 Hey everybody, welcome to another edition of Yes, We Are Here and we certainly are. And today it's Michael Kaye and John Flaherty, my partner on television side and also obviously a friend. John, how are you holding up? You know Michael, everything here is good and usually we start our conversations when we see each other and that is a gorgeous shirt you have right now going on. So I just want to compliment you on that that you're not mailing it in, you're still presenting yourself like a gentleman and it really comes across. I'll tell you what, I mailed it in last week, John, but I can't do this for you, so I can't be a pig, although I'm not wearing pants. That's not you, you're not a pig, you're a gentleman, you carry yourself that way. And I look forward to getting back in the booth with you and being able to compliment your suits, some things I like as you know, some things I don't, so I'm looking forward to those things. Well, you know, I like to change it up. I see what you did, right, saw that, you got, you got, you got to finish a little bit with the change up. Oh, you want to pronate as I like what you're saying? There we go. There we go. Now, obviously we've known that this was going to be opening day and we knew that it was postponed or whatever moves it moved into the future. But for some reason, John, today it's hit me because, you know, we should be in the booth right now. Me and David and Kenny and you'd be involved in the studio outside. Is it hitting you more today than it has in the past? Absolutely. And, you know, I think I get drawn back to my old playing days where opening day was the beginning, right? It was fresh. Your teams can have a great year, you personally are going to have a great year. But I think also for us, we enjoy that the grind of, you know, being there every day and, and prepping for the games and all of that. So it's definitely hit me today, but it's also brought me back to some really positive memories of some great opening days. So it's kind of a mixed emotion day for me. Give me your best opening day. Well, there's no doubt my best opening day was my first day in the Big Leagues, which was 1992. And, you know, people would say, well, you knew you made the team. So it's opening day, but I didn't know I made the team. I was actually the last player cut by the Boston Red Sox in 1992. And I drove an 84 Chevy Cavalier mini wagon with wood paneling down the side from Florida winter. Yeah. Yeah. And that's me. Right. I mean, I was able to pull that off. And I drove that mini wagon from Winterhaven, Florida, back to Rockland County to watch my younger brother Keith play a high school baseball game. I was going to go to Pawtucket, Rhode Island the next day, triple A for the Red Sox and find an apartment. Well, I went out that night with a few of my buddies, had a few too many sodas and overslept the next day. And luckily for me, I did because I got a call from Lou Gorman, the general manager of the Red Sox, asking, how far do you live from Yankee Stadium? And I said, about 35 minutes. And he said, you need to get in the car and go to Yankee Stadium. It's opening day Yankees Red Sox. John Marzano has armed trouble. And you're going to be activated on the roster today. So I literally had a hug with my father, jumped in the shower, got on the road. And I was sitting on the major Deegan, and remember the old beautiful stadium. And it's bumper to bumper traffic. I mean, it's probably about 1230 at this point because there was so much traffic. And I had to get out of my car to one of New York City police officers who's directing traffic. And I said, you're not going to believe this, but I just got called up for the Red Sox. And he looks at my car, right, a mini wagon with wood paneling. And I had to go into the back. I take out my catching bag. I show him then I'm part of the team. And he stops traffic. Remember when you come out of that parking lot and you go up to the right to the Deegan. He stopped traffic on that road. And I was kind of going down and made a left into the parking lot. And got out of the car, took a baseball, threw it up to the guy on the Deegan. And went into Yankee Stadium in the visiting clubhouse. They were ironing my last name on the back of my jersey because it was such a last minute thing. The general manager, Lou Gorman, hands me a contract. Trust me, this is legit. Said, you got to get out there. They're announcing the team. It's now a quarter to one. I put on a uniform. I literally walked out. I get to the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium. They announced Frank Viola. And then Bob Shepard, the voice of the Yankees, voice from God, introduces number 15, John Flaherty. And I'm standing on the third baseline looking up in front of 56,000 on opening day, saying I was just in my bed in Rockland County like two and a half hours ago, a little hungover. And now I'm standing as a big leader at the stadium that I used to go watch games at. I don't know if you can top that opening day. I got a tag on you, John. You're telling me that story. I've never heard that story before from you. And I have goosebumps. I can't imagine what you were feeling on that third baseline. I mean, were your legs like jelly? I was more nervous sitting on the dig and not being able to get into the stadium. That feeling like I can't get there. It's so excited, but also nervous and anxious that I couldn't get in there. So once I got into the clubhouse, I mean, there were people who really was no players in there because they were all out in the dugout waiting to be introduced. So it was like a rush to get a uniform on me. Joe Cochran, who was the great home clubhouse guy, our visiting clubhouse guy then for, oh, he's home for the Red Sox. He's like, Flash, we'll take care of everything. Just get down there. You can't miss being introduced on your first day opening day. And they rushed me down there. It was like one of those moments where you were saying, this is not happening to me. This isn't happening to me. Did any of your family have a chance to go to the game because it was such late notice? They were able to go to the game, but they couldn't make the introductions, obviously, because of how last minute it was. But now the Red Sox were great. I walk in, how many tickets do you need? I'm like, leave, like six for my dad and my sister got out of work. She was a teacher in Scarsdale at the middle school and she rushed down to the stadium and they were able to watch in. The interesting part of that game is Yankees, Red Sox, we all know how big those games are, but Tony Pena was in scoring position in a tied game. I was late in the game. So they should have pinch ran for him. And Butch Hopson was the manager after the game. He said, there's no way I could have done that to that kid. He didn't even have a chance to take a swing or throw a baseball or do anything. So I had to wait for my major league debut about 10 days, I think it was, before I finally got in the game. So you sat for 10 days on the team and didn't get in? Yeah. Wow. Yeah, yeah, so I was kind of, and listen, I was the happiest guy in the country, right? I'm a backup catcher to Tony Pena and living out a dream. I thought it would last a couple of weeks until Marzano came back. I thought that they'd maybe make a trade and I was able to hang in there, I think all the way until August and then I got called back up in September. Now baseball players, John, are such incredible creatures of habit. This is what I do at this time, this is what I do on this day, all the days are planned out. What do you think guys are feeling now? Because all 30 teams are gonna open today. This was baseball's opening day. What do you think they're feeling? They're probably the realities hitting them, obviously, but I was part of an abbreviated sprint training in 95 with that work stoppage and the whole, the union was just telling players, stay ready, get ready, get ready, stay ready because when that phone call comes, you're gonna have to get to your spring training site in a couple of days and we're gonna get going right away. So I imagine the Yankee players today are probably doing that same thing. How can I get my swings in? How can I get my running in? How can I get my throwing in to keep my arm strength? And obviously the pitchers are the one who's gonna come back a little bit, but I'm sure they're just trying to, their off-season workouts are probably happening right now is what I would say. Did you see the video of Garrett Cole throwing to his wife? His wife looks like she can, I mean, she's five months pregnant too. Yes, she was slunging it around pretty good too. There was some good arm action, right? I mean, you and I always joke about, you know, getting in that position yet right there and she had it going on. So I was very impressed with that. I was amazing. It was amazing to me. I had ESPN's Jeff Passon on my show yesterday. So, I mean, we're all hoping that there's gonna be baseball this year. There's no guarantees of anything in life as we're learning, but they're gonna try to play. And the players have actually agreed, John, according to Passon, that they would be willing to give up a lot of off days and play as much as two or as many as two double headers a week to get as close to 162 as they can. I don't know how you can do it, John. I mean, players today don't play every single day and now you're gonna have two double headers a week. How does that work? Would you be able to do that? And when you played, people were expected to play every day. Yeah, it's a different mindset, a different time, obviously, but was there any talk of shortening the games to seven innings on those double headers? Fill up in the air. Maybe one of the double headers would be nine innings. The other one would be seven innings and another double header would be two seven innings. Again, it's all very fluid. Yeah, and you know what? I remember in 95, it was an expanded roster, I think, right? You know, maybe three more players or something like that, so I'm sure that's all out on the table, but the players in the union, I can tell you, were chomping at the bit to get back out on the field and obviously they don't want any injuries, but they want to be able to put a representative season out there. What does that number look like to you, Michael? Is it 100 games? Is it 120? I mean, you do the best you can, right? And try not to get people hurt, but I think there's probably a lot of give and take on both sides. And money plays into it as well. I mean, this is a capitalistic society and the owners want to make money and the players want to make as much money. But when I spoke to Mariano Rivera earlier in the week, he said, a 60 game season is not representative of a champion. And then I brought up to David Cohn, I believe on Tuesday, and he said, you know what? If we can only play 40 games, you have to do it for the country. You have to do it for the people. It will unite people. And if it's 40 games, then it's 40 games and that's the way it has to be. Yeah, I agree with Coney all the way on that one. And you know, it's talking to Bob Lorenz how things are gonna look so much different because instead of that 162 game marathon and the grind, it's gonna be a sprint, right? I mean, it's gonna be, we have 60, 80 games and we gotta go get them right away. And those first 20 or 30, where you're trying to build up your pitchers to go deep into games are gonna be huge because the depth of your organization is going to be tested. But again, I think the player is real. I don't think I know they do. How important it is to get back out on the field because we're all chomping at the bit for some sort of distraction from what we're dealing with. So they take that responsibility very seriously and I'm sure they just can't wait to get going. How would you feel, John, if you had to play at least the beginning in front of empty seats? Well, it's not, you know, I haven't to sound like Joe Girardi. It's not what you want, right? I mean, and obviously, I think that that's probably more of a reality, I would think, than not. And then maybe eventually getting the crowds back at a safe pace for everybody. But the games themselves are the most important thing for the distraction for people at home. So I think Major League Baseball would try to do something as soon as possible but be as safe as possible at the same time. How good do you think this team was gonna be? Well, you know, the injuries and the way they overcame them last year was pretty incredible. And then you go down to Tampa and you start seeing the same old story with Aaron Judge and Stanton and Paxton getting a late start. Listen, if they're healthy, I don't think that there's anybody that can compete with them. But with all of that being said, the one thing you know as a player is that it doesn't matter what your roster looks like on paper. The expectations are there and you have to go out and do it. And especially in the American League East, you know, the Red Sox probably gonna be down but I think the Yankees do. And they always know that you're, you know, you're gonna get your best from everybody else. So it would have been a nice challenge. Now I'm wondering, you've seen what happened with Noah Cindergarten. I wanted to ask you this. I was gonna even call you up and ask you off the air. But, you know, the Mets one time had five pitchers that they said that was gonna be the future of the organization. Every single one of those guys has either had homie John surgery and Cindergarts having it today. Can you afford if you're a team owner or a GM to build the team around pitching? Pitching just doesn't last, John. Well, it's obviously pitching is the biggest difference maker, you know, day in and day out. And as a catcher, I appreciated that more than anybody else. I think maybe you can't plan on, these are the guys we're gonna have long term and make a run at it. It's gotta be more of a situation where you're going eight, nine, 10 feet and maybe taking the burden off some of the guys at the top end of the rotation. I don't know what the answer is. You know, guys throw so much faster than they did when I played. I remember standing on deck, you know, back in the late 90s and if a guy through 92, 93 miles an hour got your attention like, okay, I gotta get ready for this guy. But I don't know if the human arm is meant to throw 98, 100 and you know, for as many innings as these guys can go. Doesn't it make you, I mean, not that you need this to appreciate them but appreciate guys like Borelander and Scherzer and back in the day, Nolan Ryan to throw as hard as they do. I mean, they've gotta be freaks because most pictures just can't hold up. Yeah, I think I look at their overall fitness and conditioning and you know, that's the one part of the game that is really developed for these guys. I mean, the off season programs weren't around when I was playing. So their entire bodies are machines to go out there and throw 100 pitches at high velocity. Justin Verlander to me is a freak. I thought this guy was gonna be done years ago. He just keeps reinventing himself. He keeps getting better and it does give you a greater appreciation for the longevity that some of these pitchers have been able to throw. You know, one of our colleagues, David Cohn. I mean, the guy threw so many pitches every time he went out there and he did it for a long time, had some bumps along the road but it's incredible what some of those old timers and some of the modern guys can do. All right, John. So full disclosure, we're taping this early in the afternoon on Thursday. And I'd say that I probably wash my hands 12 times already today. I mean, just walking from one end to the next and everybody in the house isn't leaving the house. It's just, I think it's a good habit to get into and you're saying happy birthday twice and you scratch this and I mean, a lot of soap it's changed my life. I think I'm gonna do this moving forward. I was never big hand washing. No, I don't think it's gonna change for us moving forward, right? Everything is different. And I have thought a lot about you because I in the situation and very lucky that I have older kids, right? Two in college and senior in high school, two out of three are boys. And to be honest with you, they don't really need a whole lot of attention. They do their thing and they move around but you with some young children in the house, I have a whole different appreciation for what you guys must be going through, trying to keep the kids entertained and keep your sanity at the same time. I think the entertainment's going well but the sanity is probably not and it's wearing Jody out because she's homeschooling two of them and doing a full curriculum. It's unbelievable. Wow, wow. I make sure to take teachers and we shouldn't have to have times like this to appreciate the first responders, nurses, doctors, post office workers, FedEx, UPS. It's amazing what these people do and teachers to keep our society running and you don't really appreciate it until maybe it's taken away. Yeah, it's gonna be a whole new appreciation of all the hospital workers, right? And what they're putting themselves out there. And I constantly look for positives in bad situations and I also look for leadership in tough situations. And to hear that 40 or 60,000 people in New York have come out of retirement to get back to the hospitals, my girlfriend is a therapist and has signed up for that too. 6,000 mental health experts are volunteering their time and their services to help out. So things like that in bad times kind of make you realize, I think the human spirit and most importantly, that of New Yorkers and people on the East Coast, pretty resilient and special people. Well, John, you and yours, please stay safe and everybody watching us as well. We're gonna be back at some point, but right now, yes, we are back here.