Minnesota N'Ice, Rod Carew & The WBC

 In this episode we weave together baseball culture and the moment we’re living in. From World Baseball Classic roster news to NL West outfield rankings. This episode also spotlights Rod Carew & salutes the good people of Minnesota in a time of adversity. 

World Baseball Classic Preview

Pool A outlook in Puerto Rico featuring: Puerto Rico Canada Panama Cuba Colombia

Team Canada updates:

• Freddie Freeman opts out for rest and recovery
• Josh Naylor steps in as a lineup anchor
• Bo Naylor behind the plate
• Tyler O’Neill Denzel Clarke Owen Caissie highlight the roster 
• Pitching depth  (availability pending)

WBC Stars & Opt-Outs

• Players opting out for health rest or personal reasons:
   Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman Andy Pagés
• Dodgers confirmed to play in WBC include:
  • Shohei Ohtani Clayton Kershaw Will Smith (USA)
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto Seiya Suzuki Munetaka Murakami (Japan)
  • Japan discussed as early tournament favorites

MLB Roster & Team Analysis

NL West Outfield Rankings (Mat’s Take)  

• Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants & Rockies
• Diamondbacks’ young core praised: Corbin Carroll, Blaze Alexander, Ryan Waldschmidt
• Giants’ signing of Harrison Bader: Defensive upgrade after ranking last in OF defense in 2025
• Potential to significantly help pitching in Oracle Park
• Discussion on how defense and athleticism translate to wins

Bigger Than Baseball - Minnesota Immigration & Humanity

• Minnesota culture (“Minnesota Nice”)
• Discussion of immigration narratives vs lived reality

Rod Carew, Panamanian Immigrant - Outstanding service as player & US Marine

• Born in Panama Hall of Famer US Marine Corps veteran
• Career with Minnesota Twins
• American League Batting Title named in his honor 
• Carew becomes a US citizen in 2024
• Baseball as a bridge between cultures and communities

Civic Responsibility & Democracy

• "22 minutes" political comedy perspective - https://www.youtube.com/@22Minutes - worth watching similar to SNL - Saturday Night Live
• Importance of free and fair elections
• People are stepping up
• Concerns over election interference
• Encouragement to stay informed engaged and compassionate
• Call for cooler heads ethical leadership and community support
• Minnesotans are great people and show peaceful response to harsh federal actions against the people living there
• US Administration meeting with Sports Commissioners what does it hold for changes in the future of their sports

Closing Thoughts

Remember that while baseball gives us joy perspective matters. The game doesn’t exist in a vacuum and neither do we. Acts of kindness standing up for others and staying engaged locally and nationally are just as important as wins and losses.

“Try to find the joy in every day amidst all the madness.”

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Transcript

345 BaseballBiz

You Take me to the Nicest Places

Mark Corbett: welcome to BaseballBiz on Deck. I am Mark Corbett, and with me is Mr. Mat Germain. And we'll bring the frivolous nature of the baseball world to you in this crazy mixed up insanity that gets going on. So we'll try to find a few fun moments, uh, as we tr tread across the sweetness of life. Anyway, I don't know what that is.

Sweetness of life. Geez. 

Mat Germain (2): You're getting poetic there, Mark. 

Mark Corbett: Gosh, I tell you, you know what, it's, it is weird these days. I mean, we're seeing so much happen that hopefully none of us ever thought we'd get to this kind of insanity and, but it feels like I'm in the matrix, Matt. I feel like that scene where, I guess the young Neo is going up with a lot of the other folks and, and suddenly he sees this black cat zip across a doorway.

Do you remember the scene? 

Mat Germain (2): Yes, I do. 

Mark Corbett: And then he, he, he [00:01:00] looks over and the black cat does it again and he says, whoa, deja vu. Then the rest of the team turns and says, what do you mean deja vu? That's black cat. Just, was it the same cat? Was it walking the same way? Uh, yeah, that's a glitch. Bad things are gonna happen.

It's okay. Wow. Well, I feel a bit like a glitch right now, my friend. I tell you what, uh, that black cat keeps walking by the doorway, and one of the things about a glitch is. You get to be in or deja vu, you get to expect certain things. And God knows in this world today, there's a lot of this I would never have expected.

And there's some things that just seem almost inevitable, sort of like the Rays.

Mat Germain (2): That is very true. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, well, you know, it's as, as long as I'm turning that toggle. Um, [00:02:00] the thing that I don't want to talk about today. It is 

Mat Germain (2): the Tampa Bay Rays stadium. 

Mark Corbett: We, we know, keep knowing that. I, I say, well, when he puts the shovels in the sand or whatever, there's so much talk on all of that.

It's like, okay, click. You know, I start listening to a podcast. Two minutes into it. Oh, sorry. Find another one. Oh, find another one. Because it is a dead issue until it's done. So forget that. There is so much else though to reflect on. That's good. Around here in some of the great people that are part of this world.

And you know, we've talked in the past, I know about Roberto Clemente and all that he's done. And for Puerto Rico, which is actually a territory of the US and, uh, Roberto Clemente 21 Foundation. That's something too, some great work that they've been doing. I know with, uh. Luis, Roberto Clemente and some things as far as leadership with kids, but Puerto Rico is one of the places, uh, [00:03:00] where I guess it's Pool a, where they're gonna be having the World Baseball Classic.

Mm-hmm. Uh, Canada's gonna be there and let's see, have the other ones written down here somewhere. Um, Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Columbia. So those are some of the folks that are gonna be there as well. And you know, I wondered Matt. I'm bouncing all over the place and I do wanna come back to Puerto Rico in a moment.

I was wondering about Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic. 

Mat Germain (2): Yeah, well, te Team Canada actually suffered a blow. So, um, one of the guys who had jumped onto the Canadian side of things, um, and was supposed to be an anchor for the Canadian team, uh, Freddie Freeman will not be playing. I think they, they stated there was personal reasons and other mitigating factors.

I think he was just beat up. Anybody that watched the World Series knows that, uh, he left it all in the field. Um, so I don't [00:04:00] blame him in the least to get that extra rest and, and time to kind of heal and get himself right for the season. It's the right call. , You would hope that this would happen, less often than it does, but you understand, , that's what he's getting paid for is to, , play for the Dodgers,

not exactly for Team Canada, but still, despite that, uh, you know, his replacement at first base is gonna be Josh Naylor. 

Mark Corbett: Mm. 

Mat Germain (2): And I think Josh Naylor is gonna be , the, I guess , the energy, , the guy who's focuses the team and they center around just because he does seem to be a guy that, that shows up in the clutch and is able to,

do some damage and alongside him there'll be Tyler O'Neill. Two guys with Big Sticks can do some damage against all the best pitching out there. So right there you've got two guys that are able to anchor that lineup and they also have Owen Caisse, who is the, the centerpiece for, the returns, uh, for the pitching trade that they made with the Cubs, , with the Marlins.

So he's gonna be their outfielder, [00:05:00] really highly ranked prospect. Denzel Clark will be patrolling center field. He's one of the best defensive center fielders. So he'll help bail out the, uh, Canadian, uh, pitching quite a bit. And I'm sure the, the athletics, uh, manager and and coaches are all gonna be crossing their fingers every time they see him dive for a ball.

Uh, you know, they don't want them to get hurt during the classic. Um, but generally speaking, the roster, you know, it has some consistency and like I, I think I've told you before, uh, one of the other, um. Positions where they're gonna be a lot better off is at shortstop. They're gonna get a young guy from, um, from the system in, in Detroit.

Uh, Trey Cruz is his name. Uh, and he's gonna be actually playing shortstop, I believe. It's not official yet. But I think he's going to be with the team and, uh, and I think that'll help amp up the excitement around the Canadian team pitching wise. You've got Cal Qua, Matt Brash, uh, Soroka, Jameson tie [00:06:00] on. Um, so you've got, you know, uh, some experience that they can lean on for, for arms, and they've got some young guys that are potentially going to be part of it.

Uh, but we'll have to wait and see if they, if they're able to let be, let go by their teams. Um. Finally, I'll, I'll throw this one out there. Edward Julian is, uh, you know, a big stick for Minnesota twins. Uh, he, he just got dealt at the Rockies AB actually, and I think that's gonna be awesome for his bat. Uh, he's gonna get more playing time there as well, uh, in Minnesota.

He never just could seem to get going. I don't know if the Rockies will shift him over to first base, but , , he can do some damage even though his defensive abilities at second base aren't ideal. Maybe the Canadians play him there. Uh, but I think, you know, overall, you put Bo Naylor behind the plate with, , Liam Hicks from the Marlins.

You know, they've got a, a decent team. It's not filled with all stars like the American team or the Dominican team [00:07:00] or others, but it's going to be, stronger than normal with potential to show some of the young guns that are coming through, uh, this year. Mark. 

Mark Corbett: I like the idea too. I'm really looking forward to seeing her play again, seeing the two brothers there, Josh and Bo.

You know, it's, I love those little stories that'll come up. That'll come from that. And I was doing a little digging into this and seeing that, uh, well, obviously about Freddy, not completely surprised. I have a friend of mine, I keep telling him, I said, you know, if he wanted to, Vladi Jr. Could be on that team.

And he said he, he's the DR He said, DR I said, he plays the DR 'cause he wants to play the DR And he, we talked about this before, if he wants to play Canada in the future, he may. He may very well 'cause he has the option to do that. But, you know, I would, I would like to see him play for Canada sometime, but my gosh, the, the team from the Dominican Republic coach you got, you got Junior, I think there you got is Lindor there and uh.

Vladdy [00:08:00] Jr. And there's a couple others, but I mean, if you look as far as just strength from the MLB, those guys that play over the Dominican Republic, that is gonna be ideal. And I told you I've got tickets to go see the Blue Jays play Team Canada. So that should be fun for the exhibition. Game ab I'm excited about that.

Uh, I, which player did you say was going to the Rockies again? 

Mat Germain (2): Eduoard Julien , 

Eduoard Julien , thank you. Be because somebody was saying, well, the teams may say that you can't play. 

Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: The, the teams don't have that, I believe, capability of doing that. I, I don't know, maybe they have something in a contract, but there are a lot of dodgers who are not playing this year, and like you said, understandably.

It was a Tough Seven game series. Let's see. Mookie Betts, he's opted out to, to the birth of a child. Uh, Teoscar, Oscar Hernandez. It says he's skipping a focus on his next MLB season. Uh, [00:09:00] Andy, what's her correct? ES nation's name? Andy Page, PA from PAs. 

Mat Germain (2): Yep. 

Mark Corbett: For Cuba. He confirmed he'll not play. , Wants to prepare for a long season.

Hey, I like that idea. Sasaki. He's not gonna be playing for Japan. Tommy Edmond, , he's not gonna be playing for Korea. He's recovering still from some off season's ankle surgery. But who will be there? Will Smith's gonna be there for the USA Clayton Kershaw's gonna be there and Shohei Ohtani as well as . •         Alex Vesia . So. 

Mat Germain (2): Yamamoto was confirmed just recently as well for Japan. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, wow. So 

Mat Germain (2): we gonna be going, that's a huge piece for them. Him and Ohtani last time just ran with the whole thing. , Also that third baseman, or I guess you can call him a third baseman, but I think he's gonna be playing first base , for the Blue Jays, , the one that they just signed, or it's gonna be playing third, I guess.

Uh, what's his name again? Kazuma Okamoto , or. I think, hang on, [00:10:00] let me just look him up here quickly. Kazuma Okamoto , that's it. He's going to be playing for them as well. And say a Suzuki is gonna be, uh, in out field for them. So there's some names that people will recognize. The, the new, new White Sox, first basemen is also going to be there.

Um. Munetaka Murakami , I think his name is. Uh, but anyways, I would still put Japan as the favorites. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, 

Mat Germain (2): yeah. Uh, because they have more of their highest talents playing, they seem to really pull through in this kind of setting. Like they, they, they get charged up for this. Like , they're really amped up and you see the Dominican team, the pitching , is going to be there, but from what I remember, they don't use them.

Very lengthy. They tend to go into shorter stretches, uh, during these tournaments on the Dominican side. And, and so that seems to hold them back in terms of what they're able to accomplish during these tournaments. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I'm looking forward to, like I [00:11:00] said before, there's just so much going on and looking across what's happening as far as baseball.

. Free agents. A lot of that's starting to get, you know, tightened up. We're getting down to where we're seeing more and more players who are even being, , invited as a non roster to come to spring training. I mean, that seems to be the bulk, if you go down the little line of the, the traffic with the free agents, et cetera right now, but 

Mat Germain (2): Right.

We had one big signing this week, which was Harrison Bader signing with the Giants. And, and I just wanna highlight, like I, I did a ranking of the best outfield, in my opinion anyway, in the NL West and, and it was just based on the, the first three. So I wasn't looking at the fourth and fifth outfielders, I was just looking at the basic, what, they're probably gonna have set up on opening day if they're healthy.

And it's funny when you go through it because in my opinion, if, if the. D-Backs wanna push the bar in terms of what they can accomplish this year. And, and I think they do. Like, they're, [00:12:00] they're hungry. They seem like their GM is not happy, uh, not being in the playoffs.

And they sick and tired of, of them sitting on the sidelines. And so to me that says that they're open to new ideas and, and kind of pushing some of their young players, uh, faster than they otherwise. Could, and because they have Lourdes Gurriel that's gonna probably be on IL to start the year, um, along with Corbin Burnes, two guys that'll come back and make an impact sometime in the season.

So I'm just gonna throw it out there that they're, it's nice to have that coming back your way down the road, but they also have a, a left fielder, or you can actually handle all three outfield spots, who's their top prospect and Ryan Waldschmidt. And, and he's. He's lacking triple A playing time, but we've talked about this before where a lot of franchises don't care about aa time.

Like they're okay with you skipping that level and just going right into MLB. If you have a really strong spring and you show that you're ready to go, [00:13:00] so, so when I look at out field and, and I have. Him alongside with Corbin Carroll, who I would rank as one of the top players in MLB. Like nevermind, just the D-backs.

, I think he's a really special talent. And then Blaze Alexander is a guy that I think people are sleeping on a little bit in terms of what impact he's having. He's going to be a five. Tool stud and, and a little bit like a Kyle Tucker style guy in right field, in my opinion. He's a really, really high rated talent.

Um, and then that pushes Alec Thomas to the Fourth World, which I said I wasn't gonna talk about, but I. To me, I rank that outfield ahead of the Dodgers outfield. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Mat Germain (2): So the way I had them ranked was the Padres because of Tatis Jr. And Merrill. And like, I mean, that's just, you know, a pair that it is really hard to top.

And then you have the D-backs and then I would put the Dodgers beyond that. And the Giants, you know, they're not far, I don't think behind the Dodgers just because of the. [00:14:00] Potential ceiling of whether, you know, uh, I don't think we've seen the best from Lee so far, um, in San Francisco. And, and I think, uh, Ramos also has a, another level to reach as a, as a player altogether.

But they're more like a consistent outfield is what I would call it. They're not really elite talents. They're more like, okay, they're gonna show up every day, they're gonna play well, they're gonna play solid d It's not really an all star, of outfield. And then you've got the young. Up and coming Rockies outfield.

So, so all that to say that Harrison Bader does, , inch the giants closer to the Dodgers middle of the pack than they otherwise would be, and it solidifies them. So it'll be interesting to see what their infield being as strong as it is, whether, how many wins that adds to their roster. 

Mark Corbett: Well, you mean the strength I, I'm always. I always think about being the Rays fan that over the years and the excitement we've had with a lot of great [00:15:00] outfielders,, Kevin Kiermaier, who just was Mr. Magnificent when it came to the team, , and it was, he was a showman, it was like sometimes you would see what would make someone say an exaggeration of the play, just to put the little showmanship on top of it and.

As long as the player doesn't get injured, that's okay with me. I'm, I'm always looking for a little bit more that, I mean, 'cause the guys you're talking about, they're sounding very standup solid performers, but not necessarily the guys that you're gonna go, wow, look at that man. That's exciting. No, no. 

Mat Germain (2): The other thing I'll throw out there is that the, the Giants had the, the worst defensive outfield in, in 2025, and they still ended up winning 80 games.

So, so if you're looking at, you know, a glimmer of hope on their end Yeah. Is if, you know the, when you look at the Phillies, which is where Bader was, they were around 12th overall. So, so if he's able to [00:16:00] elevate. The giants even to the middle of the pack, it, it matters a lot in their stadium because it's such a big outfield.

Like they, they have to cover a lot of ground. So now that they have two guys that you would consider center fielders patrolling it, that should help their pitching out quite a bit. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I'm looking forward to seeing that, you know,. There's so much going on that we were talking earlier.

All I can think of is the, the weather you're experiencing, what I'm experiencing down in Tampa, nice and warm. Mm-hmm. But, uh, I look, look up Northern Georgia or even just just north of Florida, actually, all the way up through the rest of the US and seeing all this cold going through, uh, all this ice and snow.

And alls I can think of is those, those teams that. That are in areas right now that are kind of conflict with, uh, with Federalities, if you will, coming into their area and wondering how that upsets their day-to-day operations. I [00:17:00] mean, the, the terror of what's, let's just face it, Matt. There's no two ways around it.

The terror that, uh, that is being instilled upon the people in, in these cities, like in Minneapolis and has. It's finally came to the point of where some Republicans, Republicans are saying, oh, you know, maybe there is something bad going on there, and maybe we should talk about that. But, pardon me, it's, it's, uh, it's got a kind of a terror thread going through the lives of a lot of people, you know, and not something that's like, oh my gosh, this world's falling apart in front of me.

Which it is in some ways. Just day-to-day living, there's just this sense of dread that comes with the anticipation of what could be next. And my heart goes out to the families and people who, who've been abused, who have been killed. And I, I, I know, like I said, this, that's not part of the show, and [00:18:00] folks, I apologize, but to me there's, there's a lot that we all can do better.

Period is standing up, speaking out. You know, then there's more soft things that we can do. Like we talk a lot on the show about giving back, finding charities to work with, finding people to work with. But I just need to say some of that, Matt, 'cause it's just been pressing on my mind all the time. 

Mat Germain (2): Yep. I think there's a, I mean, all citizens of the world that have access to any technology whatsoever know what is going on in some way, shape, or form.

Uh, and I think the, um. Yeah, there's a lot of the world that is hoping that things will inch back towards normal, uh, very quickly because right now they're, they're heading in the completely wrong direction. Um, and they're getting to be a little bit, um. Uh, you know, to the point where you, you feel like you're at a crossroads because if you keep [00:19:00] going down the road that it's going down right now, things are going to go beyond the point of no return.

Yeah. And nobody wants to get there. They want to Right. The ship is what we call it. You know, like, and, and, and get things back into a point where conversations are being had, uh, cooler heads are prevailing and things are being done safely and, and in methodical way. Uh, and I think when you get to that point, then you're able to have those conversations afterwards.

But I think Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech in Davos, and I would encourage those, I haven't seen it right now to go look it up on YouTube and, and, and that is essentially the way that the world views the situation worldwide, not just in the United States, but the, the whole order of things. There's so many races on right now by people that are extremely wealthy to gain power.

Over large swaths of the world and [00:20:00] populations and soil and minerals and everything else. And it's a race by them that is impacting everybody else in this adverse manner. And, and I think when you start from that point of view, instead of making it left, right, center, middle between underneath, over top, who cares?

It's the wealthy that are racing towards whatever they can pocket. Which I, I Mark. Nobody can take wealth with them when they die. I honestly don't understand this obsession with wealth. It's ones and zeros in a computer. I couldn't care less how many of them I have when I pass away. But they are obsessed with it.

And if they need to trample on your lands, poison your waters poison. Like the EPA doesn't exist right now in the United States and nobody's talking about it 'cause there's so many other pressing issues. That nobody can even fathom the, the thought of bringing it up because it's so, you know. [00:21:00] Not at the forefront of what people are talking about.

So all these companies are able to abuse their positions, uh, with the government. And it seems to me like, you know, if you make the right cash offered, you can get anything that you want right now with the government, uh, in place. And, and that's not a place you want to be at either, not everything should be for sale.

There are ethical boundaries that need to be set. Right. But anyways, I, I wanted to throw a little bit of, of, um. Educational thing about it, because I do think it's important to kind of focus on, okay, what is the battle that's going on right now? Or that's portrayed as the battle. Yeah. Which it honestly isn't.

But I wanted to highlight this, and I told you this before, to show like Rod Carew, right? Is is somebody that was, uh, born in Panama in, in 1945, uh, 

Mark Corbett: or. 

Mat Germain (2): So Rod Carew was born in Panama the year that the, [00:22:00] that World War II ended. So 1945. Right. And, and he spent the, the first parts of his, uh, of his life there.

But, but he ended up showing up in, in the United States and spending the majority of his time in Minnesota, uh, you know, and, and playing with the twins and, and had a tremendous career, uh, you know, as part of the, um. The team to the point where, you know, he was able to earn his spot in the Hall of Fame. Um, I think it's, it's important to also highlight that despite him being from Panama and not being a US citizen, he served for six years for the US Marine Corps as a combat engineer.

Uh, he said that that military experience helped him in his baseball career. 'cause he said, you know, when I joined the Marine Corps, it was a life changing experience. I learned about discipline. Uh, and then it helped me when I first came up to the, you know, big leagues because I, I used to be a hothead and it, it taught me to [00:23:00] be a little bit more steady in, in my playing time.

Um, so, you know, you look at his career and the fact that when he retired, uh, they actually ended up naming the American League Batting Championship after Rod Carew, a, uh, you know, a Panama born person who played the majority of his time in Minnesota. And, and he was an immigrant. Right? And, and , they named the American League Batting Championship Award after this person.

He became a US citizen on August 23rd, 2024 Mark. And, . I think if you ask the majority of people who watch baseball, who voted for him to go in the Hall of Fame, they probably had no idea whatsoever that he was not even a US citizen. 

Mark Corbett: Oh my gosh. 

Mat Germain (2): You know, and, and, and what are we fighting over right now?

Like, this is a guy who brought how much joy and how many fans and how many [00:24:00] people out of their seats through his entire career. You know, WA was a, a fabric, you know, part of the fabric of Minnesota for a long time. Spent a lot of time promoting the game and, and, and, you know, and joined the game, had the awards, you know, named after him, and now we're, what are we doing in Minnesota?

Like I say, we, I mean, you know, as a society, 

Mark Corbett: humanity. 

Mat Germain (2): Yeah. You know, and, and what are we doing? Like you're looking at a, first of all, the state of Minnesota has 75% white people. There is no overwhelming majority of immigration going on there. 75% white. And they are more than opening their doors for these people.

They love to open their doors. They're friendly people. They are not, um. You know, evil, uh, loud, uh, I don't know what you want to call it. Uh, they're not hostile to it. So, so the, this whole thing about, you know, needing to save people from whatever it is they wanna spin is [00:25:00] not. , Factual. , So I just want to, , throw that out There.

It, it is completely made up to get some sort of agenda, which we can't, you know, confirm or deny whatever it is. But just for fun, I wanted to kind of put out there some of the fun things that only Minnesotans know. Right. Do you know "Ope"? Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: "Ope"? No. 

Mat Germain (2): It means, sorry, excuse me. I see you. My bad. We're cool. That's like, that's a Minnesota thing apparently.

Did You know, in Minnesota, they actually secretly judge each other's snowplowing quality that.

Mark Corbett: There's a scale on 

Mat Germain (2): this. Yeah. Apparently they'll look at their neighbor and go, oh, what kind of job did they do on their plumbing? And judge it that way. Right. I don't know if you, in Florida, you guys judge each other's palm trees. I don't know, but it would be something similar, right? 

Mark Corbett: Oh my gosh. 

Mat Germain (2): Um, anyways, [00:26:00] the.

, The, there's a whole bunch of things that you can learn about Minnesota. You can find out about it. I don't want people to just, , judge this whole situation. I encourage people to learn more, um, about Minnesota just https://www.exploreminnesota.com/ because of this. In order to support them, in order to know them better and to get involved with.

They're battle because sooner or later, if you're in the United States, it's going to come your way and you are going to be involved in some way, shape, or form. So educating yourself now will help you, you know, to be better equipped for, you know, knowing what's really happening out there. Uh, Bert Blyleven another guy that's from Minnesota and I want to throw out there is another, you know, baseball link. I think everybody remembers Kirby Puckett. Uh, he was one of my favorite guys to, to kinda watch when I was a kid, one of the best bats. He always seemed to be able to put the bat on the ball regardless of where it was. I mean, there's so many [00:27:00] links to Minnesota and https://www.exploreminnesota.com/destinations , and things that we can enjoy and that we should be focused on when we start this MLB season.

Yeah. But instead we're, we're talking about nonsense , and there there's losses of life. , There are a lot of, . Hurting souls is the way I would put it. Mark. Like people, like I saw an interview with a lady and she was talking about how she helped this lady that was having a panic attack and, and couldn't breathe, couldn't catch her breath, just 'cause she couldn't get over what was happening around her.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain (2): And, and you could see it in her face. The girl that was being interviewed just. The impact and the fact that she was a 65-year-old lady that was forced to go and do this, and she had to drive a few hours from her town to get involved with this because she felt it was so wrong, she couldn't sit at home anymore, and she had to get involved and, and put herself in harm's way, really to make sure that her voice was heard and that she felt, that.

Whatever impact that one extra person would do was [00:28:00] going to be in place, even if it was consoling. That one lady that had a hard time breathing, at least she had some sort of effect on, on the situation. So, um, I think each one of us has the ability to do that. It can be by supporting tweets, it can be by watching.

There's a video on YouTube. You were talking earlier about, uh, um, you know, certain things. Th this hour has 22 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/@22Minutes , is where I would like to direct people on YouTube. They do some videos which apply directly to that thing you're talking about, where it's a little bit like Groundhog Day, where the same thing is happening over and over and over again, and the guy keeps looking at Trump Does the bad thing, is the headline on the paper?

And then it keeps happening every day. , But it's a skit. It's a little bit like Saturday Night Live and, , and so it's just making light of the fact that things just seem to be happening the same way every day when people wake up and they get in this routine where they just start expecting it. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah.

Yeah. It's a, it's a [00:29:00] little nasty little loop. And, uh, trying to step outta that one way, like you said, is by charitable acts and being able to help somebody else who's in need. And you know, Matt, when I, I used to travel quite a bit with sales, with digital advertising, and many times Minnesota would be on my list.

I get to spend a week or two up there at different times, and I always enjoyed it. And I got introduced to Minnesota. Nice. That's nice. With a "N". And that was how they treat you. And they did. I mean, it felt. I mean, from where I was in Kentucky, you'd call it Southern hospitality, but, but seriously, they were all, I mean, very pleasant people, very giving, very, uh, we weren't self effacing so much as they were genuinely concerned about your, you know, what's going on with you and how you doing, and how can I help you?

And to me, that thread was more than just a saying, Minnesota nice. Truly told me a lot [00:30:00] about the, the good people that I got to meet and work with up there, and so that it, it stings for that too. And, but it's, uh. I, I wish the best for all of 'em. I wish the best for everybody, and there's so much of this going on that a lot of it falls through the cracks.

But, and, and we, I don't want, I don't want us to get used to any of this. I don't want any of us to get used to it. It's so easy you say, well, you know, we try to get rid of the whole Epstein thing by invading Venezuela. Oh, how they'd be, okay, well that didn't work. Oh, okay. I know what I'm gonna go ahead and I wanna take Greenland and I'm gonna go with the rest of the world leaders and I'm gonna meet with them and tell 'em, Hey guys, let's do it my way or not.

And oh my gosh, they didn't like that a lot of, oh, my, my good buddy from the north didn't like it. My, my good buddy that, uh, over there in France, he wasn't crazy about it either. What, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? And that is not the sort. Insanity that I wanna see continue on this treadmill of weirdness, of, of a, [00:31:00] it's not teach one of us, you know, to find those moments to stand up when we have the opportunity to, to support people we know who care for one another in humanity, regardless of whatever that party may be.

I, I find myself, uh, agreeing with people that I would never thought I would agree with before, and distancing myself from folks that I would've considered. You know, great friends once upon a time, but the thing it is to come back and find the health of our own good nature as individuals. Finding a way to, to do something more and commit commit to a better world and, and do the little things that we can do every day.

Mat Germain (2): The one, the one thing I'll, I'll finish on, on this subject is the, the one thing people really need to focus on is ensuring that there's going to be free and fair elections through this year, because that is what he fears the most, what they fear the most is that they will be replaced and impeached and processed [00:32:00] in the way that they probably should be.

And, and so that, that is their fear. So the elections part of it and having your voice heard is important in a democracy and that this is the year where I think the United States decides whether or not they wanna remain democratic. And so. That's a huge decision, Mark. That is not, that is not a simple one, and it's not as easy as saying, oh, I'm gonna go out and vote.

It's also making it through whatever barriers that they're going to put through to make sure that you don't get that chance. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, and I mean, anybody who reads the paper reads the paper. Nobody reads anybody who stays in touch with the 

Mat Germain (2): news showing your age, Mark. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, 

brother 

Am I.. Oh my gosh. But no who, who stays in, in sync with what's happening.

And, and, and most of us know to look through three or four different types of sources to try to find the truth out there. But does see these disturbances. I, I saw just a blip this afternoon, Matt, about, uh, [00:33:00] I think it was in Georgia. The FBI i's coming down there and looking at the, the, uh, voting files there.

Uh, we've got the, the, uh, was it the, also the attorney general? I think she was working with folks in Minnesota and said, Hey, we'll work things out. Give us your voting rolls first before we, we get give you peace. 

Mat Germain (2): It's being done in the open though, Mark. I know it's being done in the open. Like that's what I don't get.

They should be arrested even for mentioning it. Nevermind, like honestly, it's a chargeable offense to tamper with that stuff. So like the fact that they're asking for it. Should be an automatic arrest. 

Mark Corbett: I agree. I agree. 

Mat Germain (2): I don't understand why it's not You're tampering with elections. Like when are, when are people gonna actually step up and, and lock these people up?

It doesn't make any sense. Yeah. Like committing crimes should not be hearsay based on the whim of a president. 

Mark Corbett: No. 

Mat Germain (2): You know, and, and so at some point in time, the law has to come back and make an appearance. 

Mark Corbett: [00:34:00] Amen, brother. I tell you. Well, we'll see what, what we can do. So thank you all for being. The people that you are with, all of you who, who see the pain of others and, and reach out to help them and acknowledge what's going on in the world and, and finding a way, whether it's voting, whether it's helping those in need.

I salute all you who are who do that, whether you're doing it for the veterans, those, uh, uh, who are in health needs or maybe who have financial struggles, especially now. Thank you all for doing that. That's, that's really all I've got to say, Matt. 

Mat Germain (2): Absolutely no, stay safe, support each other and, and realize that everybody that is,, involved in this in terms of like the movement to try to, you know, make sure that everybody maintains order and discipline and is safe, that it carries on.

And, and, uh, and, and has their voices [00:35:00] heard in a peaceful manner. . So that we can actually make sure. That, you know, I don't know, Mark, I, I dream of a 2027 where the world is back in, in, in some form of order and, and I can travel to the United States again without knowing that my phone is going to be ransacked.

You know, I, I would appreciate that. Kind of welcome into the United States, so I can actually go and watch baseball games again. That's my primary focus here, Mark. I just wanna watch baseball live. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, right. We'll, we'll get, we'll get to do that, man. All right, man. Well, Matt, I tell you, I wanna thank you. I'm gonna thank the good people in Minnesota for.

For being peaceful in a very difficult time. And that takes a lot, that takes a lot of bravery. I, I, my mind goes to, to Jackie Robinson and all that, you know, a man who had constantly was mistreated and did what he had to do to stand tall. And it took a while to get there, but he did that and baseball became [00:36:00] better for everybody because of that.

So anyway. Matt, I'm gonna go ahead and bring this to a close and let you got any other nuggets you wanted to cover. 

Mat Germain (2): Um, I, I, 

No, there's a, there's a few things that I, uh, I. I think Major League Baseball. Did you the, the last thing I want to touch on is there was a, a conversation where the, you know, the president had all of the commissioners together, uh, for a meeting of some sort.

And I don't know what it was. I have no idea what it was about. I don't know why they got together and why they felt the need to actually,, get in the same room and start talking about business of some sort. , But I would not be surprised if, if there's some form of, uh, uh, a toeing the line sort of of tone mm-hmm.

To the, you know, the administration actually asking them to do certain things that are, uh. Not going to upset the apple cart, I guess is the best way to put it. So, [00:37:00] so it's gonna be interesting to see where that leaves MLB, because we're talking about rule changes. We're talking about, uh, expansion. We're talking about a lot of things that are going on and, and I have no idea where it's gonna lead Mark.

But what I'm gonna say is that there seems to be a lot of pressure put on these commissioners. Uh, you saw the. The artists that are playing the Super Bowl, were not really, , of the kind that, , somebody thought was adequate, so he is not gonna show up. Right? And, and so, you know, that kind of of stuff actually matters in this kind of climate, in turn, in terms of what you're able to get from the administration.

So I would not be surprised with the CBA around the corner if it got political. Right during that CBA, you know, negotiation, it got to the point where somebody tried to get involved in it and, and started to pull one way or the other. So, so that's what I would like to finish it on, [00:38:00] is to say, you know what, like all of this turmoil is going to impact baseball.

It's going to have that impact, uh, whether we like it or not, because I think, the powers that be just want to get involved in everything it seems. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, yeah. 

Mat Germain (2): So, so pay attention to that too, folks. It's, it's kind of a, a thing that's coming and you're gonna be able to see, how it impacts the game long term, because then we have to live with the CBA, however it ends up.

Mark Corbett: All right, that's it. And we know that the wild world is turning. We got a chance to make some changes. Let's do so. And I wanna thank you all again for joining Matt and I today here on BaseballBiz On Deck. We hope you have a wonderful safe and happy week, and try to find the joy in every day amidst all the madness.

So thanks again, and we look forward to talking with you again real soon.