Oct 1, 2026 · 51 min · 11 segments
Eric Chavez and Chris Hamblin break down why everything changes in October, from managing bullpens to handling playoff pressure. Plus, Eric explains his “Make Sports Dumb Again” philosophy, the guys…
Eric ChavezHost
Chris HamblinHost
I, I've always thought when I've been to playoff games, been to World Series games, covered them, went as a fan, that the craziest part for me is that it feels like when everything is condensed into a three-game or a seven-game series, that every little thing matters so much more than the Fourth of July weekend when you're playing.
Do managers in these situations, guys that have been there before, have a huge edge when they're leading their teams? And what makes a good manager in the playoffs?
I, you know, I, I'm gonna, I'm just gonna reference Dave Roberts, 'cause I, I heard him talk and even me kind of critiquing Dave as, as his career has gone on, and I think we actually talked about this, where he adapted.
And he talked about analytics and, you know, when you're a young coach, you're gonna follow it to the T. I was watching the, the White Sox game today, and they've pretty much had a script, and they're following the script and, um, Will Venable's done a great job.
It's when it doesn't work where you gotta get creative, and I think that's where Dave Roberts, like, really has become one of the best managers.
Yes, he has the best players and they have a high payroll, but they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.
They're getting to the playoffs and they're winning [laughs] World Series, and now they're going for the third.
Dave has earned the stripes to kinda make the emotional off-script pitching changes or pinch hits or whatever it is, and he's adapted and he's grown as a player.
Like, I, I will agree that, you know, analytics over 162 is v- is very, very good.
I, I've always thought when I've been to playoff games, been to World Series games, covered them, went as a fan, that the craziest part for me is that it feels like when everything is condensed into a three-game or a seven-game series, that every little thing matters so much more than the Fourth of July weekend when you're playing.
Do managers in these situations, guys that have been there before, have a huge edge when they're leading their teams? And what makes a good manager in the playoffs?
I, you know, I, I'm gonna, I'm just gonna reference Dave Roberts, 'cause I, I heard him talk and even me kind of critiquing Dave as, as his career has gone on, and I think we actually talked about this, where he adapted.
And he talked about analytics and, you know, when you're a young coach, you're gonna follow it to the T. I was watching the, the White Sox game today, and they've pretty much had a script, and they're following the script and, um, Will Venable's done a great job.
It's when it doesn't work where you gotta get creative, and I think that's where Dave Roberts, like, really has become one of the best managers.
Yes, he has the best players and they have a high payroll, but they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.
They're getting to the playoffs and they're winning [laughs] World Series, and now they're going for the third.
Dave has earned the stripes to kinda make the emotional off-script pitching changes or pinch hits or whatever it is, and he's adapted and he's grown as a player.
Like, I, I will agree that, you know, analytics over 162 is v- is very, very good.
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