Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. And we're coming to you live from the Built Ford Tough Studio. Boomer Esiason, Greg Giannotti. It's Boomer and Geo on the fan. Simulcast across the country on CBS Sports Network. And wherever you are on the free Odyssey app. Good Friday morning. A feel-good Friday indeed as the Mets take care of business on opening day. The Mets opening day.
Home openers generally work out for them. They lost the last two prior to yesterday, but they are back on track in a big way. Knocking Paul Skeens out in the first inning. So many pitches taken, so many balls fouled off, so many walks it was driving. Skeens and everybody, that was on the mound for the Pirates crazy.
So if that is the new philosophy and everybody can execute it, this is going to be a lot of fun to watch this offense. And, you know, these are the days right now that we were thinking of and dreaming of in the middle of the winter with the 22 inches of snow and the frozen pipes and the bombogenesis and the polar vortex and everything else.
You know, a 60-some-odd degree day, opening day, and a Sweet 16 going on, and St. John's playing Duke tonight.
Chapter 2: What highlights were there from the Mets' Opening Day win?
We'll get to the Knicks, we'll get to the tournament, but... Great day for the Mets, Boomer. Good morning. How are you?
It certainly was, Jay. And I'm just going to say one thing right here. This is going to go down as the O'Neal Cruz day. Yeah. Because he was horrendous. And Paul Skeens was ticked off walking off the mound. You know, not a lot of people are talking about this. I was looking at some of the Pittsburgh write-ups about the game.
And they're all going right after Cruz and how horrendous he was in the outfield yesterday. One of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball, by the way. He misplays two balls in the first inning, and all hell breaks loose, and the Mets get a huge break. I mean, those should have been outs. And maybe Beatty is going to be a sack fly anyway. But nonetheless, you have five new guys in the lineup.
Five new guys had RBIs yesterday. It's a great way to get started. Benj gets his home run because you like Benj, I like Benj. Everybody loves Benj. We all love Benj. And I would say that, you know, O'Neal Cruz was also the guy who ended up getting struck out with a pitcher's challenge.
That's right.
He's walking to first base. And it was kind of interesting that that happened, and he was involved in that as well. And I guess you would say that he thought he had a walk, but ended up striking out there, and then the next batter hits a home run. Brandon Lau, his second one. Exactly. So, you know, a lot of things weren't right for the Mets yesterday, but it was a great start.
I don't want to take anything away from it. It's game one. They scored 11 runs. They had, I think, nine or ten walks in the game. They didn't give up any walks, by the way, but they did give up quite a few home runs, which was a little bit unsettling. But nonetheless, it's 11 runs, and when you see the lineup, and it's amazing because you talk to a lot of people over the last day or so,
After you see the lineup in person, all there, you say to yourself, wow, that's a pretty long lineup, especially at the bottom of the lineup, kind of like the Yankees had opening night. The bottom of the lineup is going to actually hit and participate. When the top of the lineup, other than taking a few walks, really doesn't participate as much, that's a great way to get going.
O'Neal Cruz was just an absolute disaster out in center field.
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Chapter 3: How did O'Neal Cruz perform during the game?
Like, he wanted to look out in center field and just.
Yeah.
I mean, but you can't do that. I mean, you can't do that. I get it.
He also said the right stuff after the game.
Of course he is.
Well, he said, you know, I don't feel. He's like, everybody wants to make a bigger deal out of this. But, you know, the Mets did a really good job of getting to me. So I'm not as mad about it. But he's never got any personnel. But, yeah, I'm sure he wants to wring the guy's neck. I mean, he gets it.
By the way, you know, we're all thinking, you know, when the Pirates get the 2-0 lead, it's like, oh, I mean, with Skeens out there, you don't know. That might be the game. It's true. Turns out he didn't even get three outs.
Yeah, but you got Cruz out there in center field, so thanks to that. You know, the other thing, I thought it looked great. And I have to say, as bad as the Netflix... production was of the Yankees and the Giants. Yesterday, I thought NBC did a great job. Yeah. And by the way, they had a really top-notch booth, and I got to give Matt Vestgergen a lot of credit. For getting there?
That guy's an animal. He does the game before for Netflix and then does yesterday for NBC Peacock. That's a private jet spot there for you, right? It has to be. He's not sitting in those TSA lines. He's saying to Netflix, look, I'm not doing a game unless you get me a private jet after the Yankees and Giants are over and I'm flying back.
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Chapter 4: What was the significance of Carson Benge's home run?
Yeah, I mean, I did notice it. What I also noticed about it was they kept it very tight, where you saw nothing around Citi Field. Yeah, you don't want to see anything around Citi Field. Right, exactly. That's about it. It was just a stadium, kept it very tight. You're not going to see anything else around it. This was not like the Oracle Park where you see everything out there.
Did you see the people in the kayaks and the water? No. This was just very tight, and it looked cool, and they showed some views that you don't normally see there. at Citi Field. But yeah, I like the broadcast. I mean, at times it felt like there was maybe, you know, when Adovino was in there, maybe too many voices and trying to figure out who was saying what.
But Neil Walker, who does Pirates games, was there. You know, Al Leiter, obviously, who's been calling games for a very long time. And then Adam Adovino, who...
I thought he was fine. Yeah, no, he was fine.
He was good. I mean, sometimes it's like how many guys do we need to be talking about the one baseball game? But they were all good. And Adovino, anybody who's ever been around him says how sharp he is. And sometimes he says some controversial things. We've heard that before. But everybody says he's sharp. I am not surprised that he's dipping his toes in the broadcasting right now.
Yeah, he definitely should. He definitely should, yes. Yeah. But I'm with you on that broadcast. Yeah, it was just, I know that. It was baseball, man. It was baseball, man? Yeah, it was. It was baseball, man.
It wasn't like Netflix jamming every single possible thing that they could jam down our throats.
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Chapter 5: What were the reactions to Paul Skeens' performance?
And then raising the rates to the next day. Yeah, exactly. How about that? Well, listen, they got to pay for stuff. And, you know, it's interesting. I was talking to a TV friend of mine. I was saying, hey, you know what? Netflix, this was the Super Bowl for them. That's basically how they treated it. Well, the NFL games on Christmas were more the Super Bowl for them, weren't they?
Well, I would say that, but for this right now at this point in time of year, like opening game with the Giants and the Yankees, come on, prime time?
Yeah.
This is on the East Coast. It's definitely they're going to treat it like that, and they did treat it like that, and it was a disaster. Yeah, I mean... It was brutal. Yeah, I know. I don't know. I just... It was... Look, dude, we said it yesterday. We'll say it again. It was brutal. And you compare the two broadcasts. They have the same lead guy in Vestgergen.
But for some... You know, NBC just did it right. They did it traditionally. They did everything that you want as a broadcaster. And then they gave you some great shots of Citi Field. Hey, look, Netflix gave us great shots of San Francisco. It was fine. But I'm just... It was just over-the-top embarrassing.
Yeah, it did not come across great. There's no doubt about it. But if you try anything different, anything new when it comes to traditional things like baseball broadcast, people are going to hate it no matter what. But, yeah, I mean, I just think that what we'll remember about that broadcast will be more so or just the Yankees coming out and shutting out the Giants and playing well.
So, I mean, you can't draw up two better starts than that. Than what we got here in New York baseball.
That's why it's a feel-good Friday. And you got St. John's tonight. Doesn't get much better than that.
Man, I tell you. If I told you what I was doing tonight to watch this game, you may be disappointed in me. Why? Well, because I'm hanging out with a listener.
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Chapter 6: What did the hosts think about the NBC broadcast of the game?
Especially for a fourth-ranked team.
I've never seen it in basketball. I've seen obviously too many men on the ice, too many men on the field. I've seen teams have 10 as opposed to 11 on defense, but never in a basketball game can I remember only four guys out there and one guy waiting to check in. I just... And fascinating.
How is the guy waiting to check in?
I don't know. I mean, don't you go to the... He should have been on the court.
Yes, I know.
I don't know. I didn't listen to any of the postgame. I'm sure Jerry will get to it at some point throughout the course of the morning. I don't know the explanation from Hoiberg. But, yeah, I mean, that's one of those... like Chris Webber calling a timeout when he didn't have a timeout situations, that this is going to be something that's going to haunt that program for a very long time.
I'll tell you, the Big Ten has got a run going on right now.
Yeah, indeed.
Either one of those teams, obviously, are Big Ten teams, Nebraska, Iowa, and they're now going to play Illinois, who housed Houston. Housed! Housed Houston! I'm like, you know, we're so fixated on this group of four teams tonight down in Washington, D.C. You forget just how good these other teams are.
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Chapter 7: How did the Knicks fare against the Hornets?
UConn, Michigan State after that. Those games in Washington, D.C. And just quickly with the hockey, the Islanders did beat the Stars 2-1, a much-needed two points, as we know. And the Devils won last night and beat Nashville.
It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. All right, feel good Friday on the fan and CBS Sports Network. It is Boomer and Geo. Number to join the show, as always, 888-808-1019. And that's the Red Pocket Mobile fan line. It's brought to you by your new ultimate cell carrier, Red Pocket Mobile. Mets get it done on opening day. Yankees back in action today. St. John's, Duke tonight.
All you UConn fans as well. You got a big one against Michigan State. Knicks lose. It's all out there. It's a controversy last night in the tournament as we are moving and shaking and grooving in the world of sports as we are pushing up against April, which is one of the great sports months in the calendar. Steve in Kingston, New York, kicks it off this morning. What's going on, Steve?
Hey, guys. Just letting you know on that four-man situation, I'm a referee. Yeah, it's up to us to count the players, but Over the limit six, you say something. If the coaches don't catch four, shame on them. Would it be a bad thing to wait, give them an extra second to see if they catch it? No. But you know what? It's on the coaching staff, plain and simple. They got to catch that.
They got five or six coaches sitting on that bench. If they don't see that, shame on them. That's a bad mistake.
I would think that they probably have about $10 million invested in coaches.
Sure. And the only reason we brought it up is because a reporter brought it up to Fred Hoiberg and asked him, does a ref have to wait to blow the whistle to have five? And he said, that's a good question. I don't know. So I appreciate Steve chiming in and saying that, no, you do not have to wait five. for a fifth player to come on the court if there's only four.
And remember, that reporter asked that question because that was circulating around social media. Circulating around social media. Your For You tab. Yes. The trends. Well, yeah, I mean, if you're a Nebraska fan, I mean, you're all over this.
And this is the deepest Nebraska's gone. Oh, yeah, obviously. I mean, they had never won a tournament game. Yeah. Sweet 16 game.
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