 It has been almost a week since his introduction, and the excitement of Garrett Cole's move to join the Yankees has not worn off one bit. By signing his name on the dotted line, Cole ensured that he'll be a fixture in the Bronx for a long time. And right after his contract became official, he immediately put the pinstripes on, taking the first step in a dream come true that fans cannot wait to see him live out. We hope you're having a great night. We welcome you to the latest Yankees hot stove on Yes, Bob Lorenz, John Flaherty, Jack Curry with you. Last show before the holiday breaks, so guess what? It's the last time we get to use the Yankees got Cole in their stocking pun. That's it. That thing died quickly on the set. You, wait, I was about to say, you really think that's the last time? I think it's gonna be used in April, May, June. They're still gonna be benefiting from Cole in their stocking. Well, we hope you're having a great holiday season. For Yankees fans, flash it is exactly that. Yankees went out big game hunting. They got the exact guy they wanted. And really, in a way, don't you feel like it changed the face of the franchise a little bit going into 2020? Oh, I don't think there's any doubt. And I think the press conference that Garrett Cole had kind of gave us a little glimpse into the person of who he is. And he carried himself perfectly just like a New York Yankees should. So I think the fans are excited about what he's gonna do out on the field. Number one guy in your rotation. Everybody else slots down. They should have better years because of that. But everything we've heard about the man and the person, we saw a little bit of that in the press conference. I think there are so many reasons to be excited about your pitching staff, your lineup, your defense. Yankees have no excuses. It's a World Series next year or it'll be a failure. I think if you're a Yankee fan, you're excited. But I think if you're the Yankee executives who helped execute this and make sure that they hunted down Cole and signed him, I think your headline is mission accomplished. You are heading into spring training knowing that you went out and sought out the best free agent pitcher on the market. Somebody who is not going to be there in the next four years. You're not going to have a Garrett Cole on the free agent market, that type of pitcher. And you signed him, you've made your team infinitely better. And I know this is a simple statement to make, but think about the excitement that is surrounding the Yankees right now. Think about how people would feel if they didn't sign Cole, if perhaps he went to the Dodgers or went to the Angels and they had to go to a plan B. They didn't need a plan B. They made sure that they executed in plan A with Hal Steinbrenner and his family investing that nine years, 324 million. Flash, I want to follow up on what you said. Sort of the guy sliding down if Severino becomes your two, passion your three. And I get the idea that your ace never matches up against the other ace all the time. Things are always fluid. But do you sit there in that clubhouse and say, wow, our two is going against their four today? Or you know, that kind of thing. Like we have a really good chance with this matchup as opposed to maybe another one. Every day that a Yankee player drives the Yankee Stadium and you walk in that clubhouse, you're thinking about the pitching matchup and do we have an advantage? So whether it's a one, two, three or four, you feel good about, you know, Cole's your number one, Severino too. Then you got Paxton and you got Tanaka. You're gonna feel good about all of those guys virtually against any matchup. And I think about the whole team now getting ready for spring training individually. They're doing their work, they're trying to get ready. But they're thinking, this is a team that I want to be a part of. Obviously a lot of guaranteed spots on that roster. But there are some fringe guys who are probably putting in a little extra work thinking this is a team that should win a World Series. I want to be a part of that club. Right, they're the favorites now to win a World Series and the Yankees have already embraced that. I think we'll hear that throughout spring training. Aaron Boone will say this is a team built to win it all. But Bob, to your discussion about ones versus ones, do you know when you're guaranteed to have a one versus a one when you get to October? And that's what Garrett Cole is all about. That's why the Yankees have brought him in. They wanted him sitting at the standing at the top of that rotation, making them much better. But also the point that we've made a few times, they've taken away the Astros asset. The team that they're probably going to have to knock down to get to the ALCS and get to the World Series could be the Houston Astros. They've made themselves that much better and they've hurt the Astros by taking Cole. You know, one of the things I'm so glad you brought up the postseason because what we heard in that press conference, pressure is a privilege and I want to win over 30 World Series for the New York Yankees. I mean, that's what everybody needs to be feeling if you're a Yankee. When you go into a postseason series, your number one guy has done it in the past and is thriving on the pressure of leading his team to a World Series title. That's pretty special.