It's like they don't like what we have or something. The brothers ponder the lack of trades and the news that it's not for a lack of trying. Then Matthew gives a quiz and accuses Ben of failing it. For the record here is Ben's recollection of how he did on the quiz:

#1: Correct, because even though I said the wrong answer I knew what the right answer was but didn't want to say it. I also get credit for getting question 1-B right. So at this point I had a score of 200%

#2: Wrong, but because I was at 200%, I'm still at %100.

#3: Correct. %150

#4: Correct. I'm not sure what the percentage is now, but I'm still acing this test.

#5: Wrong. No one gets this one right. Stupid question.

#6: Correct. I'm killing it.

#7: Correct. I'm a stud.

#8: Wrong. I don't want the listeners to feel bad, so I answer another incorrectly. Also, I didn't know the answer.

#9: Correct. We cheated on this one because Matthew thought I was doing poorly, because he doesn't listen.

#10: Correct.

#11: Correct.

#12: Wrong. Enrique Pequeno should have been the answer.

#13: Correct.

#14: Wrong.

On the cocktail side of things Matthew is drinking a Final Ward while Ben is drinking a Tribute. Recipes below.

1. 3/4 oz Rye Whiskey
2. 3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3. 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
4. 3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
5. Shake all ingredients until well-chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

1. 1/2 oz Cognac
2. 1 tsp Creme de Violette
3. 3 1/2 oz Brut champagne/sparkling wine
4. Spray or rinse a chilled flute glass with the creme de violette. Stir the congac with ice and strain into the flute. Top with the sparkling wine.

The 2026 Rotation is set. Our curmudgeons discuss the signing of Tyler Mahle, the non-signing of Tatsuya Imai, and whether the Giants have enough pitching to succeed in 2026. They also discuss if the Giants are blowing their opportunity to take advantage of the solid core of players they've already assembled.

On the cocktail side of things, Ben is drinking Candlekeep Team while Matthew is drinking an Espresso Martini. Recipes below.

1. 1 1/2 cups Gin
2. 1/2 cup Orange Liqueur
3. 1/2 cup sweet vermouth
4. 1/2 ounce bitters
5. 12 ounces water
6. 2 orange wheels
7. 4 cloves
8. 1 cinnamon stick
9. 2 tea bags Earl Gray Tea
10. 1/4 cup sugar
11. Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat. Add the sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, oranges wheels and tea bags and allow to steep for at least 6 minutes. A longer steep will result in stronger flavors. Combine the gin, orange liqueur, vermouth, and bitters in a large heat proof pitcher. Strain the tea mixture through a fine strainer into the pitcher. Stir gently to combine. (Note that final result will be luke warm, you can heat gently on the stove in a large vessel or enjoy as is. Do not add ice as it will overly dilute the cocktail.)

1. 2 oz Vodka
2. 1 oz Mr. Black’s Coffee Liqueur
3. 1 oz Espresso (warm or room temp)
4. 1/4 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup
5. 1 Dash Aztec Chocolate Bitters
6. Shake all ingredients with ice. Shake it hard. For about 20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with three espresso beans - one for each World Series Championship.

We're not too proud for clickbait. Our download fishermen discuss the impending signing deadline Tatsuya Imai, the tepid offseason overall, and the Giants bought ... a theater? Also, Bob calls for a lightning round where they discuss Logan Webb in the WBC, whether the Giants future success depends on the performance of Bryce Eldridge, and Ben's new job.

On the cocktail side of things Matthew is drinking a Bourbon Foster while Ben is drinking The Hand of Vecna. Recipes below.

1. 1 1/2 oz Bourbon
2. 3/4 oz Banana Liqueur
3. 1/2 oz Aged Rum
4. 1/4 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup
5. 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
6. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a banana slice or dried banana chip.

1. 2 oz Scotch
2. 2 sugar cubes (or 2 tsp of granulated sugar)
3. 3 dashes Angostura bitters
4. 1/4 oz Absinthe
5. 1 orange wheel and 1 star anise for garnish
6. Rinse a rocks glass with the absinthe and pour out any remainder. In a mixing glass muddle the sugar with the bitters, add the Scotch, fill with ice and stir to desired dilution. To the prepared rocks glass add a large chunk of ice and strain in the mixture from the mixing glass. To create the garnish fold the orange wheel around the star anise (like a taco) and pin shut with a cocktail pick and drop into the rocks glass.

#doitforginny

Wait, Jeff Kent is a Hall of Famer? Our snowbirds discuss the rather lackluster winter meetings including the draft lottery, Rule 5 draft, and the size of Buster's suite. Later they break down the Giants approach to improving the roster and why Ben won't be able to dress up as the Black Power Ranger. Also, Jeff Kent makes the Hall of Fame and Marco Luciano is a Pirate.

On the cocktail side of things, today Ben is drinking a Calamansi Margarita while Matthew is drinking a Holiday Old Fashioned. Recipes below.

• 2 oz Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz Calamansi Lime Juice
• Prepare a rocks glass with a salted rim, if desired. Combine the tequila, Cointreau and Calamansi lim juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice.

• 2 oz Bourbon or Rye
• 1/4 oz - 1/2 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
• 1 Dash Chocolate Bitters
• Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange peel.

Buster is a spender but Johnson says long pitching contracts are risky. The brothers debate this conflict and discuss who the Giants will target after Buster inevitably wins. Also how will the looming lock out of 2027 impact this off-season? And yes, the lockout is most certainly coming.

On the cocktails side of things, today Matthew is drinking a Winter Daiquiri while Ben is drinking a Whinter Sour. Recipes below.

• 2 oz White Rum
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Rich Demerara Spiced Syrup
• 1/2 oz Allspice Dram
• Shake all ingredients with ice until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

• 2 oz Spiced Bourbon (Ben spiced his with 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 5 allspice berries in a 750 ml bottle for 24 hours, you should experiment with your preferred spices.)
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters (optional)
• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass with no garnish, though a floating lime slice would not be remiss.

They boys are back after two weeks so they talk about pretty much everything that's happened since they last recorded. They discuss coaches coming and going, including new hitting coach Hunter Pence Mense, how the roster churn has begun, and a little Free Agency.

On the cocktail side of things Ben is drinking an Off-Season Sludge while Matthew is drinking Manzana Reposada. Recipes below.

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 3-4 oz Cherry Coca-Cola
• Add bourbon to a highball glass with ice. Top with cherry cola. Have 2 more.

• 2 oz Reposado Tequila
• 3/4 oz Tuaca
• 1 oz Reduced Spiced Apple Cider
• 1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
• Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with a large chunk of ice. Garnish with a dried apple slice.

One signing down, 50 to go. The brothers react to the Tony Vitello introductory press conference and give their first impressions of Vitello's personality. Then they turn their attention to the holes (of various sizes) in the current roster. By the way, can you pitch?

Also, we are moving to an every other week schedule this month, so our next episode will be in two weeks. I know, it sucks and you'll miss us, but we will be on with emergency podcasts if any major news occurs. So don't worry, you'll still get our outstanding insights when they're ... needed wanted available. You weren't worried, were you?

On the cocktail side of things, today Matthew is drinking a mocktail called Orchard Spritz while Ben is drinking a Flying Blueberry. Recipes below.

•  2 oz Pear Juice
• 2 oz Apple Cider
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz Spiced Simple Syrup
• Sparkling Apple Cider to top off
• Shake all ingredients except the Sparkling Cider with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top off with 2-3 oz Sparkling Apple Cider.

• 1 1/2 oz Gin
• 1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (or Cherry Heering for a completely different cocktail)
• 1/4 oz Blueberry Liqueur
• 3/4 oz Lime juice
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake until chilled and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.

[We had a major audio issue with this episode so we expired it and republished with corrected audio; this is the only way we can ensure all listeners get the updated file. Our apologies for the inconvenience. It's Ben's fault. No, wait ... it's Bob's fault. Yeah. Bob did it.]

We have orange smoke. The ever faithful brothers discuss the closing of the deal with new manager Tony Vitello and then discuss his first moves as he drinks from the fire hose of information coming at him about the San Francisco Giants. Also, Matthew does a book review.

We reference our dormant cocktail podcast The Perfect Sip a few times in this episode. If you haven't listened to it yet, you can check it out here: https://the-perfect-sip.captivate.fm/listen

Speaking of cocktails, today Ben is drinking a Bennessee Iced Tea while Matthew is drinking Golden Orchard. Recipes below.

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 3/4 oz Lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Rich simple syrup
• 1 “splash” of Coca-Cola
• Combine the bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice and rich simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Double strain into a prepared highball glass with ice and top with the Coca-Cola. DO NOT SHAKE THE COLA IN THE SHAKER! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

• 2 oz Pear Vodka
• 1 1/2 oz Apple Cider
• 1 oz Pear Juice
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 3/4 oz Spiced Syrup
• 2 oz Hard Cider to float
• Add all ingredients except the Hard Cider to a Collins glass with ice. Stir to combine. Top off with Hard Cider and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.

We have orange smoke. The ever faithful brothers discuss the closing of the deal with new manager Tony Vitello and then discuss his first moves as he drinks from the fire hose of information coming at him about the San Francisco Giants. Also, Matthew does a book review.

We reference our dormant cocktail podcast The Perfect Sip a few times in this episode. If you haven't listened to it yet, you can check it out here: https://the-perfect-sip.captivate.fm/listen

Speaking of cocktails, today Ben is drinking a Bennessee Iced Tea while Matthew is drinking Golden Orchard. Recipes below.

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 3/4 oz Lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Rich simple syrup
• 1 “splash” of Coca-Cola
• Combine the bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice and rich simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Double strain into a prepared highball glass with ice and top with the Coca-Cola. DO NOT SHAKE THE COLA IN THE SHAKER! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

• 2 oz Pear Vodka
• 1 1/2 oz Apple Cider
• 1 oz Pear Juice
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 3/4 oz Spiced Syrup
• 2 oz Hard Cider to float
• Add all ingredients except the Hard Cider to a Collins glass with ice. Stir to combine. Top off with Hard Cider and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.

Habeus procurator? Our failed Catholics ponder the possibility of the Giants hiring Tony Vitello as the next San Francisco Giants manager. Is a college coach qualified? What does Buster Posey see in Vitello? Can Buster close the deal?

On the cocktails side of things, Matthew is drinking while Ben is drinking Gimletarita Recipes below.

• 1 oz Planteray 3 Stars
• 1/2 oz Appleton Estate Signature
• 1/4 oz Planteray Xayamaca
• 1/2 Lime Juice
• 1 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup (cinnamon & cloves)
• 1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Pomegranate Juice
• 1 oz Hibiscus Tea (Strong)
• 2-3 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• Add all ingredients to a large rocks glass. Add ice. Stir for 10-20 seconds to chill. Garnish with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg.

• 1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin
• 1/2 oz Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
• 3/4 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice from limes picked by Greg from his tree
• 3/4 oz Simple syrup
• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.