Bringing The Otter home to talk bullpen and Orioles relief

Former Orioles reliever Gregg Olson compares Why Not 1989 era to current youthful Orioles winning ways

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

game, bullpen, orioles, play, inning, baseball, ben, felt, point, run, young, greg olson, otter, baltimore, team, year, losing, pitcher, pitch, crab

SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Gregg Olson

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

W en st Towson Baltimore and Baltimore positive or positively taking the Maryland crabcake tour on the road all summer long. It’s all brought to you by our friends at the mayor louder but given the scratch off sway the throwback scratch also the 50th anniversary get jackpots rolling through this week we’re gonna be at spirits Weston Wilkins Boulevard or woodcuts Avenue, I should say Boulevard you know from East Baltimore. We’re gonna be there from two of the five on Thursday. Chris Pike is gonna be bringing his Mount St. Joe regalia, Galia and Chad Weasley, NFL agent to Josh Jacobs, who lives in Canton is going to be coming over and agenting with me, we’re going to be crabcakes they put the Orioles games on over there have a good time. I’m gonna be wearing my window nation floppy hat 866 90 nation you buy to you get to free. We’ll be doing the crabcakes we’re all summer long. And here’s kind of a cool thing. We’re doing our 25th anniversary of the radio station on August the third and we’re doing it cost this it’s gonna be a big big celebration. Come on by this guy here. I love them from the minute I met him. I remember I was writing a piece for a local publication. And they sat me down and said we want a profile piece on Greg Olson. 1992 I just left the paper. My hair was long. So let my hair out because otter will remember the long locks that are now back in my life. It’s my COVID Errata. But you remember me coming up my little reporter’s notebook I covered hockey, your star man I remember that night in Oakland. I saw a fan of yours Brady musalman as a fan, and I had a radio show. And you were always good to me. And from the minute I met you, you were always I rooted for you. I was disappointed when you left and but it’s always good to have you back and you showed up on the television broadcast and you’re on my phone. I’m like, I’m gonna hit otter and sea otter First things first, dude, how are you feeling? Are you doing all right, brother.

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Gregg Olson  01:48

All right, doing alright, hello, I’ll get get the test for hopefully the radiation killed. Everything should be good to go but feel fine. And just, you know, keep moving on day to day

Nestor Aparicio  02:00

1214 pitches and you can you pitch a sixth end and get us to the Sabbath? Maybe seven to the eighth?

Gregg Olson  02:05

I don’t know, I don’t think my 75 ad is going to work anymore.

Nestor Aparicio  02:09

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You know, you you come into baseball, when you come in and you’re living in Alabama and you’re obviously in a fight. That’s way more important. Yes, my wife would tell you and her family at this point. But you came in you did some baseball, when you come in and you see a vibrant franchise when they call you and say odd or come in and do a game, you know, and you’re like, I’m not watching every game, whatever. But you come in, and you see this promise again, right? And you were there the day that Camden Yards open. You were around here when the Ravens showed up sort of took over things and what I’ve lived through for 30 years with Peter and just journalism and where we are in all this as a Baltimorean to see promise again with a team. My wife is asking me what time the game starts today. Right? I mean, we’re watching the games again. And I think you sort of helicoptered into that a little bit, that it’s proud to be an Oracle again, right.

Gregg Olson  03:00

Yeah, it’s been, it’s been a lot of fun and brings back some memories of, of when, you know, me honestly, back in my time of when we started the why not thing and it was a whole bunch of young guys. And and it really felt like it was a promising thing was going to happen for a while. And and then they ended up you know, going into the free agency. And it lasted a while throughout the 90s. So yeah, you see these young guys, and it’s really fun to watch. It’s exciting. They’re finding ways to win. It’s been a pretty amazing turnaround, I guess, you know, since last year, they started, you know, putting things together last half, and it’s gotten pretty good.

Nestor Aparicio  03:41

You know, it was it doesn’t feel long ago and you and I get a little older, but it doesn’t feel like that long ago, but from a baseball standpoint. I mean, I think if you’re 89 team and the specialness of that, right, and the youth of all of you Harnish Finley Schilling, Brady, all those guys that were around at that point, Frank, being cantankerous and needing to win, and you guys leave it on the steps at the Skydome at that point where like, there’s no pennant race like that anymore. I mean, anybody that’s my age, wants that this year with tamping whatever to get there. They put that they let everybody in now, right. So like that it’s not that kind of pennant race, but certainly the fortification of the team and the roster building and how these young guys are all kind of coming along. You guys were all and you’re sort of first class where you’re not. You’re one of the really early guys that came up, right?

Gregg Olson  04:29

Yeah, I was. Honestly we all kind of came up together at the end of 88. I don’t. Worthington didn’t come up he ended up making the team and 89 and I don’t know if he only came up in 88 but it was me Harnish malarkey all got called up Schilling got called up at the end of 88 when they lost the 107

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Nestor Aparicio  04:48

Yeah, well, that was the that was what you did then. Right. You sort of were like, if you’re gonna lose that much. We’re gonna let the young kids come up at the end and see what we got kind of sort of right.

Gregg Olson  04:56

Yeah, so yeah, I was one of the original guys but like So Brady had been there but didn’t get a whole lot of playing time. Debo got came over in a trade in the offseason. Well, who else think that pretty much covers Milligan got came as a rule five or a trade in the offseason and just kind of pieced together the team around the Redskins in the middle. Well, but in

Nestor Aparicio  05:20

89 there was this start that said were real. Five minutes after losing 100 games with all of these young guys at a time. I mean, Otter we lost the football team here, right? Like we have Lamar here, right. And we have, you know, all these things. We have legends, even Ray Lewis and God bless his child. Oh, he lost last week. And I remember Ray When Ray was a little baby at the barn with with with Ray. And, and all of that happened. I remember you come into the barn. I have pictures of you and me at the barn. And we’re saying that I’m going to share it on social media here this week to commemorate our our reunion here. But the 8019 came at a time when like we were brokenhearted about the Colts were brokenhearted that the Orioles stunk in 88 and were brokenhearted that a lot of the guys were broken down and he was you know that that that air of that 83 Tippy Eddie Flanagan all those guys Flanagan’s pitcher for the Blue Jays, you know, like all of that was happening at that time. And then at night, it all happened. I remember being at the paper the night the Oakland thing happened with you. And I remember we were all listening on the desk. It’s one o’clock in the morning on the radio the game I don’t think the game was on television. But whatever that that era of youth and pitching in these big games right away young, it is really reminiscent of rutschman had the data video losing a long time there knew the minute rutschman God here changed everything. You guys were more like a Calvary like a team work. But rutschman has been the straw in all of this and Molins been here and some other guys, but this year, it feels like it’s blossomed in that 89 way. And I guess that’s one of the reasons they’re had you coming back talking baseball.

Gregg Olson  06:56

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It really Yeah. You know, I guess the time when rushman came up with it seems kind of weird, because, you know, I mean, hasn’t been overly dominant. But it’s just that that’s when the switch flipped and things came round Mullins obviously has gotten much improved since Roschmann came up and I wouldn’t coincide it at all with that. But you add those two together. And then you got Gunnar and some other pieces that you you know, we’re obviously doing well and back into bullpens, but as good as there is. So it’s been a lot of fun to watch. It’s just a weird how, you know, it seems like it all kind of flipped at the end of May last year.

Nestor Aparicio  07:36

You were a big deal. And I think some people thought you were going to be a starter when you got drafted. You came in you were a guy that we knew about that we followed and, you know, going through the miners and you know, all burn the whole deal. The pressure on Ben. You know, Ben was different as one one and and Adley rutschman. And I guess Jackson alladale have that. Can you speak to that a little bit and that what that meant then and what that even means now financially and otherwise, but to actually come up and be I don’t want to say the Savior because that’s we went through that with weeders. And we went through that with Ben, that that when that is put on you. That’s different than even where you were where you were supposed to be pretty good. You were and it was and you went to the bullpen and that became your thing. But I mean that for every Strasburg for all of those guys, you measure them later and rutschman Oh, my God, he’s one year into this, right? I mean, and and we’re already putting that on him. That pressure is tough. Yeah,

Gregg Olson  08:31

I don’t I guess I never felt that. I never saw it. I mean, I had the pressure of just what I expected myself to do. And so I guess I don’t understand, you know, I mean, I was one four. And I mean, my comical thing is that I was the first first round pick to make it for the Orioles and 78. So, the Orioles went 10 years without a first round pick making it to the big leagues. And that first round pick was drunk go Hazelwood. So

Nestor Aparicio  09:01

my favorite name, my Orioles history. And this and I was an Orioles fan during all of that. And I remember the pressure on every Mark Smith on every Jeffery ham. You know all those ones. You remember the names of all the guys and either make it or they don’t. It’s terrible. If you judge it that way, right? We remember Steve Dahl kowski around here in Baltimore from the 50s. And I remember Jim Fuller and all of these Bob Baylor great prospect guys, and it but you get labeled with the fans. And there’s I think when you show up at the ballpark, when Ben McDonough walked into that bullpen out of that bullpen that night, it felt like that was a different feeling. Because he wasn’t one one. Maybe you didn’t feel as a player but I felt that as a fan.

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Gregg Olson  09:41

I never felt it. I didn’t see it with Ben either. I didn’t see him wearing this moniker or feeling the stress of the situation. I think he was same as me. It’s just I have an expectation of what I think I should do here. And that’s the pressure that I was under was what I expected myself to do or not, I never felt anything from the fans of expectations or anything. Honestly, it was just, you know, hey, they were happy for me to be there. And then, you know, I got off to a rough start the first part of April, and then after the Oakland game, everything just kind of switched for me too. And it just now there’s nothing, I never felt anything. I didn’t see it with Ben either. So we’re

Nestor Aparicio  10:27

calm. I mean, it was a very professional that yeah, that was a pretty loose, fun, young, maybe like this group, right? I maybe there is more pressure when you’re 30 doing it, or you get a little older. And you think about it differently, that when you’re younger, it just feels like these guys, just, they’re not associated with anything in the past, or any of the losing that the fans have been through, or any hard times any of that. It’s this is just where they are right now. And when he’s contagious, and it’s fun. It really is. Yeah,

Gregg Olson  10:55

I know. Yeah. And, you know, there’s a lot to be said, for coming up clean, and not not being part of a losing franchise and a losing team that, you know, some guys get stuck with. And, you know, it was the same with us in 89. Where, yeah, you know, what, we really didn’t have anything to do with the 107, losses and 88. That’s not my business. I’m here to take care of business this year. And I’m sure it’s kind of the same thing with you know, some of those young guys, they haven’t felt the stress of losing for five or six years and what that does to you. And it’s it’s different. I mean, I ran into a couple of teams that were not very good. You know, I never liked

Nestor Aparicio  11:33

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the Toronto Blue Jays. And about a year and a half ago, my wife and I moved out to the sticks. And my wife loves birds, and she’s been feeding birds. Blue Jays are nasty. I mean, they’re just awful birds, and I never in 89 I didn’t like them because of the whole thing. But like, I’ve come to live with Blue Jays around. They’re nasty creatures. So the more we beat them, the more I like it. Greg Olson is here. I don’t want to talk at night anymore. I want to talk about modern baseball, I’ve had you on every year or two or three, you pop in and we catch up. And it’s it’s a beautiful thing. And I share old pictures of us at the barn when we were young and young and handsome. And during the course some I don’t wanna say you’re curmudgeonly. I think you’re outspoken, especially on Twitter about the game and about pitching and about the analytics and just bullpen all that stuff. You’re a scientist about the game. What has this year’s version of the game and the changes with pitch clock pick offs? 10th inning? Do you like it because it feels like it’s the most universally, I’m 55. I’ve been doing this 31 years on the air. Now. I think it’s the most universally first thing and we’re all coming back to baseball for the first time. Now. I mean, a lot of the community that tuned out for years and years, they’re back now. And when they’re back games at 630 games getting over, you know, it’s crisp, it you know, teams good. If I want to go to the game and be home at 10 o’clock, like all of that happens. And it feels like they made the game better. And I don’t know that there have been many times where you and I could get together and say baseball is better this year than it’s ever been. And there’s part of that we’re winning, I’ll throw that in. But the game itself is much more watchable and digestible from a fan standpoint. Well,

Gregg Olson  13:06

first of all, the conversion thing was it’s you know, some getting some arguments on Twitter and people being expert.

Nestor Aparicio  13:15

You have a strong point of view, you’ve earned that you deserve that.

Gregg Olson  13:18

Well, you know what I mean? I can have a conversation because I was actually out there doing it. But you know, I didn’t think I’d like to pitch clock. I thought I would hate all that surrounded that the California softball extra inning rules. That’s what it was called. Initially, because I was out in California, it was California softball, extra inning.

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Nestor Aparicio  13:41

I called it beer league softball.

Gregg Olson  13:45

California girls softball is what it was. And but once I got there, and I watched it and was announcing the games, it has a better pace. The extra innings has a strategy, I didn’t even you know really factor in until I sat there and was calling a couple games in Toronto where I was I was, you know, Grant ran through it with Brandon Hyde after both. Both games course every game I do seems to be extra innings and really long. But both of my games were extra innings. And

Nestor Aparicio  14:14

they can’t play 18 anymore, dude. No, I got

Gregg Olson  14:17

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20 to win. But we were just running through the strategy of the extra innings because I thought it was kind of fascinating. He’s the top half of the inning. You know, but do you have a lefty over there trying to hook the ball over the right side? How are you playing this? And he said I was playing for one run the first day because I had my closer out there and I was looking at where they’re at in the lineup and I thought he could get a strike out on the first guy and I knew he wouldn’t you know, the first guy was Mark was Chapman. And he goes I know he wasn’t going to but and I thought you know I thought my guy could, Batista could strike him out. And then it became a game on for the second the third guy the ending and Batista strikes out all three guys and the Orioles one In and the Orioles scored the one run and they you know been at the guy over the next night didn’t have this closure in same situation they were in the exact same spot in the lineup and he goes, You know, I needed to score some runs because I wasn’t comfortable with just a one run lead. And the Orioles then did that a couple minutes later. It was it was kind of fascinating to run through the strategy of the extra innings when I’d never thought about it. I’m just gonna get the one run, you know, kick the field goal and over time and then when you think

Nestor Aparicio  15:29

about it, if you gave up a leadoff double in the 10th right, then then then they get that game on. Right literally. They say you gave up a leadoff topple and let’s play baseball, and then that’s where the strategy begins. Right? Yeah, it’s

Gregg Olson  15:42

really it was it was really interesting. I hadn’t thought about any other just because I’m going well, you got to get the one run down or you know, like in football, you got to kick the kick the field goal, get some points on the board. And so I didn’t think I’d like any of this stuff. Pitch clocks moving the game along, I will just throw one thing and I don’t remember who told me this fairly recently. And it was one of the old guys like me, and he said, you know, think about it. I’m paying $100 A ticket or for two tickets to go to a game. I want the game to last. I want to I want to be there for three and a half hours. I want to I want to watch baseball. You know, I don’t want the game to move fast so I can go home. I’m here to watch baseball game. And it was it was kind of a fascinating other side will ever go

Nestor Aparicio  16:27

to a concert wanted to end if I want the concert and like I mean, I didn’t like the concert.

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Gregg Olson  16:32

Right? And so you have that side of it going okay, now we’re speeding everything up to 245 instead of 330. And you know, some of the old guys were going I paid to watch a baseball game. I’m not. I’m not in a hurry to get out of here.

Nestor Aparicio  16:47

Well, I think the seventh inning doubleheader all the beer league stuff like I’m not I understand the bullpen issues and maybe this is where you would come into it and talk about being out in the bullpen, a county stadium in the 12th 13th 14th inning strategies building nobody can score runs team play good defense, like all of that strategy stuff that created Ripken playing on your neck as you were your next generation. Rep. You played that crazy 29 inning game and Paul pocket years ago that like nobody was set out there for 1617 any games I that’s not good, I don’t think but I do think there’s a point where like running the bullpens ragged, especially in the current game, unless you’re gonna expand rosters and nobody wants to pay more players. You right, so they’re not going to do that. So to me when they’re stacking games, and there’s rain outs and crazy stuffs happening. You’re playing a lot of baseball at the end, the 10 inning thing? You know, I’m a hockey fan. I hate shootouts, right. But I sort of as a guy covered it forever. I don’t need them playing Five and six periods on a Tuesday night Winnipeg in the first quarter of the season. But maybe the second half after the all star game, maybe there’s things that they could do if they’re gonna bastardize the game, which I’ve already done, to maybe tweak it even more, but I would figure that every pitcher, young or old, but you’re particularly old, old school, that everybody you would just hate it. From a pitcher standpoint, you would hate the clock, you would hate the guy on second base and you would never turn on it. But even even you see some sense in it nuts, just business sense are making money sets. But just pragmatic sense for humans and travel and baseball and things you went through that probably weren’t great experiences and probably weren’t the best thing for baseball or for either team or for either bullpen for the next week. If they have to go to New York to play the Yankees next week.

Gregg Olson  18:34

I just think there’s just something that I’m not able to grasp, I guess. Alright, so Mike came up in at eight at night. We had a five man bullpen. And so if we went and started getting into the game, where it’s going to be 1516 innings. One of your guys is the long guy and he’s out there from 1112 1314 15 As long as he can go. And

Nestor Aparicio  19:00

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I hope that was Williamson by the way. Now, Williamson was actually

Gregg Olson  19:02

my customer that they sent in guy. Um, you know, I’m looking at it going we had five guys in the pan and so maybe a starter would come back on his bullpen day or something, you know, just to eat some innings. And now I’m looking at they got nine guys in the bullpen. And sure seems like they just don’t bounce back the next day. You know, and that’s that’s the one thing that kind of look at, I’m going you know, you can play 20 innings. You got nine guys in your bullpen? Just use them right. Everything’s fine and you know, your bullpen is gonna be wiped out the next day and you’re gonna need your starter to go deep. But that part was just kind of weird for me while we’re stressing the bullpen, so I was like, There’s nine guys out there. We had five you know, and I wasn’t working every day if we were losing, I wasn’t working so I’d be fresh the next day. And so, you know, in essence, I got four guys trying to eat up all the endings and if I needed eat one up, I’d eat one One, but it’s just weird for me to watch going they don’t bounce back very well and everybody’s stressed out about using the bullpen guys and I was like you got nine

Nestor Aparicio  20:10

don’t give me one way to do is put a guy on first base and the 10th and second base in that level, like give me a chance to play in overtime at least in hockey. That gives you five minutes 10 But you know whatever at one point they were doing 20 minutes but like give me a chance to play a little bit it’s like college football and kicking his field goals and playing goal line and like whatever let’s let’s play a little football you know, let’s play a little baseball. We made it this far and you got the game over quicker so to your point like the pitch clocks making it quicker so you get into 10th inning only two and a half to 45 whatever you know play it inning or two more I mean like I’m okay with that. But I don’t want to see 16 1718 I think by the time we get to 12 Put a guy on third base and give them a lead pick off

Gregg Olson  20:58

there’s probably something you know but they let the genie out of the bottle so I don’t think we’re gonna get it back in play run

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Nestor Aparicio  21:04

down old school I don’t you played run down in Nebraska right? No. wall ball. Man you and I are the same age so we you know we all have we had the same members except I grew up four miles from Memorial Stadium. Greg Olson is here the otter always a pitcher at heart and always a pitcher in mind and spirit. Anything else you want to say about the game itself and actually your attachment to it your involvement in the fact that old guys like me call old guys like you once in a while Masson calls you you come in and have some fun but it what do you love about it when you find it? I mean, you watch the World Series. Are you a guy that would be a little bit more into this pennant race thing? I mean, the thing that shocked me not it doesn’t shock me to Ben’s really good at it, that Ben wants to do it. That Ben’s doing the Jim Palmer role that Ben’s flying and doing the gains of Ben’s great at it and I always love Ben ever since he bought me dinner Toronto that time but like the the fact that he would be attracted to it and want to do it. You got to be built a certain way to be Jim Palmer and to be doing this for 50 years after you’ve done doing it.

Gregg Olson  22:07

Yeah, no, I’m Ben’s really good at it. And you know I’m trying to do the same thing in essence and I’m doing the ESPN stuff and and you know hopefully I can get some more work with the Orioles. I’ll be doing actually Ben and I are doing the game with Kevin Brown and of three games end of August. You’re joining

Nestor Aparicio  22:26

together. Yeah. Oh, break news. Whoa, what games you doing? Make sure they’re not on the damn peacock are one of the places I can’t get the game yet.

Gregg Olson  22:35

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No White Sox? White Sox series end of August in Baltimore. Yep.

Nestor Aparicio  22:40

Ah, I smell crabs is what I do. Greg. Greg Olsen joining us here please stay healthy right I mean, let’s let’s get and please share that good news because when I heard the bad news I obviously text reached you right away with a tax but share the good news man people want we’re pulling for you. We’re always pulling for you, man. All right. Yep. Rick Olson back on the airwaves in my in my living room back in the community. If you see a guy in crabs, it looks like Olson McDonald over Costas with a whack job with long hair. It might be us. I’m gonna be eating crab cakes at spirits west on Thursday from two of the five we’re gonna have Chad whistling with us. Chris Pike is going to come by and do all the Mount St. Joe probably seeing the fight song we’ll make him sing the fight song. You’re gonna have a crab cake with me. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery as well as our friends at WIN donation. And I’ll show you let you go. Raskin. Global letter Rask is our sponsor. He does wealth management’s great, dude. But this is a special crab opener. It’s got the beer and the crab mallet. All right.

Gregg Olson  23:43

Solid. You wish you had these

Nestor Aparicio  23:45

tools down the bullpen back in the day you do think? I am Nestor we are wn st ar 1570 Towson Baltimore. And I promise to share that photo of otter and I from the bar and back I think it was my like, fifth anniversary party I think with we’re sick so always good to see

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Gregg Olson  24:01

you. Nice seeing you tonight sir. Hey, hear back from

Nestor Aparicio  24:05

Baltimore positive right after the Stay with us.