[speaker001:] all right
[speaker002:] okay what uh what baseball teams do you follow
[speaker001:] I follow I've been a long time Cincinnati Reds fan because when I was growing up and I was five years old I wanted to be a catcher so I was a big Johnny Bench fan so I was a big Johnny Bench fan so I've been through the Reds with the Reds since you know nineteen seventy
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and I remember the Seventy World Series like I said I was only five years old then but I had to give a report to my dad every because that was when they played World Series games in the afternoons sometimes
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and I've kind of gotten away from them until the last couple of years because I didn't really know many players and their team but I also being from the Indiana area I like the Cubs and the White Sox so I kind of follow those two teams
[speaker002:] hum yeah
[speaker001:] a little bit and you know since moving down here the Rangers you know I've been picking up on them a little bit and uh it looks like they could do all right this year and uh of course they're in there with the right White Sox I believe and they're in their division so
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] the White Sox headed for probably another good year I hope what about yourself
[speaker002:] oh I guess mainly the the Rangers such as they are
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] they do seem to have a pretty tough division though with Oakland and Kansas City and White Sox all uh
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] jammed in there
[speaker001:] yeah do you go to a lot of games
[speaker002:] oh I get to I don't know quite a few in the summer
[speaker001:] uh-huh that's I've been looking forward to it I've only been to one game and I just moved down here at the end of last summer so that last season was winding down so I'm hopefully I'll uh get to a couple this year I want to see Nolan pitch one time that that's be that'd be really neat
[speaker002:] yeah it looked like they're starting off kind of shaky but they they've gone I guess over five hundred now
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I was hoping that no hitter that he threw would would get them fired up a little bit
[speaker001:] it might
[speaker002:] but it's hard hard to tell
[speaker001:] did they uh play today
[speaker002:] uh I was trying to think they were up in a stand at Detroit
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I don't know if they're playing today or not
[speaker001:] yeah that's right that's right yeah I watched a little bit of the I was flipping back and forth between the the Pacers and the Celtics and uh the White Sox game
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] that was on today I I just like I like the White Sox I've never really got into them and then this friend of mine was just a hard core White Sox so he took me to a game and you know I think they're you know they're really neat because they're such a young team
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] actually the youngest team in baseball and they got some you know the last three or four years their number one picks you know they're all suited up and playing for them
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] and the draft and uh you got to like that you know building the team through draft picks and stuff like that
[speaker002:] yeah it says a lot for their future
[speaker001:] yeah it does hopefully some of their players will come through and they got Tim Raines a veteran and they got Carlton Fisk he's you know still pretty solid a lot of experience but uh uh you like the Astros or anything like that
[speaker002:] oh I don't really follow them a whole lot um I I hear about them occasionally I've got a friend whose a a trainer for one of their farm clubs
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I think so we hear off and on about them they've never really done a whole lot I mean they're up and down kind of like the Rangers are most of the time
[speaker001:] yeah well when was the last time the Rangers really did well
[speaker002:] it's been probably three or four years since they were I think they finished second in their division I don't remember what they ended up last year third or fourth I guess
[speaker001:] yeah so they were contenders till about three or fours years ago
[speaker002:] yeah they have been off and on uh maybe maybe three or four times since they've been here
[speaker001:] yeah I don't I never really followed them all I knew uh kind of watched them a little bit in the seventies there again you know cause I was a little catcher in baseball I liked to watch a Jim Sundberg and uh like Jeff Burroughs
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] uh forget who else used to play for them but uh yeah those guys were were really tough
[speaker002:] well they've been like a lot of teams and the minute they do real badly in the past they just got got rid of their manager this is Valentine's the first manager they've had in on you know any kind of length of time
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and so hopefully he'll eventually put something together
[speaker001:] you think he's pretty good
[speaker002:] I I can't I don't know uh sometimes I think he is and sometimes I wonder
[speaker001:] yeah I was watching the game yesterday and they had had bases loaded and they tried a uh a squeeze play and uh I just couldn't understand that I forget whose who was batting and but uh I don't know I just I couldn't understand that move there was only one out
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and it's like you know give the guy a cut you know you got bases loaded you know one mistake cause a lot of these players aren't used to bunting that much and it's a easy double play
[speaker002:] yeah true
[speaker001:] but
[speaker002:] I guess I was feeling pretty confident about the team Valentine this year until uh he got mad at Pete Incaviglia and just cut him for because he was upset at him
[speaker001:] you didn't like that move
[speaker002:] well I I can understand his point I thought it was kind of childish to just cut him instead of trying to trade him because then Detroit picks him up and he started out real good for them and he he's gotten kind of shaky now
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and I think they should have at least gotten something for him
[speaker001:] yeah it's true what about uh Sierra you a big Ruben Sierra fan
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] he's been around what four or five years
[speaker002:] I think so yeah
[speaker001:] you think you can see him staying there for awhile or
[speaker002:] yeah I think I think as long as he produces he and Franco they they run kind of hot and cold too
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I think Franco hit a home run was it last night to win the game
[speaker001:] oh yeah I'd I turned the game on I don't know who won
[speaker002:] I think they won six to five and I think that was on his he hit a home run at the end and broke the tie up
[speaker001:] well good yeah I'm kind of into baseball cards so uh last year I was buying a lot of Juan Gonzalez cards
[speaker002:] hum
[speaker001:] so I'm hoping he's going to blossom and make me a rich man someday
[speaker002:] yeah that'd be nice
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] yeah I think the Rangers have the the pitching staff they need if they would just produce some offense they might do all right
[speaker001:] yeah well I'm definitely looking forward to going to a few games this summer that's good entertainment at a budget price
[speaker002:] yeah you said you were a Cincinnati fan has uh all this brouhah a with Pete Rose over the years
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] caused caused you any distaste for them or
[speaker001:] no you mean like no I mean thing about rose I mean you know that he's got a problem in his personal life I just you know he he messed up but I still think he's belongs in the Hall of Fame and
[speaker002:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker001:] and you know he played for so many so well for so many years that
[speaker002:] sure
[speaker001:] yeah it's uh it's just too bad it's you know like the players that do drugs or do you know are alcoholics they just have a problem
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and it's too bad it carried over and has hurt his image and everything else
[speaker002:] well but it didn't didn't seem to really hurt the team in fact seemed to kind of fire them up and make them work harder
[speaker001:] yeah yeah
[speaker002:] after he was gone
[speaker001:] yeah I think Lou Pinella is doing a good job too obviously
[speaker002:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker001:] he knows you know he's you know he's been there he's played a lot of ball himself so he's been in some World Series and you know he's a lot of experience as a player and it looks like he's doing all right as a manager
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] well thanks for this is the first time I've ever been called so it's kind of interesting yeah I usually get home and pick up the phone and do some calling so uh
[speaker002:] really
[speaker001:] but I appreciate your calling
[speaker002:] sure I enjoyed talking to you Fred
[speaker001:] all right take care
[speaker002:] you too bye-bye
[speaker001:] bye