Shohei Ohtani as the Face of Baseball, Trevor Bauer Sexual Assault Allegations, NHL Expansion Draft with Annie O'Donnell

Craig D'Alessandro: 0:24

On this episode of missing the point, we're joined by Annie O'Donnell from the Odeon sports podcast. We'll discuss shohei Otani as the new face of baseball and Stephen A Smith's comments on the subject discussed the Trevor Bauer legal problems the NHL Expansion Draft for the Seattle crackin. And the most important subject of all our favorite Mighty Ducks movies. This is missing the point, Episode 73. But it's all relative.

Joe Malkin: 1:03

Welcome everybody into missing the point. My name is Joe Malkin. I'm joined tonight by Mike Mark Angelo as always our executive producer Craig D'Alessandro, and we have a fun guest a very anticipated guest that we reached out to just a couple of days ago on a whim and you know, I've wanted to invite her on here for a while and Craig got it done. So Annie O'Donnell content creators sports analyst host of the odium sports Podcast, where she has a five star rating on Apple podcast, co host of sports Sunday on 1015 Fm klci in Orange County, self proclaimed sports fan and it's true. She talks the hottest topics in sports by herself with a guest or on missing the point and provides tips for navigating through the crazy emotional fun life of being a sports fan. She's at sweet Annie od on Twitter, Instagram and tick tock where she has 20.8 1000 followers at the time of recording this Annie O'Donnell Welcome to missing point.

Annie O'Donnell: 1:57

Wow, what an introduction. I feel like I need to update my podcast like description a little bit now that I've I like wrote that when I literally like first launched and like had no idea what I was doing. I was like I've done a little bit. I should probably update that. But I am awesome. I'm so excited to be here. How are you guys?

Joe Malkin: 2:16

We're doing great. We're hanging in there. We're doing an East Coast. West Coast thing here and Mike past your bedtime. But how are you? I'm doing well. I'm

Michael Marcangelo: 2:24

here for this 90s rap vibe East versus West. This is going to be great.

Joe Malkin: 2:28

It's at Celtics vs Lakers. Any we didn't ask you much about basketball. Are you a Lakers fan? We know you're a Dodgers fan. I am a diehard Lakers fan. diehard Lakers fan. Okay, well, as long as it's not with the era of King James, then we're fine because we don't mind Kobe around here,

Annie O'Donnell: 2:47

as you shouldn't Kobe's my guy. So that'd be cool. But you can't not grow up in Southern California and not love and especially in the 90s and not just fall in love with the Lakers. That's why I don't trust anyone that says they are diehard Celtics fans. I was like, how that's why when Paul George, he was like, oh, I've been a Clipper's fan. My whole life was like, No, you have. You're from Southern California and the 90s. And you're telling me you saw Kobe and Shaq balling out for the purple and gold and you were like, Nah, I'm gonna go with the clip. No

Joe Malkin: 3:17

lie, you know, as well as we do that professional athletes lie and just buy tickets and sit in the seats. That's what I mean. If you're listening to this, and that's a surprise to you what we're sorry, but you've been lied to your whole life. But you're not wrong. Because when we were growing up in the 90s it was no Kobe and then in Boston, of course, we had Paul Pearson And Anton Walker and those guys, but they were no Kobe and Kobe was great. Shaq was awesome. And we had Shaq here for a cup of coffee in Boston. And the what was the year after we won the championship?

Michael Marcangelo: 3:47

I think was 2010 it was right around that it was like Fat Shaw. It was big mac Shaq, you know? Yeah.

Joe Malkin: 3:52

Yeah. He couldn't hit a shot to say I mean, he never could hit a shot right? Yeah, I was gonna say that was never know. So Annie, welcome in and we're happy to have you this is fun, because we get to touch on some talking points. That you know, we we're never shy around here when it comes to talking about the more controversial things in sports. And I want to start with one of them. And that's the Stephen A. Smith comments about Shohei Ohtani being the face of baseball, and the fact that he kind of backtracked from a couple weeks ago, but again, how this kind of all started was, we saw your TikTok on that. I sent it to the guys and we were like we got to get her on. Let's talk about this. So what are your thoughts on one Stephen A. Smith comments and to Shohei Ohtani being the face of baseball?

Annie O'Donnell: 4:38

Well, let me start by just saying because I know we were all briefly connected that in the past I've been a huge advocate of Stephen A. Smith have been a huge fan of his I think he's entertaining. I think he provides a lot of insight in the sport of basketball, football, his takes a little, but basketball for sure. You got to respect you know, he started in Philadelphia, he was watching tapes, he really he knows his stuff with basketball, so I give him credit where credit's due he's not where he is by accident. I mean, to actually wait to further prove that I do have a Stephen A. Smith mug right here. The many places with him with a coffee. I think that's she actually he's a team man. And there's certain you know, I feel like at times, you know, you can, you know, I don't wanna say I don't idolize him, but I want to say you Can I you know, admire people look up to them while still holding them accountable and you know, not agreeing with everything they do and everything they say. And that's a big part of my podcast. And that's why I love that you say that you know, you don't stress shy away from any controversial topic because I think that's one of the best things about from being an independent podcast, my podcast and myself as I can talk about whatever I want to and nothing's off the table and I can say what I want. But in terms I kind of just I had so many thoughts in my head when I saw the video of Stephen A saying, you know, it's doesn't help the game of baseball that their their face their number one guy, you know, the guy that's basically the modern Babe Ruth needs an interpreter. And that was just it was I had to rewatch it like twice just to make sure that I like I rewatch it more than twice, obviously. But I had to rewatch it a couple times, just to make sure I heard that right. I said, What How? You're in 2021? Are we still saying this?

Joe Malkin: 6:22

But this is new stuff either, right? Like, we talked about the interpreter. But first of all, what does it matter? And second of all, we've had that before we've had it in Boston, we've had it with so many players, whether it was Daisuke Matsuzaka or Kim Byung-hyun, who is in the league long before he got to Boston still need an interpreter when he got here. And that's just Asian based players where there's been so many South American Caribbean players. Rafael Devers needed an interpreter when he first got here six years ago. So you're right. It's 2021. What are what's the problem?

Annie O'Donnell: 6:50

And I feel like I mean, I just remember one of my favorite images in like Dodger history is Hiroki Kuroda? I don't know if you remember him, he's a pitcher. And if you played with the Yankees a little bit, so maybe you had to face him here and there, but Hiroki Kuroda. The Dodgers used to do this thing where the rookies would wear a Halloween cut, where were ridiculous costumes are the end of the year, and Hiroki Kuroda and had his interpreter also dress up in a costume too. And again, he was just like these interpreters, they travel with them. They're part of the team. They're a part of this growing family of a franchise and it just I it was just so I could I guess I could kind of see where he was as far as marketability. But like, nobody's going to watch shohei Ohtani nobody's going to watch Mike Trout because they saw him in a commercial like I I just thought that was so stupid and I gave him I known that TikTok I rattled examples are endless of athletes that either English isn't their second language or isn't their first language or they use an interpreter. I mean, the biggest one for me is Canelo who is easily young, he calls he's the face of boxing. I got a lot of snarky comments about that from the boxing community and tiktok, but I digress. What do you think the face of boxing was? They'll still say Floyd Mayweather Mayweather in the face of boxing when you might need an interpreter to though someone said someone was like oh, he might need an interpreter to help him read like that's good. Are you going for like the active face of boxing? Yeah yeah yeah. I mean if you want to throw I mean for heavyweights you want to go Tyson Fury you want to go Anthony Joshua. Sure, but like overall Canelo's the guy I've seen can lol fighting person in Madison Square Garden there's no doubt no question in my mind that he is the biggest face in boxing right now and he uses an interpreter but he's got fans from all over the world. He's got a I got into boxing because I watched the canillo GGG flight and that's what got me into a boxing gym like you can grow the game whatever sport game you're in without speaking the native language because you don't one of the best things about sports is you know, there is sure communicating with your teammates doing interviews, but game respects game like the game itself is a language so kids are gonna be out there pretending to be Shohei Ohtani because he rakes because he's great on the mound. They're gonna go out there they're gonna want his jersey because he's a great player and who doesn't want to be an all around player like that? They're not going to you don't say Oh, he needs an interpreter now we're not getting his jersey now. We're we don't support him. Now. I can't relate to you. Because you don't you know, you need an interpreter so stupid.

Joe Malkin: 9:28

And this is what you mentioned. You mentioned Canelo having fans all over the world. And my mind immediately went to Hideki Matsui Yeah, it went to Ichiro when he first came out with Ichiro Suzuki, I mean, Ichiro Suzuki in the early 2000s, there was a commercial where they had a it was for I think it was for like 47 brand. It was for hats or jerseys or something. And they had a guy is not a sponsor. They had a guy in the commercials that was like, it's one of my favorite things to do on this podcast is to say a brand and then say they're not a sponsor. But that doesn't mean we wouldn't like you to be. And it was Ichiro is number one. And it's like we already we've already kind of broken that barrier. And the biggest thing that we've heard over the years is that we they want to grow the game of baseball in Asia in South America. Basket ball has been growing in China for decades. They've tried to grow it even North Korea was sending Dennis Rodman over. Are you telling me Dennis Rodman didn't need an interpreter to talk to Kim Jong moon. So I might be stretching it a little but the point is, right, we're past that and you're right. I'm I don't care if shohei Ohtani can speak English but the fact of the matter is, is he just pitched and hit during the all star game. And it made me happier to see a big, shining, smiling face on the mound playing baseball than it did for anything else.

Michael Marcangelo: 10:54

I think talent just transcends everything right. I think that's that's like the message that I would have. And I think that you do too. Anyway, in that tiktok. It's just like, when you listen of all the people that that needed that needed interpreter, but are still the best at what they do and have all that recognition. To put it in perspective, Mike Trout has been probably one of the most prolific MLB players for the last what five years, eight years. I couldn't pick him out of the lineup. I have no idea what he looks like actually didn't care about him like I would never he's his marketability for me is zero. But Shohei like this is a great story, not only because like you said he rakes but when was the last time that a starting pitcher of an all star game was not like the ninth batter. He was actually a damn good batter that you if you had to go against. Right. Right. It's like, so Stephen A, I get what he was saying. I guess this is my question to you. Like I fundamentally disagree with his statement. Right. But what he was saying what he was trying to say is it's hard to market somebody that is that with the language barrier. But again, to your point in 2021. What should we be worrying about this? Should we just let them go out there and just showcase their talent and then figure out if we like them or not?

Annie O'Donnell: 12:09

Absolutely. I mean, nobody I like I said, I mean, sure you there's some but I feel like Sorry, I'm backtracking here. I feel like the people that like the big personalities and usually like I think back to some I mean, hockey players, specifically like you got those guys in the lineup that are just not very well or we'll stick with baseball Kike Hernandez. He's not a star. But he's got a big bright he's one of the funniest guys in the league. It's such a bright personality, he'll throw a banana suit on to lighten up the mood, makes funny faces loves to dance in the dugout. Like he's a guy that like diehard fans know about and love and will back and support but, you know, a guy like Shohei Ohtani who's got the numbers who's got just the onfield on the What am I looking for the on field Production The on field results, then that's what's gonna keep get kids excited and want to grow the game kids are gonna see all the guys hit a home run while I was there. I'm a fan now. And I think about one example that I didn't bring up in that tech talk but I wish I did was the Russian five for the Detroit Redwings a time when none of those guys spoke English. I think about Pablo dot suku barely spoke a lick of English. But I can tell you I knew numerous people, numerous children that were wearing that suit jerseys that were imitating his shoot out moves that wanted to shoot like him. So they're really especially when it comes to I believe growing the game and marketing the sport. You got to start with the youth. That's grassroots. That's who you're marketing to. And you know, kids get excited by those things. They get excited by guys like shohei Ohtani, they don't like I said, they don't care about commercials. They don't care about print places like it. I get it. Major League Baseball has a problem with marketing their game. There's a laundry list of problems for this. But I just I really think as far as shohei Ohtani, they need to be marketing him more but it's not Don't let the language barrier stop you from doing that. That's all

Joe Malkin: 14:09

like you said he's kind of transcendent and Major League Baseball is being given a layup here they're literally being given the best opportunity they have in recent memory to market their game and that people whether it's people our age, or kids pay attention to the game you're absolutely right you said it best so you know I'm not gonna circle back around on your words but you're absolutely right. And you know, Mike as you said, Stephen A you kind of fundamentally have to disagree with them. I am not the biggest Stephen A guy I think it's more because I am less of a I am a bigger fan of Stephen A than I am of Skip Bayless. I think Skip Bayless is not any good at all. And the fact that he has burner accounts to argue with himself on Twitter is hilarious. Him and Kevin Durant. But but Mike, always get one out of Mike. But besides that, Stephen a is fine. But yeah, I agree. I mean, this was just this was a little too far and if they're gonna find somebody to be the face of baseball right now, it's it's not Mike trout. It's him and if Mike trout is smart, he will jump on shohei Ohtani, his coattails and ride him into the sunset.

Annie O'Donnell: 15:21

I feel like Mike trots that kind of guy too.

Joe Malkin: 15:24

Absolutely, sure. It's a good opportunity. And he's wanting to stay in LA. And I mean, you know. So here's a question on top of all of this. Do you think there's a problem with sports in general because we see it and we see it in football as well. We've seen we've seen bigger players oftentimes, stay in the eastern or Central Time Zone. I know that seems silly, but it's true, right? Of course, like you see kind of everybody but we don't see everybody because LeBron James and Shohei Ohtani don't play until 11 o'clock at night on the East Coast, so we're not watching them. Do you think that's a problem in sports?

Annie O'Donnell: 15:57

Yes, absolutely. And I say that it's funny. You bring that up, because I've lived let me put it this way. I grew up in Southern California. I've lived in Pittsburgh, I've lived in Chicago, I've lived in New York, I've checked marked almost every timezone off the list except mountain time in Hawaii. But I don't see myself doing that anytime. I digressed. And I just think about it in terms of a lot of I'll speak for the ducks fan base that I know and love very well is the majority of ducks fans that I know are very well versed in the league as a whole, like they know what's going on. They know who players are on each team. And while I've met a lot of passionate hockey fans in Pittsburgh, Chicago and New York, not all of them know what's going on in the league. Not all of them know what's going on in the West Coast. And that's not necessarily their fault. I like you said games are on at 11 o'clock at night. The only time they see them these played the only time they see these West Coast teams players when they're they have to stay up at 10 1030 at night just to watch their team. So I definitely think it's a problem. But I mean, in the case of shohei Ohtani, I have to remember you got to remember that he picked where he wanted to go. Yeah, he picked the angels for a reason. I love that. Dave Roberts even said, He's like, someone asked, oh, what do you feel? How do you feel that you missed on? And he says, Yeah, we wanted him but he didn't pick us. He picked to go to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which I don't know if you guys have ever been to California, but let me just state very clearly that Angel stadium is very clearly in Anaheim, California. It is right across the freeway from Honda center where the Anaheim Ducks play. So this whole Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim thing I still don't understand it. It's the stupidest move. I

Joe Malkin: 17:37

I think they are the team in sports that have changed their name the most. In American sports, at least.

Annie O'Donnell: 17:45

Oh, the Anaheim teams for sure. That's the California angels, the Anaheim Angels Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, then he got the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in Anaheim. It just it's ever changing. Who knows what's next? Well,

Joe Malkin: 17:57

we know we'll get to the to the ducks because we have some ducks related questions for you. But so we'll get there. But I sorry, I just stepped all over your point there. But now you're good. So we you know, I I hesitate. I'm totally gonna I have this tendency once during a show of killing mode. But I want to bring this guy up because it's also la based. And you mentioned Dave Roberts. So we have to bring this name up. We have to bring this story up. Okay. Trevor Bauer. I know we have the same opinion on Joe. I Well, we all have the same opinion on Trevor Bauer. Right? Yeah. And he's gonna sign off real quick. If we don't,

Annie O'Donnell: 18:38

I wouldn't sign off. We'd have a discussion for sure. But

Joe Malkin: 18:41

well, let's have a discussion anyway. Because it's a it's a hot button topic. And they just extended his suspension, his sorry, administrative leave through July 27.

Michael Marcangelo: 18:52

Hold on, hold on. The key part of that though, Joe is paid administrative leave eight is

Joe Malkin: 18:58

something that people who make a lot of money are afforded to that some other people are not urinal you're in LA San Diego. So you're kind of boots on the ground and, for lack of better term here. What are your thoughts on the Trevor Bauer situation?

Annie O'Donnell: 19:14

Um, I every time I've been asked this question, I've I do feel the need to kind of clear the air on my stance because when the Dodgers first sign Bauer, personally, honestly, the reigning Cy Young winner I was excited anyone that's going to suit up and Dodger blue, I want them to do well. I'm going to root for their success. And in terms of his past tweets, and you know, the whole ordeal with him harassing women on Twitter, I'm of the belief that we can change that we can improve ourselves as people. So I said, How am I who am I to say that this young man can't either I say, young man, I think he's older than me to say this guy can improve himself and grow as a person either. So I said, Well, I'll give him a chance. I'll root for him. He's Dodger. He's on our team. However, that stance does not come into play in terms of domestic violence. And what was read what I read by the athletic that was absolutely horrific. I think everybody I've taught every Dodger fan that I've spoken to I know it's not the collective view of the fan base, but I think it's of the majority is that we're done with them. Honestly. At this point in time, this Dodgers team has been I hate bringing you bringing, you know, play into this on such a serious topic. But this Dodgers team, despite a very light, despite one of the top records in the league, they've been very, they really haven't hit their stride. And the first half of the season, they've been very inconsistent. So I think, taking this distraction, and he is a distraction. He's, for lack of a better word. I mean, the blogging, the internet stuff and everything. I think it's the best for the team to just move on. But I know that's not necessarily the way things have to happen because of you know, there was a whole deal when everything came out on the Dodgers didn't say anything. And Dave Roberts said, Well, my hand or hands are tied because it's at the league level. And I understand that the Dodgers could suspend him, and they couldn't just outright kick him off the team, but Dave Roberts absolutely had in his jurisdiction to take him out of the rotation. Absolutely. He's suspended and sat players for worse. He sat Cody Bellinger for not hustling to second base one game back in 2018. He sat Yasiel Puig for showing up late to practice. You're telling me you can't take Trevor out of the game because of this entire new for one, just aside from the whole investigation, the fact that there's no way he's going to be focused on the game on that Sunday, and it's going to be distraction for the locker room, if anything, but no, you're gonna say no, he's gonna start on the mound, what's the message that you're sending to your fans, to Dodger fans who are a very diverse group, I feel like that's one of the most best things about sports is just that, you know, every fan base is just a melting pot of different income classes, races, backgrounds, whatever. But domestic violence and sexual assault affect everybody. So that's that message there, I thought was communicated very poorly. Will he ever do? I think he'll ever see a major. It depends on how the investigation goes. And investigations take time, as we all know, but um, I don't want him suiting up and Dodger blue ever again. Regardless of how this goes down, because he didn't deny it, he said it did happen. It was just consensual. And I don't see him suiting up in Dodger blue at all. So I say cut the ties as soon as you can. I do want him if and when he's found guilty. And you know, the process does it. I do want him to be held accountable and responsible because there's a young woman who is dealing with probably hell right now, not only just physically from injuries, but emotionally, internally, trauma or trauma, all that. But yeah, I don't want to see him on a diamond. And I don't see another team taking a chance on him either. Frankly, I don't think it's worth it. I don't think any level of talent is worth it. I don't think the mess is worth it. And I think a lot of people are going to question Andrew Friedman and the due diligence that they did during the signing? I do. I don't entirely blame him. Because like I said, I kind of saw the tweets from years ago, I said, you know, not great, but not illegal. Like it's not illegal to be a douchebag. It's not illegal to be a jerk online, unfortunately. But it's one of those things where you look back and said, Yeah, where was the stone left unturned? Where was there signs there that this was a problem? We'll never know. But yeah, I'm done with Trevor Bauer and I'm done with his age. I'm done with Rachel Luba too, honestly. She's I've been supportive of her because women in sports and she's done great thing I wrote for her success, but the way she responded to this and the statement she put out there and releasing the text messages trying to oust this woman. I it's just it's blameless to me.

Joe Malkin: 23:54

And you know, I'm faced level, I think we all agree on the fact that what happened was not okay. As Mike and I have Mike and I have an unofficial segment on on all of our shows now of that something you can do or what some, you know, like, you just can't do that. You can't say that you can't do that. And there's so much left to find out in this story. Because for him personally, he, like you said basically came out and said, it did happen, but it was consensual. And she came out and said consensual to a point and then that that's where when someone says there's a point and then they weren't comfortable with it. That's endgame. That's it right there. Anything that happens beyond that is is not okay. And that's where Trevor Bauer crossed the line. I agree with you on Rachel Luba, I think and I we have to go here because it is sports it is people that are successful Money Talks, and for her money was definitely a part of it. She's he is her biggest client. And for the second biggest

Annie O'Donnell: 25:00

two him and Yasiel Puig.

Joe Malkin: 25:02

Yeah, well, gee, okay, well, alright, she just lost a few more points. I forgot. Yes. Yep. was one of

Annie O'Donnell: 25:08

She don't have a great track record with her?

Joe Malkin: 25:09

No, I get I guess not. And then, you know, you look at Dave Roberts. And you mentioned pulling people out of the lineup for doing a lot, a lot less. I mean, we're talking about onfield stuff. Because he said hands are tied. It's at the MLB level. When he said, hands are tied, I think he meant His hands are tied. I think the decision was above him and as as a as a father and a husband, and someone who is, you know, not been in that situation. But wouldn't you want to take a step back and be like, I don't really care, like he's not my starting rotation, like take a stand. But then it comes down to money in a job for him

Michael Marcangelo: 25:51

to Annie's point, right? If you're going to bench someone for not hustling to second, that well,

Joe Malkin: 25:55

that's what I'm saying.

Michael Marcangelo: 25:56

But can't you find it within your state within you just have been someone for essentially raping somebody, like, if that's ever even thrown out there, like, okay, like, you're out until this is cleared up. Also, we have the MLB has the power to do a couple of interesting things, right? They could say like, Listen during this investigation, like because domestic violence is in there, it empowers them to transfer liability to the Dodgers. So if manford doesn't want to come down with a ruling, he can say listen, like you guys deal with it? Or what I think what he what he could do, I'm interested in for your take on this any? What would you think about them voiding his contract? Is that the way that they should go?

Annie O'Donnell: 26:37

It I say this knowing that I mean, I feel like they can't do anything. I mean, the MLB has to do its own investigation. And that has to all be cleared up. And you gotta think there's going to be unless there's, I can't think of a situation where this doesn't prove proceed further and go into trial because they basically said, Hey, everything happened it was just consensual. He's not going to plea. No, I'm not a listen, I'm a sports podcast. I'm not big into legal jargon or the legal process. But I if it's put in the Dodgers hands, which if manford does that? I don't think you will know. I my model for Manfred is disappointed but not surprised.

Michael Marcangelo: 27:19

Yeah, exactly.

Annie O'Donnell: 27:20

Every time when he goes low, he just finds more ways to just go lower on the

Joe Malkin: 27:24

list. You mean when he was handing over an MVP trophy last year, three sheets to the wind? Well, I'm sorry.

Michael Marcangelo: 27:33

It's also like that this is this would be right in his playbook, though. Right? It's so I didn't do it. Like it's not my responsibility. We transferred all the power to the Dodgers and he can kind of pass the buck there. But are you familiar with that? Denny Nagel? You remember him back in like 2000 2004? I'm gonna say that was way back. Yeah. So the the Rockies were they were hitting a responsibility by Bud Selig, and they've avoided his contract for soliciting a prostitute, right, just soliciting one, maybe he may or may not have done something with them. The problem here is, is that even though he pled out, and I think this could happen for the remainder of our is he was he still was paid 16 out of the 19 and a half million of his contract. So like, I don't want to get like we don't need to get on a soapbox here. But I think it's really importantly, what are we saying to all those watching and listening out there is if you can have your contract voided if you can be ousted from the league. And somehow, even though you still did it, you still get paid.

Annie O'Donnell: 28:28

That just doesn't sit right with me. And you know, and honestly, I wouldn't put it past manford because the entirety of his career has been decisions that are he doesn't care about the lasting effects. He doesn't care about the what's good for the game. He's like, hey, let's figure out the easiest way to a solution easiest way to find an answer. So you know, temporary solution here. We saw it with the Astros game, he's promised immunity because he just wanted the story to get out there. So players are not held responsible for a player driven scheme and I feel that way with the sticky tack stuff too. You know, you've got there's an easy way to tell there's got to be a better way to tell the difference between a rosin bag mixed with something and using spidertech but man for doesn't want to do that. So he's just banning sticky substances altogether. It's stupid. And the lasting effects could be players injured. We've seen Tyler glasnow get injured, it's probably penance. He's probably not going to be the last unfortunately,

Joe Malkin: 29:20

I I just that's a subject as you're trying to find new words. That's a subject that's really interesting to me because, one they the baseball's that they use around the world, especially the Korean league are already tacky. So they already are a little bit stickier. So these guys have that grip on a baseball. The leather that's used on baseballs in the United States is too It's too slippery. So this is why guys have always done this but they've literally always done this. I mean, one of my favorite movies of all time is Major League. And you know there's the whole scene about him talking about literally like little jalapeno in the nose and it's like so you know if Manfred screwed that one up. He has screwed up in a lot of places since he took over for Bud Selig and not the bud ceiling was a saint either. But Rob Manfred is not doing for the game. What needs to be done and you're right if he surprises us all and turns this back around on the Dodgers instead of having major league baseball, take responsibility for it when Trevor Bauer was not only the NL Cy Young last year, which and I won't say this about other teams but the shortened season. You know w hat? What? Really what?

Craig D'Alessandro: 30:34

Like the Dodgers

Annie O'Donnell: 30:36

Watch Your Mouth, Watch Your Mouth.

Joe Malkin: 30:41

What's that?

Craig D'Alessandro: 30:43

I said like the Dodgers?

Joe Malkin: 30:45

No, but I already

Craig D'Alessandro: 30:46

I said that to trigger her

Joe Malkin: 30:47

Don't do that. Don't do that to me, Craig, you're gonna get yourself in trouble you're gonna get me in trouble. And but point being is that Major League Baseball needs to handle this because Trevor Bauer was one of the most sought after free agents in the offseason in the you know, Chaim Bloom and the Boston Red Sox dodged a bullet by him going to LA. So that was definitely a good decision and a good move by Boston to not pursue him any further but so nice for you. Yeah, it's great for us. Well, you know, it's funny because we also got Kike Hernandez so on to the NHL. Wow. digest right there. Yeah, I tend to do that and I will frazzle people but

Michael Marcangelo: 31:33

any if it makes you feel any better, we had Aaron Hernandez so like, I mean, like it's we have our own terrible players

Craig D'Alessandro: 31:39

only one of the most notorious mass murderers.

Joe Malkin: 31:43

I mean, we've also had a a very well known football team in an area that has cheated on multiple occasions and yes, I will admit as a Patriots fan, they have cheated. That doesn't really take World Championships away but they have cheated. So into the NHL. Your ducks are Bruins did not find their way to the Stanley Cup Finals this year. But we did have a very strange Stanley Cup Finals in the NHL this year and it was to Eastern Conference teams. Typical Eastern Conference teams that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals the Tampa Bay Lightning the Montreal Canadiens Yeah, we know how good Tampa wasn't we'll talk about them. But I want to talk to you about Montreal, because this Montreal team was sneaky, like sneaky good. They weren't great at one thing, but they had Carey Price.

Annie O'Donnell: 32:33

You know, I very beginning of the season, one of the things that I said was that the Montreal Canadiens I thought from the offseason were the team that by and far built off the momentum they built in the playoffs in the return to play in the bubble. And you know, beating Pittsburgh and I was at four games because it was a best of five so it took down the penguins and for a series where nobody, nobody had them winning that series and gave the flyers a good run for their money. You know, I props to the Canadians plops to you know, Marburger van for say for headway and hey, let's add some momentum here. You know, going out and getting Joel Edmundson getting Corey Perry getting Jake Allen, you know, we see the addition of Cole Caulfield coming up obviously helped. But no, this is a Montreal Canadiens team that you know, they struggled a little bit near the end of the season were able to slip into that fourth spot that they had a lot of bright spots during the season. They showed a lot of potential and Carey price obviously playing out of his mind in the playoffs certainly helped Cole Caulfield Nick Suzuki rising to the occasion but also seeing the veteran presence of Eric stall and Corey Perry shine through that fourth line I thought was outstanding and they were just so fun to watch it was so maybe not you guys as Bruins fans, but it was very easy to root for the Montreal Canadiens during this round and it didn't help my dad is a lifelong diehard Habs fan. So it's like a universal second out of our way to hang on a second.

Joe Malkin: 33:58

How did he become a hat? How is he Canadian Smith?

Annie O'Donnell: 34:01

So my dad's from Long Island. And he grew up in the original six era did not like Rangers, so he liked he liked the Habs

Joe Malkin: 34:10

easy enough.

Annie O'Donnell: 34:11

He's also a Celtics fan, so he doesn't you know,

Joe Malkin: 34:14

that's great. Now let's see what is your dad want it? No, I'm just getting. You know, you talk about Montreal and Cole Caulfield is kind of an unsung hero in the NHL. He was kind of an MVP of the playoffs. And you know his team didn't win and he had Carey Price who was kind of overshadowing everybody on that Canadiens team. But you mentioned Suzuki Caulfield. One thing that Montreal had that say like the Bruins didn't have is four solid lines up front. And they each one of them could play they kind of reminded me of the Bruins from the 2010 2011 era when they won the Stanley Cup because they could do it all no matter who you put on the ice. You knew that there was a threat there. And the one thing that Tampa Bay had over them. One is the fact that they have the greedy veterans Steven Stamkos, but vasilevsky is human Carey price. I would just love to see them in a shootout. Just let everybody in the NHL, take shots at them and see what happens. They're just they're incredible. But what Tampa had was one of the best you know, they say that the top line for the Bruins might be the best in hockey. I don't know The perfectional line? and perfection line by the way

Michael Marcangelo: 35:26

we hate that name we hate we do we do hate that name I can't

Annie O'Donnell: 35:29

have that name and not be not producing I'll be perfect have that name and not be good five on five and not produce in the playoffs. I I love pasta. You gotta love Patrice Bergeron. I'm actually a big Brad Marchand fan but perfection line. I'm like, oh, you're not? No, don't do that. Don't do that to yourself. I

Joe Malkin: 35:48

didn't help them. We lost two of our biggest defenders and when Chara left in the offseason, they didn't really replace them.

Annie O'Donnell: 35:54

That is true.

Joe Malkin: 35:56

That didn't help but that top line for Tampa I am convinced was better than top line for Boston. I could get ripped for this and I'm okay with it.

Annie O'Donnell: 36:05

Honestly, it was and one guy I didn't give a shout out to that I should because of recent news about him is Shea Webber, he played outstanding in those plays. If Carey Price didn't play out of his mind, and would be a shoo in Conn Smythe , if the Habs had won, it would have been Shea Webber. I think hands down. That guy thrown it if you were skating cache, whatever the playoff you were gonna get hit you were gonna get crushed. It is which is typical when you play a guy like shit. But I the Tampa Bay Lightning to me, I mean, they for the most part, just that core stayed together from last year. So it really isn't a surprise to me that they repeated and everybody wants to get up in arms about being over the cap and duggie Hamilton saying Oh, 18 million over the cap. They weren't 18 million over the cap for one. But it's not against the rules. Technically, it's not. So to put a guy on long term injured reserve and then bring them back for the playoffs. You add something at the deadline, y'all. The Blackhawks did it in 2015. And I remember at the time being upset because the Blackhawks beat the ducks in the Western Conference final to end up going to this instead of winning the Stanley Cup that year. But at the end of the day, that's part of the job being a general manager is just playing around with a cap making it work. And yeah, if you can find those loopholes, you do it but no one's stopping other teams from not doing that. Granted, you don't have Nikita kucherov to just at your expense. Not every team has a guy like Nikita Good job to bring back in the playoffs. But next year will be interesting. The cap. Obviously the Expansion Draft next week is going to change a lot of things for a good number of teams. It'll be interesting to see what happens and how that shakes out. I don't think it'll end up being the way Vegas was where they had so many top guys that had to be protected. That's why I feel like we wouldn't be seeing more side deals going on right now. Like I like that's I feel like that's why we're seeing a lot of buyouts, we're seeing trades. We're seeing retirements, we're seeing, you know, trade rumors going around because Ron Francis probably is tacking the price on really high to say hey, you want to make a side deal. You want to tell me who I need to pick you know, you're gonna have to pay for it. Sort of like how the ducks did trading Shea Theodore to Vegas, but we won't talk about Luckily, luckily the ducks are not in that tough spot this year. So I'm going into this Expansion Draft breathing a little easier. But it's I feel like the Expansion Draft is one of those things where you don't see it often in sports. So even if you're not a huge hockey fan, it's something very intriguing to see how a new team is built. I know we've got from the Tampa Bay Lightning all the way

Joe Malkin: 38:30

down. Because this brings up a good point because one of the hockey playoffs I set it on Twitter the other day, the Stanley Cup is the best trophy.

Annie O'Donnell: 38:40

Oh, absolutely.

Joe Malkin: 38:41

Not just the best learning slip the hardest one to go obtain the best one to watch. Even if you're not a hockey fan, you watch it and I playoff hockey is the best. But the great thing about hockey is the stories that come out of hockey we see we see Zamboni drivers for the Hurricanes winning games and gold and then expansion drafts which are great in hockey because I learned this about the Boston Bruins the other day. So I don't know if you know but one of the rules in hockey for an expansion draft is that you have to protect a goalie. Yep, the Boston Bruins did not have a goalie to protect. Because be Hdeaalak's l is up. Tuukka's cars deal is up. And swayman and Vladar our two other goalies don't have enough service time. So they went out and signed a guy who was working construction and play golf for him for them in Providence their HL team long enough so that they could protect him so that they could have a goalie under protection for the Expansion Draft alone. That was the only reason and those stories don't happen in football. They don't happen. And that's just what's great about hockey.

Annie O'Donnell: 39:50

You don't have an emergency. Yeah, exactly. You don't have an emergency kicker in football you don't have Yeah, exactly. Why we

Joe Malkin: 39:57

should though it is the most important position on the field.

Annie O'Donnell: 39:59

True. Well, that's I love when people are like what's the most entered? What's the hardest? What's the easiest position to play in football people like kicker they're like okay, kick the ball kick a field goal. Nobody can do it.

Joe Malkin: 40:10

Right. Well, but also I don't know if I necessarily want to be you know, rushing Tom Brady with Rob gronkowski blocking me either. So I mean, kicking is definitely not easy. But I'm a big fan of kickers but now we've gone from the Tampa Bay Lightning Two kickers okay but yeah what do you think about the the NHL Expansion Draft and one of the name and the logo for the Seattle Kraken?

Annie O'Donnell: 40:33

Um this is somebody I actually went to Seattle two weeks ago for the Fourth of July weekend and let me tell you this city is buzzing very excited about this new this team communist Seattle I it's so cool even people that don't watch hockey people that aren't into sports like Oh, I'm so it's like, we're on the waitlist for season tickets. We're so excited. never watched a game I've ever been to a game so but you know, we got to support we love Seattle, so we want to support our teams. And I feel like the Vancouver I mean, you got to think if you're live in Seattle, you got to root for the Vancouver Canucks because that's the closest thing you got to think. Yeah, I you know, I think about that Stanley Cup final how much travel time that was like brutal. But I digress.

Joe Malkin: 41:15

The Vancouver and back again,

Annie O'Donnell: 41:16

literally I was I think about I'm like, whoo, I mean, I thought Anaheim to Ottawa was bad. Now Vancouver to Boston was probably worse.

Joe Malkin: 41:24

It was pretty bad.

Annie O'Donnell: 41:25

That's pretty bad. But I mean, I think it's great. I'm a proponent for growing the game as somebody that lives in Southern California and grew up being the only person that could talk hockey and I went to small High School, so really sports in my high school. I wanted more people to get into hockey. I can't one of my biggest pet peeves about the fans. And the people that love the game is that they try to get keep it too much. They'll kind of they'll cry about it not being covered on ESPN and all these things. But when ESPN does cover it, or when people do touch it, they're like, No, you can't do that. No, you don't know what you're taught. It's just it's such this toxic gatekeeping culture and I hate it. I hate gatekeeping in all of sports, but I feel it's extra prevalent in hockey because it's that, oh, we're different. We're not a mainstream. We're not a top. Exactly, exactly. And so I really I'm excited. I granted this is another division rival for the Anaheim Ducks here, but uh, I would hope I don't think they're going to be as big of a threat as Vegas just given for one the talent that we know that's going to be out and exposed like they're not going to pick up a Matthew Shane. They're not going to pick up Jeff Skinner. I Ron Francis. I know it's been a little bit since he's been in the GM game, but I just don't see him doing that. But you don't have like a Marc Andre flurry being exposed. You don't have you know, I'm trying to think well, you don't have Shea Theodore going and hand it over to you. But the big guy was, of course, Mark Andre Flurry. But you know, I just don't see that happening this year for Seattle, just given the names that are out there. But nonetheless very exciting. The logo I think is very cool. And actually one of my good friends fellow creator is a Chanel Kenyan. I don't know if you've heard of her know her.

Joe Malkin: 43:07

I've no, not yet, but we're going to

Annie O'Donnell: 43:09

she's the intersectionality consultant for the Seattle Kraken. And she's a big proponent of she's in a wheelchair, I should point that but she's a big proponent. Yeah, of making hockey more open and accepting to people with disabilities. So she's helping coordinate shoots, she does a better job explaining it than I do. But, you know, kind of being a consultant to the team for things that make it more accessible to people that it might not be

Joe Malkin: 43:34

if you're gonna do that in any sort of America in Seattle.

Annie O'Donnell: 43:37

And exactly, they're doing all the right I mean, they've got JT brown as the color analyst, they've got their first play the first African American play by play guy in the league, like they're just doing some strong beer, they're really striving to make hockey for everybody and be very inclusive, which you got to love it. I you got to appreciate it. And you know, give a sick tap to it. But we'll see. We'll see what Ron Francis is able to do come next week.

Joe Malkin: 44:02

Don't be they'll be fun to watch going. Like

Michael Marcangelo: 44:04

just taking a step back. We're talking about the Vegas team, right? I just want to know as someone who's right there, because they're not as close to us as they are you how, how incredible was it to see a team that was just created beyond the brain beyond the brain of a championship so soon, what was that like? Because that doesn't happen in literally any other sport. I mean, there was a jaguars in the NFL once, but like it is not happened in such a long time. So I just want to know as a division rival, what was it like watching that?

Annie O'Donnell: 44:35

You know, that was actually the first the ducks were on a streak of winning the Pacific division for five straight years. And it ended at the end of the Vegas Golden Knights division. I would trade all those division banners for a stanley cup so I don't tote on them too much. But as I went actually went to a game in Vegas at T Mobile T Mobile arena for my birthday that year. And they actually played the cats. So which ended up being the Stanley Cup final. But the atmosphere was just so cool. I mean, what they're doing. It's very Vegas and the fans there. I mean, they get a bad rap on Twitter. I don't know why. But the fans that I spoke to were so friendly. There was just so excited so many of them are from like, we sat next to a guy that was from Chicago grew up a block, you know, so he's like, I like the black. I've lived here for 20 years, but I've been following the Blackhawks and now we've got a team. So I'm a big biggest fan now or even fans that don't know that are still new to the game which honestly one of my favorite things is you know, they talked about how loud T Mobile arena is. And meanwhile it's I'm pretty sure it's just you know, they cheer it everything like they don't know. Like flurry flurry clears the puck and they're like, yeah, little bit, which Hey, you gotta love the enthusiasm there. Yeah. And I'm all for people learning at their own pace and learning the game. That's I would never shame somebody for that. So that's all fine. But you know, I think it was shocking because not one person expected anything out of this Vegas team. I would say the one person that probably did was George McPhee who built the team and you know it is cool to see I do believe that like I said, I don't get keep the score but I do believe as a fan you need to put in your dues to really appreciate a championship to appreciate how hard it is to get there. So a cup final run is good but they needed to experience loss just a little bit Well, they won't they have I mean you're losing you know the way they lost to the sharks in 2019. Again getting bounced two years but you know, getting bounced these past two years as well. They're earning it they're Bay the Vegas fans are earning it.

Joe Malkin: 46:37

I can't wait until they're back in the Stanley Cup in like two years and then like we've had five years of not getting to Stanley and we're gonna be like excuse us okay, gonna be like leafs fans are gonna be like we haven't even touched on them because they they they

Annie O'Donnell: 46:55

really like I yeah, I mean, there's still gonna be a good team. I mean, if you've got a one two gold goaltending tandem of guys that could be starters on any other team in the in the league like that in itself is incredible. But just young, great talent and you know, it paint like I said, It pains me to see Shea Theodore William Carlson is a guy that started with the docks. We won't get into Yeah, they made comments this year where they're like, Oh, we feel like a chip on our shoulder because the ducks traded us. They didn't want us I'm like Okay, wow, Bill, like we traded you for James brewski to the Columbus Blue Jackets when you were nothing and then the Blue Jackets fluffed you want protected. Okay, let's comment down here. Don't be too angry at us.

Joe Malkin: 47:37

Yeah, you didn't end up in Vegas because of the ducks. Exactly. Exactly.

Michael Marcangelo: 47:42

Joke joke before you go and pick your bone. I just have one more. I have one more off the cuff question because the I think you are you know, you and Caylee Allard are best hockey guests ever. Right? So who would you say is the most obnoxious fan base in hockey and why?

Annie O'Donnell: 48:02

I'm very curious for who Caylee said. I think I've got an idea though. She definitely suddenly spans didn't she?

Michael Marcangelo: 48:08

I wish I'd asked her this question that just just literally just came up but I don't want it I want to hear your I want to

Annie O'Donnell: 48:13

hear your this is a good one. Because there's different levels of of noxious. Right? And I Oh, this is a good one. You know, it kind of depends but some people take you know, passion and excitement for a noxious business some people but I'm gonna go I'm gonna go a little different here and I don't think it's gonna be it's easy to say leafs fans, it's easy to say I mean, I could say Bruins fans, but I'm not going to do that because I don't believe it. I'm gonna say, Pittsburgh fans. I okay, I can get my spark fans and

Joe Malkin: 48:49

I have a namesake on the penguins. But I saw that I was like bulking up. Yeah, there you go.

Annie O'Donnell: 48:55

But here's the thing. I went to school in Pittsburgh, I went there. I lived there for four years. And I kind of had the penguins as another team that I would root for. Because I lived right I have my my school was like right across the street from the arena. So went to games a lot. were interned for the team. And let me tell you, the reason why they really rubbed me the wrong way is that Listen, I'm all for being a homer. I'm all for really loving your team, but to not be willing to extend or admit that there's talented players in the league, outside of your own team is what gets me is what really gets me and let me put it this way. There's a few times where and I get it, you do the Ovechkin stocks the drew Sox chance I get that part of being a fan but I remember it was the 2000 or was it the 2014 it was the Sochi Olympics. And my boss for the penguins was asking me said Who do you think you know? Well, any Who do you have in golf for Team USA? I was like Jonathan quick, like best at the time. Best goalie and the best goalie in the league without a doubt to be us. Yeah. And he was like, You can't pick him. I was like, excuse me. He's the enemy. You know, are you a real fan? No, I was like, it's Team USA.

Joe Malkin: 50:14

The national team was talking about

Annie O'Donnell: 50:16

I was like, This is separate now like you they're friends now. This is all what I was just so flat. Yes to buy that. And there was one other instance where this happened. I'm trying to Oh, oh, that's right. So I took like a sports media class. And we had people from the penguin social media department come in now mind you, this was 2012 2014. And if you were on Twitter back then this is when kings Twitter and like the blue jackets, Twitter with a really snarky accounts, and they were like, making the funny tweets. And I asked the question, where I said, Listen, you know, you kind of see the kings and the blue jackets, getting really experimental with their social media presence. What's stopping the penguins from doing that? And they said, point blank, I granted they didn't know I was from California, but they said, Well, you know, no one really cares about hockey and Southern California so they can get away with it. I was like, wow, that's not the most intelligent answer there. I'm sorry.

Joe Malkin: 51:21

That's such a typical answer for a city especially for hockey. Like Pittsburgh, Montreal, Boston, New York. Like that's such a typical because we don't think that well, we I say we as the collective but the collective fans up north don't think that there should be hockey team south of the Mason Dixon. You know what I mean? Like, that's a problem.

Annie O'Donnell: 51:41

Exactly. And, you know, it's just for me, it's the horse blinders. It's the unwillingness to admit that anybody's better than anyone on your team and also the hypocrisy to I was there they hated Marc Andre flurry hated him. hated him thought he was trash that he was inconsistent. Now you know, he gets left on protected he waves is no movement clause. He gets picked up by Vegas. He has a resurgence and they have the audacity to say what happens in Vegas came from Pittsburgh. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no Pepperidge Farm remembers

Joe Malkin: 52:15

any of the Counting Crows once said, you don't know what you got till it's gone who paved paradise and you put a plan early.

Annie O'Donnell: 52:21

But one of my favorite things though, is amidst all these, you know, john Gibson, my man up here is a Pittsburgh native so I'm it's now where the penguins have some mediocre goaltending. At this point in time, the rumors are circulating and everyone's like, Oh, you got to bring gibby home we want john Gibson in net like penguins have nothing to offer the ducks like nothing to the point where they would get gets near like no hextall is going to make it happen. Bring he wants to come back to Pittsburgh. I'm like, okay,

Joe Malkin: 52:52

but we have that problem in Boston to where they they gate keep the rosters gatekeeping. Again, they keep the rosters and think, oh, we can go out and get it anybody. We want anybody that wants to come in. When Juju Smith Schuster Pittsburgh connection was a was a free agent. Everybody in Boston said we're gonna go get them because we're the Patriots. We have Bill Belichick. We're gonna go get them. And he signs back in in Pittsburgh. It's like, well, that guy sucks. Anyway, we don't want him. It's like guys, you can't just because you're in the city that you're in doesn't mean that you can offer and I mean, don't even get us started on the Celtics and how nobody wants to come here for them.

Michael Marcangelo: 53:26

So I just want to say like, I would have given my left kidney for Sidney Crosby. Back like back in the day, everyone. Everyone in Boston always hated him. And they were like, Oh, he's like, you know, like, He's such like, he's a bitch.

Annie O'Donnell: 53:38

I know. Crosby.

Michael Marcangelo: 53:40

Yeah, no, he's actually pretty, pretty damn tough. And he's probably the best pure score that we'd seen in such a long time. So yeah, you want someone like him on your team?

Joe Malkin: 53:48

Oh, that's mid to late 90s Yankees teams Give me half of those teams. You know, as a Red Sox fan? It's like kidding me. Give me Mariano Rivera in a Red Sox uniform. Well, yeah, fair. Fine. Not no four. beat the crap out of him. And oh, boy, they can handle that. But no, you're absolutely you know, and it's funny because you say you spend four years in Pittsburgh. I love Pittsburgh. I that's one of Western Pennsylvania is one of my favorite areas. We have family friends in Slippery Rock, Slippery Rock, you know, campus up there. But that's a western Pennsylvania thing. What you're talking about is like them believing they're better than everybody else and don't really know what's outside of like the Allegheny River shed like I believe they don't. They just don't. It's just how they are.

Annie O'Donnell: 54:35

Yeah, I went to school with people that their plan was y'all know, why would you leave Pittsburgh? Why? Like, I'll get married here. I'll just stay here forever. Meanwhile, I was like

Joe Malkin: 54:45

a bus from Boston are still in Boston. Yeah.

Annie O'Donnell: 54:48

Boston is very different from Pittsburgh.

Joe Malkin: 54:51

Thank you. Good.

Annie O'Donnell: 54:53

But I love Boston. Oh my god. I would pick Boston over Pittsburgh any day.

Joe Malkin: 54:57

What's the favorite city? What's your favorite city that you've lived in? You've lived in so many, but not Boston.

Annie O'Donnell: 55:02

Not Boston. yet. Boston is on my list. But I thought I wanted to move to Boston right out of college. But I ended up getting a job in Chicago, which I loved. Loved Chicago.

Michael Marcangelo: 55:13

That was pretty cool.

Annie O'Donnell: 55:14

Yeah, affordable, fun, clean. Foods great. Couldn't be at being fresh out of college. One of the best places to be I liked New York. I Did I love the freedom the energy of the city? didn't love the rent didn't love my job when I first got there? And yeah, it being really dirty, and the apartments just being awful.

Joe Malkin: 55:40

It's hard to maintain when you have to build up and you can't really do anything about it.

Annie O'Donnell: 55:45

Exactly. I mean, the fact that you know, it is hard to see that you know, when you're in your late 20s and you have friends that are buying homes that are settling down, and you're like, I'm still paying, I still have three roommates I'm paying rent in an awful apartment but before COVID you were but you know, you're barely in there anyway so you're out around I you know, I was in a boxing gym so I was basically there a lot of the time I would go work places like it just you make this need it wherever you are like in the city, you make the most of it. But yeah, the real estate situation unless you're doing very well for yourself, which some people are too many people in New York, but some people are, unless you're doing pretty well for yourself. It's not exactly the most glamorous lifestyle,

Joe Malkin: 56:30

but you're happy to be back home in Southern California. So

Annie O'Donnell: 56:34

I am happy to be back home in Southern California. It's not forever, I don't think I think Southern, I could see long term and Southern California, not long term and San Diego just given the opportunities for what I want to do with my career in terms of sports via so we'll see. We've got a whole keep an open mind. I've got some cities that I definitely won't go to but you know, keeping an open mind for the most part.

Joe Malkin: 57:00

Welcome to Boston whenever you can. Yeah, we're not we're not ending it here. Because speaking of coming home and coming to Boston, uh, no, I'm not talking about the euros. I am talking about one, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, native jack eichel, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres at this point in time. Now, this is where I'm going to bring up your Tick Tock @sweetAnnieod on Tiktok, Instagram and Twitter. You made a video last week or the week before about jack eichel and his trade prospects. And you mentioned I left off a long list. I know ducks, the blue jackets, the flyers on the kings. What the hell?

Annie O'Donnell: 57:40

Yeah, I, the flyers was one it was a wild card I threw in there because somebody was like, No, I can see it happening. But thinking about it. Here's the thing. I think for jack eichel there's got to be a few key things for a suitor. One is going to be you need the cap room with very limited cap penalty. So that leaves with the news of Ryan Souter and Zach breezy being bought out that automatically eliminates the Minnesota Wild, there's no way they can make that work, especially when you're trying to resign curl Caprice off. But anyway, I think cap room, you need NHL ready prospects like very good prospect pool. And we're amassment Oh, yeah, draft picks you need, you got to offer like a high first round, second round draft pick, because that's what Kevin Adams is going to be looking for. In terms of a total return packet, you're not going to get jack eichel in this return. And I think Sabres fans need to come to terms with that, like, as a ducks fan, which the ducks have been confirmed to have been in on there. So don't give me a crap about putting them in there.

Joe Malkin: 58:40

No, no, no, I was more worried about you not putting the Bruins in because he said in an interview that he would love to at some point in his career play in Boston, but that doesn't mean it's gonna be this year.

Annie O'Donnell: 58:49

I was gonna say I believe at some point, if he wanted to, he would go he could go back there. I just don't see it happening this year, just given the fact that the Bruins don't have a high first round pick in this year's draft. And I don't believe their prospect pool is top 10 Top 15 I'm not an expert draft just from what I've read. That's not what I've heard. But hey, I've been wrong before who knows what could happen? And but I just feel like Sabres fans are being like, oh, for jack eichel. Like we want Trevor's eagerness we want Jamie Drysdale and the ducks have the third overall pick in this year's draft. And they're like, and the third overall pick, like get bent like no, we're not talking. JACK eichel is not damaged goods, he is still an elite player. He's a top 10 Center in the league. He doesn't always play like it. But he is. And he's not damaged goods. But he's on clearance right now. We know he's got a neck injury. We know there's discrepancy between the the medical staff in Buffalo and his agent and his team, we know that any team that's going to come in is going to want to see those medical records and read them front to back multiple times to make sure they know there's a chance that there's a chance of recovery here and there's not a chance that he comes and injures himself permanently, God forbid in the next few years or injures himself to the point where he's not worth $10 million. And then that's a whole list of problems. But also you've got that no movement clause that's going to hit next year. So this is the year and this is the time frankly for Kevin Adams to make a move to get the most return possible. Cuz if you wait for the trade deadline, you're limiting your shooters signals. Frequently, because the only people that are going to try and go for jack eichel are people that are going to make a cup or on their meeting that guy to help them win the Stanley Cup, and you're not really going to get people now the teams like the ducks, like the blue jackets, like the Kings that have the prospects that have the players, because they're not the other sellers. They're not looking to go after a guy like jack eichel. So the return is going to be a lot less. So if I'm Kevin Adams, I'm making a move before the draft, preferably, if not before the season starts because you know, at that rate, hey, you get a jack eichel for a year. And if you don't like them, trade them before. No, no, a team that gets good if they want to train them before the no movement clause hits. But listen, why would you I mean, granted, I feel like that no movement clause is like kind of the dagger in there. I mean, you see it nowadays, especially recently, it's been the last nine days. How many players have been bought out because of these long term deals? I mean, you see it in Buffalo with that Jeff Skinner, where they're leaving him unprotected. And like I said, No way Seattle picks that up. No way. Well, they

Joe Malkin: 1:01:28

went through they went through in hockey, such a, an era and we saw it here in Boston, where Peter sure Ellie was signing off awful, awful deals, long deals, high money deals to the AAV and it's part of the reason why we don't have those pieces that you're talking about to go and get it. Granted. The draft pick is based on the fact that Boston went to the playoffs this year, but more so I mean, when you look at the minor leagues and let they have down in Providence, it's not enough and that's partly because they're still rebuilding Don Sweeney is still rebuilding from Peter sure Ellie is damage that he did before he took off to Winnipeg and does the same thing.

Michael Marcangelo: 1:02:11

Just remember like his damage included the likes of Tyler Seguin . Some of the great players that are on the Bruins now and Don Sweeney. Okay, so, Andy, I don't want to get too far into your Bruins rabbit hole, but from an outsider's perspective, that 2015 draft where they had three chances 1314 and 15 and they did and then Barzel algos at 16. How offensive as a hockey fan is it to look back at that and say like why do you have a job? Don Sweeney, how can you How can you have a job?

Annie O'Donnell: 1:02:45

I mean, there's so many times I don't I mean granted there's people's whose literal career and job is for is to be prospect is to know who to pick at a certain place. I mean, listen, you're talking about the last time the ducks had a really high pick was second overall and it was the Sidney Crosby lottery and we grabbed Bobby Ryan. So I would say I'm a big but I love this here nowadays though. I'm looking back on shake-up Atari 2011. Like, you look at the list carry price went further in that draft. You look at the other names in there. I don't get too hung up on that. But it is pretty funny to like, especially this year in the playoffs when coffield dropped all the way. And you see all the teams that passed on and one of them was the ducks but they picked up zebra so

Joe Malkin: 1:03:29

alright, so so and Annie O'Donnell, as we've now basically covered the NHL from coast to coast. We've talked about shohei Ohtani, Trevor Bauer we've talked about jack eichel. Now we have a very important question for Okay, my my first exposure to you was a few months ago, during the lockdown, I was scrolling through Twitter saw you and you were doing one of those videos of the Yes, it was from the mighty ducks where you were basically Gordon Bombay and you were reciting the entire scene and I was like that's it that's what like turned me on to your podcast and then I was like alright, let's go like let's This is awesome. So the most important question we are going to ask you in this episode of missing the point what is your favorite mighty oh wait yo no way. Did you ask that question? I did ask the question. Go ahead. Do you too easily it's the only mics now.

Annie O'Donnell: 1:04:34

My order goes d to the mighty docks and then down here d3.

Michael Marcangelo: 1:04:40

Okay but it's deep is d3 really down there? Yes it is. That's it it was the last time you watched it because I think it holds I have

Annie O'Donnell: 1:04:48

it on Disney plus i watch the trilogy pretty regularly my guy I I made a pretty popular tech talk about d3 also I it's bottom tier of the trilogy you've there's no way it might day two is too good and Mighty Ducks is just too nostalgic for d3 to even compare the only good things about d3 are Paul Korea's cameo. Love that Julie the cat Gaffney and getting the rightful nod in net that she deserves because let's be real here. She is miles ahead of Goldberg like he should have been in for the junior Goodwill Games. More than that. final shot against gunner stall but and then the other Bob Bombay's gimmicks and mediocre coaching being exposed by coach Orion. Best part best part. And the most frustrating thing about the series was the gimmicks are still back I was like there's Gordon Bombay the flying bees coming on? Oh, we're no way that would work. No way that would work in an actual game. How easy would it be to pick apart that whole entire thing? Oh my god. But yeah, well

Joe Malkin: 1:05:55

Disney named an entire hockey team after the move. Indeed.

Annie O'Donnell: 1:06:00

I would. My my very own, of course. And I understand that. Now is one thing that gets me that really annoys me and I got a bit maybe I'll rant a little bit here. I don't care. But listen, I love the trilogy. I understand that they're the reason why Anaheim has a hockey team. But and listen, hockey has grown exponentially in the ducks have been a huge part of that in Southern California. But one of my biggest pet peeves is Listen, I'm a really I'm a passionate hockey fan. I pay attention. I you know, I like talking hockey with people. But I hate it. When I say that I'm a ducks fan are talking about the ducks. And people like to throw in there. They're like, Oh, they should just go get Bombay to coach. Oh, go get the back. You need the bash brothers. You need Conway, which Charlie Conway is my least favorite character in that movie for a multitude of reasons.

Joe Malkin: 1:06:50

As it because he was in Dawson's Creek.

Annie O'Donnell: 1:06:52

No, it's because he was a whiny, little whiny little brat in the third movie. But I'm just like, okay, real original. And they're like, No, no, like, Where's Bombay? Where's Charlie need the Flying V. It's like, shut up. But then also, like, so many people tell me And at this point, it's it's sort of like when I hear from people people think they're being like groundbreaking by saying like things like, oh, friends isn't funny. I was like, okay, the office is overrated, okay. Like, great. Everybody says that. And they're like, it's this groundbreaking take like, no one else has thought of it. Like no, everybody else has said that. But the one thing people bring up to me all the time. They're like, Oh, they need to go back to the original. You know, eggplant Jdl the original Mighty Ducks they have the new ones are ugly. I was like, Listen, listen, I love I have so much vintage Mighty Ducks here. But the new ones aren't. Like they're not that bad. I like I love the color skin. Color. Like they're disgusting. Worst logo. And like, they think it's like oh no, they need like they're the first person ever think about Meanwhile, for the longest time, the ducks were really thought of this Mickey Mouse team, this Disney team. They really didn't belong in the league. And the the logo in the jersey itself was really dragged on. But of course now I mean, the same thing goes for the fishermen logo for the Islanders. But now everyone's like, Oh, it's great. It's the best in history. All this stuff. I'm like, Okay, yeah, now you didn't love it then but you love it now. Okay.

Joe Malkin: 1:08:24

Well, it's just like Marc Andre flurry in Pittsburgh. It's just human nature. What people do, especially sports fans, we see it all the time. This is where we're gonna have to have you back on and bring you on with Bobby during football season or something. Because that that would be a fun game because so many things you've said. I'm like, wow, Bobby would be triggered and it's not even a bad thing. It's just about we like getting Bobby riled up. So Bobby a Steelers fan? No, he's the Cowboys. Gotcha. Gotcha. Now Dave, the other one the our other buddy who's on here that lives in LA. He is a Chicago Bears fan. Oh, so Yeah, I know. He likes to send us things about Justin fields all the

Michael Marcangelo: 1:09:02

time. And assumed to be wife is a Steelers and penguins. fancier penguins. What do you think is gonna? I'm gonna love that. I can't wait. I can't wait for that.

Annie O'Donnell: 1:09:10

My bad.

Joe Malkin: 1:09:12

No, no, there's no way you could arrived Boston for the last 17 minutes and we would have been fine. I

Annie O'Donnell: 1:09:17

love. The thing I like about Boston fans is that in which Pittsburgh fans all do a counter for this? Boston fans. They know that they're passionate, they own the mass whole thing. I'm all for that. That's why I have some respect for Philadelphia fans as they know their trash. They know that they're obnoxious and that people hate them and they embrace it. Whereas Pittsburgh fans are like, we're classy. We're classy. Fans were a class organization. I was like now you're just as trashy as they are. You just don't. You just won't admit it. You always say to your class. You think you're so holier than now I'm better than everybody else.

Joe Malkin: 1:09:50

I love western Pennsylvania. There's not much classy in the West. Now there is not bought in eastern Pennsylvania. They throw beer at Santa Claus so they can scan batteries at people and yeah and batteries of people. They did the same thing in Cleveland for a while too. But But anyway, so we've covered just about everything in sports, any O'Donnell we really appreciate you coming on. And if you you know if you've made it this far, and you know, Donald content creator, sports analyst, host of the OD on sports podcast. And you know, we're definitely gonna have to have you back on and keep this East Coast West Coast thing known especially During hockey season, we'll have to get you back on. We'll get you on during football season. And, you know, we'll get you on with everybody because that we like to have some fun and go back and forth Mike is now pissed at me for asking you the Mighty Ducks question so that's something I'm never gonna live down not like the Mighty No, no,

Michael Marcangelo: 1:10:39

no The reason that before in Craig, you're gonna keep this Do not cut this in post. As I said, before the show started. I have like one question that really want to ask. Like a big, like Mighty Ducks fan is like, what's your favorite movie? And just like okay, my you can ask that question and just like, hey, Annie, what's your favorite Mighty Ducks? He took your question.

Joe Malkin: 1:11:02

Also, don't act when that I also panicked when Craig panicked because Craig panicking. It makes me sad. So we don't want Oh, I want to the show. That's it. Mike. It's fine. We'll talk about it at your wedding. So, okay. I'm not invited to this fair. Yeah. We'll do this off air. So Annie. Oh, Donald. Thank you. Thank you for joining us here. I'm missing the point. And before we go, of course, we want to let you kind of tell everybody what you're doing where they can find you and, and how people can listen to you.

Annie O'Donnell: 1:11:41

Oh, thank you so much for having me. This was an absolute blast chopping it up with you guys. You can find me on social media at sweet Annie od on Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Yeah, I kind of don't really have a filter I and I like making a fool of myself. So if you like to be entertained you like sports you like music? Do you like classic rock or music that like a 55 year old divorced dad working in his car with like, I tweet about that a lot. So give me a follow I usually follow back. And then my podcast is od on sports. It's available on all streaming platforms. And if you're even if you're not in the Orange County area, you can tune into one on one 5k OCI sports Sunday on the website. And I think it's I think if you Google it, you can find the website but I don't have the URL off the top of my head, but

Joe Malkin: 1:12:31

Well, that's where you can find Annie. Oh, thank you again. So what's that guy? come in? Where is that? Where do you come in? With the links down below? We didn't say it at all.

Craig D'Alessandro: 1:12:43

We also didn't swear.

Michael Marcangelo: 1:12:45

Why just yell bitch like like 10 seconds.

Craig D'Alessandro: 1:12:48

All right. Well, fuck you too.

Joe Malkin: 1:12:50

I mean, the thing I say the most is poop. It's when children duty and so but anyway, any again. Thank you for joining us on missing the point for Mike mark, Angela Craig D'Alessandro and our guests any O'Donnell. I'm Joe Malkin. And better than evgenii and we'll talk to you next time on Miss McCall.