb stay in there at 99 pitches coming off the injury recently? I thought Logan Webb's answer in the postgame show was pretty interesting, you know, when he was asked, like, if he could have, you know, if they asked, like, you know, if he was good to go and he kind of, He said that he told Tony Ville, hey, it's your decision, right? So to me, that's not necessarily the most convincing, right? Like, you'd think that maybe he'd say, no, I'm good.

So – You know, there's parts of the puzzle that we're missing, and that's a big piece.

Yeah, I mean, it's tough because every

manager is different.

And I think we kind of saw the same thing, I feel like, with Bob Melvin.

You know, he was sort of known as a player's manager and not necessarily a real strict disciplinarian kind of guy.

So I think... there's a balance.

I mean, certainly you want, like you said, we don't necessarily know the conversations that are going on behind the scenes or in the clubhouse, but you also want your manager to stick to his personality and his style.

I think it, you know, Tony Vitello is known, they brought him in and he was known as sort of a fiery energetic guy, but also sort of like a guy who could connect with his younger players and, and, probably more of a player's manager.

The bullpen has been doing their work except trying to find a closer.