Blair & Barker

World Series Champion with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and co-host of The Book of Joe, Joe Maddon (9:45) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to take us through his experience 24 hours before Game 1 as a manager, how the Milwaukee Brewers balance the work vs. rest, how he would gameplan against the Tampa Bay Rays, using analytics in the World Series, ABS' debut, if Kevin Cash and the Rays will embrace the 'underdog' role, and why he doesn't believe there is home field advantage anymore. Then, TV play-by-play voice for the Brewers and TNT Sports, Brian Anderson (31:07) joins the guys to discuss the differences in calling the local team and national broadcasts, if there's concerns with Jacob Misiorowski's velocity late in the season, if the team expected the performance from Aaron Ashby, and if there's one Rays hitter to pay attention to during the series. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by former MLB pitcher, World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox and co-host of Intentional Talk on MLB Network Ryan Dempster (6:33) to discuss which of the World Series participants have an edge between the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching vs. Milwaukee Brewers' bats, having home field advantage, if Jacob Misiorowski can maintain his location, how Kevin Cash manages his bullpen around the Brewers' lefties, the strength of the Rays' pitching staff, and why Junior Caminero needs to make the biggest impact. Then, Yankees reporter for USA Today Pete Caldera (28:35) stops by to weigh in on the team announcing both Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman will both return next season, Cashman agreeing to a new contract, Boone entering his 10th season with New York, how the organization can construct a World Series roster again, fixing their infield defensive woes, and if Aaron Judge could play everyday at DH. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker react to the Tampa Bay Rays punching their ticket to the World Series after their 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 before bringing in Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Topkin (9:00) to chat about the organization's road back to the Fall Classic, the change in ownership, navigating through Hurricane Milton, if the Milwaukee Brewers will have difficulties playing at the Trop, Kevin Cash's bullpen usage, how they reinvented ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta's pitching, Taylor Walls' defence at shortstop, and Liam Hicks' pitch calling. Then, Sportsnet's MLB insider Ben Nicholson-Smith stops by (31:35) to chat about how the Brewers stack up against the Rays, if Jacob Misiorowski can continue pitching at a high level for the World Series, and William Contreras' hitting abilities. After, they shift their attention to the free agent market specifically the Toronto Blue Jays' interest in Hanshin Tigers' Teruaki Sato and Shane Bieber's potential return. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker begin the week recapping the Tampa Bay Rays taking a 3-2 series lead after winning 3-1 in Game 5 against the Guardians in Cleveland before bringing on MLB Network's Jon Morosi (9:35) to weigh in on which of the ALCS teams the Milwaukee Brewers would rather face in the World Series, who has the edge if called for one game between Drew Rasmussen or Gavin Williams, José Ramírez's performance against the Rays, pitching in the postseason, Yandy Díaz's confidence in declaring winning Game 6, and potential pitching matchups in the World Series. Then, Jeff and Kevin discuss the Baltimore Orioles hiring former Chicago Cubs assistant Jared Banner as their new general manager, his expected approach to a potential lockout during the offseason, the future of the AL East, Tarik Skubal's free agency, and the 2027 projections for the Blue Jays shortstop and second base positions. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker look back on the Milwaukee Brewers' NLCS sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They reflect on the Brewers' path back to the World Series, the Dodgers' top priorities in the offseason, and how Milwaukee would match up against Cleveland or Tampa Bay. Later, ESPN insider and host of 'Sources Tell' Jeff Passan stops by (31:19) to weigh in on what changes the Dodgers might make for next season, Jackson Chourio's impact, why the Brewers' offensive approach worked this year, and who they'd rather see in the World Series.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker open the show discussing the Milwaukee Brewers' chance to sweep the defending World Series champs in Los Angeles before bringing in two-time MLB All-Star and American League Reliever of the Year in 2016, Zack Britton (9:25) to chat about how managers deploy bullpen pitchers in the postseason, the difficulty of being an 'up-down' pitcher, facing scrappy vs. long-ball hitters, figuring out if a batter is tired, and the pressure on a pitcher when the team is struggling on offence. Then, former Blue Jay and outfield consultant with The 3-9 Effect, Kevin Kiermaier (30:35) stops by to weigh in on the Dodgers' offensive struggles in the NLCS, if age has started catching up to the roster, Tampa Bay Rays building through their pitching and defence, Chandler Simpson's speed, playing under Kevin Cash, and what people don't know about Yandy Díaz. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker begin the show discussing Shohei Ohtani speaking on his postseason struggles, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts's confidence in  Ohtani and not considering benching their star player before bringing in The Athletic's Jayson Stark (5:39). They chat about the Philadelphia Phillies bringing back Don Mattingly as their manager, Alex Cora's name in the running, why the Dodgers cannot afford to sit Ohtani, where the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen ranks among the teams left, and how William Contreras has impacted the team. Then, Minnesota Twins manager  and current MLB Network Radio contributor Derek Shelton joins the guys (29:15) to discuss why the Tampa Bay Rays have the edge on offence over the Cleveland Guardians, Stephen Vogt vs. Kevin Cash, Aaron Ashby's ability to extend his innings for the Brewers, how Pat Murphy would change his approach while up 2-0 in their series, and pitching around batters like José Ramírez. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker check in with the NLCS and ALCS as the Brewers jump ahead 2-0 over the Dodgers and the Guardians stealing Game 1 against the Rays in the Trop. They discuss Shohei Ohtani's rough postseason and whether he'll be benched before bringing in host of 'Nothing Personal' and former MLB executive David Samson (12:58). He weighs in on the Dodgers' Ohtani options, William Contreras' energy, José Ramírez's resurgence, how a Dodgers-less World Series would impact labour negotiations, and much more. Later, MLB Network analyst and former MLB pitcher Dan Plesac stops by (33:22) to discuss Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' difficult lineup decision in Game 3, the Brewers solving Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Aaron Ashby's reliability.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Kevin Barker is joined by co-host Sho Alli filling in for Jeff Blair to look back at Milwaukee Brewers taking Game 1 of the NLCS over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jacob Misiorowski vs. Tarik Skubal, and manager Dave Roberts juggling the lineup in hopes to create offence early, before bringing in Cleveland Guardians TV analyst and former MLB catcher Chris Gimenez (11:32). He weighs in on the team's offence peaking at the right time, José Ramírez's productive at-bats even through an injury, why Jo Adell is the most important player on the Guardians in their series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and if Cleveland's pitching staff can handle the workload in the ALCS. Afterwards, Blue Jays and postseason analyst for Sportsnet, Madison Shipman (26:35) joins the guys in-studio to discuss the difficulty of game planning against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani's rare playoff struggles, Aaron Ashby's emergence in relief for the Brewers, why Cleveland and Tampa Bay are similar teams, and Christian Yelich's return to the lineup after not starting in Game 1. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker react to the Cleveland Guardians' 9-5 win to force a win or go home Game 5 against the Chicago White Sox before bringing in The Athletic's Ian O'Connor (12:09) to chat about the New York Yankees postseason exit, why the team won't make a change with Aaron Boone as their bench boss, if there's any other managers that would be a perfect fit in New York, the team's needs to bolster their lineup, and if Aaron Judge not winning a World Series changes the way we view him as a player. Then, ESPN and host of Sources Tell Jeff Passan joins the guys (31:31) to discuss if it's the right time to change managers for the Bronx Bombers, José Ramírez's all-around performance in Game 4, the difference Jo Adell has made since being acquired by Cleveland, Jackson Chourio's impressive postseason numbers, and who outside of Freddie Freeman needs to step up for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.